Oh, alright. I'm Anti-Lifed. The thing pressing against my desires and forcing them into shape is the 'external motivation'. I can feel that pressure, that discomfort, in a way that I couldn't before. Was it always there, and I just couldn't see it? Or is it just the result of the Anti-Life getting its hooks in my soul?
Both, obviously.
To be fair, any part of the Anti-Life seems to work that way, merely bringing its aspect of Life to the fore. Usually in a self-destructive way.
Because the thing about the Anti-Life is that it's true, but how you respond to that is up to you. Because it's not the whole of the truth. Certainly, the external pressure affects my desires, but depicting that pressure as being this oppressive is simply wrong. It doesn't force me into shape, it gives any of these structures meaning. There's no point in fighting if you're not fighting for something.
It's not a hostile thing. It's not self versus environment. We're not so rigidly separate from our environments, our cultures, our tangible realities. I would be a radically different person just from growing up somewhere different even if I was biologically identical. Heck, I've meet versions of me who were not merely genetically identical but shared a little under three decades of life experience, and some of them were very different people to me.
To be fair, each of them had been touched in a different way by their Lights. People adapt to different circumstances in
odd ways.
There is no prison. It pushes against me, I push against it. That is the nature of things.
External… Motivation…. =…
Go on, kick it in the
nards. ...Assuming it has anything like nards to kick.
"Equals external existence, you worthless waste of quanta."
The rings on my ring fingers are glowing properly. Glow brighter, form a sword and shield construct… Yes, good.
When confronted with something trying to enforce a rule you don't like... Rewrite the rules.
I turn to Kadabra. "Well?"
His face is unusually still. "Who were you talking to?"
Heh. I suppose he is a little
worried, given that OL isn't generally given to spontaneous outbreaks of talking to himself.
"The Anti-Life."
Now he looks uncomfortable. "Is it intelligent?"
Things would be a lot worse if it was, because then it could
adapt.
"Not as far as I know. But that was pure anthropomorphism on my part. My brain?"
He wiggles his wand. "It… Matches the records I have for your usual patterns of activity. But… Do you have some sort of subspacial memory expansion?"
Sort of... Depending on how you count the
Heart of the Ophidian he
may be carrying.
"No. But my mind uses the orange light for some things, not just my brain. Is that-?"
"Ah. Yes. Those parts of your thoughts I cannot properly detect."
Like combat acceleration. Not that he generally uses that
too often. Not consciously, anyway.
I dismiss my sword and shield and replace them with a railgun. Test the charge… Yes, that works. Subspace pocket… Still filled.
"Do you think that you could defy the Anti-Life in the field?"
Good, he has all his stuff and the Yellow Ring's loot bag.
"Not immediately. It's just-. Suddenly there's an alien perspective in your mind. It's not something I can casually ignore right away."
"But it isn't affecting you now."
Not
directly, no. It's more like he's laid in a firewall against that specific avenue of attack...
"I… Should probably get checked over by an actual professional, but I think that's correct." I gesture to his plasmic circle and he dismisses it with a wave of his wand. "And… I should probably do something about my armour."
"It's still is Washington. What's left of it."
Time to pick up something a little more
streamlined, OL? Something that you can actually look around in properly?
"No, it's-. If I can get nobbled like that, then my old design rationale doesn't apply. I need something I can move it, not just something that can take a hit."
I look down at my legs, the orange glow already reformatting my ersatz leg armour into something properly integrated. A few other systems could do with an upgrade, but it's a generally solid design.
And now I'm imagining something similar to
COG armour. Albeit with better plating coverage.
Okay, while that's happening…
"Illustres to Controller Hinon. Please respond."
Heh. Just in case your line was busted last time?
Nothing. Not even the static I got last time.
"So do I fly out, or do I stay here because I think they're deliberately isolating me?"
Concerning. Now what could be causing that, I wonder?
"Based on my analysis of your personality, you'll stay. But I don't think that's wise."
"I do need to get back in touch, otherwise they won't know when to send Orion. But that can wait until I've spoken to Guy or one of the other Lanterns in person. Or I can build a-."
...That's assuming Orion is in any
mood to come. I mean, he could have found a nice fight elsewhere.
"Ahh, Orange?"
I instinctively glance at the speaker. "Yes, Truggs?"
Good chance to Assimilate him once he's done, you know...
"It's Batman."
"What's Batman?"
"He's here. Ahh. Just teleported up."
Well, that saves time.
Oh. I was expecting him to call ahead, but… Fine.
"Kadabra, can you teleport us to his location?"
Since the teleport would have been logged by the main systems.
He nods and flicks his wand. There's a crackling hum, and then we're… In the ship workshop. Batman is talking to Eiling, but cuts himself off and turns to us.
"Orange Lantern. It's good to have you back."
I'm guessing the general is putting together something a little more
his size. Heavy Plasma Cannon with pistol grip and foregrip, maybe...
"That desperate, sir?"
"Frankly, yes. You said that you have a solution?"
Well, it's going to be
colourful, if nothing else.
"Combine the power of seven different power ring colours and funnel the resulting white light through the Anti-Life transmission network. That should expunge it completely, as well as undoing some of the damage."
"Do you have the rings?"
...Well... About eighty-five percent of the way there or so...
"Couldn't get an indigo ring, but I think we can probably bypass that using the Medusa Mask. Please tell me that we still have it."
"We don't."
...Motherfucker.
Another sidequest.
Darn.
"Several of our holding centres were overrun before we could dispatch anyone to secure them. They usually had contacts amongst the superheroes who worked in their cities, and those superheroes were usually members of the Alliance of the Just. Is there another alternative?"
In other words, they called for help when shit went fan-wards, only for the help to be part of the
problem.
"Summon the Proselyte. Though that would have its own problems. Summon some other sort of compassion elemental… Summon Rachmiel the angel of mercy, love and compassion… Get hold of an actual Indigo Lantern. That's about it."
"Zauriel has informed us that no other angels will make themselves available. And I agree with you about the inadvisability of summoning an emotional entity. Another elemental is possible; consult with Zatara to see if there's anything that will work. Otherwise, try to locate the Medusa Mask. Obviously, removing the Anti-Life from Earth should be your top priority."
I nod. "Sir. I'll get right on that."
Yes, thank you, Batman. Perhaps you should add the pseudonym 'Captain Obvious' to your long list of titles.
