Darko
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And that's also assuming that they'd all want to come back.
After experiencing Anti-Life, a lot of them may prefer to be far away from the planet that had it, even if it's cleared up now.
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With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)
- Thread starter Mr Zoat
- Start date
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- Tags
- self insert young justice
And that's also assuming that they'd all want to come back.
After experiencing Anti-Life, a lot of them may prefer to be far away from the planet that had it, even if it's cleared up now.
Vaermina
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Getting back to Earth -16 is easy.
Just FTL a few solar systems over, dimension hop, then FTL back to Earth -16.
Lord Ernest
At the End...
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Don't people from negative Earths have their organs the other way around? I'm fairly certain that's a plot point, Alex Luthor is there after all. So to locate the people from Earth 16, just check those with their organs in the familiar way on that planet, to start with.
Also, I don't think Earth -16 has an Anti-Parallel travel barrier, does it? So the heroes just need to turn off the barrier from Earth 16 to allow travel, no? And even if that's not possible, the Illustres for sure can travel to Earth -16; I've mentioned it before, just travel away from the barrier's range, transition to the negatige universe like they did when travelling to Qward and then travel to Earth -16. Not exactly easy, but not overly difficult either, I should think.
Reconstruction (part 8)
Mr Zoat
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5th March 2013
06:58 GMT +2
"Good morning, Georgios."
The bare-chested man nods at me, but doesn't otherwise react. Looking at him is interesting. He's actually a little under six feet tall, but he… Feels larger. And not just because of the additional bulk his muscles lend him. And those muscles look like they're both in perfect proportion to form the masculine ideal and absolutely massive things capable of crushing bricks between them at the same time, like a picture that can either be a vase or two faces. Spiritually-enhanced martial arts: not just for the Orientals.
Georgios and his fellow Sons of Kratos did sterling work in keeping Greece functioning, though… Unlike Amon they simply weren't strong enough to fight the most powerful Justifiers. But they could fight and keep the people around them from being overwhelmed, and they used that to tour the country to stop any one place getting too bad. The Greek government is actually… It wasn't functioning, but it started up again fairly quickly.
"Any news on your teacher?"
A slight head-shake. About what I was expecting.
I haven't been able to establish perfect timelines, but Kratos, Ploutos and Hera all disappeared from their civilian lives at some point after the Anti-Life hit. Naturally, the Sons of Kratos weren't exactly helpless without their god. Their whole philosophy involves being willing to tough problems out and push on through regardless of the opposition. Still, it would be helpful if I could get in contact with an Olympian. Zeus implied that he didn't know where they'd gone, but I'd understand if he's not really inclined to answer my questions helpfully.
The Anti-Life is gone. They shouldn't still be under attack. I don't want to try taking an elf-path back because, firstly, I don't have a guide, and secondly because I don't want to wander in blind if something else is going on.
"I'll let you know if I hear anything."
That gets me another small nod, then he steps aside and lets me into the Prime Minister's office.
There's a desk next to the main window, but at the moment the most powerful people in Greek government are seated around a medium-sized table off to one side. Paperwork is mixed with the detritus of breakfast as they try and get the country into shape.
"Mister Prime Minister. Defence Minister. Finance Minister."
The Prime Minister raises his coffee cup in greeting. "Orange Lantern. On behalf of the Republic of Greece, thank you for freeing us from the Anti-Life."
"Sorry it took so long. Ah, look, you're all busy people, so I'll get on with it. The Justice League -which in this context means Superman and me- are thinking about releasing some very advanced technologies to human civilisation, and we want some places to volunteer-"
The Defence Minister blinks as he works out what I'm offering a little ahead of the other two.
"-to be our canaries."
The Finance Minister, possessing the bloodshot eyes of a man trying to fill in for a God of Finance and finding out that it's impossible, blinks in confusion.
"Canaries?"
"In Britain, miners would take small birds in cages down the mines with them as carbon monoxide detectors. If there was carbon monoxide, the canaries died before the miners and they knew to evacuate."
They all stare at me.
"Sorry, I have a fairly black sense of humour. My point is that we don't know what the economic effect of this will be, so we're asking for volunteers."
The Prime Minister takes a moment to regain his equilibrium. "What exactly are you offering?"
"Improved power generation is the obvious thing. I can give you enough bleed torsion generators to replace everything that you use now, and I can-. Well, I can't explain the physics, but I can give your physicists a full written explanation written by other people so that you can learn to build your own. I think Kal-El has some sort of improved recycling technology he wants to share, along with graphene-producing towers that pull carbon out of the air and make a super-strong building material out of it."
I shrug.
"I'm afraid that my Dolmen Gate project is on indefinite hiatus until Atlantis drops its shields, but Superman and I both have teleportation technology that doesn't use magic. We're.. probably going to want to black box those, but it will still make it much easier to transport goods around. Or if you want something that you can build without us, we've got all sorts of aircraft designs that are generations ahead of anything on Earth."
"What..?" The Defence Minister glances at his colleague for a moment. "What about magic?"
"Sorry, but with Atlantis incommunicado we don't have the spare magic capacity to use magic industrially. Even KordTech's weather control system production line has shut down, and we have no idea when it could be started up again. Is..? That a problem?"
"Nnnno." The Prime Minister shakes his head. "No. It will make things easier. Will you also be offering anything else?"
"We don't really have a plan. As I said, we've never done this before and we don't know exactly how things will work out. I've got-. There's basically nothing that we can't improve, the challenge will be actually integrating it with Greek society rather than just giving people technological hand-outs."
He nods, slightly stunned. "I will need to discuss that with the full cabinet, and with parliament."
"Of course. I appreciate that this is a big deal."
"Is anywhere else under consideration?
"Tynanda."
He looks blank.
"It's in north-west Africa. Civilisation sort of passed it by, its exports are narcotics and people and we couldn't really make the situation worse. We might talk to other places as well but this is a radical departure from how we normally work and there's a high degree of institutional inertia."
He nods cautiously.
"Ah, thank you for your time. Is there.. anything you wanted to ask me?"
"What has become of Themyscira?"
"Oh! Ah, firstly, they're all alright. The island got moved to serve as an outer defence for Olympus. I'm not really sure why it hasn't reappeared yet, but that's… That's something that I will investigate once things are a little more stable."
"I would appreciate it if you could make it a priority. There are… Creatures in the water around Themyscira which are still here. We are concerned what they will do without the Amazons to watch over them."
Ah. Yes, that's a reasonable concern. And there aren't really a lot of people who those creatures might recognise. Actually, it's basically just Donna and maybe Kon.
I nod.
"I'll get on that today. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. Was there anything else?"
The Defence Minister nods. "What would happen if whoever sent this… 'Anti-Life' did it again today?"
"Ah, well, that required a whole broadcast network that doesn't exist. It would be unpleasant in a small area, but that's about it. If you mean 'are we immune now', no, I don't think so. I think that planetary defence is something that governments should look at once they… Ah… Start existing again."
The Prime Minister nods. "Thank you, Orange Lantern. That is all."
06:58 GMT +2
"Good morning, Georgios."
The bare-chested man nods at me, but doesn't otherwise react. Looking at him is interesting. He's actually a little under six feet tall, but he… Feels larger. And not just because of the additional bulk his muscles lend him. And those muscles look like they're both in perfect proportion to form the masculine ideal and absolutely massive things capable of crushing bricks between them at the same time, like a picture that can either be a vase or two faces. Spiritually-enhanced martial arts: not just for the Orientals.
Georgios and his fellow Sons of Kratos did sterling work in keeping Greece functioning, though… Unlike Amon they simply weren't strong enough to fight the most powerful Justifiers. But they could fight and keep the people around them from being overwhelmed, and they used that to tour the country to stop any one place getting too bad. The Greek government is actually… It wasn't functioning, but it started up again fairly quickly.
"Any news on your teacher?"
A slight head-shake. About what I was expecting.
I haven't been able to establish perfect timelines, but Kratos, Ploutos and Hera all disappeared from their civilian lives at some point after the Anti-Life hit. Naturally, the Sons of Kratos weren't exactly helpless without their god. Their whole philosophy involves being willing to tough problems out and push on through regardless of the opposition. Still, it would be helpful if I could get in contact with an Olympian. Zeus implied that he didn't know where they'd gone, but I'd understand if he's not really inclined to answer my questions helpfully.
The Anti-Life is gone. They shouldn't still be under attack. I don't want to try taking an elf-path back because, firstly, I don't have a guide, and secondly because I don't want to wander in blind if something else is going on.
"I'll let you know if I hear anything."
That gets me another small nod, then he steps aside and lets me into the Prime Minister's office.
There's a desk next to the main window, but at the moment the most powerful people in Greek government are seated around a medium-sized table off to one side. Paperwork is mixed with the detritus of breakfast as they try and get the country into shape.
"Mister Prime Minister. Defence Minister. Finance Minister."
The Prime Minister raises his coffee cup in greeting. "Orange Lantern. On behalf of the Republic of Greece, thank you for freeing us from the Anti-Life."
"Sorry it took so long. Ah, look, you're all busy people, so I'll get on with it. The Justice League -which in this context means Superman and me- are thinking about releasing some very advanced technologies to human civilisation, and we want some places to volunteer-"
The Defence Minister blinks as he works out what I'm offering a little ahead of the other two.
"-to be our canaries."
The Finance Minister, possessing the bloodshot eyes of a man trying to fill in for a God of Finance and finding out that it's impossible, blinks in confusion.
"Canaries?"
"In Britain, miners would take small birds in cages down the mines with them as carbon monoxide detectors. If there was carbon monoxide, the canaries died before the miners and they knew to evacuate."
They all stare at me.
"Sorry, I have a fairly black sense of humour. My point is that we don't know what the economic effect of this will be, so we're asking for volunteers."
The Prime Minister takes a moment to regain his equilibrium. "What exactly are you offering?"
"Improved power generation is the obvious thing. I can give you enough bleed torsion generators to replace everything that you use now, and I can-. Well, I can't explain the physics, but I can give your physicists a full written explanation written by other people so that you can learn to build your own. I think Kal-El has some sort of improved recycling technology he wants to share, along with graphene-producing towers that pull carbon out of the air and make a super-strong building material out of it."
I shrug.
"I'm afraid that my Dolmen Gate project is on indefinite hiatus until Atlantis drops its shields, but Superman and I both have teleportation technology that doesn't use magic. We're.. probably going to want to black box those, but it will still make it much easier to transport goods around. Or if you want something that you can build without us, we've got all sorts of aircraft designs that are generations ahead of anything on Earth."
"What..?" The Defence Minister glances at his colleague for a moment. "What about magic?"
"Sorry, but with Atlantis incommunicado we don't have the spare magic capacity to use magic industrially. Even KordTech's weather control system production line has shut down, and we have no idea when it could be started up again. Is..? That a problem?"
"Nnnno." The Prime Minister shakes his head. "No. It will make things easier. Will you also be offering anything else?"
"We don't really have a plan. As I said, we've never done this before and we don't know exactly how things will work out. I've got-. There's basically nothing that we can't improve, the challenge will be actually integrating it with Greek society rather than just giving people technological hand-outs."
He nods, slightly stunned. "I will need to discuss that with the full cabinet, and with parliament."
"Of course. I appreciate that this is a big deal."
"Is anywhere else under consideration?
"Tynanda."
He looks blank.
"It's in north-west Africa. Civilisation sort of passed it by, its exports are narcotics and people and we couldn't really make the situation worse. We might talk to other places as well but this is a radical departure from how we normally work and there's a high degree of institutional inertia."
He nods cautiously.
"Ah, thank you for your time. Is there.. anything you wanted to ask me?"
"What has become of Themyscira?"
"Oh! Ah, firstly, they're all alright. The island got moved to serve as an outer defence for Olympus. I'm not really sure why it hasn't reappeared yet, but that's… That's something that I will investigate once things are a little more stable."
"I would appreciate it if you could make it a priority. There are… Creatures in the water around Themyscira which are still here. We are concerned what they will do without the Amazons to watch over them."
Ah. Yes, that's a reasonable concern. And there aren't really a lot of people who those creatures might recognise. Actually, it's basically just Donna and maybe Kon.
I nod.
"I'll get on that today. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. Was there anything else?"
The Defence Minister nods. "What would happen if whoever sent this… 'Anti-Life' did it again today?"
"Ah, well, that required a whole broadcast network that doesn't exist. It would be unpleasant in a small area, but that's about it. If you mean 'are we immune now', no, I don't think so. I think that planetary defence is something that governments should look at once they… Ah… Start existing again."
The Prime Minister nods. "Thank you, Orange Lantern. That is all."
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Darko
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Yeah, these guys are Captain America strong, not Soldier Boy strong.
I see that the tradition of not saying much has been passed on to this universe and to those that follow the path of Kratos.
Unless it somehow damaged them magically.
Well you did save that elf girl and helped reunite her with her brother.
One of them may be able to do it.
Unless Darkseid comes by himself instead of sending a sock puppet, then the damage may be more significant.
Chojin Patriarch
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Ah, the joy of being a descendant or student of one of the various Hellenic gods of might. In this case, Kratos. Barrel-chested is a good description of men like him, who could easily roll over a World's Strongest Man competition.
As the old saying goes: Quantity is a quality all its own. And they bring quite a high base standard to the task.
Gee, you think, OL? But it is worrying that the Olympians haven't come out of their self-imposed exile. Could be that they're waiting to see if things are stable, though.
It doesn't help that you have no idea if the island is still safe, after its temporary neighbour got consumed by Mannheim.
No time for any rest bar the minimum, eh? Better than working until they drop, but this can;t be healthy.
I suppose OL has been getting those responses from a lot of people in the last couple of weeks.
As long as he doesn't get any ideas about militarisation.
Well, he is only human. Still, I'm sure Ploutos left some measure of advice for any successors.
And if that sounds cruel, well, it was the eighteen-hundreds.
Ah, wary of unsettling a very wobbly balance?
Either of those things would be useful, at least to get infrastructure back up and running properly.
Since food shipping will be of the highest priority, if the energy methods on offer push aside coal.
Have to wonder how many other magical or hidden communities have locked doors without anyone noticing.
Now, do you want to be the guinea pigs for this, or would you rather wait until the process is proven?
Well, that's not a 'No.' About as good as you could hope for in a democratic nation.
Yeah, it's that sort of place.
Which probably doesn't make the offer sound any better. Still, better to be a first-world nation getting in on the ground floor, than having to pay a fortune later.
Long story, and it's not finished yet...
...Right, without Poseidon around to manage the more supernatural aspects of the ocean, they might be getting noisy.
Admittedly, as a sort-of child of Gaea, Donna probably has more authority over them.
On the ball, that man. Fortunately, they're more likely to be prepared for this crap.
Because the threat of the God of Tyranny Himself turning up is still a possibility.
Hmm... Mediterranean mythological denizens starting to play up a little, eh? Something to put
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Vaermina
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I'm going to guess Hephestus is in the middle of doing something vauglely Supervillainish at this point in time.
Mr Zoat
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You should remember that I know The Boys comics, not the television series. You say 'Soldier Boy', I hear 'It's not gay, is it?'.
And no. The Sons of Kratos range in strength, but on average you can consider them Spider-Man strong.
Hey! Rule 8! For the last 100 years!
As stated, it doesn't really have a government any more.
Darko
Connoisseur.
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TV Soldier Boy was basically able to fight Homelander and nearly won.
When he's holding back, or when he's going full out?
Duke Long
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'make it'
I like seeing the Sons of Kratos again. Cool guys.
For some reason I thought it was only going to be kryptonian technology, so I was surprised to see extra stuff being thrown in there. Will be very interesting to see how this develops.
Mr Zoat
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Oh, thank jumped-up elementals. For a moment I thought it was going to be a second day without corrections.
He's just as strong in either situation, he's just pulling his punches.
KenNM
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Even if it doesn't have a government anymore, chances are, people that would continue perpetuating the drug and human trafficing would step up.
The oppressed and poor rising up to be the oppressors and all that.
Institutional inertia means it's engrained into it. There's gonna be a constant monitoring to ensure things don't wind down that road
Handlewithcare
Versed in the lewd.
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Politicians tend to be older and not the healthiest. Surprising any are still around at all.
Vaermina
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It has the same government as most of those kind of countries.
Whoever is the strongest with the most guns.
Signaller
Not too sore, are you?
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This is what I was referencing, presumably the Kandahqi version of the controlling spell works the same way?
So for example, Adom using Atum's power would remove it from Atum, therefore Amon using it should remove the power from both Atum and Adom?
Ardy
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Maybe Atum has so much power as a god (unlike the demigod Heracles) that Adom using it doesn't really affect Atum
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RoninSword
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Herakles is specifically being punished, it makes sense to remove his power from him. But we have seen multiple times of all the Marvel's using their power at the same time as well as both Adom and Amon using their power at the same time. Clearly the spell was worked differently since they aren't being punished.
Lord Ernest
At the End...
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I could see it with that example, but at the same time I'm not sure how that would work with other sponsors or in other arrangements?
The demons of Sabbac, for example. I would understand them sacrificying part of their power in a commitment and serious scheme as having Sabbac as their earthly representative, but I can't see them wholly giving up a significant part of their power, probably their main feature even. Same thing with Zeus, I can't see him giving up an essential part of his power completely.
Adom as well, when he uses his Wisdom he can actually consult with his God for advice, which wouldn't make sense if said God had already sacrificed all of their knowledge and intelligence to Adom I think.
Honestly, sounds more like Billy probably doesn't know how it actually works or is regurgitating something the Wizard told him when explaining, in a dumbed down version, the powers.
Accounting (part 2)
Mr Zoat
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Earth 12
21st September 2039
09:43 GMT -5
So this is what Gotham looks like now? Can't say I think much of it. As far as I'm concerned it's just a cyberpunk dystopia without any of the interesting parts. We've had teleportation for over forty years and the roads are still jammed with traffic, the growing density of the city resulting in ridiculous-. Overpasses, the Americans call them. Insane multi-layer roads on stilts.
They rebuilt Gotham after an earthquake levelled half of it and rendered the other half structurally unsound, and they built these?
I look out of the bus window at… They actually built an elevator for taking people from ground level to the upper portion of the city. It's exposed to the wind on both sides. Anything more than a breeze and it would sway-.
This place hasn't gotten any less insane in the last forty years. It's just that the insanity has gotten more spread out, infecting more people so that none of them can notice it. I pat the case on the floor between my legs and try to work out whether I'm still spry enough to open it before we hit the ground, or if I need to get someone to build a quick-deploy mechanism for ease of use. Could go either way, though I will say that I appreciate how far apart the rows of seats are. Definitely wouldn't be able to fish it out fast enough on most buses.
The driver brakes a little hard, but I suppose that's one of the perils of inner city driving. The plethora of morons around you in fast moving lumps of metal. I rise to my feet, taking my case in my left hand as I reach for the rail with my right. Still in better nick that most people my age but there's no sense in taking unnecessary risks. I walk-.
Wait, we're not at the stop. Why is-?
The driver shrinks back as a large and heavily muscled man wearing mostly faux-leather roughly shoves the door open and stomps on board. Ah, yes, I see that his similarly buff confederates are setting up barricades across the road, having gotten up here by… Don't know. They're armed with automatic rifles, and a couple of them have rocket-propelled grenade launchers.
The more things change, the more they remain the same, I suppose.
"Everybody! Hands where I can see 'em! This vehicle now belongs to the Envenomed!"
I sigh, half-turn to put my briefcase on my seat and open it. Good job Doctor Knight built things to last. I-.
Glass shatters and there's a roar of rockets behind me and I turn around as fast as I can with my fingers around the activator as-.
Duck!
As Terrence McBatman flies over my head, pushing the thug who had been holding up the bus driver in front of him, smashing him into -and through- the rear window before throwing him into the traffic jam behind us!
Terrence hovers just behind the bus on… Rocket feet? As the Envenomed thug jumps back up. He's got a few scrapes from the impact but if he's a venom user then I doubt that he can feel them.
"Leather convention was last month."
"Bat-MAAAAAN!"
The thug leaps at him, and Batman easily darts to the side before throwing-. Before hitting him with an electrified bolas which wraps itself around him before trying very hard to shock him unconscious. It doesn't quite manage it, but it does enough that he can't muster up the strength to free himself. While he's doing that Batman is launching batarangs, targetting the guns being carried by the other gang members-.
RPG launcher woman takes a look at her weapon, pulls the rocket grenade out and throws it at-.
I'm on my feet, pressing the stud for 'flight' and flying for the shattered front window of the bus. Land and oh I'm too old for this, flight off and shield up and plant my feet because it doesn't soak all of the kinetic-.
PWOOOOOOF!
Urgh, kinetic energy.
Ugh.
As the smoke clears I watch Batman rocket punch the Envenomed woman, sending her spinning across the road and over the edge. Ah, heck, flight-.
No, Batman's already on it, flying over to the edge and firing a grappling line down to catch her before she can hit anything. Other Envenomed are sporting various injuries but most of them are still more or less on their feet. But this location means that there isn't really anywhere for them to run to. Two try running down the road anyway, and get their legs bolased for their trouble. Another makes a leap over to another road a few levels down from us and is promptly the focus point of a five-car pile-up. The drivers were trying to avoid him so he mostly took glancing hits, but that looks like it earned him a few broken bones at the very least.
"Are you okay?!"
Batman is standing in front of the bus, looking up at me. I wave my free hand dismissively.
"Yes, fine. Carry on. I-."
"Ain't too clever, huh?" Someone grabs me from behind, one arm around my chest and the other-. Ah, holding a knife to my right eye. "Guess peripheral vision get real bad when you get old."
"Let him go!"
"Heh. That line ever worked, batty-boy?"
Ah, let's see. Personal shield is there, slip the gravity rod up my sleeve, and I'm good.
"Batman, just shoot him."
He jerks, clearly surprised at what I said, but returns his full attention to the thug an instant later.
"At the moment it's assault and robbery. Make it murder and I throw you over the edge to be with your friends."
"I don't think you'll do it. You're not even the real Batman."
Er… Let's see. I can see people running out of the bus. Twist my thumb…
"I'm real enough for-."
Force blast.
The man who grabbed me goes flying backwards into the driver's compartment, knife flying out of his hand as he does. Batman's on him an instant later, beating him around the head until he finally loses consciousness. Batman then shoves him to the ground and cuffs him before turning to check on me.
"Sir, are you alright?"
"Perfectly fine. Hardly my first one of these. I wasn't in any danger."
"Ah…"
I let the gravity rod slide into my hand and hold it up. "Peter Wynne. I used to work with your predecessor."
Batman checks over the thugs he's captured, but none of them appear to be interested in offering further resistance.
"Aren't you the second richest guy in the world?"
"I doubt I'm more than seventh, honestly."
"What's a guy like you doing riding the bus?"
"Trying not to draw attention. Then Gotham happened." I look at the bus, and… Yes, that's not going anywhere. "The police are going to need a statement, aren't they?"
In the distance I hear sirens, as one of those flying police cars starts heading our way.
"On the plus side, it looks like your appointment with the Commissioner got moved up."
"That's something. I won't keep you, but I will need to talk to you and the other one some time this week. I-."
And he's gone.
I head back into the bus to stow the rod in its case before the police arrive. For a country that recognises gun ownership as a constitutional right, American police can get surprisingly shirty about me having it. Ugh, even with the meeting effectively being moved up I'm going to be delayed longer. Where's that phone…
"Message to Samuel Young. My apologies. Delayed by gang activity. You're the D.A.. Do better."
21st September 2039
09:43 GMT -5
So this is what Gotham looks like now? Can't say I think much of it. As far as I'm concerned it's just a cyberpunk dystopia without any of the interesting parts. We've had teleportation for over forty years and the roads are still jammed with traffic, the growing density of the city resulting in ridiculous-. Overpasses, the Americans call them. Insane multi-layer roads on stilts.
They rebuilt Gotham after an earthquake levelled half of it and rendered the other half structurally unsound, and they built these?
I look out of the bus window at… They actually built an elevator for taking people from ground level to the upper portion of the city. It's exposed to the wind on both sides. Anything more than a breeze and it would sway-.
This place hasn't gotten any less insane in the last forty years. It's just that the insanity has gotten more spread out, infecting more people so that none of them can notice it. I pat the case on the floor between my legs and try to work out whether I'm still spry enough to open it before we hit the ground, or if I need to get someone to build a quick-deploy mechanism for ease of use. Could go either way, though I will say that I appreciate how far apart the rows of seats are. Definitely wouldn't be able to fish it out fast enough on most buses.
The driver brakes a little hard, but I suppose that's one of the perils of inner city driving. The plethora of morons around you in fast moving lumps of metal. I rise to my feet, taking my case in my left hand as I reach for the rail with my right. Still in better nick that most people my age but there's no sense in taking unnecessary risks. I walk-.
Wait, we're not at the stop. Why is-?
The driver shrinks back as a large and heavily muscled man wearing mostly faux-leather roughly shoves the door open and stomps on board. Ah, yes, I see that his similarly buff confederates are setting up barricades across the road, having gotten up here by… Don't know. They're armed with automatic rifles, and a couple of them have rocket-propelled grenade launchers.
The more things change, the more they remain the same, I suppose.
"Everybody! Hands where I can see 'em! This vehicle now belongs to the Envenomed!"
I sigh, half-turn to put my briefcase on my seat and open it. Good job Doctor Knight built things to last. I-.
Glass shatters and there's a roar of rockets behind me and I turn around as fast as I can with my fingers around the activator as-.
Duck!
As Terrence McBatman flies over my head, pushing the thug who had been holding up the bus driver in front of him, smashing him into -and through- the rear window before throwing him into the traffic jam behind us!
Terrence hovers just behind the bus on… Rocket feet? As the Envenomed thug jumps back up. He's got a few scrapes from the impact but if he's a venom user then I doubt that he can feel them.
"Leather convention was last month."
"Bat-MAAAAAN!"
The thug leaps at him, and Batman easily darts to the side before throwing-. Before hitting him with an electrified bolas which wraps itself around him before trying very hard to shock him unconscious. It doesn't quite manage it, but it does enough that he can't muster up the strength to free himself. While he's doing that Batman is launching batarangs, targetting the guns being carried by the other gang members-.
RPG launcher woman takes a look at her weapon, pulls the rocket grenade out and throws it at-.
I'm on my feet, pressing the stud for 'flight' and flying for the shattered front window of the bus. Land and oh I'm too old for this, flight off and shield up and plant my feet because it doesn't soak all of the kinetic-.
PWOOOOOOF!
Urgh, kinetic energy.
Ugh.
As the smoke clears I watch Batman rocket punch the Envenomed woman, sending her spinning across the road and over the edge. Ah, heck, flight-.
No, Batman's already on it, flying over to the edge and firing a grappling line down to catch her before she can hit anything. Other Envenomed are sporting various injuries but most of them are still more or less on their feet. But this location means that there isn't really anywhere for them to run to. Two try running down the road anyway, and get their legs bolased for their trouble. Another makes a leap over to another road a few levels down from us and is promptly the focus point of a five-car pile-up. The drivers were trying to avoid him so he mostly took glancing hits, but that looks like it earned him a few broken bones at the very least.
"Are you okay?!"
Batman is standing in front of the bus, looking up at me. I wave my free hand dismissively.
"Yes, fine. Carry on. I-."
"Ain't too clever, huh?" Someone grabs me from behind, one arm around my chest and the other-. Ah, holding a knife to my right eye. "Guess peripheral vision get real bad when you get old."
"Let him go!"
"Heh. That line ever worked, batty-boy?"
Ah, let's see. Personal shield is there, slip the gravity rod up my sleeve, and I'm good.
"Batman, just shoot him."
He jerks, clearly surprised at what I said, but returns his full attention to the thug an instant later.
"At the moment it's assault and robbery. Make it murder and I throw you over the edge to be with your friends."
"I don't think you'll do it. You're not even the real Batman."
Er… Let's see. I can see people running out of the bus. Twist my thumb…
"I'm real enough for-."
Force blast.
The man who grabbed me goes flying backwards into the driver's compartment, knife flying out of his hand as he does. Batman's on him an instant later, beating him around the head until he finally loses consciousness. Batman then shoves him to the ground and cuffs him before turning to check on me.
"Sir, are you alright?"
"Perfectly fine. Hardly my first one of these. I wasn't in any danger."
"Ah…"
I let the gravity rod slide into my hand and hold it up. "Peter Wynne. I used to work with your predecessor."
Batman checks over the thugs he's captured, but none of them appear to be interested in offering further resistance.
"Aren't you the second richest guy in the world?"
"I doubt I'm more than seventh, honestly."
"What's a guy like you doing riding the bus?"
"Trying not to draw attention. Then Gotham happened." I look at the bus, and… Yes, that's not going anywhere. "The police are going to need a statement, aren't they?"
In the distance I hear sirens, as one of those flying police cars starts heading our way.
"On the plus side, it looks like your appointment with the Commissioner got moved up."
"That's something. I won't keep you, but I will need to talk to you and the other one some time this week. I-."
And he's gone.
I head back into the bus to stow the rod in its case before the police arrive. For a country that recognises gun ownership as a constitutional right, American police can get surprisingly shirty about me having it. Ugh, even with the meeting effectively being moved up I'm going to be delayed longer. Where's that phone…
"Message to Samuel Young. My apologies. Delayed by gang activity. You're the D.A.. Do better."
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Darko
Connoisseur.
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Your own Iron Man suit?
"muscled"
He really is doing Bruce proud.
Azure Mirage
Not too sore, are you?
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Great update on the future bat stuff. Surprised you jumped ahead like that, but then again, you can always do stories in-between the time jump. Prequels are fun for everyone!
moralrelativity
Recovering pendant.
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Ummmm....
Chojin Patriarch
Veteran Lurker
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Evidently, whatever architects were working on the designs were as high as those that designed the original city. Seriously, substance abuse seems to be a running theme amongst the building designers of Gotham. Or possibly gargoyle fetishes.
Because nothing says 'cyberpunk dystopia' like endless elevated freeways that you can have awesome running motorcycle pursuits on. Never mind the layered plates that help to divide the rich from the poor even more.
This is a world where anything can happen. Always have a quick-deployment option. Be it a super-armour suit or a magic weapon.
God, yes. I've seen so many dashcam videos of idiots not caring that yes, there are other people on the road who have just as much right as them to be there...
...Sounds like a typical 'Cyberpunk' random encounter, really.
Let me guess, Bane fanboys? Guess they haven't heard what happens when you abuse Venom, huh?
Ooh, points off for the entrance, but I guess damage to bystanders is less important to the rookie given the options for healing.
Sadly true. Venom does increase durability. And there's always the possibility of discrete cybernetic enhancements, such a staple of cyberpunk as a genre.
I don't think he likes your opinion of his fashion choices, Bats.
Ah, the other drawback of fighting Venom users: Bypassing conventional weaponry. When you can toss a grenade like a bullet, well...
Not quite a Lantern Ring's shield Construct, but...
A Cosmic Rod does the job well enough to pass for one.
Because physics is not your friend on the road.
I can imagine him being a little wary, given Peter pulled out a schizotech 'weapon'.
Or he simply didn't consider you a threat, monkey boy.
No, but it sort-of covers him for any injuries you suffer in the 'protection of a bystander' or something like that.
Not too clear on the laws involving Vigilantes in the DC universes.I have no doubt Terry noticed the slight energy ripple that would accompany the shield forming with his sensors.
...If he's hopped up on enough Venom, it might not even be fatal, either. Though that depends on the altitude.
Ah, always fun when the hostage...
...Handles matters themself.
Never underestimate an old cape.
Then again, Terry's not that used to working with other superheroes, is he?
Especially after seeing what happened to chuckles there.
Turns out rehabilitating Malign Hypercognitives is profitable, huh?
So, might have to get a lift to your meeting. I doubt a Cosmic Rod is street-legal. Or particularly FAA-approved.
Ah, man, I can imagine old Bruce grumbling in Terry's ear.
Good to see he's got that part of the Batman toolset down already.
Well, that's what you get for taking the bus in Gotham.
Good to see Peter isn't a complete lump when it comes to protecting himself. I do like that he's been smart enough not to consider putting on tights and going out and about. Though I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't a Starman out there these days. No doubt Commissioner Gordon will have words for him, though. Still, she lives in Gotham, how would you not be expecting stuff like this?
Darko
Connoisseur.
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That probably wouldn't stop them.
People know the damage steroids can do to a body, but a lot still take them.
Plus Bane was practically taking Venom at least once a day, or at least was its most frequent user, so if course he'd be more damaged.
Mr Zoat
Dedicated ragequitter
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Thank you, corrected.
Duke Long
Glomerulus
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m_d
Fascinated by storytelling
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Since this is based on your knowledge, you may wish to leave this, but according to the Smithsonian Magazine and wikipedia, the most common gas they were warning of was carbon monoxide not CH4. It wasn't exclusive of course, other toxic gasses accumulate underground in various combinations and concentrations.
brakes
BR549
This is filth! FILTH!!
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Evidently, whatever architects were working on the designs were as high as those that designed the original city. Seriously, substance abuse seems to be a running theme amongst the building designers of Gotham. Or possibly gargoyle fetishes.
Nah, y'see, it's just that both old Gotham and new Gotham were all designed by one, singular architect.
Bloody Stupid Johnson.
...at least it's not Paragon City, where sometimes office doors lead to sewers, and oceanfront caves take you to sewers, and occasionally sewer manholes take you to office lobbies...