With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

[Mr Zoat]

15th August 2000
09:39 GMT

Senior Agent Blaze shudders as we appear next to the standing stone circle closest to Dublin.

"Sir? Are you alright?"

"Aye… Jus' takes a little gettin' used to, oi'm tinking."

"Sir, there isn't much data on what happens when banshee are exposed to power rings. Sir Percival told me that he was always careful in case something that advanced… Accelerated things faster than human technology."

"Oi already went t'rew the Iron Death once, t'ank you very much. Oi'm not likely to forget how it goes."

"As you will, sir." I step forwards, runic entry token raised, at the same time as she rises off the ground. "Ah."

"Put that awey." She raises her hands, the standing stones glowing in response for a moment and then… We're inside. In an adjunct to the main chamber, rather than the garden where I appeared the first time. Probably why she wanted to take the lead; she can actually control where we go.

I follow her as she leads the way towards… Where a small group of three banshee are doing something to a crystal growth. "Is that something that I can learn? Is it something I should learn?"

"Oi've got no idea and no, definitely not."

"Alright. Can I ask 'why'?"

"When uther type o' energy run threw the system, it throws all the energies out of alignment. Oi dread t' t'ink what yewer ring would do to it."

That's a fair point. "But there's no problem with me bringing the ring or lantern through?"

"There hasn't been up 'til now." The three banshee we're heading towards turn away from what they were doing to face us. "Where's Queen Mab?"

The blue-haired one smiles faintly. "You'd do better askin' yon squire about that."

The green-haired one nods. "Moit be gettin' a new princess out 'f it, if we're lucky."

Senior Agent Blaze looks mildly annoyed at the third member of the group. "Bláthnaid, 're you going t' give me a straight answer, or are you goin' three fer three in bein' unhelpful nitwits?"

I wince. "I think I… I worked it out. She's seeing Sir Percival. Um. Possibly amorously."

Bláthnaid… Smirks. "She had a daughter by him. And they've been apart a while." She looks pointedly at Senior Agent Blaze. "You've not been lettin' yers run around on his owen, I hope?"

"Nick c'n look after hisself. Is Sh'rain about, or is she visiting with her..?" Senior Agent Blaze's mouth shifts awkwardly for a moment. "Fahther."

"She's oot, checkin' on some o' the standing stones we haven't been able t' get at fer a while."

Senior Agent Blaze sighs. "Please tell me she's not on her owen."

"Niamh's with her. She'll no' be in any danger."

"So who's in charge 'til they get back?"

The three look at each other for a moment, and then smile smugly.

Bláthnaid shrugs. "Yew? That's how it was last time, and the Queen hasn't made a new Will."

Senior Agent Blaze scowls. "Jus' tell me where Sh'rain and Niamh are exactly."

"You'll not be wantin' t'see Mab then? Could be educational, with you having a new mate."

Blaze… Actually blushes faintly. "I'll not be needin' that kinda education, thank yew very much."

I awkwardly raise my right hand. "Sir, do I need to be here? This sounds like it could be personal."

Bláthnaid smiles... Hungrily. "Could be fer both a' yuhs. Now we're not so worried about hidin' awey, plenty o'bahshees will be lookin' fer mates o' their own."

I raise my eyebrows. "Are you reopening communications with your homeworld?"

She walks closer and… Takes hold of my lapels. "That wasn't really where I was goin' with that."

I regard her flatly. "My home has every modern convenience known to man. It would literally drive you insane."

"Moin doesn't, and yew c'n teleport back to America."

"That's… True." I look Bláthnaid over. Lilac hair, generally pleasing form, superpowers… "Alright then. Dinner? I can pick you up at six, local time?"

She blinks, while her two friends grin at her. "Huh?"

"I don't know what banshee courtship is like, but communal eating and conversation are good standbys amongst humans." I take her hands from my lapels and gently raise them to my lips. "If you're willing."

She blinks, pulling away slightly. "Ah…"

Senior Agent Blaze loses her patience. "Sh'rain. Where is she?"

Bláthnaid backs up a step, retrieving her hands and turning to Senior Agent Blaze. "North. On th' coast. Near the Giant's Causeway."

"Roit." Senior Agent Blaze turns away and walks purposefully back towards the standing stones. "Let's get gowin'."

I follow on behind her, briefly turning back in Bláthnaid's direction. "I'll see you tonight!"

She nods awkwardly, while her green-haired friend gives her a shove.

Senior Agent Blaze gives me a mild glaring. "What was that in aid of?"

"Her or me, sir?"

"I t'ink I know what she were aimin' fer. I thought yew'd have more sense."

"Banshee menfolk may be content to stammer and stutter when a woman shows interest, but that's not really how humans do things. The Alliance is responsible for policing all alien populations but since she's not the subject of an investigation there's no conflict of interest. Is there a problem that I'm not seeing?"

"Oi had t' submerge myself in human society fer a long time t' understand it. She hasn't. She isn't goin' t' have the sloitest clue."

"I know." I smile. "It's going to be fun. And honestly, getting a grasp of the average banshee's grasp of what's going on is probably going to be more useful than your own unusually insightful view." She raises her eyebrows. "Other isolationist communities are going to be in a similar position, and a lot of our work will be with them."

"We'll be back t' shootin' vampires before too long."

She's going to have a fun time when Alliance Personnel Resources gets around to writing a racial equality policy. But I should phrase it diplomatically.

"Oh, I don't think so, sir. I don't think that Chairman Dorn will allow anyone who embarrasses him or weakens his negotiating position to survive the experience. He's making too much money."

She huffs dismissively. "He'll show his true colours soon enough."

"I believe that his true colour is green, sir. I don't suppose that the Giant's Causeway actually has any significance, does it?"

She shakes her head. "Not as far as oi know. If the titani were throwin' rocks at somethin', it's not there any more."

"Good show. Then let's hope this is simple. Oh, and if there's any advice you can give me about courting a banshee female, I'm all ears."

 

[Mr Zoat]

23rd July 2013
08:47 GMT

I push a frond out of the way as we march through the forest towards the last place I saw a Primitive settlement.

…

"Are you alright? You haven't said anything."

"I was just… Thinking. Wasn't she..? Dating Batman?"

"Yes. Ah. She might want you to chase her over the rooftops a few times in lieu of a more conventional date-."

"How..? How old is she?"

Hm. "What's a polite way of saying 'don't worry, she's not interested in a long term relationship'?"

"I don't think there is one. But… Going back to how old she is..?"

"I don't think you're supposed to ask a woman that. Older than you, certainly. She's pretty hot, though."

"… Yeah… That… Wasn't really what I was thinking about."

"You..? Weren't thinking about how hot the woman with the big breasts in the skin tight leather is?"

"I kinda am now. How about-. Girls our age?"

"Lantern Taranna is about our age. I can put in a good word. Zatanna's single… I think."

"You've got Lanterns our age?" I look at him, raising my left eyebrow. "I mean, other than you?"

"She's not even our youngest recruit. Her adopted daxamite brother is about five years younger."

"Why would you recruit someone that young?"

"He needed to get off his homeworld quickly and he had the right mindset. We're not sending him out to fight the Reach, but he's still doing a lot of good work in the reconstruction arm of N.E.M.O.. And between his power ring and his own toughness, he's more resilient than most things he's likely to bump into."

"How tough is he?"

"Daxamites are basically mildly mutated kryptonians. They absorb a wider variety of wavelengths but get hurt by materials with a high attenuation coefficient as a result. So, very tough."

"Does Superman know about them?"

"Yes. But they're Luddite isolationists with a Kryptonian space age planetary defence system. Visiting would be… Awkward. And the only daxamite woman I even slightly know is Lantern Yat's mother, and… She doesn't like aliens. And she's married. And she sent a giant monster after me."

"No, I… I wasn't thinking about it like that."

"I get that response from some women."

"How about Zatanna?"

"No, she's never sent a giant monster after me."

"Do you think I've got a shot?"

"You have many shots. Your weapons are powered by energy drawn from a bleed torsion generator and stored in ultra-high density capacitors."

"With Zatanna?"

"No, of course not." He splutters. "Zatanna is a young woman, not a gun. She has neither a ray emitter nor any sort of projectile delivery system-."

He stops. "You're messing with me!"

I snigger quietly. "Of course I'm taking the piss, genius."

"A-HAH!" He grins as he starts walking again. "I wasn't sure if it was that or you were just really autistic!"

"I think someone would have spotted it if I was that bad by now."

"Yeah, I guess." He smiles broadly inside his helmet. "So, do I?"

"I don't know. My personal relationship with Zatanna is somewhat complicated, but you're a reasonably attractive and heroically inclined young man and I'd say that you've got as good a chance as anyone."

"Oh? Did you two date?"

"No, we fake-dated while we were plotting against Nabu. And she wanted to date but I thought that would be taking advantage inappropriately, and afterwards she got a bit obsessive for a while, but.. she got over it and we're perfectly happy as friends now."

Almost certainly. I mean, I missed that that wasn't what was happening the first time, so I could be completely wrong.

"How 'obsessive' is a bit obsessive?"

"Fairly obsessive."

"Is that a red flag, or..?"

I consider answering 'only to cowards', but I think I should take this more seriously.

"She was using the Star Sapphire. I don't know if you-."

"I was there when Green Lantern talked to Green Arrow about Carol Ferris going crazy. I know exactly what it can make someone do."

"It wasn't quite that bad, but-. We got rid of it. Sent it back to Zamaron. She's fully recovered."

"I dunno, dude. That still sounds like a red flag."

I shrug. "No red flags with Taranna. She's a delightful person."

"But she lives on the other side of the galaxy."

"I could offer her additional tuition. Earth has actually decayed to the point where I could justify bringing a support Lantern or two to help with things."

"Maybe I could just..? Call her first?"

I nod. "I'll get her number once we get back to Earth. Oh, ah, her species is fairly standard humanoid, but she's got cybernetic eyes."

"Like..?" He makes a curving gesture over his eye orbits.

"No, no, regular size. But they're very obviously not-"

"Uuuuuugh."

"-organic. Double time."

We jog through the jungle towards the source of the moan, fronds whipping past as we burst into the clearing containing the Primitive's village-.

And the open air sanatorium it's become.

 

[Mr Zoat]

23rd July 2013
08:51 GMT

A handful of people -all human-looking- are moving around, offering water to those laying on blankets on the ground. It looks like the disease induces a fever, so they're not covered in anything-.

And I see one of the people doing the ministering cough, indicating that they're infected as well. Some have an oddly patchy rash, raised areas of skin that are red in colour. Coughing and wheezing indicate an airway obstruction but it doesn't sound phlegmy. One elderly woman who has people clasping her hands is shuddering-.

I transition forwards, taking a purple healing ray out of subspace as the people around me recoil in alarm.

"Orange Lantern Two Eight One Four, I'm here to help."

A.. slightly dazed-looking man stares at me. "What-?"

He sounds slightly hoarse but doesn't have any other overt symptoms.

"I'm an Orange Lantern. I was coming here for something else, but I'm happy to provide aid. This-" I hold up the healing ray. "-is a healing device from my homeworld. May I try it on your patient?"

"It-." He and the woman holding the elder's other hand exchange a glance. "It looks like a gun."

"It turns out that shape is very practical." I point it at my own face and pull the trigger. "See? Harmless."

The old woman gives out a pained moan. "Dying. Not going to-. Make it worse."

"Grandmother-." The man nods. "Do it."

I turn the healing ray around and fire it at her chest. My current patient looks like she was well-preserved. As a New God I've got no idea how old she actually is. Since she's a Primitive she might be her apparent physical age, or she could be thousands of years older.

Heh. I remember an advert I saw… Many years ago, about cultural differences. A couple of male American teenagers watched an attractive woman walk past in a bikini, and one commented that in Europe, going topless was common in some places. Practically the law. His companion found the idea rather appealing. Then the scene switched to a beach in Italy, where a couple of male Italian teenagers winced and averted their eyes as a rather rotund Italian woman stripped down. One said to the other; 'In America, they have to leave that on. It's the law.'

"Madam, is that any better?"

She blinks, struggling to focus. "A little."

"Is it any easier to breathe?"

"Lantern." Roy approaches me from behind, deploying his own healing ray. "Should I offer that?"

I move the ray's beam up to my patient's head as her breathing appears to ease. Purple healing rays can't cure diseases, but they're good at treating symptoms.

I glance at the woman on my right. "Ma'am? Could you please escort Arsenal to the most critical cases?"

She stares at me for a moment, then her gaze drops back to her elder.

"Or find someone who can?"

The old woman's eyes focus on her. "Do it, granddaughter. They can hardly make the situation worse."

"Are you well, grandmother?"

"Better than I was."

"If you could tell me where it hurts?"

"Everywhere. But my chest and head are the worst. Is this a cure?"

"No, just a palliative. I'm just treating the symptoms. I didn't realise that New Gods could get ill."

"We're not immortal. Just very tough."

Her granddaughter waves at a…. Yellow-skinned snakeman who.. is just about the only person here not in tribal dress. Which given that most of them have pale skin makes me feel a little awkward. "Sserpa, these aliens have medicine. Take Arsenal to the worst affected."

He slithers a little closer and makes a beckoning motion with his right hand. Roy nods and follows him towards a group who are coughing almost constantly.

"Head clearer?"

"Yes. Thank you."

I move the beam to her right arm-.

"Don't bother doing that. I don't need my arms or legs to live. Help someone closer to reuniting with the Source."

I turn to the man and play it over his head. "Sir, please let me know when things become clearer."

"I feel… Clear."

"Sir, if you could please try to be a little more helpful. Allowing yourself to deteriorate helps no one."

"No, no, dizziness is the first stage. I've got days before it gets bad. And it doesn't get better. I'll be fine for a few minutes and then I'll start losing focus again."

I move down to his throat. "What sort of provision do your people have for disease outbreaks?"

"The forests of New Genesis are a wonder of natural remedies. But nothing we know of works. We can't even relieve the symptoms!"

Odd. They should at least be able to make an anti-inflammatory.

"I don't suppose that you have anything like a microbiology laboratory?"

"No." He shrugs, clearly confused. "It shouldn't be necessary. This isn't a forest as you may have on your world. This is a wonder of the Old Gods; a natural cornucopia of foods and remedies."

Just not for whatever this is. Or perhaps there is a cure here, but the disease spread too fast. "Have you considered consulting Supertown?"

Three sets of eyes glower at me.

"I know that you don't have good relations, but are relations so bad that you're willing to die over it?"

The old woman scowls. "We have had no contact with anyone who has not been here before. No new plants or animals have been sighted. Supertown is the one place this may have come from."

"I doubt that they care enough about you-" I turn off the beam, getting a nod of gratitude from the man. "-to create a disease to target you, especially as it could infect them as well. Next most urgent?"

He stands, beckoning me to follow him. "This way. And there is no one else that it could have been."

I follow him across the camp towards a primitive looking building. "Apokolips? Bugs?"

"The bugs have even less ability to create something like this than we do. And if Apokolips has such a disease then they would use it on Supertown before us. And we keep watch for their Boom Tubes."

"Ships?"

"None have landed. And if they have, we have not met their crew."

"Alright. I'm not a physician or virologist, but I'll do what I can to help. Who do you have in-?" I step in after him, seeing…

Of course. The children wouldn't be immune, would they?