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

"Because if your father found out that I brought you to the office of a pornographic talent agency, he might come after me for reason entirely unrelated to our current mission."

Now if you had brought BATMAN to the porno agency instead, then he would have obviously been very enthusiastic about it.

Direct alterations to the brain caused by the formula and nearly half a century of being incapable of Hope, Love or Compassion. Although there is a chance that her brain has retain much of the plasticity it had when she was as young as she looks, which would mean she has far more potential to stop acting like a psychopath.

But can she, though? It's pretty hard to not be psychopathic when you can't feel any positive emotion aside from sexual pleasure or shadenfreude.
 
21st July 2013
10:06 GMT -7


"Alright, I'm in his old office."

"And you couldn't take five seconds to pick me up because..?"
Because if OL can't acquire actionable intelligence from a deserted office with A power Ring, magic detector and fricking New God trace detector, then he might as well hang up his Ring. A teenager with well-trained detective skills isn't going to help much.

Richard doesn't sound amused.

"Because if your father found out that I brought you to the office of a pornographic talent agency, he might come after me for reason entirely unrelated to our current mission."
Especially if there's still material on-site. Recordings, photos, that sort of thing... I'm sure Robin's seen worse in his time with Batman, at least peripherally. But better safe from Batman's wrath than sorry. Besides, he'll get plenty of girls once he's all grown up.

The note on the door said that they were closed, and gave a contact number. Unsurprisingly, the adult entertainment industry has taken something of a hit since the broadcast, and that particular talent agency shut up shop. Which might explain why Mr. Leas sought out alternate employment. There was a burglar alarm active, but it wasn't difficult to take control of it. I'm wearing my stealth model power armour anyway just in case, but I doubt that I'll run into anyone.
And the more old-fashioned studios were probably shutting up shop anyway in the face of internet-based groups.

"I doubt they film scenes at the office, Oh El."

I look at… That table.

"My ring scans suggest otherwise."
Ew, ewewew... 😨 In the damn office? Man, that place must have stank some days, then.

"Oh? I kinda thought they just used a set."

"I guess sets are more expensive than renting an actual law office after closing time."
And there's also the likelihood of it being a casting couch setup too.

I can't stop myself cleaning it. That's got to be some sort of health and safety breach.

"Huh. See anything?"
I know adult entertainment studios usually require their 'talent' be free of sexually-transmitted diseases, but that's still gross.

Looking around… "Computers are gone. Filing cabinets are still here…" Quick scan, which is unobstructed. "Nothing interesting. Mostly brochures they might want to physically show people. Server… Gone too."

"They did say that the agency was closed. You gunna try and track down ex-employees?"
Or find where the fittings are stored. Probably quicker.

"No, I don't think that they'll know anything significant. I mean, Sally Sonic is a psychopath who enjoys making people suffer. If Mister Leas is a hostile New God then I don't see why he wouldn't have taken her into his confidence… Certainly before anyone else. She'd be his sort of person."
More than likely one of his prime under-the-table talents, no doubt.

"So..?"
"So I'm speculating. Desaad was Mannheim's point of contact on Apokalips, but we never saw him after the broadcast happened. In fact, we never saw him working with any New Gods."
Non-interference to minimise contamination of results, or something more meaningful?

"Not apart from Finality Man."

"But this was all an experiment, right? To see what happened when Earth had Anti-Life broadcast over it. So was Darkseid aware of it through Mannheim? Or-?"
If he was actively watching, he probably got an eyeful in those last moments.

"Or was there someone watching that we just didn't see." He thinks that over while I wave a New God detector at Mr. Leas' desk. It shows positive, but… So what? "Or they could have had something built into the broadcasters."

"Which would mean that they're looking at Batman quite hard right now. And possibly the Operatives."
Establishing a baseline level of 'contamination' relative to a month of Anti-Life would have been a sensible idea, though hard to manage.

"That would be… Bad."

"Right now I'm looking for physical evidence. New God technology."
Admittedly, you're not likely to find anything in a disused office. Much like the IT fittings, I doubt Sleez left anything incriminating here.

"We could just ask him. For all we know he's from New Genesis."

I tug at the wisps in the Honden, trying to feel if any part of them sticks to the physical structure of the building.
I can only imagine the sorts of things lingering. Probably a lot more likely than love, for sure, especially around the places involved in the recordings.

New God technology is sometimes easy to detect by power ring, and at other times completely impossible. I'm hoping that without the man himself here to control it, anything here will be inert and easy to find. I don't… Feel anything so far…

"Could he sense whatever you're doing?"

"Pass. Ask me another."
'Answer uncertain, try again later'. Honestly, compared to Atlantean magic, this is new and uncertain ground for OL.

"You got no idea at all?"

"I think that he'd have to be interfaced with any device to feel me touching it. But he might have a remote connection. Do we have eyes on him?"
Surveillance could be tricky, especially if he's sensitive to observation.

"No. Since we don't know exactly what he can do, I didn't want to confront him until we can get everyone together."

Makes sense. But…
Who knows what he's up to, and whether he's aware of your poking around...

"It doesn't look like there's anything here. Next step will be checking his former residence."

"Are you just being thorough, or are you looking for something in particular?"
Not gonna find a smoking gun, but if he can find the metaphorical firearms residue...

I look around the room one last time. "If I can find a device that suggests he's up to something nefarious, I'll feel a lot better…"

My eyes alight on the nameplate on the door.
Don't tell me. First initial, last name, and...

No.

"Robin, in your work in Gotham, have you ever found a criminal because they were using a really obvious pseudonym?"
And have they ever felt like fools for not catching such a link earlier?

"You mean, like 'Joe Kerr' or something? Just about all of them some time. Why?"

"Because I've just seen a sign which says 'S. Leas'."
And the penny drops!

"Yeah?"

"There's an Apokoliptian called 'Sleez'.""
Better not to ask what he's New God of, if anything. It's neither work-safe nor suitable for children. 😏

"And you knew that the whole time?"

"Y-yes, but he didn't look anything like the pictures I've seen, and… 'Leas' is an actual name."
Cut him some slack, Robin, this is his first 'obvious supervillain pseudonym', after all.

"What should he look like?"

"Like a bald muscular dwarf with yellowy green skin."
Definitely one to get his jollies vicariously, with that description.

"Can he shapeshift?"

"Not as far as I know. Though there's probably a technological way around that. He can do mind control, but I'm a hard target so I doubt that he was using a telepathic disguise."
Holographics, or doing the 'spiritual possession' thing, maybe.

"Has he ever..? You know, acted?"

"I.. hope not." Oh… No. "J'aarkn said that his agency's 'talent' had fewer psychological problems than talent from other places. Sleez can mind control people."

"Oh God. So… Supervillany Rape?"
Depending on the level of resistance, probably. Some who were uncertain but generally resigned might have found themselves being less inhibited...

I phase through the outer wall, then accelerate towards Sleez's former home. "And it sort of doesn't matter whether or not he's involved with the Global Peace Agency because that's definitely reason to arrest and interrogate him."

"I'll tell the rest of the squad. Do you know how tough he is?"
Well, anything to get him in a cell. Though on general principles...

"Stronger and tougher than a baseline human, but I don't think he's got true super strength. In my estimation, he'll probably retreat if he can't maintain control, but if he can shapeshift somehow then if we lose contact we might never find him again."

Okay, that's his apartment-.
The shapeshifting may be a thing unique to this version. Or it's technological. Either way, if OL can get a lock on him mystically...

I can't scan anything untoward, but I can scan places where unusually thick power cables have been cut off and some sort of heavy machine has been dragged out. And, yeah, he might just have been into metallurgy-.

"Ah, Oh El? I can't reach Kid or Artemis."
The traces are definitely damning. As for lack of contact... They are teenagers. Who's to say they're not taking a little alone time together, if you know what I mean? ...But with this guy involved, well...

Let's hope Sleez didn't catch them poking around, and set them up in the same situation his comics version did Superman and Big Barda. Hopefully it's innocent coincidence, but... At the least, it encourages a certain measure of haste when it comes to finding him now, unless OL can tap the Honden to ping their location. Which he probably could if he thought of it...
 
Let's hope Sleez didn't catch them poking around, and set them up in the same situation his comics version did Superman and Big Barda. Hopefully it's innocent coincidence, but... At the least, it encourages a certain measure of haste when it comes to finding him now, unless OL can tap the Honden to ping their location. Which he probably could if he thought of it..

Unless Sleez got them in a scry-proof location.
 
But can she, though? It's pretty hard to not be psychopathic when you can't feel any positive emotion aside from sexual pleasure or shadenfreude.

I am assuming that the White Light that undid the effects of Anti-Life restored at least some of her capacity for positive emotions. I am pretty sure that at least most Psychopaths are capable of such emotions, it's just that they can't feel them very strongly.
 
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Direct alterations to the brain caused by the formula and nearly half a century of being incapable of Hope, Love or Compassion. Although there is a chance that her brain has retain much of the plasticity it had when she was as young as she looks, which would mean she has far more potential to stop acting like a psychopath.
The formula seemingly didn't alter her brain.

"Can't say I'm completely surprised." He ponders this information for a moment. "Is there something wrong with her brain? I'm not her biggest fan but if there's a biological basis maybe she could get it fixed."

"Not that I could see. It's weird; I kept nudging her to try and get an emotional response, her brain was lighting up in the right places but it didn't generate the normal emotional responses."
 
The note on the door said that they were closed, and gave a contact number. Unsurprisingly, the adult entertainment industry has taken something of a hit since the broadcast, and that particular talent agency shut up shop
I honestly thought people would be more enthusiastic for content that can bring pleasure after Anti-Life.
"I doubt they film scenes at the office, Oh El."

I look at… That table.

"My ring scans suggest otherwise
It was probably for personal use.
"Oh? I kinda thought they just used a set
Maybe the office is cheaper.
"We could just ask him. For all we know he's from New Genesis
There are bad New Genesians, like Desaad.
"Oh God. So… Supervillany Rape
And probably hundreds of cases of it.
"Ah, Oh El? I can't reach Kid or Artemis
Shit.
 

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