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

Chojin Patriarch · 2025-12-30T06:58:01+0000

Mr Zoat said:
12th August 2013
2/11 7/11 Local Time

I sigh as I watch all the alien military officers stare at screens between bouts of shouting at each other.

"This obviously isn't going to work."

Well, you know that, but if it makes them feel better about doing something, then let them run around. Never know, they might get lucky and actually find her. Then it falls to the humans to go get her.

But I don't say it loud enough for them to hear it. They won't listen anyway. They never do. Billy doesn't have this problem because he ages up when he transforms, but I've seen the internet and I'm not doing that. My strength works better when it's concentrated in a smaller fist-area anyway.

Don't assume the internet isn't making unwanted art of you anyway. And it probably makes sense that she uses the Wisdom of Solomon more than he does to improve her intellect. Who doesn't want to be smarter, after all?

"Hrrrrrrr."

And it obviously won't work because we're looking for a telepath on a planet of… It looked like about.. eight billion people… With no way to detect telepathy. The smart thing to do would be to bring in about a thousand g-gnomes and get Green Lantern to carry them around in a kind of nest box construct. The moment they detected any telepathy, bam, we've got her. Because otherwise it's just Osiris and me who're immune, so even if the patrols do find it she'll just be all 'You don't want to sell me deathsticks' and they'll forget all about it.

I figure she'd been doing that anyway. But spotting Non or her (assumed) unmodified appearance could still happen. Or worse, she's posing as a Xudarian now.

Though… We did kind of drop this on them at short notice, so I can't get too mad-.

My communicator beeps. I take another look around the command room, sigh again, then hold it up to my mouth.

Yeah, don't get concerned about their futile scrambling. If it helps, it helps, if it doesn't, well, it serves as a lesson for them about unexpected circumstances.

"Marvel. Go ahead."

"Is it 'Miss Marvel' or 'Mary Marvel'?"

Since she's the only Marvel family member here, does it really matter?

I wince inwardly, because the Courage of Achilles only means that I don't show any outwards sign of the cringe I'm feeling. It's supposed to be Miss Marvel but of course Orange Lantern told him I'd been using my own name.

"Uh, e-either? 'Miss' isn't a name, it's a title."

Though it does amuse me for her to learn about the Marvel character and go 'ugh, I just can win, can I?'

"Yeah, but there are guys who have 'Mister' as part of their codename. Just remember to update the zeta tube system if you're changing it."

"Uh, yeah?"

Strange how that happened. Ah, the 40's, when they were still shaping the tropes of Comic Book Superheroes. At any rate, Hal... The actual point of your call?

"Anyway, I need you to go watch Zod and Ursa. Apparently Lyla can do some kinda of super-illusion thing that works on robots-"

I head out of the command centre and towards… The fire exit. Can't move too fast indoors or while I'm talking to someone on the radio because of how hard it makes it to understand them.

The Speed of Mercury not always helpful, eh?

"-so we need someone who won't be affected around just in case Lyla goes after them."

"Okay."

A reasonable precaution, especially since she's capable of going toe-to-toe with a kryptonian (what gap she has in strength is made up for by magic...)

"Oh, and it turns out that Non was Lyla in disguise all along."

I frown as the city shoots by beneath me. "Didn't Orange Lantern do brain surgery on him?"

"I guess it was an illusion or something. Anyway, real Non is on Earth, so if you see him, it's not him."

There's definitely going to some discussion on that front. OL's not gonna live that down anytime soon, is he...

"Understood."

Because holograms aren't a thing? And there are magic illusions that don't need to touch your brain to work. I've seen those before. I mean, I usually spot them because the sounds don't match the image quite right, but they exist.

I picture them looking like poorly-dubbed movie footage, like old kung-fu movies or anime dubs. At the very least, ever-so-slightly out-of-sync audio, no matter how good the tempo matches the mouthflaps.

Aaaaand here's the prison wing. The guard checks my identity, gets a guard off-site to check that he's seeing the same thing, and then approves me going through. Inside, robot gun monkeys have grabbed onto the walls and ceiling so they can make sure nothing sneaks past them.

At least they're being diligent about checking, even if the off-site confirmation could be fooled by holographics or light-bending magic.

"Okay, I'm here, nothing's happening."

"Good. Keep an eye out. Green Lantern out."

Don't get complacent, Mary. The situation could change rapidly.

Great! So now I'm stuck here.

I watch the robots for a moment. They're not really monkey-monkeys, but the long arms with hydraulic rams mean they can throw themselves around like monkeys, and the gun built into their chassis could probably kill a normal person.

...And for some reason, I'm picturing the Bolters from Brosef's 'Nin-to-Five' fic: puppets that are just a handful of lockable bug-like limbs holding a tube that launches ninja throwing weapons out of storage seals, and a puppet eye to look through. Bottom-of-the-barrel effort to make, and Ryoma the SI can have dozens stowed away, because they also explode...

Maybe I'm being unfair, but I thought that space-planets would be more advanced than this. Ivo would think those were rubbish. His robot moneys looked like monkeys and could fly. Sivana had better robots. His monkeys were mostly just creepy.

Eh, that's the difference between mere technology and the 'mad' science! Earth hypercognitives perform: Presentation!

I walk over to the actual cells and make sure that the prisoners are actually here, because I'll feel stupid if it turned out they'd already been replaced. I guess a kryptonian couldn't hide that easily outside of the area around the spaceport because of how different to the locals they look, but there's still a lot of places to hide in a city.

Indeed. And there's probably places around the spaceports that see more off-worlders who wouldn't blink twice at these pink-skinned, flat-faced hairballs.

"Girl." Zod looks up when he hears me, while Ursa is… Writing something on a datapad. "Why are you here?"

I don't know exactly how much I should talk to them. They haven't really tried to escape, but that's probably just because they know they couldn't get away. On the other hand without a yellow sun they're basically just human soldiers, and they're got radiation shields strapped to them in addition to the ones built into the prison. And… Maybe they know something?

The personal shields are quite well secured , I hope. Preferably in places they can't easily get at by themselves...

"Lyla was pretending to be Non."

He gives me a very faint frown. "Since when?"

That's a good question to ask, since he maybe knew Non before the supposed 'lobotomisation' incident. And the Timaron incident... How long has he been exposed to Lyla, he's wondering...

"I didn't ask. The point is that he's-. She's on this planet."

"And you think she might release us?" He frowns. "Why? She was leading us around by the nose forty years ago. She can't expect me to respond positively to her being here."

The problem is that she might have left telepathic hooks to make you willing to do what she asks of you. Like slaughtering everyone between her and a spaceship... There's no backup muscle like two empowered kryptonians.

"She might want to kill you." He stares-. "And Ursa."

"Ah." He glances towards her for a moment. "In that case, I wish you every success."

Since while he's probably getting executed, at least a judicial execution will be humane. Lyla might well decide to make it hurt.

Well, everything seems fine here. I check around just to make sure… Yep. Hearing… Nothing unusual. Power of Susanoo just in case? Still nothing.

Um.

I wonder if going from Zeus to Susanoo has changed the nature of the boons any. Can they throw lightning now? Perhaps some manner of electrical-sensing perception bonus...

"Hey, I was wondering. What was it you said the kryptonians left on Timaron?"

"A sunstone."

A potent power source, but not especially useful to them, even if they had any remaining tech present.

"Why?"

"Because it was small enough that it might actually have been accidentally left behind, while still being powerful enough to be a security risk. Oh, and because according to some of the original shipping itineraries one might actually have been left behind."

...Because of course that might have happened.

"Was that a problem?"

"I didn't destroy their world because they were actually a threat. I would have preferred to have it back, but it's unlikely that they'd have been able to comprehend how to use it. If it was there. It's far more likely that the quartermaster's records were inaccurate. The fleet was decommissioned suddenly, and most members of the military were not inclined to do their best work for their new masters."

And it's a safe bet it would have been like chum in the water to the Dominators.

I nod. "Sunstones were power sources, weren't they?"

"Among other things. The one that went missing was most likely used-."

Given that some depictions of it treat it like hyper-adjustable custom nanomaterials, I'm not surprised.

The air in his cell shimmers-.

A thin alien in cream and purple armour teleports in!

I'm guessing this is Lyla. Or just a random Dominator special operative. Either way, it looks like Hal suspected right.

"Here."

It drops a glowing crystal as I punch my right arm through the door and yank it out!

"Escape."

And I bet that's a post-hypnotic command being activated...

I try grabbing it but it's gone, and the crystal-.

Zod's eyes glow as he fires his heat vision-!

So much for the radiation shields, I guess. Now, what will he do, I wonder...

All right, escape attempt set up. But will Zod play along, or will he resist the urge to flee? Depending on whether there were any lingering telepathic commands set up, he may well try to do both. I'm willing to bet that was Lyla popping in to set up a distraction while she tries to leave the planet, though. Now, how will our heroes react?

Mr Zoat · 2025-12-30T08:30:32+0000

Rebu said:
As an American I believe Mary would say trash or garbage.

Depending of course on how much she has been hanging out with Paul or other Brits

Not enough, alas.

Duke Long · 2025-12-30T08:50:22+0000

Mr Zoat said:
"Anyway, I need you to go watch Zod and Ursa. Apparently Lyla can do some kinda of super-illusion thing that works on robots-"

Extraneous 'of'

Mr Zoat said:
I don't know exactly how much I should talk to them. They haven't really tried to escape, but that's probably just because they know they couldn't get away. On the other hand without a yellow sun they're basically just human soldiers, and they're got radiation shields strapped to them in addition to the ones built into the prison. And… Maybe they know something?

'they've'

Why empower Zod? As Vaermina says it could be a distraction. Could also be an attempt to get Marvel killed, to remove one of the people on the planet who is immune to telepathy. At this point it doesn't seem like there's much point in getting Zod or Ursa killed because the Dominators seem to already be pretty well rumbled, but they might not know how much their opposition has figured out.

Bud-E · 2025-12-30T11:11:16+0000

Do the radiation shields not work? Or are sunstones that powerful?

Mr Zoat · 2025-12-30T11:30:03+0000

Duke Long said:
Extraneous 'of'
'they've'

Thank you, corrected.

Why empower Zod? As Vaermina says it could be a distraction.

My word. A few more sensible suggestions and I may have to consider unblocking them.

Bud-E said:
Do the radiation shields not work? Or are sunstones that powerful?

It's explained tomorrow, but you remember the SI telling Superman that a radiation shield wouldn't do a thing if the kryptonite was touching him? Same thing.

mastermenthe · 2025-12-30T13:05:18+0000

Mr Zoat said:
My word. A few more sensible suggestions and I may have to consider unblocking them.

It's a trap! The less engagement he recieves the more sensible he becomes!
In a perfect vacuum, Vaermina undergoes a metamorphosis into a normal person with surprising insight!

Steelplaza · 2025-12-30T13:42:01+0000

Ciber said:
I feel like at least as they have been depicted, I'd kind of expect at least some of them to NOT attempt escape. At least if they understand the the entire point of this show trial is so that people will stop hunting down the remainder of their species.

Another way to stop Almarak from hunting down the remainder of their species would be to go kill Almarak, who is conveniently on this planet.

Darko · 2025-12-30T13:43:48+0000

Mr Zoat said:
My word. A few more sensible suggestions and I may have to consider unblocking them.

A broken clock can be right twice a day but that doesn't mean that you should keep it around.

Mr Zoat · 2025-12-30T13:49:14+0000

Steelplaza said:
Another way to stop Almarak from hunting down the remainder of their species would be to go kill Almarak, who is conveniently on this planet.

Almerac is a planet. Did you mean Amalak?

Zig · 2025-12-30T14:54:30+0000

Wait so real Non can speak and is seemingly not brain damaged. The reason fake Non was mute and brain damaged is presumably because Paul expected him to be, and the reason Paul expected him to be is because of the Superman movie. How much meta knowledge did Lyla pull from Paul's brain?

Mr Zoat · 2025-12-30T15:11:18+0000

Zig said:
Wait so real Non can speak and is seemingly not brain damaged. The reason fake Non was mute and brain damaged is presumably because Paul expected him to be, and the reason Paul expected him to be is because of the Superman movie. How much meta knowledge did Lyla pull from Paul's brain?

The SI doesn't know. For all he knows, the illusion was entirely inside his head.

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

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