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

[Mr Zoat]

I can think of only one time where Batman canonically took over the League of Assassins, and that was in Generations. He radically reformed them afterwards.

 

[Ngamer11]

Seeing as Paul works semi-independently from the Team, will he ever form a separate group similar to what the Renegade did? If yes, I hope he is able to recruit Anarky.

 

[Bud-E]

Does An-Doggy exist in the comics, too?

 

[Mr Zoat]

Does An-Doggy exist in the comics, too?

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Anarky does indeed have a dog in the comics.

 

[Wivk]

He should be questioning the witness, since he can talk to dogs.

 

[Darko]

something call 'the Source' as

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"called"

He should be questioning the witness, since he can talk to dogs

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Dog: I ain't a snitch.

 

[Wivk]

Dog: I ain't a snitch.

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That loyalty is why they're mans best friend

 

[Bud-E]

Anarky does indeed have a dog in the comics.

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Is the dog evil? Can dogs be evil?

 

[Darko]

quantities of power they covert into useful work.

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"convert"

 

[ForeverShogo]

On the earlier Injustice stuff, from someone who actually read the comics . . . It's not like Superman immediately started skiing down the slippery slope. He was constantly being pushed by Batman's ridiculously needless antagonism and Wonder Woman whispering poison into his ears. Hell, he starts out just saying he's going to be more active in Earth's affairs by intervening in wars to protect civilians and the like. Which the US government gets pissy enough about that they hire Mirror Master to kidnap Clark's parents, and it being pointless escalations of that nature that push him towards outright taking over.

And even when he first takes over, he still remains pretty reasonable to start with. He's just constantly being pushed along by stupid shit like a bunch of idiots adopting the Joker as a symbol of freedom until it gets to the point he completely snaps.

A few little things I'll mention . . . Batman's side tries to get Swamp Thing on their side. He refuses because Superman has started introducing a bunch of green technologies that are already improving the environment. The Injustice version of Lex Luthor was actually friends with Superman. The storyline just completely fucking forgets the role Harley played in murdering Jimmy, murdering Lois, and nuking Metropolis. (I especially hate how Injustice handles Harley's bullshit.)

Oh, and the reason Injustice Wonder Woman is such a horrible person is because her Steve Trevor was a double agent working for the Nazis.

 

[Ardy]

Is the dog evil? Can dogs be evil?

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No and no.

 

[Mr Zoat]

"called"

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"convert"

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Thank you, corrected.

No and no.

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Yes.

 

[xSieg]

Looks like a control room. There's a large computer console across the opposite side, panels open and… Wiring that escaped from the sixties visible inside. It looks like he's making an effort to modernise it, but that's slow going for a boy his age.

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I have never emphathized more with a character than Anarky in this moment. Gods, even if I was a comic-book genius I wouldn't want to mess with old school military systems.
You think it's gonna be all sunshine and rainbows because it's just a stupid prehistoric system with no GUI and instead you get hit with a frankestein monster-machine with custom-made software that breaks constantly. It's been toggled to battle-mode for twelve years already and is so full of compiling errors that it can't even function without it anymore, it has the worst version of Ada ever seen to man and the hardware is made to specifications so robust and modular you can't even properly mantain it by switching with modern alternatives as they're specialized products and instead you have to depend on government tech just slipping into the consumer market through military otakus...

He should probably just scrap the entire thing and repurpose the components to make battle-proof equipment, honestly.

 

[Ardy]

Yes.

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No! That was a good boy treated incredibly badly, but he's still a good boy.

 

[CrazyNoVa]

On the earlier Injustice stuff, from someone who actually read the comics . . . It's not like Superman immediately started skiing down the slippery slope. He was constantly being pushed by Batman's ridiculously needless antagonism and Wonder Woman whispering poison into his ears. Hell, he starts out just saying he's going to be more active in Earth's affairs by intervening in wars to protect civilians and the like. Which the US government gets pissy enough about that they hire Mirror Master to kidnap Clark's parents, and it being pointless escalations of that nature that push him towards outright taking over.

And even when he first takes over, he still remains pretty reasonable to start with. He's just constantly being pushed along by stupid shit like a bunch of idiots adopting the Joker as a symbol of freedom until it gets to the point he completely snaps.

A few little things I'll mention . . . Batman's side tries to get Swamp Thing on their side. He refuses because Superman has started introducing a bunch of green technologies that are already improving the environment. The Injustice version of Lex Luthor was actually friends with Superman. The storyline just completely fucking forgets the role Harley played in murdering Jimmy, murdering Lois, and nuking Metropolis. (I especially hate how Injustice handles Harley's bullshit.)

Oh, and the reason Injustice Wonder Woman is such a horrible person is because her Steve Trevor was a double agent working for the Nazis.

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It gets even worse in the movie adaptation. Batman constantly calls out Superman for killing people, yet he's perfectly content working alongside Harley Quinn and Catwoman, who both have killed people before (not to mention that Harley's crimes are far worse than Clark's). Hell, we even see a scene where Catwoman outright SNAPS THE NECK OF A LEAGUE OF ASSASSINS NINJA, and yet Batman never even calls her out for killing the guy. Double standard, much?

I have never emphathized more with a character than Anarky in this moment. Gods, even if I was a comic-book genius I wouldn't want to mess with old school military systems.
You think it's gonna be all sunshine and rainbows because it's just a stupid prehistoric system with no GUI and instead you get hit with a frankestein monster-machine with custom-made software that breaks constantly. It's been toggled to battle-mode for twelve years already and is so full of compiling errors that it can't even function without it anymore, it has the worst version of Ada ever seen to man and the hardware is made to specifications so robust and modular you can't even properly mantain it by switching with modern alternatives as they're specialized products and instead you have to depend on government tech just slipping into the consumer market through military otakus...

He should probably just scrap the entire thing and repurpose the components to make battle-proof equipment, honestly.

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Either that, or maybe Anarky is purposely using really old equipement because he thinks it would be harder to trace or hack than modern tech. Which, to be fair, would be true for most people, because there's far less people who are familiar with technology from the 60's, 70's and 80's today than before.

Yes.

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What the fuck is this? Did Gorilla Grodd decide to "de-evolve" a dog and turn it into a cyborg?

 

[Steelplaza]

So it occurs to me....

Batman has a well documented history of adopting orphans. Lonnie is an orphaned kid of incredible talent who is very concerned about the Justice League's expansion of authority. Batman needs someone to keep an eye on him. Lonnie wants to keep an eye on Batman.

Is it really a coincidence that Paul is trying to find Lonnie before he meets with Batman? Maybe there's an opportunity to make something happen here.

 

[Vaermina]

We shouldn't be looking at a full Brother Eye situation. That required him getting his brain messed up by someone he liked and trusted, rather than a serial problem child like me. And it took longer for the paranoia-inducing near-recall of the event to produce the dreadful consequences that occurred.

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Given Batman is still running around with that yellow power ring maybe you aught to actually check instead of just assuming.

And by check I mean go up to the Justice League space station and manually access the computers to check for signs of Brother Eye intrusion.

 

[Mr Zoat]

What the fuck is this? Did Gorilla Grodd decide to "de-evolve" a dog and turn it into a cyborg?

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No. It's not clear that We3 is in continuity with anything. That's Weapon 4, their last attempt to contain Weapon 1, 2 and 3 after they escaped. Basically, it's a dog in power armour with a brain implant that can translate its thoughts into English.

 

[CrazyNoVa]

Given Batman is still running around with that yellow power ring maybe you aught to actually check instead of just assuming.

And by check I mean go up to the Justice League space station and manually access the computers to check for signs of Brother Eye intrusion.

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If we assume that Batman did in fact go crazy and made a Brother Eye, what makes you think that Batman wouldn't cover his tracks and erase any signs of intrusion from Brother Eye? He helped make the watchtower's computers and program them, so it wouldn't be hard for him to do that. And even if it wasn't, he can just hack it with his power ring and screw with the systems to erase all traces of suspicious activity on his part.

In fact, forget the space station, because he could theoretically do that with ANY computer system on Earth that hasn't been warded against ring scans.

Why do I have a feeling that Paul is going to deeply regret letting Batman keep that ring pretty soon?

 

[Mr Zoat]

10th July 2013
09:44 GMT -5

Mr. Machin strolls in through the boom tube, pushing a shopping trolley before him. It contains a mixture of computer parts and more normal food supplies, and I'm curious about how he's gathered it all together. Lonnie himself is in normal civilian clothing: black jeans and a black t-shirt with a white A-in-a-circle that… Because he's not a hypocrite, probably wasn't made in a third world sweatshop.

Or maybe he thinks that it's better that they have some sort of job rather than being unemployed. I thought that he swung more towards the socialist end of anarchism rather than the libertarian end, but it's not like I know this version particularly well.

He.. really does look his age.

"Another successful trip, Yap! I'll take you for a walk-."

He lets go of the trolley, his voice growing concerned.

"Where did you get that chicken?"

"Good morning-" He wheels towards me, eyes wide and staring. "-Mister Machin. I thought-"

His eyes dart around the room as he tries to plan something, and seems to rapidly reach the conclusion that there's nothing he can do.

"-that you and I should have a chat."

He backs away slightly as the boom tube closes, hands bunching into fists.

"How did you find me?"

"The Hall of Justice is in Washington. I've scanned this city a lot. What do you think happens when I suddenly can't scan somewhere I used to scan just fine?"

He winces. "You investigate it."

I nod, looking around. "This place looks pretty old. Sixties?"

"No. S.H.A.D.E. build it in the seventies. I think they were trying to interfere with the Heartlands, but the documentation they left behind got damp and crumbled."

"I don't think S.H.A.D.E. would have stopped something like-." I smile. "They ran out of money."

"Modern money is a lie. Governments generate-."

"I know. I came from a parallel universe where information about how nonsensical the post-War economy is was getting wider public attention. When I first arrived I was so disgusted by fiat currency that I couldn't touch money without disintegrating it."

"You… Do?"

"Yes. If anything good comes of this, it's probably going to be the end of inflation spending."

He shakes his head. "They'll just make a new currency and start doing the same thing. The mistake is having government."

"Then why warn me about the Justice League enabling act? They're basically doing away with themselves, and the Justice League is a free association of volunteers. Unless you're thinking of rebranding as the Handicapper General, isn't that a good thing?"

He slumps slightly. "I'm not even trying to stop it. I don't like it because hardly anyone knows that it's happening. Did you even know?"

"I didn't, but I'm more concerned about the extent of it than… You know what I'm doing in Hub City?"

"Of course I do. Justice League News does a segment on it almost every day. Was that really spontaneous?"

"No one told me to do it, if that's what you mean. Which is the point. I didn't ask anyone's permission, I just started working on it. Having a piece of legislation which says that it's okay wouldn't change what I did."

"Then why didn't you just ignore me?"

"Because I don't think this is how things should work. I'm not… Exactly sure how they should work, or how to make things more like they should be. But I don't think this is it. And… I think it could be helpful to have someone a little less malevolent than Lex Luthor keeping an eye on things."

He blinks. "You're..? Not going to arrest me?"

"Not at this stage. But don't wreck the machine getting rid of the asbestos again."

He nods sullenly. "Fine."

"Fine..?"

"And I'm sorry for damaging the machine."

"Okay. Apology accepted. Remember to make time to apologise to Mister Snart, Doctor Roquette and anyone who gets asbestosis or lead poisoning in the meantime. On a tangentially-related subject, I couldn't help but notice that you're ten years old."

"Yes? That doesn't mean that I don't know what I'm doing."

"I know that you know what you're doing. I've been keeping an eye on you for three years. But there's 'surprisingly intelligent' and then there's 'living on your own in a government bunker with your own boom tube generator'."

"Why have you been watching me for three years?"

"Recruitment potential. It was you or Lex Luthor. Still is, technically. Now, if I scanned your brain, would I see anything unusual?"

"I don't know. I…" He looks around. "Do you mind if I sit down?"

"Not at all. I broke into your house."

He pushes the trolley towards the console-.

"Do you want me to just replace that? It's no real effort for me."

"No. I want to fix it up myself." He parks the trolley and then sits on the elderly console chair. Chicken long since devoured, Yap wanders over to sit leaning against his leg, Lonnie absent-mindedly scratching his head. "And you would see something unusual. I have succeeded in fusing the two hemispheres of my brain together."

"And what on Earth made you think that was a good idea?"

"Unlike you, I wasn't immune to the Anti-Life. I thought that by fully interfacing my rational mind with my imaginative mind I could push through it."

"Right, but-. How? I'll say again in case your overclocked brain experiences time at a different rate: you're ten."

"I built a machine using a combination of other people's work. And I was very lucky that it didn't kill me or drive me mad."

"Then-."

"I know it wasn't rational. My mind was altered by the Anti-Life. I saw it as my only way to escape."

"Alright. I assume that you're checking your brain activity?"

"Yes, but it's not as if I've got anything to compare it to."

"The machine you used?"

"It's in Blüdhaven. I'll give you the address. It's a bit big for me to move myself. But I want to know how you knew about that. It can't just be my age."

"I've been to parallel universes. In some of them, certain personal stories are further along, and a matter of public knowledge. I'll take that address and then leave you in peace until I've given Batman a chance to explain what he's doing."

 

[Ngamer11]

"I've been to parallel universes. In some of them, certain personal stories are further along, and a matter of public knowledge. I'll take that address and then leave you in peace until I've given Batman a chance to explain what he's doing."

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Now I wonder if Anarky will ever learn he's the son of the Joker.

 

[Darko]

Because he's not a hypocrite, probably wasn't made in a third world sweatshop.

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I mean, after Anti-Life, a lot of first world countries basically became third world countries.

 

[Vaermina]

Orange Lantern is goldfishing again...

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

10th July 2013
09:44 GMT -5

Mr. Machin strolls in through the boom tube, pushing a shopping trolley before him. It contains a mixture of computer parts and more normal food supplies, and I'm curious about how he's gathered it all together. Lonnie himself is in normal civilian clothing: black jeans and a black t-shirt with a white A-in-a-circle that… Because he's not a hypocrite, probably wasn't made in a third world sweatshop.

Click to shrink...

Got him! And... He is a depressingly average ten-year-old boy in looks, isn't he? Impressive that he's been handling himself solo for so long, most kids his age would have struggled more. Benefit of genius intellect, eh?

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

Or maybe he thinks that it's better that they have some sort of job rather than being unemployed. I thought that he swung more towards the socialist end of anarchism rather than the libertarian end, but it's not like I know this version particularly well.

He.. really does look his age.

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About the same age as Robin when he got started, I bet. But he didn't have the benefit of Batman's money and training.

"Another successful trip, Yap! I'll take you for a walk-."

He lets go of the trolley, his voice growing concerned.

"Where did you get that chicken?"

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...Wow, okay, he didn't notice the big glowing elephant in the room? Or is his big brain just getting to that?

"Good morning-" He wheels towards me, eyes wide and staring. "-Mister Machin. I thought-"

His eyes dart around the room as he tries to plan something, and seems to rapidly reach the conclusion that there's nothing he can do.

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...Ah, of course. OL was standing behind him when the tube opened. Good to see he's smart enough to know when he's got no options, though.

"-that you and I should have a chat."

He backs away slightly as the boom tube closes, hands bunching into fists.

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Though it looks like he won't go down without a fight if it comes to it.

"How did you find me?"

"The Hall of Justice is in Washington. I've scanned this city a lot. What do you think happens when I suddenly can't scan somewhere I used to scan just fine?"

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Which suggests the anti-scanning is fairly new, then. I'm guessing Lonnie mass-printed scan wards on post-it notes and slapped them all over.

He winces. "You investigate it."

I nod, looking around. "This place looks pretty old. Sixties?"

"No. S.H.A.D.E. build it in the seventies. I think they were trying to interfere with the Heartlands, but the documentation they left behind got damp and crumbled."

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Damn. Good thing they gave up, that could have been bad.

"I don't think S.H.A.D.E. would have stopped something like-." I smile. "They ran out of money."

"Modern money is a lie. Governments generate-."

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Government projects like SHADE still have budgets, though.

"I know. I came from a parallel universe where information about how nonsensical the post-War economy is was getting wider public attention. When I first arrived I was so disgusted by fiat currency that I couldn't touch money without disintegrating it."

"You… Do?"

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He's got a handle on it now, of course.

"Yes. If anything good comes of this, it's probably going to be the end of inflation spending."

He shakes his head. "They'll just make a new currency and start doing the same thing. The mistake is having government."

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Well, League medallions are thankfully more of an exchange currency than anything. Useful for international trade and large-scale transactions at the moment.

"Then why warn me about the Justice League enabling act? They're basically doing away with themselves, and the Justice League is a free association of volunteers. Unless you're thinking of rebranding as the Handicapper General, isn't that a good thing?"

He slumps slightly. "I'm not even trying to stop it. I don't like it because hardly anyone knows that it's happening. Did you even know?"

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That sounds like a strange story. As for the act, it's more that people are okay with it even if they do know the updated details.

"I didn't, but I'm more concerned about the extent of it than… You know what I'm doing in Hub City?"

"Of course I do. Justice League News does a segment on it almost every day. Was that really spontaneous?"

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...Because of course there's an internet news site dedicated to League business and doings.

"No one told me to do it, if that's what you mean. Which is the point. I didn't ask anyone's permission, I just started working on it. Having a piece of legislation which says that it's okay wouldn't change what I did."

"Then why didn't you just ignore me?"

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For a start, you're a ten-year-old boy living with no assistance? Secondly, you've been making a nuisance of yourself in potentially harmful ways.

"Because I don't think this is how things should work. I'm not… Exactly sure how they should work, or how to make things more like they should be. But I don't think this is it. And… I think it could be helpful to have someone a little less malevolent than Lex Luthor keeping an eye on things."

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...Sounds like you want Lonnie to sit in and be the five-year-old poking holes in any League plans. Figuratively speaking.

He blinks. "You're..? Not going to arrest me?"

"Not at this stage. But don't wreck the machine getting rid of the asbestos again."

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...Seriously, OL? I know he seems mature, but he's still ten.

He nods sullenly. "Fine."

"Fine..?"

"And I'm sorry for damaging the machine."

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...For god's sake, OL, just adopt him. Or make him your ward or whatever. Better than leaving him without any oversight at all.

"Okay. Apology accepted. Remember to make time to apologise to Mister Snart, Doctor Roquette and anyone who gets asbestosis or lead poisoning in the meantime. On a tangentially-related subject, I couldn't help but notice that you're ten years old."

"Yes? That doesn't mean that I don't know what I'm doing."

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...You must be very well-read, then. Seriously, knowledge does not equal experience.

"I know that you know what you're doing. I've been keeping an eye on you for three years. But there's 'surprisingly intelligent' and then there's 'living on your own in a government bunker with your own boom tube generator'."

"Why have you been watching me for three years?"

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Man, OL's starting to slip up more often about stuff like that. First the milk floats, now this.

"Recruitment potential. It was you or Lex Luthor. Still is, technically. Now, if I scanned your brain, would I see anything unusual?"

"I don't know. I…" He looks around. "Do you mind if I sit down?"

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Careful, watch he isn't in reach of any buttons.

"Not at all. I broke into your house."

He pushes the trolley towards the console-.

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How did he manage to collect all that, anyway? I'm pretty sure electronics stores and supermarkets would take note of a ten-year-old boy by himself. Unless he's been raiding abandoned locations...

"Do you want me to just replace that? It's no real effort for me."

"No. I want to fix it up myself." He parks the trolley and then sits on the elderly console chair. Chicken long since devoured, Yap wanders over to sit leaning against his leg, Lonnie absent-mindedly scratching his head. "And you would see something unusual. I have succeeded in fusing the two hemispheres of my brain together."

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All right, he's managed that much. Hopefully it hasn't resulted in any harmful abnormalities.

"And what on Earth made you think that was a good idea?"

"Unlike you, I wasn't immune to the Anti-Life. I thought that by fully interfacing my rational mind with my imaginative mind I could push through it."

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Kind of impressive that he managed it while Anti-Lifed. Then again, he was probably running on desperation, and that can work wonders for human ingenuity.

"Right, but-. How? I'll say again in case your overclocked brain experiences time at a different rate: you're ten."

"I built a machine using a combination of other people's work. And I was very lucky that it didn't kill me or drive me mad."

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Well, good to see he understands how lucky he was.

"Then-."

"I know it wasn't rational. My mind was altered by the Anti-Life. I saw it as my only way to escape."

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Very lucky. I suppose survival at any cost, even with the risk of fatal brain damage, was better than the crushing effects of the Anti-Life, at least to him.

"Alright. I assume that you're checking your brain activity?"

"Yes, but it's not as if I've got anything to compare it to."

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'If i still feel like me, then it worked fine'. Something like that, huh?

"The machine you used?"

"It's in Blüdhaven. I'll give you the address. It's a bit big for me to move myself. But I want to know how you knew about that. It can't just be my age."

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Ah, will OL reveal at least some of his secrets, eh?

"I've been to parallel universes. In some of them, certain personal stories are further along, and a matter of public knowledge. I'll take that address and then leave you in peace until I've given Batman a chance to explain what he's doing."

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...An entirely believable fake-out explanation. Especially for those who know how much of an informational sponge he is.

I seriously hope OL at least applies some way to track Lonnie now that he's met him. I doubt simply pinging him via the Honden will be all that reliable, given how many ways Lonnie's used to hide his existence. And why leave him be at all, given how much trouble OL went through to find him? You know he'll be gone by the time OL comes looking again, if he's got any sense. Dangit, OL!