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

B00ki5h · Nov 7, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
sack barrow

Now that's a term I haven't heard in a while. These days I hear Dolly or handcart.

Chojin Patriarch · Nov 7, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
April 28th, 2013
09:43 EST

Janet looks confused as she works the cafeteria coffee machine. "Oh, I don't know. I think that stuff gets handled at whatever department we send the data to. You'd have to ask Miss Teschmacher about it."

I nod as I look around the empty room. I always figured that every part of LexCorp would be a 24-7 operation, but I guess that Business Development isn't quite that time critical? If they're forecasting years or decades in advance, then there's no reason why a… A treasury report, or people starting buying slightly more hats all of a sudden really changes anything.

True, most offices have their regular hours on weekdays, mostly because nearly every other business does, and, you know, employees like to have some time off. We're not living in Cyberpunk with it's hundred-hour-weeks yet.

"Thanks."

She smiles as she puts the coffee down, and I can tell from the smell that she forgot the cream and sugar. If this is all it usually takes, I'm starting to get a little worried about how lonely male metahumans must be.

Well, the handsome ones probably don't have much trouble. It's the guys who don't have Adonis looks that probably see trouble connecting with people.

"It is a good idea though. I know we get loads of data on areas that LexCorp doesn't operate in. You should mention it to her next time you see her."

It wasn't anything radically clever on my part, but it would make sense for this part of the company to sell its conclusions to other businesses. Aside from anything else, it would let them mark out potential acquisition targets.

As long as said sales happened long enough after Lexcorp responded to it that they had a fair lead, I suppose... That's probably the tack the Lexcop executives would take, anyway.

I take a sip of my coffee, which… Yeah, Ferdinand would put whoever made this through remedial coffee training. It's… Making me think about how lucky I am. I grow up in an embassy with someone as great as Princess Diana as my mom and Connor as my brother, and Johanna… Had none of that. No real parents and her sister got cut up for parts. I take another sip. It's… Pretty bad. I don't know if it's just me or something, but this sort of coffee combined with super smell and super taste… It's not a good combination. I can't just try and get used to it or ignore it, I've just got to accept the bitterness.

Bitterness is a part of adulthood, you know. As for the coffee, it's a weekend. You're lucky there's anything in the pot besides black sludge.

"Does this place always shut down on Sundays?"

"Not completely. Catering and I.T. are usually in doing cleaning or whatever while everyone else is on a break." She looks around like she's only just noticing that the place is empty. "Huh. I guess I'm just in early today."

Yes, very coincidental, I'm sure.

Oh great. So they made sure that everyone except the company white goat is away from the site. Maybe when whatever they've got planned happens I can hide her in a cupboard and use some of my powers? But if there aren't any robots here then I don't really see what-.

"She-ee's a killah queeeeen!"

If it's not a robot attack, it'll be corporate raiders. Well, you've trained on how to take down regular humans, right? At least there's nto many people in the line of fire at this stage.

Janet grabs her phone. "Hey Miss Teschmacher! … Yeah, he's right here." She holds the phone away from her ear. "She says 'hey'." Hm? Oh yeah, just showing him around. … No, are we expecting anyone? A delivery? Ooh, does this mean that someone else has to carry it up this time?" She stares at my right arm for some reason. "Yes he does. … No, like, five feet away? … Okay. I will. See you on Monday!"

Joy. The best kind of internship work: lugging heavy objects around.

She puts the phone down.

"Okay, so apparently there's some kind of delivery coming today. Would you mind bringing it up for me?"

Getting a feel for the real office experience: being the low step of the totem pole.

"Uh." I shrug. "Sure. I can do that. What is it?"

"Oh." She frowns. "She didn't say. Is it a problem?"

Let me guess, it's going to turn out to be big, heavy and awkward? Just the thing for gauging his strength.

"Well, if it's something small then I don't mind but if it's something big then I might need help. Won't the delivery guys just bring it to where you ask?"

She shrugs. "Miss Teschmacher didn't think so. Maybe it's a security thing?"

Makes sense. and since it's a Sunday, their regular mail room would be shut.

"I'm not even a LexCorp employee."

"Yeah, but you wouldn't have gotten this far if you hadn't passed vetting. And it's not like we don't know who you are. Wonder Woman suddenly having two sons was kind of a big deal. I mean, who are we gunna mistake you for, Clark Kent?"

As I've said before, the internet must be going nuts with rumours about their parentage.

Ah. "Who's that?"

"This reporter guy who did an article on our work one time. He made it sound really sinister."

I.. frown. "Sinister how?"

It'd be hard to beat out guys like Ralph Nader for exposes, though. Then again, Clark has won at least one Pulitzer Prize, albeit for other writing.

"Like… We worked out that the market in laundrette washing machines was gunna shrink in future even though demand was strong right then, and that went up to the Board and a couple of factories got shut down."

"Okay, that… Sounds like normal business to me."

Wonder how they figured that, anyway?

"Yeah. But… Okay, so, apparently, during the… Thirties? Car companies used to buy up tram and bus companies and close them down to create more demand for cars. And so the article said that because we weren't producing as much while demand was high, then the price would go up, and then laundrettes can't get washers or parts then they go out of business so they put their prices up, which means that buying a home washer starts being a better choice. And, y'know, LexCorp makes then too."

Kind of short-sighted. It's not like other companies wouldn't step up.

"But if you make both, why do you care which one gets bought?"

"Oh, well, that actually made sense."

Presumably the home units have a different profit margin?

…

"Okay, how?"

Quantity over quality, in this case. After all, laundromats only need so many machines, but there are a lot more private homes than laundromats.

"The laundrette models get used a lot more, right? So they're built to be easy to maintain and the laundrette attendants learn how to fix basic stuff. But the home versions are made to be smaller, so they can actually fit through regular-sized doors and into peoples' utility rooms and stuff. But that makes them harder to maintain and so they stop working after fewer washes."

People are also more likely to upgrade every couple of years, especially when they move house.

That… Ah, that sounds like it could be true? I don't-. I only wash my own clothes on Themysicra, and they don't use modern machines to do it.

"So what do you think about that?"

Heh. He knows how to do it the old-fashioned way, eh?

"It's not like it's a sinister plot. It's just convenient not to have to take all your clothes down the street to wash them, and that's the way the market was going. It's not like we can mind control people into buying the things we want them to. And we're not the only company making washer-driers; if we were wrong then other companies will pick up the slack."

There is that, yes. It's probably just suspicious to some that Lexcorp would shift gears before anyone else.

And… That sounds reasonable, too. I don't know. I always thought that LexCorp made most of its money in cutting edge technology, but I guess there's not much call for a superhero to know about the ins and outs of the washing machine market. You can't really punch normal business shenanigans, even if you wanted to.

And really, people don't need washing machines capable of calculating pi to a million digits, or running an AI. That's how it works. You make millions on the basics, and spend them on the fancy shit.

I take a moment to think about where I'm planning on interning.

Maybe I could do more good here than I thought?

Heh. That would be amusing. All the powers of Superman, and he spends his days working out retail market ebbs and flows.

"Actually, you do look kinda like Clark Kent." Her eyes widen. "Oh God, is he your Dad?"

I let myself look as awkward as I feel. "Ah, he'd have been in high school, and Mom was still on Themyscira. You know, with no contact with the outside world and no men. I mean, if he was really good at swimming I guess it wouldn't be completely impossible, but, ah… No."

Then again, I doubt Clark took any trips to Greece in his youth.

"So, like… Who is?"

"Ah…"

...They never really thought to cover that in his fake background?

Bring-bring! Bring-bring!

Janet huffs, and then picks up her cell. "Y'ello? Okay, we'll be right down."

That would be the 'delivery', then.

She hangs up and then stands up, giving me an excuse to abandon most of my coffee. "Okay, they're here. Let's head down."

I get up and follow her towards the elevator. "Did they say what it was?"

And how big it is. That is probably more important in this case, really.

"No, but it sounded like it was a computer company, so I guess it was something… Computery?"

So, bulky, but not all that heavy. That sounds like something that I can carry without giving away how strong I really am. Unless…

Then again, it could be bigger than he is, and most people can't lift something that big and awkward by themselves...

"Do you have a sack barrow?"

"A what?"

Also known as a hand truck. Among other names. To be fair, that's probably the name the Amazons use for it.

I mime out using one. "Like a.. sort of L-shape, with handles and two wheels? It's used for moving boxes."

"Oh! Yeah, I know what you mean. There's one in the post room on the first floor."

"Great! Let's go get it."

See, that's thinking like a human. Mechanical aid rather than trying to muscle it out.

This feels so mundane, really. Hanging around the break room, talking about casual stuff and handling the 'Well, someone's got to be in the office at this time, so...' jobs. And it's a place where being faster than a speeding bullet and stronger than a locomotive isn't going to help much. Might give Mitchell a better appreciation of how regular people do things that he's been missing out on in superhero circles.

NightmareWarden · Nov 7, 2024

I wonder if there is a ticking time bomb of a young employee going through a similar ordeal at Wayne Enterprises. Someone with the hallmarks of a potential villain.

I bet the mental enhancement Batman experienced is making him review his old decisions, redouble his paranoia. Watching someone you """"know"""" needs to be bagged and tagged for jail? Not a low-stress activity for a righteous face-puncher.

Darko · Nov 7, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
If this is all it usually takes, I'm starting to get a little worried about how lonely male metahumans must be.

Ehh, the egole man of steel and woman of kleenex thing may apply in a lot of cases.

Mr Zoat said:
This reporter guy who did an article on our work one time. He made it sound really sinister."

Usually because it is.

Mr Zoat said:
LexCorp makes then too."

"them too"

Mr Zoat said:
It's not like we can mind control people into buying the things we want them to.

Though if it's possible I'm sure Lex would so it.

Mr Zoat · Nov 7, 2024

Darko said:
"them too"

Thank you, corrected.

Though if it's possible I'm sure Lex would so it.

"No, we did a feasibility study. Anything beyond normal advertising is too expensive and fades too quickly to be profitable."

cereal_lurker · Nov 7, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
"I mean, who are we gunna mistake you for, Clark Kent?"

Ah. "Who's that?"

Mr Zoat said:
"Oh God, is he your Dad?"

I let myself look as awkward as I feel. "Ah, he'd have been in high school...

And this is how sneaks and scammers get information - If you don't know him, how do you know how old he'd have to be for him to be your dad.. Janet may sound like this, but she's already lowered his guard enough to make mistakes.

dw7thdoctor · Nov 7, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
mime out using one. "Like a.. sort of L-shape, with handles and two wheels? It's used for moving boxes."

we have something similar at my work except it has three sets of wheels and we call it an L-cart.

Old Knife · Nov 7, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
sack barrow?

I was today years old when I learned what that damned thing was actually called.

Steelplaza · Nov 7, 2024

Old Knife said:
I was today years old when I learned what that damned thing was actually called.

They have a lot of names.

Hand truck - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

CTrees · Nov 7, 2024

Handcart, handtruck, or dolly are way more common terms, in my experience. No complaints about Match saying sack barrow, though - picking up the term from either the genomorphs or the Amazons makes sense, and the Lexcorp woman was confused by it.

Mr Zoat said:
I take another sip. It's… Pretty bad. I don't know if it's just me or something, but this sort of coffee combined with super smell and super taste… It's not a good combination. I can't just try and get used to it or ignore it, I've just got to accept the bitterness.

This raises some really interesting questions! With super senses that include smell and taste, how would that change food and drink preferences? Like coffee; sugar and milk mask the bitterness, but they don't actually remove it. So if your sense of taste was precise enough to pick apart all the underlying components, would things like coffee be unpleasant even when we'll prepared (unless you've developed a taste for it)? Or would otherwise unpleasant foods be better, because some of the compounds people wouldn't normally pick out might be fascinating?

Kiden · Nov 7, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
But there's this British chocolate company that's pretty much covered the market there, so we're looking at other ways to move things around, just, better.

Paul's Cadbury investment has been the true Chekhov's Gun, MVP of the Long Game.

Radix · Nov 7, 2024

They really should have a better cover story for Clark Kent. And also who their father is. Or just own up to the fact that they are adopted.

It feels sloppy to have nothing after all this time. Especially with Paul having been around.

Khornelius · Nov 7, 2024

I was thrown on what on earth a Sack Barrow was. But once it was described I realized he was walking about a Trolley. Which is the word my family here in Texas use as a label for that apparatus.

Sckarred · Nov 7, 2024

dw7thdoctor said:
we have something similar at my work except it has three sets of wheels and we call it an L-cart.

It's the same thing. The three sets of wheels are there to help with stairs and other elevation changes

hkim · Nov 7, 2024

Is this whole thing going to be various LexCorp damsels trying to get Match to flex his manly muscles for them? If so, I am here for it, that's some prime Silver Age silliness

Darko · Nov 7, 2024

Chojin Patriarch said:
Well, the handsome ones probably don't have much trouble. It's the guys who don't have Adonis looks that probably see trouble connecting with people.

Though it probably also depends on the power they have.

Super strength is obvious, but others can have serious problems.

I remember in The Boys TV show there was a support group for people that were hurt by Supes.

One of them was a guy that had sex with a woman who could turn her body into ice and while they wete having sex that happened and he lost his penis.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Joy. The best kind of internship work: lugging heavy objects around.

Hey, it's simple and not complicated.

Chojin Patriarch said:
As I've said before, the internet must be going nuts with rumours about their parentage.

If the internet is still around then it's probably focused on other things.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Heh. That would be amusing. All the powers of Superman, and he spends his days working out retail market ebbs and flows.

Clark does have super intelligence in some comics, so he would still be using those powers.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Then again, I doubt Clark took any trips to Greece in his youth.

He could have.

Chaoswind · Nov 7, 2024

[~~QUOTE="Mr Zoat, post: 2448337, member: 12669"]~~
"Holly Robinson, twenty two years of age.
[/QUOTE]

@Mr Zoat this change carried out to comply with SV policies is no longer necessary and it breaks the intended narrative of the episode of the spell splitting those younger from 18 years old from the rest of the world, a narrative that is referenced several times further down the line.

I am unsure how extensive are the changes, but I will continue reading along.

I have found a few other spelling mistakes and broken images, but I am currently reading the fic in the down time when I am in the server room without personal internet, so few of the quotes I have tried to save actually go through.

Zzz

Edit: Nvm with this either i remember it wrong, or it was edited enough that everything makes sense and no narrative is broken, dissmiss.

Someguy Somewhere · Nov 7, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
Had none of that. No real parents and her sister got cut up for parts.

Um....am I the only one that had that bit jump out at me? He's talking about Bitzen's kidney donor sister, and it smacked me in the face while reading that paragraph.

NightmareWarden · Nov 7, 2024

Someguy Somewhere said:
Um....am I the only one that had that bit jump out at me? He's talking about Bitzen's kidney donor sister, and it smacked me in the face while reading that paragraph.

It certainly fits how a clone could think of themselves, especially if they have read major fiction with cloning. Plus disposable soldiers, disposable clones? I can see some of his wires getting crossed, he's only three. Now this could be a hint that he will say something insensitive out loud in the future, especially if he is already upset.

BoML · Nov 7, 2024

Okay, I don't usually do this, because more often than not, I ignore the links in posts, but in this post, the link works, and it goes to the page it is supposed to, but it only show a pic of a 404 response because the pic that is supposed to be there doesn't apparently exist anymore.

_The_Bomb · Nov 7, 2024

Hello! It's been a while since I checked in on this thread. @Chojin Patriarch (or any other thread regulars), has there been any progress in these areas in the past six months or so?

Paul's ability to craft rings or lanterns
Paul's ability to use or understand God Speech
The creation of more Blue Rings or Blue Lanterns for the Orange Lantern Corps.
Anything about Hephaestaean or His pantheon
The war against the Reach.
The ability of Lantern Xalitan Xor (or other mentored lanterns) to replicate Paul's special orange light capabilities.

These are the things I'm super interested in, and if there's been some developments maybe I should start my reread/binge early!

Darko · Nov 7, 2024

_The_Bomb said:
Paul's ability to craft rings or lanterns

Paul's ability to use or understand God Speech

Pretty sure there the same as they were before.

_The_Bomb said:
The creation of more Blue Rings or Blue Lanterns for the Orange Lantern Corps.

So far the only Blue Lantern is Alan.

_The_Bomb said:
Anything about Hephaestaean or His pantheon

Last we saw them they went into hiding following the Anti-Life infection.

_The_Bomb said:
The war against the Reach.

It's going well and now there are a lot more Effigies on the field.

_The_Bomb said:
The ability of Lantern Xalitan Xor (or other mentored lanterns) to replicate Paul's special orange light capabilities.

He gained enlightenment, so it's possible he'll be able to use some of Paul's tricks in the future.

Ardy · Nov 7, 2024

Darko said:
Last we saw them they went into hiding following the Anti-Life infection.

No no, we didn't see them directly but they came out of hiding after the anti-life after Paul helped the goddess of misery out of her anti-life issues.

Mr Zoat · Nov 7, 2024

BoML said:
Okay, I don't usually do this, because more often than not, I ignore the links in posts, but in this post, the link works, and it goes to the page it is supposed to, but it only show a pic of a 404 response because the pic that is supposed to be there doesn't apparently exist anymore.

Thank you, updated.

CTrees · Nov 8, 2024

_The_Bomb said:
has there been any progress in these areas in the past six months or so?

I'll point out that the paragon timeline has only advanced something like ten weeks in the last six months of real time.

Mr Zoat · Nov 8, 2024

April 28th, 2013
09:49 EST

One of the deliverymen waves through the front window as we head towards the front door. I've got the sack barrow from the mail room, and I leave it to rest by the front desk so that I can help bring stuff in while Janet fiddles with the security panel. A moment later there's a click as the front door unlocks, and then slides open.

"Hey there!" The first deliveryman walks in, phone in hand. "Can you sign for this?"

I look to Janet as she comes back around from the security panel. "Sure can! Ah, what exactly is it?"

He shrugs, taking a look at his phone app. "The only way I'd know that is if I'd opened it. Says it's from… Stagg Computers? Ring a bell?"

I frown. LexCorp makes computers, and I can't see why-. Oh, competitor intelligence, I guess. But wouldn't… Someone at Stagg have wondered why a LexCorp subsidiary was ordering their equipment? No, no, publically available data wouldn't be something that they'd try and protect. If they found that LexCorp used patented designs they'd just use the sale as evidence when they sued them.

Janet shakes her head and reaches for the mobile. "No, but that doesn't mean anything. I'm not even usually in the office on Sunday."

"Boss doesn't tell you anything, right. We're-" He makes a beckoning gesture to the three guys outside, and they start carrying in… One large package carried by two of them with a… Part of a mainframe or a server, maybe? And a… Generic box containing various pieces of wiring and smaller devices. I'm not exactly sure what any of it is. "-just going to bring everything into the lobby, you can check it over, and if you're okay with it, just make a squiggle on the app."

Janet looks awkward. "I don't know what any of this is meant to look like?"

"Oh, ah, that's fine." He points something out to her on the screen. "You can just put it as 'received unchecked', and then if there's any problem, it doesn't say that you confirmed it was in good condition when you got it."

"Oh, thanks." She waits for the large package to come in, gives it a perfunctory look and then signs the app.

The closest of the two guys holding the big box looks at me. "You on mule duty for your girlfriend?"

"Pretty much." I nod. "Just lean it up against the desk."

"Alright." They get into position and then lower it to the ground. "There are three more to-"

He straightens up and sprays my face with something.

"-go."

Oh, darn it. I don't recognise the smell, so I don't know how poisonous this is supposed to be. If it's just pepper spray-.

Out of the corner of my eye I see the guy with the cell phone catch Janet as she falls over without screaming. Knock out gas, great. Except I'm bigger than she is, so it should work slower.

I cough, and then stagger a step away from the guy who sprayed me.

"Easy-" He grabs me under my arms and starts walking away from the front windows. "-does it."

I make a point of struggling weakly for a moment, and then going limp. I wonder if I should have checked them out more carefully before Janet let them in? No, no. This is still a fake, part of their dumb plan to make me open up to Janet. I don't recognise these guys, but their heart rates are really steady for people performing a risky crime in broad daylight. They're in on it.

Someone picks up my legs, and I'm moving.

"Okay, we've got an hour scheduled for this. You all know what to do. Anything out of place-."

"Radio at once, we know."

"Yeah, but the one time I don't remind you…"

"Who are these kids?"

The guy holding the back of the large box. There's a pause, and I get to ponder the merits of my eyelids blocking all of the wavelengths I can see. Being able to see through them would make sleeping a whole lot harder, but I wouldn't miss their facial expressions.

"Office gopher and an intern. They don't know anything."

There's a bang as the… Doors to the stairwell open.

"They've seen our faces. That's a problem."

"You know this stuff messes up short term memory. They could have seen the big boss himself and they wouldn't be able to report anything. Look, you don't want Luthor coming after us for killing his employees."

"If he doesn't know it was us-."

"Yeah, I don't think people like him have trouble finding out who did things. We kill his people, we're his targets. We just do the job, he just takes it out on our boss. Trust me, this isn't my first time, and our boss isn't my first employer."

"Okay."

"Hey, does the spray knock them out for the full hour?"

"Depends on a bunch of things. But it'll mess up their memory for at least that long, and they'll feel pretty out of it. If they get up, just tell them they don't look well and should go lay down."

"So we're not putting balaclavas on now?"

"No point. If something unexpected happens, we're just moving some equipment for a couple of kids who got drunk when they were in the office on their own. Stay calm, stay out of trouble."

"Beats cracking safes."

"That's still a thing?"

"No. That's why I'm here. It's a dying art. Everything's electronic, the fences gouge like you wouldn't believe, and I'm not signing up with a theme villain. Not where I'm from."

"I think Catwoman manages okay."

"Catwoman's got a better ass than me."

There's some low chuckling.

"Explains some things. Where we putting them again?"

"Fifth floor boardroom. No external window, solid walls and the door has an electronic lock we can control. We lock it when we leave, and stick a little something in with them."

"A bomb? I thought you said-."

"A half-empty liquor bottle."

"Heh. Tying them up?"

"Why?"

"Maybe tie him up? Make it look like they got drunk and… You know… Had a little-."

"Hey, have a little class, man. He's sixteen."

"So he's a lucky bastard? … What?"

"You had to ruin it."

The man carrying my front pushes open a door on what I guess is the fifth floor. So what's going to happen? They put is in the meeting room, leave us to sleep it off, LexCorp obviously knows that I'll be fine… Something's got to threaten Janet, and I'll have to stop it.

I guess I should just treat it like one of Robin's training scenarios.

Prince Charon · Nov 8, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
I guess I should just treat it like one of Robin's training scenarios.

Yeah, this Robin has undoubtedly run both 'your powers have been neutralized' and 'you are undercover and need to not get caught using your powers' scenarios before, and probably a lot of them.

Lord Ernest · Nov 8, 2024

For some reason, this dialogue between mooks brought me back to the beginning of this fic, when we witnessed this type of interactions in the Team or with other street level characters.

We all knew an actual situation would happen, but I'm still so curious to see how this heist goes.

Chojin Patriarch · Nov 8, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
April 28th, 2013
09:49 EST

One of the deliverymen waves through the front window as we head towards the front door. I've got the sack barrow from the mail room, and I leave it to rest by the front desk so that I can help bring stuff in while Janet fiddles with the security panel. A moment later there's a click as the front door unlocks, and then slides open.

'One of'? Well, that's a worry. Certainly, Mitchell should be on his guard, humans or not. I would hope there's at least one security guy on site, even if they're watching through the omnipresent cameras.

"Hey there!" The first deliveryman walks in, phone in hand. "Can you sign for this?"

I look to Janet as she comes back around from the security panel. "Sure can! Ah, what exactly is it?"

Definitely a good plan to find out what they're accepting.

He shrugs, taking a look at his phone app. "The only way I'd know that is if I'd opened it. Says it's from… Stagg Computers? Ring a bell?"

I frown. LexCorp makes computers, and I can't see why-. Oh, competitor intelligence, I guess. But wouldn't… Someone at Stagg have wondered why a LexCorp subsidiary was ordering their equipment? No, no, publically available data wouldn't be something that they'd try and protect. If they found that LexCorp used patented designs they'd just use the sale as evidence when they sued them.

'Stagg' as in 'Stagg Enterprises', run by Simon Stagg? Definitely a rival to Lexcorp. Yeah, Mitchell's reasoning seems sound here.

Janet shakes her head and reaches for the mobile. "No, but that doesn't mean anything. I'm not even usually in the office on Sunday."

"Boss doesn't tell you anything, right. We're-" He makes a beckoning gesture to the three guys outside, and they start carrying in… One large package carried by two of them with a… Part of a mainframe or a server, maybe? And a… Generic box containing various pieces of wiring and smaller devices. I'm not exactly sure what any of it is. "-just going to bring everything into the lobby, you can check it over, and if you're okay with it, just make a squiggle on the app."

Two-on-one if things go awry, eh? Admittedly, Janet is likely to be useless, so it'd be Mitchell handling all of them. Explainable by Amazon training.

Janet looks awkward. "I don't know what any of this is meant to look like?"

"Oh, ah, that's fine." He points something out to her on the screen. "You can just put it as 'received unchecked', and then if there's any problem, it doesn't say that you confirmed it was in good condition when you got it."

That seems a loophole that would make it harder to get refunds in anything's broken.

"Oh, thanks." She waits for the large package to come in, gives it a perfunctory look and then signs the app.

The closest of the two guys holding the big box looks at me. "You on mule duty for your girlfriend?"

Yeah, they're eyeing him up as a threat.

"Pretty much." I nod. "Just lean it up against the desk."

"Alright." They get into position and then lower it to the ground. "There are three more to-"

And here we go...

He straightens up and sprays my face with something.

"-go."

Oh, darn it. I don't recognise the smell, so I don't know how poisonous this is supposed to be. If it's just pepper spray-.

Heh. having to remember to play along and work out whether to go woozy or start screaming in pain.

Out of the corner of my eye I see the guy with the cell phone catch Janet as she falls over without screaming. Knock out gas, great. Except I'm bigger than she is, so it should work slower.

I cough, and then stagger a step away from the guy who sprayed me.

Okay, time to play dead, figuratively speaking. Let's see where they go from here.

"Easy-" He grabs me under my arms and starts walking away from the front windows. "-does it."

I make a point of struggling weakly for a moment, and then going limp. I wonder if I should have checked them out more carefully before Janet let them in? No, no. This is still a fake, part of their dumb plan to make me open up to Janet. I don't recognise these guys, but their heart rates are really steady for people performing a risky crime in broad daylight. They're in on it.

Or they're extremely professional and completely legit threats.

Someone picks up my legs, and I'm moving.

"Okay, we've got an hour scheduled for this. You all know what to do. Anything out of place-."

Interesting. Sounds more like they're putting something in rather than taking anything out, at first glance.

"Radio at once, we know."

"Yeah, but the one time I don't remind you…"

...Then again, in a superhero world, they've probably had trouble with patrolling capes before.

"Who are these kids?"

The guy holding the back of the large box. There's a pause, and I get to ponder the merits of my eyelids blocking all of the wavelengths I can see. Being able to see through them would make sleeping a whole lot harder, but I wouldn't miss their facial expressions.

Unfortunately, opening your eyes a crack might be noticed...

"Office gopher and an intern. They don't know anything."

There's a bang as the… Doors to the stairwell open.

Good, keep thinking that, guys.

"They've seen our faces. That's a problem."

"You know this stuff messes up short term memory. They could have seen the big boss himself and they wouldn't be able to report anything. Look, you don't want Luthor coming after us for killing his employees."

Yet they're completely unconcerned with being caught on cameras? Let me guess, one of the things they'll do is hack into the security system and gimmick the footage.

"If he doesn't know it was us-."

"Yeah, I don't think people like him have trouble finding out who did things. We kill his people, we're his targets. We just do the job, he just takes it out on our boss. Trust me, this isn't my first time, and our boss isn't my first employer."

Certainly a professional with standards. Though I don't doubt he also has a plan to kill anyone he meets.

"Okay."

"Hey, does the spray knock them out for the full hour?"

You'd think they'd know that beforehand. Especially with a big lad like Mitchell right there...

"Depends on a bunch of things. But it'll mess up their memory for at least that long, and they'll feel pretty out of it. If they get up, just tell them they don't look well and should go lay down."

"So we're not putting balaclavas on now?"

See, covering up like that just screams 'up to no good'. And if they come to, it's harder to explain.

"No point. If something unexpected happens, we're just moving some equipment for a couple of kids who got drunk when they were in the office on their own. Stay calm, stay out of trouble."

"Beats cracking safes."

The good old 'labcoat and clipboard' trick. Look like you belong and no-one will question you deeply.

"That's still a thing?"

"No. That's why I'm here. It's a dying art. Everything's electronic, the fences gouge like you wouldn't believe, and I'm not signing up with a theme villain. Not where I'm from."

Ah, sounds like he's a Gothamite.

"I think Catwoman manages okay."

"Catwoman's got a better ass than me."

Plus she's more or less gone straight by this point. Even with Batman a little distracted, his missus would be on her case.

There's some low chuckling.

"Explains some things. Where we putting them again?"

Right, Mitchell. Going to take action, or continue playing along, once they leave you alone?

"Fifth floor boardroom. No external window, solid walls and the door has an electronic lock we can control. We lock it when we leave, and stick a little something in with them."

"A bomb? I thought you said-."

Now why're you jumping straight to murder and possible terrorism?

"A half-empty liquor bottle."

"Heh. Tying them up?"

Ooh, kinky. Though it'd be a bit obvious.

"Why?"

"Maybe tie him up? Make it look like they got drunk and… You know… Had a little-."

Okay, that's a reasonable set-up given two young folks alone in the office.

"Hey, have a little class, man. He's sixteen."

"So he's a lucky bastard? … What?"

"You had to ruin it."

Sounds like he's the kind of guy who wished something like that happened to him

The man carrying my front pushes open a door on what I guess is the fifth floor. So what's going to happen? They put is in the meeting room, leave us to sleep it off, LexCorp obviously knows that I'll be fine… Something's got to threaten Janet, and I'll have to stop it.

I guess I should just treat it like one of Robin's training scenarios.

No doubt he has ones for powered and unpowered responses, with gear and without.

To be fair, if he's intent on maintaining cover, he could just lay there until they leave, though that means letting them get away with whatever they came here for. Which makes me wonder what they're looking for. If this is just a branch office for Lexcorp, I can't imagine there'd be any significant amount of money. But what data could they be after, then?

Old Knife · Nov 8, 2024

Match is doing the Clark Kent thing.
So he's trying to get closer to Luthor by acting like superman.
Totally gonna work!

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

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