- Location
- USA
This one. And I could be wrong and you meant to use going and not ongoing.
With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Twelve)
- Thread starter Mr Zoat
- Start date
- Status
This one. And I could be wrong and you meant to use going and not ongoing.
- Location
- Somewhere out there
Going concern - Wikipedia
It's got a specific technical meaning, so it's not likely to be the intended one.
- Location
- Ashtabula
And he was under zero obligation to.
I'm pretty sure the one's that chose not to die would disagree.
- Location
- Hampden Park
Yes it is. The Dominion is a functioning enterprise unlikely to be liquidated within the foreseeable future.
- Location
- Somewhere out there
If that was the intended meaning, then by all means, sounds good to me.
- Location
- Adelaide, Australia
He didn't have red eyes or a green glow either, I was just commenting on how colourful the guy in the image was.
- Location
- australia
*cringes*
That's f****** messed up.
Uhm, the active refusal to intervene not, not you guys taking action.
- Location
- Earth, 3rd rock from the Sun
Well, the eleven people who ducked instead of charging wouldn't be alive if he had killed everyone instead of releasing them. Eleven people who now have the opportunity to have meaningful, productive lives, and Not become inaugural members of OL's Rogues Gallery as the Eleven Avengers of the Citadel.
I wonder which has been 'totally wiped out' more often, them or the Cyber Men?
Headhunted (part 23)
- Location
- Hampden Park
10th August
22:00 GMT
"Obviously."
He turns away from the screen to look at me with an expression of cold indifference. What I actually see is rather different. The colours inside him aren't faint as they are in Dominators, but… The lines are rigid, flows prevented from moving from place to place by the harsh imposition of logic. A scene of.. his father performing surgery on his right arm without anaesthetic isn't allowed to connect to other memories or guide his actions. I'm actually… This is the first time I've been worried about whether he can do the job I want to give him, at least without having some sort of breakdown part way through.
On the other hand… That technique should work just as well for orange, and he doesn't need to be an outstanding field Lantern.
"I understand that-."
"Just state your demand. I am in no position to refuse and I have little use for either obfuscation or unnecessary social interaction."
"Mister Dox, I'm not going to demand anything. It would be a violation of my personal philosophy and.. rather self defeating to demand anything of you, even if the Green Lanterns would let me." I glance at the closest ball. "Lantern Collective?"
"Inmate Vril Dox is recommended for immediate release, and is to be accommodated and protected in the intervening period."
"See?"
"I find it highly unlikely that out of all of the Dominator-run prisons in this galaxy you chose to investigate the one holding me by chance."
"No, I'm here because I was pretty sure that you were here."
"How long did you know I was here?"
"Um." I frown. "I had information which suggested that you might be in a Dominator-run prison about a year ago, but I was only able to get it authenticated twenty one days ago. After that, rushing in seemed like a bad plan, preparations took time..."
That appears to pass muster, though I can see why he might be peeved. He doesn't nod, but he does unclench very slightly.
"Would you mind me asking-?"
"Just ask."
"Your background. Would I be correct in my belief that you are a clone of Vril Dox the First, also known as Brainiac?"
"He doesn't style himself 'the First', and I imagine that the title you gave him is a crude approximation of the Coluan word. Otherwise, yes."
"And your upbringing? Cruel, harsh, somewhere between slave-assistant and test subject?"
"Yes. It is unlikely that I would be able to provide you with further data on him. After he uploaded himself he stopped acknowledging that I existed."
"Oh, I.. don't really care about him. I'm more interested in the sort of person that such an upbringing would create." I smile. "Can I assume that you hate him with a fiery passion?"
"Passion is irrational. If my objective were his destruction I would remain cold and calculating."
"But if you could make one being in the universe suffer an agonising death..?"
"I would select him."
I nod. "Glad to hear it. And may I say that -speaking as an empath- the way you compartmentalise your emotional responses is really quite impressive."
"You just did."
I smile. "What would such a person want? Presumably you've considered the fact that as a clone you would probably behave in the same way he did, given the same circumstances. But, you hate him. You want to reject everything about him. Yes?"
"It would be foolish to pretend that my genes don't exist."
"So what do you want to do, now that you're free?"
"Why are you asking what you already know? Clearly you have already reviewed what the Dominators took from my mind-."
"No. I haven't. Feel free to check with the Green Lanterns who have been continually monitoring me." He frowns. "What made you assume that?"
"The Dominators were attempting to use me to better model my father's behaviour. Since my brain is the closest thing they have to his brain, they ran me through various scenarios. In some of them I believed that I was him."
"Ah."
"In others I attempted to plan what I would do in situations like this. But you think that you already know."
"Coluans are unusually intelligent, but emotionally you mostly conform to predictable humanoid norms of behaviour. You value order and security, two things long denied to you. You have your primogenitor's intelligence and drive, but you don't want to repeat what he has done. A number of possibilities would make sense, but my first guess would be a private security firm of some kind."
He watches me for a moment. "It was a possibility."
I nod. "There are plenty of people who would pay to have certain places dealt with. The galactic economy will certainly support privateers and bounty hunters… Even mercenary armies, if you get the PR right. Bring order and justice to the region." I look directly at him. "Is that what you want?"
"You know that it is. I thought that my mental defences were better than this."
"I want to offer you an alternate approach. I can get you a lot of resources up front. Raw materials, shipyards, skilled personnel. A central power battery." That warrants a frown. "The drawback is that you wouldn't be in complete control of what the organisation did."
"Shareholders."
"A steering committee. For the project as a whole. With the Green Lantern Corps finally getting organised the fall of the Computer Tyrants is inevitable. I have another foe that needs to be fought, one with far larger holdings than a single planet. And you're the man whom I want to lead our efforts."
"Who?"
"The Reach."
His eyes unfocus slightly. "Maltus."
"Indeed."
"My father had files on the Reach. He considered them inefficient, though he was rather interested in the physiology of their Scarab Warriors." He focuses on me again. "Precisely what requisition authority would I have?"
"Whatever you can negotiate from the Controllers. Bearing in mind that they're well past the level of a scarcity-based economy and really want to beat the Reach."
"And what authority do you intend to maintain?"
"My knowledge of the safe use of the orange light is superior to that of anyone else. Presently, my intent is that I would act as the Illustres to your Clarissi. You would administer and organise; I would train, teach and lead the Corps into combat."
"And be my subordinate within the Corps." I nod. "A Lantern Corps wouldn't be enough to defeat the Reach. The Reach has anti-Lantern weaponry and combat doctrines, and the relative small size of the Green Lantern Corps suggests that recruitment is likely to be a bottleneck."
"You would be free to build a conventional fleet as well. I have a list of worlds which may be willing to provide portions of their military to act as a training cadre. Does this sound like something you want to consider?"
"I will want more data before reaching a firm conclusion. But you may consider me provisionally interested."
22:00 GMT
"Obviously."
He turns away from the screen to look at me with an expression of cold indifference. What I actually see is rather different. The colours inside him aren't faint as they are in Dominators, but… The lines are rigid, flows prevented from moving from place to place by the harsh imposition of logic. A scene of.. his father performing surgery on his right arm without anaesthetic isn't allowed to connect to other memories or guide his actions. I'm actually… This is the first time I've been worried about whether he can do the job I want to give him, at least without having some sort of breakdown part way through.
On the other hand… That technique should work just as well for orange, and he doesn't need to be an outstanding field Lantern.
"I understand that-."
"Just state your demand. I am in no position to refuse and I have little use for either obfuscation or unnecessary social interaction."
"Mister Dox, I'm not going to demand anything. It would be a violation of my personal philosophy and.. rather self defeating to demand anything of you, even if the Green Lanterns would let me." I glance at the closest ball. "Lantern Collective?"
"Inmate Vril Dox is recommended for immediate release, and is to be accommodated and protected in the intervening period."
"See?"
"I find it highly unlikely that out of all of the Dominator-run prisons in this galaxy you chose to investigate the one holding me by chance."
"No, I'm here because I was pretty sure that you were here."
"How long did you know I was here?"
"Um." I frown. "I had information which suggested that you might be in a Dominator-run prison about a year ago, but I was only able to get it authenticated twenty one days ago. After that, rushing in seemed like a bad plan, preparations took time..."
That appears to pass muster, though I can see why he might be peeved. He doesn't nod, but he does unclench very slightly.
"Would you mind me asking-?"
"Just ask."
"Your background. Would I be correct in my belief that you are a clone of Vril Dox the First, also known as Brainiac?"
"He doesn't style himself 'the First', and I imagine that the title you gave him is a crude approximation of the Coluan word. Otherwise, yes."
"And your upbringing? Cruel, harsh, somewhere between slave-assistant and test subject?"
"Yes. It is unlikely that I would be able to provide you with further data on him. After he uploaded himself he stopped acknowledging that I existed."
"Oh, I.. don't really care about him. I'm more interested in the sort of person that such an upbringing would create." I smile. "Can I assume that you hate him with a fiery passion?"
"Passion is irrational. If my objective were his destruction I would remain cold and calculating."
"But if you could make one being in the universe suffer an agonising death..?"
"I would select him."
I nod. "Glad to hear it. And may I say that -speaking as an empath- the way you compartmentalise your emotional responses is really quite impressive."
"You just did."
I smile. "What would such a person want? Presumably you've considered the fact that as a clone you would probably behave in the same way he did, given the same circumstances. But, you hate him. You want to reject everything about him. Yes?"
"It would be foolish to pretend that my genes don't exist."
"So what do you want to do, now that you're free?"
"Why are you asking what you already know? Clearly you have already reviewed what the Dominators took from my mind-."
"No. I haven't. Feel free to check with the Green Lanterns who have been continually monitoring me." He frowns. "What made you assume that?"
"The Dominators were attempting to use me to better model my father's behaviour. Since my brain is the closest thing they have to his brain, they ran me through various scenarios. In some of them I believed that I was him."
"Ah."
"In others I attempted to plan what I would do in situations like this. But you think that you already know."
"Coluans are unusually intelligent, but emotionally you mostly conform to predictable humanoid norms of behaviour. You value order and security, two things long denied to you. You have your primogenitor's intelligence and drive, but you don't want to repeat what he has done. A number of possibilities would make sense, but my first guess would be a private security firm of some kind."
He watches me for a moment. "It was a possibility."
I nod. "There are plenty of people who would pay to have certain places dealt with. The galactic economy will certainly support privateers and bounty hunters… Even mercenary armies, if you get the PR right. Bring order and justice to the region." I look directly at him. "Is that what you want?"
"You know that it is. I thought that my mental defences were better than this."
"I want to offer you an alternate approach. I can get you a lot of resources up front. Raw materials, shipyards, skilled personnel. A central power battery." That warrants a frown. "The drawback is that you wouldn't be in complete control of what the organisation did."
"Shareholders."
"A steering committee. For the project as a whole. With the Green Lantern Corps finally getting organised the fall of the Computer Tyrants is inevitable. I have another foe that needs to be fought, one with far larger holdings than a single planet. And you're the man whom I want to lead our efforts."
"Who?"
"The Reach."
His eyes unfocus slightly. "Maltus."
"Indeed."
"My father had files on the Reach. He considered them inefficient, though he was rather interested in the physiology of their Scarab Warriors." He focuses on me again. "Precisely what requisition authority would I have?"
"Whatever you can negotiate from the Controllers. Bearing in mind that they're well past the level of a scarcity-based economy and really want to beat the Reach."
"And what authority do you intend to maintain?"
"My knowledge of the safe use of the orange light is superior to that of anyone else. Presently, my intent is that I would act as the Illustres to your Clarissi. You would administer and organise; I would train, teach and lead the Corps into combat."
"And be my subordinate within the Corps." I nod. "A Lantern Corps wouldn't be enough to defeat the Reach. The Reach has anti-Lantern weaponry and combat doctrines, and the relative small size of the Green Lantern Corps suggests that recruitment is likely to be a bottleneck."
"You would be free to build a conventional fleet as well. I have a list of worlds which may be willing to provide portions of their military to act as a training cadre. Does this sound like something you want to consider?"
"I will want more data before reaching a firm conclusion. But you may consider me provisionally interested."
Last edited:
Vril Dox's ability/personality to limit emotional reactions to single characters is both impressive, worrying, and not especially suprising.
tgojeff
(Verified Pinwheel)
- Location
- Los Angeles
We always knew you were a sub Paul.
*I really need to stop writing these things.
- Location
- Philippines
And terrifying. Bone chilling terrifying.
Massgamer
Advance toward the Future
- Location
- The Future
Not to mention the Darkstars and the populations of people that they and the Controllers have saved from the Reach for a long time that would be eager to take the fight to them.
Plus whatever useful tech Paul collects like drones, robots, exotic stuff, etc.
Did he have a breakdown in the comics?
- Location
- madison
I wonder how this looks from dox's perspective? he has to know there are a lot of unknowns involved and that will likely make him a bit twitchy. At a guess, he probably sees this as someone who knew there was a clone of one of the greatest minds in the universe kicking around, and in a weak bargaining position. Hence the rescue/job offer. Though the detail in which paul was able to guess his mindset likely has him worried, that was way too on the nose to just be an empath. He likely suspects either Paul had a chance to take a decent look inside his head or have access to some exotic means of intel gathering with nonspecific abilities and weaknesses.
I think on the balance he will take the job. From his perspective, it likely looks like someone who wants the very best for a new large scale project and doesn't care about new hires having side projects. Because while dox hates brainiac he likely knows that one guy no matter how dangerous is going to be a sideshow compared to a galactic superpower.
I think on the balance he will take the job. From his perspective, it likely looks like someone who wants the very best for a new large scale project and doesn't care about new hires having side projects. Because while dox hates brainiac he likely knows that one guy no matter how dangerous is going to be a sideshow compared to a galactic superpower.
- Location
- Tennessee
So, not super knowledgeable with the DC universe, but... isn't that an inherently false statement, given the setting? Aren't there very frequently individuals that outclass galactic superpowers?
I mean, from context, it could be that Brainiac isn't one of those individuals, and/or that the Reach is an exception to said galactic superpowers, but I don't think this statement holds true in a general sense.
Scholar of Time
Master of Lurking
- Location
- Born of Sands, Raised in Shadow
His determination, his clarity of thought, his single-minded direction towards self-realization and inwardly-important goals...
Oh, no, not a sub at all.
- Location
- madison
zoat has toned things down a bit. but narratively yes, big name characters have a lot more weight than random empires. That said dox doesn't know that, and logically brainiac is a smaller fish than the reach.
I cannot wait for Hinon and Drox to interact their collective ego are probably larger than the DC multiverse it will be beautiful. Though I have to wonder what it will be like for Drox to actually meet someone in the same intellectual level as him? Hinon might be the first time in his life he isn't the smartest person in the room!
Also I really feel bad for Drox he's just so... hurt? I can see him coldly dissecting every factor for a possible poison needle in an attempt to rescue him from unimaginable torture and give him the chance to do what he probably wants most in life on a scale beyond his wildest dreams. Any other person would be feeling gratitude for the altruism but he's cutting apart the possibilities of Paul's information on him.
Lastly, do you think that green lantern honor guard who could moonlight as a red one is still around for Paul to talk to? I get the feeling someone like him would have a real problem with the situation with the Reach. I mean he is basically a violent knight Templar and the Reach are an enemy they fought in a war and then lost. All the work, all the sacrifice and the Reach are doing the same thing as before with only the slightest change and he can do nothing about it. He has to let them slide because the cost is to high to crush those evil bastards who might as well be spitting in his face with the fact they exist... and he has had all this time, all these years to just stew on that feeling unable to do anything about it.
... Seems like something that would get stuck in his caw. Might be an interesting relationship to see.
Also I really feel bad for Drox he's just so... hurt? I can see him coldly dissecting every factor for a possible poison needle in an attempt to rescue him from unimaginable torture and give him the chance to do what he probably wants most in life on a scale beyond his wildest dreams. Any other person would be feeling gratitude for the altruism but he's cutting apart the possibilities of Paul's information on him.
Lastly, do you think that green lantern honor guard who could moonlight as a red one is still around for Paul to talk to? I get the feeling someone like him would have a real problem with the situation with the Reach. I mean he is basically a violent knight Templar and the Reach are an enemy they fought in a war and then lost. All the work, all the sacrifice and the Reach are doing the same thing as before with only the slightest change and he can do nothing about it. He has to let them slide because the cost is to high to crush those evil bastards who might as well be spitting in his face with the fact they exist... and he has had all this time, all these years to just stew on that feeling unable to do anything about it.
... Seems like something that would get stuck in his caw. Might be an interesting relationship to see.
Last edited:
- Location
- texas
Not that I can remember, I don't think anyone would have blamed him, though.
For example, one of his subordinates basically goes into Pon Farr and rapes him to death.
Fortunately for him he had the technology to fix that, and before he can complain to HR turns out they're having a baby.
Who's son then becomes a supervillain who deposes him, said son was still in diapers by the by, I believe.
After reclaiming his organization from his son, Stealth, the mother, gets killed by some of Dox's robots.
Then he gets reunited with the mother of his son, but she's a Black Lantern out to claim his heart for Nekron.
That soap opera family life just turned into the writers dicking with him at some point, I'd say.
Now I'm wondering what'll happen to the rest of the LEGION founders now that there won't be any such organization.
- Status