- Location
- Canada
In Mordru case though becoming a Lord of Chaos was probably closer to adding a feather to his cap rather than wearing a whole new hat like most of his others due to what he already was.
With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Twelve)
- Thread starter Mr Zoat
- Start date
- Status
- Location
- West Michigan
...Hold on. If Grayven wants to work with Circe so badly, why doesn't he recruit her himself?
Triumph of the Will (supplementary, Renegade option)
- Location
- Hampden Park
5th April
12:25 GMT -5
I continue to look at his screen as I consider the significance of his reappearance. Of the appearance of another Lord of Chaos.
"Was that a Spanish Inquisition joke?"
There's a moment of complete silence. Then a sort of.. crackling noise comes from the direction of Brain's screen. Is he..? Is that how he laughs these days? "You refer of course to Monty Python, Mister Grayven. The infamous 'Spanish Inquisition' sketch. Mordru went out of the universe and then he came in again. Yes, that is good!"
"Monty.. Python..?" I glance at Lex, who appears to be straining not to look lost.
"It is a wonderful television series from Britain which makes use of absurdist humour. I had not realised that you were an aficionado, Mister Grayven."
What? No, what? "And I hadn't realised that you still had a sense of humour."
"I did not give up my humanity entirely. Though my appreciation is more intellectually than hormonally driven."
Mordru does his best to remain dignified. "It was not a reference to Monty Python. It was a statement of fact. Now that Klarion is no more, I have been able to return."
I nod. "And you're looking good. I don't know where you went-"
"And pray that you never do."
"-but I've seen footage of you fighting the Justice Society and wherever it was it's taken years off."
"I felt that a new face would be a reasonable precaution, given the attention I am likely to attract."
"Look… Is the whole 'me killing Klarion' thing going to be a problem for our working relationship? Because I'd rather get that ironed out now."
He shakes his head. "Not at all. I am glad that he is dead. He was a buffoon of a Chaos Lord, interested only in his own temporary amusement and incapable of doing anything particularly creative or significant with the vast power available to him. With him still alive cosmic balance itself prevented me from returning to exact my revenge. You have my thanks, Grayven."
"Okay then, you're welcome." Poop.
Savage focuses his attention on me. "I take it then that there is no problem from your side either."
"I'd rather have known in advance, but… No. Mordru always seemed to be the intelligent, mission-focused sort." And there's now a second person on the Light in my weight class. That might end up being a problem. I get the feeling that Mordru -unlike Klarion- would have looked before he teleported. Aaaaand I have no idea what his phylactery is. "Welcome on board."
He nods his head. "Thank you."
Ra's' eyes narrow slightly. "I seem to recall that you did not have a 'problem' with Queen Bee, either."
"I didn't know the silly cow liked walking into minefields. I was assuming that the drones would kill some insignificant lowlies. She was the ruler of a country, why was she doing field work? Her thing was supposed to be having people to do that for her."
Savage really has that alpha dominant staring thing down. "Whatever your reasons, we will expect you to exercise a greater degree of caution now that you are one of us."
"If there is anything you wish to get off your chest, Mister Grayven?"
"Ah, yeah. Then in the interests of full disclosure-" I turn my head to the right. "-Lex, I should probably tell you that I've been stealing your Genomorphs. In fact, at this point… I think I've got more working for me than you've still got working for you."
There's a very slight pinching of the muscles around his eyes. "Mister Harper informed me that the disappearances which Cadmus had been suffering from had stopped."
I wave my right hand. "I built them a load of extra cloning pods. They're rotating personnel in and out, and he's too inattentive to notice as long as the work gets done. Kind of a… Job share thing. If you check the records you'll see that all of the remaining G-Prometheans were registered as dead almost exactly the same time as I moved into Challenger Mountain."
"I hadn't realised that they were that mentally sophisticated."
"Gestalt intelligence, plus the G-Goblins are Human-equivalent. They want to be free. And the first step in that direction is doing for me what they do for you… But I actually pay them and I treat them better."
"I.. will need to think very carefully about that. But, in every problem lies an opportunity. Perhaps, now that I know how competent they are I can expand their role."
"They'd probably appreciate it. Look, I have to ask: your people programmed James Harper's brain. Why is he such a vacuous fool?"
Lex smiles. "Because we needed someone who could convincingly play the role of superhero."
Oh, dang! I grin back. "Makes sense."
"Is there anything else you wish to clear up before the meeting gets underway?" And Savage is still staring at me?
Well, I can match his pettiness with pettiness of my own. "I did have.. one question. Not-" I swing my right hand in a small arc, left to right. "-trying to imply anything, just trying to understand the lay of the land."
"Ask."
"What do you do?"
Another moment of silence.
"What do you mean by that?"
"We're all here because we all -for our own reasons- wish to kick the Human race out of the doldrums. Advance its status. Ra's contributes a worldwide intelligence network and a coterie of skilled and fanatically loyal operatives. Brain is an omnidisciplinary scientist who combines in a single body the greatest strengths of organic and synthetic intelligences, and his ability to analyse exotic equipment is vital in getting us an edge on any competition. Better still, no one knows his real name, so attempts to-."
"You do not know my name?" No one says anything. "I assumed that you were using my criminal name as a professional courtesy. Truly, none of you know who I am?"
This is what I get for putting Ultra-Humanite into a coma. The rest of us -Savage aside- flick our eyes at each other, uncertain exactly who knows what. If no one's contradicting him… "Brain, no one has the slightest idea what your name is."
"Oh." There's a pause as he gets his brain around the idea. "I.. suppose it doesn't matter. It just came as a surprise."
"Right, well… The only real gap in.. Brain's knowledge is magic and now.. we have Mordru on board. As a more intellectually inclined Lord of Chaos than his predecessor they really don't come much more powerful or more knowledgeable on arcane matters. Mister Luthor's status as a legitimate businessman means that any technologies we develop can be released as 'exciting LexCorp products', he has extensive production facilities and he can influence politics in a more conventional way than Ra's' Shadows and offer employment to legitimate scientists whose expertise we wish to use. And then, there's me. In addition to having access to technology far in advance of anything Earth has, I am a publically acknowledged superhero and can work to bring our ideals into the public domain. The synergies between our particular domains are clear."
I pause for maximum effect.
"I'm just not clear what you bring to the table. I'm assuming there's something, so…" Expression of honest enquiry. "What is it?"
The stare's still there, but there's something… He's disappointed?
"An economic powerbase as vast as Luthor's -albeit one owned by proxy-, an extensive list of contacts -legitimate and otherwise- who will serve my will, millennia of leadership and organisational experience, immortality-"
"Ah, about that-."
"-and absolute conviction of the righteousness of our cause." He's still staring. Also… Why should we care about any of that? I certainly don't accept him as the boss of me and I doubt that the others do either. I mean, Batman's the weakest of the important Justice League members but at least he brings something vital and unique to the organisation. Savage just told me that Ra's and Lex could do his job. Unless he just chose not to mention something? "Do you have any further questions?"
I suppose him being irrelevant isn't exactly a problem. "No, I'm good. What's the first thing on the agenda?"
12:25 GMT -5
I continue to look at his screen as I consider the significance of his reappearance. Of the appearance of another Lord of Chaos.
"Was that a Spanish Inquisition joke?"
There's a moment of complete silence. Then a sort of.. crackling noise comes from the direction of Brain's screen. Is he..? Is that how he laughs these days? "You refer of course to Monty Python, Mister Grayven. The infamous 'Spanish Inquisition' sketch. Mordru went out of the universe and then he came in again. Yes, that is good!"
"Monty.. Python..?" I glance at Lex, who appears to be straining not to look lost.
"It is a wonderful television series from Britain which makes use of absurdist humour. I had not realised that you were an aficionado, Mister Grayven."
What? No, what? "And I hadn't realised that you still had a sense of humour."
"I did not give up my humanity entirely. Though my appreciation is more intellectually than hormonally driven."
Mordru does his best to remain dignified. "It was not a reference to Monty Python. It was a statement of fact. Now that Klarion is no more, I have been able to return."
I nod. "And you're looking good. I don't know where you went-"
"And pray that you never do."
"-but I've seen footage of you fighting the Justice Society and wherever it was it's taken years off."
"I felt that a new face would be a reasonable precaution, given the attention I am likely to attract."
"Look… Is the whole 'me killing Klarion' thing going to be a problem for our working relationship? Because I'd rather get that ironed out now."
He shakes his head. "Not at all. I am glad that he is dead. He was a buffoon of a Chaos Lord, interested only in his own temporary amusement and incapable of doing anything particularly creative or significant with the vast power available to him. With him still alive cosmic balance itself prevented me from returning to exact my revenge. You have my thanks, Grayven."
"Okay then, you're welcome." Poop.
Savage focuses his attention on me. "I take it then that there is no problem from your side either."
"I'd rather have known in advance, but… No. Mordru always seemed to be the intelligent, mission-focused sort." And there's now a second person on the Light in my weight class. That might end up being a problem. I get the feeling that Mordru -unlike Klarion- would have looked before he teleported. Aaaaand I have no idea what his phylactery is. "Welcome on board."
He nods his head. "Thank you."
Ra's' eyes narrow slightly. "I seem to recall that you did not have a 'problem' with Queen Bee, either."
"I didn't know the silly cow liked walking into minefields. I was assuming that the drones would kill some insignificant lowlies. She was the ruler of a country, why was she doing field work? Her thing was supposed to be having people to do that for her."
Savage really has that alpha dominant staring thing down. "Whatever your reasons, we will expect you to exercise a greater degree of caution now that you are one of us."
"If there is anything you wish to get off your chest, Mister Grayven?"
"Ah, yeah. Then in the interests of full disclosure-" I turn my head to the right. "-Lex, I should probably tell you that I've been stealing your Genomorphs. In fact, at this point… I think I've got more working for me than you've still got working for you."
There's a very slight pinching of the muscles around his eyes. "Mister Harper informed me that the disappearances which Cadmus had been suffering from had stopped."
I wave my right hand. "I built them a load of extra cloning pods. They're rotating personnel in and out, and he's too inattentive to notice as long as the work gets done. Kind of a… Job share thing. If you check the records you'll see that all of the remaining G-Prometheans were registered as dead almost exactly the same time as I moved into Challenger Mountain."
"I hadn't realised that they were that mentally sophisticated."
"Gestalt intelligence, plus the G-Goblins are Human-equivalent. They want to be free. And the first step in that direction is doing for me what they do for you… But I actually pay them and I treat them better."
"I.. will need to think very carefully about that. But, in every problem lies an opportunity. Perhaps, now that I know how competent they are I can expand their role."
"They'd probably appreciate it. Look, I have to ask: your people programmed James Harper's brain. Why is he such a vacuous fool?"
Lex smiles. "Because we needed someone who could convincingly play the role of superhero."
Oh, dang! I grin back. "Makes sense."
"Is there anything else you wish to clear up before the meeting gets underway?" And Savage is still staring at me?
Well, I can match his pettiness with pettiness of my own. "I did have.. one question. Not-" I swing my right hand in a small arc, left to right. "-trying to imply anything, just trying to understand the lay of the land."
"Ask."
"What do you do?"
Another moment of silence.
"What do you mean by that?"
"We're all here because we all -for our own reasons- wish to kick the Human race out of the doldrums. Advance its status. Ra's contributes a worldwide intelligence network and a coterie of skilled and fanatically loyal operatives. Brain is an omnidisciplinary scientist who combines in a single body the greatest strengths of organic and synthetic intelligences, and his ability to analyse exotic equipment is vital in getting us an edge on any competition. Better still, no one knows his real name, so attempts to-."
"You do not know my name?" No one says anything. "I assumed that you were using my criminal name as a professional courtesy. Truly, none of you know who I am?"
This is what I get for putting Ultra-Humanite into a coma. The rest of us -Savage aside- flick our eyes at each other, uncertain exactly who knows what. If no one's contradicting him… "Brain, no one has the slightest idea what your name is."
"Oh." There's a pause as he gets his brain around the idea. "I.. suppose it doesn't matter. It just came as a surprise."
"Right, well… The only real gap in.. Brain's knowledge is magic and now.. we have Mordru on board. As a more intellectually inclined Lord of Chaos than his predecessor they really don't come much more powerful or more knowledgeable on arcane matters. Mister Luthor's status as a legitimate businessman means that any technologies we develop can be released as 'exciting LexCorp products', he has extensive production facilities and he can influence politics in a more conventional way than Ra's' Shadows and offer employment to legitimate scientists whose expertise we wish to use. And then, there's me. In addition to having access to technology far in advance of anything Earth has, I am a publically acknowledged superhero and can work to bring our ideals into the public domain. The synergies between our particular domains are clear."
I pause for maximum effect.
"I'm just not clear what you bring to the table. I'm assuming there's something, so…" Expression of honest enquiry. "What is it?"
The stare's still there, but there's something… He's disappointed?
"An economic powerbase as vast as Luthor's -albeit one owned by proxy-, an extensive list of contacts -legitimate and otherwise- who will serve my will, millennia of leadership and organisational experience, immortality-"
"Ah, about that-."
"-and absolute conviction of the righteousness of our cause." He's still staring. Also… Why should we care about any of that? I certainly don't accept him as the boss of me and I doubt that the others do either. I mean, Batman's the weakest of the important Justice League members but at least he brings something vital and unique to the organisation. Savage just told me that Ra's and Lex could do his job. Unless he just chose not to mention something? "Do you have any further questions?"
I suppose him being irrelevant isn't exactly a problem. "No, I'm good. What's the first thing on the agenda?"
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- Location
- West Michigan
No, I mean into his personal organization, not the Light. Lynne and Jade and that immune to destiny chick certainly aren't full Light members. Circe doesn't need to be either.
Role, perhaps?
- Location
- West Michigan
Pfft poor Savage.
Though his experience could be invaluable, after all the guy has been around for a long time and has watched civilizations come and go.
He probably has some unique insights that people with more limited life experience wouldn't consider.
Though that's not as flashy as Business, Magic and Tech.
I wonder what Grayven's focus will be? Innovation and Direction?
Though his experience could be invaluable, after all the guy has been around for a long time and has watched civilizations come and go.
He probably has some unique insights that people with more limited life experience wouldn't consider.
Though that's not as flashy as Business, Magic and Tech.
I wonder what Grayven's focus will be? Innovation and Direction?
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- Location
- Hampden Park
Thank you, corrected.
Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
I was under the distinct impression that Mordru was completely unkillable, to the point of being eternal. Hourman III stated that Mordru's personal timeline, his lifespan, had neither beginning nor end. He was never born, and will never die.
Ganurath
Literal Enthusiast
- Location
- A Valid Location
- Pronouns
- He/Him
The same contacts, in at least one case, if he's the real Grayven. Hence, Savage's disappointment.
Emerald Oracle
Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force
- Location
- The Else
...so, question: How badly is Savage going to piss himself in Renegade mode when he realizes that the littlest Martian is actually one of the Burning? I mean, the Burning Martians are literally one of the very few things that he fears, and the knowledge that Grayven can casually turn Green or White Martians into modern day incarnations of them, sans the sadism but with greater ability to focus on externalities in exchange, should shake Vandar up but good!
- Location
- Canada
I wish he had said that out loud, it'd have been hilarious.
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Empiricist2
Let's play doctor!
- Location
- Baton Rouge
Exact my revenge, unless you intend for it to be a mistake.
I'm not really sure why Gravy wants to kill Mordru currently. Killing Klarion made sense on a number of levels, but Mordru seems like a decent Chaos Lord if Earth has to have one. Why the immediate plans to kill him other than that he is a potential threat?
Ganurath
Literal Enthusiast
- Location
- A Valid Location
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Who do you think Mordru intends to "extract" revenge from?
well considering what happened I pretty sure Mordru will be slightly disappointed but more impressed.
- Location
- South of North
...I have a feeling Savage is probably the one who started all of this.
Also, the idea that The Brain is the most secretive villain on their roster, so much so that no one knew his name, is kind of hilarious.
Also, the idea that The Brain is the most secretive villain on their roster, so much so that no one knew his name, is kind of hilarious.
- Location
- United States
Mordru is "a villain in [Grayven's] power range", a vengeful foe of the JSA, and is going to be harder for Grayven to deal with.
TheRuisu
I think that I'm the Dragon
- Location
- Best Location, of course. Keijoverse
Remember that time when you get fired and try to get a new job and the Entrevister asks you what you bring to the tablet? This is it
- Location
- Hampden Park
Thank you, correct.
He's already got 'polite' and 'efficient' covered.
Mizu
Software Developer
- Location
- Victoria, Australia
intellectual than hormonally driven.
Ah, poor Brain. So mysterious none of his buddies know his name.
Ganurath
Literal Enthusiast
- Location
- A Valid Location
- Pronouns
- He/Him
...I was referring to the Justice Society, who banished him. With membership including but not limited to Alan Scott and Princess Diana of Themyscira.
NexysDhyArchen
Throne Breaker
Thing is, Savage is like Paul: He knows all the things. Savage is probably most useful as a walking encyclopedia of all the seriously weird shit that's happened on DC Earth-16 than anything else.
- Status