Life Ore Death - DC Feruchemy [Young Justice]
- Thread starter Obloquy
- Start date
- Crossover
- Location
- UK
Ferris is back whoop!
Just a thought on the Lerasium use, how likely is it for Misting abilities to pass on to children, because giving Mother of Champions an alloy so all/some of her children become Mistings could be a massive force multiplier.
Just a thought on the Lerasium use, how likely is it for Misting abilities to pass on to children, because giving Mother of Champions an alloy so all/some of her children become Mistings could be a massive force multiplier.
- Location
- Australia
It's possible that they could be passed on but not guaranteed. Particularly if only one parent has allomancy, such as
Elend who naturally had no powers and his half brother Zane who was a natural mistborn.
Hestia&theCourt
Turns out we're plural too.
- Location
- In transition
- Pronouns
- She/Her
The only question is, would Renka be comfortable thinking of that on her own? Last I knew, she was still rather... uncomfortable with those powers, even if she's perfectly fine with the person who has them.
TheLastOne
Person of impeccable tastes (for destruction)
There are some horrible moral questions surrounding Mother of Champions and her children. Like, those questions aren't her fault or something, but they're there.
Obloquy
CrossMyHeart And HopeToDie, StickANeedleInMyEye
- Location
- the Physical Realm
This is what she's like when she isn't worried about reserves and knows exactly who she's up against, yes.
The Box-Cutter is actually going to be more crazy very soon, so she's very proud of it, yes.
(P.S. The trick is that you have to x-ionize the base metal before you transmute it into adamantium, because it doesn't take on regular adamantium.)
* Superman bet $5.00 on her for exactly this reason.
** While he's not up to multiple people yet, this was the other reason why she KO'd Jericho first instead of trying a ring-out; it wasn't against any specific rules for him to possess the audience, and she was pretty sure he knew it (because Superman bribed him to*).
Lightning Bruiser Batman (I'm assuming you mean beyond his ability to thrash entire gangs and hit hard enough that Kate Kane nearly passed out once from one punch) would've taken all of 8 seconds to deal with anyone who didn't surrender first, but Ferris is flattered nonetheless by the comparison....A~and this is that it means to fight Lightning Bruiser Batman
Now, on to poor Zatanna. For quite some time, I am on KanColle high - and by general consensus among KC community, at Morale this low... The Good Girls (Kanmusu) descent in to Bad Girls (Abyssals)... That a damned mess this is *sigh*
...You have me wondering whether to look up KanColle just to try and get the reference. (But on the flip side, at least Zee isn't cutting or starving herself, even if by now she's probably grabbed her Dad's old cigarettes to feel closer to him.)
Always happy to have an official new fan (or any fans, old and new).
...Wait. *Checks timestamps* Was that comment literally the first one you made after signing up? My friend, you too are incredible, and you get a cookie. (I'm so flattered right now. 😊)
Whoop yes!
Chances of passing on the genetic abilities depend slightly on how large a dose of Lerasium they take... but for first generation I'd say it's better than even odds, in general.
They'd need a better medical check to see if it's safe for Champ Mom, though; Ferris knows it's safe for her & normal humans, but further study is needed to see if active meta-humans, latent meta-humans, human hybrids, aliens, and other people can take it safely.
Don't take this as canon yet, but Champ Mom might not be able to benefit from Lerasium. She might not even be able to burn it at all!
That said, if the Father of her kids was a Misting/Mistborn, each kid would almost certainly inherit a Misting ability, and it wouldn't necessarily be the same ability as the father.
P.S. M'gann and Aqualad could both safely take Lerasium, but it isn't safe for Superman or Flash. Make of that what you will.
That said, if the Father of her kids was a Misting/Mistborn, each kid would almost certainly inherit a Misting ability, and it wouldn't necessarily be the same ability as the father.
P.S. M'gann and Aqualad could both safely take Lerasium, but it isn't safe for Superman or Flash. Make of that what you will.
If someone wants to write an omake about League members struggling with that discussion & argument, etc., I'm 90% it was mentioned GL John Stewart had fathered at least one batch of sons with her during that scene where we saw Ra's in prison.
There's a great opportunity for a "child soldiers" line from someone, no doubt.
- Location
- Nowhere
- Pronouns
- She/her
Don't take this as canon yet, but Champ Mom might not be able to benefit from Lerasium. She might not even be able to burn it at all!
That said, if the Father of her kids was a Misting/Mistborn, each kid would almost certainly inherit a Misting ability, and it wouldn't necessarily be the same ability as the father.
P.S. M'gann and Aqualad could both safely take Lerasium, but it isn't safe for Superman or Flash. Make of that what you will.
Since Lerasium's primary property is its ability to alter spirit webs (for example I doubt you could gain Allomancy by genetic tinkering alone), I imagine that compatibility has something to do with the spirit webs of the individuals. Martians and Alteanans/Homo Magi all developed in the same Solar system and if we take the Roshar System as an example, that's enough for all of the races in question to have fairly similar Spiritual DNA, Superman as an alien from a significantly different part of the universe presumably has a fairly different spirit web (this may also tie into his weakness to magical effects), that the Flash is similarly incapable of becoming a misting implies that metagenes activating can cause significant changes to one's spirit web.
Hmm, I wonder if meta altered spirit webs play into the side effects the Light are experiencing, spiking many side effects arise from damage to the spirit web, if metahumans have significantly altered spirit webs then the side effects might not be the ones Renka is familiar with.
Hmm, I wonder if meta altered spirit webs play into the side effects the Light are experiencing, spiking many side effects arise from damage to the spirit web, if metahumans have significantly altered spirit webs then the side effects might not be the ones Renka is familiar with.
- Location
- Australia
It's probably worth noting that the Flash, as a speedster, is connected to the Speed Force as opposed to simply having an active metagene. Who knows how extradimensional forces play into this.
- Location
- Nowhere
- Pronouns
- She/her
Isn't it YJ canon that the Speed Force doesn't exist?
Obloquy
CrossMyHeart And HopeToDie, StickANeedleInMyEye
- Location
- the Physical Realm
"No one on Earth-16 (/in the show/shown on-screen [I forget which]) has heard of anything like the Speed Force," I think.
But Greg also did a later answer (because people keep bugging him about it) that "if you really need to believe, then may the Speed Force be with you" or something.
Either way, this is fanfic, and Big Barda mentioned the Speed Force if I remember Target Demographic correctly.
- Location
- Leeds
P.S. M'gann and Aqualad could both safely take Lerasium, but it isn't safe for Superman or Flash. Make of that what you will.
Could KF and super boy take it safely? Just to check whether this is a "Doesn't work on adults" thing
Stripes
Genre-Savvy Anti-Nihilist
- Location
- Nizhniy Novgorod
@Obloquy, just to be safe, here is article itself: Lightning Bruiser, from TVTropes.
In regards to ongoing Lerasium discussion... I think it will be Very Bad Idea to give poor Connor such catalyst in any notable quantity.
Just a reminder - he is, objectively speaking, an Chimera of three different races, one of which is artificial.
In regards to ongoing Lerasium discussion... I think it will be Very Bad Idea to give poor Connor such catalyst in any notable quantity.
Just a reminder - he is, objectively speaking, an Chimera of three different races, one of which is artificial.
Coming to Crossroads - part 6
Obloquy
CrossMyHeart And HopeToDie, StickANeedleInMyEye
- Location
- the Physical Realm
Life Ore Death
* June 13 [Robin PoV]Once the cake was cut, and everyone was looking in other directions, I disappeared into the mountain after Donna. She wasn't in the library or most of the places our security system could see, so I went outside.
'On a ledge, looking up at the stars.' "Room for one more, graduation girl? I have extra cake," I offered.
She chuckled, but she didn't sound… "Sure thing, Boy Wonder." She patted the ground, and moved her empty plate aside.
I plopped down. "Obol for your thoughts?" I offered, pulling some change from my belt.
"I'll let you know when I'm done thinking. Everything's a bit of a mishmash, right now. …Your school ends this week?"
"Public schools all end on Wednesday, as Wally keeps gloating, but GA ends Friday," I confirmed.
"Still on the honor roll? I remember Barbara is Valedictorian for your year, right?"
"Duh," I answered. 'Enough about me.' "How do you feel about the fight? I thought it was pretty pressing, pointing, and grettable."
"Disappointing, depressing, and regrettable in reverse? I don't think it works that well when they're already words."
"Homophone monkey sits in a tree~," I sang cheekily, "looking for tricks to play on me~."
"He looked at my shoes~, 'Would you like a new pair?' Then handed me a pear; now that wasn't ve~ry fair," Donna continued nostalgically. "He offered me a flower, pretty and whi~te, then dumped flour on my head what a sight!" She grinned at me, and my stomach flip-flopped. "I taught you that, way back when."
"Yeah. I can never forget it. Best babysitter, ever," I assured her. I paused, wondering if I dared. "…I know there's some sitter-sister pun I could make, but I'm too something-whelmed to make up a good one. Just, you know."
She chuckled. "Thanks. I'm proud to be your sister figure." She reached out and took my hand.
'Basic tactic for building emotional closeness,' my mind chimed. I snapped back that this was Donna, not Renka. "So…?"
"I think I'm not going to join the Team, Robin. I'm sorry if that's bad news," she said. It was.
"What! Why?" I demanded, sitting back up as my stomach plummeted. My heart hurt at the thought. "Is it 'cause Ferris-?"
"No." She cut me off gently but firmly. "Well, yes, but it's not that she's driving me off." She chuckled again. "Hey, a play on words: I'm not being driven away or anything, I'm leaving because I'm not driven." I made a noise at her. "Do you know why I started doing this?"
"Being Wonder Girl?" I asked. She nodded. 'I've heard a bunch of different things, but…' "Nnnnot really."
"Neither do I," she admitted, and that rattled me. "I think it was a lot like Kid Flash, and because of you a bit; I had powers, I thought Wonder Woman was awesome, I was excited thinking about it, I was antsy to prove myself as a teen, and hey, if Batman had a kid… Yeah."
"But," I tried, worrying, 'Please don't leave please don't leave me not again,' "aren't you still doing good in the world? Does that-?"
"I haven't been doing much good that way since this time last year."
"You showed up during the Disappearance Disaster!" 'Stop being so down on yourself, Donna!'
"Yeah, and if the world suffers another catastrophe I'll step up then, too," she promised. "But… maybe there are more ways to help than fighting?"
'Oh!' "You mean like becoming a doctor, or the charities Auntie D organizes?" 'Though, she doesn't sound nearly so confident about it.'
"Especially the charities. Diana's been really busy lately, and I'm old enough to step up, take a load off her hands, and help out, right? I was already planning on a gap year, get a couple internships and volunteer experiences as 'Princess Danae' that Donna Troy can list on college applications, while working with the Team in my spare time. Not joining just means I do more of the other work, if I do it that way."
'I feel like I barely see you anymore. …I can't say that, I'll sound like a baby.' "This doesn't-? It isn't about Ferris? She wants you here."
"She wants me here, and she's a kickass person, but she's living evidence that you all don't need me here, Dick. I'd do good and help, but it would be more of the same; flying brick powers and my experience could be useful, but the Team already has plenty of brute force, plenty of mobility, and plenty of the guidance I thought I'd be giving. I don't have the drive to improve that all of you have. Honestly, I don't even have a cause like serving the gods, empowering women, and bringing together Man's World and Themyscira. I don't have a passion for that, really."
"We'd still love to have you," I tried. She sat up and pulled me into a hug on her lap. I almost melted into her arms. 'Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry…'
"Hey," she promised, "I'll still be around. Heck, if some of my work includes Wayne Enterprises' organizations, we might actually see each other more than before, you know? I'll only ever be one phone call away, Dick, I promise."
"…Thanks," I wheezed, and tried not to cry into her shoulder. I think I succeeded. "Are you sure you-?"
"She cut off my bracers, Dick," Donna interrupted. I hadn't been about to mention Ferris, but I kept quiet. "That… scared the shit out of me. Those knives could kill Superman, and she just offered to give one to me, because she trusts me with that power. During a divine disagreement, Diana blocked a thunderbolt from Zeus with her bracers; she said he wasn't aiming for her, but those were the same make as these, made of adamantine. Superman has pounded them at full strength without a dent, but that knife sliced clean through, and Ferris developed a way to make multiple of them."
"X-ionized steel could cut through Superboy's skin," I added, because I guessed Donna didn't know about that mission, "so it makes sense that x-ionized adama- is it adamantine or adamantium? But it makes sense that would be sharper and stronger."
"I don't know if the name matters, it's the same metal either way. But… I would've laughed off the idea of that knife. It seems like ridiculous overkill. What would you use it for? I asked her that in passing, and Ferris rattled off a list. You've been holding out on me, Robin," she faux-accused. "You guys have had crazy missions."
"All the more reason we- sorry. I'll stop bugging you," I promised. Her glare softened again, and she hugged me closer.
"Ferris has a code name, but she doesn't have a secret identity, and I can see why. She literally lives her mission, and I... live my life. My maturity? My experiences as Wonder Girl? I'd help, but I could help more in other places. Part of me still wants it, a purpose, the thrill and the glory… I've been praying to the gods for guidance," Donna told me.
"Really? You mentioned an offering to Hermes a while back, around Christmas… I thought you didn't do that very often."
"I don't, but I don't know my own history; maybe they do. Hera at least knew I wasn't Zeus's bastard, so there's that, but is crime fighting my calling? I don't have some founding tragedy to amend, thank god. Thank the gods. Unless I find out more about who I am… I'm just going through the motions as Wonder Girl, it feels like. I'm alive when we're hanging out like this, or at senior prom, or snapping photos for the yearbook… I've got a few paths in front of me."
"Well," I tried to joke, "Batman lives for his Mission-," 'Even if T is trying to mellow him.' "-and I can't object to you not doing that."
"Thanks. Was that a hint that you want to hear my options?"
"Many hands make light weight," I quoted. 'I got that wrong, didn't I.' "Ahem. I might think of another path you haven't."
"Sure. So, first I could join the Team, take a gap year, work here full or part time, fight evil, smash faces, help train the next generation… My powers are good, but me-Donna mightn't much out of it. I said I'd 'work here full or part time' just now? It would be just that, a job to me," she admitted, "and I can't help but imagine myself suffocating despite the fun of it.
"Next: charity work. I could grab some of Diana's workload, get good experience… the downside is, I would be doing it as 'Princess Danae,' even if Donna Troy would benefit from it. Plus, I would either have to keep doing it indefinitely or dump it back on Diana after my gap year.
"I could also do the hero thing: change my name, stake down a city, and try to clean it up. Gotham's still top of the charts for total amount of crime, due to its size, but Bludhaven and Hub City are both above it in per capita crimes now." 'Yay, B!' I thought with a grin. "That's assuming I want to try things the hard way, and the idea of the challenge appeals to me, but there are a bunch of other cities where no one is reliably helping, in and outside the US.
"Instead of cleaning up a city, I could take down a group, like digging in to mop up Kobra, or getting that half of the Shadows we haven't got enough information to track down… Actually, how are things going with Bane in Gotham?"
My stomach churned in a different type of discomfort. "We all keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. Everything seems asterous – there are already three gangs linked to suppliers under arrest – but Talia is really nervous because she looked at the officials who made the call to give him a chance, and she thinks Bane snapped up some bunch of the Shadows' contacts, or something. …She clams up tight about it in front of me, but the last straw for her was Ra's trying to arrange a new marriage for her, and I think it might've been with Bane. Maybe?"
"Really?" Donna sounded just as surprised as I had been when I thought of it.
"Maybe," I repeated, because Talia had mostly grimaced around me, and what she'd said to B in private was kept private. 'Until I improve my hacking & eavesdropping, at least.' "You mentioned you've been praying? Any answers?" 'Maybe something to do with Markovia?'
Donna… hesitated.
"It feels," she said finally, "like there's a storm on the horizon. That something big is going to come in a-and… and sweep everything away. From the first time I started burning incense, it's been building. That I shouldn't commit to anything, because it'll all be gone."
"Not asterous," I commented with a grimace. 'Great. With all the chaos already going on, what the heck could this be?'
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
* June 16 [Ferris PoV]
"Take care, and don't hesitate to call if anything goes wrong; we have half-a-dozen League members on standby," the Superman assured me, as the Batman departed toward the Zeta Tubes. I smiled, nodded, and waved farewell.
<Recognized: Batman, 02. >
<Recognized: Superman, 01. >
With those declarations, the two of us were left alone in the Fortress of Solitude. I turned carefully to my temporary companion.
"Mm. I am torn between which of us two should be more offended for not being left alone here: me because I need a watcher, or you for not being trusted with this." It was a leading statement, and a subtle jab, but phrased awkwardly enough to be obtuse.
Talia al Ghul's lips twisted as she searched for an answer.
"You, certainly," she asserted after a moment. "Even with my father in captivity, coming as far back into my Beloved's good graces as I have is a greater show of trust than I would ever have extended. You, on the other hand, have done nothing save to suffer injuries for their cause; asking you to watch me is understandable, but in keeping with the others who will be in and out of this place…."
<Objection: you are not offended by companionship. …Perception: you are attempting to bond over being wronged falsely. >
"You have a point," I informed Motherbox. "Mm. 'I believe congratulations are in order,'" I quoted from Hello Megan, offering her my gift bag.
"I-?" Talia reflexively scanned the large room, looking for tricks, traps, or perhaps our watchers.
'Not really necessary, but she doesn't need to know that Conner and M'gann are with Match for the moment, and only keeping the lightest of watches over us. It was interesting that she did not linger on the statues of Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van, despite being prime hiding spots.'
"I assume Robin told of my condition," Talia concluded, taking the gift from me. "Perhaps I owe you my gratitude as well; I was under the impression that your discussion of me has helped me regain his trust, recently. I must admit to wondering what you said to him."
"We should sit down to discuss this, I think." I led her through the halls to the room Clark had erected in my honor; a recreation of the home I ran away from and was raised in. "Please, have a seat. May I offer you a drink?"
"Water will suffice," Talia asserted, so I took a pitcher and two cups from a cabinet.
"Thank you for agreeing to speak with me about the Lazarus Pits. If you are concerned about gratitude because I spoke with Robin, then this is good, I think. The Batman did not want you to talk to me about this, yes? You are here, thus you insisted."
<Reprimand: you are faking linguistic incompetence by speaking English despite communication translation link. >
<Deception by omission and implication. What is the purpose of this act? >
'I want her to feel superior to me and not notice the translation effect, just in case,' I wanted to explain, but I could not speak freely with Motherbox translating for Talia. Instead, I tapped a corner of Motherbox with my finger, to denote 'comment noted for later debate.'
<Acceptance and insistence on later explanation, > Motherbox chimed, to which I nodded and hummed by assent.
"Are those alerts significant?" Talia inquired, leaning to peer at Motherbox, who was attached to my belt at the moment.
I was in my armor – this was implicitly an unsafe series of events, according to The Three, thus I was better off safe than sorry – and I had placed Motherbox on my belt, as the usual carrying sash over my chest would be a large target.
"They are for later. Mm. Motherbox is recording this, unless you do not want?" I offered.
Talia shook her head. "I have been assuming that the security systems are recording everything; one more copy will not matter."
"Thank you," I chirped. "Mm. You asked about Robin?"
"I did. We got along well once, and then we- and then I departed, and he has been deservedly suspicious of me."
"Yes," I agreed, though I was not one to point fingers outside of an It Takes One To Know One fashion. "Mm. Some words he said were, 'out of character behavior,' I think. He said you have left your father in the past."
"Yes. When I heard that he had been captured – I admit, I had not expected that outcome – I had hoped that it would be the end, one way or another." Talia sighed, fiddling with her wooden cup, and rubbed her temple for a moment. "If that did not convince… Robin…?"
"I asked him to explain the times in the past you left your father," I told her. "He thought it was suspicious. I think it is not 'out of character behavior' for you. He agreed with my explanation." I waited long enough for Talia to look like she wanted to ask for more, but was hesitating because she was doing me a favor, supposedly, and asking would be the reverse. "In the past, and now, you choose against the person asking to make the choice, yes? It is, I think, a rule I might use. Mm. Use but use less than you," I amended.
"I… Have I? That was not how I thought of it." She looked pensive, and I tapped into my duralumin-mind stores.
<Chiding: unnecessary and manipulative use of emotional connection, > Motherbox chided. My fingers slid over her in recognition.
"In the past, as Robin explained the stories to me," I elaborated more fluently, "it has been your father reaching out to the Batman, desiring an heir, and the Batman who refuses. I do not disagree with the Batman's refusal, but I was not raised with your life. Ra's al Ghul offered to, for instance, destroy only the large cities; it is not enough of a compromise, but it is an attempt to compromise, I think.
"The Batman did not attempt to compromise or reach back, yes? He asked you to choose, but your father wanted you all to work together. If you chose the Batman, you would lose your father at his hands, one way or another," I continued. "If you chose your father, he would continue to reach out to the Batman, and there was the possibility of both coming together in your life, eventually.
"The difference, thus, is not about you leaving your father for real instead of for pretending, I think. This time, your father asked you to choose, yes? To choose between the Batman, your Beloved, or your duty to your father in taking another man to bed." My anger at the situation had long since congealed, but I expected it to still feel raw to Talia, so I let heat enter my voice as I spoke. "Ra's al Ghul sought to sell your hand and marriage bed for profit; he may have chosen or approved of the Batman, but you call the Batman Beloved because you choose to. You did not desire this 'brute' of a suitor, as well you feared for your life and health. This time, your father asked you to choose.
"Thus, it is, I think, entirely 'in character' for you to choose to leave him. I explained that to Robin. Is that sufficient?"
I had wanted to use other, more provocative words in my message – things such as 'he treated you like a whore,' or 'marital rape' and its consequences – but I did not know Talia quite well enough, and I anticipated that she would think of those terms on her own, in time.
"I… You have answered my questions," Talia affirmed. I noted the significance of her explicitly saying 'please' or 'thank you' so rarely, but held back from drawing too many conclusions. "You wished to know of the Lazarus Pits. Where shall we begin?"
"How many are there?" I inquired, drawing out my notebook.
Our slightly meandering discussion over the next hour left me with many new tidbits, despite gaps in Talia's knowledge:
The total number of Lazarus Pits on the planet was unknown, but Ra's had located well over a dozen (perhaps twice that), though never at the same time. Many Lazarus Pits dried up over time, or the wellspring of chemicals moved, but at least two had remained steady.
Industrial pollution could contaminate Lazarus Pits, making the effects unpredictable.
Even with a clean Lazarus Pit, not all beings reacted the same way to any use, much less to many uses over time.
Accidental submersion in a Lazarus Pit had killed Talia's mother, rotting and melting her despite her youth and health.
When her elder brother Arkady had passed away at the turn of the century, the Pit had dissolved his corpse entirely.
Partial exposure to the chemicals, rather than submersion, was less dangerous but also far more unreliable in effect.
All known subjects exposed to Lazarus Pits had experienced brief madness after the fact, but some had suffered it permanently.
Removing chemicals from the Lazarus Pits was possible and had been done, but they retained imperfect potency.
Submerging someone twice consecutively in the same Lazarus Pit would almost certainly prove fatal, and her father did not risk it.
Ra's had some method to geographically and mathematically calculate the locations of Pits, but Talia did not know the details.
Extracted Lazarus Pit chemicals had been shipped to other members of the Light for investigation or use.
The active ingredient in the Lazarus Pit chemical solution had been identified, and Talia would send me what details she could get.
<Alert! Interference with local maintenance and security programs detected. >
"Something is interfering with the Fortress's security," I relayed to Talia immediately. 'Sounds like the beginning of that "path".'
"What? I was given to understand that Kryptonian technology is far beyond humanity's abilities," she said. We both stood.
"Yes, but several groups of aliens have detected and invaded the Fortress of Solitude in the past," I informed her. 'She may be combat capable, but she is also expecting a child.' "Motherbox, please communicate with the Fortress. Where are there problems? Where are safe areas? How many invaders, and what characteristics do they have? Are Superboy and Miss Martian unharmed?"
<Communicating. Scanning. Processing. Projecting. >
Two holographic displays opened up in front of us. One was a map of the Fortress with the troubled areas highlighted.
The other was a communications window, with M'gann and Conner on the other side. 'Thank Harmony, they seem unharmed.'
<Ferris, we have intruders, > Conner declared. <There are less than a dozen of them, but I don't know how many. >
"Are you close enough to hear them? Can you hear me without the communications?" I inquired.
<I hear vague voices, but from some device they have is buzzing. No one near you? >
"The map says there is a clear path from us to you," I confirmed. "I will bring Talia to you-," 'I really hope this is not a plot to get her alone with Match's storage unit. ...Too complex.' "-and two of us can engage the intruders while the third guards."
<I'm trying to contact the Justice League, but there are connection problems, > M'gann reported, working at a screen on the wall.
<That means Superman probably hasn't heard the alarms go off, > Conner said darkly.
"Are there no traps or defenses here?" Talia demanded from over my shoulder, having produced a short sword from somewhere.
<There are, but if I turn them on, I don't know how well they'll tell between you and whoever it is, > Conner reported.
<The A.I. of Jor-El is down, too, > M'gann continued.
"Motherbox, can you move the holograms with us?" I inquired. 'Some of the troubled zones are shifting quickly. They can move fast.'
<Affirmative. Shall I block foreign scans and search for the intruders simultaneously? >
"If you are able to do so, I would be very grateful. Are the force fields still up?"
<Affirmative, > Motherbox confirmed, followed by a list of active energy fields.
"This way, please," I instructed Talia, and we began to proceed along a safe path. I drew my new knife, ready to strike if enemies appeared, and tapped my tin-mind for hearing. 'I wish I had stored more. …I really wish the force fields did not count as wards, and prevent the Globe from transporting me. That would make this much simpler. …I cannot hear her footsteps, even with my tin-mind tap. That is impressive.'
Through three different rooms and down one hall, we encountered no opposition.
Just after we exited a staircase, one of the zones began moving towards us quickly.
"Rusts," I swore quietly, and increased my tin-mind tap. "Intruders approaching." I listened. 'No footsteps. …Wind? Wings!'
"Stand and fight? I see no place for ambush," Talia noted, looking around the bare hallway.
"Is it safe to move you at high speeds?" I asked instead. Talia scowled.
"Speeds less than one-hundred miles an hour are safe enough, if I am not jostled. Must we flee like rats?" she challenged.
'I would roll my eyes if this were less serious. Hubris. How to translate it…?' "We are falling back to a defensible position from which to attack with advantage. They will be defeated either way-," Our enemies swooped into view far down the hall. "-but we will risk less, yes?"
"Are those-?" she began.
"Thanagarians," I finished. 'So I assume, from their appearances.' The two shouted something and flew closer. "May I?"
"Do so."
I tapped a trickle of strength for convenience, scooped up Talia, and drew deeply from my steel-mind. The approaching intruders seemed to slow in the air, and I raced past them, down the hall, and along the path I had memorized to meet with Conner and M'gann.
In the room, they quickly sealed the door behind us, and I noted that Match's pod had been concealed from view.
"Computer, lockdown security," Conner ordered, followed by rattling off his override authorization. "Wren?" he checked.
"Second authorization: Vohc-panalm-lir," I instructed. Motherbox beeped as she interfaced with the systems as well.
<Security lockdown engaged, > Jor-El's voice informed us.
"…This base appears to be under attack by aliens. Thanagarians," Talia observed after a moment of silence. "Do we know why?"
"Superman told me the Fortress gets invaded every year or so," Conner grunted, fiddling with the display. "Krypton had more advanced technology than most of the civilizations out there, and anyone who detects anything from here tries to snatch it."
Talia sniffed. "I would have expected him to install stricter security measures."
"Other than, 'Superman lives here'?" Conner deadpanned. "He does, but they're lowered while he has guests here."
"Communications to the outside have been cut, and the alarms are down," M'gann reported, "but that means Superman should get suspicious the next time he calls to check in and we don't answer."
An echoing crash rattled through the room as something impacted the door.
"Will the defenses hold?" Talia demanded, taking a stance with her sword.
"They should. …Ferris, doesn't Nth metal have some weird properties?" Conner checked, falling into his boxing form.
"I know that I can't easily detect or mind read any of them," M'gann admitted.
Another crash shuddered through the door.
"Nth metal disrupts arcane energy, and some energy fields of technology," I confirmed. 'I expect they will break down the door eventually… Slower with Nth metal melee weapons, faster if they have more advanced technology.' "We may need to fight."
"Is that safe?" M'gann wondered.
"I am not so fragile," Talia snapped.
'I am supposed to take command, absent Robin and Kaldur.' "M'gann, with hearing or telepathy or cameras, please try to count the number of attackers outside the door. I think there were two. If there are less than four, we should fight before reinforcements arrive."
"Our reinforcements, or theirs?" Conner said. It wasn't really a question.
The door shook with another ear-splitting impact, and I thought I saw it dent slightly.
I pulled out my Box-Cutter knife. 'I still need to formulate that "think outside the box" joke to use,' I noted as I extended it.
M'gann cringed and curled in on herself as another impact boomed and the door bent. Her bat/cat ears reverted to human.
"I only heard two voices-," Another impact rattled through the room. "-but I'm not sure how long it'll stay that way."
'Not the type of encounter I was expecting, but still…' "All in favor of fighting now?"
"I'm in," Conner declared.
"Do it," Talia ordained. M'gann glanced between the three of us and nodded, her body shifting and floating off the floor.
"Motherbox, if you are willing to open the door?"
<Affirmation. >
The doors screeched half-open, and a helmeted head – the helmet was yellow, whereas the Hawkwoman and the Hawkman wore brown helmets, but I did not know the significance – tried to shove through the gap with a scowl.
I doubled my speed and moved, slashing with my knife at his eyes.
He ducked, as predicted, and I dug the fingers of my left hand into his eyes instead.
'The armored fingertips are useful,' I reflected as something squished, 'but a part of me is curious as to how it would feel to my fingers.' The intruder screamed and tried to retreat, but I grabbed his shirt collar and stepped to the side for Conner to close in. 'Morbid. Also, M'gann would frown at me if I messed up the manicure less than a day after our slumber party.'
Conner drove an uppercut into the wet-eyed Thanagarian's chin and I let my hold on his collar slip as he went flying.
The half-open doors warped, buckled, and exploded outward under the force of Miss Martian's telekinesis.
'Good news: the second is stunned and one is down,' I assessed as I saw the state of the hallway. 'Bad news: more are here.'
"I can't get a grip on them," M'gann called behind us, no doubt referring to her telekinesis. Conner was unsurprised as he moved to engage, and I reflected briefly on the inconvenience of my telepathy weakness. Something whirred past my shoulder, and two bola wrapped around the stunned Thanagarian's head and ankles. The weapons then released electrical charges, but the sparks became… diverted, drawn to the Nth metal.
'I do not know nearly enough about Nth metal's properties. …It is interesting to see the Batman's non-lethal insistence reflected in Talia, now.'
I maintained the tap from my steel-mind, and I tapped acuity from my zinc-mind as well, watching Conner close distance with the two intruders still standing/flying. 'Both are wielding maces. I wonder whether it is a cultural preference or a mechanical requirement. Thanagarians… have flight, some measure of enhanced physique, and well-developed technology, including their weapons.'
'We do not want to get hit,' I concluded. Then, as I began to move, one thought occurred to me. 'The mace stems are thin. I wonder….'
One of the new wave of intruders swooped down and swung at Conner. He ducked, but the Thanagarian flew up out of range when Conner attempted to retaliate with a jab, and the pattern repeated itself.
The other Thangarian flew higher up, and fumbled for some device at his belt. I judged it to likely be a firearm, and bit my lip.
'Do I try telepathy without a gold-mind…? Not yet.' "M'gann, in the air! Conner," 'How do I say this?' "I'm climbing!" I called.
"I'm on it!" M'gann called, zooming up and growing a second set of arms as she approached.
"Climbing?" It sounded like Conner didn't get it, but I didn't have time to explain as I bolted over. He ducked as the Thanagarian swung at his head again, and I leapt into the air, tapping strength.
My right hand held my knife, and I would need my left hand to hold on, so I simply landed on his back with my feet as he ducked – we had enough experience with his strength for me to know he would not fall – and grabbed at the Thanagarian.
His flight was not fast enough to get out of my reach, and I hoped my armored gloves would protect me from any backlash.
My left hand latched onto the stem of his Nth metal mace, and I tapped deeply into my steel-mind again for speed.
My right hand brought my knife up, and I made my first slash at his belt and hipbone, cutting through. Blood had not yet begun to well up when I moved onto to my second slash, drawing the box cutter's blade smoothly through his left bicep and shoulder muscle. From there, I targeted his wing; it would have been easiest to cut through the attachment joint, but I would have to deal with the Justice League's opinions of my amputation efforts afterward, so I simply slashed horizontally through what I would later learn were called the scapula, tertials, and secondaries. I considered going for the Thanagarian's eyes—if medicine on Earth could do eye transplants, I assumed Thanagar would be more advanced—but I decided to reserve that for more extreme circumstances.
As the Thanagarian finally began to bleed under my super-speed observation, I turned my attention to my final target.
'Here goes nothing; it's time for an experiment.' I tightened my grip on the Nth metal mace's stem, grit my teeth in expectation, touched my x-ionized, adamantium box-cutter's blade to the weapon, and pressed.
!
I came to, with the help of a bronze-mind, about three seconds later. My head hurt, and my hands were numb, but I could move them. I sat up from where I had fallen against the wall and surveyed the scene.
The Thanagarian who had put his head through the door was still unconscious.
M'gann had grown tentacles and appeared to be grappling in midair with her opponent, but the situation seemed under control.
Conner wrestled with our opponent, punching him repeatedly at less than full strength, and I anticipated it ending soon.
Talia appeared to be struggling to put a chokehold on the Thanagarian wrapped in her bolas, and I stood to help.
I tapped strength, I tapped weight, and together we held him down and choked him out as Conner jumped up to aid M'gann.
<No other intruders in the immediate area, > Motherbox reported when all was quiet.
"Was that a warning?" M'gann asked, retracting her limbs from the now unconscious Thanagarian.
"No. Motherbox says the other enemies are not nearby," I reported, tapping my bronze-mind to stay awake. My head felt fuzzy.
"I'll keep my ears open," Conner grunted. "Hey, is this yours?" He held up my box-cutter.
"…Motherbox, am I injured?" I inquired, eyeing it. The first four inches of the adamantium blade had been melted away.
Motherbox chimed back with a complex list of wounds, but it boiled down to taking it easy for a few nights.
"Oh, wow! Did you cut through the club?" M'gann realized, pointing to the severed stem and head on the floor.
"I tried to. Mm. In the future," I admitted, "I should not experiment in a battle." 'Cut Nth metal and melted adamantium....'
"You think? Looked like it hurt," Conner grunted, nudging the (not literally) disarmed intruder with his shoe.
"Yes."
"Do we have proper restraints, or must we make do?" Talia enquired. I obligingly produced some 'zip ties' from my outfit.
"It looks like the security systems got the rest of them," Conner said, skimming through the holographic screen interface. "M'gann, you want to help me get them and figure out what they did to the alarms?"
- Location
- Leeds
Nth Metal be weird.
- Location
- texas
Objectively speaking he is nothing of the sort because that is not YJ canon but stuff that Zoat made up which makes no sense whatsoever.
First of all, Genomorph is not a race, it's a brand name. Superboy is not part genomorph but 100% genomorph, which is why he introduced himself as a genomorph in the first episode of YJ despite thinking at the time that he was 100% Kryptonian clone of Superman.
Second of all here is what happened to Match in the YJ comic written by the show writers-
So Match's deformities include his skin, his bones, his muscles, and his eyes. To fix that through chimerism, Superboy would need human (and hence non superpowered) skin, muscles, bones, and eyes.
So no.
Stripes
Genre-Savvy Anti-Nihilist
- Location
- Nizhniy Novgorod
I was speaking about genetic makeup - and I used "chimera" because Superboy most definitely not a typical fantasy mix of races (half-elf, half-orc, et cetera), being both artificial and sterile.
- Location
- texas
None of which is actually relevant to whether he's a chimera or not. Chimera are a natural phenomena, and are not sterile. A woman almost got her kids taken away from her because thanks to her chimerism, DNA tests showed her kids weren't her kids.
What Superboy is by canon of YJ, here's the relevant quote "When you were created, the gaps in the sequences were bridged with human DNA.
Robbing you of your full Kryptonian powers," is transgenic.
Stripes
Genre-Savvy Anti-Nihilist
- Location
- Nizhniy Novgorod
Fine, fine - I surrender, I surrender
Should have used "hybrid" from the get go - I blame recent upsurge of Netflix!Witcher related memes.
Letting Connor use Lerasium can be Very Bad Idea... Or it can be Very Good Idea. Depends on the end result. Transformation can be severely, worst case, derailed by the extra-solar parts of his genetic/spiritual makeup... Or it can trigger Preservation domain, so to speak, providing additional beneficial side-effects.
At least it reads like that for me, between Coppermind (mistborn wiki) and various bits in both LoD threads.
Should have used "hybrid" from the get go - I blame recent upsurge of Netflix!Witcher related memes.
Letting Connor use Lerasium can be Very Bad Idea... Or it can be Very Good Idea. Depends on the end result. Transformation can be severely, worst case, derailed by the extra-solar parts of his genetic/spiritual makeup... Or it can trigger Preservation domain, so to speak, providing additional beneficial side-effects.
At least it reads like that for me, between Coppermind (mistborn wiki) and various bits in both LoD threads.
- Location
- texas
It might be something with Superman himself that is an issue, as opposed to extrasolar aliens in general.
In the comics, the kryptonians who credit Rao with creating the planet Krypton and the kryptonian people call their solar fueled powers "the power of Rao," so kryptonian powers could be like innate investiture in Cosmere terms, so it might be the connection to alien gods that is an issue.
In one storyline, it was revealed that the House of El is descended from the god Rao, so it might be Superman's being a Demi to the Nth power god that would make things unpredictable.
It could be a facet of Superman's powers. In the comics, Kryptonian metabolisms have been shown to be able to absorb magic on multiple occasions.
In Our Worlds at War, Superman absorbed the Lord of Order Kismet/Strange Visitor for a power up.
In Darkseid War, Superman absorbed energy from the Fire Pits of Apokalips to become a god.
In Sorcerer Kings, a magic sun gave Superman magic powers.
So it might be that Superman's powers might try to absorb the investiture that makes things unpredictable.
Coming to Crossroads - part 7
Obloquy
CrossMyHeart And HopeToDie, StickANeedleInMyEye
- Location
- the Physical Realm
Life Ore Death
* June 17 [Ferris PoV]'It used to be that handicapping him a queen and a rook was enough to let me potentially win,' I reflected as Kaldur claimed my second bishop. 'We will need to find other ways of evening the field, I think.'
"Is there something special about cutting through Nth metal? I mean, you cut through Wonder Girl's bracers," Artemis appeared to ask.
She was painting her nails, paying minimal attention to my game against Kaldur, but I had become quite confident that it was not actually Artemis who was with us. Whether Joseph was possessing her or M'gann was impersonating her, I remained uncertain.
<Affirmation: Ninth Metal holds Intent to fight arcane influences and reorder realistic forces, > Motherbox contributed.
"The Hawkman, the Hawkwoman, and Motherbox all confirm that it is… exceptional, unusual, extraordinary, etcetera," I answered. "I am additionally impressed by the damage done to my knife when it cut Nth metal; no one I consulted with knew that adamantium could be damaged in such a way, nor that the x-ionization process could be countered." I claimed Kaldur's lone rook.
"Your pardon, my friend, but is the metal 'adamantine' or 'adamantium'? You are, I think," Kaldur said with a faint smile, capturing a pawn, "the only person I have heard refer to the second, outside of some of Wally's comic books."
I shrugged. "I denote the god-metals by adding the –ium suffix to the namesake, and adamant is an English word. Moreover, it is an English word that applies as the namesake, because adamantium… One moment." I closed my eyes and tapped my lone copper-mind, having yielded to suggestions about keeping one with certain references for reinforcement in remembering petty details. "The dictionary definition of adamant is, 'refusing to be persuaded or to change one's mind,' while the thesaurus lists adjectives that include inflexible, unbending, rigid, resolute, and unyielding. Adamantium is a supernaturally strong material that refuses most forms of magic."
"Isn't that the same as Nth metal? Since it disrupts magic?" Artemis observed.
"I believe it is a difference of 'refusing' and 'disrupting'," Kaldur perceived. "Ada… The adamant metal," he compromised, "will not cut through spell-craft, it is merely difficult to enchant. Nth metal will actively disrupt mystic energies. Is that correct?"
"To my understanding." I smiled faintly. "I will be happy to give you a more thorough report when I return from Thanagar."
"You will be sorely missed, even if it should only be a week or so," Kaldur assured me. "Check."
'…I don't see a way out of this.' "Mate in three moves. You win," I said. "Good game."
"Is it my turn?" the apparent Artemis asked, leaving the last two of her left-hand fingers unfinished.
"Do we have time before the 'maiden voyage'?" Kaldur checked. "I believe we meet in ten minutes."
"Speed chess, then. Besides, they aren't going to start without us."
'Jericho in possession of Artemis,' I decided. 'M'gann would be far more excited at the reminder.'
"Very well," Kaldur acceded. I obligingly swapped out of my seat.
"About the god-metals… I mean, not lerasium or atium, I'm still deciding," Joey-as-Artemis amended quickly, "but I was wondering what you've figured out about them on Earth. Does Nth metal count? Is there some 'adamant god' for adamantium? Uh, black or white?"
"You choose," Kaldur offered, "and you may take two of my pieces away as a handicap."
'Definitely Joey,' I assessed. 'Artemis prefers to take his two central pawns, rather than his queen and a rook. As for the "adamant god" of the metals....'
I took a few seconds to compose my answer, waiting until Kaldur made his first move.
"I do not believe that… well, to begin, a more accurate term for the transubstantiated materials on Earth may be 'god-elements,' or 'meta-materials,' I think. Not all of them are metals, but Motherbox has referred to them as 'numbered metals,' in the past. Mm. I have encountered several metals, minerals, and chemicals which I believe would qualify for the 'god-element' category, being a physical materialization of a certain source of sorcerous energy, usually with an intent as well, I think. The three most common are orichalcum, adamantium, and mithril.
"Oricalcum," I explained, "is physically and mystically the strongest. I do not know the way to work it into shapes, but once it has 'set' with its shape and spell-craft, it will not be altered. However, it is prohibitively heavy, and thus it is usually used for enchanted armor."
"Perhaps it is merely my strength, but I do not recall the Helmet of Fate being prohibitively heavy," Kaldur observed.
"Its enchantments include spells to ease its use and transport. Mm. Adamantium," I continued, "can be worked and reworked, although I do not know the method. It is less durable than Orichalcum, and by far the least mystic, but it is the easiest to make and to use. Mithril is soft – it can be bent, dented, and shaped by bare hands when it is pure – but it is exceptionally conductive to all kinds of mystical energies. 'Orichalcum for armor, adamantium for weapons, and mithril for adornment,' according to Io, the chief smith of the Amazons."
"Those are all metals. You mentioned chemicals and minerals, as I recall. Is kryptonite one such substance?" Kaldur inquired.
"Kryptonite I remain undecided about," I admitted, "but it is an interesting mineral. Mm. The Captain Marvel has told me about a mineral named Suspendium, which has temporal properties, I think." 'Although, that would oppose my assumption that Orichalcum is connected to time… Then again, the "oracle-ium" assumption is a rather vague guess on my part. Though, if there are trace amounts of orichalcum in suspendium crystals, that would be very significant.' "The most significant, I think, is 'prolithium'." I smiled leadingly.
"The chemical Cadmus used to speed-grow Conner, Jim, and Will?" Kaldur remembered. "I supposed that fits."
"It is more than that," I corrected. "Prolithium is an unusual element, much like atium: it has three protons and three electrons, but it behaves as though it holds a positive charge, acquiring a fourth electron to become stable. Sifting another mound," I continued, "prolithium is liquid at room temperature; it solidifies at almost exactly zero degrees Fahrenheit."
"Like water?" Joey-as-Artemis asked. "No, wait, water freezes at zero degrees Celcius. …Huh. You think that's on purpose?"
"I think the 'almost' is more significant," Kaldur ascertained. "Do you know its freezing point more exactly?"
"One-point-one-three degrees Fahrenheit." 'He would never get the significance of it without the spike, but now….'
Kaldur's eyes widened a second later.
"Exactly two-hundred fifty-six degrees Kelvin. But that is a manmade measuring scale- Could it be an intentional signal?"
"Yes," I agreed soberly. "Mm. One final point: do you know the only locations where prolithium is harvested on the planet?"
"I do no- The Lazarus Pits. It must be," Kaldur concluded. His eyes narrowed. "Mystic and suspicious indeed." I nodded.
"Excellent deductions. I see you are acclimating well," I complimented, glancing toward his copper spike.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
* June 17 [Wally PoV]
"Come one, come all! Welcome," I declared grandly, "to the carnival." I waved the celebratory champagne bottle around.
"Or, you know, the naming ceremony," Rob said, jumping off the steps down into the hangar.
Artemis—she had just arrived with Wren and Kal in tow—suppressed a snicker behind her hand. Except it was palm-out.
'Nope, that's not Artemis.' "Hey, Joey, vacate my girlfriend already, will you? I want to kiss her hello!" I called up at him.
Arty's face pouted. "Oh darn," her voice said. A moment later a phantasmal figure flowed out and coalesced beside her.
I zoomed over before he finished, because it was disorienting as heck – Joey'd possessed me plenty, too – and he hadn't taken a seat. 'Besides,' I figured as I took the steps up two at a time with my super-speed, 'it's not a crime to kiss my girlfriend.' "Hey babe."
She blinked blearily at me as I caught her. "…Wally? Oh, hey babe," she returned, and kissed me.
[I managed 70 minutes this time,] Joey reported in our heads.
[Congratulations; I don't feel especially fuzzy now,] Artemis reported, still kissing me. [Did you get caught?]
[Yes, by Ferris and Aqualad,] he confirmed.
[Impersonating a specific person is far more difficult than impersonating a character created for your cover,] Martian Manhunter said in our heads. [As Black Canary and M'gann will be away for the weekend, Jericho, I would be willing to assist you in your impersonation practices.]
[Thank you very much, Mr. J'onzz.]
[Speaking of leaving,] M'gann added, [Wally, I thought you would do the honors here?]
[Yeah, one second.] I pulled away, pecked Artemis on the cheek, and she knuckled my arm affectionately. "Time to perform."
"Mother of Champions, if you would open the hangar doors," Aqualad requested. The rest of us all gathered around, and I got ready.
The doors began to open, and I zoomed up beside the landing zone to start speaking.
"Ladies and gentlemen," I began in a rush, "over the past eleven months, the bio-ship has been of indispersable aid-,"
"Indispensible!" Conner heckled.
"That too. Indispensible aid to the Team in our activities. Sadly, she was grievously injured in Markovia eight weeks ago – wounded in service to us – and took a lot of time for recovery. We of the Team-," I bowed my head soberly. "-have been so ungrateful for all the bio-ship has done for us, as evidenced by our continuing to call her, 'the bio-ship,' when every sea and space ship should have a name."
""Woo-hoo!"" hooted a couple people from the crowd as M'gann piloted the bio-ship back into the hangar.
"Exactly! As such," I continued while M'gann brought the bio-ship to a hovering float above us, "we hereby celebrate our returning champion, and her maiden voyage to Themyscira with most of the Team – not to mention Wonder Woman, Wonder Girl, Mother of Champions, and Black Canary – by bestowing on her, at long last, a fitting name."
[Time to shine. Mr. J'onzz, you can catch me if I flop, right?] I sent mentally.
[Of course, Wallace.]
[Okay then. Here goes something!]
Doing my best to 'shape' my speed so that the bottle didn't break—I had it up to 8/10 odds of success as long as I held it by the body, while I'd broken it every time I tried to hold it by its neck—I zoomed in a circle, whipping up a cyclone.
As soon as it was high and fast enough, I slid into a spin in the center and jumped.
The wind currents caught me, lifted me, shot me up and out into a flip.
[Little help on the landing?] I requested, and Martian Manhunter's telekinesis lightly guided me to landed on my feet on top of the bio-ship.
"Bio-ship," I boomed, "we have come upon a fitting name for you! In Italian, your new name means beautiful, for there are few sights sweeter than seeing you swoop down to shepherd us home after a hard mission. In Atlantean Greek, your name means trouble, for that is what you save us and cause our enemies, as well as what we have put you to. In the Martian tongue, it is 'to float' the verb, for that is what you do. In the Vallese language of planet Scadrial, your name means 'thanks,' for that is what we owe you many times over!"
'Assuming Ferris wasn't screwing with me. I'd bet she was serious about it being Scadrese for table, but that's not really appropriate.'
"Bio-ship! By the power vested in me," I intoned, kneeling down, "I do hereby dub thee: Bela!"
I buzzed a little, and brought my open palm down on the mouth of the bottle at super-speed.
Concavity took effect, and the champagne bottle broke, dousing Bela ceremonially without me having to hit her.
Everyone cheered, and M'gann lowered Bela down to the ground for all the girls to get on as I quickly picked up the glass shards.
I made sure to catch Artemis for one last kiss before she left, because sure she'd be back in a few days, but I'd still miss her.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
* June 18 [Overview]
Diana, the crown princess of Themyscira, slid by and took a seat beside Renka Tindwysra during a break between rounds.
Exhibition contests were quite common as Amazon entertainment went, and several members of the Team—as well as Black Canary—had signed up to participate. Renka, Donna, and Diana had all refrained; the latter two to acts as hosts, and the former….
"I'm surprised you haven't left yet," Diana commented to Renka. "Katar and Shayera are leaving for Thanagar-,"
"In three hours, yes," Renka confirmed. "I am waiting for sunset." She wore a
Diana paused. Her eyes swept past the cleared area serving as a ring, half-encircled by the stands, and out to the sea and the sunset.
"So something is occurring," she murmured. "I have felt things stirring, and an awareness that gods soon will move…."
"I have not felt much of anything, I think," Renka admitted, "but I received a warning of what was planned. I decided to stay long enough to see; once it is done, I will depart to Metropolis, and then Jimmy and I will head to the Fortress of Solitude to depart."
"Oh, he agreed to go? Congratulations. I had not heard that," Diana commented. The air was growing thicker around her. "Hera."
"Indeed," purred a rich, throaty voice, echoing all around them. Everyone in the stands grew still, even the visitors.
*Thwumph!*
The torches had been left unlit while they still had daylight; all at once, every torch and brazier burst aflame.
All the women in the stands started scanning around, but the women in the ring, looking up at the stands, prostrated immediately.
Ferris turned her head enough to see three women seated in the ceremonial empty thrones at the highest row of the stands, and grew certain that two more remained in the thrones behind her, but she did not crane her neck to look.
As the Amazons began kneeling, Diana offered a warrior's salute, and Queen Hippolyta stood to honor the Amazons' five patrons.
Before a mortal could speak, Hestia interrupted.
"Be at ease, warriors, for it is not us you need now to honor," she assured them all, her voice warm and clear as though she stood beside each woman and spoke only to her. "We have come to witness our Queen and sister. Attend," she instructed.
Nudged by Hestia's will, the Amazons all duly turned to observe the center arena, which was quickly vacated.
The young women of the Team were uncertain, but M'gann's telepathy got the point across clearly that they should be quiet. Hestia, Artemis, Athena, Aphrodite, and Demeter all stood in silence. The sun touched the horizon, out at sea, and a single bell tolled.
Hera appeared, as though stepping through a shimmering curtain.
She wore a toga of simple cloth – one of the priestesses present was unspeakably flattered to recognize it as an offering she had woven and burnt in Hera's honor some time before – decorated at its edges with the Argus eyes of peacock feathers, and her hair was done up in a complex bun.
Hera's crown was a simple tiara about her brow, and those in the know began to breathe easy, as Hera had not come to punish.
The goddess clapped, once, gently, and all present gave her their full attention.
"June," she declared pleasantly, "is my month, for I am Juno, as I am Hera. I am Basíleia, as I am Teléia, as I am Boṓpis, as I am Bounáia, as I am Leukṓlenos, as I am Akráia. And today," she continued, "it is as Akráia, 'she of the heights,' that I come before you.
"Warriors of Themyscira, I am Goddess of Women, but I am not your goddess. Not foremost. Do not apologize," she continued, as the sound of some-hundred anxious inhalations swept through the arena, "for this was agreed upon by compact, long ago; we agreed that even my priestesses on Themyscira should heed, foremost, my five sisters who have directly blessed them. Princess Diana as well. She may serve me, but she does so in pursuit of her oaths and obligations to my sisters, who owe me loyalty as Queen of Olympus.
"Yet," Hera continued, slowly, contemplatively, "I have no champion of my own. No warrior to serve my personal aims and goals.
"It is time for that to change," she announced, and a shiver rippled through the crowd
Hera folded her hands pleasantly, and raised her eyes to her middle sister. Demeter nodded, and spoke.
"Ten weeks past, it was confirmed that Thia {Glorious Radiance} has fled her bondage in Tartarus, taking with her treasures of old."
"Most concerning," Athena agreed, "is the retrieval of her golden armor, a most atrocious object, and her attack on Circe."
"My brother and King," Hestia continued, "yet withholds final judgment, but he has permitted action on behalf some of us, should we agree to act."
"Princess Diana is our champion on Earth, and acts in our interests. Queen Hera," Artemis affirmed, "wishes to anoint her own."
"And so," Aphrodite purred, "we gather here to witness this. Donna Troy, Danae, we call you forth before our queen."
The lust goddess's words oozed honey and oil, and the young demi-goddess had complied, flying to kneel before the Queen of Olympus, before she entirely realized what was to come. After kneeling a moment, Donna tentatively raised her head again.
"Foundling. Princess Danae. Donna Troy." Hera rolled the words around her mouth almost experimentally; a few who knew history worried at the reminder of the city Hera had hated. Her next words, however, soothed those fears. "Troy was long ago, but I look fondly on the memory, for I won in the end. Donna Troy, you have prayed for guidance. For purpose. I have a quest for you, as grand and dangerous as any Diana has embarked upon. Should you accept this honor, you may be assured of finding meaning, and purpose.
"Assuming you do not die, of course," Hera added, and a glance across the crowd prompted ripples of extremely nervous laughter.
"What would you have me do, your majesty?" Donna inquired. Whether she felt anxious or determined, she hid it well.
"Thia {Glorious Radiance} has fled this sphere, and in her keeping she holds an artifact from the Titanomachy itself. Worse, she has shed family blood, and drunk of her own offspring for power. Telegonus is dead, and Circe {Witch of the Wilds} nearly so. My aunt was the eldest daughter of Ouranos, and she sat at my father's right hand. She is weak, but her diminished strength is still considerable.
"Should she be allowed to gather allies and amass her strength, war will return to us as you have not known before," Hera predicted grimly. "I assign to you her pursuit; countless will suffer under her hands if she is not stopped. Do you accept?"
Donna bowed her head again, and something silent passed between them, being solely for the two of them.
"If the matter is so severe, and if I can act to stop what will occur, then what may I say but yes?" Donna answered.
Hera smiled, thin and joyless.
"Excellent. Unfortunately, as you are now, you could be of little assistance. Still," the Queen of Olympus pretended to muse, "that is what blessings are for. After all…" She cast her eyes out across the crowd, and across her five fellow Olympians who stood by in silence. "Diana's gifts were granted by five goddesses. It is only fitting, we agreed, that you receive the same. Sisters."
Hera clapped once, once more, and the sunset-lit sea beside her rippled.
A woman stepped out, or almost out of it, for her feet remained in the water that had risen up with a wave, and did not fall away.
Neither Diana nor Hippolyta nor Donna recognized this goddess, who stood at Hera's shoulder with a bow stave across her back.
In fact, in all the audience, only three of the Amazons knew who it was that joined Hera as an ally.
All three women swooned suddenly, broken from the awe and majesty that held the rest upright through raw shock and terror. The three women warriors of old, shuddered and tried to keep from vomiting, so overcome they were by dread at what it meant, that she would stand beside Hera ever again.
This goddess, who stood half a head taller than Hera and kept a quiver on her back, took a bracelet from off her own wrist.
"I am Leto," she murmured, and now a shiver swept through the Amazons. "I am Latona, and Letun {Find What You Seek}.
"Banned from terra firma, my sister Asteria {Falling Stars} tore a stone from the sky, upon which I birthed Artemis and Apollo.
"I am cousin to Queen Hera, but more importantly," she continued, holding out the bracelet, "I was born to Coeus and Phoebe.
"I know well what it means to fear Thia {Radiant Glory}, for I struck her down in battle, and she loathes me for it. This bracelet, Donna Troy, belonged to my mother. Take it, and my blessing upon you in this endeavor."
"I am honored, great goddess," Donna replied. She reached out, hesitated, and something else passed between them.
Donna slid the bracelet onto her upper arm, instead of her wrist, and Leto nodded in approval.
Leto stood at Hera's left hand, both outlined by the setting sun; now, the water to Hera's right began to boil and bubble.
With a laugh and a sigh, a figure rose up from the dark water. Her hair was wet, let down free across her body like sopping ink. Her skin was pale as paper, or moonlight. Her lips were black. Her nails were black. Her brows were black. Her eyes were black.
She smiled, baring teeth white like bone.
"I am Hecate {The Depths Unknown} and I greet you, child. I am daughter to Asteria {Falling Stars}, and niece to Leto, but my sire is Perses {Force of Nature}. Though he fell in the Titanomachy, and would no doubt disavow me, I am through him granddaughter to Eurbiya, fathered by Pontus."
Something happened when she spoke that name. Ferris missed it, her head swimming, but Diana would later tell her that the sea had stopped its swaying for a moment when the word was said.
"I greet thee, great goddess," Donna said into the silence. "It honors me to meet you."
"Yes, it does," Hecate agreed. "We three have come, with comrades, to anoint you as our champion. And so for you, I have a boon."
She drew from somewhere a shimmering silver coil of… was it rope? Was it cloth? Netting? None of the viewers could tell.
"It is gorgeous. Thank you," Donna breathed, though she was clearly heard by all.
"Oceanus passed this net to Poseidon as a forfeit, and he awarded it to me, for I too have the blood of the sea. In use, it is first a net."
Hecate flicked her wrist, and the bundle unraveled into a shimmering, silver fishing net. It shown like moonlight in the night, even despite the glare of the setting sun behind them, for Hecate was shrouded all about in shadow.
"With the loss of Diana's Lasso, however," Hecate continued, flicking her wrist again, "I thought it appropriate to re-weave this." Where before she had held netting, now a silver coil of rope was in her hand. "First it is a net, but foremost, I grant you this Lasso of Persuasion, indestructible against all mortal means of harm. The weak-willed must obey you with it, for I am she who works her will, and I bless you."
"I shall strive to uphold your expectations," Donna vowed as she took the artifact. There was silence again, and then stirring.
"It is summer," declared a woman Renka recognized, as did Diana and a few others, "and I may walk among the sunlight again. Donna Troy, I am Persephone, daughter of Demeter, and I will bless you as my mother does Diana." Persephone stood on land, and green sea grass sprouted up around her feet, though Leto beside her still stood in the sea. She produced… something from a fold in her robe.
It hurt to look at, and Diana squinted at it. Renka shut her eyes rather than tap a vision tin-mind and risk an aneurysm.
"My father is Zeus, king of the gods on Olympus," Persephone declared, "but my husband is Hades. Zeus inherited dominion and lordship, as is his due, but my husband is the eldest son of Cronus, and he received an inheritance. This Amulet of Cronus he bequeathed to me, and now I bestow it upon you. Use it well, and with great care, in times of need."
"I shall, Queen Persephone," Donna promised as she took the piece of metal.
If Hera minded another being 'queen' in her presence she made no show of it, but an unseen force rippled through the world.
To Hera's left stood Leto and Persephone. To her right was Hecate, who now found herself joined by a fifth goddess.
"Donna Troy, I am Kosmima {Adornment}," declared the figure bedecked in jewelry. "I am least by far among our sisters gathered here, but I, too, have a gift for you." She unfolded a cloth, and plucked out an earring, with the cap to its pin on an attached chain. Though none were close enough to see, Diana knew the truth of what it was at once, and she glanced over to see Renka smile in satisfaction.
"You are gracious and generous to me, lady; I shall use all your gifts well and wisely," Donna vowed.
"I should certainly hope so. Stand," Kosmima commanded. Donna rose as the young goddess stepped forward. "We have heard your prayers for guidance, purpose, and direction, so this is the quest we have granted you. However," she continued, slipping the needle into Donna's ear, "while you have recently prayed for guidance, we have also heard your prayers for patience. In conference with Themis {Propriety} and others, I have forged for you an earring of balance. It shall help you to… temper your temper, let us say, and forewarn you of the consequences of your actions." She brought the chain to the back and capped the needle, so that it would not fall off or be torn away.
"That was what you helped her with," Diana whispered to Renka, though the air seemed to swallow her words.
"Yes," Renka confirmed, and said no more. Donna had knelt again, and Hera stepped forward, drawing out a black cloth.
It unfurled to the ground to become a robe, or a toga, or some form of garment cut from night sky, with shimmering stars.
"Though Kosmima is least among us, she is not last, for I have my own, personal blessing," Hera declared. "Iris is my messenger, and she wears a rainbow robe to ride the light wheresoever it need take her. You, however, will be my warrior, Donna Troy. Where you go, you will find darkness, and it shall find you. Iris and Arke were sisters, but the latter sided with Othrys, and suffered the consequences. She was stripped of her title, and I have reformed it to fit. Take this cloth of starry firmament, for you will travel by night, through darkness.
"It knows where to go," Hera continued. She draped small expanse of night sky over Donna's shoulders, and it dripped down like liquid, shifting to cover her clothes and skin until it formed a uniform for her. "Here is your goal: find Thia, retrieve or destroy her armor if possible, and deal with her in such a way that we need not fear her return. The details, I leave to your discretion. We know where she has fled, and uncounted lives are at stake already. Only the Fates know where she will go, but your raiment shall lead you to her, and with luck, back again home at the end of it," Hera stated. "Donna Troy, do you accept this quest? Ask your questions of us now, if you have them."
As the last disc of the sun sank out of sight beneath the waves, Donna thought, and wondered whether she had a choice.
"…Is there any other who can do this?" she asked first.
"Many," Hera affirmed, "but none whom I know will do so well as you."
"Is this the only quest you ask of me?"
"It may be, or perhaps the first of many. Diana has undertaken many quests without our requesting her; my sisters empowered her because they believed she would act on her own initiative in ways they approved of. I feel the same of you."
Donna stood a touch straighter at that. "Do you believe I will succeed?"
"I believe you can succeed, and that you will do far better than any others."
"Thank you." She thought further as time stretched on. "What, please, will I be facing in my journey?" she asked finally.
Hera smiled. "A wise question. Thia herself is a sorceress, and formidable. She will be weak, but she is canny, and she has claimed some of the power we stripped from her. She favors evocation for destruction, and she is skilled in crafting. The armor she created will elevate a mortal human to fight you as an equal, but that peon will lack your skill, sense, and sanity.
"Otherwise, she will search for allies, and new sources of power to take advantage of. I recommend you to seek out Lambien if Thia {Glorious Radiance} escapes you, for the she will likely ally with his brother against he and his mother. It is her nature.
"You will face slave-takers and slaves, sadists and those who suffer, conquerors and warriors, and many more. Naturally, we prefer you to oppose the former over the latter, but your mission must be your foremost goal. How you fulfill it, we leave to you."
"…Slavery?"
"And sacrifice, no doubt," Hera confirmed. "Thia was fond of both, and while they already exist at present, I care little to think what will occur once she begins to exacerbate it. She poured out blood for her glory in manners rarely imagined."
"Then I'm in. I mean," Donna quickly amended, "I wish to serve this quest, and oppose these evils in your name. Where do I go?"
Hera raised one finger pointing straight up at the sky, and everyone looked upward. The sun had set, and the stars did shine.
"In the starry firmament lies the constellation Lyra, recalling Orpheus and his story," Hera instructed. "Follow it, flying toward its brightest star, and our blessings shall do the rest. Fly well and safely, for though the journey will be some time, you will arrive there."
"Yes, your majesty," she agreed, kneeling again in submission.
There was a pause after Donna answered, as everyone waited. Hera slowly arched one eyebrow at the kneeling figure.
"That means now, Champion," she added drily.
Donna glanced up at her with a start. "Yes, your majesty!" Her legs tensed, and she leapt straight into the air, passing quickly out of sight as her raiment blended into the night sky. Hera and her companions, and all the Amazons, kept peering up after her for a short time.
"Go with good fortune, young warrior," Hera murmured, her voice sounding as though she stood beside each onlooker. "We will be with you as we may." With those words, all ten goddesses vanished, and the solemnity was swept away as muttering erupted.
Diana took a deep breath once she was finally free to process things, and turned to Renka. "Were you-?"
"Not here, please," Renka interrupted. Diana hesitated, and Renka held out her hand, with the Globe of Transportation in her palm.
"Very well," Diana acceded, and took her hand.
{It Flows Throughout the World, Where One Drop is as Another}
For a moment, they hung in that gray void, as deep blue figures swam around them.
Then they returned to the world again, in a small meadow with a pond.
"I thought you said you couldn't teleport on- no you said 'to' Themyscira," Diana remembered.
"The divine protections are wards it cannot cross," Renka agreed, pocketing the orb, "but I can use the Globe inside of them."
"You just can't arrive or leave," Diana muttered, before she got to the point. "Did you know that would occur?"
"Not specifically, although the hints I received now make sense in hindsight. It was not surprised," Renka hedged.
Diana grimaced. "That earring. You helped to create it as part of your deal with Kosmima. Is it Hemalugic?"
"No people were murdered to make it," Renka clarified without answering the question.
"I used my own essence, patterned off of Hemalurgy," Kosmima agreed, stepping up beside her. "No murder required."
They both omitted a few experiments on spikes made from animals. Sensing this, Diana folded her arms, unimpressed.
"How long has that been in planning?" she demanded flatly.
Kosmima scowled. "I'm four times your age, brat. Don't talk down to me." Her ringed fingers clinked threateningly.
Renka took a small step-and-spin that left her standing beside Diana, where before she been at Kosmima's shoulder.
"She is four times my age, and she takes it from me," Renka noted pleasantly.
Kosmima huffed. "And I'm sixteen times your age, but I don't talk down to you, because you respect me."
Renka nodded, hummed, and turned her eyes to Diana again.
"A fair point," Diana decided, and offered a bow. "I apologize, lady Kosmima. I still feel… responsible, for Donna's wellbeing."
"She is legally of age, in Man's World and among the Amazons," the elder goddess countered archly.
"Fay - her mother - is going to kill me all the same, no doubt," Diana predicted. "But for my nature, I would expect to be seeing gray hairs soon."
"You probably will, then," Kosmima informed her, which caught the younger goddess's attention. "Age is mostly a state of mind with us, provided we have the power, and you're getting old. It's one of the reasons… Well, the main reason we didn't send you was because the majority of your patrons were against it, but you getting tied down in charities, diplomacy, and other responsibilities here is another strike against you."
"That's…" Diana closed her eyes again. "Perhaps after visiting with Mother, I should meet with my other mother again. I may be overdue yet another lesson on the more abstract aspects of my nature." Kosmima's eyes widened slightly.
"Your oth- I would definitely recommend that if you can, yeah," she affirmed. "My great-great-grandmother is… knowledgeable."
"Mm, yes, but the Lady of the Leaves is also frightening," Renka opined.
<Power, knowledge, history, and ability are qualities that each individually intimidate, > agreed Motherbox.
"Have you met her?" Diana asked Renka and Motherbox. Renka shook her head, and Motherbox beeped a negative.
"I would be careful about making any introductions," Kosmima added before Diana could offer. She said no more on the subject.
"I see. I will keep your words in mind." Diana returned to the topic at hand. "The earring. May I know its function, please?"
Renka hummed and nodded approval, but deferred to Kosmima for final judgment. The young goddess nodded back to her.
"Anger holds power, and divine anger even more so," the Terriswoman explained. "Power. Energy. Fuel. Donna has previously informed me that her temper has increased her powers when she rages. Power, mm, but no control. The earring is designed to drain away and store some of that energy, as though she were storing rage into a metal-mind. However, tapping will not draw her temper out again.
"Instead, when Donna accesses the energy in the earring," Renka continued, "it will have an effect similar to burning atium, or electrum; she will see flashes of the near future, and the possible consequences of her actions. A balance, yes?"
"That… later on, I would like to hear more of this. Lady Kosmima," Diana asked, "do you believe Donna will be safe?"
"No," came the immediate answer, "but she will have the opportunity to make allies, and the enemies there will not be personally trying to kill her, the way so many here are. If there's nothing else, I have promised the Sliver a lift to…?"
"Anywhere outside of Themyscira," Renka finished carelessly. "I will need to make several stops before I meet Jimmy in Metropolis, but I have the Globe of Transportation."
"Jimmy will accompany you to Thanagar, then?" Diana perceived. "Congratulations. I look forward to seeing his work. I do have one more matter, I fear. What time, gods willing, do you expect Donna to return to us? I should have something to tell her family."
Kosmima shook her head. "Lady Diana, I have no idea. Queen Hera might, but she's ten times my age and much more than that in power. It could be three months, or thirteen, or thirty, or all of those in increments. I can look out and let you know if something kills her, at least; the earring will tell me."
Diana sighed heavily. "Thank you, Lady Kosmima. I only hope her mother does not kill me first."
"Or at least that she does so quickly," Renka finished wryly. The Terriswoman then spewed out a startled laugh when Diana flipped her off.
"If that will be all…?" Kosmima prompted. Diana nodded, and Kosmima stepped into the pond's reflection, taking Renka with her.
In the mirrored world surrounding them, there were odd appearances and visions. Renka kept a tight grip on her host's hand.
"If we wanted to advance our trading further, I could teach you more about this, or even how to do it?" Kosmima mentioned.
"I… appreciate the offer, but no thank you. For now, I think," Renka decided. Compelled by honesty in good faith, she added, "I have the impression I know someone already who could tell me, once I describe this. I would rather try my own methods of research, first."
"Fair enough," Kosmima allowed, jerking them through some steps and turns. Renka kept an even pace until they reached a standing mirror in the gray swirls of mist around them. "Just remember: I will pay handsomely for any Nth metal you can get me."
"I will engrave it," Renka promised, tapping her temple. Kosmima nodded, handed her a case, and moved her through the mirror.
Outside in the Material World again, Renka slumped back against the reflective glass pane of some museum.
She took a moment just to breathe, and to be, and to process. That had been… bigger than she had expected.
A distant part of her sulked at the possibility that her one-on-one with Donna had been intended to keep her off the Team, to free her up for this; she had been looking forward to working with Wonder Girl more closely.
The rest of her sent up hopes and wishes for Donna's wellbeing, and that of the people she would (it seemed) save.
When that was done, Renka sighed, reached into her pocket-
{It Flows Throughout the World, Where One Drop is as Another}
-and stepped into the Blue. She had packed her bags, previously, but she would be away for one or two weeks, as Thanagar had asked her to testify about her encounter with the pirates they were extraditing for trial. Hawkwoman was also getting medical surgery to undo lingering damage from when Jackal abducted her, and Lantern Stewart had unspecified business there as well.
Jimmy would be coming with her because she had begged them - well, made a request politely, at least - on his behalf; even ignoring the chance to spend time together, Thanagar would be the opportunity of a lifetime for him to make a photo-journal of an alien civilization.
All in all, Renka hoped it would be a good experience; they hadn't seen each other enough in the past month.
All she had to do was deliver the other x-ionized adamantium knives to the Justice League, check that Kal-El was still in agreement with her plan for drawing in co-operation from the US government, and grab her luggage.
It seemed simple, but with her life what it was, Renka was still expecting something to go wrong while they were away.
She knew she couldn't be certain of what would happen, but she would try to be prepared all the same.
Hestia&theCourt
Turns out we're plural too.
- Location
- In transition
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Diana... flipped someone off??? That is a break in dignified behavior that I would never have expected from her. She must be really distressed about this.
- Location
- Leeds
Personally my reasoning was that I don't think Artemis paints her nail. And it seems like the sort of not-prank that people can find amusement in.
Wow, throw a little shade why don't you?
Captain Marvel!... Marvel Captain Marvel not Shazam Captain Marvel.