Jonn Wolfe
(Verified Sarcastic) (Not a Wolf)
- Location
- Beyond Sanity Since 1971
Several plus a Caesar, I would imagine.
Ship of Fools: A Taylor Varga Omake (Complete)
- Thread starter Derek M
- Start date
- Crossover
- Location
- Canada
I scratched my head at this. Came back several days later and went "Oh! That's what he meant!"
He went from "Da Plane, Da Plane!" to "Elementary, my dear Watson!" IE Star Trek Into Darkness.
So basically the same reason as the mandated distance between the government benches and the opposition benches in the Houses of Parliament: keep the two sides far enough away from each other that they can't stab each other with swords over the table between them.
Neruz
Rogue Spiderbanana
- Location
- The Land of Fire and Poison
Pretty much, modern western goverments are basically spiritual descendants of the Roman Senate after all. Though the Roman Senate was less concerned with preventing fights than with preventing deaths from fights; fighting on the Senate floor was not at all uncommon, to the point where there was actually a Latin joke involving one man telling another that there is a fist fight happening in the senate, to which the second man responds 'ah, it must be Tuesday.' Or something along those lines.
That was actually one of the primary reasons why Caesar's death was such a big deal, assassinating Caesar wasn't the problem, the problem was that Casca, Brutus and co brought knives into the Senate. While Caesar was indeed extremely popular with the middle and lower classes and his death would have caused severe unrest regardless, the upper classes and other senators would likely have been willing to show a united front under normal circumstances. But by bringing knives into the Senate, Casca, Brutus and their supporters broke one of the oldest and most sacred taboos in Roman politics and the other senators justifiably felt that if they were willing to do that, then they would be willing to do anything, and as a result there was no unified power bloc after Caesar's death and the Republic fragmented.Several plus a Caesar, I would imagine.
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Chapter 53: The End of the Beginning
- Location
- Maryland
Chapter 53: The End of the Beginning
The Master Biologist was curious. Somehow, a being had appeared in his rest chambers without tripping any of the perimeter security alerts, the teleportation sensors, or the internal security monitors. His faction was not currently at war with the other factions...though that state of affairs rarely lasted for more than a few years at a time. Trying to kill him could be a bold opening move in another war, though even a failed attempt would result in no quarter from him and his compatriots, so if it was another faction, then they were being uncharacteristically incautious. He would like to know how they had managed to get an agent into his private rooms, however, as even he would have difficulty with that if they locked him out of the security protocols. It never occurred to him to be concerned for his own well being. For one thing, he was quite old and strong even by his race's standards. For another, he had two soldiers with him as bodyguards, as well as other active defenses he could control. He prepared himself for conflict mentally, then stepped into the room he used as a study. In the middle of his room was a large reptilian creature. It was sitting on its tail and reading a data pad of some kind.
"You know, you have at least three massive holes in your security framework," said the reptile...which was somehow speaking in the Master's native language.
The Master Biologist triggered a mental command, and five xenomorphs detached themselves from the wall. These were different from the ones encountered by Ellen Ripley, as they had been gestated in the bodies of prisoners from other warring factions. These were pale instead of jet black, and were stronger and more intelligent. He commanded them to attack the intruder. By his side, his bodyguards readied their own weapons.
The reptile didn't stop reading, but she did lift first one arm, then the other. The other arm continued to hold the data pad steady. With an astonishing degree of speed and accuracy for a biological organism, the creature used some kind of weapon built into its arm to kill the five xenomorphs. His bodyguards slumped to the ground next to him. More impressively, he felt a small, sharp pain in his thigh, and found himself paralyzed from the neck down. The location of the injury meant whatever weapon it was had gone straight through his biosuit, which should have been impossible for something small enough to be implanted into a biological being.
For the first time in centuries, the Master Biologist deigned to speak with a member of a race not his own. "What are you?" he asked, more concerned with the creature's origins than its identity.
The creature smiled with an impressive amount of dentition. "My name is Ianthe. I represent the Bioshapers' Guild of the Family. We have some issues to discuss with you. I also have some information to share with you that may make you...more amenable to working with us."
The Master Biologist finally left the council meeting. He had had to physically beat the senior Militarist into compliance, but the entire leading council was now in accordance with his wishes. Of course, he had suspected that the others would not willingly subordinate themselves to the commands of outsiders, but he had little choice in the matter.
The creature, Ianthe, obviously was a Master Biologist in her own right...perhaps the long disused title of Grand Master applied? She preferred the term Bioshaper, which was as accurate as any. She had demonstrated a control over biology that was both intuitive and effortless. She was the one who had created the anti-xenomorph virus, though that was not what she had used to disable the ones in his chambers. Her skills, though, were clearly superior to those of his own people, and his people respected power in all forms above everything else. Once Ianthe demonstrated her superiority, submission was an inevitable outcome. Of course, some of his people would test their bonds. That would doubtlessly prove amusing.
Apart from her skill and power, the thing that convinced him that he and his people needed to join the Bioshaper Guild (and adhere to their rules) was the materials she showed him as inspiration for possible weapons. The idea of having to face an army of brightly colored quadrupeds with strange abilities was daunting, but the last one? Despite himself, the Master Biologist quailed at the memory of that hideous, singing purple reptile based on an extinct species from the homeworld of the humans. That creature would undoubtedly feature in his nightmares for some time to come.
On a more positive note, Ianthe had said she intended to visit the other Master Biologists as well. He had to smile internally at the idea of that irritating cretin of the Isolationists Faction being educated by the lizard. He wondered if she would share a recording of that if he supplicated himself to her with deference. The personal shame at that act would be worth it if he could experience his counterpart's humiliation. It was something to consider...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Kara hovered a mile over a motel in Pennsylvania, peering down with her x-ray vision. She spoke into her League communicator. "I've got eyes on Bonesaw, Hatchet Job, William Manton, Shatterbird, and Mannequin. Mannequin and Hatchet Face appear to be asleep or disabled."
From a rooftop down the street from the hotel, Wonder Woman asked, "Any location for Slash, Burnscar or Crawler?"
"I've got a police report from outside Scranton of a body that appears to match Crawler," said Nightwing over the communicator. "The PRT is on their way to confirm the ID."
"What do you think?" asked the Amazon, looking over at her bat-clad companion.
Batman frowned. "This is atypical of the Nine."
"You don't think this is an elaborate trap?" asked the Amazon. "I would think that would be your first guess." She was hiding a small smile as she said that.
"Crawler's body is too far away. If this were a trap, we would be seeing the other members deployed to ambush investigators," replied the Bat. "The Kryptonians haven't seen Jack Slash or Burnscar anywhere nearby. The Nine also have no reason to expect us, as this is the first time the Justice League has been to this reality."
"So what do we want to do?" asked Superman over the communicator.
"I'm going down there," replied Batman. "Be prepared to back me up." The hero jumped off the roof, using his cape to glide down to the ground. Back on the roof, Diana just rolled her eyes.
A little blonde girl opened the door at his knock, then stopped and looked curiously at the man in the bat costume standing outside. "What are you supposed to be? Some kind of weird knock-off of Mouse Protector?" she asked.
Bruce frowned at the reaction. It had been a while since a villain failed to recognize him, but then her ignorance was to be expected. The lack of hostility was a surprise. "I'm here representing a group of heroes from an alternate reality who have come here due to reports of the Slaughterhouse Nine being in the area." The entire membership of the Nine had kill orders. Though Batman found the idea distasteful, and intended to capture the villains alive, he could understand why the group could merit a lethal level of force. The little girl...Bonesaw...seemed rather calm under the circumstances.
She scoffed. "The Nine are done. Jack's dead. Mannequin's dead. Crawler's dead. Siberian's dead. Burnscar...left, probably."
"There are still you, Shatterbird, and Hatchet Face...and what do you mean when you say Siberian is dead?" asked Batman. Manton was clearly still alive according to Kara's report.
"We're not capes anymore. Mimi did something before she took off. That's what killed Mannequin and Crawler, and without Siberian, William is just an almost-catatonic old man. Here, look for yourself," said the girl as she stepped back from the door.
Cautiously, Batman stepped into the room. William Manton sat in the corner of the room, staring into space. Shatterbird sat on a couch, looking at him nervously. The spherical form of the team's resident tinker sat on the floor by a table, limbs askew like a broken toy. The bulky form of Hatchet Face was snoring on the bed. He looked at the sleeping villain and sent a questioning glance to Bonesaw.
"He got difficult, so I put him to sleep. I still have my implanted weapons, even if my power is gone," said Bonesaw.
"Are you going to surrender peaceably?" asked Batman, seeing that things appeared as she stated.
Bonesaw looked at him speculatively. "You're not from around here, right? I know how the Protectorate and the PRT work. Even if they take us in alive, they're going to be eager to carry out our executions so that they can milk it to the public. Are you folks really heroes, because a just hero would make sure we all got a fair trial -- and not one intended to just confirm our guilt."
"Are you claiming you aren't guilty?" he asked. That seemed impossible, based on the evidence of their crimes Batman had seen. The little girl standing calmly in front of him by herself made Joseph Mengele look like a common street thug.
Bonesaw gave him a bitter laugh. "Of course we're guilty." The two ignored a slight choking sound coming from Shatterbird, who was listening. "But I want people to understand what Jack did to us. Can you make that happen?"
The Dark Knight regarded the dangerous little girl in front of him. Her request wasn't unreasonable. "I can." Even without powers, Bonesaw at least was extremely dangerous. Taking them in without a fight was worth ensuring they got what they should have been entitled to under the law in any event. Assuming they could confirm Jack's death, that left only Burnscar at large, but Batman suspected that wouldn't last long.
Mimi was sitting, taking in the view. It was incredibly desolate looking...but then what else did she expect from the surface of the moon? Like everyone else, she had seen pictures from the Apollo missions in school, but they really didn't do the moonscape justice...and the blue and green marble hanging in the sky was also amazing to see. She wasn't sure why the Phoenix had brought her here, but it definitely gave her some space to think. It was also a pretty impressive demonstration of her durability, sitting in hard vacuum like this.
"It's a great view, isn't it?" said a woman's voice. Shocked, Mimi turned her head to see two beings on the moon's surface beside her. One looked human, a tall woman with bright red hair. The other was a reptilian humanoid, who also appeared female. Neither of them was wearing a spacesuit despite being in hard vacuum. The human woman also felt strangely familiar.
"Who are you?" she asked, too stunned to think of other questions.
The human smiled. "My name is Jean, and I, like you, am an avatar of the Phoenix Force. This is my friend, Saurial, a member of the Family."
Mimi stared. This was one of the beings the Phoenix wanted to meet. Yet apparently, she had another avatar that had already met them?
"I had not met them when I came to you," said the voice in her head.
"The Phoenix is learning all about the Family now through my association with them," added Jean.
Mimi considered what that meant. "So, this whole thing...empowering me and killing Jack...was pointless?"
"Taking Jack Slash out of the picture for good was necessary regardless," said Saurial, somehow also speaking in vacuum. "If the Phoenix hadn't done it, either the Protectorate or the Family would have made it happen sooner rather than later."
"What about me?" asked Mimi cautiously, clearly not expecting to like the answer.
Jean frowned. The woman was so obviously traumatized. "We're going to take you with us to someplace with people who can help you."
"Prison?" she replied resignedly.
Saurial smiled. "Not quite."
Anteaus regarded the woman Saurial had brought, as well as the more familiar possessing force. "I trust we won't have a repeat of the incident?" he said, addressing the Phoenix.
"Fine..." replied the Phoenix, in a voice that sounded slightly petulant to the former member of the Nine. She would learn in the coming weeks that any attempts to learn more about the mentioned incident was met with silence from the Phoenix. The Nox also would not tell her, though they always held rather smug grins after being asked.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Stephen regarded the man sitting in his study. That he had been willing to enter the Sanctum Sanctorum, subjecting himself to the intent-based and true-name wards, was surprising. "Why have you come here, Victor?" asked the Sorcerer Supreme.
"I think you know. Have you used the time stone since our reptilian mutual friends arrived?" answered the armored man.
Strange frowned. "The Eye of Agamotto does not contain the time stone."
Doom smirked and quirked an eyebrow. "Of course it doesn't. Regardless, what do your precognition magics tell you?"
The sorcerer considered what to tell the often-villainous King of Latveria. Upon consideration, the truth of the matter was probably obvious, which made him wonder why he was being asked the question. "They have completely shifted the flows of time, largely for the better."
"Better is subjective," argued Doom, "but the probabilities of any particularly apocalyptic scenarios have dropped substantially. Truthfully, the probabilities of any individual future have lowered. They have introduced a substantial amount of chaotic energy into the timestream." It made precognition far less useful in a general sense.
Strange simply nodded and waited.
Victor von Doom regarded the man in front of him. "You may see me as a villain, Strange, but I am as well versed in certain magics as you, even if you exceed me in terms of breadth of knowledge. Much of my actions have been driven by the future...a future which is now far more uncertain and difficult to plot."
"You should know better than to make plans based on prophecy," said Strange.
Doom scoffed. "Do you think I would depend upon something so impoverished in meaning as simple prophecy? I have a responsibility as a ruler to protect my people, and I have spent centuries tracing down the paths of the future to keep Latveria safe. The arrival of Saurial and her ilk has invalidated much of that work. Do you know what I have determined after retracing my efforts?"
Intrigued despite himself, Strange asked, "What?"
The dictator frowned. "The best hope for my people is to hew toward the tenets of the lizards. In point of fact, working with the Parkers and Fury provides the best results."
"Nick Fury is not somebody I would expect to follow along with the plans of the Family," commented Strange.
Doom shrugged. "I suspect he will have no choice, and not because the lizards will extort his compliance."
"They do have a way of twisting things into a particular path, almost by their very existence," admitted Strange. "I have found they generally work to the benefit of everyone, however."
There was a pause. Then Doom said, "They do seem to be surprisingly non-judgmental and helpful."
"So why have you come here today?"
"You know that Stark is jumping in to support the Parkers, and Richards will no doubt join him," said Doom. "You also know the two of them will try and push their own interpretation of events."
"Fury won't allow that to happen," replied Strange.
"Fury has his own agenda," countered Doom.
Stephen didn't bother trying to contradict the obvious statement. "And so?"
"You and I...we have a broader perspective on things. While science has its place, there is more to the universe. I am hoping that you and I may make common cause where necessary to restrain the others."
Strange was wondering if he was hallucinating. "Forgive me if I'm a little skeptical, Doom. You and I have rarely seen eye-to-eye in the past."
Doom looked at him, then reached up and triggered a control on the side of his helmet. There was a hissing sound, and he reached up and gripped his mask. The mask detached, and he bent down to let it fall into his hand. When he sat up, the face that looked out at Stephen was handsome, unblemished, and clearly bemused. "You have a gift for understatement, Sorcerer, but I am not here seeking an alliance. I expect you to judge me by my actions. I simply want you to consider the aspects of events that you know Stark, Richards and Fury will not, and support me if my interpretation aligns with yours."
The two men regarded each other. Finally, Strange nodded. "In this particular case, I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, Victor, mostly because Saurial has expressed a desire for us to work together."
"And so again the lizards make their presence felt, even when they are absent," commented Doom.
Strange glanced around his study. Despite his wards and protections, he replied, "With them, you're never quite sure."
Doom just laughed.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The President looked at her two visitors. The two were as different as night and day. The gentleman on the left, while not appearing to be older than thirty, carried himself like an older man who was used to having to compensate for the aches and pains of age. He wore a tweed jacket that seemed too old for him. She also noticed that he had a tendency to reach for eyeglasses that he was not wearing and apparently no longer needed. The woman, on the other hand, was a tall, attractive blonde woman who projected the air of a woman who was used to having to make people take her seriously, something with which she could sympathize. She had a short, military-style haircut that gave her a no-nonsense style. The only thing truly unusual is that she would infrequently pause with an unnatural stillness that was just slightly distracting.
"Madame President," said the man, "My name is Rupert Giles, and my colleague's name is Samantha Carter. We represent a non-governmental organization whose purview is the supernatural world."
"The supernatural world? You mean ghosts and magic?" she asked skeptically. Despite her Chief of Staff's assertions in support of that, she found the whole concept questionable, if not ridiculous.
"Have you been briefed on a government project known as the DRI, or Demon Research Initiative?" asked Carter.
With a slightly suspicious tone, she replied, "I was. It was a failed project that, despite dealing in a lot of fringe areas of pseudoscience, managed to somehow result in a number of deaths among project staff. I'm curious as to how you know about it."
"We know about it because some of us were involved in it," replied Giles, "and it appears that you have been...ill informed."
The man and woman in front of her glanced at each other. Carter said, "We were afraid that this might be the case."
"Madame," continued Giles, "we have here a computer tablet containing the unredacted reports of the National Intelligence Directorate on the true purpose and consequences of the DRI. I have to warn you that some of the material is disturbing."
The President took the tablet from him. She didn't recognize the make or model of the device, but it was easy enough to use. Scrolling through, she quickly found a number of documents that looked quite real. "If these are forgeries, then they're quite well done."
"Senator Jacobs was on the oversight committee for the project. I suggest you speak with him about the DRI and what actually happened," suggested Carter. The Senator was up to his eyeballs in the DRI, but had managed to escape getting caught in the aftermath. In a way, the man reminded her of Kinsey back home.
The President frowned. "Let me be frank. I find the premise of your visit to be unbelievable. The only reason I'm even meeting with you is that my Chief of Staff insisted. Unless you have some way of convincing me otherwise, I'm afraid I have more important things to do today."
"Very well," said Giles. "River, we are a go for Plan B," he said, apparently into the thin air.
The President was about to ask them to stop wasting her time, when there was a flash of light, and she found herself standing in a different place. She was looking out a window at what appeared to be Earth. "Where am I?" she asked quietly.
"You're aboard a starship in orbit of Earth," said Carter, who was standing with Mr. Giles behind her.
She turned to look at them, more than somewhat perplexed. "A starship? I thought you were trying to convince me that the supernatural was real?"
"There are many strange things in the universe," said Giles. "Now, if you'll come with us to the infirmary, we'll see about curing your cancer while I explain some things."
While she followed along, trying to grasp what was happening, Giles began what sounded like a recitation of a frequently-repeated monologue. "The world is older than you know..."
By the end of her visit, she was convinced of many things...not the least of which was that she needed to replace some of her advisers and have a long conversation with Senator Jacobs.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Admiral Janeway, it's a pleasure to meet you," said the man who met her at his office door.
"Likewise, Professor O'Brien. I've heard quite a lot about your career. You've had some interesting experiences," she replied, putting on a pleasant face. With any luck, she would be able to get what she needed without having to resort to anything more dire than small talk. She wasn't normally shy about using extortion...but being more circumspect while in the middle of Starfleet Academy was prudent.
He gave her an ironic grin. "Some of them were a little more interesting than I would have liked at the time. Honestly, I'm happy to have a posting that's exciting in a different way."
"I can understand that." She could. Even the oldest soldiers wanted to rest eventually, and in this universe they sometimes had the luxury to do so. Even by Imperial standards, O'Brien had had an impressive career, which was another reason why she was trying the soft approach first. Respect had its uses, even if it sometimes took longer to gestate into something valuable.
He led her over to his desk. "Can I get you anything?"
"I wouldn't say no to a cup of coffee." The replicators in this universe were actually better at making coffee for some reason. More than one Imperial tech had suffered under an agonizer for their failure to duplicate that capability.
O'Brien returned with a cup of coffee and another mug of what smelled like raktajino. Handing it to her, he sat behind his desk while she took a seat in one of the comfortable chairs in front that were in place for visitors. "What can I do for you today?" he asked his guest.
"I had some questions about your time at DS9 on some topics that may not have made it into the official reports," she began.
He grinned at her. "They must be important questions if you're willing to come all the way from the Mirror Universe to ask them."
She froze, cup halfway to her lips. "I'm not sure I understand your meaning," she said as she wondered what possibly could have given her away.
"His meaning," said a voice from behind where she sat, "is that we're well aware that the Admiral Janeway from this universe is currently not anywhere near Earth. We also know that you've come here because we've been capturing Section 31 agents who happen to be from your reality."
Janeway turned her head and upper body to look behind her. A reptilian humanoid was standing there -- probably the same one who had been at the meeting with Picard. She put her hand near her holdout phaser as she asked, "I suppose our agents are dead?"
"Pfft, no," replied the reptile. "We've simply returned them to your universe on an out-of-the-way planet. Once you've joined them, you can use the subspace transmitter we'll give you to signal for a pickup from an Imperial ship."
Janeway's eyes narrowed. "You do realize that our people can simply return here?"
"You may find that more difficult than you think," said the lizard. "We've recently made some rather significant...alterations...to the fabric of space-time in this galaxy. You'll find your dimensional transporters will no longer function. You're also going to find that your time travel tech is energy intensive to the point of being non-functional...and slingshotting around a star is simply going to make your ships go very, very fast."
Janeway smirked. "I find that hard to believe, and even if it's true, our scientists will find a way."
"Perhaps," acknowledged the reptile. "However, as soon as you're gone, we're going to be rolling up the rest of Section 31, and the Federation you find when you return will be an entirely different animal."
Janeway made a move toward her holdout phaser, but quickly slumped into unconsciousness.
"How did you do that?" asked O'Brien.
Saurial smiled. "Nitrogen hypoxia. It's a really useful trick I came up with some time ago. She'll be unconscious for a bit."
"And she's the last Mirror agent?" he asked.
Saurial shrugged. "She's the last in Section 31. I can't guarantee there aren't a few dimensionally-displaced folks wandering around in the galaxy. It's a big place. Just give us a call if you find somebody and we can send them home."
"I'll let Spock and Picard know, and then we can move on the rest of them." The two heroes of the Federation had a rather significant amount of influence, even if they rarely chose to use it in such a direct fashion. They were using it now. The remaining members of Section 31 would soon find themselves in custody and facing closed-door trials with the Starfleet Admiralty. Thankfully, most of the agents guilty of more egregious actions had been deported back to their home dimension.
"I'll drop Kathryn here with her people." Saurial would even leave them the communication device as promised. Of course, they would have to be careful using it, as they happened to be stuck on a barely habitable planet in the middle of Tholian space. She was sure they were resourceful enough to make it home, though.
"Thanks for your help," said Miles. "I know I'm going to sleep easier knowing we don't have to worry about Section 31 watching us."
With a smile, Saurial said, "Not a problem. You have your phone if you need to get in touch with us. Once you have the Section 31 folks in custody, Linda will be by with a skipper for your R&D folks to look over." The Ship of Fools was currently the AI River's body, but Miles was more than happy to get one of Linda's ships as a replacement. "There was one more thing...I have a favor to ask on behalf of a friend."
"Of course...anything," said Miles.
"Starfleet captains can perform marriages, right?"
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Taylor sat on the couch in the BBFO office next to Lisa and Amy.
"So, that's Miles' reality taken care of?" asked Lisa.
"At least the big problems," agreed Taylor. "The Romulans are no longer going to explode, the Mirror Universe is cut off, and Section 31 is being handled. I expect the Federation will do well for itself now that they're no longer being sabotaged. I assume that the Space Jockeys are handled?"
Amy chuckled. "The information Mears gave us was spot on. Once Ianthe proved her dominance, they were all willing to roll themselves into the Bioshapers' Guild...and membership requires following our ethical guidelines." Drafting those guidelines had been harder than actually gaining their new recruits.
"We probably want to see about getting folks like Blasto into the Guild, too," commented Lisa.
Amy frowned in thought. She was a little resentful of how folks like Blasto gave biotinkers a bad name, but she could see the benefits of bringing him into the Guild. "Fine, but we're not redeeming Nilbog."
"Of course not," agreed Taylor. "That asshole killed his whole town so he could play goblin king. The Family should probably just take care of Ellisburg."
"Put it on the list," said Lisa. "What are we going to do now that our cross-dimensional friends are mostly set?"
Taylor considered the question. "I want to focus on Brockton Bay for a while. Amy and I at least need to finish high school, and we have a whole backlog of projects."
"Dragons," interjected Amy.
"Yes, dragons," agreed Lisa.
"That. We also have the rest of the Graveyard to clean up...maybe we can get Linda to spend some time on her construction mechs again -- at least long enough to make them less tinker dependent," said Taylor. Maybe her power would like a change of pace from working on starships?
"We should also talk to Faultline again," added Lisa. "It wouldn't hurt to get them involved in the Powers Institute. Doctor Mother and the others could use some skeptical oversight."
"But in general, we're going back to business as usual? Less with saving the universes, and more with local affairs?" asked Amy.
"I don't think our definition of 'local' would be the same as other people," joked Lisa.
Taylor's phone began to ring. Looking at the screen, she said, "It's Dragon."
Lisa smirked. Somehow she doubted things would go back to normal. The genie was out of the bottle, and wouldn't be returning any time soon. At least she could count on one thing. No matter what happened, it would be weird in a way only the Family could provide...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Coming next...Epilogues.
The Master Biologist was curious. Somehow, a being had appeared in his rest chambers without tripping any of the perimeter security alerts, the teleportation sensors, or the internal security monitors. His faction was not currently at war with the other factions...though that state of affairs rarely lasted for more than a few years at a time. Trying to kill him could be a bold opening move in another war, though even a failed attempt would result in no quarter from him and his compatriots, so if it was another faction, then they were being uncharacteristically incautious. He would like to know how they had managed to get an agent into his private rooms, however, as even he would have difficulty with that if they locked him out of the security protocols. It never occurred to him to be concerned for his own well being. For one thing, he was quite old and strong even by his race's standards. For another, he had two soldiers with him as bodyguards, as well as other active defenses he could control. He prepared himself for conflict mentally, then stepped into the room he used as a study. In the middle of his room was a large reptilian creature. It was sitting on its tail and reading a data pad of some kind.
"You know, you have at least three massive holes in your security framework," said the reptile...which was somehow speaking in the Master's native language.
The Master Biologist triggered a mental command, and five xenomorphs detached themselves from the wall. These were different from the ones encountered by Ellen Ripley, as they had been gestated in the bodies of prisoners from other warring factions. These were pale instead of jet black, and were stronger and more intelligent. He commanded them to attack the intruder. By his side, his bodyguards readied their own weapons.
The reptile didn't stop reading, but she did lift first one arm, then the other. The other arm continued to hold the data pad steady. With an astonishing degree of speed and accuracy for a biological organism, the creature used some kind of weapon built into its arm to kill the five xenomorphs. His bodyguards slumped to the ground next to him. More impressively, he felt a small, sharp pain in his thigh, and found himself paralyzed from the neck down. The location of the injury meant whatever weapon it was had gone straight through his biosuit, which should have been impossible for something small enough to be implanted into a biological being.
For the first time in centuries, the Master Biologist deigned to speak with a member of a race not his own. "What are you?" he asked, more concerned with the creature's origins than its identity.
The creature smiled with an impressive amount of dentition. "My name is Ianthe. I represent the Bioshapers' Guild of the Family. We have some issues to discuss with you. I also have some information to share with you that may make you...more amenable to working with us."
* * * * *
The Master Biologist finally left the council meeting. He had had to physically beat the senior Militarist into compliance, but the entire leading council was now in accordance with his wishes. Of course, he had suspected that the others would not willingly subordinate themselves to the commands of outsiders, but he had little choice in the matter.
The creature, Ianthe, obviously was a Master Biologist in her own right...perhaps the long disused title of Grand Master applied? She preferred the term Bioshaper, which was as accurate as any. She had demonstrated a control over biology that was both intuitive and effortless. She was the one who had created the anti-xenomorph virus, though that was not what she had used to disable the ones in his chambers. Her skills, though, were clearly superior to those of his own people, and his people respected power in all forms above everything else. Once Ianthe demonstrated her superiority, submission was an inevitable outcome. Of course, some of his people would test their bonds. That would doubtlessly prove amusing.
Apart from her skill and power, the thing that convinced him that he and his people needed to join the Bioshaper Guild (and adhere to their rules) was the materials she showed him as inspiration for possible weapons. The idea of having to face an army of brightly colored quadrupeds with strange abilities was daunting, but the last one? Despite himself, the Master Biologist quailed at the memory of that hideous, singing purple reptile based on an extinct species from the homeworld of the humans. That creature would undoubtedly feature in his nightmares for some time to come.
On a more positive note, Ianthe had said she intended to visit the other Master Biologists as well. He had to smile internally at the idea of that irritating cretin of the Isolationists Faction being educated by the lizard. He wondered if she would share a recording of that if he supplicated himself to her with deference. The personal shame at that act would be worth it if he could experience his counterpart's humiliation. It was something to consider...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Kara hovered a mile over a motel in Pennsylvania, peering down with her x-ray vision. She spoke into her League communicator. "I've got eyes on Bonesaw, Hatchet Job, William Manton, Shatterbird, and Mannequin. Mannequin and Hatchet Face appear to be asleep or disabled."
From a rooftop down the street from the hotel, Wonder Woman asked, "Any location for Slash, Burnscar or Crawler?"
"I've got a police report from outside Scranton of a body that appears to match Crawler," said Nightwing over the communicator. "The PRT is on their way to confirm the ID."
"What do you think?" asked the Amazon, looking over at her bat-clad companion.
Batman frowned. "This is atypical of the Nine."
"You don't think this is an elaborate trap?" asked the Amazon. "I would think that would be your first guess." She was hiding a small smile as she said that.
"Crawler's body is too far away. If this were a trap, we would be seeing the other members deployed to ambush investigators," replied the Bat. "The Kryptonians haven't seen Jack Slash or Burnscar anywhere nearby. The Nine also have no reason to expect us, as this is the first time the Justice League has been to this reality."
"So what do we want to do?" asked Superman over the communicator.
"I'm going down there," replied Batman. "Be prepared to back me up." The hero jumped off the roof, using his cape to glide down to the ground. Back on the roof, Diana just rolled her eyes.
A little blonde girl opened the door at his knock, then stopped and looked curiously at the man in the bat costume standing outside. "What are you supposed to be? Some kind of weird knock-off of Mouse Protector?" she asked.
Bruce frowned at the reaction. It had been a while since a villain failed to recognize him, but then her ignorance was to be expected. The lack of hostility was a surprise. "I'm here representing a group of heroes from an alternate reality who have come here due to reports of the Slaughterhouse Nine being in the area." The entire membership of the Nine had kill orders. Though Batman found the idea distasteful, and intended to capture the villains alive, he could understand why the group could merit a lethal level of force. The little girl...Bonesaw...seemed rather calm under the circumstances.
She scoffed. "The Nine are done. Jack's dead. Mannequin's dead. Crawler's dead. Siberian's dead. Burnscar...left, probably."
"There are still you, Shatterbird, and Hatchet Face...and what do you mean when you say Siberian is dead?" asked Batman. Manton was clearly still alive according to Kara's report.
"We're not capes anymore. Mimi did something before she took off. That's what killed Mannequin and Crawler, and without Siberian, William is just an almost-catatonic old man. Here, look for yourself," said the girl as she stepped back from the door.
Cautiously, Batman stepped into the room. William Manton sat in the corner of the room, staring into space. Shatterbird sat on a couch, looking at him nervously. The spherical form of the team's resident tinker sat on the floor by a table, limbs askew like a broken toy. The bulky form of Hatchet Face was snoring on the bed. He looked at the sleeping villain and sent a questioning glance to Bonesaw.
"He got difficult, so I put him to sleep. I still have my implanted weapons, even if my power is gone," said Bonesaw.
"Are you going to surrender peaceably?" asked Batman, seeing that things appeared as she stated.
Bonesaw looked at him speculatively. "You're not from around here, right? I know how the Protectorate and the PRT work. Even if they take us in alive, they're going to be eager to carry out our executions so that they can milk it to the public. Are you folks really heroes, because a just hero would make sure we all got a fair trial -- and not one intended to just confirm our guilt."
"Are you claiming you aren't guilty?" he asked. That seemed impossible, based on the evidence of their crimes Batman had seen. The little girl standing calmly in front of him by herself made Joseph Mengele look like a common street thug.
Bonesaw gave him a bitter laugh. "Of course we're guilty." The two ignored a slight choking sound coming from Shatterbird, who was listening. "But I want people to understand what Jack did to us. Can you make that happen?"
The Dark Knight regarded the dangerous little girl in front of him. Her request wasn't unreasonable. "I can." Even without powers, Bonesaw at least was extremely dangerous. Taking them in without a fight was worth ensuring they got what they should have been entitled to under the law in any event. Assuming they could confirm Jack's death, that left only Burnscar at large, but Batman suspected that wouldn't last long.
* * * * *
Mimi was sitting, taking in the view. It was incredibly desolate looking...but then what else did she expect from the surface of the moon? Like everyone else, she had seen pictures from the Apollo missions in school, but they really didn't do the moonscape justice...and the blue and green marble hanging in the sky was also amazing to see. She wasn't sure why the Phoenix had brought her here, but it definitely gave her some space to think. It was also a pretty impressive demonstration of her durability, sitting in hard vacuum like this.
"It's a great view, isn't it?" said a woman's voice. Shocked, Mimi turned her head to see two beings on the moon's surface beside her. One looked human, a tall woman with bright red hair. The other was a reptilian humanoid, who also appeared female. Neither of them was wearing a spacesuit despite being in hard vacuum. The human woman also felt strangely familiar.
"Who are you?" she asked, too stunned to think of other questions.
The human smiled. "My name is Jean, and I, like you, am an avatar of the Phoenix Force. This is my friend, Saurial, a member of the Family."
Mimi stared. This was one of the beings the Phoenix wanted to meet. Yet apparently, she had another avatar that had already met them?
"I had not met them when I came to you," said the voice in her head.
"The Phoenix is learning all about the Family now through my association with them," added Jean.
Mimi considered what that meant. "So, this whole thing...empowering me and killing Jack...was pointless?"
"Taking Jack Slash out of the picture for good was necessary regardless," said Saurial, somehow also speaking in vacuum. "If the Phoenix hadn't done it, either the Protectorate or the Family would have made it happen sooner rather than later."
"What about me?" asked Mimi cautiously, clearly not expecting to like the answer.
Jean frowned. The woman was so obviously traumatized. "We're going to take you with us to someplace with people who can help you."
"Prison?" she replied resignedly.
Saurial smiled. "Not quite."
* * * * *
Anteaus regarded the woman Saurial had brought, as well as the more familiar possessing force. "I trust we won't have a repeat of the incident?" he said, addressing the Phoenix.
"Fine..." replied the Phoenix, in a voice that sounded slightly petulant to the former member of the Nine. She would learn in the coming weeks that any attempts to learn more about the mentioned incident was met with silence from the Phoenix. The Nox also would not tell her, though they always held rather smug grins after being asked.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Stephen regarded the man sitting in his study. That he had been willing to enter the Sanctum Sanctorum, subjecting himself to the intent-based and true-name wards, was surprising. "Why have you come here, Victor?" asked the Sorcerer Supreme.
"I think you know. Have you used the time stone since our reptilian mutual friends arrived?" answered the armored man.
Strange frowned. "The Eye of Agamotto does not contain the time stone."
Doom smirked and quirked an eyebrow. "Of course it doesn't. Regardless, what do your precognition magics tell you?"
The sorcerer considered what to tell the often-villainous King of Latveria. Upon consideration, the truth of the matter was probably obvious, which made him wonder why he was being asked the question. "They have completely shifted the flows of time, largely for the better."
"Better is subjective," argued Doom, "but the probabilities of any particularly apocalyptic scenarios have dropped substantially. Truthfully, the probabilities of any individual future have lowered. They have introduced a substantial amount of chaotic energy into the timestream." It made precognition far less useful in a general sense.
Strange simply nodded and waited.
Victor von Doom regarded the man in front of him. "You may see me as a villain, Strange, but I am as well versed in certain magics as you, even if you exceed me in terms of breadth of knowledge. Much of my actions have been driven by the future...a future which is now far more uncertain and difficult to plot."
"You should know better than to make plans based on prophecy," said Strange.
Doom scoffed. "Do you think I would depend upon something so impoverished in meaning as simple prophecy? I have a responsibility as a ruler to protect my people, and I have spent centuries tracing down the paths of the future to keep Latveria safe. The arrival of Saurial and her ilk has invalidated much of that work. Do you know what I have determined after retracing my efforts?"
Intrigued despite himself, Strange asked, "What?"
The dictator frowned. "The best hope for my people is to hew toward the tenets of the lizards. In point of fact, working with the Parkers and Fury provides the best results."
"Nick Fury is not somebody I would expect to follow along with the plans of the Family," commented Strange.
Doom shrugged. "I suspect he will have no choice, and not because the lizards will extort his compliance."
"They do have a way of twisting things into a particular path, almost by their very existence," admitted Strange. "I have found they generally work to the benefit of everyone, however."
There was a pause. Then Doom said, "They do seem to be surprisingly non-judgmental and helpful."
"So why have you come here today?"
"You know that Stark is jumping in to support the Parkers, and Richards will no doubt join him," said Doom. "You also know the two of them will try and push their own interpretation of events."
"Fury won't allow that to happen," replied Strange.
"Fury has his own agenda," countered Doom.
Stephen didn't bother trying to contradict the obvious statement. "And so?"
"You and I...we have a broader perspective on things. While science has its place, there is more to the universe. I am hoping that you and I may make common cause where necessary to restrain the others."
Strange was wondering if he was hallucinating. "Forgive me if I'm a little skeptical, Doom. You and I have rarely seen eye-to-eye in the past."
Doom looked at him, then reached up and triggered a control on the side of his helmet. There was a hissing sound, and he reached up and gripped his mask. The mask detached, and he bent down to let it fall into his hand. When he sat up, the face that looked out at Stephen was handsome, unblemished, and clearly bemused. "You have a gift for understatement, Sorcerer, but I am not here seeking an alliance. I expect you to judge me by my actions. I simply want you to consider the aspects of events that you know Stark, Richards and Fury will not, and support me if my interpretation aligns with yours."
The two men regarded each other. Finally, Strange nodded. "In this particular case, I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, Victor, mostly because Saurial has expressed a desire for us to work together."
"And so again the lizards make their presence felt, even when they are absent," commented Doom.
Strange glanced around his study. Despite his wards and protections, he replied, "With them, you're never quite sure."
Doom just laughed.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The President looked at her two visitors. The two were as different as night and day. The gentleman on the left, while not appearing to be older than thirty, carried himself like an older man who was used to having to compensate for the aches and pains of age. He wore a tweed jacket that seemed too old for him. She also noticed that he had a tendency to reach for eyeglasses that he was not wearing and apparently no longer needed. The woman, on the other hand, was a tall, attractive blonde woman who projected the air of a woman who was used to having to make people take her seriously, something with which she could sympathize. She had a short, military-style haircut that gave her a no-nonsense style. The only thing truly unusual is that she would infrequently pause with an unnatural stillness that was just slightly distracting.
"Madame President," said the man, "My name is Rupert Giles, and my colleague's name is Samantha Carter. We represent a non-governmental organization whose purview is the supernatural world."
"The supernatural world? You mean ghosts and magic?" she asked skeptically. Despite her Chief of Staff's assertions in support of that, she found the whole concept questionable, if not ridiculous.
"Have you been briefed on a government project known as the DRI, or Demon Research Initiative?" asked Carter.
With a slightly suspicious tone, she replied, "I was. It was a failed project that, despite dealing in a lot of fringe areas of pseudoscience, managed to somehow result in a number of deaths among project staff. I'm curious as to how you know about it."
"We know about it because some of us were involved in it," replied Giles, "and it appears that you have been...ill informed."
The man and woman in front of her glanced at each other. Carter said, "We were afraid that this might be the case."
"Madame," continued Giles, "we have here a computer tablet containing the unredacted reports of the National Intelligence Directorate on the true purpose and consequences of the DRI. I have to warn you that some of the material is disturbing."
The President took the tablet from him. She didn't recognize the make or model of the device, but it was easy enough to use. Scrolling through, she quickly found a number of documents that looked quite real. "If these are forgeries, then they're quite well done."
"Senator Jacobs was on the oversight committee for the project. I suggest you speak with him about the DRI and what actually happened," suggested Carter. The Senator was up to his eyeballs in the DRI, but had managed to escape getting caught in the aftermath. In a way, the man reminded her of Kinsey back home.
The President frowned. "Let me be frank. I find the premise of your visit to be unbelievable. The only reason I'm even meeting with you is that my Chief of Staff insisted. Unless you have some way of convincing me otherwise, I'm afraid I have more important things to do today."
"Very well," said Giles. "River, we are a go for Plan B," he said, apparently into the thin air.
The President was about to ask them to stop wasting her time, when there was a flash of light, and she found herself standing in a different place. She was looking out a window at what appeared to be Earth. "Where am I?" she asked quietly.
"You're aboard a starship in orbit of Earth," said Carter, who was standing with Mr. Giles behind her.
She turned to look at them, more than somewhat perplexed. "A starship? I thought you were trying to convince me that the supernatural was real?"
"There are many strange things in the universe," said Giles. "Now, if you'll come with us to the infirmary, we'll see about curing your cancer while I explain some things."
While she followed along, trying to grasp what was happening, Giles began what sounded like a recitation of a frequently-repeated monologue. "The world is older than you know..."
By the end of her visit, she was convinced of many things...not the least of which was that she needed to replace some of her advisers and have a long conversation with Senator Jacobs.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Admiral Janeway, it's a pleasure to meet you," said the man who met her at his office door.
"Likewise, Professor O'Brien. I've heard quite a lot about your career. You've had some interesting experiences," she replied, putting on a pleasant face. With any luck, she would be able to get what she needed without having to resort to anything more dire than small talk. She wasn't normally shy about using extortion...but being more circumspect while in the middle of Starfleet Academy was prudent.
He gave her an ironic grin. "Some of them were a little more interesting than I would have liked at the time. Honestly, I'm happy to have a posting that's exciting in a different way."
"I can understand that." She could. Even the oldest soldiers wanted to rest eventually, and in this universe they sometimes had the luxury to do so. Even by Imperial standards, O'Brien had had an impressive career, which was another reason why she was trying the soft approach first. Respect had its uses, even if it sometimes took longer to gestate into something valuable.
He led her over to his desk. "Can I get you anything?"
"I wouldn't say no to a cup of coffee." The replicators in this universe were actually better at making coffee for some reason. More than one Imperial tech had suffered under an agonizer for their failure to duplicate that capability.
O'Brien returned with a cup of coffee and another mug of what smelled like raktajino. Handing it to her, he sat behind his desk while she took a seat in one of the comfortable chairs in front that were in place for visitors. "What can I do for you today?" he asked his guest.
"I had some questions about your time at DS9 on some topics that may not have made it into the official reports," she began.
He grinned at her. "They must be important questions if you're willing to come all the way from the Mirror Universe to ask them."
She froze, cup halfway to her lips. "I'm not sure I understand your meaning," she said as she wondered what possibly could have given her away.
"His meaning," said a voice from behind where she sat, "is that we're well aware that the Admiral Janeway from this universe is currently not anywhere near Earth. We also know that you've come here because we've been capturing Section 31 agents who happen to be from your reality."
Janeway turned her head and upper body to look behind her. A reptilian humanoid was standing there -- probably the same one who had been at the meeting with Picard. She put her hand near her holdout phaser as she asked, "I suppose our agents are dead?"
"Pfft, no," replied the reptile. "We've simply returned them to your universe on an out-of-the-way planet. Once you've joined them, you can use the subspace transmitter we'll give you to signal for a pickup from an Imperial ship."
Janeway's eyes narrowed. "You do realize that our people can simply return here?"
"You may find that more difficult than you think," said the lizard. "We've recently made some rather significant...alterations...to the fabric of space-time in this galaxy. You'll find your dimensional transporters will no longer function. You're also going to find that your time travel tech is energy intensive to the point of being non-functional...and slingshotting around a star is simply going to make your ships go very, very fast."
Janeway smirked. "I find that hard to believe, and even if it's true, our scientists will find a way."
"Perhaps," acknowledged the reptile. "However, as soon as you're gone, we're going to be rolling up the rest of Section 31, and the Federation you find when you return will be an entirely different animal."
Janeway made a move toward her holdout phaser, but quickly slumped into unconsciousness.
"How did you do that?" asked O'Brien.
Saurial smiled. "Nitrogen hypoxia. It's a really useful trick I came up with some time ago. She'll be unconscious for a bit."
"And she's the last Mirror agent?" he asked.
Saurial shrugged. "She's the last in Section 31. I can't guarantee there aren't a few dimensionally-displaced folks wandering around in the galaxy. It's a big place. Just give us a call if you find somebody and we can send them home."
"I'll let Spock and Picard know, and then we can move on the rest of them." The two heroes of the Federation had a rather significant amount of influence, even if they rarely chose to use it in such a direct fashion. They were using it now. The remaining members of Section 31 would soon find themselves in custody and facing closed-door trials with the Starfleet Admiralty. Thankfully, most of the agents guilty of more egregious actions had been deported back to their home dimension.
"I'll drop Kathryn here with her people." Saurial would even leave them the communication device as promised. Of course, they would have to be careful using it, as they happened to be stuck on a barely habitable planet in the middle of Tholian space. She was sure they were resourceful enough to make it home, though.
"Thanks for your help," said Miles. "I know I'm going to sleep easier knowing we don't have to worry about Section 31 watching us."
With a smile, Saurial said, "Not a problem. You have your phone if you need to get in touch with us. Once you have the Section 31 folks in custody, Linda will be by with a skipper for your R&D folks to look over." The Ship of Fools was currently the AI River's body, but Miles was more than happy to get one of Linda's ships as a replacement. "There was one more thing...I have a favor to ask on behalf of a friend."
"Of course...anything," said Miles.
"Starfleet captains can perform marriages, right?"
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Taylor sat on the couch in the BBFO office next to Lisa and Amy.
"So, that's Miles' reality taken care of?" asked Lisa.
"At least the big problems," agreed Taylor. "The Romulans are no longer going to explode, the Mirror Universe is cut off, and Section 31 is being handled. I expect the Federation will do well for itself now that they're no longer being sabotaged. I assume that the Space Jockeys are handled?"
Amy chuckled. "The information Mears gave us was spot on. Once Ianthe proved her dominance, they were all willing to roll themselves into the Bioshapers' Guild...and membership requires following our ethical guidelines." Drafting those guidelines had been harder than actually gaining their new recruits.
"We probably want to see about getting folks like Blasto into the Guild, too," commented Lisa.
Amy frowned in thought. She was a little resentful of how folks like Blasto gave biotinkers a bad name, but she could see the benefits of bringing him into the Guild. "Fine, but we're not redeeming Nilbog."
"Of course not," agreed Taylor. "That asshole killed his whole town so he could play goblin king. The Family should probably just take care of Ellisburg."
"Put it on the list," said Lisa. "What are we going to do now that our cross-dimensional friends are mostly set?"
Taylor considered the question. "I want to focus on Brockton Bay for a while. Amy and I at least need to finish high school, and we have a whole backlog of projects."
"Dragons," interjected Amy.
"Yes, dragons," agreed Lisa.
"That. We also have the rest of the Graveyard to clean up...maybe we can get Linda to spend some time on her construction mechs again -- at least long enough to make them less tinker dependent," said Taylor. Maybe her power would like a change of pace from working on starships?
"We should also talk to Faultline again," added Lisa. "It wouldn't hurt to get them involved in the Powers Institute. Doctor Mother and the others could use some skeptical oversight."
"But in general, we're going back to business as usual? Less with saving the universes, and more with local affairs?" asked Amy.
"I don't think our definition of 'local' would be the same as other people," joked Lisa.
Taylor's phone began to ring. Looking at the screen, she said, "It's Dragon."
Lisa smirked. Somehow she doubted things would go back to normal. The genie was out of the bottle, and wouldn't be returning any time soon. At least she could count on one thing. No matter what happened, it would be weird in a way only the Family could provide...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Coming next...Epilogues.
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FaerieKnight79
Verified Pixie
- Location
- The Internet
Is that the end of the beginning, or the beginning of the end? Or maybe it's the end of the beginning of the end of the beginning? Wait, what was I talking about? Oh yeah, Lizards.
- Location
- Not quite sure
Yes. Lizards. The answer is ALWAYS Lizards.
FaerieKnight79
Verified Pixie
- Location
- The Internet
Not always. Sometimes the answer is 42.
42 is the name of the lizard that is the answer. What? He's a bit of a math geek, ok?
- Location
- United States
That is just saying there are 42 lizards, which means the answer is still lizards.
"What was will be and what will be was. The worm loves us. It will always love us, and thus it always has. We will always be what we were going to be, wound tight in the love of the Worm"
Excerpt from the game stellaris that i thought was oddly appropriate
Ace Dreamer
Verified Reality User
- Location
- Between The Unknown & The Known
I'm sure some would say, that for 'Ship of Fools', there weren't enough marriages in it.
- Location
- California
Too many Fools getting in the way of shippingI'm sure some would say, that for 'Ship of Fools', there weren't enough marriages in it.
Lycanthromancer
The Arcane Fuzz
- Location
- USA
Would the Ship of Fools be considered a shipping container?
Always hilarious how a serial killer with no remorse is yelling about a fair trial. When they've been announcing on open media all of their atrocities. Jack talked us all into murdering/torturing all those murder sprees.
We couldn't help it even if we enjoyed ourselves more than a fat kid with a chocolate cake.
You gotta understand we just couldn't help ourselves. DC has some great hero's but they never finish them off even when they keep coming back and killing more people every time.
Meh, I guess the public will be happy to learn that Bonesaw is getting a trial.🤔🤔
Good ole Mirror universe. So much potential, so many crazy killers.
We couldn't help it even if we enjoyed ourselves more than a fat kid with a chocolate cake.
You gotta understand we just couldn't help ourselves. DC has some great hero's but they never finish them off even when they keep coming back and killing more people every time.
Meh, I guess the public will be happy to learn that Bonesaw is getting a trial.🤔🤔
Good ole Mirror universe. So much potential, so many crazy killers.
FaerieKnight79
Verified Pixie
- Location
- The Internet
In all fairness to Bonesaw, she was manipulated from the moment she triggered by Jack Slash. In fact, manipulating others and twisting them into becoming monsters was kind of his specialty.
- Location
- Maryland
From what I've been able to find on the Web, Bonesaw was SIX when she triggered and was "recruited" by the Nine. She isn't even a legal adult by the end of the Worm timeskip. There is no way in hell a fair trial court would sentence her to death, as she isn't legally responsible for her actions. Her kill order isn't a verdict, per se, but an assessment that she's such a huge threat that LEO's (including capes) are automatically justified in using lethal force. That doesn't really apply when she turns herself in for judgement, especially after being depowered.
Hatchet Face is basically screwed. He's an unrepentant killer. Manton is not mentally fit to stand trial. Shatterbird...is legally responsible and might make a case for being mastered with a good lawyer, but it could go either way, depending upon the judge and jury.
Mimi probably should be tried...but good luck trying to hold and punish an avatar of the Phoenix Force.
- Location
- Germany
- Pronouns
- He/Him
The Nox are one of the four races.
zhuull
SB still lying to protect Racists what else is new
Perhaps this is just my eternal annoyance at so many fics ignoring or writing her off, but do remember that Mimi was kidnapped from an asylum and has technically been held captive by the Nine ever since.
If any of them could be considered to not be mentally competent to be tried for their crimes she's the freaking poster child.
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FaerieKnight79
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Then there are the problems Mimi's power created. Use them too much, lose all self control. use them too little, lose ability to feel emotions. That's a very narrow tightwalk to have to travel.
Far as I know, the list of S9 members who didn't have extenuating circumstances was small. Jack Slash is a sociopath who's quite skilled in manipulating parahumans into accepting his world view. Crawler is insane, likely due to his power pushing him to constantly get injured in new and worse ways. And Hatchet Face is also a sociopath. How much of that is his shard's fault is unclear. But he enjoys hunting down and killing people. Not exactly sure what the deal with Shatterbird is or if her needing to actively use her power in Area Effect mode or it triggers while she sleeps is canon. But the others either were driven insane by an Endbringer, taken advantage of by Jack Slash, or brainwashed by Jack Slash.
Far as I know, the list of S9 members who didn't have extenuating circumstances was small. Jack Slash is a sociopath who's quite skilled in manipulating parahumans into accepting his world view. Crawler is insane, likely due to his power pushing him to constantly get injured in new and worse ways. And Hatchet Face is also a sociopath. How much of that is his shard's fault is unclear. But he enjoys hunting down and killing people. Not exactly sure what the deal with Shatterbird is or if her needing to actively use her power in Area Effect mode or it triggers while she sleeps is canon. But the others either were driven insane by an Endbringer, taken advantage of by Jack Slash, or brainwashed by Jack Slash.
- Location
- Maryland
Shatterbird is kind of frustrating to write, as a lot of her character development was left on the cutting room floor. Here's a character discussion on Reddit:
Shatterbird Character Discussion
Assuming we take the origin as pseudo-canon, then she was pretty much forced to trigger in a way that maybe broke something inside her, and then she fell under Slash's influence. How much of her later actions were voluntary, or undertaken while she was of sound mind? Eh...kind of hard to tell. It's one of those things where it really depends on the skill of the prosecutor vs. the skill of the defense.
My feeling on the matter is that she's likely to end up in supermax, especially if they can't make examples of Burnscar, Bonesaw or Manton due to extenuating circumstances. For those of you unfamiliar with the lovely US prison system, supermax is pretty much 23-hour-a-day solitary confinement for particularly violent prisoners -- which is arguably as bad as the Birdcage, given that your likelihood of getting out is not high.
- Location
- Here
Recently, the Youtube channel Because Science posted a video which listed the requirements of a successful insanity plea. You must be able to prove two of three things. The first is a history of mental illness. The second is an inability to tell right from wrong. The third is the inability to know an act was in fact illegal. Most of the Nine hit on the first. They may be able to argue Jack's Mastering of them lead to either the second or third; it's likely Burnscar's particular issues meet the second requirement as well even without Jack's influence. However, just being a sociopath doesn't make the grade; a sociopath can still make legal and moral judgements, they are simply more likely to make immoral choices if they feel doing so is in their best interests. Now, being a delusional sociopath might, depending on the specific circumstances.
All that said, the only advantage to being in an insane asylum instead of prison would be it's safer, not that it's easier to get out of. (Unless, of course, you are talking about Arkham Asylum.....)