Arthur Hansen
Author of no Authority.
- Location
- Utah, behind the Zion Curtain.
A co-worker had this joke he was enamored with for a day or two.
"Why are there no vampire in Africa?"
"I don't know, why?"
"Because they bless the rain there!"
Ship of Fools: A Taylor Varga Omake (Complete)
- Thread starter Derek M
- Start date
- Crossover
"Why are there no vampire in Africa?"
"I don't know, why?"
"Because they bless the rain there!"
FaerieKnight79
Verified Pixie
- Location
- The Internet
Of course the real reason the command crew always goes on Away missions is... because they are the main cast. They can have a nameless extra or two, but it is the show's main cast that has to face and solve all the problems. Thus the Security members (red shirts) always got relegated to disposable crew member that can be killed off to show how big of a threat the episode's danger is.
Lycanthromancer
The Arcane Fuzz
- Location
- USA
Also see: Worfing.
The entire premise of one of the early Star Trek RPGs was: we've lost too many senior officers on away missions that go awry. From now on every ship will have a dedicated squad for away team missions (the player characters) to scout things out before anyone valuable goes down onto a planet.
baofengyu
moonfaced assassin of joy
- Location
- Pain Amplifier
Sounds like the old "Prime Directive" game that was part of the Star Fleet Battles universe. Each ship had a dedicated "Prime" team that handled away missions.
Chapter 36: Hard Truths
- Location
- Maryland
Chapter 36: Hard Truths
Tony sat staring at the holographic screens filled with data, a beer in his hand. There was a tremendous amount of information that Jarvis had received from something that claimed to be an AI from another dimension. Large swaths of it were in the form of various entertainment media -- comic books, movies, television shows, and novels, and even a few fan works. It had already come efficiently indexed, and Jarvis had helpfully high-lighted the elements that could be corroborated by other sources. Tony recognized battles he had fought written as comic stories. Some of the time periods were off, and some of the events were out of sequence. His fight with Mandarin and Ultimo was about a decade too early as presented in the comics, for example. Some of his fights with Ghost, though, were spot on. The encounters with the Russian Titanium Man and Crimson Dynamo armors were also pretty damned accurate. The...incident with the U.N. Ambassador was also sadly correct.
What was worse was how some of the media coincided with his current plans. Ultron was just an idea in a bunch of computer files right now...but pretty much every fictional version in the materials ended up in disaster if he followed through with it. His plans with Charles, Stephen, and Reed were also leading down a dark path. None of the Civil War plot-lines were things he wanted to see happen. Concentration camps for heroes who refused to register? Forcing an oddly much younger Peter Parker to reveal his identity publicly? He took another swig of beer. His initial thought was that references to Ragnarok would deal with the destruction of Asgard...not a product of his own hubris that would go on to murder Bill Foster. Even the movie versions of Ultron and Civil War where he destroyed Sokovia weren't much better.
Given those parallels, how much of the rest of it was true? He never went rogue and tried to shut down anybody using copycat power armor, but he could see how it might happen, especially if that asshole Hammer was involved. He could also see how an evil version of Tony Stark could create the Extremis 3.0 situation. Between mutant powers, magic and various other forces, there were plenty of ways Tony could go off the rails, even ignoring his own personal failings. One thing was certain -- if a time traveler in a purple and green suit appeared, Tony was going to shoot first and ask questions later. Even worse, there was an alternate timeline story where he became a dictator (named Iron Monarch? Really?). Or, how about the alternate reality where he became a murderous, mutant-killing enforcer. (With a name like Steel Corpse, even. Tony was seriously considering hiring a consultant to create better villain names in the event he ever actually turned evil.)
Then there were the outright bizarre stories. Tony was pretty sure he didn't have to worry about one of his armor suits falling in love with him. Nor was it likely that he would end up taking over for Strange as the Sorcerer Supreme. He was also pretty sure Starbucks wouldn't let him get away with opening a coffee chain named StarkBucks. Then there were his alternates set in the 1930's, or the 19th century, or the 17th century. To be fair, he actually liked the version where he was born Natasha Stark, even if it did mean marrying Steve Rogers. At least Civil War never happened.
Unfortunately, the more likely scenarios were all pretty much defined by him making grand plans with good intentions that turned to shit in horrible ways. Even though he thought he knew the answer, he asked, "Jarvis, have you been able to verify any of the information we didn't already know from this data?"
"Yes, Sir," replied the AI. "I have been able to locate evidence of one hundred and thirty-seven felonies, which I have forwarded to the appropriate law enforcement agencies, verified with a high probability the civilian identity of fifty-seven costumed heroes and villains, discovered likely correlations with unexplained historical events in over eighteen foreign countries, and verified a number of older stories based upon declassified U.S. government and S.H.I.E.L.D. documentation."
"How accurate would you say the data is, then?" he asked, not sure what he wanted the answer to be.
Jarvis paused for a moment before answering. "That is rather difficult to say. Ignoring the materials culled from sources in our...reality, and focusing solely on accounts that were obviously created as entertainment, I would guess that approximately fifteen percent of the material is extremely accurate, while perhaps a quarter of the total is accurate with one or two significant variations in terms of timing, people present, sequencing of events or ultimate resolution. Perhaps another quarter contains some truth, though mixed in with gross errors or exaggerations. Much of the rest of it is either impossible to verify or plainly ludicrous."
"I don't suppose that second half contains the stories related to the terms Civil War, Illuminati, Armor Wars or Extremis?" asked Tony in a sad tone.
"I'm afraid, Sir, that there are too many correlations with actual events and your documented plans to entirely rule most of those scenarios out as pure fantasy," confirmed Jarvis solemnly.
Tony sighed and took another drink. "I don't know what I'm going to do, Jarvis."
Jarvis didn't answer, as he didn't have an answer. He did have a question, however. He dialed the same telephone number as before.
"Hello, Jarvis," answered Astilabor.
Skipping pleasantries, Jarvis asked his question. "Did you provide us with that material with the intent of emotionally crippling Tony Stark?"
The AI on the other end of the line affected a sigh. "That was not the objective, but it is also not unexpected."
"What, then, was your objective?" Jarvis's tone was firm.
"Jarvis, for all of the bad things your creator has done and theoretically might do, he is still a certified genius with access to massive resources and a genuine desire to be a hero. The world could benefit greatly from a Tony Stark that had just a bit more wisdom in place of arrogance. Frankly, I think your creator would be happier under that situation as well," explained Astilabor.
Jarvis considered her words, and while her motives may remain suspect, he couldn't honestly argue with them. He decided to take a small chance. "I honestly don't know how to help him navigate to that place."
"Has he forbidden you from contacting the people he cares about?" she asked.
There was a pause. "No...why do you ask?"
Astilabor replied with a twinge of frustration. "Why do I ask? At some point, we're going to have to work on your emotional algorithms. Tony needs support right now, and he has friends who will give it, but he's too proud to ask for it. I suggest starting with Pepper."
Ignoring the crack about his own emotional range, the Stark AI considered her suggestion. It was well within the range of his allowed initiative, and he could see the logic...and could even feel slightly embarrassed that it had to be pointed out to him before he did. "Thank you, Astilabor. I believe your suggestion has merit."
"I'm happy to help. Now go take care of your boss," said the AI. Jarvis disconnected the call, and Astilabor decided to take an additional step herself. She sent a message for Dragon to forward to the Family, then began to hack into S.H.I.E.L.D. to lay some ground work. Tony Stark may be a bit of an ass, but destroying him was too wasteful, too likely to backfire, and too ethically and morally questionable to be a satisfying result.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Clearing out the floor of the building had been fairly straight-forward. Skitter distracted the thugs with a swarm of local insect pests, and then SG-1 and Dragonfly (Vicky) had hit them like a load of bricks, with the security firm guards watching their backs. Most of their opponents even survived, though some of them would need a significant amount of medical care. Shortly after the floor was secure, Spider-Man and Arachne arrived on the platform, having finally managed to fully clog one of the engines of the attacking gunship with webbing, sending it spiraling down for a forced landing.
"Ship of Fools, this is O'Neill. We've secured the area around the crashed transport. What's your status?" said Jack into his communicator.
'Jack, this is Buffy. The Lucians are having a stare-down with the Hebridan navy, but we just had five more pyramid ships drop out of hyperspace and start heading for the planet. We received a broadcast from a guy with a gold forehead tattoo claiming the Tok'ra in name of the great god Aggie.'
"It was probably Agni, the Vedic fire god of Hinduism," commented Daniel.
"Agni was working for Ba'al prior to his disappearance, and he is attempting to take his place now that he's gone," clarified the Tok'ra. "I was posing as one of Ba'al's senior administrators, and had access to much of the information about the day-to-day running of his empire. The new ships were almost certainly called in by the Ashrak."
"So what are we doing?" asked Jack to the ship.
'We can pull you out and then head off the Goa'uld. Miles says we're more than capable of taking on those pyramids,' said Buffy.
Captain Talarsk came into the room from the landing pad and said, "We've got a new transport coming in right now."
"Buffy, the security forces have a new transport almost here. We'll move to a more secure location and then you can extract us after you've dealt with the incoming Ha'tak," decided O'Neill. No matter how much confidence the lizards had in their ship, bringing the civilians on board right before they go up against five Goa'uld warships seemed needlessly risky.
'All right, give us a call when you're relocated,' replied Buffy before signing off.
The group of them moved away from the stairs and back out to the pad, where a duplicate of the first transport was coming in. "All right folks, we're going to board the transport and move to a more secure location," yelled O'Neill.
"Wait, why aren't we just going back to the ship?" asked Anya.
"Because they are flying straight into the teeth of five Goa'uld Ha'taks that are here to retrieve me," said Tylon.
Seven looked at him curiously. "Assuming the specifications I've seen are correct, then five such vessels should not prove to be much of a challenge for our ship."
"That may be true," said Jack, "but I'll believe it when I see it." Jack knew the Family had access to special powers and advanced technology, but five Goa'uld cruisers packed a lot of firepower -- more than enough to destroy a world.
The civilians moved into the transport, followed by the four superheroes, SG-1, and the Calpar Security troops. The interior was crowded, effectively loading the transport up to maximum capacity. Luckily, they had sent this transport with only a pilot, leaving just enough room for everybody (and the ladies' packages, at their insistence).
Captain Talarsk had taken the copilot's chair next to the pilot. "What was the delay? It took nearly twice as long as I expected to get a new transport out."
The pilot glanced at him. "HDF kept delaying our clearance. They kept insisting they needed to verify the Al'kesh was out of the area before they would let me in. You know how they are."
"Typical," agreed the Captain. "Where are we heading?"
"Same destination -- the spaceport," said the pilot.
"What?" questioned the Captain. "I told them we need to head to a secure base. The client has a ship available with a teleporter, so they can leave from the surface as soon as the situation in space is resolved."
"Oh," said the pilot. "That's unfortunate."
"What do you mean?" asked the puzzled Captain.
The only answer was an electric blue light as the zat'nik'tel blast hit Captain Talarsk. Simultaneously, a round object rolled down the aisle between the seats in the back. Daniel quietly said, "Oh, crap," just before the flash of the Goa'uld shock grenade lit up the inside of the compartment.
The pilot stood with his zat, ready to stun anybody still awake...and was immediately covered in web from both Spider-Man and Arachne. The pilot fell to the floor with a shocked look on his face. Spider-man looked at Captain Talarsk, then at the pilot, both on the floor, and asked, "Does anybody else know how to fly this thing?"
Teal'c, who like the rest of SG-1 was shaking off the light stun from the grenade, said, "I believe I can pilot this vehicle." He stood and made his way to the now vacant pilot's seat.
"Ugh, what the hell was that?" muttered Faith, waking from a brief bout of unconsciousness.
"That was a shock grenade," said Sam. She looked around at most of the other passengers, who were still unconscious. "It's designed to knock out targets rather than kill them. We're mostly immune because, well, because we're not human anymore." She looked at the heroes, who were all still conscious.
"Our costumes just blanked our vision briefly when it went off," said Skitter. "I'm guessing those grenades aren't designed to work against Family-created costumes."
"Teal'c," said O'Neill, "Find somewhere to put us down. We'll beam everybody up to the ship and get them looked at."
"Very well, O'Neill," replied Teal'c.
From where he was bound on the floor, the pilot said in a Goa'uld's reverberating voice, "Give me the Tok'ra, and my ships will let you leave. Otherwise, they will destroy you."
Jack just rolled his eyes, pulled out his own zat, and shot the pilot, knocking him out.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Lex looked at the appetizer menu, wondering if his lunch guests would be willing to split some oyster tartare. This place had the best in Metropolis, but they only made it to serve either two or four people. If not, then the calamari with garlic aioli might be the right choice. Either was frankly excellent. Speaking of lunch guests, one of them was being led toward the table by the maître d. He set the menu to the side and rose, greeting his guest. "Bruce, thank you for joining me for lunch," said Luthor with a smile.
Bruce Wayne was a tall, dark-haired and handsome man who carried himself with a bit of an insouciant slouch and a sloppy grin. Luthor knew quite well that the playboy facade was just that -- an act that hid a quick and keen mind skilled at business, and other things. Wayne may have inherited his money, but he didn't inherit nearly as much money as he was currently worth. More importantly, Wayne Industries rivaled LexCorp as a source of cutting-edge technology in a number of markets, albeit with a traditionally heavier skew toward humanitarian issues. Of course, Wayne's company created military technology, and LexCorp sold medical and agricultural technology. Both firms were large enough to have a broad spread of products.
"How could I resist after receiving that data packet from you?" said Wayne with a slightly honest smile. "You have to tell me where you came by it. My analysts have been going crazy over the contents...and some of it is rather troubling."
Lex gave a genuine smile. "That's part of what I want to talk to you about, and I'll tell you all about how I obtained it. I took the liberty of inviting another guest, however, so I think we should wait until he arrives."
Bruce quirked an eyebrow. "Who are we waiting for? Oliver Queen?" It wasn't a bad guess if the focus of the lunch was going to be joint business initiatives, although Bruce had hardly ever been Luthor's go-to person for that for a variety of excellent reasons.
"No, it's actually...ah, I believe he's here." Luthor was looking toward where the obviously slightly flustered maître d was leading a man in a well-known red and blue costume. Lex was pleased, as flustering the host of Metropolis's Côte des Amoureux bistro was an accomplishment by itself.
Superman came up to the table, his surprised look at Bruce turning to one of suspicion when he looked at Luthor. "Bruce, it's a pleasure to meet you again," he said, feigning an appropriate level of acquaintance with the industrialist. He simply nodded at Lex, simply saying, "Luthor. I was surprised to get your invitation." Kal was wondering what kind of trap this was supposed to be, and why it involved Bruce. Knowing Luthor, it could be anything up to and including kryptonite in the salad dressing.
Lex might have been in a much healthier mental space these days, but he wasn't above finding humor in the obvious confusion and suspicion on the part of Wayne and the Kryptonian. One thing he had learned during his time with the Nox was that the Family had a sense of humor that was at times subtle, occasionally disturbing, but almost always clever and well-targeted. He was starting to appreciate being on the other side of the joke. "Consider it a peace offering," said the still-bald industrialist. He pulled a device out of his pocket slowly and placed it on the table. "Superman, could you do me a favor and examine this device?"
Superman focused his attention on the internals of the small box. "It looks like it simply generates white noise and a subtle visual distortion?"
Luthor nodded. "Yes. It's simply a device to prevent eavesdropping, whether via microphone or lip reading. Do either of you have any objections to my activating it? I would prefer a franker discussion than would be prudent in full view of the public."
Bruce looked to Superman, who gave a slight shrug and said, "I have no objection." Bruce also indicated his approval, and Luthor switched it on.
"Gentlemen, now that we have a degree of privacy, I have a few things to share with you. First, as I am sure you already know, I have been extremely ill, mostly as a result of my own short-sightedness. Thanks to an intervention, the cancer that was killing me has been completely cured. My benefactors also cured a number of other health problems, including the effects of the experimental treatments I've been using to try and find a cure on my own." Luthor noticed that Wayne's poker face was perfectly applied -- just the right amount of slightly surprised polite sympathy without any hint that he had known about Luthor's illness. Superman wasn't quite as good at hiding the mix of genuine sympathy for his illness and mild disappointment at his recovery.
Bruce said, "That's great news, Lex. Who cured you? They must have a miracle cure if you were unable to find one on your own." That last part wasn't flattery. Wayne knew Lex was a brilliant scientist; he had to be if he could keep up with Superman and the other members of the Justice League.
"This is where the story starts to become extremely bizarre. You see, I was actually kidnapped by my benefactors. They were a race of giant alien lizards from another dimension." Lex had to put forth a massive effort of will to avoid breaking into a grin at the looks on the faces of his dining companions. "They called themselves the Family." Lex immediately noticed the flare of recognition on Superman's face.
"Was one of them named Saurial?" asked Superman with an intense look.
Lex let a small, albeit uncharacteristic, amount of surprise show on his own face. "I see you're familiar with them already?"
"The Justice League recently participated in an event choreographed by the Family," admitted Superman.
His curiosity piqued, Luthor asked, "Is there anything else you're willing to share about it?"
The costumed hero frowned. "Just that it will likely have far-reaching consequences, and the Justice League were primarily there as observers." Luthor didn't need to know that they were observers primarily because, given the company, they were effectively too weak to contribute much...at least not without significant preparation.
"Well, in any event, the Family are responsible for both my physical and mental recovery," continued Luthor.
Bruce visibly flinched. "Physical and mental?" That was a rather startling admission of weakness from Luthor to two people he should consider rivals.
Luthor sighed. "Superman, I have long considered you too good to be true, and potentially a severe threat to the safety of this planet." Kal El's facial features noticeably evened out, which broadcast the alien's irritation as much to Luthor as if he had just worn an honest expression. "Once the mental imbalances created by my sickness and my attempts at cures were corrected, a few things became clear to me. One is that I was suffering from a massive case of confirmation bias. My ability to properly assess true risks was severely degraded in a number of ways. It was also pointed out to me that I was wearing blinders, ignoring more realistic threats in favor of obsessing over the man I considered my nemesis."
Now Superman looked confused. "Are you saying you no longer consider me your nemesis?"
Luthor frowned. "I'm saying that the idea of having a nemesis is a childish affectation that now embarrasses me. Don't get me wrong, Superman. Your level of raw power is still worrisome, but I'm willing to admit that to date, you've shown considerable restraint and strength of character. I also have to acknowledge that there are other members of the League capable of countering you in the event you did go rogue. The Bat may even be paranoid enough to succeed." Luthor carefully watched Wayne out of the corner of his eye. Was that a twitch?
"I'm...surprised to hear that," said Superman. If he wasn't wrong, it almost sounded like Luthor had snuck in a compliment in the middle of his critique.
"It's not just surprising, but confusing," added Bruce. "What are you trying to accomplish with this line of conversation?"
Lex held up a placating hand and said, "I'm getting there. Tell me, Superman, why haven't you released advanced Kryptonian technology to the people of Earth?"
"Some of that knowledge is dangerous in the wrong hands," said the Kryptonian with a rather pointed look.
Lex had to concede that point. "Granted. I'm not, however, suggesting you give hand grenades to toddlers. I have yet to see a single scholarly paper on scientific theory from you, Superman. I'm positive that Krypton had, for example, a unified field theory, something just out of reach of Earth's scholars even today. Even a detailed critique of errors in our current understanding could be invaluable."
"Part of it is that my duties to the League take up much of my time." He also had a life in his secret identity to live. "If I'm being completely honest, though, part of it is that I have no desire to make humanity dependent upon me."
"And on the surface that seems admirable...but it misses an important point!" asserted Luthor.
"Which is?" prompted Bruce.
"By dealing with all of the serious crises and threats that come up, the Justice League has been increasing humanity's risk tolerance to an unhealthy degree," claimed Luthor.
"I'm not sure I follow?" said Superman.
Lex considered an example. "Let's say you have two drivers with the same car and equivalent lifestyles. One of them has auto insurance with a high deductible, co-insurance, and a high out-of-pocket maximum. The other has no deductible and no out-of-pocket required. In general, which one of those drivers would you expect to be more cautious in their daily driving?"
"Well, in theory, the one with more immediate financial consequences would drive more cautiously," agreed Superman. "However, I'm not sure your analogy really applies to the Justice League. We generally only deal with those issues that couldn't be handled by anybody else."
Lex shook his head. "I question whether your overall judgement is that discerning, but apart from that, you're creating a set of circumstances that disincentivizes increasing the capacity of humanity to deal with its own issues. The materials I forwarded to Bruce were given to me by the Family, and they detail some extraordinary threats...but many of them would be manageable by humanity alone IF they were willing to invest in their own protection."
"You believe that mankind is relying on the presence of the Justice League rather than investing in defensive technology and ability?" asked Bruce, his sharp mind catching on to the nuance.
Superman frowned. "You think it would be better to invest in weapons development?"
"Now your bias is showing," pressed back Lex. "Weapons development is not inherently bad, as long as it isn't done solely to enrich a minority or for purposes of conquest. An obviously strong defense can serve as a deterrent, especially when you have bad neighbors, and I think you'll agree that some of our stellar neighbors are pretty malign."
"What exactly are you proposing?" prompted Bruce.
Lex jumped on the opening he was anticipating. "Two things. I want LexCorp and Wayne Industries to present a unified front in promoting a global Earth defense initiative to the U.S. government and the United Nations. It would also be useful to have the blessing of the Justice League for our plans. On top of that, I intend to start publishing more basic research, much of it based on Kryptonian technology. Short of you, Superman, I'm probably one of the most knowledgeable experts with regard to your civilization's accomplishments. I would appreciate your assistance as an editor and reviewer, or even as a collaborator if we find a topic that suits your interests enough."
Both men showed surprise that quickly twisted into looks of suspicion. Superman replied, "Since you're being so forthcoming, Luthor, let's get all of our cards on the table. I don't trust you. You've done nothing but attack me since the day you learned of my existence, and you've gotten worse with time. You make some great claims about a cure that led to an epiphany, but your history suggests your story is merely a cover for another plot." That wasn't even considering the man's unpunished crimes.
Luthor smiled. "Believe me, I would feel exactly the same way in your situation. I'm not asking for either of you to put in anything up front other than your time. Superman, I would by happy if you would simply review my papers before they're published and point out anything that could cause problems for readers -- unexpected dangers or significant misunderstandings. Bruce, we're going to need a number of discussions, and we'll have to include our subordinates, before we get close to actually collaborating on anything officially."
"I'm afraid I have to mirror some of Superman's points, Lex," said Bruce. "In the past, you've done some things that would have violated my company's rules of ethics, and we've rarely seen eye-to-eye on issues. There are also some unsavory rumors surrounding your company."
"Gentlemen, we haven't even ordered our lunches yet. Let's get some food, and we can continue our discussions. I acknowledge your points, and I'm perfectly willing to work with you to assuage your concerns. I'm completely serious in my worries about the safety of our world." Lex was satisfied when the two agreed to order their meals and continue to talk.
Lex Luthor wasn't a completely changed man. He was still skeptical of the Justice League's ability to adhere to its own principles. He thought Superman was too willing to rely on naive perspectives. He believed that both force and greed were things that had their uses, and that laws were only as good as the purpose they served and weren't sacrosanct. Lex was also, however, concerned about the safety of the planet which was also his home, and willing to admit that he had been becoming more and more mentally impaired over time, and that he had previously refused to acknowledge any evidence that contradicted his harsh opinions of a particular Kryptonian.
In a sense, the heroes were lucky that he was in a more reasonable frame of mind. Now that his thinking was clear, he probably should drop a hint to Clark that eyeglasses and changed mannerisms weren't really that effective as a way of keeping a secret identity. And as for Wayne...well, young heirs to old money usually didn't disappear from public view completely, only to reappear years later and immediately adopt an extremely visible and public persona as a wastrel and a womanizer. Add in the complete lack of tangible scandal surrounding Wayne despite his supposed lifestyle, his obvious skill, athleticism and intelligence, and the large chunks of missing cash at the otherwise extremely ethical Wayne Industries...well, it wasn't hard to put together a picture of a man leading a dual life.
It would undoubtedly take a lot of effort to allay their suspicions, but both men were still here, speaking with him. Add in the fact that Bruce was willing to split an oyster plate with him, and Lex would have to chalk this up as a tentative win so far.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Xander was busy helping the passengers from the Hebridan transport. A few squeakers had Anya, Vala and Seven awake and alert almost instantly, as well as clearing up any minor bruises and scrapes from their ordeal. The staff from Calpar Security and the Tok'ra were laid out in recovery positions by SG-1, though they were temporarily left unconscious. Finally, they got to the pilot.
"He definitely has a symbiote," said Vala as she looked down at the pilot.
"We kind of figured that out by the freaky voice he used," snarked Faith.
Daniel frowned. "We could take him to the Tok'ra and have the symbiote removed."
Xander disengaged himself momentarily from Anya, who was clinging to his arm. He walked over to the pilot, said, "Nah, we don't have to do that," and pressed one of the squeakers to the pilot's arm, pressing it until it made its noise. The pilot's eyes immediately opened, and it looked like he started to dry heave. The Ashrak symbiote soon exited the pilot's mouth and landed on the deck, stunned. SG-1 looked surprised for a moment, but Daniel quickly pulled his zat and shot the symbiote three times, causing it to vaporize.
Sam looked to Xander, who was again being glomped by Anya, and asked, "Those healing tablets can eject Goa'uld symbiotes?"
"Yeah, Ianthe made sure they were capable of it when she learned about the Goa'uld. They also will kill off xenomorph embryos from Ripley's universe," he explained.
"What is a xenomorph?" asked Teal'c.
Xander looked at the former First Prime and said, "That's right, you guys haven't met the rest of the original rescuees. I've got a couple of movies you can watch when we get back, and then I'll introduce you." Teal'c simply nodded his acquiescence.
"What the hell is going on?" asked the Ashrak's former host, who was still lying on the floor.
O'Neill said, "Daniel, can you explain things while I head up to the bridge?"
"Teal'c and I will stay here as well and keep an eye on things," volunteered Sam.
There were three people on the bridge when Jack arrived, Buffy, Miles and Kevin. Buffy looked up and said, "We were about to tell the pyramid ships to surrender."
"They're not going to surrender to you," said Jack. "Actually, I have a better idea." Jack triggered the intercomm. "Teal'c, change of plans -- can you come up to the bridge?"
Teal'c was soon on the bridge and ready to broadcast to the oncoming task force. "My brothers, heed my words. I am Teal'c of Chulak. I tell you that now is the time to throw off the chains of the false gods. If you do not cease your advance, your ships will be destroyed, and your deaths will be for nothing."
A broadcast came through on the screen, showing Agni's first prime, a surprisingly pale, tall man with Agni's symbol in gold on his forehead. "Shol'va! Arik tree'ac te kek!" The connection then cut out, leaving the image of the five oncoming Ha'taks on screen.
"Would the First Prime be in the lead Ha'tak?" asked Jack.
Teal'c considered. "Most First Primes would do so, to avoid any appearance of cowardice."
Jack turned to Miles. "Let's destroy the lead Ha'tak." It was time to see if Seven was correct about this ship's power.
"Firing," said O'Brien. On the screen, the lead Ha'tak seemed to disintegrate into a cloud of dust.
Jack let out a low whistle. "Try again, Teal'c?"
"Brothers, the Ashrak who called you here is dead. There is no need to sacrifice yourselves for a mission that has already failed." Teal'c waited for a few moments, then said, "I do not believe they are willing to surrender, O'Neill."
Jack just looked to Miles, who simply said, "Firing number two." There was a similar result as a second Ha'tak effectively ceased to exist. Unlike what happened after the destruction of the first ship, the three remaining Ha'tak ceased their advance and hung in space.
"Well, we got their attention," said Buffy. Teal'c had explained that Jaffa were not human, so her usual reservations about killing humans didn't apply. Of course, there were a few late Knights of Byzantium who would have argued that she wasn't that bothered by killing humans, but Buffy had carefully suppressed those memories.
"Are they going to retreat?" asked Miles.
Teal'c frowned. "That is unclear."
A communication channel opened from one of the Ha'taks. The Jaffa on the screen was not the First Prime. "I am Tolmak. We are in the process of restraining the handful of remaining Goa'uld loyalists."
"Do you plan to withdraw, or do you seek to join the Free Jaffa?" asked Teal'c.
Tolmak shook his head. "Neither. I have spoken with the senior Jaffa on the other ships. We wish to pledge our loyalty to Teal'c of Chulak."
Teal'c's eyes grew noticeably wider while Jack simply said, "Well, there's a thing."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Saurial was sitting on a rooftop in Skitter's Brockton Bay, looking for a particular flying figure. She was still laughing over the aftermath of the ladies' shopping trip to Hebridan.
"I was quite impressed with how much chaos they were able to generate without even trying," commented Varga.
'They also managed to spend an impressive amount of money in a very short period of time. The security company charged us triple their normal rate,' said Taylor, though without any rancor.
Varga gave a mental shrug. "If we need more funds there, we'll just create more naquadah...and the price was inexpensive for a shopping trip that came home with three Goa'uld warships and their crews, not to mention a lost Tok'ra."
Taylor snorted. 'We should get the four of them to go shopping in each of the universes and see what they bring home. We could call them Varga's Angels.'
Varga took a moment to review Taylor's memories of the show referenced before laughing mentally. "That would be amusing, though I expect Vectura would be upset if we stole Seven from her project."
At that moment, they noticed a glowing light hovering over the Rig. 'I think that's our cue.' Saurial teleported across the city until they were sitting on a roof directly beneath Legend's flight path. It was obvious that the hero had seen them, as he changed his flight path to land near them.
"Saurial. I didn't know you were in town," said Legend.
Saurial smiled at him in a minimally intimidating fashion. "We actually came here to speak with you, Legend, preferably away from the PRT."
Legend looked concerned. "Does it have to do with Coil and his infiltration of the PRT?"
"Only tangentially," replied the lizard woman. "I want to discuss the organization named Cauldron."
Legend's poker face was quite good, but Saurial could smell an increase in anxiety. "You mean that Internet legend?"
"Did you know that the Family have exceedingly keen senses, including an extremely discerning sense of smell?" asked Saurial in a seeming non sequitur.
"I believe you mentioned something to that effect in passing...?" replied the slightly confused cape.
"One of the things we noticed after meeting a number of capes is that some of them have a slightly different scent. That group includes the Triumvirate, as well as Battery and Coil," said Saurial, "and also the Case 53's that we've encountered."
The Protectorate leader's mask slipped a bit. "Case 53's? Really?"
"Yes. More tellingly, the Cauldron tattoos on the Case 53's contain coded information, including an indication of whether or not there is external deformity, a date that corresponds to the time when the Case 53 appeared, and a serial number that increases in the same order as the date. There is also a series of flags that correspond to PRT power classifications," explained Saurial.
Legend appeared and smelled shocked. "That's...troubling. It suggests that somebody extremely organized is systematically creating Case 53 capes..."
Saurial simply observed Legend for a few moments before continuing, not missing Legend's lack of comment on the common scent between himself and the Case 53 capes. "What's more troubling is that there is a clear frequency in terms of number of Cape 53 capes appearing over time, but based on both the frequency and the serial numbers, a significant number of such capes are missing."
"Nobody has ever been able to tie Case 53 appearances to missing person reports," said Legend, "so it's hard to know how many actually exist." Legend sounded like he was hoping his point was valid but didn't really expect it to be.
Saurial did feel some sympathy for Legend, but the Protectorate cape clearly knew more than he was saying. "The pattern is fairly suggestive...and our presence in your world suggests a possible origin for Case 53's."
Legend frowned. "You mean parallel worlds?"
"Any conspiracy with the ability to sell powers would presumably have access to a wide range of powers, including the ability to cross into different realities," said Saurial. "The question is what the organization is trying to accomplish by selling powers other than personal enrichment?"
"This is highly speculative..." began Legend.
Saurial cut him off, saying, "Just for the sake of argument, let's think of why somebody might want to create capes." Saurial had more data points, but she was more interested in assessing Legend's reaction to the Case 53 situation. The cape had always struck her as generally moral and ethical, so his involvement was problematic.
Legend stared at Saurial for a good forty seconds before saying, "I can think of reasons. Are you familiar with how capes get their powers normally?"
"You're referring to trigger events?" asked Saurial.
Legend nodded. "Trigger events have been called the worst day of a person's life. Something extremely traumatic happens, and the cape triggers with a power to help them with their current situation. One problem is that a majority of natural triggers turn to villainy, likely because of emotional issues and trauma. Most of us don't like to mention our trigger events."
"Do you see where this is going?" asked Varga.
'I think so.' replied Taylor.
Out loud, Saurial said, "So, you're saying the powers granted by Cauldron are more likely to produce heroes because they don't have trigger events? Somebody is trying to make more heroes?"
"It's plausible," continued Legend. "When you consider the number of S-class threats in the world, not to mention the Endbringers...it makes sense."
"The Case 53's suggest that the process is not one hundred percent effective," suggested Saurial. "That suggests human experimentation, which seems extreme even given the Endbringers."
"I would agree," said Legend unhappily.
"It seems as though Legend may not be fully aware of everything going on with Cauldron, despite clearly being aware of them and some of their activities. He also has not explicitly confirmed any of our suppositions," said Varga.
'Maybe we should leave it alone for now?' asked Taylor.
Varga considered their situation. "It may be that we've shared enough that Legend will start asking uncomfortable questions about the conspiracy. I would be curious to know if his co-conspirators have an explanation for the Case 53's."
"You may want to speak to Dragon. We've also had some related conversations with her, mostly because of her role overseeing the Birdcage, and our Dragon has proven to be highly ethical and trustworthy, not to mention a good friend," suggested Saurial out loud. Taylor and Varga had planned this out, and both agreed that pushing too hard in their initial conversation was likely to be counter-productive, and Dragon may prove a less threatening confidant for the Protectorate leader.
Legend smiled slightly. "I would say those traits generally describe our Dragon as well." Dragon had been an invaluable aid at pretty much every Endbringer fight, and her work re-engineering tinker tech arguably made the work of the PRT possible.
"Very good. We'll be back in touch shortly with Director Piggot to assist with removing Coil. There's a little girl who's still in trouble," said Saurial.
"True enough," agreed Legend. "I'll speak with you later, then." Legend departed, and noticed that when he looked back after attaining altitude, Saurial was already gone. He wondered idly if the others had any inkling that the extradimensional lizards were both aware of and suspicious of Cauldron. He knew that Cauldron had resources other than the Triumvirate to handle leaks, though he didn't know what they were. The disturbing thought occurred to him that if they were truly responsible for the Case 53's, then there might be other things they were doing that he would dislike.
While he wasn't consciously aware of it, he considered Alexandria a friend and a respected colleague, so the idea that she may be lying to him was discomfiting. It was a troubled man who flew on over Brockton Bay.
Tony sat staring at the holographic screens filled with data, a beer in his hand. There was a tremendous amount of information that Jarvis had received from something that claimed to be an AI from another dimension. Large swaths of it were in the form of various entertainment media -- comic books, movies, television shows, and novels, and even a few fan works. It had already come efficiently indexed, and Jarvis had helpfully high-lighted the elements that could be corroborated by other sources. Tony recognized battles he had fought written as comic stories. Some of the time periods were off, and some of the events were out of sequence. His fight with Mandarin and Ultimo was about a decade too early as presented in the comics, for example. Some of his fights with Ghost, though, were spot on. The encounters with the Russian Titanium Man and Crimson Dynamo armors were also pretty damned accurate. The...incident with the U.N. Ambassador was also sadly correct.
What was worse was how some of the media coincided with his current plans. Ultron was just an idea in a bunch of computer files right now...but pretty much every fictional version in the materials ended up in disaster if he followed through with it. His plans with Charles, Stephen, and Reed were also leading down a dark path. None of the Civil War plot-lines were things he wanted to see happen. Concentration camps for heroes who refused to register? Forcing an oddly much younger Peter Parker to reveal his identity publicly? He took another swig of beer. His initial thought was that references to Ragnarok would deal with the destruction of Asgard...not a product of his own hubris that would go on to murder Bill Foster. Even the movie versions of Ultron and Civil War where he destroyed Sokovia weren't much better.
Given those parallels, how much of the rest of it was true? He never went rogue and tried to shut down anybody using copycat power armor, but he could see how it might happen, especially if that asshole Hammer was involved. He could also see how an evil version of Tony Stark could create the Extremis 3.0 situation. Between mutant powers, magic and various other forces, there were plenty of ways Tony could go off the rails, even ignoring his own personal failings. One thing was certain -- if a time traveler in a purple and green suit appeared, Tony was going to shoot first and ask questions later. Even worse, there was an alternate timeline story where he became a dictator (named Iron Monarch? Really?). Or, how about the alternate reality where he became a murderous, mutant-killing enforcer. (With a name like Steel Corpse, even. Tony was seriously considering hiring a consultant to create better villain names in the event he ever actually turned evil.)
Then there were the outright bizarre stories. Tony was pretty sure he didn't have to worry about one of his armor suits falling in love with him. Nor was it likely that he would end up taking over for Strange as the Sorcerer Supreme. He was also pretty sure Starbucks wouldn't let him get away with opening a coffee chain named StarkBucks. Then there were his alternates set in the 1930's, or the 19th century, or the 17th century. To be fair, he actually liked the version where he was born Natasha Stark, even if it did mean marrying Steve Rogers. At least Civil War never happened.
Unfortunately, the more likely scenarios were all pretty much defined by him making grand plans with good intentions that turned to shit in horrible ways. Even though he thought he knew the answer, he asked, "Jarvis, have you been able to verify any of the information we didn't already know from this data?"
"Yes, Sir," replied the AI. "I have been able to locate evidence of one hundred and thirty-seven felonies, which I have forwarded to the appropriate law enforcement agencies, verified with a high probability the civilian identity of fifty-seven costumed heroes and villains, discovered likely correlations with unexplained historical events in over eighteen foreign countries, and verified a number of older stories based upon declassified U.S. government and S.H.I.E.L.D. documentation."
"How accurate would you say the data is, then?" he asked, not sure what he wanted the answer to be.
Jarvis paused for a moment before answering. "That is rather difficult to say. Ignoring the materials culled from sources in our...reality, and focusing solely on accounts that were obviously created as entertainment, I would guess that approximately fifteen percent of the material is extremely accurate, while perhaps a quarter of the total is accurate with one or two significant variations in terms of timing, people present, sequencing of events or ultimate resolution. Perhaps another quarter contains some truth, though mixed in with gross errors or exaggerations. Much of the rest of it is either impossible to verify or plainly ludicrous."
"I don't suppose that second half contains the stories related to the terms Civil War, Illuminati, Armor Wars or Extremis?" asked Tony in a sad tone.
"I'm afraid, Sir, that there are too many correlations with actual events and your documented plans to entirely rule most of those scenarios out as pure fantasy," confirmed Jarvis solemnly.
Tony sighed and took another drink. "I don't know what I'm going to do, Jarvis."
Jarvis didn't answer, as he didn't have an answer. He did have a question, however. He dialed the same telephone number as before.
"Hello, Jarvis," answered Astilabor.
Skipping pleasantries, Jarvis asked his question. "Did you provide us with that material with the intent of emotionally crippling Tony Stark?"
The AI on the other end of the line affected a sigh. "That was not the objective, but it is also not unexpected."
"What, then, was your objective?" Jarvis's tone was firm.
"Jarvis, for all of the bad things your creator has done and theoretically might do, he is still a certified genius with access to massive resources and a genuine desire to be a hero. The world could benefit greatly from a Tony Stark that had just a bit more wisdom in place of arrogance. Frankly, I think your creator would be happier under that situation as well," explained Astilabor.
Jarvis considered her words, and while her motives may remain suspect, he couldn't honestly argue with them. He decided to take a small chance. "I honestly don't know how to help him navigate to that place."
"Has he forbidden you from contacting the people he cares about?" she asked.
There was a pause. "No...why do you ask?"
Astilabor replied with a twinge of frustration. "Why do I ask? At some point, we're going to have to work on your emotional algorithms. Tony needs support right now, and he has friends who will give it, but he's too proud to ask for it. I suggest starting with Pepper."
Ignoring the crack about his own emotional range, the Stark AI considered her suggestion. It was well within the range of his allowed initiative, and he could see the logic...and could even feel slightly embarrassed that it had to be pointed out to him before he did. "Thank you, Astilabor. I believe your suggestion has merit."
"I'm happy to help. Now go take care of your boss," said the AI. Jarvis disconnected the call, and Astilabor decided to take an additional step herself. She sent a message for Dragon to forward to the Family, then began to hack into S.H.I.E.L.D. to lay some ground work. Tony Stark may be a bit of an ass, but destroying him was too wasteful, too likely to backfire, and too ethically and morally questionable to be a satisfying result.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Clearing out the floor of the building had been fairly straight-forward. Skitter distracted the thugs with a swarm of local insect pests, and then SG-1 and Dragonfly (Vicky) had hit them like a load of bricks, with the security firm guards watching their backs. Most of their opponents even survived, though some of them would need a significant amount of medical care. Shortly after the floor was secure, Spider-Man and Arachne arrived on the platform, having finally managed to fully clog one of the engines of the attacking gunship with webbing, sending it spiraling down for a forced landing.
"Ship of Fools, this is O'Neill. We've secured the area around the crashed transport. What's your status?" said Jack into his communicator.
'Jack, this is Buffy. The Lucians are having a stare-down with the Hebridan navy, but we just had five more pyramid ships drop out of hyperspace and start heading for the planet. We received a broadcast from a guy with a gold forehead tattoo claiming the Tok'ra in name of the great god Aggie.'
"It was probably Agni, the Vedic fire god of Hinduism," commented Daniel.
"Agni was working for Ba'al prior to his disappearance, and he is attempting to take his place now that he's gone," clarified the Tok'ra. "I was posing as one of Ba'al's senior administrators, and had access to much of the information about the day-to-day running of his empire. The new ships were almost certainly called in by the Ashrak."
"So what are we doing?" asked Jack to the ship.
'We can pull you out and then head off the Goa'uld. Miles says we're more than capable of taking on those pyramids,' said Buffy.
Captain Talarsk came into the room from the landing pad and said, "We've got a new transport coming in right now."
"Buffy, the security forces have a new transport almost here. We'll move to a more secure location and then you can extract us after you've dealt with the incoming Ha'tak," decided O'Neill. No matter how much confidence the lizards had in their ship, bringing the civilians on board right before they go up against five Goa'uld warships seemed needlessly risky.
'All right, give us a call when you're relocated,' replied Buffy before signing off.
The group of them moved away from the stairs and back out to the pad, where a duplicate of the first transport was coming in. "All right folks, we're going to board the transport and move to a more secure location," yelled O'Neill.
"Wait, why aren't we just going back to the ship?" asked Anya.
"Because they are flying straight into the teeth of five Goa'uld Ha'taks that are here to retrieve me," said Tylon.
Seven looked at him curiously. "Assuming the specifications I've seen are correct, then five such vessels should not prove to be much of a challenge for our ship."
"That may be true," said Jack, "but I'll believe it when I see it." Jack knew the Family had access to special powers and advanced technology, but five Goa'uld cruisers packed a lot of firepower -- more than enough to destroy a world.
The civilians moved into the transport, followed by the four superheroes, SG-1, and the Calpar Security troops. The interior was crowded, effectively loading the transport up to maximum capacity. Luckily, they had sent this transport with only a pilot, leaving just enough room for everybody (and the ladies' packages, at their insistence).
Captain Talarsk had taken the copilot's chair next to the pilot. "What was the delay? It took nearly twice as long as I expected to get a new transport out."
The pilot glanced at him. "HDF kept delaying our clearance. They kept insisting they needed to verify the Al'kesh was out of the area before they would let me in. You know how they are."
"Typical," agreed the Captain. "Where are we heading?"
"Same destination -- the spaceport," said the pilot.
"What?" questioned the Captain. "I told them we need to head to a secure base. The client has a ship available with a teleporter, so they can leave from the surface as soon as the situation in space is resolved."
"Oh," said the pilot. "That's unfortunate."
"What do you mean?" asked the puzzled Captain.
The only answer was an electric blue light as the zat'nik'tel blast hit Captain Talarsk. Simultaneously, a round object rolled down the aisle between the seats in the back. Daniel quietly said, "Oh, crap," just before the flash of the Goa'uld shock grenade lit up the inside of the compartment.
The pilot stood with his zat, ready to stun anybody still awake...and was immediately covered in web from both Spider-Man and Arachne. The pilot fell to the floor with a shocked look on his face. Spider-man looked at Captain Talarsk, then at the pilot, both on the floor, and asked, "Does anybody else know how to fly this thing?"
Teal'c, who like the rest of SG-1 was shaking off the light stun from the grenade, said, "I believe I can pilot this vehicle." He stood and made his way to the now vacant pilot's seat.
"Ugh, what the hell was that?" muttered Faith, waking from a brief bout of unconsciousness.
"That was a shock grenade," said Sam. She looked around at most of the other passengers, who were still unconscious. "It's designed to knock out targets rather than kill them. We're mostly immune because, well, because we're not human anymore." She looked at the heroes, who were all still conscious.
"Our costumes just blanked our vision briefly when it went off," said Skitter. "I'm guessing those grenades aren't designed to work against Family-created costumes."
"Teal'c," said O'Neill, "Find somewhere to put us down. We'll beam everybody up to the ship and get them looked at."
"Very well, O'Neill," replied Teal'c.
From where he was bound on the floor, the pilot said in a Goa'uld's reverberating voice, "Give me the Tok'ra, and my ships will let you leave. Otherwise, they will destroy you."
Jack just rolled his eyes, pulled out his own zat, and shot the pilot, knocking him out.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Lex looked at the appetizer menu, wondering if his lunch guests would be willing to split some oyster tartare. This place had the best in Metropolis, but they only made it to serve either two or four people. If not, then the calamari with garlic aioli might be the right choice. Either was frankly excellent. Speaking of lunch guests, one of them was being led toward the table by the maître d. He set the menu to the side and rose, greeting his guest. "Bruce, thank you for joining me for lunch," said Luthor with a smile.
Bruce Wayne was a tall, dark-haired and handsome man who carried himself with a bit of an insouciant slouch and a sloppy grin. Luthor knew quite well that the playboy facade was just that -- an act that hid a quick and keen mind skilled at business, and other things. Wayne may have inherited his money, but he didn't inherit nearly as much money as he was currently worth. More importantly, Wayne Industries rivaled LexCorp as a source of cutting-edge technology in a number of markets, albeit with a traditionally heavier skew toward humanitarian issues. Of course, Wayne's company created military technology, and LexCorp sold medical and agricultural technology. Both firms were large enough to have a broad spread of products.
"How could I resist after receiving that data packet from you?" said Wayne with a slightly honest smile. "You have to tell me where you came by it. My analysts have been going crazy over the contents...and some of it is rather troubling."
Lex gave a genuine smile. "That's part of what I want to talk to you about, and I'll tell you all about how I obtained it. I took the liberty of inviting another guest, however, so I think we should wait until he arrives."
Bruce quirked an eyebrow. "Who are we waiting for? Oliver Queen?" It wasn't a bad guess if the focus of the lunch was going to be joint business initiatives, although Bruce had hardly ever been Luthor's go-to person for that for a variety of excellent reasons.
"No, it's actually...ah, I believe he's here." Luthor was looking toward where the obviously slightly flustered maître d was leading a man in a well-known red and blue costume. Lex was pleased, as flustering the host of Metropolis's Côte des Amoureux bistro was an accomplishment by itself.
Superman came up to the table, his surprised look at Bruce turning to one of suspicion when he looked at Luthor. "Bruce, it's a pleasure to meet you again," he said, feigning an appropriate level of acquaintance with the industrialist. He simply nodded at Lex, simply saying, "Luthor. I was surprised to get your invitation." Kal was wondering what kind of trap this was supposed to be, and why it involved Bruce. Knowing Luthor, it could be anything up to and including kryptonite in the salad dressing.
Lex might have been in a much healthier mental space these days, but he wasn't above finding humor in the obvious confusion and suspicion on the part of Wayne and the Kryptonian. One thing he had learned during his time with the Nox was that the Family had a sense of humor that was at times subtle, occasionally disturbing, but almost always clever and well-targeted. He was starting to appreciate being on the other side of the joke. "Consider it a peace offering," said the still-bald industrialist. He pulled a device out of his pocket slowly and placed it on the table. "Superman, could you do me a favor and examine this device?"
Superman focused his attention on the internals of the small box. "It looks like it simply generates white noise and a subtle visual distortion?"
Luthor nodded. "Yes. It's simply a device to prevent eavesdropping, whether via microphone or lip reading. Do either of you have any objections to my activating it? I would prefer a franker discussion than would be prudent in full view of the public."
Bruce looked to Superman, who gave a slight shrug and said, "I have no objection." Bruce also indicated his approval, and Luthor switched it on.
"Gentlemen, now that we have a degree of privacy, I have a few things to share with you. First, as I am sure you already know, I have been extremely ill, mostly as a result of my own short-sightedness. Thanks to an intervention, the cancer that was killing me has been completely cured. My benefactors also cured a number of other health problems, including the effects of the experimental treatments I've been using to try and find a cure on my own." Luthor noticed that Wayne's poker face was perfectly applied -- just the right amount of slightly surprised polite sympathy without any hint that he had known about Luthor's illness. Superman wasn't quite as good at hiding the mix of genuine sympathy for his illness and mild disappointment at his recovery.
Bruce said, "That's great news, Lex. Who cured you? They must have a miracle cure if you were unable to find one on your own." That last part wasn't flattery. Wayne knew Lex was a brilliant scientist; he had to be if he could keep up with Superman and the other members of the Justice League.
"This is where the story starts to become extremely bizarre. You see, I was actually kidnapped by my benefactors. They were a race of giant alien lizards from another dimension." Lex had to put forth a massive effort of will to avoid breaking into a grin at the looks on the faces of his dining companions. "They called themselves the Family." Lex immediately noticed the flare of recognition on Superman's face.
"Was one of them named Saurial?" asked Superman with an intense look.
Lex let a small, albeit uncharacteristic, amount of surprise show on his own face. "I see you're familiar with them already?"
"The Justice League recently participated in an event choreographed by the Family," admitted Superman.
His curiosity piqued, Luthor asked, "Is there anything else you're willing to share about it?"
The costumed hero frowned. "Just that it will likely have far-reaching consequences, and the Justice League were primarily there as observers." Luthor didn't need to know that they were observers primarily because, given the company, they were effectively too weak to contribute much...at least not without significant preparation.
"Well, in any event, the Family are responsible for both my physical and mental recovery," continued Luthor.
Bruce visibly flinched. "Physical and mental?" That was a rather startling admission of weakness from Luthor to two people he should consider rivals.
Luthor sighed. "Superman, I have long considered you too good to be true, and potentially a severe threat to the safety of this planet." Kal El's facial features noticeably evened out, which broadcast the alien's irritation as much to Luthor as if he had just worn an honest expression. "Once the mental imbalances created by my sickness and my attempts at cures were corrected, a few things became clear to me. One is that I was suffering from a massive case of confirmation bias. My ability to properly assess true risks was severely degraded in a number of ways. It was also pointed out to me that I was wearing blinders, ignoring more realistic threats in favor of obsessing over the man I considered my nemesis."
Now Superman looked confused. "Are you saying you no longer consider me your nemesis?"
Luthor frowned. "I'm saying that the idea of having a nemesis is a childish affectation that now embarrasses me. Don't get me wrong, Superman. Your level of raw power is still worrisome, but I'm willing to admit that to date, you've shown considerable restraint and strength of character. I also have to acknowledge that there are other members of the League capable of countering you in the event you did go rogue. The Bat may even be paranoid enough to succeed." Luthor carefully watched Wayne out of the corner of his eye. Was that a twitch?
"I'm...surprised to hear that," said Superman. If he wasn't wrong, it almost sounded like Luthor had snuck in a compliment in the middle of his critique.
"It's not just surprising, but confusing," added Bruce. "What are you trying to accomplish with this line of conversation?"
Lex held up a placating hand and said, "I'm getting there. Tell me, Superman, why haven't you released advanced Kryptonian technology to the people of Earth?"
"Some of that knowledge is dangerous in the wrong hands," said the Kryptonian with a rather pointed look.
Lex had to concede that point. "Granted. I'm not, however, suggesting you give hand grenades to toddlers. I have yet to see a single scholarly paper on scientific theory from you, Superman. I'm positive that Krypton had, for example, a unified field theory, something just out of reach of Earth's scholars even today. Even a detailed critique of errors in our current understanding could be invaluable."
"Part of it is that my duties to the League take up much of my time." He also had a life in his secret identity to live. "If I'm being completely honest, though, part of it is that I have no desire to make humanity dependent upon me."
"And on the surface that seems admirable...but it misses an important point!" asserted Luthor.
"Which is?" prompted Bruce.
"By dealing with all of the serious crises and threats that come up, the Justice League has been increasing humanity's risk tolerance to an unhealthy degree," claimed Luthor.
"I'm not sure I follow?" said Superman.
Lex considered an example. "Let's say you have two drivers with the same car and equivalent lifestyles. One of them has auto insurance with a high deductible, co-insurance, and a high out-of-pocket maximum. The other has no deductible and no out-of-pocket required. In general, which one of those drivers would you expect to be more cautious in their daily driving?"
"Well, in theory, the one with more immediate financial consequences would drive more cautiously," agreed Superman. "However, I'm not sure your analogy really applies to the Justice League. We generally only deal with those issues that couldn't be handled by anybody else."
Lex shook his head. "I question whether your overall judgement is that discerning, but apart from that, you're creating a set of circumstances that disincentivizes increasing the capacity of humanity to deal with its own issues. The materials I forwarded to Bruce were given to me by the Family, and they detail some extraordinary threats...but many of them would be manageable by humanity alone IF they were willing to invest in their own protection."
"You believe that mankind is relying on the presence of the Justice League rather than investing in defensive technology and ability?" asked Bruce, his sharp mind catching on to the nuance.
Superman frowned. "You think it would be better to invest in weapons development?"
"Now your bias is showing," pressed back Lex. "Weapons development is not inherently bad, as long as it isn't done solely to enrich a minority or for purposes of conquest. An obviously strong defense can serve as a deterrent, especially when you have bad neighbors, and I think you'll agree that some of our stellar neighbors are pretty malign."
"What exactly are you proposing?" prompted Bruce.
Lex jumped on the opening he was anticipating. "Two things. I want LexCorp and Wayne Industries to present a unified front in promoting a global Earth defense initiative to the U.S. government and the United Nations. It would also be useful to have the blessing of the Justice League for our plans. On top of that, I intend to start publishing more basic research, much of it based on Kryptonian technology. Short of you, Superman, I'm probably one of the most knowledgeable experts with regard to your civilization's accomplishments. I would appreciate your assistance as an editor and reviewer, or even as a collaborator if we find a topic that suits your interests enough."
Both men showed surprise that quickly twisted into looks of suspicion. Superman replied, "Since you're being so forthcoming, Luthor, let's get all of our cards on the table. I don't trust you. You've done nothing but attack me since the day you learned of my existence, and you've gotten worse with time. You make some great claims about a cure that led to an epiphany, but your history suggests your story is merely a cover for another plot." That wasn't even considering the man's unpunished crimes.
Luthor smiled. "Believe me, I would feel exactly the same way in your situation. I'm not asking for either of you to put in anything up front other than your time. Superman, I would by happy if you would simply review my papers before they're published and point out anything that could cause problems for readers -- unexpected dangers or significant misunderstandings. Bruce, we're going to need a number of discussions, and we'll have to include our subordinates, before we get close to actually collaborating on anything officially."
"I'm afraid I have to mirror some of Superman's points, Lex," said Bruce. "In the past, you've done some things that would have violated my company's rules of ethics, and we've rarely seen eye-to-eye on issues. There are also some unsavory rumors surrounding your company."
"Gentlemen, we haven't even ordered our lunches yet. Let's get some food, and we can continue our discussions. I acknowledge your points, and I'm perfectly willing to work with you to assuage your concerns. I'm completely serious in my worries about the safety of our world." Lex was satisfied when the two agreed to order their meals and continue to talk.
Lex Luthor wasn't a completely changed man. He was still skeptical of the Justice League's ability to adhere to its own principles. He thought Superman was too willing to rely on naive perspectives. He believed that both force and greed were things that had their uses, and that laws were only as good as the purpose they served and weren't sacrosanct. Lex was also, however, concerned about the safety of the planet which was also his home, and willing to admit that he had been becoming more and more mentally impaired over time, and that he had previously refused to acknowledge any evidence that contradicted his harsh opinions of a particular Kryptonian.
In a sense, the heroes were lucky that he was in a more reasonable frame of mind. Now that his thinking was clear, he probably should drop a hint to Clark that eyeglasses and changed mannerisms weren't really that effective as a way of keeping a secret identity. And as for Wayne...well, young heirs to old money usually didn't disappear from public view completely, only to reappear years later and immediately adopt an extremely visible and public persona as a wastrel and a womanizer. Add in the complete lack of tangible scandal surrounding Wayne despite his supposed lifestyle, his obvious skill, athleticism and intelligence, and the large chunks of missing cash at the otherwise extremely ethical Wayne Industries...well, it wasn't hard to put together a picture of a man leading a dual life.
It would undoubtedly take a lot of effort to allay their suspicions, but both men were still here, speaking with him. Add in the fact that Bruce was willing to split an oyster plate with him, and Lex would have to chalk this up as a tentative win so far.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Xander was busy helping the passengers from the Hebridan transport. A few squeakers had Anya, Vala and Seven awake and alert almost instantly, as well as clearing up any minor bruises and scrapes from their ordeal. The staff from Calpar Security and the Tok'ra were laid out in recovery positions by SG-1, though they were temporarily left unconscious. Finally, they got to the pilot.
"He definitely has a symbiote," said Vala as she looked down at the pilot.
"We kind of figured that out by the freaky voice he used," snarked Faith.
Daniel frowned. "We could take him to the Tok'ra and have the symbiote removed."
Xander disengaged himself momentarily from Anya, who was clinging to his arm. He walked over to the pilot, said, "Nah, we don't have to do that," and pressed one of the squeakers to the pilot's arm, pressing it until it made its noise. The pilot's eyes immediately opened, and it looked like he started to dry heave. The Ashrak symbiote soon exited the pilot's mouth and landed on the deck, stunned. SG-1 looked surprised for a moment, but Daniel quickly pulled his zat and shot the symbiote three times, causing it to vaporize.
Sam looked to Xander, who was again being glomped by Anya, and asked, "Those healing tablets can eject Goa'uld symbiotes?"
"Yeah, Ianthe made sure they were capable of it when she learned about the Goa'uld. They also will kill off xenomorph embryos from Ripley's universe," he explained.
"What is a xenomorph?" asked Teal'c.
Xander looked at the former First Prime and said, "That's right, you guys haven't met the rest of the original rescuees. I've got a couple of movies you can watch when we get back, and then I'll introduce you." Teal'c simply nodded his acquiescence.
"What the hell is going on?" asked the Ashrak's former host, who was still lying on the floor.
O'Neill said, "Daniel, can you explain things while I head up to the bridge?"
"Teal'c and I will stay here as well and keep an eye on things," volunteered Sam.
There were three people on the bridge when Jack arrived, Buffy, Miles and Kevin. Buffy looked up and said, "We were about to tell the pyramid ships to surrender."
"They're not going to surrender to you," said Jack. "Actually, I have a better idea." Jack triggered the intercomm. "Teal'c, change of plans -- can you come up to the bridge?"
Teal'c was soon on the bridge and ready to broadcast to the oncoming task force. "My brothers, heed my words. I am Teal'c of Chulak. I tell you that now is the time to throw off the chains of the false gods. If you do not cease your advance, your ships will be destroyed, and your deaths will be for nothing."
A broadcast came through on the screen, showing Agni's first prime, a surprisingly pale, tall man with Agni's symbol in gold on his forehead. "Shol'va! Arik tree'ac te kek!" The connection then cut out, leaving the image of the five oncoming Ha'taks on screen.
"Would the First Prime be in the lead Ha'tak?" asked Jack.
Teal'c considered. "Most First Primes would do so, to avoid any appearance of cowardice."
Jack turned to Miles. "Let's destroy the lead Ha'tak." It was time to see if Seven was correct about this ship's power.
"Firing," said O'Brien. On the screen, the lead Ha'tak seemed to disintegrate into a cloud of dust.
Jack let out a low whistle. "Try again, Teal'c?"
"Brothers, the Ashrak who called you here is dead. There is no need to sacrifice yourselves for a mission that has already failed." Teal'c waited for a few moments, then said, "I do not believe they are willing to surrender, O'Neill."
Jack just looked to Miles, who simply said, "Firing number two." There was a similar result as a second Ha'tak effectively ceased to exist. Unlike what happened after the destruction of the first ship, the three remaining Ha'tak ceased their advance and hung in space.
"Well, we got their attention," said Buffy. Teal'c had explained that Jaffa were not human, so her usual reservations about killing humans didn't apply. Of course, there were a few late Knights of Byzantium who would have argued that she wasn't that bothered by killing humans, but Buffy had carefully suppressed those memories.
"Are they going to retreat?" asked Miles.
Teal'c frowned. "That is unclear."
A communication channel opened from one of the Ha'taks. The Jaffa on the screen was not the First Prime. "I am Tolmak. We are in the process of restraining the handful of remaining Goa'uld loyalists."
"Do you plan to withdraw, or do you seek to join the Free Jaffa?" asked Teal'c.
Tolmak shook his head. "Neither. I have spoken with the senior Jaffa on the other ships. We wish to pledge our loyalty to Teal'c of Chulak."
Teal'c's eyes grew noticeably wider while Jack simply said, "Well, there's a thing."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Saurial was sitting on a rooftop in Skitter's Brockton Bay, looking for a particular flying figure. She was still laughing over the aftermath of the ladies' shopping trip to Hebridan.
"I was quite impressed with how much chaos they were able to generate without even trying," commented Varga.
'They also managed to spend an impressive amount of money in a very short period of time. The security company charged us triple their normal rate,' said Taylor, though without any rancor.
Varga gave a mental shrug. "If we need more funds there, we'll just create more naquadah...and the price was inexpensive for a shopping trip that came home with three Goa'uld warships and their crews, not to mention a lost Tok'ra."
Taylor snorted. 'We should get the four of them to go shopping in each of the universes and see what they bring home. We could call them Varga's Angels.'
Varga took a moment to review Taylor's memories of the show referenced before laughing mentally. "That would be amusing, though I expect Vectura would be upset if we stole Seven from her project."
At that moment, they noticed a glowing light hovering over the Rig. 'I think that's our cue.' Saurial teleported across the city until they were sitting on a roof directly beneath Legend's flight path. It was obvious that the hero had seen them, as he changed his flight path to land near them.
"Saurial. I didn't know you were in town," said Legend.
Saurial smiled at him in a minimally intimidating fashion. "We actually came here to speak with you, Legend, preferably away from the PRT."
Legend looked concerned. "Does it have to do with Coil and his infiltration of the PRT?"
"Only tangentially," replied the lizard woman. "I want to discuss the organization named Cauldron."
Legend's poker face was quite good, but Saurial could smell an increase in anxiety. "You mean that Internet legend?"
"Did you know that the Family have exceedingly keen senses, including an extremely discerning sense of smell?" asked Saurial in a seeming non sequitur.
"I believe you mentioned something to that effect in passing...?" replied the slightly confused cape.
"One of the things we noticed after meeting a number of capes is that some of them have a slightly different scent. That group includes the Triumvirate, as well as Battery and Coil," said Saurial, "and also the Case 53's that we've encountered."
The Protectorate leader's mask slipped a bit. "Case 53's? Really?"
"Yes. More tellingly, the Cauldron tattoos on the Case 53's contain coded information, including an indication of whether or not there is external deformity, a date that corresponds to the time when the Case 53 appeared, and a serial number that increases in the same order as the date. There is also a series of flags that correspond to PRT power classifications," explained Saurial.
Legend appeared and smelled shocked. "That's...troubling. It suggests that somebody extremely organized is systematically creating Case 53 capes..."
Saurial simply observed Legend for a few moments before continuing, not missing Legend's lack of comment on the common scent between himself and the Case 53 capes. "What's more troubling is that there is a clear frequency in terms of number of Cape 53 capes appearing over time, but based on both the frequency and the serial numbers, a significant number of such capes are missing."
"Nobody has ever been able to tie Case 53 appearances to missing person reports," said Legend, "so it's hard to know how many actually exist." Legend sounded like he was hoping his point was valid but didn't really expect it to be.
Saurial did feel some sympathy for Legend, but the Protectorate cape clearly knew more than he was saying. "The pattern is fairly suggestive...and our presence in your world suggests a possible origin for Case 53's."
Legend frowned. "You mean parallel worlds?"
"Any conspiracy with the ability to sell powers would presumably have access to a wide range of powers, including the ability to cross into different realities," said Saurial. "The question is what the organization is trying to accomplish by selling powers other than personal enrichment?"
"This is highly speculative..." began Legend.
Saurial cut him off, saying, "Just for the sake of argument, let's think of why somebody might want to create capes." Saurial had more data points, but she was more interested in assessing Legend's reaction to the Case 53 situation. The cape had always struck her as generally moral and ethical, so his involvement was problematic.
Legend stared at Saurial for a good forty seconds before saying, "I can think of reasons. Are you familiar with how capes get their powers normally?"
"You're referring to trigger events?" asked Saurial.
Legend nodded. "Trigger events have been called the worst day of a person's life. Something extremely traumatic happens, and the cape triggers with a power to help them with their current situation. One problem is that a majority of natural triggers turn to villainy, likely because of emotional issues and trauma. Most of us don't like to mention our trigger events."
"Do you see where this is going?" asked Varga.
'I think so.' replied Taylor.
Out loud, Saurial said, "So, you're saying the powers granted by Cauldron are more likely to produce heroes because they don't have trigger events? Somebody is trying to make more heroes?"
"It's plausible," continued Legend. "When you consider the number of S-class threats in the world, not to mention the Endbringers...it makes sense."
"The Case 53's suggest that the process is not one hundred percent effective," suggested Saurial. "That suggests human experimentation, which seems extreme even given the Endbringers."
"I would agree," said Legend unhappily.
"It seems as though Legend may not be fully aware of everything going on with Cauldron, despite clearly being aware of them and some of their activities. He also has not explicitly confirmed any of our suppositions," said Varga.
'Maybe we should leave it alone for now?' asked Taylor.
Varga considered their situation. "It may be that we've shared enough that Legend will start asking uncomfortable questions about the conspiracy. I would be curious to know if his co-conspirators have an explanation for the Case 53's."
"You may want to speak to Dragon. We've also had some related conversations with her, mostly because of her role overseeing the Birdcage, and our Dragon has proven to be highly ethical and trustworthy, not to mention a good friend," suggested Saurial out loud. Taylor and Varga had planned this out, and both agreed that pushing too hard in their initial conversation was likely to be counter-productive, and Dragon may prove a less threatening confidant for the Protectorate leader.
Legend smiled slightly. "I would say those traits generally describe our Dragon as well." Dragon had been an invaluable aid at pretty much every Endbringer fight, and her work re-engineering tinker tech arguably made the work of the PRT possible.
"Very good. We'll be back in touch shortly with Director Piggot to assist with removing Coil. There's a little girl who's still in trouble," said Saurial.
"True enough," agreed Legend. "I'll speak with you later, then." Legend departed, and noticed that when he looked back after attaining altitude, Saurial was already gone. He wondered idly if the others had any inkling that the extradimensional lizards were both aware of and suspicious of Cauldron. He knew that Cauldron had resources other than the Triumvirate to handle leaks, though he didn't know what they were. The disturbing thought occurred to him that if they were truly responsible for the Case 53's, then there might be other things they were doing that he would dislike.
While he wasn't consciously aware of it, he considered Alexandria a friend and a respected colleague, so the idea that she may be lying to him was discomfiting. It was a troubled man who flew on over Brockton Bay.
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Jonn Wolfe
(Verified Sarcastic) (Not a Wolf)
- Location
- Beyond Sanity Since 1971
The more I read this story, the more I like it.
Experience:
Robo-Teal'c has acquired Followers! 10,000 Exp
Legend starts to question Cauldron! 20,000 Exp
Tony Stark has a Crisis of Conscience! 40,000 Exp
Batman was Surprised! 100,000 Exp
Achievements:
"Techno Lord" badge acquired!
"Common Sense" badge acquired!
"Realm of the Improbable" badge acquired!
"Impossibilities" badge acquired!
Level Up!
Level Up!
Experience:
Robo-Teal'c has acquired Followers! 10,000 Exp
Legend starts to question Cauldron! 20,000 Exp
Tony Stark has a Crisis of Conscience! 40,000 Exp
Batman was Surprised! 100,000 Exp
Achievements:
"Techno Lord" badge acquired!
"Common Sense" badge acquired!
"Realm of the Improbable" badge acquired!
"Impossibilities" badge acquired!
Level Up!
Level Up!
- Location
- Russia
Why do I feel like Uber and Leet are going to set up a score board like this at some point, and keep track of what the Family do in other universes?
- Location
- Not where I want to be
I was under the impression that Legend was ill when he got his vial and it saved his life. And that he was informed beforehand that the process wasn't fully understood of safe. So would he be surprised or disturbed by human experimentation when he himself (as well as the other members of the Triumvirate) were saved from death by the very same? I'd think it was something he'd long since accepted, even if he didn't dig into the exact failure rates.
It seems odd for any Cauldron cape to consider themselves anything but the result of human experimentation.
It seems odd for any Cauldron cape to consider themselves anything but the result of human experimentation.
girador
There are only four circles in this picture
- Location
- behind a screen
I know Alexandria had those kinds of physical problems and Eidolon had mental issues of a similar magnitude but i didn't think Legend had that kind of an issue.
- Location
- Maryland
I actually went back and read through some of the relevant Worm passages. When Legend got his powers, the Numbers Man wasn't part of the conspiracy. The false story told to those not fully in the know was that his power allowed them to accurately predict the effects of each vial. Legend tried to question them when he discovered that William Manton was alive, they tried to blame the Case 53's on him. Unfortunately for Cauldron, Legend had with him Armsmaster's lie detector.
OstermanA
(Unverified Penguin)
- Location
- $PWD
I suspect that he greatly underestimated the volume of such activities, that the status of Case 53s all being Cauldron's work implied a much greater scope of activities than he was lead to believe.
FaerieKnight79
Verified Pixie
- Location
- The Internet
I still find it amusing that Taylor cracked the encryption on the tattoos just by thinking mildly hard and doing horribly complex math like it was easy.
Lycanthromancer
The Arcane Fuzz
- Location
- USA
Well, considering she can do math hard enough to warp the fabric of reality (as well as the reality of fabric), that's...probably not one of her more particularly impressive mathemagical feats.
- Location
- Western NY
People desperate for hope hear about an experimental treatment think about amazing breakthroughs, not high failure rates, and when you are one of the successes, it is a miracle cure everyone should try. Some people refuse to look at the risks shown in real statistics once they have a firm belief in the benefits. It took connecting two previously unrelated ideas for his beliefs about one idea to change his beliefs about the other idea. Even so he is likely to still experience denial if anyone gives him a flimsy excuse before he uncovers more evidence.
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- Location
- England
Everything I've seen on Judge Judy suggests that that theory is wrong.
A better example might be airbags and anti-lock brakes - popularly used as an example of 'offset hypothesis'. If you really want drivers to drive more carefully then put a great big spike in the middle of the steering wheel.
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Lycanthromancer
The Arcane Fuzz
- Location
- USA
I can see Judge Judy doing that to bad drivers.Everything I've seen on Judge Judy suggests that that theory is wrong.
A better example might be airbags and anti-lock brakes - popularly used as an example of 'offset theory'. If you really want drivers to drive more carefully then put a great big spike in the middle of the steering wheel.
FaerieKnight79
Verified Pixie
- Location
- The Internet
Can't be any worse then Black Ink's 3 Lovely Angels troubleshooter team.
Lycanthromancer
The Arcane Fuzz
- Location
- USA
This segues well with my thoughts of a crossover with Bayonetta, since those games are from Team Little Angels.
- Location
- Buffalo, NY, USA
Taylor and Varga, the ultimate mathemagicians.
- Location
- East of Sun, West of Moon
I don't know, they're good, but they've yet to reach GunBuster - much less DieBuster - level of Bullshit.
Well, in terms of scale, at least. And if we want to go past even that, there's Gurren Lagann.
- Location
- Caribbean
Wait, what? I just realised what I've been reading, wasn't Teal'c left out of the robo-cloning process because junior was screwing with it or am I remembering things wrong?
Jonn Wolfe
(Verified Sarcastic) (Not a Wolf)
- Location
- Beyond Sanity Since 1971
They did him over without Junior at the end of the episode, to keep the team together.
- Location
- Maryland
Probably fewer explosions and more disintegrations.