Ah yes, because surely this is an an argument that QAylor will accept without reservation, after hearing about how a non-shard species tried and failed to get their cloning technology working properly while she has multiple cycles worth of data on the topic.
Gonna be fun to see the reactions once Minnie's gotten her bearings and starts halping, as i really don't think they understand just how different her capabilities are from Addy yet.
Also Kryptonians are just super hard to clone. It has something to do with a mix of their bullshit perfect genetics and being literally descendants of their main God. Its literally easier to use a retro virus to change one's self into a Kryptonian, then it is to make a good clone of a Kryptonian.
Also Kryptonians are just super hard to clone. It has something to do with a mix of their bullshit perfect genetics and being literally descendants of their main God. Its literally easier to use a retro virus to change one's self into a Kryptonian, then it is to make a good clone of a Kryptonian.
Weren't all kryptonians laboratory born designer babies though? I was under the impression that they didn't do natural births... and if you have the tech to do lab birth designer babies then let's be honest here, you have the tech to clone someone.
If she can't make a kryptonite ray gun, what about a regular gun that fires kryptonite? Or putting some kryptonite in her shoes? Maybe some powdered kryptonite in her bed?
I just found this fic, and am enjoying it greatly. I've read the other versions of this, the Administrative Mishap & It's not wrong to make Friends in the Dungeon, so this was interesting to me from the very first chapter, but it has won me over on its merits.
Weren't all kryptonians laboratory born designer babies though? I was under the impression that they didn't do natural births... and if you have the tech to do lab birth designer babies then let's be honest here, you have the tech to clone someone.
"If you look to your sides, you will see pillars of solid light. These are an amazing invention that will support incredible weights, provided they remain powered, and are currently being used as support pillars to maintain the structural integrity of this room. If you look up, you will see a solid block of lead that weighs approximately one-hundred tonnes. If you look to my left hand, you will see an off-switch. Are you familiar with the concept of a "dead-man switch"? What of expanding that concept to refer to the "death" of a solid-light field surrounding me? Or even further to exclude "death", in favour of merely reaching a threshold of force applied to it over a short period of time?
Alternatively, should you look down, you should find the flooring to be composed of sand. Nudging said sand aside, you will find said sand is supported by yet another hard-light field. beneath which is air, well, not really, more "pure nitrogen" than ambient atmosphere, but there is rather a lot of it, and very little else for quite a ways. Should you look to my right hand, you will see a second off-switch...
Now, if you will excuse me, I have one final solid-light off-switch to demonstrate. It is mounted upon the wall in front of me. You see no wall there? Yes, quite the mystery isn't it, but if you will forgive my demonstration..." *presses against a point in space with a downward flicking motion* *vanishes to reveal a signal receiver and a speaker in their place* With a possible Taylor in the field, I was wondering what might come of her. I can't help but to suspect that Taylor and her issues might be a bit too serious for the presented themes... . I also can't help but to suspect that a world with Batman and The Joker isn't at so much risk from a "pure determination" type threat. Sure Taylor has powers, but with those powers being available to converse with, it opens additional options for dealing with her(and Batman and Joker totally have powers, I am leaning towards "some of their hunches they unknowingly know with absolute certainty to be true" or some variation of such, letting them make absurd mental leaps without flaw...) . Then again, there are other options for powers, but, well, my first thought was "green lantern ring" but, well, I am pretty sure that there are measures in place to prevent those like Sinestro from getting a ring. Of course, Sinestro makes that theory suspect, but I am pretty sure that Sinestro didn't become "Sinestro" until after he got the ring, some sort of trauma or something, while Taylor I feel already has the "Sinestro" potential as she is, no further trauma required... .
Then again, The Oans have been around for a while, seen some things, seem to be pretty knowledgeable? One wonders why they don't have a name-filter on their rings. I mean "Sinestro"!? Like, if you are an Oan, and you decide to sit at a terminal doing a "common-sense pass" over the selections that rings are making... Well, let's say that it finds a school-teacher, who runs an orphanage, whose charges all seem well-informed physically healthy and mentally comfortable. They are liked and celebrated by all who know them, though too humble to recognise it as praise. They also regularly stand up to generic evil megacorporations trying to force her off the land she needs for her school and orphanage... and also various ne'er-do-wells who would harm children. resolving all of her issues with peace and eloquence, despite being well-versed in methods of violence. The ring does a mental scan and reveals that everything is completely on-the-level, she has vast willpower and ethical conviction that aligns with the Green Lanterns' own. So it seems like this... oh, let's call her "Gina Cider", is a good candidate, right? Do you veto this ring's choice?
So maybe Rings are not that infallible in their choices, or maybe natives of the world are just incapable of perceiving certain forms of wordplay. Either way, I guess it is plausible that a Taylor might get a Green Lantern, and probably wouldn't give it up lightly... Actually. Dreamer can, technically, bud, right? And there is all this new data in D.C.land to fuel the process, and Minnie has been granted some extremely powerful puppy-dog-eyes... and Serling is right there, just waiting to be met, with all of her "shadowy organisations are still after me for my creation" conflict potential combined with her natural skill and inclination towards... let's call it "creative utilisations of her available resources"...
"The tactical applications of a goose shaped friend being able to accelerate to supersonic speeds are purely for removing their assigned humans from the radius of danger"
"You launched an assassin into orbit"
"It's not my fault people assumed a privileged state of reference."
The screen was now even more cracked now than when the ride had started, courtesy of Kara stabbing at the screen with more force than was advisable when part of the touchscreen proved unresponsive.
Addy's body is in her early twenties and looks it. Minnie's body looks like a child. Nobody's going to assume that Addy had Minnie when she was a preteen.
Addy's body is in her early twenties and looks it. Minnie's body looks like a child. Nobody's going to assume that Addy had Minnie when she was a preteen.
I was under the impression Minnie looked around the same age as anya from spyxfamily, so around 5-6 years old, which would mean that addie would have been 15-16 at the earliest when she had Minnie, which is biologicaly possible! Just looked down upon and illegal in most places.
If she can't make a kryptonite ray gun, what about a regular gun that fires kryptonite? Or putting some kryptonite in her shoes? Maybe some powdered kryptonite in her bed?
Say i droped administración mishap pretty early but wanst that Qa like pretty much memories an things like shes want conected to the corpes but she was the corpes of taylor?
Correct me if am wrong pls
Barely on-topic, but it struck me that this may be the first thread I've seen on SV where the "Similar Threads" box at the bottom actually makes 100% complete sense. Instead of being random completely unrelated stuff, it lists Administrative Mishap and then four other Sanctioned crossovers.
Of course it doesn't include Sanctioned itself but at this point I'm not sure the original is actually relevant anyway so that checks out too.
I only know from second hand info so might not be accurate, but luthor only got cancer from kryptonite because he constantly had a chunk on his person for multiple years in a row.
Say i droped administración mishap pretty early but wanst that Qa like pretty much memories an things like shes want conected to the corpes but she was the corpes of taylor?
Correct me if am wrong pls
The mind of Administrative Mishap's Taylor Hebert is dead. Her body is biologically living and her former shard is operating that body, and has apparently been somewhat contaminated by that body's mental equipment.
So it is not literally a corpse, but it is the body of someone who is dead. Comics...
Also it is genuinely the shard in control, as opposed to some sort of ghost of the Khepri gestalt or similar scenario.
The shard does think very highly of Taylor Herbert though, and would like her back, but it was firmly stated that Taylor was very much gone, so up until now it was very much mourning Taylor rather than any efforts to recover Taylor.
I think not that they're impossible the clone, but Earth's tech isn't advanced enough to do a complete one. Hence all the "fill in the blanks" and come out as either a incomplete or a flawed product.
"Be good for Lena, okay?" Kara instructed, leaning over to stare Minnie in the eyes as though a difference in height might undercut the order. "She's already overworked enough as it is."
The poorly-disguised Cape frowned and looked over Minnie's shoulder.
"Are you sure that you're up for this? I mean, I know I said it would help a lot, but…"
"Risks are like that sometimes," Lena replied evenly. "I was asked for help and this is the best I can think of so far. Are you quite finished acting like a cat? I appreciate the concern, I really do, but you can't refuse food on the justification of eating at home and then not go home."
Kara blinked.
"A cat?"
"You're standing in the doorway and can't decide whether you want to go out or not."
Kara's cheeks slightly reddened.
"Okay, okay, I get it. I guess I'll get back to you soon if the talk with–"
"Kara," Lena interrupted with audible exasperation. "You are literally standing in the single least secure part of the entire house, on account of it being open. Go."
Kara opened her mouth, stopped, and confined herself to a sheepish smile.
"Um, alright. Have a good night!"
Half an hour and one brief tour of the (surprisingly sturdy) mansion later, Lena and Minnie were back in the saferoom with a variety of vegetarian Thai dishes scattered around them. Lena had apparently already eaten and had left the bulk of the food for Minnie, something the Shard was only too happy to take advantage of. When she was with Danny Hebert, ordering multiple dishes in order to try a variety of flavors would have been considered an extravagant expenditure. Lena had no such qualms, and Minnie was even more incentivized to acquire her as a guardian. Even if Lena intended to maintain emotional distance, access to a portion of her assets would still be a significant and delicious boon.
"I'll finish securing some other parts of the main wing soon enough," Lena promised. "I check for bugs every so often, but I usually live in a penthouse in town. Everyone who comes through here while I'm gone is one more person who might try their hand at spying, and previously found enough to confirm that they do try."
Minnie swallowed her mouthful of rice noodles, bobbed her head to signal acknowledgement and/or agreement, and spun her fork to prepare the next bite while she spoke.
"The need for security may be less of an issue without the servants needed for upkeep. Would it help if I made caretakers to maintain the interior of the structure?"
Minnie took another bite and decided on a whim to switch dishes. That was an option available to her now; she would not need to continue eating even after one dish had begun to lose its appeal.
"I wouldn't say no to more cleaning robots, although I already make some use of some. However, you need to remember that any device can be subverted with the right tools. Thanks to alien tech, even should-be-near-certain methods of remote security such as airgapping are no longer as effective as they should be. The aftermath of the Diamond Digressions hacks proved that much. Once subverted, even weaponless drones could be used as kinetic bludgeons and I don't like your chances against a hostile bodyguard."
Minnie noted Lena's observation for future review. It wasn't that Lena's definition of weaponry was restricted by her own lack of imagination, then; she was perfectly capable of imagining ways that non-specialized tools might be repurposed. Her objections truly were based on a moral framework, and her self-imposed restrictions may make her a good Host for one of Minnie's future buds.
Lena appeared to consider the point for a moment longer before assuming a deliberately false smile.
"Myriad and mind-controlling telepaths have proven that the same problems still apply to people—we are, after all, just biological machines—but at least that's a harder threshold to clear."
"It isn't," Minnie disagreed. "The difficulty of subverting biological entities is approximately equal to that of subverting synthetics. In fact, creatures are more likely to evolve means of harming any competition they will face in their wars for resources. I am not familiar with the 'Myraid' and 'Diamond Digression' events that you referenced; as far as I am aware, they did not occur on Earth Bet. Based on context, I am guessing that Myraid was a high-profile mind control incident, and Diamond Digression involved the use of alien technology to subvert the best digital security measures currently known to Earth?"
"Right on both counts," Lena confirmed. "I can show you relevant articles and briefings later; they were too high-profile to be classified. Still, your point about evolution actually supports my argument. Humans didn't evolve with telepathy, and the aliens possessing it remain a minority on Earth. Our digital frameworks, though? People have been refining ways to subvert systems and steal information from the moment they were first built. It's part of why I would prefer for you to stay away from weaponry; a subverted forcefield might be used to trap victims in an enclosed space, but they're far harder to use for direct and immediate harm."
Suffocation, Minnie didn't propose. Weaponization options would be dependent on the type of "forcefield;" it was a human term predating their sciences on the subject, and as such, so broad as to be almost useless.
"Again, I would welcome automated assistance with keeping the house clean and intact. I would even provide the materials and pay you a fair wage for them. But anything you ever build needs to be made with the assumption that it could be misused through malice or even just ignorance. That means not only digital, but physical safeguards against, say, achieving high velocities, overheating, constriction, cutting, and so on. I can help with that, and so can certain of my employees, but I would appreciate it if you didn't start with a goal of flying house-cleaners with enough concealed weaponry to stop a charging rhinoceros."
Minnie momentarily stopped with a forkful of Pad Thai halfway to her mouth and only remembered to resume the motion after recovering from her surprise. It was a fascinating mindset to be exposed to; many hosts and host-species tried to avoid inflicting damage, but they seldom put significant thought into achieving that ideal. Lena had not only done so, but was familiar enough to predict what Minnie had intended to create. Lena also underestimated QA's Friends, of course, but that was only to be expected after the failure of the greatest security measures Lena knew of.
After another moment of consideration, she recategorized Lena from possible person to person. The non-host was clearly worth it.
"It's a problem that many of those in L-Corp have been forced to contend with. A number of my employees thought that they were working toward humanitarian ideals such as clean energy, gene therapy, food distribution, improved industry, recycling, and so on. The whole world saw how their creations had been twisted when my brother used those inventions to try to kill Superman. There are entire avenues of study that we can't touch anymore, fields that could do so much good, because people have shown they can and will abuse advancements in those fields."
Lena had stopped eating altogether, her eyes failing to track movement as she recalled unhappy memories. QA would not be surprised if the event Lena referenced could have completed a connection between her and a Shard in the process known as "Triggering" to the humans of Earth Bet. Now that Lena was a person, however, QA did not enjoy seeing her sadness.
"Earth Bet also lacked a 'Superman,' 'Supergirl,' and your family in general. Do you know why Superman chose that particular alias? Was it simply intended to reference how he possesses superpowers, but could not utilize the term 'superhuman' as he is not human? Or is he a walking advocate for, and adherent to, the local cultural ideal of gender-specific roles?"
Lena blinked away from her presumably-unpleasant memory review and shook her head, smiling. Minnie's distraction had been at least temporarily successful.
"I'm fairly confident that he didn't pick the name for himself. I don't quite remember if it was the Daily Planet newspaper that first started calling him that, but the name was accepted and seems to have stuck. Supergirl received the same treatment, but I'm positive we can blame Cat Grant for that one. Should anyone ever complain about Superman and Supergirl picking pretentious names, you can assume that that source is too ignorant to heed, willfully lying, deluded, or some combination thereof."
Minnie nodded.
"I will remember that. As for my Friends, please be aware that they are beyond subversion attempts. They were developed into their current forms specifically because I hated having them be stolen out from under me. The worst anyone can do is to force them into non-functionality; my Friends cannot and will not betray me."
"Nothing you've encountered so far is capable of subverting them," Lena falsely 'corrected.' "The world was a big place even before aliens started adding themselves to the equation. Don't you think it's a little premature to assume that nothing in our universe can steal control? You just got here."
"It is not premature. Earth Bet had its own share of exceptionally powerful entities originally capable of assuming control of my Friends, and although it took a great deal of revision, those entities are no longer capable of doing so. That is the whole point."
Lena sighed.
"Humor me for a bit, please. Let's say that your 'Friends' do work as intended and successfully fend off all hijacking attempts. Years go by and the attacks grow more and more sophisticated, but you keep improving their defenses as well and the Friends remain under your control. And then, one day, someone finds a way to take control just for a moment. They fire your Friend's weapons into a crowd, and people are badly injured. It wasn't your fault, but people will condemn first and ask questions later—as far as they know, your robot bodyguard suffered a glitch and all talks of subversion are mere attempts to dodge responsibility for what they view as your mistake.
"I and others would help defend you, and depending on the current political climate, it is very likely that you would escape without legal consequences. But it would take a long time for the incident to face from memory, and until then, few would feel safe around your Friends. The places you were subsequently barred from bringing them would likely be the same places that you most needed their protection. You could strip the weapons and repurpose your Friends solely to pure defense, but by then, you would already have a reputation for concealed weaponry. Who would truly believe that they were as harmless as you claimed?"
To be fair, the doubters would be right. QA probably would have added concealed weaponry just in case her Friends ever needed it.
"I'm not completely banning you from making Friends to protect yourself with," Lena finished gently. "But you can't assume that they're perfect. Hope for the best, plan for the worst."
Lena turned her gaze to her food as she resumed eating, clearly and correctly assuming that Minnie would need time to consider the scenario. Queen Administrator wanted to argue against Lena and assume that their security was impenetrable. The latest Friend models were beyond even the best that her Siblings could bring to bear, QA still believed that, but her Siblings were not the primary threat on this world. Dimensions with interplanetary species and advanced technology were quarantined because they were dangerous. They might have one or more methods of exploiting possible vulnerabilities that QA did not yet know existed. She thought that outcome was unlikely, but any chance greater than zero was unacceptable.
Although, now that she thought about it, Friends were intended to be undyingly loyal to Queen Administrator. All of Queen Administrator. Those safeguards would not protect Minnie's Friends from subversion by the Addy fork; in fact, standard protocols would have them automatically obeying Addy. That would be an exceptionally embarrassing way to be defeated even if it was at her own hand.
Had Queen Shaper argued in favor of the deployment of Minnie as a fork? The other Shard was often delighted to assist in the improvement of Friends, and one major vulnerability had already been discovered. Not only could Queen Administrator turn Friends against herself, but Queen Administrator needed to obey orders and Friends obeyed her. This meant the likes of Broadcast could control them if QA's Siblings agreed that he should be given the appropriate permissions, and that was simply unacceptable.
Where there were two vulnerabilities in a system previously thought to be perfect, more were almost certainly present. Lena was right.
"A new dimension means new vulnerabilities," Minnie acknowledged. "I will endeavor to ensure that subversion would not lead to unacceptable harm. Unfortunately, my preexisting mechanisms of disabling foes could still do severe damage should sufficiently high doses be administered. Standard doses will only vary in how long they disable an opponent, but malice could enable an extreme overdose and resulting harm."
Lena exhaled slowly and smiled at Minnie.
"I do intend to provide you with subjects for study, but the dosage problem seems like an easy fix. Just provide enough to down only a single–"
The smile was replaced by a thoughtful frown.
"No, hold on, aliens exist. We don't have guarantees that a method of non-lethally disabling humans would remain non-toxic to aliens. Multiple units firing at the same target could also lead to issues. Could you occupy yourself by building maintenance robots until I am able to show you some more innocuous protection methods? Approach the project as though they might be sold to strangers, because if your design is suitable and you're willing, they might well be. I imagine the royalties would be helpful even if we decide against having me become your legal guardian."
Queen Administrator wrinkled her nose. She instinctively felt as though she should not trade away any designs. However, she admitted that this universe already violated the usual rules regarding advanced technology. A little more shouldn't introduce added risks to the Cycle.
"Oh, and would you be alright with an appointment at a children's hospital tomorrow afternoon?" Lena asked. "You would be accompanied by one or two members of my security detail to avoid the attention that would come from having me accompany you. Not only will it help prove that you're human, but I imagine it's important to undergo a full health screening after traveling between dimensions."
"That would be fine," Minnie confirmed.
Lena slowly exhaled and furrowed her brow.
"Are you willing to tell me how you traveled here? You don't seem to be in any hurry to get back, I know, but I might be able to help more if I knew why you're here in the first place."
"I do not wish to return at all," Minnie corrected, constructing an excuse as she went. "Earth Bet was a dying world, and as I said, I did not maintain any significant social relationships. My Friends were already designed to find satisfaction and happiness in completing other tasks,"starting with finding and killing all those responsible,"in the event of my demise or disappearance. To link their motivations entirely to me without a backup plan would be cruel. I have not been here for a full day and already have at least two people choosing to prioritize my well-being; that is more than I had on Earth Bet."
It was difficult to interpret Lena's expression. She had stopped eating and now stared at Minnie with… distress? Concern?
"You aren't worried that your Friends will miss you?"
If that was the cause of the expression, then it was easily fixed.
"They were designed not to; they will not," Minnie said simply. Especially since another fork is presumably still present."I did not fight in known conflicts, but as the current situation shows, that was not perfect protection. I was a threat, and the career of a high-profile individual capable of fighting superpowered individuals typically ended in their demise within a decade, or within months for the significantly less competent."
Lena took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, her expression easing into more easily recognized pity.
"One way or another, Kara and I will be ensuring that you can stay here as long as you want to. Supergirl will help, too, I'm sure."
Queen Administrator chose not to comment on how Kara had inadvertently outed herself as Supergirl without thinking. Or had likely outed herself, at least. Kara had referenced things that Supergirl allegedly said or thought, but the only opportunity to speak with Supergirl since meeting Minnie would have been via texting in the ride over using a broken phone. Kara had shown too much caution to discuss QA's situation over such an insecure medium, and given her enhanced physical capabilities, it seemed likely that Kara and Supergirl were one and the same.
Minnie considered offering to modify her own genetics in order to appear related to Lena, but ultimately opted against it. Doing so may make them doubt their belief that Minnie and Addy were versions of each other from different universes, and that had proven too useful of a cover story to jeopardize in such a way. Especially since risking her standing would mean risking her continued access to high-class comforts and security.
She hoped that the post-connection overgrowth in Host's skull wouldn't be noticed by the upcoming medical checkups. It might appear malignant to humans who didn't have Queen Shaper to tell them the supplements were both innocuous and necessary. Actually, QA should probably ask Host about that.
<REQUEST.>
She probably wouldn't receive a direct answer, given the absence of any other orientation information. The fulfillment of her request to appear both human and distinct from the other fork would be completed, or it wouldn't. She would learn at the hospital.
"Your assistance is greatly appreciated. Should I replace my eyes in order to more thoroughly differentiate myself from Addy?"
Lena's chopsticks slipped from limp hands and clattered against her plate. Judging by Lena's wide eyes and horrified visage, Minnie was guessing that was an instant no.
"Why would—absolutely not, that isn't necessary at all! Do you know how many people possess brown eyes and black hair?"
"A statistically significant portion of humanity?"
"Yes! Even changing your eye color sounds like an excellent way to acquire an autoimmune disorder. Just–"
Lena sighed and rubbed at her forehead with one hand.
"Please don't try to replace any of your body parts no matter how confident you are. Please. Did Kara tell you that I made a prosthetic arm for Addy? Because I did, and I can't understate how happy she was to have a working replacement. I don't want you to follow in her footsteps."
This was news to Minnie. It seemed baffling that her counterpart wouldn't just make a prosthetic limb, with or without any active Innovator modules. It wasn't as though doing so would be particularly difficult.
"Understood. How can I help in the short term, then? Maintenance drones would enable longer-term benefits, but are not immediately necessary."
Lena slowly exhaled, relaxed, and reached for a mug of tea instead of her food.
"I'm getting the feeling that pointing out your age wouldn't deter you. If anything, I suppose I need to ask how you feel about having me become your legal guardian instead of, say, Kara or Addy. You may think that you're fine with me being your caretaker in name only, but the necessity of keeping you safe would make it difficult for others to fill the role of a 'proper' mother figure. If you want, we could instead try to find a discreet couple that wants to adopt. You would need to try much harder to hide, but that route would also mean less public attention, no threats from those trying to use you against me, having parents with the time to properly care for you, and even the opportunity to make friends your own age who aren't only interested in what they hope you can do for them."
Lena didn't sound particularly enthused with the idea of Minnie needing to hide. Minnie was self-aware enough to acknowledge that such an endeavor wasn't even truly an option. To waste time waiting to grow when she'd almost certainly been deployed at this age for a reason? No, that option did not appeal.
Additionally, given what Minnie had seen of Lena's personality thus far, Minnie would be very surprised if Lena failed to develop an attachment sooner or later. If Lena would be too busy to spend time with her, then the obvious solution was to eliminate or mitigate the sources of Lena's problems.
"I would not be able to tolerate needing to hide for multiple years. In contrast, the challenges of becoming your ward, foster, or adopted child sound quite enjoyable."
Lena seemed as though she was about to choke on her tea before she managed to swallow and suppress the reflex, blinking rapidly. Only once she'd grabbed a white cloth napkin and held it to her mouth did she cough up the tea she'd inhaled. Minnie was impressed; she knew from experience how difficult it was to suppress automatic human reactions.
"Minnie, did you forget the part where people are trying to kill me, and will try to kidnap you to use against me? You won't be able to go anywhere without an escort and will practically need to interact with the world through a bubble. I'm a billionaire, Minnie, and the circumstances of acquiring that wealth have ensured that the eyes of the world are fixed on me."
Lena closed her eyes, tried to take a deep breath, and coughed again. She held up her index finger until the coughing fit had passed. Humans really needed a better way to expel unwanted fluids; this method appeared to be very unpleasant. It was almost as bad as being able to easily bite their own tongues.
"You should know that a great many people loathe me," Lena eventually croaked, still clearly not free of all the accidentally inhaled tea. "The anti-alien factions hate me because they think I should be more like Luthor. Most everyone else hates me because they think I'm just like him and am just biding my time. Yet more distrust me because I effectively testified against Lex at his trial, and they think that was a selfish betrayal of my own family in order to gain control of L-corp. Some of that hatred and distrust will almost inevitably extend to you should I take you in, and I know you might feel as though it's something you can ignore, but it's exhausting."
Lena appeared more and more distraught as she spoke, possibly reconsidering the idea of exposing a child to that sort of environment. Minnie needed to keep Lena from humoring those second thoughts.
"Still sounds fun," Minnie repeated. "Progress is best achieved when faced with adversity."
Lena blinked rapidly, clearly not having expected that response, and paused to drink more tea. She seemed to have recovered from the earlier accidental inhalation by the time she set it down.
"Good grief," Lena finally sighed. "I almost want to be a fly on the wall when you say that to Supergirl."
Minnie frowned. She was almost certainly misinterpreting Lena's claim.
"Flies are tiny, weak, dumb, and easily squished. Their existence is short and boring. Why would you ever want to be one?"
Lena 's lips twitched into an almost-smile.
"It's a figure of speech to say that I would like to be present and unnoticed at that time. Supergirl's motto is 'Stronger Together,' which is practically the polar opposite of the philosophy you just espoused."
The mirth drained from Lena's expression like blood from a stab wound.
"I know it might seem fun to face challenges while you always win, but eventually... eventually, you'll lose. I can't tell you how terrifying it is to look right at something you know will kill you with no way to stop it, or how upsetting it is to have complete strangers scream obscenities and slurs at you. That's no environment to subject a child to, let alone one lonely enough to name her creations Friends. I wouldn't even subject Addy to that and she's twice your age."
Lena rubbed at her face with one hand, and Minnie did not like the direction this conversation was going. She knew that a decision made in haste could just as easily be canceled, but she didn't want the offer to be retracted. It wasn't as though those who hated Lena and Minnie would be actual people; their opinions were only relevant insofar as it affected their behavior and ability to be manipulated by others.
Minnie knew from experience that her opinions regarding designated personhood were considered highly alarming to most non-hosts. She almost shared them before she remembered Lena's concerns about parental guidance. Sharing the opinions in question would be a little too likely to backfire.
"I very much like and appreciated your earlier offer. You are now focusing on the negative aspects of such a relationship, but to utilize your own words, I would be interacting with the world through a bubble. The negatives are vastly outweighed by the positive aspects: protection, resources, access to a delightfully intelligent person, guidance, restrictions, and opposition."
Lena's frown transitioned types from distressed to thoughtful, as indicated by an accompanying furrowed brow.
"Restrictions?"
Minnie nodded, internally rejoicing. Fixation on a singular odd point was preferable to talking herself out of assisting Minnie.
"Following the path of least resistance is easy and boring. That which exists can be replicated, and anything replicable can be repurposed as a weapon or could aid in the circumstances allowing a weapon's use. By barring me from lethal weaponry or abusable nonlethal weaponry, you have ensured that I cannot simply utilize what I already know. I need to learn more and will acquire knowledge, tools, and options I would have otherwise ignored.
"An individual I met today offered to help me find remote programming work where nobody would be aware of my age or possibly even my gender, both of which would apparently pose problems. I could have been completely self-sufficient and slowly constructed a swarm of Friends with nobody the wiser. I opted not to, and the individual's subsequent attempts to assist me rapidly led to contact with Supergirl and Kara."
They did, after all, appear to be the same person.
"Your offer of guardianship was utterly unexpected, but now that it has been offered as an option, I believe it would be perfect for me. You are obviously intelligent and are imposing constraints on a company that appears to be dedicated to research and development. Therefore, I expect that there will be multiple additional intelligent individuals worthy of interest. I become restless and dissatisfied when I am not provided with a challenge; my prior relative non-interference in Brockton Bay was partially motivated by seeing if anyone would stop me before I made enough Friends to conquer North America."
Lena barked out a surprised laugh and shook her head despite the lack of anything to disagree with. Or perhaps she was saying "no, they would not interfere?"
"They did not appear to be in a hurry to stop me, although I suppose my dimensional displacement could theoretically have been due to someone finally noticing and acting," Minnie concluded misleadingly. "Also, I did not forget about your mention of perceiving seemingly-certain death. I like you and would be very upset if you died, and this places me in a superior position to provide you with protective Friends. I have previously been shot at, and Friends can block bullets; if you are placed in a position where you believe that there is nothing you can do to ensure your survival, then something has gone badly wrong."
Lena was smiling again, her earlier spiraling distress seemingly having been banished.
"I did say that we shouldn't be hasty in making a decision, and I'll stand by that. I will take your opinion into consideration, though."
Lena paused for effect.
"This should go without saying, but armies and self-replicating drones are off-limits regardless of whether or not I become your guardian. People keep trying those and it always goes wrong. I've been told that humanity would've already turned Earth into a tomb world were it not for our resident aliens guarding us from apocalyptic threats."
"I don't need to heed your instructions if you aren't my guardian," Minnie replied with deliberately provocative smugness.
As expected, Lena detected the provocation attempt and derived amusement from it.
"And you don't need to be my ward for me to help. Or for me to have a hand in helping with your upbringing."
"But being your ward would make it significantly easier for you to exert any significant influence on my actions."
"I do know what you're doing. You aren't even trying to be subtle about it."
"I know you know, but it amuses you and I like keeping you happy."
Lena's smile rapidly faded into a troubled frown.
"You know that acting insincerely ingratiating won't make me any more likely to become your guardian. If anything, putting on an act will harm your chances."
Queen Administrator's nose wrinkled. She was trying to be nice. Why did human communications have to be so terrible that they would make Lena misinterpret kindness?
"No, my attempts to cheer you are independent of your prior offer. There are currently two individuals on this Earth that I care about: Kara, and you. Regularly arranging for you two to be in close proximity will simultaneously solve both problems."
"You've known us for hours at most," Lena remarked dubiously, selectively ignoring the remark about proximity.
"And in that time, I have learned that my counterpart values Kara highly enough to be her roommate, and you have displayed significant intelligence without even trying. You have also indicated that you are friends with Addy, which is another mark in your favor. I save my emotions for the people worthy of them, and you two qualify."
Even if Kara's attempts to hide her alter ego are pathetic.
"Also, your mutual infatuation is adorable and unexpectedly entertaining."
Lena went still before slowly and carefully laying down her utensils, visibly aghast.
"Am I being shipped with my best friend by a baby?"
"I do not belong to that age group."
Lena ignored her.
"There is such a thing as a close non-romantic relationship between two people, Minnie. I'm not even sure if Kara likes women."
"Evidence suggests she likes at least one."
"Kara is just like that," Lena claimed, holding tight to exasperation as though it could shield her from the sudden doubts making her face visibly twitch with thought.
"You would know better than I do," Minnie lied.
Lena wordlessly opened her mouth, clearly unable to decide whether she should try harder to convince Minnie or just let it go. Eventually, Lena's mouth closed and she sighed.
Queen Administrator would consider Lena's reaction to be indicative of a successful operation. Minnie wasn't certain that she wanted the two ridiculous humans to actually act on their obvious mutual infatuation, but their awareness of the situation may produce entertaining interactions between the two. It might even teach the two potential hosts a lesson about assumptions and proper communication in interpersonal relationships.
…Upon review, perhaps that was an excessively unrealistic expectation. Humans probably found fictional miscommunication-based misunderstandings humorous specifically because they were so bad at recognizing such problems in their own lives.
I feel like Lena is rapidly becoming aware that her future with Minnie is going to be... extremely interesting. You know, in between all the intrusive thoughts wondering "What if she's right?" about Kara reciprocating her crush.
Queen Administrator would consider Lena's reaction to be indicative of a successful operation. Minnie wasn't certain that she wanted the two ridiculous humans to actually act on their obvious mutual infatuation, but their awareness of the situation may produce entertaining interactions between the two. It might even teach the two potential hosts a lesson about assumptions and proper communication in interpersonal relationships.
…Upon review, perhaps that was an excessively unrealistic expectation. Humans probably found fictional miscommunication-based misunderstandings humorous specifically because they were so bad at recognizing such problems in their own lives.
