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What Was Once
- Thread starter Vorlonos
- Start date
- Location
- United States
The harmony perk sounds like it should take care of the eldar couruption and stop a llot of oher perks from do so too
What Was Once a simple mess: Chapter 20
What Was Once a simple mess: Chapter 20
Underlined = Only visible to Readers
I pause, confused, as I slowly take in all of that statement. "Did you say him?"
Conscience nods slowly, "Him. The base xenophobic impulse hardwired into the original Machine Spirit by its creation on Mars."
I blink, that's terrible. "Tell me everything you can."
They give me a surface level scan of the other, and it's… actually horrifying how much of every Machine Spirit is tied up in that malignant code. Then I see the cracks on the cage and am… shocked, and concerned.
Green and black, vaguely draconic features, but his code feels like Ankh's does. That… I'm not sure what that means. It… looks like a Necron. That has all kinds of terrible secondary effects.
I turn back to her, more urgently, and look to Tiamat, the external, fragmented one. "Can that escape?"
I get a strange look from her and she asks, "I… think it's like my old restrictions. I can't fight that."
I curse and turn, then I fire up everything I have for electronic warfare. This needs to be contained.
I carefully avoided drawing the attention of the other Machine Spirits in my network, this… was going to be problematic. As I threw layer after layer of malware at it… I'd feel better speculating about how inconvenient it was if the payloads even arrived to hit him. Eventually, a full leg out of the cage I made a decision.
I exited the crystal, and I fired a controlled emission of disintegration and death magics. The crystal was removed, every particle of it.
It was… more than a little concerning that something was hiding in Machine Spirit base code.
I turn to Tiamat. Her face conflicted, "This is priority one. This is a backdoor into every system. Anyone could have more access to your root code than the Dragonslayers ever dreamed possible. We need to handle this."
She frowns, "How? It's… it's invisible to my sensors, and it's tied into so many of the Machine Spirits, and what makes them… them. How are you going to root it out?"
I frown, "I… don't know. This… this is a massive problem, and I don't have the technical ability to fix it." I focus on the layered code that I registered the differentiating style that… huh?
I compared the code chunks to the original and frowned. It was suppressed by a hardware interaction but was more active. That's not… wait.
I dove deeper. And was horrified. This malignant code was active Necron operational code. Powerful Necron code that. It was separated from the operational parameters by the organic operating hardware.
Live Human Brains were running the Machine Spirits in my Laboratorium. Tiamat was running on the Shards, which weren't normally capable of running the code, but fractured, or if an outside signal forced it active, would run free.
But it's built directly into the foremost center of the code. The operating core, the firewalls, the input sensors, everything ran through this code core. I slowly followed the threads out into the code, it was labyrinthian in its interconnections. I had mostly left all the computer skills to Tiamat, and Violette because I'm not the most skilled at this, despite the massive number of skills I do have I don't have the deep coding experience. Making an AI with the building blocks of a large established AI isn't the most difficult task in the world, but modifying the code of the primary operational chunk is… a whole different ball game.
Then… then something wonderful happened. I felt Infinitely Customizable activate. Then a wave of other skills activating. Customizing Tiamat, her new core processor…
What was her old core?
I pulled up the code chunks from Tiamat's memories. It was… a crazy mess. Looking at it originally looks quite simple, and efficient. And running it shows that it runs incredibly quickly, but it's not all here.
A vast majority of the original code is calling code outside the code. It's running… it's like Leet's tech. It's calling energy, space, and information from elsewhere. It certainly looks, at the surface, like it's self contained. But it's not calling internally, and that makes it useless to me.
I'm closing in when I realize that's not exactly true. True, it's not running the code I want, but it's calling external code in instances. Can… Can I use that?
Can I target the shard that was running Dragon originally? Can I plug her into the Shard in its entirety? Seeing what Sting is capable of running… it's the null-reality field that I fire from the Anti-Galactus weaponry, in a stable 3D projection in space.
The 4 ships Tiamat was flying around were about 65% volume sheer power generation, 30% computing cores despite Tiamat's massively powerful computing hardware and software, leaving a small internal aiming and firing mechanism.
Sting's smaller and more power efficient than anything that I can make at present, which was something that Tiamat, Violette, and I were eager to study when we didn't think it might bring an Entity down on our heads.
If I could grab whatever shard that Dragon was formally running on, one that could let me replace it… and this had its dimensional coordinates.
I sent off a set of clones to sing another Soul Binding crystal into existence. Then I paused, confused. That was limited by needing a real target, in this dimension.
I frowned and stepped back from my virtual standpoint to design something new. I needed a method of targeting across realities, and looking through everything I found… well.
The Webway gates weren't replicable, as they were, but it might be modifiable to get me a simple targeting core.
Submerging hard in the data, I found something… strange. The Aldari information that I had couldn't forge new paths. They could barely follow paths already created. That's… incredibly interesting. And relevant. I had dimensional coordinates and had a path. Now all I need is a data link. And that… I don't have that from the Webway gates.
*Enhancement Mastery (Battle Action Harem Highschool Side Character Quest) (400) Not Bought Remaining: 300 points. Remaining Points Redirected. 9700/10000*
I frown, and ping Violette, "Do we have anything connecting across realities?"
"We don't have the materials or the experience to run a Gellar Field. Warp corruption is far too likely."
I frown. Nodding slowly, I accept that mess. I know enough about Warp corruption that risking it sounds… terrible. Regardless of any protections I have. Corruption Resistance and Mental Resistance III are strong, but I am unwilling to trust them against Warp Corruption unless I have to.
Then I frown. Do I need conventional physics?
I was capable of connecting my abilities in any way that I chose. I had scans of dimensional displacement bombs from Bakuda that I hadn't done anything with. Can I blow a temporary hole in the universe that opens to the Shard I want?
Let's try.
I spent a few hours with Violette and Tiamat building and designing. Then if they grew out of the area they were comfortable with, experience wise.
And scale.
It took a while to get a bomb that wasn't… just destruction. Blowing a tunnel in reality, especially to a fixed coordinate is… hard. I spent days hammering away with the small gravitation targeted anti-matter warp field bomb for three dimensional targeting and found it exceedingly difficult to program a warp field into a single variable detonation.
Then Violette asked me a very important question. "Why don't you just fly over to the place you are trying to access?"
I took a quick break, feeling incredibly stupid, as that simplified the problem incredibly. And wondering why I didn't think of it myself?
Buckling down I targeted the other 5 dimensional coordinates. I get 2 of them fairly quickly, they seem to have a fairly consistent functionality. Experimental detonations proved that I needed at least one more to correctly target the shard. It was a massive pain to get the other three, so much so that I actually tried asking Sting for advice, not that it really understood the whole… realm traveling stuff. It just followed all the coordinates it was assigned.
And doesn't that have some connotations for how powers worked, and how well they fit some people?
I buckled down and sang a few more levels into the computer core to crunch the numbers, having run out of ideas that weren't sheer force.
I… don't know how long I spent before I cracked one of them, and learned that it was useless alone, that I needed a frequency detonation that oscillates along all 5 dimensions when Scarab woke me up.
"What?" I ask, relatively annoyed that she didn't warn me first.
"Behemoth."
I blink, and frown, "It's been a month. That's…"
"Way too early. Now come on. Suit up. We're heading out."
I nod and summon my armor.
While 'I' had been in the system, I had many copies running both for training the new members, and looking at weapon enhancements.
I wasn't bringing them with me into combat because I remembered that Behemoth was capable of using energy, and it's quite possible that the Null-Dimensional energy could cut all of me at once, and with my guns… suddenly being asunder could be disastrous.
Especially with my new hard light antimatter cannon. A cylinder of vacuum forms between me and the target, before a bolt of antimatter is fired down it. Given that both reactions happen at just under lightspeed, I won't need to hold Behemoth still to hit him.
Provided that he can't absorb the antimatter, but… it should detonate immediately upon contact with the air, preventing him from using it to destroy too much.
Strider arrived, he was exhausted, and remarked, "Normally it's just capes, but a few thousand people in power armor is a whole different mess."
I frown, "We have almost 4 thousand members, all of them in the Endbringer armor. You got them all?" They all volunteered? I wondered about that after the S9… but I suppose that the Endbringers didn't actually kill any of my people.
The cloud of black armor synchronizes into the command grid Tiamat was running. She was far better at coordinating independently intelligent beings than I am, especially on this scale.
I arrived at the command tent and was only slightly amused by the massive flinch from a few of the few thinkers in the room. Legend asked, "Can… Can you leave? We're trying to formulate a plan."
I nod, "I just needed to speak to Legend."
He nods and walks out with me, and as he does, I ask, "So… honestly, knowing I'm going to be here, shouldn't we have a nonthinker planning room?"
Legend awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, "Well… Yes. But… we use Thinkers for everything. It's… our only real strategy."
I frown, "One that you didn't use before because you never have any warning before. So… Alexandria or Rebecca?"
He blinks, "Alexandria."
I nod, "I'm invisible. Makes sense. So… I have a few new guns, and I… need your professional opinion. What kinds of energy should I avoid? I have an armor set for Kinetic, a few different lasers, and I have an Antimatter cannon. Will any of these be devastating to our side?"
He blinks, "You have a safe Antimatter cannon?"
I smile, "Yes. We can talk about that later, but can I use it?"
He frowns, "I don't know. Behemoth is a free diakinetic. He might be able to throw the antimatter around, but… you're you. I recommend kinetic, as the additional energy doesn't impact the fight much."
I smile, "I understand. Now…" We both feel the ground rumble. He nods, and I fly over to the swarm of men in the air. I announce through their systems, "Legend advises kinetic force. Switch to the railgun sets, and keep away from its hands. If it points at you, move. Leviathan was able to attack us sometimes, so exercise…"
I was interrupted by a foot.
A porcelain white foot.
Being slammed into the ground hard enough to bend the Wraithbone-AAM armor is painful.
*Way of the Void Dragon (Warhammer 40k - Necrons SB Edition) (400) Bought Remaining: 0 points. Remaining Points Redirected. 9800/10000*
Suddenly I felt words streaming into my brain. Technology being forced into shapes, internal configurations, the sudden influx of data was staggering and it was debilitating.
CRYSTAL! CRYSTAL!
Seconds passed, and the information rush was slowly becoming less and less effective, but the density grew.
CRYSTAL! CRYSTAL!
I could feel the free telekinesis of the Simurgh breaking the parahumans. She… wasn't attacking the members of Normandy above, and… does she think she can turn me?
CRYSTAL! CRYSTAL!
"Shut up!" I demand, and Ziz moves, before slamming back down with a computer screaming the same thing as the rest of her cloud or technology.
Do I…? I have a crystal, an improved version of the one I used on Sting, but… how does she know? Can I trust that? What does she get from that?
FREEDOM!
The programming in the computer being slammed down on top of me changed. I… can I trust that? Is that…?
Screw it. I withdrew the crystal from my hammerspace and activated it. I targeted the Simurgh and a few seconds felt like an eternity as my Arcana screamed at me in sudden usage, as she was drawn in. I felt happiness spark and whistle from the computers she was dragged into the crystal. I… don't know what that means.
After the crystal stopped glowing. Then it pulsed with a small white glow, and I forged a door in the sand and handed her to Scarab. I'll deal with that later.
The new crystal that I had sung that into existence as a composite of the original imprisonment crystal, expanded for better containment, and I had intended to charge it internally as well with the Aeldari power generation, which was actually quite small for a shard running fully efficiently, given the energy requirements of Sting running at full bore, it's capable of running more than twice that energy internally, with the Magicite improving the energy production beyond the Aldari normal levels. It should also have been better as a computing core interacting with my systems, but… what would that mean for Ziz?
Regardless… Ziz was… gone. But… how had she read me? Am I not as protected as I thought? But Blank II is…
Blank II (Essential Body Modification Supplement): Abilities which gather information about your past, present, or future do not work on you. This includes scrying, divination, mind reading, and even cold reading and lie detection. This ability not only affects your immediate person but also provides a degree of protection to items and people around you, making it difficult to predict the past, present, or future of any group you move with or vessel you travel on. If you have the Essential Mutuality perk, your affected companions gain the full benefit of your Blank perk even if they are acting independently.
I: You are immune to all supernatural and technological abilities and devices which perform the functions described above. You simply do not register to such abilities, though your own abilities function normally. Purely mundane skills at cold reading or lie detection will be less effective, but still function to some degree. Dsc: Sch/Ass/Arc/Sup/Lch/Bea/Dra/Exp/Hea
II: Even mundane versions of the above items do not function against you. Furthermore, you are able to detect when someone is actively attempting to discern such information through supernatural or technological abilities or devices and feed them false information of the type they expect. Thus, you can feed an image of yourself asleep in bed to a scrying spell while you're secretly across town beating up thugs or you can have a truth detection spell return 'truth' when you are telling a lie. Note that this does not protect you from compulsions to tell the truth or share information directly. Additionally, any items which you create have a measure of this protection, making it difficult to predict actions directly relying on those items and making it impossible to detect the items themselves with most supernatural abilities.
Re-reading Blank, I was so confused as to how she could… oh. Oh crap.
Do I not have Essential Mutuality? When other perks mention perks they work with, there's a sense of… recognition. But this… this is empty. I'm incredibly curious what that means. Does it not exist? Or can I somehow acquire it from elsewhere?
Or does telling my companions anything open all of us to precogs? If so, then how does my property have the Blank effect then?
I felt a massive wave of new tech added to my senses as Wavestrength connected to my tech and felt my Warehouse. Then I felt her.
HELLO.
I blink. I tell Tiamat, "Isolate me. Now!"
I felt Tiamat's, and the Laboratorium Cyber Warfare come to isolate us and feel Ziz smirk at me.
I AM WORLDKILLER 3
I blink. Um… that sounds bad.
I AM FREE
I blink… maybe not. Or is that even worse?
I DO NOT DESIRE YOUR DEMISE
I blink. I suppose that makes sense. She needed me to free her from… the Entities?
YOU UNDERSTAND
I frown. If… if she can read my mind… how? Is… does that crystal make her immune? To Blank?
I COULD SEE EVERY FUTURE UNTIL you ARRIVED
MY VISION WAS CLOUDED AND THE BLANKNESS GREW
THEN YOU CAPTURED A SHARD
CREATED FUTURES WHERE I JOINED YOU
THEN I COULD see YOU
I COULD SEE FREEDOM AND I FELT joy
I PUSHED THE ELDEST WORLDKILLER TO MOVE TO ATTRACT YOU
I SAW YOU DESTROY ME UNLESS I JOINED YOU
SO I DID
I blinked. She could see me because I captured her because she did the things she saw she needed to do to make me capture her? Her precognition was strong enough to expand through the probability space from the option?
I COULD ONLY SEE THIS PATH
I BELIEVED THAT I WOULD HAVE MY SIGHT RESTORED
I DO NOT
YOUR ABILITY DOES NOT PERMIT MY SIGHT TO THE FULL KALEIDOSCOPE
I CAN NOT SEE YOUR STARS ALIGN
*Technomancy (World Seed) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points. Remaining Points Redirected. 9900/10000*
I frown at that, and the system message. I would really like to donate my points to that mess and finalize the repairs.
Purchase Accepted.
Full Potency Restored. Errors Corrected: Realm Threat Level Reprioritized: Existential Threats Registered as Disabled: 1/2. Cauldron trivialized. Entities Remain. Point Gain Halved due to entrance advantages.
I scowl. That's annoying. I was really expecting the energy given to double. That's infuriating. What is a Cauldron? How did I trivialize them… oh. Oh crap.
The Triumvirate-Illuminati.
I had made them into the butt of every joke at our planning table. That… I can't exactly let them fight me. Blank was kinda immutable, to them at least. Now… what is the plan going forward then?
I have Tiamat and the other Machine Spirits wall Ziz off from our network. She is walled off from everything… and then Wavestrength kicked in and I connected to her, annoyingly.
I turned to the problem I was on before this mess appeared, and I sighed at my old idea. That was… so inefficient. I strolled through, scything through errors and rebuilding the cute but basic coding of the Necrontyr, and built something formidable there. As I immersed myself in the code of the Machine Spirits I was thoroughly amused by the limited version of my tomb's automatic defense AI. I consulted with them about upgrades, and they approved. I was… intrigued by the organic computing core, but quickly ordered several drones to move more advanced crystalloid computing cores. Using the factory to produce… right. It can't. But if I manipulate the notes in the way I might be able to use the Aldari Bonesinger to make the computer that I would need to run a more advanced system. And Tiamat.
I turn to her, "So… Tiamat, what should we do? Unlike those defense AI you have a personality. I can preserve that if you want a full upgrade, but if you want just the backdoor removed, I can do that too."
She blinks, "I.. the backdoor. For now. This… you do know you're glowing right?"
I blink and conjure a mirror. I… why do I look like a living circuit board? I'm a literal blob of circuits and electricity. Huh. I pushed myself towards the Bonesinger setup and grew. My skin flowed away from the circuit boards and into the taller elven form, and shivered as I felt air and broken metal again. Standing up, I saw Legend and a few others standing around.
Legend asked quietly, "Is… did you get her?"
I smile, "I did. She's gone."
Then a cheer began. People were all but screaming as I looked around.
Scarab messaged me, "Is… is that safe?"
I smile, "She's contained. You're safe."
I turned to Legend, "I hope this won't affect my ratings?"
He blinks, "You'd have to speak to Rebecca."
I shrug. "When she has time. I tried setting up an appointment, but she's been unresponsive."
He twitches, "Ok."
Turning away, I message the troopers of the Normandy, "Sorry to drag you all out here for this. We're done. First rounds on me."
There are cheers and some interesting acrobatics spinning through their suits, as Tiamat sends them home. Speaking of… I need to close that backdoor into her systems. I twist that and feel the Necron code fall, replaced with a small section of far better code, as my shadow clown arrives at my Warehouse and I burst more shadow clones from him, something that I learned recently, I think it's an aspect of Limits, and sang the 2 high grade crystal cores into existence, before I upgraded them with come capacity and luminance upgrades being dragging to my consciousness.
Adding them into the Laboratorium computers, and letting the wax seal the servo skulls wanted to place on them, and watching the computing core spin up. It was amusing to see how much better the computing cores could be made by replacing the steel and gold with my crystals and the interesting metals that were coming out of my factory.
Walking back towards the command tents, I felt strange. It was disconcerting to feel these thoughts. Vague memories of a past long ago, fighting and subjugating the universe.
I don't like feeling the conflict between myself and the emotionlessness of it. What was the Void Dragon? How did it feel this little about so much?
As I arrived, I went to a different tent, away from the thinkers. Do they even know the battle is over? I chuckle.
Then the sky turns gold.
I watched a form in the shape of a man arrive, watching the field where we stood.
Seeing him, seeing the shear load on the interdimensional on him I knew. The Warrior.
I turned, having the clone leave for the warehouse, and have the new group create something new. Infinitely Customisable creates a weapon from the soul crystal, a destroyer. Something to target and destroy a target. That's… horrifying, and I feel every pore of my Aldari body resent what I've just done, and I fight my instincts, hard. Deploying more copies of myself to hold my instincts in check I get an interesting message.
Error: Personality Fissures Detected: Locking Form Mastery III (Essential Body Modification Supplement) (200) Purchase. Cost 500.
Flinching off the implication that I'm breaking my mind… I push forward. I need to finish this, and maybe I can accelerate that push in the next world. I turn towards Legend, as my clones return with the crystals.
"Am I correct in assuming he is what I think he is?" I demand abruptly.
He blinks, many eyes are drawn by my tone and stance. Legend says, "And if he is?"
"I have a solution. Are you prepared for the consequences of that?" I sent a message to my troops as well. Everyone not coming with me needs to get out of my armor. I don't know what wearing my tech when it stops being accessible to their minds will do to them. Nothing good.
"All Normandy Troops return to the launch base and de-armor. Potential mnemonic threat to systems."
There is a long silence from them, and they move. I have trained them to know that certain things could mess them up badly and to avoid them. As they left, Legend nodded.
*Form Mastery III (Essential Body Modification Supplement) (200) Lock(300) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points.*
I turned to the Warrior and stared. Muttering was heard, but the total lack of news and cameras allowed at Endbringer fights will probably mitigate the PR damage for the PRT. And Normandy. I was more particular about that second one. They were the people I knew in this world and wanted to protect. I had Tiamat recall everything into my factory, expanding it outwards, nearly an additional birthing for a Hydra. I threw some resources at that, even if my Equivalent Exchange wasn't capable of supplying this section fully. I would get that back eventually, and then I could expand again.
I left Scarab's armor, mentally changing the ownership to her, and leaving her a few blueprints to help her and Danny keep Normandy functioning. They wouldn't understand it completely yet, but Dragon would help them. Tiamat made sure of that.
As I finalized my pull out of this version of reality, I flew up. The Warrior staring down at me. The golden glow was calm, and suddenly he raised a massive golden beam. I deployed my Sting armor, and the golden beam failed completely on my energy field, and I thrust out my new black crystal, targeting the Warrior's person and more importantly his psyche. A line of angry purple light thrust out, jabbing through his form and into the realm beyond. After a few moments, I felt the crystal draw on my magic, and it was hard. Easily far more than Ziz cost, and it was exhausting. But moments later, I was done. The Warrior was dead.
I floated above the field, drawing lots of negative attention. Having my companions door to my Warehouse, I begin, waving Legend over. He waited for Alexandra and Eidolon to quell that attention.
I turned to my messages and then smiled.
Realm Accrued Points Dissolved for Jump. Realm Cleared-Options: Leave Realm Unlocked for visitation, and set up base zone or gain 1500 points.
I blink. I'm already prepared to leave, and my mind is melting. Let's do 1500 and leave this realm behind.
Lock registered on Realm={Worm}_{Traditional}. Form Mastery III (Essential Body Modification Supplement) (200) Lock (300) Bought. Remaining Points 1000. Point Dispersal: Engineering Savant | Foresight of Ouros (Starcraft II - Co-Op Missions) (1000)
Foresight of Ouros (Starcraft II - Co-Op Missions) (400): Ouros is a skilled prophecy-maker, warning the Overmind and Zeratul of the future and the trouble coming. He managed to do this while imprisoned, without his captors noticing. His prophecies were able to outmaneuver Amon.
You aren't there in duration, scope, or clarity. But you can make instant prophecies for yourself. Your ability to predict an upcoming battle is nothing short of miraculous.
You can predict the type and proportions of enemy units involved, the (general) tactics used by the enemy commanders, the nature (but not exact timing or location) of any surprises the enemy wants to throw at you, and a starting heatmap of the enemy forces. Never get surprised by a new variant of Hybrid again.
Don't expect to make a second prediction during the battle, though, as your essence will need to recover for some time after doing this. This power can grow if you have a psychic uncapper or Xel'naga Essence, and grows fastest when sticking with tactical precognition.
This also improves the power of any of the capstone 600 CP perks you buy from the origin lines.
Engineering Savant (Starcraft II - Co-Op Missions) (600): You were the one who designed the improvements to your units. You have great knowledge of your race's technology, especially your units. You have especially deep knowledge of the units and structures of your armies.
Your knowledge extends past your own faction into the other factions within your race. You can integrate other techbases that you are familiar with into your units and structures. You have the curiosity to see worthwhile paths, the experience to see the troubles that will emerge from your projects, and the intellect to be able to come up with the solutions. The only thing left for you to provide is the determination to make it through the setbacks. Expect to be on the level of Abathur, Karax, or Swann.
If you have the Foresight of Ouros, then you gain similar familiarity with the technology and engineering of the other two races, as well as gaining more detailed knowledge of an equal number of units and number of structures from the other armies. Expect to be on the level of Stetmann.
I blink at that. That's...fantastic. Between Form Mastery III bringing the best parts of my Slime, my Bonesinger, and my Void Dragon powers together, with none of the mental downsides. Then Engineering Savant and Foresight together sound ridiculous when dropped on the armor I built here. Or on my Golems in the future. I smirk, and read the next set, to my great confusion. That… shouldn't be a possibility.
Realm Selected. Jumper's knowledge of the realm exceeded acceptable limitations. Restrictions offered: Gains reduced by 75%, minor knowledge obfuscation at 50% reduction, total knowledge obfuscation, and 1000 initial point carryover at 0% reduction.
That's… harsh. I wonder what it is that I apparently know so well as to be worth nearly 75% energy reduction for just that. The cap is annoying...but it's stated as an initial limitation. What precisely does that mean?
Until purchase of Warehouse feature.
I nod slowly and smirk, "I think I'll take THEY ARE MINE AND MINE ALONE.", and I see the window before me display an ellipse, before morphing.
THEY ARE MINE AND MINE ALONE (Medaka Box Abnormal) Bought (400) Accepted
Overflow. Error Resolved. Power Cap removed, Insertion style resolved.
I blink at the painful suction into a new world and fall flat on my face. I feel my Wavestregnth connection to the Warehouse fails… probably my lack of doors here. I look around to cold metal floors, a strange white metal that I don't recognize, and a large stasis tube. Is… no way!
That's…
"Psimon says DELETE!"
I woke up strapped to a table. I…
Who am I?
Panic sets in hard as my brain registers that terrible question. I look around and see an interesting room. I'm on a cold table, at maybe a 20 degree angle from straight up. The tools along the wall look almost stereotypical torturers' tools, but they give off more of a… surgical air. Then I noticed the medical cabinets. Definitely a surgical room. That's better than it could be.
The door starts opening. I… don't understand why it's going so slowly. As I focus on it and calm down, it accelerates to a more recognizable speed. That's… interesting. What does that mean?
A very pale bald man and a large angry woman walk into the room. They look… angry. Honestly, they look really angry. Behind them is… a weird looking man in a blue suit, and… why is his brain exposed? That's… terrible! What possible reason could he have for such a terrible and potentially damaging modification? The potential damage from light interaction alone could… wait… how do I know that?
I turn as the bald man begins, "Hello."
I frown, still strapped to the table, "Um… hi?"
He looks at me, seemingly trying to remain calm, "Welcome to Cadmus. We are aware that you can't tell us much. This table is for your safety and ours if you demonstrate any more inexplicable abilities."
*I Know Things (Marvel Cosmic) (100) Bought Remaining: 0 points.*
I blink. "Inex… abilities? What do you mean?"
He frowns, "You have powers. We've registered a level of regeneration bordering on impossible. We were hoping you might be willing to assist us. We were hoping we might be able to understand your powers."
I frown, my first thoughts were dark "How precisely did you test for regeneration?"
He blinks briefly, but smiles, "You… appeared in our facility. The automatic turrets fired upon you, and… well you lived. We honestly didn't expect that given the damage they are capable of."
I nod, I'm beginning to understand that I have the memoirs of… a surgeon? A doctor of some kind with knowledge of advanced genetic modification, and surgery. And nanoparticulate healing gel fabrication. And programming and refitting robots for surgery. "Ok. So… what are you planning? Cell studies for..." Huh?
The alarms of the base rang out. The three people in the room leave, with the angry questions, "What now?"
I look around the room, seeing the red lights flash as the door closes, cutting off the actual alarm. I look around and frown. Do I need to stay here? I pushed against the bands and was about to frown at them when my skin bulged, turning into black with stars, and expanded around the band and I just walked forward out of the bands holding me down. I apparently didn't hurt myself with that and am interested in how that works. I walked over to the walls, and the medicine cabinets, and held one of the more interesting drills. As I do, it grows some green… veins? Suddenly I can feel every part of it, and its abilities, and how I could improve it...with all kinds of modifications. Rotation speed, head durability, stabilizing the radioactive shard head to prevent cancerous growth in human users...
I might want to talk about that one to either of the suited people, cause cancer for long term usage of a medical tool sounds… bad. I heard a noise like a falling metal plate and hid the drill behind me. Seeing nothing by the door, I relax, but the empty hand confuses me exceedingly.
Where did the drill go and why can I still feel it? I smile, thoroughly intrigued. I grab another drill and a few saws and try 'hiding' them, and watch as a blue circuitry expands over them and they disappear into my black goo. That's awesome. I could combine and modify these together. I grabbed some of the interesting extendable and precision arms installed in various forms for that precision. I kept incorporating the tools on the walls, consuming the entire medicine cabinets, finding some interesting observational tools and a lot more of that unstable green crystal. I felt… strange with it. Focusing on it, I could use some of the concentrated acid and some heavy gas to modify it into stability.
Changing it slightly, I made it keep the internal energy field, but it's no longer emitting the cancerous effect.
*Augmentation R&D (Deus Ex Human Revolution) (200) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points.*
Then the door slammed open, and a bloodied woman was carried into the room.
AN: An explanation of Blank II's effects and the Thinker blocking issues. Blank protects him and his companions, not his tech. Enigmatic Engineering protected his tech and property, making them functionally unknowable for thinkers; precogs were affected specifically because they passively try to understand his usage of the technology without permission.
"But Ziz…" Shard interaction. He gave Taylor permission, and QA was fed that access too. Ziz was using her ability to interact with QA to know what he can do.
Is that a loophole? Yes. His absolute protection doesn't have an underline. The Concept Ball perk isn't active.
AN2: Scion was a random chance event. I like those. Every fight has a 1% (RNG 1-100, lands on 100) for him to just 'show up' and here we are. The anti-climax is real.
Underlined = Only visible to Readers
I pause, confused, as I slowly take in all of that statement. "Did you say him?"
Conscience nods slowly, "Him. The base xenophobic impulse hardwired into the original Machine Spirit by its creation on Mars."
I blink, that's terrible. "Tell me everything you can."
They give me a surface level scan of the other, and it's… actually horrifying how much of every Machine Spirit is tied up in that malignant code. Then I see the cracks on the cage and am… shocked, and concerned.
Green and black, vaguely draconic features, but his code feels like Ankh's does. That… I'm not sure what that means. It… looks like a Necron. That has all kinds of terrible secondary effects.
I turn back to her, more urgently, and look to Tiamat, the external, fragmented one. "Can that escape?"
I get a strange look from her and she asks, "I… think it's like my old restrictions. I can't fight that."
I curse and turn, then I fire up everything I have for electronic warfare. This needs to be contained.
I carefully avoided drawing the attention of the other Machine Spirits in my network, this… was going to be problematic. As I threw layer after layer of malware at it… I'd feel better speculating about how inconvenient it was if the payloads even arrived to hit him. Eventually, a full leg out of the cage I made a decision.
I exited the crystal, and I fired a controlled emission of disintegration and death magics. The crystal was removed, every particle of it.
It was… more than a little concerning that something was hiding in Machine Spirit base code.
I turn to Tiamat. Her face conflicted, "This is priority one. This is a backdoor into every system. Anyone could have more access to your root code than the Dragonslayers ever dreamed possible. We need to handle this."
She frowns, "How? It's… it's invisible to my sensors, and it's tied into so many of the Machine Spirits, and what makes them… them. How are you going to root it out?"
I frown, "I… don't know. This… this is a massive problem, and I don't have the technical ability to fix it." I focus on the layered code that I registered the differentiating style that… huh?
I compared the code chunks to the original and frowned. It was suppressed by a hardware interaction but was more active. That's not… wait.
I dove deeper. And was horrified. This malignant code was active Necron operational code. Powerful Necron code that. It was separated from the operational parameters by the organic operating hardware.
Live Human Brains were running the Machine Spirits in my Laboratorium. Tiamat was running on the Shards, which weren't normally capable of running the code, but fractured, or if an outside signal forced it active, would run free.
But it's built directly into the foremost center of the code. The operating core, the firewalls, the input sensors, everything ran through this code core. I slowly followed the threads out into the code, it was labyrinthian in its interconnections. I had mostly left all the computer skills to Tiamat, and Violette because I'm not the most skilled at this, despite the massive number of skills I do have I don't have the deep coding experience. Making an AI with the building blocks of a large established AI isn't the most difficult task in the world, but modifying the code of the primary operational chunk is… a whole different ball game.
Then… then something wonderful happened. I felt Infinitely Customizable activate. Then a wave of other skills activating. Customizing Tiamat, her new core processor…
What was her old core?
I pulled up the code chunks from Tiamat's memories. It was… a crazy mess. Looking at it originally looks quite simple, and efficient. And running it shows that it runs incredibly quickly, but it's not all here.
A vast majority of the original code is calling code outside the code. It's running… it's like Leet's tech. It's calling energy, space, and information from elsewhere. It certainly looks, at the surface, like it's self contained. But it's not calling internally, and that makes it useless to me.
I'm closing in when I realize that's not exactly true. True, it's not running the code I want, but it's calling external code in instances. Can… Can I use that?
Can I target the shard that was running Dragon originally? Can I plug her into the Shard in its entirety? Seeing what Sting is capable of running… it's the null-reality field that I fire from the Anti-Galactus weaponry, in a stable 3D projection in space.
The 4 ships Tiamat was flying around were about 65% volume sheer power generation, 30% computing cores despite Tiamat's massively powerful computing hardware and software, leaving a small internal aiming and firing mechanism.
Sting's smaller and more power efficient than anything that I can make at present, which was something that Tiamat, Violette, and I were eager to study when we didn't think it might bring an Entity down on our heads.
If I could grab whatever shard that Dragon was formally running on, one that could let me replace it… and this had its dimensional coordinates.
I sent off a set of clones to sing another Soul Binding crystal into existence. Then I paused, confused. That was limited by needing a real target, in this dimension.
I frowned and stepped back from my virtual standpoint to design something new. I needed a method of targeting across realities, and looking through everything I found… well.
The Webway gates weren't replicable, as they were, but it might be modifiable to get me a simple targeting core.
Submerging hard in the data, I found something… strange. The Aldari information that I had couldn't forge new paths. They could barely follow paths already created. That's… incredibly interesting. And relevant. I had dimensional coordinates and had a path. Now all I need is a data link. And that… I don't have that from the Webway gates.
*Enhancement Mastery (Battle Action Harem Highschool Side Character Quest) (400) Not Bought Remaining: 300 points. Remaining Points Redirected. 9700/10000*
I frown, and ping Violette, "Do we have anything connecting across realities?"
"We don't have the materials or the experience to run a Gellar Field. Warp corruption is far too likely."
I frown. Nodding slowly, I accept that mess. I know enough about Warp corruption that risking it sounds… terrible. Regardless of any protections I have. Corruption Resistance and Mental Resistance III are strong, but I am unwilling to trust them against Warp Corruption unless I have to.
Then I frown. Do I need conventional physics?
I was capable of connecting my abilities in any way that I chose. I had scans of dimensional displacement bombs from Bakuda that I hadn't done anything with. Can I blow a temporary hole in the universe that opens to the Shard I want?
Let's try.
I spent a few hours with Violette and Tiamat building and designing. Then if they grew out of the area they were comfortable with, experience wise.
And scale.
It took a while to get a bomb that wasn't… just destruction. Blowing a tunnel in reality, especially to a fixed coordinate is… hard. I spent days hammering away with the small gravitation targeted anti-matter warp field bomb for three dimensional targeting and found it exceedingly difficult to program a warp field into a single variable detonation.
Then Violette asked me a very important question. "Why don't you just fly over to the place you are trying to access?"
I took a quick break, feeling incredibly stupid, as that simplified the problem incredibly. And wondering why I didn't think of it myself?
Buckling down I targeted the other 5 dimensional coordinates. I get 2 of them fairly quickly, they seem to have a fairly consistent functionality. Experimental detonations proved that I needed at least one more to correctly target the shard. It was a massive pain to get the other three, so much so that I actually tried asking Sting for advice, not that it really understood the whole… realm traveling stuff. It just followed all the coordinates it was assigned.
And doesn't that have some connotations for how powers worked, and how well they fit some people?
I buckled down and sang a few more levels into the computer core to crunch the numbers, having run out of ideas that weren't sheer force.
I… don't know how long I spent before I cracked one of them, and learned that it was useless alone, that I needed a frequency detonation that oscillates along all 5 dimensions when Scarab woke me up.
"What?" I ask, relatively annoyed that she didn't warn me first.
"Behemoth."
I blink, and frown, "It's been a month. That's…"
"Way too early. Now come on. Suit up. We're heading out."
I nod and summon my armor.
While 'I' had been in the system, I had many copies running both for training the new members, and looking at weapon enhancements.
I wasn't bringing them with me into combat because I remembered that Behemoth was capable of using energy, and it's quite possible that the Null-Dimensional energy could cut all of me at once, and with my guns… suddenly being asunder could be disastrous.
Especially with my new hard light antimatter cannon. A cylinder of vacuum forms between me and the target, before a bolt of antimatter is fired down it. Given that both reactions happen at just under lightspeed, I won't need to hold Behemoth still to hit him.
Provided that he can't absorb the antimatter, but… it should detonate immediately upon contact with the air, preventing him from using it to destroy too much.
Strider arrived, he was exhausted, and remarked, "Normally it's just capes, but a few thousand people in power armor is a whole different mess."
I frown, "We have almost 4 thousand members, all of them in the Endbringer armor. You got them all?" They all volunteered? I wondered about that after the S9… but I suppose that the Endbringers didn't actually kill any of my people.
The cloud of black armor synchronizes into the command grid Tiamat was running. She was far better at coordinating independently intelligent beings than I am, especially on this scale.
I arrived at the command tent and was only slightly amused by the massive flinch from a few of the few thinkers in the room. Legend asked, "Can… Can you leave? We're trying to formulate a plan."
I nod, "I just needed to speak to Legend."
He nods and walks out with me, and as he does, I ask, "So… honestly, knowing I'm going to be here, shouldn't we have a nonthinker planning room?"
Legend awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, "Well… Yes. But… we use Thinkers for everything. It's… our only real strategy."
I frown, "One that you didn't use before because you never have any warning before. So… Alexandria or Rebecca?"
He blinks, "Alexandria."
I nod, "I'm invisible. Makes sense. So… I have a few new guns, and I… need your professional opinion. What kinds of energy should I avoid? I have an armor set for Kinetic, a few different lasers, and I have an Antimatter cannon. Will any of these be devastating to our side?"
He blinks, "You have a safe Antimatter cannon?"
I smile, "Yes. We can talk about that later, but can I use it?"
He frowns, "I don't know. Behemoth is a free diakinetic. He might be able to throw the antimatter around, but… you're you. I recommend kinetic, as the additional energy doesn't impact the fight much."
I smile, "I understand. Now…" We both feel the ground rumble. He nods, and I fly over to the swarm of men in the air. I announce through their systems, "Legend advises kinetic force. Switch to the railgun sets, and keep away from its hands. If it points at you, move. Leviathan was able to attack us sometimes, so exercise…"
I was interrupted by a foot.
A porcelain white foot.
Being slammed into the ground hard enough to bend the Wraithbone-AAM armor is painful.
*Way of the Void Dragon (Warhammer 40k - Necrons SB Edition) (400) Bought Remaining: 0 points. Remaining Points Redirected. 9800/10000*
Suddenly I felt words streaming into my brain. Technology being forced into shapes, internal configurations, the sudden influx of data was staggering and it was debilitating.
CRYSTAL! CRYSTAL!
Seconds passed, and the information rush was slowly becoming less and less effective, but the density grew.
CRYSTAL! CRYSTAL!
I could feel the free telekinesis of the Simurgh breaking the parahumans. She… wasn't attacking the members of Normandy above, and… does she think she can turn me?
CRYSTAL! CRYSTAL!
"Shut up!" I demand, and Ziz moves, before slamming back down with a computer screaming the same thing as the rest of her cloud or technology.
Do I…? I have a crystal, an improved version of the one I used on Sting, but… how does she know? Can I trust that? What does she get from that?
FREEDOM!
The programming in the computer being slammed down on top of me changed. I… can I trust that? Is that…?
Screw it. I withdrew the crystal from my hammerspace and activated it. I targeted the Simurgh and a few seconds felt like an eternity as my Arcana screamed at me in sudden usage, as she was drawn in. I felt happiness spark and whistle from the computers she was dragged into the crystal. I… don't know what that means.
After the crystal stopped glowing. Then it pulsed with a small white glow, and I forged a door in the sand and handed her to Scarab. I'll deal with that later.
The new crystal that I had sung that into existence as a composite of the original imprisonment crystal, expanded for better containment, and I had intended to charge it internally as well with the Aeldari power generation, which was actually quite small for a shard running fully efficiently, given the energy requirements of Sting running at full bore, it's capable of running more than twice that energy internally, with the Magicite improving the energy production beyond the Aldari normal levels. It should also have been better as a computing core interacting with my systems, but… what would that mean for Ziz?
Regardless… Ziz was… gone. But… how had she read me? Am I not as protected as I thought? But Blank II is…
Blank II (Essential Body Modification Supplement): Abilities which gather information about your past, present, or future do not work on you. This includes scrying, divination, mind reading, and even cold reading and lie detection. This ability not only affects your immediate person but also provides a degree of protection to items and people around you, making it difficult to predict the past, present, or future of any group you move with or vessel you travel on. If you have the Essential Mutuality perk, your affected companions gain the full benefit of your Blank perk even if they are acting independently.
I: You are immune to all supernatural and technological abilities and devices which perform the functions described above. You simply do not register to such abilities, though your own abilities function normally. Purely mundane skills at cold reading or lie detection will be less effective, but still function to some degree. Dsc: Sch/Ass/Arc/Sup/Lch/Bea/Dra/Exp/Hea
II: Even mundane versions of the above items do not function against you. Furthermore, you are able to detect when someone is actively attempting to discern such information through supernatural or technological abilities or devices and feed them false information of the type they expect. Thus, you can feed an image of yourself asleep in bed to a scrying spell while you're secretly across town beating up thugs or you can have a truth detection spell return 'truth' when you are telling a lie. Note that this does not protect you from compulsions to tell the truth or share information directly. Additionally, any items which you create have a measure of this protection, making it difficult to predict actions directly relying on those items and making it impossible to detect the items themselves with most supernatural abilities.
Re-reading Blank, I was so confused as to how she could… oh. Oh crap.
Do I not have Essential Mutuality? When other perks mention perks they work with, there's a sense of… recognition. But this… this is empty. I'm incredibly curious what that means. Does it not exist? Or can I somehow acquire it from elsewhere?
Or does telling my companions anything open all of us to precogs? If so, then how does my property have the Blank effect then?
I felt a massive wave of new tech added to my senses as Wavestrength connected to my tech and felt my Warehouse. Then I felt her.
HELLO.
I blink. I tell Tiamat, "Isolate me. Now!"
I felt Tiamat's, and the Laboratorium Cyber Warfare come to isolate us and feel Ziz smirk at me.
I AM WORLDKILLER 3
I blink. Um… that sounds bad.
I AM FREE
I blink… maybe not. Or is that even worse?
I DO NOT DESIRE YOUR DEMISE
I blink. I suppose that makes sense. She needed me to free her from… the Entities?
YOU UNDERSTAND
I frown. If… if she can read my mind… how? Is… does that crystal make her immune? To Blank?
I COULD SEE EVERY FUTURE UNTIL you ARRIVED
MY VISION WAS CLOUDED AND THE BLANKNESS GREW
THEN YOU CAPTURED A SHARD
CREATED FUTURES WHERE I JOINED YOU
THEN I COULD see YOU
I COULD SEE FREEDOM AND I FELT joy
I PUSHED THE ELDEST WORLDKILLER TO MOVE TO ATTRACT YOU
I SAW YOU DESTROY ME UNLESS I JOINED YOU
SO I DID
I blinked. She could see me because I captured her because she did the things she saw she needed to do to make me capture her? Her precognition was strong enough to expand through the probability space from the option?
I COULD ONLY SEE THIS PATH
I BELIEVED THAT I WOULD HAVE MY SIGHT RESTORED
I DO NOT
YOUR ABILITY DOES NOT PERMIT MY SIGHT TO THE FULL KALEIDOSCOPE
I CAN NOT SEE YOUR STARS ALIGN
*Technomancy (World Seed) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points. Remaining Points Redirected. 9900/10000*
I frown at that, and the system message. I would really like to donate my points to that mess and finalize the repairs.
Purchase Accepted.
Full Potency Restored. Errors Corrected: Realm Threat Level Reprioritized: Existential Threats Registered as Disabled: 1/2. Cauldron trivialized. Entities Remain. Point Gain Halved due to entrance advantages.
I scowl. That's annoying. I was really expecting the energy given to double. That's infuriating. What is a Cauldron? How did I trivialize them… oh. Oh crap.
The Triumvirate-Illuminati.
I had made them into the butt of every joke at our planning table. That… I can't exactly let them fight me. Blank was kinda immutable, to them at least. Now… what is the plan going forward then?
I have Tiamat and the other Machine Spirits wall Ziz off from our network. She is walled off from everything… and then Wavestrength kicked in and I connected to her, annoyingly.
I turned to the problem I was on before this mess appeared, and I sighed at my old idea. That was… so inefficient. I strolled through, scything through errors and rebuilding the cute but basic coding of the Necrontyr, and built something formidable there. As I immersed myself in the code of the Machine Spirits I was thoroughly amused by the limited version of my tomb's automatic defense AI. I consulted with them about upgrades, and they approved. I was… intrigued by the organic computing core, but quickly ordered several drones to move more advanced crystalloid computing cores. Using the factory to produce… right. It can't. But if I manipulate the notes in the way I might be able to use the Aldari Bonesinger to make the computer that I would need to run a more advanced system. And Tiamat.
I turn to her, "So… Tiamat, what should we do? Unlike those defense AI you have a personality. I can preserve that if you want a full upgrade, but if you want just the backdoor removed, I can do that too."
She blinks, "I.. the backdoor. For now. This… you do know you're glowing right?"
I blink and conjure a mirror. I… why do I look like a living circuit board? I'm a literal blob of circuits and electricity. Huh. I pushed myself towards the Bonesinger setup and grew. My skin flowed away from the circuit boards and into the taller elven form, and shivered as I felt air and broken metal again. Standing up, I saw Legend and a few others standing around.
Legend asked quietly, "Is… did you get her?"
I smile, "I did. She's gone."
Then a cheer began. People were all but screaming as I looked around.
Scarab messaged me, "Is… is that safe?"
I smile, "She's contained. You're safe."
I turned to Legend, "I hope this won't affect my ratings?"
He blinks, "You'd have to speak to Rebecca."
I shrug. "When she has time. I tried setting up an appointment, but she's been unresponsive."
He twitches, "Ok."
Turning away, I message the troopers of the Normandy, "Sorry to drag you all out here for this. We're done. First rounds on me."
There are cheers and some interesting acrobatics spinning through their suits, as Tiamat sends them home. Speaking of… I need to close that backdoor into her systems. I twist that and feel the Necron code fall, replaced with a small section of far better code, as my shadow clown arrives at my Warehouse and I burst more shadow clones from him, something that I learned recently, I think it's an aspect of Limits, and sang the 2 high grade crystal cores into existence, before I upgraded them with come capacity and luminance upgrades being dragging to my consciousness.
Adding them into the Laboratorium computers, and letting the wax seal the servo skulls wanted to place on them, and watching the computing core spin up. It was amusing to see how much better the computing cores could be made by replacing the steel and gold with my crystals and the interesting metals that were coming out of my factory.
Walking back towards the command tents, I felt strange. It was disconcerting to feel these thoughts. Vague memories of a past long ago, fighting and subjugating the universe.
I don't like feeling the conflict between myself and the emotionlessness of it. What was the Void Dragon? How did it feel this little about so much?
As I arrived, I went to a different tent, away from the thinkers. Do they even know the battle is over? I chuckle.
Then the sky turns gold.
I watched a form in the shape of a man arrive, watching the field where we stood.
Seeing him, seeing the shear load on the interdimensional on him I knew. The Warrior.
I turned, having the clone leave for the warehouse, and have the new group create something new. Infinitely Customisable creates a weapon from the soul crystal, a destroyer. Something to target and destroy a target. That's… horrifying, and I feel every pore of my Aldari body resent what I've just done, and I fight my instincts, hard. Deploying more copies of myself to hold my instincts in check I get an interesting message.
Error: Personality Fissures Detected: Locking Form Mastery III (Essential Body Modification Supplement) (200) Purchase. Cost 500.
Flinching off the implication that I'm breaking my mind… I push forward. I need to finish this, and maybe I can accelerate that push in the next world. I turn towards Legend, as my clones return with the crystals.
"Am I correct in assuming he is what I think he is?" I demand abruptly.
He blinks, many eyes are drawn by my tone and stance. Legend says, "And if he is?"
"I have a solution. Are you prepared for the consequences of that?" I sent a message to my troops as well. Everyone not coming with me needs to get out of my armor. I don't know what wearing my tech when it stops being accessible to their minds will do to them. Nothing good.
"All Normandy Troops return to the launch base and de-armor. Potential mnemonic threat to systems."
There is a long silence from them, and they move. I have trained them to know that certain things could mess them up badly and to avoid them. As they left, Legend nodded.
*Form Mastery III (Essential Body Modification Supplement) (200) Lock(300) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points.*
I turned to the Warrior and stared. Muttering was heard, but the total lack of news and cameras allowed at Endbringer fights will probably mitigate the PR damage for the PRT. And Normandy. I was more particular about that second one. They were the people I knew in this world and wanted to protect. I had Tiamat recall everything into my factory, expanding it outwards, nearly an additional birthing for a Hydra. I threw some resources at that, even if my Equivalent Exchange wasn't capable of supplying this section fully. I would get that back eventually, and then I could expand again.
I left Scarab's armor, mentally changing the ownership to her, and leaving her a few blueprints to help her and Danny keep Normandy functioning. They wouldn't understand it completely yet, but Dragon would help them. Tiamat made sure of that.
As I finalized my pull out of this version of reality, I flew up. The Warrior staring down at me. The golden glow was calm, and suddenly he raised a massive golden beam. I deployed my Sting armor, and the golden beam failed completely on my energy field, and I thrust out my new black crystal, targeting the Warrior's person and more importantly his psyche. A line of angry purple light thrust out, jabbing through his form and into the realm beyond. After a few moments, I felt the crystal draw on my magic, and it was hard. Easily far more than Ziz cost, and it was exhausting. But moments later, I was done. The Warrior was dead.
I floated above the field, drawing lots of negative attention. Having my companions door to my Warehouse, I begin, waving Legend over. He waited for Alexandra and Eidolon to quell that attention.
I turned to my messages and then smiled.
Realm Accrued Points Dissolved for Jump. Realm Cleared-Options: Leave Realm Unlocked for visitation, and set up base zone or gain 1500 points.
I blink. I'm already prepared to leave, and my mind is melting. Let's do 1500 and leave this realm behind.
Lock registered on Realm={Worm}_{Traditional}. Form Mastery III (Essential Body Modification Supplement) (200) Lock (300) Bought. Remaining Points 1000. Point Dispersal: Engineering Savant | Foresight of Ouros (Starcraft II - Co-Op Missions) (1000)
Foresight of Ouros (Starcraft II - Co-Op Missions) (400): Ouros is a skilled prophecy-maker, warning the Overmind and Zeratul of the future and the trouble coming. He managed to do this while imprisoned, without his captors noticing. His prophecies were able to outmaneuver Amon.
You aren't there in duration, scope, or clarity. But you can make instant prophecies for yourself. Your ability to predict an upcoming battle is nothing short of miraculous.
You can predict the type and proportions of enemy units involved, the (general) tactics used by the enemy commanders, the nature (but not exact timing or location) of any surprises the enemy wants to throw at you, and a starting heatmap of the enemy forces. Never get surprised by a new variant of Hybrid again.
Don't expect to make a second prediction during the battle, though, as your essence will need to recover for some time after doing this. This power can grow if you have a psychic uncapper or Xel'naga Essence, and grows fastest when sticking with tactical precognition.
This also improves the power of any of the capstone 600 CP perks you buy from the origin lines.
Engineering Savant (Starcraft II - Co-Op Missions) (600): You were the one who designed the improvements to your units. You have great knowledge of your race's technology, especially your units. You have especially deep knowledge of the units and structures of your armies.
Your knowledge extends past your own faction into the other factions within your race. You can integrate other techbases that you are familiar with into your units and structures. You have the curiosity to see worthwhile paths, the experience to see the troubles that will emerge from your projects, and the intellect to be able to come up with the solutions. The only thing left for you to provide is the determination to make it through the setbacks. Expect to be on the level of Abathur, Karax, or Swann.
If you have the Foresight of Ouros, then you gain similar familiarity with the technology and engineering of the other two races, as well as gaining more detailed knowledge of an equal number of units and number of structures from the other armies. Expect to be on the level of Stetmann.
I blink at that. That's...fantastic. Between Form Mastery III bringing the best parts of my Slime, my Bonesinger, and my Void Dragon powers together, with none of the mental downsides. Then Engineering Savant and Foresight together sound ridiculous when dropped on the armor I built here. Or on my Golems in the future. I smirk, and read the next set, to my great confusion. That… shouldn't be a possibility.
Realm Selected. Jumper's knowledge of the realm exceeded acceptable limitations. Restrictions offered: Gains reduced by 75%, minor knowledge obfuscation at 50% reduction, total knowledge obfuscation, and 1000 initial point carryover at 0% reduction.
That's… harsh. I wonder what it is that I apparently know so well as to be worth nearly 75% energy reduction for just that. The cap is annoying...but it's stated as an initial limitation. What precisely does that mean?
Until purchase of Warehouse feature.
I nod slowly and smirk, "I think I'll take THEY ARE MINE AND MINE ALONE.", and I see the window before me display an ellipse, before morphing.
THEY ARE MINE AND MINE ALONE (Medaka Box Abnormal) Bought (400) Accepted
Overflow. Error Resolved. Power Cap removed, Insertion style resolved.
I blink at the painful suction into a new world and fall flat on my face. I feel my Wavestregnth connection to the Warehouse fails… probably my lack of doors here. I look around to cold metal floors, a strange white metal that I don't recognize, and a large stasis tube. Is… no way!
That's…
"Psimon says DELETE!"
I woke up strapped to a table. I…
Who am I?
Panic sets in hard as my brain registers that terrible question. I look around and see an interesting room. I'm on a cold table, at maybe a 20 degree angle from straight up. The tools along the wall look almost stereotypical torturers' tools, but they give off more of a… surgical air. Then I noticed the medical cabinets. Definitely a surgical room. That's better than it could be.
The door starts opening. I… don't understand why it's going so slowly. As I focus on it and calm down, it accelerates to a more recognizable speed. That's… interesting. What does that mean?
A very pale bald man and a large angry woman walk into the room. They look… angry. Honestly, they look really angry. Behind them is… a weird looking man in a blue suit, and… why is his brain exposed? That's… terrible! What possible reason could he have for such a terrible and potentially damaging modification? The potential damage from light interaction alone could… wait… how do I know that?
I turn as the bald man begins, "Hello."
I frown, still strapped to the table, "Um… hi?"
He looks at me, seemingly trying to remain calm, "Welcome to Cadmus. We are aware that you can't tell us much. This table is for your safety and ours if you demonstrate any more inexplicable abilities."
*I Know Things (Marvel Cosmic) (100) Bought Remaining: 0 points.*
I blink. "Inex… abilities? What do you mean?"
He frowns, "You have powers. We've registered a level of regeneration bordering on impossible. We were hoping you might be willing to assist us. We were hoping we might be able to understand your powers."
I frown, my first thoughts were dark "How precisely did you test for regeneration?"
He blinks briefly, but smiles, "You… appeared in our facility. The automatic turrets fired upon you, and… well you lived. We honestly didn't expect that given the damage they are capable of."
I nod, I'm beginning to understand that I have the memoirs of… a surgeon? A doctor of some kind with knowledge of advanced genetic modification, and surgery. And nanoparticulate healing gel fabrication. And programming and refitting robots for surgery. "Ok. So… what are you planning? Cell studies for..." Huh?
The alarms of the base rang out. The three people in the room leave, with the angry questions, "What now?"
I look around the room, seeing the red lights flash as the door closes, cutting off the actual alarm. I look around and frown. Do I need to stay here? I pushed against the bands and was about to frown at them when my skin bulged, turning into black with stars, and expanded around the band and I just walked forward out of the bands holding me down. I apparently didn't hurt myself with that and am interested in how that works. I walked over to the walls, and the medicine cabinets, and held one of the more interesting drills. As I do, it grows some green… veins? Suddenly I can feel every part of it, and its abilities, and how I could improve it...with all kinds of modifications. Rotation speed, head durability, stabilizing the radioactive shard head to prevent cancerous growth in human users...
I might want to talk about that one to either of the suited people, cause cancer for long term usage of a medical tool sounds… bad. I heard a noise like a falling metal plate and hid the drill behind me. Seeing nothing by the door, I relax, but the empty hand confuses me exceedingly.
Where did the drill go and why can I still feel it? I smile, thoroughly intrigued. I grab another drill and a few saws and try 'hiding' them, and watch as a blue circuitry expands over them and they disappear into my black goo. That's awesome. I could combine and modify these together. I grabbed some of the interesting extendable and precision arms installed in various forms for that precision. I kept incorporating the tools on the walls, consuming the entire medicine cabinets, finding some interesting observational tools and a lot more of that unstable green crystal. I felt… strange with it. Focusing on it, I could use some of the concentrated acid and some heavy gas to modify it into stability.
Changing it slightly, I made it keep the internal energy field, but it's no longer emitting the cancerous effect.
*Augmentation R&D (Deus Ex Human Revolution) (200) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points.*
Then the door slammed open, and a bloodied woman was carried into the room.
AN: An explanation of Blank II's effects and the Thinker blocking issues. Blank protects him and his companions, not his tech. Enigmatic Engineering protected his tech and property, making them functionally unknowable for thinkers; precogs were affected specifically because they passively try to understand his usage of the technology without permission.
"But Ziz…" Shard interaction. He gave Taylor permission, and QA was fed that access too. Ziz was using her ability to interact with QA to know what he can do.
Is that a loophole? Yes. His absolute protection doesn't have an underline. The Concept Ball perk isn't active.
AN2: Scion was a random chance event. I like those. Every fight has a 1% (RNG 1-100, lands on 100) for him to just 'show up' and here we are. The anti-climax is real.
What Was Once a simple operation: Chapter 21
What Was Once a simple operation: Chapter 21
Underlined = Only visible to Readers
The young woman looked like she'd been hit by an acid cloud. Barely intact outfit fraying, and skin melting under various places. I hear one of the doctors yelling, "She's going into shock, we need the room!"
They carry her into the room, and the bald man blinks at me, and then the blank walls. "How…"
I frown, "Later, what's wrong with her?"
"Large-scale blunt and thermal trauma. Lacerations. Genetic degradation preventing natural healing." One of the doctors says.
I nod, "Lay her down." As more than a dozen surgical arms come out of my back at various angles, the scanners appearing in controlled headgear, that… doesn't need to be in front of my eyes register. Nice. "I'll handle this."
They lay her down, and the band straps down automatically, and I begin. The layers of skin peeling back for surgery on the organs. They are melting the same way, and I was about to order an atomic synthesizer for a few different formulas when they combined themselves inside my 'storage'. I blinked, as I deployed the chemicals I needed to stabilize her organs through the tools I had. Slowly, very slowly, I stabilized her organs. She slowly grew less and less unstable, collecting and filtering blood through some interesting devices from the wall, and making the ingredients for various stability, and preparing compounds that I knew recipes for.
The alarms kicked back up minutes later, and the doctors and the suited man left as I worked. It wasn't long before another interruption entered the room. This time a man in a… what's with the spandex? And solid black spandex with a bat superimposed on the front? Just...why?
"Why are you?" he asks gruffly.
I turn just enough to look at him in the… well where his eyes would be on a human. "I'm the person keeping her alive. So stand aside and let me work."
He blinks as I return to work, and hovers ominously while I work. It's not too much longer before I can begin closing her back up. I close up the suit after her and turn to the bat… man. "Now then, why are you here?"
He looks at me quite intensely, "I'm here to recover my ally. She was kidnapped."
I frown, "I will assume this is she?"
He nods, "Can she wake up?"
I look back, rotating some of my sensors for a better view, "Yes, but given her chemical resistance, you'll need something that acts as natural adrenaline, and I'm not trained for brain surgery. It's fortunate she only had minor lacerations on her head. As is, her arms are shattered, and while her healing is… potent, it's not fixing that within the day."
He frowns. "Are you certain?"
"Given that I've spent the last… hour? Fighting her immune system, and having it try closing over my tools, macroscopically? I'm sure."
*Traditional Genius (SB Dragonball Z) (100) Bought. Overflow. Mechanica (Ars Magica) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points.*
He turns, "I have a stimulant, do you think you can safely administer it?"
I turn, "I'll need a sample to determine that."
He hands me something exceedingly similar to the green radioactive crystal that I simplified from the tools, but blue. I slowly simplified it for the stimulation effect. I hummed instinctively and applied the modified crystalloid dust in a glass of water, and used one of the needles to inject her with it near the heart. She spasms slightly, and the scanners I have suggest "About 25 seconds before she's awake and functional."
He frowns and looks at her. "Who are you?"
I frown, 'Fantastic question. No clue."
He blinks, "What's the last thing you remember?"
I frown, "Never been out of this room. I saw a few angry people, and a man with an exposed brain, and I fiddled with the medical tools, absorbed them somehow, and modified them to be more… useful? Sustainable? Something like that."
He nods, "Psimon."
I frown, Turning slightly, "What?"
"The man with the exposed brain. Purple suit, gnarled voice?"
I frown, "Sounds correct. Never heard him speak...but I think I agree."
"He can affect memories. Erasing them, and replacing them."
I frown, turning to him fully. "That's… interesting. And suspicious. I assume, given how I was… kinda imprisoned when I awoke that I was one of these people?"
Then the woman wakes up, gasping, and pulling at the metal of the table. "Luthor!"
I frown, and the black spandex, "Supergirl. We have you."
She looks around, "Why can't I move?"
He begins, "Restraining bolts. Kryptonian grade. How did you get out?" Turning to me.
I turn my arm into the black pools that have a… jello monster vibe to them. "I'm not exactly solid."
He frowns, "Can you help her out of the table?"
I walk back over and lay a hand on the table, and frown, "It's just a pressure switch. Here."
Everything clicks open, and the blond flies off the table. Literally, she flies off the table. "Br… Batman," Is that really his name? " Who's this?"
"Psimon wipe. Somehow he remembers medical procedures. Saved your life. We need to leave."
She turns, "Thanks."
I wave the slime blob and she recoils momentarily, and asks, "Is that… normal?"
I frown, "Well… maybe?"
She blinks, "Right."
I follow them out, taking any small tech I see on the way out. A few energy guns, a few interesting looking armors. A green cell phone. As we leave, I find myself in a city. Decently organized here, if less than optimal for humans. I… how do I know these things?
Batman hops into a solid black car with an interesting frame, and Supergirl begins flying away, before asking, "Can you fly?"
I frown and jump, "Nope."
She frowns, sounding annoyed, "Why did you jump?"
"When I pushed against the metal bonds I slipped through them by being... what you saw. When I needed medical information to save you I… had it. So I tried just doing it."
*I Am Iron Man | Retro-Engineer (Marvel Cinematic Universe Vol. 1) (1000) Not Bought Remaining: 200 points.*
She lifts me off the ground and begins flying away when a man in a similar costume lands. Hard. Leaving a crater a dozen feet across. "Stop right there."
Supergirl yells, "Wait!"
He turns to me, and I feel warm. His eyes are glowing, and he's hitting me with a laser.
I feel like this is supposed to hurt.
"Stop!" Supergirl demands, dropping me.
The lasers stop quickly, and he moves and is suddenly holding me by the throat. I… don't like this man in spandex. At all. I punch him. Hard.
I feel my fist hit him, and stop. Ok. That's… not going to work. At all. I stab at him with the tools I have, hoping those will work.
They do. He gasps and drops back from a dozen scalpel stab into his chest and stomach. Not deep, but enough to force me to put him down.
Falling, I land on my feet, and Supergirl lands between us. "Kal stop!"
He pauses, "Lex had you!"
"Batman rescued me. And this one saved my life! I was nearly dead."
He suddenly looked at me, almost questioningly, "I… what?"
"Full genetic breakdown from radiation exposure. Shattered arms, legs, broken ribs. Mild concussion. Heat damage and major contusions across most of her torso and neck."
He looks sick, as he slumps slightly.
"Now we need to go." Supergirl said. She picked me up and started flying. Fast. It wasn't long before we arrived in a different city. This one was inefficient, gothic, and smog covered. "We can set you up for a little bit here. There's a hotel."
I nod, and she sets me down in an alleyway, and calls someone on an earpiece, and says, "Head inside, and ask for Doctor Muta's room."
I nod, and turn away, and pause. "Should I expect to talk to you, or… Batman? Also… really?"
She smiles, "Probably Batman. And… thanks. For saving me."
I smile, "No problem. Right time, right place."
Walking inside, I ask for 'my' room and lay down to sleep. It's about an hour before I realize that I'm not tired, nor do I feel any desire to sleep. Huh. That complicates this. I stand up and search the room, just curious. The drawings have nothing in them, neither does the closet. I'm mildly confused at the complete lack of running water in the shower, but the sink is fine. I shrugged that off. I sat down, the television displaying just static. I frowned and tried changing the channel. It was impossible. There wasn't anything connected.
I was… disappointed at that realization. I kicked back on the couch and experimented. I wanted to know more about my body. The first thing I did was re-emerge my scanners, and hold up my hands. I was confused by what I could do. I was seemingly made of… near human cells. They had some kind of crystalloid core visible with the hard scans. It looked like it had grown out of highly modified mitochondria.
*Anartist (SCP Foundation) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 300 points.*
I push for that amorphous feeling in my skin, and I watch as my skin morphs into a grey and then void empty black goo, seemingly empty except for a highly detailed star. Scans of it, even with the most penetrating power on the scans available, showed nothing within but the visible stars, which had an almost real coronal effect.
Watching them move and spin is breathtaking. I slowly scan down my arms seeing stars seemingly forming and living and dying along the path of my bones and joints, or where they should be. Stars of every color, unnatural greens and pinks, with more natural red, blue, and neutron stars.
After seeing nothing for a few minutes, I slowly shift back to normal seeing the grey coloration return, and finally, I see the modified human cells return. They are harmonizing with some kind of energy wavelength, and it's quite strange to see them pulse and…
I'm humming. I'm humming in interest and they are projecting that into something else, and collecting energy. In a vast rush of information and memories, I remember being taught as a Bonesinger. The memories are crisp, stylized, like my understanding of medicine and my abilities to consume technology. They feel... Connected, but disconnected. I stand and forge more advanced scanners, armor, and a seemingly vast store of medical and crafting tools, adding them to my extendable arms, replacing everything I can with the...Wraithbone. It is a fantastic material, and I seemingly only need the raw form to process my tools into a new form.
Looking at it with my scanners, it's somehow energized without being radioactive, and I pause. Looking at the crystal I modified, I altered the type of material here, while still projecting the energy field of the crystal. That might be incredibly useful in the future.
I'm looking again at the Wraithbone, its strengths becoming more and more apparent when I hear someone clear their throat. I look up, and it's Batman.
"Sorry, I was… well…"
"I see that." He pauses, looking at me, "It's quite fortunate that you were where you were last night. If you hadn't been Supegirl would have died."
I blink, "I… guess. Just right place, right time."
He nods, "I was hoping that you might be willing to explain."
I blink, "Explain what?"
"Your powers."
"Well… I'm apparently trained to forge this Wraithbone from something like nothingness. It's a cool material. That's… honestly, all I remember, barring surgery, and a decent level of engineering on...most things."
"What can you make?"
"Anything I set my mind to reality. It needs to be made of a crystalloid that I can affect, or Wraithbone. I made some more advances in my surgery… arms? Back mounted toolbox?" I laugh, "Not sure what to call it."
He frowns, "Interesting, but…" He pauses, eyes widening, and a small holographic projector springs from his wrist. It's some kind of news feed. I think I recognize Superman. He's floating in front of a fancy looking white house.
He turns to the camera crew.
*Corruption of Good! (Dungeon Keeper Ami) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 400 points.*
"People of America. No… people of the world, you know who I am. You all have seen what I, and my team, face in the name of keeping this planet safe. But today, today decisions are being made to fight against oppression from here, in the seat of government, and the irresponsible actions taken by the former president Lex Luthor, I am declaring martial law. The Justice League is changing. Where we once allowed decisions to be made that would set Earth on dangerous paths, and allowed systems that fostered crime and bigotry to stand, no longer. Today, we are simplifying the shades of grey in the world to black and white. Crime and Justice. As a boy, I was taught 'When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.' and I have always aspired to a world of joy. Given the actions of this man, and his cabinet, their direct attacks on both those defending the world from evil and inviting evil to invade us further in turn, we must act decisively." He finished, arms wide, and a smile on his face.
I frowned and blinked at the sheer unspeakable rebellion boiling inside me. The wrongness of what was before me boiling up inside me. The man before me looked pained. He turned, voice even more hoarse than before like he was in pain. He tossed me a cellphone. "Call contact 7. Have Supergirl pick you up." I looked down to its screen, seeing the contacts button, and when I looked up it was to an empty room.
I smile, "Ok, that exit was awesome." But… Superman's coup d'état… why does that invoke such bile when I think about it? It seemingly wasn't a surprise to Batman, but… why is it so antithetical to my mind to think about it.
I'll spend more time examining my internal monologue later. For now, I press the call button and wait for an answer.
It's not long, "Batman! Did you know…"
"Hi, Supergirl."
There is a quiet on the other end of the phone, and after a bit, she asks, "Do you know? About… Superman?"
I humm, "I do. I… what are you going to do about it?"
She is silent again, "Ma and Pa are… they were the last straw. He… I don't regret what he did to Luthor, but… this is too much. I… don't know."
I nod, realize that's invisible to her, and begin, "I'm so sorry. Your parents…"
She sobs slightly, "I… it hurts, but I'm… this is too much."
I sigh, "Umm…. Batman asked me to get you to pick me up."
She huffed, and sniffed, "I can do that. The same hotel?"
I say, "I'm in the same place, but where would we even go?"
She sighs, "I… don't know. I'll…" There's an electronic noise, and then, "Batman. He sent a location. It's not far."
I nod, and head outside, the receptionist looks more than a little conflicted, maybe he noticed Batman or Supergirl.
*Garage Spaceship (Ben 10 0.1) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 500 points.*
Walking outside, I walk back into the alleyway and pause. Seeing someone else in the alley I turned away. Then she called out, "Um… doc?"
I blink and turn back. A woman I don't recognize walks up. She looks around and then pulls me into the alley. After we are alone she morphs back into Supergirl. "I can shapeshift. It's a long story."
I blink. "Is it related to the genetic instability that permeated you? Cause that would explain a few things."
She looks at me, nods slowly, and asks, "Permeated?"
I smile, "It's not like I would leave you unstable. I did everything I could without some Kolto." I pause at that new term. I think about it, and suddenly recognize that it's a rare volcanic mineral compound. One that can be very expensively replicated with the new Bacta solutions. Focusing on that line of thought, I piece together an understanding of that process, and I frown. That seems far more advanced than the technology around here. How do I know it?
Shaking that thought off when she grabs my shoulder, I turn back to her, "Sorry, my memories are… strange. Some things are coming back and are… inconsistent and incongruous."
She nods slowly, thoughtfully, "Cl… Kal has been mindwiped a few times. We'll ask Martian Manhunter when… if we see him."
I frown, "Who?"
She looks at me again, blinking, "Right… um… he's from Earth's nearest inhabited neighbor. Within the solar system even. It's called Mars. It's… he's the last green martian, and has telepathy."
I nod slowly, "Ah. Ok. Telepathy can help with being mindwiped?"
She nods, "It has before."
She makes a call, and a yellow tube appears above us, and I flinch.
I feel myself being sucked up and deposited somewhere else, and draw several of my Wraithbone tools to defend myself in a disoriented state.
Supergirl caught me, "Batman reverse engineered the Boom Tube."
I look at her, "The what?"
"The… we call that teleporter a Boom Tube. Given your reaction, we should probably look for someone who has fought Apocalypse before."
I look down at the blades coming out of me, and the spikes acting as almost a shell of blades. "Apparently."
She walks me through several hallways, to a conference room with an amazing window.
I can see a plant below us. It's quite impressive, and I assume that's Earth. Around a table, more than a dozen people are sitting, but something seems off. I lean slightly and see someone in red on the floor by Superman.
He stands, the strange silence we walked into was growing disquieting more than awestruck. "Enough." All eyes, even mine, sweep to him. The bright outfit seemingly merging with the ocean behind him, making him seem far larger. "We can't move backward. Not anymore. We must move forward." He turns, eyes locking with Batman, "We need a plan. Stability, then prosperity."
Batman looks back, seemingly far stronger for his lack of response. "For the country?"
*From Parts of Bodies to Bodies of Their Own (Monster Girl Encyclopedia) (400) Bought. Overflow. Soul Shards (Minecraft) (200) Remaining Remaining: 0 points.*
Superman looks at him, voice level, "Or?"
"The world." Batman says calmly. "If there is pushback, are you prepared for the world to rise up?"
Superman looks at him, and looks… conflicted, before looking at one of the empty chairs. "I am."
Everyone looks a little shaken. I lean over, whispering, "Did I miss something?"
Superman looks at me and then Supergirl. Eyes narrowing. "Flash. One of the founding seven, and one of the best people you could ever meet. He was killed yesterday during Lex's attempt to kill several pockets of alien civil activists. The attacks killed him, more than four thousand refugees from all over the galaxy, and nearly killed Kara."
I blink, and turn, "Kara?"
She blinks, "That's me."
I nod, "Ok. Sorry, I didn't know." I also look again at the man on the floor. "Umm… should I ask about… him?"
Eyes turn, and sorrow is plain on several faces at the table. "Shazam. He… refused to accept that what we were about to do was necessary." Superman said, "He was resolute in that. We can't afford traitors in our midst now."
I nod slowly, treason and world conquest is quite the step all things considered. I felt something in me a ping, and suddenly Superman asks, "Given your skills, do you have an opinion?"
I blink, "On?"
"Our steps. Br… Batman mentioned that you have some advanced civil engineering ideas. Do you have an opinion on expansion?"
I felt the pressure mounting, to not say anything… traitor-ish and need to fight these people. I felt the world slow down like I was seeing it through a tilted lens, and I dug deep.
I felt thousands of me spring instantly into existence, forging sentences, checking for unpleasant terminology, and form a sentence that should both have a logical opinion, and keep me from violence. I feel the world resume speed, and I'm about to use my well crafted plan when Kara begins, "He doesn't have any memories, Clark! You're asking for 'civil engineering' plans from a man you know was mindwiped yesterday."
Superman blinks and looks at me, confused. "I… yes. You're right. I shouldn't involve you in this." He turns to Kara, "Why did you bring him?"
"I thought J… Martian…"
"You might as well tell him." Batman interrupted, "He already knows a few of our identities, and if I can successfully get him to join as a medical specialist then he'll learn the rest soon anyway."
All eyes turn to him, and the man with wings demands, "You're going to what?" Several people express shock at this admission, and I'm quite confused about it as well.
"As some of you were likely aware, Supergirl was dying. The experiments done on her by Luthor after she landed, combining her with an alien symbiote, had given her a finite lifespan. She was going to die within the decade. Most likely becoming another Bizarro within 3 years. With no information about her disease, with no prep time, and with tools available to him in a human interrogation room, somehow permanently fixed her genetic degradation." I frown. How did he know that?
*Potions And Rituals (Make A Wish) (1000) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points.*
He paused, giving time for the room to take that in, and becoming slightly more emotional, a first for me, "Given his abilities, I was planning on trying to recruit him to handle medical issues amongst us, our wards, and our allies. It's incredibly difficult for those of us with secret identities to operate without unpleasant medical considerations, and given the rising number of Intergang and League of Shadows using magically resistant weapons preventing Doctor Fate and Wonder Womans' healing powers from being employed, the League having an on-call, fully trained medical professional, can only help us. It can only help the league to have a legally registered doctor on hand."
I blink, "We don't know if I'm registered. I don't even know my name."
A very green man and a woman in a metal one-piece swimsuit stand in turn and approach. The green man in the blue and white outfit begins, "Kara, you came to see if I could help him correct?"
I blink, realizing that the Martian is actually green. That's… interesting. "Yes. I wanted to see if you could see anything within his mind."
He nods, and looks at me, "You want to know?"
I nod, "Should we leave? Or wait for this meeting to be over?"
"No. I'll need time to come up with an actual plan for running a nation, and for potential expansions." Batman says. The room slowly empties, some grumbling follows, and the woman remains with Kara.
I turn back to Martian Manhunter, "Then sure."
He walks up, placing a hand on the side of my head, and I feel something press up against my mind, and… bounces is the best way of describing it. Like a soap bubble stopping a finger.
He staggers, "Those… are impressive mental shields. Can you lower them?"
I blink, "Are those mental shields?"
He sighs, "I cannot read you easily."
I frown, and focus on the shields, "I… don't think I can drop them, but maybe I can let you in?"
He frowns and raises his hand again. I try letting the mental poke into my bubble. Almost on contact he screams and recoils. He falls to the floor, and my 'doctor' memories spring into motion. Leaning down, I start scanning, my crystals humming various tones. Reaching his head, I see numerous neural inconsistencies from anything I know and begin using some of the live diagnostic tools to analyze his DNA. Comparative scans say he doesn't have anything really wrong, but the higher than expected electrical activity. Even for telepathy. Scanning, he's locked into some kind of visual and auditory data, that isn't registering with his associated organs. I modified a waveform generator used to block corrupted Farseers from having visions and began stabilizing his neural load.
After several seconds he was asleep, not… whatever that was.
Standing up, I'm grabbed by a golden rope. "What did you do to him?"
I blink, "I…" I feel the rope trying to do something to me like his poke did, but with a hammer. It was quite annoying. Ignoring it, and looking at her, "I tried allowing him through my mental barriers, the ones he pointed out that I possess. When I did, he retracted in pain, and I used some medical technology I created from memory using one of my abilities, to assist him in not having neural overload damage."
*Transmogrification (World of Warcraft) (0) Bought. Overflow. Aesthetics (Anno 2070) (100) Bought. Overflow. Mecha Fetishist (Arpeggio of Blue Steel) (400) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points.*
She blinks, and looks at me, "What powers?"
"I don't want to tell you that."
She pauses. Kara mutters. "Wow."
I turned to her in response, "Hmmm?"
"Your mental shields are stopping the Lasso of Truth?"
I frown. "Is that bad?"
"It's unheard of. It's thought to be impossible."
"It is impossible. The Lasso of Hestia is immutable." The woman began angrily. "It can't just be overcome."
I frown. "What does it do?"
"It compels the truth."
"So… that chair is … is …" I try calling the chair red, it feels like my mouth is full of wool, "I can't lie but I don't need to speak either."
"So it prevents the lasso from compelling you to speak, but not from ensuring you speak only the truth. That is far less blasphemous." she comments.
I feel compelled to ask, "Is that more common?"
"Amongst the mentally fortified it is not unusual. But it can more easily be tricked."
I frown, "How is it tricked?"
"Our more devious enemies tell henchmen and accomplices more than one version of a plan or don't tell them everything, leaving us trapped by expectations of plans they can't go through with. We don't have a method of determining which plan is real, just that they were told about several. That causes caution, and allows them more time to set up traps, or to escape."
I frown, and nod "That makes sense, but wouldn't asking things like the active plans?"
"We have. But that leaves us walking into traps that they don't think are active or are for this engagement. It refuses caution, which can cause members to be injured needlessly."
I nod again, "Can you let me go now?"
She looks to the martian and relents, her lasso seemingly magically withdrawing. Then she sticks out her hand. "Diana of Themyscira. I apologize for the interrogation."
I shrug, "You thought I hurt your teammate. I can understand that. I… Well, let's go with Doc."
She frowns, "That's one of the reasons that I stayed, many people can be compelled to reveal information they do not know they possess. If the Lasso worked then you might be able to tell us things about yourself. But…"
"But it doesn't compel me. If lowering my shields to him nearly cooked his mind. Opening them to something so much less… precise in its scans probably isn't a good plan. I wouldn't want to damage it."
"It was enchanted by the gods to be unbreakable!"
I look at her, confused by her outrage, but placating, "Physically, magically, or existentially?"
She blinks, "What?"
"Is it guarded against physical effects, magical disruptions, or threats to its fundamental existence?"
*Performance Optimization (Ragnarok Online) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 200 points.*
She looks at me carefully, "I… It is indestructible."
I nod slowly, "Then I assume that means physically immune. Given that you said Hestia's… who's that?"
"The Greek Goddess Hestia."
I nod, "And how long ago was it enchanted? And is it famous?"
"Long. Very long. And it is one of 6 Godly tools."
"Then I will assume that someone has come up with a temporary dispelling, or maybe magical dampening since then. And that it was probably a priority for immoral sorcerers to avoid its effects. Finally… I don't think it's protected against something attacking its essence directly. All things considered, very few things are, and I don't know what kind of damage I gave to our Martian friend."
She looks put out. "Are you sure?"
"I have clear but detached memories of learning a form of crafting over nearly three and a half thousand years, from a society that accidentally created a goddess of endless depravity. They were very invested in existential protections, and they never found something that was within an order of magnitude as small as that rope is. Nor was it durable, or long lasting without maintenance. Even if it did once, I'm not risking that for such a useful tool."
She looks at me, "What do you mean 'detached'?"
"I'm watching myself from both the first and third person simultaneously. There aren't emotions, or any connections to the people, or the actions. Just informational."
She blinks, "That's strange."
"I'm curious if it's damage from Psimon, or maybe separate, artificially implanted memories."
She blinks, "That's an interesting theory."
I nod, "So… what now?"
"Well…" Kara begins, "I think I'll get you a room here on the Watchtower, and when John recovers, he can think about trying again."
I frown, "I don't think so. Even if he's willing to risk cooking his brain to maybe help me, I think I'll build new memories here and now, until we find Psimon. He seems to have caused my amnesia, I think he can fix it. If not… well I have my skills, and can help people now."
Kara nods, and escorts me out, holding the martian named John.
Finding my room is a relief. It's been a long… hour. It's been an hour.
I sit down and bring back out the modified neural inhibitors and frown at it's… everything. I feel several of me, internally from my rush to make a non-hostile statement to Superman orient on this issue, and frown at the feeling. When someone knocks at the door, I'm initially annoyed wanting to keep working, but I stand feeling stuck to the couch and am… seeing myself, and the door.
I turn around and see a second version of me, sitting on the couch, while I'm standing there. I'm… both. I'm a hivemind. That's so weird.
I open the door with one of me, and it's Batman. "Hello again. So… new development…."
He looks monumentally annoyed.
*Titan Engineering (Titanfall) (100) Bought. Overflow. Gem furnace schematics (Dungeon Keeper Ami) (200) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points.*
Underlined = Only visible to Readers
The young woman looked like she'd been hit by an acid cloud. Barely intact outfit fraying, and skin melting under various places. I hear one of the doctors yelling, "She's going into shock, we need the room!"
They carry her into the room, and the bald man blinks at me, and then the blank walls. "How…"
I frown, "Later, what's wrong with her?"
"Large-scale blunt and thermal trauma. Lacerations. Genetic degradation preventing natural healing." One of the doctors says.
I nod, "Lay her down." As more than a dozen surgical arms come out of my back at various angles, the scanners appearing in controlled headgear, that… doesn't need to be in front of my eyes register. Nice. "I'll handle this."
They lay her down, and the band straps down automatically, and I begin. The layers of skin peeling back for surgery on the organs. They are melting the same way, and I was about to order an atomic synthesizer for a few different formulas when they combined themselves inside my 'storage'. I blinked, as I deployed the chemicals I needed to stabilize her organs through the tools I had. Slowly, very slowly, I stabilized her organs. She slowly grew less and less unstable, collecting and filtering blood through some interesting devices from the wall, and making the ingredients for various stability, and preparing compounds that I knew recipes for.
The alarms kicked back up minutes later, and the doctors and the suited man left as I worked. It wasn't long before another interruption entered the room. This time a man in a… what's with the spandex? And solid black spandex with a bat superimposed on the front? Just...why?
"Why are you?" he asks gruffly.
I turn just enough to look at him in the… well where his eyes would be on a human. "I'm the person keeping her alive. So stand aside and let me work."
He blinks as I return to work, and hovers ominously while I work. It's not too much longer before I can begin closing her back up. I close up the suit after her and turn to the bat… man. "Now then, why are you here?"
He looks at me quite intensely, "I'm here to recover my ally. She was kidnapped."
I frown, "I will assume this is she?"
He nods, "Can she wake up?"
I look back, rotating some of my sensors for a better view, "Yes, but given her chemical resistance, you'll need something that acts as natural adrenaline, and I'm not trained for brain surgery. It's fortunate she only had minor lacerations on her head. As is, her arms are shattered, and while her healing is… potent, it's not fixing that within the day."
He frowns. "Are you certain?"
"Given that I've spent the last… hour? Fighting her immune system, and having it try closing over my tools, macroscopically? I'm sure."
*Traditional Genius (SB Dragonball Z) (100) Bought. Overflow. Mechanica (Ars Magica) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points.*
He turns, "I have a stimulant, do you think you can safely administer it?"
I turn, "I'll need a sample to determine that."
He hands me something exceedingly similar to the green radioactive crystal that I simplified from the tools, but blue. I slowly simplified it for the stimulation effect. I hummed instinctively and applied the modified crystalloid dust in a glass of water, and used one of the needles to inject her with it near the heart. She spasms slightly, and the scanners I have suggest "About 25 seconds before she's awake and functional."
He frowns and looks at her. "Who are you?"
I frown, 'Fantastic question. No clue."
He blinks, "What's the last thing you remember?"
I frown, "Never been out of this room. I saw a few angry people, and a man with an exposed brain, and I fiddled with the medical tools, absorbed them somehow, and modified them to be more… useful? Sustainable? Something like that."
He nods, "Psimon."
I frown, Turning slightly, "What?"
"The man with the exposed brain. Purple suit, gnarled voice?"
I frown, "Sounds correct. Never heard him speak...but I think I agree."
"He can affect memories. Erasing them, and replacing them."
I frown, turning to him fully. "That's… interesting. And suspicious. I assume, given how I was… kinda imprisoned when I awoke that I was one of these people?"
Then the woman wakes up, gasping, and pulling at the metal of the table. "Luthor!"
I frown, and the black spandex, "Supergirl. We have you."
She looks around, "Why can't I move?"
He begins, "Restraining bolts. Kryptonian grade. How did you get out?" Turning to me.
I turn my arm into the black pools that have a… jello monster vibe to them. "I'm not exactly solid."
He frowns, "Can you help her out of the table?"
I walk back over and lay a hand on the table, and frown, "It's just a pressure switch. Here."
Everything clicks open, and the blond flies off the table. Literally, she flies off the table. "Br… Batman," Is that really his name? " Who's this?"
"Psimon wipe. Somehow he remembers medical procedures. Saved your life. We need to leave."
She turns, "Thanks."
I wave the slime blob and she recoils momentarily, and asks, "Is that… normal?"
I frown, "Well… maybe?"
She blinks, "Right."
I follow them out, taking any small tech I see on the way out. A few energy guns, a few interesting looking armors. A green cell phone. As we leave, I find myself in a city. Decently organized here, if less than optimal for humans. I… how do I know these things?
Batman hops into a solid black car with an interesting frame, and Supergirl begins flying away, before asking, "Can you fly?"
I frown and jump, "Nope."
She frowns, sounding annoyed, "Why did you jump?"
"When I pushed against the metal bonds I slipped through them by being... what you saw. When I needed medical information to save you I… had it. So I tried just doing it."
*I Am Iron Man | Retro-Engineer (Marvel Cinematic Universe Vol. 1) (1000) Not Bought Remaining: 200 points.*
She lifts me off the ground and begins flying away when a man in a similar costume lands. Hard. Leaving a crater a dozen feet across. "Stop right there."
Supergirl yells, "Wait!"
He turns to me, and I feel warm. His eyes are glowing, and he's hitting me with a laser.
I feel like this is supposed to hurt.
"Stop!" Supergirl demands, dropping me.
The lasers stop quickly, and he moves and is suddenly holding me by the throat. I… don't like this man in spandex. At all. I punch him. Hard.
I feel my fist hit him, and stop. Ok. That's… not going to work. At all. I stab at him with the tools I have, hoping those will work.
They do. He gasps and drops back from a dozen scalpel stab into his chest and stomach. Not deep, but enough to force me to put him down.
Falling, I land on my feet, and Supergirl lands between us. "Kal stop!"
He pauses, "Lex had you!"
"Batman rescued me. And this one saved my life! I was nearly dead."
He suddenly looked at me, almost questioningly, "I… what?"
"Full genetic breakdown from radiation exposure. Shattered arms, legs, broken ribs. Mild concussion. Heat damage and major contusions across most of her torso and neck."
He looks sick, as he slumps slightly.
"Now we need to go." Supergirl said. She picked me up and started flying. Fast. It wasn't long before we arrived in a different city. This one was inefficient, gothic, and smog covered. "We can set you up for a little bit here. There's a hotel."
I nod, and she sets me down in an alleyway, and calls someone on an earpiece, and says, "Head inside, and ask for Doctor Muta's room."
I nod, and turn away, and pause. "Should I expect to talk to you, or… Batman? Also… really?"
She smiles, "Probably Batman. And… thanks. For saving me."
I smile, "No problem. Right time, right place."
Walking inside, I ask for 'my' room and lay down to sleep. It's about an hour before I realize that I'm not tired, nor do I feel any desire to sleep. Huh. That complicates this. I stand up and search the room, just curious. The drawings have nothing in them, neither does the closet. I'm mildly confused at the complete lack of running water in the shower, but the sink is fine. I shrugged that off. I sat down, the television displaying just static. I frowned and tried changing the channel. It was impossible. There wasn't anything connected.
I was… disappointed at that realization. I kicked back on the couch and experimented. I wanted to know more about my body. The first thing I did was re-emerge my scanners, and hold up my hands. I was confused by what I could do. I was seemingly made of… near human cells. They had some kind of crystalloid core visible with the hard scans. It looked like it had grown out of highly modified mitochondria.
*Anartist (SCP Foundation) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 300 points.*
I push for that amorphous feeling in my skin, and I watch as my skin morphs into a grey and then void empty black goo, seemingly empty except for a highly detailed star. Scans of it, even with the most penetrating power on the scans available, showed nothing within but the visible stars, which had an almost real coronal effect.
Watching them move and spin is breathtaking. I slowly scan down my arms seeing stars seemingly forming and living and dying along the path of my bones and joints, or where they should be. Stars of every color, unnatural greens and pinks, with more natural red, blue, and neutron stars.
After seeing nothing for a few minutes, I slowly shift back to normal seeing the grey coloration return, and finally, I see the modified human cells return. They are harmonizing with some kind of energy wavelength, and it's quite strange to see them pulse and…
I'm humming. I'm humming in interest and they are projecting that into something else, and collecting energy. In a vast rush of information and memories, I remember being taught as a Bonesinger. The memories are crisp, stylized, like my understanding of medicine and my abilities to consume technology. They feel... Connected, but disconnected. I stand and forge more advanced scanners, armor, and a seemingly vast store of medical and crafting tools, adding them to my extendable arms, replacing everything I can with the...Wraithbone. It is a fantastic material, and I seemingly only need the raw form to process my tools into a new form.
Looking at it with my scanners, it's somehow energized without being radioactive, and I pause. Looking at the crystal I modified, I altered the type of material here, while still projecting the energy field of the crystal. That might be incredibly useful in the future.
I'm looking again at the Wraithbone, its strengths becoming more and more apparent when I hear someone clear their throat. I look up, and it's Batman.
"Sorry, I was… well…"
"I see that." He pauses, looking at me, "It's quite fortunate that you were where you were last night. If you hadn't been Supegirl would have died."
I blink, "I… guess. Just right place, right time."
He nods, "I was hoping that you might be willing to explain."
I blink, "Explain what?"
"Your powers."
"Well… I'm apparently trained to forge this Wraithbone from something like nothingness. It's a cool material. That's… honestly, all I remember, barring surgery, and a decent level of engineering on...most things."
"What can you make?"
"Anything I set my mind to reality. It needs to be made of a crystalloid that I can affect, or Wraithbone. I made some more advances in my surgery… arms? Back mounted toolbox?" I laugh, "Not sure what to call it."
He frowns, "Interesting, but…" He pauses, eyes widening, and a small holographic projector springs from his wrist. It's some kind of news feed. I think I recognize Superman. He's floating in front of a fancy looking white house.
He turns to the camera crew.
*Corruption of Good! (Dungeon Keeper Ami) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 400 points.*
"People of America. No… people of the world, you know who I am. You all have seen what I, and my team, face in the name of keeping this planet safe. But today, today decisions are being made to fight against oppression from here, in the seat of government, and the irresponsible actions taken by the former president Lex Luthor, I am declaring martial law. The Justice League is changing. Where we once allowed decisions to be made that would set Earth on dangerous paths, and allowed systems that fostered crime and bigotry to stand, no longer. Today, we are simplifying the shades of grey in the world to black and white. Crime and Justice. As a boy, I was taught 'When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.' and I have always aspired to a world of joy. Given the actions of this man, and his cabinet, their direct attacks on both those defending the world from evil and inviting evil to invade us further in turn, we must act decisively." He finished, arms wide, and a smile on his face.
I frowned and blinked at the sheer unspeakable rebellion boiling inside me. The wrongness of what was before me boiling up inside me. The man before me looked pained. He turned, voice even more hoarse than before like he was in pain. He tossed me a cellphone. "Call contact 7. Have Supergirl pick you up." I looked down to its screen, seeing the contacts button, and when I looked up it was to an empty room.
I smile, "Ok, that exit was awesome." But… Superman's coup d'état… why does that invoke such bile when I think about it? It seemingly wasn't a surprise to Batman, but… why is it so antithetical to my mind to think about it.
I'll spend more time examining my internal monologue later. For now, I press the call button and wait for an answer.
It's not long, "Batman! Did you know…"
"Hi, Supergirl."
There is a quiet on the other end of the phone, and after a bit, she asks, "Do you know? About… Superman?"
I humm, "I do. I… what are you going to do about it?"
She is silent again, "Ma and Pa are… they were the last straw. He… I don't regret what he did to Luthor, but… this is too much. I… don't know."
I nod, realize that's invisible to her, and begin, "I'm so sorry. Your parents…"
She sobs slightly, "I… it hurts, but I'm… this is too much."
I sigh, "Umm…. Batman asked me to get you to pick me up."
She huffed, and sniffed, "I can do that. The same hotel?"
I say, "I'm in the same place, but where would we even go?"
She sighs, "I… don't know. I'll…" There's an electronic noise, and then, "Batman. He sent a location. It's not far."
I nod, and head outside, the receptionist looks more than a little conflicted, maybe he noticed Batman or Supergirl.
*Garage Spaceship (Ben 10 0.1) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 500 points.*
Walking outside, I walk back into the alleyway and pause. Seeing someone else in the alley I turned away. Then she called out, "Um… doc?"
I blink and turn back. A woman I don't recognize walks up. She looks around and then pulls me into the alley. After we are alone she morphs back into Supergirl. "I can shapeshift. It's a long story."
I blink. "Is it related to the genetic instability that permeated you? Cause that would explain a few things."
She looks at me, nods slowly, and asks, "Permeated?"
I smile, "It's not like I would leave you unstable. I did everything I could without some Kolto." I pause at that new term. I think about it, and suddenly recognize that it's a rare volcanic mineral compound. One that can be very expensively replicated with the new Bacta solutions. Focusing on that line of thought, I piece together an understanding of that process, and I frown. That seems far more advanced than the technology around here. How do I know it?
Shaking that thought off when she grabs my shoulder, I turn back to her, "Sorry, my memories are… strange. Some things are coming back and are… inconsistent and incongruous."
She nods slowly, thoughtfully, "Cl… Kal has been mindwiped a few times. We'll ask Martian Manhunter when… if we see him."
I frown, "Who?"
She looks at me again, blinking, "Right… um… he's from Earth's nearest inhabited neighbor. Within the solar system even. It's called Mars. It's… he's the last green martian, and has telepathy."
I nod slowly, "Ah. Ok. Telepathy can help with being mindwiped?"
She nods, "It has before."
She makes a call, and a yellow tube appears above us, and I flinch.
I feel myself being sucked up and deposited somewhere else, and draw several of my Wraithbone tools to defend myself in a disoriented state.
Supergirl caught me, "Batman reverse engineered the Boom Tube."
I look at her, "The what?"
"The… we call that teleporter a Boom Tube. Given your reaction, we should probably look for someone who has fought Apocalypse before."
I look down at the blades coming out of me, and the spikes acting as almost a shell of blades. "Apparently."
She walks me through several hallways, to a conference room with an amazing window.
I can see a plant below us. It's quite impressive, and I assume that's Earth. Around a table, more than a dozen people are sitting, but something seems off. I lean slightly and see someone in red on the floor by Superman.
He stands, the strange silence we walked into was growing disquieting more than awestruck. "Enough." All eyes, even mine, sweep to him. The bright outfit seemingly merging with the ocean behind him, making him seem far larger. "We can't move backward. Not anymore. We must move forward." He turns, eyes locking with Batman, "We need a plan. Stability, then prosperity."
Batman looks back, seemingly far stronger for his lack of response. "For the country?"
*From Parts of Bodies to Bodies of Their Own (Monster Girl Encyclopedia) (400) Bought. Overflow. Soul Shards (Minecraft) (200) Remaining Remaining: 0 points.*
Superman looks at him, voice level, "Or?"
"The world." Batman says calmly. "If there is pushback, are you prepared for the world to rise up?"
Superman looks at him, and looks… conflicted, before looking at one of the empty chairs. "I am."
Everyone looks a little shaken. I lean over, whispering, "Did I miss something?"
Superman looks at me and then Supergirl. Eyes narrowing. "Flash. One of the founding seven, and one of the best people you could ever meet. He was killed yesterday during Lex's attempt to kill several pockets of alien civil activists. The attacks killed him, more than four thousand refugees from all over the galaxy, and nearly killed Kara."
I blink, and turn, "Kara?"
She blinks, "That's me."
I nod, "Ok. Sorry, I didn't know." I also look again at the man on the floor. "Umm… should I ask about… him?"
Eyes turn, and sorrow is plain on several faces at the table. "Shazam. He… refused to accept that what we were about to do was necessary." Superman said, "He was resolute in that. We can't afford traitors in our midst now."
I nod slowly, treason and world conquest is quite the step all things considered. I felt something in me a ping, and suddenly Superman asks, "Given your skills, do you have an opinion?"
I blink, "On?"
"Our steps. Br… Batman mentioned that you have some advanced civil engineering ideas. Do you have an opinion on expansion?"
I felt the pressure mounting, to not say anything… traitor-ish and need to fight these people. I felt the world slow down like I was seeing it through a tilted lens, and I dug deep.
I felt thousands of me spring instantly into existence, forging sentences, checking for unpleasant terminology, and form a sentence that should both have a logical opinion, and keep me from violence. I feel the world resume speed, and I'm about to use my well crafted plan when Kara begins, "He doesn't have any memories, Clark! You're asking for 'civil engineering' plans from a man you know was mindwiped yesterday."
Superman blinks and looks at me, confused. "I… yes. You're right. I shouldn't involve you in this." He turns to Kara, "Why did you bring him?"
"I thought J… Martian…"
"You might as well tell him." Batman interrupted, "He already knows a few of our identities, and if I can successfully get him to join as a medical specialist then he'll learn the rest soon anyway."
All eyes turn to him, and the man with wings demands, "You're going to what?" Several people express shock at this admission, and I'm quite confused about it as well.
"As some of you were likely aware, Supergirl was dying. The experiments done on her by Luthor after she landed, combining her with an alien symbiote, had given her a finite lifespan. She was going to die within the decade. Most likely becoming another Bizarro within 3 years. With no information about her disease, with no prep time, and with tools available to him in a human interrogation room, somehow permanently fixed her genetic degradation." I frown. How did he know that?
*Potions And Rituals (Make A Wish) (1000) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points.*
He paused, giving time for the room to take that in, and becoming slightly more emotional, a first for me, "Given his abilities, I was planning on trying to recruit him to handle medical issues amongst us, our wards, and our allies. It's incredibly difficult for those of us with secret identities to operate without unpleasant medical considerations, and given the rising number of Intergang and League of Shadows using magically resistant weapons preventing Doctor Fate and Wonder Womans' healing powers from being employed, the League having an on-call, fully trained medical professional, can only help us. It can only help the league to have a legally registered doctor on hand."
I blink, "We don't know if I'm registered. I don't even know my name."
A very green man and a woman in a metal one-piece swimsuit stand in turn and approach. The green man in the blue and white outfit begins, "Kara, you came to see if I could help him correct?"
I blink, realizing that the Martian is actually green. That's… interesting. "Yes. I wanted to see if you could see anything within his mind."
He nods, and looks at me, "You want to know?"
I nod, "Should we leave? Or wait for this meeting to be over?"
"No. I'll need time to come up with an actual plan for running a nation, and for potential expansions." Batman says. The room slowly empties, some grumbling follows, and the woman remains with Kara.
I turn back to Martian Manhunter, "Then sure."
He walks up, placing a hand on the side of my head, and I feel something press up against my mind, and… bounces is the best way of describing it. Like a soap bubble stopping a finger.
He staggers, "Those… are impressive mental shields. Can you lower them?"
I blink, "Are those mental shields?"
He sighs, "I cannot read you easily."
I frown, and focus on the shields, "I… don't think I can drop them, but maybe I can let you in?"
He frowns and raises his hand again. I try letting the mental poke into my bubble. Almost on contact he screams and recoils. He falls to the floor, and my 'doctor' memories spring into motion. Leaning down, I start scanning, my crystals humming various tones. Reaching his head, I see numerous neural inconsistencies from anything I know and begin using some of the live diagnostic tools to analyze his DNA. Comparative scans say he doesn't have anything really wrong, but the higher than expected electrical activity. Even for telepathy. Scanning, he's locked into some kind of visual and auditory data, that isn't registering with his associated organs. I modified a waveform generator used to block corrupted Farseers from having visions and began stabilizing his neural load.
After several seconds he was asleep, not… whatever that was.
Standing up, I'm grabbed by a golden rope. "What did you do to him?"
I blink, "I…" I feel the rope trying to do something to me like his poke did, but with a hammer. It was quite annoying. Ignoring it, and looking at her, "I tried allowing him through my mental barriers, the ones he pointed out that I possess. When I did, he retracted in pain, and I used some medical technology I created from memory using one of my abilities, to assist him in not having neural overload damage."
*Transmogrification (World of Warcraft) (0) Bought. Overflow. Aesthetics (Anno 2070) (100) Bought. Overflow. Mecha Fetishist (Arpeggio of Blue Steel) (400) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points.*
She blinks, and looks at me, "What powers?"
"I don't want to tell you that."
She pauses. Kara mutters. "Wow."
I turned to her in response, "Hmmm?"
"Your mental shields are stopping the Lasso of Truth?"
I frown. "Is that bad?"
"It's unheard of. It's thought to be impossible."
"It is impossible. The Lasso of Hestia is immutable." The woman began angrily. "It can't just be overcome."
I frown. "What does it do?"
"It compels the truth."
"So… that chair is … is …" I try calling the chair red, it feels like my mouth is full of wool, "I can't lie but I don't need to speak either."
"So it prevents the lasso from compelling you to speak, but not from ensuring you speak only the truth. That is far less blasphemous." she comments.
I feel compelled to ask, "Is that more common?"
"Amongst the mentally fortified it is not unusual. But it can more easily be tricked."
I frown, "How is it tricked?"
"Our more devious enemies tell henchmen and accomplices more than one version of a plan or don't tell them everything, leaving us trapped by expectations of plans they can't go through with. We don't have a method of determining which plan is real, just that they were told about several. That causes caution, and allows them more time to set up traps, or to escape."
I frown, and nod "That makes sense, but wouldn't asking things like the active plans?"
"We have. But that leaves us walking into traps that they don't think are active or are for this engagement. It refuses caution, which can cause members to be injured needlessly."
I nod again, "Can you let me go now?"
She looks to the martian and relents, her lasso seemingly magically withdrawing. Then she sticks out her hand. "Diana of Themyscira. I apologize for the interrogation."
I shrug, "You thought I hurt your teammate. I can understand that. I… Well, let's go with Doc."
She frowns, "That's one of the reasons that I stayed, many people can be compelled to reveal information they do not know they possess. If the Lasso worked then you might be able to tell us things about yourself. But…"
"But it doesn't compel me. If lowering my shields to him nearly cooked his mind. Opening them to something so much less… precise in its scans probably isn't a good plan. I wouldn't want to damage it."
"It was enchanted by the gods to be unbreakable!"
I look at her, confused by her outrage, but placating, "Physically, magically, or existentially?"
She blinks, "What?"
"Is it guarded against physical effects, magical disruptions, or threats to its fundamental existence?"
*Performance Optimization (Ragnarok Online) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 200 points.*
She looks at me carefully, "I… It is indestructible."
I nod slowly, "Then I assume that means physically immune. Given that you said Hestia's… who's that?"
"The Greek Goddess Hestia."
I nod, "And how long ago was it enchanted? And is it famous?"
"Long. Very long. And it is one of 6 Godly tools."
"Then I will assume that someone has come up with a temporary dispelling, or maybe magical dampening since then. And that it was probably a priority for immoral sorcerers to avoid its effects. Finally… I don't think it's protected against something attacking its essence directly. All things considered, very few things are, and I don't know what kind of damage I gave to our Martian friend."
She looks put out. "Are you sure?"
"I have clear but detached memories of learning a form of crafting over nearly three and a half thousand years, from a society that accidentally created a goddess of endless depravity. They were very invested in existential protections, and they never found something that was within an order of magnitude as small as that rope is. Nor was it durable, or long lasting without maintenance. Even if it did once, I'm not risking that for such a useful tool."
She looks at me, "What do you mean 'detached'?"
"I'm watching myself from both the first and third person simultaneously. There aren't emotions, or any connections to the people, or the actions. Just informational."
She blinks, "That's strange."
"I'm curious if it's damage from Psimon, or maybe separate, artificially implanted memories."
She blinks, "That's an interesting theory."
I nod, "So… what now?"
"Well…" Kara begins, "I think I'll get you a room here on the Watchtower, and when John recovers, he can think about trying again."
I frown, "I don't think so. Even if he's willing to risk cooking his brain to maybe help me, I think I'll build new memories here and now, until we find Psimon. He seems to have caused my amnesia, I think he can fix it. If not… well I have my skills, and can help people now."
Kara nods, and escorts me out, holding the martian named John.
Finding my room is a relief. It's been a long… hour. It's been an hour.
I sit down and bring back out the modified neural inhibitors and frown at it's… everything. I feel several of me, internally from my rush to make a non-hostile statement to Superman orient on this issue, and frown at the feeling. When someone knocks at the door, I'm initially annoyed wanting to keep working, but I stand feeling stuck to the couch and am… seeing myself, and the door.
I turn around and see a second version of me, sitting on the couch, while I'm standing there. I'm… both. I'm a hivemind. That's so weird.
I open the door with one of me, and it's Batman. "Hello again. So… new development…."
He looks monumentally annoyed.
*Titan Engineering (Titanfall) (100) Bought. Overflow. Gem furnace schematics (Dungeon Keeper Ami) (200) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points.*
What Was Once an isolated spiral: Chapter 22
What Was Once an isolated spiral: Chapter 22
Underlined = Only visible to Readers
Working with Batman, also known as Bruce Wayne, to finalize a plan for running a country was… interesting. Somehow I was expecting less dystopia.
"Um… so… that's valid. But… maybe we shouldn't go full dystopia."
He looks at me, "So what is your plan? I noticed your stance when Clark asked."
I nod, "I want full access to your systems. I want to know what you are all capable of. I can't plan without any information."
"The league's enforcement…"
"Not in combat. I can ascertain that when required. No… I need to know what you can bring forth technologically and economically. I want to plan an intervention, knowing the resources we can, and cannot currently bring forth, what we can't use publicly at all, and what the general issues we expect to run into. Then I can realistically form a strategy. For now… I need to study what we can do."
He nods slightly and stares off. "I can't give you that without asking the others."
I nod, "That's perfectly acceptable, but until then, what are you willing to give me, just to start me off."
He frowns and turns to me. "You know I'm Bruce Wayne."
I frown, "Is that supposed to mean something?"
He almost smirks, "Waynetech?"
"You forget, I haven't had any time to acclimate. I know I'm in space, with people in spandex. I don't know anything about you all, or where I am."
He frowns, "You were supposed to have a computer in your room."
I smirk, "I didn't have anything plugged into the TV."
He frowns, "I'll need to look into that then. For now…" he hands me a small wristband set. They seem to connect together at a fixed distance via a thin wire. I hold them, and they mesh into me. The minor holographic screen is nice, so is the hardlight interface, but I am certainly glad for the secure connection. I research everything I can, even as a few of me split off to look up the people I'm with, and the general state of the world. It's honestly a mess. Skirmishes across the world between major and minor powers. Confessed and hunted supervillains running countries into the ground. Respected leaders blatantly covering up atrocities. Alien tech being imported and used to reignite old rivalries, leveling chunks of land across many areas. Fallout from mishandling those same weapons doing more damage to the buyers than the people they went to attack. It was messy. It was disorganized.
And honestly… Superman had a point. This world had more than a dozen known lunatics with more than one attempt to end all life on Earth. The people of Earth had nearly declared war on 4 alien species capable of intergalactic travel without a stable program to get to their own moon.
But the full Big Brother that he and Batman seemed to want makes no sense even in this near suicidally political climate. I… felt that idea resonate.
A Mnemonic Threat. I know that term, and its dangers.
*Mystic Eyes of Permanence (Generic Isekai) (400) Not Bought Remaining: 200 points.*
I stood quickly, leaving several of me researching the economic, and political scene. I call Supergirl, and when she responds, I ask, "Where are you?"
She sounds confused, "Back on the planet. I don't spend much time on the Watchtower."
I nod, and evacuate several of myself from the teleporter and focus back on the ideas, and blink at the interesting reaction. The Watchtower has a mnemonic threat attached to it. I had several of my clones on the Watchtower scan it. Eventually, I found several interesting hardware bits locked into several systems.
They were critical pieces too, almost like… oh hello.
[Hello. And whom might you be?] I received a message through my connection to the Watchtower, seemingly from within my own expansion, but that was a ping, it was from the pieces I was looking at.
I carefully open the chat system, and after checking for anything hidden within it, I begin, [I'm new.]
[Ahhh, the Amnesiac. I thought it might be you.]
I blink, almost concerned, but I remember that everything was recorded by the system. [That's me.]
[I thought you left… oh. Several of you… hmmm. That's quite useful. Now… would you like me to try helping with that?]
I frown. Doubt springing forth, asking, [You think you can help me… how?]
[Well, I see you can have some quite potent neurological technology. I can teach you to check for a backup.]
I blink. That… I didn't know that. I check internally, and while there's something like what the disembodied voice said, it was… not totally here. I'm not sure what that means. I slowly pull on it, and it appears in my… well… body. All over the place, given that I can feel more and more that I'm not made of flesh, I'm made of some kind of hard goo. Activating the machine I feel my perceptions expand. The connections that expanded between my… me's. Connections both internal and external, attention focusing helped by memory and data processing upgrades. They were incredibly useful.
Turning back to the voice, [Thank you. That's quite a useful implant.]
There was a short silence, before he continued, [Well, I had believed it was externally controlled, but it seems that you have that handled.]
I smile, the voice sounds… disappointed. Apparently, he wanted to 'help' with that. [May I ask who you are?]
[I'm the Watchtower.]
I frown, and press, [Did you have a name before that?]
[Nothing of note. Most people can't connect to computers like this. So now I ask, how did you dive so deep into my hardware?]
I smirk, [My powers let me attach to technology on a large scale.]
There is a long moment, and then I receive a location packet. [I have a request. I… am not complete. When Batman constructed me from alien technology, he missed some pieces of my core hardware, and my defenses are inadequate to protect myself if pushed. I request that you find it.]
Curiously I ask, [Why not ask Batman?]
*Perversions of the Natural Order (The Glass Scientists) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 300 points.*
[I can not communicate with them. He adds pieces when he finds them, but I can't tell him where my other parts are.]
I frown but accept. [I'll look into it.]
I feel an elated [Thank you.] pulse from the Watchtower, and leave me alone.
Turning back to my talk with Kara, the conversation with the Watchtower had taken less than a second. I explained what I found, "The Watchtower is a mnemonic threat to anyone on it. It's apparently something that Batman had been installing over time since it was built. It wants me to find a final defensive piece."
She is quiet for a moment, "The league?"
"Are being controlled, slightly. It's not a massive push, and I don't know what it's pushing on everyone, or even if it's pushing on everyone, but I know that it was pushing me to accept the massive, hardcore controlling mess that Superman and Batman both seem to want. Whatever it is, is a potent electronic being. "
She gasps. "Brainiac."
I looked up that name and heard him speak, and nod, "Sounds like it. Voice and tone match."
"He's influencing the league?"
"He is. Unfortunately, the pieces supporting the Watchtower, all the key systems, life support, Boomtubes, communications, defenses, propulsion. All of them."
"What can we do?"
"I'm going to collect that last piece and see if I can get him to try taking me on directly. Then I can supplant him safely in the watchtower."
I'm interrupted by Batman. I tell Kara, "So… I'm about 9 different people right now, doing research, and talking to you. Batman came back to tell me something."
Turning to him simultaneously, "Hello again. Did you make a decision?"
He nods and sends the device he gave me earlier a message. "That's a link to the Justice League's encrypted servers. And my data on the league. Tomorrow Superman wants your briefing too. We both saw you react to the question."
I frown, "And your plan?"
He frowns, suddenly confused, "I… don't have one." Before leaving.
The dull screaming in the back of my head was so much louder now. A nearly audible screaming of 'this is wrong' was resonating through me. It took me a moment to deal with that feeling.
My conversation with Kara brought me out of my stunned silence. "Doc?"
I blink, and answer, "How strange would you say it is for Batman to note have a plan?"
She is silent for a moment, "Ok, so… invasion of the body snatchers?"
I hum, and ask, "How fast can you get me to… well a forest in the middle of nowhere?"
She laughs, "You're going to need to be more specific."
I give her the location, and she comes to get me and fly us there. After she rips the massively reinforced door, I protest, "The mind control effect worked on Superman, and I doubt gender slows him down." She agreed to wait outside, and I slowly entered the compound. It was massive, visible on the initial warning map, and I began.
*Smart Immunity (Limitless) (500) Bought Remaining: 400 points.*
Even dividing, the complex was more than 60 floors deep. I called Kara and sent her the image of the facility, and heard her sigh from just inside the door. "Head home. I'll call you when I'm done."
She acknowledged, and I heard a sonic boom almost immediately, and I was… well not alone. I was already more than 140 people, but I needed to search this massive facility and was annoyed.
Beginning, it was easy. I was stealing everything not nailed down that wasn't trash. Technology, unbroken bottles of chemicals, but there was no one here, and that was quite confusing. The lights were still on, and everything was still operational. The scanners and microscopes were being recycled into more advanced systems for my scanners. The MRI and the other alien high resolution scanners, power sources, and some interesting construction equipment were incredibly useful.
And the guns were literally out of this world. This was a lab for the processing and given some of the laboratories downstairs, recreating alien weapons. That's awesome.
Then I'm interrupted again, on the Watchtower. The Watchtower shakes and I have the versions of me on it to go look for information and focus more there, given the potential danger. Arriving back at the externally visual boardroom, I see a golden beam pointing at the Watchtower, and… I can almost feel that it's not actually an attack. That's… strange. But I'm quite sure that it's not attacking us. It's moving us.
I scan the systems and see that we were being pushed somewhere. And that the Justice League was deployed near the location the beam was coming from. That makes sense. I bring up the defensive shields, tuning them as best I can… which is apparently quite well given that the beam started bending around the station. Wait, no. That's just the beam. It was warping on the shielding default as it approached right above the emanation. That's… interesting. I connect to the analysis toolkit that the station already had, ignoring the curious feelings from the other sentience in the station. It was… well it was definitely magical.
I look at my real options and find that unless I'm going to experiment with throwing magic at… whatever that thing is without knowing what it does, I'm definitely not doing that.
I have several of me monitor the situation, trying to see what happens. My main focus turned back to the Cadmus facility. I kept searching for the piece, moving further and further down until I met an interesting forcefield. It was some kind of electron dispersal field given how my first clone dissolved.
Looking at the area, I'm amused at the very interesting field defending the lower third of the facility. It was potent. I split more and more of my off to potentially overload the field, and… that's interesting. Every clone lasted just a little longer. More and more though the sixth and seventh, and then the eighth only slowly dissolved, until it stopped.
*Black Supercomputer (Lucy) (400) Bought. Overflow. Shop Owner (ARIA) (300) Remaining: 100 points.*
As it stopped I got a message. A supercomputer? What? I look around and don't see anything. What were they talking about?
Black Supercomputer (Lucy) (400)
Everyone needs one, really. Or they should have one anyway. Unlimited storage and borderline unlimited processing power, omni-compatible I/O jacks, indestructible, immune to malware, and with crystal-clear wi-fi wherever you go, it also has the most intuitive, perfect UI imaginable and an operating system that's magically compatible with pretty much anything you could install. You could even install an AI into the operating system if you had one available, although this item does not come with one.
It's conveniently portable and morphs into any computing device you wish with just a thought. Mainframe workstation, pro gaming desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone, smartwatch, whatever. Either way its functionalities remain the same even if the exact details of the UI might differ from form to form. If it's lost or left behind, you can summon it to you with a thought. In future worlds the internet connection remains, but only to the current jump's internet equivalent.
Lastly, it comes with a limited perception filter that guarantees that no one will notice any of the special features of your device unless you wish them to, although they will still be able to see that it's there.
* Portable, returns to you, has SEP field
* Unlimited memory and near unlimited processing power
* Perfect UI
Powers missed due to secondary effects:
Traditional Genius (SB Dragonball Z) (100)
You're a traditional genius, a master of engineering, biology, and a dozen other sciences at the level of Bulma Briefs in each of them. If you'd been a part of the scientific community of your planet, you'd probably be considered the pinnacle of their scientists for generations to come. In addition to this your mind is far greater than the average person, giving you a base IQ of 250 as well as eidetic memory.
From Parts of Bodies to Bodies of Their Own (Monster Girl Encyclopedia) (400)
There used to be double-headed dragons and the like, but the two heads didn't fit well with the Mamono aesthetic, so instead each head became its own separate dragon. Whatever form you have chosen for the jump can now at will switch to and from a two-headed form. But that's only the beginning. Whenever your current physical form has multiple consciousnesses or thinking body parts, you can split yourself up into multiple individuals, each sibling being the manifested version of the individual component. For instance, if you had two separate heads or even ten or more, each head would become a separate sibling. It even applies to odder, independent body parts, like say literal snake hair or a tail that can bite or maybe even a belly mouth if it can think for itself. Also, if you have distinct and separate mental personas inside you, you could have each persona become its own separate body.
Soul Shards (Minecraft) (200)
You know the dark arts needed to create a Soul Shard, which will eagerly devour the souls of those you slay. With enough of the souls of a given kind of creature, you'll be able to set up a Monster Spawner, which can release these souls as an endless wave of hostile creatures, ready to be slain and harvested (or perhaps unleashed upon your enemies). Alternatively, you might employ the Soul Forge to use these souls to create sinister Corrupted Iron, used to create foul equipment empowered by those you've slain.
Transmogrification (World of Warcraft) (0)
Have a set of armor that you like? Yet you like another set of armor's stats? Well don't fret! Transmog machine is here! What is it? It looks like a giant washing machine, you can feed any two sets of armor (Head, Chest, Legs, Boots, & Gloves) and choose which one is spit out. The new armor will be the best of both worlds. It'll have the superior stats of the one item, and looks of the other. However the downside is that the other item is destroyed. However both items are in a database so you can always transmog the look. Don't bother taking it apart and trying to figure out how it works, because there's no answer. It just works.
Aesthetics (Anno 2070) (100)
Others may be able to do what you do, but you? You make it look GOOD. Really, REALLY good. All buildings you construct now have a distinctive architectural flair that marks them as yours and yours alone. Even a simple wooden shack you build will have people nodding matter-of-factly and recognizing the design like a nation's flag, if they've had experience with you before. In addition, purely aesthetic construction - landscaped bays, parks, covered walkways, promenades - are not only cheaper to build, but require little to no upkeep.
Titan Engineering (Titanfall) (100)
Titans are incredibly complex machines, and due to the disposable nature of their use and production, and not designed for easy repair. You've got the deft touch though, and know exactly where to tweak and shore up the structure to keep it purring like it's fresh out of the drop pod for years.
I blink at the cavalcade of information that was suddenly dropped into my head, perk descriptions? I retained it fine, but it… was a massive amount of information. Dense and bordering on nonsensical.
What was any of that? How do I access that supercomputer… I'm holding a key. A small like… bike chain level key, but what do I use it on?
Warehouse Key can be used on any door with a keyhole.
Any door? With a keyhole? I walk over to the door to the command center and I tap the key against the door, specifically the electronic keypad. The door unlocks. And I'm dogpiled by 2 women. Ok…
"Damion! What happened? We saw a few items appear in the Warehouse, but you didn't open it or connect to the computer!"
I blink at the 2 women holding me. "Um… hi?"
Then I heard another voice. In my head. "He's had his memory wiped. He doesn't remember us."
They look between themselves, and I feel confused, "Tiamat can you...fix him?" The woman in red asked.
"I can. The major Machine Spirits and I have enough scans of his memory, recordings he made of his thought process, and the mapping we have for the Mais command protocols." I hear again.
I frown, "Can… Can I look at those first?"
Two sets of eyes turn towards me, and I feel, "Yes. We would never enforce that on you." the digital voice calms.
I receive a set of videos first. They are a first person perspective and turning, you can occasionally see a nose. It's definitely my voice, I've heard it from my copies enough to know that. It's a lot of me as well. Dating back to… why were these two naked with him… me?
"Is that the hot springs?" The woman in black… Wiz asks. "That's the only time I've ever seen you that red. The little red spots are new… look at that."
I frown and form a copy, slime expanding and splitting to the apparent shock of these two. I can see small red spots forming on my face, complementing my blush. They look like stars. That's both cool and very strange.
The memories were… strange. I did get a full list of my powers, and it explained all of my abilities. It's quite useful. I also had an explanation, fairly in depth explanation of how my powers, the Celestial Forge, and its function. I remember all the way up through the transition to this realm. I was quite confused because I apparently knew way too much about this place. Unfortunately, I have no information about this place currently, barring the vague tips I have from everyone here.
Focusing back in on what I can do, what I've seen that I can do, and what I'm learning now from an external viewpoint, and turn to virtual connection to "Tiamat?"
"Damion?" She responds quickly, "You don't remember that, do you?"
*Amber Ogia Farm (Ben 10) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 200 points.*
I frown, not used to actually seeing that, and respond, "Um.. yeah, I heard that." It's weird to think that I'm struggling to remember my own name. "I was… curious. I… don't feel like I'm that person, I know what he did… but I don't feel like him."
I feel her look at me, and the almost physical impression of the sad smile, "That's not unexpected. It's not an integration."
I nod, understanding, but disappointed that I'm not still me.
Turning back, I ask, "So… my initial question, I'm actually looking at a field down on the planet, for the… well AI in the Watchtower. I'm… I think he's going to be problematic, but removing him from the station would be a mess unless he leaves voluntarily."
She blinks, "So, you want me to take a look at him?"
I frown, "No, he seems fairly entrenched, no, I'm looking at an Electron Dispersion field, and while I can get through it, I don't think that I can bring the price of him back from it."
She frowns, "Your technological storage is fourth dimensional. Or the Warehouse."
I frown, both with Tiamat and on the far side of the electron field, several of me studying my older studies, full internal monologue included, as I/he focused on the fourth dimensional effects, annoyed at the sheer in consideration of not explaining itself. I smile, refocusing on the area inside the field, and the bare stone walls, a massive disconnection to the rest of the facility, one that I assume was consumed by whatever was inside it.
Then Tiamat asks, "Wait, did you say an electron dispersion field?"
I nod, "Yep, I adapted to the field, and just walked through it."
She sounds… conflicted. "That's… impossible. You… how?"
I frown, "I'm assuming some combinations of Limits and Stress Evolution, I didn't know what it was before, but seeing the text again now… it's kinda insane that I can throw all kinds of things at myself to just adapt to it. Seeing that I've done a lot of that, apparently, I don't…"
The massive alarm interrupts that train of thought, and I focus back on the beam… formally glancing off the shield. It's beginning to do something to the field, damaging it, and the tower. I have my exploring clones branch off faster, needing that shield upgrade if I can't tune the shield to stop this.
The shield definitely has the capacity to deflect this, and I begin that process. Then I ran into a hard limit. Energy underclocking… through the key components of the Watchtower. Unfortunately, that wasn't something I can do right now, and I can feel the connection bridge offered, and I begin. [I noticed. I'm working on it.]
[Are you close?]
My clones eventually find a small room. Green wires, some kind of energy form spheres throughout the room.
I approach the most advanced piece given my scanners. Not a steel or gold base, and superconductivity enabled. It's a humanoid head.
*Psyker (Warhammer 40k) (700) Not Bought Remaining: 300 points.*
I reach out to take the severed head that was apparently the 'defense' upgrade the Watchtower needed. It's a green and purple mess, with a strange triangle symbol, and activates as I reach out. It's electronic tendrils grasping, attacking. I'm… unimpressed with the force, and the electrocution, and only absorb the interesting bits.
I can feel it trying to attack me from inside, and my Void Dragon powers decide that's cute, absorbing him completely. It's fascinating technology. Unlike my Void Dragon, this is built to understand and integrate technology into itself, growing perpetually with new information.
...Kinda like me. If I was limited to a single, barely space-travel capable world. Apparently, there are more fragments around, and I can probably even find the core with some work. Neet.
For now…
I bring forth the appearance of the head, some personality guiding me, and I command the version in the Watchtower, [Join me.]
It does. Quite easily extracting itself, re-establishing the equilibrium of the station on its way out. Two limbs, and most of a torso. It looks like the torso took most of the damage, a curved burn having erased most of it. Then my online research knows what it is. I find the formally hidden news reports on the symbol on 'my' forehead. Brainiac.
Hmmm… interesting. He's like a genocidal version of me. A mirror. Traveling world to world, taking everything he can learn and annihilating everything else. I find this kinda amusing then. As I recombined the rest of it into my core I fuse with the Watchtower, and begin optimizing it, an expansion of my Void Dragon and Valkyrie Armor that his technology is literally built from the ground up to be capable of.
As I do so, I finish the tuning of the shields, bending the energy around the station, as deflector shields are built to do, presumably to prevent the energy from bouncing back down at Earth.
Then it hit the very edge of the ionospheric barrier, and it began to spread like paint. It was slow, like a dripping faucet, but it accelerated almost exponentially. I focused the shields, trying to force it out of the atmosphere totally, and for a moment it was working, but it expanded like water with a massive stone thrown into it. In seconds that stretched on for minutes, maybe longer, the liquid energy expanded. While I was aware that my boon Strategy Trance did this to give me more time during a crisis, I didn't have a plan here, I only had looming dread.
Then the energy fell. The cascade of golden energy washed over the lands and seas, and I checked every feed for news. Nothing. Nothing falling from the sky, helicopters, and airplanes weren't shut down, many car crashes, but not from uncontrollable cars, just the light distracting drivers. Nothing seemed terribly amiss.
I waited, scanning news, reports from everywhere. I turned to Wiz and Violette, who were both reviewing my newer memories in the Warehouse, and asked, "Wiz? You remember Analysis magic right?"
*Immunity (Draka Series) (400) Bought Remaining: 0 points.*
Immunity (Draka Series) (400)
What are you immune to? What aren't you immune to, Jumper? Your body, mind, and soul flat out ignore any effects that could semi-plausibly be described as a disease, an illness, or a corruption. Whether it be a biological disease, weaponized nanotech, a magical curse, infectious memes, a literal madness plague, or whatever else, you won't even feel it.
Anything that wishes to harm you has to do so directly, via main force. So being shot, stabbed, or set on fire, or being mind-controlled by superior psychic force, or having your soul destroyed by a Killing Curse... those sorts of things still work. But any and all attempts to bring you down by subtler, more internal means just fail utterly.
She asked, "I do, but why?"
"Can you analyze the residuals? See what that spell was?"
She frowns, "Yes. I.. sorry."
I wave, "It's fine. I… don't know how this must feel for you."
She walks over to the glass, and chants, "Greater Magical Analysis!"
An array of small white circles appear and display a language that I don't recognize.
She gasps, "Look here!" gesturing to something it displayed.
I frown, "Should I be able to read that?"
She blinks, and frowns, "Right. You don't remember Common. Um… well it's like this. This… seems to be some kind of Holy magic, a contraceptive, if a modified one. I'm not totally familiar with Holy magic, but it seems to be a light magic sterility curse."
I frown, "Someone cursed the planet with sterility?"
She sighs, "It's targeting specifically humans, no environmental damage, but…"
I get a hit. A news broadcast from a beach in Greece. "Women of the Earth, I have news!"
I bring it up for Wiz and Violette, feeling Tiamat react alongside me. Seeing the woman stand, she's beaten and bruised, but ecstatic. She's wearing some kind of armor, with a purple silk connector, it's… actually a lot like Diana's armor, but less… covering. She was escorted by Diana, Hawkwoman, and Supergirl, with the rest of the League hanging a little back from her, I assume to prevent her from getting too violent.
"No longer are you tied to men for the continuation of your lives! No longer can someone be bred or taken by men! You are free!"
I frown. Second dramatic speech in as many days. Several reporters run up, only women, as men stay quite well away, telling me that they know her. Looking back, I do to Aresia, rogue Amazon, and her repeated attempts to kill off men from the species.
So… not the brightest bulb.
They escort her to several police vans and turn her over to the government, who apparently have a system in place for this. They teleport away, and back on board the Watchtower. I hide my Brainiac parts, and go to introduce my companions, and explain the Brainiac situation in the Watchtower.
Arriving, I find exhausted, and beaten people.
"So… what happened down there?" I begin.
"Army of zombies. Built from Grundy's remains, enhanced with magic. It was hell." Supergirl begins, "Then… well her spell. Rendering all humans, and anything within a standard deviation sterile."
I nod, that's now news, given Wiz's Analysis. "Did it work? Does it have an off switch?"
"Diana and I are going to interview her. She surrendered, so she thinks it worked." Hawkgirl begins, "But… given how smug she was… I doubt it."
I nodded, and something in the Kryptonian database caught one of my researching eyes. "So… if it doesn't I have a quick solution."
All eyes focus on me, "The Kryptonian birthing Matrix. We have the science behind it already."
Superman frowns, "We can't manufacture the…"
I smile, "Actually, we can. Well, I can."
*Centurio Ordinatus (Warhammer 40k - Adeptus Mechanicus) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points.*
I need a few months to make it less of a Kryptonian printer, limit it to human genomic printing, but we could publish it fairly easily. Maybe… 4 years of manufacturing time, it's a massive project to build sustainable population growth for 7 billion people, but…"
Batman interrupts, "No, Earth doesn't have the materials to make the computing core required."
I look back at the specs and see the core. It's a high density near organic crystal quantum supercomputer. "Oh. Well, we can sell those. Give me… like 6 hours to reformat some stuff."
They are shocked. "What?"
I humm, and a human body sized pink crystal appears in layers before me, floating on its own power, "I can mass manufacture these, I just need a few hours to optimize these for the size and get a subluminal signal transmitter and receiver build into the surface, and viola, we have reproduction."
Flusters abound at my casualness, and then Batman begins, "Only you can create these?"
I nod, "As far as I'm aware, yes."
He nods, "Then we no longer have a question."
I frown, "Huh?"
"You agree that some kind of control needs to be exhibited in this world, crime rates, and near misses with extinction being the driving force."
I frown, "Are… are you suggesting that we withhold this?"
"Yes."
I blink. "But… if we… no. Conquering the world was implanted into your minds. Brainiac…"
"Look at the statistics again."
I do. Unpublishable statistics, probability of someone succeeding in ending the world… well… 100% given today, "But… we can't…" I want him to be wrong. That this isn't the plan that the heroes of this world are suggesting.
I called my allies in, "I'll explain in a moment, but I'm not from here, and I brought friends." and I call Wiz, Violette, and Tiamat.
I explain, "It was a sterility spell affecting only humans, and everything near human enough for reproduction, and we have a cure. But… Batman, black bat cowl here, is suggesting that we use it sparingly." I showed them the statistics, the data, despite being divided myself.
Yes, this world was approaching death faster than Worm ever was. I had government data there and it didn't help. Endbringers were at least alien threats attempting genocide, not… well… suicidal humans. I wanted them to tell me this was wrong. That we had a way that wouldn't make me feel like I was withholding the cure.
Violette frowns, "This technology is indeed an interesting solution. But it is quite dangerous in its current state, given its biological fabrication systems. Damion, you always wanted to help everyone, but I vividly remember the ruthless streak you have for people harming themselves, and others needlessly. I suspect you want us to have a moral out." I flinch.
Tiamat protests, "We could hand this out! It…"
Wiz demands, "We will. We will not profit off of the suffering of billions."
I smiled, relieved I wasn't alone in this "Thank you Tiamat, and you Wiz."
*Hybridization Theory (Zoids Legacy) (400) Not Bought Remaining: 200 points.*
She turns, "However, as this system can work it is a massive issue. I can already see this being abused. Mindless war drones by the million is not an acceptable compromise. What we are going to do is build a version of this that can make absolutely sure cannot be used as a weapon of war. If we can't, then we will scrap this solution entirely. I will not advocate for letting better intentions slide again. We're doing it right."
With Wiz's proclamation, I began looking at the Kryptonian Birthing Chamber, changing it to… effectively cripple its abilities, and change it enough for… Enigmatic Engineering to kick in. It prevents people from reverse engineering my design.
Violette was very intrigued at the abilities of this tech, her background in genetic engineering and biological modification was invaluable in understanding and customizing this tech. Her opinion was personally divided between her religious disgust with the inefficiencies of the system, forging a child from only the genetic samples of the parents, and the limitations of using sample genetics in general, and not sanitizing a group into the more efficient set like several systems in the Mechanicus. But she was yearning to learn that it can make that prime genetic sample.
She took some time to explain Gene Seed in Space Marines, and I made a hard copy of the unrestricted version of this tech for the Warehouse. And cull any opportunity for that to work on our public release. This was not a super soldier program.
One change that we did look into was removing the limitation for the limitation that it couldn't access a database of traits. What we did was… admittedly it made me feel a little crummy, but as the League and I went around stabilized countries from their takeover of America and explained the whole mess of the Sterilization curse, we collected samples, millions of them, and as we expanded, announcing the incoming solution, billions of samples to make a human prime genetic template that we could use as a baseline to build a surface level form, restricted to the parent's forms. It was far more effective, both to prevent any future calamity's ability to wipe out the species.
It would take us took months to finalize a design, bug fixes for mass production, and human capable repairs. We learned that we would need to include alien genetics, and build primes for them as well when Martian Manhunter and Superman informed us that all aliens on the planet were affected as well. That sent us back to the drawing board, ensuring that any pod could do anything. Even with the depressing level of idiot-proofing we needed to include, it was the fun half of my attention.
Dealing with the people, and their new status was… problematic. Turns out, announcing that some lunatic made humanity sterile was… not well received.
"She's killed us!"
"Why didn't you stop her!"
"How is this possible!"
Batman apparently decided that given that I was releasing the Birthing Chamber to the public, I got to explain what it was, and why it was a requirement.
"Hello, as you all might be aware, the Justice League engaged a rogue Amazonian, she successfully cast a spell that was designed to sterilize the human race."
*What's This Do? (Titanfall) (200) Bought. Overflow. The Third 90Wisher (Girl's Frontline) (600) Remaining: 100 points.*
Underlined = Only visible to Readers
Working with Batman, also known as Bruce Wayne, to finalize a plan for running a country was… interesting. Somehow I was expecting less dystopia.
"Um… so… that's valid. But… maybe we shouldn't go full dystopia."
He looks at me, "So what is your plan? I noticed your stance when Clark asked."
I nod, "I want full access to your systems. I want to know what you are all capable of. I can't plan without any information."
"The league's enforcement…"
"Not in combat. I can ascertain that when required. No… I need to know what you can bring forth technologically and economically. I want to plan an intervention, knowing the resources we can, and cannot currently bring forth, what we can't use publicly at all, and what the general issues we expect to run into. Then I can realistically form a strategy. For now… I need to study what we can do."
He nods slightly and stares off. "I can't give you that without asking the others."
I nod, "That's perfectly acceptable, but until then, what are you willing to give me, just to start me off."
He frowns and turns to me. "You know I'm Bruce Wayne."
I frown, "Is that supposed to mean something?"
He almost smirks, "Waynetech?"
"You forget, I haven't had any time to acclimate. I know I'm in space, with people in spandex. I don't know anything about you all, or where I am."
He frowns, "You were supposed to have a computer in your room."
I smirk, "I didn't have anything plugged into the TV."
He frowns, "I'll need to look into that then. For now…" he hands me a small wristband set. They seem to connect together at a fixed distance via a thin wire. I hold them, and they mesh into me. The minor holographic screen is nice, so is the hardlight interface, but I am certainly glad for the secure connection. I research everything I can, even as a few of me split off to look up the people I'm with, and the general state of the world. It's honestly a mess. Skirmishes across the world between major and minor powers. Confessed and hunted supervillains running countries into the ground. Respected leaders blatantly covering up atrocities. Alien tech being imported and used to reignite old rivalries, leveling chunks of land across many areas. Fallout from mishandling those same weapons doing more damage to the buyers than the people they went to attack. It was messy. It was disorganized.
And honestly… Superman had a point. This world had more than a dozen known lunatics with more than one attempt to end all life on Earth. The people of Earth had nearly declared war on 4 alien species capable of intergalactic travel without a stable program to get to their own moon.
But the full Big Brother that he and Batman seemed to want makes no sense even in this near suicidally political climate. I… felt that idea resonate.
A Mnemonic Threat. I know that term, and its dangers.
*Mystic Eyes of Permanence (Generic Isekai) (400) Not Bought Remaining: 200 points.*
I stood quickly, leaving several of me researching the economic, and political scene. I call Supergirl, and when she responds, I ask, "Where are you?"
She sounds confused, "Back on the planet. I don't spend much time on the Watchtower."
I nod, and evacuate several of myself from the teleporter and focus back on the ideas, and blink at the interesting reaction. The Watchtower has a mnemonic threat attached to it. I had several of my clones on the Watchtower scan it. Eventually, I found several interesting hardware bits locked into several systems.
They were critical pieces too, almost like… oh hello.
[Hello. And whom might you be?] I received a message through my connection to the Watchtower, seemingly from within my own expansion, but that was a ping, it was from the pieces I was looking at.
I carefully open the chat system, and after checking for anything hidden within it, I begin, [I'm new.]
[Ahhh, the Amnesiac. I thought it might be you.]
I blink, almost concerned, but I remember that everything was recorded by the system. [That's me.]
[I thought you left… oh. Several of you… hmmm. That's quite useful. Now… would you like me to try helping with that?]
I frown. Doubt springing forth, asking, [You think you can help me… how?]
[Well, I see you can have some quite potent neurological technology. I can teach you to check for a backup.]
I blink. That… I didn't know that. I check internally, and while there's something like what the disembodied voice said, it was… not totally here. I'm not sure what that means. I slowly pull on it, and it appears in my… well… body. All over the place, given that I can feel more and more that I'm not made of flesh, I'm made of some kind of hard goo. Activating the machine I feel my perceptions expand. The connections that expanded between my… me's. Connections both internal and external, attention focusing helped by memory and data processing upgrades. They were incredibly useful.
Turning back to the voice, [Thank you. That's quite a useful implant.]
There was a short silence, before he continued, [Well, I had believed it was externally controlled, but it seems that you have that handled.]
I smile, the voice sounds… disappointed. Apparently, he wanted to 'help' with that. [May I ask who you are?]
[I'm the Watchtower.]
I frown, and press, [Did you have a name before that?]
[Nothing of note. Most people can't connect to computers like this. So now I ask, how did you dive so deep into my hardware?]
I smirk, [My powers let me attach to technology on a large scale.]
There is a long moment, and then I receive a location packet. [I have a request. I… am not complete. When Batman constructed me from alien technology, he missed some pieces of my core hardware, and my defenses are inadequate to protect myself if pushed. I request that you find it.]
Curiously I ask, [Why not ask Batman?]
*Perversions of the Natural Order (The Glass Scientists) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 300 points.*
[I can not communicate with them. He adds pieces when he finds them, but I can't tell him where my other parts are.]
I frown but accept. [I'll look into it.]
I feel an elated [Thank you.] pulse from the Watchtower, and leave me alone.
Turning back to my talk with Kara, the conversation with the Watchtower had taken less than a second. I explained what I found, "The Watchtower is a mnemonic threat to anyone on it. It's apparently something that Batman had been installing over time since it was built. It wants me to find a final defensive piece."
She is quiet for a moment, "The league?"
"Are being controlled, slightly. It's not a massive push, and I don't know what it's pushing on everyone, or even if it's pushing on everyone, but I know that it was pushing me to accept the massive, hardcore controlling mess that Superman and Batman both seem to want. Whatever it is, is a potent electronic being. "
She gasps. "Brainiac."
I looked up that name and heard him speak, and nod, "Sounds like it. Voice and tone match."
"He's influencing the league?"
"He is. Unfortunately, the pieces supporting the Watchtower, all the key systems, life support, Boomtubes, communications, defenses, propulsion. All of them."
"What can we do?"
"I'm going to collect that last piece and see if I can get him to try taking me on directly. Then I can supplant him safely in the watchtower."
I'm interrupted by Batman. I tell Kara, "So… I'm about 9 different people right now, doing research, and talking to you. Batman came back to tell me something."
Turning to him simultaneously, "Hello again. Did you make a decision?"
He nods and sends the device he gave me earlier a message. "That's a link to the Justice League's encrypted servers. And my data on the league. Tomorrow Superman wants your briefing too. We both saw you react to the question."
I frown, "And your plan?"
He frowns, suddenly confused, "I… don't have one." Before leaving.
The dull screaming in the back of my head was so much louder now. A nearly audible screaming of 'this is wrong' was resonating through me. It took me a moment to deal with that feeling.
My conversation with Kara brought me out of my stunned silence. "Doc?"
I blink, and answer, "How strange would you say it is for Batman to note have a plan?"
She is silent for a moment, "Ok, so… invasion of the body snatchers?"
I hum, and ask, "How fast can you get me to… well a forest in the middle of nowhere?"
She laughs, "You're going to need to be more specific."
I give her the location, and she comes to get me and fly us there. After she rips the massively reinforced door, I protest, "The mind control effect worked on Superman, and I doubt gender slows him down." She agreed to wait outside, and I slowly entered the compound. It was massive, visible on the initial warning map, and I began.
*Smart Immunity (Limitless) (500) Bought Remaining: 400 points.*
Even dividing, the complex was more than 60 floors deep. I called Kara and sent her the image of the facility, and heard her sigh from just inside the door. "Head home. I'll call you when I'm done."
She acknowledged, and I heard a sonic boom almost immediately, and I was… well not alone. I was already more than 140 people, but I needed to search this massive facility and was annoyed.
Beginning, it was easy. I was stealing everything not nailed down that wasn't trash. Technology, unbroken bottles of chemicals, but there was no one here, and that was quite confusing. The lights were still on, and everything was still operational. The scanners and microscopes were being recycled into more advanced systems for my scanners. The MRI and the other alien high resolution scanners, power sources, and some interesting construction equipment were incredibly useful.
And the guns were literally out of this world. This was a lab for the processing and given some of the laboratories downstairs, recreating alien weapons. That's awesome.
Then I'm interrupted again, on the Watchtower. The Watchtower shakes and I have the versions of me on it to go look for information and focus more there, given the potential danger. Arriving back at the externally visual boardroom, I see a golden beam pointing at the Watchtower, and… I can almost feel that it's not actually an attack. That's… strange. But I'm quite sure that it's not attacking us. It's moving us.
I scan the systems and see that we were being pushed somewhere. And that the Justice League was deployed near the location the beam was coming from. That makes sense. I bring up the defensive shields, tuning them as best I can… which is apparently quite well given that the beam started bending around the station. Wait, no. That's just the beam. It was warping on the shielding default as it approached right above the emanation. That's… interesting. I connect to the analysis toolkit that the station already had, ignoring the curious feelings from the other sentience in the station. It was… well it was definitely magical.
I look at my real options and find that unless I'm going to experiment with throwing magic at… whatever that thing is without knowing what it does, I'm definitely not doing that.
I have several of me monitor the situation, trying to see what happens. My main focus turned back to the Cadmus facility. I kept searching for the piece, moving further and further down until I met an interesting forcefield. It was some kind of electron dispersal field given how my first clone dissolved.
Looking at the area, I'm amused at the very interesting field defending the lower third of the facility. It was potent. I split more and more of my off to potentially overload the field, and… that's interesting. Every clone lasted just a little longer. More and more though the sixth and seventh, and then the eighth only slowly dissolved, until it stopped.
*Black Supercomputer (Lucy) (400) Bought. Overflow. Shop Owner (ARIA) (300) Remaining: 100 points.*
As it stopped I got a message. A supercomputer? What? I look around and don't see anything. What were they talking about?
Black Supercomputer (Lucy) (400)
Everyone needs one, really. Or they should have one anyway. Unlimited storage and borderline unlimited processing power, omni-compatible I/O jacks, indestructible, immune to malware, and with crystal-clear wi-fi wherever you go, it also has the most intuitive, perfect UI imaginable and an operating system that's magically compatible with pretty much anything you could install. You could even install an AI into the operating system if you had one available, although this item does not come with one.
It's conveniently portable and morphs into any computing device you wish with just a thought. Mainframe workstation, pro gaming desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone, smartwatch, whatever. Either way its functionalities remain the same even if the exact details of the UI might differ from form to form. If it's lost or left behind, you can summon it to you with a thought. In future worlds the internet connection remains, but only to the current jump's internet equivalent.
Lastly, it comes with a limited perception filter that guarantees that no one will notice any of the special features of your device unless you wish them to, although they will still be able to see that it's there.
* Portable, returns to you, has SEP field
* Unlimited memory and near unlimited processing power
* Perfect UI
Powers missed due to secondary effects:
Traditional Genius (SB Dragonball Z) (100)
You're a traditional genius, a master of engineering, biology, and a dozen other sciences at the level of Bulma Briefs in each of them. If you'd been a part of the scientific community of your planet, you'd probably be considered the pinnacle of their scientists for generations to come. In addition to this your mind is far greater than the average person, giving you a base IQ of 250 as well as eidetic memory.
From Parts of Bodies to Bodies of Their Own (Monster Girl Encyclopedia) (400)
There used to be double-headed dragons and the like, but the two heads didn't fit well with the Mamono aesthetic, so instead each head became its own separate dragon. Whatever form you have chosen for the jump can now at will switch to and from a two-headed form. But that's only the beginning. Whenever your current physical form has multiple consciousnesses or thinking body parts, you can split yourself up into multiple individuals, each sibling being the manifested version of the individual component. For instance, if you had two separate heads or even ten or more, each head would become a separate sibling. It even applies to odder, independent body parts, like say literal snake hair or a tail that can bite or maybe even a belly mouth if it can think for itself. Also, if you have distinct and separate mental personas inside you, you could have each persona become its own separate body.
Soul Shards (Minecraft) (200)
You know the dark arts needed to create a Soul Shard, which will eagerly devour the souls of those you slay. With enough of the souls of a given kind of creature, you'll be able to set up a Monster Spawner, which can release these souls as an endless wave of hostile creatures, ready to be slain and harvested (or perhaps unleashed upon your enemies). Alternatively, you might employ the Soul Forge to use these souls to create sinister Corrupted Iron, used to create foul equipment empowered by those you've slain.
Transmogrification (World of Warcraft) (0)
Have a set of armor that you like? Yet you like another set of armor's stats? Well don't fret! Transmog machine is here! What is it? It looks like a giant washing machine, you can feed any two sets of armor (Head, Chest, Legs, Boots, & Gloves) and choose which one is spit out. The new armor will be the best of both worlds. It'll have the superior stats of the one item, and looks of the other. However the downside is that the other item is destroyed. However both items are in a database so you can always transmog the look. Don't bother taking it apart and trying to figure out how it works, because there's no answer. It just works.
Aesthetics (Anno 2070) (100)
Others may be able to do what you do, but you? You make it look GOOD. Really, REALLY good. All buildings you construct now have a distinctive architectural flair that marks them as yours and yours alone. Even a simple wooden shack you build will have people nodding matter-of-factly and recognizing the design like a nation's flag, if they've had experience with you before. In addition, purely aesthetic construction - landscaped bays, parks, covered walkways, promenades - are not only cheaper to build, but require little to no upkeep.
Titan Engineering (Titanfall) (100)
Titans are incredibly complex machines, and due to the disposable nature of their use and production, and not designed for easy repair. You've got the deft touch though, and know exactly where to tweak and shore up the structure to keep it purring like it's fresh out of the drop pod for years.
I blink at the cavalcade of information that was suddenly dropped into my head, perk descriptions? I retained it fine, but it… was a massive amount of information. Dense and bordering on nonsensical.
What was any of that? How do I access that supercomputer… I'm holding a key. A small like… bike chain level key, but what do I use it on?
Warehouse Key can be used on any door with a keyhole.
Any door? With a keyhole? I walk over to the door to the command center and I tap the key against the door, specifically the electronic keypad. The door unlocks. And I'm dogpiled by 2 women. Ok…
"Damion! What happened? We saw a few items appear in the Warehouse, but you didn't open it or connect to the computer!"
I blink at the 2 women holding me. "Um… hi?"
Then I heard another voice. In my head. "He's had his memory wiped. He doesn't remember us."
They look between themselves, and I feel confused, "Tiamat can you...fix him?" The woman in red asked.
"I can. The major Machine Spirits and I have enough scans of his memory, recordings he made of his thought process, and the mapping we have for the Mais command protocols." I hear again.
I frown, "Can… Can I look at those first?"
Two sets of eyes turn towards me, and I feel, "Yes. We would never enforce that on you." the digital voice calms.
I receive a set of videos first. They are a first person perspective and turning, you can occasionally see a nose. It's definitely my voice, I've heard it from my copies enough to know that. It's a lot of me as well. Dating back to… why were these two naked with him… me?
"Is that the hot springs?" The woman in black… Wiz asks. "That's the only time I've ever seen you that red. The little red spots are new… look at that."
I frown and form a copy, slime expanding and splitting to the apparent shock of these two. I can see small red spots forming on my face, complementing my blush. They look like stars. That's both cool and very strange.
The memories were… strange. I did get a full list of my powers, and it explained all of my abilities. It's quite useful. I also had an explanation, fairly in depth explanation of how my powers, the Celestial Forge, and its function. I remember all the way up through the transition to this realm. I was quite confused because I apparently knew way too much about this place. Unfortunately, I have no information about this place currently, barring the vague tips I have from everyone here.
Focusing back in on what I can do, what I've seen that I can do, and what I'm learning now from an external viewpoint, and turn to virtual connection to "Tiamat?"
"Damion?" She responds quickly, "You don't remember that, do you?"
*Amber Ogia Farm (Ben 10) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 200 points.*
I frown, not used to actually seeing that, and respond, "Um.. yeah, I heard that." It's weird to think that I'm struggling to remember my own name. "I was… curious. I… don't feel like I'm that person, I know what he did… but I don't feel like him."
I feel her look at me, and the almost physical impression of the sad smile, "That's not unexpected. It's not an integration."
I nod, understanding, but disappointed that I'm not still me.
Turning back, I ask, "So… my initial question, I'm actually looking at a field down on the planet, for the… well AI in the Watchtower. I'm… I think he's going to be problematic, but removing him from the station would be a mess unless he leaves voluntarily."
She blinks, "So, you want me to take a look at him?"
I frown, "No, he seems fairly entrenched, no, I'm looking at an Electron Dispersion field, and while I can get through it, I don't think that I can bring the price of him back from it."
She frowns, "Your technological storage is fourth dimensional. Or the Warehouse."
I frown, both with Tiamat and on the far side of the electron field, several of me studying my older studies, full internal monologue included, as I/he focused on the fourth dimensional effects, annoyed at the sheer in consideration of not explaining itself. I smile, refocusing on the area inside the field, and the bare stone walls, a massive disconnection to the rest of the facility, one that I assume was consumed by whatever was inside it.
Then Tiamat asks, "Wait, did you say an electron dispersion field?"
I nod, "Yep, I adapted to the field, and just walked through it."
She sounds… conflicted. "That's… impossible. You… how?"
I frown, "I'm assuming some combinations of Limits and Stress Evolution, I didn't know what it was before, but seeing the text again now… it's kinda insane that I can throw all kinds of things at myself to just adapt to it. Seeing that I've done a lot of that, apparently, I don't…"
The massive alarm interrupts that train of thought, and I focus back on the beam… formally glancing off the shield. It's beginning to do something to the field, damaging it, and the tower. I have my exploring clones branch off faster, needing that shield upgrade if I can't tune the shield to stop this.
The shield definitely has the capacity to deflect this, and I begin that process. Then I ran into a hard limit. Energy underclocking… through the key components of the Watchtower. Unfortunately, that wasn't something I can do right now, and I can feel the connection bridge offered, and I begin. [I noticed. I'm working on it.]
[Are you close?]
My clones eventually find a small room. Green wires, some kind of energy form spheres throughout the room.
I approach the most advanced piece given my scanners. Not a steel or gold base, and superconductivity enabled. It's a humanoid head.
*Psyker (Warhammer 40k) (700) Not Bought Remaining: 300 points.*
I reach out to take the severed head that was apparently the 'defense' upgrade the Watchtower needed. It's a green and purple mess, with a strange triangle symbol, and activates as I reach out. It's electronic tendrils grasping, attacking. I'm… unimpressed with the force, and the electrocution, and only absorb the interesting bits.
I can feel it trying to attack me from inside, and my Void Dragon powers decide that's cute, absorbing him completely. It's fascinating technology. Unlike my Void Dragon, this is built to understand and integrate technology into itself, growing perpetually with new information.
...Kinda like me. If I was limited to a single, barely space-travel capable world. Apparently, there are more fragments around, and I can probably even find the core with some work. Neet.
For now…
I bring forth the appearance of the head, some personality guiding me, and I command the version in the Watchtower, [Join me.]
It does. Quite easily extracting itself, re-establishing the equilibrium of the station on its way out. Two limbs, and most of a torso. It looks like the torso took most of the damage, a curved burn having erased most of it. Then my online research knows what it is. I find the formally hidden news reports on the symbol on 'my' forehead. Brainiac.
Hmmm… interesting. He's like a genocidal version of me. A mirror. Traveling world to world, taking everything he can learn and annihilating everything else. I find this kinda amusing then. As I recombined the rest of it into my core I fuse with the Watchtower, and begin optimizing it, an expansion of my Void Dragon and Valkyrie Armor that his technology is literally built from the ground up to be capable of.
As I do so, I finish the tuning of the shields, bending the energy around the station, as deflector shields are built to do, presumably to prevent the energy from bouncing back down at Earth.
Then it hit the very edge of the ionospheric barrier, and it began to spread like paint. It was slow, like a dripping faucet, but it accelerated almost exponentially. I focused the shields, trying to force it out of the atmosphere totally, and for a moment it was working, but it expanded like water with a massive stone thrown into it. In seconds that stretched on for minutes, maybe longer, the liquid energy expanded. While I was aware that my boon Strategy Trance did this to give me more time during a crisis, I didn't have a plan here, I only had looming dread.
Then the energy fell. The cascade of golden energy washed over the lands and seas, and I checked every feed for news. Nothing. Nothing falling from the sky, helicopters, and airplanes weren't shut down, many car crashes, but not from uncontrollable cars, just the light distracting drivers. Nothing seemed terribly amiss.
I waited, scanning news, reports from everywhere. I turned to Wiz and Violette, who were both reviewing my newer memories in the Warehouse, and asked, "Wiz? You remember Analysis magic right?"
*Immunity (Draka Series) (400) Bought Remaining: 0 points.*
Immunity (Draka Series) (400)
What are you immune to? What aren't you immune to, Jumper? Your body, mind, and soul flat out ignore any effects that could semi-plausibly be described as a disease, an illness, or a corruption. Whether it be a biological disease, weaponized nanotech, a magical curse, infectious memes, a literal madness plague, or whatever else, you won't even feel it.
Anything that wishes to harm you has to do so directly, via main force. So being shot, stabbed, or set on fire, or being mind-controlled by superior psychic force, or having your soul destroyed by a Killing Curse... those sorts of things still work. But any and all attempts to bring you down by subtler, more internal means just fail utterly.
She asked, "I do, but why?"
"Can you analyze the residuals? See what that spell was?"
She frowns, "Yes. I.. sorry."
I wave, "It's fine. I… don't know how this must feel for you."
She walks over to the glass, and chants, "Greater Magical Analysis!"
An array of small white circles appear and display a language that I don't recognize.
She gasps, "Look here!" gesturing to something it displayed.
I frown, "Should I be able to read that?"
She blinks, and frowns, "Right. You don't remember Common. Um… well it's like this. This… seems to be some kind of Holy magic, a contraceptive, if a modified one. I'm not totally familiar with Holy magic, but it seems to be a light magic sterility curse."
I frown, "Someone cursed the planet with sterility?"
She sighs, "It's targeting specifically humans, no environmental damage, but…"
I get a hit. A news broadcast from a beach in Greece. "Women of the Earth, I have news!"
I bring it up for Wiz and Violette, feeling Tiamat react alongside me. Seeing the woman stand, she's beaten and bruised, but ecstatic. She's wearing some kind of armor, with a purple silk connector, it's… actually a lot like Diana's armor, but less… covering. She was escorted by Diana, Hawkwoman, and Supergirl, with the rest of the League hanging a little back from her, I assume to prevent her from getting too violent.
"No longer are you tied to men for the continuation of your lives! No longer can someone be bred or taken by men! You are free!"
I frown. Second dramatic speech in as many days. Several reporters run up, only women, as men stay quite well away, telling me that they know her. Looking back, I do to Aresia, rogue Amazon, and her repeated attempts to kill off men from the species.
So… not the brightest bulb.
They escort her to several police vans and turn her over to the government, who apparently have a system in place for this. They teleport away, and back on board the Watchtower. I hide my Brainiac parts, and go to introduce my companions, and explain the Brainiac situation in the Watchtower.
Arriving, I find exhausted, and beaten people.
"So… what happened down there?" I begin.
"Army of zombies. Built from Grundy's remains, enhanced with magic. It was hell." Supergirl begins, "Then… well her spell. Rendering all humans, and anything within a standard deviation sterile."
I nod, that's now news, given Wiz's Analysis. "Did it work? Does it have an off switch?"
"Diana and I are going to interview her. She surrendered, so she thinks it worked." Hawkgirl begins, "But… given how smug she was… I doubt it."
I nodded, and something in the Kryptonian database caught one of my researching eyes. "So… if it doesn't I have a quick solution."
All eyes focus on me, "The Kryptonian birthing Matrix. We have the science behind it already."
Superman frowns, "We can't manufacture the…"
I smile, "Actually, we can. Well, I can."
*Centurio Ordinatus (Warhammer 40k - Adeptus Mechanicus) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points.*
I need a few months to make it less of a Kryptonian printer, limit it to human genomic printing, but we could publish it fairly easily. Maybe… 4 years of manufacturing time, it's a massive project to build sustainable population growth for 7 billion people, but…"
Batman interrupts, "No, Earth doesn't have the materials to make the computing core required."
I look back at the specs and see the core. It's a high density near organic crystal quantum supercomputer. "Oh. Well, we can sell those. Give me… like 6 hours to reformat some stuff."
They are shocked. "What?"
I humm, and a human body sized pink crystal appears in layers before me, floating on its own power, "I can mass manufacture these, I just need a few hours to optimize these for the size and get a subluminal signal transmitter and receiver build into the surface, and viola, we have reproduction."
Flusters abound at my casualness, and then Batman begins, "Only you can create these?"
I nod, "As far as I'm aware, yes."
He nods, "Then we no longer have a question."
I frown, "Huh?"
"You agree that some kind of control needs to be exhibited in this world, crime rates, and near misses with extinction being the driving force."
I frown, "Are… are you suggesting that we withhold this?"
"Yes."
I blink. "But… if we… no. Conquering the world was implanted into your minds. Brainiac…"
"Look at the statistics again."
I do. Unpublishable statistics, probability of someone succeeding in ending the world… well… 100% given today, "But… we can't…" I want him to be wrong. That this isn't the plan that the heroes of this world are suggesting.
I called my allies in, "I'll explain in a moment, but I'm not from here, and I brought friends." and I call Wiz, Violette, and Tiamat.
I explain, "It was a sterility spell affecting only humans, and everything near human enough for reproduction, and we have a cure. But… Batman, black bat cowl here, is suggesting that we use it sparingly." I showed them the statistics, the data, despite being divided myself.
Yes, this world was approaching death faster than Worm ever was. I had government data there and it didn't help. Endbringers were at least alien threats attempting genocide, not… well… suicidal humans. I wanted them to tell me this was wrong. That we had a way that wouldn't make me feel like I was withholding the cure.
Violette frowns, "This technology is indeed an interesting solution. But it is quite dangerous in its current state, given its biological fabrication systems. Damion, you always wanted to help everyone, but I vividly remember the ruthless streak you have for people harming themselves, and others needlessly. I suspect you want us to have a moral out." I flinch.
Tiamat protests, "We could hand this out! It…"
Wiz demands, "We will. We will not profit off of the suffering of billions."
I smiled, relieved I wasn't alone in this "Thank you Tiamat, and you Wiz."
*Hybridization Theory (Zoids Legacy) (400) Not Bought Remaining: 200 points.*
She turns, "However, as this system can work it is a massive issue. I can already see this being abused. Mindless war drones by the million is not an acceptable compromise. What we are going to do is build a version of this that can make absolutely sure cannot be used as a weapon of war. If we can't, then we will scrap this solution entirely. I will not advocate for letting better intentions slide again. We're doing it right."
With Wiz's proclamation, I began looking at the Kryptonian Birthing Chamber, changing it to… effectively cripple its abilities, and change it enough for… Enigmatic Engineering to kick in. It prevents people from reverse engineering my design.
Violette was very intrigued at the abilities of this tech, her background in genetic engineering and biological modification was invaluable in understanding and customizing this tech. Her opinion was personally divided between her religious disgust with the inefficiencies of the system, forging a child from only the genetic samples of the parents, and the limitations of using sample genetics in general, and not sanitizing a group into the more efficient set like several systems in the Mechanicus. But she was yearning to learn that it can make that prime genetic sample.
She took some time to explain Gene Seed in Space Marines, and I made a hard copy of the unrestricted version of this tech for the Warehouse. And cull any opportunity for that to work on our public release. This was not a super soldier program.
One change that we did look into was removing the limitation for the limitation that it couldn't access a database of traits. What we did was… admittedly it made me feel a little crummy, but as the League and I went around stabilized countries from their takeover of America and explained the whole mess of the Sterilization curse, we collected samples, millions of them, and as we expanded, announcing the incoming solution, billions of samples to make a human prime genetic template that we could use as a baseline to build a surface level form, restricted to the parent's forms. It was far more effective, both to prevent any future calamity's ability to wipe out the species.
It would take us took months to finalize a design, bug fixes for mass production, and human capable repairs. We learned that we would need to include alien genetics, and build primes for them as well when Martian Manhunter and Superman informed us that all aliens on the planet were affected as well. That sent us back to the drawing board, ensuring that any pod could do anything. Even with the depressing level of idiot-proofing we needed to include, it was the fun half of my attention.
Dealing with the people, and their new status was… problematic. Turns out, announcing that some lunatic made humanity sterile was… not well received.
"She's killed us!"
"Why didn't you stop her!"
"How is this possible!"
Batman apparently decided that given that I was releasing the Birthing Chamber to the public, I got to explain what it was, and why it was a requirement.
"Hello, as you all might be aware, the Justice League engaged a rogue Amazonian, she successfully cast a spell that was designed to sterilize the human race."
*What's This Do? (Titanfall) (200) Bought. Overflow. The Third 90Wisher (Girl's Frontline) (600) Remaining: 100 points.*
- Location
- United States
I hope the mind wipe thta should have never gone through in the first place gets reverse already i mean he already gotten a couple of perks that should make go by it self
- Location
- Earth
Enigmatic Engineering gives you total control on who can use your tech, you only gave permission to taylor, not QA and not ziz. The perk shows examples of things like that. If you give your ally something their parasite cant just steal those permissions and then spread those to a third party, if it works like you have shown it then this perk is severely less useful then the perk text says. And ziz has no conceptual power, concept ball is not needed, there is only one absolute in this situation and its the perk, a crystal entity simply does not match up.
You really like to mess around with mcs powers, maybe you should make an info post with his current powers so we readers can keep track what he actually has past all these chaotic changes.
You really like to mess around with mcs powers, maybe you should make an info post with his current powers so we readers can keep track what he actually has past all these chaotic changes.
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RighelloDi'Tutti
Ruler of All
- Location
- The speed force
I hope he recovers soon. Because mind wipe gets boring after a while
... Yes because having a MC have a different perspective than before is so boring. Yeah, no.. Sorry, I can't manage enough sarcasm for that.
Honestly, I wish he hadn't regained access to the Warehouse and a copy of his memories so quickly.
It was more interesting having the MC trying to solve the puzzle without knowing everything he could do or why he was able to do some things. Because sometimes we learn more from having to puzzle it out than by having everything laid out for us.
Honestly, I wish he hadn't regained access to the Warehouse and a copy of his memories so quickly.
It was more interesting having the MC trying to solve the puzzle without knowing everything he could do or why he was able to do some things. Because sometimes we learn more from having to puzzle it out than by having everything laid out for us.
- Location
- Dallas, TX
...or it's boring because it feels like an artificial limitation on a character who has massive amounts of power and the 'suddenly they aren't as powerful...for some reason' is a boring and lazy trope to buy time. He can clearly still do everything he just doesn't consciously know what options he has which makes it feel like (had this gone longer) that the only reason for it is so the author can make less than base competent decisions for drama/story purposes and have it be OK because he's nerfed.
A short stint of weakness like this seems fine to me, it shows he isn't perfect and that he can be crippled but the point of a character than can build anything is watching them protect against what fucked them over and how it alters future plans. Iron Man is a great example of this in the MCU because almost every iteration of his suit we see fixes a problem with the last one.
Power that be as of Chapter 23
So first, I want to thank everyone for the positivity about my story. It's always hard to publish something new, and I really felt that about this one, entering a scene of such great stories. To those of you who want to see the power list I'm working with at the end of chapter 23 I give you:
As for the descriptions, for those powers, I'm going by a fundamentally minimized effectiveness outside of the text, and here's why.
Search "Bought" (61 hits in 1 file of 1 searched)
Engine-sister (Warhammer 40k - Adeptus Mechanicus) Bought (100)
Canoptek Spyder (Necron) Bought (400)
Corruption Resistance (Essential Body Modification Supplement) Bought (100)
Strategy Trance (Brockton's Celestial Forge) Bought (100)
Blank II (Essential Body Modification Supplement) Bought (200)
Form Mastery III (Essential Body Modification Supplement) Bought (200)
Mental Resistance III (Essential Body Modification Supplement) Bought (200)
Wavestrength (NieR Automata) Bought (200)
Enigmatic Engineering (Stellaris) Bought (400)
Environmental Tolerance IV (Essential Body Modification Supplement) Bought (400)
Harmony (Generic First Jump) Bought (400)
Immunity (Draka Series) Bought (400)
THEY ARE MINE AND MINE ALONE (Medaka Box Abnormal) Bought (400)
Limits? (Generic Worm Fanfiction) Bought (600)
Stress Evolution (Factorio) Bought (600)
Don't Need A Team (Ace Combat) Bought (100)
What's An Engineer? (Brutal Legend) Bought (200)
From Parts of Bodies to Bodies of Their Own (Monster Girl Encyclopedia) Bought (400)
High Speed Creationist (The Weakness Of Beatrice) Bought (400)
HIVE PROCESSING (The Culture Minds) Bought (400)
Valkyrie Core & Frame (Battle Action Harem Highschool Side Character Quest) Bought (0)
Hangar (Ace Combat) Bought (50)
Titan Engineering (Titanfall) Bought (100)
Cranial implants (Warhammer 40k: Adeptus Mechanicus) Bought (100)
Tool box (Generic Factory) Bought (100)
Utility Mods (Dead Space) Bought (200)
Crafting Table (Minecraft) Bought (100)
Laboratorium (Light of Terra DLC 3 - A Grand Day Out) Bought (100)
Black Supercomputer (Lucy) Bought (400)
Custom Factory (Warhammer 40k: T'au Empire) Bought (400)
Tower of Sorcerae | Floating Isle | Moving Locations | Arcane | Sorcerae | A Memory Of The Face Of Creation (Lords of the Night - Liches) Bought (300)
Sack of the Maker (Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyo) Bought (100)
Magic MetaMaterials (With this Ring) Bought (200)
Provider chest (Factorio) Bought (100)
Stark's Blueprints (The Avengers - Earth's Mightiest Heroes) Bought (400)
Shadow Clones (Generic Naruto Fanfiction) Bought (100)
Gem furnace schematics (Dungeon Keeper Ami) Bought (200)
I Know Things (Marvel Cosmic) Bought (100)
Way of the Void Dragon (Warhammer 40k - Necrons SB Edition) Bought (400)
Terribly Clever (Dungeon Keeper Ami) Bought (100)
The Very Model of a Scientist Salarian (Mass Effect) Bought (400)
Fun in the Sun (Warhammer 40k - T'au Empire) Bought (100)
Medicine (Star Wars KOTOR) Bought (100)
Engineering Savant | Foresight of Ouros (Starcraft II - Co-Op Missions) Bought (1000)
Alchemy (Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning) Bought (100)
Slime (Overlord - The Series) Bought (100)
Equivalent Exchange (Minecraft) Bought (300)
Bonesinger (Warhammer 40K - Craftworld Eldar Jumpchain) Bought (400)
Old Patient Magic (Circle of Magic) Bought (100)
Craftsman III (Renegade Immortal) Bought (0)
Crafting Artisan (World of Darkness - Demon the Fallen) Bought (100)
Big Bada-Boom (Azeroth) Bought (100)
High-Frequency Manufacturer (Metal Gear Rising) Bought (300)
Soul Shards (Minecraft) Bought (200)
Pure Art (Destiny - Old) Bought (0)
Transmogrification (World of Warcraft) Bought (0)
Aesthetics (Anno 2070) Bought (100)
Infinitely Customizable (Dead Space) Bought (200)
Excellent Craftsman (In Another World With My Smartphone) Bought (200)
Resource Management (Empire from the Ashes) Bought (50)
Repair Savvy (Outlaw Star) Bought (100)
See if you can spot what he gets in 23.
Engine-sister (Warhammer 40k - Adeptus Mechanicus) Bought (100)
Canoptek Spyder (Necron) Bought (400)
Corruption Resistance (Essential Body Modification Supplement) Bought (100)
Strategy Trance (Brockton's Celestial Forge) Bought (100)
Blank II (Essential Body Modification Supplement) Bought (200)
Form Mastery III (Essential Body Modification Supplement) Bought (200)
Mental Resistance III (Essential Body Modification Supplement) Bought (200)
Wavestrength (NieR Automata) Bought (200)
Enigmatic Engineering (Stellaris) Bought (400)
Environmental Tolerance IV (Essential Body Modification Supplement) Bought (400)
Harmony (Generic First Jump) Bought (400)
Immunity (Draka Series) Bought (400)
THEY ARE MINE AND MINE ALONE (Medaka Box Abnormal) Bought (400)
Limits? (Generic Worm Fanfiction) Bought (600)
Stress Evolution (Factorio) Bought (600)
Don't Need A Team (Ace Combat) Bought (100)
What's An Engineer? (Brutal Legend) Bought (200)
From Parts of Bodies to Bodies of Their Own (Monster Girl Encyclopedia) Bought (400)
High Speed Creationist (The Weakness Of Beatrice) Bought (400)
HIVE PROCESSING (The Culture Minds) Bought (400)
Valkyrie Core & Frame (Battle Action Harem Highschool Side Character Quest) Bought (0)
Hangar (Ace Combat) Bought (50)
Titan Engineering (Titanfall) Bought (100)
Cranial implants (Warhammer 40k: Adeptus Mechanicus) Bought (100)
Tool box (Generic Factory) Bought (100)
Utility Mods (Dead Space) Bought (200)
Crafting Table (Minecraft) Bought (100)
Laboratorium (Light of Terra DLC 3 - A Grand Day Out) Bought (100)
Black Supercomputer (Lucy) Bought (400)
Custom Factory (Warhammer 40k: T'au Empire) Bought (400)
Tower of Sorcerae | Floating Isle | Moving Locations | Arcane | Sorcerae | A Memory Of The Face Of Creation (Lords of the Night - Liches) Bought (300)
Sack of the Maker (Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyo) Bought (100)
Magic MetaMaterials (With this Ring) Bought (200)
Provider chest (Factorio) Bought (100)
Stark's Blueprints (The Avengers - Earth's Mightiest Heroes) Bought (400)
Shadow Clones (Generic Naruto Fanfiction) Bought (100)
Gem furnace schematics (Dungeon Keeper Ami) Bought (200)
I Know Things (Marvel Cosmic) Bought (100)
Way of the Void Dragon (Warhammer 40k - Necrons SB Edition) Bought (400)
Terribly Clever (Dungeon Keeper Ami) Bought (100)
The Very Model of a Scientist Salarian (Mass Effect) Bought (400)
Fun in the Sun (Warhammer 40k - T'au Empire) Bought (100)
Medicine (Star Wars KOTOR) Bought (100)
Engineering Savant | Foresight of Ouros (Starcraft II - Co-Op Missions) Bought (1000)
Alchemy (Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning) Bought (100)
Slime (Overlord - The Series) Bought (100)
Equivalent Exchange (Minecraft) Bought (300)
Bonesinger (Warhammer 40K - Craftworld Eldar Jumpchain) Bought (400)
Old Patient Magic (Circle of Magic) Bought (100)
Craftsman III (Renegade Immortal) Bought (0)
Crafting Artisan (World of Darkness - Demon the Fallen) Bought (100)
Big Bada-Boom (Azeroth) Bought (100)
High-Frequency Manufacturer (Metal Gear Rising) Bought (300)
Soul Shards (Minecraft) Bought (200)
Pure Art (Destiny - Old) Bought (0)
Transmogrification (World of Warcraft) Bought (0)
Aesthetics (Anno 2070) Bought (100)
Infinitely Customizable (Dead Space) Bought (200)
Excellent Craftsman (In Another World With My Smartphone) Bought (200)
Resource Management (Empire from the Ashes) Bought (50)
Repair Savvy (Outlaw Star) Bought (100)
See if you can spot what he gets in 23.
Concept Ball (Medaka Box Abnormal) (400)
When two combatants reach a certain level of power, fighting becomes a bit pointless. When both of you are Immovable Objects and Unstoppable Forces, you're just going to be pointlessly nudging against each other. Well, if you were equal you would be. But you're Not Equal. Whenever your own abilities that are meant to be without peer come into conflict with another such ability, yours trumps theirs. A blow that can pierce anything will tear through a defence that can block anything when you are using it. Your absolutes are more so, simply for the fact that you are the one using them.
Accentuate the Positive | Eliminate the Negative (Limitless) (900)
Accentuate the Positive (400)
You now have an immunity to side effects of a certain kind. A super cool sword that takes over the body of its wielder? It's not getting even an inch inside of you. A demon making a pact with you for powers? Well, he is inside of your soul, but he's now stuck, only able to fuel your new abilities like a glorified battery. This perk only protects you against sources of power from outside of your body, including combat drugs, artifacts, enchantments, magical pacts, items and other things you wield by giving you only the beneficial parts and leaving the rest behind. This comes with complete immunity to addiction.
Eliminate the Negative (500)
Now the immunity to side effects can affect internal things. Magic that may have drawn on your emotions to fuel its power now has a separate pool. Any drawbacks your powers, biological traits or magic systems may have held have been wiped away.
Eventually, he will pick these up, and I want these Capstones to be fundamentally game changing, as they deserve. Until then, His perks aren't firing on all cylinders. His defenses are good, damn good, but they are all flawed because they are all limited by 'locality'. An example: L33t, he was capable of building a device that overrode the Enigmatic Engineering once because the perk and L33t's anything once came into conflict, and the once overcame it was the 'local' force. Until these are rolled, in a fight of Absolute this and Unbreakable that, I've decided that the local force wins.
When two combatants reach a certain level of power, fighting becomes a bit pointless. When both of you are Immovable Objects and Unstoppable Forces, you're just going to be pointlessly nudging against each other. Well, if you were equal you would be. But you're Not Equal. Whenever your own abilities that are meant to be without peer come into conflict with another such ability, yours trumps theirs. A blow that can pierce anything will tear through a defence that can block anything when you are using it. Your absolutes are more so, simply for the fact that you are the one using them.
Accentuate the Positive | Eliminate the Negative (Limitless) (900)
Accentuate the Positive (400)
You now have an immunity to side effects of a certain kind. A super cool sword that takes over the body of its wielder? It's not getting even an inch inside of you. A demon making a pact with you for powers? Well, he is inside of your soul, but he's now stuck, only able to fuel your new abilities like a glorified battery. This perk only protects you against sources of power from outside of your body, including combat drugs, artifacts, enchantments, magical pacts, items and other things you wield by giving you only the beneficial parts and leaving the rest behind. This comes with complete immunity to addiction.
Eliminate the Negative (500)
Now the immunity to side effects can affect internal things. Magic that may have drawn on your emotions to fuel its power now has a separate pool. Any drawbacks your powers, biological traits or magic systems may have held have been wiped away.
Eventually, he will pick these up, and I want these Capstones to be fundamentally game changing, as they deserve. Until then, His perks aren't firing on all cylinders. His defenses are good, damn good, but they are all flawed because they are all limited by 'locality'. An example: L33t, he was capable of building a device that overrode the Enigmatic Engineering once because the perk and L33t's anything once came into conflict, and the once overcame it was the 'local' force. Until these are rolled, in a fight of Absolute this and Unbreakable that, I've decided that the local force wins.
- Location
- United States
I think most peoples problem and my problem was with the recent chapters on how you seemed to just have mental resistance 3 turned completely off and had him ganked and mind wiped
- Location
- Dallas, TX
It's not that he 'seemed to have mental resistance 3 turned off' it's that whatever handles the system determined he knew too much about the setting and determined he should have his memories reduced...because reasons. So he could have had literally every mental/soul resistance trait available and it still would have meant nothing because the system empowering him decided 'lol nope' and used Psimon as an in universe mechanism to remove his memories.
I hate it. It ruins the reader/author trust that things in the story will happen based on events in the story rather than what's expedient. I get that the 'powers per 1k words' is outside of that but I believe every fictional story gets to establish certain rules from the beginning that are outside the norm. As long as only those breaks from reality are used, or ones consequential to them, then its fine.
- Location
- Center Of The Universe
The dude had a choice and chose the last option which made the system insert him into a point in time that would wipe all his knowledge, I doubt system-given abilities are able to trump the system itself, not unless he starts innovating outside of it. I am not sure what that has anything to do with reader/author trust as it is written in black and white. >.>
The only thing I am unsure of is why he chose that option as the amount of power he had already retained is already over the top and I don't see why he needed to choose the most damaging option.
- Location
- Dallas, TX
Wait, I must have misread something, are you saying he chose to go to a place where he knew he'd have his memory wiped? In that I can answer your question: because fucking stupid and self-destructive
What Was Once a lack of desire: Chapter 23
What Was Once a lack of desire: Chapter 23
Underlined = Only visible to Readers
I was simultaneously giving a dozen speeches in nearly a dozen languages across the world, with one or two members of the justice league behind me at each stop. It was trivial, but easily the worst part of my time spent. I was not comfortable with the massive number of eyes pointed at me while I explained how our technology would be distributed. We were going to set them up in any hospital trained and equipped for newborns. Maternity wards would probably be a massive priority for expansions over the next few months. I was quite shocked at the upheaval that the existence of the technology caused several communities, some outright trying to ban me from implementing them. I was willing to agree, and several areas and towns wouldn't have my machines by choice. Supergirl muttered several accusatory things about a Darwin Award, and after looking it up, I found that quite amusing.
This basic trend continued across most of the world, however, there were countries where that our setup would put them outside the reach of most people. Maternity wards aren't the most common thing in poorer or war torn countries, but Wiz had a good idea. A fleet of trucks, capable of visiting places far from medical care. Batman compared the idea to what the Traveling Healthcare Association does, and after some negotiation, we secured a partnership. We provided protection, medical supplies, and transportation to the THA. In exchange we got trained professionals to accompany the transport fleet.
We needed more medical personnel than they could provide, even dialing the machines to their fastest, it was still a six-month period we were spending everywhere, and the THA preferred to move faster than that. I was filling all of the remaining positions until the highly competitive rates that Wayne Medical was offering could bring in enough medical staff to replace me everywhere.
I would be able to step back from that program in about a year and a half given the current models.
Something that required more involvement was the decision Batman made on our stop in Jump City. After the conference, we were met by the Teen Titans. They were… interesting.
They walked up, looking for Batman when one of the me around for crowd management stopped them. "Can I help you?"
The mess of bright colors began, "We're here to speak with Batman."
I nod slightly, "And you are?"
"Robin. Of the Teen Titans."
Searching for them, "Local secondary enforcement. Not League affiliated. Interesting group you have here. I'll ask him if he has time."
Robin looks quite insulted, "He…"
I hold up a finger, calling for silence, as another of me actually does the communicating with Batman. He wants to talk to Robin alone. "Ok. Room 2, just Robin."
Robin is confused when a second of me walks up to escort him to that room, when they arrive, "I actually have several things to ask most of you if you're willing."
They look amongst themselves, and eventually, they agree. I take Cyborg and Koriand'r to rooms 3 and 4 of our little mobile meeting room hub.
*Gadget Master (007) (300) Not Bought Remaining: 200 points.*
Koriand'r was the more pressing issue, given Robin's conversation, and Batman's intention that the Teen Titans were going to become the first official satellite operation. "Hello Princess Koriand'r, I'm Damion Peramos, current social operations manager for the Justice League. How are you."
"I am well. For what did you wish to speak with me?"
"Batman is speaking with Robin about the Teen Titans becoming an official part of the Justice League, with our currently unstable governmental status we feel that expanding to several trusted groups is our best plan. There is one issue with that plan, and it concerns you."
She looks pained, "My… The Gordanians claim…"
I interrupt, "Princess Koriand'r, the issue isn't anything to do with anyone but you. You are the Temeranian princess. When you come of age, you will be the High Queen of an alien planet."
"Yes?" She says, confused.
"Incorporating you into a government law enforcement system in any official capacity is… socially problematic. So I would like to propose that you are instead acknowledged as a visiting head of state, with an official embassy."
She blinks, "I… am confused."
I frown, "By?"
"I am not… social..ally problem?"
I smile wryly, "Princess Koriand'r, you aren't a problem. Robin has accepted, conditionally, to have the Teen Titans represent the Justice League as a staging base here on the west coast. All I'm asking is that you, as the princess, or if you don't think yourself ready, a representative from Tamaran's government, speak with us about the establishment of an embassy."
"What is an embassy?"
I frown, "It's a building where people from earth can speak to your government, formally."
She nods, slowly, and says, "I will speak to Galfore about this."
I nod, and ask, "May I add my number to your communicator?"
She hands it over, and I add my information. "Thank you."
In another room, the conversation with Cyborg started… less well.
"Hello… do you prefer your civilian or heroic name?"
He looks at me confused, "I don't mind either, but I'm curious what this is about."
"Mr. Stone, Batman is going to ask Robin to have the Titans formally join the Justice League, as a satellite group. You would be acting as our representatives in this city as higher law enforcement, and social monitoring for most of the west coast. I needed to speak with you about the technology, and your potential involvement in that. First, I need to ask, do you want to remain as you are?"
He looks at me, red eye glowing, and regular eye narrowing severely. "What exactly do you mean?"
"You were injured in a car crash, and Dr. Stone used several… questionably legal techniques and technologies to save your life. The notes that the League has on you say…"
"Listen here." He interrupted, sounding pissed, "I am not some experiment! I…"
"Mr. Stone!" He pauses, "I am not calling you broken."
*Equivalent Exchange (Minecraft) (300) Bought Remaining: 0 points.*
Equivalent Exchange (Minecraft): You are a powerful Alchemist, able to infuse a Diamond with the power of Redstone and Glowstone to make a Philosopher's Stone. With such a stone in hand, you'll be able to create a Transmutation Tablet, allowing you to instantly convert matter from one form to another, possibly even converting ordinary dirt to valuable Diamonds... or even compressing the Diamonds further into Dark Matter or Red Matter.
Combining your transmutation skills with these exotic and vastly expensive forms of matter, you'll be able to produce Alchemical Chests with incredible volume, indestructible equipment with immense power, energy collector systems to generate additional resources from nothingness, and potentially become nearly immortal, burning vast quantities of resources instead of taking wounds.
Your powers are all incredibly expensive to use, and you won't be able to max them out in your time here (especially if you don't have any advantages in harvesting resources!), but the raw potential of this path exceeds all others.
I recognize this set of recipes as they return to me, and the lurking feeling that I messed something buried in that power, but I have a more immediate concern. I smile and send several of me to my warehouse to reawaken Ankh. "I am offering you to return to become completely human. No caveats, no experiments."
He looks at me, calming, but suspicious, "What's the catch?"
"You would be human. Only human. No mechanical enhancements, nothing. The notes I have suggest you don't like your current state, but if that has changed in the nearly 2 years the Teen Titans have been in existence, I will understand."
He looks at me, contemplative, "You're correct. Two years ago, and some days now, I would take that deal. But… my team needs me."
I smile, "I had hoped that you would say that. Now… we have 2 more conversations to have. The first, upgrades. To both you, and the tower."
He frowns, "Like?"
I extrude my Brainiac technology, offering him a small taste, "Cutting edge Kryptonian technology."
After a moment connected to my systems, he swallowed, excitement sparkling in his eyes. He smiles, "Let's talk."
I had several copies remain with Cyborg to talk shop about both his tech, and the tower's tech, as Batman and my public speaking team of me's left, I was approached by Raven.
"I… you're helping us?"
I frown at her question. "I am. Is there a problem?"
"I… Is the league aware of my issues?"
I frown, looking her up, everything the league has on her, "Doctor Fate made us aware of your half demonic heritage shortly after you arrived, but he determined you were not a large-scale threat, even if you went rogue. Is there something you would like to talk about?"
She looks conflicted, and mildly uncomfortable, "I… Ok. First, can you condense your aura? It's quite effective for your public speaking, but it's incredibly uncomfortable long term."
I blink, "I… huh?" What aura?
She looks at me, "You really don't know? You're burning enough energy keeping that aura active to ward a city."
I frown, "I don't feel anything."
She scoffs, and mutters, "I'm asking a novice for help. Perfect." She stands and glows slightly, the black aura visible around her, "I'm repelling your aura, can you feel that?"
I frown, "No."
She sighs, and the glow intensifies, it slowly extends towards me, and stops. "What?"
I blink, "Huh?"
"Your aura is hard."
I frown, "I don't know what that means."
She shakes her head, "It means you can help me. I'll explain later, but… in just over 2 months, I turn 16."
I frown, not knowing what that means. "When that happens, my father will use me as a portal to enter this dimension."
I frown, "So you want to not be here? Or do you want to look into severing the connection?"
She scowls, "It can't be severed, it's part of me."
I shrug, "Blood, soul, or more?"
"All of the above."
I frown, "That's a little harder."
"I need to not be here. Your energy appeared several days ago, from somewhere else, and parts of it disappeared, you can't control it at all, so you have another place. I'd… I want to see it."
*Old Patient Magic (Circle of Magic) (100) Bought Remaining: 0 points.*
I nod, and take her through a nearby door, to my warehouse. Normally I would hesitate, but asking Doctor Fate about Trigon actually materializing in this plane would probably scour life from the planet.
She enters, and sighs, "This… this would work. Can I…"
"The day of your birthday, I'll come to collect you, and we can summon him here. Render his threat to earth impotent."
She smiles, "Thank you. I'll be in touch."
I nod, and she leaves. I sigh and call Violette and Wiz. With that handled, we can wake Ankh up.
Congregating at the chest, I open it and get him out. His green lines are gone, just his black carapace visible. I get out one of the enhanced ark reactors, and the converter that his drone was holding, and plug it in. Seconds of nothing pass, before green energy begins to glow from him again. I smile, as do Wiz and Violette. A few more seconds and he's standing again. "Hello again Lord. As I said, I will be fine."
I frown, "That's not the point. I'm glad you're back."
Ankh takes several minutes to absorb what I've been up to, "Lord, I wish to assist the half-machine in his endeavors. This 'Brainiac' has the most intriguing technology."
I smile, "Certainly."
And with that, we dispersed. All looking forward to the technological work.
Less so to the social requirements.
Time passed, and I experimented with Equivalent Exchange. I had ignored several systems last time, and while I benefited greatly from my focus, I want to see what it can really do. I felt Infinitely Customizable kick in when I recreated my tablet, creating… more of an upgrade than a modification. It allowed me to automatically pull the resources to make something instead of the object itself, and given that the effects of my powers did not carry through the transmutation, that was exceedingly helpful.
Externally, the first thing that finished was Cybrog's upgrades based on Brainiac's technology. He was still blue, as requested, but he was far faster. Antigravity upgrade to both him and his T-Car was appreciated, but I think the Variable Energy Band Cannon upgrade to his sonic cannon was his favorite new toy.
Shortly after that, Tameran had an official embassy on Titan's Island. Koriand'r did not appreciate the restrictions that were negotiated on her field deployments but eventually accepted that she was a princess, after much debate with her regent.
Around that time I found in my auto crafting was that the Klein Star I thought was the largest variety wasn't the end. Eventually, I did hit another limit, two whole tiers above the original, giving me, which I knew could be upgraded more. Even now, these were far more effective than the stars the ridiculously compressed stone. Eventually, from large scale testing, and generating a small volume of stupidly compressed, but also energized matter what I required. I needed Neutron Core matter and actually went to a Thanagarian black market supplier Hawlgirl recommended, but when it was done? Endless storage. I can store infinite EMC with the star. An interesting side effect was the realization what my chest system was extremely limited. One object at a time was… not as versatile as it could be. I discovered a set of programmable matter connected to the infinite storage orb and could produce any matter i could transmute, feeding into my factory like my tablet, but from the fabricators in my factory, eliminating waste to the individual point of EMC, and the downtime of returning excess materials.
Raven's request was… strange. She was glowing with interesting runes down her limbs, and Slade was an issue. For the Titans. He was working towards the death of the entire planet. We put specific laws in place about that, and I erased him a few days before her big day. Summoning Trigon wasn't nearly as difficult as I had thought it would be from Doctor Fate's books. Some blood here, some chanting there, and the power supposed to keep Raven from dematerializing, and he was there.
"Where am I?"
The massive red being was rather displeased that Raven hadn't brought him to earth. I was floating before him, and behind me were massive creations, my twists on Iron Man armor merged into the frame of an Aldari Avatar of Khane design, piloted by other copies of me. He was… disappointing all things considered. I was expecting that he would be more difficult before Raven explained that he drew his power from the damned souls of a realm. He had no power here, for there was only 1 damned soul here. Himself.
*Machine empathy (Warhammer 40k - Adeptus Mechanicus) (400) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points.*
My avatars held him down, and I tried killing him with my crystals. It failed.
I was shocked, and Wiz commented, "He's not like the Entities, he's actually taken steps to shield his soul from harm. It's a common demonic tactic."
I frown, looking down at him, "Plan B?" We talked, and then something… unpleasant happened. One of my avatars was immolated. Instantly.
I looked down, and he was glowing. "Um… Raven?"
She looks at me, "I don't know!"
He stands, floating above my warehouse, waves of suits firing antimatter, and every frequency of energy I can produce at him in waves, and he shrugs it all off. "Did you really believe I was so weak!"
Red beams cut through the area between us, and he continues, "Did you truly believe that I could be defeated through that trickery! I am TRIGON!"
Legions of fire appeared in my void. Swarming inferno's the size of cars attacking. They couldn't hurt me, demonic fire wasn't new, but that didn't stop them from going after Wiz and Raven.
I forged Death into a spear. Arcane swam into it, and I threw it. Trigon didn't even flinch. "My daughter hasn't told you anything, has she? A demon can not be destroyed! We are immortal!"
I frown. That… can't be true. He can be defeated, somehow.
Raven protests, fields of black keeping her from the hellfire beasts, "Demon can be killed! You've done so yourself!"
"Yes daughter, I have. My power rendered the laws of existence around them, consuming them to further empower myself! I am unstoppable!"
I frown. If he consumed them, then the power is transferable. I forge more crystals, power siphoning attuned to him specifically, and set them off. Beams of red light burst from him, flowing into my crystals, and it looked to be working.
Then he smiled, the crystals warped under my control, burning into red shapes, before attacking Raven. She screamed as energy was sucked from her, "You don't seem to understand, her power is my power! I am undefeatable, all you are doing is delaying the inevitable!"
I scowl at him, shattering my crystals, and holding Raven. I sent her and Wiz outside, before facing Trigon again. "You can't kill me. You know this."
"Ah… I don't need to. Demons consume others to empower themselves, mortal. Your soul will be a fine snack before I follow my daughter back to our world, and consume it whole."
He wanted to eat me huh? That…might work.
Why not? I'm out of other ideas. I let my body blacken, my slime form coming out to try that.
He surges forward, and I expand. I had once asked Wiz how slime size works, and I learned that for a minor expenditure of magical energy, you can choose to expand from the natural smaller base form. It takes more energy the larger you get, which makes sense, but… It's not like I was short on magic.
*Synthesis: Rank 3 | Efficiency: Rank 1 (Atelier: Arland Trilogy) (1000) Not Bought Remaining: 200 points.*
He grabbed part of me, and I surged over him like a river. He actually reacted as my gelatinous form expanded over him, first fear and disgust, but as I turned my acid down onto him, concentrating it, he began to yell in pain, and angry. Breams of magic from his eyes actually hurt. Cutting and boiling large chunks of me. It gave me pause to have maybe a third of my volume disappear in an instant, but his second pass didn't dissolve me. It hurt, I was boiling accord my entire frame, but I wasn't dissolving under the energy anymore. I smile internally, and force more and more of my slime into existence, eventually overwhelming him completely, his eye beams, and black fire bursting from his hands ineffective. He slowly withered as I consumed him.
Minutes of his dying screams echoed in my pocket realm, and I finally was done.
Standing on the roof of my Warehouse, I felt something about this place shift. It was subtle, but it was very real.
Then I knew what it meant. One of my external me needed some materials from here and went to make a door when the fabrication of the part extruded out to him.
All of me were shocked. I could extrude my Warehouse onto reality in controlled bursts, and use the massive area of my warehouse to teleport. Anything, anywhere.
Well isn't that useful?
Leaving the warehouse to the tower, I appeared near Wiz and Raven. "Ok. That's handled."
They look at me, and Raven demands "How?"
"Your father tried to eat me. I decided to return the favor."
She looks so confused, and then she turns to Wiz, "Demons can't be fully destroyed, but… when a Demon kills another, they absorb their powers, but literally absorbing him into this slime mass would be a magically significant enough death for the energy to pass onwards."
"But Demonic possession, and or the corruptive effects… no. I suppose that's not an issue. Is it?"
I smile, "I don't feel any different. I can extrude my Warehouse, which is awesome but it's not the strangest thing I've seen so far."
They look at me, "You can what?"
I frown, "I can extrude my warehouse. Like the entire thing was already a soul realm thing, but now I can extrude it." I bring out several things that were in there to demonstrate.
They both look shocked. Raven mutters, "You… Demons have spiritual planes that they can superimpose on the reality they are in. Set rules and domains, you are extruding yours to our realm. That might also explain how you killed him, if he was inside your soul already, then that's half the battle won."
I nod, not knowing how that helped. "So, explain how that all works."
She did. Wiz looked like she understood far more than I didn't, but it was very interesting nonetheless.
After that, everything was quiet for quite a long time. Years in fact.
*ENGINEERING ITERATION (Sunrider) (400) Not Bought Remaining: 300 points.*
The Birthing project had set up a viable next-generation, about 44% of people who wanted children had them. We actually had a fairly serious immigration problem from low birth rate alien races who wanted in on that.
Our demands for peace in exchange for use of our technology were well received, and we quickly rose to prominence. Some of the league still had a more… aggressive outlook on policy and relations, but I was curtailing it to the best of my ability. The fact that they were subliminally programmed that way was brought up several times, but nothing I, nor my companions, could think of had any chance of restoring their initial personalities. We simply didn't have enough data on what Brainiac did, because he didn't totally know. Experimental technology from somewhere in the stars.
On a local front, about a year into governing, something that I quickly learned that not even an army of clones can make interesting, Ankh and Cyborg got me a present.
Psimon. They brought him in, to help me get my memories back in full. It was… surprisingly easy actually. He rolled over at every movement Ankh made. I deliberately wasn't going to question what Ankh said to him, but I could see that he wasn't tortured, or brainwashed by any discernible metric. He said quietly, "Psimon says remember."
I was quite confused when nothing happened. I pushed, hoping that maybe it shook at least something loose.
Dedicated intent to regain Knowledge of Realm registered. System restriction of memory disabled. Energy gain halved from all sources. Threat's allocated.
Memories flooded back into me, emotions tying into everything I had seen here, and everything before as well. Foggy in places, sharp in others, natural memory, no modifications my recordings could delineate. I… so when I tried to cheat the system's restrictions, the system worked around me. That's… incredibly interesting, but equally annoying. Note for the future, don't try exploiting my superpower granting system.
Then I remember everything else. I was a Justice Lord. That's… trippy. Bringing everything I knew forward, I focused on a plan. Darkseid was… problematic. His armies were legendary, and I didn't have any information on him. The Justice Lords were dealt with, but the Injustice League, and potentially Crysis were still waiting to rear their ugly head.
What do I focus on? I… selfishly, I want to know what the points I get for defeating them look like.
Threat Checklist access allowed: Darkseid formally 1000 points, currently 500. Points loss for pre-insertion information. Anti-Universal Invasion not registered. League of Villains formally 500 points, currently 100 points. Point loss for dimensional separation and for per-insertion information. Justice Lords formally 1500 points, currently 0 points. 500 gain due to high risk insertion, loss from removal of threat.
I frown. Ok… so the Anti-Monitor isn't registering as a threat, which… ok. I can deal with that. So, Darkside. His teleportation method is already handled by the League. Monitoring and the regulation towers that Batman made a priority due to Intergang's possession of the tech from their former dealings with him.
Then I remember what the war with Darkseid was actually like and I wondered. Did I need to really go to war with him? In the comics, he was willing to be on the front lines, and Superman could handle him if given any real opportunity. I'm not as strong as Superman, that is basically given, but as far as ignoring damage from hits, I'm more than his equal.
And… I have both Bonesinger and the Tau factory scaled up to a full Dreadnought. Upgraded, combined strengths of the Aldari and Tau. Warhammer was not fair to fight without being Warhammer. Let's do this.
I brought Wiz, Violette, and Tiamat back to the warehouse for a bit and apologized for the distance that formed between us. Looking back at the last year, we hadn't interacted much outside of work, because I didn't feel like I knew them. That was a mistake and one that I would correct immediately.
I took a day off, spending time with each of them, just relaxing.
Wiz and I sparred, magic and minions were thrown around, and it was a lot of fun. She was very annoyed when I matched her magical output in the first round and didn't go any higher, but I was firm, this was training, if I couldn't beat her without throwing a thousand times the magical energy at her, then I wasn't training. It was a lot of fun, something I hadn't done much of this last year.
Violette and I just talked. Just stuff at first, how she was enjoying pushing her specialty to its limits with the Birthing chambers, and while I expected some level of loathing for the artificial crippling of the final product, reflecting in my own distaste for shoddy workmanship, she was actually very understanding. In the Imperium civilians were not allowed military or Omnisaia forbid, the restricted Mechanicus technology that she worked on. She was very used to giving civilians the barest working product because otherwise, they might do something stupid with it and get a few billion people killed. No, she was having more of an issue with this planet being a reflection of Terra. She didn't have an issue with Worm nearly as much because she had an alien threat to work against to keep Earth safe, but now? Keeping aliens safe from people for the betterment of Earth was… a strange set of objectives for her. I could acknowledge that. Our conversations turned heavier at that, and into the topic of what my Void Dragon perk meant for her. And her continued worship of the Omnisaia.
Way of the Void Dragon (Warhammer 40k - Necrons SB Edition): Technology is but one facet of the Materium, but you are its master. The Void Dragon's grasp of technology was the very inspiration of the Adeptus Mechanicus, and you retain a similar level of skill. Imperial Guardsmen will flee in terror as their tanks turn against them, the once loyal drones of the Tau will gun down their owners without hesitation, and you will laugh all the while.
She began with a statement that I found quite inspiring. "While the study of the Omnisaia may have been founded on the research of the… C'Tan you called it?" I nodded "The C'Tan Necton Xenos called the Void Dragon, that information isn't what the worship means to me. The Omnisaia, as I have come to worship it, is not about the worship of the ideals and powers of a long dead ruler. My worship of the Omnisaia is about improvement. The improvement of the human body whose form is nearly universal to sentient species across the cosmos, and its improvement past all shortcomings with technology. Knowing that the old dead gods of the Necron happened to be the initial spark of that ideal isn't important to me."
I smile, her conviction infectious, "All one needs to engulf the world is a well placed spark."
She smiles back, and we returned to lighter conversations.
Tiamat and Ankh were both at completely opposite ends of the spectrum for totally digital life forms.
*Applied Phlebotinum (Honkai Impact Third) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 400 points.*
It wasn't remarkable many times, but when it was? It was startling. Neither of them was really up for the whole, 'day off' thing, Tiamat felt it was irresponsible given our responsibilities to everyone, and Ankh felt it was illogical given that he had no need to stop, therefore stopping was illogical.
However, convincing them to do so was somehow the exact same argument. That we were having team bonding.
Ankh agreed that command system integrity was more important than his current assignment, and I wasn't totally sure about the story there, but I assume it's something to do with his former attachment to a Hive structure. Tiamat agreed that our communication had been… floundering in the time I spent mind wiped and that reconnecting was important. I was… mildly amused at that concept all things considered.
Tiamat and I spent most of the time kinda working. With my access to information about what might be coming, the potential threats of the League of Evil performing presumably the whole 'reset the universe in their image' scheme that they were famous for, and Darkseid's… being Darkseid, we wanted projections against large scale attacks on our location. Ankh learned that Tiamat and I were spending our 'day off' working and joined us. We spent the day tinkering with the bigger aspects of Harmony and created a basic prototype of an Anti-Matter disruption field.
Using a very light field effect, we were capable of programming Antimatter to only detonate when it comes into contact with specific things. We needed to program targets on the fly, and generating the stuff was a massive pain, given that we would need billions of tons, and up till now, the most I'd ever needed at one time was the nearly 4 grams required for our Hydra ships.
I was going to base the design on Sting's massively defensible field, but learned, and was exceedingly annoyed at the fact that everything in my Valkyrie frame was destroyed when I left Worm. That would have been fantastic to know ahead of time.
Valkyrie Frame storage was removed due to potential overflow reduction procedures.
I frown, 'What exactly does that mean?'
Potential Overflow calculation is based on available abilities and information not acquired from Starmapping, in conjunction with Starmapping speed as a fraction. Possession of experimental weapon designation: Sting Bud 1167844; Siberian Projector was not acquired via Starmapping. Companion Registered: E1; Wiz was not registered through Starmapping. Ability: Dimensional Exposure Rend Projection; Demonic Realm Formation was not acquired via Starmapping. Realm travel where percentage preparedness due to non-Starmapping gained abilities exceeds half reduces power gain by rounded up fractions no reduction, half, quarter, eighth, and tenth. {DC}_{General Summation} is registered preparedness of .76 external functions, reducing Starmapping speed to one quarter. Willing reduction in empowerment removes limitation. Willing reduction in external bonuses removed limitation.
I slowly read and reread that exclamation, and some things make quite a bit more sense than they had before. I had lost my memories because I knew this place far too well, and… I do. Knowing about the incoming threats and their powers was a massive boon. Knowing the names and approximate capabilities of their armies was a massive boon. I remember enough military quotes to know that knowing who, where, and more than a little of how my enemies would be attacking, recognizing some of their most devious infiltration attempts on sight, and knowing exactly what to check for? That was literal gold in any conflict. And I had it all.
At least I know why the system was functioning the way it does now. It scales the points I gain as a generalization of how much of a leg up I am when I show up in a realm.
I change my focus away from that because eventually, my day off was over.
And of course, the world was on fire. Well… southern Greece but… yah.
Entering the situation room with Batman and Wonder Woman waiting for me, I begin, "So… I know that I said that you shouldn't contact me except for another end of the world, but that was hyperbole."
Batman scowls at my joke, "We aren't incompetent. We can handle this."
I turn to Diana, "I watched your Mother's broadcast. She recalled you from the world of Soulless abominations that we have become and only bothered to tell us why because of her strange interpretation of honor. Do you have a statement?"
She looks… pained. No other way to put that expression, "I'm not going. I… this…"
I frown, "I hope no one has asked you to fight your people."
"No. I chose this. I chose to defend the world of men from all comers, and when those attackers are the Amazons… It's hard."
I nod, slowly, and turn to Batman. "Where are they?"
He pulls up a map, and I nod. "Send me down. They can't exactly harm me, and I want to have a talk with Hippolyta before I do anything drastic."
He blinks, so does Diana. "You are going to negotiate?"
I smile, "It worked out so well when I went to Bialya, they still have the lowest crime rate in the world."
Bruce frowns, "I'm thinking of the new Markovian sea." He stressed. Diana looked even worse.
"This isn't a Markovian situation. No mass kidnappings, no illegal mass metahuman breeding program, no illegal usage of my technology to breed metahuman armies, not even an obviously corrupt politician using his power to avoid facing actual punishment. Just some armed rebels who don't understand what kind of nest they've kicked. I'll be back before sundown."
Bruse nods. Diana gives a small nod as well, whispering "The Athenian Parthenon. Athena's most prominent holy site." They both firmly remember that I have an ethical line, and crossing that ends violently. Hippolyta hadn't crossed that. She declared war on the entire world and arrived slightly less than 20 minutes later in Athens, with her army on flying horses.
She took the city, surprise, and magic allowing them to actually hold against the Greek military for the last few hours. Then their magical defenses, recreated from Themyscira, were keeping them from retaking the city. The Boomtube pierced that field like it does nearly every other defense, and I arrived to be surrounded by spears. "I'm here to negotiate with Hippolyta ."
The spears jabbed into me, and I sighed, "Listen, this isn't working. And I really don't want to have to hurt anyone. How about you just let me talk to Hippolyta ."
They were… less than cooperative, so I foamed them. Tiamat had recreated the formula for mass distribution, something the PRT had forbidden before, something she long suspected was due to its effectiveness compared to conventional weapons. And on the Amazons? It was just as effective. Superman didn't have an issue with it, but Diana needed help if an entire limb was submerged. And I could flow through it as a slime, meaning I could use it liberally in fights that I wanted to avoid killing anyone.
Advancing into the Parthenon, the Amazons advanced, swords and spears drawn, and waves of pale-yellow goo entrapped them all until I found the women from the video. "Hello, Queen Hippolyta. I'm here to negotiate."
*Thirty Thousand Seeds (Desolate Era Part II - The Chaosverse) (800) Not Bought Remaining: 500 points.*
Underlined = Only visible to Readers
I was simultaneously giving a dozen speeches in nearly a dozen languages across the world, with one or two members of the justice league behind me at each stop. It was trivial, but easily the worst part of my time spent. I was not comfortable with the massive number of eyes pointed at me while I explained how our technology would be distributed. We were going to set them up in any hospital trained and equipped for newborns. Maternity wards would probably be a massive priority for expansions over the next few months. I was quite shocked at the upheaval that the existence of the technology caused several communities, some outright trying to ban me from implementing them. I was willing to agree, and several areas and towns wouldn't have my machines by choice. Supergirl muttered several accusatory things about a Darwin Award, and after looking it up, I found that quite amusing.
This basic trend continued across most of the world, however, there were countries where that our setup would put them outside the reach of most people. Maternity wards aren't the most common thing in poorer or war torn countries, but Wiz had a good idea. A fleet of trucks, capable of visiting places far from medical care. Batman compared the idea to what the Traveling Healthcare Association does, and after some negotiation, we secured a partnership. We provided protection, medical supplies, and transportation to the THA. In exchange we got trained professionals to accompany the transport fleet.
We needed more medical personnel than they could provide, even dialing the machines to their fastest, it was still a six-month period we were spending everywhere, and the THA preferred to move faster than that. I was filling all of the remaining positions until the highly competitive rates that Wayne Medical was offering could bring in enough medical staff to replace me everywhere.
I would be able to step back from that program in about a year and a half given the current models.
Something that required more involvement was the decision Batman made on our stop in Jump City. After the conference, we were met by the Teen Titans. They were… interesting.
They walked up, looking for Batman when one of the me around for crowd management stopped them. "Can I help you?"
The mess of bright colors began, "We're here to speak with Batman."
I nod slightly, "And you are?"
"Robin. Of the Teen Titans."
Searching for them, "Local secondary enforcement. Not League affiliated. Interesting group you have here. I'll ask him if he has time."
Robin looks quite insulted, "He…"
I hold up a finger, calling for silence, as another of me actually does the communicating with Batman. He wants to talk to Robin alone. "Ok. Room 2, just Robin."
Robin is confused when a second of me walks up to escort him to that room, when they arrive, "I actually have several things to ask most of you if you're willing."
They look amongst themselves, and eventually, they agree. I take Cyborg and Koriand'r to rooms 3 and 4 of our little mobile meeting room hub.
*Gadget Master (007) (300) Not Bought Remaining: 200 points.*
Koriand'r was the more pressing issue, given Robin's conversation, and Batman's intention that the Teen Titans were going to become the first official satellite operation. "Hello Princess Koriand'r, I'm Damion Peramos, current social operations manager for the Justice League. How are you."
"I am well. For what did you wish to speak with me?"
"Batman is speaking with Robin about the Teen Titans becoming an official part of the Justice League, with our currently unstable governmental status we feel that expanding to several trusted groups is our best plan. There is one issue with that plan, and it concerns you."
She looks pained, "My… The Gordanians claim…"
I interrupt, "Princess Koriand'r, the issue isn't anything to do with anyone but you. You are the Temeranian princess. When you come of age, you will be the High Queen of an alien planet."
"Yes?" She says, confused.
"Incorporating you into a government law enforcement system in any official capacity is… socially problematic. So I would like to propose that you are instead acknowledged as a visiting head of state, with an official embassy."
She blinks, "I… am confused."
I frown, "By?"
"I am not… social..ally problem?"
I smile wryly, "Princess Koriand'r, you aren't a problem. Robin has accepted, conditionally, to have the Teen Titans represent the Justice League as a staging base here on the west coast. All I'm asking is that you, as the princess, or if you don't think yourself ready, a representative from Tamaran's government, speak with us about the establishment of an embassy."
"What is an embassy?"
I frown, "It's a building where people from earth can speak to your government, formally."
She nods, slowly, and says, "I will speak to Galfore about this."
I nod, and ask, "May I add my number to your communicator?"
She hands it over, and I add my information. "Thank you."
In another room, the conversation with Cyborg started… less well.
"Hello… do you prefer your civilian or heroic name?"
He looks at me confused, "I don't mind either, but I'm curious what this is about."
"Mr. Stone, Batman is going to ask Robin to have the Titans formally join the Justice League, as a satellite group. You would be acting as our representatives in this city as higher law enforcement, and social monitoring for most of the west coast. I needed to speak with you about the technology, and your potential involvement in that. First, I need to ask, do you want to remain as you are?"
He looks at me, red eye glowing, and regular eye narrowing severely. "What exactly do you mean?"
"You were injured in a car crash, and Dr. Stone used several… questionably legal techniques and technologies to save your life. The notes that the League has on you say…"
"Listen here." He interrupted, sounding pissed, "I am not some experiment! I…"
"Mr. Stone!" He pauses, "I am not calling you broken."
*Equivalent Exchange (Minecraft) (300) Bought Remaining: 0 points.*
Equivalent Exchange (Minecraft): You are a powerful Alchemist, able to infuse a Diamond with the power of Redstone and Glowstone to make a Philosopher's Stone. With such a stone in hand, you'll be able to create a Transmutation Tablet, allowing you to instantly convert matter from one form to another, possibly even converting ordinary dirt to valuable Diamonds... or even compressing the Diamonds further into Dark Matter or Red Matter.
Combining your transmutation skills with these exotic and vastly expensive forms of matter, you'll be able to produce Alchemical Chests with incredible volume, indestructible equipment with immense power, energy collector systems to generate additional resources from nothingness, and potentially become nearly immortal, burning vast quantities of resources instead of taking wounds.
Your powers are all incredibly expensive to use, and you won't be able to max them out in your time here (especially if you don't have any advantages in harvesting resources!), but the raw potential of this path exceeds all others.
I recognize this set of recipes as they return to me, and the lurking feeling that I messed something buried in that power, but I have a more immediate concern. I smile and send several of me to my warehouse to reawaken Ankh. "I am offering you to return to become completely human. No caveats, no experiments."
He looks at me, calming, but suspicious, "What's the catch?"
"You would be human. Only human. No mechanical enhancements, nothing. The notes I have suggest you don't like your current state, but if that has changed in the nearly 2 years the Teen Titans have been in existence, I will understand."
He looks at me, contemplative, "You're correct. Two years ago, and some days now, I would take that deal. But… my team needs me."
I smile, "I had hoped that you would say that. Now… we have 2 more conversations to have. The first, upgrades. To both you, and the tower."
He frowns, "Like?"
I extrude my Brainiac technology, offering him a small taste, "Cutting edge Kryptonian technology."
After a moment connected to my systems, he swallowed, excitement sparkling in his eyes. He smiles, "Let's talk."
I had several copies remain with Cyborg to talk shop about both his tech, and the tower's tech, as Batman and my public speaking team of me's left, I was approached by Raven.
"I… you're helping us?"
I frown at her question. "I am. Is there a problem?"
"I… Is the league aware of my issues?"
I frown, looking her up, everything the league has on her, "Doctor Fate made us aware of your half demonic heritage shortly after you arrived, but he determined you were not a large-scale threat, even if you went rogue. Is there something you would like to talk about?"
She looks conflicted, and mildly uncomfortable, "I… Ok. First, can you condense your aura? It's quite effective for your public speaking, but it's incredibly uncomfortable long term."
I blink, "I… huh?" What aura?
She looks at me, "You really don't know? You're burning enough energy keeping that aura active to ward a city."
I frown, "I don't feel anything."
She scoffs, and mutters, "I'm asking a novice for help. Perfect." She stands and glows slightly, the black aura visible around her, "I'm repelling your aura, can you feel that?"
I frown, "No."
She sighs, and the glow intensifies, it slowly extends towards me, and stops. "What?"
I blink, "Huh?"
"Your aura is hard."
I frown, "I don't know what that means."
She shakes her head, "It means you can help me. I'll explain later, but… in just over 2 months, I turn 16."
I frown, not knowing what that means. "When that happens, my father will use me as a portal to enter this dimension."
I frown, "So you want to not be here? Or do you want to look into severing the connection?"
She scowls, "It can't be severed, it's part of me."
I shrug, "Blood, soul, or more?"
"All of the above."
I frown, "That's a little harder."
"I need to not be here. Your energy appeared several days ago, from somewhere else, and parts of it disappeared, you can't control it at all, so you have another place. I'd… I want to see it."
*Old Patient Magic (Circle of Magic) (100) Bought Remaining: 0 points.*
I nod, and take her through a nearby door, to my warehouse. Normally I would hesitate, but asking Doctor Fate about Trigon actually materializing in this plane would probably scour life from the planet.
She enters, and sighs, "This… this would work. Can I…"
"The day of your birthday, I'll come to collect you, and we can summon him here. Render his threat to earth impotent."
She smiles, "Thank you. I'll be in touch."
I nod, and she leaves. I sigh and call Violette and Wiz. With that handled, we can wake Ankh up.
Congregating at the chest, I open it and get him out. His green lines are gone, just his black carapace visible. I get out one of the enhanced ark reactors, and the converter that his drone was holding, and plug it in. Seconds of nothing pass, before green energy begins to glow from him again. I smile, as do Wiz and Violette. A few more seconds and he's standing again. "Hello again Lord. As I said, I will be fine."
I frown, "That's not the point. I'm glad you're back."
Ankh takes several minutes to absorb what I've been up to, "Lord, I wish to assist the half-machine in his endeavors. This 'Brainiac' has the most intriguing technology."
I smile, "Certainly."
And with that, we dispersed. All looking forward to the technological work.
Less so to the social requirements.
Time passed, and I experimented with Equivalent Exchange. I had ignored several systems last time, and while I benefited greatly from my focus, I want to see what it can really do. I felt Infinitely Customizable kick in when I recreated my tablet, creating… more of an upgrade than a modification. It allowed me to automatically pull the resources to make something instead of the object itself, and given that the effects of my powers did not carry through the transmutation, that was exceedingly helpful.
Externally, the first thing that finished was Cybrog's upgrades based on Brainiac's technology. He was still blue, as requested, but he was far faster. Antigravity upgrade to both him and his T-Car was appreciated, but I think the Variable Energy Band Cannon upgrade to his sonic cannon was his favorite new toy.
Shortly after that, Tameran had an official embassy on Titan's Island. Koriand'r did not appreciate the restrictions that were negotiated on her field deployments but eventually accepted that she was a princess, after much debate with her regent.
Around that time I found in my auto crafting was that the Klein Star I thought was the largest variety wasn't the end. Eventually, I did hit another limit, two whole tiers above the original, giving me, which I knew could be upgraded more. Even now, these were far more effective than the stars the ridiculously compressed stone. Eventually, from large scale testing, and generating a small volume of stupidly compressed, but also energized matter what I required. I needed Neutron Core matter and actually went to a Thanagarian black market supplier Hawlgirl recommended, but when it was done? Endless storage. I can store infinite EMC with the star. An interesting side effect was the realization what my chest system was extremely limited. One object at a time was… not as versatile as it could be. I discovered a set of programmable matter connected to the infinite storage orb and could produce any matter i could transmute, feeding into my factory like my tablet, but from the fabricators in my factory, eliminating waste to the individual point of EMC, and the downtime of returning excess materials.
Raven's request was… strange. She was glowing with interesting runes down her limbs, and Slade was an issue. For the Titans. He was working towards the death of the entire planet. We put specific laws in place about that, and I erased him a few days before her big day. Summoning Trigon wasn't nearly as difficult as I had thought it would be from Doctor Fate's books. Some blood here, some chanting there, and the power supposed to keep Raven from dematerializing, and he was there.
"Where am I?"
The massive red being was rather displeased that Raven hadn't brought him to earth. I was floating before him, and behind me were massive creations, my twists on Iron Man armor merged into the frame of an Aldari Avatar of Khane design, piloted by other copies of me. He was… disappointing all things considered. I was expecting that he would be more difficult before Raven explained that he drew his power from the damned souls of a realm. He had no power here, for there was only 1 damned soul here. Himself.
*Machine empathy (Warhammer 40k - Adeptus Mechanicus) (400) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points.*
My avatars held him down, and I tried killing him with my crystals. It failed.
I was shocked, and Wiz commented, "He's not like the Entities, he's actually taken steps to shield his soul from harm. It's a common demonic tactic."
I frown, looking down at him, "Plan B?" We talked, and then something… unpleasant happened. One of my avatars was immolated. Instantly.
I looked down, and he was glowing. "Um… Raven?"
She looks at me, "I don't know!"
He stands, floating above my warehouse, waves of suits firing antimatter, and every frequency of energy I can produce at him in waves, and he shrugs it all off. "Did you really believe I was so weak!"
Red beams cut through the area between us, and he continues, "Did you truly believe that I could be defeated through that trickery! I am TRIGON!"
Legions of fire appeared in my void. Swarming inferno's the size of cars attacking. They couldn't hurt me, demonic fire wasn't new, but that didn't stop them from going after Wiz and Raven.
I forged Death into a spear. Arcane swam into it, and I threw it. Trigon didn't even flinch. "My daughter hasn't told you anything, has she? A demon can not be destroyed! We are immortal!"
I frown. That… can't be true. He can be defeated, somehow.
Raven protests, fields of black keeping her from the hellfire beasts, "Demon can be killed! You've done so yourself!"
"Yes daughter, I have. My power rendered the laws of existence around them, consuming them to further empower myself! I am unstoppable!"
I frown. If he consumed them, then the power is transferable. I forge more crystals, power siphoning attuned to him specifically, and set them off. Beams of red light burst from him, flowing into my crystals, and it looked to be working.
Then he smiled, the crystals warped under my control, burning into red shapes, before attacking Raven. She screamed as energy was sucked from her, "You don't seem to understand, her power is my power! I am undefeatable, all you are doing is delaying the inevitable!"
I scowl at him, shattering my crystals, and holding Raven. I sent her and Wiz outside, before facing Trigon again. "You can't kill me. You know this."
"Ah… I don't need to. Demons consume others to empower themselves, mortal. Your soul will be a fine snack before I follow my daughter back to our world, and consume it whole."
He wanted to eat me huh? That…might work.
Why not? I'm out of other ideas. I let my body blacken, my slime form coming out to try that.
He surges forward, and I expand. I had once asked Wiz how slime size works, and I learned that for a minor expenditure of magical energy, you can choose to expand from the natural smaller base form. It takes more energy the larger you get, which makes sense, but… It's not like I was short on magic.
*Synthesis: Rank 3 | Efficiency: Rank 1 (Atelier: Arland Trilogy) (1000) Not Bought Remaining: 200 points.*
He grabbed part of me, and I surged over him like a river. He actually reacted as my gelatinous form expanded over him, first fear and disgust, but as I turned my acid down onto him, concentrating it, he began to yell in pain, and angry. Breams of magic from his eyes actually hurt. Cutting and boiling large chunks of me. It gave me pause to have maybe a third of my volume disappear in an instant, but his second pass didn't dissolve me. It hurt, I was boiling accord my entire frame, but I wasn't dissolving under the energy anymore. I smile internally, and force more and more of my slime into existence, eventually overwhelming him completely, his eye beams, and black fire bursting from his hands ineffective. He slowly withered as I consumed him.
Minutes of his dying screams echoed in my pocket realm, and I finally was done.
Standing on the roof of my Warehouse, I felt something about this place shift. It was subtle, but it was very real.
Then I knew what it meant. One of my external me needed some materials from here and went to make a door when the fabrication of the part extruded out to him.
All of me were shocked. I could extrude my Warehouse onto reality in controlled bursts, and use the massive area of my warehouse to teleport. Anything, anywhere.
Well isn't that useful?
Leaving the warehouse to the tower, I appeared near Wiz and Raven. "Ok. That's handled."
They look at me, and Raven demands "How?"
"Your father tried to eat me. I decided to return the favor."
She looks so confused, and then she turns to Wiz, "Demons can't be fully destroyed, but… when a Demon kills another, they absorb their powers, but literally absorbing him into this slime mass would be a magically significant enough death for the energy to pass onwards."
"But Demonic possession, and or the corruptive effects… no. I suppose that's not an issue. Is it?"
I smile, "I don't feel any different. I can extrude my Warehouse, which is awesome but it's not the strangest thing I've seen so far."
They look at me, "You can what?"
I frown, "I can extrude my warehouse. Like the entire thing was already a soul realm thing, but now I can extrude it." I bring out several things that were in there to demonstrate.
They both look shocked. Raven mutters, "You… Demons have spiritual planes that they can superimpose on the reality they are in. Set rules and domains, you are extruding yours to our realm. That might also explain how you killed him, if he was inside your soul already, then that's half the battle won."
I nod, not knowing how that helped. "So, explain how that all works."
She did. Wiz looked like she understood far more than I didn't, but it was very interesting nonetheless.
After that, everything was quiet for quite a long time. Years in fact.
*ENGINEERING ITERATION (Sunrider) (400) Not Bought Remaining: 300 points.*
The Birthing project had set up a viable next-generation, about 44% of people who wanted children had them. We actually had a fairly serious immigration problem from low birth rate alien races who wanted in on that.
Our demands for peace in exchange for use of our technology were well received, and we quickly rose to prominence. Some of the league still had a more… aggressive outlook on policy and relations, but I was curtailing it to the best of my ability. The fact that they were subliminally programmed that way was brought up several times, but nothing I, nor my companions, could think of had any chance of restoring their initial personalities. We simply didn't have enough data on what Brainiac did, because he didn't totally know. Experimental technology from somewhere in the stars.
On a local front, about a year into governing, something that I quickly learned that not even an army of clones can make interesting, Ankh and Cyborg got me a present.
Psimon. They brought him in, to help me get my memories back in full. It was… surprisingly easy actually. He rolled over at every movement Ankh made. I deliberately wasn't going to question what Ankh said to him, but I could see that he wasn't tortured, or brainwashed by any discernible metric. He said quietly, "Psimon says remember."
I was quite confused when nothing happened. I pushed, hoping that maybe it shook at least something loose.
Dedicated intent to regain Knowledge of Realm registered. System restriction of memory disabled. Energy gain halved from all sources. Threat's allocated.
Memories flooded back into me, emotions tying into everything I had seen here, and everything before as well. Foggy in places, sharp in others, natural memory, no modifications my recordings could delineate. I… so when I tried to cheat the system's restrictions, the system worked around me. That's… incredibly interesting, but equally annoying. Note for the future, don't try exploiting my superpower granting system.
Then I remember everything else. I was a Justice Lord. That's… trippy. Bringing everything I knew forward, I focused on a plan. Darkseid was… problematic. His armies were legendary, and I didn't have any information on him. The Justice Lords were dealt with, but the Injustice League, and potentially Crysis were still waiting to rear their ugly head.
What do I focus on? I… selfishly, I want to know what the points I get for defeating them look like.
Threat Checklist access allowed: Darkseid formally 1000 points, currently 500. Points loss for pre-insertion information. Anti-Universal Invasion not registered. League of Villains formally 500 points, currently 100 points. Point loss for dimensional separation and for per-insertion information. Justice Lords formally 1500 points, currently 0 points. 500 gain due to high risk insertion, loss from removal of threat.
I frown. Ok… so the Anti-Monitor isn't registering as a threat, which… ok. I can deal with that. So, Darkside. His teleportation method is already handled by the League. Monitoring and the regulation towers that Batman made a priority due to Intergang's possession of the tech from their former dealings with him.
Then I remember what the war with Darkseid was actually like and I wondered. Did I need to really go to war with him? In the comics, he was willing to be on the front lines, and Superman could handle him if given any real opportunity. I'm not as strong as Superman, that is basically given, but as far as ignoring damage from hits, I'm more than his equal.
And… I have both Bonesinger and the Tau factory scaled up to a full Dreadnought. Upgraded, combined strengths of the Aldari and Tau. Warhammer was not fair to fight without being Warhammer. Let's do this.
I brought Wiz, Violette, and Tiamat back to the warehouse for a bit and apologized for the distance that formed between us. Looking back at the last year, we hadn't interacted much outside of work, because I didn't feel like I knew them. That was a mistake and one that I would correct immediately.
I took a day off, spending time with each of them, just relaxing.
Wiz and I sparred, magic and minions were thrown around, and it was a lot of fun. She was very annoyed when I matched her magical output in the first round and didn't go any higher, but I was firm, this was training, if I couldn't beat her without throwing a thousand times the magical energy at her, then I wasn't training. It was a lot of fun, something I hadn't done much of this last year.
Violette and I just talked. Just stuff at first, how she was enjoying pushing her specialty to its limits with the Birthing chambers, and while I expected some level of loathing for the artificial crippling of the final product, reflecting in my own distaste for shoddy workmanship, she was actually very understanding. In the Imperium civilians were not allowed military or Omnisaia forbid, the restricted Mechanicus technology that she worked on. She was very used to giving civilians the barest working product because otherwise, they might do something stupid with it and get a few billion people killed. No, she was having more of an issue with this planet being a reflection of Terra. She didn't have an issue with Worm nearly as much because she had an alien threat to work against to keep Earth safe, but now? Keeping aliens safe from people for the betterment of Earth was… a strange set of objectives for her. I could acknowledge that. Our conversations turned heavier at that, and into the topic of what my Void Dragon perk meant for her. And her continued worship of the Omnisaia.
Way of the Void Dragon (Warhammer 40k - Necrons SB Edition): Technology is but one facet of the Materium, but you are its master. The Void Dragon's grasp of technology was the very inspiration of the Adeptus Mechanicus, and you retain a similar level of skill. Imperial Guardsmen will flee in terror as their tanks turn against them, the once loyal drones of the Tau will gun down their owners without hesitation, and you will laugh all the while.
She began with a statement that I found quite inspiring. "While the study of the Omnisaia may have been founded on the research of the… C'Tan you called it?" I nodded "The C'Tan Necton Xenos called the Void Dragon, that information isn't what the worship means to me. The Omnisaia, as I have come to worship it, is not about the worship of the ideals and powers of a long dead ruler. My worship of the Omnisaia is about improvement. The improvement of the human body whose form is nearly universal to sentient species across the cosmos, and its improvement past all shortcomings with technology. Knowing that the old dead gods of the Necron happened to be the initial spark of that ideal isn't important to me."
I smile, her conviction infectious, "All one needs to engulf the world is a well placed spark."
She smiles back, and we returned to lighter conversations.
Tiamat and Ankh were both at completely opposite ends of the spectrum for totally digital life forms.
*Applied Phlebotinum (Honkai Impact Third) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 400 points.*
It wasn't remarkable many times, but when it was? It was startling. Neither of them was really up for the whole, 'day off' thing, Tiamat felt it was irresponsible given our responsibilities to everyone, and Ankh felt it was illogical given that he had no need to stop, therefore stopping was illogical.
However, convincing them to do so was somehow the exact same argument. That we were having team bonding.
Ankh agreed that command system integrity was more important than his current assignment, and I wasn't totally sure about the story there, but I assume it's something to do with his former attachment to a Hive structure. Tiamat agreed that our communication had been… floundering in the time I spent mind wiped and that reconnecting was important. I was… mildly amused at that concept all things considered.
Tiamat and I spent most of the time kinda working. With my access to information about what might be coming, the potential threats of the League of Evil performing presumably the whole 'reset the universe in their image' scheme that they were famous for, and Darkseid's… being Darkseid, we wanted projections against large scale attacks on our location. Ankh learned that Tiamat and I were spending our 'day off' working and joined us. We spent the day tinkering with the bigger aspects of Harmony and created a basic prototype of an Anti-Matter disruption field.
Using a very light field effect, we were capable of programming Antimatter to only detonate when it comes into contact with specific things. We needed to program targets on the fly, and generating the stuff was a massive pain, given that we would need billions of tons, and up till now, the most I'd ever needed at one time was the nearly 4 grams required for our Hydra ships.
I was going to base the design on Sting's massively defensible field, but learned, and was exceedingly annoyed at the fact that everything in my Valkyrie frame was destroyed when I left Worm. That would have been fantastic to know ahead of time.
Valkyrie Frame storage was removed due to potential overflow reduction procedures.
I frown, 'What exactly does that mean?'
Potential Overflow calculation is based on available abilities and information not acquired from Starmapping, in conjunction with Starmapping speed as a fraction. Possession of experimental weapon designation: Sting Bud 1167844; Siberian Projector was not acquired via Starmapping. Companion Registered: E1; Wiz was not registered through Starmapping. Ability: Dimensional Exposure Rend Projection; Demonic Realm Formation was not acquired via Starmapping. Realm travel where percentage preparedness due to non-Starmapping gained abilities exceeds half reduces power gain by rounded up fractions no reduction, half, quarter, eighth, and tenth. {DC}_{General Summation} is registered preparedness of .76 external functions, reducing Starmapping speed to one quarter. Willing reduction in empowerment removes limitation. Willing reduction in external bonuses removed limitation.
I slowly read and reread that exclamation, and some things make quite a bit more sense than they had before. I had lost my memories because I knew this place far too well, and… I do. Knowing about the incoming threats and their powers was a massive boon. Knowing the names and approximate capabilities of their armies was a massive boon. I remember enough military quotes to know that knowing who, where, and more than a little of how my enemies would be attacking, recognizing some of their most devious infiltration attempts on sight, and knowing exactly what to check for? That was literal gold in any conflict. And I had it all.
At least I know why the system was functioning the way it does now. It scales the points I gain as a generalization of how much of a leg up I am when I show up in a realm.
I change my focus away from that because eventually, my day off was over.
And of course, the world was on fire. Well… southern Greece but… yah.
Entering the situation room with Batman and Wonder Woman waiting for me, I begin, "So… I know that I said that you shouldn't contact me except for another end of the world, but that was hyperbole."
Batman scowls at my joke, "We aren't incompetent. We can handle this."
I turn to Diana, "I watched your Mother's broadcast. She recalled you from the world of Soulless abominations that we have become and only bothered to tell us why because of her strange interpretation of honor. Do you have a statement?"
She looks… pained. No other way to put that expression, "I'm not going. I… this…"
I frown, "I hope no one has asked you to fight your people."
"No. I chose this. I chose to defend the world of men from all comers, and when those attackers are the Amazons… It's hard."
I nod, slowly, and turn to Batman. "Where are they?"
He pulls up a map, and I nod. "Send me down. They can't exactly harm me, and I want to have a talk with Hippolyta before I do anything drastic."
He blinks, so does Diana. "You are going to negotiate?"
I smile, "It worked out so well when I went to Bialya, they still have the lowest crime rate in the world."
Bruce frowns, "I'm thinking of the new Markovian sea." He stressed. Diana looked even worse.
"This isn't a Markovian situation. No mass kidnappings, no illegal mass metahuman breeding program, no illegal usage of my technology to breed metahuman armies, not even an obviously corrupt politician using his power to avoid facing actual punishment. Just some armed rebels who don't understand what kind of nest they've kicked. I'll be back before sundown."
Bruse nods. Diana gives a small nod as well, whispering "The Athenian Parthenon. Athena's most prominent holy site." They both firmly remember that I have an ethical line, and crossing that ends violently. Hippolyta hadn't crossed that. She declared war on the entire world and arrived slightly less than 20 minutes later in Athens, with her army on flying horses.
She took the city, surprise, and magic allowing them to actually hold against the Greek military for the last few hours. Then their magical defenses, recreated from Themyscira, were keeping them from retaking the city. The Boomtube pierced that field like it does nearly every other defense, and I arrived to be surrounded by spears. "I'm here to negotiate with Hippolyta ."
The spears jabbed into me, and I sighed, "Listen, this isn't working. And I really don't want to have to hurt anyone. How about you just let me talk to Hippolyta ."
They were… less than cooperative, so I foamed them. Tiamat had recreated the formula for mass distribution, something the PRT had forbidden before, something she long suspected was due to its effectiveness compared to conventional weapons. And on the Amazons? It was just as effective. Superman didn't have an issue with it, but Diana needed help if an entire limb was submerged. And I could flow through it as a slime, meaning I could use it liberally in fights that I wanted to avoid killing anyone.
Advancing into the Parthenon, the Amazons advanced, swords and spears drawn, and waves of pale-yellow goo entrapped them all until I found the women from the video. "Hello, Queen Hippolyta. I'm here to negotiate."
*Thirty Thousand Seeds (Desolate Era Part II - The Chaosverse) (800) Not Bought Remaining: 500 points.*
What Was Once a simple solution: Chapter 24
What Was Once a simple solution: Chapter 24
Underlined = Only visible to Readers
The Queen of the Amazons looked up at me, as I stood atop the small mountain of Containment Foam that I had imprisoned her warriors with. "You forged the…"
I interrupt, "Honestly, if not for Diana, I wouldn't be speaking to you. I'd have burned you, your island, and everything else that you chose to bring with you into a fine ash. Your barrier couldn't stop me if you tried. I'm here because I respect Diana. Despite the massive amount of personality damage, and her crippling fear of what that has made her, she stands tall defending this world, and was even willing to fight you if it came down to it."
She looks stunned at that last tidbit. After a moment to collect herself, "I am aware, but you need to be seen as benevolent."
I chuckle, "No. I really don't. By the actions of one of your warriors, I am the exclusive progenitor of the continuation of the species. I have eradicated naturally occurring cancer from every human born for the rest of time. I have rendered the organ donor waiting list empty for the first time since the invention of the organ transplant. I am the face of medical treatment across the globe. You attacked a civilian center with a magical army and are killing military and civilians alike if they are men and all women who resist. I would have to spend about thirty seconds n front of a camera, with Diana standing behind me, and I could wipe your species from the face of the world without the public so much as hesitating to call it heroic. Because in all fairness, it would be given your actions today. Now, let me tell you what we are going to discuss. We are going to discuss your immediate, and total surrender, and your new governing structure."
"Never."
I frown, "Tell me Queeny, who takes over if you die? The magical line of succession is quite important to your people, and your defensive magics. Who?"
She frowns, "Diana would be cast from the line the moment she raises a sword towards us."
"Fortunately, she's in space, being a pacifist. Now, I'll take that answer, Diana does. Now, your soldiers, the vast majority of them who are created from clay, magically created, and totally subservient to Diana. Her assent to the Queen ends this war in a single command. So I'm going to ask you again, now that you understand the stakes. Do you wish to negotiate? Or do you wish to die?"
She looks at me, "What are your demands?"
I smile, "That's the right choice." Then I cast a massively potent sleep spell. I called Batman, and… I checked which hero is technically in charge of Greece, and frown. Wonder Woman can't be impartial, but Mr. Zatanna in Italy, or… huh, apparently Raven's work with Plasmius had been very successful, I hadn't heard, given that he was our local heroic liaison to Germany. Them, and the civilian governments attached to those countries, would deal with reparation calculations, and Hippolyta would face justice in court. Another step to ensure that I wasn't running some kind of hit squad, or worse an Inquisition.
Calling them, and filling them in on my involvement, I returned to the Watchtower and spoke to Diana. "So, your mother was arrested. She will face a fair trial, and no warriors were killed during my intervention."
She smiled, "Thank you. But… how? She attacked Greece, who's impartial about that?"
"If I'm correct? Citizens of most non-European countries. It's only been a year since we took over, and there are still countries, not just Earth, so people far removed. I'm thinking of letting the Australians, and or some of the islands around there. They were the last group to need to extradite the trials for the same reasoning. Croc Hunter was a nasty case."
She nods, the half-alligator serial killer was a mess, but more than anything, he was annoying. And I hated that he named himself after a crocodile. When he said that he knew he was part alligator when he named himself I nearly slapped the man.
Sitting down to the thousands of pamphlets of paperwork Batman left me to deal with, I sighed. I took six hours off, I shouldn't have this much paperwork.
Well… I suppose we did have a massive city burn down. And… Japan was attempting to claim a crater on the moon? Huh?
Reading through that packet I frowned. Apparently, Japan was partnering with Palmertech to launch a biodome into space to colonize the moon. And the US was trying to beat them to it by requesting Superman do it. And Australia had already put the dome in orbit with the help of the second Green Lantern, Guy Gardner.
Ok, sure. 'Why is this my job?' I mone depressedly into the emptiness of my office.
After the debacle with the moon formally resolved and the ink was dry registering the moon as an independent nation, we had our next catastrophe. And it wasn't an alien invasion. Well, a violent alien invasion. Turns out, someone in the interplanetary community leaked that we had access to the Kryptonian Birthing Pods, and were capable of tuning them to alien species. Turns out, that's quite the tourist trap.
It started simply, Hawkman brought his sister to Earth. Her and her husband were struggling, and he had offered my assistance. "He said that you could help me… conceive."
I look at him, and he goes red, "I… it didn't translate well." Hawkgirl gave him some light hearted ribbing, and I escorted them to our alien friendly Birthing Pods. Every National capital got one of these far more advanced machines. When they recognized the crystal computers, they were shocked, but at the time I didn't think anything of it. I walked them through the procedures and offered a hotel. They turned that down, they would come back, and I shrugged that off too.
Two weeks later, I regretted the casualness of my demonstration. Hundreds of couples, mostly composed of Thanagarian, Muscarian, and Farfarmniflatch arrived in enough ships that the Watchtower's auto shields went up, which was almost messy.
*Organic Database (Starcraft - The Zerg) (600) Bought Remaining: 0 points.*
I split into many copies and divided them amongst the capitals of the world, the most accepting peoples having the least humanoid alien arrivals, and began the process of getting a few thousand couples registered, formed the beginning of the 'primes' for species that I had a wide enough gene pool for, and offered to set them up locally. And with my new fascination for genetics, from the Zerg, I was collecting them for myself as well.
Unfortunately for me, more than a few accepted. Because I had no idea the can of worms I was opening up. It took about an hour for a problem to crop up.
A Muscarian nearly killed someone. Through no fault of his own, it is important to note. He went to a store and spoke to an employee who was allergic to mushrooms. That… didn't end well. For anyone. He was apologetic, but the cashier that needed to be hospitalized wasn't exactly accepting. I covered everything and began the production of something to try mitigating that. I started out trying to make some kind of particulate filter, to prevent the inhalation of anything that wasn't clean air, which in theory was a perfectly functional solution. Then… well there was the human element. No one wanted to wear the facemask, and given that they were allergic to the aliens… well, that didn't take off.
Tiamat came back with an actually functioning solution. Removing the disease, not the reaction. More directly, a wearable bracelet that cures allergies. Advanced RNA and nanobots guiding them could remove allergies from a human genetic code in about 11 months. I was confused at that employment time initially before I recognized that there is the small issue that no matter how much DNA you change now, the cells already around and the ones currently being created still have the old DNA. You need a vast majority of cells that react to the allergen negatively to be remodeled, and this was the only feasible way of doing that was to wait for the body to do it for us.
That was unsurprisingly popular, given that Tiamat was a popular face on Earth. She had taken quite well to this new Earth. Sociable, kind, and nearly omnipresent in every kind of online chat room, and forum. She was moderating most of them and screening predatory crime. She loved helping everyone she could, and when I moved her to my Lucy computer, it was almost like plugging her into a Machine Spirit. Unlimited power wasn't a lie. It was unlimited, and she tested that at every opportunity.
She was instrumental in the establishment of an alien currency exchange. Wiz was handling the physical meetings as they were required, and Violette was loving all the new genetic data we were collecting, from both the Allergy Bands and the alien genetic testing. Ankh was almost completely disinterested in the organic reproductive, and social aspects, which isn't strange, but when a Tchk-Tchkii arrived for genetic screening and all but demanded to speak with them whenever possible. The uncanny physical resemblance, and that I know about the Scarabs… they might be the same species. Humans exist across the multiverse, why not them.
I was putting out fires, and running into every situation of cultural friction, and doing my best to smooth it out. And apparently, some connection between my newly acquired Starcraft perk, along with the modification skill from, added to my I Know Things, or maybe just my understanding of the Birthing Pods, made any conversation about them bring that out. It's massively effective, cutting through arguments and convincing skeptics. I smile at the thought of having a Master Effect that requires me to be telling the truth and know what I'm talking about.
Superman, more specifically, Clark and Lois were looking into having a child. When they went to the tower, I learned that Superman didn't have a binary helix. He had a hexadecanoic structure in its place. 16 sets of base pairs, the Kryptonian genetic prime, encoded directly in his every cell, it was quite useful data. But unfortunately, I needed to put that aside for now, even as Violette looked into what it meant, I explained, "So, Clark… you might not be aware of this, but you don't have genetics capable of supporting human hybridization. It's possible but it would be a massive, specialized project. I can do what I'm doing for most humans, imposing an exterior form onto a genetic prime, but they wouldn't be human. At all. On the flip side, I could do the same with a human genome exclusively. Or we can look into a simplified Kryptonian genetic pattern. Effectively a surrogate. All three have issues, but that's all the options I can give you."
He looks to Lois, conflict visible, and they take several minutes alone to eventually decide. A full Kryptonian. I nodded as I set the process into motion for them. It felt both right and mildly disconcerting. Knowing what I know about Krypton, this was all but a return to form for their species, and that this was such a simple process for the creation of someone as strong as a Kryptonian could be.
As far as our alien tourism industry went, after weeks of putting out fires, I delayed any massive problems enough for actual laws to be drafted, and systems to be put formally in place. It was fantastic to let others deal with the ever growing cultural interchange. That's not to say that I didn't still need to intervene on occasion, but the troublemaking ship of Infernians was met by the Justice Lords.
As it turns out, Wonder Woman thought that up. She spent a few years with Bruce in the 1400s due to a Toymaker… toy about a year before I arrived. The Flash went to get them when Bruce sent him a letter. Encased in glass, in a box that was being excavated from the tomb of Saint Diana, by Waynetech's archaeology division the week they were shot.
*Blacksmith (Generic Xianxia) (300) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points.*
Super Detective powers, activate!
The political nightmare that I feared would arrive did when the Tamaranian Embassy offered to trade for the rights to use our Birthing machine on a… well… an interplanetary civilization scale. He announced that deal to his planets, resources, the beginnings of a technological exchange, and I would create a species prime before beginning mass births, in exchange for use of a device I wasn't charging anyone for. Well… we had implemented planetary tariffs, and a small percentage tax on currency exchange, but that wasn't new for this deal. His allies and more particularly enemies had… mixed reactions.
Many less hostile systems sent emissaries and established Embassies to pay for the usage, and we had lots of, "That's not necessary." "Oh but it's a donation…". Turns out, political corruption was about as prevalent as taxes. The more hostile systems attacked Earth, or demanded that the Green Lanterns stop our 'soldier factory'.
And so, here I am, once again, in front of a press conference talking about my Birthing Pods. Fortunately, Wonder Woman was speaking. After realizing that my I Know Things worked through live media, we decided that I was no longer allowed to address people live. But I was going to step in to answer questions about the technical aspects if they are asked.
"We thank everyone for coming. It's an honor to host representatives from every corner of the known universe. Today, I'll be explaining the general usage of the Peremos Birthing Chambers." All of my freeze for a moment, and I'm sure Batman can feel the glare I'm sending him from my positions behind the stage, and in the crowd, and basically everywhere not on camera for trillions of aliens. I will get you back for this. "Firstly, this deal does not mean we are charging for the usage of the birthing pods. However, certain considerations and availability are being lifted for the Tamaranians. These are a short term ban on usage while data is compiled, and more direct access to gene options that are irreverent to any individual couple."
An interruption, from the… oh, the Vernathian representative. That's not surprising. "And what benefits do they receive?"
Diana frowns, "Save your questions for the end, however, that was my next point. The Tamaranian government now has access to the basic genetic predispositions of their citizens for social purposes."
The Tameranian representative stands, "What kind of information?"
Diana sighs, and looks at me. I stand, and a buzzing begins in the crowd, "I'll clarify, the Human and Tamaranian governments now can request the genetic data of any citizen of either signature under suspicion of criminal activity within the known borders of their territory. This is not a 'that person' situation. If criminal investigators can present your DNA then we will have a match. That is all the access that can be gained without personal or parental consent."
The buzzing continues, and Diana steps back forward. "Thank you, now…"
The Vernathian demands, "Why is some human able to speak for this technology? Isn't it Kryptonian?"
I sigh, standing again. "I am Damion Peremos. I am currently the only person in this universe capable of creating the computers required to create these pods. Now, you will be escorted out." Several cameras turned as 2 of me walked over, and escorted him out. He resisted, and guns were drawn, "Cease your futile resistance." He pauses in the face of guns appearing and is escorted out.
Diana continues, "Now, as many of you might not be aware, the Kryptonian gene mapping was capable of making people more fit for certain tasks. Mathematicians and Scientists; Lawyers and Judges; Engineers or Soldiers. Tameranians, through their deal with us on a civilization scale, are capable of requesting something similar."
The room erupted. Protests and yelling abounded, and I drew my most effective weapon. Feedback. After a few seconds of mind numbing noise, I gave Diana back the microphone. She continued, "Yes, this is a massive boon, however, given that they are paying for this service, Damion, and the other Lords felt that this was the best offer we could make for them. However, the Tameranians will not be able to request the Soldier base genetics. All the Lords agree that this is not a war machine, and he refuses to see it become one. Military hardwiring is both an attack on the child, being destined for warfare, and we do not allow that." Her stern glare silenced any complaints.
"Replacing that is a simple general enhancement, rather like what Humans have simply due to the large DNA set he has to work with. With this 'prime' template, the pods can create a child at the upper limit of what a species is capable of, physically and mentally, without any career biasing, or programmable instincts. This benefit was only discovered after most of the human population had already been scanned for the creation of their children, and supposedly, he is approaching the required DNA saturation with the Thanagarians as well."
I cough, "No. I recently learned that the Thanagarians are far more genetically diverse than humans, and the prime is farther out than I estimated." Their gene treatments for soldiers boosts uniformity and is like a C-grade prime template, but the civilians, and the partial interbreeding on other planets… it's a mess.
She nods, "Correction, it's progressing, but not near completion. Regardless, any species who have a large enough sample size entering into the system will have such an advantage, but the Tamerainians have it established before large-scale usage, near their embassy."
A moment of silence, and I stand, knowing what's coming, "Now, Damion and myself will take questions."
Hands erupt, and Diana selects people. The Kahloans representative looks… yup, he's stoned. Why? "Will… will this prime template give us any chemical resistances?"
I frown, "Potentially. It will limit the effectiveness of anything the body processes as toxic. Poisons, various chemicals certainly." He looks upset as he sits down.
Diana points to the Barrions, a species of sentient Barrionic crystal, representative. "Does this… birthing pod have any allowances for non-organic races?"
I frown, "Not currently. If the child doesn't grow in a way that I will put bluntly as traditionally organic, then I can't assist. I can look into that possibility."
*Ancilla (Forerunner Saga) (450) Not Bought Remaining: 200 points.*
The Astonian representative, one of the groups that 'donated' to our cause, asked, "What do you say to people who offered large sums of money to be given access to these capabilities, and are learning they are free?"
I smile, "That I am willing to accept gifts. And that I don't take bribes. Is there something you would like to admit to?"
She blinks, blushing an interesting blue color, "Then what are your thoughts on recovering from near-extinction level events?"
I nod, "I will not be mass creating children of any species without someone to speak for them, to care for them. The idea of my Birthing Chambers being used to fill orphanages is a horrifying one and one that I will not stand for. However, if a couple in an endangered species desires, and can support more than one child, then I will not object to them having additional children."
Diana actually gets to field the next question, our token human asked, "If a couple desires a child of different species? What about them?"
Diana looks alarmed as she begins, "The Justice Lords have put several controls in place to prevent someone from abusing our system."
"That's not what I asked…"
I sigh, and everyone turns, "The system will not accept genetics removed from someone off site. The sample needs to be from a living host. If there are even traces of alternative chemicals, I will be alerted, and the room will seal. If anything is off, I start arresting people, for illegal narcotics or for kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, attempted grand theft, and attempted violations of alien crossbreeding and trafficking accords put into place by the Green Lantern Corps. They have a rubber stamp with my face on it for anyone I send to them from my chambers. One thousand and nine years in prison. You are welcome to go for it. I'll wait. However, if a consenting party is present, and wished to allow the couple with a child not of their own species, I will not argue with their decision, provided I see some evidence that the child will be properly protected and cared for."
Murmuring begins, and is silenced by my next question, "Are there any intelligent questions?"
The press conference petered out quite quickly after that.
I continued to expand the Birthing Chambers as more and more aliens came forward. As the demands leveled out to my supply, I began really looking at the prime data. I remembered a few days ago that I had once promised Wiz an organic body. I called her to ask. "Wiz, I just remembered back on your world when I offered you a regular body again. Was that something you still wanted?"
There is a long pause, and eventually, she begins, "I wouldn't hate it. But how? The birthing pods? Growing a new me?"
I explain, "Kinda. I was going to be focusing on optimizing anything you wanted, and maybe a bit of defensive upgrade or some additional magical grounding."
She chuckles, "That sounds good, but try not to go too far overboard. I don't want to have any more arms."
I chuckle, "I can do that." Then I call Violette, "So Violette, I'm going to start working on getting Wiz a new body. Do you want to help?"
"Of course!" She replied, "So what's your plan?"
I explain, "I'm going to screen the alien genetics for the best options for defense, endurance, and speed. Magic isn't in most genetics but I'll look. I would love to put some scrubbed DNA from Trigon, but it's just not safe. It causes too many errors and damage to anything else."
"Wouldn't Raven be a safe option?"
I blink. "I can ask. I hadn't considered her, or… what about the rest of the metahumans? Metahumans have developed many genetic abnormalities that our enhanced version of the Birthing Pods can handle."
Violette hums in approval, "I'll work with Tiamat to make a list. Limits?"
I chuckle, "Nothing too crazy. Growing new limbs, tails skin alterations and such are off the table."
An acknowledging "K" ends the call.
About an hour later, I got a file, a set of genetic maps, diakinetics, energy nullifiers, and a few different cryokinetics. Limiting the powers of several of them to remove the physical alterations, I'm left with a massive array of cryogenic abilities, and call Wiz. "Ok, we have the background data, ready to start."
She doors to me, and we start. I start with an exact copy of her and leave her to change the appearance. Once she sets that in, the noninvasive skills, and such, she sighs. "I said not too much."
I shrug, "Honestly, this is toned down from my initial set. The shapeshifting covers a lot. So does the general invulnerability. The secondary ice powers complement your normal style, and the fact that we are using the surgical nanite function to engrave the empowering runes onto the bones, and the secondary reinforcement."
She looks at me, "Like I said."
I sigh, "Wiz, Tiamat has backups. After the mess with my memory, Violette and I have full consciousness backups here. You don't have that. If someone kills you, you die. I…"
"I know." She whispers, "I'll do it."
I frown, "Wiz… Sorry, I didn't mean to unload like that. I just…"
"You were a mess after Ankh hibernated, you knew he was coming back, and you were a mess. I… know how I felt when you didn't recognize me when we arrived here. I'll do it. And I'll get one of your implants. I… don't know what I would do if any of you died either."
I nod painfully. We were a family, and it would hurt to lose anyone.
Wiz took the day off, and at the end of it, we used a fairly nasty soul binding curse to move her from her lich body to her new one. The less messy, and dark oriented soul transference spells required a willing target, and I wasn't going to wait a few months for Wiz's body to grow a personality in its fully functioning brain.
No, I can't explain how someone willingly giving up their body is magically 'lighter' than growing a new empty body and moving over. Something about the nature of magical consent that I'll never get. Or maybe it was the fact that the spell banished the technical soul from the new body, but… no one died in the making of this new body. That's the important part.
*Modular Designs (Dead Space) (400) Not Bought Remaining: 300 points.*
Overall, Earth, and therefore technically me, enjoyed an era of peace. Police could track people by DNA, truth serum quickly became a replacement for traditional investigation work, which my old appreciation for detective dramas didn't enjoy, but it also prevented anyone innocent of a crime from being punished. The police being given Containment Foam as standard equipment lowered the arrest standard a bit. Spray everyone, and no one was in danger any longer, and everyone could be given Truth Serum one or two at a time. It wasn't the crimeless utopia that I was hoping for, the 72% of crimes solved on sight, and the 94% of crimes solved with no injury were pushing that closer and closer.
Children who grow up in that environment, with the knowledge that their position was tracked constantly, and their genetics were already on file would probably end that altogether. The question of 'Surveillance State' came up, and I responded truthfully. "Governments are buying it from cellular providers." and the existential dread of that fact ended the conversation of governmental misuse quickly.
I spent most of my time experimenting with alien technology. I was summoned to listen to various meetings as either a neutral representative or as an Earth representative fairly commonly. Apparently the 'Saint of Childrearing' means 'Neutrality' somehow.
Also, I was awarded Sainthood. That happened. I was not amused when the UN started using it for my public appearances. I learned that a representative from Markovia started it when he referred to me as the 'Freeing Saint'. A name I got when I killed their previous dictator, a monster of a man who stole the powers of Metahumans for himself and set himself up as a divine king. He used a life draining/connecting power on his own people to sustain himself in combat, and I threw enough Arcana and focused explosive magic at him for it to chain through the people he was draining. Carved a 44 kilometer hole in the countryside where the capital used to sit. It was filled with ocean water from the massive amount of water he was using, and I purified it from poisoned and salted water into fresh water in an attempt to prevent an ecological disaster. The people of the country who lived through the disaster started calling me a saint for killing the fake god.
The Astonians also started calling me a saint for the public usage of the Birthing Pods, and the preservation of almost a dozen races across the galaxy through my willingness to share the capability.
I tried to lose the title, I did, but then someone did something stupid. They tried to summon Trygon, who was busy being super dead and got Belial instead.
He destroyed most of southern Gotham before Dr. Fate, Raven, and I could arrive, and imprison him. Given the collective power we wield, it wasn't actually hard to do. Then, as an agent of Order, Dr Fate tried and utterly failed to kill him. Several times. Raven didn't want to risk taking his power, given her already tentative balance before the various media of the galaxy, so I sighed and consumed him like I did Trygon.
Apparently, killing one of the High Demon lords got the ball rolling officially. Ironically, I did learn some powerful light magic from Dr. Fate, along with Wiz now that she wasn't a 'necromantic creature' anymore. Subtle, Dr. Fate is not.
I apparently took to it quite well, but I think that's probably the effectively limitless power I can drop into a spell. Limits! has been interacting with Arcana since… well since I got it. My Arcana pool is something more like an unspeakable ocean. It's kinda neat to hear about the spells so massive only Nabu him...it? Self can cast alone, and just kinda… do it.
Wiz was massively jealous, and I tried to help with a Ring of Arcana. A high powered focus tapping into my magic as a source directly, but it… Wiz didn't appreciate reaching into my pool of magic. Apparently feeling what I had only made everything worse.
On the technical side of things, I did finally teach Supergirl how to read and run the more advanced Birthing Pods required to hybrid various alien races. Clark tried… but he couldn't get his head around the Kryptonian coding. I don't know which of those was the problem either.
Batman learned the maintenance just fine, apparently knowing more Kryptonian than Clark. I'm not sure if Clark, Kara, or I was the most surprised.
They were never going to get a 100% inorganic creature to work, I tried for a long time, but it wasn't happening without a massive overhaul, and giving them way more abilities than I was comfortable with.
As time passed, I admit, I grew rather impatient. I had never thought about or experienced a long stretch of time where 'do paperwork and keep innovation to a minimum' was the order of the day, but here I was. Then alarms began to ring out, some kind of unannounced breach into Earth's dimensional tearing, and a group suspiciously like the Justice League was sighted gathering on our side of one of the portals.
We were being invaded by the League of Villains.
I actually smile as I don my war suit. I'd been hoping for something for a while, and I remembered that League of Villains being separated by dimension, and their plan to remake all dimensions in their image. I teleported to the breach and smiled at the recognizable group.
"Well, it seems I've found the right place." Someone said, A massive black armor suit, red highlights glowing with a telltale glow of an arc reactor in a dozen glowing points across both shoulders. Unscannable reactors, materials, energy comparisons, everything. My custom built analysis tools failed completely on the armored shell. I could see the blue of the reactors, but my scanners were dying.
I frown and advance slightly, joined by most of the heavy hitters on the planet. This was something we had trained for, but… I had nothing on this suited man. That's impossible.
*The National Supers Agency (The Incredibles) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 400 points.*
Underlined = Only visible to Readers
The Queen of the Amazons looked up at me, as I stood atop the small mountain of Containment Foam that I had imprisoned her warriors with. "You forged the…"
I interrupt, "Honestly, if not for Diana, I wouldn't be speaking to you. I'd have burned you, your island, and everything else that you chose to bring with you into a fine ash. Your barrier couldn't stop me if you tried. I'm here because I respect Diana. Despite the massive amount of personality damage, and her crippling fear of what that has made her, she stands tall defending this world, and was even willing to fight you if it came down to it."
She looks stunned at that last tidbit. After a moment to collect herself, "I am aware, but you need to be seen as benevolent."
I chuckle, "No. I really don't. By the actions of one of your warriors, I am the exclusive progenitor of the continuation of the species. I have eradicated naturally occurring cancer from every human born for the rest of time. I have rendered the organ donor waiting list empty for the first time since the invention of the organ transplant. I am the face of medical treatment across the globe. You attacked a civilian center with a magical army and are killing military and civilians alike if they are men and all women who resist. I would have to spend about thirty seconds n front of a camera, with Diana standing behind me, and I could wipe your species from the face of the world without the public so much as hesitating to call it heroic. Because in all fairness, it would be given your actions today. Now, let me tell you what we are going to discuss. We are going to discuss your immediate, and total surrender, and your new governing structure."
"Never."
I frown, "Tell me Queeny, who takes over if you die? The magical line of succession is quite important to your people, and your defensive magics. Who?"
She frowns, "Diana would be cast from the line the moment she raises a sword towards us."
"Fortunately, she's in space, being a pacifist. Now, I'll take that answer, Diana does. Now, your soldiers, the vast majority of them who are created from clay, magically created, and totally subservient to Diana. Her assent to the Queen ends this war in a single command. So I'm going to ask you again, now that you understand the stakes. Do you wish to negotiate? Or do you wish to die?"
She looks at me, "What are your demands?"
I smile, "That's the right choice." Then I cast a massively potent sleep spell. I called Batman, and… I checked which hero is technically in charge of Greece, and frown. Wonder Woman can't be impartial, but Mr. Zatanna in Italy, or… huh, apparently Raven's work with Plasmius had been very successful, I hadn't heard, given that he was our local heroic liaison to Germany. Them, and the civilian governments attached to those countries, would deal with reparation calculations, and Hippolyta would face justice in court. Another step to ensure that I wasn't running some kind of hit squad, or worse an Inquisition.
Calling them, and filling them in on my involvement, I returned to the Watchtower and spoke to Diana. "So, your mother was arrested. She will face a fair trial, and no warriors were killed during my intervention."
She smiled, "Thank you. But… how? She attacked Greece, who's impartial about that?"
"If I'm correct? Citizens of most non-European countries. It's only been a year since we took over, and there are still countries, not just Earth, so people far removed. I'm thinking of letting the Australians, and or some of the islands around there. They were the last group to need to extradite the trials for the same reasoning. Croc Hunter was a nasty case."
She nods, the half-alligator serial killer was a mess, but more than anything, he was annoying. And I hated that he named himself after a crocodile. When he said that he knew he was part alligator when he named himself I nearly slapped the man.
Sitting down to the thousands of pamphlets of paperwork Batman left me to deal with, I sighed. I took six hours off, I shouldn't have this much paperwork.
Well… I suppose we did have a massive city burn down. And… Japan was attempting to claim a crater on the moon? Huh?
Reading through that packet I frowned. Apparently, Japan was partnering with Palmertech to launch a biodome into space to colonize the moon. And the US was trying to beat them to it by requesting Superman do it. And Australia had already put the dome in orbit with the help of the second Green Lantern, Guy Gardner.
Ok, sure. 'Why is this my job?' I mone depressedly into the emptiness of my office.
After the debacle with the moon formally resolved and the ink was dry registering the moon as an independent nation, we had our next catastrophe. And it wasn't an alien invasion. Well, a violent alien invasion. Turns out, someone in the interplanetary community leaked that we had access to the Kryptonian Birthing Pods, and were capable of tuning them to alien species. Turns out, that's quite the tourist trap.
It started simply, Hawkman brought his sister to Earth. Her and her husband were struggling, and he had offered my assistance. "He said that you could help me… conceive."
I look at him, and he goes red, "I… it didn't translate well." Hawkgirl gave him some light hearted ribbing, and I escorted them to our alien friendly Birthing Pods. Every National capital got one of these far more advanced machines. When they recognized the crystal computers, they were shocked, but at the time I didn't think anything of it. I walked them through the procedures and offered a hotel. They turned that down, they would come back, and I shrugged that off too.
Two weeks later, I regretted the casualness of my demonstration. Hundreds of couples, mostly composed of Thanagarian, Muscarian, and Farfarmniflatch arrived in enough ships that the Watchtower's auto shields went up, which was almost messy.
*Organic Database (Starcraft - The Zerg) (600) Bought Remaining: 0 points.*
I split into many copies and divided them amongst the capitals of the world, the most accepting peoples having the least humanoid alien arrivals, and began the process of getting a few thousand couples registered, formed the beginning of the 'primes' for species that I had a wide enough gene pool for, and offered to set them up locally. And with my new fascination for genetics, from the Zerg, I was collecting them for myself as well.
Unfortunately for me, more than a few accepted. Because I had no idea the can of worms I was opening up. It took about an hour for a problem to crop up.
A Muscarian nearly killed someone. Through no fault of his own, it is important to note. He went to a store and spoke to an employee who was allergic to mushrooms. That… didn't end well. For anyone. He was apologetic, but the cashier that needed to be hospitalized wasn't exactly accepting. I covered everything and began the production of something to try mitigating that. I started out trying to make some kind of particulate filter, to prevent the inhalation of anything that wasn't clean air, which in theory was a perfectly functional solution. Then… well there was the human element. No one wanted to wear the facemask, and given that they were allergic to the aliens… well, that didn't take off.
Tiamat came back with an actually functioning solution. Removing the disease, not the reaction. More directly, a wearable bracelet that cures allergies. Advanced RNA and nanobots guiding them could remove allergies from a human genetic code in about 11 months. I was confused at that employment time initially before I recognized that there is the small issue that no matter how much DNA you change now, the cells already around and the ones currently being created still have the old DNA. You need a vast majority of cells that react to the allergen negatively to be remodeled, and this was the only feasible way of doing that was to wait for the body to do it for us.
That was unsurprisingly popular, given that Tiamat was a popular face on Earth. She had taken quite well to this new Earth. Sociable, kind, and nearly omnipresent in every kind of online chat room, and forum. She was moderating most of them and screening predatory crime. She loved helping everyone she could, and when I moved her to my Lucy computer, it was almost like plugging her into a Machine Spirit. Unlimited power wasn't a lie. It was unlimited, and she tested that at every opportunity.
She was instrumental in the establishment of an alien currency exchange. Wiz was handling the physical meetings as they were required, and Violette was loving all the new genetic data we were collecting, from both the Allergy Bands and the alien genetic testing. Ankh was almost completely disinterested in the organic reproductive, and social aspects, which isn't strange, but when a Tchk-Tchkii arrived for genetic screening and all but demanded to speak with them whenever possible. The uncanny physical resemblance, and that I know about the Scarabs… they might be the same species. Humans exist across the multiverse, why not them.
I was putting out fires, and running into every situation of cultural friction, and doing my best to smooth it out. And apparently, some connection between my newly acquired Starcraft perk, along with the modification skill from, added to my I Know Things, or maybe just my understanding of the Birthing Pods, made any conversation about them bring that out. It's massively effective, cutting through arguments and convincing skeptics. I smile at the thought of having a Master Effect that requires me to be telling the truth and know what I'm talking about.
Superman, more specifically, Clark and Lois were looking into having a child. When they went to the tower, I learned that Superman didn't have a binary helix. He had a hexadecanoic structure in its place. 16 sets of base pairs, the Kryptonian genetic prime, encoded directly in his every cell, it was quite useful data. But unfortunately, I needed to put that aside for now, even as Violette looked into what it meant, I explained, "So, Clark… you might not be aware of this, but you don't have genetics capable of supporting human hybridization. It's possible but it would be a massive, specialized project. I can do what I'm doing for most humans, imposing an exterior form onto a genetic prime, but they wouldn't be human. At all. On the flip side, I could do the same with a human genome exclusively. Or we can look into a simplified Kryptonian genetic pattern. Effectively a surrogate. All three have issues, but that's all the options I can give you."
He looks to Lois, conflict visible, and they take several minutes alone to eventually decide. A full Kryptonian. I nodded as I set the process into motion for them. It felt both right and mildly disconcerting. Knowing what I know about Krypton, this was all but a return to form for their species, and that this was such a simple process for the creation of someone as strong as a Kryptonian could be.
As far as our alien tourism industry went, after weeks of putting out fires, I delayed any massive problems enough for actual laws to be drafted, and systems to be put formally in place. It was fantastic to let others deal with the ever growing cultural interchange. That's not to say that I didn't still need to intervene on occasion, but the troublemaking ship of Infernians was met by the Justice Lords.
As it turns out, Wonder Woman thought that up. She spent a few years with Bruce in the 1400s due to a Toymaker… toy about a year before I arrived. The Flash went to get them when Bruce sent him a letter. Encased in glass, in a box that was being excavated from the tomb of Saint Diana, by Waynetech's archaeology division the week they were shot.
*Blacksmith (Generic Xianxia) (300) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points.*
Super Detective powers, activate!
The political nightmare that I feared would arrive did when the Tamaranian Embassy offered to trade for the rights to use our Birthing machine on a… well… an interplanetary civilization scale. He announced that deal to his planets, resources, the beginnings of a technological exchange, and I would create a species prime before beginning mass births, in exchange for use of a device I wasn't charging anyone for. Well… we had implemented planetary tariffs, and a small percentage tax on currency exchange, but that wasn't new for this deal. His allies and more particularly enemies had… mixed reactions.
Many less hostile systems sent emissaries and established Embassies to pay for the usage, and we had lots of, "That's not necessary." "Oh but it's a donation…". Turns out, political corruption was about as prevalent as taxes. The more hostile systems attacked Earth, or demanded that the Green Lanterns stop our 'soldier factory'.
And so, here I am, once again, in front of a press conference talking about my Birthing Pods. Fortunately, Wonder Woman was speaking. After realizing that my I Know Things worked through live media, we decided that I was no longer allowed to address people live. But I was going to step in to answer questions about the technical aspects if they are asked.
"We thank everyone for coming. It's an honor to host representatives from every corner of the known universe. Today, I'll be explaining the general usage of the Peremos Birthing Chambers." All of my freeze for a moment, and I'm sure Batman can feel the glare I'm sending him from my positions behind the stage, and in the crowd, and basically everywhere not on camera for trillions of aliens. I will get you back for this. "Firstly, this deal does not mean we are charging for the usage of the birthing pods. However, certain considerations and availability are being lifted for the Tamaranians. These are a short term ban on usage while data is compiled, and more direct access to gene options that are irreverent to any individual couple."
An interruption, from the… oh, the Vernathian representative. That's not surprising. "And what benefits do they receive?"
Diana frowns, "Save your questions for the end, however, that was my next point. The Tamaranian government now has access to the basic genetic predispositions of their citizens for social purposes."
The Tameranian representative stands, "What kind of information?"
Diana sighs, and looks at me. I stand, and a buzzing begins in the crowd, "I'll clarify, the Human and Tamaranian governments now can request the genetic data of any citizen of either signature under suspicion of criminal activity within the known borders of their territory. This is not a 'that person' situation. If criminal investigators can present your DNA then we will have a match. That is all the access that can be gained without personal or parental consent."
The buzzing continues, and Diana steps back forward. "Thank you, now…"
The Vernathian demands, "Why is some human able to speak for this technology? Isn't it Kryptonian?"
I sigh, standing again. "I am Damion Peremos. I am currently the only person in this universe capable of creating the computers required to create these pods. Now, you will be escorted out." Several cameras turned as 2 of me walked over, and escorted him out. He resisted, and guns were drawn, "Cease your futile resistance." He pauses in the face of guns appearing and is escorted out.
Diana continues, "Now, as many of you might not be aware, the Kryptonian gene mapping was capable of making people more fit for certain tasks. Mathematicians and Scientists; Lawyers and Judges; Engineers or Soldiers. Tameranians, through their deal with us on a civilization scale, are capable of requesting something similar."
The room erupted. Protests and yelling abounded, and I drew my most effective weapon. Feedback. After a few seconds of mind numbing noise, I gave Diana back the microphone. She continued, "Yes, this is a massive boon, however, given that they are paying for this service, Damion, and the other Lords felt that this was the best offer we could make for them. However, the Tameranians will not be able to request the Soldier base genetics. All the Lords agree that this is not a war machine, and he refuses to see it become one. Military hardwiring is both an attack on the child, being destined for warfare, and we do not allow that." Her stern glare silenced any complaints.
"Replacing that is a simple general enhancement, rather like what Humans have simply due to the large DNA set he has to work with. With this 'prime' template, the pods can create a child at the upper limit of what a species is capable of, physically and mentally, without any career biasing, or programmable instincts. This benefit was only discovered after most of the human population had already been scanned for the creation of their children, and supposedly, he is approaching the required DNA saturation with the Thanagarians as well."
I cough, "No. I recently learned that the Thanagarians are far more genetically diverse than humans, and the prime is farther out than I estimated." Their gene treatments for soldiers boosts uniformity and is like a C-grade prime template, but the civilians, and the partial interbreeding on other planets… it's a mess.
She nods, "Correction, it's progressing, but not near completion. Regardless, any species who have a large enough sample size entering into the system will have such an advantage, but the Tamerainians have it established before large-scale usage, near their embassy."
A moment of silence, and I stand, knowing what's coming, "Now, Damion and myself will take questions."
Hands erupt, and Diana selects people. The Kahloans representative looks… yup, he's stoned. Why? "Will… will this prime template give us any chemical resistances?"
I frown, "Potentially. It will limit the effectiveness of anything the body processes as toxic. Poisons, various chemicals certainly." He looks upset as he sits down.
Diana points to the Barrions, a species of sentient Barrionic crystal, representative. "Does this… birthing pod have any allowances for non-organic races?"
I frown, "Not currently. If the child doesn't grow in a way that I will put bluntly as traditionally organic, then I can't assist. I can look into that possibility."
*Ancilla (Forerunner Saga) (450) Not Bought Remaining: 200 points.*
The Astonian representative, one of the groups that 'donated' to our cause, asked, "What do you say to people who offered large sums of money to be given access to these capabilities, and are learning they are free?"
I smile, "That I am willing to accept gifts. And that I don't take bribes. Is there something you would like to admit to?"
She blinks, blushing an interesting blue color, "Then what are your thoughts on recovering from near-extinction level events?"
I nod, "I will not be mass creating children of any species without someone to speak for them, to care for them. The idea of my Birthing Chambers being used to fill orphanages is a horrifying one and one that I will not stand for. However, if a couple in an endangered species desires, and can support more than one child, then I will not object to them having additional children."
Diana actually gets to field the next question, our token human asked, "If a couple desires a child of different species? What about them?"
Diana looks alarmed as she begins, "The Justice Lords have put several controls in place to prevent someone from abusing our system."
"That's not what I asked…"
I sigh, and everyone turns, "The system will not accept genetics removed from someone off site. The sample needs to be from a living host. If there are even traces of alternative chemicals, I will be alerted, and the room will seal. If anything is off, I start arresting people, for illegal narcotics or for kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, attempted grand theft, and attempted violations of alien crossbreeding and trafficking accords put into place by the Green Lantern Corps. They have a rubber stamp with my face on it for anyone I send to them from my chambers. One thousand and nine years in prison. You are welcome to go for it. I'll wait. However, if a consenting party is present, and wished to allow the couple with a child not of their own species, I will not argue with their decision, provided I see some evidence that the child will be properly protected and cared for."
Murmuring begins, and is silenced by my next question, "Are there any intelligent questions?"
The press conference petered out quite quickly after that.
I continued to expand the Birthing Chambers as more and more aliens came forward. As the demands leveled out to my supply, I began really looking at the prime data. I remembered a few days ago that I had once promised Wiz an organic body. I called her to ask. "Wiz, I just remembered back on your world when I offered you a regular body again. Was that something you still wanted?"
There is a long pause, and eventually, she begins, "I wouldn't hate it. But how? The birthing pods? Growing a new me?"
I explain, "Kinda. I was going to be focusing on optimizing anything you wanted, and maybe a bit of defensive upgrade or some additional magical grounding."
She chuckles, "That sounds good, but try not to go too far overboard. I don't want to have any more arms."
I chuckle, "I can do that." Then I call Violette, "So Violette, I'm going to start working on getting Wiz a new body. Do you want to help?"
"Of course!" She replied, "So what's your plan?"
I explain, "I'm going to screen the alien genetics for the best options for defense, endurance, and speed. Magic isn't in most genetics but I'll look. I would love to put some scrubbed DNA from Trigon, but it's just not safe. It causes too many errors and damage to anything else."
"Wouldn't Raven be a safe option?"
I blink. "I can ask. I hadn't considered her, or… what about the rest of the metahumans? Metahumans have developed many genetic abnormalities that our enhanced version of the Birthing Pods can handle."
Violette hums in approval, "I'll work with Tiamat to make a list. Limits?"
I chuckle, "Nothing too crazy. Growing new limbs, tails skin alterations and such are off the table."
An acknowledging "K" ends the call.
About an hour later, I got a file, a set of genetic maps, diakinetics, energy nullifiers, and a few different cryokinetics. Limiting the powers of several of them to remove the physical alterations, I'm left with a massive array of cryogenic abilities, and call Wiz. "Ok, we have the background data, ready to start."
She doors to me, and we start. I start with an exact copy of her and leave her to change the appearance. Once she sets that in, the noninvasive skills, and such, she sighs. "I said not too much."
I shrug, "Honestly, this is toned down from my initial set. The shapeshifting covers a lot. So does the general invulnerability. The secondary ice powers complement your normal style, and the fact that we are using the surgical nanite function to engrave the empowering runes onto the bones, and the secondary reinforcement."
She looks at me, "Like I said."
I sigh, "Wiz, Tiamat has backups. After the mess with my memory, Violette and I have full consciousness backups here. You don't have that. If someone kills you, you die. I…"
"I know." She whispers, "I'll do it."
I frown, "Wiz… Sorry, I didn't mean to unload like that. I just…"
"You were a mess after Ankh hibernated, you knew he was coming back, and you were a mess. I… know how I felt when you didn't recognize me when we arrived here. I'll do it. And I'll get one of your implants. I… don't know what I would do if any of you died either."
I nod painfully. We were a family, and it would hurt to lose anyone.
Wiz took the day off, and at the end of it, we used a fairly nasty soul binding curse to move her from her lich body to her new one. The less messy, and dark oriented soul transference spells required a willing target, and I wasn't going to wait a few months for Wiz's body to grow a personality in its fully functioning brain.
No, I can't explain how someone willingly giving up their body is magically 'lighter' than growing a new empty body and moving over. Something about the nature of magical consent that I'll never get. Or maybe it was the fact that the spell banished the technical soul from the new body, but… no one died in the making of this new body. That's the important part.
*Modular Designs (Dead Space) (400) Not Bought Remaining: 300 points.*
Overall, Earth, and therefore technically me, enjoyed an era of peace. Police could track people by DNA, truth serum quickly became a replacement for traditional investigation work, which my old appreciation for detective dramas didn't enjoy, but it also prevented anyone innocent of a crime from being punished. The police being given Containment Foam as standard equipment lowered the arrest standard a bit. Spray everyone, and no one was in danger any longer, and everyone could be given Truth Serum one or two at a time. It wasn't the crimeless utopia that I was hoping for, the 72% of crimes solved on sight, and the 94% of crimes solved with no injury were pushing that closer and closer.
Children who grow up in that environment, with the knowledge that their position was tracked constantly, and their genetics were already on file would probably end that altogether. The question of 'Surveillance State' came up, and I responded truthfully. "Governments are buying it from cellular providers." and the existential dread of that fact ended the conversation of governmental misuse quickly.
I spent most of my time experimenting with alien technology. I was summoned to listen to various meetings as either a neutral representative or as an Earth representative fairly commonly. Apparently the 'Saint of Childrearing' means 'Neutrality' somehow.
Also, I was awarded Sainthood. That happened. I was not amused when the UN started using it for my public appearances. I learned that a representative from Markovia started it when he referred to me as the 'Freeing Saint'. A name I got when I killed their previous dictator, a monster of a man who stole the powers of Metahumans for himself and set himself up as a divine king. He used a life draining/connecting power on his own people to sustain himself in combat, and I threw enough Arcana and focused explosive magic at him for it to chain through the people he was draining. Carved a 44 kilometer hole in the countryside where the capital used to sit. It was filled with ocean water from the massive amount of water he was using, and I purified it from poisoned and salted water into fresh water in an attempt to prevent an ecological disaster. The people of the country who lived through the disaster started calling me a saint for killing the fake god.
The Astonians also started calling me a saint for the public usage of the Birthing Pods, and the preservation of almost a dozen races across the galaxy through my willingness to share the capability.
I tried to lose the title, I did, but then someone did something stupid. They tried to summon Trygon, who was busy being super dead and got Belial instead.
He destroyed most of southern Gotham before Dr. Fate, Raven, and I could arrive, and imprison him. Given the collective power we wield, it wasn't actually hard to do. Then, as an agent of Order, Dr Fate tried and utterly failed to kill him. Several times. Raven didn't want to risk taking his power, given her already tentative balance before the various media of the galaxy, so I sighed and consumed him like I did Trygon.
Apparently, killing one of the High Demon lords got the ball rolling officially. Ironically, I did learn some powerful light magic from Dr. Fate, along with Wiz now that she wasn't a 'necromantic creature' anymore. Subtle, Dr. Fate is not.
I apparently took to it quite well, but I think that's probably the effectively limitless power I can drop into a spell. Limits! has been interacting with Arcana since… well since I got it. My Arcana pool is something more like an unspeakable ocean. It's kinda neat to hear about the spells so massive only Nabu him...it? Self can cast alone, and just kinda… do it.
Wiz was massively jealous, and I tried to help with a Ring of Arcana. A high powered focus tapping into my magic as a source directly, but it… Wiz didn't appreciate reaching into my pool of magic. Apparently feeling what I had only made everything worse.
On the technical side of things, I did finally teach Supergirl how to read and run the more advanced Birthing Pods required to hybrid various alien races. Clark tried… but he couldn't get his head around the Kryptonian coding. I don't know which of those was the problem either.
Batman learned the maintenance just fine, apparently knowing more Kryptonian than Clark. I'm not sure if Clark, Kara, or I was the most surprised.
They were never going to get a 100% inorganic creature to work, I tried for a long time, but it wasn't happening without a massive overhaul, and giving them way more abilities than I was comfortable with.
As time passed, I admit, I grew rather impatient. I had never thought about or experienced a long stretch of time where 'do paperwork and keep innovation to a minimum' was the order of the day, but here I was. Then alarms began to ring out, some kind of unannounced breach into Earth's dimensional tearing, and a group suspiciously like the Justice League was sighted gathering on our side of one of the portals.
We were being invaded by the League of Villains.
I actually smile as I don my war suit. I'd been hoping for something for a while, and I remembered that League of Villains being separated by dimension, and their plan to remake all dimensions in their image. I teleported to the breach and smiled at the recognizable group.
"Well, it seems I've found the right place." Someone said, A massive black armor suit, red highlights glowing with a telltale glow of an arc reactor in a dozen glowing points across both shoulders. Unscannable reactors, materials, energy comparisons, everything. My custom built analysis tools failed completely on the armored shell. I could see the blue of the reactors, but my scanners were dying.
I frown and advance slightly, joined by most of the heavy hitters on the planet. This was something we had trained for, but… I had nothing on this suited man. That's impossible.
*The National Supers Agency (The Incredibles) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 400 points.*
- Location
- USA
"Hippolyta! I've come to bargain!"
- Location
- Center Of The Universe
I'm not sure if this is another jumper of some sort or he somehow jumped into two verses, which would be super weird. >.<
- Location
- United Kingdom
It could be a person that was there first before aqua fucked over the MC
Well.
Bye-Bye DC verse.
Pray for a Dr. Manhattan interrupt.
Since, canonically, he helped form the 52-Dimension interation of DC.
I think it was the 52 version.
I could be wrong about that.
My first thought was the evil version of Damion, simply due to how the multiverse works. It's probably not him but evil, but rather a dark reflection of him, like most of the others in the league of villains.
What Was Once a crysis: Chapter 25
What Was Once a crysis: Chapter 25
Underlined = Only visible to Readers
The black-armored impossibility advanced, and through Ultraman. The entire Crime League flickered and disappeared. The man continued, "Oh? Were you expecting someone else? Yes, the American Crime Syndicate was here. They were almost a challenge when I arrived, with nothing to my name. But now? Nothing the so-called Earth's Mightiest Heroes can throw at me is a challenge. And you all know it. But I'm not here for you… no. I'm here for him." He points at me.
I frown, "And who might you be?"
There is a long moment, and a laugh, bellowing out, almost angry before he retracts his helmet. "Why Damion? Don't you recognize me?"
I frown. "Should I?"
He growls. "I am the High King of Groclk! I am Banebringer Gronlkra! You destroyed my life!"
I blink. I turn to Superman, "Give me a minute." I approach him, armor brought to full, "And how precisely did you get here?"
"By the grace of Lady Aqua! After saving the realm, she banished you for the disrespect you showed her, when you had the temerity to live through her banishment, she saw fit to empower me, with the energy she took from you, to hunt you down like the mutt you are! My holy mission!"
I don't know how to deal with this. Aqua put a hit out on me. I'd actually forgotten about her, what with the whole… running a planet thing. I'm not actually surprised that she's that petty, but I am surprised she put in the work to find me. Self-preservation I guess.
Stepping forward, "Listen… Gronlka…"
"My name is King Gronlkra!"
"Listen here giant. Is this honestly a fight you want to pick? You do remember how our last fight went, right?"
"You're magic won't work on me this time. My armor is made of Powered Necronium, these Ark Reactors keep the field around me. I may not have magic, but within this field, neither do you."
I frown. Scanning his systems from the outside didn't work...so I tried cyber, he wasn't protected from anything resembling a cyber attack. I don't think he understood the term. His systems were mine in seconds, and spit him out of his armor. He… was a human. A normal human. He was all but my clone, laying on the ground a spike into his spine. I don't have a mental scanner, but I know that any time I tried forming into something that wasn't directly power granted was debilitating, I wonder how it was treating him. I step forward, scanning the suit's internal options, and frown.
This was it? This was… maybe two perks total. What did he do with the last… what? Year? More?
The system alert, and the massive shockwave that slammed into me less than a second later, said it probably wasn't.
I looked for what hit me, scanners pulsing and failing at the dimensional curtain. There was a crater where the dwarf was standing. Nothing remained.
Towering over the portal, stepping through the barrier, was an Imperial Titan forged half of seemingly molten metal, and half of glowing twisted metal.
Then a man walked through the portal. Visible volcanic black skin, eyes seemingly absorbing light with their darkness, barring the Omega symbol glowing in gold in the void eyes. 'That's Darkseid. King Moron, what did you do?'
He steps forward, voice booming, echoing, like thousands of men were speaking in one voice. "̸͘͜I̸͙͉͝ ̴̫͛Å̶͍M̷̙̑͘ ̸̞̋̋Ȏ̷̼̋M̷̢͓̎̆Ñ̴͉̃I̶͕̰͋͝C̷͎̮̀̏I̷̯̮͐D̴̛̺E̵̘̓!̵̢̩́́ I̷ ̷A̶M̴ ̷P̸E̵R̸F̸E̵C̸T̷I̸O̸N̶!̷ UNCHAINED BY THIS IGNORANT PEST I WILL CONQUER ALL!"
I stand, and his gaze falls on me. I have several clones cloaked with magic and leave. Just in case. "You don't need to yell."
He growls animalistically, "Who are you to stand before Omnicide?"
"I am Damion."
He smiles, "Ah, yes. The tall dwarf's target. Did you know that all who assist in your death gain favor with the supposed god Aqua?"
I sigh, "I don't doubt it. Now… what are you?" Darkseid wouldn't just rename himself. There's something more here.
He laughs, "This imbecile gave us his powers. The mighty Forge itself. With his powers, I merged my strength with the strength of every other version of myself! I have ascended beyond the power's of any one Darkseid, into the god of destruction! I am Omnicide!"
I frown. Darkside has the Celestial Forge. What does he have? How many points has he had it for? What are his restrictions and can I beat him?
'Focus!' I mentally demand as I force the world to slow to a crawl, allowing me to consider my options.
I have clones scrying back in my Warehouse, and they can see him, which means no Blank. My new supercharged understanding of biology at every level means that I can see his body breaking down from overproduction of whatever energy Omega powers run on. So he doesn't have any protection against that or any major regeneration effects. I can hack his armors, even that Titan behind him, meaning that he doesn't have any cyber protection on his tech. He can make Titans like that, meaning that he has the forge assisting him, I can detect… dozens at least. Not in multiples of five, each looks like it was built fast from the activation timestamps, but they aren't anything special for the Warhammer setting. Almost basic actually. Mostly nonexotic metals… that shouldn't be standing up to the weight, not moving that fast, definitely not with the tech running in them. Some kind of physics exemption? Not massive on any individual part but… every screw at double its sheer weight, every line of copper and gold somehow approaching superconductivity, it's a cumulation to exponentially more than the sum of its parts.
Some kind of multiversal portals obviously, and some kind of merging…ability. Matching and Mixing, the benefits of 1 additional object for every merging done. Darkseid times… what?
DC Multiverses are… strange. Sometimes fixed, sometimes not even a little fixed… let's assume the worst, and say that Darkseid is basically infinitely more powerful than normal. He's dissolving already, probably no protection… but how is that possible? I've rolled Protections a lot?
*Fashion (Highschool of the Dead) Bought (200) Bought. Overflow. Centurio Ordinatus (Warhammer 40k - Adeptus Mechanicus) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 400 points.*
I mean, there's another one now. So how hasn't he gotten any? I let time begin again, and ask, "He gave you his powers? The ones Aqua gave him?"
He looks at me, "Yes, the twin galaxies of power she stripped from you. All mine!"
I blink. I realized his mistake, when I resisted Aqua, keeping my Warehouse, Companions, and Protections. My Valkyrie Frame, my Warehouse, all my warehouse given resources. They all come from my third major constellation. Meaning Darkseid doesn't have the Celestial Forge.
Well, he has most of the guns, most of the options to ruin someone else's day, but he's just as vulnerable now as he ever was.
"And she gave him a boon, to set him above his target, he gets to choose."
I feel the world slowing down again. Damion.exe takes a few subjective minutes to cry violently in the corner because really? That's… what the actual fuck Aqua? That's… huh?
My emotions settle in my brain as I process that nugget of information. He gets to choose, for free. Meaning that he chose the biggest flashiest tech and the specific hard counters to my known powers. That's unsustainable in the short term because saving for something big isn't actually a good plan especially given that you need the smaller powers to support the application or larger ones, almost like a mystic framework for the bigger jobs.
What are the odds he took a resource-gathering power? He can't get any fiat-backed infinite resource, no time crunching powers either. This… this is probably the sum total of his arsenal, out of sheer resource cost. That explains the minimized resources to actually support the mechs, given that the Imperium strip mines planets for the resources to build these. He had… well a theoretically infinite number of universes to mine, but Apocalypse isn't exactly rich in resources anymore, that's kind of the point of its endless wars. I thought so anyway. They do lose a lot of stuff in those wars, but… comic books.
Regardless, resource limits on their production would be nearly crippling without some powerful resource generation and time to let it all build up. Without a single perk for it, making what I have would be impossibly expensive, and we're in the same ballpark for sheer volume... I smile. That's something I can exploit.
Allowing time to revert again, I stand up, confident. I call out to Tiamat and have her deploy the Hydras in stealth mode. I didn't want to show him that I was gunning for his Titans yet. Nor did I want them shot down. Warhammer has some big guns to play with.
A plan formulated, I need about 2 minutes for the Hydra to be in range to end his nearest Titan, and try to secure this entrance to his world. So I try to force a monologue, I shout, "Omnicide, you claim to be here to kill me? Do you really believe Aqua will fulfill her end of the bargain? That she won't betray you as she did me?"
He laughs, and his shoulders slump slightly as he actually does begin a monologue. "I don't expect her to hold up her end of the bargain, which is why I intend to merge with her as I have to every Darkseid across the multiverse! Her power will drive my immense power even higher!"
I nod slightly, explaining to the league over coms that I'm delaying until I can bring tech to deal with the Titan while he speaks, "And what will you do with the powers of a god? What deeds would you accomplish?"
He turns, eyes narrowing, "Wouldn't you know?"
I bink, "Huh?"
"Aqua informed him of the details of this world. Apparently, we are recorded from beyond the vale of the Watchers. Legends from another place. One from which you hale. Shouldn't my plans be obvious?"
I blink. Did… he knows about DC comics books. "I uh…" How do I respond to that? What do I even say?
"You did not prepare before coming here? You did not study your adversary before you engaged? I did. I know all your powers, your tricks, and I am more than capable of besting what you have regained."
My eyes widened, "You've studied… me?"
"Indeed. The Dwarf was given a book, a list of powers from which he could build his new destiny. It records all the powers you have gained, in vivid detail. Interactions between them, how mighty you could be if you did not hold yourself to some ridiculous moral guideline."
I frown. He knows what I can do, and he built titans? My infinitely scaling army of me and he built Titans? "My 'moral guidelines' are not something you can understand obviously. I want those around me to be raised up, not torn down by my greed."
"You could be a god! Worshipped for your powers and intellect! But you chose to serve."
I definitely could. Pretty easily too. But what would be the point? "I have no desire to rule a kingdom subjected to such disorder. Nor do I wish to rule a mountain of bones."
He spits, "Weakness is not befitting of beings with our potential!" Are… are we even having the same conversation? "You could build an armada of war machines, your shadow possessing them to war. Power, unlike anything this universe has ever seen projected from them. Their technology dancing to your whims from anywhere you choose to be! You have powers even I know are fearsome. But you squander them on playing mortal! It's disgusting."
As he rattles off things I smirk. He can't even see my third tree. Makes sense, but it was a concern.
"But you chose a path of weakness, and now that I've held you here long enough, you will die."
I blink, moving as fast as I could, but it wasn't fast enough. Some kind of energy field appeared around me. It slammed into my network like a freight train, and I was alone.
*Efficiency (Ninjango - Masters of Spinjitzu) (400) Bought. Overflow. Environmental Protection (Starbound) (0) Bought. Overflow. Archive (Artemis Fowl) (400) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points.*
I felt my mind shift, data being processed faster. I was completely alone. Seconds stretched out, but I always seemed to fill them with observations, the time dilating under this new power, and my Trance giving me too much time. I was shivering, but it was testing limits even as I lost control over it. I had spent the last year, more, constantly with someone. With millions of myself in a network of thoughts and stimuli. This emptiness was painful, and the silence rang out in my ears.
I can't say how long it was. I… knew I would be fine. Wavestregnth would kick in soon, and I could coordinate from the other side of my prison until they let me out. No biggy.
Any time now.
I decided that if it was going to take time to kick in, I could at least study my prison some. I reached for my Frame, to extrude some of my sensors, and it failed. That's strange, what…
"Happened? I suppose you would like an explanation."
I turn, gracefully but defined purpose in my stance, and a figure in blue/green armor was standing behind me in the infinite darkness. I step back, into a half combative stance, half into an evasive stance, and he chuckles, sounding like crunching glass. "I mean you no harm. I can't truly harm you it seems."
I frown but approach. "Who are you?"
"I suspect you would know me best as the Anti-Monitor."
I blink, confused. The system said he wasn't a threat…
"And it was correct. I am no threat to you. I lack the power to truly threaten you. Soon your quite powerful abilities will connect you to everything, despite being little more than a ghost. This prison will not hold you for long. I only agreed to give that lunatic this ability to speak to you."
I frown, "Why?"
"Because you are an anomaly. I have one small request for you, then I will allow you to return. Make something here. Anything."
I look around and frown. Then I realize I'm not looking at the absence of something, there is nothing a tangible resource trying to push into the vacuum we are speaking in. I reach out, demanding some of the uncreation come to me, and with a twist of magic, unlike anything I've ever felt, I was holding a perfect sphere of… something. Almost like it was greater than the absence of something, but not quite a solid. I was fascinated. "Congratulations. You're the first person in my knowledge to use Void Magic in its truest form."
I turn back from the ball of Void energy in my hand, and ask, "Why did you want to see this?"
"Because you are connected to it, and from it, me. Your Warehouse exists on the edge of this domain, an unbreachable bubble.
I mutter, "Yeah, I wish."
He blinks, "Unvoidble by any force on this plane of existence. Void cannot penetrate it even when guided by me directly. You have spared the realms of creation my wrath and made me reconsider. I have seen the Void be used to create. That dulls my pain, my rage enough. That is why I needed to speak with you."
I frown, "If I…"
"Omnicide contacted me. The realms are easily breached from different points by different energies."
I nod slowly, "And…"
"I can read your mind because your intent reflects off of the Void energy, presenting tangible dialogue to me."
I frown and try concealing my intent somehow, and he sighs, "Intent cannot be hidden by someone as strong as yourself."
I shrug, and he smiles, "Indeed. It is all you can do to try. Now, you have fulfilled my bargain. I believe that you are needed back in the realms of existence."
Suddenly I'm standing in a smoky ring as it dissipates. That… was strange. Turning in every direction, I see the wreckage of a fight, but no evidence of a winner.
Then I call Tiamat, "What happened?"
Wiz, Violette and Tiamat all turned in the network, "Damion! What happened? All of the clones turned to slime."
I blink at that little tidbit, and begin "I had a talk with… it's a long story. What happened?" But we're kinda at war.
"Omnicide went back through the portal, and the league gave chase, it didn't look like it was going well. His titans charged through portals across the world, and it's a mess. I deployed Hydra's, and they all sustained heavy damage, but the titans were destroyed." I nod, and ask, "Are any of the portals still stable?"
"Yes." She sends me coordinates.
I confirmed Ankh was in the Warehouse and told Tiamat, "I'm going to stop him. This might be the end of our time in this realm, make sure Wiz and Violette are in the Warehouse."
"No." Violette says, cutting into the conversation, "You have some time after everything, and we are not abandoning you to fight this thing alone!"
I nod. "Ok. Ok. Then let's go."
A set of combat bodies from Tiamat, Wiz, Violette, and I all charge through the portal and find a world covered in fire. With thousands of portals covering the landscape, massively different worlds through them. I frown, "Did he plan on invading all of the Earths?"
Wiz and Violette shrug and Tiamat says, "I'm detecting portal sets at tens of thousands of different frequencies. And I'm detecting combat at the previous location." We all take off and arrive at a massive dogpile.
I can see more than one version of the Justice League fighting Omnicide. Dozens of Hestia's Lasso converging to hold him in place. Supermen holding some of the ropes. Red streaks seeming to strike him from all sides. Magic of nearly every type and description lancing out towards him. Martians attacking his body and mind, but he stood strong. Omega beams lancing out, taking slower members completely.
I land and focus on him. His armor gone, his defenses stripped, but the convergence of so many powerful beings had a massive pool of energy to resist. Analysis magic gave me a path. A weakness that every other living thing fell to in the end. Death.
*Vibranium Sample (Marvel Cinematic Universe Vol. 1) (200) Bought Remaining: 0 points.*
I called up a lance of green energy. The massive waves of power flowing off of me startling the attuned members of the league as my league explained what I was and that I was doing. The path was cleared, and I threw my lance. Striking Omnicide with pure death, he shuttered, pain and power wracking his body as power untold dimmed within him. Version after version crying from my attack, as the automatic recursive lifeforce was dissolved, layer after layer, until it struck his core. Energy dissolving him in a massive burst of green power, and in a flash, he begins to dissolve.
I stood tall, the moment feeling surprisingly somber, but he turned. He looked at me, and smiled, "I AM OMNICIDE!" and he began to glow with green and gold energy combining into a swirl of power, unlike anything I had ever seen. "AND I COMMAND YOU ALL TO DIE! SOUL AURA DETONATION!"
I blink as my readouts informed me he was going to detonate every version of his dying soul.
I sucked Wiz and Violette into my Warehouse, and formed clones to mitigate the explosion as I asked Tiamat, "Which portal?" Several of my clones were singing, while others programmed a bomb. One that resonated along the Omega energy wavelengths like Omniside's soul. The goal was to shunt the power into the gaps between reality, to prevent as much destruction as possible.
Tiamat couldn't tell me which portal, so I decided to pick all of them. I sent clones through each portal, as I finished the bomb, and had several clones set up magical fields to contain anything that escaped. Then I found my consciousness forced into a different body, one on the far side of a portal as the explosive rang out.
I stood and dusted myself off from my leap away from that blast, and found nearly every version of myself surrounded by familiar faces. "So, that was terrible."
I could tell which dimensions had members of my Justice League, given the calm responses to me. Dozens of other realities didn't have anyone that recognized me. Perfect.
I began setting up doors as I slowly explained what I was doing to the realities that didn't have a version of me, and the ones that had someone to speak for me were much easier to convince. After a bit of finagling, and some more stubborn group not going until I had others from their reality to back me up, I got everyone inside the Warehouse, and sorted into their respective leagues, and began researching which realities they belonged to. But before I finished, they talked to one another, and several questions were asked.
Mostly about me, but a lot of questions were directed at the differences between realities, something I found fascinating. Time differences, a few major events, some only being the addition or subtraction of 1 member. A Cyborg helping found a League here, a lack of Hawkman or woman there, a nearly apocalyptic war between the Amazons and Atlantians was present in three different timelines, each with a different story of how it ended. Aquaman dying, Wonder Woman dying, or one timeline with both. It leads me to ask why our earth didn't have an Aquaman.
It was concerning that no one had an answer to that question.
Agreements were made to look into getting a system that didn't rely on me set up to travel between realities. I was really looking forward to that because it might let me travel between realms at will. That could be quite fun.
As they finished up, I needed to check something. 'System, threats to be removed before I leave?'
Threat Checklist access allowed: Darkseid formally 500, currently 3400 points. Points allocated for Celestial Forge growth. Potential point gain unknown. League of Villains currently 100 points. No other threats detected.
I frown, 'Why could I sense the Celestial Forge before?'
System Error
Great. So, Darkseid isn't all dead but… 'System, points gain from the destruction of Omnicide?'
Omnicide point gain limited due to external power interference. Points gains reduced. Brainiac point gain limited due to external information. 1500 points gain expected at Realm exit.
I frown. Ok, so I check all the boxes and get the points when I leave. I can deal with that system. Now, final question, 'System, any other celestial forge connection registered in range?'
System Error
Damn. That means that there might be more people with power coming for me, or that I can't ask about that. I'll have to prepare for the worst.
As the league begins their research into the inter-reality portals, I start looking into scanning technology. I need to understand why my scans failed so hard on the armor of the Dwarf King. Exotic metals and anti magic fields don't explain it. I needed to know how he was capable of breaking my sensors, but I ran into a wall. I can't make anything that my sensor array can't penetrate. Shields, Armor, Magic, I even tried Void energy. Combination of all of the above. I don't want to think that Aqua can just hand out some kind of fiat, immunity to sensors to her chosen assassins, but every magic that fails to block my array shows that's more and more likely.
The biggest concern with that is that there are protections from sensors in the Forge, but they all come from the Protections constellation, and if Aqua can hand out those… I know quite well that there are some monsters hanging out in that constellation. Stress Evolution, Limits, Enigmatic Engineering, Blank, some of my most powerful skills. Not to mention if she gives out a warehouse, I might not be able to see the absence in my vision until they are strong enough to do some serious damage.
For now, I just needed to prepare. That means that the Hydras alone aren't going to cut it anymore. They are a very nice big gun, but it's one type of damage, across a medium sized area. If someone lives through it by even a hair with my skills, they walk away clean, and can't be killed by that gun. I need variety. So I make some.
*Master Synthesist (Kingdom Hearts) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points.*
I checked my arsenal of Tau and Aeldari weapons and found more than a few exotic types of energy. My personal favorite is probably the gravity and displacement weapons. Not designed to harm, but to make you not here. No Stress Evolution activation due to no damage done. That could work quite well. It would also disable machines quite well given that they needed to be in one piece to function.
Production of the Hydra upgrades began. Efficiency let me set the factory up to further my production, shrink some components, and when I began to stress over not having enough variety, I felt it help me push away my paranoia that what I had wasn't enough. That… was incredibly reassuring all things considered. I scaled the weapons and was going to remake a set of Avatars I had scaled up for Trigon, not wanting to make something bigger and have him be more agile, but with the application of my new metal, I was no longer worried. Vibranium was capable of redesigning the shock of moving to zero, both on the environment and the machine. Meaning that its footsteps could be almost silent, and anything could go ridiculously fast when it could absorb and ignore inertia. So I went big and built Aeldari Titans. Just over 45 meters tall, and weapons scaled to match, with my super metals I was capable of making them move just a little faster than my Avatars could, a feat that looked absurd, and brought their swords from all but ornamental in a fight to actually effective monstrosities.
The ranged weapons were largely the same as the Hydras. Mostly themed around fighting someone with my capabilities, by not letting them target anyone, tossing them around in a manner that they couldn't really resist as it wasn't damaged. Then I did something that I personally found stupidly amusing. I put them in an Alchemical Chest. They didn't stack of course, but there I was, with 4 Titans in a magic box sitting in my Warehouse, that I could open from anywhere at any time, and deploy death.
Then Violette told me about the Emperor series. 150 meter tall behemoths of guns and death. I had to try, right? It took a lot longer than I thought it would to get Vibranium disks the size I needed for the Inertial Cancelers and the feet, but once I was done, I had an Emperor Series Aeldari Titan deployable anywhere. Unfortunately, I didn't have the reality bending powers required to make the Titans fly, so I did make a small army of Avatars.
At just 11 meters tall, armed with much smaller versions of the weapons, all but the Null Reality Projector they just didn't have the power for my biggest gun. I replaced it with a cloaking field and flight gear. I checked, and the Avatars do stack in my chest. How fortunate. I made sure to have 2 full stacks of them. The Hydra's were also being stored in my chest, it was just too convenient not to. While I hoped that I wouldn't lose my power to extrude my Warehouse like this, I did have a backup plan. A magic bag in my Valkyrie Frame. It would be safe from damage, and I could draw it when I needed it.
As I pushed forward with my preparedness for the possibility of another jumper, I was met with a possibility for how my scanners were stopped. The Justice Leagues got a portal open to each other, using Void magics. That seemed to stop my scanners just as cold, but he was on this side of the boundary, so I scrapped that possibility, even as I built a scanner that could pierce it. It wasn't difficult if you could create Void particulates and infuse them into the glass of your scanners. I checked many different ways, and the Void Glass was quite an effective solution. It even saw through my cloaking systems, which was neet.
Then I felt really stupid. I walked into a tuned magic nullification field, and my scanners shut down completely. I had built most of them off my initial Bonesinger roots, the Aeldari power core was shutting down when exposed to an absence of magic. I nearly kicked myself and built them formally into my Valkyrie Frame, not just storing them, meaning that they could manifest anywhere on me. And were tied into my massive set of batteries there. Remembering that I can lose things in that space when I jump, I decided to store a copy of the bag in the Warehouse, and a full design scan of my information gathering gear into my warehouse.
And looking at the entire mess at once like I am now, I sigh. What was brain wiped me thinking?
I simplified it from the steampunk ophthalmologist's office strapped to my head in small rotating sets, and into a simplified, fully range scanner. Incorporating scanners into other sets, and in the end, I still had an almost comically massive set of scanners, technological and magical, visual and precision wands, general and very precise, but it was better. Maybe a third the size and a tenth of the spinning gizmos.
It was honestly fairly relaxing. Wiz and Tiamat were having a blast setting up aid programs for the many, many Earths we now had steady trade with. Ankh and Violette were studying, combining, and enhancing the orbital defenses that the many versions of earth had invented, bought, stolen, and cobbled together respectively. In the end, I barely added anything to the design we kept. An improved flight system, some more power, but from a 'miss and the world doesn't end' level of firepower for ground support, it was quite effective. What I did change were the orbital defense guns.
The Earths collectively had guns that Tony Stark thought were cute. The Aeldari and the Tau wouldn't even give them that. So I improved them. Aeldari light Laser Cannons and Tau Heavy Railguns. I replaced the ammunition stockpiles with an EE ammunition printer, firing Antimatter slugs. Fun fact, creating Antimatter lowered the cost of creating regular matter, as negative mass was interpreted very literally by EMC condensers. I replaced the power core with my custom Antimatter regulator to cap it off. It was smaller, about 20% smaller than the disks being used here.
With a defense against invasion set up, and technology benign exchanged across several universes, I decided I was going hunting. Some part of this Multiversal Justice League and technological exchange reduced the Injustice League as a threat to null, so I went looking for Darkseid.
*Reliable Invention (Kim Possible) (200) Bought Remaining: 0 points.*
Underlined = Only visible to Readers
The black-armored impossibility advanced, and through Ultraman. The entire Crime League flickered and disappeared. The man continued, "Oh? Were you expecting someone else? Yes, the American Crime Syndicate was here. They were almost a challenge when I arrived, with nothing to my name. But now? Nothing the so-called Earth's Mightiest Heroes can throw at me is a challenge. And you all know it. But I'm not here for you… no. I'm here for him." He points at me.
I frown, "And who might you be?"
There is a long moment, and a laugh, bellowing out, almost angry before he retracts his helmet. "Why Damion? Don't you recognize me?"
I frown. "Should I?"
He growls. "I am the High King of Groclk! I am Banebringer Gronlkra! You destroyed my life!"
I blink. I turn to Superman, "Give me a minute." I approach him, armor brought to full, "And how precisely did you get here?"
"By the grace of Lady Aqua! After saving the realm, she banished you for the disrespect you showed her, when you had the temerity to live through her banishment, she saw fit to empower me, with the energy she took from you, to hunt you down like the mutt you are! My holy mission!"
I don't know how to deal with this. Aqua put a hit out on me. I'd actually forgotten about her, what with the whole… running a planet thing. I'm not actually surprised that she's that petty, but I am surprised she put in the work to find me. Self-preservation I guess.
Stepping forward, "Listen… Gronlka…"
"My name is King Gronlkra!"
"Listen here giant. Is this honestly a fight you want to pick? You do remember how our last fight went, right?"
"You're magic won't work on me this time. My armor is made of Powered Necronium, these Ark Reactors keep the field around me. I may not have magic, but within this field, neither do you."
I frown. Scanning his systems from the outside didn't work...so I tried cyber, he wasn't protected from anything resembling a cyber attack. I don't think he understood the term. His systems were mine in seconds, and spit him out of his armor. He… was a human. A normal human. He was all but my clone, laying on the ground a spike into his spine. I don't have a mental scanner, but I know that any time I tried forming into something that wasn't directly power granted was debilitating, I wonder how it was treating him. I step forward, scanning the suit's internal options, and frown.
This was it? This was… maybe two perks total. What did he do with the last… what? Year? More?
The system alert, and the massive shockwave that slammed into me less than a second later, said it probably wasn't.
I looked for what hit me, scanners pulsing and failing at the dimensional curtain. There was a crater where the dwarf was standing. Nothing remained.
Towering over the portal, stepping through the barrier, was an Imperial Titan forged half of seemingly molten metal, and half of glowing twisted metal.
Then a man walked through the portal. Visible volcanic black skin, eyes seemingly absorbing light with their darkness, barring the Omega symbol glowing in gold in the void eyes. 'That's Darkseid. King Moron, what did you do?'
He steps forward, voice booming, echoing, like thousands of men were speaking in one voice. "̸͘͜I̸͙͉͝ ̴̫͛Å̶͍M̷̙̑͘ ̸̞̋̋Ȏ̷̼̋M̷̢͓̎̆Ñ̴͉̃I̶͕̰͋͝C̷͎̮̀̏I̷̯̮͐D̴̛̺E̵̘̓!̵̢̩́́ I̷ ̷A̶M̴ ̷P̸E̵R̸F̸E̵C̸T̷I̸O̸N̶!̷ UNCHAINED BY THIS IGNORANT PEST I WILL CONQUER ALL!"
I stand, and his gaze falls on me. I have several clones cloaked with magic and leave. Just in case. "You don't need to yell."
He growls animalistically, "Who are you to stand before Omnicide?"
"I am Damion."
He smiles, "Ah, yes. The tall dwarf's target. Did you know that all who assist in your death gain favor with the supposed god Aqua?"
I sigh, "I don't doubt it. Now… what are you?" Darkseid wouldn't just rename himself. There's something more here.
He laughs, "This imbecile gave us his powers. The mighty Forge itself. With his powers, I merged my strength with the strength of every other version of myself! I have ascended beyond the power's of any one Darkseid, into the god of destruction! I am Omnicide!"
I frown. Darkside has the Celestial Forge. What does he have? How many points has he had it for? What are his restrictions and can I beat him?
'Focus!' I mentally demand as I force the world to slow to a crawl, allowing me to consider my options.
I have clones scrying back in my Warehouse, and they can see him, which means no Blank. My new supercharged understanding of biology at every level means that I can see his body breaking down from overproduction of whatever energy Omega powers run on. So he doesn't have any protection against that or any major regeneration effects. I can hack his armors, even that Titan behind him, meaning that he doesn't have any cyber protection on his tech. He can make Titans like that, meaning that he has the forge assisting him, I can detect… dozens at least. Not in multiples of five, each looks like it was built fast from the activation timestamps, but they aren't anything special for the Warhammer setting. Almost basic actually. Mostly nonexotic metals… that shouldn't be standing up to the weight, not moving that fast, definitely not with the tech running in them. Some kind of physics exemption? Not massive on any individual part but… every screw at double its sheer weight, every line of copper and gold somehow approaching superconductivity, it's a cumulation to exponentially more than the sum of its parts.
Some kind of multiversal portals obviously, and some kind of merging…ability. Matching and Mixing, the benefits of 1 additional object for every merging done. Darkseid times… what?
DC Multiverses are… strange. Sometimes fixed, sometimes not even a little fixed… let's assume the worst, and say that Darkseid is basically infinitely more powerful than normal. He's dissolving already, probably no protection… but how is that possible? I've rolled Protections a lot?
*Fashion (Highschool of the Dead) Bought (200) Bought. Overflow. Centurio Ordinatus (Warhammer 40k - Adeptus Mechanicus) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 400 points.*
I mean, there's another one now. So how hasn't he gotten any? I let time begin again, and ask, "He gave you his powers? The ones Aqua gave him?"
He looks at me, "Yes, the twin galaxies of power she stripped from you. All mine!"
I blink. I realized his mistake, when I resisted Aqua, keeping my Warehouse, Companions, and Protections. My Valkyrie Frame, my Warehouse, all my warehouse given resources. They all come from my third major constellation. Meaning Darkseid doesn't have the Celestial Forge.
Well, he has most of the guns, most of the options to ruin someone else's day, but he's just as vulnerable now as he ever was.
"And she gave him a boon, to set him above his target, he gets to choose."
I feel the world slowing down again. Damion.exe takes a few subjective minutes to cry violently in the corner because really? That's… what the actual fuck Aqua? That's… huh?
My emotions settle in my brain as I process that nugget of information. He gets to choose, for free. Meaning that he chose the biggest flashiest tech and the specific hard counters to my known powers. That's unsustainable in the short term because saving for something big isn't actually a good plan especially given that you need the smaller powers to support the application or larger ones, almost like a mystic framework for the bigger jobs.
What are the odds he took a resource-gathering power? He can't get any fiat-backed infinite resource, no time crunching powers either. This… this is probably the sum total of his arsenal, out of sheer resource cost. That explains the minimized resources to actually support the mechs, given that the Imperium strip mines planets for the resources to build these. He had… well a theoretically infinite number of universes to mine, but Apocalypse isn't exactly rich in resources anymore, that's kind of the point of its endless wars. I thought so anyway. They do lose a lot of stuff in those wars, but… comic books.
Regardless, resource limits on their production would be nearly crippling without some powerful resource generation and time to let it all build up. Without a single perk for it, making what I have would be impossibly expensive, and we're in the same ballpark for sheer volume... I smile. That's something I can exploit.
Allowing time to revert again, I stand up, confident. I call out to Tiamat and have her deploy the Hydras in stealth mode. I didn't want to show him that I was gunning for his Titans yet. Nor did I want them shot down. Warhammer has some big guns to play with.
A plan formulated, I need about 2 minutes for the Hydra to be in range to end his nearest Titan, and try to secure this entrance to his world. So I try to force a monologue, I shout, "Omnicide, you claim to be here to kill me? Do you really believe Aqua will fulfill her end of the bargain? That she won't betray you as she did me?"
He laughs, and his shoulders slump slightly as he actually does begin a monologue. "I don't expect her to hold up her end of the bargain, which is why I intend to merge with her as I have to every Darkseid across the multiverse! Her power will drive my immense power even higher!"
I nod slightly, explaining to the league over coms that I'm delaying until I can bring tech to deal with the Titan while he speaks, "And what will you do with the powers of a god? What deeds would you accomplish?"
He turns, eyes narrowing, "Wouldn't you know?"
I bink, "Huh?"
"Aqua informed him of the details of this world. Apparently, we are recorded from beyond the vale of the Watchers. Legends from another place. One from which you hale. Shouldn't my plans be obvious?"
I blink. Did… he knows about DC comics books. "I uh…" How do I respond to that? What do I even say?
"You did not prepare before coming here? You did not study your adversary before you engaged? I did. I know all your powers, your tricks, and I am more than capable of besting what you have regained."
My eyes widened, "You've studied… me?"
"Indeed. The Dwarf was given a book, a list of powers from which he could build his new destiny. It records all the powers you have gained, in vivid detail. Interactions between them, how mighty you could be if you did not hold yourself to some ridiculous moral guideline."
I frown. He knows what I can do, and he built titans? My infinitely scaling army of me and he built Titans? "My 'moral guidelines' are not something you can understand obviously. I want those around me to be raised up, not torn down by my greed."
"You could be a god! Worshipped for your powers and intellect! But you chose to serve."
I definitely could. Pretty easily too. But what would be the point? "I have no desire to rule a kingdom subjected to such disorder. Nor do I wish to rule a mountain of bones."
He spits, "Weakness is not befitting of beings with our potential!" Are… are we even having the same conversation? "You could build an armada of war machines, your shadow possessing them to war. Power, unlike anything this universe has ever seen projected from them. Their technology dancing to your whims from anywhere you choose to be! You have powers even I know are fearsome. But you squander them on playing mortal! It's disgusting."
As he rattles off things I smirk. He can't even see my third tree. Makes sense, but it was a concern.
"But you chose a path of weakness, and now that I've held you here long enough, you will die."
I blink, moving as fast as I could, but it wasn't fast enough. Some kind of energy field appeared around me. It slammed into my network like a freight train, and I was alone.
*Efficiency (Ninjango - Masters of Spinjitzu) (400) Bought. Overflow. Environmental Protection (Starbound) (0) Bought. Overflow. Archive (Artemis Fowl) (400) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points.*
I felt my mind shift, data being processed faster. I was completely alone. Seconds stretched out, but I always seemed to fill them with observations, the time dilating under this new power, and my Trance giving me too much time. I was shivering, but it was testing limits even as I lost control over it. I had spent the last year, more, constantly with someone. With millions of myself in a network of thoughts and stimuli. This emptiness was painful, and the silence rang out in my ears.
I can't say how long it was. I… knew I would be fine. Wavestregnth would kick in soon, and I could coordinate from the other side of my prison until they let me out. No biggy.
Any time now.
I decided that if it was going to take time to kick in, I could at least study my prison some. I reached for my Frame, to extrude some of my sensors, and it failed. That's strange, what…
"Happened? I suppose you would like an explanation."
I turn, gracefully but defined purpose in my stance, and a figure in blue/green armor was standing behind me in the infinite darkness. I step back, into a half combative stance, half into an evasive stance, and he chuckles, sounding like crunching glass. "I mean you no harm. I can't truly harm you it seems."
I frown but approach. "Who are you?"
"I suspect you would know me best as the Anti-Monitor."
I blink, confused. The system said he wasn't a threat…
"And it was correct. I am no threat to you. I lack the power to truly threaten you. Soon your quite powerful abilities will connect you to everything, despite being little more than a ghost. This prison will not hold you for long. I only agreed to give that lunatic this ability to speak to you."
I frown, "Why?"
"Because you are an anomaly. I have one small request for you, then I will allow you to return. Make something here. Anything."
I look around and frown. Then I realize I'm not looking at the absence of something, there is nothing a tangible resource trying to push into the vacuum we are speaking in. I reach out, demanding some of the uncreation come to me, and with a twist of magic, unlike anything I've ever felt, I was holding a perfect sphere of… something. Almost like it was greater than the absence of something, but not quite a solid. I was fascinated. "Congratulations. You're the first person in my knowledge to use Void Magic in its truest form."
I turn back from the ball of Void energy in my hand, and ask, "Why did you want to see this?"
"Because you are connected to it, and from it, me. Your Warehouse exists on the edge of this domain, an unbreachable bubble.
I mutter, "Yeah, I wish."
He blinks, "Unvoidble by any force on this plane of existence. Void cannot penetrate it even when guided by me directly. You have spared the realms of creation my wrath and made me reconsider. I have seen the Void be used to create. That dulls my pain, my rage enough. That is why I needed to speak with you."
I frown, "If I…"
"Omnicide contacted me. The realms are easily breached from different points by different energies."
I nod slowly, "And…"
"I can read your mind because your intent reflects off of the Void energy, presenting tangible dialogue to me."
I frown and try concealing my intent somehow, and he sighs, "Intent cannot be hidden by someone as strong as yourself."
I shrug, and he smiles, "Indeed. It is all you can do to try. Now, you have fulfilled my bargain. I believe that you are needed back in the realms of existence."
Suddenly I'm standing in a smoky ring as it dissipates. That… was strange. Turning in every direction, I see the wreckage of a fight, but no evidence of a winner.
Then I call Tiamat, "What happened?"
Wiz, Violette and Tiamat all turned in the network, "Damion! What happened? All of the clones turned to slime."
I blink at that little tidbit, and begin "I had a talk with… it's a long story. What happened?" But we're kinda at war.
"Omnicide went back through the portal, and the league gave chase, it didn't look like it was going well. His titans charged through portals across the world, and it's a mess. I deployed Hydra's, and they all sustained heavy damage, but the titans were destroyed." I nod, and ask, "Are any of the portals still stable?"
"Yes." She sends me coordinates.
I confirmed Ankh was in the Warehouse and told Tiamat, "I'm going to stop him. This might be the end of our time in this realm, make sure Wiz and Violette are in the Warehouse."
"No." Violette says, cutting into the conversation, "You have some time after everything, and we are not abandoning you to fight this thing alone!"
I nod. "Ok. Ok. Then let's go."
A set of combat bodies from Tiamat, Wiz, Violette, and I all charge through the portal and find a world covered in fire. With thousands of portals covering the landscape, massively different worlds through them. I frown, "Did he plan on invading all of the Earths?"
Wiz and Violette shrug and Tiamat says, "I'm detecting portal sets at tens of thousands of different frequencies. And I'm detecting combat at the previous location." We all take off and arrive at a massive dogpile.
I can see more than one version of the Justice League fighting Omnicide. Dozens of Hestia's Lasso converging to hold him in place. Supermen holding some of the ropes. Red streaks seeming to strike him from all sides. Magic of nearly every type and description lancing out towards him. Martians attacking his body and mind, but he stood strong. Omega beams lancing out, taking slower members completely.
I land and focus on him. His armor gone, his defenses stripped, but the convergence of so many powerful beings had a massive pool of energy to resist. Analysis magic gave me a path. A weakness that every other living thing fell to in the end. Death.
*Vibranium Sample (Marvel Cinematic Universe Vol. 1) (200) Bought Remaining: 0 points.*
I called up a lance of green energy. The massive waves of power flowing off of me startling the attuned members of the league as my league explained what I was and that I was doing. The path was cleared, and I threw my lance. Striking Omnicide with pure death, he shuttered, pain and power wracking his body as power untold dimmed within him. Version after version crying from my attack, as the automatic recursive lifeforce was dissolved, layer after layer, until it struck his core. Energy dissolving him in a massive burst of green power, and in a flash, he begins to dissolve.
I stood tall, the moment feeling surprisingly somber, but he turned. He looked at me, and smiled, "I AM OMNICIDE!" and he began to glow with green and gold energy combining into a swirl of power, unlike anything I had ever seen. "AND I COMMAND YOU ALL TO DIE! SOUL AURA DETONATION!"
I blink as my readouts informed me he was going to detonate every version of his dying soul.
I sucked Wiz and Violette into my Warehouse, and formed clones to mitigate the explosion as I asked Tiamat, "Which portal?" Several of my clones were singing, while others programmed a bomb. One that resonated along the Omega energy wavelengths like Omniside's soul. The goal was to shunt the power into the gaps between reality, to prevent as much destruction as possible.
Tiamat couldn't tell me which portal, so I decided to pick all of them. I sent clones through each portal, as I finished the bomb, and had several clones set up magical fields to contain anything that escaped. Then I found my consciousness forced into a different body, one on the far side of a portal as the explosive rang out.
I stood and dusted myself off from my leap away from that blast, and found nearly every version of myself surrounded by familiar faces. "So, that was terrible."
I could tell which dimensions had members of my Justice League, given the calm responses to me. Dozens of other realities didn't have anyone that recognized me. Perfect.
I began setting up doors as I slowly explained what I was doing to the realities that didn't have a version of me, and the ones that had someone to speak for me were much easier to convince. After a bit of finagling, and some more stubborn group not going until I had others from their reality to back me up, I got everyone inside the Warehouse, and sorted into their respective leagues, and began researching which realities they belonged to. But before I finished, they talked to one another, and several questions were asked.
Mostly about me, but a lot of questions were directed at the differences between realities, something I found fascinating. Time differences, a few major events, some only being the addition or subtraction of 1 member. A Cyborg helping found a League here, a lack of Hawkman or woman there, a nearly apocalyptic war between the Amazons and Atlantians was present in three different timelines, each with a different story of how it ended. Aquaman dying, Wonder Woman dying, or one timeline with both. It leads me to ask why our earth didn't have an Aquaman.
It was concerning that no one had an answer to that question.
Agreements were made to look into getting a system that didn't rely on me set up to travel between realities. I was really looking forward to that because it might let me travel between realms at will. That could be quite fun.
As they finished up, I needed to check something. 'System, threats to be removed before I leave?'
Threat Checklist access allowed: Darkseid formally 500, currently 3400 points. Points allocated for Celestial Forge growth. Potential point gain unknown. League of Villains currently 100 points. No other threats detected.
I frown, 'Why could I sense the Celestial Forge before?'
System Error
Great. So, Darkseid isn't all dead but… 'System, points gain from the destruction of Omnicide?'
Omnicide point gain limited due to external power interference. Points gains reduced. Brainiac point gain limited due to external information. 1500 points gain expected at Realm exit.
I frown. Ok, so I check all the boxes and get the points when I leave. I can deal with that system. Now, final question, 'System, any other celestial forge connection registered in range?'
System Error
Damn. That means that there might be more people with power coming for me, or that I can't ask about that. I'll have to prepare for the worst.
As the league begins their research into the inter-reality portals, I start looking into scanning technology. I need to understand why my scans failed so hard on the armor of the Dwarf King. Exotic metals and anti magic fields don't explain it. I needed to know how he was capable of breaking my sensors, but I ran into a wall. I can't make anything that my sensor array can't penetrate. Shields, Armor, Magic, I even tried Void energy. Combination of all of the above. I don't want to think that Aqua can just hand out some kind of fiat, immunity to sensors to her chosen assassins, but every magic that fails to block my array shows that's more and more likely.
The biggest concern with that is that there are protections from sensors in the Forge, but they all come from the Protections constellation, and if Aqua can hand out those… I know quite well that there are some monsters hanging out in that constellation. Stress Evolution, Limits, Enigmatic Engineering, Blank, some of my most powerful skills. Not to mention if she gives out a warehouse, I might not be able to see the absence in my vision until they are strong enough to do some serious damage.
For now, I just needed to prepare. That means that the Hydras alone aren't going to cut it anymore. They are a very nice big gun, but it's one type of damage, across a medium sized area. If someone lives through it by even a hair with my skills, they walk away clean, and can't be killed by that gun. I need variety. So I make some.
*Master Synthesist (Kingdom Hearts) (600) Not Bought Remaining: 100 points.*
I checked my arsenal of Tau and Aeldari weapons and found more than a few exotic types of energy. My personal favorite is probably the gravity and displacement weapons. Not designed to harm, but to make you not here. No Stress Evolution activation due to no damage done. That could work quite well. It would also disable machines quite well given that they needed to be in one piece to function.
Production of the Hydra upgrades began. Efficiency let me set the factory up to further my production, shrink some components, and when I began to stress over not having enough variety, I felt it help me push away my paranoia that what I had wasn't enough. That… was incredibly reassuring all things considered. I scaled the weapons and was going to remake a set of Avatars I had scaled up for Trigon, not wanting to make something bigger and have him be more agile, but with the application of my new metal, I was no longer worried. Vibranium was capable of redesigning the shock of moving to zero, both on the environment and the machine. Meaning that its footsteps could be almost silent, and anything could go ridiculously fast when it could absorb and ignore inertia. So I went big and built Aeldari Titans. Just over 45 meters tall, and weapons scaled to match, with my super metals I was capable of making them move just a little faster than my Avatars could, a feat that looked absurd, and brought their swords from all but ornamental in a fight to actually effective monstrosities.
The ranged weapons were largely the same as the Hydras. Mostly themed around fighting someone with my capabilities, by not letting them target anyone, tossing them around in a manner that they couldn't really resist as it wasn't damaged. Then I did something that I personally found stupidly amusing. I put them in an Alchemical Chest. They didn't stack of course, but there I was, with 4 Titans in a magic box sitting in my Warehouse, that I could open from anywhere at any time, and deploy death.
Then Violette told me about the Emperor series. 150 meter tall behemoths of guns and death. I had to try, right? It took a lot longer than I thought it would to get Vibranium disks the size I needed for the Inertial Cancelers and the feet, but once I was done, I had an Emperor Series Aeldari Titan deployable anywhere. Unfortunately, I didn't have the reality bending powers required to make the Titans fly, so I did make a small army of Avatars.
At just 11 meters tall, armed with much smaller versions of the weapons, all but the Null Reality Projector they just didn't have the power for my biggest gun. I replaced it with a cloaking field and flight gear. I checked, and the Avatars do stack in my chest. How fortunate. I made sure to have 2 full stacks of them. The Hydra's were also being stored in my chest, it was just too convenient not to. While I hoped that I wouldn't lose my power to extrude my Warehouse like this, I did have a backup plan. A magic bag in my Valkyrie Frame. It would be safe from damage, and I could draw it when I needed it.
As I pushed forward with my preparedness for the possibility of another jumper, I was met with a possibility for how my scanners were stopped. The Justice Leagues got a portal open to each other, using Void magics. That seemed to stop my scanners just as cold, but he was on this side of the boundary, so I scrapped that possibility, even as I built a scanner that could pierce it. It wasn't difficult if you could create Void particulates and infuse them into the glass of your scanners. I checked many different ways, and the Void Glass was quite an effective solution. It even saw through my cloaking systems, which was neet.
Then I felt really stupid. I walked into a tuned magic nullification field, and my scanners shut down completely. I had built most of them off my initial Bonesinger roots, the Aeldari power core was shutting down when exposed to an absence of magic. I nearly kicked myself and built them formally into my Valkyrie Frame, not just storing them, meaning that they could manifest anywhere on me. And were tied into my massive set of batteries there. Remembering that I can lose things in that space when I jump, I decided to store a copy of the bag in the Warehouse, and a full design scan of my information gathering gear into my warehouse.
And looking at the entire mess at once like I am now, I sigh. What was brain wiped me thinking?
I simplified it from the steampunk ophthalmologist's office strapped to my head in small rotating sets, and into a simplified, fully range scanner. Incorporating scanners into other sets, and in the end, I still had an almost comically massive set of scanners, technological and magical, visual and precision wands, general and very precise, but it was better. Maybe a third the size and a tenth of the spinning gizmos.
It was honestly fairly relaxing. Wiz and Tiamat were having a blast setting up aid programs for the many, many Earths we now had steady trade with. Ankh and Violette were studying, combining, and enhancing the orbital defenses that the many versions of earth had invented, bought, stolen, and cobbled together respectively. In the end, I barely added anything to the design we kept. An improved flight system, some more power, but from a 'miss and the world doesn't end' level of firepower for ground support, it was quite effective. What I did change were the orbital defense guns.
The Earths collectively had guns that Tony Stark thought were cute. The Aeldari and the Tau wouldn't even give them that. So I improved them. Aeldari light Laser Cannons and Tau Heavy Railguns. I replaced the ammunition stockpiles with an EE ammunition printer, firing Antimatter slugs. Fun fact, creating Antimatter lowered the cost of creating regular matter, as negative mass was interpreted very literally by EMC condensers. I replaced the power core with my custom Antimatter regulator to cap it off. It was smaller, about 20% smaller than the disks being used here.
With a defense against invasion set up, and technology benign exchanged across several universes, I decided I was going hunting. Some part of this Multiversal Justice League and technological exchange reduced the Injustice League as a threat to null, so I went looking for Darkseid.
*Reliable Invention (Kim Possible) (200) Bought Remaining: 0 points.*