[28th March 2011]
[SHIELD Portal Security, Security Zone, Gotham City, New Jersey, United States of America, Earth-16]
"...so, here I am, fresh out of quarantine. Still stuck on the base here though" I finished plopping into the couch in the newly finished 'guest' waiting room; or meeting room maybe? They hadn't even put up an official name on it yet, but it certainly had the new everything smell, from the couches to the paint on the walls. Whatever the case I was out of that crappy, crappy, trailer-home thing they'd used for containment and allowed access to wandering about the base. Or in this case meet with some of the Team, Artemis included as she sat down beside me, as I gestured at the others.
"Now, what have you guys been up to? Here to patrol the city I assume?"
"I think everyone's been sent here..." Robin, because we were on codenames since this wasn't a Justice League facility, muttered, folding arms across his chest "...have you seen outside? Gotham's like, under worse martial law, can't throw a stone without hitting a soldier. We're still whelm'd man, but Bats isn't happy ya'know?"
"Gee, I wonder why?" I replied with amused snort "...between the inter-dimensional portal to another world, the vampires, the lunatics from Arkham, and the city been wrecked from the earthquake, I'm not surprised his taking the sudden helpfulness of the government with a pinch of salt. Still, that's how things are Robin I'm afraid, all hands on deck, even if it's Gotham. Actually...I hear you've a new Batperson?"
"Oh yeah, Rob's gone and found himself a red-haired Bargirl..." Kid Flash hummed zipping over to munch on sandwiches then back to us "...hmm, hmm...won't tell us anything about her though. Just cuz she's prettier than him!"
I nodded sagely "See, I did tell you, all part of the League's plan! Dun, dun, dun!"
"Hey, I won't object!" Kid Flash huffed back, hand-waving around him "...not at all the pretty ladies joining the good fight!"
"I wouldn't let Jinx hear you say that, or me tell her Kid Flash, now would you?" Zatanna retorted narrowing her eyes at the yellow clad as Robin stifled a laugh at the speedsters 'No-No!' gestures as she turned her head towards me "But, yeah, we're supposed to meet her in a few days, or maybe a week, but right now we're all being put on patrol here in Gotham. Dad's not happy with me here, but he's here, and a few of the League are here...so..."
"Yes, Operation Fix Gotham. Though I'm guessing its probably actually Batman's plan for all the blowhards on the television?" I asked glancing at Robin and getting a smirking nod, then letting out a sigh "Of course, but we'll need it. Dangerous place on the other side, between a number of, apparently, unkillable Godzillas with various unexplained powers running about wrecking cities, and the world in general"
"Has there been anything from them? Wasn't there a meeting?" Artemis asked me sitting beside me, in good form now, though a spar with her sister was coming within the hour. So she was either just glad to see me, or because she wanted to have this fight she wanted "Or is it all super-secret?"
"Not too super-secret in all honesty, as the whole fact there was a meeting is being publically released in few hours, but we agreed some basic contact protocols, handed over some basic data and made some offers, and then got told to bugger off to our own dimension and they'll contact us after twenty-four hours..." I replied with a shrug "...as far as I know, the camera in our Gate showed them building their own version to block it, and that's all there's been so far, along with all signals cutting off. Don't want us spying on them anymore I'd guess"
I assumed they were doing what we had been doing her for the past days; setting up a proper portal setup, with scanners, and defensive emplacements to go with the large entranceway behind the extensive, and expensive, Portal Gate. They'd finally gotten the highly advanced bio-scanners from Wayne Industries in place, alongside something 'donated' by the Green Lantern Corps; which I assumed was feeding back information to Guardians of Oa. Not that we'd any choice otherwise as we needed to secure this Portal just as seriously as we'd locked down the one into Sigil; though trade would likely start up there now we'd another here...
--
[28th March 2011]
[Secure Bunker, Headquarters of the United Nations, New York City, Earth-16]
'I'm almost starting to live here' Ian McDonald thought sadly to himself as their unintentional cabal sat down once again after receiving marching orders from their respective governments. London had many, many, things to say to him after all, so he imagined the others had experienced likewise as numerous events trundled along their dangerous paths. Alien spaceships were in orbit, global trade had been crippled by the mind-controlling Starro-monster, their militaries were shouting at their governments to do things, and, of course, there was the new Dimension problem that had arrived on their desks.
'Or parallel earth, whatever...where everything we've feared has come true in some manner, from angry meta-humans running amok or overthrowing governments, to parts of modern First World nations like Newfoundland and Kyushu being destroyed by monsters like the thing that emerged from the Biaylan desert sands' he reminded himself opening the briefing material now that'd they had all passed through screening to make sure they weren't shape-shifters, or mind-controlled. It hadn't been till they'd collectively realised Mars was a whole damned planet of those, and they wanted to negotiate, had everybody suddenly gotten deadly serious about the dangers that posed.
"So, I'll be the first to speak on behalf of my government ..." his American counterpart, James Ellis-Pierce Jnr stated with a deep breath "...so, to make clear, our recent political...drama...is coming to an end within the next few days. The President will be announcing his resignation, for mental health reasons, by the end of the week as will the Vice President, who has already taken medical treatment. The Speaker of the House will then take up the role of President as agreed by a bi-partisan agreement, that will immediately begin passing legislation agreed upon in our recent meetings"
"Long past time James..." Yulia Popova relied for the Russians clicking her nails off the table as she always seemed to do. Ian often wondered what she used to make them seemingly unbreakable "...but a welcome change I suppose. Having another invasion route open up wake up some fools from their stupor, yes?"
"Less that than both main parties agreeing to a deeply progressive Democratic President being replaced by a hard-nosed Republican who probably never noticed the Cold War ended, and might as well be named President Military Industrial Complex..." James snarked back rubbing at the bridge of his nose "...but, yes, you are somewhat correct. Recent events have accelerated several things for Congress let us say. As we've seen from the information packages supplied by SHIELD Portal Security and our intelligence agencies, that events on this other Earth supply several concerning lessons if political deadlock comes before national security"
Jade Liyuan of the People's Republic of China gave a harsh nod to those words "Yes, very much so, and my government insist upon continuing updates of any correspondence with this other world, or any intelligence received on the traitors that have harmed China on the other side"
Ian watched as James waved her off in mild exasperation "Yes, yes, we have agreed as such, and will continue to do so you can assure your government. To be honest, once President Cheney takes office efforts at greater military cooperation and intelligence sharing are very much going to increase...which brings us to the first matter at hand; Atlantis, Themyscira, and Reform"
"Themyscira has rebuffed us, beyond the terms agreed upon during the negotiations between our governments several weeks ago..." Ian clarified that problem at least "...though there are several feelers being put out by elements of their Senate supposedly towards a diplomatic fact-finding mission. My honest impression is that they simply do not know enough to make a decision, as they've happily ignored us all for centuries"
His Chinese colleague nodded again, more thoughtfully this time, in agreement "Perhaps, that is less our concern as Atlantis has requested both admission, and a voice within our body"
Ian nodded, glancing around the table "It is not unreasonable, we seem to have dramatically underestimated their military capacity for one, and with matters...as they are...well, if not for them during the Starro conflict that creature might have been impossible to weed out. I think the matter returns to how much influence are we willing to give them, and how difficult it would be to pass such reforms on the floor of the General Assembly"
"There aid would be most useful should this Leviathan be capable of inter-dimensional travel is suspected with the creature known as the Simurgh..." the normally silent Frenchmen, the new addition, former paratroopers, and elder statesman Jacques Durant murmured bringing up the relevant images "...and I think we are all most concerned with that possibility. The Japanese and Canadians have been most vociferous in their correspondence these past few hours, and I dread to hear what the Swiss will come forward with hearing the fate of their opposites on that other Earth"
Ian winced faintly at that "Yes, I imagine. Of course that is why we are releasing the information now, in controlled manner, than risking it leaking at an inconvenient time. Though I think the Japanese offer of aid to their counterparts might be a good sign of our intentions for the other side. Between getting a success there, and the fact our negotiations with Martians and Thanagarians have been progressing better than expected, we might have some bright spots to put forward to our collective citizenries..."
--
[29th March 2011]
[SHIELD Portal Security, Security Zone, Gotham City, New Jersey, United States of America, Earth-16]
"Your Dad still won't let you out on patrol?" I asked Zatanna as she came into my little 'workshop' as I sat with Gemma and Maria recently arrived from across the ocean via Zeta-Tube to Mount Justice, and then Teleport via circle here. My apprentice and my familiar were 'acceptable' in turning up as we were under pressure in setting up this lovely facility, and people guarding it; in this case helping me with crafting some enchanted gear for the site security forces.
"Hmph! He's so unreasonable!" she retorted folding arms across her chest as she strode in, Gemma giving her a wave while Maria didn't bother looking up as her eyes watched my hand movements like a hawk "...I can handle it, and instead he's had me casting spells with him for hours. Fixing concrete rather than clearing out all the bad guys!"
"It's an important task actually Zee..." I replied careful drawing lines and runes unto the shotgun on the workbench before me "...and if you and your Da weren't doing it, then I'd likely be doing it with the dynamic duo here. Most of the stuff here was, literally, taken from the tiny reserve we'd built up for the protection of the doorway into Sigil...and yes, I'll take you through when you're a legal adult and you get permission to get on a exploratory team...and whatever supplies were available for Belle Reve on the Rated Superman Level scale. So, valuable contribution"
"Hmph, Hmph, maybe!" she complained coming to stand over me, watching as I did the initial layout of the enchantment "...what are you doing?"
"Helping equip the guards for this facility in case some human tank, or energy form, from the other side tries to bash their way through the gateway..." I replied not looking up "...also teaching Gemma and Maria here as well. I'm multi-tasking as they say. Give me a minute and I'll be finished this step and we can talk, I need a break for a bit honestly"
I'd seen energy weapons brought in from some US, probably not listed anywhere, weapons project, and top of the line body armour and hazmat suits. All currently getting a SHIELD logo stitched onto them, as the US version of SHIELD only existed in a theoretical structure, an organisational chart, and a means to get international support without admitting needing it. It all looked very official, and it was, but much of the structure and rules were just being copied and pasted from the SHIELD operational rulebook that we'd setup in Ireland, and the for the critical sites such as the Sigil Door.
In truth it was something of calming, if tiring and energy intensive, task compared to the earlier one of watching the videos of the horrible monsters called Endbringers on the other side, along with observed abilities as per the other's internet variation. Communing with my Patron had been less than helpful, merely information that the other side was a problem, and there were darker things in the Ether just like in the realm;- Super fantastic to hear all in all. So far, the general view was energyvores or necromantic drains, even negative plane summons as a whole, were an option for a strategy against one of the things, and a long drawn out talk about psionic or arcane ways to block out the 'Song' of the fake angel thing...
Bzzzzz...
Completing the last line I turned towards where my beeper had buzzed, taking it up and sighing "Well, seems that'll have to wait. Looks like I've got to go watch a video..."
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