"Grease is in trouble."
The Golden Knight let out a mild curse and lifted up into the air, heading for roof access. She placed her hand on the palm scanner and waited for the panels to retract.
Sass frowned as she craned her neck, "Where you going?"
Goldie looked down while being silhouetted against the night sky as the door retracted, "I know she wants to handle this alone, but she also believes we do not care about her." She shouted back as she flew off, "I mean to prove her wrong!"
Sass tensed her hands, appearing as though she was about to bolt after her. Jack interjected his plan, "If we do this quick, it might not matter." He wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned his attention to the computer monitor, "You were right. We need to access every available speaker in the town and broadcast on everything." He touched the computer terminal next to him to start it glowing. He noticed his hand was trembling and grabbed it with his other to steady it, "I can incorporate the music and background sounds myself. All I need to do is sing and, hopefully, amplify the emotional impact to end this madness." He took a deep breath then let it out slow as he forced his hands to be still, "Once that's done, you can focus on closing those demon portal... things... whatever they are."
Nth Factorial flickered for a moment, "Perhaps we should pre-record it and broadcast it instead."
With a bitter laugh, Jack responded, "That would be great, but unfortunately, I don't think I can modify a pre-recorded track. It doesn't feel the same. We'll have to perform it live." Pointing an accusatory finger at the monitor, he added, "Don't waste any more time, we need to get started. because I'm not nearly drunk enough to do this as it is. I highly doubt I can pull this off twice, so it's either going to work or it won't."
Nth Factorial was silent for several seconds, then a small timer starting at twenty seconds began to count down in the corner of the monitor, "I will have finished preparations when the timer is zero."
Jack nodded and put both hands on the counter next to the glowing terminal. He bowed his head and started taking deep breaths.
~You can do this. Just pull it together like you always do. Your a beast.~
Jack let out a bark of laughter as he slowly shook his head. He muttered to himself with more than a hint of sarcasm, "C'mon Jack. Pull it together. Second place is first loser." His usual battle cry seemed hollow. He wanted to take off as much clothing as he could because the sweat was becoming unbearable.
~You sure you don't want to use Mister Blue Sky?~
Ivy slowly came walking up behind Jack, apparently not quite sure what to say or even how to approach him. Jack abruptly punched the counter hard enough to make her jump, "I'm NOT-!" He cut himself off and glanced around, realizing he looked like he was losing it.
Muttered as if he was psyching himself up, Jack rubbed his face with both hands as he mulled things over, "Mister Blue Sky is too cheerful. It has to be something related to regret, yet inspiring. I only know one song like that and The Struts nailed it." He stared through his fingers at the timer as it reached single digits.
Ivy tapped him on the shoulder. Jack was hesitant, but glanced back at her, "Yeah?"
She smiled at him while glancing off to the side, "I guess if you pull this off, I'll owe you that kiss, huh?"
Jack winced, "I sounded really stupid, didn't I? I'm-"
Nth Factorial glitched as the number reached zero. There was a brief sound of feedback as all phones in the room started to broadcast, but were immediately silenced.
"You are live."
Jack took a deep breath and opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Seconds ticked past.
~C'mon Jack! This isn't the guy who's number one in the north east! This isn't the guy who spent years clawing his way up from nothing! It's just one song! Pull it together!~
"I-" was all that he could squeak out as all the color drained from his face. He looked like he was going to pass out as he leaned heavily on the table. He had torn down his own carefully constructed facade in order to convince Nth Factorial to allow him to try, but in the process shattered the self-confidence he needed to pull it off. In the moment, he felt himself choking on the irony.
Ivy abruptly grabbed him by both shoulders and pulled him upright, "Look at me!" She held up two fingers and moved them back and forth between Jack's eyes and hers, "Look at me, alright?"
Jack looked at her and nodded, grateful for something else to focus on rather than the death spiral his mind was locked into, "Alright?"
Ivy nodded slowly then gave him a half smile, "I'd love to hear you sing."
Jack blinked, then let out a little snort as he nodded his head. On impulse, he reached out to the air between then and touched the thread he felt earlier. To everyone else, there was a glowing stretched out bubble in the air. However, this one was different. Instead of Jack's trademark red aura, this was a much lighter shade. It was closer to pink rose quartz than the normal fiery red. He took a deep breath and started to sing. At first, he was just saying the words as he could focus enough to generate the music.
Don't wanna live as an untold story
Rather go out in a blaze of glory
I can't hear you, I don't fear you
The music started up. Jack closed his eyes and scooped up the floating aura and started to roll it between his hands.
I'll live now 'cause the bad die last
Dodging bullets with my broken past
I can't hear you, I don't fear...you now
The aura started to grow in his hands as he worked it like some sort of amorphous blob of dough. It slowly was growing as the song progressed. To Jack, it felt like a ever growing ball of frayed yarn, that was almost alive.
Wrapped in my regret
What a waste of blood and sweat...
As the chorus began, he pumped everything into this thought given form and felt as it seemed to leap out of his hands into the terminal next to him. As it did, his words grew stronger as he felt his confidence returning.
I wanna taste love and pain
Wanna feel pride and shame
I don't wanna take my time
Don't wanna waste one line
I wanna live better days
Never look back and say...
The threads shot out over the city. To jack it was a bit overwhelming. He wasn't in control of this anymore. It took on a life of its own. He felt its threads reaching... seeking...
Could have been me
It could have been me... YEAH!
Snippits and snapshots flew though his mind as he felt this thing connect with people. Too many to remember and too fast to retain, but it was growing exponentially. It was also HUNGRY. Jack was feeling it drain every last ounce of energy out of him then ask for more.
Don't wanna live as an unsung melody
I'd rather listen to the silence telling me
I can't hear you, I won't fear you
As exhausting as this was, it was also euphoric. This sort of light pink haze was literally starting to cover the city. Emanating from cell phones, flowing out of Televisions and computer monitors, leaping from person to person.
Don't wanna wake up on a Monday morning
The thought of work is getting my skin crawling
I can't fear you, I can't hear you now
Jack was drenched in sweat as he felt the last ergs of his strength draining away. For a moment, he was afraid that he was at his limit. This was where he was going to pass out.
Wrapped in your regret
What a waste of blood and sweat...
Then a curious thing happened. Jack started to feel energy flowing back to him. He wasn't sure what was happening until he realized....
People had started to sing along.
I wanna taste love and pain
Wanna feel pride and shame
I don't wanna take my time
Don't wanna waste one line
I wanna live better days
Never look back and say
For one shining moment the entire city was singing in unison as a soft pink glow settled over the city. No longer was it just Jack fueling the process, but everyone in Empire City. The thought form connected everyone to everyone and only made it grow and expand.
Could have been me
It could have been me.
YEAH!
With that final word, everything overloaded. If one could watch what was going on from orbit, it would have looked like the entire city exploded in a blast of rose colored light. It just passed through everything as a wave front. From people in bars trying to purge the FOMO virus with Everclear to those restrained by the riot police, everyone got hit with what basically amounted to a warm... fuzzy... HAPPY NUKE.
It also overloaded several power stations and relays.
The monitor went dead and the power went off for a several seconds before the backup generator turned on.
As the power came back on, the lights revealed Ivy holding an unconscious Jack in her hands.
Ivy checked Jack's pulse and looked up at Grifter, "It's weak, but steady." She stared down at him with a look of worry and guilt. She mumbled to him, "Why do you have to be like this?"
Sass gritted her teeth, "Where the hell is Adam? We could really use him right about now!"
Grifter was focused on trying to get the equipment going again, "I'm more concerned with if it worked or not."
Nine Volt came rushing over to help, "We might not be able to contact WASP OCL, but they have a satellite we can get a feed from for general information." She started to flip buttons and type on a keyboard before applying a swift kick to a nearby computer tower under the big monitor. As she did, the main monitor flickered and the same messages were scrolling by except the disaster map had changed.
There was nothing on it.
Sass looked confused, "Hold it. Is the detection grid down? I get maybe this took care of the virus, but why would the incursion portals be gone?"
Wanderer touched the side of her head and closed her eyes, "I can only check in general out to a few kilometers, but I can't pick up any obvious traces of the memetic virus... in fact." She smiled softly, "Everyone seems rather happy." Abruptly she frowned and looked most concerned, "Except for-"
Grease arrived in a blast of electricity that left the door frame from the south wing smoking. She was holding Balloon Boy's deflated form in her hands as she came to a halt next to Wanderer, "RED!" Grease looked like she had been through the ringer. Even with her regeneration, her face was a mess, but she didn't seem to care.
"You have teleport us to Adam, where ever he is, NOW!" Grease looked like she was barely holding it together.
Wanderer did nothing. She only stared at Balloon Boy's body.
Grease stepped closer and her hand shot out at super speed to smack Wanderer upside the head, "FOCUS! We need-"
"It's too late."
Grease blinked. She shook her head so hard it was a blur, "No! It's not! We can-"
Wanderer looked up at Grease and spoke in a measured tone, "There's nothing there. He's gone. I'm sorry. There has to be something to work with. His mind needs to still be here, but it's not." She reached out to gently touch the limp form in Grease's hands, "What one might call a soul has moved on. I am sorry."
She pulled her hand away and looked at Grease with as much sympathy as she could manage.
"Balloon Boy is dead."
Could Have Been Me - The Struts
F*cking Goldie needs to get locked up, like I mean i get that you are battle maniac and drunk with power but JESUS!! I would like to believe that you would first assess the situation firts before impaling you ex colleague in the back!!!
Give it a chapter.
@TheEldritchGod - cmon man just let me get mad for a while... ty for the chapter
Wtf man do u even listen to you she has literally a cursed sword that eat souls i dont even know how she became a hero lol
@Nonon - Oh, I didn't say you'd stop being angry. I'm just saying you'll get her PoV.
@TheEldritchGod That's a very tasty perspective.
And there will be obviously a mess, but the details!
@Theirl - Here, she's a hero. Elsewhere, she wouldn't be. Context.
@TheEldritchGod of course this seems like a might make right world, just dont make a genocide and all is good
@Theirl Correction. Do not make genocide unauthorized by the government.
This is always the actual difference between crime and a legal job
Otherwise, we would have long banned military
u dont ban military because with u ban a military soon enought u will have one from a foreing nation over u... but having a military not exactly is a open letter to genocide some countries have military and never have made one
@Theirl It started as a joke, but this messy phrasing just rubs me the wrong way.
This "other armies will come" argument looks like a low-key xenophobia, unless you live in a warzone.
Therefore, I will argue.
Regarding the "so imminent" invasion, I guess you may want to look at Liechtenstein. They are doing fine and no military.
Besides what's wrong with being invaded? Change of language? Some customs or law?
Maybe not being able to decide my fate? But unless you happen to belong to manipulated/suppressed majority, you don't get it either in democracy.
Besides, without forces to resist nobody has a reason to shoot. If they ever needed any.
Frankly, I'm far more worried about any crazyness my government may come up with. Like invading another country with their military. Paid from my taxes.
That sort of would make me responsible for all the dead, no?
Would you like having army of your country to invade the other one? Without asking you personally?
There was a man with funny moustache that advocated for having (and bigger) army to make his nation strong and proud. You probably know what happened next.
Also, Red Khmer and other similar cases. It was not the other armies that executed the genocide.
It's not that some armies didn't do genocide. Unless you belong to some micronation (or one with less than 500 years of history) , I'm sure your government did a genocide, they just never taught you at school. Because killing people for differences is not cool these days.
We rather need more doctors, cheaper healthcare and public transportation. Police even.
If there are any actual arguments aside of feral fear, I may discuss them.
Although you are also right, since all popular genocides were ordered by governments. I would love them banned too, but this is even more hopeless than expecting people to grow up
what the f*ck is happening in this comment section?
@Nonon Fun times?
Modern swashbuckling? Free-thinking?
I'm a bit curious where it goes
@Quesa - it's give and take. Rarely do absolutes provide maximum returns.
I would point to Luxembourg, a country with the dubious honor of having more of its men conscripted to fight for the Germans then men they had in their army to stop the Germans from invading.
>Besides what's wrong with being invaded? Change of language? Some customs or law?
Slavery, conscription, your mother, sister, and you being raped. The destruction of your culture and beliefs to be replaced by another. Laws that declare you a second class citizen that take away your right to read.
You assume the invaders share your values. Most invaders hate you and want your shit.
Investing in social programs is great, but what good will it do if your society disappears. Right now we have a case of russiafication in Ukraine. Russia treats all vassal states as slaves. Always has. You live somewhere safe because people are willing to commit violence on your behalf.
And all those genocides? Most of them started with people agreeing to disarm. You want to stop your army from murdering citizens? Go get a gun.
50 yo polish jew here. Mama was a refugee, dad was an orphan. Grandpa smuggled guns into Poland and people out. Until the commies figured out who he was, rounded up all his relatives left in Poland, and shot them all. Every man, woman, and child. Poland learned the hard way what having a weak army and disarmed population leads to.
Now you can buy hand grenades over the counter.
Armies don't commit genocides.
Socialists commit genocides.
You can make a post like you have, because you have not known evil. I pray you never do.
@Quesa well i live in a third world country so... pretty much based on reality actualy thats was how we got one of our states our coroneis just invaded the neighboor coutry and took their land after usa interveined we negotiates and bought their land for the price of a horse...
@TheEldritchGod
While I do respect your opinion and agree regarding non rewarding extremes, I will not step back. It would disrespect the points I decided to argue for.
ED: TLTR
I am all too prone to violent reaction when somebody tries to bring fear of myself or anybody as something supposed to make me yield.
Sadly, in my experience fear is an illusion. It will not stop anybody.
People wanting to steal my sh*t or degrade me are nothing new. I had brushed close to rape, though I've seen that coming and was ready to handle it. Always expected even worse than one assailant.
The outcome was not perfect, but more than minimum desired.
Lack of vigilance, believe in false reassurances like "my army/police/neighbors will protect me" tends to be costly.
Means of protection are limited. Nothing will stop people really wanting to steal my sh*t or derogate me.
If there is an army on their path they will just rise their own, make it bigger, better armed and maybe invite some friends.
History of Poland is the best example. It had reasonably strong military, but it was invaded from all sides three times, before it was finally torn down for the first time.
They were very stubborn and when they reappeared on the map after WW1, they quickly rebuild and rearmed. They even broke German ciphers, so they knew something was going to come.
They had the arms, they had the will to resist till their allies were supposed to join, but they never expected to be backstabbed. Then, upon war, they were sold to USSR by allies.
There may be stories of heroism, but in the end they meant nothing, when it mattered.
I do not care for luxuries like my culture or traditions. I even lost ability to feel for others, though got better at acting, analizing others and formed principles.
From what I've seen, those ordering invasions, designating second, third and fouth rank citizens are usually picked by majority of voters (at least in the beginning, before they take over completely).
This seems to me like the problem with population or the system itself. Not the lack of domestic military.
Getting rid of armies, banned, is not a decision, it's a goal and involves a process. It was possible to disarm in part when it comes to nukes, how different it is to do the same about military?
Why not to move armed conflicts mostly into cyber-competitions? There could be a global system for that, with real money investment for ONZ, returned in part for maintaining regulated forces.
We can always try better, consider options not in our tradition.
How about changing majority vote to minority veto? Let's say, 10%?
Why we never try to improve as society and cultivate mindless obedience?
I am sorry for losses your family suffered, but pain blinds people.
While I do respect your age, I think that when you really feel the "touch of evil" , you stop caring about luxuries, like well-being of others.
So, with all respect, I find your wishes of never experiencing said touch as somewhat condescending.
You are not the only one to suffer from discrimination, though I think that also may sound condescending.
I do not mean to be offending here, our views are simply different.
For me a soldier will never be a symbol of peace, because there would be no use for them
So far, the only thing that seems effective is threat of MAD, but how long will it hold?
@Theirl So an actual warzone. I guess that explains your views.
Is that often happening? I mean conflicts in your area
And do you find these questions uncomfortable?
@Quesa nop it was not at my time it was at my great grampa times, in my grandma diaries, u can see how horrifing were things when we didnt have a samblence of order here... exemple a family of coroneis tried killed one of my great grandma brother she went got a bunch of i forgot how they called it but defacto milicia and exterminated the one that made the killing tried to hide in the police and she went and exterminated the police too... that is why u need an army to protect u from psicopats that acumulate power and think that they deserve more that they have, and if that psycopath got power in your army better other country have their own army to protect themself
@Theirl Well, I never saw an army stopping said psychopaths, since they usually first secure an army (or mercenaries) to support their greed. Though I do like the idea of containing the power-hungry.
Beats idea of letting them compete, since there will be eventually a winner. There was already a famous case, actually several.
And the issue of other countries needing an army to defend themselves from army of a crazed government, is what motivates the claim that maintaining army is bad by itself.
How would humanity get there is different issue. Maybe, if as a species we get more domesticated, this will seem more of a natural idea.
Defiance of natural instincts is what creates civilisation.
Besides, even winning a war does not promise anything.
My grand-grandfather fought for Poland when they defended Warsaw about time the Red Revolution took off. We usually mention him as cautionary tale. Poland won that conflict, but ended up under communists. Thanks to allies, whom Poland trusted at the time.
Also, that's good you have some better public order now. It's hard to make plans, when things constantly change.