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Post by Brainiac 5 on Feb 6, 2012 17:30:17 GMT -5
It was… odd, to be saying the least, to be around Smallville like this. Aside from the occasional peeks that he had stolen, after completing work on the Time Bubble, and when he had picked Superman up, he had not frequented this place. There were a few pictures in the history books, of course, and others that he had been determined to find and look up, but it was nothing compared to real thing.
It had taken quite the trip, too, flying through the night to get here, and though he would return to San Francisco if this did not pan out, as this seemed to be his new base of operations, what with his allies there, it was nice to be in a place that he actually sort of knew. It was what to do next that was sort of putting him off.
After all, he couldn’t just walk up to the door of the Kent home and ask for him, now, could he? Clark had not recognized Brainiac 5 when he had arrived to pick him up, thus meaning he would have to erase the other’s memory, and seeing as he was not Saturn Girl, any erasing he did to people who were not fully developed could potentially harm them. Not to those in his time, as it was using a chemical that they had long since built up a resistance to, but not here, in the 21st century. An interesting dilemma.
Floating along the sidewalk and completely ignoring the startled looks that were being sent his way, the other was just considering waiting a few hours and then perhaps spying on the home, when he spotted a back of a head that seemed very familiar. For a moment, he just stopped, hovering in place, with his purple eyes wide as he recognized it. It was Superman!
Forgetting all pretenses (because he would have to erase his memory anyway, for there was no conceivable way that news of a flying green robot would not get to his ears at one point), and noting that he was in civilian form, Brainy flew towards him, smile coming onto his face. “Clark! Clark!” he called, a slight happiness in his town as he flew over top of the other, and landed right in front of him, still floating.
…It was then that he realized that he had made an error.
The face that he was blinking up into was not Clark Kent’s, not Superman’s… but very similar. Huh, who could that be? “I apologize,” Brainiac 5 told him, smile and happiness leaking away from him. “I had mistaken you for someone else.”
It did not appear that Superman was in Smallville (96.7%).
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Post by Superboy on Feb 6, 2012 17:54:25 GMT -5
Conner placed the crate of apples down on the low wooden table in the corner of the shop, beside some boxes that contained what appeared to be chocolate bars. "Don't mention it." He sighed as he straightened back up and looked around the convenience store.
"Uh," The kid behind the counter looked up, "I, uh, didn't say anything." He said, scratching at his nose with a bony finger. Conner thought he recognized him from one of his classes, but he couldn't be sure. So many faces just sort of blended together in his mind.
"I know." Conner responded emphatically, "I just told you not to." "R-Right, uh..." The younger boy started his way back toward the door through which he had entered. "Give my best to Mrs. Kent?" The boy called after him as he left, and Conner waved a hand back at him in acknowledgment.
He stepped back out onto the street. It was a pleasant, sunny, clear-sky day. Just as beautiful and boring as the one before it, and the one before that. Glancing over at the few civilians (Smallvillians? he wondered, Smallvilites?) that were milling around, he sighed again and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans, setting off down the sidewalk at a casual pace.
What was with all these chores, anyway? Delivering apples? What good was that going to do him? What kind of 'moral values' did Superman think he was going to get working on a farm, exactly? A part of him wondered if Superman had actually just been a little concerned with how his adoptive parents were doing without him around to chuck bales of hay like they were giant marshmallows, and that he just sent his clone to fill in for him.
"Clark! Clark!"
Conner shut his eyes in an expression of exasperation and carried on walking. And that was another thing - Clark Kent hadn't lived in Smallville for years, and yet somehow everyone not only seemed to remember him, but had a story to tell Conner whenever they could get him to listen. Every five seconds someone new was mistaking him for his predecessor and making a fumbling apology before going on to recite some grand old tale about how Clark taught their son ride his bike or... something.
A flying green boy dropped down in front of him, and he stopped walking.
The green boy blinked at him with purple eyes. He blinked back, appearing unfazed by this peculiarity.
"I apologize, I had you mistaken for someone else." The creature told him.
Two immediate responses fought one another for dominance in Conner's brain, one of them a witty retort about everyone mistook him for Clark. The other response won.
"You're green." He pointed out. More alarmingly, he had no idea what species this creature was. Usually when he saw a living being, the word, the name that corresponded with it would just pop into his head, as though it had been there all along. With this... he was drawing a blank. "You're not native to Earth either, are you?" He asked. It was hardly the logical leap of the century, but it was more than a little surprising to meet a fellow extra-terrestrial while he was just walking down the street in boring old Smallville...
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Post by Brainiac 5 on Feb 6, 2012 18:13:46 GMT -5
A frown touched at his face, both at the completely unfazed reaction, and the statement. Was it truly the first thing that everyone seemed to observe about him? Truly? Surely it was not that peculiar… His expression did not reflect his slight annoyance, however, as it rarely did, and he nodded slightly. “Yes, I am.” There, a simple statement, and his usual reply to that reoccurring statement. Should it happen too often, the Coluan would make a remark about it, perhaps channel his inner Lightning Lad and complain, but for now, he would accept it with that nearly bottomless reservoir of patience that he had.
He simply ignored said reservoir when people were being idiotic.
…’Either’. That was the key word. Clearly, the other was a fellow ‘alien’, likely a Kryptonian, based on his resemblance to Superman. This sparked a hint of déjà vu within him, but, unfortunately, it seemed that whatever data that was correlating to this discovery was too deep within his databanks, and thus would have to be retrieved at a later time. How annoying. “Correct. I am from the Planet Colu.” he replied, deciding against giving his name, in case this was post-Brainiac 1.0. He did not wish to be attacked.
Tipping his head slightly to the side, observing the lifeform before him as he floated, his body just moving slightly up and down, he decided to go for his hypothesis (94.3%). “I assume you are Kryptonian like Clark?” he stated calmly, though he made certain that his words were for the other’s ears and his alone. With your fellows having superhearing, this was a surprisingly simple task to do. Of course, he was not finished. “And have the knowledge of his alter persona?”
He did not believe that he had given too much away, if the other proved to not be either of those (a 7.85% chance), but if he were somehow able to connect the points (13.4% chance), then he would erase his memory. The Coluan would prefer not to, as he bobbed slightly up and down and waited for his answer, as there could be slight brain damage involved, but the possible Kryptonian seemed almost fully developed, and thus there would be absolutely minimal.
Brainy would just prefer to not have to explain himself to Superman, should it backfire.
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Post by Superboy on Feb 6, 2012 18:45:08 GMT -5
The planet 'Colu'. The name didn't spring any reactions in his mind. Clearly, this planet wasn't included as part of the information package he was given when he was being loaded up with all the data relevant to life on Earth.
He was taken aback when the alien queried if he was a kryptonian, though he was determined not to show it on his face. At first it seemed like the boy pulled this fact out of thin air, but if he was an alien... and he knew Clark... the chances had to be almost positive that he knew Clark primarily as Superman, and not a Kansas farmboy. Conner felt stupid for not realizing that instantly.
"Kryptonian like Clark..." He echoed, almost amused by the statement, "I guess that's one way of putting it."
He frowned, seeing figures in his peripheral vision pause around them. He could hear people across the street whispering, feel their eyes on them. As much as he hated having to hide who he really was from people, this conversation, held with a hovering green alien boy, was not a good thing to be having on a busy street in broad daylight.
"Listen, I don't know how you know Superman," He replied, keeping his voice low and fixing the boy with his familiar blue eyes, "You could be an enemy, for all I know, but while you might not care about parading about, all floating and... green, for all to see, some of us have a secret to keep. Let's go somewhere where I'm not going to be made guilty by association."
There would be any number of awkward questions arising and directed at him when people realized that the new Kent boy was the one talking to that strange looking lad in the street. Word spread fast in Smallville, and questions were the last thing he needed.
He turned into an alleyway and carried on walking, turning the corner he got to at the end and leading the way through the narrow labyrinth created by the backs and sides of buildings. Smallville was as it was named, and it hadn't taken him long to figure out the layout of the town. Once they reached the edge of town they could get out into the fields. Once there, they'd be able to talk freely without worrying about who was listening... and if this guy did turn out to be a threat, he could deal with him without people getting in the way.
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Post by Brainiac 5 on Feb 6, 2012 20:35:35 GMT -5
The other seemed only slightly surprised at the question, which boded well. There was a 96.7% chance that he was merely good at hiding it, a 68.5% chance that he truly had not been surprised, and a 43.26% chance that the other was like him, with muted, almost nonexistent, emotions. The latter seemed even more unlikely (dropping to 32.4%) as the other spoke, and he sounded like the statement was… amusing, somehow. Feeling like he was missing half the conversation, he tilted his head to the side inquisitively, almost asking a question with his slight body question, but he did not voice it aloud. “Ah, good,” he simply replied, the resemblance to Superman unconsciously relaxing him and opening him up slightly. “I did not wish to wipe your memory, should I be incorrect.”
No, that was not something to look forward to at all. For even though the other was much broader, taller, and clearly older than him, he was still not fully developed.
The frown did not seem to be for something, but before he could question what it was representative of, perhaps his casual statement on wiping memories (87.6%), the other spoke up once more, and Brainiac 5.0 honed in on the speech, cataloguing it and filing it away to be further analyzed, for it was clearly important. “Very well,” he replied simply, and though he wanted to protest that no, he wasn’t an enemy, and how could he think that, part of his mind felt that of course it was justified, he was a Brainiac after all, and the other merely told him that it was not time to say anything. So he did not.
Glancing around as he floated behind the older boy, turning into the alleyway, he realized that the other had been correct, they were attracting attention. While he did not care, for there would only be one person in this time that could truly recognize him, and he was not here, it would affect the other boy, and considering that he was a Kryptonian, like he had suspected, it would not likely end well. Therefore he had the correct idea.
Of course, considering that he had only arrived to see if Superman were here, he could of course leave, but now he was intrigued, and wishing to find out who this Kryptonian is. Tentatively, he poked at his databanks as he drifted along, hoping that the data was just below conscious level, but, unfortunately, it seemed to be too far deep within his shelves, unable for him to reach without leaving the conscious world. Pity.
So he simply floated along quietly behind the other, marking out the route in his mind, though he could just fly over it, and observing the other, tucking any piece of data that he uncovered into his shelves to sort and organize later. There was a reason he did not need sleep, when most species used that to let their brains rest and catalogue data; he did it manually. It seemed quite interesting, to have it done by your mind for you. After all, what if it sorted it wrong, and you could not find the adequate data? A puzzling problem.
As they left the alleyway, and were out, apparently heading towards the fields, for even though he had not been here many times, he still had the main routes and locations memorized, Brainy spoke up in his mild voice. “You may ask questions first if you wish to.” He wished that he had a name to tack on to that, but, alas, that was sadly bereft of him. Hopefully the other would introduce himself, for he would not start.
He was a Brainiac. He did not wish to reveal that until he was forced to.
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Post by Superboy on Feb 7, 2012 8:41:22 GMT -5
Conner didn't cast a single glance over his shoulder during their journey through the alleyways, but simply assumed that his new companion would follow without objection. As much as he was curious to find out more about the mysterious green boy (Coluan? He wondered), he guessed that the other would be at least a little curious about having found another kryptonian who was not Superman in Smallville. It wasn't like they were milling around everywhere, after all. He was, he knew, kind of a rarity. But he was not unique - his very definition defied him that.
They soon broke free of the buildings on the outskirts of the town and were faced with the rolling golden fields and bordering trees that made up the majority of Smallville's surrounding area. The sun beamed down from above and reflected off the gently swaying fields below, and Conner was sure he could feel his biology absorbing the light, capturing the energy. But that might have been an illusion, simply because he knew were his powers came from. He wondered if he would feel this sensation if he didn't.
He carried on walking in a straight line, not feeling comfortable enough to stop until they were well clear of the town and the people therein. He trekked along a dirt pathway until they came to a particular spot. Beside them was a low wooden fence that bordered off one of the wide yellow fields, and it was this fence he now easily hopped over by gripping it with one hand and throwing his whole body over. His boots hit the ground and he turned to face the boy.
"Alright," He replied to the offer, "Let's start with the big one. Why are you here, and how do you know Superman? I'll know if you're lying." That was probably a lie. He could tell if a human lied to him by listening to the rate of their heartbeat. He wasn't even certain if this kid had a heart to listen to... he looked kind of... inorganic. But that could be the basis of a later question. For now, he had to find out if this visitor was dangerous, and secondly he had to satisfy his curiosity about how he new his 'father'. It was one thing having stories about dull old Clark Kent being shoveled into his ears at every turn, but he never met people who knew Superman. That was who he wanted to hear about. That was who he was going to be, not some bumbling disguise the Man of Steel had invented.
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Post by Brainiac 5 on Feb 7, 2012 9:02:18 GMT -5
Floating over the fence behind the boy, Brainiac was half-tempted to sit, cross-legged, in the air, but he did not, merely drifting over it and sitting on the fence, easily keeping his balance, with his legs hanging free. …Yes, he was short. His feet did not even touch the ground. How annoying.
However, the other’s statement caused him to tilt his head the side, curiosity in his purple eyes. “Can you? Superman did not have the power when I spoke to him last… Or perhaps he did not choose to employ it on me.” Either of them were possible, however, and considering most history books were grossly inadequate when it came to the complete listing of powers, he did not know whether this boy was telling the truth or not. Then again, it could be a ‘him’ thing, versus a Kryptonian one. Interesting…
The first question was the simplest, so he started with that one. “I came to both ascertain my place on the timeline, judging by Superman’s age, and to see if he were willing to assist me, should he be the correct age. I now see that Metropolis would have been a better choice.” He did not wish to go to Metropolis, however, as he would likely gain far more attention that way, and there was a possibility that this was post-Brainiac 1.0. Neither of which were situations that he wished to get himself involved in.
Especially if Superman were there to see him make mistakes like that.
The second question… was a bit more complicated. “I come from the 31st century,” Brainy replied, deciding that just giving him the basic run-down would be best. “Previously, I had recruited Clark to our team, and we were assisting him in becoming the superhero that he is today, when I was making modifications to my time travel device, and found myself blasted back here.” He smiled slightly, a soft, genuine smile that only appeared whenever he talked to or about Superman. “He is both my teammate, and my best friend.”
This Kryptonian deserved to have the full answer, after all, not the abridged one he had been gifting everyone else with.
Gentle smile still in place, he addressed the other once more. “Do you have any further questions?” He had plenty of patience; he could wait a bit until he was able to ask his own.
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Post by Superboy on Feb 7, 2012 12:47:18 GMT -5
The alien's first answer led him to more questions than conclusions. He was talking about timelines, and Superman being at 'the correct age', which made no sense at all and simply served to frustrate him. Luckily the answer to his second question came before he could voice this annoyance, and it was a lot more helpful than the first in filling him in.
So from what he understood, he was supposed to believe that this being was actually a time traveler from the future, who, in the future, trains Superman to be how he is today... but in the middle of all of this, the time traveler accidentally put himself back here, where Superman was already trained by him in the future? Made perfect sense.
But was it the truth?
He had been listening for a heart rate while the alien was talking, but he didn't pick anything up. That might have been because he didn't have a heart, or, equally possible, because he hadn't got the hang of homing in on sounds that well yet, let alone detecting the tiny fluctuations in a pulse that would expose a lie. So he had nothing but this stranger's word to go on.
He crossed his arms and shifted his weight, and quirked an eyebrow at his alien friend, clearly making mental calculations about how to handle the situation. Innocent until proven guilty seemed the most fitting sentence. He would remain suspicious of him until he had some solid evidence either way, but he saw no reason to carry on grilling this kid. If he was here to cause trouble in any way, if he was lying about his story, it would likely come out eventually. If not, then Conner had no intentions of alienating (he shuddered inwardly at his accidental pun) the one person who he might actually have something in common with.
"Well," He responded, when the alien asked for further questions, "I think that just about covers it. But yeah, I've got one more: You got a name?" He stuck his hand out to shake. "I'm Conner. Conner Kent." And with that, he predicted that it would be his turn to supply the answers.
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Post by Brainiac 5 on Feb 7, 2012 15:09:00 GMT -5
As the other shifted position, Brainy gazed right back, a slight amusement in his gaze as the other measured him up. It seemed that he either found something, or came to a decision, for he spoke up again in response to his question. Oh, his name? Ah, they would finally get around to it! As he suspected, the other introduced himself to Brainy first, so now he could retrieve the information.
Connor Kent, Connor Kent…
The name scanned through his databanks, revealing images taken from ancient history books, pages and data catalogued, quirky tidbits that had been interesting to him, hypotheses that had long since been proven or disproved, along with their percentages, observations that had been made both in person and reading, questions, answers, all wrapped up in an inorganic mental projection that was the same as the being that sat before him.
Of course!
Eyes lighting up as his databanks revealed the information in a manner of seconds, Brainiac 5 smiled slightly, both a combination of the relaxation he felt around one who bore such a resemblance and relationship to Superman, and the fact that he knew what was going on, and could therefore feel more secure. “You are Superboy, of course! The clone!” The satisfaction and slight excitement that he had felt were clearly heard in his tone. “I have read about you.”
Though, now he had to give his own name… He hesitated slightly, before taking the other’s hand to shake, praying that this would not end in him being attacked. “I am Brainiac 5.0.”
This would either turn out very good, or very bad. There was only a 10.3% chance of something in between the two.
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Post by Superboy on Feb 7, 2012 16:33:13 GMT -5
"Brainiac..." Conner echoed the name as they shook hands, as if testing it, or contemplating the word.
"I guess that means we know who the more intelligent one between us is then." He made this comment with a lighthearted smirk playing on his features, "And 5.0, so I take it you are some kind of android. Unless Brainiacs 1 through 4 were siblings of yours." He had guessed that he might not have been totally organic, but that was only based on his appearance. The only other aliens he had ever met were Superman, who looked just like him, and the Martian Manhunter. Come to think of it, he was green too. Perhaps the kryptonians and the humans were the odd ones out in the universe.
"History archives, eh?" He asked, withdrawing his hand and placing it back into his pocket, taking a more casual stance than the slightly defensive one he had boasted a few seconds ago, "Nice to know I'm remembered..."
He realized that if he had read about him in the future, then there was a chance he knew his entire life story - everything that was ahead of him. If he was robotic, he might not even have forgotten it. Perhaps he had it stored away in his... hard drive, or whatever it was in the place of his brain.
He was struck by the urge to ask him if he did it. If one day, he took over for Superman after he was gone. If he made the hero everyone expected him to be. Knowing 'yes' or 'no' for definite would certainly take the weight of the world off of his shoulders. But he understood time well enough to know what a paradox was, and how easy it would be to mess everything up just be knowing something he shouldn't. So he didn't ask.
But maybe he didn't need to, really. If he was in the history books, he must have done something worth writing about. Unless he was just a footnote in the life of the original Superman.
He was thinking in circles, and it wasn't getting him anywhere, so he put the matter out of his mind completely. "Well, Brainiac 5.0," He said, "Sorry to disappoint, but I'm the closest you're going to find to Superman in Smallville these days. The... original hasn't lived here in years. He's probably in Metropolis, or hanging with the Justice League, doing whatever it is big-shot superheroes do. I'm sure it isn't farm work..." This last part he grumbled as a discontented side-note to himself.
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Post by Brainiac 5 on Feb 7, 2012 17:05:47 GMT -5
Thank goodness, it did not appear that the other knew his name. There could be several factors in that: Namely, that he was not in the know and would not know of the Brainiacs (75.4%), that Brainiac 1.0 had not appeared yet in the timeline (82.1%), or that he simply did not know the name of Brainiac (65.3%). Either way, no matter what hypothesis it was, Brainiac 5 was thankful, simply because he did not wish to get in a fight with a Kryptonian. Especially one that was a partial clone of Superman.
“Yes, that would be a fairly accurate term in your language,” he informed the other with a slight smile on his face. “But ‘Brainiac’ is a term given to Coluans with a twelfth level intelligence, the highest possible.” All of Earth combined, in the 31st century, was a ninth level intelligence. Not that he would state that, as it could offend him, and sound conceited.
Of course, he did not mention that it was given to those Coluans because there was a high probability (92.4% chance) that they would go completely, dangerously insane, and that all of them had been his ancestors, of the Dox line, so much that he and his mother, Brainiac 4, were the only remainders of that line. Though she had not yet caused the amount of damage that her predecessors had, so perhaps there were different levels of insanity… Something to ponder another time.
He nodded at the statement. “I conduct much research on the Kryptonians, as well as superheroes of the past.” Brainy’s smile turned slightly sheepish as he glanced away for a moment. “I apologize for not recognizing you immediately, but data that I had collected about you was stored far enough back in my databanks that I could not access it with my conscious mind.”
It was reasonable, of course, because he could not keep all of his information close to the surface, but it was becoming annoying, the more and more he interacted with past heroes that he could not remember the details of. Tonight, unless he was still in the process of flying back to San Francisco, he would have to go through them and bring his historical data on heroes from the 21st century back to near the forefront of his databanks, so he could access them more easily. Yes, that would be a good plan of action.
In truth, he half expected the other to question him on his future, as he recalled that the being before him had suffered through much turmoil, and he did not wish to perhaps deny him it, but thankfully, he did not ask, and his small smile grew a bit warmer at that, as the other began to speak.
“I suppose that he shall not be my ally for this time, then,” Brainiac replied, slightly disappointed, but yet expecting it. The other seemed… discontent, somehow, so the Coluan decided to attempt to cheer him up, if only slightly. “You would be surprised at how much hero work is quite menial,” he told the older boy, small smile in place. “Superman often, or, well, did often, complain to me when I had him go through one too many combat simulations, or too many patrols, when he wished to be off gallivanting.”
Then, with a slight, hesitant pause, he followed up with a simple statement. “My allies call me Brainy, Connor Kent.”
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Post by Superboy on Feb 7, 2012 18:04:14 GMT -5
While Conner had no frame of reference for how clever 'twelfth level' was, being named one of the cleverest beings on your home planet was pretty impressive.
"It's okay," He half-laughed at Brainiac's needless apology for having not recognized him for who he actually was, "I'm pretty much used to only being recognized as Clark Kent, but that's hardly surprising, given that... well, you know." He gestured to his face, indicating his resemblance. He didn't mention how irritating it was, though, that everyone thought he was Clark at first. It was an easy mistake to make, of course, and it was nobody's fault really... but after a while the constant references just became a reminder of who he was supposed to be.
Although Conner was thankful that Brainiac 5 seemed to want to cheer him up about his situation, he could only look skeptically at him when he was told about Superman's complaints. "You have no idea." He said, "Patrol? Combat training? I'd give my... I'd give..." He looked around for something he could give, and his eyes landed on his left arm, which he raised up between them, "I'd give my left hand to go a round of combat training. I'm going insane here, and there's only so many times I can jump over to Metropolis for a break before Mrs. Kent calls Superman on me..."
He realized the subtext of what he had just said a split second after the words left his lips. "Not that I'm scared of him, or anything like that." He amended, "It's just..." He seemed to struggle with finding words for a moment, but then he just gave up and shrugged, "Sorry. I didn't mean to unload on you like this. I don't really have anyone to talk to around here, that's all, and especially not about Superman." And considering that was what was on his mind most of the time, it wasn't surprising that he felt like he was going to go crazy.
He smiled again when he was informed of the nickname, which was a lot nicer than calling him 'Brainiac 5.0' every time. "Well it's nice to meet you, Brainy." He said, "I don't really have any allies, but if I did, they'd just call me Conner."
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Post by Brainiac 5 on Feb 7, 2012 22:12:45 GMT -5
He nodded, understanding. Even though the other was only half of Superman’s clone, he looked very similar to the other Kryptonian, enough that many, including himself, would mistake him for that. Brainy understood, though not in the same way. Unless he was with the Legion, recognized as a superhero, it was always anti-Coluan. He was never Brainiac 5.0, though he knew that he would likely be treated worse if they knew he was a Brainiac, and had the potential to snap at any given moment, but they saw a Coluan. It did get kind of old.
“I understand,” the Coluan simply stated, and he did.
It seemed that his attempt in cheering him up did not suffice, however, and Brainy listened to him go on, an idea developing in his mind. …Could he? He was not training Superman at the moment, nor making sure that his team trained enough, and though it would delay him in rebuilding his Time Bubble, he could always go back to the exact moment when he left, so… It would not affect that at all, only him. Something to ponder.
He was released from the task of replying after that when Superboy quickly followed himself up on his statement, and Brainiac 5.0 smiled slightly, understanding what he was getting at. “It is fine,” he replied, extending one arm so that he could pat the other slightly on the shoulder, before bringing it back to its normal state beside him. “I am willing to listen to whatever you wish to say, I do not mind.” No, he did not. Besides, he understand, having no one to really talk to about his… life (though Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl knew far more than he wished them to).
“Who says you do not, Connor?” he asked rhetorically, though he was slightly surprised. What of Superman? Did he not count as an ally? (53.4%) Was something… more than an ally? (81.2%) Superboy currently did not know what to think of him? (87.4%) Interesting…
With that, he hesitated slightly, before speaking. “I may not have the equipment and means that I have in my time,” Brainiac 5.0 spoke up, his voice and expression carefully controlled as he watched the other for his reactions. “But I am not averse to training another Kryptonian for a bit, if he is ready to learn.”
He was assisting in the training of Superman, after all. He could handle Superboy.
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Post by Superboy on Feb 8, 2012 14:08:58 GMT -5
Brainy's comment about whether or not he did have allies prompted Conner to think about the matter, but it didn't take long to come to a conclusion, given that he'd thought about it plenty before. With his life as mundane as it was right now, his thoughts tended to play out in a cycle, repeating themselves over and over again, and the question of his 'allies' and where he stood was a prominent one.
"The term 'ally' denotes a person, group or organization that co-operates or helps another." He recited. His mind might not have been as organized and mechanical as Brainy's, but he did have some pretty useful programming of his own. A dictionary came as standard. "Alright, the Justice League and Superman helped me, but I haven't had a chance to help them. If they are my allies, I'm not theirs. And I know I could be if they'd let me..." It was a good thing he'd said that he didn't mind listening to Conner's problems, because he was getting an earful of them already. It did make him feel bad. He didn't want to be all whiny about his problems. It was just coming naturally.
If Brainy hadn't just claimed to have trained Superman, his offer that came next to train him too would have probably prompted a laugh. To look at him, his new friend wasn't exactly an imposing sight. He was short, his limbs were like sticks. Sure, he was a brilliant thinker, he'd accept that, but surely it took at least a little muscle to go with the mind when it came to training a superhero.
But if what he was saying was true - if he had trained the Man of Steel himself, then there must have been something more to Brainiac 5.0 than met the eye. Although he considered this mentally, his reaction to the words came immediately, in the form of his eyes widening a little and tilting his head forward in a default position he'd picked up recently and that he understood meant, roughly, 'Are you serious?!' "You would really train me?" He asked, not believing his luck, "You don't mind? I mean, I understand, you've got to get back to the 31st century, I don't want to be taking up your time when you could be working on that..."
But of course every fiber of his being was hoping that Brainy would cast his protests away and tell him that he would be happy to help. This was exactly what he needed. If Superman wouldn't teach him how to do what he was born to do, maybe Superman's teacher would. Was that somehow even better?
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Post by Brainiac 5 on Feb 8, 2012 15:54:07 GMT -5
Interesting. It appeared that either the clone was far more intelligent than he appeared (56.4%), he had a habit of memorization (47.2%), or it was some sort of side-effect from being a clone (87.6%). It was something that Brainiac wished to know the exact reason why, simply because it interested him very much, but that questioning could wait for another time. Right now, there were more important things to focus on.
“A valid point,” Brainy conceded. “Though I did not ask who you were an ally to.” Hopefully, the slight amusement in his tone, as well as his small smile, would take any possible sting, for this was not like it was with his teammates, when he was irritated with them and felt forced to correct them. No, this was one of those instances in which he could honestly just not help himself, as it was complete habit to correct people. After all, if he did not, how was his team to learn?
He hesitated, slightly, before speaking. He would not be giving anything important away, and would be preserving the timeline. The Coluan could say that much. “You will,” he simply stated, his mind referencing back to all the time wiled away at the history books, and his delight in finding out what had become of all of the superheroes. Oh, the other would have trouble ahead of him, it would not be perfect, but he would turn out alright, in the end.
Perhaps this was why he was here? To set the other on that path, to make sure he was fine? It could be a stable time loop…
…And there was the surprise. Brainy had to admit that he felt a little smug, and let a small smile rest on his face, at the fact that he managed to make the other react like this. It would be nice to train someone that truly wanted to learn, even though it would be harder without his equipment, versus his teammates who always complained that he made them train too much.
“I do not age like you do, and I can simply transport myself back to the exact time that I left, so it will not make a difference to anyone but myself,” the Coluan explained, glad that he had made the choice to come to Smallville. “Though my training will not be as effective as if I had my simulations…” Yes, that was troublesome. Fortunately, it was not the sort of thing that stopped a twelfth-level genius, especially a twelve-year-old one.
“But I can always be your opponent, and before we did anything even as remotely conceptual as that operation, you need to learn basic aerodynamic skills, how to rely on things other than brute force… Or have you been training yourself?” It would be interesting to see what the other had been up to…
Quite frankly, he could not imagine anyone that shared genetics with Superman to be lackadaisical about his powers. He recalled many a story of Clark practicing, trying not to draw attention to himself…
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