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Post by Brainiac 5 on Feb 26, 2012 9:39:06 GMT -5
A small, soft smile ended up adorning Brainy’s face as the other laughed, a happy, rich sound that made him, well, kind of happy. He never usually ended up inspiring such feelings in others, with witnesses to the few jokes that he made, for they usually rolled their eyes, groaned, and in some of his closer… friends’ cases, gave him a good natured slap on the back, while telling him to stay away from humor. It apparently wasn’t his gift.
Neither were social situations in general, something which made sense, honestly. Wasn’t like he interacted with anyone until the Time Institute.
He remained quiet, though, thoughts whirring in his head. Despite the fact that he had already deemed the matter of asking Superboy once they were on earth a fact, it still wasn’t anything set. Did he inquire while they were doing ‘chores’? Wait until they were finished? Simply… not ask? That was a decision that was tough to make. He would likely only have one chance.
And then there was also the matter of him changing the timeline. In all likelihood, because he had not ceased to exist, and he had not been able to detect any tear in the timeline, this had already happened, and was supposed to. Unfortunately, seeing as it was not recorded in history, he couldn’t skim back through his databanks and figure out what choice was the best. It was… a difficult task.
Blinking in surprise as the other murmured, and then taking in the sight of the red barn, Brainy glanced at Connor, brow furrowing slightly. “Do you need help with your landing?” he asked, hoping it was a ‘no’. He wasn’t sure how much help he would be with such a matter. “Or can you do it on your own?”
The other had to have landed before, of course, what with his ‘jumping’, but judging from the middle of their spar earlier, he wasn’t very good at it. It could have just been the surprise, though, the Coluan would give him that.
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Post by Superboy on Feb 26, 2012 16:36:43 GMT -5
"No." Came the instant, almost defensive reply to Brainy's offer. "No, I can definitely handle this. No problem." That said, he looked back down to the barn, looking very slightly concerned. He had made a supreme mess of just about everything Brainy had wanted him to do today. He was determined to do this - a simple landing, at least - to prove that he wasn't totally a lost cause. Hell, if Brainy wasn't a friend of Superman's, he probably would have abandoned the training after the fiasco with the trees.
And landing - how hard could something like that be? He told himself that taking off was the hard part, and he'd figured out how to do that easy enough, eventually. So this was just the reverse, right?
He kept on flying until it was time to begin the steady downward arc toward the farm. That was easy enough, it was just changing the direction of the imaginary clouds that were pulling him along. Controlling his speed was the important thing. That, and the actual stopping part. One problem at a time though.
He slowed his descent as they went down, though not too much - he didn't want to look hesitant. Keeping his eyes on the slowly growing point on the ground that he had selected as his landing area, he also tried to pay attention to his flight buddy in his peripheral vision, watching him to see if he was being watched back.
He kept up his slow drop to the ground until he was about five above the surface, and then he called the mental command for his clouds to stop. Then he re-imagined the invisible floor under his feet, and when he felt it solid underneath him, he ceased imagining the clouds and was able to stand comfortably five feet in the air. He was going to go ahead and use his staircase routine again, but evidently decided that it wasn't worth it for this distance, and so instead he simply stopped imagining his floor, and dropped the last five feet to the ground, landing easily on both feet.
"Flying." He said, dusting his hands off, though he obviously hadn't touched anything since leaving the ground, so it was more an expression of satisfaction than anything "Check." Alright, so hitting the ground without going through it might not have been cause for celebration, but considering his track record as of today, Conner was willing to count it as a success.
He turned his eyes to the barn, and then to the house that was to the other side. Now, did he announce his arrival to Mrs. Kent, and introduce (or re-introduce) Brainy? That would be the polite thing to do, probably. But he had never been one for social regulations. He knew the chores he had to get on with, so surely it was best to just get on with them.
"Okay, there's not too much to do. With two of us we'll be finished in no time." He told Brainy as he started his walk toward the barn, leading the way.
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Post by Brainiac 5 on Feb 27, 2012 19:29:30 GMT -5
Blinking in surprise at the vehement answer, Brainy nodded. “Very well.” He had merely been offering his assistance, no need to be all abrupt… Though that was rather hypocritical of him. If someone had been being condescending towards him and his abilities, unless it was someone he was very close to, he would’ve reacted just as snappily, if not more. He didn’t have the greatest amount of patience, of course not.
But at least Superboy was trying, something which most of those he dealt with did not do, or applied themselves in a horribly wrong way that made his job worse (like trying to fix a toaster when they had no technical skills whatsoever). This was fine.
So instead of offering his assistance, the Coluan watched the other as he slowed down, just to be sure. It wasn’t for any sort of safety reasons, no; the other was Kryptonian, and unless there was Kryptonite hiding down at the farm below, he would be fine. No, it was more of a data-collection effort. After all, the other had used very interesting methods so far to be able to control himself while mid-flight, and he was curious to see what he would do now. He was a scientist, first and foremost, and this was another experiment.
It appeared that the other was doing… whatever he had been before, with the stair-like movements, except he just paused and dropped. Interesting… Floating down gently beside the clone as the other dusted his hands, Brainy spoke up with his query. “What exactly are you doing when you pause in mid-air?” he questioned, curious. After all, any new form of information (unless it contradicted something he knew very well, in which case he threw a fit) was welcome, and the robot wished to know what exactly it was. After all, what if another Legionaire had this problem, far in the future? He could share Superboy’s method, then.
Besides, he was curious. And one did not deprive a curious Coluan of answers when they cared enough to speak up and ask them.
Waiting as the other seemed to think about something (he knew how annoying it was to be interrupted when one was working on something, whether mentally or physically, so he would not speak up), Querl fell into step with him, looking up at the taller boy as he asked another question. “What exactly do these ‘chores’ entail?” he asked, unsure. “I know that they are not pleasant, and consist of much cleaning, but aside from that…” Brainy shrugged lightly. “I am unaware.”
Which wasn’t a pleasant experience for him. He liked to always know what was going on.
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Post by Superboy on Mar 1, 2012 15:53:58 GMT -5
It wasn't surprising that Brainy was curious about his method of flight. Even without having known him long, Conner got the impression that Brainy was the kind of person who liked to be in the know - who preferred his questions to be answered. Why else would be spend time reading through history books about long-dead heroes of the past?
"Oh, well," He said, looking at the ring on his finger. He hadn't taken it off since landing and he'd remained on the ground, which made him think that he had achieved some sort of control over it. "When I thought about words, it seemed like the ideas got exaggerated somehow, so when I thought 'up'... well, you saw for yourself what happened. So, instead of thinking of words, I started thinking of objects." To demonstrate, he gave a little hop, and, as he reached the height of the movement, imagined that the ground rose up about a foot to meet him, so that when he came back down again, he landed on an invisible platform a foot off the ground. "I can imagine the feel of the floor under my feet, imagine the feeling of balance..." He explained, shifting his feet around in the air, "It just works." He let the invisible platform vanish from his mind and he dropped back down to the ground again. He hoped Brainy wouldn't be irritated that he was using his invention in a strange new way. But then again, why would he be? It did the trick, and that was the important thing, wasn't it?
Brainy's other question reminded him of the fact that he was actually out of his comfort zone, not only in terms of time, but also in terms of place. Conner highly doubted that they had farms like this one in the future, so why would Brainy know what needed to be done? For once, there was something that Conner knew that Brainy didn't fully understand yet. That was interesting.
"I took care of some of them this morning," He replied, as they approached the barn, "But we still need to collect some eggs, make sure everyone gets fed and watered, and there's some repairs that needs making to the upper floor of the barn..." He added this last with an almost guilty tone, "I kind of broke it... By accident." He explained, looking back to his friend. "I discovered that throwing things from one level to another was faster than walking up and down the stairs. Then I discovered the drawbacks..."
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Post by Brainiac 5 on Mar 1, 2012 18:03:20 GMT -5
That was… interesting. It meant that Connor was a more visual person than Superman was, by far, and Querl wondered briefly if that was a result of Lex Luthor’s genetic code, or something that was him and him alone. He knew how much a genetic code, even if it only made up a very minute amount of you, affected a person, and it made him wonder. Ah well, it was something that he could choose to analyze later on. It appeared that, as usual, he was gaining many aspects for his mind to puzzle over. Shelving that to his eighth level, the Coluan replied.
“An interesting method,” he stated, not sharing his thoughts on it. If the other wished to know, he would inquire, simple as that. “If any future Legionaires seem to have such a problem, I will be certain to share that solution.” It was unlikely, less, but if they got one with an intellect of five or less, or an overactive imagination, well…
Attempting to try such an act for himself, Brainy flitted slightly up in the air, mimicking Superboy’s actions, and thought of the image of the ground below him… No, he was still floating. Switching the thoughts over to a description of a 5’ by 4’ cube, made out of titanium, and letting the thoughts ramble on in his head as he described, using words, all of the nass that made it up, the Coluan found himself standing in mid-air, before he lightly fell through it, landing on the ground gracefully.
“I cannot do such an action in images and feelings, it appears,” the robot elaborated, falling right back into step with a small frown on his face. “Only when words were used… It will require practice.” It would… annoy him, to not be able to do such a thing. It should be fairly simple.
He would have to be such a squaj to not be able to get it soon.
Collecting eggs from chickens. Everyone? Animals, make sure the animals had sufficient food and water. Fixing a barn. It sounded very much like the planet Winath, both from his knowledge on it and the stories that Garth told. Interesting. “I see,” he replied, giving a half-smile at the explanation. “A common action of Kryptonians under a yellow sun. Superman is overly fond of smashing through walls.” He had repaired them, he would know.
He ‘hmm-ed’ lightly, considering the matter of the tasks that lay ahead, before speaking up. “I will repair the floor, a simple matter.” Querl paused for a moment, before he continued. “You will have to… direct me to what needs to be completed after that.”
It stung him, not knowing entirely what he was getting into, as he stepped into the barn, eyes immediately dilating and readjusting themselves to the difference in light, with only one thirty-second of a moment used up. However, he was sure he could deal with feeding and watering the animals. After all, he had taken care of Koko. She had been a handle. Nothing else could truly compare.
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Post by Superboy on Mar 3, 2012 15:14:03 GMT -5
Huh. So he had achieved something with ease that Brainy would need 'practice' to match. Now that was something. It didn't make him feel much better after the day's training fiasco, especially since Brainy didn't need to learn his 'method' to be able to fly. He could just do it the regular way. Conner only invented his imaginary stairs and clouds and whatever else because it was the only thing that worked. Oh well. Little victories, right?
"Sure thing." He smiled in response to his friend when he was told that he would need directing. Automatically, he filed the new information about Superman that he was given away in his head, in that corner where he was compiling the list of things about his 'father' that he would have to deal with sometime. This particular fact went under the sub-heading 'Stuff that we share'. Considering he was a clone, this section was surprisingly sparse - but maybe that was because he didn't know enough about him to fill it yet.
He wondered if he should ask Brainy about Superman. Having trained him, the Coluan probably knew a lot more about him and could give him a better idea of who he really was - rather than just 'the leader of the Justice League and one of Earth's greatest defenders'. For all the facts and figures he'd been given, that was really all he knew.
Reaching out with both hands, he pushed the barn doors open and led the way inside. After the brightness of the daylight outside, it was relatively dingy in here, though one of the doors on the opposite end of the barn had been left open, and through this more light was able to flood in and illuminate the room.
There were five stalls to the right of the entrance, three of which contained cows, the other two were empty, aside from a scattering of hay that intruded out into the main floor area. There were more bales of hay stacked (reasonably) neatly to the left, and beside those, an old workbench that was covered with tools. Beside that, an old metal cabinet, and beside that, the rickety wooden stairs that led to the upper floor. Looking up, the railing that bordered this upper floor could be seen surrounding them from above, except in one spot, where the wood had been shattered along with a portion of the flooring it had been joined to. It couldn’t be seen from down here, but most of the upper floor was empty space. His space, actually. Something he had inherited from his predecessor – apparently Superman liked to chill up there while he lived on the farm, and so he had had his own space cleared and some possessions moved in. Conner didn’t get the attraction of sitting up in a barn when he could be outside somewhere, so he hadn’t been up there much himself.
The rest of the space on the ground floor was completed by a wide area which contained an old tractor that sat to the side in disuse, and little else.
Conner crossed the space from one side of the barn to the other and opened the other set of doors completely too, letting in more light. With light coming in from both sides and the wide window high above them, it wasn’t an unpleasant place to be.
He pointed to the part of the upper floor railing that had been smashed in.
“That’s the… uh… damage.” He said, “Obviously…” He had been planning to fix it himself, of course. Now he had backup, which he wasn’t going to complain about.
That clarified, he turned his attention to the hay that was scattered across the floor and frowned at it. How did it even get there? The horses were still out in the field, and the cows were shut in… he could swear that these animals had superpowers of their own sometimes. He went to the metal cabinet and retrieved a wide broom that was leaning against it, and went about starting to sweep the hay back into its rightful place.
“I guess it’s not a bad deal.” He said, although Brainy hadn’t asked, “Some chores each day in exchange for getting to live in the real world.” Of course, the chores themselves were supposed to be teaching him something. The value of hard work, or whatever. “Smallville’s definitely a step up from the Watchtower. But I don’t plan to stay here long.” He added, pausing in his sweeping to make this point perfectly clear, “If they think I’m mucking out stalls and feeding chickens for the rest of my life, they are sorely mistaken…” They probably didn’t think that. He doubted they intended to keep him here forever, just until he’d learned whatever lesson he was supposed to be learning by living on a farm and going to high school with normal people. Hm. Maybe it would be a while…
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Post by Brainiac 5 on Mar 3, 2012 15:34:41 GMT -5
Good, Superboy was both not making a big deal out of his needing of direction, and was being agreeable. He let a small, half-smile rest on his face, as he nodded slightly at the statement, figuring that that was something he should do. After all, Connor was being quite nice, not mocking him for not being able to do the same method that he could, nor finding it funny that a twelfth-level was accepting instruction from one who was probably a seventh level, at the very most. Perhaps an eighth level, considering he was a clone, but Brainiac 5 had yet to see any evidence of that.
His first thought, as he surveyed the barn, was that it was very… primitive. Highly different from how Garth described Winiath, at minimum. “Much has changed in agriculture in a thousand years,” he simply stated, an out loud observation that was more for his companion’s benefit than his own, however much he enjoyed talking to himself (something with Triplicate Girl had assured him was not insanity, but she was not the best judge of that particular feature). Absentmindedly, in an instinct that he never not followed, all the little details that made up the barn were filed away, from the exact placement of the hay to the smell that seemed to seep into the very essence of the barn.
Well. He’d certainly make a good poet, should he choose to apply himself in such a fashion.
Following Connor’s hand to the part he had absentmindedly noted, Querl surveyed it. “It will be a simple task,” he told the other, slightly disappointed that it would not be more work. “I have been forced to repair far worse.” With that, he flew up to the rafters, and proceeded to hang upside from one of them, hair falling around his head, in his standard work position. One hand formed into a sander, to make his job easier, while the other formed a vacuum to suck up any shavings or dust, which he could later convert into actual wood to support the beam, hence this being his first option.
It felt… nice, to be able to tinker again, if in such a primitive way.
He paused, as the other talked, listening, and figured that he’d have no better opening that this. So, with his focus carefully on the rafter that he was now cutting, in order to remove the broken pieces of wood and make it fit more snugly together, and in a carefully bland and apathetic tone, as if he had no idea how much his words would impact the other, Brainy spoke. “Would you wish to traverse with me back to Jump City?” he inquired, not even looking in the direction of the clone. “It is my current base of operations, and I am sure I could convince the Kents…”
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Post by Superboy on Mar 3, 2012 16:16:49 GMT -5
Having swept the worst of the hay back into a semblance of order, Conner was thoughtfully bouncing the broom handle between his hands when Brainy gave his response, and although he delivered it in this nonchalant way - it was just a thought that had happened to cross his mind, is how it sounded - his words were enough to make him miss the broom as it swung back to his right hand so that he had to make a couple of quick grabs at it as it fell through the air before it could clatter to the floor. Once he had managed to grab it, he looked back up at his robotic companion, who was currently hanging from the rafters like some sort of bizarre green bat. The combination of this perplexing sight and the words he had just offered were enough to have Conner hesitating for a few bedazzled moments before he felt like he could safely respond.
"Jump City?" He echoed, partially to make sure he had heard him correctly, mostly because voicing the thought would help it sink in for him. He had not been to Jump City before. He didn't know much about it - except its exact geographical location, its complete history, and the important political figures who currently had a hand in running it. This information began pouring into his brain out of nowhere when he considered the name of the place. But one fact that he did remember - something he had discovered while on the Watchtower and had made sure to remember - was that Jump City was watched over by the Teen Titans, a kind of... wannabe Justice League, if he remembered correctly. So it wasn't Metropolis, not if it was looked after by a bunch of kids in costumes... but maybe that was a good thing. Jump City: A Stepping Stone. Yesterday, the Watchtower, today, Smallville, tomorrow, Jump, and the day after that, Metropolis.
Jump City. The more he considered the name, the fonder he became of the place. "That would be..." He began to reply slowly, still deep in thought as he did so. He finally looked away from the hanging Brainy to replace the broom where he had found it. He then crossed to the stalls where the cows were kept, and went about unlocking the gates. "Do you really think you could convince them?" He asked, deciding that getting his hopes up before he knew he could actually go would be the worst move to make. "I mean, I'm here because Superman put me here. It's one thing telling Martha Kent that I'm ready to move on to somewhere like Jump, but what about what he wants...?"
He led the cows to the door of the barn, his eyes scanning the floor as he walked, his brain still ticking over the matter. "It would be perfect for me." He said, "Somewhere like Jump, not as big as Metropolis or Gotham... but somewhere I can make a name for myself. My own name... I could get out of Smallville and stop walking in the same old footsteps. And you'd really help me get there?" He asked, allowing the smallest glimmer of hope and excitement to invade his voice, which he had been struggling to keep objective and calm since the thought of moving away had been raised.
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Post by Brainiac 5 on Mar 3, 2012 16:45:01 GMT -5
The pause in conversation, with Connor not saying anything, seemed to be very, well, heavy, and Brainy hesitated slightly in his cutting, glancing down only to meet the other’s eyes. They were the widest, and most hopeful that he had seen them yet, even from before, when he had offered to train him. They reminded him of how Superman looked when they took him on a tour through their headquarters, and how he looked when he realized that the Superman the Superman museum was about was really him.
It was almost painful to look at.
He nodded slowly at the other’s echoing of the location, tearing his gaze away to focus on getting rid of the last chips of wood, sucking them up into his hand, before, inside said hand, he began to merge them. “Yes, Jump City,” Brainy replied, as if he didn’t know what kind of hope, or turmoil, or any sort of emotion that was probably confusing Superboy so much at that moment. “I have managed to procure allies there.”
At the next question and statement, Querl frowned, still hanging up in the rafters, and proceeded to go into what Bouncing Boy dubbed ‘snarky mode’. “Connor. I managed to convince them, when Superman was eighteen and not yet Superman, that I, a robotic alien, was so not a threat or anomaly that I was let into their house, patted on the head, offered pie, and then allowed to take their son a thousand years into the future, with full consent.” With that, he glanced down at Connor, lifting an eyebrow. “I’m sure I can convince them to let me take you somewhere within this timeline.”
And, just in case that answer was not sufficient enough, he gave another. “Of course, if that is not enough, we can always go without their consent, and once I have finished my Time Bubble, I can return you here, with no time having passed.” He paused, though, and tacked on another statement. “I assume that would not be preferable, however?” Neither would wiping their minds into thinking that Superboy did not exist. While he would like such a method, as it cleared room for errors, it wouldn’t hold up. Superman would remember, and if he inquired…
Well, Brainy did not wish to face an angry Kryptonian, especially when such a lifeform was his best friend. And that was another matter. “Besides, he is my best friend. I would…” he hesitated slightly, but forged onward. “I would hope he would trust my judgement, however vast the years are between us now.” He didn’t even want to think about his Clark, his wonderful, gangly, funny, PB&J making Clark growing up into someone that was to be idolized from a distance. Not someone to make jokes with, or talk about fears with, or even discuss his mother’s habits of scrapbooking with.
His hand forming a mold for the perfect piece of wood that it promptly ejected, as he fitted it into place and welded the wood together, Brainy found himself smiling a small smile, as Superboy talked. “Of course I would,” the Coluan stated, stretching his arms out so that he could proceed with his method all over again, from his same upside-down angle. He paused, hesitated, and then, in a carefully controlled and measured voice, spoke up with a saying that Clark had used. The first time he had heard it, he had frozen. “What are friends for?”
Friends. He had never used it to refer to himself. He was pretty sure he was incapable of being a friend. But… maybe he could appear to be one.
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Post by Superboy on Mar 3, 2012 17:21:59 GMT -5
Conner stood, awkwardly looking up at him from the floor. He could have been out collecting eggs, scattering feed and rounding up the horses by now, but he figured he was excused from his duties while they were discussing something as important as his immediate future. No, he didn't want to leave this conversation for a second.
He wasn't sure if the 'allies' Brainy spoke of were the Teen Titans he had heard of, but even if they weren't, anybody who was a friend of Brainy's, he decided he would like to meet. He was, after all, part of the world that he wanted to enter - the world of superpowers and alien robots and saving lives.
As for his first question, it sounded like Brainy had it all figured out already, which wasn't surprising in the slightest. Of course, even if it came to convincing Superman himself of this, rather than just Mrs. Kent, Brainy had been his teacher, even if Superman was technically older and more experienced than him now, Conner was sure that he wouldn't say no to an old friend.
Of everything Brainy said, though, it was his last, simple statement that prompted a response. "Friends, huh?" Conner said, considering the word and its connotations with a half-smile. He had referred to Brainy as a 'friend' on the phone to Mrs. Kent, but he had used the term in a throwaway sense, mainly because it was easier than explaining the situation as it actually was. Hearing Brainy admit his own status of 'friend' made Conner realize that actually, he was his friend. "I guess you're the first one I've ever had..." He admitted, "I think I could get used to it."
He walked back toward the open doors of the barn, deciding that he did need to actually do some work. "That's that then. Jump City, here we come..." He added, bringing the topic back to the plan. It was hard to believe what a massive twist this day had been in his life, and it was all because of Brainiac 5. This realization caused him to stop in the doorway, hesitate a moment, before speaking again over his shoulder, not quite looking at Brainy himself but speaking in his direction, "Thanks." He said, "For this. For the training, flying, and everything. It, uh... means a lot. So. Thanks..." This sentiment seemed to be getting more awkward and difficult to present as an actual sentence the longer he talked, and eventually it devolved into "Eggs. I'm going to get the uh... yeah. Eggs..." He hesitated a moment longer, before disappearing out through the door.
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Post by Brainiac 5 on Mar 4, 2012 7:53:19 GMT -5
He nodded at the question, despite the fact that Connor was likely not looking at him. Brainy did not know. He kept his eyes carefully trained on the task before him, the cutting away and vacuuming of the fragments of wood. However, as the other made his next statement, he, and his tools, stuttered to a halt, and Brainy craned his neck, elongating it so that his head was now turned upright, closer to the floor than his position in the rafters, looking at the other with wide eyes. “I… am your first friend?” he asked, disbelieving. It was not a fate he would wish on anyone, to have a Coluan, any Coluan, as their first friend.
They did not make the best of friends, and he was absolutely no exception to that rule.
At least Kon-El seemed to focus easily at what was at hand, as Brainy brought his head back and refocused on his task. Yes, Jump City. Making the offer had worked far better than Brainiac 5 had calculated, though he was certain that it had both to do with the fact that he was currently assisting him, and the almost perfect point of conversation that he had been given. It was almost eerie, actually, how well his offer had flowed into their conversation…
However, it seemed that Superboy was not done, causing the robot to blink in surprise at the direction of the conversation. Had he possessed the ability to do so, he likely would’ve blushed at the words being offered up to him. As it was, he just shifted uncomfortably, turning his mechanical gaze upon Connor, who was not looking at him at all. Thanks? He had not gone out of his way to do this. It had been a relief, to instruct some training, like he was back home again, especially with the added fact that it caused him damage (Kryptonians could break him easily, it seemed). Flying? It had provided him with a unique method of flying that he would be forced to learn eventually, and no Kryptonian should ever be grounded. Bringing him to Jump City? He was a formidable ally, one that should prove to be a great assistance to him, and he could further perform his nostalgic training.
No, every single thing that Superboy was thanking him for was working in Querl’s favor, one way or another, so there was no need to thank him. He was just working with correct calculations.
Before he could make a statement, however, Connor scurried off for some eggs. “It was absolutely nothing,” he replied, though the clone was no longer in the barn. It did not matter. Unless he had learned to turn it off, then he would hear the Coluan’s statement.
And with that, he went back to fixing the upper floor. Just a few more shavings, and then he could begin to produce more wood…
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Post by Superboy on Mar 5, 2012 16:24:24 GMT -5
Deciding that he was not a sentimental person at heart, and that that was why his moment of thanks had been so awkward for him, Conner busied himself with scattering chicken feed, and then collecting the eggs from the vacated coop. These activities did not require a whole lot of concentration (though he hoped his next power would be super speed, mainly just to get the mundane jobs like these out of the way faster), and so his mind was free to wander. Predictably, his thoughts were occupied with Jump City, getting to move away from Smallville (a place which had presented him with nothing but frustration and listlessness since he arrived), and meeting other people, like Brainy, who could... well, not understand him. That was the wrong word. At least begin to identify with him, at least more than the humans could that had been his only interaction up until now. The more he thought about what was to come, the more he wanted to run into the house and say goodbye to Mrs. Kent. Not an 'I'll miss you and always remember you' kind of goodbye, that is, more of a 'So long, suckers!' goodbye.
No, now he was being unreasonable. Martha Kent had put a roof over his head, taken him in for no particular benefit of her own (he placed the last handful of eggs carefully in the crate with the rest), fed him and kept an eye on him. Okay, so she only did so because it was part of the JLA's plan to finish the creation of Superman 2.0, but even so, she had been good to him.
Pushing aside the stab of guilt he felt for thinking of how glad he would be to get away from here, he looked out across the fields that stretched out around the farm, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the radiating beams of the yellow sun that was now fairly low in the sky. He could see the horses trotting idly in the far corner. They looked calm enough now, but he knew that the minute he went to go and round them up to take them to the barn, they would take ridiculous amounts of pleasure in evading him for as long as they could. Animals, he had found, didn't tend to agree with him. Another thing he wouldn't miss in the city.
He sighed, and wondered if Brainiac 5 had had any experience wrangling horses. Probably not. Did they even have horses in the 31st Century? Maybe alien robot horses. Still, this was a job that would definitely go smoother with two people. They could corner them or something...
Holding the wide crate of eggs he'd collected in one hand, he made his way back to the barn to see how Brainy was getting on with the reconstruction.
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Post by Brainiac 5 on Mar 5, 2012 19:40:22 GMT -5
Lightly, he hung from the rafters, and frowned slightly, surveying the now sanded floor. All of the chips were sucked up into him, via his arm, and now it was smooth. There were no rough edges, no wood dust in the air, so he had completed that part of his task. All that was next was to produce the wood.
The pieces assembled within him, melding seamlessly into a piece of wood, large enough to fit in the now-sanded hole, part of the beam, and he spat it out of his arm, before welding it into place. There, part of it was done. It was quite simple to repeat the process, with bigger and smaller pieces of wood, depending on how large the hole was at that point. It was very simple, welding and producing, and it was very monotonous.
However, his mind was churning, working faster than any technology of that time period could, and certainly quicker than any human’s. What Connor had said… This meant so much to him, and yet it was so trivial to Brainiac 5, and more a manipulation than anything else to him. It was gratifying, something that would work for him and benefit him, and yet… He felt like he was toying with the other. He wanted allies, allies that could help him, and Connor had ascended to… friend status, albeit teammate-friend status, so he wished him to be around him.
He didn’t want to be alone, didn’t want to be by people who didn’t know him, and even though Superboy didn’t, he still knew him better than his allies in Jump City.
With a sigh, he was finished. Rebuilding, that was. It looked like nothing had changed and it had never been broken, and indeed, Querl was positive that his work would hold up much better than the original, but it would not withstand Kryptonian force. Very little could, hence his damage earlier. Had that been any of his teammates (bar Superman) striking him, he would have easily suffered no damage, but under a Kryptonian’s strength, well... it would not hold up.
Noting the fact that he still had fragments left, Brainy paused, and his arm spat out one last piece of wood. It was small and blocky, and he was unsure of what to do with it. Thankfully, Connor appeared then, and Brainy let go with his legs, falling and flipping around in mid-air to land nimbly on his feet. Of course, he used his flight ring to slow himself down, but not fly. There was no point when there was so short a distance. “I have finished,” he told the other with a slight smile, pleased with his work, before he offered up the block of wood. “I produced extra wood, however…”
His eyes glanced at the eggs for one moment, before he brought them back up to Connor’s face. “What next?”
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Post by Superboy on Mar 13, 2012 16:19:24 GMT -5
Brainiac detached himself from the underside of the rafters and nimbly hit the floor as Conner entered the barn, and the swiftness of the movement was enough to impress him, but he was actually more impressed with Brainy's handiwork on the beams. It looked as good as new. Better, in fact, and he'd done it in a matter of minutes. He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows as he peered up at the repair job. It seemed like everything Brainy did was impressive though, or at least it was to him. Great. As if he didn't already have a larger-than-life figure to aspire to. Now he had two...
"Bit of advice - don't let Mrs. Kent know that you're that efficient with chores." He joked, looking back down to his friend, "You'll never be allowed to leave." The idea of Brainy coming all the way back from the 31st century to while away the rest of his existence as an all-purpose farmyard assistant was almost comical. Almost.
He was handed a wooden cube that he held in his free hand, and looked between this object and the tray of eggs he was still holding aloft. The eggs were easy enough, he put them to one side for now, he would just have to remember to take them inside when they went into the house. The wooden block posed a greater challenge. It seemed like just about the most useless object that could possibly exist. His brain ran over various possibilities for what it could be used for, but the results were few. "Uh. Thanks!" He said, placing the block beside the tray of eggs on the worktable. "I'll keep it for... We'll find some use for it..."
Luckily, Brainy enthusiastically offered his help for the next task, and that gave him a chance to move away from the slightly surreal issue of The Block.
"Well, we've got one more thing to deal with..." He explained as he led the way back toward the doors and then out into the calm yellow sunlight that illuminated the farmyard and the fields that surrounded it. "What's your experience with horses?" He inquired with a half-smile, indicating toward the two animals that were still milling about aimlessly across the other side of the field. This one probably wouldn't be as easy as fixing a broken barn. They were going to have to handle living creatures, and unless the Coluan had a specific program for herding horses, he doubted it was something that would come naturally.
But then again, Brainy was full of surprises, so he didn't rule anything out. "We just have to get those -" He pointed to the animals, "In there -" He jerked a thumb back to the barn, "They need shutting in for the night."
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Post by Brainiac 5 on Mar 14, 2012 7:12:13 GMT -5
He blinked in surprise at the piece of information, and found the corner of his mouth quirking up slightly. “Dually noted,” Brainy replied, finding the thought slightly amusing. They’d be better off with Lightning Lad, honestly, he knew better what to do. Fixing things just happened to be his job, that was all. The instant something broke, someone would either immediately get him to fix it, no matter how trivial, or try to fix it themselves, thus making it worse, and then get him.
Needless to say, there was a reason he often shut himself in his lab for days on end.
Connor seemed very… baffled, by the piece of wood he offered, and Querl wondered if it was because the clone didn’t know where it came from. Yes, he had produced it, but the other didn’t know what he meant by that, so the fact that it existed at all was probably quite perplexing… But if he did not ask, he would not reply, so he handed it over with a nod, watching the other try to fumble over his words. He would not be offended, honestly, if he came straight out and informed him that he thought it was useless, and he couldn’t think of any use for it (Brainiac 5 could, but the vast majority of them involved himself and technology), but it was still amusing to see.
Ah, good, they only had one thing left, before they went off to talk to the Kents. The quicker that this one would be over with, the better, and it could not be that hard, could it? So far the ‘chores’ had seemed very simplistic… However, he shook his head at the question as he followed, now not looking forward to this. “None,” he replied, looking up at the other. “My only experience with animals lays with monkeys.” Space Monkeys, yes, but there had never been a more formal name for them, as that had been what Brainiac had entitled them, when he discovered them.
If he didn’t know better, he’d say his evil ancestor had a twisted sense of humor.
…No, no, Connor must’ve, because this last, final job that lay before them seemed ridiculous. They would have to wrangle them, bring them in? This could not end well. Animals… Well, they didn’t like him or hate him, but he tended to have his hair munched on (it was always a pain to recreate), or have little creatures crawl onto his shoulder and stay there, things like that. Annoying. “I… do not know anything about this endeavor, I’m afraid. What is the best way to go about this?”
The Coluan’s initial thought was sugar, perhaps, to lure them, but he didn’t know horses. In fact, he had only read about them in his books about ancient animals. He had never actually seen one before, so he was looking towards them kind of wide-eyed.
He had a bad feeling they were going to go for his hair, though.
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