Status: Hypothesis Unconfirmed [Jinx]

[Brainiac 5]

Perhaps it was reasonable, that such an explosive move would result in such a state. Contrary to his usual mood, Brainiac 5 was not in the position to be analyzing such a situation, though in a distant corner of his programming, he noted that it was a 97.3% chance that the assumption was true, and not just a singular moment. Bringing his systems back online, and ignoring the alarms flashing in his coding, alerting him to damage, the Coluan opened his purple eyes and sat up heavily, scanning his surroundings.

Much was left to be desired.

His ‘landing’ had caused him to have fractured the ground he was not sitting on, and a thin layer of soot covered his front, a 99.2% chance from jerking his finger to the north-east so suddenly. Considering that his frontal chest piece had been blown off and was lying a few feet away (out of reach for a human, but not for a Coluan, should he choose to extend himself to grab it), exposing some of his wires, there could’ve been damage there, a fact which he could choose to confirm (86.4% chance) should he wish to examine his alerts, a procedure that was shelved on his current tasks. In addition, his right leg was leaking a steady drip of green liquid, a Coluan’s inorganic ‘equivalent’ to human blood, which if given enough time, would burn through a human and possibly the ground, and his corresponding arm was simply not there, blown into oblivion.

Surprisingly, to those who did not know him or Coluans, he was not reacting with surprise, pain, or fright. Instead, the twelfth level intellect blinked his eyes apathetically at the trees surrounding him, not showing a flicker of emotion as he catalogued the sight. He was used to the unexpected, of course, being a part of the Legion, as well as have Superman as a close ally… a friend, if he was on a happier day and allowing himself the word.

Right now, though, was not the time to be lost in such thoughts, for there was a 36.4% chance that there could be something dangerous out here, and in his current damaged state, he would not stand much of a chance. Therefore, the robot made a quick deduction, which had a 5.84% chance of being inaccurate, on account of the speed.

Considering that the trees around him did not seem preserved in any way, there was no dome over the sky, and the air, when examined, contained less oxygen than normal, it was likely that he was nowhere near his lab. Add in the factor that he had been experimenting on the Time Bubble brought the hypothesis up to the likelihood of falling back into the past. Additionally taking in the factor that the last coordinates had been in the early 21st century, and the Coluan received the likelihood that he was in that time period. 87.3% chance, that was, but 94.16% that he had time travelled.

The only step left to take was prove this hypothesis to be indeed fact, and rectify it if it was incorrect, a line of coding that was quickly paused. “Scanners: Detecting lifeform. Human anomaly.” He did not bother to not voice his words, as he usually refrained from doing so.

There were no humans to maintain a farce around.

[Jinx]

Amongst the earthy tones of green and brown, a blob of pink stood out. Unnatural. In the dying sunlight of dusk, the scenery was tinted with a soft, golden color. The air was clear, crisp, and cool. All in all, it was a nice evening, if you pardoned the mosquitoes being out and about. In this forest, the atmosphere was a peaceful one, the birds beginning to quiet as the light of the sun died down. Ablaze with brilliant colors brought forth by the sunset, the sky seemed to just beg for anyone to pause, stare, and admire before the approaching darkness lulled to rest those who did stop. The pink blob continued on, its quick, purposeful pace unfettered by the painting-like beauty which surrounded it. This pink blob was nothing other than the hair of a teen named Jinx, and she wasn't here to enjoy the scenery. She was here on a self-imposed mission, the easiest kind to follow. Even as hero, she couldn't allow her skills to rust with disuse. No, especially as a hero.

Relax and take it easy, one small part of the girl would say. The rest of her would promptly ignore it. If there was one thing Jinx hated, it was laziness. She would not succumb. Which why the current lack of activity was so troubling. The super teen was having a difficult time adjusting to her new life. She couldn't find her place in Jump City and consequentially couldn't find much to do with her time. Sure, there were always more villains to combat. But most of the time, the Teen Titans had it handled by the time she arrived on the scene. Other times, she would realize just how much solo fighting was not her forte. So here the pinkette was, feeling utterly useless. The very least she could do was train a little.

That's why she was in the forest and that's why she didn't answer the scenery's pleads. Jinx was never much of a nature fanatic anyways. The girl walked through the forest, one footfall after another, leaves crunching in her wake. She was looking for something. She'd prefer if it was a little ways into the forest, off the hiking paths and away from any civilians on a late, scenic walk. That was one of the troubles of being a good guy. You have to be responsible with your powers. With powers that only brought destruction, that was a little difficult for Jinx. Finally, she found what she was looking for. "Perfect." She stood, with her hands placed on her hips, as she stared down her discovery. It was a tree. In a forest full of trees, one may wonder why Jinx chose this specific piece of foliage. Simply because the size. It was medium. Not too small—so it would not fall too easily—and not too large—so it could fall—but medium. Her single utterance and a two second stare was all the admiration the tree would get, however. It was time to get down to business. That tree would fall by her hand.

In all actuality, Jinx had waited too late. The sun was well on its way to setting, draping the land in darkness. Without the bright lights the lined the streets and filled the city, the forest would be too dark to remain training in. However, that didn't mean Jinx was going to turn around now. The girl flung out her hand, releasing a bolt of pink magic. The wave comprised of pure bad luck struck the tree, destroying a large portion of the trunk. Bits of bark flew. Jinx didn't want the tree to fall on the first shot, so she would go easy. The pinkette's hands gracefully made contact with the ground, in the form of a cartwheel. To Jinx, it had come alive. In the realms of her imagination, the tree shot its branches out at her, quick as a whip. She dodged the pretend limbs with another cartwheel. The moment she stood upright once more, she shot another jagged bolt. Once again, the tree spewed bark as if it were blood. However, as she readied herself to dodge another imaginary attack, this time with a back handspring, something interrupted her. The image of a tree branch, weaving at her like a demented snake, broke and was replaced by something very real.

The relative silence was mercilessly destroyed with a strange whistling noise. The sound of something approaching, fast. She turned just in time to see the object out of the corner of her eye, before it disappeared in the tree line, and had a happy meeting with the ground. Jinx raised her arm to defend her face from the assault of dust raised by the impact. She cautiously lowered her arm, before raising her eyes to the scene before. Out of a strange sense of astonishment, she spoke, her words carrying a tone of disbelief, "Okay, I know I didn't do that." Jinx moved forward, weaving through trees as she walked. Before too long, she arrived, slitted eyes staring at the thing before her. She remained silent, almost accusingly so.

[Brainiac 5]

The sound of footsteps reaching his better-than-human ears, though they were certainly not up to the level of Superman’s, Brainiac 5 turned his head in that direction, the mechanical lifeform betraying no hint of emotion as he watched the pink-haired human come into view. At least, she appeared to be human, according to his scanners, though they did report an anomaly that often appeared in those with powers (either superhero or supervillain, but the robot doubted the latter), but her appearance was not typical of humans, the Coluan knew. At least, typical of 31st century humans. Perhaps it was different in this time? He had not gotten much of a chance to observe, last time he was here.

“Greetings,” he intoned, his voice not monotone, but rather slightly detached, mechanical, and informatory. Much like how someone would deliver information that they had to be specific about, yet did not care enough to have any emotion for. A strange comparison, perhaps, but 73.5% accurate one. With that obligatory social construct out of the way, Brainy continued. “Is this the 21st century?” Procedure: Obtain confirmation for hypothesis. Conclusion: In Progress.

With that stated, and really having nothing further to say, Brainy scanned the area around them, his neck elongating slightly and twisting so that he could look in the full 360 degrees, before he returned his head and neck to its normal form. “No hostile presences detected,” he stated, and now that he did not seem to be in any danger, and appeared to have a superhero by his side, just in case (although did not know where she fell on the scale of power), he could proceed to make repairs.

The first task on his list was to reboot his arm, as that was the simplest to do without a lab to help, as he might need to repair any damage to his wires (the alarms were not ceasing; 86.9%) and to stem the steady flow of inorganic, slightly acidic green liquid from his leg. Turning his head in the direction, north-north-east, hr narrowed purple mechanical eyes at the ragged metal stump that was now all that remained of that arm. With concentration optimized, he focused on it, and tendrils of thick green wires broke out from the bottom, forming themselves into a hand that matched with his left, albeit a reflection and without soot on it. Energy depleted to 72.4%.

Eyes returning to the human before him, he noted that she was in the vicinity of his chest plate, nearer to it than he was, in all actuality, and spoke again. “Might you bring over my frontal chest plate? I am conducting repairs.” Better to state that, and avert any potential hostilities, than just continue on his work. Even Brainiac 5, on occasion, knew when it was best to speak up and disclose information, rather than continue to keep it firewalled away within his coding.

His task list, alerts, and coding all informed him that he should move onto either his wires or leg next, the latter of which he was going to do so, but he waited patiently for the human to respond to him, eyes and expression not betraying a flicker of emotion.

[Jinx]

"Hello." Jinx returned the strange boy's greeting. As it did with his, the girl's tone lacked any hint of welcome. However, where his seemed detached, hers seemed wary. The word was by no stretch of the imagination full-on hostile, but instead, careful and suspicious. Defensive traits, not offensive. She eyed to boy, looking him up and down, trying to determine what he was. The pinkette was rather sure he wasn't human because... how could he be, looking like that? The combination of the green skin and purple eyes wasn't so weird, really, as she was sure Beast Boy was somewhere around there. But combine that with the strange circles on his forehead, the plating on his neck, and well... the fact that he was missing an arm and had wires sticking out of his chest it be pretty hard to miss that he was some sort of robot. Jinx blinked as the boy asked his strange question. "Um... Yeah." Confusion was added among the wariness. Why would he ask such a question? There was only one reason: if he wasn’t from the 21st century himself. Jinx decided she’d ask about it later.

When his neck extended strangely, Jinx took a step back in surprise at the unexpected movement. She watched as his plated neck spun while he observed the area. As he spoke once again, Jinx could tell he wasn't addressing her. The area remained silent as the robot boy regrew his arm. Jinx crossed her arms as she watched in something akin to amazement. It'd be useful if humans could do that...

[/color] She noted absently, stunned by what she saw. The silence was broken once more, when the robot asked a request of Jinx. Too confused and stunned to make some sort of snarky comment in the process, she complied, her slitted eyes searching for the object in question. Among the greenness of the trees, and the darkness of the dirt, the unnatural object was easy to spot. As she walked forward and grabbed it, she considered what she should do next. Should she just hand him the piece metal and go on her merry way? Or should she stay and figure out more, possibly even help the boy? He looked like he was in quite the sorry shape. Jinx decided to let her curiosity to get the better of her. There was no way she could just leave without learning more, or at least asking what century he was from. She approached the boy, the chest plate—as he called it—feeling cold and metallic in her hands. She pressed it into his hands, staring curiously at the recently regrown one.

Jinx stared down at the boy trying, to gauge his age. It wasn’t easy to determine the age of an android, though. But if anything, he looked a little younger than her. Such a strange thing. The pinkette’s day had up until this point, been routine, average. Nothing set it apart from the others. But now something had occurred that she was unlikely to forget any time soon. She looked at the area around her to keep herself from rudely staring any longer. It was getting dark… She briefly wondered if the boy had anywhere to go. Regardless, Jinx decided it was about time she got some answers. ”Just who—and what—are you? Where did you come from? How did this happen?"[/blockquote]

[Brainiac 5]

Ah, she sounded wary. That was a good thing, however, considering his situation. It was clear (96.5%) that he was not a threat at that very moment, but if she allowed him to repair himself, he could turn out to be. It was commendable thinking, though it would likely (85.6%) impede his progress in both repairs and returning to his time, at least temporarily. Taking in the additional factor that the other appeared to either be a supervillain or a superhero, judging by the anamoly, though the latter was 92.4% more likely, it was a very reasonable course of action. That did not mean that he had to appreciate it.

Nodding slightly as she answered his question, thankfully without adding any of her own, for he did not wish to answer any questions just yet, he filed that away. It appeared that his hypothesis was correct, and he had been blown back into the 21st century. While that was good, for Superman was in this time and would likely (91.5%, unless it was after Brainiac 1.0, in which case 21.3%) be a staunch ally, he also did not have any method of traversing back to his point on the timeline, and thus would have to build another one. Considering he had invented the Time Bubble himself, it would not be as difficult as it would be for another, but he would have to create it with archaic technology. Not a very desirable outcome.

As the girl went to retrieve his chest plate, having clearly not seen it before and not giving him an answer, which was the type of diplomacy that appealed to him, Brainiac studied his leg, reaching over with his newly-rebuilt hand and manipulating the metal shell of his foot, spreading it over the small hole where the green fluid was leaking out of. It would be thinner there, and more prone to breaking in an explosion, but until he acquired strong metal that could be used to make up the difference, it would be sufficient.

Extending his arms out, like he had with his neck before, and pushing himself up in his usual fashion, Brainy accepted the offering of the piece of him with a slight nod and an impassive “Thank you.” It appeared that the other’s silence could not last as long as he had hoped, however, and she presented him with a bombardment of questions.

Holding his chest piece underneath one of his arms as the other hand moved his wires about, fitting them into place as his face tightened, the feeling uncomfortable, he spoke, answering her questions. “Brainiac 5.0,” he replied, giving her his name as he quickly ran through his scans once more to see if they were all in place. They were, but it appeared that he was going to have to use up energy to repair the damage. An additionally bad bonus. “I am Coluan; the most accurate Earth term would be ‘robot’.” And it was a primitive fit, at best, as if comparing humans to Hominoidea, but there was no better term.

Fixing his chest piece in place, a yellow light flashing quickly through his interface and through all of his connections, visible on the outside, as he hooked himself back up, Brainy continued. “The 31st century. Upgrades were being made on my Time Bubble, I was interrupted in the procedure and made a wrong move, and found myself blasted back here.” With that, he was in one piece, though within him, energy was being used to fix any damage to his wires, minimal as it was.

“Do you require any further data?”

[Jinx]

Jinx folded one arm across her body, her other arm raising upwards, an elbow rested on the other arm, to rest her finger on her cheek in a thoughtful position. "So... You're an alien robot... from the future." Okay, I've seen a lot, but that's definitely a new one. She chose to not voice the second part aloud. As the boy, who she now knew as Braniac 5.0, asked his question Jinx shook her head. She wasn't done yet. Not even close. "Time bubble? Will you be able to get back?" She was silent for a moment, before hesitantly asking another question. "Do you need any help?" That was the heroic thing to do, right? Offer help to those in need? If not, Jinx seriously misunderstood the definition of hero. She once again glanced up at the sky. Darkness was closing in fast. While the lights of the city horizon shining through the trees would provide an easy method of navigation, it was probably best to get out of the thick forest before it was too dark to see. She felt as if she somehow couldn't leave the strange little robot out here alone, especially not in his state. She bit her lips and shook her head slightly. The pinkette was going soft, she just knew it.

Before voicing her opinions, Jinx decided she should find out what side this guy was on. She wouldn't want to give sanctuary after all. But before that, she would ask a few more questions that were probably equally important. The pinkette dropped one hand to her side, the other placed on her hip. "How long until you're done with your repairs, Brainiac 5.0? She said the name, testing it with her lips. It was awfully inconvenient and it didn't quite roll off the tongue. Perhaps there was a nickname she could use, if the two were to continue being associated with each other. "Can you see in the dark?" The ex-villain figured it wouldn't hurt to know the full scope of the situation, including how much time he intended to take. Finally, she asked the question that had been burning at her mind. She took an imposing stance, as if prepared to deal with him if he answered in an unfavorable manner. Her tone sharpened slightly, a warning. "So what are you? A hero or a villain?" The fact that he had thus far not seemed hostile, hadn't really registered. Besides, for all Jinx knew, he was just buying time so he could strike.

((A/N: Short and illogical order of questions. -.-; But she can't really do anything until after she hears his answer about the hero/villain thing, so I wanted to save that for last... ))

[Brainiac 5]

He nodded slightly at her statement, realizing that it was probably a very difficult thing for one to fully digest and incorporate in their mind. “That is a correct analysis,” he replied, his fingers shifting slightly into tools as he went about making sure that his chest piece was both wholly intact and would remain in place. He did not wish to lose that anytime soon.

Hm, she certainly seemed to have plenty of questions. It was quite reasonable, of course, and they were not questions that annoyed him or that he was loathe to answer, so he would reply. Simple as that. “The Time Bubble is, as of the 31st century, the only time travel device created that still works, of my own design,” he explained, his tooled fingers lightly tracing the outline of his plating as he reassured himself that he was all in functioning order. Other time travel devices had been created before he had existed, of course, but either their blueprints had been lost, or they malfunctioned severely after awhile, with his being the best so far. And that was not a boast. “I will simply have to recreate it.”

He did not mention his doubts that he would be able to do it with such archaic technology, nor his disadvantage in not having a lab to work in, nor his faint worry that he would be forced to include some of himself in order to recreate it. The controls were built into him, of course, but the actual device itself was not. And he would be certain to fix that as soon as he returned to his time.

Her next question made him pause, as he was taking his hand away from his repairing, and he blinked purple eyes at her, surprised, before responding. “If you have a lab I may gain access to, or know of a place to gain metal, so that I can reinforce myself, that would be helpful.” Otherwise, he didn’t think so. Of course, he would need a place to recharge, which would likely take longer as he was in this ancient century, but that was not something that he believed she would have a place for, nor that he would ask right off the bat. No, that would come later, should she choose to continue to assist him.

Clearly, his name was something odd to say, judging by her tone as she used it, and though he was loathe to give out his nickname so easily… “My allies call me ‘Brainy’,” the Coluan stated, leaving it up to her whether or not she would use such a title. Much better, out of his hands. But the question was left to answer. “I have now completed them,” he informed her, seeing as the only operation left remaining, the reparation of his wires, was currently in process at the moment.

It was then that he consciously realized that his data about her was incomplete, and he observed her, asking a question, for a change. “What are you called?” Brainy would not ask for her name, of course, as that would be rather rude. She still seemed to be a super, especially seeing as she was not ‘freaking out’ about this as much as a civilian would, and asking for her name, for her secret identity, would not be an acceptable question. Therefore her ‘super name’ would suffice.

The next question nonplussed him, as it really didn’t seem to affect anything, but he answered it, nonetheless. “Yes, I can. Lack of light means nothing to me.” Though it did take less energy (not that it was a noticeable amount to begin with) to see when it was light. He could do both, though.

Her final question made him blink slightly, and caused a minute smile, almost an infinitesimal smirk, to appear on his face. “I am a hero, from the Legion of Superheroes,” Brainiac 5 replied, and though it would likely make her suspicious, he had to warn her that the approach would not work with everyone. “But that is not an accurate way of gaining data. If I were a villain, why would I inform you of that fact?”

But even if he were a villain, he couldn’t see them wanting to do anything worthwhile here, in the past. Unless they wanted to disrupt the stable time loop and kill an ancient hero. There was a reason why he kept the blueprints to himself.