Doctor doctor, gimme the news

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

After the meeting, and after some bickering with the Emergency Medical Hologram, down at the bottom of the Hub, Brainy is arranging the MedBay to his liking and familiarizing himself with the medical equipment and its functions.

Right now, for instance, as anyone walks in the door, he's wearing some sort of scanning goggles and a rather sinister-looking surgical glove with micro-scalpels, little lasers and surgical saws on the fingertips.

This makes him look like a green-faced Freddy Krueger with mad scientist goggles. For anyone that walks in like he instructed him to at the meeting, this is the first thing they see.

"Hmmmm."

Comments

[found-myway.livejournal.com]

"Nothing."

Never a good idea to tell somebody you thought they'd continue to be a jerk.

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

"So that's your typical expression? Slack-jawed bewilderment?"

There's the jerkiness again.

[found-myway.livejournal.com]

His eyes narrow and his mouth settles into its usual dissatisfied scowl. "It's more like this, actually."

NOW he's leaving.

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

As Zuko leaves, there's muttering of the like:

Of course, it's not so quiet Zuko can't hear it.

[found-myway.livejournal.com]

"Hey." Zuko's learned more self-control than to pick a fight with just anyone, even over words that disrespectful. "Watch your language. I said thanks for the twine, but just because you're helping me doesn't mean you can be disrespectful."

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

"How was I remotely disrespectful?"

[found-myway.livejournal.com]

Zuko just gets angrier. "What is your problem?"

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

"I don't have any problems. You, however, seem to have a variety of aggression issues."

[found-myway.livejournal.com]

"Someone with aggression issues would have already punched you in the face."

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

"For what exactly? Assisting you, asking a question, and then making a comment on your ambiguous and likely untrue answer?"

[found-myway.livejournal.com]

"I am not a barbarian." Moron. "Neither are my people."

He gives Brainy his most Serious Business glare. He's a fucking prince, dammit. "If you're so smart, then learn respect, or I'll teach it to you."

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

"I was commenting on this barbaric place. And respect should only be given where it's due."

[found-myway.livejournal.com]

No more warnings. He gets a (thankfully flameless) punch to the solar plexus.

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

Stacy's scanners are kinda a funny thing. The anti-violence stuff doesn't work in the Medbay, since performing surgery on people is technically violence. This makes it the best place to fight if you're looking not to get tentacle-whipped, while being simultaneously the worst place to fight due to the fragile equipment there.

Brainy slams into one of the scanners--and breaks part of it.

"You--you--broke a priceless--piece of medical equipment--" he wheezes out breathlessly.

There are few things in the universe that can push Brainy into a seething rage. The punch alone certainly isn't enough, but the equipment, that is an entirely different story. There is nothing that gets Brainiac 5 more pissed off than destroying priceless technology.

"--you cro-magnon--evolutionary--throwback!"

The words are accompanied by a hand-shaped forcefield extending from Brainy's arm and slamming Zuko in the gut. Hard.

[found-myway.livejournal.com]

It's unexpected, but Zuko does his best to dodge - and when that fails, he holds his ground, wriggling around the hand like a contortionist.

And then he runs, no faster than humanly possible - but humans, with the right life-long training, are very fast.

Not to mention, he runs along the wall before retaking his stance and striking towards Brainy with a large - very large - vision-obscuring fireball. This he uses as cover for his second strike - a simultaneous sweep to the feet and jab to the chest.

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

This knocks him back into one of the work tables, hard, and he slumps to the floor, but takes advantage of this position to attempt to sweep-kick Zuko's feet out from under him.

"Why are you so--sprocking--aggressive?"

[found-myway.livejournal.com]

"Why are you so rude?"

Zuko jumps over the sweep and aims another blow at Brainy's solar plexus.

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

This time there's a shield that's put up. That's what he punches.

[found-myway.livejournal.com]

"Coward!"

He strikes at the shield with a lash of flame.

"Come out and fight! Fight, if you're so much better than me!"

The frontal attack hasn't worked. He goes to the side.

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

"I never said I was--better--"

Zuko's hand is caught and twisted into a painful wrist lock. (Leverage. It's a good thing). Most of the Legionnaires have trained one-on-one with Val Armorr at some point or another and Brainy is no exception.

However, that means he's not concentrating on the shield and leaving himself open.

"Just smarter."

[found-myway.livejournal.com]

Open is right. Zuko ignores the pain in his locked wrist and, not being one for banter, he strikes.

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

That...ow. Yeah, now his face hurts. Those implants kinda hurt when they get smacked, and it's only because the Anomaly made them so durable that the one on his cheek isn't broken.

However, as Brainy slumps to the floor against a console, there is someone there to avenge him.

"KOKO! KOKO!"

A very upset monkey jumps on Zuko's face in retaliation for him beating up his green friend.

[found-myway.livejournal.com]

"Aaugh!"

Why do all the kids he tries to beat up have monkeys?

"Get off! Stupid bat-monkey!"

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

"Stop! Stop, don't hurt him!"

He's not talking to Koko.

"He's just trying to defend me. Koko, off!"

The monkey stops tugging on Zuko's hair and jumps to the floor and bounds into Brainy's arms, where he sits slumped against the console.

"He doesn't know any better."

[found-myway.livejournal.com]

Oh great. Now he has to go and be all pathetic with his monkey. Zuko can't hit a kid who's being pathetic with his monkey.

Nevertheless, the point has to be driven home.

"Next time you insult me, I won't hold back."