trans_9 | All work and no play...

"No. I--"

A deep breath.

Not something he would've done in the past, but he's not entirely a jerk, and Jean's words afterward had stuck with him...

"I was...frustrated that doing more to assist Sam was beyond my own expertise and I lashed out at the most convenient target. When aggravated, I do tend to become...caustic."

He swallows.

"You have my profuse apologies for that."

He goes on, "But what I wanted to discuss was what occured when Superman first arrived."

Lyta nodded, accepting his apology without argument or question. Then, however, he touched on the subject of Superman and the disaster he nearly caused.

"Oh?" she said. "Well, if you're worried that it will happen again, I can talk to Cybil about getting some security around the medlab."

"That's not it at all. You have to understand--his reaction was entirely justified, due to my...nature. I would have reacted similarly, were I in his place--it was the most logical and careful course of action, given the circumstances."

He hates explaining this. He hates it, but he won't let a man like Superman be painted as unreasonable when he genuinely wasn't acting as such.

"What do you mean 'given your nature'," Lyta asked.

Most people know. Back home, even back in the past, they recognize the name.

He hates this.

"I am descended from an intergalactic criminal that was one of the worst supervillains my universe has ever known--one whose legacy scarred multiple worlds, including my home planet, Colu, and who is still infamous a thousand years after his initial trail of destruction. I'm the only member of the family line--other than a rather unscrupulous, but mostly beneficent mercenary ancestor--to eschew supervillainy."

Edited 2009-04-14 08:53 (UTC)

"And, what, you think that excuses what he did?" Lyta asked. "You might be difficult to get along with, Brainy, but you're not your ancestors. You're not responsible for what they did any more than I am for the actions of my ancestors or any more than Superman would be for anything any of his ancestors may have done."

There is a pause before she continues.

"And I don't believe in destiny. Just because your parents or your grandparents were a certain way doesn't mean you will be or have to be the same. Destiny is just a lazy excuse for people to not take responsibility for what they do."

Another deep breath.

"The problem is that original Brainiac was an enemy of Superman's and was known to create duplicates of himself in various forms. Superman thought I was one them. I bear a strong resemblance to the original, even if I am younger. He thought I was a probe or duplicate. When dealing with my ancestor, you had to strike first and strike quickly or you would be destroyed. Once the original Brainiac had time to react, there was very little chance of avoiding horrible death."

He adds, "I know this from facing him when I was trapped in the past--he very nearly destroyed me. Were someone to be freed from the Pod Caverns that claimed they were one of my descendants, I would likely attack them myself and incapacitate them until it could be verified that they were not one of Brainiac's duplicates merely claiming they were my descendant."

A pause.

"And even then, that would be no guarantee that they wouldn't be homicidally insane. Part of the problem with the Brainiac line is the mental instability and...sociopathy that comes with our great intelligence. I'm something of a special case given...changes that occurred due to certain events during my superheroic career, and the support base I found myself drawn into--against my will, at the start. Such conditions are unlikely to be successfully duplicated again--this is why I never intend to procreate, should the opportunity arise. I intend for the Brainiac line to end with myself, if at all possible."

"That still doesn't change anything," Lyta replied, folding her arms across her chest.

"He walked into that room, not knowing anything, saw you and his first instinct was to attack, Brainy. From where I was standing, if Dr. Grey hadn't intervened, you would be dead right now. He would have killed Nathan trying to get to you, and Sam would have died without you there to provide the medical attention he needed."

She added. "I've kept this to myself up until now, but I'm not so certain that our biggest problem isn't all the children and teenagers running around with these 'superpowers.' When we were ambushed by the cockroaches, we lost more people to friendly fire because those teenagers used their full powers without worrying about what harm they might cause the rest of us.

"To use a worn out analogy, they shot first and asked questions later. And based on the way Superman behaved in the medlab that day, he seems to be more of the same, only older.

"The 'superheroes' that come from your universe scare me, Brainy. I'm trying to understand their powers and treat them just as I would anyone else. But their recklessness, and Superman's recklessness in the medlab, is beginning to leave me thinking that rest of us might be safer if we stayed away from them."

"Superman wasn't reckless," says Brainiac 5. "I'm familiar with Daxamite physiology, and Daxamites are distant relatives to Kryptonians and very similar in physical strength. That man could have killed me with a flick of his pinky if he so desired, and Nathan would've suffered from more than a few bumps and bruises if Superman had intended to kill him. The amount of control he and others with his level of strength must demonstrate over their abilities every moment of every day is ridiculous."

He goes on, "I am not a fan of dwelling on insipid tales from history, but in my universe that man is a hero whose legend is so great his story survived a thousand years through chaotic times to my own time--and meeting him in the past with my team and seeing his actions in the face of a world-threatening crisis only confirmed that that legend deserved to have survived that long."

Brainy shakes his head. "You have no idea of the crises individuals from our universe have faced, the villains we've had to protect the innocent from, and what action has been necessary to do that, from before Superman's time well onto my own. Even disoriented, he made a judgment call that, in nine out of ten instances would have been the correct one to make and would have saved countless lives. Even a Superman can't be perfect 100% of the time--but to hold that as an example of his recklessness is ludicrous. Had I been the original Brainiac and had he taken the time to 'ask questions,' he'd be dead and the crew would've suffered an even worse fate, most likely."

Edited 2009-04-14 09:45 (UTC)

"I have no idea about the crises individuals from your universe have faced?" Lyta echoed. "You see, that right there is the thing that might get the rest of us who are not from your universe, killed. Not only do they jump to conclusions and do reckless things that put other people's lives in danger, but they also have the arrogance to believe that all of these great and wonderful things they've done in the past gives them the right to make that decision."

Lyta was not budging on the issue.

"Crises are not limited to your universe, Brainy. Everyone on this ship has had to deal with some rather major crises. Just because they didn't occur in your timeline, in your universe, doesn't mean that they aren't worthy of the same respect as yours. And just because Superman is a hero where you come from, doesn't mean his 'attack first, think later' behavior in the medlab is any less dangerous.

"There are other people on this ship, and the sooner Superman, you and the rest of the people from your universe realize that, the safer we'll all be. Now, as caustic as you may be, you've shown restraint so far, and I appreciate that. I just hope that the others who came with you will eventually learn that just because they have a lot of brawn doesn't mean they have the brains to know how and when to use it."

"Every team when coming together the first time lacks cohesion, especially so when that team consists of a large faction of superpowered youth. When my team came together back home for the first time, we lost one of our members, largely due to his own arrogance, but mostly due to disorganization and recklessness. That loss couldn't be taken back, and it was felt keenly--it is something the other members of the Legion still regret. But that false start was not forgotten and after significant training and accumulated experience, our group became one that saved all of time in our universe, from the Big Bang to present day, among other things. The Legion saved sentient life in my universe multiple times. And that was in our era alone. The acts of heroism in Superman's time are unparalleled."

He fixes her with a challenging stare.

"I do agree that we need significantly more training to all learn to work in cohesion, especially since some of the individuals here appear to be unused to working on a team and operate independently back home. Some are indeed rash and feckless children."

Superboy, he's looking at you.

"However, I also think the 'great and wonderful' things individuals like myself and Superman have done in the past does give us the right to make the best judgment calls we are able, and the extremely rare incorrect ones are forgivable, when no overall harm is done--which is usually purposeful, as when we're unsure of a situation, we aim to diffuse it in such a fashion that no one is irrevocably harmed. It's called experience, Ms. Alexander, and expertise, and it, at times, has been hard-won, but it is certainly a valuable tool."

"By no means am I casting aspersions on your own experience, but when you can lay claim to working with a group of individuals to save all of existence in a universe--more than once--only then will I let you cast aspersions on the experience of myself and individuals like Superman without refuting it. Were I in Superman's place, fighting against another Brainiac, my 'restraint,' as you call it, would've gotten me killed, and gotten those around me killed. That is fact."

Edited 2009-04-14 10:30 (UTC)

"Really?" Lyta said, stepping up to face Brainy's challenge.

"And where does it stop, Brainy? Huh? Are there any other enemies of Superman that will cause him to act the same way that we should know about? What about you? Do you have any that will cause you to act the same way? What about everyone else? There are over sixty other crew members on this ship, Brainy. Many of them are from completely different universes and time lines than you and I. I'm sure many of them have their own 'Brainiacs,' people who they feel are so dangerous that they must be killed on sight.

"Do we let them do it? Even if it means putting the lives of the rest of the crew at risk? After all, based on your theory, they'd be completely justified in doing just that. If Bester walks out of those pods, do I get to kill him because I say he's dangerous? Would you believe me? What about the MacManuses? Or Dr. Grey? Or Danny? How about Sam and Dean?

"Do we all get to kill people we believe to be too dangerous to live? Even if it means putting your or Tim's or Terry's or even Kara's life in danger? When do the rules start applying to everyone and not just to those without superpowers? And just how forgiving would you or Superman be if it had been one of your friends that had been put in danger by one of us acting rashly?"

Lyta then turned around and began to storm away. But paused when she was several feet away.

"I mean no disrespect to what you and your friends have accomplished, Brainy," she added. "But just keep in mind, you're not the only ones who have saved worlds or galaxies. And some of us did it without the superpowers that you and your friends have and I think that says something. And, for what it's worth, I don't dislike Superman. I just don't like what he did and, for that, I don't trust his ability to work as part of a team. Maybe he'll prove me wrong. I hope that he does. But I'm not going to feel sorry for not trusting him, no matter how justified you or he think he was."

"Ms. Alexander, I'd like to remind you that you're at least a class-five telepath, by my universe's standards. Why you're not including yourself in a group of those you deem 'dangerous' by their nature is beyond my understanding, unless you're immune from making mistakes."

He goes on, "Furthermore, if you endangered one of my own team-mates or Superman's with reckless behavior, we'd, of course, be infuriated--but also forgiving. People make mistakes, and it's generally a good idea to look to their better nature than condemn them for a single misguided action."

"The problem here is the assumption you're making that Superman was trying to kill me. His display of power, while certainly intimidating, was more a display than anything, and nothing compared to what he's capable of. If he had indeed been trying to kill me, I'd not be breathing right now, but Superman doesn't kill. Neither do the Legionnaires. Neither do many, many superheroes of Superman's era, such as the Teen Titans, the team Superboy, Robin, and Speedy are on."

He goes on, "And that your first thought strays to the concept of killing enemies that appear here is somewhat alarming--despite your fears, we don't kill our enemies in our universe, Ms. Alexander, believe it or not. We imprison them and hope for reform, no matter what their crimes are, no matter how much they likely deserve death, and no matter how much more difficult it is to capture them, despite the risk to ourselves and others--others that we still manage to protect, in essence, exposing ourselves to the most risk."

"Most of the heroes of our world, no matter the era, do not kill, follow a basic modicum of ethics and respect sentient rights, still protect the innocent, and most of the time--barring extreme and unavoidable circumstances--manage to protect each other. Without taking lives."

He folds his hands behind his back.

"Can you lay claim to the same?"

"There is nothing left to claim," Lyta replied but, when she spoke, her voice seemed to resonate, even off the fleshy walls of Stacy's interior. When she turned around to face Brainy, her eyes glowed white while her expression was flat.

"Instinct without wisdom is the spark in a dry wood. Errors in violence beget pain, recrimination, and revenge. Reason dies in the fires of hell. Chaos and misunderstanding fuel its flames. Agony and death become the inferno of rage and vengeance. Agony and death. Rage and vengeance. The fire burns and spreads, consuming all that lay in its path. Screams of the innocent are choked by the smoke of hate as their flesh sears and melts under flames of wrath. Life ends."

She moved to Brainy, standing directly in front of him and staring at him blankly.

"You think this hellfire will not touch you. You are wrong."

She took a step closer.

"Wisdom and temperance may be all that stand between you and damnation. Will you dismiss them so easily?"

Her display doesn't impress him. There isn't even a twitch of emotional reaction, but this is not for its lack of impressive-ness--this is because he is ultimately a young man whose character is founded in logic and reason, to the point of extremes. On the one hand, this leaves him deeply flawed, this lack of contact with emotion--on the other, on occasion, it leaves him utterly fearless.

He's faced Darkseid. Glowy eyes and resounding words do not scare him.

"You are certainly right about wisdom and temperance--but you have misjudged us, and if you believe my 'restraint' separates me from the others, you are mistaken--not because I have none, but because this is them demonstrating the same restraint I've shown."

His head tilts just slightly, almost a twitch.

"Wisdom and temperance--and compassion--are the reasons I'm not currently in control of this ship and performing mass experiments on the millions of potential subjects within. They are the reasons I am not a villain. They are the reasons the heroes from my world are not depraved beings of pointless violence that engage in control and subjugation through force or the intimidation you're attempting to use right now."

"You can choose to see us as potential dangers, as monsters waiting to be unleashed on the innocent, beings of destruction inches away from making a mistake that could cost lives, or you can see us as sentient beings that lack perfection, as all sentient beings do, but who struggle daily with restraint--and win--who use their abilities for good and dance eternally on that narrow line between heroism and casual cruelty--always pushing ourselves to fall to the right side. I have seen enough of the heroes of my world, past and present, to know that we're the latter, not the former."

"As it stands, Superman's actions did not cause permanent harm, as was his intention not to, and were vindicated by the acts of a madman whose legacy of evil is so great that my inability to escape it is sadly justified."

Brainiac 5 starts to float off.

"While I may not be able to change your mind, I will not allow you to use what happened between myself and Superman to support whatever cause it is you've formed in your fevered imaginings of our supposed egregious metahuman recklessness, Ms. Alexander. Make note of this fact."

Edited 2009-04-15 04:22 (UTC)

"You want us to believe that you are not reckless, that you are not a danger to us? Then prove it. Take responsibility. Ever since that incident, all I've heard are apologies coupled with attempts to excuse and justify it," Lyta replied.

"If you don't have the maturity to admit he screwed up without trying to deflect blame or to rationalize it, how are we to trust that you have the maturity not to use your powers recklessly or to make decisions that could cost us our lives in the future?"

She pauses.

"And you were right. I could be deemed 'dangerous' by my nature. But it's not our powers that makes us 'dangerous,' it's how we use them. I have exercised restraint where Superman, your friends, and even you have not. I could have been scanning every member of this crew who was not resistant to telepathy for weeks. I could know every one of their deep, dark secrets. Things they don't want to share, I could read like a book. But I don't. I respect their privacy. I respect their lives. And the fact that I didn't know about the Yeerks until the last minute proves that. Can you say the same?"

She stares at him with a pointed look on her face.

"I said you have shown more restraint than your friends, but that doesn't mean you have been completely restrained. The medical data you collected from the crew without their knowledge or their permission proves that. The ends never justify the means, Brainy. And the lack of death never vindicates putting lives at risk.

"If you believe otherwise, then perhaps your compassion is not all you seem to think it is."

He stops, now, turning in mid-air...seething.

"My actions saved a man's life and prevented him from being left a drooling vegetable. It's not a matter of the ends justifying the means--it's a matter of not caring if you're cast into the role of the villain if your efforts preserve life."

He relents, "Even then, do not let my own actions paint your perceptions of the others. Despite our rough start, Superman is by far a better man than I. Many of the others are. They are not...pleased with me, for what I'm responsible for, despite what it did for Sam."

He goes on, "Which is precisely my point. Superman didn't trust me initially. If my actions were so reprehensible, perhaps he had a right not to."

Brainy admits, "The problem here is that the fundamental question at the root of all this is not whether or not Superman and the others are responsible or justified or trustworthy, it's not their nature that's open to ambiguous interpretation."

He goes on, "The problem is that out of the confines of my natural setting, my own nature apparently is--even to them. If you're looking for someone to blame, blame myself, for my words and actions reinforcing a deadly stereotype, from start to finish. If I didn't want to be treated as a Brainiac, I shouldn't have acted like one. That is taking responsibility, Ms. Alexander."

Lyta, finally, nodded. The white glow of her eyes dissipated.

"There may just be hope for you, yet," she said. She then turned and headed down the hallway in the opposite direction. But before she was out of earshot, she added:

"As far as Superman and others are concerned...time will tell."

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