10575/The Panacea Project: Epilogue

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The Panacea Project: Epilogue
Date of Scene: 29 December 2019
Location: Theta-4
Synopsis: The Legion has loose ends to tie up after COMPUTO's defeat at Theta-4.
Cast of Characters: Mon-El, Brainiac 5, Invisible Kid
Tinyplot: The Panacea Project


Mon-El has posed:
    Last time, the Legion managed to destroy COMPUTO and divert impending disaster for organic life in the galaxy. Now, they're left with a bunch of confused Aeonians, two of which are trapped in stiff-rigged transuits, and also a confused Daxamite.

    Lyle had gotten the factory's original systems back online before it fell into Theta-4 and incinerated them all. But now that things are relatively stable for the time being, the question of what to do with Astrix and his sister Azeilia still remains...

Brainiac 5 has posed:
    Brainy has arrived onto the station, having left his ancestor's ship that he 'borrowed' to drift to its doom in the heart of the system's star. He walks inside and looks around, before he lets out a sigh, and then turns to walk further inside.

Invisible Kid has posed:
    Lyle is, predictably, still fussing with the station's systems, because 'relatively stable' isn't good enough, he wants 'running properly' so that he can put it completely out of his mind and deal with other things.  And besides, he wants to verify the total extirpation of even the tiniest fragment of COMPUTO code.
    He doesn't even *want* to think of where Brainy got a skull ship from.  But, fair is fair, probably no one wants to think about half the stuff he himself does.

Mon-El has posed:
    If Brainiac entered through the most convenient entry, he'd likely find himself coming through into the large shielded hangar where COMPUTO's body had previously been. Now it's mostly empty, save for Lyle still hunched over the terminals and Astrix and his sister still stuck in transuits nearby.

    Speaking of Astrix, he seems to have come out of his daze and is trying to get Lyle's attention. "Hey ummm... you're a Legionnaire, aren't you, mister? Iiii take it you got my message, and stuff. But I wanted you to know I'm really, really sorry for all of this. I know it's my fault, but I swear I wasn't trying to cause any trouble!" he really sounds like a naughty teenager trying to make excuses for himself to get out of getting grounded. "I promise I'll make it up to you. I...I know, I can join you, I'll help you with whatever you need me to!"

Brainiac 5 has posed:
    "You'll be turned over to the presiding planetary authorities to be charged with whatever crimes are appropriate for this debacle according to their body of laws." Brainy says, "Your help is not required."
    Then he reaches down and pulls his flight ring off, and sets it on the console with a *clink*. "I killed COMPUTO, I erased his source code. As such, per the Legion charter and to spare you the agony of a tribunal, I resign. Effective immediately."

Invisible Kid has posed:
    Lyle doesn't sound any more sympathetic.  "I'm afraid 'I didn't mean it' isn't a legal defense.  And it doesn't have any bearing on the fact that you hacked your way into our secure systems.  You *definitely* meant to do that.  By a route, I might add, that will never be usable again."  Lyle never even looked up from his terminal.
    Except to look over at Brainy.  "Put that back on," he says.  "You deleted a program, nothing more.  If you want a vote on the matter, I vote to acquit."

Mon-El has posed:
    "B-but!" Astrix begins to protest, and at that point Azeilia chimes in too.
    "Please, I beg of you, do not send him back to be apprehended by the Capital, they would have him executed for certain..." she says desperately, her voice shaking and her eyes welling up with tears. "I-I'll go in his place, if someone has to!"
    "No! Az don't do this. Please..." he glances over at Brainy when he mentions having killed COMPUTO. "No, you didn't kill it completely, before you came here, it...uhm..it must have forced me to upload a backup copy of itself onto one of my neural implants. Because the source code is there now and it wasn't before. So I would think you need to keep an eye on me until you can figure out how to get it out without killing me...but honest I can help! Just get me out of this thing..."

Just then, Lar wanders into the room, looking very confused and disconcerted.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
    "I killed a sentient being, and my own child, Lyle." Brainy says, "And to say otherwise would be a lie." He puts his hands on his belt. "I will collect my things from the cruiser and depart tonight."
    Then he turns back to Astrix, and says, "...Did it now." He holds up his hand, and his force-field flashes to life, and then slowly begins to shape itself into a tool.
    "Blackmailing me is a poor idea under the best of circumstances. I believe I can remove the implant from you with only a minimum amount of damage to your brain. You should be feeding yourself again inside of a year."

Invisible Kid has posed:
    "You can re-create it any time you like from memory, Querl," Lyle replies, "therefore it's not dead, it's dormant.  You yourself have repeatedly pointed out how short-handed we are in this era; don't cut our numbers over philosophical hairsplitting."
    As for Astrix's predicament... you know, a year before he can feed himself sounds fair enough.

Mon-El has posed:
    "What! No I'm not blackmailing you!" Astrix says desperately, squirming useless against the suit as Azeilia seems to grow even more upset, tears now streaming down her face. "It's true, I swear, I'm just telling you what I would do in this situation knowing what I know! Look, I know you're reasonably angry about all of this, but I'm honestly just trying to do everything I can to remedy it and not make it worse!"
    "P-please sir, he is a good young man, he doesn't deserve this..." Azeilia sobs as well.

    At this point, Lar walks over to the group, frowning at the energy tool Brainiac is holding. "Excuse me, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Why are you threatening these people?" he asks the Coluan.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
    Brainy glances back to Lyle, and shakes his head, once. "We don't get to put aside the Legion Charter when it's inconvenient, Invisible Kid. I can create a new COMPUTO, but I won't. Ergo, he's dead, and I killed him. You're the one who's splitting hairs." His expression darkens, as he turns back to Astrix.
    "Why, after EVERYTHING you have DONE, do you INSIST on trying to hustle us? I have reached the conclusion, based on available data, that you are a moron. A wretched. Mewling. Opportunistic. Moron."
    He advances on Astrix, with that tool made out of Zero-Point energy. "How dare you, sir. How dare you sit here and take advantage of your sister, and gleefully wave your astonishing lack of decency in our faces?"
    "How dare you!?"
    Then he glances back to Lar, and looks up at the Daxamite.
    Then he turns, and walks out. "Fine. He's your problem."

Invisible Kid has posed:
    "Yeah, well, I'll be more sympathetic to philosophical passion plays when we're a functioning peacekeeping arm of an interplanetary alliance in our own time again, rather than a vigiliante force hoping not to step on too many toes in an era that can't technologically handle most of the crises we face," Lyle says, although probably much of that was not heard by the departing Brainiac 5.
    And surreptitiously, he runs a scan on Lar.  Astrix's comment about backups has made him paranoid.
    Well, okay, slightly more paranoid than his normal professional paranoia.

Mon-El has posed:
    Astrix's eyes widen as Brainiac totally unloads on him. He would have cringed away if he weren't immobilized. Well -someone's- definitely in a bad mood. The teen finally seems to have no further protests for the moment, just staring as the Coluan storms off and Azeilia is still sobbing all over the inside of the transuit.

    Lar also watches Querl leave, a brow arching. "It was just a question..." he mutters. Lyle's scans would reveal there are no more of the nanobots in there perhaps much to his relief. "I take it he is in a very bad mood." Still, something doesn't seem to be quite right...

Invisible Kid has posed:
    The collective plights of the siblings don't really register on Lyle's sympathy scale right now.  Astrix is a criminal, and Azeilia is an idiot, and he's hard pressed to say that they don't deserve whatever legal fates they have coming their way.
    Instead, he rises to Brainy's defense.  "Of course he is.  You know how disappointing and frustrating COMPUTO was /and is/ for him.  To have a project with that much promise go that wrong through no fault of his own... grife."
    He wanders over to collect Brainy's ring, inspects it a moment, and tucks it into a pocket.  "I'll make sure he gets this back," he says off-handedly, going back to check on his scan of Lar.

Mon-El has posed:
    Astrix sighs. "Fine, do whatever you think you need to do. Just please believe me that I--/we/--are telling you the truth. There is a copy of the AI's source code on one of my implants, and if you send us back to be apprehended on Aeon, they -will- execute us, and probably take my implants and try to extract info from them and that's where your COMPUTO will have the opportunity to keep advancing its goals of mass murdering everyone not made out of code and metal. -I- couldn't even begin to fathom how complex it was, you think a bunch of government hackers are gonna be able to do anything to it? Not a chance." he scoffs. Yeah, he's arrogant too. Hard not to be when you're kind of a child prodigy on your planet.

    Again, the scans are coming up clean. And physically, Mon-El seems to be fine. But maybe Lyle will notice that his translator is...working. Lar is talking in Daxamite, which isn't typical. That and this situation might be bringing some deja vu for him. "Uh, actually I don't. I mean, I guess it would be frustrating for a project to go terribly wrong and it not be your fault at all--not that I've ever had it happen to me. At least I don't think it has..." he says, rubbing his head. "In fact, I was just hoping maybe one of you could tell me where we are?"

Invisible Kid has posed:
    "They won't get the chance to extract anything, Brainy will handle that, and a damn sight better than your government can," Lyle says to Astrix, unimpressed.  He knows how the 'child prodigy' thing goes -- been there, done that, got the invisibility serum and a whole raft of issues with his dad, thanks.
    When it sinks in what's going on with Lar, he looks up slowly.  "Theta Four station, Lar.  Are you feeling okay?" he asks with a sinking feeling.

Mon-El has posed:
    "Well I certainly hope you're right, for the sake of an entire galaxy full of non machines including myself." Astrix says, before finally falling silent for now.

    Those words don't seem to mean anything to Lar. "Uhhmm....right." He glances around the room nervously. "I, um...I'm feeling fine--is that my name?" Well, then.