1420/Little Problems

Little Problems
Date of Scene:	12 July 2017
Location:	Legion Cruiser: Lab
Synopsis:	More planning on how to deal with the Legion's Little Pest, way past Lyle's bedtime.
Cast of Characters:	Invisible Kid, Brainiac 5

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Invisible Kid has posed:
        A few drops of a red liquid, that smells slightly of phosphorus and ether. 
        A few grams of a translucent white salt of some kind.  Lyle stirs it slowly; the mixture begins to bubble, and throw off little puffs of steam.  Or smoke.  Hard to tell.
        And then suddenly it stops, and turns to a dark purple, and slowly fades to a watery green.
        Lyle raises the test tube, takes a whiff, and then raises it to the light to inspect it.  "Hm."

Brainiac 5 has posed:
        Which is when Querl enters.  He has foam in his hair.  "He started a kitchen fire," he says.  "I almost had him.  Almost!"  He shakes his head, and moves to the emergency wash to rinse the stuff out of his hair and then he grabs a towel to dry it off.
        Then he looks up, and sniffs.  "…What are you working on?"

Invisible Kid has posed:
        Lyle starts and sets the tube back in a rack, for safety's sake.  "Oh!  Uhm.  Thought I had the lab to myself for a while.  It's, um, a project."  He scootches the test tube rack to the side, so he's between it and Brainy.  "It's… just a theory for right now.  But if Our Little Problem eludes us for much longer, we'll have to test it."

Brainiac 5 has posed:
        Brainy walks over to the solution, and eyes it, critically, before he looks up, and says, "A project."  Then he says, "Is it a shrinking potion?  Are you going to test whatever it is properly before you invariably drink it?" he says, before he shakes his head, and says, "Of course you will."  Then he massages a drip out of his hair, and says, "You won't get any further interruptions from me…."

Invisible Kid has posed:
        "How could you tell that from a look?"  Lyle says before he catches himself. "I mean, I, um… oh, grife."  He rubs his eyes; they are a little bit red, like he's been at this a little longer than was a good idea.  "Yes, I was going to see if I could duplicate the Imskian shrinking ability.  I figured that since I already have all the experience anyone needs with their own biochemistry…."
        He trails off, and looks at Brainy quizzically. "I really though you would try to stop me.  Otherwise I would've let you know what I was working on."

Brainiac 5 has posed:
        Brainy says, his voice as dry as dry ice, "Lyle, have I not expounded to you about precisely how smart I am at length in the past?"  He examines the rack, and then reaches down to take it up, before he puts it in the cooler.  For now.
        "Why would I stop you?  Biochemistry is one of the areas where I will admit your focus exceeds my broad mastery.  I told you before, I spent a month trying to recreate your invisibility serum, and the most I managed to concoct was a disintegration potion.  You need to go to bed, by the way, you're exhausted."

Invisible Kid has posed:
        "I am not," Lyle protests, "exhausted.  I am merely at the end of a long and hopefully fruitful process."  He only barely manages to stifle a yawn.  "That might have taken a greater chunk out of my schedule than I originally expected," he adds, just a little petulantly.
        "I've thought about tailoring a serum for someone else."  He fills a liter flask with water and drains it in one go.  "But I haven't been able to think who would be best to go with me.  I don't know if I need Brin's tracking or Lar's general superness—assuming he's not generically resistant to anything I could brew up—or Lu's multiplicity or Nura's precognition."
        He pauses a moment, and then genuinely giggles.  "And I hope I can catch a ride with Quislet, too.  I really want to see him face to face.  Face to particle.  Whatever."

Brainiac 5 has posed:
        "The answer to that," Brainy says, "Is neither.  Micro Lad will have all the advantages on whatever playing field you choose if you shrink down to his size.  Except one… maybe."  He is quiet, and leaves it at that, and then says, "All right.  Come on.  I'm ordering you to go to bed."  He moves to fetch Lyle, scooping him with his force-field if need be, in the shape of a giant hand.

Invisible Kid has posed:
        Lyle evades in the instinctive way—he goes invisible. "I'm not done working y– ye— *yawn* —yet!" he protests.  Sounds like he's floating up by the ceiling.
        And then he abruptly flicks back into view—yup, ceiling.  "Oh, grife.  I sound like you after thirty or so hours in the lab, don't I?"

Brainiac 5 has posed:
        And then Brainy reaches up with that force-field to grab Lyle by the ankle and gently tug him down, before he begins leading him out of the lab.  "I take 20 minute powernaps.  My secret."  He says, "Or I just wait for someone to hold a meeting and I use an image inducer to make it look like I'm awake when I'm actually asleep in my chair."  Tug tug.

Invisible Kid has posed:
        Lyle actually looks like he's trying to swim up against the tugging.  For all the good that's going to do him.  For the record: not much.  And since he would greatly prefer to not get his head banged on the lintel of the doorway, he capitulates, coming all the way back down to the floor.  "I have more thinking to do," he grouses.  "I do not need to sl– sle— *yawn* —sleep yet!"

Brainiac 5 has posed:
        "You will think much more clearly in the morning after a good night's sleep."  Now Brainy is frog-marching Lyle into the lift, which takes them up into the habitation area, and toward Lyle's quarters—the ones with the lower-case 'i' on the door.  "I will not have my XO wandering around sleep-deprived, no matter HOW smart he is."

Invisible Kid has posed:
        "Your XO is not sleep-deprived, he's merely up slightly late!" Lyle objects, making a half-hearted and unsuccessful attempt to head back to his work.  "And the next time you put in a forty-hour stint in the lab, you better not complain if I haul you back to your room, I know Colu doesn't have a forty hour day!"

Brainiac 5 has posed:
        Brainy says, "Yes yes, you're cranky when you're tired, which is amusing."  Brainy herds Lyle into his berth, and then says, "You know, there are legends about what Invisible Kid keeps in his quarters.  One bet was caged monsters.  Garth suggested evil science experiments, which would mean you were holding out on me."  He does take a moment to look around, before he sighs, and pulls back the covers on Lyle's bed.  "Uniform off, and it's time to collaborate with your pillow, Norg."

Invisible Kid has posed:
        No monsters, sorry, just a fairly regulation Legion-assigned living quarters.
        Lyle only gets as far as getting his shirt off, before he really resists.  "No, wait!  I have it!  That's it!  I'm a genius!"  He grabs Querl by the shoulders.  "We have to have his bioscan!  I should be able to come up with something to temporarily cancel his natural abilities!"

Brainiac 5 has posed:
        Querl gives Lyle a bland look.  "Yes.  And we'll get his bioscan."  He moves to put a finger on Lyle's forehead, to push him backward.  "In the morning."  Then he says, "You know the rules.  Sleep depriviation makes for shoddy super-science."  Then he mutters, "But grife, your enthusiasm is infectious when you're like this.  Maybe I'll work on getting that bioscan… after you're asleep."

Invisible Kid has posed:
        "Oh, no."  Lyle grips Brainy's shoulders tighter.  "You don't get to have fun while I'm sleeping.  Never mind sleep deprivation, inspiration makes for super-science!  Sleep deprivation means you just run every test three times," he declares, although to be fair he's starting to sound a bit like Victor von Frankenstein from the movies.  "For safety!"

Brainiac 5 has posed:
        That makes Brainy reach up to put his hands on Lyle's shoulders.  "Lyle?" he says, his voice a soft little whisper.  "Go to bed."  Then… he kisses Invisible Kid on the forehead.  "The science will still be there in the morning, I promise.  How about this?  I promise, I won't do any research without you.  I'll go back to my quarters and read."

Invisible Kid has posed:
        Lyle crosses his eyes and looks up, as if trying to see the spot where that kiss was laid.  "Gonna read a novel?" he asks, "not a textbook or research paper?"  He drops down onto his bed, sitting there.  "Okay.  No science until the morning," he says a little dreamily.  He has been up longer than is a really good idea.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
        Brainiac 5 moves to tuck the pillow under Lyle's head, and waits for him to lie down, before he pulls the blanket up over him.  He gives Lyle's head a pat, and says, "Sure."  He's going to read research journals and maybe his Monster Manual.  "Sleep well, my friend," he says, before he turns to walk out.  The door hisses shut behind him, and then Brainy… returns to the lab.  Sealed on orders of Legion Leader Brainiac 5 until 0900 tomorrow morning.  And he encrypts the locking command.  The butt.