14952/Tomorrow's News, Today

Tomorrow's News, Today
Date of Scene:	18 April 2023
Location:	Brainiac 5's Laboratory, the Legion Cruiser
Synopsis:	Superman is Empathetic. Brainy is drowning himself in work.
Cast of Characters:	Brainiac 5, Superman

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'Brainiac 5 has posed:
    The Legion Cruiser, currently locked into orbit and concealed by stealth technology, looks uncannily like a friendlier version of one of the Klingon D7 cruisers from the original Star Trek series. Inside, the ship seems to be manned by a skeleton crew, consisting largely of automated drones.
    Upon arrival, one of the drones flies off, and a moment later Brainiac 5 arrives, entering the docking bay. "Ah-" He says, "My apologies! If I'd known you were coming in advance, I would have called some of the others up from Earth and arranged for a grander reception."

'Superman has posed:
Superman waves a dismissive hand. "Querl. There's no need for that," Superman says. He avoids using the term "Brainiac" unless he says Querl's full codename. Yes, Querl has redeemed the name, but it still has too much stigma in Superman's eyes. It's not a slight against current company. Just his first ancesstor.

"I wanted to check on the Legion. See how everyone was doing. i know getting back to your century is rough," he admits. Superman doesn't know this first hand. However, Supergirl talks abou tthe difference between Krypton and Earth. He imagines it's similar between ten centuries on the same planet.

'Brainiac 5 has posed:
"While I refuse to give up on returning home," Querl says, "I'm a realist. Life is the circumstances you find yourself in, and everyone has been given the decision - and opportunity - to start making lives for themselves here. If and when we can return to our own time, everyone will have a choice to either stay, or go."

He claps his hands together. "We can talk in my lab, unless you'd like a tour of the ship."

'Superman has posed:
"I'd always welcome a tour," Superman says with a smile. "And would you take people with you? This world has many super-powered individuals. I imagine some would prefer to go to the future and stay there," he asks honestly. It's something he knows can be a facctor.

"And what is your hope for the team? I've learned one thing, once one member of a team shows themselves, more tend to appear," Superman offers from one team member to another.

'Brainiac 5 has posed:
"Ah. Well, the entire ship was built using an assembler - essentially a giant 3D printer - that I built in Earth orbit. It contains everything we need to act as a fully-functional mobile HQ for the entire Legion, plus guests, plus any members we recruit here." He gestures with one hand. "This is the docking bay, slash cargo bay."

"It wouldn't be the first time that happened." Querl admits. "As you can see," He thumps the Legion Shuttle with one hand, "We've got room for a full-sized Legion shuttle as well as the onboarding and offboarding of essential cargo."

'Superman has posed:
"Can you make -other- equipment with this device? What do you use for the raw material?" ideas are going through Superman's head fo ra moment. Some he'll store for later.

"I'm just making sure you're equipped to handle heroes that may not have much here. A fresh start in the far off future may hold an appeal," Superman knows of a few people that would love the opportunity. Even his younger self would be pretty tempted.

'Brainiac 5 has posed:
"Ah. Well. The last act of the assembler was to break itself down and assimilate its various components into the ship. But I COULD build another." Querl says, "With little difficulty. But yes, you could use it to print almost anything. Of course, some components - power sources and the like - can't be printed... but the possibilities are vast."

He gestures. "I have a smaller assembler in the lab, if you'd like to see it?" He sets off out of the cargo bay. "But first, I could use a cup of coffee."

'Superman has posed:
"Well, show me it. I would like to see the miniature version," Superman says with an impressed tone in his voice. A smile on his face as he walks with Querl. "How have -you- been?" Superman expects some answer with a lot of logic behind it.

"Also, how are your DNA scanners?" he asks, with all seriousness. A sudden idea is coming into his mind.

'Brainiac 5 has posed:
"Focused on the problem at hand, as I've been for the past few years." Querl murmurs, "But I can't ignore advice I give to others, can I?" Having made that cryptic statement, Querl sets off at a brisk walk.

"State of the art, like anything I build. I am versed in every known aspect of the sciences, hard and soft. Though I'm told my execution of the social sciences is execrable... but I find that's just people being thin-skinned." Querl leads Clark to the mess hall first, and stops at an ominous looking vending machine with a pixel-tone smiley face on it labled 'MR. COFFEE'.

"Coffee, two cream two sugar." Querl says.

The machine hums to life, and then says, "If I were capable of replicating poison in your coffee, Dox, I would. One coffee, two cream two sugar, for my jailer. And what would his accomplice like?"

"...I got the coffee machine secondhand." Querl says, with a shrug. "I would reprogram it, but it makes the best coffee I've ever had, and I don't want to risk it."

'Superman has posed:
"That isn't an answer. That's a statement of intent. Or a plan. It's not an insight to your mental or emotional state," Superman points out, feeling like he's holding up an owner's manual.

"Well, I ran into a threat. I don't know what it is. -If- I got a sample, I might want a scan," Superman remembers fighting the threat. Something about it is unsettling to him.

"I don't know the advise you're giving them. I can't comment on that," then he looks at the Mister Coffee. It speaks for a moment. "Ummm. A Mocha?" Superman says as he is taken back by this.

A muderous coffee machine -is- unexpected. He looks at the Machine curiously.

'Brainiac 5 has posed:
"I'd be happy to help." Querl says, brushing off the question again, as he picks up his coffee.

The coffee machine whips up a Mocha, and then finishes it off with a "Bleah. Here's your mocha, super-jerk!"

"It's not actually murderous. Its personality clashes with the bounds of its programming. Though it did throw a cup of coffee at Garth once when he tried to see how complicated an order he could put into it."

'Superman has posed:
"Have you thought of putting the personality into a different host?" Superman asks. He asks genuinely. Thinking maybe a transfer of personality to host may level the machine out. Yes, machiens are logical, but if they're not allowed to complete their tasks then he figures problems could happen.

Taking the mocha, he takes a small sip. "IT's good, thank you," Superman says to the malicious machine. His gaze going back to Brainiac 5. "And you still haven't answered my question, Querl."

'Brainiac 5 has posed:
"...Well, so far it isn't actually guilty of doing anything other than making the coffee extremely hot in the hopes we'll spill it on ourselves, so I think its capacity for malice is limited, but revisiting Mr. Coffee is somewhere on my list." Querl runs his hand through his yellow hair, which fails to tame it.
    Then he clears his throat, and gestures. "Now, if you follow me to my lab, I'll show you my smaller-scale assembler and you can get an idea of what the full-size one looks like and what its capabilities are..." In other words, he's well aware he hasn't answered the question. He's continuing to evade it.

'Superman has posed:
"With the hopes of cuasing some pain?" Superman asks, a litlte puzzled. It honestly sounds like something out of a Futurama episode. Still, he looks to Querl, following the man to the lab. Again, the question isn't answer.

For now, Clark will drop it. Those sky blue eyes following the legionaire to the lab. "What is your greatest invention ont he small scale version?" he asks, thinking that could get an idea of the device's capabilities.

'Brainiac 5 has posed:
"Sometimes outer space is weird and you find weird things. It was a functional coffee machine to meet the demands of the Legion and I was building an advanced space cruiser on a budget of 'stolen asteroids and pocket lint.'" Querl waves a hand.

"Oh, advanced tools with the level of calibration I need to do my research. Wrenches with really comfortable handgrips. Highly detailed plastic miniatures." He makes his way into the heart of the Ship's Operations deck, until he reaches his lab - a few cursory security scans later, the doors unseal and admit him, and he gestures for Clark to follow him. There's a mind-boggling hologram of an unfolding five-dimensional time fractal slowly playing out in the center of the lab right now, along with a couple of partially-disassembled pieces of alien hardware and what looks like a Martian micro-biome in the middle of a terraforming experiment. For starters.

'Superman has posed:
"Ah," Superman responds getting it. Basically, it's a free coffee maker for an ever-growing team. Sass and steam aside, it did it's purpose. Those sky blue eyes look toward Qurel for a moment.

"Well, I can do similar here." Supeerman says pointing out to what tech is aailable now. However, he suspects the details would be diffferent by compairson.

Pausing at the time fractual, he watches it for a moment.

"What are you working on now?" he asks curiously. Those sky blue eyes looking over those unfinished piece.s He's trying not to presume.

'Brainiac 5 has posed:
"That is an experiment. You see... our future- The Legion's future-" Querl puts his hands behind his back. "No longer exists." He studies it, and then watches as an entire branch turns red and is deleted as unsuitable. "We have no future."

"But, there are still SIMILAR futures out there that might be suitable for us. What I need is to find one where as man yof the hypotheticals - the calculations - are right as possible. If I can do that, when the time comes, it's... better than nothing." He gestures to one timeline. "For instance, here's a timeline where based on my calculations of events Mon-El is an agent of the Dark Circle. *Completely* unsuitable for us."

'Superman has posed:
"Is there a way this timeline could -become- your timeline or a similar one? What's to keep you from being time anomolies. Running into this timeline's Querl, if you're not him?" Supermana sks as he looks toward the young ma. H knows time travel can be fickle.

Sometimes major changes do nothing, but minor ones can create a butterfly effect. Then there are fixed points that cannot be changed. No matter how much someone may -want- to change them. They simply cannot be changed.

"Do you know of any time travelers? Perhaps they can help offset the variables?" he asks.

'Brainiac 5 has posed:
"Well, I'm also working on corollary to Dox's first law of time travel, which is whatever you do in the past has already been factored into the future." The other half of that law, which is 'So quit whining about having crushed that prehistoric bug and LET ME FINISH MY WORK STAR BOY' never seems to make it into that recitation. "But... that's also something I want to avoid. The future we need would need to be one where we - or their Legion - went back in time, so by returning to the present we would be - hm -" He makes a note, "Completing the temporal chain of causality, not violating it. Of course, we may be automatically re-adjusted by the timeline into that Legion... but if enough pertinent details match up, there should be a minimum of trauma involved in that. Ideally... none."

Then he sighs. "The only one I know is Booster Gold, and you know full well I'd have better luck soliciting the help of a chimpanzee from the Metropolis Zoo."

'Superman has posed:
Superman just listens to everything. Those sky blue eyes watch Querl explain everything. Logically, it makes sense. It's risky, to say the least. However, the personal beliefs with time along with the ability to adapt, it could work.

When it comes to Booster, Superman stays quiet. He wants to refute this, but there are issues. Superman tries to think of replacements. However, those are in short upply and high demand. So, they're har to come by.

"Whatever I can do to help your timeline, ask,"Superman says just wanting to help minimize that trauma.

'Brainiac 5 has posed:
"The fact that you're here, and willing to help... is enough." Querl says, before he pats Superman on the shoulder, somewhat awkwardly. "...I do have a request, though. It may take years for me to work this snarl out. It may never happen. In that time - if you can assist Legionnaires with integrating themselves here. Our charter to help others remains unchanged, and many of us will do our best to assist on Earth - and elsewhere. It can be difficult to integrate yourself in a time and place so foreign."

"But with assistance - it gets a little easier. For instance, I know Mon-El is essentially a member of your family, thus the name, even if at this point in your life you don't know him that well. But, if he makes his way back to Earth, having a place to go other than the Legion would be good for him."

'Superman has posed:
"I am working with the League and the Titans for something new. Trying to get younger heroes trained. Not sure the end game, but any recruits you would take to the Academy. Please, bring them to Wonder Woman, Robin, Conner Kent, Supergirl or myself," Superman offers in turn. "Could be a way to get trained Legion members without needing access to the school," Superman offers Querl as a trade-off.

"I will do everything I can to help out against Intergang," he is not a fan of that word, either. They're a problem in this time. It bothers him that they can be problems in Querl's time. Almost like a cockroach that refuses to die. That's something Superman could rail against somehow.

'Brainiac 5 has posed:
Querl puts his hands behind his back. "While I prefer to do my work in the lab, I'm also a Legionnaire. So... if there's anywhere you think my talents would be best applied - please let me know. I would - need - to help. To be useful. Otherwise, I'm just sitting up here, wasting away, trying to solve unsoveable problems and turn hypotheticals into tangibles."

He shakes his head, and then says, "Cosmic Boy is around here, somewhere. Make sure you see him before you go back to Earth. I know it would mean the world to him."

'Superman has posed:
"I will," Superman says, just happy to have Querl's ambition. It will be useful, even if he doesn't know how. Superman knows the potential.

"You can let him, and others, know I'm about. I'd be happy to speak to anyone," he says to Brainiac. Yes, Superman is aware of the weight the Legion holds for him. It's a little intimidating, but if his actions keeps heroes to a higher standard then Superman will embrace it. Because at the end fo the day, the future will be in good hands. To Superman, it's him just doing his part to help humanity to keep going.

'Brainiac 5 has posed:
Querl gives a small smile. "...Thank you, Clark." He holds a finger over his own mouth, and then says, "...Just chalk that one up to me being a Twelfth-Level Intellect. I'm good at everything, including detective work - remember?" Then he sighs.

"...And I know. I was ducking your question. Emotions are difficult. Failure, or the possibility of failure is... moreso. But I'm coping. I promise. There's always the work to get lost in, after all. I assure you if and when I do fall apart, it'll be nothing short of spectacular." He gestures, palms out, looking briefly as hapless as he is green. "It was so much EASIER when I just yelled at people and threw them out of my lab."

'Superman has posed:
"No one can fail emotions if they're genuine, Brainiac. It's only when people don't realize when an emotion goes too far does action become dangerous. But that is failing action. There's no wrong answer to an emotion," he looks at Querl for a moment. Superman doesn't argue the intellect about the deduction. It's a proper one.

'Brainiac 5 has posed:
"I don't know, losing your temper and hitting the Miracle Machine with a wrench sounds like the wrong way to respond to an emotion to me." Querl says - "That's a joke. See? Truly I am the greatest of all Brainiacs. I understand humor!"

"Now. Since I'm using my deluge of work to hold myself together, is there anything I can do for you *right now*? Advanced calculus? Spot-welding?"

'Superman has posed:
"That's action, not emotion," Superman points out. His sky blue eyes look back tot he intellect. "No. Just let the others know I'm here," he gives a soft smile an then starts to float and move across the floor. He looks about while waiting to see if other legioniares will flag him down.

'Brainiac 5 has posed:
"I'll ah, I'll do that." Querl says, as he watches Superman depart. "...And Clark? Don't be a stranger." He turns to go back to his work.