9211/A Colossal Boob

A Colossal Boob
Date of Scene:	15 September 2019
Location:	Theseus, Attican Beta
Synopsis:	The Legion continues to deal with the situation on Theseus.
Cast of Characters:	Mon-El, Brainiac 5, Invisible Kid

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Mon-El has posed:
    For the past week or so, the Legion has been trying to clean up the mess they'd caused on the planet Theseus.  Well, in their defense, the choices weren't the greatest.  Sometimes, efforts to avert total destruction create other problems, hopefully problems that aren't as permanent as the ones they were trying to solve in the first place.  Life is complicated, sometimes.
    The first few days were mostly occupied with trying to rescue as many people as possible from the fires and piles of rubble where buildings once were, trying to actually systematically put out the fires, and just plain trying to survive.  But now that things have at least sort of calmed down and livable refugee camps have been set up, they understandably are demanding an explanation for—well, everything.
    This time around, Brainiac is stuck with this job.  Normally it's Lar who handles this sort of thing, but given the circumstances… well they speak for themselves.  How much of a bad idea that was remains to be seen.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
    You want an explanation? You'll get an explanation.
    "We saved your people from being enslaved by a tyrant who viewed you as somewhere on par with a pestilential insect," Brainy says to whoever's representing the native population, in a clipped tone.  "While the aftershocks were somewhat messy, the alternative was a genocide, after which the survivors—if there were any survivors—would likely have been enslaved."
    Brainy allows for a long pause.  "…You may thank us now."

Invisible Kid has posed:
    Lyle has nothing to say regarding Brainy's abilities as a diplomat.  He's not much of one himself, and there was nothing factually inaccurate in the green genius' message to whatever powers-that-be are left on Theseus.
    And besides, he's been busy rescuing victims, putting out fires, and in addition to trying to survive, trying to analyze what was screwy about the anti-lead serum Mon-El's brother had in him and how to counteract it.
    So yeah, terse and to the point suits him right now.  He takes a moment to breathe, and to remotely check on their patient up in the cruiser.  Multitasking is sometimes as much second nature as sneakiness.

Mon-El has posed:
    Unsurprisingly, Brainiac's attitude… isn't exactly very well received, at least not by Glotz, apparently the current political leader of the native population.  They look mostly humanoid, with a few reptilian-like features.  Anyway, Glotz sighs irritably, struggling to remain diplomatic.
    "We understand that part, but many of us are wondering if you were the ones who brought them here to begin with.  First, we have heard that your leader is one of them, and as a matter of fact is he not their prince?  Second, while you were assisting our survivors… you were also assisting theirs.  You cannot be friend to us and friend to them at the same time!"

Brainiac 5 has posed:
    "Mr. Glutz," Brainy says, with a haughty tilt of his chin, "please lay your urge for vengeance aside when you speak to me, it insults my intelligence."  He crosses his arms.  "Yes.  We did.  Because we aren't barbarians and we are a peacekeeping and support organization, not a military force.
    "Are you requesting that we leave?" he says, calling the magistrate's bluff.

Invisible Kid has posed:
    Lyle nods.  Addressing his ominicom more than anyone else, he remarks, "It's our job.  We may not leave a sentient to just die, variety angel or variety devil.  And there may have been a chemical reason for some of the aggression, although that's not settled for certain yet.  I'm still working that one out."  By the time he finishes speaking, he's looking directly at Glotz, with that innocent expression he has no business being able to pull off as successfully as he does.

Mon-El has posed:
    Glotz rolls his eyes at the 'peacekeeping and support' part.  "So you say.  And yet your leader is among the ones you called 'tyrants.'  Who exactly are you, then, and where do you come from, anyway?  Other than just 'the sky'?"  Really, he's trying to keep his cool.  But even politicians have a hard time, after the events of the past week….
    He folds his arms.  "I'm not requesting.  I'm demanding.  As I said, you cannot be friend to us and friend to the slaughterers.  If you keep holding hands with them, we will accept no further help from you!" he says haughtily.  Of course, while they had made some progress, they still were far from being out of the woods.  If they think they don't need any more help, well, they're just wrong.  And some of the others seem to know it, too.  Some of his entourage sort of glance apprehensively at each other, almost fearfully, when he says that, almost as if seriously questioning whether Glotz's words were wise ones or not and whether they might actually mean the end of their civilization… but they seem too afraid to speak up.  Yet.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
    Brainy raises an eyebrow. "You—demand?" he says.  "You colossal BOOB.  You ASTONISHING BUFFOON.  We are HELPING you.  We are asking NOTHING IN RETURN.
    "But you'd consign the population of this planet to hardship out of some misplaced sense of vengeance?"  He laughs, aloud, mockingly.
    "You barbarian."  Brainy turns, and walks away.  "Fortunately, we aren't subject to the whims of your politics.  I'm almost ready to begin repairing the damage to your atmosphere, Mr. Glerts.
    "All you have to do is stay out of my way and claim the credit when I'm done.  Your political career might actually survive if you do that.  Think about this slowly and carefully, you incredible nincompoop."

Invisible Kid has posed:
    Oh, that's a really good way to trigger Lyle—attack a teammate.  He gets as far as a preparatory inhale… when the Brainy Bomb goes off.
    You know, they're much more entertaining when they're pointed at someone else.  Lyle just relaxes and lets his teammate have his say.  And suddenly, what he had to say doesn't sound quite so harsh anymore.
    When Brainy finally winds up, and before Glotz can get going himself, he puts in, "May I also remind you that this man—"  He points at Mon-El.  "—is one of the primary reasons you still have a planet upon which there are still survivors to be rescued.  You're still here because he's still here!"  By now, Lyle's tone is so acid you could etch glass with it.  "I swear, if you were twins you still wouldn't constitute one full wit between you…."

Mon-El has posed:
    And then the crap hits the fan, and Brainiac explodes, quickly followed by Lyle.  Glotz gets a pink tinge to the face.  "Why you—I—"  But before he can compose any sort of coherent response, the Coluan just walks away, so he just finishes with a "—gah!" before he also storms off back to the refugee camp.
    One of the others who had been with him, though, lingers behind, and rushes after Brainiac.  "Please, sir… pay him no mind.  He's…."  A headshake.  "He has always been a haughty elitist.  I'm sorry he is being so ungrateful.  But do not leave us, I don't know what we'd do without your help…."
    Meanwhile, if Lyle has been keeping tabs on Del in medical, his Omnicom would be alerting him to rising levels of brain activity and other indicators that he may be about to wake up.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
    Brainy looks over his shoulder, and then turns, his expression softening slightly.  "You don't need to beg me.  If I had had more resources available to me, we wouldn't be in this state.  I have done my very best, and I will continue to do so.  And even though I cannot restore your planet, I CAN leave you schematics for equipment you can build that will speed your recovery."
    He turns back. "…It was the fact that he gambled with your people's safety to advance himself politically that infuriated me."

Invisible Kid has posed:
    Lyle has been keeping tabs on Del, although this is not the time he was hoping for that particular alert.  It's inconvenient.  Very inconvenient.
    Putting Glotz out of his mind—easily enough done, Lyle's had his say, the Thesean leader is no longer of any concern to him—he says very quietly over comms, "Del's starting to come around.  We can give him the same serum we give you, but can we keep him under control?"

Brainiac 5 has posed:
    "I would suggest putting him in the brig, under red solar lights," Brainy says, "at least for the time being."

Mon-El has posed:
    "Oh, that is a relief," the other alien admits, looking as much, too.  "Your kindness is appreciated.  Despite Glotz's arrogance."  A sigh, and a frown.  "Yes, he has a habit of doing whatever is needed to advance his career.  Including treading on others."  He seems ashamed of this.  "I assume your friend is… different.  From the others?"
    Speaking of whom, Lar comes over the comms when Lyle alerts the team to Del's status.  <<…I saw that.  Not sure if the red solar generators will work, but it's worth a try.  Either way, can you guys get back up here sooner rather than later?>>

Brainiac 5 has posed:
    "Mon-El is a title that was given to him by Kal-El of Krypton, making him an honorary member of that Kryptonian house.  While he has his flaws in character, as we all do, he is an honorable and good-hearted man," Brainy says, plainspoken, his hands out by his sides.
    Brainy then says, "As soon as I can, yes.  There's a lot of work to do here."  He sighs, and then says, "The Daxamites are a people in search of a home.  You had room here for them to have set up a colony and left you in peace.  But that wasn't enough for Queen Rhea."

Invisible Kid has posed:
    When isn't there a lot to do?  Lyle withholds comment on that, and instead addresses Lar.  "Probably a good idea to get him into one of the cells before he wakes up.  Can you move him without waking him?  Please say yes, and using superspeed is an option."  He taps a few keys on his Omnicom, setting the parameters for red sun radiation.  "Let me know when you're clear and I can trigger the safe light from here.  We'll worry about figuring out the flawed serum he's got now, and getting the right one to him once he's secure."

Mon-El has posed:
    "Krypton…."  The name of yet another planet out there in the cosmos is unfamiliar to these people.  "Not sure if I'll ever get used to the idea of these worlds beyond the sky.  Rulers not being willing to share, however—that I've seen plenty of, unfortunately.  Thank you again."  The native bows his head slightly in respect and then returns to the camp, looking a bit more confident than before.
    Lar chuckles at Lyle's comments.  <<On it.>>  It won't be long before everything is in place to avoid having a rampaging Daxamite loose on the cruiser.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
    "…If I can leave you with anything," Querl says, "It is that I believe that the highest virtue a sentient being can aspire to is to give his very best without expectation of recompense or reward."
    He looks at the alien he was talking to, and says, "If you do not like the way your species conducts itself… conduct yourself differently."  He rises into the air, to return to the ship.

Invisible Kid has posed:
    Lyle triggers the safe light once advised that Lar is clear of the danger zone… or safety zone, depending on how one looks at it.
    Then he seeks out an official who isn't Glotz, to advise that they'll be back, but there are some matters that need to be handled shipboard.  "We know we're not done here," he explains, and steps backwards through a gate he triggered to appear right behind him.
    For someone who's stock in trade is sneakiness, Lyle does have a showoff streak now and again.

Mon-El has posed:
    The advice is definitely taken sincerely.  By the friendly and more humble one, that is.  Because that's another thing that Heroes do.  Inspire others to become Heroes, too!  (Cue 'A Star is Born from Hercules. JK)  Lyle's assurance that they will be back is also helpful, and we won't say they weren't impressed by that disappearing act, either.
    Back on the ship, Del has been secured in a cell on the brig with a red solar generator in it that is specifically designed to contain Kryptonians and people like them.  And just in time, too.  From the readings, he is just about to regain consciousness….

Brainiac 5 has posed:
    Brainy seems to take a step back on this one, studying the medical equipment in silence.

Invisible Kid has posed:
    Lyle enters the brig at a half-jog, watching readings on his omnicom—and paying enough attention to everything else that he bangs into no one as he enters.  "I'm hoping," he says, "that he's been out long enough for the aggression to be… less evident.  Unfortunately, I'm not at all sure it will be.  At the very least, he might be sufficiently groggy upon awakening that we can get a few questions in before he decides he doesn't want to talk."
    He doesn't sound entirely optimistic, but hey, weirder things have happened.

Mon-El has posed:
    Of course, the equipment Lyle knocks into makes a bunch of noise, enough to make it sound a lot worse than it actually was.  But fortunately, nothing was actually damaged since he's a normal level of tough.
    As Lyle arrives in front of the cell, Del is indeed a little bit groggy, but not for as long as Invisible Kid might have been hoping.  He quickly realizes he has been imprisoned, and isn't feeling so great as before thanks to the red radiation.  Glaring at Lyle and Brainiac, he starts pounding on the glass.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
    "Daxamites are more susceptible to red sun saturation than the Kryptonian baseline.  By now," Brainy says, "You should be sufficiently depowered where if I flood your cell with neuranasthetic gas, which I can do at the push of a button, you'll go unconscious again.  I can do this until you choose to be civil," Brainy says.
    "You have five seconds."  He puts his finger on a button.

Invisible Kid has posed:
    "He will, too," Lyle comments casually.  "Although if you settle down, you might be surprised to hear a few things to your benefit."  He's perfectly willing to play good cop/bad cop.
     "The first thing I want to know is where you got your version of an anti-lead serum from, because it's a mess.  Certainly compared to the one Lar uses, which doesn't have the side effects I've noticed so far."
    He takes a seat casually, waiting for a response.

Mon-El has posed:
    Unfortunately, it seems the first round of this isn't going to be successful.  Del just keeps glaring daggers at the both of them and pounding incessantly on the glass to no avail.  He has that… crazed look in his eyes, almost like a rabid animal.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
    Querl 'Go ahead, call my bluff' Dox promptly gasses him, without bothering to look up.

Invisible Kid has posed:
    "Well, he didn't seem to be in a chatty mood anyway," Lyle says a little blankly, glancing once at Brainy.  He'll wait until the monitors show Del is completely unconscious before opening the cell and moving him to his bed again.
    No reason not to be civilized about things.
    That done, he takes his seat again outside, with Brainy.  "He's got a modified anti-lead serum that's at least partially behind the high aggression," he explains without preamble, "and it's resisting analysis so far."  What little data he's been able to collect—it's been a busy week or so—scrolls across the screen.
    With a faint smile, he asks, "Thoughts?"

Mon-El has posed:
    According to the data, as Lyle had said, it is like Lar's specially-tailored anti-lead serum, only it is not quite specially tailored.  It certainly looks like someone had taken that serum and tried to make it work the way Lar's does, but hadn't quite succeeded, resulting in side effects similar to what happens when one simply uses a serum that was not genetically optimized to the individual.
    However, it's not long before the drugs once again start to wear off, and the readings indicate Del is about to wake back up again.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
    Brainy gives Lyle a sidelong glance, and he says, "I think that you should keep working on it.  Within the narrow parameters of the field of biochemistry, you have… more… specialized… knowledge than I do."  He shrugs his shoulders and then says, "But Daxamite reactions to lead poisoning can include hallucinations.  The original serum works in part by infusing molecules of gold into the Daxamite system… blocking the receptors that would uptake molecular lead into his nervous system.  So… what heavy metal did Rhea's scientists use instead?"

Invisible Kid has posed:
    "A very good question that," Lyle replies, sticking the question on top of his mental 'to do' stack.  "The other thing that bothers me is that this is Lar's brother.  They didn't have to change the formula, his genetic profile is similar enough to Lar's that they could use it unaltered.  Which only makes me wonder if someone wanted Del out of control.  And if so, who?"

Mon-El has posed:
    Del wakes up again and finds himself on the bed in the cell.  He still looks pretty unhappy, but at least this time, he doesn't immediately start pounding on the glass like some kind of wild thing.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
    "He seems a little less violent.  Perhaps you should talk to him, Lyle.  …Interrogate him.  Finesse some information out of him," Brainy muses.

Invisible Kid has posed:
    Lyle sits up and leans forward.  "I can but try!" he says, then rises to approach the cell wall.  "Hello, Del.  We spoke a couple minutes ago, or at least I did.  I think there's a good chance you didn't hear me, though.  I wanted to know who gave you the anti-lead serum you're on.  If you happen to know, anyway."
    He has his doubts that Del is in any more of a chatty mood, but it can't hurt to try the soft touch first.

Mon-El has posed:
    Del sits up on the bed, and glares across the cell at Lyle.  "And who exactly are you that I should tell you anything at all?" he snaps.  Okay well he definitely is still pissed but at least he's talking now.  It's a step, right?  "You weaken me and lock me up, what reason have I to help you?"

Invisible Kid has posed:
    "Well, we can start with the fact that I'm your best chance for cleaning out the damage that botched serum is doing to you," Lyle says, quite sincerely.  "Whoever gave it to you either wanted to control you, or just wanted you out of control, would be my guess.  If they stole the formula we use for Lar, they had to know they didn't need to change it to work on you if they were smart enough to change it at all.  And if they came up with it on their own, they had to know the effects it would have on you."
    He shrugs.  "Also, the fact that I know the formula for a serum that won't mess with your head, unlike the one currently romping through your metabolism.  I don't know about you, but those sound like a couple decent reasons to me."

Mon-El has posed:
    "…"  Del purses his lips and folds his arms, fighting to keep down the roiling emotions that are threatening to rise to the surface.  "I do not know you.  You still haven't told me who you are, where you're from and what you want," he says.  It seems that the effects of whatever serum he'd taken before have been wearing off, which might explain the reduced aggression.  "Why would you even want to help me?"
    Then his face falls a little bit.  "…after what I've done…."

Brainiac 5 has posed:
    "There seem to be a lot of people putting conditions on our help when we're not," Brainy says.  "It's very annoying—I'm tempted to gas him again."  He looks up, and says, "That's between you, your conscience, and your brother, I think."

Invisible Kid has posed:
    "Don't know who we—oh, right.  Wrong millennium.  You wouldn't."  At Brainy's suggestion, Lyle pinches the bridge of his nose.  "No, no, I think we're making progress finally."
    He straightens his uniform.  "Here's where it might start sounding weird.  I'm Invisible Kid; this is Brainiac 5.  We're members of the Legion of Super-Heroes, and we're from about a thousand years in the future.  Your brother Lar is also a member of our team.  I don't know the genealogy involved, so I don't know if Andromeda is your great-multi-great niece, or great-multi-great granddaughter.  She's also a Legionnaire.
    "And why we would help you is because that's what we do.  I am tentatively of the opinion that you were given a deliberately altered anti-lead serum, and may not have been entirely in control of yourself—but I need more data."

Brainiac 5 has posed:
    "My skull-ship is currently in the shop," Brainy adds.  "But I can show it to you, if you don't cooperate."

Mon-El has posed:
    Del stares at Lyle.  Yeah… this was definitely getting weird.  They're claiming to be from a thousand years in the future?  He sighs at another mention of Lar, but a brow goes up at the mention of Laurel.  "…Andromeda?  There was a girl who visited us a while ago, who claimed to be Lar's niece many times removed.  She said her name was Laurel Gand."  And by default his daughter many times removed, since he's the only sibling Lar has.
    There's a long and somewhat tense pause.  Finally, he stands up from the bed and comes closer to the glass.  If these are Lar's friends and they do actually call themselves that… well… they probably are just overly generous white knight sorts who help everyone in need no matter who or what.  Despite the skull ship comment from the Coluan.  "No one gave it to me.  I took it for myself.  It wasn't made for me, but I was just tired of…."  He sighs again, not quite finishing the sentence.

Invisible Kid has posed:
    "Ooooh," Lyle says with a shake of his head.  "Yeah, the serum is a fussy little thing.  If you took one tailored to someone who wasn't close kin, that might explain a lot.  Well, while the old serum degrades, you'll be safe from lead in there.  The air filters are sufficiently efficient.  Once we don't have to worry about overdose effects we'll get you on a better version of it."
    He pauses, and then adds, "Would you like to see Lar?"

Mon-El has posed:
    "I—really?"  Del blinks, appearing surprised at this.  Sure, he figured they were overly charitable sorts, but not on this level.  He's—really not sure what else to say.  It's almost as if these people are treating him even better than his own family ever did.  He's starting to see why Lar may have decided to stick around them instead….
    But he shakes his head at the suggestion.  "N-no… I—need some time to think."  He goes back to the bed and sits down, staring at the back wall.