Brains, Beauty, and Brawn

[Cptdragon9]

The entity known as Brainiac stepped back from the table almost cautiously, as if he didn’t want to upset the very complicated experiment he’d taken great pains and weeks assembling.  Already power pulsed around the assortment of wires and components and mechanisms, thrumming as everything began to build up speed.

 

It shouldn’t have taken him so long in executing the experiment.  The calculations should have come easily to the robotic creature; he was one of the smartest entities in the universe.  But then he was rudely introduced to the proof (not a concept anymore) that there was more than one universe.  He couldn’t say with any definite certainty what had cause the rift, though he suspected that Luthor had something to do with it.  That mortal was always meddling with forces he had no full concept of understanding. 

 

Either way the rift had suck the android into this realm and plunked him into the largest ocean on the planet, depowered and inert.  According to his systems, he’d remained inactive over 5 years before he was able to reboot and drag his frame out of the water, another six months to repair himself to a degree that he could function.  Again self- reparations shouldn’t have taken so long, but it seemed that this nexus was “off kilter”.  A very imprecise description, and one he’d been trying to resolve.  Finding a base of operations out in the New Mexican desert was easy enough.  Augmenting his “pad” with supplies y proved easier once he hacked into the net and the unrelenting sun provided enough solar energy to power his lab.

 

He could have resumed his normal programming and continued to coalesce information, gleaning knowledge before deleting the source material (or deleting planets).  As it was, he collected quite a bit of information from the internet, but he found he had a more pressing problem, and sought to rectify it by returning back to his universe.  The rift that he’d been sucked through 5 years ago was gone, leaving only a turbulent scar between Earth and Venus.  He’d spent most of his focus on trying to recreate the rift or find a way to stabilize the discordant vibrations of this world so he could function at full capacity. 

 

This would be his latest attempt.

 

The capacitors began to whine in effort as the power began to fluctuate.  One of Brainiac’s tendrils reached out to the terminal, trying to correct for the imbalance, but the yellow light began to brighten to a blinding white before pulsing into the red/violet spectrum.  Suddenly the back half of the contraption buckled before blowing outwards, tearing a hole into the metal plated wall, digging into the thick earth behind it for several feet as black acrid smoke bellowed around the lab.  Only the emergency lights and the robot’s own red luminescent orbs faintly lit the area through the swirling smoke.

 

Brainiac sighed, taking a moment to observe the destruction before several mechanical tendrils exuded from his body; slowly and methodically cleaning up the area to set up another test. 

[Cat Man]

Linda Danvers aka Supergirl was out on patrol. Sometimes it was nice to just fly through the city with the wind in her hair. It had been a slow night. One bank Robbery,a couple of muggins. That was fine with her. No super villains in sight. Hopefully it would stay that way. She could use a break. Unlike her cousin, she did have a life outside super heroining. She knew she had a responsibility to use her powers to help others. but still she enjoyed being Linda Danvers. Although sometimes she still missed argo city. She had been born there and spent her early childhood there. She was barely in her teens when she had been sent to earth. Fortunatley her parent had managed to escape into the survival zone and were later freed by her and her adoptive dad. Now they were settled in Kandor safe and sound. She owed both sets of parents a visit. She'd have to see to that soon. Maybe this weekend.

[Cptdragon9]

Two weeks later and the robot hadn't made any progress.  If he were human, he would have been frustrated, but he understood what he was attempting to undertake was not easy, even by his standards.  What he did determine was that he needed several components to continue his experiment; items that he couldn't readily procure and remain hidden.  In fact the only source he could locate would have to come from Luthorcorp.  Frankly Lex was no match for him, but Luthor wasn;t the only entity on the planet, and a combined effort from this world's combined superheros could be problematic.  After going thorugh a protracted list of pro's and con's, Brainiac decided he would retrieve what he needed.

 

He did attmept to mitigate any potential problems.  Luthor himself was still in DC, working to consolidate his bid for the Presidency.  Brainiac understood the human's need for control over his fellow kind but Brainiac wouldn't have bothered with political machinations.  He preffered a more direct approach.  If he wasn't determined to return to his homeworld, or if he was unable, he might well indeed wrest control from the human and take over the planet himself.  But he would need a better positiion in which to secure such a venture.  For now he was content with his experiments.  

 

The small craft he constructed was of equivalent size to a Cessna 150, laege enough to carry the android and the items he planned to retrieve.  It was sleek and of a muted silvery matte material, something that would foil any radar and would be difficult to see in the night sky.  Brainiac slipped into the craft and powered it up, the engine making no noise and only causing a small stirring in the gypsum sand as it lifted off into the darkening sky before turning and heading towards Metropolis....

[Cat Man]

Kara had spotted something with her super vision. A strange aircraft. It was small but not like any commercial craft she had ever seen. It was difficult for most people to see in the night sky and way too quiet for any conventional aircraft. If she hadn't been actively looking for trouble she might have missed it. Something was up..It was headed toward metropolis. More than likely it meant trouble. She moved in to investigate and see what it was and who it was.

[Cptdragon9]

As the craft came into the outskirts of Metropolis, a sensor on the display began to blip.  It wasn’t a constant indication, but it was enough to grab Brainiac’s attention.  It wasn’t any sort of craft as it was too small, nor did it have any significant inorganic parts to indicate any sort of probe or vessel.  He was over the river so it could have been a flock of avian creatures.  He’d studied the flora and fauna of the planet along with the sentient life forms, so he understood migration patterns and flight formations.  He could slow down and attempt to identify whatever it was, but his mission was more pressing.  If whatever it was had followed him, he would deal with it at that time, but for now he was on a tight schedule.  He wanted to complete his quest as quickly and quietly as necessary.

 

The bullet shaped aircraft began to descend, taking a hint from his miss-id’d avian counterpart by running parallel to the river, the muted silver color flickering to mimic the ripples and waves in the water below, before approaching the southern side of Lexcorp….

 

 

[Power Girl]

(OOC - I take it this is not the same universe Power Girl (Kara Zor-L) is in now.  It's another alternate universe.)

Could Brainiac  zap Supergirl to the alternate Earth where Power Girl is?  Kara Zor-El finds herself in another Metropolis on a different Earth that has a different history and hardly any superheroes at all?  Sees the Daily Bugle and the Daily Planet next to each other?)

[Cat Man]

Kara used her telescopic vision to check on the craft! Brainiac! He always meant trouble! She flew right up to him "Ok Brainiac! Don't know what you're up to but I'll be happy to stop it!" She canned his craft with her x-ray vision. Definitely components for something. Components for what she wasn't sure but if Brainiac is involved then it was trouble!

[Cptdragon9]

((OOC - I take it this is not the same universe Power Girl (Kara Zor-L) is in now.  It's another alternate universe.)

Could Brainiac  zap Supergirl to the alternate Earth where Power Girl is?  Kara Zor-El finds herself in another Metropolis on a different Earth that has a different history and hardly any superheroes at all?  Sees the Daily Bugle and the Daily Planet next to each other?)))

Edited July 7 by Power Girl

 

<<<It could be the same universe, just maybe a different time?  A week before Powergirl shows up.>>>

 

The robotic man gave a sound that much resembled a sigh.  “I do not have time to debate my actions with anyone, especially those that believe they are self-righteous enough to deter my progress.”  He really didn’t want to bring any attention to himself but if he didn’t remove the Kryptonian from his path all might well be for naught.  A beam of red light blasted from the front of the ship in an attempt to sweep Kara out of his path.

[Power Girl]

(OOC - It's definitely an alternate universe.  No other real superheroes besides Batman who has a case once in awhile.  No Superman where Power Girl is.  He vanished into Space years ago.  Waiting for the Wayne Tech trip with Lois to get the IDs for Kara Zor-L for her secret identity Linda Lee Kent.  Lois officially adopting Linda Lee as her daughter.  Lex Luthor reaction from being saved by Power Girl.  Would he call her Power Girl?  She didn't give Mercy her name.  Friend is not a name.  Kara is more nervous going to Metropolis High School as Linda Lee Kent than anything else.  How will she be treated there by others like the teachers and students?  Will the Daily Bugle have news stories on her saving lives and her saving Lex Luthor?  Who would it first?  The Planet or The Bugle?  Kara will visit Professor X to tell him she would like to attend a normal high school.  How would the students attending Professor Xavier School to Kara? It would be interesting if Power Girl and Supergirl visited each other's Earths and meeting each other for the first time.

 

    By the way, is that red sunlight hitting Supergirl hard?  Sudden loss of her all powers and falling from the sky totally weak and helpless?  How long would the yellow sunlight restore her lost superpowers?  Would she survive the fall to the ground with no powers?  By some good luck she lands on something that would cushion her fall to the ground?

 

It would be kind of funny if they went to the same high school.  They look like almost twin sisters.  Power Girl is much taller and has a lot bigger pair of  .... you know.  There may be a difference of ages too and personalities. If this was the same universe Batman would have known about Supergirl, the Amazons and certainly Lois.  There must be two different universes here.)

 

 

[Cat Man]

Kara saw the red light and dodged it. She recognized her attacker as brainiac. "Alright brainiac! Whatever you are up to, it's over!" she used her heat vision to try and disable his ship!. Whatever he was up to, Kara knew she had to stop it.

[Cptdragon9]

A longer sigh escaped from the robotic entity as the heat ray was deflected from the reflective hull, heading out into space somewhere.  Surely the Kryptonion would have known that a properly constructed spacecraft would have to take excessive heat in order to pass through the atmosphere at an excelerated rate.  Again he tried to reason with her, even as the ship darted and sped as he tried to manuver around her.  He was running short of time before More inqusitive 'busy bodies" (a strange if somewhat appropriate term he'd overheard somewhere)   "This has nothing to do with you.  I am not causing damage to the immediate area, nor do I intent to do so, provided you stop interfering.  I merely wish to aquire an important part to my research.  This business is only between myself and Luthorcorp, and iI trust Lex Luthor can defend himself; something I wish to avoid if possible, now leave me be!"

 

To emphasize his displeasure at being harried, the craft emmited a concusion sound blast, hopefully to overwhelm the Kryptonian's sensative hearing, if not to push her away....

[Cat Man]

The sound blast took her by surprise and because of this it did push her back a bit. much as she disliked Luthor, she couldn't let brainiac just run off with whatever he had stolen. As for his research, well more likely than not it was nothing good.. She charged after him. Last she heard anyway he was a wanted criminal not to mention Kal would probably be rather cross with her if she just let him go. She sped up to try and grab the ship. "Give it up Brainiac! You're wanted so many places it would probably take a year to list them all!" If she could get a hold of the ship, she would stand a good chance of stopping it!

[Cptdragon9]

Braninac never had considered himself any sort of criminal.  He was above such definitiions.  He did imagine that some civilizations might have taken offence to some of his decisions but then again they didn't have the whole design, the complete puzzle.  Hearing the Kyrptonian shout about his transgressions simply didn't register or matter to him.

 

Her attack on the ship, however; was a more direct manner.  It was clear that he wasn't going to get anything accomplished, especially when her fingers found purchase on the ventral seam on the ship, halting his progress.  "I warned you," he growled as he twitched; his connection making the ship obey his whims as an electrical pulse shot along the skin of the craft, sending some seriousl voltage into Kara's body.....

[Cat Man]

(Ok somehow my reply from a couple of weeks ago got ate )

 

Kara shrugged off the voltage. It would take more than that to stop her. She grabbed his ship and tried to force it down. He wouldn't escape if she could help it. She was determined to stop him.

[Cptdragon9]

While Kara and Braniac struggled for control of the ship, a panel slid open alongside the Luthorcorp building.  A black-matte painted arm swivvelled out , levelling a wicked looking gun at the ship and the woman holding onto the frame and shot an intense red beam at the girl.......

[Cat Man]

Kara was so intent on capturing briainiac she didn't see the red beam until it was too late. It hit her like a ton of bricks. It sent her flying through the sky,  She eventually landed with a thud in a field some miles away, unconscious and in pain. It would clear up soon enough but even out cold she felt the blast. Whatever it was, it packed a wallop, that's for sure.

[Carolyn]

((OOC: Cat Man… would you be interested in joining the mayhem in about to unleash in Gotham?  If so, I can have Kara abducted and brought to the timeline from here, or we can have her wake up somewhere in my timeline to be picked up by either Harry Dresden or my character Aeron. Just lemme know.))

[Power Girl]

(OOC - May I suggest that Supergirl may have already arrived on a different Earth when that ray struck her.  It could have teleported her to this Earth where things are totally different to what she knows.  For example, Supergirl has never existed here.  Superman was President but flew off in space some years ago and never came back.  Lex Luthor is running for President.  There is a Daily Bugle next to the Daily Planet.  Tony Stark and Professor X are around.   There are no other superheroes at all.  No Teen Titans.  No Justice League.  No Justice Society.  Not even a Fortress of Solitude.  There are reports of a Batman.  No Batgirl.  No Robin.

  History is completely different than what Supergirl knows.  The Danvers don't exist.  Supergirl never existed.   The Kent's have been dead for years.  They died in an auto accident and are buried at Smallville Cemetery.  Their farmhouse and farm are in shambles and unkept. Clark Kent did go to Smallville High.

   The year is 2015 and not 2023.  You should read "Worlds Collide" and "Off To See The Bat-Wizard" for more info.  We don't know when Dawn will return.  We would be happy if you join us at "Off To See The Bat-Wizard".  It is a completely different Earth.  There is no Brainiac and, it appears, that London was destroyed by a nuclear bomb about 50 years ago by a power hungry British General.)

[Cptdragon9]

Supergirl wasn't the only casualty of the beam.  In fact the blast had punched her through the silver ship, hewning a gaping hole in the side and sending the craft skittering in a tangent from the Kryptonian's trajectory.  The spaceship clipped a tower, pancaked against the side of another skyscraper leaving a circular dent before smashing into one of the main thoroughfares leading into Metropolis.  It was almost unearthly the quiet after the initial crash. Normally bustling with nightlife traffic, everything had come to a screeching halt.  Not even a horn sounded off, instead several motorists had stepped from their vehicles to gawk at the strange craft.  Smoke had begun to waft from the underbelly......

[Cat Man]

Kara slowly regained consciousness.  "Ohh ow! That thing packed a wallop! " she did a quick recon to see what happened and what was happening. She saw brainiac's ship had landed smack n the middle of Metropolis. This was not good. She flew quickly over there. "Ok everybody, stay back. This guys dangerous. I'll handle this. OK brainiac. Games over. Let's go!" she would take care of brainiac first then do some clean up then see what hit her. That was what really worried her. Someone hit her with something. She suspected red solar energy. Whatever it was it hurt and really knocked her senseless for few moments and it did hurt. She wasn't looking forward to a second encounter with it. Still she needed to know who was behind the beam and what were they up to.

[Cptdragon9]

Finally, a section of the ship slip open, no seams or mechanisms visible, as if the craft were liquid metal.  Braniac floated out the ship; but instead of the towering figure of a threat he normally posed, he also seemed a bit shook up, with a large chunk taken out of his left shoulder.  No blood, but several sparks indicated structural damage to his chassis.

 

That dower look was still in place as he looked back over to Luthor’s building.  He then looked towards Kara for a moment, clearly calculating his next moves.  He had hoped to head off this problem, but it clear that Lexcorp had progressed further than he had determined possible.  A low sigh escaped him as he turned to the Kryptonian.  “You saw the damage the weapon caused.  I can assure you that if I do not take back that which is rightfully mine, there can be more devastating results.  Your Lex Luthor has the means of destroying the planet if left unchecked.  You may assist me or not, but do not hinder my efforts.”  With that he began to levitate slowly, heading back towards Lexcorp