03/01/14

Wow, I cannot believe I haven't updated this since 2011... I am so sorry and very grateful to anyone still waiting on this story to continue.

Had to urge to continue this when thinking about what to write for Yu-Gi-Ah 2.0's birthday (March 9) and remembering I started this story for her back in 2008. I will hopefully be able to write one of her birthday requests as well but this story demanded my attention once more and I hope she likes that her birthday gave CPR to my muse.

I also hope I did not confuse anyone with this bit of back story. As I mentioned in the previous chapter this is based mostly on cartoon-verse with inspiration from the comic-verse. I would not consider any of this canon. I recently learned that in at least one version of the comics Brainy DID have robotic caretakers as a child; score one for me for being canon without trying to be canon?

Enjoy! Hopefully the next chapter won't be such a long wait.

Chapter 23

Brainiac Five's childhood was isolated, raised by robotic guardians that were programmed to care for nothing but his welfare if one could even call that caring. To the robots, cold metallic giants to the child, their tasks were nothing but ones and zeroes; giving Brainiac Five what he needed to survive and monitoring him for a continued pulse. They weren't programmed to be parents or friends or even associates, simply caretakers.

Their lifelessness made Brainiac Five want the machines around even less so he learned to take care of himself. He got himself up in the morning, bathed himself, dressed himself, fed himself and occupied his time with learning so they wouldn't interrupt his studies and then later his experiments. And, when he was hurt, he took care of that too unless a doctor needed to be called in but they weren't much better than the caretakers, all about their task so they could hurry up and leave, and he took care to avoid the need to call them whenever he could.

It was when R.J. Brande came into his life that Brainiac Five thought about the world outside his housing complex. The man was brought to him by some members of the Council, wanting a man of influence to meet their world's greatest 'treasure'. At first the man was pleasant, asking questions of the child and the council as he looked around, watching the caretakers move about. After a bit he asked where Brainiac Five's parents were and, upon hearing that they were no longer around, his mother by choice and father due to not knowing who he was, he asked who took care of the 12th level genius.

Upon learning it was the caretakers who looked after Brainiac Five, Brande became angry. He yelled at the council, saying it was no way for a child to be raised along with a few other things Brainiac Five didn't have reference for but he could gather by the council's facial expressions that they were insults. It was then Brande turned his attention to the child.

Later Brande would tell Brainiac Five how surprised at how calm Brainiac Five had looked. Almost as if uninterested in the fact Brande had just yelled at those that controlled his life. He looked too much like an adult at his tender age and it reminded Brande of someone else he once looked after but he would never say who.

Though that image had been shattered when Brande knelt down and tried to hug Brainiac Five and the young Coluan all but screamed in horror as a reminder that Brainiac Five was indeed a child. An isolated child that thought Brande's attempt at comfort and affection was an attempt to hurt him.

After screaming, Brainiac Five backed as far away as he could until he hit the wall, shaking and crying as the caretakers rushed Brande, now seeing him as a threat. The machines forced Brande out of the room, without hurting him by the council's orders.

As the caretakers returned and the council left one of the older council members told Brainiac Five to "stop that ridiculous display of your over reaction" with a clearly disapproving look before he too left.

It took a while but Brainiac Five did calm down, shouting at the caretakers not to touch him each time they approached. When he was calm he cleaned his face and went back to studying for his next experiment.

At some level the council must have listened to what Brande had said for after that, for a few hours each day, a Tutor would come to see him. The tutor, though intelligent, was still already below Brainiac Five's level of scientific and mathematical understanding, as well as a few other subjects and languages.

Instead of being annoyed by this, as others had, the tutor changed his focus. He taught Brainic Five things he hadn't thought to study on his own, such as history. This was when the child first heard the name Superman. He learned the fate of the Kryptonian's birth planet, his powers and his constant getting in the way of the first Brainiac's plans.

Through the stories Brainiac Five learned to fear Superman. Who knew what such a powerful being would do to the descendant of one of his greatest enemies?

The tutor also discussed many matters with Brainiac Five, even ones the child bested him at, and though enjoyable it taught Brainiac Five that it was possible to wear out his voice and some days it was best just to listen.

Still no one ever bought up Brande again or what he was trying to do to Brainiac Five the day he knelt down in front of him. It made Brainiac Five curious and he wondered about the world outside of hid housing complex.

Years passed before Brainiac Five saw Brande again. The man returned, not escorted by the council this time, and apologized for taking so long. This man who only met Brainiac Five once for a few minutes had fought the Coluan Government and the United Planets all this time to get guardianship of Brainiac Five so he could have a better life with a real home.

While Brainiac Five was still processing this Brande offered the child his hand but all Brainiac Five could do was stare at it. He didn't understand what it was for since he wasn't anything out for Brainiac Five to take.

Patiently, Brande asked Brainiac Five to come with him.

Brainiac Five was nearly seven when Brande liberated him from Colu and tried to keep his word of a better life and a real home, though Brainiac Five hadn't known what that meant. Many times Brainiac Five thought he would be sent back to Colu because he didn't know how to live with someone who was alive. He could barely handle touch and conversation was often forced or similar to those he used to have with his tutor. A lot of his time he would spend in the lab Brande funded for him only to remember there was a person who was somewhere around the house that expected Brainiac Five to show up for meals not covered in engine oil or spilt chemicals.

It was also during this time Brainiac Five learned the truth about the adventures of Superman, the hero of Earth whom had kept the original Brainiac at bay. He became fascinated the man of steel and often asked Brande to tell him more of Superman's adventures until Brande started to call them Brainiac Five's bedtime stories. After that he took to doing his own research.

Years later Brande took in another child, a little older than him. Her name was Luornu Durgo from the planet Cargg, thus having the ability to split into three physical versions of her own body and, the way it normally worked, the same mind. She, however, like Brainy, was different from her people. In Lournu's case each of her forms had their own mind and that made the people of Cargg think she was not of the right mind. And, like Brainiac Five, Brande rescued her.

However, unlike Brainiac Five, Luornu did not come to live with Brande. At least not long enough for Brainiac Five to be willing to meet her. Soon after her arrival Brande went on a business trip and was nearly assassinated and out of that potential tragedy Brande created and funded a super powered group of youngsters called The Legion of Superheroes. Luornu had been invited to join the team and accepted but Brande insisted that Brainiac Five was too young.

At all once Brainy remembered these things. He remembered meeting Brande, he remembered leaving Colu and growing older and being-

Still holding onto Superman's cape, Brainy looked down at his clothes. He hadn't wondered why he had a Legionnaire belt buckle before but it was because he was a Legionnaire; he was suppose to be older then he was.

All of the memories and thoughts and questions were storming in Brainy's mind now, making his head throb and his stomach hurt. He clutched Superman's cape, held onto his head to try to block it all out and began to cry.