damned_institute | Day 38: Game Room

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Day 38: Game Room

She’d never been in the Game Room before.

It didn’t look spectacularly interesting, she had to admit… but it’d be more fun than just hanging out in the Sun Room, right? Yuffie idly thumbed through a deck of cards, walking around the room to examine various bits and pieces. Board games, video games, chess… No really awesome prank material that she could see, but maybe she could rope somebody into a game of poker? That could be fun, but… ah, then again, most of the patients were just like her -- they didn’t have anything really cool that she could swindle out of them. Not until Nightshift, anyway.

Still! She’d keep it in mind. It wasn’t like there was anybody else in the room yet anyway, so any potential swindling would have to wait a little while. What could she do in the meantime, huh? Pick- pocketing a nurse could be fun..! Wait -- no, not when it was quiet like this. She’d have to wait until there was more cover, unless she got distracted. Yuffie hadn’t stolen anything in days, not since that time in Doyleton, with the Kaito kid…

Yuffie smirked. That had been fun.

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Brainiac 5 had, for once, been left to his own devices over lunch. But while he had welcomed the chance to sit and work through what he had learned so far and what it all might mean, he couldn't help feeling rather put out that Clark hadn't come to find him. He'd been certain that they'd arranged to meet then, but when he'd finally spotted the Kryptonian, he'd been on the other side of the room with someone else. And it hadn't helped that seeing that had set of a surge of a new, unfamiliar emotion through his body. It was another reason that he looked forward to finding a way out of this place and to his rightful home. Even if his theory was correct in that they were all copies and clones of the 'originals', that was hardly anything unusual for him and would be easily resolved.

His thoughts were interrupted by the intercom announcing the change for the next shift, as well as an interesting fact about new patients - Brainiac 5 himself had only been here one day, and there were already others arriving shortly? That seemed unusual if nothing else - then the nurses were moving amongst them. He finished his salad with a sigh and rose as one approached him. "All alone are we, Michael?" she said with a disapproving sigh. "You won't make any friends if you keep to yourself all the time."

"I believed I was here to be 'healed', not to make friends," he answered despite knowing it was pointless.

"Michael! We like to think that you can do both here," the nurse scolded. "And making friends will help you a lot more than keeping to yourself. Now, why don't we go over to the games room and see if we can find something that you'll enjoy."

Brainiac 5 could have told her there was nothing he would find even remotely enjoyable about archaic Earth games, but it would have been a futile effort, as the nurse clearly wasn't going to allow him much choice in the matter. And so it was that he found himself settled down on a couch and given an ancient, handheld, electronic game to play with. He stared at it with obvious distaste. It probably even ran on batteries, so it wouldn't even be worth sneaking away for parts.

Although the Doctor was sure the game room was meant to be relaxing, or even interesting, he didn't find it so today. Maybe another day he would have found a partner for a game of chess (easy though the game was), or maybe one of the games that boiled down to a matter of luck rather than skill. As it was, however, he had much more interesting, albeit frustrating, puzzles to work out.

He had headed for the nearest empty seat once his nurse left him in the room, intending to think things over until they were next moved, but he was distracted from that end when he noticed the boy sitting at one end of the couch. The curious marks on his forehead were what first caught his attention, and he couldn't help but wonder if they were birthmarks or if they were indicative of some species he'd yet to encounter.

The boy also looked disgusted with the piece of equipment (some sort of game equipment; late twentieth century) he was holding.

"Hello," the Doctor said, seating himself on the couch without asking if the boy minded company. "Don't like games?"

It would seem that either the nurses were intent that he not be left to his own devices or that all the other patients were also convinced that he needed company at all times. Glancing up from the ancient game, Brainiac 5 visually scanned the newcomer, an older man with a bright smile, and arched an eyebrow. "No," he answered calmly. "They serve no real purpose in my experience, not to mention that this technology is so ancient as to be entirely useless to me." He set the device aside and studied his companion more closely.

"I suppose I should introduce myself. I am Brainiac 5, despite what those in charge appear to believe. And yourself?"

"Ah," the Doctor said. "Well, I can't argue with how archaic the technology might seem, but it was rather good during its time."

Given his name, the Doctor discarded the notion that the marks on his forehead were birthmarks. It was still possible that they were, actually, but "Brainiac 5" wasn't the sort of name that humans usually had, unless they were the more eccentric sort. It seemed more likely that the boy was a humanoid alien, or perhaps one of those whom he'd heard about on his first day: someone forced into a human body. But in any case, he was from well past the twentieth century if he thought the game equipment to be ancient and useless.

"John Smith," he said, giving the alias rather than his name once more. "What do you prefer to be called? Brainiac? Five? Or 'Brainiac 5' together?"

Edited 2009-01-19 21:46 (UTC)

John was the first person he'd met thus far who had apparently also come from a more advanced time period, which was in and of itself interesting. It might be worth continuing the conversation in order to find out more about where and when exactly this man came from and if he would be a useful ally. "If you say so," he said with a shrug. "However my contact with 21st century Earth was limited and much of my knowledge is based on what information survived the years, so I'm unfamiliar with many of the less essential items."

Hearing the name 'Brainiac' in association with himself didn't affect him as badly as it had his first night here - completely understandable then, he reasoned with himself, as he'd been confused and still adapting to his new body - but it still caused an instinctive reaction as his muscles seemed to tighten and jerk him slightly more upright on their own and he inhaled sharply. "Not Brainiac," he said swiftly. "Brainiac 5. However my... friends often call me 'Brainy' for the sake of convenience. You may do so as well if you like."

Aware that he may have given too much away simply by being unable to control his new body correctly, Brainiac 5 decided it might be best to try and steer the conversation elsewhere. "You appear to be from another time period yourself," he remarked. "Perhaps it would be beneficial to compare notes on our origins."

"No, I guess you wouldn't be familiar with it," the Doctor agreed. "Entertainment equipment—Nintendo and iPod and what-have-you—may have been popular, but it was hardly essential… And to be considered obsolete after just a handful of years hardly recommends it to perpetuity. Still… you could probably find information if you knew where to look. Though I'm not sure how accurate it would be; even revival movements have gotten half their facts wrong." He grinned at that, remembering how a jukebox had been thought to be an iPod in the year 5.5/Apple/26.

If the boy's physical reaction was anything to go by, he objected strongly to being called just 'Brainiac'… The Doctor made a mental note not to call him that. Perhaps it was the same sort of dislike he'd often had of being called 'Doc', or maybe there was some story behind it. "Brainiac 5, then," he said, selecting the boy's full name. "I am from a different period, but I've spent a lot of time in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries… You said you'd had contact with the twenty-first? Before ending up here?"

If it wasn't from records and books, perhaps the boy had done some time travelling himself.

Brainiac 5 shrugged. "Even if such names are still popular in my own time, I doubt I would have encountered them much at all, as my time is largely spent on more important matters than simple entertainment. Not to mention that I've only been on Earth for the last five years, and my homeplanet is rather different from what you might consider the norm." John was most likely from some distance in the future as well, if his comment about 'revival movements' was anything to go by, so he shouldn't have found the concept of aliens that unusual at all. Perhaps he'd even be familiar with Colu, though that might not be such a good thing in retrospect.

"Yes, I've travelled to the 21st century on several occasions using Time Sphere technology. However... that technology is rather difficult to come by in my own time." He tilted his head to survey the other man critically. "I admit I'm curious as to when you yourself come from and how you travelled to other time periods." Of course it was entirely possible that John was from a time more advanced than Brainiac 5's, as Kel-El had been, and that time travel was more mainstream then, but it was interesting nonetheless.

Interesting even if it would be ultimately futile, he reminded himself. "Unfortunately I doubt either of us are going to be able to return to our own periods any time soon," he said, frustration leaking into his tone. "Particularly not while I'm trapped in this..." He glanced down at himself, all defenseless skin and uncontrollable emotion, and unconsciously drew his legs up to his chest. "...body."

"What's your homeplanet?" the Doctor asked, curious. "It's likely I've heard of it. Well, it's likely I've heard of it if we're from the same dimension, or a similar one. And if I haven't heard of it, I'd certainly like to. I always enjoy learning something new."

The talk of "Time Sphere" technology suggested that Brainiac 5 was, perhaps, not from the same dimension, but it didn't rule out the possibility of being from one close to the Doctor's own. He hadn't heard of Time Sphere, and he was fairly certain he knew of most (if not all) technologies that allowed time travel. "I'd be curious to hear about this 'Time Sphere' technology of yours, as well. I've got a— a box. Well, it looks like a box; it's a ship."

The question of 'when' he was from was more difficult to answer. His origins could have been traced relative to Gallifrey, but with Gallifrey gone, he didn't "belong" to any one time any longer. He was quiet for a moment searching for a good way to answer, and then said, "I'm from everywhen; I'm not from any particular time, not any more."

Even more interesting than talk of time travel and other planets was what Brainiac 5 had said bout his body. If the boy had not been human before his arrival, or possibly not even humanoid, that made him the first one the Doctor had encountered. That he knew about, at least—if there had been any others, they'd made no indication of their bodies being foreign to them. The revelation that Brainiac 5 was "trapped in this body" have a connection with his earlier reaction. "What were you like before?" the Doctor asked.

"Colu," Brainiac 5 said after a brief pause. He eyed John carefully, but didn't see any sign of recognition there. "It's considered one of the most advanced planets in the galaxy, despite being somewhat... isolated. Not many Coluans have actually left Colu for any significant length of time however. And those of us who have tend to be viewed as outcasts and renegades." He relayed the information calmly, despite what it said about himself and his people. He'd been living on Earth for five years now, but there were still those who were surprised to see a Coluan so far from home and so... odd-looking. Vague, half-truthful explanations about his home and reasons for leaving were almost second nature now.

Besides, what John mentioned about a 'box' was suddenly more interesting. "A box?" Brainiac 5's brow furrowed. "I don't suppose you're the... 'space man' mentioned on the information board? Your friend was trying to explain this box to me, but they said something about it containing police, which seems nonsensical. I was curious as to if you meant you had a mother box." But if it was a mother box, it shouldn't have been able to allow time travel. As far as he was aware, none of them had been capable of that. "The Time Sphere technology is highly advanced," Brainiac 5 continued, an air of superiority leaking into his tone. "I'm not sure if you would be able to follow much of it, it would require at least an eighth level intellect, as it was invented by one of the only twelfth level minds in the galaxy."

However he wasn't feeling so smug not to find what John said about belonging to 'everywhen' both interesting and unusual. "You should at least have a time you originate from," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Unless you've had some reason to forget that information." In which case that would imply that John spent a large amount of time travelling between different time periods, another point of interest.

One that he would have followed up on had he not been distracted by the older man's question. "Coluans are largely cybernetic," he explained with a sigh, dropping his gaze to study his hand with disinterest. "Though I was more... human, in appearance and emotion, I wasn't this..." He trailed off, searching for a moment. "...this... uncontrolled. I didn't want to be human, just to understand more about them. And now I'm like this..." His eyes had an odd tingling, burning feeling to them and he rubbed at them automatically, wondering why his body persisted in doing things like this at the most inconvenient times.

A wistful smile spread across his face as the Doctor listened to Brainiac 5 talk about Colu. It sounded so much like Gallifrey, in terms of society. One of the most advanced, isolated, those who leaving being outcasts and renegades… Not for the first time, he missed his home. Colu and Gallifrey seemed unlikely to share any further similarities, but he couldn't help but ask, for curiosity's sake if nothing else. He hadn't heard of Colu (which indicated Brianiac 5 was, most likely, from a different dimension), and so he wanted to know more about it. "What's it like on Colu? The atmosphere, the terrain, the culture…?"

It seemed his new friend had seen Donna's note on the board. "Yes, spaceman, that's me. Donna—the woman who wrote on the board—she's a mate of mine— She calls me that sometimes." At least 'spaceman' was better than when she'd been calling him 'Martian'… He wasn't anything like a Martian. "My ship is… It just looks like a box—a British police box, to be exact. It's a sort of camouflage."

It also seemed that Brainiac 5 thought himself a superior thinker, and the Doctor's lips quirked into a smug smile. "Don't be so quick to judge, Brainiac 5. I'm sure I can follow your Time Sphere technology. I'm a bit of a genius, especially when it comes to time travel. But if you can't explain it, well…"

As for his origins… "And if you must know, I'm from the age of Rassilon. But I don't expect you would have heard of it, unless you know of Gallifrey…?" He watched the boy carefully for any sign of recognition as he named his home planet. "But that age is gone."

He was somewhat surprised to hear that Brainiac 5 had been a cybernetic being before his arrival here. Despite having been told that there were even some robots stuck in human bodies, he'd expected more aliens of the purely organic variety. He didn't comment on the boy's tears, but he could understand them, to an extent. He was vulnerable like this. This form wasn't the body he belonged in, and to change what he was…? No one should have to go through that without a choice.

Edited 2009-01-24 00:40 (UTC)

Brainiac 5 hesitated before answering. "Living on Colu... much of the planet has been converted into cities with controlled environments, and considering my social standing there... I spent most of my life inside and separate from whatever 'culture' we may have. It was one of the reasons I decided to leave." While John seemed to enjoy hearing about Colu and its society, Brainiac 5 found the memories his words evoked less pleasurable. Not only had his childhood been largely isolated, but talking of his homeworld also reminded him of his return not long ago and the circumstances surrounding it. It was something he didn't want to dwell on if he didn't have to.

"Besides, I'm much... happier now that I'm on my own," he said aloud, though it sounded more like it was for his own benefit than anything else. "And my friends have been useful in helping me to overcome the difficulties of being away from Colu."

It seemed as though John also had friends - or in this case, a mate - he could rely on to help him. "So you think your ship is here?" Brainiac 5 asked curiously. "Unless it's reasonable small, I'm not sure if that would be possible. My Time Sphere technology, for example, was designed to shift out of phase with reality while not in use and could be summoned via control devices." He returned John's smug smile with one of his own and relaxed a little, unfolding from his curled up position before continuing to speak. "Well if you're familiar with the Bleed and how it could theoretically be used for cross-dimensional and time travel, then I suppose something like the Time Sphere would be well within your understanding," he said, for once sounding slightly amused. "Unless your box uses a different means of travel?"

"Gallifrey... No, I'm afraid not. I would have heard if Earth had colonised any planets by that name. So most likely we're from different dimensions or vastly different time periods." Though the former was clearly more likely, as there should have at least been records of Colu or Gallifrey for either planet to find.

The burning in his eyes was lessening, though the Coluan boy was surprised to find traces of moisture on his hand. Apparently for the second time now he'd been crying without even realising it. "I apologise," he said stiffly, his face heating of its own accord. "It appears I'm still learning to adapt."

The similarities with Brainiac 5's situation and his own weren't quite as strong as the outward similarities of Gallifrey and Colu, but the Doctor couldn't help but identify with the boy all the same. Isolation from one's own people was a lonely thing, and loneliness was something he understood very well. He'd had Susan, when he'd first left Gallifrey, and she had helped tremendously to stave off the feeling, and then there had been others, but they always left in the end. Humans didn't live forever, and they couldn't stay with him forever. He was glad Brainiac 5 had friends with him, or it would have been difficult for anyone.

Deciding to leave the topic of Colu be for the moment, he focused on time and space travel. "The TARDIS—that's my ship—is small. Well, on the outside, at least... It fits into close quarters rather nicely, which is good for hiding it, but not so good for finding where it may've been hidden," he said.

"And while I'm not familiar with 'the Bleed' as far as terms go, that doesn't mean I'm unfamiliar; I may simply know it by another name... which I suspect could be the Void, the space between universes. The TARDIS uses the time vortex for travel, not the Void, but it's not meant for cross-dimensional travel."

The Doctor was a bit disappointed that Brainiac 5 had not heard of Gallifrey, but it was replaced quickly by amusement. "Oh, Gallifrey isn't an Earth colony. In most times, humans haven't even heard of it, or if they have, it's been the stuff of legend and myth."

He would have liked to speak with the boy more, but unfortunately, it seemed that the end of the shift had come, and nurses were going around to collect everyone. That was a shame; he'd have to remember the boy and speak to him again.

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Day 38: Game Room

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