The planet of lost really wasn't all that more developed than it had been when it was first "colonized". It was just warm enough to sustain life, thanks to the barrier, but still it seemed all too cold. It was hard to go food, or find food, and what food was around was barely worth eating. Mostly rotting fruit from Earth, the capital of The United Planets. How kind of them, right? Brainiac Five couldn't help but think all of this to be a bit unfair, but understood. People were afraid of Brainiac 1 and he couldn't find it in himself to blame them. In fact, Brainiac Five was afraid of him too. He was cold and ruthless, and he had gone through many others to get to him. He was his fifth child, born from some woman on the planet he has never met. Brainiac 1 had molded him into perfection and combined him with whatever tech he could get. Brainiac Five was a cyborg and the only one of Brainiac 1's children to not die of such crude technology. He could almost count himself lucky for having the most advanced technology the planet could manage, but it really wasn't something he had wanted. This wasn't something any of them had wanted.

"Are you gonna eat that?" Cham asked him, leaning against him and pointing to the soft apple he was rolling around the wooden table. Brainiac Five holds it up to him, more than happy to be rid of it.

"Knock yourself out. I don't need it anyway." A quick score from Cham and he gobbled it up, ignoring Brin's disgust from across the table, ears laying back.

"Brainy, you need to eat. Even if it's… gross." Tinya spoke up, eyeing her own mush. It wasn't really anything, but a mishmash of something or other. Brainiac Five sighs, resting his head on his hand.

"Tinya, I haven't needed to eat to stay alive since I was four."

"This stuff wouldn't do you any good anyway." Brin added, pushing his plate of something green away. "It's worse than dog food."

"Aw, do you want some steak?" Tinya laughed, Brin huffed and crossed his arms.

"You guys can say what you want," Cham swallowed another bite of the apple, not needing to chew it. "I want to stay alive long enough to get off this planet." Brin's arms fall, Tinya clasps her hands, and Brainiac Five just drags a hand through his overgrown hair.

"Chameleon Boy, the—"

"There's no way we're getting off this planet. I know, I know! But I've got to hope right? What else have we got." The others remain quiet, going back to picking at food. Was there really anything left to hope for? Other than maybe a painless death. Or a warm place to sleep. Brainiac Five may have been a cyborg, but he could still feel things on his skin. Especially the cold hand dropped onto his shoulder by none other than the Brainiac himself.

"Brainiac Five."

"Brainiac One." As was the customary greeting between them.

"You and your… friends are needed back at our headquarters. Don't waste any more time coming back than necessary." As soon as he appeared he was gone, taking with him the weight around his son's heart.

"What does your dad want with us?" Cham questions through another mouthful.

"More importantly, what does he want with you?"

"Nothing good, I can assure you."

When they managed the courage to get back to their home, all of their parents were waiting from them, seated at their table. Winema was the first one to look up, and her eyes light up when they fell upon her daughter.

"Tinya! You won't believe our luck. You four have been selected to go to Earth!" She practically sang, sweeping up from the table to her daughter. She grabbed her daughters face. "This is our second chance. I can rule again!" Another of the villains coughs.

"We, I meant we."

"Sure you did." Dr. Londo comments, leaning back in his chair. "Ever since you tried to take over your planet, you haven't been the same."

"Like you're one to talk. You conduct experiments on living beings!"

"Hey, we're all bad guys here!" Ren Daggle pipes up, and the other two glare at him. Brainiac slams a fist on the table, bringing attention to himself.

"There is no time for such squabbles. We have to send the children soon, and I will need full cooperation for this to work. If your children work with Brainiac Five, all of you shall have a place under me." He waits for silence before continuing, looking at his creation. "You, and the others, have been selected to go to the school on Earth that Kal-El himself goes to. While there you will do whatever it takes to get the precognition orb, the High Seer leaves it there, as she runs the school. With it, I will know their every move. Then we can break free of our prison and I can restore order to the world." He stands during his talk and whisks his son out of the room into the hallway. They stand facing each other, the space between them could never be enough.

"The world is fine without you." Brainiac Five spits, glaring at the creature that's supposed to be his father.

"Together we can restore order from those humanoids. I do not need your permission, Brainiac Five."

"I won't do it. You can't make me." They lock eyes, and both glow faintly purple.

"You will do as I say, or I will shut you down." The glow in Brainiac Five's eyes increases before he shuts them, holding his throbbing head.

"Yes. I will." He breathes out, taking a step back.

"Good, now take this. Once you install it, it will give you the ability to access any computer. But it will not work on this planet." He produces a small disk, handing it off to his son, who takes it with trembling fingers. "Pack your things, as well. We must leave soon."

When they got to the station, Tinya flung herself into the ship, followed by Cham. Brin stood in front of the door to keep their parents from following them, or continuing to bother them. He growls at Winema when she steps closer, and she second guesses herself. Brainiac Five takes one last look at his father before stepping up to Brin, and they both escape into the ship, door air locking behind them.

The ship itself must have been first class, with leather seats and stocked to the brim with food. Candy mostly, and not the stuff they had on their planet, real fresh candy. Cham had already taken a bunch of it out of its containers. Brin stole a few off him, and Tinya stole his. Brainiac Five just sits, trying to breath. The stress was building, and he wasn't sure he could take it.

"Hey, Brainy?" Tinya sat by him, offering a chocolate bar. He takes it, but just sets it on his lap. "...Isn't it nice?"

"Isn't what nice?"

"We're free. We don't have to worry about them anymore, right?" She gazes out the window as they approach the barrier, it ripples and parts as they go through but snaps right back. Could they get them out here?

"I don't know. He said he," He turns his head to look at her properly. "He said he would shut me down if I didn't comply." Tinya sighs, and brings the younger in for a hug.

"Oh Brainy." She didn't know what else to say. What could she? They could still get them, and she didn't want to die. Or be punished again. None of them could take that again. The cold nights alone, the starvation, the manipulation.

"We'll protect each other." Brin adds, having walked over to them, Cham on his heels.

"Yeah, we've got each other's backs. Always have, always will." Brainy smiles at them, a feat not easily achieved, as a bit more weight lifts off him.

"Of course." And together they sat on the way to Earth, their only chance at life left.

AN: Thanks for reading! So there's a bit of explanation. Winema lost herself to power on her homeworld, and Ren used his powers to commit more than a few armed robberies and wasn't caught for a long time. Thanks for reading, and I'd love it if you reviewed! Also, everyone has their season 1 looks, except Cham, because he's only in season 2. But my Brainy is at least 14, not 12.