Doc code 1278803-4576b

-keypad initiated-

Entry 28-

It has been several days since I last wrote. As I feared, I cannot work with Brainiac. Not only is it extremely difficult to concentrate, but the tension in the room when the two of us share a workspace is palpable, not only making it difficult for myself to work, but also making work difficult for Shrinking Violet and Invisible Kid. In order to make work more efficient for the three of us, I have taken to working in a smaller lab that Brainiac rarely frequents, and have begun working on my own projects so that Brainiac will feel no need to come and look over my shoulder.

The one drawback to this solution is that I find myself feeling almost unbearably lonely. For instance, I have been working for 16.232 hours, and I have not found the occasion to leave for food or drink. No one has come to visit me, either. So I have had no company but myself for 16.232 hours. Before then I was asleep, and prior to that time, I had spent one hour having dinner with Shrinking Violet before she and several other Legionnaires were sent on a mission. The team will likely be gone for a few days, and as Shrinking Violet is the only one who seems interested in seeking me out, I do not anticipate much company until she returns. I eat about once daily, though I ate twice today, having brought some nutrition nodules with me from the cafeteria last night so I would not have to leave the lab in order to acquire sustenance.

Intellectually, I know it is not fair of me to want people to visit me when I have so intentionally isolated myself in this lab. But I do not actually want to be sequestered. I want to be sought. I want someone to prove to me that they care enough about me to meet me where I am. And where I am is in a small lab with a cot and a cooling unit (technically it is for samples that require refrigeration but instead it is currently housing food and drink for myself).

I have been attempting to upgrade the technology I invented for the AMESS. I am hoping to connect more of the technology into my consciousness via the mindlink, which would enable me to activate and deactivate it without any external interaction. I have also been attempting to provide it with a more suitlike design, rather than allowing it to maintain its prototype appearance of a simple black suit. While black is considered slimming, I personally prefer some color. In an attempt to differentiate myself from my impostor, I have lengthened the sleeves to my wrists, which is most useful since it allows for greater coverage from the suit. I could theoretically keep it short-sleeved but the greater surface area it covers the more effective it will be. I will continue to use purple, it is an effective contrast color when used with my green skin and blonde hair. Also, I like purple. I believe I will line the sides of the suit instead. My force field belt is gold, and I have also colored the boots a similar hue to help tie together the gold of the belt and my blonde hair. I hope the style is relatively flattering; I don't know much about style but according to Arno I have a fair amount of "intuitive aesthetic sensibilities". Arno also stated that Thaal has basically no intuitive aesthetic sensibilities. I further generalized this statement by saying Thaal lacks most intuitive sensibilities of any sort.

Technically I will be given a flight ring since I have been re-inducted into the Legion. However, I have not been given one yet, and I am unsure if this is because I am on probation or if it is some sort of oversight. Part of me wishes it is merely oversight, another part hopes it is the probation. I am not sure if it is worse to be feared or forgotten. My preference is for neither. For now, in any case, I shall continue to wear the small jetpack. Like the jetpack, the suit is also operated through bio-energy and should be able to operate so long as my cells are living. I hope to expand the capabilities of the mindlink to help me hack other computers mentally since I know I was able to hack COMPUTO, if only just. If I can further the capabilities of the mindlink I should be able to connect to other computer systems as well.

I still have the small laser cannons installed in the suit, though I have worked to miniaturize them so that they are barely discernable where they rest on the shoulder. I hope they will not draw much attention now, and will therefore escape the notice and poking finger of Chameleon Boy or other curious passers-by. With everything I have been working to incorporate into this suit in order to make it functional, I must say it is fortunate that I am well versed in miniaturization technology. After all, Colu is well known for its shrinking technology, pioneered by foremost scientists long ago.

I have not yet had the chance to test the AMESS since I made the various adjustments, but Imra sent word that I was expected to join several Legionnaires in the VR training center. I suppose that will be as good a time as any to test the upgrades. In any case, if it does "blow up" I will not be destroying a laboratory, which should at least put Invisible Kid at ease, since he has narrowly missed two lab explosions in the last week. Unless he is joining the team that will be training… in which case I shall likely be obligated to apologize in advance in the off chance that something goes awry.

I suppose I should prepare for the training session. I have finished working on the AMESS, now I need only put it on. I hope someone gives me a flight ring before I enter the training center. I would feel very embarrassed to need to use the jetpack in front of fellow legionnaires who all possess flight rings. Also it would be very uncomfortable to ask Saturn Girl for a flight ring. I feel ill. There is so much that could go wrong, and so little that could go right. At least the suit looks more aesthetically pleasing now. I am currently working on creating devices that I can place in my eyes to allow me to perform similar functions to when I was a biomechanical android. I should be able to switch to night vision, infra-red, zoom in and out, and even connect with the suit to provide a better targeting system. They are not quite complete and I do not trust them to not fail miserably. I do not want them to fail miserably when they are sitting on my fragile corneas, and so I have declined to use them, at least for today.

I have approximately twenty minutes before I am expected to join the team for training exercises. I must go now and don the AMESS. I do hope I have altered everything in such a way that even if it does fail, it will not explode spectacularly. I suspect that would be a most unpleasant experience. I have no desire to see Doctor Gym'll again so soon. When I have completed the training session I have no doubt I will need to consider the events and explore my emotional response to the events. So I will leave this document, if only for a short time, if only to return with more to share and contemplate.

I hope my experiences will be good, amusing, uplifting. I fear they will be anything but.

A/N: whelp its a rather short chapter but the next one is a bit longer, I promise. I updated a bit early (a LOT early) and I hope to pre-write some more chapters in the coming weeks because after that I'll be VERY VERY BUSY moving and starting a new job miles and miles away from where I am now so that will be crazy and stressful but also fun and exciting. However, since i promised myself I would continue to update at least once a month I'll do my best to have some stuff written up ahead of time so i can keep updating on a monthly basis. If not i'll just try and write something real quick whenever i get a spare moment. However things work out, I will continue to update regularly because i told myself i would. So. Thats that.

I'm really enjoying watching Brainy do his inventing magic and coming up with ways to include some of my favorite things from the comics along with maintaining a decent amount of continuity with the cartoon which first introduced me to the Legion. Anyway I hope y'all continue to enjoy what I've managed to get written down and stay tuned for more in the months to come~!

thanks all