Chapter 15
Brainiac had regenerated and returned to the ship much sooner than anticipated. Vril was just finishing his alterations of the sensor logs in the Collections Room, and was double-checking them, when he heard the airlock open. He tried to exit the room before Brainiac stepped out of the airlock and failed.
"Why are you in the Collections Room?" Brainiac was instantly suspicious.
"I was checking everything on the ship." Vril's heart raced.
"Where is the alien I battled?" Brainiac's fists clinched and his eyes glowed.
Vril quickly responded, "He looked at the ship, took the crystal, and headed to the third planet." The altered sensor logs would confirm this.
Brainiac detected Vril's nervousness and it only increased his suspicions. He approached Vril with one powerful fist raised, ready to strike. "Do not lie to me. Where is the alien?"
Vril decided to stand his ground, reasoning it was the best way to make Brainiac believe what he said. "Like I said, he took the crystal and headed to the third planet." Vril wanted to add 'and you can check the sensor logs,' but felt that would only make Brainiac more suspicious.
Brainiac was not satisfied and raged, "I know you are hiding something! I can sense your nervousness. I hear your rapid heartbeat. Tell me the truth!" For emphasis he brought down a powerful fist breaking a console and sending electrical sparks shooting through the air. "Again I ask you, where is the alien? And what were you doing in my Collections Room?"
Bravely and defiantly, Vril stood his ground. "I told you! I was checking everything on the ship and the alien left long ago!"
Vril hoped this was the end of the argument and turned to walk away. Brainiac's fist struck him on the side of the head. The blow sent Vril flying across the room and crashing into a wall. The teen's critically injured body collapsed on the floor, where it lay motionless as a thin stream of blood trickled from his nose and ear.
"Nooo!" Brainiac cried. His consciousness instantly regretted injuring Vril—his son. Had he mortally wounded the teenager?
Unbeknownst to Brainiac, Valia now watched from Kandor.
She watched the android gently pick up Vril and cradle the teen's limp body in his arms. Brainiac carried the teen to his quarters and carefully laid him on the bed. Brianiac grabbed the medical kit from a cabinet in Vril's room and administered pain medication.
Brainiac examined the head wound and realized Vril had a fractured skull. One major concern would be bleeding inside the skull which could lead to life-threatening complications such as a blood clot. Brainiac had the knowledge to repair such problems, but his hands were too large and lacked the dexterity required to perform the delicate operation. If a complication arose, he would need help from the Kandorians to save Vril's life. Brainiac was not fond of letting Kandorians out of their city. He would save that option as a last resort.
For now, Brainiac began a vigil of checking the teen every half-hour while he continued to ponder what Vril could be hiding and why he'd been in the Collections Room. Brainiac checked the ship's sensor logs and did not find anything unusual. The logs, indeed, matched Vril's story. The alien had taken the crystal and flown to the third planet.
"But the human part of me senses something is wrong here," Brainiac said quietly as he stood in the doorway of Vril's quarters and peered down at the teen. Thin trickles of blood still oozed from Vril's nose and ear.
Brainiac returned to the large viewing window over the control station. After some careful thought and calculations, he set a course for the third planet. He felt the answers to all his questions could be found there. In addition, he would seek out the originator of the strange message emanating from the planet.
The key to obtaining the planet's knowledge, technology, and perhaps even the alien's crystals lay in meeting the originator of the message. Once he acquired the knowledge, technology, and crystals, he would take great delight in destroying all the inhabitants of the planet, especially the alien dressed in the blue suit.
Brainiac repaired the console he had damaged earlier with his fist and ran several diagnostics on it before he was satisfied with the repairs. Scooping up a small medical monitor, he headed to Vril's quarters. The teen hadn't moved, blood continued to ooze from his nose and ear. The medical monitor, in Brainiac's large green hand, indicated Vril's vital signs had worsened. The teen's heart-rate was weak and rapid, his breathing slow and labored, and he had not regained consciousness. Brainiac wiped the blood from Vril's nose and ear with a sterile cloth. He attached the medical monitor to Vril's arm so it could continuously monitor the teen's vital signs.
Brainiac decided to wait until morning before seeking help. If by then the teen had not improved, or was worse, then he would have no choice but to bring Kandorian doctors through the portal to treat his son.