A/N: I posted two chapters today, chapters 34 and 35.
Chapter 35
Brainiac's ship maintained its high synchronous orbit around the moon. Aboard the vessel, Vril sat at the control station staring in amazement at Brainiac's handiwork. In a matter of hours Brainiac had not only repaired the sensors and logs, but had also incorporated several additional back-up systems.
Vril heard Brainiac approaching behind him and tensed. It was an involuntarily reaction. After Brainiac's attack, Vril felt vulnerable. Any wrong word could set the android off.
"Report on Kryptonian life signs," Brainiac said.
Vril looked up at the towering figure and cringed. Brainiac would not like the answer. "The data is inconsistent."
"Explain." Brainiac stepped beside Vril and the teenager inwardly recoiled.
"Possible Kryptonian life signs have been detected in a large city on this continent." Vril pointed to an area displayed on the screen. "Our sensors initially indicated the life signs as the closest match to Kryptonian life on the planet's surface. Then, a few minutes ago, the sensors confirmed a one hundred percent positive match for Kryptonian life in that same city." Vril, again, pointed at the display. "The confirmation lasted less than an hour before vanishing. The sensors have returned to scanning for Kryptonian life signs."
Brainiac considered this information and said, "Superman has great speed. It would be hard for the sensors to get a lock on him if he is moving." Brainiac peered out the large viewing window and glared at the Earth. "But he is humanoid. He requires food, water, and rest. He lives somewhere on that planet, of that, there can be no doubt."
"The sensors are continuing their scan of the entire surface," Vril said. "But it will take time."
"Have the sensors complete a detailed analysis of the composition of those close matches in the large city," Brainiac ordered. "I must know exactly who or what that is."
"Yes, sir." Vril turned back to the console with a feeling of foreboding.
Vril also wondered what Brainiac had been doing in his science lab this morning. The ship's alarms had been triggered several times by small fires in the lab. Brainiac had quickly put them out and told Vril not to worry, but worry he did. If he wasn't still recuperating from his surgery he would investigate, but at the moment, the risk was too great and his body too weak.
Brainiac left Vril alone at the console and returned to the science lab where he viewed the damage he'd created with his new ability. During his recent regeneration the new crystal had endowed him with full knowledge of all of Superman's powers. Heat vision had intrigued Brainiac the most, perhaps because it had been the power to inflict the greatest damage on him and had enabled Superman to defeat him.
Brainiac's eyes glowed bright red as he looked at several small burned surfaces in his lab. "Heat vision," he said and shot a beam of heat at a nearby metal wall. The small, intense, red beam melted a hole through the metal. Black smoke rose from the site and triggered the ship's alarms. Brainiac stopped the heat vision and watched a drop of melted metal trickle slowly down the wall.
"It is time to practice on larger objects," he said. "This planet's moon is the perfect surface on which to practice."
Moments later, a perplexed and worried Vril watched Brainiac exit the ship.