ETRAYA INBOX.

[reconstruction]

"This is Connor. Leave a message." ( TEXT | AUDIO | VIDEO | ACTION )

Comments

[reconstruction]

You know, I'd very much like it if you would be less secretive with me.

[brat]

You already know everything, do you not?

[reconstruction]

Not about you. You make it very hard for me to get to know you.

[brat]

This isn't a conversation I want to have using Aurora's devices.

[reconstruction]

Can we have it in person?

[brat]

Yes.
Meet me at S.T.A.R Labs.

→ action!

[reconstruction]

I'll be there in about 20 minutes.

[he would be there sooner, but he's a little further out from the apartments, and therefore S.T.A.R Labs. he'd been to the location once or twice, even poked around the inside of it, but found the activity there relatively low.

standing outside of the large building, he looks up at its looming architecture, counting the windows. he isn't in his uniform, but still dressed semi-formal, keeping to his professional roots. he sends a quick message to Damian: Here.

the coin is flicked while he waits. there are too many rooms for him to guess where Damian might want him - outside is his best bet to be directed.]

[brat]

( star labs is quite a distance away. it was useful like that when he and allen had been planning on using it to lock up the reverse flash, if he decided to make a nuisance of himself. it was useful still, when it was damian and allen meeting up, because he didn't want to be witnessed hanging out with his father's juvenile acquaintances.

it's less useful now that everyone is gone, and damian has instead started setting up a lab of his own within it. he's inside, in uniform, but steps out the front door when the security cameras show connor's arrival, so he can gesture him in. )

In here.

[reconstruction]

[Damian catches him idling, his response time half a second slower than usual. the coin is tucked away, but not before his eyes look up toward the cameras that alert Damian of his presence. he's tempted to deactivate them as a joke.

that's a bad joke, he decides, walking inside to follow wherever Damian may lead.]

What are you doing out here? It's almost twice the distance from Wayne Tower.

[brat]

Did you think I would just stay around the tower? I go where I please, regardless of distance.

( the inside is relatively barren. damian hadn't spent a significant amount of time over here yet, but the labs within it are pristine, and barry had kept the rest of the place clean. it helps, being able to break the sound barrier on a whim. a talent damian unfortunately lacks at present. )

Father offered to loan me his bike in case of emergencies, ( this, clearly, was not one. but permission was given, and therefore - a little off to the side of the entrance sits a motorcycle, which, while significantly too tall for damian, he's managed to make work regardless. ) considering he hadn't needed it, I took the liberty of borrowing it.

[reconstruction]

No.

[but the question still stands - what is he doing out here, loud as the silence that follows when his eyes fall on the motorcycle. Connor has learned to let things as they are sometimes, leaving his concern for kids Damian's age riding motorcycles and the hazards that come with it a thought and not a conversation point.

he walks over to it, kneels down to look at and move his hand over the seat. liquid skin pulls away as he does so, a momentary thing done while scanning its parts, components, and gears.]

This is a very nice bike.

[brat]

My father is a man with excellent taste. ( and an almost endless supply of money, for whenever the situation calls for it. despite the instinct to tell connor to leave it alone, damian doesn't tell him off. instead, he just - watches. ) That's an earlier model. His later acquisitions tend to have an almost obscene amount of technological advancements added to them.

( see, he's sharing. )

[reconstruction]

[all information that Connor stores away, but not necessarily deemed as 'important'. he straightens back up, turning to face him.]

Do you have a good relationship with your father?

[that feels like a safe question, but his LED spins yellow as he goes over the potential reactions Damian could have.]

[brat]

( his brows furrow, clearly - caught off by the question. less because of what it is, and more because damian wasn't anticipating it from connor. )

Of course I do. We're partners.

[reconstruction]

[that's... not the answer he predicted. Connor has a good relationship with his partner, but they're partners. he made certain choices, kept the dialogue meaningful to explore the possibilities of friendship. it was a relationship he had to cultivate on his own, which is very different from that of a father and son.]

I haven't met anyone that worked with their father. Do you like it?

[is this normal conversation between them happening?]

[brat]

( a complicated question with a complicated answer. connor seems to already know that though, given. . . well, everything. he wouldn't bother answering at all, but it plays into connor's complaint regarding not knowing anything. )

The incarnation of my father who is here is young. I have found that the differences in experiences have caused some strain, but I would not choose otherwise. My father has worked alongside three sons before myself back home, which has colored his expectations. I wouldn't say I dislike it.

( the bike isn't relevant currently, so damian leaves it where it is and nods his head deeper into the facility. connor asked why damian wanted to know about superman; he may as well show him. )

[reconstruction]

I see.

[he's learning - learning a lot, even with how little Damian offers him in return. he falls into step with him, quiet for a few moments. now that he's been given some cushion in their conversation, he decides to continue the exchange.]

Is there anything you would like to know about me?

[he'd asked Hank the same question. it doesn't feel right for him to ask question after question without offering the same. that said, Damian has already asked him many, many questions, but Connor has flagged them as ones that were brought up not because Damian actually wanted to know him, but because he was trying to figure him out.]

[brat]

No.

( he knows everything he needs to know about connor already: why he was created, what he's currently doing, his stance on this: etraya, the city as a whole and its inhabitants. damian understands connor's morals to an extent. he knows what to expect from him.

and therefore, doesn't need to know anything else. )

This specific lab is new to me. It belonged to... an alternate version of one of my father's colleagues. Within it is something he called the Pipeline. A particle accelerator, with small cells that can contain metahumans. It isn't kryptonite, but considering the likelihood of being able to keep a Kryptonian safely attached to kryptonite, this is one method we can attempt to use. I would like to renovate one of these cells with an artificial red sun.

[reconstruction]

[it's normal, really, Connor should expect that. people didn't want to know about androids (their thoughts, wants, needs) so Damian's lack of interest doesn't surprise him. when he wouldn't think about it before, now that stings in complicated ways he doesn't quite understand.

that is not how friendship is formed. but he does know that people connect in different ways, and that Damian is making an effort to connect with him on some level.]

Are you saying you want to capture and contain the Superman on Etraya?

[he's staring down at him, confused. was the information he obtained purely for reasons of containment, and containment only?]

Why?

[brat]

I'm saying I would like to be able to, in case the need arises.

( because having backup plans for backup plans and contingencies for those backup plans has come in handy more than once, and given the sheer amount of raw power superman has, having a good way to ensure his compliance is never a bad idea.

with kent, one could safely assume that his loyalty to humanity and his moral compass would keep him from going over the deep end, when he was in control. and clark was well aware it was his own humanity that kept bruce out of his hair most of the time. damian doesn't know this superman well enough to assume his moral compass provides a similar safety leash. )

[reconstruction]

[that's not a good enough answer for him.]

I don't know what you're getting at.

[excuse him for sounding a little frustrated, because Damian has a pattern of being vague and acting like Connor should know. this would be easier if he didn't have to guess.]

Are you saying you're planning for the possibility of Superman losing control of his abilities?

[brat]

I don't understand why this is so difficult to comprehend.

( but look, he's taking a breath in and attempting to figure out how to dumb his explanation down in a way that connor will understand. )

The man known as Superman here is capable of far more than any normal human being. If I am correct, he could be listening to this very conversation regardless of the distance between where he is and the laboratory. He likely has more raw strength in his little finger than I have in my entire body. It would be easy for him to decimate this planet if he chose to. He has thus far not shown signs of being an active threat, but that doesn't mean he won't become one.

[reconstruction]

[he stops walking, hands hanging loosely at his sides. he understands the magnitude of power, to a point. he also understands that preparing for the worst is important. but this ...]

Do these precautions include everyone on the planet?

[he'd said metahumans. that could include a variety of people on the planet - it could include Accelerator.]

Why start now? Unless, did you always have this prepared?

[brat]

( ah.

now he understands where the disconnect lies. damian, too, stops. stays a few steps away from connor, turned to face him. )

These precautions include everyone. And I hadn't just started. I have been maintaining similar plans of action since long before my arrival here, for every enemy and ally.

[reconstruction]

[he regards Damian with uncertainty, jaw set - expressing what humans would call distrust, caution. his LED spins yellow as he processes what's been said and all the implications that follow. he cycles through as many outcomes as he can without taking longer than a few seconds.]

What about yourself?

[he pauses, thinks of how Damian could respond.]

Where do you draw the line?