Secret identity? What? Oh. Yeah. That.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Well, I'm about to sign the paperwork on a condo in San Francisco. It isn't too far from where Mar'i lives. You know, too far being like, across the street and down a block. I've got something on the top floor so I can figure out all of those tricky ins and outs and exits and all of that. Sometimes I wonder how anyone else does this. If I had any supercool Flamebird vehicles, I'd never have anywhere to put them.

Except at the Tower.

Which is an island. So helpful for a motorcycle. Maybe I should buy a really cool boat or something.

Anyway, soon enough people are going to notice that I'm dating Vic. Not that I mind, it is just one of those things. One more superhero connection, you know? And that I hang out with Mar'i and... So on and so forth. Of course, I've hung out with Gar for years and years, so there is a lot of introduced by Gar possibility.

This stuff is way too complicated.

I need Vic to make me ... us... me.. a bed. I like going shopping and all but this is getting silly. When I get this place a little more decorated, I should invite people over for a housewarming or something.

I miss Jesse. And I don't know what else to even think about that. I'm probably reading too much into it. That's why I don't normally try to think about these things. Deep thought about my feelings always messes me up.

Have to fly back down to LA. More Dancing with the Stars stuff. I should be ready. Stupid dinosaurs.

Maybe I should start a checklist. Dinosaurs - Check Robots - Check Hrm.

I wonder who is free for dinner.

Comments

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

A small explosion down the hall.

Really, people are getting used to them by now.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Reason one hundred and three I'm getting my own place.

Bette makes her way down the hall and peeks in the door, having a general idea of what she's going to see.

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

The auto-smoke-collectors are already de-sooting the air, and he's gazing intently at the exploded machine that threw him across the room, his forcefield gradually destabilizing post-impact.

Hm. That didn't work.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"What was it supposed to do?"

He seems to be doing really good at making things blow up...

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

It's a scanning device. It measure volatile wavelengths. The ones that tend to react destructively when scanned. Technically they haven't been discovered yet.

I'm just having a bit of trouble tuning the impeller coils. I'm sure I can sort it out, though. Revision 43 was quite promising - seven minutes before violent destabilization of the scanmatrix.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"Okay. And why do we need a scanning thing that scans things that we don't know about?" Bette pauses, still leaning against the doorframe, "I know you know about them and all but..." There is a pause, "Why do you need it?"

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

Because there are certain things that travel through those volatile wavelengths. One notable one in the 27th century pre-reconstruction nearly destroyed Venus. It seems prudent to have some sort of alert device constructed, even if it never beeps in our lifetimes.

And with any luck she'll believe that. Brainiac Five Querl Dox is an excellent liar.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"Oooookay." Bette pauses for a few moments, "You seem to be working really hard on something that might not be a problem for a few hundred years." She shrugs a little, "If you want to get all worked up about wavelengths and stuff, that's fine. It just seems ... personal." He is an excellent liar. She just thinks that he's working really hard on this.

Especially if it is what he says it is.

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

Earth has flagrantly low danger scan resources. Asteroid scanning, for example - the technology exists but there's no centralized database of incoming celestial objects capable of catastrophic events, and you can't just assume that Superman will always be available to destroy such.

My interest in "superheroing" is quite low compared to the obvious need to upgrade Earth in numerous ways. Increasing its knowledge base is one such; ecological reform is another. In my now-defunct timeline, Earth society collapsed in the 2200s and took nearly three centuries to fully recover. I'd like to avoid that this time around, especially considering that given the natural Coluan lifespan I'd likely be around to witness said collapse.

Hopefully, the fact that this is all true will ease her obvious suspicion.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"Okay." Bette continues to look around the room, frowning a bit. "So the scanny thingy your building will help with all of that or is it just like step five of seventy?" Science has never been her strong point. If he tells her that scanning for these things that they don't know exist will help reveal killer asteroids or something, she'll believe him.

Because, well, she doesn't know any better.

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

It's a subsystem I'm hoping to route into the larger scanning instruments that the Titans, JSA and League possess.

...when it stops exploding, anyway.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"That's a lot of scanning power." Bette gives him a small smile. Hey, he hasn't said anything mean this whole conversation. That gets a smile at the least. "So... can anyone help? Blowing things up like this seems a waste of resources."

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

I doubt it. The electromagnetic theory is... advanced.

However -

He goes over to a drawer, rummages through it, and pulls out a binder.

I don't know why Cyborg requested hardcopy, but here's the documentation on the new medbay. I improved a lot of it last night.

As he passes it over, he gestures at the new medbay, which looks - impressive.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"Because we all learned from hardcopy and adjusting methods of learning is difficult for humans past a certain age." Bette takes the documentation and heads over toward the medbay from the doorway. "Not that it isn't worth trying to learn in new ways... some people just focus better."

Yes. Someone took some educational theory in the course of her sports medicine degree. "Thanks."

Time to poke at new machine things.

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

As he pokes over the remains of the chronal tubeway generator - and make no mistake, that is what just exploded - he files away additional information as regarding the blast pattern. Yes. The next attempt will fix that problem. Now, to address containment -

Simultaneously he considers the new hybrid-solarectric engine he needs to send to Batman for consideration for industrial introduction in the next couple of months, anomalies in the genetic patterns of the dinosaurs the Titans recently fought, and a theory for combating the upcoming global soil erosion crisis that needs to address a potential overflow of nitrogen into Earth's atmosphere. Coluans mentally multitask, and he's smarter than just about any Coluan alive.

And also he thinks, and says aloud:

Be careful with the scanalyzer the first time you use it. It requires a security key-in; temp password "gamma7friday34quintile91x-ray." It'll lock down otherwise.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"Thanks." Because that password makes a hell of a lot of sense to her. Really. Honest.

"So, were you always distant with your teammates or are you not hanging out wiht us for some other reason? If this is just the way you are, that's fine. I'm just wondering."

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

He looks surprised by the question.

Believe me, by Coluan standards I am positively gregarious.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"Ah." Bette nods a bit at that and gives him a small smile, "I'll count us lucky and accept that, then."

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

He nods agreeably and turns back to his work, muttering in that same tone he's used so often with Lyle and his fellow Legionnaires, the one that is amused and irritated all at once.

Humans...

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"Are we really all that different from everyone else out there? Kory seems to think we're hopless in a affectionate way..."

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

He considers this.

You're not like most other races, not by a long shot. When the Coluan trithority banned me from practical research, it was a human who enabled me to continue - at great personal cost to himself considering the number of labs I destroyed. Of course, that was when I was much younger and prone to carelessness.

I like humans, to be sure. I just don't understand you all that often.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"Huh."

Bette manages to change her passcode, or at least she thinks she did, and then can't help but grin about him having blown up more stuff when he was younger.

"Well, I don't think we really get you either, if that means anything. Hell, most of the time I don't get /me/, for what that means."

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

That's fair enough. Mutual cultural differences and considerations are always difficult to comprehend and overcome, even when one possesses a 12th-level intelligence.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"What does that mean, anyway? How do you measure it and what do the levels mean and can you change levels or are you just whatever level you are forever?"

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

He begins reassembling what he can of the device as he lectures.

It's a Coluan designation, rather predictably. It's measured by a species' physiological traffic capacity in the neural matrix - simply put, how fast a given member of a species can think. There's no way, of course, to measure scientific or artistic inspiration, but on balance the average scientist from a species with seventh-level intelligence will achieve more than the average scientist from a species with sixth-level intelligence. Humans are seventh-level, Khunds sixth, Durlans eighth, Kryptonians ninth (we believe), et cetera.

When the scale was first invented - this would be about twenty-seven thousand years ago, in Earth years - Coluans naturally ranked themselves as the highest, tenth-level intelligence, as the great Coluan biologist Kyrl Nix proved by his research into practical limits of biologic neural matrices. So long as you restrict intelligence to the purely biological, it's essentially impossible to improve on the effiency of the Coluan brain. Cybernetics and artificial intelligences, of course, are likely the route to doing so, but Coluans tend to be rather reticient about inventing things that might make somebody else smarter than them.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"Huh." Twenty-seven thousand years is a /long/ time. She has trouble processing that amount of time in any meaningful way.

Bette processes all of this, having her serious student face on. She can manage to be really intelligent about things, most of the time she just doesn't see the need to care.

"You can be born to higher than your species level but I would gather that would be rare?"

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

Extremely. Reed Richards in that parallel universe would be an excellent example of such - possessing a brain of such great efficiency that it transcends your species' traditional intelligence level is a mutation of exceptional rarity. In my case, for example, my twelfth-level intelligence is the result of conscious genetic manipulation by Coluan scientists on the Dox genetic line.

In any case, one does not need a higher intelligence level to be a great scientist, or artist for that matter. Inspiration and imagination are unquantifiable. John Henry Irons, for example, is a brilliant mechanical engineer, but he's obviously a basic 7th-level intelligence human. Coluan intelligence designations cannot map such things, but only raw processing power, and all raw processing power allows is the ability to be wrong faster, as a colleague of mine once said.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"Wow. That's interesting stuff. Thanks. It is also nice to know that the social things are rough even for super genuises." Bette finishes poking around at the new toy and looks over to him.

"You want to go get something to eat?"

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

He checks his chrono, and puts down his tools almost reluctantly.

I suppose it is about time for me to have some sustenance...

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Bette chuckles softly at that and vaults over... something... on her way over to him. She doesn't like standing still for too long. "You don't have to come. We're having a real conversation here, so, I thought we could continue it."

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

Mentally he sighs. Apparently it is time to "make an effort", as Lyle always said.

No, some food would be good. I am hungry.

Although he does take his Omnicom along with him. If inspiration flashes during the conversation he'll need it.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Bette grins at him a bit, "You'll have to forgive me if I ask questions which might seem strange. I'm still new to the whole concept of being able to talk to someone from another planet. I'm sure it happens to you all the time here, or it will but I'm not meaning anything by it. I'm just curious."

"And if I talk to much, just tell me to shut up. I ramble sometimes."

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

Rest assured I will.

They round the corner and enter the kitchen quickly enough. Selfnote: build soy processing unit for kitchen. Beancurd tolerable but not ideal.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"You're a vegetarian, right?"

Bette looks over her shoulder at him, wondering if she can make anything actually worth making that is vegetarian.

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

A nod as he opens the well-stocked refrigerator.

I believe - yes - - yes, I think I can make something here.

He generates a small forcefield and starts dumping all sorts of things on it, as if it were a platter.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"That's useful." Bette watches him pull things out of the fridge with interest.

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately when I designed it I made the controls too complex for non-Coluans to use them. An early design flaw. One day I'll get around to correcting it.

He closes the fridge door and pulls out a strange-looking tool, from which spouts a laser matrix of rapidly varying shape and size. The tool starts simultaneously dicing, chopping, and pureeing the various foodstuffs on the platter into different heaps, and the platter becomes a series of bowls.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"Huh." She's saying that a lot around him. "That's a machine. That's cool." Bette grins a bit, "What are you making?"

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

It's a Vegan recipe I'm adapting to Earth cuisine -

After a couple of minutes, he sheathes his hands in skintight forcefields and molds some of the puree into patties, while the remainder of the ingredients form a sort of vegetable compote. He reaches behind himself to turn on the stove as he does so.

A frying pan or grill of some kind, if you could? And some sort of oil. Olive, maybe, or sesame.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Bette retrieves a pan, after looking at a few of them. She rejects one or two and then hands him the one that she chooses. Her reasons for choosing that one aren't scientific but it looked like the right sort of pan.

Then she goes looking for olvie oil. Not hard to find but a little annoyingly placed. It doesn't take her too long to get it though. As she hands it to him she comments, "I've always enjoyed watching people cook."

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

He shrugs.

It's slow and inefficient. I really should build a culinary constructor of some kind...

Nonetheless, he expertly sautes the patties in the oil until lightly browned on both sides, then pulls out a pair of plates, places a pair of patties on each, and smothers them in the compote. A fork is placed on each plate, and he uses his forcefield to dispose all the remaining leftovers into the compost bin.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Bette laughs at that, "There are so many chefs that would be so upset to hear you say that. Sometimes it doesn't matter it things take time or are inefficient if you enjoy them."

Bette takes the plate and then blinks, realizing that he just cooked for /her/ too. "Thank you."

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

He shrugs off the thanks entirely, of course.

They don't have to use it. I just want something faster that means I don't waste time with elementary food preparation.

He takes a forkful and chews thoughtfully. Not bad, although Okaaran spiceberries would have been nice.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"So what would be advanced food preparation?"

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

Probably something involving an artificial intelligence of some kind... hm...

He takes another bite.

Is it satisfactory?

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"I like it." Bette takes another bite, having snuck one in already. She didn't think she was one for vegetarian food. "I think there are some AI's out there. Not lots but.." She thinks about it for a bit, "Vic would know."

[12thlevelmind.livejournal.com]

He nods.

Mostly alien, though, which is unsurprising.

He thinks for a minute and starts tapping something into his Omnicom with a spare pad, then hits a larger button and sets it down again.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"We're not super advanced or anything." Bette gives him a small smile at that and continues to eat the meal provided for her.