Nightshift 49: Homeworld - Colu
[from here]
The dizziness was worse this time, like going through a transmatter gate just as it shorted out and being overwhelmed by a feeling of dislocation that made him wonder if all of his parts would end up in the right location and in roughly the right configuration (it was a feeling he was regrettably familiar with). He wasn't sure if he'd blacked out for a moment, or if something else had happened. but he was sure of one thing as his perceptions caught up; he definitely wasn't human anymore.
Everything was different, disconcerting only because of how long he'd been human for, but adapted to quickly. It was almost too good to be true, and Brainiac 5 ran a self-diagnostic in one thought-track while running his hands along his arms and face, as though the tactile feedback would help verify reality.
"I don't understand," he murmured as his hands encountered the metal of his external plating, the adaptive material of his Legion uniform, and the self-diagnostic reported back the same result. He was, for some reason, Coluan again with any organic materials buried deep in nanotechnology and cybernetics. "How can this be happening?"
Something else tugged at his awareness, had been since they'd appeared here, and he realised with a sudden rush of horror that he also recognised where they were.
The air had a familiar smell of being processed and purified to the point where it seemed almost too clean, flat and stiflingly blank, though even that couldn't get rid of the faint smell of electricity and what could only be cybernetics. The atmosphere alone was enough to tell him exactly where they were, though the building they were in narrowed it down further.
"This can't be..."
The building hadn't been used in a while, that much was obvious, but it was still clean and functional, all harsh lighting, smooth, blank walls, and banks of computers and equipment of all shapes and sizes. It was also packed with shapes shrouded in dust covers, though the fact there was very little dust after all this time implied that the reason for hiding it all away wasn't to keep it clean.
Brainiac 5 turned in a slow circle, unconsciously seeking out every little detail he could recall and finding everything exactly where he expected it and entirely accurate. He was on Colu, and he was in his old laboratory. He turned to Sangamon, face, though more alien, utterly serious. "We have to leave as soon as we can."
The dizziness was worse this time, like going through a transmatter gate just as it shorted out and being overwhelmed by a feeling of dislocation that made him wonder if all of his parts would end up in the right location and in roughly the right configuration (it was a feeling he was regrettably familiar with). He wasn't sure if he'd blacked out for a moment, or if something else had happened. but he was sure of one thing as his perceptions caught up; he definitely wasn't human anymore.
Everything was different, disconcerting only because of how long he'd been human for, but adapted to quickly. It was almost too good to be true, and Brainiac 5 ran a self-diagnostic in one thought-track while running his hands along his arms and face, as though the tactile feedback would help verify reality.
"I don't understand," he murmured as his hands encountered the metal of his external plating, the adaptive material of his Legion uniform, and the self-diagnostic reported back the same result. He was, for some reason, Coluan again with any organic materials buried deep in nanotechnology and cybernetics. "How can this be happening?"
Something else tugged at his awareness, had been since they'd appeared here, and he realised with a sudden rush of horror that he also recognised where they were.
The air had a familiar smell of being processed and purified to the point where it seemed almost too clean, flat and stiflingly blank, though even that couldn't get rid of the faint smell of electricity and what could only be cybernetics. The atmosphere alone was enough to tell him exactly where they were, though the building they were in narrowed it down further.
"This can't be..."
The building hadn't been used in a while, that much was obvious, but it was still clean and functional, all harsh lighting, smooth, blank walls, and banks of computers and equipment of all shapes and sizes. It was also packed with shapes shrouded in dust covers, though the fact there was very little dust after all this time implied that the reason for hiding it all away wasn't to keep it clean.
Brainiac 5 turned in a slow circle, unconsciously seeking out every little detail he could recall and finding everything exactly where he expected it and entirely accurate. He was on Colu, and he was in his old laboratory. He turned to Sangamon, face, though more alien, utterly serious. "We have to leave as soon as we can."