His world exploded before his birth. Propelled by a futuristic craft powered by a science beyond mans comprehension he arrived on a our world as a baby. Raised as a human by loving, caring parents who instilled in him the difference between right and wrong, he derives his powers from our yellow sun that give him enormous and unheard of abilities ! His massive strength and incomprehensible powers are matched only by the great and true heart that beats within his chest ! He is one of the most powerful champions for truth, justice , and the American way that has ever lived ! A man from the stars ever seeking to make the Earth his home, and to protect that home from evils no one else would have a glimmer of hope against ! He is the man of steel, the man of tomorrow...he is..

Superman #7

Brainiac!

By Ralph L. Angelo, Jr

Prologue:

Superman and Firestorm descend from space, towards Smallville. Their conversation has dealt mostly with the mysterious disappearance of their mutual foe , "Hybrid".*

*See last issue for all the details-Ralph-El

"So basically you really think this guy is gone, at least for a while?"

"Yes Firestorm," Superman answers with a nod of his set jaw, "In my experience it never pays to worry about a foe who blinks out at the end of a battle. You know they're going to return, but you don't know when. I really think you're better off putting all your energy towards other , more immediate problems."

Firestorm points below them. "You mean like that?"

Below the two heroes is the devastated Kent family farm. The home is gone, basically blown away by the incredible battle between Superman, Firestorm and the aforementioned Hybrid.

"Great Krypton! "Supes blurts out.

"Yeah big blue, that too." Agrees the stoic faced Firestorm, "At least your par-- er, the people inside got out."

Superman stares at Firestorm a little stunned, but then relaxes. This young man has plenty of battle experience, and can be trusted. Without his assistance , who knows what the outcome of the "Hybrid" battle would've been?

"You figured a few things out on your own I guess? "

Firestorm smiles, a little embarrassed. "Well I'm not stupid Big Blue. I have been taking care of myself over the years. But don't worry, your secrets safe. And just so we're on an even keel here, my names Ron, Ron Raymond. "

Firestorm extends his hand and the two super-heroes shake while floating two dozen feet above the ground.

"You didn't have to tell me that Firestorm. You know that."

"Yeah, I do. But I thought it'd make you more comfortable."

Supermans face suddenly turns toward the east, his eyes squinting towards the distance.

"What's up ?" Asks Firestorm

"There's a helicopter about a dozen miles off and heading our way. I heard it coming."

He's silent a second longer, then

"Hhmm. It's military and Cadmus personal. I see Dubilex is among them."

Suddenly both heroes hear the mental voice of the Cadmus mentalist.

*Superman, Firestorm! What has happened to the evil Hybrid? I sense no essence of his presence*

(He's gone Dubilex) Thinks the man of steel, (He disappeared after we defeated him in space.)

*Very well my friend. I shall not share that information with my compatriots until we land.*

(Good Dubilex. After this entire Hybrid affair, my trust of Cadmus has dropped to an all time low.)

*Then why do still treat me with the same regard you did before this event transpired Superman?*

(To be honest Dubilex, you and Guardian are the only ones I DO trust in Cadmus at the moment. I'll speak to you both at length about this later on.)

*Very well my friend*

Firestorm breaks the silent reverie , "Supes, here they come." He points in the easterly direction.

"I know Storm, I see them.

Moments later, the helicopter has landed , disgorging the occupants. The Cadmus scientists avoid Supermans eyes, as well as the man himself, as Dubilex approaches the two heroes.

"Such destruction."Begins the DNAlien, "Such waste. How are the occupants?"

"Everyone is fine Dubilex, though their property damage is massive. But They did escape relatively unscathed. I guess that's something to be grateful about." As he speaks outwardly calm, the man of Steel is seething inside. His parents were once again put into harms way because of him. The damage could have been much worse, he knows, and it sends a shiver through his body.

Dubilex ponders momentarily before speaking. "I believe that between Firestorm and myself , their property damage can be nullified."

"Huh? What are you talking about Dubilex? How can I help?" Firestorms flaming "hair" glows brighter as he speaks.

"We need the occupants Firestorm. Between them and ourselves, I believe we can accomplish a miracle here today."

Twenty minutes later, Jonathan and Martha Kent stand next to the three Superhumans , Jonathans head is bandaged, but he's his old self already.*

*Again , see last issue.

"All right Mrs. And Mrs.... Kent was it? I need you both to concentrate on your memories of your home. Every nuance of it you can consciously and subconsciously remember. The rest Firestorm and myself will do."

"Okay Mr Dubilex, we'll try for you ," Answers Jonathan, " Though with this headache I have I'm not sure how much help I'll be."

Martha merely grabs her husbands hand tightly and smiles at all surrounding her, straying a little bit longer on Supermans face, before returning to Dubilex.

Dubilex concentrates his mighty mind energies outwards, assessing the information he is reading from the Kents in waves, as he in turn sends them to Firestorm, who in an almost trance-like state (Again Courtesy of Dubilex) begins fire restructuring beams of power from his hands, power that leaps and plays all across the rubble that was once the Kent family home and in mere seconds, is once again!

"Incredible!" Whispers a wide eyed Martha Kent, her gaze falling across the completely re-assembled home.

"Damn near unbelievable is more like it Martha. We can't thank you boys enough for this, you gave us our lives back."

Jonathan shakes the hands of Superman, Firestorm and Dubilex heartily as Martha continues to stare at the recreated house.

"Whew>" Breathes Firestorm, "I don't think I EVER want to go through that again. I don;'t know what you did Dubilex, but you left me with one heck of a headache myself." The Nuclear man rubs his brow with his left hand.

"I know this isn't much boys, I have to insist you three stay for dinner, it's the least I can do ."

"No Mrs Kent,"Answers Firestorm," You don't owe us anything, and to be honest, I have to get back to New York soon. I'm relocating back in the big apple and I've got a lot to do when I finish up. But I do appreciate the offer. " He shakes every ones hands all around , and in a blast of energy, Firestorm is gone!

The Kents as well as Superman and Dubilex wave goodbye to the young hero, as Superman begins to take his leave as well.

"I'm glad to have been of service Kents, take care of yourselves."

With a jaunty wave Superman is gone, as Dubilex and the other Cadmus people re-enter their helicopter.

Superman arcs across the Kansas skyline and is gone, already deep in thought.

(I hope Ma and Pa aren't to upset by me leaving like I did. I'll call them later after I get to Metropolis. Metropolis. Home sweet home. I have to say I'll be happy to see those bright lights in the next few minutes. I'm glad nothing major's been happening in the city itself of late. Besides Hybrids escapade , the city itself has been relatively quiet . Except for those gangs with the advanced weaponry. I still haven't been able to pin them down. They keep coming out of the woodwork at every turn it seems.* )

*See our last several issues

Superman streaks through the eastern skies towards Metropolis. Night is falling as he approaches . Within minutes he's above the heart of the city. Its glittering lights a reflection of the stars above, as a cool breeze blows off of Hobbs Bay, the salty sting of ocean water mixing in with the other smells of the city down below

(I wonder what's been happening since I've been gone the past day? For that matter, Luthor hasn't been giving me any grief in a long time. I wonder what he has up his very dark sleeves at the moment?)

End Prologue

Lex Luthor stands stripped to a t-shirt and his black suit pants. He's in a sub-sub basement of Lex Corp tower, he's working feverishly on something, but his movements are herky jerky, and obviously not his own. A voice rings through his mind as he fights with all his willpower against a dark force, which controls his every movement.

"Faster Luthor! There are no breaks for you , not until you complete my...project!"

Nearby a beautiful woman stands, arms folded across her ample chest, flaming red hair cascading over strong shoulders. Maxima may have her faults, but she's a gorgeous woman, something that didn't escape Luthors notice from the first time he met her. Now though, she wears her costume, which more then enhances her perfect physique. Yet the voice that commanded Luthor did not come from her, rather from the floating apparition behind her. The apparition of Brainiac!

"You will complete this task Luthor. Your facilities were always my primary objective. From the day I took command of the Almaracian cow behind you."

Luthor continues to work robotically as he mouths a question. Maxima snaps her finger and Luthor speaks clearly, for the first time in hours.

"She was under your control the entire time she's been here?"

"Yes " The disembodied Coluan answers, "Hers was a mind of great power, not as much as my own, but great enough to be useful. It was only a matter of locating her and circumnavigating her mental defenses , bending her to my will."

Luthor continues to work, entering information into his gigantic mainframes, as he speaks his body is still working, as if he were watching himself from a distance. His stomach aches with hunger, his muscles scream , and his mind is numb and pained, but Braniac is a hard taskmaster, and offers no respite to his enslaved puppet.

"What happened to your host body, the mentalist "Milton Fine" ?"

"That body....expired recently. It could not stand the exertion my increased mental capabilities put upon it."

Luthor stands and makes his way to a production line of sorts, manually pressing in a coded sequence only he knows, the mechanical process begins, as metals are poured into castings , and wiring begins to loom itself into pre-programmed conduits.

"So you intend to make yourself a new one. Composed entirely of Duranium , as well as this new material you've made me "create" with your knowledge.."

"Yes Luthor, that is correct . Soon Brainiac will be supreme. My new body will never die. The metal you are creating is an alloy your pathetic race would never have forged for another hundred years. Yet my knowledge makes it a reality. Bonded to the already strong Duranium, my new form will be indestructible. And thus, beyond Supermans ability to harm. I will crush the Kryptonian beneath my powerful metallic feet, and my steely face will reflect his death gasps in prismatic magnificence!"

Luthor sits down again, in his puppet-like manner and begins to punch buttons on the control panel.

"You see Luthor, I knew a man of your arrogance would have a hidden and very necessary lab facility. That is why you were always my target. When you are finished here, I will make your end quick, and painless."

Luthor says nothing. His movements are not his own, but his thoughts are. His hatred of Superman is legendary, but his hatred of this alien usurper is moreso.

( Where is the Kryptonian?) Thinks Luthor, (If only I could somehow get his attention. Maybe the two of them would kill each other, and once again the city would be mine, and mine alone.)

Across Metropolis, Clark Kent has entered his apartment through an open window. The living room is dark, save for a few candles lit around it. Sitting in a chair in the far corner is Lois Lane-Kent. And she is silent. Dried tears stain her face. These are the first things that Clark notices upon entering the room.

"LOIS! What's wrong? What happened honey?"

She stares at him through red rimmed eyes, before speaking.

"I-Nothing, I saw what happened, I saw you save the world again. But while you were doing that, my world crumbled. And all that Superman could ever do wouldn't be enough to save it from doing so."

From across the room Clarks' super-sensitive sense of smell can detect the alcohol on Lois' breath. His incredible vision sees the half empty gallon of wine next to her.

He crosses the room to kneel by her side, gently taking the glass from her hand and then holding that hand.

"Lois, tell me what happened."

"Oh Clark," She begins, "I was fired from the Planet. My story about misuse of city funds for defending the SCU was all wrong, I was set up. My source didn't exist. It was all a set up, and I fell for it. Like a cub reporter."

Clark hugs his wife , consoling her as best he can.

"Don't worry, we'll both get to the bottom of this. We'll find out who set you up, and when we have evidence, Perry will hire you back, you know it."

She sighs , exhausted both mentally and physically. The past day finally taking its toll upon her.

"It's not just Perry, Clark. Franklin Stern was forced into firing me by that witch Sharp. She really left him no choice."

Clark smiles gently. "Don't give up my love, you may've hit bottom here, but the road back up starts now. We'll get to the bottom of this . It will all straighten itself out."

Suddenly a piercing tone spikes Clarks hearing, a hyper pitched tone so high above the range of normal hearing, not even the neighborhood dogs hear it! Holding his head until he can counteract the massive pain he's being caused, Clark immediately pinpoints the location of the annoying sound. "Luthors tower." He murmurs.

"What?" Lois stammers out, "What's wrong Clark, are you okay?"

"I'm listening to a high pitched tone Lois, it's coming from Luthors tower. Obviously he's trying to get my attention , and mine alone. But I won't be going, not tonight."

She stands then, on shaky legs and reaches for him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"No Clark, " She whispers, "Who knows what he's planning. This may not even be a call for you, but it could be some crazy scheme of his that will maim or kill who knows how many innocent people. You have to go, Superman has to go. Don't worry about me, I'm a big , strong girl. And I'll be here when you get back too."

Clark hugs her, kissing her gently on the lips, then releasing her.

"I'll be back before you know it Lois, get some sleep, I'll see you in a little while."

He looks towards the window, and suddenly his form blurs, as he instantly changes clothes in seemingly mid-step, becoming Superman, and rocketing away faster then the naked eye can follow. Lois walks to the window, and slowly closes it, her eyes searching the skyline for any sign of her husband.

Across Metropolis, Superman follows the tone emanating from Lex-corp tower.

(It's coming from underground. He must have a sub-basement lab beneath the city streets. I wonder how many zoning laws that broke?)

Diving to street level, Superman begins to spin , like unto a drill. He cuts through the tar and rock below like a hot knife through butter, following the painful sound to its point of origin, with a crash he breaks through the walls of Luthors hidden lair!

Ba-BOOM!

Instantly he scans the room, before anyone can react, and assesses the situation.

(Great Krypton! That's Maxima, and Luthor is just sitting there staring at me blank faced. What's going on here?)

As if in answer to the unspoken question, a hydraulic press suddenly releases, steam flies in all directions, as the massive press rises upwards, and suddenly there is movement! A form begins to rise from the presses bed, glinting a malicious silver , its faceted finish reflecting light through the smoking haze, and then the figure is through the steam and smoke, walking determinedly towards the man of steel. It stands eight feet tall, a robotic nightmare, the creature opens its mouth, and laughs!

"Hahahaha! Welcome Superman , I did not think we would meet again so soon, but obviously my control over Luthor was not as complete as I had originally thought. The mans will is on a par with your own I'm afraid. No matter. You'll both be dead within minutes. The time for my trial by fire has begone, and when it is over Brainiac will rule this pathetic mudball!"

Superman only stares at the approaching mechanical horror grimly, his hands balling into fists as he readies himself, for what he realizes could be the battle of his life!

Need we say more? To Be continued!

Kryptonian Komments C/O mailto:CptMarvell@aol.com"

Okay,, you all may be wondering what the hell is Angelo doing? First he's writing in prose, second, what'd he do to Brainiac? Well as far as the writing in prose, I've been experimenting with it for a while. I'm not saying I won't be writing some stuff in script any longer, but I'll be doing more and more in prose too. As far as Brainiac is concerned, yes that is the Brainiac from the old Wolfman/Kane issues of Action, before Byrne re-created Supes. One of the things I disliked about Byrnes revamping of Superman , was the version of Brainiac he came up with. I much preferred the robotic , interstellar menace that Brainiac had become. The robotic body, the giant "Head" space ship. He was just to cool! So now he's back, and Supes is in deep trouble here. How deep? You'll see next issue.....

Ralph