Brainman

BRAINMAN is Superman, Batman and Spiderman on steroids with all the mad scientist elements of a Star Wars episode.
On one side there is billionaire’s son, John, and on the other, meek biochemistry student, Nick. The theory is the average human can use about 15-20% of his/her brain. John and Nick have 100% of their brain's capacity activated by two pilots from two alien civilizations: John’s by the evil ZET planet controlling already almost the entire Universe. Nick’s, in contrast, is actuated by an “O” planet pilot, the last entity fighting for freedom in the Cosmos. The outcome of their duking it out will decide the fate of the Earth and of the whole Universe. Moreover, their girlfriends and families are in jeopardy.
All the while, the omniscient, witty alien Professor O-y narrating the story gives humorous context to us humans’ folly.

PART OF CHAPTER 1
Professor O-y7nS28a, whom his students had nicknamed O-y, began his lecture in such an unusual way that the hundred-thousand candidates listening to him froze in their seats, only emitting from their semi-transparent crystalline heads a dim greenish light, the sign of the highest level of attention and surprise.
“My dear candidates, imagine a logically impossible time loop with us in the middle – that instant we experienced the illusion of our existence ten thousand cycles ago. Events were unfolding which were to decide the fate of planet A-180, known by its inhabitants as Earth. Those exact same events were also to decide the fate of our freedom. Evil had never been so close to victory, had never been so powerful. It was ready to take possession of our imagination and existence, and make us its slaves until the end of time.
“Meanwhile, the consciousness of an individual known as Nick Gowin, on whom the fate of all free beings was to depend, suddenly entered a state of stupefaction. The cause was his meeting Susan, another individual of the opposite sex from that planet. Nick’s intelligence suddenly fell by 40 IQ points, measured, of course, not by our scale, but by A-180’s. Very few gray cells of Nick’s brain were still working properly.
“I should stress here that the average salient being from A-180 is scarcely able to use fifteen percent of its brain. This means that the inhabitants of this planet are unable to resolve thousands of problems at the same time, to communicate telepathically, to move through space with only the aid of the mind, or even to contact intelligence from other dimensions. I have mentioned here only a few of the skills developed on our planet O-1 in our early childhood.”
A ripple of astonishment spread across the auditorium. It was difficult for the young pilots to imagine such a primitive life form. Professor O-y waited for the waves of green vibrations to pass over the translucent heads. Then he resumed his emission. The colored light of the sentences emanating from his crystalline head hung below the high dome of the lecture hall forming ethereal, multidimensional images. Past, present and future became intertwined; civilizations and planets separated by over a million years approached each other in an eternal tangle of interdependencies.
Slowly, the image of the distant planet A-180 with its deep blue, rippling oceans and green and brown continents emerged from that nexus.
The planet came nearer to the calm rhythm of the Professor’s voice, which was tinged with light irony. Millions of metropolises made from concrete, glass and steel, partly obscured by poisonous, smoggy fumes, were visible. In the areas in between them, the land was heating up and turning into desert.
The Professor pointed at the image and then softly emitted, “At this precise moment, the inhabitants of A-180 had no idea that, for several hundred Earth years, they had been the focus of attention of the four malevolent rulers of the Universe. Nor did they know that their extermination was part of these potentates’ hideous plan.”
***
Nick Gowin, a nineteen-year-old sophomore biology student at Manhattan University, was also unaware of the danger that the other seven billion A-180 inhabitants were facing. He was on his way to a neuroscience lecture, with his best friend, nineteen-year-old Rozalind Abrams.
They were locked in a heated discussion about women’s and men’s brains. Nick, a representative of the masculine version of Earthlings, defended the superiority of the male brain. According to him, a man’s brain was able to discern several problems and objects at the same time. This property of virile brains was unavailable to females’ gray cells, which were only capable of concentrating on one item or task at a time.
Listening patiently to his arguments, Roz waited her turn to mock and abolish his especially idiosyncratic views with, “Hold on, everyone knows women are better at multitasking and why do you suppose that is?” for starters.
However, at that very moment, a certain object magnetically drew the attention of Nick’s male brain so hard that he suddenly clamped his mouth shut and fell silent. That particular object consisted of the embodiment of female elegance and grace. Her stunning facial beauty and slender frame matched her quick wit and intelligence. A shock of blond mane and long, lovely legs hurdled themselves over the door of a top-down, slinky convertible. Nick’s mind assembled these elements into a whole at lightning speed: yes, the perfect epitome of a young female from planet A-180.
Her name was Susan Lindsay. She had just landed in the passenger seat next to John Clondike Jr., the cause of many sighs among the university’s coeds, the last word in a perfect (in his opinion!) and conceited Earthling.
Susan’s behind had barely touched the seat made from the leather hide of some murdered animal when she intuitively sensed her gawking admirer.
Nick stood on the sidewalk as if hit by a lightning bolt, his brain incapable of perceiving anything, despite the theory he had just pronounced. The amused twinkle in Susan’s emerald green eyes disappeared behind a curtain of black eyelashes. Her hypnotic voice wafted in the air. “Could you hand me that bag, dude?”
The “dude” was capable of neither moving nor answering. He gave the impression there was not enough oxygen mixed with nitrogen, carbon dioxide and a few other gases in his lungs. The blood flowed out of Nick’s subcutaneous veins causing acute paleness in his face, and the expression in his eyes indicated a very real risk of brain injury.
“Damn!” Roz said calmly. “If I were a guy, I’d lose my head over such a femme fatale! I wonder if it also uses its brain or only tempts with its body. What do you think, Nick?”
“Are we going?” John asked impatiently from behind the wheel.
“One minute,” Susan replied as she placed her hand on his muscular forearm, fixed her gaze at Roz, and then turned once more to the paralyzed Nick. “What’s your name?”
She was aware of the havoc she caused in men’s heads and the hostility in women’s. Roz’s insolent remark had to be punished.
“Arrrhhh…” was all that came out of Nick’s throat as he desperately tried to regain his power of speech. “Nick… I’m Nick,” he finally croaked.
“Maybe you should drop by our club, Nick-I’m-Nick. Have you been to the Cosmic Conquerors?” Susan continued in her low, seductive voice. At the same time, her sparkling eyes teased him and held the promise of unearthly delight.
“No, I haven’t.” His mouth was dry and his tongue had gone all numb. “You have to have a motorcycle… and a club membership card.” His voice changed into a groan.
“Well, try. You won’t regret it. Life passes you by too quickly if you spend it with uninteresting women with no imagination.” Susan bit her lip to stop herself from giggling and glanced at Roz triumphantly. “Will you give me my bag, Nick-I’m-Nick?”
“Hey, dude, wake up! The backpack!” John Clondike ordered impatiently.
John’s voice tearing Nick out of his stupor, he looked around in panic. He couldn’t see the mentioned backpack anywhere, although at this moment he would have given anything to hand it to Susan.