Rico only has a split second to feel amused about the tantrum. He's turning on his heel to face the remaining threat in the room when it hits him. It's a cold trickle at first, one he has time to blink at, but something suddenly jolts straight into the back of his brain, unfiltered and furious, flooding everything he's aware of. His entire body locks up and he almost pitches over, mouth working silently. Oh Grud, are those - are those tears welling up in his eyes?

Luckily for him, he doesn't need to dwell on it long. Something else hits him soon enough. The sonic pulse from Brainiac 8 wreaks havoc on the inside of his head and rattles his ribcage, even with his helmet dampening the damage. He aims his lawgiver with a juddering, shaking hand, heart beating faster and faster until it's just about to burst, when the sound of a shot rings out. For a second his head is so rattled that he thinks he must have squeezed the trigger, despite not having done so.

Where the hell did that shot come from?

Thankfully released from its grip, Rico hits the ground knees first, and gasps for breath.