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Repairing the helicopter took precious time – time Luthor hadn’t wanted to spend watching his ‘associates’ fixing the bent rotor shaft. Grant and Brutus both swore the helicopter had been properly secured to the yacht and nothing had been in a position hit it. Luthor wasn’t sure he believed them. Human error was the only explanation, unless he chose to believe one or more of them was actually bright enough to betray him.

It was late morning before they landed outside the bizarre weather zone. Superman’s technology was within Luthor’s grasp. He knew the strange, fierce storm hid and protected Superman’s ‘Fortress.’ Not that a mere storm would stop Luthor. Victory was so close he could almost taste it.

He wasn’t worried about getting in. He doubted Superman would have put any serious thought into security. After all, how many humans even knew this place existed, much less would be willing to brave the Arctic elements to get there? Besides, he had his secret weapon – a piece of cloned Kryptonian tissue. It wasn't a large piece, but it was enough to create a small Kryptonian bio-field. It should be enough to fool any sensors into believing he was an injured, perhaps dying, Kryptonian.

And he still had Plan-B. Brutus was carrying high explosives with him and he knew how to use them.

The group trudged on amid the swirling, howling wind and ice. Kitty stumbled again, catching herself on an ice column.

“Lex, this ice is warm,” she said, voice full of wonder.

Luthor nearly shouted for joy. They’d found it!

“It’s not ice. It’s crystal,” he said. He kept his voice even. He didn’t want Kitty or the others to know he’d been concerned about finding the structure. Luthor looked back to see Kitty staring, open mouthed, at the white-blue column. Its upper section was hidden in the storm.

Stanford snorted. “Why is a guy like you with a girl like her?”

“Why do beautiful women carry around ugly dogs?” Luthor asked. “Why do people volunteer to work with the mentally challenged? Work in hospitals?”

Stanford didn’t volunteer an answer, but Luthor hadn’t expected him to. Stanford was a capable craftsman, but he was no intellectual giant. And philosophy was something best discussed with equals. Luthor couldn’t remember the last time he’d been able to discuss philosophy with an equal. He had no equals.

They crested a small rise. The others stopped and stared at the sight in front of them – a great crystal structure the size of an Earthly cathedral. The angles of the construction were as unearthly as the materials. There was nothing like it on Earth. And the treasures inside were his to take, to master, to profit from.

“You were right,” Stanford finally said, stating the obvious. “There’s some sort of unnatural weather pattern keeping it hidden.”

“I’m always right,” Luthor reminded him.

The structure was further away than it looked. It took them nearly an hour to climb down the icy slope to a level area at the foot of the structure. Luthor sent the others to search for the entrance.

“Found something…” Grant said after a few minutes.

They all followed him into the structure.

“Was this his house?” Grant asked in hushed tones as he looked around the immense interior. Although the crystals glowed softly, giving them enough light to see, the ceiling was hidden in misty darkness.

Luthor considered Grant’s question. “You might think that. Most would. But no. He lived among us. This is more of a monument to a long dead and extremely powerful civilization. It’s where he learned who he was and where he came for guidance.”

Luthor looked around the chamber. It was as he remembered it - cold, elegant, alien. “So many possibilities…”

“What’s this, a garage?” Kitty asked from an adjoining chamber. Luthor peered into the ‘room.’ It looked like part of the wall was missing, as though something huge had been broken off.

He was right again…

“You’re not so far off, Kitty,” Luthor said. “The leading theory is that he took off in a futile attempt to find his home world.”

Stanford chuckled and Luthor gave him a dark look before continuing. “If so, even he would have to rely on a craft of some kind, and I’ll bet Gertrude’s last dollar that’s exactly what used to be parked there.”

“So, did he?” Kitty asked.

“Did he what?” Luthor asked, feigning innocence.

“Take off for his home world?” Kitty asked with forced patience.

“Well, we gave him a little push,” Luthor admitted with a grin. His grin faded as he looked around the main chamber again. There was something off, something odd that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

Grant and Stanford had shed their gloves as they looked over the chamber for some sort of control mechanisms. Luthor knew they wouldn’t find any. The Kryptonians hadn’t used controls as humans knew them. They were more subtle than that.

He spotted the small opening high above and moved so that he was directly beneath it, then he counted three steps.

“You act like you’ve been here before,” Kitty observed.

Annoyed, Luthor raised one hand to silence her. He took one last step, positioning himself at the spot where he knew the control console should appear. After a moment, he was bathed in a bright white light. Luthor waited for the console to appear – nothing. He waved his hands over the space where the console should have appeared. Still nothing.

“Lose something, Lex?” Kitty asked.

“It’s not working,” Luthor growled. “Why isn’t it working?”

The light that was shining down on him brightened to an almost painful intensity. An odd rotating ring seemed to appear out of nowhere, encircling him. Luthor attempted to step over the ring and discovered he was trapped by some sort of force field.

He looked at the others and realized they were all trapped in their own beams of light with rotating rings.

“Lex, what’s happening?” Kitty’s voice trembled and her eyes were wide with fear.

“Welcome to Krypton, Luthor, Miss Kowalski, gentlemen,” an impossibly familiar baritone voice said in the darkness.

“Superman?”



The sense that something was getting ready to happen hadn’t left Lois as she dropped her son off at school and headed in to work.

Mike was at the coffee kiosk. He smiled gently as he handed her a cup of coffee fixed just the way she liked it.

“You’re a life saver,” she said gratefully as she took her first sip.

“I do what I can,” he said.

She started for the main door to the Daily Planet then stopped and looked back at him. “Mike, have you ever had days where it felt like something big was waiting to happen?”

“All the time,” Mike said. “I’ve found it usually means that something has already begun. But what it portends…” He shrugged eloquently.

Lois pondered his statement as she hurried into the building.

It wasn’t an especially busy news day. Lois finished her stories and turned them in – a few fires over the weekend but nothing as compared to the year before during a record breaking heat wave. 

There was a note in her email calling her attention to the recent death of Gertrude Vanderworth. The woman’s relatives were still fighting to overturn her last will. They claimed her new husband had bilked her out of millions before disappearing to parts unknown after her death. But will disputes weren’t something Lois normally covered, until she realized who the new husband was: Lex Luthor. So that’s where he got to after he got out.

Lois knew Luthor had managed to suborn a judge during his last appeal. She hadn’t known where the psychopath had gone to ground and she didn’t believe for a single moment that Luthor had reformed. Leopards simply didn’t change their spots. And Lex Luthor wasn't about to go straight if he had any chance of putting one over on people who he considered his inferiors – in other words, everyone.

The question was now: Where was Luthor? And what was he planning now?

Lois spent several hours tracking down what Luthor had been up to. There wasn't much to be found, Luthor had always been very good at covering his tracks. Luthor had started corresponding with Steven Vanderworth’s aged widow while still in prison. When he managed to get out, he courted her, married her, and then bilked her out of millions, if not billions.

Then he and the Vanderworth yacht disappeared, along with Kitty Kowalski, Gertrude’s house maid.

Lois was getting ready to call the Coast Guard to see if there was a way to locate the yacht when a hush fell over the newsroom. She looked around for the cause.

Superman.

There was no mistaking the curl, the impossibly blue eyes or the aura of power. But he was dressed in dark gray instead of the iconic primary colors. His cape was a shimmering black and he was walking through the newsroom as though he owned it.

He seemed to be scanning the room then he focused on her. She began to rise to greet him but the strength seemed to run out of her. She sat back down.

“Miss Lane?” he said, stopping in front of her.

She gaped at him, speechless.

“I need your help,” he said. “Yours, Perry White’s and Richard White’s.”

Her mind was spinning. Superman was back…

“Where did you go?” she finally asked.

“I will answer everything in a few moments, in Mister White’s office,” he promised, taking her by the arm and helping her out of the chair. Lois looked around and saw the surprised faces of her coworkers. Richard was standing in the door to his office, eyes wide in amazement.

Superman beckoned to him and Richard obeyed, following them into the editor-in-chief’s office.

“When did you get back?” Richard managed to say, beating Lois to the punch.

“Last night,” Superman answered, shutting the office door behind him and locking it. Then he lowered the blinds and closed them. There was something a little startling at watching Superman do such mundane things.

Only Perry didn’t seem surprised.

“I don’t have much time,” Superman said. “But to answer your questions, I went to Krypton and yes, it was nothing but a graveyard and yes, it was a stupid thing to do and yes, I should have said goodbye.” His expression was unreadable.

Lois simply stared at him. He had changed, or maybe she had. She didn’t recall him ever being anything but the perfect gentleman, although she admitted there were blanks in her memory surrounding the time Jason was conceived.

“You said you didn’t have much time,” Perry said quietly.

“Yes, I did,” Superman said. “I have a very small window of opportunity to stop Lex Luthor from destroying this planet. And to do it, I need your help.”

“And what can the Daily Planet do?” Perry asked.

“Not the Planet, Mister White,” Superman corrected. “You, Richard, and Lois. You’re the last three people on my list for a justice council.” He reached down to a thigh pocket, retrieved a folded sheet of paper and handed it to Perry.

Perry scanned the sheet, forehead furrowing in a frown. He handed the sheet to Lois. It was a list of eleven names, half of them names Lois didn’t recognize, along with two locations for the ones she didn’t know. But the startling part was the handwriting – it was in her hand, only she knew she’d never written that list.

“Where did you get this?” Lois asked.

“From you.”

“But I didn’t write this.”

“Not yet. And if we succeed in stopping Luthor, you will never need to write it.”

“I don’t understand,” Lois said. Her head was spinning again. She was normally unflappable, but Superman’s sudden appearance, his change in uniform, his solemn demeanor, was throwing her for a loop.

Superman sighed and it sounded like the weight of the world was on his shoulders “Rather than wasting time explaining, why don’t I give you your memories of that time? But I have to warn you, it’s pretty painful.”

“You have our memories? Of something that hasn’t happened?” Richard asked.

“Exactly,” Superman said, reaching into the thigh pocket once again and pulling out a small bag. He tipped out three small slivers of crystal. “You might want to sit down,” he told Perry.

Perry sat, forehead still creased in a frown. Superman placed one of the crystals against the editor’s forehead. The crystal glowed momentarily. Then Perry’s eyes widened in horror and he dropped his face into his hands.

“Oh dear God…” Perry murmured and Lois realized he was actually crying. Lois’s heart sank. The last time, the only time, she had ever seen Perry White actually break down was the day of his son’s funeral. What was on the memory crystal was obviously even worse than that.

Superman did the same for Richard. Like Perry, Richard seemed horrified at what he was ‘remembering.’

“The intensity should fade in a day or so, like a very intense movie. But you may have nightmares for a while,” Superman said.

Then it was Lois’s turn. She steeled herself against the crystal’s touch on her forehead. It didn’t help. It was like being thrown into a maelstrom of horror – the first blackout, the destruction of the Explorer, the plane crash at Berkowitz, then Luthor’s demands and Armageddon. Jason… Jason was Superman’s son. And Superman was Clark Kent.

“Lois?” Superman asked. She looked up into his concerned face. She was amazed that she had never made the connection before. Now that she knew, it was obvious.

“You did it,” she managed to say, wiping away her tears. She didn’t have time to mourn deaths that hadn’t happened, that might not happen for a long time.

“You managed to come back to ‘now’ to stop the bastard,” she added.

He nodded.

“So, what do you need us to do?” she asked.



“So, what do you need us to do?” Lois asked.

Kal-El let out the breath he hadn’t even been aware he’d been holding. He hadn’t been sure what her reaction was going to be to the revelation of Jason’s paternity, or his identity. Kal-El hadn’t been quite as worried about Richard – the man had a reputation of being level-headed and his own observations had confirmed that. But Lois could be a spitfire.

The Fortress’s AI murmured into his ear, letting him know that Luthor and his gang where approaching the Fortress. He didn’t have much time for explanations.

“I’m going to set Perry up for a remote feed,” Kal-El said, nodding to the older man. “You’ll be able to see and hear what’s happening. You’ll also be able to communicate with the others, just not privately.” As he was speaking he brought out a communicator headband and fitted it to Perry’s head.

“And us?” Richard asked.

“I’m hoping you and Lois will agree to come to the Fortress with me.”

Richard grinned. “I’m in.”

Lois seemed a bit more subdued as she nodded. “Let’s go.”

It was awkward carrying two adults, but Kal-El had done it before. He held one on each side of him and they, in turn were holding onto each other and to him. He couldn’t fly as fast as he usually did – humans couldn’t handle the wind or the height.

Richard oohed and aahed as they passed over rivers, mountains, and fields. Lois was still subdued but her heart rate indicated some measure of excitement.

Finally they arrived at the Fortress. Kal-El could see Luthor and his people climbing down the slope towards the ground entrance. They were too busy to look up and the artificial storm hid Kal-El and his companions from them, in any case.

Kal-El dropped down through a gap in the ceiling, murmuring the pass phrase as he went. He had beefed up the Fortress’s security far beyond any reasonable need. But then, what has needed to thwart Luthor’s plans went far beyond ‘reasonable.’ Luthor himself wasn’t reasonable.

“Oh wow,” Richard murmured, looking around the central chamber. “Is this what Krypton looked like?”

“Something like this,” Kal-El said. “They manipulated crystal growth for much of what they needed.” He stopped and listened for Luthor. They were getting closer.

“Let’s get ready,” he said, ushering Lois and Richard into a small chamber just off the main one.

“And what are we getting ready for?” Lois asked as Kal-El handed her and Richard dark robes of the same material as his cape.

“Luthor’s trial,” Kal-El answered simply. “I have President Morton’s signature on a document designating this structure and the surrounding area as the Kryptonian Embassy. That means that Luthor can be tried under Kryptonian law for at least some of his crimes.”

“The hanging jury you wanted,” Lois stated.

Kal-El nodded. “The justice council’s verdict needs to be unanimous, and we need that verdict in order to access the Phantom Zone projector. It’s one of the safeguards Jor-El built into the device and I have neither the time nor the inclination to disable them.”

“Was this his house?” Kal-El heard one of Luthor’s men ask in hushed tones. They were in the main chamber.

“You might think that,” Luthor replied. “Most would. But no. He lived among us. This is more of a monument to a long dead and extremely powerful civilization. It’s where he learned who he was and where he came for guidance.”

“They’re here,” Kal-El said quietly. He grabbed the rod of justice – a long, slender piece of crystal programmed to record the proceedings - from the table and headed out to greet the intruders.

“The leading theory is that he took off in a futile attempt to find his home world,” Luthor was saying.

Kal-El led Lois and Richard into the main chamber. The lighting was low and they stayed in the shadows.

“If so, even he would have to rely on a craft of some kind,” Luthor continued, “and I’ll bet Gertrude’s last dollar that’s exactly what used to be parked there.”

“So, did he?” the woman with Luthor asked.

“Did he what?” Luthor asked, feigning innocence.

“Take off for his home world?”

“Well, we gave him a little push,” Luthor said with a grin. He looked around the chamber, searching for something high in the ceiling;

“You act like you’ve been here before,” the woman, Kowalski, observed.

Luthor raised one hand to silence her. He took one last step, positioning himself at the spot where the control console should appear, if it hadn’t been locked down. After a moment, Luthor was bathed in a bright white light. He waved his hands over the space where the console should have appeared.

“Lose something, Lex?” Kowalski asked.

“It’s not working,” Luthor growled. “Why isn’t it working?”

The light that was shining down on him brightened and the containment ring appeared, encircling him. Luthor attempted to step over the ring and discovered he was trapped by a force field. He jerked back with a growl.

Kal-El sent a mental signal to the AI and immediately all the intruders were trapped in their own beams of light with containment rings.

“Lex, what’s happening?” Kowalski demanded.

“Welcome to Krypton, Luthor, Miss Kowalski, gentlemen,” Kal-El stated, stepping out of the shadows.

“Superman?” Luthor’s eyes had widened momentarily. His heart rate was up, but he covered his surprise quickly. He was trying to see out of the light column.

Kal-El stepped closer to him.

“Hey big guy, long time, no see,” Luthor greeted him with false cheerfulness. “That’s a new look for you, isn’t it? A little moody, but I like it. So, how were things on the old homestead?”

“Exactly as you knew they would be,” Kal-El responded. Behind him, Lois and Richard stepped forward.

Luthor peered out at them. Then he grinned. “Lois Lane, I love your writing. Didn’t you win the Pulitzer for my favorite article? You know the one. ‘Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman’?”

To her credit, Lois didn’t flinch. “Shouldn’t you be in prison?” she asked. “You did have a few years left on your two consecutive life sentences without parole.”

“You know how it is, prison overcrowding, irregularities with arrest procedures, missing witnesses…”

“Enough,” Kal-El ordered. He waved the rod of justice and nine faces appeared in midair around the chamber. “Alexander Joseph Luthor, you are accused of criminal trespass with the intent of stealing classified technology and scientific material belonging to the people of Krypton. You are accused of conspiracy to foment sedition and insurrection against the lawful governments of Planet Earth using classified technology stolen from the people of Krypton. You are accused of conspiracy to commit genocide against the sentient inhabitants of Planet Earth using classified technology stolen from the people of Krypton. You are accused of conspiracy to cause the extinction of all life on the Planet Earth using classified technology stolen from the people of Krypton.”

The AI whispered another charge into Kal-El’s ear. The AI had finished its analysis of the odd bio-signature it had discovered. Luthor had a Kryptonian cell culture on him.  So that’s how he got past the security protocols…

“You are accused of unlawful genetic manipulation of cellular matter belonging to a Kryptonian citizen,” Kal-El continued. “You are accused of unlawfully attempting to clone a Kryptonian citizen. How plead you?”

“Wait just a minute here,” Luthor protested. “I know my rights and you don’t have…”

Kal-El had to fight to keep his temper. He wasn’t feeling the effects of time travel quite as badly as he had before. He wasn’t physically weak yet, but it was affecting his emotional state.

“I beg to differ,” Kal-El stated. “This place is Krypton. This is a justice council constituted as prescribed by the laws of Krypton laid down millennia ago. As the accused, you have the right to refuse to speak. You also have the right the dispute the charges being leveled against you. So I ask again, how plead you?”

Luthor gaped at him. Then he seemed to get his resolve back. “How dare you treat the greatest criminal mind on this planet like a common thug!”

“Then perhaps you shouldn’t act like one,” a man’s voice suggested from the shadows.