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I promised an early one
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“How dare you treat the greatest criminal mind on this planet like a common thug!” Luthor protested.

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

Luthor peered out to see another man standing in the shadows. He was wearing a dark robe similar to the one Superman was wearing. Above the robe there was the hint of a Roman collar. The man seemed familiar somehow and it took a moment to place the face – he was one of the prison chaplains. Luthor didn’t know his name, had never cared to learn it.

Religion was the opiate of the masses. Lex Luthor didn’t need that opiate, nor did he feel a need for those who pushed it. Religion was for the weak and weak-minded. ‘Born again’ simply meant ‘born a hopeless fool.’

“Who are you?” Luthor demanded.

“I am called Michael.” The man stepped closer to Luthor. “You have already admitted you are a criminal. A guilty plea will lead to immediate sentencing. Luckily, Krypton has no death penalty…”

“Sensible enough,” Luthor commented.

“… so the sentence will be permanent imprisonment,” Michael continued as though Luthor had not spoken. “A not guilty plea will lead to a review of the evidence against you.”

“What evidence? How can there be evidence of things I haven’t done yet?” Luthor demanded. There was something very wrong here. Superman had seemed surprised to see the man there, even though the alien covered his slip almost too quickly for anyone to catch – any one besides Luthor, at least.

Michael stepped over to Superman. The Kryptonian seemed to be listening intently to whatever argument the chaplain was mustering. After a moment, Superman handed the man something small. Michael nodded and walked back to Luthor. He stopped at the edge of the harsh light and seemed to be inspecting the force field that was holding Luthor.

Then the man’s hand and arm entered the light. Luthor moved away but his back was to the unyielding force wall. Luthor felt something sharp press against his forehead. Then, his mind was flooded with images.

Vanderworth’s train set was a shambles. Where the model ‘lake’ had been was a mass of alien crystal whose weight had cracked the concrete floor of the ‘playroom’. The blackout hadn’t surprised him too much. He had, after all, disabled the safety protocols on the Kryptonian programming so the crystal could grow faster and be utterly unconcerned with exactly what sort of matter, or energy, was being converted into its matrix. Speed was what was essential.

“Lex, your little crystal broke everything,” Kitty observed.

“So it did,” Luthor agreed. The growth had actually been faster than he’d anticipated. It wouldn’t be long at all before he would be in a position to demand fealty from all the governments of the Earth. He, Lex Luthor, would rule this benighted planet with a firm but benevolent hand. It was only right that the world’s greatest mind should be entrusted with the fate of the planet.

Luthor watched Stanford prepare the kryptonite they’d stolen from the Museum of Natural History. It was the only thing that would keep Superman from stopping them. Luthor’s plans were perfect. If the governments of Earth wouldn’t willingly cooperate with him, he would force them to. He had the capacity to make Earth a new Eden, if only the fools would do what they were told.

The world was told of his offer to rule them. They laughed. Nobody laughed at Lex Luthor.

They launched the programmed terra-forming crystal with its sleeve of kryptonite into the ocean a hundred miles east of Metropolis. Metropolis would be the first to pay the price of denying Luthor his due.

The continent grew as programmed. It was beautiful, alien – everything Luthor had expected of the advanced Kryptonian civilization. And the best part was that its presence was raising the ocean levels in the Atlantic. The entire eastern seaboard was under water within a few hours.

Then he realized that except for the continent itself, none of the other fantastic pieces of technology – the defensive and offensive systems, the transportation system, even the control console in what should have become the seat of government – worked. The place had no power, no future. It stank of death.

“Lex, we’re running out of food, and we’re out of fresh water,” Kitty complained.

Luthor glowered at her. He knew what their circumstances were. He didn’t need her reminding him.

“The guys want to leave,” she added. “Right now. They’re tired of waiting for you to figure this out.”

Luthor heard a scraping behind one of the dark columns. They were coming. He grabbed Kitty’s hand and dragged her along after him, toward the helicopter. He slammed the helicopter door on the four men chasing them. He didn’t bother to look back as the helicopter took off.

Riley, Grant, Stanford, and Brutus never had a chance. But then he’d never really planned on keeping them. Their minds had been too limited to appreciate his grand plan. And like the animals they were, they turned on their master as soon as things got tough.

At least Kitty was still with him. His darling, treacherous, homicidal Kitty.

Luthor shuddered. It was too much, even for his superior mind, to take in all at once. He had failed. Everything he had worked on for so long, ashes. There was one small bright point. Assuming the memories were real, he now had a knowledge of physics that far surpassed anything Earth science would come up with for years, if not centuries. That was something he could use. Life imprisonment? Not likely. He had something a government would pay dearly to get hold of. He barely noticed Michael removing a metal cylinder from the pocket of his parka.

“Neat trick, creating memories of things that haven’t happened,” Luthor spat. He didn’t want his ‘companions’ to know what a gift he’d been given. Losing the Kryptonian cell culture was a small price to pay.

Michael turned to Superman. “If I could beg the council’s indulgence?”

Superman nodded, but Luthor though he detected signs of strain. Was the big guy worried about the outcome of this farce? Or was there something else?

“There is some merit to Mister Luthor’s complaint,” the chaplain continued. “There are certain ethical issues to be considered with charging him with crimes that he has not, as yet, even contemplated.”

Superman turned to the grim holographic images. Luthor recognized some of them – Perry White of the Daily Planet, Oliver Queen and Bruce Wayne.

“Does the council agree to drop the charges of conspiracy to commit genocide and conspiracy to cause the extinction of all life on the Planet Earth?” Superman’s voice rang out.

One by one, the faces either said ‘agree’ or ‘disagree’. The final tally was three for keeping the charges, eight against.

“The Council of Justice agrees to drop the charges of conspiracy to commit genocide and conspiracy to cause the extinction of all life on the Planet Earth,” Superman announced solemnly. “All other charges still stand.”

“Hey, what about us?” Stanford asked.

“What about you?” Luthor sneered.

“Well we were just following…” Stanford started.

Superman turned his gaze on them. “Derek Stanford, James Riley, Theodore Grant, Bruno Bratavlovsky, Katherine Kowalski – you are charged with 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. How plead you?”

After a few moments of consideration, they all pled not guilty.

Michael stepped over to Superman and handed over the sliver of crystal to him. Superman waved the rod in his hand and a holographic image appeared in the air.

“So, now that we’re out in the middle of nowhere, away from prying eyes, and have been for better than two weeks, does the oldest criminal mind of our time think I’m worthy of hearing his plan?” Kitty asked with saccharine sweetness.

“Small doses for small minds,” Luthor’s voice said.

“So, what is it? Clubbing baby seals or selling ice to Eskimos?” Kitty asked. “No, don’t tell me. It has to do with land. You’re going to subdivide the ice you’re selling to the Eskimos.”

“Not bad. How long have you been working on that quip?” he asked.

Kitty glared at someone over the rim of her martini glass.

“Do you know the story of Prometheus?” he asked. “Of course you don’t. Prometheus was a god who stole the power of fire from the other gods and gave control of it to mortals. In essence, he gave us technology. He gave us power.”

Kitty snorted. “So we’re stealing fire from gods, in the Arctic?”

“Sort of. You see, whoever controls technology controls the world. The Romans ruled the world because they built roads. The British Empire ruled the world because they built ships. America built the atom bomb and so on and so forth. I just want the same thing Prometheus wanted.”

“And what’s that, Lex?” Kitty asked. “For people to be grateful to you? For them to worship you? You’re not a god.”

“Gods are selfish beings who fly around in little red capes and don’t share their power with mankind,” Luthor said. “I don’t want to be a god, Kitty. I just want to bring fire to the people. And I want my cut.”

The scene shifted.

Riley, Grant, Stanford, and Brutus were sitting around a table. “So, what’s the caper, boss?” Riley asked.

“Only the largest technological heist in human history,” Luthor’s voice said. “And thanks to Stanford’s creativity, we’ll have a clear shot at it.”

“And what did Stanford do?” Grant asked. He didn’t seem impressed.

“Oh, he just convinced one meddling alien to go home, leaving everything behind for us to pick over,” Luthor told them. “All that marvelous advanced technology. Energy sources, transportation, weapons. And no one to stop us. We’ll be able to do whatever we want, have whatever we want.”

“What about the cops, the army?” Grant asked.

“What about them? I’ll… we’ll have advanced alien technology thousands of years beyond anything they can throw at us. Unstoppable technology. They’ll be on their knees begging for a piece of high tech action. And all they’ll have to do is meet our price.”

There was silence around the table. Finally Riley asked the question, “And what price is that?”

“Wouldn’t you like to be the new emperor of China? After we get rid of the excess population, of course.”

Another long moment of silence then Grant spoke up. “I’ve always been partial to Europe, myself.”

The images shifted once again.

An old man in a white lab coat was looking up at someone.

“What have you got for me?” Luthor’s voice said.

“It was quite a challenge,” the old man said. “I wasn’t sure the usual techniques would work on the alien’s DNA, but I believe we have success.”

Luthor inspected the glass container that held an amorphous mass of pinkish material. It could have been a several month old embryo – or it might not.

“The bio-electrical field?”

“Weak, but present. And we have enough material left to try for a full term clone.”

“Give me everything you have,” Luthor ordered. With a nod, Grant and Stanford collected the old man’s notes and equipment.

Luthor turned and walked away. Behind him, there was a pop, like a gun going off…

The images faded away.

Luthor suppressed a shudder. Nothing had linked him to the death of Adrian Willoughby. Until now.

“How did…” Grant began. The others began to chime in, asking how their private conversations came to be recorded, expressions of horror that they had been recorded. Luthor recognized that shortly, they would realize how Superman came by the damning recordings. And they would wonder why their memories weren’t being used as evidence.

“Shut up!” Luthor bellowed at them. They quieted down. Good, they were still afraid of him.

Luthor turned back to his accusers. “You cannot force us to incriminate ourselves,” he shouted. “We have rights!”

Superman glared at him. “This is Krypton. Your laws do not apply here. However, you do have the right to explain yourself. Do you choose to exercise that right?”

“And I am telling you, you don’t have the right to try me!” Luthor spat. “And you don’t have the guts to convict me.”

“Is that your defense?” Michael asked quietly. The man’s self assuredness annoyed him. Who was he to question Lex Luthor?

Luthor scowled as Michael addressed the others in his little group. “And you, do you wish to tie your fate to his?”

“All for one and one for all,” Grant stammered out. “Isn’t that what they say? Besides, I figure our odds are better here than back in the pen.”

“And you, Katherine?” Michael asked. “Do you wish to tie your fate to Lex Luthor’s?”

Luthor saw her wavering. “Katherine… Didn’t I promise to take care of you?”

“I’ll go with Lex,” she announced.

If the chaplain was disappointed he didn’t show it. He simply nodded and walked away.

Luthor watched as Superman turned to face the holographic faces. “You have heard the indictments brought against these individuals this day. These charges are not a fantasy. They are not the careless product of a wild imagination. We are not dealing with idle supposition... no, ladies and gentlemen – the indictments that have been brought against them, their intent to create terror by using technologies that no reasonable person would allow into the hands of criminals; these are matters of undeniable fact. The fact that of their own free will they gained entry without permission into this, the extraterritorial chancery of Krypton as described in international law, is also undeniable fact.”

Superman circled Luthor, still addressing the disembodied heads.

“You all know what happened when their plans of terror came to fruition. I ask you now to pronounce your judgment on those accused... Derek Stanford, James Riley, Theodore Grant, Bruno Bratavlovsky, Katherine Kowalski. Their unbridled greed and lust for what was not, by right or merit, theirs led them to follow a murderous madman.”

Finally, Superman stood close to the light that imprisoned Luthor.  Luthor saw the sweat beading on the alien’s forehead. It was hard to tell through the glare but Superman seemed pale. The alien was ill. Could he be so lucky?

“And finally, the architect of this conspiracy, Lex Luthor. A brilliant mind whose limitless ambition and greed is willing to sacrifice the lives of billions, indeed the very existence of Earth itself, to feed his warped sense of self-importance. The author of this vicious plot to use stolen technology to establish a new order on this planet, with himself and his cohorts as absolute rulers.”

Superman paused in his speech, gazing at each member of the ‘jury.’ “You have seen the evidence. The decision of the Council will now be heard.”



It was all Lois could do to keep her jaw from dropping as Mike the barista walked out of the shadows wearing a Kryptonian robe. But then, she also had memories of Mike giving her a cup of coffee that saved her life, memories of Mike in Denver after Armageddon offering comfort to the survivors. She found she wasn’t really surprised to see he was wearing a Roman collar. She had a feeling that wasn’t the only role he played.

Lois noted that Kal-El seemed surprised to see Mike as well. In the dark suit, it was hard to think of him as ‘Superman’ and it certainly wasn’t ‘Clark’ standing there.

‘I am called Michael,’ Mike told Luthor. And there was something in Luthor’s expression that said he recognized Mike as well but how or where Lois couldn’t even begin to guess.

She wasn't surprised that Luthor was contesting the charges. She was only a little surprised that the Council conceded two of the counts. There were some serious ethical issues with charging Luthor with conspiracy to commit crimes he probably hadn’t even thought of yet, even though every person on the council knew what he’d done in the future.

Just describing what had happened in the future was giving her a headache. She tried to concentrate on what was happening. A U.S. court trial was a circus compared to this.

“Derek Stanford, James Riley, Theodore Grant, Bruno Bratavlovsky, Katherine Kowalski,” Kal-El said, addressing Luthor’s ‘associates.’ “You are charged with 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. How plead you?”

After a few moments of consideration, they all pled not guilty, including Luthor. Of course.

Mike stepped over to Kal-El and returned Luthor’s memory crystal to him. The small crystal slipped into a slot in the rod in Kal-El’s hand.

Images appeared in the air. Kitty Kowalski and someone – probably Luthor – who described himself as Prometheus intent on providing the world with new fire. But Prometheus and humanity had both been punished for their arrogance.

More images. The men were describing their plans to break into Kal-El’s fortress to steal the technology hidden away there. Luthor was gloating over how he had conned Superman into leaving Earth.

Another scene. A laboratory somewhere. An old man handing over research, referring to the ‘alien’. Lois thought she recognized the old man – Doctor Adrian Willoughby. He had been a noted researcher into stem cell uses and cloning until his murder six weeks before. The police had blamed an unknown anti-abortion group for his death. It now appeared the police were wrong.

The images faded away. Lois wondered who had chosen those particular scenes, Kal-El or Mike. Whichever one it was, she felt sorry for them – going over Luthor’s memory record had to have had all the charm of visiting a charnel house.

“How did…” One of Luthor’s thugs began. The others began to chime in, protesting what they saw.

“Shut up!” Luthor bellowed at them. His associates quieted down.

Lois thought she saw fear in their eyes.

Luthor turned back to his accusers. “You cannot force us to incriminate ourselves,” he shouted. “We have rights!”

Kal-El’s expression turned stony. “This is Krypton. Your laws do not apply here.” He turned away from them, facing Lois. She could see the strain in his face. There was actually a bead of sweat on his temple. Lois wanted to reach out to him, but it wouldn’t be appropriate. Her own memories were – confused wasn't the right word – conflicted? And she hadn’t had time to sort through everything.

Lois remembered a future where Luthor destroyed nearly all of humanity. She remembered Jason saving Richard’s life and realizing who Jason’s father really was. She remembered so many things. And so much of it would never happen now, luckily.

She glanced at Richard, standing beside her. He was watching the proceedings with rapt attention. Was he having the same problem she was, reconciling his memories of the future with what was happening in front of him?

Kal-El was glaring at Luthor. “This is Krypton. Your laws do not apply here. However, you do have the right to explain yourself. Do you choose to exercise that right?”

“And I am telling you, you don’t have the right to try me!” Luthor spat. “And you don’t have the guts to convict me.”

“Is that your defense?” Mike asked Luthor. Luthor glared at him and he shrugged.

Kal-El looked up at the holographic projections and began his final arguments. “You have heard the indictments brought against these individuals this day. These charges are not a fantasy. They are not the careless product of a wild imagination…”

The Kal-El Lois remembered from six years before hadn’t been an orator. As Clark, he was frequently so tongue-tied it was sometimes a wonder he could actually string words together at all except on paper. And Superman wasn’t known for speech-making. But he was making a good show now. Lois could tell he had the jury in the palm of his hand.

He circled Luthor, gesturing to Luthor’s cohorts. “You all know what happened when their plans of terror came to fruition…”

If everyone else carried similar memories to hers – and Lois had no doubt they did; she had memories of choosing this jury for that very fact – then every person on the council had good reason to want Luthor dead and his accomplices along with him. Kal-El had wanted a hanging jury and she had found him one.

Finally, Kal-El stood close to the beam that imprisoned Luthor. Lois could see the strain in Kal-El’s face. He was sick, she was certain of that. Had that been what he meant when he told them there wasn’t much time? He had succeeded in traveling back in time, but at what cost to himself?

“And finally, the architect of this conspiracy, Lex Luthor…” Kal-El continued.

Richard reached over and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. She tried to smile back at him. She had lived with him, shared his bed for five years. She had loved him, but now memories of a future that might well never happen intruded. Their relationship hadn’t survived Armageddon. But at least they had parted friends.

Kal-El gazed at each member of the council. “You have seen the evidence. The decision of the Council will now be heard.”

Luthor was ranting inside his cage of light. And from the worried expressions on their faces, it appeared as though his accomplices were finally catching on to what was happening.

The council was polled in alphabetical order. As each verdict came in, their image vanished.

“Guilty.”

“Guilty.”

“Guilty.”

“Guilty.”

Lois’s turn. “Guilty.” The light that had been shining diffusely above her went out, leaving her in shadow.

“Guilty.”

Oliver Queen. “Guilty.”

“Guilty.”

Bruce Wayne. “Guilty.”

Perry White. “Guilty.”

Richard White. “Guilty.” The light above him went out. The only remaining illumination was the harsh light of the force fields and a single light on Kal-El.

He turned back to Luthor. “Do you have anything to say before the decision of this Council is pronounced?”

“You don’t have the right… I am an American citizen and I have rights! You can’t do this!” Luthor shouted. His face was red in anger. 

“As required by law, the verdict is unanimous. Guilty,” Kal-El stated and he too disappeared into the shadows.