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Kal-El felt the sweat beading on his forehead. He was thankful he wasn’t nauseous. He couldn’t afford giving Luthor the impression that he was weak or failing. Like a predator, Luthor could sense weakness in his prey. Kal-El couldn’t afford weakness. Not now.

“You have heard the indictments brought against these individuals this day,” Kal-El told the council. He wasn’t an orator. His last public speaking class had been years before in college and he’d only been an average student, but this venue demanded a certain amount of pomp and solemnity.

“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 into this, the extraterritorial chancery of Krypton as described in international law, is also undeniable fact.”

Kal-El walked slowly through the chamber. “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, he moved to stand before Luthor. Kal-El had once called Luthor a ‘sick twisted dreamer.’ The appellation still stuck. Luthor was practically foaming at the mouth with rage.

“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.”

Kal-El looked up at each member of the council. From their expressions it was unlikely that anyone was even considering the possibility of a not guilty verdict. Had choosing a jury where everyone had a reason to see Luthor dead been unethical? Possibly, but on Krypton, such a trial was called only in capital cases and it was assumed every member of the council had their own agenda for or against the accused. On Krypton, an ‘impartial jury’ was an oxymoron. The last such trial on krypton had been against General Zod and his accomplices. Jor-El had been the prosecutor.

“You have seen the evidence. The decision of the Council will now be heard,” Kal-El announced.

Luthor was still ranting like a mad man but it was unlikely to make a difference. If anything, his foul threats would make it easier for the council to see him as a madman he was.

“Guilty,” the first councilor intoned. His image disappeared.

“Guilty.” Another image vanished.

“Guilty.”

“Guilty.”

“Guilty.” Lois vanished into the shadows.

“Guilty.”

“Guilty.”

“Guilty.”

“Guilty.”

“Guilty.”

Finally Richard White. “Guilty.” He too vanished into the shadows. Kal-El hoped they were both doing okay. Having the horrific memories implanted then having to stand through this circus had to be hard on the both of them.

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

Luthor was nearly incoherent with rage.

“As required by law, the verdict is unanimous. Guilty,” Kal-El stated.

That part was done. The requirements Jor-El had set as safeguards for using the Phantom Zone projector had been satisfied – there was a legal sentence of guilty under Kryptonian law.

The interior of the fortress was dark except for the light of the force fields.

Kal-El keyed a switch on the rod of Justice and the force fields merged, forcing the occupants together. It was odd, but not a single one of them had asked to be tried separately from Luthor. Did they think the madman would be able to save them or were they still too afraid of him to speak their own minds?

The force field constricted, forcing the little group even closer together.

It was time for the sentence to be executed.



The interior of the fortress was dark except for the light of the force field. They were alone in the chamber. Maybe there was time to do something. Luthor knew he had the knowledge in his head. All he needed was time…

There was a faint whirring and it was getting louder. A silvery sliver appeared in the chamber, resolving itself into a large flat mirror-like diamond that had only height and width but no depth. It slowly spun toward Luthor and the others, passing through the containment field.

Kitty disappeared first and Luthor realized she had disappeared into the mirror.

Within seconds the mirror had scooped up everyone except Luthor.

‘The sentence will be permanent imprisonment,’ the chaplain had said. Nothing had been said about where they would be imprisoned.

The mirror scooped him up. “You can’t do this to me!” he screamed as the arctic fortress disappeared below him.

“I’m afraid they can,” a voice said. Luthor couldn’t be sure if the voice was inside his head or not. The voice seemed to belong to a wiry man with cold eyes and a silver streaked beard.

“And they did,” the voice added smugly.

‘Telepathy?’ Luthor wondered. “And who are you?” he demanded.

“General Zod. And this is where you will spend the rest of eternity.”

“This can’t be true… I’m an important man… The greatest mind on the planet… There’s been a horrible mistake.”

“I doubt that. I doubt that very much. Now, tell me what you know of Krypton’s fate and the son of Jor-El.”



Lois watched as the mirrored sliver swung though the containment field and the six condemned prisoners vanished.

“They’re not…” Richard began.

Kal-El shook his head. “Krypton did not have a death penalty.”

“That was the Phantom Zone entrance,” Lois realized. She remembered Clark telling her about Krypton’s high security prison. A ‘pocket universe’ he’d called it.

Kal-El stumbled and Lois was by his side, helping him to one of the crystal ‘benches’.

“Are you okay?” Richard asked. Lois placed the back of her hand against Kal-El’s forehead like she did to check Jason’s temperature. He was burning up. She shot Richard a worried look.

“What can we do?” Lois asked.

Kal-El shook his head. “Nothing.” He began shivering.

“There must be something… Did Luthor poison you, is that what’s wrong?” Lois asked.

“No…”

“Then what’s wrong?”

“The flesh is not meant to do what he did,” Mike said from the shadows. “There are laws in the universe and there are consequences to breaking those laws.”

Lois turned back to Kal-El. “You knew this would happen, didn’t you?”

Kal-El didn’t answer her. She sat back on her haunches. “You knew it would kill you, and you went ahead anyway.”

“My life in trade for you and Jason and everyone else I care about? One life in trade for the world? A small price.”

He was shivering more violently and Mike helped ease him down, supporting his head. Mike had one of the memory crystals and placed it against Kal-El’s forehead. It glowed and went dark.

“Clark, please hold on… for me and Jason?” Lois begged. She ignored the tears running down her cheeks. She took his hand. It was cold. He was normally so warm.

“Lois, it’s okay,” Clark said. His voice was so weak. “I love you. I always have…”

He shuddered one last time, his jaw clenched against the pain. Then his eyes closed and he went limp. He stopped breathing.

“Clark?” Her voice caught in her throat.

“Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest…” Mike murmured.

“No… no,” Lois protested. It wasn’t fair. He finally came back to her and now he was dead. Clark was dead… “It’s not fair…”

She felt strong arms pulling her into a hug. Richard, ever faithful Richard comforting her just as he always had.

“He’s not really dead…” Richard began.

She pulled away from him, suddenly furious. “Don’t give me that crap of ‘He’s not really dead so long as we remember him.’ Today’s headline and tomorrow nobody cares, nobody remembers.” She turned on Mike. “Bring him back!”

“I cannot,” Mike said simply.

“Why?” she demanded. She was acting childish and she knew it and she didn’t care.

“The power of life and death does not belong to me,” Mike told her. “He was aware of the price and he chose freely to pay it. Do not demean his sacrifice by demanding things out of their proper time.”

“Clark…” This time she didn’t bother to try to stop the sobs or the tears streaming down her face.

“Lois, I…” Richard’s voice trailed off. “I’m so sorry,” he said finally.

Lois heard the rustle of robes and realized there were others in the chamber with them. There was a sound, an unearthly dirge of ineffable sweetness. It filled the chamber, echoing along the crystal pillars. It spoke of longing and hope, of death and life, endings and beginnings.

“It’s time for you to leave,” Mike said quietly. He pressed the memory crystal into Lois’s hand. “You’ll know what to do when the time comes and remember that all things are possible. The impossible just takes more effort.”

Lois saw Mike nodding to two strangers in white robes – only they weren’t really strangers. Like Mike, the woman seemed uncannily familiar.

“Gabriel and Ananchel will take you back to Metropolis,” Mike said. He picked up Clark’s body as though it weighed nothing, cradling it in his arms as a father might cradle a sleeping child. “I will do what needs to be done here,” he promised.

“Come,” the woman, Gabriel, said reaching out to Lois. There was a feeling of warmth, the rustling of strong pinions. Then Lois and Richard were standing on the roof of the Daily Planet in Metropolis.

“You really are angels, aren’t you?” Richard asked.

“This world is not God’s only dominion, nor is it his first creation,” Gabriel said quietly.

“There is a story that a human who sees an angel’s true form is doomed,” Richard said.

“All things of flesh are doomed,” Gabriel said. “Rao died. Sol will die in its proper time, the Earth will die. All is ephemeral. But be not afraid. It is not your time yet. And remember, you are never alone.”

Gabriel and Ananchel vanished, leaving Lois alone with Richard on the roof.

“What do we do now?” Lois asked, wiping her face with the sleeve of her robe.

“We do what he would have wanted us to do,” Richard answered. “We keep going.”

Lois felt the crystal biting into her palm. She opened her hand and gazed at it. “What do you think Mike meant when he said I’d know what to do when the time comes?”

“I have no idea,” Richard said. “But maybe you should keep it in a safe place.”

She took a shuddery breath, her mind clicking over to what needed to be done. “We should let Perry know what happened. He’s probably worried about us… Then I should call Martha and let her know…” Lois’s eyes filled with tears again.

“I’ll talk to Uncle Perry,” Richard offered. “You call Jason’s grandma, okay?”

“I loved him, you know,” Lois admitted. “I still do. God help me, but I still love him…”

“I know,” Richard said softly. “I think I’ve always known.”