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In the Fortress of Solitude's laboratory, Clark watched Lucian and Cyborg at work, a look of despair on his face. The two were a well-oiled machine, dividing the labor to perfect every detail of the two Ark spacecraft.
All the superheroes, including Superman, were now using their abilities to help build the two ships, which were large enough to carry 700 million people.
The Flash and Kid Flash, who had been unable to help much with the survivor rescue, were now invaluable. Provided with materials, the two speedsters could complete assembly at an incredible pace, drastically speeding up the Ark's construction.
The two ships were designed to hold 140 million people, but the total number of survivors was 150 million. The reason for the discrepancy was simple: about 10 million people, including the warriors of Paradise Island and Superman himself, were unwilling to leave Earth even with a future of increasingly harsh conditions.
Clark's presence in the lab was even more bizarre. After his argument with Lucian had ended, he had planned to stay and see if he could help with anything, even if it was just a patrol mission to protect Paradise Island.
But before he could, Lucian had grabbed him and dragged him into the lab, claiming he needed a hand. It quickly turned into a one-man "Genius Scientist Class" from Lucian.
Although the lab wasn't a factory and Clark wasn't needed to pass wrenches, Lucian seemed to enjoy explaining all the knowledge involved in designing the Ark to him.
Clark, who had traveled from the year 2000, wondered if it was even useful to talk about space travel to him. The answer was no, not really.
Lucian was a genius but a terrible teacher. His method of imparting knowledge was so rough and disorganized that no one could possibly understand it. Even Cyborg, who was watching it all, agreed that Lucian was a poor instructor.
But the student was a Kryptonian.
As an adult, Superman had once read and mastered all of humanity's medical knowledge in five minutes—a feat that would take a human over a decade to accomplish. While Clark's brain wasn't yet at that level, he still possessed a terrifying learning ability. Under Lucian's terrible tutelage, he somehow managed to master the relevant knowledge.
"So, there's actually no need for me to help. Don't you think I'm in the way now that Lucian has shown up?" Clark said, a note of complaint in his voice.
"Yes, you are in the way, so you can leave now." Lucian's blunt agreement was completely unexpected.
"Oh, and this thing, I'll give it to you as well." Lucian, still focused on his work, tossed a USB drive to Clark.
"This is..." Clark asked, catching it.
"All the information about Kryptonian technology in the Fortress of Solitude. With the knowledge I've taught you, I think you should be able to understand these things when you return."
"What the hell??" Clark's eyes widened, looking at the drive in his hand and then at Lucian. Good man, you're trying to win my favor by giving me my own stuff, right?
Lucian, however, misunderstood the look in his eyes. "You may return to your own world at any time. It's obvious. Cyborg has seen your body flicker many times."
Cyborg nodded slowly, confirming it. In fact, most of the heroes who had befriended Clark—including Damian, Little Jonathan, Wonder Woman, Hawkman, and Hawkgirl—had noticed the strange changes in him.
"No, no, you misunderstood. I'm not surprised that you know I might time travel again, although this sudden concern is indeed surprising. The main thing is..." Clark held up the USB drive. "You gave me something that Superman gave me. Don't you feel guilty about it?"
"...Get out!"
"Okay..."
Back on Paradise Island, Clark saw the female warrior who had trained him sitting alone on the beach, staring into the distance.
"What are you thinking about?" Clark asked, landing softly and sitting beside her.
"Yo, our future Superman is back. How's it going? How does it feel to be a hero?"
Clark smiled, looking at his hands. "It feels great to be able to help others. It would be even better if I could be stronger." He noticed her somber mood. Though she was asking him questions, her eyes never left the ocean's horizon. "Are you really not going to board the Ark and live on another planet?"
Clark knew that all the Amazons had made the same choice: to stay and fight to the very end. But he still wanted to know what drove them.
"I've lived on Paradise Island my whole life and have never seen the outside world. It wasn't until a large number of survivors came here that I learned about the stories from beyond this place," she explained.
"I love Paradise Island, and I also love this world. The moment I became a warrior, I swore to protect it. All Amazons feel this way. So we will not leave.
No matter how difficult the future is, we will fight to the last moment, like warriors. Besides..." The warrior smiled. "I have a feeling that when everyone leaves, we'll still have to fight."
She stood up, picking up the sword and shield beside her. "Are you still interested in my name?"
"Of course," Clark replied. "I need to know your name so I can thank you properly in the future."