Chapter Ninety-Four: The Ultimate Weapon Part One
Clark stepped back into the Fortress of Solitude a half of a minute later. The break-in of Lex had been fresh in his mind, but naturally, as per custom, some other problem came up. Karen paced around the Fortress. Raya and Astra stood outside as well.
The Man of Steel peaked through the glass and noticed an attractive blonde woman who currently had been put in a state of shock. Alura and Lara spent the next few moments intently studying her to see what was wrong with her. Clark wondered what happened and he knew there had to be answers and so.
He took the action to get those answers and delved just a little bit deeper into the Fortress. He looked Karen who the eye who quickly jumped in to answer his unasked question.
"This person dropping out of the sky was pretty surprising," Karen said. "I thought for a minute she finally came to me."
Time travel had been a funny thing. Karen could have been gone from the future only moments or hours before something happened. Or it could have lined up to be the same amount of years that she had bene gone. Or it could be even more years. Karen really did not know.
'Ah, it's enough to make your brain hurt,' she thought with her nose wrinkling in the process.
"Do you remember the Legion of Super-Heroes?" Karen asked.
Clark spent the next thirty or so seconds racking his mind. He had a feeling he should have remembered something more about them, but for whatever reason, his mind was coming up with a big blank. He turned to Karen and shook his head in negative.
"I have a feeling that I really should," Clark said. "I remember you mentioning them in passing. I don't recall anything about them in particular."
Karen nodded and placed a hand on Clark's shoulder. "Right, of course….I didn't expect you to off hand. Her name is Imra Ardeen, better known as Saturn Girl. She's a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, and let's just say she's seen some horrors when heading back through time."
A second passed before Karen added something as a potentially unnecessary afterthought.
"Horrors the mind should have never been meant to process."
"I would have to agree," Astra said.
Astra had been through many wars and had seen looks on the faces of soldiers who had seen horrific events unfold before them. Attacks which killed many people right before their very eyes and that was something which changed even the most hardened of men and women. Imra saw something comparable and yet something different.
"Lara and Alura are trying to isolate her brain waves to see what the problem is," Raya said. "Although, she has very complex brain waves and it could be a fair bit easier said than done."
"She's a telepath," Karen said. "It's harder with them."
Clark turned to the woman who he barely knew. Her hair stuck up in disarray and gave her a wild look. And the black rings stuck underneath her eyes compliment the wild look which went about her. She turned and twisted her head. Lara reached in and held the girl's hand to try and get some sort of relief even though the relief is coming.
"HE'S COMING!" Imra shrieked at the top of her lungs. "HE'S COMING AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WARN HIM! WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WARN SUPERMAN!"
Superman took a step around the glass and inside of the lab. Imra's body started to shake. Alura looked at her nervously for a moment.
"Her brain, the spikes of adrenaline going through her are going down," Alura said. "We're just going to have to be patient. The worst has already passed. We just need to wait a few more minutes before….well we're just going to have to wait for her to wake up."
Imra thrashed about in the midst of a horrific nightmare. Her head snapped back and then suddenly, everything had been calm. Her eyes shut for a minute. Several deep breaths passed through the girl's body just seconds before she recovered from the nightmare. Her head turned for a brief second and came face to face with the one and only Superman.
"Kal-El," she said with an excited breath. "It's so nice to meet you for the first time…at least, I think it's the first time."
Imra's memories were fuzzy for some reason. She looked up and another attractive blonde, the fourth one she saw today, stepped into the chamber and walked closer to her.
"My name is Karen," she said. "Do you remember me?"
Imra's mind glazed over as she tried to remember this beautiful woman. It took her a couple of minutes, but there were dark spots in her mind. The telepath tried as she might access them, but she could not access.
"I….I'm sorry," Imra said. "I don't recall you, even though I feel like I should."
Karen did not take it all that much to heart. She figured there was something going on, and they would have to get to the bottom of what it is. She put a hand on Imra's cheek and it still felt pretty warm. The girl took a couple of deep sighs to try and get her bearings together.
"I know that….I know that Superman is in danger," Imra said. "An old enemy has returned which threatens his past, present, and future."
A moment of clarity in a sea of hazed madness reached Lex Luthor. For the first time in months, his mind had not been sent in a hue. He was perfectly aware of his surroundings. Lex relaxed on a bed with the soft sheets rubbing against his flesh. Lex slowly rose up out of bed and almost collapsed further down into it. He had been tired beyond all belief. His muscles were far weaker than they were, and Lex's stomach ached.
"You're awake."
Lex hurled off of the covers to hear a familiar voice belonging to a person standing outside of the door. He moved across the floor with a couple of ginger steps and then through an open door. Lex stopped and reacted with a raised eyebrow.
Most would have reacted with shock and horror in this particular situation.
"Lex, my beautiful boy, I'm glad you recovered."
Lex spent less than a minute processing the scenario around him. Many different possibilities entered the mind of the dazed young man. He came to what he felt was a logical solution.
"And here I thought clarity visited me. But, I think Tess's newest drug finally destroyed my last bit of mental stability. Because, otherwise, how do I explain seeing my dead mother standing here before me?"
The door opened and Lex noticed a familiar lab. It had been off of the books for years as far as LuthorCorp had been concerned. His mouth opened and widened as he turned to look at his mother, or at least a reasonable double. And there once again had to be some kind of explanation for all of this which did not go into insanity. Lillian's presence defied all reasons and the mental gymnastics to justify her being alive caused Lex a fit.
"You're not here," Lex said.
"I know it's hard to believe, Alexander," Lillian said. "I'm here, and I saved you…and I wish I could have saved you sooner from Lionel's influence. You were caught up in his obsessions and his greed."
Lex could not quite meet the eyes of this woman. As far as he was concerned, his mother died many years ago. This was some kind of sick and cruel joke. Lex took a deep breath and realized how normal he felt now. The influence of Brainiac and the influence of Doomsday, it was all gone, and now for the first time, he had been clearer in his mind and his thoughts.
They did it, they did it, somehow, they fixed him. Or alternatively, Lex had been drugged so far into a state of madness that he believed everything had been fixed. There had been false hope dangled underneath his nose.
"I've become a self-made man in spite of Lionel's influence," Lex coldly stated.
"Of course, I did not mean…."
Lex reached up and grabbed his mother by the shoulders. His frustration with her bubbled over to the surface.
"You're not real," Lex said. "And if you were, don't you realize that you were as responsible for…my state, as Lionel as? Don't think I've forgotten about it…you growing colder and distant. You let me believe that I killed my baby brother…when you did it, because of …because….I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW CRUEL YOU WERE!"
Lex snapped and showed a moment of raw emotion before reigning himself in. Luthors did not get upset. They got even. They were calm and collected in all situations.
"You expect me to forgive?" Lex asked. "And you expect me to forget? I remember it….I remember it!"
Lillian hoped that Lex would have put that behind him. It was a moment of weakness on her part, which destroyed her in hindsight.
"I did what I felt was necessary at the time," Lillian said. "I regret everything."
"Your regrets don't change the fact that my brother's death put me in therapy," Lex coldly responded. "You allowed me to believe I smothered him."
"Calm down," Lillian said. "It's going to be okay."
Lex pulled away from this woman in disgust. He would have rather looked Lionel in the face right about now. He took a couple of steps down the hallway and came face to face with an imposing gentlemen with a glowing red eye standing in the hallway.
"Hank Henshaw," Lex said. "I wonder what your superiors would have to say if they found out that you're not doing your job properly at the DEO."
He had a feeling something else was going on and Lex detested surprises. He hated them, one hundred and twenty percent of the way.
"You're not well, Mr. Luthor," Henshaw said. "You need to return to your room."
The glinting of the eye showed that Henshaw was not making this as a suggestion. Lex seethed internally, but externally he was calm and as decisive as possible.
"I'm fine," Lex said. "I'll be fine once I get away from Cadmus. I'll return and gain control of LuthorCorp. Then I'll see what my options are legally to shut this place down and put my mother in a cell right beside my father."
"You would be in that cell if it was not for me," Lillian said. "I've done this all to protect you. Everything at Cadmus has been you and to protect the world. It has protected you from him and others like him. People like you who need saving."
"You're referring to…." Lex said, letting the name of the person involved just hang in mid-air. Lillian responded with a nod. "Show me what you've been working on. Then I'll decide if it's worth it to stay."
Imra moved into the Fortress of Solitude and looked around in very thinly disguised awe. She could not believe it, she could not believe she stepped into the legendary Fortress of Solitude.
"You haven't seen it?" Karen asked.
"Maybe I have," Imra said. "But, even if I have, it still isn't stunning…yes, I remember, the original Fortress was sunk into the ground during the twenty-third century, at least because of the most accurate records."
Clark spent a couple of seconds frowning. It would be a shame to lose this Fortress. It was a very useful database of information. Imra drew in a couple more breaths from where she stood. Clark placed a hand gently on her shoulder to steer her back into the conversation.
"More….there's more coming back," Imra said. "Just give me a second?"
"Do you want me to get Alura or Lara or…."
Irma shook her head. She did not enter the state of having a nightmare like she did the last time. Something else entirely was happening to her. Imra closed her eyes to try and get her thoughts in order as scrambled as they might seem at this time. She realized how frustrating it might have been to Clark and Karen to see her brain lapse in such a state.
"I see it, more of it coming back to me," Imra said. "I've followed a thief who stole something back through the time portal. And this is a dangerous item which the enemy I mentioned would use to bring your end. And two other members of my team were right behind me. A time storm came through."
Karen and Clark met each other's gaze. This time storm must have been what spat Imra out into the middle of Metropolis. Clark gently grasped her hand and made Imra stand up a bit straight. His fingers wrapped around hers and he squeezed her hand as tight as possible.
"Is there anything else?" Clark asked.
The thought of having Superman grabbing her hand would have sent butterflies into Imra's stomach at any other given moment. She felt something else though, heavy amounts of frustration. They were dealing with a huge problem which could affect all of history.
"Sorry, there's nothing else," she said. "I really wish they were."
"We need to catch the thief and see if he knows anything else,' Karen said. "And if Imra's missing teammates come through the portal, then we need to find them as well."
"Do you have any idea who they might be?" Clark asked her.
Karen answered him with a half-shrug. "It really depends on what era of the Legion they're coming from to be perfectly honest."
The sooner they caught the thief, the better. Introducing people like that into an otherwise stable time stream was going to result in some issues. And there had already been some unfortunate ripples building through the time stream at every second. Karen could not say how she felt those ripples, only that she felt them. She grew very sensitive to time unraveling around her.
"We have a problem," Chloe said.
"What?" Clark asked.
He thought their day could not have gone on without a hitch, not without a few more problems to add to the ones they already had. Clark closed his eyes and could feel something. He could not put his finger on what just something.
"The Cyborg Superman has broken into a storage facility in Metropolis belonging to LuthorCorp," Chloe said.
"I dug into it," Tess chimed in. "And Lionel was using it to store some of his more questionable projects. I mostly stripped it clean, but there could be something that I missed."
Clark had a feeling that obviously, the Cyborg Superman wanted something in that storage facility. He could not for the life of him realize what.
"Let's go," Imra said. "I know how dangerous the Cyborg Superman could be. He's one of the deadliest enemies. He almost….."
"Future spoilers?" Karen asked the moment Imra grew silent.
Clark dropped down to the ground outside of the facility. It looked like your normal warehouse in need of a paint job and a couple of window replacements. Clark stepped around to the back when one of the doors has been opened. He stepped inside with Imra and Karen following him behind.
They moved into a lab which had been stripped completely down. A couple of tanks in the background held particles of green dust. Clark realized what used to be in the tanks at least a short time ago. The Man of Steel crossed over the floor and took a deep breath.
They moved to a second lab and several empty containment units lined across the wall. The trio moved in and they saw nothing anyone could want to steal. They most certainly did not see any Cyborg Superman running around in the lab. The very thought of him being nearby put them on guard.
"I don't like this," Imra said.
It was a big cliché back in the year 3084 as it was in the current year, but silence was always the prelude to something very dangerous. The trio looked around and just a second later, the metal doors in the lab slammed shut.
'Of course,' Clark thought.
Several robotic drones came in through the cracked windows. One of them locked on Superman and fired at him. Superman dodged the attack and picked up a huge metal table. He jumped up with the table extended. He flew it into the drone and knocked him back against the wall.
A drone shot a net down into Karen. She ripped the net to shreds and jumped up as high as possible. She planted one huge punch to the edge of the drone and cracked it. Sparks flew as the drone came flying back down onto the ground.
Imra blocked three of the drones with her mind and then fired them back against the wall. They all bounced off of the wall. She smiled just a tiny bit.
"I sense…a partial human mind," she warned them. "Henshaw is near….the real Henshaw."
Clark found himself going head-on with a drone. The drone fired a blast at him. Clark put his hands up to block the blasts coming from the drone. He whipped it back against the wall as hard as possible.
The drones all backed off from them just as quickly as they appeared. The metal doors of the lab broke open. The Cyborg Superman came face to face with Superman. Half of Henshaw's face had been replaced by metal plates and there was a glowing red eye. His hand was made completely of some kind of alien metal, at least what Clark could tell.
"Superman," Henshaw growled. "At last. I'm going to finally take you down and gain revenge on the Martian who stole my life."
Both Henshaw and Clark flew at each other as fast as possible. They collided with each other as hard as humanly possible. Clark and Henshaw locked knuckles with each other. Both crashed down onto the ground from the impact the other caused. Henshaw pulled away from Clark and his teeth gritted. He reared back a hand and nailed Clark as hard in the chest as humanly possible.
Both of them flew at each other and their fists clashed together. The two fighters fought each other with Clark grabbing the waist of Henshaw and slamming him as hard into the wall as possible. Henshaw had been rattled from the attack but had not been taken down to the ground just yet.
"It's time for you to break!" Henshaw yelled.
Superman dragged the Cyborg Superman up into the air and crashed him through the roof of the building. Both flew out the other end of the building and dropped as hard as possible down onto the ground. They both slammed into the ground very hard from the impact of their attacks. Clark pulled away from Henshaw a half of a second later and drew in a very deep breath.
Henshaw's red eye clicked to life and he fired a heat beam out of it directly at his enemy. Superman dropped down to one knee. He pushed up and Henshaw's head pulled back. He absorbed more power and bombarded Superman with another attack. Superman dodged and then almost collapsed down to the ground.
"Are you feeling weak, Superman?"
Henshaw taunted him with a severe statement. It was true, Superman felt as weak as possible. He felt like the air had been taken out of his lungs in a matter of minutes. Superman climbed up to one knee and tried to lock eye to eye with Henshaw.
Another blast of red-hot light caught Superman in the face. He could feel the strength sap from him. Henshaw doubled up his attacks by hitting Superman as hard as possible with a roundhouse right. His metal arm crashed into the chest of Superman. Superman swung at the air. Henshaw dodged behind him and blasted Superman in the back to drop him to his knees.
"Maybe you now feel the weakness that humans feel every time you chase them down. You and your kind. I'm stronger now, and you're weak."
Henshaw wrapped his hands around Superman's head. A splitting headache formed as Henshaw tried to crack Superman's skull between his large hands. The power radiating from his hands made it hard for Superman to fight and he was just seconds away from an injury.
Clark broke free with all of the strength and did a roll. The front of his costume had been scorched and Henshaw blasted him right in the "S" to set it on fire. Superman flipped his cape over his chest and put out the fires before they burned his chest. Henshaw stepped closer towards Superman with a crazed glimmer in his eyes. He fired another attack at Superman.
This time Superman grabbed him by the face to block the eye beam. He headbutted Henshaw and slammed him against the edge of the building. Several chunks of cinderblock came loose from the building. Henshaw shrugged them off like there was nothing.
Karen flew around the corner with a large semi-truck trailer lifted over her head. She hurled it at Henshaw. Henshaw lifted a hand as calmly as possible and punched through the truck as it flew at him ripping it to shreds. Henshaw popped up on the other side.
Clark dropped down and grabbed Henshaw before taking him down to his knees by the arm. He jabbed him in the side of the neck.
For one tiny microscopic second, Superman thought he had gotten Henshaw. Henshaw grabbed Superman by the throat and then super-charged the Man of Steel.
"Goodbye, Kal-El. You won't be missed."
Superman's entire body burst into a super nova. The entire alleyway exploded into flames. Henshaw stood with the tattered cape and "S" symbol fluttering to the ground with two black scorch marks on the ground.
"Superman is finished," Henshaw said.
"Is he?" Lex asked.
"I see you've decided to hijack the communication, Mr. Luthor," Henshaw said.
A shrill siren bombarded the back of Henshaw's head and caused him to stagger. He felt the worst pain ever, even though it should not be possible to feel pain.
"Answer my question, Henshaw," Lex said.
"He vaporized right before my eyes," Henshaw said. "He's gone."
"You think it's going to be that easy?" Lex asked. "I sincerely doubt it. Keep searching."
"With all due respect, Mr. Luthor….."
"I'm not asking you, Henshaw," Lex said. "Keep searching. Give me proof Superman is done other than your own eyewitness account. I want something tangible I can touch and see myself."
Henshaw gritted his teeth. With Lex's finger on the trigger, he had no choice but to find proof and verify Superman had been truly destroyed.
Every single nerve ending of Clark's stabbed with a never-ending pain which was among the worst he ever felt in his life. His body had been red like he had been scorched by something. Karen applied a cooling breath on him to try and ease up his pain, but her reserves were tanking and she did not know what to do.
"I've used the last bit of energy from my Legion Ring to get us out of there," Imra said.
"Where is here?" Karen asked.
A small and soft sigh came from the time traveler. "We're in temporal limbo. It's a dead zone. It technically exists in no time, and it exists in all time."
Clark rose to his feet. He looked a bit ragged, but at least he still breathed.
"We have to hope that the rest of your team could find you," Clark said in a raw and ragged voice.
A gate opened up. Clark, Karen, and Imra braced themselves for anything to come out of this gate. Powers did not work as they should in this Dead Zone.
Chapter Ninety-Five: The Ultimate Weapon Part Two
A snap of cold air filled Cadmus Labs. The silver walls held a very barren look. Lex moved down the way and looked over his shoulder. He had a mixture of emotions. Lex's first thought would be to leave the facility. Leave the facility behind and see what he could do. He would never return. Lex thought it would serve everyone right if he just stepped back and left. It would be the smartest thing for him to do to lay low and start anew.
The more Lex considered his options, the more he thought there would be an opportunity. He stepped down the hallway and peered into a large tank. Several nano-bots moved through the tank. Lex studied their makeup for the next few seconds and a small smile moved across his face.
"It's a start."
The sounds of footsteps a little bit behind him brought Lex out of his thoughts. Lillian Luthor stood at the end of the hallway. She surveyed Lex from afar and did not engage him. The physical distance between Lex and his mother represented the emotional distance the two of them shared quite nicely. Lex had stopped trusting a lot of people as time went on. His mother should have been one of the exceptions to his rule regarding a lack of trust. Lex hoped to be wrong over time.
"I'm doing everything to build a better world."
Lex did not answer his mother's statement. Her footsteps grew a little bit closer. Lex shifted purposely to another area of the lab. He did not want to have this conversation now or particularly ever with his mother. Said mother was persistent in making sure the conversation with Lex had been forced.
"They all say that, to begin with."
A long pause followed from Lex.
"They all say that, to begin with. Lionel thought he was making a better world. And Clark….I'm sure he thinks that he is making a better world. They all say that and they do these awful things to hurt people. Perhaps not intentionally in Clark's case, at least not a first."
Lex had been trying to mull over what the case had been with Clark. He had many thoughts regarding his former friend over the last few days after getting up. He finally turned around and found the stomach to look Lillian right in the eye.
"Cadmus's lack of transparency is a huge problem," Lex informed her. "And it's the biggest mistake you can make."
Lillian did not say any word in response. She wished for her son to have his say. If it would make Lex feel better than what needed to be said would need to be said. Lillian did not like how this was not the reunion she expected.
"Superman, for all of his faults, operates in the light and is a hero," Lex said. "Cadmus scuttles into the shadows, and operates from a position above everyone."
It had not been their intention, but the best intentions often went completely and utterly off of the rails. Lex took a couple of steps back and took a couple of deep breaths. He turned to face his mother with narrowed eyes and a huge frown.
"They pay God," Lex continued. He looks his mother dead on in the eyes without once blinking "They're no different than the thing they are fighting. They are humans with a superiority complex."
"Lex I…"
Lex held up his hand to prevent Lillian from saying anything more. He was pretty sure Lillian thought he would be greater.
"I never thought that both of my parents would be this twisted and this tormented," Lex responded. The man gave a very defeated sigh. "I guess life is full of surprises. Or disappointments depending on how you look at every single scenario."
Lillian's arms folded and she looked back at Lex with one of the more obvious glares possible. "I'm nothing like Lionel."
Those words were cold and cruel and fell upon Lex's deaf ears.
"For independent women, you did nothing to stop Lionel and his crusade," Lex said. "It was almost like you're terrified of what he might do if you fought him head up. You lurked in the shadows and only acted when his brain was fried. That really shows how strong you are."
"I'm your mother, Lex!"
"And Lionel was my father," Lex said. "That didn't do me any good."
Cold tension sliced through the air. Lex could not believe the situation he had been in. He had gone up against his mother who thought she would be welcomed back into his life with open arms without any problems. It was not that simple, it was never that simple. Lex stared at the empty cylinder across the room mostly to figure out what to do next. He needed to figure out that all important next move so he could move forward and on.
Lex walked closer and exited the lab. The door closed behind Lex and left his mother standing there. He brushed a finger to the top of his scalp and realized how important it was for Lex to find a way to get his life back together. A couple of breaths followed through his body.
He would have to get it together. And get some answers to this entire situation regarding Superman. Superman was the one thing Lex needed to figure out if he wished to move on. Lex tapped the earpiece in and made contact with Hank Henshaw.
"Henshaw," Lex said.
"Yes, Mr. Luthor," Henshaw responded in a cordial and cold voice.
"Has Kal-El been found?" Lex asked him.
A long pause had been followed and Lex grew impatient with waiting for Henshaw to say anything. He tapped his fingers on the phone for the next few seconds and just waited for something to be said. "No signs of life, from all three of those who went engaged. There was a flash which indicated teleportation."
"Which means?" Lex prompted.
"Which means they could be anywhere, at any time."
"Report back to base," Lex said. "Now."
The long pause followed from Henshaw to the point where Lex was almost ready to put his finger on the trigger. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Mr. Luthor. I have ordered from further up. And the signal you've transmitted to me to force my compliance before had been disabled."
Lex turned around where his mother popped back around the corner. Lex flexed his fingers around the edge of a rail and tried not to lose himself in a rant of rage.
"It's for humanity's own good, Lex."
Temporal limbo had been one of the worst areas to be, but Imra did not have any options. Imra stepped closer to the edge and wondered how this situation could have gone so long. Kal-El joined them. He looked very fatigued and resembled a lobster with the burns Henshaw gave him. Karen stepped a little bit closer to Clark as well. All three of them moved to the edge of the rock.
"So, you know the lay of the land," Clark weakly said. "What's our next move?"
Clark had never felt weaker and also more uncertain of what he was going to do next in his entire life. He had lost contact with the Fortress. He had to practically lean on Karen. And also, there was a sense something lurked around the corner, stalking him. Every now and then Clark saw a flicker of a window. The moment he looked closer, it was gone.
"Moments in time," Imra said. "You're going to see a lot of that. Try not to get distracted. It's not that good for you."
A nod and grunt were all Clark could manage right now. He thought they should sit down. Karen's arm wrapped tightly around him.
"I would carry you if I didn't need to save my strength myself," Karen said. Clark gave her a look. "Hopefully we can find a way out of here soon."
Both shared a mutual hope for wanting to get a way out of here. Clark drew in his breath the further they stepped into the dimensional limbo. A loud crack echoed and they all stood ready to fight. It could have been the wind or it could have been something else entirely.
"Keep strong," Imra said. "Don't lose sight of where we're going. I think the exit is that way."
The unknown terrified her. Her Legion Ring was completely dead and without a way to jump start some kind of power, she could not get them out of the temporal limbo. The three stuck close together to survive here. Thoughts jumped into Imra's head.
'Are you…you just had to bring them here, didn't you?"
Imra attempted to not let these self-doubts weigh her down mentally. Her heart beat a little bit harder. They moved all through Time Limbo very nervously. The loud cracks continued. Imra stood a bit taller and peered out into the distance. The energy waves from the portal split open.
A dark-haired girl flickered into the light. She dressed in a tight white uniform which stretched over her body. Her blue eyes widened as she stepped off the rocks. She had been joined by a girl with short red hair and a smile crossing her face. The girl crossed over the rocks and approached them.
Karen and Clark braced themselves for a fight. Imra held her hand up. Two of her fellow Legion of Super-Heroes teammates, Phantom Girl and Lightning Lass stepped in.
"Imra?" Phantom Girl asked. "Oh, thank Rao we picked up your signal in the right place."
Imra had been very grateful to see her friends and also very apprehensive. Something about how they just found the right place.
"We're going to have to find the way out," Lightning Lass said. "Follow us….I think there's a portal this way."
"Right," Imra said. "Everyone be careful, things here are not what they always seem."
Those words made Clark stand up at attention and wonder what was going to go on next. There were a lot of frustrating issues as they moved deeper into the Fortress.
"Just stand with us, and we all should be fine working together," Phantom Girl told them a couple of minutes later.
Astra cycled through the satellites one more time. She watched the image of Superman against Cyborg-Superman. She wished to know what alien metal they used to make him so durable and more importantly how they got ahold of it. Without ripping apart the Cyborg Superman and deconstructing him in some way, Astra figured there was no way to find that out.
"Did you find anything?"
Alura stepped into the Fortress. Lara took a half of a step behind her. Astra did not move up from the monitor console only staring at the Fortress computer. The images of Clark disappearing flashed on the screen. She slowed down the footage to see the Clark get wiped up into a temporal wave.
"I've found Kal-El's good luck has continued in the most interesting of circumstances," Astra said. "He's alive. He hasn't been destroyed."
Lara did not say anything. Relief came through her. At least they verified her son's survival. They had another problem to deal with. Finding him and also finding this Cyborg-Superman and dealing with him. Lara hoped they could track him.
"We'll find him," Alura said. "You have to know we will."
"Yes," Lara said. "We'll find him."
"Unfortunately," Astra said. "Given the time traveler got him out he could be anywhere, and he could be at any time. We're going to have to search for him. And we have a very wide era to do just that."
The alarm of the Fortress popped off and Lara almost dropped to the ground. Astra was on the ball about as much as anyone and picked up the information. A large figure dropped down into the snow outside of the Fortress. He walked down across the snow and dragged his feet into it.
"The Cyborg-Superman," Lara said. "He found us."
"Well, there's no way he can get in here?" Alura asked.
Raya joined the other three at the edge of the Fortress. She looked very anxious and rightfully so. "Unless he's found a way to replicate Kal-El's DNA."
Everyone groaned at the thought of the implications of what that could mean. Lara moved to the edge of the console, bit down her lip, and got to work.
"Replicated Kal's DNA or got a hold of it somehow," Lara said. "Given that he's a Cadmus creation, and they've cloned my son several times, they've found a way to get ahold of his DNA."
Lara's expression grew very dark and extremely frustrated. The loud bang of the Cyborg Superman breaking down the walls of the Fortress could be heard from miles away. Lara performed the override just a second before Astra slipped through the exit of the Fortress.
"This shuts down the Fortress completely where no one can get in and no one can get out," Lara said.
"But, my sister slipped out," Alura said.
Lara nodded and watched the scene unfold before her. Astra slipped out onto the cold snow and ice of the Fortress of Solitude.
The Cyborg-Superman's orb containing the DNA should be able to allow him to get into the Fortress and claim it for Cadmus. Nothing seemed to be working and everything frustrated the Cyborg-Superman to a never-ending degree. He wondered what had gone wrong.
"It's not going to work."
The Cyborg-Superman turned directly around to face his adversary. Astra came down across the ice and stared the Cyborg-Superman directly in the face. The Cyborg-Superman stood tall and stood his ground when facing off against Astra.
"You are going to be ripped apart just like Superman was," the Cyborg-Superman said.
Astra blasted the Cyborg-Superman with a furious beam of heat vision. He launched off of the ground and slammed down onto the ground. The Cyborg-Superman rolled over and made his way to his feet. He tried to get up and almost collapsed down onto the ground. He took in a couple of deep breaths when staring at Astra.
"Leave."
The Cyborg-Superman vanished into a blink of an eye and left Astra standing in the midst of the Fortress. She looked up into the sky and frowned. He might have been gone, but he would return. And when the Cyborg-Superman returned, she would be ready for him.
A pair of eyes peaked from around the corner very nervously. He held in his hand a briefcase which contained something that many people in the past, present, and future would give up an arm to get their hands on. Of course, giving up an arm in the 31st century was not as drastic as a gesture of giving up an arm in the 21st century due to medical advancements. The thought still in fact counted.
The man's trenchcoat fluttered in the wind. He pulled up the scarf borrowed from a woman he ran over in the park. The Legion had been on his tail since the moment he stepped out of the portal and made any kind of forward movement beyond impossible. The fugitive moved with two quick steps and then crossed the street.
The primitive automobiles of the twenty-first century distracted him. Humans had not evolved just yet and they had relied on cars for their forward motion. It was a much more simpler time and the thief could not help, but smile fondly at the thought of a different time.
Several men in suits made their way. One of them spoke in a hushed tone. They were bringing out some kind of police barricade or something, at least from the thief's understanding in history. He stumbled back and tried not to lose it. Not to mention lose control of this briefcase.
It would be perfect to gain him a hefty windfall of money. If the briefcase ever should have fallen into the wrong hands, without him getting paid, well that would be embarrassing for all involved. The thief tried to hold it together and attempted not to throw himself into a fit of frustration.
'You're almost there, don't blow it,' the thief told himself. 'Don't you dare blow it.'
"Stop right there."
The thief almost blew the cover by hurling the briefcase high into the air. Said thief checked himself before he wrecked himself. The thief stepped away from the scene and took a couple of deep breaths.
"What seems to be the problem, sir?" the thief asked in a voice which he hoped sounded respectful. It sounded more weedy than anything else.
"We need to see your identification," he said. "There have been an undocumented visitor in the area, and our boss needs to see them."
"You need to see my ID," the thief said. He nervously laughed. "Oh, that's a problem because you see…I was in a hurry this morning, and I left it at home…but I'm sure if you let me take you there, I can get you my ID. Just give me five minutes to…"
One of them put a gun into his spine. The thief took a second to adjust himself. He still did not freak out because that would be one of the worst things he could have done.
"Hand over that briefcase," the government agent said.
The thief did not have a choice in the matter because these government thugs snatched the briefcase away from him. At least that was one thing that has not changed from the current year to the future, people in the government always found a way to keep the little guy down and at bay.
"I don't know what's in this thing, but if he's been….I think we should get it open if we unhook the bottom."
"I have a key for it," the thief said. "It's right here."
The thief whipped a grenade out of his trenchcoat which went off in the faces of all of the government goons. The briefcase slipped up into the air and he caught it. The thief rushed away from the scene of the crime. He levitated cars and people when running down the way.
The government officials followed him. The thief sprung into the air and over the fence. A building ripped out of the ground and he slammed the building back down to impede the progress of the government officials. He rushed as fast as possible to the exit.
Heaving breathing followed from the thief. He finally gave the government officials the slip and could not have been happier. The briefcase clutched in his arms made him smile. He finally got away with it. The perfect crime, the thief slipped away into the night with the briefcase. He could have danced and he could have smiled. Everything finally was coming up right for him.
A large hulking figure dressed in black dropped down to the ground. An ax pointed towards the thief. The thief gulped and stepped back.
"You're going to come with us, if you know what's good for you."
The thief's hands shook and one more time, he almost dropped the brief case. He turned around and came face to face with a green haired woman. Beautiful in many ways, although one could argue that the look of contempt crossing her face undercut the woman's natural beauty. The Green-Haired woman stepped closer. The thief tried to keep her eyes off of that figure.
'She'll rip them out,' he reminded herself. 'Focus on her face. Her face…and maybe her hair. Don't look at anything else.'
This thief could not believe his misfortune. He ran from the Legion, got away from those government thugs, and ran smack dab in the middle of two members of the Fatal Five in the Emerald Empress and the Persuader. Could his day get any worse?
"Oh, of course," the thief stammered.
What choice did he really have? The Pursauder took his axe and sliced a hole through time and space. The glow of energy flashed and allowed them to leave.
Time passed, only mere seconds, before a second portal opened. Phantom Girl and Lightning Lass of the Legion of Super Heroes dropped down out of the portal. Both heroines from the future looked around.
"We lost him," Lightning Lass said. "I can't believe we lost him."
"If that briefcase falls in the wrong hands," Phantom Girl said. "And we still need to find Saturn Girl as well."
Saturn Girl had been separated from the other two members of the Legion through the time stream. They walked over to the last known location. Phantom Girl raised her Legion Ring to track her lost teammate. She turned to Lightning Lass.
"This way, Ayla."
"Right, Tinya," she agreed.
There was something which felt very wrong, and they could not put their finger on what. It was just there was something extremely wrong.
Imra stepped closer. She saw Clark, who looked at the two girls. Clark frowned and then he stopped.
"Come on," Phantom Girl said. "We're close."
She was very intent on leading them to the gateway. Saturn Girl stopped for a second. She could feel something about this area which was strange and different. It was even very strange by the standards of time limbo. Lightning Lass and Phantom Girl moved down a step.
"You don't want to be consumed by the time wraiths, do you?" Phantom Girl asked.
Clark took a second to consider those words. He looked at the two Legion Girls strangely. Karen was starting to frown.
"Are you sure this the way out?" Karen asked.
"Yes, it is," Phantom Girl said. "You'll be back to your own time in no time. Trust us."
"Oh, Tinya, I'm sorry for every doubting you," Imra said. "I remember how you joined. You were so eager to prove yourself back in the day. Remember, how you selflessly saved the third moon of Rigor from being blow up?"
"Yes," Tinya said. "I remember it well."
Imra smiled when she moved back. She motioned for Clark and Karen to stand back along with her. Lightning Lass and Phantom Girl turned around to face the trio. Her eyes grew a bit cold and lifeless when staring back at them.
"It was the fifth moon of Kallax, for the record," Imra said. "You nearly fooled us. I'll give you all the credit in the world. You nearly fooled us."
Clark and Karen were put behind Saturn girl as Phantom Girl and Lighting Lass dropped down to the ground. Imra pulled back from the dark and unsettling thoughts coming through their minds. She took a look at them.
"Don't lie to me!" Imra yelled.
"Yes, I can see, you were smarter than we thought you were," Phantom Girl's voice said growing darker and more demented.
"Yes," Lightning Lass said. "The great Saturn Girl was going to be one to trick. We made the mistake of not splitting you up."
Their faces contorted into demonic stone representations of themselves with glowing red eyes. Their bodies grew in mass as well. Dark shadows fluttered around them. The three heroes stepped back to go up against the two entities which posed as the Legion of Super Hero members.
"Oh, you grow weaker as we grow stronger," the Lightning Lass Entity declared with a harsh growl. "I guess Superman really isn't all that super any more, is he?"
Lightning Lass nailed Superman and dropped him down onto the ground. Superman pulled himself to a standing position as the Phantom Girl entity swooped in from the ground. Power Girl flew at the entity and knocked it backwards off of the edge.
The entity floated in mid-air with a hiss. The cold air wrapped around it and it turned into the one thing that many who traveled through time feared most of all. It turned into a time wraith.
"I warned you wouldn't want the time wraiths to eat you. You should have listened!"
Chapter Ninety-Six: The Ultimate Weapon Part Three
Karen realized something very early in their battle against the demonic entities. There was no way they were going to outrun these entities. Trying to outrun them would be just like outrunning time itself. It was a futile endeavor one hundred percent of the way. Karen chewed down on her lower lip and took in a deep breath. She only had one thought in her mind.
"Run!" Karen shouted over her shoulder.
They moved off to the side. Dust kicked off into the air as the wraiths chased them to hunt down their prey. Karen never liked to run away from a battle, but circumstances indicated there was a first time for everything. One of the wraiths closed in with its skeletal hands outstretched, ready to grab onto Karen. Karen turned around and blasted the ground with heat vision to give them more cover. Smoke just flew up from the air.
"That won't hold them for long," Imra said. "We need to hold them off long enough for us to find the exit."
"It has to be close," Clark said. "But, will they let us get there in time?"
The question had been left unanswered. The wraith came close to them. Karen grabbed Clark's wrist and they veered off to the side. Imra closed her eyes and she could feel the darkness become more overwhelming with each step of the way. Her heart stammered a couple of beats the more they moved closer to the edge of this realm.
"We know the exit has to be close," Imra said. "We're just going to have to keep pushing forward and hope we can get to the exit."
The trio made their way down the beaten pathway. The wraith jumped out of the way. Imra used whatever mental attack she could muster to push it back. It was beyond difficult to repel a wraith in the state she was in. Somehow, Imra managed to do it, despite the struggles. Her eyes drooped over harshly and she drew in a very deep breath. Imra pulled back from the adversary who disappeared into the night.
"Keep going," Imra said. "Don't stop."
She had a pretty good feeling they closed in on the exit. The wraiths would not be getting as anxious as they were if they did not get this close. They were getting very close to something. They were getting very close to making an exit.
"I think that I can hold them off," Clark managed. "I can hold them off while you two find a way to get out of here or something."
"No," Karen said. "Absolutely not."
She was so firm in her statement that it took Clark aback. No one was making any sacrifices today. They would all get out of it together. Two of the wraiths circled around them. Karen, Imra, and Clark stood together. They somehow knew that numbers would make it harder for the wraiths to divide them and pick them apart. Clark could feel the adrenaline pumping in despite the fact he wanted nothing better than to pass out.
"More are coming," Clark groaned. "I can tell."
They passed through the rocks which dug into their feet. It would be a lot easier for them to jump over the rocks and fly in the sky. Given the circumstances though, flight was not exactly a very possible thing. They would just have to keep heading off in this direction and hope they could reach the edge of the mountain. Clark turned his neck from one side to the other, his heart still beating.
"We're getting closer," Imra said. "I can feel it. They're getting more restless."
No need for Imra to say anything. The hideous howls coming from these creatures painted more than a gruesome picture. Clark, Karen, and Imra made their way over. The wraiths came very close to attacking them. Clark punched a wall and sent the rocks flying at them.
It would only slow them down for a couple of seconds, but seconds could make the difference between life and death. The group kept moving, never once backing down from. They could not stop because stopping would mean their demise.
'It has to be close,' Clark thought.
They made their way to the edge of the mountain. The wraiths grew even angrier the closer they went through the air. Imra put her hand up to stall their progress. Her heart beat a couple more times as she waited for them to fly across the way. They were getting closer and closer, and Imra's nerves were at the edge.
"Okay, this has to be it," Imra said. "I'm sure of it."
Imra stepped to the edge of the mountain and peered down. A large lake swirled around them. Imra could see it being their one way out. Her Legion Ring kicked back to life for a small second because of the strange energies swirling around in the pool.
"I'll see you on the other side."
In one daring move, Imra stole a quick kiss from her hero. She and Clark only met lips for a brief second, but it had been stunning. She moved to the edge and then jumped on it. She entered the lake as time started to flow among her. The water was scorching hot for a second and them cool.
"We better follow her."
Karen shoved Clark off of the cliff into the lake so he did not get any bright ideas about making a stand to save their asses. The next few seconds passed before Karen jumped off of the cliff and landed into the lake with a very solid splash as well.
The time wraiths howled in agony as their prey had gotten away. They would continue to thrive and survive.
Lara sat in front of the console deep in thought. She had the Fortress locked completely down, but for some reason, she did not feel too confident about the ability to keep the Fortress locked down. Henshaw broke free once before.
"I know Astra's patrolling on the outside," Lara said. "But, I'd like it if I had a little bit more control over what happened. He should not have gotten close to being in here."
"I know," Raya said with a frown. "I know."
Raya hated it, but there was not much they could do about it at this time. They were stuck with their backs against the wall in the Fortress. And they could not find a way to grab Kal-El as well. Raya returned to studying the footage of Henshaw blasting him. A second before Clark would be annihilated, he disappeared.
"Henshaw's not come back just yet," Astra reported in. "And when he does, I'm going to rip him in half."
"We're going to need him alive," Alura said. "He'll lead us back to Cadmus."
"I think his cybernetic components will do a pretty good job once we take them apart," Astra remarked. "But, if you want me to, I will leave him alive."
"Please do," Alura told her sister.
Astra just responded with a sigh and a brief smile directed at her sister. The things she would do to make Alura happy, they were many, to be honest. She just wanted to keep the peace.
Raya decided to stop watching the footage of Henshaw mostly because it had been entirely frustrating for her to watch. And also because she thought that there was no more to be gathered from these moments of footage. The group all had to play the waiting game to see what would happen.
"I wish I had more answers," Lara said.
"Instead, you're getting more questions."
Raya's statement rang unfortunately true for Lara. The more questions they had, the fewer answers they held. Lara wanted to tilt her head back and just scream. It would feel kind of good to just let her frustrations out at this level.
The similar energy flare from earlier had been picked up on the sensors of the Fortress. Lara thought for a second the security had failed. The lockdown almost finished, and she would have to see whether or not they would reapply it. Astra suggested they let it fail.
'Can't say that I disagree with her."
Another beacon flashed which caused Lara to jump almost ten feet in the air. More flares of energy kicked up around the Fortress. Lara put her hand on the edge of the console and waited for something to happen.
Two more time beacons popped up and they were coming right to the Fortress. The lockdown ended, and Lara turned to Raya and Alura.
"Wait here," Lara said. "I'm going to go investigate this."
Lara stepped out of the Fortress and joined Astra in the snow. Astra turned to her fellow survivor with a very evident frown popping up over her face.
"What is it?" Astra asked. "Henshaw returning?"
"No, another time traveler," Lara said.
Astra could not say with absolute certainty whether or not she approved of the time travelers any more than Henshaw. The very act of going through time flew in the face of the cold hard logic she had been brought up on. Regardless through, Astra looked on to see who was coming out.
Two individuals dropped down from the edge. Both dressed in skin-tight uniforms which their bodies filled in quite nicely. The dark haired girl looked on from the distance, from the edge of the ice. They gazed upon the Fortress and were spellbound by the sight of it.
"I can't believe it's still here!" one of the girls gasped in excitement. "After all of this time….well obviously it would have been still here. I mean, it didn't get demolished…or disappeared….or something…."
"Maybe it just got moved," the redhead said in an even voice.
"May we help you?"
Both girls turned around to see the fabled General Astra In-Ze, and they had to be spellbound by the sight of such a strong and powerful woman. Standing next to the General was the mother of their hero herself.
Lara noticed their excitement as they tried to get out their words. She also noticed two rings which resembled the one that Imra wore, and a ring which Karen claimed she wore when arriving from the future. Lara had so many questions to say and so little time to get them all out.
Another blast of light prevented Lara from getting anything out. She looked up to see the latest arrivals making their way to the Fortress.
Hank Henshaw turned into a glorified bloodhound as he hunted down Superman or at least his remains. Henshaw put on the image of what happened. The blast of warm light shot through the air and connected with Superman at the speed of light. It was to destroy him. Henshaw had to power down certain systems to conserve power.
"No," Henshaw said.
He noticed something which had been overlooked in the previous studies. The image of Superman vanishing just seconds before he would be hit by the final blow. Henshaw's eyes widened the second later when looking at everything. He tried to piece together some kind of explanation which would be obvious. The force did not knock him out, someone teleported Superman out.
Henshaw began to track for any temporal trails. He would find Superman, somehow. Even if he escaped, there could be no survival. He drained Superman of enough solar radiation to let his body hold.
"We have a problem," Henshaw said.
"Yes, you didn't kill Superman," Lex said. "Color me surprised."
Henshaw's eyes glowed red as he attempted to keep himself calm. No matter how many breaths he took, nothing would make him as calm as possible. Frustration just built to another level. He looked up to the sky. A bird flew by his head. Then a plane flew over his head. Neither was Superman.
An energy portal burst open and in flew Superman down to the ground. Henshaw stopped a second later to see a strong and completely refreshed Man of Steel.
"Sorry, I needed to take a pit stop to recharge."
Henshaw wasted no time in correcting the mistake. He would not try for a long range attack this time. He would take Superman down. Superman dodged the attack and Henshaw turned back around. Superman fired a heat vision beam at the ground forcing him to go up.
"You're still recharging from your battle earlier, aren't you?" Superman asked Henshaw.
Henshaw grabbed Superman around the head. Both Superman and Cyborg-Superman kicked up high into the air. They crashed down through a sign and landed on the other end. Both rolled about on the ground until Superman launched his adversary off to one side as hard as he could.
"Not for long!"
Henshaw rolled to his feet and almost collapsed. His arms and legs pumped off to one side and then to the other side. The Cyborg Superman and Superman surrounded each other. The battle between both sides took place with both firing punches.
Superman punched, punched, punched, away at his enemy. Henshaw took out a blade made of Kryptonite. Superman caught him with a huge attack to drop him down to the ground. Both smashed down onto the streets. The Cyborg-Superman rose up.
The Man of Steel circled around the city block three times before unloading on Henshaw with a huge punch. The punch sends Henshaw hurling back against the ground. The Cyborg Superman flipped over onto the ground and landed in a standing position.
"You think this is over," Henshaw said.
Superman came behind the Cyborg-Superman. The Cyborg-Superman fired a blast. A shield surrounded Superman's body to block the blast. Henshaw's eye widened before Superman blitzed him with a huge punch. The Man of Steel pulled back and kept punching away at his enemy.
"I'm ready this time," Superman said. "And it turned out, I did more than recharge."
Henshaw could see it and could not believe he had fallen for such an obvious ruse. The cyborg recovered and threw himself directly at Superman. His hand reared back and tried to grab Superman by the throat. Superman kicked off and slammed the full force of his elbow down onto Henshaw. He hurled Henshaw off to the side.
The Cyborg-Superman skidded to a stop. Several guns pointed at his body. The Cyborg-Superman turned around to see the Martian who stole his life, along with the DEO surrounding him. The lights flashed, as Power Girl and several other heroines dropped down to surround him.
"It's over," J'onn said to him.
The Cyborg Superman stood his ground despite the DEO agents all closing in on him. A small smile popped over Henshaw's face when looking at all of them closing on in. Did Henshaw think it was over?
"Yeah, you better go."
"Ms. Danvers," Henshaw said. "I knew your father."
Alex wanted to do nothing better than to rip this son of a bitch apart and melt him down for scrap. She held herself back despite her base emotions getting the better of her. It was very hard to do. Daisy put a hand on hers, in warning. The members of the DEO looked from Henshaw to Henshaw. Many did not ask any questions, but it was a very confusing situation.
"You think I'm coming along with you quietly?" Henshaw asked in a soft tone. "You're mistaken, I'm afraid."
Henshaw tapped the side of his arm, but something went wrong. The self-destruct feature did not work and he did not blow them all away. No matter how many times he tapped the edge of the button. Then, the rest of his robotic components shut down.
"Secure him!"
Superman stood off to the side and waited to see what would happen. Henshaw was not moving, almost as if someone had cut his strings. He caught sight of J'onn bending down and mentally shutting down the human part of his mind. The two locked eyes and Superman understood his implied thoughts.
'One could never be too careful.'
Many times, Hank Henshaw sat at the other end of this prison cell. Now, he was a prisoner in the organization which he ran for fifteen years of his life. The real Henshaw looked to the faux Henshaw, along with Agents Alex Danvers and Daisy Johnson. The two girls regarded him with agitation.
"You're not getting out of this cell anytime soon," J'onn said.
"If the DEO's standards have not fallen since I left, I should hope not," Henshaw said. "Because, if I do, I will hunt down every alien and make them pay."
"I'll be blunt," J'onn said. "Your employers sold you out. You owe them nothing. You should give them up."
Henshaw just cocked his head for a few seconds. "No, it was not my employers who betrayed me. He did…Lillian made a crucial error bringing him back. He's no different than Lionel Luthor, no matter how much he wishes to distance himself from that."
Daisy and Alex both looked at each other as time passed. Seconds just ground by on the clock. The eyes of Henshaw turned to them both.
"You're speaking of Lex Luthor," Alex said. "Do you know where he was?"
"I follow the orders of my superior," Henshaw said. "I will not betray them, no matter what."
"Even after they sold you out," Alex said. "Wow, you're Lillian's lap dog alright."
These words did not really affect Henshaw. He owed Lillian Luthor a debt which could never properly be repaid. He did not expect any of them to understand what he had gone through, and the sacrifices he had made for this country, and this world. Aliens were a disease that should be stopped out no matter what.
"Your father didn't know how to play for the right team," Henshaw said. "And his daughters have made a mistake. Of course, you're no longer pure. You're a freak. Although, if you played for the right thing than Cadmus could have taken care of your little scarab problem."
Alex's eyes shifted. She did not believe Henshaw for a single moment.
'He's the one who is more machine than man,' the scarab thought. 'I believe you should not throw glass at stone houses, as the saying goes.'
The scarab might have gotten the saying completely and utterly wrong. Alex just looked at the last man to have seen her father alive. It was still a bitter pill to swallow. Henshaw just smiled when looking at Alex. The wires connected to the back of his head allowed Daisy to access his programming. She bit down her lip as Alex put a hand on her friend's shoulder to try and get her to clam down.
"Please tell me you're having luck in cracking through him," Alex said.
Daisy took a second to look at the code. It was complex sure, but she could crack it. Only problem was Daisy was not planning to crack the code. She was checking for two things.
"Well, there's no Trojans in him, so that's a good thing," Daisy said. "But, the bad thing is there are no signals leading back to Cadmus."
Daisy blew down on her lip and came back with one of the most obvious sighs possible. She knew that they shut off Cadmus. No one was coming for him, which was both a good thing and a bad thing all rolled into one. Daisy threw her head back deep in thought.
"It's funny how this all ends," Henshaw said. "I've run the DEO for years and made one crucial mistake. And then I'm here, years later, sitting across from the Martian who stole my life. And now, this is how it ends….it's only a pity I won't be around to see aliens be exposed for what they truly are."
The DEO, his dream to hunt down and destroy all aliens, it would have to die.
"What happened to my father?" Alex asked.
"Well he's dead," Henshaw said.
Alex held out the cannon from her armor. It pointed directly at Henshaw who just stared her down with an unblinking smile. One could see how much he rattled the girl. He smiled at her rattled expression.
"You can't kill me because I've already been dead for years," Henshaw said. "The only thing that's keeping me alive is the need for revenge. And once I escape, I will come for you Martian."
As far as the DEO knew, this Henshaw as a robotic duplicate sent to infiltrate and destroy the DEO. He went rogue and went after Superman. Everyone bought the story as the most logical explanation, and J'onn knew there could be problems once it got out on the outside.
"How did my father die?" Alex asked.
"He was executed as a traitor by Cadmus," Henshaw said. "It was very painful after we extracted all of the information we needed. The fool thought that humans and alien could stand together in harmony."
Those lips curled into a very evident smile.
"He was mistaken. Cadmus will win the day."
Clark got off the phone with Kara, who hung out at the DEO. He flew back from the Kent Farm, up into the caves. He passed through the cave walls and appeared back into the Fortress of Solitude. He would be lying if everything had gone as planned.
"So, any luck?" Karen asked him the second he stepped on through the gates.
"Henshaw isn't leading back to Cadmus," Clark said. "But, at least he doesn't have anything on it that will infiltrate the DEO and cause us problems."
"Daisy checked him over?" Karen asked.
"Yeah, and Chloe helped," Clark said. "He's clean of all viruses. But, he's not leading back to Cadmus. And obviously, he refuses to say a word about his masters. He's loyal to the end."
Clark smiled at Karen, who just sighed. She put a hand on Clark and smiled. It was good to take advantage of time to get Clark healed up and also to pick up a couple of items. The Legion returned them back before they were missed.
"Lex is the one who shut Henshaw down," Clark said. "I haven't been able to get ahold of Tess."
It went without saying that Tess was busy hunting down Lex with every instant of her free time. Karen moved in to check on the Fortress. Clark heard the sound of running water stop and then he waited. He knocked on the door.
Imra answered the door seconds later. She dressed in a Superman nightshirt which came down to just barely touch her thighs. Clark realized she did not wear a single stitch of clothing underneath.
"Panties became obsolete in the twenty-fifth century," Imra said.
"Are you serious?" Clark asked her.
Imra just smiled and beckoned Clark to follow her in the room. Clark watched the night dress ride up to show a hint of Imra's creamy ass cheeks underneath the shirt. Clark found himself spellbound by the very look of her. Imra lead the way with a sway of her hips. She moved from the right to the left and then circled around. She sat down on the bed.
"I'm sorry for almost getting you killed," Imra said.
"It's fine," Clark said. "We're going to track down the time thief."
"Thank you," Imra said. "And I'll do what I can to help you."
The fabric of the Superman night shirt really formed a nice seal around Imra's beautiful body. Clark had been blown away by this woman's look. She reached in and cupped Clark's face.
"You won't believe how many years I searched for this shirt," Imra said. "Superman merchandise goes at a premium in the 31st century. They're antiques."
Irma squeezed Clark's bicep and smiled. His hands touched her side the closer the two of them drew into each other. Imra breathed as Clark grabbed her ass and squeezed it. The cheeks poking out just gave Clark a hold.
"The shirt looks nice on you," Clark told her.
Imra shrugged and shrugged off the shirt. She stood before Clark completely naked and she looked absolutely gorgeous in all of her beauty.
"Looks better on the floor."
She quickly unbuttoned Clark's shirt and took it off. Imra kissed Clark, pressing her bare breasts against his chest. Then her hands moved down to undo Clark's pants and pull out his hard cock.
Imra's fingers caressed Clark's big cock and rolled down to the base. His hard cock pushed into the heated hand of the woman.
"I have to taste this," Imra said.
"I have to taste you too," Clark said.
Both of them found their way over to the bed. Clarks cock stood up as Imra straddled his abs. Her juices stained Clark's hard abs. She scooted back so her thighs were pointed at Clark's face. Clark's huge cock rubbed against her face. Imra licked Clark's hard cock and just smiled. Her warm mouth took an inch or two in at time. A deep suck brought a moan from Clark.
Imra's warm mouth pushed against Clark's hard cock. He reached behind Imra and grabbed her ass to squeeze it. Her thighs opened up and Clark's tongue caressed the edge of her warm lips. Imra's thighs closed around Clark and released a steady amount of juices down onto his face.
Both lovers engaged in a very passionate dance with each other. Imra went down on Clark's cock while he ate out her pussy. Her warm throat opened up.
'Oh, I love your cock,' Imra thought. 'Please, Kal-El, make me choke all over your cock.'
Those thoughts projected into Clark's head with Imra stroking his balls. She grabbed them, squeezed them, and milked them. Imra pushed herself and took more of his cock into her throat.
'I guess there are no gag reflexes in the future,' Clark thought in a sexually induced haze.
Imra blew Clark like there was no tomorrow. She was pleased to see how great he returned the favor. His tongue pushed deep against her and then kept licking around the center lips. Clark's hard prick pushed even deeper into her mouth. Imra sucked on Clark and moaned around his cock. The harder he pushed into her mouth, the more pleasure she flex.
Juices spilled into Clark's face. He just had to keep eating her out. The taste spurred him on. Plus, the more he licked her, the harder and faster she sucked his cock and played with his balls.
'Oh, you're so amazing,' Imra thought. 'The girls are going to kill me for keeping this all to myself.'
Imra's eyes watered at taking such a big engorged cock deep into her throat. She stayed the course and took Clark into her. Clark's hands brushed all over the back of her legs and made Imra almost explode in lust. She could not take any more. This cock could never leave her throat, there were no two ways about it.
Yet, all good things would have to come to an end no matter how amazing. Imra blew Clark. She messily blew him and made his cock rise up. It pushed into the back of her throat. Imra closed her eyes and sealed his cock up into her throat. She came again at the thought of having cum spill into her throat and gag her.
Clark shoved his cock into Imra's throat and spilled into her mouth. He pushed deep into her mouth. Both released their pleasure in a flood of juices.
Both lovers moved apart. Imra laid on top of Clark and could feel his cock brushed against his thighs. She turned around so her hero could get a nice look at the perfect ass.
"All for you," she said with a sultry smile. Her eyes peaked from her bangs.
Clark grabbed Imra's juicy booty and squeezed it. She caressed his manhood and got it to full mast. Clark held the back of her neck and rolled down to her body. He touched Imra's nipples and made her shake all over him. Her juices stained Clark's cock when working it close inside of her warm pussy.
"Good," Imra murmured. "I'm glad you're giving me this. Give me your cock."
She slid down onto Clark's big cock. The head just brushed against Imra's slick lips and made her want even more. She lowered herself down onto him and felt a huge amount of Clark's cock shove deep inside of her body. Imra's eyes shifted over the moment she dropped down onto Clark and filled her up.
The warm pussy grabbed onto Clark. He filled up her body. Her pussy rose up and dropped down onto Clark shoving more of his length inside of her. Clark touched Imra's hair and then cupped her warm breasts. He squeezed them and encourage Imra to keep riding him.
Imra bit down on her lip, a sight she was sure her hero could see from his vantage point on the bed. Juices coating his cock allowed Imra to slid down onto him. Clark pushed his hands against her and rubbed her nipples. Imra rose up and dropped down onto him.
"Oh, keep riding me!" Clark encouraged her.
She pulled away from Clark and turned her position. Imra ran her hands all over her body and then Clark did the same. Clark reentered her with waves of warmth surrounding him.
Imra arched herself back and rode the cock of her hero. She bounced up and down. Clark touched her breasts. The Last Son of Krypton squeezed her breasts and made Imra explode into waves of never-ending lust. Superman grabbed her breasts and made her cry out for more. The moment had been beyond amazing from Imra's perspective.
"YES!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "YES!"
She drove down onto Clark and came all over him. Imra worked herself up. She was pretty sure anyone in the Fortress could hear her moans.
"Minx," Clark growled when running his hands down her body.
They switched positions with Imra hanging over the side of the bed. Clark held her up and drilled his cock into her. They moved from front to front with each other. The Super powerful cock pushed deep into Imra's tight body. She milked him as her own orgasm flew past the gates.
"Yes," Imra said. "Baby, make me cum all night long. Make me cum, Superman!"
Her pussy throbbed at the constant reminder of Superman being the one to drive his big cock inside of her wet pussy. Imra's eyes glazed over for a second. She hung onto her lover, seeing stars. A blast of white light emitted from behind her eyes.
Clark's throbbing balls pointed down at Imra's wet pussy. He needed to drive inside of her fast and deep. Clark pulled from Imra and drove into her one more time. Their bodies met together as Clark moved closer to the end.
A few scattered thoughts came from her lover's mind. Imra knew he was close. Her legs moved into position. Clark ran his fingers down those beautiful legs and made Imra almost lose herself on his cock. His mouth, hands, and cock worked in tandem to drive her nuts.
"Cum for me," Imra breathed hungrily. "Oh, fuck, cum for me!"
Clark drove his big cock into her tight body. Her juices surrounded Clark's big cock and made him want to bust a nut inside of her. Imra's soft legs caressed his sides. Clark responded by rubbing on her perky little nipples and sucking on them.
Both lost themselves with Clark losing his load inside of Imra. Her insides clamped down on him and made Clark spill inside of her body.
Imra felt more recharged than ever before. This was the first time from Clark's perspective the two joined in love-making, although not the first time from her perspective. Time travel could be a very funny thing.
Clark finished, for now, but Imra was far from done.