Chapter 1

The sound of the blow was almost deafening, a large thunder clap that rolled over the city. Windows rattled throughout Metropolis, car alarms blared their protest. The man of steel dropped to one knee, the pressure of the large mechanical titan bearing down on him. One of Luthor's newest toys no doubt. Only he wielded this type of technology. Only he knew Superman's strengths, as well as his weaknesses. With a mighty heave Superman threw off the massive foot that was threatening to crush him. The titan staggered backward a few steps, its mighty arms flailing wildly in an attempt to regain its balance.

This machine was unique though. The closer it got to Superman, the weaker he got. This wasn't the typical weakness he would normally feel when he was around kryptonite. No, this was something new. Something he hadn't encountered yet, and quite frankly it had the man of steel a little worried. Being the defender of Metropolis, however, he was not afforded the luxury of worrying. This thing had already leveled one building, and if this fight continued the way it was going who knows how many lives would be endangered.

"Ok you walking junk pile. Let's see what you're really made of." Superman grunted as he stood once more. In a flash he was up in the air, a streak of crimson and blue hurtling toward the mechanical monstrosity. Another loud bang resonated through the air as he collided with the machine full force and lifted it straight off the ground. He could feel his strength fading slowly, as if the machine itself was syphoning off his energy. A huge tendril snaked out of the titan's chest cavity and wrapped itself around the Kryptonian's waist. Seconds later a massive jolt of electricity surged through Superman's body.

Superman grit his teeth against the pain and continued flying. He had to get this thing past the city limits. Away from where it was a danger to anyone. Another shock coursed through him. The pain was testament to how weak he currently was. It was the third shock that did him in. His ascent had halted and thus came a quick and meteoric descent. The only thought that went through his dazed mind was the hope that Metropolis was at least safe for the moment. That Lois was safe.

The two collided into the ground with near immeasurable impact. What used to be a quiet woodland area had now turned into a large crater. The earth rippled beneath them. Trees were uprooted; limbs were snapped and tossed into the air like toothpicks. The impact was actually a very fortuitous turn of events on three counts. First was the fact that they did manage to get far enough away from the city to where Superman didn't have to worry about the citizens of the city. Second, the velocity of the impact was so great that it actually ripped the tendril right out of the automatons chest.

Superman bounced twice, and slid to a slow halt. A path of debris and splintered wood lay in his wake. He laid there for not more than a couple seconds. He didn't have time to rest. He didn't have time to catch his breath. He could hear the machine already working desperately to regain its footing. He had to capitalize on this opportunity. He staggered to his feet; he felt the sun's rays beating down on him, revitalizing him. He looked toward the machine; it was on its feet and making its way out of the crater that they had created. If Superman were to stand any chance against this thing he had to stay away from it, attack it from a distance. If he didn't, it would continue to sap his energy and eventually overtake him.

"Ready for round two?" he asked aloud. He leapt into the air and swooped over the crater. The mobility of the creature, or lack thereof, would be its downfall. The machine raised its mechanical arms and launched a volley of laser bolts toward the Kryptonian.

"No, I don't think so." he said. Superman dodged the crimson beams with ease as he flew ever higher around the crater. Taking a deep breath he let it out in a sub-arctic blast, directed at the machines feet. A thick layer of ice coated the wall of the crater. The machines footing immediately became unstable. It skidded back down to the center of the crater, once more its arms flailing around for some semblance of balance but not finding any. This gave Superman the precious few moments that he needed. The few moments it took to soak in the suns golden rays, to allow his strength to return.

The machine, flat on its back, raised its hands toward him and shot again. This time, however, instead of a rapid volley of blasts, it was a steady stream. A single beam that was far larger than the blasts before. It was enough to catch the man of steel off guard. He caught the beam square in the chest, knocking him out of the sky. It was then that the third fortuitous act of their crash made itself apparent. As Superman fell from the sky into the crater the machine launched a second tendril from its chest and wrapped around the man of steels legs. However, this time it was different. Superman did not feel the slow drain of energy he had when he came into contact with the machine before. Somehow, in the fall, the machine was damaged.

"It's a whole new ballgame now, isn't it?" Superman said with the slightest of smirks. His fingers dug into the tendril wrapped around his legs. With the sound of groaning steel and snapping cables he tore the tendril apart freeing his legs. A focused blast of his heat beam was able to slice through the titans arm, severing it at the elbow. The sound of his punches echoed through the valley as piece by piece he dismantled the machine. Shredded metal and heaps of molten slag was all that was left at the bottom of the crater by the time he was finished. Despite his best efforts though, he could find no clues as to the origins of the metal monstrosity. He quickly cleaned up the remaining debris and made his way back to Metropolis.

Lois looked up as Clark took his seat across from her. A slight grin crept across her face. She wrinkled her nose and gave him a brief nod before returning her attentions back to her article. Her fingers once more began clacking away furiously upon her keyboard.

"Good morning Mr. Kent." She said softly, her eyes not deviating from her screen. "Traffic giving you problems again this morning?" She smirked again. Being married to the man of steel was not anything if entertaining, though it did present itself with a whole slew of problems. She was always having to make excuses for his unexplained absences, his late arrivals, and his sudden disappearances. It was a small price to pay forever in exchange for having around the clock access to her very own private super hero.

"Well you know how it goes Lois. Sometimes traffic is just unavoidable." He replied. He slid his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a single digit. "How's your article coming along? Still writing about the aliens that are wandering among us?"

"You of all people should realize how vulnerable we really are Smallville. There have been plenty of unexplained alien phenomena that have been occurring as of late. The signs all point to an alien incursion." She said as she continued to tap away furiously at her computer.

"What's that supposed to mean? Me of all people?" He gave a furtive glance around the office before clearing his throat and arching a brow at her.

"I mean you… of all people. Next to me you are one of the top reporters in this burg. You should be able to see the signs for yourself." She glanced up from her monitor long enough to give him a sly wink before she dove back into her story. Another bonus from marrying the big lug was that she could always make him sweat when she wanted. Not that she would ever spill the proverbial beans on him, but it was still fun to see him cringe every once in a while.

"Well I must say Lois, that that kind of story seems like it would be more fitting for the pages of The Inquisitor. I can't believe that Perry would even let you write such a piece." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"It's called reporters intuition Smallville. Maybe you should get some. If Perry can concede that there's a story here perhaps you should too. Think of it. All kinds of alien tech has been popping up lately. All over the world even, not just inside our humble Metropolis. This is big Kent, and I'm going to blow this thing wide open. Just you watch."

"Well Lois, I hope you do. As you said, there's no better reporter than you." He flashed her another grin. But too soon his grin went sour and his eyes went wide behind his spectacles. A report was coming over one of his colleague's radio a few desks away.

"This just in…" came the report. "The satellite Persephone is falling out of orbit and to the earth. The Persephone, being one of the largest satellites in US history, is estimated to land in the Las Vegas area. The city of Las Vegas is being evacuated as we speak; however it is unconfirmed how many have been cleared. Experts are reporting that should the Persephone crash into Las Vegas the destruction would be catastrophic. Eye witness report…"

"Lois, I think I'm going to get something from the café. I was so late I forgot to grab something before I left, would you like anything?"

"Hmm?" She said absent mindedly only half hearing him. "Yes, bring me a bagel and some coffee." She replied. He nodded his ascent and rushed off. Seconds later a boom filled the air causing the office windows to rattle. Lois smirked to herself. "Go get em Smallville." She thought to herself.

-

It wasn't long after Clark left before Lois had put the finishing touches on her story. She quickly scanned it for errors but found it to her satisfaction. She turned to stand when she saw a courier approaching her.

"Excuse me, are you a Miss…. Lois Lane?" he asked her looking down at his clip board. She quirked a brow and nodded. She wasn't expecting any packages, however in her position with the paper people would send her all kinds of things that they thought would be print worthy. She has received things from supposed alien artifacts, to plans for Nazi robot armies, and the occasional manifesto for world domination. It was usually her job to sort out the true stories from the crack pots. The brown clad courier produced a certified envelope and handed it over to her.

"Please sign here." He said thrusting the clipboard at her. She sighed heavily. So much for customer service she thought. She signed where indicated and handed it back. Her curiosity was getting the better of her. The courier had barely turned around before Lois had the envelope open. Inside was a single slip of folded paper. She removed the slip of paper and read the contents to herself.

'Lois Lane – In order to save the planet you need to come to the roof of the Daily Planet immediately.' She looked at the scribbles and then back to the courier who was heading back to the elevator.

"Hey," she hollered after him. "Who sent this?" she asked. The courier shrugged and pressed the button for the elevator. Lane shook her head. Why were people so useless these days. She didn't recognize the handwriting. It was her reporter's instinct that told her to avoid this letter, it seemed to be the joke of some whack job. She crumpled it up and tossed it into a nearby wastebasket.

"Thanks for nothing." She called back to courier. The elevator doors opened. As the brown clad courier stepped on, another courier stepped off. This one was clad in yellow and approached Lois.

"Excuse me miss, could you point me in the direction of a 'Lois Lane'?" He asked her. Lois cocked her head to one side and looked at him incredulously.

"I'm Lois Lane." She replied. He smiled and produced another certified envelope.

"Greetings Miss Lane, it seems like we have a letter her for you. If you could sign right here please." She signed, took the envelope, and ripped it open immediately. Inside was another slip of paper, much like the first. She read the paper on her way back to her desk.

"No seriously. You need to come to the roof right away if you want to save the world from Superman, aka Clark Kent, aka Kal-El aka your husband." Her eyes went wide when she read the words on the paper. Quickly she glanced around for the yellow clad courier but he had long since disappeared. Her curiosity was now peaked. Not too many people knew that Clark and Superman were actually the same person. Even less knew him by his Kryptonian name. She chewed gently upon her bottom lip. But he saved the planet on so many occasions, why would he destroy it? It just didn't add up. There were too many questions here to just let this go by. She had to find out who sent these letters and why. Grabbing her jacket from her desk she made her way to the top of the building.

She pushed her way through the rooftop entrance. What she saw across the roof from her took her totally by surprise. There, across the rooftop, was a tall almost gaunt figure pacing back and forth across the roof. There was a distinct look of anxiousness upon his features. He clutched at a small metallic cylinder that he kept flipping open and checking at. He would then close it, pace back and forth a few times, flip open the cylinder and check it again. He wore a blazer, some khaki slacks, and an odd red bowtie. Behind him stood a large blue box that had the semblance of an old police box from Europe. The door slammed shut behind her alerting him to her presence. His face lit up as he spied her.

"Good, you're here. We need to get going. Time is running out. Superman… er… Clark… uh… What is it that you call him these days? Well no bother. He is about to do something that will destroy this very planet. You, Mrs. Kent… Miss Lane…" He shook his head. He seemed to be rather confused at this point. "And you Lois are the only one that can stop him. It is quite imperative that you come with me. Now. I'll explain on the way. Please hurry yourself and get inside." He said as he pushed the door to the police box open and followed his own advice.

"Wait just a minute. I don't even know who the heck you are and you expect me to jump because you say so? Heh, I don't think so mister bowtie. You either explain yourself now or we wait for Clark to get back and you can explain it to him." She stood there, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Oh, so you are calling him Clark. Fantastic. Very well then. Who I am is… uh…" he responded as he patted the chest pocket of his blazer. He removed a folded piece of leather and handed it to her. "Here, these are my credentials. They should tell you everything you want to know." Cautiously Lois took the leather fold and opened it. Her eyes scrutinized the contents. She looked from the slip of paper, back to him, and then back to the paper.

"You? You are an affiliate of the Justice League? Somehow I find that a little hard to believe." She squinted at him, trying to decide if he was legitimate or not. "What's your super power? Poor taste?" She gave his laminate another look before tossing it back at the stranger.

"Justice League? Of course I'm an affiliate of the Justice League, I'm the Doctor. I'll be happy to explain everything, but for now your planet is in great danger, and as I said before you are the only one that can save it. So step inside and I will explain everything. Time is of the essence. And what do you mean poor taste? Bow ties are cool." He replied catching the leather fold and slipping it back into his inner jacket pocket. The Doctor waved her inside the blue box.

"Which Doctor are you exactly? I've seen Dr. Fate before and you look nothing like him buddy. Exactly which doctor are you?" Lois asked, taking a tentative step forward.

"Nope, not Dr. Fate, just 'The Doctor'. Do you always ask so many questions when someone is trying to save the planet? Now please, step lively."

"Doctor who?" She asked quizzically. Slowly she followed the strange man into the blue box.

"Just the Doctor." He smiled, shutting the door behind her.

-

He was already on his way back to the Daily Planet, but it was the supersonic high frequency thrumming that drew Superman to the roof. It was a sound that was completely foreign to him. No, not foreign, alien. Superman had traveled all across the world, he had traversed galaxies and solar systems, and he had even spent time in other dimensions all together. In all his days and experiences, Superman had never heard anything like the soft thrumming that cascaded over his ears now. It was more of a feeling than a sound. Like the waves of the ocean lapping rhythmically against the shoreline, the soft thrumming washed over him time and time again.

As he arrived within eyesight of his destination he saw the source of the soft noise that called out to him. It was emanating from a strange blue box there on the roof. It looked something akin to one of the old London police boxes, and it certainly hadn't been there when he left moments ago. And what's more, Lois was there. He strained his eyes, telescoping his view. His curiosity was only matched by a foreboding sense of danger. He pushed himself to get to the rooftop even faster.

The thrumming of the box became louder. It was a pulsing whirring noise, almost like a heartbeat. What was Lois doing? Why would she have gone inside? His questions, however, would go unanswered. Just as he was reaching the roof top the box slowly faded. He landed atop the roof, a look of stunned silence upon his face? Frantically he searched the roof top. With his x-ray vision he scanned the building. There was no sign of her.

"Lois?" he called out, but there was no answer. "LOIS?!" He shouted this time. The result was the same. Silence. He strained his hearing to the best of his abilities, but there was nothing. She was gone. He scanned the surrounding area but still there was nothing. She and the weird blue box were had completely vanished.