17 years later...

"Is it ready?" Clark asked slowly, watching a short, lilac creature before him.

It's three eyes blinked simultaneously as it looked up at him, rubbing it's forehead with it's four fingered hand. "Almost, but I can't guarantee you'll land on Earth." The creature replied, prodding a small device with a metal rod.

"Doesn't matter," Clark murmured gently as the creature handed him the device, "So long as I'm near there it will be fine."

Sighing, the creature glanced at him, "It will be dangerous, we all know what Darkseid is capable of."

Clark's eyes closed slowly, "I can't run any more, Doctor..."

Reassuringly placing a small hand on Clark's back, the creature smiled at him, "You are a braver man than I."

"No..." Clark whispered, his eyes still closed tightly, "I'm nothing but a coward... I abandoned them all."

"From what you have told my people, you are a great hero."

"I was." Clark said simply, opening his eyes again, "But I'm done with hiding."

Pressing a button on the device, Clark watched as a portal opened in front f him, and turned to the creature. "You have helped me greatly Doctor, I promise, I will stop this tyrant from ever harming your world as he did Earth."

Nodding, he smiled again at the muscular man, "Our thoughts are with you Kal-el."

"Goodbye, Doctor."

Groaning, Clark fell out of the other side of the portal, landing on a hard, maroon surface. Dust engulfed him as he hit the ground and left a cloud surrounding him and filled his lungs. Coughing, he wiped the residue from his face and frowned. "Where the hell have I landed?" He muttered to himself bitterly.

The sky was a murky grey colour, bar a few red patches, and left the land in a dim light. Blinking, he tried to ignore the smell of burning which invaded his nostrils, and hovered in the air, gradually getting higher. There was no sing of life around him, only the fierce winds slapping his face with dust so thick that he could barely make out the rest of the landscape. Flying forwards, he attempted to evade the harsh gusts, not sure where he was, or where he was heading.

In the distance, he could see a large outline. He narrowed his bloodshot eyes and began flying faster, holding his breath. He came closer, and flew faster, heart pounding. Finally reaching it, he felt his heart stop pounding...then sink. He was here, he made it to Earth. "Darkseid." He growled, staring at the large stone statue before him. His rage boiled over and he found himself racing forward, punching the statue with all his strength. It began to crack and shake as he did so, "You'll pay for this!" He yelled, hitting it again.

"Hey!" A voice shouted, "What are you doing!"

Clark turned to see a man stood at the base of the statue pointing at him. "You work for him!" Clark responded, his eyes glowing as he took aim on the man below him. He shot and watched in awe as the man ran out f the way, faster than he'd ever seen someone run. Furrowing his brow, he tried again only to see the man dodge it again with lightning speed. A faint glimmer of hope sparked within him, "Flash...?"

Clark searched with wide eyes for the man, but couldn't see him anywhere. "Flash!" He yelled, straining his voice, but there was no response. Spinning around to search again for him,he switched to X-ray vision and checked again, only to be surprised at what he spotted beneath the ground. He could see more people, a group of them, turning he could see that inside the statue were a series of steps leading to the underground chamber.

A frown crossed his chiselled features as he flew down to the base of the statue, using his x-ray vision to seek out any kind of opening. He found one. It was a small stone block making up the statue, but it could be removed. Easily tossing it aside, Clark slipped through the small passage and stumbled down the dark steps in the tunnel. Remaining silent, his sharp hearing picked up voices murmuring; tuning into this, he could recognise them.

"I swear it looked just like him." One voice whispered.

"No, It's impossible." another replied.

Those voices. They were familiar. He knew who it was, he hadn't stopped thinking about them since the day he left. Light could be seen at the end of the passage, and Clark unconsciously walked faster to reach the end. "Flash, Batman..." He called out as he reached the end, "It's been a while."

The pair stared in awe at the man before them, "Clark?" Bruce said, stunned.

Smiling, Clark moved over to him, gripping his hand and shaking it. His eyes scanned the large, dark room, but even in the dim light, he could still make out the figures in the room. His face softened, "You're all here..."

"No." A bitter voice spat back at him from a darkened corner, "We're not."

Clark's head shot around to seek out the owner of the voice, spotting a shadow slumped against the wall. He lowered his head, "Hawkgirl..." He said slowly, "You escaped?"

"Yeah." She hissed, stepping forward, "and so did Batman, the Flash, Lantern and the others, with out help from you."

"I'm sorry." He said gently, his head still lowered, "You have to understand I had no choice."

"You always have a choice, you of all people should know that." She growled, turning away from him, revealing the stumps where her wings had been severed. "You're a coward."

Breathing heavily, he turned to see other faces, some which he did not recognise, staring at him in disgust. "I'm so sorry." He repeated, "I didn't... I never intended... I didn't think it would end up this way."

"And how did you think it would turn out?" Batman said flatly, "We're not miracle workers Clark, we had no chance of beating Darkseid."

Taking another look at the faces in the room, Clark sighed, "There were still a lo of you left, I thought... I thought you might have worked something out." He glanced at Bruce, "I mean, you've all escaped, doesn't that prove you can do this?"

"Seventeen years and nothing to show for it but our supposed freedom; great accomplishment." Hawkgirl muttered.

"And not all of us escaped." Bruce added, his voice low.

Eyes narrow, Clark looked at Bruce again, "What? Who didn't make it out, who does he still have?" There was panic in his voice as he lurched towards Bruce.

"Most were killed," Bruce murmured, looking uncomfortable, "But he still has Diana."

"Why haven't you been back for her!" Clark yelled, gripping him by the shoulders.

"It's too risky." He said simply, pulling away from the enraged man. "Besides, we could ask you the same thing; you're the one who abandoned her in the first place."

Hawkgirl sighed, sitting cross legged on the sandy ground, "And I don't think she wants to be rescued now anyway." She ran a hand through her hair, "She's not one of us any more."