THE TIN MAN AND PROJECT SAVIOR
"Isn't she a reporter? Why are we even talking to her?"
"Calm down Bruce, She isn't just a reporter."
Lois was sitting across from Diana watching her argue with some tall dark and handsome heartthrob. She wasn't sure if she was going to get anything useful, but she was tired of waiting. Getting up, she approached them just in time to hear Diana say,
"She isn't just a reporter; she's the wife of Kal-el!"
Lois mouth just dropped. For the first time in her life, she was speechless.
"Lois, this is Bruce…."She held out her hand as she searched Diana face. "Did she seriously believe..." But it was very evident that the man's entire mannerisms changed from indifferent to civil.
"Oh, well in that case, come with me." The tall dark man seemed to be satisfied with the explanation. He turned on his heel and walked elegantly towards a limousine; Lois pulled on Diana's arm and said quickly… "I'm no ones wife! Got it? We're barely dating!"
Diana just looked at Lois and replied with a laughter in her voice, "You obviously have a lot to learn about Kryptonian customs." She gestured towards the Limo. Lois raised an eyebrow and climbed in.
"What the hell does she know?" she thought to herself
"Okay, now that we are out of the earshot of the Luther's, how about you start by telling me about project savior?"
"Project savior is Lex's demented notion that he will become the savior of the world."
"And just how is going to accomplish that?"
"By taking control of all nuclear facilities throughout the world, he will protect the world from what he believes is an inevitable attack."
"But what is really going to happen once he takes control?"
"I'm afraid Zod will bring the world to it's knee's"
Lois shook her head in disbelieve, Can't we just stop him? Arrest him…Hell kidnap him…I mean if he isn't around to possess…"
"Brainiac will just use someone else…what we are afraid of is that he will try to use Kara…or even worse…Kal-el."
"No! He couldn't get close to him…"
"That's just it, Kal-el is more vulnerable than Kara is…he is stronger and Brainiac knows all about him his history, his love for Krypton…he'll try to use it against him."
"But he knows what Zod is planning; he wouldn't ever put anyone in danger. I know he wouldn't"
"As long as Brainiac doesn't infect him...he's safe."
"He won't get near him, not as long as I'm around…"
"About the Tin Man…" Bruce broke in.
"What's he doing working for Lex?"
"Well, for one thing he's a Chameleon."
"Really?"
"And secondly…he's the one Lex has hand picked to lead his Armies of Arethusa."
Lois frowned and asked, "Just how big are these armies?"
"Right now, it's only in the hundreds…"
"Oo…Oo..only in the hundreds?" She asked.
"I've managed to put a bug in his armies, how effective it will be I'm not sure." Diana interjected
"What bug?"
"Blue Kryptonite…robs Kara and Kal-el of their powers, I have implanted it in each 'soldier", encased in a lead capsule…"
"She can send a radio transmitted signal that will release the kryptonite from the capsules."
"But…you're waiting until he makes his move…" Lois shook her head in understanding
"If we tried to take him down now," Bruce said, "Brainiac would just find someone else."
"Why are you telling me all this? Have you talked with Kal-el?"
Diana and Bruce looked at each other and then back at Lois. "Because you're closer to Kal-el than anyone…you have to know what you're up against."
"What I'm up against?"
"Lois your life changed the moment he found you at Reeves Dam."
"How do you know about that?" She asked them warily
"That doesn't matter; you're the one who can keep him safe." Diana said.
"I don't understand why you think I'm capable of getting him to listen to anything I say….he hasn't done it yet!" she answered sarcastically
"Because! Jor-el chose you"
"Chose me for what? His son's girlfriend…wife?"
"No, as Kal-el's guardian! Sometime before he came out of his ship and after you met Kara…Jor-el had chosen you...Kal-el decided the rest all by himself."
"How could that be…he didn't release that….fortress until after he got out of his ship…?"
"Lois, he wasn't in suspended animation by accident…Jor-el arranged it that way." Bruce said.
"But how would he even know…"
"I don't understand either," Diana said. "Jor-el was a great scientist, and so was his wife Lara…somehow they knew…scientifically…"
"That's why I was having dreams…How do you even know about this?"
Diana hesitated, and then said "I discovered this when I went to investigate Kal-el and his fortress, it's written in one of the scrolls inside the memory banks."
"Wait…you can read that stuff?"
"Actually, I can read that, all the languages here on earth, and about a hundred more from different galaxies from around the world."
"Who the hell are you? How do I know that you're not Brainiac?"
Bruce just smiled at Diana; she was getting deeper into details than she had meant to go with Lois…
"I'm not Brainiac; it's just that…well…"
"Like Kal-el and Kara….she's not exactly from around here." Bruce finished for her.