Superman: The Ark of Krypton

By

Jason Richard

Alien Attack leaves Superman Blind!

That was the Daily Planet's headline, but every newspaper and TV station repeated this basic idea. Superman was blind. The impact of that was caonfusing, to say the least. Some people panicked, saying that he couldn't protect them like this. Some were optimistic, saying that his enhanced hearing could pick up the slack. Others said Supergirl could do what Superman couldn't, but many countered that she lacked Superman's experience, and wasn't ready for this.

Not everyone who talked about this or posted about it online was particularly polite about the situation, either. There were plenty of people in full panic mode, projecting doom and gloom everywhere they went.

And one person who felt a little of that doom and gloom was Lex Luthor, and while the wealthy businessman had no love of Superman, he was worried about the state of the world.

As Lex sat in his office, looking over the headlines, he couldn't help but think that Mercy had been right. There was no way she could have reasonably known that something like this would happen, but her instincts had proven right all the same. Superman's condition was absolute proof of it.

Then Lex got a page from his secretary. Mrs. Lane was paying a visit.

Not a visit he was looking forward to, but he paged his secretary back to have her send Lois up.

She entered his office, a briefcase at her hip, and did not look happy. Usually, Lex could read anyone, but he legitimately had no idea what she was going to say. She sat down across from him and scowled.

"No doubt, you've heard the news," said Lois. "Happy?"

Luthor smirked, "Under other circumstances, honestly, I might be, but I am not the one responsible for Superman's condition. It is those that are responsible that worry me."

"That's what I'm counting on," said Lois. "And as much I hate to admit it, I can't afford to get rid of you. Superman is blind, his AI is out of commission, and while his alien cousin is determined, she's still just a teenager. I don't think she's ready for this kind of burden. I've been in contact with Edward Lytener, but he's not confident his tech is enough. That leaves you and your technology, the only other thing that's come close to matching the kind of power we need."

"So, you're willing to call a truce?"

"I'm willing to call a truce, but on one condition. I recognize that your illegal operations cannot be shut down overnight, or that your company could recover from that loss of resources, but if I am going to stop trying to take you down, then I need your reassurance that you won't hurt innocent people. You know what I mean. Small business owners who get assimilated into your company and then fired, police who try to stop intergang or scientists like Edward Lytener."

"Are you sure you want to press this?" asked Luthor. "Is it worth it, given that the entire planet is at stake?"

"I can't have this on my conscience," said Lois. "I just can't. Think of it this way. If you push me into turning a blind eye to your company's victims, imagine the frame of mind I'll be in when all of this is over and all bets are off. I can be in that frame of mind, or I can be in a frame of mind where you compromised. Besides…"

She pulled out a folder from her briefcase and put it on the desk.

"I'm a lot closer to busting you than you think," said Lois.

Curiously Luthor took up the folder and looked through it and was thoroughly impressed. Also, he felt a slight chill go down his spine. She had a lot of information, and a surprising amount of it could be traced back to Luthor himself. Illegal testing, actions of Intergang that directly benefited Lexcorp, the list went on. Luthor could probably make the case to the government that they needed him for this alien invasion, but afterward?

"Alright, Miss Lane," said Luthor. "I agree to your terms. I won't be able to cease all illegal activity overnight, but I'll make certain Lexcorp accommodates your consciousness as soon as humanly possible."

"Make sure you do," said Lois, her eyes icy and hard.

She stood and walked away, leaving the office and the folder with him. No doubt she had copies of all the information in this folder, Luthor thought. He couldn't afford to fight her and the alien threat and Lois Lane's meddling. Luthor shook his head.

Bruno Mannheim and the rest of intergang were not going to be pleased with what Luthor would have to do.