Chapter Sixteen

Superman grabbed Wells, and he and Clark sped down to the lowest level of the fortress. There, they were greeted by a sight that took their breath away. They found themselves in the midst of a veritable canyon deep beneath the fortress, where the Disruption Regulator that Clark had seen in Wells' grandfather clock had been recreated a thousand times bigger. All around them machines hummed and whirred, casting an intricate web of laser beams throughout the canyon. The beams reflected off mirrors and prisms that were embedded in the walls, and all seemed to be directed towards what had to be the center of the chamber.

"My word," Wells gasped. "This machinery is like nothing I've ever seen before!"

"I recognize some of it," Superman said. "From the holograms I've seen of Krypton."

"Yes," Wells said. "Some of it seems to be Kryptonian in origin. Kal-El must have helped Tempus create it. And some of the technology is Earth-based. But there seems to be a third aspect to this technology, that must have come from somewhere else, somewhere beyond Earth or Krypton…" Wells ran his hands over one of the machines. "It's extraordinary. Where could Tempus have gotten his hands on this?"

Clark walked among the rows of machines, following the path of the laser beams toward the center. Wells had said there needed to be one central crystal in the configuration, and that removing it would shut down the Regulator. All of the laser beams converged in one spot, in the center of the chamber.

There, he saw it. The central crystal.

"Oh my God," he whispered.

It was Lana's necklace. The one that had been made from a piece of the meteor that killed her parents, but had been turned to crystal by his spaceship. Kal-El had used it as the central power source of the Regulator. Millions of laser beams passed through the tiny crystal, and it glowed brilliantly with an incredible energy radiating through it.

Clark stepped forward, and reached out slowly to touch it. The luminescence cast an intense light across his face, and he actually had to squint his powerful eyes. There was a searing heat coming from the crystal. Clark was afraid to touch it, and he pulled his hand back.

The sonic booms they had been hearing every few seconds had now become one constant, continuous roar. The cavern began to shake, and the machinery was jostled. Some of the lasers began to flicker slightly.

"Oh dear," Wells said, holding his hat to his head and sprinting to where Clark was standing. "I fear we may be too late!"

Wells and Superman joined Clark's side as some of the machines began to groan and crackle.

"Quickly, Clark!" Wells shouted. "Remove the crystal!"

Clark hesitated another moment, then plunged his hand in. He could feel the heat of the laser beams. As he yanked the crystal away, the lasers that had been passing through it shot wildly around the room. Sparks rained down around them. Superman grabbed Wells and pulled him away from a shower of sparks that nearly fried him where he stood.

The whole room began to quake even more violently and the roaring boom grew even louder. Smoke quickly filled the canyon.

"Wells, what's happening?" Clark shouted.

"I fear the damage to this timeline may be too great!" Wells yelled back, covering his head as chunks of machinery fell down around them. "The changes that have been made to the past… Kal-El attempting to reverse the rotation of the Earth… it's just too much. Shutting down the Regulator should have triggered a smooth restoration of the space-time continuum, but I fear the transition will be a rather violent one! This world will come to a horrible end before time is restored!"

"What can we do to stop it?" Superman yelled over the noise.

"Nothing!" Wells yelled back. "Time will be restored to its proper order! But we must leave this universe now, or risk being erased with it as the change takes effect!"

Superman handed the time cube that he'd snatched from Tempus to H.G. Wells. Wells calibrated it, then tossed it into the air, and it expanded into the familiar blue window that would take them from this world.

"Wait," came a voice from behind them. They turned to see Diana standing there, fighting back tears.

"Diana," Clark breathed.

"You are right about this world," Diana said, sadly. "It will experience a horrible end. In his effort to reverse the rotation of the Earth, Kal-El has ripped the planet from its orbit. The world is spiraling toward the sun, and will soon explode."

Wells, Clark, and Superman were all silent. They looked at one another, desperately.

"The… proper timeline should be restored in just a few moments…" Wells managed to say. "It is unlikely that the end you have described will transpire before that happens."

"Even so… I have one favor to ask of you, travelers," she said.

From the darkness, a green man stepped forward, holding a crying baby. They recognized the man from the hologram they had seen of Kal-El fighting The League. He was called J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter.

"J'onn has kept my baby hidden here, beneath the fortress, since he was born," Diana explained.

"I was able to use my mental powers to shield Kal-El and his men from detecting our presence," J'onn said. "We thought it wise to keep the child here, as we were unsure how the green kryptonite mist that hangs in the air outside might affect him."

"Please take my baby with you," Diana pleaded. "If this world is in its final moments, he doesn't deserve to experience that… to experience the end of the world before he has a chance to live his life. Kal-El may have become a monster, but our child was truly conceived in love." She stared into Clark's eyes. "Please… please take him with you, so that he may have a chance at life."

Wells stepped forward. "You have done so much for us," he said to Diana. "It is the least we can do. I know a place where the child will be safe." J'onn handed the baby to Wells.

"Come with us," Clark said, taking Diana's hand.

"No," she said, with a weak smile. "My place is here, with this world. Whatever fate befalls it, it is my fate as well." She gently kissed Clark's cheek. Her lips felt warm and soft. "May Hera watch over all of you," she whispered.

The quake continued to grow stronger, to the point where they could barely stand. The room had almost completely filled with smoke, making it difficult to see.

"We should go," Wells said, cradling the infant in his arms. With one final farewell, Clark, Superman, and H.G. Wells stepped through the window, and it drew itself shut.

Diana rested her head against J'onn's shoulder and let a tear fall down her cheek. Her baby would be safe. To her, that was all that mattered. J'onn quietly took Diana in his arms, and the two old friends silently waited for the world to end.