40
Chester winced as the information flashed across the computer screen. A few nuggets seemed promising enough, but most of what he was seeing wasn't good news.
"You don't look too happy, Perfessor. I hope this doesn't mean there's no chance to beat this thing..."
"Joe, I've been able to read chunks of data as it comes in, but the information flies by at such a rate that I can only catch a little as it goes by. We won't really know how to attack this problem until the computers do a final render and give us a global graphic representation of just how deep it's spread. But just do me a favor, will ya? Just keep a little hope in your heart. It may be all we have left."
"Yeah, I'll try," was all the cop from Metropolis could say, but he didn't feel like he could muster up much at the moment. After all, something from beyond the stars had infected his world with a cosmic virus that was weeding its way around and through the inner reaches of the Earth undetected for almost a century. And now, the best minds on the planet have had only two days - two days! - to determine that it may very well destroy our home world.
He slowly ambled out to the corridor and found a window that overlooked the city - his city - and took a good look at the architectural wonders Metropolis had to offer. He had an excellent vantage point as this was the fiftieth floor of one the few buildings left relatively unscathed by the recent earthquake. He was not a particularly religious man, but he said a silent prayer for the deliverance of his world. Funny, he thought, we conquer major diseases, crime, manage most natural disasters - we even have finally gotten all the countries of the world to work together in peace - and it all comes to end, he snapped his fingers, just like that! He thought about his childhood growing up in Metropolis, and about Mary, his ex-wife. How they met, the good times, the not-so-good times. He thought about joining the force and working his way up to top sergeant in the city. And he thought, If it is all over, I'm going to be going down swingin'! I'll do whatever I can to help, whether it be fighting the purple virus, or helping people evacuate the Earth for the Mars colony! But number one is that I will not give up hope!
He perked up and went back into the lab to find Chester on his cel phone.
"...No, Candice, I'm right in the middle of something very important! It may be the information we need to take care of this thing that's... No, darlin', no! I told you I don't have time to talk to Phyllis right now. Yes, I know she's been right about the other quakes, but we're doing something that... No, please don't put her on. Please don't... oh, hi Phyll."
"Hello Chester, I know you are busy, but I won't keep you but a moment. Where are you right now?"
"Well, I'm still here in Metropolis, and trying to get some work done."
"No, I mean where in Metropolis are you? What building are you in?"
"I'm in the Thaxter Building just west of the Daily Planet building..." As soon as he said it, Chester wanted to bite his tongue off. "I don't understand why you want to know that?"
"We're coming up there to help out. We can be there in an hour by hypertrain."
"Not a good idea, Phyllis. I am very busy right now. Look, I can't tell you how grateful I am for the information you've provided, but really... there's no more you can do! Not in Metropolis anyway. Now, would ya - would ya please, just forget coming here and put Candice back on?"
"We'll put Candice on for you, Chess, but we are coming up there. Believe me, when we get there, you'll understand."
Phyllis handed the phone to her neighbor with a nod of thanks and left her to face Chester's wrath. It was time for the world to reacquaint itself with super heroes.
"Okay, now make me understand. You had an enlarging ray in your ship, but you needed to use a kryptonite powered enlarger to restore your ship to normal size? This is very confusing..." George had just set a course for Earth, and now was anxious to engage Guer-On in conversation, now that he could see and hear him at the same time.
Guer-On obligingly answered his question. "Well, you see, the handheld enlarger ray I had onboard was based on the one Superman used a century ago to restore Kandor to normal size. All the people were finally freed from that glass prison, but the ray had one flaw. All the inanimate objects such as buildings, furniture, houses, and the like could not hold their cohesion, and quickly eroded into dust. Our forefathers of New Krypton managed to cope and rebuild a great society on their new home planet, but the enlarging ray remained flawed. They had no need to fix it since they were all normal sized.
"But then we found that that same dust, which was the result of molecular instability induced by the old enlarging ray, had brought about a global crisis. This instability spread through our new home planet's crust like a purple web and still threatens to reach down into the core. Research showed the need for this new model which is powered by ilium 349-A, or kryptonite as you know it. This one could restore inanimate objects with molecular cohesion intact, as well as emit a modified radiation that would reverse the effects of the so called 'purple element.' But there was not enough kryptonite on our world to power a machine large enough and powerful enough to halt the spread of the purple on a global scale.
"I was the lead scientist and, as I have already told you, was infected in such a way that I shrank to this size. Once we developed the theory for the machine we had two prototypes built and placed in this ship. We then reduced it to my scale and here I am."
"Okay," said George, "but where does the handheld enlarger come in?"
"Anything enlarged by the handheld ray would not hold its cohesion for long, but it was necessary to enlarge the newer model with the handheld, and then use that prototype - once powered by kryptonite - to enlarge myself and my ship and its contents including the onboard anti-ilium ray. Because of its exposure to the handheld ray, the prototype would soon collapse into ilium dust which made speed an important factor in our operation."
"That makes sense, except why didn't your people send someone not affected by the ilium? Someone full sized?"
"A long series of reasons, but the short of it is that I insisted on it. I was the one who discovered what the ilium-infected dust was doing to New Krypton, I was the one who needed to be cured of its effects, and I am the only one who understands completely the principle of the anti-ilium ray. And I needed to be here to make sure that it works safely."
"How did you know about Earth's problems with the quakes?"
"Actually, I didn't. It may be difficult to believe, but the truth of the matter is, it was a coincidence. I only came here to harvest enough kryptonite to power the ray. The fact that your homeworld needs it too, just makes our crossing paths the more fortunate."
"Well, we should be back in Earth space in about two hours. We'll see if this ray of yours will do the trick, then assuming success, you can be traveling back to New Krypton to use it on your home."
"I am already looking forward to it, but is it warm in here? I'm feeling a little weak and dizzy for some reason. I thought such things weren't supposed to happen to Kryptonians under your yellow sun..."
"Such things are not supposed to happen unless..."
"...Unless the Kryptonians are in the same room as, say, kryptonite?" The voice came from behind the men. Guer-On slumped to the floor of his ship as George turned to see a figure in an E-suit come closer. In its right hand was an energy pistol pointed at George. In its left was a large hunk of green K. He didn't need for the predator to take off the helmet. He knew at once who it was.
"Jennifer!"
She made no move to remove her helmet. "Oh, how sweet! You remembered me. And I was worried that you had forgotten how much we meant to each other."
"Look, we have a problem that's bigger than any grudge you may have against me. Please, just - just put the kryptonite away where it won't hurt my friend. If he dies, Earth dies!"
"Oh, this must be Gary! How do you do?" Guer-On remained silent as he lay on the floor in pain. "Oh, not so good, huh? You do look a little 'green' around the gills! Ooh, I made a funny, didn't I? You know Georgie, I thought for the longest time that you were completely bonkers and that you just made him up. You know, like an imaginary friend?"
"Jennifer, please! The kryptonite..."
"Georgie, where are your manners? Why don't you ask me to take off my helmet and stay awhile?"
"You're killing him. Pl..."
She waved the pistol at George with an exaggerated gesture, and the smile in her voice was gone as she insisted, "I said, ask me to take off my helmet and stay awhile!"
George got the message. If he were dead, there would be no saving Guer-On, and if Guer-On were dead, there would be no saving Earth. "Please... Jennifer... would you like to... take off your helmet... and... stay awhile... please...?"
"There now," the sweetness in her vocal delivery returned. "That wasn't so hard was it? You know, I knew someone a long time ago who once told me something I've never forgotten. She said, 'It doesn't cost a damn thing to be pleasant.' I've always thought that it was good advice. Of course, she said it to me because we were having a... disagreement. So I killed her. Oh, but how rude of me to digress. You asked me to take off the helmet and stay! Thanks, I will."
Carefully, she dropped the kryptonite close to Guer-On but still out of his reach. She began to undo the locks that bound the helmet to the suit. "I guess I really should just be grateful to be alive right now. Your friend's pyrotechnics caused me to have quite the accident. Several panels exploded on the bridge of the runabout. I made it to the escape pod without any life threatening injuries, but thanks to you two, I now look like this!"
The helmet came off, revealing Jennifer's face with a few minor burns and bruises, and absolutely no hair on her head whatsoever. She was as bald as an egg.
And George was very, very afraid that she had cracked.