Chapter Six - And Then There Was Non

"Let him go," yelled Doc Brown to Batman. "There's still time to save time."

Batman let go of Clark Kent's body and it slumped to the ground with a thud.

"Times change," observed Batman as he watched the blood from Clark's neck wound being washed away by the rain only to be replaced by yet more blood. For a second his mind went back to a Gotham alleyway many years ago, but now was not the time for such thoughts. All that mattered was that this obstacle to Ra's Al Ghul's master plan must be eliminated.

"Okay, you asked for it," said Doc Brown. "Jules, Verne, show him your latest project."

The Dark Knight looked up in surprise as a metallic object started to hover down.

"It's called a Dalek," explained Dr. Emmett Brown. "Only my sons have removed the homicidal alien controlling it and replaced it with a primitive artificial intelligence."

"And this Dalek's going to kill me?" asked Batman disbelievingly.

"No, that would be against its pacifist principles," pointed out Jules. "It's going to reason with you."

"Negotiate! Negotiate!" screeched the Dalek, as it set down on the bridge. And then its electronic eye scanned the scene, and its logic circuits hatched a plan. Suddenly a blast from its gun whizzed towards Batman, narrowly missing him, and hitting the bridge floor behind him, just where he'd set down his lump of kryptonite. As the bridge floor gave way, leaving the kryptonite to tumble to the waters below, and before Batman could even reach his utility belt, another blast from the Dalek's gun removed one of Batman's ears from his cowl, leaving his mask, like the fight, distinctly one-sided.

"It's too late anyway," he said, looking at Clark's still body at his feet, lying in a washed out pool of blood.

Dr. Brown, his sons, the Dalek and Batman were silent for a moment as they watched Clark for what seemed like an eternity and then Batman turned away.

"It's over," exclaimed Batman. "Clark Kent's a dead man."

Suddenly a hand clutched at Batman's ankle.

"Dead men don't wear plaid," said Clark as, still holding Batman's ankle, he raised himself, and Batman, off the ground. Then he swung Batman round and round his head before letting go.

Any onlookers seeing Batman soaring through the air on that rain drenched night would have truly believed that a man could fly (although when he crashed through the defaced sign proclaiming Smallville to be The Meteor Freak Capital Of The World they might have begun to doubt it). However those same onlookers would have been in no doubt that a train could fly when Dr. Brown gave Clark Kent a ride out of this future that should never have happened.


"What, you're just leaving?" asked Chloe Sullivan.

"That's right," explained The Doctor with a vacant smile on his face. "Our job here is done. We've got to return this man," he pointed at Jimmy Olsen, "back to his proper reality."

"But what about Clark?" demanded Lana.

"Don't worry, he's safe. We've arranged for our scientist friend to bring Clark to us and, once we've finished with him, we'll bring him back here."

Lana Lang couldn't work out why The Doctor would need Clark, unless perhaps he needed some farm chores doing. Chloe Sullivan on the other hand knew about Clark's amazing abilities, but even if The Doctor hadn't needed him and had already managed to bring Clark Kent back to Smallville, Chloe Sullivan's next line would have been the same.

"I'm coming with you."

"Sorry?" said The Doctor in surprise.

"I'm a reporter and this could be the story of a lifetime."

The Doctor smiled. "But nobody would ever believe it."

"Just like most of her stories," interrupted Lana, trying to be helpful.

The Doctor shrugged. "Okay, you can come along."

"Well if she's coming, I'm coming too," reasoned Lana.

"Why would you want to come?" asked The Doctor.

"Clark's my friend. That's why, and besides, that guy still owes me money for his coffee."

"Come on in," said The Doctor with a sigh.

"So where are we going first?" asked Chloe, the minute she got in the Tardis.

"We're following Jimmy Olsen's path through time and spaces to get him back home," explained The Doctor, starting up the Tardis.

"He's not called Bart?" asked a confused Lana Lang.

Chloe's mind suddenly went back to an intern she'd met at the Daily Planet. "He's called Jimmy Olsen?"

The Doctor ignored them and turned his attention to Jimmy. "So, Jimmy, what's this next world like?"

"It was kind of cold," he replied. "This big icy castle affair. I didn't stick around there too long."

Suddenly the Tardis stopped with a shake, throwing everyone to the ground.

"Bit of a bumpy landing," observed The Doctor. "Maybe my earlier alterations didn't go as well as planned."

Getting up he wandered over to the door and opened it, only to see that the Tardis was sliding down what appeared to be an ice corridor with somebody flying feet first towards him. Either that or they'd landed on the side of a crevasse and the person was actually falling towards them.

Sidestepping the incoming man in black, The Doctor watched as the Tardis' artificial gravity took hold of the new arrival and dragged him to the floor, causing him to skid along it with his remaining downward (which was relatively speaking horizontal) velocity.

Rose Tyler looked at the stunned man lying on the Tardis' floor. "I know him. It's General Zod."

The others looked at her blankly as the man she'd called General Zod got to his feet and used his hands to brush himself clean. As he lifted his gaze from his black outfit, his eyes suddenly filled with panic as he saw a larger figure flying towards him.

As the second arrival skidded along the floor, knocking over the first arrival, Chloe asked "So, do you recognize this one as well?"

"Yes, Non," said Rose.

"Which is it?" asked Lana, who didn't think much of Rose's French pronunciation.

"No, his name's Non," explained Rose for the benefit of Lana.

"So there's Non and General Zod," stated Chloe, checking she'd got the names right for her story.

"And Ursa," added Rose, as yet another black-clad figure skidded along the Tardis' floor.

"I guess she's a Major," joked Chloe, and then, following the complete lack of response, she wished she hadn't.

At which point the three black-clad figures managed to clamber to their feet.

"Greetings, I am General Zod," explained the one that Rose had called General Zod. "I come in peace."

"Don't trust him, Doctor," shouted Rose. "They're villains."

Non looked at her, with a hurt expression on his face.

"Nonsense, we don't mean any harm" said Ursa, looking at Rose and deciding that she should be the first to die.

What Ursa didn't know of course was that in an hour's time one of the Tardis' present inhabitants would indeed be the first to die, but that person wouldn't be Rose Tyler.