Chapter 9 – Exodus
"What do you mean we're all going to die? We just saved the station didn't we?" Eli asked the Doctor after the initial shock of watching the Tardis materialize from thin air had worn off. The others in the room seemed to share his healthy curiosity.
"Weren't you fixing the other conduits so that we didn't need to worry about the station anymore?" Simmons chimed in. The Doctor raised his hands and tried to quiet the gentle murmurs of those within the control room. He had made quite the entrance and it seemed all eyes were on him at the moment.
"Marvelous." He exclaimed once the crew had quieted. "To answer your questions Simmons, yes I have finished making the adjustments to the transponders so that the station is totally capable of keeping those systems operational for now. Sooner or later they will deteriorate and the station will collapse in veritably disintegrate. Well it would if the sun doesn't go nova and destroy it first. Which it will, but the good news is that you won't have to worry about that ever happening because you will all be dead before that ever happens." There was a gasp that went throughout the room.
Clark looked down to find Thevia clutching onto his arm. He frowned gently but returned his attentions to the Doctor. The Doctor stepped further into the room and approached Captain Eli.
"Captain, my good Captain. You said your supplies are running dangerously low. You barely have enough now to keep your crew taken care of. Is that not right?" Asked the Doctor. Eli nodded watching the man. "What would you say you have, a month or two left? Perhaps three if you get real lucky and ration it out really well. But then what? You haven't heard from those that sent you here right? I mean, surely they would have sent you supplies by now?"
"There must be some kind of interference. I'm certain there are supplies coming. They wouldn't just leave us out here. The communications array must be out of order." Eli responded nervously. The Doctor stroked his chin watching the man curiously.
"Travis, you're the engineer here. Have you seen anything unusual that might hint that there might be a malfunction within the communications? Do you believe in your expert opinion that there is a problem with the electronics?" Travis shook his head in the negative.
"Everything here works surprisingly well given our location. There is so much shielding on this station that the circuitry could almost be considered over protected. The communications systems should be working fine. There is nothing physically wrong with it." The Doctor nodded and then glanced over to the Captain who seemed to be sweating a bit.
"It all makes sense now. You were in on it. Of course. You are the only actual military personnel on this vessel. A handful of engineers, some mercenaries for security, and a few medical personnel for good measure. But only one person here knows the truth. Right Captain?" The Doctor said with a look of seriousness upon his face. Captain Eli took a few tentative steps backward.
"Doctor, what is it you are going on about? This is madness! Please… explain what exactly it is that you are insinuating the Captain knows. And how are we all going to die?" Thevia said stepping away from Clark and closer toward the Doctor.
"Of course my fellow Doctor, I shall explain. You are all on a suicide mission. You were never actually meant to return. They sent you supplies long enough for them to evacuate and save their own sorry little skins. " he started to explain.
"They? Who are they?" Simmons interrupted.
"They, my well-armed friend, are everyone. They are every sentient being within this solar system that would be destroyed if this sun went supernova. You were all selected to be throw aways. You would stay on this station and protect the solar system from destruction long enough for those on the surrounding planets to relocate. Entire civilizations up and gone. Poof. And you were selected to play the part of the little Dutch boy with your finger stuck in the dyke waiting for it to inevitably collapse."
"That is completely and utterly absurd!" Thevia interjected. The Doctor solemnly shook his head.
"You have to trust me on this. Your planets are no more. Well the people on them aren't anyway. Long gone. Where, I can't tell you. But what I can tell you is that you will not be getting any more supplies. You will not be receiving any more communications. You will not be getting out of here alive. And the worst part is, the good Captain knew this the entire time. He being the good soldier he was simply following orders. He kept you all in line so that you wouldn't ask question, didn't get too curious. Gave you enough motivation to do your jobs. What was it they gave you Eli? What did they offer you to make you betray these people that looked up to you?" The Doctor asked, his face all too serious. Eli took another step back though now Clark stood behind him. He clamped a hand onto the Captain's shoulder.
"I suggest you answer his question Captain. Now is your opportunity to be heard. Share your side. Is the Doctor right?" Clark asked softly. The Captain looked up to him and a look of sadness crossed his face. He buried his face in his hands.
"They wanted someone to follow orders and not stir up suspicion. They wanted someone who was willing to give their lives in order to save our civilization. They said… they told me my family would be taken care of for generations to come. I would be looked upon as a hero for my sacrifice…"
"Your sacrifice?!" Shouted the Doctor. "What about the sacrifices of these people? Your crew! What of their families? Are they not as equally important as you?"
"They were… the were looked at as degenerates. They were not fit to be in regular society. The mercenaries as you call them were mere prisoners issued pardons for their service here. The engineers and medical staff are bio-constructs. They were grown in a vat of chemicals and engineered for the jobs they possess. In the governments eyes we were all expendable. Only I had something to lose." Thevia blushed hearing Eli's words. She caught Clarks gaze and immediately looked away.
"That is where you are wrong sir. Regardless of who they are and where they come from, life is life. And all life is valuable. Even yours." The Doctor said with disdain. "Even though you don't deserve it I'm giving you all a chance. I can take you away from here. I can give you all a fighting chance. I've been to all the planets within this solar system and they have all been deserted. I can take you all to a new life, on a new planet. You all can start over. Or you can stay here and take your chances. What's it going to be?" The Doctor said with a slight smile. He stood at the opened door to the Tardis and offered Thevia his hand. She looked between the Doctor and Captain Eli biting her lip. It was when she got a slight nod from Kal that she finally accepted the Doctors hand.
"All right then in you go. There's room inside for everyone. I know I know it's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. Funny story that time lord technology and all." One by one the crew of the solar station entered the Tardis. One by one they left their old lives behind. Even Captain Eli, with the help of Clark and the Doctor made it onto the vessel. When the command room was empty save for Clark and the Doctor the two looked at each other. It seemed the Doctor was not as horrible as Superman had first thought. He offered the good doctor a smile and made his way into the ship with the others. Soon the recognizable thrumming of the Tardis bursting to life came to be as the little blue box faded from existence.
xXxXx
Lex sat in the back of his helicopter his eyes cast out over the jungle below. His thoughts were far from easy, as he looked out over the lush jungle below. It had been two months since that fateful day in the Luthorcorp Lab, the day when he first came into contact with the Cyber-Leader. It was the day when his life truly changed. He didn't trust the Cyber-Leader then, and he sure as heck didn't trust him now, though the dynamic of their relationship certainly changed. The machine had made him an offer and he couldn't refuse. If he did he would risk assimilation and that just wouldn't do.
Luther ran a hand over his slick pate. He glanced over to where the pilot should have been. There had been a lot of breakthroughs within the last few months. One of which was the complete automation of all the military vehicles in Metropolis. His personal jets and helicopters were not exempt. Another of the new breakthroughs from Luthorcorp was the development of his new Luthor-Men. The Luthor-Man was a new brand of cyber security that hit the streets of Metropolis.
The Luthor-Man was a cybernetic patrolman that roamed the streets of Metropolis keeping it safe for its citizens. It was fully weaponized and never tired. In the absence of Superman, Luthor's patrolmen were welcomed into the city with open arms. They scoured the streets cleaning up everything from gang violence and petty crime, to deflecting the incursion of superhuman activity. As far as the public new, the new Luthor-men were the wave of the future, promising to put an end to crime everywhere.
News of the new Luthor-men and their stamp on crime had spread across the nation within weeks. Soon cities like Gotham and Star City were commissioning Luthorcorps to provide them with Luthor-Men to help protect their cities. It was indeed the wave of the future. Yet it was only Luthor that knew exactly how dark and bleak that future was going to be. It was the Cyber-Leaders plan from the beginning. Using Luthorcorps technology to augment and veritably upgrade the Cyber-man, they became sleek and lethal. They were then dispersed throughout the city, patrolling it endlessly. When a crime was committed, the offenders were apprehended and rehabilitated. Rehabilitation meant upgrading the offenders to Cybermen. Thus a new wave of Luthor-Men would hit the streets.
It was a perpetual cycle and nobody seemed to question it. Why would they? Everyone felt safe and secure with the new Luthor-Men about. Crime was being wiped out and there was no down side. Nobody cared what happened to the criminals. As long as they were off the streets. What was the old saying? 'Out of sight, out of mind'? And yet they were right there, hiding in plain sight. Once there were enough Luthor-Men in all the major cities, then the mass upgrading would begin. The very thought of it made even Lex shiver.
The Cybermen were the perfect answer. They got rid of crime without the messy financial burden of jails or release programs. There was no such thing as repeat offences. The Cybermen would assimilate the criminals and make them upstanding law abiding citizens protecting the very people they sought to harm. It was a grand cycle indeed that kept the streets pure of filth. Luthor would have been more excited if he didn't know the end game.
Eventually the plan of the Cyber-Leader would come to fruition; perhaps even sooner than Luthor liked. He smirked. There weren't many things in this world that could cause him to shiver in fear. He wanted to rule the world. That much was true, but in his plans there would be a world left to rule when he was done. He shuddered to think of what mechanical apocalypse awaited him. The Cyber-Leader had seemed to think of everything. It was maddeningly frustrating. It felt as if he was like playing chess with someone who was ten moves ahead, and that was not a feeling he was accustomed to. Not at all.
"Lord Luthor, we are approaching the destination." Came a mechanized voice from the cockpit. Luthor felt a weight sink upon him at his autopilot's words. His life was no more or less of value than any of the other street trash the Cybermen had assimilated. No, they wouldn't stop until every man woman and child in the world had been upgraded. They would be stripped of flesh, stripped of emotion, stripped of any shred of humanity that they once had until they walked as new recruits in the Cybermen collective.
Lex didn't remember the last time he had personally visited Borneo. He knew he had a factory here but it had been shut down for quite some time. He had never had a project that required such resources. That and the watchful eye of the Boy Scout made things rather difficult for him. It was used as a munitions factory back then, supplying the local government in their war with local insurgencies, which he also supplied. It was a very lucrative venture as he recalled. Lex loosened his seatbelt and leaned forward peering over the back of the pilots seat. Lex's eyes grew wide as he stared out over the horizon at where his factory was, a soft gasp escaped his lips.
xXxXx
It had been a long strange trip, and it was nowhere near over. Superman flew high in the sky feeling the rays of the yellow sun charging him. He had lost his powers several times before. And each time he never realized how much he had missed them until he actually got them back. Now as he soared above the planet he was thankful for the experience. It was humbling. He did so much with his powers and there were so many people out there without powers that still fought every bit as hard as he did for what was right.
He looked down over the landscape below. It was strange and unfamiliar to him, but it would serve the crew well. There, they would be able to integrate themselves into the society and local cultures and make new lives for themselves. With his telescopic vision he watched them disembark from the Tardis. He was thoroughly happy for them. The crew were all genuinely good people; even the prisoners who had become pardoned for their service. It seemed that they had learned greater lessons in their time together on the solar station than they did languishing behind prison walls.
Even Captain Eli was a good man. Superman watched as the Captain stepped out of the Tardis. Eli had a good heart. He was willing to sacrifice himself for his family, for the good of the solar system. Given the proper motivation any man would have done the same. And despite the situation, he did value the lives of his crew members. Superman was glad that the Doctor was able to help him. He landed beside the Tardis door as Thevia stepped out of the door.
"Thevia." He said grabbing the good doctors attention. She had avoided eye contact with him for their entire trip. He wasn't sure if it was because of the feelings she had for him or the revelation of what she truly was that caused her to look away. He took a step closer to her grabbing her softly by the wrist. "Thevia, may I speak to you a moment?" He asked. She nodded gently and the two walked over to the edge of the woods where the Tardis had materialized.
"I wanted to thank you Thevia. Thank you for looking after me while I was on the station. You won't ever understand the level of appreciation I have for you. I want you to know that I am flattered by your feelings for me and were the situation any different." She nodded gently in response to his soft words. She looked up at him, her eyes growing misty. "I think you will like it here. They seem to be good people from what I saw when I scouted. I think you will be safe and I'm counting on you to watch the others. You're a good strong woman. I admire that in you. You remind me of someone else actually. And don't you ever be ashamed of who you are or where you came from. Not around me, not around anyone. You are going to make it far here, just stick to your ideals and be true to yourself. I believe in you."
"Thank you." She replied softly. A single tear rolled down her cheek. She believed his words and she felt a warm sensation growing within the pit of her stomach. She knew she would make it too; even if he was the only one that believed in her. She stood up on her toes and placed a gentle kiss upon his cheek. "You are good man Kal-El. Your woman is very lucky. If you ever need a doctor, you know where to find me." She smiled warmly before turning and making her way to the other crew members. He watched her leave and smiled. She would be just fine. They all would actually. A hand upon his shoulder snapped him out of his revere.
"I think it's time that we go." Said the Doctor as he stood beside Superman. The man of steel nodded and followed him back into the Tardis. Superman leaned against the railing watching the Doctor circle around the control console flipping switches and twisting knobs. It was almost a comical sight. It was a weird feeling being in the presence of the Doctor. It was as he imagined most would feel in his own presence. It was a state of calmness, a strange feeling that things were just going to work out for the better. In his disorganized state of controlled chaos he seemed like a madman, but to really get to know the Doctor was to understand just how much of a genius he really was.
"I have a bit of a surprise for you." The Doctor shouted as the Tardis began to make the soft thrumming noise that Superman had begun to grown accustomed to. The Tardis lurched suddenly and violently back and forth.
"You've found Lois?" Superman queried gripping the railing tightly as to keep him upright.
"Exactly the opposite! I have no idea where Lois can be. But that has absolutely nothing to do with the surprise." The Tardis lurched as it slipped once again into the time corridor. "As I see it, even for a time lord such as myself, it's going to take some time and research to find out what happened to your precious reporter. Now I will locate Lois and I can most likely do that a bit faster without your getting underfoot. Besides, the way I see it, after that whole solar station fiasco you have earned yourself a reprieve."
"A reprieve?" Superman asked suspiciously. "What are you talking about?"
"Well I think you need some time off for a little bit. Get in touch with the real you. While you are enjoying yourself, I will locate Lois and then come and get you. What do you think?"
"I appreciate your kindness Doctor, but I don't think I would be able to relax not knowing where Lois was."
"Trust me Clark… Clark? Or Kal? What should I be calling you?" The Doctor stopped his knob turning and cast a sidelong glance at Superman. He shrugged and continued with his piloting of the Tardis. "No matter, the point is I can get things done without you. And there is no real reason to drag you along when it isn't necessary."
"I do trust you Doctor but…"
"Then trust me. I only have your best interests at heart. I will find out what happened to Lois. When I do I will come get you. I assure you and bring you to her. I think you can take some time for yourself. You deserve of that much."
Superman mulled over the Doctors words. His concern for Lois was paramount. He knew the Doctor was fully aware of this. He had no reason to believe that the Doctor would try to dissuade or deceive him in any way. His hands gripped the railing tightly as the Tardis lurched about the time corridor. It wouldn't be that much different from when he started working with Batman and the rest of the Justice League. He had to learn to trust in his companions. He wouldn't always be able to be everywhere all at once. Try as he might he couldn't save everyone. He let out a soft sigh.
"I am trusting you Doctor, however if in doing so any sort of harm comes to Lois, I will hold you personally responsible." He said with a slight grimace.
"My dear Clark. From what you told of her disappearance, I am already personally responsible. I just intend to find out how responsible I am. I give you my word, as a fellow son of an extinct race that I will not rest until you two are reunited." As if to punctuate his words, the Tardis itself lurched to a complete stop. "Oh you sexy thing…" the Doctor muttered as he pealed himself up from the floor. A look of shear excitement plastered to his features. He turned to the man of steel and offered a boyish grin. It was similar to a look a boy might have on Christmas morning.
"We're here. Wait here… I'll get you something to wear." He said to Superman before he bounded from the control hub and down one of the numerous hallways within the Tardis. Superman quirked a brow and waited his arms crossed. Did he find something? What did he mean something to wear? What was the Doctor blathering about? A moment or two passed before the Doctor returned carrying what looked to be a grey wetsuit and some flowing white robes.
"Here, put this on. Don't worry about the suit it's comprised of a smart polymer that adjusts to the wearer. It will literally shrink or grow to fit whoever is wearing it. It's quite amazing actually. And as you are far more… er… larger than I it's a good thing it will too." Superman took the garments and started putting them on. They seemed all too familiar.
"Are these…"
"Yes, they are the robes of a scholar." The Doctor said abruptly as he made his way to the door of the Tardis.
"Does that mean we are…"
"Absolutely!" the Doctor replied once again cutting off Superman before he could finish a complete thought. He cast open the door to the Tardis and the light cascaded into the room. Beyond the door stood dozens of crystalline spires reaching up into the sky across the horizon. Lights twinkled along each the spires, miniature beacons of light against the crimson atmosphere. The sun was slowly setting upon the horizon.
"Superman my good fellow, welcome to Krypton."