Lois was dragged through the double doors and shoved into General Zod's 'inner sanctum'. Immediately her eyes sought out Clark and found him. "Clark!"

His face flushed with anger when he saw how she had been treated. He saw the burn mark on her arm and the bruises on her face and looked over at Zod. "What did you do to her, you bastard?"

Zod smiled thinly. "I didn't do anything. They did." He motioned to Dral and Shor-Ra who were staring at Clark stonily. "I had information that I needed to be sure of." He deliberately tossed the ring casually up in the air where Clark could see it.

He was panicking. Zod had the Legion ring and under the red sun his powers were gone. He was useless to help Lois though that didn't stop him from trying to struggle to get free. "You coward," Clark shouted, "You have to hit women to make yourself feel better."

That earned him a punch in the stomach and he doubled over in pain. Zod momentarily looked towards the window and then back to Clark. "Where are you human friends now? When you need them the most they have deserted you," he sneered. "You should have joined me when you had the chance."

He glanced slyly at Lois and nodded to Terim who was holding Clark in place. He planted a knee in his gut and then punched him in the face, knocking Clark to the floor.

"No! Clark!" Lois shrieked, trying to kick free of the man holding her arms. "Stop it you bastard."

Zod walked slowly to Lois. "If you could end his pain, would you? What if I could promise you that Clark Kent would never be harmed again? Would you pledge your allegiance to me and swear to never leave?"

Lois spat at his feet. "Never."

That earned Clark a kick to the back and Lois looked up quickly. "Okay, I swear. Just leave him alone, please," she begged, looking desperately at the man she loved on the floor.

"No, Lois, I would rather die than see you with him," Clark moaned.

Lois had tears running down her face. "And I would rather die than see you hurt or killed."

Zod laughed. "Well, both of you are going to die so-," he shrugged, and turned away from them.

"But you said-,"

He cut her off. "I lied,' he said simply. He nodded to the guards who roughly shoved Lois to her knees, hands clamping down on her shoulders tightly. "It has certainly been interesting Lois Lane."

She glared at him.

"It is a shame that I can't keep you longer. " His eyes flicked down below her face for a moment. "But, I can't afford to keep any members of the resistance alive and since you're intimately connected with every one of them, it goes without saying that you must be destroyed also." He knelt down so that they were face to face. "Don't worry. Clark will be joining you in moments. Your death will be his ultimate blow."

She looked defiantly at him, but he could see the stark fear behind her eyes. True to form she replied, "Are you done talking yet? Can we get this over with?"

He chuckled and stood up. Shor-Ra handed him some sort of Kryptonian short sword which he leveled at her neck. Her heart was about to pound right out of her chest. She looked at Clark who was desperately struggling to get out of his captors grasp.

"I love you."

He stopped and looked at her. "I'm sorry. I never wanted you to be involved."

"I know, but you still should have told me," she said, "So you're an alien from a planet full of assholes. So what? I wouldn't have thought less of you."

Zod rolled his eyes and once more glanced toward the window. He slowly raised the sword above his head, and just as he was about to remove her head with it, a whirring noise sounded by his head and it was knocked out of his grasp. He whirled around and saw Oliver Queen dressed in his ridiculous Green Arrow costume smirking at him like an idiot.

"Get them," he ordered, watching two blonde women, Watchtower and Black Canary, fly through the other windows and drop down next to Clark. Lois used the distraction to her advantage and scurried over to the rest. Chloe gave her a grim smile.

"So this is where you disappeared to." She shot green darts out of a big black gun and Lois watched in amazement as two Kryptonians went down writhing and looking like they were about to puke. Clark grabbed her and limped over to the window.

"Oliver!" he yelled, "You got an escape plan?"

Ollie didn't look at him as he ducked a mortal blow to the head, but he did laugh. "Should be on its way as we speak."

Suddenly, Lois looked over and saw a medium-sized flying aircraft rise to the window. They both smiled and climbed out, jumping as far as they could over to it. Suddenly the others came shooting out the window as well, followed by a large explosion, with orange flames licking their heels.

"Get us out of here!" Chloe screamed to the pilot and he pushed a button, sending them jetting forward with a surge that knocked Lois backward onto the grey floor. She saw the mansion smoking and stared at it in shock as they—unbelievably—made their escape.

XXXXX

Shor-Ra's face was blackened and he was extremely irritated by the fact that he had just let those humans escape. That and the nausea-inducing, potentially fatal, green bullet that Dral had just finished digging out of his body. He gritted his teeth and turned to his general.

"Sir, when should we pursue them?"

Zod was looking at a sophisticated form of the GPS system and grinned. "As soon as this red dot here stops moving."

Shor-Ra cracked a smile at his leader's ingenuity. Dral slowly began laughing as everyone brushed themselves off and smiled. The only question now was how long it would take them to clean up and rebuild the top corner of their headquarters.

Zod ran a thumb along the bottom of his lip, deep in thought. Shor-Ra knew that he only did that when he was conflicted about something. He looked up at his most trusted lieutenants and wondered how they would react to their little problem.

"I'm calling an emergency meeting," he announced, drawing looks of surprise from everyone else. "After we crush the rebellion and stamp out any last hope the humans have of escape, we have many things to discuss. Be ready." And with that he strode out of the room, leaving everyone else to wonder what was going on.

XXXXXXXXXX

Lois woke up from the deepest sleep she'd ever been in and looked around. They were in what looked like some sort of underground bunker. One that had been abandoned for awhile. Chloe had told her that her father had been killed a few months after she disappeared, when the tower was done and the aliens showed their true colors.

She'd known that her father was dead, but hearing it talked about aloud was different. She'd cried for hours afterwards. Lucy was missing also.

Then Clark had come in to talk to her, to answer her questions. They had stayed up all night just lying in each others arms. There was food and toilets and personal hygiene supplies. It wasn't the Ritz Carlton—hell, it wasn't even Motel 6—but it would do just fine for her after being stuck down in that cellar for God knows how long.

Clark told her it was only less than a day.

Her arms still ached from the ropes and being tied up and her shoulder throbbed from Zod's stitches.

"Clark, Zod has the Legion ring. Do you know what he could do with it?"

That was Chloe. Lois stood to her feet and followed the voices until she saw her and Clark and Oliver standing around a table laden with maps, talking. None of them looked happy and she bit her lip, guiltily. It was her fault that maniac had the ring. Whatever it was.

"Yes, Chloe, I know," he answered quietly. "He could go back in time and kill me when I was baby. Or use one of the portals to travel to Krypton when it was still a planet. He could do anything he wanted."

"But, does he know how to use it or what it does?" Oliver asked. "Did Lois say anything?"

He shook his head. "She said that they asked her about us and about the ring but that she didn't know anything. That implies that neither do they. Why would they torture her for information that they already knew?"

Everyone was silent for a second and Lois was about to reveal her presence but just then Chloe spoke again. "Well, I know someone that Zod has in his pocket that would be more than happy to tell him everything she knows."

Clark looked at her. "Tess," he said flatly. "How do you know for sure that she knows what the ring does?"

She shrugged. "I don't, but Lois disappeared while she and Tess were fighting over it. I'd guess that Tess had people working on it before then and that she found at least something out. Why else would she steal it from Clark and almost kill Lois over it?"

Remember you love her, Lois reminded herself as Chloe's last words rang in her ears. The day Tess Mercer killed her would be the day monkeys flew out of her rear.

"I know Tess," Oliver spoke up, seriously. "She's got a tenacity that's scary and with Lex Luthor's power and money to back her up she's downright formidable. I think Chloe's right. She knows something and while it may not be enough to actually use the ring…" he paused, "It might just be enough to set Zod on the right track and doom us all."

They were all silent after that and Lois couldn't stand hiding anymore. She walked out quietly. "You're forgetting something very important about Tess, Oliver."

They all jumped and looked up surprised. Clark cocked his head. "And what's that?"

She looked at them with a grim smirk. "Tess Mercer only loves Tess Mercer. And she knows Zod very well. If she's joined him then that must means that he trusts her enough to let her know some of his secrets."

"And? How does that help us?" Chloe asked frustrated.

Lois looked at her. "Because if she did know what that ring really does, then I don't think she'd tell him, at least not all of it. She knows that if Zod found out he'd act on his information and her life would be in jeopardy as well. She's a survivor."

They all looked at each other doubtfully. "Tess is one of them now. What makes you think she wouldn't sell out her species for a chance to live forever? That's what they promised her you know," Oliver said, "To make her one of them."

"Yeah and if Zod could suddenly travel through time he'd wipe her out in a heartbeat. She's not that valuable to him, not compared to the ring. By the way, what exactly does it do?"

"Lois, you know I can't tell you that," Clark began, but she cut him off angrily.

"Clark Kent, you tell me what the hell that ring does or by God I will—"

He held up a hand. "Okay, okay. I just don't want to put you in danger any more than I have. But, I'll tell you." He took a deep breath and then started. "The people who gave it to me told me that whoever wears the ring can transport themselves to any time they want. And it gives them the ability to fly."

Lois was confused. "Then why did it transport me here, to this time? I sure as hell wouldn't have picked this. And why didn't you tell me this before when I could've actually escaped?"

Now they all looked horribly guilty and frustrated and she grew suspicious. "What?"

Clark sighed, and looked down to the floor. "I was—we were hoping that we could figure out a way to send the rest of us back with you. To try and prevent this future."

Lois went still. "So why couldn't I have just told you when I went back to the past? I would know—I could've done something." She looked back and forth between each one of them and the horrible realization dawned on her. "You weren't going to tell me anything were you? You were just going to use me as your ticket to freedom and keep me in dark."

Chloe stepped forward. "We were just trying to protect you."

Lois backed away angrily. "No you weren't. You were trying to leave me out as always."

They tried to call her back, but she walked away. Had they ever really been her friends? She understood trying to protect her, but this was going too far. She was here, for Pete's sake, in the future, with an alien time-traveling ring. It was time to let her in on the secret.

She almost laughed when she realized that it had been Zod of all people who had told her the truth. The megalomaniac psychopath.

Back at the table, the three friends looked at each other. Clark ran a hand through his hair in frustration and Chloe looked down at the floor guiltily. Oliver did the opposite. He looked up at the ceiling as if silently begging someone to help him figure this all out.

"She's right," Chloe said finally. "I was the one who was always telling you to be honest with Lana and here I am, lying to my cousin, one of my best friends."

He felt a familiar pang when he heard Lana's name. She was dead now. It had happened about six months ago and it was his fault. Zod had used her against him the same way Brainiac had. She had stabbed herself in the stomach rather than give up her friends' secrets under torture.

And now he was driving away the only other woman he'd ever loved. Oliver's expression looked as though he agreed with Chloe.

"I know Lois," he began, "and I know that if ever there was a person who could, by sheer force of will alone, alter futures and change pasts then it would be her. She's the most trustworthy person I know and she would die for us."

Clark's heart broke a little and he looked up. "That's what I'm afraid of," he said quietly.

Chloe placed a hand on his arm. "She's not Lana. Lana died bravely, but you have to trust that Lois' future might be different than hers. Either way she's in danger."

"So what do we do now?"

"We need a plan to get that ring back. And we need to keep Lois safe. If she dies here then there's no sending her back. If we die here then at least there's a chance that our fates can be changed."

Oliver opened his mouth to speak but just then the perimeter alarm went off with a shrill persistent beep. Without a second thought, everyone went to their weapons and grabbed them. People were panicking and rushing about trying to get to a safe hiding place.

"How the hell did they find us?" Chloe shouted above the loud noise of bodies made of lead landing on the ground above the barracks.

Clark tried to remain calm, but inwardly he was freaking out. People were going to die tonight and he couldn't stop it. His thoughts raced wildly. Then he knew. It was only thing that made sense. "It's Lois," he shouted back, "they must have planted a tracking device on her." He punched a wall and felt his hand break. "I knew it was too easy to escape."

"You have to find her," she screamed as something blasted through the door. Four Kryptonians stood like a solid wall, formidable and imposing.

Every day he saw them with their powers they were less and less like the Kryptonians he'd met when they'd first appeared a year ago. Emotion was wiped off their faces as they simply surveyed the room looking for something.

"Your pathetic rebellion has ended, traitor," Shor-Ra informed him tonelessly with just a hint of arrogance, "We are taking the human Lois Lane with us."

Clark clenched his jaw and stepped forward. "No, you're not."

The blonde man smirked slightly. "We have orders to kill you and your friends. Give us trouble and your deaths will be slow and painful. Aid us and I'll make it quick."

Before Clark could make a brash but empty threat, Oliver swung down from the ceiling smiling jovially. "Hey, so can you guys regenerate if your bodies are in pieces all over the room?"

Before the aliens could realize what he meant, Clark and Chloe were running with Oliver hot on their heels. He tossed a handful of modified grenades behind him and didn't look back.

Running sure was easier when you weren't human, Clark thought not for the first time that year. "You know that grenades can't hurt them, right?" he shouted behind him.

Oliver laughed, breathlessly. "Yeah, that's why I laced them with Kryptonite first."

Clark and Chloe shot each other a look of amazement. Their friend once again surprised them. "You're a genius, Ollie. Any ideas on how to ditch these guys?"

Oliver laughed and shook his head. "Not that much of a genius."

XXXXX

Lois sprinted down the damp hall as red flashing lights accompanied with loud wailing sirens danced in front of her eyes. In typical fashion, instead of running away from the blast, she ran towards it, knowing that her friends were down that way. Unfortunately, before she could get far something whizzed past her ear, making her stop up short.

She turned around slowly, seeing two Kryptonite soldiers dressed all in black standing there holding guns pointed at her.

"Come peacefully with us and we won't hurt you," one said, tonelessly. He was dark skinned with black eyes. "Fight us and the inevitable will happen."

She smirked with false bravado. "Oh yeah and what's that, Spaceboy? I'll kick your asses? Don't worry, I'll try to be gentle," she added mockingly, readying her body to dodge whatever was coming.

'Spaceboy' narrowed his eyes and shrugged. "You humans are all alike. Pig-headed. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Red light shot from his eyes and she just barely threw herself out of the way. She sprang back up quickly, ducking another shot. The two looked at each other and simply began walking towards her. There was nothing she could do to hurt them anyways. When she saw them advance toward her she took off running.

And ran smack dab into a hard body made of steel. She doubled over and howled in pain, clutching her face.

Spaceboy wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her up under his arm like she was a sack of potatoes. "Come," he said in the same toneless voice to his comrade, "we've got what we came for. General Zod will be pleased." He ignored the girl that was struggling against him and they both walked toward the hole in the wall that they had made.

He grabbed her wrist, startling her, and rose in the air sharply. She gave a strangled yelp and grabbed onto his arm to keep from plummeting down. He looked on her dispassionately and said, "If you don't want to die, you must put your arms around my neck."

She gave one more glance down to the rapidly shrinking rebel base and then looked back up eagerly nodding her head. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just pull me up."

He did so and she put her arms around him tightly, grimacing in distaste at the closeness. They rose higher in the night sky and she saw other black clad figures shooting up in the air also. Then, everything exploded with a brilliant orange-yellow cloud.

The bastard transporting her flew higher to avoid his prisoner being scorched by the flames. Then it was quiet and Spaceboy moved his body into a horizontal flying position. Tears were rolling down her face and she didn't even notice that she had lowered her head to use his uniform as a pillow to bury her face in. If he noticed her anguish he didn't show it.

She felt a presence suddenly beside her and jerked her head up. The blonde Kryptonian who'd tortured her not so long ago was flying beside them, staring at her with narrowed eyes. In the second that she stared into them, she saw more than just the usual emotionless stoicism. There was mostly triumph, like he was rubbing her face in something but she didn't know what. And there was also something like a curiosity. Like he was waiting to see her reaction to something.

And then she knew why. In his arms he carried Chloe. Her eyes bolted to the pale face trying to see if she was still alive. But her wide unblinking blue eyes stared lifelessly at her and Lois looked at him in horror.

"You killed her."

She was stating the obvious and he didn't even bother to answer her. It was like she was in shock or something and Lois numbly turned away from him so that she didn't have to see Chloe's face. Rage was boiling up inside her and she vowed that one day she would kill him. She would do whatever it took to end his life the same way he did Chloe's.

She couldn't wait to get back to her own time. She wanted to have the playing field even when she used his face to mop the asphalt. Even if Chloe was alive when she went back, which she knew she would be, Lois would never forget this moment as long as she lived.

And she was a girl who could really hold a grudge.