Chapter 15
A calming breeze brushed up against his face as he looked over the crops. He smiled, just taking in the stillness and serenity of the farm. In the distance he could hear Shelby happily barking, probably at the cows. It was early morning and the sun was still barely in the sky.
Clark stood in the doorway of the farmhouse, getting ready to do his chores for the day. He was enjoying the view of the simple farm when different thoughts entered his head. He started to frown as he slowly began to recall where he really was and the last thing he remembered; pain.
Then he heard a voice call his name again, it was coming from the fields. Clark stepped off the porch and began to head towards the voice. Then his eyes went wide as his father stepped out from the thick corn stalks with a smile on his face. As much as Clark wanted this to be true, he know knew the truth; he was hallucinating.
Clark stopped in his tracks as his biological father's voice echoed around him calling for him to get started on his chores, just as he had done in the past. Clark looked at his father with somber eyes as tried to force himself to wake up.
Lois gasped as Superman's eyes darted open and he continued his heavy breathing. He was lying on the ground with Lois cradling his head as a salarian worked with tools on the strange device attached to him.
"Good it worked" exhaled the salarian, not taking his eyes off the task he was doing. Lois now smiled as she looked down to the still confused Superman. He grunted as he slowly sat up and looked to the salarian, who had completed whatever he was doing and now stared back at Superman.
"What worked?" Superman managed to say as look to both the salarian and Lois.
"Brainiac attached a solar siphon harness to you. It rapidly absorbed the solar radiation in your cells and suit. I managed to reverse the siphon, returning the energy back to your body. It should complete the process shortly" said the salarian as he looked dismally to the ground.
"Thank you, Doctor Hamiltin" Superman presumed having never actually met the scientist, as he put a hand on the doctor's shoulder. The salarian looked back to Superman, appreciating the gesture. Hamiltin and Rokane then both helped Superman to his feet. He glanced down at his crystalline omni-tool and confirmed what Hamiltin had said; he was now at 10% of full solar reserves, but the number was increasing steadily.
"You all need to get to safety; the star is still giving off huge waves of radiation and I can't be worrying about you" Superman stated as he squinted up to Dholen. Hamiltin and Rokane nodded as they turned to return to the old bunker, but Lois remained.
"Lois-," Superman was then cut off as she stood on her toes to reach up and press her lips to his. He was surprised at first, but then embraced her as he put his arms around her waist. After several seconds, they separated and looked into each other's eyes.
"Why did you do that?" whispered Superman, smiling at her.
"I didn't think you'd let me later," Lois grinned, stepping back, "now go save the day." Superman watched her as she turned to join the others in the bunker and as he could feel warmth reenergizing him. He looked back down to his wrist device and now saw he was at 35%.
"That'll have to do" he said to himself as he reached for the harness and tore it off of his chest along with its long tendrils that were embedded inside him. He tossed the weapon aside and focusing his thoughts, he took off into the skyline on a direct approach for the system's star.
-Energy displacement nearly complete-
-Element zero reaching critical mass, reaction imminent-
Both of the Brainiac units spoke to each other through their internal networks as they monitored the star's readings. They floated several feet apart with an energy aura growing between them. They were held in place by an artificial gravity field they suspended around them, to keep the increasing fluctuations of gravity caused by the star from affecting them. The Brainiacs faced the star with one arm aimed towards each other to build the energy needed to initiate the reaction of the element zero.
The gravity shield they generated internally also protected them from the rising heat and radiation levels. The element zero inside the star was beginning to have an effect on the star, causing the gravity and radiation created by Dholen to multiply tenfold. When they had built up enough energy between them, they would unleash it into the star to set off the massive reaction.
They examined the energy levels as something moved on their scanners. If they moved, it would render the energy charge inert and by the time a new pulse could be generated, it would be too late. The Brainiac units wanted to extend their long range scanners to assess the movement, but before any action could be done one of them disappeared in a blur.
The remaining Brainiac doubled its output to keep the energy charge intact as it scanned the surrounding area. It could not keep the necessary levels by itself for long, but it soon detected in the other Brainiac unit. It tracked its movement and calculated it was on a trajectory towards the stationary unit. Unable to move, the remaining Brainiac saw that it only needed three more seconds for the charge to be complete. In half that time both of the Brainiacs collided into one another, disrupting the energy charge and causing it to exploded outwards.
Superman still clung to the Brainiac he snatched out of space, circled Dholen with and then smashed into the other unit. He finally let go, letting them soar off away from the star as he turned himself and watched the energy sphere expand and finally dissipate harmlessly away from the star. He smiled to himself, hoping he had just stopped Brainiac from unleashing the Reapers indefinitely. Looking to his omni-tool, he saw the intense fluctuations coming from inside the star, signifying it was naturally burning out the element zero.
The heat was beginning to make him sweat as he had to concentrate hard and not fall into the immense gravity well of the star. Superman turned to see the Brainiacs had composed themselves and now were flying back towards him. He took a quick breath in from his breather and took off to intercept the androids. Within seconds he brought his strong fist into the closest Brainiacs face, causing it to falter and begin to spiral towards the star. The other unit seized Superman's throat at the same time and spoke directly to his earpiece's channel.
"You have stopped nothing, Superman. This program is infallible, it will not cease until the Reapers have returned and destroyed every last organic. You are but vermin-" Superman planted his feet into the android's chest and pushed off, cutting off Brainiac's speech. Still using the momentum from shoving off the android, Superman spun and swiped his fist across the other Brainiac who he had seen advancing in the corner of his eye.
The other Brainiac was sent spinning once again as Superman focused his vision and let loose his fiery gaze towards the tumbling android. The concentrated heat waves struck the unit in the chest and sent it further sinking into the gravity well of the star. Superman could tell that both of the Brainiac units were struggling as much as he was to not get drawn into Dholen.
Two metallic arms wrapped around his neck as Superman continued to send heat volleys from his eyes. The Brainiac he had been talking to earlier now tried to divert Superman's gaze away from the other unit. Superman over exerted the heat from his eyes, further sending the android it was directed at towards the star as he twisted and shoved his elbow into Brainiac's midsection.
Superman ceased his heat vision and now twirled himself in the emptiness of space to get a better fix on the Brainiac hanging onto him. Now facing each other, Superman delivered strong punches to the face and torso of the humanoid as it did the same. Between the blows, Superman tried to keep an eye on the other Brainiac, who was suspended in space far from them trying to free itself from the immense gravity well.
Realizing his reserves were waning; Superman decided to give in to the elemental forces around him and held tightly onto Brainiac as he swerved himself towards the red star. Gaining speed rapidly, he moved carefully so that he would crash directly into the other struggling Brainiac.
The Brainiac Superman was holding onto once again formed its arms into blades and plunged them into Superman's torso. He winced, but was too focused on what he needed to do as he got closer to the pulsating star.
The other Brainiac saw Superman approaching at an intense velocity as it attempted to generate an energy shield in front of it. It was still using every iota of its power to keep it from falling into the sun, but had calculated Superman's plan to take all three of them into the star. As a precaution, it too formed its arms into blades powered with red solar energy.
Superman could barely see the green tinted energy shield form in front of the other Brainiac against the intense light from the star. He adjusted his grip on the unit he wrestled with and using all his remaining might he slowly started to hold Brainiac out in front of him, creating a battering ram. While he struggled to hold Brainiac away from him the android resisted by twisting the searing blades inside him, causing him the growl as he neared the energy shield.
"This program researched you, observed that you do not terminate your foes. This is against what you represent to organics" spoke both the Brainiacs in their single tone voice into his earpiece, trying to dissuade him. Superman had considered the notion that killing the program would be wrong, but it was after talking with Hamiltin that Superman realized otherwise.
"You're not alive, you're not even sentient," he calmly said loud enough for Brainiac to hear, gaining more momentum, "you're just a program that's gone too far!"
Between the blazing radiation, immense gravity and blades in his gut Superman could only think of his mother on Earth and of Lois; people who would be lost if the Reapers attacked, people who he refused to let down. While using every ounce of his strength, he used Brainiac to break the energy shield protecting the other Brainiac unit and had them strike into one another, shattering them both.
Falling prey to the gravity, Superman let go what was left of the defeated Brainiacs. The pieces fell into the surface of the star and instantly vaporized. Superman gritted his teeth as he stopped himself only yards from the molten surface. He could feel his bones being pulled towards the star as he slowly turned around and faced the vacuum of space.
He did not need to see him omni-tool to know that he was low on solar reserves. Every second he fought the increasing gravimetric forces, the more energy he lost. He held both fists out before him aiming for the vast blackness of space, forcing with all of his will to fly away from the star, but he had nothing left. Superman's vision started to blur as his breathing became jaded.
Then Superman felt something push up against him. He was still resisting the natural forces as he swayed his head, searching for the source of the impulse. From his left side an enormous bolt of blue and black energy erupted from the surface of the star, arched over top of him and plunged back into the star to his right. He began to feel more energy repulse him away as hundreds of bolts started to dance across the star.
With renewed vigor, Superman yelled as he once again forced himself outwards away from the star. He steadily moved away from Dholen as more blue and black bolts formed over the surface, crackling with purple energy. Superman realized that while he was moving faster now, he still did not think he had the energy to make it.
Nearly depleted, Superman then felt a rumble from inside the star that reverberated outwards, sending a dark pulse of energy in all directions. Caught in the blast, Superman twisted and turned as the sheer force of the pulse sent him hurling across the system.
He was still barely conscious as he still floated in space and looked back at Dholen. The star was now a deep crimson and even bigger than it was previously, but it looked like it had stabilized. Curious, Superman looked at his omni-tool and smirked seeing he had only 2% of solar reserves remaining. He glanced around and saw that he was not far from the system's mass relay. He raised one fist as he slowly began to float towards it and opened a comm channel to Haestrom.
"Are you guys alright?" Superman asked.
"Yes we are fine, thanks to you Superman" replied Hamiltin, sounding worried still, "but-"
"I know Doctor, I'm going to finish this, but I need to make a pit stop first. How is Dholen?"
"The star has purged most of the element zero that was introduced into it, but I am afraid that Dholen will permanently have residual dark energy inside of it. It will cause magnetic eruptions and have increased solar output, but won't be transforming into a mass relay anytime soon."
"Good" Superman sighed as he entered the mass relay blue glow. The blue energy bathed over him as he calculated his destination into his omni-tool. Just before the coordinates were locked in, he reached for his earpiece to ask if Lois was alright, but then hesitated realizing he may be getting to close to her as his alter ego. Nodding to himself, he let the blue energy overcome him as he vanished in a flash of light.
Instantaneously reappearing beside another mass relay, Superman began to immediately feel the effects of his home star. He closed his eyes and soared through space with his arms out at his side, drinking in the rich yellow solar energy. The closer he got to the sun, the better he felt as he opened his eyes and put his arms out in front of him, smiling as he transcended past the stars. Within seconds he could see the blue jewel that was his home far in the distance; Earth.
He began to dodge the incoming asteroids as he steered from Earth's view and started on his way to his home away from home. Amongst the large space rocks, Superman could see the Fortress glistening like a second sun. Reaching the insignia crested doorway, he flew through as it re-solidified and reached the main console.
The sun's energy was amplified inside the Fortress as he inhaled a quick breath of fresh air. He knew that he could not stay long and so swiftly worked at the console. After rearranging crystals and pressing on hard light, a pedestal rose to his right. On it was a transparent orb the size of a man's fist, which Superman looked at with hope as he carefully reached for it and held it securely in his hand.
Wasting no time, he rose off the artificial ground and swooshed out the main door, again heading towards the relay on his way to the Citadel to end the nightmare once and for all.