Although Lana tried to convince him to go straight to The Fortress, Clark insisted on accompanying her to the hospital. There was no way he was leaving her unprotected until Lenaria was dealt with.

"Besides," he explained as he drove her. "I want to check in on Chloe anyway."

"I can't wait to see her," said Lana, who was absently stroking his leg. "For awhile there I never thought I'd get to speak to her again. I guess I've kind of taken Chloe for granted. You said you thought Pete saved her?"

Clark nodded. "Yeah, it looked like he gave Chloe just enough time to put some distance between her and the… soldier."

Clark winced at the memory of the soldiers' bodies exploding. He'd ran through every scenario he could think of to try and help, but it had been no use. He could have gotten them to a hospital… trouble was, they would have exploded before he'd even had time to explain. It was impossible to forgive his own uselessness. Pushing the haunting images aside as best he could, he turned his thoughts to his friend. He knew Pete had been in love with Chloe, though it was something they never really talked about. Clark, in fact, had been surprised when he finally found out. Well, now Pete had died protecting her, and Clark wasn't about to let that be for nothing. Don't worry, Pete – I'll take care of her from here.

"I still can't believe Lenaria was willing to throw those people's lives away just to get to us. Though I guess nothing she does should surprise me anymore."

"It's good that Lex was there to help you," said Clark as he drove into the parking lot. "When I got there I spent so long trying to find you, until I heard Lex getting you out of there. I was really worried."

Lana smiled and touched him gently.

The doctor was with Chloe when Clark and Lana went in, so they were forced to wait outside her room. It was frustrating, but they were advised that Chloe had woken up and was asking for them. Clark wondered if she knew what had happened to Pete. Both he and Lana sat in silence, concerned about Chloe, but also, on Clark's part, trying to plan the next move. His intention had been to wait for J'onn then try and track Lenaria down; yet even supposing they could find her, she knew both their weaknesses.

It felt like that old puzzle they give kids to solve, the one with the fox, grain and hen that had to get to the other side of a stream. The fox and the hen couldn't swim, and only two of the three could be taken across by boat at one time. You couldn't leave the fox alone with the hen, because the fox would eat the hen. You couldn't leave the hen alone with the grain, because the hen would eat the grain.

His problem was trickier to solve. There were only three people who could realistically go into combat with Lenaria; himself, Brainiac and J'onn. Since he wasn't prepared to leave Chloe and Lana unprotected, only two could go into combat. J'onn could protect him from Lenaria's control, but Lenaria needed only to wave a piece of Kryptonite in Clark's direction and use her pyrokensis (or even heat vision) and both of them were gone in record time. If he left J'onn here and went with Brainiac, they might have a better chance. Brainiac just didn't have any obvious weaknesses like that. The problem being Lenaria could simply seize control of Clark; she had already proven she was physically more than Brainiac could handle, and he stood no chance if he was fighting on Lenaria's side as well. A team of Brainiac and J'onn stood the best chance in a straight confrontation with Lenaria, but left him totally vulnerable if The Empireth showed up here. She would take control of his mind and then… then the fox ate the hens.

What was he supposed to do, when the only way he could find to win was to leave his fiancée and best friend unprotected?

888

Lyla crept back slowly as J'onn and the two Kryptonians moved cautiously towards The Eradicator. J'onn had told her that a battle between himself and the machine could potentially destroy the whole city of Kandor, and if that was true, she was in a lot of trouble in such a tight space. There wasn't anything she could do to help the three of them, but she had to make sure Pendar was alright. He too, had been brought here when J'onn activated the crystal, and he was still off his feet after being struck by The Eradicator.

"What is this place? Is this Krypton?" asked The Eradicator, touching the wall of Clark's Fortress with something approaching affection.

"I'm afraid Krypton is dead," said J'onn. "This is Earth."

"Krypton is not dead," said The Eradicator sharply. "So long as I live, Krypton shall persevere."

"I hate to tell you," said Raya, showing no fear. "But since we are on Earth… we're not at your mercy anymore. There's no way you can beat all three of us."

"So you would side with the traitor," said The Eradicator, looking around The Fortress with child-like wonder. The look on his face did not match his tone. "Very well. I can see that, while this may not be Krypton, this is a Kryptonian construct. I should very much like to see the knowledge stored within these walls for myself. Earth… yes, I know of this place. This structure… it was meant for me. I know it. I feel it."

"It was meant for the House of El," said Raya, raising her voice. "It was meant for Jor-El's son."

Titling his head, looking at Raya curiously, The Eradicator raised his hand. At first Lyla assumed it was in preparation for another attack, but instead the target seemed to be the Fortress' main console.

"Show me," said The Eradicator. The next thing she knew, The Eradicator became encased in a beam of light, Kryptonian writings surrounding him.

"Now's our chance," said Kimda, but before he could move, J'onn began to scream. Lyla suddenly saw the source of his pain; somehow, while they were talking, a strange black liquid had attached itself to J'onn's foot. The two Kryptonian's held off their attacks. Raya immediately appeared by J'onn's side, trying to help him while Kimda scanned the Fortress for any more of the liquid.

"Don't touch it!" he ordered sharply as Raya moved to try and wipe it off. "I'll help him. You take care of The Eradicator. Protect Lyla and Pendar."

Lyla was surprised when Raya didn't argue. Although she was concerned for J'onn, she had to hope Kimda knew what he was doing. She knelt by Pendar's side, cradling his head gently, greatly relieved she could still sense his mind. Her relief was cut short, however, as she felt a terrible anger there. Anger directed at her.

His eyelids flickered open.

"Don't touch me!" he screamed, pushing her backwards. She lost her footing, gasping with surprise, landing hard on her back. Pendar got to his feet, showing no concern for her whatsoever. She didn't need to sense his mind to feel his anger now; she could see it plainly written on his face. It disappeared only as he realised what was going on around him.

J'onn was still screaming as Kimda instructed him to stay still. Taking a deep breath before exhaling, icy crystals began forming around the Martian's foot. The viscous substance slowly began to retreat as Kimda made continued use of his ice breath. While this was going on, the light around The Eradicator faded. Not only that, but the whole Fortress began to grow dark. It was dying, Lyla realised. The Eradicator, screaming in triumph, fled the place with Raya in pursuit.

Pendar's fist struck her cheek. She was caught totally off guard, her head snapping to one side as she fell over and struck the ground. She hadn't yet managed to recover her senses when he leapt on her, pinning her down and screaming something she couldn't hear, at least not until the world came back into focus.

"You took my friend! You took my friend, youtookmyfriend!"

Fist raised ready to strike her, Pendar suddenly froze in place. Even though she had taken control, Lyla still screwed up her eyes in anticipation of an attack.

"You have him," said Kimda, touching her shoulder. She opened her eyes to see The Sergeant looking at her with a weary smile. "I'm… sorry he found out like that. I guess we couldn't have expected anything else."

Kimda slumped to the floor in a strangely child-like move, rubbing his forehead before pinching the bridge of his nose. Lyla wasn't sure what to make of him anymore. How long had he known she was an Empireth, and why exactly had he kept the knowledge to himself? From what she'd heard, it seemed he intended on using her to clone more of her people.

"Where are J'onn and Raya?"

"Both left in pursuit of The Eradicator," said Kimda, looking around as an eerie red light illuminated the walls of The Fortress. "It has absorbed most of the energy from this Fortress."

Lyla gave a start as he leapt quickly to his feet. She looked at Pendar, who was standing as still as a statue, staring blankly in front of him. It had been necessary for her to shut his mind down very quickly; she hoped she hadn't done any permanent damage to him. She couldn't blame him for being angry with her, for hating her. Yet, unfair though it was, a part of her felt angry too. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. Alter his memories so that she could have her friend back? Or leave him with the truth, and be left even more alone than ever?

"It's not easy, is it?" asked Kimda, looking at her briefly before returning to the task at hand. "Looking someone in the eye after lying to them for so long. I guess we're both finding out how that feels. He didn't hurt you too badly, did he?"

"Concerned that your specimen might be damaged?" asked Lyla, eyes narrow.

"I was concerned for your well-being for it's own sake, believe it or not," said Kimda, seemingly ignoring the underlying threat her tone implied. "We have bigger problems than my plans for your race."

"Are we in danger?" she asked, moving to behind his shoulder. His hands swept over the main console in a blur.

"Not immediately. However, with the excess power it took from this place, The Eradicator is a real threat. I was such a fool to think that… Well, anyone can make a mistake. It's how we fix them that matters. Jor-El, can you hear me?"

They both waited apprehensively, but there was no response. Lyla looked at Kimda from the corner of her eye. If Jor-El was gone, then there was no way for them to get back home. If what she'd heard about the exposure sickness was true, both of them would be dead within hours. How long before they started feeling the effects?

"No use," said Kimda, rubbing a finger across his lip. "Hmm… it looks like some kind of signal was sent from here at the same time The Eradicator joined with The Fortress. If I can pinpoint it's location…"

"Joined with The Fortress?"

"Hmm? Oh, right. The Eradicator didn't just get a power boost from this place. It absorbed all of the wisdom of The Kryptonians that is stored within these walls. Believe me, there's a lot more in this place than in The Kryptonian Museum of History on Kandor – or there was, at any rate. However, if my theory is correct, then Jor-El's essence left The Fortress before it could be absorbed as well. The question is, where could it have gone?"

888

The President himself could not have arranged something like this, thought Lex as more reporters were escorted to their seats. This, one way or another, was a moment in history, and he would be remembered as the one at the centre of it all. His own words would be taught to school kids hundreds of years from now. How would he be remembered, he wondered as he prepared to take the podium. The only definite answer he had to that was that he would not be remembered as a pawn in some alien's game. Lenaria was powerful; she really wasn't so far from what she claimed, godhood. However, Lex knew she had some weakness. The armour that Brainiac had first given and then stolen from him. That told Lex that she could be defeated. His team had had only limited time to study the armour, and they all agreed on one point: it was impossible for them to recreate. That meant his only options were to either find the original sample, or to find some other way. The armour told him one thing: The Empireth had limits. Brainiac had found a way to reign her in; now it was up to Lex Luthor to find another.

Humanity always found a way. Billions of years from now when the sun died, Lex had no doubt that humanity would find a way to survive, even if only on colonies on planets light years away. They were a species designed to survive, to adapt, and the only things they really needed to solve problems were time and money. Now that Metropolis was back, Lex had money again, and as long as Lenaria believed he was loyal, he had time. Lex Luthor always found a way, even if he had to think outside the box.

"Ladies and gentleman, I'm glad to see so many of you were able to make it," he said, taking his position and scanning the crowd. Soldiers were scattered throughout the room, faces blank as stone, though Lex knew they were paying close attention to every last piece of movement. As extra protection, some of the 'reporters' were really members of 33.1, standing by just in-case. "We can all agree it's been a very news-worthy few days, and we're all still trying to come to terms with everything that's happened. Many of you will be surprised by what I'm going to tell you today, especially in light of some of my earlier, on the record, comments."

He waited as various cameras went off in his direction, capturing a quiet dignity written across his face.

"Everything has changed. I once told a friend of mine that anything lost can be found again. In the past twenty-four hours, three cities that were taken by the creature known as Brainiac have been reclaimed. Although Lenaria herself has not spoken to you since, it was assumed that it was her who defeated Brainiac and restored them. I can confirm that this is true. Lenaria, at great risk to herself, defeated our enemy and used her great power to return the people to us. We as a society are in her debt. I, personally, am also grateful, for the safe return of those people; among them, as I'm sure you know, are many of my employee's - who are like family - and indeed my own father.

Now I know that I have been critical of Lenaria in the past. I know that I warned that we were being too quick to trust someone we knew nothing about. When she had freed the cities, Lenaria came to me. She told me that she understood my fears, that power such as hers could lead to a great capacity for evil. She said that it was good that I questioned, and all that she wanted was a chance to prove herself to us. To that end, she has chosen me to be her emissary."

Lex's voice cracked with false emotion as the whole room came to life, a babble of questions being fired at him. He raised his hands for silence, waiting patiently for it to come. He wondered if his father were watching this. It would have been worth anything to see the expression on his face right now.

"I was honoured to accept this position. However, there is a reason why Lenaria herself has not appeared in public since her victory over Brainiac. Such a great battle has weakened her, and she needs time to recover before her next endeavour. It is with regret that I must inform you that there is another alien walking among us - and this one poses a greater threat than even Brainiac."