Lois woke to gentle nudges and her name being said softly. However, to her, it felt as if someone was shouting her name in the middle of an earthquake!
"Lois." the voice called out.
Her eyes opened slowly. She was expecting to see the crystal blue orbs and familiar handsome features of her husband. Instead, she was looking up at green eyes and a somewhat familiar face.
"I'm awake…" she sighed. "Stop yelling!"
Jeremiah laughed. "I wasn't yelling."
Lois frowned. "What time is it? … and where's the rat?" she asked, sitting up. The world swam and her head felt like someone was beating it with a hammer. A sledgehammer.
"It's a quarter to eight." Jeremiah answered. "And what rat?"
"The one that crapped in my mouth while I was sleeping." Lois answered. Jeremiah laughed. "Wait," she said; her eyes suddenly wide. "Did you say a quarter to eight?"
Jeremiah nodded.
Lois leapt from the bed and was rummaging through her luggage. "Damnit!" she shouted as she pulled a fresh pair of jeans and a blouse from her bags. "The demonstration's-"
"Is in fifteen minutes." Jeremiah told her. "Actually, fourteen minutes and eight seconds."
"Not helping!" Lois breathed.
"Most of the others are already in the cafeteria finishing breakfast. I noticed you weren't there and figured you were still sleep." Jeremiah explained. "I brought you some coffee and toast." He gestured towards a plate and cup sitting on the overnight stand.
"Thanks." Lois said as she pulled her top off, her black bra clearly visible. Jeremiah was polite enough to turn his head. She pulled on her clean blouse and buttoned it hastily, then removed her pants and quickly pulled on her jeans.
"I should wait outside…" Jeremiah offered.
"Why?" Lois asked, stuffing her blouse into her jeans. "I'm dressed."
He turned and watched her pull her hair into a sever ponytail, wrapping it with a hair tie. She then scooped up the cup of coffee, drank a mouth full, swished it around her mouth a la mouthwash, then spit it into a plant beside her bed. Finally, she grabbed a slice of toast from the plate, folded it in half, dipped it repeatedly into the remaining coffee, then stuffed the entire soggy mass into her mouth and began to chew.
"Let's go." She said to Jeremiah, as she grabbed her bag of equipment and headed towards the door.
Jeremiah swallowed hard and followed her out.
Everyone was in the common room now, huddled close together in a group. Dr. Stangin was there, with his ever present team of assistants, as well as his fiancé, Natasha. He smiled as they entered the common room.
"Now then." He said brightly. "That seems to be everyone."
Lois nervously flattened the front of her blouse and was immediately aware of the fact she had missed a button. She cussed silently to herself.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he began. "I am honored to have you as my guest, but we are about to tread on delicate ground. I ask that you all pay close attention to the instructions of either myself or my assistants, as many of are instruments are very delicate and some even unstable. For your safety, as well as for the preservation on the lab, please be very careful. Also, while audio recording devices are acceptable, I do ask that no video or photographic equipment be brought beyond this point."
A few groans and moans then. Dr. Stangin raised his hands to silent the crowd. "I understand that for many of you, this is a difficult request, but as much of our research is still in process, I can't have someone out there pirating my work, either intentionally or otherwise. Please…"
While many of the members still fussed, they all complied with their host request. Bags of cameras and video recorders were placed on table tops, chairs and even the floor.
"Now then," he continued when everyone was done. "If you will all follow me."
They went through the main entrance and down a long hall. Lois noticed a slight downgrade as they walked. The hall turned right, and then left, and came to a large set of steel double doors. To the left, there was a small green panel.
Jeremiah approached the panel and placed his hand against it. There was a quick burst of green light, followed by a series of beeping sounds from the panel.
"Good morning, Dr. Stangin." a voice called out from seemingly nowhere.
"Good morning, Alisa." Dr. Stangin answered.
The sound of metal on metal could be heard from behind the doors, gears and motors working, and the twin steel plates slid apart, revealing the room beyond.
"Fingerprint scanner?" someone asked.
"DNA reader." Dr. Stangin answered. "Alisa will only allow someone access to the lab if their biometrics, specifically there DNA, has been preauthorized."
"Who's Alisa?" someone else questioned.
Dr. Stangin smiled widely and looked over the group. "You're standing in her." He said plainly.
He walked into the lab.
The area was a mixture of stainless steel tables and stands, sophisticated computer and electronic equipment, soft white walls, and bright lights. The room itself was actually multi layered, Lois noticed as she stepped inside. The floors were actually transparent; presumably the same material the wall in the cafeteria was made of. There were four levels total, one above her, and two below her.
At the room's center, there was a large black column, rows and rows of amber blinking lights running the length. Lois could see through the floors above and below that the column ran the height of the room.
"Autonomous Logistic Intelligence and Science Assistant." Dr. Stangin said, gesturing towards the black column. "A.L.I.S.A."
"Yes Doctor?" the voice replied. The lights of the column faded and a cluster in the center flashed repeatedly, changing colors in the process. The LED's blinked and flashed and took shape; a woman's torso, arms, and head. A woman with long hair; pulled into a tight sever ponytail, green eyes, and a bright smile.
People applauded.
"Remarkable." Lois heard someone say.
"Amazing." Someone else added.
"Is the A.I. fully functional?" some asked.
"See for yourself." Dr. Stangin offered, stepping aside.
Many people stepped forward, ogling the woman's visage on the black column.
"Umm… Hello?" a nervous scientist said.
"Good morning." Alisa replied. "You are Dr. Rupert Brown. Graduate from UCLA, Class of 1989. PhD's in Nuclear Engineering. Nobel Prize second runner-up in 1993. Welcome."
Rupert laughed. "What are you?" he asked.
"I am Dr. Stangins' assistant." Alisa answered matter-of-factly.
"I mean…" Rupert corrected himself. "What is your primary function?"
"My primary program is to oversee all of the functions of the Stangin Research Facility, as well as the needs of all its inhabitants. However, I also enjoy, cooking, painting, and correcting many of Dr. Stangins' miscalculations."
Laughter followed.
"That's enough, Alisa." Dr. Stangin interrupted, stepping in front of the image.
"Did it say cooking and painting?" Lois asked.
"She." Dr. Stangin corrected. "And yes; "she" does love to cook and paint. Last night's banquet, as well as all the meals here, are prepared by Alisa. The kitchen is one hundred percent automated. From the freezer to the plate; it's all Alisa. She also painted the portraits hanging in the common room."
"That's remarkable." Someone said.
"Thank you." Alisa answered. "Although I must admit I was a bit worried about last night's meal. I over cooked the chicken by point eight three seconds. It wasn't too tough was it?"
Laughter again.
"It was delicious, Alisa." Dr. Stangin reassured her. "I swear…" he said to the group "If Natasha new how to cook as well as Alisa, I'd erase her hard drive and sell it for scrap."
"And if I had a body," Alisa interrupted. "You'd be marring me instead."
Even Lois had to laugh at that.
"Alright, if you would all follow me this way…" Dr. Stangin called out, a wide smile on his face. A few of the scientist linger for a moment, fascinated with the living computer.
"Gentlemen, if you please." this from Natasha.
"Yes." Alisa urged. "The presentation is about to begin. You can come back and play with me later."
The remaining men laughed and then moved in the direction Natasha indicated.
Natasha cast a quick glance at the image of the long hair, green eyed woman on the column. "Bitch." she breathed.
"I heard that." Alisa said. The image disappeared, and the amber lights returned.
Dr. Stangin was leading the rest of the group down a flight of stairs to the lower levels. Lois was halfway down the flight when she noticed Jeremiah still standing in front of the column. She climbed back up the stairs and joined him.
He was looking at it as if his eyes were seeing something else.
"What is it?" Lois asked.
He blinked once and turned to her. A weak smile appeared. "Nothing." he said softly. "It's just… an amazing piece of equipment."
Lois's eyes narrowed and her head tilted to one side. Her gut was telling her something; something years of journalistic intuition told her was there, beneath the surface… Then again, it could have been the hangover.
"Come on." Jeremiah urged, walking past her. "We don't want to miss the show!"
Lois followed him down the stairs.
The next level was home to the same stainless steel tables and work areas, but also held a wall full of animal pens. Rabbits, mice, dogs, cats, monkeys, and a collection of birds all rested inside transparent cages.
Jeremiah and Lois joined the group as Natasha was speaking to them. "… And hopefully," she continued. "We'll be ready for human trials within the next two years."
"What a minute!" someone shouted. "You're saying you've found a cure! A cure for cancer!"
"I said we have been able to reverse the tumors growth and render them benign in nine out of ten of our test subjects. But human physiology is a great deal more complex than even our closest mammalian counterpart, the ape. There's still much work to be done." Natasha explained.
"We don't want to offer false hope to anyone." Dr. Stangin stepped in. "We want to be sure a cure, if found, is completely viable! Not just some quick fix or band-aid on an open wound, but a life saving application. And we are willing to take as long as is necessary to ensure just that. But alas, we are here to discuss Nuclear Fusion, are we not?" he smiled. "This way please…"
They continued down to the final level. It was a large room, nearly twice the size of the other levels, and it was almost completely empty save for the large black column in the room's center.
Dr. Stangin walked towards the column and pressed a switch. A green panel appeared among the amber lights. Dr. Stangin pressed his hand against it. A series of beeps followed. Then the room went dark.
A few people gasped. "No need to be alarmed…" he assured them.
A moment later the room became illuminated again. Rather, there was a dim light that appeared against the far wall. It was followed by another. And another. And another. A total of seven dim lights, hovering in space.
Dr. Stangin walked over to the glowing light in the center… and touched it. A virtual console flashed to life. Three screens appeared, suspended in mid air, seemingly made of nothing but amber light. A tilted keyboard also appeared, also floating in air, also made of the same amber light.
Dr. Stangin began typing on the keypad; his keystrokes marked by a soft chime with ever press.
"That's a T748 VCON prototype…" someone noted, gesturing to the console. "There's only three in the world. How'd you get your hands on one?"
"Actually," Dr. Stangin answered, as he continued to enter commands into the console. "This is a T850. And it's the only one of its kind, I assure you." The other members of his team took up flanking positions next to him; three on each side. They each touched the floating light and a similar virtual console appeared before each of them. They all began typing on the virtual keypads, various readouts and images flashing on the console screens. "
"Alisa?" Dr. Stangin called out.
"I am here." The disembodied voice replied.
"Is everything in place?" he asked.
"Yes doctor." The computer answered. "We are ready to begin."
"Very good." He smiled. "Retract reactor shielding." He ordered. With a gentle hum of motors and servos, the wall before them began to slide down. As it did, the room was washed in a glow of emerald light.
Lois raised her hand to protect her eyes from the sudden change. After they adjusted, she took in what she saw.
There, on the other side of the same transparent material, was the core of a nuclear reactor. Lois could see fuel rods, lined in three rows of four, all roughly ten feet long, and all glowing bright green. Behind that was a large round chamber that Lois didn't recognize.
"Is that a Tokomak?" someone asked.
"A small one, yes." Dr. Stangin answered.
It was then that Lois noticed the entire construct was inside a room of ice.
"Dr. Stangin…" she called out. "Shouldn't there be some type of shielding?"
He smiled. "I assure you, we are quite safe." he answered.
"No…" she continued. "I mean the ice. Isn't there a risk of nuclear meltdown, burn-off, or even waste for that matter? The ice…"
"The ice is the key!" Dr. Stangin replied.
They all watched silently as he pressed a series of buttons on the virtual console before him. There was the sound of motors and servos moving. Inside the Tokomak, a panel slid open, and a cluster of emerald hued rods began to slowly slide into view.
"The fuel rods," this from Jeremiah. "Are those-?"
"Kryptonite? Yes." Dr. Stangin answered.
A collective gasp went through the room.
"Are you insane!?" someone yelled. Lois turned and saw it was the French woman with the thick accent. "Kryptonite is too unstable to be used as nuclear material! Zhey tested zhree grams in ze Ukraine facility and nearly destroyed half ze country! You'll kill us all!"
Dr. Stangin laughed; an eerie sound among the worried chatter and comments.
"I'm getting out of here!" a man shouted.
"Alisa," Dr. Stangin said softly. "Please seal the room."
"Of course, Doctor." The voice replied. The main door slid shut and locked.
"What the hell are you doing?" the man said, banging on the transparent door. "Let me out of here!" he yelled.
Dr. Stangin looked at his assistant and smiled. She smiled back.
"Is this what you brought us here for, Stangin?" someone yelled. "To kill us all?"
"Death is but a doorway to a new life." he answered.
Lois was breathing hard and fast, her heart was pounding. She didn't know what to do. Had she really been invited to the ends of the world just to be killed in some twisted mass murder slash suicide plot? It didn't make sense. She new that attempts at nuclear fusion involving kryptonite were dangerous, Clark had once talked to her about how unstable it was and the risks that were involved. The words "disastrous" and "apocalyptic" had been used. And the scientist, especially the physicist, seemed to be on the verge of panic. One of them was even beginning to cry…
Lois was looking around the room, scanning faces full of fear, and terror, and confusion, and … curiosity?
Jeremiah looked like a kid watching a new episode of his favorite cartoon. His eyes were wide, his face full of anticipation and excitement. He was taking small slow steps forward, almost trance-like; mesmerized by the emerald glow of the kryptonite rods and the hum of the Tokomak.
He drew even with Dr. Stangin and his team. Stangin himself glanced at him. Jeremiah looked back. The two men smiled at each other, then turned their eyes back towards the glow.
"Alisa," Dr. Stangin said in a loud clear voice. "Begin fusion process!"
"Fusion Initiated." Alisa responded.
There was a loud ringing; not a bell, but the sound of a hundred wind chimes being rustled at once by a gentle breeze. It was almost harmonic, but lacked rhythm or consistency.
Inside the Tokomak, the rods began to glow brighter. The entire dome-like structure was now green. The lights shined into the room were they all stood, bathing them in emerald hues.
The light grew brighter still, and Lois had to shield her eyes. She could faintly see the rods themselves, which had grown to faint lines of green and white. She watched threw her fingers as the rods slowly began to… evaporate. They seemed to simply turn to dust, or ash, or particles; and be swept away in the maelstrom of heat and energy generated in the reactor core. The rods grew smaller and thinner, until they were simply no more. And with the fading of the final rod, the emerald glow faded as well. It was replaced by a soft red light. A light that was pure energy.
"Fusion Process completed." Alisa announced.
"Display reactor readings." Stangin ordered.
A holographic screen flashed to life over the entirety of the transparent window. Nearly a dozen readouts were streaming across. There was a bar graph, pie charts, a line graph; all with numbers and symbols Lois couldn't make heads or tails of.
"That's impossible." Someone stated, walking towards the screen. "According to this," the man continued, pointing at the center of the screen. There was a large bold index and line graph there. Next to it was the words "Power Output". Along the top and bottom were numbers and symbols. "The reactor is generating over 48 nanojoules per second."
"That's correct." Dr. Stangin replied.
"That's impossible." A woman remarked.
"Nothings impossible." He smiled.
"You did it." Jeremiah whispered. Dr. Stangin looked at him and smiled brightly. "You crazy sonova bitch. You actually did it!"
"Did what exactly?" Lois said stepping forward.
"He did it." Jeremiah repeated. "Sub-zero reaction and fusion in a contained environ, creating an energy output that's directly proportionate to the fusion field and reaction time, but without the heat and radiation... Using kryptonite, for God's sake! I don't believe it!"
Lois snapped her fingers next to Jeremiah face and he looked at her as if she just appeared. "Welcome back." She poked. "Remember me? One of the few in the room that doesn't have a degree in science-speak. Mind dumbing it down a little?"
Jeremiah blinked at her and then smiled.
"A nuclear reactor works by basically splitting the atoms of a specific material or element, generally uranium. The heat that's released by the reaction heats water, the resulting steam is captured and used to power turbines engines, which in turn generate electricity and, voila, your lights work. But that also produces radiation, and the control rods that are used to help regulate the temperature are usually melted unto a type of sludge, nuclear waste."
"With you so far…" Lois stated. "Keep going."
"Well, this reactor, it doesn't generate heat. It generates energy. And because it's incased in a sub-zero environment, it doesn't require control rods for regulation. No waste."
"What happened to the kryptonite rods?" Lois questioned.
"They were fused during the reaction."
Lois blinked at him. "You lost me."
"Basically, they were broken down to the molecular level and fused with other molecules. That's were the energy is coming from. Basically, the atoms are been split and then fused back together, and then split again, creating a nearly endless cycle of energy production."
"Okay…" Lois said slowly. "So how much power are we talking here?" she asked.
Jeremiah turned back towards the large screen. "Well, if the readings are correct… more than any other reactor on the planet… or all of them combined for that matter."
"Give me a point of reference here." Lois urged.
Jeremiah frowned. "Well," he began. "Imagine stuffing the sun into a flashlight."
Lois thought for a moment… then whistled. "Wow." She said.
"Exactly." Jeremiah replied. He turned back towards Stangin. "How?" he asked.
Stangin smiled wide. He looked at Lois, his eyes twinkling. "Ironically, I owe it all to the two of you."
"What do you mean?" Lois asked. "What did we do?"
"What you do best." Stangin responded simply. He smiled at their puzzled looks. "I will explain everything in a moment. But first, let us celebrate!" he said the last part loudly, letting his voice carry throughout the room.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" he went on. The buzzing conversation and questions slowly died down, but the excited tension still filled the room. "Ladies and Gentlemen! You have all just witnessed the culmination of a lifetime of work and research! Subzero fusion! Limitless energy! No waste, no radiation. The days of polluting our planet with toxic materials are behind us. The days of endangering or home, or cities, or nations with the fear of nuclear meltdown are a thing of the past! We stand today on the edge of a bright new tomorrow. We stand… on the edge of the future!"
Thunderous applause filled the room. Lois looked around at the journalist and scientist surrounding her. Faces were lit up like Christmas trees with excitement. One woman had tears in her eyes.
"Alisa?" Stangin called out.
"Yes, Dr. Stangin?" the disembodied voice responded.
"Is the luncheon prepared?" he asked.
"Yes." She answered. "Although, I'm a bit worried about the salmon. I may have over seasoned it. Seven to twelve additional grains of seasoning feel on each piece. I hope it still tastes all right."
Laughter followed.
"If we could all meet in the cafeteria for a champagne lunch, I'll be happy to answer all your questions." Stangin urged.
And with that, the room began to empty as everyone made their way back up the stairs towards the upper levels of the complex.
All but Jeremiah.
Lois was halfway up the stairs when she noticed him.
He stood before the transparent wall and looked into the reactor core, the bright crimson light dancing and pulsing before him.
Lois drew even with him.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"It's amazing." he said softly.
Lois looked at the red pulsing energy before her. A shudder ran through her body. She let out a slow breath. "I am become death," she whispered. "And the destroyer of worlds."
Jeremiah looked at her.
"When Robert Oppenheimer witnessed the first atomic explosion… he realized at that moment the destructive power that had just been unleashed. He realized that the same thing that could be used to power the world could also be used to destroy it. Stangin just multiplied that by three hundred…"
"I'm familiar with the quote." He smiled. Then he looked at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. "Lois," he began; his voice low and soft. "I understand, maybe more than anyone, the dangers that are presented by men with power; power so great and terrible that the rest of the world can't do anything but cower in fear and awe. But believe me when I tell you that this…" he gestured towards the reactor core. "This is something the world needs. Something our children will thank us for. This… this is what saves the world. This is our future."
Lois looked at him then. She looked deep into his green eyes and for the briefest of moments, she saw something that she would later swear was sorrow.
And just like that, it was gone. He smiled at her, the smile reaching his eyes, making the twinkle slightly.
"C'mon." he urged, taking her by the hand. "I'm sure we could both use a glass of champagne and I know you have an arms length worth of questions for Stangin."
Lois smiled back, but it didn't reach her eyes. "The last thing I need more of is champagne!"
They ascended the stairs towards the upper levels in silence. Her mind was too focused on what she had just seen.
"A Kryptonite powered nuclear fusion reactor!" she thought ominously. "Clark is just going to love this!"