Kryptonite Nidus
The conclusion of Alternities
Kara returned to Metropolis feeling as thought she'd entered a hive of activity. Ed had come along with her and Lois to see if Team Dan might be of some help there. She entered Perry's office to find an Air Force general pacing impatiently. The man hurried to greet her.
"I'm General Carter, Supergirl. We've detected a hot spot on the moon, which Superman went to check out. He barely escaped, because someone up there is using a kryptonite ray. I don't know how you can help, but he wanted you to be informed."
Kara's secret was still intact—her immunity to the green mineral. "General, you've met Lois, I assume. This is Ed, who . . . is starting a Hollywood show." The two shook hands. "Is Superman around?"
"He's meeting with Professor Periwinkle on an important matter in his lab. I suspect he'll be along shortly to brief you about the moon. He already knows the interlopers there are not from Earth."
An understatement, Kara knew. The UFO drivers had lost their sponsors, the Men in Black, and were no doubt looking for others.
The general took his leave. "Let us know what Superman comes up with. We'll need to move quickly, since we have no idea what the invaders are up to. They might even start launching missiles down on us." He retrieved his cap and went out.
Perry watched with acid interest. "Never a dull moment. So, Ed, what brings you to Metropolis?"
Ed explained the convoluted relationship of his future Earth, where there were no super heroes, to this one, and how he spent a lot of time in the Outworld.
"Great Caesar's ghost, man, you could be a millionaire. You know what the stock market is going to do for the next few decades. Got some advice for an old man about to retire?"
"Chief," Lois chided, "that's dishonest. Ed gave me a copy of his Oktoberfest mask so I can go to his future Earth. We'd have to arrange it in advance, since I don't have the high price of airfare in his era."
The phone interrupted her, and Perry picked up. "Superman? Yes, she's here. Wait, you're what?" He hung up. "Great Cae . . . he's flying the professor here. This must be huge."
Lois grimaced. "Poor professor. He'll be terrified. But flying with Superman is nothing like flying with Kara." She clarified. "I mean—talk about a thrill ride!"
Ed was first on hand to watch Superman sail in with the professor in his arms. He introduced himself. "I can't say what an honor this is. I've read all your comic books. Kara's too."
"Kara?" Superman set the professor down. "I wasn't aware you had any out there."
"Long story, Kal. What does the professor have for us?"
"I must have a map of the nation," Periwinkle said. Perry pulled one out of a filing cabinet and pinned it to the wall. The professor studied it, used a stick pin to mark a spot.
Perry looked close. "Smallville? What on Earth could be so important there?"
"Kryptonite, Mr White. My calculations show that when the infant Superman came her in his spaceship, the vortex pulled along a great deal of planetary debris. Why else would there be so much kryptonite on Earth? The odds are trillions to one. Now—I've invented a detector to find it. My proposal is to descend on Smallville and scour it for every bit of kryptonite that can be found. We must do this before the criminal element comes to the same conclusion."
Superman rubbed his jaw. "It seems somebody already has, and they're using it on the moon." He turned a sober look on Supergirl. "Kara, it's asking a lot, but I need for you to let yourself be captured on the moon. They don't know about your immunity to kryptonite. Find out what they're up to, then we can round up all the kryptonite. I'll be able to help you by using a lead suit. And I'll be watching in case you need help."
It didn't sit well with Lois. "I think we should contact Sirtis. That gives you three Kryptonians to wade into the fray. If memory serves, these UFO drivers are supernatural beings. Kara and Sirtis had a tough fight with them at the north pole."
Ed pointed out the obvious. "Who's gonna deal with Smallville? If I may suggest, that's something Team Dan can handle, even if we can't operate on the moon." He was obliged to give Superman a brief rundown on magic and the Outworld.
"It could be rough, Ed." Lois pulled out a dollar bill. "This is dated 1956. Yours will have a future date, and be flagged as counterfeit. Your credit cards won't work here. We'll have to arrange for you to get a cash advance. What do you say, Chief?"
"Don't look at me. I scraped by with the board of directors about bankrolling your vacation in the Pacific. Now I'm supposed to ask them for funding of adventurers from another dimension? Great Caesar's ghost!"
Superman laughed. "I'll take care of it, Perry. There are a few trinkets at my fortress of solitude I can sell for a hefty sum. I'm for anything to reduce the supply of kryptonite in the world. And on the moon."
"It's settled, then." Perry thumped the desk. "I'll call General Carter that we're go. Ed, you go round up your team and meet us back here."
The Chiller's HQ
The crime boss hung up the phone tap his wire expert had established. "You hear that, Morty? All the kryptonite you could ask for, just waitin' out there in some berg called Smallville. Look it up on the map."
Morty pushed his hat back on his head. "We gonna hit the joint, boss?"
"Hell yeah, but not for the reason you think. Whatever happens to Superman, Supergirl holds me responsible for. We're gonna find it and put it on ice!"
The lackey shook his head. "Shame. That could get us millions."
"It could get me killed!" The Chiller stomped around the sumptuous office, deep in thought. "Round up the boys. If I could find out, so can the other bosses. Besides, they're bound to notice me takin' all that muscle out of town, and they'll tag along. Shouldn't be a problem, though. All three of the Kryptonians are gonna be on the moon."
"What about this Team Dan I heard 'em mention?"
"Team who? Unless they got super powers, they better stay outta my way."
[Continues in a new story]