Post by redsycorax on Dec 13, 2018 21:56:06 GMT
Earth-25 is one of the most placid, serene worlds in the Multiverse. Its history and culture differs somewhat from the standard datum- Governor-General George Washington freed the slaves, Benedict Arnold stayed loyal to the cause of the First American Rebellion, and Abraham Lincoln was the father of his country, presiding over the Second American Revolution, bullfighting used to be a popular sport in the Southwestern United States, but is increasingly under attack from the vociferous US animal rights movement and Mickey Mantle was a great Shakespearean actor. As for its metahumans, Wonder Woman started her career at the start of the Second World War but retired to Paradise Island at its end, while Batman was active in Gotham City until the late seventies, whereupon his followers Robin and Batgirl became Batwoman and Nightwing, after the Joker discovered Batman's secret identity and caused Alfred to have a fatal heart attack. Superman moved from Smallville to Metropolis in the late sixties, but was exposed to devastating alien radiation a decade later. Project Cadmus synthesised two clones, leading to a respite, but when the last one died from alien disease after visiting an interplanetary 'leprosarium', the project was cancelled. Fortunately, Earth-15 refugee James Olsen arrived on Earth-25 and developed metahuman powers of his own. Donning a fusion Superman/Batman uniform, he adopted the term Steelman. Earth-25 is one of the few DC multiverse worlds to have alternate versions of heroes like Captain Britain and the Green Hornet. Here, Iris West was exposed to the radiation and chemical bath that caused her to become the Flash. Like counterparts elsewhere in the Multiverse, she married Barry Allen, but lost him at a party after he was murdered by one of her rogues gallery members, the Blockbuster. Several years later, she met the similarly widowed Rabbi Barry Allen, Flash of Earth-17, and became pregnant. On Earth-25, firearms violence, homicides, motor vehicle accidents, robberies and other markers of crime and deviance are markedly down compared to the rest of the Multiverse, and the Justice Federation of America has little to do other than fight cosmic scale menaces.
"Give it up, Clark! You aren't going to win this!"
Clark Kent, of the LUTHAR League, scowled at his longtime enemy:
"Yes, I am, Steelman. I have erected a thulium barrier that is impervious to your obstructive efforts."
"Perhaps I can be useful here?" Wonder Woman's magic lassoo caught the miscreant, forcing him to lower the potentially deadly barrier so Steelman could enter it and apprehend his adversary.
"Thanks, Diana. Much appreciated."
"All is well, James. Are you going to be at Gotham for Barbara and Richard's wedding anniversary?"
"No, and I expressed regret that I couldn't make it over there, but I have a medical mission delivering vaccine to Thanagar." As he soared away, Steelman was saddened as ever by the behaviour of Clark Kent. They'd been good colleagues back on Earth-15 before its destruction, but here, this Clark was a sociopathic criminal genius. He'd worked out that Project Cadmus had used Clark's DNA as a prelude to its two Superman clones after the death of the original in 1971, but for some reason, Clark Kent II was resentful, sullen and murderous. Given that he'd been oblivious to Clark's dual identity on both Earths 15 and 25, he had no idea that this was associated with the fact that Clark II was the only viable clone of Superman I left, but that was only because he lacked the Kryptonian abilities of his younger but deceased clone 'brothers.' Still, none of that was on his mind as he entered the wormhole that led him to the Polaris system and afflicted Thanagar.
Diana had deposited the miscreant at Gotham State Penitentiary and headed back toward Washington DC. En route, she flew over Arlington National Cemetary and a lump came to her throat. It was a brilliantly sunny day, and the sun shone from the tombstone of General Steve Trevor, killed in action in Korea all those years ago. Since then, Diana had shared her life with no man or woman. At times, she'd wondered if Superman could fill that acheing void in her life, but then he'd perished too and neither of his clones survived for long. As for Steelman, he'd disclosed his identity to Lucy Lane and then married her in his James Olsen identity, so that was out of the question. But this was a world at peace and she was reconciled to that. The invisible plane alighted near the Pentagon and Diana used the vibratory effect within her lasoo to return to her Diana Prince identity. Hardly had she entered the complex than she read the words BRUCE WAYNE DEAD on the Washington Post frontpage.
At the former Wayne Manor, a deceased legend's heirs and allies had arrived to comemorate such an epochal life:
"I can't believe he made it to 90."
"Wonder how Damian's taking it?"
"Yeah, Grayson's going to put out a public statement on behalf of Wayne Enterprises as its CEO."
"Lord, he was pudgy in the sixties, wasn't he?"
"Apparently he's going to be buried next to Thomas and Martha and Alfred Pennyworth, his late butler."
"All the old elite of Gotham are gone now- Bruce, Selina, James Gordon...yeah, I think Dick and Barbara will both make the memorial speeches..."
"Isn't that Britt Reid from the Sentinel?"
"Yeah, Bruce and he were good friends, too."
Lois Lane swept her grey hair from her eyes and sighed. The walls here echoed with secrets, but even as Daily Planet editor, she couldn't disclose them. She owed Bruce, Selina, Dick, Barbara, Alfred and Damian that. It was almost like an era was passing away. First Superman, all those years ago, now the former Batman. She felt like an intruder here now, all those years later. Lifting a photograph of Bruce and Selina to her mouth, she gently kissed it goodbye, then left the throng that was departing the memorial ceremony, walking off to her limousine.
Lana Lang stood at the pedestal that marked the Metropolis Superman memorial statue. She held her mink coat around her tightly and looked up as Steelman flew overhead. She knew Jimmy's secret, but didn't begrudge him his role as her lost love's replacement, or his happiness with Lucy and their children. She had made her choice, though- and as Vartox touched down alongside her, she knew she would soon leave this world for one last time. It had been excellent catching up with Lois again, but sad that her old rival in love had never found anyone else to replace Kal-El. And as for that obscene criminal parody of Clark Kent...
Green Hornet waved to Steelman and Captain Britain as both of them touched down at the Hornets Nest:
"Jim, Brian. Look, I know everyone is preoccupied with Batman I's death, but..."
"Yeah, I know, Britt, I feel it too. There's something emergent and off kilter about to happen. I've made enquiries at the Captain Britain Corps headquarters on Earth-69, but all they can tell me is that they can detect a presence, but not its actual identity." Brian Braddock said.
"Why would it attack this world? We have negligible crime levels, political tensions are manageable, and so is warfare, apart from the tragedies in Kabul and Mogadishu." Steelman said.
"Is it a terrestrial threat, though?"
"Our intersellar neighbour is quite peaceful, Brian. There are no malignant planetary civilisations or interstellar empires for several thousand light years, and they have their own troubles." James replied.
"Which leaves time-borne threats or those from alternate universes."
"The current Earths 23, 24 and 26 and Krypton-27 aren't particularly hostile or aggressive corners of the multiverse. As for Earth-28, it's engaged in its own global conflict and has had a recent knockback in terms of any wider ambitions that it might once have had. Much the same can be said about Earths 10, 40 and 43, which might present existential threats. But then there's the future. Back home on Earth-15, there were two major thirtieth centuries- one was a technologically advanced starfaring civilisation that had its own metahumans, the Legion of Super-Heroes, and the other was a bleak post-apocalyptic multispecies environment after an ambiguous "Great Disaster."
"So, what about our thirtieth or thirty first century? Are there any Legion analogues?" Brian asked.
"I've tried to reach that era, but there's a transtemporal barrier blocking egress back into normal space. We don't know."
"That doesn't sound good."
As they talked, they had no idea that they were under observation. Above the Hornets Nest, a disembodied form lurked, undetectable by the peak metahuman abilities of Steelman and Captain Britain.It was nebulous and it took an eternity for its thoughts to circulate and deliberate potential courses of action available to it. Like other universes, Krypton-25 had had its own Phantom Zone, but unlike those others, there were early complaints about its relative inhumanity and ethics, and Jor-El had to abandon it, although the punishment of its only three incumbent prisoners wasn't revoked. Over time, they had merged into a gestalt. Without a Supergirl analogue on Earth-25, and with the deaths of Superman and his two clones in 1971, there was nothing that they could communicate with, or more subtly influence. James Olsen knew about the Phantom Zone Projector, but given his non-Kryptonian biology, telepathic interface was impossible with the occupants. Over time, their gestalt abilities had grown and they had been able to isolate the present from its alternate futures, including one of a Legion analogue. Kyzo had been a terrorist from Krypton's lesser moon Mithen, leader of a seperatist army. His act had been to destroy the planet's Antarctic City with an antimatter bomb, killing three million people. U-Ban had undertaken illegal cryogenesis experiments that involved the implantation of alien parasites, while the sole woman, Mala, had led a detachment of the Kryptonian Planetary Defence Force in a sectarian crusade against 'those in error' according to the 'Swords of Rao' fundamentalist sect. But those identities were long since abandoned and the Gestalt had assimilated all three into its compound consciousness.
Its particular animus was against Steelman, whom it resented for adopting the Kryptonian crest of the House of El, and for "supplanting" the deceased Kryptonian apex class metahumans on Earth-25. Unfortunately, Steelman was unaware of their festering xenophobic hatred of him, and what they planned for him and his world. The Phantom Zone gestalt bided its time and one day, it attacked.
Brian Braddock was an anomaly within the "DC" multiverse sector, given that he was an alternate universe avatar of someone from a quite divergent sector on what that sector considered an 'outlier' within its precinct of alternate universes. However, he was strongly affiliated to his allies and to the Captain Britain Corps. Given that his particular affiliations could expose their potential threat, the Gestalt realised it had to neutralise him first, before he became aware of their existence. It seized its opportunity one day when Brian had encountered a psionic mutant, using it to launch him into a coma. Without that tactical advantage, the others were 'wide open' to their offensive.
Not unnaturally, their primary interest centred on Clark Kent, in a jail cell at Metropolis Prison:
-Kyzo, why are you so interested in that unnatural creature?
-He is kindred, U-Ban.
-Cloning is an abomination. You know as well as I do that it triggered the Thousand Years War on ancient Krypton.
-Not all of us share your religious fundamentalist scruples, U-Ban. The Steelman abomination must be stopped and the best way to do so is to energise this 'Clark Kent' to do so. Mala replied to U-Ban, and gave her consent to what the other Phantom Zone prisoner intended to do. Mala concentrated on the food on the tray before Clark Kent, transmuting its chemical compounds into something that would awaken whatever latent metahuman abilities the third "Superman" clone possessed.
Outside Brian's hospital ward, several metahuman colleagues of the comatose Captain Britain had come, past and present, to commiserate and converse about their colleague. Leading them were Richard and Barbara Grayson, the former Nightwing and Batwoman, now the chief executive of Wayne Enterprises and Gotham City Police Commissioner. Lucy Olsen looked over at them as she finished her phone call: "That was Starlabs. Brian appears to be suffering from psionic concussion."
"How is that possible? No telepath is that powerful- Earth inhibits the development of their abilities. And Steelman's surveillance satellites would have let us know if this had been an offworld intruder."
"Iris, honey, you really need to rest." Commissioner Gordon said to the now heavily pregnant Earth-25 Flash.
"Britt, is there anything the Sentinel can add?"
The newspaper editor shook his head: "No, and nor can the STINGER computer back at the Hornets Nest, Barbara."
"Damn it all! If Dick and I were still active..."
Her husband shook his head: "Considering we're in our sixties, Barbara, we don't really have the get up and go anymore. Damian and Helena would probably be better bets, but they're working on this electromagnetic disturbance question. But first Bruce,' his voice quavered, 'and now this. This was always a world of light and laughter. But now Brian's lying in a hospital bed and we don't know what was responsible for it..."
As Clark blasted free of his cell at Metropolis Prison, his eyes focused on the distant form of Steelman. He smiled as he accelerated toward him, intent on closing the distance. But Steelman had had his abilities for several years, saw the oncoming threat and activated his telepathic plug:
[All of you! I'm fending off a superpowered Clark Kent of the LUTHAR League. I don't know how it happened, but now this version is metahuman as well...]
[That shouldn't be possible, James. You know as well as I do that the metahumaniser formula only imparts temporary metahuman powers to the addict and that the consequence is cellular apoptosis, teratogenesis and death] Iris said
[Damn it all, especially with most of us incapacitated or otherwise out of action]
[Be careful, James, he doesn't share your vulnerability to thulium.] Dick added
Steelman adopted evasive action as Kent angrily gave chase:
"Give up, Olsen! This world only needs one apex metahuman, and it isn't the spawn of a dead world like you."
"That's always been the problem with you, hasn't it, Clark? You lacked the Kryptonian class abilities that your other two clone brothers had and as a result, you were never 'Superman IV'. It's driven you insane and turned you into this." Steelman narrowly avoided a searing pulse of heat vision from Clark Kent as the other growled:
"Come back here and fight like a man!"
"All I have to do is wait you out until your artificial meta abilities fade out, Clark. Please, give up now. We were friends before you became mentally ill. I don't want to do this."
"Shut up and d-" At which point, a kryptonite micromissile impacted in his left side. He gritted his teeth as he wrenched it out, but behind him, the Hornetjet had left stealth setting and was closing on the cloned Kryptonian. Then Clark realised- he was bleeding:
"Sorry, Mr Kent. The micromissile also contained a kryptonite syringe and liquid kryptonite. It's spreading through your bloodstream now. Your abilities have their downside."
"Don't... you... won't..." But in the next minute, Clark's eyes began to glaze over and like the ancient Icarus of Greek myth, he began to fall from the sky. Steelman intercepted him, but Kent's breathing grew laboured:
"J-James? Phantom...Zone... Kyzo....U-Ban...Mala...all...did...this. I was...pawn..."
And in a distant dimension, the three other Kryptonians howled in bewilderment and anger as Clark Kent's fourth and final clone breathed his last. That evening, Steelman looked out at the stars above him, feeling emptiness and loss. Lucy Lane-Olsen came up behind him, threaded her hands through his and held him close. A chill wind blew through their rooftop home as James swallowed and remembered the faded portrait of the old days with Phineas Potter at the Worlds Fair where he'd first met Lucy and Clark. Even if it hadn't been an icon like the first Superman or Batman this time, it hurt just as much. Then, feeling the presence of his wife near him, James Olsen returned to the world of light, life and love and walked inside with her, arm in arm.
THE END
"Give it up, Clark! You aren't going to win this!"
Clark Kent, of the LUTHAR League, scowled at his longtime enemy:
"Yes, I am, Steelman. I have erected a thulium barrier that is impervious to your obstructive efforts."
"Perhaps I can be useful here?" Wonder Woman's magic lassoo caught the miscreant, forcing him to lower the potentially deadly barrier so Steelman could enter it and apprehend his adversary.
"Thanks, Diana. Much appreciated."
"All is well, James. Are you going to be at Gotham for Barbara and Richard's wedding anniversary?"
"No, and I expressed regret that I couldn't make it over there, but I have a medical mission delivering vaccine to Thanagar." As he soared away, Steelman was saddened as ever by the behaviour of Clark Kent. They'd been good colleagues back on Earth-15 before its destruction, but here, this Clark was a sociopathic criminal genius. He'd worked out that Project Cadmus had used Clark's DNA as a prelude to its two Superman clones after the death of the original in 1971, but for some reason, Clark Kent II was resentful, sullen and murderous. Given that he'd been oblivious to Clark's dual identity on both Earths 15 and 25, he had no idea that this was associated with the fact that Clark II was the only viable clone of Superman I left, but that was only because he lacked the Kryptonian abilities of his younger but deceased clone 'brothers.' Still, none of that was on his mind as he entered the wormhole that led him to the Polaris system and afflicted Thanagar.
Diana had deposited the miscreant at Gotham State Penitentiary and headed back toward Washington DC. En route, she flew over Arlington National Cemetary and a lump came to her throat. It was a brilliantly sunny day, and the sun shone from the tombstone of General Steve Trevor, killed in action in Korea all those years ago. Since then, Diana had shared her life with no man or woman. At times, she'd wondered if Superman could fill that acheing void in her life, but then he'd perished too and neither of his clones survived for long. As for Steelman, he'd disclosed his identity to Lucy Lane and then married her in his James Olsen identity, so that was out of the question. But this was a world at peace and she was reconciled to that. The invisible plane alighted near the Pentagon and Diana used the vibratory effect within her lasoo to return to her Diana Prince identity. Hardly had she entered the complex than she read the words BRUCE WAYNE DEAD on the Washington Post frontpage.
At the former Wayne Manor, a deceased legend's heirs and allies had arrived to comemorate such an epochal life:
"I can't believe he made it to 90."
"Wonder how Damian's taking it?"
"Yeah, Grayson's going to put out a public statement on behalf of Wayne Enterprises as its CEO."
"Lord, he was pudgy in the sixties, wasn't he?"
"Apparently he's going to be buried next to Thomas and Martha and Alfred Pennyworth, his late butler."
"All the old elite of Gotham are gone now- Bruce, Selina, James Gordon...yeah, I think Dick and Barbara will both make the memorial speeches..."
"Isn't that Britt Reid from the Sentinel?"
"Yeah, Bruce and he were good friends, too."
Lois Lane swept her grey hair from her eyes and sighed. The walls here echoed with secrets, but even as Daily Planet editor, she couldn't disclose them. She owed Bruce, Selina, Dick, Barbara, Alfred and Damian that. It was almost like an era was passing away. First Superman, all those years ago, now the former Batman. She felt like an intruder here now, all those years later. Lifting a photograph of Bruce and Selina to her mouth, she gently kissed it goodbye, then left the throng that was departing the memorial ceremony, walking off to her limousine.
Lana Lang stood at the pedestal that marked the Metropolis Superman memorial statue. She held her mink coat around her tightly and looked up as Steelman flew overhead. She knew Jimmy's secret, but didn't begrudge him his role as her lost love's replacement, or his happiness with Lucy and their children. She had made her choice, though- and as Vartox touched down alongside her, she knew she would soon leave this world for one last time. It had been excellent catching up with Lois again, but sad that her old rival in love had never found anyone else to replace Kal-El. And as for that obscene criminal parody of Clark Kent...
Green Hornet waved to Steelman and Captain Britain as both of them touched down at the Hornets Nest:
"Jim, Brian. Look, I know everyone is preoccupied with Batman I's death, but..."
"Yeah, I know, Britt, I feel it too. There's something emergent and off kilter about to happen. I've made enquiries at the Captain Britain Corps headquarters on Earth-69, but all they can tell me is that they can detect a presence, but not its actual identity." Brian Braddock said.
"Why would it attack this world? We have negligible crime levels, political tensions are manageable, and so is warfare, apart from the tragedies in Kabul and Mogadishu." Steelman said.
"Is it a terrestrial threat, though?"
"Our intersellar neighbour is quite peaceful, Brian. There are no malignant planetary civilisations or interstellar empires for several thousand light years, and they have their own troubles." James replied.
"Which leaves time-borne threats or those from alternate universes."
"The current Earths 23, 24 and 26 and Krypton-27 aren't particularly hostile or aggressive corners of the multiverse. As for Earth-28, it's engaged in its own global conflict and has had a recent knockback in terms of any wider ambitions that it might once have had. Much the same can be said about Earths 10, 40 and 43, which might present existential threats. But then there's the future. Back home on Earth-15, there were two major thirtieth centuries- one was a technologically advanced starfaring civilisation that had its own metahumans, the Legion of Super-Heroes, and the other was a bleak post-apocalyptic multispecies environment after an ambiguous "Great Disaster."
"So, what about our thirtieth or thirty first century? Are there any Legion analogues?" Brian asked.
"I've tried to reach that era, but there's a transtemporal barrier blocking egress back into normal space. We don't know."
"That doesn't sound good."
As they talked, they had no idea that they were under observation. Above the Hornets Nest, a disembodied form lurked, undetectable by the peak metahuman abilities of Steelman and Captain Britain.It was nebulous and it took an eternity for its thoughts to circulate and deliberate potential courses of action available to it. Like other universes, Krypton-25 had had its own Phantom Zone, but unlike those others, there were early complaints about its relative inhumanity and ethics, and Jor-El had to abandon it, although the punishment of its only three incumbent prisoners wasn't revoked. Over time, they had merged into a gestalt. Without a Supergirl analogue on Earth-25, and with the deaths of Superman and his two clones in 1971, there was nothing that they could communicate with, or more subtly influence. James Olsen knew about the Phantom Zone Projector, but given his non-Kryptonian biology, telepathic interface was impossible with the occupants. Over time, their gestalt abilities had grown and they had been able to isolate the present from its alternate futures, including one of a Legion analogue. Kyzo had been a terrorist from Krypton's lesser moon Mithen, leader of a seperatist army. His act had been to destroy the planet's Antarctic City with an antimatter bomb, killing three million people. U-Ban had undertaken illegal cryogenesis experiments that involved the implantation of alien parasites, while the sole woman, Mala, had led a detachment of the Kryptonian Planetary Defence Force in a sectarian crusade against 'those in error' according to the 'Swords of Rao' fundamentalist sect. But those identities were long since abandoned and the Gestalt had assimilated all three into its compound consciousness.
Its particular animus was against Steelman, whom it resented for adopting the Kryptonian crest of the House of El, and for "supplanting" the deceased Kryptonian apex class metahumans on Earth-25. Unfortunately, Steelman was unaware of their festering xenophobic hatred of him, and what they planned for him and his world. The Phantom Zone gestalt bided its time and one day, it attacked.
Brian Braddock was an anomaly within the "DC" multiverse sector, given that he was an alternate universe avatar of someone from a quite divergent sector on what that sector considered an 'outlier' within its precinct of alternate universes. However, he was strongly affiliated to his allies and to the Captain Britain Corps. Given that his particular affiliations could expose their potential threat, the Gestalt realised it had to neutralise him first, before he became aware of their existence. It seized its opportunity one day when Brian had encountered a psionic mutant, using it to launch him into a coma. Without that tactical advantage, the others were 'wide open' to their offensive.
Not unnaturally, their primary interest centred on Clark Kent, in a jail cell at Metropolis Prison:
-Kyzo, why are you so interested in that unnatural creature?
-He is kindred, U-Ban.
-Cloning is an abomination. You know as well as I do that it triggered the Thousand Years War on ancient Krypton.
-Not all of us share your religious fundamentalist scruples, U-Ban. The Steelman abomination must be stopped and the best way to do so is to energise this 'Clark Kent' to do so. Mala replied to U-Ban, and gave her consent to what the other Phantom Zone prisoner intended to do. Mala concentrated on the food on the tray before Clark Kent, transmuting its chemical compounds into something that would awaken whatever latent metahuman abilities the third "Superman" clone possessed.
Outside Brian's hospital ward, several metahuman colleagues of the comatose Captain Britain had come, past and present, to commiserate and converse about their colleague. Leading them were Richard and Barbara Grayson, the former Nightwing and Batwoman, now the chief executive of Wayne Enterprises and Gotham City Police Commissioner. Lucy Olsen looked over at them as she finished her phone call: "That was Starlabs. Brian appears to be suffering from psionic concussion."
"How is that possible? No telepath is that powerful- Earth inhibits the development of their abilities. And Steelman's surveillance satellites would have let us know if this had been an offworld intruder."
"Iris, honey, you really need to rest." Commissioner Gordon said to the now heavily pregnant Earth-25 Flash.
"Britt, is there anything the Sentinel can add?"
The newspaper editor shook his head: "No, and nor can the STINGER computer back at the Hornets Nest, Barbara."
"Damn it all! If Dick and I were still active..."
Her husband shook his head: "Considering we're in our sixties, Barbara, we don't really have the get up and go anymore. Damian and Helena would probably be better bets, but they're working on this electromagnetic disturbance question. But first Bruce,' his voice quavered, 'and now this. This was always a world of light and laughter. But now Brian's lying in a hospital bed and we don't know what was responsible for it..."
As Clark blasted free of his cell at Metropolis Prison, his eyes focused on the distant form of Steelman. He smiled as he accelerated toward him, intent on closing the distance. But Steelman had had his abilities for several years, saw the oncoming threat and activated his telepathic plug:
[All of you! I'm fending off a superpowered Clark Kent of the LUTHAR League. I don't know how it happened, but now this version is metahuman as well...]
[That shouldn't be possible, James. You know as well as I do that the metahumaniser formula only imparts temporary metahuman powers to the addict and that the consequence is cellular apoptosis, teratogenesis and death] Iris said
[Damn it all, especially with most of us incapacitated or otherwise out of action]
[Be careful, James, he doesn't share your vulnerability to thulium.] Dick added
Steelman adopted evasive action as Kent angrily gave chase:
"Give up, Olsen! This world only needs one apex metahuman, and it isn't the spawn of a dead world like you."
"That's always been the problem with you, hasn't it, Clark? You lacked the Kryptonian class abilities that your other two clone brothers had and as a result, you were never 'Superman IV'. It's driven you insane and turned you into this." Steelman narrowly avoided a searing pulse of heat vision from Clark Kent as the other growled:
"Come back here and fight like a man!"
"All I have to do is wait you out until your artificial meta abilities fade out, Clark. Please, give up now. We were friends before you became mentally ill. I don't want to do this."
"Shut up and d-" At which point, a kryptonite micromissile impacted in his left side. He gritted his teeth as he wrenched it out, but behind him, the Hornetjet had left stealth setting and was closing on the cloned Kryptonian. Then Clark realised- he was bleeding:
"Sorry, Mr Kent. The micromissile also contained a kryptonite syringe and liquid kryptonite. It's spreading through your bloodstream now. Your abilities have their downside."
"Don't... you... won't..." But in the next minute, Clark's eyes began to glaze over and like the ancient Icarus of Greek myth, he began to fall from the sky. Steelman intercepted him, but Kent's breathing grew laboured:
"J-James? Phantom...Zone... Kyzo....U-Ban...Mala...all...did...this. I was...pawn..."
And in a distant dimension, the three other Kryptonians howled in bewilderment and anger as Clark Kent's fourth and final clone breathed his last. That evening, Steelman looked out at the stars above him, feeling emptiness and loss. Lucy Lane-Olsen came up behind him, threaded her hands through his and held him close. A chill wind blew through their rooftop home as James swallowed and remembered the faded portrait of the old days with Phineas Potter at the Worlds Fair where he'd first met Lucy and Clark. Even if it hadn't been an icon like the first Superman or Batman this time, it hurt just as much. Then, feeling the presence of his wife near him, James Olsen returned to the world of light, life and love and walked inside with her, arm in arm.
THE END