Post by DocQuantum on May 30, 2020 20:15:48 GMT
Author's note: This story takes place sometime before Superman: The Unkindest Cut.
***
To the hero known the world over as Superman, outer space was as familiar as the streets of Metropolis. Having been born on the planet Krypton as Kal-El and rocketed to Earth as a child, where he was named Clark Kent by his foster parents, Superman had visited outer space countless times since first donning the blue and red costume that had made him famous as Superboy and later as Superman. Traveling beyond the Earth's atmosphere was no problem for the Man of Steel, because his Kryptonian genetics under a yellow sun granted him invulnerability, super-strength, and super-speed, among other powers.
There were rare occasions, however, when it was not worth the risk to travel under his own power. If he visited a red solar system, for example, he would lose his sun-granted abilities. If he was forced to travel through space irradiated by kryptonite radiation, he would suffer from radiation poisoning and could even die. It was for these reasons that a few years ago he constructed a small but well-equipped spacecraft that would help him accomplish certain missions in outer space without falling prey to his weaknesses. Inspired by a close friend's own amazing vehicle, he christened it the Supermobile. (*)
[(*) Editor's note: See "It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Supermobile," Action Comics #481 (March, 1978).]
On this day Superman took Supermobile beyond the atmosphere to deal with a meteor shower composed of various types of ore embedded with thousands of fragments of kryptonite. On any other occasion he would have simply smashed the meteors with his bare hands, but the radioactive fragments of his homeworld were lethal to him. The long-range scanners in his Fortress of Solitude at the North Pole had given him the warning about the approaching kryptonite, but they did not prepare him for what he would find when he reached the meteors.
It's a good thing the Supermobile protects against kryptonite radiation, thought Superman as the craft approached, because I can see not only common green kryptonite, which would be bad enough, but also red K and even traces of gold K! I didn't wake up this morning just so I could grow a second head or lose all my powers! I'd better focus on rounding up all the most dangerous kryptonite fragments first, and send them on their way to the sun, just in case my spacecraft is breached.
After spending several moments doing so, Superman spotted yet another rarity. Jewel kryptonite -- one of the rarest of all types of kryptonite yet discovered! We have that old rogue Jax-Ur to thank for arranging a fragment of Krypton's Jewel Mountains to turn into jewel K during a time trip several years ago! (*) Still, even though it's a form of kryptonite, it's harmless to me. The only real danger it posed -- enhancing the telepathic abilities of Phantom Zone villains -- is over now, since the Phantom Zone was mostly emptied a couple years back. (*) I'll have to take this one back to Earth -- my old friend Dr. Klyburn would love to get her hands on this rare specimen for a deeper analysis.
[(*) Editor's note: See "Secret of Kryptonite Six," Action Comics #310 (March, 1964), "Phantom Zone: The Final Chapter," DC Comics Presents #97 (September, 1986), and World of New Krypton: Supergirl and Valor: Homecoming, Chapter 3: Heir to the House of El.]
I had originally thought that there was only one large piece of jewel kryptonite in existence, which I threw into the sun after Jax-Ur used its mental-enhancing properties against me. But finding this piece of jewel K along with all these other types of kryptonite makes me wonder if some of the Jewel Mountain fragments could have formed into jewel K naturally. There's still so much I still don't know about Kryptonian history even with the wealth of knowledge I've gleaned over the years from my own memories, time trips, talks with Supergirl, and the citizens of Kandor who now reside on the planet Rokyn. Even after all these years I'm still discovering previously unknown facts, history, and even survivors of Krypton!
The Supermobile made short work of the meteors, leaving most to burn up in the atmosphere, even as it separated out any remaining kryptonite fragments for special delivery to the sun. After all, Superman didn't want Luthor, Brainiac, Kobra, or any of his other enemies to get their hands on any kryptonite after all the trouble he'd gone through getting rid of many tons of kryptonite after the fragments of Argo City rained down on Metropolis years ago, causing a great deal of trouble in those short months after the Crisis on Infinite Earths. (*)
[(*) Editor’s note: See Superman Family: Recovery, and Superman: Kryptonite City.]
Uh-oh... Superman thought as his x-ray vision peered through the meteors of various shapes and sizes. If I'm seeing what I think I'm seeing, I might have discovered something even more dangerous than kryptonite!
Indeed, the Supermobile's sensors confirmed the existence of something that he'd never expected to find at all -- a space capsule sealed deep within one of the larger meteors. Although it looked battered and was scored with dust and debris over its long voyage through space, it was also quite intact and apparently indestructible.
It also looked very familiar. Superman had seen space capsules of this type before, and was more than a little concerned about what it might mean, not only for himself but for the Earth. For, as the Supermobile's sensors had also revealed, the space capsule was carrying a passenger.
It appeared that the meteor had formed around the spacecraft, which made separating the capsule from it a difficult prospect. The Supermobile's projectile grappling hands couldn't simply pull it free from the surrounding rocky material, since much of it seemed to have adhered to the capsule while in a hot molten state, and it proved to be just as indestructible as the capsule itself. If too much pressure was applied, the integrity of the capsule would be at risk, and thus also the living being within it.
Superman would have to haul the capsule, meteor and all, back to the Fortress of Solitude, where he could properly use both his innate strength and super-vision along with many tools to separate capsule from meteor in a safe, secure environment. As well, the passenger within appeared to be in a state of suspended animation, and the Man of Steel wanted to ensure that when -- or if -- he woke up, this passenger could also be safely contained.
A few years before Krypton's destruction, Superman's scientist father Jor-El had invented a type of suspended animation gas and proposed a solution to the rare but annoying crime problem on Krypton. Since the death penalty had been eliminated some years earlier, and maintaining a prison system seemed both costly and barbaric, Jor-El had proposed putting convicted criminals into space capsules launched into orbit and kept in suspended animation using his gas. Experimentation had indicated that the gas in a zero-gravity environment made a subject more amenable to psychological correction, allowing a prisoner to become completely rehabilitated from his criminal tendencies via the use of subliminal messages by the time his sentence was up. (*)
[(*) Editor's note: See "Prison in the Sky," Superman #234 (February, 1971).]
Over the years, Superman had encountered a few Kryptonian criminals freed after decades from these so-called prison-satellites and had been forced into battles with such dangerous figures as Klax-Ar, Gra-Mo, and Zo-Mar, to name a few, made even more dangerous given the super-powers most received under Earth's sun and environment. (*) The brainwashing process used on prisoners had proven to be limited in scope after all. Having recognized this limitation himself, Jor-El later proposed a new method of incarceration to replace the prison-satellites entirely with a ray that sent convicted criminals into the sidereal dimension he called the Phantom Zone.
[(*) Editor's note: See "The Man Who Destroyed Krypton," Superboy #67 (September, 1958), "The Untold Story of the Phantom Zone," Superboy #104 (April, 1963) and "Give Me Power, Give Me Your World," DC Comics Presents #84 (August, 1985).]
Given what Superman knew about Kryptonian history, the being within this indestructible space capsule was probably one of those prison-satellite inmates. Although the Phantom Zone ray had been put into use for some time before then, the Science Council had determined to slowly phase out the earlier method of incarceration in favor of the Phantom Zone instead of simply bringing down every prison-satellite and sending the prisoners directly to the Zone to serve out the rest of their sentences. Thus there were still several criminals left in orbit around Krypton at the time of its destruction who were thrust into the outer reaches of space when the planet exploded.
Embedded with the meteor were large amounts of lead ore, so Superman couldn't simply use his x-ray vision to peer within the space capsule to see its occupant for himself. But from what he could see, and what the Supermobile's sensors also indicated, was that the life support systems were fully intact, and that the prisoner within was alive and remained in suspended animation. But there were just enough gaps in the embedded lead fragments for Superman to see something alarming within.
There's kryptonite inside that space capsule! Superman realized. The prisoner may still be alive in that prison-satellite, but the kryptonite radiation could be slowly killing him -- even in suspended animation! Got to hurry -- no time to waste! No telling how far gone he might be already!
With the jewel kryptonite sample contained in a sealed vault, and the meteor-encrusted space capsule in the enormous hands of the Supermobile, the Man of Steel sped back to Earth to save the life of the apparent Kryptonian prisoner within.
***
To the hero known the world over as Superman, outer space was as familiar as the streets of Metropolis. Having been born on the planet Krypton as Kal-El and rocketed to Earth as a child, where he was named Clark Kent by his foster parents, Superman had visited outer space countless times since first donning the blue and red costume that had made him famous as Superboy and later as Superman. Traveling beyond the Earth's atmosphere was no problem for the Man of Steel, because his Kryptonian genetics under a yellow sun granted him invulnerability, super-strength, and super-speed, among other powers.
There were rare occasions, however, when it was not worth the risk to travel under his own power. If he visited a red solar system, for example, he would lose his sun-granted abilities. If he was forced to travel through space irradiated by kryptonite radiation, he would suffer from radiation poisoning and could even die. It was for these reasons that a few years ago he constructed a small but well-equipped spacecraft that would help him accomplish certain missions in outer space without falling prey to his weaknesses. Inspired by a close friend's own amazing vehicle, he christened it the Supermobile. (*)
[(*) Editor's note: See "It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Supermobile," Action Comics #481 (March, 1978).]
On this day Superman took Supermobile beyond the atmosphere to deal with a meteor shower composed of various types of ore embedded with thousands of fragments of kryptonite. On any other occasion he would have simply smashed the meteors with his bare hands, but the radioactive fragments of his homeworld were lethal to him. The long-range scanners in his Fortress of Solitude at the North Pole had given him the warning about the approaching kryptonite, but they did not prepare him for what he would find when he reached the meteors.
It's a good thing the Supermobile protects against kryptonite radiation, thought Superman as the craft approached, because I can see not only common green kryptonite, which would be bad enough, but also red K and even traces of gold K! I didn't wake up this morning just so I could grow a second head or lose all my powers! I'd better focus on rounding up all the most dangerous kryptonite fragments first, and send them on their way to the sun, just in case my spacecraft is breached.
After spending several moments doing so, Superman spotted yet another rarity. Jewel kryptonite -- one of the rarest of all types of kryptonite yet discovered! We have that old rogue Jax-Ur to thank for arranging a fragment of Krypton's Jewel Mountains to turn into jewel K during a time trip several years ago! (*) Still, even though it's a form of kryptonite, it's harmless to me. The only real danger it posed -- enhancing the telepathic abilities of Phantom Zone villains -- is over now, since the Phantom Zone was mostly emptied a couple years back. (*) I'll have to take this one back to Earth -- my old friend Dr. Klyburn would love to get her hands on this rare specimen for a deeper analysis.
[(*) Editor's note: See "Secret of Kryptonite Six," Action Comics #310 (March, 1964), "Phantom Zone: The Final Chapter," DC Comics Presents #97 (September, 1986), and World of New Krypton: Supergirl and Valor: Homecoming, Chapter 3: Heir to the House of El.]
I had originally thought that there was only one large piece of jewel kryptonite in existence, which I threw into the sun after Jax-Ur used its mental-enhancing properties against me. But finding this piece of jewel K along with all these other types of kryptonite makes me wonder if some of the Jewel Mountain fragments could have formed into jewel K naturally. There's still so much I still don't know about Kryptonian history even with the wealth of knowledge I've gleaned over the years from my own memories, time trips, talks with Supergirl, and the citizens of Kandor who now reside on the planet Rokyn. Even after all these years I'm still discovering previously unknown facts, history, and even survivors of Krypton!
The Supermobile made short work of the meteors, leaving most to burn up in the atmosphere, even as it separated out any remaining kryptonite fragments for special delivery to the sun. After all, Superman didn't want Luthor, Brainiac, Kobra, or any of his other enemies to get their hands on any kryptonite after all the trouble he'd gone through getting rid of many tons of kryptonite after the fragments of Argo City rained down on Metropolis years ago, causing a great deal of trouble in those short months after the Crisis on Infinite Earths. (*)
[(*) Editor’s note: See Superman Family: Recovery, and Superman: Kryptonite City.]
Uh-oh... Superman thought as his x-ray vision peered through the meteors of various shapes and sizes. If I'm seeing what I think I'm seeing, I might have discovered something even more dangerous than kryptonite!
Indeed, the Supermobile's sensors confirmed the existence of something that he'd never expected to find at all -- a space capsule sealed deep within one of the larger meteors. Although it looked battered and was scored with dust and debris over its long voyage through space, it was also quite intact and apparently indestructible.
It also looked very familiar. Superman had seen space capsules of this type before, and was more than a little concerned about what it might mean, not only for himself but for the Earth. For, as the Supermobile's sensors had also revealed, the space capsule was carrying a passenger.
It appeared that the meteor had formed around the spacecraft, which made separating the capsule from it a difficult prospect. The Supermobile's projectile grappling hands couldn't simply pull it free from the surrounding rocky material, since much of it seemed to have adhered to the capsule while in a hot molten state, and it proved to be just as indestructible as the capsule itself. If too much pressure was applied, the integrity of the capsule would be at risk, and thus also the living being within it.
Superman would have to haul the capsule, meteor and all, back to the Fortress of Solitude, where he could properly use both his innate strength and super-vision along with many tools to separate capsule from meteor in a safe, secure environment. As well, the passenger within appeared to be in a state of suspended animation, and the Man of Steel wanted to ensure that when -- or if -- he woke up, this passenger could also be safely contained.
A few years before Krypton's destruction, Superman's scientist father Jor-El had invented a type of suspended animation gas and proposed a solution to the rare but annoying crime problem on Krypton. Since the death penalty had been eliminated some years earlier, and maintaining a prison system seemed both costly and barbaric, Jor-El had proposed putting convicted criminals into space capsules launched into orbit and kept in suspended animation using his gas. Experimentation had indicated that the gas in a zero-gravity environment made a subject more amenable to psychological correction, allowing a prisoner to become completely rehabilitated from his criminal tendencies via the use of subliminal messages by the time his sentence was up. (*)
[(*) Editor's note: See "Prison in the Sky," Superman #234 (February, 1971).]
Over the years, Superman had encountered a few Kryptonian criminals freed after decades from these so-called prison-satellites and had been forced into battles with such dangerous figures as Klax-Ar, Gra-Mo, and Zo-Mar, to name a few, made even more dangerous given the super-powers most received under Earth's sun and environment. (*) The brainwashing process used on prisoners had proven to be limited in scope after all. Having recognized this limitation himself, Jor-El later proposed a new method of incarceration to replace the prison-satellites entirely with a ray that sent convicted criminals into the sidereal dimension he called the Phantom Zone.
[(*) Editor's note: See "The Man Who Destroyed Krypton," Superboy #67 (September, 1958), "The Untold Story of the Phantom Zone," Superboy #104 (April, 1963) and "Give Me Power, Give Me Your World," DC Comics Presents #84 (August, 1985).]
Given what Superman knew about Kryptonian history, the being within this indestructible space capsule was probably one of those prison-satellite inmates. Although the Phantom Zone ray had been put into use for some time before then, the Science Council had determined to slowly phase out the earlier method of incarceration in favor of the Phantom Zone instead of simply bringing down every prison-satellite and sending the prisoners directly to the Zone to serve out the rest of their sentences. Thus there were still several criminals left in orbit around Krypton at the time of its destruction who were thrust into the outer reaches of space when the planet exploded.
Embedded with the meteor were large amounts of lead ore, so Superman couldn't simply use his x-ray vision to peer within the space capsule to see its occupant for himself. But from what he could see, and what the Supermobile's sensors also indicated, was that the life support systems were fully intact, and that the prisoner within was alive and remained in suspended animation. But there were just enough gaps in the embedded lead fragments for Superman to see something alarming within.
There's kryptonite inside that space capsule! Superman realized. The prisoner may still be alive in that prison-satellite, but the kryptonite radiation could be slowly killing him -- even in suspended animation! Got to hurry -- no time to waste! No telling how far gone he might be already!
With the jewel kryptonite sample contained in a sealed vault, and the meteor-encrusted space capsule in the enormous hands of the Supermobile, the Man of Steel sped back to Earth to save the life of the apparent Kryptonian prisoner within.
