Washington, D.C.

A Secret Service Agent stepped through the doors to the Oval Office, where he found the President seated behind the large desk. Lex Luthor looked up at the agent and raised an inquiring eyebrow.

"What is it?"

"He insisted on seeing you, Mr. President," said the agent.

"Who?" asked Luthor.

The agent opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the form of Manchester Black stepped into the office, cigarette held between his fingers. He waited for no invitation, just stretched out on one of the couches in the office and propped his feet up on the table while puffing on his cigarette. Luthor sighed.

"Do you want him removed?" asked the agent.

"No," said Luthor. "I'll take care of this. You can go now."

The agent nodded and left the room. Luthor stood from the desk and walked over to the couch, hands in the pockets of his slacks. Black looked up at him with a grin.

"Mornin'," he said.

"What do you want, Black?" asked Luthor.

"I had a meeting with Walker Gabriel."

"And?"

"Didn't go so well. Black's cigarette burned down to the filter. He put it out on the table and left it there. Luthor rolled his eyes.

"Didn't you read his mind?"

"Tried that, couldn't get through," said Black. "The man's certifiable at this point. Says time has come unstuck. It's all a big mess."

"Keep him under constant surveillance, get whatever means necessary to ensure that he's protected and his existence kept secret," said Luthor.

"And the blue boy scout?" asked Black.

"I've already spoken to the Justice League. They're going to question him."

"You sure that's wise? Last thing you need is them siding with him."

"It's no problem at all," said Luthor. "His story is full of holes and he has no way of proving it."

"And if that doesn't work?" asked Black.

"You worry too much, Black," said Luthor. "Our new friend has taken out an insurance policy in the event that the Justice League fails to perform their function."

Arctic North

The Fortress of Solitude was a massive, crystalline structure created in the image of Krypton. It houses Kryptonian technology as well as information about the lost planet. For the Man of Steel, it has served as a place where he can go when he needs time on his own and after the death of Lois Lane, he spent quite a bit of time up here.

Now, he has come to the Fortress for another reason. Rather than a desire to learn more about his heritage, Superman's hope is that the technology in the Fortress can give him a better idea of where he can find Walker Gabriel, the man called Chronos. His former teammate, Hal Jordan (now the Spectre), informed Superman that he must find Gabriel. It was perhaps Superman's only way of reaching the Clock King and putting an end to his destruction of Hypertime.

In addition to the Kryptonian technology, the Fortress was also equipped with technology given to Superman as a gift by the New Gods of New Genesis. Superman flew inside the fortress and hovered in the center of a deep chasm. Various holographic monitors appeared in a circle around him.

"Locate Walker Gabriel. Also called Chronos. Search all known databases."

{No known matches for Walker Gabriel.}

"Nothing?" asked Superman.

{Found one match for Chronos.}

"Bring it up."

{Chronos. Real name: Clinton, David. Also known as the Time Thief. Bargain with Neron granted him the ability to travel through time. Side-effect was rapid aging. Currently resides in the Kane Fox Retirement Home, located in Ivy Town.}

"If Gabriel can't be found, then Clinton could serve the same purpose..." said Superman. He tapped his chin as he considered his options. As he did so, he caught notice of something else. His hearing picked up a high-pitched noise. An alarm attuned to a frequency only his superhuman ears could notice. There was someone, or several someones, inside the Fortress, and Superman had a feeling he knew who it was.

It was another attempt by the Clock King to capture him. To prevent Superman from interfering in his plans. Superman began to scan the walls with his x-ray vision, but then his hearing picked up the rustle of a cape coming from behind him.

"You might as well turn visible, J'onn. I know you're here."

The form of J'onn J'onzz, the Manhunter from Mars, flickered into view before Superman. He had his arms folded across his broad, green chest and his blue cape flew around his body. Superman looked around the Fortress and saw Wonder Woman and Green Lantern descend as well. A platform of emerald energy courtesy of the Green Lantern's power ring served as a place for the Flash to stand on.

"What's this all about?" asked Superman.

"Maybe you should tell us that," said Green Lantern.

"I'm sorry?" asked Superman.

"The President of the United States has reason to believe your encounter with the Floronic Man has left you mentally unstable," said J'onn. "We were given the option of bringing you in for questioning ourselves, or leaving the President to bring you in with his own means. And given the history he has with all of us—especially you—we felt it was better we take him up on his offer."

"So Luthor is President again," said Superman.

"What do you mean 'again'?" asked the Flash.

"This is hard to explain, but time is being screwed with, and I think Luthor may have been involved in it somehow," said Superman. "Hal told me—"

"Hal?" asked Green Lantern with a raised eyebrow. "Hal Jordan?"

Superman nodded.

"Hal is dead," said Wonder Woman. "You know that, you were there when he sacrificed himself to reignite the sun."

"He became the Spectre after that," said Superman.

"Umm... J'onn?" asked Flash.

"Superman... Kal... please, come with us," said J'onn. "You're obviously not well."

"I'm fine, J'onn, you've all been swept up by the Clock King's machinations," said Superman.

"So the Clock King is behind this?" asked Flash. "I always thought he was a bit too insignificant to control time."

"It's a long story, you just have to trust me," said Superman. "J'onn, read my mind. Or Diana, use your lasso. I'm not lying."

"I already have, Kal, and you're right, you're not lying," said J'onn. "Or at least, you don't believe you are. There is, however, an anomaly I've detected in your thought patterns."

"Hal said he was going to keep me outside of time, that must be what it is," said Superman.

"I'm in position, I've got a shot. You want me to take it?"

"Not yet," came J'onn's telepathic reply to Green Arrow's thought.

"Kal, just come with us, don't make this hard on yourself," said Wonder Woman. "No one here wants to hurt you."

"I know, and I don't want to hurt you, either," said Superman. "But if you get in my way, the entire universe will be put at risk. And you know I can't let that happen."

"My friend, don't do this, you're only asking for trouble," said J'onn.

"I'm sorry, J'onn," said Superman.

"It will be okay, just come with us back to the Watchtower," said J'onn.

"No..." said Superman. "I'm sorry for this!"

Superman's eyes turned bright red and the Martian Manhunter cried out in pain as the Man of Steel's heat vision struck his body. Caught by surprise, Wonder Woman attempted to move in next, but Superman grabbed her wrists and hurled her into the Green Lantern. The platform provided for the Flash vanished and the fastest man alive spun in midair, slowing his descent to the ground. In a second, he was racing back up against the wall. He bounded off and shot towards Superman like a missile, vibrating his body at super speed. An impact like that would have caused a normal man to explode. But when the Flash collided with Superman, it simply sent him flying against the Fortress wall.

Superman peeled himself from the crystal, his body leaving an indentation. He filled his lungs with air and released it, the force of the winds from his breath forced the vibrating Flash to go back through the Fortress wall. In the wake of his removal from the Fortress, the wall he vibrated through exploded.

"I'm taking the shot!"

"No! He'll hear it coming and avoid it before you can blink."

Wonder Woman flew towards her former leader and threw her golden lasso out. Superman attempted to grab it, but the warrior princess pulled it back and whipped it forward again, snaring him in it.

"Ollie, now!" she shouted.

Superman realized his mistake. When he saw these four Justice Leaguers approach him, he had simply assumed they were the only ones who came for him. He hadn't realized they called in an additional operative. This operative happened to be Oliver Queen, Green Arrow. From his spot high in the ceiling of the Fortress, he released his bowstring. The arrow cut through the air quickly, and Superman could see a familiar green glow coming from the arrowhead.

Kryptonite.

It struck him in his side and he clenched his teeth. He could feel blood coming from the wound. He struggled in the grip of Wonder Woman's lasso, but he felt his strength quickly diminishing. His body grew weak, and he was gasping for breath now. Wonder Woman released him from the lasso and he fell, but was caught by the Martian Manhunter.

"I'm sorry, Kal, but we had no choice."

Superman closed his eyes and seemed to fall unconscious in J'onn's arm. His hand, however, fell across his stomach, near the arrow...

Metropolis

Lois Lane fumbled with a hairclip outside the door to Clark Kent's apartment. Behind her stood Lana Lang. Lois muttered curses under her breath while she tried to pick Clark's lock. She had been at it for an hour already and was still working, trying to get some answers in regards to her current situation.

"We shouldn't be here, let's just go back to the Planet, maybe Clark will turn up," said Lana. "Or maybe go to S.T.A.R. Labs, see if they know what's going on."

"Hey, if you wanna leave, go right ahead. Me, I'm not leaving until I get into Smallville's apartment," said Lois.

"Lois, I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm sure there's a logical explanation for everything," said Lana.

"Oh, sure there is, and I expect Kent knows something about it," said Lois. "This explains why he was acting so strange."

She heard a click and gasped in shock, then started to laugh.

"You get it?" asked Lana.

"Of course I did." She stood from her knees and opened the door to the apartment. "Nobody's built anything that can keep Lois Lane out."

Lois took her first steps into the apartment, followed by Lana. At first, Lana assumed Lois was going to be inconspicuous. She was quickly proven wrong.

"Hey Smallville, get your butt out here right now!" said Lois, her voice ringing through the apartment.

"We tried calling, we tried knocking, and there was no answer. What makes you think he's here?" asked Lana.

Lois shrugged. "Worth a shot."

Lana shook her head.

"There has to be something in here to explain why my name was on Kent's answering machine, and something to explain why I'm apparently dead," said Lois. She saw a table with framed photographs on it and examined them. There was one of Clark's parents, one of him with Perry, Jimmy and Lois. There were also a few pictures of him with Lois alone. One of them in particular caught her eye.

In this one, Lois wore a wedding dress.

"Well, looks like it is true." Lois lifted the picture frame so Lana could see it. "Either that or Kent's got some great PhotoShop skills. Now I just want to know what's going on and why I don't remember anything."

"It's a long story."

The voice was a new one. It sounded vaguely mechanical, almost like an echo. Lana and Lois turned around to see a man covered from head to toe in silver armor with a large S on his chest. He wore a red cape and held a sledgehammer which rested on his shoulder.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" asked Lois.

"Obviously you've been affected a lot by the timequakes," he said. "My name's Steel. I'm here because Superman may be in trouble. He needs our help."

"Still doesn't explain why you're in Clark's apartment," said Lois.

Steel sighed and looked at Lana. "I take it she doesn't know."

"Know what?" asked Lois.

Arctic North

Superman's hand fell towards the arrow. He wrapped his fingers around the shaft and pulled. The arrow popped out and he let it fall to the ground. He could feel his strength slowly returning to him, but he wasn't strong enough to take on the entire Justice League.

"J'onn..." he said. The Martian Manhunter looked down and Superman's fist connected with his jaw. Superman pulled himself away from his friend's grip. Wonder Woman hovered nearby and Green Lantern had the Flash and Green Arrow encased in a forcefield.

"You're weak, you can't fight all of us," said Wonder Woman.

"You're right," said Superman. He rocketed off, traveling south as fast as he could.

"Get me to the ground, I'll follow him on foot," said the Flash. Green Lantern lowered his teammate to the ground and the Flash went off running in a red and gold streak.

"Diana, try to follow him. He's still weak, he won't be able to fly at his top speed," said the Martian Manhunter. As Wonder Woman flew off in pursuit, J'onn picked up the thoughts of another Leaguer.

"Clark's not the problem."

"Batman?"

"There's more going on here. Luthor was lying to us."

"But Clark's mind... his brainwaves..."

"Doesn't matter. I found out Luthor is involved in something big."

"Some sort of plot to get rid of Clark?"

"No, this is bigger than Superman."

Washington, D.C.

Lex Luthor opened the door to the Oval Office, but found no Secret Service agents standing there. Instead, he noticed something pinned to the door. It was a latex mask, and the face was the agent who was inside the room earlier. The mask was pinned to the door by a batarang. Luthor grabbed the mask in a rage and tore it free.

"That bastard," he said, looking at Black. "How come you couldn't sense him?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Black.

"The Batman!" Luthor threw the mask at Black's feet. "He heard every word we said! He knows everything! That means he's probably informed the rest of the Justice League by now!"

"So bring out your insurance policy," said Black. He shot his eyes to the corner of the room and a figure stepped forth from the shadows.

"Two Kryptonians walk into a bar..." said Black with a grin.

"Can you defeat him?" asked Luthor.

"I can try," said the Kryptonian. She had long, blonde hair that fell over her shoulders and bright blue eyes. Her costume consisted of a blue shirt with the familiar S-shield emblazoned on it and a red cape. She wore a blue skirt and had red boots.

Her name was Kara Zor-El. And she wasn't supposed to exist in this reality.