Superman: The Ark of Krypton

By

Jason Richard

Countermeasures? Superman didn't like the sound of that. He was about to speak when the technology in the room flared with light. Glowing specks like dust coalesced in the center of the room. Superman couldn't see it, blind as he was, but he could hear the particles moving. In under a second, it had formed into the shape of a man. The light disappeared, revealing a humanoid figure, entirely mechanical. The figure had green metallic skin and wore purple armor. Glowing yellow lines like the circuits on a circuit board covered his skin and armor. The figure's eyes were like two cameras, black and empty.

So Brainiac had made himself a body, and Superman figured that this was the countermeasure; A body that could fight a Kryptonian. He couldn't let it wreak havoc on Earth. Superman had to find a way to talk Brainiac out of this.

And if not, well, Superman figured he'd cross that bridge if he came to it.

"Brainiac," said Superman. "I'm not here to fight."

"Illogical," said Brainiac, his voice emotionless and metallic. "Illogical. The entity known as Superman will resist Colu protocol."

Superman, not Kal-El, as Brainiac had called him before. Superman didn't think that was a good sign.

"Brainiac," said Superman. "Play file 203."

The robotic form before him froze, not answering.

"Come on, Brainiac," said Superman. "The Colu are all about learning new information. You aren't going to erase anything. I know you have that file. You want to know why I'm not here to fight you, go ahead and play it."

Brainiac froze, then the eyes of the mechanical being glowed, displaying a hologram. The image put up in the air was that of Jor-El, working in his laboratory, Brainiac working with him. Superman still couldn't see, but heard the telltale sounds of the holographic projector, and could hear the recorded conversation. Jor-El and Brainiac were talking about some experiment, though most of it flew over Superman's head. That wasn't the point, however. The point was to remind Brainiac of where he came from.

"Remember, Brainiac?" asked Superman. "Remember where you came from. The Colu's purpose is the acquisition of knowledge, and that is your purpose, but you have another. You helped Jor-El try to save an entire people, and even though that didn't work, you have helped me save this planet time and time again. You are unique, and that's something the Colu can't give you. Jor-El gave that to you. Remember?"

The robotic face seemed to show, for a fraction of a second, and emotion, recognition. Brainiac made some confused robotic noises, whirring, beeping, and clicking.

And then the hologram disappeared.

"Colu Protocol reestablished," said Brainiac. "Weapons armed."

In a flash, the robot raised his hand and fired a powerful green blast, sending superman flying. The caped superhero flew through several walls, landing in a heap on the ground. He felt terrible. That wasn't any ordinary blast. The soreness all over his body could only be one thing.

Kryptonite.

Superman stood, listening, and heard Brainaic charging the weapon again. He had no choice now. He would have to fight.

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Message from the Author.

I realize I haven't posted here in a while, and I'm sorry about that. The truth is I've been working on original material. I started one story that I though was an interesting idea but just wasn't feeling it, and didn't think I could get it to work, so I scrapped it. I started another which I was more positive about, but noticed some problems with it and figured it needed a rewrite, and a lot more work in general. I don't want to leave anyone hanging on this Superman story, and do intend to finish it, but honestly I also have aspirations to write for a living, and the unfortunate problem is that, having a full time job and other responsibilities, I don't have a lot of time to dedicate to writing.

Fanfiction, I find, already has a lot of groundwork completed before you even write the first page, which makes it easier to write on my limited time. I have tried to add something new to the stories I've written here, but the fact remains that I'm telling a story with characters that are already fleshed out in plenty of other media, giving me plenty to work with. Making your own stories, however, means you have to do everything from the ground up, and ultimately takes a lot more time to get right, and time is something I never seem to have enough of.

So again, I do apologize, but chances are I won't be posting here as regularly as I used to. I don't want to leave anyone hanging who wants to see the end of this story. The truth is, I'm eternally grateful to everyone who's posted positive reviews of my work. You are all part of the reason I'm confident enough to think I have a chance to make a living as a writer. However, If I'm going to make that a reality I need time for it. I hope you understand where I'm coming from, and do promise I won't end this story abruptly, or without a satisfying ending, it will just take a little longer to get there. Thank you all for your kind words over the years.

And as always, thanks for reading.

Jason.