"With Or Without" Part Three
“So here’s the situation.” Clark Kent said slowly. He sat down at the dining room table and rested both hands on the thick wood surface. He cleared his throat softly and focused his thoughts. He knew it would be hard but he hadn’t expected it to be this difficult. He was a writer, he was used to always having the words. He may not always say them but he usually had an idea of what to say. Now he didn’t, his mind was blank. All he could see was her face. “Just spit it out Smallville.” Lois Lane said with mild sarcasm on her face. “Let me guess, another crisis so you have to cancel our weekend plans?” Clark looked up at her sadly and her sarcasm and long built up cynicism faded instantly. “Wait, this is serious, isn’t it Clark? What’s wrong?” Kent smiled, “I guess you didn’t get your reputation as a Pulitzer nominated investigator for nothing.” He said with a sad smile. “Honey. I have cancer.” The words dropped through the dense air like a rock and struck with a resounding silence. Lois stared blankly at him while the sentence slowly burned its way into her consciousness. Cancer. For a two syllable word it held as much meaning as a paragraph. “Cancer.” She explored the word slowly as she said it hoping that saying it aloud would change the meaning and depth. “Is it serious?” “Very.” “I see.” She paused and though for a moment as a series of events played out in her mind. Clark fidgeted slightly in the hard wooden chair. “Do we know who is behind it?” she asked. “Excuse me?” “Who is causing it. Is it Luthor? Or is it someone else like the Cyborg or Brainiac?” “Causing it… it’s cancer not an evil scheme.” Clark said in mild disbelief. “No one’s causing it. It just is.” “But it has to be…” Lois said desperately. “I mean… if it’s not… that means…” Clark reached over and tightly held his wife as she slowly burst into sobs. Ganthet leaned back on his chair and straightened his long white hair and adjusted his red jacket while never taking his eyes off of Kyle Rayner. “I am impressed Green Lantern. How did you find me?” Kyle shrugged and held up his hand. “The ring has a similar energy signature as you. I just homed in on the only matching energy pattern in the Galaxy and found you.” The young Green Lantern said. And it only took me eight tries and four days to do it too he added silently to himself. “Why have you sought out the last of the Guardians of the Galaxy?” “A friend of mine is very ill and I need your help finding a cure.” “You came all this way to get me to nurse a sick friend back to health?!” Ganthet said with noticeable disdain. “My time is precious. Why should this be of concern to me?” “It’s Superman. He’s got leukemia. It’s a type of cancer. It’s a terminal disease.” Ganthet resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “I am aware of what cancer is. I still do not see why this should concern me.” “Because it’s Superman.” “So?” Ganthet asked rhetorically. “As powerful as he is he is still mortal and all mortal things must die eventually. It is the way of things.” Green Lantern stepped forward angrily. “You can’t just sit here and let him die! He’s the greatest hero Earth has ever known. He’s saved the entire planet more times than even Hal Jordan did!” “As respectable of a being as he is I cannot play favorites with life and death. It is not my place to choose the fates of people. If I save one life from death at the hands of natural causes I will be expected to save others. There are heroes and champions dying of similar fates across the universe, should I save them all? Am I to play god and pick and choose?” “They’re not asking you to save their lives,” GL protested, “I am! You created the Corps along with the other Guardians. You’ve already interfered with life and death!” “Maintaining order and preventing the deaths of innocents from violent means is a far cry from saving lives from diseases. The Guardians were immune to natural deaths and virtually immortal. Would you ask me to share the secrets of our power with everyone in the Universe? Or do you presume to pick and choose who lives and dies yourself?” Ganthet said coldly. “No.” Kyle said softly. “It just doesn’t seem fair.” “Death is the only thing that truly is fair.” Ganthet said quietly. “For everything eventually dies. Even Guardians. Even me.” There was a loud crack as the fists hit Wonder Woman and sent her flying backwards. She collided with the hilltop and blasted a large hole into the rocky side. Boulders were reduced to pebbles and dust as the Amazon smashed into the ground creating an impact crater the size of a large house. Slowly Wonder Woman pulled herself out and brushed the dirt and gravel from her uniform and hair. She smiled slightly. “Is that the best you can do?” she asked. Briareus the Hecatonchire snarled something incomprehensible and pulled a boulder the size and weight of a large bus from the ground beneath him and hurled it at the Leaguer. Wonder Woman pushed off and aimed herself directly at the rock and raised a single fist upward. She plowed through the rock and shot out the far side and aimed herself at her foe. Normally she would not have been pitted against Briareus. He was one of the few Hecatonchires who had remained loyal to Zeus and the Olympians in the war against the Titans and Giants. They were a race of giant creatures with a hundred arms and fifty heads and reputed to be stronger, more overbearing, and much fiercer than even the Cyclopes. Wonder Woman dodged to the left to avoid another barrage of boulders. Briareus could throw them almost faster than she could dodge. She quickly backhanded a granite projectile while ducking down and making a dive at the monster. It moved to block like lightning easily swinging its arms in unison. Ten arms connected hard and Wonder Woman flew backwards in pain colliding hard with the ground. She wiped a thin trail of blood from her mouth and stood up. The Hecatonchire was guarding a small cave, hardly more than a crack in the wall of one of the hills. The gods had told her of this place, a small insignificant land in Northern Egypt far from the Nile where the land was little but desert and sun-blasted rock. But here was different. An underground stream fed the surrounding lands in the hilly valley and gave birth to a small oasis that had grown into a large village over the centuries. A few hundred farmers and herders worked hard for a modest living in the rough hills of the province. In addition to the village and stream there was something else that made this small land special, it was the storage place of a small quantity of Ambrosia, the food of the gods, which conferred upon them their immortality. Most Ambrosia was held in Olympus itself for safe keeping but some supplies were long-ago hidden on the Earth for reasons long since forgotten, even by gods. They were sure they had a good reason at the time though. The gods, despite occasional bouts of forgetfulness, were not stupid and placed protection on their divine food to prevent thieves from stealing immortality. The Hecatonchire was one such guard. Wonder Woman flew forward again in another pass against her foe. Ambrosia could do more than just grant god-hood, it could restore the life of the dying. With it she could easily return Superman to health and eliminate his dread disease. Briareus faked to the left with ten hands and followed through with a dozen quick uppercuts. Wonder Woman quickly raised her bracelets to stop the torrent of blows. Fists seemed to rain down from every side and conceivable angle. She staggered backward blocking and weaving as best she could. A sudden hook caught her hard on the side of the face and sent her sprawling down the side of the hill leaving a long trench behind her. She slowly lifted herself up. Briareus was on her before she could get to her knees. He hefted a rock the size of a small school bus and brought it down hard onto her back driving her down to the ground. Wonder Woman continued to try to rise and the rock stuck her back again. Cracks spread through the lower half of the boulder as it continued to hammer down of the Amazon’s spine. Wonder Woman clenched her teeth in pain. Wonder Woman let herself be knocked back down and raised both hands up high. As hard as she could she brought both fists down striking the ground. The rocky surface she was on shattered and cracked from her blow sending large deep gouges spreading outward and generating a shockwave for a distance away. The Hecatonchire staggered searching for his footing as the earth beneath his feet shifted suddenly. Wonder Woman rolled to the side, steadied herself with her arms, and kicked Briareus hard in the right leg. The monster’s injured limb gave out on him and he succumbed to gravity with a loud crash. Wonder Woman leapt to her feet and punched him directly in the nearest of his heads. The head immediately went limp. The other 49 didn’t. Briareus reached out and grabbed ahold of Wonder Woman’s leg and swung her through the air slamming her into the ground with a loud thud. Diana coughed out gravel and tried to clear her double vision. Briareus swung her though the air again in a painful arch. The Amazon slammed into the earth again sending a plum of dust upward. Wonder Woman fought for consciousness. She kicked the wrist that held her as hard as she could and Briareus simply grabbed her other leg with another hand and swapped the injured limb for another. He had plenty of spare arms. Briareus slowly rose to his knees while repeatedly beating the ground with Wonder Woman. Again and again he raised the stunned Leaguer up and just as often he brought her down hard against the rocks beneath. Wonder Woman’s head swam and she was moving past seeing double to seeing three of everything. She tried to shield her face as best as she could from the jagged rocks as she was slammed down over and over. Briareus raised her up high and looked for a large rock to bash her against. He walked a few meters to his right where there was a good hefty one. He adjusted his footing and sung the Amazon down yet again. With an audible gasp Briareus twisted in sudden pain. He staggered and tried to breathe but found he couldn’t. Hands flew to his necks trying desperately to get air into his now burning lungs. Wonder Woman tightened her golden lasso which she had managed to swing over his heads, when Briareus had swung her down the knot had tightened cutting off his ability to breathe. Briareus staggered forward and fell to his knees swinging all his hundred arms about randomly trying to strike at his captor. Wonder Woman flew a short distance away keeping just out of reach of the flailing fists. She landed and planted her feet firmly on the ground and tightened her grip on the lasso. She normally loathed senseless violence but in this case she would make an exception. She yanked hard and swung the Hecatonchire of the ground and brought him back down heads first into the hillside. He went limp immediately. Wonder Woman walked over to the unconscious monster and loosened the lariat from his necks. She had no wish to kill the beast, he was only doing his job. Diana flew up the side of the mountain and reached the small cave. The entrance would have been a tight fit for the Hecatonchire but it was easily large enough for her. The inside of the cave itself was huge and hollowed out. It had been sparsely decorated by the Hecatonchire to make it livable. There was a crude table and several large shelves full of meager possessions and the air was filled with a sound similar to a dancing brook. At the far wall there was a large golden fruit sitting in a natural hollow in the cave wall. Wonder Woman marveled at the beauty of the fruit as she neared its resting place. When she reached it she saw the source of the echoing sound. The Ambrosia fruit sat in a small pool of water, part of a natural stream that flowed through the hill and spread throughout the area. Realization struck as hard as the Hecatonchire’s fists. The oasis in the area was caused by the presence of the Ambrosia. Just by being kept fresh in the water the small stream was enriched giving life to the area and had been providing a livelihood for people in this valley for centuries. If she removed the fruit the magic the fueled area would dry up and the land and crops would die. Hundreds of people would starve or be forced to move. She looked carefully at the fruit. “Is one person’s life as important as a hundred’s, even if that one is Superman?” she asked herself carefully. “Would Kal wish to live at the cost of someone else’s life?” Sighing she turned around and walked out of the cave empty handed. “A cure for leukemia? Sure, that’s no problem at all.” Flash blinked. “Really?” “Indubitably yes. We found the solution to that biological condition centuries ago. It will take some time for the computer to find the right files, haven’t had a case of it in ages.” Flash smiled. It had taken a few quick jumps through the time-stream to end up in an appropriate future, one that wasn’t too far forward as to have forgotten what cancer was, or one that was not in the middle of some civil war or dark catastrophe. Of course all that jumping and worrying was now in the past. Sort of. Flash sat down in front of the doctor’s black plastic desk while the medic typed in the appropriate information into what looked like his wallet. Flash checked his watch, this was going much quicker than even he expected. If he got the information and cure soon enough he might be able to do some quick sight-seeing first. Or reward himself with a trip to the video-store of the future. He’d been dying to check out Episode Three and the next two Lord of the Rings movies but just hadn’t had time during his previous trips to the future. He wondered if he could find anyplace that still carried DVDs. “Here we go.” The doctor said eventually getting his computer to project the information. “All the information from the most recent and all the historical cures for cancer. Is there any particular type or strain you need information on or for any specific race?” “Oh.” Flash said hitting his forehead with the heel of his hand. “Thanks for reminding me. I should have brought it up sooner. It’s for a Kryptonian. That might be different than if it was for a human or Martian or something.” The doctor’s eyebrows furrowed together. “A Criptonian? Never heard of them.” Then a look of realization crossed over his face. “Oh wait, you mean like Superman. The original I mean, not that one currently active in Megatropolis. Oh I’m terribly sorry but we don’t have specific data for a cure for them, what with the race being extinct and all.” Flash’s face fell. “Could you make something up? I shouldn’t be too hard. What with all the super science you have access to. Extrapolate something?” The doctor nodded. “I suppose so. The principals would all be the same I would just have to account for the absorption of solar radiation and enhanced cell properties. I could use Daxamite information as a template and… oh, wait. This cure, it wouldn’t be for the actual first Superman, would it?” Flash nodded. “Well actually, yeah. The only Kryptonian I’ve ever known, extra-dimensional criminals notwithstanding. Is that a problem?” The doctor shook his head sadly. “I’m afraid I can not be of assistance to you then. No one here can.” Flash straightened in shock. “Wait, what do you know? Is there something you’re not telling me?” “Well…” the doctor said trying to pick and choose his words carefully. “That’s the past. His entire life is in the past. My past I mean. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. It’s illegal to interfere with history! The Linear Men and T.E.C. will have my license if I help you.” The doctor signed loudly and cleared his computer’s recent memory of the file. “Is there anything you can do?” The Flash asked standing up. He clenched his fists in desperation. The information he needed to save Superman’s life had been right there! The doctor shook his head. “It has all already happened to me. Who know what would happen if I changed things? That would be like you going back and changing the events at Pear Harbor. Or slipping Stephen Hawkings a cure-all. It could have catastrophic consequences to the timeline.” Flash nodded impotently. “True. It still sucks, but it’s true. I should have realized that before I decided to come here.” He shrugged, “I don’t suppose you can save me the suspense by telling me how it all turns out?” The doc shook his head, “I’m a doctor, not a historian.” Flash left and looked for a safe place to vibrate home. Luthor sat down on his chair and a frown crossed his face again. The hard leather of the chair still wasn’t broken in properly yet. He had been away in Carson City too long and the temporary ass-grove he had worked in had faded during his trip. “Don’t get too comfortable.” A voice growled from behind him. Luthor spun around in shock. “Who’s there? Show yourself!” he ordered looking in the shadows carefully. Luthor subtly reached over for his silent alarm that would bring a dozen secret service agents running. A gloved hand grabbed Luthor’s wrist and spun the President down onto the ground. Luthor struggled and his assailant twisted his arm and easily pinned him down onto the carpet of the Oval Office. “Let go of me!” Luthor commanded. “Your life won’t be worth shit if you even wrinkle my suit!” There was a rustle of a cape and Luthor felt his arm be released. The President sat up and saw a familiar shadow on the wall. He smiled. “You’re a long way from Gotham, aren’t you?” “Two days ago three armored men in Lex Corp mobile suits laid siege to a Metropolitan hospital where Superman was recuperating.” “Three stolen suits worn by three known criminals who were previously apprehended by the Man of Steel. I assume they just wanted revenge on the man who incarcerated them.” Luthor said sitting back down and smoothing the arm of his suit jacket. “As of now Superman is off limits.” Luthor raised an eyebrow. “Really?” He said. “And why is that.” There was no sound, no rustle of warning, but suddenly the caped and cowled figure appeared on the desk, his face inches from Luthor’s. “Because I said so.” Luthor slid back in shock and almost fell back in his chair. Angrily he righted himself and looked directly into the white slits of the cowl. “That isn’t nearly good enough. Why exactly is the Man of Tomorrow in the hospital anyway?” “He has cancer.” Came the emotionless reply. Luthor’s eyes went wide. “Excuse me?” he said in shock. “Superman is dying. He has a few months to live, a year at best.” Luthor nodded and smiled slyly. “I’m devastated.” He deadpanned. “Why tell me this? Do you expect me to leave him alone now?” “I’m telling you this because he’s dying and you had nothing to do with it. In the end you couldn’t kill him, but a disease could. You failed.” Luthor frowned angrily. His eyes flashed down to the locked drawer of his desk. The one filled with folders and plans. The culmination of years of work and research and millions in funding. “Damnation.” He growled. When he looked up the room was empty. There was a note pinned to the wall by a batarang with only two words written on it. ‘Off-limits!’ Green Lantern rested his face against the meeting room table in the Watchtower. He was beginning to grow used to the position. Any longer and his face would leave a permanent mark on the hard surface. Flash slunk slowly into the room and sat down beside Wonder Woman who was busy holding a large icepack to her face. Green Lantern sighed loudly and watched his breath mist up the smooth table and quickly fade. “I’m guessing from the long faces the Watchtower has either been changed into a stable of everyone had as bad of luck as I did.” Wally West said slumping down in his chair. Green Lantern nodded as best as he could without lifting his face from the table. “Don’t you sometimes wish life was fair, if only for novelty value in the change.” Wally shook his head. “The older I get the more I wish life was just neutral instead of being actively Unfair.” “Unfair?” “Doesn’t it seem sometimes that we get put through more hell and crap just because we’re wearing the union suit.” Flash said tugging on his red costume. Green Lantern grunted. “You make a damn good point. You’d figure that karma would help us.” “One would assume so.” Wonder Woman said breaking her silence as she moved the icepack to the other side of her face. “That is the price we pay for who we are and what we do.” The door on the far side of the room slid open with an automated hiss and the Martian Manhunter walked in followed by the Atom. “Hello.” J’Onn said. “Is there any news?” Wally nodded. “Yes. And all bad. How are things here on the home base?” Atom sat down in his mini-chair. “Well using some nanotechnology I may have revolutionized chemotherapy and saved dozens of lives and prolonged many others.” “But?” “But with Superman’s unique physiology it will likely be totally ineffective. Or even make his cancer even more acute given his cell’s reaction to certain types of radiation.” Wally threw his arms up in dismay. “This is just great.” He then turned to J’Onn. “Isn’t there some Martian tech you can use? Your people were pretty advanced.” J’Onn sadly shook his head no. “We control every cell in out body. Cancer is foreign to us as are most diseases.” Green Lantern slowly raised his head and smiled. “It’s ironic, isn’t it. Superman’s invulnerability is killing him as much as the cancer is. If it wasn’t so tragic it would be funny.” Plastic Man hurled himself into the room as fast as he could ricochet. “Problem! Bigger problem!” He screamed. The League jerked to attention. “What transpires?” J’Onn asked spinning around. “Despite being trapped on Monitor duty for an evil length of time, which is torture to someone with my attention span,” Eel O’Brian began. “They just broke the story!” “Pardon?” Plastic Man nodded franticly. “The media found out why Superman was in the hospital! It’s all over the TVs and papers are releasing a special edition.” “How is the public handling the revelation?” Wonder Woman asked. Flash appeared back from the Monitor Womb. “They’re taking it pretty bad. Some are convinced it’s a sign and most think that an alien invasion is inevitable now. Most remember what happened last time and are fearing the worst.” Green Lantern shrugged. “I don’t blame them. I feel like flipping out myself. I just want to pinch myself and wake up from this whole thing.” “That isn’t the worst part!” Plastic Man said anxiously. “You’ll never believe who broke the story!” GL shrugged. “Okay. I’ll bite. Who?” “Lois Lane.” To Be Continued... Previous Issue | Next Issue |
