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."Lois was outraged."Didn't he more than prove his worth by saving our country from the Soviet missile launch?""You can't count on Superman, Miss Lane.How can the United States place itself in his debt? It would be the greatest folly to rely on a man who might change his mind on a whim.LuthorCorp, on the other hand, is creating reliable technology that won't be swayed by emotions.You've seen these new battlesuits—powerful defenses that can be used by anyone duly placed in command.""Someone like yourself?" Lois said.Luthor shrugged."There are more pressing threats than you realize, Miss Lane.Your own newspaper has failed to report on the most important danger to the people of Earth.The Communists are a red herring, as you will soon see.I intend to prove to the world that I am their real protector, not Superman."Lois glanced at the stony-faced Bertram, then back to Luthor."What could possibly be a bigger threat thanthe Communists in the middle of the Cold War? They've already launched three nuclear missiles at us!""Such a disappointing lack of imagination." Luthor regarded his fingertips, then turned to his bodyguard."Bertram, keep Miss Lane in one of our guest cells for the time being.It would be easier, and certainly more efficient, if we simply disposed of her, but I don't waste any possible resource.Superman has already demonstrated an affection for her, and she obviously loves him.Once General Ceridov sends his prisoner here, perhaps Miss Lane's presence will convince him not to resist our investigations.""I won't do it, Luthor.I refuse to cooperate!""Why, Miss Lane, who said your cooperation was required?"As the battlesuited guards grabbed a shouting Lois and dragged her out of the control room, Luthor folded his hands and turned to stare at the screens."With Superman out of the picture, it's the perfect time for my next little surprise."CHAPTER 52SIBERIATHE BLACK CYCLE RACED ACROSS THE UNEVEN TERRAIN like a predator giving chase.Kal-El slumped on the back, still wondering about the mysterious yet strangely honorable Batman.What sort of true hero hid his features behind a dark cowl? And yet, of all the citizens in the USA, only Batman had taken direct action, had risked his own life to save him from General Ceridov and the deadly meteorite radiation.As they put more distance between themselves and the quarry, Kal-El felt his crippling weakness begin to subside.The invisible chains that dragged him down were dissolving, and with each breath he felt more of his strength return.His vision became sharper.Closer to normal.Batman guided the cycle expertly through the dark forest, seeing his way with an infrared night-vision visor.He passed through the last of the stunted trees, then out to an open, windswept ridgetop where a dark plane waited like a massive metal condor, ready to take them to safety.Kal-El had never seen such an exotic aircraft design, and he wondered whether Batman himself might have access to certain alien technology.Kryptonian, perhaps? Maybe he was even an alien himself…but that was too much to hope for.Batman stopped the cycle and remotely opened the plane's canopy."It'll be crowded, but there's room inside for two.You're not in any shape to fly yet, and I've got to get you out of here."As Kal-El climbed into the sleek aircraft, Batman stowed the cycle in the fuselage undercarriage, then swung into the cockpit.Sealing the canopy, he activated the controls, and the engines roared to life, causing the whole plane to throb."We'll be gone before the Soviets know what hit them."With a burst from the vertical launch boosters, the plane lifted straight into the air, then leaped forward with a screaming thrust of afterburners, climbing steeply.Pushed deep into his seat by the acceleration, Kal-El looked down as the plane soared into the night, away from the gulag.There was no way he could have saved all those helpless political prisoners thrown into the camp by the Communist government.He vowed to come back—Then a blinding flash occurred, followed by a searing, rolling shock wave that carried a burst of light, radiation, and heat toward them.A nuclear flash.He strained to see through the dancing black spots in his vision.Batman clenched his gauntleted hands around the controls, holding the plane against the sudden buffeting of turbulence.Dials and gauges spun, blinking in the blackness.The sleek plane shuddered as it tried to outrace the shock front that tossed them about.Batman took the plane into a near vertical climb, not leveling off until they had finally escaped the spreading storm.Kal-El focused again, concentrating as he pushed his eyesight, discerning more details through the blazing aftermath."It's gone.The quarry, the gulag, the barracks buildings.Everything, wiped out.""Including the meteor.""Including any prisoners that were left alive," Kal-El said sadly."There was nothing we could have done." They flew onward in silence, both lost in thought.Kal-El knew the other man was right, but he was simply not accustomed to failure, to being so helpless.Though the debilitating weakness was dissipating, Kal-El could still feel his vulnerability, his weakness, and he needed to heal as much as he needed to understand what had happened to him.He didn't wish to return to Metropolis until his powers were restored, not until he had a better grasp of this strange material that had crippled him.Luthor had possessed one sample of the green Ariguska mineral; how many more hunks of the glowing rock were out there for evil-hearted men to use against him?"Let me guide you," Kal-El said."There's a special place up in the arctic.We can stop there to rest."Batman turned, his dark cowl making him look inhuman in the red lights from the cockpit displays."You have a secret base?""A fortress…my Fortress of Solitude.I usually fly there on my own, but I will show it to you.I…trust you.""Now you've piqued my curiosity."The black plane soared into the uncharted polar wilderness, cruising over white wastelands of unconquered terrain and twisting frozen rivers.Kal-El was uneasy, yet he had made up his mind.This was a private place where he could ponder his Kryptonian heritage, where he could contemplate both his existence and his destiny.He had never taken anyone here before.But he sensed something different about Batman.He had an unusual philosophy about fighting crime, to be sure, as well as a certain darkness to his personality, and perhaps he held even more secrets than Kal-El himself.But behind the steely resolve was also a kind of altruism.Maybe they both fought on the same side after all.Dawn had painted eerie blood-orange light across the rough ice fields by the time Kal-El guided them to the isolated range of glacier-covered mountains.Even from a great distance, he spotted the latticework of interlaced white crystal shafts.The gigantic angled spires formed an incredible alien palace at the base of a sheer icy cliff.As new daylight reflected through the crystal faces, Batman found a place to land on the broad ice field.The plane dropped on its vertical thrusters, surrounded by spiraling whirls of ice and snow kicked up by the engine blasts.Batman had proven himself a man of few words, but he was utterly silent now.Kal-El pretended not to notice that he marked the plane's position on his cockpit log.When they emerged, the air was intensely cold [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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."Lois was outraged."Didn't he more than prove his worth by saving our country from the Soviet missile launch?""You can't count on Superman, Miss Lane.How can the United States place itself in his debt? It would be the greatest folly to rely on a man who might change his mind on a whim.LuthorCorp, on the other hand, is creating reliable technology that won't be swayed by emotions.You've seen these new battlesuits—powerful defenses that can be used by anyone duly placed in command.""Someone like yourself?" Lois said.Luthor shrugged."There are more pressing threats than you realize, Miss Lane.Your own newspaper has failed to report on the most important danger to the people of Earth.The Communists are a red herring, as you will soon see.I intend to prove to the world that I am their real protector, not Superman."Lois glanced at the stony-faced Bertram, then back to Luthor."What could possibly be a bigger threat thanthe Communists in the middle of the Cold War? They've already launched three nuclear missiles at us!""Such a disappointing lack of imagination." Luthor regarded his fingertips, then turned to his bodyguard."Bertram, keep Miss Lane in one of our guest cells for the time being.It would be easier, and certainly more efficient, if we simply disposed of her, but I don't waste any possible resource.Superman has already demonstrated an affection for her, and she obviously loves him.Once General Ceridov sends his prisoner here, perhaps Miss Lane's presence will convince him not to resist our investigations.""I won't do it, Luthor.I refuse to cooperate!""Why, Miss Lane, who said your cooperation was required?"As the battlesuited guards grabbed a shouting Lois and dragged her out of the control room, Luthor folded his hands and turned to stare at the screens."With Superman out of the picture, it's the perfect time for my next little surprise."CHAPTER 52SIBERIATHE BLACK CYCLE RACED ACROSS THE UNEVEN TERRAIN like a predator giving chase.Kal-El slumped on the back, still wondering about the mysterious yet strangely honorable Batman.What sort of true hero hid his features behind a dark cowl? And yet, of all the citizens in the USA, only Batman had taken direct action, had risked his own life to save him from General Ceridov and the deadly meteorite radiation.As they put more distance between themselves and the quarry, Kal-El felt his crippling weakness begin to subside.The invisible chains that dragged him down were dissolving, and with each breath he felt more of his strength return.His vision became sharper.Closer to normal.Batman guided the cycle expertly through the dark forest, seeing his way with an infrared night-vision visor.He passed through the last of the stunted trees, then out to an open, windswept ridgetop where a dark plane waited like a massive metal condor, ready to take them to safety.Kal-El had never seen such an exotic aircraft design, and he wondered whether Batman himself might have access to certain alien technology.Kryptonian, perhaps? Maybe he was even an alien himself…but that was too much to hope for.Batman stopped the cycle and remotely opened the plane's canopy."It'll be crowded, but there's room inside for two.You're not in any shape to fly yet, and I've got to get you out of here."As Kal-El climbed into the sleek aircraft, Batman stowed the cycle in the fuselage undercarriage, then swung into the cockpit.Sealing the canopy, he activated the controls, and the engines roared to life, causing the whole plane to throb."We'll be gone before the Soviets know what hit them."With a burst from the vertical launch boosters, the plane lifted straight into the air, then leaped forward with a screaming thrust of afterburners, climbing steeply.Pushed deep into his seat by the acceleration, Kal-El looked down as the plane soared into the night, away from the gulag.There was no way he could have saved all those helpless political prisoners thrown into the camp by the Communist government.He vowed to come back—Then a blinding flash occurred, followed by a searing, rolling shock wave that carried a burst of light, radiation, and heat toward them.A nuclear flash.He strained to see through the dancing black spots in his vision.Batman clenched his gauntleted hands around the controls, holding the plane against the sudden buffeting of turbulence.Dials and gauges spun, blinking in the blackness.The sleek plane shuddered as it tried to outrace the shock front that tossed them about.Batman took the plane into a near vertical climb, not leveling off until they had finally escaped the spreading storm.Kal-El focused again, concentrating as he pushed his eyesight, discerning more details through the blazing aftermath."It's gone.The quarry, the gulag, the barracks buildings.Everything, wiped out.""Including the meteor.""Including any prisoners that were left alive," Kal-El said sadly."There was nothing we could have done." They flew onward in silence, both lost in thought.Kal-El knew the other man was right, but he was simply not accustomed to failure, to being so helpless.Though the debilitating weakness was dissipating, Kal-El could still feel his vulnerability, his weakness, and he needed to heal as much as he needed to understand what had happened to him.He didn't wish to return to Metropolis until his powers were restored, not until he had a better grasp of this strange material that had crippled him.Luthor had possessed one sample of the green Ariguska mineral; how many more hunks of the glowing rock were out there for evil-hearted men to use against him?"Let me guide you," Kal-El said."There's a special place up in the arctic.We can stop there to rest."Batman turned, his dark cowl making him look inhuman in the red lights from the cockpit displays."You have a secret base?""A fortress…my Fortress of Solitude.I usually fly there on my own, but I will show it to you.I…trust you.""Now you've piqued my curiosity."The black plane soared into the uncharted polar wilderness, cruising over white wastelands of unconquered terrain and twisting frozen rivers.Kal-El was uneasy, yet he had made up his mind.This was a private place where he could ponder his Kryptonian heritage, where he could contemplate both his existence and his destiny.He had never taken anyone here before.But he sensed something different about Batman.He had an unusual philosophy about fighting crime, to be sure, as well as a certain darkness to his personality, and perhaps he held even more secrets than Kal-El himself.But behind the steely resolve was also a kind of altruism.Maybe they both fought on the same side after all.Dawn had painted eerie blood-orange light across the rough ice fields by the time Kal-El guided them to the isolated range of glacier-covered mountains.Even from a great distance, he spotted the latticework of interlaced white crystal shafts.The gigantic angled spires formed an incredible alien palace at the base of a sheer icy cliff.As new daylight reflected through the crystal faces, Batman found a place to land on the broad ice field.The plane dropped on its vertical thrusters, surrounded by spiraling whirls of ice and snow kicked up by the engine blasts.Batman had proven himself a man of few words, but he was utterly silent now.Kal-El pretended not to notice that he marked the plane's position on his cockpit log.When they emerged, the air was intensely cold [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]