May 3, 1949, TELCORP Center, Meredith Island, Metropolis Bay
Luthor observed attentively as the trio of scientists carefully maneuvered the guide through a miniature opening, they had achieved in the capsule housing the Kryptonian named CRONOS. Unlike...his progeny? ICARUS, who was almost completely disassembled and analyzed as a subject of medical and biological research, CRONOS remained within his peculiar sarcophagus, shielded by a casing that remarkably resembled gold, adorned with crystal panels. Encased within, the body was enveloped by an unusual arrangement of metallic clamps, appearing to utilize nanotechnology and coated with a mysterious layer of blue frost. The workings remained a mystery, yet the sarcophagus seemed to draw power wirelessly, utilizing it to maintain the Kryptonian in a cryogenic stasis. This system had been operational for 12,000 years. To supply energy to the capsule, Luthor had equipped a highly potent generator. Additionally, a curious black liquid screen embedded with metallic particles continuously showed symbols in one corner of the capsule, symbols that remained undeciphered but looked like ancient Sumerian.
Six months had passed since the sarcophagus, or pod, had arrived in Metropolis disguised as agricultural machinery. For half a year, it rested in the depths of the TELCORP Center on Meredith Island, in what was supposed to be a secure vault for static electricity research, encased in lead and the few remnants of kryptonite that Luthor had managed to procure. A dedicated team of twenty scientists, either loyal to Luthor or covertly representing the USSR under assumed identities, led by Norwegian Peder Skarg, worked on the project. This diverse group included engineers, geneticists, physicians, chemists and biologists. Meanwhile, Luthor maintained a close partnership with Baroness Von Gunther of the Rand Corporation. Despite her virtual captivity, their joint efforts, especially in reverse-engineering the spacecraft discovered on Death Island, led to significant advances in aircraft engine technology. Death Island was now militarily occupied by nearly five thousand American troops and surrounded by the Navy. Both Soviet and American nuclear bomb flight plans were ready to wipe it off the map if necessary.
Too much had happened in the past seven months. The disappearance of the military cargo ship USS Aludra and the pocket submarine had been publicly blamed on a storm, but the government was convinced it were the Russians the ones behind. The president and the military chiefs did not know they had lost a Kryptonian body, but the small group around Maxwell Lord and General Hardy did. Hardy had committed suicide, it was said publicly that there had been an accident while cleaning his weapon, and Lord was in a panic. All the military men who had participated in this secret operation had fallen into an absolute neurosis, looking for moles and traitors everywhere and pushing for an escalation of hostilities with the USSR.
Tensions continued to rise. The government was taking advantage of Superwoman's presence in the skies around the world, helping and rescuing civilians of all nations, and creating invulnerability for her country of origin. The U.S. had succeeded in sweeping away the Communists in Greece and forcing a plebiscite in Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia, which had been demilitarized and removed from the Soviet bloc. East Germany remained socialist but was surrounded, and civil war was about to break out in Romania. The Soviets responded with increased threats, nuclear tests, and aid to the Communists in China, Korea, and Indochina. Peace talks were going nowhere, while the USSR was developing the same missiles retro-engineered from alien remains that were also being built at Area 51.
We may not win the first round, but in my hands rests the end of Superwoman, the door to strategic balance and Worldwide Peace. Luthor felt invulnerable. The incipient witch hunts and the Un-American Activities Committee had not touched him. He was still a man trusted by the government. No one knew. No one suspected anything. Only Baroness Von Gunther, who, thanks to blackmail and false and hopeful news about her brother, had become just another Soviet agent, completely subservient to Luthor.
YOU ARE READING
THE SUPERWOMAN FROM KRYPTON
Adventureit's 1948, in Metropolis Up in the sky, look! It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Superwoman! Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, this amazing stranger from the planet Krypton, T...
