His world exploded before his birth. Propelled by a futuristic craft powered by a science beyond mans comprehension he arrived on a our world as a baby. Raised as a human by loving, caring parents who instilled in him the difference between right and wrong, he derives his powers from our yellow sun that give him enormous and unheard of abilities ! His massive strength and incomprehensible powers are matched only by the great and true heart that beats within his chest ! He is one of the most powerful champions for truth, justice , and the American way that has ever lived ! A man from the stars ever seeking to make the Earth his home, and to protect that home from evils no one else would have a glimmer of hope against ! He is the man of steel, the man of tomorrow...he is...

Superman #18

Going to war Part III

Frostbit

By Ralph Angelo

Orion of the New Gods stands floating in his astro harness above the planet known as Apokolips. As he stands there, the recently chosen leader of this world, a boom tube opens before him, and a familiar blue and red figure rockets out of its gaping maw.

"Greetings Superman.." The scion of Darkseid greets the man of steel. "To what do I owe your appearance here?"

"Hello Orion. I have a problem..."

Minutes later...

Both men are seated in the former castle of Darkseid as they are brought tea by a smiling servant girl.

Superman watches intently as the serving girl leaves the room , before speaking. "Things seemed to have changed around here quite a bit since I was last here a few months ago."

"Months Superman? When did you last visit Apokolips?" Orion asks as he sips his tea.

"Some months back, Metropolis was somehow inadvertently shifted to this planet. After a rousing battle against Darkseids forces, we managed to return to Earth."*

*Superman refers to the classic FDC issues Superman #1-3

Orion places his cup on the table before speaking. "Superman, I'm sorry to say, but you are mistaken. That event happened almost ten years ago."

"What??? I was only here. It was a year and a half ago at most."

"No Superman, I assure you, it was ten years agone."

Superman pensively strokes his chin as he places the coffee cup on the table before them both. "I suppose its possible that our city was shifted in time as well as space . Incredible."

"So back to the business at hand. You say that you are facing creatures who seem to be the legendary and dreaded Four Horsemen of the Apokolips?"

"Yes, Orion. At least that is how it appears. I'm looking into every angle at the moment for any bit of information I can glean."

"And you assumed that the Apokolips angle might have some significance? A worthy assumption, I suppose."

"I have to track any possible lead I can, Orion. I assumed this would be a dead end already, but I had to try."

"I appreciate your candor, Superman. But I assure you, nothing from this world, at this time threatens Earth. I will of course investigate every possible resource to see if there is any possibility of a problem originating here, and I will keep you informed if anything does comes of it."

"I suppose that's it then."

Superman rises, and shakes Orions hand "I'm glad you left a Mother box with the JLA. Without it, I would have had a much harder time contacting you here , as well as making the trip to Apokolips."

"Things have changed here greatly, Superman. And continue to do so. You are welcome back here at any time. If you need any other help with this matter, feel free to contact me. Things are complicated to say the least here, but you now have allies here on Apokolips."

"Thanks Orion. That's something I never thought I'd hear."

Superman activates the mother box at his waist, and flies into the rapidly expanding boom tube, which just as quickly closes behind him.

"Hard to believe about the time distortion thing with Erg all those months ago.* But I suppose I've had weirder happen to me." He muses quietly, as he flies through the Boom Tube.

*Again, see Superman 1-3

He exits the boom tube above Metropolis, as it quickly closes behind him. Superman arcs past the recently rebuilt Lexcorp tower, as a solitary, perpetually angry and devious figure watches his flight through the night time sky.

"There he goes again," Muses Lex Luthor, as he sits at his desk in his darkened office, " probably off on some mission to save the world, or universe once more. As much as I hate him, and that's a very kind word to be sure, I do realize that Metropolis now needs him. Yes, not only Metropolis, but the world as well. But that doesn't mean I can't make his existence miserable. Though now it seems, I have more important issues to deal with."

Luthor returns his gaze to an issue of the Planet on his desk, opened to an inner page, with an article by Ron Troupe concerning a new city being constructed a hundred miles up river from Metropolis, a city named Futura by a man named

"Mathias. Mathias Strombolt. It's been a long time old man." Luthor mumbles aloud "But I suppose your arrival on these shores was nothing unexpected. It was all a matter of time. Very well Mathias, let the games begin."

Luthor sits back in his chair, his face an image of mixed emotions. Though one rises to the surface. One that is almost alien to Lex Luthor, and definitely not seen by anyone who knows him. An emotion that not even Superman has ever brought about in the vile businessman The emotion of fear...

Across town, Clark Kent enters his apartment, donning a pair of sweat pants and an old T shirt. Lois sits near the computer, going over some info on the Internet.

"Hi honey." she waves as he walks into the room.

Clark walks over and kisses her on the lips. "Hi Lois. Find anything you're looking for?"

"Not really. This story is making me crazy. I mean, crime and corruption on the docks is nothing new, but when it involves children smuggling drugs in on ships, well that's just disgusting."

"I know honey. Keep digging, you'll come up with something. There's plenty of reasons that you're the second best reporter in Metropolis."

"Second best?" she turns to him with a wry smile, as the computers glow illuminates her slightly distended belly.

Clark touches her stomach lightly. With a gentleness that belies his vast and incredible strength. "How's our baby doing?"

Lois smiles. "She's doing wonderfully. After all, she's got a father who happens to be the second best reporter in Metropolis."

Clark hugs her gently. "That's funny, I thought the second best reporter in town was his mother."

"Her." She states , smiling.

"His." He answers. Holding her tighter.

Lois reaches over to the computer, and taps a key on the keyboard. Instantly a news page pops up, and a blaring headline instantly catches both of their attentions.

"What th- " Lois stammers. "How'd they let this happen? "

"I-I don't know. Why did they allow so much time to pass before realizing something was wrong? This story was just posted ten minutes ago. I have to go hon. I'll be back as fast as I can."

"Can't you send someone else? Maybe your trainee, Gold'n?"

"Sorry Lois, not this time. If this is connected to the attacks of those horsemen, then I have to be there."

"A-alright, Clark. Please be careful."

They kiss , and then he's gone, flying out the window so fast, no device made by man could ever track his movements. Lois turns back to the Internet page, reading over the article once again. The headline reads "No word from Rio DeJaneiro for two days. Entire city appears to be appears to be in perpetual communications blackout."

Lois sighs nervously, as she looks out her window, her gaze following her husbands imagined trail.

Superman speeds across the city, as suddenly a golden streak catches his eye down below. He immediately speeds down towards it, to find Gold'n holding an armored car up in the air above her head, dumping out the occupants on the street, Occupants who are not the guards who should be driving the armored car.

"Having fun, Gold'n?"

She looks towards the sound of his voice, and smiles. "Hi Superman. These creeps just held up this truck, and shot one of the guards. I was passing by and saw them. The rest is already history. Like their crime spree."

As she put the armored truck down with a grunt, several patrol cars pull up to take charge.

"Let's go, Gold'n, we have an emergency, and I think it's going to be another one of the Horsemen."

She nods stoicly, as both take to the air. "Where are we going?"

"Rio DeJaneiro. According to something I read a few minutes ago, the entire city is blacked out."

"Blacked out? What are you talking about?"

"You'll see in a few minutes."

They race across the planet, heading south. Mere minutes later...

"I-I don't believe it."Gold'n stammers out , "The whole city, it's frozen like a popsicle. And the people, they-they're frozen in place, like they were flash froze or something."

"Heads up Gold'n. We have to find out who did this. From what I can see, they should be okay, once defrosted." He scans the nearest person with his x-ray vision, and then lightly bathes the person in his heat ray vision. A moment later, the young woman drops to the street with a groan.

"OhmyGod, you were right! She's alive, but unconscious. "

"She'll need medical help, as will everyone here. But before I free anyone else, I have to find the perpetrator."

Gold'n picks up the young woman. "What should I do with her?"

"The local Military is on its way, they'll have medics with them who can treat her. Go. I'm going to find the orchestrator of this insanity."

Gold'n nods and flies off in a burst of golden energy, as Superman takes to the sky, his eyes raking the city with his powerful telescopic vision.

"There." he says aloud, as he streaks groundward.

Before him, a hulking figure in ice-blue armor and helmet, leaving only his blue tinged face exposed, stands on a street corner, his foot on a person underneath him. His armored gauntlets clenched in fists on his hips.

Superman streaks in, not saying a word, and simply, powerfully hits the unknown villain!

Boom!

Stunned, the massive villain rockets through the air, and smashes through a frozen building, to crash and shatter its frozen structure, as Superman quickly advances.

"You, whoever you are, just lay there. You get up, I'll put you down again, and this time hard." He almost growls as he thunders towards the big man laying there before him.

"My name is Cold War, Superman. Remember it. It'll be on your tombstone."

As he speaks, the blue armored titan throws his arms forwards and concentrates, as frozen plasma leaps from his fingertips to encase Superman instantly. The villain rises and strolls towards the man of steel.

"It's that simple, Superman. You lose. I win."

As he approaches Superman he cocks back a fist to hit the frozen man of steel, but before he can move, Superman suddenly shatters the ice, and strikes with lightning speed!

Ba-KOW!

"You've got to be kidding, Cold War. I can survive the limitless cold of space, do you really think your cold can even slow me down?"

Superman kicks his enemy , hard. Smashing him back through several cars, which shatter immediately!

Tra-KOOM!

Cold War extricates himself immediately. "Not bad, Superman. I almost felt that. But it's not good enough!"

Once again he stretches his arms forwards, but this time Superman is atop him instantly, thunderous right cross breaks his concentration before he can throw another cold blast.

But before he even hits the pavement, he's throwing a blast of cold at Superman, who immediately fires his heat ray vision, at the blast stopping it cold in mid air!

Fra-Zrraaak!

"You want to do this up close and personal man of steel? No problem. I can play that hand too."

He leaps at Superman, attacking him with a powerful left!

Thoom!

Superman counters with another right!

Pa-Kow!

Cold War tumbles into a buildings corner, that shatters like glass! "Ha! Not bad Man of steel. But just as easily as that building just shattered from the extreme cold I used to freeze it, so will anyone here."

He leaps towards people who were frozen in place by the extreme, immediate cold he radiates, as Superman streaks in and tackles him, knocking him to the ground.

"Not so fast, Cold War. I'm growing tired of dancing with you horsemen, and this time I'm going to get some answers from you, if I have to beat it out of you."

Cold War kicks Superman away powerfully!

Thoom! .

"This is no good." Thinks Superman. "He's matching me blow for blow. Everyone of these Horsemen are almost a match for me physically. But like I said, almost."

Superman lunges at his enemy, smashing him to the ground, and begins raining blows upon Cold War that shake the city like an earthquake.

"I want answers Cold War, an I want them now! Who's your mysterious master? What does he want? Why are you people attacking certain cities? Answer me!"

Superman punctuates his last sentence with a booming right, that hurls Cold War a block away!

"Y-your powerful Superman. That much I can't deny. But that alone isn't going to stop me, or the master."

"Who is this master? Tell me, Cold war!"

"Who do you think it is, Kryptonian?"

"You will tell me!"

"Never!" Yells Cold War as he leaps to his feet, and blankets both sides of the street in extreme cold once again!, then he stomps his foot powerfully, shattering buildings on both sides instantly! Kra-KOW!

Superman is buried beneath the rubble instantly, as even the street shatters like glass, and once again, Cold War bathes the now rubble filled street with blistering cold, freezing the rubble, and Superman beneath it!

Then , in a now familiar move, he snaps his fingers, and a flaming horse appears, that he immediately leaps upon and rides away across the sky on.

Moments later, a glowing golden streak races into the rubble strewn area, landing lightly, delicately amidst the shattered cities remnants. She looks around fearfully, afraid to touch anything, to say anything. But finally she whispers, in a hushed, frightened tone. "Superman?"

Next: Going to War, the penultimate Chapter

Kryptonian Komments C/O CptMarvell@aol.com