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 #22

"Crossing Over"- Part I of IV

A multi-book. Multi universe event !

By Ralph L. Angelo Jr.

Lex Luthor stares out his gigantic office window, high above Metropolis, as a king would upon his kingdom. Below him , millions of people work, play and go about their daily routines. Hands folded behind his back, Luthor continues to stare, expressionless, upon the lives of so many others below, but none above his lofty perch. Save one. Always that one has stood above him and stared down upon him. The Alien. Superman.

"A quarter million dollars for your thoughts Lex?" a heavily German accented voice asks, sarcastically from Luthors offices doorway.

Luthor turns, angered, but not surprised. "Hello Mathias, I've been expecting you. What took you so long to finally arrive here?" He turns towards his secretary, who is basically cowering behind Mathias Strombolt's shoulder. "Miss Brent, you are fired. And you won't find another job here in Metropolis , I can assure you of that. If you had done your job and kept this man out of my office, you might have worked here another day. But now , clear out immediately. You have two minutes to gather your belongings while I call security to toss you into the gutter."

The girl drops her head down and immediately begins to clear out her desk, when Strombolt turns and places his hand upon her shoulder. "Do not fear , my dear. Come to my offices in Futura city tomorrow, and I will give you a job making three times what you made for this cur."

She nods and smiles weakly, wiping away tears.

Strombolt walks towards Luthor. He is a big man, who walks with the assistance of a cane. His stomach protrudes over his belt, and tufts of red hair encircle his ears, and form his eyebrows. While the top of his head is almost as shorn of hair as Luthors is. He takes out an ornate pipe and stuffs it full of a foul smelling tobacco, then lights it up and puffs strongly through it. "Would you like some , Lex?" He offers the pipe towards Luthors stoic face.

"Put that thing out, and get to the point, you primping circus act. What do you want here in Metropolis? Why are you here, now?" Luthor gruffly asks of the older man.

"What I want Lex, is for you to understand that Metropolis is now ancient history. It is an anarchism . My Futura city is now the city of the 21^st, and 22^nd century. You have once again, been beaten by me, Luthor. After all this time, how does it feel once again to come in second, Hhhmm?"

Luthor sits in his chair across from Strombolt, and finally smiles. It is the smile of a dangerous predator, not a victim. He then answers Mathias Strombolt "Let the games begin, old man."

Strombolt returns the icy smile and turns towards the door, exiting silently, then stopping at its periphery. "They already have, you arrogant whelp. Now YOU must play catch up." And then he is gone.

Luthor sits silently, his face ashen as he once again turns towards his view of Metropolis. He stands and clasps his hands behind his back once more, his thoughts his own. Suddenly, a flash of light far above Metropolis catches Luthors eye !

He speaks one word "Magnify." and the pane of glass he was peering through suddenly blurs and tightens its view, zeroing in on the quadrant his eyes were looking towards .

"Interesting." he murmurs. As two brightly garbed figures float in the air before him. Both male, one appears to be in his mid to late 20's. He stands easily 6'6" tall, and is powerfully built. His long brown hair flows to the middle of his back, and is square cut across his brow. He wears a black shirt, , open in a "V" towards his waist. The sleeves are wide and flowing, covering powerfully built arms, and then those sleeves end in gold arm bands that encircle his wrists. A gold belt wraps around his waist, and a knee length black cape floats behind him. He wears black boots, that seem to be enwrapped in a jet exhaust of some kind that starts above his shins, and ends over a foot below his boots soles, seemingly holding him aloft, and in place. Next to him stands a younger man, appearing to be about 5'7" in height, perhaps 17 years of age or so. He wears a red helmet that is open at his mouth and below his nose, to his chin. His costume is a gleaming, metallic red and blue battle suit of some kind. His chest is blue, with a stylized Dragonfly in its center in a white square. He has underarm wings of a gleaming red metal. His gauntlets are red, with raised areas on the back of the hands. A gold belt encircles his waist, and his costumes bottom is likewise blue, as is the top, but the boots are again red. "Very interesting indeed." Luthor again murmurs. "Perhaps this will be todays entertainment. I'm sure the boy scout will have an interest in these two." He sits at his desk and punches a key on his computer, immediately a chart of all of the flights for Lex-air for the day appears. "Excellent , flight 415 has just taken off from Metropolis International. I believe it's time to get the boy scouts attention." and Luthor punches a key on his computer, then he sits back, rolls his chair around towards the window, and watches the two unknown men before him with keen interest.

Suddenly, miles above the city, the flight in question shudders painfully, as all inside are pitched about the cabin. A high pitched whine follows an explosive sound, as the great plane begins to tumble !

Far below, both newcomers stare at each other perplexed.

"Wh-where are we?" asks the younger appearing one."An' maybe more importantly, where's the rest of Hyper-force?"

"I don't know, Dragonfly. I was going to say we're in New York, but this doesn't look right somehow."

"Crystalon really did it to us this time , I think." Dragonfly answers as he stares around.

"I don't even think we're on our own world anymore." The bigger man states .

Suddenly the younger of the two spins his head skywards and squints his eyes hard ! "Captain Power! Look, there's a jet falling apart way above us! It's gonna hit in the city somewhere! We've gotta save it!"

Dragonfly streaks upwards, his rocket boots blazing thrust, as Captain Power immediately follows him without hesitation !

"How'd you see that, this far away?" Power asks, his long hair streaming behind him as well as his cape.

"My spectroscopic vision. It's one of my powers, not the suits. I saw the patterns of smoke and heat falling outta the plane. We have to hurry."

He redoubles his efforts , as Captain Power suddenly pulls away from him effortlessly. "See you there, D-Fly."

Almost instantly , Captain Power is below the plane, grasping its hull, and creating gouges in it with his powerful hands ! "C'mon baby, you gotta slow down!" He grunts mightily, as he lifts and flies upwards, seeking to counter the planes fall. The jet thrust around his legs intensifies in color and depth as he struggles with the great weight of the plane .Then Dragonfly is there as well!

"I'm gonna see if I can help stop its roll." the young hero shouts as he flies up and grabs a wing. He begins to counter the rolling motion of the plane by adding his own thrust to it. But suddenly, disaster strikes! The wing sheers away, ripping free and falling away from the plane, Dragonfly still attached to it !

"Oh this gets better and better." Captain Power intones as he rolls his eyes, and continues to thrust upwards. Now he moves his legs in front of himself, again redoubling his flying efforts, as the plane begins to slow, and stabilize. Below, Dragonfly drops the wing in Hobbs Bay surrounding Metropolis, and roars skywards once again to aid his friend.

Above, Captain Power grunts painfully as through grit teeth, he bemoans "C'mon, c'mon, slow down..." and suddenly a great weight is lifted from him, as the plane seems to weigh half of what it did a mere second ago. "What the-" He turns and looks above, as a blue and red legend grips the plane by its fuselage, and a golden figure is seen flitting around the plane, helping to stabilize it.

"Who the heck are you two?" Power shouts as the plane slows in mid air to under a hundred miles an hour.

"I'll be the one asking the questions, my friend. Mind telling me why you and your partner there were trying to rip this jet in two?"

"Rip it in two? Listen buddy, we just saved this thing and everyone in it. If you would've watched a little closer, and shot your mouth off a little less, you might have seen what we were doing. "

"Yes, I saw what a wonderful job you two were doing. The part I liked best was your friend tearing the wing off of this bird, then dumping it in the sea. "

"Hey, we were saving lives, S -man or whatever it is you're called." he nods his head at Supermans emblazoned "S" on his chest."We didn't need your help."

"Alright, enough. This arguing is not going to get us anywhere, guide the plane with me back to Metropolis International. From there we can sort it all out."

"Metropolis what? What's a Metropolis?"

"Oh man," Gold'n finally speaks from where she hangs beneath the plane, adding her own thrust to flying it back to Met-I. "This guy is really playing it up. Why dontcha just fess up, tough guy. We saw you trying to shred this plane, now you just don't want to get in a fight with the team supreme, Superman, and the girl wonder, Gold'n."

"Gold'n? What kinda name is that?" The voice appears on Gold'ns left side, as she spins towards it, Dragonfly stares back smiling, as he grips a section of the hull, and helps balance it."And Superman? Isn't that the dorkiest name you ever heard on a hero before, Captain Power?"

"Keep your comments to yourself, Dragonfly, we can figure all this out when we get the plane on the ground." Power answers.

"Sure thing Cap, as long as I get to do my figuring with the cutie." He winks at Gold'n as he speaks.

Five minutes later, the plane is down, and the passengers are disembarking quickly. All four heroes stand off to one side conferring.

"Look Superman, we were battling one of our enemies, a sorcerer named Crystalon, who did something that swept me and Dragonfly to here, wherever here is. We don't even know where we are." Captain Power adds as an afterthought.

"I suppose it's possible you're telling the truth, but I find it odd that at the exact moment you appear, a plane falls out of the sky, basically on your heads."

"Hey Cap, we've got no reason to kiss this guys butt. We did nothing wrong, and I'm not apologizing for anything we didn't do. Ask anyone on that plane, and they'll tell you how we saved them all." Dragonfly angrily adds.

"Yeah right , helmet head." Gold'n laughs, "You saved them. More like you almost got swept into the ocean trying to catch that wing, hahahaha." she laughs.

"Hey Tinkerbell, If I didn't steer that wing into the water, it would have landed in your precious city, probably killing dozens, at least."

"My names not 'Tinkerbell', Fly-boy, It's Gold'n. Remember it, before I tattoo it to your forehead." She jabs him in the chest with her finger, with enough force to knock him back a step.

"Ooff. Not bad, for a chick. But you gotta do better then that to impress Dragonfly !"

"For a chick?" She shouts angrily. " You want better, you arrogant dweeb, how's this?"

Pa-KOOM!

She punches him powerfully, a right cross that throws him through the air two dozen feet!

"O-kay, now you got me mad, cutey." He roars as he rockets back toward her, tackling her. And heaving her away, like a rag doll.

"That's enough." The man of steel intones powerfully, as he grasps Dragonfly by the shoulder. "Both of you." He stares at Gold'n sternly.

"No. No it's not." Captain Power meets Supermans gaze with steely blue eyes."Since we arrived here, we've tried to explain our position to you and the girl, but instead of offering help, you berate us both and basically call us liars. I've had enough. C'mon Dragonfly, we're outta here."

They turn and streak skywards, immediately, Superman and Gold'n are there in front of them.

"Hold it, both of you. This is our world. Here you'll play by our rules. Maybe we were both a little harsh on you two. If so , we both apologize, don't we Gold'n?" He turns a withering glance at her, she nods sheepishly. Then he continues. "Accompany us to a place I know of and we can sort this out, peacefully."

"No thanks, Superman. I've had more then enough of your hospitality. We'll find our own way home." Captain Power answers, as both he and Dragonfly begin again to fly away.

"No, Captain Power, no you won't." Superman grabs Power by the cape, stopping his flight.

"What th-? I've had enough of this." Power growls menacingly, he raises his hands in one smooth motion, and concentrates powerfully for a split second, aiming his fists quickly at Superman, as gleaming crimson energy erupts from each hand, smashing Superman away like wheat before the scythe!

SHOOM!

"Whoa!" Gold'n shakes her head, eyes practically popping out if each socket as she stares in shock as Superman tumbles through the air out of control !

"Hey Goldilocks, don't forget about me." Dragonfly streaks at her, right fist cocked to deliver a powerful blow.

Suddenly Gold'n is not there! She flies away so quickly as to appear almost to be teleporting! "How could I forget you, Fly-Boy." She fires her own explosive energies at Dragonfly, but miraculously, he moves faster then the eye can follow, raising an underarm wing up before him, like a shield, blocking her energy rays.

"Hey, you're pretty powerful, for a chick." He adds again to annoy her more. "Lets see how you do with this!" He fires energy blasts from the back of each gauntlet, catching her squarely this time, before she can fly away!

"AAAGGHHHH!!!"" She screams in absolute agony.

"They're called Dragon-blasts, baby. And If I left 'em on any longer, you'd be disintegrated."

Nearby, Superman delivers a crushing blow to Captain Power, smashing him through a parked and abandoned fuel delivery truck on the airfield, instantly the truck bursts into flame, as Captain Power disappears inside the roaring inferno!

Ba-WHOOM!

"Gold'n ! " Superman shouts as he streaks towards the sound of her pained cry !

Below, Captain Power extricates himself from the burning truck, as he turns back towards it, he lays his hands on the twisted metal, and seemingly disintegrates it! The entire wreckage vanishes at his touch ! Then with a determined set to his jaw, he rockets upwards and away towards Superman!

'If you've hurt her, you'll wish you never donned that costume." Superman shouts at Dragonfly as he fires his heat ray vision at him !

Zaa-KOW!

Again, Dragonfly blocks the energy with his wing. "Yeah, you better do better then that to convince me, Stupidman. " Dragonfly touches a hidden stud on each gauntlet and fires again from them, only this time small metal v-shaped darts rip through the air, to explode on contact with Superman!

Poom poom poom poom poom !

"Incredible, this kid is a walking arsenal . I don't think I've seen anyone with this much firepower and raw strength in one package. He's got to be almost as strong as Gold'n, as well as having defensive/offensive abilities like a walking tank. "

Superman rockets at Dragonfly, smashing him with a powerful left, which again, inexplicably, the youth blocks with his wing, almost as if it were nothing but a reflex action.

Ba-thoom

"Unnghh!" Dragonfly grunts through his teeth, as his armor fends off Supermans blow, but still enough pure power goes through it to slam him a hundred feet away !

"That's enough. The kid can take care of himself, but you and I have unfinished business."

Superman turns towards the sound of the voice, as a right punch like thunder connects with his jaw, ripping him away like paper !

Ba-KROOM!

"Great Krypton! You could hardly move a few minutes ago, I know you were weakening." The man of Steel shouts incredulously as he returns the devastating blow with another of his own

Tha-KOW!

"I got better. Better, stronger, faster, and I didn't even cost six million bucks" Answers Captain Power as he unleashes a haymaker of a left to Supermans jaw !

POOM!

"Ugghh!" That you did, but it won't be enough , I promise you that, Captain Power." Superman punctuates it with a powerful right that snaps Captain Powers head to the side .

Ta-BAM!

"We'll see about that, won't we?" Captain Power answers with an uppercut to Supermans jaw, lifting him 200' into the air !

Wha-DOOM!

Superman immediately arcs around , slicing through the air like a razor, streaking towards Captain Power, who instantly returns to collide directly with Superman !

Tha-KOOOM!

The windows shatter at the airfields tower, as people scatter and duck everywhere from the explosive force of the blow !

Both big men plummet to the ground, to impact with a shudder that makes the ground moan !

Ba-KRAM !

"Had enough, Superman?" Captain Power asks as he pulls himself painfully up from the crater he just created.

"Enough? I'm barely getting started." Superman answers, as he does likewise, though not that all convincingly.

Captain Power trembles, as he reaches out and touches the shattered blacktop beneath him, instantly it glows and disappears at his touch. He stands then, seemingly reinvigorated.

"Good then, lets continue. "

"Hold it!" Both men turn toward the sound of two voices yelling in unison. "While you two were slugging it out, Gold'n girl and I came to a cease fire agreement." Dragonfly speaks authoritively, while smiling.

"Yeah, we did." Gold'n adds. "We figured that we're all fighting like heroes would, not villains. We were all keeping the fight away from people who might be hurt, and staying mostly in the air to keep property damage to the minimum."

"And there was the matter of us saving the plane." Dragonfly adds.

"Okay, I see where you two are headed with this, so lets call it a truce." Superman extends his hand to Captain Power, who shakes it grinning.

Suddenly both Captain Power and Dragonfly begin to glow from within, spreading outwards!

"Cap, what's happ-?" Dragonfly begins to speak but the glow engulfs them both in blinding light, and they disappear as quickly as they arrived.

"Uhh, Superman, what just happened here?" Gold'n asks, obviously a little afraid.

"I have no idea, Gold'n but I wish them both well, and hope they return to their own world safely."

Suddenly Superman cocks his head to one side, as his jaw sets grimly . He turns to Gold'n and speaks. "I have to go somewhere, alone. Something is happening that only I can handle." And then he is gone, faster then Gold'n has ever seen him fly.

"Wow." she mutters in awe.

Across the city, Luthor shuts down his viewing portal, and sits back in his desk chair, steepling his fingers in deep thought after Superman vanished from the airport. "Now that WAS entertaining." The evil business man smiles foully.

Superman races across Metropolis' skyline, flying invisibly into Clark and Lois Kents apartment, instantly he's at Lois' side. "Lois, what happened? I heard you cry out, are you alright, the baby?"

"Clark," She looks at him with wet eyes, "My water broke, we're about to become parents."

Next: The blessed event.