Through the Looking Glass

It is a typical fall day in Smallville, the sun is shining, the wheat is nice and crisp, the corn is plump and ready for harvesting. Here people live in much the same way their parents had 20 years ago, and their parents before that. Far away, both figuratively and literally, from the hustle and bustle of big cities like Metropolis, simple living and hard work are their own rewards. Looking around these peaceful fields of waving grain, it's hard to imagine that an earth-shaking announcement was made the night before, or that a brutal fight to the death had taken place nearby the night before that. No, here in this peaceful farming community, nothing unusual usually happens. Usually.

"Aaaaaahhhh!" a falling Connor Kent yelled moments before hitting the ground with an impact that startled a murder of crows into taking flight.

"That was very good," Megan said proudly as she helped Connor to his feet, currently taking the appearance of a Caucasian female with red hair, "you went much higher than before!"

Dusting himself off and spitting a broken wheat stalk from his mouth, he said, "Thanks Meg, but that was only jumping, not flying, and falling shouldn't even be an option."

"No one said you have to master a new power in a day," Megan said comfortingly, "Besides, Luthor could've been lying about you being able to fly or use heat vision."

"No, I'm sure that he was telling the truth this time," Connor said bitterly, "there were no shields suppressing my human DNA this time, only that mind plug that you mulched. Yet I was flying and trying to cremate everyone."

"Connor…" Megan started to say before Connor gently interrupted, "I know Meg, I know. 'It wasn't me, it was Luthor.' I'm just saying that if that tiny little gadget can enable me to fly, then I can learn how too. Besides, now that Luthor is Secretary General, you can bet that the Light's plans will be proceeding quickly. That means that we all need to be at our peak in order to counter them when they move."

"Sorry I can't be more helpful," Megan said apologetically, "but I don't actually fly so much as I use my telekinesis to lift me from the ground, so I wouldn't be much of a teacher here."

"It's okay, your encouragement's enough for me," Conner said, then added, "I wish Supes could've stuck around to give me some pointers though."

"Couldn't be helped," Megan said, "He and the senior Leaguers had to appear at the Inauguration, 'show support' for that slimeball, and counter the negative publicity that Godfrey's been spewing. I'm sure that as soon as Clark can wash off the stench of Luthor he'll be glad to be your Mr. Miyagi."

"Could be a while then," Connor said, smirking, "Luthor stench is pretty pervasive."

Megan smiled, glad that Connor was keeping it light and not dwelling on what he'd nearly been made to do by Luthor's schemes. Indeed, even the signs of his 'transformation' were fading rapidly; his head, which he'd been made to shave clean using his heat vision, already bore a small regrowth of hair that resembled a military strict crew-cut style. Hopefully, by the time they were officially assigned a new mission, even those who most resented Connor's unwilling actions will have let enough of their anger go so that Connor doesn't feel like an outsider again. In the meantime, Megan was content in enjoying with Connor the peace present in this calm that she knew preceded the storm that was coming.

"Perhaps you're trying too hard here," Megan suggested helpfully, "Instead of trying for height, maybe you could focus on what it is that keeps pulling you to the ground. Just shut everything else out of your mind."

As Connor closed his eyes, Megan could feel through their link that Connor was hearing too much to concentrate: The ponding of the construction equipment repairing the damage to the Lexcorp manufacturing facility, the fans in Smallville cheering for their high school's football team, the traffic and sirens over in Metropolis. "It seems that the more I try, the more I hear."

"Then, instead of trying to block all sounds, maybe you could just choose one sound and focus on it," Megan offered, "Just let the rest of the world fall away."

She blushed as she saw what sound he had chosen to focus on: her own heartbeat. She felt as the sound grew larger and larger, drowning out all the other sounds. Eventually her heartbeat was the only sound he heard, he didn't even hear his own heart beating. She could tell that this focus was working, though, as se could feel waves of force radiating out from Connor as he got into a kneeling position, then he launched. Megan watched in amazement as Connor shot up twice as high as any of his previous attempts. Then three times as high, gravity no longer his master but his servant. I'm doing it! She felt him mentally shout, I'm flying! Then he lost focus and gravity re-asserted its hold on him. Connor screamed as he plummeted back to the ground head-first, then he hit the ground with enough force to create a dust cloud taller than any of the distant barns.

As she rushed to where he'd landed, she called out, "Connor? Are you alright?" Then she reached the edge of a modest crater caused by his impact. The surrounding crops flattened and his head completely buried in the earth, she couldn't help giggling as she felt him gagging on the taste of the fertilized soil and thinking irritably, Note to Self: when plummeting towards the Earth, keep mouth shut. Helping him dislodge his head telekinetically, she said out loud, "Sorry about that, Kon. That thought just seemed so funny I couldn't help myself."

Lifting his dirty face towards hers, he smiled and said, "Well, I'm sure I made for a strange-looking ostrich."

Helping him to his feet again, Megan said, "What say we get back to the Kents' so that Martha can give you a cool glass of lemonade to wash that taste out of your mouth?"

"Good idea," Connor replied as he dusted himself off, then as started to turn and follow her away from the crater he stopped and said, "Hey, what's that?"

Turning to follow his gaze, she saw the faint metallic sheen of something in the deepest part of the crater. Gently lifting it out of the crater using her telekinesis and floating it over to them, they saw it was a metallic object in the shape of a cylindrical crystal with a hexagonal radius. Handing it over to Connor, he said, "Hey Meg, you see these markings?" He pointed them with one hand while holding it with the other as he said, "They look Kryptonian. Clark's been teaching me about them, 'though I don't know what they all mean yet. These look broken, though. See, where the groove runs around the middle?"

She indeed noticed that the groove bisecting the metallic crystal also bisected the symbols, so that one half was on one facet while the other half was on the neighboring one. She also noticed that the groove was quite deep. She pointed out, "It looks like it can be twisted around. I wonder if…" She then grabbed the other end and gently twisted it so that the two symbol halves came together. As it clicked into place, the symbol briefly glowed blue before the reflected light temporarily dazzled them with its radiance. After a couple of seconds, the radiance abruptly dimmed to normal levels and the symbol was no longer glowing.

"What was that?!" Connor asked in startled bewilderment.

"I don't know," Megan replied as she took the crystal and tucked it into her rear jeans pocket, "but we better get over to the Kents' before someone starts asking us about that light and this crater."

"Right behind you," Connor agreed as they took off running (at a speed that would be normal for humans) in the direction of the Kent farm without looking back. If they had looked back though, they would've seen that there was no crater to inquire about.

As they neared the farmhouse, Connor slowed down, and Megan could feel his unease as he said, "Wait, something feels wrong. I know that when we left this morning Mr. Kent was tending the fields, But they don't look like they've been touched for about a week, maybe longer."

Looking around, Megan felt herself agreeing: the place did have a haunted feel, like the images she remembered seeing of farms abandoned by their owners when they were no longer able to afford running them. That image made this situation feel even more wrong because she knew that this farm shouldn't feel this way.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Connor said, which Megan felt was an understatement, "Let's get to the house."

As they got to the porch, the sense of wrongness Megan felt continued to deepen. The porch, the windowsills, even the doorknobs were all covered in a fine layer of dust. After he shared a concerned glance with her, Connor slowly turned the knob and gently opened the door. The sudden draft created by the door opening caused the dust covering the items inside the house to be lifted and to dance through the air. Although the dust moving into her airspace didn't really bother her, years of mimicking human behaviors caused her to cough and gag anyway.

"This is wrong," Connor said uneasily as they crept inside with caution, "Mrs. Kent always keeps things so immaculate, and they were here just this morning, so there's no way this place should be in this condition."

Megan, herself feeling uneasy, said, "It looks like someone went to a lot of trouble to make it look like no one's been here in a while."

"Who?" Connor asked, "Luthor? Or one of his associates in the Light?"

"Maybe," Megan responded, "but that doesn't make sense either. Unless they figured out that the Kents have a connection to you or Superman, or they somehow got in the way of their plans, then what would the Light want with an elderly farming couple?"

At that moment they heard a noise behind them. They spun around to see a beautiful golden retriever standing in the open doorway. Immediately the dog started barking at them. Correction, Megan thought, she's barking at me. Megan has never been as good at reading the minds of animals as she had been at reading people: their minds were too simple for language, their emotions too primal. However, the tone and tenor of the emotions she got from this dog made his message clear: I don't know you. You don't belong here. Get out!

Despite that she knew the dog could not do her any real harm, Megan made no sudden moves as she asked Connor, "I don't remember the Kents owning a dog, do you?"

"They don't," Connor responded, "Perhaps it got lost from one of the neighboring farms?"

Connor's voice brought him to the Retriever's attention, then he ran over to Connor and started licking his hand, his emotions saying, I've missed you! You've been gone so long! Where've you been?

"He sure seems to know you," Megan said with a smile.

"Honestly," Connor said in confusion, "I've never seen this dog before."

As Megan reached to pet him, the dog turned his head to bark at her.

"Now, now there…" Conner paused his scolding to read the name from the tag hanging from its collar, "…Shelby. She is my friend. You be nice to her now."

If you say so, was the retriever's emotions seemed to say as he consented to let her pet him.

Noticing something on the back of the dog's nametag, Megan told Connor, "There seems to be a phone number on the back, maybe the owners? Maybe if we call it, we can get some answers. At the very least, we can get Shelby back where he belongs."

Connor looked at the number then walked over and picked up the cordless phone and was answered by a dial tone. "Phone still works at least," then he proceeded to dial the number. After a few rings, the voicemail greeted him with the following message: "This is Clark Kent. I'm sorry I missed your call, but if you leave your name, number, and a brief message, then I'll return your call as soon as possible. Thank you."

"It's Clark's number," Connor whispered in confusion before the beep, then he left his message. "Clark? It's Connor. I'm here at the farm and something strange is going on. The place looks like it's been abandoned for a while even though Megan and I had just left you folks here this morning, and we found this strange dog that had your number on his tag. Please, call me at.…wait, I don't have a phone on me. Never mind, we'll pick up a disposable when we get to Metropolis and try calling you again."

"Are you sure this isn't his?" Megan asked.

"I don't remember Clark and Lois owning a dog, and I'm certain his folks didn't either. This is too strange. We need to get to Metropolis, perhaps once we are there we can get some answers."

"What about Shelby?" Megan asked him.

Feeling the dog's ribs, Conner replied, "It doesn't look hike he's been eating very well here, we should take him with us." To Shelby, Connor said, "Come on, boy." Connor and Megan the started walking to the door with Shelby following right behind.

Meanwhile, at the building in the heart of Metropolis, which only a select few know is currently serving as Watchtower, Chloe Sullivan-Queen is watching the footage from hidden surveillance cameras planted at the Kent Farm while listening to the intercepted phone message.

"Please, call me at.…wait, I don't have a phone on me. Never mind, we'll pick up a disposable when we get to Metropolis and try calling you again."

"Now this is strange," Chloe said as she watched Connor continue the conversation with Megan

"What is?" Oliver asked as he planted a kiss on her cheek and joined her in watching the footage.

"Connor's at the farm with some girl I don't recognize, but he left the strangest message on Clark's phone: something about the Clark's folks being missing, the farm being abandoned, and not recognizing Shelby."

"Well, it's been only a couple of days since Clark had to go into self-imposed exile, thanks to Lex painting him with that tracer radiation," Oliver qualified, "And we've been working on making Clark's cell tracer-proof during this time, which is why we're playing phone tag, so we've been unable to let everyone know the situation yet. It's only natural that he'd be confused about the farm's state"

"But he'd know Shelby from his time at the farm," Chloe countered, "And he's been staying with Martha in Washington again since Lionel-2's death."

"Do you think his memory's short circuiting again?" Oliver asked.

"Cross-breed genetics like Connor's has never been attempted successfully before," Chloe answered, "it's possible."

As she speaks, the footage outside the farmhouse shows Connor wrap his arms around Shelby, Megan tuck her elbows under Connor's armpits, and together fly off camera.

"It gets weirder: Connor and the girl just flew off with Shelby," Chloe announced.

"Connor can fly now?" Oliver asked.

"Actually," Chloe clarified, "It looks like it was the girl who was doing the flying."

"Wow," Connor exclaimed, "Connor has a superhuman girlfriend."

"Maybe," Chloe interjected, "you could inform Martha about Connor's condition? I'm sure she's probably worried. Oh, and tell her about Clark too."

"Hmm?" Oliver murmured, then he caught on and said, "Oh, right. Of course."

Oliver then dials a number into his phone and says, "Hello, Martha? It's Oliver. Hi, I was just calling to talk to you about Connor. Wait, he is? No, no. That's fine, I don't need to speak with him. Just thought I saw him a moment ago, that's all. Oh, before I let you go, you should know it'll be a while before Clark can visit again: an old friend is back and up to his old tricks again. Yeah, I'll have Clark call as soon as he's able. Okay, bye."

Oliver hangs up the phone and says, "Here's another pushpin for your Wall-of-Weird: Connor's still up in D.C. with Martha."

Chloe turns back to the monitors and asks dumbfounded, "Then who just kidnapped Clark's dog?"

Touching down in an alleyway in downtown Metropolis, Miss Martian became visible again and unwrapped Connor and Shelby from her cloak, then changed back into her human civilian disguise. As they started to leave the alley, Connor said, "Um, I think that they have a Leash Law here," at which Megan morphs part of herself to make it look like she's holding a leash that is connected to Shelby's collar. Though he snorts at it, as if he dislikes the smell of his new leash, Shelby makes no further protests as the three of them exit the alley. As they pass by a newspaper stand, Connor pays for one then comments as he starts to read, "There's nothing in here about Lex's inauguration or the break-in at the Lexcorp facility. The only article I can find in here pertaining to Lex is a follow-up about a failed shuttle launch of his; something about a "Guardian Platform" and how one of the astronauts died?"

"Are you sure that's today's paper?" Megan asks.

After checking the date on the front cover, Connor replies, "It's today's all right. I don't understand: the most recent shuttle accident I remember was that one where Artemis faked her death to go undercover, and that was months ago. And there should've been something in here about Lex's election, not to mention that something should've been noted about the break-in, especially after Godfrey…"

"Godfrey?" a hotdog vendor, who they'd been passing, chimed in, "I never trusted that quack, and never will. All that nonsense about the 'superhero menace'? Bah! I tell you, if it hadn't been for The Blur saving me from a mugger little more than a year ago, I wouldn't be hockin' these dogs today! And now that he's wearin' the red and blue, calling himself Superman, this city's never been safer."

"Wait," Connor interrupted, "Superman just started protecting Metropolis?"

"Well," the vendor qualified, "he was protecting us before as The Blur, I guess, then The Red-Blue Blur before that, but yeah: he only donned the cape and showed himself as Superman a few months ago, around the time 'Contact' happened."

" 'Contact' you say?" Megan asked him.

"You know, when that big, fiery planet nearly crashed into Earth, and Superman pushes it away with his bare hands. Come to think of it, that about when Godfrey disappeared off the face of the earth. Makes you wonder if he had something to do with that whole business in the first place. Here you go," the vendor stated as he handed a hotdog each to Connor and Megan, then offered one to Shelby, who wolfed it down gratefully. As Connor started to get out his money, the vendor waved him off saying, "On the house, kid, for standing here listening to an old geezer like me."

"What was that all about, that 'Contact' business?" Connor asked Megan as soon as they were out of earshot of the vendor, "I could've possibly spaced out a shuttle accident, but a planet hurtling towards Earth I would've definitely noticed."

"And that thing about Godfrey vanishing; if only that were true," Megan continued, "and hasn't Superman been around much longer than 6 months?"

Connor chuckled in spite of himself, "Of course. I've been around for about 6 years, and Superman has been, well, Superman for much longer than I was alive."

Megan plays with her lip as she says, " Something strange definitely is going on here. Think we should get that phone and try Mr. Kent again?"

Connor looks around, then notices that they're a block away from the Daily Planet building. "Let's see if we can catch him at work first. It'll be easier to ask him about these things in person, assuming we can get him to someplace private."

As they entered the Planet's bullpen, Conner got the attention of a passing reporter and asked, "Would you happen to know if Clark Kent is in today?"

"Kent?" The reported says incredulously, then gestures towards Clark's desk saying, "Few days ago he calls in, requests an extended leave of absence. If the guy hadn't co-written so many big stories with Ms. Lane, I dare say that the bigwigs would've made that leave indefinite. As it stands, if the guy doesn't come back soon, preferably with some big story on his shoulders, that desk will likely have itself a new owner."

"Huh?" Connor asked, confused, "Isn't Kent a front page reporter?"

"Hah!" the reported scoffs, "Don't make me laugh kid. Now Ms. Lane, however, she got the move up top, and a well deserved promotion that was, judging by that piece she did on 'Contact'." He gestures towards a framed article featuring a photo of the planet Apokalypse breaking into the Earth's sky, then continues, "But Kent? I'd say the only thing that kept him at the Planet was Lane's by-line. Don't know what she sees in that dweeb."

Megan, deciding that antagonizing this guy would be counter-productive, changes the tact by asking, "How about Ms. Lane, is she in?"

"She was," the guy responded, "but you kids missed her. She went home round ten minutes ago."

"Thanks for your time," Connor said, then he and Megan left the Bullpen with the reporter muttering "strange kids" behind them.

As they exited the building, Megan said, "Where to now, Connor?"

After considering for a moment, Conner replied, "We head over to Lois' apartment and get some straight answers. I'm keen on getting out of this strange wonderland as soon as possible."

"You know where she lives?" Megan asked.

"No," he replied, "But that's what phonebooks are for, right?"

One phonebook, two drug store attendants and a curbside coffee vendor later, the trio eventually find their way to an apartment complex , where they stood outside the door of one of the nicer rooms in the building.

"This seems to be the place," Connor says, "Think she's here?"

After concentrating for a moment, Megan says, "Feels kinda like her, but I'm sensing a strange sense of loneliness from her. And anger. A lot of frustrated anger, and I'm hearing Lex's name centered around those particular thoughts."

"Sounds about right," Connor agreed, "the anger part, that is."

Shelby, impatient at all of this talking, walks up to the door and starts scratching at it. A moment later, the door opens to reveal Lois behind it. Her eyes, red as if she'd recently been crying, widened in surprise at her unexpected visitors. "Shelby? What are you….dammit, I forgot to go get you. Sorry boy. And Connor? What are you doing here? I thought you were still in Washington with Martha," she then turned to Megan and asked, "And you are?"

"Megan?" When Lois showed no signs of recognition, Megan continued, "John's niece? You and Clark invited us over to the Kents' to watch the election results where, unfortunately, Luthor became Secretary General of…."

"Wait wait wait, where Lex became what?! " Lois asked with a touch of anger in her voice, then she rushed over to her cell on her nightstand. As she tried to keep from screaming into the phone, Megan whispered to Connor, "She doesn't seem to remember me or anything that we did together last night. The only thing she remembers doing is crying herself to sleep here last night."

"But that doesn't make any sense. Did something happen in the past that changed history, and somehow we were spared having our memories changed along with it?" Connor asked.

Before Megan could come up with answer, Lois hung up and turned back towards them and said irritably, "Just as I thought, there wasn't any elections recently. Connor, I'm not sure if you're aware of what happened to Clark, but If this is some ill-timed prank…"

"What?! What are you talking about? What happened to him?" Connor asked in concern and astonishment.

Lois, seeing that Connor was just as confused as she was, asked him, "Do you know about the shuttle accident involving the Guardian Platform?"

Connor responded, "I recently read about it. What about it?"

Megan, seeing the answer appear in Lois' mind, answered for her, "It wasn't an accident. Luthor blew up his own shuttle knowing that Superman would be there to save it, and that the leaked radiation would make him traceable by Lex's satellites. Since then, Clark hasn't been able to come home or go to work, otherwise Lex would learn his civilian identity."

Lois, confused, asked Megan, "How did you know that?

Before Megan could answer, Connor smacked the doorframe hard enough to cause the glasses in the adjoining kitchen to rattle. "He did what?" Connor asked angrily, "That's it! I'm going over there and putting him out of our misery right now!"

"Wait, Connor," Lois said quickly, as she placed her hand on his shoulder to stop him from leaving, "as much part of me likes that plan, and I mean really really likes it, the thing is that Clark wouldn't want it. And neither would Tess."

"Who's Tess?" Connor asked.

"You're kidding, right?" Lois asked incredulously.

"Wait," Megan interrupted, "none of this makes any sense. We were with you and Clark at his parents last night, when Lex practically became the leader of the free world."

"You keep saying that. What do…" Lois trailed off when she saw the metal shape poking out of Megan's jeans pocket, "The Mirror Box."

"Of course, that explains everything!" Megan said as she saw Lois' revelation, "Connor, that's why everything seems out of place here; that thing we found buried in that field brought us here. We're in a parallel world!"

"Okay, let's start this from the top," Lois said after setting out a bowl of food for Shelby then sat down as he started feeding noisily, "You, Connor, I'm sure I pretty much know: the genetic love child of Clark Kent and Lex Luthor, right?"

Uncomfortable, Connor answered, "For better or worse."

"But, you….Megan right?" Lois asked, "I don't know you at all. How did you know what I was saying before I said it?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry. I just happen to see more than what I intend when I'm irritated," Lois raised an eyebrow, waiting, "My real name is M'gann M'orzz, J'onn J'onzz is my uncle."

"John Jones," Lois said, catching on, "You're Martian. But…"

"Extinct?!" Megan exclaimed, "Uncle John is the last? But how? Why?"

"I don't know the details," Lois explained, "But I understand that there was a civil war or something amongst your people that wiped out everyone but him, then he drifted for a while until he ended up on Krypton, where he helped Clark's birth father Jor-El round up the galaxy's most dangerous criminals so that he may banish them to the Phantom Zone. Then, when Krypton exploded, John followed Clark to Earth and silently watched over him as Jonathan and Martha raised him, until the day our Martian Manhunter felt Clark was old enough to handle whatever comes his way. After that, he mostly kept the peace in the guise of a human police detective."

"Oh, so that how it was here. In our….universe, our Mars has its share of problems; like we….like the White Martians being treated as second-class citizens. But self-extermination? I can hardly even imagine it! If anything had ever happened to Mom and Dad…" Megan trailed off as tears filled her eyes.

"That's right…"Connor said in understanding, putting his arm around her trembling shoulders, "Your parents would probably be the first targeted if civil war ever did break out there."

"What do you mean?" Lois asked.

"M'gann comes from a mixed race marriage," Connor explained as he patted Megan on the back, "Her mom's a Green Martian, but her dad's a White Martian, and while most of her brothers and sisters were born Green, she herself is white. That's kinda why she ran away to live with John here on Earth. That is, on our Earth. Then John contacted her parents before allowing her to stay." Connor cleared his throat, then tried to change the subject, "Anyway, this 'Tess' person you mentioned earlier like I knew her, well I guess your Connor had? Who is she?"

"Tess Mercer was the illegitimate half-sister of Lex Luthor, a good ally of ours (once she got her priorities straight), and the closest thing to a mother our Connor ever knew, before Martha, that is. You see, in our world you were created to be a replacement body for Lex when he got severely injured, but…"

A knock at the door interrupts Lois' explanation. As she opens the door, Lois' body stiffens in anger and disgust, and when the door was open wide enough she could see why. Lex Luthor was standing on the other side of the door. Although he was a bit younger in appearance than she remembered her Luthor being, his features a tad more handsome, there was no mistaking his smarmy, self-assured smile or the air of malevolence that surrounded him. The thing that threw Megan the most about him was his mind. Even though it appeared on one level to be the same conniving mind that once tried to convince her to betray her fellow teammates, on another level she couldn't get over how absolutely empty it was. It was as if this Luthor was even newer to his world than Connor was to theirs.

Lois interrupted her thoughts, saying, "Well well, speak of the Devil and he may come calling. Sorry I don't have any shuttles for you blow up, but if you're needing any parts for any killer cyborgs…"

"Luthor." Connor growled as he started to stand, but Megan placed a gentle restraining on his shoulder as she said directly to his mind, No, Connor. We mustn't confront him. He isn't the Luthor from our world, who inflicted so much pain on us. We mustn't give him any reason think we're not from his.

As she looked back towards the door, she saw that Luthor hadn't come alone. Behind him was a woman; around '5 "8, in her late twenties, with wavy red hair. Megan's first thought was that she was this world's version of Mercy, Luthor's assistant and personal bodyguard. Her demeanor didn't match, though. The way that she was also glaring at Lex gave her more the appearance of a parole officer, one who believed her charge still belonged behind bars but was forced to do her duty and escort him on his daily rounds.

As she looked at this woman, the redhead caught of Megan looking, causing her to look baffled, as if she was wondering why Megan was looking at her. Before she could put much thought into this, Megan's concentration was drawn back into the conversation. "Anyway," Lex was saying, "I didn't come to talk about Clark's cousin, but rather I was hoping to speak with Clark himself."

"Whatever for?" Lois grated out, her tolerance of Lex's company wearing thin.

"I had some free time today," Lex explained, "and thought I'd use the time to try and fill in some of the blanks inside my head. Since I had apparently known Clark back in Smallville, I thought he'd be the best place to start."

"Come on, Lex," the redhead said, glaring once again at Lex, "Why don't you tell her why you're really here?"

"Yeah," Megan said, who felt she was tired of Lex's company as well, "why don't you tell us?"

Everyone looked confused at Megan except for Lex, who looked a little like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "I-I'm sorry, miss?" Lex managed to get out, "Why don't I tell you what?"

Megan, who was tired of Lex's games and simply wanted him to wrap up his business and get gone, simply stood and said, "You know, Luthor; what Red said. Why you're really here."

The look in Lex's eyes turned to full-blown panic, but what caught Megan's attention was Red's expression suddenly changing to that of disbelieving hope. As the redhead turned towards her, Megan's breath caught in her throat. Is that blood on her coat? Her mind immediately rejected that as impossible. She'd be dead if she'd lost that much blood, and no rational person would wear someone else's bloody coat. Besides, neither Lois nor Connor even so much as glanced at her, so it must be something else. As she was thinking this, Red's next question stirred her thoughts into further confusion, "You….you can see me?"

Before Megan could come up with a response, Lex said hurriedly, "Well, Lois, if you happen to see Clark, then please have him call." Then Lex closed the door behind him without another word.

Connor looked at Megan with something close to awe, "Wow, Meg, I don't know what thought you picked out of Lex's head, but that expression on his face; makes it almost worth it that I didn't punch the hair back onto his shiny head."

Megan, looking at Connor in confusion said simply, "All I did was repeat the redhead's question for Lex back at him."

Both Lois and Connor looked at her in confusion as Lois said, "Megan, there was no redhead here."

Megan looked between Connor and Megan in confusion. "You didn't see her?" Megan asked, "Redhead with light blue eyes, little under six foot, green overcoat with a stain right around here?" she finished as she gestured to the right side of her abdomen

Lois' face grew pale as she whispered, "Tess."

On the roof of the apartment building, Lois burst out of the access door hollering agitatedly "Smallville? I'm sure you can hear me. I don't care if that megalomaniac is breathing down your neck, I have to talk to you about something extremely important!"

As Connor and an unnerved Megan exit the door behind them, Megan continues her argument with them both, "But that's impossible you guys!"

"Megan…" Conner started to say sympathetically.

"No, Connor!" Megan said, growing more unnerved by the minute, "There's no way the woman I saw was dead! You know me, Connor, you know what I can do." She began ticking off on her fingers as she continued, "I'm strong, I can shape-shift, turn invisible, phase through solid objects, I have telepathy, telekinesis, I can fly; nowhere in my skill-set does it say 'I can see dead people'!"

"Smallville…" Lois began again, but was interrupted by a figure descending quickly from the heavens. They saw as soon as it was close enough that it was John Jones. When he was within earshot, John said, "I came as soon as I got the word from Watchtower. I'm not sure what your visitors told you, miss Lane, but…"

"Uncle John!" Megan exclaimed as she shot into the air and hugged him before he could come close to touching down on the roof, then she remembered herself and pulled away, saying apologetically, "Sorry, I kind of lost my head and forgot for a moment where I was, forgot that you're not my uncle John."

Looking back and forth between Megan and Lois as he asked, "Lois, exactly what's going on here? I stopped construction on the new Watchtower because Oliver said a super-powered female and a 'Connor-imposter' was headed your way, you come out of the roof exit saying you had something important to say to Clark, and now this young woman comes flying up and calls me her uncle…"

"Maybe I can help clear some of this up," Megan offered, then after shifting her form to one that's still human shaped, but bald and white, continued using her telepathy, My real name is M'gann M'orzz, and in my world I am your niece and a White Martian.

Mars, J'onn mentally breathed, then countered, But our people are gone, I'm the last survivor.

Perhaps that's the case in your world, M'gann said, but in ours Mars is still alive and, for the most part, well.

And my family? J'onn asked, his mental voice cracking under the emotional strain, They still live? When she shook her head yes, he raised his hand and asked, Can I see?

Raising his hand to her face, she opened the floodgates of her mind and showed him everything: Her life on Mars; her mother, father and siblings; her aunt (J'onn's wife) and cousins; the persecution and rejection she and other White Martians felt from other Green Martians; how she ran away and stowed aboard J'onn's starship during one of his visits; her joy when he announced that she'd been given permission to stay with him on Earth; and finally her life with Connor and the Team.

As she finished and released his hand, a tear rolled down his cheek as he said, Thank you, child. As she resumed her human appearance and touched back down on the roof, John joined her and said again aloud, "Thank you. I had never expected to see my family again. And you've suffered so much, but I'm glad you found a new home on Earth and, more importantly," he added with a glance at Connor, "someone to share it with. But you said you're not from this Earth? I don't understand. I heard that Earth-2 is gone, and what you've shown me is different that what Kal-El had described from his visits."

"We may need to re-think the whole number designations in this situation," Lois said as she handed John the Mirror Box, "It turns out that they're from another Earth, one in which Clark Kent has been Superman for a while and the Justice League has been operating for some time before these kids got in the game."

"I see. And is that why you wished to speak to Superman, Lois?" John asked her, "So that he can use the fortress to help them find their way back home?"

"That's part of it," Lois answered, then continued, "Also, when Lex came by this morning wanting to speak with Clark, apparently your niece saw Tess Mercer with him."

"I keep telling you," Megan said anxiously, "that's impossible! I can't speak with the dead!"

Reviewing the memories he'd acquired from her, John announced, "And yet you did. There's no doubt in my mind that the one you saw today is our late Tess. I recognize her from your memories. And the area where you saw the stain on her coat is the place where she was stabbed."

"What does it mean, though?" Megan said fretfully.

"I'm not certain, but I have a theory," John said, "While it's true our kind doesn't see the spirits of the deceased, what you may have seen was a manifestation of Tess consciousness, as it was projected from within Lex's mind."

"What do you mean?" Lois asked him.

"From what I've been able to piece together, and this is in no way scientific," John explained, "it appears that somehow, when Tess had dosed Lex with the mind wiping agent as she lay dying in his arms, her consciousness transferred itself into the newly cleared areas within Lex's mind."

"You mean to say that after all we went through, after Tess sacrificed her life to do this, that it was all for nothing?" Lois asked, anxiety coloring her tone, "That Lex still knows Clark's secret?"

"I don't think so, at least not directly," John explained calmingly, "It's more like she exists like a separate entity, another personality, if you will. While they may see each other and even converse with one another, they may not have access to the other's memories. And if Tess has retained her personality during the transfer, as it seems from Megan's memory of her, then I'd doubt Tess would be willing to share with him."

"Well that may explain my garbled e-mail I got last night," Oliver said over John's earpiece, "Tess may have sent it using one of Lex's e-mail accounts. She may have wanted to tell me something, but if she had taken control while Lex was asleep at the wheel…"

"…then she wouldn't have been able to speak or read coherently. The part of the brain that controls language is not active during REM sleep." John finished.

"So then, what will we do about it?" Oliver asked, "As long as she's stuck inside Lex's noggin, it's only a matter of time till he finds a way to force her to spill her secrets."

"Yes, we need to find a way to release Ms. Mercer from his 'custody' as soon as possible." John agreed, "But I think our first priority is to find a way to get these kids home."

"No," Connor countered, "We can wait. As one who's personally been the subject of Luthor's TLC, I can't just hop a cab and head home while his double does the same to someone else."

"I disagree," John argued, "You have enough problems with your Luthor without adding to your plate the Luthor from our world. And if the Godfrey I'd seen in Megan's memories is anything like the Godfrey from ours, than your heroes will soon need all the help they can get."

"I hate to say it," Oliver reluctantly agreed over the earpiece, "but Green-jeans is right. We can handle our Luthor, you just worry about yours."

Turning to Lois, John said, "Clark's currently handling an emergency in Bolivia, but I'll have Emil in Star Labs take a look at this in the meantime."

"Thanks," Lois said, "and when you see him…"

"He knows," John said, "He loved and misses you too. I'll tell him all the same."

"Thank you," Lois said, then John flew off. She then turned back towards the roof access and, placing one arm each around Connor's and Megan's shoulders, guided them in front of her as she said, "I don't know if you kids have had a chance to go shopping yet since you got here, but there's no use in sitting around here waiting, and besides I feel a need to get out for a while, so we're going anyways."

Back at the LexCorp office, Lex is pacing frantically back and forth while Tess watches in amusement.

"How did she know what you said to me, huh? What else does she know?" Lex asked.

"I don't know," Tess admitted in amusement, "but I'd love to find to find out myself."

"Unfortunately, Sis, I intend to get my own answers, so I'm afraid you'll have to find yourself another test subject."

The intercom on Lex's desk buzzes and the voice of Otis, Lex's assistant is heard saying, "He's here, Mr. Luthor."

'Send him in," Lex responds, then he turns around as a well dressed gentleman walks in. Lex greets the man, who's wearing a top hat that's a little larger than what most people normally wear, and says, "Thank you for coming on such short notice. I realize this is a little outside your standard commute, and I don't usually employ the services of someone from….your town anyway. I understand that, outside the fabled Black King from the equally fabled Checkmate organization, you are the best in information gathering, and that you can keep things under your hat, so to speak."

Lex shows the gentleman a photo of Megan and Connor taken from a LexCorp Bank ATM camera. "The woman in this photo has information that she shouldn't possibly possess. I want to know how she knows it, what else she may know, then I want you to make sure she doesn't tell anyone else. Can I expect your discretion on this matter, Mr. Tetch?"

Jervis Tetch tips his hat towards Lex as he says with a smarmy smile, "Of course, Mr. Luthor. That is what you're paying for. I'll find out what she knows and how she knows, then I'll show her how deep the rabbit hole goes."

"So," Connor asked uncomfortably, "Do you shop here often?"

As they strolled through a clothing store in the mall, Lois replied, "No, not really. Usually I only come here if something has happened to an outfit I need for a certain assignment: Bullet holes in my business-casual jacket, acid burns on my kakis, winter jacket got torched, things like that. Guess that what comes when you're raised as an army brat by a four-star general."

"So," Connor cleared his throat and said, "If you don't come here often, then…"

"Like I mentioned earlier, I didn't feel like sitting around waiting for them to check out your Mirror Box, and I wanted to show you guys around our Metropolis."

"Why a clothing store for the first stop, though?" Connor asked.

Lois answered, "I thought that you might be able to find something unique that you don't have in your world: maybe an 'I went to another Earth, and all I got was this lousy T-shirt' shirt."

This prompts a chuckle from Connor, then Lois continues, "Seriously though, I wanted to spend some time with you kids, and you don't look as though you go shopping for clothes often, so this was what I wanted to do for you guys if I could do nothing else."

"Thanks, Miss Lane," Connor said appreciatively.

"Hey Connor," Megan said holding up a pink cardigan sweater, "think this'd look good on me?"

"Yeah, I do," Connor relied with a smile, which prompted a smile from Megan as she went off to look at other clothes.

"She seems to be having fun," Lois noted as she watched Megan move deeper into the Young Ladies' section.

"She has this Bio-Suit that she can change the appearance of the same way she shape-shifts, but she likes trying on human clothes anyway. Something about the unique feel and the craftsmanship of each item, I don't know. As long as she's happy, that's enough for me."

Lois sighed, "I always imagined doing this with my own kids one day, and if Smallville can ditch his Day-Glo overcoat so we can get properly hitched, I hope that ours are just like you guys." She then turned her attention fully on Connor as she said, "You know, you kids remind be a lot of myself and Clark."

"I know," Connor said amiably, "Everyone says I look just like him."

"No no, that's not what I meant," Lois countered, "Although there is a certain resemblance. Actually I was referring to your personalities and how you compliment one another, and as far as that goes you remind me of myself. Kind of headstrong, impulsive, have a bit of a temper, a tendency to go crashing headlong into dangerous situations only to have find a way to talk or fight out of it?" She points at herself, which Connor smiles at. "When I first heard what Lex did to Smallville with that shuttle, I wanted to 'punch the hair back onto Lex's head,' and if he hadn't stopped me I would've. That's what I see the most in Megan: her kind and caring nature, her patience, her gentle and loving spirit; those things are what I love the most about my forever-fiancée." She sighed then said, "So, what did your Lex do that had your knickers in a bunch?"

Looking off in the direction Megan went off in, Connor said, "When he had me created, he implanted a short-term Mind Control device in my head as a back-up in the event my psychic programming was ever overridden or had been corrupted, so they may have me return to get it re-established. However, Robin, Kid flash and Aqualad broke me out of Cadmus before most of said programming was even installed. Recently, on an infiltration mission, Luthor activated the device and forced me to try and kill the team I was on the mission with, including Megan. If it hadn't been for Bart's timely intervention and Megan's quick thinking and determination, I would have succeeded."

Seeing what that moment would've done for him, Lois looked apologetic. "I'm sorry," Lois said remorsefully, "I shouldn't have brought it up."

"It's okay," Connor said, "you couldn't have known, and I'm working through it with Megan's help."

"What do you say we grab you a shirt or something, then we grab Megan and head down to the food court after we all check out?" Lois asked.

"Sounds like a plan," Connor agreed, then together they headed off to the Young Men's section.

Meanwhile, back in the Young Ladies' section, Megan was browsing through a rack of clothes. She was lingering on a red top with thin straps when she heard a voice beside her say, "Would the lady perhaps be interested in a hat?"

Looking up with a start, she saw a man standing beside her. Maybe a head shorter than her, though the hat he wore made up the rest of the height, and a dapper suit that clung to his frame, he looked like he might've been a salesman in this place. Indeed, the ladies' sun hat he held out to her looked as though it could've been sold in this store. She briefly wondered how this guy could've come up to her without her noticing, then decided it must've been a combination of her being wrapped up in her browsing and her determination to not intrude into the minds of others.

"I've never wore a hat before," she responded, trying to be polite.

The little man sighed, "Of course, I'd half expected as much. Hardly anyone wears actual hats anymore, at least on a regular basis. Most of the time it's just to things like going to an obnoxious baseball game, or to show off some hideous character like those big headed freaks: the Furious Flock. Even in formal occasions like weddings, hats aren't as common as they used to be. It's a shame really."

The guy looked so downtrodden, Megan decided to humor him. As she took the offered hat, she said, "I don't know if it will suit me…"

"Of course, of course. That's why we have mirrors in this store as well as in the dressing rooms. No sense in getting something only to find out you don't like it! Go ahead, try it on."

She turned towards a mirror beside a sunglass case and placed the hat on. As she adjusted it, she decided that it did look good on her.

"Ah, lovely!" the salesman said, "I knew it would be a good fit for you. You know, in the old days, you could tell a lot about a person by their hat. The ancients even believed that the right hat or hat lining could bring good fortune or even shield one from evil thoughts."

"That sounds like a silly belief," Megan said as she turned back towards him

"Yes," the man agreed, "thinking that something like a hat can bring you good luck is rather silly indeed. On the other hand, that a hat is capable of blocking evil thoughts," he continued as he lifted his hat, "I personally know that idea to be fact."

The moment his hat was clear of his head, Megan's breath caught in her throat, for she saw the man's mind for the first time. The only time she'd felt a mind as dark and depraved as this mind was the one time she and her friends had faced off against the Joker when he was with the Injustice League. And while this man's mind wasn't quite as dark or depraved as that smiling madman, this man had tremendous intellect and cunning, which made his depravity all the more terrible. Before she could do anything about it, the man pulled out a small rectangular device from inside his hat and pressed a button on it. Suddenly it was like she'd gone blind. Her eyes could see well enough, but the minds around her, which she'd been making a conscious effort to not delve into, she now couldn't feel them at all! The thoughts she'd been trying to not overhear had went silent! She tried to ask what's going on, but found that she couldn't even move her lips, much less speak! She couldn't raise her hand or even twitch her finger! She couldn't run away, couldn't turn invisible to hide! Her eyes wouldn't move to where she wanted them to. She tried to blast this little troll, but couldn't find the connection to her power! And no matter how loudly she screamed in her mind, no one acted as if they'd heard her! It was as if someone had found and pulled all the plugs that connected her to herself!

"Now come, my dear," Tetch said cordially as he put his hat back on, "The day's a'wastin, and we still have much to see, much to do."

As Tech turned to leave, she found that her arms and legs were moving of their own accord, walking along behind him in a stride that she herself would never use. And yet, despite all her efforts to stop, to slow down or change direction, she found all of her efforts for naught, the connections still out of reach. As she walked out the door against her will, she felt true fear in her heart as she mentally called out, Connor, Lois, anyone! Please, help me!

But no one heard her.

Moments later, Connor arrived at the Young Ladies' department approaching where he'd last seen her as he said, "Megan, Lois is wanting to go to the food court to get some lunch if you're…." He slowed as he realized that Megan was nowhere in sight. "Megan?" Connor called out tentatively as he glanced up and down the aisles. He then shifted into infrared vision as he called out anxiously, "Megan! Where are you?!" But even though he saw the heat silhouettes of many people in the store and even more next door and outside, Connor didn't see the one he knew so well as hers. He then called out desperately, "Megaaannnn!"

But his sensitive hearing, and his mind, heard no response.

Later on, in a large warehouse-like facility, Tetch is strapping Megan into a chair and attaching monitoring devices to her, including attaching a couple of leads to nodes cleverly disguised on both her hat and his. She tries to phase through the chair and to burn Tetch's obnoxious hat with her Martian Vision, but finds herself still unable to move even the slightest muscle.

"You understand, my dear, that these straps are mainly for your own protection. I've found that some of my subjects proved to have an incompatibility with my devices, and some of them wound up harming themselves before I could make the proper adjustments. And we just cant have you injuring yourself, my dear," Tetch said cordially, "At least, not prematurely. Would you like a spot of tea?"

Megan wanted to tell this big headed freak to get bent, to spit at him, but found herself unable to do either of these things. After a moment, Tetch seemed to realize what the problem was as he said, "Oh dear, I'd nearly forgotten to change modes here. After all, I do have a job to do, and it'll be very difficult to accomplish if you can't even speak."

Tetch once again retrieved his controller and pressed another button on it. While she was still unable to move or access any of her abilities. "Who are you?" Megan asked, barely able to keep the panic from her voice, "Why are you doing this?"

"Oh, dear me! I'd quite forgotten to introduce myself. Forgive me, my dear. My name is Jervis Tech, though my friends call me The Hatter, for my love of hats is quite strong. Other not-so-nice people call me The Mad Hatter, 'though most of them don't do so for very long."

Meanwhile, back in Watchtower, Chloe is accessing the security feed from the store and using a facial-recognition software on the man with Megan while Oliver, Connor, Lois, and John Jones look on behind her. As the system comes up with a match, she announces, "His name is Jervis Tetch, a.k.a. The Mad Hatter. According to the records from Arkham Asylum in Gotham, he's an expert in neurological science and a technological genius. It also says that he is a borderline psychopath with an obsession with Lewis Carroll stories, with hats, and an unhealthy fixation on children? Eww, this guy brings the term 'creep' to a whole new level."

"I'm not surprised," Connor said, trying to remain calm, "It would seem that one constant between our worlds is Gotham being a cesspool for these kinds of guys. Of the ones I've seen, including Clayface, Joker is by far the worst of the bunch."

" 'The Joker'?" Chloe asked.

Connor nods as he answers, "Complete psychopath, that one. Thinks of all life as one big joke, to which death is the punch line, and he's determined to be the one do deliver it. Just know that if you're ever in the area and see a smiling, pale faced clown, don't wait around for him to throw the pie; just turn around and run the other way as fast as you can."

"Good advice," Chloe says.

"So what's our cranially-challenged friend doing on our side of the tracks, and what would he want with our visiting Martian friend?" Oliver asks.

Chloe answers, "According to these records, one of his specialties is obtaining information from uncooperative subjects without the use of chemicals like Truth Serum. I've run Megan's features through our database, just to be sure, and found no records of her counterpart in our world. Because of that, I can only conclude that someone hired him to get information that they believe she has. And because you guys haven't been here long, there's only one person I can think of who could and would hire him."

"Luthor," Connor growled as he clenched his fist, the sound of his knuckles popping echoing around the room, then he turned towards John and asked, "But how can he do this? You guys are really powerful, right? At least I know that Megan is. So how is that creep able to make Megan follow him outside with just a hat?!"

"It is true that our mental facilities is quite strong, and our minds can be just as malleable as our bodies, making a direct assault rather difficult. However, if someone were to catch us off guard, perhaps by using something to shield their thoughts from being picked up by us, then we can be susceptible to a mental attack like any living being. And if someone was to manage to isolate our consciousness from our abilities and our motor control, then it's conceivable that we too can be controlled."

Connor nodded, then turned back towards Chloe and asked, "Where are they now?"

Chloe shook her head and said, "Once they left the mall, they entered an ally off 5th and main then went off the grid considering that Lex is involved, I'm pulling up a number of currently 'unused' holdings of LexCorp that Tetch may have taken Megan to." On the display, a large number of buildings are highlighted.

"It'll be faster it we split up to search them," John said to both Oliver and Connor, "Queen, you take these in the south. Connor, you take the West and Northwest. I'll take the East and Northeast."

"Wait, why do you guys get larger search areas than me?" Oliver asked. When Connor and John just stared at him, John quirking an eyebrow, Oliver answered himself, "Right, super-speed. Gotcha."

"You find anything, relay it through Watchtower," John finished, "They have one of ours, let's get her back."

Back at the warehouse, Tetch is continuing his explanation to Megan.

"Some people prefer to use Polygraph machines or Truth Serum, but not me. Too messy, too inaccurate, you see?"

"Too inaccurate?" Megan asked. Despite the fact that she'd like nothing more than to mind-blast this creep into a quivering pile of jelly and get out of here, she found herself becoming interested in the topic in spit of herself.

"Yes, yes!" Tetch said excitedly, glad she was catching on, "You see, many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own points of view. Say," he added thoughtfully, "wasn't that on a movie or two? Anyway, I want you answer my questions the way I mean them, not you," he says as he gestures towards his hat, "And that's exactly what this device will do. A head full of wires is so unsightly you see. A hat looks so much better, wouldn't you agree?"

It was bad enough that this guy had captured her like a rank amateur and rendered her helpless to effect an escape, but the way he kept slipping into rhyme really got on her nerves, so it was no wonder that she lashed out and said, "No one would want to see your oversized melon, hat or no hat."

"Quiet!" Tetch barked, "Who asked you?"

"What. Do. You. Want?" Megan said sharply, "You said you have questions, but I'm new around here so I'm not sure I have any knowledge useful to you."

"Ah, to the point. Very well dear," Tetch said cordially, "you may be 'new' as you say, but my follicly-impaired employer believes that some info had come your way. The sole possessor of this intel should only be he; how you came to have it, that's up to me."

'follicly-impaired'? Megan thought to herself, then asked aloud as the realization struck her, "Do you mean Luthor?"

"Yes! You're good at this game, my dear! And you know what secret you did overhear?" Tetch asked excitedly.

The only thing I can imagine he's talking about, she wondered to herself, is that this is about the continued existence of Tess Mercer. Megan figured she shouldn't say anything more to him, but she wanted to keep him talking for as long as possible and hopefully give Connor and the others time enough to find her, so she asked, "If I let you know how I learned Lex's secret, would you let me go?"

Tetch sighed as he said, "Unfortunately, my dear, before you go, he wishes to learn what other secrets you know. Then, once I've wiped all your memories away, I'm sure I can let you futterwacken away."

Erase my mind?! Megan was shocked, even though she realized by this point she shouldn't have been. She knew by this point what kind of person she was currently forced to share the company of. But to lose the memories of those closest to her: Uncle J'onn, Kaldurr, Wally, Artemis, Connor…. And then the secrets that he was wanting her to spill: She knew that she hadn't gleaned any other of this Luthor's secrets. However, of the secrets that she did know; she knew that even though this was another Earth, and that there were many differences between this one and her own, but she also knew that there were enough parallels between her earth and this one that her secrets could cause incalculable damage in the wrong hands. Hands like Lex's.

She tried once more to get out, to blast this man away from her, but she was still unable to find her way out of her mental box. However, even though there was no visible evidence on the outside of her internal struggle, she knew that Tetch was aware of her efforts as one of the consoles arrayed around her beeped and Tetch said in response, "Oh, I've shocked you my dear. Sorry about that. I guess we should end the idle chat, for it's time to start the show. How'd you learn Luthor's secret, I need to know."

Megan knew that she wouldn't be able to stall for time any longer now by talking about inconsequentials, so now she determined that she'd just resist his efforts to get any information from her at all for as long as she could. After all, he may be able to manipulate her like a marionette, but how could he make her tell him her secrets against her will?

When she remained silent, Tetch frowned. Then, after making some adjustments on the controls, said, "Let's start with something simple here: what name you go by, dear?"

Although she'd determined to not say anything, she still felt her lips part and her voice recite without inflection, "In public, I go by Megan Morse. However, my real name is M'gann M'orzz."

Megan was in shock at what her traitorous body had done, so she barely heard when Tetch said, "Fascinating! I don't think I've heard a name like that before! What country do you hail from?"

"I'm not from an Earth country at all, I am from Mars," Megan heard her body say, much to her dismay.

"Mars, you say?" Tetch said incredulously, "But I thought that there was no life on Mars?"

Megan tried to force herself to remain quiet, but she still found that the connections eluded her as her body said tonelessly, "In your world it is true that Mars has almost no survivors, but in the one Connor and I come from Mars still has a thriving population underground."

"In my world, you say?" Tetch inquired.

"Yes," Megan heard herself say, "We're from another Earth, one that is similar to yours in many respects, but also has some notable differences. We traveled here by means of a mirror box with Kryptonian markings…"

Unable to bear listening to herself any longer while unable to do anything, she mentally curled inward as she thought to herself, I can't do anything! Even when I was locked up on Black Manta's ship with his inhibitor collar on I didn't feel as powerless as I do right now. And when he has the information he wants, he's going to erase my mind! I'm scared! Connor, help me!

Meanwhile, on the streets of Metropolis, Connor had checked the seventeenth building off his list. His unease and fear growing to unmanageable levels, he was about to check in with Watchtower for the umpteenth time when he heard Megan's voice in his mind saying, I'm scared! Connor, help me!

"Megan?!" Connor barked in surprise. He scanned as many of the surrounding buildings as he could with his thermal vision, but still found no evidence that she was nearby. He was about to go tearing around this part of town when he realized that blind panic would only serve to aid Megan's kidnapper. Taking a deep breath and using the calming technique Black Canary had once taught him to use in similar situations, he focused on looking inward, to the part of his mind where Megan lived, and thought, Megan, can you hear me? It's Connor.

Megan, can you hear me? It's Connor.

Megan gasped, or at least internally she did. Externally, she heard her body answering the Hatter's many questions. She tried to use her telepathy, but found that she couldn't feel anything from anyone, even from the Hatter as he said, "Fascinating! A whole other world, one in which Superman has been leading a team of heroes for many years now! And to think that Detective John Jones of the Metropolis Police Department of our world is, in fact, the last surviving member of your race here! Of course I'm sure that Luthor will want to take care of him for knowing his secret about his sister, but with what you shared about your strengths and weaknesses I don't think that'll be a problem. Let us continue"

Megan was horrified. What had she been made to reveal? Trying to calm herself, she focused on where she was sure she'd heard Connor's voice as she thought, Connor? It's Megan, can you hear me?

Connor? It's Megan, can you hear me?

Connor almost sobbed with relief. He did hear her, she could hear him, and at least for the moment she was alright. Realizing that her remaining that way depended on them finding her quickly, he thought to her, I can hear you! Where are you? Please, help us find you!

He did hear her! Megan wanted to break down sobbing, but even though the Hatter's control prevented even that spontaneous show of emotion, it seemed that his control didn't extend to her special link with her loved one. The fact that she could speak with him, and that the others in this strange land were helping him look for her gave her a sense of hope she didn't have since her capture. Knowing how little time that she had left, she thought quickly, I'm not sure where I am. He made us travel though the sewers for a while, then when we emerged we were in a warehouse with lots of mirrors. She was about to explain what was going on when an insistent buzzer interrupted her thoughts and the Hatter's questioning. His eyes wide, he turned to the display of the noisy console. After studying it for a while, he turned back towards her with a look of grudging admiration. "Well, well. You little shrew, found a knothole I'd missed, did you?" Tetch inquired menacingly, "Well no matter, we're nearly through."

Back in Watchtower, Chloe was monitoring the progress of the search when Connor's voice came over the communicator.

"Superboy to Watchtower, come in. I've had contact with Miss Martian, she says that she's in a warehouse with mirrors."

Maintaining her professionalism she developed during her time with The Team as well as her brief stint leading the Suicide Squad, she entered the data into the filters and watched as the possible locations quickly narrowed until there was only one remaining. "I have it," Chloe announced, "It's a warehouse located on the edge of park ridge that was used to house the building materials that was intended for the construction of RAO Tower."

Connor watched his GPS device update itself with the new data as Chloe announced, "Uploading the location to you now. Manhunter and Arrow are on their way to you now, hold off on moving until they get there."

Connor thought that waiting would be difficult but manageable, but then what he heard next in his mind made his heart nearly stop.

"No can do, Watchtower, update from Miss Martian: Hatter's through with his interrogation and is going to erase her mind! Have Arrow and Manhunter get to the location as swiftly as possible, but I have to go now!" And with that he raced off towards the marked location, praying to whatever gods would listen that he wouldn't be too late.

As Tetch calibrated his machines for the final stage, he told Megan, "Now now, my dear, you mustn't fret. Even though this may hurt quite a bit, the memory of it will vanish along with everything you know." He then picked up his control and touched a command on it as he turned back towards her, then said, "Anything you'd like to share before you go?'

Even though she knew that she was effectively facing brain death, she felt strangely calm. Perhaps it was that she was certain that by now Connor and the others knew where she was and were on their way, that even if they didn't arrive in time to save her she knew Connor wouldn't let Tech get away. Or maybe it simply was the fact that the Hatter was allowing her to speak freely in her final moments. Whatever the case was, she spoke with an eerie calm as she said, "Yes, there is: you're about to lose."

This sets Tetch to laughing hysterically. As he wipes tears of mirth from his eyes, he says, "I'm about to lose? I'm about to collect my biggest payday ever thanks to all the information you shared with me, including that bit about Superman's true name, while you're about to end up a vegetable, and I'm about to lose?"

"Yes," Megan said simply, "and here's why: you may have your precious information, and you may succeed in wiping away my memory, but you'll never get away from here to deliver it and collect your pay. The others know where I am by now, and when he gets here, he's gonna tear. You. Apart."

"Oh really?" Tetch said disbelieving, "And just who is 'he'?"

With a small smile of victory, hollow though she knew it was, she said, "My boyfriend, Connor Kent."

For a moment, she allowed herself to enjoy the dawning fear appear in Tetch's eyes as he recognized the similarities between that name and one she'd been forced to share mere moments ago. Then, as if on cue, a large hole was smashed in the opposite wall of this place and he stood framed in it. Connor, bless his heart, had removed his civilian shirt en route and was now displaying his black T-shirt with the S-shield logo that he'd worn under it. As Connor looked for all the world as an avenging angel about to render judgment, Megan could almost swear that she could feel the fear rolling off of Tetch as he saw it all in spite of her powers being blocked.

And then the moment passed.

"Too slow, Hero!" the Mad Hatter crowed.

And then he pressed the button.

To Connor, it all seemed as if it was happening in slow-motion: he heard the click of the button, the hum of the machinery at it fired up, and Megan's scream of pain as the process started. During the seconds, or was it nanoseconds, that this took place, the only thought running through Connor's head was I can't let this happen! Then there was no more thought as to what he was doing: he simply kneeled, then leapt. As his leap took him near Megan he grabbed as low on the chair as he could, then the chair legs broke just above where the clamps held them to the floor. As the wires attached to Megan's hat reached maximum tension, since the still-activated hat refused to release, the wires wound up being the ones sparking then breaking. Then the momentum carried them through the other wall, the impact of which breaking Megan's chair into kindling although Connor's arms shielded Megan from further injuries, though whether she could be injured from such an impact now he wasn't sure. Finally they slowed and stopped, all of it taking place in less than a second. Connor didn't notice that he was hovering in mid air; all he saw was that she'd stopped screaming once the wire leads were broken, and yet she hadn't shown any signs of life since then. Was he too late after all?

Then the broken ends of the wires still in the building made contact with one another, and suddenly Tetch was the one screaming in agony as the system looped and fed back into his own mind. Connor barely noticed, though, for it was at that moment the wires sparked that life returned to Megan's face as she yelled, "Connor!" and hugged him tighter than they'd ever embraced before. For a moment, they just enjoyed being reunited with their missing half. Then Megan loosened the embrace to look back into the warehouse where Tetch was still screaming. As she looked back into Connor's eyes, he experienced one of those moments where he just knew what she was thinking. He knew that she knew they ought to go back in and save Tetch from himself, even though she didn't want to say it aloud or even psychically, because part of her wanted him to suffer the full dose of the poison he'd intended for her.

With a sigh of reluctance, Connor shifted her into one arm as he flew them back into the warehouse, using his free arm to rip the broke wires from the machine while Megan used a low level psi blast (which was all the strength she could manage at the time) to knock Tetch's hat off his head, who immediately collapsed. Once again Megan found herself shocked by what she saw in his mind, though this time it was for a very different reason. As Martian Manhunter flew Green Arrow in through the hole where Connor had made his entrance, and Tetch starting singing 'Twinkle, twinkle little bat', Megan announced her findings, "His mind is a fractured mess, his memories scattered, even the information he forced me to give him is fragmented beyond salvage. I can't find any sense of Jervis Tetch in there; now there's only The Mad Hatter."

Later, at Summerholt Institute; Tetch, wearing a straight jacket and an approximation of his hat (for he wasn't allowed his original hat for security reasons), pressed his face up against the observation glass and asked, "Have you any idea why a raven is like a writing desk?" then he laughed hysterically as he started to sing, "Twas brillig, and the slithy toves. Did gyre…" as Luthor and the psychiatrist looked on.

"He's suffered a permanent break with reality," the psychiatrist announced, "He genuinely now believes that he's the Mad Hatter from Lewis Carroll's stories and that he's living in Wonderland. I honestly don't know if there's anything left of the man he used to be, much less enough left to salvage."

"All the same, I want you and yours to do their best," Lex stated, "I myself am living proof that as long as there's life, there's nothing so broken that it cannot be fixed." I'll even get back the memories you stole from me, sis, Lex added silently, just wait and see.

"With all due respect, Mr. Luthor," the psychiatrist added, turning to face him, "I don't know what it is we can do for him, and Arkham is demanding that we return him to their custody."

"Just tell them that he's not fit for travel, then use your resources to do what you can for him until forced to do otherwise," Lex says to the doctor, then as he focuses once more on the singing Hatter he continues, "Someone did this to him because of what he learned, and I want to know what that is."

Meanwhile, inside Watchtower, Emil Hamilton is handing the Mirror box back to Connor as Chloe, Lois, John and Oliver look on.

"According to my analysis," Emil announces, "It's virtually identical to the Mirror Boxes we found here and in Earth-2….er, that is to say the other Earth. The only difference is the symbol on it. To go back home, you simply have to twist it the opposite way."

"Thanks." Connor says, then he turns towards the others and says, "Thank you all. If you hadn't helped me find Megan in time…"

"Think nothing of it," John said.

"It's just what we do," Chloe said.

"And we were glad to do it," Oliver added, then continued, "Just be sure to smack Darkseid one for me, should you see him."

"I will," Connor promised.

"Kara would be so proud of you, Connor," Lois said.

"Who's Kara?" Connor asked.

"She's Clark's cousin, from where he was born," Lois said meaningfully.

"Oh, wish I could've met her," Connor said, then when Megan elbowed him playfully he added, " 'cause she'd be like family, right?"

Everyone laughed at this, then Megan said, "Goodbye everyone, we'll never forget you."

"Nor we you, child," John said as he kissed her forehead, "Safe travels home."

"And we'll be sure to contact Martha so that she can come to take care of Shelby," Lois finished.

Connor then stood beside her holding out one end of the Mirror Box to her, which she smiled and grabbed on to. Then they looked one last time at everyone, twisted it so that the symbol separated into two halves again, then with a flash of light they were gone.

Lois sighed as she said, "I'm going to miss those two."

Chloe added, "Same here."

"I'm sure that applies to everyone here," Oliver said, and everyone nodded in agreement. He then clapped his hands together once and added, "Alright then, our next order of business: Getting Tess out of her evil brother's bald head."

"Of course," Emil Hamilton said, "To that end I've been going over notes on the procedure done on Hank Hensha…"

Emil didn't get to finish the sentence, as time had frozen for everyone there. As a result, no one saw the appearance of the two figures that suddenly appeared within their midst. One is a female with long blond hair, apparently in her late teens, wearing a red and blue full-body jumpsuit with a red half-skirt covering the back of her panted legs, giving her the appearance that she's wearing a cape on her hips rather than her shoulders. The other is a male, also blond though his hair is cut severely short, and his attire consists of a white and purple jacket worn over a black jumpsuit.

"Are you sure that we're doing a good thing here, Brainiac?" the woman asked him.

"I can't see that anyone here will see this as 'good', Kara," Brainiac 5 responded, "but unfortunately it is necessary, so they may have a future in which they can complain about it, should they ever discover it occurred." As Kara crossed her arms and glared daggers at him, Brainiac continued, "I can see that you still have difficulty trusting me, Kara. Understandable, considering your painful history involving my predecessors. However, you know that their future and our existence depends on these friends of yours defeating the 'crisis' that threatens both, which in turn depends on them finding and discovering the vital clues at the crucial moments that history shows they will; as so long as they're not distracted with unexpected revelations by strange visitors from other worlds."

"But Tess…" Kara began.

"…will be found and rescued soon enough," Brainiac finished as he approached Oliver, "though the natural course of this planet's history. I understand how painful may be for you, you didn't have to come, but for now your friends need to focus on solving the Crisis and on getting Lois and Clark some 'alone time' away from Lex's satellites, and Lex and Tetch both need to forget today's events entirely." Brainiac then changes two of his fingers into tendrils and attached them to Oliver's temples. "As far as everyone on this world's concerned, this trip through the looking glass needs to be only a dream."

Meanwhile, in a wheat field in Smallville, Megan and Connor reappear in a flash of light.

"Did it work?" Megan asked, "Are we back?"

Looking around, Connor recognized the crater where he recently played ostrich what seems to be a very long day ago. "I think we are back. Looks like the day's almost done, though. We should head back to the Kent's; I'm sure that this time they'll be waiting there with a home cooked supper."

"Sounds good," Kara said, and Conner helped her onto his back, tuning a helpful moment into a playful one.

As they got to the road to follow it back to the farm, they spotted Lois' car driving down it as she slowed and stopped as she spotted them. "Hey kids, you about done practicing for today?"

Connor glanced up at Megan as he said, "Yeah, I think we're done for now."

Sharing Connor's meaningful glance, she continued, "I personally think Connor's got the hang of flying now."

"Well great," Lois said proudly, "just be sure to get back to the farm and wash up for supper. I sure hope Clark will get back in time."

Megan asked, "He didn't come back with you?"

"No," Lois replied irritably, "our new Secretary Evil needed to have a private word with a couple of senior Leaguers, including Superman. Maybe when he gets back, we can get Smallville to share what they discussed."

" 'Smallville'?" Connor asked uneasily. Was it possible they hadn't made it back home, that they're on the wrong earth again?

"That's my nickname for Clark," Lois explained. I originally came up with it when Clark first started at the Planet, though back then it was intended as an insult. Now, though, It's become a term of endearment." As Connor and Megan breath a sigh of relief, Lois chuckles and says, "Don't you kids be late now," then drives off.

As they continue taking their time down the road with Megan relaxing & riding piggyback, Connor comments, "This has been one long, strange day."

"Almost seems like something from a dream," Megan agreed.

"I almost wish that it had been a dream," Connor countered uneasily.

"I don't know about that," Megan countered kindly, "That moment, when you took flight and saved me, I think that will be one of my most cherished memories."

"Wanna see if I can fly us back to the farm?" Conner said smiling.

Returning his smile, Megan climbed around his back and cradled herself in his arms and kissed him on the cheek, saying, "By all means."

As Connor was about to take off, they were distracted by a shooting star that crashed in nearby Lawson's field. After sharing a startled glance with one another, Megan scrambled down and they both hurried over to the crash site. As they ran along, Megan asked, "What do you think that was?" Megan asked.

Connor, who'd reached the edge of the crater first, said, "I think that Clark's cousin is joining us for dinner."

As Megan reached the crater as well, she saw what Connor did: A small craft, large enough to serve as an escape capsule for a medium-sized adult, with the S-shield crest that represents the house of El emblazoned on the nose.

End of crossover.