Beyond the Sun

41

"So, help me, if I hear one more person talking about this being the end of the world, I will hit them...I swear it, I will hit you." Annie grumbled while rewiring the piece of the control panel in front of her. "You're distracting me, just leave me alone..." She shot a look to a pair who were hovering a little too close for comfort and were really being quite depressive. "Oh, come on, you lot are the ones who gave him a name which involves the word 'super' in it. You'd think seems you've given him a name with the word 'super' in it you'd have a little more faith, no?" Annie threw a piece of wiring over her shoulder and inwardly apologised to Jor-El. She did feel quite guilty for basically ripping this apart and revamping it for their own purposes. But then, when she truly thought on it, she figured that if it meant saving thousands of lives; he would do the same. "Okay, look, what you all need is a distraction, I sing to distract myself. But somehow, I doubt you'll like that. So, talk about trivial things, maybe not the weather seems that machine is really...ugh, I don't know...just, please can you all stop looking like this is the end? We have a plan. And that plan will work." Annie said while letting out a short breath. She looked up when Hardy approached. "It's almost done."

"We've got the transport sorted. Hurry this along so we can get it on board."

Emil and Annie exchanged a look. She shut a hatch and smiled, "We can work as we go." Hardy seemed pleased with this and between them all they managed to load the craft onto yet another, with help from lift machines and muscle power of many men.

"Annie, you don't need to come."

"Doctor, I am not letting you up there alone. You need help finishing this. I've so far helped you with nearly every project that has cropped up; this is just another, though yes, okay, it's perhaps the deadliest thing we've ever had to do...but you're not doing this alone, because I'm not letting you." Annie said while fixing him with a firm look, Emil sighed and ran a hand over his head before nodding. He could tell when she was fixed on something, he'd known her for long enough now to not even try and persuade her against something she'd put her mind to.

"Can't say your boyfriend will be too happy about you being up in the air." Emil commented with a dry smile as Annie let out a quiet: "Pfft." He rolled his eyes at this, "I'm just saying."

"We all have to do things that we may not want to do. Don't mistake my enthusiasm for me wanting to do this. But to protect the ones we love, we'd do anything. I'm a little more narrow-minded, and selfish...Superman," Annie's face scrunched up at that, that was going to take some getting used to just like Kal. "Is doing this for everyone. I...I'm helping do this in hopes of saving my family." Annie said while looking down at her hands, they were covered in slight scrapes from her tinkering around.

"You ready back there?" Hardy's voice interrupted them and any other possible continuation of their conversation.

"Yeah," Annie responded while looking up at Emil with a strained smile. "I am scared though. Don't get me wrong."

"You're not alone."

"You know though...I wouldn't swap it for anything..." Annie said thoughtfully. She remembered desk work, and hated it, despite being able to design and help design things which could be practically used. But in comparison to her work with Emil...even more so when it led straight back to Clark, how could she ever want to swap that? She let out a startled noise and clutched onto a hand rail to steady herself as the plane seemed to hit a bit of turbulence.

"Guardian on route to Metropolis. Package in tow." Hardy said over the com-system.

Annie couldn't help but sigh and hang her head, why did it have to be Metropolis? Honestly. She snapped back to attention though when low whistling happened beyond their plane, shortly followed by erupting explosions. The ship over Metropolis was now under attack, not that it had any effect it seemed. The gravity field around it was playing havoc with the missiles, either they careered off course, or they fell from the sky and blew up in their descent. As much as everyone was hesitant about doing so, they needed to get closer to have any hopes of having an effect and bringing that ship down. Annie and Emil by now had finished the last touches and sat warily looking from the bomb, to each other and then back again. It was relatively safe...after all, it wouldn't be active really until the key Annie was death gripping onto was placed into the port slot for it.