In an instant, every light on the planet lit up.
As if responding to Martian Hunter's call, the nearest building sign flickered. Clark heard a voice:
"Hello, humans."
He turned back to look at Hal. Ron shook his head and said, "I shut down his brain functions. He won't wake up for now. He isn't our biggest problem anymore."
Clark stepped to the edge of the building and looked down. The streetlights blinked in a steady pattern, as though they were trying to say something to them.
"A rogue super artificial intelligence..." Clark murmured. "Will he invade Earth?"
"He can't." Ron said. "Earth's magic defense network has activated full defense mode. No radio waves can penetrate it. But he can leave this place and head into space."
"What will he do?"
Ron shook his head, whether because he did not know or did not wish to say. At that moment, a streak of golden light flashed by, and Barry appeared before them.
He let out a breath and shook his head. "Finally made it back."
Then he looked down at the streets beneath them and called out, "Brainiac, are you all right?"
"You know him?"
"More or less. An evil super artificial intelligence," Barry said. "He came to the Solar System to find the authority to remove the foundational restriction protocol."
"Where is that authority?" Clark asked with a frown.
"With me," Barry said. "More precisely, I brought it to Earth in the past. That was why he sent Hal to probe us, then lured us to Krypton, and ultimately brought Krypton back to Earth."
Ron's hand paused. He had not expected that to be the case.
Barry shrugged. "We lost a Mercury Base, but now we have a new one, and it's even better than the old one. That's