Superman, in Steelworks, blasts heat vision into an apparatus that
tests the newly returned Professor Emil Hamilton's robotic arm. It is
explain by Hamilton that during the Brainiac 13
attack, he was trapped most egregiously beneath the city, though his
appendage transformed into something with slightly more utility than
he'd been used to. As a scientist, he couldn't help staying down in the
dregs for a while underneath the city studying all of the strange
science to be had. John Henry Irons offers to allow Hamilton to set up
his lab in Steelworks until he gets on his feet again. Hamilton agrees.
Superman excuses himself to go do his duties for the day.

Emil and John examine a meteor that Steelworks has been looking
at, and John tells Emil about a audio transmission coming from the Phantom Zone that seems to be in Kryptonian.

Clark, at home, is plagued by reports of Lex Luthor's activities.
Luthor, according to the television, is implementing a meta-human
program to allow super-heroes to work together in the name of helping
the poor and needy of the world. Liri Lee, of the Linear Men, suddenly
appears before Superman, apparently having survived the recent death
she'd experienced at the hand of Warworld.[1]
She reveals that the future is disappearing thanks to Clark's apathy
and mental disassociation from the problems of the world Luthor's
presidency brings about. Played before Clark is a future scene.

Perry, Lois, and Jimmy, tired and old, are making an attempt to
take Luthor, now much more politically powerful, and dethrone him.
Natasha Irons arrives in a futuristic system of body armor, which she
removes, giving the three retinal cameras in the hope that they can
catch Luthor in a criminal act on worldwide television. Superman, in
this future, has returned to his home beyond the stars...

At a business meeting, Luthor is trying to convince another country into converting to the B13
upgrade. He kills the last Siberian tiger in existence in front of the
leader of the country for fun. Super-heroes, at Luthor's beck and call,
take the retinal cameras from the reporters. Luthor, through Brainiac
technology, found out long ago about the cameras and disabled them.
Perry and Jimmy are killed. Luthor offers to spare Lois if she will be
his. The world is encompassed in the B13 upgrade, at this point, 2006,
and though Luthor doesn't know it, he's about to be booted from power by
a mysterious third party.

After she finishes showing Superman the dystopic future, Liri has
an ultimatum for Superman: he can change his emotional state, or the
Linear Men will change it for him.

Back in the Steelworks, Emil and Steel find the Kryptonian
transmission. They figure, with luck, they can give Superman the
Christmas gift of a visit to this new Krypton.