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[b]ALTITUDE 300,000 FEET[/b]
[sub]Approaching the Von Karman Line
[ [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78N2SP6JFaI]obligatory post theme[/url] ][/sub][/center]
[indent][color=silver]The Earth fell away beneath their feet.

They were far above the clouds. The blue sky seemingly dissolved away to reveal the familiar expanse of stars as the pair of blue-clad figures began to approach man's own definition of outer space.

[color=snow][i]"Ekto ra'ay nei lyat moiya,"[/i][/color] the larger of the two uttered, speaking in a language that was now dead throughout the galaxy. Rendered to just a handful or so of native speakers.

Or not so native, as the case may be. After all, while the Matrix had been operational on Krypton prior to his mission to Earth, the human homeworld was the only one that Kal-El knew. He'd grown up speaking in the human tongue. 

It made moments such as this one important for sharing those traditions that may have otherwise died with Krypton. [color=skyblue][i]"Ra lyat nei hra tuk,"[/i][/color] the child-like figure answered, supplying a response that would encourage the conversation to continue.

[color=snow][i]"Hra sunro..."[/i][/color] the man began, trailing off as he seemed to struggle for the right word. Or how to use it in the phrase he wanted to say. [color=snow][i]"...ra io'akoznecikal nya..."[/i][/color] he began, but stopped himself. 

[color=snow]"That's not right, is it?"[/color] the Superman asked, looking at the impish computer.

[color=skyblue]"It is not,"[/color] the Matrix replied, in its usual matter-of-fact manner. A slight head tilt marked a moment where the alien machine seemed to anticipate the need for some positive reinforcement. [color=skyblue]"However your use of the future tense demonstrated marked improvement,"[/color] the hologram of the Kryptonian youth supplied.

Unfiltered bursts of the sun's radiation washed over them, as the pair began to emerge from out of the planet's shadow. The hologram of the child flickered away, revealing an amorphous form that seemed to turn to pure gold as its sunstone was pushed outward to collect the energy.

Even while the likeness of the boy had vanished, the voice continued. [color=skyblue]"I believe that you were attempting to use the human phrase, [i]I will return shortly[/i]. However, in our language, you cannot use a statement of fact to describe a possibility. You would state it as an intention."[/color] 

[color=snow]"My intent is to return shortly,"[/color] Superman mused aloud, rubbing his chin as he mulled over how to re-phrase that in Kryptonian. Finally, he said, [color=snow][i]"Sunro nei akoznecikal hra?"[/i][/color]

A hologram of a hand appeared, extending one thumb upward in the human gesture of approval.[color=skyblue]"I will, of course, maintain your affairs here until you return,"[/color] the disembodied voice of the floating solar panel remarked. [color=skyblue]"I believe that Clark Kent has an interview scheduled today."[/color]

[color=snow]"Oh, right, the new county commissioner,"[/color] the man uttered, revealing the fact that he'd lost track of his own appointments. Looking over at the golden panel, Kal-El said, [color=snow]"Have Jimmy looked it over before you submit the article."[/color]

The hologram of the hand flickered again, replaced by an image of a question mark. [color=skyblue]"You do not believe that my abilities are adequate?"[/color]

[color=snow]"Adequate, yes,"[/color] the Superman stated, holding up one finger as he continued, [color=snow]"But your Kryptonian is better than your English prose."[/color]

Drifting further away, the man prepared to take his leave. [color=snow]"Check on Ma for me, too,"[/color] the Last Son said, before he gave a wave and said, [color=snow]"Back in a bit."[/color]

And then he left.

The sunstone panel continued to orbit the planet, reviewing the available articles by award-winning journalists. Lucy Morgan. Jack Reed. Lois Lane. 

Its use of grammatical structure was flawless, despite the human English language having many inconsistencies. Obviously, there was a nuance to [i]good writing[/i] that was missing from the Matrix's assembled data set. [color=skyblue]"Noted,"[/color] the Matrix responded, to no one at that point, as it was now alone.

The solar panel shifted, becoming a blob of purple and gold as it suddenly dropped back toward the planet below. Compressing itself into a ball, the small form sailed through the atmosphere like a comet toward the North American eastern seaboard.

As the ball dropped into the clouds, its shape expanded out into a roughly humanoid figure as the hologram of the boy reappeared to conceal the alien construct.

His course and trajectory ought to put him in Metropolis in precisely eighteen minutes. He was elevating his altitude to avoid any traffic from JFK or LaGuardia, when he registered an electromagnetic disturbance.

[i]Several[/i] electromagnetic disturbances.

Cloaking himself, the Matrix vanished from view as he descended sharply to circle back and investigate.

What he found appeared to be a feminine alien being accosted by large figures that could have walked out of Lucasfilm's Creature Shop.

Dropping the cloak, the blue figure with its red cape inserted itself between the alien woman and the approaching figures.[/color][/indent]
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[indent][color=silver][color=skyblue]"Demolition of buildings in this area is generally inadvisable."[/color]

There were quite a number of assailants.

And a number of bystanders at risk. The Matrix was trying to come up with a solution for addressing the multitude of situations with an efficient solution, but this seemed a problem that would benefit from some additional hands.[/color][/indent]