It was quiet in the small storage quarters that the three Daily Planet employees were currently staying and Irene found herself going in and out of sleep. It could have been the incredibly uncomfortable cot that she was laying in or the excitement that was running through her veins that was preventing her from sleeping, but she was restless all the same.

With a frustrated sigh Irene sat up looking around the pitch black room, the only signs that Jimmy and Lois were beside her were the sounds of their light breathing. Reaching into the duffle bag at her feat Irene check the time one her phone, which was practically the only thing her phone was useful for out here with no reception.

Irene felt frustrated at her inability to sleep and the fact that they were scheduled to meet Colonel Hardy in two hours. Knowing that she would be unable to go back to sleep Irene quietly got ready for the day as she dressed in her multiple layer. Turning back to look at Jimmy and Lois who were still in a deep sleep, Irene made a split second decision as she grabbed Jimmy's camera and headed outside. She owned her own camera that she used whenever she wasn't assigned a photographer and had to take her own photos, but for this story they had Jimmy and he always traveled with two cameras.

Stepping outside the icy wind seemed to immediately take a hold of her even through all her layers. Raising Jimmy's camera she immediately began to take pictures of her surroundings and the larger glacier where the unidentified ship was under. Absently Irene began to look through all the pictures she had taken as she headed back towards their sleeping quarters. Just as she was about to open the door she noticed a strange figure in the back of some of the photos, it was clearly a man who seemed to be climbing up the large glacier.

With her curiosity instantly piqued Irene turned around towards the glacier wondering what someone could possibly going this early when no one was supposed to go up there until later in the day. For a moment she considered waking Jimmy and Lois, but she could very well be overthinking this and it could be nothing at all.

Pushing through the uneasiness she felt Irene began walking towards the glacier wrapping her scarf more tightly around her neck. She only made it a couple of feet of the ice structure before stopping in her tracks and considered going back to the base. Whether it was her stubbornness or her curiosity that had her push through Irene wasn't sure but she was taken my another wave of uneasiness once she arrived at a large hole that went several miles through the ice.

It wasn't the fact that the large opening wasn't on any of the satellite images that made her feel uneasy. It was the warmth that seemed to be radiating from the ice and the dripping water from inside the opening that made it seem that it had happened recently and not in any way that was natural.

For a moment Irene considered the fact that the man could have created this large opening through the ice, but she immediately brushed the thought aside knowing that it was impossible. Yet, the mystery was too great for her to simply turn around.

Before she could completely consider her options Irene found herself talking through the opening in the ice, taking pictures of her surroundings along the way. As she continued to take in her surrounding her mind was already wandering to the places where this story could go. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she almost didn't notice as she stepped on mew grounds that definitely wasn't ice.

Looking down at the silvery metal at her feet it felt as if all the blood had drained from her face and as she continued walking further into the ship it quickly became clear that this was no Soviet ship. It was like nothing that she had ever seen before from the odd metal to the panels at the side of the ship nothing about the structure seemed human. And although she refused to acknowledge the word that seemed to be constantly resurfacing in her mind she couldn't deny that nothing about this mysterious ship seemed to be from this world.

Did that mean that the man from the photographs was the owner of this ship?

Because how did he know the exact location of this ship?

Or could he actually be behind the mystery of the opening within the glacier.

Irene's heart began to beat rapidly in her chest both from fear but also the excitement of a new discovery. The excitement of writing a potentially ground breaking story was all the motivation she needed to continue exploring the halls of the ship and taking as many pictures as possible. She was sure that Jimmy would be disappointed in not having been the one to take the photos that could possibly change the world.

A small gasp left Irene's lips as a large robotic machine that seemed to be floating towards her. The smile that touched Irene's lips was one that stemmed from utter disbelief. Her fear and uneasiness seemed to be quickly replaced with wonder and awe at the unique beauty of the the interior of the ship and the thing that was only a couple of feet away from her.

Slowly raising Jimmy's camera Irene snapped a quick photo of the machine, but in that same instant a long robotic arm from the machine whipped towards her sending he several feet into the air and into the hard metal wall of the ship.

Oddly enough as she was thrown back against the wall Irene's first thought was that Jimmy had lost another camera in less than 24 hours. Daring a quick glance at the shattered remains of the camera, Irene returned her attention back to the machine that had just attacked her. She wanted to scold herself for her recklessness, but as that thing began to slowly approach her again it began to dawn on her that this was far from over.

In a moment it took her to blink a man had stepping in front of her taking hold of the large robotic machine. Irene could only sit there in shock as she watched him crush the thing with his bare hands as if he were crumpling a sheet of paper.

Her mind only had a moment register the fact the it was the cargo worker that carried their luggage to the camp base before running to the direction she came in from. The pain at her side was unbearable and her lungs were beginning to burn from the cold icy air, but her survivor's instinct had taken control as she continued to run not daring to look behind her.

But Irene could only handle so much pain before she become lightheaded causing her to stumble on the cold metal floor of the ship. A cry of pain escaped her lips as she sat up looking down at the hand that was clutching her side only to find it coated scarlet in her own blood. Finally it seemed that the reality of her situation began to sink in, that she was probably going to die in this cold place.

Before Irene could think about what she could possibly do next a strong wind came from one end of the ship, she almost expected it to be another one of those robotic machines coming to finish its job. But it was the man who had appeared at her side in an instant just like before, Irene fought to swallow a scream that threatened to escape. Instead she frantically attempted to get away from the man who couldn't have possibly appeared in an instant like he just did. Her mind tried to make sense of what was happening, but it was a pointless task as the panic of what was happening began to take its hold.

The man reached out taking Irene's hands as an attempt to keep her from attempting to run away again. He was only wearing a simple t-shirt another fact that simply didn't make sense in Irene's frantic mind as their icy surroundings were practically unbearable to her.

"It's alright. It's alright. It's alright!" He assured her but Irene continued to fight his firm hold out of the uncertainty of his intentions even if his words were meant to calm her. She had just seen him crush that machine with his bare hands and she still had no clue what he could be doing here.

Even as Irene tried to slip away the man's grip seemed unbreakable and the pain was quickly draining all her strength and energy. Eventually Irene had no choice but to stop resisting whatever help the man was offering.

"It's alright." He repeated again as he tried to meet her eyes and once they did Irene felt an unusual calm wash over her as she focused on his blue eyes. Instantly she seemed to relax though her breathing was still heavy as he slowly released her arms. The man looked down at where her wound was, blood starting to flow rapidly and staining her clothes a deep scarlet. "May I?"

Although she was far from trusting the me he was also the only person who could offer her any help in here, she was far from the military camp base and he was her only option. Trying not to overthink the situation Irene nodded numbly giving him her permission to check her wound. In an instant he unzipped her thick coat and lifted her multiple layers, revealing the wound at her side just under her ribs. The sight of all that blood flowing from her body made her more light headed than she already was as the fear began to break through once again.

He looked back up to meet her frantic eyes and as he did Irene understood that feeling, because looking into his kind eyes she felt an unexplainable sense of safety. As much as she could try to make sense of it she simply couldn't, but some part of her wanted to rationalize it to the rapid blood loss she was experiencing. "You're hemorrhaging internally. Now if I don't cauterize this bleed..."

The words seemed to swim in her mind with no clear focus. Irene had so many questions about how he could possibly now that she was hemorrhaging internally with a simple glance, of course he could be a doctor or medically trained. But is he was, what was he doing in the arctic working as a cargo worker?  How could he cauterize her wound with no medical tools? It simply didn't make sense but she couldn't get an answer to all these question when her life was ticking away. "How?"

The man seemed to hesitate for a moment as he looked away from her expectant eyes clearly unsure of what to say next. But his hesitation only lasted a moment before he met Irene's eyes once again with a new sense of determination. "I can do things that other people can't."

Irene took a moment to think about his words and what he could possibly mean by them. But nothing that came to mind seemed reasonable, but the fact that she seemed to currently be in come type of ship that wasn't from this world was something that she could not ignore. The thought was screaming in her mind but she refused to believe it as she continued staring at him with wide eyes. He just seemed so human.

"What does that even mean?" She questioned panic beginning to set in again. The initial calm she felt melted away as the confusion took over leading into fear, but oddly enough that fear wasn't directed towards this mystery man. The thought of dying in this place was what scared her, the idea of her body never being found because her mind still refused to believe that this man in front of her could do whatever he claimed.

"Hold my hand. This is gonna hurt." The man stated as he extended a hand towards her, Irene considered it for a moment but her stubbornness took over as she dismissed his hand. Oddly enough the man only seemed amused as he turned his attention back to her wound his features suddenly becoming deadly serious.

Irene refused to let her eyes stray from the man who currently had a laser focus on her wound, suddenly a red light began to shine from his eyes. The sight causing Irene's heart to stop but she hardly had a moment to let the sight completely sink in before the a searing hot pain spread from her open would to what felt like the rest of her body. Instinctively she reached for the stranger's hand as a scream escaped her lips, an action that what ultimately pointless because moments later Irene fell unconscious from the unbearable pain.

Hushed voices were what pulled Irene out of her state of unconsciousness. Her eyes felt heavy and every part of her body ached in a way that it never had before, but as Jimmy and Lois came into focus Irene instantly snapped out of her drowsy state.

For a moment her mind wanted to believe that everything had been some insane dream but the pulsing pain at her side told her otherwise.

In a panic Irene pushed the multiple layers of blankets that had been covering her off and raised her shirt high enough to find what she was looking for. The sight of a thin scar just under her ribs caused her to release a sigh of relief. Somehow the scar seemed completely healed and if it wasn't from the slight pain and her blood stained clothes the scar could have been seen as one that she had gotten many years ago.

"What the hell Irene?" Jimmy questioned in a panicked voice as he stepped closer looking at her with concern. Irene was sure that she looked completely mad and her friends worry was understandable, she was worried for herself. Mostly she was still confused on how she had gotten here in the first place. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"Give her some space kid, she's just waking up." Lois scolded as she stood in front of Jimmy a look of concern that Irene had never seen on the reporter taking over her features. Admittedly Irene still felt incredibly disoriented as she attempted to bring her scattered thoughts together. "We found you just outside. You must have had enough energy to knock on the door. If you hadn't we would have found you much later."

Irene didn't say anything not because she was still in shock but because she didn't know what to say even if she could. How could she possibly explain what had just happened to her?

The three of them remained in silence for a moment, and although Irene knew they were trying to giver her the space she needed to gather her thoughts the task seemed impossible. They were waiting for her to explain on her own, and as the silence stretched on longer Lois' impatience was becoming more difficult for her to hide. "I can't take it anymore. Tells us what happened."

Looking up to meet Lois' curious eyes Irene shook her head mostly out of disbelief. She knew what happened was real but some part of her refused to completely believe it herself. "I don't think you'll believe me if I did."

"Try me." Lois countered as she stubbornly crossed her arms across her chest. "Jimmy and I just watched an alien spaceship come out of the ice."

Irene froze in shock, not from the news of an alien ship breaking its way out of the ice but the realization that the man in the ship was gone too. She had wondered what a man like him was doing as a cargo worker, now it made sense. He was investigating too. "What?"

Jimmy stepped forward agin the concern her felt was now replaced with irritation as he looked down at his friend. His shift in mood wasn't something the registered in Irene's mind as she continued to think of the man and where he could have possibly gone to. "I would have shown you if I would have had my other camera. Which while on the topic, where is it?"

Irene ran her fingers through her tangled hair in frustration at the reminder of the camera. Not only had she lost the photographs that she had taken inside the ship but she had prevented Jimmy from capturing proof that there was a ship at all. "Jimmy I'm so sorry... I"

"No. No. No." The older reporter quickly interrupted clearly eager to hear more of what Irene had to say. Not that Irene could blame her knowing that if she was in Lois' shoes she would also want to know more about the insane adventure she had just gone on. "Don't go off topic. What happened Irene?"

There was no guaranteeing that Jimmy or Lois would believe a single word she would say. In fact they would probably think that she was absolutely insane and if it wasn't for the scar at her side Irene would have believed herself to be insane too.

But they saw something too.

That was all the proof Irene needed that she didn't hallucinate what had happened to her and that the mystery man was somewhere out there. And she was going to find him.

A/N: It's insane how invested I am in this story. We won't be seeing Clark for the next two chapters as I'm going to continue to build Irene's relationships with all the side characters, so just hang on there a little. Give me your thoughts so far!