Chapter 27 - Last Days
(Stan Edgar's Office, Seven Tower - New York, New York State - Very Early Morning, June 19th 2022)
The room was deadly quiet, apart from the small, almost minute clinking of glasses that would have been lost if there had been any noise. Clark's eyes darted to Kara, who was standing like a statue by the windows, her arms crossed behind her, looking every inch like a soldier waiting for orders. His eyes however quickly returned to the main focus of his attention, Stan Edgar who was more animated than he had ever seen. The man placed three strange glasses on the table as he pulled out a bottle in the shape of a pyramid filled with a liquid that kept changing colour in a beautiful swirling pattern from his cabinet.
"Ah, Changralynian Brandy. Those pacifist monks make a fantastic drink." The Vought CEO twisted the cap off and smelled the puff of gold that briefly appeared. Clark fought back a smile as he caught the scent. It smelled like home somehow. "I honestly gave up ever hoping to have an opportunity to open this but here we are. Truly, the only similarity between us and humans is that we drink to celebrate important events."
Clark's eyes just watched as, with barely-contained joy, Stan Edgar poured out three glasses and gestured for Kara to join them which she did suddenly relaxing and smiling at Clark. The three had been together for nearly 3 hours, but this was the first chance they had to speak in private; they had been kept on the stage for most of that time. In truth, he had expected Homelander to appear as well but the man had yet to make an appearance, something that Clark was both relieved and troubled by. He took the glass that the Vought CEO offered him but didn't take a drink yet, observing that neither Kara or Stan Edgar had.
"You're a Kryptonian aren't you, it's the only way to make sense of everything" Clark spoke the words in his birth tongue, his pronunciation was crisp and clear earning him a surprised look from Kara but making Stan Edgar just smile wider. "I've been practising. I didn't want a repeat of last time,"
"Ha, no that would be bad," Kara had let out a small laugh before coughing and straightening up, glancing at Mr Edgar apologetically, she too was speaking her native tongue, "Sorry sir,"
"Don't be, Kara. This is an informal event, and a happy one at that, so please do not stand on ceremony. Take a glass and join in this happy reunion."
The CEO spoke the Kryptonian language with a slightly harder edge on certain sounds than Kara, yet his tone was undeniably more elegant. Kara was blunt in her connections, and 'bubbly' was the best description he could muster for her tone; she spoke significantly faster than Edgar. This time, Clark couldn't help but smile as he realised he was hearing Kryptonian accents. He was listening to his birth tongue, as it would have sounded had he been standing on his homeworld himself, something he never dreamed he would experience. However, he quickly dispelled his smile as he remembered why he was here as Stan Edgar spoke, his eyes focusing on the man.
"And to answer your question, Kal-El, I am indeed a child of Krypton, same as you. My name is Dru, of the House of Zod, First of The Military Guild."
The revealed Kryptonian offered Clark a glass after he passed one to Kara, Clark eyed the drink but still took it. As he took the glass both Zod and Kara turned the glasses in their hands six times before taking a small sip both then looked at him expectantly. Although he just wanted to press on with his questioning he was still reeling from the very blunt honest statement that Stan Edgar had just made so he clumsily imitated the act the two had done before taking the smallest sip possible. His eyes widened as he felt the liquid evaporate as it passed his lips and he felt for a moment a sense of complete bliss.
"You appear human, how?" Clark managed to ask as he straightened up and placed the glass on the table next to him, not wanting whatever it was to inhibit his focus. "I've scanned you multiple times, you are human, even now. So how?"
"Kal-El! It is extremely rude to set down an offe-" Kara's eyes went wide as she stared at his discarded glass before fixing her eyes
"It is alright Kara. Kal is largely a stranger to our ways. We can forgive his lack of decorum,"
Zod raised a hand to cut off Kara, keeping his eyes on Clark. Then, he unbuttoned his shirt and ran his thumb along his chest, causing it to glow in bright golden colours in patterns Clark did not recognise.
"I use this. It is a Ma'aleca'andran bio-morph skin, a gift from a fellow survivor of another doomed race, who abandoned this world during the 1960s when humans disappointed him too much. It compresses my height and gives me human vitals both to scans and sight."
"LET GO OF ME!" Clark's head snapped to Ryan's voice as the door flung open, revealing Homelander holding Ryan in one hand who was cradling Mia in his arm. "CLARK!"
"LET THEM GO NOW!" Clark's eyes blazed red as Homelander stopped, his face was a scowl, but it softened as he looked at Kara who just shifted uncomfortably at his gaze. "LET THEM GO OR I SWEAR I WILL E-,"
"You'll do what? Remember you aren't fast enough to -UGH!" Homelander's scowl turned to gasp for air as he was suddenly lifted off of the ground by his throat.
Clark blinked as he had gone from seeing Homelander holding Ryan and Mia hostage to being pinned against the wall whilst Ryan was standing next to him and Mia was suddenly in his arms. Homelander's assailant was Stan Edgar who had dispelled the very last doubts that Clark had that he wasn't a Kryptonian as he held Homelander easily aloft and against the wall that cracked at his effort. Homelander immediately unleashed his heat vision that smashed into his assailant's face, however, after a few seconds of attempting to melt a hole in his head, Homelander stopped as he saw the man's face not even slightly red, let alone scorched.
"Wh-what are you?" Homelander gasped out in fear as he looked down at the impossible sight before you.
"That, is not your concern. My instructions were clear: Bring them, but no one is harmed," Zod spoke English once more as he pressed the man higher and further into the wall all with seemingly no effort, his eyes narrowing at the man. "So, you left everyone unharmed, yes?"
Homelander could only nod as a deep bruise appeared over the man's throat, Zod simply turned his head and looked to Ryan who stiffened under his gaze but nodded in answer to the unspoken question. However, although satisfied that his orders had been followed, the man didn't release the world's most famous hero, instead he just kept him pinned to the wall. Clark's eyes widened as the bruise started to deepen and Homelander's eyes grew desperate as he tried to thrash in the man's grip, vainly attempting to peel the hand off his throat.
"Sir, please sir," Kara suddenly moved forward, her eyes glancing at Homelander, concern growing on her face although it was mixed with a very clear aversion to the man "Please, he's….please Uncle please,"
THUD
Homelander's body collapsed to the ground as the man started to gasp for air, pulling it into his lungs, that only caused him to cough and wheeze because of the very prominent bruise on his neck. Kara made a motion to help him, but stopped herself and recoiled from him, she was clearly both repulsed by and concerned for the man. As she straightened herself up, her gaze was met by her fellow Kryoptian, who for the first time that Clark had ever seen, had a look of concern on his face.
"Kara, we have discussed this." Zod reached out, placed a hand on her shoulder, and gave her an almost fatherly look of concern. "This thing is not family. He is a result of human arrogance and stupidity. We would do well to get rid of it."
"I am sorry but what the HELL is going on?!" Clark readjusted Mia who was nestled in his arms as he pushed Ryan behind him. "Why did you bring Ryan and Mia here?"
"I apologise for the manner of their arrival, but I have few options on this world," Zod turned back to Clark, his face falling back into an easy smile that Clark still thought looked unnatural on the man's face. "I had them brought here because Kara has successfully returned from her mission and we can begin to enact our departure from this planet,"
"Mi-mission what mission? What departure?" Homelander managed to push himself off of the ground, his voice was hoarse and raspy, his eyes fixed on Kara, "I looked everywhere for you, all over the world, I couldn't find you."
"I was not on Earth," Kara replied, she too speaking English, her eyes darting to Zod who made no move to stop her revealing what she had been doing. "I was scouting suitable locations for re-establishing Krypton, I have found one in the Xeno Galaxy."
"Which means we can finally leave this backwater of a world and return home," Zod spoke again, crossing his arms as his eyes lingered on Homelander, disgust present before looking back at Clark.
"Krypton was destroyed, there is no home to return to," Clark's eyes narrowed as he kept Ryan behind him and his body between Mia and everyone "And even if there was, there's only 3 of us left, although I suppose you plan to release more from the Phantom Zone, you want to rebuild our world with convicted criminals"
"You think rebuilding a world for our kind to be a difficult task? And you would call your own mother a convicted criminal?" Zod's response was made with a small smile as he saw the rarest of sights, Superman frozen.
Clark felt his world spin and suddenly halt as his eyes locked onto Zod and found nothing but complete honesty present. He turned to Kara, who just had a gentle smile on her face as she nodded at him, causing his heart rate to increase a hundredfold.
"My mother?" Clark found his voice was soft and slow as he turned fully to face Zod and Kara, allowing Ryan to move next to him and was no longer shielding Mia from them. "My biological mother is alive?"
"Yes, Kal, she's alive" Kara spoke softly as she gazed lovingly at both Mia and Ryan with a smile on her face "She's in the Zone, along with the rest of the survivors, and none of them are criminals, I promise you that. It was all part of the plan, the mission your father creat-"
"Wait a second what the fuck are you talking about?! What the fuck is a Krypton and what is all….THIS?!" Homelander's patience was falling to pieces.
"Son, Kr-"
Kara stopped herself as she saw Zod's face flash into a snarl at her use of the word son. She readjusted herself and then began to speak a lot more clinically and emotionlessly than before.
"Homelander, Krypton is the world we come from, I was born on a planet far from here. When I escaped I was dosed with a dangerous level of radiation, General Zod here was already on earth when I arrived. He helped create V in an attempt to create a close genetic match so my ship could heal me."
"So… I'm not your father?" Homelander looked at Clark, who just nodded at the man who just sighed at the information before a smile fixed on his "But we are from another world. Huh, so I really am a superior being sent from above to save this wor-"
"YOU ARE NOTHING BUT AN ABOMINATION!" Zod suddenly erupted. His eyes flashed red as Clark saw fury and anger present on his face, unlike anything he had ever seen, "A hybrid freak that disgraces the very essence of what it means to be Kryptonian."
"If you're so disgusted by him, then why did you create him?" Clark responded, his anger rising as although he hated Homelander, the man had asked to be created and here was his creator berating him for his existence.
"I DID NOT!" Zod turned on Clark, anger still present, but he just sighed his anger leaving him as he looked into Clark's eyes, "He was created by Vogelbaum and Stromfront without my knowledge to advance their own plans. They ripped the genetic material from Kara, spliced it with human DNA-augmented V, and implanted it into a surrogate. It was when I learned of his existence that I created Stan Edgar, so I could regain control of the situation and minimise damage."
"I've made you millions if not billions," Homelander moved forward, an action that usually caused people to step away from him in fear, but Zod just stayed still unfazed "I'm the world's greatest hero, I'm -"
"A failure" Zod's two words caused Homelander to freeze and Clark saw genuine hurt on the man's face. "You were made ill-formed, more ape than Kryptonian. The only contribution you have made to the universe is Kon-El, and thankfully I got to him early enough to purge his genetic structure of your failure"
"You're the reason Ryan's genetic structure has been changing?" Clark glanced at Ryan who just shifted under everyone's gaze.
"Indeed. I am not a scientist, but I have learnt enough to do that, when he was old enough I would have brought him to Kara, revived her, and we would have enacted the plan." "Which we can now do with the survivors present and leave this world."
"What's this plan?" Ryan spoke up his voice more than a little shy as he shifted, looking at everyone, trying to make sense of what was going on. "Sorry, but I know about Krypton, Clark told me. I know it's gone so what's this plan you keep mentioning? Where are we going?"
Kara moved to speak but stopped when Zod raised his hand, a smile on his face once more as he merely slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a flat shield shaped pendant. Kara's eyes went to it and Clark saw a broad smile appear on her face whilst he, Homelander and Ryan just frowned.
"I will show you young one," Zod laid the pendant flat in one hand and ran a finger along its edge causing the pendant to start hovering and glowing. "And I will show you as well, Kal-El. You will know our true purpose and that I speak the truth."
A blinding flash of light occurred that caused Clark to raise a hand and shield his eyes from, however, as he lowered them the room they were in was gone. Everything was gone, not just the room but the floor beneath their feet, the city outside, everything, they were just floating in a black void. However, as Clark was about to speak he saw colours and shapes starting to form around them.
"What is this?" Clark asked as he saw great spires and buildings of impossible beauty rising out of the blackness, everything around them appearing to shine brightly beneath the deep red sky that was now above them.
Zod's almost wistful voice caused Clark to turn, and he beheld not the smaller figure of Stan Edgar that he had always towered over but Zod in his true form. The man's features and skin colour had not changed nor had his body shape in truth but he was now larger and taller. He was just shorter than Clark, clearly possessed the dense muscular mass Kara and Clark had and when he turned to look at Clark he saw that Zod's eye colour was now a solid black.
"Home, Kal-El, home,"
(Krypton's Lower Council Chamber - Kandor, Krypton - 118 Years Ago - Second to Last Day of Krypton)
The roaring crowd was seated inside the perfectly circular room with their numbers rising straight upwards into the heavens so high that the top of the room could not be seen. The crowd was not seated on a slant but instead rose straight up with each member occupying a small balcony in what was a giant cylinder. However, what drew everyone's attention was a platform on the floor of the room that floated just a little so it was level with the first balconies.
"I would like to know why we are debating a matter that is already settled!"
Va-Kox strode forward his house's crest proudly on his chest as he took centre stage on the floating platform he was dressed in white luminescent robes as were one-sixth of the other people present. As one casts their eyes around the room one saw that the cylindrical was divided into 6 groups each dressed in robes that seemingly glowed in 6 different colours. The first and largest group was white, the second was blue, the third was silver, the fourth was gold, the fifth was red and the sixth and by far smallest was black. Clark guessed that these were the six primary Guilds – the Lawmakers Guild, the Military Guild, the Science Guild, the Religious Guild, the Artisans Guild, and the Technicians Guild with the colours being a marker of which one you belonged to.
"The central mainframe of the Brainiac system has already determined that the quakes and seismic activity are nothing to be concerned about. The last one ended 6 half-rotations ago for Rao's sake and we haven't had one since! All the sensors have reported the issue was corrected by the very stabilising system Jor-El created! So why are debating Jor-El's discredited thero-"
"It has not been discredited!" Va-Kow turned to see another individual in white gently floating from a nearby balcony "As you well know one-third of our guild have independently verified or agreed with Councillor El's research. The Brainiac system is wrong Krypton is on the verge of destruction we have to act no-"
"Ah! The lapdog speaks, Ra-Ya, Jor-El's assistant. It's a true miracle of Trolius. She opens her mouth, and Jor-El's voice sounds out." Va-Kow mock was greeted by more than a few chuckles but mostly murmurs from the gathered people. "Tell me, are you incapable of thinking for yourself or has the great Jor-El invented something to think for you!"
"Please listen, Jor-El's findings indicate that the instability in the core has already reached critical mass, the planet will explode in a matter of days, possibly hours!" Ra-Ya ignored the mocking and the man instead pleaded to the chamber at large. "He could not convince all of the other members of high council, so please listen to reason Jor-El's plan is the only hope we have, let us intact the mission can't you see it's the only way to save ourse-"
"What I see is that we have indulged Jor-El and the House of El for too long! The age of Bethgars is long since passed. We do not simply bow to the great house of El without question!" Va-Kow pushed past Ra-Ya and addressed the entire assembly who fell silent as he raised his arms to gesture to them "I like many in the Scientist Guild have followed Jor-El, the man's mind is without equal, his achievements stand without compare and has represented us well with honour on the High Council. But I must ask why this insistence on this false narrative of doom and an insane plan to transport us to the Zone?"
The chamber fell silent. Ra-Ya made a move to speak but stopped when she saw how many in the room were hanging on the man's every word. As Clark turned his head however he saw that although Va-Kow had seized control of the chamber not everyone was silent due to agreement. At least a third of those in white looked disgusted at his words and the entire section in black seemed to be simmering with a low burning anger.
"I will answer you, ambition and power! Jor-El and his supporters are attempting to seize control of the High Council and have any who oppose them trapped in the Zone! I call for a vote to remove Jor-El from his se-"
"HOW DARE YOU! You, rondor!" Kara appeared on the stage, having leapt from a balcony near the top of the structure, although this version was wearing Black robes and their house crest was much smaller. "My Uncle is a great man trying to save you and the world! And I will not let him be insulted by so-"
However, whatever Kara was going to say was drowned out by the sheer wave of noise that exploded from the chamber's attendance. They started shouting and calling at her using words and expressions that although Clark did not know their meaning, it was clear they were insults. Many abandoned their balconies floating in the air to better voice their disgust and anger at Kara's presence on the platform. The noise only grew as others left their balconies to defend Kara, hurling insults and accusations of their own.
"YOU SEE! The House of El disregards all protocols and codes! They think themselves above the Rule of Law!" Va-Kow raised his voice, pointing at Kara, somehow managing to be heard above the noise ringing through the chamber "No member of your guild may address this chamber without a vote! You disgrace the very nature of…"
BANG!
Va-Kow trailed off as the large doors of the chamber slammed open and 3 individuals walked into the chamber. The one in the middle he recognised as Zod, although the man's hair had fewer tinges of grey than the version he knew his presence had silenced the chamber and he hadn't said a word as he walked steadily to the platform but did not step on to it. To his left was a woman who was much shorter than him, with sharp angular features and even sharper violet eyes who seemed only able to scowl. Rounding out the trio was the largest person Clark had ever seen, to call him boarded-chested or muscular was an understatement; he was literally a walking mountain of muscles and made his two compatriots look like children next to him.
Although Zod's arrival had silenced the chamber, he had yet to say anything or do anything apart from standing where he was. Hhis eyes fixed on Va-Kow. No one moved or spoke for a good few minutes as the leader of Krypton's Military Guild just stared unblinkingly at Va-Kow before raising his head and looking at the floating members of the lower council. His gaze caused them to quickly scurry back to their balconies like they were schoolchildren being caught out of their seats by a teacher, without a hint of satisfaction or annoyance he merely returned his gaze to Va-Kow. The Kryoptain shifted under the gaze and looked away, unable to meet the General's eye, the act caused Zod to scoff the first noise he had made apart his footsteps since his arrival. The General then turned his gaze to Ra-Ya giving her a small who straightened up and took centre stage forcing Va-Kow to move.
"In light of this break of protocols, I propose a suspension of today's session and we shall reconvene tomorrow for the vote." Ra-Ya shot a glance at Kara who was still on the platform but now looked mortified and was trying to avoid glancing at Zod herself "All in favour?"
Every member of the chamber's presence quickly raised one hand signalling their approval and with that the floating platform in the centre of the chamber descended and merged with the floor. Everyone quickly filled out with expectations of Zod's trio, Kara and Ra-Ya who stayed where they were until everyone else was gone. Ra-Ya released a frustrated sigh as her calm demeanour disappeared as her head snapped to Kara who flinched as the woman approached her opened her mouth but said nothing instead releasing a grunt and shaking her head. Jor-El's assistant turned on her heels and headed to the door passing between Zod and the giant on his left, stopping for a moment before she left.
"You speak with her because we are now going to lose a vote we cannot afford to lose," Ra-Ya's whispered voice was laced with anger and frustration as rubbed her eyes with one hand seemingly ageing a decade with stress in just a few seconds "I'll see you tonight Jor-El going to have to call a meeting after this disaster. May Rao help us"
As the woman left Zod turned his head to watch her go before releasing a sigh himself his face falling into deep thought as he turned back to Kara who had yet to move
"Uncle, I didn't mean to…I just" Kara moved forward until she was standing in front of the General, her head bowed and looking at the floor, her voice low and sheepish.
"First rule," Zod spoke, his eyes falling into almost fatherly affection but his voice held the strict tone of an officer reprimanding a subordinate.
"Head not heart," Kara straightened up, earning her a smile from the woman on Zod's right and a nod from the towering figure on his left, whilst the General's face remained stoically passive "I'll control my temper better next time, I promise."
"See that you do," Zod responded before turning on his heel, departing the hall. Kara and his companions fell into step behind him. "As long as there is a next time"
(House of El Dwelling - Jewel Mountain Range, Outside Kandor - Last Day of Krypton)
The scene before them suddenly dissolved before being replaced by a place that Clark felt he knew somehow but couldn't quite place. It was a house or dwelling of some kind, it was grand in scale. The room they were in was as big as the Kent family barn, but despite its grand scale, the room had a warm, friendly family feel to it. The walls rose straight up, and ever so often, a little platform jutted out of the wall to allow someone to stand on it. Clark guessed that if one had a limited ability to defy gravity like Kryptonians had developed due to the planet's sheer size, then their architecture wouldn't emphasise stairs or walkways.
The walls had shelves, pictures, books and even murals on them, that Clark did his best to absorb as though he didn't know the people in them they all felt familiar somehow. The ceiling drew the eye as it was completely transparent and showed the night sky above them shining with stars and constellations that Clark had never seen before.
The room was filled with people from seemingly all aspects of Kryptonian life. Everyone was wearing styles of clothing that Clark thought even the most ambitious fashion designers on earth would not dare to try, and in a range of colours that went from simple primaries to ones Clark had no earthly name for. His attention quickly went to the first person he recognised in the crowd, Kara was standing next to a woman, Clark guessed was her mother, the woman had Kara's long golden hair and curvaceous body shape. However, she was wearing blue instead of black, and when she turned her head, Clark could see that she had golden eyes, not blue, that held a scrutinising quality that made him feel like he was being judged.
However, his attention was soon diverted from the large room as he saw that the main focus of this vision was instead a smaller room that jutted out of the grand hall, although smaller, it was still incredibly large. As he entered it, it was clear what this room was: it was a laboratory, half-built devices littered the benches, designs were projected on screens, and completed devices stood passively running as they were being tested for faults. In a place of pride in the centre of the room was a set of three objects, which Clark recognised instantly. They were all identical to his pod and Kara's pods. As Clark looked at them, he realised they most likely were his and Kara's pods. The central sleek metal pod rested with its side lying on the floor as a man tinkered with it whilst several other people stood behind him watching him work. One was Zod, who stood with his arms crossed, the other was Ra-Ya, who looked both worried and exhausted, the third, Clark for a second mistaken as Homelander; however, he had dark black hair with streaks of grey and did not radiate John's aura of toxic self-confidence. Clark felt his eyes widen as he saw the man who was working on the pod stand up and place the side back on. It was his father, Jor-El, however, unlike the emotionless hollow image the fortress projected that played the same messages over and over, Clark could see the tired bags under his eyes, his greying hair flecked with sweat and the sheer calmness that seemed to surround him.
"Brother, this is serious, we need to switch off the main systems and fix whatever is wrong with Brainiac" Zor-El sighed as he watched his brother raise his hands as Kelex appeared and cleaned them with a ray of red light. "After today, we cannot rely on the Lower Council to force through our plan, not after Kara's outburst makes it look like we are planning a coup. We need to ac-"
"I've been removed from the High Council," Jor-El cut off his brother as he turned to face his three companions all of whom looked shocked at the news "They called a vote last night, apart from Zod who was absent, I'm sure by their design, it was unanimous I'm no longer head of the Science Guild."
"They, they, they….." Ra-Ya looked the worst affected; she just opened and closed her mouth as if the news had caused a stroke. "But your Jor-El, the greatest mind of our generation, by Rao, the greatest mind Krypton has ever had. You negotiated the Apokolips-New Genesis accords, cured the shadow phase sickness and the black zero plague, solved Ru-El's unsolvable theorem and re-built the Brainiac system!... They can't remove you."
"Well, they have. Not that it matters now," Jor-El didn't even sigh as he moved over to a massive arch-shaped device that created a control panel when he arrived, allowing him to interact with it "With my removal, I can no longer correct the issues in the mainframe that the Brainiac system is making, we can no longer delay it, by my estimation we have less than half a rotation at most before the planet explodes."
"...Oh Vohc," Zor-El whispered as he staggered back as if physically struck at his brother's words. "Is there nothing to be done? This is it, the plan, the mission…..we failed?"
"No, although I hoped we could persuade either or both of the Councils, I did have a contingency plan if that failed." Jor-El stepped back from the large arch he had been using, it suddenly hummed to life and revealed a portal to a strange shadowy realm "I and select members of the Science Guild have modified key Transmatter Portals around Krypton, like this one, to be able to open to the planned layer of the Phantom Zone."
"Wait, you've been planning this without informing us? Without informing me, your brother?" Zor-El's eyes widened again as if Jor-El had followed up his first verbal strike with a punch to his stomach. "How long have you been doing this?"
"It was necessary to keep the circle small and away from people the High Council knew I would reach out to; it was nothing personal." Jor-El's serenity seemed to crack a little as he released a sigh and seemed to age a decade in the space of a second "And to answer the second question, since Kal's naming ceremony when Dru became my son's guardian."
"So we need to get as many people to these modified Transmatter Portals as possible, either before the planet explodes or the security forces stop us," Zod spoke up, his eyes glancing at the portal that was used to move not just across Krypton in an instant but across the universe, but since the tremors that feature had become too dangerous to use.
"I already sent out the signal just before everyone arrived for the gathering. Everyone who is able to is to enter the Phantom Zone now, or else board the pods we have created to head to the rally points on Earth." Jor-El crossed his arms as he also turned his gaze to the portal. "Everyone here tonight will enter the Zone now, whilst I, Dru, and you, brother, take these pods to Earth."
"What of -" Zod's face turned into a worried frown as he returned his eyes to his oldest and most trusted friend.
"I've already contacted them, Ursa and Lor are safely in the Zone. Non saw to it" Jor-El moved forward and placed a comforting hand on the man he by Kryptonian tradition, he had chosen to raise his son when he was old enough. "I couldn't let anything happen to my trusted ward, could I? Now we must move swiftly before the Council reacts and attempts to st-"
BOOM!
Although he knew the holographic display couldn't hurt him, Mia, or Ryan, he still found himself shielding his daughter and Ryan from the explosion that ripped through the room. The entire far wall blasted apart, sending everyone to the floor. Several pieces of debris crashed into the pods, two of which smashed to the floor, damaging their sides, while the third was completely destroyed. Zod was the first to his feet, his clothing already changing into a set of black armour as he lifted one arm the wrist of it glowed green.
"Halt all activity, surrender and prepare to be catolo-"
A large, slender drone with a triangular head with three glowing green dots appeared in the hole where the wall once stood it floated rather than walked. However, a precise shot from Zod destroyed it head, causing it floating form to collapse to the floor. The victory was short-lived, as a dozen more appeared before them, their slender metal forms descending from the sky to swarm on the opening. Zod moved forward, letting off shot after shot that felled a drone with each strike, but it appeared futile as each one destroyed, another took its place. Clark's head snapped back to where they had come from as he heard screams, yells and more shots being fired. One look out of the window
CRACK!
The world turned blue for a second as a wave of energy washed over the area, causing the drones to freeze and then collapse to the floor suddenly. The source of the wave became clear as Jor-El stood up; he was holding a small spherical-shaped device that was glowing brightly in his left hand. His face was fixed in an angry grimace, which turned into a wince as the spherical device blinked and then sparked, causing Jor-El to drop it.
"Fal-ke, I thought I fixed that, that won't keep them down for long." Jor-El raised his forearm up and pressed a symbol on the vambrace he was wearing "We have to move before they reset. Kelex, get Lara and Kal here now, and tell Alura to evacuate everyone through here into the Zone"
"What in the name of the Flamebird was that!" Zor-El was less calm than his brother as he rose to his feet, his forehead bleeding from a bad cut from where he had fallen, and stumbled over to look at one of the fallen metal attackers. "Their Brainic Service Drones? They shouldn't be armed! What is going on?"
"It must be those fools on the High Council, they couldn't be sure the Sercuity forces won't side with me" Zod moved over next to Zor-El as Jor-El reactivated the gate as the guests from the party started to fill in as the tall blonde woman from earlier directed them forward"So they armed these Drones to take us into custody before I could rally my forces."
"I'm not sure, this seems to-" Jor-El's face was a mix of worry and confusion as he watched the crowd of people filling into the portal, before the room suddenly started to shake.
BOOM! CRACK!
A bright light pierced through the windows, which illuminated the entire room first in a flash of white, then in a dark sickly green. The shaking continued as the room started to shake violently, the cause became clear as the first flash dissipated, showing where once the proud and majestic jewel mountains of Krypton had stood, there was now nothing, nothing expect a huge fiery column that was ripping the mountains apart. The room was silent for a moment as everyone watched the apocalyptic scene, everyone apart from Jor-El, who scrambled to a panel on the wall, striking it with his hands as a field of energy suddenly surrounded the El's ancestral home. It was just in time as a piece of rock slammed into the field, enveloping the room in another flash of light as the fiery piece of mountain exploded against the shield.
"By Rao…..EVERYONE INTO THE PORTAL NOW!" Zod's voice cut clear across the room that was still violently shaking, his commanding voice causing everyone to start rushing to the portal.
The crowd, now energised by the certain doom that was occurring outside, started to disappear into the portal at blinding speeds. Jor-El, his brother and Zod, however, moved to the pods, lifting the two remaining ones with great difficulty off the floor where they had been thrown and to an area just next to the portal that was designed to allow them to be launched from there. However, both Jor-El and Zor-El kept looking over to the thinning crowd, Zor's eyes on his wife and daughter who were directing the last people through the portal, whilst Jor's eyed the door his worry growing.
"Jor-EL!" Clark felt his heart both stop and leap up as his biological mother appeared, clutching a crying swath of red cloth in his arms. "I'm so sorry we were in the solar annex playing, and the quakes slowed us down"
Jor-El left Zod and Zor to complete setting up the pods as he rushed to his wife's side as the last people disappeared into the portal, leaving only the House of El and Zod. Jor-El reached his wife and quickly gave her an embrace before his hands went to calm the small baby in her arms that was still crying as the room continued to shake at random intervals, as flashes of light burst through the windows.
"It's okay, my love, take Kal into the Zone. It'll be but a moment for you," Jor-El reluctantly let go his wife and child. Lara opened her mouth to respond, but Jor-El stopped her "Please, my love, go, there is no time."
Lara just reluctantly nodded and started to head towards the portal where her niece and sister-in-law were waiting to accompany her into the zone. As Jor-El turned back to the pod that his brother and best friend were trying to get ready, he saw that Zor-El had stopped working and his eyes were fixed on something outside a nearby window in the direction of the capital city.
"What? Brother, Kandor, it's being -AHH!" Zor-El suddenly vanished as a beam of blue energy struck him, and Jor-El let out a cry before his head snapped in the direction of the shot as Kara and her mother screamed as well.
"Situation critical, proceed with catalogization." The drones reared back to life, floating up as they swarmed on the few remaining krypotains.
The room turned into a firefight as the drones unleashed fury onto them seemingly unconcerned with the deteriorating state outside the house's protective shield that was starting to strain as the planet truly began to rip apart. Clark watched as his father dove for cover trying to reach his mother and the infant version of him, whilst Lara herself was desperately trying to make the last few meters to the open portal before her.
"MOTHER!" Kara's terrified scream pierced the air as a shot struck her mother causing her to evoparte just as Zor-El had down, Kara lefted her own arm and blasted the offending drone to pieces.
"LET GO! LET G-AH!" Lara's voice became a hoarse scream as a drone grabbed her from the floor she had been crawling on she was barely a meter from the portal, lifting her up by the neck and then to her greater tore her child from her "K-K-KAL!"
"Anaylsing…. Lara-EL, adult, Scientist guild. Designation: Essential. Kal-El, infant, Unassigned. Designation: Non-essential," The drone with robotic unfeeling care simply threw Kal away, causing Lara to thrash in it's grip but to no avail.
Kara moved with blinding speed, blasting one drone as she ran across the room leaping through the air to catch her cousin who was hurtling towards the ground at blinding speed. Zod for his part had been fighting a trio of drones trying to cover Jor-El as he tried to reach Lara, his eyes fixed on Lara as the drone raised its hand preparing to blast her with the blue ray just like Zor and Alura had been.
"Anaylsing….. Dru-Zod, adult, Military guild. Designation: Threat - Terminate"
He twisted to fire at the drone holding Lara ignoring the one that was approaching him with one arm turned into a blade to impale him, just after he fired his shot something slammed into him knocking him to safety. The world seemed to slow as Zod took in the two events that occurred at the same time. The first was that his shot hit its mark, blasting the drone apart and saving Lara who was thrown back and into the portal as a result of the force of the blast. However, Zod was only vaguely aware that had happened as the second event took his entire focus, as standing before him ws Jor-El who had knocked him down to save him.
Jor-El was standing over him….standing over him with a blade piercing through his chest as a spatter of blood splattered over his face as Jor-El cough up blood. Both Zod and Kara's reactions were immediate as they let out a cry of anger and blasted apart the last few drones. Zod caught Jor-El as he fell away from the destroyed drone. His friend, who had always been a pillar of strength, was now limp and bleeding in his arms.
"No, no, why? Why did you do that?!" Zod was cradling Jor-El in his arms as the man was growing paler and weaker every second. "We, we need to get you help, we need to g-"
RUMBLE! CRACK!
The room shook even more violently than before, the ceiling and floor cracking as the shield outside started to flicker out of existence as the planet entered its final death throes. Zod was halted in his panic as Jor-El managed to impossibly pull himself up right, although he still reliant on Zod's support, he did manage to fix his friend with a look. They looked at the portal that was starting to flicker and clearly with the planet breaking apart was no longer safe to use.
"It's…too…late, get me to the pods," Jor-El almost pulled himself away from Zod as he tried to go to the two remaining pods.
Zod did not raise an objection as he helped his friend over to the pods whilst Kara rushed over as well, cradling Kal-El in her arms. Zod rested Jor-El against one of the pods and miraculously the man continued to work even as the last vestiges of life bled out of him, he removed a white crystal Clark recognised, pressing it to his head for a few moments before placing it back in the pod. Zod took the infant Kal from Kara as Jor-El removed a strange black vial that Clark didn't recognise and a metal pendant that Zod had used to start this vision.
"Is that what I think it is?" Zod's eyes widened at the black vial as Jor-El stumbled out of the way, holding the pendant and the black vial Zod had nodded to, allowing the general to place the infant in the pod.
"Yes, it was a contingency in case…..case we were discovered, I can't risk it with Kal," Jor-El managed to eek out as his eyelids started to drop and he felt his grip slipping. "Quickly, we….must act, Kal must go now…"
Jor-El's words were accompanied by him collapsing to the floor, the act causing his niece to rush to him whilst Zod turned and placed his hand on the side of the pod, turning it on.
"We shall meet again, son of El," Zod spoke softly as he watched the pod rise and rocket out of the Els' ancestral home as it started to break apart. "Remember you are loved and in you survives all that is best of Krypton."
"My Rao guide you, my son…forgive me for failing you…for failing our people" Jor-El was trailing off now, his eyes barely open as the bleeding started to slow as he felt his strength leave him, now that he had seen his son was heading to safety. "Kara…. take the pendant, the index to retrieve everyone is…is inside"
"Here, General, take it," Kara rose from her uncle, pain on her face at leaving him as he was even if it was for a moment, as she went to the general and the last remaining pod. "It's been an honour, sir, tell my cousin….tell him I served Krypton till the end, tell him I loved him."
"Kara," Zod placed a gentle hand on her shoulder as he reached as if to take the pendant from her, giving a gentle smile. "Tell him that from me,"
"What? HEY!"
Kara's eyes widened as the man who had helped raise her, the man she admired most after her parents and uncle, suddenly shoved and pulled her towards him and threw her into the remaining pod. Her hand went to her neck, where the shield-shaped pendant had formed into a necklace, Zod had pressed it against her upper chest with expert skill when he had thrown her into the pod. The capsule started to spring into life, although one side of it still showed damage, and it seemed less bright than the previous one.
"No, no, no, General! Uncle!... Please, it should be yo-" Kara was cut off as the pod forced her into hibernation, she went into the sleeping position, and her black armour turned into the flight suit Clark had first encountered.
Zod stepped back as he watched Kara's pod lift up and rocket past the now collapsing shield, his eyes widened in worry as a blast of green fire that had once been the mountain Hatu, briefly engulfed her pod. However, as the torrent of death dissipated, he saw her pod still soaring into what remained of Krypton's skies, which were now shredding apart. Zod merely turned and headed to his friend kneeling before Jor-El, who for a moment, Zod believed had joined their ancestors and would be waiting for him. However, a staggered, bloodied cough relieved that the Prime of the House of El still had strength enough to bear witness to the end.
"Dru…my brother…" Jor-El managed a smile as he raised his one free hand to rest weakly on the general's shoulder whilst the other clutched the black vial tightly. "Thank you… You are a good man"
"Rest now, we will see our parents again shortly, your ancestors will be proud to greet you, you saved our people" Zod placed his own hand on Jor-El's as he gave a fragile smile as he felt the room truly starting to break apart, looking at the man he had known all his life "I owe everything, you saved my family, my home. So thank you brother."
"Don't… don't …die here, brother." Jor-El's eyes closed as his words caused Zod to freeze as his brother's hand left his shoulder and gestured to the portal that was flickering off and on as the room broke apart "Get to the portal…live see them again…raise Kal…teach him…tell him I loved him…that I will watch with pride with his ance-"
Zod saw the life leave his best friend and brother, as all the colour left Jor-El as he stumbled backwards as if he had collapsed to sleep, yet Zod knew he would never wake. He knelt there frozen for a moment as he looked at his friend's body, his last request ringing in his ears, before he suddenly sprang into action. He pried the vial from Jor-El's hand, glancing at it with disgust before placing it into a chamber on his suit's forearm, as he lifted himself and ran to the portal.
His path was nearly impossible as the room shattered as the shield outside finally failed, and Zod felt himself both freeze and burn as Krypton's doom hit him. However, through sheer will and a lifetime of training, Zod pushed past the near insurmountable pain and reached the portal as he felt the house break apart the room he was in cracking into three pieces. The whole left side disappeared into a gorge next formed next to the house, heat radiating from it as torrents of magma shot upwards.
'Location: Zone - Sublayer ZT-001-A4' Zod looked at the readout, and on instinct, his hand connected to the panel, and he saw the destination change. 'Location: Earth - WARNING CONNECTION FAILING - 1.21% chance of successful arrival'
"For Krypton"
Zod's words were accompanied by launching himself into the flickering portal at the very moment the house of El shattered apart in a huge explosion. Clark watched as Zod's world turned into a different type of pain, as he was pulled, squeezed, stretched, torn apart and put back together in the space of a second as he suddenly found himself crashing into solid ground. The portal had opened far up in the sky, causing him to fall a few miles before hitting the earth below, resulting in a crater and pain exploding through his body. He took a long time to just move as he pulled his helmet from his face and felt his lungs explode as he tried to breathe in the air his body was actively rejecting.
The sound of footsteps caused Zod to finally push himself upwards, gripping his helmet in one hand as he managed to lumber out of the crater he had made. His armour was smouldering, and still felt immense pain but as he left the crater with its pieces of green rocks dotted in it and as he was bathed in the strange golden rays of this world's dawn, he felt his strength returning. He was greeted by two men dressed in strange thick grabs of cloth and what looked like animal hide one was wielding a piece of wood with four pieces of metal on the end and the other a very primitive lantern.
"клянусь царем! что ты?" The one with the lantern spoke the strange tongue with obvious fear as he moved backwards behind his armed and slightly taller companion,
Zod just looked at both of them and then just turned away and started to walk as he lifted up his arm first, checking the contingency plan was intact which it was and then summoning up a map of the landing sites. All he had to do was go to them collect the other survivors, including Kal and Kara, use one of the sunstones to build a ship and a zone projector, retrieve everyone using an index and they could leave this backwater behind. It shouldn't take more than a week or two at most. Judging by the natives he just saw, they didn't want to spend any more time on this world than was absolutely necessary.
(20 Miles south of Kharkiv - Ukraine, Russian Empire - February 29, 1904)
(Stan Edgar's Office, Seven Tower - New York, New York State - Very Early Morning, June 19th 2022)
The projection didn't end, but it turned into a series of quick images rather than a continuous vision as it had been doing as the world turned back into focus. Zod moved forward, looking at the images with a look of sadness and discussed as it showed, images of lynchings, riots, WW1 and other human-made disasters of the early 20th century.
"I waited, for years, no one arrived, no one came." Zod spoke with obvious distaste and sadness as he relived his early decades on the planet Earth "I watched as the human race waste the abundance of their world and slaughtered each other over nothing. Whilst I could do nothing but wait for any sign of….hope. My suit was running out of power, so I could no longer track if anyone came, so I had to keep moving between the landing sites to check and wait for any sign, and just when I gave up."
The scene showed Kara's pod crashing into the Arctic Circle; however, instead of Zod being their a small research vessel bearing the flag of the Weimar Republic arrived on the scene. One of them was a man everyone recognised, it was a very young Frederick Vought, whose eyes seemed to glow as he looked at the strange metal pod. Scenes flashed by of Vought bringing the pod back to Germany, managing to get it open, a disgusting look of desire on his face as he saw the blonde, blue-eyed creature inside and then him studying every inch of her.
"Humans found Kara first, I, however, soon discovered a pod had arrived, so I began tracking who had taken it." The scene suddenly showed Zod in his black armour and with his helmet on, lifting Vought up by the neck, his lab destroyed, and his assistant all dead. "It didn't take me long, however, Kara was suffering from radiation poisoning and the pod could keep her alive but needed a close genetic match to revive, so I….compromised"
"V, you let Vought live helped him to create Compound V in hopes one of his gene-spliced test subjects would be a close enough match to revive Kara." Clark spat out, his statement earned a nod from Zod, who didn't look at all concerned at the callous nature of his act. "And you didn't think about the damage V would create? The world you created?"
"Created? Until that thing was made, I wasn't involved in Vought at all. I stayed at Sage Grove, I cared for Kara, and when I wasn't there, I was keeping this world safe from external threats." Zod pointed disgust at Homelander whilst his words caused images to appear showing him diverting asteroids, seeing off the occasional alien passerby, and generally protecting the world as he had said. "I gave humans a tool, nothing else. I gave them the power of the gods, don't blame me if instead of trying to save the world, all a human could do with that was try to conquer other humans or make money. They are selfish beings Kal-El, not like us at all"
"DON'T. You manipulate all of this, the entire situation, you have been running Vought for years now." "Don't try to pretend like there isn't blood on your hands, that you didn't help create this mes-"
"Yes, I have run Vought for years, and in the time, tell me, have I taken over the world? Has anyone else? Did Stormfront create her army? Have not kept these monsters made by weaker beings in line, and the damage to a minimum?"
Zod cut off Clark moving forward, and as he spoke, Clark could feel a connection like the one he had with Kara, and it made him sick as he could tell Zod was being honest.
"Who has kept the mongrel madman from killing everyone? Kept Kon-El and his mother safe? Allow you to be raised by decent parents. I am not blameless, Kal-El, I have done much wrong, but lay the crimes of humans at their feet, not mine. All I have done is for Krypton, all the humans have done has been for greed and self-interest."
"It is true, Kal-El, the General has told me everything, he will be reprimanded for certain actions he has taken but…" Kara stepped forward her eyes flickering to Homelander who like Ryan was silent as the absorbed everything that they had just been shown. "But if you are looking for the criminal who created the toxic mess and monsters that plague this world, it is human nature, greed, envy, lust that did this, not us."
"This world was doomed even before I gave them V, they could have used it to save themsleves instead all they saw was either a weapon or profit." Zod was now in front of him and he placed a gentle hand on Mia who just giggled and smiled at him, causing Clark to feel something unpleasant building up in his stomach. "So Kal-El, you must see, this world can't be saved, join us and we can restore one that doesn't need too and save countless others."
"Others? What other worlds?" Clark whispered as he felt his head spinning, as the certainty he had a few moments ago felt like it was slipping further and further away as he looked into another Kryptonian's eyes and saw complete trust there.
"Kal-El, we were the most powerful race in existence, we stood above beings that called themselves gods. We kept the balance, we kept the peace" Zod saw the look in Clark's eyes and pressed his advantage "When our world died, the universe broke into chaos, wars, genocide and worse. Kara has seen it, the universe needs us. We can sort this world before we leave, I promise, I have plan for that. Simply kneel, Kal-El, pledge yourself to us, help us, Kal-El…help us save everyone."
"I…."
Clark opened his mouth, and for the first time ever, he froze as he didn't know what to say, as he just looked at Mia and Ryan. He wasn't sure what he felt, he wasn't sure what he trusted, he just wasn't sure of anything. He felt his heart and his heart both pulling in two directions at the same time, as his instincts went to war with themselves.
"I….."