"Hard to believe Kal is already a year old.", said Zor-El as he watched his now walking nephew toddle across the room. "Yes, brother-in-law.", replied Lara Lor-Van, "It's as if a year has already gone by.", before looking up sadly to her husband's study, sighing, and continuing, "Yet it seems that not much has changed. Jor-El has thrown himself even more into his work than he was before." Zor-El stood up, walked over to Lara Lor-Van, put his hand on her shoulder comfortingly, and said, "That's not true. He adores you and Kal. But the recent findings that he and Brainiac uncovered are too important to be ignored. Maybe your father's visit this afternoon will bring him out for a few hours. Spend some time with his family." Speaking of which, Lor-Van, Father of Lara Lor-Van and championed Kryptonian astronaut, had just arrived and greeted his daughter with, "Hello, my child. It is good to see you."

Lara smiled and ran over to her father with open arms, crying, "Papa! It's wonderful to see you again!" Lor-Van laughed and, holding his daughter, replied, "And I am overjoyed to see you as well daughter." Lor-Van then proceeded to shake Zor-El's hand and the younger man greeted him with, "It's good to see you again, sir. How was the travel from Kandor?" Lor-Van replied with, "Invigorating, Zor-El. Now, where is my grandson? Where is my little punky muffin?" At the sound of his grandfather's voice, Kal-El ran across the room crying out, "Gampy! Gampy!" Lor-Van caught his grandson, spun him around a few times, and said, "You are getting to be a big strong boy, Kal-El. Can you tell me where your father is?"

Kal-El pointed to the stairs that Jor-El was descending down. Jor-El sighed as he went down to greet his father-in-law; he and Lor-Van had not seen eye to eye on most things and his proclamation of Krypton's doom was no exception. "Lor-Van, have you come just to see your family? Or is there another reason?", questioned Jor-El; Lor-Van sighed, placed Kal-El on the floor and said, "Very well. I will be honest. You have to have stop badgering the Kandorian High Council with your "End of Krypton" rhetoric." Jor-El angrily shot back with, "Rhetoric?! Finding the evidence to a sound fact is mere rhetoric to you?!" Lor-Van sighed and continued, "If you persist in predicting the end of the world, it will be the end alright. Of your political and professional career!" Seeing that this situation was going south, Lara Lor-Van immediately leaped to her husband's defense and said, "But what if he's right, Father?"

"Try convincing the Kandorian High Council!", Lor-Van retorted, "He hasn't one supporter for his theory! They even avoid him in the hallways. And do you know why?" Jor-El reentered the conversation by saying, "Do enlighten us, Lor-Van.", too which the older man replied, "Because you can never be wrong, Jor-El. You can never let it go! You have an ego the size of Argo." Jor-El got right in Lor-Van's face and growled, "I never let my ego get in the way of the facts, Lor-Van." Before the old man could answer, seismic tremors could be felt; another earthquake had chosen to strike. Buildings where collapsing and debris was falling on fleeing civilians, as the members of the House of El and the House of Van scrambled to find a safe place for cover. Lara went to grab Kal-El and the two hid under a table that would provide coverage for the both of them. When it passed, the family emerged and looked outside on the balcony to see all the devastation that the earthquake had caused. All Lor-Van could say at this point was, "You'd better be wrong, Jor-El. For all our sakes, you'd better be dead wrong."


Jor-El and Lor-Van had rushed over to the Kandorian High Council Chambers as soon as the earthquake had stopped. The council members were still bickering among themselves, even after a year. "All of you, please!", shouted Jor-El, "You must read my most recent report! It distills all the data I've gathered so far and leaves no doubt that planet's core is undergoing a mounting chain reaction that will eventually destroy Krypton!" The Kandorian High Council members could only respond with cries of "Lunacy!", and, "Ask Brainiac!" Before Thara Ak-Var called out, "Silence! Silence! Enough! I presume you have submitted your findings to Brainiac?", to which Jor-El replied, "Yes, I have." Thara Ak-Var nodded before looking to the massive telescreen that showed Brainiac's symbol and asking, "What say you, Brainiac?"

The artificial intelligence spoke, "One can appreciate Jor-El's work ethic; however, he is still mistaken. As I have stated before, the seismic activity of late can be attributed to a slight polar shift and nothing more." Jor-El, finally having had enough of the Kandorian High Council relying on Brainiac rather than his evidence, yelled, "HE'S WRONG! HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND!" Jul-Us shook his head fiercely and cried out, "Nonsense! Brainiac was built to monitor every square foot of this planet and, as I might add, has served us far better than upstart scientists with apocalyptic visions!" "Your faith in him will be the end of us all!", countered Jor-El, "Act now and we can save everyone!" Just then, the doors to the chamber were blown open by blaster fire and several black armored individuals stepped into the room. It was Krypton's Military Guild led by the infamous General Zod, who had gained notoriety for his victories against the Appellaxian Invasion of 100 ABY.

"This council has been disbanded.", proclaimed Zod. "On whose authority?", Lor-Van questioned angrily, to which Zod replied, "Mine.", before he pulled out a blaster and shot Lor-Van dead where he sat. "The rest of you will be tried and punished accordingly. Take them, Commander Faora." Jor-El was horrified at the chaos surrounding him and asked, "What are you doing, Zod? This is madness!" "What I should have done solar cycles ago, old friend.", replied Zod, "Don't you see? These lawmakers and their endless debates have lead Krypton to ruin!" "And if your forces prevail?", Jor-El questioned, "Then you'll be the leader of nothing."

"Then join me, Jor-El.", countered Zod, "Help me save our race. We can start anew, like you always said. We'll sever the degenerative bloodlines that led us to this state." "And who will decide which bloodlines survive, Zod? You?" Zod answered with a plea of, "Don't do this, Jor-El. The last thing I want is for us to be enemies. Join me and together we will make Krypton strong again!" Jor-El shook his head and replied, "You've abandoned the principles that bound us together. You've taken up the sword against your own people! I will honor the man you once were, Zod. Not this monster you've become."

Zod looked solemnly at Jor-El for a moment and said, "So be it.", before nodding to his men and ordered, "Take him away." Jor-El was led down the corridor by Zod's soldiers; before too long, Kelex appeared before them and asked, "Jor-El? Is everything all right?" One of the soldiers pushed past Jor-El and commanded, "Out of the way, machine!", but Kelex did not move. So the soldier tried again; Jor-El nodded to the aide, giving the signal for Kelex to use its defense systems. Kelex let out a burst of blue light which gave Jor-El time to knock out both of his captors. Once he retrieved one of their rifles, he said, "Kelex, get me in contact with Lara.", which Kelex proceeded to do using the CUBOID technology that allowed it to form Lara Lor-Van's appearance. "Jor? Behind you!", warned Lara Lor-Van as two more soldiers came up behind Jor-El, ready to blast him into smithereens. Luckily, Jor-El reacted quickly enough and blasted them before they could; he then turned to the image of his wife and said, "Lara, you have to ready the launch. I'll be with you as soon as I can."

"Ready the launch?", asked Lara Lor-Van, "Now? What's happening?", and Jor-El answered with, "General Zod has turned on the Kandorian High Council and staged a rebellion against all of Krypton. He murdered your father in cold blood." Lara looked devastated and was about to shed tears, but Jor-El stopped her and said, "Listen to me, Lara. Now isn't the time to mourn your father; we have to save our son! I'm going to summon one of our H'Rakas to take me to the Genesis Chamber. Brainiac and I are going to retrieve the Codex." Lara shook her head in confusion and asked, "For who, Jor-El? Who could possibly have use for the Codex now", to which he answered her with, "Our son, Lara. The last son of Krypton."


Next Time: The Last Son of Krypton