Issue #9 – WRATH OF ZOD
He paced back and forth. General Zod was becoming impatient. It had been hours since Metallo had last been in contact and Zod wanted to know what was going on. Luthor meanwhile was sitting quietly, immersed in deep though.
He knew that it was only a matter of time before Zod's patience ran out. When that happened, nobody would be safe. He stood up, hearing a sound coming from the communication panel at his desk. He opened the panel, activating a switch as a symbol appeared on the giant plasma screen and a voice came through.
"General Zod, Lex Luthor…why have you not contacted me?"
Luthor remained silent, allowing Zod to reply.
"We are waiting…"
"Waiting? Is Kal-El dead or not?"
"We are not sure. The one sent to destroy him has not sent any form of signal."
"I want him dead General, so do you…make sure."
Luthor began to laugh, his mind playing out possible scenarios.
"What's so funny Luthor?"
"You are…you and the general here. All you talk about is revenge and death. Patience must be a virtue that only humans possess."
"I have been patient Luthor. I have waited for him to show himself. I have planned for years, calculating his demise and now that plan is in its final stages. He must die!"
Daily Planet:
Lois Lane stood in Perry White's office, waiting as he read the latest Superman report. The Daily Planet had seen a sudden upsurge in sales since Superman showed up and Lois Lane, who just a month before was on the verge of being fired because of her piece on Angelina Jolie, was now being tipped to win the Pulitzer Prize. Times were changing in Metropolis.
"So what do you think Chief? Front page news right?"
"Lois everything on Superman is front page material. Though you should probably run your articles through the spellchecker before submitting them."
Perry looked out behind Lois into the offices on the top floor, studying and surveying his employees working on the new edition of the paper. He saw Jimmy Olsen snapping pictures of various reporters for an editorial being written about the staff of the newspaper. As Perry's eyes travelled across the room, he noticed that there was someone missing.
"Lois, where the hell is Clark?"
"I dunno Chief, he said he was going downtown to cover the gas fire. He hasn't come back yet."
"Well he better have something good when he gets back. He's a good reporter Lois but I swear sometimes it's like he's disappeared from the face of the Earth."
Fortress Of Solitude
All was quiet. The body of Metallo lay motionless on the ground, useless without the kryptonite energy source that powered his systems. Beside him, Kal-El was unconscious as his body tried to heal and counteract the effects of the green meteorite.
His insides burned as the solar energy was replaced by kryptonite energy. The rock was on the other side of the Fortress but the effects from the battle with Metallo hadn't gone away yet.
Metropolis:
Zod was getting angrier and angrier. It had been hours since Corben's last communication and Zod wanted to know if Kal-El was dead or not. As he looked out through the window towards the sky above, watching and waiting for any sign of Superman, Lex Luthor sat behind him, pondering the situation.
Zod was becoming volatile and Luthor knew that he could snap any moment and set about destroying the city. He knew he had to calm the general down.
"Zod, I told you to take it easy, relax."
"Don't you dare tell me to relax Luthor. I allowed you to send that metal man to kill Kal-El…he's obviously failed his mission."
"You can't know that for sure Zod. Perhaps his signal communicator is out of range."
"Or perhaps he is dead."
"If Corben was dead then we would see Superman flying around. There would be reports of the over grown Boy Scout saving a busload of kids or something."
"Unless…"
It was then that Lex realised. Maybe Superman had defeated Metallo. Maybe Corben had shut down, but given the reaction to kryptonite that his species had, perhaps they were both gone.
"The kryptonite…Metallo may be dead, but Kal-El might have been exposed…"
"Exactly."
Zod allowed himself a little smile as the thought of his enemy suffering in sheer agony from pieces of Krypton entered his mind.
"…But we can't know for sure Zod. He might still be alive."
"If he is, then it's time I took centre stage and draw him out."
"What are you going to do?"
"What I should have done the moment I stepped foot on this pathetic planet…"
Lex knew. He knew Zod was going to destroy the city just to force Superman to come and face him. He also knew that there was nothing he could do to stop the Kryptonian general. He could only watch as Zod ran and jumped straight out of the window.
He fell towards the ground, passing storeys as he travelled from the top of the LexCorp building. As he neared the ground, Zod pushed out with his hands, forcing himself to hover for a moment before landing on the pavement below.
The people of Metropolis were stunned. At first they thought it was Superman, but when they saw the menacing look in his eyes, they instinctively knew that they were in danger. Zod laughed as he walked through the financial district, studying the humans who were trying to get away from him.
"Ok…Superman…time to protect your people…"
Zod's eyes turned to fire as he sent a surging blast of heat across the street, laughing as he targeted a parked Jaguar, blowing it to pieces in a big fireball. The crowds of people going about their daily lives could only watch in horror as Zod sent blasts of heat at every parked car in the area.
High above, Lex Luthor watched from his office as Zod began his campaign of destruction. If Superman didn't show up, Metropolis would be destroyed, if he did show, and Zod killed him then there would be nobody to stop Zod. Lex had wanted to keep Metropolis intact as his capital city when he took control of the Earth but he had to admit that it was fun seeing the mayhem Zod was causing.
Zod was enjoying himself as he flew in front of an approaching fire truck, picking it up with ease and throwing it down the street. He laughed as the truck slid over the tarmac, crushing and killing onlookers as they tried to escape. He glanced right, spotting a speed limit sign coming out of the ground.
Grabbing onto the pole he pulled it from it's rooted spot, swinging it and striking out at anyone who came close, sending them flying backwards. As a patrolling cop tried to catch him from behind, Zod turned, his super hearing making out the sound of footsteps. He threw the metal pole like a spear, watching as it went through the air and straight through the cop, killing him instantly.
Daily Planet:
Lois waited as reports started coming in of a man in the financial district causing havoc, using the same powers as Superman. She began to wonder if it had all been a lie. Perhaps Superman wasn't here to help us. Maybe he was sent to lure the human race into a false sense of security before a full-scale invasion from Krypton.
She quickly put those thoughts out of head Lois had been in the presence of the Caped Wonder and she knew in her head, and most importantly in her heart, that he was a friend. The question still needed to be asked though, where is Superman?
"Chief, I'm gonna head down there…"
"Lois it's too dangerous…take Kent with you."
"He's not back yet Chief, and I don't think Clark could stand a chance against this guy. I'll be fine and don't worry, I'll come back with a Pulitzer worthy article…"
Before Perry could respond, Lois was on her way out, dragging Jimmy by the arm.
"Come on Jimmy, and bring the camera…"
"Miss Lane I dunno if it's such a good idea."
"Hey, we both know Superman will show up eventually, we'll be perfectly safe…"
Downtown:
Zod stood in the street, surrounded by a small army of police officers, all aiming their weapons at him. He smiled and waited before igniting his heat vision and destroying one of the police cars attempting to block him off.
"OPEN FIRE!"
The sound of gunfire rang through the city streets as bullets flew through the air, rebounding off Zod's chest. The shots were having no effect but the cops kept trying to buy time until the National Guard arrived. Zod had other ideas though. He began catching the bullets and holding them in his fingers before flicking them forward, sending the bullets back through the air at speed, essentially shooting at the police with their own bullets.
"Is this all you pathetic humans have to defend yourselves?"
Fortress of Solitude:
Kal-El opened his eyes. He saw the lifeless body of Metallo next to him and the glow of the kryptonite on the other side of the Fortress. His body felt like it had been trapped in a furnace. His lungs struggled to take in oxygen as his muscles tried to force him to move.
Clark crawled across the solid crystal floor towards the main control panel. Lifting himself up, his hand floated over a crystal, activating the maintenance systems. The piece of kryptonite became absorbed and isolated, with only the energy signature remaining to be stored in the database.
A panel in the ceiling opened up, allowing sunlight to enter the Fortress. Beams of light were enhanced and focussed by the crystal walls, shining on Superman. As his body began to heal, Clark's eyes closed again and he passed out.
Metropolis:
The streets were being cleared as camouflage-green trucks entered the city. Inside the trucks, National Guard troops checked their weapons as they prepared to enter into an impossible battle.
High above, a squadron of jet fighters and helicopters flew over the city, assessing the situation as Zod continued to wage a private war on the city. Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen stood amongst the gathered crowd as the alien menace set his sights on the high-rise buildings that made up the city skyline.
His lips opened slightly as he sent powerful gusts of wind upwards along neighbouring skyscrapers. The force of the gusts began to shake and shatter windows, causing jagged pieces of glass to fall onto the people below.
Since the start of the attack, dozens of people had died and hundreds more were injured but Zod was far from finished. He felt objects striking and rebounding from his back. As the general turned, he saw soldiers surrounding him, aiming their assault rifles and firing directly at him.
Zod laughed before advancing at incredible speed, taking out the soldiers with ease. They couldn't react as they felt hands punching through them, some ended up with broken bones and damaged organs but they were the lucky ones. By the time the little skirmish was over, broken necks and holes burned through skulls left 23 troops dead on the ground.
Zod rose into the air and hovered, his eyes moving as he looked down at the terrified citizens below. His concentration was drawn to the sky though as he became surrounded by three attack helicopters, threatening to shoot him out of the sky. From the ground, a surface-to-air missile exploded out the chamber, targeting Zod.
As the missile approached, Zod smiled and moved out of the way, chasing after it and grabbing a hold of the warhead, pulling it from the rocket and throwing it at the lead helicopter. It exploded and plunged into the street below.
Zod was already moving through the air though, dodging the rotor blades of the second helicopter and grabbing the tail end. He swung it around with ease, spinning through the air and letting go. The helicopter was out of control as it moved through the air, crashing into the last Black Hawk and tearing them both apart as they exploded in a ball of fire and smoke before the debris fell onto the scared people below.
Jimmy was below, taking pictures of the battle from a safe spot as Lois ventured into the street, hoping to get a closer look. Paramedics and fire services were on the scene trying to put out the flames caused by Zod's attack and helping any survivors. As she looked up, she was seen by Zod who recognised her immediately. He had seen her photo in the newspaper beside her name in the Superman interview.
If Kal-El was alive, she would be the perfect bait to draw him out. Zod needed to put that thought in the back of his mind though as his ears picked up the sound of a fighter squadron approaching him. He floated in the air watching as the planes flew past him and circled around the city, ready to engage him.
Zod waited, a grin spreading across his face as his ears picked up the sound of radio chatter between the pilots. There was fear in their voices, they knew they had no chance of stopping him.
"…Alright guys lock on target and prepare to engage…"
"Boss…are you sure about this?"
"We have our orders…"
"But this guy has the same powers as Superman and the if the Man of Steel can stop Air Force One from crashing what hope do we have?"
"We have to try…maybe we can buy some time until Superman shows up."
"What if he doesn't come? Where the hell is he?"
"Pull yourself together soldier, we have a job to do…"
"Right…yes sir…target is locked…"
"Ok boys, weapons free…prepare to fire on my command…"
Zod's arm extended as he signalled to the pilots, inviting them to attack him. His eyes seemed to glow as he prepared to ignite his heat vision. His cloak came up behind him, caught in the wind. From a distance he almost looked like Superman. But this was no saviour. This was a criminal, a murderer, and a traitor. The attack squadron flew one more time around the outskirts of the city before moving into attack formation.
"Here we go guys…ready the first wave…fire…"
Missiles streaked across the sky, homing in on General Zod. Lois Lane could only watch and wait along with other survivors of the attack as the missile drew close to their target and exploded against Zod.
"Direct hit…we got him."
"Hold on, wait for verification…is the target down?"
Metropolis fell silent as everyone waited for the smoke to clear. On the ground, Jimmy was busy taking pictured and as the auto focus created a clear image, he was the first to realise that the missiles had no effect. Zod was still there, floating above the city, completely unharmed.
"…Damn…alright get ready to fire the second wave…"
"Sir, our missiles had no effect…he's just hovering, waiting for us…"
"Screw it…maybe we can draw him away from the civilians…alright new plan, fly forward and engage…fire at will, repeat fire at will…"
After burners ignited as the squadron of fighters flew at Zod. Bullets flew through the air, followed by another barrage of missiles. Explosions lit up the sky as the fighters sped past Zod and turned around, ready to engage again. Yet again, Zod remained unharmed and as he third wave of missiles flew across the sky he was becoming tired of their attempts to destroy him and decided to have a little fun.
He charged them, his eyes burning as he sent a beam of intense heat out in front of him, cutting through the wings of one of the fighters. Zod laughed as he watched the plane crash onto a roof directly below. He saw the pilot descending slowly by parachute and flew at him, burning through the chute, causing the pilot to plunge to his death.
One by one the fighters were destroyed until there were only two left. They led Zod on a chase through Metropolis, manoeuvring between buildings with Zod following close behind. The lead fighter veered off as Zod kept tracking the remaining jet.
As the chase continued, Zod realised that the first fighter had moved in behind him. He was hit by an intense barrage of bullets but he still kept flying, unaffected. Zod waited for the right moment before stopping suddenly in mid-air and flipped backwards on to the jet. His fist punched through the metal casing around the fuel tanks and with a short burst of heat, he ignited the fuel, causing the plane to explode. The fireball covered Zod but he was unharmed as he renewed his chase with the last fighter.
Extending his arms, he flew faster and faster, his sheer speed enough to vibrate and break windows as he weaved his way in and out between buildings, catching up to the plane. The pilot could only watch as Zod grabbed a hold of the left wing, sending the plane into a spin.
The pilot fought to regain control but he couldn't overcome Zod's strength as the plane was forced to flip upside down and crash into the Plaza Hotel. The city had been devastated. Fires burned ferociously, hundreds perished and many more were injured. Metropolis was on the verge of a total breakdown as it became Zod's playground.
He flew back across the city, passing LexCorp and giving Lex Luthor a quick glance before he carried on. Luthor was furious. Metropolis was supposed to be the jewel in the crown of his new world order but Zod was turning it into a ruin. He would never admit it, but part of him was hoping that Superman would save the day. However in the end, the sacrifice of Metropolis was something he could live with if it helped him to gain the power he always wanted.
Zod touched down in the financial district, back where his war on Metropolis began. Everyone was running, trying desperately to get away from him…everyone but Lois. She stood firm as Zod approached.
"You are the woman who writes about Superman."
"Yeah, what of it?" Lois as defiant, refusing to be intimidated by Zod.
"You believe he is a hero. You believe he will save you. Where is he then? Why isn't he here to stop me? If he's such a hero…why has he abandoned you?"
"He hasn't! He'll come…and he'll make you pay for what you've done."
"No he won't. He's dead."
"I don't believe you…"
"Believe what you want. He is dead…and if he's not…he's a coward."
"Superman is no coward…"
"If he was alive he would be here wouldn't he? Perhaps you're right...I'll just have to do more to draw him out."
Lois found herself rising from the ground suddenly as Zod grabbed a hold of her, flying to the top of Metropolis General Hospital. His hand reached out and held Lois by her neck, holding her off the ledge and threatening to drop her to the street below.
"Now Kal-El…let's see what courage you have…"
Fortress of Solitude:
Clark woke up, his body feeling better as the concentrated solar energy replenished his strength. He stood in front of the panel, deactivating the focussing crystals. As his eyes caught a glance of Corben's body, Clark remembered what Corben had said about an alien at LexCorp.
The advanced technology of the Fortress had many uses and now he needed to track down and confirm what Metallo had said. Moving his hand over one of the red crystals a locator beacon was launched up through the ice and into space, settling in orbit above the planet, sending a signal to interface with communication and government satellites,
"Please state request…" The Fortress computer had come to life interacting with Clark, using the long-forgotten voice of his mother Lara.
"Scan for life signs not native to this planet…"
"Two life-forms found…"
"Assume that I am one of them…what species is the other?"
"Species…Kryptonian"
Kal-El was stunned. He had always believed that he was the only survivor of Krypton's destruction. At his time in the Fortress, he had found references to a space colony somewhere but nothing more than that. He was alone as far as he knew. His thoughts were interrupted by a faint sound in the distance, a menacing voice. As he tried to concentrate the voice stopped suddenly. Putting it out of his mind, Clark turned his attention back to the mysterious being at LexCorp.
"Identify…"
"Analysis confirmed. Identified as General Zod, former commander of Krypton's military, currently serving a 200 year sentence in the Phantom Zone…"
Kal-El knew of Zod. The archives contained several recording about the last war on Krypton. If he was on Earth, nobody would be safe. He needed to confront Lex Luthor and Zod, but first he needed to know what was going on in the world. With the locator beacon still in orbit, ready to burn up in the atmosphere on command, Clark had access to every news station on the planet.
A holographic screen appeared in front of him, projecting news reports from all over the world. As he watched, Kal-El realised that every channel was covering the same story. The image showed a city in ruins, fires spreading throughout. It was Metropolis.
"…Our top story again, the city of Metropolis has come under attack from a mysterious being who appears to have the same powers as Superman. Was it all a lie? Did Superman come to us to prepare for a mass invasion? Or does he remain loyal and true to his promise of protecting the planet? One thing is for sure, he is our only hope after the military failed in an attempt to destroy the strange visitor. Superman…where are you…"
"Oh no…"
Clark was horrified as he saw the destruction caused in Metropolis. From a helicopter high above the city, a cameraman zoomed in on the scene, showing General Zod standing on the ledge on the roof of the hospital holding a woman by her neck.
"Lois…"
Kal-El deactivated the hologram and activated an energy converter in the crystals before bending his knees to gain maximum power as he took off, breaking through the ice ceiling of the Fortress.
He flew straight upwards, high into the atmosphere, pausing for a moment as the sun shone down on him. He was gone in a flash, bombing across the sky heading south towards Metropolis.
"Hold on Lois…hold on…"