KRYPTON-

Faora struggled to put on a diamond necklace, then gave up and put it back in her jewelry box. Diamonds for Yar-El's showing, might be a bit much. She heard a noise and and realized Zod was drumming his fingers on a table. She slowly turned from her dressing table and looked at her husband.

"What is bothering you?" she asked.

"Have you seen Lor-Zod today? I find it unusual that he would even leave the compound. He fears we will abuse that precious Earthling of his." he grumbled.

"He's still around here someplace, isn't he?" Faora asked, losing interest in the subject. Lor-Zod was a lost cause as far as she was concerned. Once that 'person' they had locked up, was sent back to Earth, Faora planned to find her son a wife of some quality-on another planet! No one would have Lor-Zod on Krypton with his political beliefs. And his bad taste in women.

But Zal-El had possibilities. It was just a shame that legally, on Krypton, she and Zod could not arrange a marriage for him. And who wouldn't want such a handsome, young man? Faora personally thought that his one eye gave him character. He was almost like Zod, save for looks, in every way. Anyone would be lucky to have such a man.

Then there was Cera-Zod. Faora could spit on that girl now, she would! Her only daughter was an ungrateful wench AND a tramp of the highest order! The real reason Cera-Zod had not been home in years was because Faora did not want such a violent wench on the premises!

Yes, she knew for a fact that her daughter had killed Kal-El's pet snagriff. Faora had witnessed the senseless slaying by Cera-Zod. And while she was not a big lover of animals herself, she was a firm believer that people that killed innocent animals, moved on to people...

It was when Cera-Zod had turned fifteen, that she knew for sure that her daughter was stone cold killer. And while the idea itself, didn't bother her, what did, was that her daughter seemed to draw no lines between who she could get away with killing, and whom she could not. And because of this, Cera-Zod had been to four finishing schools on various planets, within a span of five years.

And in each instance, a roommate of hers 'disappeared'.

Over the years, they had paid out settlement money to the families of the 'missing' girls, who had no doubts that Cera-Zod had done something to their daughters. Faora, fearing the bad publicity and the destruction of her daughter's future betrothal, always insisted on paying. They paid the families and the schools at times, to protect that girl's future! And Cera-Zod paid them back by purposely not returning to Krypton and honoring the agreement.

No, Faora did not think her daughter was dead. That she would know.

She looked over at the spot her husband had been sitting in and realized he was gone. Faora had been so lost in her unpleasant reverie, that she hadn't noticed when Zod left. Sighing, she returned to the task of looking for a tasteful necklace to wear to Yar-El's viewing.

Meanwhile, Zod went down to the wing where Lucy Lane was being held prisoner, only to find the door wide open! He hurried into the room only to find one of the armed sentry's that should have been outside of the door, in the room and lying on the floor-minus his weapon! What in Holy Krypton was going on here? Lor-Zod had obviously overtaken the guard and stolen his weapon, but how far did Lor-Zod and this Lucy Lane think they could get? And why now? Lois Lane would be here by nightfall. Why run now?

He hurried from the room and over to one of the house phones to call his private security force. But when he tried to call out, the line was dead. Zod slowly replaced the receiver and hurried down another hallway-only to be met by Kal-El, Lex Luthor and swarm of guards from the House of El.

"Your guards have been detained, Zod." Kal-El told him. "Where is Faora?"

"What is the meaning of this, Kal-El?"

"The meaning, is murder. Murder and deception. Not to mention abduction." Kal-El informed Zod.

"Does Jor-El know you are here on the day of his father's wake making scandalous accusations against me?" Zod asked coolly. But inside, he was unnerved. Something was very wrong. Something that not even Zal-El was aware of.

"No. But he will find out soon enough how right I was. I know about your plans to deceive my family by offering me an Earthling for a bride instead of Cera-Zod. I know that you abducted a young Earth woman based on a lie of thievery."

"The young woman was not abducted but detained. Until she could stand trial." Zod answered simply. "And I can't believe you are still chanting that mantra about Cera-Zod! She is on her way here with your brother as we speak!"

Lex now spoke.

"We know that. I paid a visit to Zal-El and 'Cera-Zod' before heading here to Krypton. I never knew that your daughter and an annoying, talentless reporter named Lois Lane, were one in the same?" Lex asked sarcastically.

Privately, Kal-El did not actually agree with that last point. He had looked up some of Lois's articles and found them charming. And amusing. Clearly she was at the bottom of the ladder at the newspaper that she wrote for, but Kal-El did not think that she lacked talent.

"Lois Lane just happens to be the sister of the woman you detained under false pretenses." Kal-El said.

Zod shrugged, glancing back at the armed guards.

"Your brother is a grown man. So is my son. If they choose to keep company with Earth women, there is nothing I can do about it. And where, Luthor, did you get the idea that this woman was Cera-Zod?"

Faora was brought out before them and she flung one of the guard's hands off of her!

"What is the meaning of this crude interruption? Dru-Zod, what is going on?"

Kal-El walked up to her.

"I think you know." he said, then looked at Zod again. Another guard, after performing a search, produced the tell tale tiara. He handed it to Kal-El, who took it.

"This is the item you held a prisoner for. Once it was back in your possession, Miss Lane should have been ticketed or charged in some way. You kept her here with the promise that if her sister married me under fictitious circumstances, she would be released."

Faora said nothing to that. She did look around.

"Where is Lor-Zod? I see you do not have him standing before you?"

Zod felt his body stiffen with rage! That insolent boy was responsible for this! He had TOLD Kal-El everything in exchange for that girl's freedom and what?

Lex eyed Zod.

"I think you've figured some things out, haven't you? Well let me add more news: my father is here and is not doing well. It seems my sister was found dead. And she was last seen in the company of Zal-El."

Faora looked at Kal-El. She was barely able to repress a smile!

"The red haired, illegitimate one? Ah. So this is what this show is really all about. Kal-El's mistress is dead by some way and now he's going to take it out on the House of Zod!"

"Maybe," Zod said slowly, "if Lionel had acknowledged her, she wouldn't have ended up dead on a waterfront someplace."

Faora caught her husband's mistake immediately and cursed the Gods! Kal-El moved so that he was in front of Zod and back handed him! Faora yelled out and Lex pointed at her!

"How the hell did you know where my sister was found? Never mind! You're going down for murder, kidnapping and thievery!" Lex snarled.

"That is right," Kal-El seethed, "I plan to stop Zal-El's ship BEFORE it reaches this planet. I will reunite the Lane sisters and arrest my brother. Once those things are accomplished, paperwork will be drawn up so that your fortune becomes part of the House of El's."

Faora burst out laughing!

"If you think anything is going to happen to us, for the death of an Earthling, you think again, Kal-El."

"Maybe not. But the pawn broker that Zal-El stole the tiara from, was a prominent business man in Kandor." Kal-El said grimly.

"IF he was murdered, that was Zal-El's own doing." Zod said coldly. Kal-El raised a brow. He was sure his brother would be shocked to hear his surrogate father throw him to the wolves in this way. Kal-El nodded and the guards took Zod and Faora away. Lex stood in front of Kal-El.

"Was what Faora was saying true? That no one would charge them for their part in my sister's death?" Lex asked point blank. "Because if that's true, then you need to allow my father and myself, to deal with your brother."

"Zod and Faora will end up in the Phantom Zone. My brother will have to have a different punishment, unfortunately. My father designed that prison. There is a fail safe within it, for blood relatives that end there. They alone can get out."

"Then he must be turned over to us!" Lex hissed.

"Do not worry," Kal-El said, putting a hand on Lex's shoulder, "Tess's murder will not go unnoticed or punished."


The transit ship that carried Zal-El and Lois to Krypton, was three hours from it's destination. Zal-El knew that they were so far removed from the yellow sun, that his powers were gone.

Zal-El had wanted a private transit ship for the two of them, and they both stood looking out into the blackness of the space around them, his Herculean arms absorbing Lois's slim waist.

They had decided to marry before they left Earth, and Zal-El had to use his influence to get things moved along quickly. He thought the blood test requirement was stupid, since he thought it was pretty clear that they were not related. But he loved Lois beyond reason and just knowing that she loved him, filled him with sense of euphoria that had not dreamed was possible.

Lois, for her part, had felt bad about not telling her father or her cousin, Chloe(she was watching Shelby), about any of this. She had had to get married without her family being around. But she knew she loved Zal-El. And somehow, knowing that she was HIS wife, would make this deception she was about to carry out, easier to bear.

She had also decided that Perry would just have to do with a story about Krypton. Lois figured she could get never-before-seen pictures and maybe some footage for the paper's website. But if she was to keep this secret, she could not write about what she was doing. Lois at this point, was not sure she even wanted to. She dragged her eyes away from the blackness and stars of space and looked up at Zal-El, who's lips found hers in a quick, fervent kiss.

"I have to make some calls and make sure that everything is ready for your arrival." Zal-El told her.

"You mean Cera-Zod's arrival, don't you?"

Zal-El cupped her chin.

"I feel the same way, Lois. I wish this ship was heading elsewhere. And I wish we had the time to just be together. We will when this over. And I have every intention of making sure that we are not on Krypton and longer than necessary." he said firmly.

Lois smiled wanly and he kissed her hand, that now wore a Kryptonian diamond marriage ring on it, before going to another room on the ship to call Zod. He had to inform his surrogate father that he had married Lois Lane. And he was not sure what Zod or Faora would think.

He had been deemed not worthy of marriage. His own parents never bothered to take any pains to arrange a betrothment for him, as they did for Kal-El. Now, he was forever grateful for it.

Unfortunately, his marriage to Lois would only be recognized on Earth, because that is where the ceremony took place. Zal-El supposed he could arrange another wedding on Krypton...

He was almost afraid to think that far ahead. He was afraid that things would not go as planned. Zal-El could not recall ever being afraid of a plan not going as he had expected. And as he called Zod and got no answer, his fears deepened. Why would Commissioner Zod not answer his phone?

Yar-El's wake was today. Maybe he and Faora were already in attendance? Zal-El called Faora's phone but got nothing. He had been sitting down on a small couch but now he slowly stood up and looked out of a window. He could feel Kal-El nearby! He didn't know how or why, but he could feel his presence closing in on them!

Meanwhile, Lois sat at a table and stared at her unwritten story on her laptop. She had never in her life, been unable to finish a story. Or even come up with an idea. She told herself that once she got to Krypton and took in her surroundings, her alternate story she planned to give to Perry would come to her...

Zal-El suddenly closed her laptop sharply and pulled her up out of the chair!

"What is it? What's wrong?" Lois asked, feeling his panic.

"Something has went wrong and..." Zal-El said but was cut off by the obvious lack of movement on the ship! Lois noticed it as well.

"Why are we stopping?" Lois asked, now feeling just as tense as Zal-El looked! A steward hurried up to them!

"The captain of this vessel has received communication that we are about to be boarded by Kryptonian officials!" the steward informed them in a high pitched voice, before walking off briskly.

"Kryptonian officials? What does that mean, Zal-El?"

"It means that we have been found out somehow. I cannot raise either Commissioner Zod or his wife."

"Okay but so what? What we're getting ready to do here, calls for all of this? Why couldn't your brother wait until we got to Krypton?" Lois asked, not following any of this!

But Zal-El did. Kal-El not only knew about Lois, but he also knew about Tess. He grabbed Lois's hand and pulled her towards a hanger, leaving behind her laptop! There were two emergency pods for passengers to escape, in case there was trouble with a transport ship.

Zal-El was putting Lois on one of them.

"Zal-El? Zal-El, what is this? Why are we here with these little, tiny ships?" Lois asked uneasily.

"You need to leave. This pod will get you to Space Station Twelve. When you get inside, the computer will ask you where you want to go and fly you there! You won't have to do a thing!"

"I'm not leaving you! And what about Lucy?"

"I will make sure your sister is protected! Lois, you could be seen as some kind of accessory!"

"For what? For hurting your brother's ego? I'm not going anywhere! We're married! I'm staying with you!" Lois insisted. But Zal-El ignored her words and handed her a leather pouch.

"There are credits in your name. As my wife. When you get to the Space Station, use the funds to take another transport ship to Earth and whatever else you may need to do. I will come back when I can!" Zal-El said with a determination that told Lois that there would be no more arguing about this. Lois did not take the pouch from Zal-El right away. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Zal-El's neck and kissed him passionately, letting her feelings for him almost overtake her. She felt his own desire begin to rise and that was when Zal-El ended the kiss.

"Lois, please...do not make this any harder."

Lois nodded against him.

"I'll go. I love you." she said.

"And I you." Zal-El whispered huskily as he forced himself to let her go and help her into the pod. He then opened the ship's hatch from a safe distance and soon Lois was gone-though he could've sworn he heard her scream as the pod took off!

Once she was gone, Zal-El closed the hatch and calmly returned to the center of the ship. Lois's laptop was still there. He picked it up in his hands, just as a door opened and Kal-El, Lor-Zod, Lucy Lane and General Sam Lane, along with four Kryptonian guards, entered his part of the ship.

Kal-El would have outright grinned if Tess's face did not come mind. Her neck had been broken and she had been dumped in another town in a bad part of the area-no thanks to his vile, piece of filth brother that he was now staring at.

"Hello, Zal-El. I think you know why we're here. Nice try. Better luck next time-though I doubt there will be one for you." he said coldly.