KRYPTON-

Things had changed for Zal-El since his arrest.

For one, he had not been detained long. His parents, Jor-El and Lara, used their considerable influence to get him released into their custody. So he had not had a chance to say anything to either Zod or Faora.

Second, his parents seemed...well...pleased by his marriage to Lois. His uncle Zor-El, not so much, but Zal-El could've cared less about him anyway. It soon became apparent however, that there seemed to be some concern that the House of El line would not go on, because of Kal-El's poor attitude towards his own betrothment.

He had been seen as not fit for marriage, and yet he had a wife now that sort of resembled the woman Kal-El was supposed to marry. He had confided in his mother about his deep love for Lois and how he feared imprisonment would ruin that. Lara seemed determined not to let that happen.

Proof of his father's loyalty came in the form of a holographic image of Lor-Zod killing the pawn broker! Jor-El did not say he had doctored the image but Zal-El was aware he was an expert in such matters. The hologram was given to the authorities and special police were being sent to Earth to find Lor-Zod.

Zal-El did not quite know how to feel about any of this. He had never known any family loyalty from these people. But now, Lara was setting up a wing for Lois and himself and Jor-El was advising him on careers that he might want to go in to, that would help advance the fortune of the House of El.

Zal-El felt as if he had to visit Zod and Faora. What he would say, he did not know, since it was not in his best interest to admit his culpability in any of this. But he knew he owed them something. And the sooner they were convicted, the sooner he could be free to live a life with Lois.

A guard took Zal-El to a room with dim lighting, with the exception of a single, paralyzing ray of light that Zod stood within. The light rendered the prisoner unable to move, but they could think and speak. Zal-El almost had trouble meeting Zod's probing stare. But he had to speak to the man that had practically raised him.

Zal-El stood outside of the beam of light and waited until the guard left the area, before beginning any conversation. But he did not have to speak first. Zod did.

"What happened?" Zod asked in a hissing tone.

"I was here to ask you the same question."

"Really? Because you are clearly free while my wife and I are being held here like animals!"

Zal-El cleared his throat! He was nervous. He realized that he was nervous about Zod's disappointment in him. He had never failed him before.

"Commissioner...I did as you asked on Earth. But I developed feelings for Miss Lane. We married and now things are different." Zal-El began, looking into Zod's eyes to gauge his reaction.

"You married the sister of the woman that stole from Faora?"

"Commissioner, she is not like her sister. I was going to bring her here to marry Kal-El then we would return to Earth together."

"You planned to let your wife be bedded by Kal-El?" Zal-El asked skeptically. He then saw a flicker of hatred dance within Zal-El's eyes at just the mention of his brother's name. No, Zal-El had had no intention of allowing Lois to follow through with this ruse.

"I planned to find a way around that part of the marriage. Kal-El hates Cera-Zod. I was assuming he would not want to bed her." was Zal-El's answer.

"Where is Miss Lane now?" Zod asked.

"Back on Earth. I sent her there for safe keeping. But unfortunately, Kal-El is there as well. I have been remanded into my parents custody..."

"Oh I am very well aware of what Jor-El has done for you, Zal-El. Let us now speak of what YOU have done to ME! No one told you to kill Kal-El's mistress. The Luthor's reach is quite long. Lionel Luthor has curried favor with certain Council members over the years. Faora and I may be charged for a crime that you committed!"

Zal-El took a deep breath.

"That is unfortunate, since I did not kill Tess Mercer."

"Zal-El, please..."

"Those clones killed her." Zal-El lied. "The ones I told you about? The Zal-El clone killed her-in Gotham."

"Why was she there?" Zod asked skeptically.

"Because Tess Mercer was the mysterious benefactor I told you about. Oswald Cobblepot as much as confessed it to me." Zal-El lied.

Zod did not quite know what to think. He had suspected Lionel Luthor, himself. But Tess Mercer made a strange sort of sense as well. She could have been working with Lionel. That and Zal-El had never lied to him before.

Then again, Zal-El had never been in love before either. He had a lot to lose.

Zal-El spoke again.

"Lor-Zod played a big part in this as well."

"I am aware of that. He was the one that betrayed our plan." Zod said.

"He did more than that. There is footage of his murdering the pawn broker. He is being searched for on Earth as we speak." Zal-El said solemnly.

Zod struggled not to hide his shock!

"Zal-El, YOU were the one that brought me that tiara! You as much as admitted that you killed the pawn broker."

"I lied to cover Lor-Zod. I would have never believed he was capable of such an act. But he did it to protect Lucy Lane. He assumed you would free her once it was returned. " Zal-El lied again.

Zod gave his surrogate son the once over.

"This Miss Lane..."

"Lois is my wife now. She is no longer a 'Miss'."

Zod grinned!

"Your wife, then, has quite a hold on you. She has turned you into a liar. So what is to become of the only parents you have ever known?"

Zal-El bowed his head briefly, before raising it.

"You should beg for mercy. Faora and yourself. Maybe blame Lor-Zod..."

"I WOULD BLAME MY REAL SON FOR NOTHING!" Zod suddenly screamed. "YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR TREACHERY, ZAL-EL! YOU, YOUR DAMNABLE WIFE AND ALL OF YOUR HEIRS!"

Zal-El turned and walked out as two guards hurried in! Did he like what he had had to do? No. But there was no time for regrets. Kal-El was on Earth with Lois. His family had accepted him. And the laws here dictated that until Zod, Faora and Lor-Zod were dealt with, he could not leave the planet.

That meant that the family Zal-El once knew, had to be punished if he was ever going to begin to live his life with Lois. And they had to be punished quickly.

Lois was beginning to regret agreeing to help Kal-El.

They had returned to the Vellagio and as soon as Lois stepped back into the penthouse, she was flooded with memories of Zal-El and her time here with him. Shelby and Zeus frolicked, then ran off upstairs. That left Kal-El and Lois alone.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Kal-El asked.

"You are actually living here?"

"Yes. It is House of El property now."

Lois nodded, but didn't actually like the idea of his staying here.

"You are uncomfortable?" Kal-El asked.

"I just don't see why you'd stay here if you think Tess died here?"

"I don't think she 'died' here, I think she was murdered here. There is a difference."

Lois didn't like his tone. At all.

"I think this was a mistake." she said and started to call for Shelby. But Kal-El moved so that he was standing in front of her.

"I am sorry if I upset you. But I am upset as well. Someone I cared for is gone. Tess Mercer did not break her own neck, nor did she die in Gotham City. An official medical report proves that. She called me. She called me and when I answered someone was there. Someone that would not speak."

Lois stared at him, not liking what she was hearing. She moved away from him.

"What do you want from me, Kal-El?"

"I want you to tell me what you saw."

"I saw nothing!"

"But Tess was here?"

"Yes. Zal-El and I returned from the Cera-Zod thing."

"That would have been the 'going away' party you claimed was going on?"

Lois now folded her arms.

"It was more than that. Cera-Zod and Zal-El and been asked to join some club for criminals. We were not there long before two clones showed up."

"Clones?" Kal-El asked.

"Zal-El did not want to join and I guess no one knows where Cera-Zod is, so she couldn't be spoken for. Anyway, it was decided to clone the two of them, so they would have members that had their strengths. Only these things didn't exactly look human. Something must have went wrong. And the clones were crazy. They picked up the yacht we were on, turned it upside down and almost killed everyone! Zal-El flew me out of there."

Kal-El did not like the idea of cloned Kryptonians running loose on this planet!

"Zal-El dealt with this problem?"

"He didn't have the time! Your grandfather died and..."

"So these clones are still running loose? Those two criminals you were speaking to at the space station? They are part of this club?"

"Yes." Lois admitted.

"Well Bravo to Zal-El! He has truly put everyone in danger here! I will investigate this further. Now tell me what happened after you left that meeting?"

Lois was not about to tell Kal-El about the abandoned farm!

"When we returned here, Tess was here with Shelby. Zal-El asked me to take Shelby upstairs. I did. I took a shower and when I finally came back down here, Tess was gone. Zal-El said she had left."

Kal-El said nothing for a moment. He then glanced over at a steel door.

"Do you know where that door leads to?"

Lois shrugged.

"I never had the chance to use it."

"It is to a private stairway. It allows someone to not use the elevator. Nor would you run into anyone else using stairs."

"Okay? So what?" Lois asked.

"So, Tess could have been disposed of by way of that stairwell."

"Or she could have left that way too, Kal-El! Can't you just try and see that maybe someone else did something to her? The Luthors have a lot of enemies on this planet!"

"When you came down here, where was Zal-El standing?" Kal-El asked, ignoring her plea.

"Over by the fireplace." she answered reluctantly. Kal-El walked over to it and then bent down to stare into the ashes.

He then gasped and began scraping! Lois slowly walked over to him and watched him remove the broken pieces of what looked to be a cellphone! Kal-El rose up and faced Lois.

"This was Tess's phone! Only it seems Zal-El only partially destroyed it!" Kal-El hissed!

"Hey!" Lois snapped. "I don't know that you didn't just plant that there!"

"I know this is hard for you. But it is time to admit that you are married to a murderer! And he will continue to kill. His love for you will not stop that. I am taking this to the authorities. Zal-El will have to be dealt with." Kal-El said coldly.

Lois knew this looked bad. But she couldn't quite get past the fact that it was convenient that Kal-El just found that phone at this moment, and at the same time, she didn't want to think that Zal-El would have made love to her only moments after breaking someone's neck.

"Okay. We're at an impasse." Lois said quietly.

"No we are not. Thank you, Miss Lane for your help. You can take Shelby home now."

"So what does this mean? That you don't plan to even look into the idea that someone else may have killed Tess? You're just determined to blame Zal-El for this?"

"What am I supposed to think?!" Kal-El suddenly snapped. "Her phone is in the fireplace! I called her moments before my brother broke her neck! He threw the phone into the fireplace to hide the evidence from you! Someone has been killed and somehow I thought that you would at least care about that!" Kal-El half yelled/sobbed.

Lois turned away from him and felt shame flood her body. He was right. She was not convinced of Zal-El's guilt but someone had died. And maybe Kal-El's blaming his brother was part of his mourning process.

Still, Lois felt as if she needed to talk to Zal-El about all of this and she could not.

Or could she?

Lois turned back to Kal-El.

"I want to talk to Zal-El. At least I could ask him about the phone."

"You want to warn him?" Kal-El asked skeptically.

Lois put up her hands in surrender.

"Okay, never mind. I can see you're hurting and I'm sorry I can't help. I mean that." Lois said sincerely.

"You could help by being by my side at Tess's funeral. It will be hard enough as it is. But it would help to have family with me. My parents never understood my relationship with her. You have not judged me about not treating her as I should have." Kal-El said quietly.

Lois nodded.

"Of course. I'll help you all I can."

"I have to say a few words and...nothing is coming to me." Kal-El admitted. Lois broke out into a big smile.

"Well I can help you there! I'm a writer! I only wish I had my laptop..."

Kal-El walked away from her and over to a drawer, opened it and brought out her laptop! Lois gasped with joy!

"Oh my God! I never thought I would see it again! I figured Zal-El had it on Krypton!"

Kal-El did not comment on that. Returning her laptop was just the first in his plan to steal Lois Lane from his brother. And he planned for the two of them to become much closer after Tess's funeral.