Disclaimer: I neither own, nor claim to own Superman, Batman, etc. Nor am I making profit. This is just the verse in which I'm swimming.
Warning: There are dark and disturbing themes throughout this story.

Zor-El stood beneath the window of the Zod's family home, hidden between the brick and mortar of the building and the seven foot tall dwarf arborvitae. What he heard had his heart sinking into his stomach.

"Ursa, my love, Krypton shall soon be ours once Jor-El falls."

She wrapped her arms around her lover, a member of the Kryptonian military. A forbidden coupling if ever there were one. Between General and soldier within the same fleet. Not that Zor-El's brother would ever punish them for their love of one another. But what he was hearing was treasonous.

"I do hope, General, that it is not because Jor stole Lara from you that you seek his death and the end of his line."

"That is but a bonus, Ursa. No, I have long thought Jor-El to be weaker than once I imagined him. He can no longer lead Krypton to its glorious future. The kingdom needs to expand as our numbers continue to grow. Many twins have been born as of late. And there is land aplenty beyond our borders."

Zor-El knew it well. But where Jor-El was willing to negotiate and buy up land, General Zod would start up a war that their people could ill afford to enter.

Allura In-Ze, his wife had been correct in her belief that the General, Lord Zod, was indeed hiding something from the court and the council which advised their king, King Jor-El. This however was not what he had expected to unearth. Information that was imperative to deliver to his elder brother. Before General Dru-Zod sent out his assassins, if he'd not already.

With care, he moved away from the building and crawled on his belly, his body covered in green and brown camouflage and caked with mud of the land. Helmet matching with sticks and leaves sticking out. He could ill afford to be spotted, especially now that that he had vital information that could save the lives of his brother and his brothers unborn sons.

If Lord Zod wished to harm Jor-El and his family, it only stood to reason that the man mad with the hunger for power would turn his sights upon Zor-El and his family. He needed to protect not only his brother's - his King's - family, but his own as well. His daughter had only just turned seven.

When he heard footsteps he stilled underneath one of the weeping willows and waited for the individuals to pass by.

Jax-Ur chuckled, "The General will lead us to victory. He's already promised me a new slave. The last one, well, the idiot killed himself."

Zor-El felt bile rise to his throat. Jor-El had tried to end slavery, but the people would not listen. Perhaps that was why so many wished to be rid of their King while yet others remained loyal. Not enough, he thought as he waited for the scum of their great country to leave.

Jax-Ur was one of the worst. He'd stolen a human boy who'd only just presented as an omega. Just eleven years old. Still a child by the laws that Jor-El had established upon taking the throne after defeating their sire who'd been displeased with the both of them. At least Seyg-El had perished at the hands of their enemies and Jor-El and he had not had to take their own sire's life for all his innumerable sins. Now, he wondered, if Seyg-El had fallen not at the hands of the humans wielding Kryptonite of the green variety, but at Lord General Dru-Zod's bequest. He did not think so, for the two had been of similar minds.

No matter how much his brother and those loyal to him fought and unearthed those who hid away their slaves so that they could not be freed - some going even so far as to kill them so that they'd never know the life of a freemen.

He winced as he heard Jax-Ur continue, "I saw a beautiful omega. Their first season too."

"Another human?" The unfamiliar voice questioned.

"There is no omega as good as a human. They're beneath us after all on the evolutionary chain. Easier to make submit than our own, even among our omega's. It's too bad that there are so many omega's now that don't know their place and it is all thanks to Jor-El. But once the General has taken out one unworthy of sitting upon the throne, they'll all soon learn their places again. It is only natural that they submit and that we Alpha's can use our Voice. If we were not supposed to subdue the whores so that they do not stray, we would not have been given the ability."

Zor-El's stomach roiled. His elder brother needed to be wary even of his own people. There were too many Alpha's with views like Jax-Ur and Lord Dru-Zod. Even his and Jor's father had never known and it was a secret he himself would take to his grave if need be.

The footsteps sounded further and further away. He was able to roll to another shadow and another. He made his way on his belly and rolling his body to get away from the grounds belonging to those who were of the House of Zod.

He shook his head and stood up once at the foot of the hill. And then he whistled. From behind the branches of the sequoia trees his mount peered down at him. Now he understood as he gazed at his ally in life and in battle why Lord Zod had no mount. Only those deemed worthy by the large scaled beasts were honored with their trust enough that a person could ride upon their backs.

Placing a finger to his lips he walked slow and careful toward his mount whose green scales were mottled by sunlight. The creature lowered himself to the ground and nudged Zor-El up onto his back. Zor-El gripped the reins that his winged companion tolerated for his sake.

'Gone were you from me, Zor-El. Feared your end did I. What knowledge gained did you?'

The scaled green beast with wings communicated with him once they came into physical contact. His mount's words were strangely worded, but he understood them nevertheless as he stroked the side of the beasts neck and answered him in a whisper.

"I won't die that easily, old friend." His lips pursed and his brows furrowed.

'Turmoil do I sense within.'

"Lord General Dru-Zod has proven traitor by his very words. He would have Jor-El and his family assassinated so that he could swoop in to take the throne."

'Then fly quick must we to warn Jor-El, King of Krypton.'

Zor-El dipped his head. "Yes. Make haste, Rad-Shaj, to the Great Castle of Krypton."

Rad-Shaj, the green dragon climbed the branched of the great sequioa's, his horns tall and pronged atop his head like branches sticking out. Vines and flowers trailed from his horns and upon his spiked tail as his wings expanded once he was above the canopy and able to spread them to their full width. He took wing, flapping them and below the wind created by the movement as he lifted off caused the tops of the great trees to sway and bend.

Once several feet above even the trees, Rad-Shaj, mount of Prince Zor-El looped around and headed due north to Krypton's center atop the high cliff where the dragon's themselves had helped to forge the castle for the ancestors of the House of El.

He could only hope that he was not yet too late to foil any plan of assassination with the Queen, Lara Lor-Van so close to her due date. And with twins, it was likely to happen earlier than expected. Which could prove problematic if he were to get them to safety and out of the way of whomever General Zod sent to snuff out their lives even before the pups were born.

'Great fear do I sense within you, Zor-El. No need there be for it. Crush in my claws those that dare to end the King's life and that of his Queen and unborn hatchlings, shall I.'

He allowed himself one chuckle as he held onto the reins. "I have no doubt you would, if you but knew who among our people were traitors ready to end the line of El."

Rad-Shaj tilted his wings and stopped flapping to descend. Every so many feet he fell he gave his wings a couple of flaps before letting them out so that he glided upon the air toward the great court within the walls surrounding the castle grounds.

Zor-El, once the dragon landed, slid off down his wing to the ground and hurried inside. The guards parted as he ran down the hall. He didn't know which of them might be traitors, who were disloyal to their rightful king, but surely there were those who were staunchly in favor of Jor-El and his so-called untraditional views and rules - laws to live by since he'd been crowned king less than three years prior when Seyg-El's end on the battlefield came to light.

He himself was no soldier and never had been. He was a scientist and his sire had greatly disapproved of Zor's values and found him and his findings to be an embarrassment. As if his scientific findings were untrue. The council at the time had not believed him, nor Jor-El. Together with his brother however they'd found a way to divert the energy from causing their nation and its peoples to be consumed by fire and brimstone. To keep from waking the sleeping giant, the volcano on which they lived as it made up a great deal of their territory.

Enlisting the lava eating dragon's had certainly helped. Jor-El's own discovery. And ever since they'd been trying to find a way to stabilize it so that the dragon's themselves did not need to overdo it. For there were a shortage of lava eating dragons, their numbers indicative of an endangered species by not only Krypton's estimations, but by the world's. And they were the dragon's with the lowest fertility rate and rarely produced more than one egg that took longer from laying to hatching than most other dragon's did. And they could only hatch from inside the flow of lava below the land on which they stood.

Zor-El felt eyes upon him. Some he knew were but curious. Yet there was a sense of dread that there was already at least one assassin among their numbers and he had no time to interrogate them with his brother's life at stake and the future of their Kingdom on the cusp of birth.

"Jor-El! My brother! I have news that is most dire!" He skidded to where the red carpet began. It was one of the few traditions his brother had deemed acceptable to keep. Zor so hated to dirty it with his muddy boots, even if, as Jor's younger brother he too was of the royal family. Yet instead of walking on the clean red carpet he hurried along side it careful not to dirty it. And then, at the start of the steps leading to the throne, he knelt before Jor-El. "I have had word that assassins are on their way, that they may already be within the castle itself."

Jor-El stood up from where he sat, crown heavy upon his head and lifted the trail of his too long red cape with it's white trim. "Lara! Even now she gives birth, Zor-El." The King of Krypton turned and hurried to a door that led into a hall which led to the King's Chambers, and a large den where his office had been situated.

Zor-El winced as he heard Lara Lor-Van cry out and the sound of a new born wailing.

"Why are you not in there with her?"

"She threatened to tear my balls off and demanded I leave at once. I do not think she wished me to see her, but Allura is with her."

"Allura. Not even she is safe here, Jor-El."

"None of us are, brother. But we shall not let our wives or children suffer. We will get them out of here and to safety."

He watched as Jor-El pulled out his sword from his hilt. His older brother had taken lessons in swordsmanship as well as science. Had been part of the military and rose in its ranks along side General Zod. But the man, Lord Zod, was no longer an ally. Not even a friend that either of them could trust. Instead he was a snake in the grass biding his time until he'd gathered enough allies to send after his opposition.

They burst into the room even as Lara Lor-Van was given her twins to hold. The first in a dark blue blanket - the eldest twin, and the second in a lighter blue blanket - the younger.

"They're identical," Zor spoke to his brother who nodded.

Lara Lor-Van smiled, "Are they not beautiful, my love?"

Jor-El walked up to her and brushed fingers through her hair. Curled his pinky finger around the s-curl. "As beautiful as you, my angel, but they are no longer safe."

She blinked, mouth parted. "What do you mean, Jor-El?"

"General Lord Dru-Zod seeks to assassinate us."

The Queen frowned. Glanced around the room. Only Allura In-Ze stood and in the nursery off to the side, a little blonde girl.

Zor-El looked toward the nursery and held out his hand. "Come here, Kara." His daughter quickly ran to him and jumped up to hug him.

"Father, what's happening?"

He kissed her temple and looked to his wife, Allura, whose eyes were wide and terror striken. "We must leave here, until we know who our enemies are. For now, we cannot tell them apart from our allies." But he knew of at least a few. "I am sorry, my dear, but we can no longer remain here."

Allura nodded and looked to the Queen. "We need to clean up the Queen. But... how can she leave with us?"

Lara shook her head. "You must leave without me. Zod will not kill me, he will need a political tool to keep the people in place."

Jor-El fell to his knees and gripped one of her hands, careful of the two infants in her arms. He kissed her knuckles. "You cannot stay here. I can not bare to part from you, nor can I stand the idea of you being used against our people."

She smiled softly and then her eyes narrowed, "I am stronger than anyone imagines, husband of mine. Allow me to do this. For our people. They are more important. I know there will be spies even among Zod's own loyal followers. We cannot leave the people without some hope. And I need you and your brother to hide our children. For should you and I fall, our sons cannot also be lost to us."

He nodded as Zor-El picked up Kara. Allura took the younger of the twins and Jor-El picked up his eldest son. He brushed a finger over the s-curl. "He and his brother have your signature curls. What are their names?"

"We had already chosen them, and I remain as fond of them as when we decided upon them. Kal-El and Kar-El."

Zor-El watched as his brother kissed his wife and left her side. All of them knowing that it had to be done even if they might wish it otherwise. For Lara Lor-Van was still too weak to leave with them after having given birth. She would only slow them down, and it was for the sake of her sons that she was willing to sacrifice herself.

Jor-El, he heard whisper to her, "I shall return to you, my love, and we shall be a family once more."

He dare not point out that it was a promise that he may not be able to keep. There was too much at stake and too many enemies crawling around in the underbelly of Krypton for any promise to even be made. But he knew his brother was too much a hopeless romantic.

"Let us go, brother, before the assassin arrives."

Jor-El nodded even as the sound of swords being drawn outside was heard. They cringed at the clang and paled at the death knell as those who had been pierced by Kryptonian metal and laced with Kryptonite at the end of the blade cried out in pain before they went silent in death.

Zor-El took his brothers hand while holding in his other arm his daughter. "We must get to Rad-Shaj." Even the dragon was vulnerable to the metals and poisons that the military of Krypton wielded as weapons.

He placed Allura first on the back of the dragon and Kara behind her. Kara wrapped her arms around her mother's waist and Allura took hold of Kar-El in one arm and the reigns in the other. Behind them Zor-El took a seat and held Kal-El in one arm and onto the reigns with the other.

Glancing down he frowned at Jor-El. "Brother, you must come with us."

He shook his head. "I cannot. I am going back for Lara. I can at least get us into the hidden rooms. They're like a maze and only the King and his eldest were ever in the know."

"I suspected, but was uncertain."

"Keep my sons safe, Zor-El."

"I will do my best, my brother, my King." He nodded to him and once Jor-El stepped back, Rad-Shaj took to the air and flew above the clouds, hidden from view. Within the land of Krypton they had not the powers available to them beyond the veil that hid their territories from the gaze of the humans, or other sentient species that had taken to calling Earth their home.

Rad-Shaj spoke to him through their touch based telepathic link, as rider and mount. 'A worthy sacrifice your brother giveth. Away I take you, your family, and the young princes. Find somewhere safe for you all, shall I.'

"Thank you, Rad-Shaj," he whispered as he watched his brothers figure grow smaller the farther up and away they got. Watched the lone figure run back into the keep even as the castle was surrounded by General Dru-Zod and his forces. An army of allies larger than expected. He feared that the day of his brothers death had arrived and in his own arms he carried away Krypton's future King, Kal-El.

Zor-El dare not hope lest such hopes be in vain and shattered, that his brother Jor-El survived even as the castle was breached and swords were drawn as warrior fought warrior.

"Allura. The prince's will not be safe with us. They will suspect we have them and so, we must find allies who will love and raise them as their own while knowing that one day they will lose them, if not to their birth parents, then to the Kingdom of Krypton. Kal-El will and must one day take the throne."

"Even if he should present an omega, Zor-El?"

"Especially then, Allura. Jor-El fought so hard to change things for the betterment of our people and all Omega-kind. His ways cannot be long lost to us and the citizens of Krypton. And now, I entrust you with a secret that few were ever privy to."

Kara, between he and his wife, asked, "What secret, Father?"

"You must never speak of this, Kara."

"I will not, Father. I promise."

He didn't know if she bespoke the truth. He did not know if he and Allura could keep her with them without endangering her life. It was something he would need to discuss with his wife before any decisions were made in full.

"Seyg-El, my and Jor-El's sire never knew, but Jor-El did not present as an Alpha nor even a Beta."

Allura gasped, "Jor-El, the King, is an omega?"

"Yes, Allura, it is true. I presented as an Alpha before he presented. And with my help I covered him so that Seyg-El never knew, nor anyone else. Not even within the military in the years that Jor-El and I served."

"You could have been king."

"I never wanted that and I was not the first born. Rather than the presentation, it is the order that should matter." He hoped she were not interested in being Queen of Krypton. It would mean outing his brother and taking what Zor-El felt was rightfully his, even if tradition dictated otherwise.

"I am proud of you, my husband. It matters not to me your title or what position we could of held. Having presented as an omega myself, knowing that Jor-El is one gives me the strength to continue on and have hope that things will change for those who present as omega. Your brother is one to look up to and aspire to be. I think it wrong that he could never say he was, so that those of the next generation could grow up with far less bias."

"But then, if anyone knew, he would not have been given the title of King."

"I am curious. If Jor-El is an omega, what then is Lara Lor-Van?"

"Also an omega."

"If the people were to know of this, they would be displeased, and call their union illegal and their children would be considered..."

"Do not say it, Allura, please."

"I shall not, for I do not believe it, Zor-El. Their love for one another is as great as our own. They should be allowed to wed without prejudice and lead without being seen as inferior or false."

"Thank you, my dear." He loved her so and her genteel ways. Zor-El knew not what he would have done without her and her unwavering love and loyalty toward him.

He blinked as Rad-Shaj broke through the barrier that veiled the Kingdom of Krypton from the rest of the Earth and it's many vast kingdoms.

'Here stay long I cannot, Zor-El. Find a safe place, I shall and then return to Krypton I must, or perish.'

"I understand Rad-Shaj. Find us a place where Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van's sons can be kept safe from the enemies of the House of El."

'Hold on.'

Zor-El repeated this to his wife and daughter. His wife held tightly to the reins and Kara hugged her mother tight. The three of them leaned forward as Rad-Shaj picked up speed. While the dragon did not break the sound barrier, he was swift winged - by using the wind currents to boost him beneath his wings.

Over clouds and feilds they soared as night overtook the day. And then, as a meteor shower struck a field of corn, Rad-Shaj landed, hidden by the green, green grass and corn stalks.

'Here find you good people. Care for the prince's they will.'

They only had to wait for those who the dragon had sensed to arrive. Zor-El knew they would not be of the Kryptonian species, but of the human race. And if he trusted anyone, aside from his closest family members, it was his long time friend and mount, Rad-Shaj, the Emerald Dragon of the Earth.

'Arrive soon shall they, Zor-El.'

He glanced down at the ground and then up. In the distance he saw a single light and heard the footsteps soft upon the grass approach. Two sets of feet. A man and a woman. Which he believed to be husband and wife. This time, he could not command Rad-Shaj to fly them away to safety so as not to be discovered. Not when they were needed by him, by his brother and his brothers wife. And most importantly, needed by the newborn twins, Kal-El and Kar-El.

Author Note: So, what did you think of this chapter? It'll be some time before we get to some Bruce and Clark.