Superman: The Ark of Krypton

Chapter 36

by

Jason Richard

"Where did you say Clark was?" asked Lois as she walked with Jimmy Olsen through the field of tents.

"He called in sick," said Jimmy. Right before the alerts went out and we were ushered into the helicopter.

Lois burst out laughing. She knew it was mean, but she couldn't help it. Of all the days to be sick it was the biggest news story of the century. Part of her felt sorry for him, but the other part of her thought it was hilarious.

Though when Superman flew down from the sky, she forget all about Clark Kent.

"Miss Lane," said Superman. "I believe I owe you that interview."

"It's about time," said Lois, crossing her arms as she smirked.

JImmy, meanwhile, just stared at the two of them, open mouthed and shocked.

…

So Lois Lane held up her tape recorder and listened as Superman told the story he had learned not too long ago, about how he was born on an alien world and his parents gave up everything to make certain their son had a chance to live. It was rare that Lois cried when she heard someone's story, but it really got to her when talked about the moment Jor-El and Lara put their son in the pod. As they stood between the tents she switched off her recorder and wiped her eyes.

"Thank you for sharing," she said, turning off her tape recorder.

"My pleasure Miss Lane," said Superman, smiling.

"I'm not crying by the way," she added quickly. "I've got...sand in my eyes."

"Of course," said Superman. "I wouldn't presume otherwise."

She could tell he was teasing her.

…

Soon a world conference began, with the various scientists and military commanders from all over the world gathering next to the ship in the desert. They also had portable screens so world leaders could participate remotely. Though the talks would begin with the world leaders each staking a claim, all eyes were on the man wearing red and blue that flew in from above and landed next to the ship.

Superman, for his part, went ahead and let everyone talk first, waiting just as patiently as the nearby news media. The various scientists all made the claim that their organization or university should have the ship, as they were best qualified to study it, though many also felt the knowledge should be shared for the good of all mankind.

The various world militaries were a bit more aggressive, pointing out that the possibility for powerful weapons created from the ship's knowledge meant the ship needed protection. None of the commanders suggested who would protect it though, knowing that the various world leaders were going to speak next.

And of course the world leaders all had differing opinions. Some said the knowledge should be shared, some said it should be locked away so no one could use it, and some said that it should be kept safe by their own government. Of course since the ship was on African Soil that nation seemed to have the strongest claim. On that note, one of the military commanders added something.

"This is all very fine and dandy," said general Sam Lane gruffly. "But there is another person here who...I've got to be honest I thought would have strong armed himself into the conversation by now. He's been waiting pretty patiently though, and I'm curious as to what he has to say."

All heads followed Same Lane's eyes to Superman, who took a deep breath and began to speak his peace.

"Thank you for letting me speak," he said. "I do not blame general Lane for being wary of me, so let me first take this opportunity to let the world know that I am no threat to anyone on this planet. I only wish to use my powers to help those who cannot help themselves. Now, as for this ship I know exactly what it is and where it comes from."

"And how would you know that?" asked General Lane.

"Because," said Superman. "We are both from the same place, a planet called Krypton."

The various military commanders, world leaders, and scientists all started talking amongst themselves about this new development. Superman once again waited patiently, and then resumed his words when they were finished consulting with each other. He decided he wouldn't tell them everything, but keep his explanation brief as the world would get a more detailed explanation from Lois's interview.

"I am the last survivor of a planet called Krypton," said Superman. "The name I was given on that world is Kal-El, It was destroyed when its sun went supernova, leaving me alone. I am on Earth to make a new home for myself. This ship is the last remnant of my old home, and I've been searching for it for some time. This ship was built by my father on Krypton, Jor-El, as a way to make a new hope for our people, but he didn't finish it in time. It has no weapons, but it has the potential for them.

"As this ship belonged to my father it is my responsibility, so I intend to keep it safe myself. Any scientific knowledge the ship contains I will be more than happy to share with the scientists of Earth. I do not wish for that knowledge to be used in war, as the last thing I would want is the knowledge of Krypton to be responsible for the death of anyone on this planet, so you'll forgive me if I share the knowledge selectively. Aside from these conditions, I fully intend to cooperate with the world governments, and share any knowledge I find."

"That's a very nice sentiment," said the US President. "But how do we you mean it when you say you won't use the knowledge of that ship to make weapons? And how do we even know you're telling the truth when you say the ship belongs to you?"

"Why would this guy need weapons?" asked General Lanes. "The whole world saw him throw a Lexcorp battle robot into the sky like it was a football. He's already more powerful than anything we've got."

"Yes," said Superman. "I'm afraid I do have to confirm that. As for how you know I'm telling the truth, you don't have to take my word for it."

Suddenly everyone's attention turned to the buried ship as it hummed to life. After a few seconds, a voice boomed from the ship.

"Greetings," said the ship. "I am JLAI 13, the AI aboard this ship, and I can confirm that everything Kal-El says is completely true."

The silence that followed was ominous. For a moment Superman wasn't certain what was going to happen next. He didn't want to be at odds with the world leaders, but just for a moment he thought that maybe he wasn't going to get his way, until…

"You know, I wish my stuff announced that I owned it," said General Lane dryly.

That got chuckles from everyone, and helped lighten the mood. Suddenly Superman had a better feeling about all of this. After a longer discussion about the information Superman brought to the table, the world leaders agreed to Superman's proposal. They wouldn't oppose Superman taking possession of the ship, and he would share whatever knowledge he could.

The only other question Superman needed to ask was where he would keep the ship.