Superman: The Ark of Krypton
Chapter 103
by
Jason Richard
Edward Lytener waited in a dark room with one door and no windows as a creaky fan swung above him, the light affixed to it illuminating that one spot where he sat. He'd been taken against his will by General lane and left there for a couple of hours. Surely this had to be illegal. Even if giving information to an enemy like that alien criminal could be considered treason against the human race.
He'd almost passed out when this occurred to him.
Could it be? Had he finally gone too far in his desperate bids to survive? He had given information that could doom the entire planet if these criminal Kryptonians learned to use their powers effectively? He'd done it. He'd really done it. He'd sold out the entire human race to save himself for...who knew how long at this point?
Finally, the steel door hidden in darkness opened and shut with an ominous noise. General Lane stepped into the light, and he scowled angrily.
He was clearly not a happy man.
"Sir…" Lytener began.
"Shut up!" cried General Lane, making Lytener wince. "I've just finished speaking with the heads of the FBI and the CIA, the president himself and several other departments that don't officially exist. I have full authority to hold you where I please. Illegal, perhaps, but considering what you've done people aren't so hesitant to make an exception. I've pulled every single solitary string I possess to make certain you belong to me, so don't even think about complaining."
Lytener put all such thoughts from his mind as he cowered back in his chair.
"But," said General Lane. "That's the bad news. Here's the good news. If you build weapons that can fight these aliens, and I know you can, we won't need Lex Luthor and you can win your freedom back. How's that sound?"
Lytener cleared his throat nervously and said, "That's very generous of you sir."
"And don't you forget it." General Lane replied.
…
There wasn't much footage of Zod in the Ark of Krypton's archives, but what was there was telling. Zod was friendly with his own soldiers and seemed well respected by his men. The most telling videos, however, were when Zod was trying to convince Jor-El to release the information about Kryptonian power.
And this was one such video.
Under the Kryptonian sun, it's red light giving the sky and orange hue, Zod led Jor-El to a field with statues, each with a uniform similar to Zod's. They were organized in a grid, each one evenly spaced from each other.
It took a moment for Superman, as he watched, to realize that this was a graveyard.
"Is this what you wanted to show me?" asked Jor-El, looking uncomfortable.
"Look around you Jor-El," said Zod. "These people made the ultimate sacrifice so that civilians could live in peace."
"I know. The Kryptonian people and I are ever grateful for that," said Jor-El.
"Look," said Zod. "This line was from my own squadron." as he looked at these statues with what seemed to be genuine sadness and nostalgia. "This was Mor-Ze. He was one of the best pilots I have had the pleasure of working with, and quite the sportsman too. Jer-Di. Sniper. He could shoot men without so much as breaking a sweat, and yet whenever we talked he always made me laugh. He could make anyone laugh. Nim-Oz. He…"
"I know what you are trying to do," said Jor-El, unable to look Zod in the eye. "You're trying to make me feel guilty."
"Yes," said Zod, looking straight at Jor-El. "I want you to know exactly how I feel every time I come home with fewer men under my command than I left with."
Jor-El looked away further, conflict written all over his face.
"Jor-El," Zod pleaded. "You know this power means that we don't have to lose any more of our kind to war."
"It also means we could take more of other in those same wars," said Jor-El. "You know our past. Our ancestors were tyrants, corrupted by their own power. I would not wish to see us become corrupted again. If...and only if...we decide to pursue this power again we need to be prepared for it."
"I understand that," said Zod. "And even agree. We can set an age limit, only allow those who are ready for the responsibility to use it. Make sure only those who obey the law use it. Such power can be used responsibly."
"But even if we came up with such a system," said Jor-El. "It is not a decision I have a right to make alone. I have instructions from the council…"
"The council?" asked Zod, his face sneering in disgust. "One of our enemies might try to attack us at any moment and we have to wait for the council to...?"
"I have instructions from the council," Jor-El continued irritably, "To wait for a vote. The Kryptonian people will decide as a whole whether or not we regain this power. If you want it so badly, then all you will have to do is convince people...with reason."
Zod smiled, seemingly pleased with this information. He nodded and gave a polite bow to the Kryptonian scientist.
"I don't think that will be difficult," said Zod. "This is what's best for Krypton. I have every faith that people will see that."
Zod turned and walked away with a confident smile on his face. Jor-El, on the other hand, looked rather uneasy.
"General Zod," said Jor-El. "You had some unkind words for the council. You wouldn't be thinking of moving against them, would you? That would be treason."
Zod stopped, waited for a moment, and said, "Not to worry. I wouldn't dream of committing treason."
And Zod continued to walk away, leaving Jor-El with a concerned look on his face.
Back in the Ark of Krypton Superman watched the entire scene, concerned. Clearly, Zod had been lying, as he had been put in the Phantom Zone for staging a coup d'etat.
Of course, that wasn't the biggest thing he took away from this. After watching that scene he felt that, even though he understood what motivated Zod just a little more, he was suddenly fearful that he understood his biological father Jor-El a little less.
"Brainiac," said Superman. "If my father had so many reasons for keeping this power out of people's hands, why did he send me to a planet where I would get such power?"
Rather out of character for the advanced AI Brainiac took a moment to answer.
"I don't think he was being pragmatic at the time," said Brainiac. "The planet was about to be destroyed and all your parents were thinking about was survival. Even when they couldn't save themselves they wanted to give their son the best chance at living they could."
Superman nodded. He'd seen the footage of that moment and it made sense. Still, he had questions. He, as Superman, used his powers for good, so maybe his father had been worried for nothing. On the other hand, Clark was just one person, who happened to be picked up by good people who taught him right from wrong. If he had landed somewhere else and been taken in by the wrong people, who knows how he might have turned out? And giving an entire planet that kind of power? It would have been certain that the wrong people would get it along with the right people.
With all that in might, Superman found himself asking what he would do if he could give the people of Earth the same kind of power he himself wielded, and he found he had no answer.
"Alright Brainiac," said Superman, putting those questions away for now. "Show me the next video. Show me Zod's coup"