Superman: The Ark of Krypton
Chapter 109
by
Jason Richard
Three days later the place where the Phantom Zone would open was revealed. The entire world sent everything it had to the deserts of Australia. Lara, from the Ark of Krypton, worked with Brainiac to try and shut the Phantom Zone for good and Superman led an army of war machines to that desert. Every single war machine was essentially a robotic tank, each sent by one of the world governments.
Not one human being wanted to face Kryptonians in person, and Superman couldn't really blame them.
As he flew over these tank-like devices of various shapes and national colors he realized that he never imagined himself doing something like this. He wanted to help people, but he didn't feel like a soldier. Part of it just felt wrong, even though he was committed to keeping the Earth safe.
The good news was that the tanks were armed with red sun lasers to keep the Kryptonians from gaining their powers, or at least slow them, meaning Superman could keep them restrained without too much force. The bad news was that such lasers could hit him if he wasn't careful. Still, if Lara and Brainiac could find a way to close the Phantom Zone permanently then hopefully they could end this without anyone getting hurt.
Superman landed in the desert, twenty feet away from where the portal would open, hundreds of machines surrounding him.
And he waited.
…
Lois Lane flew in a helicopter, as close to the scene in Australia as the military would allow. As the helicopter blades spun above her, drowning out all sounds, Lois looked out at the desert and could just barely discern superman among the giant, silver devices all pointing to a single area.
Any moment now the portal would open and thousands of Kryptonian criminals would spill onto Earth. Lois couldn't deny that she was frightened of the possibility.
But if they lived through this, it would make one heck of a story.
…
General Zod waited at the appointed place, staring down a probe from their mysterious benefactors as Ursa, Non, and a thousand Kryptonians waited behind him. The benefactors would expect a full report of the Kryptonian powers before letting them out, but Zod was confident he'd come up with a convincing story that would shift the balance of power in his favor. If everything worked out his people would be free and wouldn't be beholden to anyone.
"General Zod," said the probe. "Our patience has run out. We do wish to help you out of your current predicament, but we must know how your powers work. If they work the wrong way it could interfere with the portal out of the Phantom Zone."
Liars, though Zod. They just want to control us. Still, have to give them something.
"Our powers come from sunlight," said Zod. "Though I don't know the science behind it we draw energy from solar radiation. A planet with a safe amount can provide us with the unimaginable power that you've seen from this Superman."
"Understood," said the probe. "Thank you. We will open the portal shortly."
A tunnel of light appeared and the ship flew into it before it disappeared. Zod was left grinning. By inserting "safe amount" into the conversation that implied that Kryptonian powers had an upper limit and that the Earthen countermeasures he'd heard about were about overloading the Kryptonians with energy. If these benefactors tried to control Zod and his people it would make them more powerful, as opposed to the red sun effect of making them less powerful.
Of course, it was a gamble. If there really was an upper limit to how much solar energy they could absorb then he might get them killed. Still, it was the only gamble available to him that let them out of that accursed place and not under someone else's control, so it was a risk he was willing to take.
Soon a light appeared in front of them. The portal had begun to open.
…
Not far in front of him, Superman saw the speck of red light. It was tiny at first, but it grew steadily larger and larger. Superman that it would soon be a portal to another dimension, and he readied himself to hold back the dangerous men it was set to unleash.
...
From within the helicopter, even as far away as she was, Lois could see the bright speck of light from where the portal began to open. The cameraman pointed his camera as Lois got out her microphone. Then the cameraman pointed the camera at her.
"This is Lois Lane," she said as loudly as possible over the helicopter blades. "Reporting to you live from Australia, and as you can see in the desert below the portal to this Phantom Zone is opening. The siege of Earth has officially begun."