Superman: The Ark of Krypton
Chapter 118

by

Jason Richard

Superman, Kara, and Lytener landed behind Zod, Ursa, and Non, careful not to surprise them. The three Kryptonian soldiers just stared at the place where the portal had been in stunned silence. Slowly Zod stood, even as the defeated look never left his face. Zod turned around and looked Superman in the eye.

"So," said Superman. "What happens now?"

"I don't know," said Zod. "Ursa, Non, what do you think?"

Ursa looking up at Non, who just looked around confused. Non had been given the worst time in the Phantom Zone, kept in a perpetual state of fear, and now that they were free at the expense of the rest of the Kryptonians that were lost he didn't know what to do. None of them did.

"Hey," she said. "How do you feel?"

Non looked at her and said with a grunt, "Better...I suppose."

Ursa nodded and turned back to Zod, "I'm thankful that we got out at least. Whatever you decide to do, we'll follow it."

Zod nodded and turned back to Superman, who tensed, ready for another fight. Lytener and Kara stepped behind Superman, ready to follow his lead.

Zod stood there, weighing his options. What would they do now? He looked at the device Kara held and knew he couldn't open the portal again. Earth had a way to stop that now. The only way he could get out of this was to recharge his power faster than Kal-El. That human in the advanced technology suit recharged Superman, but how could he get to that power himself?

Perhaps it was time to surrender. He didn't like thinking that Krypton's days were over, but Zod was completely and thoroughly exhausted and saw no way to take control of this situation.

And then he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Could it be? It was. It was a probe from the benefactors that had released him and his brethren in the first place. Could it turn things around?

Superman noticed Zod looking to his left, but gazing in the direction Zod was looking proved to be a mistake. As soon as Superman, Lytener and Kara looked that way the probe flashed them with intense light in every spectrum, blinding them. Superman heard a whoosh and as the looked over. Superman's heart suddenly sank, a chill going down his spine.

Zod had Edward Lytener by the throat.

The flash hadn't just been light, apparently, as Lytener's suit had a few holes in it, each glowing around the edges. One of these holes was, naturally, at Lytener's neck, Superman could see the veins in Zod's hand flex as that hand threatened to squeeze down tightly.

"Interesting technology," said Zod. "But this holographic suit doesn't have red sun energy running through it. Probably too radioactive, but I digress. You're going to give me and my subordinates a dose of that yellow sun energy or I'm going to snap your neck."

Poor Lytener was terrified as he felt the strong fingers digging into his throat. His first thought was to just do what Zod said. The suit even responded to his thoughts and a dose of yellow energy formed in his hand. He closed it into a fist, however, telling himself not to do it as tears formed in his eyes within the holographic suit. The yellow light faded away slowly but didn't quite go away completely.

"Of course you'd choose now to grow a backbone huh?" said Zod angrily. "Give up the energy!"

"Zod!" pleased Superman. "Don't do this!"

Zod spared a look at where the portal used to be and said, "You do what you feel you must, and so will I. As for you," he looked back at Lytener, "give me that power now!"

The yellow light flickered in Lytener's hand as he struggled to contain his impulse to do as he was told. Tears fell down his face as the yellow light in his hand flared up completely.

"Edward!" cried Superman.

"Superman!" cried Lyentener, aiming the light at Superman.

As a blast of yellow sun energy sped towards Superman, a few things happened all at once. Zod threw Lytener behind him while Superman and Kara moved forward, the young girl throwing away the dimensional modulator. Superman kept his eyes on Lytener, who was moving through the air dangerously fast. Superman would go through the yellow blast and use the extra energy to reach him before Lytener landed. Zod ran as fast as he could, even as he knew he'd never reach the light in time. Ursa wasn't in a position to get to the blast first, so she grabbed Kara from behind. For a moment, just a moment, it seemed like Superman would reach the light.

Until Non slammed into him from the side, knocking Superman away and taking the blast himself.

Non felt the power course through him, and as it was fully absorbed the large Kryptonian man let out an intense battle-cry. Zod looked on in approval, Ursa kept her arm around Kara's neck but nodded in satisfaction. Kara's eyes went wide with fear, but Superman landed on his side, kicking up sand as he did, and immediately looked right at Lytener.

It was too late to do anything. Lytener smashed against one of the metal tanks before falling to the ground, going completely limp.