Superman: The Ark of Krypton
Chapter 121
by
Jason Richard
Superman and Kara got far enough away to use their power and flew as fast as they could away from the battlefield. Superman carried Edward Lytener as gently as he could, hoping Edward wasn't hurt too badly. He didn't dare fly too fast for the patient in his arms, but he still felt the urgent need to get him the help he needed.
After far too long a flight Superman and Kara made it back to the military facility where General Lane and the other world leaders were held up. He got Lytener to the medical wing, putting him on a gurney for the doctors to take over.
"Hey," said Kara. "I'm going back to the ark." she paused, then added, "I'm...I'm sorry about your friend."
Superman nodded and said, "Thank you.
As she left Superman sat down on a nearby chair. It had been a long day, and for the first time in his life, Superman felt genuinely exhausted.
...
Zod and Ursa saw Non's fate before they could get to him, and were forced to flee. Away from the Kryptonite-powered Cyborg, their energy began returning, and their bodies started to heal. They found refuge under a rocky plateau, in the same alcove Ursa had found before. There they waited, letting their bodies recover. After all that had just happened, however, their spirits would be harder to restore. They sat side by side, with their backs to the rocky wall.
"I can't believe Non is dead," said Ursa, shaking her head.
Zod didn't answer at first, but then he slowly turned to her and replied, "I know what you mean, but we can't worry about that right now. The humans will be looking for us, and they clearly have more weapons to use against us than we realized. We need to find a place to hide. Let's make use of this enhancing hearing to see what we can learn."
Ursa nodded, and they both closed their eyes. The pair of them just listened to as many conversations as they could, searching for information.
...
Later, as Superman sat there, he could hear the doctors working on Lytener. They had worked in a frenzy at first, but it didn't take long for them to slow down. He couldn't tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He toyed with the idea of using X-Ray vision but decided against it. It wouldn't tell him anything the doctors couldn't already learn. In fact, they'd probably knew more about his condition using their human eyes and their medical degrees than he'd ever know with his X-Ray vision.
Besides, he was afraid if he took a look at Edward's condition he'd throw up. He was feeling sick just thinking about the possibilities.
Lois Lane, after finishing her news report, made her way to the military base and found Superman waiting. He looked up when she approached and shook his head. Lois nodded and sat down next to him, and they waited together.
Finally, after hours of working, the Doctors came out.
"He's going to live," said the head doctor. "But barely. He has broken bones all over his body, even a few fractures on his spine. There's a good chance he might be paralyzed for life."
"I...I see," said Superman. "Thank you, doctor."
The Doctor left, and Superman felt so sorry for Edward. He sat back down and looked at Lois, but she seemed just as lost for words as he was.