Superman: The Ark of Krypton
Chapter 122
by
Jason Richard
Zod and Ursa continued listening but had trouble finding anything. The problem with listening to people to find a place to hide was that all the places you heard about were places someone knew about. They'd been there for a long time, and still nothing.
It didn't help that there was so much information to hear as well.
Sitting cross-legged against the wall of the plateau, Ursa sighed and said, "I swear if I have to listen to one more married couple arguing I'm going to destroy something."
"I know what you mean," said Zod, grimacing with his eyes closed. "So much noise. I wonder how long it took Kal-El to manage this."
Ursa, shaking her head in frustration, suddenly stood up, walked over to a rock, and punched it, smashing it to a thousand pieces in one blow.
"What are we even doing?" she demanded. "Why are we hiding? We should be avenging Non!"
"You saw what that cyborg did to us," said Zod. "Surely you felt it? The radiation that cyborg gave off? The pain got worse the more we tried to tap into our powers, and Non was affected by it as much as we were even though he was farther away. I think the more power we have absorbed the worse that radiation affects us."
Ursa clenched her fists and looked away.
"I let him suffer alone," said Ursa. "I made certain to feel good before going into the Phantom Zone and ignored what would happen to Zod. I got to spend all that time in a state of bliss while he was stuck terrified. I shouldn't have let him suffer alone."
Zod sighed, and then said, "I know how you feel, but now is not the time to let our emotions get the best of us. We can't avenge Non if we end up sharing his fate."
Ursa sighed and then sat back down. The pair of them began listening again. Zod's mind, however, ended up wandering. He thought back a long time ago, back to when he first met Ursa and Non.
…
Zod walked slowly through the halls of the Kryptonian military complex. Wearing his uniform, he'd just gotten away from a funeral...another one. Every time he got home from a mission he had to attend a funeral for the soldiers that fell under his command. This one had been especially bad. It had been a battle against Colu, and while they had won the day in the end, seventy percent of Zod's forces had been wiped out. Zod knew the security of Krypton was at stake, but that goal was hard to keep in mind with the vision of his men in coffins so recently in front of him.
He finally got to his destination and halted outside the door. His own division was merging with another that had suffered heavy losses, including their own general.
He wasn't looking forward to it.
Zod opened the door and found himself face to face a small force of Kryptonians, smaller than he expected. The lieutenant of this group, Ursa, stood at the head of the group while a large man stood at her side. He looked at Ursa and noticed marks on her uniform indicating exceptional service. Zod approved. Zod wasn't certain who the man next to her was, but his uniform showed the same marks, so Zod was prepared to take him seriously.
"Attention!" cried Zod.
"Yes General!" cried the Kryptonian soldiers in response, straightening up.
Zod walked back and forth, sizing the group up. He then stood right in from of Ursa and looked her in the eye.
"So you're joining my ranks," said Zod. "I want to know. What happened on your last mission?"
"Ambush sir," said Ursa. "Colu battle droids took us by surprise."
"I see," said Zod, taking a closer look at them. "Those marks on your uniform are fresh it seems. You got commended after a mission where you were ambushed and lost most of your soldiers. Why is that?"
"That's not for me to judge, general," said Ursa. "The Admirals have their reasons for awarding me. I was just doing my duty."
Non nodded, signaling that his response was the same.
Zod smiled and said, "That's a good answer. Duty should come before personal advancement. I'll be honored to have you with me."
"General!" cried the Kryptonians in acknowledgment.
...
Later on, General Zod met Ursa and Non met in the facility's mess hall, sharing drinks around a table. Zod was the kind of man who got to know the men serving directly under him in off-duty settings as well as on duty.
"So tell me," said Zod, sipping his drink. "Why did the two of you join Krypton's army?"
"You don't waste time do you?" asked Ursa, laughing one moment and sighing the next. "Well, I suppose I was like a lot of people who joined. I wanted to do something meaningful with my life, and this is what I settled on."
"Same here," said Non. "Just wanted to make a difference, and as a soldier of Krypton, I have the chance to do so. That is what all those speeches soldiers make at the academy wanted to impress upon us students. Isn't it?" He added playfully.
Zod chuckled and said, "Nothing slips past you, does it?"
"How about you?" asked Ursa.
Zod took a deep breath and said, "I saw the ruins of a small town that got hit by a Daxamite laser cannon. The whole thing had been reduced to some rubble and a lot of dust. I saw that and realized that it could have been my town...my friends...my family...I wanted to make certain that never happened to them."
The three sat in silence for a moment, just letting that sink it.
"But it does happen," said Zod bitterly. "All the time. So many men lost."
"That's why we're told not to make emotional bonds," said Ursa. "To avoid the pain."
Zod smiled sardonically, "Well that's my biggest problem. If I can't think of someone as a friend, I find I can't trust them to do anything. Either I go into battle with men I'm not one hundred percent certain I can rely on, or I feel it right in my guts every time one of them dies under my command."
Again the three were left in silence for a moment as they let that sink in. Ursa and Non couldn't help but feel that they knew where he was coming from.
…
Zod, Ursa, and Non went on many missions after that, fighting in countless battles and watching each other's backs the whole way. While they lost men this new squadron, formed from two that had both suffered losses, quickly became the top squadron in Krypton's army. No matter how many battles they survived, though, they still felt the losses to their company as men disappeared only to be replaced by fresh recruits.
No matter how powerful the thrill of victory was for them, the sight of coffins took its toll.
And for one of them, the toll drove drastic action
…
Zod stormed into the room, his face fierce and angry. Without having to tell people to do so everyone stepped out of his way as he made his way through the Kryptonian facility. Finally, a pair of doors opened into a laboratory filled with many advanced, alien machines and Zod found Ursa arguing with a Kryptonian scientist.
"What happened?!" Zod demanded.
"This fool told Non he could unlock Krypton's ancient powers!" Ursa almost screamed.
"I can!" protested the small, mousey scientist. "I don't know what went wrong! If I could just look over the data…"
Zod pushed the scientist out of the way and approached a glass chamber connected to a large machine. Inside he saw Non, his entire body pale and sickly. The large man shook uncontrollably and looked around fearfully. Zod came up and put his hands on the glass. Non looked up at Zod as if he didn't recognize him. In fact, he grew fearful at the sight of his friend.
"Non," said Zod, but his voice only made the large man recoil. Zod couldn't make sense of what he was seeing.
"I'll ask again," said Zod, his anger seething. "What happened?"
"He…" the scientist stammered. "He seems to have suffered some brain damage. I'm sorry...I was certain I'd figured it out. Jor-El's been working on finding the ancestral power, but he's not sharing it. I...figured if he wasn't going to share it, someone else should."
Zod clenched his fists. "Well, clearly the right man wasn't you."
The scientist was arrested within the hour.
…
Zod and Ursa watched over Non as doctors tried to help him. None of the treatments they came up with helped, however. Non stayed a simple-minded, monosyllabic brute. One time the doctors brought in children's educational material, trying to help him improve his mental state, and Non got so frustrated with his inability to figure it all out that he threw a table over and injured some of the doctors. Over time Non got to the point where he could follow directions, but that was it.
The man Non had once been was gone.
…
Zod and Ursa sat alone at that same table they'd first talked to each other back when they first met. Non's seat was empty, and they could feel his absence.
"Ursa," said Zod. "I've been thinking...what if Non was right? What if we need the ancient powers of Krypton if we are to survive."
Ursa sighed and said, "That power would make these wars a lot easier. I won't deny it. Would you really risk what happened to Non? And what of the council? What if the people themselves do not wish a return to that? Our days as the most powerful race in the universe are not fondly remembered. Our ancestors did some terrible things after all."
"I know," said Zod darkly. "I know all of this. What Non did was reckless. I won't deny that. But I understand why he did it. He was right that we'll need this kind of power sooner or later. Other races in the universe have that kind of power now, and they won't ignore us forever. As for the council and the will of the people, we will convince them."
"And of those who won't listen?" asked Ursa.
Zod gave her an intense stare and said, "We'll do what needs to be done."
Ursa nodded and said, "Alright. I get why Non did it too. I'll follow you every step of the way. I trust you."
Zod nodded, content with her answer.
…
As Zod continued sitting there his thoughts of the past were interrupted.
"Got it," said Ursa. "I think I found a good place to hide."
"Lean on then," said Zod as they both stood up. Zod looked her in the eye and said. "I trust you."
Ursa nodded and together they flew off.