(To Nerdman3000: I do plan on expanding this story beyond the movie. I have a few ideas on how to introduce the likes of Lex Luther, Brainiac, and a certain individual who will be debuting in this chapter. Hope you all like it.)
"Higher dad!" squealed Kara on a small liquid crystal display. Of all the personal belongings that was put onboard the Black Zero for storage during her imprisonment, this was her favorite. It was recording of the day she first rode with her father on H'Raka. Kara must have been five years old at the time. So young and naïve, she thought she was going to change the world. Become the first General of Krypton from the House of El had been her life's goal even as far back as that. H'Raka flew the two Kryptonians around the wildlife plains around the Citadel and Kara had never been so happy in her life. When they got back, Mother was not thrilled when Kara wanted to know when she could ride the creature by herself. It didn't help when Father and Uncle Jor both joked about her being a natural and should take up flying lessons.
"All hands be aware that Faora is docking at this very moment and has returned with Kal-El and the human. Nan, Tyr, and Aethyr report to the docking bay immediately. Everyone else to the bridge. Kal-El will no doubt be different from the rest of us but remember his blood is that of Krypton," came Zod's voice over the intercom. Kara strolled out of her room, nervous but excited at the same time. After so many years of searching, she had finally found the last of her family. The crew may be her brothers-in-arms but they were not of her bloodline. She wondered what he would look like. Would he bear a striking resemblance to his father? Or perhaps he would look more like Aunt Lara.
Her mind froze as she passed by the one containment cell still active. After so many cycles onboard this ship, this one place could still chill her bones. The occupant hadn't been unfrozen like the rest of them. Thank Rao he hadn't or everyone might not be alive today. Why Zod hadn't ejected the pod into space, Kara would never know. She knew he didn't want to waste potential resources but this wasn't a resource or even a soldier. Terrax was a monster.
Terrax was Zor-El's greatest achievement and his greatest mistake. A genetically enhanced soldier unlike any other and his skill and valor were unrivaled among any of the warrior caste. During the years of service, he was considered to be the greatest soldier who ever lived and was considered un-killable. He had been rumored to have been shot, stabbed, burned, had his neck snapped, and yet he would not die. During the campaign against the rebelling cities on Krypton's northern pole, Terrax single handedly stormed an enemy bunker filled with at least a hundred soldiers and within an hour was the only thing left alive inside. Among the enemy, they had another name for him. Doomsday. Apparently Terrax liked the name and even had the symbol of Doomsday adapted as his own personal sigil. Maybe that should have been the first warning. Over the years Terrax became more aggressive and volatile. His body had changed along with his sanity and eventually he was locked away into a facility until his animalistic nature could be cured. In hindsight, they should have just killed him.
The eerie silence of the hallway was Kara's first sign that something was wrong. She was in the Tower of Rao, the capitol building of Krypton and yet she hadn't seen any guards patrolling the area. Security should have been heavy with the Council in session. Zor-El had been summoned for questioning concerning Terrax and his de-evolution. Those ungrateful pampered old men showered Kara's father with praise when Terrax had first emerged from a test tube and were just as quick now to condemn him. The meeting was called so quickly that Kara barely had time to finish her duties on the Academy grounds before entering the tower on her off-time. She had no doubt she was late and yet that seemed the least of her problems at the moment.
A nearby security checkpoint was empty. No guards, no security drones, nothing. There wasn't a scheduled shift change for another four hours and even if there was, that wouldn't excuse abandoning a checkpoint completely. "Hello?" Kara called out but no one answered. Her instincts began to kick in, thoughts of what could be happening flashed inside her head. Was it an attack of some kind? It was the only logical assumption. She checked around and finally confirmed her suspicions when she opened a supply closet where two dead guards and three destroyed security drones lay on the floor. The guards had their necks snapped, their heads nearly ripped off. The security drones were smashed by a blunt force instrument, no sign of any energy weapons fire.
There was only one person who came to mind that could cause something like this but it was impossible. Terrax was locked up in a secured facility but yet the bodies said otherwise. Kara grabbed a rifle lying on the floor and dashed to the guard station to hit the alarm button. Klaxons and red lights went off afterwards as she rushed towards the Council chambers to find her father. She nearly tripped over more bodies on her way there, hacked and slashed. She burst into the chambers to find a massacre. The Sapphire Guards were already dead along three council members. Terrax stood in the center of the room with blade protruding from his forearm guards and holding Zor-El up in the air by the throat. Kara fired two shots into his back but that didn't even seem to make him flinch. Terrax turned his head, his red eyes glaring at her. Then he turned back to Zor-El and shoved one of his blades right through his heart. Kara's screams filled the chamber.
Kara didn't realize how long she had been staring at the pod but she had clenched the holo recorder so hard that it cracked. One of these days she was going to disregard Zod's orders and launch the pod into the vacuum of space. Or better yet into a black hole where the gravity would rip it apart at the atomic level. That would at least make sure he doesn't plague anyone else in this universe again. She spit on the pod and then continued towards the bridge.
When Kara arrived, Zod was already greeting two new arrivals. Lois Lane was recognizable with her light brown hair. She wore alien clothing and a Kryptonian shield helmet. It was doubtful the human could breathe in a Kryptonian environment. The other was a dark-haired male dressed in a blue skin suit with a red cape and the House of El symbol blazoned in red on his chest. He had the hair of his mother and his face had the characteristics of his father. There was no doubt in Kara's mind that he was Kal-El. "I take it you're Zod?" he asked.
"General Zod!" hissed Faora.
"It's alright Faora," Zod calmed her down. "Kal-El is a stranger to our ways. This moment should be a cause for celebration not conflict."
Before Kara had a chance to say anything, Kal groaned, struggling to stay on his feet. "…feel…weak." he moaned before dropping to his knees. Kara was about to rush to his aide but Zod held up his hand, telling her to stay back. The human didn't.
"What's happening to him?" shouted Lois.
"His body is rejecting our ship's atmospherics," answered Zod. He watched Jor-El's son with a calm gaze that Kara wished she could emulate. Watching a member of her own family, the last surviving member of her family, suffering was not something she could so easily stand by and watch. "You spent a lifetime adapting to Earth's ecology Kal but you never adapted to ours." Kal struggled to get up, wheezing as his strength gave out and he slumped on the floor unconscious.
"Clark!" Lois shouted, shaking him. Clark was what she called him. Kara had been wondering how Kal-El had lived among the humans. Who raised him? What did they call him? Did he feel alone? Did he even know about his homeworld and his own people? Did he even know about his own family?
"Nan take him to medical. Jax prepare the mind probes. We'll be able to extract information from him easier while he's in this state," ordered Zod. The massive Nan shoved Lois aside and lifted Kal with no effort onto his shoulders. "Kara escort the human to medical. I want her scanned as well."
Kara grabbed Lois by the arm and lifted her to her feet. "Don't you touch me!" she snapped, trying to pull away.
"Look around you human and tell me what struggling against me will accomplish?" challenged Kara. Lois didn't offer a retort and Kara took that a sign of accepting her situation.
An unconscious Kal was already being hooked up for a mind scan by the time Kara had brought Lois into the medical station. He was bound with metal restraints on an examination table while Jax placed an eye piece over his right retina. Nan stood guard nearby, silent as always. Though the scan was painless for Kryptonians, Kara didn't know if the same could be said for a human. "Sit," she ordered Lois, pointing to a metallic table.
The human apparently decided arguing wasn't going to accomplish anything and did as she was told. Instantly metallic restraints wrapped around her wrists, ankles, and waist. "What the hell?" snapped Lois who was losing her calm demeanor. Kara could empathize with how she felt. She was alone in a situation that she really shouldn't be involved in. Lois didn't deserve to get caught up in all of this.
"Is the scan harmful to humans?" Kara asked Jax.
"I suppose we'll find out," Jax answered without even looking at her.
Kara grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to face her. "Answer my question," she ordered.
Jax suppressed a hint of anger as he answered, "No. The human will be fine."
Kara shoved him back into the wall, a little reminder that she was not only his superior officer but a superior soldier. "Look me in the eye when I ask you question and don't disrespect me again," warned Kara as she walked back to Lois. Only Rao knows how many times she needed to do this. It was always the same. One of the crew members would openly disrespect her and she would put them in their place, usually by a show of force. Nan smirked, amused.
The human was quiet, examining her surroundings carefully. Her eyes rested on Kara's armor. "That symbol you're wearing. Why is it the same as Clark's?" she asked.
Kara had no real incentive to answer but she did it anyway. "I was born of the House of El. The same bloodline as Kal."
"That makes you what? Family?" Lois asked.
"In a manner of speaking. Kal was the only one of our people that was naturally born. The rest of us including myself were grown, genetically engineered to fulfill a specific task. Leader, soldier, worker, all steaming from various bloodlines that were considered worthy of preserving. Kal and I share the same bloodline which makes us cousins in a sense," answered Kara.
"Are you done mingling with the native?" sighed Jax.
Before Kara could respond, Zod entered the room. "Have you located the Codex?"
Jax shook his head. "His mind is incredibly resistant to the process. I haven't found anything on the Codex in his memories."
"Maybe he didn't even know it was on his ship," suggested Kara.
"There is some good news. The colony ship Kal used to bring us is here is actually in working condition. A real working Genesis Chamber," said Jax. That is probably the best news Kara had heard in a long time. For years the only ones they found on the old colonies and outposts were destroyed and beyond repair. Without a working one, having a World Engine or even the Codex was useless. And once they secure the ship and the Codex, Krypton would live again.
"Scan the human for anything useful and get her out of here. I want to speak with Kal-El alone," ordered Zod.
Kara grabbed a nearby eye piece and held Lois's forehead as she placed it over the human's right eye. "Try to relax and keep your right eye open. Otherwise you'll just slow the whole thing down," she said.
"You know you could just ask me a question the whole fashion way," Lois glared at her captor. Kara activated the scan and a thin beam of light shined into Lois's eye. To the human's credit, she didn't even wince. The scan was over within seconds. "What that's it?" questioned Lois as Kara removed the eye piece.
"Did you want the process to be long and painful?"" Kara replied as she undid the restraints and led her out of the room. All the while Zod ignored them, eyes glued to Jor-El's son.
"You know for claiming to be family you sure have a strange way of showing it. Threatening the entire planet he calls home and all the people he cares about," Lois grumbled as Kara led her through the hallways.
"Kal isn't one of you. He belongs with us," snapped Kara. Her prisoner's ranting was starting to annoy her.
"Not from what Clark told me. He knows your friend Zod was a rebel and he lost the war. That would make all you people criminals," countered Lois.
"Zod fought to save his people and for his efforts he was imprisoned along with the rest of us in the Phantom Zone," responded Kara.
Kara's dropped to the cold floor, gasping for air. "System Failure. Emergency release protocols initiated. Please remain calm and near your cells. Emergency technicians have been notified," boomed over the loudspeaker. Her blurry vision started to clear as she realized her arms were no longer restrained and more important she was no longer encased in a stasis pod. Her muscles were stiff and sore, Rao only knows how long it's been since her imprisonment. Kara raised her head to notice a pile of scraped security drones lying right in front of her. A single man in a dark uniform stood off near the massive window at the end of the room. Her vision wasn't clear enough to make out what he was looking at.
"This is all your fault. You and your damned rebels needed a living breathing being operating your prison at all times. It was only supposed to be a three week assignment before I was rotated out," he said seemingly on the verge of tears. "NOW'S IT ALL GONE!" He stepped off to the side and Kara finally saw what he was talking about. A massive debris field of planetary rubble rested in the foreground, it's green glow lighting up the room. She didn't need to be told what it was. Kara already knew. Her uncle warned that this would happen but the Council wouldn't listen and now the origins of the great Kryptonian people, the seat of their space empire, and their home since the dawn of their civilization was gone.
Beside her, other pods were beginning to open and release their contents. "I should have been here then I would have died with my family. But because of you people I was forced to see this and now I want you all to suffer just like me. The ship's supplies are limited and may last you a week at best. I also took the liberty of disposing of all the firearms on this ship except for the one I'm holding and it only carries enough charge for one more shot. The rest of you will starve to death but for me this is all over," the jailer said before putting a pistol to his head and pulled the trigger.
"Except we didn't starve. We managed to modify the Phantom Drive on this ship and turn into a hyperdrive capable of FTL travel. We searched the old colonies and outposts but they were nothing but tombs. We wondered the cosmos for years, scavenging what we could and hoping to start our people anew until we detected a distress beacon coming from this planet," explained Kara.
"The ship," realized Lois as they rounded a corner, only for Kara to groan as they were passing by Terrax's pod. "Who is that?" the human asked.
"The real reason this prison ship was built in the first place," Kara muttered. Thankfully the jailor who released them all didn't release Terrax as well. Kara doubted they would have all survived very long with him on the loose. They came to a halt in front of a large storage room the crew used as a brig. Kara worked a console to alter the atmosphere inside the room to match Earth's and opened the blast door. "Get in," she ordered.
"What are you planning on doing with me?" inquired Lois as she stepped inside.
"Hopefully nothing," answered Kara.
"That's very reassuring," mocked Lois.
Kara grabbed the human's helmet and pulled it off. "You won't need this anymore. The room's atmosphere has been modified to your planet's," she said before closing the door behind her. The human was certainly belligerent, maybe that was considered to be the norm on her world. The fact that she had shown no signs of fear the entire time on this ship was impressive. It's a shame this Lois Lane wasn't born a Kryptonian soldier, she would probably have been a good one.
She returned to the medical room where Zod was just leaving. "You can speak to him. I've already told him about you," he said.
"Did you tell him what happened to Jor-El?" asked Kara.
"Yes," sighed Zod before taking his leave.
This was not going to be the happy family reunion Kara had hoped for. She doubted Kal was going to be very receptive now. If you just found out you have a cousin and she was a follower of your father's murderer, would you be happy to see her? She stepped inside the room where Jax was drawing blood from Kal's arm. "You're wasting your efforts. The strength you derive from your exposure to Earth's sun is neutralized aboard our ship," mocked Jax.
"Leave me with him," Kara ordered. The scientist glared at her, not happy with the command. "If I have to give you that order again it'll be after I give you a broken arm," she warned. Jax decided not to test her words and quickly left. Now Kara was finally alone with him. All these years she had planned on what to say to him but whatever she had thought up over the years just seemed to slip from her mind. Kal glared at her with condemning eyes, it was easy to figure out how he felt about her regardless of any blood ties they shared.
"Where's Lois?" demanded Kal.
"She's fine. Do you know who I am?" Kara replied as she set Lois's helmet down on a nearby table.
"I know enough. You wear my father's symbol and yet you sided with his murderer," accused Kal.
"It's not that simple Kal. Jor-El was stealing the most important component of our society and planned on sending it beyond our reach. It was a complicated situation that got out of hand," protested Kara.
"Out of hand? That's what you call the death of my father?!" snapped Kal.
"You think that's what I wanted?" shot back Kara. "I loved Jor-El like a second father but stealing the Codex was treason."
"Treason to whom? Zod? The man rebels against his own people, causes a civil war and anarchy, kills the man you claim to love like a second father, and you have the nerve to defend him?" spat Kal. Kara was starting to wonder where he got all this so called information from. She doubted Zod or anyone else onboard would have told him about what happened. "Ya know I found that fanatics always find ways to justify everything that they do and their followers will always find some excuse for them."
Kara clenched her fists. "Don't you dare judge me. You know nothing about me and what I had to sacrifice. If it weren't for me you wouldn't even alive," she snapped. That finally silenced her cousin. "I managed to track your father down to our family's ancestral home. I hoped to take the Codex back without bloodshed before the General arrived to take it by force. I underestimated your father's resolve and he managed to knock me unconscious. When I awoke Zod and Jor were fighting and I managed to retrieve a weapon and disarm your father. Your mother had been preparing to launch you and the Codex into space the whole time and Zod ordered me to shoot her. I couldn't do it so I aimed my weapon at your ship. Your parents begged me not to shoot all the while Zod and Jor struggled with each other. But I couldn't pull the trigger."
"Why?" asked Kal.
"Because you were an innocent child. More than that you were my family. Your mother launched you into space and Zod drew a blade and stabbed your father trying to stop it. He died in my arms as I tried to tend to his wounds."
"How do I even know you're telling the truth?" frowned her cousin.
"Just watch this," Kara told him before pulling out the holo projector. The liquid crystal display formed into H'Raka with Kara and Zor on his back.
"Higher daddy!" laughed a young Kara on her father's lap. She had never felt so happy or excited in her entire life. There was something incredible about feeling the wind blow through her hair, the ground thousands of feet below you, and nothing but the clouds above you. H'Raka earlier had flown them above the cloud line until only the red sun Rao was above them. It was a feeling unlike anything else, a sense of liberation and freedom that almost couldn't be put into words.
"Maybe later sweetheart. Your uncle was expecting us back about ten minutes ago," chuckled Zor. H'Raka stretched out his wings and glided downwards towards the large Citadel of El. Kara was saddened by the end of her ride but there were be more in the future. It was after spending an hour on H'Raka's back that Kara realized that if there was one abnormal ability she could have, it would be the ability to fly. There was nothing that could compare to it. They came in a slow approach to the landing pad and gently touched down. Alura, Uncle Jor, and Aunt Lara all stood there waiting for them. While mom wasn't very pleased, Jor and Lara had smiles on their faces.
"I swear she was born half war-kite," laughed Zor as he dismounted with his daughter.
"She's a natural," agreed Uncle Jor. Alura glared at him and he innocently held up his hands. "That's just my opinion anyways," he added.
"When came I ride her again?" asked Kara as she pet H'Raka's head.
"Kara let's get inside. You need to fix your hair before our guests arrive," ordered Alura. Kara ran her hands through her hair and realized it was a complete mess. Flying at incredible speeds would do that.
"Ah she looks perfect just the way she is Alura," chuckled Zor.
Alura punched him in the arm teasingly. "I guess it was too much to hope that she was scared of heights," she sighed.
"Face it darling. Our daughter was born for this," smiled Zor.
Kara felt a slight tingle in the back of her throat. Something tasted wrong about the air and yet it felt familiar. Then she heard a thumping sound, constantly repeating itself and yet she hadn't noticed it until now. It seemed to be coming from Kal-El whose body was seemingly starting to alter itself. By the time Kara realized what was going on, it was already too late. The thump was Kal's heartbeat and the alteration was just her perception of him. She was starting to see right through his skin, organs, muscles, skeletal structure, everything. Within seconds, more sights and sounds bombarded Kara's senses. The inner workings of the ship, the sounds of boots running down a hallway, it was so much to handle that she could barely focus or concentrate.
Kara shut her eyes and covered her ears as she realized what was happening. Somehow the ship's atmosphere had altered to that of Earth's. Another sound caused to her cringe as she opened her eyes to see Kal ripping through his restraints like paper. He glanced at her for a moment. "WHERE'S LOIS?" he demanded but didn't shout. Although to Kara, he might as well have set off a bomb in her ears. She tried to cover her ears better but it just wasn't working. Kara dropped to the ground groaning in pain. Kal seemed confused, unsure of what to do. Then he dashed towards the door, ramming through the metal. Kara screamed as she endured the sound of her cousin's escape as if it was magnified a thousand times over.
Wishing to an end for it all, that's she remembered the helmet. She opened her eyes and tried to focus on the table she put it on through it was hard to make out. One moment she was seeing the inside of the room, at other times she could see the stars and darkness of space outside of the ship. Having no choice but to unmask her ears, she got to her feet and scrambled to grab her helmet. It was almost impossible to think with everything she was hearing. Thankfully, Kara managed to grab the item before losing her balance and hitting the floor once again. She shoved it into her head and within seconds, a force shield surrounded her skull. Almost instantly, the torturous sights and sounds vanished.
Getting to her feet, Kara rushed outside hoping to catch up with Kal. She wasn't completely sure what in Rao's name was going on but she knew she had to stop him before this got any worse. Zod could decide that Jor-El was too big a threat to keep alive and Kara refused to believe everything she endured after her cousin's launch was for nothing. She had failed Jor-El to retrieve the codex before Zod arrived, she had failed her general and mentor when she allowed the Codex to escape with her cousin, and she had failed her people during her imprisonment in the Phantom Zone while her planet was destroyed. She had failed so many times even before then. Failing to save her father from Terrax and to be there for her mother during her time of grief. So many mistakes but not this time. This time she was not going to fail.
Klaxons blared all around her as she searched for Kal. She wished she could remove her helmet and use the enhanced vision the Earth's atmosphere seemed to grant her but that would only make things worse. "Hello Kara," said a familiar voice behind her. The sound nearly took her breath away as she realized who it was but it was impossible. She had force herself to turn around to her eyes to finally believe her ears. Though impossible as it was, there standing before her was Jor-El.
(To clear up any confusion, Terrax is Doomsday. I decided to give him a different origin that matched the movie universe better. Please drop in a review or two.)