(Sorry for the long delay but I'm finally back.)
As Clark approached the World Engine, dawn turned to night. The massive monolith blew gas and particles into the atmosphere, creating storm clouds that spread outwards. As Clark flew into one of these clouds, he suddenly gasped. His lungs hacked up whatever he breathed in during his brief exposure but almost immediately Clark could feel his strength slowly diminish. He dropped from the sky momentarily but managed to right himself and continue towards his target.
The World Engine pounded the Earth with a white beam in sequences, sending millions of gallons of water into the air every second and dropped it all back down the next. His approach must have detected him because two massive doors opened on its side, shooting tentacles composed of magnetized fragments similar to the kind the Kryptonians used on their consoles. Though these obviously weren't used for display something on a view screen. Clark managed to avoid one tendril but it simply swung around and lunged at him again. Hoping it had a range limit, he shot upwards into the sky with the tendril in pursuit.
He soared around the machine in circles, hoping for the tentacles to get wrapped around themselves but it didn't work. They never slowed down or got stuck on one another. Their reach seemed almost endless. The tendrils broke apart, forming dozens more that caught up and started wrapping themselves around Clark's legs and moving upwards. He managed to break free until more tendrils engulfed him the moment he was free and the ones he broke apart instantly repaired themselves. Clark was fighting a losing battle and he knew it. Making a mad dash towards the machine, Clark put all his strength and effort to rip free and attack the World Engine before it was too late. Instead of fighting him, the tendrils suddenly weren't fighting him but rather pulling him down. Clark suddenly found himself getting flung downwards right into the gravity beam.
The force of the beam pinned him to the ground. Clark had never felt such overwhelming power in his life. He could barely lift his hand up, let alone stand. The beam was so bright, he was nearly blinded. Clark couldn't fail now. Not when he was so close. The faces of Lois, his adoptive parents, his real father Jor-El, every single person he met all flashed through his mind. A reminder of what was at stake. If he died now, the rest of humanity would as well. Zod will have exterminated an entire race and forever curse his own race as murderers. Clark couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't let that happen.
Slowly he pushed against the gravity beam, slowly managing to get to his feet. His summoned all his strength to prepare himself to fly when suddenly, it was over. The beam vanished and the World Engine powered down. Well Clark certainly wasn't expecting that to happen. Did the machine malfunction or did someone deliberately shut it down? He flew up and around the machine, searching for any sign of damage. When Clark didn't see any, he started looking for an opening. Something shut it down and he wasn't naïve to think it was mechanical failure.
Clark got his answer as he found an open slot near on the side of the World Engine with a familiar figure standing just inside of it. Kara waited as her cousin floated through and landing inside. "I'll say this much. You certainly don't give up," she commented.
"Family trait," remarked Clark.
"Clearly on both of your families," replied Kara.
"Was this you? Did you shut this machine down?" asked Clark. Kara replied with a nod. "Why?"
"I'm not doing this for you or your beloved humans. I'm doing this to stop General Zod from making a terrible mistake," Kara answered then motioned for him to follow her. The two journeyed deeper inside the machine which was starting to resemble the insides of Zod's ship the Black Zero. But instead of monitors and small corridors, the hallways were massive with various unique-shaped machinery littered all along the walls and ceilings. These seemed more like maintenance tunnels engineers would wander through to fix things rather than a place you would live in.
"Stop him how?" asked Clark.
"General Zod is only doing this because he thinks this is the only path. I'm going to give him an alternative," stated Kara.
"Does this alternative involve leaving Earth?" asked Clark.
"It does," Kara replied and then stopped to face him. "I'll convince him to leave but in exchange you have to give me the Codex. Once we have it and the Genesis Chamber, there's no reason for us to stay. We'll find a world other than Earth to terraform and there we can restart our race."
"I don't have this Codex. It wasn't on the ship that brought me," sighed Clark.
"That's impossible. Your Father risked his life to send it with you. It has to be on this planet!" Kara snapped, almost in denial.
"Look I'll gladly help you find it but you need to make sure Zod and the others don't reactivate this machine," Clark stated.
Kara glared at him, "We're not destroying it. The World Engine is the only way to create a New Krypton."
"Your friends are probably preparing an assault to retake this ship as we speak," protested Clark.
"They have other problems at the moment. The Black Zero's systems right now are tied to the World Engine. Meaning when I froze this ship's systems, it froze the other one as well. They're trapped for the moment which should give me enough time to figure this out," explained Kara.
Faora slammed her hand on the control panel. Had the atmosphere in the room been Earth instead of Kryptonian, her fist would have punched right through it. Instead the Commander simply caused the ever repeating error display to simmer slightly. Main power was offline, disabling the entire ship. They've lost shields, weapons, sensors, and propulsion. The hangar bay doors were locked due to a lack of power which blocked them from escaping with the dropships and the backup generators weren't kicking in properly. They were as helpless as Rondor cups fresh out of the womb.
"How could this have happened?" Faora shouted.
"The World Engine is on an emergency lockdown. We're still slave to its systems which is why we're affected," Jax-Ur tried to explain while he furiously typed on one of the consoles that was actually working.
"How long before main power is restored?" Faora demanded.
"This isn't as simple as deleting an invasive AI. The security lockdown was entered with General Zod's authorization key. I'd need to perform an entire system reboot to restore primary systems," said Jax-Ur.
"Does that mean we're trapped in here?!" Car-Vex shouted.
"No. The escape pods are still working," replied Jax-Ur who was becoming irritated by the endless questions.
"Commander Faora. We're receiving a transmission from the World Engine," reported Tor-An.
"Put it up," ordered Faora. A three dimensional display of Kara El's face appeared on the view screen. Faora immediately understood what was happening. That treacherous bitch had shut down the World Engine and the Black Zero by using the General's authorization key. No doubt she obtained it through theft. Kara had always been clouded by conscience but she's never committed treason. "Explain yourself Sub-Commander," Faora demanded.
"Put me through to General Zod," Kara spoke.
"I always knew you were weak Kara but I never thought you were a traitor you genetic refuse," Faora spat. To a soldier in Zod's army, being called a traitor was among the worst insults.
"Put me through Faora," Kara said, insulting Faora by not addressing her as Commander.
"Fine. I'll let you tell him your last words," Faora growled.
Kara waited impatiently as the transmission line went dead. She readied herself for what was about to happen next. Zod would declare her a traitor, there was no doubt in that. He would feel betrayed and wouldn't tolerate it. Kara didn't doubt this would put a death sentence on her head. That was the penalty for treason but somethings were worth dying for. Kara had felt hollow ever since the destruction of Krypton, her life completely without meaning or purpose. She failed her planet and her people but now maybe she found a way to change that. To start Krypton anew and protect the people of this world as well.
Zod's face appeared on the terminal Kara and Kal were using to communicate. His face said everything they needed to know. "Kara reactivate the World Engine now," he ordered in a dangerous tone.
"I'm sorry sir but I cannot in good consc…" Kara spoke.
"I don't care about your apologies or conscience!" Zod snapped. His eyes turned to Kal. "I see you've also refused to carry my other order regarding your cousin.'
"General you have the Genesis Chamber and the World Engine. Once we have the Codex…" Kara tried to explain.
"We?!" Zod shouted.
Kara continued, "…we can find a suitable world to colonize and reform Krypton."
"We have everything we need right on this planet," growled Zod. "The only two things stopping us are you and Kal."
"You still need the Codex," Kara pointed out.
"You're standing next to it," Zod replied. Kara frowned then turned to Kal who was just as confused as she was. "Jor-El was far more clever then I gave him credit for. Instead of simply leaving it inside the ship when it could be damaged or rioted away in time, he put it inside the one thing that couldn't be destroyed on this world. The Codex is inside Kal's DNA."
It all made perfect sense. Jor-El knew how powerful Kal would become once he was adjusted to the planet's atmosphere and who better to decide how the Codex should be used then by someone who lived and raised among the native population. It was the best way to integrate Kryptonians alongside the Humans.
Kara leaned closer to Kal and whispered, "If we're unable to retrieve the Codex from you, would you be willing to come with us?"
"What makes you think Zod and the others will go along with this?" Kal whispered back.
"I'm not giving them a choice. I'm going to launch the World Engine and jump us to another system. Zod and the others will follow us and we can lead them on a war-kite chase until we find a suitable planet for terraforming," Kara replied.
"And then what? Bigones become bigones and we all become one happy family with Zod?" Kal frowned.
"No…I expect Zod will execute us both," Kara stated. Kal threw her an incredulous look. "This is the only way our people can begin anew and not as the human's expense. I'm willing to give my life for that. Are you?"
Kal didn't even hesitate as he said, "If it means Earth stays safe then yes."
Kara nodded then turned back to Zod. "Kal is willing to join us, even assist us. All we're asking is to leave Earth and find another world General. We found this planet, we can find another one. It doesn't even have to be in our lifetimes. With the Genesis Chamber, we can produce a new generation to continue our mission," she explained.
"Out of the question," Zod spoke.
Kara was starting to lose her patience. "I am launching the World Engine regardless of your cooperation," she said.
"I never expected you were such a coward Subcommander but my people aren't going anywhere. The second you try to leave, I'll order the others to kill every last human on this planet," Zod warned. Kal clenched his fists, probably half ready to punch a hole in the screen.
"They haven't done anything to you or our people General. By Rao's name I'm doing this not just to stop genocide but so that future generations of our people won't look back at you and see you as a monster. When our planet was destroyed and we had nothing left, you kept us going. I would have probably taken my own life had you not been there. The same could be said for Faora, Nan, and everyone else. I don't want history to remember you as a monster. I want it to remember you as the man that kept us together and led us to this moment. We are about to restart our race and it's all thanks to you. Please don't let it end like this," pleaded Kara.
For a moment she thought she actually gotten through to him. Zod was shaken by her words, very few things could nowadays. Kara had grown up idolizing him and when he took her under his wing, she couldn't have been more proud. He gave her a purpose after her father was murdered by Terrax and the Council robbed Kara of her justice. She fought alongside him through multiple battles, never defying his orders even when her conscious questioned them. It was only until Zod ordered Kara to destroy Kal's ship as it was departing Krypton that she disobeyed him for the first time. She didn't care if he had her killed after all of this was over, all she wanted was for Krypton to be born again and not as the expense of the humans.
"If I am damned by future generations, then it's a small price to pay for my people's survival," Zod spoke. Kara closed her eyes, her hopes for a peaceful solution to all of this dashed.
"You however…," Zod continued. "…have no people Kara. You were never one of us, just a genetic defect. I thought you could overcome your nature and prove useful but I was wrong. You are a blight and you'll die along with Kal and his beloved humans."
"C'mon Kara you're wasting your time with this," Kal told her. Kara couldn't agree more. There wasn't anything else to be gained by talking and Zod's words hurt more than any blow Kara received during her fight with Terrax.
"And since we're being so honest with each other Kara, there's something you should know. It was no accident Terrax managed to escape from his prison or managed to get within striking distance of the Council," Zod said.
Kara froze, her thoughts rapidly putting the pieces together. "You?" she whispered. "You let that monster loose?"
"Terrax was the greatest soldier who ever served under my command. Granted he become savage and uncontrollable towards the end but he still had enough sanity left in him to follow one last order," nodded Zod.
"You ordered him to kill the Council. Did you tell him to kill my father too?!" Kara shouted, unable to believe what she was hearing.
"Of course not. Zor-El's meeting with the Council happened at the last minute and I didn't have enough time to call him away," explained Zod. "I felt sorry for you. It was the first time I felt sorry for anyone in my life. I took you under my wing, gave you my trust, and this is how you repay me. Now you can join your father and Jor-El."
His image faded as the transmission ended. Kara couldn't believe it. All these years she had looked up to that man when in fact he had engineered her father's death. Terrax may have been the murderer but Zod was the one who set him loose. Kara felt a rage she hadn't felt in years, not since the sentencing of Terrax by the Council.
While Zod spoke to the traitor, Faora had pulled Nan-Ek aside and told him to follow her. They might not be able to fly one of the shuttle with the hanger closed down but that didn't mean they couldn't escape. They put on helmets as they entered one of the cargo bays and opened a cargo container. Inside was an old speeder designed for two people. It wasn't Faora's preferred choice but they were short on options. Faora got onboard and activated the engine. Nan-Ek climbed onto the back and held on as Faora flew the speeder through the ship's hallways and entering the bridge. The crew were startled as they passed right through as near break neck speed, blasting a hole through the window and escaping the ship.
They passed by several human air vehicles but Faora ignored them. They were no threat. Her only concern was to find that traitor and put her dagger through her heart.
"What was that all about?" Kal asked.
Kara didn't answer him, his mind focusing as she accessed the World Engine's sensors. "Zod is onboard the Genesis Chamber and is heading back to the Black Zero and I'm picking up another contact. A small craft heading this way. That has to be Faora," Kara summarized.
"Then we need to move this machine right now," said Kal.
"I can't. Right now I put the system into a lockdown and since it's linked to the Black Zero, it keeps that ship grounded as well. The second I restart main systems, the Black Zero will be fully operational again…Wait a minute. I'm picking something up near that ship's position. There's a phantom signature coming from an Earth vessel," frowned Kara.
"It's a military plane carrying the ship that brought me here. They're going to drop it on the Zero and open a rift to the phantom zone, sending the ship and everyone onboard back," explained Kal. Kara should have felt outraged that her companions were about to be wiped out but truthfully she felt nothing. They always hated her and the only person she truly respected out of any of them was Zod. But that respect was gone and she knew the truth. If anyone of them managed to escape the ship, they would kill every human they could out of sheer spite. They were soldiers without any sympathy or conscious within them. The truth was they were nothing more than thugs and needed to be stopped.
"Then why haven't they done so? The defenses are down?" asked Kara.
"I don't know," sighed Kal.
"They don't have much time. If I can detect the energy from here then so can General Zod. He'll shoot the humans right out of the sky," said Kara.
"I need to go then but first we need to destroy this machine," Kal said. His eyes turned red as he aimed at the main engine cluster. Kara rushed forward, tackling him into a wall and stopping him.
"We are not destroying it. This may be the only machine left in the universe that can terraform a new Krypton," Kara snapped.
"If Faora gets her hands on it…" Kal protested as he shoved her away.
"She won't. I promise," Kara said with conviction in her voice.
Kal didn't seem convinced by that but he didn't have much choice. He needed to intercept Zod soon or the humans carrying the phantom drive would be dead. Kal couldn't waste time getting into an argument or fight with Kara with so much on the line. "I guess I'll just have to trust you," he said.
"Stop Zod but don't damage the ship he's on. Without the Genesis Chamber onboard, our race dies. Do you understand?" demanded Kara.
"I'll do what I have to," Kal answered. He flew down the hallway and out of the open door on the machine. It seems both of them needed to trust each other to do the right thing.
Kara made her way to a storage room and retrieved a plasma carbine, one of several Zod had put inside just in case of emergencies. "Come get me Faora," she whispered as she loaded an energy charge into the weapon.
(I had originally planned on Superman and Kara fighting Doomsday but considering he's supposed to be in Batman vs. Superman, I decided to hold him off until later. The funny thing was that before I thought of Doomsday, the plan was for Faora and Kara to have a big fight and now that idea is able to come to fruition. Hope you liked it and please review.)