(Good lord I should have updated this story sooner. Thanks to everyone who reminded me that people still read it and wanted to know what happened next. It motivated me to get back to it albeit slowly.)
Faora readied her plasma pistol as her speeder approached the World Engine. The Black Zero was on lockdown and therefore so was the World Engine, meaning its defenses would be down. However the instant Nam-Ek and Faora stepped onboard, Kara could simply turn the atmosphere Kryptonian and fight them without any normal powers. That was fine for Faora, she wanted to rip that traitor's throat out with her bare hands. But she also wasn't naïve enough to believe that Kara wouldn't be prepared.
"I know that's you approaching the World Engine Faora. I'm giving you one chance. Stand down," Kara's voice came through Faora's com. The Commander ignored the traitor's warning and simply sped up the speeder. That should send Kara a message in and of itself.
Faora did a single lap around the massive machine waiting for Kara to activate the World Engine's defenses but nothing happened. It seemed Kara was intent on keeping the lockdown enabled on the Black Zero even at the expense of herself. It was a mistake that would cost her. Faora motioned to Nam-Ek who nodded and leaped off the speeder.
He landed on top of the World Engine and started tearing away at the hull, forcing a breach open. Faora brought the speeder to a halt on top of the massive machine and jumped off, joining her massive comrade. Nam-Ek tore through the last layer, spewing out gas at the two different atmospheres mixed. Faora frowned, why would Kara change the inside of the machine to a Kryptonian atmosphere? She should have set it to Earth's atmosphere where Kara would have an advantage as she understood how to use the powers it brings to Kryptonians better than anyone else under General Zod's authority.
The two soldiers dropped through opening and into the inner chamber below. The massive room was empty aside from the disabled machinery. Kara was many things but Faora knew she wasn't a coward. The traitor was setting them up for an attack. The question now was what kind of trap was this? Overhead the hole they dropped through was covered up with magnetized fragments that formed an airtight seal.
"You're doing to die a traitor but you can at least die a warrior. Come out and fight!" shouted Faora.
An energy blast shot past her and hit Nam-Ek in the chest. He cried out in pain as he dropped the floor. Faora rolled out of the way to cover as a barrage of energy fire rained down around her. Kara had taken an elevated position to give the best field of fire. Faora's options for cover were limited while the traitor didn't have to move at all from her perch.
"I'm not going to let you commit genocide Faora!" Kara yelled out. Nearby an injured Nam crawled to safety behind cover. He was severely injured but alive. Kara should have finished him off while she had the chance. Perhaps she felt some kind of guilt and couldn't finish the act. That only proved how weak Kara was.
"You are nothing but a flawed genetic abortion," spat Faora. "You should have been destroyed the second you were born but instead you lived. You had your chance for redeeming your nature when you said you wanted to join us. But the truth is you were never one of us. You were only a tool for the General to use and now that you're useless, it's time you were disposed of."
Faora shot out of her hiding spot and fired away at Kara. The traitor was forced to take cover as Faora rushed forward to a nearby console. The Commander started typing away, starting to reactivate the World Engine. If Kara truly cared about these humans then she'll have no choice to move from her cover to Faora. Sure enough, Kara stood up into view. How predictable. Faora fired a burst at the traitor, two energy blasts barely hitting her target in the chest but the third shot hit Kara's plasma carbine. The Sub-Commander dropped the smoking weapon to the floor and quickly returned to cover.
Faora was cautious as she approached a ladder and climbed up. Kara might have other weapons as her disposal. Faora climbed up to the balcony level that her opponent was no doubt lying in wait. She passed by several different machinery and pipe works. Maybe Kara truly was a coward and fled.
Faora was about to clear another block of circuitry when something struck the back of her foot, causing her to lose her balance and drop to the floor. She barely had time to regain her senses before a long blade was coming directly towards her chest. Faora rolled out of the way, the blade hitting nothing but the metallic floor. She then thrusted her leg out and kicked her attacker in the chest. Kara stumbled back into the circuitry block, her bone blade extended from her forearm. Not a coward after all.
Faora tried to grab her pistol but Kara launched herself forward and tackled her to the ground. Kara once again tried to stab Faora but the Commander caught the blade with her hands, stopping it inches from her chest. The metal dug through her gloves with blood dripping down her wrists.
"We don't have to do this Faora. Help me convince the General to take the Genesis Chamber, the Codex, and the World Engine off this planet and choose another one. We can find another world without killing this one," Kara pleaded, no longer trying to push the blade further. She was giving her opponent one last chance. It was a fatal mistake.
Faora use the opportunity to push the blade to the side and pull Kara towards her, using her feet to flip the Sub-Commander over Faora and to the floor. Kara rolled uncontrollably towards the ladder opening and fell through. Faora grabbed her pistol and walked over the opening to find Kara hanging on for dear life.
"Showing mercy? You really are pathetic," mocked Faora who aimed her weapon at Kara's head.
The Sub-Commander suddenly let go, falling to the floor as she tapped a button on her wrist band. Within microseconds, air began to pour into the large chamber. Faora could instantly feel her strength and senses heightening. The traitor must have tied in the World Engine's atmospheric controls to her suit. Faora then instantly recognized the threat that represented. Kara landed on her feet on the floor below and instantly leaped back up through the ladder opening. She tackled Faora, the two soaring through the air and crashing into the ceiling.
Faora may now have superhuman strength and durability but Kara had the advantage now. Zod informed his soldiers that the traitor had a greater knowledge of her abilities just like Kal-El. Kara threw Faora towards the floor, the Commander crashing painfully into the metallic grid work. Faora recovered quickly and got back to her feet. She glanced up to see Kara hovering in the air. The traitor shot towards her but never reached her target. Nam-Ek tackled Kara in mid-air before she could reach Faora. The giant brute's wounds were now healed and he was ready to make the traitor pay. He slammed Kara to the ground and prepared to stop on her skull.
Kara's eyes glowed and she fired a burst of red energy at Nam-Ek's helmet. It didn't penetrate the armor but it did cause the giant to stumble back. Kara used the opportunity to launch herself to her feet and uppercut Nam-Ek in the jaw. The giant's helmet shimmered, unable to maintain it's shielding from such a blow. Kara didn't get a chance to capitalize as Faora dashed forward and slammed into her. Kara went flying into a wall as Nam-Ek started screaming in pain, his helmet unable to protect him any longer from his own enhanced senses. The giant put his hands to his ears but stayed on his feet, his eyes fixed firmly on the traitor. Faora had to give him credit for able to mentally endure the pain.
Kara recovered quickly and ripped a piece of a metal pipe off of the wall. Nam-Ek launched himself forward at her but Kara spun out of the way. The giant punched the wall instead, leaving a large hole. Nam instantly turned to hit the traitor but Kara's eyes lit up and fired twin beams of crimson energy directly in the giant's face. Nam-Ek screamed in pain, covering his eyes. They didn't appear to be injured but rather overwhelmed by the intense light, blinding the giant. Kara then tapped a button on her wrist com, restoring the Kryptonian atmosphere as her bone blade extended from her forearm.
Kara then stabbed Nam-Ek right in the throat, her blade driving right through the neck and coming out the other side. The giant gasped as he spat up blood, his eyes widening in shock at his impending demise. Faora felt nothing however for the death of her comrade as she rushed forward, drawing her knife. Kara didn't get a chance to restore an Earth atmosphere before Faora stabbed her in the back. The traitor screamed in pain as she dropped to the floor. Nam-Ek stumbled to the floor, grasping his throat as his lungs began to fill with blood.
"I figured you'd go for a killing blow while all of us were powerless," smiled Faora, standing over the traitor. "Good strategy but entirely predictable."
"So you just what? Let me kill Nam-Ek so you could kill me?" groaned Kara, unable to stand. Faora made sure her blade hit her directly in the spine. No way she'd be able to recover from that without powers. Faora pulled her knife out of the traitor and then drove it into Kara's wrist com to make sure she couldn't change it back to an Earth atmosphere.
"That's why you were never one of us traitor. Victory should come at any cost," mocked Faora. Kara started struggling on her hands and knees, heading towards an escape pod. A traitor and now a coward as well. She wasn't going to get very far at that speed though. Faora calmly strolled over the primary control console and began powering up the World Engine. Soon the machine would resume the terraforming process and create a New Krypton for their people. But at least one Kryptonian wouldn't live to see it.
Faora headed back to Kara who was still crawling. The Commander kicked the traitor in the face, forcing her to roll over onto her back.
"Krypton will be reborn despite your efforts. You and your cousin chose these wretched humans over your own people and now your bloodline will be wiped from existence. Any last words traitor?" Faora asked, drawing out her knife.
"Yeah," smiled Kara. "I never was willing to sacrifice someone else but I've always been willing to sacrifice myself."
Faora frowned, not understanding the meaning until she heard a klaxon going off. She glanced at the control console and to her horror, the World Engine was overloading. Kara must have sabotaged the machine before Faora and Nam-Ek arrived to make sure they couldn't use it if she lost. Killing the traitor was lost on the Commander's mind as she quickly rushed back to the console. She typed away, trying to shut it down but the cooling system was failing and core temperatures spiking past the point of no return.
"Victory at any cost!" Kara shouted, having reached an escape pod. Faora quickly rushed after to stop her and get off the machine as well. She was almost within reach before the pod doors slammed shut in the Commander's face.
"NOOOO!" Faora screamed. She scrambled to another one but was too late as the entire room suddenly went up in flames as the engine exploded.
Kara screamed as she bounced around inside her escape pod. Her escape plan had been a worst case scenario but fortunately she decided not to hedge her bet on victory. She knew there was a good chance she couldn't beat her former comrades so she sabotaged the World Engine, setting the main reactor to overload before her former comrades even arrived. It was a hard decision as they would never be able to recreate a world into Krypton but Kara couldn't allow her people to be reborn at the expense of an entire planet filled with life. She promised Kal she wouldn't allow the World Engine to fall back into Zod's hands and she kept her word.
Yet her victory seemed short-lived as her escape craft was spiraling out of control. She didn't have time to lock the restraints before ejecting so now she was getting rolled around like a Rondor pup inside a caged wheel. Add to the fact that the atmosphere inside the pod was Krypton based and Kara was as fragile as a normal human. The knife wound in her back was throbbing, the pain intensifying with every bump and movement.
Kara needed to change the atmospherics inside her pod but that was difficult to do while getting tossed around. She managed to grab one of the chair restraints and held on for dear life. With her free hand, she tried her best to type in the controls before the pod shook violently from an impact. Kara's vision blurred as she regained her senses, noticing water was flowing in through cracks that weren't there a moment ago. The pod must have crashed into the ocean, causing damage that allowed water to leak inside. The water level was rising quickly, forcing Kara to hasten her pace. She tried to change the atmosphere to match Earth's but the controls were reporting a malfunction in life support system.
Kara had no idea how deep her escape pod had sunk but she didn't have any other choice. She needed to let the rest of the pod fill up with water and manually open the hatch. The water level rose faster and faster as the Kryptonian took a series of deep breathes. Her knife wound felt like it had been set ablaze once the salt water touched the skin. She took one last breath before the water completely engulfed her body and then slammed a fist down on the emergency release, blowing the lid off the pod.
Kara struggled upwards with the wound in her back almost debilitating her every move. She needed to get some air before she drowned. Ironic she was on a planet that almost made her a god and yet at the moment, it did nothing to help her escape from her impending death. Her lungs were gasping for air as she approached the surface, her every move was a struggle. Just as she was starting to black out, Kara's head broke through the surface and she let loose a loud gasp.
Instantly she could feel herself getting stronger but not as much as she wished. Her stab wound still felt like it was on fire and she was barely able to keep herself from sinking back down. She swam as hard as she could to a piece of floating debris nearby, probably wreckage from the World Engine. Kara climbed on top of it and collapsed, her strength expended. She glanced off in the distance to see the remains of the large Kryptonian machine in flames and in pieces. She just ensured that Krypton would never be made anew. That thought went through Kara's mind as she blacked out.
Clark was on the verge of tears as he collapsed to his knees. At his feet lay General Zod with a broken neck, his glowing eyes diminishing to reveal lifeless irises. The man had been a monster and threatened to never stop killing everyone on Earth unless he was stopped. Clark tried to reason with him, even plead with him but the Kryptonian General wouldn't stop his rampage. So Clark snapped his neck, ending Zod's madness as well as his life.
Yet he did it at the cost of Pa's most important rule. Jonathan Kent was always afraid of what would happen if Clark every decided to play God so he always told his son never to kill anyone. Someone as powerful as him needed rules and limitations to make sure he didn't become a monster. Pa taught him not to hurt people, not to fight back against those who had no chance of even hurting him, to not reveal himself, and most importantly not to kill anyone. Yet in the past few days, Clark had violated almost all of those rules to save Earth. He stopped the Kryptonians from destroying Mankind and yet destroyed his own people in the process. The Genesis Chamber was destroyed and with it, the chance to grow a new generation of Kryptonians. Clark had damned his homeworld to save his adapted world.
In this moment, Clark didn't feel like a hero. It felt like blood was on his hands. The blood of millions of Kryptonians crying out and condemning him for never allowing them to ever get the chance to be born. The blood of those who died while Clark battled Zod across Metropolis. He knew some people had perished during their confrontation having heard the screams. Why didn't he try to save them instead of turning Metropolis into a warzone? A real hero would have saved them or would have at least taken the fight somewhere far away where no else would have gotten hurt.
Clark could hear Lois approaching him. She was the only one who dared to as everyone else in Metropolis Central Station was too afraid of him. Why shouldn't they be after what they had just witnessed? He just killed a man in front of them. Regardless of the circumstances, that wasn't something you just shrug off and forget about. They witnessed him snapped another living creature's neck.
"Clark," Lois whispered, unsure about what to say. It was alright as Clark really didn't know what to say either. Maybe it was best not to say anything right now.
A sonic boom thundered overhead. Something fast was getting closer and Clark doubted it was a plane. Another Kryptonian was on his or her way. Kara said she would stop her former comrades from getting back the World Engine and Clark had been so busy dealing with Zod that he had forgotten about his cousin's plight. So either she was coming here victorious or one of Zod's soldiers was coming here to return to their ship. Clark truly hoped it wasn't the later because he wasn't sure if this city would still be standing after another fight like the one he just had with Zod.
Kara-El came crashing through the roof, landing on her feet with a thunderous thud on the floor. People screamed at the sight of her with everyone short of Lois bolting outside. Clark rose to his feet unsure of what to say to his cousin. Kara stared at Zod's corpse, her face in shock at the sight of her former commander dead. She finally broke her gaze away and looked at Clark.
"Where is the ship?" she asked.
"Sent to the Phantom Zone along with everyone inside of it," answered Clark. "The World Engine?"
"I had to sabotage it. It was destroyed along with Faora and Nam-Ek" answered Kara. That was some measure of good news then. "Are there any other survivors? Anyone else of our people left?"
Clark shook his head. The last two survivors of the House of El were now also the last two survivors of Krypton. Clark noticed Kara had dried blood surrounding a hole in her armor. "Your injured," he pointed out.
"I'll live," Kara replied. She glanced around, realizing something. "Where's the Genesis Chamber? General Zod took it. Where is it?" Kara asked.
Clark knew this wasn't going to be easy for her to hear. She had been a soldier who fought for her people and had spent the past decades working to bring her people and her planet back to life. Now all that hard work was for nothing.
Kara noticed her cousin was hesitating to answer. "What did you do?" she demanded.
"I'm sorry," Clark whispered.
"No," Kara gasped, realizing what had happened. She suddenly shot up into the air, disappearing through the ceiling. Clark leaped after her, soaring though the hole in the ceiling left from his previous battle. He hovered in the air and scanned the immediate area. The sound of crying was what gave her away. Clark flew to the crash site of the Zod's scout ship. There in the wreckage he saw his cousin sobbing and on her knees, clenching an embryo sac that had been gestating inside the Genesis Chamber. It was lifeless as well as all the embryos that were sprawled all over.
Kara allowed the embryo to slip from her fingers as she glanced up, revealing her tear stained eyes. "Why?" she demanded.
"I didn't have a choice," Clark tried to explain.
"I destroyed the World Engine to save this world and you returned the favor by destroying our world!" shouted Kara, rising to her feet. Clark was worried she was going to do the same thing Zod did and fight him to the death. There was no telling how much devastation that would cause.
"I didn't want this to happen. I'm sorry but I couldn't risk anyone else's life," apologized Clark.
"You destroyed our last chance to bring Krypton back!" snapped Kara.
"Krypton's gone Kara," Clark said.
Kara started crying as she dropped to her knees. "I wasn't born a soldier, I chose to be one. I wanted to fight to protect my people but I failed them. I couldn't save Krypton, I couldn't protect my Father or Uncle Jor and I served the man responsible for both of their deaths. I wasn't there to help my Mother or Aunt Lara when both of them needed me the most. I failed everyone," she cried.
Clark stepped forward. "You didn't fail me or Earth. There are six billion people who are still alive today because of you," he said.
"Then why don't I feel like a hero?" snapped Kara.
"The same reason I don't feel like one right now," sighed Clark. He couldn't help but emphasize with how she must be feeling right now. Kara did the right thing but betrayed so much she fought for in the process. Clark wished it didn't have to be like this, his cousin deserved far better for the sacrifice she made.
The sound of helicopters echoed in the distance. The military was on its way to secure Metropolis and things could get complicated if they find Kara. She may have helped to stop Zod but that didn't mean the US government would see her as anything other than an enemy combatant. The military may have stopped shooting at Clark but he doubted they would he could convince them not to do the same to Kara.
"You should probably leave. The army is on its way and I'm not sure I can convince them you're not their enemy," Clark said.
"Enemy would imply that I am a part of some organization opposed to them. I'm not part of anything now," Kara sighed.
"They'll try to kill you," Clark said.
"I don't care," Kara whispered. She just sat down, her expression almost lifeless. This was someone who just had no will left to fight or even life anymore.
Clark moved forward, grabbing Kara by the arm. "You need to go," he urged.
Kara shoved his arm off her and glared at him with contempt. "Get away from me!" she shouted.
Clark backed away. His cousin was clearly in no mood to be talked out of this. Either she was going to face the military head on or simply not resist at all. Clark was worried about either scenario. He didn't want Kara to start killing soldiers but he also couldn't stand back and let the military try and kill his cousin either. This was a no win situation. Sometimes being a hero wasn't easy.
Clark stayed as the military entered the city. Helicopters and jet fighters flew overhead. He could hear Humvees and APCs spreading out across the city, creating checkpoints and securing Metropolis block by block. Radio chatter went out confirming Superman and Kara's location. Someone must have spotted them and reported them in. The army was launching a quick reaction force to engage Kara. The military wasn't under orders to attack Superman but they might change their mind if he attempts to intervene.
Apache helicopters circled the area, their guns trained on the Kryptonians. Tanks, Humvees, and APCs approached on the ground, surrounding the scout ship crash site. Soldiers approached on foot with guns drawn. Clark noticed they also carried portable LRADs, sonic emitters that could be utilized as sonic weapons. Considering the Kryptonians have heightened senses, it was probably a more effective weapon then a missile launcher.
"Don't shoot. She's with me!" Clark called out.
"On your knees and put your hands on top of your head!" A soldier shouted.
Kara slowly stood up on her knees and obeyed the command, putting her hands on top of her head and interlocking her fingers. Clark was tempted to stop this but stood back. Two soldiers approached the Kryptonian subcommander and patted her down for any potential weapons. They then twisted her hands behind her back and cuffed her wrists together. Kara didn't resist at all as she stood up and was escorted away.
(To be honest, I put this story on hold until the DCEU was few movies further in but so far the films have been less than impressive. Wonder Woman was phenomenal but unfortunately that's the only one. Batman V. Superman had some of the best action scenes in a comic book movie but the story was terribly written. Suicide Squad was beyond disappointing and Justice League felt mediocre at best. So I've decided to take some ideas I've had in my head regarding how I would have done and just go from there. It doesn't mean elements from the other movies won't show up but just in a way that I prefer them to be.)