ONE WEEK LATER
Kal's birth had created a new habit for the House of El. Every day during the course of the week, the baby needed tending. Lara never imagined how demanding how she would have to breastfeed their child while Jor would make sure his own priorities of the Science Council was just as vital. Lara, with her limited status, watched over their son and barely left his side.
When Lara went outside of her home, she would be congratulated on her son as much as Jor was whenever he was founded by friends out in public.
Today, things were different. The city of Kandor had been welcomed with a new day like any other. Its citizens had been walking around like usual, but there was one thing amiss.
They had all stopped in their tracks when their eyes looked up in the sky. From every street and every market and every building with a window, people joined and looked upward with their mouths falling open. Among the onlookers, several were fascinated by the strange appearance while others were much more alarmed. Some were so frightened, they started scuttling away from it on the pretense of hostile intention.
It was strange but most unexpected. Krypton has had several visitors from other worlds, and they weren't naturally seen with equal eyes. Despite the unnerving prejudice, it was still welcome.
For today, it was most unnatural. A massive ship had appeared in the sky, just right next to the sun over Kandor, but far away enough to not create an eclipse. It hadn't penetrated through the planet's atmosphere and the clouds were slightly blocking its view, but it was clear enough to make out its features. The design of this ship had seemed extremely different from any other visitor they've ever had. It didn't have the same design as a Daxemite or Czarnian ship. The large ship's front had two large inward-like dents as if it looked like eye sockets. Underneath the two "eyes" was a massive opening that contained a void. What was inside this opening was unclear, but the ship seemed to be resembling a skull. Its underside had long and angular claw-like structures that pointed downward. It almost seemed as if the beams under it were some sort of claw-like figures, acting like they were meant to obtain or extract something.
The Kryptonian Science Council had been called into their chambers ever since detection. All members had assembled in their designated seats around the massive round table where they would all face each other in their decision-making processes. In front of each of them were consoles and other interfaces that were accustomed to their priorities. The middle of the table displayed a holographic image of the skull-shaped ship, giving off a blue aura in an otherwise darkened room.
Based on the interface's readings, the Kryptonian texts calculated the distance between the ships and the planet's atmosphere.
According to the numbers, the ship had been slowing down for some time now. Several seconds passed, and the numbers steadily came to a halt. The ship was now dead still, holding its position outside of Krypton.
At the head of the table, Vond-Ah, a beautiful middle-aged woman who had been the head of the entire Science Council for many years grimaced further. The numbers hadn't changed for the past sixty-second interval.
"Any more readings?" she asked.
"No, milady," councilwoman Mar-Ya answered.
"Is there anything we could find from this ship?" Vond then asked looking out at her colleagues.
"Communications with the ship remain useless," Mar-Ya replied while toggling on her console. "All frequencies have been silent. We've even tried reaching out with numerous alien codes, but none were responsive."
"What of its structure?" Vond asked.
"Its structure," said councilman Dur-Kin, "is only made up of a certain mass we are unable to calculate. We've been getting several readings of large amounts of energy within the core of the ship. From what we've been reading, the kind of energy has photonic signatures that would be as powerful as our planet's core."
The other councilmen began murmuring their concerns whilst exchanging glances. In their years, that was something that would never be even seen or heard. In their years of research, they deemed that it would probably be impossible until now.
"And what of our probes that we've sent?" Vond asked, trying to maintain her tone of order. "Anything from them?"
"The probes were destroyed," said councilman Wri-Qin looking more worried than the rest of his colleagues. "Only they weren't shot, milady. From Dur's calculation, our scout ships and probes were destroyed after receiving a certain signal." He hesitated, allowing a swallow. "Almost as if they were hijacked and programmed to self-destruct."
This assessment aroused more murmuring.
Vond gave a slight exhale, worrying that her fear was showing. "Have we come to any evidence that would suggest that this is an invasion or visitation?" she asked out loud.
"No, milady," Jor-El said. "With no communications and no known lifeforms of any kind coming from this ship, we have no way of knowing. These energy signatures on a scale this massive, this isn't something we've ever seen before."
He took a deep breath. "I fear that we have to suggest of mobilizing our military forces."
His fellow Kryptonians' eyes widened to certain degrees. No sound was made, but Jor could sense the tension coming from his fellow council's faces.
Vond's face tightened. "You realize, Jor-El," she said softly, "that this will mean that this course of action will have to be passed through the Council of Five. Only then will they be able to utilize General Zod for planetary defense."
"The probes were destroyed, milady," Wri said, agreeing with Jor. "If this is a visitation, they would have no reason to merely destroy a nonaggressive measure."
"We may not have a choice, milady," Jor added. "We don't know if this ship has hostile intention, but should it prove to be belligerent, and we are unprepared, then we will have no shield against an invasion. We will not attack first, because we are not aggressors like in our days' past. Therefore, we only mobilize our forces for any incoming attack. If they strike, we will respond accordingly."
"I concur with Jor," Wri said.
"This ship has a massive energy signature on the inside," Dur argued. "That kind of firepower could wipe out an entire city if it wanted to. I say we take this to Fort Rozz and have General Zod decide our best course of action.
"This ship hasn't proven to be hostile," Jor stood his ground.
"Not yet," Dur said. "Even our weaponry—even in our own history—never had this kind of energy."
"That ideology has been outlawed, Dur," Mar joined. "Jor is right. We need to take the necessary measures to ensure this isn't a threat."
More councilmen piled on their cases. Vond's eyes darted from her council and back to the projection of the ship. The readings on the ship bore no difference. Nothing was getting done with their dispute. She softly huffed through her nose as she pondered.
"Council," she finally exclaimed.
The table fell silent.
"I fear invasion as much as you do, Jor," Vond said quietly turning her head, "but consider the risks of running this with the Council of Five. They may support your input as much as you support their politics, but this is a bold request."
A dead silent chill filled the room at the mention of the Council of Five.
Jor sensed the exact sensation. He then said, "I have. And I say this with utmost importance—the Lawmakers need to know. Forgive my bluntness, milady, but if there is absolutely nothing we can do to make any kind of contact with this ship, then we are wasting time."
Vond's eyes shifted downward as her face turned pensive. She admired Jor's judgement for the longest time, and it was morbidly shocking that it had to be decided to seek the help of the Kryptonian Council of Five, who were the only ones to carry out this request.
After a couple of seconds of silence, Vond said, "Very well. We're forced to make a choice. Inform the Council of this at once, Jor. Let them know that there was absolutely no way to connect, and hostile intention may be imminent."
Jor bowed and left the room.
Picking up the pace in his walking, Jor had straightened out his uniform, navigating himself through the long corridors that belonged to the Lawmakers for an interminable amount of years. Soon, enough, he approached the doors to the council room. He began to breathe harder even though he knew of the Lawmakers' confidence and support of his reports throughout his experience of his research. The council had grown to trust the House of El for many generations, and this was a time more than ever for his advice to be heeded.
Jor still couldn't believe that his ship was never found in their large archive searches. Surely, they would have known every single vehicle that existed since the discontinuation of their long-gone empire. Then again, there were many more planets that had yet to be explored. The unknown was frightening and if there was even the slightest chance that it could be unfriendly, they had to be prepared for the worst. The House of El had long resented xenophobic principles, but this had never been seen before.
Something had to be done.
Without much of a thought, he had pressed his hands on the double-doors to the council room and forced it open without trying to make an abrupt sound, aware of never interrupting the Lawmakers' debates. The Council was dignified in that intrusions was extremely frowned upon. Nothing was to disrupt a discussion between the councilmen in usual Kryptonian customs.
Jor looked and saw that the Council of Five was in their respective chairs that had formed an arch on the opposite side of the large decorative and ancient room. The five Kryptonian lawmakers had a look of subtle surprise when they saw that their doors have been unexpectedly opened. As they understood that it was Jor, they turned from surprise to curiosity. It was intriguing to see a long-trusted man who knew better than to barge into the room without warning to do exactly that.
"Councilmen," Jor spoke with a hint of agitation, trying his best to keep within the customs.
"Jor-El," Ro-Zar, the councilwoman in the middle of the room, answered astonishingly and with feigned since of impression. Has Jor forgotten his place? "Your sense of our customs seems to have degraded."
"Forgive me, Your Eminence," Jor said almost interrupting her.
"What has your team discovered about this unauthorized vessel?" Ro asked.
"I'm afraid nothing, Your Eminence," Jor answered. "All we've been able to read about it is that there is a large energy signature. Its readings match about as much as the destructive capabilities of highly radioactive kryptonite. All of this has been detected from the ship's core. Our telecommunicators are apparently unable to reach any kind of contact with it. The material is some sort of strong metal that may or may not be impenetrable."
The mentioning of the word 'impenetrable' made Ro's eyebrows rise. "You sound as if you plan to attack it, Jor," she cautioned.
"Your Eminence, if you may indulge me," Jor said carefully, "we may believe it has hostile intent."
He couldn't quite catch what they were saying, but Jor could detect the tension rising from all occupants in the room.
"Hostile?" Ro asked.
Jor continued. "The ship is docked just right outside our atmosphere and has remained in the same position for quite some time. Any attempt to establish communication with this ship has failed.
"What of the scout probes?" Ro asked.
"They were destroyed," Jor said grimly.
"Were they shot down?"
"No, Your Eminence. They self-destructed. We believe that the ship had lodged some sort of defensive code within the probes. We've tried running diagnostics before they exploded, but it was under a code that we've never read before."
Ro's mouth gaped for a brief period. "What of communications with this ship?"
"We can't make contact with it for any kind of negotiation and our own encoders can't even decipher its data. Not even Vond-Ah. This is unlike any other vessel we've encountered."
Ro looked to her other councilmen with worried looks as they also reciprocated. "There is absolutely nothing we can do to know more about this ship?" Ro asked with a concluding tone.
"No," Jor said quickly. "As said, nothing is known of his ship. Councilmen," he said before taking a deep breath, he gathered the confidence to say his next sentence, "we may have to mobilize our entire military force."
Ro's lips notably parted as her eyes lit up at the mention of all Kryptonian military forces. Moving them around at this time with such a small window would be near impossible. "Are you not aware, Jor, that this is an extremely serious suggestion to have our entire military to be used on such short notice?" she advised.
"I understand, Your Eminence," Jor said ignoring the inevitable questioning of this decision, "but I have spoken with General Zod. He has agreed to take immediate action should the outside vessel show hostile action against our planet."
"Are you suggesting that we attack this vessel with our full force?" Councilman Lor-Em asked incredulously. "You and your team can't uncover what this ship is made of, where it's from, or why it's here, and now, you wish to have our entire military force to assemble? That would take such a long time to even run through our protocols."
"I am not intimating that we attack this ship, Councilman," Jor tried to answer calmly to appease his superiors. "I am suggesting that we have our military on standby should they prove to be hostile," Jor assured looking over to Lor. "In the meantime, we are still trying to discover anything we can find on this ship. Vond-Ah is still trying to establish communication with it as we speak."
"You realize, El," Lor spoke eagerly to change Jor's mind, "that this would mean a potential threat on a worldwide scale."
"I pray to Rao that such an event will never happen," Jor answered. "But you all know me to neither be rash or impulsive. My actions in the past have proven worthy and I have put my faith and trust in what we do to ensure our survival. Hear me, my friends," Jor said as he began to eye all other councilmen. "If we don't take action and prepare ourselves against an unknown, I fear something worse may happen, given our condition."
Ro-Zar looked over to her other councilmen. Lor-Em looked skeptical and had his lips nearly tucked in trying to contain his impatience with this reckless suggestion. Jor had looked deeply into the eyes of the councilmen, hoping that a decision would be taken. He had thought about his newborn son, Kal as well as his loving wife, Lara Lor-Van. He thought about what would've happened to them if there was any kind of danger to them. How unbearable it would've been to lose his wife and firstborn son after only a week of having a family. The more he thought, the more exasperated he was becoming with the Council of Five's pensiveness.
A large bang rang through the chamber that startled all occupants. Startled, Jor spun himself around to face the entrance to the chamber. The doors to the chamber were ripped from their original point and were sent flying off from where they once stood, guarding the lawmakers of Krypton. A large ball of smoke hazed where the doors were as the councilmen and Jor looked at the threshold of the chamber. Jor shielded his face with his arms from potential debris of the sudden assail. As he lowered his arms, the councilmen brazenly leaned out of their chairs and looked ahead with their mouths hanging open. Had the ship already begun to attack as Jor-El warned?
Jor squinted, adjusting his vision into the smokescreen, hoping to see the source of this commotion. His heart raced as panic coursed through his veins, hoping that this was not the hostile action that he had feared, and he had been too late.
He looked and behind the flowing smog, saw a shadowy figure forming itself into existence. It gradually faded into place and got darker until it appeared beyond the dispelling smoke. A man carrying a large firearm had emerged into the chamber, just a few meters away from Jor, whose eyes had widened in disbelief and horror.
"General! What are you doing?" Jor demanded.
"Consider your suggestions approved, Jor," General Dru-Zod said with utmost confidence, aiming his weapon past Jor and up towards Ro, who could only stare at Fort Rozz's most trusted military leader.
As Zod steadied his aim, more Kryptonian soldiers entered the chamber, passing the now nearly gone smoke. Jor counted at least five more. He had only recognized them as Dru's soldiers from several of the units he commanded. Each of them was holding the same firearm as Zod was carrying, all aiming their weapons at the councilmen.
Lor-Em looked at the soldiers in horror. "General!" he yelled in commanding authority. "You will stand down now—!"
Zod fired his weapon at Lor's direction. Jor flinched as he witnessed Lor's face turn from angry to shock. The blast hit him in the chest, and Lor's face had vanished forever as death bent his body over from where he was sitting.
"By Rao!" Ro had bellowed in the chamber, "What is the meaning of this, Dru?"
"This council has been officially disbanded," Zod announced.
"Zod!" Jor said, his eyes wild in confusion, "a possible danger looms outside our world and you attack your own superiors?"
"For the longest time, Jor," Zod said no-nonsensically, "the dangers have been our own lawmakers." He glanced over to the councilmen and scoffed. "These endless debates. They squabble and continue to hold their ground, yet you still support them."
"And now you take matters into your own hands? Abandon your loyalty?" Jor exclaimed.
"You said so yourself," Zod snapped, "if we do not act, our planet is doomed."
As Ro sat in her chair, trying her best not to move, moved her hand from where it lied on the armrest. Silently thanking that only councilmen know of the private security system hidden within the chamber, she had begun to place her hand underneath the armrest, hoping to reach for the button that would activate it. Stall him, she thought to herself.
"What exactly do you plan on doing, General?" Ro demanded.
"It's simple," Zod answered, "you and your councilmen will stand down from any decision-making processes. You will then relinquish yourselves to the Hand of Rao. If you resist, you will be killed. Therefore, we will mobilize our military forces as Jor-El has offered."
"The Hand of Rao?" Jor repeated incredulously as he squinted, his eyes narrowing to a state of anger.
"You see, Jor," Zod spoke smoothly, "unlike you and me, the Lawmakers have done nothing to ensure our security, as I've said to you. Sometimes, security needs to speak past its own makers in order to maintain prosperity."
Jor couldn't believe what he was hearing. A friend adopting madness at a time of crisis. "We are better than this," he said darkly.
"I agree," Zod said, raising his eyebrows staying confident, "we are. We are better than them, Jor," he said, gesturing his head at the Council of Five. "A hostile enemy hovers among us, threaten our homes, and they cower in their chairs. And why did you come here? Because you knew. You knew they wouldn't have the indulgence to do what is necessary." Zod's tone to more intuitive. "So, do what is necessary, Jor. Join me and let us liberate us our planet from this ineptitude."
Jor glared his longtime friend in the eye and gradually stepped towards him just so his loyal followers wouldn't open fire on him. "And what happens when those who decide otherwise defy?" he queried coldly, his eyes intensely concentrated on Zod, who stared back at Jor with what seemed like a small smug smirk.
"My ancestors have long stood for the purpose of structuring our military to its fullest potential. Today will mark when the pride of the House of Zod will be reestablished, along with the strength of conquest."
"You are speaking of a coup, General," Ro warned as her hand just about reached the button. She managed to keep her persona normal and scowled.
"A coup?" Zod scowled in an almost mocking curiosity. "Then answer me this, your Eminence: if given the choice between death and prosperity, what shall it be?
"Tread carefully."
"This is not a grab for power, Your Eminence," Zod answered sincerely, "this is about our own survival."
A cold relief engulfed Ro as her finger found the button. Swallowing, praying that no one was about to see her actions, she pressed the button.
"Now, Ro-Zar, High Eminence of the Council of Law," Zod said, raising his weapon to Ro's head and spoke slowly, "stand down."
Ro then looked at Jor, who was subtly shaking his head, trying to encourage her not to. To herself, she had agreed with Jor. She had been leader of the Council of Law for many years, and to abandon her position to rogue fanatics would be an embarrassment. A revolution would be devastating, especially at a time like this.
Before Ro could answer, a faint rumbling started to echo across the room. It started with a creeping approach of ambiance. Seconds followed, and the rumbling turned louder, soon vibrating the room. Ro's eyes stared upward from where she was sitting, with every muscle in her body bracing herself for what was coming. She then looked over to Zod, who strangely enough had the same expression. He, too, had his eyes wandering around along with the rest of his accomplices. Jor looked up, joining the others.
"General, have they truly begun their attack?" Jor asked eagerly.
Zod quickly spoke into his wrist communicator, "Vand-Ah, report!"
The voice that followed was filled with panic and terror. "General! The ship has launched hundreds of fighters! They've begun their assault on Kandor sir! We need reinforcements now! I repeat, we need reinforcements now!"
"You see!" Zod announced in a mocking proudness. His tone then turned to anger. "They attack while you sit here hiding behind the laws that have set us back for so long! If our once strong and glorious empire was still here, that ship wouldn't be here."
The feeling of panic once again found its way into Jor's heart. He had remembered the urgency of how much his family had meant to him. He thought about Lara and had wondered if she was witnessing what was happening outside their home, which was near the Kandor capital city. He had to get home. He had to make sure they were safe. If there was the slightest chance that he and his wife could get activate an escape shuttle and launch themselves away from the danger, it would also mean that their beloved planet would be left behind.
Jor's thoughts had been interrupted as a faint high-pitched noise was starting to rise. He looked up and could sense that something strong and fast was falling.
"Incoming!" Jor yelled as he dove out of the way with his arms outward for support onto the cold hard floor.
A massive crash penetrated through the ceiling of the chambers as the councilmen finally were startled out of their chairs. Zod winced and his eyes grew wild and horrified. The falling chunks of Kryptonian architecture fell to the floor, but something else was descending, albeit a slower pace. It was as if it was willingly lowering itself.
It was a large creature.
The creature lowered itself until it came to a slow and smooth landing making a slight tap on the floor. It had the structure and physique of a man, only it wasn't. It looked more skeletal than any other sentient being of Kryptonian nature. It was all armored and had no emotional face. Its face was lifeless except that it had two glowing menacing eyes from its sockets. The creature stood tall and a purple aura was seemingly glowing inside as if something was generating within.
"Open fire!" Zod commanded his soldiers.
The soldiers obeyed and fired their weapons at the attacker, creating a commotion of heated fire blasts. The soldiers' weapons, however, only grazed the shining impenetrable armor of the creature. The creature had not taken any force from the impact of Zod's fire. It only stared at one of Zod's soldiers and walked slowly towards him. Zod's soldiers continued firing in the desperate wishing that it would soon be destroyed if they had attacked it hard enough. The metal creature then stopped abruptly in front of the soldier it was staring at and suddenly raised its iron palm, facing him. No more than a second later, a long whip shot from the palm and permeated through the soldier's head with a squelching splat.
Jor and the councilmen gasped in unison at the sudden execution in the Lawmakers' Chambers. The whip then immediately retracted back into the creature's palm as the soldier's lifeless body collapsed to the floor with his firearm clattering out of this grasp.
"Retreat! Retreat!" Zod yelled as he and the other soldiers began to back away from the creature and out of the chambers. They resumed their firing and made no progress on the diamond-hard skin of the creature. The creature slowly began to follow Zod and his soldiers outside of the chamber room. What was left of the ancient Lawmaker Chambers was a heavily damaged ceiling along with the petrified councilmen who had longed upheld the laws of the planet.
Taking the moment, Jor headed for Ro-Zar, who stood back along with the other councilmen.
"We'll deal with General Zod later, milady," Jor said fast. "Right now, we have to fight off the invaders."
"I've called in security forces," Ro responded panting trying to understand more of the current state.
Jor's eyebrows rose. "Do they not know of the current invasion, milady?"
"Zod will be dealt with, Jor!" Ro raised her voice. Time was too precious to be spared on rebels. "We need to seek cover and protect the capital city. We will mobilize the full capacity against these invaders as requested. Get out of the capital while you still can, Jor."
"Your safety, Your Eminence!" Jor insisted.
"Kandor's safety, let alone Krypton's, is the priority, Jor! Leave!" Ro yelled. "Our lives aren't the greatest concern now."
Jor hesitated. He had admired how the Council of Five was known for their bravery even in times before this era. Even those in ancient times had dealt with several rebellions and spontaneous revolutions in the past. Every rebellion had the same excuse—for the greater good, survival over reason; they never had their way in the courts of justice. The revelation that Dru-Zod would turn out to be one of those fanatics willing to take down a government because of a disagreement was insane. Even it had involved a matter of life and death.
His thoughts moved onto his now only priority—Lara.
Lara Lor-Van looked outside from the tower window as she was holding baby Kal-El closer and tighter, shielding him from what she was witnessing. Distancing herself away from the window, she watched thousands of metallic-looking creatures swarming from the large black vessel that had hovered outside of the planet's atmosphere, coating it in the sky's sunset bright vermilion color. Soon, the miscellaneous sounds echoed. She winced as the sounds of screams and explosions rang through the once quiet capital city and swallowed in her fear. Soon enough, the inviting color of sunset turned dull and cloudy as the smoke from the devastation the invaders were leaving in their wake began to rise.
She held Kal closer towards and leaned on his soft forehead and let out an exasperated sigh of dread, thinking of her husband, who had gone on to the Lawmaker's Chambers. She had wondered if his request had been approved before the invaders started their attack. If he had been gone this long, she could only conclude the much dreaded inevitable.
The sounds wouldn't stop. She couldn't wait any longer.
"Kelex," Lara said aloud for the room's A.I., "activate defensive systems."
"Command overridden," the monotone male voice said.
"What?" Lara quietly exclaimed in fear.
"Defensive systems have been deactivated."
"On whose authority?" Lara demanded, her heart racing more by the second.
"Jor-El, your husband, milady."
At the mention of this, Lara turned one hundred and eighty degrees to the only door to the room to where she and her child were.
The door had opened, and a panting Jor-El had been standing. From Lara could tell by his appearance, he hadn't been injured by the invaders. There was no sign of blood on his uniform, but he had been out of breath while his forehead was drenched in perspiration. He approached her delicately so the baby would be fine between their embrace.
"What is going on?" Lara asked. "Is the Council alright?"
"For now, I believe" Jor panted. "The vessel attacked the Council without warning," he continued.
"By Rao!" Lara whispered.
Jor ducked his head downward, his eyes swiveling as if trying to put something together.
Lara had noticed. "What is it?"
"General Zod," Jor answered, lost in thought as he was when he saw him in the chambers. "He's gone rogue, Lara."
Lara shook her head drawing her brows. "I don't understand."
"General Zod had tried to stage a revolution and dethrone the Council."
Lara's mouth opened agape, unbelieving what her husband was saying. Zod had been a long trusting man. For the longest time, he and her husband had been companions for many years, despite their different ancestral choices.
"He's gone mad, Lara," Jor tried to explain. "He . . . he's slain Lor-Em."
Lara's face further widened into shock. "Where is he now?"
"I don't know," Jor answered hanging his head still trying to piece together everything that has happened in the short amount of time between earlier and now.
Jor then turned to face his wife, "Lara. We've got to get to the emergency shuttles."
"Emergency shuttles?" Lara repeated. "Can't we fight them off? Did the Council agree to your proposal?"
"Zod couldn't even destroy one of them while he and others opened fire on it," Jor responded. "If there's even a chance that . . ." his sentence lagged at the morbid thought, ". . . that Krypton might not survive . . . Lara, we've got to get to an emergency shuttle. Gather all of Kelex's databanks. We'll also need all the supplies we'll need," he said, turning his head towards other rooms, where their belongings were placed. "Get Kal in the matrix orb so he'll be shielded. Hurry."
"Are we actually abandoning our planet?" Lara asked gravely, making sure she was hearing him correctly. There was no way this could be a mistake. By her knowledge of her husband, Jor wouldn't make a drastic decision if there was no other option.
"We don't have a choice," Jor answered fighting the morbid realization of his tender.
"Your brother," Lara worried.
"Inform him," Jor answered almost immediately. "Tell him and his House to get to the nearest emergency shuttle stations as soon as possible."
Kal was placed on the soft surface of nearby furniture as the two scurried around their household to find whatever they could to place their belongings. In a blur of post-haste movement, Jor and Lara grabbed some of their artifacts, treasures as well as several uniforms. For uniforms, it was two white robes as well as one that was differently colored.
Once they had everything that Kryptonian refugees would customarily need when reaching to a foreign planet, Lara grabbed the matrix orb that was placed in the nursery for young Kal. With frantic but gentle hands, Lara placed their child within the opaque glass bubble, designed to keep any inside contents from harm. The matrix orb for Kal would be the perfect protection against any kind of radioactive diseases as well as blunt trauma. As she was thankful for that invention, she feared that the firepower of these metallic creatures would be able to permeate through it.
Jor peeked at the doorway to the nursery and carried the case of their belongings. He noticed that Kal was in the orb. "Let's go, Lara," he said.
Lara did not hesitate to join her husband and they left their household without looking back. Neither spared a lament of leaving their beloved homestead.
Once they reached the outside, the screams and explosions' volume erupted in their ears. It propelled them expediently to get themselves behind something where they would be hidden from any invaders' sight.
As Jor and Lara reached a corner of a building, Jor rested the case. He peeked his head behind the corner and scrutinized the area and looked up. Amidst the fighting in the sky above with Kryptonian warships battling through the hordes of metallic invaders, he and Lara had kept themselves hidden. Even in the warzone, Lara was able to keep up with her husband while holding Kal within the matrix orb. She looked around and saw that there were no other Kryptonians nearby. They were either hiding, out fighting, or worse. . . Lara made no attempt to even try to consider the potential grim possibility of the fate of close friends of the House of El. Her family was now the main concern.
"Come on," Jor said as he saw that nothing was near where they were. "We're only half a mile away from the nearest shuttle post."
Lara followed as they continued to find more and more haunting displays of corpses of soldiers or civilians who were unfortunate enough to cross paths with the metal invaders. Much to Jor's surprise there were several soldiers, who were lucky enough to take down an invader or two before they were savagely slain.
During their urgent detours avoiding open areas that would give the invaders a chance to swoop and strike them, they would occasionally catch a glimpse of the escalating violence in their once tranquil capital. The distant screams of civilians and soldiers alike sent deathly chills through Jor and Lara as they couldn't bear to find the sources of the blood-curdling shrieks followed by quietness. Jor and Lara witnessed one of the invaders murder a soldier who had warned them to get out of the city. His caveats were interrupted immediately with a silver whip that penetrated through the armor and into his skull, dropping him instantly to the ground with a firearm in hand. Lara let out a yelp as she saw death take someone ever so sporadically. Jor quickly grabbed the firearm with his free hand. Even if there was no chance of stopping the invaders with this kind of weapon like he had witnessed from earlier, he'd want to die protecting his family and not just flee.
Jor and Lara crouched and hid behind a large chunk of an iron structure that once belonged to a large statue within the capital city. Once more, Jor peeked his head out from behind and caught sight of the shuttle compound, which was only from a hundred yards away now. Thanking Rao, he saw that the compound wasn't too obscure from the chaos, but he had mentally prepared himself for inevitable latent ambushes.
Gripping the firearm tightly until he felt his knuckles grow sore, Jor faced his wife. "Ready?"
Lara nodded as she also tightened her precious cargo.
Jor looked ahead and saw the compound once more. He felt his entire body freeze in a cold sweat and took several deep breaths. It was now or never as the invaders would be sure to attack it as well, let alone them all.
Praying to Rao, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Go!" he cried.
The two ran for their lives in the fastest way their legs could carry them. Almost immediately, they felt the muscles in their legs screaming at them, but their fears egged them on. They refused to look up as they sprinted. The shuttle compound is the one and only thing that matters now. Nothing else.
They had reached about fifty yards away before one of the invaders had opened fire on the compound. Jor, who was running away finally looked up to see an invader firing at the compound. The compound's upper area burst into a roaring ball of smoke and flame. Jor and Lara shielded their eyes from the light and halted their running. The force of the blast had brought their run to a complete halt as they squinted their eyes upward to the compound.
Jor was unwilling to lose hope. "Come on! There's still a chance!" he yelled as he continued his run.
The two continued to run at a slightly slower pace than their earlier run. As they neared the compound, they could feel the heat of the smoke touch their skins. Lara was thankful that Kal remained shielded from anything on the outside from his spherical protection.
As Jor and Lara reached the front doors of the facility, they stopped for a moment before cautiously entering the now damaged building. Inside, the main room wasn't as damaged as the upper area, but the shuttles remained in the upper area, where they witnessed the explosion.
"Let's go!" Lara exclaimed as she found the stairways that led to the upper floors.
The two continued their panicked run. By the time they reached stairwell, the sounds of the shouting and crashing had softened. Without the overwhelming resonances of anarchy, the couple had only their breaths and pants to hear. Their hearts banged against their chests as they refused to slow down.
Jor opened the door to the second floor and his heart had missed a beat. The second floor was only one of many floors for a shuttle compound, and the ceiling for the shuttle compound had been entirely missing, leaving them bare for the invaders, save for some of the remains of the invaders' destruction of the compound. The shuttles that would've been there have been dismantled or buried deep under impenetrable chunks of rock and iron.
Jor's breathing went rapid, refusing to believe this. "There must be one undamaged!" he persisted, moving in towards the ruins.
The couple moved through the debris and scrutinized what was left of the room in the hardest way possible. Most of the shuttles they saw had been dislodged from their standing positions that were supposed to be mounted on stands that faced openings to the outside of the building, waiting for any single person to be launched out for safety. None of them were mounted, however. None were in stable enough conditions to be launched out to the cold heart of space. A lot of them had large dents in the middles and the rest of them had been ripped in half from large beams of metal that had fallen on them.
Jor and Lara's eyes shifted in every direction for an unharmed shuttle. Their eyes danced and all they found was nothing—
"There!" Jor yelled, pointing at one that was mounted as it should be.
Lara let out a relieved exhale as she saw what her husband was pointing to.
The two scurried over towards the one rocket that remained unmaimed amidst the scattered pieces of the buildings. They saw that it was in good condition.
"Any others?" Lara asked frantically. "Are there any others?"
Jor looked around. The second floor was all that was left of the entire upper portion of the compound, and there was no way they could go anymore. Heading outside would mean more chances of getting themselves killed and there'll be no escape from the invaders.
Jor hesitated as he returned his face to the lone functional shuttle. He saw that the shuttles could only occupy one person at a time and not multiple. It wouldn't be possible to fit himself, his wife and Kal into a shuttle.
He sighed and held his mouth open. "That's all there is, Lara," he spoke hanging his head but maintaining direct eye contact.
Lara's mouth slowly opened at Jor's insinuation.
"There's no other compound for miles," Jor said, "and the only other shuttle compound is near your sister's. We're too far away."
Jor's eyes turned from wide to narrow in defeat. He felt his throat swell as he thought of the only way to spare the House of El's extinction. But if there was a chance of any of them surviving, there was no other alternative.
"We only have for one," Jor spoke in a pained, yet deep tone.
Lara's felt as if her heart dropped down further. Her hands turned ice cold along with the rest of her body as she looked down into the bubble her son had been inside of with the feeling of imminent tears trying to escape from her eyes. Before the invaders' arrival was just another peaceful day. Another day to tend to her son and prepare for the days of Kal's maturity into manhood, teaching him the ways of their culture, their philosophy, their beliefs, and above all—their lives and how honored he would be among the House of El.
She looked above to see that the invaders were not in any way slowing down their relentless assault. The soldiers they witnessed dying at their hands would only increase with no way of stopping it. Kal's birthplace would be left in ruins, but his life could be intact.
Lara closed her eyes and swallowed.
Jor noticed his wife's despondency. He neared her before placing his arms around her. "There's no other way," he whispered.
"I know," Lara said in a low voice.
Jor breathed through his nose and exhaled. "There's no time," he spoke. "We have to hurry."
"We don't even know where he'll be," Lara said, fighting emotion.
Jor immediately looked on the console that was next to the shuttle. He typed in a few keys and stared at the screen intensely. Above him, the invaders' continued their onslaught, and he could only hurry before anything else were to happen to them or worse—the shuttle.
Jor finally stopped typing as the console was searching for anything habitable. His breath turned harder and faster to compensate for the heart beating relentlessly inside him as he was waiting and waiting for anything the console to show him.
At long last, his eyes froze on what the console was displaying. It was a planet that had a mix of blue, white and several patches of green and brown. It was called "Earth" according to its inhabitants, who have nearly the same biological structure as Kryptonians. Atmosphere contained primarily nitrogen along with some oxygen as well as slight traces of argon and carbon dioxide, which would be fit for Kryptonian biology. The sun's radiation was unlike Krypton's, however. Sun is classified as a G-type Star.
Jor's eyes slightly widened at the reading of a G-type star—something that Kryptonians haven't been exposed to for centuries and never discovered ones, ever since their commitment to the planet's resources. Because of the number of solar masses, this would naturally enhance Kryptonian biology given enough exposure. Kal would be safe, but his biological structure will be enhanced among other Earthians. The Earthians would think of Kal as some sort of god or immortal. . .
"What is it?" Lara asked eagerly. "What have you found?"
Jor shook himself out of thought, glanced at Lara, then back to the screen. "There is one planet," he said. "It's called Earth. The sun is a G-type."
Lara leaned closer and read the contents of planet Earth. "He'll be enhanced. He'll be an outcast among them," Lara warned. "What of the shuttle's cryostasis? Once the shuttle reaches there, it'll be dismantled along with the orb."
"It's his only chance," Jor said. "He'll be an outcast," he admitted. "But among them, they can't hurt him. He'll be the supreme being on that planet."
Lara faced away from the monitor and her husband. This was unfair. She had only begun motherhood for not even a month's passing. It was a slight relief that Kal would be enhanced more than the Earthians. However, Earth's culture was a mystery to her. Her thoughts dwelled on a possibility that Kal would be raised in hostility. What if they kill him before he reaches manhood? She looked back up into the sky. The invaders' assault was never going to die, and neither was the amount of suffering Kandor was facing. It's either all three of them or just them two. Her lips tucked themselves as she sniffled before exhaling. Nodding in agreement, she only said, "We don't have time," as her voice quivered.
Jor nodded. "Get him in. Hurry."
As Jor worked on the console, he let go of the Kryptonian firearm as well as the supply box. Equipping the matrix orb containing Kal in front of her, Lara pressed a button on the shuttle. The glass hatch's interior was a foggy blue light from the frozen cryo-tube within, which would keep the occupant frozen alive. At the press of the button, the frozen material instantly disappeared, and the glass hatch opened. She felt her strength numbing as she thought more and more about the inevitable fate of their son. There was no time. She clenched her muscles as she continued her duty. Holding Jor's supply case, which contained all their sentimental family values, she placed them in the shuttle. If Kal was to be the only survivor of the House of El, then he would continue their legendary honor. Thankfully, the shuttle's interior was large enough to contain the supply case before Kal's matrix orb was able to fit in.
As Lara lifted the Kal's matrix orb, she froze. Knowing that she was saying a final goodbye to her one and only child, she couldn't move. As an involuntary quick gasp left her along with her eyes leaking in despair, she placed the matrix orb within the shuttle and pressed the button, resealing it with a glass shell. After the hatch closed, a light blue crystal materialized within, crackling as it froze, keeping young Kal in protective stasis. She placed her hand on the glass hatch of the shuttle, which gave a slightly cool sensation from the cryostasis her son resided in, forever out of their reach.
"The coordinates are set," Jor announced, looking back at Lara. She didn't even look up to him but understood him.
Jor took notice of his wife's anguish and approached her. He had shared her thoughts about the uncertainty of their only son. "He will live," he assured.
Lara faced her, now ready to accept it. "Yes," she nodded.
All that was left for them to do was to make the final arrangements.
Lara reached into one of the pockets of her dress and pulled out a small silver box which was no bigger than her own palm. On it had the imprinting of the double curving symbol of the House of El. She placed the silver box next to the shuttle and activated a small slot that popped out a tiny lid from its steel side. Lara slid the silver box onto the open lid and had it retracted back into place.
"Have you reconfigured the A.I. programming?" Jor asked.
"Yes," Lara answered breathily.
"Good," Jor could only reply. "The countdown has been initiated. Launch for Earth in sixty seconds."
Lara comprehended her husband but couldn't take her eyes off where their son had laid within the shuttle that would soon leave them to no return. She thought back on when they had first seen Kal together. It had only been a week and no years have passed by to honor that day. There will never be one. She squinted and squeezed her lips tight as her eyes again began to fill. She placed her hand on the glass hatch where her son had been encased and sniffled. Jor rested his head on Lara's shoulder and held her stomach with one arm while he also placed his other hand on hers. As the two were sending their prayers for their child's safety and future, they had noticed something amiss.
All had fallen silent.
The sounds of miscellaneous panic and destruction had fallen to nothingness. Jor and Lara looked above them. The metallic invaders were nowhere to be seen. Around them was smoke rising from their wake upon the buildings they had attacked earlier. The sky had turned nearly dark from the combination of the sun's descent and smoke.
Directly above them was the larger ship which had now been hovering right above them. It had no longer been blanketed by Krypton's atmosphere and had fully entered its airspace. The angular claw-like beams underneath had stretched wide open. Jor and Lara, now holding each other, squinted upward and saw that a faint blue light had formed within the center of the underside of the vessel.
Jor and Lara then turned their attention to Kal's shuttle; it had only thirty seconds left. If there was ever a time to escape, it would have to be now than ever. In fright, they looked back up and the blue light had grown larger and bright enough for both of them to shield their eyes. They kept glancing back at the timer in the desperate hopes that the countdown would speed up.
A loud hissing sound had rung through their ears as they saw the blue light grow to a blinding white. Jor and Lara ducked on reflex and both covered their faces with their arms and tried to focus on their son's shuttle. Ten seconds, counting down. Frantic, they silently pleaded for the shuttle's countdown to hurry up as they figured that the blue light would mean something far worse than what they had witnessed earlier—
The ground shook violently. A thundering rumble had rung through their ears and their legs almost gave in to the unexpected tension beneath them. Debris from the crushed ceiling above them had broken off and started falling, thankfully nowhere near where they were standing. Metallic clanging had echoed around them in addition to the low and loud quake. Lara yelped out in terror as she saw what had been left of where they were standing was collapsing. Cracks had begun to form upward in the walls and were beginning to shatter. Jor tightened his arms around his wife and they had looked at Kal's shuttle.
The shuttle had reached zero.
The relief of seeing the shuttle reach its final number had made the rumbling seem soft to them. The engine at the end of the shuttle began to stir, creating an extra rumble with the rest of its environment. It flashed a blue aura and in an almost instant, made a massive booming noise that was even loud enough for Jor and Lara to hear. In the blink of an eye, the shuttle blasted away from where it once stood and soared out into the sky passing by the large ship above them. Soon enough, the shuttle had turned into a small black spec and faded away from Krypton's atmosphere.
Jor and Lara let out a sharp exhale of bittersweet relief. The sight of watching the shuttle fire away was too much for Lara. Lara felt a lump in her throat and let out quick gasps as her breathing began shaking erratically. It had finally hit her. Even though the shuttle would have the capacity to make it out of the planet's atmosphere, there was no telling it would be able to leave undetected by whatever was out there or not. Maybe it could be shot down. It may have been all for nothing. Unable to hold back any longer, her face and broke into a sob. She squeezed her eyes tightly and buried her face into Jor's chest. He wrapped his arms around his love tightly as his face began to break with hers, having mutual thoughts. He then rested his head onto her shoulder in a fastened intimate embrace.
"Jor . . .," Lara whimpered wheezily, not knowing if he had heard that during all the commotion.
Jor blinked away tears as he moved his hands up to her head.
Lara removed herself from Jor's chest and looked up at him with her tears still streaming down to her cheek. She looked into her husband's red wet eyes. He placed his hands on the side of her face. His touch soothed her as she felt herself begin to regain her serenity. He saw her relaxed emotion it had channeled through to him. From she saw, he had said something, but the loud rumbling layered over it. She didn't hear him, but she read his lips and recognized that movement long enough to understand him.
"I love you."
Every inch of Kandor had been caught in a colossal convulsion. People were running without a sense of direction in panic. Soldiers even joined the frenzy as even they had no idea what to do, either dropping or gripping their weapons. Civilians ran everywhere, hoping to get their families and loved ones to safety as the quake wouldn't cease. Screams and cries rang through the city in a long mortifying chorus. The blue light had flared so vividly that some were blinded to where they could run to.
The ship that loomed above made no movement as the beam continued feeding out of its underside. As the beam maintained its position, circling around Kandor, the top of every tall building had started acting strangely. Their colors went from steel silver to the same color as the blue light that shined upon it. As the color traveled downwards, the tops of the tallest buildings began to fade. They had vanished into thin air. Like the color, the vanishing traveled downwards on all buildings. As the buildings disappeared from where they once stood proud and tall, it began to affect lower buildings. Whiteness emitted from the entire city and a loud hissing buzz rung outward.
A couple of seconds had followed and the entire plane where Kandor once stood had vanished. The grand capital that inhabited the noble families that long served Krypton's politics and the economy was no more. All that had been left was a large round crater of rough, loose soil where the city had been settled. There was nothing but silence that followed.
Kal's shuttle jetted through the cold and dark space as the planet Krypton was affected by distance, making it smaller and smaller. The shuttle's coordinates had remained on course as it was boosting the child to the mysterious and strange planet called Earth. As Kal's shuttle sped away from Krypton, a loud bang rumbled. The planet where Kal had been launched had burst into a massive ball of fire. A colossal shock wave rippled outwards at a thousand miles a second. The combustion separated chunks of the planet away as everything that had once inhabited it perished without a trace.
The shock touched the shuttle, but it only made it gave it a slight bump and Kal's cryostasis remained intact. From there on, Kal's journey had not been altered by the large commotion as it resumed to its coordinated location. For many days of what felt like a lifetime, the shuttle had passed by several other planets of different worlds as well as different kinds of stars. Despite the outside temperatures of the heated suns and freezing shades, Kal had not been harmed in his cryostasis.
After what seemed like a time without end, the mostly blue planet that had been called "Earth" had appeared within the shuttle's range. As the shuttle came closer and closer, its trajectory had altered as it was aiming near the center of a large continent on the planet. The G-type star that was nearby hadn't shined a light on the area where the shuttle was landing, so it was nighttime wherever it was going to land. The closer the shuttle got to its final destination it began to increase in temperature. A red fiery layer coated the shuttle and the darkness soon brightened with several clouds that were right at the planet's barrier. . .