Zod approached at the railing of the ledge that overlooked the control room. All of the ship's monitoring instruments were blinking and flashing rapidly while observing the below planet. While that happened, he had nothing but to wait for any positive results. He had expected resistance, but he couldn't help but sense that it was very resembling of the day when Krytpon was destroyed. Being brought back to that dreadful event and in this position nearly made him shutter. But the pride of the House of Zod was to never back down and never let emotion overpower you. He had kept that promise for such a long time since his training at Fort Rozz. Emotion was a liability. This isn't right, nor is it wrong; it's the only thing that must be done.

The far side of the room opposite of him displayed an image of the planet Earth and monitoring any kind of activity that was occurring near its surface. Several Kryptonians were at consoles that exhibited multiple interfaces, which focused on a different point of view of Earth along with several Kryptonian symbols, giving detailed information about the planet's geographies and landscapes.

Those people are naïve, Zod thought to himself. So many he had known were unwilling to act. He did know that it would be uncomfortable for everyone, but there was no other choice. Whether they liked it or not, they need an enhanced force. If xenophobia would cripple Kal's vain efforts of communication or diplomacy, then force is the only way. Either way, he was confident that he was already ahead of him.

"How soon can we make our announcement?" Zod asked his science officer, Jax-Ur, who sat at a monitor.

"We will be able to broadcast in several minutes, General." A notification popped up on Jax's screen. "Sir, their satellites. They're beginning to rally."

"So, they're moving for defensive strategies," Zod calculated. "Then we'll just have to make our movement before they do." He turned and faced Ursa and another male Hand of Rao renegade, Nam-Ek.

"Head down there and find whoever leads this settlement," Zod said. They will heed to us, or they will suffer the consequences."

The two nodded. "We will not fail you, General," Nam-Ek said moderately.

Ursa and Nam then left the room as Zod remained in his position, monitoring the entire area that was known as Metropolis by its inhabitants. In a short time, the large monitor showed that two objects that indicated Ursa and Nam were dispelling from their current location and headed back towards Earth.

"General!" one Kryptonian shouted in a tone of surprise and horror. "One projectile heading our way!"

Zod was curious and only a little frightened. "They've begun attacking back?"

"No, sir. No readings from their crafts."

Zod hardened his stare at the large monitor and did see that an object was making its way fast towards where they were. Zod then displayed a knowing look. He already knew the kind of planet Earth was. It was a primitive world, as well as its history of weaponry and technology. Despite the There was no way they could have a kind of weapon. He was beyond sure that this was Kal and nothing else.

Clark held his palms outward to make them meet with the massive black metal exterior of Zod's ship. He figured that the type of metal would be a lot stronger and more advanced than the surface of the plane he held earlier. He was correct as he clenched his fingers on the black metal exterior and found that he had to apply more pressure to rip it open.

Once he made it inside, an alarm echoed throughout the ship. The sound didn't startle him in the least. He had no expectation for a sneak attack, considering how Zod was able to hack into Earth's every form of communication.

"Kal-El," Zod's voice called.

Clark turned and saw Zod walking towards him, slowly emerging from the darkness and into the light. Clark expected him to be running towards him with the intent of attacking but saw instead that Zod was walking casually with no sense of urgency.

"You don't disappoint your timing," Zod said. "Though, you do disappoint me."

"I can't let you do this," Clark glared. "There's no need to control them."

"By the time I'm done, there won't be anything left to be afraid of, and those invaders will pay for their devastation."

"I've already told the entire world what you're about to do. You're not getting anything by force."

Zod flexed a brow. "Oh, do they? Then tell me, Kal—do they still fear you?"

"They agreed," Clark countered. "I've already warned them and they're already getting ready for you. There's no need for a war."

Zod didn't falter his amused visage. "Sounds to me like they were quite hesitant to believe you, Kal."

Clark remained silent.

"Face it, son of Jor-El. You've been raised here, they've taught you compassion, but your blood runs thicker than your mind."

"I'm giving you one last chance," Clark warned. "Stop this. Now."

Zod smiled. "Why don't you inform that to the two Kryptonians who have taken a liking to your homestead?"

"What are you talking about?" Clark demanded.

"As we speak, this settlement called 'Metropolis' is being sieged." Zod's mouth stretched into a light grin. "My best soldiers have been sent. I wouldn't waste any time while your city is under attack, Kal."

Tightening his leer, Clark said, "You're lying."

"Am I? See for yourself, young one."

Clark released an anxious breath and glanced back at the hole that he created. He could make out two black specs that were soaring back to the downtown area. He cursed to himself under his breath as he thought more to himself that knowing that Zod is a high-ranked officer should have given him a hint that he would be clever enough to have already launched some sort of attack.

In a swift motion, Clark surged himself back out of Zod's ship and followed to where he spotted the two Kryptonians.

The attack had begun. The first priority would be to get them as far away from the city as possible.

As he picked up speed, he witnessed their paths alternating and he saw they were heading for the Daily Planet. Clark fastened himself and aimed at his two foes. One, however, turned. Despite the distance, Clark felt a chill of familiarity as one of the Kryptonians revealed. It was Ursa.

Through the wind rumbling past his ears, Clark could hear her say, "take care of him. I'll proceed."

The other nodded.

Clark was hoping he would reach the two in time before they had time to separate and resume with their plan. Ursa was already making her way near the entire upper portion of the Daily Planet's golden-plated tower. Releasing a breath of agitation, Clark didn't hesitate to follow her, but the other Kryptonian had heeded her previous instruction.

The other Kryptonian let out a loud growl and aimed a ready fist at Clark, who was already speeding like mad. Clark caught this and was able to make a sharp upward turn to narrowly miss the roaring punch.

"Gonna have to do better than that," Clark taunted. This wasn't too hard after all.

"You find sport in this, son of Jor-El?" the Kryptonian said angrily. "I am General Zod's proudest soldier. The House of Ek has a long history of servitude for the Kryptonian army."

Clark readied himself in a stance. "Think it's time for your retirement."

Nam-Ek yelled and charged into Clark's chest.

Air vanished from his lungs as Clark was propelled back and found himself doing many backward somersaults in mid-air.

This guy wasn't kidding around. He had a lot of strength. As Clark regained himself, he found that Nam was speeding towards him again for another hit.

Clark tightened himself and soared away from Nam's assault.

Rapidly searching for a counter measure, Clark just looked ahead instead of the tall buildings that almost reached up to him. Beneath him, his hearing could pick up the sounds of crowds either screaming in panic or exclaiming in fascination that there was now more than one flying man.

He knew it wouldn't be a fair fight between one now enchanted alien with hand-to-hand combat experience and one who's only been practicing his powers since childhood. There was no other choice but to fight back. Even if it meant brute strength without a known fighting technique to stop those fanatics.

"Come back here, Kal!" Nam growled with his fists ready to pummel themselves into his target.

He's certainly the angry type, Clark thought. All Nam cared about was just getting Clark and nothing else mattered to him. With such an impulse, he could easily miss something obscure that Clark could improvise. The question was how vigilant Nam was is over an opponent other than just chasing in rage. It was now or never; the city was under attack.

Clark slowed himself and turned around to face the charging enemy. At a quick motion, he could see that Nam was savoring this upcoming attack. Nam had an open fist and let out a roar to compensate for his assail. Clark shot himself a whole five yards sideways to dodge Nam's punch. Right when Nam passed by, Clark reached back with a readied fist and lunged forward as fast as he could before landing a blow at Nam's back. The impact sent Nam ahead about a couple of meters while he let out a surprised and pained groan.

Clark slightly chuckled and smirked at his opponent, believing that this would be easier than he thought. He did find sport in this. All those years of practicing his powers were a lot more than only a short time of sunlight exposure. That was the advantage he needed to be more than ready to fight them off. Question was how he was going to stop them without any further damage. Years of practice was one thing, but the amount of time it would take to defeat them was everything.

Nam quickly turned around with pure hate shimmering in his eyes and his face reddened with stress and fury. His glare nearly sent chills in Clark, who was already ready for another attack from him.

"You think you're so smart, don't you, Kal?" Nam roared. "And you think you're so funny!"

Clark retained his self-assured expression. "First time being in the sunlight?"

After a brief moment of tension, Nam took a deep breath and his expression lightened into a calmer façade. Clark's smirk slightly faded as he saw that Nam was no longer angry and looked more calculating. He was still breathing heavily, however. His mouth morphed from open bared teeth to a slightly parted mouth with one corner stretched upward into a smirk while still breathing heavily.

"So, you're a lot more clever than I thought," he said. "Got some strategy in you."

Clark wasn't buying this unexpected change of attitude, prompting him to maintain his preparedness. He calculated that this was some sort of tactic to stall him so that other Kryptonian would have time to do something far worse. He dreaded that Nam was wrong; that clever hit was only by luck, and he did feel inexperienced compared to the other Kryptonians. One of them had already knocked him out cold in one swift sneak attack.

"Impressed?" Clark asked.

"I will admit I am, Kal," he smirked, looking humbly. He opened his eyelids, revealing wide and daring eyes. "But you're still nothing compared to me!"

As the words left him, Nam darted forward at Clark. Clark could see the false sense of security coming, but the ferocity from Nam's full body coming was not something he was primed for.

Instinctively, Clark pressed his hands against Nam's tackling thrust and found himself forced backward. Thankfully, he was ready for this attack; it wasn't nearly as brutal as the last one.

Straining against the unstoppable force, Clark immediately returned the favor with another punch at the ready.

Nam then stopped his charge abruptly.

The surprising halt threw Clark off his guard, and Nam landed a firm-knuckled fist at Clark's cheek, pushing him away several yards.

Clark winced as he could feel his cheek swell while he was propelled back. Then, he heard Nam coming again with another attack. Clark was ready this time. He readied a fist as Nam approached expediently.

Nam immediately stopped in front of him and answered with an arm blocking Clark's attack.

With his other hand, Nam lifted an under armed uppercut at Clark's chin, launching him upward. A white-hot sting rang through Clark's jaw, and he climbed altitude rapidly with great force.

Fighting the bewilderment from the impact, he caught a glimpse of Nam, closing in on him fast.

Clark rubbed his facial injuries. Okay, so this guy's not as dumb as he looks, he thought frantically. Fighting him with bare hands would be out of the question.

Luckily, Nam's angry roar gave away his location and how far away he was. Thinking fast, Clark drove himself away from Nam's path. For now, flying away was the best option rather than facing him.

Clark glanced back and it seemed that Nam wasn't keeping his eye off his target. He then returned his eyesight in front of him, sensing his pompous opponent hot on his tail.

"You can't run from me, you coward," Nam growled after him grinning wildly.

There was only one strategy that occurred to Clark. Only one way to find out if it works.

"Who said I was running?" he called back.

Clark braked himself to a complete halt.

Nam was still charging nonstop.

Clark waited until Nam was right at where he was, then tightened his legs. Bending over, Clark thrust his legs backward, his boots smacking into Nam's face. He was thrown backward while he held his face with his hands, growling in anger and pain.

Relief gripped Clark. He couldn't believe that actually worked.

Not hesitating, he spun around and charged. Nam might have been trained to fight honorably, but maybe fighting dirty would've been Clark's only chance of outlasting him.

Taking the opportunity while Nam was stunned in pain, he threw a mighty fist straight into Nam's stomach. Nam let go of his face, revealing an expression of wide eyes and open mouth as air was drained from his lungs.

Nam drew himself backward as hard as his body would allow and his face returned to his reddened furious expression. Clark recognized that whatever strategy Nam had in mind was now out the window. He was going for the kill. No plan or stealth. Despite a lack of scheming, there was nothing more dangerous than an unstable overpowered person with the intent to kill.

Soaring away, Clark followed the other Kryptonian that was heading straight for the Daily Planet. The fear of Lois being in that building gave more speed to his flight and fastened his arms, giving him more rapidity.

"Stop this!" Clark shouted while fleeing.

"Not until you're dead!" Nam responded keeping his concentration as hard as he could on him.

Clark then heard Nam say, "Ursa, he's heading toward you!"

Clark's face whitened at the mention of her.

He narrowed his eyes and found that Ursa slowed down. She then barrel-rolled until her back faced the ground, allowing herself to lift her head up until she saw him. Her gaze almost gave Clark the need to slow down, but he knew too much about the dangers she possessed to give in to fear.

Ursa lunged forward from her position. She opened up an arm, readying a fist and soaring fast towards him. Clark let out a gasp and pulled himself out of the way just in time for Ursa to miss him entirely, but she wasn't finished with her assault. She threw another fist, which Clark narrowly dodged. He was impressed and frightened by her agility with how well she was able to maintain a fighting style while in midair. He was able to keep up with her pace

She lifted a leg and spun around, landing a hard kick across Clark's face.

Groaning through his teeth, Clark saw the whole world spinning as he somersaulted in midair. His arms were then locked behind him by some unseen force. He didn't know what it was at first until he heard a raspy snicker right next to his ear along with warm breath.

"You're not going anywhere, Kal," Nam-Ek sneered coldly.

Aggravated, Clark struggled and thrashed around, desperately hoping that it would loosen Nam's grip, but he was too tightly locked by someone even more powerful and experienced than he was. He found that Ursa was approaching him fast, ready to finish him off while Nam held him, rendering him defenseless. Ursa scowled at her prey concocting the absolution of her strength as she reached one arm far back with a firm closed fist. Clark's pulse skyrocketed. He could sense the amount of energy behind that incoming attack.

"If you present a problem for General Zod, then your life has no further meaning," she growled.

Clark thrashed around harder, but Nam's grip wouldn't budge. He then thought of another way. It sounded silly in his head, but it seemed like the only possible way out of this. He watched Ursa carefully as she was ready to throw her fist right into his face. As she thrust her strength forward, Clark tightened his body as hard as he could, giving him the ability for flight. With this strength, he lunged forward, fighting against Nam's arms who still held him. The two were then leaning over until Nam's face was now in the way of Ursa's punch.

A loud bang sounded, and Clark no longer felt Nam's grip, followed by the sound of Nam letting out a yelp. Ursa's face was riddled with a dreaded shock. Taking this moment, Clark, now under Ursa darted upward and let out an undercut in the same manner as Nam's and landed a rocketing fist at her chin, sending her upward. Ursa skyrocketed further in the sky. Clark quickly spun around to find Nam holding his face with both hands, cursing angrily. Clark charged forward and tackled Nam and drove him away.

Clark held Nam with both hands while flying as fast as he could, hoping to send him as far away from the city as possible.

Ursa would recover soon and resume her mission of breaking into the Daily Planet; he had to make this fast.

By the time they reached the coastline, Clark took the still pained Nam by his midsection and lifted him high above him. Even with his Kryptonian strength, he found Nam to be quite heavy. Clark thrust his arms downward and tossed Nam as hard as he could, plummeting him into the ocean. Nam plunged towards the ocean and crashed through the surface, creating an exploding splash.

Clark eased himself while letting out steady tired breaths. As long as he could take advantage of his powers to last himself long enough to stop this conflict, he'd be okay. Being tossed down into the ocean wouldn't stop Nam, but there had to be another way to beat them indefinitely. These were only two Kryptonians. It was only a matter of time before Zod would inevitably send in more of his Hand of Rao cronies and Clark would certainly not last out there. Whatever General Lane had in mind for preparing for an invasion better take action soon.

Clark's ears picked up something rumbling. It was very soft and faint, but loud enough to be heard. As he listened harder, it became more obvious that the sound was resembling the reverberation of a fast disjointed rhythmic beat.

A helicopter.

Thinking quick, he swiveled himself to analyze his environment to find the source of the sound of helicopter blades. There was no sight of any such thing; wherever it was coming from was already too far away, and it would be too late for it to arrive.

Clark's peripheral vision picked up back to where Ursa was last seen. His eyes widened as he saw her making her way fast towards him with another fist at the ready for another devastating attack. Her eyes narrowed into aggressive slits that belonged on an angry warrior with the intent to annihilate. Clark got himself in a defensive stance to either dodge or try and counter, which would be most certainly in vain.

It then occurred to Clark: she hadn't taken notice to the helicopter blades. They're still not used to their powers, Clark thought. All they knew was how to fight and kill. Fighting them head-on would be suicide, but so would be fleeing.

The two then came into view as Ursa was maintaining her rampage towards him. Ursa skimmed behind her as the noises of helicopter blades chopping through the thin air grew loud enough to reach her ears. Her narrow brows eased themselves and her expression developed from rage to curiosity. To her, they were strange looking kinds of combat vehicles. They were primitive compared to what she had experience with back at Fort Rozz, but it still looked heavily armed.

Yes, yes, Clark thought. Keep coming over. Away from the city.

"This is Alpha 1," Sam spoke into his radio, as he carefully studied the monitor that supervised an aerial view of Metropolis. "Switch to your scope view."

"Confirmed, Alpha 1," came in the voice. "Visual contact established."

Soon enough, a secondary screen popped up on the lower corner of the large interface which was reading that the hostiles barely zoomed past the Daily Planet. Guardian's scope view was reading that the pilot was looking at the aliens which were also having a look of curiosity and fascination at them. Almost as if she was studying them.

"They've spotted us," Guardian said with deadly caution.

"Wait until they're over the coastline. We can't risk any collateral damage. Do you read me? Acknowledge."

"Copy that, Alpha 1."

Sam listened intently as he shifted his focus towards Guardian's scope view and then back to the aerial view of the city. The markers that indicated the aliens were acting differently from one another. One was heading fast towards the other while the other marker, which Guardian's HMD view depicted was standing perfectly still. Her attire gave Sam an uneasy feeling in his gut. He was fighting off an enemy that he didn't fully understand. This was getting real. This was as real as Lois claimed.

"Talk to me," Sam said on the radio impatiently.

"Targets acquired, Alpha 1."

Letting out a huff, Sam continued. "Do not fire yet. I repeat, do not fire."

"Copy, Alpha 1. Standing by."

Sam never took his eyes off the hostile markers. Both were moving at incredibly fast speeds. Now, they were standing still. Sam felt an apprehensive sensation.

Ursa turned herself around until she completely faced the helicopter.

Inside the chopper, Sam's voice sounded over the radio. "Guardian, zoom in and enhance the enemy."

The pilot tampered with his scope that covered his right eye. He squinted his left eye, to focus on the image. A couple seconds followed, and the image cleared itself, giving away the alien's features.

The pilot was taken by surprise. They were perceived as aliens, but they looked more human than anything that could've existed outside the world.

"I-I think it's a woman, Alpha 1," the pilot confirmed unsurely.

Sam studied Guardian's interface carefully. This "alien" looked like a woman, indeed.

"We see that," Sam verified.

Ursa lunged and threw her arms out.

Clark gasped and threw himself at her with the same pose as her. He was just about to reach her, but he had been careless.

A lightning bolt of pain shot him in the back between his shoulders. The sound that followed from what Clark's ears could make out was Nam's growl followed by a sneering chuckle.

Clark depressed fast with arms sprawled outward while he was heading towards ground. The impact created a small shock wave and a cloud dispersed around him on the asphalt.

Damn. That actually hurt. He hadn't felt physical pain for the longest time, and to feel it again was more than he braced himself for.

Screams of shock and surprise ring through his ears. Several bystanders, who were already running from the occurrence above exclaimed several cries in panic.

The blow on the hard road gave Clark a dazed episode. He knew that he would be fine and unharmed, but he didn't count on how hard their punches and strength would be. There had to be another way to fight them without necessarily getting in a fist fight.

Above, Ursa finished her charge at the chopper, who had begun firing its gunnery rapidly into the chest plate of her Kryptonian armor. The bullets glittered with sparks as none were able to penetrate her superior defense. With a growl, she hurled a fist into the chopper's tail boom.

A metallic crunch reverberated, and the pilots jolted from their assail.

Ursa she watched her inferior opponent plummet with a smirk. It was so easy that she didn't consider it a challenge for herself. She had taken on much fiercer.

"Mayday, mayday!" the pilot exclaimed while hanging onto anything he could grab. "We've been hit! Thunder-12, take the shot! We're going down deadstick! Brace for impact!"

The sound of metal shattering was enough to catch Clark's attention. He snapped his head upward to see the chopper missing an entire back section with shrapnel raining.

Clark charged skyward and held out his arms aiming for the falling chopper. As the chopper made contact with his bare hands, he lightly clenched his fingers to secure the vessel but carefully enough to not damage it further.

As fast as he could allow himself without jiggling the chopper around too much, Clark descended with the chopper above him and touched the ground. More people panicked. At the same time, they stared in awe as they saw the impossible of a man lifting something so heavy as a helicopter while flying.

Crouching, he lowered the chopper and let it go on the pavement, making several small scraping noises.

Another painful smack.

This one sent Clark flying horizontally and made him scrape alongside the asphalt, cutting through the street. His head was shoved alongside a massive van's wheel that popped upon the spontaneous jab. Shrieks erupted from nearby people. His dent was only several paces away from the nearest vehicle.

People scrambled out of the car near him and started bolting away. Through the daze, Clark heard exclamations ringing. He blinked rapidly and did catch a glimpse of Nam making a messy landing nearby him.

Nam looked to his side and saw a Taxi that contained one frightened driver. He gave the driver a look, and the driver hurriedly abandoned his vehicle whimpering. Now an empty vessel at his disposal, Nam lifted the car above him. He wore a look that took pride in his strength. "This G-type star is a gift, Kal!" she hollered. "Just like your ancestors, you waste it on nothing else but humility—the same practice of weakness."

Ursa thrust her arms downwards and the van fell fast right where Clark was lying.

Adrenaline helped Clark stand up quickly. Before there was time to consider anything, Clark hurled a tightly closed fist in the air. The entire container then cracked open into two uneven halves, scattering scrap metal and a tire in different directions. The remains of the vehicle scraped on the road and some of the halves stopped on sidewalks, making several runaway bystanders stop in their tracks. The van's impact was painless, but he could definitely feel the inertia from Ursa's toss that nearly made him sway backward.

He had time to look and watch Ursa reach for another vehicle. This wasn't as big as the earlier heavier van. It was an SUV, but it was at least empty to herald no guaranteed civilian danger.

In a haste motion, Clark grabbed the pieces of the van with both hands. Perhaps this would be a more helpful alternative than personal combat. He gathered himself in a defensive position with both fragments gripped as if they were boxing gloves.

Ursa didn't waste any more seconds as she threw the SUV with gritted teeth.

Clark was ready. He fastened a fist and obliterated the vehicle that split in two roughly ripped pieces of scrap metal that scattered.

Ursa reached for another nearby car. This one was just an SUV, significantly smaller this time, at least.

But this one wasn't empty.

Clark froze and his eyes broadened in fear. A family of four was inside. At the wheel, the father looked back at his two daughters in the back. The wife was reaching back for her daughters as if trying to hold their hands. Both sisters let out screams at the car's motion of being lifted.

"Don't!" Clark shouted angrily. "Put it down!"

"Then stand down!" Ursa responded. "What happens to them is on you, Kal."

"I said put it down now!" he shouted as if he didn't hear a word she said. "They have nothing to do with anything! Those are innocent people for God's sake!"

"Every war has casualties, Kal," Ursa reasserted. "Our oppressors have learned that in death!"

She hurled the car.

Clark clenched his fists on the front of the car as hard as he could. The screams echoed from within the vehicle, just like he heard from the plane earlier today. Twice in one day. That damned Ursa was right—their lives were in his hands.

Ursa didn't hesitate. She hoisted another car. Clark looked and saw that it was abandoned at least. But she was ready to make another toss, this time without forbearance or words.

Panic gripped Clark's chest and felt no breath.

He lifted himself in the air while holding the family car and saw Ursa's tossed car miss him and crash into a nearby building below.

He winced at the collision. The sounds of metal crunching, concrete cracking and—ultimately—screams stiffened the hairs on the back of his neck. It was unfortunate that he couldn't do anything about that. The family car above him was the only thing that mattered now, and he had to find a way to get them to safety and quick, otherwise they'd end up like whoever was down below.

Carefully balancing the car above him so the passengers wouldn't tumble, Clark traveled far away from the chaos. Hopefully, Nam and Ursa wouldn't catch him. He had to land it somewhere before the next attack. Everywhere his frantic eyes danced, there were crowds fleeing in a dissipating pattern like dust being blown. At least the streets were beginning to empty.

As Clark lowered, his keen hearing picked up a disturbance. Another car was being tossed. Or at least that's what he thought at first. Swerving to the side, his eyes picked up that a minivan was tossed. His stomach churned. More cars would mean more potential families getting caught in the crossfire.

Taking the opportunity, Clark flexed himself to descend without rotating himself. His feet touched the ground, and he bent his knees, allowing his body to crouch downward and quickly lower the wheels to make contact with the asphalt. The passengers were briefly jerked as the car's landing was sudden for them. For a brief glance, Clark saw that the family's eyes were wide-eyed and staring ahead of them, their lives flashing before them.

One of the daughters looked behind her completely fear-stricken. When her eyes met Clark, he froze. He read through her expression but returned it with a calming demeanor. Through that, fear slowly vanished from her face as she was looking at someone that showed no harm. He nodded at her slightly, to which she nodded back.

Returning his attention, Clark looked back up. Ursa, who still had that insufferable, smug smirk. A surge of anger flared in him. His eyes began glowing red, and he ascended immediately back up. Enough was enough. This has gone too far. Whether it was a mistake to warn the military or not, these Kryptonian fanatics had to understand that they are planning to attack innocent people who never asked for this. Nobody had to get hurt. Nobody had to die. They were scared. It was time to hurt back.

Feeling the heat grow hotter in his eyes, Clark roared through gritted teeth and launched himself upward in a bulleting charge that no one would have time to react. With both his arms outstretched, he slammed himself right into Ursa's stomach. Holding her with both his arms, he tightened his muscles, strengthening his grip on her. She never expected such an unstoppable attack. The intensity of the wind forced her arms outward, rendering her defenseless against his steadfast tackle.

Clark dove sharply with his teeth bared and arms holding her in place. He had to get her away from a heavily populated area for a start.

For a brief glance, he saw that he was heading toward a road that was plated on a large seawall that overlooked the Atlantic Ocean. No people in sight, at least. He turned an angle that just about ran parallel against the road and held Ursa against the asphalt. Cutting through the road, Ursa's helmet scraped along the dividing pavement, spraying chunks of rock.

"Jimmy, I need that camera!" Lois shouted over from her cubicle while she endlessly ran her hands through too many damn papers she never bothered to store away.

The floor was now scrambling much more than usual. Several had already begun evacuating; they couldn't stand being in a potential warzone that had been happening outside. Perry completely understood that. The large TV screen was depicting the entire event in the downtown area of New Troy. The reporter was frighteningly pointing that one of the flying people just struck down an army chopper, but one of them was able to soften its landing before it crashed.

"I got it!" Jimmy shouted.

"Well, get it out," Lois replied in a hurry as she grabbed her pen. "We need this."

Her tone shifted him into more agitation, he almost dropped his camera. His second week, and already, he was caught in the middle of a disaster.

The TV screens were all broadcasting breaking news that more flying people have been spotted in the downtown area of the New Troy district. Several eyewitnesses have said that the flying people have begun in some sort of brawl where one of them is fighting off two of them.

A high-pitched buzz pierced the air. Everyone dropped what they were doing as lights began to slowly dim and come back on again in a pattern. It was happening again. Another message from that ship.

The figure on every screen on the planet Earth appeared once more behind a wall of black and white speckles of static.

Lois took notice of it as the image of General Zod appeared. She watched it for a moment, but then remembered that there was still a potential live battle between those aliens. She shook herself out of the stare and proceeded while everyone had their eyes glued to their desktops or smartphones.

"Come on, Jimmy!" Lois pressured as she continued ruffling through her papers.

Elsewhere, Clark could hear it. While charging through the road with Ursa scraping alongside it beneath him, he recognized the agonizing high-pitched buzz he felt from Zod's earlier broadcast. Feeling his hairline dampening with sweat, he frantically turned his head up to face Zod's ship and felt the color of his skin fade to white. He's getting more desperate, Clark thought. He knew that his wife was in danger. Whatever he had to say now, things are only going to get worse.

"You are in no longer in control of your planet. You are to submit to the Hand of Rao, who is now your new world leaders. Your world weapons will be tendered in our possession. Including your, what you call, 'nuclear' weapons. Your weaponry is archaic in comparison to our advanced arsenal. Announce your surrender, and no harm will come to you. Any form of resistance will be met with aggression. You may think this is totalitarianism. This is your safeguard. This isn't genocide. This is preservation. Show no opposition, and you will be spared. This is the word of General Zod."

Zod keyed on the interface and the transmission ended, feeling a little more accomplished. His message was spread, but Kal's interference was able to fight off both his finest soldiers, who were supposed to take down any forms of resistance. Pulling up the main monitor, he studied everything that had happened between his troops and Kal. He was both impressed with how well Kal fought against his own forces despite being raised by low-level Earthians.

Zod could feel his stomach squelch when he saw on his monitor that the marker indicating his wife stopped moving where Kal was located. Fingering the console, he enhanced the image and saw that Kal had rammed his wife onto the ground. His face tightened in a near rage. A strong feeling of wanting to rip out Kal's heart surged through him but he knew better to focus on the only objective. He looked at the monitor for Ursa's heartbeat, which was pulsing at a slower rate, thankful that it hadn't gone completely flat.

Zod let out a low growling exhale. None of this was supposed to happen like this. The plan was to dispatch only two of his soldiers to subdue this powerless world government or governments while the rest on his ship had to make sure the rest of the world wasn't going to strike back. There was a small amount of them. He couldn't spare any more to fight off Kal . . .

But there might have been one way . . .

Zod pressed several icons on the interface until it displayed a replay image where Kal had gone to right after he broke out of their custody. The footage saw that he was heading towards one of the larger buildings of the city. Kal paused for a few minutes and then he flew out again. Only this time, Kal flew towards another building. This building looked much different than all the other buildings. It was the one where Ursa and Nam had been dispatched to. A large golden sphere had been mounted on top as if it was supposed to represent a higher power.

Zod then saw that a female Earthian walked into view and appeared to have some sort of conversation with Kal. She had dark brown hair and had a very sharp looking look that indicated that she had a tough mind. He studied curiously to see who this woman was. Kal's body language and gestures with her indicated that it was someone that meant a lot to him.

A girlfriend, perhaps? Kal in love with an Earthian. Interesting . . .

He closed out that window and opened a communication interface. The monitor then displayed an establishment with Nam.

As the audio link was connected, Zod leaned in and said, "Nam. Are you there? Respond."

Nam's narrowed eyes eased themselves as he heard his superior's words. "Yes, General," he said firm with attention.

Zod knew that Nam was more brutal than he was perceptive but also knew that Nam would never dare to defy his superior.

"Go to the tower with the sphere on its roof. There, you will find an Earthian woman with dark brown hair. Kal seems to have a relationship with her. Find her. Bring her to me. We may be able to use her."

Nam hesitated, shifting his eyes. His eyesight picked Kal pummeling Ursa into the ground. "General," he said agitatedly. "Your wife."

"That's an order," Zod exclaimed sternly, blocking his emotions concerning Ursa. "Do not fail me."

Nam swallowed and said, "Yes, General."

Zod switched the communication abruptly off in a swift angry motion. His eyes narrowed in worry and concentration, letting out steady streams of huffs.

Despite his confidence and Nam's warnings, Zod knew that Ursa was in danger and something had to be done.

Why is everything going wrong?

It was a painful shame that it has come to this. Two fellow refugees at war with each other. A descendant of Krypton's most brilliant scientific minds and one descendant of Krypton's finest military commanders. He had hoped that Kal would've been more cooperative, but there was no choice given.

The House of Zod never backed down or hesitated to ensure Krypton's stability. Now, that that was no longer possible, Earth could become their new Krypton.

The possibility of killing Kal would be unbearable . . .

Clark halted himself, ending the crack that stretched for countless kilometers on the road. Several nearby people fled from the melee. From what he could tell, he saw that Ursa looked dazed and overcome with disorientation. That sight made him feel better. He felt his aggravation began to recede as his opponent was no longer a problem. At least for now. It wasn't over yet.

Now, for that other guy . . .

Clark glanced behind him and saw that where Nam was once suspended in air was no longer there.

His eyes widened in frightening surprise. Where'd he go? Clark cursed that he almost said it out loud. From what he gathered, this guy wasn't the type to hide and plan a strategy of attack rather than a full head-on assault.