Lois was almost out of breath. Her heart felt as if it was about to pump its way out of her chest.
Fear and exhaustion was never a good combination.
Everywhere she looked, there was nothing to indicate that there was a safe place to hide. Nothing that would seem like she could easily squeeze herself underneath. It was a curious looking ship. Nothing like she would ever picture an alien ship, at least from a fantasy. The only bright side to all this—assuming she'd live to tell about it, that this would also make a headline. At least, that's what she told herself o ease her composure.
She was onboard something high in midair and it's not like she could just walk out. That alien, Kal-El, was her only ticket out of here.
"Where the hell is he?" she whispered to herself shakily.
Wherever he was, he could take on those guys. She hoped. She could cry for help, but that might make the wrong guys come for her instead.
She kept rushing through the endless blue glassy hallways with no direction as if running through a hall of mirrors. No matter where she turned, she could've sworn she saw someone else, though it only turned out to be her reflection on the walls that stared back at her. The only sound heard was the faint booming outside of U.S. military weapons. It was low, but soft enough for her to hear her own heartbeat overlapping it. There was also the sound of clanging, almost as if something on the inside of the ship was being hit by something. Kal-El was probably fighting them off, she thought to herself. She hoped it was exactly that and not the sound of his ass getting handed to him.
Taking caution to not make any kind of noise, she hustled to more and more senseless rooms until she heard another noise. Only this sound wasn't loud like the commotion that occurred away.
This sounded nearer.
What was more curious is that it sounded like a deep and hollow inhaling and exhaling, like a large monstrous creature, breathing in a pulsating-like rhythm. Whatever that was, it was at the end of the opposite side of the hallway wherever the hell she was now.
Following the pattern of the rhythm, there was a light that faded in and out on the corner. Trembling, she nudged herself closer to the corner. Ever so slowly, her eyesight made the wall's corner uncover a much larger room than any other she had previously seen.
The room had numerous tubes that she had assumed were some kind of pipes that spread out in a seemingly inconsistent pattern.
Must be the engine room, she thought to herself.
She saw that she was standing at the highest point of the room. The rest of the room was downward, and the blue light was now coming from beneath the maze of metal tubes, creating a grid-like configuration of shadows.
Squinting for a sharper vision, she then saw that the blue light was coming from a large machine that seemed to have attached itself against the wall, where the metal pipes seem to originate from.
A loud bang shook her.
She turned around to face the commotion, but nothing was there. Whatever was going on away from where she was, it was getting closer and closer.
Thinking this was the only way, she proceeded into the room and found several stairways that led downward towards the large blue-light machine.
The clanging grew louder and louder from above.
Clark was thrown against the wall again. He could feel the wetness of blood on his lips. Sweat made his loose locks stick to his forehead, drenched in tiredness and fatigue. With each blow against him, he could feel his strength dying and his vision lessening.
Weakly lifting his head, he caught the sight that Nam and Ursa were charging at him again. There was no telling how much longer he was going to take more of this. He had to find that phantom drive, or it will have been for nothing. With Lois nowhere to be seen, there were now two problems to deal with, and one was heavily outweighing the other.
Clark sidestepped from their assault, but they more or less anticipated that.
Ursa reacted first and charged again in Clark's sidestepping direction.
This had gone far enough. It was time to find Lois and get the hell out of there. If there was any luck, she would be near the engine room. General Lane would open fire on them any second. If he delayed, they would be obliterated.
Clark bent himself backward, narrowly dodging Ursa's swing until his point of view was upside down. Noticing the same doorway where Lois exited, he barrel rolled until he was right side-up. He then charged himself and flew through the doorway.
Every nerve in Zod flared in him. Not even his own best general and wife could stop someone who was never trained to fight in his life. How could it be this difficult? He turned his head around and faced the general direction of all those who had been faithful in his vision for the Hand of Rao. It was time for the army's full potential to be used.
"Find him!" he commanded. "And please," he growled through clenched teeth, "don't damage the ship!"
Clark's breathing accelerated like it never had in his life. The searing hot sensation of panic couldn't even trigger a countermeasure from his suit. Ignoring the sweat, he charged further and further into the bowels of the vessel. The corridors were becoming less narrow and there were more sharp corners to be ready for. All around him, was nothing but speeding blue blurriness that only added more nausea when his eyes were curious enough. Trying to remember the directions towards the engine room when Zod showed it to him would be too difficult. A glance from behind told him that there was nothing, but it was also too great a risk.
Pausing for a moment of calm made him listen out for any type of noise that Lois would be making, but nothing was detected. At least that would deter any chances of them finding her before he did.
He flexed his eyes and the walls became more transparent. A few precious seconds followed, and he saw Lois from a distance. She was barely visible from the combination of distance and the number of walls that separated them.
Before he made a move, Clark heard someone whooshing after him from behind. He dared not to look back, though he knew they were gaining. Impulsively, he charged himself in the only directions where there were openings. Finding Lois required extra concentration; right now, he had to get away.
Clark was about to make a sharp turn around a corner, but he felt a clenched fist wrap around his ankle. He was then thrown backward, and his back slammed into a wall. Nam wasn't wasting any time making his next move. Nam then lunged a fist right into Clark's face. Luckily, Clark held an open hand and caught Nam's attack. Immediately, Clark slammed his head into Nam's face, making him flinch. With his free arm and in an expedient movement, he hurled a fist into Nam's chin.
Clark felt more confident that by now, he was starting to understand their attack patterns and fighting techniques. He'd still be rather avoiding a fight, nevertheless. They were still too advanced for him.
Continuing his trek for Lois, Clark flexed his eyes once more and darted further into the seemingly endless maze of blue glass.
He saw Lois again and she was about the same distance as he last saw her. A moment of confusion clouded him as he saw that she was descending in altitude as if she was hustling down a staircase of some kind.
Clark recognized that kind of room. It amazed him that she found the engine room in this short amount of time. Maintaining his x-ray vision, he concentrated on where Lois was, while glancing around him to see if there was a series of doorways that would lead him to the threshold of the engine room.
Now, it was definitely a maze.
Zod stared at the large monitor. The booming from outside hadn't faltered. There were no damage reports on their ship, but their ammunition wouldn't cease. Why would they continue firing? Are they really that deluded into thinking they could have a chance? This was a waste of time. Finding the woman or not, this had gone way too long.
"How long until we decimate this settlement?" Zod asked Jax.
"Three minutes," he answered.
Zod felt more relaxed. The Earthians were no closer into permeating through their defenses and it would be a matter of time before this city would be no more. Only then would these stubborn creatures listen to him. As for Kal, he would have plans for him later.
Feeling the heat of frustration, Sam never took his eyes off the satellite image projected in front of him. Every pilot had been firing at this thing for the past two minutes now. This wasn't working. For every minute that passes, Lois would have less of a chance of getting out of there.
"Sir," Calvin said from behind. "Commander Siegel onboard the U.S.S. Gambit. He's recommending a nuclear strike against that ship."
Sam nearly shuddered and felt the colors draining from him. "Negative," he nearly shouted. "Tell him to stand down on that order. My daughter is on that ship and I don't want a single nuclear missile hitting that thing. Tell him that is direct order and I won't tolerate any second guessing bullshit."
"Yes, sir," Calvin answered firmly before returning to his phone.
Clark could see that he was getting closer to Lois. She was becoming more opaque as less walls were now blocking his x-ray vision of her. From his observation, she was now huddling at the bottom of the engine room. She lowered herself on the floor in a corner with her arms against the walls, listening out for anything.
"Lois!" Clark bellowed.
Her eyes danced around along with her head.
"Stay where you are! Don't move!"
Lois looked around her and saw that the staircase she used earlier was her only means of escaping.
"No problem!" she called out giving a look.
Clark's flight pattern was interrupted when his arms were held back by another pair of arms. This kind of strength didn't feel as hard as Nam's; it was Ursa.
Fighting his body strength for flying, Ursa veered them upward and Clark scraped his head alongside the ceiling. Grunting, he barrel rolled and dropped himself to the ground where Ursa was pounded into, below him.
Ursa lessened her grasp, and Clark sprawled his arms outward, freeing himself. He lifted his upper body and swung one arm upward and suddenly swung it backward. He missed as Ursa moved her head to the side and Clark's elbow only met the floor. Ursa countered with a fist to Clark's cheek from behind.
Turning over from the force, Clark then spun around while still on the floor, and landed a sudden fist into Ursa's face.
Ursa was too quick and pushed his fist away with her arm and swiped a chop at his throat.
Clark's eyes grew wide and held his neck, feeling the air struggling to make a safe passage.
Ursa quickly spun around, allowing herself to regain her standing position while Clark stumbled, fighting the hot pain in his neck and also quickly stood up. Both were softly panting but tried not to show their weariness.
"You really think it matters if you know more about enhanced physiology or not?" she growled.
Clark narrowed his eyebrows and glared. "This is your last warning. You might think you have me cornered and I'm at a disadvantage, but I promise you, you're about to make a big mistake."
He ever so slightly crouched his body. "Stand down. Now."
Ursa smirked. He was so desperate. "You are the one to surrender, Kal," she sneered. "Earth will be under our control. One way or another you will cooperate."
Clark pursed his lips in anger and slightly turned his head in disappointment.
They had their chance.
Clark spun around quick and lifted himself, darting through another doorway, arms spread out.
Ursa pursued with Nam only trailing.
Igniting his x-ray vision, Clark was closer to Lois but had to get a higher point in order to access the engine room.
At last, he reached the room where the staircase would begin its descent. The sound of the pulsating phantom drive echoed. A brief second of relief followed, and Clark flew down through the metal structures platforms, spraying shrapnel where he went. The kryptonite material gave him several noticeable scrapes along the way but tightened his muscles to fight through the pain. He made himself a gap between where he would land next to Lois so debris wouldn't harm her.
He crashed from above and stood himself on the floor and Lois covered her head with her arms from potential damage.
He reached out with an open palm. "I'm getting you out of here"—
"Hold it right there!"
That was a voice that didn't sound like Ursa or Nam.
Zod was in a standing position, but he was in midair, softly descending himself through the holes that Clark burst through. From what Clark also sighted, Ursa and Nam followed respectively. A couple of seconds later, and even more Hand of Rao Kryptonians descended along with the rest of their comrades. Clark's stomach turned as he saw far more Kryptonians than he anticipated join the fray.
Zod's expression was wearing a slight smile. Though, this kind of smile was telling Clark that this was the calm before the storm. "With every passing minute, you continue to impress me. If I had not known better I'd say you were a Zod yourself."
His expression then turned colder. "My finest soldiers weren't enough to subdue you," Zod spoke calmly, giving a look at Nam, who returned a look of shame and Ursa pursed her lips in guilty silence. "Perhaps my entire legion would be in order."
When Zod fully descended and met Clark's eye level, and Clark's fears turned true. Zod dropped his platitude and then exhibited a burning stare with his arms folded. The stare lasted for a period of time that was enough to give Clark a chill.
"But I have grown tired of your games and your clever prevarications, Kal." Zod said before noticeably shaking his head as if disappointed. "I despise you for making me do this," his voice sounding quiet, but no doubt furious.
He zoomed and landed a fist into Clark, who was sent back against the wall.
Before could recover, he saw a blurring motion of Zod heading straight for Lois. Clark's feet found the floor, but he then stopped in his tracks.
Zod held Lois' neck with one hand and lifted her up slightly enough for her toes to make contact with the floor. Nam and Ursa made their way to the floor and had their arms folded, displaying expressions of calm victory.
"This is on you, Kal!" Zod yelled. "My troops have made too many mistakes, so now I will be the one to tell you this one last time!
He turned his head back toward Clark. "Surrender now, or her head will be all that is left at your feet."
Clark tightened his lips as he watched Lois gasping hoarsely for air. Her legs jolted around, but only her toes could make contact and not have her feet completely leveled.
Zod's expression remained the same. "Perhaps this will make you decide more quickly."
He raised his arm and Lois' feet no longer met the floor. Clark's heart missed a beat and felt a cold stab in his stomach. Lois was now dangling with both her hands on Zod's closed fist and her feet danced wildly to either find ground or kick herself free from death. Her eyes began to fade into a creeping pink along with the rest of her swelling face.
"Alright, stop!" Clark yelled.
Almost immediately, Zod lowered his arm and Lois' feet fell flat on the floor, but he kept his hand on her neck. Lois let out soundly breaths and nearly staggered despite having a way of staying up.
With Zod's free hand, he spoke into his com, "how long until the primary weapon fires?"
"In sixty seconds, the city will be obliterated," Jax answered.
"In one minute," Zod announced, "this city's blood will be on your hands."
Clark could've rolled his eyes. "I know. I heard him."
Zod's expression then turned frustrated and let out a quick exhale. Kal's behavior was spontaneous, but this was prolonging much more than anticipated. "I've tried to be patient with you," he said softly. He then raised his voice. "But your constant resistance has been irritating. I grow tired of this drivel, and you've dishonored your Kryptonian legacy. I will see to it that this city will be destroyed by your hand and how you were too cowardly and didn't have the stomach to do what is necessary—"
Zod noticed that Clark had his arms folded and was no longer displaying an expression of fear or anger. It was much more calm. His head was slightly tilted, and the corner of his mouth was raised, almost as if he was . . . amused? How in the name of Rao does he find this amusing?
"What is with that look, Kal?" Zod demanded.
Clark held his ground, unmoving and unchanged in expression. He had warned Ursa, and that would be the warning on their behalf. He had pleaded with them to stop all this and there was no indication they would cease. He would be alone after this again, but this was the only way. He angled his head back to its rightful place and let his arms fall to his sides. His face was no longer in a smirk. Whatever he was doing, he was about to act out something.
"I'm just waiting for you to finish," Clark answered simply. "And I was hoping every one of you would show up around here. I wanted to make sure each and every one of you knew that you were about to make a mistake."
"You lecture me on warfare, son of Jor-El?" Zod asked defensively.
"I'm not lecturing you," Clark countered. "I'm past lecturing. You're not the only one who was given a chance to stand down."
Zod's anger channeled through his arm muscles and he tightened his grip around Lois' neck. "Take caution in where you stand, Kal," he warned.
Clark's glare grew. "This is your last chance, Zod. I don't want to hurt anyone one of you. I know what you think you're doing is right, but I can't let you do this—"
"Let it be known, Kal," Zod interrupted, "that I am in command! And I am commanding you to submit."
"Thirty seconds, sir," came Jax-Ur's voice on Zod's wrist com.
The phantom drive's pulse began to accelerate and grow louder.
The ship's hull groaned out loud. Near its front, the noise was growing louder. A large hatch underneath started to open up itself, revealing a large circular rim that surrounded a massive void of blackness. Within the inner darkness, the groaning bellowed louder by the second. Soon, a blueish green light emitted and grew a brighter glare. A low, shuddering buzzing hum emitted that sang in chorus along with the loud groan.
Down below, countless bystanders began to uproar a melody of panic. Several were already running away while several others began to look up in fascination, wondering what would happen next. Authority figures began shouting frantic orders to vacate while they themselves joined the fleeing.
The large opening began cackling strings of electrical energy. The humming grew louder and particles in the shape of fiery bolts began to dispel.
Clark softly released an exhale within a closed mouth. Nothing was going to stop them.
And nothing was going to stop him.
Taking a look at the phantom engine, he released a small amount of breath and deeply focused within himself to find the innermost form of anger. There was kryptonite all around him; it would take a great amount of concentration to fight against the resistance.
"And I," Clark said, feeling his eyes growing more and more heated, "am sending you where you belong."
The redness took over, and Clark grunted releasing two soft parallel beams from his eyes right into the center of the large machine where the blue light was pulsating. The lasers met the phantom drive with a shower of sparks that soon turned thicker until it seemed as if flames were beginning to surface on it. A large booming sound emitted. What immediately followed was the noise of electricity crackling combined with a bellowing rumble.
It was working. Clark hoped. . .
"No!" Clark heard Zod scream.
An explosion roared.
The loud reverberation was then instantaneously swallowed by the sound of what sounded like boisterous low wind howling as if a tornado made its way into the room. It started low but grew louder. Where the blue light once stood, there was now a blackened sphere that materialized into existence. The sphere had no clear texture; it was all blurry with no precise image of anything but mixed colors that covered something that was unknown. Surrounding it was a light blue outline that softly blushed.
"General!" Jax's voice sounded through the roaring echoes. "There's been a disturbance in the phantom drive! Our weapons systems are offline! We've lost the countdown!"
Already, Clark could feel the air rushing past him. His hair flailed wildly, and he squeezed his eyelids together to combat the burn.
The singularity was working. He could feel it getting stronger. And stronger. . .
A split second followed, and one of Zod's soldiers was lifted off from his feet. He never had enough time to make a facial reaction before he made a fast dizzying circular motion as he was thrust into the dark sphere. In the sphere, Clark could see that the soldier became part of the blurriness within and soon, nothing was left of him.
Three more Hand of Rao Kryptonians were lifted and flung into the sphere and gone into the Phantom Zone. Ursa and Nam shot looks of pure horror as they saw their comrades being pulled into a plane they had long feared. The gateway to the Phantom Zone was becoming more and more erratic. White jagged bolts flashed quickly around the outer rim of the circle and the sounds of crackling and rumbling grew louder and more earsplitting.
Lois was released from Zod's grasp and fell back onto the floor, holding her tight gripped neck while scrambling away. The suction of the phantom drive blew air into her face that forced her to hold her arm in front of her. Having absolutely no clue to what's going on and how terrifying that was, a lump formed within in her throat and she began letting out short gasps, both from the earlier pain and teary shock.
Zod wrapped his arms around one of the large pipes within the room. Through the air whirling around him and stinging his face, his eyes widened as more of his comrades were pulled into the void beyond their world.
Nam was beginning to be pulled in. In a moment of anxiety and desperation, he grabbed hold of Ursa, who by now, was beginning to launch herself for flight in the hopes of avoiding the tug of the singularity. His grip on her ankle weighed her down much to her shock. Nam was too close to the circle, which was growing more unstable by the second.
Soon, Nam was unwillingly pulled in midair while holding onto Ursa's ankle. The Phantom Zone's pull of Nam made him release his grip on Ursa and his body was tossed like a rag doll and thrown back into the circle.
Ursa had been too close as well now.
"Sir!" Jax's voice panicked on Zod's com. "Engines are cut off! We're about to drop!"
Zod couldn't care about those words as he saw with his slit-opened eyes from the Phantom Zone's pull that Ursa was then lifted into the air. With one hand onto the pipe, he stretched out his hand towards her, hoping that it would somehow reach his wife.
For the first time in a long while, Zod saw that Ursa displayed a look of panic. She only had a second or two to gaze at her husband just right before she was tossed and disappeared along with the rest of the Hand of Rao Kryptonians that had long stood by him until the end.
Clark recoiled himself away from the Phantom Zone's pull as far as his body would allow. He could still feel its massive suction even as a good number of yards divided him and the once stable engine.
With one glance, he saw that Zod was yelling in terror that his wife was now locked away in a world that would soon be beyond their reach. Clark pursed his lips in slight guilt. He was responsible. He kept saying in his head, they were warned. It had to be done. It was either them or Metropolis.
Or Lois.
Lois was crawling away, her limbs jostling to give herself the leverage of escaping. Clark saw that the suction was growing and that Lois' arms and legs were beginning to fail her. Her fingertips raked along the floor as her body was being pulled backward.
Clark eyed the distance between the Phantom Zone and Lois painstakingly. Even with his higher stamina, the Phantom Zone could easily pull a Kryptonian into its ghostly void. The distance was closing every second. He'd have to make a quick grab.
Drawing in a preparing breath, Clark dove quickly to where Lois was.
"Hang on!" he shouted over the loud noises that consumed everything.
He scooped her with his arms and immediately dove upward. Holding onto Lois, he veered themselves past all the holes that were created by him from earlier. Bits of shrapnel and debris were swept by alongside him as they were also beginning to be within the suction's hungry reach. Clark squinted his eyes from the metallic rain and Lois buried her face into Clark's chest.
General Sam Lane watched from satellite view. The ship was starting to act erratically.
"Did we get it?" Sam asked, leaning over to Calvin.
Calvin's first response was a shaking head. "I don't know."
Sam silently already knew the answer. Whatever the hell that alien was talking about was apparently working. He disrupted the engines, triggering the ship's failure. And according to him, they would be pulled into some sort of . . . gateway? What the hell was he thinking going along with this stupid plan again?
But that alien did promise to bring Lois back without harm and that she wouldn't be among those who would've been pulled in. Lois was all that mattered. If anything happened to her, he'd swear to God . . .
Lois let out a cry as Clark braced himself. The ship's entire axis was tilting at an angle, and it would only be a matter of time before it would fall into the city. Lois was still in his arms, and he had to make several sharp turns along the way.
The sound of the Phantom Zone was becoming dimmer along with the feeling of the air being pulled backward. The ship was losing its power, but that now meant the city would be left vulnerable from its incoming collision course. Now, all he had to do was speedily get himself and Lois out of the ship and find a way to redirect its fast descent.
Lois made quick shouts as her limited eyesight picked up visions of what looked like things were being tossed at her; the speed of him flying in a direction that only he understood was overwhelming.
"What the hell was that thing?" Lois shouted over the commotion.
"It's pulling them into another world," Clark replied. Reading her face, he calmed, "hold on. I got you."
Glancing back in whatever the hell direction the engine room was, thinking back on how those guys easily kicked his ass, she then shot a look at him and cried, "Yeah? Who's got you?"
The ship tilted further; it was becoming more difficult to navigate properly through the many hallways that laid a difficulty of finding Lois. His x-ray vision was more helpful this time. He was not looking for a person, but now only flying upward. All he needed to do was to simply break through the ceiling again to escape. He could try to burst through using only his heavily enduring body unless that meant hurting Lois in the process. He'd have to be careful.
"I'm gonna need you to trust me on this," Clark cried.
"Dare I ask?" Lois said worriedly.
"Just hold on," Clark asserted.
Lois obeyed and Clark silently wished to himself that Lois wouldn't see what he was about to do. It would hurt only slightly, but he would be more expendable compared to her. Bracing himself and hoping for the best, he released one arm around Lois and extended it ahead of him, clenching his hand into a hardened fist, preparing for the damage.
The metal that met his fist burst and what was left of the day's sunlight seeped through. The sudden light irritated Clark's eyes, but knew better to not tighten his grip around Lois. Returning his arm around her, he looked down and saw that the ship was now descending, and its crashing pathway was heading right into the center of the city.
Time was running out.
Lois was not going to like this part. "Hang on," he said.
Lois let out a loud groan, knowing what would happen next and Clark dove downward and aimed himself at one of the taller buildings that were nearby. The Daily Planet was too far away at this point.
He slowed himself down once he got to the nearest rooftop and crouched. He released his grip on Lois, who softly dropped onto the concrete surface, hoping that didn't hurt her, but he was in a hurry.
"Stay here," he told her before heading off again to the ship that was falling towards the city.
At long last being able to catch her breath, Lois looked back down to where he was going. Knowing that he had the capacity to lift a plane and carry it back, then surely, he'd have everything under control of putting that thing anywhere.
Exhausted, she let out a loud exhale, falling on her back and threw her head back. She then realized she hit her head too hard on the concrete. "Ow," she grumbled clumsily.
The Phantom Zone wouldn't falter. Trying to fly away would be too risky without getting caught. Zod's body was now lifted, his legs dangling at the circle that continued crackling. Even with the ship's altered angle, his rage enabled him to hold onto the pipe with a firm and unshakable grip.
Kal.
The son of Jor-El betrayed his own kind for these fragile creatures. Now, Krypton truly is gone. His Hand of Rao was no more. The Phantom Zone would've driven anyone mad. They are not dead, but they might as well be. This was an unforgivable act. Kal had to pay for this. If not in this life, then the next. If he would've found a way out of this . . . the things he had done to insubordination back on his home planet at Fort Rozz.
Somewhere through the thick sound of the Phantom Zone howling, a loud groan echoed. It was murky, but it was clear enough to be heard. Had the Earthians penetrated their defenses?
Stretching his muscles, Clark increased his speed, not taking his eye on the falling ship, nosediving faster with each second. He could hear the thousands of screams below. The panic that knew that at any second, death would take them all in one swift wave. The entire objective turned from prevention to counter. With the Phantom Drive still unstable combined with the ship's magnitude, Metropolis wouldn't be the only casualty from the inevitably colossal diameter.
Making his way past the ship's involuntary trajectory, Clark soared and dove under the ship. The hull was at a severely slanted angle, and Clark had to align himself along with it.
Ground zero was just seconds away now.
Fortifying himself, Clark stretched his arms above him with his palms hardened, fingers outstretched and slightly clenched.
The ship hit his hands.
The inertia was harder than he had anticipated. The ship's material gave the ship more mass than he realized. Clark felt fear and surprise empty the air in his lungs, sending a chill as the pressure of the mighty alien ship pushed him down to the ground below. Growling and feeling the veins at his temples press against his perspiring skin, he growled and stiffened his arms to lessen the velocity of the ship's plummet. Soreness began to creep in his arms. There was no way he was going to let the ship continue is descent any further. It was fortunate that the tallest buildings in the New Troy district were not nearby, but the buildings that were below it were filled with people who scrambled to a safe distance, but they would be too late. Only one empty rooftop lied directly underneath his legs, closing.
The soreness intensified, but Clark fought the pain, feeling the veins in his arms screaming. The ship was slowing down, but it wasn't enough. It was still too fast.
Feeling defeat rising, Clark yelled through gritted teeth unwilling to accept it. Fatigue forced his teeth to part and Clark let out a shrilling roar, feeling as if the muscles underneath his dampened temples were about burst open. The pain was growing, the distance was shrinking, and the velocity was declining—all factors that were expediently changing.
Clark felt the bottom of his boots touch ground.
No!
His feet sunk further through the concrete floor, and the ship wasn't ready to stop. Any more distance and the ship would take down the building altogether.
Gritting his teeth once more and letting another scream, Clark lifted his arms, flexing his already sore muscles and looked at the large body of water that belonged to the Atlantic Ocean along the harbor. It was empty from what his eyesight picked up. No civilians. That was all he needed.
Bending his knees, gathering up one last pack of energy that remained in his entire body, he raised his upper body and hardened his numbing arms once more. He leveraged his upper arms and thrust the ship right into the direction where the ocean was.
The ship hurled far away from him fast. Clark's body was completely engulfed in heat. Relief soon after smothered him as he felt his lungs restore themselves with quick drawing gasps in and out of his body. Lightheadedness was creeping up on him. He felt it best that he drop onto his knees. The drop nearly made him stumble, but his arms barely caught himself. Feeling the sweat dripping down the ridge of his nose, his inhalations felt more relaxed with more drawing breaths.
It was over.
Zod looked all around him, unwilling to give in to whatever was happening to his once proud safe haven for years from the outside. All around him was everything he had fought so hard for all those years staying alive to be a refugee. He then felt as if all the gravity within had gone, leading his body feeling lighter than ever, even with the feeling of the Phantom Zone continuing to drag him into its deadly vortex . . .
Jax-Ur tried again. There was nothing. The consoles were not responding, and the consoles were cutting in and out of their original displays. The monitors flashed continuously without any signs of stopping. He danced his head all around him. He had been alone. The only one left at the consoles while everyone else had gone to look for Kal. The disruption of the engine room was his worst fear of all. The only thing that would've kept them afloat, and now they were no doubt suffering a fate he'd rather not think.
He had committed himself because he believed in Zod's ideology. Krypton's councilmen's hesitation was going to get them killed. He knew in his heart that they had to take action. In this case, he had hoped that launching a destructive weapon would've been unnecessary. If those people had to die, the rest of the planet would have to know that there were forces out there they couldn't possibly comprehend.
Jax's heart sank at the mere thought of the Phantom Zone. It would be an unbearable fate to be a victim of. Now that their ship was bound to take a dive into the city they gave an ultimatum, it seemed as if there were two alternatives—death by the impact or the Phantom Zone.
The mere thought of the Phantom Zone sent a shudder. A fate that he wouldn't wish on anyone or himself. No time passing and possibly no way of escape would be excruciating . . .
The kryptonite onboard the ship would make this easier. Looking at the monitor that showed him that the ship was closing in on the large blue body of water below him, he made a silent prayer to Rao. Jax closed his eyes and waited for death's instant to spare him.
A loud crash of water made Clark snap his attention to where the ship was hurled. After the watery explosion subsided, the ship bobbed like a cork. Only for about a minute at least. Raging bubbles then surrounded it like an outline heralding its foundering into the oceanic depths below. Slowly descending, the ship made a distant low metallic groaning sound that reached Clark's sensitive ears. He was very thankful that he didn't toss it with most of his energy already drained, otherwise it would've raised a tsunami that would've devastated the city. Larger than normal waves were making their way back to the coastline, but only made watery crashes against the seawall.
He felt his suit let the salving cool air touch him and his body felt on the way to recover. He ducked his head, feeling the last bit of perspiration cascade down his face.
Nearby him, an onlooker, who had his eyes and mouth wide open stared at him.
"Dude!" he exclaimed in a high-pitched mesmerizing voice.
The sound nearly startled Clark, who almost fell on his stomach.
"How'd you do that?"
Clark glanced back with an exhausted and breathless chuckle. "I work out."