Chapter One: Doomsday
The chambers of Krypton's science council were large, with six seats containing the various members of Krypton's ruling body. The room was equipped with advanced technology that attached itself to columns that went high into the air, with ancient designs that depicted Krypton when it first began to evolve. Gold and silver etchings were found all about the walls, eventually coalescing at a singular design on the floor that depicted a man with a crown sitting alone, with figures around him that looked to be some sort of advisors. Five of the seats were filled, containing figures dressed from head-to-toe in royal attire. Greens and shining silver filled their attire, and the look on their faces were serious. They always had been. The science council never took the time to laugh, only to rule Krypton with an iron fist.
"I don't care if you kick me out- you have to hear the truth!" Another figure, standing in front of the council seats, declared. He wore a solid grey bodysuit that displayed an "S" on the chest, equipped with a red cape that flowed behind him as he paced nervously.
"You do not speak the truth, Jor-El. Our tests show no signs of Krypton's imminent demise. You have created a myth." One of the council members stated.
"Run them again! By harvesting the core, we've been draining Krypton of its life for years. Our luck has finally run out."
Another of Krypton's council chuckled. "And what would you have us do? You are apart of this council, what is your big plan to save Krypton?"
"We cannot save Krypton. The planet is too far gone. But there's hope. I've held this hope in my hands. I can send my son with the codex to one of the nearby outposts. He can carry on the legacy of Krypton."
HAHAHA! Laughter echoed throughout the chamber. The entirety of the council burst out in screams of laughs before Jor-El could even finish his sentence. He had been a member of the science council, but was now nothing more than a laughing stock.
"The outposts haven't been used in decades. But even ignoring that, you'd send a single child to carry on our legacy? Jor-El, you are truly lost."
"It's the only way. Planetary evacuation is impossible. We do not have enough time or ships to get everyone off-world. If we want to preserve the legacy of Krypton, let me do this."
Silence filled the room. Anticipation. Jor-El wondered if his words had finally gotten through to them. If they had moved past their foolish pride to listen. Jor-El had hope.
"Jor-El, for spreading lies about the fate of our world, you will no longer sit on the Science Council. Your rank and title will be stripped from you, and after the span of one month, your home will be repossessed by the council and used as a laboratory for genetic testing.
Jor-El's head fell. He had seen this coming, but it still hurt to hear. "No need. We'll all be dead in a month anyway." Jor-El turned and went to the exit of the Council chambers. His cape flapped behind him as he moved, leaving the chambers in a huff.
Outside, he quickly mounted his H'Raka, a four-legged, four-winged creature that waited for him. He cracked the reins and the creature soared high in the air, leaving the foolish council in the dust. Jor flew through the air, divebombing and bringing himself back up just to feel the rush. Within weeks, he'd never be able to do this again. No-one would. But they would never believe him. Still, he wouldn't lose hope. The council had rejected him, taken everything he had away, but there was still hope. There was always hope.
Jor-El touched down outside of the El household, patting the H'Raka on the back as he entered through the self-opening doors. The interior was grand, with the symbol of House El, the "S" found more often than not. What acted as the living room was a giant area equipped with all manner of furniture, all of which Jor's son, Kal, had found himself climbing on. Jor smiled as he saw the same boy climbing over the couch, as his mother watched him closely to ensure his safety.
"Lara…" As her name was uttered, Lara's head shot up to look at her husband in the face. It didn't take long for her to process his defeated expression.
"What happened?"
"They didn't listen. They thought I was crazy."
"Then…what's the plan?"
Jor-El paused for a moment. He closed his eyes, and wondered if he meant what he was about to say.
He did.
"We move forward with the plan. Without the council's permission."
Lara looked at him in shock. "Is that even possible? How can we do it without the codex? We can still send Kal, but how can we pass on the legacy of Krypton?"
"He'll have the codex." Jor-El started. "It'll just be a bit more complicated to get." Jor moved to a nearby wall and put his hand on a scanner. Recognizing him, a panel in the wall shifted, revealing an arsenal of weapons that had been hidden in plain sight.
The codex holding chamber was heavily guarded, equipped with Kryptonian guards as well as automated defense systems that easily expelled intruders in the past. The difference now was, Jor-El knew everything that could be thrown at him. In fact, it was Jor-El that had bolstered the defenses to keep thieves from stealing the very thing that he had come to take himself. My how the tables had turned.
Two Kryptonian honor-guards stood in full armor in front of the codex chamber proper with rifles at the ready. Jor-El, now equipped in his own set of Kryptonian armor stepped out of the shadows, greeting the two guards with a head nod.
"Lord El, stop right there." As instructed, Jor stopped in his tracks immediately.
"Is there a problem, gentlemen?" He said with a forced smile.
"The codex chamber is off-limits to you. Council's orders."
"I'm a part of the council."
"Not anymore."
Beat. Jor-El nodded to the two gentlemen. "Right." He turned to leave, then turned around and swung at the first of the two guards with a right hook. The second guard reacted quickly, aiming his rifle at Jor-El's face, but moved too slow as Jor dodged out of the way, grabbing the weapon by the barrel and pointing it up. The sound of laser fire rung throughout the air as Jor headbutted the second of the two guards, hurting him and himself in the process.
The first guard recovered faster than Jor had expected, landing a kick to Jor-El that knocked him to the ground. The two guards trained their rifles on Jor, who looked up in anticipation. Was this the end for him? The rifles sprung to life with blue energy, lighting up the weapons with a newfound glow. This couldn't be it. He had to save his son. He had to save Krypton. Jor-El jumped up, full of adrenaline, and dodged the two laser blasts as they left the barrel of the blasters. Then, grabbing a blaster pistol of his own from his belt, he fired into the first guard, leaving a steaming hole in the man's head. The body hit the ground hard, his armor clanging loudly. He moved his aim to the second guard, who looked at him in fear.
"I'm sorry." Pulling the trigger, the guard joined his partner on the ground. Jor-El shot the panel that held the codex doors closed, proceeding into the chamber proper. Automated laser turrets sprung to life from the unauthorized entry, and lashed out with a spew of reckless fire trained directly on Jor-El. Jor rolled into cover behind one of the machines, the laser fire ricocheting off of the hard metal. He trained his blaster pistol on the turret and fired, eliminating it with one well-placed shot. Two turrets remained, with Jor completely pinned down. He unclipped a device from his belt. It looked spherical, with a glowing red button on its face. He clicked the button, hearing a:
Beep, beep, beep…After a moment it got louder. BEEP BEEP. And after another moment, it got much much faster. BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP…
Jor-El threw the device to the far corner of the room and as it hit the floor, surging electrical energy lashed out, striking the two remaining turrets and causing them to fall down powerless. The codex hovered at the center of the room, appearing to be some sort of ancient alien skull filled with etchings of glowing yellow designs. Jor-El placed the skull in his hands, and the light in the room shifted. It went from dim light, to a bright red that flashed in his eyes. Jor ran out with the codex, and was met with two dozen Kryptonian guards in full armor aiming at him, each equipped with their own blaster rifle.
"Jor-El, stealing the Growth Codex is an act of treason. By will of the Council, I sentence you to death." The blasters charged up with energy as Jor-El reached for his weapon. But it was too late. The rifles glowed with the same blue energy that Jor had seen before, but before they could fire, Jor-El's hulking H'Raka landed on the guards and flapped its wings, sending them flying. Jor-El's eyes went wide as one of the guards fired at the beast, leaving a hole in one of its wings, before the creature launched him to a nearby wall, killing him on impact.
"Good to see you, girl." Jor-El mounted the H'Raka, taking off in an instant. The hole in the beast's wings kept its balance off, but it could still soar with the help of its three remaining wings. Jor landed hard outside of the El household, jumping off his companion and rushing inside. Lara looked up at him in a panic, seeing the codex in his hands.
"You did it. You actually did it."
"It won't be long before the council brings the full might of Krypton upon is. Is the pod ready?" Jor-El asked, rushing to another room. Lara followed him as the two talked, proceeding to a larger chamber with a single red and blue space pod waiting for them. Inside of it, a baby with black hair and blue eyes.
"It's ready. I've already set the coordinates. But you never told me, why Earth?"
Jor placed the codex in the arms of his son. The last son of Krypton.
"He'll be a legend there. The Earth's yellow sun will give him abilities we never thought possible. And there's an old Kryptonian outpost that can help him hone these powers. He is the future, Lara. Earth can help him reach that future."
"I just…I don't know if I-"
"We must be brave. At least as brave as he will have to be." Jor-El stated, placing his son's hand on Lara's.
Lara looked into the boy's eyes. "Someday, you'll save them all. Be strong, Kal-El. Remember what it is to be loved."
Tremors caused the ground to shake. It was time. The time for Krypton's destruction.
"Lara, this is it! We have to seal the ship!" The tremors caused a massive boom, but that boom was overtaken by the sound of Kryptonian drop ships landing outside of the house. For a moment, there was blaster fire. Then, the weak yelp of a H'Raka.
There was no time left to lose.
Lara pressed a series of buttons on a nearby console, closing the ship, and gazing on her son for the last time.
"My beautiful boy. Someone will be there for you. But I know you fly with an open heart. No matter where you fall…no matter what else happens…someone will find you." The shift of a lever. And then, booming flame. Blue and orange fire rocketed out from the space pod, lifting it into the air.
Jor-El heard the crash of a glass door being broken as the Kryptonian soldiers from outside broke into the household. Jor-El grabbed his blaster and trained it at the door. There was only one way in, and in moments, the soldiers would bust through. They wouldn't spare the two traitors. They had already tried to kill Jor once. This would be their last stand.
"Launch it, Lara!" One final button and the ship soared away. The door to the room was thrown open and Jor fired, taking out two Kryptonian guards in an instant. Blaster fire shot everywhere, one-shot finding surface in Jor-El's chest. He fell to the ground, with Lara being fired upon soon after.
"They're down. Return to the ships and follow that pod. Get the codex, then kill the last son of El."
"You won't get my son…"
The Kryptonian soldier knelt down to Jor-El, placing the barrel of his blaster rifle right under Jor's chin. "Yeah, and why's that?"
"He is Krypton's hope. Its dying wish. The last ember in the flame. I will not let you cause the end of our world."
"The hole in your chest tells a different story, old man. What will you do to stop-"
The room erupted. Fire blasted up through the floor. The final failsafe of the El's. A great sacrifice. They'd never find him. Kal-El would live on.
Surrounded by cornfields and dirt, two figures approached a small space pod.
"My god." A woman spoke. "Johnny…it's…it's a baby." The woman grabbed the child from its space pod, placing it into an old red pickup truck alongside her husband.
"God bless us. A child?"
"Yes, could our prayers have been answered?" The woman asked, hope in her eyes.
"Martha, I…"
"Someone could have put him there. Someone bad. What if they come after him?" She paused. "Johnny, what do we do?"
"I'm not sure I have an answer to that. But I know how we can throw them off the scent. I mean, if you're serious about this. But we should get him to a doctor or hospital- "
"No, Johnny. He's fine. He's strong." The child grabbed Martha by the finger, bending it backward and breaking it. "AH!"
"Martha?" The truck swerved to the side of the road.
"Nothing! Keep your eyes front."
Jonathan's face turned serious. More serious than Martha had ever seen before. "Okay, let's think about this again…we get home, we call the Sheriff…"
"No."
"Martha, there are laws."
"I know, Johnny. But there's legal. And there's right. I don't know why he was sent here, but we're not giving this baby over to a bunch of policemen and scientists. We're keeping him, Jonathan. That's it."
Jonathan sighed. Though he'd never admit it, that's what he wanted to hear all along. "All right, Martha. All right."
Memories. The boy lifting up a couch to grab a toy he lost. Lasers firing from his eyes and singeing the corn fields. Being thrown to the ground and holding back in a fight. Everything. The boy, renamed Clark Kent, was raised well. Told to hide his powers, until the time was right. But little did he know, that time was just around the corner.