Kal-El could not reach Jor-El on the second phone he used, when his father returned to Krypton a/o emergencies. And now, he began to get the uneasy feeling that Ella may have been right to worry.
He had promised to take Chloe to the Fortress of Solitude so she could take some pictures and do a story on his 'home away from home'. Kal-El had no intention of allowing her to photograph anything that could give their enemies any ammunition. He walked up the stairs and headed towards the wing Lois's room was in.
Kal-El knocked softly three times, then louder! Lois did not answer and he opened her door to find her asleep on her bed, still in her work clothes. He closed her door and walked right over to her. She was dead to the world. And Kal-El strongly suspected that the weight of his brand on her thigh, was the reason for her sudden fatigue.
Kal-El sat down on the edge of her bed and gently moved her legs apart. Lois did not move at all, as pulled her skirt up in search of his family crest. He found it right away and it was glowing!
Kal-El gently pulled her skirt down and closed Lois's legs before standing up. What was happening was a rare occurrence. Most Earth women could only give Krypronian men, half Kryptonian children. The same went for the men when it came to Kryptonian women. And Kal-El knew that there had been more than a few of these births that had taken place on this planet, since they had arrived.
But...an Earth woman, with the family crest of a Kryptonian on her body, meant that she could give birth to a full blooded Kryptonian child! With full powers, just as a Kryptonian man and woman could do. No one knew why or how these things happened and they were rare.
Kal-El would need to seek some confirmation of this, of course. Jor-El was the best source, but until he could ascertain just what was happening with his father, Kal-El would seek his knowledge from the Fortress, while Chloe was taking photographs.
He sighed and pulled a blanket over Lois, before leaving her room.
Kal-El arrived at Chloe's apartment over the Talon, feeling more concern than he had ever felt, since his people had arrived on this planet. He had called his father numerous times since leaving the mansion and still received no answer.
He pulled out a box from inside of his jacket. Inside were a pair of pearl earrings he had purchased for Chloe. He had left them in the car Lois has ruined. And since she had threatened to not pay for the damages at all, Kal-El used his super speed to go to the auto shop after closing, break in and get the earrings out of the glove compartment.
Chloe opened the door and greeted him with a big kiss! Kal-El wrapped his arms around her small form before Chloe pulled her lips from his.
"I like your greeting. And I wish we had the time to explore other options, but I want to give you plenty of time to work on your story." Kal-El informed her.
Chloe smiled up at him, tightening her arms around his neck.
"I just love how you are looking out for me. By tomorrow morning, I am going to make Bruce Wayne eat his words!"
"That is the point of this." Kal-El smiled back, before letting her go and handing her the box.
"What is this?" Chloe breathed.
"Something I want you to wear as you are making him...what is that saying? 'Eat A Bird'?"
"It's eat crow! And I Iove them! They are so beautiful!" Chloe exclaimed. She moved away from him and stood in front of a mirror to try them on. Kal-El closed her door and looked around. He did not quite understand why Chloe felt she had to live here. There were plenty of places she could reside, that were not over a restaurant.
Then again, there were still many things about this planet, and it's people, that he did not comprehend. And that brought his thoughts back to Lois. Once he confirmed his suspicions about the brand on her thigh, things would have to change between them. Lois and himself would have to find a way to get along in some manner.
And, of course, he would not share the mother of his future child with Bruce Wayne. That was out of the question.
Kal-El watched as Chloe removed the earrings and put them back in the box. She looked over at him.
"Let me change and then we can be on our way. I'll take pictures with my phone. It has a high resolution."
Kal-El said nothing to that as Chloe disappeared into the next room. He sat down on her couch and glanced at a picture of Chloe and Lois together. There was a picture next to that one of Chloe, Lois and Lucy. Kal-El picked up the one of Chloe and Lois for a moment, staring at it, before setting it down again.
"Chloe?" he called out.
"Yes?" Chloe answered back.
Kal-El stood up and walked over to one of her windows and stared out.
"I was thinking that it was time for this...'war' Lois and I have had going on, ever since our parents married, to come to a rest."
"I think that's a great idea!" Chloe called out.
"I don't know how to begin. Whenever I try and show Lois any kindness, my gesture is rebuffed." Kal-El admitted.
Chloe peered out from around the corner of her room.
"How often have you ever tried to be kind to her?" she asked. She didn't quite get where this conversation was coming from, or where it was going.
"I will admit, I have tolerated her more than I have tried to get to know her." Kal-El said. He then looked away from the window and saw that Chloe was staring at him. Hard.
"What is it?"
"I don't understand why you suddenly want to get along with Lois? I mean, yes, it would be great because then she wouldn't be all over me for being with you. But Kal-El, Lois wants her parents back together. I just don't see you two ever getting along unless that happens." Chloe said, then went back into the bedroom area to change.
Kal-El turned back towards the window. He did not know if General Lane would take Lois's mother back. But he did know that his father would be reuniting with his mother. So it might be possible. His thoughts moved from Sam and Ella Lane, to how he would lure Lois into his bed. He had asked her outright to be with him and she had refused him. And he suspected that Bruce Wayne was the reason. Despite Lois's earlier words about giving up on the Gotham City billionaire, Lois still harbored hopes of developing something with him.
Kal-El realized he would have to dash those hopes, somehow.
"Why are we at the Kawatche Caves?" Chloe asked in wonder, as Kal-El pulled her into darkness. Surely Kal-El's 'home away from home' was not some man cave-literally, was it?
"You will see." Kal-El told her as he pulled her towards a rock console. Chloe let go of his hand and stared at it. That didn't look like an ordinary rock! And she had never been this deep into these caves.
Chloe watched as Kal-El removed a disc from his jacket pocket.
"What is that?" she asked curiously.
"The key to my secret abode." Kal-El said teasingly, as he placed the disc into the console, and then pulled Chloe close to him, as they transported to the Fortress of Solitude.
Once there, Chloe pulled out of Kal-El's arms and began to wander around a bit, all while looking back at Kal-El.
"What is this place?" Chloe asked breathlessly.
"It is a replica of Krypton, in many ways."
"Krypton looks like this? It's cold all of the time?"
"Chloe, do you feel cold?"
Chloe thought about it. No. She was not cold. She pulled out her camera phone and disappeared around a large crystal boulder. Kal-El took that moment to head towards another console. He quickly pulled out a Crystal and inserted it into a crevice. Soon, a Kryptonian Elder appeared in hologram form.
"The ability for an earth woman, to give birth to a full blooded Kryptonian child, is borne in their bloodline. If a Kryptonian male copulates with at least two other female members of that said woman's family, then the third, will develop this said ability. The same goes for Kryptonian females. They will give birth to a full blooded Kryptonian child, if they copulate with at least three males in one family bloodline." the hologram droned.
Kal-El clenched his jaw. So, his liaisons with Lucy and Chloe had brought Lois to this point. Still, why had his just touching her in that way, triggered this development? He listened on...
"The mark of the family crest only appears on Earth women, if the said woman is touched in a manner by a Kryptonian that has copulated with her family line, in a manner that is construed as intimate. Meaning it is the woman's feelings about the touch itself, that is the deciding factor as to whether it is 'intimate' or not."
Kal-El smiled at that but continued to watch.
"The crest will cause fatigue and nausea, much like the first stages of pregnancy. That is done to get all of that out of the way, so that when pregnancy does occur, the woman has all of her strength to carry a child that is stronger than her. And once a pregnancy has happened, the crest will disappear. It does not remove itself from the woman's body, if she copulates with another Kryptonian or another human male. The crest identifies the father and his family bloodline." the hologram said.
Kal-El removed the crystal from the console. He was startled to see Chloe in his line of vision, but did not show it visibly.
"What was that you were watching? Can you pull it up again so I can take a picture?" she asked.
"No." Kal-El said curtly. "There are many things you cannot photograph. There are people on this planet that would use this place and our technology, against my kind."
Chloe walked up to him.
"I would never write anything that would let that happen. Okay. I have enough. Believe me, Bruce Wayne is going to be blown away! He won't call anything I write after this, a puff piece! But..."
"What is it?" Kal-El asked.
"It would be nice to get some pictures of you, here as well. Otherwise Bruce could say I made this whole place up."
"I see your point. We can go over there." Kal-El instructed her. He posed as Chloe asked him to, but his mind was on the information he had learned. He did not quite know how to begin to get Lois to open up to him in any way. He had never had this problem before. Of a woman of any sort, not caring for him. But he was determined to figure something out.
Bruce had Jor-El moved to a secret room on his estate. Davis had had a cage like prison put in in this room as well, but the amount of power it emitted was somewhat less. Meaning Jor-El was still weakened severely, but he could talk and answer questions.
Alfred walked into the room and handed Bruce a drink.
"General Lane called, sir. He will be here in two hours to take Jor-El to be detained on a military base." Alfred informed him.
Bruce nodded. He suspected General Lane would be here sooner than that, to collect the man that had stolen his wife.
"Master Bruce, should you be in here alone with him?"
"I need to ask him some things. I'll be along in a moment." Bruce told Alfred. Alfred nodded, but looked uneasily at Jor-El, who was now staring at Bruce through his weakened state. Nothing was said until Alfred left the room.
"When the my people take over," Jor-El said, "you will need to find a new kind of employment. Everything that is yours, will be ours."
"How is that going to happen, Jor-El? We're going to keep you detained, in a prison like this. Once Kal-El comes looking for you, he will be detained in a similar manner. We will then get word to Zod that not only do we have a weapon that weakens your powers, but we also can make ourselves invisible. You wouldn't even be able to spot our skeletal forms. And while we are invisible, we can continue using the weapon against you until you have to leave. So in what world do you envision that this takeover can still happen?" Bruce asked harshly.
"You will be unemployed, Bruce," Jor-El continued, as if Bruce had said nothing, "and as far as I know, 'night avenger' is not a paying form of work."
Bruce clenched his jaw.
"You know about that?"
"I know everything, Bruce. Kal-El is aware of your nighttime activities..."
"Oh I know HE is! How did your son obtain a replica of my costume? Because he broke into my Metropolis penthouse and left it lying about. I think the point was for Lois to see it, but I can't be sure."
"Young man," Jor-El said in a kindly, yet fatherly voice, "you will not seek any peace doing what you are doing. It is noble to want to protect mankind. It is understandable that you would feel that every criminal that you turn in, is the one that slayed your parents. But in the end it will be for naught. You will die alone and your parents will still be dead."
Something about Jor-El's tone almost made him lose his cool. It was the combination of caring and rebuke that incensed Bruce! Why did he care anything at all about him? He had his own son!
But Bruce did keep cool. Jor-El was trying to talk his way out of his predicament. And despite his words, Bruce knew the elder Kryptonian KNEW he was in one.
"Tell me something, Jor-El: did Davis take something from Krypton that could end the planet itself?"
"if you are referring to Lor-Zod, then the answer is yes. None of what has happened, would have been necessary if he had not done what he had done."
"And yet 'Davis' denies that allegation. At least he did to me." Bruce said.
"Lor-Zod has never been quite right." was Jor-El's response.
"Why do you say that? What do you mean?"
"What I mean, Bruce, is that even if you vanquish every Kryptonian from this planet, you will eventually need us to stop him."
Bruce folded his arms.
"Stop him? He has created a weapon that will keep you from ruling this planet. And he has married an Earth woman. Davis, and that is his name now, wants a life here. Why would we need to stop him?"
"The man you call 'Davis' is not quite Kryptonian. He would have been if Zod and Davis's mother, Faora, had not taken steps to turn him into a 'correct Kryptonian'. I now just realized that something they gave him must have been Lor-Zod's undoing. And it will soon be yours."
Bruce did not like what he was hearing! At all! And he was beginning to suspect that this family history of Davis Bloom's, was the reason Jor-El did not look like he was the least bit worried about his situation. Why had Davis Bloom not told him any of this when he came to Wayne Enterprises with his formula?
"What are you telling me?" Bruce asked warily.
"Nothing. That is unless you release me. If Lor-Zod turns over the crystal, our people will leave. Not even Zod wants to see the destruction of Krypton, despite his thirst for power. And he wants to help his son."
"Then maybe he shouldn't have experimented on him! Is this why Davis hates his own people so much?" Bruce asked. But Jor-El changed the subject. He knew Bruce Wayne, whether the young billionaire realized it or not. He was worried. He was not so sure of his plans now.
"When is General Lane coming to collect me?" Jor-El asked instead.
Bruce turned and left the room. He locked it, even though the green rays that lit up Jor-El's prison, were sufficient enough to hold him. He had to re-think some things. The first being, turning Jor-El over to General Sam Lane.
He walked into his sitting room and fixed himself another drink, having left the other one with Jor-El. He sat down and stared into the fire. Davis Bloom a.k.a. Lor-Zod, son of the Vice-President of the United States, had either omitted something when they first agreed to do what they were doing, or Jor-El was playing him.
Bruce didn't think he could take the chance that the latter was correct. He nursed his drink just as his cellphone rang. He looked at the number.
It was Kal-El. Bruce answered.
"This is Bruce Wayne." Bruce said, now setting down the drink.
"Where is my father, exactly?" Kal-El asked in a tight voice. He had dropped Chloe off at her apartment. She had been eager to begin her story about the Fortress.
"On a business trip. Didn't he call?" Bruce asked lightly.
"I'm going to ask you again, Mr. Wayne: Where. Is. My. Father?"
"I've told you where he is, Kal-El. Now why don't you answer a question for me: what did you think you would accomplish by planting that strange costume in my penthouse?"
On Kal-El's end, he grinned as he walked back into the mansion.
"Come now, Mr. Wayne. You did not recognize it?"
"I know that if you ever break into any residence that belongs to me, you may not leave it alive."
"Oh. That is quite a bold threat, Mr. Wayne. If I do not hear from my father by morning, I will call a press conference and announce, with 'proof' that you are Batman. Somehow, I don't think Lois will be that thrilled. Good night, Mr. Wayne. You have until the morning." Kal-El said and hung up.
Bruce slowly hung up on his end just as Alfred announced General Lane's arrival.
