AN: I'd like to thank all of you who nominated Shattered Illusions for the SMVA. Don't forget to vote for your favorite stories and authors. And a big thank you to all of you who have taken the time to review my stories. I try to respond to everyone, but I might have missed a few. If I did I'm very sorry. I find all your comments very helpful.
Lastly a big thanks to my betas.
Chapter 22
"I hate it when that happens," Lois complained as she shook off the disorientation that accompanied being transported intra-dimensionally.
"It is a bit disconcerting," Kal El agreed as he steadied her.
Lois bit back a snide remark as she noticed they were in Kal El's spacecraft. The bluish light cast a surreal glow adding to her discomfort. "Why are we here?"
"We needed a secluded spot to talk, and right now we can't use the fortress. Not until we get this thing with Zod settled." Kal El answered as he inserted a crystal into a miniature replica of the fortress's console.
"What exactly is this 'thing' with Zod?" Lois's temper was starting to get the better of her again. She didn't like not being in the know normally, but when it involved her family she hated it even more.
"Revenge." Jor El's voice answered. "Zod swore that he would cause my heirs to bow down to him after I cast the deciding vote against him – sentencing him to eternity in the Phantom Zone. He wants to bring the House of El to its knees."
Lois was startled by the voice eminating from the crystalline walls surrounding them. This was one bit of Kryptonian technology she had a hard time adjusting to, she found the disembodied voices of her in-laws just plain creepy. That they inhabited some crystals was unnatural, even if they were nothing more than latent memories stored within.
"But that accomplishes nothing. He, Kal El and Jason are the only remaining Kryptonians. One would think that he would want to embrace them, not destroy them." Lois spoke into the air, not really knowing where to address the voice that spoke to her.
"That is not the way of the House of Zod. Too many wars in Krypton's past were caused by their blood feuds, much like the ones fought on your world."
"Lois, Kryptonians weren't that much different from humans, just more advanced from a technological perspective." Kal El explained.
Lois looked over to her husband. It was easier to think of him as Kal El when they were surrounded by so much of his Kryptonian technology and heritage. Even if he were dressed in blue jeans and flannel he would be Kal El instead of Clark here. Such a strange life he led, mixing his human upbringing with his Kryptonian heritage. He once told her that it wasn't confusing to him being Clark and Superman, but it sure was confusing to her. Trying to keep her husband's identities straight was as difficult as it was trying to understand the lessons on the Trinity she had to listen to in Sunday school as a child.
"Then explain why General Zod is trying to take everything away from you, why can't he just let it go, Kal El?" Lois put her hands on her hip, popping into the stance she always took when she was on the warpath.
"I can no more explain Zod's motivation to destroy me, than I could Lex Luthor's. I really don't understand that kind of hatred." A look of sadness filled Kal El's eyes, the depths of which she hadn't seen since the night he took her flying after he returned. The night she turned away from him.
"Nor should you, my son. You were not raised to be self-centered, not on Krypton, nor on Earth."
" Dru Zod was indulged from infancy. He was given every opportunity, every desire filled, no need ever overlooked.
He looked for slights, would feign outrage, create opportunities to pick a fight then cry fowl when he was challenged. As he rose in power his arrogance increased. When he was conferred command of Krypton's defense he thought he would ascend to rule over all Krypton. When he was defeated he destroyed us all, by creating such discord in the counsel no outside voices were heard. They would not listen even to me when the warning was given."
"Typical politician. He'll fit right in."
"Zod covets power – prestige. He knows the power of propaganda, and how to use it. He used it on Krypton to gain a following, for control. Here he could become another Stalin, or Hitler. Or something much more horrifying: through his knowledge of genetics he could create a new super race to subjugate humans to force them into his ultimate goal of intergalactic domination."
"I suppose he already has a machine?"
Kal El nodded, "We've already seen it at work."
Lois remembered how quickly the news outlets had begun reporting on The Planet's alleged alliance with rogue CIA agents. As if Richard were ever a rogue agent.
"He's also started to execute those who oppose him or those he no longer has use for. Though their murders will never be traced back to him." Lois watched as Kal El's gaze fell on her currently bare finger.
"Richard?" Lois shifted uncomfortably as the realization hit her. The explosion that killed her former fiancé was no accident, though she had already assumed as much, having it confirmed just made things a little more difficult for her already strained nerves. She slumped down on the berth, her shaky legs could no longer hold her up.
"I'm sure he's one, then there was the warden." Kal El paced the width of the chamber as he spoke.
Lois's hand flew to her mouth in shock, "That's right! His car was found in a ditch."
"His driver had this on his keys," Kal El pulled a small green crystal from a pocket in his cape. He let the key ring dangle from his finger.
Lois's eyes went wide. "Richard had one just like that! What is it? It almost looks like Kryptonite."
"It is a Kryptonian communications crystal. Very much like the one I sent along with Kal El, the one that built the fortress. Unlike that one, this can only send and receive transmissions, it contains no data, no special instructions."
"How did Richard and the warden end up with Kryptonian crystals?" Lois was starting to get into reporter mode now, her curiosity getting ahead of her fear for her family.
"My guess is Zod planted it, or someone working for him did." Kal El took another crystal from his cape, holding it out to her, "Lex Luthor had one as well."
"Lex Luthor?" Lois' eyes went wide with fear at the very mention of the man who almost killed her family. "How did –"
Kal El edged closer to his wife, "I heard a call this morning: a jogger found his body on a beach near Metropolis. It appears he was strangled then thrown into the ocean, but from what I found, he didn't die from strangulation. All the capillaries in his brain exploded, he died of an aneurism."
"Exploded? How?"
"Zod."
Lois gasped.
"It is easy enough to mimic an aneurism. There were some Kryptonians who were telepathic. Zod is one. He must have overloaded Luthor's brain: by pinpointing certain areas and overwhelming them he could easily create an aneurism causing sudden death. It was an ancient form of assassination on Krypton, it was very hard to prove even with our advanced methods.
"That is one of the reasons why Kryptonians decided to stay away from other worlds. It was too easy for us to hurt or kill other beings, either with our minds, or our physical strength, which was great even under a red sun. If someone decided that they wanted control, who could stand against them?"
"Zod told me that there was a galactic decree, that Kryptonians had been genetically modified so that they could not leave Rao's orbit. That others deemed us too dangerous."
"That was true, at one point in time. Many centuries ago our genetetics had been modified so that we could not exist outside our sun's influence. But those modifications were removed generations ago. Kryptonians were able to leave the planet, and were no longer feared by others. We chose not to leave, fearing our powers, and ourselves.
Lois stood and gathered her husband into a hug. She looked at his face, his eyes spoke volumes; she finally understood how great a burden it was he carried. She knew why it was he left and was at peace with it. She stood on her toes, bringing his head down to hers. Her eyes closed, her mouth open with an invitation for him. She kissed him deeply to show him that she would never fear him; could never fear him. She finally forgave Superman for leaving them, for leaving her.
Kal El broke the kiss, and started pacing again.
"There's more. Zod is working to discredit us, to destroy our reputations. He's using the media against us, his machine is running full force. If Lane, Kent and the Daily Planet are no longer reliable, if he can build up a big enough anti-Superman following –"
"We loose our credibility. Our careers would be over, the Planet would be shuttered."
"If he gains control of the press, controls opinions, he'll have won. All that Superman stands for, all that we have worked towards will be lost. There will be no freedom, no justice. Truth will be relative to Zod's whims. There would be none to oppose him.
"Father, Zod wants the fortress, and the crystals. He is demanding that I turn them over to him within a week." Lois recognized the determined look on her husband's face. People thought that she was a force to be reckoned with, they didn't know Clark Kent very well. She could be tenacious, but Kal El - Clark - was indomitable, there was no way he was going to back down to Zod, not now.
"What will he do if you refuse?"
"We're about to find out. It's time to go back to Metropolis and face this head on."
"Are you sure there is no other way, Kal El?" Lois was never one to back down from a fight, but this was different, this one threatened the men she loved. Zod had already proved that he would not hesitate to kill those who got in his way. This time Zod was more than ready to go up against Superman.
"General Zod must be stopped at all costs, Lois-Kal El. He cannot be allowed to gain access to the knowledge crystals, the fortress or Kal El's son. If he does there will be no stopping him. He will do to your world what he attempted to do to ours. He would force all of humanity to do his bidding until he grew bored. Then he would travel to other worlds to conquer them, restoring the old fear and hatred of Kryptonians that once was common to all the known galaxies. Your children would have no chance at life anywhere in this universe."
Chapter 23 is ready and waiting. Just need some encouragement to post it. Please review!