During his time on Warworld, Clark had learned one or two things about hand-to-hand fighting. Unfortunately all that did now was reinforce how outmatched he was here. Maybe he could take the fat one, but the tiger was too strong and too fast. Not to mention the female still held Lana, who was trying without success to get free. Lana had a taser as well, but she wasn't going to be able to get it with her arms pinned to her sides. They'd found the weapons amongst Professor Kimda's various bits and pieces in the lab. Weapons were something he wasn't entirely comfortable with, even for defensive purposes, but with his powers gone they had agreed they should take precautions.
Edging towards Lana, he hoped to at least give her a chance to get away. It didn't matter what happened to him; he would protect her with his life.
"Arrrgh!" cried the female alien. "Get them off me! GET THEM OFF ME!"
Clark was as baffled as the attacker's accomplices, who turned to see what was going on. She was lying on the ground, swatting at some tiny invisible attackers that were apparently running all over her body.
"Run!" Clark instructed both Lana and the girl who'd escaped the motorcycle crash. As Lana looked back at him anxiously, he lifted the unconscious youth and swung him over his shoulder. "Go!"
They didn't make it more than a few strides before the tiger leapt in front of them, blocking their path. Gently lowering his burden, Clark stepped forwards, hands raised, making himself an inviting target. The tiger struck with furious speed, claws slashing his cheek before it's weight landed on top of him, pinning him underneath it. Lana didn't hesitate, moving around behind the creature and jamming her own taser into it's back. Some of the current passed to Clark, but fortunately the tiger broke it's grip almost immediately. Snarling, it caught Lana's hand and sent the weapon flying. Before it could hurt Lana, Clark had leapt onto the creature's broad back, wrapping his arms around it's neck. The little fat alien ran forwards (or at least managed a very fast waddle). To Clark's surprise instead of attacking him it leapt at the tiger's feet, knocking it off balance. Clark fell on top of them both.
Why had it done that, he wondered as the tiger (or were-tiger, as he was coming to think of it) threw him off. And the female, veins throbbing all over her body like they were about to explode, was still thrashing wildly at invisible opponents. He looked at the girl who'd miraculously survived the crash. It had to be her that was doing this. It was just like when he'd fought Lenaria, his perceptions being changed in an instant, his mind bending to her will. This girl was surely a telepath of some kind… maybe even an Empireth herself.
The were-tiger went for his throat. As Clark dodged, he noticed a beam of blue light streak across the sky, heading downwards. It struck the tiger in the back, cutting straight through his flesh. Clark could only watch as all life left it's eyes and it toppled forwards. Another motorcycle came down to land, this time smoothly. The rider, a dark-haired man who looked around thirty, looked grimly at Clark, before actually smiling at him. In appearance, he looked as human as Clark, but dressed in a dark blue uniform. A logo on the shirt cuffs identified him as a member of the Citizens Patrol Corps. Clark had had problems with them last time he was here. In moments, another two motorcycles had joined them. These two wore helmets, so Clark couldn't see there faces, but one was male, the other female. The two surviving attackers surrendered themselves into their custody.
"This one requires medical attention," said the leader, meaning the unconscious boy. The female called for help through a communications device in her arm. He turned his attention back to Clark, as if the boy were of no importance. Lana rejoined Clark and they stood embracing each other. That had been much too dangerous a situation to have her involved in. He would have to take her back home as soon as he could. "I am at your service. Are any of the rest of you hurt?"
"We're fine," said Clark quickly. He wanted to keep his dealings with the C.P.C to an absolute minimum this time around. From the way she was trying to melt into the background, it looked like the girl was the same. If she really were an Empireth, that would make sense. They had relentlessly pursued and exterminated much of her race. That said, the former leader of the C.P.C, Preus, had hated all races other than Kryptonians, so that was probably jumping to conclusions. He doubted many people had love for them.
"No need to look so nervous, all of you," smiled their rescuer. Clark recognised the stripes on the man's uniform too. They ranked him as a sergeant, same as Preus. "You're in no trouble. I'm only sorry we didn't arrive sooner. Things have been somewhat… strained as of late. But regardless, every individual in Kandor is entitled to the protection of the C.P.C. Even those who turn up unannounced."
"What does that mean?" asked Clark carefully. The Sergeant responded in a whisper only Clark heard.
"It means, Kal-El, that we rather anticipated you coming to us when you returned." Clark froze as he heard his birth-name. "Rather than, you know, taking your lover to the zoo."
"I don't know what you're talking about," hissed Clark. He sounded angry enough that Lana touched his arm to try and calm him down. He had to keep his head. The sergeant looked amused.
"Don't play dumb. I was on the ship when Preus chased you from the city."
"Then what's the difference between you and him? He didn't believe who I was and tried to kill me because of it."
"The difference is, I did believe you. I still do. Only a true Kryptonian could have used that machine to restore their powers."
"And how do you know about that?"
"Because," said the sergeant. "I invented it. My name is Kimda."
888
"That's impossible," said Clark as he, Lana and the girl (who he now knew to be called Faye) were escorted to the C.P.C's headquarters. Kimda had assured them they were not under arrest, and there would be no repeat of what had gone on before. Clark had been cleared of all wrongdoing, it seemed. "Kimda went missing. And you aren't anything like old enough to have been at college with Jor-El."
"You've been to the museum?"
"Sure, briefly," said Clark.
"Then you must know Krypton has access to advanced cloning technology. Some time after Kandor was separated from the rest of the planet, Preus created clones of every pure Kryptonian he could, myself included. There weren't many, but there are a few of us, all in the C.P.C."
"So… you died?" asked Lana, trying hard to keep up.
"Well, I don't remember it. I retain the original's memories only up to a certain point," said Kimda, sitting behind his desk. Refreshments were brought for them, and he allowed Faye to be escorted to the medical ward to check on Pendar. "According to the records, I was captured and sent to Warworld by the very same creature you were here with before, Kal-El. So you can see why you were judged by the company you keep."
"We're not exactly friends," said Clark, offering a brief outline of the events that had forced them together, "But it doesn't matter now. Lenaria is trapped in the Phantom Zone, and for what it's worth, Mongul is dead."
Kimda only nodded, looking thoughtful.
"Are you here to save the city?" he asked finally.
"It doesn't exactly look like it needs saving," said Clark. "All of you seem to have adapted. But I will try and restore the city, if I can. Only… Krypton is gone. It was destroyed somehow. Only myself and this place have survived."
Kimda closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"I'd given up any hope of ever seeing it again anyway," he said finally.
"There's something I don't understand," asked Lana after giving him a minute. "If you had that machine to give you powers, why didn't you use it yourself?"
"What makes you so sure I didn't?" asked Kimda with a sad smile. "I made it out no problem, same way Clark did. Found myself in a space-ship, alongside other cities like this one, tiny cities in glass bottles. I was only a few inches tall, so I managed to stay hidden, but quickly I fell ill. I began to realise the environment was killing me. I couldn't live outside the city anymore. I came back here. Never told anyone. Funny part is, the people here are beginning to think we're keeping them trapped against their will."
"Because I showed up," said Clark.
"It started before that, but I'm afraid you didn't help matters," said Kimda. "People are rebelling. The early signs are that the girl's bike was sabotaged. Well actually, her father's bike. He was one of the key scientists who helped explain the situation to the people in the first place. We both were."
"So you're saying someone tried to kill him?" asked Lana.
"I'm saying that many Kandorian's have been discontent for a long time, and now they think they've been lied to. We've dealt with most problems so far, but it's only a matter of time before things get out of hand. Which is why we need you."
"I don't understand," said Clark. "I have no powers here, and it looked to me like your machine had burned out."
"I'm not trying to sign you up for the C.P.C, Kal-El," said Kimda. "Your real power, here at least, is as a symbol. If you explain to the people who you are, tell them you're going to save them, then the attacks will be averted."
Clark and Lana shared a look. Getting dragged into Kandorian politics would take him way out of his depth. Before the discussion could continue further, however someone barged into the office. Kimda looked unconcerned.
"Sergeant, it's the Hall of Justice! Somebody's accessing the Phantom Zone equipment without authorization!"
888
"I can tend to your wounds, if you like," said Raya once Lenaria had calmed herself slightly. She would never feel real calm, not in this place. The fear was there all the time, just as it had been during the war. There was no hunger or thirst; she felt like half a person here, only half-real.
"That would be very kind," said Lenaria between sobs. If Raya was starting to pity her, all the better. While she did feel some humiliation over her weakness, it would be worthwhile if it made Raya underestimate her. It was tempting to strike now while Zod was away, but she stayed her hand. If he returned to find Raya dead, he would know she held the crystal. Lenaria did not intend him to know that until it was too late. She didn't know exactly where Zod was; he'd explained he wanted to look around the area. Madness to leave the protection of the crystal, she thought. Without it she knew Raya would have died long ago.
"You'll need to take your dress off," said Raya when Lenaria did not move. Lenaria flushed. That might very well be something a 'concubine' might be comfortable with, but she most certainly was not. "You can be modest or in pain. Your choice."
Turning around, she reluctantly began to strip to her underwear. Her body was not something she was particularly proud of. It had never recovered after she'd given birth to her two children…
To Raya's surprise, she struck her own head. Those were not her memories! Lenaria had never given birth, never wanted children. That memory belonged to one of the meteor freaks whose abilities she'd absorbed. She'd used a machine to discard most of the memories she didn't need, but some seemed impossible to be completely rid of. No, the only problem with her body was age. In Earth years, she was almost forty-five. Her face was still somewhat youthful, but her neck was wrinkled and her breasts were sagging. Still, her husband had found her most pleasing, and she could still feel that adulation in his thoughts. It brought her a measure of comfort even here. Still, the memories of her time in The Phantom Zone were ones she would gladly get rid of. Too risky to interfere with your own memories though, or she would have removed all recollections of the Empireth war long ago.
With her back still to Raya, she failed to notice the crystal slip into her hand. She felt something strike into her from behind and spun wildly, failing over as she did.
"Wait, wait!" she cried, scrambling to her knees, raising her hands in a pitiful defence. It took her a moment to realise Raya had already replaced the crystal. "What… what did you just do?"
"A test. Sometimes the phantoms take hosts. If you'd been one of them… well, you wouldn't be my problem any more," said Raya. Lenaria narrowed her eyes. It was not the way she would have chosen to find out – her heart was still pounding wildly – but it was good to know that the crystal couldn't harm her. And also to know that it was a real threat to Zod. She would not dare attack him without a definite way to take him out. A very dangerous individual was The General. She threw herself at Raya's feet, telling her she could be trusted, she would never harm her, never. Grovelling came easily to her. Mongul had given her much practice. She hesitated for a moment when Raya drew a knife. "This however, will most certainly hurt you, whatever you may be. Tell me who you really are. Preus' concubine? What nonsense."
"Y-you are right," said Lenaria. She watched the knife carefully. She wanted Raya alive for now, but if she made any move, she would kill her. For that stunt with the crystal, she would burn a hole through her skull. Slowly. "You m-must understand, he forced me to do it. He would have killed me if I hadn't gone along with him…"
"What do you mean?" snarled Raya. Lenaria looked around to ensure Zod wasn't around. If he came back and heard her now, she would surely lose her chance. Until they were free she couldn't risk harming him.
"That is not Preus -that is General Zod," said Lenaria, shuddering for effect. "His servant, Brainiac, managed to release him from The Phantom Zone into Preus' body." Saying she had done it would not have gone down well. "A boy named Kal-El managed to send him back."
"Kal-El?" said Raya, eyes wide.
"Yes, a Kryptonian," said Lenaria, trying to seize the initiative.
"I know he's a Kryptonian," said Raya. "I'm a Kryptonian myself. If you know Kal-El, then you are from Earth?"
"Yes, that's right," said Lenaria warily. She would have to ensure she was not caught in a lie. "I was sent here by mistake, I have done nothing…"
Raya shook her head. "Guilty or innocent, it doesn't make any difference. There's no escape from this place, not for any of us. I'm not a criminal myself, but I'm as trapped here as the phantoms."
"You are wrong; there is one way. Brainiac is going to try to release Zod again. When he does, we can go with him. On the day Kal-El fell to Earth, I was gifted with the power to heal from the meteor rocks that came with him. That's why Zod needs me, to preserve his body. If you give me the crystal, we can use it when we escape…"
"That crystal was given to my by Kal-El's father. It saves my life every day I am in here, and I won't part with it for any reason. And if you can heal, why haven't you healed yourself?"
"Zod would have punished me severely had I given anything away. He must not know we have spoken. Please, you must see that giving me the crystal is our only chance."
Lenaria resisted the urge to continue speaking as Raya thought things over. Babbling would not help her here. She would have used her powers to control Raya, but either her telepathy didn't work here or Raya was immune. She had already made a tentative attempt.
"I'm sorry," said Raya finally. "It's my duty to Jor-El to ensure Zod stays in The Phantom Zone. I can't take any chances. As soon as he returns, I'll trap him inside the crystal."
Lenaria snarled inside, though she showed none of her frustration. If Raya could not be convinced before Zod returned, she would have to die.
888
Since most of the Phantom Zone equipment here was no longer operational, The Kandorian Hall of Justice was now largely disused. Even with his considerable talent, he couldn't simply set the equipment up so that he could release Zod, though he could use it for communications purposes. Since he no longer knew whether Zod would require a vessel or not, he would need to put it to use. He still held Lex's trust, so his plan to use him to host Zod could still be put into effect. Being a phantom however, was not a terribly pleasant existence, and it was possible he was using The Empireth to preserve his body. Activating the screen brought up a view of the desolate looking place. The system could distinguish between phantoms and non-phantoms, and there were only so many of the latter. Even fewer were phantoms within bodies. It took a little time, but he was able to locate 'Preus' without too much difficulty. With The General was The Empireth, who looked a miserable wreck, and a Kryptonian he knew as Raya. She had been a friend of Jor-El's, a long time ago.
He could have left it at that, but decided to speak with Zod while he was here. Extremely unwise to alert the Empireth or Raya to his presence. Instead, he used the equipment to call Zod away from them. There would be a signal only Zod could hear to lead him to a suitable spot. He waited with infinite patience as Zod made an excuse and left the two females.
"Who summons me?" asked Zod, looking around. Brainiac could see Zod, but Zod could not see him. He could hear him though.
"It is your servant, the Brain-Interactive Construct, General Zod," said Brainiac,
"It is interesting, machine, that thus far The Empireth has been more successful at releasing me than you," said Zod.
"Forgive me, General. However, I would point out that she was also responsible for returning you here."
"Along with Kal-El," said Zod. "I take it you have another plan?"
"Of course. Your release will be secured shortly."
"The Empireth will have to remain with me until a way to cure the exposure sickness can be found."
"I already have one, General. I provided a human with a suit of armour that can stave off the sickness. You will need to wear it at all times, but it can protect you until I come up with another solution."
"Even if I could barely walk in it, it would be less bothersome than The Empireth," said Zod. "Be sure to have it ready. As soon as we are through, the leech's time is up."
"As you say. I already have a glorious empire for you to return to, General Zod. I have acquired many cities from across the galaxies. Once a suitable planet is found, they can be restored to their full size and their inhabitants made your servants. They will all kneel before Zod."
(Author's Note: A few things I should point out here: Kimda and Lyla are from the comics.I have never read the only comic Kimda appears in (I've only gotten into the comics recently). He was someone I came across during research (ie looking up wikipedia) and tossed him in as a throwaway reference in Condemned Memories. He is vastly different, through circumstance, in this story to the comic. Same as he would be if he appeared on Smallville, of course. The character was created by Otto Binder.
Lyla is the only Empireth to appear in the comics, and is around for only one story arc. Again, very different circumstances for her here (she doesn't pretend to be someone called Faye in the comics, for example, though she is hiding from the C.P.C.) Lyla originally sort of had Lenaria's role in Condemned Memories, except that wasn't a villain role at the time. Once I switched it, I came up with my own Empireth character. Given the possibilities of the race, I figured it would be fun to have one around that had few morals holding them back. If I'd known about Heroes at the time, Lenaria would have been scrapped as well, given that show had a power-sucking villain around the same time)