Crusade of Reckoning: The Fall of the Justice League is now available. Look for it in the search engine or on my profile. Enjoy!
The Last Stand of the Justice League
Argo City
"Zod's army is on the march with some 10,000 men. They march until the sun is set and eat only one meal a day. Some men have already fallen from exhaustion. They shall be here in four, five days at the most." Lois-El said.
"Where is the rest of the League?" Kal-El asked as they examined the war map. They were in her chambers in the Argo keep.
"Waiting in their ships and with their armies not far from here. We shall meet the Zoner army here with our vanguard and the vanguards of Gotham and Themyscira at the edge of the Valley of Juru. Then we retreat into the valley all the way to the coast, where the Egyptian army shall be waiting." Lois said.
"Then we shall be trapped." Kal-El said.
"Yes but we shall cut off their escape while we attack the front flank and the rest of the League shall attack the rear flank." Lois said.
"They shall be trapped with us." Kal-El said.
"Yes. We march in the morrow." Lois said. Kal-El walked up behind her and wrapped his hands around her waist. He kissed the back of her neck and she quietly moaned. "Do you wish to take me right now?"
"If you consent. I love it when you talk battle strategies." Kal-El whispered in her ear and she chuckled. He turned her around and hoisted her up onto the table as she giggled. He caressed her face. "If there was a way to go back and change all this for the better…would you do it?"
"Yes. But not just for all the lives lost…" Lois caressed his face. "But so that we may regain the time that was stolen from us. Why do you ask?"
"No reason." Kal-El lied and grinned slightly. Lois knew there was more to it but she decided not to push him.
"Good. Now, I believe you were going to carry me off to that bed over there." Lois said. Kal-El smiled. He hoisted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, both of them chuckling.
Some Days Later
The League of Armies' camp was not far from the valley. Bowls of stew were passed out as soldiers sang and told war stories. And soon it began to quiet down and the fires slowly began to die.
Kal-El sat on a hill overlooking the armies. He wore a white laced shirt, a black doublet with the laces undone, and trousers. In his hands, he held Tahrao in its scabbard. "You were not in the command pavilion with us." He looked over his shoulder and grinned at Lois. She wore a red leather doublet, trousers, her sword belt, and a red cloak clasped with a brooch of the crest of the House of El.
Kal-El looked over the camp again. "The calm before the storm." He said softly.
"Yes…" Lois stood beside him and began stroking his hair. "You are not coming to the battle." Lois said.
"There is something I need to do. And I have faith in you." Kal-El said and then sighed. "Bruce and I have a plan."
"Is this plan dangerous?" Lois asked.
"Yes, but it can prevent all this. It can save all we have lost." Kal-El said and stood. "And we can have back the time that was stolen from us."
"And if I begged you not to go?" Lois asked somberly.
Kal-El caressed her face. "Oh, my love… Do you want us to be together and to bring up our children in the world we built or the one Zod destroyed?" Lois looked down at the ground. He gently pressed his forehead against hers. "I am sorry that I must be cruel to be kind." Kal-El said softly.
"And if we never see each other again?" Lois asked.
"We will." Kal-El said. They then kissed tenderly.
Two Days Later
Kal-El help Lois dress for battle in her pavilion. She put on black chausses over her brown trousers and then greaves. He helped her put on her hauberk over her red gambeson. Then her black gorget, breast and back plate, and her spaulders. Lastly, she put on her sword belt and red knight's cape. The armor was Kryptonian steel so it felt light on her.
Lois turned around to face him as he straightened her cape. Kal-El took her hands. "I guess this is where we bid each other farewell." Lois said.
"No. We were never good at that." Kal-El said.
"No." Lois said and they both grinned.
"Stay alive. I am not going to lose you." Kal-El said. They kissed tenderly. He cupped her face in his hands as they kissed.
"Until we meet again, my love." Lois said. She quickly caressed his face and then walked out of the pavilion to kneeling Kryptonian and Kansas soldiers. Lois mounted her war stallion. "Rise." They all rose.
"Brothers and sisters of Krypton and of Kansas, on this day we make our final stand against Zod! In victory or in defeat, I wish to say what an honor it has been to fight beside you all. This war has raged on long enough! We have lost our friends, our loved ones, our homes but we never lost hope or our will to endure on. Zod thinks he has broken us and that we are weak. But I know that for every soldier of ours lost today, Zod shall lose ten." The soldiers banged their spears on their heater shields once.
"I know many of you have your doubts and that many of you are afraid. There is no shame in that. But remember we fight not only for our own survival and vengeance but for our children. So that they may live in the world my husband worked so hard to build: a world of peace and justice. Long ago, my husband said to me that there are no true victories in the quest for peace, only battles, and yet it is all worthwhile when you have someone standing with you." An ensign bearing the banner of the League of Nation rode up next to Lois and the soldiers banged their spears on their shields again.
"On this day, Zod shall know that calling yourself a king does not make you a true king. A kingdom is not just land and wealth but the people. And today the people say, 'Enough!' The people called for the House of El and we have once again come to answer the call of the people. Soldiers…forward!" The soldiers shouted their war cry.
A portion of the League of Armies stood in formation outside the Valley of Juru. They did not know how long they had been waiting but they soon heard the distinct sound of marching. The Zoner army came into view on the horizon. They soon halted their march. The distance between the armies seemed miles away.
The now Commander Nam-Ek looked at the League through a lens and tube. "They are all mounted, my lord. They bear the banners of the House of El, Gotham, Themyscira, and the League of Nations as well."
"No matter. Our king wants this pitiful army vanquished and the king shall have what he wants. Prepare to fire cannons!" Gor commanded.
Kara Fine looked through a lens and tube and saw then preparing their cannons. "They are not going to offer terms! TO ARMS!" She cried.
Triple-barreled cannons were loaded at the front of the Zoner army. "Take aim!" The cannons were raised slightly. "FIRE!" Zoners fired the cannons.
The cannonballs fell and bombarded the ground some feet ahead of the League. Their horses neighed nervously but they were war stallions, not easily frightened by the explosions. The dust and smoke cleared and the League remained in formation. Gor growled. "Send the cavalry and the van."
"Cavalry! Vanguard! CHARGE!" The Zoner cavalry and vanguard charged yelling war cries.
Lois and Bruce exchanged glances. "Cavalry!" The sovereigns cried. The League cavalry charge. When the cavalry had a good distance between them, they drew their swords and yelled "CHARGE!" They dug their knees into their war stallions and charged with their vanguards.
When the two forces collided, the cavalries seemed to decimate each other. The mounted forces collided, fighting as in a melee. Soldiers fall from their horses knocked off, wounded, or dead. In the background, the Zoners' cannons were being pushed forward. "We believe they are now in range, my lord." A captain said.
"Then prepare to fire." Gor said.
"But our men are still out there!" Gor drew a Kryptonian steel dirk from the back of his sword belt and swiftly slit the reluctant Zoner's throat. On instinct, he grasped his throat. The other Zoners watch blood seep out of the open wound and stain his hands. They could hear him trying to breathe. Then he fell from his horse and they could hear him choking on his own blood until he finally died.
Gor paid him no mind. He wiped the blood on his war stallion's black bard and sheathed his dirk. "Prepare to fire." He said again with a hint of annoyance in his tone.
"Prepare to fire!"
Lois sliced open a mounted Zoner's gut. Then an explosion landed not far from her, knocking her from her stallion. Her helm fell off when she landed and she was a dazed for a moment. She quickly stabbed an axe wielding Zoner and stood. "Fall back! FALL BACK INTO THE VALLEY!" Lois cried.
"Mother!" Kara Kal-El reached for her mother. They gripped forearms and Kara hoisted Lois up behind her on the saddle. League soldiers hoisted up as many of their own as they could on their saddles but many perished in the cannon fire, both League and Zoner soldiers.
Gor smirked. "We have them on the run. Prepare to march!"
It had taken time to get across the field of bodies but they now marched through the valley. "FORWARD!" Horses pulled the cannons forward and the army followed. The men were already weary from the long days marching.
"Where are they?" Gor growled, growing impatient.
"Judging by the tracks, they were heading west, for the ocean." Commander Nam-Ek said.
"Then they are fools! They shall be trapped." Gor said.
"Unless they have ships waiting." Nam-Ek said.
"We would know if the Atlantean fleet set sail for Krypton. And Luthor's army shall join ours before the day is done. His forces shall cut off their escape until the Bringer of Doom arrives. Any word from our scouts?" Gor asked.
"No and that concerns me." Nam-Ek said.
"Yes, they must be dead but our numbers are still far greater. Now, let us hurry with this march. By nightfall, I want a large meal and a wench to bed." Gor said. He and Nam-Ek laughed.
The army continued to march until two large hills came into sight. "Beyond those hills is the ocean. And look." A Zoner captain said. They could see some of the missing scouts' horses.
"Fools! Forward!" Gor commanded. The Zoner army marched on until they saw their enemy waiting in formation with their infantries.
"It would appear we only fought their vanguards, General." Nam-Ek said.
Gor sucked his teeth. "Get them in range of our cannons!" Gor commanded. As the Zoner army marched closer, they soon could make out the coastline and sails. "What?"
A League ensign waved a flag towards the Atlantean fleet. Cannons fired and powerful cannonballs decimated the Zoners' cannons and vanguard of near 1,000 men in a manner of minutes. Then Connor Queen notched a flame arrow, lit it, took his aim, and fired it into the air. The arrow landed and the field caught afire; the Zoner army was split horizontally down the middle. "CATAPULTS!"
Boulders were flung from four trebuchets, landing on both sides of the small wall of fire. "CHARGE!" Gor screamed and the front flank of the Zoner army charged with nowhere left to go.
"TURNABOUT!" Nam-Ek commanded. He was the only mounted knight on the other side of the wall of fire. Mia Dearden notched a flame arrow, lit it, took her aim and fired. The arrow flew through the air and landed some distance ahead of the rear flank's retreat. The field caught afire again and their escape was cut off. Riders then came from behind the hills. Nam-Ek relaxed when he saw the banners of Thanagar & Genesis. But then he saw the banners of Egypt and the League of Nations.
"My lord?" A Zoner asked him but Nam-Ek said nothing and slowly drew his sword. The rear flank's formation was broken. "My lord!"
Nam-Ek suddenly came back to his senses. "Get the men back into lines!" He commanded too late. Only the left flank had gotten back into formation by the time the mounted warriors collided with the rear flank of the Zoner army, their infantries not far behind them.
Bombardments ceased. The sovereigns readied their weapons as well as their men and women-at-arms. Infantrymen readied their assorted weapons. "CHARGE!" The sovereigns cried and dug their knees into their war stallions. The soldiers yelled a war cry and charged with their sovereigns.
The armies soon collided. Infantrymen on both sides were run down or cut down. Spears and blades pierced armor and horses. Knights fell from their stallions, some quickly recovered and others were cut down quickly. Zoner infantry drew their steel broadswords and swung them at League infantry. The Amazons seemed to swiftly cut down all Zoners in their path but they too suffered casualties.
On the other side of the fire, the two forces were locked in a heated battle as well. Mounted soldiers cut down Zoners on both sides of their war stallions. Infantrymen weapons were locked. Zoners fell with arrows in them from the archers up the hills. Soldiers fell on both sides, some deaths quick and others in agony.
A spear pierced Conner's war stallion. He grabbed the shaft of the spear and lifted its wielder up into the air, and flung him into a group of Zoners. He jumped off the stallion, which fell down onto its side. He blocked an axe and crouched to slice open the Zoner's belly. He swiftly blocked weapons and swiftly killed their wielders. Christopher dismounted his war stallion. He swung his longsword and nearly decapitated a Zoner. He kicked the body away and blocked a Zoner broadsword.
Sir Victor Stone swiftly jumped in front of Chloe and took a spear meant for her. He spat out some blood and then clumsily walked up to the Zoner and slew him. Then he fell down onto his side and died. Chloe cut down another Zoner and turned around to see her longtime friend dead on the ground. Another Zoner rushed her and she blindly stabbed him the chest with a dagger as she continued to look at her friend's body.
Archers continued to shoot at Zoners on both sides of the wall of fire, especially those trying to run up the hills. When archers ran out of arrows, they drew their weapons and ran down the hill yelling war cries. When primary weapons were lost, dirks and daggers were drawn or discarded weapons were picked up off the bloodied ground. The sounds of battle filled the air and the field was covered in blood and bodies. More Atlanteans were coming ashore and joining the fight. Noon came and went but the battle raged on.
A Zoner was able to pick up a loaded crossbow and hit Commander Cam-Zel in the left shoulder with a bolt. He yelled out in pain and a Red Shard knight stabbed the archer from behind. Cam-Zel painfully raised his shield to block an axe and then stabbed the Zoner in the chest. He shook his arm out of the shield's straps and hung his arm limp as he fought on.
Lois grabbed the wrist of a dagger wielding Zoner and blocked another's broadsword. She pulled his arm over to stab the other Zoner in the eye and then she stabbed the other with her longsword. King Orin grabbed a Zoner from behind and slit his throat with his harpoon hand. He tossed him aside and then stabbed another in the back. He blocked a broadsword with his trident and head bunted the Zoner. The Zoner fell back onto the ground and he stabbed him with the trident.
General Gor removed his sugar loaf helm and tossed it aside. His coif was still up and he could feel his own blood running down his cheek. He had lost his longsword in the belly of a Gotham knight. He stabbed an Atlantean in the back with his dirk and then stabbed a Gothamite up his chin. He took the Gothamite's morning star. His eyes then saw a worthy prey.
Kara Kal-El blocked two broadswords and in a swift circular motion, slit open the Zoners' bellies. She then quickly blocked Gor's morning star. He then punched her with his Kryptium gauntlet. She stumbled back and tasted blood. She spat it out and raised her sword. Gor smirked and struck down two League soldiers as he made his way to her. Kara cut down a Zoner and then blocked the morning star again.
Kara ducked and dodged several more swings and Gor blocked her swings from her sword. Their blades locked and then Kara kicked his left knee. He fell down to one knee grunting and blocked her slash. He pushed her back and stood. She swung at him again and he blocked it. He then kicked her in the gut. She bent over in pain and he struck her hand with the morning star. She screamed in pain and he kicked the sword away chuckling. She grabbed hold of her wounded hand and panted through her nose and a clenched jaw.
Gor raised the morning star but his blow was blocked by a falchion. Prince Al then backhanded Gor and delivered swift kicks and swings from his sword. Gor dodged the kicks and deflected the swings. Their weapons locked. Gor then drew his dagger but Al grabbed his wrist. Gor pushed the dagger closer to his right eye and Al grunted. Then Kara Kal-El stabbed Gor's right calf with a Kryptium dagger. Gor screamed and kicked her in the ribs.
This angered Al, who then kicked his wounded calf. Gor dropped down to one knee and with a yell, he thrust his dagger into Al's right thigh barely missing the artery. Al screamed but he tried to move the weapons closer to Gor's face but they would not budge. Then Al felt weak from the blood loss and his strength waned. Gor stood and Al used the last of his strength to send both of their weapons flying. Gor backhanded Al and picked up a knight's longsword.
"NO!" Kara Kal-El screamed as Gor prepared to thrust. Then Bruce pushed Al out of the way and the longsword went through his gut. Bruce groaned and Gor tried to push the sword in deeper. Bruce swung his falchion and Gor caught it by the blade. Then Bruce drew a dagger and stabbed Gor in the neck. Gor gasped and stepped back pulling out the dagger. Bruce fell down to his knees and pulled the longsword out of his gut with a yell.
Gor fell back gasping for breath. Kara Kal-El stood over him wielding her longsword in her left hand. She then stabbed Gor in the heart. "Father." Al crawled to Bruce's side. Bruce put his arm around his son and Al helped him to his feet. Al suddenly felt a rush of energy. He hoisted his father up onto his shoulders, picked up the ornate falchion, and cut down any Zoner in his way as he got his father to safety.
Mia Dearden fought with dual short swords. She had run out of arrows some time ago and joined the battle. She blocked a broadsword and stabbed the Zoner. She then felt a dagger entered her lower back. She screamed and turned around to stab the Zoner. He deflected her sword with his broadsword. He then stabbed her. An arrow then pierced the Zoner's neck. Connor Queen put his bow on his back and ran down the hills drawing his swords. He cut down all Zoners in his path as he tried to reach his sister. Olivia Queen remained on the opposite hill clearing a path for her brother with archer fire.
Kandor
Kal-El flew through what was once the great city of Kandor. Half the city was in ruins and what buildings stood were covered in soot from the fires. The Temple of Rao and the Palace of Marriage had been sacked. The Kryptium gates towards the palace had been pulled off its hinges. And then he hovered over the Crystal Palace.
Half the palace was in ruins and foundations and scaffolding had already been built for the reconstruction. Hundreds of laborers carried bricks of stone and marble that were to be lined with Kryptium. Overseers wielded whips and other weapons. A female laborer fell and a nearby overseer growled in annoyance. "Get up!" He yelled and she whimpered. "I said get up!" He shook out his whip and was ready to strike.
"Leave her!" Jon-Tel cried and the overseer backhanded him. He raised the whip when a hand grabbed him by the wrist. The man picked up the overseer and threw him across the field into a pile of tools and construction equipment. Jon-Tel rubbed his eyes and recognized the crest of the House of El on his tabard. He looked up and saw a dead man. "Sire?" He asked, unsure that he was hallucinating. Kal-El easily broke his manacles. "How…?"
"Wait here." Kal-El disappeared in a blur and all of the overseers were unconscious in a matter of moments. He super sped through the work camp breaking the manacles of all the laborers. Then he appeared before Jon-Tel again. The Red Shard knights were the first to kneel and the laborers followed them.
"The League of Armies is making their final stand against Zod so we must move swiftly. Will my knights come forward." The knights stood and came forward; although they were weak from the hard labor. "Just take a deep breath." Kal-El pulled out the crystal and there was a bright flash. The laborers shielded their eyes. The knights felt stronger and were no longer weary or in pain from old battle wounds. "Where is the armory?" Kal-El asked.
The knights raided the armory: They found gambesons, hauberks, haubergeons, brigandines, steel and leather cuirasses, broadswords, longswords, axes, maces, morning stars, flails, shields, daggers, dirks, spears, halberds, and helms. The knights gathered up the mail and armor, grabbed the weapons, and they did all in a matter of moments with their super speed. "Half of you stay and lead the people to safety if we should fail. And the rest of you come with me." Kal-El launched himself in the air and some twenty knights followed.
Princess Hippolyta stabbed another Zoner. She turned around and felt a blade enter her gut. She quietly gasped and looked the Zoner in the eye. She then stabbed him in the chest. She looked down and saw the dirk still in her. She pulled it out and shook off the wave of dizziness. She thought of Hector and her little boy, David. Then she fell over.
Lois deflected an axe and then stabbed the Zoner. Another tried to stab her with a dagger but the blade broke against her arm. He stood there confused. Kal-El drew his dagger and cut his left palm. He then cut Lois's left palm. He held his hand over Lois's, balled it into a fist, and squeezed. Droplets of blood fell onto Lois's open wound. Lois then stabbed the Zoner. She super sped behind another Zoner, who was about to kill Cam-Zel, and she stabbed him in the back. She lent a hand to Cam-Zel and helped him up.
On the other side of the wall of fire, Conner and Christopher fought back to back. The Kryptonian steel blades shattered when it struck them and they easily killed all Zoners in their path. Conner tried to stop a longsword blade with his left hand but he yelled out in pain as it cut him deep. Christopher turned around to aid his blood brother and locked blades with Nam-Ek.
Nam-Ek saw his sword hilt and dropped down to his knees. "My prince." He said panting. Chris hesitated. A blade then entered Nam-Ek's back and went out his chest. Blood ran down the corner of his mouth and chin. Conner pulled his sword out and Nam-Ek fell over. Blood dripped from the fingers of Conner's left hand.
Conner walked up to Christopher. "Never hesitate." Conner said and then super sped to where the fighting was heaviest. Christopher removed his bascinet helm and looked at the field of battle. There was still fighting and bodies were everywhere. He knew that this was the bloodiest battle he had ever fought. He took a deep breath and put his helm back on.
Then there was a great gust of wind and all the Zoners of the rear flank fell dead and the fires were extinguished. Carter looked at Christopher and Conner. They shook their heads because it was not them. Then at least two dozen knights in mail and assorted armor hovered over the battlefield. The crest of the House of El was irrefutable on the leader. What Zoners were left saw their commanders and knights dead on the ground. They threw down their weapons, fell down to their knees, and held their hands high.
The knights softly landed on the ground. Kal-El lowered his coif. Lois removed her helm and sheathed her sword. The two approached each other. "How is this possible?" Carter asked and removed his helm. A wounded Zoner then picked up a crossbow.
"Arrow!" Hector cried and jumped in front of his father as the Zoner fired. The bolt went through his armor and he fell back into his father arms. Connor Queen was kneeling beside his half sister's body when he heard Hector scream, "Arrow!" He pulled an arrow out of a dead Zoner and quickly fired on the archer. The arrow hit the Zoner between the eyes and he fell back dead.
Kal-El and Lois heard this with their super hearing and super sped to Carter and Hector. "Stay with me, Hector. Hector!" Carter held his son in his arms. "Think of your family."
Hector panted, struggling to breathe. "Tell Lyta and David that I love th-" He said. Prince Hector Hall stopped breathing and his eyes were still open. Carter closed Hector's eyes, rested his forehead against Hector's, and silently sobbed.
"I am so sorry, Carter." Lois said. Carter seemed not to hear her. Egyptian soldiers removed their helms out of respect and lowered their heads for their fallen prince.
"Lyta! Lyta!" Diana called.
"Mother." Princess Hippolyta raised her hand, which was covered in blood.
"No!" Diana rushed to her side. Hippolyta had been applying pressure to her wound for some time but her blood stained the grass. Kal-El then super sped to her side.
"I need to seal the wound." Kal-El said.
"Then do it!" Diana cried. Kal-El's eyes turned red and Hippolyta screamed.
By dusk, the captured Zoners were in manacles and under heavy guard. The dead were being collected. Dead Zoners were thrown into a mass grave. The League's dead were collected with respect and placed on funeral pyres throughout the bloody field of battle. The night was full of fires. Oil was poured onto the dead Zoners. A knight threw a torch down into the mass grave and then walked away.
All the sovereigns were in Bruce's pavilion. He lay on a mattress atop a rope bed. He spoke weakly and he took shallow breaths. The physicians said that it would not be long. Diana sat on the edge of the bed holding his hand. They grinned at one another. "I know I could never replace Steven." Bruce said.
"And I knew I could never replace Selina." Diana said.
"Hippolyta?" Bruce asked and Diana somberly shook her head, shedding a single tear. "I am so sorry, my love. And now I must leave you as well." Diana's only response was to kiss his hand. His children stood at the other side of the bed. Bruce turned his head to look at them and he grinned. "My children." He said weakly but proudly. They tried to grin but their faces were still somber.
"Helena…" She knelt at his bedside and Bruce wiped away a tear rolling down her cheek. "Do not weep, sweetheart. You are a Wayne. You are so much like your mother: strong, brave, fierce, and stubborn so do not weep, sweetheart. Marry Charles, have children, and live out your days in peace." Helena somberly nodded.
"Damian…" Helena stood and Damian approached his bedside. "My son. I am so proud of how far you have come. You were such an angry child but now you are a man, a knight, a husband, a father, and I hope now you and your children shall no longer know war. Watch after your brother and sister. Protect them." Bruce held up his hand and Damian held it. He nodded somberly as tears filled his eyes.
"Al…" Damian took a step back and put his arm around Helena. Al's leg was bound up and he was supported by a wooden padded crutch. He grunted as he kneeled at his bedside. Bruce grinned at him. "I remembered I raced home when I received word of your birth. I arrived in the middle of the night and your mother wept when she saw me. There had been no word from me in weeks and she feared me dead. And there you were: So small and handsome. Selina named you Bruce fearing I was dead. And so there were two of us. I chose to call you Al, after the man who fostered me, Alfred." Bruce grinned.
"I know I was not the best father after your mother died. I know you believed I loved Damian more than you. But both of you are my sons. I love you all the same. And I am proud of each and every one of you." Al took Bruce's hand. Bruce then pointed to a bronze circlet and the ornate falchion on a nearby table. "Take them. It shall be yours shortly."
"I do not know if I am ready." Al said.
"You have been ready for a long time and just did not know it. Do not be afraid to look to others for guidance but do not always depend on them. This is not an easy burden and it shall change you but it is you alone who must decide how it shall. It is a long road ahead of you but I have faith in you. Now leave me. I must speak to Kal-El alone." Al reached over and kissed his father's brow. Diana then leaned over and gently kissed Bruce's lips. Al grabbed the circlet and the falchion.
Everyone went up and squeezed Bruce's shoulder before they left the pavilion. Kal-El approached his bedside with his arms crossed. "Of all the things I missed thinking you dead, I missed that the most: standing tall, arms crossed." Bruce said. Kal-El looked down at the floor.
"I cannot do this without you, Bruce." Kal-El said.
"Yes, you can. Get the crystal and use it. Any future is better than this one." Bruce said and held up his hand. Kal-El sat on the edge of the bed and took his hand. "Do not let my death weaken your resolve but strengthen it. You must become the king you once were. Do not let all that has happened in this world haunt you because you can stop all of this from happening. You can save all of us… My friend. My truest friend." Bruce grinned at him and Kal-El grinned back.
Kal-El heard his heart slow down and soon stop. Bruce's grin faded and his eyes were still open. Kal-El clenched his jaw shut, covered his hand over his mouth and silently wept for a few minutes. Then he wiped away his tears and took a deep breath. He closed Bruce's eyes and then kissed his brow as a brother would. "Farewell, my friend."
Kal-El exited the tent, where the sovereigns, their children, and a group of Gotham knights were waiting. He shook his head and they all somberly lowered their heads. Helena then took the circlet from her brother. "Kneel." She said. Al kneeled. She placed the circlet on his brow. "The king is dead! Long live the king!"
Helena stepped back and kneeled. The Gotham knights followed suit and King Bruce II rose. "Long live the king! Long live the king! Long live the king!" They chanted.
At sunrise, the bodies of the fallen royals were placed on a large pyre in their armor. Their weapons placed in their hands: Mia Dearden held her bow and short sword on her chest. Hector Hall held one hand around his sword grip and the other held Hippolyta's hand, and her other hand was around her sword grip. And Bruce Wayne held a common falchion.
Knights, cavalrymen, and infantrymen of the League of Armies gathered around the pyre in a large circle. Most wore black leather or wool doublets or short tunics in mourning. The sovereigns wore their armor; it had been cleaned but not polished. Kal-El and Lois wore white capes with their armor since white was the color of mourning in Krypton.
Knights of the Justice League poured scented oil on the bodies and the pyre and stepped back. Kal-El stepped forward and Chloe handed him the torch. He glanced at Bruce's one last time and then he threw the torch onto the pyre. The sweet scent of the oil filled the air to mask the smell of the burning flesh. Kal-El walked back to Lois and took her left hand. With the help of the oil, the pyre was ashes by noon.
The sovereigns of the League of Nations sat behind two long tables, still in their armor. The mood was somber. "I take it you want the boy." Diana said to Carter.
"Yes." Carter said.
"I shall escort him to Cairo myself in due time." Diana said.
"I thank you. We all knew this could have been our last battle but in truth, we all hoped our children and friends would be spared." There was a moment of silence. "There was no sign of Zod on the battlefield. Where is the coward?" Carter asked.
"You have already answered your question, my lord. He is off in some safe haven being cowardly." Prince Connor Queen said. Carter rubbed his eyes. Connor was his father's son.
"There may be a way to find out where he is. Bring us the Zoner captain." Kal-El said. Chloe nodded once and sent two knights to retrieve him.
Outside the pavilion, soldiers and knights watched as the last Zoner captain was taking into the pavilion in manacles and leg irons by knights of the Justice League. Chloe motioned for the knights to step out and they did. She stood three steps behind the prisoner, ready to bring him down if necessary. Kal-El quietly sighed. With Bruce's death, he had become the unspoken leader of the League once more. "You asked for an audience so speak but have care of what words you say."
"I am Captain Basqat and I offer our terms of total surrender to Your Majesties." Basqat said.
"And what are you terms?" Kal-El asked.
"We have only two requests. The first… We wished to be sent back to the Phantom Zone." Basqat said. The sovereigns exchanged looks.
"You wish to return to that wasteland by your own choice?" Lois asked.
"It may be a wasteland but it is our wasteland. The home we once knew is long gone. The Zone is the only home we have now and we want to go back." Basqat said.
Kal-El nodded. "And the second request?" He asked.
"We wish for you to banish Zod back to the Zone. And if you slay him, his body shall suffice and send that crown of his back with him as well." Basqat said.
"So you wish to now serve a corpse?" Connor Queen asked.
"We followed a warrior here, not a king. Power and a crown have corrupted him. We are only servants to him now, slaves. He sends thousands of us to die while he feasts and whores in the safety of his castle walls. He breaks his oaths. He kills all who speak against him, even our own. Those who wish to leave or return to the Zone are put to the sword. We have had enough. And Zod shall know our anger; our vengeance." Basqat said. "Do we have terms?"
The sovereigns exchanged looks. And one by one, they all gave a single nod. Kal-El stood. "We have terms. Commander Olsen, have the prisoners brought out to the cliffs." Chloe nodded. Two Justice League knights came in and took the Zoner captain away.
The remaining Zoners were gathered on the cliffs. Kal-El appeared with knights of the Red Shard and Justice League. The League of Armies stood in formation behind them. Basqat was brought before Kal-El. "In the name of Kal-El, King of Krypton and Kansas, I sentence you all to a lifetime in the Phantom Zone for your crimes against Krypton and the League of Nations!" Kal-El removed the Phantom Zone crystal from a pouch on his belt.
"Remember your oath." Basqat said coldly.
"Where is Zod?" Kal-El asked.
Basqat smirked. "At Jor-El's ice palace." He walked back to his men. Kal-El raised the crystal and they were gone in a flash of bright light.
Later
"Zod is at my father's Fortress of Solitude." Kal-El said. They had returned to the pavilion.
"Where?" Connor Queen and Al Wayne asked in unison.
"When my father was a boy, his father commanded that this fortress be built. It was built to put the Crystal Palace to shame and to withstand any siege. A retreat and safe haven for the House of El." Kal-El said. His arms were crossed.
"But its location was hidden from the world and so it was believed to be a myth. But it is no myth. The fortress is real." Lois said. "Now, it is the only place Zod can hide from us. He shall soon learn of the defeat and banishment of his army, and the deaths of his generals."
"We must move swiftly then. Give us the location and my fleet shall set sail at once." Orin said. "We shall give Zod a good thrashing before we send him back to the Zone."
"Even with your swiftest ship, it shall take us weeks to sail there if the ships and your men do not freeze out there. It is too great a risk." Kal-El said.
"Then how did your forefather build it?" Orin asked.
"A portal found in the caves of Smalllville. It can get us there in moments instead of weeks. But Zod is my concern. It is my battle from here." Kal-El said.
"No. You are not going there alone. I am coming with you. It may be where he is keeping Jor-El." Lois said.
"We are coming as well, mother." Christopher said and Conner nodded. "Con and I can handle the guards and get Jor-El. And Zod is all yours, father."
"Well very then. We leave at first light." Kal-El said.