Author's Note – I do not own any of the characters, Marvel and DC do.
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Chapter Eight
Funeral
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The Golden Feather floated motionless to the stellar north of the Sun, equidistant from both Earth and New Krypton while its bow pointed at the giant globe that was the system primary.
At the front of the open bay, fourteen crystal coffins floated above the reprogrammed gravity-plates. A small, crystalline drive unit was affixed to the end of each coffin, waiting for the activation command.
Behind the coffins stood General Zod and Clark Kent, both in their formal outfits but with their normal colors replaced with black and dark grey. Around the edge of the bay and filling most of the floorspace were two hundred people while hovering cameras allowed the inhabitants of both planets to watch.
"Ladies and Gentlebeings, we are here today to honor the sacrifice of the Fourteen." Zod said, his voice projecting clearly due to his (recently learned) oratory skills. "We are here to remember their lives and to salute them as they pass into the Light, to live with Rao as his true companions."
Zod stopped and Clark took over.
"We of two worlds are here to pay tribute to them, their courage, their bravery and their willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice to save uncountable millions of lives.
"May Rao welcome them as his own."
The lights in the bay dimmed, leaving only the spotlights shining on the coffins and the stars outside the atmospheric shield.
"From the stars we came, to the stars we return." Zod said, his voice filled with sadness. "We send these warriors to Rao's side, may they watch over us."
The drive systems on the coffins began to power up and Zod bent his head.
"Az-Lan of Kryptonopolis, Bal-Tar of Argos City, Baz-Yl of Fultar, Cas-Tiel of Kandor, Fao-Har of Kryptonopolis, Jak-Zon of Kandor, Iph-Ro of Valtho Island, Kail-On of Rao's Vale, Lar-Fir of Tandor, Nor-Far of Argos City, Tar-Fir of Tandar, Tion-Gri of Kryptonopolis, Urd-Jax of Yeffar and Zax-Xon of Kryptonopolis. They gave of themselves that we may live and so we honor their sacrifices as we watch them depart on their final voyage."
As Zod spoke each name, the coffin carrying the deceased Kryptonian in question slid forwards, through the energy shield and into space. By the end of his speech, the coffins were receding into the distance, their faceted surfaces catching the starlight briefly as they flew in a line on their final journey, carrying their cargo to the sun.
The silence in the bay was almost solid, the only noises being the occasional rustle as several of the attendees wiped away the tears flowing down their cheeks.
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In the Xavier mansion, Charles closed his eyes as the aura of sadness and mourning pressed against his mental shields. Beside him, Jean Grey clung to Scott as the emotions of the Academy students washed over her.
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Marko Cain stood at the top of the steps to the Imperial Palace, his daughter in one arm and his wife in the other as the three of them stared up at the sky. Although they couldn't actually see the coffins (with the probable exception of Galatea), they had chosen to stand vigil for the ceremony, a decision that had been applauded and copied by virtually the entire population of Genosha.
Polaris snuggled closer to her father, her gaze fixed on the sky and her mind remembering the few of The Fourteen that she had met during various diplomatic functions...
…and whom she would never meet again.
A tear made its way down her cheek. Although she didn't notice it, the picture of her crying for the fallen would grace the cover of a great many publications the next day.
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Magneto stood atop the cliff in which his latest base had been built, his helmet tucked into the crook of his elbow as he stared into the night sky.
"Ironic." He mused to himself, although his Acolytes were close enough to hear his every word. "My life was saved by a metahuman when I was young, it was that which convinced me that only those with powers could truly be trusted."
For a long moment, Magneto remained silent, then he spoke again.
"Were I still the person I was back then, I would have taken the recent events as proof of my beliefs. But I am not that man… not that boy.
"The Fourteen died to save everyone. They gave selflessly in order to protect not just those with powers, those gifted with special abilities, but everyone. All people, human, mutant and Kryptonian.
"I look at them and I see that my old friend was indeed closer to the truth than I was. It is not what one is that matters, it is what one chooses.
"I only hope that I have not already burned the bridge that I need to take."
The Acolytes exchanged glances. While most were confused, several had understood what he was trying to say.
But not all of those who understood him agreed with his conclusions.
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On the Iron Man Landing Platform on the Avengers Tower, the Avengers and their friends stood silently. Tony Stark was clad not in his armored suit, but in the finest formal suit he owned, Pepper Potts standing next to him wearing a black dress and a veil, their hands intertwined. Steve Rogers was clad in his army uniform as he stood saluting the fallen, Kara Zor-El standing beside him wearing a black version of her normal uniform. Thor stood on the other side of Tony Stark, Mjolnir held high in respect while Jane Foster stood beside him.
Behind them stood the other Avengers and their allies. Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff held young Harry's hands as he looked round in confusion, not understanding why the adults were so sad. Bruce Banner stood slightly to one side while Remus Lupin stood with them, his eyes moving from the sky to Harry and back again as they kept their vigil.
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Odin stood on the Bifrost beside Heimdall, his gaze fixed on the projected image of the funeral. Arrayed behind him were his wife Frigga, Sif and the Warriors Four and the assembled nobles and renowned warriors of Asgard.
All of them mourned the fall of the Fourteen and many regretted that the situation had escalated so fast that they had been unable to reach Midgard in time to provide aid.
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Sarge held the salute as the First Metahuman Company stood in unmoving formation. In front of them, the flags of New Krypton and America were both at half-mast to show respect to the fallen.
The only member of the FMC not standing to attention was Veteran. The seventy-year-old soldier sat straight as he could in his wheelchair while Airstrike, Wingman and two other fliers passed overhead in the "Missing Man" formation that pilots had used for decades to mark the passing of their own.
It did not matter that The Fourteen were not American. They were soldiers and soldiers knew their own.
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"Fourteen Kryptonians fewer." Wilson Fisk stated as he watched the ceremony being projected onto the wall of his office. "Of course, that still leaves over forty of them."
"Yes, sir." Alistair Smythe said as he paged through reports. "Given that we now have proof that Kryptonians can be killed, perhaps we could acquire some of the technology that this Brainiac utilized…"
"An excellent idea, Smythe." Fisk said jovially. "Start making the necessary investments."
"Of course, sir."
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"I hate funerals."
Clark looked round to see a dark-skinned man standing beside him, contemplating the buffet that had been laid out. A moment's thought allowed him to remember his name and where he was assigned.
"As do I, Rhodey." Clark replied, earning a slight twitch upwards of the corner of James Rhodes 'mouth. "It never gets easier."
"I know some people for whom it did." Rhodey replied soberly. "They're all people I wish I didn't know."
The duo remained silent for a long moment, then Clark glanced round.
"Is… she here?"
"She is." Rhodey said, then he chuckled at how Clark tensed. "Don't worry, she's got over her crush on you."
Clark sagged slightly in relief, causing Rhodey to chuckle once again.
"I'm afraid I haven't really been keeping up to date on the other teams." Clark admitted. "How are your West Coast Avengers doing?"
"We're doing good." Rhodey replied. "Most of the crazies and hard-hitting supervillains tend to head to New York for some reason. We generally get those too stupid to leave, those arrogant enough to try and take us on or… others."
"Stilt-man?" Clark grinned, having remembered that particular report and Rhodey winced.
"Yeah. Him. Hank took him down but… taught me not to underestimate people. Especially those who have stupid themes. They tend to have at least one nasty trick stored away."
"I still remember Doreen's Squirrel Avalanche." Clark admitted.
"I heard that she once took down Doom with it." Rhodey smirked.
"You may have to ask Sue Richards about that." Clark supplied. "She was part of the operation in question."
"I've seen the picture." Rhodey laughed. "Doreen has it mounted abover her mantelpiece."
Clark smiled at the comment, then looked around.
"Zod's authorized QNA samples from The Fourteen for use in creating new Kryptonians, although they won't be told of their origins." He stated. "He said that although The Fourteen should live once again, putting that much pressure on a child is a surefire way of causing them to go supervillain."
"I agree." Rhodey said with feeling. "Nothing's guaranteed to cause more problems growing up than unrealistic expectations. Speaking of Kryptonian kids, how are the new generation coming on?"
"All of them are currently well-adjusted and making friends at kindergarten." Clark smiled. "One or two have been marked as needing extra attention, but it would seem that overall, nurture trumps nature when applied from birth."
"Given how much power you people have, that's probably wise." Rhodey nodded. "I'd hate to think about the amount of damage that a rogue Kryptonian could do."
"Yeah…" Clark winced. "Speaking of… if a certain project pans out, I'd recommend that SHIELD makes as many Kryptonite bullets as possible. And Red-light cages. We may need them."
Rhodey stared at him, his face noticeably paling. "What project?"
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"General? If you could press the button?" Tony Stark prompted and Zod tore his gaze away from the sight of the shrunken city of Kandor floating in the middle of the huge crater that had been excavated for it. Behind him, the first of many food convoys were ready to move in, as well as the team of Kryptonians whose sole mission was to remove the (fortunately automated) Gravitonic Power Station as quickly as possible.
Reaching out, Zod paused for a long moment.
"This… will change everything."
"Meh, lack of change equals boredom." Tony shrugged. "Besides, think of how much more Kryptonian Tech is in that city, just waiting to be duplicated and enhanced. If you don't push the button, I will."
Zod gave the multi-billionaire a wry glare, then gently pressed the big red button. Several dozen miles away, the city of Kandor started to glow as the tech wrapped around it did its job, then it expanded rapidly, pushing the air outwards in a near-gale-force blast. The city seemed almost insubstantial for a moment, then the building solidified as if someone was paintbrushing them from an alternate dimension.
"Now!" A shout echoed and a dozen shapes blurred over the glowing city. An instant later, the shining buildings began to dim as their main power source was forcibly removed and flung into orbit.
"Get the Hyper Tap into position!" Zod ordered over the communicator and the platform on which they were standing was briefly cast into shadow as two starships passed overhead, a Hyper Tap power generation station slung between them.
"If you will pardon me, gentlemen." Zod said, then he was gone.
"Well, that was… odd." Tony said, causing Reed Richards, Bruce Banner and Victor von Doom to all nod in agreement, Doom stopping the instant he realized he was agreeing with his long-time rival.
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Ursa Dru-Zod blinked, her hands clutching the railing of her balcony. One moment, the Dome had been forming over the city, a protective field that had been conceived by her beloved husband, then the dome had flashed and vanished, leaving the entire landscape around the city changed beyond recognition.
A massive explosion sounded and she leaned across to see the Graviton Plant that powered the city ripped out of its foundations by an unknown force and hurled up into the skies. A moment later, a new building was lowered into place by a pair of Kryptonian Defence Force starships, but starships that somehow looked slightly off…
"What happened?" She whispered to herself.
"That is a long story, my beloved." Zod's voice replied and Ursa's eyes widened in shock as her husband flew down from above to come to a stop in mid-air barely an arms-length away.
"…zod?" She whispered as the world seemed to whirl away into blackness.
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Authors afternote – Yep, this chekov's gun brought to you from the prequel story General Zod