Clark came to on solid ground. But everything else was wrong. Yellow light, barely penetrating dense clouds, an atmosphere with so much more pressure than Earth's, as though he were deep, deep underwater. It was dense too. The air was dense. Actually, it wasn't really air, at least, it wasn't a gas. It wasn't liquid either though. He wasn't in an ocean.
It was both and it was neither and it was something else.
And it was hot.
Incredibly, unbelievably hot.
And when he finally opened his eyes and looked around, he was met with a barren, burnt brown, under this light, the little that came down, rocky plain stretching as far as the eye could see. Even when he used his more powerful vision, it was the same. There was nothing on this planet but rock. At various elevations, but it was only rock.
If he was still in Earth's solar system, he knew where he was.
Then he realized he had been mistaken. There was something else here.
"Ever been here before?" Zod asked, whose true name Clark now knew. His presence and his voice and his words falling flat and heavy, despite their incongruously casual tone, and despite all of Clark's many, so many questions, he knew this was not someone to be commanded. That demanding answers of him would most likely be counter-productive. Especially since he already wanted to talk. A luxury he did not often get amongst his adversaries.
"...No, I haven't." Clark admitted.
"The morning star, they call it. But also the evening star." Zod continued, just as casually.
"It switches between dawn and dusk." Clark explained, most likely unnecessarily, but simply to say something in return. To allow Zod to lead; to allow Clark to play along. Fortunately, that was the end of that.
"You're wondering why you are here." Zod stated, slowly, letting it hang, shimmering on this strange plain. Was it real, or was it only a mirage?
"I am." Clark confirmed, as calmly as he could, resigning himself to finding out. In this case, there was water, as Zod continued.
"And why I revealed your identity. Why I killed Luthor."
Clark could barely school his features at the mention of his identity, and then simply could not school them at all, upon hearing that name. Couldn't stop the memory and the knowledge that his last moment alive they were looking each other right in the eye.
"You grieve for your human alias? You grieve for your enemy?" Zod questioned, but not as hostilely as Clark thought, considering what he had done.
"There are times I wanted him dead." Clark confessed. Not entirely sure why or if this was wise to say. Only knowing he needed to continue this conversation, and that Lex Luthor was no saint.
"But you were not willing to bloody your hands." Zod furthered, and Clark's heart fell, despite having a very visceral demonstration of where Zod stood on this subject. But Clark dug his heels in on this. It would do no good to lie and try to be something he wasn't. Zod already knew, and Clark already knew he was a terrible liar.
"I made a vow to myself never to kill."
"Is that what they taught you on Earth?" Zod questioned, once again without the hostility Clark was expecting.
"Is that… not what they teach on Krypton?" He questioned in return, barely able to believe what he was saying. That he was speaking to someone from Krypton. Despite the fact they were speaking in Kryptonian, on a planet no one he knew without some sort of adaptation would be able to withstand.
"I was the leader of Krypton's armed forces. I killed when necessary." Zod explained. Clear and concise, in his eyes. Clark would have changed the subject, but then Zod continued, and his next piece stopped Clark cold.
"And why I killed the rest of your enemies."
"...Please tell me you didn't." Clark knew there was no real hope in it. Knew it was true, as Zod coldly listed their names.
"Atomic Skull. Metallo. Silver Banshee. Livewire. Toy Man… Need I go on?"
Clark shook his head, both in answer to that question, and to clear his mind. He could find out what happened and grieve them later. He went back to his original plan and changed the subject.
"How did you…" Yet he trailed off, couldn't quite ask, while Zod supposed his intended ending.
"Live?"
Clark nodded, and Zod revealed more, but not what Clark had been expecting.
"I knew your father personally, you know. Jor-El. Brilliant man. And no doubt the reason for your survival. I was not surprised when I saw your crest. If anyone could have seen the signs and found a way to make sure his child survived, it would have been him."
And Clark struggled to respond, to someone who had spoken to his father in the flesh, when he had only spoken to a pre-recorded version of him. A hologram. A hologram that at first had given him great joy and amazement, that then saw less and less use over the years. Then he belatedly remembered, there was a time he had not interacted with his father as a hologram, and that being the case...
"...Have we met before then?"
"No. I knew him mainly before your birth. I wanted him to work under me. We could have been invincible. Together."
"...What happened?"
"Your father had other interests. Which I'm sure in his dying moments he regretted. Together, we could have stopped Krypton's destruction. Though one of his other interests is the very reason for my own survival. Tell me, and I will see what sort of man Jor-El really was, did he include information about the Phantom Zone in the records he sent along with you?"
Clark didn't even need to answer, the blankness of his features gave him away.
"So he did not. He wanted to spare his son the sins of his father, perhaps. I will enlighten you. The Phantom Zone is Krypton's prison. A parallel dimension to banish its criminals to. Your father both discovered it, and worked extensively on the technology to make that possible."
"...And you were sent there? To the Phantom Zone?"
"Along with Ursa. And Non, whom you will meet eventually. Krypton was also in the habit of lobotomizing criminals, a fate that Non met, most undeservingly. He told the Council a truth they could not handle. A truth that eventually killed them all. They turned him into a mindless aberration. To put this into perspective, know that before that travesty, Non was a colleague of your father's. Now he is mute and prone to sudden fits of violence. A powerful soldier, but he could have been so much more."
"...Do you hate me? For what Jor-El did? You want revenge?" Clark ventured, trying to put the pieces together. Zod had killed Lex, but was he only now revealing that he too had a personal vendetta against him?
Yet Zod quickly dispelled that interpretation. "There is part of me, that would like revenge. But not against you. And revenge in this case is difficult to find. Jor-El is dead. The Council are dead."
"Are there others? In the Phantom Zone?" Clark asked reluctantly, both afraid and needing to know.
"Oh yes. Many of us were sent there. That is a form of revenge in itself. The cast offs of Krypton are the ones who have survived." Zod answered darkly.
"How did you get out?" Clark dared to wonder aloud when Zod lapsed, was no longer forthcoming.
"I can not say for sure. I am not a scientist like your father was." Again, with the notable with-holding, causing Clark to cautiously counter.
"But you've made a fortune. On Earth."
"Then that chasm in ability should give you some idea of how brilliant your father actually was."
A third time, that it seemed Zod was allowing Clark to lead. Or perhaps, waiting to see if Clark would be bold enough to ask what Zod had been tried for. What act had inadvertently led to the two of them standing together here now.
"...Why were you put in the Phantom Zone?"
And judging by Zod's brief look of satisfaction, Clark had asked what he'd hoped he would. "For attempting to overthrow Krypton's government. The Council had insanely put a stop to our people's exploration of space. After one regrettable incident."
And Clark's father was not the only one Zod had knowledge of, dropping yet another bombshell on him. Bombshell after bombshell, with no end in sight.
"Your mother was in the space program. An aspiring astronaut. Though I suppose, you may not have been born, had the program continued. Perhaps you owe the Council your life, but I thought this decision would lead to the death of us all.
"And I was right.
"Jor-El had to have told them the planet was in danger, and obviously, they did not listen. No doubt partly because of what I had done. They would have feared Jor-El was trying to take over just as I had. He would have been more than capable of it. I can see why they would have feared him. As I said, together, he and I would have been invincible. But Jor-El was loyal always to them. His mistake, for the Council did not see reason. They would not leave.
"So, you took the trip Lara herself was never able to. Though Jor-El built the rocket, I am sure she plotted its course. Navigation was her specialty.
"But that is enough history for now. Back to the matter at hand. Surely you can surmise on your own why I killed Lex Luthor. Any enemy of yours is an enemy of mine. Particularly one who had made it his life's mission to best you. I could not allow him to live. I have raided his stores of kryptonite and red light emitting devices. I have deleted his files. I have transferred his money. His company will fall. Everything he worked for will be for nought. I have in effect erased him as best I could from existence.
"But why reveal your identity? Simply, because you have used a false name long enough. Both as Superman and Clark Kent. There is nothing personal in it: the Kents are dead; your debt to them paid. I am sure they did the best they could, but they could not help what they were.
"Do not disgrace your true parents any longer."
Clark knew there was no use arguing this. Zod had revealed himself, piece by piece, and the darkness he had felt encroaching when they first met was turning out to be more and more justified. All he needed to know now was what Zod saw as his part in this.
"What do you want from me?"
There was no brief look of satisfaction. No hint of a smile. Only will and determination. "To prevent you from making your father's mistakes. You could rule this planet; you believe you are giving them freedom? Jor-El gave that to the Council. And you mentioned my fortune, but you could have made your own with what was available to you in the records alone; Lex Corp, Wayne Enterprises, Queen Industries: all could have been barely worth mentioning.
"This is a past hypothetical; as current allies, I understand not wanting to put Wayne and Queen out of business. I respect loyalty to one's comrades. I understand how you came to think of them as your comrades. The desire for companionship is powerful. You tried to fit in, you were reluctant to take your rightful place above them. Or perhaps it is your natural inclination to solitude that has kept you from taking command. But Kal-El, you do not see how they use you. You and the things they only dream of being able to do.
"But now you are with us. Ursa and Non and the rest. And together, we can restore Krypton and all its glory, give honor to those who died unnecessarily because of the Council's weakness. You can even prevent this planet from meeting the same fate, for Kal-El, I have no particular desire for just this one measly planet. I want the whole system. And the systems next to it, and beyond it. What did your country call it? When they took the continent from the natives. Manifest destiny. This is Krypton's manifest destiny, because we are stronger and smarter. We are superior, and nothing will stand in our way. If anything, Krypton's initial destruction has only furthered my goals. Made me see further possibilities.
"Every general needs captains, Kal-El, and I want you to be one of mine. I know you think you see flaws in my plan. What about the Justice League? Or the Green Lantern Corps. Won't they stop me? I suggest you ask yourself, from what you have heard from me so far, do you think I would reveal myself prematurely? If I had not already taken care of those possibilities?"
He could swear he heard Bruce, urging him on with a simple directive. Gather information. As much as you can. "Does your plan have something to do with releasing the other prisoners? To be your army?"
"It does."
He did not want to insult Zod, who himself had been a prisoner, but despite the harshness of the punishment, Clark doubted everyone in the Phantom Zone was as innocent as Non. Seemed akin to releasing all the patients of Arkham Asylum and expecting them to fall in line. An unpredictable lot, at best.
"Are you sure you want to release the rest of them? What makes you sure they would follow you?"
At this Zod seemed almost proud of him. And fond enough to drop his family name. A name that Zod would probably be more than happy to never speak again considering recent revelations. But it was so strange, so strange, to be called by that name. J'onn was the only one who did so, but in that unique cadence of his. Not by someone who was honoring Clark's unique heritage. This was said by someone who shared that unique heritage. This name was not exotic or foreign to him. There was no hesitation, no distance to traverse when Zod used it.
"...See Kal? You would make a fine captain. But that is also a past hypothetical. I have already released them."
And Clark's mind went blank with incomprehension. "But you said…"
"That I did not know how I escaped? That isn't a lie. I do not understand the mechanism, but I know the event that caused it. An event that with the powers this yellow sun gives me, I was able to replicate.
This time, Zod allowed space for a response from Clark, but he had none. The thought of combatting three people with all his powers was daunting enough. Now, an unknown number.
Zod filled in the space. Commanding, or advising, Clark couldn't say. "So, I repeat Kal: you are not alone. Join us. Join me. There is so much I have to teach you. Join me, and I promise you Earth's safety. Not its freedom, it will belong to me, but life there can continue relatively uninterrupted. You will rule it in my stead. You can even keep the Justice League, to command as you will.
"There is no reason this need turn violent. You can be the bridge. For a peaceful transition. I can even assure you the regrettably, unstable other prisoners of the Phantom Zone will never step foot on it. As long as you are willing to kneel before me."
"...Can I think about it?" It wasn't a lie, exactly, it was… he didn't know what it was. It might be the best option at the moment. To join with him. He wasn't sure. He… wanted to consult with the others. He wanted to consult with...
"Are you worried you would lose Wayne if you were to say yes?" Zod offered, out of sympathy, understanding, out of curiosity, Clark couldn't say. Only that it shocked him, to hear the knowing in Zod's tone. That he knew exactly the kind of relationship he had with 'Wayne.'
"I have no particular issue with it." Zod supplied his opinion, along with some more history. "It was common enough on Krypton. Particularly among the upper class, whose marriages were arranged at birth. Like your parents'. Like yours would have been. Like yours already was. I recall the family of your bride to be from your brith announcement. Even her name: Par Nor-Del. A fine choice. Your parents were surely pleased. Though of course, she would have been known as Par Kal-El, after her marriage to you. By your look of surprise, I see this is also information they did not deem important for you to know. Pity. Maybe they thought it would be easier for you to adjust if you didn't know.
"What about the rest of your family?" Zod carried on, merciless in his detail. "Your father's brother Zor-El resided in Argo City with his wife, Alura, considered one of the most beautiful feminine names, with whom he had a daughter, your cousin Kara. He also had a twin brother, Nim-El, who lived in Kandor. I even recall your father mentioning a family dog Lara talked him into taking care of. Some poor beast she found abandoned, wandering the hillside.
While Clark's mind and emotions were awhirl, spinning in imaginings of a life not to be, Zod returned to the original subject, though in his ordering, and the casualness in which he addressed it, as though it were a mere afterthought, he declared what to him was most important. His following points were merely loose ends that needed to be cut off.
"As for Wayne: if he were wise, he would encourage you to say yes. It would be advantageous to him. To be in your favor. But that isn't his nature is it? To be a kept man. It was a similar situation with Talia Al-Ghul, was it not? Her father the head of a vast shadow empire. That could have been advantageous for him, if he had been more flexible about his principles. Or perhaps he simply couldn't handle being third in the chain of command, behind his father-in-law and his wife.
"If you hadn't lost him over this, it would have been something else. Most likely his envy of you and your abilities. It is only natural to covet greatness. I cannot fault him for that. He knows you are superior. Why do you think he enjoys dominating you so?"
"Excuse me?" Clark squeaked out before he could stop himself, and could not stop the quickening of his heart rate at this implication, that Zod not only knew the nature of their relationship, he had intimate knowledge of it. That they had been watched. To what extent, he was not sure, but they had been watched. Not in the Arctic. Even he could not see within from without. Not in the Batcave either. Not even above it. So much of Gotham, including Wayne Manor, had lead infrastructure. Perhaps on the rooftops, but then it hit him. So incredibly obvious. It was in Metropolis. At his own apartment. The day he and Zod had met.
Bruce would be furious.
"Reconnaissance, as I said Kal. I took no pleasure from it, but I needed to know." Zod reassured and confirmed for him, and Clark had the sense he meant it. For Zod, there was no lurid interest, only practical, and he even added, "I am not without sympathy: I have been in love; I understand the madness that takes over one's senses. That one may do things they never thought they would. But Kal, you do not realize, you appear to him as a love-sick fool. He does not return your feelings. He does enjoy seeing you degrade yourself for him. That you allow him to use you for his satisfaction.
"He didn't return to you out of affection. It was because he realized he could have what he has always wanted over you. Power. You have seen the lengths he will go to. You believe he would have some personal qualm about using sex to his advantage? You already know he doesn't. His refusal of lethal force requires he use anything and everything else. And everyone has read about Bruce Wayne's romantic escapades.
"You forgot Kal, what a gifted actor that man can be. His performance was flawless. Again, I cannot truly fault him. He is excellent at what he does. I respect his drive, and I respect his ambition. An opportunity presented itself, and he took it.
"But among the many things I am offering you is the chance to renew your family line. Become a father to your own flesh and blood. To be among your people. To hear your language. And know that if you join with me, my loyalty to you would be absolute. It would never waver. Not if you swore to be one of my men.
"Keep Wayne, even. If you so chose. Do with him as you please.
"I will allow your request though. Go ahead and think about it. Meet me back here in three days with your decision. But know Kal, this meeting was a courtesy to you. I want you by my side, but I do not require it. Keep that in mind while you contemplate your options. And it goes without saying, but for the sake of absolute clarity: if you do not join with me, I will release the identities of the rest of the Justice League. I will systematically eliminate their villains. And the world will thank me for it.
"And Kal. When I say I require you kneel before me, I mean it quite literally. When you return in three days, you will either kneel before me as my servant, or you will stand against me as my enemy. There are no other options."
Then, in a flash, he was gone. Zod was no longer standing before him, but flying up, up, and away. Off the planet, and somehow the memory of anyone calling him Clark went right along with him. The farm, and Ma and Pa, and the green fields of his childhood burned away in this highly pressurized heat, and the clouds above him so menacing, unlike any he had ever seen.
And Kal stood there, stuck, head craned, observing him go as long and far as he could. Then he was truly gone, and Kal still stood, with the wind, that though it was not fast, was so heavy it managed to blow the pebbles and dust against his ankles and onwards and forwards. There was nothing else to obstruct their passage.
And despite Zod's pronouncements, Kal had never felt more abandoned.
Had never felt more like an orphan than he did now, the only living thing now kneeling on this planet, its slow swirling dust hitting up against his legs, this planet whose eponymous goddess was associated with love and prosperity, and despite the astonishing possibility of having a child of his own, he had to blink that same dust out of his eyes, his palms now planted on its same scorched ground.
For on this planet associated with fertility, he had never felt so impotent.