Chapter 7: Sanctum
Landing was harder than I thought it would be but I got the hang of it after a few days – though I had to repair a few holes in my property's lawn, much to my family's amusement.
"That was so awesome!" Luke exclaimed. "Do you think you'll be able to take us flying?"
I glanced at our parents, not wanting to answer yes if they didn't approve.
"We'll talk about that when he gets back," Dad said diplomatically, sending Mom a look of reassurance that told me there would be conditions on any future flights I would likely provide.
I smothered an amused smirk.
"Well, I'm not sure how long I'll be, but I should be back in a few days. I cleared my schedule for the whole week though," I said, stepping back after giving my mom a hug.
"Okay, be careful," Mom said.
"I will," I promised with a wave.
They waved back and I shot off to Namibia.
Flying above the atmosphere is one of the most thrilling experiences one can have, and doing it under one's own power is beyond words. Earth is so mind-blowingly beautiful, and flying over her provides one of the greatest views, but that day, I had something, or rather someone, I wanted to see even more.
I landed in the badlands of the Namib Desert, deep within the dry clusters of steep slopes that were like the ridges of a massive, ancient monster's back. Looking up, I was surrounded by arid walls of rock, earth and sand that stretched up, far above my head. Rays of sunlight streamed down before me, as if leading the way to what would become my sanctum. I extended my hearing and could only hear the sparse sounds of desert wildlife. There were no humans for miles and miles.
Satisfied with the level of seclusion, I took out my mother's crystal and brought it up to my lips. Giving it a light kiss, I closed my eyes, sending a soft pulse of my will into it.
Sunstones are preprogrammed to activate when certain conditions are met and, when they are met, a special frequency of energy is released into the surrounding area. This power utilizes the matter around to create the architecture pre-set in the crystal's mainframe. It also transforms a portion of the organic compounds and minerals throughout the new structure into embedded crystals to serve as a network and power grid: the backbone of a holographic and AI system.
Inserting my will into the crystal, I altered the desired architecture so that, from above, the surface landscape would remain unchanged. Knowing the future of satellite imaging as well as the current state of spy satellites, I decided it best to fly under the radar as much as possible, especially since I was relatively close to human settlements – far closer than where my brother's Fortress of Solitude would likely be at any rate.
A red glimmer of light rippled across the crystal to confirm my change; so with that, I gently tossed it into the crevasse a few yards in front of me and I moved back.
I knew the reaction would begin instantly, but I honestly didn't know how long it would take for the structure's construction to finish.
A moment later, the earth began to groan and I instinctively hovered a few inches above the sandy dirt as I watched rock and ground morph all around me. It was over in less than half an hour and I was relieved that the transformation had not caused a substantial amount of shaking.
My feet touched the earth and I went forward. Soft blue light ebbed from the walls and ceiling, intermingling with the light from the sun that peeked between gaps in the cavern walls. My heart was pounding as I approached the crystal floating above the short column at the center of the new inner chamber. With a deep breath, I took the sunstone and placed it in the slot.
A soft hum of power rang through the sanctum and the hologram of my mother slowly appeared.
I swallowed as her form sharpened and her eyes settled on me.
Even though I had already been raised by a loving mother in The Before and had thankfully been adopted by loving parents in this life, I couldn't stop my heart from leaping with joy as she seemed to suddenly glow in tentative hope as we locked eyes.
"Mother," I whispered in Kryptonian.
She beamed at me. "Kal-El? Is it really you?" she asked.
I had suspected at that point in time that she did not know of my existence, but even with that logical expectation and despite my best efforts to not take her reception personally, her words felt like a gut punch and my soul fell to the soles of my feet.
My voice cracked with sadness when I answered. "N-no, it's Tal."
A gasp of astonishment escaped her and her eyes lit up in elated recognition. My heart stuttered.
"Tal-Rho?! You were able to escape Krypton?!" She gave a short cry of gratefulness as she stepped forward. "Thank the gods! You're alive!"
I smiled back, my soul back at my center as my heart fluttered with happiness.
She recognized my name and knew who I was.
She then paused, her gaze still full of love but now there was also wary concern.
"Please, tell me, is your father here?" she asked.
"He's gone, and so is his crystal. Don't worry, mother, he will never be able to hurt anyone ever again," I said vehemently.
She sighed in clear relief.
"So," she said, much calmer, "You are doing well, my son? Could you tell me about your life?" Her eyes were tinged with sadness for having missed so much.
Being a parent myself, I understood how much that would hurt.
"I'm doing very well," I said, before sitting on a boulder conveniently located not far from the podium.
I then told her about myself, my adopted family, my company, and Earth in general. As I went on, the sun set and the desert night grew cold, not that it bothered me.
"I cannot fully express my relief to learn you are doing so well on this world, my son," she said.
"I love it here. And while I wish Krypton hadn't . . . well, I'm glad I'm here. Earth is more of a home to me than Krypton ever was," I said honestly.
She smiled with sad understanding. I pressed on, shifting to something far happier.
"I've been looking for Kal-El. I think I know where he is, but I need to decide how to contact him exactly."
"Truly? You know where he is? Your brother?" she asked eagerly.
"Yes. He's in the state of Kansas, which is part of the United States," I answered.
"But you can't go to him?" she asked, concerned.
"It's not a question of can but when and how. He has a family here, just like I do, and I don't want to ruin what he has," I admitted.
"I see," she said softly.
"But I will reveal my existence to him and help him understand where he came from soon. I promise you, mother," I said. "I just . . . don't want to do anything that could hurt his future."
"I understand, and I believe your caution is wise. From what Jor-El and I were able to ascertain from our surveillance of Earth, humans can be just as . . . volatile as some Kryptonians. Perhaps more so."
"Humans are certainly capable of great evil and unparalleled good," I said, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her last statement.
"And I can see you seek to help them become the best they can be," she said proudly.
"Yes," I agreed.
We talked for hours more, diving deeper into what I was doing with my company and my hopes for its future before returning to my adopted family.
"How did your family react to learning the truth?" she asked.
"Like I had hoped they would. They were surprised of course, but they accepted me. They weren't afraid of me," I said, grateful, before smiling at an idea. "Would you like to meet them?"
"Yes, very much," she said.
"I'll be back in a few minutes," I said, before zipping out and shooting back home.
My family eagerly agreed to come, excited beyond words. The previous concerns about flying vanished and soon my adopted family, both the Wintons and Bridgens, were with me just outside the sanctum. My mom, Jean, suggested it would be best for all of us, including Lara, if we met once we were all together. I didn't argue and quickly flew everyone in.
It was just as well, as I discovered a slight issue during the introductions after we had entered.
"Mother, these are the Bridgens, Jacob and Margaret," I automatically introduced in English.
Lara blinked and tilted her head. :I'm sorry?:
My eyes widened in quick understanding. :You don't speak English?:
:I'm sorry. Jor-El and I had not placed the necessary translation program before my sunstone had been stolen,: she explained regretfully.
:Before Zeta-Rho stole it,: I said with a frown.
I was torn. If he hadn't stolen it, I wouldn't have her, but what else would have been stored on the crystal before it would have been placed in my brother's craft?
"Uh, Morgan?" Tim asked behind me, confused.
"Sorry, I just realized she doesn't know English. Because Zeta-Rho had stolen her crystal, they hadn't been able to download certain things," I explained. "I'll just act as translator. Everyone, this is my mother, Lara Lor-Van." I then shifted to Kryptonian, :Mother, these are my adopted parents, Jean and Leo Winton, my brothers, Tim and Luke, and the couple who found and helped me, Jacob and Margaret Bridgen.:
My mother smiled. :Thank you so much for caring for my son.:
I translated her words, blushing slightly.
"What does the 'S' mean?" Luke asked.
"It's the symbol of her family house, the House of El. The symbol means Hope," I said, before explaining to Lara what I was answering. "Every family house had a specific shield with its own meaning."
"What, uh. . . ." Tim hesitated.
"What was my house? Rho. Its symbol, ironically, looks like a distorted S. Granted, the real irony is that it stands for Loyalty," I said with no small amount of disdain.
It was sad, really. If Zeta had been loyal the way he should have been, perhaps the people of Krypton wouldn't have been lost. He had been old – even by Kryptonian standards – roughly the equivalent of 152 human years. He had had enough time to make a difference. The amount I had wished I had had when I had first recognized where I had been born. With the amount of influence he had had, he could have saved actual Kryptonians instead of setting up an ark of artificial souls with a goal of conquest and genocide.
I slowly exhaled and pushed away my turbulent thoughts. Distantly, I allowed my hearing to slip into the collective sonic frequency and zeroed in on Kansas, to my brother's heartbeat, to calm myself.
"Morgan?" my mom, Jean, asked.
"Sorry, I was just thinking about Zeta's sense of loyalty," I partially admitted.
"That man didn't know the meaning of the word," she scoffed. "And he's not worth another thought."
I definitely agreed and was relieved when Leo asked a question about Kryptonian culture, which my mother happily answered after I translated the inquiry.
The next several hours were some of my most content up to that point in this life.
The only thing missing was my brother.
O
A/N: Sorry it's been a while. The muse is still alive, though it's currently crawling.