Harry gritted his teeth when he circled his enemy, the father of his girlfriend. It was funny how things worked on in this way but it was ultimately true. Zor-El dove at the dark haired wizard with a fury but he dodged the attacks. The young wizard was not about to let him get the better of him. He sent a blasting spell from his hand but Zor-El dodged it, with faster reflections than Harry ever expected.
"Well, it seems like you have some intelligence," Harry grudgingly admitted before he added with a smirk across his face. "It's too bad that doesn't really prevent you from trying to take me on. I wonder what are you thinking? Do you really think that it's a good idea to take me on, even with your powers?"
"I'm going to prove to the Council the might of this technology and how it can be improved on for the betterment of Krypton," Zor-El stated when he blasted forward like a cork but Kara dove forward and nailed him in the face with a huge kick to send him flying backwards. She tried to subdue him but he was dodged, incensed that this little brat tried to strike him.
Zor-El would show him that his way was might and he would start by snapping her neck, before going to finish off the other one. He was beyond reason or sanity, when he edged closer and closer.
He flew forward and wrapped his hands around her throat, before trying to squeeze the life out of her. Kara struggled against her father's grip, even though she did not know at the time. The blonde struggled against her and she swayed her head back, spitting and gagging a little bit, when the young blonde struggled.
"Keep your filthy hands off of her!" Harry yelled when he flew forward and a blasting spell impacted him in the chest. The yellow sun healed much but Zor-El found out one thing and it was found out painfully, within the next few moments.
Magic was something that even the most super powered of Kryptonians were vulnerable too. Then again, other magic users were vulnerable to magic as well, so it was just as well, but he found himself slammed against the wall and then Kara dove behind him, before she kicked him in the back of the head, sending him down to the ground, and flying backwards, with a thud.
Zor-El gave an angry grimace; he was not going to be made a fool out of it. His powers replenished when they filtered but a bright blue light struck him in the chest causing him to feel a bit more weakened. His powers left him but not completely, even if the rampages of his injuries came upon him.
The simulated blue Kryptonite did not work as well as Harry believed it to, which was a shame all things considered. Whatever Zor-El did to increase the effectiveness of the technology it worked well but there were many faults that he could exploit at the right moment. Kara bit down on her lip and eyed Harry. The two locked eyes and they thought one thing, when they turned to face Zor-El, their hands locked and their fists spinning for the attack.
'Together.'
Two minds worked as one and two bodies worked on conjunction, when they blasted at Zor-El like a cork, before slamming him down onto the ground. He landed with a huge crack, rolling over and blood splattering from his mouth. The younger brother of Jor-El got up, not used to this mortality, especially once he tasted immorality so soon. It was a harsh existence to even reconcile.
No he must press on, this power was something he deserved, this power was his destiny. It was something that he was put on Krypton to experience and he would experience the full fruits of it.
He reached forward and ripped the support beams from the bridge, before he swung it towards Harry and Kara, but both dodged the attacks.
"He's gone mad with power!" Kara yelled towards Harry, trying to focus her super breath but Zor-El focused his super breath and the two connected with their breath, canceling each other out when they blew against each other.
Harry quickly used his powers to prevent the structure from falling on a helpless group of Kandorians. They were unable to comprehend what was happening; they were standing there, unaware from the power struggle. He used a careful repairing charm to heal the damage Zor-El caused and the group cheered at Harry's actions.
Zor-El gave a grimace, but Kara punched him in the back of the head with all the force the blonde could muster. She grabbed him around the waist, and speared him down onto the ground. The two landed with a huge crack but Zor-El was quick to rebound as he grabbed Kara by her hair and threw her down onto the ground. He picked up a piece of pipe and bent it underneath her chin, trying to choke her with his super strength.
'What kind of man tries to kill his own daughter?' Harry thought, even if it was unknowing, Zor-El strangled Kara out of temper before, she told him. The House of El was quite messed up, thankfully Kara got something from her mother's side of the family by some kind of miracle.
Harry knocked Zor-El down from behind, his limbs cracking together when he went down to the ground. The backs of his legs shattered from the impact and with another fluid motion, Harry helped Kara up, holding her against him. The blonde wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and caught her breath in no time.
He would ask if she was already but the question seemed to be a bit obvious. The damage was being healed nicely although she was fairly shaken despite everything. Harry and Kara locked hands and pushed themselves forward, ready for the fight and ready to take him down completely.
A loud crack echoed and Zor-El went flying and he realized something. His super powers, they were completely gone, and that meant he was mortal. The process he stolen, it was flawed; Alura was not trying to cover herself, there was some fine tuning that needed to be done. He flew head over heels, flying and he landed with a huge crack against the tower. His head whipped back, and his eyes nearly rolled into the back of the head, before he slid down.
He left a blood smear on it and Kara heard no heartbeat. The blood of Zor-El oozed out of the gaping wound of his chest, spraying everywhere. His lust for power got in the way of any sense and reason and he paid for it with his life.
'I just killed my own father,' Kara thought when Harry put her arm around her to comfort her when her eyes widened. It took her a moment to come to terms with this, although the initial shock stayed with her. Well that proved the alternate timeline thing, given that she could disappear into nothingness otherwise, yet Kara remained there with Harry.
That was something that made her feel rather at ease, a little bit more. The blonde blinked a little bit, before she followed Harry. She was not sure about how she felt about this but her father, well the rose colored glasses that she previously viewed him through had been shattered once and for all. She could not believe this, she really could not believe this. The two returned to the Council.
Jor-El waited and Harry and Kara had to give him the news that no one would like to hear but it was best they said it now.
"Zor-El is dead."
Jor-El inclined his head, a bit of remorse flooding his face; he could not help but blame himself for what happened. His brother's greed got the better of him in the end and he paid for it quite fatally. Jor-El decided to use this as evidence to the Council for the fact that they were not ready for the technology for it would corrupt the hearts and minds of the people of Krypton.
"I hope you see the folly of trying to use this technology for war," Jor-El stated when he crossed his arms, before his arms carefully.
The Council offered some crisp mutterings but something told Harry that this was not the end of it. Even though Jor-El warned them, even though Alura warned them, and even though Zor-El died because it, something told Harry it was not a cut and dry situation. They would rationalize what happened as only politicians could.
"We feel that the flaw is not within the people of Krypton but with Zor-El himself," the council member stated in a crisp voice when they eyed Harry, Kara, and Jor-El. "We recommend that all technology is reviewed for the council. These two prove that it can be used to make them strong and allow them to stand tall over the rest to protect those who cannot protect themselves."
Harry could have gritted his teeth and screamed to the heavens, they rationalized this. It was hard to believe but they rationalized this. They refused to admit that no matter what, they could not be wrong. It was inconceivable that the all powerful Council could in fact be wrong and Kara stood next to them.
"Tell Alura that she has seventy two hours to willingly comply," the council stated. "Or we will force compliance."
That sounded like a threat to Harry and to Kara, who had a nasty expression flash through her eyes. She would tear the Council apart bit by bit if she was allowed to but Harry pulled her back. His warning gaze said now was not the time.
"Zor-El's demise should be the proof needed that the people at large of Krypton are not ready for this technology," Alura responded when she bit down on her lips. The next question was offered an extremely exasperated manner. "Can't they see that?"
"They always see what they wish to see, "Lara responded when she turned her head to the side. "That is the common folly of any race and that is what may be inevitable for our planet's demise and destruction."
Lara did not want to think about such things but alas they were thoughts that were inevitable. Especially given that everything that occurred in recent times, she crossed her arms. She would not pretend to know all that much about science, especially compared to Alura or Jor-El but she knew enough to figure out how everything was gone.
"I'm not sure if the planet degrading is the real problem, it's the people, our people, that are degrading," Alura stated when she saw the red sun set once again. She had two more sunsets before she made a choice, and a sadistic one.
What should she do, should she try and appease the Council, but at the same time compromising all of her principles? Those principles were something that that she held onto for better or for worse. She watched as Zor-El perverted her technology and they he proceeded to try and kill Harry and Kara.
The other option was to defy the Council and they would attempt to seize her technology anyway. They were not the type that would give up without a fight and their stubbornness knew no bounds whatsoever, the blonde turned her head around and blinked heavily, waiting for a little bit.
"So what to do, what to do?" Alura mused when she bit down on her lip but Harry and Kara stood forward.
"The right thing," Kara offered her mother with a smile, and a hopeful expression on her face. "I didn't….I didn't really want to do what I did out there, it was one of those things where…..I don't think it would have ended up that well. But at the same time, we have to make the hard choices."
Harry chimed in, he thought of everything that he learned in there. "Choice, that is would drives us. This choice that is made, it will define the legacy we left behind. Should we allow Krypton to become a planet that is crushed under the arrogance of their people? Beyond the Council, I see people who are normal, who are unable to fully understand what the arrogance of the Council will lead to."
The dark haired wizard paused before he added, carefully choosing his next words.
"I see potential."
"As do I," Kara agreed when she tightened her grip on Harry. That was why she wanted to do everything she could to save this world, even though in the back of her mind, she wondered if some things were inevitable. If they averted the first crisis, what is to say that some crisis could not happen ten or fifteen years down the line.
That was the problem with something like Krypton, Kara hoped in her heart that they could save it but there were many indications that this planet ticked on by like a deadly doomsday clock. She clutched Harry's hand, to appease herself.
"That potential is the reason why we must do all that we can to save this world, or at least enough of the people on it where it might make a difference," Lara answered when she turned around. The world at large was a bit drearier than she thought, beyond that little niche that her father carved out for her.
"It's not like we could take Krypton's cities, shrink them down, and put them in a bottle," Alura stated but then she looked at Harry and Kara.
"That's not the worst idea, but it might lead to more headaches," Kara stated when she thought about it carefully, mulling it over. "We're going to have to really think this one over."
Sometimes the best action was something that did not come to them. The message of the council, it rang out in Harry's head. It was twisted and tormented; they had given ultimatums and threats. He was certain that if they worked with Alura, instead of against her, then they could find out a way to make this all work. However, that was not the way the Council worked. They had to always do things the hard way. At least that was something that was a constant about all of the governments around the world.
There were sometimes where they had to do things for the good of everyone out there, not just for themselves. Of course, the Council twisted the thoughts of what was good for everyone and did what was good for themselves. Harry thought that they had the best intentions in mind but like most governments did, they lost their way. And when that way was lost, they struggled to take control of everything out of their own little comfort zones. All faith that people might have in their government would be lost if they understood what the Council's bumbling would have caused but Harry hoped that it would be temporary at best.
"So what do you think now?" Harry asked Kara, asking for her input.
Before Kara could answer, Jor-El arrived, looking at them with a frantic expression in his eyes. Harry and Kara spun towards the scientist, awaiting what he had to say now. There was a heart beating that they sensed and they could tell that Jor-El was rather stressed. The science, one of the most foremost minds on all of Krypton had something to say. Alura and Lara remained quiet before he was allowed to say it.
"Zod has managed to get his hands on one of the crystals and he's using it to enhance his powers."
Kara and Harry spun around, their eyes widened. There was one thing for certain and that was when it rained, it poured. The two of them rushed off, to try and deal with the current crisis that Zod manufactured. It seemed like their work was never done.
"Those crystals are highly unstable," Alura warned them before they headed completely out the door. "If Zod doesn't have them calibrated properly…."
"We need not worry about the core," Kara stated when she breathed heavily.
"That figures," Harry responded when he tightened his grip around his hand, before the couple turned off, Zor-El was only the beginning, Zod's little gambit was the next thing on their list. They hoped that they could reach him in time, before he did something that would doom the entire planet.
Zod smiled, his moment of triumph edged closer with more ticks of the clock. He thought about of a way to make a name for himself, and this was the best way to make a name for himself. He never was so embarrassed in his life than he was today. That blonde woman, she punched him hard in the jaw and could have shattered every bone in his head. He grimaced at the thought, and crossed his arms with a scowl crossing his being. That would not be something that he had any desire to repeat ever again.
Thankfully, he did some nosing around and picked up one of the crystals that Alura used for her demonstration. Being a man of many connections, he got it working again and he felt his body empowered by the yellow solar radiation. The yellow solar radiation boosted his abilities to something beyond anything that he could ever imagine. He curled his fists in the very thought about it, and how he could crush anyone in his path.
He would be unstable and that really made him smile.
Two whooshes could be heard and Zod turned, narrowing his eyes at them.
"I hoped you showed up," Zod remarked when he watched Harry and Kara, a nasty expression filling his face. "I see Zor-El could not handle these powers and you took care of it. It is just as well, he did not deserve the extraordinary abilities that were offered by the yellow sun."
Kara retorted back in an angry voice, her eyes glowing threateningly. "And you think you do."
Zod smiled. "Naturally, I do. These powers are my birthright. And you will all kneel before Zod!"
"What is with you and kneeling?" Harry asked in annoyance before he sent a spell at Zod, but the armor he wore, it caused his attacks to bounce back. The green eyed wizard stopped. He saw that there was no reason to continue the attacks when he blocked them all for the time being.
"I'd imagined that you didn't expect that," Zod responded when he eyed Harry, the two staring each other down.
"Bravo, you surprised me, but that won't be for long," Harry stated, when he caused the ground to rumble beneath Zod.
Zod flew into the air and Harry and Kara followed him. Unlike Zor-El, Zod had a better control over his abilities, perhaps because it was not faulty. If Harry could disrupt the armor, he could bombard him with the Blue Kryptonite radiation. The two followed Zod, hoping to take him down. Harry and Kara locked eyes and they knew what they had to do.
Kara went on one side of Zod in their attempt to box him inside their attacks. Harry edged to the other side of Zod. The two circled him, but to his credit, Zod managed to keep his eyes on both of his enemies. It was now that Harry suspected that the instincts that made him one of the most feared military commanders in all of Krypton was at hand. He really was pretty good at what he did and intensity glowed in his eyes. He sent fire from his eyes, but Harry and Kara blasted their combined heat vision, before their combined attacks pushed back into his face, sending him spiraling backwards.
Zod scattered, breathing heavily when he flew head over heels, nearly landing on the ground with a crash. Harry and Kara flew like a double blur but Zod caught their hands. Harry sliced at the armor with that distraction and caused the General to stagger a little bit. The blonde slid underneath the blonde, before kicking his leg out from underneath him. Harry sent Zod flying into a fence, before throwing them hard into the ground. Kara flew over, and grabbed the fence.
With an intense tug, she ripped the fence out and started to wrap it around Zod. The fence trapped him in a cage, and Kara unleashed her heat vision to Zod. The metal heated up around him to try and pin him into place. The General tried to push himself out and he knocked Harry and Kara back with a double punch to the face. Thanks to their recuperative abilities, they bounced back and launched themselves like a pair of corks into the air, before they slapped their elbows onto Zod.
In the ultimate step of irony, Zod had been driven to his knees. It was not something that he experienced for long; he bounced back up, primal fury flicking in his eyes. He was angered at about being humiliated and the power went to his head. The anger made him sloppy and the two who fought him looked carefully towards him. They knew he was just about gotten to, all they had to do was push him forward. Kara smacked him in the side of the head.
Zod staggered back and he saw the crystal in his hand, he tried to focus more of the solar radiation onto him but Kara snatched it out of his hand.
"No!" Zod stated, trying to choke her but Harry knocked him out, before he whipped him backwards and caused the General to crash onto the ground.
Zod was losing control and that was not something that he liked. His face contorted into a snarl, before his fists clenched, he would show them, he would show them all. He would show both of them, he sprung forward, his legs dragging behind him, when he cracked into his enemies.
Down went his enemies, slamming hard against the ground. Harry and Kara bounced back up but suddenly, they saw a weak spot in him. The armor had been cracked and Zod's flesh had been exposed. That gave Harry and Kara an idea when they continued to work as one. A tandem attack would be what would break through the armor and pierce Zod's flesh. There was no question about it, before they blasted it through.
Zod did not even offer a final cutting word, before the cutting curse burned through him. The remaining yellow solar radiation healed his wounds but that allowed Harry and Kara to both scoop up Zod and pick up speed. The two of them flew at the speed of light and continued to fly, picking up speed when they became nothing but a blur. They shot through the air, like a cork and hoisted up Zod.
It was a slam dunk when Zod speared on a tower, he was impaled on it.
"Well, I think he wanted a place of honor, no more honor than that of the highest point in Kandor," Kara responded before she threw her arms around Harry and rocked back a little bit. "So are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Harry responded when he spun her around, wrapping his arms around her before the two of them rested in each other's arms. Now that Zod was finished and they flew up to check to make sure they should, they relaxed, at least a little bit.
Harry and Kara leaned forward, wrapping their arms around each other, and sharing a passionate kiss when they hovered over Kandor. Their hair blew in the breeze and they realized that somehow one of the biggest threats to Krypton and perhaps one of the reasons why it got destroyed was gone.
Of course, they threw them into the unknown now but that was something that these two thrived on above all else. They had to hover down and try and appeal to the Council one more time. Whilst the efforts seemed futile, they had to do things their own way.
Harry relaxed with Kara, she rested against him. The blonde put her head on Harry's chest, before putting his arm around her waist when the two of them rocked back and forth on the couch. The blonde waited with a bright smile crossing her face, even if it was pained. She wore a white top and a pair of jean shorts with no shoes. It was normal Earth clothes, but they were better compared with the stuffy robes that the Kryptonians wore on a day to day basis.
"It's now or never," Harry remarked when he ran his hands through Kara's silky blonde hair. She spun around, so she could straddle his lap. "You're beautiful."
"Thanks, you're not too bad on the eyes yourself," Kara responded, when Harry dipped her back, and kissed her on the lips, placing his hands firmly on the small of her back, running his hands down her hips and her back, before he continued to kiss her. His kisses increased with intensity and he rubbed his hands over her back, before he continued the kiss.
The two of them would have enjoyed their activities more and more but Alura burst through the doors, in a frantic tizzy.
"Hey, Alura, want to join us?" Kara asked in an innocent voice, but Alura dropped down, to give them some grave news.
"One more appeal to the Council, not that it did any good," Alura responded when she threw her head back and sighed. "After what happened with both Zor-El and Zod, they should understand how dangerous this technology is."
"But they understand nothing," Kara chimed in, feeling her frustration and looking into her identical blue eyes, the two of them carefully watching each other, before she slid off of Harry's lap and offered her a hug. Alura took it, glad at the gesture, she was beyond stressed, in fact she was completely and utterly fried.
"It's….I don't know, I don't want to think about it, but it's getting worse and it will continue to get worse," Alura remarked when Kara pulled her into the hug, before she released it. "I know, you two are visiting here and I wouldn't blame you if you left after all that you've been through."
Kara shook her head carefully. She thought that this would be a common statement and her mother wanted to make sure they did not suffer any more because of the Council. She could see it in Alura's eyes and whilst Kara appreciated the sentiment, she would not be strong armed by people who wanted to see her suffer. She reached forward and gently, but at the same time firmly, grasped her hand.
"We're in this together, for better or for worse," Kara remarked when she eyed her. "Appeal after appeal has been given to the Council but they understand nothing. And if they don't understand anything, then that means….that means that this planet would die."
Kara was damned if she'd go through the death of her world ever again. That was not something that she would handle, no way, no how. She bit down on her lip and vowed to do what she could to make sure everything worked out for the best.
"We will get out of this together," Kara stated and it was then that Harry stood up.
It was the easiest thing in the world to sit back and do nothing, while everyone rolled over them like some kind of steamroller. The green eyes of Harry flickered with a thought and he wondered, oh boy did he wonder if he should have left well enough alone a long time ago. Yet for some reason, he couldn't. He felt defiance and he felt something akin to daring flicker through his eyes, beating through his heart and his mind.
"I'm ready to go against them, to defy them one more time if you two are," Harry answered and Alura and Kara remained in stunned silence. "Whatever the Council can do, the consequences can be ours to bear but if we save the planet from certain doom, they run the risk of them making us into some kind of martyrs."
"And that would be the last thing they want," Alura answered when she bit down on her lip. "The probe, it's completed….but it could end up doing more harm than good in the long wrong. What if we delay what is inevitable? I don't want to see this world die, but….I don't want to be the one who is responsible for bringing it down as well."
Harry nodded, that was a brutal cross to bear, but he hoped that everything would work out in a certain respect. He turned from Alura to Kara, and both of their faces were determined, although in different ways. There were small and subtle differences between the pair of them but they all looked to be the same in many ways. Kara might have been Alura and Zor-El's daughter, albeit one of an alternate timeline, but it was obvious she took after her mother most of all.
"So are we in or are we out?" Harry asked the two blondes before them. Lara went home to her family estate; her father paged her, so she was not with them, but Harry, Kara, and Alura were still there and they were still determined.
Alura nodded, her jaw was set firmly, when she walked over, to the cabinet that contained the probe, the lifeline that would allow her to deliver all of Krypton from harm. She had no idea why Harry and Kara both believed that Krypton would be destroyed, but it did match up with several scientific beliefs that happened over time. She smiled, a grin crossing her face. She eyed Harry and then she eyed Kara.
Kara thought about it carefully, the planet was set to explode in over twenty years but she could perhaps delay that. Perhaps they could convince the Kryptonians to find another way and now with Zod destroyed, the coup which caused all of the portals to be destroyed never came to pass.
The trio stood, locked, loaded, and ready, it was now or never.