Chapter 14
Dora gasped when Kal-El stepped through the portal. It was as if she were seeing a ghost, the young man standing before her looked remarkably like Jor-El. Could this be Kal-El? Then she noticed the raised House of El crest boldly displayed on his chest.
"Kal-El?" she asked tentatively.
Kal-El eyed the two people standing before him, clearly surprised by his appearance, but yet they knew his name.
"Yes, I'm Kal-El," he answered in Kryptonian. He'd only been on Kandor mere seconds, but already its heavier gravity pressed him from all sides causing him to strain for air. Dizziness followed and Kal-El looked for a place to sit not sure he could remain standing.
Seeing Kal-El's slight waver, Dora and Thar-An quickly helped him onto a chair in the smaller sitting area. Once Kal-El was comfortably seated, Dora sat in the other white chair while Thar-An brought a chair from the conference area for himself.
Lowering himself onto the chair, Thar-An gently instructed Kal-El, "Take slow, deep breaths. It is not unusual to experience some dizziness when going from one world to another."
Kal-El took slow deep breaths as instructed and said, "I'm Kryptonian. I hadn't expected the change in worlds to affect me."
Dora went for water. Meanwhile, Thar-An patted Kal-El's shoulder and explained, "It's similar to seasickness. You're not accustomed to our gravity. You just need a few minutes for your body to adjust to our environment." Thar-An smiled still unable to believe he was actually looking at the son of Jor-El. He had so many questions.
Dora returned with the water. "Drink slowly," she cautioned handing Kal-El the intricately etched glass.
"Thank you," Kal-El said taking the glass. He looked from one person to the other as he sipped. The woman was quite beautiful, he thought. He studied her small crest necklace. He was sure it stood for the House of Lor. The Fortress' crystal recordings had told of a renowned scientist named Val-Lor, perhaps this was his wife.
He admired the woman's white, silk, roman-style gown. It was pleated and crossed at the bosom with a gold wrap belt underneath. A matching gold headband, inset with three precious jewels, crossed her forehead.
Like the woman, the man was probably in his fifties and still handsome although his black hair had touches of gray on the sides. The man wore a dark-green, roman-style, tunic top with a gold belt at the waist and matching green trousers tucked into mid-calf brown boots. An unadorned gold headband circled his head. The left side of his tunic displayed his family crest.
Kal-El took another sip of water then asked, "Who are you? How do you know my name?"
Dora spoke first, "I'm Dora Val-Lor the Minister of Kandor. I knew your father and mother. I met them several times at official functions on Krypton. You may not realize how much you favor your father in appearance. There's no mistaking you as Jor-El's son."
Dora's words and kind smile touched Kal-El's heart. He'd never realized how much he looked like his father.
"I'm Thar-An, Kandor's Chief Scientist, and I had the honor of working with your father many years ago. We served together on the Science Council. Your father was a great man, Kal-El. Jor-El was the most brilliant scientist and astronomer I ever knew."
Thar-An's words of praise for his father warmed Kal-El's heart and filled him with pride. It was truly remarkable to meet people who had known his biological father. As Thar-An had predicted the dizziness began to fade. However, the loss of his powers under Kandor's artificial red sun still left him feeling weak and vulnerable.
Summoning his strength, he stood with authority and said, "I've come for the crystal. It's all I have of my father. Vril will be opening the portal for me soon."
"Of course," said Thar-An. "It's in the lab. I left it with Dora's daughter Valia, she is studying it. I will call her." Thar-An went to Dora's desk and spoke to someone via an intercom.
Speaking to Kal-El, Dora said, "You have to understand how shocked we were to have a Kryptonian crystal tossed into our world and then to discover it was from Jor-El. . . We … We wanted to know everything we could about the crystal. Of course, we had to make sure it wasn't a trap."
"I understand." Kal-El was anxious to have the crystal and return to the spaceship. He would need time to recharge his powers before Brainiac finished regenerating.
Dora asked, "Kal-El, did you toss the crystal through the portal?"
"No, it was Vril. He thought he was keeping it save from Brainiac." Kal-El's eyes wrinkled in a pained expression as he glanced around and softly spoke, "I only wish I had more time here, in Kandor."
Noticing the windows, Kal-El walked to them and gazed upon the city. He tried to take in everything. He'd seen much of the city earlier with his X-ray vision, but it was different now, actually being here. Dora stood next to him and gently placed her hand on his arm.
If Kal-El could have read her thoughts he would know that she wished his time on Kandor did not have to be so short. Her more relevant concern was, would he return? And would he help Kandor?
Thar-An joined them at the window and said, "Valia will be here shortly with the crystal." He placed a comforting hand on Kal-El's shoulder. "I can't imagine what it's like to finally see your home world." With sadness he added, "Well, what's left of it."
Dora said, "Kandor is always so beautiful in the spring. This is my favorite season. I wish you could see the entire city."
"I do, too," Kal-El responded never taking his eyes from the view. This was his world. His home. Kandor truly was beautiful. The late-afternoon sun shone over a pink-tinged, blue sky. Kal-El observed a few monuments and one grand statute in the large grassy park surrounding the Administration Building. People and children walked, ran, played and enjoyed picnics on the purple-tinged grass. Tall trees lined the outer edge of the park offering some privacy from other buildings. Several tall crystal buildings rose in the distance, some curving into spirals at their peaks. One building resembled the space needle in Seattle, Washington.
Valia rushed into the room with the father crystal. "Mother, I got here as fast as I could."
Kal-El turned at the sound of Valia's voice, and for the first time that day he completely forgot about the father crystal. The young, vibrant woman with long brown hair captivated him completely. Her hair fell in soft waves to her mid-back and complimented her olive skin. The eggplant colored tunic top and pants she wore further enhanced her skin-tone and hair. A gold band wrapped around her waist and a jewel encrusted headband encircled her head.
Kal-El's direct gaze caused Valia to blush. She paused for a second composing herself, while noting his jet black hair with a soft curl on the forehead, the strong jaw and muscular physique. The tight blue suit showed off every inch of his magnificent body and in Valia's mind that wasn't a bad thing. But she found herself drawn to his crystal blue eyes.
Thar-An and Dora noticed the way the two young people looked at each other and exchanged knowing smiles.
Still holding the crystal, Valia stepped closer to Kal-El and said, "Are you Kal-El?" She bowed her head slightly, the Kryptonian sign of respect.
Kal-El felt a pang of guilt. He had not shown Thar-An and Dora the proper respect, but now he bowed to Valia. Slowly lifting his head, he kept his eyes focused on hers. The intense beauty of her sea-green eyes mesmerized him.
He smiled. "Yes, I'm Kal-El. I believe you have something that belongs to me." He held out his hand.
Valia placed the crystal in Kal-El's palm. "I hope you don't mind that I copied quite a bit of information from the crystal. Your father sent you massive amounts of data on the universe, some of which could be useful to Kandor."
"No, I don't mind. I hope the crystal's data can help Kandor. I also promise to do everything I can to free the city and restore it to its rightful size."
"Kal-El, I was monitoring Brainiac's ship and I saw your battle with him. You have some amazing abilities. I know that Kryptonians are physically stronger than many other species, but your abilities are very unusual, even for Kryptonians." Valia looked up at Kal-El and their eyes locked again.
"Yes, this solar system's yellow sun enhances and changes Kryptonian physiology," Kal-El explained. "I've always been much stronger and faster than humans. But as I got older, I developed several other powers, even the ability to fly."
Thar-An and Dora moved closer to Kal-El. Thar-An said, "Now I know why Jor-El spent months studying a distance solar system before Krypton's destruction. He knew you would have special abilities under a yellow sun. I assume you did grow up on Earth."
"Yes," Kal-El said. "I have family and friends there. I intend to protect Earth and Kandor from Brainiac. However, I will need to recharge my body before I face him again."
Valia asked, "So, you will not instantly have your powers when you return?"
"No, I won't," Kal-El answered.
"Then your return must be timed carefully. Once Brainiac is regenerated he will be even stronger than before. You can't risk encountering him without your powers."
"Valia is absolutely right," Thar-An said. "Upon your return, how much time would you need to recharge?"
"I've only been gone a short time. A few seconds of sunlight should be enough," answered Kal-El.
Valia looked at Dora. "Mother, I'm going to establish a link with Brainiac's ship from your com system. We need to know what's happening on the ship before Kal-El attempts a return." Dora nodded agreement and Valia proceeded to her mother's desk.
Within the past year the Kandorians had managed to access all the sensors on Brainiac's ship and could view any part of the ship that contained sensors. Valia quickly established a secure link.
Kal-El said, "Vril should be opening the portal any moment now."
Valia gasped and looked at everyone in horror. She relayed what she saw, "I don't think Vril will be opening the portal anytime soon. Brainiac is on the ship and Vril's down . . . he's hurt!"