Chapter 16
When Kandor's portal did not open, Kal-El momentarily felt relieved. He could stay. He could see more of his home world. If even if it was but one city. Feelings of guilt had nagged at him since his arrival. Why should he alone be able to leave when no one else could?
However, he now knew how every Kandorian felt – trapped. And in spite of his guilt, he was determined to change this situation as quickly as possible.
Kal-El had examined the portal's circuitry with his x-ray vision before leaving Brainiac's ship and hoped that knowledge would help the Kandorians open their portal.
Kal-El approached Thar-An, bowed his head, and said, "Tanth Thar-An, I may have information that could help Kandor gain control of their portal." Kal-El purposely used the Kryptonian word Tanth to show Thar-An the proper respect. The title, Tanth, being similar to the word sir.
The bow and use of Tanth were not lost on Thar-An and his admiration for Jor-El's son grew. Thar-An returned the bow as Dora joined the conversation. The possibility of Kandorians controlling their portal was something she wanted to hear all about.
Dora asked, "Kal-El, what information do you have? For years Kandorian scientists have been working on ways to open the portal. I believe we have made significant progress and may be a year or so away from gaining control." She looked at Valia for confirmation.
Valia was part of the technical team currently working on this project. She had also been part of the team which had successfully gained access to the sensors on Brainiac's ship. That had taken five years of hard work and much of the thanks went to Valia, Kandor's leading expert in computer technology.
"Yes mother, you are correct." Valia turned to Kal-El. "What knowledge do you have, Kal-El? Perhaps working together we can gain control sooner." As Valia peered at Kal-El, waiting for an answer, she noticed something seriously wrong. One side of his jaw was swollen and shades of blue and purple covered the area, indicating a developing bruise.
Valia's eyes widened with surprise. "Kal-El, I believe your jaw is swollen and bruised. How did this happen?" She reached up and gently touched the area. Kal-El flinched at the sudden, unexpected pain.
"My battle with Brainiac," Kal-El said just coming to the realization himself. "My body must not have had enough time to regenerate." He remembered all too well Brainiac's last blow, it had sent waves of pain coursing through his jaw and neck. Actually, his chest and back ached a little, too. Those areas had had more time to recuperate and were only minor annoyances. His jaw began to throb painfully.
"I'm summoning Doctor Rim-Zee," Dora said and hurried to the com on her desk. "He can be trusted."
"Come sit down," Valia said taking Kal-El by the arm and leading him to the small seating area. "The doctor will be able to easily heal your jaw once he is here. Then we will work on the portal." She gave Kal-El a comforting smile as he slowly sat down. Valia perched on the arm of his chair.
Thar-An followed the couple to the seating area. He had been thinking about things. He took the seat across from Kal-El and said, "Kal-El, after the doctor sees you, I think it is best if we change your clothing. We don't want too many people to know you are here." Seeing Kal-El's puzzled expression, Thar-an explained, "I do not want Kandorians to have false hope. I do want everyone to know of your visit, at the proper time, but not now. There is too much work to be done and it can be accomplished faster without the intrusions of the media."
Even on Kandor the media sometimes disrupted the lives of important people. Dora as the city's minister, and Thar-An as an esteemed scientist, knew this all too well. A visit by Jor-El's son was definitely a news worthy story.
Kal-El nodded in agreement. He fully understood the older man's concerns. As Superman, he knew all too well about the media.
"The doctor is on his way," Dora said, approaching the seating area. "I told him I wasn't feeling well. We can explain things when he gets here." Thar-An rose and let Dora to take his seat.
"I will meet Dr. Rim-Zee in the hall," Thar-An said. "I want to make sure he's alone." He walked to the hallway entrance then stopped to glance back at the three people quietly talking. What a day this had turned out to be, Thar-An thought, as he headed into the hall to await the doctor.
"Thar-An is right," Valia was saying, "You need to be in Kryptonian clothing before I take you to my lab. I'm very anxious to show you our work on the portal."
Kal-El was thinking about the seven crystals hidden in his cape. He still held the father crystal in his hand. He looked down at it.
Valia followed his glance. "We need to put that away while Dr. Rim-Zee is here." She looked at Dora. "Mother, can we put the crystal in your safe?"
"Of course." Dora went to open the safe.
The oxygen tank hidden beneath Kal-El's cape had become uncomfortable as well. He stood and pushed his cape aside. "Will this fit in the safe, too?"
"Yes, yes," Dora said glancing at Kal-El.
Valia helped Kal-El remove the tank. She took the crystal and tank to the safe as Kal-El sat down again.
Outside, the sky darkened and crystalline lights embedded in the walls of the office came on illuminating the room. The artificial sun began its trip below the horizon and Kal-El savored the view offered by the three large windows. Layers of dark red, purple, and blue filled the sky. Although it was artificial, it was the most beautiful sunset Kal-El had ever seen.
Just as Dora closed the safe, Than-An entered the room with Dr. Rim-Zee. Thar-An had explained a little about Kal-El to the doctor before they entered.
Dr. Rim-Zee was a short, pleasant man with white hair. He was in his mid-sixties and always wore a smile.
Thar-An extended his arm and said, "Here is our visitor, Doctor."
"Ahhh," the doctor said as he approached Kal-El. The young man started to stand, but Dr. Rim-Zee motioned for him to stay in the chair.
The doctor placed his medical bag on the blue rug and took in Kal-El's bruised and swollen jaw. With a wink and a smile the doctor pointed and said, "I bet that hurts."
"It does," Kal-El admitted trying not to move his mouth too much.
Dr. Rim-Zee opened his bag and took out a hypospray. He made adjustments on the instrument then placed it lightly against Kal-El's swollen jaw. He moved the instrument slowly and carefully, completely covering the swollen, rainbow colored area. Standing nearby, Valia, Dora, and Thar-An watched as the bruising faded. Within seconds, Kal-El's pain vanished.
"All done," the doctor said. "Are there any other areas I need to check?"
"No, I'm fine. Thank you." Kal-El stood and bowed to the doctor. The pain in his chest and back were minor, he could live with them. Now that he felt well, he was anxious to start work on the portal. Kal-El suspected Brainiac had set a course for Earth, so it was imperative that he leave soon. Concern for Vril also plagued his thoughts.
Dr. Rim-Zee picked up his bag. Dora and Thar-An thanked him again for coming so quickly. The doctor took out a small vial and handed it to Kal-El.
"Some pain medicine, in case you need it later," Dr. Rim-Zee said.