Walking through the seat of his clone’s power was harder than Kal-El could have ever imagined. It was through sheer force of will that he kept his guise intact. He was deeply within the heart of all the suffering. All about him, people were cowed. No defiant rebels – just enslaved masses who had long lost any hope of being free again. As part of security protocols, he an his doppelgängers never roamed the resistance quarters halls – keeping them out of sight was necessary to avoid security leaks, or chaos.
He was surrounded by people who feared him. he was afraid to actually look at any of them, for fear of making it worse. He also didn’t trust his own ability to keep his emotions from showing. He couldn’t risk anyone learning who he was until he was ready to disclose the truth. He continued to walk, reminding himself to maintain his the body language his clone used, and tried to block out the sensory input of so many terrified people.
He was looking for Zara – they were supposed to have met up already and for some worrying reason, she was delayed. He could sense her presence, and he moved through headquarters so he could get to her. He was both terrified and excited about what was about to happen. The night before had been torture – knowing that people were suffering, and still having to delay action until the council meeting this day, was unbearable. Every second they allowed to pass was a moment in which his clone and others like him could and would cause people a lot of pain - perhaps even kill them, and that thought drove him to despair. He worried for Zara as well, but forced himself to remember that of anyone, she could at least stand up to the clone’s superhuman abilities.
He entered a closed room. Zara was near. But on entry, his presence wreaked such sensory havoc that he nearly bolted from the sensation. It was a psychic onslaught. Terror. Misery and hopelessness alongside. He heard the sounds of muffled weeping. All for him. Unconsciously he clenched his fists, angered by what he was hearing, and this made it worse – and he made the mistake of really looking at his surroundings. He was in the presence of women dressed for only one obvious purpose – pleasuring men who themselves had low vices. Bruises marked bodies and faces, and fear showed plainly in their eyes. Afraid to run, afraid not to run – he couldn’t imagine how that would feel. He aimed for haughtiness, looking at them as if they did not interest him, hoping at least to ease them by his indifference. But it was a hopeless case. Fortunately, Zara’s voice broke the awful silence.
“My lord,” Zara spoke, bowing to show obeisance. “How may I be of service to you? Do you seek a companion?”
Kal-El knew that he had broken some kind of habit in coming into this place of choosing. It horrified him that such a place existed, but he had to hang onto the idea that he soon would take back his place and force an end to the invasion.
“I sought you, Lady Zara,” he spoke, in Kryptonian. The humans understood, and he felt a change as soon as he said those words. Some sense of relief. “Will you give me your companionship?”
She nodded, her gaze lowered. “I am your servant, my lord. Had you sent your messenger, I would have been pleased to answer your command.”
Bile rose in him.
She reached out an arm in an awful parody of courtly manners, and he took it, holding her arm gently. She gave him a nearly imperceptible shake of her head and he knew, he had to do better. He jerked her towards him.
“I do not like having to seek you out,” he said, coldly, trying to recover his error in protocol.
They departed with alacrity. Kal-El couldn’t bear it any longer, and treating Zara with cruelty made him feel sick.
“I was delayed,” she murmured. “I truly am sorry. There was – an incident - I needed to intervene before lord Nor took what wasn’t his.”
He wanted to reply that none of those women belonged to anyone, but he refused to give into the urge. So he nodded, acknowledging why things weren’t going according to plan.
__________________
“There,” Zara told him, “He is in there with the council. This, as we discussed, is the ideal time to reveal yourself.”
He nodded, his hand now gentle on her arm.
“Go and be safe,” he urged her. “If we fail -”
“It is as much my duty as anyone’s,” she reminded him. “I will not run.” She felt a sudden sense of loss at never having known him.
He nodded, knowing he could do little to sway her. Nor should he. As the lady to his lord, Zara was responsible as much as he was for what had happened. If there was a price to pay, they would both pay it.
“I honor your courage.”
“And I yours.”
__________________
He burst in, no warning preceded his entry, and he saw the startled reaction of those who had betrayed him. Their fear gave them away. Zara and he were armed – and within moments had weakened all the Kryptonians in the room, including themselves. They used enough radiation to make it impossible for any extra abilities to be used against non-Kryptonians. The Kryptonians could function, but they were sick enough that escape would be impossible. There were humans present, for what purpose, he did not know. But the were clearly not here willingly.
“I am Lord Kal-El,” he spoke into the stunned silence. “Many years ago, I was overcome and rendered unconscious – forced to live out the years in stasis. This one has no lineage. He is a clone.” he indicated his clone, a dark and menacing figure that would likely haunt him forever – he was shocked that Lois – either one – could ever be in his presence.
Both he and Zara were suffering from the radiation, but he had only released enough to take away their sun-given powers. Nobody was writhing on the floor. Yet.
“I support his claim,” said Zara. “I demand the testing be done.”
Kal-El’s clone looked murderously at Zara and Kal-El stepped in front of her protectively. He knew that he had let enough radiation into the room to stop the clone from using any extra abilities to harm her, yet he felt the need to protect her from the malice in his clone’s eyes.
“You are a traitor,” the clone spoke. This is an outrage. These are usurpers. He is a clone. I am myself as I always have been.”
“How would a good man turn cruel,” asked Zara. “Many of you grew up with him, as I did, until Kal-El was taken to training his final years of youth. You have wondered as have I at his change. Test him, and you will not be disappointed. I demand it. It is my right.”
“As it will be my right to see you flung into the phantom zone,” the clone hissed.
“We will test him,” Trey, eldest of the council members, spoke out his edict. “I wondered at his change as well. I was one of the voices who wanted to come to this world, and Kal-El had always been opposed. His changing stance was very unexpected, and that is enough to convince me that we must test them."
"Why did you remain silent," Kal-El asked Trey, needing to know. Trey had been a father figure to him, when he was learning what he needed to lead.
“We did what I believed we had to do,” Trey said. “We continued our people’s existence. I regret what has happened here, although I know you will not believe that. I have come to regret it greatly.”
Kal-El stared at him, trying to read his expression. Was Trey a good liar... or – truly innocent?
“We must test your blood,” Trey said, “Do you agree?”
“No,” raged the clone. “You will not lay hands on me. I am your ruler. I am absolute.”
“You have no choice,” Zara said, her voice filled with loathing. “As I had no choice- or any of the others you have victimized over the years.”
Kal-El held out his arm and offered no resistance to an approaching medic.
“Take all you need.”
Last edited by L; 09/26/16 06:37 PM.
