From last time:
Talan closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, thinking of the soldiers in the barracks around the camp. They were nervous and afraid and they had every right to be. They were also young and not fully aware of how deeply this war was tainting their lives. But they were courageous, too. They fought for one another as much as anything else. She hoped those bonds forged over months and years of hardship would keep them alive, but there was no doubt in her mind that they would sustain casualties, probably heavy ones at that. Sending men and women to their deaths would always be the very worst part of her job. And it never seemed to get any easier.
********
New stuff:
Daros walked quickly toward his office, Nen Fas following half a pace behind. “How is the work coming?” he asked impatiently.
“Slowly, sir,” his subordinate replied. “There are not enough analysts on the project.”
“I will not lose control over this operation,” Daros replied brusquely.
“Perhaps it is time to bring it to the attention of the First Ministers, or General Command, at least?” Nen Fas inquired.
“No,” he said as he stopped abruptly. His eyes darted from one side of the hall to the other to ensure they were alone. Even though they were in the most secure wing of Joint Command, his suspicions would not die down entirely. “The First Minister is not well,” he said in a harsh whisper. “First, there was his decision to launch a half blind offensive, then the disruption of regular protocol within Joint Command… If we take to him unformed information, he’ll only see the worst in it. I respect Kal El and believe he is a good man, but his experiences have clouded his judgment. There is no telling how he will react to this news.”
“Is it our place to withhold it?”
“It is my responsibility to ensure that the First Ministers receive the information they need to know and are not bothered by vague speculation and unnecessary distractions. Has Commander Cayis been cooperative?”
“She has. Her division has relinquished control over the project.”
“Good. When we know anything about those transmissions, let me know.”
“Aye, sir,” Nen Fas replied as he straightened to salute his commanding officer.
********
The newsroom around her was totally quiet. She sat at her old desk and looked at the mockup of tomorrow’s editorial page, carrying another of her strident columns calling for action from the American government and the UN.
“This old timer sure misses seeing you here, darlin’,” her editor drawled.
Lois looked up at him and smiled weakly. “Thanks for keeping my desk for me.”
“Aw hell, if you wanted an office I’d give you one,” he replied.
“When I’m back for good, we’ll talk.” ‘When I’m back for good…’ she mused to herself. It seemed like it had been so long since she’d been a part of this place. Since her life had revolved around the city beat. It was almost hard to imagine being back here, stepping into her old life, even though she also missed it terribly.
“I look forward to it,” Perry said with a smile. “How are the Kents doing?”
“They’re good.” She gave him a terse nod. “It’s hard on them, but they’re strong people, you know?”
“They’d have to be to raise a son to become a man as good and decent as Clark is,” Perry agreed, his voice taking on that gruff tone it did whenever he was trying to check his emotions. “And how’s the little guy?”
She smiled. “He’s great. He’s starting to talk. And he’s getting so big.”
“They tend to do that,” Perry said with a wink. “You should bring him by here more often. We’re all dying to see the little tyke.”
“How’s Jimmy handling his newfound fame?”
“He hasn’t really seemed to notice it, believe it or not. That trip to Kinwara was rough on the kid. I don’t think he’d ever seen anything quite like that before.”
Lois shook her head. “I shouldn’t have let him go.”
“He’s a grown man – sort of – and it’s his choice to make,” Perry replied. “You making any progress with the UN?”
“No,” she replied sullenly. “The Chinese ambassador is the single most infuriating man on the planet.”
Perry snorted. “Yeah, I hear he can be a real pain in the butt.”
“He’s threatening to veto the Canadian proposal to the Security Council. The British are totally on board, but I can’t even convince our government that it’s a good idea.”
Perry put a hand on her shoulder. “Just give it time, honey.”
“The people over there don’t have time, chief. Every day these diplomats drag their feet, more people die. I don’t know how to explain it to them any clearer than that.”
“Lois, you have single-handedly brought this issue to people’s attention. You’ve forced congressional hearings, you’ve brought tens of thousands of people together for a rally, and you write a column about it weekly that reaches millions of people. Not to mention the fact that you spend day and night over there saving people’s lives. You have to keep fighting and hope that people wake up, because it’s all you can do. You can’t ask any more of yourself.”
She gave him a faint half smile. “You’re starting to sound like my shrink.”
“Shrink, huh?”
“Yeah, having a psychotherapist isn’t exactly heroic, is it?”
“Darlin,’ you are without a doubt the bravest person I’ve ever met. If you didn’t need someone to talk to about all the terrible stuff you deal with every day, I’d think you’d gone nuts.”
Lois laughed. “Thanks, chief. I think,” she replied.
“You know, I couldn’t be prouder of you. Everything you’ve done these last few years. You are one amazing young woman, you know that?”
She stood up and hugged her editor, mentor, friend, and surrogate father. “Thanks, Perry,” she whispered quietly.
********
“Ma’am, if you wish to launch that operation, the time is now,” Alon counseled somberly.
“Explain, Alon,” she replied impatiently, a frown etched into her expression.
“The colony’s signals intelligence has been intercepting your communications, but because of petty turf battles within Joint Command, they have not yet managed to decrypt them. You still have time before they complete the decryption, but I am not certain how much.”
“Are you sure that they haven’t elevated the alert status of the forces as a precaution?”
“They have not,” Alon said with confidence. “General Command is not even aware of the intercepted transmissions. The First Ministers are also oblivious.”
Rae Et responded with a thin, feral smile. “Fortune truly is with us today, isn’t it? Did you arouse any suspicions by looking into this matter?”
“No,” he assured her. “Commander Daros is convinced that Kal El is not entirely well. I merely suggested that I share his concern and that, in the best interest of the colony, he should not be disturbed until we understand the threat better.”
“It is quite thoughtful of you to look out for the mental health and well being of your leaders.” The words dripped with irony.
“I am pleased to serve in any way I can,” he replied with a bow of false humility.
********
Talan adjusted the night vision lenses as she focused on the distant mountain pass. She watched silently, her small team lying in wait on the ridge behind her position. They’d scouted this area for days, collecting information on the rebels’ movements and troop strengths. She was satisfied that she knew their routines and their tactics. She could predict their patrols and knew their defensive capabilities. Under the cover of darkness tonight, she would move the rest of her forces into position and retake this pass, cutting off major units of the rebel forces from one another. It would be a complicated operation, requiring all of her forces if it was going to be executed properly. Silently, she reached for her communicator to radio her tactical officer.
“Commander, there’s an all units alert on the wireless,” her lieutenant whispered harshly in the darkness. She frowned as she tuned her communicator to the proper channel. The frigid wind in the mountains hadn’t even registered with her, but the panicked voice on the other end of the wireless was enough to send a chill through her.
“Fall back,” she ordered. “Lieutenant, radio the tactical officer, all forces report to rally points for immediate extraction. We are leaving this position.”
“What’s going on ma’am?” he asked nervously.
“Silban is under attack,” she replied gravely. “You have your orders, now move.”
********
Clark rubbed his eyes as the fog of sleep slowly lifted from his mind. The blaring signal, echoing loudly in his ears, was the emergency communications system, he recognized dimly. He walked out of his room and turned on the communication monitor. A bleary-eyed Lieutenant Parth appeared on the screen.
“Sir, there’s been an attack,” he said gravely. Clark was fully awake in an instant. Before he could demand to know what had happened, the young officer began to sketch out the details of what he’d been told.
“Zara and I want a briefing from General Command immediately,” Clark replied.
“Of course, sir,” Parth replied.
Clark turned off the screen and called Ching’s communicator. “Wake Zara,” he said tersely.
********
“Silban was a heavily guarded mining outpost,” General Commander Flad, explained as he pointed to the remote position on the tactical map spread out across the conference room table. It didn’t escape Clark’s notice that the general commander used the past tense to describe the settlement. From the first moment they’d been aware of the attacks all through the night, the head of all of New Krypton’s ground forces had been in General Command, marshalling his troops to repel the attack. He’d come down personally to deliver this latest hourly briefing. “It was also a re-supply point for other settlements in the region. It came under fire approximately seven hours ago.”
“Why don’t we know for certain when the fighting began?” Zara asked, focused and disciplined as always, but the dark circles under her eyes betrayed her physical exhaustion.
“The first target the rebels hit was the communications system, preventing the outpost’s defenses from radioing for help,” Flad explained. “We believe the attack must have been planned over weeks, if not longer. Much of the settlement’s defenses were disabled. We learned about the attack from a routine flight patrol in the area.”
“More sabotage,” Clark murmured grimly.
“How was this possible, sir?” Ching asked. “That level of planning would have to create a communications trail, something Intelligence should have noticed.”
“We are still trying to analyze those details,” Flad admitted.
“What about the losses?” Clark asked, already knowing the numbers would be bad. Initial estimates had varied widely.
Flad looked at him with weary, bloodshot eyes. “Of the settlement’s permanent population of 1500, a few hundred…”
“Dead?” Clark interrupted anxiously.
“Survivors. There are between two and three hundred survivors.”
Clark felt his heart sink like a stone in his chest, slamming into the pit of his stomach painfully. He dragged a shaking hand through his hair. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Zara beside him, rubbing her temples, a sickened look of anguish on her face that he knew matched his own expression. He tried to draw up the strength and resolve he knew he needed. He couldn’t just go catatonic now. No matter how much he wanted to retreat in on himself, to close his eyes and stop up his ears and pretend this horror had never happened, this world needed him to lead.
“Ching, I want to know exactly why we didn’t see this coming,” he said, trying to keep his voice from wavering. He turned to his military advisor. “And I want a full briefing from the commander in the field.”
“That would be General Commander Talan,” Flad replied. “She is the highest ranking officer on the ground and her troops were the first to respond. I will inform the commander to expect your call.”
“No,” Clark replied. “I’m going to Silban.” He could see a look of surprise on Zara’s face, but she never voiced her disagreements with him publicly and he knew she wouldn’t start now.
“Sir, it is still quite dangerous,” Ching ventured carefully.
Clark knew the other man had a point. His last walkabout in a rebel-infested area had led to his capture and near death, but everything in him, everything that made him who he was, was telling him that he needed to be there. “There are two or three hundred survivors out there who need to know that they’re not alone,” he said firmly.
“A medical mission is leaving in half an hour, sir. They can provide you with transport,” Commander Flad said.
“We will be on it,” Zara replied. “Thank you, Commander.” She stood up and Ching and Clark followed suit.
Clark offered Zara his arm as they walked out of the briefing room. “You don’t have to go with me,” he whispered.
“Whatever we do, we do together,” she replied simply as she looped her arm through his.
********
“Slowly,” Talan instructed through gritted teeth, as she held tightly to the harness line. She looked up at bright lights overhead, guiding the team that was pulling her and the unconscious survivor sharing her harness back up to the surface. The building that had stood above this underground storage silo had been completely leveled and its surviving occupants had been trapped below ground. They inched upward, the line swaying as they rose, but it held tight. She turned her body, absorbing the blow as they swung too close to the walls.
She’d been here before – not this exact place, but in a dozen other dark, dank passageways and mine shafts – trusting her life and the lives of others to her equipment. To ropes and pulleys and harnesses and knots she had to tie in the darkness. While she was still a young lieutenant, leading a scientific expedition, her unit had been the first to respond to a distress call from a mining deployment. A cave-in had trapped six miners. The engineer in charge had located the only way to the trapped miners – a long, narrow passageway along the mine’s ventilation path. Thinner in build than the men in her unit, she was the logical choice for the rescue operation, even though she had no particular training in search and rescue. She’d spent a day and a half crawling in a darkened tunnel on her stomach through frigid water and mud. It was cold and miserable and the toughest job she’d ever been asked to do. But it had saved the lives of six men and it had forever changed her path. In the tunnels of mines just like that one, and in arid, frozen deserts, and unforgiving mountains she’d forged the patience, determination, and focus for which she’d become legendary. She’d also learned the tracking skills that would one day save Kal El’s life.
A few years later, when Joint Command was formed to combat the rebellion, she’d been a natural choice for the Expeditionary Forces. She knew the planet better than anyone and had survived its harshest conditions. Search and rescue was a far cry from combat, but was still closer than most of the duties performed by the Kryptonian forces. Still, it wasn’t a transfer she’d accepted gladly. Search and rescue was about saving lives. It was dangerous and difficult, but it was the most important job she could think of. Combat was about destroying life, not preserving it. But an ice-cold temperament and a calm, even disposition proved as useful in fighting the rebellion as they had been in fighting the natural elements.
They finally cleared the shaft and she breathed deeply the sharp, cold air. Around her, the soldiers and engineers shouted instructions as pairs of hands lowered her and the unconscious man out of the harness and back to the ground. Medics took the injured man away. His life was in their hands now; there was nothing else she could do. Talan unfastened the harness’s restraints and stepped away from the equipment. She picked up a bottle of water and took a long drink. A junior enlisted man handed the commander her battle dress jacket. The harsh weather at Silban, farther away from the equator than any of the other settlements, was enough to make the climate elsewhere on New Krypton seem mild by comparison. She pulled the jacket on gingerly, feeling the harsh fabric drag across raw and open wounds. Her bulky battle gear had gotten caught on the jagged edges of the narrow pathways, preventing her from doing her job. She’d taken off her battle jacket; stripped down to her sleeveless uniform, she endured the numbing cold and wind and countless bruises and cuts.
“I can get some bandages, ma’am, for those cuts,” the young soldier said helpfully.
She looked down at her bloodied hands. Bandages would only serve to make her fingers thick and slow. She took out her bottle of antiseptic and doused her hands, ignoring the sting as she washed away the blood. The bones of her fingers ached with the cold as the harsh antiseptic evaporated almost the moment it hit her skin. “That won’t be necessary, Private, but thank you,” she replied. “Is there anyone else still down there?”
“I don’t know, ma’am. I’ll get the senior engineer,” he replied before dashing off. She watched him retreat; wondering what must have been going through his mind. Fifty three of his fellow soldiers had died in the counterattack. Another two hundred and twenty had been wounded. It was easily one of the worst days of her command. For a soldier as young as he, who’d seen so much less of war, who doubtlessly had such high hopes of serving his people and protecting his home, what was it like?
The middle-aged engineer jogged over toward her. He exhaled heavily, his breath visible in the cold air. Ruddy and thickly built, with deep set eyes, he’d previously been the settlement’s fourth most senior engineer. With his three superiors dead, he now had the unwanted responsibility of the Chief Engineer. “There’s one more person down there, but he’s trapped on an even lower level. I’m not even certain it’s possible to get down that deep.”
Talan checked the flashlight and knife at her belt, before shedding her jacket once more. “Let’s get back down there and find out,” she said simply.
********
“Where’s my favorite little guy?” Lois asked as she closed the front door behind her. Jon came bounding toward her in his wobbly run. She scooped him up, tickling his tummy. Her little boy giggled happily. She needed to hear the sound, to see the smile light up his face, to remind her that there was still good in the world. That there was more than war and deprivation and despair. “Hi there, kiddo,” she said.
“Hi,” he replied and she felt a sudden swell of pride. He was getting so big, so fast.
“Where’s Grandma?” she asked. Martha waved at them from the living room. “Is that Grandma?” she asked. Jon nodded bashfully. She carried him into the living room and over toward the wall covered in family photos. “Who’s that?” she asked as she pointed to Jonathan’s picture.
“Gwampa,” he said softly.
“That’s right!” she exclaimed.
“Daddy,” he said quietly, pointing to a picture of her with Clark.
“What?” she asked in disbelief. “What did you say, sweetheart?”
“Daddy,” he repeated.
Lois felt tears prick her eyes. “Martha, did you hear that?” she exclaimed. “He said ‘daddy,’ he pointed right at the picture of Clark and he said ‘daddy.’” For months, Lois had been pointing out pictures of Clark to his son, telling him that this was his daddy, repeating the word over and over again.
“Oh my god,” Martha whispered breathlessly as she came to stand beside them.
“That’s right, sweetie, that’s Daddy,” Lois whispered as she kissed her son’s temple. “That’s your daddy.” Tears blurred her vision and she felt a sob shudder through her. It meant the world to her – more than that, even – to hear her son say that word. And yet, more than anything, she’d wanted her husband to be back in time to hear his son say it for the first time. To have her son look at his father, not just a picture of the man, and call him ‘daddy.’ She rubbed a hand absently up and down Jon’s back, holding him closely, feeling the soft ‘thump’ of his heart beat against his chest.
********
A pair of guards stepped off the transport in front of them, weapons at the ready. The medics followed next, carrying their equipment as they raced to assist the rescue party. Zara took Clark’s arm. “Are you certain you want to do this?” she whispered gently.
“These people need us,” he replied, trying not to bristle. He knew that she wasn’t questioning his strength or his commitment; she was just one friend, trying to take care of another. But no matter how much it pained him, he couldn’t remain aloof. He couldn’t lead if he divorced himself from the suffering of the people around him. “I won’t let them down.”
Zara nodded knowingly and they followed behind the medics, welcomed by a fierce headwind as they stepped onto the barren ground outside the settlement at Silban. With one hand, Clark held the edges of his mantle together, trying to keep out the wind and cold.
“Commander Talan is at the northern silo,” Lieutenant Parth shouted over the deafening gusts of wind whipping around them.
Clark nodded and gestured for the young officer to lead them there. With the rest of their guards, they walked around the settlement, staying outside of the compound. But the damage was visible even from a distance; blast marks marred the compound walls, buildings stood with gaping wounds. They came upon what was clearly once a rather impressive structure and was now little more than a pile of metal and stone. Talan appeared from within the crowd of rescue workers and engineers, her arms and face covered in dirt, soot, and blood. She pushed several messy strands of hair away from her face as she walked toward them. Her apparent obliviousness to the biting cold that cut straight to the bone made Clark wonder if she was running completely on auto-pilot or if Talan had actually gone mad. No one, not even she, could ignore the vicious, stinging cold otherwise.
She stopped to salute them. “Let’s get indoors,” she shouted to be heard.
********
The commander wiped her hands on a rag before unfurling the outpost’s schematics on the drafting table in the Chief Engineer’s office. “I hope you’ll forgive me for being terse,” she began. “My troops are still engaged in rescue operations throughout the settlement and I am anxious to return to them.”
Zara nodded. “Of course, Commander.”
“We are preparing to evacuate survivors, but as all of my pilots are on medical airlift runs, we have more crafts than qualified pilots.”
“That is something I can help you with,” Zara said.
“We would be grateful, ma’am,” Talan replied. “The search for survivors is focused here in the emergency shelters,” she said as she pointed to a series of buildings in the center of the settlement. “Given the extent of the structural damage, the engineers are trying to determine the best way to access the barracks.”
“You’re on your way there aren’t you?” Clark asked.
“I’m heading there now,” Talan replied.
“Let’s go,” Clark said.
Escorted by one of their guards, Zara left the way they’d entered and headed toward the outpost’s one remaining hangar. Clark followed Talan deeper into the building and through a maze of hallways that led them out into the central compound of the outpost. Clark immediately found himself in the midst of barely contained chaos. The vestiges of battle lay scattered on the ground – the detritus of lives destroyed and buildings demolished. It was all blood and dust and ash, blanketing the ground in a ghastly imitation of snow. The cold, dry air was somehow thick with death; not even the harsh wind could scour it away. Everything around him started to spin as he fought a violent bout of nausea that threatened to overpower him.
“It was a bloodbath,” he murmured. He’d already known that was the case, but seeing it was another matter entirely. His intellect couldn’t have prepared his gut for this encounter. He closed his eyes and turned away.
“Sir, are you all right?” Talan inquired.
“I’m sorry,” Clark replied.
“My most battle-hardened soldiers were sickened to their stomachs by what they saw here. This wasn’t a battle, sir, it was an unprovoked massacre,” she bit out the words, fighting to check the anger he knew she had to have felt.
Clark drew in a deep breath, the cold air stinging his lungs. He tried not to think of the people who’d died here – the terror they must have endured. A terror he knew all too well. He couldn’t help the dead, but he had a responsibility to protect the survivors. He exhaled slowly, no longer gripped by an overwhelming feeling like he might throw up. “We have work to do,” he said, his tone eerily calm, even to his own ears.
They jogged across the compound, knowing they had no time to spare. Clark kept his eyes studiously fixed ahead, not daring to look around at the misery that stretched out all around him. They approached the emergency shelters in the very center of the outpost. Most of the soldiers and engineers were too engrossed in their difficult and delicate tasks to notice them approach, but a middle aged man in civilian dress waved to Talan, motioning for her to join him at his makeshift station, surrounded by computers.
The man did a double take as Clark and Talan got closer. “Sir, I didn’t know you were here,” he stammered as he rushed to bow clumsily.
“Just tell us how we can help,” Clark replied simply.
The man, whom Clark gathered was a senior engineer, gestured toward the twisted metal and rubble of the barracks. “The northern wing has collapsed and the integrity of the remaining structures is in doubt,” he explained. “My engineers are doing stress tests around the buildings.”
“So we have to reinforce the structure as we go?” Clark asked. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Talan give him a questioning look.
“My thoughts exactly, sir,” the engineer replied. “The rescuers can only move as fast as we can shore up the building.”
“How many people are still in there?” Clark asked.
The other man ran a hand through his hair. “Dozens at the least.”
“Any thoughts on where the collapse would have left voids?” Talan asked. That was the first question any rescuer would have asked, Clark mused to himself. The voids were the places where people would most likely still be alive. Of course, if he could still see through steel and rock, he’d be able to find the survivors without any difficulty. This all would have been a hell of a lot easier if he still had his powers he thought darkly.
“We’re still working on that,” the engineer replied.
Talan frowned, her eyes narrowed. “What do we have in terms of personnel?”
“Both search and rescue teams are in other parts of the settlement. I told them it wasn’t safe to even start the search here, and they’re needed elsewhere.”
“Understood,” Talan said.
Clark folded his arms across his chest, trying not to shiver from the cold. “I guess that means we should get ready to go in there while your engineers will figure out the safest way to get to those people.”
“Sir, this is much too dangerous,” Talan began.
“You’re going, aren’t you?” he challenged.
“Well, yes, but…”
“And who exactly are you going to take with you? The search and rescue teams are busy elsewhere and we don’t exactly have a lot of time.”
The engineer gingerly interrupted their argument. “I’ll have the initial assessment for you in a few minutes, sir.”
“Thanks,” Clark said with a curt nod as he turned to the equipment piled around the engineer’s workstation. He picked up a communicator and turned it on to check if it was working. Satisfied that it was, he put the ear piece in place before picking up a flashlight and clicking it on and off several times.
“You’ve done this before,” Talan said quietly.
“So have you,” he replied without looking up. He leaned over the building plans being weighted down on the table with loose pieces of debris. “We can trade war stories later. Right now, time’s working against us.”
“And with the building’s power shut off, it’s as cold in there as it is out here. The survivors will be more vulnerable to shock and the effects of exposure.”
“Then we’d better hope we get this right,” Clark replied, a hint of fatalism creeping into his unsteady voice. He drew in a deep breath. Even if he couldn’t find his own way out of the darkness, he was going to find those people. He was going to bring them back safely.
********
