Part 12 (1/2)
”It will be as soon as I can manage it. Trust me!”
Before they ended the communication, her parents shared their own news, that they had begun exhaustive preparations for their most ambitious project yet: to adorn an entire administrative spire with complex friezes and colorful crystalsilk weavings. Lara was excited to hear their descriptions, but her concentration strayed back to helping Jor-El.
Even with the components of the destroyed seismic scanner spread out on the grounds and catalogued, Jor-El still couldn't determine what had gone wrong, and he worked obsessively to find out. Even though it would not change the guilt the Council no doubt intended to pin on him, still he needed to know. He called up his blueprints, recalculated every possible light angle. Though he could not duplicate Donodon's technology, he even built another prototype of the red sun generator, which operated perfectly at up to three times its designed capacity. It made no sense.
Outside in the afternoon suns.h.i.+ne, they worked together on the problem. Though Lara had an artistic rather than a technical background, she insisted on helping him. ”I can't match you in the theoretical arena, but every small task I take out of your hands gives you more time and energy to devote to clearing your name.”
Jor-El, however, knew it wouldn't be enough. He needed a much more powerful ally if he were to have any hope of changing the Council's decision.
Commissioner Zod arrived unannounced at the estate five days after the death of Donodon. Jor-El came forward, feeling a knot in his stomach. He could not interpret the Commissioner's motives; at times he seemed to support Jor-El, while other times he seemed intent on destroying him. ”Do you have news from the Council?” He wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer.
Zod waved his hand casually. ”They take an interminable amount of time to do anything. Don't expect a decision soon.”
Lara remained close at Jor-El's side, suspicious. ”Then why did you come here, Commissioner?”
”Why, to help you plan your defense at the trial. You need my a.s.sistance. You must know that I am one of your staunch supporters.”
Jor-El couldn't believe what he was hearing. He didn't know any such thing. Though he respected the man for his single-mindedness, he had always disagreed with Zod's entrenched att.i.tude against progress. ”That's not like you, Commissioner. As you so pointedly reminded the Council, you warned me time and again about uncontrolled technology. It was my invention that caused this disaster.”
The other man shrugged. ”Yes, and if I could spin the planet backward and reverse time, I would urge you never to build your dangerous device. But it is too late for that. We must put the past behind us.”
”That still doesn't explain why you are on our side, Commissioner,” Lara said. She watched the man closely, trying to figure out what political advantages he saw to helping Jor-El.
Zod scrutinized Lara, as if trying to fit her into the equation alongside Jor-El. As if admitting a terrible mistake, he said, ”When Donodon was killed, I had an epiphany. When I faithfully censored dangerous technologies to keep Kryptonians from hurting each other, I failed to imagine that we might need to protect ourselves from outside enemies. We may be a gentle and peaceful race, but the rest of the galaxy is not so harmless. Outsiders have noticed us now, and you have a better chance of saving Krypton than anyone else. But the Council doesn't realize it.” Zod sighed heavily. ”I fear the time is going to come when our world needs your genius, Jor-El. It would be a mistake to lock you away. I intend to speak on your behalf at the trial, for the good of Krypton.”
Jor-El looked down at the carefully labeled components spread out across the lawn. ”There may be more to this mystery. I just found a foreign residue that seems to be some sort of unstable high-energy chemical. As near as I can tell, it is the same concentrated substance I use to launch my solar-probe rockets. I don't know how it could have gotten into the seismic scanner, but I intend to run further a.n.a.lyses to identify the compound. That may be the key. What if someone tampered with the device? The explosion might not have been an accident.”
Zod appeared troubled. ”Intriguing. It is best if you give me those samples, Jor-El. If there is indeed some suspicious contamination, then you you cannot be the one to a.n.a.lyze it. The Council will never believe you didn't plant this so-called proof yourself.” cannot be the one to a.n.a.lyze it. The Council will never believe you didn't plant this so-called proof yourself.”
”Jor-El would never do that,” Lara said.
”Of course he wouldn't.” Zod gave a meaningful shrug. ”On the other hand, the device should never have exploded, either. Let me take your samples back to Kandor. I will have my own experts study the chemical signature. You are not alone in this, Jor-El.”
Jor-El nodded slowly in reluctant agreement. ”That would probably be best.”
The Commissioner turned, looking behind the large estate buildings as another floating vessel approached, this one guided by the burly mute Nam-Ek. On the craft's open flatbed, large objects were covered with thick cloth, draped and shapeless. As if afraid of being overheard, Zod lowered his voice. ”I have brought you something, Jor-El-something you must keep hidden for the time being.”
Jor-El looked at Lara, then back at the Commissioner. ”What is it?”
Nam-Ek brought the floating vehicle and its bulky cargo over to where his master stood. With a flourish, Zod removed the tarpaulin to reveal large components, engines, computer systems, and sleek blue-and-silver sections of hull plating. ”My Commission team members carefully disa.s.sembled the alien's stars.h.i.+p, but it is far too valuable to ignore. Regardless of the Council's fears, I simply could not allow Donodon's s.h.i.+p to be ruined.”
Jor-El came forward, breathing quickly. ”You kept the components intact? I heard you announce to the Council-you said you had destroyed it.”
”The Council doesn't need to know.” He smiled thinly. ”Someday, Krypton will know the wisdom in this-I know you can see it already.”
Jor-El brought Lara forward. ”His navigation system, his database of planets, his stars.h.i.+p engines. We can do so much so much with this!” with this!”
”Unless the Council confiscates it again,” Lara warned.
”We will just have to keep them from finding out.” Zod rolled his eyes. ”I cannot bear to leave such a technological treasure in their their hands, can you? Until this distraction is over with, we must keep these components safely hidden. I trust that sooner or later we will need you to understand those stars.h.i.+p systems, Jor-El. Someday I may ask you to build a whole fleet of Kryptonian s.p.a.ce vessels to defend our planet. Whom else can I trust?” hands, can you? Until this distraction is over with, we must keep these components safely hidden. I trust that sooner or later we will need you to understand those stars.h.i.+p systems, Jor-El. Someday I may ask you to build a whole fleet of Kryptonian s.p.a.ce vessels to defend our planet. Whom else can I trust?”
Zod walked across the lawn with the big-shouldered mute matching his every step, and Jor-El followed him. He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. ”My Commission offices in Kandor are not safe from inspection. Is there a place that we can hide the craft here?”
”I could haul it into my main research building and get to work even before my inquisition....”
Zod shook his head. ”Too obvious, and too dangerous. We need a place where no one will think to look.”
Jor-El turned in a long slow circle, and finally his gaze rested on the prominent tower with its spiraling pearlescent walls. He paced around the perimeter of the structure, running his palm along the smooth wall, tapping and searching for any indication of an entrance. To Jor-El the enigmatic structure symbolized all the undiscovered things that remained in the universe.
”A long time ago, my father said I would know when to open the tower, when I would make use of what's inside. I can't think of a better time than now.” As he tapped with his knuckles, he found a patch that seemed to be made of a different sort of material, thinner, like an eggsh.e.l.l. ”Here. We could get mallets and construction hammers from one of the work sheds.”
But Nam-Ek simply balled a huge fist and swung, not even wincing as his hand impacted the wall. The pearlescent barrier shattered, and shards tinkled down to expose a doorway wide enough for two men to stand in side by side-wide enough for the small s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p.
Inside, a milky-rose light bathed the tower's main room: red suns.h.i.+ne filtered through the translucent wall. Years ago, before he'd sealed the structure, Yar-El had set up a pristine laboratory with alcoves, tables, equipment-everything ready for use. Jor-El was delighted with the discovery.
When Nam-Ek had unloaded the dismantled stars.h.i.+p components inside the secret tower laboratory, Zod looked at the strange objects with keen interest, then stepped back out of the tower. ”Do you have construction resin? We should seal the opening again for the time being, so that the s.h.i.+p remains hidden. I do not want you to work on it...not yet. We need to take care of the Council first.”
As a loyal citizen, Jor-El didn't like keeping secrets from the legitimate government, but he certainly understood why this was necessary. The Kryptonian Council's obstructionist att.i.tudes could well bring about the downfall of Krypton-in more ways than one. ”Yes, I can keep it safely hidden...for now.”
CHAPTER 30.
Only seven days remained before the scheduled inquisition. Jor-El had planned his defense, rehea.r.s.ed his speech so that he might sway the eleven Council members, though he doubted more than a few of them would listen. Nevertheless, he did not intend to go down without a fight. the scheduled inquisition. Jor-El had planned his defense, rehea.r.s.ed his speech so that he might sway the eleven Council members, though he doubted more than a few of them would listen. Nevertheless, he did not intend to go down without a fight.
In the meantime, Zod had sent the samples of chemical residue back to Kandor for a.n.a.lysis, but they had heard no results yet. Jor-El did not know how the chemical proof could help his case, but he very much wanted to know what had gone wrong. He needed to understand.
But another problem presented itself. ”We should find someone to marry us.” Jor-El turned to Lara with bright blue eyes.
She stood with him inside the main research building where she had first rescued him from the Phantom Zone. ”I will not let you face the Council unless I can tell the whole world that we're husband and wife. We will show them our strength together. Just let them try to keep me from accompanying you when you receive your sentence.”
Commissioner Zod entered the large laboratory carrying selected excerpts from old Council sessions and citations of archaic pa.s.sages from Kryptonian law. He had stayed at the estate for two days, a.s.sisting Jor-El with his legal defense, finding doc.u.mentation and historical precedents that might allow the Council to change their minds. Lara still wondered why the Commissioner would devote so much attention to the scientist's case, but they could not afford to turn down his a.s.sistance. Zod seemed to be their only powerful ally.
”Forgive me for eavesdropping. You two are to be married? A last-minute romance?” She found something unsettling about his smile. ”Intriguing.”
”We haven't had the time to prepare,” Jor-El confessed. ”And time is running out.”
The Commissioner seemed to be making mental calculations. He looked sidelong at her, as if he still didn't remember her name. ”And would marrying this woman make you happy?”
”Yes,” Jor-El said, without a tinge of doubt in his voice. ”Lara makes me feel not only happy, but at peace.”
Zod's whole demeanor s.h.i.+fted. ”Then I shall perform the ceremony myself. I insist.”