Part 20 (1/2)
”Nonsense!” Alura said. ”You can stay here. We will protect you.”
”You can't protect me, and I'll only endanger you if I stay here. I won't do that.” He looked up at Zor-El. ”You are my friend, an ally. If we don't organize all of our supporters, soon Zod will have the whole planet in his grip. He'll do whatever he wants, and I believe he wants a war. If we ever receive another alien visitor like Donodon, Zod is likely to open fire just to test all the new destructive toys he's creating.”
”You must be exaggerating. What proof do you have?”
”His agents continue to destroy all proof and silence any criticism. Can you afford to take the risk that I might be wrong? I need to hide, but I have to go somewhere they won't think to find me.”
As Tyr-Us looked down at his empty plate, Zor-El had an idea. ”There's an isolated dacha in the hills near my old family estate. My father lived the last years of his life there, but he died recently. My mother abandoned the house and came to live here in Argo City. No one goes there. No one would find you. You'd be safe, and you would put no one else at risk.”
Tyr-Us's face lit up. ”Are you certain?”
”We insist,” Alura said.
Their guest suddenly became anxious again. ”But you must not tell your brother. Jor-El is conspiring with Zod. He's helping him to conquer the world.”
Zor-El scowled. ”My brother is working for the good of Krypton. He always does.”
”But he cooperates with the Commissioner. Many have seen it.”
”Jor-El is a good man who has no interest in politics whatsoever.”
”Zod may well be fooling him!”
Zor-El held up his hands. ”My brother is not easily fooled, and Commissioner Zod did did step up to lead the people during the crisis...which is more than Gil-Ex or anyone else did.” He sighed. ”Nevertheless, I will keep your secret. You have my promise.” step up to lead the people during the crisis...which is more than Gil-Ex or anyone else did.” He sighed. ”Nevertheless, I will keep your secret. You have my promise.”
The gaunt man nodded, relieved.
”We will find a place for you to sleep,” Alura said. ”We'll pack up some clean clothes and any supplies you need.”
”It would be good to wash...and rest.”
Zor-El led him to a room reserved for guests, and Tyr-Us was so exhausted that he fell asleep as soon as he collapsed onto the blankets. Without disturbing him, Zor-El and Alura set out clean garments and towels. Cleansing crystals in the adjacent bathing room would be ready for him whenever he chose....
But the next morning when Zor-El went to check on his guest, Tyr-Us was gone. The desperate man must have taken the clothes, washed quickly, and slipped away without anyone seeing him. He left no note, no indication that he had ever been there-presumably to protect them.
Alura stared at the empty bed, the dirty clothes in a pile on the floor, which they would have to destroy. ”Do you think he was abducted? Those people following him, did they get to him in our house? Past our guards?”
”Now you sound as paranoid as he did.” Zor-El shook his head, ashamed at his sharp tone. ”I'm sorry. I don't mean to belittle his concerns. Those other disappearances, especially Gil-Ex, are very suspicious. We'll have to keep watch on our own streets, step up the civilian guard to make sure you and I stay safe. I really don't know what to think about Commissioner Zod.”
Later that morning, he received a surprise message from his brother. Jor-El wore a glad expression, and his blue eyes glittered. ”Zor-El, I have good news! Just as I promised, I convinced Commissioner Zod to let us take action about the core buildup. Thanks to your data, he's agreed to allow the two of us to begin work on a ma.s.sive project.” From the communication plate, Jor-El grinned. ”He will supply materials, manpower-anything we need.”
Zor-El was taken aback, especially in light of Tyr-Us's dire warnings about the Commissioner. Though he had suspicions, he could not turn down a chance like this. He knew the danger in the planet's core, and saving the planet was more important than politics. ”And what does he propose we do?”
”That's up to us. I have an approach we might take. Come and work with me. We can get started right away.”
Zor-El remained silent after his brother had terminated the transmission, filled with conflicting thoughts.
Alura stood behind him, having listened to the entire message. ”What are you going to do? Can you trust Zod, considering what Tyr-Us said?”
”I'll reserve judgment and see for myself if there are any strings attached to this offer. But I have to put the fate of Krypton above everything else. If the Commissioner means to prove that he's different from the old Council, and he's willing to let me do what I know know has to be done, how can I let politics get in the way? We're talking about the end of the world.” has to be done, how can I let politics get in the way? We're talking about the end of the world.”
CHAPTER 51.
From memory, Jor-El redrew his plans for the Rao beam, which he had surrendered to the Commission long ago. Each subsystem, the gem-like concentrator, the beam focuser, the tall open-framed support derrick-everything came back to him. Now that he applied himself, he even made improvements to the original design, and this time the Commission for Technology Acceptance would not censor his idea. plans for the Rao beam, which he had surrendered to the Commission long ago. Each subsystem, the gem-like concentrator, the beam focuser, the tall open-framed support derrick-everything came back to him. Now that he applied himself, he even made improvements to the original design, and this time the Commission for Technology Acceptance would not censor his idea.
Before even discussing the overall plan with his brother, Jor-El dispatched construction teams up into the mountains overlooking the Kandor valley. Excavators plowed a road up to the highest summit of the range, the perfect spot from which to perform the high-energy drilling project. From the peak, the vantage offered an un.o.bstructed view of the deep, ugly scar where the capital city had been gouged out, leaving an incredibly deep hole.
When Zor-El finally arrived from Argo City, the dark-haired man was taken aback to see how much Jor-El had already completed. ”I thought we would be working on this together-sharing theories, calculations, designs.”
Jor-El couldn't believe his brother's att.i.tude. ”When did this become a compet.i.tion?”
”It's not supposed to be.”
”Good. I don't care about glory or awards. I simply want to stop the core buildup, and I didn't think you would want me to waste any time. Haven't we waited long enough already, or did you want to do things like the old Council?”
Zor-El was thrown off guard. Though he had a difficult time seeing past Tyr-Us's frightened accusations, this was his brother. Jor-El was a powerful scientist with many brilliant ideas, and his one and only priority was science. He was not a conspirator. ”Sorry I jumped to conclusions. Yes, let's get this done before Zod changes his mind. What is your plan?”
Jor-El pointed down to the near-bottomless pit, explaining that the Rao beam was the only viable way to drill so deeply into the crust. ”The thickness of the crust varies around the world, and here it's relatively thin. By my measurements, the crater is already almost a kilometer deep. We can use that as a starting point.”
Zor-El studied the beam design and admitted that he could not have done better.
Jor-El continued, ”The building quakes we keep feeling are the planet's attempts to relieve pressure where the stresses are greatest and the crust is weakest, as are the volcanoes in the southern continent. But if we create a second release point here, we may-and I emphasize may may-dampen the instabilities in the core.”
Zor-El scratched his dark hair, still thinking. ”Have you given any thought to what happens once we start burning down into the mantle? How were you planning to hold the integrity of the shaft when the walls are melting in every direction?”
”That does pose a problem.”
Zor-El gave him a steely look. ”You aren't the only one who can invent things! Remember the powerful field I developed to protect my diamondfish probes? I expanded the concept to reinforce Argo City's seawall after the recent tidal wave. We can use the same field to maintain the integrity of our drilling core.”
Jor-El's eyebrows went up. ”Like a protective liner?”
Zor-El's hard expression broke into a smile. ”You always understood me better than anyone else, Jor-El.”
”Great minds think alike,” he joked. ”And Krypton certainly needs 'great minds' right now.”
”To act decisively-something the old Council could never do.”
Jor-El clapped his brother on the shoulder. ”Then we should get drilling.”