Part 21 (1/2)

The intense red beams continued to pound into the crater of Kandor, melting through the crust. Enclosed by the distant walls of the broad valley, trapped dust and smoke made the sky thick and hazy. Even up in the mountains, every breath tasted of ozone, burnt metal, and ash. to pound into the crater of Kandor, melting through the crust. Enclosed by the distant walls of the broad valley, trapped dust and smoke made the sky thick and hazy. Even up in the mountains, every breath tasted of ozone, burnt metal, and ash.

Though Jor-El covered his face with a snug breathing mask, his eyes still burned and watered. Zor-El stared into the ripples of thermal disturbance that radiated from the pulsing Rao beam. No-Ton and his technicians bustled about, amazed and intimidated by what they were doing.

All day, every day, as soon as the red sun rose high enough to charge the collectors, energy was funneled to the focusing point to generate the Rao beam. The drilling continued unabated until sunset, at which point the beam weakened and finally faded. After dark, the brothers ate premade meals in their temporary hut and reviewed the current day's progress and the next day's plans with No-Ton and his team. The two pored over cartography sheets and depth-a.n.a.lysis simulators to get a better picture of the inexplicable s.h.i.+fts in Krypton's core.

Each evening, Jor-El spoke with Lara in Kryptonopolis. Just seeing her image on the communication plate lifted his spirits. When she mentioned that Zod had asked her to be his official biographer, he had mixed feelings and sensed that she did, too. His brother expressed doubts about the Commissioner's motives and tactics, especially after Tyr-Us's warnings.

Jor-El told him not to worry. ”Lara isn't easily swayed. She'll tell the truth, whether Zod likes it or not.”

”He may well censor her.”

Jor-El frowned, recalling many former encounters with the man. ”Yes, he's done that plenty of times before.”

The Commissioner sent brusque official messages encouraging Jor-El to complete his task as quickly as possible and return to his weapons development work. He even suggested that Zor-El come to Kryptonopolis and offer his help and insights, now that his concerns about the core pressure were being addressed. Zor-El gave a noncommittal answer, hesitant to reconsider his opinion of the man.

Several hours after sunset, the zone around the crater had cooled enough that the brothers could venture down to the drilling site and take additional readings. None of the other technicians wanted to accompany them into the h.e.l.lish place. The smoky air was nearly unbreathable, forcing the two to wear protective goggles and filter masks.

In the charred darkness, Jor-El and his brother walked through the remnants of the empty refugee camp, feeling the eerie mood, the strange sense of loss. So much had been abandoned in place: support frameworks, sanitation pits, garbage dumps. Toxic soot covered the landscape for kilometers around. Rocks cracked, rumbled, and popped as they cooled. Waves of heat s.h.i.+mmered up from the impossibly deep hole. Jor-El hoped that later generations wouldn't curse them for causing so much destruction. Then again, if later generations survived at all, it would be due to their efforts here.

Zor-El walked ahead, intent on reaching the lip of the crater. From his pack, he removed a glistening scaled device, another of his diamondfish detectors. Once activated, it squirmed and twitched in his hands, its impenetrable armor flas.h.i.+ng reflections from their handlights.

Zor-El touched a particular scale to activate a fuzzy, glowing envelope around the diamondfish. Leaning forward, he whispered, ”Drop down to the warm depths, my friend, and tell us how far we have drilled.” He tossed the diamondfish over the edge, and it tumbled, flas.h.i.+ng, into the shadows. He tuned the handheld receiver and watched the trace as the diamondfish fell for more than four minutes down the shaft. When the mechanical creature finally struck the bottom, it took a moment to recover and get its bearings before it began sending back images of the melted rock.

Jor-El looked at the readings. ”Yes, we should break through by midmorning tomorrow.”

Zor-El remained silent for a moment and then said, as if the thought had just occurred to him, ”I've revisited my calculations using a slightly different set of a.s.sumptions and initial conditions. There may be a...problem.”

”You revised your calculations? Shouldn't I proof them? What did you find?”

”There's a chance-an extremely slight one-that instead of relieving the pressure in the core, this breach just might...crack open the planet. All of Krypton could explode like a punctured pressure vessel.”

Jor-El stared at him in disbelief. ”We're going to break through tomorrow, and now now you raise this possibility?” you raise this possibility?”

”As I said, it's a very remote chance, hardly worth mentioning,” Zor-El replied, sounding defensive. ”You know what's happening down there. We have a choice that's not really a choice at all. Even raising the question would have invited months or years of tedious discussions-discussions among people who haven't got the slightest understanding of the science. You and I are the only ones qualified to make the decision.”

”For the whole planet?”

”Yes, for the whole planet! We either accept the risk that our actions might might cause a disaster, or we do nothing and cause a disaster, or we do nothing and ensure ensure a disaster. I'll take the chance.” a disaster. I'll take the chance.”

Jor-El let out a long sigh. ”Let me look over your calculations. If I don't find the risk acceptable, I'm calling a halt to our operations here.”

Zor-El was not happy, but he conceded. Later, back in their habitation hut, they hunched over the light of a glowcrystal as Jor-El pored over line after line of his brother's mathematics. He did find one error, but it was in Krypton's favor, reducing the chances of disaster even further. Zor-El flushed with embarra.s.sment, even though the results made the risk of planetary destruction orders of magnitude less likely.

Jor-El was still uneasy, but could see no better choice. ”All right, I'm satisfied. We drill tomorrow, and we finish this.”

CHAPTER 54.

The next day, the scarlet beams shot downward again, and after four hours, the valley floor began to rumble. The detectors in the substations went wild. Jor-El ran to his brother. ”We're there!” beams shot downward again, and after four hours, the valley floor began to rumble. The detectors in the substations went wild. Jor-El ran to his brother. ”We're there!”

Zor-El went with him to the overlook and raised his viewing lenses to stare down into the Kandor valley. The Rao beams burned and burned. ”Get ready. This is going to be spectacular.”

He was right.

The deep crater suddenly became the mouth of a cannon, firing a fusillade of blazing yellow-white lava into the sky. Propelled by all the power bottled up within the planet, the stream of magma squirted straight up, higher than the mountains, higher than the clouds-and it kept rising. Curiously, some of the lava had exotic emerald streaks, like green ribbons wound through the plume of liquid fire.

”Shut down the Rao beam!” Jor-El shouted to the awed technicians. When they didn't move, he raced to the controls himself and swung aside the concentrating lens. The red energy bolt faded into the air, leaving only ripples of disturbance in its path.

The lava fountain continued to spew upward.

”If that column of lava reaches escape velocity, it will shoot all the way out of our atmosphere,” Jor-El said. ”Depending on how long this stream lasts, we might soon have a ring of cooled rubble drifting around our planet.”

”Prepare for more meteor showers in the coming months,” Zor-El said.

Jor-El grinned as he mused, ”If the debris field spreads out all through Krypton's...o...b..t, Zod will probably consider it another defense against invading alien s.h.i.+ps.”

”Then make sure you explain that to him.”

Lightweight pebbles-more like foam than rock because of their many gas inclusions-began to patter all around them. As larger chunks started to crash to the ground, the technicians scrambled for shelter in the control huts. Zor-El dragged his brother into the nearest metal building, and from inside they listened to the staccato rattling on the roof, like a heavy hailstorm.

The lava continued to gush unabated for four days, and finally Zor-El's seismic instruments indicated that Krypton's core had begun to s.h.i.+ft and relax, reaching a new and more stable equilibrium now that some of the pressure was released. Soon, when the fiery jet started to lose power, they would place a force-field cap on the core shaft to seal the lava geyser entirely.

Venturing down from the mountains to the perimeter of the debris field, Zor-El had taken samples of the unexpected green mineral to study, but its structure and the reason for its exotic transformation remained a mystery to him. ”Our world is changing in ways that I cannot begin to explain.”

Jor-El looked out across the valley, where brushfires had burned away vegetation and rendered the once-verdant area as stark as the surface of a moon. ”We've caused some of those changes ourselves, Zor-El. What are the global consequences of what we've done? With all the ash in the atmosphere, the climate will change, the weather patterns...”

His brother's dark brows drew together. ”Damage or destruction, those were our two choices. Now our planet will survive, thanks to what we've done. It may take centuries, but Krypton will recover.” He raised his eyebrows. ”In fact, if your Commissioner is so intent on being our savior, he can demonstrate his goodwill by sending teams to reclaim the landscape.”

When Zod sent his congratulations and announced a procession from Kryptonopolis, Zor-El abruptly decided it was time for him to leave. His excuses were very transparent. ”I've been away from Argo City and Alura for too long. Now that I know the planet won't fall apart, I've got a city to run.”

”The Commissioner wants to issue a commendation to both both of us. Neither of us cares about it-but if I have to endure it, then you have to be here, too. This is as much your triumph as mine.” of us. Neither of us cares about it-but if I have to endure it, then you have to be here, too. This is as much your triumph as mine.”

Zor-El seemed very anxious. ”No, you can take full credit. Zod's applause means nothing to me.”

”And when have I ever asked for accolades?”

”Jor-El, listen to me. I don't don't want to stay, but you can use this to build your political capital. Someday you may need to make a request of Zod. Make sure he understands the debt he owes you.” want to stay, but you can use this to build your political capital. Someday you may need to make a request of Zod. Make sure he understands the debt he owes you.”