Part 32 (1/2)
Since Lara was recovering well and the baby was healthy, he knew he had to return to Kryptonopolis and get back to work on the Council. Many of the members were the older sons of entrenched n.o.ble families that had been disenfranchised by Zod's iron regime, and they were likely to idealize the old, stagnant ways. Without his guidance, he dreaded some of the decisions they might make.
Before he could leave home, an urgent message from No-Ton and Or-Om shattered the calm. In Jor-El's absence, many scientific responsibilities had been s.h.i.+fted to the other scientist's shoulders, and No-Ton was the first to admit he felt inadequate to bear them.
On the communication plate, the two men stood close to each other, their images clear. ”This isn't a social call,” Or-Om said gruffly, scratching at his newly cut hair.
No-Ton seemed almost frantic. ”The Council just issued an edict banning all all of your supposedly dangerous technology, Jor-El.” of your supposedly dangerous technology, Jor-El.”
He felt a cold wave of disgust. He had already been afraid of dark and reactionary days ahead. ”Just how do they define dangerous technology?”
”Anything invented by you, you, presumably.” Or-Om shook his head. ”Since they don't understand any of it, they don't want to take the risk.” presumably.” Or-Om shook his head. ”Since they don't understand any of it, they don't want to take the risk.”
”I wasn't there for the vote,” Jor-El said. ”I didn't hear any of the discussion. I wasn't given a chance to speak on my own behalf. I will demand a reopening of the debate.”
”Your vote wouldn't have made a difference,” No-Ton said. ”Tyr-Us has his majority of cronies, and he means to demonstrate how 'different' he is.”
Now Jor-El did not try to hide his anger. ”They already destroyed my wife's art in Kryptonopolis without a valid reason. Now they mean to erase everything I've I've done? They can't just delete me from the historical record. Surely I have more supporters than that? How could they forget so quickly?” done? They can't just delete me from the historical record. Surely I have more supporters than that? How could they forget so quickly?”
”Right now, people are afraid to speak out,” No-Ton said. ”The Council is still vigorously rooting out any remaining supporters of Zod, and no one wants to fall under a veil of suspicion.”
”We could bring Zor-El back to stand by you,” Or-Om suggested. ”He won't put up with this nonsense. He never should have gone back to Argo City.”
”I'm coming to Kryptonopolis. Maybe I can sway them in the next official meeting. I can't ignore this.”
”It's more urgent than that!” No-Ton interrupted. ”You already know that the Council means to destroy your Phantom Zone. Tyr-Us and Gil-Ex are irrational about it. Korth-Or and Gal-Eth both debated with them, but the six won't change their votes.”
Jor-El replied with a sigh, ”But they can't destroy it. I've already explained that.”
No-Ton was trembling as he spoke. ”Tyr-Us has decided to throw the silver rings down the shaft in the crater of Kandor. He thinks the magma should get rid of the Phantom Zone well enough. I...I'm not certain about my physics, but I fear that-”
Jor-El reeled backward, feeling as if a tall dam had just shattered and a wall of foaming white water was rus.h.i.+ng toward him. ”But if they do that, it will sink to the very core! The Council members don't understand what they're doing. They never have. The consequences could be devastating.”
”They have made up their minds, Jor-El,” Or-Om said gruffly. ”Tyr-Us has already taken the Phantom Zone up to the crater.”
The valley around Kandor was black and devastated, the once-beautiful landscape now a vast, leprous scar. Lava boulders lay scattered everywhere, as if a giant had tossed a handful of black crumbs across the ground. A smoky haze hung in the sky, trapped by an atmospheric inversion.
At the edge of the crater, Jor-El disembarked and let the floating vessel drift. He began to scramble along the steep rock-strewn path; the group of determined Council members had already picked their way down. Tyr-Us, Gil-Ex, and the other four Council members who had been imprisoned in the Phantom Zone were clearly determined to undertake this ill-advised action.
Work crews had cleared away part of the hardened lava pillar left behind by the eruption, exposing the shaft sealed off by Zor-El's protective field. The containment barrier held the still-pressurized magma below the surface. The somber self-important men stood next to a large object covered with a draping fabric, the silver rings enclosing the Phantom Zone.
”Wait!” Jor-El sprinted across the h.e.l.lish ruins of the crater floor, waving his arms. When he stumbled and cut his palm, he ignored the blood running down his hand. ”Stop! You must not do this.” Armored guards blocked his way. They seized Jor-El's arms, but he continued to throw himself forward. ”Let me go. I am a member of the Council.” He pulled free. ”Do not put the Phantom Zone into the shaft! You'll never stop the aftereffects.”
The six members of the new Council looked at him with exasperation and resentment. ”Once again, Jor-El threatens us with his science,” Gil-Ex sneered.
”This is the truth. truth. You are about to cause an irrevocable disaster!” You are about to cause an irrevocable disaster!”
Tyr-Us screwed up his face into an expression of extreme distaste. ”Obviously, he doesn't want us to destroy the Phantom Zone. Either he has an overweening pride in his own work, or he has an insidious plan to use the rings.”
One of the other four said, ”Maybe he wants to release General Zod. We can't let him do that.”
”Ask any of your own scientists if you don't believe me. Ask No-Ton or Zor-El! Tyr-Us, my brother is your friend. At least talk to him him first-but listen to first-but listen to somebody. somebody.” The guards stopped him again when he tried to push forward, so he kept shouting from where he was, desperate to get through to them. ”The Phantom Zone is a singularity. It's an opening into another universe. I created it by using a great concentration of energy, and it feeds on energy. If you throw it into our planet's core, the singularity will have more than it can possibly consume. It will grow, and it will keep growing. You'll never be able to stop it.”
Gil-Ex rolled his eyes. ”Jor-El is predicting the end of the world-again!”
Jor-El's knees went weak. Even though time and again he had been proved right, no one believed him. ”I'm begging you-at least consider what I have said. If you do this, there's no turning back.”
Two of the men removed the fabric to expose the silver rings and the flattened furious faces of Zod, Nam-Ek, and Aethyr trapped in the empty dimension.
Tyr-Us smiled. ”We have pushed the lava down into the shaft using Zor-El's barrier. We'll drop the Phantom Zone in, cover it with another energy field, and dump these rings into the depths, where no one can ever retrieve them.” He let out a long, slow sigh. ”Zod will be gone, the Phantom Zone will be gone, and we can all breathe easily again.”
Jor-El thrashed and struggled, but he could not stop these foolish, naive men from carrying the object toward the deep hole. He let out a last cry as they placed the silver rings into the protected shaft, and he caught a final glimpse of General Zod's vengeful expression, snarling at them.
Pleased with themselves, the Council members switched off the lower field, releasing the singularity into the fiery lava core. The Phantom Zone disappeared into the blazing pit.
When it was entirely too late, the armored guards released Jor-El, and he sank to his knees on the sharp black rocks. He began to calculate how much time remained before Krypton destroyed itself.
CHAPTER 85.
In the few weeks since defeating General Zod, Argo City had made tremendous progress. One of the severed bridge spans was temporarily repaired so that mainland traffic could cross the bay to the peninsula. Zor-El began to feel that his city was thriving once more. He had real hope again. defeating General Zod, Argo City had made tremendous progress. One of the severed bridge spans was temporarily repaired so that mainland traffic could cross the bay to the peninsula. Zor-El began to feel that his city was thriving once more. He had real hope again.
Until Jor-El told him what Tyr-Us and the others had done.
Continuing solar flares caused bursts of static and signal breakup on the communication plate, but his brother's news was shockingly clear. ”I couldn't stop them, Zor-El. Every day, every hour hour counts now.” His brother's face was pale and distraught. ”The Phantom Zone is going to kill us all.” counts now.” His brother's face was pale and distraught. ”The Phantom Zone is going to kill us all.”
Jor-El sent a series of images and calculations. ”As it sinks to the core, the singularity will drain more and more energy from the mantle. When it reaches the critical point, the opening into the Phantom Zone will expand geometrically, like a huge hungry mouth. It will swallow the entire core of Krypton instantaneously, leaving a great void. The remaining matter will suddenly collapse inward, and the shock waves will rebound. The whole planet will be blown apart.”
Zor-El brushed his dark hair out of his eyes, refusing to give up. ”Then you and I will find some way to stop this disaster. We've got to.”
”Take all my data. Please Please find something I've done wrong. Show me my error.” Jor-El swallowed hard. ”I calculate that we have three days left.” find something I've done wrong. Show me my error.” Jor-El swallowed hard. ”I calculate that we have three days left.”
As solar static threatened to disrupt the transmission, Zor-El stored the information. If Jor-El was right, no one and nothing could retrieve the singularity now that the Council had dropped it down into the shaft.
And Jor-El was almost always right.
After the signal broke up, he sat with Alura in his tower room, tugging at his hair and reviewing his brother's calculations. He racked his brain to think of some factor Jor-El had forgotten to include, some flaw in the initial conditions. But each result was as disheartening as the last. He tried to force the equations to yield different results.
Every time he ran a simulation, he watched the singularity expand until it engulfed the core of Krypton. Then the whole planet collapsed and broke apart like an empty eggsh.e.l.l. ”There's not even the slightest chance, Alura. Nothing. Jor-El rarely makes mistakes in his calculations, and he hasn't now.”
No errors.