by Greg Cox
This was no idle threat, Superman knew. Zod was serious.
But so was he.
“I’ll stop you,” he promised.
“HOW?” Zod bellowed. He lunged at Superman, sending him flying backward across the dusty wastes. He marched toward his enemy, continuing a blood feud that stretched across light-years of space. “Your father couldn’t imprison me. You think you can? There’s not a cell on this planet that can hold me.”
One blow wasn’t enough to knock the fight out of Superman. Spurred by the memory of his martyred birth father, he shot up from the ground like a torpedo, slamming into Zod and carrying them both into one of the looming ruins. The butchered edifice collapsed around them in an avalanche of sundered steel girders, rebar, drywall, stair rails, elevators, cables, furniture, pipes, and plumbing fixtures, all of which continued to crash down upon their heads and shoulders.
Tons of debris bounced off their invulnerable frames.
Zod snatched hefty chunks of concrete from the rubble and flung them at Superman, who batted them away with his arms and fists. But the barrage was just a diversionary tactic, distracting him long enough for Zod to deliver a flying kick that sent Superman hurling back out into the open, where he needed only a split-second to recover.
He shook his head to clear it.
You’re going to have to do better than that, Zod.
He launched himself again, hitting his target like a battering ram. Zod smashed into a thick support column that broke apart to expose more rebar. He rebounded from the column and whipped Superman’s cape over his head. Momentarily tangled in it, the Man of Steel was unable to stop his opponent from tossing him all the way into a neighboring building.
His indestructible body smashed through layers of brick and mortar before sliding to a stop in the lobby of a ruined office building. A security desk sat empty, wisely abandoned by whomever had once guarded the entrance. Plate glass windows had been blown out onto the sidewalk. A bank of elevators was blocked by fallen rubble. Superman wondered if the building’s occupants had been wise enough to take the stairs.
Too many innocent people had died.
Before he could catch his breath, dozens of broken lengths of rebar flew at him like javelins, hurled at lightning speed. The improvised spears failed to penetrate Superman’s suit or skin, but hurt like blazes as they jabbed him again and again. Zod’s arms turned into a blur of motion even as a berserker rage caused his eyes to ignite like twin supernovae.
Crimson beams leaked from his eyes indiscriminately, setting on fire everything around them. Within seconds, a raging blaze rushed through the crumbling structures. Twenty stories of burning floors and ceilings threatened to bury them.
Zod leapt instinctively from the inferno, seeking the open air. Wincing in pain, Superman attempted to follow his lead by taking to the sky, but he wasn’t quite fast enough. A toppling skyscraper clipped him on its way down, swatting him to Earth. He crashed into a deserted street a few blocks beyond the circle of destruction.
This can’t go on, he thought. The whole city is coming down on top of us.
He staggered to his feet, reeling. He had been going nonstop for hours now, first against the World Machine, then the singularity, and now Zod. He needed a moment to recharge.
But Zod gave him no respite. He hoisted a stretch limousine above his head and heaved it at Superman, who dodged the car with only nanoseconds to spare. It smashed into the foundations of a looming multi-level carport, and exploded on impact.
A forty-ton propane truck was Zod’s next weapon of choice. He hurled the truck at Superman, but hit the carport instead. The fiery explosion undermined the parking garage, causing it to collapse, level by level. Dislodged vehicles tumbled from the crumbling decks like an automotive landslide. A falling SUV struck Superman in the back, jolting him face-forward onto the pavement.
Zod rushed forward to kick his foe while he was down, but the crazed general came too close to the disintegrating parking garage. The entire structure slid down on top of him, burying him beneath a mountain of concrete and crushed metal. A seismic rumble drowned out his cries.
A billowing cloud of dust obscured the entire scene.
Rising to his feet, Superman cautiously approached the hill-sized heap of rubble, wondering if the avalanche of steel and concrete had been enough to put Zod down for the count.
Not likely, he thought.
Sure enough, Zod burst from the rubble, delivering an ultra-powerful uppercut that sent Superman somersaulting into the sky, far out of reach. Rising higher, Superman took advantage of his ability to defy gravity by hovering in the air. He soaked in what strength he could from the setting sun, hoping that would be enough.
The golden rays fed him their energy, as they had back on the island.
“There’s only one way this ends, Kal!” his enemy shouted from the ground. “You die—or I do. And you don’t have the will to make that happen.”
Zod sprang to the side of a nearby skyscraper. Digging his fingers into the building’s stone cladding, he scaled the façade at super-speed and flung himself outward. They collided in mid-air and fell to Earth together, crashing down onto a construction site.
A partially built skyscraper, its gigantic steel skeleton exposed, shuddered as the dueling supermen cratered the site. Zod seized a heavy steel I-beam from a stack of construction materials and swung it like a club. Heat-vision shot from Superman’s eyes, melting the beam to slag in mid-swing. Molten steel sprayed across the site as the weapon dissolved in Zod’s grip.
Furious, he flung the dripping red object away, and advanced on Superman with murder in his eyes. His face was flushed with anger.
“I was bred to be a warrior, Kal,” he said. “Trained since the moment of my birth, to master my senses.” He sneered at his opponent, contempt dripping from his voice. “Where did you train, Kal? On a farm?”
He dropped into crouch, placing his hand against the ground, much as Superman had done back at the NORTHCOM airfield. Veins bulged on his neck and brow as he fought to bend Earth’s gravity to his will. His armored body trembled with exertion.
Gravity waves distorted the air around him. Concentrating intensely, he absorbed and shaped the waves through sheer force of will.
“Whatever advantage you gained by growing up on this world—”
The ground rumbled beneath him. Dirt and rock and pools of cooling slag lifted off from the Earth, floating around him. His voice rose to a crescendo of hate.
“—it can’t compare to my experience!”
A concussive burst of energy blew his Kryptonian battle armor away from him, leaving him clad only in a matte-black skinsuit. Screaming in fury, his face a mask of vengeance, he took flight for the first time.
This isn’t good, Superman realized. Zod just leveled the playing field.
* * *
Mocking Earth’s meager gravity, Zod soared above Metropolis. His flight wasn’t as smooth as Superman’s, but what it lacked in grace and finesse it made up for in speed and power. He looped around in a wide circle, heedless of any obstacles in his path. He smashed headfirst through the upper stories of several unlucky skyscrapers, raining steel and glass onto the streets below, where terrified men and women again ran for cover.
Penthouse apartments and sky-level restaurants were razed by the his aerial rampage. Roofs were torn from buildings. Water towers toppled from their elevated perches. Neon signs exploded in showers of sparks. Billboards plunged like guillotine blades.
Superman launched himself, knowing fully that he had just lost his greatest advantage. The sky now belonged to Zod, as well.
Then it’s time to take it away from him, Superman thought.
If I can.
They met head on—like opposing storms—in the dusky sky above Metropolis. The resulting thunderclap could be heard all the way across the city. The superhuman fracas literally rose to new heights as they traded blows in the heavens before tumbling to Earth like fallen angels.
Caught up in their never-ending battle, the combatants barely noticed.
Zod grabbed Superman’s cape and swung him around, flinging him into the air as though throwing a hammer. The Man of Steel barreled through the base of a landmark office building, bringing the entire structure down. The wanton destruction tore at his soul. At this rate, it would be a miracle if Metropolis had any skyline left when the fighting was over, one way or another.
This city doesn’t deserve this, he though angrily. Earth doesn’t deserve this.
Shaking off the blow, he zoomed back to the battle, determined to get them away from the city, if possible. A powerhouse punch sent Zod tumbling out over the river, where the Weisinger Bridge connected Metropolis to the mainland. He crashed beneath it, splashing into the river. Superman flew out over the bridge and scanned the turbulent water, peering beneath the surface.
He knew better than to think Zod might have drowned.
As if in response to his thoughts, Zod blasted up through the bridge’s multilane span and past its granite towers and steel suspension cables to ram his fists into Superman’s chest. They shot upward through the atmosphere into space, where they were both unaffected by the freezing vacuum. A communications satellite in a low Earth orbit came into view, and Superman flung Zod into the object, which didn’t survive the encounter.
Snarling, Zod hurled the sparking remains back at Superman, before flinging himself forward and dragging them both back down toward Earth.
A fiery glow enveloped both men as they reentered the atmosphere like falling stars.
C H A P T E R T H I R T Y - S I X
Lois craned her neck back, searching the sky. Along with Perry and the others, she gazed upward in fear and awe as Superman and Zod waged war among the clouds.
Most of the city’s denizens had taken shelter in basements, bunkers, and subway tunnels, but Lois had never been one to run away from danger. If the final battle for humanity’s future was being fought, she damn well intended to provide an eyewitness report. And, to be honest, she was worried about Superman, too. She had to know what was happening to him, even if it meant putting herself at risk.
You can beat him, Clark. I know you can.
For a few moments, she lost track of the airborne titans, but then she spotted two fiery forms plummeting back toward the ground. Tracing their trajectory with her eyes, she judged that they were heading straight for the Metropolis Central Station at 45th and Swan. The station was the hub of the city’s transportation system, serving tens of thousands of commuters a day. She guessed that it was packed with evacuees trying to flee the city.
Could Superman protect them all? And in the process, could he save himself from Zod?
Lois wasn’t going to stand around and wait for the evening news.
Breaking into a run, she sprinted for the train station.
* * *
Superman crashed through the roof of the station and onto the grand stairway that led to the main concourse. He rolled down and into a cavernous space roomy enough to accommodate all the commuters and tourists who passed through the station daily.
Even now, with Metropolis under siege, frightened bystanders had taken shelter in the station. Startled by his tumultuous arrival in their midst, they ran madly for the cover. Dozens of feet raced toward the exits. Other evacuees fled through arched gateways and onto the railway tracks and platforms. Transit workers abandoned their posts.
Damn, Superman thought. He could hardly imagine a worse place to face off against Zod. The station was filled with defenseless innocents who stood a good chance of becoming collateral damage. How was he going to protect them and stop Zod, too?
The vengeful Kryptonian war criminal didn’t give Superman time to figure out a solution. He dived through the ragged gap in the ceiling, landing on the concourse floor across from his foe. They circled each other warily, even as Superman prayed that Zod wouldn’t take notice of the many innocent men, women, and children he was placing at risk.
He hadn’t forgotten Zod’s vow to exterminate humanity, one by one.
For now, however, Zod seemed more intent on taking direct revenge. He charged at the Man of Steel, driving them back through the station’s load-bearing walls. As a result, the upper concourses caved in, blocking the exits and trapping the scared people inside.
Transit workers, baggage handlers, police officers, and store clerks all mixed with stranded travellers, united in their common peril. Hysterical screams caught Zod’s attention. A cruel smile lifted his lips as he contemplated the vulnerable humans.
“You love these people so much?” he said bitterly. “You can mourn for them.”
A chill ran down Superman’s spine. He tried to reason with Zod, reach the valiant soldier Jor-El had once called friend.
“Don’t do this—”
But Zod wasn’t even listening—he cared nothing for humanity, only the world he had lost. Consumed with hate, he threw himself at Superman, who welcomed the attack if it meant keeping him away from the trapped bystanders.
They fought savagely, hand-to-hand, upon the floor of the station. Their superhuman blows inflicted damage no human weapon could match. Indestructible Kryptonian fabric ripped in the struggle. Vicious kicks and jabs, delivered with Herculean force, left their faces bruised and bloodied. A fist of steel split Zod’s lip, and he retaliated by driving his knee up into Superman’s chin. The blow, which would have sent a cast-iron safe into orbit, loosened Superman’s teeth.
He tasted blood.
But Zod’s unreasoning rage made him sloppy. He charged like an animal, lowering his guard long enough for the Man of Steel to deliver an old-fashioned haymaker that sent him flying backward across the terminal. Zod hit the floor hard, only to discover that Superman had already shot across at super-speed to be there waiting for him.
Staying on the offensive, Superman got his arms around Zod’s head, pinning him in a chin-lock. Zod thrashed furiously, straining to break free, but was unable to escape the grip. Pressing his advantage, Superman leveraged his knee into Zod’s back. The crazed Kryptonian grunted in pain, but showed no sign of surrendering.
What would it take to stop him?
Pinning Zod’s body wasn’t enough, not while his eyes burned red as a distant sun. His volcanic gaze unleashed crimson rays of destruction that converged on a classical stone façade that stood across from him. Polished marble was vaporized by the beams, leaving a blackened scar across the wall.
Nearby bystanders, unable to flee, shrieked at the sight.
No! Superman thought desperately.
Straining massively, Zod slowly turned his head. The deadly beams swept their way across the terminal toward a cluster of men, women, and children trapped beneath a fallen archway. Trembling families huddled together, holding crying toddlers. Grown men and women were crying, too, or praying for mercy as Zod’s heat-vision inched toward them, incinerating everything in its path.
Superman tightened his grip on Zod’s head, trying desperately to hold it still, or to avert it from the endangered bystanders. But still Zod managed to push against his grip, turning his infernal gaze slowly, inexorably toward the trapped people.
“Stop!” Superman demanded. The position they were in wouldn’t allow him the leverage he needed to fly—to carry them away from here. It was all he could do to restrain his opponent.
Grunting with effort, Zod twisted his head toward his intended victims. A hellish rage blazed from his eyes, seeking to avenge his vanished dream of a new homeworld. He was going to kill those people if it was the last thing he did.
“STOP!”
“NEVER!”
Superman watched with growing horror as the crimson rays continued along their deadly path. The beams were only a few yards away from the people now. Then two. Then one.
No! Superman thought. Don’t make me do this!
A little girl sobbed as the beam came closer, now only moments away. Superman cried out in anguish, knowing he had no other choice. It was Zod’s life—or the lives of innocents. He marshaled every ounce of strength that remained within him. And then...
He snapped Zod’s neck.
His form went limp, his fiery gaze extinguished instantly. Superman released the body and let it slump to the floor. Gazing down at the dead Kryptonian, he was surprised by the peaceful expression on his face.
Was this what Zod truly wanted? Superman wondered. A glorious death in combat?
His foe had gone the way of Krypton, but Superman wasn’t sure he would ever forgive the Zod for making the hero the instrument of his death. Anguish tore at Superman’s heart; he had always sought to save lives, not take them. Killing Zod took a terrible toll on him. His shoulders slumped as he stood above the body, feeling both emotionally and physically drained.
He really was the Last Son of Krypton now, he realized.
Apart and alone.
* * *
Lois appeared atop the stairway, having somehow made her way through the wreckage. She stared down at him, taking in the grisly scene and reading the torment on his face. Looking up, he could tell that she understood what this bitter victory had cost him. Compassionate green eyes met his.
She raced down the steps to embrace him. Hugging her tightly, in the center of the ravaged terminal, he realized that he had been wrong.
He wasn’t alone at all.
C H A P T E R T H I R T Y - S E V E N
An array of king-sized satellite dishes searched the sky, eavesdropping on the cosmos. General Swanwick surveyed the array as Captain Farris drove their jeep past the secure NORTHCOM installation. It was an impressive setup, to be sure, but was it enough?