The Last Days of Krypton - Kevin J. Anderson [122]
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 orbit, Zod will probably consider it another defense against invading alien ships.”
“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 shift 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 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 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