The Last Days of Krypton - Kevin J. Anderson [151]
Jor-El maintained his stiff demeanor as he marched alongside the General, matching his brisk, military pace.
The towering shard of green crystal loomed over the edge of the Square of Hope, riddled with small cavities and inclusions. Zod led him through the main entrance and along curving, faceted tunnels to where Lara was sequestered. Angled crystal spikes had been grown across the doorway like overlapping prison bars. Jor-El could see his wife’s form through the translucent walls. He ran toward her, to Zod’s apparent amusement.
Lara heard him coming. She pushed her hand between the crossed crystal bars, and Jor-El clasped her cold fingers. “Lara, are you safe? Has he hurt you?”
“Other than sealing me in this cell? No—I don’t think he will.”
“Make no mistake, I will hurt you,” Zod said from several paces away, “but only if it is the only means to achieve my goals.”
Jor-El ignored him. “I’ll find a way to get you out of here.”
She squeezed his hand. “Don’t let him manipulate you. You know what he’s capable of. He’ll use me as a hostage—”
The General came forward and added another growth crystal to the wall. With a series of snaps and cracks, the intersecting spears thickened and began to fill in the gaps in the lattice. Lara snatched her hand back before the bars closed around it.
“There.” Zod assumed a cordial manner. “Now we can get on with our real work.”
CHAPTER 71
Looking down at the contoured gel model of Argo City in his war room, Zod couldn’t hide his pleasure. “Intriguing. This presents a strategic nightmare for them. We can easily cut off the whole peninsula, and Zor-El will have to capitulate.”
Aethyr shrugged. “Then our victory is a foregone conclusion. The only question is how long the siege will last.”
Nam-Ek looked down at the three-dimensional model, as if memorizing the miniaturized terrain. Zod had also studied reports from informants, including many of his original supporters who had been ousted from the city.
“Argo City is basically an island, connected to the mainland only by this thin strip of land, a bottleneck. We can blockade the city with a relatively small number of troops and equipment. These five bridges”—Zod traced the gentle arcs that led across the narrow bay from Argo City to the mainland—“are strategic weak points. Our soldiers can capture and hold them, effectively amputating the rebels from the rest of the world.”
“There’s the ocean on the other side,” Aethyr pointed out. “They have docks and boats.”
“But where can they go—fishing? They have no navy, no warships.” He pursed his lips. “But you make a valid point, and I prefer to be thorough. Maybe I should deploy aquatic craft so we cut them off from the ocean as well.” Nam-Ek grinned; Zod could tell he was eager to see the boats. “None of the new structures they’ve built since the tsunami are proof against attack. We can bottle them up just like Kandor and then begin our bombardment. Once the way is clear, our army will invade the city.”
“Why don’t you just build a new Rao beam?” Koll-Em looked hungry to see another swift cleansing blast.
“Destruction is easy but there is little satisfaction in it. What kind of conquest leaves nothing but rubble? I am the savior of Krypton, not its destroyer.” He smiled wryly at his twisting of the words Jor-El had spoken. “The victory is much greater if I bring Argo City under my rule. That city is like a jewel in a crown.”
All the construction crews in Kryptonopolis had been reassigned to the task of strengthening General Zod’s impressive army. Technicians assembled large numbers of conventional weapons. His own scientists and engineers were swiftly redesigning and refitting normal vehicles. Teams worked round the clock to convert large construction crawlers into armored artillery launchers and siege vehicles; floating passenger platforms were transformed into troop transports.
The Sapphire Guards and the Ring of Strength recruited, even coerced, every one of Zod’s able-bodied followers to undergo weapons training, don uniforms,