The Last Days of Krypton - Kevin J. Anderson [175]
The next morning, Lara insisted she needed fresh air. Holding the baby, Jor-El walked slowly with her out to the open porch where she could smell the fragrant breezes and look out over the flowers, the fresh-cut purple lawn, and the splashing fountains. Resting in a comfortable chair, she cradled the infant in her arms. He was wrapped in a red and blue blanket sent to them by Charys from Yar-El’s old possessions.
Jor-El stared in wonder at the little boy’s face. “After so many astonishing events, I never imagined that the high point of my life would come so unexpectedly.”
“Unexpected? You’ve known for almost nine months you were going to be a father.”
“But I didn’t know it would feel like this. Before, it was always a theoretical proposition.”
“You and your theories, Jor-El,” she teased.
“But this one has struck me here.” He put a hand to the center of his chest. “I can’t explain it.”
“You don’t need to explain it. Just feel it. That’s what I’ve been trying to show you all along.”
He gave her a bittersweet but satisfied smile. “I vowed that our son would be raised in a better world, and I intend to keep that promise. I’ll see that our boy reveres truth and justice.”
The infant’s blue eyes were open and clear, and Lara was sure he was studying his parents. She wondered if he would remember this moment.
“Truth and justice,” Lara mused. “Remember the obelisks, the paintings I made to symbolize the most important facets of our race?”
“Yes, you used Kal-Ik to symbolize truth and justice. I felt a lot like him when I stood up to Zod.” Jor-El looked at her, and they were both considering the same thing. “So you think Kal is a good name?”
“I think it’s a perfect name for our son. Kal-El.”
“Who am I to disagree?” He bent down and kissed the baby. He had dark hair, with a small but persistent curl at his forehead. “Welcome to the world, Kal-El.”
Giving his wife a tender kiss, he took little Kal in his arms and held him.
CHAPTER 84
Jor-El retreated from public view for a few days after the birth of his son. At home, he doted on baby Kal-El, savoring the delights of watching him discover small marvels, like holding his parents’ fingers, splashing in warm bathwater, and making experimental sounds. Jor-El wondered if Yar-El had experienced the same simple pleasures after his two sons were born.
Jor-El returned to his laboratory and revisited the many half-finished projects he had abandoned over the years. As a scientist, he couldn’t simply stop the ideas from coming into his head. Zod’s Commission for Technology Acceptance was forever gone, but Jor-El expected no more openness from the new leadership, even though he was ostensibly part of the Council. The six old-guard members could always vote down his suggestions.
Though some of his fellow Council members blamed Jor-El for their troubles, others respected him just as much for what he had done in the past. He was Jor-El, and he did not care about glory, wealth, or fame.
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 noble 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 shifted 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