The Last Days of Krypton - Kevin J. Anderson [87]
In addition to the temporary camp set up on the edge of the crater, many intact residences on the outskirts had opened their doors to the refugees and aid workers. Waves of volunteers from all strata of Kryptonian society continued to rush blindly to the site of Kandor, though few understood the scope of what they were coming to do. Though they could have returned to the comfortable estate, Lara refused, insisting that they were needed in Kandor to help heal the wound Krypton had been dealt. A desperate need filled her eyes, and she was driven to work herself to the point of collapse…and then she would fall into a deep gloom that made her nearly catatonic. Jor-El remained beside her every moment.
He wished Lara would confide in him, but he did not press her. He accompanied her as she, like so many other pale-faced and haggard refugees, trudged around the entire perimeter of the crater in a sort of obsession. They walked and stared, as if their procession could somehow bring back the lost city. Though the tragedies were individual, those who had been left behind shared a bond of mutual grief. Searching for answers, they traced the perfect circle around the great scar in what seemed to be an endless march.
Scribes interviewed the people in the camps, carrying makeshift datapads. They took down the names of lost ones and recorded stories and remembrances, filling pad after pad. Two of them, overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task, gave up in despair.
In the evening, Jor-El sat beside Lara on the flat ground in a tent not far from Zod’s command post. Leaning back against the stiff fabric wall, she propped her sketchpad on her thighs and worked furiously, her gaze intent. Jor-El leaned close, sharing his warmth and love without interrupting her train of thought. She was weeping as she worked.
With swift, sure strokes of her stylus Lara drew an image of her mother and father in happy times. The details were perfect. She drew her grinning brother, Ki-Van, next to them with his freckled face and tousled straw-colored hair. After hesitating, she included a figure of herself. She then dropped the stylus, racked in sobs. She stared at the sketch for a long time with unbearable pain in her eyes. “I don’t ever want to forget that this was my family, but drawing a picture can’t hold them here.”
Jor-El stroked her hair as she leaned her head on his shoulder. “You won’t forget. I’m here for you.” He brushed a fingertip across her tearstained cheeks.
“Thank you.” Lara looked up at him with a teary gaze. “You are my family now, Jor-El.”
Zod dispelled any lingering resentment toward Jor-El by making a point of meeting with him daily. Everyone in the camp could see that the Commissioner and the great scientist were close companions, partners against the adversity Krypton now faced. Lara accompanied her husband, inseparable from him, though she said little. Her eyes remained red-rimmed and puffy, her expression drawn.
During one such discussion in the command tent, a woman with short, dark hair entered wearing a self-satisfied grin. “So, Lara! Do you remember an old friend from your student days?”
Surprise animated Lara’s sad face. She couldn’t seem to believe what she was seeing. “Aethyr-Ka! I haven’t seen you since the Academy. I heard your family had cut you off.”
“It was more the reverse, in fact.” She grew serious. “But that hardly matters now. The Commissioner needs my help—and he could use yours, too.”
Lara turned to Jor-El, heaving a sigh and finding the energy to explain. “Aethyr was one of the only students willing to visit historical sites with me. Camping out in the open, eating preserved rations, sleeping on the ground. What miserable times those were!” She sounded almost wistful, distracted for a moment from her deep loss.
Aethyr’s dark eyes flashed. “Miserable? Admit it—you’ve never felt more alive.” A troubled flicker crossed Lara