It was apparently a fairly new revelation for Tal Rho himself. To learn he'd had a brother on Earth for 25 years and had never been told of his existence had seemed incredible. The one thing Kal-El could be certain of as he followed his brother to his fortress was the sincerity of his feelings. Acting out for being slighted was not Tal-Rho's style. It had undoubtedly pissed the man off when he'd refused his pleas of 'join me, of your own free will'. As a result Tal had forced his hand. Other than in the broadest of strokes, Clark could not even guess his brother's intentions.
The first thing Tal-Rho did when they arrived inside his fortress was to command Kal-El to remove the 'chosen one' symbol from his torso__and his shirt along with it. Kal-El sat on the ground and tore his uniform at the waist. Pulling the now loose cloth over his head, in this way he obeyed his brother. He straightened his back but did not stand up. Tal took a spire of Kryptonite and literally bound it to his brothers chest. “You'll get used to it eventually Ka-rean.” Tal said, stepping away slowly.
“Ka-rean, 'small one'. I should have expected that. If this is to make me compliant, it is not necessary brother. I wouldn't run from you if I hadn't just sworn to obey you.”
Tal Rho walked in a tight circle around his brother, gesturing with his hands as he went. “If you're worried about this crystal ending your life, don't be. It's not pure Kryptonite. Rather a graft of Nth metal infused with the radioactive substance which bears that name. And you will live a long life under its influence. The question Kal-El, is what are we to do with you? Kal-El is your true name, and probably the one thing I can still recognize in you. It's a twist of irony really. The last son of the noble and most ancient house of El, brought to heel by a discarded bastard. It is an irony I will enjoy in the days to come.”
“You're not nearly as callous as you present yourself to be Tal.” Kal-El said with a firm jaw. “And you were never rejected. Not by our mother. And not by me.”
“What do you call joining with the humans rather than your own people?!” Tal barked.
“I call it choosing to protect humanity as I have always done. Replacing humans with Kryptonian minds, that is something I can never agree to. I will stand against any such plan if I have the choice. But I have not rejected YOU. And I never will.”
Strangely enough, Tal-Rho seemed genuinely pleased by this. He waved his hand over the spire of infused kryptonite. “Pretty soon I'll take that off. Pretty soon your word will be all I need. But until then, this stays on. And you stay down.”
“I don't understand why you're even doing this.”
“I need you weak enough that you can't interfere with our plans.”
“...OUR plans?”
It turned out the one thing Tal-Rho was interested in was parading his defeated brother in front of the living memory of his father. One fo the first things Tal did was strip off his shirt and literally tie a spire of Kryptonite to his chest. “You'll get used to it Ka-rean, trust me.”
“Ka-rean: Small one. I should have expected that. If this is to make me compliant, it is unnecessary. You know this amount of Kryptonite will kill me before it breaks me.”
“It is not Kryptonite brother, merely infused with the radioactive substance which bears that name. And you will live a long life under its influence. But doing what is the question.” Tal Rho turned in a circle, his hands out and open. “Well Kal-El, what are we to do with you? That's right, I'm going to call you by your Krypto0nian name. It is your true identity after all. The one you so readily rejected. It's a twist of irony isn't it? The last son of the noble and most ancient house of El, brought to heel by the discarded bastard son. I will enjoy that reversal very much. Almost as much as hearing you call me 'master' on a regular basis.”
“I will never call you 'master'.” Kal-El said defiantly. “'Sir', 'Milord' or even 'great one'. But I will never call you 'master'.”
“Then I suppose 'great one' will have to suffice.” Tal-Rho replied genuinely pleased.
Kal-El moved to within 20 paces of Zod. He dropped to his knees and bowed his head over them. “I implore you General, do not make her suffer for my mistakes. Enforce your will upon me alone.” Struck by a thought, he raised his head. “What is it you want?”
“Your submission and complete surrender.”
Kal-El placed his hands on the floor in front of him, his palms flat, fingers spread wide apart. He lowered his head until he could almost touch to floor with his face. “I submit. I'll do whatever you ask Zod. I swear it on my heat. But I beg of you, let her go.”
“GENERAL Zod, you worm.” A female solider barked at him.
“Yes, General Zod, of course.” Kal-El corrected himself, not looking up.
“Why do you humiliate yourself for her?” The General questioned firmly. “Look up and answer me. What is so special about her that you humiliate yourself so completely on the mere hope that I will show her mercy?”
“General, let me save her. Let me bring her home. You can do what you wish to me.”
“ 'Bring her home.'“ The general echoed. “She's your daughter.”
“Please.” Superman cried, unconsciously jumping to his feet. “I'll do whatever you ask, just leave my wife and daughter alone.”
“Agreed Kal.” Kal-El glided toward his daughter and lifted her from the pit. As he laid her on the shore, he looked up to see the general gazing down. Zod's face betrayed no emotion as he placed his hand on the woman's left rib-cage, feeling her pulse.
“She'll be alright, in a few hours.”
“Will you let me take her home?”
“Of course Kal. But I'm coming with you.”
“I expected nothing else.” The hero remarked, his easy tone disguising the unease in his heart. Jor-El's living memory had indicated General Zod was a man of honor, if heartless by human standards. His own experience proved the man was only concerned with the future of his species, not his own ego.
Lois was out in the driveway when they landed. “What is going on? Who is this?”
Clark laid his daughter gently in the grass. “This is General Zod. I have to leave with him.”
“I don't understand.”
“That's not surprising.” The general quipped with through sarcasm.
Clark swallowed the urge to glare at Zod. Instead he threw his arms around Lois. “You and Aisha are safe. That's all that matters. Take care of each-other. I love you both.”
“It's time to go Kal-El.” Superman pulled himself away from his wife and walked toward the general with the mien of someone going to a funeral. “I'm ready.” They took to the skies together. In a few minutes they arrived in the Atari mountains. There was a pitch hut nearby. Shaped like a log cabin but made out of straw and tar. The General said nothing, apparently expecting Kal to make the first overture. Kal-El dropped to one knee, arms stretched away from his torso, palms up. Looking not unlike a highland Scotsman begging forgiveness. “I am yours. For the rest of my life.”
“Good. Now get up off the floor and talk to me like a Kryptonian.”
It was only then Kal-El realized making him a slave had never been part of Zod's plans. Complete surrender had been exactly that 'I will fight no more' not 'I place my head under your foot'. Which, when he thought about it, he should have known that. For one, it was unworthy of a solider to so humiliate a defeated opponent and General Zod had proven himself not just a military leader but a true soldier. He was also Krypton's military leader and did everything for the survival and well-being of his species. Kal-El was in his eyes a fellow Kryptonian that he did not want to have to fight on the battlefield. His inaction had been assured and that was that. Zod had nothing against him personally.
"I will fight no more, forever."
"I'm sorry?" Zod replied, turning to him.
"You wanted me out of your way, not...on my face before you."
"Of course Kal. There is no reason for you to bend your back to me. Your father was my greatest friend. I will not dishonor his memory by demoralizing you."
"I apologize for my assumption."
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