Malrick immediately recognized the cause of Kara's agony — the overwhelming flood of sound assaulting her mind.
It was the painful awakening of a Kryptonian's super-hearing.
Imagine millions of voices shouting directly into your ears, every sound on Earth amplified beyond comprehension. No one could endure that comfortably.
Fortunately, the solution was simple: focus.
The Kryptonian mind was powerful enough to filter and isolate sound frequencies, hearing only what it wanted.
Malrick kept one arm around Kara, gently patting her shoulder as she trembled in his grasp.
"Focus, Kara," he said softly. "Ignore what doesn't matter. Find one sound around you, then tune out the rest."
Kara gritted her teeth and nodded, following his voice like a lifeline. Slowly, she learned to narrow her perception.
Minutes passed before her tensed features relaxed.
She opened her eyes and exhaled a shaky breath, her gaze softening.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
There was no need for more.
Years of isolation had stolen her voice, her trust, and her ease with words. The only way she could communicate her gratitude now was through her eyes.
Malrick looked back at her and saw health returning to her cheeks, her expression clearer under the sunlight. It wasn't that he didn't notice her emotions — he did. But he read her calm stare differently: it was the look of someone trying to understand hope again.
"How do you feel?" he asked, studying her carefully.
Her skin now glowed with vitality. The arm he held beneath her knees felt the warmth and softness of restored strength. The Sun's energy had done its work perfectly.
Malrick couldn't help but think of his own transformation when he'd first experienced the power of a yellow sun. The energy that rejuvenated Kryptonians truly was a living miracle.
"I feel... good," Kara said finally.
Then, realization struck her — she was still in his arms.
Her expression froze for a second, and her voice wavered.
"You… can you put me down?"
Her heart was pounding so loudly it felt like it might burst, yet her face remained composed. She only bit her lower lip slightly, giving away her nervousness.
Malrick nodded but didn't release her immediately.
"Let's see if you can hold yourself up using your bio-field. I'll lower you slowly."
Kara nodded in understanding. He loosened his grip, and she floated beside him — weightless, steady.
Her eyes widened in astonishment. Her first flight.
After so many years trapped beneath the ground, she finally felt sunlight, sky, and freedom.
She raised her arms slightly, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"Thank you," she whispered again. It was the only phrase she could manage, but this time, it carried warmth.
Malrick's tone remained calm. "No need to thank me yet. We still have things to settle."
He clasped her wrist and turned toward the stars.
"We're going to find Zod — and get answers."
Kara didn't resist. She stared at the hand holding hers, feeling the strength in his grip and the steadiness in his voice.
---
Not long after Zod's warning echoed across Earth, the world's heroes began to stir.
At Wayne Manor, Barry Allen — the Flash — had just arrived, seeking Bruce Wayne.
In Metropolis, Tony Stark adjusted his Anti-Superman armor, Jarvis feeding him live updates about the Kryptonian threat.
"Iron against aliens," Tony muttered, smirking. "Now that's my kind of party."
But above the planet, events were already moving faster than anyone on Earth could predict.
---
Malrick broke through the Kryptonian ship's energy shield with Kara beside him. The metallic barrier groaned as they tore through the outer hull, sparks scattering like fireworks before they landed in the command chamber.
"Who are you!?" a deep voice thundered.
The speaker stood before the command throne — a tall, broad-shouldered man with a short beard and piercing eyes that radiated authority.
General Zod. The self-proclaimed savior of Krypton.
Around him, Kryptonian soldiers raised their rifles instantly, aiming them at the intruders. The sound of boots echoed through the corridors as more soldiers converged on the room.
Kara stepped forward, her voice trembling with fury.
"Zod! What did you do to Kal-El!?"
Her words cracked, but behind them burned years of longing and loss.
Zod's sharp eyes focused on her. "You… are Kara Zor-El."
"I asked you, what happened to Kal!?" she shouted again, her restraint shattering.
Kal-El. Her last living relative, her hope through years of despair. His name alone was enough to bring tears to her eyes.
Zod's gaze hardened, though his voice carried an undercurrent of regret.
"We intercepted his pod, searching for the life codex. But the genetic matrix wasn't in him."
Kara's heart stopped. "You killed him!?"
Zod hesitated, then said coldly, "The codex was encoded into Kryptonian DNA. The child didn't survive the extraction."
Kara's eyes widened in disbelief, her face pale with grief.
Zod continued, his tone turning fanatical. "Later, we discovered that the codex is inside you, Kara. You are the key to Krypton's rebirth. Your sacrifice will be remembered by all Kryptonians."
He raised his hand, and every weapon in the room charged, glowing with deadly light.
"For Krypton — offer your blood, Kara Zor-El."
Rage exploded inside her.
"Kal was just a baby, Zod!" she screamed, her voice echoing through the chamber.
Her body blurred. In a blink, she slammed into Zod like a cannonball, her kick sending him crashing through the ship's reinforced hull into open space.
She followed him out, two blazing comets streaking across the void.
Inside the ship, alarms blared. The decompression ripped open walls, scattering debris and sending soldiers tumbling.
The Kryptonians recovered quickly. Faora, the cold and lethal lieutenant, barked orders.
"Seal the breach! Warriors, with me — protect the General!"
But before they could move, a dark wave surged through the corridors.
From Malrick's body, black liquid tendrils unfurled, spreading like ink in water. The ship's systems shut down one by one as the living virus consumed everything in its path.
"Your hope for Krypton," Malrick said quietly, standing in the center of the chaos, "is no longer with you."
The soldiers turned toward him, fear flickering in their eyes — but too late.
In a heartbeat, the black energy enveloped them all, dissolving their armor, their bodies, their genes. Their screams faded into silence.
Seconds later, the virus contracted and flowed back into Malrick's body, data and DNA fusing into his own system.
He opened his eyes slowly, his energy flaring.
"Not bad," he murmured. "Dozens of genetic codes, all decoded. That'll save me a few weeks of work."
He retracted the black mass into his inner world and scanned the empty ship.
No survivors. No resistance.
With a casual wave of his hand, the Kryptonian ship vanished — folded into storage for later use.
"Tony can fix it up," he muttered. "He'll love the tech."
Then, sensing the battle outside, Malrick shot into space toward Kara and Zod.
By the time he arrived, the tide had turned. Zod's years of combat experience and his quick adaptation to sunlight had given him the edge.
Kara, though powerful, was beginning to falter.
______
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