Superman stepped closer, his eyes narrowing at the humanoid robotic figure.
"What are you?" he asked.
"I am Brainiac," the robot replied calmly. "A highly sophisticated artificial intelligence designed by your father to assist and guide surviving Kryptonians. He foresaw the destruction of Krypton and took measures to preserve life."
Superman's expression shifted.
"Am I not the last Kryptonian?" he asked.
"Not entirely," Brainiac said. "Some were not on the planet at the time of its destruction. Others managed to escape."
Clark took another step forward, his voice tightening.
"You're saying… Kryptonians survived?"
"Yes," Brainiac replied. "Among them is your cousin."
Clark blinked. "Cousin?"
"Her name is Kara Zor-El."
"A number of Kryptonians survived. It is time to come home, Kal-El… to New Krypton," Brainiac said.
The hologram began to glitch again.
"Wait-" Superman stepped forward. "What's going on?"
The image distorted, then shifted.
The familiar figure of his AI nanny reappeared.
"I apologize, Kal-El," it said. "My systems were briefly compromised by a foreign signal."
Clark frowned, still staring at it.
"Who is Brainiac?" he asked.
"He was an artificial intelligence designed by your father," the AI replied, "to preserve and guide surviving Kryptonians toward rebuilding their civilization after he foresaw Krypton's destruction."
Clark's eyes narrowed.
"And New Krypton? The survivors?"
A brief pause.
"I'm afraid I have no further information on that subject," the AI said.
"Then what are you?" Lois asked.
"I am a physical embodiment of an attuned program," the figure replied. "A repository for all Kryptonian knowledge. My purpose is to inform, assist, and protect Kal-El."
Clark's gaze sharpened.
"Who is Kara Zor-El?" he asked.
"Who is Kara Zor-El?" Clark asked.
The AI paused for a brief moment before responding.
"Kara Zor-El is the daughter of Zor-El, your father's brother," it said. "She is your older cousin. Her role was to protect and guide you, should she reach Earth after you."
"She was supposed to come here?" he asked.
"Yes," the AI replied. "Her pod was launched shortly after yours. However, I have no record of her arrival on Earth."
Clark's expression tightened.
"Then where is she now?" he asked.
"I do not know," the AI answered. "Her last known trajectory was directed away from Krypton, but her current location remains unknown."
Silence settled over the room.
Clark looked down for a moment, processing everything he's heard just now,he has a cousin who might have survived alongside other kryptonians who have already begun rebuild Krypton.
Behind him, Lois watched closely, her arms folded.
Something about this wasn't sitting right with her.The timing of message and the way it all just… appeared,it was too suspicious.
"You're telling me," she said slowly, "that an unknown signal hijacks your system, tells us Kryptonians are alive, and then disappears and now you suddenly have information about a cousin you didn't mention before?"
The AI turned slightly toward her.
"My primary function is to respond to Kal-El's inquiries," it said. "Information is provided as requested."
Lois frowned.
"Yeah… that's not suspicious at all."
"They could be....alive" Superman muttered.
-----
Far beyond Earth, light-years away in deep space, a colossal, highly advanced spaceship drifted silently in the darkness. Below it, a small planet flickered with bursts of red,explosions marking the desperate resistance of its inhabitants.
Inside the ship, a sleek black robot with piercing red eyes sat on a throne in the command room, staring out the viewport with cold detachment. This was Brainiac.
He pressed a button on the throne, and a holographic feed shimmered into existence, displaying a close-up from the perspective of of his soldier,Kara Zor-El. She gripped an alien in a glowing green suit by the throat, the creature choking and struggling as the surrounding battlefield erupted in flames. Others of its kind fought back but their attacks couldn't do anything to her.
"In brightest day, in blackest ni-" the creature's cry was cut short as Kara snapped its neck. Its eyes rolled back, its form collapsing, and its ring shot away into the void of space. Kara flung the corpse aside and engaged the remaining attackers, all while maintaining ruthless control.
After an hour of relentless combat, Kara spoke into her earpiece, voice cold and detached.
"It's done."
"Good," Brainiac replied. "Return to the ship."
With that, Kara blasted off, disappearing into the void. Brainiac shut off the feed.
Three minutes later, the command room doors opened. Kara entered, still streaked with blood and grime.
"Ah, you've returned," Brainiac said.
"Yes," Kara responded simply.
"I have good news for you, but first…" Brainiac tapped his wrist. Outside, a section of the ship's nose slid open. A massive cannon extended, drawing in energy. A thick blue beam fired, striking the planet below with devastating precision. The point of impact erupted into molten red, spreading across the surface like a bubbling sea of lava. Any survivors,if there had been any,were now doomed to perish in this now inhospitable planet.
"And now about the news," Brainiac said, standing and walking toward Kara. "Your cousin, Kal-El, survived the destruction of Krypton."
A flicker of emotion crossed Kara's face before she returned to her neutral expression. "Where is he now?" she asked.
"He's on a primitive planet called Earth, in Sector C-7," Brainiac replied.
"What's the next course of action?" Kara asked.
"We will destroy the remaining civilizations that played a part in Krypton's destruction," Brainiac said. "In a few days, you will head to Earth and retrieve him."
"And if he refuses?" Kara asked.
"Eliminate him and all others who may pose a threat in the future. Then, using the Codex of Life, we will terraform the planet and rebuild a New Krypton Empire there. But for now, go and rest," Brainiac instructed.
"Understood," Kara said before walking away.
Meanwhile, in Earth's lower orbit, astronauts were performing routine maintenance on the International Space Station when six boom tubes suddenly opened. From each emerged massive, rock-like structures hurtling toward Earth,and directly in the path of the space station.
The pilots scrambled, rushing to the escape shuttles, but before they could detach, small meteors began pelting the station. Critical damage struck the shuttle just as they tried to launch. Bigger meteors followed, shattering the shuttle in a fiery explosion.
As the objects entered the lower atmosphere, they began breaking apart. From within the burning debris, restrained behemoths chained tightly were revealed. They split up mid-descent, heading for different parts of the planet.
Behind them, a seventh boom tube opened. From it, six drones bearing the mark of Apocalypse emerged, each following one of the falling titans.
End of Chapter.
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