The House of the Earth (7/7): Beginnings
Title: Chapter Seven: Beginnings
Pairing/Characters: Kal-El, Bruce Wayne
Notes: " The House of the Earth" is an AU in which a few thousand Kryptonians escaped the destruction of Krypton to flee to Earth and enslave its people.
Rating: G
Word Count: 1800
Summary: Kal has a variety of meetings and revelations.
Bruce and Kal slipped back into the sewers that ran beneath Gotham. Kal tried to walk, but his stride was so halting and awkward that Bruce eventually laughed and told him he might as well float, since they needed to get there before dawn. "We'll work on the walking later," he said lightly.
Kal found himself buoyed by that "later," whatever form it might come in.
They were making their way through the ancient tunnels when Kal saw a flickering light ahead of them. He and Bruce drew into a tiny alcove. To Kal's horror, he could make out the voices:
Kara Zor-El and Zhon-Mal.
And they were coming directly at them.
As the two Kryptonians drew close, Kal made a desperate gesture at Bruce that he hoped the human would understand as "Stay here, let me handle this." Then he floated out into the tunnel and into Kara and Zhon's path.
The pair stopped dead, staring at him. "Cousin," said Kara lamely, "You've...found the tunnels! And you're...all alone in them?" She peered beyond his shoulder into the shadows, looking worried.
"Why yes. I was just...exploring a little, and got kind of lost..." Kal hoped that neither would ask him how he managed to find his way here.
The three of them were still staring awkwardly at each other when Kal heard movement behind him. He whirled to see Bruce stepping from the alcove, looking wry. Kara's golden eyebrows lifted. "Ah," Kal said hastily, "and I brought your pet with me, Kara, to...hold the lamp..."
"Everyone relax. We're all on the same page here. I brought him with me," said Bruce, and Kal's mind stumbled as he realized the man was speaking Kryptonian, as he really heard Bruce speaking his language for the first time. Bruce nodded politely to the man with Kara. "Zhon, it's a pleasure to see you again. And Kara," he said, turning to her, "Your cousin seems to have turned a corner. I have to admit it seems you were right about him." Kal's world fell apart at the seams just a little bit more at the familiar tone in his voice. He was speaking to people he considered his equals. "He took it into his head to incinerate my papers in a quixotic attempt to give me my freedom; we're going to need to forge another set, I'm afraid."
"Oh, Kal," Kara breathed, annoyance and pride warring in her voice.
Kal looked down and realized that both Kara and Zhon were walking in the tunnels. Walking. "What...what..." He didn't know how to finish the sentence, he didn't know where anything was leading anymore.
Bruce nodded and turned to Kal. "Kal. I have to ask your consent for something that you cannot truly give consent for; forgive me. But if we had some way to make sure your motivations are true, that your loyalties are with Earth, do we have your permission to use it?" As Kal hesitated, Bruce went on, "If it turns out you have doubts, or if you aren't truly with us, you'll wake up in the morning with no memory of this night. I promise we won't harm you."
"Of course--of course you can check anything you want," Kal said a little shakily.
There was a silence as all three people looked at him. Then Zhon-Mal bowed his head. "His heart is true," he said softly, and the tunnels of Gotham answered back: truetruetrue.
Bruce and Kara both exhaled, and Kal realized they had been coiled with terrible tension. He addressed himself to Kara, trying to find some stable ground to start from: "You're working with the humans."
She quirked a smile at him. "Yes. I've been doing little things here and there to help the cause of Terra for years now, but was unable to make contact with the cell in Gotham. Not surprisingly, they are not quick to trust a member of the House of El."
"How many Kryptonians are involved?"
Zhon-Mal spoke. "Van-Zee was the first. When the Kryptonians first Arrived, Van-Zee spoke out against the system. He..." Zhon-Mal paused for a second, "...He was a good man, if perhaps too willing to believe in the goodness of others."
"Was? I've never heard of him."
"Indeed. Van-Zee was summoned to a meeting with--" Another pause as if Zhon-Mal were choosing his words carefully. "--with some prominant Kryptonians. I never saw him again. We were told that he had gone off-world in protest. A transparent lie, of course. Because I am still alive, I assume he did not give them my name. He was a brave man." Zhon-Mal looked narrowly at Kal. "I say this because you need to understand that this is a dangerous undertaking for you, for all of us. After Van-Zee vanished, no Kryptonians were willing to challenge the system." The smile he turned on the woman next to him was surprisingly affectionate. "Until Kara."
Kara flashed a brilliant smile back at him, then sobered as she turned back to her cousin. "As far as we know, there are only two Kryptonians working for the cause, Kal. You and I."
Kal looked, puzzled, from Kara to Zhon-Mal. "But he just said that he...isn't he helping as well?"
Zhon-Mal bowed. "My heart belongs to Terra, Kal-El. And while I am not human..." His body shimmered and shifted, the skin deepening to green, the hair fading away, the eyes brightening to ruby. "...neither am I Kryptonian."
"Oh." Kal felt a little bit light-headed; it had been a day of too many revelations, too quickly. That a member of the Kryptonian government was a shape-shifter fighting for human liberation seemed merely one more impossible fact. "That's interesting."
As it turned out, Zhon was a Martian who had been trapped on Earth before the Arrival, hiding amongst its people. When the invasion began, he had taken on the form of a Kryptonian amidst the chaos in self-preservation, and laid low. "I am a shape-shifter, and can fly, so it was not a terribly difficult charade," Zhon said. "Zhon is a reasonable approximation of my name, and Mal is from Ma'aleca'andra, our name for my old world." He shifted form again--not to the Kryptonian, but to a human with light brown hair, shoulders stooped, a red mask obscuring his face.
"The language..." Kal said weakly.
"I am also a telepath. This is how I know you are sincere in your desire to help." He frowned. "And how I know that you are injured."
"He had a run-in with the Cat," Bruce said. "She's found powdered K somewhere and coated her whip with it."
Zhon frowned. "She risks exposing all of us. Where did she acquire it, I wonder?"
"I've got one guess," Bruce said, and Kara scowled.
"Our friend in Metropolis."
Zhon made a small sound in the back of his throat. "He grows impatient. I am unsure we can stall him much longer."
Bruce grimaced. "That's why Kal is so important. The more Kryptonians we can win over--"
"--I'm sorry," Kal said. "But I am totally lost." His three companions looked over at him. "Am I just...going to have to get used to that?"
Bruce put a hand out and let it drop before it could touch Kal's arm. "Starting tomorrow, I swear I'll answer any questions you want. But--"
Kal grasped at the most important point he could see. "You'll still be with me?"
Something flickered in Bruce's eyes and was gone again. "Yes."
"But...as my slave."
"Yes."
The pain in Kal's chest twisted, burning. "I don't want you as my slave," he muttered. "I don't want any slaves. I want to be your friend."
Bruce's eyes were unrelenting, but his voice was soft. "That isn't possible, the way things are." He met Kal's eyes and sighed, reaching out to rest a hand on his shoulder for a second. "Well. Baby steps." Then he shook off his moodiness and squared his shoulders. "Right now we have a meeting to get to." The human form of Zhon nodded and set off through the tunnels, and the others followed after him, Kal swallowing his questions.
The tunnels twisted and turned. Eventually Zhon ducked through a low arch. Kal followed him and found himself in a dimly lit room filled with people--maybe a hundred or so. All faces turned to them as they came in, and Kal realized every one was masked. A sea of masks gazed at him, black and maroon and blue, and Kal knew without checking they would be lined with lead.
Silence reigned as the humans looked at the newcomers, neither friendly nor hostile. Just watching.
Zhon stepped forward and whispered briefly to a man standing against the wall. The man nodded and stepped to the front of the room, all eyes immediately going to him. Tall and commanding, with stern lines around his mouth, he wore a purple mask under thick, wavy golden hair. "Welcome," he said without preliminaries to the crowd. "And thank you for your forbearance. Tonight we are joined by our friend from Colorado, John Jones. He brings with him Bruce Wayne, son of Thomas and Martha Wayne of Gotham, who has traveled far and come back at last to Gotham to help." He paused and looked at Bruce. "I'm sorry to hear of the death of your parents. They were good people and died free." Beside Kal, Bruce nodded once, and the man turned back to the crowd. "In addition, Mr. Jones has brought not one but two Kryptonian allies." The man turned his gaze to the Kryptonians as the crowd rustled. "We are not averse to help from even you. But know that if you betray us, you will pay dearly for that betrayal."
He held up his fist and green light bloomed from a ring on his finger.
The leader turned his attention back to Bruce as the green light winked out again. "You have the floor, Mr. Wayne," he said.
Bruce stepped to the front of the room. He held his head high, his eyes bright with intelligence and confidence, and Kal felt an emotion too strong to fully process pierce his heart.
Bruce looked out over the crowd and took a deep breath.
It was probably Kal's imagination that Bruce locked eyes with him last, as if seeking strength from his gaze.
"Brothers and sisters," said Bruce Wayne, "Thank you for welcoming me to your House. It is a sacred House that I have come to."
And the crowd responded in unison, a low sound like shifting rock, solid and unshakable. "It is a sacred house we have come to. We have come to the House of the Earth."
Kal-El, once of the House of El, heard the words and knew their truth:
The Kryptonians had come to a sacred House.
Pairing/Characters: Kal-El, Bruce Wayne
Notes: " The House of the Earth" is an AU in which a few thousand Kryptonians escaped the destruction of Krypton to flee to Earth and enslave its people.
Rating: G
Word Count: 1800
Summary: Kal has a variety of meetings and revelations.
Bruce and Kal slipped back into the sewers that ran beneath Gotham. Kal tried to walk, but his stride was so halting and awkward that Bruce eventually laughed and told him he might as well float, since they needed to get there before dawn. "We'll work on the walking later," he said lightly.
Kal found himself buoyed by that "later," whatever form it might come in.
They were making their way through the ancient tunnels when Kal saw a flickering light ahead of them. He and Bruce drew into a tiny alcove. To Kal's horror, he could make out the voices:
Kara Zor-El and Zhon-Mal.
And they were coming directly at them.
As the two Kryptonians drew close, Kal made a desperate gesture at Bruce that he hoped the human would understand as "Stay here, let me handle this." Then he floated out into the tunnel and into Kara and Zhon's path.
The pair stopped dead, staring at him. "Cousin," said Kara lamely, "You've...found the tunnels! And you're...all alone in them?" She peered beyond his shoulder into the shadows, looking worried.
"Why yes. I was just...exploring a little, and got kind of lost..." Kal hoped that neither would ask him how he managed to find his way here.
The three of them were still staring awkwardly at each other when Kal heard movement behind him. He whirled to see Bruce stepping from the alcove, looking wry. Kara's golden eyebrows lifted. "Ah," Kal said hastily, "and I brought your pet with me, Kara, to...hold the lamp..."
"Everyone relax. We're all on the same page here. I brought him with me," said Bruce, and Kal's mind stumbled as he realized the man was speaking Kryptonian, as he really heard Bruce speaking his language for the first time. Bruce nodded politely to the man with Kara. "Zhon, it's a pleasure to see you again. And Kara," he said, turning to her, "Your cousin seems to have turned a corner. I have to admit it seems you were right about him." Kal's world fell apart at the seams just a little bit more at the familiar tone in his voice. He was speaking to people he considered his equals. "He took it into his head to incinerate my papers in a quixotic attempt to give me my freedom; we're going to need to forge another set, I'm afraid."
"Oh, Kal," Kara breathed, annoyance and pride warring in her voice.
Kal looked down and realized that both Kara and Zhon were walking in the tunnels. Walking. "What...what..." He didn't know how to finish the sentence, he didn't know where anything was leading anymore.
Bruce nodded and turned to Kal. "Kal. I have to ask your consent for something that you cannot truly give consent for; forgive me. But if we had some way to make sure your motivations are true, that your loyalties are with Earth, do we have your permission to use it?" As Kal hesitated, Bruce went on, "If it turns out you have doubts, or if you aren't truly with us, you'll wake up in the morning with no memory of this night. I promise we won't harm you."
"Of course--of course you can check anything you want," Kal said a little shakily.
There was a silence as all three people looked at him. Then Zhon-Mal bowed his head. "His heart is true," he said softly, and the tunnels of Gotham answered back: truetruetrue.
Bruce and Kara both exhaled, and Kal realized they had been coiled with terrible tension. He addressed himself to Kara, trying to find some stable ground to start from: "You're working with the humans."
She quirked a smile at him. "Yes. I've been doing little things here and there to help the cause of Terra for years now, but was unable to make contact with the cell in Gotham. Not surprisingly, they are not quick to trust a member of the House of El."
"How many Kryptonians are involved?"
Zhon-Mal spoke. "Van-Zee was the first. When the Kryptonians first Arrived, Van-Zee spoke out against the system. He..." Zhon-Mal paused for a second, "...He was a good man, if perhaps too willing to believe in the goodness of others."
"Was? I've never heard of him."
"Indeed. Van-Zee was summoned to a meeting with--" Another pause as if Zhon-Mal were choosing his words carefully. "--with some prominant Kryptonians. I never saw him again. We were told that he had gone off-world in protest. A transparent lie, of course. Because I am still alive, I assume he did not give them my name. He was a brave man." Zhon-Mal looked narrowly at Kal. "I say this because you need to understand that this is a dangerous undertaking for you, for all of us. After Van-Zee vanished, no Kryptonians were willing to challenge the system." The smile he turned on the woman next to him was surprisingly affectionate. "Until Kara."
Kara flashed a brilliant smile back at him, then sobered as she turned back to her cousin. "As far as we know, there are only two Kryptonians working for the cause, Kal. You and I."
Kal looked, puzzled, from Kara to Zhon-Mal. "But he just said that he...isn't he helping as well?"
Zhon-Mal bowed. "My heart belongs to Terra, Kal-El. And while I am not human..." His body shimmered and shifted, the skin deepening to green, the hair fading away, the eyes brightening to ruby. "...neither am I Kryptonian."
"Oh." Kal felt a little bit light-headed; it had been a day of too many revelations, too quickly. That a member of the Kryptonian government was a shape-shifter fighting for human liberation seemed merely one more impossible fact. "That's interesting."
As it turned out, Zhon was a Martian who had been trapped on Earth before the Arrival, hiding amongst its people. When the invasion began, he had taken on the form of a Kryptonian amidst the chaos in self-preservation, and laid low. "I am a shape-shifter, and can fly, so it was not a terribly difficult charade," Zhon said. "Zhon is a reasonable approximation of my name, and Mal is from Ma'aleca'andra, our name for my old world." He shifted form again--not to the Kryptonian, but to a human with light brown hair, shoulders stooped, a red mask obscuring his face.
"The language..." Kal said weakly.
"I am also a telepath. This is how I know you are sincere in your desire to help." He frowned. "And how I know that you are injured."
"He had a run-in with the Cat," Bruce said. "She's found powdered K somewhere and coated her whip with it."
Zhon frowned. "She risks exposing all of us. Where did she acquire it, I wonder?"
"I've got one guess," Bruce said, and Kara scowled.
"Our friend in Metropolis."
Zhon made a small sound in the back of his throat. "He grows impatient. I am unsure we can stall him much longer."
Bruce grimaced. "That's why Kal is so important. The more Kryptonians we can win over--"
"--I'm sorry," Kal said. "But I am totally lost." His three companions looked over at him. "Am I just...going to have to get used to that?"
Bruce put a hand out and let it drop before it could touch Kal's arm. "Starting tomorrow, I swear I'll answer any questions you want. But--"
Kal grasped at the most important point he could see. "You'll still be with me?"
Something flickered in Bruce's eyes and was gone again. "Yes."
"But...as my slave."
"Yes."
The pain in Kal's chest twisted, burning. "I don't want you as my slave," he muttered. "I don't want any slaves. I want to be your friend."
Bruce's eyes were unrelenting, but his voice was soft. "That isn't possible, the way things are." He met Kal's eyes and sighed, reaching out to rest a hand on his shoulder for a second. "Well. Baby steps." Then he shook off his moodiness and squared his shoulders. "Right now we have a meeting to get to." The human form of Zhon nodded and set off through the tunnels, and the others followed after him, Kal swallowing his questions.
The tunnels twisted and turned. Eventually Zhon ducked through a low arch. Kal followed him and found himself in a dimly lit room filled with people--maybe a hundred or so. All faces turned to them as they came in, and Kal realized every one was masked. A sea of masks gazed at him, black and maroon and blue, and Kal knew without checking they would be lined with lead.
Silence reigned as the humans looked at the newcomers, neither friendly nor hostile. Just watching.
Zhon stepped forward and whispered briefly to a man standing against the wall. The man nodded and stepped to the front of the room, all eyes immediately going to him. Tall and commanding, with stern lines around his mouth, he wore a purple mask under thick, wavy golden hair. "Welcome," he said without preliminaries to the crowd. "And thank you for your forbearance. Tonight we are joined by our friend from Colorado, John Jones. He brings with him Bruce Wayne, son of Thomas and Martha Wayne of Gotham, who has traveled far and come back at last to Gotham to help." He paused and looked at Bruce. "I'm sorry to hear of the death of your parents. They were good people and died free." Beside Kal, Bruce nodded once, and the man turned back to the crowd. "In addition, Mr. Jones has brought not one but two Kryptonian allies." The man turned his gaze to the Kryptonians as the crowd rustled. "We are not averse to help from even you. But know that if you betray us, you will pay dearly for that betrayal."
He held up his fist and green light bloomed from a ring on his finger.
The leader turned his attention back to Bruce as the green light winked out again. "You have the floor, Mr. Wayne," he said.
Bruce stepped to the front of the room. He held his head high, his eyes bright with intelligence and confidence, and Kal felt an emotion too strong to fully process pierce his heart.
Bruce looked out over the crowd and took a deep breath.
It was probably Kal's imagination that Bruce locked eyes with him last, as if seeking strength from his gaze.
"Brothers and sisters," said Bruce Wayne, "Thank you for welcoming me to your House. It is a sacred House that I have come to."
And the crowd responded in unison, a low sound like shifting rock, solid and unshakable. "It is a sacred house we have come to. We have come to the House of the Earth."
Kal-El, once of the House of El, heard the words and knew their truth:
The Kryptonians had come to a sacred House.