I closed my eyes, but I could still see the screens in front of me.

Nine million.

That was the number of people who had lost their lives during Brainiacs invasion. According to the reports only about a tenth of those deaths had been due to deliberate action from Brainiacs forces. The remaining eight and a half million fatalities had been caused by the virus, every single airborne vehicle on the planet had fallen from the sky simultaneously, killing both the passengers and the bystanders unfortunate enough to be underneath the falling vehicles.

I forced myself to look away from those reports, swiping my hand through them to minimize them for good measure. Turning away from the news articles I instead focused on the military documents Penny had procured.

Brainiac was first seen in the galaxy nearly 700 years ago. According to the data, whatever solar system he appeared in, the destruction of its inhabited planets was always an assured thing. Usually happening within moments of his departure.

He was suspected to be complicit in the complete destruction of over a hundred worlds, and was confirmed to be responsible for sixteen. In their death throes some planets had opted with broadcasting all of their relevant data pertaining to Brainiacs attack as far as they could. Probably in the grim hope that someone out there amongst the stars would use it to put a stop to the menace.

I had been darkly amused to note that the files that came from them were marked as questionable intelligence by Krypton's science council, after all if it wasn't compiled by a Kryptonian or recorded with Kryptonian technology it was obviously subpar and full of inaccuracies.

On three of his incursions, Kryptonian probes had been close enough to personally witness and record the events taking place. I feel it should be noted that although the data provided by these probes was almost exactly the same as the ones provided by the dead planets, it was marked as a credible source.

First, he would send drones in to eliminate or at least suppress resistance, then his main ship would approach. All the while two distinct energy signatures would build up inside the ship. The reason for one of those signatures would be quickly apparent as the ship would encapsulate the capital of the planet and shrink it, allowing it to be brought aboard the ship. The second energy signature on the other hand would keep building up all the way up until Brainiac's ship was at the edge of the solar system, then it would release all the built up energy simultaneously in the form of a beam.

The beam would hit the planet exactly at its center, and bore a hole all the way to its core. There the beam would heat the already molten core to such a high temperature and in such a short time frame that it was instantly vaporized. From there it was simple physics what would happen next. The dramatic increase in pressure with no way to vent it led to the planet blowing apart. Like a fist clenched around a cherry bomb.

That second energy build up was particularly important to me.

According to all the sensor data, only one energy frequency was detected. The planet destroying one was nowhere to be found. Such a tremendous build up of energy was impossible to hide, especially with how close our ships managed to get before he Jumped.

All previously recorded encounters showed him charging up the planet killer before he even entered the solar system. Yet here, he had opted to only charge his city stealing tech.

The only reason I could see was that he didn't plan on destroying Krypton. This was good news in my eyes as it meant I still had a chance to save it. Unfortunately, considering Brainiac's known modus operandi, the only reason I could see for Brainiac sparing us was that our destruction was already all but upon us.

How bad was our situation that Brainiac, a monster responsible for the deaths of countless billions of lives, decided we weren't worth the effort of killing? The thought didn't fail to send a shiver down my spine.

Licking my suddenly dry lips, I spoke. "Penny, what's the ETA on that lab request?"

"The lab you asked for should be up to your specifications and ready for use by tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" I looked at my AI in confusion. "Isn't that a little fast? Especially with all the stuff that's happened? I mean I wasn't expecting it to be ready for another few weeks at best."

"Normally a lab, especially one as specific as the one you asked for, would take at least a week to prepare. But it appears that the Ruling Council has seen fit to change your request to a priority one request."

My eyes widened at the news. I should have been happy that I would be getting my Lab so much sooner. Yet I couldn't bring myself to feel anything except suspicion. The Ruling Council had been literal inches away from tossing me in the phantom zone on what I now realize were trumped up charges. First they wanted me in the phantom zone, and when that didn't work they're seemingly trying to butter me up?

Why?

Why did they even feel the need to get rid of me in the first place? I haven't done anything to personally wrong them before. If anything, I should have gotten brownie points for saving their asses from Brainiac. Yet the fact remained that they had wanted me gone, and now they were offering an olive branch. The only time you try to make peace with something you can't destroy is if they're a threat.

So why did they think I was a threat to them?

No matter what angle I looked at it from, I couldn't come up with a plausible enough reason. After fruitlessly turning it over in my head, I shrugged. I would think on it another time. For now, I would take that olive branch they were offering and run away with it.

Regardless of the reason behind their seemingly bi-polar actions, I was going to be able to get started on my research sooner.

With the clock ticking against me, every second mattered.

///

My new lab was situated on the outskirts of Argo. So close to the edge that within minutes I could walk to the shimmering barrier protecting the city. From a distance the dome appeared to imitate the sky of Krypton flawlessly, complete with simulated clouds and weather patterns. But up close the effect was ruined by the constant ripple of energy. Thankfully the barrier ran on its own auxiliary power, and was all analog. Otherwise the inhabitants of Argo would have been sucked into space when the virus hit.

It was a rather large building all things considered, but it needed to be with all the projects I would be working on in the coming years. Multiple floors, and it even extended downward with subterranean levels. As I walked in, I picked up the circlet at the entrance.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

The entire hall rippled as the circlet synced with my brain. It was one of the design specifications I had made. Every square inch of the walls, floor, and ceilings of this building was coated in a few inches of liquid geo. After years of having it in my bedroom, it had almost become second nature to have it at my beck and call. Considering that this lab was essentially going to be my home for the next few years, I felt the extra cost to be worth it.

I had tried doing research throughout the years, but never really managed to get anything worthwhile from it. Without a Thinkers license I had lacked the resources and privacy I needed to get anything of any substance accomplished.

Now though, I finally had access to literally any file in the Kryptonian database. Regardless of classification or security concerns. Thinkers were expected to use all the knowledge at their disposal. Weapons, medicine, infrastructure, anything and everything was available for my perusal at the press of a button.

I needed to first figure out what was going to cause Krypton's destruction. I needed to know the how, before I could come up with any solutions. I especially needed to have some proof before I could bring it to my family's attention, let alone bring it before the Council.

"Penny, please compile all the data from the planetary surveys."

"What time range did you wish to look at?"

I thought for a moment before responding. "How far back can we go?"

"We have relevant data going back 791,021 years. However, the sensor data from that far back lacks the detail of more modern sensors."

I swallowed, never quite able to get over just how old Kryptonian society was. "We’ll start with the data from the last thousand years and expand as needed."

After a few seconds, windows started populating the space in the lab. Each one containing all the different information. Normally there would only be a few displays hovering around me, but with the sheer volume I had asked for, it would have been impossible to fit everything in my immediate space.

I walked over to the closest one. Numbers, graphs, and photos were neatly arranged. A quick glance was enough to discern it was about the differing gas concentrations throughout the planet, with a gesture it started to scroll downward. Only a dozen or so seconds passed by before it had finished scrolling, and I had absorbed all the data on the screen. A swipe of my hand later and I was greeted with a new set of information, this one about the temperature fluctuations in the poles. And on and on it went, until finally there were no more files left.

"One down, only 999 years of survey data to go." I murmured to myself, my eyes flicking over the plethora of different numbers and graphs.

///

"Mistress Kara. You have a visitor requesting entry."

I looked away from the screen, rubbing my eyes blearily. "Who is it?" My voice came out alot raspier than I had expected. Just how long had I been at it? Now that my focus wasn't in overdrive from all the new information I had been cramming it with, I was able to note with some discomfort that my stomach was screaming at me for attention. With a thought a ration bar was extruded from the kitchen and delivered to me by a tendril of liquid geo, as I bit into the tasteless dry bar I cringed. A cup of water was soon deposited in my other hand.

"General Zod."

I nearly choked on my impromptu meal. "Let him in. From now on he will be granted level two clearance." Level two access meant that he had access to pretty much the whole building, besides any rooms or computer banks I specified needed level one clearance. Since I had only just gotten the lab a few days ago, I have yet to work on anything that required level one security measures.

"Yes, Mistress Kara. I will show him the way." Penny said as she floated out of the room.

As the room I was in was on the first floor, it only took a few moments for Zod to be led to the room. He glanced around the lab curiously, his eyes widening at the amount of displays floating around the room. "Well I see you've jumped right into the role of Thinker. It's only been three days since you got the lab, and by the looks of things you're already overworking."

"It's not that bad." I smiled slightly. "I've seen Jor-El's lab, he is the definition of a workaholic. How he manages time to eat is beyond me. I'm already struggling with that as it is and I don't think I have even a fraction of his workload." I raised my half eaten ration bar as an example.

His nose wrinkled at the sight of it much to my amusement. "Those things are fuel, not food. Trust me they dont seem that bad now, but give it a few more days, and you will murder the next person who suggests eating them outside of emergencies."

I shrugged, personally I kind of liked the fact that they didn't taste like anything. It let me focus better on what I was working on. The fact that I could cram the whole thing in my mouth and within seconds meet my daily calorie intake was just an added benefit. The size of it also meant less potty breaks which was also a plus. I had the fate of a world on my shoulders. I think I could put up with tasteless food if it meant a higher chance of success, no matter how small of an increase it was.

"What brings you here Zod? As much as talking about the pros and cons of ration bars amuses me, I doubt that's what you came here in person to discuss." Normally I would have taken the time to have enjoyable conversations with the general, but I wouldn't waste time now. I could waste all the time I wanted after I saved the world.

His shoulders straightened at my words. "For your actions during the invasion, it has been decided that you will be awarded the title of Sword of Rao."

I stared at him, my mouth open but not moving. "Sword of Rao?" I was honestly puzzled. Did it have to do with the Sword of Rao my family made or was it a simple coincidence of matching naming schemes? Zod held the title of Shield of Rao after all.

"It's a title reserved for only the most valiant of Soldier Caste, and can only be bestowed by a unanimous vote of the Ruling Council, it is one of the highest honors anyone can be awarded. Since its inception it has only ever been granted thirty-seven times. You would make it thirty-eight."

"B-but I'm not from the soldier caste!" I sputtered stupidly, my mind trying and failing to process the news.

"After what you did? I don't think it would matter if you were from the Agriculture Caste." He snorted before continuing. "The Ruling Council must love that." The sarcasm practically steamed off his words.

"But you said it had to be a unanimous vote. If they didn't want to give me the reward, then why are they?" My brows furrowed in confusion.

He stared at me for a moment, his gaze penetrating. "You really haven't put it together have you?" He shook his head slowly with his eyes closed, a sigh escaping him. "You know? With how smart you are, and with all of your prodigious achievements. I always forget just how young you are. I suppose it's not a bad thing to be able to look at the world with such young eyes." He smiled ruefully at me, before continuing bluntly. "The council is scared of you."

I took a moment to take in his words. He has never given me a reason to doubt him before and it wasn't like the news wasn't in the same vein as to what I had already been thinking. "Why?"

"The invasion has made the Ruling Council look weak. People who never questioned the council's edicts are starting to do double takes, and those that had already been doing that are on the verge of open defiance."

"For the first time in over 20,000 years Krypton is on the precipice of civil war. A single spark could set it off. During moments like these it only takes a single person to take the first step. For better or worse, in times of fear and uncertainty, people always look to follow the lead of those who inspire them."

Zod held out an arm and with a quick flicking gesture the holoscreen full of environmental data I had been looking at was replaced with an image. It must have been pulled straight from one of the destroyed Brainiac robots memory banks, because I could think of no other way for that image to have been taken. "This image was leaked within twenty four hours of the invasion."

It showed a young girl holding a flaming sword to the sky, from the angle of the camera it looked like she was glaring defiantly at the sky. Men and women gathered around her in a defensive circle, holding the encroaching horde of metallic death at bay with blazing streaks of orange light frozen mid-flight. A shaft of familiar red light seemed to bathe the defenders, like some sort of stage light, further enhancing the already picturesque qualities of the scene.

I could only think of one word to describe my thoughts at that moment.

"Shit."