Val of House El,
you are hereby sentenced to death.
No!
Seg, someone from the future is coming to destroy Krypton.
Take this. You have to find the fortress.
Grandfather was no traitor.
He was a hero.
Welcome to your grandfather's Fortress of Solitude.
Val was determined to prove that we weren't alone
in the universe.
We have to finish his work.
Who's your accomplice, Charys?
I love you. It was me!
No, Val!
No!
- Please, no, please! - No!
Your parents chose chaos.
I need to know if you intend to follow in their footsteps.
I don't.
The blood of House El will forever bind us.
Hello, Seg.
Grandfather.
I'm a projection of Val-El.
You've still got me, Seg.
We were never gonna find a way to be together.
You want me to bind with your daughter?
Okay.
Even if I never get to bear the sigil of my own house,
I will not wear yours.
Commander? What is all this?
The Rankless initiative.
We're going down to the Rankless to crack some skulls.
You are Lyta of House Zod. You are a warrior.
Commander Quex-Ul.
I challenge you to a Kandorian duel.
No mercy will be shown.
Lyta-Zod.
I hereby appoint you Commander of Fourth Squad, Sagitari.
Here's something you don't see every day.
The meteor shower reported in the Outlands.
We're gonna check that out.
Something crashed here.
This better be something real, Earth man.
I'm getting tired of being...
Val!
Grandfather!
Hello, Seg.
Whoa.
- You look super realistic for a... - Val, Adam.
Adam, Val.
This was found in the Outlands.
- We think it's a... - I know what it is.
It's one of Brainiac's probes.
He sends these things out into the universe.
It's how he determines if a civilization's
worthy of collection.
- Exactly. - We need you to run
some analysis on this.
See what we can find out.
Well, let's take a look.
Put it there.
The techno-organic material of this device
is of unknown origin.
But this is only a casing for another device.
- It's a shell? - Precisely.
This is used to contain a Sentry.
Once the shell is opened,
the Sentry's exposed.
But right now...
we can extrapolate from the interior structure of the shell
the approximate size and shape of the Sentry.
Right, I get what it looks like.
But what exactly is it?
It's parasitic.
Once the Sentry is out of the shell,
it seeks a host.
It takes over the host's body.
It then uses that host to gather information
about whatever planet it's on.
Defense systems, population, vulnerabilities, etcetera.
Once it's gathered all the information required,
it uploads it to Brainiac,
and leaves the host body for dead.
So we need to extract this little bastard from its shell
and then deactivate it before it goes to work, right?
Easier said than done.
Remember, once we open the probe shell,
the Sentry will activate
and do what parasites do:
seek out a host body.
You do realize I'm a hologram, don't you?
Do it, Grandpa.
Shit.
It's not in there, is it?
I'm afraid not.
It appears the Sentry has already been released.
_
Oh, Mighty Rao, before your grace,
we wandered lost in the darkness.
Until you appeared and led us into the light.
Beautifully said, Ona.
Thanks, uncle Kem.
My pleasure.
You'd better hurry up and eat that before it eats you.
- Do you want some? - No, I'm not hungry.
What? Well.
That is unfortunate, because it would be a shame
for this to go to waste.
Rhom, don't worry, okay?
I know things are tough for everybody,
but there will always be a meal here for you and Ona.
I'll pay you back soon.
I...
I'm starting a glamorous new job tonight.
Rhom, isn't it?
You having trouble with the scanner?
Yeah, a little.
Thank you.
No problem.
Your first time working salvage?
Yeah.
Got any advice?
Just remember, it's up to you to report what you find.
Some things are worth more on the black market
than in the hands of the guilds.
Synced & corrected by kinglouisxx www.addic7ed.com
Okay.
Let's think this through.
If the Sentry isn't here,
it means it's found its host, right?
I believe so.
And whoever that host is,
I'm afraid they're in mortal danger now.
You said the Sentry's a parasite.
Maybe it takes time to infect its host.
Maybe we can find the person before that happens.
- Deactivate it. - Perhaps.
But honestly, Seg, I... I just don't know.
My research was interrupted too soon.
I'm sorry.
Okay, well, we at least have to try, right?
Let's go back to the beginning.
Okay, we found this thing in the Outlands.
So, who else goes out there?
Salvage crews.
So, let's say that some poor chump found the shell
and somehow got a hold of the Sentry.
What happens then?
Well, if he reports it, it goes up to the guild.
And if he doesn't?
Might try and sell it.
Keep it for himself.
Look, if we're gonna find this thing
before it completely takes over its host,
then we gotta start working fast.
You find Kem.
Head over to the Labor Index.
Find out if anyone in those salvage crews saw anything.
I'm gonna head up the Guilds, find Lyta.
See if anyone turned it in.
Sounds good to me.
Let's go.
Seg, wait up.
I can't. I'm in a hurry.
Well, I'm sure I can keep up.
Nice to see you walking amongst the Guilded.
Didn't even have to send a Sagitari to retrieve you.
Some would call that progress.
One of these days, we'll work up to a family dinner.
I'd like that.
Hm, I really need to teach you how to lie, Seg.
I'm better with the truth.
It means a lot what you did for me, Nyssa.
Allowing me the chance to give my parents an honorable burial.
Urgent military business?
I just need to get my security clearance reinstated.
Better.
That was almost believable.
Have your secrets, Seg.
I most certainly have mine.
Be sure to give my congratulations to Lyta
on her new promotion.
You could have been killed.
I know, but I wasn't.
I don't get it.
Was this to earn your mother's respect,
to... to somehow prove that you belong?
- No. - Then why?
Why would you risk your life like that?
I don't have time for this.
And you shouldn't even be here.
Lyta.
You killed someone.
I challenged Quex to change things.
To change the way the Sagitari treat the Rankless.
Then I guess I should be thanking you.
I appreciate you checking in on me.
If I'm being honest, it's not the only reason I'm here.
I need your help tracking down any reports
of anything unusual or suspicious being turned in
to the Guild.
There's something we need to find.
What is it?
I found it in the Outlands.
Never seen anything like it before.
Give you 200 solars.
200? No.
It must be worth more than that.
Not to me.
Oh, fine. Deal.
Pleasure doing business.
Let's go.
Black Zero has already made one attempt on my life.
Can you assure me this Rankless Initiative
will mean it's the last?
When the sun rises tomorrow,
Black Zero and their sympathizers
shall be brought to justice.
I hope so,
because if this initiative fails
and they are not made to suffer the consequences
of their actions,
then perhaps you should be.
Keep me apprised of the progress.
Of course, Your Eminence.
The Sagitari will be comforted to know
the Voice has taken such interest in the operation.
I do not care for their comfort.
Only that they succeed.
Black Zero's leadership hierarchy.
We still don't have any substantiated images
of Jax-Ur, but you should all be familiar
with most of these other faces by now.
Not this one.
- Who's he? - Unknown.
Intelligence suggests he's a relatively new player.
Seems to be rising up through the ranks very quickly.
We've detected a high concentration
of Black Zero activity which suggests they have a stronghold
somewhere in this area.
Sector 19.
The council have authorized us to seal off the entire area,
to go street by street and root out their operatives.
Their leaders are our primary targets.
Brief your squads.
We are a go at 4300 hours.
There are thousands of innocent citizens
- in this sector. - If they give refuge
to enemies of Kandor, how innocent can they be?
They know more about the area than our satellites ever will.
If we take our time to get to know these people
rather than uprooting them from their homes,
they will be more willing to give us information
- about Black Zero. - If the Rankless choose not
to divulge what they know about these terrorists,
then they will pay a price for their silence.
Now, if there are no more questions....
Nothing unusual reported to the Guilds.
Any luck with the salvagers?
Do you know how hard it is to ask someone if they've found
any alien technology without actually asking them,
"Hey, have you found any alien technology?"
I'm sure you found a way.
They're the only ones out there.
They had to have seen something.
Sure, um, rusted-out skimmers,
a half-eaten ice wraith,
the carcass of the much bigger, much scarier thing
that ate the ice wraith.
But listen, don't worry. I'm sure that our friend
from a distant galaxy has got it all figured out.
Kem.
Lyta.
You just couldn't keep your mouth shut.
I killed a man for the right to open it.
I deserve to be heard.
You know what I mean.
We both know who lives in Sector 19.
Seg's not Black Zero, and neither were his parents.
Their actions at the Tribunal suggest otherwise.
And I'm sure they had friends who were Black Zero
who are still among the Rankless.
Any forewarning puts every Sagitari in danger.
Your squad needs to know they can trust you.
Remember, the higher you rise,
the more eyes are eager to watch you fall.
This is your locker now.
Dev, I know how much you cared about Quex.
I care about you, too.
I'm sorry.
Look, you did what you had to do.
I keep telling myself that.
It's natural to have doubts, Lyta.
About what you've done, what you're about to do.
But if you let your squad see them,
they'll begin to have doubts about you.
If we go through with this,
I believe we will create more terrorists than we'll stop.
What do you mean, "if" we go through with it?
We have our orders.
- But we can't... - We don't choose
which orders we follow.
I shouldn't have to tell a Commander that.
- All right. - Hey, uh, I'm...
I'm looking for something...
a little unusual.
Just...
H'Rakan egg sac.
Very unusual.
And delicious.
No, I think maybe something a little less unusual.
Maybe something, uh, more shiny.
I recently acquired a Daxamite hunting blade.
No.
What about...
Mithenite gemstones?
No, I'm looking for something...
Maybe, uh, that. Right there, yeah.
Yeah, how much?
One of the few remaining relics
of the legendary Tenth City?
Listen, from one bullshitter to another,
we both know that's not true.
20,000 solars.
Come on, man.
Look, the guy over there sells them for half that.
I didn't wanna say it, but, uh,
he says yours are fake.
Attention!
Listen up, because I'm only going to say this once.
The Rankless are not our enemy.
This Initiative is about targeting Black Zero
and Black Zero only.
They have killed citizens of Kandor, the Guilded,
and Rankless alike.
It is our job to stop them from killing more.
And it will be done with honor and respect.
And without a single shot fired
on innocent people.
Mark my words.
There will be no cracking of heads or thinning the herd.
Nobody fires unless I give the order. Understood?
Yes, Commander.
The ability to divorce oneself from emotion
is what separates a successful mission from failure.
And we do not fail.
May Rao's grace be your shield.
And light the way to victory.
- What are you doing? - Shh.
Did you... did he just shush me?
In your own tavern.
Did anyone follow me in here?
I don't see anyone, no. Why? What did you do?
What superheroes do.
Is this what I think it is?
Well, it ain't a hot dog.
Yes, it's the Sentry.
And it looks to me like it hasn't activated yet.
Eh? Fist bump.
No? Is that a thing here?
Look, will you just get out from behind my bar?
And you're paying for that drink, by the way.
Hey, focus. Fate of the world.
Let's get this thing back to the Fortress
and make sure it never finds a host.
I don't understand you!
And you owe me for that drink!
Idiot.
So, we get Val to make absolutely certain
that it hasn't been activated.
Then, all we have to do is figure out
how to destroy that thing.
Well, maybe there's a way to reverse engineer it.
We can figure out how far away Brainiac is.
- You can do that? - Maybe.
With Val's help.
Attention, Rankless citizens.
This quadrant is being evacuated.
Sector 19 residents are hereby evicted.
Prepare to be scanned and processed.
Attention, Rankless citizens.
This quadrant is being evacuated.
Sector 19 residents are hereby evicted.
Prepare to be scanned and processed.
On the ground!
Sect off the perimeter.
Attention, Rankless citizens...
- Aah! - Hurry it up.
Prepare to be scanned and processed.
Attention, Rankless citizens...
Sector 19 residents are hereby evicted.
Prepare to be scanned and processed.
Back up!
Attention, Rankless citizens.
This quadrant is being evacuated.
Sector 19 residents are hereby evicted.
- You, over here! - Evacuate your residences...
in orderly fashion.
All adults older than 15 cycles...
- Come here right now. - Stop that!
Another one.
Turn your face toward the scanner.
No sudden movements!
All Rankless citizens will evacuate their homes.
This one's fine. Move to sector three.
Hey, let's get out of here. Let's go.
Listen to me. Take this.
We can't risk it falling into Sagitari hands, all right?
Get it back to the Fortress and start working with Val.
How am I supposed to do that? Look around you, Seg.
I don't know. Find a way.
No, hey, hey!
- Where do you think you're going? - To talk to Lyta.
Adam, go!
Please remain calm!
I want squads three and eight to secure this area.
Once that's done, move onto the next one.
Is this your idea of changing things?
I am trying, but we cannot ignore the intelligence
that Black Zero's operated out of this area.
Do they look like Black Zero to you?
This was going to happen with or without me.
I am doing my best to make it as safe as possible.
How long have you known about this?
You chose not to tell me.
You didn't trust me.
I can't talk to you right now.
Get out of here, Seg.
Go.
Report to the southern checkpoint.
Come on, I'm dying here, man.
How long does it take to figure out if it infected anyone?
Well, if you believe there's a more efficient method,
you're welcome to try.
No, all good here.
But when you're done there, I got something else
for you to look at.
It's called a Zeta-Beam Device.
I know, came up with it myself.
Anyway, it's kind of the horse I rode in on.
Only she won't giddy up anymore,
and she's my return trip home.
So, I'd kinda like to get...
Uh, that's not good, is it?
Who else has the Sentry been in contact with?
Kem? Kem, are you here?
Seg, we kinda got a big problem here.
What is it?
I'll let Val explain.
An analysis in the Sentry shows it to be inactive.
Great, why is that a problem?
Because it means the Sentry's already found a host.
- Let's go. - Hey... pig.
Rhom?
- Ah. - Rhom, Ona?
Why are they doing this?
I don't know, but just come with me, all right?
- Everything hurts. - Everything will be fine.
Just trust me.
Mama...
Did the Sagitari hurt her?
No, she's been sick all day.
Mama, are you okay?
We're scanning this area. Get out.
No, she needs a doctor. She needs a doctor.
Children to the southeastern sector.
- She needs a doctor! - Mom!
No, don't touch her!
Please, don't hurt her!
- Ona! - I want my mom!
Where are you taking me?
Get to the checkpoint.
Move, now.
Okay.
Up, Rankless.
We're evacuating this entire area.
We need you out.
Hey!
We need to go.
We need to go, come on. Ona, come on. Let's go, let's go.
Don't do this!
- Over here, Rankless. Over here. - What are you doing?
In here. In here.
Seg's on his way.
We'll figure this out.
You're safe in here, okay? Don't worry.
I don't understand.
What's happening? Why did my mom do that?
- Are you guys all right? - Mm-hmm.
Yeah, we're fine.
- But Rhom. - She hurt those men.
I think... I think she...
It's not her fault. It's not her fault.
She's sick.
Whatever she did, whatever happened,
it's because of the sickness.
Understand?
It's not her fault.
It's not her.
You can help her though, right?
Why don't you tuck into these,
and we're gonna figure it out, okay?
Please help her.
We're gonna do everything we can.
I thought we'd found the Sentry in time.
What happened?
We were too late.
It was dormant because it had already found its host.
In Rhom.
I knew she was doing it tough,
but I... I had no idea that she was working salvage
in the Outlands.
I just don't understand why she didn't tell us.
We could have helped.
She was probably too embarrassed.
Do you, um...
do you think we can save her?
I dunno.
But if there's a way, I'm gonna find it.
Did you see which way she went?
Towards the market, I think.
I don't know. It all happened so quickly.
Okay.
Hey, hey.
Be careful.
Seg, you... you haven't seen what she can do.
Just take care of the kid.
All squads, lock down your sectors
and form your lines.
All squads, lock down your sectors
and form your lines. Now.
Do you think we're going to let this go unpunished?
You think we can't make you talk?
You think you can protect the bastards that did this?
Tell us where Black Zero's hiding.
I don't know.
I didn't see anything.
How about now?
This jog your memory?
I can't breathe.
If you can talk, you can breathe.
Got no right to be here. You've got no right!
He's not Black Zero.
Now tell me where Black Zero is.
- Let him go! - Shut your mouth, Rankless!
Let him go!
Back off!
You murderer!
Quadrants one, two, and three have been swept,
cleared, and secured.
And?
And we've yet to locate the Black Zero stronghold,
but there's only one quadrant left to lock down.
Why the delay?
There's been a situation with the Rankless.
Move! Back up!
- Killers! - Step back!
Weapons down!
Weapons down, now!
That is an order!
- What happened here? - She killed an innocent man!
- She murdered him. - It was self defense.
I had no choice.
So you, a Sagitari, felt threatened
by an unarmed man in shackles?
He was coming to the aid of a Black Zero sympathizer.
- That's not possible. - That's a lie.
She's lying.
- Probably one himself. - Probably?
So you admit you weren't sure?
Kol-Da.
You are under arrest for the unlawful death
of a Rankless citizen.
For defending myself against a terrorist?
You will get your chance to plead your innocence
before the Tribunal.
A chance you denied this man.
- Justice! - Calm down.
And unless you would all like to join her,
I suggest you disperse and proceed
to the nearest checkpoint now!
I can't find any sign of Rhom.
Do you have any idea where she would have been headed?
Wherever will allow it to upload
information on Kandor to Brainiac.
Might try a communications center.
Listen, you have to destroy that thing before...
It's not a thing or an it we're dealing with.
- Rhom's my friend. - Not anymore.
She's been taken over by Brainiac's technology.
What if we can find a way to disable it?
Even if we could,
how would you get close enough
and not end up like those soldiers?
I know you wanna save your friend, Seg.
But there's a lot more lives at stake.
You heard what Val said.
Brainiac's Sentry has one goal and one goal only.
To gather all the information Brainiac needs
to lay this planet to waste.
I want you to think about that.
Anyone that you have ever known or loved.
Whoever she once was to you is gone.
She's Brainiac's agent now.
I can't sneak away for long, Seg.
- What is it? - You owe me.
I need an electrostatic discharge grenade.
But it only works on electronics, right? It's not gonna kill anyone?
Well, what do you want it for?
What's really going on?
Three of my squad are dead,
and now there are reports of a communications hub breach,
and you come asking for an ESD,
and I'm not supposed to think that's connected?
If you are covering for Black Zero...
Not Black Zero.
Then who is it?
Some pissed off Rankless out for revenge?
It's a friend.
Okay? And she's not herself.
But I can stop her. That's why I need the ESD.
You are asking me to hand over military ordinance.
I'm gonna need a little more than that.
If I thought there was any other way to do this,
I wouldn't be here.
But I have nowhere else to go.
I am asking you, Lyta,
to trust me this time.
I have dead Sagitari.
You're gonna have a lot more if you send them inside
that communications hub.
Do you trust me?
Yes.
Be careful.
Commander Zod, we have possible Black Zero activity
in the communications hub.
Why is your squad holding their position?
We're still assessing the nature of the threat, Primus.
It's not your job to assess, Commander.
- It's to neutralize. - I understand that.
Then order your squad to move in at once.
Negative, Primus.
Not until I can ensure the safety of my troops.
Lyta, you are disobeying a direct order.
I hope you know what you're doing, Seg.
Rhom?
Rhom, it's me, Seg.
- I can help you. - There is no Rhom.
Rhom has been collected.
Krypton is worthy of collection.
You will be collected.
I am transcendent.
Free of the material universe and the limitations
of physical existence.
Rhom... it's me.
I'm your friend.
I know you're in there somewhere.
There is nothing to fight.
This is a gift.
My faculties of cognition are beyond
any living being's comprehension.
Fight it, Rhom.
Fight for your daughter.
Fight for Ona.
Ona loves you.
And there isn't anything you wouldn't do for her.
I need you to come back for her.
Fight this, Rhom.
I need you to help me.
Primus, we're breaching the hub.
Clear left.
Clear right.
Commander Em, situation report.
Primus, it looks like they tried to hack
into the electro-communications grid.
No Black Zero operatives in sight.
But no sign of any Black Zero operatives.
What happened to her?
Is she still alive?
Barely.
Seg, what's going on?
My grandfather was right.
We're not alone in the universe.
There's something out there.
It found her, and it's coming for us.
Whoa! Whoa.
It's okay.
He's... an acquaintance.
The skimmer's close, but we should hustle
before these lights turn back on.
Seg, if what you're saying is true,
then the Council need to see her.
We can make them believe.
I can't.
I have to save her.
Lyta, thank you for trusting me.
Yes.
The only arrest made in the Rankless Initiative.
One of our own Sagitari.
Father?
What are you going to tell the Voice of Rao?
The only thing I can.
The truth.
Are you sure the truth is the best option right now?
What's the alternative?
Black Zero continue to exist unabated,
and now...
The mission is a failure.
Is she going to live?
It's difficult to say.
Whatever Brainiac did, it appears to be
keeping her alive.
My concern is that, in trying to reverse it,
we risk losing her.
Well, at least you stopped her
before she got to a transmitter
and uploaded whatever info she accessed.
I don't believe that was her intention.
What do you mean?
I believe she is the transmitter.
We gotta stop her before she sends a signal to Brainiac.
It's too late.
It's already been sent.
Krypton,
your world is at an end.
Synced & corrected by kinglouisxx www.addic7ed.com