02x07 - Zods and Monsters

[bunniefuu]

Look, I have seen more than I care to.

I've done more than I care to.

Have you found
those missing Sagitari yet?

Everyone in that expl*si*n was k*lled,

but I'm still picking up
lots of warm bodies behind there.

General Zod,
you have betrayed your people.

You must be punished.

No!

If this is your rebellion,
I want no further part in it.

Zod has given us an ultimatum.

He demands we hand you over,
or everyone on the moon dies.

You can't be a part
of this rebellion.

I've tried so hard to keep you
from making the tough choices.

I never wanted you
to have blood on your hands.

We don't have the numbers
to defend our base

and hold the base station.

Brainiac is alive in me.

And gaining control.

Take me to my ship and I will
imbue you with the power

to defeat General Zod.

I promise you I will never
let anything happen to you or Cor.

Like the Els and the Zods
of the past,

when the houses of our family
work together,

we create greatness
that sustains Krypton.

Scouts in the outlands have pinpointed
Doomsday's location,

an icescape system south of Kandor.

I need a progress report on this w*apon.

The hardware components are complete.

Projectile with Stellarium-powered

delivery system allowing
for unprecedented impact depth.

Then I will test it in the field.

My fellow Kryptonians,
I know the last broadcast

you watched was as painful
for you as it was for me.

Those t*rrorists on Wegthor
ex*cuted my mother

to send a message
that we should all be afraid.

But when I looked out
on the proud citizens of Kandor,

I saw that message was rejected.

For I did not see fear.

I saw courage.

For what is courage,
if not the strength to stare

defiantly into the face
of those who would have us

live in fear and not turn away?

True courage is the strength
to acknowledge the presence

of that fear...

and to overcome it.

And because of the strength
you all gave me...

all Kryptonians can sleep easier tonight.

Yes, the mythical beast of the outlands
has been brought to heel.

And soon, so will the rebels on Wegthor,

for they are about to face
a test of their courage,

because the first fleet
of our space-faring ships

is complete.

It is time for Krypton
to take its rightful place

in the universe, not as the conquered,

but as conquerors.

Seg...

I know how much you loved Lyta.

And I'm sorry for what
you must be feeling right now.

But when you're ready to talk,
I'm here to listen.

Wait, where are we going?

An excellent question.

I can't get into that right now.

Please, just trust me.

It's Brainiac, isn't it?

You can't tell me where we're going
because he can hear everything.

Not just what you say, Seg-El,

but what you're thinking too.

It's too late. He knows.

Nyssa, I need you to listen to me.

The only way to make sure
that everyone's gonna be safe

is to get Brainiac out of me for good.

But we cannot go anywhere
near his Skull Ship.

If Brainiac reconnects
with his quantum consciousness,

he'll be too powerful for anyone to stop.

- We...
- That's enough.

Seg?

Fortress.

Fortress?

Hold on.

I'll get us there.

Hey, have we heard from Seg yet?

No.

So we still don't know if he knows
about Lyta?

Well, we have to assume he does.

It was broadcasted all over Krypton.

I've been trying to reach him,

but there's been no communication
with Krypton since...

Since we destroyed
the elevator base station.

But right now we've got
more immediate concerns.

Hey, Kem.

Tagging along on another mission,
huh, buddy?

I'm leading the mission.

You asked Kem to lead?
Why didn't you ask me?

Have you been fighting
alongside the Sagitari

- for the last six months?
- Oh, no, but...

And do you possess a thorough
and intimate knowledge

of the various tunnel systems on Wegthor?

- No, but...
- No.

Listen, the only way
to gain experience is...

through experience.

Can I just join?

Ask Kem. His mission.

His team.

What...?

Hey.

You really... You're gonna make me
say this out loud, aren't you?

Oh, yeah.

- Can I please...
- Sorry?

Can I please join the mission?

Of course you can join.

- Thank you.
- No, thank you.

You don't know how difficult
it's been trying to recruit

- a squad for this.
- Oh, why? What's the mission?

To locate and neutralise those Sagitari
that Zod sent down the mines.

- That's not so bad.
- No.

Assuming they're where we last saw them.

They're not.

Really? You think they moved?

You think they're planning an att*ck.

Well, I have no idea, Adam.

That's why we need to find them
before they find us.

Don't worry. It'll be fun.

- Right.
- If you like cold, cramped, dark spaces

and the very real possibility
that we will be exposed

to raw Stellarium deposits, resulting
in severe radiation poisoning.

What's that... that like,
the radiation poisoning?

Oh, well, I mean,
it affects everyone differently.

You know, this one guy that I saw,

diarrhoea so bad
that he crapped out his entire skeleton.

Can you believe that?

And he survived.

You know, sometimes at night,
when I close my eyes,

I can still smell it.

And the noises he made.

Anyway, gear up, Earthling.
We leave in 20, yeah?

It's clear.

I guess Zod took whatever
he needed from here

before abandoning it.

Up there.

You don't look so good.

- You should rest.
- We don't have time.

Seg. What a surprise.

How can I be of service?

Brainiac. He's inside of my body
and he's shutting me down.

We need your help, Val.

- Come with me.
- Wait!

Wait.

I just want to hold him one last time.

Just in case...

Just in case...

I can't hold him off any longer.

Seg?

Seg!

The hypersonic brainwave
pulse remains stable.

But turning him off is not enough.

- To weaponize him, I need...
- Complete control.

Yes.

To unlock the safe of Doomsday's mind

via somatic reconditioning,
we first need to navigate

the calcification, scar tissue,
and plaque encasing his skull

before we can even reach his brain.

You can hear it, right?
They're getting louder.

Closer.

The w*r isn't going to end
unless somebody does something.

But why does it have to be you?

They said I'm the only soldier
with the right mutation.

It's called the Vara gene, apparently.

How does a mutation end the w*r?

I don't know.

But if the Els believe
it can make a difference,

I have to do whatever I can to help.

I'm sorry.

It's just...

- Who you are.
- It's who I am.

They said you could withdraw anytime

before the experiment's commenced.

Now, have you thought
about what that means, Dax?

They wouldn't have that rule
unless they anticipated that...

The subject would be driven to abort.

Don't call yourself that.

Don't ever call yourself the subject.

You're my Dax.

You're reading too much into that.

They want decisiveness.

And what shall I tell our daughter?

Tell her her father is helping to build
a better tomorrow.

So that she may grow up
on a peaceful Krypton once more.

A Krypton that will never again
be marred in civil w*r.

Apologies, but time is precious.

We must get started.

End this w*r, love.

Then come home.

I will. I promise.

Goodbye, Enaj.

Goodbye, Dax.

So this is where you'd like me
to stand?

Here?

No, that's quite all right, Dax.

My name is Van-Zod.

I believe you've already met Wedna-El.

We'll be taking you through this process.

Okay.

So, what do you need me to do?

You did everything you needed
to when you signed up, Dax.

You're a true hero.

But if we're going to win this w*r,
you need to be more than that.

We need to make you more than that.

What do you mean, exactly?

Your unique genetic makeup,
it makes it possible for us

to enhance your cellular memory
indefinitely.

By exposing your cells
to different vulnerabilities,

we will build up your body's defences

until you're invulnerable
to all lethal force.

You want to make me a superhero?

Are you ready to be one, Dax?

Let's do it.

Trial one, test one initiated.

It's a mine entrance.

Fire Team One, scan it.

Set a proximity charge
when you double back.

Fire Team Two, clear that pathway.

- We've got your back.
- Yes, sir.

What?

What is it? You're being strange.

Earning your namesake, honestly.

Oh, I mean, just, you know, look at you.

Six months ago you were running a bar.

Not even a good one.

I'm surprised you keep the doors open.

Okay, can I get an ETA
on the point you're trying to make?

Look, I'm trying to give you
a compliment, okay?

It's a little hard. I'm proud of you.

You really stepped up, so...

And you nearly stepped on
a landmine just now.

- Are you serious?
- No.

I'm not serious. That was a lesson.

We've detected activity in the mine ahead.

Could be the Sagitari we're looking for.

All right. Let's regroup
and recon some more.

If we recon,
we risk losing the element of surprise.

We're heavily outnumbered here.

So if we engage now, then we can...

No, we stick to protocol. That's it.

Now, how about you show me
where they are?

Okay.

Is that what we're looking for?
The nanites?

This may prove more complicated
than I originally calculated.

Of course it will.

What's the problem this time?

The cluster rests upon your brain stem.

Well...

it was put there by an alien
called Brainiac, so...

sounds about right to me.

Besides, we're not exactly swimming
in options here.

So let's get it done.

Are you sure?

We have to try.

Seg, no!

I am sorry, Seg-El, but you know I cannot
allow you to complete this procedure.

It's not me. It's Brainiac.

He's taking more control of my body.

You're gonna have to restrain me.

We'll have to do this manually.

Okay.

Wait.

You're not saying
that I have to do this, are you?

Because that would be a really bad idea.
Really bad.

Have you used a sonic scalpel?

- All the time.
- Excellent.

- You'll need to...
- No, I'm being sarcastic.

Of course I've never used a...
whatever it is you call it.

Sarcasm, I see.

Well, without prior experience,
it will certainly be more challenging.

No. No, I'm not doing it. I'm sorry.

- There has to be another way.
- Nyssa.

Nyssa, look at me.

If there is anything for sure
that I know about you,

it's that you can do anything
you set your mind to.

Just believe in yourself,

the way I've always believed in you.

And you're gonna be fine.

Seg, that was a lovely speech.

But that is not gonna help me
slice you open

and remove an alien parasite.

Be realistic.

Realistic?

If I asked you to go up to Wegthor

and double-cross the leaders
of the resistance

and steal the Codex
from under the nose of Jax-Ur

and bring it back to Krypton,
would you call that realistic?

What if I asked you to go to House Zod,

walk in there unarmed,
take our child in your arms,

and jump out of a window
into a waiting skimmer

that's gonna take you away to freedom?

Realistic or no?

I know you've been struggling
with who you really are.

What you're really capable of.

But if you could see the person
that I see when I look at you...

you'd never fear anything.

How do you always know
the right thing to say?

Well, being raised
in the Rankless District

means you know how to talk
yourself out of trouble.

Thank you, Seg...

for always believing in me.

Okay.

I can do this.

Slice repeatedly to go deep enough
beyond the muscle layers.

Just don't go too deep
or we risk permanent brain injury,

and, or paralysis.

Hey, Nyssa, you just remember
what I said, okay?

You can do this.

Oh, and, hey, if not,
it sounds like I'm gonna have

a catastrophic brain injury,
so I probably won't be able

to hold it against you too much.

More sarcasm. Excellent.

Shut up.

Why is this taking so long?

The scar tissue is so deep
it makes mapping the brain

incredibly challenging.

Memory's difficult to locate.

Probe deeper.

Without giving any recovery time,

we risk further damaging
Doomsday's ability to process.

We are not doing this
so he can make speeches.

Probe deeper.

Found something.

It's a memory sequence.

But it's pretty entangled.

It's registering as very traumatic.

Show me.

Subject is deceased.

Time, 12:56.

Test one, failed.

Administer resurrection protocol.

Initiative, trial one, test two.

Subject is conscious and alert.

What... What... What did you do to me?

Trial one, test two initiated.

Test two successful.

Shall we move on?

Trial two, test one.

Subject is deceased.

Time, 1:56.

Administer resurrection protocol.

Pathogen level within subject
now critical.

Subject is deceased.

Time, 5:34.

Test 105 failed.

- Administer resurrection pro...
- No.

- No what?
- No more.

This isn't right, Wedna.
You know it isn't.

What are you talking about?
We're almost there.

Look at him.

Look at what we've done to him.

What we've turned him into.

We have to keep going, Van.
Our people are depending on us.

Our people are fighting this w*r
without us.

We should be out there with them,

alongside Jo-Mon
and all the other Els and Zods.

They are being slaughtered up there, Van!

The only chance we have
of protecting Argo City

from the Kandorians is right here.

I know it goes against
what we both stand for.

But it's what must be done.

I just wish there was another way.

There isn't.

Not this time.

Administer resurrection protocol.

Well done, Nyssa. Place it in here.

The nanites are microscopic,
invisible to the naked eye.

And there they are.

Good.

We can now release Seg
from his restraints.

Nice work.

Are you okay?

Thanks to you.

I mean it, Nyssa.

Thank you.

There is one more thing.

Cor.

Ever since I've been back,
I've had Brainiac in here,

and I'd like to hold my son

for the first time as the man I truly am.

I think it's time
Cor met his dad properly.

Hello, my son.

Hello, my Cor-Vex.

No, Seg.

I've been thinking.

I don't want our son
to carry the Vex name.

You were right...

about what you said before.

I have been struggling with who I am.

There's so much I've done
that I'm not proud of.

So much of who I am or who I was...

came from how I was raised by my father.

The Vex name is forever tainted

by what he did to the people of Kandor.

But what my father did to me...

I don't want that for him.

I don't want that for our son.

He shouldn't have to carry
the shameful history of House Vex.

That family line ends with me.

I want our son to be an El.

Cor-El.

If I might interject...

traditionally,
when adopting the El family name,

it follows that your son should also take
the first name of one of his ancestors.

Your great-grandfather, Seg.

My father.

A humble man.

His achievements perhaps not as grand
as some of our more esteemed ancestors.

They might have been,

but his focus was his family.

He was kind-hearted,

a brilliant scientist,

and a wonderful father.

It sounds perfect.

Are you sure?

My son...

many years from now,
when they tell the story of your life,

all of your accomplishments
and achievements,

they'll be telling the story...

of Jor-El.

- Hey, what happened?
- The scanner d*ed.

Must be the Stellarium radiation.

But you saw them? The hostiles?

I saw something, yeah.

That's enough recon for me.

- Let's get in there...
- No.

I'm going in alone.

Okay, is the Stellarium radiation playing
with your brain thoughts, maybe?

I don't think that they're hostiles,
Adam.

Hey, can I just...

Hey, so, like, maybe what if, right,
hypothetically speaking,

your hunch on this is, you know,

absolutely, without a doubt,
a hundred per cent wrong?

Yeah, well,
thank you for the confidence, Adam.

Listen, as much as I don't like her,
maybe she's right, okay?

You got a lot of lives on your hands.

Look, I know what's at stake!

I've been in this situation before,

and I am not gonna let
another innocent person die

because of your lack of faith
or anyone else's lack of faith.

So, please, just for once in your life,
listen to me and stay put.

That's an order.

I'll be back. Soon.

Probably.

Right there.

More deep memories

that according to the sensors

are registering even stronger
than the prior set.

Thank you. You can leave us now.

You'll be summoned if needed.

It is a great honour...

to be in the presence
of the bravest Kryptonian in history.

And the most misunderstood.

You sacrificed everything for Krypton.

You are a hero.

In many ways, we are like brothers...

protecting Mother Krypton at all costs.

This is why we must be alone
in this moment.

Such a fine specimen.

Yet even the finest crafted arrow
is of little use without a target.

You will fulfil your destiny,

and protect Krypton.

Initiative, trial 455, test five.

- Where is he?
- We're perfecting him.

You have to understand. We're this close.

The w*r is over.

Jo-Mon has brought peace to Krypton,

and yet you still keep from me my husband.

There will always be another w*r.

As long as resources remain too scarce
to support our city-states,

Krypton will never be truly free.

Your husband,
he is the key to everything, Enaj.

The evolution of our species.

He is our path to a better tomorrow.

I don't care about tomorrow.

I want my husband right now.

I can't let you do that.

Your husband is mere trials away
from complete invulnerability.

And I plan on carrying them out,

so if you're going to sh**t me, do it now,

or let me get back to work.

Dax. Dax, is that you?

Dax?

Dax!

- Dax! Let me in there!
- I can't. It's too dangerous.

- Let me in there now!
- You don't understand!

He's not your husband anymore!

What... What do you mean?

What did you do to him?

I'm sorry, Enaj.

The Zods and the Els, we... failed you.

Dax. No.

Are you there?

Please!

I need you!

Please.

Dax, what did they do to you?

Enaj.

Enaj?

What do you think?

Have you got one in Jor-El's size?

- What is it?
- Brainiac's nanites.

The cluster, it's gone.

Crap.

How long are we going to wait?

Till he comes back.

He could be dying in there.

You want that on your conscience?

You can sit here doing nothing.
I'm going in.

No, you are not.

Get out the way.

I don't take orders from you.

No, you know what, you don't.

Then again, I'm not the one
who gave the order to stand down.

So stand down!

So I'm gonna ask you one time

to sit your insubordinate butt
down over there

and wait for your commander.

Crap.

Down on the ground!

On the ground!

Hold on. Hold your fire! Hold your fire!

Put your w*apon down.

These Sagitari have all been exposed
to high levels of Stellarium.

They're too ill to get back to their base
for medicine and food.

So, everybody,
please, hand over your meals.

Quickly. Come on.

What are you waiting for?

You heard your commander.

Hand over your meals.

How did you know that they needed help?

I mean, I didn't fully,

but before the scanner fritzed out,

I noticed that their heat signature
was oddly dim,

and Stellarium mines don't have
that effect on the readings.

But I... I just think growing up
in the Rankless District,

I know what hunger looks like, so, yeah.

Anyway, let's feed these people.

Kem. You found them.

Yeah, hiding in a mine
exposed to Stellarium.

Zod sent them there
during the negotiations for Lyta.

Told them to wait for further commands,
but they never came.

He abandoned them.

- Casualties?
- None.

Thanks to this guy.

Okay, okay. That's enough.

I mean, they needed help,

and they weren't getting it
from General Zod.

So I told them
that they could find it here.

- Indeed.
- Yeah.

- Well done, Kem.
- Hey, Val, a little respect here.

Well done, commander.

Hey, sergeant.

Let's get these folks to medical.

Yes, sir.

Hey, Kem.

Just want to say that I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

I know I rode you hard earlier.

Yep, like a darn Seabiscuit.

- What?
- Never mind. Just keep going.

You did well.

You know,
in as far as not getting yourself,

me, or any of my squad horribly k*lled.

Oh, it's not that hard
once you get the hang of it.

Thanks for backing me up.

- Sneeze brisket, huh?
- That's not the... No.

- Was it? Yeah, it's sneeze brisket.
- No.

We scanned the fortress three times now.

There's absolutely no trace
of Brainiac's nanites within.

Unless...

Seg, what is it?

Unless it's already found its way
into one of us.

No.

No, how could it do that so fast?

I would feel it, right?

I don't know.

It's bio-digital.

You have its signature from the refractor,
right?

- Yes.
- Could you scan us

for any trace of digital parasite?

Yes, I... I could.

Start with Jor.

There is no parasitic presence detected
within Jor-El.

Scan Nyssa.

There is no parasitic presence detected
within Nyssa-Vex.

Then it has to be me.

No. You don't know that. Run the scan.

- Nyssa.
- No, Seg, we've only just got you back.

- It's gonna be okay.
- Seg, Nyssa's right.

We can't be sure until we run the scan.

For all we know,
Brainiac's nanites could...

What are you doing?

Scramble the skimmers.

I want them in the sky now!

Had you taken me to my ship
per our arrangement,

all this could have been avoided, Seg-El.

We both know you want more
than the Skull Ship, Brainiac.

Is that why you reneged
on our arrangement?

You thought I was going to complete
my acquisition of Kandor City?

A logical assumption.

But my designs to preserve Krypton
have been amended.

They no longer involve Kandor City at all.

I don't believe you.

That is of no consequence.

I suggest you stand back.

There is no greater power
than the universe.

Come with me...

and discover it in ways
a Kryptonian can only dream of.

All that time inside my head

and you still don't understand
the first thing about me.

Let me spell it out for you.

I do not crave power
to destroy the way you do.

It is you who fails to understand me.

I seek only to preserve

the unique cultures
that exist within this universe,

saving them from their own
inevitably self-destructive impulses.

You can call it what you want,

but you are a monster
who sees yourself as a god.

And I will never join you, Brainiac.

Your choice is as illogical
as it is unfortunate.

But you have earned the right to make it.

Goodbye, Seg-El.

My directive is, as it always was,
to preserve the best of Krypton.

I once believed it was Kandor City.

Now I believe that the best of Krypton
lies within the blood of the Els.

- No! No, Nyssa, no! Nyssa!
- No! Let go!

No! Let me go!

You said this wouldn't happen!