While following behind Father, I noticed my lungs were no longer on fire like previously; in fact, not only that, there was no more air and I at first thought I was going to suffocate, but that wasn't the case as I could feel my strength returning to me. It was slow, but the instant we passed by a window, I got a perfect view of the sun, which, in turn, fuelled me with strength, causing me to return to my normal strength while my body continued to soak up the sunlight, growing stronger like it always does.
"Haa, this feels much better." Said Pharaoh with a smirk as he stopped leaning on Sara and stood upright while flexing his muscles, feeling his explosive strength coursing through his veins once more.
"Eh, you're better now? How'd that happen?" Asked Sara with a confused expression as she stopped walking and looked at Tut, who smirked, though he didn't manage to respond in time.
"I drained the Black Zero of Kryptonian atmosphere, which was weakening him; with it gone, he was slowly gaining his normal strength; the yellow star merely sped it up." Stated Von-Al as he stopped and glanced at Sara and Pharaoh before turning back around to continue walking.
"Kryptonian Atmosphere? Is anything from Krypton your weakness, Tut? No, that couldn't be it; this spaceship is also from Krypton, no? Hmm, what could it be then?" Questioned Sara with a thoughtful expression as she walked beside Tut, glancing at him before eyeing the spaceship, which only furthered her confusion and curiosity.
"No idea, and unfortunately, right now, we don't really have the time to figure out my weaknesses as I'd very much love to." Replied Tut with a shake of his head as he followed behind Von-Al, who led them into a room with many pods.
Noticing the numerous single-person pods, I assumed they were all emergency escape pods, though I wasn't even given the chance to ask.
"Strike that panel." Stated Von-Al as he gestured to the wall Pharaoh was standing by, causing him to raise an eyebrow, though nonetheless, he hit the wall.
Breaking the wall, exposing us to outer space, there was no vacuum effect since there was no air in the ship, though I still made sure to quickly cover Sara in my aura since it wouldn't take long for her body to get practically cooked alive by the radiation the sun was giving off.
Looking out the wall, I saw Earth, just floating in the empty vastness of space while the sun illuminated everything, a sight that was so beautiful that money alone couldn't buy it.
"You see that, Zara?" Asked Von-Al as he stood off to the side while Sara and Tut gazed at the Earth.
"Yeah, it's quite beautiful." Replied Pharaoh with a nod as he turned and glanced at Von-Al.
"That it's your home, not Krypton. Krypton has had its chance, but it failed and died; everything will come to an end eventually, as will this planet and its species. However, until that day comes, you'll be there to protect and guide its people in hopes that they won't make the same mistake Krypton did, and maybe one day, they'll even manage to exceed the greatness Krypton once had." Declared Von-Al solemnly as he gazed at Earth before glancing back at Pharaoh, who nodded in utmost seriousness.
"Heh, I'm still not completely sold on the idea of being a symbol of Hope for Earth, but I'll try it; that shouldn't hurt, at least. Though even if that doesn't happen to work out, I'm not allowing anyone to harm Earth; that's my home, and I'll be damned if I allow someone to take my home away from me." Remarked Pharaoh with a faint smirk as he looked down at the symbol on his chest while Sara softly rubbed her hands atop his chest.
"Just like a Hero." Said Sara softly with a lovely smile as she looked up at Tut, who rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Haa, you're still going on about that? How many years has it been? 4? 5?" Questioned Tut as he looked at Sara while shaking his head with an exasperated smile.
"Heh, you could deny it before, but not now; you're about to save the world from a trio of crazy Kryptonians. What's more heroic than saving the world? No offense, you two." Remarked Sara with a faint smirk as she eyed Tut, who clicked his tongue and folded his arms.
"I'm already dead. None taken." Replied Von-Al and Pharaoh, respectively.
"I'd say saving the universe and then the multiverse, which probably exists, but whatever; I suppose I can't really deny this stupid accusation of yours any longer." Added Pharaoh with a slightly peeved expression as he squinted his eyes at Sara, who simply chuckled triumphantly.
"Hehe, Yes!" Yelled Sara with an almost childlike excitement as Pharaoh just sighed to himself while rubbing his temples in exhaustion.
"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, Father, but we really need to get back to Earth." Said Pharaoh as he picked up Sara before floating out of the spaceship while she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Go, save Earth; save your home, Zara." Replied Von-Al with a faint smile as he watched Pharaoh smirk while he slowly turned around before shooting off toward Earth.
Shotting off toward Earth, we quickly entered the atmosphere as I swiftly took a left, heading for Queens, New York, to drop off Sara since I was about to go and fight; I couldn't have her getting in the way. Arriving in New York, instead of dropping her at home, I headed toward the Daily Bugle before softly landing on the roof and setting her down.
"Thanks for all your help, Sara; without you, I definitely would've been stuck in there forever." Stated Pharaoh with a smile as he leaned down and kissed Sara, which she gladly reciprocated.
"Anything to help, the Superhero Black Steel." Replied Sara with a smirk as she wrapped her arms around Pharoah's neck while looking up at him with a sultry expression.
"Black Steel? How do you know about that? I hadn't told you about Eloise, did Jean?" Questioned Tut with a raised eyebrow of confusion while he looked at Sara, who was just as confused as him.
"Eloise? No, I've got no idea who you're talking about; I came up with the name Black Steel. I've always felt you'd one day become a Hero, and when Tony Stark revealed himself as Ironman, I realized you'd also need a moniker or a hero name. So, after several weeks of thinking, I eventually settled on Black Steel since, well, you're black, and you're stronger than steel." Replied Sara with a shake of her head while she gazed at Tut's chest, only to smirk afterward.
'Wait; Eloise can see future events, so she must've learned of the name Black Steel from her dreams, which means Sara was the one who actually came up with it.' Thought Tut in astonishment as he looked at Sara with a wry expression.
"A little unoriginal if you ask me, but I like the name. Black Steel. Thanks, Sara, I'll use the name." Remarked Tut with a shake of his head as he nodded, causing Sara to jump up and kiss him excitedly.
"Hehe, this is wonderful! Captain America, Ironman, and finally, Black Steel, the three known superheroes! What's even crazier is that all three of you happened to be from New York; Captain America is from Brooklyn, Ironman is from Manhattan, and you, Black Steel, are from Queens." Declared Sara with a large smile as she looked up at Tut, who just softly smiled and nodded.
"Alright, alright, calm down, you bundle of joy; I've got to go and stop Zod and his lackeys. I'm not going to be a hero if I'm here with you." Said Pharaoh as he removed Sara's arms from around his neck and kissed her before floating into the air.
Waving at Sara, I expanded my hearing until it covered the eastern half of America since I already knew where my opponents would be, but what I happened to hear made me utterly furious.
"ZOD!!" Yelled Pharaoh furiously, his loud voice echoing for miles as he blasted off toward Kansas, flying faster than he'd ever flown.
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"Haa, please be okay, Pharaoh." Muttered Hana with a sigh as she looked up at the sky while standing outside with a shovel in hand, digging dirt, only to furrow her brows when she noticed a black dot in the sky.
Seeing the black dot, I first thought it was another meteor, but thankfully, it wasn't; it was instead a plane, one I'd never seen before; in fact, it looked very similar to the pictures in Sara's article about aliens. Realizing it was an alien spaceship, I dropped my shovel and quickly ran into the house, grabbing the shotgun stashed inside the umbrellas; I exited the house after pumping it as I eyed the spaceship that landed right before the house.
"Please let it be Pharaoh playing a prank on me." Said Hana softly as she warily approached the spaceship while aiming her shotgun at it.
After a few moments, the ramp leading to the interior opened, and I saw three people walk down, causing me to frown, though my frown only deepened when I realized the one at the forefront was General Zod, the one who wanted my son along with the Codex of Life, whatever the hell that was.
"Dammit! Pharaoh, please be okay." Muttered Hana in slight anger as she aimed at Zod while her finger rested on the trigger.
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Well, Zod is about to get fucked, but let's save that for later and mention that both Lois lane and Sara had given their man their code names; Lois Lane named Superman, and Sara named Blacksteel