A/N: See? I told you guys it wasn't actually dead. 
I'm so, SO sorry for the wait, both on this and my other fics. Here's the TOC if you need to remember what's going on, and I hope y'all enjoy this part anyway. 
From Part 7:Lois caught Zor-Xu's eye and nodded towards the ceiling. He got the hint and silently floated them upward, even as the newcomer strode towards the terminal at the far end of the room. Like Jordan, he tapped something on it that Lois couldn't see; then, he began speaking in a language she didn't recognize. She felt Zor-Xu become tense.
Suddenly, the man broke off whatever he was in the process of saying. He froze, his head tilting, and stepped away from the terminal, pulling some kind of gun from his coat. He looked around...and up.
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Part 8:The world blurred for a bit, and suddenly Lois was once again on the floor. The ceiling now had a black and scorched hole in the spot where she and Smith—or Zor-Xu, rather—had been, just moments before. The new-comer's weapon clattered to the floor as the two men grappled, evenly matched. She dove for it.
Lois sincerely doubted that their attacker was one of her relatives. Nevertheless, she still felt a slight pang as she brought the gun up and pointed it at him. “Freeze!” she shouted.
They both stilled, locked in their clinch. The new-comer's eyes widened.
“Hands in the air!” Lois ordered, hoping he wouldn't realize that she had no clue how to use this thing. She tried to project an air of complete confidence, and was rewarded by their assailant slowly raising his hands.
Zor-Xu took advantage of the opportunity to get a secure grip on the man's throat. “Since when does the Earth First movement take Kryptonians as members?” he hissed, glancing at the new-comer's jacket.
Lois frowned in confusion.
The man glared up at Zor-Xu. “Since when does glorious Krypton cower before these Earthlings?” he spat. “We could have already rebuilt New Krypton and restored it to its former glory, if you and your councilmen weren't so afraid of weaklings and half-breeds!”
The gears in Lois's mind began to turn.
Zor-Xu's eyes narrowed further. “You're one of Van-Droc's men, aren't you?”
“Van-Droc is a true leader!” the new-comer proclaimed with righteous indignation. “Van-Droc is a visionary! Van-Droc—”
“—is a fool,” Zor-Xu interrupted, and with a terrible calmness, he snapped the man's neck.
Lois gaped at him. “You killed him!” she accused.
Zor-Xu only rolled his eyes. “Would you rather I just gave him a stern talking-to?” He turned back to Lois and held his hand out. “Now, give me that before you put your eye out with it.”
Lois hesitated briefly, but then gingerly placed the weapon in his palm; if he wanted to kill her, it wouldn't even matter which of them was holding the gun. “Is that why you won't take your daughter to a New Kryptonian doctor?” she asked.
He blinked at her. “What?”
“That guy mentioned New Krypton being rebuilt,” Lois said, pointing at the dead body while trying not to look at it. “Something happened to your planet, didn't it? That's why your daughter is relying on Earth medicine, right now.”
Zor-Xu stared at her, silently, for a long moment. When he finally spoke, his expression remained blank. “Our glorious planet is the envy of all the universe,” he recited. “We are freed from the shackles of our past and stand ready to grasp the future with strong arms.”
Lois nodded in understanding. “I'm sure that sounds very convincing when it's being shouted from a balcony,” she replied.
“You would be amazed,” he told her, a tiny smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. “Now, come.” He nudged her toward the door, and she followed him out into the hallway. “We must find my daughter and get you back to your caretakers before the rest of Van-Droc's—” He stopped abruptly, causing her to bump into his back.
A crowd of rather unfriendly-looking people stood at the end of the hall.
Zor-Xu muttered something distinctly non-English, then scooped Lois into his arms. The world blurred around them again, just as their little welcoming committee opened fire.
***TBC***
