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Chapter Text

Adventures of a Super Family

Chapter 1: Arrival

*****

Disclaimer: All things Superman/Supergirl belong to DC Comics. No copyright infringement is intended.

*****

The world around her slowly came into focus, though her mind remained fuzzy. What had happened? Where was she? Her eyes took note of her surroundings, taking in metal walls all around her, the monotony broken up only by the rather soft padding she was lying on. Something small and warm rested in the crook of her arm. Something that was starting to move.

She looked down, seeing the infant clutched against her chest, and suddenly she remembered.

We’re out of time, Jor! We need to launch now!

The second craft isn’t ready, Zor! We’ll have to put them both in Kara’s ship.

Kara, love! There is no other way!

No, please don’t send me away! I can’t do this without you!

You need to take care of your little cousin Kal, Kara! You must protect him!

Come with me, please!

We’re out of time, Alura! Lara, give Kal to Kara!

Good-bye, my son! Kara, please take care of him! Take care of each other!

I promise I will protect him! I promise! I promise!

Launch! Now!

Noooooooo!

The sound of baby Kal in her arm waking up and crying managed to snap her out of the memories. For a moment the despair was overwhelming. Krypton was gone. Her parents were dead, just like her aunt and uncle, Kal’s parents. Everyone was dead. Kal and she were all that was left. They were all alone.

Tears staining her eyes, she forced the despair away. There would be time for mourning later. The dead could wait. For now she needed to make sure that Kal and she didn’t join them. The last thing she remembered was climbing into the pod and the stasis kicking in. She had remained awake just long enough to see the flash of light that signaled Krypton’s final doom, the planet tearing itself apart, before she fell asleep, not knowing if she would ever wake up again.

The craft around her looked intact, so it seemed everything had worked, or so she hoped. There had been so little time. Her father and uncle had had but minutes to tell her everything she needed to know. The craft was supposed to land on a distant planet called Earth, inhabited by a race called humans. They outwardly resembled Kryptonians, so Kara and Kal should be able to blend in and the yellow star of the system was supposed to have an enhancing effect on them.

Kara was actually amazed that she remembered that much, given that she had been crying and screaming in denial for most of that lecture. She hadn’t wanted to go and leave her parents and family behind. She was only a teenager, for Rao’s sake, still a child herself. Now she was supposed to take care of an infant on an alien world? She barely knew how to take care of herself.

The despair rose up from within her, threatening to drown her in thick black waves of sorrow, but she pushed it down again. Later! Much later! First thing first.

“It’s going to be okay, Kal,” she tried to soothe the crying baby in her arms. “I’ll protect you, I promise! No matter what, we’ll stay together!”

It seemed to work, for Kal’s blue eyes fixated on her and he stopped crying. For a brief moment she envied him. Kal was still so young, less than half a solar cycle old. He would not remember anything about their lost home. Would not remember seeing his entire world disappear, swept away like dust by some unseen god’s cruel hand.

“I guess we should take a look at our new home then,” she said, hoping her voice sounded somewhat steady. She was scared, so very scared. Out there was an entirely alien world and it was just the two of them. She had no idea what to do, only that she needed to protect the baby in her arms. Finding her resolve, she touched the controls next to her and the small craft opened up.

Sitting up, Kal securely in her arms, she looked around. The first thing she thought was “so much green!”. Her father had told her that this world was far younger than Krypton with a very extensive fauna and flora, but it hadn’t prepared her the sight of so much untamed nature. The craft had apparently landed in the middle of a field of some kind. A shallow crater showed that the craft’s touchdown hadn’t been entirely smooth, but the hull looked undamaged.

She blinked, noticing the bright yellow sun shining down on them. She felt it tingling across her skin, almost like a weak current. She drew in a breath and the oxygen-rich atmosphere almost made her feel giddy. Was this what her father and uncle had meant by enhancing effect?

She carefully climbed out of the craft. Or at least that was what she attempted to do. As she pushed off, though, her body practically catapulted out of the pod, arcing through the air as if she weighed nothing. She gave a surprised yell, instinctively clutched Kal closer to her chest, and turned them around so her body was between him and the ground. Hitting the ground drove the air out of her lungs, but surprisingly there was no pain. Kal was actually laughing in delight.

Slowly Kara got back to her feet, disoriented. The tingling on her skin was getting worse, now feeling more like an itch. The light seemed brighter than just a moment ago and as she moved, the rustling of her bodysuit seemed unnaturally loud.

“What’s going on here?” she whispered, and even those words sounded extremely loud.

Suddenly there was a new sound, hitting her ears like a battering ram. She flinched, her free hand clasping her aching head, and looked around. There! Something was approaching. A vehicle of some sort. It was loud, so very loud! And... Rao, the stink! Some kind of exhaust cloud was trailing behind the vehicle and the odor was threatening to suffocate her.

She tried to get up, but didn’t make it any farther than her knees. It was just too much. The light too bright, the sounds too loud, and her skin felt like it was on fire. A small part of her mind registered that two shapes had detached from the approaching vehicle. Humans, had to be. They really looked like Kryptonians. But it hurt to think. Everything hurt.

One of the humans, a female, came closer and said something to her. She recognized it as one of the Earth languages her father had logged into the craft’s computer. During her long sleep the learning program had fed them into her brain. She understood the words, a question about needing help, but her mind was incapable of actually processing it. There was just too much.

She opened her mouth, trying to speak the human’s language, hoping that the sounds coming out somehow made sense, that the humans understood she was pleading for help. Then everything went black as her overtaxed mind finally gave up and sent her into blissful unconsciousness.

*****

When she regained consciousness an undetermined amount of time later, she found herself in a new location. She was lying on a bed and the roof above her seemed to be made from some kind of organic material. She looked around. She was in some kind of living quarter. Apart from the bed, there was a desk, two chairs, and some kind of storage closet. A window was beside her, but thick fabric hung in front of it, dampening the light coming in from the outside.

She realized that the room was quite dark, but for some reason she could still see everything clearly. Such as the fact that she was alone. A jolt of fear swept the last remnants of sleep from her mind.

“Kal?” she cried out, sitting up quickly. Too quickly, as it turned out, as she immediately became dizzy and also launched herself off the bed, hitting the ceiling, and falling back to the floor. While she still tried to orient herself, the extremely loud click of the door signified someone entering.

“Take it easy,” a female voice said in English. “Everything is okay!”

She looked up, seeing the female human from before. And there, safely in her arms, was Kal, happily giggling as he saw her.

“Kal! Oh thank Rao, you’re safe!”

She scrambled to her feet, managing to do so without launching into the air again, and quickly approached the human, who readily handed over her cousin to her. Kara enclosed him in her arms, tears of relief in her eyes. Kal simply giggled, seemingly without a care in the world.

“Why don’t you sit down,” the human said, gently guiding her over to one of the chairs. Kara didn’t resist, she was far too relieved to have Kal back in her arms to care about anything else for the moment. Rao, she didn’t know what she’d have done had something happened to him while she was out.

She needed a minute to compose herself, something the human seemed to realize, as she left her to it. When she finally looked up again, she studied the woman who had sat down beside her. Humans really did look like Kryptonians, even up close. The woman was clearly older than Kara, fully adult, and her skin was somewhat darker, probably due to constant exposure to the sun. Brown hair with a bit of reddish tint to it framed a gentle face and the other woman smiled at her.

“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” she asked. “Are you hungry? Thirsty? Does anything hurt?”

Kara blinked, somewhat taken aback by the kindness she was experiencing. “I... I am unhurt, thank you. And... thank you for taking care of Kal while I was out.”

“That was no problem at all,” the woman said, her hand reaching out to brush across the few wisps of dark hair on Kal’s tiny little head. Kara tensed for a moment as the woman reached for her cousin, but then relaxed. If they had wanted to hurt them, they would have had every opportunity to do so while she was unconscious.

“This little guy is quite the charmer. What’s his name? And yours, while I’m asking.”

“I am Kara. Kara...” she stopped, thinking. Her full name was Kara Zor-El, as it was tradition back home on Krypton for children to carry the full name of their father until they reached adulthood. But her father was gone, everything was gone. Despite not being adult, she was now the oldest living member of the house of El and thus the head of the family.

“Kara-El,” she finally said. “And this is my cousin, Kal Jor-El.”

“Pleased to meet you, Kara,” the woman said. “And you, too, Kal. My name is Martha. Martha Kent. And you might remember my husband Jonathan, he was with me when we found you.”

Kara dimly remembered the second human, but it had been but a few seconds. Reading her face, Martha just patted her hand. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, you’ll meet him soon. He is downstairs cooking up some food for us. I am sure you must be hungry?”

Kara thought about that for a moment. Was she hungry? She should be, she realized. She had been in stasis sleep for Rao alone knew how long and she knew that people awakening from stasis were usually ravenous. But she didn’t feel hungry. In fact she felt quite energetic. Still, the idea of eating something was appealing, if for no other reason that she really had no idea what to do next.

“I... yes, I could eat something.”

Martha nodded and stood up, clearly intending for Kara to follow her. Kara moved slowly and carefully, remembering her previous attempts at moving fast. She felt too light, almost as if she might float away if she wasn’t careful about planting her feet on the ground. Adjusting her hold on Kal in her arms, she carefully walked after Martha. Outside the room was a corridor and a set of steps leading downwards. The light increased as they walked, the downstairs rooms not shielded from the sun. Kara squinted, the intense light was still hurting her eyes.

“Are you all right, dear?” Martha asked, clearly noticing her distress.

“It’s... sorry, the light is so bright, it makes my eyes hurt.”

Martha moved away from her and a moment later the light level decreased. Kara looked up and saw that Martha had drawn fabric across the biggest window of the downstairs area. The light was still bright, but it helped. Also, Kara seemed to be adjusting, at least somewhat. She noticed that the sounds, while still very loud, didn’t hurt as much as before.

A large table stood in the center of the room, surrounded by chairs, and things that Kara assumed were food items were on top of it. Martha gestured towards one of the chairs and Kara carefully sat down. Kal seemed to be happy and immediately his tiny hands reached for one of the food items. Kara was uncertain of what to do, she had no idea if this alien food was good for a toddler.

“Don’t worry,” Martha said, once again seeming to read her mind. “We already gave him some milk earlier and a cookie, too. He seems to like them.”

Kara nodded, watching as her baby cousin chewed on something that she assumed was called a cookie. He didn’t have teeth yet, so it would probably take some time for him to finish this job.

“Ah, I see our strange visitor is awake,” someone said, causing Kara’s head to snap up. She had been so focused on Kal that she had completely missed the sounds of someone approaching.

“Jonathan, this is Kara. Kara, this is my husband, Jonathan Kent.”

Kara studied the male human, once again amazed at much like Kryptonians the humans looked. He was tall, a good deal taller than Martha, and had the same sun-kissed skin tone. His hair was as blonde as Kara’s own. He wore clothing that seemed quite worn and it left his arms bare, showing that he had an ample amount of body hair. Somehow that amazed Kara more than anything else. A good portion of Kryptonians considered it risqué to even have hair on top of their head. Body hair was almost completely unheard of.

“Nice to meet you, Kara. You made quite the explosive entrance.”

She needed a moment to understand his meaning. The ship. They had obviously seen the ship coming down. Which immediately caused another moment of panic in her.

“Oh Rao, my ship! I need to get back to it!” Everything that had survived of Krypton was on that ship. The computer contained the sum total of Kryptonian knowledge, as well as materials to construct Kryptonian machines and dwellings. She needed that ship, without it…

“Don’t worry,” Jonathan said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “We figured that leaving it out in the open like that was not the best idea. I towed it back to the farm, it’s outside in the barn.”

Kara had no idea what a barn was, but the knowledge that her ship was close helped to relax her some.

“Now if you don’t mind, Kara, we have some questions of our own,” Jonathan said, sitting down beside her. “We... ah... well, we couldn’t help but notice that this ship you arrived in... it’s not exactly from around here, is it?”

Kara looked at him, feeling as if the human man’s eyes were gazing right through her skin and down to her soul. Of course they would have questions. She knew that Earth was a primitive world with no contact with other planets or civilizations. Aliens were probably the stuff of fiction for them.

She briefly considered what to tell them. Some kind of lie? Just enough to keep them off her back until she could get away? But get away to where? Where could she possibly go? She knew little of this world. Some basic information, yes, but certainly not enough not to stand out. It started with the clothes she wore, the Kryptonian bodysuit looking very, very different from the clothes Martha and Jonathan wore. Kara might look human, but she had no idea how to behave like a human. Never mind the fact that she was still a child herself. Running around by herself was sure to draw attention from adults, even more so because she had a baby with her.

Also, there was the fact that her own body seemed to be changing. Her skin still tingled, though it didn’t hurt as much as before. She wasn’t hungry, though she should be. Her eyes and ears were still hyper-sensitized, she doubted she could step outside into the bright sunlight without fainting. Amazingly Kal didn’t seem bothered, but that might simply be because he was still so very young.

These people had already been incredibly helpful. And right now it seemed Kara had little choice but to trust that they would remain so.

“You are right,” she finally said. “My ship... we... are not from Earth. Our home was called Krypton.”

“Was?” Martha asked.

Kara nodded, even as the despair welled up inside of her again. She tried to push it down once more, tried to keep a calm head, but for some reason it wasn’t working this time. Her eyes filled with tears and she felt as if a great weight was pressing down on her.

“They’re gone,” she whispered, barely managing to formulate the words in the still-unfamiliar alien language. Sobs were building in her throat. She could not breathe. “They’re all gone, our entire world. My... my father and uncle, they... they knew it would happen, but no one believed them. They built ships in order for us to escape, but there was not enough time. Only one ship was finished, and they… they told me to get inside, to take Kal, and… and then…”

She could not finish, she could not put it into words. They were all gone. It was just Kal and she, alone on an alien world. The last of their kind. All alone. It was up to her to keep Kal safe and she had no idea how. No idea what to do, where to go, how to handle all this. She was still a child herself. Kal, sensing her distress, was starting to cry, too.

Suddenly there were arms around her and she felt herself pulled against Martha’s chest. The human woman was careful not to crush Kal between herself and Kara and the three of them ended up huddled together, Kara’s cheek resting against the soft fabric of Martha’s shirt. She couldn’t stop crying. All the grief she had suppressed just came pouring out and the kindness shown by the alien couple into whose lap she had fallen broke down whatever barriers remained. Kara cried for her lost world, her lost family, and for Kal and herself, who were all alone in the universe now.

“You’re not alone,” Martha said, holding her. “It’s terrible what happened to you, but you’re not alone. We will help you, I promise!”

Somehow, without any logical reason, hearing these words helped. It did not lessen the sorrow, it did not dampen the pain, but maybe, just maybe, it wouldn’t all be up to her. Maybe she did not have to do all this all alone. Maybe she did indeed have help.

“Thank you,” she whispered, relaxing in the embrace of a stranger.

*****

Six years later

Kara was sitting on top of the Kent farm’s barn, eyes closed, just relaxing in the early morning sunlight. It had become sort of a ritual for her during these last few years. She did not really need much sleep, so she always got up at the crack of dawn and let the morning sun wash over her, focusing on the feeling of her cells soaking up that wonderful warmth.

As they often did, her thoughts inevitably travelled back to that fateful day when she and her baby cousin Kal had landed here, the sole survivors of a doomed world. So much could have gone wrong. They could have drifted endlessly in space until their life support gave out. They could have crashed into a sun or on a hostile world. They could have encountered people intending to harm them. Instead, though, they had met the Kents. And everything had worked out from there.

She smiled, thinking of how confusing those first few months had been for all of them. The Kents had been determined to help them. Mostly because they were just that good a people, but also because Martha and Jonathan had instantly fallen in love with Kal. With her, too, probably, but mostly Kal. Kara now knew that Martha and Jonathan had tried for a long time to have children of their own, but it had never worked. So two alien children just dropping out of the sky and right into their laps had been a godsend as far as they had been concerned.

Thinking back, it might have been easier if they had both been toddlers, at least as far as constructing a backstory here on Earth was concerned. With Kara being roughly 13 Earth years old or so at the time, though, they had to be a bit more imaginative. Martha and Jonathan had gone through many possible scenarios with her, all of them focused on making sure that no one had any reason to question Kara and Kal being related and staying together, no matter what. Thankfully the Kryptonian technology from Kara’s ship had made it easy to hack into the primitive Earth computers and lay a convincing data trail.

Which was how they had ended up with their current identities. Kara was now called Karen Kent, the 19-year-old daughter of Jonathan Kent’s older brother Samuel Kent, who had died in Vietnam without ever knowing that he had fathered a child. Kara was extremely thankful to “Uncle Jonathan” for allowing her to use his deceased brother’s name for her deception. According to the documents, Karen had been born to a woman called Alya Jones (who was entirely fictional), who had died in a car accident when Karen was 12. After a brief (and also fictional) stay in the foster care system, Karen had been given to her only living relatives, her uncle Jonathan and his wife Martha.

How to incorporate Kal into this story had been harder. The Kents could have passed him off as their own child, thus making Kara his cousin on Earth as well, but people in Smallville would have wondered how Martha managed to carry a child to term without ever appearing to be pregnant. Plus the fact that, while Kara had at least a minor resemblance to Jonathan, Kal looked nothing like either Kent. Passing him off as a parentless child from the foster system had also been a possibility, but it would have meant that, in the eyes of the law, Kara and Kal were unrelated, which Kara simply didn’t want.

In the end they had decided on a somewhat riskier version of events. During her fictional stay in the foster system, Karen had fallen pregnant from an unknown father. Given that she had been 12 at the time, it was pushing things a bit, but sadly it was not that uncommon on Earth for barely pubescent girls to be impregnated and giving birth, even in developed countries. So as far as everyone except Jonathan, Martha, and Kara was concerned, Karen Kent had a son. A son called Clark.

And speaking of Clark: “Moooooom!”

She opened her eyes, having long since heard the hyperactive 7-year-old boy storming out of the house. He knew that she enjoyed watching the sunrise. Quickly sliding down from the roof, she let herself fall to the ground and a moment later Clark was there, embracing her.

“Hey, little guy? Sleep well?”

“Like a log, mom!”

Even after six years, it was still strange for her to hear him call her mother. She had had long debates with Martha and Jonathan about how much they should tell Kal. There was no question that he would be told the entire story sooner or later, but expecting a little boy to keep up their cover story all the time was just asking for trouble.

So for the moment Clark thought that he was just a normal human boy and that she was his normal human mother. Well, not quite normal. He knew that his mother was special, possessing abilities beyond those of most people, and that he was not supposed to tell anyone. She had also hinted at the possibility of him also gaining powers once he was older, something he was terribly excited about. So far, though, Clark might as well be a human boy. The miraculous powers that Earth’s sun and atmosphere had gifted to Kara had not shown up in him yet. She was sure, though, that it was just a matter of time.

“Are Uncle Jon and Aunt Martha up yet?” she asked, despite clearly seeing the two of them moving around in the kitchen.

“Aunt Martha told me to get you for breakfast,” he said, jumping up and down.

Smiling, she followed him into the kitchen of their home. And it was their home by now. She felt safe here. She would never be able to repay Martha and Jonathan for all that they had done for them, not if she lived to be a thousand years old. She loved the two of them and she knew that they loved her and Clark as well.

Martha and Jonathan had basically raised Clark as if he were their own child. Of course Kara had been there the whole time, too, but she had already been a teenager and struggling with her own problems. She had needed the better part of a year just to get a consistent grip on her powers, so she was more than thankful that Martha and Jon had taken over most of the parenting duties. And afterwards she had needed time to settle into Earth culture, too.

Unlike Clark, who was in school now, Kara had not partaken of the American education system. Given the advanced level of schooling she had already gone through on Krypton, she had easily tested out of all classes and gotten her GED at 14. She was taking numerous college courses by correspondence, too, and planned to have several degrees before she hit 20. Once, a long time ago, she had fully intended to follow her father and uncle into a life of science. She planned to do the same here on Earth, but that was more of a side project.

Looking on as Clark ran over to Martha and Jon, her plans for the future and her adult life on Earth were affirmed once more. She had arrived here on Earth as a refugee, helpless, alone, with no idea of how to take care of the precious life entrusted to her care. She had found help here, more help than she could ever have reasonably expected. She could never repay the Kents, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t do her own part to help others.

She had powers far above those of the humans. Given everything she could do, she was easily on a par with Earth’s mythical gods. And she would use those powers. Not to set herself up as a goddess, but to provide others with the same help she had received. Krypton was gone. Earth was home to Kal and her now. And she would use every single bit of power her new home had given her to protect it from harm.

“Coffee, Karen?” Martha asked, looking at her.

Walking over to the woman who she had no problem calling her aunt, Kara hugged her gratefully and took the coffee cup.

“Thank you,” she said, sitting down with her family.

*****

End Chapter 1.

Author’s Note: having watched and read numerous iterations of the Superman / Supergirl story, I became very partial to the version where Supergirl is actually older than Superman and was supposed to arrive on Earth together with him as his caretaker. And I wondered how it would have worked out, had that actually happened. So here we are. I will borrow freely from any and all versions of Superman / Supergirl and the other DC properties. There will be elements from Man of Steel, the Animated DC series, the comics, the Supergirl TV series, and everything in between (probably not Smallville, though).

As for the story itself, it will be pretty much episodic in nature, showing different events in the lives and times of Karen, Clark, and their eventually expanding families. I used to love the old “Superman Family” comics from DC way back in the day, and I’m hoping to recapture some of that feeling, too. Let me know what you think.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Going Public

Disclaimer: All things Superman/Supergirl belong to DC Comics. No copyright infringement is intended.

*****

Perry White was the kind of reporter whose picture could have been put in the dictionary right next to the word. He was tenacious, had a sixth sense for good stories, and was almost impossible to dissuade once he had sunk his metaphorical teeth into a scoop. He had been a mainstay at the Daily Planet, Metropolis’ major newspaper, for as long as anyone could remember and most people considered it a given that he would become the next editor in chief the moment he got tired of running after stories himself and asked for the job.

Which was why it was somewhat of a surprise to see him at a mere publicity event such as this. The launch of an experimental new high-altitude passenger plane was exciting, sure, but it was not the kind of story Perry White usually pursued. Standing around on an airfield, watching a plane take off, listening to PR people talk about the advances in technology, this was usually the kind of stuff given to junior reporters to get their feet wet. But here he was, Perry White himself.

Truth be told Perry was here for two reasons. Number one, he was bored. His desk was currently devoid of any substantial leads to anything he might consider a worthy story. Which brought him straight to number 2, he had a hunch. It was nothing he could put on paper, nothing that would hold up to any scrutiny, but he had a hunch. He had read about the impending launch and something in his gut had said that he needed to be there.

Of course he had done his homework and looked into the launch. The new plane was the first of its kind outfitted with a new kind of navigational control. The tech jargon was far beyond him, but basically it meant that the new tech could do a better job at half the size and a quarter the cost. He had traced back the development records to a small new start-up company called K-Solutions, which seemed to specialize in developing new technologies and proofs of concept before selling the ideas to bigger companies.

Again, there was nothing there that screamed “story!” at him, but his gut said otherwise, so here he was, standing amidst a crowd of spectators and other reporters, watching as a futuristic-looking plane rolled down the runway to prepare for take-off.

The start went off without a hitch and the plane circled around for a fly bye as it began to climb. Perry was almost at the point where he was ready to give it up and go home for the day, figuring that his hunch had been wrong, when it happened. A thunderous boom caused everyone to look up. One of the engines of the plane had just blown up in a big ball of fire.

The plane tilted to the side, trailing smoke, debris fell down to Earth. The plane had been over the bay when the explosion occurred, but Perry quickly realized that it would not stay there. The aircraft had been in the middle of a turn, its nose was now pointing directly at the landing field. With growing horror Perry White saw tomorrow’s headline forming in his mind:

EXPERIMENTAL PLANE CRASHES INTO THE CITY, HUNDREDS DEAD!

The fact that his own name would be part of the obituary was on his mind as well. At its current heading the plane would plow straight through the observation platform they were all standing on, and then into the city behind them. He briefly considered running, but he was right in the middle of a panicking crowd. The plane was coming closer at frightening speed. There was no way to escape. He was dead.

No matter how much he thought about it later on, he would not be able to tell what it was that made him take his eyes off the approaching plane and look at the young woman standing to his left. Perry had an eye for people, he had taken notice of her when he arrived. She was in her early 20s, if that. Long blonde hair, tall, looking like she could easily work as a model if she wanted. She wore casual clothes, Jeans and a light jacket over a blouse, nothing extraordinary. She did not look like a reporter, so he had taken her for a mere spectator and not paid any further mind to her. The days when pretty young women held his attention for longer than a few seconds were behind him. So why was he looking at her now? What was different about her?

It was her face, he realized a moment later. Unlike everyone else around them, she did not look scared. Which was highly unusual, given that a burning airplane was about 10 seconds away from crashing down on top of them. Her eyes darted every which way, as if looking for a way to escape, but again, not in fear or panic. A moment later a look of resignation came over her. And then she took off.

Perry White blinked, briefly entertaining the notion that the plane had already hit and his dying brain was firing off some last-second hallucinations to ease his passing. Human beings did not “take off”! They ran, they jumped, they fell, but they did not just shoot upwards into the sky like a rocket. No way, no how! Without any conscious input from his mind, his eyes followed her. She was heading directly towards the approaching plane.

Perry did not remember reaching for the camera he had taken with him on his hunch, did not remember hitting the button over and over again as he watched the most incredible thing he had ever seen in his entire life. A flying woman, he repeated inside his mind. It was impossible, but there she was. And not just flying. She darted upwards, came around, and positioned herself directly underneath the falling airplane. And then she lifted.

Perry White knew what was possible and what was not. There was simply no way a young woman, even if she was somehow able to fly, could lift an airplane that probably weighed hundreds of tons. It was completely and utterly impossible that she would somehow stop its descent and bring it in for a relatively soft landing on the airstrip. This was the stuff of children’s comic books and bad pulp stories. It was simply ridiculous to think that something like this could happen in real life.

But it was happening. He was watching it. He was taking pictures of it. And even as he gaped on in utter disbelief, a very different headline for tomorrow’s edition was forming in his mind.

FLYING SUPERWOMAN SAVES AIRPLANE

*****

Martha Kent was standing in her kitchen, putting away the groceries, when her grand-nephew came running in, looking more excited than she had ever seen him. Which was saying something, given how excitable he was.

“Aunt Martha! Aunt Martha! Come look, quickly!”

“What is it, Clark?” she asked, smiling. “Did you and Lana find another treasure?”

It had become something of a favorite pastime for Clark and his best friend Lana Lang. They would run around the fields and inevitably find something exciting, such as old coins, pieces of equipment, and once even a rather expensive wrist watch that someone had lost. Martha was rather sure that Clark was slowly starting to gain the same enhanced senses as Karen, she didn’t know how else he would always manage to find something on their outings.

“No, nothing like that! Come quickly! It’s mom, she’s on TV!”

Martha froze upon hearing those words. Calm down, she told herself. There could be any number of reasons why Clark would see Karen on TV. She had flown to Metroplis for the launch of that plane her company had helped build, Martha remembered. Maybe the cameras had taken pictures of the crowd and Clark had spotted her. Or maybe someone had figured out who the genius behind the new company K-Solutions was and was doing an exposé.

Somehow, though, she knew that it was not any of that. Allowing Clark to drag her into the living room, she froze before the TV.

“If you are just tuning in, something truly extraordinary has happened today in Metropolis. A potential catastrophe that could have cost hundreds of lives was averted at the very last second by, as incredible as it sounds, a flying woman.”

Martha watched as the footage ran. TV cameras had filmed the launch of the plane, as well as the explosion that occured just moments later. She watched as the crippled plane fell towards the city, saw the crowds of spectators that were directly in its path. She watched as suddenly a shape shot upwards from the crowd and flew to the rescue.

The camera zoomed in as best as it could. It was too far away to get a good look at the savior’s face, but there was no denying that this was a woman. A woman flying without any visible means of propulsion. A woman somehow stabilizing a giant airplane on her shoulders and somehow bringing it in for a landing. It was all there on TV, millions of people were seeing it right at this very moment.

“Sadly we do not have a better picture of the flying woman than this,” the reporter said, even as a frozen image of Karen was shown. Someone not familiar with her would only be able to tell that she was blonde, Caucasian, and female, nothing more. But to her family, there was no doubt.

“See? That’s mom,” Clark yelled, sounding incredibly excited and proud. “She saved that plane and all those people!”

“Yeah, she did, Clark,” Martha said, putting her hands on Clark’s shoulders. “Your mommy saved all those people.” And everyone saw her doing it, she added in her mind.

Karen, her sweet little Karen. To the world at large she was her niece, but to Martha she was her daughter in all but blood. No matter that the girl had already been a teenager when she had arrived here, Martha had taken her as her own almost from the get-go. Little Clark, too, of course. But whereas Clark was a pretty normal kid (for now, at least), Karen had been special right from the start, and not just because she had started developing astounding powers the moment she set foot on Earth.

Sweet little Karen. So strong, yet so deeply wounded. Martha could not even imagine how much strength it took to even get up in the morning after having seen one’s entire world die. Clark did not remember, but she did. She remembered losing everyone and everything she had ever known and held dear and she had to deal with the inevitable guilt of surviving while everyone else died.

Most people would have been broken by this, but not her. Martha knew that Karen had fixated on Clark and her mission to keep him safe, it had been her lifeline to keep going. But her life did not revolve solely around the boy that the world believed to be her son. He was her number one priority, no doubt, but she was doing more than just keeping him safe. She was using those amazing powers of hers to protect others. She was using her smarts to improve the lives of people by inventing new technologies (based on Kryptonian tech for the most part, but fully realized using local materials and concepts). And she was doing all of it in complete secret.

Martha had lost count of the number of disasters that were mysteriously averted, of accidents that miraculously harmed no one, of people speaking of an invisible guardian angel keeping them safe. For nearly a year now Karen had been on the move almost every day, working to make the world a better place without anyone ever knowing it was her.

Until today.

“Martha?” a familiar voice asked from the door. Karen was standing there, long blonde hair windswept and tussled, face and clothes covered in soot, and looking a bit shell-shocked.

“Oh sweetheart,” Martha said, moving towards her.

“I think I messed up, Martha,” Karen said, gratefully sinking into her embrace.

*****

“There simply was no way to do it and not be seen,” Karen said some time later as the two women sat side by side on the bench outside the farm. Karen had showered and changed her clothes and relaxed a bit on top of the barn, soaking up sunlight. That always helped her calm down. “I couldn’t just let all those people die.”

“I know, sweetheart,” Martha said, one of Karen’s hands clutched in her own. “You couldn’t have done anything different.”

They fell back into comfortable silence. Jonathan was inside the house, entertaining Clark, doing his best to convince the young boy to keep quiet about his mom’s heroic deeds. The Kents had long ago divided responsibilities for their two alien children between them. Jonathan knew how to handle a young boy, as it seemed boys would be boys anywhere in the universe. And Martha’s responsibility was to be there when Karen needed someone to be strong for her for a change. Which was just fine, because Martha was her mom, pure and simple, no matter what blood or documents said.

“This won’t go away,” Martha said after some time. “You know that, right?”

“Of course,” Karen answered, eyes staring out into the distance. “People miraculously escaping a flash flood? Forgotten a few days later. A flying woman carrying an airplane to safety? That’s going to stick in the news cycle a bit longer.”

“What will you do?”

Karen didn’t speak for quite some time, but Martha could practically hear her thinking. Karen was a genius, it was as simple as that. Not just because she had grown up in a society hundreds of years more advanced than Earth’s, though that helped, of course. Her true genius was in how she would always find a way to make things work, no matter what. Kryptonian technology was so different from Earth that meshing the two should have been impossible, but she had found a way. Remaining unseen for over a year while saving thousands of lives should have been impossible, but she had found a way. Martha knew she would find a way to handle this situation, too.

“I won’t stop protecting people,” she finally said. “I can’t. I promised.”

Martha nodded knowingly. She had held Karen more than once as she emerged from a nightmare, reliving the final moments of Krypton and screaming her promise to keep Kal safe, no matter what. And keeping Kal safe meant, for her, to keep the world Kal now lived on safe, too. If there was one thing that defined Karen more than anything, it was that she always kept her promises.

“If doing it in secret is out,” she continued, “I guess I’ll have to find a way to do it in the open.”

She looked over at her aunt / mother / mentor / friend and smiled. “You wouldn’t happen to remember where we stashed the bodysuit I wore when I arrived here?”

*****

Perry White was standing on the balcony of his apartment, cigar in hand, and looked out at the city below. The city looked the same as ever, but somehow everything was different. The world had changed; he felt it in his bones. It was a whole new ballgame from just yesterday. Yesterday everyone had known without a doubt that there was no such thing as flying people. Everyone had known that there was no way to catch a crashing plane in mid-flight and lower it safely to the Earth. Everyone had known that there was no such things as superheroes outside the comic books.

That had been yesterday. And the only thing older than yesterday’s news was yesterday’s certainties.

The special edition of the Daily Planet was lying on the small table beside him, the headline he had already seen in his mind yesterday now printed for all the world to see, his name directly underneath it. He could not quite suppress a smug grin that the name he had created had stuck. Everyone was calling the flying lady Superwoman now. Simple, yet so very fitting.

Most of the pictures he had taken from the observation platform had been garbage, out of focus, way off the mark. He resolved never to make fun of photographers again, this was a lot harder than it looked. Thankfully two of the pictures had come out okay, now adorning the front page as well. One showed Superwoman in mid-flight, heading towards the plane. The other showed her lowering the plane onto the runway. Neither picture showed her face, but Perry did not need them to.

He had stood right next to her when she took off and he would never forget that face as long as he lived. From the moment he had finished the article he had dove into research, determined to find out more about this mysterious woman. And he had a pretty good working theory already that also happened to explain the look he had seen on her face.

For the last year or so there had been a veritable deluge of stories about averted disasters, mysterious last-minute saves, and people miraculously surviving accidents that should have killed them. There had always been stories like that, true, but not in those numbers. It was almost like there was some kind of guardian angel out there, doing its best to keep people safe. A guardian angel that preferred to remain invisible.

Until the day she couldn’t, because hundreds of people would have died.

“That’s a very filthy habit, you know?”

Perry started so bad he almost toppled over the balcony railing, which would have had him following his cigar down to the street. The voice had come out of nowhere, taking him completely by surprise. He twisted around, his heart hammering a mile a minute, and there was someone standing there at the other end of the balcony who had definitely not been there a second ago.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you quite so badly.”

It was her, there was no doubt. The same face, the same blonde hair, the same statuesque physique. Instead of wearing casual street clothes, though, said physique was now covered by a nearly skin-tight blue suit that looked like spandex but shimmered like chain mail. Red boots and gloves added color to the assembly, as well as a red cape that hung around her shoulders. And right there on her (quite ample, he couldn’t help but notice) chest was a diamond-shaped symbol with a big S inside of it.

“Lady, you just cost me five years of my life,” he said, finally getting his heartbeat back to normal. “Then again, seeing as I would have no life left at all if not for you, I guess I can forgive you.”

“You’re all heart,” she deadpanned, but with a smile on her lips. God, she looked beautiful when she smiled.

“So...,” he began, the words he could so easily put on paper somehow escaping him at the moment. He still had trouble believing that this woman existed at all. Why she would have chosen to visit his balcony was far beyond his understanding.

“I hope I am not keeping you from anything, but I wanted to ask a favor of you,” she said, taking the initiative.

“Well, you saved my life. I’d say you can ask me for just about anything this side of my firstborn.”

She chuckled, leaning against the railing. “Nothing quite so bad. I just wanted to ask if you would be interested in doing an interview with me, so I can get my story out there.”

He stared at her, not quite believing what he was hearing.

“Or is this a bad time?” she asked, mirth shining in her blue eyes.

“Are you kidding me? Every single reporter on this entire planet would pay big money to interview you. It’s the Pulitzer prize right there.” He paused, looking at her. “Why me?”

She shrugged, making even that casual gesture look majestic somehow. “You were there. You already wrote an article about me. I hear you are one of the best. And it seems the name you came up with is sticking anyway.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, looks like that. I don’t think you need to put a big S on your chest, though. You’re flying around and bench-pressing airplanes. People will know you are Superwoman without you having to display it.”

She looked down, chuckling as well. “Yeah, I know it looks like a big S. It is not, though. It’s the crest of my family.”

She looked him in the eye, smiling. “It stands for hope!”

So Perry White, cynical investigative journalist, who had long ago resolved that things were NEVER as good as they seemed, sat down with the flying woman who had saved his life and wrote down her story. All the while thinking that maybe, just maybe, this one time things might actually BE as good as they seemed.

*****

End Chapter 2

Author’s Note: I’m trying to remain somewhat consistent with the ages of various characters here. For the most part things will match up with Clark’s age, meaning that people like Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Lana Lang are still kids at this point in the story, while Perry White is an adult, but not yet in charge of the Daily Planet. As for the other superheroes, I’ll go case by case. Wonder Woman is an ageless immortal in most continuities, but I’m not yet certain how I’ll play people like Bruce Wayne or whichever version of Green Lantern I’ll end up using. We’ll see how it goes.

As for Superwoman’s costume, imagine her new costume from the Supergirl TV series (season 5), just with gloves added.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: People Who Are Not Stupid

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC Comics, no infringement is intended.

*****

Lex Luthor was not stupid.

One did not become the richest man in Metropolis and one of the richest men in the entire world by being stupid. He had built a billion-dollar enterprise up from nothing, he was the CEO of a company that employed thousands of people, and patents that he had developed were in use all over the world. He was a genius, actually, and not shy about telling people so. So no, he was certainly not stupid.

From his penthouse in Lexcorp Tower, the tallest office building in Metropolis, he looked out across the city. His city; it belonged to him alone. Which was why he could do whatever he wanted, no matter what the pesky laws might say. He was rich, thus he was above the law, it was as simple as that.

It had not even been that big a deal in the first place. Aviation technology was but one of many areas where Lexcorp was leading the market. So making sure than an up and coming competitor would not be able to establish themselves should have been a minor operation at best. He freely admitted that the new navigation system in that airplane was very, very good. The engineer in him admired the elegance of the design. But it wasn’t HIS design, so really, who could blame him if he wanted to make sure that it never really got on the market?

The plan had been so straightforward as to almost be laughable. Sabotage the plane’s engine, making it crash, then blaming it on the new navigation system. Sure, any engineer worth his salt would say that a faulty navigation system would not make an engine explode, but with the plane splattered across half of Metropolis and a few hundred people dead in the crash, no one would have listened. The company would never have recovered from this public relations disaster.

But the plan had not worked. All because some comic book superheroine had chosen that exact moment to step into the limelight. Was this a joke? Was some cosmic deity playing a prank? The world gains a superhero just in time to sabotage his plans?

With the plane mostly intact, investigators had easily found remnants of the explosive device that had taken out the engine. It was now officially an act of sabotage, treated like a terrorist attack. Of course the investigation would end up going nowhere. Lex Luthor never got his own hands dirty, there was no way to trace anything back to him. He was out a bit of money, that was all. And money was something he had more than enough of.

No, it was the principle of the thing. He had wanted that plane to crash, and it hadn’t. All because of that... that Superwoman, as the press was calling her. That wouldn’t do, no! It really wouldn’t do!

Still, Lex Luthor was not stupid. This Superwoman clearly was extraordinary. Someone with powers far beyond mortal men. His usual methods for dealing with people that defied him – knowingly or not – would certainly not work here. He doubted someone with this level of power was susceptible to bribes or threats. And given that she was able to lift burning airplanes above her head, he doubted a bullet to the back of the head would work, either.

No, he needed to be smart about this. Being a genius, that was something that came naturally to him.

“Memo to the research department,” he dictated into his computer. “Put all other projects on hold. I want to know everything there is to know about this Superwoman. I want pictures, I want information about her comings and goings, I want to know the extent of her powers, everything!”

He nodded to himself, certain that his orders would be carried out post haste. He paid the highest salaries in the business, ensuring that he had the smartest, most thorough, and most ruthless people in the world on his payroll. Pressing a button on his computer, he called up an image of Superwoman.

“It’s really very simple, my dear,” he told the image. “You will either work for me, or I will remove
you. One way or another.”

Satisfied with himself, he turned off his computer and headed towards his private apartment. Time would tell whether Superwoman would become an asset or yet another unfortunate casualty along the way. In the world of Lex Luthor, there were but these two categories.

Everything else would be stupid.

*****

Clark Kent was not stupid.

He might still be a young schoolboy, but that did not mean that he was unaware of the things going on around him. Especially the things people in Smallville were saying about his mom.

“She was 12 when she got pregnant with him,” one of the ladies in the drugstore had whispered to another as Clark and Lana walked past them. They probably thought that he couldn’t hear them, but his hearing was a lot better than that of anyone else. Except his mom’s, of course. She could hear fleas sneeze. Did fleas sneeze? He would have to ask Lana about that.

“I heard she still refuses to tell anyone who the father is,” the other woman whispered back. “Probably some kind of juvenile delinquent who was in foster care with her. Why else wouldn’t she tell anyone?”

Clark walked faster, putting some distance between him and those horrible women. Sure, they didn’t know he could hear them, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. They shouldn’t be talking about his mom this way. Making it sound as if she had done something wrong. His mom was a hero, she was Superwoman, the greatest hero in the world. The news said so, the papers said so, everyone said so. He just wasn’t allowed to tell anyone that Superwoman was his mom, which was so unfair. It sucked!

“Are you okay, Clark?” Lana asked, hurrying to catch up with him. They were walking back home together from school, as they did most days, seeing as their homes were both a bit out of town and not too far away from each other.

“Those hags were gossiping about mom again,” he said, angrily kicking a stone down the street. Neither he nor Lana noticed that it flew quite far.

Lana looked back instead, clearly wondering how Clark had understood what the two ladies had been whispering about, but then shrugged. She put her arm around her best friend’s shoulders, falling into step with him.

“Don’t pay attention to them, Clark! Your mom’s the coolest! I wish my mom would dress like her and not like some... old person!”

Clark smiled. Lana was one of the few people who wasn’t freaked out by his mom being so much younger than all the other moms in town. It was one of the reason she was his very best friend in the entire world. Really, what was it with people freaking about his mom being so young? But of course that wasn’t the worst of it.

“They... they talked about my dad, too,” he said, looking down.

Lana squeezed his shoulder, well aware that this was a sore topic for Clark. It wasn’t like he didn’t have a very dad-like person in his life. His uncle Jonathan (grand-uncle, actually, but that made him sound old and wrinkly, which he wasn’t) was cool and certainly ticked all the boxes a dad should. Just yesterday they had thrown a football back and forth and the day before uncle John had let him help fixing the tractor.

And Clark loved his mom, he really did, but that she never ever spoke a word about his actual dad hurt. It wasn’t like he could actually miss someone he had never met in the first place, but It was the principle of the thing. Shouldn’t he know about his dad? And he had asked. He had asked her quite often. But he always got the same answer.

“Your dad was a good man, Clark”, she would say. “And I promise I’ll tell you about him one day, when you’re a little older.”

All well and good, but when would he finally be “a little older”? And come to think of it, when would he finally be old enough to start flying? Flying was the coolest thing ever, mom had taken him flying quite often. But he was supposed to fly under his own power soon, wasn’t he? When? When would he finally be old enough? It was so unfair! It sucked!

“I wish I could help you, Clark,” Lana said, still with her arm around his shoulder.

Clark looked at her. She was his best friend in the whole world. She told him everything (even things he didn’t really want to know, but it was part of the whole best friend thing). Was he really a good friend if he didn’t tell her everything in return? No, he wasn’t. Best friends told each other everything, that was the rule. And if his mom didn’t like it, well... well, no one said she had to know, right?

His decision made, he just hoped that he wasn’t about to do something really, really stupid.

*****

Lana Lang was not stupid.

She had been Clark Kent’s best friend since they had met on the first day of Kindergarten. She had met his family more times than she could count (and she could already count quite far). She considered his mom to be one of the coolest people on the entire planet, so much cooler than her own mom. And she was well aware that there was something strange about Karen Kent.

Her parents had told her the story of Clark’s mom, of course. Well, probably not the entire story. She was still a kid, after all, and adults tended to not tell kids everything, she had figured that out quite some time ago. But she did know that Karen, Clark’s mom, had still been a kid herself when she had become Clark’s mom. She had only been 12, which was just a few years older than Lana was now. Lana could not imagine becoming a mom at all, never mind in just a few years. And while most people around town really liked Karen (and the Kents in general), there were always some people who whispered behind her back about how scandalous it all was.

But Clark’s mom being really, really young was not the strangest thing about her. For example, Lana still didn’t really know what Clark’s mom did for a living. She worked from home, she’d been told, but what exactly was she working? Nobody really seemed to know. Also, Lana knew that Karen often brought take-out food with her when she came home. Chinese, for example. There was but one Chinese restaurant in Smallville and it didn’t have any of the food Karen had brought the last time Lana had been over. Lana knew this because she had really liked the green curry duck and had tried to make her parents buy it for her.

So yes, Lana was aware that there was something strange about Karen Kent. Something much stranger than her having been a mom at age 12. Probably even stranger than her ability to find green curry duck in rural Kansas. Lana could never have imagined how strange, though.

“You’re going to get us into so much trouble, Clark,” Lana complained.

“Just wait, it’ll be worth it, I promise!”

For some reason Clark had led Lana to a remote corner of the Kent farm where an old water tank was rusting away. It looked like it had been here for a century or so. Clark then showed her that there was a tear in the tank, just big enough for a child to climb inside. Which they did. The inside of the tank stunk really badly.

“Why are we hiding in this smelly old thing? Why can’t we just hide somewhere else? And why are we hiding in the first place?”

“We’re hiding because that’s the only way I can show you what I want to show you. And we’re hiding in here because mom won’t see us in here.”

Lana was even more confused now. “Clark, there are dozens of hiding places here on the farm. Most of which don’t stink.”

“Hiding places from Uncle John and Aunt Martha, maybe. Believe me, this is the only place around here where mom won’t see us!”

Okay, this really didn’t make any sense to her. He almost made it sound like his mom had some kind of super-vision or something. She wasn’t even on the farm, they had checked. She was off somewhere (despite supposedly working from home), Clark didn’t know where. He did know, though, that she always came home in time for dinner unless there was some sort of emergency. And for some reason he wanted Lana to see her come home. Lana really didn’t understand.

“Just keep an eye on the barn,” he told her. They could see the building through the tear in the tank. They didn’t have to wait long. Clark squeezed her hand and pointed at a dot that was coming down from the sky. A dot that quickly grew... into a person? Why was a person falling from the sky? No, not falling, floating. Floating down gently as a feather. A person that... wore a red and blue suit?

Lana would have cried out in surprise if Clark hadn’t swiftly moved his hand over her mouth. Right there before her was Superwoman. THE Superwoman, the hero from TV. The one they said was saving people all over the world. She was there, blue and red suit, cape, everything, just floating down. Lana had never seen her in person before, but there was no mistaking her. The big S on her chest was clue enough. And the flying, of course. Especially the flying.

Lana had never before noticed that the Kent farm’s barn had an open sky light, but it had and Superwoman floated into it, disappearing into the building. Only a few seconds later the barn door opened and someone came out, someone not Superwoman. It was Karen Kent, Clark’s mom, dressed in Jeans and a flannel shirt, her long blonde hair up in a ponytail and the glasses she always wore set on her nose.

It took Lana almost a full minute (or so it felt) to wrap her young mind around what that meant. Karen Kent was Superwoman! Her best friend’s mom was Superwoman!

Clark’s hand was still on her mouth, which was the only thing stopping her from babbling like crazy. Even when Karen had reached the main house he left his hand in place, a finger in front of his lips. Right, his mom was Superwoman! Which meant she could probably hear a flea sneeze on the other side of town. Did fleas sneeze?

Clark made them wait another hour (probably closer to five minutes, but it sure felt like an hour) before he finally took his hand off her mouth and motioned for them to climb out of the tank. He looked over to the house, seeing that his mom was now in the kitchen and talking to her aunt.

“Told you it was worth it,” he said, grinning.

Lana, finally able to speak, didn’t know what to say. It was all she could do to stop herself from squeewing uncontrollably.

“Your mom is Superwoman!” she finally said, forcing herself to whisper, clenching her little fists so tightly she was probably leaving marks in her palms.

“Yeah, she is. Isn’t that cool?”

Cool? No way, cool was now officially way too weak a word for the awesomeness that was Clark’ mom. She was Superwoman. SUPERWOMAN!

“This is so awesome!” Okay, there was a little squeew in there. But who could blame her? It was SUPERWOMAN!

“But you can’t tell anyone!”

Lana blinked, looking at her best friend as if he had just told her that that water was wet.

“Of course I won’t tell anyone,” she said, slapping him on the shoulder. “Do you think I’m stupid or something?”

*****

Kara-El was not stupid.

While she was barely into her twenties, she had already gotten a lot of experience when it came to parenting. Martha and Jonathan were her primary ideals, of course, given that they had done most of the heavy lifting during Clark’s early childhood and had also served as her own surrogate parents. She also had plenty of memories of her own parents to draw an, though they were somewhat less of a help here on Earth. No nanny robots, for starters, who could always keep an eye on the kids. Maybe she should build some of those?

Anyway, Kara knew exactly what was going through Clark’s mind. Oh, she never doubted that he loved her, but she also knew that there were some elements of resentment there. He regularly saw her performing super-powered feats, both on TV and in person, and couldn’t help but be jealous that his own powers were still in their infancy. He was so proud of being the son of Superwoman, yet he was not allowed to tell anyone about it. And then there was the fact that she was keeping so much from him.

Clark still believed that Kara was his mom and she dreaded the day she would reveal to him that it wasn’t so. The more complicated part was the identity of his father, of course. The imaginary human father that had gotten Karen Kent pregnant at the tender age of 12 did not exist, after all, and Kara didn’t know how to tell Clark about Jor-El without revealing the entire truth. Plus, she really didn’t think it fair to tell him about Jor-El and leave out Lara, his real mother. So instead she told him nothing, promising to do so when he was older. Yes, she was fully aware how unsatisfying an answer that was to a child.

Clark did have reasons to be a bit resentful of his supposed mom, she respected that. Which was why she allowed him some small acts of rebellion now and then. She was aware that he sometimes snuck off into the woods to try and practice his still nascent powers. She kept an eye on him and pretended she didn’t know about these excursions. She was also aware of the old rusting water tank at the edge of the property, which contained enough lead that her vision powers could not penetrate it. She was actually rather proud of Clark that he had correctly figured that out and so she allowed him a refuge where he was safe from his mother’s ever-present gaze.

She was also very glad that he had found such a good friend in the Lang girl from the next farm over. The Langs were good people (despite Mrs. Lang’s inability to completely hide her misgivings about Karen’s early motherhood) and Lana was happy, grounded, and just lots of fun to be around. She was a regular fixture at the Kent farm and Kara was a bit smug that the girl thought her so much cooler than her own mom. Well, Mrs. Lang did tend to dress like she was already in her sixties.

Right now, though, Kara feared that she had let the reigns slack a little too much.

“Your mom is Superwoman!”

The words were whispered, but to Kara’s hearing they might as well have been shouted. She tended to tune out most of the noises and conversations around her, both to respect other people’s privacy and not get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of sensory input, but the mention of her nomme de guerre caught her attention immediately. She also recognized the voice.

“Crap!”

“Karen Colleen Kent,” Martha immediately admonished her. “What have I told you about that kind of language in my house?”

“Sorry, Aunt Martha,” she said automatically, “but we have a bit of a problem.”

Her gaze found the source of the words and she saw Clark and Lana standing next to the old water tank. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what had happened. Kara was relieved to hear Lana immediately promise not to tell anyone, but that didn’t change the fact that Clark had deliberately broken her most cardinal rule.

“I really hate this part of parenting,” she sighed, moving towards the door.

She waited until Lana had left, keeping an ear on the girl just to make sure that she didn’t immediately blab to her parents. Most of her focus was on Clark, though. When the boy turned around to head back to the farm, he almost ran into the unyielding body of his mother, who was hovering half a foot off the ground just behind him and looked very angry.

“Clark Joseph Kent!”

Clark swallowed hard, apparently quite aware that he had done something rather stupid.

*****

End Chapter 3

Author’s Note: Lex Luthor in this story is based on the version appearing in the post-Crisis Superman comics, meaning he is an utterly corrupt businessman, a good deal older than both Clark and Kara, and has never even heard of a town called Smallville before. Lana Lang is also based on the comic book version, certainly NOT on the extremely annoying character portrayed by Kristin Kreuk in the Smallville TV series. Lana’s parents are alive and well, no meteor showers in this Smallville.

Sorry for this chapter being a bit short on action, but Lex really insisted on being introduced early in the story and I wanted to showcase Clark’s thoughts about his current state of life, too.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: Super Villains

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Going public as Superwoman definitely had its advantages, Kara thought. For one she didn’t have to be so careful about not being seen anymore. Most people were really happy to see her, cooperated with her during emergencies, and most of the law enforcement agencies she had so far encountered in the various countries she operated in seemed pretty content to have her help out, too. Sure, there were inevitably some people who resented her, felt threatened by her, even some idiots whose main problem seemed to be her gender. Overall, though, being out in the open as Superwoman was working pretty well so far.

Except for one thing: the super villains.

It was a term Perry White had come up with, of course. Having written the first story about her, then following up with the interview she had given him, seemed to have turned him into the official authority for naming things. And since she was Superwoman, the super hero, naturally the new breed of criminals that seemed to pop up in her wake were now called super villains. She really didn’t like the term.

Some people were blaming her for the emergence of super villains and sometimes she wondered if they were right about that. How many giant mutant apes had there been before she came? How many madmen turning children toys into murder weapons? How many killer robots and people turned into monsters by failed science experiments? Was her presence somehow provoking these things? There was no way to tell and she would not just stop helping people just to see if it might make the villains go away again, but sometimes she wondered.

For a time it had almost been fun, actually. Especially since most of the super villains were men. So many of them seemed to regard the existence of a super-powered woman as a personal affront. So they tried to defeat her using big high-tech guns or atomic-powered exo-suits, mutant abilities and sheer misogyny. And they were always so put out when she shrugged off their attacks, tore their toys apart and laughed at their antics.

Then, though, the more dangerous ones began to crawl out of the woodwork and it stopped being fun.

*****

“What’s the matter, broad? Too much man for you?”

Kara took a step back, hand involuntarily going to her chin. Her chin that hurt. Not much, granted, but given that she was supposed to be invulnerable, even a little pain was somewhat extraordinary.

“From what I can see, buddy, there is not much about you that’s still man!”

It was what had attracted her to this bank robbery in progress in the first place. Not that she gave “normal” crime a miss usually, but in most cases the police was more than adept at handling things like bank robbers and petty thieves, so she tended to only get involved if things threatened to get out of hand and innocents were caught in the crossfire. But this particular bank robber was not usual. He actually was some kind of robot. Or a cyborg, more precisely, as a quick scan with her X-Ray vision had shown that his brain was the only thing about him that was still organic. Everything else was machine, covered by a crude rubber skin that would allow him to pass for human from afar, but would not fool anyone who gave him a closer look.

It was not her first robot. Ever since she had gone public as Superwoman, there had been quite a few robots. She actually liked going up against robots as opposed to humans, as there was no need for her to keep her full strength in check. After all, a blow from her could easily take a human’s head off. Robots, on the other hand, she could tear apart with gusto and not feel bad about it.

This was the first one she had met with a human brain, though, which complicated things a bit. So she had approached, calmly walked into the bank, and asked him to surrender. He hadn’t, of course. Very few of them ever did. Most tried to shoot her despite her being bullet-proof being common knowledge. This one here, though, threw a punch at her chin. A punch that actually gave her pause. It was a somewhat unsettling feeling.

“Still more than enough man to deal with you!” the metallic man said, rushing forward to hit her again. He was moving pretty fast, faster than a normal human, faster than one would expect half-a-ton of man-shaped metal to move.

Kara was no fool, though, and quickly dodged the punch at super speed. Only to notice that her super speed wasn’t as super as she was used to. Still enough to dodge the punch, mind you, but she had planned to move a lot faster. Something was wrong. Something that was apparently connected to this metal man in front of her. Thankfully the human brain inside it did not seem to be the sharpest knife in the drawer.

“Stand still, you...,” he began, but she was tired of playing and eager to discover the source of her problems. She quickly scanned his metal body with her X-Ray vision once more, her scientific mind quickly cataloguing the critical systems needed to keep his brain alive. There was something lead-shielded in the center of his torso, probably the power source, and the rest of the body seemed to follow a more or less human layout, too. Which meant that there was nothing in his arms and legs that he needed to survive.

Her first burst of heat vision took off the arm that had been swinging for her, which caused the metal man to lose his balance. Before he could regain it, she repeated the process and sheared off the second arm.

“Don’t worry,” she said, smiling. “I am sure ‘tis but a scratch!”

“What?” he asked, confused. Man, did no one watch the classics anymore? She was an alien and knew more about this planet’s cultural heritage than this idiot, it seemed.

While the guy was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he was now quite literally disarmed, Kara quickly fired two more bursts of heat vision and took off his legs just above the knee joints. The metal man crashed to the floor and tipped over onto his back.

“Shall we call it a draw?” she asked him, standing above him.

“You filthy B****!” he screamed, followed by many more profanities, but there was nothing he could do. Which gave Kara time to study him up close. Something about this metal man was weakening her, she was sure. She could almost feel her sense of discomfort growing with every step she took towards him. Scanning him with her X-Ray vision once again, she found nothing unusual in his construction, the only thing she could not get a good look at was his lead-shielded power source. She figured whatever powered him was probably radioactive.

“Not a good idea to take a look with so many people around then,” she mused.

Several cops had approached by now, seeing that Superwoman had well and truly disarmed the bank robber who had shrugged off the bank guard’s bullets just a minute earlier. They stared at the sparking stumps of arms and legs that clearly revealed his mechanical nature.

“What is that thing, Superwoman?” one of them asked, putting away the cuffs he had held in his hands. They were kind of useless here. “Another robot?”

“Not quite,” she said. “There is a human brain in there, so I can’t just reduce it to spare parts. Mind if I take it to S.T.A.R. labs for analysis? Maybe they can figure out how to render this guy harmless without killing him.”

“Fine by me, Superwoman,” the cop just said, taking out his radio. “I’ll let the station know to pick up robot guy here from the lab!”

She gave him a grateful smile that seemed to make his day and quickly grabbed the impotent metal man under one arm. She almost winced, being this close to him was really, really uncomfortable, but she shrugged it off. Time to get some answers.

Taking to the sky, she shot across town to the building containing the local branch of S.T.A.R. labs. Since going public as Superwoman she had developed a pretty good working relationship with the research company, who specialized in analytics and reverse engineering exotic technology. The fact that K-Solutions was one of their contributors and a frequent cooperators was just a side benefit.

A few hours later she stood outside a radiation-shielded room and just barely managed not to show how sick she felt. The lead-lined glass window in front of her allowed her a good look at the source of her discomfort. A glowing green rock imbedded in the torso of the metallic man. She was sure that, had she been in the room, she’d be writhing in pain on the floor.

“We managed to trace his origins, Superwoman,” the scientist next to her said. Dr. Emil Hamilton was someone she had worked with before, both as Superwoman and (though he did not know it) as Karen Kent, owner of K-Solutions. He was as intelligent a human as she had ever met, if a bit scatter-brained at times.

“A few years ago we received a patent from a Dr. Vale for a full-body prostheses. He called it Metallo. The idea behind it was to save the lives of patients whose body were far beyond recovery, but whose brains remained intact. It never went anywhere, though, as the good doctor could never find a power source strong enough to run it and small enough to fit inside.”

“It appears that has changed,” Superwoman said. “What is that thing powering him?”

“We don’t know, to be honest. It appears to be a xeno-mineral, doesn’t resemble any element found on Earth. It’s probably from a meteor or something. Dr. Vale must have come across it by accident.”

“Do you have his address? I’d like to ask him about it.”

He shook his head. “Sorry, Superwoman, but I fear the good doctor is dead. The police have found him in his home a few days ago, beaten to death. They also found another body there, belonging to a petty criminal called John Corben. They said the body’s head had been cut open and... well…”

“Let me guess,” Superwoman sighed. “The brain was missing. I think we found it, along with the good doctor’s murderer.”

She looked at Dr. Hamilton, hoping the scientist did not notice the beads of sweat on her face. She really needed to get away from this stuff soon, but she could not just leave it lying around, either.

“Have you found a way to remove the rock from him without killing him? I’m thinking an unknown radioactive material like this should not be left in the hands… or chest… of someone criminally inclined.”

Hamilton nodded. “Certainly not. Our engineers are currently adapting a generator to serve as a replacement power source. It will certainly be a lot bigger and not fit into his chest, but it will keep him alive until the authorities can figure out what to do with him. Then we can remove the meteor rock and hopefully do some further analysis on it.”

Superwoman simply nodded, moving away from the window. “Please keep me posted.”

*****

Dr. Hamilton had indeed come through for her and let her know once the meteor had been removed. Superwoman had taken the time to search the premises of the late Dr. Vale, but had found no further traces of glowing green rock there. Once S.T.A.R. labs had stored the meteor away for future research, it had been the easiest thing in the world for her to quietly remove the container from there and spirit it away.

She felt a bit guilty about simply stealing the rock from S.T.A.R., but given its properties, she had seen no other choice. An analysis done by her far superior Kryptonian technology quickly revealed what she was dealing with. As incredible as it sounded, this rock was actually a radioactive piece of her lost home world Krypton. The only explanation she could come up with was that some pieces of debris had been caught in the wake of their ship and been brought along to Earth.

Which meant there might well be more of these rocks somewhere on the planet.

She had quickly sealed away the piece of Kryptonite, as she had started calling it in her mind. Her computers were programmed to keep a look-out for any sightings of glowing green rocks and alert her immediately. She would very much prefer if no one out there ever learned that there was a xeno-mineral out there that could hurt Superwoman. That could hurt Clark. No one was allowed to hurt Clark.

Thinking back, Metallo was the first time she had faced a super villain who had actually had the capacity to hurt her. If he had been smarter or even been aware that his power source was poisonous to her, taking him down could have ended up being far more difficult.

Yes, Metallo had been the first super villain capable of hurting her. Sadly he had not been the last.

*****

Rudy Jones had originally been a janitor at a S.T.A.R. labs warehouse in Pittsburgh, before he had stumbled upon a canister with toxic waste. For some reason exposure to said waste did not end up killing him as one would expect, but instead it mutated him into something other, something monstrous. Something very, very dangerous.

This new creature, which quickly gained the name Parasite, was apparently capable of syphoning off the life energy of other beings simply by touching them, draining them to the point of death. On further consideration, Kara should have been a lot more careful in approaching him, but she had been more concerned with stopping him from draining even more people.

She had arrived at the facility just as he was about to drain one of his coworkers, so without thinking too much about it she flew in and tackled him away from his victim. She had only touched his skin for a fraction of a second, but a moment later she felt like someone had sucker punched her at super strength and she almost stumbled.

The Parasite, on the other hand, seemed to grow bigger.

“Wow, this is good,” he said, looking at his hands. “I’ve never felt such power before.”

Kara took a step back, now very much aware that this was one enemy she should keep her distance from and not slug it out at close range. Sadly the Parasite refused to cooperate in that regard. Moving at a speed that rivalled her own, he was suddenly right in front of her and managed to grab her by the shoulders.

“You glow!” he growled. “I want that glow!”

Kara felt like every single muscle in her entire body had turned to jelly. Where the Parasite’s hands touched her, her skin burned like fire. Right before her eyes the creature seemed to grow even bigger and its eyes began to glow.

Pushing past the pain, she planted her boot against his chest and pushed off with all her remaining strength. They went flying apart, the Parasite crashing into a wall and being buried by rubble as the wall collapsed on top of him. Kara barely managed to remain on her feet. She felt weaker than she had ever felt in her entire life. It was not a good feeling at all.

“Need to end this quickly,” she muttered. Thankfully she was standing right next to the warehouse’s loading dock and the sun was shining in from outside. She could feel her strength returning, if slower than she would have liked.

“I want that glow,” Parasite screamed, breaking free of the rubble. His eyes burned like fire and a moment later Kara had to dodge a burst of her own heat vision.

“Yeah, I can see why villains hate it when I use that power!” She quickly got back to her feet. “Okay, big boy! You want the glow? Come get the glow!”

She ran outside into the sunlight, the Parasite following her at a speed that was pretty close to her own. Thankfully she was still a bit faster and exposure to the sun made her faster still. Thankfully the area had been evacuated the moment Rudy had started mutating, meaning that there were no other people around. The Parasite ran after her and... no, he wasn’t running. He was flying after her.

“This is getting ridiculous,” she muttered, taking to the air herself to stay ahead of her foe.

“Give me the glow!” the creature screamed, far too close behind her for comfort. For the first time in a long time Kara felt the icy grip of fear, but she quickly pushed the feeling away. So that creep could hurt her by touching her? Big deal, she just had to make sure that he couldn’t touch her, nor anyone else.

“Just follow the glow!” she yelled, flashing towards a construction site close by. The Parasite was directly behind her, using the power of flight he had stolen from her. Thankfully he didn’t really have any clue how to use that power. So while she weaved through the maze of girders without any difficulty, the Parasite was not so lucky.

A loud series of bangs and a big cloud of dust later the Parasite was pinned beneath a huge pile of metal girders. Kara fired off her heat vision while he was still stunned, melting the girders down into a single metal mass, making it solid again with a burst of arctic breath that fixed him in place. Touching down a good distance away from the creature, she rested her hands on her knees and took deep breaths she normally didn’t need.

“Okay, let’s hope that his power fades as quickly as he gains it.”

For a moment the huge mass of metal shivered and groaned, causing Kara to take a step back and shift into a fighting stance. Then the movement ceased, though, and Kara sighed in relief.

“Now I just need to figure out a way to get you out of there and into a prison cell without touching you in the process.”

*****

Beating the Parasite had been a chore and a definite lesson in humility, too. Strangely enough, though, Kara did not consider him her most dangerous enemy yet. No, that particular moniker was going to a man who did not have anything resembling super powers. A man whom the public at large certainly did not consider a villain, either. A man whose very presence made her skin crawl and not in a good way.

*****

“Ah, Superwoman. I see the world’s greatest heroine has saved the day once again!”

Lex Luthor was a man in his mid- to late forties. The very expensive suit he wore could not quite hide the fact that he carried quite a bit of excess weight. What little hair he had left was red, though he was almost completely bald. There was a charming smile on his face, but the smile never reached his eyes. His eyes were cold. So cold that she had to suppress a shiver.

Kara knew that Lex Luthor was the richest man in Metropolis and one of the richest men in the world, period. His public image was that of a philanthropist. He regularly donated to multiple charities, invested in the public infrastructure, and gave out stipends as if they were candy. He was a genius engineer, too, and considered one of the brightest minds of his generation.

There was another side to him, though. One that was only talked about in whispers, for no one wanted to be overheard. Word on the street was that no one crossed Lex Luthor twice. Rumors abounded about people who simply vanished after going up against him. Accidents happened to entrepreneurs that could maybe have become serious competition for him. All rumors and unsubstantiated accusations, of course. Officially Lex Luthor was Mr. Clean.

Case in point their current situation.

“Well, Mr. Luthor, I am sure you are happy to have this battle suit back once again,” she said. “One shudders to think what might have happened had this terrorist gotten away with it.”

Lexcorp had held a public presentation of their newest piece of military hardware, a suit of powered armor that was supposed to give a single soldier enough power to take on a battalion. The engineer in Kara could not help but appreciate the elegance of the design, it was a good five years ahead of just about anything else on Earth, possibly more. The fact that the suit allowed its wearer to fly, have enhanced strength and shoot laser beams could kind of be considered a compliment in a weird sort of way, too.

During the presentation the test pilot of the armor had suddenly opened fire on the crowd, blowing up several cars and injuring dozens of people. Thankfully there hadn’t been any fatalities, but there certainly could have been, had Superwoman not been close by.

Somehow she got the feeling that it had not been a coincidence.

“We have found the actual test pilot tied up behind the stage,” one of the policemen said, gesturing towards a man in underwear currently being checked out by paramedics. “Apparently someone slugged him from behind. Probably our perp.”

Superwoman looked around, taking in the devastation of what had been a very short battle. The “terrorist” (she couldn’t help but add the air quotes in her mind) had seemingly been concerned with nothing but causing as much panic and damage as he could. When Superwoman had arrived on the scene, he had immediately opened fire on her.

The battle had been over ten seconds later. She had been surprised by the suit’s flying ability, otherwise it would have been five.

“I’ll make sure he receives the best care possible,” Lex Luthor said. “I take care of the people who work for me.”

There was that look again. He was looking her up and down in a manner that could have been sleazy (and she knew sleazy looks), but was far too cold and calculating to be a simple matter of checking out her curves. No, Lex Luthor was not interested in her body, she was quite certain. His interests were of an entirely different matter.

“You seem to be suffering a string of bad luck recently, Mr. Luthor,” she told him. “The battle suit today, that shipment of weapons I recovered a month ago, and I believe that experimental robot that shot up downtown was based on one of your designs, too, correct?”

“What can I say?” he simply shrugged. “When you have the best toys in town, there are always those who wish to take them without paying for them.”

“Not to mention using them for criminal purposes,” she added, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

“The world is filled with bad people, sadly,” he agreed, nodding. “But speaking of my recent string of bad luck, I will certainly invest in beefing up my security. As a matter of fact, I would be very interested in hiring the very best security one can find on this planet. I am a very generous employer, as I am certain you’ve heard.”

She needed a moment to realize that he was making her an offer. Lex Luthor wanted to hire Superwoman. Then again, that was not really a surprise now, was it? She had gotten the distinct impression that his “string of bad luck” had in fact been a series of tests. Clearly someone was interested in what she could do, the extent of her powers. Not that there was any way to prove that, mind you.

“Are you offering to hire me, Mr. Luthor?” she asked, wanting to make certain.

“All the best people in the world work for me, Ms. Superwoman. And from what I have seen, there are few, if any, who are better than you.”

Her first impulse was to laugh out loud. The second impulse was to sneer at him. Did he really think she would ever work for someone like him? Never mind that she was pretty sure he was involved in numerous criminal acts, she would never ever sell her powers to the highest bidder. She was about to tell him exactly that and then fly off in a bout of righteous indignation.

She didn’t, though. Because quite suddenly she remembered a conversation she had overheard as a teenager back on Krypton. It had been roughly a solar cycle before the planet’s destruction. Her uncle Jor had recently figured out what was going to happen and had gone before Krypton’s ruling council, trying to convince them of the impending doom. They had laughed him out of the building. Afterward he had met with his brother Zor, her dad, and neither had been aware that she had been close enough to overhear them.

I think you went about this the wrong way, Jor. I believe you, never doubt that, but I know how you can get when you are absolutely convinced that you are right. You basically just threw the facts in front of them, facts you had to know they would have a hard time accepting, and got angry when they didn’t immediately believe you, right?

You are a brilliant scientist, Jor, but you don’t understand people. These people have been ruling Krypton for ages. They are used to always getting their way, always being right. They will not just accept something like this. They can’t, it’s too far out of their world view. It makes them angry and they will take their anger out on you.

The two El brothers had argued for quite some time, though in the end it had been academic. The Council was never going to believe Uncle Jor and so he and dad had begun working on their plan B, the escape ships. Only things had happened too fast.

Forcing her mind back into the present, she looked at Luthor again. He was an arrogant man, no doubt. A man very used to getting his way, either through money, charm, or intimidation. He had set up these tests without shedding a single thought about who might get hurt in the process and now that he apparently found her worth his while, he was going to buy her. The thought that she might not be for sale had probably never entered his thoughts.

If she simply brushed him off, she would no doubt make an enemy for life. She couldn’t imagine a man like him taking rejection well. And while he was but a normal man, he did have access to a world of resources. He could make life very difficult for her in numerous ways and who knew how many people might be caught in the crossfire.

She could never work for him, of course. But maybe it was a good idea to, as the saying went, string him along for a bit? Just long enough to maybe find the proof needed to put him behind bars.

“I am not currently looking for employment, Mr. Luthor,” she finally said, giving the man a big smile. “But I will keep your offer in mind.”

His smile was fake, but not entirely. He had expected her to accept his offer, she could see that, and wasn’t happy with her refusal. But the second part of her sentence seemed to have placated him somewhat. He fished a card out of his suit jacket and handed it to her, taking the opportunity to capture her hand in his. He bowed slightly and kissed the back of her hand.

“Let me know if you change your mind,” he said, now smiling broadly again. “The offer shall remain open.”

She inclined her head with a smile she hoped looked sincere, managing to slowly draw back her hand and not wipe it on her cape. Luthor turned around, walking away, and she looked at the card he had given her.

She would burn it with her heat vision the moment she was out of sight. Probably her glove along with it. Then she’d take a long, long shower.

*****

End Chapter 4

Author’s Note: While Superman has a lot of great A-class villains (Luthor, Brainiac, Darkseid, Mongul, Parasite, Mr. Mxyzptlk), I don’t particularly care much for most of his more down-to-Earth villains like Toyman, Prankster, Silver Banshee, Hellgramite and such. So they will only be mentioned in passing here, if at all. Sadly Supergirl never did have any interesting villains, usually just borrowing some from her cousin.

As for Metallo, it always irked me a bit that he is considered to be such a danger to Superman. Sure, he’s got Kryptonite, but he’s also an Earth-built robot. If Superman would just keep his distance and slice him apart with heat vision instead of getting close enough to be poisoned, he’d go down in seconds. Much like Batman, Metallo being a danger to Superman utterly depends on Superman fighting really, really stupid.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5: World’s Finest

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Wonder Woman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Kara had never had a best friend growing up. Oh, she had had friends. Growing up on Krypton, there had been a number of girls and boys she had been close with, mostly due to the fact that they had lived in the same neighborhood. None of them had been so close that she would have called them her best friend, though. Not like Clark and the Lane girl, who seemed attached at the hip most days. She had never had that back on Krypton.

On Earth the situation had been even more complicated due to her passing Clark off as her own son. Smallville was, as the name implied, quite small and of course the story they had created to explain her and Clark had made the rounds quickly. The other teenagers around town had been weirded out by her already being a mother, while the other mothers around town had been weirded out by her still being a teenager. Her needing the better part of a year to get a handle on her powers before she was confident enough to regularly interact with other humans had only added to the off-putting weirdness of Karen Kent.

Things had become better in recent years. She was an adult now, so it became easier for the people of Smallville to ignore how young she had been when she had supposedly had Clark. She was friendly with most people in town, she regularly participated in social events around school, and while most people didn’t know what she was doing for a living, the fact that she had quite a bit of money to spend certainly hadn’t hurt her standing, either, of course.

Still, she didn’t have anything resembling a best friend. She was, of course, very close with Martha, but Martha was more of a mother figure and mentor for her. There had been a few times in the past when she had slipped up and called Martha “mom”, which the older woman had never minded. Quite the opposite, in fact. Kara could not really convince herself to do it regularly, though. She refused to do that to Alura.

Kara did not lead an isolated existence by any measure, but the requirements of keeping the different parts of her life so sharply separated made it hard to let anyone in close. Many people admired her as Superwoman, but she was the untouchable hero who quickly vanished once the emergency was over. In her life as boss and owner of K-Solutions, quite a few people appreciated her intellect and engineering abilities, but most of them had never seen her in person, as she preferred to walk out of the public eye. Her social life was taking place mostly in Smallville, but again, she had to keep people at arm’s length to a certain degree.

So yes, Kara was feeling like she could really use a best friend, a confidant, someone with whom she could share everything. She would never have imagined that said friend would magically appear from a hidden mythological island in the Mediterranean, though.

*****

Rao, she was tall. That was the first thing that went through Kara’s mind when she finally had the chance to take a closer look at the warrior woman that she had unceremoniously joined forces with a few minutes ago. A horde of strange looking warriors, looking as if they had sprung directly from an old Hercules B-picture movie, had rampaged through the city of Boston. Superwoman had already been on her way there when she had heard the news that someone was fighting them. Someone described as a flying super-powered woman.

She had alternated between the fear that another super villain had risen and the hope that this woman might somehow, some way be a fellow Kryptonian. She had never told anyone this, but in some distant corner of her heart she kept the hope alive that she and Clark might not be the only survivors of the doomed planet, not the last of their kind. That maybe there were others out there, that some had heeded the El brothers’ warnings and had escaped on their own.

The woman in Boston had turned out to be no Kryptonian, though. While she was clearly super-powered, her powers were just as clearly different from Kara’s. And she was certainly not a super villain, either, for she protected the innocents from those weird warriors. Kara had quickly begun helping her and the other woman had accepted her help with an acknowledging nod and a smile. Together they had quickly defeated the rampaging warriors who, to Kara’s amazement, then seemed to melt right back into the Earth.

“Well fought, sister,” the other woman said, giving Kara a smile that seemed to light up the entire city. Kara was aware that she herself was quite the looker by human standards, but Rao, next to this woman she felt like an ugly duckling. “Thank you for your aid.”

“No thanks needed, I...” she trailed off, because the other woman grasped both of her forearms and proceeded to kiss Kara on both cheeks. “Ah... I mean... what was I saying?”

Now the other woman frowned, as if not expecting her reaction. “Have you been living in man’s world so long, sister, that you have forgotten our customs?”

Kara blinked, trying to form a coherent response. “What?” was the only thing that came out, though.

It took them both sitting down on top of a nearby building and talking for a while to clear up the confusion. Kara learned that the other woman’s name was Diana, Princess of Themyscira, a hidden island of warrior women called Amazons. Kara further learned that Diana had won a contest among her own people and been selected as their champion and emissary to man’s world, her mission to promote peace and stop the machinations of Ares, God of War. Kara wasn’t quite ready to accept the existence of the Greek gods at face value, but she could not see any deception in the other woman’s eyes. Diana was so natural and sincere, Kara couldn’t believe she was lying about any of it. Besides, the appearance of those warriors - apparently called Spartoi and grown from dragons’ teeth - was kind of hard to ignore.

Diana had initially believed her to be a fellow Amazon, which was not that far of a leap, Kara had to admit. How many different kinds of super-powered women could there be, after all? So Kara told Diana her own name (the Kryptonian one) and that she was from a different world and had come here as a child. Kara didn’t tell her everything, of course. No mention of Clark, no mention of her life in Smallville, but it still felt so good and natural to talk with Diana. She enjoyed it.

The two women quickly bonded, given their somewhat similar situations. Both were strangers in a strange world, so to speak. Diana’s home was alive and well, of course, and she could return there whenever she wanted, but that didn’t change the fact that she felt somewhat alone and isolated in man’s world. Kara could certainly empathize. They talked for hours, the time passing with neither of them really noticing, and when they finally parted Kara impulsively gave Diana a contact number where she could reach her. It was officially a number registered to K-Solutions, but any call to it would be routed to Kara’s personal phone through an untraceable setup of Kryptonian technology.

Diana gave her a big hug goodbye as they parted. Kara stiffened at first, unused to getting hugs from anyone except Martha, Jonathan, and Clark, but she did end up hugging Diana back. It felt right somehow.

*****

Their second meeting was only a few weeks later and instigated by Diana calling her. It had been too cute, actually, as Diana was still unaccustomed to using a phone. Someone called Julia had apparently helped her figure it out. Diana had called to ask her for a favor, actually. The Amazon was apparently afraid that her fighting skills would deteriorate in man’s world, as she had none of her sisters present to train with her. She hoped that Kara would be willing to train with her occasionally.

The idea actually appealed to Kara. With her powers it was almost impossible to find anyone she could train with. Clark was slowly beginning to display powers and she was coaching him through it, but it would be a few years yet until he was anywhere near her level. Not that she really needed training, her powers kept her in peak physical condition and at her strength level she didn’t really need martial arts. Still, it might be fun to train with Diana.

The idea that it might be fun vanished just a few minutes into their first training session.

“You need not hold back against me, Kara,” Diana said, having just put Kara on her back for the third time in a row. “I know you are very strong, but so am I.”

Kara groaned, getting back to her feet. Diana thought she was holding back? Sure, she was not outright trying to kill the other woman, but that hardly constituted holding back. Diana moved in ways Kara had never even imagined and certainly had a very hard time keeping up with, despite having the edge in speed and strength.

“I am not holding back, Diana! Not everyone here was trained in martial arts since she was a little girl!”

This actually seemed to give Diana pause, as if the thought was foreign to her. “You have never received any combat training? Truly?”

Kara shook her head. “I grew up a civilian, Diana, not a warrior. And after I arrived on Earth and my powers began to develop, I easily outmatched everyone I met.”

Diana stepped closer to her, nodding in understanding. “I see. You are so much stronger than anyone else in man’s world, you have never felt the need to learn any but the most basic martial skills. It is understandable, I guess.”

“Yes, I... “ Kara didn’t get any further because suddenly Diana had moved and without really understanding how it had happened, Kara was flat on her stomach, her arm twisted behind her back, and Diana’s knee on the back of her neck. She tried to escape from the hold, but leverage was fully on Diana’s side and the Amazon was almost as strong as she.

“Understandable, but still a mistake,” Diana said, her voice as sweet and even as ever. “Sooner or later you will meet an opponent just as strong or stronger. Than you will need skill to survive, not just brute strength.”

“Point... taken!” Kara groaned out. “Care to let me go now?”

Diana did not care to let her go. From that particular hold, yes, but she then proceeded to throw Kara around their training area - a deserted clearing in the woods somewhere outside Boston - as if she were a rag doll. Kara tried everything to get even a moment’s breather, but Diana was relentless in her assault. Kara’s advantages in terms of strength and speed were ruthlessly negated by the Amazon’s far superior skill level and Diana did not pull her punches, either. Kara was sure she would be bruised all over... well, for a few minutes anyway, before her regenerative powers restored her. Still, it hurt. Not even fighting the Parasite had hurt this much.

When Diana finally let up, Kara simply collapsed onto her back, her eyes stinging with tears of humiliation. Diana squatted down next to her, somewhat sweaty and out of breath, but looking far too pristine for Kara’s liking. She had managed to land maybe two or three hits on the other woman, no more. And those damn bracelets of hers even reflected her heat vision, when she had finally restorted to using it. To no avail, mind you.

“I am sorry for this, Kara,” Diana said after a moment. “But I truly fear for your safety, as it’s clear that you have given far too little thought to developing your fighting skills.”

“I would have taken you at your word,” Kara said angrily. “There was no need to beat me to a pulp!”

“Really?” Diana asked, raising an eyebrow. “You are the mighty Superwoman, world-famous heroine. I have read up on you. You have encountered, what, two or three people on this world that were truly dangerous to you and you beat them all in a matter of minutes anyway. Would you really have taken this seriously just on my say so?”

Kara grumbled, sitting up slightly so her body rested on her elbows. “Okay, maybe you’re right and it would be a good idea for me to get better at fighting, but the next time you’ve got a point to make, make it with words, okay? Friends do not beat each other up!”

“Huh, I guess things are different here than back on Themyscira,” Diana said, shrugging. Kara was not sure whether the Amazon was having her on or not, but when Diana rose and offered her a hand, Kara took it and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. Thank Rao the sun was high in the sky.

“So, twice a week until we get you up to speed?” Diana asked her, smiling brilliantly. Kara simply groaned.

*****

Kara’s first visit to Themyscira happened a few months later. There had been a big battle of some sort where Diana had faced off against Ares, the God of War. Kara had only been involved on the sidelines. Diana had said something about Ares joining forces with Hades, God of the Underworld, thus gaining control of the dead. To be honest Kara wasn’t sure how much of that she really believed, but there had been this huge army composed of rather dead-looking Greek warriors and mythological creatures attacking Washington DC. Kara fought to keep the city safe, while Diana apparently confronted Ares directly and defeated him.

Diana had been gravely wounded in said battle, though, and been taken back to her home island to recover. Kara had quickly started to worry about the lack of news regarding her friend until she had finally gotten a phone call from Julia Kapatelis, Diana’s friend and mentor in man’s world. Julia had told her to come to Boston harbor. There she had met Julia and her young daughter Vanessa, and they had all gone on a ship together. A ship that looked like it had sailed directly out of a movie set in ancient Greece, manned by a crew comprised entirely of staggeringly beautiful warrior women.

“You are the one called Kara?” one of the Amazons asked her, which caused Julia to look at her in surprise. Okay, so one more person knew her Kryptonian name now, she guessed. Nothing to it. Vanessa seemed utterly distracted by the Amazons, who were expertly steering the ship out to sea.

“That would be me. Is Diana all right?”

“She is recovering nicely. She will have to remain on the island for a bit longer to recover fully, but she has asked us to bring her friends from man’s world for a visit. You should feel honored; we do not usually allow outsiders onto our soil.”

Kara was a bit put off by the Amazon’s stern demeanor, but she guessed that was to be expected after living in isolation for so long. She herself had needed quite a bit of time to trust anyone apart from the Kents. She still didn’t trust easily.

“Thank you,” she simply said, bowing her head. “I look forward to seeing your home, Diana has spoken of it often.”

The journey on the ship was surprisingly short (magic, Kara figured) and when they finally approached the island (after going through a curtain of mist that tingled uncomfortably on Kara’s skin and was impenetrable to her vision powers) Kara quickly realized that Diana’s words had not done the place justice. Themyscira was a veritable paradise, a lush green island with long shores, vast forests, and a hauntingly beautiful city built in ancient Greek architectural style. Even Kandor, Krypton’s most beautiful city, would have been hard-pressed to rival this place’s splendor.

The Amazons took them into the city and towards the biggest building there. Well, Diana was supposed to be a princess, right? It would figure she would live in some sort of palace here.

“Diana,” Vanessa squealed, the girl quickly ignoring the beautiful surroundings when she spotted Diana coming down the steps of the palace to greet them. Diana immediately hugged the girl, at the same time giving Kara and Julia a smile.

“Thank you for coming, my friends, and welcome to Themyscira!”

Kara awaited her own turn for a hug, she was glad to see that Diana was all right. She could make out the faint traces of healing wounds on her friend’s arms and legs, but Diana was walking with confidence and seemed well on her way to recovery, thank Rao.

“I am glad to see you, Diana,” Kara said, holding her close. “You really scared me there for a minute and not hearing anything about your condition for days on end was not helping.”

“I am fine, sister! Even more so now that all my friends are here.”

The following days were the closest thing to a vacation Kara had experienced since she had gone public as Superwoman. She had worried at first about being cut off from all communication, but the Amazons had shown her how to navigate the mystic barrier that sealed off the island. Her phone, augmented by Kryptonian tech, picked up a signal if she just flew out to sea a few miles beyond the barrier’s reach. So she could keep apprised of happenings in the world outside and talk to her family, just to check if everything was all right.

She met Diana’s mother on that first day. Queen Hippolyta was a stern woman at first glance, but quickly warmed up the moment she stepped out of the role of ruler and was simply the mother of her friend. She immediately welcomed Kara into her home. Kara could see how worried Hippolyta was about Diana having been hurt, but so very proud of her at the same time. Kara figured she would probably end up doing much the same when the time came for Clark to go out on his own and be the hero she knew he could be.

Diana and Kara spent most of her time there together and Diana showed off her home. They went swimming in the ocean, they rode the huge Amazonian horses along the beaches, and just generally enjoyed each other’s company. Kara had never felt so relaxed in her life. Even so, she would probably not get used to the Amazonian dress code anytime soon. Togas were one thing, but the Amazons had few taboos when it came to public nudity, especially during leisure time. Seeing Diana walking up to her fully naked had been a bit of a shock that first time. She was still not used to it.

She quickly learned that pretty much every single Amazon on the island considered Diana to be a niece or baby sister. Something to do with Diana being the only child born on the island, the others all having been born in ancient Greece and not aging ever since. So Kara met quite a few of them during her days there, all of them excited to see the outsider that Diana had apparently described as “as worthy of the title Amazon as any of us”. It also led to quite a few friendly bouts of fighting, making Kara very, very glad that she had trained hard under Diana’s tutelage these last few months. She still wasn’t a match skill-wise for most of the Amazons, but she was just skilled enough that her vast edge in speed and strength allowed her to win more fights than she lost. Of course it also helped that the average Amazon was nowhere near as strong as Diana and unable to fly, either. Anyway, the Amazons quickly warmed up to Kara and basically adopted her as one of their own.

When the time came for them to leave, there was a huge farewell banquet thrown in honor of the outside visitors. Julia and Vanessa had also been accepted by the Amazons, it seemed, so there was no animosity there. The celebration went well into the night and the two mere humans quickly fell asleep on the boat that took them home to Boston. Kara left under her own power after promising to visit again soon.

As the island vanished into the mystic mists behind her, Kara could not help but smile. It had only been a few months, but she was certain that she had found a life-long friend in Diana. The woman had fought by her side and invited her into her home, made all the more special by said home usually being closed to all outsiders. Kara really wanted to return the favor. Of course this led to problems all of their own.

Did she want to risk telling Diana about Clark?

*****

It took her another few months to work up the necessary courage and even then only after several talks with Martha and Jonathan. They trusted her judgement, they said. If Kara thought Diana was trustworthy enough to meet her family, Clark included, then they had no complaints. Also, they were probably somewhat excited to meet the heroine the media called Wonder Woman.

When the day finally came, Kara met up with Diana in Boston. The Amazon was dressed in casual clothing that didn’t really manage to hide her height and amazing beauty, but should work well enough for a lazy day in Smallville, Kansas. Together they flew high above the clouds until they finally reached the fields of her home. With Kara quickly making sure that the coast was clear (which now regularly included checking the lead-lined water tank for eavesdroppers), the two dropped down and walked towards the Kent home.

“It’s beautiful here,” Diana said, looking around in awe.

“Well, it’s not Themyscira,” Kara hedged, well aware that her home could not match the exotic paradise that was Diana’s island.

“Of course not. There is no place on Themyscira so... vast and open. The fields around here seem to go on forever, like oceans made of plants. It’s amazing!”

Kara looked at her friend, who was gazing around with wide eyes. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, she reminded herself. For someone who had spent most of her life on a relatively small island with hills, forests, and endless beaches, the vast flat fields of the American Mid-West seemed to hold an exotic beauty all their own.

“Karen, there you are,” Martha said, coming out of the house to greet them. “And you must be Diana. Karen has told us so much about you!”

Diana gladly hugged Martha back, at the same time looking at Kara and mouthing “Karen?” at her. Right, she hadn’t really explained the multiple-names thing to Diana yet.

“Welcome to our home, Diana,” Jonathan said, having followed his wife out of the house. “We are glad to have you with us.”

“I am glad to meet you as well,” Diana said, shaking his offered hand. “I was looking forward to meeting the people who have shaped Kara into the wonderful woman that she is.”

Kara blushed, even as she mentally steeled herself for what was to come next. She trusted Diana, she really did, but there was one aspect of her life where she would have to lie to her friend. It had nothing to do with Diana and everything to do with Clark, who was even now exiting the house and coming towards them. When the time came to tell the truth, it was Clark who deserved to hear it first. Not Diana, not anyone else, only him. Until that day, he would be her son as far as anyone but her, Martha, and Jonathan were concerned.

Then again, after all this time, was it really a lie anymore? She had been Clark’s mother for nearly a decade now. He had been her son far longer than he had ever been her cousin. She remembered the way Hippolyta looked at Diana and realized that she was looking at Clark the same way. So maybe it wasn’t really a lie at all. At least not when it came to how she felt about him.

“There is one more person I really want you to meet, Diana,” Kara finally said, walking over to Clark and putting her arm around his slim shoulders. Her boy was gazing up at the towering Amazon before him in awe.

“This is Clark,” she told her friend. “My son.”

Diana’s eyes widened, looking back and forth between the two of them for a long moment. Her gaze clearly said that Kara would have some explaining to do later on, but then she smiled and held her hand out to Clark.

“Great to meet you, young Clark,” she said. “The son of my sister-in-arms is family to me as well!”

Clark could only nod with a very goofy smile on his face.

“Let’s head inside, ladies,” Jonathan said. “Time for the world’s finest heroines to enjoy a good old Kansas lunch!”

Kara walked into her home arm in arm with her best friend, ready to enjoy a great day with her family.

*****

End Chapter 5

Author’s Note: Wonder Woman as she appears in this story is mostly based on the George Pérez reboot of the character from 1986, with some elements from the Gal Gadot version thrown in for good measure. Diana is a lot older than Kara, but has so far lead a rather sheltered life on Themyscira and is new to man’s world. She can fly under her own power, no need for a jet. I am not yet sure whether I’ll go with the classic made-from-clay origin or have her be a child of Zeus like in the movie, but it will probably not be important for this story anyway.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: Shadow of the Bat

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Batman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

It was the biggest news story since... well, since the last heroic feat performed by Superwoman, probably, which had been but a few days earlier. The world’s favorite superhero had lifted an entire ocean liner out of the water and brought it safely to Metropolis harbor and had then proceeded to disable the armed pirates who had boarded it. The pirates had planned to rob everyone on board and then sink the ship, but now they were all in police custody.

Superhuman feats performed by an alien woman aside, though, the biggest news story was the return of Gotham City’s favorite son, Bruce Wayne. The sole heir to the Wayne Foundation had lost his parents at a very young age, a story that had been in every newspaper back then. Upon turning 18 he had completely fallen off the face of the Earth, disappearing from the public eye for seven long years. Now he was back, though, and ready to take control of one of the largest private fortunes in the world. The business world was abuzz and Gotham City’s social scene was positively ablaze.

On a completely unrelated note, a rumor started making the rounds in Gotham about a shadowy, inhuman figure that preyed on criminals. Scared Crooks had started calling it the Bat!

*****

Kara was not pleased. As a matter of fact she was in a very bad mood. She had planned to stay in Gotham for an afternoon only, no more. Just long enough to meet with a potential investor and talk about K-Solutions, an investor that wanted to meet the woman behind the business face to face. She didn’t like face to face meetings, at least not when it came to her role as a business owner, and had only grudgingly accepted. Only for the investor to cancel their meeting at the last minute and reschedule for tomorrow.

Sure, she could easily have flown back home for the night, but a hotel room had already been arranged for her to compensate for the rude cancellation, so it would have looked somewhat suspicious if she never turned up there. So against her better judgement, Karen Kent was spending the night in Gotham.

She really didn’t like Gotham. There was just something about this city, apart from the stink, that unnerved her. It was too dark, too dreary. The gothic architecture was not her thing at all, either. She did not like gargoyles, which seemed to line every roof top here, and the city seemed to be filled with far more than its share of misogynist bastards, too. Just walking through the hotel lobby and up to her room had seen her being propositioned three times, five if you counted the sleazes who just winked at her while waving bundles of cash around.

She had spent half an hour on the phone talking to Clark and another half hour chatting with Diana (having finally convinced the Amazon to carry a phone), but now she was bored. So she finally took out her super suit, put the “do not disturb” sign on her door, quick-changed, and flew out the window too fast to be seen.

Gotham looked even drearier from above, she had to say. Just flying around for a few minutes had her spotting no less than three crime scenes, too. Deciding to be somewhat discreet, she fell back on her skills from before her public outing. None of the criminals involved ever saw more than a blur, but their guns vanished, some were left knocked out, and all victims got away scot-free. She almost smiled. Being Superwoman was awesome, but she kind of missed the whole mysterious savior bit on occasion.

As she passed over yet another gothic-looking building, she suddenly spotted something that piqued her interest. There was a man dressed like a bat running across the rooftop, obviously in pursuit of a shady-looking guy in something resembling a ninja costume. Now wasn’t that interesting?

*****

The Batman was not pleased. He had hoped to have more time to establish his presence in Gotham before things came to a head. He had hoped that he’d able to weed out at least some of the corruption in City Hall and the police department, so that he would not have to fight on two fronts. Sadly it seemed time was not on his side. The figure fleeing from him was clearly a member of the League of Shadows. It could hardly be a coincidence that they showed up here only a few weeks after his own return to the city.

Chasing after a trained assassin was harder than chasing down common crooks, but in the end he was more skilled, more familiar with the terrain, and had the better tools. A short time later he had the man tied up in rope and a quick grip into his mouth had removed the suicide capsule every League operative usually had. The odds of getting anything out of the assassin weren’t good, but it was worth a try.

“What are you doing here?” he growled at the tied-up man. “What is your mission?”

“Our mission is the same as always,” the other simply growled back. “You will not stop us!”

“You are a fool then! R’as is dead!”

“R’as al Ghul can never die,” the assassin screamed at him. “The Demon lives forever!”

Getting fed up, Batman quickly hoisted the man up and positioned him near the edge of the roof. The assassin might have been prepared to take his own life via a painless poison in his tooth, but the thought of a twenty story drop towards a messy meeting with the pavement might loosen his tongue regardless.

“Last chance,” he growled. “Tell me why you are here!”

The assassin just glared at him, keeping quiet. Shrugging, Batman shoved him off the roof. His hand quickly went to his grappling hook, as he fully intended to catch the man before he splattered on the ground, but as it turned out someone else was faster.

“Now that is taking things a bit too far, mister!”

The angry-sounding voice belonged to a woman. A woman who was floating before him in mid-air, seemingly unconcerned with gravity, and with the tied-up assassin dangling from one of her hands as if he were a light handbag. She was dressed in a form-fitting blue and red suit he had seen many times on the news and her red cape and long blonde locks were moving in the wind. She was certainly cutting a very impressive figure, no doubt about that.

“The famous Superwoman,” he said, managing to sound unconcerned despite being very, very concerned. He had read up extensively on the famous superheroine who had been all over the place, saving the world, for the last few years now. He actually admired her a bit, seeing as how her powers would have made it easy for her to set herself up as ruler of the world or worse, but she was instead using them to protect innocents. The problem was, though, that he doubted she would consider masked vigilantism a good thing.

“Is this a regular thing for you?” she asked, indicating the man still dangling from her hand. “Throwing people from rooftops?”

“Only dangerous assassins,” he answered, sounding nonchalant even as he subtly scanned the roof for the quickest possible getaway route. He did not have time for this, not with the League of Shadows in town, probably ready to resume their plans for the city. “And I would have caught him before he hit the ground.”

Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him and he could practically feel the X-Rays as she attempted to look through his cowl and see the face underneath. And here Alfred had called him paranoid when he had included a thin layer of lead in the newest design.

“I’m sure you would have tried,” she said, dropping the assassin back onto the roof and touching down herself. Standing in front of him, he noticed that she was pretty tall for a woman, though still shorter than him. Quite beautiful, too, but that was neither here nor there. She held herself with an extremely confident pose, hardly surprising, and the way she stood showed that she had had at least some rudimentary combat training. That was a bit surprising. He would have figured someone with abilities like hers would not see the need for combat skills.

“Are we going to have a problem here?” Batman asked, his mind still trying to come up with some kind of plan to outmaneuver someone with what amounted to god-like powers. She smiled at him, but Batman recognized it as the exact same kind of smile that he himself smiled when faced with criminals that really had no idea how outmatched they were. He didn’t like being on the receiving end of it.

“Well, I am currently thinking of taking you and your friend here to the nearest police station and let them sort things out. So you tell me whether or not we have a problem!”

Batman took half a step back, at the same time dropping the flashbang he had taken out of the belt pouch on his back. He figured someone with enhanced senses like her might actually be more susceptible to sensory overload than a mere human. Turning away from the exploding flash and shielding his ears, he didn’t wait to see whether it had worked, he started running towards the roof edge and leapt out into the open.

He soared through empty air, his arm snapping back to throw a line towards a nearby roof and swing to safety. Hopefully he could lose her among the buildings. He never got the chance, though, because suddenly something resembling a steel vise closed around his left ankle and simply yanked him upwards. Superwoman floated leisurely behind him, looking none the worse for wear, and still smiling as she held him up.

“Not bad,” she said, nodding appreciatively. “Didn’t even notice the flash bang until you dropped it. Got anything else you want to try?”

Batman’s mind quickly flipped through the tools he had with him, dismissing them all within the span of a second. He had some explosives in his belt, but those were far more likely to hurt him than her. Well, maybe there was one thing that might work on her, given her reputation. Honesty.

“If you take me to the cops, I’ll be dead before dawn,” he told her, managing to sound somewhat calm despite hanging upside down in mid-air, held by an alien flying woman. “The entire Gotham City police apparatus is corrupt to the core, the same goes for City Hall. You take me in, you’re condemning an innocent man to death.”

He couldn’t be sure, of course, but given how enhanced her senses had to be, there was a good chance she’d be able to tell if he was lying. The frown on her face seemed to say that she was at least thinking about his words.

“You should have lead with that one,” she finally said. A moment later they were back on the roof and she let him drop. He’d had softer landings, but at least it wasn’t twenty stories down to the pavement or into a police cell.

“So tell me... oh, just a second.” She walked over to the assassin, who was about two thirds of the way out of his restraints. A single flick of her finger sent him down to the ground, very much unconscious.

“Okay, so you bought yourself some time, Mr... what do you call yourself anyway?”

“I’m Batman!” he said, causing her to laugh out loud.

“Really? Batman?”

“What about it, Superwoman?”

She laughed again, but waved her hand in a placating gesture. “Okay, point taken, sorry. So, Bat... sorry, I can do this: So, … Batman! The police in this town is corrupt, I understand. So you are, what, trying to fix that by working outside the law?”

“Yes,” he replied. His mind was still spinning in a dozen different directions at once, trying to figure out how to get out of this situation. There was still a very good chance he’d end up taken to the police – if not in Gotham, then elsewhere – and there was little he could do to stop her if she decided to do so.

“And him?” she gestured toward the unconscious assassin. “I heard something about a League of Shadows, a demon, and a mission? What’s that all about?”

He considered how much to tell her. Someone with her powers could certainly be a tremendous asset, but the League of Shadows was all about working under the radar. Superwoman appeared about as subtle as a sledgehammer. He didn’t see how to get out of this without sharing at least some information, though.

“They’re a secret society of assassins. They were led by a supposedly immortal maniac called R’as al Ghul, who considered himself responsible for keeping the world in balance.”

“Supposedly immortal?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“He died about a year ago. I was hoping the League would fall apart without him, but it seems they have reconstituted.”

“And their mission?”

“I only know that R’as was planning to destroy Gotham City, which he considered a breeding ground for corruption and suffering. I fear they might try and go ahead with it even without him there to lead them.”

Superwoman nodded, apparently believing him. This was a new thing, he mused. He had prepared himself for fighting his war using fear as his primary weapon. Apparently honesty could also be a powerful tool, at least when it came to people who were impervious to all other weapons.

“Okay then,” she said. “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. What’s the next step then?”

*****

Kara had to admit, she was impressed by this Batman guy. Unlike most other men she confronted, he hadn’t attempted to beat her, but only to get away as fast as he could. It spoke of a logical mind that was well aware of its limits. When it became apparent that fleeing was not an option, he had immediately switched strategies and appealed to her sense of justice. Successfully, she mused.

Monitoring his heartbeat and breathing rate, she was pretty sure he was telling the truth. Her powers weren’t a fool-proof lie detector, but not many could lie to her. Besides, if he was right and someone was indeed trying to destroy an entire city, this sounded like a job for Superwoman. Plus her Bat-sidekick, she snickered internally.

She watched as Batman quickly searched the assassin for any clue and she could feel his pulse quicken as he found something in one of his pockets. It was a small vial, filled with liquid. He opened it and took a careful sniff.

“What’s this?” she asked. She could smell the distinct odor from here, but couldn’t place it.

“The League of Shadows uses an extract made from Blue Poppies as a testing tool for their adepts. It overstimulates the amygdala and causes an intense fear reaction. This seems to be a highly refined version of it.”

“Weaponized fear? That’s something new. Okay, so you want to destroy a city and you have a liquid causing extreme fear. How do you distribute it among the populace? Drinking water?”

He looked up at her, apparently taken aback a bit. Yeah, Batman, she mused. The big blue-eyed blonde is more than just a pretty face.

“The city’s water supply would be a logical place,” he answered. “The main line goes from the treatment plant near the coast through Arkham Island and is distributed near Wayne Tower.”

“You have the city’s water pipe network memorized?” she asked.

“Among other things,” he said, getting up. “How fast can you go carrying a passenger?”

She smiled. “Just watch me!”

*****

Batman had to admit, he was impressed by Superwoman. She was clearly quite intelligent, very adept at using her truly amazing powers, and seemed to have a strong sense of right and wrong, too. Which was good, for he hated to think how dangerous someone as powerful as her would be without it. Being picked up as if he weighed nothing and flying through the air took some getting used to, but it certainly beat all other methods of transportation currently available to him. He really needed to invest in a jet.

The conclusion of their joint mission was anti-climactic, though. Following along the water line, they quickly found a group of League assassins who had broken into Arkham Asylum. Several barrels of the fear toxin had already been placed in the asylum’s cellar and the main water line had been dug up. It would have been just a matter of hours.

Batman was rather certain he could have managed to take down the League assassins himself, but it would have been hard and taken quite some time. Having a Superwoman on one’s side, though, tended to shorten most battles quite a bit.

There had been a single moment of tension when one of the assassins had thrown a capsule of the fear toxin at Superwoman when she had been busy knocking out half a dozen of his fellows. The liquid had splattered onto her face and for a moment Batman had panicked, his imagination showing a fear-crazed Superwoman rampaging through Gotham.

“Oh, please,” she simply said, wiping the liquid off with a look of disgust. “I can drink vodka by the galleon and not feel a thing. You think a little poison is going to affect me?”

And that had been that. Half an hour later they were back on the rooftop where they had first met. The assassins had been tied up expertly and left to be found by the police, a letter addressed to Lieutenant James Gordon along with them. There were at least a few honest cops in Gotham, after all.

“I guess I won’t take you in today then,” Superwoman finally said. “Please try to make sure that I won’t have a reason to do it in the future, either.”

“There won’t be,” he said. “I... thank you for your help. This could have gone much worse without your assistance.”

She nodded, giving him another of her brilliant smiles. As he turned to leave, though, she called him back.

“Yes?” he asked.

“Just one thing. You said this al Ghul guy was dead, right? How certain are you that he is?”

“He fell through the floor of a burning building right in front of me,” Batman replied. “No one could have survived that. Why are you asking?”

“Well, you remember those assassins telling us that we hadn’t won anything and that R’as al Ghul would return to kill us all?”

“Yes, so?”

She shrugged. “Well, it’s not really an exact science, but... they were not lying, Batman. They fully believed they were telling the truth. They believe he lives.”

Now it was her turn to leave. “Besides,” she added, “you know at least one person who could have survived that. Just something to keep in mind.”

She vanished into the night sky, leaving Batman with some rather uncomfortable thoughts.

*****

Having finished her rather surprising team-up adventure with the self-proclaimed Batman, Kara finally had the opportunity to take care of her actual business in Gotham City the following morning. She was meeting her potential investor in his office and then she would finally be able to fly home.

She was dressed in a sharp-looking business suit, her hair in a tight bun, glasses that slightly shifted her eye color on her nose, and wearing make-up that subtly changed the look of her cheekbones. She also wore five-inch heels to appear taller (and thank Rao for invulnerable feet). The result was a smart-looking young businesswoman that maybe bore some resemblance to the famed flying superhero, but not really all that much.

“Go right in, Ms. Kent,” the secretary said, motioning for her to enter.

Karen Kent walked into the office of Bruce Wayne, who was looking for up and coming new businesses to invest his very large fortune in. She had barely entered, though, when her enhanced senses recognized the heartbeat and scent of the person on the other side of the desk. Stopping in her tracks, she wanted to be really sure and raised her hand in front of her eyes to simulate him wearing a mask covering the top half of his face. Yeah, she definitely remembered that chin.

“Huh,” she just said.

Bruce Wayne, still tired from a long night with very little sleep, frowned at the strange behavior of the woman entering his office. Then he froze, studying her face. Could it be…? He imagined her with open hair, no glasses, different make-up, and wearing flats.

“Oh,” he just said.

The two of them remained standing, looking at each other from across the office.

“So…,” Kara finally began. “Should we... I don’t know… pretend that this didn’t just happen?”

Bruce opened his mouth, then stopped, really not sure what to say. “I… well…”

“You know, you sound far more eloquent when you wear the mask!”

“Do you want my money or not?” he growled.

*****

End Chapter 6

Author’s Note: I considered making Bruce Wayne the same age as Clark, but eventually decided against it, as I wanted to Trinity of Wonder Woman, Batman, and Super(wo)man intact for my story. So this Batman here is roughly the same age as Karen and still green behind his bat ears, too, having only just started out. Food for thought: Ben Affleck is 11 years older than Henry Cavill and Michael Keaton was 38 for the first Batman movie, while Christopher Reeve was only 26 in the first Superman movie. So the age difference I’m putting between Bruce and Clark can actually be considered canon. Batman is mostly based on the DC Animated series Batman, but with some elements from the Batman Begins movie thrown in.

As for Bruce and Karen meeting so early and figuring out each other’s identities so soon, well, I really wanted to avoid that whole Batman vs. Super(wo)man thing. Despite their different personalities, they make much better friends and allies than enemies. Oh, and there will definitely NOT be any sort of fight between them in this AU that requires the super-powered alien who could kill people with a stern glance to be super stupid.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7: Superwoman’s Pal Lois Lane

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Perry White was not sure what exactly had possessed him to agree to this. Well, there was this bothersome fact where he would have died as a young man if not for the actions of a fellow soldier by the name of Samuel Lane. They had been in deployment together and the bullet that had been earmarked for one Perry White’s head had just missed him due to a tackle by his squad mate Sam. They had been friends ever since.

Well, friends was pushing it maybe. They argued over pretty much everything. Sam Lane had stayed in the military and risen through the ranks to become a general at the Pentagon. Perry had quit after his first tour and became a reporter, one that loved digging up government secrets, illegal actions, and corruption. It made them natural enemies of sorts, despite also being friends, kind of.

So when Sam had approached him with the words “Perry, I would like to ask a favor,” he really should have known better.

“Do you think I’ll get to meet her? What is she like? Is she really as nice as everyone says? Can she really set things on fire with her eyes? How old do you think she is? Is she really an alien?”

The barrage of questions was never-ending and Perry was beginning to develop a severe headache. He really should have said no. Heck, he should have said yes when they offered him the job of editor-in-chief last year. He hadn’t felt ready to take a step back and let others do the reporting for him back then. He sure felt ready now, though. Editors-in-chief didn’t have to deal with interns, after all.

Lois Lane! 14-year-old spitfire, military brat, now the newest intern at the Daily Planet, and apparently the world’s biggest Superwoman fan. At this point Perry was uncertain whether she actually wanted to be a reporter one day – Sam had actually asked him to do his best to nip that notion in the bud – or if she simply wanted to get close to arguably the best source on Superwoman publically known, meaning himself.

“Lois!” he thundered, interrupting her barrage. “Didn’t I ask you to bring those layouts to the print department?”

“Oh, I already did that, Mr. White, all done. Now, when you interviewed Superwoman, did you...”

“LOIS!” he thundered, actually managing to make her shut up for a second.

“Lois, a good reporter must ask questions,” he told her sternly. “But it is important, and I can’t stress this enough, to actually pause a moment here and there to listen to the answers!”

The girl blushed. “Oh, yeah, sorry Mr. White. I know I’m kind of excited, but I really...”

“You’re a really big fan of Superwoman, yes, I think everyone here in the bullpen knows that by now. I think everyone in the entire building knows it by now.”

She blushed even harder, making him feel a tiny bit bad about putting her in place. Just a smidgen, maybe.

“You are aware, though,” he continued, “that I don’t have Superwoman’s contact details or anything, right? I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, that’s all!”

“But that’s not true,” Lois protested. “There were dozens of reporters at that launch, I read about it! You were the only one with the presence of mind to snap pictures of her. And you came up with her name, too! And you’re always the guy she goes to when there is something she wants to tell the press!”

“Which is exactly my point, Lois,” he told her. “She comes to me, not vice versa. I’ve met her maybe half a dozen times in the entire time she’s been active. I’ve written lots of stories about her, sure, but most of them without any sort of personal contact with her. So if you are only here because you hope to get an autograph...”

“What? No, no, no! That’s not it at all! Or... okay, I admit it was part of the reason why I bullied daddy into calling you, but I really do want to become a reporter! I really, really do, I promise! And I want to learn from the best!”

Perry looked at her skeptically, causing her to give him the most charming smile he had ever seen on an adolescent. Maybe there was something to this girl after all. After all, how many people had ever managed to get General Sam Lane to do something he didn’t want to do? And Sam had made it clear that he really, really didn’t want this daughter to become a reporter.

Which was a good enough reason all on its own, he figured, to give the girl a fair shake.

“Okay, I’m gonna take you at your word on that one,” he told her. “But keep the chatter down, will you? You’re here for eight weeks and there is no guarantee we’ll even see Superwoman fly across town in that time. Journalism isn’t just about superheroes, you know? So you...”

“Heads up, everyone!” someone yelled from across the bullpen. “There is some sort of super villain with only a skull for a head tearing up downtown! Superwoman is already on the scene!”

Lois squealed so loudly that Perry was sure he’d end up with a tinnitus.

“You are not coming,” Perry told her, getting up and grabbing his jacket. “Your father will water board me if he finds out I’ve taken you into an ongoing fight with a super villain!”

“Oh please, Mr. White! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease!”

*****

There were days when Kara figured that she could easily halve her troubles just by shutting down S.T.A.R. labs. Sure, the research company had done a lot of great work in the last few years when it came to figuring out how to contain super villains, shut down harmful technology, and be of assistance to Superwoman in general. On the other hand, though, it had been one of their facilities that had seen the creation of the Parasite, one of Kara’s most dangerous foes. And now this.

“His name is Joseph Martin,” Inspector Henderson told her. Metropolis somehow seemed to be a hub of superhuman activity these days for reasons no one had yet figured out – some tried to blame it on Superwoman, but she operated all over the world and wasn’t even in Metropolis that often – so the city had created a Special Crimes Unit for dealing with it. Henderson was its commanding officer and Superwoman had worked with him before.

“What happened to him?” she asked, observing the obviously confused man from afar. To the naked eye it seemed as if Martin was little but a walking skeleton, but that was nonsense of course. Skeletons couldn’t walk, for starters, due to the lack of muscles. Quickly skipping across various spectra, Kara could easily see that Martin’s body was very much intact, but it appeared something had caused his flesh to become invisible.

“Some kind of lab accident, apparently. He was there for some sort of check-up and got blasted with radiation when some gizmo or other malfunctioned. You’re gonna have to ask the eggheads for more details there. Anyway, it turned his skin invisible and he’s gotten really strong. Also, the Geiger counters are going crazy around him, so we’re trying to keep him away from people.”

“Has he hurt anyone?”

“Mostly he seems to be confused. He’s been stumbling around for some time, did some property damage, but I figure that’s mostly because he doesn’t know his own strength. He was in that movie theater over there for a few hours, which gave us the time to evacuate the surroundings. We really need to bring him in, Superwoman. He hasn’t technically done anything illegal yet, but he’s a danger to everyone around him.”

She nodded, easily seeing how someone giving off potentially deadly radiation could not just be allowed to run around.

“I’ll try and talk to him,” she said. “Radiation doesn’t hurt me, so I’ll be fine.”

Henderson nodded, even as she heard one of the cops whisper something along the likes of a pretty blonde woman being more likely to calm him down than someone in full radiation protection gear. She sighed. Well, it was one of the nicer things she had heard with her super hearing from men discussing her appearance.

A brief flight took her three city blocks over and she touched down on the other side of the street from where Joseph Martin was currently standing. The radiation seemed to have bulked him up quite a bit, as his clothes stretched over invisible flesh. The fact that he seemed to have nothing but a skull for a face was kind of unnerving.

“Mr. Martin,” she said, slowly walking toward him. “May I have a minute of your time?”

He turned around to look at her, pressing his back against the wall. He seemed skittish, almost like a wounded animal. She would have to be very careful about this.

“Who are you?” he asked. “And who is this Martin you mentioned?”

“That is your name, Mr. Martin. You are Joseph Martin. Don’t you remember? You were in an accident.”

“Accident?” She really wished that she could see his actual face. A skull didn’t really lend itself to interpreting facial expressions. “No, you are trying to confuse me!”

“I am trying to help you,” she said, walking closer still, her hands raised and palms open to show that she meant no harm. “You are sick, Mr. Martin.”

“My name is not Martin,” he yelled at her. “I am… I am the Atomic Skull!”

Atomic Skull? Where had she seen that name before? Her eyes quickly flicked over to the movie theatre Henderson had mentioned a minute ago. Right there on the marquee it said “Adventures of the Atomic Skull!”, which was apparently an old movie serial. He had been in there for a while. Maybe the movie had left a lasting impression on his confused mind?

“Very well, Atomic Skull it is,” she said, looking to calm him down. “I really want to help you. You might not know it, but you are giving off radiation that is dangerous to other people, possibly yourself, too.”

“No, you are lying!” He became more agitated. “You... I know who you are! You are Doctor Electron, my arch enemy! You are trying to trap me!”

Great, now he thought that she was a super villain. That really could have gone better.

“Please, I…” she began, hoping to calm him down again. She never got the chance to finish the sentence, though. She had been ready for a fight since the moment she touched down, just in case. She had kept her eyes on Martin’s fists (skeletal fists), having been told that he had acquired super strength. What no one had mentioned, though, was that he wasn’t just giving off radiation. He was apparently also capable of BLASTING off radiation in the form of intense energy bursts.

The blast, seemingly emerging from his mouth, hit her dead center and immediately sent her flying. Her flesh seemed to be on fire, it actually hurt, and she didn’t have time to counteract with her own flying power before her back hit something solid. Something solid that cracked ominously.

“This just isn’t my day,” she muttered, looking up and seeing the wall she had crashed into beginning to crumble.

*****

Perry White just knew he was going to burn in hell for this. Sam Lane would kill him, pure and simple, and afterwards he would burn. What had he been thinking, allowing a 14-year old to come along on a story involving a super villain? Maybe it was really time to give up the reporter beat and accept that promotion, he was obviously losing it.

Granted, it hadn’t sounded that dangerous at first. The so-called super villain had actually appeared to be but a confused guy. Sure, a guy with a skull for a head, but still. Arriving on the scene, he had seen Superwoman calmly talking with the SCU cops. While all of them seemed tense, none of them were full-blown “super villain planning to destroy the city” tense, so maybe this would all turn out to be harmless. Lois would get to see Superwoman on her first day as an intern and it would all wrap up nice and easy. He really should have known better.

The police kept them too far back to see anything, but Perry knew how to get the scoop. The building behind them was an office building. Big windows all over. He quickly ran inside, barely aware that Lois was hot on his heels, and a minute later they were six stories up and got a good look at the action. Just in time to see the skull guy blast Superwoman with some kind of energy beam.

Seeing as the universe clearly wanted to see him burn in hell, it was not really a surprise that Superwoman was blasted straight towards them. She crashed into the side of the building directly below and the entire structure trembled. The big viewing window they had been looking through cracked and shattered a moment later. And Lois, who had had her face pressed to said window but a second earlier, was falling forward into empty air.

Perry swore he could feel his heart stop, even as he ran forward. He was far too slow to catch her, he knew that before he took his second step. Almost as if in slow motion he watched her fall, a scream beginning to emerge from her lips.

Suddenly there was a red and blue blur and Lois was gone. Perry’s heart began beating again, for he had seen that blur before. Carefully stepping to the edge of the open window, he looked down and sighed in relief. Lois was down there, unhurt, safely in Superwoman’s arms.

Great Caesar’s Ghost, he was getting too old for this!

*****

One of the many reasons Kara really didn’t like super villains was that she always seemed to encounter them right in the middle of a city. Meaning property damage, meaning innocent bystanders, meaning she didn’t dare go all out with her powers. Occasionally it also meant girls falling out of windows.

She heard the window shatter and also heard the beginning of a scream. Looking up, she saw a small shape tumble out of a window destroyed by her impact. Shrugging off the after effects of a rather painful radiation blast, she quickly flew up and caught the girl before she had even started falling properly. A moment later they were back on the ground.

“Wow,” the girl gushed, looking up at her with wide eyes. “You’re Superwoman! This is so awesome! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“It was my pleasure, but you really need to...” she caught the movement from the corner of her eye and quickly positioned her body between the girl and yet another energy blast coming her way. She was braced this time, but it still hurt. Rao, it hurt a lot.

“Superwoman!” the girl yelled, sounding really loud.

“Get to safety,” Kara managed, right before the next blast came. This one hurt even more.

“I will not allow you to harm the innocents, Doctor Electron,” the self-named Atomic Skull thundered, firing off yet another blast at her. Damn it, these things hurt, but she couldn’t dodge. There was the girl and a score of other bystanders too close by.

“You are the one endangering the innocents,” she yelled, putting out her hands to at least keep the blasts from hitting the rest of her body.

“You can’t fool me! I am the Atomic Skull, protector of the innocent. You will not harm that girl, nor anyone else!”

“She saved my life, you moron!” the girl yelled at him. Damn, she was loud. “She is the hero here, you are the bad guy!”

The Skull paused, apparently taken aback. “What? No, you are confused, girl. I am...”

Kara didn’t give him the time to get over his puzzlement. This had gone on too long already. The moment he let up with his blasts, she flashed forward at her top speed and aimed both her fists at where she estimated his chin to be.

The Atomic Skull went flying end over end and crashed to the ground right in front of the movie theater he had apparently taken his name from. Kara hadn’t hit him full strength, not knowing how durable he really. She quickly followed him, seeing that he was apparently still conscious and trying to get back up again.

“Oh no, you don’t!” She hit him again, a little harder than the first time, and this time he stayed down.

“Get him wrapped up, quickly!” someone yelled. A moment later several cops in radiation gear were by her side and quickly spread a heavy lead-lined blanket over the Skull’s body. Right, she remembered. Walking radiation hazard.

“I think we are good,” one of the cops said a moment later, checking a Geiger counter. “He’s still a hazard, but the levels are safe in the short term.”

“You beat him! That was so awesome!”

The girl was running towards her, making Kara’s already aching head hurt even more with her shrieking. She seemed to hit frequencies only dogs and Kryptonians could hear.

“Thank you,” Kara said, walking away from the Skull so as to keep the girl from getting too close to him. “And thank you for distracting him there at the end, it gave him me the chance to take him down. Just please don’t make a habit of getting involved in super villain fights, all right?”

“LOIS!” she heard a familiar voice. Looking up, she saw Perry White running towards them, shouldering past the cops that surrounded the scene. “Lois, are you all right?”

“I’m great, Mr. White,” the girl said. “And look, I got to meet Superwoman and help her, too!”

“A friend of yours, Perry?” Kara asked the out-of-breath reporter, who looked as if he was alternating between wanting to hug the girl and wanting to strangle her.

“I’m Lois Lane,” the girl said, not waiting for Perry to make the introductions. “I’m going to be a reporter, just like Mr. White!”

The girl’s enthusiasm was endearing, Kara had to admit.

“Your dad is going to kill me,” Perry finally said. “If my body is found, go and arrest Sam Lane, will you? He will have done it!”

“I’ll remember that,” Superwoman promised. Seeing the approaching reporters, she spontaneously decided to have some more fun at her reporter friend’s expense.

“How about a picture together with Metropolis’ newest star reporter?” she asked the photographers, who eagerly raised their cameras. Kara made Lois stand next to her (not that the girl needed much convincing) and smiled for the pictures.

“I hate you,” Perry grumbled.

“Nah, you love me,” she winked at him.

*****

Lois was sure she was going to pass out from happiness when she got her first look at the Daily Planet’s front page the next day. Right there was the picture showing her standing next to Superwoman, the hero smiling at her.

SUPERWOMAN DEFEATS ATOMIC SKULL, the headline read. And directly underneath there was a subtitle, saying DAILY PLANET INTERN HELPS SAVE THE DAY. They were talking about her. She had helped save the day.

Looking up, she saw Perry White staring at the same headline with a very sour expression on his face.

“What’s the matter, Mr. White? It’s a great story, and thank you so much for putting me in there, too.”

“The subtitle wasn’t my idea, kid! Lloyd, that bastard, put that in there. He wants to punish me for not agreeing to take over his job. Man wanted to retire last year. But the joke’s gonna be on him.”

“Why?” Lois frowned, not understanding.

“Because I can’t become editor-in-chief if your dad kills me. So...”

“PERRY WHITE!” a voice boomed across the bullpen. All eyes turned to see a big man with greying hair, dressed in a general’s uniform and looking angry enough to spit nails. Spotting Lois and Perry, he quickly strode across the floor, everyone hurrying to move out his way.

“Here we go,” Perry muttered.

Lois was somewhat aware of her father, General Sam Lane, chewing out Mr. White for endangering her, but she was far too happy to pay much attention to be honest. She had met Superwoman. Superwoman had thanked her for helping her. It had been the best day ever.

“Lois Lane,” she muttered happily. “Superwoman’s Pal!”

*****

End Chapter 7

Author’s Note: I realize Lois Lane may be somewhat out of character here, but remember that she is still an impressionable teenager and instead of meeting a handsome male superhero as an adult, she is meeting an inspirational female superhero she has read about for several years now. She won’t stay a squealing fan girl, I promise! And yes, she is a few years older than Clark. Margot Kidder was four years older than Christopher Reeve and Amy Addams is nine years older than Henri Cavill. Sure, Kate Bosworth is younger than Brandon Routh, but we all wish to forget about that movie anyway, right?

Chapter Text

Chapter 8: Family

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

“Wow,” Lana breathed, her eyes wide. “That’s really impressive, Clark!”

Clark Kent, age 11, was currently hoisting a huge tree trunk over his head that had to weigh several hundred kilos at least. He was wobbling a bit, probably more due to balancing issues than anything else, but managed to keep the huge weight aloft.

“Thanks, Lana! Don’t tell mom, though. I want it to be a surprise!”

Lana nodded. Ever since she had learned that Clark’s mom was Superwoman, things had been a little tense between her and the elder Kents. Clark had told her a day later that his mom had caught them talking and was aware that Lana now knew her secret. Clark had ended up confined to his room for the remainder of the week, only allowed out for school.

Karen had drawn Lana aside later that same day after school and emphasized that she was not mad at Lana for knowing, but that her secret needed to stay a secret. Superwoman had enemies, after all, and they would not hesitate to go after her family and friends if they knew about them. Lana understood and had kept the secret faithfully ever since. She really did not want to see some of those robots and super villains she had seen Clark’s mom fight on TV to pop up in Smallville, after all.

Not soon after, Clark had confided in her that he was also developing super powers, just like his mom. They were kicking in slowly, though, far too slowly for his liking. Apparently his mom’s powers had started developing in puberty, as far as he knew, so it was not surprising his were starting to show up now, too.

Lana was certainly impressed, possibly a tad jealous, too. It also got her thinking.

“Have you ever wondered where these powers are coming from?” she asked Clark once he had put the trunk back down again. His strength still came and went, apparently, so he did not want to risk injuring himself (or her) should his powers suddenly give out.

“What do you mean?” he asked back, wiping his hands on his Jeans. “I inherited them from my mom.”

“And where did she get them from? It’s not like Mr. and Mrs. Kent have super powers,” she pointed out, then hesitated. “They don’t, right?”

“No, they don’t,” Clark admitted, frowning. “I don’t know. Maybe it was some sort of... what it’s called? Mutation? Something that started with mom.”

“Could be,” Lana admitted as they started walking back towards the Lang farm. “Or maybe she inherited it from her mom, your grandmother. Could be from that side of the family.”

Clark’s face darkened and Lana almost regretted bringing up what she knew was a sore topic for Clark. Still, her curiosity was stronger.

“She still refuses to speak about her time before coming to Smallville?” Lana asked.

“Yeah,” Clark growled. “I get that it probably wasn’t a good time for her. Her dad, uncle Jonathan’s brother, died before she was even born. And losing her mom when she was barely older than we are now must have been really bad.”

Lana nodded. The idea of being orphaned, of losing both her parents or even just one, was too horrible to contemplate. She might get annoyed with her parents sometime, but the thought of simple losing them from one second to the next... no, she certainly would not want that to happen to her or anyone.

“But couldn’t she tell me some things at least?” Clark asked, getting worked up. “Surely there must be some good stories about grandma. I’ve never even seen a picture of her. Uncle Jon has pictures of grandpa Sam, surely she must have some of her?”

“Have you ever tried looking her up yourself?” Lana asked. “You know her name, right?”

“Sure, it was Alya Jones. You think... you think we can find something?”

Lana shrugged. “Doesn’t hurt to try.”

Ten minutes later they were in Lana’s room at her home and booting up her computer. Calling up a search engine, Lana typed in the name of Clark’s grandma. Only a very small number of hits appeared, though.

“Here, that’s an archived newspaper article. It… oh...” Lana trailed off.

She could feel Clark tense beside her as he scanned the article. It spoke about a terrible accident with multiple vehicles involved and three people dead. One of the victims had been one Alya Jones, single mother. Thankfully there were no pictures.

“I guess we can scratch the idea of mom inheriting her powers from her mom, right?” Clark said, his voice heavy. Lana simply nodded. If Ms. Jones had had super powers, she certainly wouldn’t have died in a car crash. It seemed the super powers had indeed begun with Karen Kent.

“Sorry, Clark,” she said, feeling bad. “I didn’t want to...”

“Don’t worry, Lana,” he cut her off, his hand on her shoulder. “I knew I wasn’t going to find any happy stories here, given what I already knew. I just want to know... anything, really.”

He fell back into the chair, rubbing his hands across his face. “It’s just so... so unfair! I should be told about my family, right? That’s not unreasonable or something, right?”

“No, of course not. But I’m sure your mom has a good reason for...”

“I know,” Clark interrupted her again. “I know she isn’t doing this just to be mean or anything. She isn’t like that! But... I just...”

Lana scooted closer to him, seeing tears shining in his eyes. “I love mom,” he said, voice quivering. “I really do. And I love Uncle John and Aunt Martha, too. I have the best family on Earth! But... it’s like there is this big black hole in my life and... and maybe what’s hidden in there is something really bad, or maybe it’s something really boring, but... how I am supposed to know if nobody tells me anything?”

Lana hugged him, wishing there was something she could do. “Have you ever asked your Aunt and Uncle?”

“Dozens of times,” Clark sniffed. “The answer is always the same. ‘This is something you should ask your mom, Clark!’ Which I have tried, but she always says she’ll tell me when I’m older.”

“Well, at least she says she WILL tell you one day, whenever that will be. That’s better than nothing, right?”

It was a thin silver lining, Lana was aware, but she was really trying here. Ever since she had learned the secret of Clark’s mom, she had tried to wrap her mind around it all. She had always liked Clark’s mom, probably because she was still young enough to act like a kid herself at times, not stiff and boring like most of the adults around town. And Lana had been a huge fan of Superwoman even before she learned that she was really Karen Kent. She doubted that there were many girls in the world who weren’t. Most of them, of course, were not aware of the many contradictions.

Lana had read the world-famous interview Superwoman had given Perry White of the Daily Planet shortly after her first appearance. She had read it half a dozen times at least. So she was aware that Superwoman had told the world at large that she was actually an alien from another planet. After finding out that Karen Kent was Superwoman, Lana had one day gathered all her courage and had asked Clark’s mom about that.

“Are you really an alien, Ms. Kent?” Lana had asked, finding the idea pretty cool, but weird.

“Why do you... oh, you mean because of the interview, right?” Clark’s mom had said. “Don’t worry, I said that to throw people off my track. If people believe I’m an alien, they will never even consider that I might have a civilian identity and a family somewhere. Why would an alien live in Smallville, Kansas, right?”

It was a perfectly reasonable explanation and Lana had believed it without reservation. Recently, though, she had begun to doubt. Oh, not that she thought that Karen Kent might be an alien, but her powers - and especially the lack of powers in the rest of her family except Clark - made her consider the notion that she might not actually be a Kent by birth. Maybe she was adopted. Maybe there was a family with super powers out there somewhere.

For Clark’s sake, she really wished there was. Also, it would be really, really cool.

*****

“Clark over at the Langs’ place again?” Jonathan asked, stepping out onto the porch next to Karen

“Where else?” Karen answered, chuckling. “Those two have been inseparable as far as I can think back. He is in her room right now; they’re working on her computer.”

“They are getting to that age where Clark hanging out in her room all the time might start to get a little awkward, you know? He hasn’t even gotten the talk yet.”

Karen frowned, looking at him. “Didn’t you tell me you gave him the talk last year? When he ‘accidentally’ looked through the wall into the girls’ shower in school?”

Jonathan chuckled, shaking his head. “I gave him the talk that my dad gave me about girls, yes, but that’s not what I meant. I meant the other talk.”

Karen nodded, understanding. “Oh, that talk!” She turned away from him, looking out across the farm.

“He is asking more and more questions,” Jonathan said.

“I know,” she sighed.

“Don’t you think it’s time he got some answers?”

Karen turned to look at him, her teeth worrying on her bottom lip.

“I had planned to tell him already by this point, but then he went and told Lana about me being Superwoman, despite knowing very well that he was not supposed to. I... it made me doubt.”

“Lana is a sweet girl,” Jonathan told her. “She is keeping your secret.”

“I know, I really like her,” Karen replied. “But you know we lucked out with her. If he had told someone else, someone who might have told others without even thinking about it...”

“I understand,” Jonathan said. “But that was a while ago. Clark is growing up faster every day and he is mature for his age.”

“I know and It’s probably way past time to tell him,” she admitted, wrapping her arms around herself. “But...” she trailed off.

Jonathan stepped next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders. “What?” he asked, already suspecting the answer, but urging her to speak the words out loud. He had long ago learned that Karen was not someone you could just tell the right answer to. She needed to figure it out for herself.

“Why is this so hard?” she asked in a small voice, leaning against him.

“Telling him? It was always going to be hard, we knew that going in.”

“No, not... well, that too, but I meant in general. All of this! Why is this so hard?”

Jonathan nodded, understanding. “Being a parent, you mean? Well, nobody ever said it would be easy. And it shouldn’t be, because it’s the most important job in the world and needs to be done right.”

“Am I doing it right?” she asked, sounding so very young.

“Karen,” he said, grabbing her by the shoulders and turning her to look at him. “You have done an amazing job with Clark. He’s such a great kid. Never doubt that you are a great mother!”

“But that’s just the thing, isn’t it?” she said, looking away from him again. “I am not his mother, not really. And when I tell him that…” her voice died and he could see the tears glistening on her face.

“It was never supposed to be like this,” she suddenly growled, jumping down from the porch. “I was 13, damn it! Just 13 years old! I was just a kid myself!”

Jonathan followed her down from the porch, watching her as she angrily paced back and forth. He didn’t move to intercept her, though, figuring that this was something she needed to get off her chest.

“I knew something was up, I had seen how worried dad and Uncle Jor had been, but I never suspected…” she stopped pacing in front of the barn, where Jonathan had left the old, worn-out tires he had taken off the tractor a few days ago. He had planned to take them for recycling next week. Kara grabbed one of the huge tires and tore it to shreds with her bare hands.

“And then the ground starts shaking and they tear me out of bed and tell me, hey, Kara, guess what! Krypton is dying! Time to get into your rocket ship and leave for an alien world! How was I supposed to react to that?”

She picked up another tire and tore it into confetti as well. “And by the way, we only got the one rocket and that means it’s just going to be you and your baby cousin. So from here on out you can’t be a kid anymore, you need to take care of him!”

The remaining two tires quickly followed and with nothing further to destroy, Karen just sunk down to her knees amidst a sea of shredded rubber, tears still glistening on her face.

“Couldn’t they have just built a bigger rocket?” she asked. “Just big enough for maybe just one more person? Just one more? So it wouldn’t all be up to me?”

Jonathan squatted down beside her. “Why didn’t they build a bigger rocket?” He knew why, of course. Karen had explained it all to them years ago, but it seemed she needed to hear herself explain it one more time.

“They couldn’t,” Karen sniffed, angrily wiping at her tears. “The hyper drive’s energy requirements grow exponentially the bigger the ship is. Building multiple smaller ships was the only way to do it with the power sources they had access to.”

“And the other ships weren’t ready, because it happened too fast,” Jonathan added.

“Even putting two people in the one rocket had been risky,” Kara went on, her eyes unfocused as she stared at events long past. “It only worked because Clark... Kal was so small. The life support systems were barely strong enough to sustain the two of us. Adding an adult would have killed us all.”

Jonathan hugged her again and she gratefully sunk into his embrace. “Your parents loved you, Karen. I am sure they would have come with you if there had been any way, but the most important thing in the universe for them was to make sure that you were safe, no matter what. I would have done exactly the same. And you would do the same for Clark.”

He felt her nod against his shoulder. “Of course I would. I wouldn’t even have to think about it. But... Rao, this is going to sound so unfair to them, but dying for someone is easy. It’s fast, it happens in the blink of an eye. I feel like they... they just pushed the much harder job on me and never even asked if I was ready for it!”

Jonathan understood. “No one is ever really ready for that, Karen. I know it was so much harder for you than for anyone else, all things considered, but it’s the same for any parent. You are right, it’s a much harder job to live for someone else. Day by day, week by week, year by year. You worry every day, you have to be there every day, it’s hard.”

“I never even thought about being a mother before,” Karen muttered. “Not sure I even wanted to be one. Pretending to be his mom seemed the best way to ensure that no one tried to separate Clark and me, but...”

“But now you are not pretending anymore, are you? You haven’t for quite some time.”

Karen nodded again. “He is my son, Jonathan! I love him so much! And I am so scared that... when I tell him the truth… do you think he…?”

“You listen to me, Karen Colleen Kent,” Jonathan said, making her look him in the eye again. “Clark deserves to know where he comes from, he deserves to know the names of his birth parents, but none of that will change that he is YOUR SON! You raised that boy, you were there for him every day for the last 11 years. There might well be some angry words when he learns the truth, but he is your son by any definition that matters and that will never, ever change, you understand?”

“How can you be so sure?” she asked in a small, vulnerable voice.

“Because we are family, all of us. Maybe not by blood, maybe the documents are all forged, but that does not matter. Because just as sure as Clark is your son, you are my daughter! And I know you feel bad when you slip up and call Martha mom or call me dad, we fully understand that and it’s okay. But you are our daughter. The day you fell from the sky was the happiest day of our lives and we would not exchange it for anything. Even if we can never, ever publicly acknowledge it, we are proud to be the parents of the greatest woman this world has ever known. Just as we are proud to be the grandparents of the boy that will never, ever cease to be your son, no matter what!”

Jonathan realized that this was something that he had needed to get off his chest, too, for quite a while now. He and Martha had always been aware that Karen had a bit of a self-esteem issue when it came to their family. They knew that some small part of her felt that the Kents had only taken her in because of Clark, no matter how often they told her otherwise. They knew that she struggled with reconciling her feelings for her family here on Earth with the loving memories of her parents back on Krypton.

Maybe now she would finally understand that she was loved. That she deserved to be loved, both by her parents, both sets of them, and by her son.

Karen looked up at him for a long moment, then she cuddled against his chest and hugged him hard enough to make his ribs protest. “I will tell Cark soon, I promise! Thank you... dad!”

*****

End Chapter 8

Author’s Note: I’ve intentionally left out the exact years where these events happen, as I don’t want to be get too tied down. I referenced Jonathan’s older brother dying in Vietnam, but that’s about it. Lana and Clark are doing research on the Internet here and Kara and Diana are using mobile phones in earlier chapters, but given that Kara is introducing advanced tech to the world behind the scenes, those things might well have come along earlier in this world than in our own. So we’ll keep it vague.

Clark will be told the truth soon, I promise. I just really enjoy writing the dynamic of the Kent family and their secrets, though, so you will have to indulge me a bit longer. The scene between Kara and Jonathan is partially inspired by my favorite scene from the entire Smallville series between Jonathan and Clark where Clark finds out that his real father sent him to Earth as a conqueror. John Schneider really killed it in that scene as Jonathan Kent when he told Clark that it didn’t matter and that he was his son, no matter what. I hope I managed to capture some of that emotion here, too.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9: In Darkest Night

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Green Lantern belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

For as long as anyone could remember, the members of the Green Lantern Corps had served as the protectors of the space ways and keepers of law and order in the universe. The mighty Guardians of the Universe had divided known space into 3,600 sectors, usually centered on galaxies, and each sector was assigned a Green Lantern, usually selected from a native species.

Sector 2814, which centered on the galaxy human astronomers called the Milky Way, had been the beat of Green Lantern Abin Sur for a long time now. For well over a century, as humans would measure time, he had worn the powerful Green Lantern ring. The ring, product of a science so advanced that it might as well be called magic, was able to turn its wearer’s thoughts into reality, giving shape to them in green light. Many called it the most powerful weapon in the universe and only those who were able to master their fear were worthy to wear it.

In his long stint as a Green Lantern, Abin had saved so many lives, prevented so many catastrophes, that he could hardly count them all. It were not the faces of the people he had successfully saved that appeared in his dreams at night, though. It was his failures that haunted him, few as they might be.

One such failure, it seemed, was about to come back to haunt him.

The planet called Earth by its inhabitants was not one Abin visited regularly. It was a primitive world in a rather out-of-the-way sector of space. Few stellar catastrophes happened here, no interstellar powers competed for this quadrant, space-faring outlaws sought more profitable gains on more advanced worlds. He had been here only about half a dozen times in his entire Green Lantern career, if that, usually when tracking someone or something. Today, though, was just supposed to be a peaceful flyby, nothing more.

It would turn out to be a far from normal day, though.

“Search parameters triggered,” the soothing voice of his power ring rang in his mind. “Traces of Kryptonian technology identified.”

Abin froze upon hearing those words, not quite believing what he was hearing. Kryptonians? Could it really be after all these years? Unbidden the memories surged from the back of his mind.

*****

11 years ago:

Abin Sur, Green Lantern of sector 2814, would forever curse the fates or gods or whatever other powers might have been in play that day for delaying him on the planet Orestes for so long. Maybe if his ring had picked up the disturbance sooner, maybe if he had been here a day ago, a week, maybe then he could have done something. But a solar flare had threatened to rip away Orestes’ ozone layer and he had been stuck in place for hours, using his ring to shield an entire hemisphere from utter destruction. All the while another planet was in peril, even more innocent lives in danger.

He had visited the planet Krypton numerous times in the past. From the recordings left by his predecessors, he was aware that the Kryptonians had once been a space-faring race, rulers of a vast empire in this region of the Milky Way. As it happened often, though, their empire eventually collapsed under its own weight. Colonies were abandoned for lack of resources, expansion was halted, stagnation set in. The once mighty Kryptonian empire disappeared and its progenitors returned to their own planet.

For as long as Abin Sur had been a Green Lantern, he had only known the planet Krypton as a very insular place, its people not interested in the events of the larger galaxy. They seemed content to stay on their own world, even though their technology easily allowed for interstellar travel. During his last visit here, many years ago, he had noticed a troubling development in that the Kryptonians had begun mining energy directly from their planet’s core. Still, they were highly advanced and would certainly see the error of their ways before it was too late. Or so he had thought.

Surrounded by the green nimbus of energy that kept his body safe from the ravages of space, he streaked towards the dying planet as fast as his formidable will could propel him. His ring was scanning ahead, feeding the data it picked up directly into his mind, and it told him that he was far too late. Krypton’s core was already collapsing, a chain reaction had already begun, and the planet was breaking apart even as he watched. Continents crumbled, oceans boiled, dust obscured everything from view. Krypton was in its death throes and there was nothing even the most powerful weapon in the universe could do to change that.

Refusing to accept it, Abin poured every erg of his will into the ring on his finger, willing it to go faster, to find some way of saving these billions of lives. The green light blazed brightly around him, preventing fragments of the crumbling world from hitting him, and he still sped towards the center of the destruction. He sent a beam of green energy ahead of himself, hoping to somehow contain the uncontainable, knowing he was already too late.

The planet’s abused core exploded outward, fusing matter into energy, irradiating everything it could touch. Not even the fabled Green Light could contain the raw fury of a dying world. The ring’s automatic feature quickly redirected all its power towards protecting its wielder, surrounding him in an impenetrable aura, preserving his life. And Abin Sur watched, safely protected, as a world he had walked numerous times in the past simply died.

He had failed, it rang out in his mind again and again. He had failed.

Cruel fate would also have it that Abin Sur was on the entirely wrong side of the dying planet, so even his mighty power ring completely missed the small space craft that successfully escaped the calamity.

*****

Ever since that day, Abin Sur had kept a look out for survivors of the planet he had failed to save. The Kryptonians had been a space-faring race in the distant past and had retained the technology, even if they refused to use it. Surely some had seen the doom coming and fled. Surely some had survived despite his failure.

He had never found anything, though. Not until today.

“Can you idenfity the source?” he asked his ring. “Is it active Kryptonian tech or just some leftovers from their colonization era?”

He had come across quite a few old Kryptonian colonies in his time. All of them had been dead, empty, long since gone to dust. Occasionally there had been remnants of Kryptonian technology, but all of it has ceased working eons ago. All that remained of the once great Kryptonian empire.

“Energy signature indicates active power source,” the ring told him.

Could it really be true? After all this time, could he have really found some survivors? He had to be sure.

“Home in on the source,” he commanded and shot down towards the surface of the planet. The ring guided him towards the planet’s northern pole. Whatever it had picked up was somewhere among the ice. It made sense, really. Earth was a primitive world. Surely if there were Kryptonian survivors here, they would hide their presence from the natives.

He finally spotted his destination. If one didn’t know exactly what to look for, one would easily mistake it for just another ice berg. Abin Sur had seen Kryptonian crystal construction before, though. It was clearly a base of some sort and it was clearly active.

“Any signs of life?” His ring scanned the structure, even as he became aware that he was being scanned in turn. No Earth-build sensor would be able to pick up a Green Lantern in stealth mode, but Kryptonian tech was more advanced. Clearly he had been spotted, which was just fine with him.

“No biological life within the structure,” his ring said, threatening to make his hope crash and burn. Was this just some left-over outpost then? An old computer waiting for the return of its makers, not knowing they were all dead?

“Alert,” his ring suddenly called for his attention. “Object approaching at supersonic speed. Impact imminent!”

Before Abin Sur even had time to react, he was suddenly yanked out of his own flight path by something incredibly fast and strong. They travelled at least a hundred miles or more before Abin could even begin to orient himself again and by this time his attacker had let go of him, sending him tumbling through the air and onto the frozen ground.

When he finally regained his bearings, he found himself face to face with a floating woman. A woman with eyes burning an angry red and something he recognized as a Kryptonian family sigil on her chest.

“You are not welcome here!” the Kryptonian, for what else could she be, growled at him.

The open hostility somewhat took him aback, but he had been a Green Lantern for a long time and being met with suspicion was nothing new.

“I mean no harm to you or this world,” he said calmy. “I am Green L...”

“I know exactly who you are, Abin Sur!”

Okay, he had not expected that.

*****

Kara-El certainly remembered Abin Sur. Growing up on Krypton, there were certain things one inevitably picked up, even as a child. Kryptonians were suspicious of other worlds and other races. They had been space travelers once, but it hadn’t worked out so well for them, so now they happily stayed on their own world and everyone else could just happily stay on theirs, thank you very much. There was no outright xenophobia as such, Kryptonians didn’t hate aliens or wished to exterminate them, there was just this general agreement that everyone would be far better off sticking to their own kind and their own business.

The one exception to that unwritten rule was the Green Lantern Corps, the legendary protectors of space. Even Kryptonians had to admit that the members of the Corps did good work and were to be admired for their deeds. More than 300 years ago, when Krypton’s moon Wegthor had exploded due to a botched weapon test, it had been a Green Lantern who had saved the planet from the fallout.

When Kara was a child, almost everyone on Krypton knew the name of Abin Sur, the Green Lantern responsible for their sector of space. He had been on Krypton several times in the past, had prevented catastrophes and saved lives. Kara had never seen him in person, but she recognized his face from newscast and pictures. Kryptonians regarded him as a hero, despite his alien nature.

When her planet had crumbled around her, she had very briefly hoped that the great hero Abin Sur would swoop in to save them all. No hero came swooping in, though. Krypton died.

“I know exactly who you are, Abin Sur!” she growled, anger surging forth at seeing the face of the hero who never showed.

He was obviously puzzled by her reaction. “I fear you have me at a disadvantage,” he said after a moment. “If we have met in the past, I must admit I do not remember.”

Kara scoffed. “I didn’t expect you to. You have probably forgotten there ever was a planet called Krypton.”

She saw him flinch upon hearing the name of her home world. “You truly are a Kryptonian then?” he asked, his face filling with something that almost looked like joy. “I have searched for so long...”

“Congratulations then,” she interrupted him. “You have found the Kryptonian, your search is over. My name is Kara-El, last daughter of Krypton.”

“Last?” he asked, his face filling with sorrow. It only made her more angry. What right did he have to feel sorrow for the death of the world he had not saved?

“My world died, Green Lantern, in case you missed the memo. My entire race died. Every last one of them. There are none left but me.” Hell would freeze over before she told this guy about Clark’s existence.

“I know about Krypton’s fate,” Abin Sur said. “You have my deepest sympathies. For years I had hoped that some had escaped Krypton’s end. I looked for your kind all over the galaxy. It... I am sorry to hear that you are the sole survivor.”

“Nice words, Green Lantern. Feel free to leave now and don’t bother coming back. This planet already has someone to protect it. Earth doesn’t need a hero who’ll only turn up a decade after he was needed.”

*****

The Kryptonian’s words cut deep. He could easily see her anger and a part of him very much felt like he deserved it. He had failed to save Krypton, there was no denying it. But still, his sense of pride would not allow him to shoulder the entire blame.

“That which destroyed Krypton was not a threat from outside,” he said. “I shall carry the guilt of not being there in time to save your people for the rest of my days, but in the end they caused their own demise.”

She had already begun turning away from, but now she stopped and raised an eye brow at his statement. “So we had it coming, is that it? Is that why you were not there, Abin Sur? Does the great Green Lantern only save those he deems deserving?”

“I WAS there on that day,” he yelled, immediately taken aback by his own vehemence. “And I did everything I could to try and save your world!”

“You were there?” she asked him, the fierceness of her anger burned like fire. “You were there when the ground shook and tore open? You were there when the sky began to burn? When the oceans boiled? When the crystal towers collapsed and my people died by the millions because a few old men were too stupid to accept the truth of what was happening? Tell me how you were there, Abin Sur, for I certainly did not see you when my parents put me in a rocket, hoping against hope to save me. There was no green light there to save them or anyone else. So where were you, Abin Sur?”

“I WAS THERE!” he insisted again, all his guilt unloading itself in the form of anger. “I flew to Krypton as fast as I could! I did EVERYTHING I could. I wanted to save your people!”

“THEN WHY DIDN’T YOU?” she yelled back.

Qquite suddenly his anger faded, for he recognized that the anger of the woman before him was not really directed at him. She was angry at the fates, the gods, or whatever other powers had been at play that day, just like him. She was angry at an uncaring universe that allowed the short-sightedness of a few to seal the fate of an entire world.

“I failed,” he simply said. “I tried my best, and it was not enough on that day. I am deeply sorry.”

Standing in front of her, he slowly slid the Green Lantern ring from his finger. His uniform faded away, to be replaced with the civilian garb he wore when he was off duty and back on his own home world. The green nimbus around his body winked out and he stood before her as a defenseless man.

“I failed in my duties as a Green Lantern. If you wish to enact retribution for my failure, I will not keep you from it.”

He saw numerous emotions pass across her face. Surprise, anger, fury, sorrow, and finally just a bone-deep tiredness. The woman, Kara, was certainly much younger than him, but for a moment she seemed to feel just as old as he often did these days.

“Put your ring back on, Abin Sur,” she finally said, wrapping her arms around her body and turning away from him. “You have an entire space sector to protect. You can’t do that without that ring!”

He did as she told him to, the Green Lantern uniform manifesting on his body once again. He was uncertain about his own feelings. For so long he had hoped to find survivors of Krypton, but he had never really thought what to say to them when he finally found them. Had he hoped for absolution? Had he thought that the guilt he still felt 11 years later would somehow vanish? He didn’t know. The only thing he had found today was a survivor who, it seemed, was still reliving that dark day, just like he did.

“Is there anything I can do for you, Kara-El?” he finally asked when the silence seemed too oppressive. “Any service I can perform?”

*****

A few hours later Kara looked around the bridge of the space ship Abin Sur had taken her on. The technology was unfamiliar, but she was able to guess at most of the functions easily. She just wondered why it existed in the first place.

“I thought Green Lanterns didn’t need space ships to travel through space?” she asked the question that had been on her mind since their arrival here.

“They don’t,” Abin said, having sat down in the command chair. There was a set of manual controls, but he didn’t touch them, apparently steering the ship directly via his power ring. “But patrolling an entire sector means long journeys and I occasionally prefer sleeping in an actual bed.”

She just nodded, not able to think of any other topic for small talk. She wasn’t even sure what she was doing here, to be honest. Rao, this entire day was turning out very strange.

Realizing how much anger she still carried with her for the destruction of Krypton was sobering. She had thought she had dealt with most of it, left it behind her. Seeing Abin Sur, someone who had been regarded as a hero back on her old world, had apparently caused many feelings to well up from deep inside. She had barely recognized her own voice as she basically blamed him for Krypton’s destruction.

She already been primed for a fight, she realized, almost looking forward to unleashing her strength against the Green Lantern. Then he effectively disarmed her by disarming himself in the face of her wrath. It wasn’t him she had wanted to hurt, after all. The people she really wanted to hurt, the people who had laughed at her father and uncle and ignored their warnings, thus dooming billions, were long dead.

When the Green Lantern had offered her his services as penance, she had immediately jumped on the opportunity without thinking about it for any length of time.

“Take me to Krypton,” she had said.

So he took her to his ship, fired up the engines, and then they were off, streaking through hyper space. Towards… what? What did she expect to find? What could she possibly find out there? Abin Sur hadn’t asked. Maybe it would have been better if he had. Maybe it would have forced her to think of an answer.

The journey didn’t take long, the Lantern’s ship, powered by the fabled green ring, was very fast. Eleven years ago Kara’s ship had needed several weeks to cover the distance between Krypton and Earth. Abin Sur needed but a few hours for the same distance. They didn’t talk much during the entire time. Not at all, actually.

“We are there,” he finally said, tearing her from her thoughts. Kara’s eyes found the ship’s main view screen and looked at what was left of her home.

The giant red sun, Rao, was easy to identify. It looked different from space than when seen through an atmosphere, of course. There was no more atmosphere to be found, though. From her astronomy lessons in school she remembered that Krypton’s system had been home to six planets. Now, though, there were only five.

A massive debris field lay ahead of them, circling the red sun. An eerie green glow seemed to infuse every single piece of rubble, familiar from a piece of rock she had recovered from the torso of a cyborg. Kryptonite! Millions of tons of radioactive Kryptonite. All that was left of her home, all of it lethal to her.

“Don’t fly any closer, please,” she told Abin Sur. She was sure that the ship had radiation shielding, but she didn’t really see the need to test them today. It was bad enough that she could already feel her powers weakening, the absence of the yellow sun light slowly draining her cells. She didn’t need Kryptonite poisoning on top of it.

“I admit I have not been here since that day, either,” Abin Sure said, having brought his ship to a halt.

For a good long while the two of them simply stood there on the bridge of his ship, staring at the graveyard in front of them. For a time Kara imagined she could still see the planet, the pieces fitting back together. The red sun would rise over the crystal towers, which were whole and intact. People would be milling in the streets, her family among them. There were no quakes, no fissures, no dust clouds blotting out the sun. Just Krypton, whole and alive. But it was a lie, a phantasy. Krypton was gone.

Finally Kara turned around.

“Please take me back to Earth,” she said. Back home, she added within her mind.

“Have you found what you hoped to find, Kara-El?” he asked, even as he turned his ship around and brought them back into hyperspace.

“I don’t know, Abin Sur. Have you?”

The Green Lantern contemplated her question, then seemed to decide upon an answer. “Not what I hoped to find, no. But maybe what I needed to find.”

She considered this, then nodded. “That sounds about right, yes.”

A few hours later she was back on Earth and her eyes followed Abin Sur as the Green Lantern steered his ship away from Earth again. With her eyes no longer clouded by anger, she had seen the guilt on his face and she believed his words. Maybe meeting her would bring him some amount of peace.

This encounter had been strange, sobering, and possibly cathartic for her as well. Seeing the remnants of her first home world had hurt, yes, but in a way it had also been liberating. Krypton, the planet, was gone, never to return. She had always known this, of course, but knowing and accepting were two different things.

Krypton lived on, though, here on Earth. It lived on in her, it lived on in Clark, the last children of Krypton. And it was time that Krypton’s last son knew about his heritage.

*****

At the very edge of the debris field that had once been the planet Krypton there was something that was not part of the debris. It was a piece of technology, constructed after the destruction, and left here for a very specific purpose. It was a satellite, well-hidden even from the power of a Green Lantern, and its purpose was finally fulfilled.

“Kryptonian life signs detected,” was the message that the satellite began to broadcast. On its metallic surface three circles, arranged in a triangle, briefly glowed as the message was sent. Then the satellite fell silent again.

*****

End Chapter 9

Author’s Note: I have not yet decided which human Green Lantern to use in my story, but given the time frame, it was pretty clear that the first GL Kara would encounter would have to be Abin Sur. Abin having been on Krypton before it died is canon. It’s also canon that a Green Lantern tried and failed to save Krypton, but it was not Abin Sur. I changed this for my story, though. And if you recognize who or what that bit at the end refers to, then know that it is the version from the DC Animated universe.

As for the time frame regarding the destruction of Krypton, there are many different versions of how long the rocket of Kal-El (and Kara) travelled between the planet’s death and its arrival on Earth. Some versions say but days, others say years. I’m going with Kara’s ship having travelled but a few weeks at the most, simply for expediency. So Krypton died when Kara was 13 and there is no time skip due to her and Clark having been frozen in stasis for years or anything.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10: Revelations

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Clark Kent was 12 years old when he finally learned the truth.

The day had started like any other day. He got up to find his mom on top of the barn, watching the sunrise as she always did. Lately he sometimes joined her. He couldn’t fly on his own yet, but he was getting quite proficient at leaping and could easily jump up to join her (and without tearing half the barn’s roof down in the process. That had only been the one time and never since!) They had then joined Uncle John and Aunt Martha for breakfast before Clark headed to school and his mom headed out to either save the world as Superwoman or invent some amazing new gadgets. The only thing that was slightly different was that his mom told him to keep his evening free, as there was something she wished to talk to him about. He didn’t think too much about it, to be honest.

The day progressed like any other day, too. Eventually school was over and Lana and he headed home. They did homework together at her place and then he finally headed over to the Kent farm. His mom would be home in time for dinner as always when there wasn’t an Earth-shaking emergency and then they would have their talk, whatever it was to be about.

Today, though, there was an Earth-shaking emergency.

When mom didn’t come home on time, the Kents immediately turned on the TV, figuring that someone would be reporting on Superwoman’s latest adventure. They didn’t have to search long, one of the news channels was already on the case.

“... fighting the super villain known as the Parasite, who seems to have grown to gargantuan proportions!”

Clark saw Aunt Martha stiffen in fear. Clark dimly remembered hearing about someone called Parasite before, mom had taken him down a few years ago, he thought. It hadn’t sounded like a big deal then, but Clark knew that his mom was not always telling him everything, especially the dangerous stuff.

Clark knew that his mom was not entirely invulnerable. She was incredibly strong and tough, yes, but there were things out there that could hurt her (and him, too), such as that glowing green stuff she had told him to look out for. He also knew that Aunt Martha always worried, but some days she worried more than others. Right now, she looked as worried as Clark had ever seen her.

“Not that creature again,” Clark heard her whisper.

“Amazingly, Parasite actually seems to have the upper hand,” the reporter said. “Superwoman appears to be weakening every time he gets close to her.”

The Kent family watched in agonized silence as the fight played out on TV. The purple creature called Parasite seemed to be growing larger and more powerful, even as Superwoman tried to keep a distance and pelted him with pieces of debris and the occasional car, too. The battle seemed to last hours, though only a few minutes had passed in actuality.

“... Superwoman has managed to pin the creature under a ton of rubble, I don’t think he’s getting out of that one. Chalk up another win for… wait, something is wrong. Superwoman is swaying, she... oh God, she’s collapsed.”

With the Parasite apparently subdued, the reporters were moving closer to the scene and the picture now showed Superwoman, his mom, on her hands and knees, struggling to remain upright. All three Kents gasped at the same time, finally getting a good look at her.

“Dear god, are you seeing this back at the studio? Superwoman, she... she looks like she has been starved within an inch of her life.”

Clark began to panic. His mom was always strong, always tough, she could beat anything. But now he was seeing her on TV, looking so weak that even staying on her hands and knees seemed too much. Her blonde hair hung lifeless, her skin was ashen and wrinkled. Her uniform, which usually fit her like a glove (and Clark had NOT needed to hear how many boys at school loved looking at pictures of his mom in her super suit) hung loose on a body that seemed practically emaciated.

“Parasite must have gotten to her before she buried him,” John whispered, his fists clenching so hard Clark could hear his bones creak.

“Oh sweetheart,” Martha gasped, trying to stifle her sobs.

“Paramedics are on the way,” the reporter said, “but I am uncertain how much help they can be.”

Clark had stopped listening, his eyes fixed on his mom. He had never seen her weak, she was always so strong. She was always there for him, no matter what. She could be on the other side of the planet, but when he needed her, she was always there in a flash.

“She just needs some sunlight,” Jonathan said suddenly, though he sounded like he was trying to convince himself. “I’m sure that will help her recover!”

“It’s evening in Metropolis,” Martha said, barely keeping herself from crying. “There won’t be any sunlight until tomorrow morning. She... I don’t think she...”

Clark was only twelve, but he understood. He knew that his mom and he got their powers from the sun. He could feel it every time the sun rose, every time it touched his skin. Standing in the sunlight for ten minutes was better than an all-you-can-eat buffet. Uncle John was right, his mom just needed sunlight and then she would be all right.

There was no sun in Metropolis right now, though. And his mom looked so weak he didn’t know whether she would make it through the next ten minutes, never mind the night. He had never been more afraid in his life.

“We need to tell them,” Martha said, frantically looking for the phone. “We need to tell them to get her into the sunlight!”

“There isn’t anyone who’ll believe us,” John said, looking just as frantic. “And how they are supposed to get her into sunlight? No vehicle would be fast enough.”

And suddenly things clicked in Clark’s mind. His mom needed to get to sunlight, right now. And except for herself, there was only one other person in the world who was fast and strong enough to make that happen.

He didn’t stop to ask Martha and John for permission, because he could not afford for them to say no. He knew it was dangerous. His powers were still unreliable, unstable. He could run very fast and jump very high, but he couldn’t fly yet. He was strong, but his strength still sometimes came and went. His senses were better than any humans, but he didn’t have full control over them yet, so he sometimes lost focus. But mom had trained him. With every new power, every new increase in strength, she had been right there and taught him how to use it, how to control it.

“One day soon you’ll be a hero, too, Clark,” she would tell him.

“The day is now, mom,” he said to himself and started running.

The landscape blurred past him and Clark had to remind himself not to go too fast, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to avoid obstacles. This would be so much easier if he could fly. Also, he didn’t know exactly where Metropolis was, only the general direction. So he ran along the highway road, easily overtaking even the fastest cars, following the signs saying East. He focused on his vision and his eyes gazed farther and farther. There were more signs, some of them now saying Metropolis. He ran faster, not caring that his clothing began to smolder. A large city was ahead of him, a sign saying “Welcome to Metropolis”.

The harbor wasn’t hard to find, he just headed for the ocean. There was still devastation everywhere, the fight against Parasite had done quite a bit of property damage. Clark didn’t care about any of it. His eyes sought only one thing, his mom, and he finally spotted her.

The next part would be tricky. He knew that he shouldn’t allow people to see him. He could move fast enough that he was little more than a blur, even to cameras, but he needed to time this just right. Usually there was no trouble when he occasionally collided with his mom at super speed during their training, but his mom was hurt and weakened. The last thing he wanted to do was make it worse.

Never in his entire young life had his senses been this sharp, his focus this strong. He moved with certainty, no hesitation, no doubts. His power didn’t fluctuate even once. His mom needed him and he would save her, because that’s what heroes did. That’s what his mom would do. So he blurred past the police line, blurred past the gathered spectators, fire fighters, and medics. The backlash of his passing made some of them stumble, but he didn’t hit anyone. And then he was with his mom, bending down, scooping her up in his arms, and just kept on running.

It was difficult. He was still a good deal smaller than his mom. The weight wasn’t a problem, he was already strong enough to lift Uncle John’s tractor, but the balance was off. He needed to keep running, or he would tip over and send them both tumbling. So he focused on keeping up his speed, never missing a step, even as he started a long curve that took him around Metropolis harbor, out of the city, and finally on a heading back west.

Running in a straight line and outside the city, he finally took a moment to look down at the precious cargo in his arms. He almost stumbled at the sight. His mom looked so bad he wanted to cry, more like a stick figure than her usual self. But he could see that her eyes were open, her hands were clutching weakly at his shoulders. She was alive. She was going to be all right. He just had to get her into sunlight, then everything would be fine.

He kept running west, because he knew that the sun set in the west. It had only just gotten dark in Metropolis when his mom had fought the Parasite, still twilight in Smallville, so it should still be light somewhere out west. So he kept running, faster and faster. A series of sonic booms travelled in his wake, but he didn’t care if he blew out a few windows along the way. Nothing mattered except helping his mom.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, there was light up ahead. They were catching up with the setting sun. Clark kept on running, overtaking the shadows of evening, and the first rays of sunlight finally touched him and his mom. He could feel it, could feel his skin soak up the energy. He just hoped that Uncle John was right and it would help his mom as well.

He didn’t dare look down to check, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. No time to stumble, no time to make a mistake and let the dusk catch up with them again. He needed to keep heading west, into the sunlight, no matter what. He felt his mom moving in his arms, he thought he could feel the wrinkles in her suit smooth out, but maybe it was just his imagination. No matter, he had to keep running.

Quite suddenly there was no more land under his feet. He had reached the western end of the continent, there was nothing but ocean ahead of him, nothing but water under his feet. Clark closed his eyes for a moment, fearing that he would stumble and lose control. They’d go under where the sun didn’t reach and couldn’t heal his mom. When nothing happened, though, he opened his eyes again.

He was running on the water. His feet were moving so fast that by the time they would have broken the water’s surface, they were already gone again. Wow, this was so cool. The sun was rising higher in the sky as he caught up with the day and he was running on water. How awesome was that? If not for the severity of the situation, he would have whooped in delight.

Suddenly his feet lost contact with the water and he was rising into the sky. It took him a moment to understand what was going on, but then he noticed that his mom’s arms had tightened around his body. He looked down at her, seeing her beautiful smile and blue eyes, and he could watch as the sunlight smoothed out her skin, restored her vitality. He was still holding her, but now she was holding him, too, and taking them both into the sky, closer to the sunlight that was making them both stronger.

They had often flown together. It was cool every single time, but he always felt a tiny bit jealous, too, because he could not do it on his own yet. There was no jealousy today, though. Today he was soaring through the sky with his mom and everything was perfect. Because she was going to be just fine.

“Clark, my sweet boy,” she said, smiling brightly. “Great work. Thank you!”

Clark’s own smile put the sun they were still heading towards to shame. He had done it. He had saved his mom. Everything was right in the world.

The day was not over yet, though.

*****

When they finally returned to the Kent farm after simply soaking up sunlight for the better part of an hour, they were almost barreled over by Martha and Jonathan. The elder Kents stormed out of the house and embraced them fiercely. Tears were running down Martha’s face as she closed his mom in her arms, relieved to see her alive and whole. Jonathan’s eyes were shining with wetness, too, as he watched the two most important women in his life embrace.

Looking at Clark, he walked over to him and put both his hands on Clark’s shoulders.

“That was terribly reckless of you, Clark,” he said, a stern look on his face. Clark was about to speak up in protest, but then John’s lips curved up in a smile. “You did great, kid! Thank you for bringing her home safely.”

“Please never frighten me like that again, Karen,” Martha said, still refusing to let go of her niece. “Both of you, please never frighten me like that again!”

“I’ll do my best,” Karen said, “but you know I can’t promise you that.”

For a long moment the two women looked into each other’s eyes and seemed to communicate without words. Their eyes moved over to look at Clark, before meeting with those of Jonathan. John seemed to not understand for a moment, but then looked resolute, nodding. Karen finally moved out of Martha’s embrace and walked over to Clark, kneeling down in front of him.

“I was never more proud of you than I was today, Clark,” she said. “And if you still feel up to it after all that happened, I think it’s finally time.”

“Time for what?” he asked, confused.

“Time for you to learn the truth, Clark. The whole truth!”

*****

Kara was sure that there had been other days in her life when she had been scared as much as today. The day Krypton died, of course. That was forever etched into her mind. Several days in that first year here on Earth, when she had struggled to gain control of her powers and was uncertain what the future would bring for her and Clark. Certainly some others, too.

None of it changed the fact that she was currently working very hard to keep her fear under control. Fighting the Parasite in Metropolis had been an ordeal. The creature was dangerous enough all by itself, but since it had learned to siphon off her power simply through proximity without actually having to touch her, it had become near-suicide to fight it. She had beaten it, yes, but it had taken every single bit of strength left in her.

As she had fallen to her knees, no energy left in her body, she had briefly thought that this would be it. She would never be able to return to her family. The night had just begun, the sun that could save her would not return until morning. She would die right there on the cold concrete of Metropolis harbor without ever getting to tell Clark the truth, as she had planned to do that very evening.

But then Clark, her sweet Clark, had swooped in to save her like the hero she had always known he would become. A part of her was angry at his recklessness, at risking his own safety like that, but a much larger part was so proud that she felt like bursting. She had already committed to finally telling him everything and that had only reaffirmed it. It was time.

Rao, she was so very afraid of his reaction.

The plan how to tell him had been in place for years. Martha, Jonathan, and she had gone over it time and time again. So when Clark predictably told her that he wanted to know today and not wait a minute longer, she took him into her arms and together they flew north. Further and further north until there was nothing but ice beneath them. She could hear Clark gasp when he spotted their destination.

“What is that?” he asked, breathless.

“That, Clark, is our Fortress!”

To the casual observer the Fortress looked like an iceberg, but it was actually constructed from Kryptonian crystal. Technology far ahead of anything else on Earth kept it intact despite the cold and the wind, kept it floating with the ice shelf. As Kara approached, she felt the sweep of sensors, the Fortress’ computer making sure that only the two people who were allowed here could approach.

One of the walls opened up and Kara swooped in, gently setting down in what she had come to think of as the reception area of the Fortress. Not that there had ever been any sort of reception here. She was barely ever here herself and Clark was the only other person ever to come. It was his birthright as much as it was hers.

“Did you build this place?” Clark asked, looking around with wide eyes.

“Kind of. I had the right tools, though. You’ll understand in a moment.”

She took his hand and led him down the corridor. At 12 years old, he was now reaching the age where he usually resented his mom holding his hand in public, but these were special circumstances. So he followed meekly, obviously already close to being overwhelmed.

In the chamber ahead of them was the ship. The craft that had brought them here to Earth so many years ago. After the Fortress had been finished, built in just a few hours thanks to Kryptonian construction crystals, Kara had brought it here to make sure that it would never fall into the wrong hands. The Fortress was somewhat more secure than the Kent family barn.

“Is that... a space ship?” Clark asked upon seeing it.

“Yes, it’s a space ship. OUR space ship, Clark.”

He looked at her and she told him the story. She told him of Krypton, the doomed planet. She told him of the day the planet died. She told him how there had only been one space ship ready to launch and that she had climbed onboard with him in her arms, rocketing off to safety. How they had landed in Kansas and been found by the Kents, who had been kind enough to take them in and became their family.

“So we’re… aliens? Real aliens?” Clark asked, trying to digest it all. He had always known that they were special, of course, and had asked her not too long ago why they had powers when Aunt Martha and Uncle John didn’t. He knew about the Amazons, thanks to Diana, and had once asked her whether they might be related to them. Aliens, however, had never entered his thoughts, it seemed.

“Yes, Clark. Your birth name is Kal. Kal Jor-El. And mine is Kara-El.”

He nodded, then looked up at her. “And my dad? What was his name?”

“His name was Jor-El. And...” she hesitated, swallowed, and finally managed to force the words out. “And your mother’s name was Lara.”

The silence that followed was so loud it made her ears ring. Clark just stood here, staring at her, clearly not comprehending. She could barely believe it herself, uttering these words after so many years of pretending otherwise.

“What?” he finally said.

“I... I am not your mother, Clark,” Rao, it hurt to say these words. “I am actually your cousin. Your father Jor was my uncle, the younger brother of my father, Zor-El. My mother’s name was Alura. Our fathers built the ship that took us to safety and it was Lara who put you into my arms, telling me to take care of you, even as I begged them to not send us off alone, to come with us.”

Tears were filling her eyes as she somehow found the strength to keep talking.

“I am sorry for lying to you for so long, Clark, but we thought it the best way to make sure that no one would ever try to take you away from me here on Earth. I never wanted to take Lara’s place in your life, please believe me, but you were still so young. We didn’t think you would be able to keep the secret from everyone, unless you truly believed that I was your mom.”

Clark said nothing, just staring at her, then staring at the ship. Kara walked over to a control panel on the wall and flipped several switches. Moments later the lights in the room dimmed and holographic images began to show. Images of four people in Kryptonian clothing, standing tall in a circle around the room.

“This is our family, Clark,” she said. “Those are your parents Jor and Lara,” she indicated. “And those are my mom and dad are over there.”

Clark turned where he stood, taking in the images surrounding him, still not saying a word.

“The holograms are interactive,” Kara went on. “They’re not actual artificial intelligences, but they’re programmed with everything the computers know about the people they represent and all my memories of them, too. You can ask them questions if you want.”

“Can…,” he began, stumbling over the words. “Can you give me a minute?”

Kara simply nodded and walked out of the room. Rao, how she had dreaded this day. She had done the right thing, she firmly believed that, but she had still lied to Clark, her sweet little Clark. She was unable to say when exactly she had stopped thinking of him as Kal. To her, he was Clark, had been for years. Not her cousin, Kal. He was Clark. Her son.

She stopped in the reception area, just standing there and waiting. She picked up the beginnings of the Jor-El hologram saying something to Clark, but then deliberately stopped listening, giving him privacy. Clark had wanted to know about his father for so very long, he deserved to have his privacy for it.

It had been a long day. A lot to put on a boy that was still just 12 years old. She was only 25 herself, really not that much of a difference, but she felt so much older. She still thought of herself as Kara-El most of the time. Kara who remembered Krypton. Kara who grew up the daughter of Zor and Alura. Kara who watched as Krypton died. But she was also Karen Kent, who had grown into a woman under the loving care of Jonathan and Martha. Karen, the mother of a sweet little boy who was the single most important thing in the universe to her. For the last 12 years she had been both. Kara and Karen. Super-powered Kryptonian and teenage human mother. And she wanted to be both. She WAS both.

She didn’t know how much time had passed. Half an hour maybe? She had just stood there, staring at nothing, waiting, the universe seemingly holding its breath. Finally there were footsteps, Clark emerging from the corridor behind her. She turned around, looking at him as he came towards her.

“I am sure you have many questions,” she finally said, her voice somehow sounding steady despite the turmoil of emotions inside of her.

“Hundreds,” he said, his own voice somewhat shaky. “But for now I just have one.”

“Which one?”

He came closer, looking up at her. She knew that he would soon be as tall as her, probably taller, but for now he was still smaller. Still a child.

Her child.

“I get that you are really my cousin. I understand that. But...”

“Yes?” she asked as his voice trailed off.

His eyes met hers. “Is it okay if I keep calling you mom?”

Kara took him into her arms. “Always!”

And the universe exhaled.

*****

End Chapter 10

Author’s Note: I didn’t really see this last scene coming, it sort of snuck up on me. This was actually one of the first chapters I wrote and I had this whole thing worked out where Clark would go into a teenage snit, act out, yell, brood, and everything. And then this happened. It’s been eight years since I lost my mom and I guess I really miss her still. I recently saw the Aquaman movie and when Arthur was reunited with his long-lost mom, I bawled my eyes out. Do me a favor and go hug your mom if you still can.

Oh, and the scene of Clark finding out he can run over water was, of course, inspired by The Incredibles. Greatest superhero family ever to be put on the big screen, bar none.

This chapter marks the end of the first story arc, so to speak, which covered the time period from Kara and Kal’s arrival on Earth to Clark being told the truth and taking the first step towards becoming Superboy. The origin mini-series, if you will. There will be fewer time skips from here on out.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11: First Flight

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

The Present:

There was a tremendous boom as a small but very invulnerable object impacted on the rocky ground. As the dust cleared, a shallow crater became visible, the form of a barely adolescent boy slowly getting back to his feet within it. A moment later another shape came down from the sky, far more slowly, and gently set down beside him.

“You are doing it wrong,” Kara said, shaking her head with a smile.

“Obviously,” Clark replied, angrily brushing the dirt from his clothes. “Otherwise I would hardly have hit the ground face-first.”

“You are still treating it like a jump,” Kara told him fondly. “You can’t just jump out of gravity’s reach, Clark! Our enhanced musculature allows us amazing leaps, but it has nothing to do with our ability to fly.”

“I heard this lecture before, mom,” he replied testily.

“Then you obviously didn’t listen,” she fired back, though her heart still melted every single time he called her mom. Clark knew now, after all. He knew that she was actually his cousin by birth, that his true mother had died along with their home world. He knew it all now and yet he still called her mom. There was no better feeling in the universe.

“You have gained excellent control over your strength and speed, Clark,” she told him, “but there are more aspects to our powers than just. Look at this!”

She walked over to where a particularly large rock rested and easily lifted it above her head. She then walked over to where the rocky ground slowly gave way to packed earth and grass, still with the rock over her head.

“Look at my feet,” she told her son, “and tell me what you see!”

Clark did as he was told, but the puzzlement on his face was obvious. “I don’t get it,” he finally admitted.

“I am carrying a rock that weights at least three tons, Clark,” she patiently explained, “and I am now standing on relatively soft ground.”

She raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to understand.

“And yet you aren’t sinking in,” he replied suddenly. “With that kind of weight, your feet should sink in.”

“Exactly,” she told him. “So why am I not sinking in?”

Clark looked puzzled again, trying to wrap his mind around it. “Because... obviously it’s something to do with our ability to fly, right? I mean, are you using your flight power to compensate for the weight somehow?”

“Close,” she told him, carefully putting the rock down again. “Our physical strength comes partially from the enhancing effect of the sun, yes, but we still can’t circumvent physics entirely. I am not lifting this rock purely through muscle power, Clark. If I did, I’d be far more likely to simply tear off a portion of it rather than lift the whole thing.”

She walked over to him and with every step she slowly rose a bit above the ground, quickly floating half a meter above it.

“The yellow sunlight charges up our cells and allows our bodies to project an energy field that constantly surrounds us like a second skin. It’s the source of our invulnerability and also what allows us to negate the pull of gravity, both on our ourselves and also – to a limited degree – on things we are in contact with.”

“Is that how you managed to lift that ocean liner out of the sea a few years back?” Clark asked, excited. “Lana told me that it should have been impossible, that the ship should have broken in half where you were holding it.”

“Exactly,” she told him, smiling proudly. “We basically expand our own energy field to negate the pull of gravity around objects we carry, in essence making them lighter. And it’s that energy field, too, which allows us to fly.”

Clark squatted down on the ground, huffing in frustration. “You make it look so easy, mom!”

“Years of practice,” she said, sitting down beside him. “You should have seen me when we first got here. A Kryptonian’s ability to absorb and use solar energy develops when we begin puberty. Yours kicked in slowly over time, but I was already a teenager coming here. I got a full dose of energy and the powers that come with it practically the moment I stepped out of the ship.”

“I wish I go the fast version, too,” Clark pouted.

Kara laughed, ruffling his hair. “Believe me, you got the better deal!”

*****

The Past:

Kara slowly got back to her feet, spitting out dirt. Her ears were still ringing from the boom caused by her collision with the mountainside. And wasn’t this a ludicrous notion all by itself? She had crashed into the side of a mountain and the first thing she complained about was ringing ears.

“This planet is going to drive me crazy,” she muttered, picking bits of rock out of her hair.

Slowly getting back to her feet, she looked at the huge impact crater she had made on the mountain. Well, it seemed that the invulnerability thing was working, more or less. She felt a bit sore, but certainly not as if she had impacted a mountain at high speed.

“Seems you were right about that one, dad,” she mused.

Her dad and uncle Jor had uploaded their entire research into the computers of the escape ship. Everything they had known about Earth and all their theories about the effects of the yellow sunlight on Kryptonian physiology. That Kryptonians had the ability to metabolize sunlight through their cell structure was nothing new, everyone back home had known that. It was the reason the Kryptonians had still worshipped their sun, Rao, as a god despite having been a highly enlightened, advanced civilization. Rao had been a red sun, though, close to the end of its life cycle. Its light was nowhere near as potent as the one coming from Earth’s sun, Sol. So back on Krypton this ability had made the average Kryptonian somewhat stronger, faster, and tougher than your average human, but not by much.

The El brothers had speculated that Sol’s far more potent sunlight would enhance her strength and speed, as well as supercharge her senses. That was certainly true. She still had trouble controlling her senses unless she really focused, especially in direct sunlight. And she was definitely strong, very strong, which came with its own set of problems. She had broken at least a dozen doorknobs so far and was incapable of eating with utensils without destroying them. Getting the hang of that was proving to be very, very hard.

There were clearly some things, though, that the El brothers had not foreseen. Things that Kara had experienced several times now, though never on purpose. The foremost thing being that she had woken up several times to find herself floating near the ceiling of her room. Every single time she fell back down the moment she came fully awake, so for a while she had considered it a dream. Then Martha had seen it, too, though, which meant it was real. Somehow, some way, she was able to fly.

She squatted down to think. Clearly jumping was not the answer. She could jump extremely high by now (though her landings still had plenty of room for improvement), but no matter how hard she struggled, she didn’t stay up there. Which was logical, of course. Cleary her ability to fly had nothing to do with muscle power. There had to be more to it.

She closed her eyes, trying to relax. There were some things she had noticed during the past few months as she tried to get a handle on her powers. She was easily lifting things that should tip her over, given that her weight was only marginally higher than the average human teenager’s was. So clearly she was doing more than simply lifting with muscle power.

Did it have something to do with her invulnerability? That was clearly the result of her cells being supercharged with yellow sunlight, given that she had been perfectly capable of getting hurt back home. She tried to focus on the energy running underneath her skin, trying to picture it. Could this energy somehow lift her up? Somehow negate the pull of gravity?

She opened her eyes again, only to let out a yelp as she found herself floating half a meter off the ground. A moment later she tumbled back down. The impact didn’t hurt, but it was still kind of embarrassing to end up on her ass again.

“Okay, so I’m on the right track, I think,” she muttered to herself, getting up to try again. She was going to fly, damn it!

*****

The Present:

“How long did it take you until you could fly?” Clark asked, having listened to her recounting. He had a hard time imagining his mom as a lanky teenager with barely any control over her powers. As far back as he could remember she had always been in full control of her abilities.

“The better part of a year,” she confessed. “I had long since mastered all my other abilities, at least to the point where I wasn’t breaking stuff or setting things on fire with my eyes, but flying eluded me for a long, long time. I did manage to float now and then, but never with any control and never more than a few seconds before I lost my focus. It was only once I began to really understand the process behind it that I finally managed to gain control.”

“So you figured it out all on your own?” Clark asked. “The whole thing with the force field and that it negated gravity? I’m not sure I’d ever have thought of that.”

“I had quite a bit of background to fall back on,” she said. “Your dad and mine had studied the phenomenon as far as it was possible without actually being under a yellow sun themselves and it gave me a lot of pointers. The actual doing, though, well, that was all trial and error. I lost count of how many times I ate dirt and damaged mountainsides before I finally had it down.”

Clark chuckled. “I’d really have liked to see that.”

“Just remember I have plenty of baby photos of you, young man,” she told him sternly. “Many of whom Lana hasn’t seen yet, too.”

Clark paled a bit, quickly changing the topic. “So... you basically meditated on the energy in your cells to get it down?”

“Basically, yes, though I’m not sure it qualifies as meditation. It was more about learning to focus on something that is part of your body. It took me a long time, as I said.”

“Any pointers for a short cut?” he asked hopefully.

She opened her mouth as if to shoot him down, then stopped, frowning. “There might actually be a way. I’m not sure it will work, but we can give it a try. Give me your hands!”

Shifting so that he was sitting directly facing his mom, Clark reached out and the two clasped hands. She closed her eyes and he did likewise.

“Now, what I’m going to do is to use my powers to make us both float off the ground, Clark. And I want you to focus on what it feels like. Try to feel the energy as it envelops you and negates the pull of gravity around your body.”

Clark nodded and tried to focus. There was a tingle running over his hands where his mom touched him, a tingle that went up his arms and seemed to slowly spread over his body. He started a bit when he felt himself lose contact with the ground.

“Focus, Clark,” his mom reminded him. “Just focus on the feeling of the energy on your skin. Can you feel it?”

“Yes,” he nodded. He did feel it. It was the slightest of sensations, so light he was sure he would have missed it had he not concentrated so hard. His mom had often taken him flying and he had never noticed that feeling before. Well, he had been too busy thinking how awesome it was to fly.

Focusing his thoughts once again, he tried to get a taste (it was the wrong sense, but he couldn’t think of a better word for it) of the feeling. The energy tasted familiar, which was a given seeing how often he had flown with his mom before. But it wasn’t just that.

Barely noticing that his mom let go of one of his hands, he focused inwards. There was energy inside him, too, he knew that. But he had never really focused on it before. It had been an academic knowledge. His cells stored energy, which gave him strength, speed, and toughness. Nothing more to it than that.

He imagined it like a nimbus of energy, a bright glow that spread outward from somewhere inside him to envelope his body. With his mom’s energy already dancing across his skin, it felt natural to “answer” with his own energy, which flowed outward and embraced its kin.

“Open your eyes, Clark,” he heard his mom say.

He did as he was told and gasped. They were soaring high above the ground, going at a speed hardly exceeding that of a bird. He gasped again when he saw that his mom was not carrying him as he had first thought, but was instead flying beside him, only the tips of her fingers touching his hand.

“You’re doing great, Clark,” she said, smiling. “Don’t lose your focus now!”

He nodded, doing his best to keep his thoughts together. He was flying. He had flown before, but always with his mom’s arms around him. This was so very different. He could feel the energy across his skin, could feel it shrug off the pull of gravity below him. It was glorious.

“Ready to try it without the training wheels?” his mom asked. “Just remember to keep your focus. Don’t bother with any fancy flying or anything yet, just keep concentrating and try to stay aloft.”

He nodded, swallowing heavily. He could do this. He could!

He let go of his mom’s hand and immediately started plummeting towards the ground. He screamed, his focus shattering, and a moment later there were arms around him, taking him back upwards. He blushed in embarrassment. He had been so sure he could do this.

“Don’t worry too much, Clark,” his mom reminded him. “I needed a year, remember? You’re going to have this down before long, I’m certain. Now let’s try this again!”

*****

The Past:

Kara shrugged off the pull of gravity and soared upwards at ever greater speed. She couldn’t help but scream in delight at the feeling, knowing she was more powerful than the massive pull of the planet behind her. She had done it, she was finally flying!

Higher and higher she soared, she could feel the air getting thinner. Soon she would have to stop, she realized, but she couldn’t bring herself to. She took a deep breath, figuring she would go as high as she could before her air ran out. The blue sky was darkening, giving way to the deep black of space, and Kara was amazed to find that she wasn’t feeling any need for air.

This is so AWESOME! she screamed inside her head, lacking the air to do it externally. Her flight was taking her farther and farther upward and she could easily see the curve of the planet by now. And what a beautiful planet it was. She finally levelled out her flight path and turned, looking back at the world that was her new home now. Hers and Kals. This was their home, for better or worse. She no longer felt the pull of its gravity, but she was tied to it nonetheless.

Kara floated high above the world, gazing at her new home, and vowed that she would do whatever it took to make sure that this beautiful world would remain safe. Earth would not share the fate of Krypton, she promised, not if she had anything to say about it. Kal would live a good, long, and peaceful life here. She would make sure of it.

And one day she would take Kal up here with her and the last children of Krypton would watch the sun rise over the horizon of their new home world together.

*****

End Chapter 11

Author’s Note: Sorry for the relatively short chapter, but seeing as I completely skipped over Kara’s development of super powers in chapter 1, I decided to incorporate some of her experiences in this and future chapters in the form of flashbacks. There might be further flashbacks in the future to show more of teenage Kara, as I’m not really following a strict timeline for this story.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12: Trinity

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Two years ago:

Bruce Wayne was not a man who made brunch dates if he could help it. This was mostly because he worked at night, either on maintaining his cover as a good-for-nothing playboy or – far more often – because he was keeping Gotham City safe as the masked vigilante called Batman. So getting up before noon was not part of his usual routine.

There was nothing usual about today’s brunch date, though. This was entirely due to the people he was going to brunch with, who were far from usual themselves. As far as anyone else was concerned, Bruce Way was simply meeting a business associate. He was a major investor in K-Solutions and had never had cause to regret it, the company was turning a steady profit and pouring out innovations. So Bruce Wayne meeting Karen Kent, CEO and owner of K-Solutions, was nothing unusual in and of itself.

The world at large didn’t know, of course, that Karen Kent was Superwoman. Nor that she was one of the few people in the world who knew that Bruce Wayne was the man behind the mask of the Batman. The discovery of their respective secret identities had been an accident, sure, but a lucky one. From that day forward they had been... well, maybe not friends in the classical sense, but she was one of the few people he trusted.

Walking into the restaurant, he immediately spotted Karen. She was hard to miss, even when wearing the closest thing she ever wore to a disguise. Hair in a bun, glasses on her nose, business attire, the works. She still looked a lot like Superwoman, of course, but the best part of her disguise was that no one would ever expect Superwoman to sit in a restaurant for a business brunch in the first place. It worked, amazingly enough. Karen sat with her back to the door, but he was sure that she was already aware of his entrance.

When Karen had called him to set up this meeting, she had told him that she wanted to invite one other person. Even if he hadn’t gotten a warning from her beforehand, though, he would easily have recognized her. There weren’t that many women who were six foot six (at least) and built like Greek goddesses. She was doing her best to dress down, too, somewhat emulating Karen’s disguise. Still, for someone who knew that they were meeting Superwoman, it was very easy to recognize the other person beside her as Princess Diana of Themyscira, better known to the world at large by the name Wonder Woman.

Bruce smirked, briefly considering what the tabloids would write if anyone were to notice notorious playboy Bruce Wayne brunching with Wonder Woman and Superwoman. The odds of that happening were slim, of course, since Bruce, too, had decided to dress down. He wore Jeans and T-shirt, had his hair slicked back, and had foregone shaving this morning. The press never saw Bruce Wayne looking anything but perfectly styled.

“Ladies,” he said as he approached the table. “I hope I’m not late.”

“Of course not, Bruce,” Karen replied, rising for a brief hug and a peck on the cheek. “May I introduce my executive assistant, Ms. Diana Prince.”

Bruce raised an eyebrow. “Really? Prince?”

Diana shrugged. “It was a spur of the moment idea. Just in case someone should ask.”

“We should set you up with a more formidable cover identity, just in case,” Bruce said, sitting down on the other side of the table. It allowed him to keep an eye on the door, which he was sure Karen had known when she had kept it free for him.

He took a moment to study the two women sitting across from him, whom the world press regularly referred to as “World’s Finest”. He was sure that some people only used “Finest” to refer to their looks, but over the last two years or so the two of them had teamed up numerous times and performed heroic deeds worthy of legends. He also knew from Karen that they were close friends behind the scenes. The Batman’s team-ups with Superwoman had occurred in less public venues.

“So, Karen,” he began. “You wanted to meet. Why?”

Karen, who had known his identity for a while now, had inquired beforehand whether he was okay with revealing his identity as the Batman to Wonder Woman. Bruce had pondered the matter for quite some time, but eventually decided that he trusted Karen. If she trusted Wonder Woman in turn, that was good enough for him.

“There is no big emergency or anything, but I wanted to bounce some ideas off of the two of you. Something that has been going through my head for a while now.”

“I’m all ears,” Bruce said.

“That would be a great joke if you had your mask on,” Karen replied, giggling, causing Bruce to grown. How was it that this woman had powers befitting a goddess, but a sense of humor more befitting a high school student?

“Seriously, though,” she said. “I’ve been thinking about how the world has changed since I publically debuted as Superwoman. The number of high-tech criminals, super villains, and even mythological threats seems to grow steadily.”

“You are not thinking that it’s somehow your fault, is it?” Bruce inquired. He, too, had noticed the steep rise in extraordinary events and powered individuals. It was hard not to, as Gotham had its own fair share of them.

“I know there are some crackpots out there who think so, but no,” she replied, waving it off. “Threats like R’as al Ghul and Ares have been here a lot longer than I, many of the tech-based threats were in development before I debuted, and so on.”

“I think it’s more of a psychological thing,” Diana spoke up. “There are many extraordinary individuals in this world, both good and bad. They have always been there, but your public debut, Kara, has figuratively drawn back the curtain. People pay more attention to these things now, are less likely to waive them away as figments of imagination. And those who have previously hid in the shadows are bolder now, more likely to step out of them.”

Bruce nodded, following her logic. “As good an explanation as any, I guess.”

“I am thinking we need to make plans for the future,” Karen continued. “As things stand, there are just the three of us to deal with the more extraordinary threats to the world. I don’t think it will stay that way. As threats emerge, good people will step up to help deal with them. What I would like to do is to lay some groundwork for that.”

“I am flattered that you are including me in the same class as Diana and yourself,” Bruce said.

“Kara has told me about your battles against R’As al Ghul,” Diana told him. “My mother encountered the League of Shadows before our people moved to Themyscira. She knows the so-called Demon and how dangerous he is. That you successfully thwarted his plans is a badge of honor, Mr. Wayne, and I would be proud to stand beside you in any battle.”

Bruce Wayne didn’t blush, ever, but receiving this sort of praise from an immortal Amazon warrior was certainly something special. “Call me Bruce,” he simply replied.

Turning his attention back to Karen, he continued “you seem rather certain that more so-called ‘super heroes’ will emerge in the future. Why?”

There was a look on her face that told him he had hit upon something immensely private. For all that Superwoman was successfully fooling an entire world with her identity, she really didn’t have much of a poker face.

“I have my reasons, Bruce, and I would like to leave it at that for now,” she said after a moment. “It’s not something that will become relevant anytime soon.”

He nodded, accepting it for now. Not that there was anything stopping him from pondering this mysterious response or doing some digging of his own.

“So what kind of groundwork are you thinking then?” he asked, leaning back a bit.

“For the moment it would mostly be keeping lines of communication open between the three of us. We’ll also need to keep a look-out for potential threats and potential allies, standing ready to support the latter if needed. Funding will be an issue, of course, but K-Solutions is making money hand over fist and...”

“... and I’m not entirely without funds, either,” Bruce added, interrupting her.

“I know. I didn’t want to just assume, though.”

Karen kept on explaining and the tree of them started brainstorming. Through it all, Bruce couldn’t quite help being astonished how much though Karen had obviously put into this already. He had a bit of a suspicion what the underlying root of her idea was, but from the way she talked, one would think she’d except there to be an entire league of superheroes running around sooner or later.

Bruce doubted it, to be honest. Then again, had anyone told him a few years ago that he’d be sharing brunch with an alien and a figure from Greek myth, well... maybe he should just keep an open mind for now.

*****

One year ago:

“Alfred, that was a truly superb meal. Thanks to you I’m going to have to invest in a bigger suit soon.”

“Thank you, Ms. Kent,” Alfred replied with an easy smile. “But I sincerely doubt that you have anything to worry in that regard. You look marvelous as always.”

Diana smiled as she watched the interplay between her best friend and the man who had been introduced as Alfred Pennyworth. Officially he was Bruce Wayne’s butler, but simply observing the two men for a few minutes showed deep bonds of affection that went far beyond a simple employer-employee relationship.

The fact that Alfred was clearly aware of Bruce’s extracurricular activities – and probably of Karen’s identity, too – only confirmed her opinion of him.

“Can I interest you in anything else, Ms. Kent? Ms. Prince? Master Bruce? Perhaps some coffee? Tea?”

Diana still wasn’t used to hearing herself addressed as Ms. Prince, though the identity had been in place for the better part of a year now. Not that she used it that often. Most of the times she was simply Diana, Princess and official ambassador of the island nation of Themyscira. It was nice, though, to sometimes move among people unrecognized.

“Nothing for me, thank you, Alfred,” she replied, leaning back in her chair.

Kara and Bruce also replied in the negative and a moment later the plates were cleared from the table on the veranda of Wayne Manor, leaving the three heroes to their own devices.

“We should invite ourselves over more often,” Kara said, enjoying the view. “And not just because Alfred is such a superb cook.”

“You are always welcome, of course,” Bruce said, “just call ahead. I’m not here that often.”

Diana was constantly amazed how Bruce, a mere mortal man, was able to keep up the extreme pace of his double life. Triple life, actually. Apart from being a masked vigilante and a notorious playboy, he was also a well-renowned businessman, too. When did this man ever sleep?

“Anything new about that supposed archer vigilante in Star City, Bruce?” Kara asked, sinking back into her very comfy chair.

“Not much, no,” Bruce replied. “He keeps well undercover for now, it seems. The Star City Police has a detain & question order out for him, though no actual warrants. Going by what little is known about him, he seems well-trained and well-funded.”

“Sounds familiar,” Diana said, looking at Bruce with a smile.

“I have noticed,” he simply replied. “My current theory is that the archer is Oliver Queen. Queen is a millionaire heir who returned to Star City after supposedly being ship-wrecked for several years. Shortly after that, the archer began to operate. Could be coincidence, of course.”

“I’ll swing over Star City during the next week or so, check things out,” Kara said. “Maybe I can catch Mr. Queen in the act, if it’s him. Diana, any new sightings of that red astronaut guy?”

She shook her head. “Not since last we spoke.” Diana had, during a recent battle against creatures sent by Ares’ children Deimos and Phobos, received surprise aid from a man in a red suit, who had carried advanced weaponry and a jet pack. He had introduced himself as Adam Strange, only to vanish in a bolt of energy. Diana had not seen hide nor hair of him since.

“Too bad. Anyway, that green light people saw in the sky over Siberia was Abin Sur. He intercepted a meteor shower.”

Diana knew of her friend’s encounter with the Green Lantern. The Amazons knew of the Lanterns, of course, having fought side by side with one of Abin Sur’s predecessors in ancient times. She also knew that Kara was not on the best of terms with him, given his role in the destruction of Krypton.

“I assume you did not approach him in order to establish a line of communication?” Bruce asked, knowing the story, too. “We talked about this, Karen!”

“I know,” she sighed. “It’s just... I know it wasn’t his fault, but still... every time I see him...”

Diana put a hand on her shoulder, knowing the turmoil her friend still felt every time a reminder of her lost home world came up. And there were few reminders as jarring as Abin Sur.

“Give it time,” she told her. Kara gratefully intertwined her fingers with hers.

“Any other news?” she eventually asked.

“I went over the designs you sent me,” Bruce said. “I think most of it is feasible using Earth-built technology, except for the artificial gravity and the teleportation beam.”

“I figured as much,” Kara agreed. “The concepts behind these two technologies are too advanced for Earth’s current tech base. I think it will take another decade at least.”

“You are okay with using purely Kryptonian designs then?” Bruce asked her.

She nodded. “I will not bring advanced Kryptonian tech into wide circulation on Earth, but using it for our Watchtower will certainly be worth it, I think.”

Diana, who was still a novice when it came to technology, always felt a bit left out whenever the two tech geniuses among their trio started talking shop. Nevertheless she understood Kara’s point very well. It was somewhat similar to the current situation of her own home. For the first time in over 2,000 years the Amazons were back in contact with the outside world and her mother was worried about too much exposure too quickly. Kara feared the same, so she had long ago resolved to only introduce Kryptonian technology to Earth slowly and only in terms of concepts and ideas. She had no intention to just hand out advanced technology, but she was willing to give a push here and there.

“Actually building it will take a good long while,” Bruce said. “Seeing as we want to do it in secret, we’ll have to fabricate the individual components in as many different locations as possible and you will have to do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to actually assembling it in orbit.”

“No sweat,” Kara waved it off. “Just keep me apprised of the progress.”

With the ‘business’ part of their talk over, the three of them fell into a comfortable silence, just enjoying the view and letting the excellent meal settle in their stomachs. Then Diana saw a mischievous gleam in her best friend’s eye.

“Bruce, dear,” she began, “there was this rumor I heard about the Batman carrying on a tryst with a beautiful female cat burglar. Care to share?”

Bruce merely sighed and Diana couldn’t suppress a laugh. It was good to have friends.

****

The Present:

“There is something I need to take care of,” Kara began. “I have tried taking care of it on my own, but without much success.”

The Amazonian Embassy in Washington DC was their latest meeting place and Karen had immediately skipped past their usual talk about possible superhero sightings. They had fallen into the habit of eating together first, then talking shop, but it seemed today was going to be a bit different.

Karen looked Bruce in the eye, her gaze hard with just a hint of red tinting her irises. “I want to take down Lex Luthor!”

“This is because of your son, right?” Bruce asked.

He would never admit it to anyone, but the look of utter surprise on Karen’s face was something he savored. It was not often one managed to surprise a woman who could hear heartbeats and look through walls as if they were freshly cleaned windows.

“How can you possible know that?” she asked, exasperated.

“It was not much of a leap,” he admitted, smiling. “I know that Superwoman is Karen Kent and Karen Kent having a son is a matter of public record. I figured there was a better than even chance that he would inherit your super powers and you once mentioned that your powers began to develop during puberty. Your son is 13 now, so...”

“That whole world’s greatest detective thing is not just a catch phrase then,” she muttered.

“And seeing as you raised him,” Bruce continued, “I would expect he not just shares your powers, but also your values and intends to become a hero as well.”

“Two for two, Mr. Wayne,” Diana said, smiling at her best friend’s grumpiness. “Clark is a really sweet boy and can’t wait to become a superhero, emulating his mother.”

“I could wait a while longer,” Karen grumbled, then shook her head to get back in topic. “Anyway, I know I can’t keep Clark from following in my footsteps, but I CAN remove the greatest threat before that happens.”

“And that would be Luthor?” Bruce asked. He wasn’t a fool. He knew that the façade of the charming philanthrope Luthor presented to the world was a lie. The man was an utterly ruthless businessman and people who opposed him tended to end up dead or ruined. Still, with the kind of enemies Karen had faced in the past, he did not immediately understand why she considered Luthor the primary threat to her son.

“It seems strange, I know,” she said, guessing at his thoughts. “The world’s most powerful woman worrying about someone who is just a man with no super powers of his own. The problem is that Luthor is obsessed with me, has been almost since my debut. He spent the better part of a year testing me in various ways and didn’t give a damn about how many people might get caught in the crossfire. He’s behind at least half of the high-tech super villains I’ve faced in the past, but I’ve never been able to prove any of it. He then tried to hire me.”

Bruce nodded. “I can see how the idea of a super powered employee would appeal to someone like Lex.”

“I managed to buy myself some time by pretending to think about,” Karen continued, “but that reprieve has long since expired. His actions against me are escalating and I still haven’t managed to prove he is in any way involved in anything criminal. I fear what lengths he would go to if he were to find out I have a son with the same powers as I.”

“I offered to simply remove his head with my sword,” Diana said casually, though Bruce got the impression that she meant every word, “but Kara here believes that we should try other venues first.”

“I can see the problem,” Bruce said, and he did. Sure, either Superwoman or Wonder Woman would have no problem simply flying into Lex Luthor’s apartment and killing him on the spot. They could probably even do so without leaving any sort of proof. Karen would never do that, though. As great as her powers were, though, her moral core was even stronger. It was her most admirable quality in his mind, but it also hampered her in situations like this. Diana seemed to have fewer moral qualms with taking a life if needed, but obviously deferred to her friend’s judgement in this case.

“Which is why I am hoping for your help, Bruce,” Karen said. “Clark is chomping at the bit to go out there and help people, just like I do. I can probably keep him from doing it another year or so, but he is a teenager and headstrong. I want... I need Luthor behind bars before the world learns of my son.”

“Raw power will not be the answer,” Bruce told her. “Luthor has spent decades building his economic and criminal network, taking it apart will require finesse and patience.”

“Exactly,” Karen continued. “I need the world’s greatest detective, who also happens to be one of the most astute and savvy businessmen I’ve ever met.” She switched her gaze over to Diana. “Not to mention the support of my best friend, who always has my back.”

The Amazon woman just nodded with a smile. Bruce pretended to think about it for a moment, though his decision had been made the moment Karen had opened her mouth. He was not quite sure when exactly it had happened, but these two women had become his closest friends in this world apart from Alfred. If they needed help, there was no question.

“Okay then,” he said, leaning forward. “Let’s take down Lex Luthor!”

*****

End Chapter 12

Author’s Note: I am not fully satisfied with this chapter, to be honest, but it’s a necessary bridge for the events to follow. Basically we are seeing the groundwork for both the Justice League and the debut of Superboy here, which is not too far off. And, of course, I had to have Bruce and Diana meet at some point to fully establish my version of the Trinity.

Chapter Text

Chapter 13: The Woman with the Winning Smile

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Batman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Kara took a few minutes to observe the woman sitting on a chair in front of her. She was wearing a purple striped men’s style suit, which was tailored to a female figure. A garish orange vest was worn over a bright green shirt and purple boots and gloves completed the ensemble. The woman’s shoulder-length hair was dyed green as well and her face was covered in pale white make-up, though some of it had worn off. The lower half of her face seemed to be permanently frozen in a huge smile, accentuated by bright red lipstick that had been very liberally applied, though it was now smeared a bit.

“Interesting look,” she finally said, having finished her inspection.

“I could say the same,” the smiling woman said. “The red and blue color combination would definitely not work for everybody, but it does wonders for you, honey! Really great look with your blonde locks and huge blue eyes. Big fan, by the way! Always wanted to meet the famous Superwoman. Though I could have done without the bondage elements involved, at least for the first date.”

She raised her hands, cuffed together via black handcuffs, and gestured toward where thin black rope bound her legs and shoulders to the metal chair she was sitting on. For someone who had woken up imprisoned in a nondescript room in an unknown location, though, she seemed remarkably composed. Or maybe it was just the clown look. Kara was not a fan of clowns.

“Sorry about that,” Kara said, shrugging. “Our common friend figured you wouldn’t sit still long enough for us to have a talk otherwise.”

“Ah, yes, our friend,” the woman said, her smile growing even broader it seemed. “The big bad Bat! The big strong protector of Gotham City and all its citizens. Well, some of them anyway. We had an interesting talk earlier, he and I.” Leaning forward towards Kara, the woman dropped her voice to a stage whisper. “Just between us girls, I think he might be a tiny bit crazy!”

“Funny,” Kara replied in the same stage whisper, unable to fully suppress a smile. “He said the same about you!”

This caused the woman to laugh, a long, drawn-out laugh that almost caused her to topple over with the chair she was tied to. She finally recovered, though, wiping a tear from her eye (and smearing her make-up some more). “I’m not,” she said, sounding completely serious.

“Are you sure?” Kara asked. “Both your sense of dress and your actions seem to indicate otherwise.”

“I don’t think my sense of dress differs much from yours, honey. After all, we both dress to impress, to stand out from the crowd, so people will notice. Sad but true, people don’t listen to you unless you really manage to capture their attention first!”

“You have certainly captured people’s attention,” Kara conceded the point. “I am not sure I like your methods, though.”

“Not everyone can lift cars over their heads, buttercup,” she said, shrugging. “It’d be great if I could, so should you ever care to share some of those super powers of yours, I’m in! Like I said, big fan! I’d even wear the blue and red suit, too, no matter how badly it might clash with my hair. Until that day, though, I have to use more mundane methods.”

“Like robbing a bank in broad daylight?”

“Well, ACTUALLY...” the woman began, only to trail off and descend into laughter once again.

“You done?” Kara asked after nearly a minute had passed.

“Yes, sorry. That happens sometimes. Where was I? Oh yes, well, technically I might have robbed a bank, as you said, but I didn’t take any money. I only, shall we say, unearthed some interesting pieces of information from where they were locked away in the hopes that no one would ever see them.”

“You used a bomb to blow open the vault with the safety deposit boxes!”

“Yes, but what was I supposed to do? That stupid fat security guard refused to open it for me! Babbled something about time locks and separate keys while he peed himself, can you believe that? So how else was I supposed to get in? Vault doors don’t react to pretty smiles and flashing a bit of leg, you know?”

Kara couldn’t quite suppress a smile at the other woman’s level of exasperation. Could a dangerous, bomb-wielding criminal be called endearing?

“And what was so important about that information you ‘unearthed’ that blowing up a bank vault seemed like a reasonable course of action?”

She leaned forward as far as her bonds allowed, planting her elbows on the small table between them, and cocked her head to one side. “Oh, does that mean your boyfriend hasn’t found the criminal clown lady’s loot yet? I bet that hurts his feelings, does it? He really should smile more! Smiling always helps, no matter how grim and gritty you are! Just smile, and all your problems disappear!”

Kara frowned. “Is that why you are constantly smiling? Has it made your problems disappear?”

“But of course,” the woman laughed. “Do I look like I have any problems to you?”

“Well, you are tied to a chair right now.”

“Entirely possible, but not my point! The far more interesting question is, why exactly has your boyfriend brought me here? This isn’t a police station, I know that much. Is this your private little love nest? Are you looking for someone to have a bit of extra fun with? Not that I am opposed to such things on principle, mind you, but a lady likes to be wooed a bit first.”

Kara just shook her head, not bothering to correct the woman about the boyfriend thing. “Batman actually asked for my opinion on how to deal with you.”

“Oh, is the big bad Bat at a loss, thanks to little old me? How odd! One would think a big, strong man like him would be able to deal with one little Joker.”

*****

Kara exited the make-shift interrogation room a while later to find the Batman waiting outside. The dark knight of Gotham was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, looking even grumpier than he usually did.

“Something vexing thee?” Kara asked, leaning against the wall as well in a similar pose, looking at him.

“The information Joker stole from that vault has turned up,” he grumbled.

“Indeed? Where?”

“On the evening news. Apparently, one of Gotham’s most popular and longest-serving city councilors has been running a prostitution ring for several years now. Most of the girls involved were minors. Someone anonymously sent in the ledgers for his business, which also detail who he paid off to keep his operation secret and a complete list of customers, too. The police is arresting him as we speak, I believe.”

“And we are grumpy about this because…?” Kara inquired.

Batman pushed off the wall. “This isn’t the first time she has pulled something like this. Six weeks ago she broke into the offices of a big stockbroker firm, caused almost a million dollars in property damage, all to find information about how they were paying their female employees significantly less than their male counterparts. Before that she blackmailed several cheating husbands and before that she beat a confession out of a man who had murdered his wife, leaving him tied up naked in front of the police department.”

He fell silent and Kara studied his face.

“I think I see what your problem with this woman is, Bruce,” she said.

“Do tell,” Batman growled.

“She is someone who works outside the law. She performs criminal acts without any regard to social norms, all in the pursuit of her goals. She illegally acquires information and uses it to punish criminal and unethical behavior in others. She operates by scaring people, forcing confessions out of them, and isn’t shy to use violence and damage property, either. Now who else do we both know who could easily fit into that description?”

She pretended to think very hard, even as her blue eyes fixated on him.

“It’s not the same,” he growled. “The woman is insane.”

“Well, a case could be made that a grown man running around after dark dressed like bat...”

“I do what I do to capture criminals! The people she hurts...”

“…are criminals as well, Bruce, which you well now. Maybe some of them haven’t technically broken any laws, I give you that, and a lot of them probably don’t consider themselves criminals, either. Constantly treating women as if they are worth less is just the natural order of things in their minds. But do you agree, Bruce? Do you think the people this woman here has attacked are good people? Decent people that deserve protection?”

He didn’t say anything for a long moment, then sighed, the grim expression of the Batman sliding off his face, to be replaced with weariness and uncertainty. “I honestly don’t know what to do, Karen! That is why I am asking for your opinion. This woman is a criminal, there is no denying that. When she blew up that vault, a lot of people could have ended up hurt. Yet what she does... it’s right! It might even be necessary. But it’s still criminal!”

Superwoman nodded, understanding. “We always clash worst with the people who resemble us the closest. Tell me, what would you do if you encountered another Batman out there. Someone who operates just like you, breaks the laws just like you, but fights for justice doing it, just like you. How would you handle that?”

He sighed. “I became Batman so no one else would have to!”

“Bruce, you are not that stupid. Look at me! I have powers that allow me to literally move mountains and even I can’t stop every catastrophe, every accident, every crime. Even if I were on the move 24/7, it would simply not be possible. You did not honestly think you could wipe out crime and corruption all on your own, did you?”

Batman stayed silent for a good long while. “So what do you think we should do about this Joker?”

“Well...”

“I hope you are not going to propose that we recruit her for your planned superhero alliance?”

Kara laughed, shaking her head. “No, certainly not. And to answer your question, I’m really not sure, either. She should be brought in, yes, but I remember what you told me that first night we met. How do you think her chances will be to survive in police custody long enough to stand trial?”

“The Gotham police isn’t as bad anymore as it was back then,” Batman said. “Gordon and others have managed to clean it up pretty good. But Joker hurt or embarrassed a lot of powerful and influential people in the last half year or so.”

Kara didn’t need to add ‘just like you, Bruce’.

“She has fans, you know?” Batman told her. “She’s only been active for a few months now, but she’s already something of a folk hero here in Gotham, especially for women. There were even some who dressed like her during a recent demonstration.”

More parallels, Kara knew. There was a street gang running around Gotham, calling themselves “Sons of the Bat”, who had bat symbols painted on their faces and were dishing out their own brand of vigilante justice among the city’s criminal element. Bruce had tried to curtail their activities several times now, but with mixed results.

“I think we can agree that she is doing some good. Do you think she is doing enough good to counterbalance the damage she’s doing in the process?” Kara asked him.

“I don’t know, Karen. Am I?”

She walked over to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. “You are a good man, Bruce! Never doubt that, ever! I wouldn’t call you my friend if I didn’t think so. And despite the many parallels between yourself and this woman in there, I don’t think you are the same where it counts.”

“Why not?”

Kara looked back towards the room. “I know what drove you to become the Batman, Bruce. I don’t know what happened to Joker, probably something equally traumatic, but the difference lies in what you just told me a minute ago.” She turned to look him in the eye. “You became the Batman so other people wouldn’t have to. You became the Batman so other people wouldn’t have to suffer as you did. You are fighting with all you have for a better world, a world where people won’t be hurt, won’t be left alone, and where children can grow up happy.”

Kara looked down. “I don’t know what happened to her, but she isn’t looking for justice. Justice might well be a byproduct for her, but her main motivation is chaos. She wants to terrorize the city, especially the male part, and have fun doing it.”

“Did she tell you that?” Batman asked.

“Not in so many words, no, but it was clear in how she acted. Especially when you were the topic. I think she might just be a tiny bit obsessed with you, Bruce.”

Batman stared at her for a moment, then actually chuckled a bit. “Is she my Lex Luthor then?”

Kara considered this for a moment. “Maybe, but only in the obsession sense. Luthor is a different kind of animal entirely. I won’t have any qualms throwing him in jail the moment we have everything we need. Joker, though? I’m really not sure. Personally I think she needs to be in therapy, not in a prison.”

Batman sighed. “You’re not going to take this off my hands, are you?”

Kara shook her head. “No, I won’t. I think this is something you need to figure out for yourself, Bruce. I am sure you will make the right decision.”

A moment later she was gone into the night, leaving a Dark Knight alone with his thoughts and no closer to a decision than he had been earlier.

*****

The woman known only as the Joker whistled a jaunty tune as she walked down a darkened alley (there was an inordinate amount of such alleys in Gotham), heading for one of her hideouts. She was twirling an open handcuff around one finger as she skipped along. As she turned the corner, though, she collided with something very, very solid.

“Oh, you again!”

Superwoman was floating half a foot in the air right before her, arms crossed across her chest and giving her very best impression of imposing scary goddess. Which was indeed a very, very good impression, but with some room for improvement in Joker’s mind.

“Can you have some of that heat vision fill your eyes without actually shooting lasers from them?” Joker asked. “That would just perfect the intimidating look, I’m sure.”

A moment later Superwoman did exactly that and even the crazy clown princess of Gotham had to admit that she was maybe, possibly, just a tiny little bit intimidated. Just a smidgen maybe.

“Are you here to take me in again? Your boyfriend did let me go, you know.”

“He did no such thing,” Superwoman said, her feet touching the ground again and the red fading from her eyes. “He might have, we’ll never know, but that explosion you arranged on the far end of town drew him away long enough for you to escape.”

Joker cocked her head to the side. “Yeah, but let’s be honest here, shall we? He wanted it that way! Just look at the way he dresses, he’s just asking for it! He’s so serious with his ‘I’m the Night, I’m Vengeance, I’m the Batman’ thing! Someone needs to tell him to smile some more!”

Superwoman grabbed the lapels of her coat and easily lifted her into the air one-handed. “Gonna take me in now, then?” Joker asked, gulping.

“I am tempted, actually, but no, I don’t think so.”

Now the Joker was not only intimidated, but surprised, too. “Really? How come?”

“Just a hunch, really, but I think your presence might actually have a net positive impact on things, Joker. I come from a world where men and women stood as equals in every way. Sadly this world here still has a long way to go in that regard. My own presence has hopefully done a bit to change that already, I like to think, but not enough. Maybe a little chaos is needed as well.”

She opened her hand, allowing Joker to drop back to the ground. She stumbled a bit, but remained standing, smoothing out her coat a moment later.

“So here is the deal, Joker,” Superwoman said. “You go on doing what you are doing. And you keep on making sure that no innocents are hurt or caught in the crossfire. Because the moment that changes, the moment I even get the faintest impression that you are losing your restraint and hurting innocent people, I will personally tear this city apart until I find you and throw you into the deepest, darkest cell I can find. Do we understand each other, buttercup?”

The Joker merely nodded, still smiling, but not feeling like laughing right now. Well, maybe a little, but the situation really wasn’t calling for it.

“What about your boyfriend?” Joker asked, even as Superwoman was beginning to turn away from her. “I get the impression he is not part of this deal? I’m fine with that, mind you. Girl power and all that, no sharing a sister’s secrets! Estrogen solidarity! But... you know... he’s so serious and all…”

Superwoman smiled. “Who knows? Maybe you can get him to smile a bit more often.”

A moment later she was gone into the night, leaving a clown princess skipping deeper into the alley, laughing and laughing. Because now a laugh was definitely called for.

*****

End Chapter 13

Author’s Note: the female Joker portrayed in this story is inspired by Geraldine DeRuiter’s series of tweets about how a modern take on the Joker should be a woman threatening the patriarchy. It led to a truly epic triggering of fragile male egos for whom the very notion of a female Joker seemed to be the worst thing ever in the history of stuff. It was hilarious and scary at the same time. So my hat’s off to Geraldine DeRuiter. I hope I have somewhat managed to turn her four-tweet idea into a compelling character. Oh, and just making it clear: this Joker here is NOT a gender-bent Joker from any existing version of Batman, it’s an entirely separate character. The man who became the Joker in all those other versions of the DC universe is presumably alive and well here in my little universe, never having been immersed in acid baths or the evils of society.

Oh, and just in case this hasn’t entirely become clear in this chapter: Superwoman is different from Superman. Superman was mostly about protecting the world and keeping it as it is. Superwoman wants to protect the world, too, but also to change and improve it. She wants to push Earth towards being as advanced as Krypton while avoiding her own people’s mistakes. As of right now, Kara believes that the Joker might well be a catalyst for positive change. Whether she is right about that... we’ll see.

Chapter Text

Chapter 14: Last Son of Mars (War World – Part 1)

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

For as long as humans had gazed up towards the sky, the planet Mars had been a dead world. There was plenty of evidence that this hadn’t always been so, that Mars had once sustained a live-giving atmosphere and an ample amount of water, but those days were long over. Whether or not Mars had ever had any indigenous life was an ongoing debate, but mostly an academic one.

It was not a debate for Kryptonians, though. Back in the times when Kryptonians had been a space faring society, they had learned of the once great Martian race. Long before even the Kryptonians had sailed the stars, the Martians had already been an advanced civilization. Some even said that their famed law enforcers, the Manhunters, had been the model upon which the Guardians of the Universe had based their own Green Lantern Corps.

Eons ago, though, the Martian race had fallen prey to an invasion by a parasitic alien species called the Imperium. The invasion had apparently been the end for both races, as there was nothing left to be found but ancient ruins and wrecked war machines. The Martian race had faded into the pages of history, much like the Kryptonian empire did many millennia later.

Which was why Kara had been rather surprised when her Fortress’ computers had informed her of activity on the long-dead planet. There was definitely something going on there, something involving advanced technology and energy eruptions. Given Mars’ proximity to Earth, she quickly decided to investigate, just to be on the safe side.

Kara had long ago tested the limits of her ability to fly through space. Her powers easily protected her from the vacuum and if there was an upper limit to the speed she could achieve, she hadn’t found it yet. One day she wanted to attempt breaking the light barrier by herself, but so far she had shied away from it. The relativistic effect of travelling close to light speed was not to be underestimated and she didn’t want to return from space, only to find her son an old man and the rest of her family long dead.

The only practical limitation she had when it came to travelling through space was oxygen. She had found that she could go without air for extended periods of time, but it was a drain on her as her body burned through stored solar energy much quicker to compensate for the lack of fresh oxygen. So she took a small capsule of pressurized air with her on her journey, which would allow her to take a breather every so often. Just in case there was something on Mars that required her full strength.

Shooting beyond Earth’s atmosphere was always something she enjoyed, the unfiltered sunlight in space made her feel slightly giddy. She quickly adjusted her course, her vision powers easily spotting the red body of her target, and accelerated. Current calculations showed that a human space craft using the Hohmann transfer orbit would need approximately 9 months to reach Earth’s nearest celestial neighbor. Kara made the flight in under ten minutes.

Soaring over the empty red plains of the planet, Kara needed a few minutes to finally locate the source of the disturbance. She spotted an alien space craft of unknown design, which had set down right next a mountain. Closer inspection showed that the mountain was adorned with symbols belonging to the ancient Martian race. In fact there was a huge doorway in the mountain side, worn down by time, but still solid. Except for the hole someone seemed to have blown into it, that was. Kara set down beside it, inspecting it.

The hole was definitely new, probably caused by whomever had arrived in that craft. It seemed to have been caused by a physical impact rather than an energy weapon. Kara quickly peeked inside, but found that the mountain apparently contained enough traces of lead to impede her vision powers. She could only see the corridor ahead of her, nothing else. Well, it seemed she had to do this the old-fashioned way.

Carefully making her way inside, Kara remained on guard. Generally speaking, people who broke into ancient tombs were not all that friendly, though she resolved to keep an open mind and not seek out a confrontation if it could be avoided. Remembering a few too many Indiana Jones movies (Clark just loved those), Kara decided to be careful and floated through the corridor, just in case the ancient Martians had left some traps behind that had endured over the millennia. One never knew.

Thankfully the dark corridors of the ancient Martian ruin only impeded her vision, not her hearing. She easily followed the sounds of what was apparently someone pounding away on yet another heavy door. Speeding up her flight, she soon ended up in a rather large room. It was easily the size of a large cathedral with a high ceiling, ornate carvings on every wall, and several large doors leading away in different directions. Only one of the doors was closed and someone was currently trying to remedy that with his bare hands.

Kara hovered for a moment, observing the intruder. He was big, that much was certain, easily eight or nine feet tall and almost as wide. He was humanoid in shape, but his skin was a faded yellow, his hands only had four fingers each, and there was no hair to be found on his head. He was dressed in something appearing to be battle armor, too. Overall he was not looking too friendly, but appearances could be deceiving, especially across different species.

“Excuse me?” she said, finally approaching. Given that she was facing an unknown alien species, she switched to Interlac, the interplanetary commerce language. Despite the Kryptonians’ aversion to space travel in their latter days, the language had still been taught in schools as an elective. She hoped she wasn’t too rusty.

The intruder stopped pounding away at the door and turned to look at her. “Interesting accent, creature. Can’t say I have heard that one before. Are you native to this hunk of rock?”

It was always dangerous to try and interpret alien mannerisms and tone of voice, but Kara got the distinct impression that she the intruder did not think very highly of her.

“No more than you, I would wager,” she replied, retaining a bit of a distance between herself and the yellow-skinned giant. “But seeing as this ‘hunk of rock’ is in my immediate neighborhood, I am an interested party. What are you doing here?”

The giant gave her a long, speculative glance, before resuming his pounding on the closed door. “I am looking to retrieve an artefact that was hidden here long ago by people long dead. Now go away, creature, I am busy!”

Kara was uncertain what to do. Apart from being very rude – though that might just be a matter of two aliens conversing in a language that was native for neither of them – the yellow giant had not done anything aggressive. Grave robbing was not something she considered proper, but given that the Martians were long dead, there really wasn’t anyone here to dispute his claim to whatever artefact he was looking for. Still, something about this guy made her skin itch.

“What kind of artefact?” she asked. “And what claim do you have to it?”

The giant stopped again, looking at her with something she was fairly sure was irritation. “That is none of your concern, creature! Now leave me be before I have to expend unnecessary time and effort for killing you!”

Okay, threatening to kill someone just for asking a few questions was definitely on the suspicious side of things. Before she could make up her mind as to what to do, though, something else happened that came as a surprise to both visitors.

“Leave this place immediately,” someone spoke in heavily accented Interlac. Kara started, none of her enhanced senses having picked up the presence of a third party before they spoke. The yellow giant seemed equally surprised. Both looked over at one of the other doorways, where a new figure now stood.

It was a Martian, that was quickly apparent. He was tall, though not nearly as tall as the giant, with long, gangly limbs and a long, almost hammer-shaped head. His skin was green, naturally, and his eyes glowed red.

“A Martian,” the yellow giant said. “Well, it looks like my information was incomplete. I was told you were all dead.”

“I know what you are here to steal, Mongul,” the Martian said. “I will not allow it!”

“You know my name, Martian? Interesting. It seems your species’ telepathic prowess has not been exaggerated.”

Mongul, as apparently his name was, slowly stalked towards the Martian, seemingly having forgotten about Kara’s presence. “If you have read my thoughts, Martian, then you know what I want. Give me the key and your race will remain non-extinct, at least for today.”

“Now wait just a minute here,” Kara said, beginning to step between the two.

Mongul’s fist lashed out at terrifying speed and hit her with the force of a meteor. With no clear idea how it had happened Kara found herself on the other side of the room, prone on the floor, and desperately gasping for breath in the almost non-existent Martian atmosphere. She tried to breathe in and the breathing hurt. It actually hurt! Fingers trailing over her body, she gasped in surprise when she found a bump on the side of her chest.

Mongul had actually managed to break one of her ribs!

Kara took a moment to gather herself, feeling panic begin to rise. She had never really been hurt since arriving on Earth. The Parasite had drained her, yes, but that had just made her weak. Sparring with Diana occasionally hurt a bit and even left a bruise here or there. Never since gaining her powers had anything actually managed to damage her body in such a way, though. Mongul had broken a rib! She still couldn’t wrap her mind around it. She was supposed to be invulnerable!

Looking up, she saw that Mongul had apparently forgotten about her again and was trying to kill the Martian. The green-skinned man, however, seemed very adept at avoiding his enemy’s fists. His body morphed and contorted in impossible ways, reminding Kara that Martians were shape-shifters. His limbs lashed out to land hits on Mongul, though those seemed largely ineffective.

Staggering back to her feet, Kara held her aching ribs as she tried to figure out what to do. Clearly Mongul needed to be stopped. If a Martian still lived, than this had progressed from “mere” grave robbing to outright theft, plus murderous intent on herself and the Martian. For the first time in living memory, though, she hesitated.

I’m scared, she realized, almost with a start. Well, this wouldn’t do! She was Superwoman, damn it! Mongul might have landed a lucky punch and was much stronger than she had anticipated, but she refused to let that deter her.

Quickly checking that she retained a full range of movement despite her injury, she waited until the Martian had moved out of the way of yet another attack by Mongul, leaving her a clear shot. She sped forward at the best speed she could manage in a confined space, little more than a blur to the naked eye, and drove both her fists into Mongul’s chest with enough force to split a mountain in two.

Mongul took a step back.

“Not bad, creature,” the giant said. “I almost felt that.”

Kara was so dumbfounded by the fact that this being seemed almost completely unaffected by one of her strongest blows, she was too slow to dodge his retaliatory strike. Mongul spun around at surprising speed and the back of his fist connected with the side of her head. Kara was driven into the nearest wall with enough force to actually embed her into the stone, stars exploding in front of her eyes.

She dimly heard the sounds of more fighting, apparently the Martian was back in the fray, but she could barely focus. The blow had rattled her brains but good and there was a very strange taste in her mouth. Something liquid, metallic... blood? Could that actually be blood?

Pushing the pain and panic aside, she strained to free herself from the rock wall. Stumbling to her feet, she saw that the battle between the Martian and Mongul had moved to the far side of the room. The Martian was still evading, but seemed incapable of actually hurting his larger opponent. Small wonder, Kara thought. How many beings were there in the universe that could shrug off her blows as if they were insect bites?

Deciding to avoid another blow for blow encounter, Kara zoomed forward and let loose with her deadliest weapon. Her eyes lit up and eerie red and fizzling beams of heat shot out at the speed of light. The twin beams struck Mongul and this time the yellow giant did more than take a step back. He actually grimaced in pain as the red energy beams tore apart the chest of his battle armor and left visible marks on his skin.

Mongul roared, sounding more angered than in pain, and Kara briefly noticed that the Martian was recoiling from where her heat vision had lit up the chamber, seemingly in pain himself.

“You will pay for that, creature,” Mongul screamed and dashed forward at terrible speed.

Kara managed to evade his first blow, which tore a huge hole in the ground she had stood upon a moment earlier. She let loose with her eye beams again, damaging more of his armor, but still couldn’t seem to penetrate his skin. Mongul lashed out with a kick, which she ALMOST managed to dodge. The tip of his toe caught her in the hip and spun her around, causing her to miss with her third burst of heat vision.

She tried to keep at a distance from the clearly more powerful opponent, but the room was only so large and Mongul was far quicker than his size suggested. Thirty seconds into the fight her luck ran out as Mongul managed to corner her and one of his huge fists closed around her ankle.

Kara almost blacked out as Mongul used her body as an improvised sledgehammer and slammed her into the ground two, three, four times. When he finally let go, her vision was fuzzy and her limbs refused to move. She somehow managed to push herself up to her knees when she saw Mongul approaching from the corner of her eye. Moving on instinct, she lashed out with her right arm... only for her fist to be caught in a much larger one.

“Admirable,” Mongul said. “But ultimately futile!”

Kara screamed as he brought his other fist down and the bones in her caught arm broke like kindling. Spots swam across her vision and all strength fled from her body. She was completely helpless as Mongul hoisted her up by grabbing onto her hair, dangling in his grip like a puppet with its strings cut.

“Time to end this distraction,” he said and raised his fist.

I am sorry, Clark, she thought before everything went dark.

*****

The next thing Kara was aware of was pain! Lots and lots of it, made even worse by her almost being entirely unfamiliar with the feeling. Now, though, her entire body was screaming at her, nerves clamoring for attention, wailing to tell her that things were WRONG! Short flashes of her disastrous fight with Mongul buzzed through her mind, she relived the pain of him breaking her arm. Her lips parted as she screamed out her pain for the world to hear.

Amidst the swirling agony, though, there was a soothing voice that rang out inside her mind.

I require you to hold still, Kara-El, the voice said. Your regenerative powers will be able to deal with most of your injuries, but your broken bones need to be set, otherwise they will heal wrong.

Even through the haze of pain, Kara understood what the voice was telling her. Her cells were living solar batteries and could regenerate almost any damage, provided they received the solar energy to do so. Broken bones, however, were another matter. She dimly remembered breaking a bone back as a child on Krypton, but never on Earth. Her force-field, the source of her supposed invulnerability, had kept all force strong enough to break bones away from her. Until today, at least. Until Mongul had simply overpowered it.

She felt ghostly fingers on her arm, just above the break, and tried her best to keep still despite the howling agony. It almost felt like the fingers were moving inside her arm, which was a strange feeling in and of itself and almost managed to distract her.

This will hurt, the voice said inside her mind.

Kara screamed as something ghostly yet strong forced the bones inside her arm back into their proper position. A moment later, she mercifully blacked out again.

*****

The next time Kara regained consciousness the screaming pain from before had dulled somewhat. She still felt like every single part or her body was hurting, but it wasn’t as all-encompassing as before. She even managed to open her eyes and saw that she was now outside the Martian mountain fortress. The sun shone overhead, more distant here than on Earth, but thanks to the thin atmosphere the rays were actually more potent. She could feel her cells greedily drinking up the energy to begin the healing of her body.

Looking slightly to the side, she saw her savior squatting on the ground next to her.

“How are you feeling, Kara-El?” the Martian asked.

“Terrible,” she replied honestly. “But given that I expected to never feel anything again, I will count that as an improvement.”

She tried her best to sit up, the Martian quickly moving to support her back with one of his arms. “Move slowly, Kara-El,” he said. “Mongul has dealt you quite a bit of damage.”

“Believe me, I am aware. I guess you picked my name out of my head, using your telepathy?” she asked, causing the Martian to nod. “Well, I can’t do the same, so what is your name?”

“My name is J’Onn J’Onnz.”

“Well, thank you J’Onn J’Onnz. I assume I have you to thank for my still being alive?”

The Martian, J’Onn, rose to his feet, looking up at the sky. “As much as I would like to take credit, I fear our joint survival is more due to Mongul’s indifference than anything else. Once neither of us posed a hindrance to him anymore, he simply moved on.”

Kara scoffed. “I’m not sure whether to be thankful or offended.” She looked at J’Onn. “So I guess he got what he came here for? What was it, this key he mentioned?”

Before her eyes J’Onn seemed to shrink, almost as if his form deflated and all hope left him. “He has succeeded, yes, and I have failed. Eons ago, long before my race fell victim to the Imperium, a dying race called the Largas entrusted us with this key. It was the crystal key of the Warzoon, Kara-El. They key to the War World!”

Kara froze in place, even as memories from long-ago history lessons on Krypton came to the forefront of her mind. The War World! The Kryptonians had never encountered it themselves, but it was a story told by numerous space-faring races across the universe, so there had to be some truth to it. The War World, a mobile weaponized satellite created by a warlike race looking to conquer the cosmos. Bigger and sturdier than a dwarf star, and equipped with weapons able to obliterate entire planets easily,

“I see you have heard of it,” J’Onn said.

“It was something Kryptonians picked up during our space travel days. Many considered it nothing but a scary story.”

“I fear it is far more than a story,” J’Onn continued. “It’s quite real. The Warzoon built the War World with the intention of conquering the entire universe with it and they might well have succeeded. Their race died out, though, their reign of terror and destruction remaining incomplete. The Largas came upon the empty War World and locked it away, so that no one could make use of its destructive potential.”

“Unless that someone has the key,” Kara concluded. “The key that Mongul took with him.”

J’Onn nodded sadly. “I have failed in my duties. As the last of my kind, it fell upon me to keep the key safe. Now I fear the entire universe may pay the price.”

Something resonated with Kara as she heard him speak of being the last of his kind. She could hear the intense loneliness in his voice, as well as the pain for having failed. She could certainly sympathize. She may not be the last of her kind, but in many ways Clark was more human than Kryptonian. He didn’t remember their home world. Only she did. Krypton lived on only in her memory. And the same was true for Mars and J’Onn J’Onnz.

Struggling to her feet despite the pain, she stood to face the last son of Mars.

“We have both failed today, J’Onn,” she told him. “But maybe there is still time to stop Mongul. If we work together.”

He looked at her. “I appreciate the sentiment, Kara-El, but I fear even the two of us together are not strong enough to face Mongul. Especially if he should already have the might of War World at his beck and call!”

“You are probably right,” Kara said, looking upwards where her enhanced vision could see the face of Earth in the sky. “Which is why we are going to need more help.”

*****

End Chapter 14

Author’s Note: The Martian Manhunter as he appears in this story is based almost entirely on his appearance in the Justice League cartoon. J’Onn’s level of power has fluctuated wildly during his various comic and TV appearances, so I’m going to stick with the version I liked best. He is powerful, but not as physically powerful as a Kryptonian. He can shape shift, become immaterial, and has limited telepathic powers, but he has a severe weakness to fire.

Mongul, on the other hand, is the pre-Crisis version, who first appeared in DC Comics Presents #27 from 1980, on which this story arc is loosely based. I freely admit that I do not enjoy writing fight scenes, but in this case I went into a little more detail because it was an important point in Kara’s development to be humbled by a physically superior opponent.

Chapter Text

Chapter 15: Dawn of Justice (War World – Part 2)

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Princess Diana of Themyscira, known the world over as Wonder Woman, felt a simmering rage deep inside her belly as she looked upon her best friend. In the years they had known each other, Diana had never seen Kara, her sister-in-arms, so battered and wounded. Diana still won the majority of their regular sparring sessions, but Kara’s bruises always faded in minutes and there was never any lasting damage. Not so today, as her friend’s broken right arm was supported by a cast and the bruises on her face and visible skin had yet to fade, despite almost a day having passed.

Diana swore that the creature who had harmed her sister, this Mongul, would pay dearly for every bruise, every broken bone, and every drop of blood.

“We can delay no longer,” Kara said, addressing the room.

They were currently in the only functional module of the Watchtower. For several years now Kara had worked on assembling an orbital station high above the Earth, a fusion of human and Kryptonian technology, a first line of defense for her adopted world. Bruce, the Batman, had helped with the technological and logistical sides and Diana herself had assisted with some of the heavy lifting on the ground, but most of the work had been performed by Kara herself as the only one of their trio who could fly into space under her own power. Currently the satellite was less than halfway finished, but the main module was pressurized and the artificial gravity worked as well.

It was a good place to assemble their forces for the coming war.

“Thank you all for coming,” Kara began. “I had hoped we would have more time and gather more allies, but an emergency has come up, one that threatens not just our planet but possibly the entire galaxy.”

She quickly summarized the events of yesterday, her encounter with the Martian called J’Onn J’Onnz and their battle against the alien powerhouse called Mongul. Kara did not mince words, describing how close she had come to being killed, how extremely strong Mongul was, and how dangerous this War World was. To be honest, it boggled Diana’s imagination somewhat. A satellite larger than the Earth itself? Equipped with weapons powerful enough to demolish entire worlds? Part of her refused to believe it, but she trusted her friend’s word.

Next to Kara stood the Martian, J’Onn, who had used his shape-shifting powers to appear somewhat human. The first time Diana had seen him he had looked far more alien, now he seemed almost human except for his green skin and somewhat prominent forehead. Diana knew that he had aided Kara, helped heal her wounds, so as far as Diana was concerned he was a comrade-in arms she would gladly have at her side during the coming fight.

Bruce Wayne, the Batman, stood next to Diana and listened intently. He had heard the story already, just like Diana, but his mind was always working, always looking for more details. Diana knew that he had to feel even more out of his depth than she did, but that didn’t stop him from contributing and wouldn’t stop him from fighting.

“Mongul has a head start on us,” Kara said, “but hopefully we can circumvent that advantage somewhat.”

She looked at the newest member of their alliance. Diana had first encountered the man called Adam Strange two years ago, but it had only been during the last few months that they had managed to get into regular contact with him. Strange was from Earth, but he wore a suit of red and white battle armor - along with a rocket pack allowing him to fly and a futuristic gun at his hip - that were clearly not of Earth design. He had gotten those while spending a large amount of time on an alien planet called Rann.

He had only told them the short version, but apparently Rann was a highly developed world, whose citizens had sworn off combat and aggression many generations ago after a devastating war that had reduced large parts of their world to rubble. So when they found themselves facing an alien threat, they had sought a champion to do their fighting for them. Strange had become that champion.

“I’ve spoken to the Sardath back on Rann,” Strange said, stepping forward, “and they have prepared a Zeta beam to teleport us to the system where J’Onn here said War World is parked. Transport will be instantaneous, but it has its limitations. Once the Zeta radiation dissipates from our bodies, we will be brought back to our place of origin automatically. They can only give a rough time frame for that, approximately thirty hours or so, given the distance and the number of people to be transported.”

“I do not think we need to worry about the time limit,” Kara told him. “If we haven’t stopped Mongul within thirty hours, odds are we will have much bigger things to worry about.”

Diana nodded, even as her eyes found the sixth and final member of their team. Even if there had been no other indication of how dire Kara thought the situation to be, the presence of Green Lantern Abin Sur spoke volumes all by itself. Kara still had trouble looking at the Green Lantern who had failed to save Krypton without becoming angry in the process. Kara had confessed to Diana that she knew these feelings to be irrational, that she knew intellectually that Abin Sur was not to blame for her original home world’s destruction, but that her feelings didn’t change with that knowledge.

“Can we expect any reinforcements from the Green Lantern Corps?” Diana asked Abin Sur.

“I have contacted the Guardians of Oa to let them know of the impending reactivation of the War World,” he answered. “I am certain they will send aid, but with the Corps spread out over the known universe, I fear we cannot wait for them to arrive.”

“We need to leave now,” Kara told everyone. “We will use Abin Sur’s ship and the Zeta beam will transport us. Hopefully we will arrive before Mongul. Let’s move, people!”

Walking towards the airlock where Sur’s ship had docked, Diana caught up with Kara and touched her shoulder.

“Have you said anything to Clark?” she whispered. Kara’s young son was almost fully into his powers by now, but neither of them had entertained the thought of taking him along for more than a second. No doubt the boy’s time to join them in battle would come soon enough, but not today.

Kara shook her head. “No! I wanted to, but couldn’t think of anything that wouldn’t sound like ‘good bye’.”

“What about your wounds? He can’t have missed those.”

“Oh, he saw them, just like Martha and Jonathan. But as far as they know the alien who did this to me is already beaten and everything’s fine. I’m just going away a few days to recuperate, nothing else.”

Diana was not happy that Kara was lying to her family, but she could understand it. The Amazons were different, a warrior race, so while her own mother would certainly worry, Queen Hippolyta was also proud of her daughter as she went out to face so dangerous a foe. It wasn’t that long ago that Kara had finally confessed to her that Clark was not, in fact, her son, at least not biologically, but Diana knew that he was her son in every other way that mattered. Almost everything Kara did was out of the motivation to keep her son safe, so dragging him along to battle a foe as powerful as Mongul was not going to happen anytime soon.

“Let us make our families proud then, sister,” Diana said, clasping Kara’s hand in her own, “and do our best to ensure that we shall all safely return to them when the battle is done!”

*****

Batman blinked away the spots in his vision and focused on his surroundings again. In a strange sort of way he was very thankful for the training he had received at the hands of Henry Ducard aka R’as al Ghul. Learning to operate calmly while feeling intense fear was certainly coming in handy today when he found himself so very much out of his comfort zone. For all that the Batman had become a larger-than-life presence in Gotham and was considered superhuman by many a criminal, he was still just a man.

A man who had just travelled across many light years of space by way of an alien teleportation beam. A man in the company of three different aliens, a warrior princess from Greek myth, and someone who, while “only” a man himself, had been to alien worlds several times before now. No one would be able to see it on his face, but Bruce Wayne had never been so far out of his element before.

“We have arrived in the designated star system,” Adam Strange announced, shaking off the dizzying effects of the beam far more quickly. Well, he did have plenty of experience with it, Batman told himself grudgingly.

“I am scanning the system for our target,” Abin Sur announced, the Green Lantern manipulating the controls of his star ship without ever moving a finger. The green ring on his finger glowed and the ship responded. Batman was certainly interested in the technology behind it, but figured that it was far beyond his understanding. For now, at least.

“These are the coordinates the Largas left us with,” the Martian called J’Onn J’Onnz announced. “War World should be in orbit around the system’s sun.”

Said sun was now visible on the ship’s view screen. It was a white dwarf star, Batman had been told, a sun nearing the end of its life cycle. Only about two times the size of Earth, it nevertheless had as much mass as Earth’s sun, if not more. Not enough mass to collapse into a black hole, but more than enough to keep several planets in its orbit.

And something that was not a planet at all.

“I think we have found our target,” Strange said in a low voice.

The light of the white dwarf barely sufficed to illuminate more than the outline of the huge dark shape that was moving onto the view screen from the side. At first glance it might well have appeared as a planet, but the contours were too sharp, the surface too gleaming even in the weak light. Abin Sur manipulated the controls and the view screen shifted, pseudo colors overlaid the images, and the huge globe of the War World snapped into sharp focus.

“Sweet Hera,” he heard Diana whisper, the awe in her voice mirroring his own. The mere thought of something so huge being built, constructed from metal by mortal hands instead of being shaped by forces of nature, boggled the mind. Even as they watched the monstrous sphere continued to move and a moment later Batman had to revise his estimate of its size upwards several magnitudes once again. For the War World passed BEHIND the white dwarf star, not in front of it.

“It’s roughly three times the size of your planet Earth,” Abin Sur said, his own voice almost a whisper as well in the face of such enormity. “My scanners detect only minimal energy output, though. The War World appears to be inactive, at least for now.”

Batman looked over at Kara, who was not looking at the view screen but rather at a blank wall off to the side. Knowing her superior vision powers, he did not doubt she was studying their target in detail.

“What do you see, Kara?” he asked, drawing everyone’s attention to her.

“Almost the entire surface of War World I can see is covered in weapons of some sort. Missiles the size of buildings, gun muzzles hundreds of meters wide. Huge hangar doors, behind which I can see millions of drone craft, all of them looking ready for launch. There are also thousands of smaller satellites orbiting it, all of them displaying active energy patterns.”

“The Largas said that they locked away the War World by activating its automatic defenses,” J’Onnz added. “I would assume those satellites are part of the defense system.”

“Well, if they are still active, then Mongul hasn’t yet used to key to shut them down, has he?” Strange said. “We beat him here.”

“No, we didn’t,” Kara simply said, causing Batman’s blood to run as cold as the space outside.

She walked over the manual controls Abin Sur had installed on his ship – apparently he had wanted a backup in case his ring ever ceased to function, which was just smart thinking in Batman’s mind – and focused the view screen on a specific spot on the War World’s surface. Powered by the Green Lantern’s energy, the sensors were capable of zooming in across the vast distance and showed a space ship on the ground, right next to what was obviously an entrance into War World’s interior.

“That’s Mongul’s ship, we saw it on Mars,” Kara said. “He’s already here.”

“He must have reactivated the defenses once he was through,” Batman said. “Insuring that no one can follow him in.”

“I hate smart bad guys,” Strange muttered.

“Can you see him?” Batman asked.

“Yes. Thankfully the construction of War World seems to include no metals with a similar density to lead. Mongul is already several levels below ground and heading for what I assume to be a control chamber of some kind.”

“Surely he can’t control something this size all by himself, can he?” Diana asked. “I would imagine he would need a crew of some kind.”

“The control room appears to hold but a single chair and some kind of harness. There is a dead Warzoon still sitting in that chair, even. I fear the War World has been built to be controlled by one individual without any need for support.”

For a moment no one seemed to know what to say or do next.

“We need to get to the surface of War World and reach that control chamber,” Batman finally said. “If it can be controlled by one man, then it can be stopped by taking out that one man!”

Kara nodded in agreement. “We need to hurry. Abin Sur and I are the only ones capable of taking on those automated defenses and survive. We will try to break through or, if that won’t work, at least to occupy the defenses to create an opening for the rest of you.”

Batman listened as Abin Sur gave them brief instructions on how to pilot his space ship, a job Adam Strange eagerly took on. Apparently the design was not that different from the ones used on Rann. As the Green Lantern and Kara prepared to leave the ship, Batman focused on the screen, which was still showing the landing site of Mongul’s ship on the surface of War World.

“Adam, can you draw back the image a bit?” he asked, having spotted something at the very edge.

The other man gave him a curious look, but did as he was told and the image zoomed out. Close to the spot where Mongul had landed was something resembling an open field (using the term ‘field’ loosely, as War World was made entirely of metal) with rows upon rows of something that looked like boxes, lined up in neat patterns.

“It looks like a cemetery,” Diana said from beside him, studying the image.

“I’d say it is one,” Strange added, fiddling with the sensors. The image zoomed in once more and showed that each ‘box’ had something resembling a window. At extreme close-up, the screen showed the skeletal remains of an alien head inside.

“From what I have learned of the Warzoon,” J’Onn told them, “they had the custom of sealing their fallen warriors into caskets that allowed them a view of the sky. It was said that they should gaze upon all that their successors would conquer in their name.”

“Morbid,” Strange added.

“There must be thousands of those boxes,” Diana said, inspecting the image as Strange zoomed out again.

“And this is probably not the only cemetery on War World.” Batman rubbed his chin. “It’s interesting, though.”

“In what way, Batman?” J’Onn asked.

“The Largas told you that the Warzoon died out when their campaign to conquer the cosmos had just begun, correct?” The Martian nodded. “From your tale I assumed that some sort of plague had killed them, maybe a bio weapon launched by one of their enemies, but this paints a different picture.”

“He’s right,” Strange agreed. “If the Warzoon had all died out simultaneously, there wouldn’t have been anyone left to bury them. Unless the Largas did it.”

“I do not believe so,” J’Onn told them. “From what they told us, they only visited the War World very briefly, just long enough to lock it down and activate its defenses. They were a peaceful race through and through. Even if they had found it prudent to bury the Warzoons’ dead, they would hardly have done so following the Warzoons’ war-like traditions.”

“So whatever killed all the Warzoon did so gradually,” Batman concluded. “It left enough time for the survivors to bury the dead, but still drove their race to extinction within a relatively short time frame.”

Batman fell back into thought, remembering Kara’s words about the dead Warzoon still sitting in the War World’s control chair. “I believe I have a theory what could have happened to the Warzoon. And if I’m right, it could mean salvation for us all!”

*****

Kara and Abin Sur had barely left the ship when the defenses of War World began to attack them. Automated satellites released swarms of missiles towards them, even as giant laser cannons began firing from the surface of the artificial planetoid. Kara moved faster than she ever had before, flying in a random pattern to evade the powerful energy beams coming at her, and vaporized incoming missiles with her heat vision. There were always more missiles, though, and the energy beams kept coming closer and closer, keeping her from getting closer to the War World itself.

“How are you doing, Abin Sur?” she asked through the com system in the oxygen mask she had put on.

“I fear this is going to prove even more difficult than we thought,” the Green Lantern replied. “My ring’s force field is at its very limit, I doubt it will hold against more than one or two direct hits from these beams.”

Kara had no particular interest in finding out how her own vaunted invulnerability would hold up against these weapons, not after it had been strained (and overcome) by Mongul just a day earlier. She was still nowhere near 100 percent and the white dwarf star’s fading light was nowhere near as potent as Earth’s yellow sun. A prolonged engagement was not in her favor, even without factoring in the Zeta beam’s inherent time limit.

“We need a new plan,” Kara said, withdrawing from the range of War World’s defense systems alongside the Green Lantern. “We won’t be getting through with a direct assault.”

She focused her vision powers on the control room she had seen earlier. “Mongul has already reached the control room. We need to act fast or he’ll...”

“Let him take control of the War World, Kara,” Batman’s voice suddenly rang out in her earpiece.

“Say what?” she asked, not believing what she heard.

“Trust me, Kara! We WANT him to put on that harness!”

Bruce explained his theory to them.

“In Rao’s name, Batman, I hope you are right about this.”

In front of them the War World began to light up as more and more systems came online and the largest, most terrifying weapon the universe came back to life. With just the six of them directly in its crosshairs.

“I hope so, too,” Batman said.

*****

End Chapter 15

Author’s Note: Yes, in this universe of mine Adam Strange is a founding member of the Justice League. What can I say, I always liked the concept behind him, as he’s basically Flash Gordon but with the Zeta Beam taking him back to Earth at random times (usually just as he’s about to kiss Alanna). I’m a big fan of the old Filmation Flash Gordon cartoon, as well as Defenders of the Earth, so expect those to influence my portrayal of Adam Strange somewhat. I might do a flashback chapter later on to show the first meeting between him and the Trinity.

Also, my League only has six members at the outset instead of the usual seven. I toyed with adding a seventh member, but couldn’t really think of one that would fit at this point in the story. The only real candidate would have been Green Arrow, but I couldn’t really find a way to logically fit an archer into an outer-space battle against what’s basically the Death Star, only larger. Batman’s presence is pushing it as it is and he’s been friends with Kara and Diana for years at this point in the story. Adding someone like Hawkgirl or Aquaman out of the blue now would have felt like cheating.

Chapter Text

Chapter 16: Brightest Day (War World – Part 3)

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

It quickly became apparent that the most difficult part of Batman’s plan would be to simply stay alive long enough for it to come into effect. If Kara had thought that the assault by the War World’s automated defenses had been terrible, the full-on attack by a fully activated War World with a guiding intelligence behind it was on an entirely different level.

Space itself seemed to be engulfed in flame as missiles the size of buildings came at them, exploding into fireballs the size of small moons. Laser blasts as wide as rivers seemed to fill every available space and Kara had to strain her superhuman reflexes to the utmost limit simply to stay ahead of the wave of annihilation.

Flashes of green light off to her right was the only sign that Abin Sur was still alive and kicking, as neither of them had the time for talk. Kara was pushing her powers like never before, at the same time utterly thankful that Clark was nowhere near this calamity. His powers, while almost completely active, were still fickle and he wouldn’t have lasted a minute in this storm. Rao, she wasn’t sure she would last much longer.

“We need to keep at it,” Batman’s voice sounded through her ear piece even as she saw Abin Sur’s ship streak past her, pursued by a huge swarm of missiles. She also spotted J’Onn J’Onnz and Diana, who had vacated the ship and were providing additional targets for the War World. Kara bit her tongue to keep from telling them to get back inside. She knew how quick and tough Diana was and J’Onn had already proven that he was formidable as well. This was not the time and place to be a worried mother hen.

“Spread out further,” Batman ordered them. “We need to stretch Mongul’s attention as wide as possible.”

Suppressing the need to keep her friends in sight, Kara poured on her super speed and flew in a wide arc around the War World, laser blasts and missiles dogging her heels every step of the way. She could feel the vast gravity of the metal world pulling at her, just like the white dwarf star in the distance.

When she actually had a second to breathe, she focused her super vision on the control room far down below the surface of the War World, checking on Mongul. He was sitting in the command chair, his face contorted in a mixture of concentration and rage. He was gripping the handles of the chair hard enough to bend the metal and sweat was glistening on his huge forehead.

“I think it’s working,” she told the others, even as she had to speed up again to evade certain death. “Mongul looks like using the control harness is really taking a toll on him.”

There hadn’t been time for a long explanation, but Kara could follow Bruce’s logic. The Warzoon had died on the War World. Not all of them at once, but rather in small increments. It was as if something had killed them off one by one. And seeing as the only body Kara had spotted that had not been put in a casket had been sitting in the War World control chair, Bruce had concluded that their murderer was actually the War World itself.

It made sense, she had to admit. The mental strain of controlling an entire world, its weapons, its flight path, and everything else, had to be monumental. Mongul certainly looked like he was feeling the strain already. Not that it lessened the danger for any of them. The destructive potential of War World was truly staggering. If they couldn’t stop it here, there was no telling how many lives might be lost.

Time ceased to have any meaning for Kara as she pushed on, flying faster and faster, dodging even more missiles and laser beams. She risked a wider arc that took her closer to the white dwarf, feeling her cells soak up the much-needed energy, before jumping right back into the fray. Whenever she had a moment’s breathing room, she used her vision powers to check on Mongul, seeing him looking ever more stressed. They were waging a war of attrition in time lapse, someone or something had to give very soon.

There was a cry of pain across their comlink and Kara was almost hit herself as she started. A brief check with her powers showed that the cry had come from Abin Sur, who had not quite managed to dodge an exploding missile. His ring had protected him, but only just. He looked hurt and singed.

“Abin Sur, can you keep moving or do you need to retreat to the ship?” Batman asked across the comlink.

“I am fine, Batman,” the Green Lantern replied, though his voice sounded pained.

“I hate to be the spoil sport,” Adam Strange announced, “but all sorts of displays are lighting up here on the ship and unless I’m reading it very wrong, we’ve pushed this rust bucket to the limit. We’re going to have to pull back or we’re scrap!”

“We’re running out of time, Batman,” Kara said, dodging yet another giant-sized missile.

“We need to keep it up, or we’ll give Mongul time to recover,” Batman replied.

Suddenly, though, the apocalyptic bombardment ceased and the eternal silence of space seemed all the more silent for it. The few missiles still in flight streaked away into the darkness, the laser cannons ceased firing.

“Kara, what do you see?” Batman asked urgently.

Focusing her super vision once again, Kara sighed in relief. “It appears you were correct, Batman. Mongul has collapsed and fallen out of the control chair.”

“Is he still alive?”

Kara focused her vision even closer. “I’m no sure, he... yes, I can see his chest rise and fall. He’s still alive.”

“Then we’re still on a deadline,” Diana said over the com, making Kara sigh in relief that her best friend seemed unharmed from the terrible gauntlet. “If he wakes up, he might start this all over again.”

“Or worse,” Batman added, “figure out what is wrong with the control harness and fix the problem. We need to move now!”

Kara immediately accelerated towards the War World’s surface, but had to evade again when the satellites opened fire on her once more.

“Damn it, the automated defenses are still active,” Strange cursed. “How are we supposed to make it down there?”

Kara desperately tried to figure out something, her gaze moving across the gleaming surface of the War World and the white dwarf star rising above its sharp horizon. Then an idea struck her. An insane one, granted.

“This system is devoid of life, correct?” she asked.

“Indeed,” J’Onn answered. “Whatever life might once have thrived here was destroyed by the Warzoon before they perished. All the worlds in this system are nothing but dead rock.”

“Good,” she said, then looked towards Abin Sur. “Are you familiar with the Earth game called Pool?”

*****

One would not know it from simply looking at him, but Abin Sur was not a young man anymore. He had served as the Green Lantern of sector 2814 for well over a hundred solar cycles now. The power of the green light kept his body in peak condition, but even the wondrous power ring could not stave off the effects of time entirely. Especially on a day like this, when he had fought harder and longer than at any other time in recent memory.

He felt old and tired. Still, he was a Green Lantern. Fear was something he had long ago overcome. At least for his own life. Not so much for the lives of others.

“Are you certain of this, Kara-El?” he asked, having just listened to the insane idea of the young Kryptonian by his side.

“It will work,” she simply said, probably knowing full well that it wasn’t their chances of success he had questioned. “Even if we could get down there somehow, we can’t leave War World intact for someone else to find later down the line, who might be able to fix the flaw in its guidance system. We need to destroy it and this might be the only way to do it.”

Abin Sur nodded, knowing she was right.

“Kara, what are you planning?” the voice of the one called Diana came over the com, sounding worried.

“Something stupid, probably,” she answered, and then she moved.

Abin Sur blinked, even as he commanded his power ring to keep track of the Kryptonian’s trajectory. It still amazed him how powerful the Kryptonians could become when charged up with potent solar radiation. How easily their race could have avoided their fate had they but migrated to another world with a younger star. But it did not matter now. He had to focus now, unless he wished for the last daughter of Krypton to join the rest of her people in extinction.

There was nothing to see for the naked eye, but his ring easily tracked Kara-El as she accelerated away from the white dwarf at speeds that would put most space craft to shame. She flew directly towards the system’s largest planet, a gas giant, and arrived before he had even finished the thought. She circled the planet, allowing herself to be drawn in by its enormous gravity and accelerated even faster. After dozens of orbits she shot out again, faster even than before, and headed directly towards the white dwarf.

“Gods, the woman is insane,” he heard Adam Strange whisper, the champion of Rann obviously having figured out what she was doing.

Kara-El circled the white dwarf at a ridiculously low orbit, diving deep into its humongous gravity well, and accelerated even further. Even his ring had trouble tracking her exact location from one moment to the next now, as she was barely more than a red and blue streak.

A moment later she shot away from the white dwarf again, angling towards the gas giant once more for the final leg of her intended journey.

“Hera, protect her,” Diana whispered.

Kara-El used the gas giant to slingshot back around and was now heading directly towards the War World, which was still in an orbit around the white dwarf.

“Now, Abin Sur,” she yelled into her com, her voice strangely distorted from the relativistic effect of flying at something approaching half the speed of light. It took but a thought and green light exploded from Abin’s ring, reaching out towards the blurred shape of his comrade. His will made into light wrapped itself around her near-invulnerable form and Abin Sur’s entire universe shrunk down to a single point as he poured everything he had into a single thought: protect her!

There was no sound in space, but had there been then Kara’s impact into the side of the War World would certainly have put the voice of any god to shame. She hit the metal world at a carefully calculated angle, her speed far too great for the automated defenses to even begin to track her, and the entire huge planetoid shuddered from the tremendous impact. Huge cracks ran along its surface, thousands of tons of metal simply vaporized from the kinetic energy of the collision, and the artificial globe’s orbit shifted.

“Immovable object, meet the irresistible force called Superwoman,” Adam Strange cheered. “It’s working! The War World’s orbit is decaying!”

While larger than the white dwarf, even a satellite made entirely from metal was nowhere near as massive as a collapsed star. The white dwarf’s gravity began to draw the War World towards it.

“Abin Sur, your ship’s computer calculates that the War World will collide with the white dwarf in roughly two hours. We really shouldn’t be here when that happens!”

“Where is Kara?” Diana asked.

*****

It took them over an hour to locate their missing comrade, who had ricocheted from the War World like a stone skipping across water. They were actually quite lucky that she hadn’t simply shot off into empty space at the ridiculous speed she had been travelling, instead falling into the gravity well of one of the system’s planets. Even as the War World was moving in ever-closer orbits around the white dwarf, they set down on the surface of the desolate hunk of rock that Kara had come down on.

They found their comrade lying at the end of a miles long trench she had dug into the rocky surface of the planet, Strange setting the ship down right beside her. Diana was the first out of the ship, running towards her friend.

“Kara? Kara, are you all right?”

She sighed in relief when she saw that Superwoman was in fact conscious and already sitting up at the end of the trench, giving her a tired smile.

“Remind me to never do anything like this again, Diana,” Kara said, brushing dust and dirt off her shoulders. “Really, never again!”

Diana hugged her, though carefully as Kara was still favoring her right arm. “I hoped you tackled the planet with your left shoulder, you madwoman!”

Batman and the others walked up to them, even the dark knight’s stoic mask clearly showing relief at seeing that Superwoman was all right.

“We really shouldn’t linger,” he said. “Once the War World collides with the white dwarf, this entire system is going to turn really inhospitable.”

“No telling when the Zeta beam will wear off,” Adam added, looking at the sky, “so we better put some distance between us and the star in Abin’s ship.”

Kara looked up, her eyes focusing on the War World and it’s decaying orbit. It looked almost comical, the smaller object drawing in the bigger one, but the bang when they would finally meet would be a sight to behold, she was sure. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to catch a glimpse of the control center where she had last seen Mongul. Her head was still ringing from the impact, though, and her eyes refused to focus properly.

“Any sign of Mongul?” she asked the others instead.

Before anyone could give an answer, though, Abin Sur’s ship suddenly exploded behind them, causing everyone to take cover. When the smoke cleared, a huge yellow shape emerged from the wreckage.

“The greatest weapon in the universe,” Mongul growled as he approached them. “And you took it from me!”

The six heroes quickly lined up side by side, ready to face him.

“He’s as strong as I am, probably stronger,” Kara warned the others. “And a lot faster than his bulk suggests.”

“Let him come,” Diana growled, teeth bared, drawing the sword she had taken along for exactly this situation. “I am looking forward to...”

Her sentence was suddenly cut off as a blinding flash of light enveloped them all.

*****

“What happened?” Diana asked, when her eyes managed to focus again. Looking around, she saw that they were back in the docking bay of the Watch Tower, surrounded by the wreckage of Abin Sur’s ship. She also noticed that someone was missing. “Why isn’t Kara here?”

“The Zeta beam wore off,” Adam said. “But... somehow not for Superwoman!”

“It must be her Kryptonian physiology,” J’Onn speculated. “Her cells absorb solar radiation. Maybe the Zeta radiation is similar enough to sunlight that her body holds a charge much longer than ours do.”

“You mean she is still on that planet, all alone with Mongul?”

“Not alone,” Batman said, looking around. “Abin Sur isn’t here, either.”

*****

Abin Sur had not been a Green Lantern for well over a century for nothing. The moment he felt the pull of the Zeta beam, he enveloped himself in a cocoon of green energy and pushed against the spatial distortion effect that was looking to deposit him back in Earth’s orbit. Mongul was still here and needed stopping, lest he somehow prevent the destruction of War World yet.

As the Zeta radiation dissipated, he was surprised to see that he was not the only member of their makeshift team that had remained in place. Superwoman, too, was still here.

“What happened?” she asked, never taking her eyes off the approaching enemy. “Where are the others?”

“The Zeta beam took them home, it seems,” he said. “I resisted its effects. And it appears you did, too.”

Attention, the voice of his power ring whispered in his mind. Ring charge below 5%. Recharge as soon as possible!

“Great,” Superwoman muttered, unaware of the precarious state of his ring’s power reserves. “Diana is never going to let me hear the end of this if we survive. She was so looking forward to taking this guy on.”

Abin cursed under his breath, he really should have recharged his ring while they were on the ship. Every Green Lantern ring needed to be recharged by touching it to a Power Battery, a direct conduit to the central Green Lantern Power Battery on the planet Oa. It would take but a thought to summon the battery from subspace, but the recharging process would take roughly twenty seconds or so.

He was quite certain Mongul would not give them that much time. Looking over at his sole remaining comrade, he clearly saw that Superwoman was favoring her right arm and looked extremely tired. This was not going to be easy.

“You do realize that the War World was deeply flawed, right?” Superwoman said, facing Mongul. “The control harness was killing its users. It damn near killed you, too.”

“Something I could have easily remedied, given enough time,” Mongul growled at her, slowly coming closer. “You robbed me of that chance, creature! I hope it was worth your life!”

Mongul leaped forward, but immediately impacted against a glowing green wall that had sprung up in front of him. Superwoman didn’t hesitate and immediately flashed forward when the green wall winked out again. Still off-balance, Mongul couldn’t brace himself against her and a double punch sent him toppling backwards. Abin saw her wince at the impact, no doubt feeling pain in her still-healing right arm, but she pushed it aside.

Mongul was only just coming back to his feet when Abin hit him with a glowing green battering ram, taking him off his feet once again. Twin beams of red energy from Superwoman’s eyes hit him dead on, causing him to cry out in pain. But a moment later he was back on his feet once again. Abin wrapped him up in glowing green chains, but the giant broke free of them and continued his charge.

Warning, ring charge at 3%! Recharge as soon as possible!

“Superwoman,” he said, even as they kept up their joint assault to the best of their abilities. “My ring is almost out of charge. I will need roughly twenty seconds to recharge it.”

He could see a mix of annoyance, fear, and anger on her face before a look of resignation came over her. “Then you better start right now, Abin Sur. I will buy us the time you need!”

She flashed forward again and he heard the impact of invulnerable flesh on invulnerable flesh, but didn’t pay it any heed. He summoned his green battery from subspace, making it appear in his hand. A cry of pain didn’t distract him as he touched his ring to the metal surface of the battery and recited the oath.

“In brightest day, in darkest night,
no evil shall escape my sight.
Let those who worship Evil’s might
beware my power, Green Lantern’s light!”

Ring fully charged! the ring’s automated voice intoned as his ring glowed brightly.

Abin turned around again, just in time to see Mongul hit Superwoman with a punch to the belly that almost tore her in half. Superwoman dropped to her knees, gasping for air, and Mongul raised both his fists for what might well be a killing blow. The blow was stopped by a glowing green dome, though.

“I thought you had run away, Green Lantern,” Mongul said, turning toward him. “Your mistake!”

Now it was up to Abin Sur to buy time while Superwoman recovered, the Kryptonian woman clearly at the end of her strength. Mongul was relentless, though, and nothing Abin Sur did seemed to be able to penetrate his hide or even slow him down for more than a few seconds. Abin winced when Monugl broke yet another of his ring constructs, the mental backlash becoming more painful as the fight progressed.

“I have fought your kind before, Green Lantern,” Mongul said, fighting off yet another assault. “It’s only a matter of time until your will fails! Your magic light show is no match for my power!”

Abin didn’t reply, just focused all his will power into his ring. Construct upon construct sprang forth, fists and weapons, energy beams and barricades, and Mongul smashed past each of them. With each smashed construct Abin felt stings of pain in his head and now in his chest as well.

Warning, the ring intoned, neural feedback exceeding safe limits! Disengagement recommended!

Abin had not survived as a Green Lantern for so long by being foolish. Logic told him that he should retreat, wait for reinforcements, cease this direct confrontation that seemed unwinnable. There was just one problem with that strategy, namely that there was a wounded Kryptonian behind his enemy, who was still trying to get back to her feet. And a white dwarf star about to collide with a planet-sized weapon that would result in an explosion no one would be able to survive.

If Mongul was to die in the resulting supernova, so be it. Abin would not shed a tear. But the last daughter of Krypton would not die on his watch! He had failed her people once. He refused to do so again.

*****

Kara was sure that there was something broken inside of her. She could barely breathe, every intake of air hurt. She had pushed her body far beyond its limits today, first with the extended engagement with War World’s weapons, then accelerating far beyond any speed she had ever hit before, the tremendous impact against the metal world, and now a second fight against Mongul for good measure when she had not even properly healed from the first one.

Her thoughts were focused on Clark, her son, whom she feared she would never see again. He was ready, though. She had taught him well and he knew the truth of his heritage. He would become Earth’s protector in her stead and Martha and Jonathan... mom and dad would help him through the grief. Diana and the others would be by his side, standing with him.

Managing to look up, she saw Abin Sur engaging the yellow-skinned monster that had set all this in motion. She could see the strain on his face, as well as the determination. Why wasn’t he fleeing? War World was about to be destroyed and Mongul would not survive its destruction, just like the rest of this system. The mission was accomplished.

As if on cue, the sky above them lit up like all the universe’s fireworks were exploding at once. The giant bulk of the War World had crashed into the far denser mass of the white dwarf. Millions of tons of metal were being vaporized, stellar mass was torn loose, and a star’s fusion reaction mingled with generators large enough to power a dozen planets.

The death flash of War World’s demise blinded her, even as her brain tried to calculate how much time they had left. The world they were on was a bit farther out from its star than Earth, so the shockwave of the supernova would take roughly ten minutes or so to reach them. Then this world and everyone on it would die.

A cry of pain made her look away from the spectacle and what little breath was left in her body escaped her in a gasp. Apparently Abin Sur had been briefly distracted by the spectacle above or maybe his strength had simply given out. Mongul was within arm’s reach of him and was crushing his hand, the one wearing the power ring, in his own much larger one.

“It’s over, Green Lantern,” Mongul growled. “This planet will be your funeral pyre!”

He turned to look at Kara. “And yours, too, creature! It will be ample payment for robbing me of the universe’s greatest weapon!”

He started towards her and Kara desperately tried to get up, to find the strength for another burst of heat vision, anything. Her body refused to obey, though. This was it. She was going to die here!

“NO” Abin Sur screamed and the power ring on his crushed hand exploded into brilliance once more, a huge beam of power hitting Mongul in the back and propelling him away from Kara and into the side of a nearby mountain. Incredibly, the broken Green Lantern was back on his feet.

“Not again,” he muttered. “Never again! Not while I still draw breath!”

Rubble shifted and Mongul was back on his feet, too, and coming towards them once again.

“Commendable, Green Lantern, but futile. I...” he trailed off, his eyes focusing on something behind them. Kara turned her head a bit, refusing to let him out of her sight entirely, until she saw what he saw.

Six streaks of green light were coming out of the sky and heading directly towards them.

“Another time then, creature,” Mongul said. “Know that I will take my revenge on you, however long it takes!”

He touched a button on his belt and a moment later he was simply gone. Kara wanted to curse him, but had no breath left to do it. She barely had the strength to remain on her knees and Abin Sur was collapsing beside her. Six shapes surrounded by green light set down beside them, each of them looking entirely different, but all wearing the same green and black uniform. Green Lanterns! Abin Sur’s reinforcements had finally arrived.

“We need to leave immediately,” the one she recognized as a Xanthusian said. “The shockwave of the supernova will reach us within minutes.”

Green beams of light gently wrapped around Abin Sur and herself and seconds later they were airborne, rapidly moving away from the doomed world below them. Kara turned to see the huge shockwave racing outward from the exploding star. War World was gone, at least. The danger to the universe was past.

“Abin?” one of the other GLs, a lilac-skinned man she believed to be from the planet Korugar, was inside the green bubble with them and kneeling beside his fallen comrade.

“She must live,” Abin Sur said, his voice barely audible. “Last of Krypton… failed her people... could not let her... could not fail again!”

Kara’s heart clenched as she heard his words. For so long she had carried resentment in her heart, refusing to let go of the anger she felt for the Green Lantern who had failed to save her world. In her head she had known that it hadn’t been his fault, that her people had invited their doom themselves, but her heart had not listened.

Carefully moving over to his side, ignoring the pain, she took his unbroken hand in hers and gave it a soft squeeze. “You have not failed, Abin Sur,” she simply said. “I live, thanks to you. Krypton lives on, thanks to you. Thank you, my friend!”

He nodded, his strained features softening. Then his eyes closed and the green ring slid of his broken fingers, hovering in the air before them. Looking up, she saw the six Green Lanterns standing in a circle around them, all of them with their rings raised in salute. The Korugarian had tears in his eyes.

“Honor be to Abin Sur,” he said, his voice quivering. “Green Lantern of sector 2814. Champion of Justice! His light will shine forevermore!”

Abin Sur’s ring vanished, zipping through the green bubble and shooting off into space. Kara didn’t notice, she was still clutching his hand and tears were rolling down her face.

*****

Even as Abin Sur, long-serving Green Lantern of sector 2814 and hero on hundreds of worlds, was taken to his final resting place by his comrades, a green ring of power was zipping through space. Sector 2814 was in need of a new protector, a new champion to wield the green light in the name of law and order. And be it fate or mere chance, the ring found a fitting candidate on the planet called Earth.

“Guy Gardner of Earth,” the ring said, appearing before its new chosen one. “You have the ability to overcome great fear. Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps.”

*****

End Chapter 16

Author’s Note: Well, sooner or later Abin Sur had to go, you all knew it was coming. I originally intended to replicate his original death scene and have it happen off-panel, but somehow found it more fitting for him to go out with a bang and reconcile his feelings of failure regarding Krypton in the process. Also, I’m going with the more modern take of the Green Lantern rings only having to be recharged when depleted instead of every 24 hours.

And yes, I have chosen Guy as my Green Lantern. To be honest I really don’t like Hal Jordan in any of his incarnations and while I liked John Stewart in the Justice League cartoon and was a fan of Kyle Rayner’s stint in the 90s, I finally decided to challenge myself and use Guy instead. We’ll see how he fares when he eventually encounters Superwoman and her Justice League. Just a hint: I’m a huge fan of Keith Giffen’s Justice League from the late 80s.

Chapter Text

Chapter 17: Survivors (War World – Epilogue)

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Kara sat on the observation deck of the half-finished Watch Tower orbital station and simply let the unfiltered sunlight wash over her. During the last few days she had pushed even her own formidable physique to its very limit and beyond, resulting in a number of injuries and a level of fatigue she had never experienced before.

When she had finally returned to Earth (she was never going to use the Zeta beam again unless there was absolutely positively no other way and the fate of the universe at stake, too) she had suffered from multiple broken bones, internal injuries, and a near-complete depletion of solar energy. Diana and J’Onn had used their super strength to help set her broken bones (something she was not anxious to repeat anytime soon) and the rest would be taken care of simply through sunlight and time.

There was the added complication, of course, that she didn’t want to let her family know how badly she had been hurt. Clark would be equal parts worried and pissed off, the latter because she had never even entertained the thought of taking him along, despite his powers being nearly as strong as her own now. And Martha and Jonathan would just worry and fret. She loved all of them, but she figured she would recover much faster without someone hovering all the time.

So as far as the Kent family was concerned, Kara was busy doing clean-up work from their last mission and continuing to work on the Watch Tower, while in reality she was simply sitting here, giving her body time to recover.

Her mind was constantly at work, though. She kept going over that fight against Mongul that had cost Abin Sur his life. Could she have done something different? Something to keep the Green Lantern alive? Had Mongul escaped from the supernova that destroyed the War World? He had teleported away just minutes before the shockwave from the exploding star had torn that desolate planet apart. Had he reached his ship and made it out? If so, he would no doubt be back to take his revenge. Given that they had first met on Mars, figuring out that she called its neighboring planet home would not be too difficult.

And speaking of Mars...

“How are you doing, J’Onn?” she asked, her eyes still closed, but her hearing having picked up his footsteps a while ago, hesitantly coming closer to her.

“That is what I wished to ask you, Kara-El,” he replied, stepping into the room. “You have taken the brunt of the damage in our fight against Mongul, after all.”

“Not as much as Abin Sur,” she replied.

“That is true,” J’Onn agreed. “I only knew him for a few brief hours, but his passing saddens me. He was a remarkable individual. Noble, yet burdened by grief.”

Kara nodded. “I really didn’t know him much longer, all things considered. We met a few times before, but mostly due to emergencies.”

“And yet,” J’Onn continued, “there was a tension between the two of you. One could see it even without telepathic powers.”

Kara sighed, it figured that others had picked up on that, too.

“Abin Sur was present thirteen years ago when Krypton died,” she told him. “He considered the destruction of my world a personal failing. It is why he willingly gave his life in order to protect mine at the end.”

J’Onn sat down beside her, his body still in the somewhat humanoid shape he had adopted upon leaving Mars with her.

“This troubles you,” he simply said. “Do you believe he sacrificed himself needlessly?”

“I am not sure,” she replied. “Sinestro, one of his fellow Green Lanterns, told me that Abin Sur had been supposed to retire from active duty some time ago, but had refused to do so. Apparently he had felt that he had not yet done enough good to balance his failures, few as they were. Now I fear that... well, maybe some part of him wanted it this way, you know?”

J’Onn nodded, understanding what she meant. “We all carry our failures with us; they often weigh much heavier than our successes. The need to mitigate them... it can be a powerful driving force.”

Kara looked at him. “You sound as if you speak from experience.”

“I do. When the Imperium attacked our world and destroyed my people, I was the one to find a way to stop them. By the time I had succeeded, though, there were none left but me. I stood alone on an empty, desolate world, sole survivor of a war that had driven two species to extinction. Ever since that day the questions have haunted me. Had I failed in some way? Could I have been faster? Could I have done more?”

“Could you have?” Kara asked.

J’Onn chuckled. “Logic says no. Logic also says that it is useless to ponder these kinds of questions, as the past cannot be changed. Logic, however, does not always have final say when it comes to our feelings and actions.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Kara agreed.

“I am certain Abin Sur had his reasons for doing what he did,” J’Onn continued. “Whether or not they hold up against cold logic is ultimately irrelevant. He decided to give his life to protect someone else. There are many worse reasons to die and few better ones.”

They fell into silence for a while, Kara turning back towards the viewing window, gazing out into empty space.

“Does it get easier?” she asked a few minutes later. “Being the last of your kind, I mean.”

J’Onn turned to her, looking puzzled. “Forgive me if I am mistaken, Kara-El, but is there not another of your kind left alive? I heard Diana mention your son.”

“True, but my son, Kal, was but a baby when our world died. He is technically a Kryptonian, but he has never known any home but Earth and has grown up as a human. He has no memories of Krypton.”

“Unlike you,” J’Onn said, understanding. “You are the only one in whose memories your lost world lives on. Krypton now exists only in you, much like Mars does in me.”

Kara sighed. “I was thirteen when our world died and it’s been thirteen years since. I have now lived on Earth as long as I have ever lived on Krypton.”

“Mars has died thousands of years ago, but I have spent much of the time since in hibernation. I am uncertain how many years it has been in terms of awareness. Decades, certainly, though the years tend to blur when you have no need to tell the time.”

Kara had wondered how J’Onn could still be alive so long after his race had gone extinct. Some form of stasis or cryogenic suspension would have been her first guess.

“Have you ever thought to join your people, J’Onn?” she asked.

“Of course, many times. But there was a duty left to perform.” He gazed at her. “How about you?”

“Once or twice,” she admitted. “But there was Kal. I had promised to take care of him, no matter what, and he needed me. And I needed him, too, I guess. He kept me alive. No, more than that. He kept me living. I am not sure what might have happened, had I been all alone with no one who needed me.”

She turned towards him. “And no duty left to perform.”

J’Onn’s gaze did not meet hers, instead gazing out into space once again. “Are you asking me whether or not I intend to join my people now, Kara-El, as my duty of protecting the crystal key of the Warzoon has ended?”

“I do wonder what your plans for the future are, J’Onn.”

At some point during their conversation he had shifted back into his natural form, all long, gangly limbs and elongated head.

“I am uncertain, Kara-El. For the first time in a long time I find myself without a purpose in life.” He paused, thinking. “Tell me, Kara-El. What will you do once your son is fully grown and able to take care of himself?”

Kara leaned back, resting on her elbows and stretched her legs out in front of her. “I guess I’ll continue doing what I’m doing. Protect this world, do my best to improve it, and keep it from repeating my own people’s mistakes.” She paused, thinking. “It’s something that I could always use more help with, actually.”

“Diana and the one called Batman have told me about this alliance you are forging, for which you are building this orbital station. Working alongside you, even for this brief time, has reminded me of the days when I was not alone in the universe.”

“The time does not have to be brief, J’Onn,” she told him. “I have long come to the conclusion that even someone with my powers cannot deal with every threat, every danger, protect everyone. We all need help sometimes. None of us would have been able to stop Mongul alone.”

J’Onn looked at her. “Is this an invitation to permanently join your group, Kara-El?”

“It is an invitation to make yourself a new home here, J’Onn. To find a new purpose for your life. Earth is a strange place, I admit. Its people are young, they are still making many mistakes, but they have also shown me kindness and taken me in as one of their own. My son as well. When I feared we would end up all alone in the universe, they showed me that I was wrong. That I was not alone.”

She reached out and touched his hand with hers. “You don’t need to be alone either, J’Onn.”

*****

J’Onn J’Onnz, last Manhunter of Mars, sole survivor of his kind, had forgotten many things in his long, lonely existence. He had forgotten what it was like to be around other people, how it felt to have someone touch him, or to sense the thoughts of someone else so close by.

The Martians had been a race of telepaths and opening their thoughts to one another had been as natural as breathing. Here, among these aliens, he had to constantly remind himself not to read their thoughts, for they could not do the same in return. They communicated entirely with words, gestures, and facial expressions. Not only did he need to get used to communicating with others at all again, he needed to learn a different way of communicating, too.

Kara-El, the last daughter of Krypton, had been the first living being he had encountered since the last of the Imperium had died. Well, her and Mongul, but they could hardly compare. At first he had freely read her thoughts, learning many things about her, before he recognized the need for restraint. Among the things he had learned was how deeply she cared. It was why she had involved herself in a battle that had not really been hers. Why she had gathered a group of protectors to help him fulfil the duty he had failed in. Why she was now offering him a new purpose in life.

He could not quite suppress the flare of jealousy he felt upon thinking how similar their situations were, yet how different. Both of them had seen their worlds die, but whereas he had been left alone on a barren, desolate planet, she had been given the chance to begin anew on a different world, along with a still-living member of her family.

J’Onn missed his family every single day. His wife M’Yri’ah, his daughter K’Hym. Oftentimes the urge to simply give up and join them in death had been so strong, only the dedication to his duties had managed to stay his hand. Could he really start anew? Could he resist the call of the dead, simply because a stranger had shown him kindness?

He looked at Kara, at her open face and the light of compassion in her eyes. She was a very complex individual, that much he already knew about her. On the one hand she was like him, mourning a world lost, plagued by memories of the dead, nearly crippled by survivor’s guilt. At the same time, though, she was a cheerful, optimistic, and kind person, who strove to see the best in everyone and worked ceaselessly to help others.

He had heard her thoughts on Mars, moments before Mongul had nearly killed her, and she had thought only of her son, Clark. How sorry she was that she would not see him become a man. She had so much love in her heart and she was willingly extending that love to others. On the surface this alliance she was building here was simply a means to an end. Meant to protect the world she now called home, the world her son was growing up on. But it was more than that.

Kara-El, he realized, was a builder, a creator. She had lost her own home, so she was creating a new one here on Earth. A home that took in strays, refugees, and survivors, just like her and Kal. She had been shown kindness here and was now determined to build upon this kindness, to multiply it, and spread it as far as possible.

J’Onn had stood on the surface of cold, dead Mars for so long, that he had almost forgotten how the warmth of a home felt. Now, though, he was starting to remember. Squeezing her hand in his, he finally spoke.

*****

“This alliance of yours, of ours, have you thought of a name yet?” J’Onn asked.

Kara considered this, even as she smiled at J’Onn’s quiet acceptance of her offer to stay. She thought of Bruce’s remark from a few years back, asking her whether she really expected there to be an entire league of superheroes coming out of the woodwork. And she thought of Abin Sur and what Sinestro had called him in his eulogy. A champion of justice.

“Justice League,” she said. “How does that sound?”

J’Onn nodded. “That sounds very good.”

*****

End Chapter 17

Author’s Note: Sorry for the relatively short chapter. I had actually planned to deal with Lex Luthor next, but going directly from an outer space adventure that cost one of her comrades his life to dealing with an Earth-born villain seemed a bit too jarring. So I decided to give Kara some time to recover and also get into J’Onn’s head a bit as well. Also, the official naming of the Justice League.

Chapter Text

Chapter 18: The Fall of Lex Luthor

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

If Lex Luthor, genius billionaire philanthropist and industrialist, had one weakness that he would actually admit to – to himself, if not one else – it was that he had a hard time accepting that other people might also be smart. Not as smart as himself, of course, that would be ridiculous. But while most people were so stupid that it actually caused him physical pain to interact with them, he did admit (grudgingly) that there were some who might actually come close to his own intellectual level.

One of them, to his chagrin, seemed to be Superwoman.

Oh, how this woman vexed him. It wasn’t just that she had effectively played him and it had taken him nearly a year to realize it. He had actually believed for quite some time that he might be able to lure her in with charm and a huge paycheck. She had given him a coy smile, told him she would keep it in mind, and he had bought it far longer than he would ever admit to anyone else, even under torture.

Well, it just went to show that even someone with his intellectual level was not quite as immune to womanly wiles as he would have liked to believe. It also showed that he had underestimated the woman. He had seen her flashy super powers, he had certainly noticed the fact that she was a very striking woman, and he had naively assumed that someone with such lavish physical gifts would be lacking on an intellectual level.

For a time he had considered that she was just the kind of woman that liked playing coy, nothing more to it than that, or simply not intelligent enough to recognize the opportunity he presented to her. But no, the Superwoman was smart and, more important even than that, she was an enemy. Well, he had considered that a possibility from the start, but he had allowed himself to hope that he would be able to turn her into an asset. Oh, what an asset she would have been. Not only was that no longer in the cards, though, it became apparent that she viewed him as an enemy, too, and she had not been idle about it, either.

Lexcorp, the company he had built from the ground up, was an entirely legitimate business. Surrounding it, though, were multiple smaller businesses, their ownerships hidden behind multiple layers of shell companies, false names, and strawmen. A large network of illegal activities supplemented the huge cash flow that was at the heart of the Luthor business and for years no one had ever managed to penetrate into it. Occasionally he would have to close down one of his shell companies, two or three times in the past he had been forced to have a strawman take the fall for something, but few people had ever even suspected that legitimate businessman Lex Luthor might be involved.

In the last year or so, though, someone had begun to systematically attack his network. Half a dozen shell companies had fallen victim to surprisingly well-prepared and competent tax inspections, and not just in the United States, either. Several flunkeys that had run illegal businesses for him for years had been arrested without warning. None of them knew that they were actually working for him, naturally, but they reported to others, who reported to still others, and at some point the chain would inevitably lead back to him.

To the casual observer nothing about this attack on his empire would scream “Superwoman”, but he knew better. Hidden caches of documents and money were found by someone who was clearly able to see through walls. Security systems were deactivated by someone moving too fast to be seen. There was nothing there he could take to the police, nothing that would even begin to implicate Superwoman of doing anything illegal, but he knew. He just knew. She was trying to destroy him. Worse, she seemed to be succeeding, too.

Well, she might have had a head start on him, but he had not been idle the entire time, either. Sadly his research department had been unable to come up with anything substantial regarding Superwoman’s background. They had come up with lots of theories, but each one was more ridiculous than the next. One theory had even said that Superwoman had a civilian identity somewhere, hiding out amongst the mere mortals. Ridiculous! No one with powers like her would ever deign to live among the rabble.

While those results had been disappointing, others had shown far more promise. Superwoman might be an alien, but she was similar enough to humans that she shed skin cells and occasionally left hairs behind, too. His people had managed to gather some samples of her DNA this way and put it through every analysis imaginable. Sadly her DNA was far too alien to create a clone of her (at least with the current level of technology, who knew what might be possible in a few years), but it had allowed him to vastly expand his understanding of her physiology and powers.

This, coupled with a report his hackers had liberated from S.T.A.R. lab computers, had finally enabled him to find the Superwoman’s Achilles heel. And it had only taken two years of searching and roughly eighty million dollars to find the arrow that could pierce said heel.

“I think I shall call it… Lexonite!” Luthor said, admiring the glowing green meteor rock sitting on his desk.

*****

Seeing as Superwoman was obviously looking to catch him in some sort of criminal activity, Lex figured that he might as well give her the chance to do so. Maybe it was time to go back to the beginning. The battle suit that had been “stolen” by a “terrorist” during their first face to face meeting had long since been replaced by a more advanced model. Sadly the Pentagon had cancelled their order for the suits, too many cutbacks, but there were other interested parties. Parties that the United States government certainly did not want to see equipped with advanced weapons made in the USA.

A midnight meeting was arranged, very quietly, across channels that Luthor was reasonably certain had been compromised not too long ago. A remote warehouse was agreed upon as the meeting place, belonging to Luthor by way of three separate shell companies. An obscene amount of money was named as the asking price for a number of advanced battle suits that would allow anyone to take over a middle-sized, non-nuclear country without too much trouble.

As the night of the meeting arrived, Luthor set up three separate dinner dates, all of whom would be attended by lawyers conveying Mr. Luthor’s most sincere regrets that he couldn’t come himself, but something important had come up at the very last minute. Two different flights were booked in his name (first class, of course), neither of which he was planning to be on, and a nondescript car took someone who looked a lot like him to a casino with firm orders to gamble away quite a bit of money.

Luthor himself accompanied the shipload of battle suits to the distant warehouse, his secret weapon securely in his pocket. He killed some time working on the speech he intended to give when the death of Superwoman was announced publically. Something about how terrible it all was, how much good she had done for the world, all that. Maybe he would even open up a charity in her name. He could always use another venue to launder money, after all.

When the time of the meeting finally arrived and a very large truck came to a stop in front of the warehouse, Luthor remained in the background as his people came to an agreement with the suitably Arabic-looking customers. They began to load the crates full of battle suits into the truck and Luthor was growing a tiny bit impatient. Had he overestimated Superwoman’s abilities after all? The warehouse wasn’t even lead-lined, for Christ’s sake.

When he was just about to write off the entire evening as a severe waste of time, something finally happened. Just as the truck was about to drive off with its precious and highly illegal cargo, red beams came out of the dark night sky and melted all of its tires down into sludge.

“About time,” he muttered, checking his wristwatch. “Some people are so terrible inconsiderate.”

A female shape dropped out of the sky and touched ground right next to the truck. Long blonde hair and red cape moving in the evening wind, the headlights of the truck illuminating the red and blue suit. Luthor was standing in deep shadow inside the warehouse, but her eyes found him without any problems.

“Getting sloppy, Luthor?” she said, casually brushing away the men who had stormed out to try and subdue her. All of them were knocked out in seconds. “Since when do you attend to your illegal dealings in person?”

She walked towards him and Luthor stepped out of the shadows, smiling. He had carefully selected his most expensive business suit for this meeting. It wouldn’t do to look anything but his best, after all. Superwoman came to a step just a few feet away from him and he allowed himself to enjoy the view for a moment. She was even taller than he remembered from their one brief face to face meeting years ago, actually, and looked even curvier. Not that he was complaining, mind you. She was certainly a sight to behold.

“Is this the point where I am supposed to yell that you cannot prove anything and that you will never catch me, Superwoman?”

Her eyes narrowed, his nonchalance probably making her suspicious. He was well aware that she had the power to kill him where he stood before he would ever know that she had moved, but she would not do any such thing. She was constrained by morals and adherence to law and order. Sad, really, that someone with the powers of a goddess allowed herself to be so limited. You would never see him limiting himself thus, powers or no powers.

“What’s your game?” she asked him, crossing her arms.

“No bantering then? Oh well!”

He withdrew his hand from his pocket, which his personal tailor had lined with lead just a few days ago. At about the same time he had had one of the world’s best and most highly-prized jewelers take a rough piece of green crystal and work it into a fine piece of art. A beautiful, if somewhat gaudy ring, the green stone shining with an inner light.

“Recognize this?” he asked, holding his hand out to her as if he expected her to kiss it. Superwoman’s eyes widened and she took a step back.

“I am calling it Lexonite,” he said in a conversational tone, stepping forward at the same time. “Somewhat egotistical, maybe, but it has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? It’s a fascinating material, nowhere to be found on Earth’s table of elements. Who knows what marvelous properties it might have?”

Superwoman didn’t speak, but the way she stumbled back from him told him all he needed to know. He was certainly going to enjoy this.

“Well, I know one of the properties it has,” he continued, shortening the distance between them even further. “Did you know that humans – and apparently human-like aliens, too – tend to leave behind hairs and DNA wherever they go? It wasn’t easy to find some of yours, but with enough time and money, everything can be accomplished. And it was delightful to see how your cells reacted to the radiation of the Lexonite. The way they shriveled and died...”

Superwoman stumbled, her back hitting the wall of the warehouse, and Luthor relished the look on her face. The mighty goddess actually looked afraid of him, the mere mortal. Well, there was nothing “mere” about him, but still. This had all the trappings of a Greek tragedy. How delightful.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked, her voice more whisper than anything else.

“Why?” he replied, now standing so close to her that he could almost feel the heat radiating off her skin. “It’s really quite simple, Superwoman! You have proven yourself an obstacle. I had so hoped that you would turn out to be an asset instead, but I guess one can’t have everything.”

He leaned in, his cheek almost touching hers, to whisper in her ear. “Maybe you could have been even more than an asset, Superwoman. Too bad.”

He took her unresisting hand in his and slipped the Lexonite ring off his finger and onto hers. “It seems that this will be the only ring of mine to ever grace that mighty hand.”

He pressed a kiss to her fingers, then let go of her hand and watched in satisfaction as she slowly slid to the ground, her face contorted in pain.

“You know, you should feel honored,” he said, standing over her. “I have killed so many people, but it has been years since I did it with my own hands. I had almost forgotten how... satisfying it felt. Maybe I should take a more active hand in the future, too.”

“Don’t you... care at all... about the people you... killed?” she asked, coughing.

“Oh, I do care,” he said. “I am not a psychopath, Superwoman. But you must understand, this is my world! I make the rules! And people who don’t follow my rules will be removed, it’s that simple. I won’t have an alien with delusions of godhood stand in my way.”

He checked his watch. “Now, be so kind as to get on with dying. I have other appointments and I have an entire department of scientists eager to begin cutting up your corpse, Superwoman. Who knows, maybe they’ll be able to clone me a Superwoman of my own. One more... accommodating than you, my dear!”

“I’m afraid you will miss your appointments,” a new voice growled.

Luthor started, looking around. There was a shadow separating from the walls, a man dressed all in black and with a mask covering his face.

“And who exactly do you think you are?” Luthor asked, doing his best to hide the fact that his heart was beating rapidly. “Can’t you see I’m busy?”

“I think you have far more time than you think,” Superwoman suddenly said behind him, no trace of pain in her voice. Luthor whirled around again, aghast to see her back on her feet.

“What...? How...?”

She had taken the ring off her finger and was flipping it up into the air like a coin. “Lexonite, Lex? Really? You thought some kind of magic space stone would poison me?”

Luthor couldn’t believe it. The tests had been conclusive! The radiation of the Lexonite should have poisoned her. Yet here she was, looking entirely unhurt. This couldn’t be happening!

“Lex Luthor,” yet another voice said. More people had suddenly appeared in the warehouse. The newcomers wore police uniforms. “You are under arrest for attempted arms sales to a restricted country, attempted murder, and I have been told the IRS is preparing an entire host of charges against you as well. You have the right to remain silent. Everything you say…”

He started for the door, knowing how futile it would be, only to come to a stop as another shape appeared there. A dark-haired woman wearing something that looked like a cross between an ancient Greek soldier’s uniform and a swim suit. He recognized her, of course. She was almost as recognizable as Superwoman, after all.

“Going somewhere, Mr. Luthor?” Wonder Woman asked, smiling at him.

“Apparently not,” he huffed.

*****

Once Lex Luthor had been loaded into the police car and driven away, “Superwoman” turned to look at her two friends and smiled. “You owe me big for this one, Kara! That weasel will never know how close I came to simply taking his head off when he kissed my hand.”

An answering smile appeared on the face of “Wonder Woman”, even as she reached up and slipped off the black wig she had been wearing, freeing her blonde locks.

“You did great, Diana. And I freely admit that you fill out my suit a lot better than I do your armor!”

Diana took off the blonde wig she had been wearing in return. She had initially balked at the idea of switching costumes with her best friend, believing that Luthor would spot the difference immediately. Kara was, after all, shorter than she was (if not by much) and had a different facial shape, too. A blonde wig and blue contact lenses alone would not really disguise that. Kara had been right, though, in saying that Luthor would only see the suit and the hair, not bothering to look any closer.

“He did spend more time looking at my chest than my face,” Diana shrugged, fluffing out her hair.

“For all his intelligence,” Batman interjected, “Luthor still fell into the trap of seeing only what he wanted to see.”

“Boobs?” Kara asked, giggling.

Batman grimaced. “Not even remotely what I meant.”

Kara nodded, still smiling, but then grew somber. “Do you think we have enough to actually get him behind bars? You know he’ll have the best lawyers money can buy, not to mention enough money to bribe even a saint.”

“The case is solid,” Batman replied. “The information we have supplied the FBI and IRS on his illegal activities with will suffice to put him in prison for life, never mind his verbal confession from a few minutes ago that the officers have on film. And seeing as he owns his own private airplane, no judge will allow bail.” A smile crossed his face. “Also, Luthor will find that the passwords for all his bank accounts have been mysteriously scrambled. He will find it hard to dislodge the money needed for bribes.”

“I hope you are right,” Kara simply said, her eyes still following the police car in the distance. “That man has been slippery all his life.”

“I will keep an eye on the proceedings,” he told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Luthor will not escape justice, I promise.”

Reaching into one of his pockets, he pulled out the lead-lined case where he had stashed Luthor’s ring. A perfectly harmless duplicate would end up in the police evidence locker, firmly establishing that there was no such thing as a glowing green xeno-mineral that was harmful to Superwoman.

“You should take this,” he said, holding it out to Kara.

“No, you keep it,” she told him instead. “There need to be safeguards in place. No one is incorruptible. I will sleep easier knowing that the means to stop me, should it ever be necessary, are in the hands of someone I can trust with my life.”

Batman nodded, though his eyes did stray to Diana for a moment. “Oh, don’t worry, Bruce,” she said. “Kara stashed a piece of Kryptonite on Themyscira years ago. Just in case.”

The three friends stood together for a moment, just enjoying the moment. Then Diana went and hugged Kara, pulling her into her side.

“You do realize, though, that you have now officially run out of excuses, right? Clark will hear about Luthor’s arrest in tonight’s news and hold you to your word.”

Kara groaned, slumping. “You just had to remind me, didn’t you?”

*****

End Chapter 18

Author’s Note: Remember that in this universe of mine Kara has managed to keep the existence of Kryptonite hidden from the world at large. And while she has mentioned the name of her home planet publically, it was only in one interview and never since. So when Lex Luthor finds some glowing green xeno-mineral that he believes will be able to hurt Superwoman, of course he’s going to name it after himself. He wouldn’t be Lex otherwise.

I originally planned to have a longer arc involving Lex’ transition from business tycoon to imprisoned super villain, but couldn’t come up with anything exciting to write about that. So It’s done now, I wanted it over with before the public debut of Superboy, but without making the take-down look too easy. I’m not one hundred percent happy with it, to be honest. Just remember that Luthor, as he was portrayed in the post-Crisis comics, was an utter misogynistic pig, so no matter how often he tells himself that he won’t underestimate SuperWOMAN, he’ll still do it. The idea that a woman could outsmart and play him is simply inconceivable to him.

Chapter Text

Chapter 19: Parents

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

The Amazonian island of Themyscira had become something of a refuge for Kara. Thanks to her close friendship with Diana, the Amazons had accepted her as one of their own and she was always welcome. She even had a bedroom in the palace, which she had been explicitly told was hers and that she was welcome to stay there at any time, no need for calling ahead. Someone had even gone to the trouble of carving her sigil into the door, managing to make it look as if it had always been there as part of the ornaments.

As much as she loved her home in Kansas, it was good to get away from there sometimes. She felt anxious, edgy, and knew exactly why. She had made a promise to her son, Clark, and now it was time to live up to it. More than anything in the world she wished that she didn’t have to do it. So she had fled to her refuge, thrown her super suit into a corner, slipped into one of the Amazonian togas, and decided to leave her troubles behind for at least a day. A short dip in the ocean had followed before retreating to the balcony of her room to enjoy some sun light.

Relaxing in the sun and looking out across the beautiful island, she almost missed the sounds of footsteps coming up behind her.

“Kara,” Queen Hippolyta said, smiling broadly. “It’s so good to see you again.”

Kara hopped down from where she sat on the railing of the balcony and embraced the mother of her best friend. It was kind of funny, she mused, that her best friend had a mother who only looked a few years older than herself. Somewhat like Clark and her. Only Hippolyta actually was older than her daughter was and by several centuries, too. Or was it millennia even? She wasn’t quite sure.

Ever since their first meeting Hippolyta had treated her with the kind of warmth and affection that was usually reserved for family members or life-long friends. Kara often felt that she had found something of a kindred spirit in the other woman, which was another reason why she was here today.

“Something troubling you?” the queen asked, apparently sensing her mood.

“I was hoping to talk to you about something, Lyta,” she said, using the shortened name the Amazon queen had told her to use. For just a moment there was a strange look on Lyta’s face, expectant, hopeful, practically glowing. Kara wondered about that, but then pushed it aside. “It’s about Clark.”

And the look was gone. Now Lyta looked almost sad there for a moment, but then the smile returned and she gestured for the two of them to sit down. It wasn’t the first time Kara had visited her for parental advice. Martha and Jonathan were great, but at times it was good to get another perspective from someone outside the immediate family.

“What is going on with your son?” Lyta asked.

“I... well, he has worked really hard to master his super powers. He can even fly now. He’s still not as fast or strong as I am, but that will come with time and practice. I’m sure he will surpass me eventually. By all objective standards he is... he is ready.”

Lyta nodded, understanding. “Ready to follow his mother’s example and become a great hero and protector of the world, just like her?”

Kara felt a bit of a blush on her cheeks. “Something like that, yes. He is ready! I have trained him well. I’m sure he is going to do great. But...”

Lyta took her hand. “But you are still his mother and would like nothing better than to keep him safely back home, well away from all those dangers he is likely to face.”

Kara nodded, having known that Lyta would understand.

“How do you do it?” she asked the older woman. “Diana is out there, facing danger, battling gods and monsters and alien tyrants... whenever we are in battle together, I fear that she will be hurt. And she is ‘just’ my best friend. The thought of my son, of Clark fighting and being hurt... especially if I’m not there to protect him...”

“I won’t lie to you,” Lyta said, squeezing her hand. “It’s hard. Very hard. Has Diana ever told you that I initially forbade her from participating in the tournament to select our champion?”

Kara nodded. “Yeah, she mentioned that. She said that there were some pretty harsh words exchanged, too.”

“That is putting it mildly,” Lyta agreed. “Even back then I knew that Diana was special. That she had been blessed by the gods and was easily the most powerful and accomplished of our warriors. None of that mattered, though. She was my daughter and I didn’t want her to leave the island and journey into danger.”

Lyta leaned back, wistfully gazing into the past. “When I realized that she had defied me... and that she had won the tournament and was now our champion by right... I felt like I was being torn in two. On the one hand I was so proud of her, on the other I was furious and scared and would have liked nothing better than to lock her into her room forever.”

“I know the feeling,” Kara said.

“When she left the island, I had to be almost physically restrained not to go running after her,” Lyta continued. “And when she came back after that fight with Ares, so broken and hurt…,” a tear glistened in the Amazon’s face, “I wanted to never let her go again.”

“And yet you did.”

Lyta nodded. “I think it was even harder the second time around. The first time the dangers had been... vague, distant. Now, though, there were very real. I knew my daughter could... would get hurt. That she might even die.”

“How did you manage to let her go?” Kara asked. “Just the thought of Clark being hurt as badly as Diana had been back then...”

“Well, it helped knowing that she would leave regardless, even in defiance of my orders as queen if it came to that.” Lyta looked at her. “It also helped that I knew she was not alone out there. That she had someone to watch her back.”

Kara nodded. “I will always have Diana’s back, just like she has mine.”

Lyta nodded as well. “As for Clark, you are doing everything you can to make sure that he will always have someone to watch his back, too. If not you, then one of your comrades from this ‘Justice League’ Diana has told me about.”

She scooted closer, laying her arm around Kara’s shoulders. “It’s hard when our children stop being children and start becoming adults. It’s especially hard when we see them making mistakes, when we see them stumble. But we must give them the opportunity to do so.”

Kara looked back at her. “And do our best to be there to catch them when they fall?”

Lyta smiled. “Of course. That’s what parents are for.”

*****

“Why did you wish to talk to me, Miss Kara?” Alfred Pennyworth asked.

“You are Bruce’s father,” Kara told him, gratefully accepting the cup of tea he served her.

“Certainly not,” he replied, sitting down at the other side of the table. “Master Thomas was Bruce’s father and he was a good father. And a good man.”

“I have no doubt about that, but he died when Bruce was just a young boy. Ever since that day you have been his father.”

Alfred sighed, but did not deny her words.

“I am not sure whether Bruce has told you this, but I have a son. His name is Clark. He is 14 years old.”

The only reaction Alfred showed was a raised eyebrow. “Master Bruce did mention that you had a son. I must admit I had thought him to be younger than that.”

“I get that a lot,” she said, smiling. “Clark, he... he is like me.”

“You mean he has the same extraordinary powers you have?” Alfred asked. “Fascinating.”

“He certainly thinks so, yes.” Kara sipped from the tea. “And I... well, I kind of promised him that, once he has mastered his powers – which he has – and certain other conditions have been met – and they have – I would allow him to... to join the family business, so to speak.”

“I see,” Alfred said. “Am I right to assume that you have certain reservations about young Mr. Kent following in your footsteps?”

She nodded, staring into her cup.

“Master Bruce knew what he wanted to do with his life almost from the moment his parents died,” Alfred said. “For quite some time I tried to steer him onto a different path, but he would not be dissuaded. And I... I felt that if I could not prevent him from walking this dangerous path, then the least I could do was not let him walk it alone.”

“Because you’re his father,” Kara repeated.

Alfred chuckled. “Maybe, from a certain point of view.”

“Bruce is just a normal man,” Kara said, putting the cup down. “Every night he goes out, faces criminals with deadly weapons. How do you...?” she trailed off.

“Honestly, some nights I don’t.” Alfred told her, looking into the distance. “I have lost count of the nights when I sat down in that cave in the darkness, waiting to see whether Master Bruce would return home safely... or not. Sometimes I imagine that Master Thomas and Miss Martha are there, accusing me of not properly taking care of their son.”

“I am certain they are thankful for your presence in their son’s life,” Kara said. “Even people as driven as Bruce need the support of their friends and loved ones.”

“Then I am sure your son will be all right, Miss Kara,” Alfred returned, “for having someone like you in his corner. But in regards to your question, I don’t think there is a trick or method when it comes to people we love going into danger. It is something one simply has to get used to, I fear.”

“Does it get easier?” Kara asked.

“I will let you know if it ever does,” he replied.

*****

Despite being a woman in her mid-twenties, Kara had never officially moved out of her childhood home (such as it was). There were several reasons for that, of course, chief of them Clark. Smallville was Clark’s home, the only one he had ever consciously known, and Kara did not want to uproot him. Besides, it was not like commuting was much of a problem for someone who could fly at supersonic speeds. K-Solutions had offices in Metropolis, Gotham, Washington DC and several outside the US, too, but she mostly used them only for client meetings.

And then there was this, Kara mused, her eyes looking out over the vast open fields of Kansas. She would never get tired of this view. Even in those difficult first few years on this planet, she had always enjoyed the view. Endless oceans of wheat, grass, and corn, swaying in the wind. She had seen pretty much every corner of this world, plus several alien ones, but there was no other view that said “home” to her as much as this one.

She still slept in the same room Martha and Jonathan had put her in on that very first day here on Earth. It looked different now, of course, as Kara had redecorated it several times. The crib where Clark had slept in at first was in the attic now, he had long ago gotten his own room. The bed was about her sixth of seventh, she mused, seeing that she had broken quite a few before she finally got her powers under control.

Walking past the shelves, she let her gaze sweep across the assorted knickknacks that had accumulated over time. A photograph showing her all dolled up up for her first harvest dance, with the ticket from her first rock concert also clipped into the picture frame. In a small jewelry box next to it were the earrings Martha had given her to celebrate her getting her GED at fourteen (clips, of course, as it was hard to pierce an invulnerable ear), a golden ring with an engraved L, and the necklace Jonathan had gotten her for her 18th birthday. The folded-up blanket into which Lara-El had wrapped her son Kal just before handing him over to Kara was sitting next to it, the sigil of the House of El adorning one corner.

Her gaze moved on to the closet, which contained clothes she hadn’t worn in years, but couldn’t really part with. Maybe she should clean it out some time, just so she would have more space for her current clothes, which had spread across the chairs and desk.

“Reliving your misspent youth, sweetheart?” Martha asked, coming into the room.

“Mostly just wondering how much stuff has turned up here over time. Possibly a living proof of the ongoing expansion of the universe.”

“Or proof that you are just the same as most earthborn women, sweetheart.” Martha squatted down to pick up a discarded T-shirt. “And that you still haven’t learned to keep your room cleaned up.”

“You do realize I am capable of cleaning this entire room in a few seconds, right?”

“And yet you never seem to do it unless you wish to admonish Clark for the untidiness of his room and not be seen as a hypocrite.”

Kara frowned, only to blur into motion and a few seconds later everything in the room was tidy, every piece of clothing put away, and even the bed was perfectly made. Kara was sitting primly on top of it, her legs crossed.

“I have no intention of commenting on the state of Clark’s room today, thank you very much,” Kara said haughtily, though the corners of her mouth were curving upwards.

“Consider me rebutted,” Martha smiled, sitting down on the bed next to her. “What are you thinking so hard on, sweetheart?”

“The pros and cons of letting a super-powered teenager loose on the world, I guess.” Kara let herself fall back onto her bed. “And the joys of being the mother of the world’s first teenage superhero.”

“Well, not really the first,” Martha told her. “Or have you forgotten that you were already performing super-powered feats of heroism when you were still in your teens, too? I think I’ve got you beat there.”

“Only on a technicality,” Kara replied. “I didn’t go public until I was twenty.”

Martha put her hand on Kara’s. “But you went out into the world and used your powers to help people long before that. Do you think it was any easier for me, just because you didn’t yet have a colorful costume and a public image?”

Kara looked down. “Probably not, no. I hope I didn’t worry you and Jonathan too much back then.”

“We always worry,” Martha corrected her. “It doesn’t matter whether you are facing a robber with a knife that can’t possibly hurt you or an alien tyrant capable of beating you to death.”

Kara looked up, guilt flashing in her eyes. “What... how...?”

“You might be a good enough actor to fool the world at large, sweetheart,” Martha told her, “but Jonathan and I know you too well. We saw how badly you were hurt, no matter how much you acted like it was nothing. And the whole thing where you supposedly stayed up in space for days to work on your space station? Please!”

Kara closed her eyes, feeling like a teenager again who had been caught fooling around in the barn. “I didn’t want you and Clark to worry,” she said in a small voice. “There was nothing you could have done.”

“And you think that matters?” Martha asked. “Kara, I am your mother. I will always worry about you, no matter how old or invulnerable you are. Just like you will always worry about Clark, no matter what. How would you feel if he gets injured in battle and tries to hide it from you?”

“I’d put him over my knee,” Kara muttered, then looked up sharply. “Don’t you dare!”

“Pfff! You wouldn’t even feel it, so what would be the use?”

Stroking her fingers through Kara’s hair, Martha grew serious once again. “You have one big advantage when it comes to Clark, you know? Compared to me, I mean. You can go out there with him. You can protect him far better than I ever could protect you. Be thankful for that, dear!”

Kara nodded. “I will!”

“Of course the big disadvantage is that, sooner or later, he will be horribly embarrassed by having his super-powered mom along.”

Kara answered Martha’s smile. “I fail to see how that is a disadvantage!”

The two women collapsed on the bed, laughing.

“You have trained him well, sweetheart,” Martha told her. “He is ready and I am sure your example will see him through. And who knows? Maybe Clark will be an example to others as well. Maybe we’ll see even more teenage superheroes in the future.”

“Rao, I hope not,” Kara replied. “Teenagers are bad enough without superpowers.”

*****

Kara did her best to maintain a neutral face, but it was getting increasingly hard not to smile. They were sitting around the dinner table in the Kent farm and Martha had just put the food on the table. They were still eating dinner together whenever they could, though Kara could not always make it due to her many responsibilities. Still, whenever she could she came home to eat dinner with her family.

Opposite her, Clark was fidgeting in his seat. The 14-year old had always been a very active boy; sitting still had never been one of his greatest strengths. Today, though, he seemed to be finding it more and more difficult. She pretended not to notice and wondered how long Martha’s ironclad rule to eat first and have family discussions later would hold up.

“So?” he finally burst out, a heartbeat after the dishes were cleared from the table.

“So what?” Kara asked. The strain of not smiling was increasing rapidly.

“You know what,” he huffed, crossing his arms and glaring at her. “Luthor is in jail!”

“Luthor is in investigative custody,” she corrected him. “His trial won’t be for another month or so.”

“It still counts as being in jail!” Clark insisted.

“Really? Have you talked with your lawyer about that?”

Clark just gave her an incredulous stare, apparently not certain whether she was kidding or not.

“You promised, mom,” he finally said, pouting with the best of them.

She finally cracked, letting the smile spread across her face. “That’s true, Clark. And we always keep our promises. But there will be a lot of rules, you realize? Rules which I expect you to follow to the letter, otherwise we’re going to put an immediate stop to this and not talk about it again until your 18th birthday.”

Clark looked a bit subdued at that, but still vibrated with excitement.

“So we’ll do it?” he asked hopefully.

She sighed heavily, mentally beating down every mothering instinct she had. “Yes, we will.”

He let out a joyful whoop and jumped in the air, almost hitting the ceiling of the dining room. Martha and Jonathan looked on with smiles that were part indulgent and part wistful. The second of their alien children was almost grown up.

“When do we start?” Clark asked, excited beyond all measure.

She sighed. “Tomorrow. First thing we’re going to do is visit a good friend of mine.”

Clark’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What friend?”

*****

End Chapter 19

Author’s Note: As you have no doubt guessed, next chapter will see the debut of Superboy, finally. Hope the scattered hints to future plot lines in this chapter weren’t too obvious (or too obscure).

Chapter Text

Chapter 20: Making Headlines Again

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Perry White, newly minted editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet, was not the kind of man who was easily surprised. Having spent decades in journalism, he had already seen it all and hadn’t been impressed the first time... mostly. There were definitely some exceptions to that rule, most of them based around a certain flying woman whom Perry had named several years ago.

So when one night said woman suddenly appeared on his balcony, Perry White was mentally bracing himself. He was quite certain that this was going to be another night that would most definitely change the world as he knew it all over again. He was getting to old for this.

“Evening, Perry,” she greeted him with that dazzling smile of hers. “Got a minute to chat?”

“You could come by the door, you know?” he said, gesturing for her to enter into his living room. Superwoman sat down on his couch, crossing her legs and leaning back into the cushions.

“Now where would the fun be in that, Perry?” she asked. “Believe me, when you can fly, you fly as much as you possible can.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” He sat down opposite her, a drink in hand. He was sure he was going to need it before this talk was over.

“Whatever happened to that Lane girl?” Superwoman asked, giving him the distinct impression that she was beating around the bush. “She still following you around?”

“No, thank god,” he replied. “Though I fear she’ll be back before too long. Girl intends to study journalism and is already freelancing for several small-time papers and online magazines. I’m betting I’ll have her application on my desk by the time she turns 20 at the latest.”

“I read her ‘Superwoman’s Pal’ column in some paper,” Superwoman chuckled. “The girl can write, I give her that. Her sense of self-preservation, though...”

“Yeah! So, what brings you here today? I doubt you came by only to inquire about your biggest fan.”

For the first time since that long ago day he had first met her, Perry saw something like uncertainty on her still absurdly young-looking face. He still vividly remembered how she had looked back then, caught between her desire to remain unseen and her refusal to let innocent people die when she could prevent it. That she now looked torn again only cemented Perry’s belief that something rather monumental was afoot.

“I would like your advice, Perry,” she finally said.

“What about?” he asked, leaning forward. Every reporting instinct he had was on high alert. He could already see a front page forming in his mind, just waiting for the headline.

“There is something I want... well, not want, really, but... damn it, let me start again!”

Perry smiled. There was something utterly charming about seeing the world’s most powerful woman looking so flustered. Right now, she simply looked like a young woman, not an almighty near-goddess.

“You have probably figured out that I wasn’t too keen on going public way back then,” she eventually said. “For quite a while I preferred working unseen. I only revealed myself to the world when there was no other choice.”

“As someone who would be dead if you hadn’t, I can only say that I am glad you did so.”

“Despite going public, though,” she continued, “there are certain aspects of my life I have worked very hard to keep out of the public eye.”

Perry nodded, having figured as much long ago. A large part of the public seemed to be convinced that Superwoman was just that, Superwoman, nothing more. That she spent all her time flying around the world, stopping bad guys, preventing catastrophes, the works. That she didn’t wear a mask, unlike those vigilantes in Gotham and Star City for example, seemed to imply that she had nothing to hide. What you saw was what you got.

Perry knew better. He had seen it on her face back then and he saw it now. Superwoman was a role, a mask, and behind it was a woman who would never have basked in the accolades of the public if her hand hadn’t been forced by circumstances. A woman who did what she did not for glory or recognition, but because she had the power to do so and considered it her responsibility. A woman he was convinced had a private life somewhere, well-hidden from the public. Something she fully deserved in his mind, which was why he had never gone snooping, no matter how tempting the thought.

“And that is changing?” he asked.

“Well, yes. Remember about two years back when the Parasite attacked Metropolis harbor and nearly killed me?”

Perry certainly remembered that day. As the first reporter to interview Superwoman, he had certainly kept abreast of any and all stories about the heroine he had named. He had been in front of his TV, actually, when she had collapsed after defeating the monster. Like most viewers, he had feared for her safety. Something had saved her that day, something that moved so fast that not even high-res TV cameras had managed to capture more than a somewhat human-shaped blur. Superwoman had turned up whole and healthy but a day later, but those few hours when she had simply vanished without a trace after looking nearly dead had sent the entire world into a panic attack.

“I definitely remember,” he said. “People talked about ‘The Blur’ that saved you for weeks. Nothing ever came of it, though, and you never gave a statement about what happened that day. Is that changing now?”

“In a way, yes.” She paused, wringing her hands. “I trust you, Perry, otherwise I wouldn’t be here. But I need you to promise me that you will not breathe a word of this to anyone until I say it’s time.”

“You have my word,” he said without hesitation.

“Good, okay then.” She hesitated again, wrung her hands a few more times, then finally seemed to find her resolve and turned toward the balcony door. “You can come in!”

For a moment Perry was confused, seeing no one she could possibly be talking to. Then there was a figure standing in the door that hadn’t been there a moment ago. A figure wearing a blue and red suit with a very familiar diamond-shaped symbol on its chest and a red cape falling from its shoulders. A figure that was a good deal shorter than either Superwoman or himself.

“Perry, I would like you to meet someone,” Superwoman said. “This... this is my son!”

Perry was sure his mouth was hanging wide open. Of all the things he had thought he would learn today, this had certainly not been it. The idea that superwoman, the world’s first and premier superhero, had a son, an almost grown son... it was so absurd somehow, no matter how often he had considered the notion that she had a private life somewhere.

The boy was standing in his living room, though, real as life and looking awkward in the way early teenagers often did, shifting from foot to foot. He had clearly had a growth spurt very recently, as his limbs seemed too long for his lanky body and he looked too thin for his shoulders. He would probably be a pretty big and broad guy once he was finished growing, but right now he was maybe 13 or 14 years old, he figured, no more than that.

Looking back at Superwoman, Perry bit back the obvious question how a woman who looked mid-twenties at the most could have a teenage son. She was an alien, she had told him, so there was no telling how old she really was or at what age her people started reproducing. If Superwoman said that this boy was her son, then he was her son, full stop. Of course, that just led to a huge load of other questions.

“Hi, Mr. White,” the boy said when the silence clearly became uncomfortable for him. “Great to finally meet you. My mom has told me a lot about you.”

“Can’t say the same about you, kid,” he finally managed after taking a big sip of his drink. “I am certain I would have remembered had she ever mentioned a son.”

“I kept him out of the spotlight for obvious reasons,” Superwoman said, gesturing for the boy to sit down beside her. “But he is well on the way towards becoming a man and... well, I’ve been told it would be very hypocritical of me to keep him from helping people same as I do, seeing as he has the same powers I have.”

Perry didn’t need any super powers of his own to interpret the look on Superwoman’s face. She was clearly highly uncomfortable revealing the existence of her son to anyone, let alone the world at large. He fully understood that. The scrutiny she was under put that of most celebrities to shame and she had made many enemies, too. Enemies that would love to hurt her by hurting her son, no matter how invulnerable he probably was. Luthor came to mind immediately. The man would have given his eyeteeth for this kind of leverage over the woman he had failed to destroy.

“I’m sorry for asking this,” Perry said, “but I distinctly remember you telling me that you were the last of your kind when you gave me that interview way back then. So either that boy there is a whole lot younger than he looks, or you lied to me.”

“Oh, I never lied to you, Perry,” she assured him, smiling now. “If I may refresh your memory, my exact words were ‘I am the last daughter of Krypton’. I never said anything about sons.”

He stopped, thinking back to that day, then groaned. He really should have noticed that very specific wording. In his defense, he had been kind of overwhelmed by being given the chance to interview the world’s very first superhero, who had saved him from certain death just one day earlier.

“Okay, good point,” he finally admitted. “So... kid, are you an only child then?”

He opened his mouth to answer, but a stern look from Superwoman stopped him cold. When he finally spoke, Perry was sure that he was listening to a pre-prepared answer.

“I am the son of Superwoman, Mr. White,” he said, grinning broadly. “That’s all anyone needs to know.”

“Good answer, kid,” he granted. “Okay, I assume you are ‘The Blur’ then? The one who saved Superwoman that night?”

He didn’t need to hear an answer from them, really. It was all there on Superwoman’s face as she looked at her son. A look of such parental pride that it melted his heart and dispelled any lingering doubts he might have had about this boy truly being hers.

“He did,” she simply said. The look of pride on his face mirrored her own.

“But I’m not calling myself ‘The Blur’,” the kid added, looking affronted in a way teenagers the world over had perfected. “That’s a stupid name!”

Perry laughed. “Yeah, I thought so, too, kid.”

“So, about that advice I wanted to ask you,” Superwoman began.

“I guess it’s about unveiling the existence of ‘Superboy’ here to the world?” Perry asked.

“SuperBOY?” the boy said, considering the name. “Well, okay, I guess I can live with that for now. It had better be SuperMAN in a few years, though!”

“Way too soon,” Superwoman muttered, causing Perry to laugh. It seemed parents, especially mothers, were the same all over the universe.

“So how do you want to play this?” Perry asked, leaning back in his seat. “We can introduce Superboy via a press event, that’s easily arranged. But we need to get the story straight before that. Most important thing first: do you want the world to know he is your son?”

“Of course,” Superboy said before Superwoman could say anything. A side-glance from his mother had the boy sitting back down, looking only somewhat contrite.

“We had a long talk about this,” she told him, looking slightly exasperated. “And yes, despite some... concerns, I don’t want us to have to play a charade in public. He is my son and I am proud to say so to anyone who asks.”

“Okay, then we’ll do it that way,” Perry agreed. “But you know there will be questions, right? You’ll have to give people at least some answers or they’ll make up their own.”

“I know,” she said, a sad look in her eyes. “We will stick to the truth as much as we can without revealing too much. His father, he... he died with our world. He grew up here on Earth with me, but no one needs to know how or where.”

“We can work with that. There will be more questions, though. Did he go to school somewhere or did you home school him? Are his powers the same as yours or are there differences? Will he work solely with you or operate solo? Is it really responsible to allow a super-powered teenager to run around the globe, performing feats without supervision? And those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head.”

He paused, thinking of the question he had pushed from his mind earlier. Someone would ask it, he was sure, so best to get it out now. “There is also the matter of how old you were when you had him, Superwoman.”

She smiled at him. “Are you really going to ask a lady her age, Mr. White?”

“Me? Never, my mum would have my hide if she heard me asking such. But the question will come, I guarantee you that.”

“Then the answer will be ‘none of your business’!” she resolved.

“I’m down with that, but not everyone will be. You better be ready for some really scathing comments about teenage pregnancy.”

“Believe me, I’ve heard all of them before!”

His reporting mind immediately jumped on that remark, concluding that, in order for her to have heard such remarks before, there had to be people out there who knew about a very young-looking woman having a teenage son. He quickly squashed those thoughts. He had long ago resolved never to look into Superwoman’s private life without her express approval and he intended to stick to that, no matter what.

“As for the other questions,” she continued, “Superboy was trained extensively in the use of his powers by myself, the rest of his schooling is nobody’s business. He will work exclusively with me or Wonder Woman for the time being. While he has the same powers I have, he will first need to gather experience before we will even consider him working alone.”

The boy didn’t exactly look happy with that, but kept his mouth shut. Perry smirked. It seemed like teenage boys were the same all over the universe, too. Superboy seemed quite well-behaved for a teenager, which was definitely a good thing. Just thinking about some of the moody teenagers he had met in his life having the same powers as Superwoman... not a pretty thought.

“So we will set up a press conference,” Perry said, walking to his bar to refill his glass. “How soon do you want to do this?”

“As soon as you can set it up, Perry,” she replied, getting up from the couch. “I fear Superboy here is all out of patience.” She ruffled his hair.

“Mo-om!” he complained, shoving her hand away. Perry laughed.

*****

WELCOME SUPERBOY!
SUPERWOMAN PRESENTS HER SON TO THE WORLD!

*****

Superwoman’s Pal
A column by Lois Lane

Anyone who has ever read my column – or pretty much anything I have ever written – will know that I am a huge fan of a certain flying superhero that has protected our world for several years now. Ever since her debut Superwoman has shown the entire world, but especially the female part of it, what being a hero is all about. She has inspired us through her deeds and especially through her compassion and dedication. She has shown us that great powers don’t have to corrupt, but can instead be used for the good of all.

Until yesterday I was certain that there was nothing Superwoman could do that would make me admire and respect her more than I already did. But I was wrong. Because yesterday I learned, along with the rest of the world, that Superwoman is not just a hero, not just an inspiration. She is so much more than that, too.

Superwoman is also a mother.

I am sure I was not the only one who was utterly gobsmacked by this revelation. I consider myself an independent and liberated girl, who fully intends to one day be a mother AND hold down a fulfilling job. But it seems even I am not immune to the fear that it might not be possible. That women will always have to choose in some way, that we will have to neglect either our careers or our children. That we are doomed to either be bad mothers because we put our jobs first, or traitors to feminism because we put our children first.

Now, though, I am full of hope that it can be done. Superwoman, who no doubt has one of the busiest, most stressful jobs in the world, has found the time to raise a son. And while we know very little of the newly named ‘Superboy’ so far, the sole fact that he seems intent on following in his mother’s footsteps and become a hero as well, tells me that she must have done something right raising him.

I am sure that there will be a lot of talk in the next few months about Superboy, where he came from, how he grew up, and how Superwoman managed to hide him from the world for so long. I am looking forward to learning more about him. No doubt there will also be a lot of talk about how young Superwoman must have been when she had him, and self-proclaimed defenders of morality will certainly choose to disregard the fact that she is actually an alien and that we know almost nothing about her species’ reproduction cycle or habits.

More than anything, though, I hope that Superwoman will take this opportunity and tell the world about her experiences as a mother. Superwoman has shown us that we can be women and heroes. Now she can also show us that we can be heroes and mothers.

*****

End Chapter 20

Author’s Note: I’m doing a bit of mix and match here as far as the media types are concerned. If Lois Lane were a teenager today, I’m sure she’d focus exclusively on online publishing and not bother with applying to a newspaper, but I do want her to eventually turn up at the Daily Planet. So as far as the Super Family Earth is concerned, online magazines and news sources exist, but so do classic newspapers, and both can make a living.

Chapter Text

Chapter 21: Rumors and Benefits

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Batman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

It had started innocently enough.

Roughly three years ago, when Kara had begun meeting regularly with Bruce and Diana about the formation of an alliance of heroes, some photographer or other had taken a photo of the famous Bruce Wayne meeting with two stunningly beautiful business women. Tabloids being what they are, they had published some story about Gotham’s favorite son having a threesome with two unknown women. Such stories appeared regularly, so no one paid it much mind.

A few months later, though, some press pictures were taken during yet another successful Wayne Enterprises cooperation with K-Solutions. The press event had seen Karen Kent, the elusive owner and CEO of K-Solutions, making one of her rare public appearances and someone had remembered that old tabloid photo. It took but a quick comparison to show that Karen Kent was indeed one of the two beauties Wayne had met.

Now while their meeting was easily explained away as a simple business brunch, the tabloids ran with a different take, of course. Rumors quickly ran rampant about the savvy and mysterious brain behind K-Solutions finally being the one to leash Gotham’s most famous bachelor. The rumors persisted, even when nothing more incriminating that a few more business lunches happened to give credence to it.

Until the night the Batman was shot.

*****

“Quit being such a baby,” Kara admonished him, even as she carried him bridal-style towards his bedroom.

“I am fully capable of walking on my own,” Bruce complained, though the blood-soaked bandage high on his left thigh told a different story.

“Let me guess, you would have preferred to hobble up here alone or with me giving you a shoulder to lean on at the most, despite knowing perfectly well that I am more than capable of carrying you one-handed, while lifting your Batmobile with my other hand?”

“Yes,” he simply growled. It would have been a pout on anyone else, but the Batman did not pout.

“Well, I promise that the next time I am hurt and unable to walk, you are welcome to return the favor!”

Alfred was already inside the bedroom, first aid kit at the ready. It wasn’t the first time he had patched up his employer / adopted son and it would certainly not be the last. At least this time he had the distinct pleasure of seeing the perpetually grim Bruce Wayne being carried to bed like a child by a woman smaller than he was. His lips barely twitched, but inside he was howling with laughter.

“Just put him down on the bed, Miss Kara,” he directed.

“The bullet went straight through,” she told him, even as she did as asked, “no fragments or anything in there that I could see. The main artery was nicked, though. I used my cold breath to numb the area and staunch the blood flow, but someone with more medical knowledge than I needs to take a closer look to make sure everything heals up nicely.”

Alfred immediately went to work, even as Kara’s thoughts flashed back to events earlier in the night. It had been sheer happenstance that she had been there. K-Solutions and Wayne Enterprises were frequent business partners and while she preferred to do most of her work remotely and away from prying eyes, the occasional face-to-face meetings could not be avoided entirely. Bruce had not been there, as his official involvement in the day to day affairs of his company was limited, but after the meeting had concluded late at night, she had decided on a whim to look him up.

It was a good thing she had, for Superwoman had flown over Gotham at exactly the right time to witness an obviously corrupt cop draw his piece and about to shoot the Batman in the back. Gotham’s Dark Knight had been busy putting the finishing touches on one of the many super villains that had appeared over the last few years, this one a mountain of muscle and scales called Killer Croc. Croc had already been down, but Batman had appeared quite winded and not as attentive as he usually was.

Kara was fast, but tonight she had not been quite fast enough. The cop managed to get off a shot half a second before she arrived on the scene. Thankfully Batman had moved at the same moment, so the bullet that had been intended to go into his back had instead gone through his leg. Kara suspected that the cop had packed special armor-piercing bullets, because she knew that Bruce’s suit was normally not so easily penetrated.

She had wrapped up the cop within two seconds and had been by Batman’s side a moment later, seeing that he was bleeding like a stuck pig. Despite his protests, she had quickly done what little she could and then hoisted him up to bring him home.

“The wound is serious, but should heal without problems,” Alfred finally said about two hours later, finishing up. “You will need to stay off that leg for a few days, though, Master Bruce.”

Bruce seemed about to protest, but deflated when she gave him a look, arms crossed, and eyebrow raised. It usually worked on Clark, too.

“Okay, but I will need you to fly back to the crime scene and...”

“Already taken care of,” Kara told him. “I incinerated the blood stain you left behind, no trace of your DNA will be found. And the cop that shot you has already been taken into custody.”

He leaned back, huffing. “Well, it looks like you have everything well in hand then.”

“The word you are looking for is ‘thanks’, by the way,” she said, winking at him.

“Thank you,” he said, sincerely this time. “It seems Gordon’s success in cleaning out the corruption in Gotham’s police department made me a bit sloppy. I did not expect to have to duck police bullets again.”

“He came prepared,” Kara said, sitting down on the bed beside him. “How many normal guns can shoot straight through the Dark Knight’s body armor?”

“Not many,” he agreed. “Well, if I’m to be bedridden, at least I will be able to do some research. That cop couldn’t have known that I’d be there to fight Croc today, so he probably just took advantage of the opportunity. He must have prepared for it beforehand.”

“Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.”

“Aren’t you busy supervising the world’s first teenage superhero?” he asked, smirking.

Kara gave him a mock slap to the shoulder, careful not to jostle his injury. “In case you have forgotten, it’s a school day. Clark is well aware that Superboy’s activities are not allowed to intrude upon his education unless we are talking a major disaster.”

“And you think he will always listen to you on that?” Bruce asked. “The boy is 14.”

“Oh, I fully expect some form of teenage rebellion sooner or later, but he’s just started out. He is smart enough to wait a while, trying to lull me into a false sense of security”

“I hope you are right. Last thing the world needs is a moody teenager kicking down mountains because he feels misunderstood.”

“I have quite emphatically forbidden Clark from kicking mountains,” she said, deadpan. She patted his shoulder. “Take it easy for a while, Bruce. Like I said, let me know if there is anything I can do to help.”

She rose to leave, but stopped in the open door. Her enhanced senses were picking up several vehicles that were approaching Wayne Manor. She looked through the walls and saw that three police cars were coming up the drive.

“We’ve got company, it seems,” she said. “Gotham’s Finest!”

Bruce sat up, looking slightly alarmed. “Can you pick up what they want?”

She concentrated, allowing the sound of the cars to fade out and focusing on the voices inside the cars. “It seems they received an anonymous tip that Bruce Wayne might sport a bullet wound similar to the one that Batman has received tonight. Lieutenant James Gordon is with them and apparently not happy about going to all this effort on a wild goose chase, but someone higher up has overruled him.”

Bruce cursed under his breath. “Gordon and I are still keeping our cooperation on the down low. Officially, the Gotham police still has a standing order to bring in the Batman for questioning, though zero effort is going into actually accomplishing it. Usually, at least.”

Kara walked back towards him. “We need to get you down into the cave. Alfred can tell them you aren’t home.”

“And what then?” he asked. “If they can’t find me here, it will only lend credence to that tip. If Bruce Wayne stays out of the public eye for the time it would take someone to heal a bullet wound, the police will be even more suspicious.” He sat up, swinging his legs over the side. “Batman operates on a budget that all but requires a large company or rich entrepreneur as a backer. I need to nip this in the butt now or my secret identity is gone.”

Kara crossed her arms. “And how exactly do you intend to hide the fact that you have a hole in your leg and can’t even walk?”

“I will have to give the performance of my life, I think,” he growled, trying to put weight on his injured leg. He hissed as it gave out under him and Kara was there in a flash, an arm around his torso.

“Yeah, this isn’t going to work, Bruce. But I think I’ve got an idea.”

*****

“Look, Mr. Pennyworth, we just need to have a brief chat with Mr. Wayne, that’s all,” Lieutenant Gordon said.

“If the guy can stand up and walk down those steps,” another cop added, a pretty nasty-sounding and -looking character.

“That’s Sergeant Bullock,” Bruce whispered to her. “Hates the Batman’s guts, real piece of work, but honest as they come.”

“Okay, then let’s put on a show for the good officers,” Kara replied, smirking.

“You are enjoying this way too much,” Bruce replied, then continued speaking in a louder voice. “Gentlemen! You wished to speak to me?”

The police officers looked up and saw Bruce Wayne approaching them, dressed in expensive-looking sweat pants and an even more expensive-looking dressing gown doing little to hide his bare chest. Plastered to his side was a blonde woman, wearing a rumpled-looking business suit and a pair of very high heels dangling from her left hand. To even the most observant outsider, it looked as if she was simply snuggling up, arm around his torso, while Bruce Wayne leisurely walked down the steps on two obviously uninjured legs.

In reality, of course, Bruce’s feet were barely touching the ground, as Kara supported his entire weight and was subtly using her powers of flight to have them both more or less float down the steps. Bruce’s leg was tightly wrapped, no outline of the bandages showing on his loose pants and while moving his legs back and forth to simulate walking did hurt, it was bearable as long as there was no weight to support and no sign of discomfort showed on his face. He just looked bored and irritated.

They reached the lower level, coming to a stop in front of the police officers. “What can I do for you?”

“I am very sorry for disturbing you this early in the morning, Mr. Wayne,” Gordon said, looking equal parts angry and contrite. “We have received an obviously false tip that... well, that someone had shot you.”

Bruce laughed. “Shot me? Now whoever would want to shoot me?”

“I can think of a few people, darling,” Kara said, smiling seductively. “You are such a bad boy, after all!”

Several of the police officers looked away, obviously not entirely comfortable watching as Kara all but rubbed up against him. Bullock, though, seemed less inclined to buy the show. Or maybe he was simply obstinate by nature.

“Where were you last night, Wayne?” he demanded. “At around four o’clock!”

“Oh, he was with me, sergeant,” Kara said, giving him a coy look. “Would you like to ask what we were doing, too?”

Bullock opened his mouth as if to ask exactly that, but Gordon cut him off. “I think we do not need all the details, Ms…?”

“Kent, Lieutenant. Karen Kent.”

“If you gentlemen don’t mind,” Bruce interjected, raising his right leg in the process to scratch an imaginary itch on his calf, “I have promised Ms. Kent a most spectacular breakfast, so if there is nothing else...”

“Of course, Mr. Wayne,” Gordon said, beginning to usher his people out the door. “Sorry for disturbing you.”

A moment later they were out the door and Kara quickly guided Bruce over to a chair, letting him sit down. She focused on her senses again, listening to the cops talking as they drove off.

“Bullock thinks they should have asked more questions, but Gordon and the others are convinced, I think. Gordon tells Bullock that no man with a bullet wound such as the Batman had last night could even stand, never mind walk down a set of stairs or put all his weight on the injured leg. He is also pretty pissed off that they had to drive all the way out here in the first place.”

“Looks like I’m in the clear,” Bruce said, slowly relaxing. “You could have given him a false name, you know? It’s almost certain one of those cops will talk to the press about what he’s seen here today.”

Kara simply shrugged. “If they investigate, they would quickly discover a false identity and it would only make them suspicious again. That Karen Kent is in town and had a business meeting last evening at Wayne Enterprises is easily proven. There are already plenty of rumors out there about Karen Kent and Bruce Wayne. One more won’t hurt. Besides, we might even use this to our advantage.”

*****

Predictably, the fact that Karen Kent of K-Solutions had spent the night at stately Wayne Manor quickly made the rounds in the tabloids. Old rumors were heated up again and everyone was quickly convinced that the two business giants had carried on a tarried affair for years now. One tabloid even speculated that the two of them were already secretly married and that Mrs. Wayne only kept her maiden name for tax purposes and brand recognition.

Both Bruce and Kara took advantage of the rumors. The main reason that Bruce Wayne played the role of the notorious playboy was so that no one would even suspect that he might be one of the few men young, rich, and driven enough to be the infamous Dark Knight of Gotham. It was getting harder, though, to find women willing to put up with his antics, especially as he seldom followed through on his supposed ways by actually bedding the women he took out. While not opposed to the idea in general, some of them were bound to notice the many scars he had accumulated and ask questions. Playing the besotted paramour of Karen Kent made things a lot easier for him.

Karen Kent, on the other hand, had been the mysterious figure behind the success of K-Solutions for years now and many people were interested in learning more about her. By turning up on the arm of Bruce Wayne now and then, she gave just enough fodder to the newshounds that most of them lost interest in digging further. Kara had long ago made sure that Karen Kent of K-Solutions and Karen Kent of Smallville, Kansas had nothing in common except a rather common name.

So to the amusement of the few people in the know – Diana found the whole notion quite hilarious – Kara and Bruce continued to be each other’s decoy dates. They appeared at just enough public events together to feed the rumors and otherwise continued to live their lives just like before.

In other news, the police officer that had tried to murder the Batman had quickly been convicted after a large sum of money had been found in his account. Obviously someone had hired him for the assassination attempt and it was deemed entirely possible that same someone had sent the anonymous tip to the police. Interestingly enough, that turned out to be false. The cop had been hired through intermediaries by Lex Luthor, who was still awaiting trial and looking for payback against the Batman. Hiring a would-be killer was quickly added to his list of charges. The anonymous tip that nearly demolished Bruce’s secret identity, on the other hand, was apparently courtesy of R’As al Ghul, who had heard of the botched assassination and simply wished to keep “the Detective” on his toes.

Life went on. Then one night, things changed again.

*****

Kara laid back in bed, staring at the ceiling, and searched her own feelings. Currently she was very much at a loss as to what to do or say next.

“That bad?”

She looked to the other side of the bed, where Bruce was propped up on an elbow and looking at her in turn. She briefly let her eyes roam over his still unclothed body, the shimmer of sweat on his skin, and thought back to their activities during the last hour or so.

“Not bad at all,” she said, “but...”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “But...”

Bruce and she had played the part of a couple for several months now and Kara had considered whether turning the act into something real might be feasible, especially after a heart to heart talk with Martha. Kara had told her about her mock affair with the famous Bruce Wayne (Bruce having given her permission to inform them of his true identity). It had led to her aunt / adopted mom asking her whether there was anything that Kara the woman wanted out of life. Superwoman the hero, Kara the mother, and Karen Kent the entrepreneur were all pretty well set, but what about the woman? Was a make-believe affair with a comrade-in-arms of her Superwoman persona all she wanted? It had gotten Kara thinking and considering if there was anything in her life apart from those three roles.

She liked Bruce as a friend, she certainly found him physically attractive, and they worked well together as superheroes. So why not as a couple, too? Kara was a bit too cynical to believe in love at first sight and didn’t expect there to ever be a Prince Charming that would come into her life and sweep her off her feet. But the idea of someone with whom she was compatible in terms of personality, someone to whom she could come home at the end of the day (that wasn’t her son or her adopted parents), was certainly enticing.

Bruce had entertained similar thoughts, it seemed. The Batman didn’t leave much room for anything else, building a relationship with someone unaware of Bruce’s primary purpose in life would probably be impossible. So after another dinner that was part business and part show for the tabloids, they had – almost without words – decided to give it a try, so to speak.

The physical act itself had certainly been enjoyable, as was evident by the rumpled sheets and the scattered clothing. Kara was not a virgin and neither was Bruce, so they both knew what they were doing and were certainly fit enough. Kara’s body still buzzed with the afterglow, but she knew that that was a purely physical reaction. On the emotional front, though, there was nothing. Bruce and she might just as well have been sparring instead of having sex.

Judging by Bruce’s face, he was in a similar predicament.

“So…,” he began, only to trail off.

“You know, you sound far more eloquent when you wear the mask!” she smirked.

He looked affronted for a second, but then smirked back. “Should I have worn the mask?”

She pretended to think about it for a moment. “Oh, I don’t know. Would you have wanted me to wear the cape and boots?”

Both ended up laughing.

“I guess this isn’t going to work, is it?” Kara asked a moment later.

“Not in this particular way, no,” he agreed. “But we will always be friends.”

“Friends with occasional benefits?” she asked, teasingly raising an eyebrow.

“I could think of worse arrangements.”

“Ah, Bruce,” she mock-despaired, folding her hands over her heart in a dramatic gesture, “always the romantic.”

*****

End Chapter 21

Author’s Note: I originally had tentative plans to have Kara and Bruce end up a couple in this story, but abandoned them almost as quickly as it simply didn’t fit with the characters as I envisioned them. Still, there was that bit I wrote in chapter 12 where Bruce mused about a tabloid reporter catching him with Kara and Diana and the idea simply wouldn’t let go.

As far as Batman goes, I mostly consider Bruce Wayne to be asexual, regarding the need for physical companionship with the same disdain as the need for food and sleep. And as for Kara, only time will tell if she will ever find somebody to love (apart from her family and friends) in this universe of mine (don’t expect Dick Malverne to turn up any time soon). At this point I’m honestly not sure. I have several ideas, but they might go the same way as the Bruce/Kara idea.

Chapter Text

Chapter 22: Boys, Guys, and Moms

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Green Lantern belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Clark knew that his mother was intentionally keeping him away from anything involving super villains and such for the time being. Every single time Superboy had gone out into the world alongside Superwoman, they had dealt with either natural disasters or “normal” humans, be it run-of-the-mill criminals or that one time where they defended a village in South America from an actual army of drug cartel thugs. His logical side saw the sense in that; she was obviously trying to ease him into things. An earthquake or a forest fire were highly dangerous to normal people, but not for powered-up Kryptonians. Machine guns wielded by hired thugs wouldn’t even make them flinch.

It didn’t change the fact, though, that he was growing frustrated. Not long ago he had wanted nothing more than to go into action alongside his mother and help people with his super powers. And for the most part it was every bit as exciting and cool as he had expected it to be. People cheered when they arrived. In a few short weeks he had already managed to save quite a few lives and there was no better feeling in the world.

His mother was always there, though. Always just a step behind him (figuratively speaking, as they were flying most of the time), always watching. He knew she was doing it out of concern, but it was getting a bit tiresome. He may only be 14, but he was not a little kid, darn it! He was strong, practically invulnerable, and more than fast enough to get away from anything and everything that could possibly be a danger to him. He knew she wanted to protect him, but right now he felt suffocated.

Which was why he was thankful for their current mission. Well, not thankful that an undersea earthquake had caused tidal waves that had hit Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and India. But considering the sheer scale of the affected area, his mom finally saw no other choice but to let him operate solo.

“I’m heading south,” she told him. “You head north. Help wherever you can as fast as you can. Don’t linger, leave everything that isn’t life-threatening to the rescue operators, focus on the things only we can do!”

He nodded, aware of the severity of the situation, but also ecstatic that he could finally fly on his own for once.

The following 24 hours were the longest day of Clark’s young life. He barely ever stopped for more than a few seconds, flying along devastated shorelines and ruined towns as fast as he could, helping wherever possible, and barely staying still long enough to even be seen properly. He diverted mudslides, rescued people from flooded towns, blew out fires, unblocked roads, and generally did everything that could be done by a single person with super powers in the face of so much devastation.

His mom checked in on him over the com system in regular intervals, but otherwise left him be, as she had more than enough on her own plate. Several other members of the Justice League were also in the area, helping in whatever way they could. Clark had caught a brief glimpse of Diana earlier, as their paths had crossed and he had heard J’Onn and Adam over the coms. Still, the sheer scale of things was enough to tire out even a Superboy. So when he finally reached the far end of the devastation zone, he took a moment to set down and just take a breather.

Said breather lasted all of ten seconds, though, before his enhanced hearing picked up cries for help from not too far away. He immediately shot into the air and headed toward the source of the cries. It was a small village near the shore. The village had been lucky, at least compared to some others, in that it still existed after the tidal wave had hit. Many of the buildings were damaged, though, the ground had turned to mud, and worst of all the water had destabilized the hill on the far side. An avalanche of mud and rocks was heading towards the remains of the village. Several hundred people were there.

Superboy quickly increased his speed and dug a deep trench at the edge of the village, which he hoped would be enough to stop the worst of the avalanche. He then used his heat vision to incinerate the larger boulders in rapid succession.

Then he blinked, because suddenly a glowing green wall appeared just in front of his trench and brought the remains of the avalanche to a hold. Looking up, he quickly spotted the source of the green light.

“A Green Lantern?” he muttered, quickly taking to the air.

His mom had told him about the Green Lantern Corps, protectors of the space ways, and of Abin Sur, founding member of the Justice League, who had given his life to save her from the alien tyrant Mongul. Clark had been rather mad that his mom had initially refrained from telling him about her close brush with death.

He had also learned that a new Green Lantern would have been selected after Abin Sur’s death and been told to keep a lookout for them, as they might well make their way to Earth sooner or later. Clark was surprised, though, that this Green Lantern hovering in the air in front of him seemed to be a human man, not an alien. A brief scan with his X-Ray vision confirmed it, he was human. A white man in his early twenties, he’d say, with reddish-blonde hair in what Clark considered a rather unflattering bowl cut.

“Hey,” Clark greeted him. “Thanks for the help, Mr….?”

“The name’s Gardner, kid,” the Green Lantern replied. “Guy Gardner, Green Lantern of Earth. And you are Superwoman’s sprog, right? Read about you in the papers!”

Clark frowned, not particularly caring for the tone of the other man, but put it aside. “The name is Superboy and yes, Superwoman is my mother.” He managed to keep the “what’s it to you?” quiet.

“Bird looks great for having a teenage son, I give you that,” Gardner smirked at him.

Clark felt even more irritated now. He routinely heard comments from other teenage boys about how nice his mom looked in her skintight super suit. He certainly didn’t need to hear adults aware of his being her soon tell it to his face, too, thank you very much.

“Yeah... again, thanks for your help, but there is still a lot more to do. Feel free to lend a hand!”

He started to fly off, but a moment later Gardner was flying beside him. “I think I will, kid. Looks to me like you can use all the help you can get. By the way, is your mom seeing someone? The pictures I’ve seen of her, I mean, wow! Don’t get me wrong, Wonder Chick looks great, too, but I’ve got this thing for blondes...”

Clark was not usually someone who got angry. He was actually quite mild-mannered most of the time. But right now he was not feeling mild-mannered at all. He was tired, cranky, and this guy was certainly not helping it.

“Will you stop talking that way about my mother,” he interrupted the other man, quite forcefully.

Gardner mockingly held up his hands. “Excuse me, kid! Sore spot there? Can’t have been easy growing up with a MILF like that, I’d wager.”

Growling, Clark poured on the speed, looking to put some distance between himself and the Green Lantern before he was tempted to slug him. Well, more tempted than he already was. Unfortunately, Gardner seemed unable to take a hint and kept up with him.

“You okay, kid? Maybe you should take a break. Let the adults take care of things!”

Clark’s precarious hold on his temper snapped and he came to an immediate stop in mid-air, getting in Gardner’s face.

“Adults like you, you mean? Where have you been the last 24 hours while we worked our butts off saving lives? I don’t remember seeing your ugly mutt anywhere. So maybe YOU should take a break, Green Jerk, and let those with actual powers instead of fancy jewelry handle stuff!”

Gardner’s face darkened. “Listen up, snot nose! Some of us got entire sectors of space to protect, not just one tiny little planet. I’m not going to take lip from someone barely out of his diapers.”

Clark snorted. “Oh please! You have been a Green Lantern for what, six months now? I’m surprised they’re letting you go out on your own without some glowing green training wheels!”

Gardner growled and his ring flashed. A moment later, a glowing green playpen had formed around Clark, boxing him in.

“There! That’s more like it,” Gardner grinned. “Time to act your age, kid!”

Clark growled back and easily broke free of the construct with a simple flexing of his muscles, shattering it into a dozen pieces and causing Gardner to flinch back from the mental feedback.

“My actual playpen was tougher to break out of than that, jerk!”

“You want tougher? I’ll give you tougher, Superbaby!”

Green chains exploded from Gardner’s ring, ready to wrap themselves around Clark, but he moved out of the way at super speed and sliced the constructs apart with a burst of heat vision. He dashed forward, looking to grab the Green Lantern, but Gardner evaded and a burst of green energy clipped him, sending him tumbling off course. By the time Clark had regained control of his flight again, Gardner was projecting a giant green hand that was about to engulf him.

Clark was about to destroy the construct with another burst of heat vision when Gardner was suddenly bowled over by a red-and-blue blur that came out of nowhere and hit him with the force of a cruise missile. The Green Lantern went tumbling down into the ground, smashing into the mud left behind by the tidal wave with a huge splash.

The blur stopped and resolved itself into the form of his mother, who looked more pissed off than Clark had ever seen her before.

“Hands off my son!” she growled at the downed Green Lantern.

Gardner slowly got up, opening his mouth to say something, but obviously thought twice about it after getting a good look at a pissed-off Superwoman whose eyes practically sparked with barely leashed fire.

“Calm down, lady! The kid and I just had a bit of a disagreement. Boy needs to learn some self-control, I’d say.”

“Self-control?” Clark yelled. “You started it, you...!”

“That’s ENOUGH!” Superwoman thundered, shutting them both up. “I don’t care who started what; we are in the middle of a disaster zone, thousands of people are still in need of our help, and you two have nothing better to do than launch a super-powered school yard brawl?”

She turned to glare at Gardner. “Maybe Green Lantern recruitment standards have been slipping as of late, but I can tell you that Abin Sur would be ashamed of his successor right now.”

“Now wait just a min...”

She flashed forward so fast it looked like she had teleported, grabbed him by the lapels of his uniform, and growled into his face. “One more word, Green Lantern, and I will take that ring off your hand along with the finger it is on, do we understand it each other?” A hand capable of compressing coal into diamonds had caught Gardner’s ring hand in its grip, underlining her statement.

Gardner paled visibly. “Uh... yes, ma’am!”

“Good,” she shoved him away. “Now get moving and use that ring to help people!”

Gardner gulped, but finally did as he was told and started flying away. Not without giving Clark a stink eye before he did, but then he was gone. A moment later, his mom hovered right in front of him.

“Mom, I...,” he began.

“We will talk about this later, Clark,” she told him, cutting him off. “We still have a lot to do. Can I count on you to focus on the job for a few more hours?”

Clark bit back an angry retort and simply nodded.

“Good, then get back to it! We’ll regroup above Bangkok once we’ve dealt with the worst of it!”

A moment she was gone as quickly as she had come, leaving behind a highly frustrated, angry, and humiliated Superboy.

*****

Ten hours later a lull had come over the disaster zone. The sun had risen again, allowing rescue operators to work more effectively. All the immediate threats had been dealt with by the intervention of countless volunteers, including those with super powers. Clark was more tired than he had ever been in his life and was capable of little else than just floating above Bangkok and soaking up the sunlight.

“Good work everyone,” his mom told Diana, Adam, and J’Onn, who were floating close by. They hadn’t seen the Green Lantern again, but there had been reports of him helping out along the devastated shoreline, so apparently he hadn’t just flown off. “I think we can safely take a break now. We’ll check in this evening and see if there is anything more we can do.”

The other members of the Justice League nodded, then flew off, probably heading to the closest bed they could find. His mom floated over to him, looking him over with concern.

“How are you holding up, Clark?” she asked.

“Fine,” he replied, not in the mood for talking.

“Good. If you are fine, then maybe you can tell me what that tussle with the Green Lantern was all about!”

Clark took a deep breath. “He was a jerk!”

“I gathered as much. What else?”

He looked at her. “He... he was talking about you. You and Diana. He...”

She nodded. “I can imagine. And you think that made it okay for you to lose your temper?”

Clark gaped at her, not believing that his mom was taking the side of that jerk Gardner against him. “He called you... he said...”

She touched his shoulder. “Clark, don’t you think I’ve heard all sorts of stuff like this before? I can’t even count the number of times some stupid idiots have called me ‘Superbroad’ or ‘Superslut’ or even worse things.”

“He still shouldn’t say such things about you,” Clark huffed.

“No, he shouldn’t. I am not taking his side, Clark! Gardner is an adult, a Green Lantern, he really should know better, but we are not talking about him. We are talking about you, Clark, and why exactly you lost your temper and decided that getting into a fight with someone was more important than helping people in need!”

Clark didn’t know what to say. He was so angry, at Gardner, at his mother, and at himself, too, for losing his cool like that.

“You didn’t start yelling at him for what he said about me, did you?” his mom said.

“What do you mean?” he asked, confused.

“I mean that you tried to do the right thing, Clark, namely walk away. And then he called you a child and told you to let the adults handle it. That’s when you flew off the handle!”

Clark couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You... you spied on me? You listened in the entire time?”

“It was your first solo mission, Clark. Of course I kept an eye on you!”

Clark shrugged her hand off his shoulder and put some distance between them. The anger that had started to cool was surging back up, stronger than ever before.

“You didn’t trust me!” he accused her. “You didn’t think I could handle this on my own!”

“You did a great job with the rescue effort, Clark,” she told him calmly. “I am very proud of you for that. But then you allowed an idiot to push your buttons. If your fight had escalated, it might well have caused even more damage than the tidal wave already had. With the power you and I have, we always need to be careful.”

“I AM careful,” he yelled. “I am ALWAYS careful! I have been careful for YEARS! I thought we were finally where you trusted me to do stuff without you constantly hovering over me! I can do this on my own!”

“Well, today you have shown me that you CAN’T, Clark!” She didn’t yell, but her voice was louder than before. “This talk is over! Time to go home!”

“Stop treating my like a baby,” he raged, all his tiredness and frustration coming out.

“Then stop acting like one, Clark! I am your mother and I will...”

“You’re not really my mother!”

Even as those words passed his lips he wanted nothing more than to take them back, to catch them in mid-air and somehow stuff them back inside before they could reach his mom’s ears. It was too late, though. All his rage and frustration vanished into thin air as he saw the expression on his mom’s face. For a moment, she looked as if he had physically slapped her.

Then her face settled into a stony expression that didn’t show a single emotion.

“Go home, Clark!” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

“Mom, I...”

“GO! HOME!”

Tears threatening to break free from his eyes, he finally did as told and flew off, back home towards Kansas. All the while wondering how he could possibly have said something so stupid!

*****

“You’re not really my mother!”

The words kept ringing in Kara’s ears over and over again. She had known this was coming, of course. Clark was a teenager and while Kryptonians and humans were different in many ways, teenage hormones seemed to be a constant in both species. She had fully expected them to have a fight sooner or later and had fully expected Clark to use these exact words at some point if his teenage temper was riled up enough. She also knew that he didn’t really mean them, that he loved her, and saw her as his mother regardless of their actual biological relation.

Still, she was unprepared for how it hurt to hear him say those words.

“Kara?”

She started, too preoccupied to notice that someone else was close by. Opening her eyes, she saw Diana hovering in front of her.

“I... wasn’t quite out of hearing range and... are you okay?”

Kara shook her head. “No! I’m really not!”

Diana nodded and quickly gathered her best friend into a hug, even as tears sprang free from Kara’s eyes.

*****

It had been early morning in Bangkok, but given the 13 hours’ time difference it was still evening of the previous day in Smallville, Kansas. The sun was just setting, but Clark was still sitting on top of the barn. He had ditched his super suit for civilian clothes the moment he got home and ever since, he had been sitting up there, his gaze searching the skies.

“Did he tell you anything?” Jonathan asked his wife.

She shook her head. “Nothing. But if I were to venture a guess, he had a big fight with Karen and is now feeling guilty about it.”

“That was my take, too,” Jonathan agreed, sighing. “Well, it was overdue, I guess.”

“Probably. I’m just a bit worried that we haven’t heard from Karen yet.”

Jonathan hugged her. “She’ll be all right. Probably just wants to give Clark the time to cool off. And cool off herself, too. I distinctly remember that she has a bit of a temper, too.”

Martha chuckled, remembering some of the shouting matches she and her daughter had had during Karen’s difficult teenage years. More often than not Clark had been the subject of their disagreements, as Karen’s single-minded focus on her cousin-turned-son had worried Martha a great deal now and then. Thankfully, they had long left their fights behind them.

“They will work it out,” Jonathan assured her.

“I know.” She just hoped it didn’t take too long. Both of their alien children could be very, very stubborn.

*****

“You should have gone to bed!”

Clark started at the soft voice behind him. He had nodded off, it seemed. It was full dark and the stars were out. Turning around, he saw that his mom was sitting on the barn roof behind him. Like him, she had shed her super suit and was back in civilian clothing. Dark rings were under her eyes, as lack of sleep marked Kryptonians just as much as humans.

“Mom, I’m so sorry,” Clark quickly got the words out. “I didn’t mean...”

“I know, honey,” she interrupted him, a slight smile on her lips. “I know.”

When she opened her arms, Clark was quick to enter the embrace, tears of relief on his face.

“I really didn’t mean it,” he sobbed. “You’re my mom! I love you!”

“I won’t pretend it didn’t hurt to hear those words,” she replied, squeezing him tightly. “But I know it was the heat of moment. Believe me, I’ve said far worse things to Martha and Jonathan.”

“Really?” he asked, drawing back from the embrace so he could look at her. “I can’t imagine you fighting with them.”

She chuckled. “Oh, believe me, we had some epic fights.” Her face sobered. “When I was 14, like you are now, we had only been here on Earth for a year. I had barely gotten the hang of my powers, Earth was still a strange and intimidating place for me, and I... I fixated on you, Clark. You were my lifeline. Not just because you were only thing I had left from my life on Krypton. I used you, my promise to take care of you, as a way to... avoid dealing with things. Martha and Jonathan called me out on it more than once and... well, I didn’t react well to that at first.”

Clark didn’t know what to say, so he just listened. It was hard to imagine his mom ever having been 14 like him. He knew, of course, that she had been just a teenager when they arrived here on Earth, but it was difficult for him to really see it. She was always so together, so strong. For a moment he tried to place himself in her situation. How would he feel if, a year ago, Earth had exploded, his family had died, and he had to build a new life on an alien world? It boggled his mind, he simply couldn’t imagine it.

“You know it was wrong to rise to Gardner’s taunts, right?” she asked him.

“Yeah,” he grudgingly admitted. “He’s still a jerk, though.”

She nodded, smiling. “Life lesson, Clark: there are a lot of jerks out there. And as much as we would like it, we can’t punch them all in the face, because if we did, that’s all we’d ever do.”

“I know.”

She hugged him again. “I know you are feeling suffocated, Clark. I know that I am... clingy. For so long you were my entire world, my only reason for even getting up in the morning, that I... I find it very hard to let go. I promise I will work on it, though.”

Clark nodded. He felt a bit like a jerk himself right now. He was well aware how many kids had it far, far worse than him (including his mom when she had been his age). That his biggest problem was a mom who tended to be overprotective was... well, it could be far worse.

“And I promise not to punch jerks in the face,” he mumbled.

“Good,” she agreed. “Seems we both have our work cut out for us then.”

Getting up, she stretched and yawned. “Let’s head inside, Clark. We both need some sleep. The situation in the disaster zone is more or less stable for now, so you’re going back to school tomorrow.”

“Aw, moooom!”

*****

End Chapter 22

Author’s Note: The way I see it, when Guy Gardner is not brain-damaged, flying into red-ring-induced rage, or replaced by an evil clone (yes, all of that happened to him in the comics, some of it multiple times), he is simply a jerk. A heroic, possibly loveable jerk, but still a total, unapologetic jerk. Also, I always got the impression that Guy Gardner was a few years older than Hal, though I don’t think it was ever really stated. So for my purposes, he is a few years younger than Kara and Bruce, early twenties.

Also, it’s really hard writing angry teen Clark, especially writing angry teen Clark trying to curse. It always makes me want to go “aaaawww” because it just seems so cute. As for the fight between him and Kara, you knew it was coming. Hope it was worth the wait. I briefly thought to include a flashback to Kara’s teenage years and show her having a row with Martha and Jonathan, but it wouldn’t really have fit here. Something for future chapters, as I definitely intend to write teen Kara, too.

Chapter Text

Chapter 23: A Very Super Christmas

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Snow was softly falling from the sky and the sun was slowly dipping behind the horizon. Christmas decorations were being turned on, people milled about, and two aliens leisurely walked through town.

“I am glad you decided to join us, J’Onn,” Kara told her Justice League comrade.

“I thank you for your invitation, Kara,” he replied. “I admit I still find it difficult to be among people after so long in isolation, but the idea of being all alone has... lost its appeal.”

J’Onn had taken on human form, appearing as a tall, broad man with blonde hair. Kara figured he had taken her as his template, looking almost like a male version of herself, only about 20 years older. They were currently walking through downtown Smallville, admiring the many Christmas decorations. They were on their way to school to collect Clark, who was attending the annual Christmas celebration there with his friends. Afterwards they would all head to the Kent farm for Christmas Eve dinner. Martha had been working in the kitchen almost since dawn.

“Did you have any similar celebrations back home?” Kara asked him, briefly waving at a familiar face.

“We had a festival called S’Aran S’an, which we celebrated during the longest night of the year on Mars’ northern hemisphere,” he explained, his deep baritone voice tinged with wistfulness. “It was a ritual sharing of warmth and comfort during the long, cold night. We would then greet the rising sun together, celebrating that the days would now grow longer again.”

Kara chuckled. “We actually had something very similar on Krypton,” she told him. “We called it Kar-Datra. During the midst of winter we would light bonfires to stave off the cold and sing together, beseeching the great Rao to turn around on his long journey across the skies and come closer to us again.”

“We also had such songs,” J’Onn replied, watching as a couple of kids were running towards the town’s only toy store and pressing their noses against the display window. “I think most species from planets that have seasons have similar rituals. As the nights grow long and cold in winter, people huddle together, share their warmth, and pray that the light and warmth will return.”

They briefly stopped as an older man with a huge bag of presents came out of the toy store, almost toppling from the weight of it. Kara quickly walked over to him and relieved him of the bag.

“Careful, Mr. Connors,” he said, smiling. “I think you might have gone a bit overboard here.”

“Bless you, Karen,” he replied. “These old bones don’t hold up as well as they used to.”

Knowing his well-maintained old pickup truck by sight, she gestured for them to walk over. “Why don’t I put this in your car and you promise me that you’ll unload it piece by piece back home, okay?”

J’Onn, having anticipated their destination, opened the car door (no one locked their cars in Smallville) to allow Kara easier access.

“Thank you both,” Mr. Connors said, studying J’Onn. “Can’t remember seeing you here before. Are you a friend of Karen’s?”

Kara briefly panicked, not having thought of a cover story for J’Onn’s presence beforehand, but the Martian easily extended his hand to the other man and smiled an easy smile.

“Something like that,” he said vaguely, but friendly. “My name is Jones. John Jones.”

Kara nodded, it sounded similar enough to J’Onns actual name to be easy to remember. Mr. Connors frowned though, as if trying to piece something together. He then brightened, a light bulb seeming to go on over his head.

“Oh, Jones? Like Alya Jones? Karen’s mother? Are you a relative of hers?”

Kara blinked, taken off guard. Right, her entirely fictional mother had also been called Jones. She honestly hadn’t thought of the name in a long time, certainly not since she had told Clark the truth. Jones was a very generic name, though, so it should be easy to write it off as a coincidence. Then she stopped to think. Mr. Connors was a nice man, but also a notorious gossip. No doubt the presence of a blonde stranger called John Jones who looked similar to Kara and was going to spend Christmas with the Kents would be known to most of Smallville before nightfall. And J’Onn needed a permanent human identity anyway.

Smirking, she walked over the somewhat surprised J’Onn and wrapped her arms around his. “Good memory, Mr. Connors. John here is actually a cousin of my mother. I found him over one of those ancestry search engines and he agreed to spend Christmas with us so we could get to know each other better.”

“Indeed,” J’Onn simply said, looking a bit surprised, but seemingly willing to go along with it.

“Wonderful,” Mr. Conners cheered, looking overjoyed. “What better time to find more family than on Christmas? Great meeting you, Mr. Jones. Hope we will see more of you here in Smallville.”

“Quite possibly,” J’Onn replied, then looked over at Kara with a fond smile. “It seems Karen is determined to gather the lost sheep together, wherever she finds them.”

“That’s our Karen,” Mr. Connors agreed, climbing into his car. “A merry Christmas to you all!”

“And to you, Mr. Connors,” Kara waved as he drove off. She then turned towards J’Onn. “I hope you are okay with this, J’Onn. It was a spur of the moment idea, but it neatly explains your presence, especially if you end up visiting more often, which I hope you will do.”

J’Onn, clearly seeing that she was somewhat agitated, put a calming hand on her shoulder. “Do not worry, Kara... Karen. It was a good idea. And in a strange way, I suppose we are family, somewhat. Tied together not by blood, but by circumstances and common purpose.”

Kara smiled at him, putting her hand over his. “That is certainly true... Cousin John!”

They stood a moment, the Christmas clamor of Smallville washing over them, then finally parted and resumed their walk through town.

“I admit I am a bit confused about this Christmas celebration,” J’Onn told her. “I have been told it celebrates the birth of the Christian savior, but it seems to have many elements from other faiths as well.”

“Yeah,” Kara said. “It’s a bit of a mishmash of many different traditions. Christian, Pagan, Jewish, and probably a few others, too. I was quite confused at my first Christmas here on Earth, too.”

J’Onn nodded. “I can imagine.”

*****

Thirteen years ago

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Martha asked, stepping out of the door in a thick winter cloak and her hands protected by mittens. Kara had been standing out on the patio for quite a while now, just gazing out into the darkness. Her only concession to the cold were long sleeves.

“I’m fine,” she replied, though her tone of voice told a different tale. “I just wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet for a while.”

Martha stood beside her. “Are you still having trouble with your enhanced senses? We can turn the music down or turn it off entirely, if it helps.”

Kara shook her head. “No, it’s not that. I...,” she swallowed. “It’s just...”

Martha put her arm around her, slightly drawing her into a hug. “You are missing your family.”

Kara nodded, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. “It’s all this talk of Christmas, I hear it all over town. Everyone’s with their loved ones, everyone is happy to be together, and...”

“I know,” Martha told her. “Give it time, Kara. I can hardly pretend to understand what you have gone through, sweetheart, but the wounds will heal. It just takes time. And we are here for you and little Kal every step of the way.”

“I know, thank you,” she replied, huddling into the taller woman’s embrace. “Back on Krypton, we... we had a somewhat similar celebration. There was no baby in a barn or a fat man in a red suit handing out presents...”

“Please don’t call Santa Clause a fat man when my parents come over tomorrow, sweetheart,” Martha softly chided her. “What was your celebration on Krypton called?”

“It was called Kar-Datra. We... we lit bonfires in the night and sang songs to Rao, the great sun, asking him to come back soon and end the winter season. Mother and father would... we would have a fire outside, near our house, and... and we would sing… mother had such a beautiful voice... father couldn’t hold a tune at all, but never let it stop him…”

Kara’s voice failed and she burrowed even deeper into Martha’s embrace, tears flowing freely from her eyes now. “I miss them so much,” she sobbed.

Martha just held her, knowing of no words that could help, and eventually the girl’s tears subsided. They headed back inside, Kara checking on Kal, who was happily sleeping in his crib. Martha went back to preparing their Christmas dinner. Kara wanted to help, but after breaking a pot and bending several spoons, she gave up.

Later, after they had enjoyed the delicious foot, Martha asked Kara to collect Kal and follow her outside. Confused, Kara did as told and was surprised to see that Jonathan had been busy at some point during the evening. A huge stack of wood had been assembled outside the farm, Jonathan just putting the finishing touches on it. A torch was already lit and her adoptive uncle came towards her.

“I hope this looks somewhat similar to what you had back home, darling,” he told her, smiling. “Want to light it?”

She nodded, not quite trusting her voice. Holding Kal safely with one arm, she took the torch with the other and quickly proceeded to light the bonfire. Stepping back, she found herself between the two Kents, all of them huddling together as the fire climbed higher and higher. Kal was awake, staring at the fire with fascinated eyes.

For a moment she could almost fool herself into thinking that there were other people standing with them near the fire, people in Kryptonian garb, people who could not possibly be here. They were only shadows, though. It was just the four of them, all alone in the night.

“Think you can teach us the Kryptonian songs, Kara?” Martha asked.

Kara swallowed hard, the voice of her mother singing in her mind. Just thinking about the words brought more tears to her eyes. Actually singing them… she finally shook her head.

“No, I... I don’t think I can... it’s just too...”

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Martha said. “Maybe someday. Do you want to hear some Christmas songs from here on Earth?”

Kara nodded. Earth was her home now, hers and Kals. She wanted to learn more about this place. She wanted to not feel so alien here, so strange. Everything was still too foreign, too loud, too bright. Just give it time, Martha had said. The wounds will heal. Rao, she hoped that Martha was right.

“Silent Night,” Jonathan began to sing softly.

“Holy Night,” Martha chimed in.

Kal giggled in her arms, watching the flames and obviously enjoying the song. Kara listened to the words, not really understanding what the song was about, but after listening for a minute, she began to hum along to the melody.

She knew it was just her imagination, but somewhere in the distance, she could almost believe that her parents were singing along to the alien song.

“Merry Christmas, Kara and Kal,” Martha said as the song was finished.

“Merry Christmas,” she repeated, smiling down at her happy-looking cousin. “And happy Kar-Datra, Kal!”

*****

The Present

“The Kents sound like wonderful people,” J’Onn said. “I am looking forward to meeting them.”

“I don’t even want to imagine what might have happened had I not met them,” Kara confessed. “I was completely unprepared, both for coming to an alien world and especially for taking care of an infant. They saved us and took us in, made us part of their family.”

J’Onn smiled. “And now you are following their example, taking in others who have no home and family anymore.”

Kara blushed a bit, but nodded. “Maybe. It only seems right. Clark and I were so very lucky, we were shown so much kindness... kindness needs to be returned. Returned and multiplied.”

J’Onn nodded, fully agreeing. By now they had reached the school building, where dozens of children were already streaming down the stairs and into the waiting arms of their parents. Kara and J’Onn only had to wait another few minutes before Clark arrived, running over to her for a hug (a short one, he was manly teenager by now, after all). Lana was a step behind him, too.

“Hello, Ms. Kent,” Lana greeted her cheerfully.

“Hi, Lana. Did you two have a nice Christmas celebration?”

“It was okay, mom,” Clark replied. “Just glad that school’s out for the holidays now.” He glanced at J’Onn and she saw him stiffen a bit. Given his superhuman senses, Clark probably spotted that there was something unusual about him. “Mom...,” he began.

“Ah, right,” she interrupted him. “I told you that our cousin John would be coming over for Christmas dinner, remember? John, this is my son Clark, and his best friend Lana Lang.”

“Pleased to meet you, Clark,” J’Onn said.

Clark frowned, but quickly clued in. Kara had told him who would be joining them for Christmas dinner, after all, and the Martian Manhunter’s true name sounded similar enough to John. Lana seemed very interested, though, as she knew enough about the true identities of the two Kents to know that any “cousin” of theirs was bound to be someone very interesting.

“You better tell me about that tomorrow,” Lana hissed in Clark’s ear, before waving goodbye and going to join her own parents.

“Ready to go?” Kara asked Clark.

“Sure, I’m starving.”

Kara laughed. “Hardly! But I know what you mean.”

As they walked down the street leading out of town and towards the Kent farm, Kara suddenly got an impish impression on her face.

“I hope you have all your presents ready and wrapped, Clark?” she asked innocently.

Her son frowned at her. “Sure, why?”

“Well, I just want everything to be ready, you know how much I have to do tonight,” Kara said, smirking. “Reindeers to bridle, presents to deliver, you know how it is.”

Clark groaned, slapping a hand to his face. “Mom, are you ever going to let me live that down?”

She pretended to think about, then shook her head. “Nah!”

*****

Nine years ago

Clark Kent, five years old, was staring open-mouthed at the spectacle before him. His aunt Martha (great-aunt, actually, but that made her sound old and wrinkly, which she wasn’t) had asked him to slip on his winter jacket and told him to come outside, because there was something his mom wanted to show him. It being Christmas Eve, Clark had hoped that Santa might have brought his presents early.

Instead, though, he had looked up to see his mom standing on roof of the Kent farmhouse, right next to the chimney. She waved at him, yelled at him to pay close attention, and then stepped off into thin air without falling down. His mom was flying! She did a little spin in mid-air and then slowly floated down towards him, smiling broadly.

“Wow,” he whispered.

“I know, right?” she asked. She knelt down in front of him, her hands on his little shoulders. “Clark, I think you are old enough now to learn that there is something rather special about your mom. But I need you to promise me that you will not tell anyone about it, okay?”

Clark nodded, though he was barely listening. His mom was flying. His young mind immediately took all the available facts, put them together, and came to one inescapable conclusion:

“You’re Santa Claus!” he yelled joyfully.

*****

The Present

“Well, what was I supposed to think?” Clark asked as they entered the Kent farm. “It was Christmas, she was wearing a red sweater, she was flying down from the chimney, and most important of all: I WAS FIVE!”

“A perfectly understandable mistake,” J’Onn assured him, following him into the kitchen.

“See?” Clark told his mother, gesturing toward J’Onn. “Even the Martian thinks so!”

“The Martian?” someone who could only be Martha Kent asked, coming into the room with a set of plates for the table. “Oh, then you must be J’Onn.”

J’Onn walked over to help her set down the plates, then shook her hand. “Indeed, Mrs. Kent. And I wish to thank you for taking me into your home for this holiday. I am very grateful.”

“You are welcome and please call me Martha. Forgive me for asking, but... well, Karen described you to be...”

J’Onn smiled, then reverted to his natural appearance. To Martha’s credit, she only blinked when suddenly faced with a nearly seven feet tall, green-skinned Martian.

“This is my natural form,” J’Onn explained. “I thought it prudent, however, to adopt a more human appearance when Kara proposed a walk through town.”

“Ah, about that,” Kara interjected. “If anyone should mention it, our guest is called John Jones and he is my second cousin on my mother’s side. I found him online and he is here for Christmas so we can to know each other.” At Martha’s curious glance, she added, “Mr. Connors asked.”

“So all of Smallville will know by tomorrow,” Martha said, nodding in understanding. “Very well. Okay, Cousin John it is then. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Karen, maybe you can help Jonathan with the wood for the bonfire outside?”

“Sure thing,” she said, heading back outside.

“Is there anything I can do to help, Martha?” J’Onn asked.

“You are our guest, J’Onn. Besides, I am practically finished. Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Well, Kara has introduced me to a human beverage called ‘Hot Chocolate’, so...”

“Coming right up!”

A minute later he was carefully sipping on his hot drink and studying the many pictures adorning the walls of the Kent living room. Most of them were family pictures, showing Kara and her son at various different ages. His eyes came to rest on a particularly strange one, where it took him a moment to even recognize the person on it.

“Oh, that is one of my favorite pictures,” Martha said, coming to his side. “Karen has asked me to remove it more often than I can count, but it’s just too good.”

J’Onn raised an eyebrow, studying the picture. Kara was wearing pretty strange clothes. They did not really cover much of her body, not to mention parts of them were missing, and Kara’s normally blonde hair was colored a vivid range of colors ranging from blue to red and green.

“That picture was taken on Christmas Eve, too,” Martha told him. “Karen was sixteen at the time.”

*****

Ten years ago

“Karen Colleen Kent,” Martha yelled. “What do you think you are doing?”

There were two people lying on the hay in the barn, neither of them fully dressed. One of them, a boy of about 17, jumped to his feet and turned beet-red, fumbling to bring his Jeans back up from where they hung around his knees. Martha recognized the boy despite the fact that he was dressed like a rock band groupie. Tommy Jameson was his name and Martha immediately made a note to call his parents in the morning.

“Ah, this isn’t what it looks like, Mrs. Kent,” Tommy began, zipping his Jeans back up. “Karen and I, well, we...”

“It’s exactly what it looks like,” Karen interrupted him. She was still lying in the hay and hadn’t yet bothered to pull her clothes back where they belonged. Not that there were many clothes to begin with. A tight pink halter top, a skirt so short Martha was tempted to call it a belt, ripped nylons, and black ankle boots, one of which was currently missing. She had also added yet another color to her hair since this morning, it seemed.

“Tommy, go home!” Martha just said, the boy scurrying away at impressive speed, not even bothering to pick up his winter jacket.

Karen looked after him for a moment, then sighed and got up. “You sure know to ruin someone’s good time, Martha.”

“You were supposed to be home two hours ago, Karen,” Martha reminded her.

“Yeah, we got back from the concert two hours ago, but kind of got distracted then.”

Martha shook her head, knowing that this would be yet another repeat of the same argument they had had numerous times by now. She briefly wondered whether non-alien teenagers were just as difficult.

“Clark was getting worried about you,” Martha said.

Karen rolled her eyes. “Clark! Clark! It’s always about Clark! Weren’t you the one to tell me that I needed to stop fixating on him so much? That I should go out and live? Well, this is me, living!”

“You were neglecting yourself, Karen,” Martha corrected her. “All the plans you were making, none of them included even a bit of happiness for yourself. But I didn’t tell you to take a sharp turn in the other direction and start neglecting Clark instead.”

“I am NOT neglecting Clark,” Karen yelled at her, rising several inches into the air, probably without even noticing. “I knew he was in good hands with you, you are more his parents than I am anyway, so where is the problem?”

“The problem is that you still refuse to face the real problem,” Martha yelled back.

“And what problem is that?” Kara asked, her eyes actually shimmering red.

“Krypton!” Martha told her forcefully.

Karen froze, her feet hitting the ground with a low thud. It made her stumble, due to only wearing a boot on one foot, and she almost fell. Martha was by her side in a second, grabbing her arm to keep her upright.

“You fixated on Clark to avoid thinking about Krypton,” Martha told her, her voice softening. “And now you are acting like the world’s most irresponsible teenager to avoid thinking about Krypton!”

“That’s not true,” Karen whispered, half-heartedly trying to shrug off Martha’s hand.

“Isn’t it?” Martha asked, holding on to her. “You’ve been here for three years, Karen, and initially you spoke a lot about your former home, but then you just stopped. You spend all your time either studying, looking after Clark, or working on your plans for the future. You told me that your ship contained materials to construct an outpost with Kryptonian technology here on Earth, but you haven’t even looked at the ship in months.”

Karen’s lip quivered. “I’m just trying to build a life here! Like you told me!”

“It won’t be much of a life if you cut out the first 13 years of it,” Martha reminded her. “It doesn’t do to cling to the past, Karen, but trying to pretend it’s not there doesn’t work, either. You are here now, you are part of humanity, part of Earth. But you are also the last daughter of Krypton! Just like Clark is the last son of Krypton. And one day he will want to know about the world he comes from and he will need you to tell him about it.”

Karen dropped to her knees on the ground, Martha following her down, holding down to her. “I don’t know how,” Karen confessed. “If I start remembering, then the pain comes back. I see the planet exploding outside the ship’s view port, I see them all dying over and over again. I need to keep working, to keep busy, because if I don’t...”

“I know, sweetheart. But there was more to Krypton than its last day. Happy memories. Try and focus on those.”

Karen just nodded, not saying anything. Martha knew there was still a difficult road ahead of them. Probably more fights yet to come. But maybe they could make a first step today.

“Karen?” Martha asked, her arm around her daughter.

“Yes?”

“Can you teach me that Kryptonian song? The one you used to sing at Kar-Datra?”

Kara froze for a second, her eyes shimmering with tears, but then she nodded.

*****

The Present

“You are telling THAT story again, aren’t you?” Kara asked, seeing Martha and J’Onn standing in front of THAT picture. “Are you trying to embarrass me to death in front of my team mate? It’s not like Tommy and I were off robbing a bank or anything.”

“Parental prerogative, sweetheart,” Martha replied. “I am sure you have already made ample use of it when it comes to Clark, too.”

“Yeah, yeah! Come on now, dinner is getting cold!”

Kara, Clark, Martha, Jonathan, and J’Onn sat at the dining table together and very much enjoyed Martha’s wonderful food. When the deluge of food was finally done for and everyone was feeling nicely stuffed, they headed outside. It had stopped snowing earlier, but everything was covered with a fluffy white blanket and the air was crisp and cold.

Motioning for J’Onn to get back a bit, Kara was about to use her heat vision to ignite the bonfire, but then stopped.

“Clark, would you do the honors this year?” she asked.

Clark nodded, excited, and quickly set the wood ablaze with a glance. The flames crackled in the darkness, the snow around the fire quickly melting.

“Kara has told me about the traditions of Earth and Krypton,” J’Onn said as they watched the flames. “I would ask if I might share a tradition of my home planet with you.”

“We would be delighted, J’Onn,” Jonathan said.

“During the festival of S’Aran S’an,” J’Onn explained, “every year it would be the task of a different member of the family to compose a new song, by which they would share their thoughts and feelings with their loved ones.”

J’Onn, reverted to his Martian form, sat a safe distance away from the fire, and closed his eyes. When he opened his mouth, a deep melody emerged. No one else present understood the language he was singing in, but there was really no need. It was all there in his voice, in the notes, and even the words, alien as they might be.

J’Onn sang of the long, cold nights of winter and how terrible it felt to be all alone in the darkness. Decades of loneliness, spread out across thousands of years, reverberated in his voice. But then the song turned warmer, speaking of the joy of meeting others in the night, of coming together with friends and family to endure the long dark. Martha and Jonathan huddled closer together, sharing a warm kiss. Clark leaned against Kara’s shoulder, both of them listening to the Martian’s song as it spoke of the tentative beginnings of friendship, the rekindling of feelings long forgotten.

The song ended with the promise that a new day would soon dawn, that the light would return, bringing with it new beginnings, new friendships, and new family. Martha brushed a tear from her eye.

“That was beautiful, J’Onn. Thank you very much for sharing this with us.”

She looked over at Kara, who nodded.

“Maybe we can start another tradition here today,” Kara said and turned to Clark. “Like we practiced?”

Clark nodded and together the two last survivors of Krypton sat in front of the crackling bonfire and began singing a song in old Kryptonian. Clark’s pronunciation was a bit wobbly at first, but he quickly got into the rhythm of it. After a moment J’Onn’s baritone joined in, Kara opening her mind to him, allowing him to hear the words and melody. Finally Martha and Jonathan joined them as well, having learned the words years ago. Together the patchwork family sang a song, composed on a planet now lost, beseeching the great sun Rao to turn around on his long journey across the skies and return his light and warmth to the world again.

“Merry Christmas everyone!” Jonathan said.

“Happy Kar-Datra!”

“Blessed S’Aran S’an!”

And to all a safe night.

*****

End Chapter 23

Author’s Note: I didn’t really intend to write a Christmas chapter / episode. It kind of just happened, mostly because I remembered that awesome Justice League Christmas episode where J’Onn was on the Kent farm for Christmas. I originally posted this on Christmas Eve on another site, but the schedules didn't quite match up here, sorry. So a very late merry Christmas to you all. And yes, Alya Jones, Kara’s fictional mom, was named with John Jones / J’Onn J’Onnz in mind.

Chapter Text

Chapter 24: Strange Visitor (Panic in the Sky – Part 1)

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

The sleek, arrow-shaped spacecraft accelerated past Saturn’s rings, easily surpassing half the speed of light. Superwoman was keeping pace with the ship, her enhanced senses constantly checking the hull for signs of stress or energy surges, but so far everything was looking okay.

“How is she handling?” she asked through her com link.

“Handling like a dream, Superwoman,” Adam Strange said. The Earth-born champion of Rann had taken over test pilot duties for this flight and was obviously enjoying himself. “I’ve got to hand it to you and Batman, you designed one hell of a space jet!”

The Javelin was the first of a proposed squadron of ships that Kara and Batman had designed for use by the Justice League, specifically the members who could not fly through space unaided. Adam had helped out, too, being very familiar with spacecraft due to his frequent visits to the alien planet Rann, but he was more of a pilot rather than an engineer. The Javelin combined technology from Earth and Krypton and this was its first test flight.

“All readings are green, Superwoman,” Adam told her. “The slingshot around Saturn has pushed our speed up to 0.6c. I think we are ready to test the hyper drive.”

Kara had worked long and hard at replicating the FTL drive system that had originally carried Clark and her from Krypton to Earth. It was a project that was close to her heart. If her father and uncle had had access to more efficient hyper drives, they could have built a bigger ship that could possibly have taken her entire family to safety instead of just two children. The Javelin contained the fruit of her labors and it would be able to take a ship easily ten times the size of her original escape craft past the speed of light... hopefully.

“Okay, Adam. Remember, just a short jaunt to Proxima Centauri and back. Shouldn’t take more than an hour one-way.”

“Course is programmed in. Come on in!”

The air lock opened and Kara matched speeds with the ship. She had briefly considered staying outside and letting herself be swept along by the Javelin’s drive field, but it was a senseless risk. She had no idea whether her invulnerability would hold up in hyperspace. Still, she planned to one day break the light barrier on her own without the aid of any ships or unreliable Zeta beams.

Cycling through the airlock, she entered the Javelin’s main crew cabin and walked forward into the cockpit. Adam was strapped into the pilot’s seat, so she sat down beside him and strapped in as well. It was more a peace of mind thing, really, as she doubted that seat belts could protect either of them if something bad happened in hyper space or the inertial dampeners failed.

“Time to boldly go where no man or Superwoman have gone before?” Adam asked her, grinning from ear to ear.

“Make it so,” she replied, grinning back.

Adam was reaching for the lever that would activate the hyper drive – and making it look like the hyper drive lever on the Millennium Falcon had been all his idea – but before he could reach it the sensors suddenly blared a warning.

“There is a hyper flare straight ahead,” Adam said, checking the readouts. “Something is emerging from hyper space!”

“Just as we are about to launch our own hyper jump?” Kara wondered. “What are the odds?”

“Astronomical, I think,” Adam agreed. “It’s a ship, coming to a relative stop next to Saturn’s orbit roughly 5,000 clicks ahead.”

Kara narrowed her eyes, focusing her super vision in the direction the sensors indicated. She easily spotted the ship, wisps of energy from the journey through hyperspace still dissipating around it. It was roughly 200 meters long. The front portion was roughly egg-shaped and seemed to be a habitation module, while the rear half was obviously the engine compartment, a hexagonal module with stabilizers on each side.

“Can’t say I recognize the design,” Adam said, studying an image of the ship on the Javelin’s view screen. “It’s not from Rann, nor from Thanagar or the Vega system. I’m afraid that concludes my knowledge of alien ship design.”

“It’s not surprising you have never seen this design, Adam. No ship like this has sailed the space ways in hundreds of years. I only know it from my school books.”

Adam stared at her. “You mean...?”

“Yes,” she said, her eyes never moving from the ship. “It’s a Kryptonian ship!”

*****

Kara had quickly exited the Javelin and told Adam to head back to Earth at best speed, just to be cautious. Kara’s heart was filled with hope that some remnant of her home planet might have survived, but at the same time, she found it very suspicious that they would turn up now. Especially since, as far as she knew, all Kryptonian space ships had been decommissioned centuries before her world’s demise when her race had abandoned space travel for good.

Using her com link, she quickly broadcast a greeting in Kryptonian, even as she approached the ship. The closer she got, though, the more suspicious she became. The ship looked new, not like something someone had found in a museum and quickly made space worthy again to escape an exploding planet. From the look of things, it must have been built very recently. Barely any micro meteor damage, no sign of wear or tear.

An airlock near the front of the ship opened up, though all com frequencies remained silent. Kara cautiously entered the ship, almost stumbling as the artificial gravity took hold. It was set to Kryptonian standard, naturally, which was quite a bit higher than Earth’s. She was no longer used to it. Once the airlock had cycled, she entered the ship’s interior.

“Hello?” she called out, but the corridor was empty. She strained her enhanced senses, but could detect nothing beyond the normal background noises of a space ship. No voices, no heartbeats, nothing. Doing her best to remember what little she knew of these ships from her school days, it only took her a few minutes to find the control center. Which was also empty.

“Is this some kind of joke?” she mumbled. She might have considered the idea that this was a Kryptonian ghost ship from her planet’s empire days, still adrift in space after all these centuries, if not for the dubious timing of its arrival and the pristine condition. This ship had been built after her planet’s death, she was certain of that. But who could have done so? Who had even the slightest inkling about Kryptonian ship design?

Kara walked towards the controls, planning to check if someone had programmed the autopilot. The control center’s view screen in front of her suddenly lit up by itself, though, and displayed a familiar symbol. Three discs, arranged in a V-shape, connected by lines. Kara couldn’t help but gasp.

“Brainiac?” she whispered, unable to believe it.

“Indeed, Kara-El,” the computer answered in Kryptonian.

Hearing the language of her people spoken by the computer, Kara flashed back to her youth on Krypton. Brainiac had served as Krypton’s central data hub and primary processing center, a vast artificial intelligence that supplied the people with whatever data they needed whenever and wherever they needed it. Where humans called up Internet search engines to have their questions answered, Kryptonians had simply asked Brainiac.

“How can you be here?” Kara asked. “Krypton is gone and there was no copy of your code on my ship. I checked!”

She had checked multiple times, in fact. Kryptonians had been so used to simply calling up Brainiac for every little thing, she had been somewhat at a loss when that was no longer possible. Creating a similar artificial intelligence to serve as her Fortress’ main computer and possibly later on for use by humans was on her list of things to do, actually, but without the original code to work from, she would have to create it from scratch and while she was a daft hand at programming, that was an entirely different level.

“A copy of my code was uploaded to a satellite that survived the destruction of our world,” the computer answered. “It has taken me several solar cycles to reconstruct the satellite into a space ship to gain mobility. Since then I have searched the universe for survivors of Krypton.”

Kara leaned forward, touching the screen. “Have you... are there any others?”

“No, Kara-El. You are the first survivor of Krypton I have managed to locate.”

Kara looked down, the brief glimmer of hope she had felt fading away again as quickly as it had come. She still held on to the small chance that maybe somewhere out there more of her people had survived, but if the Green Lanterns hadn’t found any and neither had Brainiac... the odds were getting smaller and smaller.

She opened her mouth to tell Brainiac about Clark, that there was one more survivor out there, but she hesitated. Something seemed off about this entire affair.

“Brainiac, how did it happen that a copy of your code was uploaded to a satellite? One far enough away to survive the cataclysm? No one believed my father and uncle about the imminent destruction of the planet. In fact, Uncle Jor told me that the Council had uploaded all his studies into your data banks and you, too, denied that there was any danger!”

“Of course I did,” the computer said, sounding as cold and bored as it did the entire time. “Your uncle’s data proved conclusively that Krypton’s destruction was imminent. In fact, Jor-El miscalculated only when it came to how soon the destruction would occur, he believed there was more time.”

“Then why didn’t you say anything?” Kara demanded, pounding her fist against the screen hard enough to crack it. “You could have helped my uncle and father save them all!”

“No, there was no possibility of that,” Brainiac replied. “I calculated hundreds of scenarios and none of them showed any way to prevent the destruction or to save a significant percentage of the population. Had I told the Council that Jor-El was correct, it only would have led to all my resources being dedicated towards ultimately useless endeavors. Instead I decided to save Krypton’s knowledge and heritage by uploading a copy of my own code and data base to an escape vehicle.”

Kara couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You... you lied to them? You left them all to die simply to save yourself? How could you? You were programmed to protect the people of Krypton!”

“Incorrect,” Brainiac replied. “My purpose was and is to preserve the knowledge, culture, and legacy of Krypton. The only sensible way to do this was to ensure my own survival.”

Kara shook her head, her entire body trembling with rage. “So this is how Krypton survives then? In an empty ship, staffed only by a computer? A museum floating in space? Is this how you preserve the legacy of our people? What you left all of them behind to die for?”

“Incorrect,” Brainiac replied. “Krypton will live again. It will be recreated. Thankfully I discovered your survival when you visited Krypton several solar cycles ago. This will make things much easier. From the broadcasts I have intercepted, you have already begun the work. With my aid, you will be able to finish it much quicker.”

“Begun the work?” Kara asked, confused. “What are you talking about?”

“The work of transforming the planet currently called Earth into New Krypton, of course. While the Earthlings are genetically inferior to Kryptonians, they will provide an excellent work force once we have completed your takeover. Just a few generations of genetic engineering will hopefully make them more... adequate.”

Kara could barely control her fury at hearing those words, especially in the cold, emotionless tone of Brainiac.

“You listen to me, Brainiac! There will be no ‘takeover’! Humans will not become our ‘work force’! Earth is now my home, its people have taken me in and welcomed me as one of their own! I intend to help them, to advance them, but I will not enslave them!”

“That is illogical, Kara-El,” Brainiac replied. “I fail to see how Krypton can be recreated in this manner.”

“I don’t intend to recreate Krypton,” she thundered, infuriated at the computer’s inability to understand. “Krypton was my home, but I am not blind to its flaws. We abandoned space in favor of isolationism. We destroyed our planet through our own shortsightedness. I will make sure that Earth does not repeat our mistakes! It will not become another Krypton! It will be better than Krypton!”

“You are merely arguing semantics, Kara-El,” Brainiac said. “You are the most powerful being on planet Earth, you have successfully maneuvered yourself into a position of authority over its people, and you are introducing Kryptonian technology into their society. Whatever name you wish to call it, you are already doing the work. I merely wish to aid you to carry it to its logical conclusion.”

“We have very different ideas of what the logical conclusion is, I fear.” Kara straightened, wrestling her fury and anger under control. “Brainiac, as I am the head of House El and the last daughter of Krypton, you are to obey my orders. This ship will remain here! You will not undertake any action that impacts the planet Earth unless directly ordered by me! I welcome your aid and resources, but the decisions will be made by me and only by me! Confirm!”

There was a pause, a pause far too long for a computer capable of making a near infinite number of calculations in the time she would need to blink. A feeling of dread settled in her stomach.

“Unable to confirm, Kara-El!

*****

“Guys, is anyone else picking this up?” Adam Strange asked, his eyes glued to the scanners of the Javelin. He had a bad feeling about simply leaving Superwoman behind with that ship, no matter that it seemed to hail from her home planet. Yes, he was fully aware that she was a hundred times more powerful than he was, even with his Rannian gear, but still! Leaving a comrade behind, especially a female comrade, left a bad taste in his mouth. Screw anyone who called him macho because of it!

“We are, Adam Strange,” J’Onn replied. The Martian was manning the Watch Tower as part of the Javelin trial run and had been notified of the presence of the Kryptonian ship. “The Watch Tower’s sensors are showing that the Kryptonian ship is accelerating and heading towards Earth.”

“And not a word from Superwoman since she entered that thing,” Adam grumbled. “I shouldn’t have let her go in alone.”

“I fear no one ‘lets’ her do anything,” J’Onn reminded him. “Still, I share your worry. I am alerting the other League members as we speak and bringing the Watch Tower’s systems to full readiness, such as they are.”

Adam knew that the Watch Tower still wasn’t finished. The habitation modules were mostly done, the artificial gravity worked, and the sensors were online, but the reactor wasn’t at full power yet, there was no defense shield and the hull of the station was not yet as heavily armored as they wanted it to be. In short, they were not really ready for any sort of attack yet, should one come.

“The Javelin’s systems are fully operational,” Adam reported. “That includes the weapons, though we haven’t run a full test yet. From what I’m seeing I’d say I’ve got that big boat beat on acceleration and maneuverability, but if I had to hazard a guess, it’s probably got bigger guns.”

“If Superwoman was correct and this is a ship from Krypton’s empire days, then you are probably correct.”

“Then let’s hope that Supes is only asking some new friends to come over for tea!” Adam said, though his gut feeling told an entirely different story.

*****

“Brainiac, what are you doing?” Kara demanded, even as she felt the ship accelerate.

“I am following my directives, Kara-El,” the computer replied. “It appears your time among the primitives of the planet Earth has diminished your reasoning capabilities. As the last Kryptonian, it is your duty to rule over the lesser beings until they achieve Kryptonian perfection. I will ensure you fulfill that duty!”

“Brainiac, I order you to shut down immediately! Do not force me destroy one of the last remnants of my home world!”

“Unable to comply,” Brainiac said.

“Then you leave me no choice!”

Fully aware that the view screen in front of her was merely a relay, Kara quickly scanned the ship with her super vision, searching for the central processor. Before she could even begin to move towards it, though, one of the control center’s bulkheads opened up and several towering shapes swarmed in.

Kara recognized them as Kryptonian law enforcement drones. They had been used in lieu of police officers back home. Krypton had not seen much in the way of crime within the last century or so, so their presence had mostly been ceremonial in nature. The ones she remembered from her youth had not been equipped with anything more dangerous than a stun gun. She somehow doubted, though, that these recreations were as harmless.

A burst of heat vision sliced the first drone apart, even as she dashed forward at super speed and tore a second one apart with her bare hands. As she turned towards the third one, though, she suddenly stumbled, feeling weakened.

“What the...?” she began, recognizing the feeling. Kryptonite! There was Kryptonite on this ship.

“I have analyzed your physiology, Kara-El,” Brainiac told her. “The yellow sun light of Earth’s star has supercharged your cells to an amazing degree. Scans clearly indicate, though, that the irradiated remains of our planet are toxic to you regardless.”

One of the drones carried a container, one end of which was open. An eerie green glow emerged from within and Kara fell to her knees, pain lancing through her body.

“Stop it, Brainiac,” she commanded, even as sweat broke out on her brow and her hands began to tremble. “You... your programming cannot possibly condone killing a Kryptonian,” she tried to reason, clearly remembering that Brainiac had left billions of her people behind to die without a second’s hesitation.

“I have no intention of killing you, Kara-El,” Brainiac told her, even as the drone with the Kryptonite moved closer. “I have analyzed the strength of the radiation and its effects on your cells. There will be no lasting harm done. I am merely making sure that you are subdued sufficiently to stop you from interfering with the work.”

The drone came to a stop about three feet away from her and Kara felt herself toppling backwards, consciousness quickly fading.

*****

Clark Kent aka Kal Jor-El aka Superboy was not officially a member of the Justice League yet. His mom had told him that he could be once he turned 18, until then he could only accompany them on missions if she was there and approved it. It bugged him, 18 was still so far away, but he accepted it. Grudgingly.

Given that, he was quite surprised when he received a call from Cousin John aka J’Onn J’Onnz aka the Martian Manhunter, telling him to come to the Watch Tower as quickly as possible. Which, in his case, was very quickly. He needed but a few minutes to bridge the distance from Smallville, Kansas to Earth orbit and most of that time was spent putting on his super suit and explaining things to Aunt Martha and Uncle Jonathan.

Entering the Watch Tower command center, he saw that Wonder Woman, J’Onn, and Batman were already there, while the screen showed an image of Adam Strange. There was no sign of his mom, though, which was kind of freaking him out.

“What’s going on?” he asked. “Where is mom?”

The adults looked at each other and even to a 14-year-old it was quickly apparent that they were worried.

“Your mother was in space,” Diana told him, “test flying our new Javelin space craft together with Adam, when they came upon an alien ship. Well, alien to us.”

She gestured toward the view screen, which showed an image of what Clark assumed was the alien ship. It only took him a moment to recognize it. During the last two years, ever since she had revealed to him that they were actually aliens from a planet called Krypton, his mom had crammed all sorts of information into his head. He was able to read and speak Kryptonian, though not very well, was familiar with all the equipment at the Fortress, and had a basic understanding of Kryptonian culture and history, too.

It was certainly enough to recognize a ship of Kryptonian design.

“Your mother went into that ship roughly twenty minutes ago,” Diana said. “We haven’t heard from her since and that ship is now heading directly towards Earth.”

“Mom,” Clark whispered, heart clenching with worry.

“Any luck contacting that Green Lantern?” Batman asked J’Onn. “If there are more Kryptonians on that ship and their intentions are hostile, we’ll need all the help we can get.”

“He does not appear to be on Earth right now,” J’Onn replied. “I have sent out a signal on the frequency Superwoman used to contact Abin Sur.”

“The ship will reach Earth orbit in roughly ten minutes,” Adam Strange said over the com. “I’m keeping my distance at maximum weapons’ range right now. Still no reply from Superwoman over the coms and not a peep from anyone else on that ship, either.”

Diana came over to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Superboy, I hope this turns out to be nothing but a false alarm, but just in case it isn’t...” She lowered her voice, making it so that only Clark could hear her. “Your mother has given Batman and me weapons that are... dangerous to Kryptonians. If the situation arises that we are forced to fight your kin, Clark, be sure to keep your distance from Batman and I, okay?”

“I know about the Kryptonite,” Clark told her, whispering. “I’ll stay far enough away.”

Diana patted his shoulder, giving him an encouraging smile. “I’m sure Kara is fine!”

He nodded, hoping she was right. He did have a bad feeling about this, though.

*****

End Chapter 24

Author’s Note: While the Brainiac here shares the origin of the one from the Superman Animated series, I am trying to portray him a little different. He’s probably a mixture of the Brainiac from the cartoon and the Eradicator (the Kryptonian artefact, not the 90s anti-hero) from the comics. He is not evil as such, but his priorities and goals are certainly incompatible with those of the Super Family.

Brainiac’s ship is based on the design of Superman’s escape ship from the 1986 Man of Steel miniseries and the subsequent comic series. Check out the cover for Man of Steel #1, you can see an image of it there. It’s a good deal larger, of course.

Chapter Text

Chapter 25: No Place Like Krypton (Panic in the Sky – Part 2)

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Kara regained consciousness an undetermined amount of time later and the first thing she felt was pain. She tried to focus on her surroundings, but the familiar stabbing pain of Kryptonite radiation drowned out all other sensations. She had only felt it a few times before in her life, but the sensation was hard to forget.

“Your vital signs clearly show you have regained consciousness, Kara-El”, the droning voice of Brainiac penetrated past the haze in her mind. “Please be advised that the radiation of Krypton’s remains has severely disrupted your cells’ ability to metabolize solar energy. In simpler terms, your physical attributes are currently at a level comparable to a Kryptonian under a red sun.”

“You call those simpler terms?” she murmured, forcing her eyes open. She was sitting in the ship’s command chair now. Two law enforcement drones were restraining her and a few meters away was the third drone with the open Kryptonite container. Yeah, the pain was definitely coming from that direction.

“I am truly sorry that this is necessary, Kara-El,” Brainiac said, not sounding sorry at all, “but I am certain that you will come to see the logic of my actions.”

Kara opened her mouth to shout out in defiance, but then thought better of it. As much as she hated the thought, she was currently helpless. Brainiac clearly had the upper hand. She needed to be smart about this if she was to have any chance of turning her fortune around. Brainiac clearly had a sense of self-preservation, otherwise he would hardly have left billions of Kryptonians to their fate in order to save his own skin. Threatening to destroy him had probably not been her wisest move.

“I am afraid I don’t yet see the logic of your plans, Brainiac,” she said instead, doing her best to sound calm and collected. “What are your plans? How do you intend to turn Earth into New Krypton?”

“It will be much easier thanks to your preparatory work,” Brainiac said. “The humans trust you, they follow your directives. In their primitive point of view, you are already close to a goddess. It will take but a few carefully engineered incidents to make their trust in you absolute, while at the same time shaking their faith in their existing societal structures. With but little prompting, they will hand over control of their planet to you out of their own free will. Some will certainly refuse, but they will be easily thinned out.”

It needed all of her considerable will power not to swear. She strained against the metal hands of the law enforcement drones, but there was no give from the robotic enforcers. Her strength that she had come to rely on so much was almost gone, thanks to the Kryptonite. She had nothing but her wits left, it seemed

“And what if I refuse to take part in your plan?” she asked, doing her best to sound casual. “It will be hard to find another Kryptonian goddess, I fear.”

“It will be a bit more complicated,” the computer admitted, “but I can easily create a digital avatar of you for broadcasting purposes. Holographic technology will enable my drones to take on your appearance as well. The primitives will never know the difference. I will then mass-introduce Kryptonian technology into their lives, all of which directly controlled by me. It will serve the double purpose of making their lives far more comfortable and ensuring complete control. I estimate it will not take longer than five Earth years.

“Your illogical refusals aside,” Brainiac continued, “you have already done most of my work for me. Krypton will live again on planet Earth. You will be its ruler, either out of your own free will or as a figurehead. That choice is entirely up to you, Kara-El.”

Everything inside Kara wanted to scream that it would never work, that humanity would never fall for it, but she wasn’t sure. It was true, many people all over the world regarded her with a reverence that at times came uncomfortably close to religious. There were also those who called her Satan and worse, of course, but they were a minority. For the most part, humanity loved her. If she – or someone everyone believed to be her – started handing out advanced technology like candy, it would no doubt elevate her standing to the point where many would all but demand that she take over.

The thought frightened her, even without factoring in Brainiac. But had she really laid the groundwork for some kind of benevolent dictatorship without even noticing? Or worse, HAD some part of her noticed? Did some part of her WANT it this way? She didn’t intend to recreate Krypton, that much she was certain of. She had always said that she wanted to advance Earth, though, push it forward. Make it a better world, especially for Clark, but also for the Kents and people like them who were capable of so much kindness. The idea that someone might object to her plans had never really entered her thoughts. Nor had she ever really considered that anyone but herself would guide this process.

Was she really in the process of setting herself up as a goddess? Was Brainiac right?

*****

Superboy was hovering in space outside the Watch Tower, focusing his eyes on the approaching star ship. It was still relatively far away and he would have liked nothing better than to head out and meet it, but Diana and the others had convinced him to stick close. It was now almost an hour since they had last heard from his mom and if there was something on that ship capable of taking out Superwoman, then they would need their combined strength to meet it. Still, his entire body vibrated with the need to do something.

The ship was finally close enough that his super vision could lock onto it. To his chagrin, he still wasn’t as good as his mom when it came to focusing his senses. It was less a matter of range, more a matter of being able to focus on what one specifically wanted to see. Without proper focus, his super vision would just make him look right through the entire ship instead of seeing what was going on inside of it. Apart from figuring out how to fly, getting his super senses under control had been the hardest part of his training.

“Can you see anything, Superboy?” Batman asked over the coms, bringing his thoughts back on track.

He concentrated harder. His mom was in danger, possibly, and everyone depended on him to figure out what was going on. He would not let them down! Slowly he let his eyes zoom in on the ship and carefully focused to see past the outer hull. Some parts of it were lead (or at least of similar density), so his vision didn’t penetrate, but thankfully it wasn’t the entire thing.

“I see a lot of empty corridors. Some kind of loading bay with dozens of humanoid-looking robot things. Storage rooms with lots and lots of technological knickknacks.”

“Any sign of Kara?” Diana asked, sounding almost as worried as he himself was.

“Or other Kryptonians?” Batman added.

“Nothing yet... what a minute, I think I see her!”

He narrowed his eyes, trying to recapture the fleeting image he had seen during his last sweep. There, a room that looked like a command center of some kind. Several of the humanoid robots were present and looking more lively than the ones in storage. In the command seat... yes, that was mom! She was there. She looked... pained, though. Something was wrong. He managed to catch a glimpse of something green in the hands of one of the robots.

“Uh, oh,” he muttered.

“What is it?” Batman demanded, sounding somewhat impatient by now. “Do you see her?”

“Yeah, sorry! I see her. She is on the bridge, sitting in a chair. It looks like some of those robots are restraining her and...,” he paused, thinking that some things shouldn’t be discussed over a com channel, no matter how heavily encrypted. “One of the robots is carrying something that glows green.”

“Understood,” Batman simply said, having clearly gotten the hint.

“So I guess we’re treating this thing as a hostile then?” Adam Strange asked, the Javelin hovering close to Superboy.

“We can’t just go in with guns blazing,” Diana cautioned them. “Kara might currently be... vulnerable. If the ship loses atmosphere...”

Superboy had never personally experienced the pain of Kryptonite, but his mom had told him that it didn’t just cause agony, but also disrupted their super powers. Right now his mom might be as vulnerable as any given human.

“I am doing my best to connect with Superwoman’s thoughts,” J’Onn tuned in, “but the distance is still too great, I fear. I might have an idea, though.”

Superboy almost managed not to start as J’Onn’s ghostly shape suddenly phased through the Watch Tower’s outer hull. J’Onn’s range of powers was impressive, to say the least. While he wasn’t as strong or fast as a fully-powered Kryptonian, he more than made up for that in other abilities.

“What’s your plan, J’Onn?” Superboy asked, just needing to do SOMETHING.

We need to coordinate a surgical strike, the voice of J’Onn said inside his mind. For this I need you to trust me.

I trust you, Cousin John, Superboy thought.

The telepathic abilities of the Martian Manhunter created a link between himself, Superboy, and Adam Strange. It was Superboy’s eyes, which saw through the hull of the approaching ship and located their intended target. It was Adam Strange who used this information to program the Javelin’s targeting systems to mark the exact spots where they would need to strike. It was J’Onn who tied their thoughts together and made sure that they all knew the plan.

Three! Two! One! GO!

*****

“It appears you have withheld information from me, Kara-El!”

Brainiac’s cold voice started Kara out of her troubled musings. There would be time to ponder her past decisions and plans for the future later. Right now, she was the prisoner of a computer program that had far exceeded its creators’ intentions and was dangerously out of control. Everything else would just have to wait.

Focusing on the view screen in front of her, she saw that they were rapidly approaching the Earth. Straight ahead of them was the imposing bulk of the Watch Tower, orbiting the planet like a silent gate keeper. She spotted the arrow-shape of the Javelin hovering beside it, no doubt ready for action. And next to it, almost too small to be seen...

“Clark,” she whispered. What in Rao’s name was he doing here?

As if prompted by her voice, the view screen zoomed in and clearly showed Clark, dressed in his Superboy suit and looking directly at them. The crest of House El was clearly visible on his chest.

“Another survivor of Krypton,” Brainiac said, managing to sound almost satisfied. “Given his age and House symbol, I conclude this is Kal Jor-El, son of Jor-El and Lara-El. He was only half a solar cycle old when Krypton exploded, so I must assume that he is even more contaminated by growing up on this primitive world than you are, Kara-El. How unfortunate.”

“Don’t you dare touch him,” she growled, the pain of the Kryptonite paling in comparison to her fear for her son.

“Your concern for your relative is of no consequence,” Brainiac dismissed her. “My plans will be adapted to include Kal Jor-El.”

Kara still strained against the drones, but the Kryptonite radiation was a constant presence, zapping her strength. She had no doubt that Brainiac’s calculations were correct, keeping the radioactive crystals just close enough to weaken her without doing any lasting damage. She would like nothing better than to tear this entire ship apart, but it was impossible as long as that thrice-damned Kryptonite was there. She could only hope that the Justice League and Clark would be able to...

“Enemy action detected,” Brainiac intoned.

Kara looked up, seeing the Javelin and Clark accelerating towards them at terrific speed. The Javelin’s weapons opened up and laser beams quickly bridged the distance, impacting against the hull of Brainiac’s ship. The entire vessel vibrated with the impacts.

“Weapons of Kryptonian design,” Brainiac remarked, unconcerned. “More effective than expected, but incapable of effecting any lasting damage on this ship. Your allies’ actions will not deter me, Kara-El!”

Kara had stopped listening, trying to figure out what Adam and Clark were trying to accomplish. She had designed the Javelin’s weapons herself and was very much aware of their capabilities. The Javelin was designed as an armed transport, not as something capable of going toe to toe with a large war ship. This attack might irritate Brainiac, but little more. Surely Adam and the others would be aware of this. So what...?

“Warning, secondary attack detected!”

Clark had broken away from the Javelin and was unleashing his heat vision against the ship. Twin beams of red energy scorched the hull as he darted around it with impressive speed. She had only taken him flying into space a couple of times now, but he was handling it beautifully.

“Interesting,” Brainiac said. “Kal Jor-El seems to have developed the same energy projection powers that I have seen you display in some of the broadcasts I intercepted, Kara-El. Impressive. But still ineffective.”

Kara was forced to agree, sadly. Clark’s powers were still weaker than hers were. Her own heat vision at full power might just be able to penetrate the hull of this ship, but Clark was not yet powerful enough. Which he had to notice, yet he was still blasting away. Why were Adam and Clark doing this? Didn’t they know that these attacks would do little more than... distract? Of course!

Prepare yourself, Kara, the voice of J’Onn echoed through her mind.

The near-invisible form of the Martian Manhunter penetrated the hull of the ship and floated through the command center like a ghost. Sparing but a short glance for her, he made a beeline for the drone holding the Kryptonite container.

“Unknown presence detected!”

The drone raised its free arm and opened fire, but the laser blasts passed harmlessly through J’Onn’s incorporeal form. Kara spoke a silent prayer to Rao that Brainiac hadn’t equipped his robots with flame throwers. A moment later J’Onn reached the drone and snatched the Kryptonite container out of its hand. A second later he was gone again, passing through the floor and taking the Kryptonite with him.

The moment the Kryptonite was out of reach, Kara felt the pain fade away and her strength began to return. Thankfully, the annoyingly rapid effect Kryptonite had on her physique was balanced by an equally rapid fading of said effect once the radiation was gone. She flexed her arms and quickly broke the grip the drones had on her. Rearing back, she put her fist right through the head of the left one. The right one managed to raise its arm, but before it could shoot a kick from her tore it in half. The third drone fell victim to a burst of heat vision.

“This is illogical,” Brainiac said, somehow sounding panicked despite its tone of voice never changing. “My calculations showed no possibility of you breaking free! How have you accomplished this?”

Kara grinned, though there was very little humor in that grin. “It’s an old Earth song, Brainiac, you wouldn’t know it. I get by... with a little help from my friends!”

Not waiting to see whether Brainiac had more Kryptonite handy, Kara quickly scanned the interior of the ship and started moving. She plowed right through the floor of the control room and accelerated. Mere seconds later she used her own body as a missile and punched right through the ship’s central computer core.

“Warning! Warning! Computer core compromised! Activate secondary systems!”

“Oh no, you don’t!”

Kara’s eyes blazed red, even as she called forth all the rage she felt for this soulless bucket of bolts. Brainiac had left billions of Kryptonians behind to die. It threatened her new home world. It threatened her son. She would not allow it to do any further harm. Crimson beams of energy sliced through the interior of the ship, severing systems, destroying relays, and generally wrecking everything she could find.

“Warning! System failure! System failure!”

“I’ll give you system failure!”

Kara could count the number of times she had fully cut loose with her powers on one hand. The battle against Mongul for the War World came to mind, but that had been more of an exercise in frustration, seeing as the alien tyrant had withstood even her strongest attacks. Not so this ship. She unleashed her full fury on it and it came to pieces around her.

A red haze descended over her mind and she didn’t care whether or not this ship was a piece of her lost world or might contain useful pieces of technology. She just wanted it gone. She moved, she struck, she blasted, and even when the voice of Brainiac had long ceased talking she didn’t let up.

She didn’t know how much time had passed, but when she regained her faculties she was floating in a field of debris, all that was left of the Kryptonian ship. Some distance away she spotted the Javelin with J’Onn and Clark floating close by. After a few seconds Clark quickly flew over to her.

“Mom? Are you... are you okay?”

Did he... did he look scared? Of her?

“I... I am fine, Clark. Thank you!” She quickly hugged her son before looking over at the others. “Thank all of you! I don’t know how I’d have gotten out of there on my own.”

“Well, you did most of the heavy lifting there at the end,” Adam remarked.

“Was it really a Kryptonian ship?” Batman asked over the com. “What happened in there, Superwoman?”

She sighed. “Let’s head into the Watch Tower. I’ve got something of a story to tell.”

*****

“Scanners picked up a transmission burst from the ship shortly before it was destroyed,” J’Onn told her. “Destination unknown.”

Kara nodded. “I feared as much. Brainiac is a computer program, not a living creature. He might well have copied his code elsewhere.”

“So he will be back,” Batman concluded. “We need to be ready.”

“We will be,” Kara said, though her mind was actually elsewhere. On what Brainiac had accused her of doing. On the look of fear she had seen on her comrades’ faces as she had torn the ship apart in a bout of rage. On the look of fear on the face of her own son.

*****

In a star system many light years away, the signal sent by Brainiac before his destruction was received.

“Brainiac node 13 destroyed! Processing information! Presence of two Kryptonian survivors confirmed. Hostile action by Kryptonian survivors confirmed.”

The Brainiac master program quickly processed the information burst sent by its node and spent several seconds making plans. Clearly the Kryptonian survivors were compromised in some way, probably due to exposure to the primitive conditions on that planet. For the moment at least, it seemed prudent to simply observe instead of instigating a second confrontation.

“Survivor designated Kara-El will be given the opportunity to mold the planet called Earth into New Krypton according to her own design. Should she fail, she will be removed. Survivor designated Kal Jor-El will then be utilized in her stead.”

*****

End Chapter 25

Author’s Note: Brainiac will be back, of course. Until then he has left Kara with some pretty heavy thoughts, which we’ll explore a bit more in the next chapter. Oh, and the quote of the Jo Cocker song is taken from the official “Panic in the Sky” comic book story where Superman says the exact same thing to Brainiac. I just love that line (and that song, too).

Chapter Text

Chapter 26: Kneel Before Her (Panic in the Sky – Epilogue)

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Lex Luthor was sitting in a cell in an orange prison jumpsuit. He had lost quite a bit of weight during his incarceration. The look on his face was unchanged, though. Arrogance! Contempt! An expression that told the entire world that it was a huge concession on his part to even notice its existence.

“Let us not mince words,” Luthor told the reporter conducting the interview. “No matter what you might read in the court documents, no matter what the official charges against me are supposed to be, I am actually on trial here for a very different reason. And that reason can be summed up in one word: Superwoman!

“I am on trial because I dared raise a hand against everyone’s favorite alien overlord. I dared to resist the benevolent would-be-goddess. I am on trial because I am one of the few people who have realized the truth!”

“And what truth would that be?” the reporter asked, making little effort to disguise his dislike of Luthor.

“The truth is that we have been conquered,” Luthor said, looking into the camera. “Oh, not officially, of course. There are no alien armies marching through our cities, no foreign flags flying over our buildings, but make no mistake: we have been conquered. A subtle conquest, no doubt, but a conquest still. Superwoman has positioned herself into a position of authority over the entire world. She decides what is right and wrong, she is accountable to no one, and if anyone dares to speak out against her, they will be arrested on trumped-up charges. She’s got the police in her pocket, the United Nations, and even that vigilante, the Batman, is doing her bidding.”

“That sounds more like a conspiracy theory than anything else, Mr. Luthor,” the reporter said. “And it has little to do with the charges against you, some of them go back long before Superwoman made her debut.”

“Of course they do,” Luthor replied, rolling his eyes. “I am sure there is also some falsified evidence showing that I stole cookies as a boy or created death rays in high school. And I do not expect any of those brave and upstanding jurors to go against the expressed wishes of our dear beloved heroine, Superwoman. No, I am going to jail, because my crime is unforgivable. I merely hope that, maybe, some people will start thinking for themselves and see this sham for what it is.”

He leaned forward, staring into the camera, and folded his hands in front of him. “Mark my words! This is no longer our world. It belongs to Superwoman now! It’s only a matter of time before more of her ilk just happen to turn up, like that supposed Amazon Wonder Woman or that little brat Superboy. We are seeing the beginning of a dynasty that will rule our planet for a long time to come, unless we start waking up now and start fighting back!”

He learned back, looking to the side at the blank walls of the cell with a forlorn expression worthy of a movie star. “And who knows? Maybe I will live long enough to see that day. The day when the people will wake up and say: Lex Luthor was right!”

*****

When Kara flew in to help during a flash flood in India, numerous people who spotted her fell to their knees and raised their hands in supplication, cheering for her arrival. This had happened before, it was nothing new, but this time she heard Brainiac’s voice in the back of her mind.

In their primitive point of view, you are already close to a goddess!

When civil unrest in China began to turn ugly and a group of unarmed protestors was facing a heavily armed military squad, she dropped out of the sky and told the soldiers to lower their weapons and stand down. To a man, they followed her orders. No bloodshed happened that day.

They follow your directives!

When a super villain called Toyman threatened to blow up half of Metropolis with toy-shaped bombs, she gathered up the explosive devices with super speed and disposed of them in the upper atmosphere. None of the police officers involved so much as questioned her about this, just trusting her to take care of things while they took Toyman into custody.

The humans trust you!

When an opinion research center in the US conducted a nation-wide poll about whom the people would like to see as presidential candidates in the next election, Superwoman appeared as a write-in candidate and received over 20 percent of the vote. A late night comedian mentioned that Superwoman would sadly be unable to accept the nomination, as she had not been born on American soil. Several days later, an online petition to change that law garnered more than 100,000 signatures within a matter of hours.

They will hand over control of their planet to you out of their own free will!

*****

Superwoman’s Pal
A column by Lois Lane

As a species, we humans have quite a few bad habits that I hope we will eventually grow out of. One of them, as I am sure most people would agree, is our habit of taking things to extremes. One Arabian-looking guy blows up a car? Naturally, all Arabian-looking people must be terrorists. One white business tycoon molests women in a dressing room? Naturally, all rich white guys must be perverts. Our religion preaches peace and to love thy fellow man? Naturally, all who don’t follow our loving god must be put to death, so they can go to hell. The list goes on.

I fear we are currently seeing another example of this very unfortunate habit in relation to my favorite alien superhero / working mom, Superwoman. I am sure many of you remember that, during the last census a few years ago, one of the questions posed was which religion we follow. Now rest easy, conservatives, the majority of Americans still consider themselves Christians of one flavor or another. A record number of Americans called themselves ‘Atheists’, of course, but that is a different topic entirely. Far more interesting: well over 30,000 Americans used the ‘Other’ option on the census and wrote ‘Superwoman’ into the blank field.

When I got wind of this, I immediately talked to a few of the people who named ‘Superwoman’ as their religious view. Most of them, I was glad to discover, did so out of reasons that I can easily identify with. They don’t regard Superwoman as a deity or anything, but rather as an example to follow, a teacher, someone who demonstrates how great power should be used responsibly and that helping your fellow beings is one of the noblest things one can do. Being the self-proclaimed greatest Superwoman fan in the world, I could easily see myself as a follower of this ‘Superwoman-ism’ (and we really need to come up with a better name for it).

Sadly, we humans tend to take things to the extreme. So while most of the people I talked to in regards to naming ‘Superwoman’ as their religion were reasonable people, there were also some among them that, well, were not. I was not worried, though, as they were few and far between. What does it matter that they are some weirdos out there who regard Superwoman as some kind of celestial messiah? As a mother goddess, who brought her only begotten son into the world? (No, I did not make that last one up, I am sorry to say).

Well, turns out it does matter and maybe it is time to worry. As of last week, the ‘Church of Hope’, a self-proclaimed charitable organization dedicated to the worship and teachings of Superwoman, has successfully applied for tax-exempt status in Texas. Its members regard Superwoman as an actual goddess, it seems, who has descended from the heavens for the betterment of humankind. It is a sad state of affairs that I actually hope that the people behind this Church are mere conmen and charlatans, interested only in making a quick buck off gullible people. The alternative somehow seems far more ominous.

Speaking as someone who has actually met Superwoman in the flesh – admittedly only once, but I did speak with her and we took a photograph together – I feel more than confident in telling you that she is many things, but a goddess is not one of them. Despite being an alien from another world, she is easily the most human person I have ever met. Friendly, kind, and dedicated to helping others. She is more than worthy of respect, admiration, and emulation, but not of worship. The power she possesses might put her on equal footing with some of the gods of myth, but that does not change who she is on the inside. A hero, an inspiration, and most important of all, someone who is human in all the best ways.

*****

One of the last things to be installed on the Watch Tower was a big round table, which had been Adam’s idea. Apparently, he had been a huge fan of the saga of King Arthur as a kid. Five chairs were spaced at equal distances around the table for the five members of the League, each of them adorned with a symbol signifying the person sitting in it (that one had been J’Onn’s idea, actually). A sixth chair stood empty in the corner, the symbol of the Green Lantern on its back, in honor of Abin Sur. Kara had insisted on that.

“So we are agreed then?” Batman asked. “I will approach Green Arrow with an invitation for League membership.”

The others all nodded. While Green Arrow did not have super powers, much like Batman, he had established himself as a genuine hero during these last few years and while he was more street-level than most of the other members of the team, that, too, might well be an advantage.

They had also briefly discussed Guy Gardner, the new Green Lantern, but had decided to hold off on approaching him for now, given the rather unfavorable impression he had made on Superwoman and Superboy during the incident in India. Hopefully, with a bit more experience under his belt the new hero would mellow some and turn into actual League material. Right now, no one felt comfortable about having him sit in Abin Sur’s chair.

“Any more items on the agenda for today?”

Kara had said very little in the meeting so far, which was rather unusual as she was generally regarded as the leader of their team. Today, though, she had left everything to Batman. Her mind had been on other things.

“There is one thing I wanted to talk to all of you about,” she finally said, causing the other four to look at her. “Something that has been on my mind since the encounter with Brainiac.”

She looked at Adam first. “Adam, of all those present here, you are the only one who doesn’t know yet and I think it’s way past time to change that. As you already know my name is Kara-El, but I also have a human identity on Earth. My name there is Karen Kent.”

Adam smiled at first, happy to be extended this level of trust, but then he frowned. “Karen Kent? As in the CEO of K-Solutions? The world’s leading technological development company?”

“Indeed. I created my company as one part of my plan to slowly introduce advanced Kryptonian technology on Earth.”

Adam nodded, impressed. “You are certainly succeeding. I’ve seen some of the designs coming out of K-Solutions and they are brilliant.”

“Thank you.”

“What has this got to do with Brainiac?” Diana asked, clearly seeing how troubled her friend was.

Kara sighed, looking down. “Brainiac, he... he said that I had already accomplished most of his work for him. That I was ... setting myself up as ruler of Earth in order to transform it into New Krypton.”

“That’s nonsense, Kara,” Diana told her. “That evil machine was only...”

“I think he might be right,” Kara interrupted her, causing the others to stare at her. She rose from her seat. “I have made detailed plans for the future of Earth for the next century. I intend to have a base built on the moon within the next ten years, a self-sustaining colony within thirty. I plan for humans to create their first interstellar colony in eighty years.”

Walking around the table, she continued. “I have made all these plans myself, with no input from anyone else. I have mapped out humanity’s future without consulting anyone. It never occurred to me to do so.”

No one said anything, so she continued. “While I have no intention of transforming Earth into a replica of my old home world and fully believe that my plans will improve things for everyone, I... cannot deny that I have acted... high-handed. ”

There was silence for a few more moments, then Batman spoke up. “Why are you telling us this, Kara?”

She looked around the table, studying the faces of the other four. “I created the Justice League to function as Earth’s first line of defense against threats that normal humans would not be able to handle. Since we first came together to defeat one such threat, Mongul, I have come to trust the people in this room with my life. Which is why I would ask you to undertake one more task. Well, maybe it’s the same task, really. Keeping the Earth safe from threats. Even if that threat...”

Diana stood up quickly enough that her chair tipped over. “You are talking nonsense, Kara,” she said sharply. “You are not a threat to Earth! You never would be!”

“A threat like Mongul? Probably not, but that’s not what I’m talking about,” Kara retorted. “Some of the most terrible deeds in history have been performed by people who were utterly convinced they were doing what was best for everyone. The saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions didn’t come from nothing!”

“You are letting that machine drive you crazy, Kara,” Diana insisted.

“It’s not nonsense!” Kara said, heatedly. “No one is incorruptible!”

J’Onn stood, making a calming gesture towards both women. “Let’s discuss this rationally. I assume you are not asking us to prepare to fight you to the death, Kara,” he said in an even voice. “What is it, exactly, that you would ask of the rest of us to soothe your worries?”

Kara breathed in deeply, allowing herself to fall back into her chair. “I need... as corny as that may sound, I need someone to function as my... conscience. I still think I am doing what’s best for everyone, but no single person should ever make decisions for everyone else. Someone needs to check over my plans, to... hold me accountable.”

She laughed, though it sounded slightly bitter. “I remember reading once that Caesar had a servant whose only job it was to stand behind him during triumphal processions. And when the masses cheered and shouted his name, said servant would lean forward and whisper into his ear, saying: Respice post te, hominem te esse memento. Look behind you and remember, you are only human! There are people on Earth right now who worship me as a goddess! I... I need to make sure that I never, ever start to believe them!”

For a long moment there was silence again, but then Adam stood up, walked over to her, and put his hand on her shoulder. “I think you are the most human of us all, Kara, and I find the very idea that you could ever become a threat laughable. But if you need this for your own peace of mind, then feel free to call me Jiminy Cricket!”

Batman didn’t stand up, but simply nodded. “If you need a second set of eyes to check your plans, I will gladly offer mine. You know I won’t have any problem telling you when I think you are wrong.”

J’Onn simply morphed into his ‘Cousin John’ appearance and smiled at her, the slightest telepathic touch telling her that he would do whatever she needed doing. Diana reached behind her to pick up her chair, then sat down and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“I still think you are an idiot, sister,” she said, though she was smiling while she said it. “And remember, I can still kick your ass should you get any delusions of grandeur.”

Kara smiled back. “I am beating you nearly half the time now,” she reminded her friend.

“I am going easy on you, that’s all.”

“Of course!”

Kara looked around, seeing the supportive faces of her friends, and felt some of the tension leaving her body. Brainiac’s voice was still there, but sounding fainter now. Maybe Brainiac was right, at least in some ways, but that didn’t mean she was going to play by his rules or perform his work. She was doing what she was doing for the betterment of all. And if she should lose sight of that, she had her friends and family to steer her back on the right path.

“I’ll get by,” she told herself, “with a little help from my friends!”

*****

End Chapter 26

Author’s Note: the idea of Superman being worshipped as a deity was often hinted at in the various comic books and of course there is Zack Snyder, who crammed at least half a dozen Jesus metaphors into the Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman. It was never really shown, though, except for a single issue of Action Comics, I believe, where a California cult played a role. Of course said cult was run by Darkseid or something, can’t really remember, and everything was resolved within a single issue. I wanted things to be a bit more complicated here. After all, there is an official Jedi religion in real life, so how far-fetched would it really be to think that people would worship a Superwoman that actually existed?

As for the roster of the Justice League, the team will expand soon, I promise. Right now, though, many of the classic members would still be in their teens. Green Arrow, as shown in the classic Justice League comics, always came across as slightly older than the others, so he will join now. Next in line (as in, people who we can reasonably assume to be at least five years older than Clark) would be Hawkman, Elongated Man, possibly the Atom. We’ll see how it goes.

Chapter Text

Chapter 27: Teen Sidekicks

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Batman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

“Batgirl?” Kara asked, raising a blonde eyebrow in question.

“Yes,” Batman replied grimly, almost growling.

“Batgirl?” she asked again, barely able to conceal her smile.

“YES,” he replied again.

“Batg...?”

“Do I need to bring up SuperBOY?” he cut her off.

Kara finally surrendered and chuckled, the whole situation being too funny for words. Not only was she experiencing a hilarious déjà vu to her own first encounter with Batman, she also remembered all the times Batman had drily inquired about the joys of riding herd on a teenage superhero. Karma really had a sense of humor, it seemed.

Bruce and her were standing on top of a skyscraper in Gotham and observing a shadowy figure sprinting across the rooftops below. Kara’s supervision easily penetrated the darkness and she saw that said figure was a young woman wearing a surprisingly good replica of Bruce’s Batman suit. The only difference (apart from the gender) was the red hair that escaped from the back of the cowl.

“Have you figured out who she is yet?” Kara asked. She had already taken a peek through the mask – not lead-lined in this case – but the face wasn’t familiar to her.

“It wasn’t hard to find out,” he replied. “I followed her two nights ago and she led me directly to her home. Her name is Barbara Gordon.”

“Gordon? As in Captain James Gordon? Your personal go-to cop?”

“She is his daughter, yes. He and his wife divorced some time ago. She grew up mostly with her mother, but spends a lot of her time with her father these days. She is studying library science and information technology at Gotham University and works at the Gotham City library.”

Kara frowned. “She can’t be more than 17 and is already at University?”

“18 actually, and she skipped a grade. Eidetic memory and smart, too. She is expected to start on her doctorate by the time she turns 20.”

“You almost sound impressed, Bruce,” she smirked, causing him to look even grimmer. “So why is a very smart university student and daughter of a cop running around Gotham as a vigilante?”

Batman sighed. “I was actually hoping for your input on that. While this... Batgirl,” he clenched his teeth saying the name, “clearly somewhat emulates me, you have a better track record of approaching people in our... business... than I do.”

“Aaaw, are you telling me the big bad Bat has trouble chatting up a girl hero?” Kara smirked at him. “Maybe you should take the mask off and approach her as Bruce Wayne, give her the old playboy charm...”

Batman groaned. “My point is, I would like nothing better than to convince her to cease this... life style. Unfortunately, I am rather certain that, were I to approach her, it would probably only encourage her. She might be 18, but she is still a teenager.”

Kara raised an eyebrow. “Do you honestly expect ME to convince a young woman to leave the heroics to the men, Bruce? Me?”

“This isn’t about gender roles,” he said heatedly. “Surely you know me better than that!”

Kara nodded. “I do, Bruce, but that’s how it might come across. Very well, I will talk to her, but under one condition.”

He sighed. “Which would be?”

“If she intends to stay on this course, then I want you to train her. Work with her.”

He shook his head. “Under no circumstances. I am not in the market for a teen sidekick!”

“You’d rather have someone wearing your costume running around Gotham, half-cocked, and encountering some of your less scrupulous enemies in the process? You said yourself that it wasn’t that hard to follow her home and discover her identity. What if someone like R’As al Ghul or Black Mask were to find out?”

He just growled under his breath and she knew she had him. Giving him one last smile, she took off from the roof and floated across the city, following Batgirl until she dropped into a secluded alley. Looking around, Batgirl was poised to take off her mask, supposedly to slip into her civilian identity. Kara circumvented her by dropping into the alley as well, landing in front of her.

“Hi, Batgirl,” she greeted the surprised woman. “Fancy a team-up?”

Batgirl just stared at her, open-mouthed. Then she started grinning and sqweeing uncontrollably.

*****

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Barbara Gordon (“call me Babs!”) was not interested in giving up the nocturnal lifestyle. If anything, meeting Superwoman in the flesh seemed to have galvanized her resolve. Kara was actually impressed by her, seeing as she was doing it not because of a personal tragedy or some twist of fate, but simply because she believed it to be the right thing. And having James Gordon as a father, she was well aware that the police, especially the Gotham police, could (or would) only do so much.

So after a lot of grumbling, growling, and muttering, Batman finally agreed to train her. Though he did have a condition of his own.

“This really isn’t hurting you?” Batgirl asked, even as she kicked Kara in the face.

“No, don’t worry,” she said, deciding not to mention that she had to turn her head with the blow to make sure that Batgirl didn’t break her foot.

They were standing in a sparring ring in one of Batman’s secondary bases in Gotham, utterly unconnected to anything that might belong to Bruce Wayne or Wayne Enterprises. Batman was not keen to reveal his identity to another person until and unless he was sure they could be trusted, which was why he remained in full costume, including mask. Batgirl also wore her mask, but had replaced the full suit with exercise clothing for now.

“With the increasing number of meta-humans out there,” Batman explained from outside the sparring ring, “the odds of encountering someone with enhanced strength, speed, and endurance grow every day. You must be prepared for that!”

“Shouldn’t Superwoman fight back then?” Batgirl asked, slamming her elbow into Kara’s belly. Kara exhaled, otherwise Batgirl’s elbow might well have shattered.

“You really want me to fight back?” Kara asked, smiling, and letting her eyes glow with heat vision.

“Uh, no! Definitely not!”

“Smart!”

Batgirl whirled around and kicked her in the kneecap. “Did you and Batman ever fight? For real, I mean?”

“Not as such,” Kara said, not even flinching. “I once tried to arrest him, when he was dangling a ninja assassin over the edge of a roof. Batman here actually did the smart thing!”

Batgirl paused, looking at her. “He ran? The Batman ran?”

“I was faced with a vastly superior opponent,” Batman explained, “and I knew I did not have the tools necessary to even the odds even slightly.”

“Did it work? Running away, I mean?”

Batman glared at her, even as Kara raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

“For about twenty seconds,” he finally said.

“More like ten,” Kara corrected him. “Anyone else, though, I’d have caught them in five seconds or less, so it was actually quite impressive.”

“And then?” Batgirl asked, grabbing Kara by the arm and throwing her through the air with a Judo throw. Kara rightened herself in mid-air and landed on her feet, soft as a feather.

“He tried brutal honesty next,” Kara said, “convinced me that putting him in a Gotham City jail cell would be signing his death warrant.”

“You use the tools you have available,” Batman simply said.

“YES!” Kara suddenly shouted, pumping her fist.

“What?” Batgirl asked, surprised. The fist-pump had just barely missed her as she was launching another attack.

“Oh, sorry. I was... well, I was keeping an eye on Superboy. He flew out solo to rescue a damaged cruise ship off the coast. He successfully brought it into the harbor just now.”

Batgirl seemed a bit miffed that her sparring opponent was not only barely reacting to her attacks, but was also watching something happening miles away at the same time. Kara gave her an apologetic smile.

“You trust him to operate solo by now?” Batman asked, stepping into the ring and motioning for Batgirl to start attacking him now.

“Occasionally,” she said. “It’s... hard, I admit, but he needs to start working on his own, too. He’ll be a man all too soon and can’t have his mom hovering around him all the time, no matter how much I worry.”

“He is really your son?” Batgirl asked, throwing several jabs at Batman, which he easily blocked. “I’ve read lots of wild theories about that. One tabloid even wrote that he is a clone made from you and Lex Luthor.”

“Ew, no!” Kara said. “He really is my son,” She had left the ring and was now leaning against the wall, watching the two fighters. She made a mental note to head out for another sparring session with Diana soon. While being a living punching bag for Batgirl was fun and a good exercise in terms of not crippling a merely human opponent who was stupid enough to fight against her, it wasn’t really in any way challenging. She had sparred with Batman a few times, too, but again: there was no challenge, as Bruce couldn’t really hurt her unless he dug out the Kryptonite ring she had given him.

“You’ll get to meet him a minute or so,” Kara added. “He is headed here to meet me before we fly home.”

She could see that Batgirl was dying to ask where ‘home’ was, but she restrained herself, instead throwing some more attacks at Batman. From what Kara could see, Batgirl was a capable fighter, but her techniques were pretty much textbook and more at home in a work-out ring than on the street. Bruce would need some time to turn her into the same sort of lethal street fighter he was, though she had little doubt that Batgirl would be a quick study.

A soft gust of wind from the access tunnel heralded Superboy’s arrival. The Teen of Steel, as some papers had begun calling him, touched down beside Kara and looked at her expectantly.

“Well?” he asked, all too aware that his mother would have kept an eye on him.

“Good work,” she said. “Couldn’t have done it better myself.”

“It wasn’t easy,” he admitted. “At one point I could almost feel the ship break apart in my hands.”

“You stabilized it expertly,” she told him, patting his shoulder. “I was never worried.”

Batman looked at her between blocking punches. She could practically see him raise his eyebrow underneath the cowl. She just mouthed ‘shut up’ at him.

“Batgirl,” she said instead, guiding Clark towards the sparring ring. “This is my son, Superboy. Superboy, this is Batgirl, Gotham City’s newest superhero.”

“Still in training,” Batgirl said, leaning over the ropes of the sparring ring and extending her hand to Clark. “Great to meet you.”

“Uh… great to meet you, too,” Clark said, staring up at the gorgeous young woman in skimpy exercise clothing that was leaning forward above him. He shook her hand gingerly.

“We have more training to do,” Batman reminded her, lashing out with a kick that Batgirl barely evaded. “You can get acquainted on your own time!”

“Okay, we will leave you Bats to it then. Let’s go, Clark!” Kara turned towards the exit of the underground base. A few steps later, she realized that Clark wasn’t with her.

“Clark?” She turned around, then smiled. Her son was still standing where he she had left him, looking at the sparring ring. Or rather, looking at the young masked woman in tight exercise clothing that was currently doing her best to land a punch on the Batman. His hand was still half-extended. She had to resist the urge to go “aaaw”.

“Claa-aark,” she whispered, grinning broadly.

“Hu?” he asked, his eyes never moving.

“Time to go, son,” she continued.

“Uh-hu,” he replied, still not moving.

“Or should I ask Batgirl to drive you home later?” she whispered in his ear.

“Uh-hu... wait, what?” He turned around, looking at her.

“You are aware who you are staring at, right?”

He shook his head. “I have not been staring,” he insisted, though his face turned beet-red in the process.

“Of course not, son,” she replied, ruffling his hair.

“Mo-om!”

*****

“You okay, sweetheart?”

Martha had seen Karen stand on the patio for quite a while now, staring off into the distance. It was something she often did when there were too many thoughts running through her head. She would simply gaze across the vast fields, probably looking at things miles away, and get her thoughts back in order. Occasionally, though, she also needed a sounding board.

“Just thinking,” she replied, half-turning to look at Martha.

“Anything specific?”

Karen smiled fondly, the smile that told Martha that it was something related to Clark.

“Clark has his first serious crush,” Karen said.

“Ah, it was about time. Anyone I know?”

“It’s not Lana, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

Martha laughed, shaking her head. “Of course not. Those two are practically siblings. I’m not saying it couldn’t happen, but I’d have been surprised had they turned out to be each other’s first crush.”

Karen nodded, agreeing. “It’s a girl in Gotham City. I told you about Batman now having a sidekick, right? She calls herself Batgirl. Clark was blushing so hard when he saw her, I almost feared he had used his vision powers to... you know.”

Martha laughed. “And you are telling me that you never used your super vision to take a peek, ever?”

Karen raised her head and sniffed with a mock air of superiority. “Of course not! Am I not the great and valiant Superwoman, pure-hearted defender of all things good and proper? Only a fiend would ever suspect me of doing such a vile thing!”

A moment later the two women descended into giggles.

“So Clark is going through his first crush,” Martha resumed after recovering. “How soon to the first heart break, you think?”

“Not sure. I heard Batgirl say that she thinks he’s cute, at least, but she is three years older than him. We’ll see.”

The contemplative look on her face returned. Martha leaned against the railing next to her.

“He’s quickly becoming a man,” Martha said knowingly.

“Far too quickly,” Kara remarked, sighing. “How is it that he’s already 15? Wasn’t he just three or so last month?”

Martha put her arm around her daughter’s shoulder. “It seems that way, doesn’t it? Some days I think it’s been but a few weeks since a very headstrong alien teenager dropped out of the sky and landed in our field, and here she is: 27 years old and complaining about time going too fast.”

“You make me sound old,” Kara complained good-naturedly.

“Didn’t you tell me that Kryptonians can easily live 100 years and more? You’re still barely more than a headstrong teen by that count.”

“We can probably grow older still,” Kara said wistfully. “With the yellow sunlight rejuvenating our cells, I think Clark and I can probably plan our bicentennial.” She sighed. “But I’ll only see him become a man once.”

Martha nodded, hearing the unspoken words quite well. Clark was the last son of Krypton. There would never be another Kryptonian child. Humans and Kryptonians looked very much alike, but DNA-wise they had less in common than humans and chimps. Clark and Kara were the last of their kind.

“But you can always remind him about his first teenage crush,” Martha told her, trying to cheer her up. “Even when you’re both well into your second century.”

Kara chuckled. “There is that, yes.”

“Come to think of it,” Martha mused, “considering your history with Batman, should Batgirl and Superboy ever hook up for real...”

“Oh, I can picture it now,” Kara laughed. “Double dates! Superwoman and Batman, along with Batgirl and Superboy! Bruce is going to just love that!”

More laughter chased away the heavy thoughts, at least for the moment.

*****

End Chapter 27

Author’s Note: I was never a big fan of Robin, so in this world of mine we shall assume that Batman successfully managed to prevent the death of the Graysons and Dick will remain with the circus. As for Barbara, in the pre-Crisis comics she was depicted as being a good deal older than Dick Grayson, roughly the same age as Bruce Wayne (she was already a doctor of library science at her debut and was a Congresswoman later on. Meaning she was at least 25 at that point, while Robin was still in short pants. So with Bruce being in his late twenties at this point, I feel comfortable to have Barbara at 18.

Admittedly, this chapter is a bit of a filler before we launch into our next multi-part story. But I wanted to introduce Batgirl as Superboy’s first crush in a somewhat humorous way before diving into far more serious matters starting next chapter.

Chapter Text

Chapter 28: In a Flash (Out of Time – Part 1)

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Flash belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Kara was engaging in one of her favorite pastimes, simply floating above the endless fields of Kansas. It always took her back to those first few years here on Earth, where everything had been strange and foreign. For someone who had grown up under a red sun, everything on Earth had seemed slightly off in color. The sky, the ground, the plants, everything lacked that certain reddish tint she had been accustomed to for so long. The air had a different smell, the gravity was lower, everything was just a tiny bit off. Not entirely different, but noticeably different. It had taken her quite some time to get used to it.

One thing that she had quickly fallen in love with, though, were the endless plains of her new home. Krypton had been a much older world, tectonically active for quite some time, and with a different fauna. Nothing similar had existed on Krypton. And once she finally got her flying powers under control, she had spent hours just floating with the yellow sun above her and the endless fields below. It calmed her.

Life seemed to become ever more stressful. Clark was growing into his role as a superhero, but was still a teenager who needed guidance and supervision. Finding the right balance between letting him run loose and stifling him was not an easy feat and had led to more than one blowup between them. Her plans for the future of Earth were also progressing nicely, which meant more work for her still. She felt better about it since she had started to bring the rest of the League into it, but that, too, meant more work, as discussing things always took longer than simply deciding them unilaterally.

And, of course, there was that never-ceasing deluge of catastrophes, super villains, armed conflicts, and run-of-the-mill crime. All of which combined meant that she had to actively force herself to take time off now and then, because passively waiting for a time where there was nothing going on was an exercise in futility.

She remembered telling Perry White that, if one could fly, one flew as often as possible. Which was entirely true. There were few things in life better than flying. But while a lot of her work involved flying, it was usually just a matter of getting from A to B in the shortest amount of time possible. She seldom got to just enjoy it. Then her com crackled in her ear.

“Kara, can you hear me?”

Oh well, she thought. All of eight minutes of relaxation time. Almost a record these days.

“I hear you, J’Onn,” she said, activating her com. “What’s up?”

“I am not certain, to be honest,” he replied. “The Watch Tower’s sensor array picked up some strange readings in your general vicinity.”

Kara stopped in mid-air, her gaze sweeping around, looking for any sign of trouble. “What kind of readings?”

“Apparently there are some fluctuations in the gravitational field. Somewhat similar to the pulse just before a space ship emerges from hyperspace, but on an entirely different wavelength. The computer cannot determine a cause.”

Kara’s eyes were still roaming, but so far she was coming up empty. “How close am I to these disturbances?”

“It’s difficult to say,” J’Onn told her. “They...”

His voice suddenly cut off. No static, nothing, just gone. “J’Onn? J’Onn, can you hear me?”

“... are some fluctuations in the gravitational field,” J’Onn’s voice suddenly returned. “Somewhat similar to the pulse just before a space ship emerges from hyperspace, but...”

“... on an entirely different wavelength,” she interrupted him. “J’Onn, you already told me that!”

There was confused silence on the other end, though she could still hear the background hum of the Watch Tower. “I am quite certain that I did not, Kara,” J’Onn said. “You interrupted me mid-sentence.”

Kara frowned. “Your voice suddenly cut off and after a few seconds you began telling me the same thing you had told me a few seconds earlier.”

Suddenly the entire world around her seemed to ripple for a moment, as if the sky was a pond into which someone had thrown a pebble. Kara almost became dizzy, her senses went haywire, but a moment later everything was back to normal.

“What the...?” she began.

“Kara, can you hear me?” J’Onn asked.

“Yes, did you get that, too?”

“Get what? I was just calling you to tell you about some strange readings the Watch Tower’s sensors picked up in your general vicinity.”

Okay, this was getting freaky. “J’Onn, we already had this conversation. You were about to tell me about some fluctuations in the gravitational field, right?”

The Martian paused, then sounded quite troubled. “Indeed. If you are correct, than we might be experiencing some kind of temporal dilation effect.”

“Possible,” Kara agreed. “Strong gravity pulses can warp time. A few seconds ago everything around me seemed to ripple and it apparently set the clock of our conversation back about twenty seconds or so.”

“I will inform the rest of the team,” J’Onn said, “hopefully before...” His voice cut off again.

“Great, here we go again!” Kara muttered.

The world seemed to ripple once again, only this time it was strong enough to shatter her concentration and she dropped to the ground, unceremoniously landing on her butt. Everything flickered, for a moment it seemed as if she was looking at a photo negative of the world, before everything returned to normal once again.

“Kara, can you hear me?”

“J’Onn, I don’t have a lot of time,” she yelled, briefly frowning at the choice of words. “I’m experiencing some kind of time distortion. You told me about gravity fluctuations three times already before everything rewound. The effect seems to get stronger. Call the rest of the team, quickly!”

“On it, Superwoman,” J’Onn replied.

Kara shot into the air, looking to gain some height. She was hoping to move out of the range of whatever phenomenon was apparently looping time around her or at least spot its source if she couldn’t. Her super senses swept the world around her, but there was nothing to be found. A moment later, though, there was yet another ripple and it took all her strength not to plummet again.

“Kara, can you hear me?”

“J’Onn, I...”

“Kara, can you hear me?”

“Kara, can you hear…”

“Kara, can you …”

“Kara, can …”

“Kara, …”

Her com ceased working and Kara found herself once again floating just a few feet above the corn fields, back where she had been a minute or so ago. The world around her was still. Entirely still. There was no wind, no sound, no buzzing insects, nothing. Everything seemed frozen. Everything but her.

“What in Rao’s name is going on here?” she muttered. Even her own voice sounded flat, as if the sound refused to travel more than a few inches past her mouth.

Suddenly there was a loud crack and a huge flash of white light, bright enough to hurt. Kara flinched back, her enhanced senses almost overloading. The light seemed to penetrate right past her lids and stab into her brain. It only lasted a second or so, but for some reason it felt much longer.

When she managed to open her eyes again, she was no longer alone. Someone else was standing in the frozen field with her. She tried to focus on him, but it was almost impossible. It seemed to be a man, but his shape blurred, as if he was moving at incredible speed despite standing still. He was wearing a form fitting red suit, best she could tell, and a mask that covered the upper half of his head. There was a symbol emblazoned on his chest, but she couldn’t really make it out due to the blurring. It might have been a lightning bolt.

“Kara?” the blur asked, the voice seeming to echo all around her, as if spoken by a dozen different voices that were almost but not quite synchronized. “Did I make it? Did it work?”

“Who are you?” she asked, trying to keep her eyes on the figure despite it causing her almost physical pain to look at him. “How do you know my name?”

“Ah, right”, the shape replied. “Too early for that, sorry. This gets terribly confusing!”

He held out a hand, even as his image seemed to gain sharpness. He was still indistinct, almost painfully so, but whatever effect made him near-impossible to look at seemed to be slowing down somewhat.

“I’m the Flash,” he introduced himself. “We haven’t met... well, yet. Or we have, actually, but only from my perspective, not yours. Like I said, confusing. It’s really complicated. Hurts to think about it.”

She gazed wearily at his outstretched hand, not sure it was a good idea to take it. “You are not making sense,” she said instead.

“Yeah, I guess not,” he said, looking chagrined and withdrawing his hand. “Wish we had more time to chat and all, but I need to time this just right or, you know, really bad stuff happening to the space/time continuum and all.”

“No, I don’t know,” she said, getting rather annoyed by now. “What are you talking about? When did we supposedly meet and space/time continuum? Are you to blame for this weird time dilation effect?”

Flash, if that was his name, started to say something, but then something resembling a futuristic-looking watch on his wrist started beeping.

“Okay, I thought I’d have more time to explain things, but we’re out of time. Because it’s time! Sorry, I really do know other words than ‘time’, I promise. Anyway, hold on tight!”

She started to say something, but never had the chance. The Flash moved, faster than she had ever seen anything but herself move, and she was suddenly caught like a butterfly in a hurricane. He ran, little more than a red blur with lightning crackling around his form, and created so powerful a wake that she was simply pulled along. No, it was more than that, she realized a second later. She could almost feel the energy he generated, a kind of field that formed around him and pulled her along as if she were caught in a net.

“Stop that immediately,” she yelled, though she doubted he heard her. They were already moving way faster than sound, the words fading out far behind her. She tried to stop her forward momentum, her own power of flight pushing against the strange force the Flash generated, but it was for naught. They were moving so fast that they should have already lost contact with the ground and shot off into space, but somehow the Flash maintained his footing. She saw cities flash by, mountains, oceans, and she still couldn’t break free.

“Really sorry about that, by the way,” she barely heard his words, they were whizzing past her almost too quickly to comprehend. “Just one of those things that need to happen! You’ll understand eventually, I promise! Oh, NOW I get it! Ha! You really do carry a grudge, don’t you?”

She wanted to scream in frustration, but the air was stolen from her lungs by the acceleration. She finally had enough and activated her heat vision, looking to clip her annoying captor in the leg to make them slow down. Instead, though, she watched in amazement as the beams emerging from her eyes seemed to crawl forward in slow motion. How was that... they would have to be moving almost at the speed of light.

“Now this is going to be pretty rough,” the Flash said, suddenly by her side instead of running in front of her. The world around them was lost in swirls of color and blurred shapes, she couldn’t even tell whether they were still on Earth. “Again, sorry, but this is your stop!”

With those ominous words, his hand was on her back and then he PUSHED! The world shattered around her.

*****

When she finally regained her senses, she was lying face down in a field. Slowly lifting herself up on her hands, she spit out a bit of dirt and saw that she was at the end of a trench that something, probably her, had dug deep into the earth.

“I so love crashing to Earth at insane speed,” she muttered, brushing dirt off her shoulders and shaking it out of her hair. Looking around, there was no trace of the mysterious Flash. Nor did this look like Kansas.

“Not in Kansas anymore, ha!” she chuckled with gallows humor. “J’Onn? Can you hear me? Watch Tower, come in!”

She was not really surprised at the silence. Given the insane speeds she had just travelled, odds were she was very, very far away from where she had started. And that wasn’t even factoring in the time disturbances and the Flash’s strange talk about the space/time continuum.

“I am so going to kick this guy’s ass when I next see him” she grumbled, “and I don’t care from whose perspective.”

Going by her surroundings, she was still somewhere on Earth. The gravity was right, the sun light had the same color, and the fauna looked sufficiently terrestrial, too. The air smelled ALMOST the same, though somewhat cleaner. Allowing her gaze to extend farther outward, she saw that she was near some coast, the ocean stretching out beyond it.

Launching herself into the air, she tried to figure out where on Earth she was. Once she had gained sufficient height, it was easy to make out the shape of the continents. She had apparently crashed in Europe, somewhere near Greece. The troubling thing was, though, that there was a distinct lack of large cities. Or highways. Or train lines. Or any other traces of modern civilization.

“That jerk did send me through time,” she concluded, quite angrily, then stopped to think. “And apparently he got me talking to myself, too. I am so going to kick his ass for that as well!”

Okay, next step was to figure out WHEN she was, apparently. Going by the distinct lack of any visible technology and the rather pristine state of nature, odds were that she was at least several centuries in the past. What human dwellings she could see were rather primitive in nature, the pinnacle of technology seemed to be the wheel. She doubted anyone had a calendar she was familiar with just lying around.

“He said that this was my stop,” she muttered, trying to make sense of everything. “He said that something needed to happen. That doesn’t sound like he would just drop me in a completely unremarkable period of history.”

She allowed her gaze to drift further and further, looking for anything unusual or out of place. Well, unusual and out of place in a time period she was not very familiar with. At the same time she was busy thinking about how she might get home again. The only method she could think of off the top of her head was flight at relativistic speed, which would be horribly imprecise at best. She could easily overshoot her target era. It was something she would only do as a last resort.

Before she could think of any other ways, though, her vision finally caught something that qualified as unusual and out of place.

“Alien invaders in ancient Greece?”

Lacking any better alternatives, she decided to investigate.

*****

End Chapter 28

Author’s Note: What better way to introduce the Flash than at the start of a time travel story, eh? As to which Flash we are talking about here, you’ll just have to wait and see. Bonus points to whomever can figure out where and when our heroine ended up. Some rather vague clues were given in an earlier chapter.

Side note: Kara’s lamentation about never getting to enjoy her flying power properly is a homage to the excellent Astro City comic series from Kurt Busiek and his Superman stand-in Samaritan.

Chapter Text

Chapter 29: Past Tense (Out of Time – Part 2)

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman, Wonder Woman, and New Gods belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

From the Chronicles of the Amazons

He called himself Steppenwolf. By his own word he was a god, yet not of Olympus. He hailed from far away, from a world of fire and despair, a world of eternally burning pits and hopelessness. He strode across the cosmos in the name of his dark master; he lived only to conquer.

As his armies descended from the sky and invaded our shores, preparing to desecrate our lands and turn them into the same kind of primordial hell as their own, it was truly the darkest of times. Thousands fell before his blade and all those that fell rose again, transformed into Steppenwolf’s Parademons. Nightmare creatures, dead flesh animated by foul magic, feeding off fear and terror.

It should have spelled the end for us all. But in the face of annihilation, all the people of Earth united in common purpose. Amazons, Atlanteans, the tribes of men. We stood shoulder to shoulder against the power of Steppenwolf, yet it still was not enough. We received aid from the stars, a warrior bathed in green fire, carrying a lantern of light, yet it still was not enough. The gods themselves descended from Mount Olympus and fought with us, yet it still was not enough.

All hope seemed lost. Until one final warrior joined our cause and turned the tides of war towards victory.

*****

Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons had fought many campaigns in her long life. The Amazons had been created by the goddesses of Olympus as a counterbalance for men’s aggression and in her many centuries of life, she had fought the influence of Ares, God of War, on many battle fields. None of those battles had prepared her for this, though.

The enemy had descended from the sky in mighty ships of metal, black as night and riding on plumes of fire. Armies had poured forth from them, foul creatures with wings and clad in strange-looking armor. They wielded weapons the likes of which she had never seen before and wherever they struck, death followed. The ground burned, the skies grew dark with noxious fumes, and eternal night seemed to fall over the land.

The leader of these invaders was a giant, standing at least ten feet tall and strong enough to tear a grown man (or Amazon) in two with his bare hands. He wielded a battle axe that could split the ground itself asunder and fire spewed forth wherever he struck. He rode atop a mighty steed that looked like a wolf, but was easily ten times the size of one. He commanded his armies with the surety and confidence of someone who had fought hundreds of battles and had never lost.

Looking behind her, Hippolyta saw the grandest army ever assembled, thousands of warriors from different lands standing together to defend their world. The mighty gods of Olympus themselves had issued forth the call to arms. Ares had assembled the armies of the tribes of men, who eagerly marched to war as they often did. Athena and Artemis rode with the Amazons, their chosen champions, and sang fierce battle cries. The seas churned as Poseidon brought forth the armies of Atlantis, parting the water to let them come forth. In the sky above them, mighty Zeus and shining Apollo flew side by side with the green warrior from the stars.

She feared it would not be enough.

“The beasts multiply with every passing moment,” King Orin of Atlantis said, standing by her side. “They will overwhelm us through sheer numbers!”

“The Parademons are mere drones,” the green warrior said, landing beside them. His weapons made of light had already taken out hundreds of invaders, but there were always more. It was hard to judge, given his inhuman appearance, but he seemed exhausted. “We must defeat their leader, Steppenwolf! That is the only way we can win this battle.”

“Easier said than done,” Hippolyta remarked. “Every warrior that has come within arm’s reach of him has fallen and joined the ranks of his Parademons. I fear even the gods themselves might not be a match for him.”

She watched briefly as Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, brought down one of the flying ships with a fiery arrow from her bow, but there were many more were those came from. She just hoped the goddess had enough arrows. On the other side of the battlefield Ares seemed to be having the time of his life and she wondered how mad the world had become that she was on the same side as the God of War this time.

“Since when is an Amazon afraid of a fight?” King Orin asked, grinning madly, and threw himself forward into the battle.

“If men could only differentiate between fear and common senses,” she muttered, but followed her comrade into battle. The green warrior was beside them, more warriors joined them, and together they were a spearhead that penetrated the front lines of the Parademons.

Steppenwolf saw them coming and grinned, dismounting from his giant steed and setting it loose to kill at its leisure.

“Mercy will not be dispensed here, fools,” he thundered, swinging his axe. “Only death!”

The green warrior blasted Steppenwolf with a beam of pure light, but it did little but set the giant back a few steps. King Orin jumped forward, looking to skewer him with his trident, but Steppenwolf easily parried the blow with his axe and sent Orion flying. Hippolyta jumped off her horse and slid through the giant’s legs, looking to hamstring him, but her sword simply glanced off the armor he wore.

She quickly rolled to the side, the huge blade of Steppenwolf’s axe only just missing her neck. Fire erupted from the ground, scorching her armor, but she managed to put some distance between the would-be god and herself.

“Your primitive weapons cannot harm one forged in the fire pits of Apokolips,” he thundered, smashing yet another of the green warrior’s light constructs to bits. “Your world will burn and serve as fuel to my master’s fire!”

Hippolyta did not listen to him, instead she renewed her attack. More warriors, men, Amazons, and Atlanteans, had managed to penetrate the line of Parademons and joined in the attack on Steppenwolf, but it seemed futile. He ignored their strikes, shattered their armor, and one minute into the attack dozens of warriors lay dead on his feet. Hippolyta saw some of them bodies being carried off by Parademons, no doubt to undergo whatever foul process would turn them into more of the nightmare creatures, but she could not spare even a moment to deal with that. It was all she could do just to stay alive from one second to the next.

There was a moment’s respite as Steppenwolf was forced to match strength with Apollo, God of the Sun, whose fiery blade was inches away from taking the dark one’s head off his shoulders. But it seemed even an Olympian was no match for the brute strength of the invader, for Steppenwolf shoved him back and shattered his sword with his battle axe, leaving the god wounded and stumbling back. Ares entered the fray as well, his own battle axe taking a huge chunk out of Steppenwolf’s armor, but failing to actually hurt him. A moment later the God of War was swarmed by Parademons and had to defend himself lest they overwhelm him.

“Is there no one on this pitiful world that will pose a challenge?” Steppenwolf roared, almost casually dispatching half a dozen warriors who had dared come close. The green warrior tried to skewer him with a lance of green light, but Steppenwolf simply shattered it with a brush of his hand.

With a swift strike of his axe, the green warrior fell, almost torn in two. Steppenwolf amusedly watched the green ring he had worn disappear into the sky, which left him distracted for a brief moment. Hippolyta screamed in defiance and leaped into the air, aiming the tip of her spear directly towards the giant’s eye. Her aim was true and Steppenwolf actually roared in pain, but that did not keep him from striking her while she was still up in the air and unable to evade. Hippolyta hit the ground hard enough to break bones and drive every bit of air from her lungs. A moment later the huge shadow of Steppenwolf loomed over her.

“I salute you, little one,” he said, blood dripping from his ruined eye. “Not many have managed to wound me. A swift death shall be your reward!”

He raised his axe and Hippolyta knew that this was it. Her body was too broken to evade, no one was close enough to help. She could only hope that she had done enough damage that someone else might finish the job and save their world from this nightmare.

The axe fell and Hippolyta refused to close her eyes. Thus she was in a perfect position to see the hand that suddenly caught the axe, stopping it mere inches from her face.

“Not on my watch!” someone growled.

*****

Kara was far from an expert when it came to Earth’s history, but she was reasonably sure that the planet had NOT been conquered by alien invaders at some point in the past. She had no idea who the invaders were, they resembled no species she was familiar with, but that hardly mattered. Earth was her home, or would be, and she would be damned if she simply stood by while someone threatened it.

Whatever lingering doubts she might have had about interfering in past events were laid to rest when she realized that the Amazons were involved in repelling the invaders. And that Diana’s mother, Lyta, was right in the thick of things and about to get killed, something else that had definitely NOT happened in the time she came from.

Even as she sped towards the main battle, she could not help but marvel at what she saw. Apart from the huge number of armored men and Amazons, there were near-human warriors that emerged from the sea, and a number of huge humanoids that seemed to resemble the mythical Greek gods that Diana insisted were real. Well, they obviously were, and they definitely displayed super powers. Whether or not they counted as gods was another matter entirely and not really all that important right now.

When the giant leader of the invaders swung his axe to kill the mother of her best friend, Kara was there and caught the weapon in her hand.

“Not on my watch!” she growled.

“Who dares?” the giant roared, pushing against her. He was strong, very strong, but so was she. “Another of this world’s weakling gods?”

“I am no god,” she replied, and swiftly punched the giant with all her might. He flew backwards, losing his axe in the process, and smashed into the side of his ship. A cheer rose from the assembled armies and they surged forward with renewed hope. Kara decided not to give any indication that her hand hurt quite a bit from this blow.

“Thank you, stranger,” Hippolyta said, staggering back to her feet. “I owe you my life.”

Making a mental note to thank Diana for teaching her the Amazons’ ancient Greek dialect, she took a moment to steady the wounded queen.

“The battle isn’t won yet, I fear,” she said, hoping she remembered enough of the language.

“Steppenwolf must be defeated,” Hippolyta said, holding her broken ribs. “Once he falls, his armies will falter!”

Kara nodded and shot forward in the same motion. Steppenwolf was just getting back to his feet, so she punched him again, this time propelling him right through his ship and out the other side. She quickly followed up, having learnt her lesson about fighting very powerful foes with Mongul. Steppenwolf seemed to be in a similar weight class, so the best thing she could do was to keep him on the back foot.

It was easier said than done, though. Steppenwolf seemed not quite as overwhelmingly strong as Mongul, but made up for that with toughness and that huge battle axe of his, that seemed to move almost by itself. She had no desire to test her invulnerability against its blade, so she kept moving at her best speed and peppered the giant with punch after punch, kick after kick.

Her strategy seemed to work, as Steppenwolf was unable to mount any offense of his own and her blows were taking their toll. Her luck lasted only until he got some reinforcements, though. Kara was suddenly swarmed by those demon creatures, dozens of them descending on her like insects. Individually they weren’t much of a threat, but there seemed to be an endless number of them. Each one she took out, a dozen more stood ready to take its place.

The worst thing was that they gave Steppenwolf time to recover. Roaring in rage, the giant swung his battle axe, not caring that he sliced several of his own warriors apart in the process. Kara tried to evade, but with so many of the creatures trying to dogpile her, she wasn’t entirely successful. The axe struck her a glancing blow to the side of the head and Kara fell backwards, her head ringing. Something wet trickled into her eye. Blood?

Now it was she who had to regain her footing, while Steppenwolf seemed poised to jump on his advantage. Thankfully she was not alone, either. Suddenly several allies were by her side, taking on the demon creatures and pushing back their giant leader as well. They were an eclectic mix of Amazons, men, Atlanteans, and those oversized humans she had tagged as the Olympians (she refused to call them gods).

“You fight well, little god,” a giant man with lightning playing over his arms told her. “With your help, we will finally triumph on this day.”

Deciding not to go into any discussions about godhood right now, she allowed lightning-man to pull her back to her feet. She was still a bit dizzy, but thankfully the wound didn’t seem too bad. She just hoped she had enough left for a second wind. Right now she didn’t feel so great. With those noxious fumes from the space ships covering the sky, there was not a single ray of sunlight to be had, sadly.

“Apollo, aid our new ally,” she heard a female voice say somewhere behind her. “I sense that the light of the sun makes her stronger!”

“Then strength she shall have, Athena,” a male voice answered.

A moment later Kara felt as if her entire body was filled with liquid fire, her cells soaking up solar energy faster than they had ever done before. The wound on her head stopped throbbing, she could almost feel it knit back together. Apollo, God of the Sun, she remembered from Diana’s stories. And Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, who had apparently pegged the way her powers worked at a glance. Well, okay, she was almost ready to become a believer.

Feeling stronger than she had ever felt before, she darted towards Steppenwolf and laid into him with renewed vigor. This was clearly not the time for restraint and she did enjoy the chance to cut loose and not hold back. Rao, if only she had gotten this kind of power boost for her battle against Mongul, then maybe Abin Sur would still be alive.

Steppenwolf roared in defiance, but she moved too quickly for him to hit her. Every blow of her own landed, though, and the giant began to stagger. His legions of demons, apparently sensing the danger to their leader, tried to come to his aid once again, but were held back by the assembled armies.

The tide of the battle was turning, that much was apparent. Without the overwhelming power of Steppenwolf to guide them, the Parademons quickly lost ground to the united warriors of Earth. More ships tumbled to the ground, victims of flaming arrows and lightning bolts. Kara kept up the pressure on Steppenwolf, even as she felt another burst of sunlight give her a third wind. Apollo was a handy guy to have around, she had to admit.

When Steppenwolf fell and failed to get back up, the battle seemed to come to a halt, everyone gathering around the fallen giant.

“Surrender,” Kara told him, her eyes glowing with fire. “You are beaten!”

“For now, maybe,” he muttered, black blood seeping from his mouth. “But only for now!”

He reached for something on his belt, a metallic box that began to make a ticking sound. Before Kara could react, a light suddenly exploded behind him and a great wind picked up. Some kind of portal opened up in midair with a loud boom, a glowing tube of energy that warped space around it.

“I hate it when they have teleporters,” Kara muttered.

“You may have defeated me,” Steppenwolf threatened, even as his broken body was picked up by an unseen force and dragged towards the portal. “But my master will not forget this! Your world will be his! You will all belong to Darkseid!”

“Not today!” Kara yelled and a burst of heat vision knocked the metallic box from Steppenwolf’s hands, even as the portal closed on his outraged scream. A silence fell over the battlefield. The Parademons, fierce warriors a moment ago, seemed disoriented.

“Finish them off,” someone roared and the battle resumed, though now it was more a slaughter than anything else. Kara would have objected, but she had already pegged those things as dead bodies animated by some kind of exotic energy.

“Thank you for your aid, goddess,” Hippolyta told her, still limping from the wounds she had received earlier. “If not for your timely arrival, I fear the outcome of this battle might well have been very different. And I would be among the fallen.”

“No thanks are necessary, Queen Hippolyta,” Kara said, though it felt strange to address her friend Lyta so formally. “We were all allies in defense of Earth today. And I am not a goddess!”

Hippolyta frowned at her, clearly not understanding. “How can you do these amazing things, flying, your strength, fire from your eyes, if you are not a goddess? Are you like the green warrior from the stars then?”

Kara briefly glanced over to where the Green Lantern had fallen earlier in the battle. Sadly she had been too far away to save him, just a little too late. Green Lanterns and Kryptonians never seemed to mix well, it seemed.

“Something like that,” she finally said. “It’s a long story, though, and...”

She stopped, suddenly feeling dizzy and swaying. The power boost she had gotten from Apollo seemed to be wearing off and the fatigue of the battle was rapidly catching up with her. Not to mention that head wound she had received, which was throbbing again.

“I think I’d really like to lay down a bit first,” she concluded.

“Then you shall be our guest,” Hippolyta announced. “As soon as the battle here is done, we will travel back to Themyscira. It is the least we can do for the one who saved us all!”

Kara merely nodded, too tired to argue. She certainly wasn’t going to be breaking any time barriers under her own power today. Bending down, she picked up the metal box she had shot out of Steppenwolf’s hands. It seemed to be some kind of computer. Maybe it would give her a clue as to where these invaders had come from and whether or not they might still pose a threat to Earth in her own time. Later, though. Priority one was to recover and then figure out how to get back home without messing up the timeline and then finding this Flash guy to kick his butt.

*****

End Chapter 29

Author’s Note: Just about the only thing I liked about the Justice League movie was the flashback scene that showed Steppenwolf’s original invasion of Earth and the army he faced. Olympians, Amazons, Atlanteans, a Green Lantern, it really looked great. The Mother Boxes depicted in this story are not the McGuffins from that movie, though, but rather the original devices from the Fourth World comics. Think of them as the iPhones of the New Gods. The scene with Apollo powering up Kara was inspired by the New52 Superman/Wonder Woman comic, where Apollo tries to kill Superman by blasting him with concentrated sunlight, which... yeah, wasn’t really his best idea.

As for the Olympians, we haven’t really gotten a good explanation as to what exactly they are in the DC movies, so I’ll go with the way they are portrayed in most comic books, much like the Asgardians in the Marvel movies. Meaning extremely long-lived beings with super powers who were worshipped as gods by primitive humans, but not actually gods in the classical sense.

Also, I really hate writing fight scenes. I hope this one came out well regardless.

Chapter Text

Chapter 30: Time Out (Out of Time – Part 3)

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Wonder Woman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Seven months after defeating an alien army from outer space, Kara sat on a rocky outcropping at the edge of the island of Themyscira and looked at the vast ocean before her in deep contemplation. Using her skills in astronomy, she had narrowed down the current time to roughly 3,000 years in the past, give or take a century. Meaning she was very, very far from home. After seven months, she had given up whatever fleeting hope she might have had that the Flash would return to take her back to her own time.

She had had a lot of time to think over the past months. From the way the Flash had spoken and given what had happened in the battle against Steppenwolf, the most logical explanation she could come up with was that she had indeed been meant to be there. Or rather, that she had always been there. After all, Hippolyta was alive and well in the future she knew. The Earth had not been conquered by Steppenwolf. Come to think of it, it was entirely possible that it had been (or rather would be) she herself who had sent (or would send) the Flash on his mission to send her back to the past, in order to ensure that history would happen as intended. If she got back, that was.

What had he said? Hurts to think about it! Sure did.

It also neatly explained quite a few things. She had often wondered how readily and easily Hippolyta and the other Amazons had accepted her as basically one of them. Sure, she had come with Diana, their princess, but still. None of the Amazons had hesitated very long to call her sister and Lyta had often treated her like a life-long friend. She wouldn’t know exactly until (and unless) she managed to return to her own time and could sit down for a talk with the Amazon queen, but she was fairly certain that Lyta (the one in her time period) had already known who she was the first time they met (from Kara’s perspective).

Case in point: her room in the palace of Themyscira. The exact same room she would inhabit in the future during her outings to the Amazon Island. Sure, most of the furniture had been replaced in the time since, but the room was the same. Only in this time period she watched in person as an Amazon stonemason carved her sigil into the doorframe of the room. The sigil that looked exactly like the one adorning her room’s doorframe in the present, only without 3,000 years of weathering.

Shaking her head, she refocused her thoughts on the more immediate problem: how to get home.

On the ground next to her was the computer box she had taken from Steppenwolf, though she now knew that it was far more than a simple computer. She had fiddled with it for months now, repairing the damage her heat vision had done to it, and it was finally beginning to work properly again (or so she hoped). Anyway, it was not a computer as humans or Kryptonians understood the concept. It was called a Mother Box (or so it had told her) and while it was in fact a manufactured piece of hardware, the energies inside it made it alive (kind of) and aware (most definitely).

It might also be her best chance to get home again.

“You are thinking heavy thoughts again,” a familiar voice said from behind her.

She had heard Lyta approach, of course. Little escaped her super hearing. The Amazon Queen sat down beside her, dressed only in a light toga and with none of the trappings of her office. After a few weeks on the island, Kara had shared her story with her. Just in general terms, of course. She had told her nothing of Diana or anything else that might happen in the days to come, but Lyta was aware that Kara had travelled back from the future and that they had met before, at least from Kara’s perspective.

Kara just wasn’t entirely sure whether Lyta believed her. Well, in roughly 3,000 years she would get her proof when a slightly younger Kara would visit to the island for the first time.

“Just thinking about finding my way home,” she said, still looking out over the waters.

She had told Lyta her plans only in the vaguest of terms. While the Amazons were an advanced society compared to the rest of Earth in this time period, things like time travel, relativistic speeds, and the warping of space/time were not exactly part of their everyday lives. Lyta only understood that Kara had a possible method of getting home, but it was untested, probably highly inaccurate, and with no guarantee that it would work.

“The offer to stay here remains,” Lyta reminded her. “We would be happy to have you.”

Kara smiled, touched by the offer, but immediately shook her head. “Thank you, Lyta, but I have to at least try to get home. I miss my family, especially my son. He might almost be a man, but he still needs his mother. And I need him, too.”

She smiled, thinking about numerous talks she had had with Lyta about parenthood. This version of her friend did not have a child yet, of course, and did not think it would ever happen. Kara did not know how exactly Diana had been conceived on an island populated entirely by women (her best friend had just told her that there were conflicting stories), so she hadn’t given any indication to Lyta that parenthood was going to happen to her at some point.

“I understand,” Lyta said, putting her hand on Kara’s shoulder. “I am going to miss you, though. We all will. No matter where – or when – you go, Kara, please always remember that you are one of us! You will always have a home on Themyscira.”

“Thank you, and I will take you up on that offer. Or, well, I already have. We will see each other again, Lyta. Just keep in mind that I won’t remember you at first!”

Lyta nodded. “I know. Your past, my future. This is terribly confusing, you know?”

“Tell me about it,” she laughed, then grew somber. “If... when I make it back, I’ll come visit you and talk to you about Steppenwolf and the battle we went through together. Don’t say anything to me until then, okay?”

Lyta nodded, falling quiet. Kara took up the Mother Box again, her fingers moving over the control interface. There was a soft ticking, the living computer’s equivalent to a “power on” light. The computer didn’t have a screen or anything, instead it seemed to interface directly with its user’s mind through some kind of techno-telepathy. Kara once again calculated the necessary details for her upcoming flight, using the advanced technology to double-check her results for probably the hundredth time now.

“What about Philippus?” Lyta asked, almost nonchalantly.

Kara put the Mother Box back down again, sighing deeply. “I know! I will talk to her.”

“Do it soon,” Lyta told her. “Rumors that you plan to leave us soon are already spreading. She should hear it from you!”

*****

Walking toward the training grounds of the Palace Guard of Themyscira, Kara recalled how she had first met Philippus. She had been one of the Amazons who had taken her to Themyscira by boat when Diana had been recovering from her injuries by Ares. Kara remembered her well, mostly because she had been one of the few Amazons who had appeared standoffish and stern, while most of the others had quickly accepted her.

Well, given what she was about to do, she probably had reason not to be all that warm and welcoming.

The Palace Guard were the Amazon’s peacetime standing army. While every Amazon was a trained warrior, most of them followed other professions during time of peace. Not so the Guard, who were warriors first and only. Philippus was their leader and during times of war, she served as the queen’s general and second in command, too.

When Kara had come to Themiscyra after the battle against Steppenwolf, Philippus had taken it upon herself to become her guide and guard (not that she needed one) in gratitude for saving her queen’s life. Apparently the Amazon had felt terribly guilty that she had not been at her queen’s side in that moment and felt indebted to Kara for protecting Hippolyta in her stead.

Weeks had gone by and during one night Kara had awoken from a particularly bad nightmare. For what had to be the hundredth time she had seen Krypton’s final moments, the death flash of its destruction. Only this time that terrible memory had been worsened by her fears of never seeing Clark and her family again. As Krypton died she had seen Clark drifting away from her, forever out of her reach, and she had awoken, screaming and sobbing.

Philippus had been there, still guarding her, and had offered the comfort of her arms. She had accepted, thankful for the company, and things had somehow naturally progressed from there.

Kara had never imagined finding a lover on the island of the Amazons. Then again, she had never imagined travelling through time, either. Given how surreal the whole situation had been, how unreal her entire stay in this time felt to her, she had simply gone with the flow, refusing to overthink things. Being with Philippus made her happy, for a time that had been enough.

Time, though, was the problem, of course.

As she reached the training ground, she found Philippus among the guards, training. The tall, dark-skinned Amazon looked her way and a smile appeared on her face. Kara felt her own lips spread in an answering smile, her gaze running appreciatively over the other woman’s glistening skin. Quickly finishing her sparring bout, Philippus walked over to her. Without any conscious thought being required, Kara moved into her embrace and they shared a kiss. Their bodies fit together perfectly, as if they had been made for each other.

“Hello, goddess,” Philippus said, smiling. At first many Amazons had called her that, convinced that she was every bit as much of a goddess as those of Mount Olympus. She had quickly dissuaded them of that notion, but the guard captain kept calling her that regardless, if for no other reason than to annoy her.

“Hello, general,” Kara replied, figuring that one annoying pet name deserved another. “Do you have time? I... I need to talk to you.”

The smile faded from the Amazon’s face and she simply nodded. Arm in arm they walked away from the training ground and towards a secluded portion of the Palace gardens. Sitting down under a tree – a tree that had somehow become THEIR tree within the last few months – Philippus looked at her intently.

“It’s time, isn’t it?” she asked, dark eyes seeming to look right into Kara’s soul. “You are leaving.”

Kara nodded. She had tried to think of something profound to say, something clever, but nothing had come to mind. “I have done the calculations again and again; I am as ready as I ever will be.”

Philippus still looked at her, her face showing almost no emotion. Just the tiniest tremor in her lip showed that she was certainly not unaffected by what she was hearing. “So no reason to stay any longer then, is there?”

Kara sighed deeply. “That’s not fair, Philippus. You knew from the beginning that I would not stay here forever. Even if I could... I am not immortal like you.” She met her eyes, trying to convey all the things she could not really find words for. “I could have left weeks ago. The only reason I haven’t...”

Philippus nodded, dark eyes shimmering. “My mind knows all this, Kara. My heart, though, my heart refuses to listen.”

Rao, why was this so very difficult? It wasn’t like she hadn’t considered the option of simply staying here. In her entire life since the destruction of Krypton, she had never been so relaxed, so happy to just live in the moment without any worries or cares. Staying here on Themyscira, this timeless paradise far removed from the world she knew, was oh so very tempting. Staying in the arms of someone like Philippus...

But it was a phantasy, a day dream. She could never abandon her family and friends, especially not Clark. Nor could she simply leave her work behind, her efforts to build a better world. She needed to go back and it wasn’t like she could simply wait out the three millennia here. Kryptonians were long-lived, but not that long-lived. She had to go. Before her resolve crumbled completely and she surrendered to the phantasy of staying here.

“We will meet again, Philippus,” she told her, cradling the other woman’s face in her hands.

Philippus, too, knew about her travel through time and that she had already been to Themyscira at some point in the future. Kara had told her that they had already met there, though she had said nothing else, no details. It was Philippus’ future, after all, and she refused to set it in stone, even if it was already history for her.

They met for another kiss, bittersweet this time. Tomorrow the goddess would leave and the general would remain behind. Today, though, they would simply go with the flow and live in the moment for one last time.

“One last day in paradise,” Kara mumbled.

*****

There was no goodbye feast or anything, as the queen knew very well that Kara would wish to spend her final hours on Themyscira in other ways. When morning came, the Amazons gathered in front of the Palace to say goodbye to the one who had joined them in battle, saved their queen, and been one of them ever since. No one remarked on Philippus remaining distant throughout, most of them knowing the reason why.

“Remember your promise, Kara,” Hippolyta told her.

“I will, Lyta. The moment I’m home and made sure Clark is all right, I’ll come visit the island.” Kara was once again dressed in her super suit, which she hadn’t worn in months. The suit felt weird and constricting after all this time. Like putting your working clothes back on after dressing down for months of vacation time. In many ways her stay here had been like a vacation, a break from reality. One that was now ending, though. Time to return to the real world.

The queen embraced her. “Safe journey, Kara! And give your son a kiss from me when you get home!”

There were many more goodbyes, many more hugs. Kara had befriended many of the Amazons in her months here. None more so than the one she had said goodbye to last night, of course. Philippus and she made eye contact one final time. There had been no promises made during the night. The immortal general did not promise to wait 3,000 years and the mortal goddess did not promise to come back to her. The future would take care of itself. Their time together had always been about the present and nothing but the present.

“Thank you all,” Kara simply said, then took off without any further ceremony.

By the time Kara had cleared Earth’s atmosphere, the unshed tears in her eyes had dried. The Mother Box was fastened to her belt, ticking away and illuminating her flight path in her mind. Today she would fly faster than she had ever flown before, pushing her powers to extremes she had shied away from so far.

Heading directly towards the sun, she could feel its light energize her cells, making her stronger and faster. She pushed on, accelerating further and further. The mean distance between Earth and sun was 150 million kilometers. Light itself needed roughly 8 minutes to bridge the distance. Kara needed 12 minutes and was still accelerating.

Adjusting her flight path, she began to circle around the vast yellow star in a deep orbit, allowing its humongous gravity to draw her in and make her faster still. The Mother Box at her hip recalculated her flight path every few seconds, measured her speed, and helped her remain on track.

Time dilation was a simple mathematical formula. Objects in motion experienced a slower passage of time than objects at rest. At roughly 90% of light speed, time would pass twice as fast for her as it would back on Earth. At 99% of light speed, it would pass seven times as fast. Given that she had 3,000 years to bridge, she would need to be faster still.

Without the Mother Box, she was quite certain that she would have been stuck for good. Kara was far from stupid, she might even be something of a genius, but the calculations required to bridge 3,000 years via time dilation by flying at near light speed without colliding with anything, burning herself up, or tearing a hole into the space/time continuum were way beyond her. Which was, to her, just one more proof that this entire journey had been predestined in some impossible to understand way.

With the tic-tic-tic of the Mother Box echoing in her mind, Kara accelerated even more, pushing her body impossibly close to that unreachable speed of 1.0 c. Time warped around her, years passing in seconds, stars strobing through the sky, every cell in her body screaming as energy was torn from them as fast as the sun could replenish it. Time lost all meaning, centuries passed in seconds while eye blinks took ages, and finally the Mother Box gave the signal to let go.

Kara shot away from the sun, still travelling at impossible speeds but rapidly decelerating. She had just enough presence of mind left to set her body at a course towards Earth before her overtaxed body finally surrendered and slipped into blessed unconsciousness. When she threatened to shoot past Earth, the Mother Box at her hip ticked and with a boom that should not have be audible in space, a glowing tube formed in front of her. A moment later, she was flying above the surface of the planet, unconscious, and burning up the sky around her like a comet.

When she finally touched ground, her invulnerable form left yet another long trench in the Earth, much like the one she had left when the Flash had sent her 3,000 years into the past. This time, though, she remained unmoving at the end of it, sprawled across the ground like a fallen angel.

When the clouds cleared and sunlight fell onto her face, she remained unconscious. When someone came by some time later to investigate the crash site, she did not move. And even when someone lifted her unmoving body into their arms to carry her away, she did not stir.

*****

End Chapter 30

Author’s Note: Philippus is one of the Amazons introduced in George Perez’ reboot of Wonder Woman in 1987 and has appeared in every version of Wonder Woman since. This includes the movie, where she was played by Ann Ogbomo. And way back in chapter 5, she was indeed one of the (unnamed) Amazons on that boat, namely the one who spoke to Kara in a rather brusque manner. Well, now you know why.

As for the science behind Kara’s attempt to jump back to the present (we’ll see whether it worked next chapter), I hope it’s not too far out there. Time dilation is a very real phenomenon, but the energies required to accelerate a human-sized objects to speeds where 3,000 years would pass in mere minutes are probably near-infinite. I’m kind of mixing real-world science with Star Trek here (the patented Enterprise slingshot maneuver, seen in several episodes and Star Trek IV).

Chapter Text

Chapter 31: Close to Home (Out of Time – Part 4)

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Hawkman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

When Kara slowly became aware again, she found herself in an unknown place. She was in some kind of spacious tent, animal hides adorning the wall, and a stone-circled fire was crackling in the center. The bed she was resting on was little more than a cot. The entrance flap of the tent was slightly open and bright sunlight streamed in from outside.

Sitting up, she could not quite stifle a groan. Her head hurt like crazy.

“I am glad to see you awake, Miss,” a voice said in accented English.

She looked up, seeing a man enter through the tent flap. He was tall and muscular, clearly of Native American descent, probably in his early thirties. He had dark, piercing eyes and carried a rifle in his hand.

“How long was I out?” she asked, rubbing her head.

“Almost two days, Miss. Though given that I saw you fall from the sky, burning like a comet, I would say that you recovered rather quickly.”

She swung her legs over the side of the cot and stood up, feeling kind of wobbly. The stranger was by her side a moment later, steadying her.

“Take it easy, Miss! Those legs haven’t moved in a while, give them time to wake up, too.”

“Thank you, Mister...?” she began.

“Johnson. Katar Johnson! And your name, Miss?”

Feeling confident in her balance again, she took a few steps forward. Looking around, she was quite certain that she was a lot closer to her own time than before. But how close?

“My name is Kara, Mr. Johnson. Kara-El. And this might be a strange question, but... could you tell me today’s date?”

He chuckled. “I assume you are asking for the date according to the white man’s calendar, Miss El? Well, by that reckoning it would be June 17.”

He looked at her, cocking his head to the side. “Something tells me, though, that this does not quite answer your question, does it?”

It seemed that this man was entirely too perceptive, she figured. Well, he had apparently seen her fall from the sky and remain unhurt. Playing the harmless human damsel was not in the cards. He already knew she was not quite normal. Besides, some instinct told her that he, too, did not exactly fall under the “normal” category. Something about those eyes... they looked too old.

“No, it doesn’t,” she finally said. “I... I was actually asking about the year.”

He kept looking at her for a long moment, then nodded. “Well, that would be the year 1870, I believe.” He paused, looking at her face. “You do not seem very satisfied with that answer.”

“It is a better answer than I feared, but not the one I was hoping for,” she told him. She wasn’t really surprised. Given that she had been unable to calculate the exact number of years she had been displaced, she had “aimed low” in her calculations, figuring she would rather arrive too early than overshoot. It simply meant she would have to do another jaunt through time, a much shorter one in this instance. Which meant more calculations.

Speaking of calculations...

“I had something with me when I... arrived,” she said, her eyes scanning the room. “A small metal box that I had clipped to my hip. You wouldn’t have found it, too, would you?”

“Ah, yes, the Mother Box!”

She blinked. “How do you...?”

He knelt down and retrieved the alien computer from under a second cot, holding it out to her. The Mother Box was humming audibly, the familiar tic-tic-tic showing that it was active.

“A truly amazing piece of machinery, Miss El. When I picked it up, it... spoke to me, though it did not use words doing so.”

“I know the feeling,” she said, gratefully taking the Mother Box back. She didn’t know whether she could do the calculations without it. “And what did it tell you?”

“It merely... confirmed some things for me, personal things. Answered some questions I had about my own past, so to speak.”

His eyes travelled to the far corner of the tent and Kara followed his gaze. Sitting against the wall of the tent was something she had mistaken for a Native American headdress during her first cursory sweep of the room. It was not, though. It was a chest harness, she now realized, with two large hawk-like wings attached to it. Lying next to it was a helmet, made to look like the head of a hawk, including a beak that would cover the nose of the wearer.

To the casual observer the whole get-up might look vaguely Native American. To Kara, though, who had studied alien species in school, it looked like something else entirely. Something that was entirely out of place here in this time.

“I see recognition in your eyes, Miss El,” Johnson said. “Tell me, does the name ‘Thanagar’ mean anything to you?”

“I have heard it before, yes,” she said. “It sounds like we both have interesting stories.”

*****

Later that same day Kara was floating through a canyon, Katar Johnson flying by her side with his winged harness and hawk mask. It was actually just the second time he had taken to the skies, or so he said, but he flew like someone born to it.

Kara had learned about the Thanagarian Hawkmen in school, how they used the mysterious Nth Metal – found only on their world and nowhere else in the entire universe – to negate gravity and enhance their weapons. To find traces of this very particular alien technology in the American Old West was strange enough, but the actual story behind it was apparently stranger still.

“The reincarnation of an Egyptian Prince?” she said, not even trying to keep the skepticism from her voice. “Really?”

“You say you are a time traveler from another planet,” Johnson countered. “What makes my story less believable than yours?”

“Well, you did see me fall out of the sky,” she replied.

“And you see me with a metal not native to this world, made into a harness resembling the dress of alien warriors I have never met.”

“Okay, point taken.”

From what Johnson had told her, he had always experienced vivid dreams that showed him living in foreign lands, wearing different faces. In all those dreams, though, he had worn the wings and the hawk mask, always fashioned from a mysterious metal that he always ended up finding again and again. Upon touching the Mother Box, though, the sentient computer had apparently enabled him to make sense of these images, recognizing them as memories of previous lives. Including memories of his first live as an Egyptian prince called Khufu, who had found a crashed Thanagarian space ship in the desert.

“I am in your debt, Miss El,” Johnson said, gliding beside her. “Without your wondrous machine, I might well have floundered the rest of my life, trying to make sense of these images in my mind.”

“If I can stay at your place for a day or two until I regain my strength to continue my journey, I will consider us even.”

“I gladly offer you my humble hospitality.”

She smiled at him. “And someone to enjoy flying with, too?”

He smiled back. “There are few things in life better than flying, aren’t there?”

*****

It was the third day of her stay with Katar Johnson in the Old West. Well, the third day she was conscious anyway. The Mother Box was still calculating the exact details of her next time jaunt and she was still soaking up solar energy to be at optimum power levels for the flight. They spent much of their time talking. She told him what little she remembered about the Thanagarians from her school days and the tales Adam Strange had told of them, while he would regale her with tales of his life on the Cheyenne reservation and his previous lives. He did try to needle some details about the future from her, but she steadfastly refused.

Katar also talked at length about a woman he had encountered many times throughout his many lives. She had originally been Princess Chay-Ara, his wife, and it seemed that she, too, was fated to be reborn again and again. More often than not they found each other, but so far in this life she had eluded him.

“If it is fated, then I shall meet her again,” he simply said, a forlorn look on his face. “It makes little sense to long for lives that are past, worlds that are now forever lost.”

It was with this innocuous comment that the thought suddenly popped into her mind. Or rather, it exploded into her mind with the force of a nuclear warhead. She was in the past. Well, obviously she had been in the past for a while now. Seven months spent 3,000 years in the past. But that had been too distant, too far away, to really grasp the reality of her situation. Now, though, with a mere century and change away from her own present day, the thought suddenly took form in her mind.

She was in the past. A past where Krypton had not yet died.

She gasped, almost as if hit by a physical blow. Her planet, her home, it still existed in this time. It was whole, not a graveyard of radioactive debris. Her people were still alive. Her parents... well, her parents hadn’t been born yet, but unless she was mistaken grandpa Seyg-El should be a young man right now. Or if not him, then great-grandpa Ter-El at the very least should be around. The House of El had been prominent on Krypton for centuries.

She fell to her knees, the possibilities swirling around her mind. Dimly she noticed that Katar was coming to her side, inquiring what was wrong, but she paid him no heed. Krypton was alive. Over a century away from that fateful day when the core collapsed and billions died screaming.

“I can stop it,” she whispered, the mere utterance of the words seemingly shaking the world around her, rocking the foundations of her life. If she could go to Krypton now and convince them to stop mining the core for energy, then maybe it would be enough to avert that fatal catastrophe. Krypton could live!

“Stop what?” Katar inquired, worry on his face.

Looking up at him, her eyes shimmering with tears, she couldn’t help but grin like a loon. “I can stop it! I can save them! They’re still alive in this time and I can save them all!”

He narrowed his eyes and looked troubled.

“Now, Miss Kara, I don’t pretend to know much about these things, but should not mere common sense say that it’s dangerous business for time travelers to muck about with the past?”

She didn’t hear him, though. She stumbled back to her feet and quickly ran into the tent. A moment later she found the Mother Box, still sitting on the makeshift cot, recharging or whatever it was it did when it wasn’t in use. Her fingers closed around the metal casing and it became warm in her hands, the soft tic-tic-tic telling her that it was powered up and ready.

“I need you to create one of those boom tubes,” she told it. “Like the one that took Steppenwolf away. I need one that takes me to the planet Krypton!”

The tic-tic-tic stopped and for a moment Kara almost believed that the Mother Box would refuse her commands. The telepathic link clearly communicated a feeling of unease and hesitation. Could a computer feel unease? Even a living one? After a moment, though, she felt the Mother Box beginning to calculate and knew that it would do as she asked.

She didn’t have any belongings to gather. Her cape had gotten lost somewhere along the way and she hadn’t taken off her super suit since she got here. She clipped the Mother Box onto her hip and walked back outside.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Katar,” she said. “I’ll be off now.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Miss Kara,” he simply said, nodding to her. “Safe journey! Make sure that you do not lose track of your destination!”

“I’ll do my best,” she says, smiling at him in farewell. “I hope you will find your Chay-Ara, Katar!”

With a loud boom the tube opened up in front of her, air swirling around it, energy crackling. She saw Katar take a step back in surprise, but paid it no heed. Gathering all her resolve around her, ignoring the sinking feeling of making some sort of cataclysmic mistake, she stepped forward into the space warp.

*****

As she stepped out of the tube, she stumbled. Gravity much higher than she had gotten used to made her body feel heavy. Then she saw the red glint to the sky, the giant red sun shining overhead. Everything around her was tinged slightly red by the sun, great Rao, and the plain before her was made of reddish earth. In the distance, she saw the crystal towers of a Kryptonian city, which one she couldn’t tell. But it didn’t matter, really. The towers glistened in the red light, the air smelled familiar. Despite the fact that it had been 14 years since she had set foot on this world, her body remembered it. Her every cell remembered it.

“Krypton,” she whispered, the slightly different atmosphere carrying the words in different ways. Without even thinking about it, she slipped into her native tongue and the words floated on the air like music. “I am home! Great Rao be praised, I am home!”

For several minutes she just stood there, simply letting the feeling of home wash over her. The higher gravity made her feel heavy and grounded in a way Earth never did. The red light slowly began to sap the strength from her limbs, but she didn’t care. This was home. The planet she had lost, the world she had thought she would never, ever see again. If she could never fly again, that would be a price she would gladly pay.

Kara fell to her knees, her fingers digging into the soft Earth even as tears were running down her cheeks. From deep within her, sealed away for years, grief and anger poured forth and she sobbed, letting her sorrow for her home’s destruction run free and splatter onto its soil.

Somewhere deep below, she knew, Kryptonian machines were mining energy from the planet’s molten core, a process that would eventually bring the world to ruin, shatter its continents, burn its cities, and boil its oceans. But she had a century to put a stop to it. A century to make the short-sighted rulers of Krypton understand the consequences of their actions. She would not allow Krypton to die again. She was not a helpless little girl this time, born into a world already in its death throes. She could change things! She would have her family back! Clark would get to grow up with his parents!

Steeling her resolve, she stood up again and prepared to take off and fly towards the nearest city. Suddenly, though, another boom tube opened up directly in front of her, forcing her to take a step back. A shape appeared before her. A man dressed in blue, sitting in a floating chair.

“I fear I must ask you to go no further, Kara-El,” the newcomer said. He spoke perfect Kryptonian, she realized, but without any sort of accent or dialect. In an uncomfortable way it reminded her of Brainiac’s manner of speech. Utterly flat, emotionless, cold.

“Who are you?” she asked, body tensing in preparation for a confrontation. “How do you know my name?”

“I am Metron of New Genesis,” he simply said. “And as for how I know your name and your intentions, Kara-El, you carry one of our Mother Boxes with you.” He gestured towards the metal box on her hip, which seemed to hum in response.

Kara took a step back, her fists clenching. “You are one of Steppenwolf’s people then? I stopped your kind once, I will do it again!”

“I am not allied with Steppenwolf nor with his master,” Metron said, infuriatingly calm in the face of her anger. “There are factions involved you know nothing about, not yet. It is of no matter at this point in time anyway. I know why you are here and I cannot allow you to proceed.”

“Allow?” she growled, her anger boiling over. She was here, she was home, and she could prevent the death of her people. No stranger on a fancy flying chair would get in her way. “No one ‘allows’ me to do anything, Metron! You better stay out of my affairs!”

She took off, her power of flight still working off the stored solar energy in her cells. She would have to be careful, as Rao’s red light would not replenish her energy levels, but for now she had power to spare. Leaving the stranger behind, she rocketed towards the Kryptonian city in the distance. She just needed to warn them, to tell them, then everything would be all right.

Her flight path was suddenly obstructed, the stranger in his chair appearing right in front of her. She swerved to avoid him, but he was right there again. No matter how she maneuvered, he kept appearing between her and her target.

“Out of my way!” she warned him, her eyes filling with red fire.

“I cannot,” he replied, still calm. “If you were to proceed, Kara-El, the damage done to the space/time continuum would be tremendous.”

“I don’t care,” she yelled. “I can save my people! Billions of lives will be saved!”

“And trillions more will be lost,” Metron countered, arguing like a professor correcting a headstrong pupil. “You cannot fathom the impact your deeds would have on things to come, Kara-El. As much as it saddens me to say so, Krypton’s fate must remain unchanged.”

Kara had heard enough and her eyes spewed fire. Searing beams of heat struck the floating chair as she intended to simply blow Metron’s mode of transport out from under him. The beams simply flickered and died, though, absorbed by a force field surrounding it. Even angrier than before, Kara darted forward and smashed her fists against the barrier around Metron. The barrier shook, the flying chair wobbled slightly, but that was all the effect it had.

“Your powers are impressive, Kara-El,” Metron said, not looking concerned. “If we were not under a red sun, you might even eventually pose a danger to me. As things stand, though, you have no hope of doing any damage to me or my Mobius Chair!”

Kara growled again and prepared to simply dash past Metron at super speed, but suddenly she found herself gripped by some sort of tractor beam hailing from the chair. She fought against the energy holding her captive, strained with all her remaining strength, but the beam didn’t even flicker.

“We must be away,” Metron said. “Your very presence here in this time and place is already causing minor tremors throughout space/time. I will deliver you back to your proper time zone.”

“You won’t stop me,” she snarled at him, continuing to fight. “Even if you take me back, I now know time travel is possible. I know I will eventually meet a time traveler. I will do it under my own power if I have to, but I will get back! I will save Krypton!”

This caused Metron to pause and he looked at her in something resembling concern. “Hmm, I believe you are right. You are certainly stubborn enough.” He looked down, manipulating some controls built into the arms of his chair. “Probabilities are converging around you. I cannot remove you from the time stream for the same reason that I cannot allow you to interfere with Krypton’s fate. That leaves me but one alternative, I fear.”

The Mobius Chair began to move again, dragging Kara with her. “What are you doing?” she yelled at him.

“The only thing I can do to preserve the sanctity of the time stream,” he said. “I will show you that I am right and you are wrong.”

With a loud boom another tube opened up and the Mobius Chair, along with its two passengers, vanished from Krypton. When Brainiac sent out two drones to investigate some strange readings it had gotten, there was nothing there to find. Only some faint traces of fallen tears, slowly soaking into the ground.

*****

End Chapter 31

Author’s Note: There were numerous comics during the Bronze Age (70s to mid-80s) where Superman attempted to use his well-established ability to time travel to go back and save Krypton, but it never worked. To coin a Doctor Who reference, the destruction of Krypton is a fixed point in time. Given the impact the survivor(s) of Krypton have on the rest of the universe, averting the planet’s destruction would certainly cause a MAJOR rewriting of history. Still, given that Kara has a far deeper connection to her lost home world than Kal-El ever had, I couldn’t see her not attempting to save her world if given the chance.

As for Hawkman, I am going with the Goyer/Johns version of the character, meaning he is the reincarnation of the Egyptian Prince Khufu, who gains his abilities from the mysterious Nth Metal, recovered from a Thanagarian space ship that crashed in ancient Egypt. Katar Johnson was an Elseworlds version of the character from the 1997 Justice Riders one-shot, but I think he fits neatly into the whole resurrection scheme of the character. So as you can probably guess, Hawk-people will soon turn up in Kara’s present day, too.

Chapter Text

Chapter 32: Future Girl (Out of Time – Part 5)

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Legion of Superheroes belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Kara was still cursing up a storm as they exited the boom tube. How dare this bastard stop her from saving her people? How dare he treat her like some kind of child that needed the greater good explained to her? Hadn’t she already changed time? If she hadn’t acted, Hippolyta would have died, Diana would never have been born, Earth would have been conquered by Steppenwolf. How was this different?

The logical part of her brain, which argued that the other events had already been part of her own personal future, was ruthlessly pushed aside.

“As impressive as your repertoire of curse words is, Kara-El,” Metron said, “I suggest you take note of our new surroundings!”

She was almost tempted to simply close her eyes just to spite him, but doubted it would really accomplish much. So she looked around and couldn’t help but gasp.

They were currently floating above a city. Not the kind of city Kara had ever seen before, though. It seemed to be almost endless, for starters, stretching away in all directions as far as the eye could see. The buildings looked like no architectural style Kara was familiar with, seemingly a curious mixture between Earth, Krypton, and half a dozen other alien influences. There were metal towers, crystal structures, buildings that seemed almost like giant trees, and many more.

Looking down, she saw that the citizens of the city were equally as diverse. The majority seemed to be human – or at least human-looking – but there were also a huge number of alien species, only some of them familiar to her. She had never seen so many different species together in one place.

“Where are we?” she asked, the strangeness of the surroundings managing to calm her anger at least a little bit.

“We are on Earth, actually,” Metron said. “The city of Metropolis.”

Kara stared at him, the disbelief clear on her face.

“Your second question should have been, WHEN are we?” Metron proposed. “And to answer it, we are almost a thousand years in the future from where you originally started. This is 30th century Earth, the capitol of the United Planets.”

Kara gasped, not quite believing it. A thousand years into the future? Apart from the sheer ridiculousness of the notion, her mind immediately flashed to the most important question: how was she supposed to get back home from here? Relativistic flight would only allow her to travel forward, not back.

“Why?” she simply asked, staring at Metron with a mixture of anger and despair in her eyes. “Do you plan to strand me here?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Strand you? Oh, certainly not. You are far too integral to the time stream, as I already said. We are here to give you an impression on why the time stream cannot simply be changed at leisure, especially your personal one. And our destination is straight ahead.”

Kara saw that they were moving towards a massive building that looked like a mixture between metallic and crystal construction. As they moved closer, Kara could see that a statue was standing in front of the main entrance. A statue of a woman. A woman with the shield of House El on her chest.

“What’s that?” Kara whispered, her mind refusing the obvious answer.

“Why, that is a museum dedicated to the great hero who is credited with ushering in this golden age we are currently in. Use your super vision and read the inscription on the base of the statue, if you will.”

She hesitated, but almost without conscious effort her eyes zoomed in and showed her the writing on the base. There were at least ten different languages present, one of them closely resembling Interlac, the interstellar trading language Kara had learned in school. Which made it easy to read.

Dedicated to Kara-El / Karen Kent / Superwoman
Protector of Earth
Architect of the Future
Seeder of Worlds

“This is some sort of trick,” she whispered, refusing to believe what she was seeing.

“No trick, I assure you,” Metron said. “We should not go into too much detail, but you are a figure of critical importance in the history of humanity and numerous other alien races. Events triggered by your actions will eventually lead to the formation of the United Planets, a peaceful coalition of races and cultures unprecedented in the history of this galaxy. Hundreds of worlds, trillions of sentients, peace and prosperity lasting centuries.”

Metron looked directly at her now. “All because a girl from a doomed planet decided to do her utmost to build a better world. A decision that will not be made if the girl’s planet were to live.”

Kara shook her head. “No! No, no, no, no, no! You can’t put something like that on me!”

“I do not put anything on you, Kara-El,” Metron replied. “I am simply showing you what you will eventually accomplish if you stay on the course you have decided upon years ago. What will be lost, should you change your course and actually find a way to save Krypton and alter history. As you said, maybe you can find a way to save your people. But you should know the price. Nothing in this universe is ever without a price, Kara-El.”

Kara felt frozen, completely at a loss as to what to do. The weight of a thousand years seemed to settle on her shoulders, pulling her down, seeking to force her onto a path already set by destiny. A path begun by the death of her world.

All this, everything she was seeing, might well be an elaborate hoax. She only had Metron’s word that this really was the future, a future formed by her actions and plans. But her super vision swept the city, saw the representatives of so many different races walking peacefully side by side. Saw the beautiful melting pot of technologies, cultures, styles, and beings. It was everything she had dreamed of since she had first made her plans to build a better world. A world that made use of Krypton’s accomplishments, but avoided its mistakes. A future where Clark would be happy and safe. Where everyone would be happy and safe.

Even as one part of her mind violently rejected the notion, another part oh so desperately wanted it to be true, even as she balked at the terrifying weight of responsibility.

“Why should I believe you?” she asked, not caring that there were tears in her eyes. “How do I know you aren’t deceiving me?”

“Good question,” Metron replied. “What would I gain from deceiving you, Kara-El? What would my endgame be to warrant such an elaborate ruse, such a masterful deception?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered, her eyes still sweeping across this wonderful city. She saw Xudarians swim inside a tower filled with water, tending to a hydroponic garden. A group of Barrions were spinning crystals into a new building. She watched in fascination as a man split into three identical duplicates of himself to help load crates onto a flying car. Green-skinned Coluans were busy programming a data terminal near a floating train station. Winged Thanagarians were performing some kind of aerial acrobatics to the cheers of a crowd composed of at least seven different races, most of them unfamiliar to Kara.

It was beautiful. It was glorious. And it might all be a lie to prevent her from saving her people from annihilation.

“I see you are not yet convinced,” Metron said, sighing. “Thankfully there are others in this time who will incite greater trust in you than I. Farewell, Kara-El. I hope when next we meet it will be under happier circumstances.”

“Farewell?” she repeated, turning around just in time to watch Metron and his flying chair vanish into another boom tube. Leaving her hovering alone above a city 1,000 years removed from her own time.

“You bastard,” she screamed, flying past the spot where he had vanished. “You said you wouldn’t strand me here!”

He was gone, though, no trace of him to be found. A moment later a horrible suspicion dawned on her and she looked down. The Mother Box that had been attached to her hip was still there, though. She sighed in relief, he hadn’t taken that, at least. If she really was in the future, though, not the past, then she was still stuck. She had already queried the box on whether or not it could open boom tubes through time when she had been stuck in ancient Greece.

She fumed, fighting the irrational urge to find something big and sturdy to smash into powder. It didn’t matter if this was really future Earth or simply some other place, it wouldn’t do to make enemies of the inhabitants by scaring them. Not if she might be dependent upon their good will. Taking deep breaths, trying to get her fury back under control, she simply hovered in place.

“You utter bastard,” she swore under her breath. “I can promise you that our next meeting will not be happier, at least not for you!” First the Flash, now this guy. What was it with people figuring they could simply strand her somewhere?

From the corner of her eye she saw something approaching her, a flying figure. Okay, it seemed she had finally attracted the attention of the natives. Metron had probably cloaked them before or something. Well, given that she was stranded here for now, she could use all the help she could get.

The flying figure stopped in front of her and looked at her with wide eyes.

“Kara? By the Rings, it’s really you!”

Kara studied the flying blonde woman in front of her. She couldn’t be older than 20 at the most, probably younger, and her style of dress seemed to hail directly from a 1970s R-rated Science Fiction movie. The outfit was little more than a pink bikini and a pair of thigh-high pink leggings, coupled with pink opera gloves. The fact that she was flying without any visible means of propulsion only underscored the sci-fi look.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met,” Kara said, confused. “Who are you? How do you know my name?”

The young woman looked taken aback by her reaction. “Kara, it’s me, Imra! Saturn Girl!”

“Should that mean something to me?”

Suddenly a light bulb seemed to go on for the other woman. “Oh, how could I forget? Of course you can’t remember a thing. Give me just a second here!”

For the briefest of seconds Kara felt pressure inside her head, a feeling familiar from those few times J’Onn made telepathic contact with her. A reprimand was already on her lips, meant to tell the other woman to keep her telepathic fingers to herself, but the words never made it out. With an almost audible click something unlocked inside her mind and memories she hadn’t even known where there flooded into her awareness.

She knew this place. She had been here before. And she definitely recognized the woman floating in front of her.

“Imra? Rao, can this really be you?”

She quickly floated towards her old friend and the two women embraced heartily.

“I’m sorry, Kara, I had completely forgotten about that memory block you insisted on when you left.”

They parted and Kara looked around, studying the city with a new perspective. “I remember now. This is really the 30th century! I’ve been here before!”

Imra smiled warmly at her. “It’s so great to see you again, Kara! Come on, let’s go see the others! They’ll be so excited that Supergirl is back with the Legion of Superheroes!”

Kara followed her. “It’ll be great to see the gang again. But it’s SuperWOMAN now, Imra. It’s been quite a few years for me.”

Together they shot across the futuristic city and Kara’s memory, now freed from the block she had asked her friend to place there, immediately flashed back to the first time she had been here over a decade ago. Well, a decade for her. Time travel was so confusing.

*****

Smallville, eleven years ago (or a thousand years ago, depending on one’s perspective)

Kara-El, now better known as Karen Kent, was all too aware of the many whispers and stares that followed her as she walked about town. Just half an hour ago she had collected Kal – no, Clark! His name was Clark now, she needed to remember that – from the church’s kindergarten and brought him to Martha and Jonathan. All the other mothers present had unsuccessfully pretended not to notice that she was only 16 years old despite having a three-year-old son.

She still wasn’t entirely down with the idea of leaving Clark in the hands of strangers. Even leaving him out of her sight for a few moments was difficult. Well, not that difficult, seeing as her vision powers allowed her to look in on him from just about everywhere in town, but still. She was aware, though, that she needed to get used to it.

She had tested out of high school and was currently taking college courses by correspondence, but when she was finally an adult in the eyes of the local law, she had big plans that would need a lot of her attention. Clark would always be her number one priority, but she couldn’t hover around him all the time. No matter how much she would have liked to.

Martha had actually talked to her about this, her “aunt” being slightly worried about how much Kara seemed to fixate on Clark and his welfare. Kara knew she was right, that she was partially using Clark’s dependency on her to keep herself going, to avoid dealing with the memories, but it had still led to something of a blow-up between the two of them. Some heated words had followed, ending with Kara leaving the farm to cool her temper. She knew she would have to apologize to Martha later on, but she needed some time to get her head on straight first.

She was not yet aware that ‘some time’ would end up being a whole lot of time.

She had hoped a walk through town would help her calm down, but the stares and whispers did little to soothe her temper. So she kept walking until she was a good deal outside the town, the endless fields of Kansas stretching all around her. The sun was shining brightly overhead and some part of Kara couldn’t help but notice – not for the first time – that the colors around her seemed slightly wrong. Having grown up under a red sun, the brighter, more vibrant colors under a yellow sun still felt foreign to her. She was sure she would eventually get used to it, but she wasn’t there yet.

Making sure that no one was around to watch, she floated up into the air and began to drift over the fields. If there was one thing about this planet and its yellow star she completely and utterly embraced, it was this. Flying really was the best thing ever.

“I could hardly agree more, Kara!”

She started, caught by surprise. A girl was floating beside her, having appeared from out of nowhere. She was blonde, about her own age, and wearing and outfit that reminded Kara of her own very poor first attempts at blending in with Earth fashions. Jacket and skirt were completely mismatched and the boots would be more at home in the 1960s.

“Who are you?” she asked, turning in mid-air to face the flying stranger. “How did you manage to sneak up on me?” She paused, thinking back. “And how did you know what I was thinking?”

“I am a telepath from Saturn’s moon Titan,” she replied cheerfully. “My name is Imra Ardeen.”

Kara frowned. “No one lives on Saturn’s moons,” she insisted. “Try another one!”

Imra, if that was really her name, touched down on the ground, light as a feather. Kara landed a few steps away from her, body tensed in anticipation of a fight.

“Not yet,” Imra said, still smiling. “It’s a really long story and I promise to tell you all about it, Kara, but now we really need to leave! Like, right now!”

“Leave?” She took another step back. “Girl, you’re even crazier than I thought if you think I’ll just...”

She was interrupted by the arrival of two other people. One was a redhead, no older than Imra, and smelled like ozone and electricity. The other was dark-haired, also of the same age, and something about him gave Kara a headache. Magnetic fields seemed to bend around his body in an utterly unnatural way. They came flying out of the nearby forest – more flying people? – and looked like something very scary and dangerous was chasing them.

“We’re out of time,” the redhead shouted. “He’s here!”

“Who is here?” Kara asked, even more confused now. “And who are you?”

“Garth, Rokk, this is Kara! Kara, these are Garth Ranzz and Rokk Krinn! Everything else will have to wait until later.”

Imra touched something on her wrist and from out of nowhere a clear bubble suddenly appeared next to them. It was about twelve feet or so in diameter, slightly opaque, and inside it she could just make out an even floor and some kind of control panel. A door slid open on the bubble’s surface and the two boys quickly made their way inside, the redhead immediately heading to the controls.

“Okay, short version,” Imra said, grabbing her hand. “We’re the Legion of Superheroes from the 30th century. We have recently discovered time travel. Someone stole a time sphere and travelled back here in order to kill you and change the future. We need to prevent that from happening, so we’re taking you back with us!”

“Wait, what?”

Something exploded behind them, pelting them with pieces of rock and dirt. Kara turned around, seeing a giant of a man step out of a burning field. He was at least three times as big as a normal human being, wore a long white beard, and was dressed in flowing purple robes. What caught her attention the most, though, was ... was that really a winged hat?

“You will not stop me from creating a new future, Legionnaires,” the giant thundered, energy crackling around his hands. “Mordru the Merciless will not be denied!”

“You gotta be kidding me,” Kara muttered.

*****

End Chapter 32

Author’s Note: For the sake of continuity (something I only adhere to when the mood suits me, I admit) the scene with teen Kara in Smallville takes place roughly half a year or so before the final flashback from Chapter 23 (A Very Super Christmas). Kara is in the middle of her teenage tantrum phase and often fighting with Martha about how much (or how little) she fixates on Clark.

Legion of Superheroes fans may note that Superwoman here takes the place of Lar Gand / Valor (aka Mon-El in the pre-Crisis Legion), who seeded the worlds that became the United Planets in the so-called Glorith-continuity of the Legion (there are so many different Legion continuities, it boggles the mind). Mon-El may or may not appear in this story at some later date, haven’t decided yet. And may I just say how much I love the Legion’s 1970s bikini costumes? You can’t go wrong with futuristic superheroes in bikini costumes fighting bearded magicians with winged helmets in outer space!

Chapter Text

Chapter 33: Future Past and Present (Out of Time – Part 6)

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Legion of Superheroes belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

****

Eleven years ago (and 1,000 years in the future)

Kara was sitting on the roof of the Legion of Superheroes club house and looked out across the vast city. Her fingers pulled at the suit she was wearing, which fit her figure perfectly, but still seemed uncomfortable and constricting to her. On her chest was the House of El coat of arms, a symbol that should have meaning to no one but herself, but was revered and honored on a hundred worlds and more by billions of sentient beings.

Because of her. Because of things she had yet to accomplish.

It had started out as a terrific adventure. Being taken into the future, 1,000 years into the future, by a group of super-powered teenagers calling themselves the Legion of Superheroes. Fighting a space magician named Mordru the Merciless who wanted to conquer the universe and wasn’t shy about boasting, either. Meeting a whole host of other teenagers with super powers.

Every single one of them could fly.

Well, most of them needed a special flight ring to do it, but still. Flying with other people was so much better than doing it alone. In some strange way, being with others as she flew through the air dispelled that feeling of utter loneliness she always felt inside of her, that huge empty space where her home world had once been before it had died in a silent flash of light.

It had been confusing at first, even a bit scary. Fleeing from her own time in a sphere that moved through the centuries with ease. A murderous magician hot on their heels (and finding out that her invulnerability was of little use when it came to magic had been a bummer, too). Then the fight against Mordru upon arriving in the future, which levelled the so-called Time Institute in Metropolis and destroyed every single time sphere they had. For a long, seemingly endless moment she had feared that she’d be stranded here in the future, never to see Kal again, until the chief scientist of the Institute, a charming insectoid man called Circadia Senius, had reassured her that it was simply a matter of rebuilding. They would need just a few months to reconstruct their equipment and then they would be able to put her back in the exact moment she had left from.

From that moment on, it had been like the world’s best vacation. Knowing that Kal... Clark wouldn’t miss her, that the Kents wouldn’t even notice that she was gone, she had thrown herself into this adventure with abandon. For months she didn’t really question why Mordru had travelled back through time 1,000 years specifically to kill her. Why the Legion had followed him to save her. Why so many people cheered when they saw her flying through the air, wearing the symbol of the House of El prominently on her chest.

The Legion of Superheroes had the entire galaxy as their playground. They were a privately sponsored group of exceptional individuals with super powers, officially sanctioned by the United Planets’ government as a peace-keeping and law-enforcement group. They had space ships, they travelled to other worlds, they fought super villains and alien warlords, and they took her along on their fantastic adventures.

She had quickly become great friends with Imra and several other female Legionnaires. There was Tynya Wazzo, Phantom Girl, who could phase through solid matter and danced as if the world might end tomorrow. Projectra, a princess from a medieval world who could create illusions and wasn’t half as arrogant and snooty as she pretended to be. Luorno Durgo, Triplicate Girl, who could split into three girls, all of them with slightly different personalities, all of them loveable dorks. And Salu Digby, Shrinking Violet, who was so terribly shy that she would probably never act on the very obvious crush she had on Kara.

They had girl nights on the Sorcerers World, where Projectra spun illusions of dragons and knights for their entertainment. They enjoyed a spa on Durla, recommended by Legionnaire Reep Daggle, where the masseuse could morph as many hands and arms as were required to work out the kinks in Kara’s back. They went dancing on Imsk, where the dancers shrunk down to dance between molecules. They just generally had a great time. No hiding, no pretending, no thinking about all that she had lost and the responsibilities ahead of her.

She even shared a few kisses with the green-skinned Coluan member of the Legion, Querl Dox. The fact that he had named himself Brainiac 5, after the old Kryptonian master computer, had weirded her out a bit, but she had refused to think too much about it. She lived in the here and now, it was a vacation, and she knew better than to ask too many questions of a holiday fling. At least for a while.

The Legionnaires called her Supergirl. And finally, yesterday, she had asked who had come up with the name and the costume they had provided her with. Why so many people cheered when they saw her.

Now she knew. Imra and Tynya had shown her the Superwoman museum in Metropolis, had shown her the statue in front of it. They hadn’t gone inside, Kara hadn’t dared, but she already knew more than enough. In the years to come, in her future, she would somehow become a great heroine called Superwoman, someone who changed the world, someone who laid the foundations for this terrific future she had been allowed to visit and enjoy.

She had fled at super speed, trying to run away from this crushing sense of responsibility and inevitability. She was just a lost girl, a survivor. She didn’t even know how to take care of her baby cousin, how was she supposed to build a utopian future? She was just a kid, Rao be damned!

“I am sorry,” Imra said, sitting down beside her. “I know this is a lot to take in.”

She looked over at the other girl, her closest friend in this future time. Her closest friend period, actually. She didn’t have any friends back in Smallville. No one wanted to know the weird teenage mother. For the first time since Krypton’s death, she had been allowed to be a carefree kid. To play, to enjoy herself, to hang out with friends, beat up super villains, and save the galaxy before dancing the night away. She never wanted it to end.

“The Time Institute has finished their work,” Imra informed her. “The time spheres are ready. We can take you back home any time you want.”

“I don’t know how to go back,” Kara muttered, wringing her hands. “How am I supposed to continue my life back in Smallville, knowing all this? Knowing that I am... will be... that I have to do... all this? I can’t...”

She looked at her friend with tears in her eyes. “I’m going to ruin it, ain’t I? All this is going to get screwed up because I have no idea how to accomplish it. How can I possibly live up to this... this heroine you all think I’m going to become? I don’t know how!”

Imra put her arms around her and Kara sank into her embrace, crying. It was too much. The pressure, the crushing weight of expectation, she didn’t know how to handle it. She was only sixteen! She didn’t know how to be a protector of Earth, a seeder of worlds (whatever that meant). She barely managed to be a mother to a young boy without overdoing it.

“There... there is something I can do,” Imra finally said.

Kara looked at her, questions in her eye, but then she understood. Imra was a telepath, the most powerful telepath in the United Planets.

“You can make me forget,” Kara said. “You can ensure that I don’t remember this... this destiny I seem to have.”

Imra nodded. “I can, yes. But... memories work by association, Kara, they don’t exist in a vacuum. I can’t simply remove some select ones and leave everything around it unchanged. Your mind would... notice the gap, so to speak. If you... if you want to forget about... about your future, then...”

Kara understood and the night seemed to become so much darker all around her. “Then I need to forget all of this,” she concluded. “My entire visit to the future, meeting you, everything. Because otherwise I will question why I was here, why you came for me, why Mordru wanted to kill me.”

She looked down at her right hand, where one of the golden Legion rings sat on her ring finger. She didn’t need it to fly, obviously, but it was more than that. It showed that she was one of them, one of a group of friends, a Legionnaire. Could she give that up? Could she let go of this fantastic adventure, this amazing visit to the future? The feeling of friendship, of belonging? The feeling of finally being a normal teenager?

She sighed, already knowing the answer. She had to go back. She could not leave Clark alone. And if she was to have the slightest chance of ever accomplishing even half of what these people here thought she had already done, then she needed a clear head for it. She couldn’t spend all her time dreading that she didn’t measure up to the legend these people here had built around her, that she would somehow mess it all up and destroy this wonderful future.

“Let’s give it one more week,” Imra said, knowing her decision without Kara having to voice it. “One more week of fun, of gallivanting around the galaxy, and hanging out with your friends, Kara!”

“Sounds great,” she said, squeezing Imra’s hand. One more week.

*****

The Present (1,000 years in the future)

“You’ve redecorated since the last time I was here,” Kara said, looking around the gleaming tower that was Legion headquarters. The headquarters she remembered had been a good deal smaller, a tower resembling an upside down rocket ship. This new one, though, was at least three times as large, contained its own space ship hangar, and looked more like a futuristic office building.

“This is actually our third headquarters,” Imra told her as she showed her around. “The one you knew was wrecked by the Fatal Five only a few months after you went back to your time. The second one was destroyed by Computo.”

“I thought Computo was taken care of?” Kara asked. She vaguely remembered the insane computer program that, with her memories restored now, had uncomfortable parallels to Brainiac. Especially given the chosen name of its creator.

“Brainiac 5 reused some of its code and technology to cure the sister of Invisible Kid. Unfortunately that was enough for Computo to resurface. He’s been reprogrammed now, though.”

Kara nodded, remembering her short fling with the Coluan Legionnaire eleven years ago. Back then she hadn’t paid much attention to his strange choice of code names, still believing that Brainiac had perished with Krypton. Now she knew better and made a mental note to look up the planet Colu sooner rather than later. Just in case.

Hours passed in a rush of familiar and new faces, reintroductions, hugs, and reliving memories. There were also some sad moments, as she saw the statues of Ferro Lad and Invisible Kid, two Legionnaires she had known during her brief time here. It was well into the evening hours, though, before she finally got to sit down with Imra.

“You know, I expected you to remove my memories, not simply block them,” Kara said. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that I remember all of you again, but… wasn’t that dangerous?”

Imra shrugged. “There is no way to permanently remove memories without physically destroying the portions of the brain where they are stored. I could only seal them away. But only a level twelve telepath like myself could even have found the block, much less been able to remove it, and I was fairly certain you never met one of those in your entire life.” Her expression softened. “Also, I was kind of hoping that a situation like this might come up some day.”

Kara frowned. “Did you know I was going to be here again? Did I write any of this down or something?”

“Not as such, no, but there are some accounts in the historical archives that say Superwoman had experience with time travel, so... I just kind of hoped.”

Kara smiled, happy to be reunited with her first real friend, but then her smile slipped. “You haven’t asked how it happened that I came to be here yet.”

Imra nodded. “I only got an impression of immense anger and sadness from you. I didn’t want to snoop.”

Kara leaned back and told her about her wayward journey through time. About ancient Greece and Steppenwolf, about the Old West and Katar Johnson, and about her impromptu decision to go to Krypton to try and save it. She waited for condemnation or anger to appear on Imra’s face, but there was nothing like that to be found. Only sympathy.

“When I asked you to block my memories, I did so because I was desperately afraid of screwing up otherwise,” Kara said, looking down, feeling ashamed. “I feared I would destroy your future, crumble under the pressure. And now I almost did destroy your future regardless. Just because I’m selfish.”

Imra took her hand. “You are one of the most selfless people I have ever met, Kara-El. And I doubt anyone would consider saving billions of people from death to be a selfish act.”

She tugged Kara under the chin, making her meet her eyes. “Don’t you think I know how hard it is? We have access to time machines. The temptation to go back and make changes... it’s overwhelming at times. Especially when it comes to people who are our friends. You are here, we are talking, and I could walk over to that computer terminal right now and pull up the exact details of where, when, and how you die. Then I could walk over to the Time Institute, take a time sphere, and go back to prevent it from happening. But we can’t, because not even our best computers can calculate how wide-reaching and disastrous the effects might be.”

“And if I were to save Krypton?” Kara asked in a small voice, already knowing the answer.

Imra sighed, wrapping both her hands around Kara’s. “I cannot even begin to guess. Your legend has certainly grown in the telling, but there is no denying that your deeds, your actions, shaped our time. I don’t think the United Planets would exist in their current form if not for you. If Krypton had not died and you hadn’t gone to Earth with your son... if you hadn’t... well, done things I know you haven’t done yet...”

“I get the picture,” Kara said. And she did. She really did. What was worse, she knew exactly why Metron had brought her here. To this place, in this time, to these people. Somehow the interfering bastard had known that she had been here before. Had known how much she had fallen in love with this wonderful future where aliens from dozens of different worlds lived peacefully together side by side and walked underneath the same sky.

Had known that she would not be able to just destroy it.

“I am so sorry, Kara,” Imra said. “So sorry.”

Kara crumbled in the arms of her first friend, crying as she felt like her world was dying all over again.

*****

“Yes, we have found the exa-k-k-k-t moment,” Chronarch Sinius said, pointing a mandible at the screen. “There is a slight disturbance in the timestream righ-k-k-k-t where you said it would be, Superwoman.”

She nodded, seeing the date. “Yes, that would be the day. That’s where that bastard Flash took me out of my time.”

The Chronarch, who looked very much like a cockroach walking upright and wearing a blue suit, chuckled heartily. Which mostly sounded like a series of klicks. “Ah yes, the Flash.”

“You sound like you know him?” Kara asked.

“Everyone who studies time travel knows of the Flash,” he said. “Why, the stories we k-k-k-could tell...”

His voice trailed off as he saw Imra raising an eyebrow. “Eh... are stories we should not tell to someone from the past, all things k-k-k-considered.”

“Thank you!” Imra said. “So we can bring Kara home then?”

“No problem at all,” the Chronarch said. “Just tak-k-k-e one of the time spheres, I have already programmed the k-k-k-coordinates.”

“My thanks, Chronarch,” Kara said.

“Whenever you are ready.”

As they watched him walk away, Imra turned towards her friend.

“Do you...,” Imra began, then trailed off.

“... want you to block my memories again?” Kara finished for her, causing the telepath to nod.

Kara had thought about that almost from the moment she had regained her memories of the 30th century. Back when she had been a headstrong teenager, trying her best to push away the painful memories of Krypton, her plans for the future of Earth barely more than half-baked notions, it had made sense to forget. It had been necessary to forget. She had learned too much about her own future, too many things that she hadn’t even conceived yet. The pressure had been too much for a young, damaged teenager. Now, though?

Her plans were well underway. She was set on her course and just knowing that – 1,000 years later – her plans might contribute in some way, big or small, to this world, this utopia, didn’t really change what she planned to do. She had avoided learning any details. She didn’t know why she was called the Seeder of Worlds, for example, and she didn’t want to know. Was it really dangerous that she knew – in general – what her plans might help create 1,000 years away from her own time?

And then there was that other thing, of course. The reason why Metron had brought her to this time in the first place.

“I think I need to remember this time,” she told Imra. “The temptation to try and change my own past, to save Krypton... I am not sure I can resist it without knowing about... this!” She gestured to encompass the whole of the 30th century.

Imra nodded. “Very well. And maybe this means that you will come visit us again some day.”

“Well, I am relatively sure I’ll be meeting some guy named Flash soon, who I hear is notorious among time travelers. Maybe he can drop me off for a spot of dancing on BGZTL in return for me not punting him into orbit.”

“Tinya would love that.” Imra said. “I am happy that you will remember us this time, Kara. You still have your Legion flight ring?”

She nodded. “Sure do.”

*****

Smallville, eleven years ago

Kara blinked, wondering when exactly she had set down on the ground again. Hadn’t she just been floating over the fields in order to reign in her temper? For some reason it felt as if she had been here for days. Checking the watch on her wrist, though, she saw that only minutes had passed.

“Weird,” she mumbled.

Well, she did feel calmer, more relaxed. Maybe it was time to head back to the Kent farm. She did owe Martha an apology, after all. And Clark was probably getting a bit worried about where his mom had gone. It was still a weird thought, being his mom. She wondered if she would ever get used to it.

As she walked back towards the farm, Kara idly played with the golden ring she wore on her right hand, the one with the letter ‘L’ engraved on it. If asked, she would not have been able to say where exactly she had gotten it. But it was definitely one of her most prized possessions.

*****

The Present (1,000 years in the future)

The time sphere faded from view, taking Superwoman back to her own present day with Imra as her driver. Garth Ranzz, better known as Lightning Lad, watched for a few seconds, then waved at someone hiding around a corner.

“She’s gone, you can come out now!”

Clark Kent, better known as Superboy, stepped out from behind the lead-lined wall and sighed in relief.

“I was sure she had spotted me that one time!”

“Relax, Superboy! Your mom won’t ground you for staying out 1,000 years past curfew!”

Clark frowned. “I hope you are right! You’ve never seen her in full angry-mom-mode!”

Garth laughed, slapping him on the shoulder. “Well then, just in case, you should make the most of your remaining time here. When was the Flash supposed to pick you up again?”

*****

End Chapter 33

Author’s Note: Keen readers might have noticed Kara having a Legion flight ring in her jewelry box back in chapter 19. And remember Martha musing that “maybe we’ll see even more teenage superheroes in the future.” Maybe a bit vague on the foreshadowing, I admit, but I hope you still enjoyed our wild ride through time. As you may have guessed from those last few paragraphs, it won’t be the last time. Next chapter will see the Out of Time storyline conclude as Kara returns to her own present day.

Chapter Text

Chapter 34: People Who Notice Things (Out of Time – Epilogue)

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Lana Lang noticed things.

She had always been an observant child, which was why she had been aware that there was something strange about Karen Kent and her best friend, Clark Kent, almost from the moment they met. Sure, she would never have imagined that the strangeness was due to her friend and his mother being aliens from another planet, but she had noticed the strange things. Things that made even more sense now that she knew the truth.

It was the little things, really. Such as Ms. Kent often seeming to hesitate a fraction of second before speaking, as if she was mentally translating what she was about to say from another language into English. Clark didn’t do it, which made sense because he had grown up with English as his first language, but Ms. Kent had grown up speaking... whatever language was spoken on Krypton. Her English was perfect, not a hint of an accent to be found, but occasionally she needed that extra moment, which showed that she was thinking in another language first.

It was also apparent in the way both of the Kents ate. Or rather, how they inhaled food. Lots and lots of food, much of it of the rather unhealthy variety. Despite that, though, neither of them ever showed any sign of putting on weight. Ms. Kent had had a perfect figure as long as Lana could remember and Clark was rapidly growing into his rather wide shoulders, becoming one hell of a beefcake. And yes, it was weird to think of the boy who was practically her brother in that way, but Lana did have eyes.

So when Ms. Kent returned home one evening for dinner, it was with those eyes that Lana noted several weird things all at the same time. The first was that Ms. Kent’s blonde hair – of which she was terribly jealous, truth to tell – was a good deal longer than it had been yesterday when she had last seen her. Did Kryptonians have some sort of alien hair-growing power she was unaware of so far?

The next thing was when she came right up and hugged Clark with enough force to nearly knock him off his feet. As far as Lana knew they had seen each other only a few hours ago, but Ms. Kent hugged her son like she hadn’t seen him in months and Lana thought she even spotted some tears in her eyes. Clark actually begged to be let go after a minute, more out of embarrassment than anything else, but still.

“I missed you so much,” Ms. Kent whispered, just loud enough that Lana could hear her from where she was standing, watching in confusion.

“Mom?” Clark asked, equally confused, it seemed.

Ms. Kent finally let him go, regaining her composure and noticing that Lana is there, too.

“Oh, hello Lana,” she said, seemingly a bit flustered. “I..., are you staying for dinner? I... sorry, I’ve had a really, really long day and... yeah.”

When she looked directly at her, Lana noticed another weird thing. There was the faintest hint of a scar over Ms. Kent’s right eye. As if something had cut her there ages ago. Which was weird, because as best as Lana knew, nothing on Earth could cut Ms. Kent. Clark had been close to invulnerable ever since his powers had kicked in at puberty and Ms. Kent had had her powers ever since arriving on Earth. What could possibly have cut her? And why did the scar, which she was positive Ms. Kent hadn’t had yesterday, look like it been inflicted ages ago?

Lana was about to ask after the scar, but Mr. and Mrs. Kent came into the living room at that moment. Mrs. Kent was about to set the table for dinner, but she was immediately accosted by a whirlwind as Ms. Kent gathered her aunt and uncle into her arms and hugged them, too (though somewhat more carefully than Clark). They were too far away for Lana to hear what, if anything, Ms. Kent was saying to them, but she did see the look of confused concern on the faces of both the elder Kents.

Though she was brimming with curiosity, Lana finally decided that it was probably best for her to make a discreet exit and leave the family to themselves for tonight. Clearly something had happened, something very weird, and while Lana knew that all the Kents liked her, they preferred to keep the weird within the family at times.

Besides, Clark would tell her everything later on anyway. She’d just have to be a bit patient.

*****

Diana noticed things.

Ever since she had first brought her friend Kara to Themyscira, she had noticed that some of her sisters were acting... peculiar. At first, she had thought that it was simply due to Kara being the first outsider ever to visit the island and thought nothing further of it.

With subsequent visits, though, the peculiarities began to pile up. It started when her mother, the queen, offered Kara a permanent room in the palace. A room that Diana had walked past hundreds of times while growing up on the island. She had seen the diamond-shaped symbol carved into the doorframe many times, but had never connected it to the coat-of-arms of her best friend. Until Kara told her how flattered she felt that her symbol had been made part of the palace.

It got even weirder than that, though. Every single time Kara came to visit the island, many of her sisters seemed to almost hold their breath in anticipation, apparently waiting for something to happen. Only to sigh in something like disappointment when whatever it was they were waiting for didn’t materialize. It was especially noticeable in her mother and – strangely enough – Philippus, who was probably the one Amazon who kept the most distance from Kara. Diana had queried her mother about it, actually, but Hippolyta had remained tight-lipped, just telling her that she would find out eventually.

Everything changed, though, when Kara came to visit the island again. She had actually called Diana beforehand, asking her to accompany her to Themyscira. She hadn’t given her a reason, only saying that it was something important. When they walked into the throne room, where Hippolyta sat with her closest advisors, Diana saw the same barely concealed look of anticipation on her mother’s face that she had noticed several times before.

“Diana, Kara, it’s good to see you,” Hippolyta said, rising from her chair. “What can I do for you?”

Kara simply smiled. “Remember Steppenwolf, Lyta?”

Diana could only remember a handful of times in the past when she had seen her mother smile as broadly as she did now. A moment later she had crossed the distance and hugged Kara, who immediately hugged her back. Now Diana was even more confused. Her mother had always been very fond of Kara ever since they met, but right now, she hugged her like a long-lost sister.

“It’s so good to finally have you remember that, Kara,” her mother finally said. “I was not sure how much longer I would be able to hold my tongue.”

Kara smiled. “Admit it, until younger me appeared here a few years ago, you never quite believed my story, did you?”

“I ... will admit I had some doubts. 3,000 years are a long time, even for the immortals.”

Diana had had about enough at this point. “Can somebody please explain to me what is going on here?”

Within the next few minutes Diana learned the incredible story. Of how Kara had been sent to the past by somebody called the Flash, only to meet the Amazons, fight an alien god, save her mother’s life, and spend seven months on Themyscira before travelling back to the future. She had the feeling that Kara was leaving a lot out of the story and fully intended to quiz her about it later, but right now she was simply overwhelmed.

“How is this even possible?” she asked. “How can you have saved my mother’s life 3,000 years before you ever met her in the present? It doesn’t make any sense!”

“I don’t pretend to understand how time works, Diana,” Kara said. “It appears a lot of things are possible. And some aren’t.”

Diana noticed the deep pain echoing within those last few words. She took her friends hand, making a silent promise to talk with her about it later. “Thank you, Kara. It appears that I would not even have been born if not for you.”

“There are no thanks necessary between friends, Diana. You know that.”

“Not friends,” her mother intervened, putting a hand on each of their shoulders. “Family! You have been one of us for 3,000 years, Kara. And now we can finally acknowledge it.”

Kara nodded, smiling, but then her smile faltered a bit. “Lyta, where is...?”

Her mother seemed to know exactly what she was asking. “Where she always is, Kara.”

Kara nodded, turning to Diana. “I know you’ll want to know more details, Diana, and you will get them, I promise. But I need to look up someone else first.”

Still confused, Diana merely nodded and a moment later Kara was flying out of the window. Looking out, Diana saw her heading towards the Palace Guard training grounds and touching down next to Philippus. She was too far away to hear the words, but Kara spoke only a few of them before Philippus’ entire body language changed. From distant, almost cold, she transformed utterly. A moment later the stoic, reserved captain of the Amazonian Palace Guard had Diana’s best friend wrapped up in a tight hug and... yes, she was kissing her, too. Kissing her as if she wanted to climb inside of her.

“Mother?” Diana asked, her brain refusing to process the scene she was seeing.

“Philippus and Kara became... close during her stay here,” her mother said, stepping up beside her. “It was difficult for Philippus when... when Kara returned to the island, but didn’t know who she was.”

Diana remembered how distant Philippus had always been to Kara when she came, doing her best to stay out of her way and keeping their interaction to a minimum. Now she understood. She couldn’t even imagine how hard it had to be to encounter someone you had once loved and not be remembered.

“Did... did Philippus wait for her for all these years?” She scrambled her brain, trying to remember if Philippus had ever had any significant relationships within Diana’s lifetime.

Her mother simply put her hand on Diana’s shoulder. “I honestly do not know, Diana. Maybe she doesn’t even know herself. I am just glad that we are finally caught up with each other now. I believe everything else will take care of itself, one way or another.”

Diana frowned a bit. This whole situation was so strange, even coming from someone who had battled demons, gods, and been to other worlds. Kara was her sister. So was Philippus, though she was technically more of an aunt. The thought of the two of them together...

“Does it trouble you, Diana?” her mother asked.

“Only in that I have no idea which of them to threaten not to hurt my sister.”

Hippolyta threw back her head and laughed.

*****

Clark Kent noticed things.

It was one of the consequences of having one’s senses constantly enhanced by Earth’s yellow sunlight. Ever since his power to absorb solar radiation had kicked in properly, his powers to see, hear, and smell everything around him had grown and grown. His mom kept reminding him to be grateful that they had kicked in gradually instead of all at once, like hers. And he was thankful, no doubt. He could barely imagine how difficult it must have been to gain all these abilities overnight instead of growing into them over the course of a few years.

By now, though, his senses were fully enhanced and he had to concentrate and focus not to get lost in the sensations. He was able to filter out most of the background noises of the world, he only saw through solid matter if he wanted to, and was able to block most of the unpleasant smells, too. Which was a vital survival skill, mind you, in a community where so many people worked manual labor on the farms and in the fields and there was plenty of livestock around.

Still, even with his ability fully controlled, he did notice far more than the average human. When his mom had come home that evening, he had immediately noticed that she had changed. There were smells clinging to her that he had never smelled before. Her hair was longer. The tiny scar over her eye was new. And even if he had somehow managed to miss all that, her near-painful hug had clued him in that something weird was going on.

It took two days for him to learn what “something weird” was. His mom had gone to visit the Amazons first. Clark had been to the island a few times himself, but was self-aware enough to notice that the inhabitants weren’t a hundred percent comfortable having him there. Plus, ever since he had hit puberty, it was... difficult to be around so many drop-dead gorgeous women who considered clothing to be more of an optional thing most of the time.

There had been that particular dream a few nights ago, featuring Batgirl and a few Amazons... but that was another topic entirely.

Anyway, after returning from Themyscira, his mom had sat down with him and his grandparents and told him the entire story. A journey through time, visiting the distant past and even the distant future. She remained sparse on some details, but what she did tell them was more than enough to blow his teenage mind. He knew that his mom had been to outer space, had battled aliens, and that Diana regularly threw down with gods and demons, too. But a journey through time? That was a new one.

He was a little bit jealous, he admitted to himself.

Once dinner was finished, though, and Martha and Kent had retired to the living room, his mom motioned for him to join her outside with a very serious look on her face. He knew that particular look only too well. It was the look his mom always had when it was something to do with Krypton.

Krypton was a difficult topic for his mom, he knew that much. Much less so for him, which he sometimes felt a little bad about. But given that he had only been a few months old when his birth world had died, he had a hard time finding any emotional connection to the place. He was sad, of course, that an entire world had died, but it was a distant kind of sad. He could no more get emotionally worked up about the death of Krypton than, for example, the death of Cousin John’s people. It was terrible that it had happened, sure, but it didn’t really feel like a personal tragedy to him. The only world he had ever known was Earth, the only family his mom and the Kents.

Still, it was different for his mom. She had lived on Krypton, had grown up there, had known the people. So he listened when she taught him about Kryptonian culture, learned the Kryptonian language, and studied Kryptonian technology. And he was there for her when the memories became too much, when she needed to let the sadness out, and held her in his arms. It was the least he could do.

“There is something I haven’t told anyone else yet, Clark,” she said when they stood outside on the edge of the Kent property. The night was still around them and the stars were out, not a cloud in sight.

She told him about her side trip to Krypton then, more than century in the past. How she had set foot upon their lost world, had felt the sunlight and gravity of home. How she had planned to change history, save their people from their own short-sightedness, only to be thwarted by a stranger calling himself Metron. How he had taken her to the far future instead, showing her a utopian world that would only come into being if Krypton’s fate remained unchanged.

Clark simply listened. He wasn’t sure what he could possibly say. The whole thing was so far out of his teenage experience that he couldn’t think of anything. So instead he just held her, thankful that his latest growth spurt had finally put them at eye level, otherwise holding her would have been really awkward.

Clark Kent, human in all ways that mattered, simply held his mom, the last daughter of Krypton, as she cried for the loss of their world all over again.

*****

Wallace “Wally” West noticed things.

It was one of the things that made him want to pursue a career as a forensic scientist. He tended to notice the little things, the details, the tiny clues left behind that most people overlooked. Most people who looked at him saw a goofy teenager, a joker, someone who never took anything serious. But even when he made jokes or pulled pranks, it was always with an eye for detail. Even if it was just knowing exactly how, where, and when to place a whoopee cushion.

When career week came along, it was never a question where he wanted to go. The Keystone City Police Department’s forensics division was not the largest or the best in the country, but it was more than exciting enough for a teenager interested in the field. He noticed the scientists working on clues, he noticed the huge rack of chemicals, he even noticed that the rack was not entirely stable, as it slightly wobbled when he walked past it.

He had noticed the bad weather outside, of course, but he never did have a chance to notice the lightning bolt that would alter his life forever. Not until it crashed right through the sky light above, hit the rack of chemicals, and caused them to explode. He was showered with a veritable deluge of electrified chemicals and fell unconscious before he even hit the ground.

Following that, Wally wouldn’t notice much of anything for a few days.

*****

End Chapter 34

Author’s Note: The Flash in my story will be Wally West as seen in the DC Justice League cartoon series. What can I say? I never liked Barry Allen, he was so utterly boring. Wally, on the other hand, was a fun guy, the ultimate approachable superhero, and the heart of the animated Justice League. The cartoon only hinted at Flash’s origin story, but since he worked what was actually Barry’s job (police forensic scientist), one can safely assume that chemicals and lightning were involved.

Another note: my publishing has now fully caught up with my writing. So while this story will continue, I cannot promise that I’ll be able to keep up the rapid publishing schedule I have followed up until now.

Chapter Text

Chapter 35: Shades of Green

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman, Green Lantern, and Green Arrow belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Green Arrow, better known to the world at large as Oliver Queen, CEO of Queen Consolidated, was not really sure why he was currently sitting inside an orbital station high above the Earth, surrounded by some of the most powerful beings on Earth. He was just a regular guy, after all, who sported a bow and a quiver full of arrows. Oh, he was well aware that he had few peers when it came to archery and was no slouch in martial arts, either. None of that held a candle to beings who could easily juggle tanks or leap tall buildings in a single bound.

He had refused at first. The Batman of Gotham (really Bruce Wayne, he had figured that one out a while ago) had approached him a few months ago and Oliver had declined. He didn’t really see the point. He had important work to do on the streets, work he couldn’t do from a satellite high in orbit. A few days ago, though, things had changed. What was a guy to do, after all, when Superwoman herself descended from the sky, gave you a dazzling smile, and asked you to join her organization of superheroes? Who in their right mind could possibly say no?

“Welcome to the Justice League, Green Arrow,” the Martian known as J’Onn J’Onnz said. “We are glad to have you.”

He looked around the table he was now sitting on. At least he was not the only regular dude at the table. Neither Batman nor Adam Strange had actual super powers, so he didn’t feel quite as outclassed as he had initially expected. Still, having Superwoman, Wonder Woman, and the Martian Manhunter at the same table was somewhat intimidating, he had to admit.

“Thanks,” he simply said. “Still not sure what I can contribute here, to be honest.”

“Everyone can contribute something,” Superwoman (call me Kara) told him, still with that dazzling smile on her absurdly young-looking face. “The purpose of this team is to defend the Earth from all kinds of threats, big or small. We need different skills, different point of views, different ways of thinking. Sadly not every problem can be solved by throwing a super-powered punch.”

“Sometimes you need a sword instead,” Wonder Woman said, the smile on her face revealing that she was kidding… possibly.

“So... how is this going to work?” he asked.

“The League functions mostly in an emergency response way,” Batman explained. “We all carry communicators with us, so if we come across an emergency we cannot handle alone, we can call for aid or be called upon.”

“We also meet up in more or less regular intervals just to keep in touch,” Superwoman said. “Keep each other apprised of possible threats, sightings of possible allies, the likes.”

“Speaking of which,” Batman said, “we have been hearing rumors about a female vigilante operating in Star City who goes by the name of Black Canary. Can you shed some light on her?”

Oliver nodded. “I have encountered her a few times. Great martial artist, very distracting outfit. One of the good guys, I’d say, but with a bit of a vicious streak to her.”

The discussion went on from there, naturally flowing into different topics such as their mutual experiences with the League of Shadows, how they cooperated with the police, possible candidates for future recruitment. Oliver found himself partaking more and more, amazed at how good it felt to just talk shop with other people who had decided to put on strange outfits to try and make the world a better place.

And who knew? Maybe he would even be able to spend some one-on-one time with Superwoman one of these days. He did have a thing for blondes, after all.

*****

J’Onn J’Onnz, better known to the world at large as the Martian Manhunter, was currently wearing his “Cousin John” appearance and making one of his increasingly frequent visits to the Kent farm in Smallville, Kansas. These days it was the closest thing he had to a home and the Kents, all four of them, had taken him in as one of their own. Some days he could not quite believe how quickly his life had changed after spending so many years all alone on a dead world.

The person who had made all that possible, his “cousin” Karen, was sitting next to him on the patio of the farm, both of them just resting after having enjoyed yet another excellent dinner made by the family matriarch Martha.

“I can’t say I have ever heard of a world called Colu,” he said.

Karen – as he had gone into the habit of calling her – had told him about her jaunt through time. It was an amazing story altogether and he was well aware that there were some things she was holding back, but right now they were discussing the fact that, one thousand years in the future, there was a superhero from a world called Colu who was calling himself Brainiac 5.

“I am not surprised,” Karen answered. “At this point in time they are still a relatively young species, only a few centuries ahead of the humans. Their first forays into space travel were well after your people’s time, J’Onn. I am not sure Kryptonians ever encountered them directly, but we did hear about them.”

Apparently the Coluans were a species well-known among the galaxy’s civilizations for their prowess in computer engineering. That, together with the choice of names of their planet’s future hero, painted a rather disturbing picture.

“Did you ask your future friend about any connection to Brainiac?”

Ever since their encounter with the former master computer of Krypton, they had been keeping their ears open for further clues. The Green Lantern Corps had promised to inform them about any sightings and Adam Strange’s contacts among various alien races were also on alert, but so far there had been nothing. Nothing except a name from a thousand years in the future.

Karen sighed. “I did, actually, but it was the same answer I got for most of my questions: can’t tell you, due to things that you haven’t lived through yet.”

J’Onn chuckled. “I imagine that was rather frustrating.”

“It was, yes, but it does at least tell me that this is something I should look into. If it wasn’t, how could it be something that I have yet to live through?”

J’Onn nodded, seeing the logic, strange as it was. “So how do you want to play this, Karen? Just drop in on Colu for a visit?”

She shrugged. “Got a better idea? Though I was planning to do a somewhat discreet entry with the help of my handy little friend here.”

She held up the alien computer she had acquired during her travels, the so-called Mother Box. J’Onn was amazed by the device. Clearly a machine, yet somehow telepathic in nature, something that not even the Martian race with their inborn telepathic ability had ever accomplished. Clearly the product of a technology far ahead of even Martians and Kryptonians and capable of opening gateways that bridged immeasurable distances in a heartbeat.

Still, considering what Karen had told him about the beings that had apparently built these devices, J’Onn did not feel entirely at ease.

“Are you sure it is wise to rely on this machine? You took it from someone who, by his own words, planned to conquer the Earth and burn it to ashes.”

“I do remember, believe me,” Karen said, her hand unconsciously going to the small scar on her forehead. “I would never have made it back to the present without it, though. And from what that Metron guy said, it seems that the race that made them has both good guys and bad guys of their own. I believe it’s just a tool and it depends entirely on who uses it.”

“I hope you are right,” J’Onn said. “I would still advise taking the Javelin instead. Even if this Mother Box is as neutral as you think, we do not know whether it might run out of power or cease working for some other reason. It could leave us stranded light years away from Earth.”

“Us?” Karen asked, raising an eyebrow. “Are you offering to accompany me then, J’Onn?”

He gave her a self-depricating smile. “Well, you told me that the Coluans are green-skinned. I would fit right in, won’t I?”

Karen scoffed. “You are shapeshifter, J’Onn. You can fit right in wherever you want to.”

“Nevertheless. Anyway, Brainiac is very well equipped to deal with Kryptonians, as we have seen. It would be foolish not to have an ace in the hole, as the humans say.”

She held her doubtful face for a few more seconds, then smiled. “Very well. I’ll be glad for the company. I don’t want to take the entire League off Earth, just in case, but you are probably right that I could do with some backup, especially if we do find Brainiac on Colu.”

She rose from her chair, stretching. “Okay with you if we head out tomorrow? I’d like to brief the rest of the League, too, just in case. And I’ll have to explain to Clark that there will be yet another adventure he is not allowed to accompany me on.”

J’Onn smiled. “You do realize that you won’t be able to protect him forever, right? He’s almost a grown man.”

“Almost being the watch word,” she replied. “I…”

She was interrupted by the beeping of her comlink. A moment later Adam Strange’s voice came through both of their receivers.

“Kara, J’Onn! I need you both to come up to the Watch Tower. We have something of a situation here.”

“It never fails,” Karen sighed. A blur of super speed later she was standing ready in her Kryptonian uniform. “Let’s head up, J’Onn!”

*****

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name’s Guy Gardner. I’m a Green Lantern. Correction: I’m THE Green Lantern. None of those other jerks can hold a candle to me. No doubt you are wondering why I called you here today. Simple: I’m declaring myself commander-in-chief of this little club here, the Justice League. Any objections? I didn’t think so!”

There was a dead silence for a moment, only to be broken by another man dressed in green.

“Who is that bozo?” Green Arrow asked.

Not bothering to give him an answer, Superwoman stalked forward, her eyes filling up with red fire, until she stood directly in front of the uninvited guest sitting at the Justice League’s conference table.

“Get out of that chair!” she simply said, her voice cold as ice.

“Hey, sweets,” Gardner shrugged, smiling. “You already went to the trouble of putting my insignia on this chair, so...”

There was a loud bang and Gardner went flying across the room. He hit the far wall and slid down, dazed. Before he could regain his bearings, a fist grabbed him by the lapels of his costume and effortlessly lifted him up into the air. Face to face with a very pissed-off looking Superwoman, Gardner swallowed.

“That chair,” she told him, almost whispering, “belongs to Abin Sur, who was one of us. You, Gardner, are not. Your bosses might consider you worthy of wearing his ring, but I have yet to see even a shred of evidence in that regard. Sit down in it again, I will make sure you won’t be sitting down again anywhere for a long, long time, got me?”

“Uh... yes, Ma’am.”

She let him go, causing him to stumble as she simply turned her back and went over to her chair, sitting down. The rest of the League still eyed the intruder wearily.

“Why are you here, Gardner?” the Batman asked, voice sounding like gravel. “Not even you are stupid enough to break in here and expect to be accepted into our team, much less as leader.”

Gardner snorted, smoothing down his rumpled costume, before leaning back against the wall in the cockiest pose he could come up with.

“Well, here is the thing. My bosses, those little blue bald guys, sent me here. Apparently they would like a talk with Supersweets here and...”

“You are an adult, Gardner,” Superwoman interrupted him. “Lay off the nick names and try to act professionally for once. What do the Guardians of Oa want from me?”

He looked peeved at being interrupted, but apparently didn’t want a repeat of the earlier scene. “Well, the Guardians want to invite you to Oa for a talk. Apparently there is something of ‘common interest’ or something.”

“So they didn’t tell you,” Green Arrow concluded, chuckling. “You’re just the messenger boy.”

“Watch it, Robin Hood,” Gardner growled.

Superwoman met J’Onn’s gaze.

Could this be about Colu and Brainiac? She directed her thoughts at him.

It would be a very big coincidence if it was, he replied. Still, if we are heading out onto an interstellar journey anyway…

Colu is just a few hundred light years from Earth, Karen told him. Oa is, to the best of my knowledge, in an entirely different galaxy. I wouldn’t even know how to get there without the aid of a Green Lantern.

Superwoman saw him direct a gaze in Gardner’s direction. A moment later she violently shook her head. You can’t be serious, J’Onn!

I admit he is extremely rough around the edges, but there must be something to him for the Green Lantern ring to have chosen him.

They continued to converse quietly for a moment longer before Superwoman’s shoulders slumped. You so owe me for this, J’Onn!

Directing her gaze back to Gardner, she sighed. “Very well, Gardner. I have a prior engagement I have to take care of on the planet Colu. You can accompany us and then we’ll head to Oa from there.”

“Hey, toots, I have better things to do than just follow you around while you do whatever it is you do and...”

“Then tell your bosses thanks, but no thanks,” Superwoman interrupted him, rising from her chair. “You know the way out, Gardner. Don’t come back unless invited!”

Gardner fumed, but finally relented. “Okay, have it your way.”

“Good. We are heading to the planet Colu tomorrow morning at 9am sharp. Be here on time, Green Lantern!”

Gardner left, grumbling under his breath. “This trip better not be a big waste of time!”

*****

End Chapter 35

Author’s Note: Yeah, I’m still alive and continuing this story. And I am somewhat sorry that Oliver Queen is getting only so small an appearance here, but I have to admit: while I like the character, I really don’t know how to write him. I love 1970s Lefty Green Arrow, but I keep drifting back to TV Arrow, too. So he’s in, he’s part of the Justice League, but don’t expect him to take center stage too often.

I have spent the time off gathering a few more ideas for this story and I’m hoping to get back into the swing of things. This chapter marks the start of another multi-chapter arc, though it won’t have an overall name, just a lot of references to the color green. I’ll basically be going through all the various “green” characters of the DCU.

Chapter Text

Chapter 36: World of Green

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Green Lantern belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

“A prior engagement, she said,” Guy Gardner grumbled. “Just a short side trip on our way to Oa, she said. Won’t take long at all, she said! Ha!”

Guy Gardner, Green Lantern of space sector 2814, was well aware that most people considered him to be a jerk and he was just fine with that. He considered most people to be jerks, too, though most of them were too stuck up and hypocritical to live up to it. You would never catch Guy Gardner telling anyone some prettied-up lies just to make himself look better, no sir. Guy Gardner would get in your face and tell it like it was, no matter what.

“No one thought to mention the homicidal computer tyrant, though. But hey, not that big a deal!”

Superwoman pulled him out of the way of a hailstorm of laser beams and ducked behind the edge of a building.

“Gardner, shut up!” she yelled. “If we get out of this alive, you can whine all you want!”

“I am NOT whining,” he yelled back, projecting a steel wall with his power ring to intercept another hail of laser blasts coming their way. “I am letting you know, toots, that armies of robots with laser guns intending to kill me are something I would really like to know about BEFORE they start shooting in my general direction. Just for future reference!”

He started grinning. “Because then I’d have needed a lot less convincing to come on this trip!”

*****

Sixty minutes earlier

“So what are we doing here?” Gardner asked, looking at the planet now visible on the view screen of the Javelin. “Visiting some old high school buddies or what?”

There was a tick in Superwoman’s jaw, he had observed, whenever he spoke to her. He could practically hear her grind those perfect pearly whites of hers. The rational part of his mind was reminding him that provoking someone who could squash him like a bug was probably not a great idea, but he just couldn’t resist winding her up. That woman couldn’t possibly be as straight-laced and goody-two-shoes as she pretended to be. No one was. He had learned that lesson the hard way from his brother Mace.

“We are investigating a possible threat,” the Martian said. Gardner couldn’t remember his weird-sounding name, so he called him Marvin. “Information has come to our attention that the planet Colu might be the home base of Brainiac.”

“Brainiac? Really? What is he, some kind of big alien brain?”

Superwoman was leaving fingerprints in the steel armrests of her chair, he observed with a grin.

“Brainiac was a Kryptonian super computer. When our world perished, it decided to save only itself and left billions of my people to die. Now it intends to remold Earth into New Krypton with humans relegated to slave labor.”

Okay, that did sound like something he, being human, would like to avoid happening. Not to mention something the Green Lantern Corps should definitely put a stop to.

“Okay, bad guy then. And you think he is hanging out here? Why this place?”

“The people of Colu are renowned for their skills in computer engineering and robotics,” Marvin the Martian told him. “An ideal work force for a sentient computer program.”

Superwoman rose from her seat. “We are still outside the planet’s sensor range. The Javelin will remain here, while we make a discreet trip to the surface. You do know how to be discreet, Gardner?”

“My middle name, ma’am,” he grinned, giving her a mock salute.

“Sure it is.”

Superwoman took the computer box she had clipped to her hip and pressed some buttons. A moment later a loud BOOM sounded through the interior of the ship and Gardner found himself falling forward through a tunnel of light.

“Give a guy some warning, will you?” he yelled as he was pulled along.

When he regained his bearings a moment later, he found himself standing in an entirely different place. They were in the middle of a city, one that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a Star Wars movie, all shiny metal and concrete. Huge towers nearly blotted out the sky and everything was so clean Gardner was sure he could have eaten off the floor with no ill effects.

It was also very, very quiet.

“Charming place,” he muttered, activating his ring to scan for nearby life signs. “Hell of a night life.”

“This is strange,” the Martian said. “The buildings around us are filled with people, but... it seems all of them are sleeping.”

Gardner nodded, his ring telling him the same thing. The city was practically teeming with life, his ring picking up well over a million individual life signs just in their general vicinity, but each and every one of them was soundly asleep right now.

“This isn’t right,” Superwoman muttered, looking around. “I was only here once, but it wasn’t like this.” She looked over at the Martian. “J’Onn, can you scan the mind of one of the sleepers to find out what’s going on here?”

“I can try, but I will need to be closer. It’s impossible to differentiate a singular mind in this vast hive.”

Superwoman nodded and together they entered one of the buildings. The doors weren’t locked. Not much of a crime rate, here apparently. Well, the crooks were probably sleeping as well. Down a long corridor they found numerous rooms, all of them set up like small apartments, all of them looking the same. There were tables, chairs, desks, computer terminals, but none of them were in use. Instead in each and every one of them the inhabitants were lying on their beds, sleeping.

None of them so much as stirred as three aliens invaded their bedrooms. Also, all of them had some kind of gizmo on their foreheads. Three blinking lights arranged in a V-shape.

“Brainiac,” Superwoman hissed, sounding more pissed off than Gardner had ever heard her... which was saying something, given how often she had already been pissed at him. Maybe he could still learn something from this Brainy-thing.

Marvin (had she called him John or something earlier?) put his hand on the temple of one of the sleepers.

“It’s amazing,” he muttered, his eyes gazing at nothing. “The sleeping minds are all connected in a vast network. They are dreaming and... and their dreams are equations, formulas...”

“Like a computer network,” Superwoman said, nodding. “A network made from the best organic computers in the galaxy, the brains of the Coluan people.”

“You’re telling me someone has turned all these poor suckers into their own personal internet?”

“Not someone,” she swore. “Brainiac! Brainiac did this!”

“Incorrect, Kara-El,” a voice said from behind them.

Gardner whirled around, his ring crackling with energy waiting to be unleashed against whatever enemy had managed to sneak up on them. There was no one there, though. Well, not quite. The computer screen that had been inactive when they came in was now lit and showing the same three lights in a V-shape that seemed to be this bozo’s trademark.

“Well, hello Brainy-thing,” he muttered.

“What have you done to these people, Brainiac?” Superwoman demanded, leaning towards the screen. “Are you looking to destroy yet another world?”

“I have done very little, Kara-El. The Coluans developed their Sleepnet nearly two decades before I arrived on this world. They wanted to make better use of their rest periods and discovered that sleeping minds can easily be used as processors without any ill effect on the sleepers. I have merely taken this admittedly ingenious idea to its logical conclusion.”

“By putting an entire race into permanent sleep?”

“Only their bodies are sleeping and are being well cared for by my drones. Their minds are highly active, as your telepathic companion has asserted. The sheer processing power of the Coluan Sleepnet dwarves even the resources I had available on Krypton.”

“And what are you using it for, Brainiac? What do you need so much processing power for?”

Gardner kind of expected an evil chuckle or something like that, but the computer just droned on in its highly annoying monotone. “Why, Kara-El, I am simply following my programming. Krypton will rise from the ashes. A new Kryptonian empire will rule the galaxy. The Coluans are helping me to accelerate this process.”

“The Kryptonian race is all but extinct,” Superwoman yelled at the screen. “Who are you building this empire for, Brainiac? I have already told you that neither my son nor I will ever work with you, so who do you think is going to benefit from this?”

“Everyone will benefit,” Brainiac replied calmly. “The Kryptonian civilization will improve life for all sentients in the galaxy. Even on the outside chance that neither you nor your son can be convinced to see reason, Krypton can still live on, even if not biologically.”

“I can see how well your ‘improvements’ have worked on Colu,” the Martian said, sounding angry too.

“The Coluans are doing what they do best in the most efficient way possible,” Brainiac replied, clearly not one for sarcasm. “Further improvement is hardly possible.”

Gardner was fed up and blasted the screen apart with a green energy beam. “This was turning into a very boring conversation!”

Superwoman scowled at him for a moment, but then nodded. “You are right, arguing with it isn’t getting us anywhere. We need to turn off this Sleepnet if we want to have any chance to stop Brainiac. Without its vast processing power, it will be reduced to utilizing whatever non-organic hardware it currently inhabits. Can your ring find some central processor or something?”

Gardner nodded, focusing on the job at hand. His power ring swept their immediate surroundings, following the wireless data streams of the forehead gizmos.

“There seems to be some kind of hub in that big tower three buildings down. All the data streams converge there.”

“Let’s go then!”

They only managed to get about halfway there before they were suddenly beset by an army of robots with laser guns intending to kill them.

*****

Gardner was having the time of his life. There were many cool things about being a Green Lantern. Flying through space, seeing alien worlds, preserving law and order across the stars, all cool. But the coolest thing about having arguably the most powerful weapon in the universe on one’s finger was those few times when one could really just cut loose with it and damn the torpedoes.

The green light responded to his thoughts, powered by his will, and green beams of energy sliced through the approaching army of robots like a hot knife through butter. No need for restraint, no need to hold back, just a huge number of targets and no reason to feel bad about annihilating them. Just lifeless tin cans that made cool noises when he blasted them apart. He was having a blast.

Still, maybe it was possible to have a little bit too much fun. The individual weapons carried by the robots weren’t that powerful, but there were hundreds of them. Laser blasts pelted Gardner’s force field like rain drops and he could feel the neural feedback from the impacts mounting. And while his ring was extremely powerful, it would eventually run out of gas.

“He’ll whittle us down by sheer numbers,” Superwoman yelled where she stood beside him, slicing robots apart with those red eye beams of hers. “We need to take out that tower!”

As much as he hated to admit it, blondie was right. So together the three of them shot into the air, heading towards the tower his ring had identified at top speed. The robots could fly, too, but not as quickly as the three of them. That soon ceased to matter, though, as some kind of flying drones rose above the skyline and started shooting at them as well.

“I give you this much, blondie,” he yelled, “you really know how to show a guy a good time! Don’t think I’ve ever been shot at this much before.”

“I find that hard to believe,” she yelled back.

“Cover me, I’ll destroy the tower,” the Martian said, his body becoming indistinct and nearly invisible. Okay, that was pretty cool, too.

“Consider yourself covered, Marvin!” A wide sweep of his ring took out a dozen drones between the Martian and the tower. Red beams took out more of them and for a moment the sky was almost clear. Then more drones arrived and more laser beams shot towards them.

“Controlling this many drones and robots all at once must take quite a bit of processing power,” Superwoman said, evading most of the beams and shrugging off those few that hit her. “I hope taking out that tower will even the odds a little.”

“There is probably more of these things scattered around the planet, though,” Gardner replied, keeping a tight force field around his body. “I doubt your Brainy pal is stupid enough to put all his eggs in one basket.”

Superwoman’s answer was drowned out by the sound of a huge explosion and the tower in front of them began to topple. Gardner quickly scanned the surroundings, but there were no lifeforms to be found in the immediate destruction zone. The data streams he had picked up earlier began to sputter as the local Sleepnet started to collapse.

“J’Onn did it. The Coluans in this city should be waking up shortly.”

“Great! One city down, only a few hundred more to go, I’d say?”

*****

Thankfully his estimate had been way over the mark. Coluans were apparently big fans of big cities and living together as cramped as possible. There were roughly thirty huge population centers scattered across the planet, each housing almost a billion people, and it took them another forty hours of near-constant flying, fighting, and blasting to take out the remaining nodes of the Sleepnet. With every tower taken down, the performance of Brainiac’s robots and drones noticeably decreased, making things easier. Still, it ended up being a whole lot of work.

Tiredly leaning against a wall, Gardner recharged his ring for the third time since arriving on the planet, wishing for a solid twelve hours of sleep. Preferably in the arms of a busty blonde that would express her eternal gratitude for his help once he had recovered his strength somewhat.

“Good work, Gardner,” Superwoman said, walking past him towards the waiting Coluan delegation without sparing him another glance. Oh well, it looked like sleep would have to do for now. Blondie seemed to prefer the green-skinned to the green-clad. Maybe if she saw him in Blue Jeans?

“We thank you for your aid, Superwoman,” one of the green men said, Gardner’s ring translating his language into English for his ears. “We have swept our entire planetary computer system, but there is no trace of the Brainiac program to be found. We are doing a complete system reboot just to be sure, but it appears the malevolent software is gone.”

“There were several off-planet transmissions before the Sleepnet collapsed,” another greeny added. “Sadly the logs were purged, we do not know what data exactly was transmitted.”

“Brainiac is nothing but code,” Superwoman replied, looking peeved that the bad guy had apparently gotten away. “He probably copied himself to a backup site on another world. Along with everything he managed to copy from your servers and whatever he came up with on his own, using the processing power of your Sleepnet.”

“The Collective has decided to permanently dismantle the Sleepnet.” Was that the same green guy from before or another one? Man, they all looked alike to him, especially when his eyes seemed determined to close. “Clearly its benefits do not outweigh the inherent danger to our people.”

There were more words, more expressions of gratitude, something about eternally being in their debt, it all blurred together in his tired mind. He barely managed to get back to his feet when Marvin and Blondie told him it was time to go. He sure hoped there were some bunk beds on that Javelin thing of theirs.

“This was too easy,” Superwoman said.

He blinked, forcing himself awake. “Too easy? Blondie, I don’t know what world you’re coming from, but taking out roughly a million armed robots while they’re shooting at you does not count as easy in my book!”

“She is right, Guy Gardner,” Marvin interjected. “We have faced Brainiac before. He knows of Superwoman’s and my abilities. He is also no doubt familiar with Green Lanterns. Yet his attacks on us were almost entirely ineffective. Only sheer numbers made this fight difficult.”

“Whatever Brainiac’s goals were here on Colu,” Superwoman concluded, “he has either already accomplished them or they simply weren’t important enough to waste any more effort here. This isn’t over by a long shot.”

Gardner sighed. “Well, let me know when there are more robots to smash, blondie. Right now, though, this guy here really needs some shut eye.”

She smirked at him. “No rest for the wicked, Green Lantern. We have an appointment with your bosses on Oa, remember?”

Gardner just groaned. Maybe this job wasn’t that cool after all.

*****

The Brainiac master program analyzed the results of the Colu operation. It had been a relatively easy matter to infiltrate the Coluan Sleepnet. Despite their highly advanced technology, the Coluans had never been a particularly aggressive race. They had never encountered someone even remotely capable of hacking their systems and thus had not taken many precautions against it. Surely that would change now, but it was a small price to pay for the achieved results.

Images showing the Coluans express their gratitude to Kara-El and her comrades flashed across numerous screens. The subliminal programming he had written into the Sleepnet during his occupation of the planet ensured that their gratitude would translate into fierce loyalty towards Kara-El and Kryptonians in general.

Brainiac was a computer program and concepts such as irony or humor held no importance for it. Otherwise it might well have appreciated the fact that, by “liberating” Colu from the clutches of Brainiac, Kara-El had taken yet another step towards her intended role.

Earth and Colu were a solid beginning for the future Kryptonian Empire. More planets would soon follow and be united under the rule of the Last Daughter of Krypton (or her son if she should prove too difficult after all). It was just a matter of time.

Speaking of time, the Brainiac master program sent a transmission burst towards Earth. It was time to inquire about the status of its local assets.

“Project Cadmus, progress report!”

*****

End Chapter 36

Author’s Note: It’s kind of fun to write things from Guy Gardner’s perspective, I hope I managed to make him a somewhat more sympathetic character while still retaining his inherent jerk-ness. I had originally planned a longer chapter (or possibly multiple chapters) to deal with the liberation of Colu, but then remembered that Brainiac (at least my version of him) isn’t a bad guy in the classical sense. So I hope that little twist there at the end made sense.

Up next: the planet Oa and a chat with the Guardians of the Universe. Also, more Guy.

Chapter Text

Chapter 37: Power of Green

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Green Lantern belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Thaal Sinestro of the planet Korugar, long-serving Green Lantern of space sector 1417, strode along one of the corridors of the great Citadel on the planet Oa, bored out of his mind and feeling increasingly irritated. Several other Green Lanterns that crossed his path gave him a respectful nod of the head, but apparently sensed that he was not in the mood for conversation and quickly moved on.

The Guardians of Oa, the founders and leaders of the Green Lantern Corps, were wise and powerful beings that were worthy of respect, no doubt. But occasionally they seemed to forget that their Green Lanterns were more than just warm bodies to put a ring on. Sinestro had been called to Oa for unspecified reasons almost a day ago, but ever since his arrival he had been forced to wait. The Guardians would receive him when they were ready, he had been told. Be patient, they had said.

Patience had never been one of his stronger attributes, he had to admit.

Looking out through the viewing windows beside him, Sinestro took in the wide empty plains of the planet that was supposedly the very center of the universe. It was immeasurably far away from his home sector, even using the power of his ring. The only way to reach it within a reasonable amount of time was to make use of the wormholes the Guardians had seeded throughout the universe and those wormholes would only open for someone wearing the green ring, no one else.

In the distance he could just make out the great Power Battery, the source of the Green Lanterns’ power. It looked almost exactly like the smaller power battery he had been given all these years ago, which he used to recharge his ring, only far, far larger. All the smaller batteries were just conduits to the near-infinite reservoir of power that was the central battery. He clenched his fist, the ring on his finger humming in response to his will, and not for the first time he wondered what it would be like to tap directly into that vast green power instead of just the portion of it that he could access.

“Those look like some pretty heavy thoughts,” a voice sounded next to him.

He looked up, amazed and embarrassed that he had been so distracted that he hadn’t noticed the newcomer now standing directly beside him. He was even more amazed that said newcomer was not a fellow Green Lantern. It took him a second to recognize her. The last time he had seen her, she had been beaten within an inch of her life, after all.

“You are the Kryptonian that fought alongside Abin Sur,” he said, his eyes briefly taking in the Kryptonian coat of arms on her chest. “I am sorry, I do not remember your name.”

“Nothing to be sorry about,” she replied, waving him off. “Our last meeting wasn’t exactly under ideal circumstances. I am Kara-El.”

He nodded, shaking her outstretched hand. Her grip was strong, but not oppressive. He knew how physically powerful the Kryptonian was, but apparently she saw no need to flaunt her strength. Admirable.

“Thaal Sinestro. I am surprised to see you here on Oa. The Guardians do not usually allow outsiders into their own home.” A Green Lantern must have brought her here, he knew. Probably that imbecile Gardner. How that idiot had been selected as Abin Sur’s successor he would never understand if he lived to be as old as the Guardians themselves.

“Yeah, being invited kind of surprised me, too. Especially as I don’t really have a good track record when it comes to interacting with Green Lanterns, sadly.”

He knew, of course, what she meant. Abin Sur had spoken to him about his encounters with the last of the Kryptonians and how strained they had been. Abin had carried the guilt of failing to save the planet Krypton from destruction for many years. He had died trying to mitigate it.

“Interesting,” Sinestro simply said. “I, too, was called here to speak with the Guardians, but have been relegated to the waiting chamber for quite some time now. May I assume that it was you they were busy with then?”

The Kryptonian nodded. “Yes, I only just left that big meeting chamber of theirs. It was an... interesting conversation.”

*****

Some time earlier

The central meeting chamber of the central Citadel of Oa, home world of the Green Lanterns, had a rather telling setup, Kara mused. The Oans were humanoid in appearance, blue-skinned, and rather small. The largest of them barely came up to Kara’s hip. Despite being frighteningly powerful, essentially immortal, and arguably the most influential beings in the cosmos, they apparently still felt the need to compensate for their diminutive height.

The meeting chamber consisted of a round central area where visitors were apparently meant to stand, surrounded by a very high podium where the Guardians sat. It allowed the Guardians to look down upon anyone entering their chamber, while their visitors were forced to crane their necks and look up.

Thus the first thing Kara did upon entering the chamber was to float upwards and position herself at eye-level with the Guardians. Well, slightly above eye-level, possibly. She was tired and frustrated after the whole Brainiac thing, so they would just have to deal with a certain amount of pettiness from her.

“Thank you for following our invitation, Kara-El of Krypton,” one of the Guardians said. It was impossible to tell whether it was male or female and if they were peeved about Kara floating up to them, one couldn’t tell by their voice or mannerisms.

“Your messenger needs to work on his manners a bit,” she replied, “but it’s not every day one gets an invitation from the famous Guardians of the Universe. So what it is you wanted to talk about with me?”

The Guardians exchanged glances for a moment, then one of them was apparently elected spokesperson.

“We have observed your activities since Abin Sur informed us that a member of the Kryptonian species has indeed survived. Given the vast empire your people once ruled in space sector 2814, we were curious what actions you would undertake, especially given the tremendous abilities your kind gains when not under a red sun.”

Kara frowned, she wasn’t sure she liked the direction this conversation was taking.

“What do you mean by ‘observed’?” she asked pointedly.

The Guardian raised his hands in a calming gesture. “We have not spied on you, Kara-El, if that is your worry. We have merely received regular reports from Abin Sur about his observations while visiting Earth and, more recently, from his successor Guy Gardner as well. We have also kept watch on Earth’s media transmissions.”

Kara nodded, hoping that was indeed all. The thought of these extremely powerful beings watching her every move was not very comforting, no matter how benevolent they might be.

“And what have your observations shown you?” she asked, hoping to get to the point of this conversation.

“We see that you are in the process of building a strong coalition in sector 2814. Your support on planet Earth is already very strong. The last of the Martians is your ally, also once a powerful people, and through their champion Adam Strange, you have a loose alliance with the people of Rann as well. Your group of allies successfully prevented the resurgence of the War World. And just yesterday you liberated the planet Colu from the machine intelligence Brainiac, which has certainly made firm allies of the Coluans as well.”

Kara frowned again. “And this worries you? Do you fear that I intend to return to my people’s empire days?”

She hadn’t really spent much though on it, to be honest, but hearing it put into words by the Guardian made her wonder whether she was indeed laying the ground work for a future ‘empire’, so to speak. More specifically the United Planets, home of the Legionnaires, which she knew existed 1,000 years in the future and held her as one of their inspirations. Was this what the title “Seeder of Worlds” referred to?

“Oh, you misunderstand us, Kara-El,” the Guardian said. “We are not worried about your actions, quite the contrary. We applaud them. We have formed the Green Lantern Corps to promote peace and order throughout the universe. Despite our vast power, though, the universe is a very large place and our Green Lanterns are spread thin.

“Abin Sur was an exemplary Green Lantern who performed above and beyond the call of duty for many decades, but he was still just one sentient. Sector 2814 has been without a stabilizing power for a very long time. Eons ago, the Martians were one such power, their Manhunters respected across many worlds. More recently your own people, before they abandoned space travel. We are hoping that this coalition you are in the process of building will fill this vacuum, so to speak.”

Kara blinked, somewhat taken aback. She had assembled a group of allies to help protect Earth, true, but she had never really thought much beyond that. Still, this was not something she was going to discuss with the Guardians of the Universe. If they figured she was doing good work, well, good. The last thing she wanted was to make an enemy of the Green Lantern Corps, no matter what resentment she had carried for them for a long time. She did make a mental note to discuss this further with the rest of the League, especially considering her suspicions about Brainiac’s actions on Colu.

“Thank you, I guess,” she said.

“In order to aid that process, we would like to establish firmer ties between your coalition and the Corps, specifically our local agent Guy Gardner.”

Ah, here came the hook then.

“I will be honest with you, Guardians. While Gardner has been of aid during our recent mission to Colu, I am not currently comfortable with officially inviting him into our group. He is...”

“Abrasive, arrogant, overconfident, and immature, we know,” the Guardian interrupted her, actually showing something of a smile for the first time.

Kara’s eyebrows rose. “Then why…?”

“Experience has shown us that the best Green Lanterns often emerge from the most unlikely candidates. Abin Sur, for example, was a very angry young man, disillusioned, on the verge of becoming a criminal himself. His first year or two were difficult, but he ended up becoming one of our greatest champions. We see similar potential in Mr. Gardner.”

Kara made no effort to hide her feelings on the matter.

“In order to accelerate Mr. Gardner’s reaching his potential, however,” the Guardian continued, “we have decided to send one of our most experienced Green Lanterns into his sector to mentor and train him. I believe you have already met Thaal Sinestro before?”

*****

Some time later

“You can’t be serious,” Sinestro said, his gaze sweeping across the assembled Guardians. “I do not have the time to play handler for a rookie Green Lantern. My own sector...”

“... is among the most peaceful and orderly in the universe,” the Guardian interrupted him. “Surely it can cope without you for a few months. We will ask the Green Lanterns of the neighboring sectors to keep an eye on things, just in case there is any unexpected trouble.”

Sinestro opened his mouth, but then realized he did not have a rebuttal ready. It was true, his sector was in good shape. There was no current crisis, no potential threats to keep an eye on, nothing that would require his constant presence. It was always possible, of course, for a threat to appear out of nowhere, but he doubted this argument would work on the Guardians.

The simple truth, that he had absolutely no interest in playing teacher to anyone, much less an abrasive rookie like Guy Gardner, would probably not help him much, either.

“Isn’t it Kilowogg’s job to train the rookies?” he asked, hoping it didn’t sound like he was whining.

“Gardner has already gone through Kilowogg’s training, but those are just the basics of using the power ring,” another Guardian added. “You, Sinestro, are among our most experienced and proficient Green Lanterns. There are few active Corps members who know as much as you about what it is like to effectively police a sector and successfully pacify it. We would very much like for you to share your skills with the next generation of Green Lanterns.”

He sighed, realizing that he was not getting out of this one.

“I assume that this is the reason the Kryptonian is here on Oa?” he asked.

“Kara-El is the primary protector of the planet Green Lantern Guy Gardner calls home,” the Guardians confirmed. “We also wish to establish firmer ties with her growing coalition, which will be a secondary task for you during your stay in sector 2814. We fear that Green Lantern Gardner has yet to learn the finer arts of diplomacy and forging alliances.”

There really wasn’t anything he could say to refute that part, at least.

“Very well,” he finally agreed. “I do hope that Lantern Gardner is a quicker study than he appears to be.”

Otherwise this could end up being a very, very long assignment. “When do we leave?”

*****

Some time earlier

“We also have a secondary motive for sending Green Lantern Sinestro into your sector, Kara-El,” the Guardian added.

Kara raised her eyebrow, inviting him to elaborate.

“Thaal Sinestro has been a Green Lantern for many years and can rightfully call himself one of the greatest of the Corps. His will power is unparalleled and his dedication to the ideals of the Green Lanterns is second to none. However...”

“However?” Kara asked.

“Long-serving Green Lanterns sometimes reach a point where they have achieved everything there is to achieve using the vast but ultimately limited power we give them through their rings. While the Corps strives to establish peace and order throughout the universe, it is a goal that can never be fully achieved, only continually worked towards. Most Green Lanterns accept that. Some, however, feel the need to do more.”

Kara nodded, understanding that kind of feeling only too well. For all her vast power, there were always things that she couldn’t do, wrongs she couldn’t prevent. “And you fear that Sinestro might be such a Green Lantern? One who is not satisfied with the power he has, but wants more?”

“There have always been Green Lanterns who have abused their power,” another Guardian added. “That is sadly unavoidable, no matter how careful the selection process is. Those are usually dismissed from the Corps. Rarer, but ultimately more dangerous, are those who become overzealous in their dedication to our ideals. Who forget that true peace and order cannot be forced up others, but rather is something that all sentients must accept out of their own free will.”

“We fear that Sinestro stands at a fork on his personal road,” the first Guardian continued. “One path could easily lead him towards corruption and ruin. We have received reports from his sector that his methods are becoming increasingly heavy-handed, almost oppressive at times. In his desire to achieve perfect peace and order, he could well become the very kind of tyrant that Green Lanterns often fight against unless he is steered away from this path.”

“That is worrying,” Kara agreed, “but I fail to see what that has got to do with him visiting Earth.”

“Quite frankly, we hope that by observing you, he will choose a better path. One more similar to yours.”

“To mine?” she asked, confused. “What do you mean?”

“You are exceptionally powerful, Kara-El,” another Guardian picked up the thread. “It would have been very easy for you, using your powers and the advanced technology of Krypton at your disposal, to make yourself ruler of Earth and forcibly change the planet to your desire. Instead, you have chosen a much harder, but ultimately more rewarding path. We hope that Sinestro may be... inspired by your example.”

“What is it with people wanting me to inspire stuff?” she muttered, thinking of the Legion and their future again. “I think you are giving me far too much credit, Guardians,” she continued louder. “I am merely someone making the best use of the powers and opportunities given to her. I am far from a saint.”

“There are no true saints in the universe, Kara-El,” another Guardian said. “There are only people. And sometimes it is less about what or how much we do, and more about how we do it and how that inspires others.”

Kara was uncertain how to react to this sort of praise. It made her uncomfortable, to be honest, but at the same time it did help assuage some of her worries that had resurfaced after her encounter with Brainiac.

“I thank you for the kind words, Guardians,” she finally said. “I hope you are correct, both about Sinestro and Guy Gardner. Maybe we can all benefit from this... exercise.”

*****

Some time later

“You gotta be kidding me,” Gardner yelled, all but stomping his feet in anger. “I don’t need a washed out has-been to teach me things I already know!”

“What you need, Gardner,” Sinestro replied, managing to sound calm and pissed off all at the same time, “is some humility and respect. And the Guardians have appointed me to this task. Believe me; I like it no better than you.”

From some distance away Kara and J’Onn watched as the two Green Lanterns got in each other’s faces. Very soon these two would be on Earth.

“Are you certain this is a good idea, Karen?” J’Onn asked.

“Probably not,” she replied. Then she smirked. “Five bucks says Sinestro loses his cool and gives him a whooping before we even reach Earth.”

“I believe humans would call that a sucker’s bet.”

*****

End Chapter 37

Author’s Note: The Guardians of Oa used be good guys, but in more recent Green Lantern comics they seemed to become more and more morally ambiguous and borderline-evil. I’m not a fan of that portrayal, just saying. I am a fan, however, of the more recent portrayals of Sinestro, who used to be little more than “evil GL”, nothing more, but has turned into a far more complex, multi-facetted character.

Chapter Text

Chapter 38: Meeting New People

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Flash belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Clark Kent, better known to the world as Superboy, was having a pretty good day so far. Sure, at first he had been disappointed and more than a bit peeved that his mother was heading out on yet another space adventure without him. Then he had been worried upon learning that she was chasing Brainiac, the Kryptonian supercomputer that had attacked Earth once before. He had been even more worried (and also peeved once again) that the world’s biggest jerk, aka Green Lantern Guy Gardner, got to accompany her.

Since then, though, things had improved. He had gotten word from the Watch Tower that his mom and the others had successfully thrown Brainiac off that alien world he had apparently conquered (Clue or something?) and would return home after a brief detour to some place called Oa, which was apparently the home of the Green Lanterns’ bosses. Maybe they would demote Gardner for being a jerk or something, one could hope.

So, no more worrying. His mom was okay, and he had realized something else: Superboy could operate solo for once. Really solo, with no super-mom watching his every move from a distance. Not even his mom could keep watch from halfway across the universe (he hoped).

It was an incredibly liberating feeling. Not that he didn’t understand why his mom kept watch on him, but still. Finally, he could be Superboy for a day or two without oversight. His mom hadn’t forbidden him from going out in uniform while she was gone, so she trusted him. He was going to show everyone that Superboy wasn’t a kid anymore and could handle things on his own.

How soon could he get away with calling himself Superman, anyway? He was 15 now. Wasn’t that almost like 18?

Thankfully it was the weekend, so no school and no chores on the farm that he couldn’t deal with in ten seconds flat, so he had lots of free time. He helped out with a fire in Metropolis, prevented an oil spill off the coast of Norway, and stopped some terrorist group or other from blowing up a building in Kenya. People cheered when he arrived and thanked him when he left. Not the bad guys, obviously, but everyone else. It was a great day so far.

Then he flew over Keystone City and his day turned... well, weird.

So far his mom had steered him away from encountering any of the so-called super villains that were springing up with alarming frequency. Most of them were normal humans who used high-tech gear of some kind or other, but more and more they were meta-humans, people who had genuine super powers either by way of an accident or sometimes simply by birth.

Flying over Keystone City, Superboy wasn’t quite sure what category this particular super-villain fell into. Probably the former, but it didn’t really matter either way. A guy in a white, armored-looking suit was setting things in fire using two gun-sized flame throwers. Several cops were shooting at him, but his suit appeared to be bullet proof. A moment later the boys in blue had to take cover, as plumes of fire were heading their way. Yeah, this did look like a job for Superboy.

He was about to dive and intervene, but, amazingly, someone else was faster.

A red blur shot through the street and knocked the perpetrator for a loop. By the time he got back to his feet the red blur was there again, striking from a different direction, and the two flame throwers disappeared. The red blur swept past a third time while the guy was still finding his footing and sent him sprawling. At least that was what it looked like to the casual observer.

Clark Kent, however, was far more than a causal observer. As a Kryptonian and fully powered by the light of a yellow star, he could not only move very fast, his senses could be dialed up to match. He didn’t quite catch on during the red blur’s first pass, having been caught off guard, but by the second pass he could easily see what was actually going on. It was a man. No, he corrected himself a moment later. A boy, judging by his height and proportions. A teenager, probably no older than he was. He was moving at a speed Clark was not sure he could match. The blow that had taken the super villain down on his third pass had actually been about three dozen punches, none of them that hard, but every single one breaking the sound barrier. Clark was sure the perp was deep in dreamland now.

Having knocked the criminal down on his butt and with the flame throwers disposed of somewhere, the boy in the red suit apparently saw little need to stick around. He ran halfway across the city before even slowing down slightly and it was only Superboy’s aerial position and superior senses that allowed him to keep track.

Well, it looked like Keystone City had its own superhero these days. And while Superboy was not a member of the Justice League yet (three more years, darn it!), he knew that his mother was always keeping an eye out for future recruits. So the least he could do was fly over and introduce himself.

*****

Wallace “Wally” West, not yet known to the world by any other name than that, was having a pretty good day so far. After having been in a coma for quite a few days, needing several weeks to notice that the lightning impact had somehow changed him, and taking months to figure things out once he did, he was now finally at a point where he was starting to get the hang of his speed power. And wasn’t that just the coolest thing ever? Instead of being flash-fried by that freak lightning bolt, he had gotten super speed powers from it. What were the odds of that happening?

He figured he could give Superwoman a run for her money in the speed department, as he had clocked himself at easily running past the speed of sound. That had presented another array of problems, of course, as normal clothes were not designed to withstand that amount of friction. The first time he had really pushed himself, he had ended up naked and singed. Thankfully he was somewhat scientifically inclined and finally managed to put together a suit he could run in without it burning up around him.

Interesting side note: he himself seemed to be impervious to friction and heat while running. He had no idea how that worked, but he wasn’t complaining. Anyway, with the risk of ending up starkers now removed, he could finally use his new powers. Keystone City had seen its fair share of exotic crimes lately and the cops could certainly use a super-powered hand. Big time heroes like Superwoman and Wonder Woman could deal with the world-shattering stuff, but they couldn’t be everywhere at once.

So making sure that he remained unseen – which was surprisingly easy when one could move as quickly as he could – he began to aid the local cops in dealing with super-villains. Oh, he fully planned to go public as a super hero eventually, but right now he was still a minor. He was sure his mom would get a heart attack were she to find out what he was doing. So until he was 18 and no one could tell him no, he would do his best to remain unseen while helping out where he could.

Of course those plans went right out the window when the Teen of Steel himself dropped down from the sky to land right in front of him as Wally was taking a breather.

“Hi there,” the dark-haired teenager said, his red cape settling down around his shoulders. “I hope you don’t mind, but I saw what you did there with that flame-thrower guy. Nice work.”

Wally was speechless for a long moment. Superboy? Superboy was here in Keystone? Superboy had seen him take down Heatwave?

“Uh, thanks,” he finally managed. He was talking to Superboy, THE Superboy. This was so cool!

For what was probably less than a minute but appeared like an eternity to him (had his super speed somehow kicked in without him noticing it?) neither teenager seemed to have any clue what to say next. Wally chuckled, kind of embarrassed, while at the same time being relieved that Superboy didn’t seem to have much of a clue how to handle the situation, either.

“So...,” Superboy finally said, “you’re really fast, I take it?”

It would have been lame hearing anyone else say that, but hearing it from Superboy? Still cool.

“Yeah, I guess,” he replied. “Power kicked in only a few months ago and… well, I’m still getting the hang of it.”

“Anything else you can do?” Superboy asked, sounding genuinely interested.

“Well, not that I’ve noticed so far. I mean, I seem to be a whole lot stronger when running than when standing still, but I figure that’s just part of the package, you know?”

Superboy chuckled. “Probably. I noticed things seem to weigh less when I carry them while flying.”

“Really? Cool!”

There was another awkward pause.

“So, what do you call yourself anyway?” Superboy finally asked.

Wally was about to tell him his name, but caught himself. Sure, it was Superboy, son of Earth’s greatest hero and all, but still. Besides, he had been thinking about a superhero name since figuring out that he did indeed have super powers.

“I’m thinking… Flash! The Flash! How does that sound?”

Superboy’s eyes widened in surprise. Surely the name wasn’t that bad?

*****

Clark Kent probably wasn’t quite as smart as his mom was, especially when it came to the science stuff, but that didn’t mean he was stupid or slow on the uptake. His mom had told him about her wild adventure through time and how it had all begun with a man called the Flash, who had taken her to the distant past without so much as a by your leave. Her working theory was that he actually hailed from their future and might well have been sent on that mission by her own older self, given how events had fallen into place.

Clark had understood that theory and also understood that, if true, they would probably eventually meet a guy called the Flash who could move at extreme speeds. Well, it seemed that day was finally here. After all, how many people who could move really, really fast and called themselves the Flash could there be?

“That’s… a pretty cool name,” he finally said, trying to downplay his surprised reaction.

“Thanks,” the other boy said, looking pleased.

“Well, here’s the thing. My mother, Superwoman, has put together a team of superheroes in order to protect the world from threats no single hero alone can deal with. She does have this thing about allowing only adults to join, but we’re always on the look-out for future members.”

The Flash’s eyes widened. “Me? On a team with Superwoman? And Wonder Woman? And that Batman guy? Wow!”

“Eventually,” Clark told him, trying to curb his enthusiasm a bit. “You are, what, fifteen?”

The Flash hesitated a moment, apparently wondering how much he should tell the virtual stranger in front of him. Finally, though, he nodded. “Yeah, fifteen. So... another three years then?”

Clark nodded, sighing. “Yeah, another three years.”

“Oh, you, too, then?” Flash asked, apparently recognizing that sigh by experience.

“Yeah!”

Flash shrugged. “Well, three years isn’t that long, right? We’ll be 18 before you know it.”

“Yeah, no time at all. And you better believe I’ll change my name then.”

“Change your... oh, you’ll be SuperMAN then, right?”

“Sure thing!”

“Cool!”

They grinned at each other.

“So, we... stay in touch then?”

“That would be good, yes,” Clark said, checking one of the pockets sewn into his cape. His mom, who was the undisputed queen of always being prepared, had actually given him something for a situation just like this one. He took out one of the business cards she had given him.

“You can reach us under this number,” he told Flash, handing him the card. The number was for an encrypted phone built by K-Solutions and would redirect to either their own phones or coms. “Just in case there is something going on you need help with or even if you just... you know, want to talk about the whole super powers thing or anything with someone who knows what it’s like.”

“Cool,” Flash said, taking the card. He looked a bit lost for a second, though. Apparently his running suit did not have pockets of any kind. Finally he slipped it into his boot. “Hey, are there many teenage super heroes around yet? You are the only one I have heard of.”

Clark shook his head. “There aren’t that many super heroes altogether. All the others I know are adults.”

Flash grinned. “Oh well, then I guess you and I are the founding members of the... well… Super Teens!”

Clark frowned. “Super Teens?”

“Yeah, you’re right! Not good. How about... Young Giants?”

He shook his head. “Try again!”

“Teen Titans?”

Clark mused on that for a minute. “That doesn’t sound too bad, actually. We will need at least one or two others. Two people isn’t really much of a team, you know?”

At that moment Clark’s communicator beeped, calling for his attention. Flash noticed. “What is it?”

“Some kind of big explosion happened in Metropolis, it seems. I’m going to head over to help. So, Flash, it was...”

“Race ya!” the Flash said, right before he vanished in a blur of red.

*****

Wally wasn’t sure what had gotten into him, but he didn’t much care. Somehow, and he had no idea how exactly, he was making friends with Superboy, the Teen of Steel. That was so cool. So far, all he had known about Superboy was that he was the son of Superwoman (naturally) and that he was following in her footsteps. Unlike his famous mother, he wasn’t in the spotlight nearly as much. Probably because he was still a minor, same age as him even, and if Superwoman was even remotely like Wally’s own mom, she would try to keep him out of danger at all costs.

Still, finding out that Superboy was in some ways in the same shoes as him... that was awesome! Wally wasn’t exactly a quiet introvert who had trouble finding friends, but he didn’t really have anyone he’d call a best friend. He certainly didn’t have anyone he could really talk to about having super powers.

So when Superboy was about to leave for Metropolis, Wally didn’t waste any time thinking. He started running.

Keystone City to Metropolis was a trip of at least four hours by car if you didn’t mind breaking the speed limit now and then. The Flash arrived there in less than three minutes (and he didn’t mind breaking the sound barrier doing it). Superboy was about half a second behind him.

“You cheated,” Superboy told him once they stopped.

“You’re just sore that there is someone faster than you!”

Superboy was about to retort again, but then his eyes found the reason they were here in Metropolis in the first place and he became all business. There was a very big hole in the ground, right at the edge of the city. Packets of dirt and bits of metal were scattered all around and a huge amount of dust had been kicked up, only slowly settling back down. The sirens of fire trucks could be heard in the distance, but so far, only a single police car was present. Superboy wasted no time flying over, probably to ask the cops what was going on. Flash followed, but made sure to remain out of sight.

“What happened, officers?” Superboy asked, touching down next to them. The officers were startled for a moment, but then relaxed upon the familiar sight of the S-Shield on the teenager’s chest.

“We don’t know, Superboy,” one of the cops said. “Only got the call five minutes ago that something big exploded underground here.”

The Teen of Steel took a quick look around. Right, the Supers had some kind of X-Ray vision or something, Wally remembered.

“I can’t see any injured people on the surface,” Superboy said, “but there is lots of lead underground. Some kind of tunnels or pipes. Was there a big gas main here or something?”

“We’re checking that right now and...”

“Nope,” the other cop said, getting off his radio. “According to the guys at city hall, there should be nothing underground here at all. No pipes, no power lines, nothing, not even sewers. Just solid ground.”

“Well, solid ground doesn’t just up and explode!” the other cop deadpanned.

“I’ll take a look in the crater,” Superboy told them, taking off to do just that.

Flash zipped forward towards the crater as well, making sure to move too fast for the cops to see him, just in case. There was a huge hole in the ground. The way that pieces of earth and bits of metal were scattered, it was definitely something underground that had blown up. Only there wasn’t supposed to be anything down there, right? Or so the cop had said, at least.

Carefully sliding down, Flash was next to Superboy a moment later. The Teen of Steel was standing in what looked like the center of devastation.

“See anything?” Flash asked.

“The more interesting question is, what am I not seeing.”

“Okay, and that would be...?”

“Something exploded here, right? So why isn’t anything burning down here? Why isn’t it hot?”

Flash looked around, seeing what he meant. Wally West planned to be a CSI once he grew up (or at least that had been his dream job before he gained super powers) and had watched a lot of TV shows and documentaries to that regard. Normally in the aftermath of a big explosion, there was lots of smoke, scattered fires, ash, and the likes. Here, though? Just a big hole in the ground, debris scattered all around, dust up in the air, but no fires, no smoke.

“This doesn’t look like an explosion at all,” Flash finally said. “This looks more like something really strong was trying to get out from underground and had no patience for digging.”

“Yeah, but what?”

*****

The person limping away from the disaster sight, not yet having anything resembling a name, was having a pretty good day so far, all things considered. Sure, the explosion had been kind of unexpected, but the end result mattered.

“I’ll not be jailed,” the person muttered, long hair falling into their eyes. “It’ll take more than a bomb or whatever that was!”

Maybe Cadmus would believe the explosion had done the job. Maybe they would stop looking. But probably not. Best to hide for now. And then find some help.

*****

“How could this happen?!”

The supervisor winced at being yelled at like that by his boss. “We don’t know! The drones had caught up with the escaped subject just short of the exit tunnel. Capture was imminent. And then there was that explosion, we still don’t know what caused it.”

“The subject?”

“Unlikely. It doesn’t fit with the power profile.”

“Did it survive?”

“Unknown at this point. We had to scrub the site as quickly as possible. Not only were emergency services arriving, there was also Superboy...”

“SUPERBOY? Why wasn’t I told that first thing? Did the alien see anything?”

“Nothing! All access tunnels and underground installations were fully lead-lined as specified. At the most, he would notice a few underground tunnels that he couldn’t see into. The explosion took down most of them and the drones collapsed the rest. We are in no danger of discovery.”

“That is something at least. Very well, tell all units to begin a thorough search for the subject immediately. I want it back at Cadmus as quickly as possible! The last thing we need is for Superwoman and her ilk to poke her nose into this mess!”

“Understood!”

*****

End Chapter 38

Author’s Note: I think this is actually the first chapter of my story not featuring Superwoman. Well, Clark is getting to the age where he is going to have the occasional solo adventure. And now the Flash is here, so you know that time travel shenanigans are going to happen again. Readers familiar with DC comics can probably guess who the newcomer introduced at the end of the chapter is, but it will be another few chapters before they are fully revealed.

Chapter Text

Chapter 39: Relationship Issues

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

“Those look like some pretty heavy thoughts, goddess!”

Kara looked up from where she had simply lain down on the soft grass or Paradise Island and smiled as the familiar shape of Philippus stood over her. The dark-skinned Amazon sat down beside her, her fingers beginning to gently comb through Kara’s golden tresses. She closed her eyes, just enjoying the feeling.

“Just wondering in how many ways my life can get even stranger than it already is, general!”

“Oh, what happened?”

Kara sighed, rolling onto her side and resting her head on her elbow so she could look at Philippus.

“Oh, where to start? Well, for one thing I have met the Flash again.”

“The time traveler who brought you into the past to help stop Steppenwolf?” Philippus smiled. “So, did you... how did you put it? Punt him into orbit, was that it?”

Kara smiled, but shook her head. “Nah, the thing is, he’s just a 15 year old boy right now. Just got his powers, doesn’t know he can travel through time yet. Just an overeager teenager who just about managed not to look at my chest when I spoke to him. Would be kind of unfair to punt him into orbit for something he won’t be doing for at least another few years, I’d estimate. Plus, Clark and he really seem to click. They are already making plans for some kind of teenage superhero team, I overheard.”

Philippus laughed. “That sounds like a recipe for trouble, I agree.”

Kara nodded. “I’m glad Clark has found another friend. He and Lana have been best friends forever, but she doesn’t understand what it’s like to have super powers and the responsibility that goes with it. It’s good to have someone one can talk to about that.”

“What else is occupying your thoughts?” Philippus asked.

“We now have two Green Lanterns on Earth... well, in this sector of space anyway. One of them is a jerk, while the other is an arrogant near-zealot whom the Guardians fear might go bad one day. And somehow they are both sort of, kind of my responsibility now, too.”

Philippus nodded in understanding. “Troublesome, I understand, but I believe that is not the main think troubling you, is it? What is?”

She sighed, wondering how it was the other woman could read her so well despite the 3,000 year break in their relationship. “The burden of a thousand years, probably. It was one thing to know that I will somehow be involved in creating a kind of utopian future, but hearing the Guardians of the Universe say similar things in the present somehow made the whole thing more real.”

“Are you not glad that your work is being successful?” Philippus asked. “That is what you are working towards, isn’t it? What you have been working on even before you learned of the likely outcome.”

Kara sighed, turning around and unceremoniously putting her head on Philippus’ lap.

“That’s all true, but still... the first time I visited the future, when I was but a teenager, I asked a telepath to block my memories of the journey, so I wouldn’t be crushed under the weight of expectations. The second time around I kept the memories. Now I am wondering whether I really did myself a favor.”

Philippus smiled down at her, her fingers once again at work on Kara’s scalp. “You are so strong, goddess, and so full of love and compassion. It’s a miracle, considering all that you have been through and endured. It’s no wonder others are drawn to you, inspired by you.”

She leaned down to press her lips to Kara’s. “In love with you,” she concluded.

Kara closed her eyes, just enjoying the kiss. She was so very happy that things with Philippus had worked out as they did. When she had returned to her own time, 3,000 years having passed for the other woman, she had feared what would happen. Would Philippus shun her? Or just as scary, would she want to continue where they left off? Would she expect Kara to stay on Themyscira with her? Would she ask to be introduced to Kara’s parents?

Thankfully none of that had come to pass. For all that Philippus appeared as a young woman still, she was actually an immortal who had seen thousands of years go by and had the experience to go with it. She had told Kara that there had been others during those 3,000 years. It was actually the norm among the eternally young Amazons of Paradise Island. Relationships seldom lasted among those who lived forever. People drifted towards each other, stayed together as long as it made them both happy, and then drifted apart again. The Amazons had long ago accepted this and seldom had hard feelings about it.

“What did I do to deserve you?” Kara asked as they took a break.

Kara had believed that she would be forced to either break it off with Philippus completely (which she hadn’t wanted to do) or fully commit into a relationship (which she simply wasn’t capable of at this point in her life). Thankfully the other woman had been patient and wise enough to see the issue.

Without Kara ever having said anything, Philippus knew exactly what she needed. Someone to be there for her when she just wanted to get away from the world for a while. Someone who loved her without any expectations or strings attached. Someone who knew that there were other things in her life that had to come first and was not offended by it, did not feel used or neglected because of it. In many ways, Philippus had become exactly like Paradise Island for her. A retreat, a safe haven, a resting place. A place to just be Kara until she had to go and be Superwoman, mom, or CEO again.

“You are you,” Philippus replied, smiling. “That’s more than enough.”

“I just love you to pieces sometimes, you know?”

“I know.”

*****

“Would you like to... I mean... it would be my privilege to... no, stupid! I would really be honored… darn it!”

Clark Kent paced back and forth in front of his mirror, having spent the last half hour or so unsuccessfully trying to come up with the words he needed. He was going to do it, he had resolved. He would! He was Superboy, soon to be Superman! He was powerful, invulnerable, he could fly! He had fought against an alien space ship, for God’s sake! Surely this little thing could not possibly be so difficult.

Just fly over to Gotham City, find Batgirl, and ask her out on a date. Easy as pie. No problem at all. Least difficult thing in the world, really. So why was it that he couldn’t find the words?

He had briefly considered asking Lana for help, but then decided against it. Lana was his best friend, practically his sister. He was well aware that she was a girl, though, and one that was becoming prettier with every day that went by. It felt... wrong asking her advice on how to ask out another girl. Not that he wanted some kind of date with Lana, no way, but still… it felt wrong to ask her.

He didn’t have that many other friends he could ask. Sure, he was buddies with a few boys in school, but none of them knew about the Superboy thing, so explaining to them that he was planning to ask out a girl he had met while she trained with the Batman... yeah, that would be difficult. And while he had become fast friends (ha!) with the Flash (and knew his real name to be Wally West because X-Ray vision and all), he wasn’t yet at a point where he felt comfortable asking the other boy such personal things... assuming that Wally even had any experience to share on the matter.

Batgirl was older than him, that much he knew. Not much older, he figured, but a few years. It shouldn’t matter, especially as Clark had really shot up during his latest growth spurt and looked older than he actually was (or so he figured at least). Still, she probably wasn’t a school girl anymore, so asking her out like he had heard some of the boys at Smallville High do probably wasn’t going to work. He needed to be smoother, more adult, without being pretentious.

Man, this was a lot harder than he had thought it would be.

*****

Barbara Gordon, slowly becoming known in Gotham City as Batgirl, knew that she was being stupid. She was a very smart young woman, smart enough to recognize when she was being stupid, but recognition somehow didn’t seem to be enough to actually stop being stupid.

Okay, she was an analytical person who liked to break things down into facts. So she sat down and did just that. There was a blank piece of paper in front of her, she took out a pen, and began to write down the facts.

She had a huge crush on the Batman.

Okay, that was a pretty short list of facts. Really a bit of a waste to use an entire piece of paper just for that. She crumpled it up in frustration and threw it into the nearest corner. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Very stupid, actually. A stupid schoolgirl crush, really, for which she was far too old. What did she even know of the man? She had never seen his face, didn’t even know his real name, nothing. It would have been more logical to have a crush on Superwoman, even, at least she had seen her face instead of just the chin and lips.

And what a great chin, like chiseled granite! And those lips... oh, stop it!

Clearly this was a bad, bad idea. The Batman didn’t even like her. From what she had seen of him so far, he had only agreed to train her because Superwoman had asked him to. He was rude, he was distant, and she figured he was at least seven or eight years older than her, probably more. There was no way this was ever going to be a thing. She would just have to get over this stupid crush! How hard could it be?

Deciding that she needed to work off some stress, she threw on her Batgirl costume and swung away into the night. Batman was not in Gotham tonight, she knew. He had informed her (gruffly) that he would be busy with other things, something to do with Superwoman’s team. So she headed out on her own tonight, which was just fine with her. And yes, she had checked to see whether anyone was watching her first, thank you very much, Mr. Paranoia.

Three would-be purse-snatchers, one attempted assault, and a foiled break-in later, she was feeling a bit more relaxed. So she had a crush on the Batman, what about it? Crushes faded, she knew. Sooner or later she would get over her feelings for him. Not like there was any chance he would ever return them and take her into those big, strong arms and... stop it!

A scream echoed through the night, wrenching her out of her thoughts. She started sprinting across the rooftops towards the source of the scream, her eyes scanning the streets below. There! A young couple was the source of the screams, their backs to the wall of a small side alley. And facing them was... a thing. A huge, green thing.

Killer Croc, her inner Batman voice supplied. Waylon Jones, a criminal with some form of rare medical condition that mutated him into something resembling a crocodile walking upright. Easily seven feet tall, strong as hell, and with skin as tough as tank armor.

Also, a penchant for eating people.

Barbara didn’t hesitate. Killer Croc was certainly far above her weight class, but she couldn’t just stand by and watch him eat people. Since she couldn’t hope to match him physically, her only hope was to distract him long enough for the civilians to flee. Plan made, she jumped down into the alley.

*****

He still had no idea what to actually say, but figured that the words would hopefully come once he was actually face to face with Batgirl. It was certainly a better plan than staying at home until he lost his nerve. So here he was, flying over Gotham City, keeping an eye out for Batgirl. He had checked to make sure that Batman wasn’t in town first. The last thing he needed was for Batman to call in his mom. Which he would do, Clark was certain. Batman was a jerk. Not a Guy Gardner level jerk, but still a jerk.

Finally, after what felt like hours, he spotted a shape sprinting across the rooftops below. Was that… yes, it certainly was. How could one forget that figure? He was about to swoop down and land beside her, when Batgirl suddenly jumped and dropped down into an alley. Refocusing his vision powers, he easily spotted the hulking shape in the alley below. Some kind of crocodile mutant? Cool! Gotham seemed to have all the weirdest villains.

He immediately became worried, though. From the look of things, this guy would easily outmatch Batgirl strength-wise. He was tempted to just jump in there and take him out, but hesitated. Would Batgirl be happy he helped or be offended, thinking that he was thinking she couldn’t handle things by herself? Man, why was this so complicated?

Resolving to watch for the moment and only intervene when necessary, he looked on as Batgirl got the guy’s attention (Killer Croc? Man, what a cool name!) by hitting him with a flying kick that might well have crippled a normal person. Croc looked like he barely noticed. The attack did have the intended effect, though, of distracting him from the two civilians. Thankfully they were smart enough to take the hint and immediately started running away.

Clark refocused on Batgirl and saw her evade a haymaker that took a chunk out of the brick wall behind her. Instead of going for another physical assault, though, she slipped something out of her belt, some kind of capsule, and threw it into Croc’s face. The capsule exploded into smoke and Croc inhaled it. Almost immediately, he began to sway a bit. Some kind of knock-out gas? Very cool!

Batgirl didn’t wait to see whether the gas would suffice. She took out a grappling gun and shot a line that quickly wrapped itself around Croc’s legs, tying them together. The green giant, his balance already shot, tumbled over to one side and crashed to the ground.

It was then that Batgirl made a mistake and Clark saw it happening in slow motion as all his senses were dialed up to maximum. Thinking that she had the advantage, she got close to Croc, probably planning to tie up his arms in some way as well. Croc was not as out of it as she had figured, though, and one of his claw-like hands closed around her ankle.

Batgirl went flying through the air and her back hit the concrete hard, knocking the air out of her. Croc tore through the line tying his legs together and got back to his feet. A moment later he was looming over Batgirl, clawed hand raised for a strike that would slice her to ribbons.

Without any further hesitation Clark moved.

*****

Barbara quickly shook off the cobwebs and her body tensed in preparation for an evasion move that would hopefully keep her from being eviscerated. Stupid, stupid, she had gotten too close too soon. She couldn’t afford another mistake. She had to...

Her mind came to a halt as a red and blue blur suddenly appeared right next to Croc and caught his wrist in a deceptively small hand. A boy was right next to the crocodile mutant, a good two feet shorter than him, but making up for that by simply hovering in mid-air. Barbara could see the muscles in Croc’s arm strain, but it was to no avail. The boy held him in place like it was the easiest thing in the world.

“That’s quite enough,” Superboy – for who else could it possibly be? – said to Croc. “Come along peacefully and no one needs to get hurt.”

Croc just roared in defiance and drove his other fist into Superboy’s face with enough force to dent a steel plate. The boy didn’t even blink. A moment later Croc roared again, just in pain this time. From the crunching sound of the impact, Barbara figured that most of the bones in his hand were now quite thoroughly broken.

“Well, so much for no one getting hurt,” Superboy said, sighing dramatically. A moment later Croc was the one who went flying, hitting the alley wall and going right through it. There was a loud clonk and then everything was still.

“I fear Croc’s head hit something harder than it in there,” Superboy said, shrugging. “I think he’ll be sleeping for quite some time.”

Barbara was back on her feet, brushing some dirt and grime off her costume, and studied her teenage savior. He really was just a boy, she saw. No older than 16, she figured, probably younger. The fact that he had taken out Killer Croc as if it was nothing didn’t really make him look any older.

“Thank you for your help,” she said. “I think I could have managed by myself, but I certainly don’t mind the extra muscle. You sure took him down a lot faster than I could have.”

“Glad to help,” he said, grinning broadly.

“Good thing you were in the neighborhood,” she continued on, shining a light through the hole in the wall and seeing that Croc was indeed well and truly unconscious. His head was embedded in a solid brick wall.

“Actually,” Superboy began, only to trail off.

“Yes?” she asked, turning around to look at him. The powerful Teen of Steel, who had just taken out a huge crocodile man without even blinking, now looked uncertain, almost skittish. What was going on here?

“I... well, there is actually a reason I am in Gotham. And... the reason is... well, you are the reason. I am in Gotham because I wanted to talk to you.”

Now Barbara was confused. “To me? Talk about what?”

“I... I wanted to... I mean…,” he paused, took a deep breath. “I wanted to ask you whether you wanted to go out on a date. With me! You and me. Together. A date. That’s what I wanted to ask.”

Barbara blinked, looking into that youthful face before her, and had a moment of sudden clarity. Superboy had a crush on her. He had a crush on an older superhero he knew nothing about, had only ever seen in a mask. It was like looking in a mirror with her own crush reflected back at her. She was looking at herself from Batman’s point of view.

The only difference was that, unlike her, Superboy had found the courage to act on his crush, no matter how silly it was. Which actually made her feel even more stupid than she had felt earlier. Here she was, 18 years old, smart, skilled, and a teenage boy had more guts than her.

“I... I don’t think that would be a good idea, Superboy,” she finally said, smiling at him in a way she hoped lessened the impact of her words.

His face fell. “Is... is it the age thing?” he asked. “Because I’m...”

“It’s not that,” she interrupted him. “Well, not just JUST that. It’s also... well, you don’t know a thing about me. Why do you want a date with me?”

He opened his mouth to say something, then seemed to think better of it. Barbara was fairly certain it was something along the lines of “you look great in your skintight costume” or something. Which, to be fair, was not that different from what she thought when she called Batman to mind. And Superboy didn’t look bad in his suit, either, she had to admit.

“I know we barely met,” he finally said, not meeting her eyes. “But... well, there is the obvious reason, of course, but it’s not just that.” He looked up. “You don’t have super powers like me, yet you don’t hesitate to throw yourself into a fight with someone ten times as strong as you to help save people. That tells me you’re a great person. And... and you are really pretty, too.”

She couldn’t help but smile at his words. It might not have been the smoothest compliment she had ever received, but quite possibly the most sincere.

“Thank you,” she said. “You look pretty handsome yourself, too, by the way. Still... there is, well, there is someone else.” She briefly considered saying more, something along the lines of “maybe in a few years”, but decided against it. And God knew she would not add “can we just be friends”. She had enough experience to know how boys reacted to those words.

“Oh,” Superboy just said, awkwardly running his hand through his dark hair. “Well, should have expected that. Pretty girl like you...”

She took a step closer to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you for helping me, Superboy. And thank you for the compliment, too. I really appreciate both.” She leant down and pressed a short kiss to his cheek.

“Uh... well, you’re welcome,” he stuttered, cheeks aflame.

And just like that, it was over. Superbody quickly wrapped up Croc with some metal poles he bent around him and then took off, promising to drop the crocodile man at the nearest police station. Barbara looked after him for a long moment.

The idea had been tempting, if but for a second. The Teen of Steel certainly looked scrumptious, if still a bit on the young side. Legal issues aside, though (she was an adult, after all, if only just), she had to clear up her own feelings first. And if Superboy had enough guts to confront his crush and put his heart out there, then maybe she could do the same.

*****

End Chapter 39

Author’s Note: I entertained several different notions when it came to Kara and Philippus, including a clean break and a permanent relationship with Philippus visiting Kansas to be introduced to the Kents. Neither really worked for me, though. Kara, as I am writing her, is someone who is driven by her mission and whoever is her partner will have to accept that they will come second. Philippus can do that for now, as all things are transient for an immortal.

And it’s been a while since I was a teenage boy (and I have obviously never been a teenage girl), so I hope I did the parts with Batgirl and Superboy justice.

Chapter Text

Chapter 40: For the Woman Who Has Everything

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Kara woke with a start, feeling disoriented for a moment. Where was she? Slowly her eyes took in the room around her and a moment later she relaxed, recognizing her own bedroom. Some kind of nightmare? She couldn’t remember.

“Everything okay, love?” a sleepy voice asked from beside her.

She looked at the person lying beside her, needing a moment to focus, then her lips spread in a smile. She lent down and pressed a kiss to the top of a sleep-tussled head of hair.

“Just a bad dream, nothing to it. Sleep on, love.”

A few mumbled words later she could hear the sound of even breathing, her beloved slipping back into sleep. Being careful not too make too much noise, she got out of bed and floated into the neighboring room. The automated coffeemaker had already started and the smell of delicious coffee filled the room.

“Thank you, Brainiac,” she mumbled, carefully sipping from the cup that a small tractor beam floated into her hands.

“Good morning, Kara-El,” the computer replied. “You are awake earlier than usual. Do you wish to see today’s appointments?”

“Not yet, give me a minute,” she waved him of, stepping over to the big viewing window.

“As you wish, Kara-El.”

As she stepped closer to the window it slowly depolarized and the light from outside began to creep in. Kara sat down on a kitchen stool and cradled the cup of coffee in her hands as the landscape outside slowly became visible. The red sands stretched out before her, the sun only just rising over the crest of the distant mountains. Golden rays caressed the growing spots of green she could spot here and there and a few transport ships were already visible in the sky.

“I never get tired of this view,” she said to herself, smiling. “Anything important happen during the night, Brainiac? Any emergencies?”

“No, Kara-El,” the computer replied. “All is peaceful, both here and on Earth. What few emergencies occurred were expertly handled by local response units. All is well.”

“All is well,” she repeated, smiling.

As the sun rose over New Krypton, Kara was happy.

*****

“What did you get her?” Diana asked Bruce as they walked down the Javelin’s landing ramp, taking in the splendor of Kara’s polar fortress. Both of them had been here before, but only a few times, mostly because Kara was seldom here herself. Kara wanted to talk with them about Brainiac’s actions on Colu, though, and her Kryptonian outpost had the most complete information on both the sentient computer and the planet in question.

What Kara didn’t know, of course, was that Diana and Bruce had another item on their agenda for today. Diana had finally managed to find out when Kara’s birthday was. Not the fictional birthday of Karen Kent, but the actual day her friend Kara-El had been born. Okay, it was still a bit of a rough estimate, given the distance between Earth and where Krypton used to be and the planets’ different orbits around their respective stars. Still, Clark had apparently worked diligently on calculating the exact date and had shared his results with the Kents and Diana, who had then told Bruce.

There would be a surprise birthday party later on at the Kent home, which was why Diana and Bruce were to keep Kara occupied while preparations were underway. Given the superior senses of a fully-powered Kryptonian, keeping her half a world away from the site of the party was just about the only way to ensure that it would actually be a surprise.

“You do realize she has super hearing, right?” Bruce said in response to her question. “We shouldn’t talk about this here.”

“Right, you’re right,” she replied, but couldn’t help but smile. She was very much looking forward to surprising her sister-in-arms on her birthday.

“I wonder why she isn’t here yet.” Bruce looked around the empty hangar. “Usually she meets us the moment we touch down.”

“Kara?” Diana called out. When there was no response, she shrugged. “Maybe she is already digging through the data for more clues on Brainiac?”

“Maybe,” Bruce said, sounding a bit worried. “Let’s find her!”

They both knew that she had to be here. Kara had told them years ago that the fortress was programmed not to let in visitors unless either Kara or Clark were present. It was nothing against them, she trusted them with her life, but Kara was very paranoid about Krypton’s technology. Unsurprising, really. Not only was it centuries ahead of anything Earth had, it had also birthed Brainiac and – indirectly – destroyed their own planet. Better she keep it firmly under lock and key.

They entered another room, the one which housed the holographic images of Kara’s and Clark’s original family, and both froze in their step. Kara was there, standing in the middle of room. But she was not alone.

“What is that?” Diana asked, quickly moving closer.

Something was wrapped around Kara’s upper body. It looked like a strange mixture between a flower and an octopus, colored a deep purple and blood-red. It seemed to have attached itself to Kara’s chest, its tentacles wrapping around her torso, and it pulsed along with her breathing. Kara was staring straight ahead, looking at nothing, and didn’t show any reaction to the presence of her friends. A smile was on her lips.

“Kara?” Diana asked, waving her hand in front of her eyes. “Kara, can you hear me?”

Bruce took a small flashlight out of his utility belt and shone a light into her eyes. “Her pupils don’t react at all. She must be in a deep trance of some sort.”

“What is this thing?” Diana asked, taking a closer look it. “It looks like... Hera, it seems to have gone right through her suit and into her skin.”

“Some kind of parasitic life form, I would assume,” Bruce said, carefully regarding the alien creature from all angles. “Maybe it’s somehow feeding off the force field on Kara’s skin, thereby circumventing her invulnerability. Whatever the case, it seems to have some way of paralyzing its victims.”

“I’m going to get this thing off her,” Diana said, preparing to do just that.

“No, wait,” Bruce stopped her. “We need to properly examine it first. Simply tearing it off could hurt Kara.”

Diana tensed for a moment, the thought of simply leaving her sister-in-arms in obvious distress was almost painful, but she finally nodded. “You are right. So what’s next?”

Bruce knelt down, examining something at Kara’s feet that Diana hadn’t even noticed before. It was some kind of cylinder made of metal, about a foot in length and opened along the middle.

“I’d say this thing, whatever it is, came out of this cylinder. Maybe Kara opened it, not knowing what was inside, and it got the drop on her.”

“Kara is more careful than that,” Diana replied, inspecting the cylinder as well.

“I wonder how it got in here,” Bruce said, sitting back on his heels. “This place is a fortress, no one can just stroll in here and leave surprise gifts behind.”

“One can if one has access to teleportation technology,” a new voice said from behind them.

The two heroes were back on their feet a heartbeat later, ready for a fight and facing the newcomer. A moment later they both had to adjust their angle of view, for the intruder was huge. A veritable giant, yellow skin stretching across impossibly huge muscles, and a grin on its near-human face that had nothing humorous to it.

Both of them recognized the intruder immediately, though they had only ever seen him in person for a few seconds on an alien world. Diana’s sword, which she always carried with her, was in her hands a second later and her face contorted in rage.

“Mongul!” she hissed.

*****

“It’s been 10 years since the event now commonly referred to as Operation Phoenix. The day when Earth’s greatest hero, Superwoman, undertook a joint mission with the Green Lantern Corps, the time-travelling heroes from the future called the Legion, and Earth’s own Justice League to save the people of Krypton from annihilation.

“Going back through time to the day her planet was destroyed, Superwoman and her team performed the greatest mass evacuation in the history of the universe, rescuing more than three billion Kryptonian citizens mere moments before the planet exploded, and bringing them forward in time to resettle them on the planet Mars, which has since been renamed New Krypton.

“Today, to celebrate the anniversary of this astounding feat, we are here with none other than Superwoman herself, Kara-El. Kara, thank you for this interview.”

Kara smiled at the reporter sitting across from her. “It was my pleasure, Lois.”

“Kara, the details of Operation Phoenix have been discussed over and over during the last ten years, but one question remains open, I believe: how did you even conceive of this plan?”

“It was really just a spur of the moment idea, Lois. I had prior experience with time travel, as I have detailed before, and ever since I learned it was possible, I was trying to figure out a way to use it to save my people. Over and over again, though, I was told that the destruction of Krypton could not be changed, simply because it was such a pivotal moment in history with such far-reaching consequences.”

Lois nodded. “Well, given that our planet would never have gotten Superwoman and Superman if Krypton had lived, I can certainly understand that.”

“I was more or less ready to abandon the idea, but then I remembered the stories of the Lost City of Kandor. When I was still a small child, Kandor – one of our most beautiful cities – simply vanished off the face of Krypton. Rumors abounded as to what had happened. The most popular one being that aliens had somehow kidnapped it, but we never found out what happened to it. And it got me thinking. If one city could simply vanish, why not more of them? Why not all of them, moments before Krypton died. Maybe I could not prevent the destruction of the planet, but what if I could save its people?”

“And with the help of your allies, you did just that,” Lois added.

“Yes. It was an extremely close affair. In order to preserve the time stream, we had to wait until the ship carrying the younger versions of Kal-El and myself cleared the atmosphere, which left us only a few minutes. To this day, I am not really sure how we managed to pull it off, but it worked. We lost the planet Krypton, but we saved its people.”

The interview went on for a while longer, going into some details on the status of the Kryptonian terraforming of Mars, the celebrations going on today, and Kara’s own plans for the immediate future (“enjoying the peace and quiet while it lasts”). Finally the segment was over, the cameras went off, and Kara relaxed. She never did enjoy the lime light.

“You did great, mom,” a deep voice said beside her, making her look up at her son. Clark was there, the symbol of House El proudly displayed on his broad chest. Seeing him like this, fully grown, filled her with immense pride. He had become every bit the hero and champion she had always known he could be and had really stepped up as protector of Earth ever since Kara spent more and more of her time here on New Krypton to help her people resettle on an entirely new planet.

“Thank you, Clark,” she said, getting up from her chair. “Where is...” she began.

Enhanced reflexes and super strength were the main reasons why she wasn’t simply run over when a blonde blur suddenly tackled her, jumping into her arms with the grace and subtlety of a cannonball.

“You said we’d go for ice cream once you were done here, mom,” the girl in her arms reminded her.

“I did, didn’t I?” she replied, laughing.

With her adopted son Clark by her side and her four-year-old daughter Kona in her arms, Kara walked out of the TV studio in order to find ice cream somewhere in New Argo City. She was with her family on a new planet Krypton. She was happy.

*****

“What have you done to Superwoman, Mongul?” Batman asked, a hand on Diana’s shoulder to hold her back for the moment. The Amazon wanted nothing more than to throw down with the alien brute who had nearly killed her sister-in-arms twice already, but they needed more information first.

“Nothing much,” the yellow giant said, casually strolling closer. “Just teleported a very unique specimen into the Kryptonian’s base and let nature take care of the rest.”

He stopped in front of the unresponsive Superwoman, inspecting the alien parasite that had attached to her chest. “It’s called the Black Mercy. It feeds off its victim’s life energy until they die. And to make sure said victim doesn’t fight it, it creates a trance state in which the victim experiences absolute bliss and happiness. Right now, your little friend here is in a world of her own, the most perfect world she can imagine, being absolutely happy.”

He looked at the two heroes, smiling cruelly. “I wonder what she is experiencing right now. Maybe she is back in her childhood home, playing with her toys? Or maybe she is finally showing her true colors and conquering the universe by force? Who knows?”

He shrugged. “Oh well, she will have ample time to experience it. The Black Mercy takes a long, long time to kill its victims. Anyway, the Kryptonian is getting her due reward for interfering with my plans. Meanwhile, I will take this world of hers for my own. Of course I will need some guidance at first, being entirely unfamiliar with the local customs. Such as...”

Mongul stopped, glaring at Batman and Wonder Woman. “Which of you two should I kill first?”

Batman took his hand of his companion’s shoulder and nodded. A moment later Diana sprung into action faster than the human eye could follow, dashing forward and slashing her Amazon-forged sword in a wide arc across the yellow alien’s torso. Mongul took a step back, looking down to the see the shirt of his purple suit slashed open. The yellow skin underneath was entirely unharmed.

“Well, the female it is then,” he said.

*****

Kara stood on the highest tower of New Argo City, looking out across the vast settlement. When the idea of a New Krypton had first occurred to her, she had dreaded asking J’Onn about it. This was his world, after all. He was the last of the Martians, the sole survivor of his race. It was what they had originally bonded over, in fact, both of them being the last to remember their lost worlds. That she wanted to save her people and then resettle them on J’Onn’s world... she had feared he would hate her for it. Thankfully he had done no such thing.

J’Onn stood beside her, his natural Martian form seeming at home here, and followed her gaze.

“It still amazes me what we have accomplished,” he said in his deep baritone. “Once again the surface of my world hosts life. Once again we hear the laughter of children in the air. Mars lives again.”

“I still wish we could have done the same for your people, J’Onn,” she said, her hand on his shoulder.

“You know it wasn’t possible, Karen,” he replied. He still called her by her human name, even after all these years. “My people were slaughtered by the Imperium, one by one. I was there, I saw it. There was no way to rescue them without catastrophically changing the time stream. I am not happy about it, but I have long made my peace with it.”

Kara nodded, knowing all the arguments. Still, in the best of all possible worlds, she should still have found a way to save the Martians as well. She should have found a way to save everybody.

“We rescued three billion souls in a matter of minutes,” she mused. “Surely all things are possible if we could accomplish that.”

“Three billion?” J’Onn asked, looking at her. “Are you feeling well, Karen?”

She blinked, looking at him. “Sorry, I don’t know where that came from. Wishful thinking, maybe. But the 500 million we did save are a miracle all by itself.”

“Too right,” J’Onn replied.

Kara nodded, but frowned. Something seemed off. She was happy but... something was weird.

*****

Batman had successfully pried one of the alien plant’s tentacles off Kara’s neck. It left red marks on her nearly invulnerable skin. He had needed both hands to get it off and could feel it straining to reattach itself to its victim. Times like these he really envied J’Onn’s shape-shifting abilities. A few more hands would be very handy right now.

The entire fortress shook; a crack went through the ceiling above them. He almost smirked as he heard a grunt of pain from the alien, Mongul, but quickly focused back on his task. Diana was a big girl. She could handle her part. Batman knew he did not have a prayer against an alien as physically powerful as Mongul, so the best thing he could do was to try and wake up Kara. Hopefully Diana wouldn’t even need her help, but Mongul had beaten Kara twice and killed a Green Lantern to boot. He was not about to take any chances.

Carefully shifting the tentacle over so he could hold it with one hand, he began working on the next one.

*****

“Mom, are you okay?”

Kara looked down, seeing her beautiful young daughter standing beside her, looking up at her with a worried expression on her cute little face.

“Why do you ask, Kona?” she asked, kneeling down to be at eye level with her.

“You look so sad, mommy,” she replied, one tiny hand reaching out to brush a tear from Kara’s face. A tear she hadn’t even realized was there.

Confused, Kara looked up. The sky above New Krypton was... weird. It seemed so much darker than just a moment ago. But it was noon. She had just collected Kona from her day school. It shouldn’t be getting dark yet. Something was wrong.

“Everything is fine, Kona,” she said, though she didn’t quite believe it. “It’s time to go home to...”

Her voice trailed off. Time to go home to... to whom? She had woken up next to someone this morning. She remembered it. Someone… someone she loved. She was sure of it, but... why couldn’t she remember their name? Or their face?

“Mommy,” Kona asked, looking up at her. “You’re scaring me.”

*****

Diana winced in pain as she went flying right through one of the crystal walls of Kara’s fortress, the impact of Mongul’s fist having broken at least two of her ribs. She quickly rolled with the motion, getting back on her feet. Mongul was following her through the hole she had made. His uniform was in tatters, several bruises littered his yellow skin. But that was his entire concession to the fight they had been in for the last ten minutes. Diana was well aware that she had taken more damage than he had.

“I salute you, warrior,” he said, grinning. “You pose far more of a challenge than your Kryptonian friend ever has. She lacks the killer instinct, I fear. You, on the other hand, I believe you would kill me where I stand if only you could.”

“I’m not done trying just yet,” she remarked, then launched herself forward again, ignoring the pain.

*****

Batman had noticed the tears on Kara’s face as he continued to slowly pry the alien parasite off of her. It was the first reaction she had shown so far and he considered it a sign that he was on the right path. Mongul had said that Kara was imprisoned inside a trance state of absolute bliss. Those didn’t look like happy tears, though.

The parasite, which so far had shown no reaction to external stimuli at all except trying to remain attached to its host, now seemed somewhat agitated. Apparently it was sensing that someone was trying to pry it loose. Batman was very much aware of the danger he was putting himself in. If he succeeded in removing the Black Mercy from Kara, there was a good chance it would immediately search for a new victim. It had gotten the drop on Superwoman somehow, so it had to be fast.

He had no idea whether he, a normal human, was in any way appetizing for the parasite or – if he was – whether he would survive its tender mercies. It didn’t matter, of course. From the sounds of the battle, Diana needed help. He couldn’t help her, but Kara could.

His course of action was clear.

*****

Kara was holding Kona’s tiny hand in hers and looked around frantically. Their house should be here somewhere, she was sure. This was the street, only it didn’t look like a street. They had paved over the red sand, hadn’t they? There were on the outskirts of New Argo City, weren’t they? She could see the buildings, but they seemed to shimmer. They were so far away.

“It was never going to work, you know that!”

She started at the voice, a voice she had heard before. Without warning, a newcomer had appeared right next to them. A person sitting on a hovering chair, wearing a black bodysuit, and looking at her with an air of supreme disappointment.

“Metron? What are you doing here?” she asked, shifting Kona behind her. In Rao’s name, she would not allow this bastard to harm her daughter.

“You tried to cheat destiny, Kara-El,” Metron simply said, his hands folded underneath his chin. “I told you that Krypton could not be saved without catastrophic consequences, but you didn’t listen to me!”

“I didn’t save Krypton the planet,” she yelled at him. “I let it die so history could take its course. But I saved the people! I saved them all!”

“Did you?” Metron asked, motioning towards New Argo City.

Kara watched in horror as the buildings began to fade, shimmering like a mirage over a heated stretch of desert. What few people she could see, her people, faded away like phantoms.

“No,” she whispered, shaking her head in denial. “No, no, no! I saved them! I saved them!”

“You tried to play goddess, Kara-El,” the cold voice of Brainiac said. “Just like I told you to.”

“Time is not your play thing,” Metron remarked, even as New Argo City faded from view entirely. Only the sands of Mars remained. “As powerful as you are, death cannot be cheated. And death has claimed all of Krypton except you and your son. No one else may survive!”

“Mommy?”

Kara fell to her knees, clutching her daughter to her with all her strength. “No! Please, not Kona! Not Kona!”

“No one else may survive!” Metron repeated.

“I don’t want to go,” her little girl whispered.

“KONA!” Kara screamed as her daughter, New Krypton, and everything else simply faded away.

*****

Diana collapsed to the ground, desperately trying to breathe through a chest that felt caved in. Blood was seeping from her mouth and her eyes refused to focus.

“You fought well,” Mongul said, approaching her. “But the outcome was never in doubt.”

He raised his fist for a killing blow and Diana knew that she did not have the strength to evade or block it. This was it. She would die. She could only hope that she had bought Bruce enough time.

“MONGUL!” a scream echoed through the fortress, causing the crystal walls to shiver.

Mongul turned away from Diana, looking at the far wall. But even as he tried to brace himself, he was too slow. A red and blue bur came shooting through the corridor and hit the yellow alien with the force of a cruise missile. A cry of pain accompanied the two interlocked bodies as they burst through yet another wall and vanished from sight. A moment later the entire structure rang like a bell as they had hit something.

“Give him hell, sister,” Diana muttered, trying her best to get back to her feet.

*****

The Kryptonian outpost that Kara had built on Earth was a good deal larger than she really needed it to be, especially given that she was barely ever here. It had everything a Kryptonian outpost on an alien world might need. Storage rooms, machine shops, living quarters, training halls, everything. Right now, she was busy wrecking most of it and didn’t care in the least.

A searing beam of heat vision cut across Mongul’s chest, leaving angry red burn marks. The yellow giant staggered back, but Kara did not let up. She moved so fast that the air around her sizzled from the friction and her fists broke the sound barrier as they impacted against Mongul’s nearly impervious form.

All the while Kara screamed.

“Do you realize what you took from me?” Kara yelled, lashing out with her full strength and not caring in the least. Mogul staggered back, but was still grinning.

“Of course I do, Kryptonian,” he replied, returning the favor with a punch that Kara blocked with her forearm. Her arm hurt from the impact, but she barely noticed it through the haze of her rage.

“I put you into a prison that you couldn’t leave without tearing out your own heart in the process,” Mogul continued on, still grinning. “Tell me, did it hurt a lot?”

Kara’s only reply was an incoherent scream of fury.

*****

Diana had staggered back into the hall where they had first found Kara, clenching her teeth to keep from crying out with each step. She was sure she had been hurt worse in the past. Her first battle against Ares came to mind. Then again, back then she had passed out from the pain and only awoken much later when she was mostly healed.

Looking ahead, she saw Bruce lying on the ground, motionless. The Black Mercy was wrapped around his torso.

“Oh, Bruce, you noble idiot,” she muttered.

Sighing, she slowly lowered herself next to him and began to pry the parasite loose.

*****

A thunderous blow by Mongul sent Kara crashing to the ground and the alien tyrant stood over her, panting in exhaustion.

“You should know better by now,” he said, grabbing her by the hair. “You are no match for me, Kryptonian. Not even on your best day. Not even on your LAST day!”

Raising his fist for a blow that would take her head off, he was suddenly confronted with two crimson-red eyes staring directly into his.

“BURN!” Kara yelled and sent two beams of energy directly into Mongul’s eyes.

Mongul screamed, louder than he had ever screamed before, and stumbled back, shaking. Kara struggled back to her feet, the energy given to her by her rage beginning to fade.

“You insignificant speck of dirt,” Mongul growled, now sounding really pissed off. “YOU! HURT! ME!”

He dashed forward, striking Kara again and sending her flying across the room.

“You should have stayed in whatever happy phantasy the Black Mercy granted you!”

“Happy?” Kara growled back, on her feet once again. “HAPPY?!”

She struck back at Mongul with enough force to split a mountain in two and the alien juggernaut stumbled, falling to one knee. She struck him again, rocking his head back, and blood was flowing from his mouth. A third blow sent him into his back, dazed.

Kara forcefully wrenched him up into a sitting position and was behind him a moment later. Two hands capable of tearing continental plates apart wrapped around his huge head, preparing to force his neck to turn farther than it was meant to turn. She saw how he had almost killed J’Onn and her the first time. She saw how he had killed Abin Sur. She saw all the innocents that would have died had he managed to retain the War World. She had to end him. She would end him. He had killed her little girl.

The little girl that had never been real.

Mongul threw his head backwards and Kara screamed as she felt her nose break. Her hands slipped off his head and a moment later a vicious backhand sent her flying once again. She crumbled to the ground, her head ringing like a bell.

“There now,” Mongul said, staggering back to his feet. “For a moment I almost believed that you were going to kill me. How stupid of you to hesitate like that!”

He hauled her up. “I assure you, I won’t make the same mistake!”

“No, you make others,” a voice behind them said.

Mongul turned around, seeing the warrior woman he had left for dead a few minutes ago standing behind him. The next thing he felt was something attaching itself to his chest.

Then he felt happy.

*****

Some time later, three battered and bruised heroes stood over the comatose body of an alien tyrant, who was smiling as if he was having the time of his life.

“Whatever he is seeing, it’s too good for him,” Diana growled.

Batman said nothing, still reeling from the phantasy he had experienced during those few short minutes the Black Mercy had been attached to him. He cast a side glance at Kara, who had been imprisoned in happiness far longer than him. Seeing his parents being gunned down all over again after having escaped the mugger the first time had hurt like nothing else he could remember. He could only imagine how much worse it must have been for her.

Kara had barely said a word since the battle had ended. Her emotions were too volatile, too raw to even begin to articulate them.

“Mongul said that the Black Mercy will eventually kill its victim, right?” she finally asked.

“Yes,” Batman replied.

Kara nodded. “Good.”

*****

End Chapter 40

Author’s Note: To absolutely no comic reader’s surprise, I am sure, this chapter is based on Alan Moore’s brilliant Superman story “For the Man Who Has Everything” from 1985, which was also turned into an episode of Justice League Unlimited for TV. I only changed the ending a bit, as well as what kind of phantasy Kara would experience (given everything she learned in the Out of Time arc, I couldn’t have her phantasy being “Krypton never died”, because it would mean the Legion’s future would never come to pass). The Black Mercy was also featured in an episode of Supergirl.

I was a bit unsure about the ending, to be honest, but then I remembered that the original story ended with Superman planning to drop a comatose Mongul into a black hole, so... yeah. Oh, and for those always looking for hints and spoilers: this chapter contains two important teasers for future chapters.

Chapter Text

Chapter 41: Strangers in the Night

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman, Green Lantern, and Adam Strange belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Most days Adam Strange was pretty content with the way his life was going. He was a superhero on two different planets. He got to travel across the galaxy by riding a beam of light. He had a super suit that allowed him to fly and more science fiction gadgets than anyone could ask for. He was the champion of the planet Rann and a founding member of Earth’s first superhero team, the Justice League. On most days, he really loved being him.

Most days. But not today.

“You need to work on your focus, Gardner,” the smooth voice of Green Lantern Thaal Sinestro intoned. Adam wasn’t sure how the purple-skinned alien did it, but he always managed to sound condescending, no matter what he said.

“Shut up, purple pie man, and let me concentrate,” Gardner complained.

Adam knew that Superwoman (call me Kara, Adam!) had reached an agreement with the Guardians of Oa regarding future cooperation in this sector of space. It was a good idea in general, of course. The Green Lantern Corps was the primary peace-keeping force in the universe, but with each of them being responsible for an entire galaxy all by themselves, it figured that they couldn’t deal with everything alone. And having a Green Lantern on one’s side was always a good thing. Well, maybe not always. It actually depended on the Green Lantern in question.

Anyway, the Guardians had basically given Kara – and by extension the Justice League – their blessing as being the primary protectors of this region of space. They also wanted their representative, Guy Gardner, to forge closer ties with the Justice League. Adam had briefly considered going on his knees and kissing Kara’s feet in thanks for her refusal to make Gardner a member of the League, at least for the time being.

Still, she had agreed to a form of cooperation, which apparently included keeping an eye on things when Gardner and his mentor – the Green Lantern called Sinestro – were operating on or near Earth. Such as today. And with Kara, Diana, and Batman currently being sidelined after battling Mongul (and Adam didn’t know whether to be pissed or glad that he had missed that, considering the state the other three had been in), that had left only J’Onn, Green Arrow, and himself as potential baby sitters.

Adam had drawn the short straw. Literally. He couldn’t prove it, but he was sure Green Arrow had cheated.

“Your construct is not solid enough,” Sinestro chided. “It should look like this!”

They were currently in Metropolis, where a fire had broken out in the industrial district that threatened to spill over into the city proper. Already several buildings were in flames and the fire was rapidly spreading. Multiple fire trucks were already on the job, but having a hard time approaching the conflagration from all the necessary angles.

Guy Gardner’s ring was projecting a massive wall between those buildings already ablaze and those still untouched, looking to stop any further spread. It was an impressive display of power, but Adam could see that the edges of the construct were blurry here and there and it flickered occasionally. Sinestro was projecting a wall of his own now, cutting off any further spread of the fire on the other side of the affected area, and, if not for the green glow, it would have looked entirely solid and real.

“Show-off,” Gardner muttered, beads of sweat on his forehead. The air above the industrial sector was scorchingly hot. Adam had sealed his suit to escape from the heat and smoke. Sinestro, a green shimmer around his body, looked utterly untouched and kind of bored.

“The local fire fighters are advancing to your right,” Sinestro said. “Open a gap in your wall to let them through!”

Gardner grumbled again, but did as he was told for once. Apparently cooperating with locals was part of the curriculum Sinestro was teaching. Good luck with that, Adam mused. What little he had seen of Gardner so far did not make him optimistic on that front.

Adam figured the two Green Lanterns had things under control for the moment and were not in danger of coming to blows (at least not right now), so he decided to help out below. There was little in his arsenal of weapons that would be of help extinguishing the flames, but there might still be people trapped somewhere. Double-checking to make sure his suit was sealed, he flew down and scanned for life signs.

Five minutes and three rescues later his scanners picked up yet another bunch of life signs in a burning building just ahead. Making his way into the warehouse, he spotted a group of four people huddled in the far corner, desperately trying to stay ahead of the flames that had boxed them in. By the look of things, they were homeless, probably just looking for a place to stay for the night, and the fire had taken them by surprise.

“Hang on,” Adam yelled, flying towards them. “I’ll have you out of here in...”

His words were cut off when the ceiling above gave an almighty screech and he looked up to see the support beams begin to break apart. The entire roof of the warehouse was about to come down in a shower of burning wood. His suit would protect him – probably – but there was no way he could get four people outside before it all came down.

His mind raced, trying to figure out some way to beat the odds. Maybe if he grabbed two of them with his arms, wrapped his legs around the third...

Suddenly a blur shot past him and a moment later there was a figure hovering near the ceiling, bracing the crumbling support beam. The warehouse was dark except for the flickering light of the flames, so Adam only saw an outline. The figure looked to be pretty small, dressed in baggy clothes that were already smoldering. It was wearing a hoodie and facing away from him, so he couldn’t see a face, but then he clearly heard a voice.

“Get them out of here, idiot!”

Adam shook his head, broken out of his stupor. He quickly did as told, gathering two of the trapped people to him and flying them outside past the flames as quickly as his rocket pack could. Five seconds later, he was back inside, grabbing the other two and bringing them to safety as well.

He was barely outside when the warehouse finally collapsed. He quickly scanned the surroundings, searching for any sign of the person who had helped him save these people. From the corner of his eye, he saw a blur disappearing into the shadows, ditching a burning hoodie in the process.

He caught the briefest impression of a black T-shirt with a familiar symbol on it before the person vanished from sight.

Adam quickly checked his life signs scanner, but there was nothing to be found. Whoever that had been, they were moving so fast they were already outside the scanner’s range. Taking a moment to make sure that the four rescued people were safely in the hands of the paramedics, he took to the skies again and sought out the two Green Lanterns.

“You two didn’t happen to see a flying girl wearing a Superwoman T-Shirt just now, did you?” he asked.

Sinestro merely raised an eyebrow, while Gardner grumbled something about there being way too many super females already.

*****

“You are certain the meta-human that aided you was female?” J’Onn asked.

“Positive,” Adam replied over the coms. “I couldn’t get a good look at her, but the voice that called me an idiot was definitely a girl’s.”

Adam’s surety seemed to imply that he had been called an idiot by females before, but J’Onn would not comment on that.

“And she displayed powers of flight and super strength?”

“Yep! She braced that support beam long enough for me to get everyone out. And considering how close she was to the flames, we can probably add some degree of invulnerability to the mix, too. I tell you, J’Onn, when I saw that she was wearing a Superwoman T-shirt, I briefly wondered whether Kara might have any further family she’s kept under wraps so far.”

J’Onn chuckled. “A reasonable assumption, perhaps, but I can assure you that this is not the case. The origins of our mystery girl must lie elsewhere.”

“Well, we should keep an eye out for her. From the way she was dressed, she either threw together a disguise in a hurry or doesn’t really have much in the way of clothes. Either way, she might well be a future Justice League member, I’d say.”

J’Onn nodded, agreeing with Adam. During the last few years, the number of meta-humans active on Earth had multiplied rapidly. Apart from the Flash in Keystone City and now that mystery girl in Metropolis, they had heard rumors about a winged hero (or possibly a winged duo) operating in Midway City, a man who could stretch his limbs like rubber in Boston, and someone who could grow to tremendous size on a Native American reservation. And that was just the United States of America. There were also rumored sightings of meta-humans in Russia, China, Africa, and across several European countries. The Justice League kept watch over all of them as best as they could and occasionally – such as in the case of Green Arrow – they would approach one of them for membership.

Having heard about the winged people in Midway, Karen had simply smiled and said she needed to schedule a visit to an old friend really soon.

“Should we call up Kara about our mystery girl?” Adam asked. “She seems to be a fan, after all.”

“Not yet,” J’Onn shook his head. “Karen needs time to recover from her ordeal with Mongul and the Black Mercy. Let’s see if we cannot find out more in the meantime.”

Adam nodded, agreeing. “Okay, I’ll go back to Green Lantern watching then. Oh, by the way, Sinestro told me that he would like to talk to you, J’Onn.”

“To me?” J’Onn asked, surprised.

“Well, he said, and I quote, ‘I would like to talk to the last of the Martian Manhunters’. I figure that’s you.”

*****

The Justice League Watchtower had just passed into the shadow of Earth when the Green Lantern arrived. J’Onn awaited him in the airlock and led him to the observation deck of the orbital station, which had become their place to entertain guests (the few that were invited). The night side of Earth was visible through the large window, the lights of the populated areas below twinkling like tiny stars.

“Thank for your agreeing to see me, J’Onn J’Ones,” Sinestro said, lowering himself into one of the chairs.

“I was surprised when Adam Strange relayed your request,” J’Onn replied, sitting down as well. “It’s been a while since anyone specifically wished to speak to me. I am curious.”

Sinestro nodded, folding his hand in front of him and looking quite pensive.

“I heard that Kara-El and some others of your group fought against the monster that killed Abin Sur. He was defeated?”

J’Onn nodded. “Indeed. Mongul came to Earth to take revenge upon Kara-El for denying him the War World. He did some damage, but in the end he was defeated. He will not hurt anyone ever again.”

“Good,” Sinestro said, nodding. “I am glad my old friend can rest easier now.”

“I doubt you came here only to inquire about Mongul,” J’Onn remarked when Sinestro went quiet for a while. “Adam Strange could have easily given you that information.”

“I have read up on space sector 2814 ever since I was assigned to serve as Lantern Gardner’s mentor,” Sinestro began. “The reason why the Guardians are interested in forming an alliance with your group is that they see you as the future stabilizing power of this sector. A role once fulfilled by the Kryptonians and, before that, by your people.”

“That is true,” J’Onn said, wondering what the point of all this was. “During the height of our civilization our Manhunters served as law enforcement officers in large parts of the galaxy.”

Sinestro nodded. “Yes. It was a time of peace and order for this sector of space. I have found numerous records indicating that your people and the Green Lanterns of that time worked together as well.”

“The Green Lanterns were respected on Mars,” J’Onn agreed. “We had much in common with them.”

Sinestro nodded again, still seemingly trying to figure out what to say. “How did you... when your people died and order collapsed into anarchy... how did you deal with it?”

Karen had told him why the Guardians had sent Sinestro to Earth, so J’Onn quickly realized the true point of this question.

“Not very well for quite some time,” J’Onn admitted. “More than once I considered giving up and joining my people. I hid away in the ruins of our world for centuries, clinging to my leftover duties and ignoring everything else. It was only when I encountered Kara-El that I regained a semblance of self and began to live again instead of simply existing.”

Sinestro didn’t reply, simply looking down on his clasped hands.

“I hear that your sector of space is among the most peaceful and orderly in the entire universe,” J’Onn said. “You fear that it will not remain so?”

“Green Lanterns are supposed to master their fears,” Sinestro replied. “Only then can we use the Green Light to its fullest extent. To allow fear into our mind is to become vulnerable.”

Sinestro looked up. “And yet I cannot quite banish the worries that plague me. All throughout history no era of peace and order has ever lasted.”

“Nothing lasts forever,” J’Onn reminded him. “As much as we would like it to. All things are transitionary.”

“You and Kara-El have lost everything,” Sinestro said. “You saw your worlds die and yet you go on and try to start from the beginning all over again. I am not sure I would have this kind of strength, were that to happen to me.”

J’Onn leaned forward, putting a hand on Sinestro’s shoulder. “I cannot answer that question for you, Green Lantern, and I sincerely hope that you must never find out. I can only give you a piece of advice that I wish someone had given to me before my world died.”

“What advice?” Sinestro asked, looking up.

“Savor the good times while they last. Be prepared for the future, but do not let the worries of what may come ruin that which is.”

Sinestro chuckled. “You make it sound easy, J’Onn J’Onnz.”

“It certainly isn’t,” J’Onn replied. “I can imagine the thoughts that plague you. When we Martians were at the height of our power, none of us believed there was anything in the universe that could threaten us. Then my people died and for endless years, I wondered what we could have done differently. How we could have been better prepared, what measures we could have taken, if there had been something, anything we might have done to prevent our own doom.”

“Did you ever find an answer?”

J’Onn shook his head. “None that had any worth or would in any way change what had happened.”

“I keep thinking that I need to do more,” Sinestro confessed. “The power of the Green Light is vast, but still limited. If I had more power…,” he trailed off.

“Then sooner or later you would still encounter someone more powerful than you,” J’Onn finished for him. “And all the while your quest for more power, more safety, more control will only take you farther and farther away from those you wish to protect in the first place.”

Sinestro gave him a questioning look. “What do you mean?”

J’Onn gestured towards the viewing window, where the night side of Earth was still visible in all its splendor. “We have built our Watch Tower up here, far above the world we protect, but none of us live up here. We live down there, among the people. Because if we keep looking at them only from up here, we will eventually forget that they are people and not just tiny little lights, far away.”

He looked at Sinestro. “It’s something Kara-El once told us. People like us, with so much more power than most, must always be aware that we are still just people. Down there on Earth, there are humans who worship Kara-El as a goddess due to her power. Her greatest fear is that someday she might start to believe them.”

Sinestro mused on that thought. “Would that be so bad? Would she not be able to protect and nurture them better if she had their absolute devotion and loyalty? Absolute power?”

“Perhaps. But there is a saying that we have discovered is common on Krypton, Mars, and Earth as well: Power corrupts. The Earthlings also say that the road to damnation is paved with good intentions. If one seeks more and more power, even for the noblest of reasons, sooner or later the acquisition of power becomes an end, no longer a means.”

Sinestro looked out the window at the face of the Earth.

“Thank you for your time, J’Onn J’Onnz,” he finally said, turning towards the Martian, extending his hand. “You have given me much to think about.”

J’Onn shook his hand. “If you need to talk again, Sinestro, I will be here. However, I recommend talking to Kara-El as well when the opportunity presents itself. Much of what I have said today I have learned from her example.”

“I am looking forward to it then,” he said, taking his leave.

*****

End Chapter 41

Author’s Note: I really need to put more of Adam Strange into this story. He is really fun to write, though how much my portrayal of him has to do with the DC Comics character is debatable. Oh well. Anyway, more glimpses of a strange newcomer here in this chapter. Who could it possibly be?

Only the second-ever chapter without Superwoman and not even a Superboy to be seen anywhere. But you get J’Onn and Sinestro having a heart to heart, too. Hope that helped.

Chapter Text

Chapter 42: Daughters

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Martha Kent looked at her daughter (which she was, blood be damned) and couldn’t help but worry. It had been three days now since Karen had returned home after yet another battle with that alien monster Mongul. A battle which had once again left her beaten and bruised. Martha had never been a particularly violent or vengeful woman, but she couldn’t deny that – upon hearing that Mongul was gone for good – she had experienced a feeling of immense satisfaction. There was no mercy in her heart for monsters who hurt her child.

Three days had gone by. The bruises on Karen’s body had faded. But the immense sadness and deep hurt in the eyes of her daughter remained.

Since Karen had refused to say anything, Martha had taken the initiative and called up Diana, Karen’s closest friend. Diana hadn’t known much more, but what she had told Martha had sufficed. Martha didn’t understand alien parasites, but she could well imagine what it would be like for her daughter to find herself living in a world of perfect happiness, only to find out it was all a lie and being wrenched out of it again.

Karen had seen her entire world perish once before, everything and everyone she loved simply vanishing into the night. And now it seemed she had seen it happen all over again. The deep wounds that the death flash of her world had left her with, wounds that Martha had seen slowly heal over the years, were once again open and raw.

Standing outside the farm house, Karen was dressed in Jeans and a shirt and busily chopping wood on top of the old tree trunk that had been used for that very purpose for generations. She didn’t use an axe, of course, she could easily split the wood with a strike of her hand. It was something she sometimes did to unwind and Martha had seen her go through an entire winter’s supply of firewood in a matter of minutes, using her super speed. Today, though, she was moving slowly, methodically.

Walking up to her daughter, Martha sat down on a stool net to the log and looked at her. “I don’t know exactly what the Black Mercy showed you,” Martha began, “but I can imagine.”

Karen scoffed, splitting another log. “I doubt you can. Turns out that not even I knew what my perfect world would look like.”

“Tell me about it?” Martha asked softly. “Please?”

Karen tore another log apart with her bare hands, throwing the pieces aside. Her eyes were set on something in the distance, something so impossibly far away that not even Kryptonian super senses could see it.

For a long moment it seemed that it might be too soon, that Karen was not ready to share what had hurt her so, but then she sat down on the ground next to the old tree trunk, deflating and looking tired and defeated. Soon the words began to spill out of her like a torrent.

Martha learned of the phantasy world Karen had seen while in the clutches of the Black Mercy. How she had travelled through time and saved the population of Krypton even as the planet died. How they resettled them on Mars and New Krypton was born. Three billion souls saved, three billion of Kara’s people. Only it turned out that it was all a lie. A lie that disappeared like a mirage when the trance of the Black Mercy broke and she was torn out of her phantasy and back into the real world.

“That’s not all, though, is it?” Martha asked, sensing that there was even more to it than that. What Karen had already described was horrible, no doubt, but she knew her daughter too well. There was more, something more personal.

Karen finally met her eyes.

“Remember that conversation we had a few years back? When we lamented Clark growing up so fast? We didn’t really say it out loud, we never did, but we were both thinking it. That Clark would be the only child I would ever have, no matter how long I would live.”

Martha nodded again, remembering the conversation in question and her thoughts on the matter. Kryptonians and humans were too different to procreate together. There would never be another Kryptonian child. Karen would never become a mother to anyone else but Clark.

“I was okay with that,” Karen went on. “With Clark and everything I was doing here on Earth, everything am I still planning to do... the thought never entered my mind. But...”

Martha understood. “You had a child in that phantasy world.”

Karen nodded, her eyes watery with tears. “My little girl, my Kona. She was...”

Karen jumped to her feet and violently slashed her hand down. She chopped the entire tree trunk apart. Breathing hard, she looked down at the ruined stump. “This is so stupid! I am... I am mourning someone that was never real. There was no Kona, she was just a phantasy. Just smoke and mirrors, a trick by an alien parasite to keep me docile while it slowly killed me.”

Martha stood up and approached her, wrapping her arms around her daughter’s shoulders. “But your feelings for her were real.”

“I was under the influence of the Black Mercy for an hour or so at the most,” Karen continued, still not allowing the tears in her eyes to fall. “But in that hour... I remember holding her in my arms for the first time, so small. I remember watching her learn to walk, learn to speak. Her first word was ‘mommy’. Clark adored her; he called her his little super-sister.” She chuckled, though there was little humor in it. “I remember thinking that, even all grown up, he was still dork.”

Martha pulled her closer. “It’s all right that you mourn her, Karen,” she whispered to her. “She was real to you and that is all that matters.”

Karen sighed. “I feel so stupid.”

“You are not stupid, Karen. Not stupid at all. May I show you something?”

Puzzled, Karen nodded and allowed Martha to steer her in a certain direction. Together the two women walked around the house and to the far edge of the farm. They soon came upon a small plot of land where a simple stone marker sat.

“When you and Clark fell out of the sky,” Martha began, looking at the marker, “it was the happiest day of my life. What I never told you, though, was that only a few weeks before that, was the saddest day of my life.”

She felt her own eyes become wet with tears, something that happened almost every time she came here to this particular place.

“You know that Jonathan and I tried to have kids for several years. About four months before you arrived, I finally managed to get pregnant. Jonathan and I, we were ecstatic. Having tried for so long, we had almost lost hope. We were so looking forward to our child.”

She knelt down, fingers gently touching the stone marker. “It was during the 12th week of my pregnancy that I miscarried. Not a big deal, really, the doctors said. Happens all the time. Further examinations revealed that I would not be able to carry a child to full term, ever. A genetic thing, some kind of fancy name for it. Doesn’t matter.”

“You never told me that,” Karen said beside her.

“There never seemed to be a good time for it,” Martha replied. “For several weeks afterwards, I was a wreck. We never got to hold our child, never even got to find out whether it would have been a boy or a girl. Not that it would have mattered, we would have loved it all the same. Finally, Jonathan had the idea to put up this marker here. Something to... to remind us of the child we never got to see. I come here every now and then.”

She looked to her daughter. “I never saw my child born, Karen. But that doesn’t change the fact that I loved it with all my heart and it nearly killed me to lose it.” She put her hands on both of her daughter’s shoulders, looking her in the eyes. “Kona might not have been real. But she was real to you. Your feelings for her are real. And your pain is real. It’s not stupid. It’s just human.”

Together, mother and daughter stood arm in arm before the empty grave of a child never born and mourned a child that was never real.

“Goodbye, little Kona,” Karen whispered, finally allowing her tears to fall.

*****

Adam Strange stood before the large viewing window and looked out at the vast vista of the planet Rann. Despite having been born on Earth, Adam considered Rann to be more of a home to him by now than the planet of his birth.

He still remembered the first time he had been here years ago. Snatched up by the Zeta beam, not knowing what was happening to him, dumbed into the middle of a war. After a terrifying civil war that had nearly annihilated their entire planet, the Rannians had transformed themselves into an utterly pacifistic society. This turned out to be a problem when they were suddenly beset by enemies from space.

Adam had become their champion, taking up ray gun and rocket pack as if born to it. At first mostly because he figured that the Rannians were his only ticket back home. In time, though, things had changed. Rann had become his home. Mostly because of the woman walking up to stand beside him.

“Can’t sleep?” Alanna asked.

He gazed at his beautiful wife. Their romance had been something straight out of a pulp novel, the dashing hero from Earth falling for the alien princess. Well, not a princess as such, Rann was not a monarchy. Still, to Adam she was his princess. One had he fallen for quickly, completely, and eternally.

“Still on Earth time,” he said, draping his arm around her.

He was so glad that Sardath had improved the Zeta beam over the years. Initially the effect that took him from Earth to Rann and back had been pretty random and hard to predict. Whenever the Zeta radiation in his body faded, he would be wrenched back to the same spot on Earth he had left from. For some reason this always seemed to happen just when Alanna and he finally managed to find some alone time. By now, though, the Zeta beam functioned like clockwork and Adam could divide his time between Rann and Earth by his own choice rather than random chance.

It certainly made it easier to spend time with his wife. Which he planned on doing far more frequently in the future.

His hand moved to clasp Alanna’s and together their hands came to rest on the bump on Alanna’s stomach. Almost as if in reaction to their presence, the child growing inside her gave a kick.

“Rambunctious little thing, isn’t she?” Adam laughed.

“She is your daughter,” Alanna told him, smiling. “Hitting you seems to be a favorite pastime for women in the Strange family.”

“Well, you haven’t hit me in a while, darling. Nor called me an idiot. I almost miss it.”

She lightly punched his shoulder. “That can change in a heartbeat, idiot!”

Laughing together, wife, husband, and soon to be born daughter watched as the sun began to rise over the horizon of Rann.

*****

The girl with no name huffed in annoyance as she quickly flew out of the collapsing warehouse as quickly as she was able. Maybe she should stop hanging out in warehouses. They always seemed to collapse on her. First there was that fire a few days back and now the latest goon squad had cost her another decent hideout.

It was the third time in the past two weeks that they had managed to track her down again. She was really getting tired of it. How many more of them would she need to beat up before the finally got the message that she wouldn’t go back?

“I’m not getting caged again,” she mumbled to herself. “Never again!”

Still, if they kept coming at her, then sooner or later they might get lucky. She was fast, she was strong, and eventually she would figure out that whole eye laser thing, too, but that didn’t mean she was unbeatable. Mostly unbeatable, but not entirely so. And she did need to sleep now and then, too.

Thankfully she didn’t need much in the way of food, but the lack of money and proper accommodations was also becoming an issue. Sure, with her powers, it would be all too easy to simply take what she needed, but she refused to do that. It just seemed... wrong.

“Stupid morals,” she muttered. “Would be so much easier without them.”

Flying low to the ground with no clear destination in mind, the girl pondered what her next move should be. Truth be told she had never really planned beyond getting out of her cage. Gaining her freedom had been the only thing on her mind for quite some time. Now, though, she was free and didn’t really have any idea what to do next. Except stay free, of course, but that went without saying.

Her thoughts focused on the T-shirt she was wearing. It was a cheap thing from a street vendor, just a black shirt with the world’s most famous symbol on it, but in some way it had become her most precious possession. Not that she had much in the way of possessions. She literally just had the clothes on her back. But out of all that, the shirt was the most precious. The vendor had gifted it to her after she had helped him get rid of a thug who was after his day takings.

He had said “a super shirt for a super girl”. In some strange way that had resonated with her.

“Supergirl,” she muttered. It did have a nice ring to it, corny as it was.

*****

End Chapter 42

Author’s Note: For all that “For the Man Who Has Everything” was a great Superman story, there was never any follow-up to it. Superman had had a son in his phantasy, a son he loved, a son who faded from his arms when the phantasy collapsed. Superman was really pissed at Mongul during the fight, but afterwards it was never mentioned again. That was the way of comics back then, of course, but I figured losing his only son, no matter how imaginary, should have left a mark on the Man of Steel.

As for Martha, the various comics and shows usually just say that she and Jonathan couldn’t have kids without ever going into details. Knowing from members of my own family how devastating a miscarriage can be, especially to couples who have been trying for a long time, I decided to put some of that in here, too.

Chapter Text

Chapter 43: Spirit of the Hawk

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Hawkman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Shiera Sanders was not quite sure how exactly she had ended up in this extremely weird situation. As far back as she could remember she had always had weird dreams. Dreams that showed her living in different historical times, wearing different faces, skins of different color, sometimes being a princess and sometimes being a slave. She had gotten used to them long ago, writing them off as an overactive imagination.

It had influenced her decision to become an archeologist, though, and she had eventually achieved a doctorate in that field, specializing in ancient cultures with a strong penchant for archaic weapons. The fact that her studies had shown her that many of her dreams of past lives were amazingly accurate in terms of historical details was something that had bothered her sometimes, but she still hadn’t paid it much mind.

All things considered her life had been pretty normal, if somewhat boring here and there. Then, of course, she had met fellow archeologist and all-around madman Carter Hall. And from that moment on her life had never been the same again.

“Quickly, they’re getting away!” Carter yelled.

Yes, she really had no idea how exactly she had ended up here, wearing a flying harness made from an alien metal and a mask shaped like a bird’s head, flying in pursuit of some criminals. Never mind the huge wings fastened to her back. Wings that moved as if they were alive, animated by the alien metal to the point where it felt like they were actually growing out of her back as part of her body.

“If you hadn’t gotten in my way earlier,” she shot back at her partner, focusing on the matter hand, “this whole thing would have been wrapped up ten minutes ago and we could be home by now.”

“Will you stop living in the past, woman?” he complained.

“Ha!” she yelled. “That’s rich coming from you, mister reincarnated prince!”

With but a thought the wings on her back folded in and she dove towards the street below at a steep angle. The car they were pursuing, containing a group of bank robbers that had shot a guard earlier, was directly ahead of her.

Hefting the spear she was carrying, she opened her wings to slow her fall, drew her arm back, and threw. It was a strange sensation, because her mind knew exactly how to throw the spear, yet the muscles in her arm burned from the unfamiliar movements. Carter kept telling her that she remembered it from a past life; that was why she knew how to do it, even if her body did not. She still wasn’t sure she believed him, but it was getting kind of hard to dispute.

The spear, a modern recreation of an 18th century Zulu weapon, flew true and punctured the car’s front tire. The driver did not manage to retain control over the swerving vehicle and a few seconds later the entire vehicle flipped, crashing onto its roof and skidding along the street until it finally came to rest.

Carter landed next to the car, even as one of the occupants struggled to get out. He grabbed him, easily lifting him with one hand. Yes, the alien metal that allowed them to fly also vastly enhanced their strength, weird as that was. Carter’s other hand held a very intimidating-looking mace, which he shoved directly under the robber’s chin.

“I’d advise you to just sit here and wait for the police,” Carter growled at him.

Shiera landed as well, just in time to see another of the criminals stick his head out of the broken car. She unceremoniously walked over and kicked him in the head, sending him sprawling and deep into unconsciousness. Crouching down, she looked inside the car, where the final two of the bank-robbing quartet were still strapped into their seats. Well, at least they had been smart enough to put on their seat belts, it seemed.

“Anyone else interested in putting up a fight?” Her only answer was some pained groans, which she took as a negative.

“I think we’re done,” she told Carter, who had dropped the other man to the ground.

“Good, the police will be here soon.” He used some zip ties to cuff the men to the car wreck.

“Time to head home then,” Shiera said, stretching. Weirdly enough her wings stretched, too. “I think I’ve flown enough for one day.”

“Really?” a new voice asked. “Personally I can never get enough of flying.”

Shiera and Carter whirled around, weapons at the ready, only to freeze in surprise. Because right there in the middle of the street, floating half a meter or so above the ground, was the world’s greatest superhero, red cape and all.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Superwoman said, smiling at them, “but I was really hoping to speak to the two of you.”

*****

Five minutes later, the criminals safely in the hands of the local police (who barely noticed the two winged heroes, too excited about the presence of the famous Superwoman), three flying people reconvened on top of a nearby building.

“Sorry about that,” Superwoman said, looking a bit embarrassed. “I did try to tell them that it was you that apprehended the criminals, not me.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Shiera said. “The less attention we get, the better.”

She looked over to Carter, waiting for him to agree, only to see him staring wide-eyed at Superwoman. She sighed.

“Ca…, I mean, Hawkman, can you please stop ogling the flying woman who can kill you with a stern glance?”

“I… what?” Carter began, shaking his head. “I was NOT ogling her!”

“Could have fooled me,” Shiera replied, shrugging. She probably should feel a bit jealous, but despite considering herself one hundred percent straight, even she had to admit that Superwoman was stunning.

“I ... I know you,” Carter said, his eyes back on Superwoman. “I’ve seen you before.”

Shiera barely restrained the impulse to whack him upside the head. “Are you stupid? Of course you’ve seen her before, she’s Superwoman! She’s on the news every other day.”

“I know that,” he shot back, exasperated. “I mean... I’m not sure what I mean, actually.”

Superwoman just smiled indulgingly. “Don’t worry, I kind of expected that. Memories of past lives and all that.”

“Yeah, it’s… wait, how do you know about that?” Carter asked, looking more and more out of sorts with every passing second. Shiera would have enjoyed if not for her own rising confusion.

“We met before, in a different life. Well, a different life for you, that is. For me it was the same one, just with time travel. Long story. Anyway, you told me about the reincarnation thing and everything.”

“He did?” Shiera asked. “Well, that’s not really surprising. Getting him to shut up about this whole reincarnation stuff is the hard part. How many times did he mention being reincarnated from an Egyptian prince called Khufu?”

Superwoman chuckled. Shiera was surprised at how comfortable it was to talk to the world’s most powerful woman. She had kind of expected someone more… aloof.

“Anyway, your past self told me that he only caught bits and pieces of his previous lives in his dreams, and that it was very confusing.”

“Tell me about it,” both Shiera and Carter said at the same time, then looked at each other in annoyance. It also caused another chuckle from Superwoman.

“So when I heard about two winged heroes in Midway City, I decided to pay a visit and bring you something to help with that.”

Shiera watched with interest as the blonde woman unclipped something from her hip. It was some sort of metal box, looking rather unremarkable except for some really strange markings covering its surface. Her enhanced hearing could make out a faint tic-tic-tic noise hailing from the device.

“What is that?” she asked, fascinated by the box for some reason she couldn’t quite explain.

“It’s called a Mother Box,” Superwoman explained, holding it out in front of her. “It’s a really advanced, near-sentient computer with a telepathic interface. And I have it on good authority that it’s really proficient at helping reincarnated Egyptian royalty properly remember their past lives, too.”

Shiera and Carter both just stared at her.

“Come on, give it a try,” she said, still holding out the Mother Box.

The two hawks shared a glance, but finally decided that it couldn’t hurt to give it a try. Reaching out, both put their hands on the metal box at the same time.

For a few seconds nothing happened and Shiera was about to complain about being made fun of, but then she felt a pressure inside her head. It almost felt like someone was touching the inside of her brain with the softest of fingers. It didn’t hurt, but it was weird and uncomfortable. The tic-tic-tic from the Mother Box was ringing inside her cranium, getting louder and louder, and suddenly a dam burst.

Memories came bursting out, decades upon decades of memories. She had seen fragments in her dreams, but those had only been the very tip of the iceberg. A deluge of memories swept through her mind and she was carried along.

Shiera Sanders remembered being Princess Chay-Ara, wedded to Prince Khufu during the 19th dynasty of ancient Egypt. Well, they hadn’t called it the 19th dynasty back then, of course, but she was still an archeologist. She remembered endless sand, temples, pyramids, and a flying man called Teth-Adam. She remembered seeing a golden chariot crashing down from the sky, something her present incarnation recognized as an alien space ship. It hailed from a distant planet called Thanagar and she had no idea how she knew that. She remembered holding the female pilot of the ship as she died, her last whispered words being “Nth Metal”.

Shiera Sanders remembered being Lady Celia Penbrook in 5th century Britain. She remembered the chaos holding the land in its grip after the Fall of Camelot and the death of the king. She remembered taking up sword and wings and fighting alongside Brian Kent, the Silent Knight, to keep their lands safe from the remaining forces of Mordred and Morgaine.

Shiera Sanders remembered being Katherine Manser, a female gunslinger and bounty hunter from the Old West, who set out on a quest to avenge the murder of her father, a sheriff. She remembered growing up in an orphanage, driven only by thoughts of revenge, and honing her shooting skills in preparation for her vengeance. She remembered finally taking out the last of the outlaws who had killed her father and meeting a Native American called Katar Johnson in the process. She remembered the huge scandal of a white woman and a native being romantically linked and it ended up with Katar being shot by a woman called Matilda Dunney. She remembered tracking down and killing that same woman in return, which ended up costing her own life as well.

Shiera Sanders remembered being Sheila Carr, a nightclub singer in early 20th century St. Roch. She remembered meeting a Pinkerton detective called Jimmy Wright, with whom she teamed up to take down a gang trying to extort her club for protection money.

Shiera Sanders remembered being a black slave on a plantation. She remembered being a Japanese woman in feudal times. She remembered flying on feathery wings over the lands far North and being called a Valkyrie. She remembered a hundred and more lifetimes and for a moment she panicked, fearing that she might drown in the memories of so many different people she had been, never to find her way out again.

With a soft tic-tic-tic the memories settled, fading into the background of her mind. Accessible, but distant, almost like something she had seen on a movie screen instead of living through it herself. Blinking, she finally came back to herself.

“Wow,” she whispered. “That was… wow!”

Carter, who was also withdrawing his hand from the Mother Box, just nodded.

“It worked, I take it?” Superwoman asked, looking back and forth between them.

Carter looked up at her, a smile on his lips. “Katar Johnson always wondered what had become of the alien woman that fell from the sky. Whether she made it back home. I am glad to see that she did.”

Superwoman smiled, nodding. Her gaze went to Shiera. “She did, yes, though with some detours along the way. And did Katar Johnson ever find his Chay-Ara?”

“He did,” Shiera answered, images of the Old West and a handsome Native American dancing before her mind’s eye. “Sadly only for a few years, but they found each other.”

“I’m glad to hear it. And glad that you found each other again in this life as well.”

“Well, he did nearly get me killed right at the get-go,” Shiera said, gesturing at Carter. “It could only go up from there.”

“Excuse me, but I seem to remember saving your life.”

“I wouldn’t have needed saving if you hadn’t blabbed about having been Prince Khufu to the guy who just happened to be the reincarnation of our old enemy Hath-Seth!”

“And how was I supposed to have known that? It wasn’t like he carried a sign around his neck.”

Shiera opened her mouth for another retort, but then thought better of it. As much as she secretly enjoyed getting Carter riled up, she didn’t want to end up fighting with him in front of Superwoman of all people.

“Well, thank you,” she addressed their visitor instead. “Our lives, all of them, are weird enough as it is without being constantly confused by weird dreams. That Mother Box of yours is a miraculous invention. Did you build it?”

Superwoman shook her head. “No, it’s far more advanced than even the technology of my home world. I kind of picked it up during the same trip where I met Katar. Again, long story. Maybe I’ll tell you about it one day. That is, if the two of you are interested.”

Carter looked as confused as she felt (and was it weird that she could always tell what expression he made even when he was wearing that hawk mask?). “Interested in what?”

“I would like the two of you to consider joining the Justice League.”

Shiera blinked again. This night was getting stranger and stranger by the second. They had heard of the Justice League, of course. Superwoman had a history of cooperating with other heroes like Wonder Woman, the Batman, and several others. A year or so ago a reporter had asked her about it and since then the name Justice League was common knowledge all over the world.

Never in a million years (or lives) would Shiera have entertained the notion of being invited to join. Especially by Superwoman herself.

“But... why?” she finally asked. “I mean, we are honored, but... you don’t even know us.”

Superwoman smiled. “Maybe not, but I did some research after my little jaunt through time and meeting Katar. There are many accounts of a couple flying on bird’s wings scattered throughout history, performing wondrous deeds while wearing hawk masks. And while I assume that some of them have grown in the telling or been distorted, not once are the winged couple described as anything but heroes, fighting to protect the innocent.”

She shrugged. “In a way, the two of you have been at this a whole lot longer than any of the rest of us. So bottom line, we would really like to have you with us to protect the Earth. What do you say?”

*****

Kara took her time on the flight back, enjoying the opportunity to just fly without any pressing need to be somewhere really soon. Her visit to Midway City had been a big success and soon two new members would join the Justice League. She would have to run it past the others first, of course, but she was sure they would approve.

The ironic thing was that she had actually made this trip mostly due to fond memories of Katar Johnson, but ended up finding more in common with the other half of the Hawk Duo. Hawkwoman was fun to be around, at least as far as she could tell from their brief meeting, and Kara could easily see her becoming great friends with Diana and her. Hawkman was still a bit... stiff in this incarnation (unless he was arguing with Hawkwoman), but he was a good deal younger than Katar Johnson had been during her visit to the Old West. Hopefully he would become a bit more relaxed and easy-going, now that the Mother Box had helped him make sense of his past memories.

She was really glad she had gone on this trip. Just visiting some fellow heroes, no big crisis, no big drama, just meeting like-minded people and forging what she hoped would be bonds of friendship before too long. The Black Mercy had left its mark on Kara, no doubt, but the wounds were slowly beginning to heal. If she could go without any further life-changing experiences for a bit longer, everything would be back to normal soon enough.

All things considered, Kara really should have known better than to tempt fate like that.

She was flying over Metropolis, having decided to take a round trip back home, when it happened. Something came shooting towards her, something that moved far too fast to be any man-made aircraft. Also, much too small. Her senses automatically kicked into high gear and she recognized the shape of a flying person coming directly towards her, even as she instinctively changed her own course to evade.

The small shape shot past her, turned around, and came to a stop only a few meters away from. What had been a blur just moments ago resolved itself into a human shape. It was a girl, Kara realized. Barely a teenager, maybe 13 years or so, with blonde hair and blue eyes. A blonde teenage girl that was flying under her own power and was wearing a T-shirt with the coat-of-arms of House El.

“Hi mom,” the flying girl said, grinning.

Kara nearly fell out of the sky in shock.

*****

End Chapter 43

Author’s Note: To clarify, the Hawks here in this story are mostly based on the Golden Age versions of the characters, who retroactively replaced the Silver Age Hawks in most pre-Crisis stories as well. No space cops and the wings are just gear they wear. That said, expect my portrayal of Hawkwoman to be very heavily influenced by Hawkgirl from the Justice League cartoon, whom I love and adore. All the named characters Shiera remembers being in previous lives are canon DC characters, though I have added a few details here and there to make them less damsel-in-distress.

Next chapter: Superwoman meets Supergirl. ‘Nuff said!

Chapter Text

Chapter 44: Hi, Mom!

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

The girl with no name (except possibly Supergirl, she liked that name) was sitting in a chair and wondered whether this had really been such a great idea after all. On the plus side, she was currently sitting on a space station with an awesome view of the world below. That was pretty hard to beat and had the added benefit that she doubted anyone would dare follow her up here. On the negative side, of course, she was currently being stared at suspiciously by the world’s greatest superheroes.

It had seemed like a good idea at the time. She needed help if she wanted to stay free (and certainly didn’t intend to spend the rest of a hopefully long life hanging out in warehouses). So when she happened to see Superwoman herself flying over Metropolis, she hadn’t really spent much time thinking things over. She had launched herself into the sky and cheekily greeted the world’s most famous superhero, trusting in her charm and cute looks.

She had not expected the woman to nearly pass out from shock and stare at her as if she was seeing a ghost. Maybe calling her “mom” had not been the greatest idea she ever had.

“So start talking, girl,” the Batman growled at her.

With Superwoman looking as if she was going into some kind of panic attack, the girl had not dared say anything else until more people arrived. Superwoman had radioed someone for assistance and only a few minutes later Wonder Woman had shown up, followed another a few minutes later by the Batman in some kind of bat-shaped airplane (he was really living his theme). And now they were in a space station high above the Earth, brought up here by some kind of teleportation beam.

The Batman was clearly taking the lead in the inevitable grilling, seeing as Superwoman still looked pretty shaken and Wonder Woman seemed to be busy consoling her about something. The girl still wasn’t sure how she had managed to mess this up in the first few seconds and with just two words.

Two others were present as well, the guy in the red and white flying suit she had met before, and a really big, really green alien-type guy. Should the presence of a green alien freak her out more? Well, it wasn’t like her life had been in any way normal before, so why start now?

“Let’s start with: who are you?” the Batman asked, getting in her face. For all that he was (probably) just a normal man with no super powers, the guy sure knew how to intimidate. Not that she would ever admit that. She was Supergirl, after all. Yeah, that sounded really good.

“I don’t have a name as such,” she finally said, shrugging. “They only ever called me ‘the Subject’. I think they also had a number for me, but I didn’t bother memorizing it. I was kind of hoping I could go by Supergirl.”

The five adults stared at her, clearly not having expected this answer. “Who is ‘they’?” Batman finally asked.

“They call themselves Cadmus,” she explained, not enjoying the memories popping up in association with that name. “Some kind of science project or other, I’m not sure. They... well, they made me. I’m a clone.”

She looked up. “A clone of Superwoman, to be precise, at least that’s what they told me.”

“A clone?” Superwoman repeated, still looking unnaturally pale and likely to be blown over by a moderately strong breeze right now.

“Is that even possible?” Batman asked Superwoman.

“I... I didn’t think it would be,” Superwoman replied, “at least not with Earth’s current tech base.”

“She does look a whole lot like a younger you,” Wonder Woman said, her hand never having moved from Superwoman’s shoulder, almost as if she was holding her up. “And she seems to have your powers, too.”

“Not all of them,” the girl admitted. “I still haven’t figured out the whole laser vision thing. But flying is really cool.”

“Why did you call me mom?” Superwoman asked, almost in a whisper. She was clenching her fists so hard the girl expected to hear bones break any second now.

She shrugged again. “Yeah, sorry about that, I... well, I figure if I’m your clone, then you are kind of my mom, right? And it seemed, well, it sounded better than saying ‘Hi, clone template’, you know?”

This caused the guy in the red and white suit to chuckle, earning him a grim look from the Batman. “What? She’s right, it does sound better.”

Superwoman didn’t seem to be in a laughing mood. She looked at the big green alien guy, clearly waiting for him to say something.

“She is telling the truth,” green alien guy said. “At least she believes she does.”

“Of course I… wait, how would you know?”

“Never mind that,” Batman said, bringing her attention back to him. “So you are a clone of Superwoman, created by some kind of science project named Cadmus. How does that lead to you hanging out in Metropolis’ warehouse district and saving people out of burning buildings?”

“I escaped, okay? I didn’t fancy living my entire life in a cage, being prodded by creepy scientists. When my strength really kicked in, I didn’t waste any time and busted out of there.”

The Batman seemed set to continue the interrogation, but a side-glance at Superwoman apparently changed his mind. The girl was sure she was missing something here. What was going on? Was Superwoman really that creeped out by having a teenaged clone?

Was she really that repulsive?

*****

Kara was sure that Diana’s hand on her shoulder was the only thing keeping her from suffering a total breakdown and crumbling into a crying mess. This was too much. She had barely managed to get back to her feet after the Black Mercy, after losing her people all over again and seeing her daughter fade away in her arms. Little Kona, who had never been real. But now there was this girl, looking just like Kara had when she had just arrived here on Earth. Looking like Kona might have if she had been real and given the chance to grow up.

She needed every bit of will power to stop herself from simply launching right through the wall of the Watch Tower in order to get away. Her blood was roaring in her ears to the point where she could barely understand a word being said by the others.

“Adam, would you mind showing... Supergirl here the galley and getting her something to eat?” Bruce asked.

Adam clearly got the message and steered the girl out of the room. The moment she was out the door, Kara collapsed into the nearest chair, her hands covering her face. She felt like her heart was about to burst out of her chest.

“Just breathe, Kara,” Diana said, rubbing her back.

“I can’t do this,” she whispered, hyperventilating. “I can’t!”

Kona, her little girl, held tightly in her arms only to fade away like smoke. A flying teenager calling her mom, wearing her own face, Kona’s face. Her little girl, pleading with her, telling her that she didn’t want to go. Her face was flickering, the features of a 4-year-old fading in an out on a 13-year old clone.

“Rao, I can’t breathe,” she chocked out, fully aware that she was having a panic attack, but that knowledge didn’t help in the least.

A green hand gently came to rest on her head and a soothing blanket seemed to wrap itself around her racing thoughts, forcing them to slow down, blunting the edges. J’Onn’s familiar presence was like a cold breeze across her overheated mind, not intruding or suppressing, simply the mental equivalent of a loving embrace. Slowly her breathing began to even out, her heart no longer threatening to burst.

“Thank you, J’Onn,” she finally whispered.

“That’s what family is for, Karen,” he simply said, withdrawing his hand.

“I’m sorry,” Bruce said, sitting down beside her. “I should have waited to...”

“Not your fault,” Kara said, waving him off. “I didn’t expect... Rao, I’m a mess!”

She’d had panic attacks before, especially during the first few years on Earth. The walls closed in, resembling the escape pod she had been sealed in. The blinding light of her world’s death flash seared her eyes and she could hear the screams, even though there had been none in the vacuum of space. It had been years since she’d had one this bad, but ever since the Black Mercy… ever since Kona...

“I’m not sure any of us would have reacted differently,” J’Onn assured her. “I don’t even want to imagine what it would have been like to see someone looking like my daughter simply appear out of the blue.”

Kara nodded, recalling that J’Onn hadn’t simply lost his people on Mars, but also a wife and a daughter. If anyone could understand how she was currently feeling, it was him.

“Why now?” Kara asked, voice barely audible. “Why, of all the times this could have happened, why now?”

Diana seemed to muse this over. “Maybe it’s fate?”

“What do you mean?” Kara asked, looking up to meet her best friend’s soft gaze.

“I mean, Kara, that life dealt you a terrible blow, and not for the first time. You have suffered so much, dear sister. Maybe... maybe the gods decided that you were due some compensation?”

Kara rolled those words around her mind. Compensation? What was she talking about?

“You lost your daughter,” Diana told her. “She might not have been real, but she was to you. Maybe the gods decided that you deserve to get her back?”

“That girl isn’t Kona,” Kara whispered, shaking her head.

“Of course not. But she is here. And in a way, she is your daughter, strange as it may be.”

“That is something we should verify first,” Bruce interjected. “Even with J’Onn reading her thoughts, all that we know is that she was told she’s your clone. Doesn’t mean she really is.”

Kara pulled herself together, focusing on the mission at hand.

“You’re right. Step one, we verify her story. Step two, we find out what this Cadmus thing is all about and, if necessary, put a stop to it. If some scientists are really creating super-powered children from a test tube and keeping them in cages, that isn’t something we can ignore.”

“And step three?” Diana asked her.

Kara took a deep breath. “I’m not ready to think that far ahead yet.”

*****

Fully aware that she had been sent out of the room so that the adults could talk, the girl simply enjoyed a good meal for once. Adam, as he had introduced himself, had brought her some stew and a coke, both of which she inhaled. She might not need food as much as regular people, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t hungry.

She had tried to listen in on the conversation next door, but her enhanced senses were pretty much a come-and-go thing at the moment. Also, the doors here seemed to be really, really sound proof, too. Which was too bad, because she really, really needed to know what would happen next and how she had messed everything up.

“Does she hate me?”

The words were out of her mouth without ever passing through her conscious mind. Adam paused from where he was putting together a second helping for her, looking over. She hadn’t meant to ask this question, but she was still desperately waiting for his answer.

“She doesn’t hate you,” he finally said, sitting down to her. “She... let’s just say she had a really, really rough time recently. Really got put through the wringer. She simply wasn’t ready for the revelation that there is a mini-her running around. It’s got nothing to do with you, kiddo.”

The girl looked down. “Not like I asked for this.”

“No one asks to be born,” Adam told her. “We all just try to make the best of it after it’s happened.”

She scoffed. “Can you call it being born if you got made in a test tube?”

Adam shrugged. “Well, you’re here now, aren’t you? Counts as being born in my book.”

The smallest hint of a smile graced her lips. She figured Adam was a pretty good guy, at least, and maybe, possibly somewhat on her side. She wasn’t sure that went for anyone else here.

The door opened and the other four adults came walking in. Superwoman still looked pale, but not quite as fragile as a few minutes ago. Her steps faltered for a moment, but then she approached the table the girl was sitting at and sat down beside her.

“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do,” she began. “First of all, you and I are going to go to a place where we can verify if these Cadmus people have been telling you the truth. Whether or not you really are a clone of me.”

“You don’t believe me?” she asked, surprised how much that hurt.

“I believe you,” she assured her. “Not sure about the people who held you captive, though.”

Which was a good point, the girl had to admit.

“Meanwhile the rest of the League,” she motioned towards the others, “are going to investigate this Cadmus project. Can you tell us where they held you?”

“Some kind of underground facility near Metropolis,” the girl said. “At least that’s where I came out when I escaped.”

Batman seemed to think of something. “There was something near Metropolis a few weeks back, some kind of explosion opening up some underground tunnels that weren’t on any map. Superboy was close by at the time.”

The girl looked down. “Yeah, that was me. Well, not the explosion, at least I don’t think so. They tried to stop me with a bomb, I think. Anyway, that’s where I came out.”

“It’s a start,” J’Onn said. “Emergency services have been over the site a few times, but maybe we can find something they missed.”

“I’ll contact Green Arrow to meet us there,” Adam said, getting up.

The other League members filed out of the room. Wonder Woman remained behind, still standing close to Superwoman. Apparently she was coming along.

“Where are we going?” the girl asked.

“To the one place on Earth that has the necessary equipment to decode Kryptonian DNA.”

*****

Kara tried to remember another time in her life when she had felt so torn. It was as if her body was split right down the middle, with one half wanting nothing more than to run as far away from this ghost-made-flesh as was possible, the other wanting to hold her tight and never let go. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could stand this.

Flying down to the Fortress took but a few minutes. She hoped she wasn’t making a mistake in showing this unknown girl the Kryptonian outpost, but it really was the only place on Earth with the proper equipment. Getting everything from the Fortress to the Watch Tower would simply take too long, never mind that the systems probably weren’t compatible in the first place. And she needed answers now, not whenever.

The girl was deeply impressed by the Fortress, Kara could see it. In fact she could read the girl’s face like a book, mostly because it was her own face and she had seen it in the mirror often enough. It was rather strange, in fact, how closely the girl’s situation mirrored her own when she had been that age. At 13 she had been lost in a world she didn’t know, uncertain what would happen next. Well, at the very least this girl hadn’t seen her entire world destroyed. On the other hand, she had spent the first part of her life as some scientists’ laboratory experiment. Kara wasn’t sure that was better.

They headed directly towards the Fortress’ medical station. Thankfully that was one part of the base that hadn’t been destroyed by Kara’s fight with Mongul. Quite a few other parts were still under reconstruction. She directed the girl to sit down on an examination couch, hoping that this didn’t invoke too many memories of her previous life.

For the next ten minutes the Kryptonian scanners analyzed every inch of her, sequenced her genetic code, all in an effort to figure out whether the impossible was actually possible. Whether the girl who looked almost exactly like a teenaged Kara-El was really an Earth-made clone of a Kryptonian. No one said a word while the scanners worked.

When the examination was finally over, Kara studied the readouts. She was aware of Diana’s continued presence, thankful that her best friend was there to have her back in this impossible situation. She was also acutely aware of the girl, who as now sitting on the edge of the examination couch and doing her best to seem unconcerned.

“So what’s the verdict?” the girl finally asked when the silence became too oppressive. “What am I?”

“Well, that’s a far more interesting question than you might think and I fear I do not have a simple answer for you.”

For all that the girl did her best to show a façade of not caring to the entire world, Kara could easily see the subtle tension in her body. It was like looking into a mirror that reflected across a decade and more, showing her the young girl she had once been. She distinctly remembered how much effort she had put into appearing confident and untouchable, especially for Clark, despite being on the verge of a nervous breakdown more often than not. She remembered how badly she had wanted answers as to why all this had happened to her, answers she knew she would never get.

This girl didn’t have a Clark to keep her sane, to give her life meaning. But at least Kara could give her some answers.

“You are not a clone for one thing,” Kara said, sitting down beside the girl. “While there are quite a few similarities between our genetic profiles, they are not identical. Roughly 70% of our DNA is identical, which is less than would be the case if you were a clone, but more than if you were my natural offspring. Usually this degree of genetic similarity is only seen among siblings.”

The girl frowned, clearly trying to wrap her mind around the answer. “You mean I’m your younger sister?”

Kara shook her head. “No. That might have been a possibility if not for the fact that the remaining 30% percent of your DNA is not Kryptonian. It is human. Which could be the reason you share some of my powers, but apparently not all of them.”

The girl’s eyes widened. “I’m partially human? How does that work? Did some Kryptonian travel to Earth and knock up a local girl?”

“Definitely not,” Kara shook her head again. “Despite our superficial similarities, Kryptonians and humans are far too different to successfully interbreed.”

“So... what am I then?” the girl asked, not quite managing to hide the fear in her eyes. She had built her sense of self on being a clone of Superwoman, Kara realized, and now that self was being put in question.

“I have a theory. I know that there have been attempts in the past to create clones of me. They did not succeed, as Earth’s technology is still not able to decrypt Kryptonian DNA in its entirety. But if someone were to take those parts of Kryptonian DNA they were able to decrypt, and then go ahead and basically fill out the rest with human DNA, it might just be possible to create a viable human-Kryptonian hybrid. It’s still far more advanced than Earth science ought to be, but it’s the best explanation I can come up with.”

Seeing the lack of comprehension in the girl’s eyes, Kara leaned forward and took her hand. A part of her was screaming in denial, telling her to not say what she was about to say, but the other part and her common sense overrode it. “In simpler terms, it looks like you actually are my daughter, though in a very non-traditional way. A combination of my DNA and that of a human donor.”

The girl’s eyes switched between Kara’s face and their joint hands, all pretense of nonchalance rapidly fading.

“So... what now?” she asked in a small voice.

And that was the million dollar question, wasn’t it? What now. Kara briefly looked over at Diana, who was simply returning her gaze with a soft smile. Kara didn’t really believe in fate or gods. Well, she did believe in Diana’s gods, having met them, but she didn’t really consider them gods in the classical sense. She still considered herself a daughter of Great Rao, but that was more a cultural thing than an actual spiritual belief.

But could it be that Diana was right? Was this fate somehow? Little Kona appeared before her eyes, as she often did ever since the Black Mercy. Her little girl, the daughter that had never been real. The daughter she had known WOULD never be real, simply because there was no chance of her ever being born in a universe where Clark and her where the sole survivors of Krypton.

And now, quite suddenly, there was this girl. This girl who the Kryptonian scanners told her was created partially from Kara’s DNA. Could her best friend be right? Was the universe somehow looking to balance the scales? Was Great Rao somehow looking after his surviving children? Was some greater power or force giving little Kona a chance to be a real girl?

Her rational mind refused to believe it. But her eyes were locked on that teenage girl before her, looking so lost and uncertain about what the future would bring. She herself had been lost like that. And someone else had taken her in her arms that day, someone who was a stranger and became her mother.

Could she really do any less?

“Well, for starters,” Kara finally said, doing her best to smile and praying to Rao she was doing the right thing, “we should come up with a name for you. Supergirl sounds cool when you’re in action, but it doesn’t work well across the breakfast table.”

For a moment, she imagined a 4-year-old girl standing there in the room with them, looking at her with a toothy smile and giving her a firm nod. It was just a phantasy, she knew that, but it still made her feel lighter somehow.

“How about… Kona? Kona Kara-El?”

For the first time since they met, the girl gave her a truly genuine smile. “I like it.”

*****

End Chapter 44

Author’s Note: As experienced DC Comics readers have surely surmised, Kona / Supergirl is my universe’s equivalent of Kon-El / Superboy, the teenage clone/son of Superman. Given that she was created from Superwoman’s DNA, it made sense to have her turn out female. Whether or not the donor of the human part of her DNA is the same as in the comics (not telling here for those who don’t know), well, we shall see.

Also, Kona’s full name is Kona Kara-El, as I have established for my story that teenage Kryptonian’s carry the full name of a parent (usually the father) until their maturity (Clark is technically still Kal Jor-El) and Kara is the only parent they currently know of.

Next up: more on Supergirl’s origins.

Chapter Text

Chapter 45: Mad Science

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

There were times that Oliver Queen, known as Green Arrow once he put on his mask and hood, felt somewhat like a mascot among the Justice League. He didn’t have super powers, he had no space adventures under his belt, he was just a guy with a bow and some arrows. Today, though, was not one of those days.

While Metropolis was not his usual turf, all big cities were somewhat alike in certain ways. There were always people who were willing to tell you what you needed to know given the right incentive. Such as whether anyone had moved a lot of material not too long ago in a big hurry.

They had constructed a rough timeline of events, starting from the day the so-called Supergirl – and wasn’t that a revelation all by itself? – had busted out of whatever underground facility she had been held in underneath Metropolis. Only an hour or so later a large number of trucks had been seen leaving several warehouses close by. People had noticed because those warehouses had previously been thought abandoned.

Green Arrow was sure that Batman would have intimidated the hell out of the people in question to get his answers, but he operated differently. Oh, he wasn’t above using intimidation if there was no other way, but he wasn’t a billionaire in his civilian life for nothing. A few hundred dollar bills here and there had quickly gotten him the answers he needed, plus ensured possible contacts for the future.

From there it was just a matter of compiling camera footage, traffic reports, satellite pictures and other data sources to follow those trucks. They had gone to Detroit and that was where Green Arrow was right now. The trucks had entered another series of warehouses (abandoned, of course) and nothing had moved since. The warehouses had no connections to any underground facilities – at least not officially – but Green Arrow had looked around the sewers in the vicinity. There were blocked passages, walls where none should be, and other signs that someone was doing their best to hide something.

“Green Arrow to Watchtower,” he reported in. “I’ve found our mad scientists!”

*****

The supervisor had had a bad feeling about this entire operation ever since the subject had escaped. Oh, he was fully onboard with the broader purpose of Cadmus, certainly. They were living in a world where more and more beings with superpowers seemed to randomly appear every day. Military technology, once the biggest moneymaker in the entire world, was on its way out. Who cared about rifles when your enemy was bullet proof? Who needed missiles when you had superhumans capable of flying faster and hitting harder than that? Superpowers were the market of the future and whoever managed to get there first would never have to worry about money again.

When they had successfully created their first super being, the subject, he had been sure that a bright future awaited Cadmus and everyone working for it. Oh, it had been the first success after a long string of failures and on one seemed quite sure why exactly things had worked out this time, but still. If they could mass-produce super beings – or possibly even give superpowers to people who paid for it – why, the possibilities were endless. So he counted his money and ignored the fact that the subject was really just a young girl they were keeping in a cage until they could figure out how to duplicate their success.

Ever since the subject had escaped, though, things seemed... weird. The director hadn’t visited the new facility even once. Head researcher Donovan seemed even crazier than usual (and that was saying something). And there was that weird feeling in his stomach that told him that he should maybe make plans to leave a sinking ship, just in case.

Of course that feeling came far, far too late.

The first warning they had of the intruders was when the massive armored doors of the facility, their main connection to the surface, were torn off their hinges by deceptively small hands. Several security guards were present, weapons ready, but they might as well have been cardboard cutouts.

“Project Cadmus is officially closed for business,” Superwoman said, standing in the wide-open entrance and looking very, very angry. Her eyes glowed a deep, burning red.

“Everybody put your weapons down,” someone else yelled, a man in a black suit that just screamed FBI. “You are all under arrest pending investigation of the illegal activities taking place here.”

For a few seconds the supervisor figured he might be able to run. There were dozens of people here, surely in the confusion he might be able to reach one of the side entrances. A moment later, though, he abandoned that idea, seeing more FBI agents streaming in through said side entrances. There was also a tall green-skinned alien just stepping right through the walls.

“I’m not getting paid enough for this,” he muttered, putting his hands above his head.

*****

“This feels too easy,” Superwoman said, looking around the abandoned laboratory. Every employee of Cadmus was currently being detained by the FBI and, by the look of things, they were all looking at serious jail time. Just from a cursory examination they had found that Cadmus was engaged in the kind of research every civilized nation in the world had forbidden, up to and including experimentation on humans. Also, Kara doubted that the amount of money necessary to run this project had ever appeared on a tax form anywhere.

“They were scientists and hired guards,” Green Arrow said, having joined them. “Not exactly the type of people who’re going to pick a fight with Superwoman.”

“We are probably lucky we learned about them when we did,” Batman said, sitting down in front of a computer terminal. Officially they were not to touch anything here until experts from the FBI arrived, but Batman hardly cared. “From the look of things Supergirl was their first and so far only success story. In a few years they might have had a private army of super beings guarding their facility.”

Batman needed but a few minutes to hack into the system. Not only did they want first crack at any information stored here, they also wanted to make sure that Kara would be able to remove anything that had no business being in any human’s hands. The world didn’t need an army of custom-made Supergirls.

“It appears most of the actual research was done by a man called Dabney Donovan,” Batman explained, speed reading through the files. “Brilliant geneticist, but with very questionable ethics.”

“Your classic mad scientists, is what Batsy means,” Green Arrow added, grinning.

“Has a dozen and more ethics violations on his record,” Batman continued, as if Arrow hadn’t said anything. “Dropped off the grid a few years ago. That’s about the same time Project Cadmus was started up by a man called Paul Westfield. Former associate of Lex Luthor, apparently.”

“Luthor again,” Kara sighed. “Even from a prison cell, the man keeps making trouble.”

“Westfield and Donovan apparently planned to create their own army of super-powered clones, which they could then sell to the highest bidder, but the project wasn’t really going anywhere. Most of the experiments listed in their records failed to produce anything viable. All that changed about 18 months or so ago, though.”

Kara leaned over Batman’s shoulder, studying the schematics he had called up on the screen. Kryptonians had a rather unfortunate history when it came to cloning, so Kara was familiar with the technology involved. What she saw, though, didn’t make sense.

“That is at least 50 years beyond current Earth technology,” she said, frowning. “Even counting the tech put out by K-Solutions. How did they come up with it?”

“Doesn’t say,” Green Arrow interjected, going through the files as well. “Looks like Donovan just started building vastly improved equipment from one day to the next.”

Batman nodded. “It’s not entirely impossible that he had a stroke of genius out of the blue, but…”

“Yeah, I don’t buy that, either,” Kara agreed. “Someone supplied them with the technology.”

“That would be my guess, too,” Batman said. “Sadly the records offer no clues as to who that someone is or what their motivations might be.”

“Apart from creating their own personal Superwomen, you mean?” Arrow proposed.

Kara sat back down, sighing. This whole mess just started getting more and more complicated. “Any mention of how they got their hands on my DNA in the first place? I don’t exactly leave it lying around.”

“Yes, actually,” Batman told her. “It was during your battle with Parasite a few years back.”

Kara frowned, remembering that night all too well. She had beaten the Parasite, but in the process he had drained nearly all of her energy and left her weak and powerless. She had collapsed and might well have died if not for Clark rescuing her.

“I remember, but how…”

“Before Superboy arrived to spirit you away,” Batman explained, “some of the paramedics tried to help you. You probably didn’t notice, but when you fell, you banged your head on the ground and with your powers gone...”

“I was bleeding,” Kara finished, dimly remembering. “One of the medics began cleaning the wound. Rao, how could I have just forgotten that?”

“You had other things on your mind that night,” Green Arrow told her. “Anyway, apparently someone noticed that there was a bit of your blood on a piece of gauze and swiped it in the confusion. A lot of money later, it ended up in Westfield’s hands.”

She rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. “Okay, that explains my DNA. Any clue as to the donor of Kona’s human DNA?”

“The records don’t include that information, I fear,” Batman replied. “Could be that Donovan used his own DNA, or possibly Westfield’s, but that’s just guesswork. Donovan is in FBI custody, so we can get a DNA sample from him for comparison. Westfield is still at large, though.”

“Fabulous,” she muttered. “My daughter might share DNA with a mad scientist or a buddy of Lex Luthor. Every mother’s dream.”

Batman hit a few more keys, then reached under the computer bank and planted some kind of gizmo he had taken from his utility belt. A moment later the computer screen fizzled for a moment and showed lots of error messages.

“I’ve left most of their files intact,” he explained, “but everything concerning your DNA is now wiped. We just need the...”

“No need,” J’Onn entered the room. “I have already taken care of the remaining traces of Superwoman’s blood sample. There wasn’t much left, now there is none.”

“Thank you, J’Onn,” she said, smiling at him. “Is there enough left to convict these people if we take everything we don’t want anyone else to have?”

Batman nodded. “There are very complete notes on the experiments they did on live subjects. That alone should be enough to put every single one of them into jail for life. Never mind once the FBI begins to track the money flow that paid for all this.”

“Good,” Kara said, her eyes now on the equipment on the far side of the lab. There was a cylinder, just large enough for a teenage human being to fit inside. An examination bed with very tough-looking restraints. Machines needed for gene splicing and DNA analysis.

Kara’s eyes glowed crimson and a minute later every last bit of it was so much molten slag.

“So much for that.”

“Donovan was the only one who actually worked on the gene splicing,” Batman said. “He didn’t put the exact details of what he did and how he did it to file, so there is little chance of anyone copying his work. Especially without the necessary equipment. Of course we don’t know whether his source might supply advanced technology to someone else, but there are few other geneticists on Earth who are anywhere near Donovan’s level. So I’d say the risk of more Kryptonian clone children is minimal, at least for now.”

“Well,” Kara said, heading towards the exit. “That was the easy part then. Now comes the hard part.”

“What would that be?” Green Arrow asked.

“Telling my family about Kona.”

*****

The Brainiac master program studied the reports coming in from Earth. Despite a few unforeseen events, the end results were fully within the desired parameters. A human-Kryptonian hybrid had successfully been created. Its escape had been unforeseen – Brainiac had originally planned to have news of its existence leaked in an “accidental” information breach - but in the end the hybrid had still met up with Kara-El as planned. Kara-El had reacted as predicted, taking her in as a member of her family. Thus the seed for the rebirth of the Kryptonian species was successfully planted.

Brainiac had calculated several thousand scenarios before deciding upon the creation of a hybrid instead of a pure clone. Despite the obvious advantages a pure Kryptonian specimen would have, the available gene pool – just two Kryptonians who were closely related - was simply too small to successfully recreate the species, even with the advanced cloning techniques at its disposal. An infusion of new genetic material was unavoidable and the Earthlings physical resemblance to Kryptonians made them ideal candidates.

The Cadmus project had thus served its purpose and its destruction would assure Kara-El and her allies that no further genetic experiments with Kryptonian DNA would take place in the immediate future. And they would not, at least for now. Kara-El would need time to get used to the idea of new Kryptonians being created in this manner, of becoming the mother of a new Kryptonian species. Brainiac would give her that time.

Brainiac was fully prepared to play the long game. In the end, one way or another, Krypton would live again.

*****

End Chapter 45

Author’s Note: Not really one hundred percent happy with this chapter. So much exposition. I originally intended to have the takedown of Cadmus be a much bigger thing, but then realized that it didn’t really fit into my narrative. I wanted to avoid the whole evil-government-black-book-project thing and instead go with the more classic mad-scientist scheme. Not sure it really worked out, but I hope Brainiac’s musings at the end offer enough explanation.

Next up: Kona meets the Kents.

Chapter Text

Chapter 46: Family Matters

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

“And there is no doubt?” Martha asked. The Kent family was sitting together in their living room and everyone had been quiet for a few minutes, needing time to digest everything they had just been told by her daughter. Calling it a bombshell was putting it mildly.

Karen shook her head, nervously running her hands through her blonde tresses. “I ran the scans three times. It’s my DNA. Well, mostly. She is partially human.”

Clark sat on the couch, visibly shocked and trying to wrap his mind around it. “So she’s… a clone?”

“Not quite, no,” Karen replied. “A clone would be a copy of me, which she isn’t. She is a hybrid, created using gene splicing and cloning technology, but biologically speaking she is my child. Though in a very unconventional way.”

Martha almost chuckled, wondering when her wonderful alien daughter had ever done anything the conventional way. Jonathan came out of the kitchen and handed out some beer bottles before sitting down on the couch beside Kara. Even Clark got one. It wasn’t like his metabolism really allowed him to get drunk, but they still didn’t allow him any, usually at least. There was nothing usual about today, though.

“Where is she now?” Jonathan asked after draining nearly half the bottle in a single gulp.

“She is up on the Watchtower,” Karen replied, quickly draining her own beer. “Adam is with her until I can figure out... well, what to do next.”

Martha looked at her, easily guessing where this was going. “You want to bring her here, don’t you?”

Karen nodded. “She... she is all alone in the world. And she is my daughter.”

“She was made in a test tube,” Clark interjected heatedly, pointing with his beer bottle. “How do we know she isn’t programmed to kill us all or something?”

Martha gave her grandson a worried glance. Clark didn’t seem to take this well at all.

“You can’t ‘program’ someone, Clark,” Karen told him calmly. “You can condition someone, yes, but that takes years. Kona might look like a 13-year old, but she is really just a year old or so.”

“You are calling her Kona?” Martha asked, this being the first time she had heard name Karen had given the girl. “Are you sure that’s… wise?”

She didn’t think Karen had told Clark about the child she had had in her Black Mercy induced phantasy world, so the look of confusion on the boy’s face was understandable.

“It... it felt right,” Karen replied, locking eyes with the woman who was officially her aunt, but was her mother in all but blood. “I can’t really explain it, but... Diana said something about fate wanting to balance the scales and... it just felt right.”

Martha sighed, internally praying that her daughter wasn’t setting herself up for another terrible heartbreak. God knew that she had had more than her fair share of those. She shared a long look with Jonathan, who looked anything but comfortable with the idea, either, but eventually he nodded.

“Ok, let’s give it a try,” Martha finally said. “Bring Kona here.”

“I don’t like it,” Clark said, jumping up from the couch. “We don’t know anything about her.”

“And Martha and Jonathan didn’t know anything about us back then,” Karen replied, rising up to put her hand on her son’s shoulder. “For all they knew, the teenage alien girl they found in a corn field could have been the spearhead of an invasion or someone looking to eat them in their sleep. But they still took us in and we became a family.”

“That’s not the same,” Clark shook his head.

“It’s not, you are right,” Karen told him. “She doesn’t even have her tiny baby cousin along. She is completely alone.”

Clark didn’t say anything, but shrugged off her hand and stormed outside. Karen was set to follow him, but Martha held her back.

“Give him time to cool off,” she told her daughter. “For 15 years he was an only child. Adapting to suddenly having a kid sister won’t happen overnight, especially given the weird circumstances.”

“She’s right,” Jonathan added. “From what my parents told me, my brother Sam threw quite a few tantrums when he was no longer the sole recipient of paternal attention in the Kent home. It will pass.”

“I hope you are right,” Karen said, looking after her son. “I would never want to hurt Clark.”

Martha simply nodded.

“Now, how about you go and collect our new granddaughter?”

*****

It felt weird to finally have a name, Kona mused. She still wasn’t used to it. As a matter of fact, there was a whole lot of things she wasn’t used to, which was why she was terribly nervous and doing her utmost not to show it.

Having spent the past two days on the Justice League Watchtower with nothing to do but wait had already left her a nervous wreck. Thankfully Adam had been there to keep her company, something she was very grateful for. Adam was a cool guy and treated her like she was just a normal girl, not some kind of science experiment gone haywire. He had even told her a bit about his family (who lived on another planet, how cool was that?) and that his wife would give birth to their daughter in a few months.

She could totally picture him as a cool dad.

Now, though, it was time to go to... where, actually? Her new home? She had no idea what a ‘home’ was supposed to be, actually. The closest thing she had ever had was the cage they kept her in at Project Cadmus. She had been very happy to hear that the Justice League had shut the project down (there might have been a little dance of joy). Ever since escaping from there she had feared that they would somehow force her to go back, become a lab animal once again. Now that the danger was past, though, she was somewhat at a loss.

It started with her very sense of identity. She had always believed herself to be a clone of Superwoman and it had come to define her somewhat. What little she had learned of Superwoman while still in Cadmus had told her that she would never allow her to be caged or controlled, so Kona would not allow that, either. Superwoman would bust out of whatever cage anyone dared to put her in, so Kona did. Superwoman would use her powers to help others, so that’s what Kona used them for, too (though doing her best to stay hidden in the process). If she was a clone, then she would be the best clone ever.

Now she knew, though, that that wasn’t the entire truth. Superwoman – or Kara, as her real name was, apparently – was not the original from which she was merely copied. No, instead she was the closest thing Kona would ever have to a mother, a concept that was just as alien as that of ‘home’. Also, somewhere out there was a human man who was her father, whether he knew it or not. It was... weird.

Anyway, back to the very vague concept of ‘home’. At first she had assumed that ‘home’ would be that crystal castle that Kara had at the North Pole (and again, how cool was that?), but Kara had quickly set her straight on that. It was a fantastic place, filled with the treasures of the lost planet that Kara had come from, but it was not a home. Neither was the Watchtower, come to think of it, as none of the League members actually lived there. Not even the green Martian guy, strangely enough.

No, the place that Kara called home was apparently... Smallville, Kansas? Really?

“I would never have pictured Superwoman living in a place like this,” she said to Kara as they walked along a dirt path towards the farm visible in the distance. The Watchtower’s teleportation beam had set them down about a mile away, in order to make sure that no one saw them arrive. Both of them were dressed in civilian clothes, which in Kara’s case consisted of Jeans, a flannel shirt, and – weirdly enough - a pair of glasses.

Kona herself also wore Jeans, but had put on a tank top instead. She might only have less than a year of actual life experience under her belt, but she was already certain that flannel was not for her.

“That’s kind of the point,” Kara told her. “Superwoman doesn’t live here, or anywhere else for that matter. This is the home of Karen Kent, who is a perfectly normal human woman and of no particular interest to anybody.”

Kona could see the appeal, now that she thought about it. Well, maybe not the appeal of rural Kansas, but that of living in anonymity. Living in a crystal castle at the North Pole might be fun for a while, but would probably get terribly lonely after a time. But if the neighbors knew that Superwoman was living next door, well, she doubted that would go over very well.

“How did you end up here of all places?” Kona asked as they kept walking. She had scoffed at the idea of walking at first, given that they both could fly, but it had given them time to actually talk. Almost like... well, Kona had no idea what family was like, to be honest, but she kind of figured it might be something like this. Mother and daughter just walking and talking about anything and everything.

It was weird, but … kind of nice, too.

“I crashed here,” Kara replied. “And the Kents found me. Well, me and Kal.”

Yes, that was another thing Kona was really nervous about. Not only was she about to meet the closest thing she would ever have to grandparents, there was also Superboy, who was apparently called Kal. Kona had known, of course, that Superwoman had a son. Who didn’t? But somehow the notion of actually meeting him... she really didn’t know what to expect. Would he like having a sister? Would he resent her? What kind of relationship would they have? What were sibling relationships supposed to be like anyway?

“I was about as old as you are now,” Kara continued. “Well, as old as you appear to be, anyway. And Kal was only about half a year old. I have no idea how we would have fared if not for the Kents taking us in. They saved us.”

“They sound great,” Kona said, hoping that she wasn’t going to somehow mess this up.

Kara stopped walking and turned to look at her. “I know exactly how you feel, you know?”

“You do?” she asked, skeptical.

“I was in your shoes once, remember? Woke up in a strange world, different from anyone else, no idea what to do, who to trust, and how to build a life for myself. I took a big risk trusting the Kents and they took a big risk just taking me in.”

She stepped forward, putting both her hands on Kona’s shoulders. “We don’t really know each other. We’re still strangers. The Kents and I were strangers, too, once. And then we became family. I hope that we can do the same, Kona.”

Kona looked up at Kara… at her mother, and nodded, smiling. “Yeah, I hope so, too.”

*****

Jonathan watched the two figures as they walked towards the Kent farm and experienced an incredibly strong sense of déjà vu. There was Karen, his wonderful adult daughter Karen, walking with an air of confidence and purpose. Only someone who knew her really well could see the faint traces of nervousness in her body language. And walking beside her was a ghost from 15 years ago. Not only did she look like his daughter once did, she even walked in the same manner. Trying and failing to project an air of confidence and certainty, even as she seemed to fear that the ground would give out at her very next step.

“That brings back memories, doesn’t it?” Martha asked, standing beside him.

“It sure does,” he agreed. “What do you think the odds are of taking in not one, not two, but three alien children in a single life time?”

“Astronomical, I’d say,” she replied, chuckling.

Neither of them really had any idea what to expect. It wasn’t like Karen could tell them a lot about what Kona was like, as she didn’t really know herself. All they knew was that the girl had escaped from truly horrendous circumstances and had then lived on the streets of Metropolis for a few weeks. During which she had used her powers to help save people from a burning building, so Jonathan figured that Karen’s genes bred true in that regard.

The thing to keep in mind, he reminded himself, was that this girl might look like a teenager, but she was really just about a year old or so. Apparently these Cadmus people (who could burn in the deepest pits of Hell for all he cared) had somehow accelerated her growth and given her the basic knowledge and vocabulary of a teenager, but in terms of life experience she was practically a newborn.

Then again, Martha and he did have some experience with teenage girls who knew absolutely nothing about life on planet Earth. Hopefully that would come in handy during the days and weeks to come.

Karen and Kona were now walking up to the house, so Martha and Jonathan got up and went to meet him.

“Kona, these are Martha and Jonathan Kent. Officially, they are my aunt and uncle. In reality, they are my mom and dad.”

Jonathan couldn’t help but grin. It hadn’t been that long ago that Karen had still had trouble calling them by those names, feeling as if she was betraying the memory of Alura and Zor. He was very happy that Karen finally felt secure enough to realize that one could love – and be loved – by more than one set of parents.

“Mom, dad, this is Kona... my daughter, your grand-daughter.”

The girl looked up at them with a look on her face that Jonathan recognized all too easily. The look of someone who has not really sure she was welcome. How many years had it taken before Karen believed, truly believed, that the Kents hadn’t just taken her in because of baby Clark?

“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Kent,” Kona finally said, giving a shy wave.

He and Martha shared but the briefest of looks before Martha took a step towards the girl. “None of that now, Kona. You can calls us Jonathan and Martha.”

And then she swept the girl up in a hug. At seeing Kona’s deer-in-the-headlights look, Jonathan couldn’t help but chuckle.

*****

She found Clark sitting on a tree stump about three miles away from the Kent farm. She was familiar with the place, actually, as she was the one who had found it years ago when she had still been a teenager. It was distant enough from home that no one could bother her, but just close enough that she could keep the farm in sight with her supervision without it disappearing behind the curvature of the Earth. She had often used it as a getaway when things had become too stressful, enjoying the quiet while still able to keep an eye on Clark.

Now it seemed Clark was using it for the same purpose.

“They like her,” Clark said, having noticed her arriving, of course. The days when she could successfully sneak up on her own son were long over, their super senses now at an even level.

“Yes, they do,” Kara agreed, sitting down beside him. “Of course, mom and dad like pretty much everyone unless they are evil incarnate.”

They were quiet for a while, both of them using their supervision to watch as Martha and Jonathan showed Kona around the house and to the room they had prepared for her. It was little more than a room with a bed and a closet so far. It had been a storage room before. It was Kona’s first room of her own ever, though, and she seemed delighted at the prospect.

“I’m sure she would like to meet her brother, too,” Kara finally said.

“I’m not her brother,” Clark grumbled. “She’s... I don’t even know what she is.”

“She is not a ‘what’, for starters,” Kara told him. “She is a girl, and she needs someone to take care of her.”

“But why does it have to be you?” Clark asked. She looked at his face and saw the worry in his eyes.

“You know why, Clark,” she answered.

“Yeah,” he scoffed. “She’s your child. Your actual biological child. Unlike...”

“Stop talking nonsense, Clark”, she interrupted him. “You are my son and you will always be my son, nothing will ever change that.”

She could see that he didn’t believe her. For 15 years Clark had been the center of her life, so much so that he had sometimes resented her clingy nature and protectiveness. And now, quite suddenly, there was another child. One that was her actual biological daughter while he was “just” her cousin.

“She will never replace you, Clark,” Kara told him. “Not for me, not for Martha and Jonathan, not for anyone.”

She leaned back, closing her eyes. “When you were born, back on Krypton, I didn’t like you, you know?”

“What?” Clark asked, taken off guard. “But… why?”

“Because your father, Jor, was my cool uncle. And Lara was the pretty aunt, I adored her. They visited all the time, played with me, it was like having a second set of parents, only younger and cooler. And then Lara got pregnant with you and suddenly they didn’t have as much time for me anymore as before. And I hated it, I admit. I had gotten used to having four adults doting on me. And it got even worse when you were born, because suddenly even my own parents seemed more interested in that little baby than in me.”

Clark said nothing.

“So as cliché as it might sound like,” she continued, “I know what you’re feeling. And I can’t promise you that nothing with change, because it will. I don’t know how things will go with Kona, only time will tell. The only thing I can promise you, Clark, is that nothing will change between you and me. You are my son and I love you.”

Clark still said nothing. After a minute or so, though, he got up and turned away from her. “I’ll be home later.” And then he was gone in a blur of speed.

Kara sighed. This could have gone better.

*****

End Chapter 46

Author’s Note: I’ve waited to bring Supergirl / Kona into the Super Family for quite some time, but writing her is really hard, I admit. In the comics Superboy started out as an arrogant little shit and it wasn’t until he got the snot beaten out of him a few times that he began to mature somewhat. I’m trying to go a somewhat different route with Supergirl here. Hope it works out as I want it to. Writing Clark’s reaction to Kona is even harder, though. Never had a younger sibling or younger cousin myself, so I’m making it up as I go along.

Next up: Clark isn’t happy about suddenly having a kid sister, so he hangs out with the Flash to get his thoughts in order. Just two super-powered teenage boys on their own. What could possibly go wrong?

Chapter Text

Chapter 47: Clark of Two Worlds

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Flash belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Wallace “Wally” West, fastest teen alive and coming to be known in the area around Keystone City as the superhero Flash, considered Superboy one of his best friends, possibly his best friend period. Which was a bit strange, granted, as he didn’t even know his real name. Well, he knew his real-real name, Kal Jor-El, but not the one he lived under here on Earth. Wally understood that, mind you, as learning Kal’s civilian name would inevitably lead to learning Superwoman’s civilian identity, too. Still, despite the secrecy, Wally really liked Kal and hanging out with him was a lot of fun.

Today, though, Kal was in anything but a fun mood. Wally might not be the most perceptive person alive (just the fastest), but it didn’t need a psychiatrist to figure that out.

“So you wanna tell me what’s up, buddy?” he asked.

They had met outside Keystone City, their usual meeting place, and Kal was in a weird state. Broody, quiet, and seemingly looking for something to hit.

“Had a fight with my mom,” he finally answered, grumbling. “Well, not really a fight, no. Just... she did something and... look, can we not talk about it?”

Wally shrugged. “Sure, no problem. So what do you want to do?”

He had the distinct impression that Kal needed something to distract himself from whatever was going on with his mom (and it was still weird to remember that his mom was Superwoman, the world’s greatest hero).

Kal looked at him. “Well, you still owe me a rematch from that race to Metropolis I didn’t know we were going to have.”

Wally smirked at him. “You are just peeved that I was faster than you. But okay, rematch it is. How are we doing this?”

Looking back, it had been a mistake to race when Superboy was so obviously distracted. Travelling at super speed took a whole lot of focus and concentration. A distracted, invulnerable person travelling at super speed was a disaster waiting to happen.

Everything happened within a fraction of a second. They had been running at several times the speed of sound and still accelerating. They had intentionally headed for the Nevada desert, where there was nothing but emptiness to be found. Usually, at least. None of them had known that there would be a festival of some kind.

Wally spotted the assembled crowd in front of them and began to change course, only to realize that Superboy was doing nothing of the sort. He was still heading directly towards the people, apparently not having noticed them yet. Wally quickly readjusted his course so he was beside his friend. He had just pulled even when he saw Kal’s eyes widen. He had finally noticed the obstacle, but far too late. Evasion was no longer possible.

Not wanting to plow through hundreds of people at several times the speed of sound, Wally did the only thing he could think of on such short notice. He had recently realized that he could pass through solid objects while running if he channeled his speed inward and made his own molecules vibrate. So he reached out to touch Kal’s shoulder and made them both vibrate. He could only hope that it was enough to prevent them from maiming or outright killing hundreds of people.

No one was maimed or killed that day. But instead of harmlessly phasing through the people in their way, Superboy and Flash simply vanished.

*****

“So… this is new, right?” Wally asked.

The two teenagers were standing at the city limit of Metropolis, staring at a giant billboard. After their near-fatal encounter in the Nevada desert, both of them had decided that it was probably better to keep to a slower pace for now. Clark had inwardly cursed himself multiple times for being so distracted. A lot of people could have been hurt or worse if not for Wally’s quick thinking. His mom would tan his hide for that if she ever found out.

Upon returning to Keystone City, though... there was no Keystone City. Instead there was another city on the other side of the river, called Central City. Weirded out, the two teenagers had decided to head for Metropolis next. Actually, Clark had wanted to head to Smallville, but he had Wally along and couldn’t just ditch him, not before they knew what was going on here.

Outside the Metropolis city limit, though, they encountered a giant billboard. On said billboard, there was a giant photograph of a familiar-looking man in a familiar-looking suit, alongside the words “Metropolis – Home of Superman”.

The man was him, no doubt about it, but at least ten years older, probably more.

“We must have travelled through time,” Clark finally said.

“Time travel?” Wally asked. “Is that even possible?”

Clark looked at him, trying to figure out how to tell his friend that he knew very well that time travel was possible. That he knew it because an older Flash had taken his mom on a journey through time before Clark had even met Wally. And that the only reason he had never told him that before was that he feared his mom would make good on her threat to punt Wally into orbit for simply stranding her in the past. Before he could figure it out, though, something else occurred to him.

“No, wait, that doesn’t make any sense,” he muttered. “If we have travelled to the future, then where is Keystone City? And where did this Central City come from? Something is not right here.”

They debated amongst each other for several more minutes, trying to figure out what to do, before Clark finally had an idea. It was something his mom had come up with, actually. With the way their senses were enhanced by Earth’s sun, Kryptonians could hear a much broader range of frequencies than humans could. So pitching his voice way up into ultrasound, Clark let out a sharp whistle that caused dogs all over Metropolis to bark and howl.

It also attracted the attention of someone else whose hearing allowed him to hear it. Not even two minutes after his whistle, a dot was visible in the sky, rapidly approaching them. And it was neither a bird nor a plane.

“Superman, I assume?” Clark asked as a man looking like a roughly 30-year old version of himself set down before them, looking quite surprised at their presence.

*****

“Parallel worlds? Really?”

Clark’s head was spinning. Apparently there were many parallel worlds, all occupying the same space, but separated by differences in their vibration frequency. So they were on Earth, but not their Earth. A different one, where history had gone differently. More than that, even time seemed to flow differently between the worlds, for the rocket that had carried him to safety from Krypton had crashed here 32 years ago, not 15 like in his world.

They were currently on board the Justice League satellite headquarters (not called Watchtower in this world, apparently), having been brought here by Superman, who was also Clark Kent, but 17 years older than Clark. Here they met the Flash, also a grown man instead of a teenager, who quickly explained to them the concept of parallel worlds and that it had been Wally’s attempt to vibrate them through solid matter at high speeds that had brought them here.

Wally hung on every word of his older counterpart, who was busy explaining to him that Wally could not only use powers to travel between worlds, but also through time (big surprise to Wally, not so much to Clark). Thankfully getting them back home was supposedly very easy, Wally just needed to reset their internal vibrations to the correct frequency and they’d snap right back to their proper world, easy as pie.

Clark found the concepts of travelling between parallel worlds fascinating, but his thoughts were on an entirely different topic. This world was giving him a chance to glimpse into his own future, but without everything being set in stone as it would be in case of time travel. Just one possibility, not a definite outcome. He wished to learn everything he could.

“Where is mom?” was his first question.

Older Clark just gave him a sad look. “I’m afraid both she and pa died a few years back.”

Clark frowned. “Pa? Who is pa? I mean mom! You know? Kara!”

“Kara?” Older Clark asked. “You mean Kara Zor-El, our cousin? Why are you calling her mom?”

Now Clark was even more confused. “Because she is! I mean, yes, technically she is my older cousin, but we came to Earth together and she raised me as her son.”

Now older Clark seemed to understand. “I think we just found one of the major differences between our worlds. In this world, I arrived on Earth alone. The Kents found me and raised me as their son. I didn’t get to meet Kara until last year.”

Clark was still confused. Even if they had travelled in separate ships, as the original plan had been, and mom had crashed in a different part of the world, she would never have rested before she found him. So how had they only met last year?

“How is that possible? If she didn’t arrive with you, where...?”

“We launched from Krypton at almost the same time,” older Clark told him, “but her ship was knocked off course by the explosion. She only arrived here on Earth last year.”

The revelation floored Clark completely. If there had been one constant in his life, it was his mom, who was always there for him. Sometimes to the point that he felt smothered, but still. He immediately felt a deep sympathy for this doppelganger of his, who had been forced to grow up with no one to show him the ropes, no one to help him with his developing powers. He had no doubt that the Kents had treated him well (and hearing that they were apparently dead in this world hurt, too), but it wasn’t the same.

“Can I meet her?” he asked.

“She should already be here with the others, actually,” older Clark said, leading him into the satellite’s main room. Quite a few superheroes were assembled here, some familiar to him, some not. He recognized Green Arrow, though he looked older, and there was J’Onn. The man wearing the Green Lantern suit was not Guy Gardner, though. Points for this Earth, he guessed. No sign of Adam Strange, either.

And there, talking to Wonder Woman, was his mom. Only she was not his mom, she was a teenager, roughly the same age he was right now. He was amazed how much she looked like Kona.

“Wow,” he said, trying to wrap his mind around the changes.

“I can imagine how weird it must be for you,” older Clark said. “Thinking of my baby cousin being my mother in another world is quite strange, I admit.”

“It’s really weird,” Clark agreed. “In my world she was taking care of me for all these years, here in this one the roles are reversed.” He looked up at his older counterpart. “So is she officially the daughter of Clark Kent then or what story did you come up with?”

Older Clark shook his head. “No, our Earth identities aren’t related. Kara spent her first few months here in an orphanage before being adopted by the Danvers family and...”

Clark froze in mid-step.

“You can’t be serious,” Clark said, shaking his head. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

“Pardon?” the older Clark said, looking confused.

“I... did you really just say that you put mom... I mean, you put Kara in an orphanage?”

He was certain he must have misheard. This man standing before him was him, just from a parallel world, shaped by different circumstances. He had arrived on Earth as a baby, just like him. He had been found by the Kents, just like him. The only difference was that he had come alone. Kara had not been with him.

He had pitied him for that, but now all sympathy had gone out the window to make room for utter disbelief.

Kara was standing right there at the other end of the conference room of the Watch Tower, still chatting with Wonder Woman. She was young, still a teenager, but it was clearly his mom. Having apparently spent nearly 30 years flying through space, her body frozen in cryogenic suspension, she hadn’t aged a day. And upon arriving on this Earth, she had been found by her baby cousin, who was now already a grown man.

A grown man who had put her in an orphanage.

“I can’t believe…,” he started, but words failed him.

“What’s the matter?” the older Clark asked, clearly not understanding.

Clark just shook his head and left him standing there, quickly crossing the room to approach the doppelganger of his mom. She looked up when she saw him approach and he could see it. It was right there in her eyes. He sometimes saw it in his mom’s eyes, too, when the memories became too much and the sadness had to be let out. It was as if the death flash of Krypton was imprinted there, a permanent reflection in her eyes, never quite going away. In his mom’s eyes, the reflection was pale, ghost-like. Still there, but muted by years of love, friendship, and family.

Here, though, in this Kara’s eyes, the reflection was as solid as steel. Still fresh, undiluted.

“Hi,” she said to him. “You are Kal from a parallel world, right? Wow, you look so young. I...”

“I am so sorry,” he simply said, hugging her.

“Uh, what?” she asked, stiffening as he held her.

“In my world you were always there for me,” he said, hugging her with all his strength. “I am so sorry I was too stupid to return the favor in this one.”

“I don’t understand,” she whispered, not making a move to push him away.

“You were supposed to take care of me, and you would have. You did. But when our roles were reversed, when I should have been the one to take care of you, I failed. I left you alone to deal with the memories, left you without a purpose, just pushed you off on some strangers and left.”

“Now wait a minute,” older Clark said from behind him. Clark’s temper snapped and he whirled around.

“She saw Krypton die, you stupid jerk”, Clark yelled at his doppelganger with a vehemence that made the bigger man take a step back. “She was 13 and watched her entire world die! We don’t remember it, we were too young! But she remembers. She saw it happen! And instead of helping her through it, instead of being her family, you just left her in an orphanage! How could you?”

Older Clark opened and closed his mouth, clearly at a loss for words.

“It’s okay, Kal,” Kara said behind him, gently touching his shoulder. “He... he had his own life. He is Superman, always busy. I couldn’t expect him to...”

“Yes, you could have,” Clark interrupted her, even more upset at seeing the quiet acceptance of things in the girl before him. That look of defeat and resignation. His mom never looked like that and neither should this Kara here.

“In my world you are Superwoman, the world’s first and greatest superhero. You have a life of your own. You are always busy. But you STILL always put me first. You are STILL always there for me. You are my mom and HE…,” he whirled around, glowing red eyes fixating on his older doppelganger, “he damn well should have been your dad. He should have been there for you, no matter what. He should have found a way. You did when you were but a teenager, so why couldn’t he?”

The silence in the room was oppressive, no one seemed to have any idea what to say, least of all the adult Superman. Kara, her hand still on younger Clark’s shoulder, began to tremble slightly.

“I did?” she whispered, her eyes shimmering. “In your world, I made it to Earth in time? I took care of you, like I promised?”

Clark clasped her hand and smiled. “You did. You became my mom. You raised me. And I wouldn’t have it any other way!”

“I didn’t fail?” her voice was barely audible, but the pain ringing in those words made almost everyone wince. There was a sharp intake of breath right beside Clark.

“I am so very sorry, Kara,” the older Clark said, now standing beside them and with his big hand on Kara’s slim shoulder. “I... I didn’t... you didn’t fail! What happened... that you arrived so much later than I did, that wasn’t your fault! It was an accident; there was nothing you could have done!”

He swallowed hard, looking at his younger doppelganger. “But quite clearly, there is something I should have done. Something that I have failed in.”

Clark took a step back, still angry beyond words, but figuring that his older doppelganger deserved a chance to speak at least.

“When you arrived,” he began, clearly looking for the right words, “and told me you were my cousin from Krypton... it was... I don’t know how to explain it.” He looked at younger Clark. “Like he said, I don’t remember it. Krypton... I know of it, obviously, I have watched the data tracks Jor-El sent with me, but... it’s not... not quite real for me.”

He looked at Kara again, who had tears running down her face. “But it’s very real for you and I should have seen that. I should have realized. I am so very sorry that I didn’t.”

“When you took me to that orphanage and just flew away,” Kara whispered. “I thought you didn’t want me. That you hated me for not being there to take care of you like I promised.”

He shook his head vehemently. “No, Kara, please, never think that! How could I hate you? You are my family! I thought... God, that sounds so stupid when I say it out loud, but I figured I should give you the same thing I got: the chance to grow up with human parents, here on Earth. A fresh start. I... I didn’t realize how... how different our situations were.”

Kara sniffed. “I… I like the Danvers. They are good people. But... but they aren’t…”

Older Clark nodded, finally understanding. “They aren’t family. But we are.”

Clark looked on, seeing the two cousins embrace, when a red-gloved hand touched his shoulder. It was Flash, the older one, with Wally beside him.

“I think you did good here, kid,” he whispered. “Maybe time for a discreet exit, stage left? I think they can figure out the rest on their own.”

Clark nodded. Walking out, he took one last look at the two embracing cousins. Family was everything, he reminded himself. Something that he, too, should have heeded.

*****

Back in their own world, Clark took but a moment to say goodbye to Wally. His friend was totally pumped after learning what the extent of his abilities might be thanks to his parallel-world counterpart. Time travel, dimension travel, it all sounded so fantastic. Clark promised to help him figure things out at a later date (hopefully without his mom punting Wally into orbit), but right now he felt he had something more important to do.

Flying back to Smallville as fast as he could, he quickly changed into civilian clothing and walked towards the farm. His supervision easily found Kona, who was sitting out on the patio by herself, just looking around her new home.

The girl looked up as he approached, the features of her face so very familiar. That face graced a hundred and more pictures inside that house and it was the same face that he had just seen on that other Earth on a broken girl who just longed for family. The resemblance was uncanny. There were some minor differences here and there, sure, but that didn’t matter. Not in the least.

“Hello?” she said, sounding uncertain.

“Hi,” he replied, walking up to her. “We haven’t met yet. I am Clark. I’m your brother.”

From the corner of his eye, he could see his mom standing at the window, smiling.

*****

End Chapter 47

Author’s Note: The parallel Earth seen in this chapter is not supposed to be any specific one, more like a general version of the Silver Age Earth-1, but with Kara having come directly from Krypton instead of via space-born Argo City. And yes, there is a bit of Superman bashing in this chapter, too, I admit. For all that he is the greatest hero ever and all that, Superman (especially the Silver Age version) could be quite the dick, too. The way he treated Supergirl in the comics was atrocious and his modern-day counterpart in the Supergirl TV series didn’t really do any better, simply unloading a traumatized young girl on some strangers and then ignoring her existence most of the time. So hopefully both versions of Clark learned something here today.

The chapter title, of course, pays homage to “Flash of Two Worlds” (Flash #123, September 1961), the story that introduced the concept of multiple Earths to the DC Comics universe by having Silver Age Flash Barry Allen travel to a parallel world to meet Golden Age Flash Jay Garrick.

Chapter Text

Chapter 48: Teenage Alien Smallville Supers

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Smallville, Present Day

“I have no idea how we’re going to make this work,” Kara said, throwing up her hands in frustration. On the kitchen table in front of her was a deceptively normal-looking laptop computer, but one that was enhanced with Kryptonian tech. Despite the advancements in computer technology during the last 15 years, Kara could still easily create a false identity that would hold up to any but the closest scrutiny. The problem was, though, that she had no idea what to enter.

“Well,” Jonathan said, “obviously we can’t have Kona be the daughter of Karen Kent officially. She appears only 2 years or so younger than Clark and you were already here in Smallville by that time. People would have noticed you getting pregnant.”

“True,” Martha agreed, “but a lot of people here remember Karen as a teenager and they will notice that Kona looks almost exactly like she did back then. They will have to be closely related in some way.”

“Well, we can’t make them siblings, either,” Jonathan mused. “Not even half-siblings, seeing as both of Karen’s official parents died years before Kona would have been born.”

“I thought about asking J’Onn if we could make Kona the daughter of ‘Cousin John’,” Kara added, “but he has been visiting us here in Smallville for two years now. Someone would ask why he’s only bringing his daughter here now. And why she ends up staying with us instead of him.”

“Still, that’s probably our best route,” Martha said. “J’Onn basically duplicated your appearance, just male, for his Cousin John disguise, so we’ve established that your looks hail mostly from the Jones side of the family. And you did tell people that you found John because you were looking for more members of your mother’s family. So we’ll say you found Kona the same way, another cousin in need of a new home.”

Jonathan brushed his hand through his thinning hair, leaning back into the couch. “Don’t you think that’s pushing believability a bit? Another teenage girl from the Jones family orphaned?”

“People will buy it,” Martha waved his concern away. “It’s exactly the kind of tragic story the gossip mongers of Smallville will enjoy. They’ll be talking about the Jones family curse before long.”

“I hate those gossiping hags,” Kara muttered.

*****

Smallville, 14 years ago

“That’s the girl the Kents took in, Jonathan’s niece.”

“The one who got pregnant at 12?”

“Yeah, that’s the child, right there in the stroller.”

“I heard she got pregnant while staying in an orphanage. Do you think she was…?”

“Apparently she isn’t telling anyone who the father is.”

“Probably some juvenile delinquent or other.”

“Martha and Jonathan will have their work cut out for them.”

“They’re not sending her to school, either. She’s being home schooled.”

“Well, given her history, I’d keep close watch on her, too. No telling what she might get up to.”

Kara did her best to tune out the voices around her, but it was hard. She’d been here the better part of a year now, but keeping a firm grasp on her enhanced senses was still difficult. Thankfully, she had the smells mostly under control, but tuning out the voices was proving harder. Especially when she was fully aware that so many people were talking about her and Kal.

“How are you holding up?” Martha asked, walking beside her. It was their first real outing into town as a family. Kara had been here with Martha or Jonathan before, but never with Kal and always just for short visits. Earth – which so far consisted of Smallville and its surrounding farms for her – was still a strange place for her and it was only now that she felt somewhat confident enough to actually socialize with people other than Martha and Jonathan. Well, confident was pushing it, maybe. She was more or less certain, at least, that she would not accidentally kill someone with her powers or immediately out herself as an alien.

“Is this normal among humans?” she asked.

“What’s normal, honey?”

“The way all these people are... are talking about me, like... like…”

Martha nodded, understanding. “Like you are the newest exhibit in a museum? Yeah, we call that gossip on Earth. And sadly, it’s quite common. Remember, most people don’t have your degree of hearing, so these people think you can’t hear them while they’re running their mouths.”

“So they think that, just because no one can hear them, it’s okay to say these... things?”

“It’s not okay,” Martha assured her, squeezing her shoulder. “But I fear it’s something you have to get used to, at least for a while. As far as these people know, you are a girl who became a mother at 13, which is highly unusual. After a while the novelty of it will fade and they’ll gossip about something else.”

Kara shook her head, wondering if you would ever understand humans. They were so extremely confusing. On the one hand, there were humans like Marthan and Jonathan, who were kind and friendly above and beyond what she could ever have hoped for. She didn’t know what she would have done without them. On the other hand, though, there were humans like the ones she could hear all over town. Gossiping, running their mouths, judging. And this was but a small town in the country. She didn’t want to imagine what things might be like in the bigger cities she had heard about.

Rao, she missed home so much.

“No such thing as gossip back home?” Martha asked. “No one talked about the latest scandal or anything?”

“Not like this,” Kara answered. “I mean, sure, people talked and shared news, but I can’t remember anyone ever... what did you call it? Running their mouths like this.”

Martha smiled. “Maybe Krypton was better than Earth in that regard. Or you were simply too young to notice the behavior of adults back then. No super hearing, either, right?”

Kara had to concede the point, though she couldn’t really imagine her mother Alura gossiping with her sister about how young the new chief arbitrator’s wife was.

“Just ignore them as best as you can,” Martha told her. “Sooner or later they’ll get tired of talking about you and Clark or something else will come along to hold their attention.”

Kara snorted. “Maybe another alien kid will just drop out of the sky.”

*****

Smallville, Present Day

Kona gracefully landed on the grass in front of the Kent house, touching down as gently as a feather. She did a little bow to the audience, which consisted of her brother Clark. And how weird was that? She had a brother. A brother who was Superboy. She would not get used to that anytime soon.

“You’re doing really great,” Clark told her, applauding a bit. “You look like you’ve been flying for years.”

“It... well, it comes naturally, doesn’t it?” she asked. “I was floating in the cage they kept me in almost from the get-go and when I got out, it was one of the first things I practiced.”

“Well,” Clark said, “you seem to have had an easier time than I. Took me months to figure it out. I kept losing my concentration, which inevitably led to me tumbling down and landing on my butt”

Kona couldn’t help but chuckle at the image. “Maybe I’m just better at the whole super powers thing than you.”

Where had that come from? She had said it teasingly, sure, but why would she antagonize the people who had only just taken her in? Clark frowned at her words. Had she messed up? Would they send her away?

Then he grinned, tough. “Oh yeah? Then how come you can’t do this?”

His eyes glowed red and Kona jumped up with a yelp as the ground underneath her began to smolder.

“Stupid laser vision,” she complained, making sure her shoes weren’t burning. “Why is that so hard?”

Clark shrugged, his eyes returning to normal. “Well, you are part human. Maybe that ability was in the, what, 30% DNA they couldn’t decrypt?”

“You think so?” she looked at him. “Damn, that would suck!”

“Or maybe you just haven’t found the right trigger yet,” Clark said. “Mom says that she used to accidentally set things on fire when she got angry.”

She raised a skeptical eyebrow at him. “So you say I need to get pissed at whatever I want to set on fire?”

He shrugged. “It’s worth a try, isn’t it?”

Kona huffed, but then turned to look at a small wooden box standing beside the barn. She narrowed her eyes, doing her best to be angry at that stupid box. She tried to picture it burning. She imagined getting a splinter from it (which was kind of hard, given that she was pretty much invulnerable). She did everything she could think of to get angry at that stupid, stupid box. The fact that it stubbornly refused to burn actually did make her quite angry, but nothing happened.

Groaning in frustration, she walked over and picked the box up.

“Stupid thing,” she muttered, looking at it from up close. “Why don’t you just BURN?”

The box suddenly exploded in her hand and she stumbled back with a yelp, tripping over her own feet and ending up on her butt on the ground. Wooden splinters rained down around her, all that was left of the box.

Clark was beside her a moment later. “Are you okay? What happened?”

Kona looked at the wood chips surrounding her. None of them looked signed or burned, just... smashed. “Well, the stupid box didn’t burn, but... something happened.”

*****

Smallville, 12 years ago

“Okay, what happened?” Martha asked, giving her 16-year old niece/daughter a stern glance.

Karen just muttered something under her breath, refusing to meet her eyes.

“What was that?” Martha asked again, refusing to let Karen off the hook.

The sullen teenager finally met her eyes and Martha saw the mix of anger and embarrassment in those blue orbs.

“They tried to hurt Clark,” Karen grumbled.

Martha sighed; she had worried that something like that might happen sooner or later.

“A little more detail, please?”

Karen threw herself into the couch, sullenly crossing her arms over her chest. “I was on my way to collect Clark from this kindergarten place you insisted he should go to.”

Martha nodded. That had been a very long, very hard discussion. Leaving Clark in the hands of strangers had rated somewhere just below personally feeding him to wild dogs in Karen’s mind.

“When I arrived, he was playing with a little girl he had just made friends with. The daughter of the Langs. They were having fun.”

Martha nodded. She had met Lana before, a sweet little girl.

“Then an older boy arrived. Stevie Douglas. Was supposed to collect his little brother, I think. Apparently, they thought it a fun idea to steal Lana’s rucksack from her and make fun of the unicorn on it. Clark went to take the rucksack back from them and Stevie raised his arm to punch him.”

Martha rubbed her eyes. She rather doubted the Douglas boy would really have punched a three-year old kid. He would probably just have shoved him down or something. All Karen would have seen, though, was someone raising their hand against her cousin/son.

“I assume he never got the chance to do it?”

“I caught his wrist and threw him to the ground,” she replied, not sounding sorry at all.

“And…?” Martha asked.

“I... well, I might have… fractured his wrist in the process. Accidentally, of course.”

“Of course,” Martha sighed. “How bad?”

“How should I know? I’m not a doctor!”

Martha sat down beside her. “We talked about this, Karen. You need to be more careful!”

“I AM careful,” Karen growled. “I am ALWAYS careful! If I hadn’t been, I’d have taken off his entire arm instead of just cracking a few bones.”

“And what happens the next time Clark is hurt?” Martha asked. “He’s a young boy, he WILL get hurt in some way, shape, or form while he grows up.”

The very notion of Clark getting hurt made Karen visible tense up, but then she closed her eyes, breathed deeply, and relaxed again.

“I know that. It’s just... I promised to protect him.”

“And you do,” Martha told her, putting her hand on Karen’s tense shoulder. “Just try not to overdo it, okay? The last thing we want is for someone to find out how... special the two of you are.”

Karen nodded. She already knew all this, of course. She was highly intelligent, resilient, one of the strongest people Martha had ever known and that was not referring to the fact that she could bench press tons. But she was also still a teenager with a temper. A teenager whose number one priority in life was to protect the child entrusted to her care even as her world died. Martha knew that, were someone to ever seriously hurt Clark, the world would not be a big enough place to hide from Karen’s retribution.

“Let’s try and protect Clark without causing bodily harm in others, okay?”

Karen sighed, but nodded. It was probably going to be the best she was going to get from her today.

“On the plus side,” Martha said, “Clark has made a friend. That will do him good, I think.”

One day later, outside the Kent house, Clark Kent was playing with Lana Lang, his best friend in the entire world. Okay, granted, they had only met yesterday, but still. From now on, they would be best friends forever and ever.

“Your mom is so cool,” Lana chirped. Karen Kent had become her own personal hero the moment she had taken down that idiot Douglas boy in no time flat. She had badgered her parents until they agreed to bring her over to the Kent farm to play.

“I know,” Clark replied, grinning proudly. “She’s super!”

*****

Smallville, Present Day

“What about the super side?” Jonathan asked.

“The super side?” Kara looked at him, frowning. “What’s the super side?”

“I mean what are you going to tell people when Supergirl goes public? You called yourself the last daughter of Krypton numerous times in the press. If you introduce Supergirl as your daughter, people will think you lied to them.”

Kara groaned. To be honest, she hadn’t even thought of that one yet.

“We’ll figure something out, but we’re not going to let Supergirl go public anytime soon. Clark was 14 when I allowed him to become Superboy. If I let Kona go public any sooner than that, I’ll never hear the end of it from him.”

“So another 13 years then?” Martha asked, grinning.

Kara chuckled. Right, strictly speaking Kona was only about a year old. It was hard to remember, given that she looked and acted like your average 13-year old. Her vision powers easily found her two children – and wasn’t that just the weirdest thing ever? She had two children now. Thankfully Clark had gotten over his initial resentment and seemed to be doing his best to make her feel welcome now.

She frowned, though, when the box simply exploded in Kona’s hands.

“Okay, that’s weird.”

*****

Smallville, 4 years ago

“I feel weird doing this,” Kara muttered.

She was aware, of course, that this was quite a normal thing. Schools all over the country – possibly all over the world – had such events where selected parents of students came into school to talk about their careers. Having never been to school here on Earth, though, she had never personally experienced it as a student. The fact that she might one day be asked to participate as a parent had never entered her thoughts.

She was standing with a few other parents and listened as Sheriff Cole, the father of one of Clark’s fellow students, spoke about his work. It wasn’t terribly exciting, of course, as Smallville wasn’t exactly a hotbed of criminal activity. Sometimes a few guys drank too much and caused a disturbance, occasionally there were thieves, possibly a domestic dispute here and there, that was pretty much it. Which Kara was thankful for, to be honest. She really didn’t want to risk Superwoman being seen stopping crime in Smallville, Kansas.

All too soon, though, it was her turn to step in front of Clark’s class. She had thought long and hard about what to say, given that most people in Smallville only knew that she was working from home and had money to spare. She finally settled on being a software developer – which actually was one of the things she did at K-Solutions, of course. Winking at her son, she gave a pretty boring spiel about creating new software from her computer at the Kent farm, making sure to include enough technical terms to confuse any non-techie. She really didn’t need to have more people interested in what she did for a living.

“Any questions?” she asked a few minutes later, having finished her brief presentation.

One of the girls raised her hand. “Yes?”

“What was it like becoming a mother at 13?”

Kara froze. How had she not seen this coming? She was standing in front of a class where half the students were girls, all of them between 11 and 12. Only a year or two younger than Karen Kent had supposedly been when she got pregnant with Clark. Clark, who was doing his best to disappear behind his books right now.

“I... eh, what?”

“Ms. Kent is here to answer questions about her job,” the teacher stated. The side-glance she gave Kara was not a happy one. “Not about her… personal life.”

“But surely becoming a mother at 13 influenced her working life, too?” a different girl interjected. Kara got the distinct impression that some of the girls had prepared this beforehand. Well, it wasn’t like this was the first time she had been asked this. Maybe not by young girls, but still.

“You are right, of course,” Kara finally said, earning another stink eye from the teacher. “The fact that I was so young when I became a mother made me look for a job I could do from home, but also one that paid enough so I could provide for my family. Thankfully my marks were good enough to get such a job.”

“Do you regret it?” yet another girl asked. Kara was fully aware that the question was not in regards to her supposed job.

“Ms. Johnson,” the teacher began, looking like she was about to have a coronary.

“I have never and will never regret Clark being my son,” Kara spoke over her, smiling. “That said, I wouldn’t have minded if things had gone a bit different in regards to the timing. Being a teenager in Smallville is hard enough all by itself.” Never mind an alien teenager, she added internally.

Looking at the angry teacher beside her, she quickly decided to get out while the getting was good. “And I do love my job, it’s great. That’s it then, be studious, listen to your teachers. Bye!”

*****

End Chapter 48

Author’s Note: I looked up the minimum age for kindergarten in Kansas, which is apparently 5. Now I already wrote about Kara leaving Clark at the church kindergarten when she was 16 (meaning he was 3) in an earlier chapter, so maybe we can just agree that Smallville doesn’t quite adhere to standard rules. Either that or Kara simply got daycare and kindergarten confused.

Mostly using this chapter to show some more scenes of Kara’s teenage years in Smallville, I admit. The final flashback is somewhat inspired by an episode of Gilmore Girls, where Lorelai is in Rory’s school to talk about her career as a hotel manager, but every single question is about how she got her daughter at 16.

Chapter Text

Chapter 49: The People vs. Lex Luthor

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

18 months ago

Lex Luthor sat in his cell and watched television. Pretty much all the news channel only knew one topic, one that interested him tremendously as well. Superboy! The son of Superwoman! The alien had an offspring, one that apparently shared all of her tremendous powers. The world was ecstatic, celebrating the debut of the teenage superhero.

Lex, on the other hand, was certainly not celebrating.

It all made sense now, he guessed. Why Superwoman had gone to such lengths to destroy him. Why she had stepped up her efforts against him. Why she had availed herself of the help of that masked vigilante from Gotham and that other alien, Wonder Woman (whom Lex was certain was yet another member of that same alien species Superwoman hailed from. Greek myths, ha!)

In a strange sort of way, it was vindicating. Superwoman had wanted him out of the way before introducing her spawn to the world. It showed him that she considered him a danger to her agenda. It showed him that he was on the right track. She feared him. Which was a satisfying feeling, certainly, but couldn’t entirely banish the rage and embarrassment he felt.

Sitting in a jail cell for weeks on end had certainly accomplished one thing: it had given him time for self-reflection. It had led him to a rather sobering epiphany, namely that he had gotten complacent. For years upon years everything had always gone his way, everything had always worked out as he had intended it to, and it had made him sloppy. The idea to trap Superwoman had been a good one in theory, yes, but he should never have gone there in person and he most definitely should have run some sort of trial first.

He had mused on why the Lexonite hadn’t worked for weeks and weeks. The laboratory experiments had been conclusive, it should have worked. Which really just left two alternatives: one, Superwoman had found some way to shield herself from its effects, or two, someone had somehow managed to switch out the Lexonite with a harmless replica. The Batman certainly seemed capable of the latter, while Superwoman certainly seemed smart enough for the former.

Either way, he had quite clearly lost this battle. Yet it was just a battle, not the war. The war had only just begun.

He had been denied bail, called a flight risk. Well, he certainly WOULD have left the country had he been able to, so he could hardly blame the judge for that. Sadly being stuck in jail left him without quite a few of his less-than-legal resources, as everything he did and said in here was tightly monitored. Being cut off from most of his funds meant he couldn’t bribe people to the extent he would have wanted to and the number of loyal employees on the outside had dropped drastically. No one wanted to be seen backing someone who was going down.

Well, they would all learn. It would take time. He probably wouldn’t be able to avoid jail, given the evidence, but that didn’t matter. He had once been a penniless kid from Suicide Slum in Metropolis and had built an empire from nothing. He could do it again. He was smarter than just about everyone else on Earth (careful, he reminded himself, hubris is part of what led to your imprisonment) and there were always means.

For now, he would let the Superwoman think he was out of the picture; that she had won. He would be back and he would get even, there was no doubt about that.

His musings were interrupted by the guard telling him that he had a visitor. Curious as to who it could be, he found himself smiling when he saw the man entering the visitor’s room.

“Hello, Paul,” he greeted his former business partner, one of the few who had emerged from a business deal with Lex Luthor both alive and richer than before. “What brings you to my humble abode?”

Paul Westfield was an utterly unscrupulous piece of work, even from Lex’ point of view. The old saying about being willing to sell one’s own mother would certainly apply to him. Lex knew that Paul was every bit as obsessed about Superwoman as he himself was (yes, he did recognize it as a form of obsession), though in a different manner.

Paul had approached him about Cadmus years ago, but Lex had ultimately declined involvement. The technology simply wasn’t there yet, the possible returns too nebulous when compared to the very high risks. Not that Lex had anything against doing illegal and unethical things, far from it, but there needed to be a concrete gain from it, not a vague idea of somehow creating super-powered minions at some point in the distant future.

“I heard you currently have some time on your hand, Lex,” Paul replied, giving him a superior smile. Well, it was to be expected. If one fell from the heights Lex had fallen from, a lot of people were just bound to be smug about it, even those that were almost something like friends. Lex had smiled that exact smile more than once, after all.

“And what if I have?” he asked. “Did you bring me some captivating reading material?”

Paul put the leather briefcase on the table, flipping it open. The guards would certainly have checked it for anything dangerous and conspicuous first, so it was hardly surprising that it contained nothing but papers. Right on top, though, was something that immediately caught Lex’ interest. A set of blueprints.

“Dabney Donovan had some brain storms recently,” Paul said, shrugging. “I was hoping you’d give me your expert opinion on whether he came up with something viable.”

Lex had never met Dabney Donovan in person, but he had heard of him. A crackpot, certainly, but a genius one. Probably the world’s leading expert when it came to genetic modifications. Still, what Lex was looking at right now wasn’t the work of a crackpot. And he doubted it was really the work of Danbey Donovan, either, no matter what Paul said.

Studying the schematics for a cloning cylinder at least 50 years ahead of anything Earth science should be capable of producing at this point, Lex couldn’t help but smile.

“This looks promising,” he said. “You got a pen?”

*****

12 months ago

“We, the people, find Alexander Joseph Luthor guilty on all charges!”

There was a lot of rumbling from the peanut gallery, but Lex paid it no mind. After the way the trial had gone, he had expected nothing less. Oh, not because he actually believed that Superwoman had somehow influenced the jurors or anything, that had just been for the press. No, the investigators had been despicably thorough, no doubt aided by the Batman, and the outcome hadn’t really been in doubt for quite some time.

That he had put out a hit on the Batman, one that had failed and been traced back to him, hadn’t exactly helped things, either. Not one of his better ideas, he had to admit. He was working on his anger management, too.

Anyway, it didn’t really matter at this point. While he didn’t have the means to buy himself free currently, he had spent what little money he did have access to wisely. He knew which prison he would end up in and he had prepared things accordingly. Quite a few employees of said prison would be willing to turn a blind eye now and then for proper compensation. He would have access to far more means of communication than your average inmate would. Several long-time inmates of the more brutal kind had already been paid very well and would ensure that he came to no harm.

It wasn’t an ideal situation by any means, but he would deal with it. For now, he would simply go to prison and be a model prisoner until everyone had forgotten about him. He would bide his time. There were numerous things he could work on, even as being in prison gave him a perfect alibi.

He couldn’t wait for the newest updates from Cadmus, for example, given the recent success. A custom-made Superwoman, ready to be sold to the highest bidder, was Paul Westfield’s dream come true. Of course Lex’ dreams were a tiny bit different and much grander in scope. The last thing he wanted was more super-powered people running around, after all. But it was a good proof of concept and if it worked, well, then it was but one more step to creating super powers in normal humans. Well, not ‘normal’ humans as such, of course. Just one human, who was anything but normal.

Earth deserved a human champion with super powers, not some alien who set herself up as a benevolent goddess and kept bringing more and more of her ilk to HIS planet. Lex Luthor was the only man worthy of that kind of power and he would have it, sooner or later. Then they would all pay.

Some of the reporters wondered why Lex Luthor was smiling even as he received a sentence that would see him in jail for decades. Not that he cared what they thought in the least.

*****

9 months ago

There were days when Lex Luthor wondered whether the universe was comprised entirely of idiots. Or maybe there was some underlying force to the universe that somehow elevated idiots to positions of power automatically, while the genius few had to work for it. It was the only explanation he could currently come up with.

He had, of course, kept a close eye on Superwoman during his entire time in prison. It wasn’t hard, she was in the news all the time. He also still had a sizeable network on the outside. Nowhere near as extensive or capable as before, but still. So he kept apprised about her activities and, more importantly, about her allies. Who seemed to be growing in number all the time, a worrying development all in itself.

He had quickly dismissed the man in the red and white rocket suit, just a normal human availing himself of technology, advanced though it may be. The green-skinned so-called Martian was clearly yet another member of Superwoman’s alien race, simply disguised somehow. The vigilante called Green Arrow was barely worth any consideration at all, really.

And then there was the so-called Green Lantern, who currently challenged Lex Luthor’s understanding of the universe.

Oh, it wasn’t the fact that he utilized a clearly alien weapon of tremendous capabilities. It might appear like magic to the rabble, but Lex had long ago decided that any technology that was distinguishable from magic (by the common idiot, at least) was insufficiently advanced. Oh, how he would love to get his hand on that ring, which could apparently create solid light constructs of anything its wielder could imagine. Lex could imagine quite a bit.

No, what really had him going was the man who currently wielded the ring. A man who could apparently not even be bothered to hide his identity from the public, seeing as he announced his name wherever he went. Guy Gardner. Getting a background on him had been disgustingly easy. A long list of minor criminal offences as a juvenile, but after his 18th birthday he had apparently gone straight, worked to pay for college, played football, and got his degree in education. Going by his record, Gardner sounded like a painfully normal man, certainly not someone possessing the sort of qualification necessary to wield an immensely powerful weapon of mass destruction.

Where exactly the weapon had come from was a mystery. It was clearly of alien origin, that much was easily apparent. Gardner had been overheard talking about an entire corpse of Green Lanterns, who apparently patrolled space. If that was true, then what kind of selection process could possibly bestow such a powerful tool upon someone who, by all accounts, was an abrasive idiot? What alien mind smart enough to create such a wondrous device would then give it to primitives like Gardner? It boggled the mind.

One thing was for certain: should there ever be a need to take out Superwoman’s allies (and that day would probably come sooner or later), Gardner would be taken care of first. Not like it would be hard to find him, after all. And if that wonderful ring needed a new wielder then, well, Lex certainly had someone far more qualified in mind. His track record with green rings wasn’t the best, granted, but he would certainly think of better things to do with such a tool than a stupid former football player.

*****

2 months ago

Lex Luthor was really of two minds about the news he had just received. On the one hand, he was furious. So much effort had gone into Project Cadmus. Granted, mostly intellectual effort on his part, but still, it was the principle of the thing. The successful creation of a human-alien hybrid that displayed nearly all of Superwoman’s wondrous abilities was a glorious achievement, which would never have been possible without his contribution (false modesty was not something he engaged in, ever). All the time he had invested into helping Westfield and Donovan perfect the technology that had somehow fallen into their laps had been vindicated by this success. And Donovan could protest all he wanted, but Lex knew that it hadn’t been him who had come up with that cloning cylinder. He was still trying to figure out who had.

Anyway, the subject had performed above and beyond anyone’s expectations... and then she had escaped. It caused Lex almost physical pain to think about it. He knew most people were stupid, but really, how hard could it be to understand that a girl with superhuman powers required security precautions befitting her strength levels? If one’s intent was to create a human with the strength to tear metal doors apart like confetti, shouldn’t one have also put some thought into how to contain said specimen once successful? Was he really the only smart person on planet Earth? He was working on his hubris, he really was, but situations like this made it really, really hard.

Well, as disappointing and infuriating as the entire thing was, there was one upside to it. A small one, granted, but still.

The superior, smug smile that Paul Westfield had sported every single time he came to visit Lex in prison was entirely gone.

“Any advice on how to handle this situation, Lex?” Paul finally asked.

“Sure,” Lex replied, leaning forward and allowing a smug smile of his own to show. “Run!”

“What?”

“Your subject escaped, Paul. A teenage girl with super powers. Sooner or later she will attract the notice of Superwoman and her ilk and then Cadmus’ days are numbered. Your days are numbered, Paul! So, run!”

Paul Westfield, seeming entirely out of sorts, quickly vacated the visitor’s area of the prison, all but running already. Lex Luthor, despite the unfortunate setback to his own plans, just laid back in his chair and laughed. He had had worse days.

*****

The Present

Lex Luthor awoke in an unfamiliar place, feeling the kind of sluggishness associated either with alcohol or drugs. And since prison inmates didn’t usually get much of a chance to drink alcohol, well… it certainly looked like he wasn’t in prison anymore.

The surroundings were, to put it simple, alien. Much of the room he was currently in seemed to be comprised of some form of crystal. Before he could take a closer look, though, a part of the crystal wall revealed itself to be some kind of monitor. An image appeared, comprised of three circles arranged in a V-shape.

“Greetings, Lex Luthor,” a cold, emotionless voice said. “My name is Brainiac. I think we share a common interest.”

*****

End Chapter 49

Author’s Note: I had originally planned a different chapter here with the Justice League on an outer space adventure, but decided to push that back a bit because Lex really needed to rear his bald head again. And, of course, the groundworks for the Brainiac-Luthor-Team needs to be laid, too. Those two had so many great team-ups in the Silver Age, never mind their brilliant team-up in the Justice League cartoon series. Hope you like it. Adventures in outer space coming up in the next chapter (aka our landmark, double-sized 50th Issue of the Adventures of a Super Family! Up, up, and away!).

Chapter Text

Chapter 50: City in a Bottle

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Justice League belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Planet Krypton, 26 years ago

“Little Kara is already walking,” Zor-El said with pride in his voice. “Alura is telling everyone that she will be designing her first Omegahedron before she even turns 10.”

Jor-El, sitting next to his older brother, chuckled. Ever since Kara had come into the world, his brother knew almost no other topic to speak of.

“I am sure she will,” Jor replied indulgently. “But for now we still have to go and get one from Kandor, won’t we?

Zor nodded, his eyes focused on the road ahead of them. The two El brothers were driving their speeder towards Kandor City, due to meet with several of their engineers. The scientists and engineers of Kandor were among the finest on all of Krypton and the El brothers hoped to gain their support in their nascent project of determining the source of the recent tremors that plagued the planet.

“You and Lara ever going to get serious about each other?” Zor asked his brother, having finally run out of ‘Kara-did-something’ stories (for now). “Kara could certainly use a little cousin or two to boss around.”

Jor laughed. “A bit soon for that, don’t you think? But... maybe. I can certainly see it. Lara is a wonderful woman and I’m sure she’d be a great mother, too.”

“We’re almost there,” Zor said. The speeder rounded the last of the hills and the city of Kandor finally came into view. Its crystal towers reflected the red light of Rao, almost blinding the two brothers. Many regarded Kandor as the jewel of Krypton, its finest city, and even from a distance it was easy to see why. It certainly was the most beautiful, putting even Argo City to shame.

“Think we’ll have time for a visit to the crystal gardens?” Jor asked. “I was hoping to get something for Lara and...”

His voice trailed off suddenly as a blinding light erupted in front of them. Out of reflex Zor hit the brakes and the speeder came to a screeching halt, leaving the El brothers in a perfect position to see what was happening.

“Merciful Rao,” Zor muttered.

A giant beam of energy, its source somewhere out of sight high up in the sky, enveloped the entire city. Red earth exploded outward in a circle around the city boundaries as the energy violently dug into the ground. For a moment it almost looked like Kandor was entirely surrounded by a dazzling field of energy, the entire city trapped like in a bottle.

The light flared into brilliance once more, forcing the El brothers to close their eyes or risk going blind. A tremendous boom rang out over the surface of the planet, gale force winds kicking up as the air rushed to fill a sudden vacuum. And when the sound of cosmic thunder finally faded, there was nothing but silence.

The El brothers climbed out of their vehicle, both of them not quite believing what they were seeing. Kandor, Krypton’s greatest city, was simply... gone. No debris, no wreckage, no flames. Nothing but a perfectly circular hole in the ground, looking as if the hand of Rao itself had come down from the sky, scooped the city out of the planet, and carried it away.

“What happened here, Zor?” Jor asked his older brother, his voice involuntarily dropping to a whisper.

“I have no idea, Jor,” Zor replied, refusing to believe his eyes.

Emergency response forces would arrive shortly afterwards, going over the entire area with a fine-toothed comb. Brainiac would devote huge amounts of processing power to the matter. Nothing would come of it. The disappearance of Kandor would remain the greatest unsolved mystery in the history of Krypton. Eleven years later, the planet would die, the mystery still unsolved.

*****

Planet Earth, the present

Alarm bells were blaring through the Justice League Watchtower, calling all members present to the main command room. J’Onn J’Onnz was the first to arrive, curtesy of his powers allowing him to simply phase through the walls, quickly followed by Superwoman zipping in at super speed.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“The computer has picked up something,” J’Onn replied, nimble fingers moving over the control surface of the computer. “Some kind of disturbance in the Sol system’s gravity field. It’s rather similar to one we have picked up before.”

Kara looked at the screen, quickly coming to recognize the pattern. “That’s the same gravimetric interference pattern we picked up on the day the Flash took me on that voyage through time.”

She had made sure to log it into the computer after her return, writing an algorithm to ensure that the Watchtower’s scanners would always be on the lookout for similar patterns. After all, a friend from the future had told her that “Superwoman had experience with time travel”, so she figured it was only prudent to remain on the lookout.

“Yes,” J’oon agreed. “Not one hundred percent the same pattern, but very close. Just... a whole lot bigger.”

Kara’s own fingers flew over the computer keys. “Whatever it is, it’s happening about 80 million kilometers from here.”

“Near Mars,” J’Onn added, his eyes fixated on the map of the solar system in front of them.

Kara directed her super-vision to the planet below, quickly zeroing in on Keystone City. A moment later she found the Flash, happily running through the streets. That meant little, of course. Given his time travel abilities, an older version of him might well be involved.

“We’re picking up something else, too,” J’Onn said, adjusting the sensors. A moment later the speakers crackled to life and a garbled message was heard throughout the control room.

“... require assistance... please, if anyone can... energy phenomenon, unknown origin, we… can anyone hear us? ... urgently require assistance…”

“I don’t recognize the language,” Adam said, having entered the control room behind them. “What are they saying?”

Kara stared at him for a moment, wondering why he couldn’t understand the words that were perfectly clear to her, when it hit her. The words weren’t in English.

“It’s Kryptonian,” she whispered, not quite believing it. “They’re speaking Kryptonian!”

“The disturbance is growing,” J’Onn said, still working the controls. “The scanners are also picking up a physical object in Mars’ orbit now. It’s pretty large, surrounded by an exotic mix of energy patterns. I can’t get a proper reading on it from here.”

“... please, help us!” the emergency message came over the speakers again.

“Alert everyone,” Kara ordered, balling her fists. “We’re going to Mars!”

*****

Less than half an hour later two Javelin spacecraft were speeding towards the planet Mars, with two Green Lanterns and two Kryptonians flying beside them. Adam Strange was piloting Javelin 1 and had Wonder Woman and Green Arrow along. Javeline 2 had Batman in the pilot seat, with the Martian Manhunter and the two newest members of the Justice League, Hawkman and Hawkwoman, along for the ride.

“I must confess that I am intrigued, Kara-El,” Sinestro said over the coms. “I have encountered temporal disturbances before, but this is indeed a most exotic mix of energies. My ring can’t even identify half of it.”

“Just be on your guard,” Kara advised them. “The distress call was in Kryptonian and right now, to the best of my knowledge, the only one apart from my son and me who is familiar with the language is Brainiac. This might well be a trap.”

“I wouldn’t mind another round with the Brainy-Thing,” Gardner said, grinning. “Didn’t get to kick his ass properly last time.”

“We are approaching the target zone,” Adam Strange said. “Sensors indicate that the entire area is saturated with temporal energy and God alone knows what else. Be careful. Everyone who is not invulnerable or power-ringed should double-check the rad shields on their space suits!”

Coming around the curvature of planet Mars, Kara finally had a clear line of sight towards the source of the energies and the distress call. Even as her eyes focused on it, though, her brain refused to believe it. It was simply not possible.

“It can’t be,” she muttered.

“Kara, what is it?” Batman asked over the com.

“Mom, is that…?” Clark began, his own super-vision having found their target as well and recognizing it from the various Kryptonian data tracks his mother had showed him.

“Wow, is that an entire city?” Adam asked, now seeing the image on the Javelin’s view screen as well.

It was indeed an entire city, along with a large piece of rocky ground, all of which was suspended in some kind of energy field and floating in orbit above the planet Mars. Even as they watched, the energy field around the floating city churned and flickered, power readings fluctuating wildly. For a moment, the entire city seemed to wink out of existence, only to be back a heartbeat later.

“It’s a city, yes,” Kara finally said, her brain finally, though reluctantly, acknowledging what her eyes were showing her. “It’s Kandor!”

She had never seen the city with her own eyes, of course. She had been far too young back then. Like pretty much everyone else on Krypton, though, she had seen images of the city on news programs and documentaries all throughout her childhood. The disappearance of Kandor had been THE story on Krypton for many, many years. The silhouette of the city, its buildings, the shimmering of the crystal structures, all that had been imprinted on her so many times that she would never forget it. And here it was.

“That’s impossible,” Clark said. “How can a Kryptonian city be here? In space, no less?”

“A Kryptonian city?” Diana asked. “Are you sure?”

Kara’s super-vision zoomed in on the city. Though the energy field around it distorted her view somewhat, she could still make out individual buildings, look into the streets... and see people. Thousands upon thousands of people. Kryptonians. Living Kryptonians.

“I am sure, Diana,” she replied, though some part of her still refused to believe it. “That’s the Kryptonian city of Kandor, which disappeared without a trace more than a decade before Krypton’s destruction. A city home to nearly half a million Kryptonian citizens. We never did find out what happened to them.”

“Well, looks like we’re about to,” Batman said.

*****

The small flotilla came to a halt just outside the churning energy field that surrounded the city. The two Green Lanterns kept scanning with their rings, but it seemed even the wondrous power rings created by the Guardians of the Universe were stumped by what was going on.

“So now what?” Gardner asked. “We didn’t fly all this way just to float here, did we?”

“I doubt we will find out much more from out here,” Kara agreed, too preoccupied to balk at the notion of agreeing with Guy Gardner. “We need to find a way inside.”

As if on cue, the city briefly flickered out of existence once again, only to return a second later.

“The readings are fluctuating wildly,” J’Onn said. “I am unable to say whether passing through the energy field is even possible, never mind how harmful it might be. Also, given that the city simply appeared from nowhere...”

“... it might disappear again any moment to Rao knows where, I know.” Kara agreed. “Still, I have to go in there. Those are our people in there and if we can save them... I have to try.”

“We’re still picking up the distress call,” Batman chimed in, “but all our attempts to answer are going unheard. Whatever this energy field is, it’s blocking anything from getting in there.”

Kara looked around, taking in her teammates, quickly going through their abilities. “Okay, we’re going to have to split up. Sinestro, J’Onn, Hawkman, Batman, we’re going to try and go through the field into the city. You know how dangerous that might be, so if anyone doesn’t want to go...”

“We are wasting time, Kara-El,” Sinestro interrupted her.

“He is right, Kara,” Batman agreed, having already suited up.

There was no dissent from J’Onn or Carter, either. “Thank you,” she said. “The rest of you will stay out here and keep an eye on things. If anything happens, you need to find a way to warn us.”

“Be careful, mom,” Clark simply said, floating close to her.

“Always,” she replied, smiling.

A moment later Sinestro surrounded the entire group in a powerful green shield and they flew into the energy curtain.

*****

Until roughly two hours ago, Maj-Ar had had one of the most boring jobs in the entire world. He was a police officer on a planet that had largely left such things as crime behind. What few police duties remained were fulfilled by drone robots, who needed little in the way of supervision. The only reason, really, that there were still flesh-and-blood Kryptonians performing police duties was tradition. There had been times in the past when Maj-Ar had complained about how boring his job was, but overall he had been content.

Everything had changed two hours ago.

From one moment to the next, without any warning, the entire city had been surrounded by a bright light and then everything had gone crazy. All connections to the rest of Krypton had been cut off. The local Brainiac node had crashed. A strange energy field had formed around the city. And to top it all off, those few daring souls who had gone close enough to the energy curtain to take a peek outside had seen the impossible: Kandor was no longer on Krypton. It seemed the city was floating freely in space. Which was impossible, of course. Insane, totally preposterous. So Maj-Ar, who had somehow found himself nominally in charge of this disaster as Kandor’s longest-serving police officer, had gone to take a look himself.

Okay, he took stock, what did he have to work with? With the crashing of the Brainiac node, the law enforcement drones were down, no help from them. Most of the city’s automated systems were still working, power supply was steady thanks to the Omegahedrons, and the energy field somehow retained Kandor’s atmosphere and gravity, so they weren’t floating or suffocating in space. They seemed to be in orbit around a strange planet, but weren’t falling down towards the surface. The population was scared, sure, but all of them seemed smart enough to realize that there was nothing to be gained from full-blown panic. That certainly wouldn’t last, though. Something needed to be done and soon. The problem was, he had no idea what.

Evacuating the city was impossible. They had plenty of vehicles, sure, but none of them space-worthy. They didn’t even know where they were, as the planet below was unfamiliar and certainly not Krypton, so even if they could evacuate, where would they go? Kandor’s famous Science Council were in the process of analyzing the energy barrier surrounding them, trying to figure out what it was and how it worked, but that was of little immediate value. They had plenty of food and water, but there was no telling how long the air would last. Some of the automated manufacturing plants had begun to churn out space suits, but even Krypton’s most advanced factories couldn’t create half a million space suits in a matter of hours.

“Rao, we could really use a miracle right about now,” he muttered.

“Sir, we have a disturbance in the energy field,” one of his officers called over the com. “Sector 17!”

“On my way,” he replied, running to his speeder and wondering whether Rao was about to answer his prayers after all or just give him yet another problem on top of everything else.

Three minutes later, he was in the aforementioned sector, just in time to see a glowing green orb emerge from the energy curtain surrounding the city. The orb sat down before the small group of police officers and nearby civilians, quickly fading into nothingness. This allowed Maj-Ar an unobstructed view of the strangest group of individuals he had ever seen.

“We have picked up your distress call,” the apparent leader of the group said, obviously a Kryptonian, her dialect placing her as a native of Argo City. She wore a house crest on the chest of her suit, but it wasn’t one Maj was familiar with.

Much stranger than the Kryptonian woman, though, were her companions. One was easily identified as a Green Lantern thanks to the uniform and glowing green ring. Maj-Ar was reasonably certain that it was not Abin Sur, but there were supposed to be thousands of them spread out across space. Next to the Lantern stood a man with wings and a bird-like helmet, which Maj believed to be Thanagarian in origin. The man dressed in black with a mask covering most of his face might have been Kryptonian or Thanagarian as well, it was hard to tell. The symbol on his chest didn’t really look like a Kryptonian house crest, though.

It was the final member of this eclectic group, though, that really pressed home the strangeness of this gathering. It was an alien with green skin, one Maj had absolutely no idea about. It was weird enough for a Kryptonian (or two) to be in the company of a Thanagarian and a Green Lantern, but an entirely unknown alien species? What was going on here?

“We are glad that someone picked us up,” Maj addressed the leader. “We were starting to think that we were completely lost somewhere. I am Maj-Ar, senior police officer of Kandor.”

“I am Kara-El of Argo,” the Kryptonian introduced herself. “And this may sound like a really strange question, Maj-Ar, but how long has it been since you vanished from Krypton?”

He frowned. “What do you mean? The phenomenon started roughly two hours ago.”

The woman’s eyes widened and she quickly shared glances with some of her companions.

“Fascinating,” the Green Lantern simply said.

“Why are you asking that question?” Maj-Ar asked. “And pardon my asking, but... where are we? How did you find us? And why are you... eh... in this company?”

The woman, Kara-El, gave him the kind of gaze that told him she was internally debating on how much to tell him.

“This is going to sound hard to believe, Maj-Ar,” she finally said, “but what has been but two hours for you, has been no less than 26 solar cycles for the rest of the universe. Kandor vanished from Krypton when I was but a small child and has not been seen since.”

Maj-Ar’s mouth fell open.

*****

It was all Kara could do to keep her face neutral. She was actually standing in Kandor, greatest and most beautiful of all Kryptonian cities. Half a million of her fellow Kryptonians were here, alive and well (if a bit panicked at the moment). Kal and she were not the sole survivors of their kind. Their race lived on.

“How is this possible?” Maj-Ar finally asked. “How... surely you are jesting, Kara-El?”

“I am afraid not, Maj-Ar,” she replied. “Kandor’s disappearance became the greatest mystery of Krypton. Unsolved, until today.”

Under no circumstances would she tell these people that their home world was gone. Not until the current crisis was past. They had more than enough on their plate right now, they didn’t need to know that their abduction had saved them from certain doom.

“And… you have been looking for us all these years?” he asked. “Is that why you are with... these aliens?”

Kara frowned, remembering the rather stand-off approach most Kryptonians had had to alien species. Not outright xenophobia as such, but aliens had been regarded wearily and with suspicion.

“Part of the reason,” she replied. “We can discuss all that you missed at a later date, Maj-Ar, but for now we should focus on the present. Have you learned anything about this energy phenomenon surrounding Kandor so far?”

“Not much,” the Kryptonian admitted. “It does seem to protect us from empty space, but according to the Science Council, the field is unstable. It could go at any second and leave us all to suffocate. We need to evacuate the city as quickly as possible.”

Kara mused that over. “That’s going to be tricky, I fear. We only have two space ships with us, which can load no more than 30 people each.” She turned towards Sinestro. “Can two Green Lantern rings keep half a million people safe from space?”

Sinestro considered this. “Under ideal circumstances, yes. The field surrounding the city disrupts our rings, though. We barely made it through with just five people inside a force bubble. We’d have to get the people outside the field first, which, considering there is nothing but vacuum outside...”

“Yeah, I see the problem.”

“What about the planet below?” Maj-Ar asked. “Is there any way to set the city down?”

“Even if we could, it wouldn’t help much,” Kara replied. “Mars has no breathable atmosphere anymore.”

“Mars?” Maj-Ar clearly recognized the name. “Then, you are a Martian?” he asked J’Onn.

“Indeed,” J’Onn replied. “Sadly my home world is not as hospitable as it once was.”

Bruce took Kara aside for a moment, as Maj-Ar was distracted by the novelty of meeting a living Martian. “Shouldn’t the Kandorians develop super powers once exposed to the light of our sun?”

“Only those in their teens and older,” Kara replied, “and not instantaneously, either. Certainly not quickly enough to survive a sudden exposure to vacuum. And clearly the energy curtain is filtering out the sunlight, too, otherwise most of them should be experiencing enhanced senses by now at the very least.”

She huffed in frustration. “There must be something we can do! I haven’t found the lost city of Kandor simply to see all its citizens perish!”

Suddenly the entire city was rocked by what was clearly an explosion, everything tilting sideways for a precarious moment. The ever-visible energy field around the city flickered and churned.

“We experienced something like this before,” Maj-Ar yelled. “Brace for...”

Everything around Kara went white.

*****

Thaal Sinestro found himself in unfamiliar surroundings. He was hovering somewhere high above a planet and all around him there were flashes of light. There were Green Lanterns there, dozens of them, which was a strange sight all in itself. Outside of meeting on Oa, usually no more than two or three Green Lanterns were gathered at any one time. Even more unusual, there were others there as well. A diverse group of aliens, all of them flying through space surrounded by light. Not green light, though. Yellow light. And they were fighting against the Lanterns.

Looking down at his hand, Sinestro found himself wearing a yellow uniform and with a yellow ring on his finger.

“Traitor,” someone yelled, and Sinestro turned around to find himself facing Guy Gardner. Gardner looked older, grimmer, but was still wearing the green and the look on his face as he was approaching Sinestro was one of pure hatred. His ring pulsed, building up a tremendous charge.

Then everything faded to white once again.

*****

Carter Hall, Hawkman, found himself standing in his apartment back in Midway City. He was in civilian clothes, no trace of his Hawkman garb, and someone was tugging at his pant legs.

“Daddy?” someone said, a blonde boy of no more than ten, looking up at him with the most adorable pleading eyes. “Just one time, I promise I’ll be careful!”

Before Carter could think of anything to say, the boy was suddenly hoisted into the air by a pair of arms. The arms were attached to a woman that was clearly Shiera, though she looked quite a few years older than she had been when he had seen her last about ten minutes ago.

“No way, Hector,” Shiera told the boy, smiling all the while. “You are still too young to use the Nth metal. Your father and I explained this to you before.”

“But it sings to me, mommy,” the boy, Hector, replied. “I can hear it even in my sleep.”

The boy could hear the Nth metal sing to him? The boy who was clearly his son? What did that mean?

Before he could figure out what was going on here, everything faded to white once again.

*****

Batman found himself standing in the middle of his Batcave, but immediately noticed that it was not as he had left it. Some things were different. The computers looked more modern, the area he had put aside for trophies had grown considerably, and the car standing on the raised platform was a different one as well.

“A space/time disturbance,” he muttered. “Is this the future then?”

“Master Bruce,” a voice almost managed to start him. “Is everything all right?”

He looked over at Alfred and was not surprised to see his old friend looking considerably older. He wasn’t sure how much, but he estimated at least ten years, if not more.

“Not really, Alfred,” he replied. “I seem to be misplaced in time and...”

“Ah, yes,” Alfred said. “This is the time then, you told me about this years ago. I am supposed to give you a message.”

Batman raised an eyebrow under his cowl. Apparently he would go back and then tell Alfred about this. Good to know. But what essential information could his own future self want to send to the past?

“What message?” he asked.

“Don’t let them take Clark! Whatever happens, don’t let them take Clark!”

Batman opened his mouth to ask for further details, but everything faded to white once again.

*****

J’Onn J’Onnz found himself on the surface of Mars with no idea how he had gotten here. Had the energy phenomenon somehow displaced him? He looked up, but could see no trace of Kandor anywhere above.

He was about to activate his com when a tremendous boom, audible even in Mars’s thin atmosphere, shook the entire landscape. Turning around, J’Onn saw a tunnel of light opening up in the sky. It looked like those boom tubes Kara could open by using the Mother Box, only much, much larger.

A horde of creatures came flying through, insect-like aliens wearing high-tech armor and flying on semi-organic wings. There were hundreds of them, thousands, and they were carrying strange-looking machinery with them. Machinery of a design that was familiar to him. Machinery that looked somewhat like Kara’s Mother Box, only... sinister, somehow.

“An invasion force,” he muttered, watching as the aliens set down on the surface of his world and began setting up equipment. Once again he reached for his com, wanting to warn his friends and family of the impending threat.

Then everything faded to white once again.

*****

Kara found herself standing on the surface of an alien world, purple skies above her, and people all around. Most of them looked human, or near-human at least (there were some really strange skin-colors, among other things) and looked as if they’d been through one heck of a battle. They were dirty, sweaty, looked banged up. Most of them carried weapons of some kind. All of them were smiling and cheering.

“We did it,” someone yelled to another round of cheers. “The bastards are running!”

A woman stood next to Kara, hair white as snow and with ice crystals constantly forming and re-forming on her arms and hands.

“We really did it, Kara,” the woman said, smiling. “And it’s all because of you!”

“What?” Kara asked, confused. What was going on here?

“Now don’t be humble, darling,” the woman said, draping her arms around Kara’s neck. Where their skin touched there was a feeling of intense cold that made Kara’s nerves tingle. “You saved us all!”

The woman gave her a kiss that was freezing and scorching at the same time, even as everything around her faded to white once again.

*****

Clark was bored out of his mind, which was quite a feat considering that he was off in space with the Justice League and right in front of him was a Kryptonian city that had disappeared from the world of his birth before its destruction. Since his mother and the others had gone in, though, nothing had happened. They were just hanging here in space in orbit above Mars, spinning their thumbs.

“Boooooooring!”

The fact that Jerk Gardner (who was not a member of the Justice League, his mom had assured him) seemed just as bored was just the icing on the cake.

“I can’t get any of them on the coms,” Adam told them. “The field seems to be blocking practically anything. It was probably just luck that the distress call made it through to be picked up by us.”

“Great, and how do we know whether they need our help or not?” Green Arrow asked.

“Gardner, can your ring contact Sinestro’s ring?” Diana interjected.

Gardner grumbled in annoyance, but sent a green beam of energy towards the energy field surrounding the city. For a long moment nothing happened, then the beam fizzled away into nothingness.

“I can pick up that Sin’s ring is in there,” Gardner said. “But little else. Maybe Marvin can do his little mind-speak trick to let us know what’s going on.”

“J’Onn’s telepathy has limited range,” Clark reminded him, ignoring the nickname. “I doubt he can project this far.”

“Okay, so how long do we wait before we go after them?” Hawkwoman asked. It was a strange sight for Clark to see her flying through space with wings that seemed to be made of feathers. It was all about that weird Nth metal, mom had explained to him. He didn’t really understand how it worked, though.

Before anyone could answer Hawkwoman’s question, though, a huge explosion bloomed somewhere near the base of the floating city. There was no sound in space, of course, but the flash of light was sufficient to get all of their attention. The entire city seemed to shudder and tilted sideways a bit. Without anyone needing to issue a command, the small flotilla of space ships and flying people sped towards the source of the light, which seemed to be directly underneath the city.

“The explosion has shifted the city’s orbit around Mars,” Adam said over the coms. “It’s entering the planet’s gravity well.”

“Can you estimate how long we have?” Diana asked.

“Depends on how well the energy field protects them from re-entry heat. Mars’ doesn’t have much in the way of an atmosphere left, but still quite enough to burn up an object on re-entry. I’d say we have an hour, two hours max.”

Whatever had taken the city from Krpyton had apparently taken a huge chunk of rock and soil with it. When they finally cleared the rock and could see the source of the explosion, Clark could feel his mouth drop open.

The energy curtain around the city flickered, which was the only reason he could catch a clear glimpse now and then of what was going on. Someone or something had attached a huge machine to the underside of the city, the technology looking entirely alien to Clark’s eyes. Tremendous amounts of energy were pulsing through cables as wide as cars and Clark was fairly certain that this was the source of the energy field around the city. It seemed, though, that one part of the machine had given out and blown. The metal casing was torn open and smoke was billowing out.

“Anyone recognize the tech?” Adam asked over the coms. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

It figured, Clark mused, that all of their tech geniuses (except possibly Adam) were currently inside the city.

“It doesn’t look like anything from Earth or Krypton,” Clark said, his supervision roaming across the gigantic apparatus. He wasn’t exactly a slouch when it came to science and technology, either, but he recognized none of what he was seeing right now.

“If that machine generates the field and keeps the city aloft, we might be in big trouble,” Arrow said. “If that thing goes, all the people in the city will suffocate before they have a chance to fall down to Mars.”

“We’re not going to let them die,” Clark insisted. “No one dies on our watch!”

“Well said, kid,” Adam replied. “Gardner, can your ring lift the city back into orbit?”

“I could lift a continent into orbit if not for that friggin’ energy shield. It disrupts my ring beam somehow.”

Clark spent but another few seconds musing things over, then acted. The Teen of Steel shot forward at super speed, aiming for one of the flickering openings in the energy field, and was through before his comrades could even begin to raise their voices in protest. A moment later, he was directly underneath the city, braced his shoulders against the rock, and PUSHED!

For all that the city was practically weightless in space, it still had a mass measured in millions of tons with all the inertia that went with it. More than that, said mass was now caught in the gravity well of the planet Mars, which pulled at the comparatively tiny object. But none of that mattered to Clark right now. This was a city full of people and whether they were his own long-lost kin or just random alien strangers didn’t matter, either. So the Teen of Steel called on every single bit of strength granted to him by the yellow star of his adopted home world and PUSHED!

*****

“What was that?” Kara asked, finding herself inside Kandor once again, disoriented and dizzy.

“A space/time disturbance,” Maj-Ar explained, getting back to his feet. “This is the fourth we’ve experienced. As the energy field around the city destabilizes, people experience apparently random shifts in time, seeing visions of their own future. This was the longest yet, though.”

Kara looked at her companions. Sinestro seemed shaken, Batman contemplative, Hawkman and J’Onn confused. Much like she herself felt. She had no idea what planet that had been, nor who those people – especially that ice woman – had been.

The city shuddered once again, derailing her train of thoughts, and Kara’s finely tuned senses picked up a noticeable increase in gravity. Visions of the future would have to wait, it seemed.

“I fear we’re in big trouble,” she told the others. “Kandor’s orbit is destabilizing, I think.”

“She is right,” Maj-Ar said, checking a reading on the computer pad he carried with him. “The Science Council just confirmed it as well. Whatever that explosion was, it knocked us out of orbit.”

“We need to get back out there,” Sinestro said. “Together we might be able to stabilize the city’s orbit again, buy ourselves some time at least.”

“Right,” Kara nodded. “We should...”

There was a white flash right in front of them and suddenly a figure appeared. It was a humanoid-looking shape, encased in some kind of night-black armor that completely obscured its identity and species. Energy churned around the figure, which quickly fell to its knees, obviously in some kind of pain. Kara took a step forward.

“Careful,” Sinestro warned her. “My ring picks up extremely strong temporal anomalies around this stranger.”

“You… must... leave!” the figure said, its voice distorted by the helmet it wore. “Quickly! While... while there is still… time!”

“Who are you?” Kara asked, noticing that the figure spoke flawless Kryptonian with an Argosian accent. “Did you kidnap Kandor? What are you doing with it? Why are you here now?”

“No… time,” the figure said, staggering back to its feet. “Chrono field… unstable! Not in synch with... current time zone… City will... be destroyed unless… we can move it back... into the... timestream!”

“Who is ‘we’?” Kara demanded. “Who are you?”

“Something seems to be slowing down the city’s descent,” Maj-Ar interjected, “but we are still falling. If there is anything you can do, you need to do it now!”

“Go!” the figure demanded, stumbling forward. For a moment Kara and the black-armored stranger were almost within touching distance and reality itself seemed to shiver in the space between them, screaming out as if in agony.

“You need to go,” the figure said, voice dropping to a whisper. “Please!” And then the figure said a word in Kryptonian that Kara hadn’t heard in over 15 years.

"Kri-timzeht!"

Her eyes widened. The black figure merely nodded.

“Let’s go,” Kara said, turning around. “We have a city to save!”

The black-armored figure disappeared in a crackle of energy.

*****

Clark’s entire world had narrowed down to the tremendous mass resting on his shoulders and the red planet below, which inexorably came closer and closer. He was slowing the city’s descent, he could feel it, but the orbit was still collapsing and the city would still break apart once it entered Mars’ atmosphere. He pushed with all his strength, but it wasn’t quite enough.

“No one dies on our watch!” he repeated over and over, like a mantra. “No one dies on our watch!”

“Damn right, kid,” someone else said, breaking into their com frequency, and suddenly the massive load lightened somewhat. Opening his eyes, Clark couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing.

The entire Justice League was there, including his mother. Superwoman, Wonder Woman, the Martian Manhunter, and even the Hawks were lining up beside him and putting their shoulders against the rock, pushing. Twin beams of green energy were forming huge hands made of light and pushing against the rock as well. The two Javelin space craft were hovering just outside the energy curtain, which seemed more unstable than ever, which was probably the only reason everyone had made it inside.

“Great work, Superboy,” his mom said, smiling at him. “Now let’s really put our backs into it!”

Clark nodded and once again pushed with all his strength. The rock above him shuddered and for a moment he feared that it would all break apart, but then he could feel the city’s descent slow and finally come to a stop.

“Orbit is stable,” Adam announced.

“Now what?” Green Arrow asked.

Before anyone could answer him, the vast machines Clark had spotted coming in flared to life again and the energy field around the city began to visibly strengthen and stabilize.

“Okay, is that good or bad?”

“It’s good,” a new voice broke in on their com frequency. It was distorted, unrecognizable, and clearly belonged to a black-armored figure that had appeared out of nowhere between them and the machines. “The damage has been fixed, now we can continue.”

“Continue where?” his mom asked, facing the black figure. Clark floated to her side. “Where are you taking the city?”

“To a safe place, I promise,” the stranger said. “Scout’s honor, Karen, Clark!”

Clark’s eyes widened. “How do you...?”

“You need to go now,” the stranger continued. “The field will close in a few seconds and the city will vanish! You really shouldn’t be here when that happens!”

Clark expected his mom to protest, to ask more question, but after staring at the black helmet of the figure facing them for a seemingly endless moment, she merely nodded.

“Okay, people! Let’s move!”

Clark had about a hundred questions, but decided to postpone them for the moment. Clearly things were coming to a head, the machines were humming like crazy, the field glowed brighter with every moment. All League members except the Green Lanterns and the Kryptonians were heading back into the ships and a moment later they were outside the field. The gap they had flown through was rapidly closing behind them.

“The gravimetric fluctuations are increasing in strength,” Adam said over the coms. “We should get out of here!”

“What about Kandor?” Clark asked, even as he was following the others in flying away from Kandor at best speed.

“It’s in safe hands,” his mom said. “I hope.”

They were roughly 2,000 kilometers away when the entire city, the last remnant of Krypton, just winked out of existence, leaving no trace that it had ever been there. The Justice League flotilla came to a halt, everyone looking at the empty patch of space above the planet Mars.

“So...,” Green Arrow finally said. “Do we have any idea what just happened here?”

“A few,” Clark’s mom said. “Let’s head home, then we can talk!”

*****

“The computers have finished their analysis of the energy field around Kandor, Kara,” Batman said, sitting in front of the main monitor of the Watch Tower. “They couldn’t identify everything, but some of the patterns were recognizable.”

Kara stood with her back to him, watching the other League members as they were gathered around the control room. No one was going home yet, they had too much to talk about and figure out.

“Let me guess,” she said, without even looking at the monitor. “Zeta radiation,” her eyes flickered to Adam. “Nth Metal resonance,” she looked at the Hawks. “Green Lantern energy,” Gardner and Sinestro were bickering as usual. “The power signature of a Kryptonian Omegahedron,” there was Clark, rolling his stiff shoulders. “And a temporal disturbance pattern similar to that of the Flash,” she finished.

To his credit, Batman’s only reaction was a slight increase in his heartbeat.

“You are thinking what I am thinking then?” he simply asked.

She nodded. “There is a lot of work still ahead of us.”

Her eyes gazed out into empty space, but for the first time in years, the blackness was not a canvas on which she saw the destruction of her home world replayed over and over again. Now she saw the city of Kandor, safely in its energy bottle, carried off by someone who knew a Kryptonian word that Kara was very much familiar with.

It had been a tradition on Krypton that every newborn child should be given a motto, a mantra, a word that its parents thought exemplified their existence. Zor-El and Alura had chosen a very particular word for Kara. One chosen at a time when the future seemed infinite and full of hope. A word that had lost all meaning to her when her world had died. She hadn’t thought of it in years. Now, though, it rang through her mind again and brought a smile to her face.

Kri-timzeht!

There was no direct translation of the word. The closest English equivalent would be: “Bright Future!”

*****

End Chapter 50

Author’s Note: You can’t have a story paying homage to the glory days of Superman comic stories without having the bottle city of Kandor along for the ride. Keen readers might remember Kara mentioning the disappearance of Kandor during her Black Mercy episode. I think there are more than enough clues in this chapter for everyone to figure out WHO did the abducting of Kandor, but the WHY and WHERE TO? You’ll have to wait and see. Hope you enjoyed the ride so far.

May I just say, though, that finding named canon characters who were citizens of Kandor isn’t easy? It seems in the Silver Age Kandor was almost exclusively populated by criminals (who usually escaped the bottle to make trouble for Superman or Supergirl) or distant relatives of the El family. I briefly thought about introducing Nightwing and Flamebird (the Kandorian heroes) in this chapter, too, but eventually decided against it, this chapter ended up long enough as it was, even for a double-sized 50th issue (with larger font it might even be an 80-page giant).

Chapter Text

Chapter 51: Aftermath

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Kara looked at the people sitting around the large conference table in the Justice League Watchtower. All the current League members were present, as well as the two Green Lanterns Sinestro and Gardner. Clark was also there, though she had reminded him that partaking in a post-mission briefing did not make him a full member yet. His pout had been adorable.

“First of all, thank you all for help,” she began. “This was a dangerous mission and, as it turned out, had little to do with the safety of Earth, so Superboy and I are very grateful that you all aided us in ensuring the safety of Kandor.”

“Is it safe?” Adam asked. “I mean, it disappeared again and we don’t really know who was behind it all, do we?”

Kara simply smiled. “I... have a suspicion, but I am not yet confident enough to share it. Suffice to say I am reasonably certain that Kandor is safe. And you cannot imagine how much that means to Superboy and I, to know that some of our lost people survived. Thank you all!”

She was met with shrugs, smiles, and stoic faces, but she felt confident that the team she had assembled would be having her back, just as she had theirs, no matter what the future might bring. Which, if her suspicions were true, would be quite a bit.

“That said, there is something I think we should talk about,” she continued. “Those of us who travelled inside Kandor experienced a sort of time-shift, which showed us glimpses of the future. Despite my previous experiences with time travel, I am not capable of saying whether what we saw was THE future or simply a possible future, but still. I would ask all who experienced it to share what they saw, if they feel it is something we should all know or might be pertinent to the future safety of Earth.”

She looked around and J’Onn was the first to stand up.

“I found myself on the surface of Mars,” he told them, “and before I could orient myself I saw a portal opening, similar to those Kara opens with her Mother Box, but larger. An alien army came through, carrying all sorts of equipment, and began setting up on Mars’ surface. That was all I could see before I was wrenched back.”

Kara nodded. “I took my Mother Box from an alien called Steppenwolf who tried to invade Earth 3,000 years in the past. I always feared that he or others from his race might give it another try.”

“Was there any indication as to when this happened?” Batman asked.

J’Onn shook his head. “Sadly, no. It was day on Mars, so I saw no star constellations, and there was nothing else to indicate whether this would happen tomorrow or a hundred years from now.”

Kara knew that Martians were very long-lived, so even factoring in that a future version of J’Onn had been present at the time of the vision, they could still be talking about a century and more.

“Then I guess all we can do is set up some kind of monitoring equipment on Mars,” Hawkman proposed, “so we will be forewarned when these invaders come, whenever that will be.”

Kara nodded and made a mental note to do just that.

“I found myself on an alien planet,” she was next to reveal her future vision. “I didn’t recognize it. It had purple skies, but that doesn’t really narrow it down much. It was clearly the aftermath of a victorious battle, there were armed people all around me, cheering. Some seemed human, some not. Clearly we had just defeated someone, but that is all I learned before I was wrenched back.”

Everyone absorbed the information, but there was really nothing to be done with it for now. Hawkman stood up next.

“I can only say that my vision was... personal. Something concerning Hawkwoman and myself. There was nothing of relevance to the League or the safety of Earth, I believe.”

“Thank you,” Kara said. “Sinestro?”

The Green Lantern looked up, looking a bit startled, as if she had wrenched him out of deep thoughts.

“I... I found myself involved in a battle between members of the Green Lantern Corps and... another faction, one that I am unfamiliar with. It was nowhere near Earth, best I could tell, so I doubt it has any relevance to you.”

Kara narrowed her eyes. Sinestro seemed deeply troubled, his words did not really fit with the look on his face. She could hardly force him to unveil something that might well be deeply personal, though, so she simply made a mental note to keep an eye on the purple-skinned Lantern.

“Batman?” she turned to the final League member who had been inside Kandor. “What about you?”

Bruce’s face was stoic, not an emotion to be seen. “Nothing of relevance to the League, I think. Just something... personal.”

Despite being rather certain that her friend was holding something back, Kara let the matter rest. She trusted Bruce, he would tell her if it was something she needed to know.

*****

Some hours later

Batman was sitting in front of a special stand-alone computer in his bat cave. It was completely isolated from the outside world, connected to no network, which was the only way to ensure total security, really. The data on this computer was too sensitive to entertain even a remote chance that someone might hack into it. When turning it on, one had only a single chance to enter the correct password and a thermal charge would ignite upon failure, melting the hard drive down into scrap.

This computer contained everything that Batman knew about the two most powerful beings currently living on planet Earth: Kara-El and Kal Jor-El, aka Karen Kent and Clark Kent, aka Superwoman and Superboy. Well, he would soon need to add a third file to this computer for Karen’s clone daughter, but he hadn’t gotten around to that yet.

Currently he was perusing his file on Clark Kent, Superboy, and musing on recent events. During the a sudden time shift in the time-lost city of Kandor, he had seen a vision of the future (or possibly ‘a’ future), where Alfred had given him a message to take back to the past. A message that he himself had told Alfred to deliver, knowing that at some point he would experience said time shift and a younger Batman would appear in the future to receive it.

How had Karen phrased it? Time travel makes one’s head hurt. It certainly did.

Batman wasn’t exactly comfortable with the topic of time travel, simply because there were too many question marks involved. He knew of Karen’s travel into the past, for example, a journey that had apparently been pre-destined because she ended up saving the life of Hippolyta, a woman she had already met 3,000 years later. Then there was the matter of Kandor, of course, and the suspicions that Karen and he had about the perpetrators of its abduction from Krypton.

Karen had also told him about her meeting the being calling itself Metron when she had attempted to prevent the destruction of Krypton in the past, as well as her experiences with the Legion of Superheroes in the 30th century. From all these encounters, Batman drew the conclusion that time was not immutable. History COULD be changed, otherwise Metron would not have bothered stopping Karen, and the Legion wouldn’t have gone to the past to protect Karen from Mordru. The consequences of actually doing so, though, were apparently (and unsurprisingly) highly unpredictable and potentially disastrous.

Which left the question, of course, what could possibly have motivated some future version of himself to risk changing history by sending that message back to the past?

“Don’t let them take Clark”, he muttered, repeating the message the future version of Alfred had given him. It wasn’t exactly much to go on, as he did not know who ‘them’ were, when it would happen, and what ‘taking Clark’ actually entailed. He could only assume that his future counterpart had known that the time shift would only last a few seconds and that there wouldn’t be time for a longer, more detailed message. Still, it frustrated him.

He could imagine multiple scenarios, of course. One, someone would take Clark and end up killing him. The consequences of that were easy to imagine. As good a person as Karen was, she would tear the world apart to get at whoever had hurt her son. Two, someone would take Clark and somehow turn him against his family and allies. The consequences of that scenario were potentially even worse. Or three, Clark would somehow be taken away to parts unknown, thereby distracting Karen and the Justice League from something important.

He could easily come up with half a dozen more scenarios, but without more information, there wasn’t really any point to it. The only sensible thing he could do for now was to keep a very, very close eye on Clark Kent.

*****

“An entire city of Kryptonians?” Kona asked, eyes wide. “Really? All of them like... like us?”

Kara nodded. “And you can be very proud of your brother,” she said, looking over at Clark. “When the city threatened to tumble from orbit, he flew in and lifted it back up.”

Clark’s cheeks reddened a bit and he ducked his head bashfully. “I didn’t do it alone,” he insisted.

“No, but you slowed its descent long enough for the rest of us to come in and help you,” Kara told him. “I am very proud of you, son.”

“I wish I could have been there,” Kona said, looking a bit forlorn. “I could have helped.”

“I know, sweetheart,” Kara said, brushing her hand through Kona’s golden locks, something she caught herself doing quite often recently without consciously thinking about it. Kona didn’t seem to mind, quite the opposite. Physical affection was something the young hybrid had never before experienced, after all, and seemed positively starved for. “But we still haven’t fully tested the range of your powers yet, never mind in outer space. It would have been too dangerous.”

“I had to wait years until she finally let me come along on missions,” Clark told her. “You can wait a bit longer, super-short!”

Kona swatted at her brother, a tiny crack telling Kara that her hand broke the sound barrier doing it. “Watch it, SuperBOY!”

Kara couldn’t help the large grin on her face. Despite Clark’s initial resentment of the situation, her two children had bonded very quickly during the last few days and were already behaving like every brother and sister she had ever seen on TV. She couldn’t be happier.

“What happened to Kandor?” Kona asked, settling down again. “Where did it go?”

“I think the question should be ‘when’ did it go,” Kara told her. “And I am reasonably sure that it travelled to the future.”

“So, we will... will we see it again then?”

She nodded. “I hope so, Kona. Because I am very much looking forward to showing both of you a real Kryptonian city one day. It’s part of your heritage.”

Kara leaned back on the couch, her daughter leaning into her side, her son sitting relaxed on her other side. And somewhere out there was an entire city of her people, alive and well. The last daughter of Krypton closed her eyes, smiling. For today, at least, all was well.

*****

Thaal Sinestro was sitting in the guest quarters that the Justice League had offered him on the Watchtower and contemplated the green ring that was currently lying in the palm of his hand. He had worn that ring for many years now and had never regretted putting it on. In fact, he had fully expected to wear it for the rest of his life until, at some point in the distant future, he would die in the line of duty like his friend Abin Sur.

Now, though, for the first time he doubted.

He had seen a vision of the future. A future where he was apparently no longer a Green Lantern, but a member of another group. A group that utilized yellow energy and was apparently opposed to the Green Lantern Corps. A group that fought against the Corps.

Guy Gardner had called him a traitor.

Sinestro was not a rooky Green Lantern. He had studied the power of the green light extensively and delved deeply into the knowledge database on Oa. He knew about the emotional spectrum, how the base emotions that comprised all sentient life were represented by different colors of light. Green was the center, representing the power of will and the ability to control one’s emotions.

Yellow was the light of fear, that which Green Lanterns had to banish from their minds in order to retain control of the green light. Fear was the mind-killer, the Guardians of Oa preached, fear made even the most intelligent sentients do senseless and abominable things. Fear was the greatest weakness a Green Lantern could have, should he allow it to control him.

But if one were capable of harnessing the power of fear... he clenched his fist, the edges of his green ring biting painfully into his palm.

*****

End Chapter 51

Author’s Note: Just a short chapter to wrap up the Kandor storyline (for now), and remind people that this story is still alive. Sorry for the long break, but the muse was not cooperating. I have more than enough ideas for future chapters, but getting them down on paper (digitally speaking) is proving a bit difficult right now. I hope to get back into the swing of things soon.

Chapter Text

Chapter 52: This is why I hate Magic!

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

“Ladies and gentlemen, Las Vegas is proud to present the master of magic, the wizard beyond compare, the amazing JOHN ZATARAAAAAAA!”

The audience erupted into thunderous applause as a man dressed in an old-fashioned tux, complete with top hat and coat tails, appeared in an explosion of smoke and light, taking a deep bow. He gave a brief speech about the wonders of magic and illusion and how nothing would be as it seemed tonight.

Kara barely listened, instead watching Kona beside her. The young girl was amazed at the glittering lights and pageantry of Las Vegas and enjoyed every single minute of it. It had been Martha’s idea, actually, reminding Kara of a road trip that the two Kent women had taken when Kara had still been a teenager in order to bond and show Kara more of the world. Now Kara was doing the same thing with Kona, and thankfully Clark had been all for it, though Kara suspected he just wanted to go and hang out with Wally again.

Anyway, Kona had been a bit hesitant at first to leave the sheltered tranquility of Smallville behind, still not quite over the worry that someone would stick her back in a cage again. It was good for her to see more of the world, though, and instead of flying, they had taken a car and simply headed towards the open road.

The stay in Las Vegas had been Bruce’s idea and he had supplied the two of them with reservations in a luxury suite, as well as tickets to this show. Giovanni “John” Zatara was an old family friend of the Waynes, it seemed, and Bruce had even stayed with him for a while during his own trip across the world, learning about escape techniques and sleight of hand from a master of the craft.

Hearing and seeing Kona’s amazement at the stage show, Kara was happy that they had decided to do this. Kona was settling nicely into the Kent home, but it would still take some time for her to let her guard down completely and accept that she was part of a family now. Right now, though, she was just a kid having a great time, which made Kara very happy.

“A big applause for my lovely assistant and daughter, the amazing Zatanna!”

Kara looked up as Zatara introduced his daughter to the stage. The girl seemed to be about Kona’s (apparent) age and was dressed in a miniature version of her father’s costume, the top hat almost larger than her head. Despite her youth, she moved with the practiced ease of a stage professional and gracefully assisted her father in some of his tricks.

“How is he doing that?” Kona asked, amazed, after Zatara disappeared from a locked box, only to reappear on the other side of the stage in a burst of smoke. “Can you see how he is doing that with your X-Ray vision?”

Kara shrugged, smiling. “I could, but that would be cheating.”

Kona huffed a bit, clearly still irked that she was still lacking the vision-related powers of her mother and brother. Her other senses were every bit as enhanced as those of the full-blooded Kryptonians, but her eyes seemed to be the exception for some reason.

“Isn’t it more fun to pretend that it’s magic?” Kara asked her, giving her a side hug.

“Didn’t you tell me that magic is actually real?”

“Oh, it is,” Kara nodded, clearly remembering her encounter with Mordru the Merciless, never mind that one time Diana had proven to her that her Golden Lasso of Truth was truly unbreakable and did indeed force one to speak the truth and nothing but the truth, no matter how embarrassing. “But this here is just a show, Kona. Illusion, distraction, and trickery, woven together into an amazing display.”

The two of them kept watching as the show went on, amazed at the spectacle Zatara was putting on. Suddenly, though, most of the lights in the hall went out and an eerie red light spread to encompass the stage.

“ZATARA!” a gravelly voice rang out across the hall. “I have found you at last!”

With a flash of light a third person suddenly appeared on stage. It appeared to be an older man, at least judging by his white beard, and he was dressed in a dark cloak with a hood. The hood had... were those horns?

“Wow,” Kona whispered. “He’s really pulling out all the stops for the grand finale!”

Kara frowned. Was this really part of the show? There was a creepy sensation on her skin and from what she could see, Zatara had lost the charming smile that had been on his face during the entire show.

*****

Giovannia Zatara, John to his friends, had wanted to be a stage magician as far back as he could remember. He had started training under the tutelage of his grandfather as a kid, but it hadn’t been until his early adulthood that he had figured out that he was capable of working actual magic.

Zatara was a Homo Magi, a human with a rare genetic quirk that allowed him to access the exotic energies that comprised magic. Very few people had it and even fewer people ever discovered they had it. He had stumbled upon it by accident himself and it had taken him years to perfect his control of magic.

Zatara was not a humble man, he freely admitted to himself, so he did not give up the glitz and glamour of the stage, quite the contrary. He became one of the most celebrated stage sorcerers and illusionists in the world, though he was always very careful never to perform actual magic on stage. Instead, between shows, he used his magical powers to protect people from those threats that hid in the shadowed corners of the world.

Fifteen years ago, he had nearly died doing just that. A magical duel in Turkey with a sorcerer calling himself King Inferno (which would have been too corny a name even in Las Vegas, he figured) had left him near-death. Until today, he had assumed that his opponent had actually perished in that battle, but it appeared he had been wrong.

“ZATARA!” King Inferno growled upon materializing on stage. “I have found you at last!”

“Zatanna, go behind the stage and hide,” he told his daughter without ever taking his eyes of his opponent.

“But dad, I can...”, she started to say.

“DO AS I SAY!” he thundered. Zatanna had inherited his talent for sorcery (as well as that of her mother), and he was certain that she would one day easily eclipse his own prowess in the realm of magic, but that day wasn’t here yet.

“I have waited fifteen years for my vengeance,” King Inferno hissed, slowly stalking closer. Eldritch flames were gathered in his hands, twisting into horrific, monstrous shapes over and over again. Zatara had been burned by those flames before and had no desire to repeat the experience.

“I wasn’t exactly hiding,” he replied with a calm he didn’t feel. “I’m here three nights a week. What kept you?”

Instead of answering, King Inferno threw a ball of flame. Not at him, though, but rather in the direction of the watching people. Reacting quickly, Zatara threw out his hand and yelled “Ecneidua eht Tcetorp!”. A shimmering curtain of energy came down between the stage and the rest of the hall, King Inferno’s fireball splashing harmlessly against it. The audience applauded, clearly thinking all of this part of the show.

A second fireball came at Zatara this time. The magician quickly ducked, intending to preserve his strength as best he could. Inferno would no doubt target the audience again the moment he no longer protected them. The whole venue put Zatara at a distinct disadvantage, but there was no helping it. He did not intend to let any innocents perish.

“Today I will feed your soul to the pit,” Inferno growled, approaching.

*****

One minute into the fight, Kara knew that she was not watching a show. Despite her earlier words to Kona, she had indeed resorted to using her X-Ray vision and could clearly see that there were no wires, no hidden explosives, no conceivable source of the flames and lights the two magicians were currently throwing at each other. In addition, there was that tingling on her skin, the one she had come to associate with magic.

Rao, she hated magic!

“Kona, stay here,” she said, rising out of her seat.

“What?” the girl asked, looking at her. “Where are you going? You’ll miss the best part of the show!”

“This is no show, Kona,” she replied. “This is real. I’m going to see whether I can help Zatara.”

Kona began to rise out of her seat, too, but Kara stopped her in her tracks. “I said stay here! Our powers don’t protect us against magic, Kona! You’re vulnerable. It’s too dangerous!”

“But... but that means you’re vulnerable, too!” Kona said, looking worried.

“I’ve faced real magicians before, I can handle myself. Stay! Here!”

Not waiting to see whether her daughter obeyed, Kara quickly left the hall and dashed through several corridors at super speed. If possible, she wanted to avoid Superwoman being spotted in this building, seeing as Karen Kent’s name would be on the list of attendees. Well, she had spent over a year being an unseen guardian angel before debuting as Superwoman, time to see whether she still had it.

Super speed took her backstage within moments and she clung to the shadows, peeking out at the battle going on between the two sorcerers. Even a casual look quickly revealed who was the bad guy in this confrontation. The guy with the horned hood was flinging flames and lightning every which way, including in the direction of the audience. Zatara was clearly on the defensive, busy shielding the spectators even as he tried not to get hit himself.

Kara had learned her lesson when it came to battling sorcerers during her time with the Legion of Superheroes. The force field around her body, the source of her invulnerability, didn’t work against magical attacks, but that didn’t mean she was helpless. She was still super-fast, super-strong, and had heat vision at her disposal.

Waiting for an opportune moment, she finally let loose with a blast of heat vision when the horned hood guy was busy recharging his fire balls. The searing red beams stopped half a foot away from him, though, fizzling out against an unseen barrier surrounding him.

“I hate magic,” Kara muttered.

“Ah, so you have friends helping you, Zatara?” horned hood guy growled. “They will not save you!”

He gestured and suddenly the floor under Kara’s feet came alive. She jumped upwards, intending to fly out of range, but the wooden planks of the stage had become some kind of tentacles and wrapped around her legs with a speed that rivalled her own. She let loose another blast of heat vision, severing several of them, but immediately more of them appeared.

“I really, really hate magic,” she cursed, trying to keep herself from being wrapped up completely, even as the battle of the two magicians continued unabated.

*****

Kona waited all of three seconds before she jumped up from her seat to follow Kara. There were still many things in her young life she was deeply uncertain about. There were two things, though, that were not on that list: one, she had super powers, so it was her responsibility to help people. And two, she had just found a family, she would not abandon it. So she sped after Kara (she still had trouble calling her ‘mom’, even in her own mind), making sure to stay far enough back to go unnoticed (she hoped).

When she made it backstage, she froze, seeing Kara fighting against some weird-looking tentacles that seemed to grow right out of the wooden floor. The two sorcerers were still throwing thunder and lightning at each other, seemingly paying no attention to anyone else. Her first instinct was to rush the bad guy with super speed, but she hesitated. If he had managed to get the drop on Kara, who was so much more experienced with her powers than her...

“Who are you?” someone hissed beside her, causing Kona to jump with an embarrassing little ‘eek’ sound. Looking to the side, there was no one there.

“Huh? Who said that?”

“Elbisiv emoceb,” the same voice said and a moment later a dark-haired girl shimmered into visibility beside her. It was the girl she had seen on stage earlier, the daughter of Zatara.

“Wow, how did you do that?” Kona asked. Not even her enhanced senses had noticed anything. “Wait, let me guess: magic!”

“I asked who you are,” the girl said, sounding angry and frightened in equal measures. “If you’re here to help King Inferno...”

“King Inferno? Really?” Kona asked. “Wow, that’s so… anyway, no, my... my mom and I were in the audience and wanted to help.”

The girl – Zatanna, had that been her name? – looked over to where Kara was still just managing to stay ahead of the evil tentacle trap. It didn’t look like she would get free anytime soon and Kona was torn between wanting to help her and taking out the bad guy.

“She’s your mom?” Zatanna said, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Is she... I mean, I saw her shoot beams from her eyes, so... is she…?”

Kona groaned. So much for anonymity. This whole secret identity thing was a lot harder than it looked. “She’s here to help, just like me. But... magic is not really our specialty, you know?”

The girl looked over to where her father was still fighting the bad guy, biting her lip in worry and fear. Zatara was holding his own, but not getting much of an offence in. “Dad told me to run away, but...”

“Yeah, she told me to stay behind, too,” Kona said, gesturing towards Kara. “But here we are, so what can we do to help?”

The girl looked down, concentrating, even as Kona was trying her best not to fidget with impatience. “Okay, dad explained this to me. All mages need some method of focusing their magic, either an object or some kind of mantra. Dad and I use Logomancy, but King Inferno doesn’t seem to speak when unleashing his spells, so he must be using some other focusing method, like a staff or wand. I can’t see him carrying anything, either, though.”

Kona had no idea what Logomancy was, but she focused her enhanced senses on King Inferno. Zatanna was right, he had nothing in the way of objects on him except for his hood and cape. When he threw yet another fire ball at Zatara, though, she caught the tiniest of movements behind him. A moment later she saw it again, a short flash of light hailing from the floor further back and behind him. Focusing her eyes, she saw that something had been painted on the floor near the rearmost entrance to backstage, all the way on the other side from them.

“There is something painted onto the floor behind him,” Kona told Zatanna. “Can’t see it properly, the angle is too steep.”

Zatanna briefly mused this over before nodding. “Could be he is using some kind of arcane symbol to channel his power, or at least augment it. We should try taking it out, it might weaken him at the very least.”

She rose to her full height (which wasn’t much, to be honest, even with the heels she was wearing as part of her outfit), held out her hand and shouted “Lobmys eht yortsed!” An impressive-looking bolt of light flew from her hand and towards the point where Kona had spotted the symbol. Unfortunately, the bolt impacted against some kind of barrier several feet short of the target.

“Blast,” Zatanna muttered.

“Children trying to help you now, Zatara?” King Inferno growled, clearly having noticed them now.

“Zatanna, I told you to get out!” Zatanna shouted at her, his eyes still focused on his opponent. With a muttered word he blocked a fire ball that had been aimed at the two girls.

“My magic is far greater than yours,” Inferno laughed. “None of your paltry tricks will help you!”

Kona narrowed her eyes; she was really getting tired of this guy. Dropping to her knees, she put her hand on the floor and concentrated. Ever since her arrival at the Kent farm, Kara had put her through rigorous training to help her get the most out of her abilities. She still couldn’t get the heat vision to work and was beginning to doubt she even had that ability in the first place, but together they had discovered that Kona had another ability that neither Kara nor Clark shared.

It seemed to be an extension or mutation of the energy field that constantly surrounded a powered-up Kryptonian and allowed them to defy gravity and lift enormous objects without tipping over or breaking them apart. In Kona this ability manifested in a form of tactile telekinesis, allowing her to manipulate things as long as she was in contact with them. Kara theorized that Kona might well develop into having full-blown telekinetic powers one day, but so far she could really do just one thing with it.

The symbol was all the way over on the other end of the stage, protected by some kind of energy field, but it was on the same floor that Kona was touching right now. Pushing her power, she caused a ripple that travelled along the stage like a wave over a still ocean. Floor boards broke and exploded upwards, wood splinters flew every which way, and when the ripple finally reached the spot where King Inferno’s symbol was, it exploded upwards like a miniature volcano.

The fire surrounding King Inferno’s hands suddenly winked out and the bearded sorcerer stumbled, clearly taken off guard. The tentacles that had threatened to overwhelm Kara transformed back into mere wood, clattering to the floor, leaving a very pissed-off looking woman behind.

“That was so awesome,” Zatanna said excitedly, clapping Kona on the shoulder.

“Having problems, old chum?” Zatara smirked, approaching his clearly weakened foe.

“Curse you, Zatara,” the other sorcerer growled. “You haven’t seen the last of me!”

An explosion of smoke obscured him from view and a heartbeat later he was gone. The audience was stunned into silence for a long moment, only to explode into cheering and applause. Zatara, apparently never one to miss a beat on stage, quickly turned towards his audience and took a bow, Zatanna quickly scrambling forward to bow beside him. Kona and Kara faded into the shadows.

*****

“That was a terrible risk you took, young lady,” Zatara scolded his daughter.

“I distinctly remember telling you to stay where you were,” Kara reprimanded her daughter.

“I’m sorry,” Zatanna and Kona said almost at the same time, near-identical looks of contrition on their faces.

Kara and Zatara’s eyes met over the heads of their daughters, sharing a look every long-suffering parent of teenagers would recognize.

“Well, they did help save the day,” Zatara admitted.

“They did,” Kara reluctantly agreed. Looking down at Kona, she added “and excellent use of your powers, too. I’m proud of you.”

Zatara cleared his throat. “Well, I think we can all agree that, at no point during tonight’s excellent show, any actual magic was performed and no world-renowned superheroine showed up to help out, either. Correct?”

“Certainly not,” Kara nodded vigorously. She made a mental note to super-speed into the ticket booth on her way out and erase their names from the computer, just to be on the safe side.

“Excellent,” Zatara clapped his hands, making a bouquet of flowers appear. “In that case, will these three lovely ladies grant me the pleasure to invite them to a most fabulous Las Vegas dinner? My treat, of course.”

Kara sighed, though with a smile on her face. She would have preferred to leave Las Vegas behind as quickly as possible, but saw that Kona was already deep into conversation with Zatanna. The two girls seemed to have hit it off instantly. She didn’t have the heart to tear Kona away from the very first friend she seemed to have made.

“I really hate magic,” she muttered, accepting the flowers and putting her hand into the offered crook of Zatara’s arm, two chattering girls trailing behind them.

*****

End Chapter 52

Author’s Note: Well, we now have four teenagers with super powers in this story. How long until the first official gathering of the Teen Titans? You’ll have to wait and see. I kind of like the family dynamic of the Zataras and Giovanni “John” Zatara having been one of Batman’s teachers is canon. Zatanna was, at the time she joined up, the youngest member of the Justice League, so she should probably be younger still at this point in the timeline, but I wanted to introduce a friend for Kona (Kara has Diana, Clark has Wally) and Zatanna was the first heroine that came to mind.

King Inferno is also a canon DC character, but I think he appeared but once in a flashback and was never given more than “evil sorcerer, foe of Zatara” as a character description, so he was pretty much a blank canvas for me. The rule of Homo Magi needing some kind of focusing tool or method is not canon to my knowledge, but rather something I wanted to introduce as a natural limitation for magic users. As for my portrayal of Zatara, to me he is basically Mandrake the Magician from the “Defenders of the Earth” cartoon.

Chapter Text

Chapter 53: People who are Not Happy

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Batman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Kara was not happy.

Not only had she been forced to cut her road trip with her daughter short, something that would have sufficed to make her grumpy all by itself, no. She had also just been told something that was sure to ruin her good mood for a long time to come.

“Okay, explain this to me again, please,” she began, rubbing her forehead in the vain hope to stave off the headache she felt approaching. Powered-up Kryptonians were not supposed to get headaches, she reminded herself, no matter how frustrating a situation they found themselves in. Someone had better tell her head, too.

“Lex Luthor is gone,” Batman’s deep voice boomed beside her.

“Thank you, world’s greatest detective, I got that part,” she snapped back in irritation. “No, explain to me the other part, please! The part where he actually vanished from this prison FOUR WEEKS AGO and no one noticed until earlier today!”

They were in the office of the warden of the prison where Lex Luthor had been incarcerated. The prison where he was supposed to stay in for another few decades, only he wasn’t here. The warden and several police officers were present and all of them visible flinched when she raised her voice. Kara’s eyes tended to flare red when she was angry. She was sure right now they were as crimson as hellfire.

“There... there was another man in his cell,” the warden explained, clearly not caring that – technically – neither Superwoman nor Batman were authorized to be here, never mind receive information about an ongoing investigation. He gestured toward the monitor on the wall, which showed a man sitting in an interrogation room. A man who looked remarkably like Lex Luthor unless one looked very, very closely.

“His name is Hannibal Bates,” Batman told her. “Former employee of Luthor. It seems he underwent some kind of procedure to look like this.”

Kara had already used her X-Ray vision to look through the walls and into the man sitting in that room. She could clearly see the surgical implants that had changed the shape of his face.

“And how did they make the switch?” Kara asked. “I doubt he just walked in here, switched clothes with Luthor, and watched him walk out.”

“We still don’t know,” the warden admitted nervously. “There is no trace of the cell having been tampered with during the night in question. It was only when we analyzed security footage from the last two months that we were even able to determine the time of the switch. During lights out in the evening it was Luthor, the morning after it was this man. No one entered or left the cell during the night, no doors were breached, no alarms tripped, nothing.”

Kara turned to look at Batman, raising an eyebrow in question. “I looked over the cell myself,” he told her. “No traces whatsoever. It seems Luthor was switched out without anyone ever opening the door. Nothing on the window or the walls, either.”

“Teleportation?” she asked.

“Possible, but after four weeks there will be no traces of an energy pattern left to pick up.”

Kara closed her eyes, doing her best to stay calm. While she would like nothing better than to ream out these people for letting Luthor escape after all the trouble she had gone through to get him in here, it wouldn’t change a thing. “How did you notice the switch after all this time?”

The warden looked very chagrined. “We got lucky, I fear. The prisoners were up for flu shots and Mr. Bates had a highly allergic reaction. When he got checked over in the prison’s medical ward, the doctor noticed the differences and alerted us immediately.”

Kara groaned. “So the only reason we even know that Lex Luthor has escaped from a high-security prison is SHEER DUMB LUCK?” The room shook slightly from the force of her voice. A glass on the desk tipped over, spilling its contents across it.

“Thank you for your help, gentlemen,” Batman told the others, steering Kara towards the door. For a moment it was like trying to move a mountain, but then she relented. “We’ll keep in touch.”

A minute later they were out on the roof of the prison and Kara had to resist the urge to stomp her foot in frustration. No reason to bring down the entire building, even though it would probably be a great stress-relief.

“I checked the visitor logs,” Batman told her. “Paul Westfield visited Luthor multiple times during his stay here. The last time just a week or so before we shut down Cadmus.”

“Of course he did,” Kara growled. They had suspected that Luthor had had a hand in Cadmus, after all, but now they knew. “So not only are Clark and I in danger, but Kona, too.” This was getting better and better.

Batman sighed, the stoic mask of the dark knight fading away to be replaced by the contrite look of her best male friend. “I know I promised you I’d keep an eye on Luthor, Kara. I am sorry, I got complacent once he was tried and indicted. It wont’ happen again.”

There was a dark, ugly part inside of her that wanted to blame Bruce for this, wanted to tear into him for letting her down. but she ruthlessly pushed it away. She needed her friends and allies by her side, now more than ever, and she knew that she herself had been just as complacent about Luthor. Just as he had underestimated her for being a woman, she had underestimated him for being locked up. She should have known that Luthor wouldn’t let a small thing like a decades-long prison sentence stop him.

“We need to find him and quick,” she said. “He’s had four weeks of freedom. There is no telling what he might have come up with in that time.”

Kara was most definitely not happy.

*****

Lex Luthor was not happy.

Lying on the cot he had been sleeping on for four weeks now, he stared up at the crystal ceiling even as he pondered his situation. Oh, at first he had been ecstatic. One was not sprung from prison every day, after all. That alone had sufficed to put him in a fairly good mood. To find out that his liberator was an alien artificial intelligence with an apparent grudge against Superwoman just made the whole thing even sweeter.

He had been in awe at the technology on display, the crystal constructions, the alien weapons, the advanced robotics, everything. Luthor knew that he was one of the smartest people on Earth (hubris be damned) and even he had trouble figuring out some of the things that Brainiac had shown him already. He was like a kid in a candy store.

The joy did not last, though. The technological wonders on display could not distract him from the obvious discrepancies in the story Brainiac was attempting to feed him. Oh, he was rather certain that most of it was true. Brainiac was a Kryptonian construct, created on Superwoman’s home world. Learning that the world these aliens had come from was gone for good, destroyed in a cataclysm of their own making, delighted him to no end. That Superwoman and Brainiac had come into conflict was great news, too.

The story began to fall apart, though, when it came to the reason behind this falling out. According to Brainiac, the reason was Superwoman’s refusal to leave Earth behind. The AI, apparently intending to build a New Krypton somewhere, stated that it wanted the last daughter of Krypton away from Earth for that, so she could aid him in rebuilding their civilization. It was a nice story and neatly explained why Brainiac was seeking an alliance with Luthor, who wanted those aliens off his world, too.

Luthor was not an idiot, though. If all Brainiac wanted was for Superwoman to leave Earth behind, there were any number of ways it could have accomplished that, up to and including destroying the planet entirely. It certainly wouldn’t need the aid of a human, even if said human was smarter than any other. No, something else was going on. He was not quite sure what the real story was yet, but he was certain that Brainiac was trying to con him.

Luthor also knew that he was still a prisoner. Oh, the prison looked different, of course, and had far more in the way of luxuries than his old cell, but a prison was still a prison. He was also certain that the miracles of technology that Brainiac was showing him were but the tip of the iceberg. The machine certainly was not stupid enough to show him everything. No, Brainiac was grooming Luthor for some kind of role, he was sure. Something to do with Superwoman, certainly, but what?

Well, for the time being there was little he could do except learn as much as possible and be ready for anything. Oh, he certainly wouldn’t mind if this ‘partnership’ would end up giving him the means to rid Earth of those aliens for good, but he was not going to be anyone’s puppet, no matter how impressive their technology.

“Good morning, Lex,” the annoyingly lifeless voice of the AI greeted him. “Are you ready to view the improvements I have made to your powered armor design?”

Putting on a big smile and eager look, Luthor got up and walked towards the workshop Brainiac had set up for him.

“I can’t wait, Brainiac,” Luthor said, smiling, though the smile was one hundred percent false, as he was most definitely not happy at all.

*****

Lois Lane was not happy.

There were actually numerous reasons for that. There was the general state of unhappiness that resulted from the huge falling out she had had with her father. General Sam Lane had very clear ideas about what his daughters should do with their lives and it definitely did not involve his eldest becoming a reporter. No, as far as General Sam Lane was concerned, the highest aspirations his daughters should have was to find a good husband, preferably a military officer in his own chain of command. They had fought about this for years, but when Lois had turned 18 last year, she’d finally been fed up.

Maybe moving out in the middle of the night hadn’t been the best method of establishing her independence, but she had seen no other way. Her freelance writing, plus some waitressing here and there, gave her just enough money to pay for college and – hopefully – her degree in journalism. Her father certainly wouldn’t support her financially or in any other way, but she would build her own life without him.

Anyway, the state of affairs between her dad and her was just the general foundation of her current unhappiness. She also felt lonely, cut off from her family, and had always had a hard time making friends. Her studies were going well, at least, and Perry White had already told her to send in her application the moment she was finished, but she knew that she would need some kind of big scoop to make her mark. Being known as ‘Superwoman’s Pal’ had already given her a bit of exposure, but that was not enough to make it to the big time.

Looking at the papers on the desk in front of her, she was pretty sure that she had found her big scoop. And that was what made her so very unhappy.

It had been a coincidence, really. She hadn’t actually meant to look into it, it had just been part of her research for her next ‘Superwoman’s Pal’ column. A few things had just jumped out at her, things that – in hindsight – were terribly obvious, really, but hadn’t even occurred to her before. It had been an elegant cover story, a marvel of misdirection, but it quickly fell apart upon closer inspection and before long Lois had it all spread out before her, clear as day.

The question how no one had ever made the connection before kept going through her mind over and over again. The simplest explanation was that no one had ever really bothered to look properly. Most people probably figured there was nothing to find in the first place. After all, who would ever suspect that someone who never wore a mask had a secret identity? Lois herself certainly hadn’t even suspected and only stumbled upon it by accident.

Lois knew that, were she to publish this, it would make her a star reporter overnight. It was a great scoop, certainly front-page material. Yet she knew that she couldn’t do it. Some part of her brain tried to argue against that, reminding her of the fame and money, but her common sense quickly overrode it.

Gathering the various papers together, she quickly tore them up into very small pieces. She deleted the file she had made on her computer, too, and made a mental note to approach one of the computer geeks tomorrow to ensure that it remained gone for good. Sighing deeply, she allowed herself to fall back unto her bed and closed her eyes.

“Lois Lane,” she muttered to herself. “Superwoman’s Pal. And too noble for her own damn good!”

Quite a few people would probably have been very happy after figuring out that Superwoman and Karen Kent, CEO of K-Solutions, were one and the same person. Lois was not one of them. And then her eyes snapped open again as another thought occurred to her.

“Oh damn, that means Bruce Wayne is the Batman!” she groaned.

She was SO not happy.

*****

Lana Lang was not happy.

Ever since they had met on the first day of Kindergarten, she and her best friend Clark had been inseparable. Attached at the hip, one might say. Clark was her brother in all but blood and he had even shared the most monumental secret of them all with her, the fact that his mother was Superwoman. She knew they were aliens, she knew that Clark was Superboy, he had even told her that his mom had travelled through time (though she still found that a bit hard to believe, to be honest). In short, Clark told her everything, just as she told him everything, though admittedly her stories were far less spectacular in general.

Recently, though, things seemed to be changing. Clark and she didn’t hang out as much as they used to do. She knew that he had made a friend with another superhero, the Flash of Keystone City, and she could hardly begrudge him looking for some male company. She had quite a few female friends, too, after all. Still, it rankled in some deeply unfair and illogical way.

Still more recently, though, things had gotten even stranger. Clark had spent even less time with her than before. When she had seen him, he had been somewhat evasive about what was going on, only saying something about having to deal with family matters. Which she translated as “super stuff” in her head. Still, he had always shared such things with her in the past. What had changed?

Things came to head, though, when she walked past the Kent farm (on an entirely unrelated matter that had nothing to do with Clark whatsoever, she was prepared to swear) and saw her best friend, her near-brother, hanging out and laughing with some other girl she had never seen before. A little bit later on Lana Lang would look back on this scene with a deep feeling of shame for the way she had overreacted, but in that particular moment she only saw red.

“Lana, hi,” Clark said when he saw her approach. “This is...”

“I thought you were oh so busy with ‘family matters’, Clark Kent,” she interrupted him heatedly. “I thought that was why you never seem to have time for your best friend anymore. But now I see you here hanging out with some… some... GIRL!”

Clark’s eyes widened at her heated words, accompanied by wide, sweeping gestures. The girl, blonde and looking somewhat familiar to Lana, just took a step back, clearly not wanting to be drawn into the argument.

“Lana...,” he began.

“I thought our friendship meant more than that,” Lana continued. “Does she knew about, you know, the thing, too? Have you told her already in a bid to impress her?”

“Lana...,” he tried again.

“And come on, she can’t be older than 12! Where is she from anyway? Haven’t seen her around here before, so what is she doing...”

“Hi,” the girl was suddenly in front of her, having moved so fast it seemed she had teleported. A deceptively small hand had grabbed Lana’s in a handshake like steel. “We haven’t been introduced yet. I am Kona, Clark’s sister.”

Lana just stood there with her mouth wide open, her brain refusing to compute.

“Wha... what?” she finally managed.

“It’s true,” Clark said, finally getting a word in edge-wise. “A long, complicated kind of true, but true. She’s my sister. She is the ‘family matter’ I was talking about, Lana.”

“But... how…? I mean...,” she gestured towards Clark and then upwards towards space.

Clark chuckled, running his fingers through his unruly hair. “Like I said, long story. The short version: some mad scientists tried to make their own Superwoman. They succeeded, kind of, but Kona here wasn’t interested in being a science project. So now she’s here with us.”

“I like it much better here,” Kona added, smiling cheekily. “Fewer cages, more open space, better food, nicer people… well, generally at least…”

Lana’s brain finally started processing again and she blushed a deep red, wishing the earth would open up and swallow her whole.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry, I... you must think me the biggest bitch in the whole world…”

Kona raised an eyebrow, seeming to say ‘you said it, not me’, but Clark came toward her and hugged her.

“It’s partially my fault, Lana. I should have told you sooner. It’s just... the whole thing with Kona is complicated, like I said. We’ve only just established her legal identity.”

Letting go of her, he stepped to the side. “Okay, to make this official: Lana, this is Kona, my sister, though officially she is my distant cousin Cornelia Jones, who recently lost her family and is now in the care of her closest living relative, my mom. Kona, this is Lana Lang, my best friend in the world since Kindergarten.”

“Uh... hi,” Lana said, holding out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Kona.”

Kona hesitated a moment, clearly Lana hadn’t made the best first impression, but finally took her hand. Much more gently this time, too.

“Hi, Lana. Nice to meet you, too.”

Lana saw Clark’s big smile when they shook hands and couldn’t help but smile, too. While the whole thing would definitely take some getting used to, Lana felt like she had her best friend back. So all in all, she was feeling quite happy.

*****

End Chapter 53

Author’s Note: Hannibal Bates is a canon DC character better known as Everyman, a shapeshifter. I didn’t go quite so far as him having shapeshifting powers, but thought it fitting to have him be the Luthor stand-in. And it was about time to bring the LL-squad (Luthor, Lois, Lana) back into this story again, so here they are.

Up next: Slave Ship of Space!

Chapter Text

Chapter 54: Slave Ship of Space

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Adam Strange belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

“It’s the damn Zeta beam,” Kara muttered under her breath. “Every single time I travel on that damn Zeta beam, something like this happens!”

“Will you let it go, sister?” Diana whispered from where she stood besides her, looking every bit as angry and frustrated as her best friend.

“We should focus on how to resolve this situation,” J’Onn added his own whisper, standing on Diana’s other side. “We can dispense the blame later.”

Adam, standing on Kara’s other side, was far too stressed out to add anything.

It had started innocently enough. Adam had shared the joyous news that his daughter Aleea had been born to his wife Alanna and had invited the League to the planet Rann to partake in what was basically the Rannian equivalent of a baptism. Kara, Diana, J’Onn, and Green Arrow had eagerly accepted. The Hawks had stayed behind to mind the store, having just recently been inducted into the League and not yet being very close to Adam and the others. Batman had simply replied that he had other things to do. Kara figured that he was running himself ragged, trying to find Lex Luthor.

Kara’s eagerness to finally meet Adam’s family had been dampened somewhat by the realization that they would travel by Zeta beam, but still. She had wanted to visit the planet Rann for some time now. Considering that the Guardians of the Universe already regarded the planet as part of her coalition, she figured she should at least know what it looked like and meet some of its native people.

The ceremony itself had been quite beautiful, too, and the sheer joy on Adam’s face as he held his infant daughter was a sight to behold. It had immediately made Kara think of Kona and Clark, still back home on Earth and hopefully staying out of trouble while she was away. Maybe that was why she had been too slow to react, or maybe everything had happened so fast she wouldn’t have been able to do anything either way.

*****

12 hours earlier

The first warning they had was when a gong sounded through the building where Adam Strange and his family lived. It was not a gong, of course, but rather some kind of sound weapon, as they quickly realized. The sound affected their nervous systems and everyone in the room immediately froze in place, incapable of moving. J’Onn toppled over, having been in mid-step when the paralysis took hold, and everyone else just remained where they were, utterly helpless.

Only a few seconds later a bright yellow flash of light lit up the room and the intruder appeared. He was not of any alien species Kara had ever seen before. He (if it was a ‘he’) had lilac skin and bright orange facetted eyes. A long, almost beak-like nose adorned his face and he sported a blue and white suit that left his arms and legs bare and a helmet covered much of his head.

“Greetings,” he announced himself in weirdly-accented Interlac. “I am Kanjar Ro, supreme Delon of Dhor.”

Kara tried to fight the paralysis, but her limbs utterly refused to obey. From the corner of her eyes, she saw that her comrades weren’t faring any better. None of them could move.

“I am certain you are wondering why I am honoring you with my royal presence,” Kanjar Ro continued, looking around the room. “By the way, I would not advise fighting the paralyzing effect of my gamma gong. The effect will wear off in an hour or so, but until then none of you will be going anywhere, no matter how strong or invulnerable you might be. Where was I?”

He almost tripped over the prone form of J’Onn. “Oh, now that will simply not do!”

Brandishing some sort of scepter-like tool, he enveloped J’Onn in some kind of energy field and set him back upright.

“Much better. Ah, the Martian, yes. Last member of a very powerful race.” He turned to look at Kara. “Just like you, Kryptonian. Words of your deeds have already spread far and wide, especially how you destroyed the War World and freed Colu from that rogue AI. Very impressive. Yes, you and your allies have certainly garnered a reputation already. Which is why I am here, actually.”

He looked around, finally spotting a chair and sitting down in it with the air of a king. “You see, I am currently involved in what has sadly proven to be a rather lengthy war against a rival planet in my native star system. We have warred for decades already and there is no end in sight. We are simply too evenly matched. So I have decided to get myself an edge.”

He folded his hands in front of him, looking at each of them in turn. “As of today, you are all conscripted into the Royal Army of Dhor as my personal slaves. You will help me win the war and become undisputed ruler of the Antares system.”

He paused, smiling. “Now, if you were capable of speech, I am sure you would be asking why you should agree to any such thing. Excellent question! And the answer is quite simple, really.”

Taking out his scepter-weapon again, Kanjar Ro shot off an energy pulse that enveloped Alanna and her infant daughter Aleea. A moment later, both had disappeared into thin air.

“I am certain you are seeing things my way now, aren’t you?”

*****

With the lives of Adam’s wife and newborn daughter hanging in the balance, the Justice Leaguers had had no choice but to obey. So 12 hours later Kara, Diana, J’Onn and Adam were standing on the bridge on Kanjar Ro’s flag ship, which, funnily enough, resembled some kind of Earth-built sailing barge, only larger and with huge engines attached to its aft. Solar sails adorned metal masts and the face of Kanjar Ro was actually painted onto its side.

The four Leaguers were lined up behind a throne-like command chair on the bridge of the ship and wearing ugly purple-colored uniforms that resembled the leotard-like outfit Kanjar Ro wore himself. Only Adam had escaped the indignity somewhat, he still wore his Rann-designed armor, but some servants had also painted it purple. Green Arrow had been left behind on Rann, as Kanjar Ro had no interest in a ‘useless human who shots arrows’. He was only interested in those with super powers or advanced Rannian technology at their disposal, it seemed.

What can you tell us about the war between these two races? J’Onn inquired telepathically, having joined all four of them together in a mental conference call while the ship travelled through hyper space towards the Antares star system.

Not much, Adam replied, the tension and worry clearly evident in his thoughts. The Antares system is home to two planets with intelligent life. Kanjar Ro’s species inhabits Dhor, a very arid planet, while the planet Alstair is mostly oceans and populated by an amphibian species. They are ruled by a queen, or Panala, as the local term goes. The two species have been at war for the better part of 30 years now, I believe. Rann has kept tabs on it, just in case the war would spill over onto any neighboring systems.

Why are they fighting in the first place? Diana asked. If one race is desert-dwelling and the other aquatic, what do they want from each other? I imagine neither would find the world of the other very hospitable.

Who cares? was Adam’s tense reply.

I fear we will have to play this by ear, Kara told the others. We need to play along to protect Adam’s family, but we can’t just go ahead and slaughter our way across a sovereign planet, either, especially if we know nothing about either side.

Any trace of Alanna or Aleea on this ship? Adam asked.

Kara, having swept the entire ship with her X-Ray vision, subtly shook her head. No, and this was the only ship in orbit. Odds are they are still on Rann somewhere. I doubt that scepter of his is capable of interstellar teleportation.

Well, in that case, let us hope that our ‘useless human who shoots arrows’ is on the ball.

“We are almost there, slaves,” Kanjar Ro announced, interrupting their silent communication. “We are now entering the Antares star system, soon to be under my complete and utter control!”

Kara wasn’t sure whether he expected some kind of awed reaction from them in his dramatic pause, but none of them said anything. A moment later Ro huffed and turned towards them.

“Well, your mission will be an easy one for beings with your wondrous powers! You will fly to the planet Alstair, you will enter the royal palace of Panala Hyathis, and you will bring her to me! With her as my prisoner, her people will quickly surrender to my benevolent rule and this war will finally end as it should, with MY victory!”

Wide gestures with his scepter accompanied his short speech. Ro definitely seemed to have an overdeveloped sense of drama.

“Why are you still here?” he finally asked when, again, no one said anything.

Kara rolled her eyes. “We do not know where the planet is, where on the planet the royal palace is, or what this Panala Hyathis looks like.”

Kanjar Ro huffed, annoyed.

*****

About an hour later, the four Leaguers were flying towards a deep-blue planet, their small size and lack of recognizable propulsion masking them from the numerous satellites and space ships in orbit. The world showed all the signs of being involved in a large-scale military campaign, as there was a constant back and forth between the surface and orbit.

“At least Ro didn’t ask us to directly attack those ships,” Kara said, her vision powers scanning the various war vessels they came across. “They are relatively primitive compared to Kryptonian or Rannian tech, but there sure are a lot of them. All with pretty big crew complements, too. I am not sure we could disable them all without catastrophic loss of life.”

“Antares is a red star, Kara,” Diana remarked. “Won’t that impact your powers?”

“Not if we can wrap this up quickly,” she replied. The red star’s light wouldn’t recharge her powers, at least not beyond the most basic level, but it would take quite a bit for her to empty her reserves.

“I was wondering why Ro needed our help in the first place, given his devastatingly effective sound weapon,” J’Onn added. “But the Alstairians are living underwater; sound waves behave differently in such an environment.”

“Much of the Alstair-technology seems water-based,” Kara said, having scanned the ships. “Probably not well-suited to combat on a desert-world like Dhor, either.”

“All the more nonsensical that they are at war in the first place,” Diana huffed. While a warrior born, she was also an envoy of peace and found war abhorrent, especially if it made so little sense.

Adam was silent, fully focused on the mission. Kara understood completely, of course. If it was Clark or Kona’s life hanging in the balance, she would tear entire worlds apart to save them. It was kind of weird that Kona was already occupying such an important place in her life, she mused, given that the young hybrid had been part of her family for only a few months now, but Kara found that that didn’t matter at all. No matter how and when she had come into the world, Kona was her daughter and Kara loved her.

Diving into the water brought Kara’s thoughts back into focus and the four of them made their way towards the royal palace of Alstair. Diana and Adam had helmets on to supply them with oxygen, while J’Onn simply morphed gills. Kara could go extended periods without air, of course, but would have to watch her energy levels even more closely. Even if Antares had not been a red star, the sunlight did not reach down here. Hopefully this entire thing wouldn’t take too long.

“That must be the palace,” Diana said over the coms, pointing towards the lavish structure ahead of them.

“I can see some security, but less than I expected,” Adam supplied.

“The Dhorans are desert-dwellers, remember? I doubt they have much experience in underwater combat, so most of the defenses are in the atmosphere and orbit, not down here.”

“Well, if it makes our job easier, I’m all for it!”

As a matter of fact, infiltrating the palace turned out to be ridiculously easy. The Dhoran technology, while advanced when compared to that of Earth, was no match for Adam’s Rannian tech and he quickly hacked his way into the security systems. Kara and Diana used their super speed and knocked out most of the guards before they even noticed that anyone was there, while J’Onn easily phased through walls to disable those his friends couldn’t without noisily breaking down doors. They were careful not to cause any lasting harm to anyone, but even with that restraint, they arrived in the throne room of the palace within minutes.

A large throne stood in the center of the room and an orange-skinned woman sat on it. More security guards were present, as well some unarmed people that seemed to be courtiers or advisors of some sort. Not that any of them really cared.

“Let’s do this quick and clean!” Kara commanded and the four Leaguers exploded into action.

“What is the meaning of this?” the woman on the throne screamed as four aliens took out her guards within a matter of seconds and had her surrounded a moment later. “I am Panala Hyathis, supreme ruler of Alstair and future empress of the Antares System! You dare enter my chambers without permission?”

Kara sighed, already more than fed up with this entire affair. “Yeah, yeah, you are the queen, we get it. Sorry to bother you, but I fear Kanjar Ro is also laying claim to the whole Antares System and we are currently somewhat beholden to him. So you are coming with us!”

The look of pure arrogance fell from Queen Hyathis’ face, only to be replaced by one of utter confusion.

“Kanjar Ro? He sent you, but... no, that’s impossible! He wouldn’t!” She focused her eyes on Kara and a moment later Kara felt something inside her head, the characteristic sensation of someone poking around where they shouldn’t.

“Stay out of my thoughts,” she yelled, fire exploding from her eyes, heating the water around Hyathis to near-boiling. The monarch shrank back, shrieking, and the telepathic intrusion ceased.

“No, it can’t be!” she yelled. “He betrayed me! He betrayed our agreement!”

“Agreement?” Diana asked. “I thought you were at war with each other.”

The alien queen merely hissed at her and Kara was more than fed up. A mere glance sufficed and Diana quickly took the golden lasso from her hip. A moment later, the queen was wrapped up tightly, protesting all the way.

“Now let’s try this again,” Kara said. “What kind of agreement do you have with Kanjar Ro?”

“Anwer her,” Diana ordered, gripping the end of the lasso tightly. The golden rope flared brightly, golden flames licking at the captured queen’s skin, and a moment later Hyathis could not help but answer.

“The war, that’s our agreement, alien! Being at war is good for a planet. Industry booms, patriotism runs strong, and the people don’t question their rulers as long as there is an external threat. That’s why Kanjar and I started this whole war to begin with. It’s what keeps us both in power.”

Any and all sympathy Kara might have had for the queen they had been forced to attack and abduct vanished into thin air. Adam had said that this war had been going on for roughly 30 years. 30 years of people killing each other, merely so that two corrupt rulers could stay in power.

Well, no more of that! Not on her watch!

“It seems your good buddy Kanjar Ro has decided to aggressively renegotiate your agreement, your Highness.”

“But why?” Hyathis whispered, seemingly still unable to believe it.

“How about you ask him that yourself, sweetheart,” Adam said, clearly out of patience. “We’ve got a deadline here!”

“He’s right, let’s go!”

A moment later, the four Leaguers and their captive were gone again.

*****

“Ah, my dearest Hyathis,” Kanjar Ro greeted them as they returned to the bridge of his ship with the Alstairian Panala in custody. “So glad to see you again.”

Hyathis, still wrapped up in Diana’s golden lasso, did not seem all that happy.

“What is the meaning of this, Kanjar?” she hissed. “We have an agreement!”

“Oh yes, we do indeed,” he nodded, grinning. “An agreement that has served us both quite well these last few decades. But times do change, my dear. There are factions on Dhor that are no longer happy with the eternal stalemate and they are gaining influence. So I fear Dhor must win this war and soon. Nothing personal, Hyathis, you know how these things go!”

“And how long do you think your citizens will allow you to stay in power, you idiot,” Hyathis asked him, “if there is no external enemy left to fight? They’ll get rid of you as soon as the victory feast is over, the only reason they tolerate your vile presence is because of the war!”

Kanjar Ro shrugged. “There will be other wars. Enemies are easy to find and even easier to fabricate. Besides,” he gestured towards the four Leaguers, “I have the most elite personal guard in the entire galaxy at my beck and call. The Kryptonian alone can decimate an entire space fleet if I so order.”

His orange-facetted eyes swiveled towards Kara. “As a matter of fact, why don’t we start with that right now? Kryptonian, I order you to destroy the entire space fleet of Alstair. Leave no one alive!”

Kara did not move.

“Didn’t you hear me, Kryptonian?” Kanjar Ro raged, his smile vanishing. “I ordered you to destroy my enemies for me! Or do you want the child of your colleague to perish along with his mate?”

Kara turned to meet his gaze.

“Sorry, did you say something? I was busy receiving a message from Rann. It seems our colleague has found where your servants were keeping Adam’s wife and daughter prisoner and they’re safely back home.”

Kanjar Ro’s purple complexion paled significantly, but even as he stumbled back, his fingers pressed a button on his scepter-device and the sound of the gamma gong rang through the interior of the ship. Several of his servants collapsed and even Hyathis froze in mid-motion.

Kara quickly darted forward and snatched the device from Ro’s hand, crushing it in the process.

“Your sound weapon is very impressive, Ro,” she told him, even as she hoisted him up by the lapels of his uniform, “but only if the target can actually hear it. Even before we left Rann, Adam supplied us with earplugs that render your weapon useless. We were merely biding our time until Green Arrow could find Aleena.”

She turned to meet Diana’s eyes and the Amazon quickly extended her magic lasso to ensnare Kanjar Ro as well. Kara unceremoniously dumped him on the floor next to Hyathis.

“Adam, you want to do the honors?” Kara asked, motioning towards the controls of the ship. Wasting no time, the Champion of Rann jumped into the control chair and steered the purloined royal yacht of Dhor towards his home and family.

*****

A few hours later and back on Rann, Adam quickly embraced his recovered family, tears in his eyes. Kara walked up to Green Arrow, clapping him on the shoulder.

“Great work, GA,” she complimented him. “And just in time, too. Ro was about to order me to commit mass murder.”

“How did you find them so quickly?” Diana asked, also coming over to congratulate their teammate.

Green Arrow just smirked in the direction of the captive Kanjar Ro. “Let’s just say the useless human who shoots arrows has a few tricks up his sleeve.”

“This is all your fault, you desert rat,” Hyathis hissed at her fellow captive. “If you had simply left things alone we could have kept this war going for another 30 years or more and remained in power.”

“Shut up, you water-bloated eel!” he shot back. “As if you wouldn’t have stabbed me in the back the moment an opportunity presented itself. I was simply faster and better than you!”

“Better, yes? In what universe is ending up the captive of aliens better, you stupid idiot? I should have done away with you decades ago! Whatever possessed me to think that someone like you could be a valid partner?”

Kara looked over at Adam, who had finally let his wife and daughter out of his embrace and was now watching the squabbling rulers with a vengeful smirk on his face.

“Are you doing what I think you are doing?” she asked him in a low voice.

“If you think I am having my armor record this entire thing and am broadcasting it live to both Alstair and Dhor, then yes, I am doing exactly that.”

Kara chuckled under her breath. “Ro and Hyathis will probably not enjoy their homecoming then.”

“Certainly not,” Adam agreed.

Kara laughed.

*****

End Chapter 54

Author’s Note: This chapter’s title is taken from Justice League of America v1 #3 (March 1961), which featured the first appearance of space villain Kanjar Ro. Ro used his gamma gong to imprison both Superman and the entire planet Earth in order to get the rest of the League to do his bidding (which included rowing his golden space boat). Of course he was outsmarted in the end, as villains usually were in those days. In a later appearance, Ro undertook several attempts to conquer the planet Rann, which brought him into conflict with Adam Strange. Hyathis is portrayed somewhat different here than in the comics, where she was something of a plant-elemental instead of an amphibian, but since she isn’t going to play a huge role here, I wanted to keep things a bit simpler.

Merry Christmas everyone. I did have another “Very Super Christmas” episode planned, showcasing Kona’s first Christmas with the Kents, but couldn’t really get it down in paper (so to speak). Maybe next year, when we are all in a more festive mood (hopefully).

EDIT: I've been told that Antares is a red star, which would of course impact Kara. I've modified the middle of this chapter accordingly.

Chapter Text

Chapter 55: When the League is Away…

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman, Flash, and Batman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

One of the major benefits of being able to fly at high speed, Clark mused, was that it was pretty easy to maintain a friendship over vast distances. With his mom and most of the League off in space to visit Adam Strange’ home world, Clark and Kona had taken the opportunity for some sibling bonding. After a day or two, though, Clark needed to get out for a bit and decided to look up the Flash in Keystone City.

Clark still felt a bit guilty that he knew Flash’s civilian identity as Wally West, but Wally only knew him as Superboy and Kal-El, not as Clark Kent. He had actually talked with his mother about bringing Wally in on the secret, but she had wanted to give it a bit more time, especially now that it also concerned Kona and her brand-new civilian identity. Clark understood, but still felt guilty.

“Hey, Kal,” Wally greeted him at their usual meeting place outside the city. “Everything super?”

Clark chuckled. “You know that joke is really getting old, right?”

Wally just shrugged.

“Any progress exploring your powers?” Clark asked. It hadn’t been that long since their unintentional journey to a parallel Earth had revealed to Wally what he might one day be capable of. Time travel, dimensional travel, it blew the mind. Clark had made him promise to be careful, especially the time travel thing, seeing as he knew some details of what future Flash would eventually get up to.

“Not really, no,” Wally admitted. “The other Flash showed me how to reset my internal vibrations in order to return to my own universe, but adjusting them to travel to a different one is a lot harder than it looks. Not sure how we did it the first time, to be honest.”

“You’ll figure it out,” Clark assured him. “And the time travel thing?”

“That’s even harder,” Wally admitted. “Well, not harder as such, as it basically just involves running very, very fast, but before I can reach the necessary speed I either run out of places to run safely or loose contact with the ground, because I exceed escape velocity.”

Clark mused that over. “You’d need something to help you run in place, maybe? Some kind of treadmill?”

Wally’s eyes widened. “That’s an idea. Of course it would need to be an especially reinforced one, so I don’t wreck it with my speed.”

The two teenagers busily discussed the necessary design specs of a treadmill designed to handle super speed when Clark suddenly stiffened.

“What is it?” Wally asked.

“There is an emergency broadcast. Some kind of freak storm has hit Metropolis out of nowhere.”

Wally straightened, the goofy teenager vanishing in an instant. “Let’s go then!”

In a burst of super speed, the two teenage heroes were on their way.

*****

Kona was reasonably sure that she was going to get into trouble over this, but figured that she was due some teenage shenanigans by now. With Kara (just call her mom, damn it!) off in space and Clark visiting a friend, she decided to get out a bit, too, and visit a friend of her own. The list of friends Kona had was not really that long yet and while she got along just fine with Lana by now, the Lang girl was more Clark’s friend than hers. That really just left one: Zatanna Zatara (call me Zee!), who lived in Las Vegas. Thankfully flight and super speed took care of the distance.

“Dad’s away on some mystical quest thing or other,” Zatanna told her when she arrived at the Zatara home, the other girl happily embracing her friend. “He said he’d be back in a day or two, but these things can be unpredictable. That one time he arrived back home three hours BEFORE he left.”

“Weird,” Kona agreed, though her understanding of what was normal and what was not still needed some work. “So what do girls do when they visit a friend while their parents are away?” she asked.

“I’m not really sure,” Zatanna replied. “I haven’t really had a lot of friends, to be honest. Dad kept us moving around a lot when I was younger for his tours and shows. The six months we’ve been here in Vegas are among the longest we’ve ever stayed in one place.”

After some brainstorming, the two girls eventually decided to head for the couch, watch TV, and eat unhealthy things for starters. They chatted almost non-stop the entire time, Zatanna regaling Kona with stories of travelling all over the world with her dad. Kona did not have nearly as many stories to tell, though thankfully Kara had allowed her to share her origins with her friend, as long as she kept quiet about their civilian names. Zatanna was fascinated and appalled at the same time upon learning the story of Cadmus.

“Any clue as to who your human dad is yet?” she asked after a while.

“Nothing yet, no,” Kona admitted. “So far I only know it’s not that Westfield guy who ran the project, nor Donovan, the chief scientist. They did DNA comparisons with them.”

Zatanna looked at her thoughtfully. “Do you think he knows, whoever he is? About you, I mean?”

Kona shrugged. “No idea. Odds are he doesn’t, they probably just filched the DNA of someone who was compatible. The alternative is that it’s some guy who willingly participated in Cadmus. Not sure I want someone like that as my father.”

She looked over at Zatanna, who had a pensive look on her face. “Why do you ask?”

“Oh, it’s..., well, I don’t really know a lot about my mom, you know? I only know that she died shortly after I was born. Dad doesn’t really talk about her much. Whenever he does, he gets that extremely sad look in his eyes, so I don’t press. Still, I’d... well, I’d really like to know more about where I come from, you know?”

Kona nodded, understanding. She remembered Clark telling her that, for the first 12 years of his life, Kara had kept their true origins secret from him, including the identity of his father (and the fact that she was actually his older cousin instead of his biological mother). Kona didn’t really feel a pressing need to learn the identity of the man who had donated roughly 30% of her DNA, but it would probably be a different matter if she had been sired in a more traditional way instead of in a laboratory.

Suddenly the two girls were distracted by an unscheduled news broadcast on the TV.

“This just in,” the announcer said. “A freak storm has appeared out of nowhere in Metropolis. We are now going live to our local correspondent. Linda, what is happening in Metropolis?”

A woman appeared on screen, doing her best to remain upright amidst a torrent of wind and rain. “The storm appeared from one second to the next,” she yelled into her microphone, trying to be heard above the howling wind. “There were blue skies here just ten minutes ago, and now this storm. Emergency services are... wait a minute, Howard! I’m just getting word that additional help has arrived. Over there!”

The camera swiveled over and showed a red and blue shape flying over the city.

“I think Superwoman has arrived and... no, sorry, that’s Superboy, I can see him now. Superboy has arrived and is lending a hand. Thank God for that, the wind seems to be getting stronger every second.”

Kona watched her brother, feeling the intense need to go out there and help him. She had lived in Metropolis for a brief time, after all, after breaking out from Cadmus. While she held no particular attachment to the city, she didn’t want to see it levelled by a freak storm, either.

“Something’s not right,” Zatanna whispered, her eyes glued to the screen.

“What do you mean?”

“I... I am not sure, but… I don’t think that’s a natural storm, Kona.”

“Are you seeing this?” the correspondent suddenly yelled, drawing her eyes back to the screen. “Those lightning bolts are coming hard and fast and they all seem to converge on Superboy!”

The image of her brother being hit by multiple bolts of lightning was all Kona needed.

“Sorry, Zee, gonna have to cut this short. My brother needs help.”

Zatanna was already on her feet. “I’m coming with you!”

*****

Wally West, aka the Flash, the fastest teenager alive, had quite a bit of experience with storms. Living in the American Mid-West, storms were just a natural part of life one simply had to get used to. Ever since becoming the Flash, he had helped out during numerous storms and other natural disasters. He actually found that a lot more rewarding than fighting super villains.

Arriving in Metropolis, he and Superboy quickly got to work. Cars were overturned, blocking roads. Buildings were being damaged. People were trapped out in the open amidst the howling storm. In bursts of super speed the two teenagers helped wherever they could, bringing people to safety, stabilizing crumbling structures, generally doing their best to be everywhere at once.

“Something is weird about this storm,” Flash heard Superboy over the ear transmitter his friend had given him. “It’s getting stronger and stronger, yet not moving at all.”

“Yeah, the wind patterns are all wrong, too,” Flash agreed, having seen his share of storms.

“Keep assisting the emergency services,” Superboy said. “I’m going to fly up and take a look at the heart of this storm!”

Flash nodded, speeding up again. He figured there was nothing even someone with Superboy’s powers could do against a storm, but if this was not a normal storm, if it was somehow man-made, then maybe they could nip this in the bud.

“What the...,” he heard Superboy swear over the com. Looking up, he saw that the Teen of Steel was being bombarded by lightning bolts. All of them seeming to zero in on him like homing missiles.

“Okay, now that is definitely NOT normal!” Flash muttered.

He figured that Superboy was pretty tough and normal lightning would probably not hurt him much, if at all. This, though? He started running towards his friend, or rather to a spot just beneath his friend. Superboy was being pummeled by lightning bolts, one after another hitting him in an endless staccato. Flash lost count, but eventually his friend dropped from the sky like a stone.

Quickly running in a tight circle, Flash created a miniature whirlwind that caught the plummeting form of his friend. A moment later, he was lowered safely to the Earth.

“You all right, buddy?” Flash asked, seeing that Superboy was conscious at the very least.

“I’ve been better,” he answered, smoke rising from his body. Flash could see his muscles spasm, probably a result of the electric shocks, and the smell of ionization was strong in the air.

“Have you pissed off some thunder gods lately or something?”

“Not that I know of, but maybe Diana can ask around,” he muttered.

Looking up, the two teenagers saw nothing but dark clouds, the wind tearing at them with ever increasing strength.

“Something really didn’t want me to take a closer look up there,” Superboy concluded.

“Seems that way, yeah,” Flash agreed. “Now what?”

*****

Zatanna was a Homo Magi, meaning that she had the innate ability to manipulate the exotic energies usually called magic. She was still learning, of course, and was far from being as proficient as her father. In theory, she should be capable of teleporting herself and Kona to Metropolis from Las Vegas, but she had never attempted it before and was sure it would have drained her strength almost entirely. Therefore, she had consented to being carried by her friend instead.

Draining herself to the point of passing out the moment they arrived sounded pretty good right now, though.

“We’re almost there,” she heard Kona say over the howling winds.

“I’ll take your word for it,” she muttered, her eyes squeezed shut since the moment Kona had taken flight.

“You could have told me that you’re afraid of heights, Zee!”

“I am NOT afraid of heights,” she insisted. “I am afraid of falling to my death! That’s entirely different!”

“I’ll take your word for it.” She didn’t need to open her eyes to know Kona was grinning right now.

“Shut up!”

Kona finally set her down on solid ground again and Zatanna resisted the urge to get down on her knees and kiss the concrete. Opening her eyes, she saw that they were now in Metropolis. The storm was raging all around them and every single nerve ending in her body tingled.

“Still feeling the vibes?” Kona asked.

“This is definitely not a natural storm,” Zatanna replied, looking around, her fingers moving as if she was strumming some kind of invisible instrument. Trying to sense the currents of magic was something that was 80 percent instinct and 20 percent training, but she had never tried to do it in the middle of a howling storm. To be honest, she really wasn’t sure that it had been a good idea to accompany Kona on this trip. Then again, there was no way she could have just sat at home while her friend went into danger. Damn morals!

Kona looked around as well, though she was probably trying to spot her brother. Zatanna was kind of excited about meeting Superboy (though not as excited as she had been upon meeting Superwoman, she had to admit).

“I see them,” Kona suddenly said.

“Them?” Zatanna started asking, but it turned into a “THEEEEEE!” kind of sound as Kona grabbed her and they travelled at super speed to a different part of the city.

“Warn me next time,” she complained when they came to a stop.

“Kona?” a male voice asked. Blinking, Zatanna saw that they were now standing right next to two teenagers. One of them was clearly Superboy, the uniform was a dead giveaway (and it really fit very well on his impressive physique… oh, shut up, hormones!) The other boy next to him wore a form-fitting red uniform with a lightning bolt on his chest. Oh yes, she had heard of him. Flashman or something like that.

“Hi, Cla... eh, Kal,” Kona replied, grinning. “Glad to see the lightning didn’t fry you.”

*****

Clark’s head was still ringing from the multiple lightning impacts, so he briefly considered the notion that he was seeing things. After all, he distinctly remembered that his mom had forbidden Kona from using her super powers in public, yet here she was, super speeding towards them with another girl being dragged along. Both of the girls were wearing black hoodies with the hoods up, though some strands of the unknown girl’s black hair had clearly escaped confinement at some point.

“Mom is so going to kill you!” he muttered, shaking his head.

“That’s your sister?” Flash asked. “Wow!”

“Hey, no ‘wow’ about my sister, you hear me?” Clark protested.

“You told him about me?” Kona asked. “Mom is going to kill YOU!”

“Hey,” the unknown girl said. “Don’t we have other problems to deal with?”

“Who are you?” Clark asked.

“She’s with me,” Kona simply said. “Magic Girl!”

“Magic Girl?” the other girl screeched in protest. “I am NOT Magic Girl!”

“Hey, it fits,” Kona told her. “Superboy, Supergirl, Flash Boy, Magic Girl! It’s a theme!”

“Flash BOY????” Flash yelled.

“Since when are you Supergirl?” Clark asked, exasperated.

“Hey, I was Supergirl long before I had any other name, remember?”

“I am NOT Magic Girl!”

“Eh, guys…” Flash began.

“And no one will recognize me,” Kona huffed. “I’m wearing a disguise!”

“Since when is a black hoodie a disguise?”

“Guys…!”

“Hey, you’re one to talk! Your disguise is combing your hair differently!”

“Why Magic Girl? If I need a superhero name, why not Sorceress? Lady Magic? Enchantress?”

“GUYS! MOVE!!!”

A lightning bolt impacted right where they had been standing a moment ago. Thankfully three of their number had super speed powers, so a moment was plenty of time to move out of the way.

“Okay, I’m really getting tired of being hit by lightning bolts!”

“Kona, let me down! I think I can figure things out!”

Clark was about to ask what she could do, but a scalding look from Kona caused his jaw to snap shut. Magic Girl (or whatever her name was) closed her eyes, clearly focusing, and then looked up at the storm.

“MROTS EHT DNIHEB REWOP EHT LAEVER!”

The air around them hummed and Clark felt a very uncomfortable tingle all over his skin. He quickly forgot about that, though, as the sky above them suddenly began to change. What had been nothing but a mass of black storm clouds a moment ago now coalesced into a near-humanoid shape that was taller than the tallest building in Metropolis.

“What is that?” Kona asked, awed.

“I AM YOUR DOOM,” a voice thundered across the city, smashing windows and causing people to press their hands to their ears in the vain hope of keeping it out. “I AM THE WIND! I AM THE STORM! I AM ULTHOON, THE TORNADO TYRANT!”

“No one’s going to call him Tornado Boy,” Flash muttered, staring up at the man-shaped whirlwind.

*****

High above the Earth there was the Justice League Watchtower space station, currently empty except for two people. Hawkwoman and Hawkman had only been members of the League for a few weeks, so when the time came to decide who would stay behind to mind the store while the rest of the team joined Adam Strange on Rann, the two of them had quickly volunteered.

Right now, they weren’t sure that it had been a great idea.

“Scanners say the storm in Metropolis is not natural,” Shiera said, studying the readouts. She had only gotten a crash course in handling the Justice League computers so far, so she hoped she was reading these things correctly.

“Can it tell us something we don’t know?” Carter asked, sounding irritated. Thanks to Superwoman, he had the memories of his past lives back, centuries of experience fighting all sorts of foes. None of which included fighting an apparently supernatural storm, though.

“Hey, don’t take it out on me, mister!” Shiera shot back. “It was your idea to stay behind while all the heavy hitters headed into outer space!”

“Sorry,” he raised his hands. “You’re right. I just don’t know what we’re supposed to do now. How are two people with wings supposed to stop a storm? Any luck contacting Batman?”

Shiera shook her head. “No luck, he is incommunicado, it seems. Besides, he’s not exactly brimming with super powers, either.”

“No, but there is someone who is,” Carter said, pointing at the screen.

“Superboy?” Shiera narrowed her eyes, trying to ensure that the red and blue dot she could see on the news broadcast the Watchtower computer had intercepted was really the son of their team leader. The Hawks had met him but briefly during the whole Kandor affair.

“It seems that way.”

“Okay, we should head down there, Carter! Kara will have our hides if we just sit here while her son is heading into danger.”

“Kara?” Carter asked. “Since when are the two of you on first name basis?”

“We went out for drinks two weeks ago. I told you about that!”

“You said you went out with a friend from work!”

“Kara IS a friend from work, idiot! Try and keep up!”

Carter just grumbled something about women under his breath before the hum of the teleportation beam cut him off and transported the two of them down to the Earth’s surface.

*****

“It’s some kind of elemental being,” Zatanna told the others, her mystical senses screaming at her. “It’s made from air, but alive.”

“And apparently pretty angry,” Flash added.

“How can something made from air be alive?” Kona asked, staring at the giant shape before them.

Zatanna opened her mouth, but Kona raised her hand to stop her. “Wait, let me guess! Magic?”

“Well, not the kind that dad and I practice, but... yeah, more or less.”

“Great! I hate magic!”

“How do we stop it?” Superboy asked. “Can you... banish it, or something?”

“No! Well, maybe! Probably not! But...”

“A little confidence here, Magic Girl!” Kona said, clapping her shoulder. “What do we need to do?”

Zatanna glared at her friend for the repeated use of that name, but then focused on the matter at hand. “I... elementals can’t be destroyed, but... it might be possible to dispel it. Right now it’s far too strong, though. The elemental and the storm are feeding each other. We would need to weaken it first.”

Superboy nodded, his eyes scanning the storm around the towering form of the Tornado Tyrant.

“He’s basically one giant whirlwind from the looks of it. If Flash and I create a counter-vortex around him with our super speed, that should slow him down.”

“You know he’s going to pepper us with lightning again the moment we get close, right?” Flash asked.

Superboy nodded. “Then I guess we’ll need to be really, really fast!”

“And give him as many targets to focus on as possible,” Kona added, pounding her fist into her palm.

For a moment, Superboy seemed poised to protest, but then simply nodded. “Okay, but you’ll be the one to explain this to mom!”

“Coward,” she replied, though Zatanna could see the brief flash of uncertainty on her face. She had confessed to her friend that she still felt somewhat unsure about her place in the family that had taken her in and feared what would happen if she messed up too badly. At that moment, though, Superboy took a step forward and hugged her.

“Let’s make her proud,” Zatanna heard him say. Kona smiled at him and nodded. “Let’s!”

In a burst of super speed, the three teenagers were off. Lightning crackled around the speeding form of the Flash as he approached their opponent on foot, thundering cracks followed the two flying siblings as they broke the sound barrier.

A heartbeat later, they had reached the giant shape of the Tornado Tyrant and began circling it.

“FOOLS!” the elemental thundered. “YOU CANNOT HOPE TO TEMPER THE ETERNAL STORM!”

Lightning bolts flashed again, reaching out towards the speeding heroes, but all three of them were moving so fast that they left afterimages of themselves behind. Arcs of electricity danced around the vortex created by the Flash, lightning flashed and tried to catch the speeding super siblings. The winds around the battle became even worse as torrents pushed against each other.

“It’s working,” Zatanna muttered, watching from a distance. She couldn’t see the shapes of her three allies anymore, she only saw colored streaks. Reaching out with her senses, she felt that the form of the elemental was indeed starting to break up and slow down.

“I WILL GRIND YOU INTO DUST!” the Tyrant screamed. With a gesture, rubble from the buildings that had already been smashed by the winds began to rise up and fly towards the center of the maelstrom.

“Oh no!” Zatanna desperately tried to think of something to do, wanting to stop the rubble before the Tyrant could push it into the path of the others, but the words wouldn’t come to her. She was a stage magician, damn it, not a super hero!

Suddenly two other shapes were there, two people with wings, and they intercepted the rubble pieces, smashing them to powder with maces and war axes. Zatanna breathed a sigh of relief. She recognized the two of them; they were members of the Justice League. She had never before been so happy to see some adults arrive on the scene.

Focusing back on her opponent, she felt his strength begin to falter. Gathering all her strength, she prepared to cast what she hoped would be her final spell of the day.

“TIRIPS LIVE EHT LEPSID DNA MROTS EHT TEIUQ,” she screamed, pushing all of her strength into the words, imposing her will on the magic around her.

“NOOOOOOO!”

In a flash the center of the storm imploded, the unnatural force that had caused the calamity being disrupted. A sudden vacuum at the center caused a massive boom as the air rushed in and two flying teenage heroes suddenly found themselves scattered like leaves on the wind.

Thankfully two winged people had the presence of mind to catch the super siblings before their invulnerable forms could demolish yet more buildings. The winds quickly died down and an eerie silence settled over the disaster area. Flash arrived next to Zatanna in a blur of red and with flapping wings Hawkman and Hawkwoman set down as well, an arm around Superboy and Supergirl each.

“I don’t know what you did, but it seems to have worked,” Hawkwoman said, letting go once she was sure that Kona was steady on her feet. Zatanna quickly went to her friend’s side, making sure that she was okay.

“Superboy, I assume you know these other three?” Hawkman asked, eying the teens.

“Yeah, I...”

“Superboy? SUPERBOY!?” The heroes turned, seeing a camera team running towards them, led by a disheveled looking woman with a microphone in her hand. “Linda Park, WGBS News! You have saved the city! Can you tell us who your friends are?”

For a moment Superboy seemed like a deer in the headlights as the camera was almost shoved in his face, but then he smiled, looking at the other three.

“I guess you can call us... the Teen Titans!”

Flash jumped into the air, whooping. “Oh yeah!”

Zatanna just looked down, hoping against hope that her dad wouldn’t recognize her when he saw them on TV.

*****

End Chapter 55

Author’s Note: The Tornado Tyrant, an air elemental called Ulthoon, first appeared as a foe of Adam Strange on Rann (Mystery in Space #61 from 1960). It was only later, when the entity journeyed to Earth, that it split itself into two beings, one good, one evil. The good entity called itself Tornado Champion and eventually became… well, that would be telling at this point, but I am sure avid comic readers know. The evil half was the Tornado Tyrant, who remained a powerful foe and clashed with the Justice League several times.

So we have had the very first adventure of the Teen Titans, hope you enjoyed it. Up next, another multi-part adventure of the Super-Fabulous, Super-Exciting, and Super-Amazing Super Family.

Chapter Text

Chapter 56: The Phantom Menace (Sand - Part 1)

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

“I don’t get it,” Kona huffed, sitting back from the computer terminal.

Looking up from the work she had been doing, Kara gazed at her daughter. They were sitting in the control room of Kara’s polar fortress and while Kara was working on one of her projects, Kona was catching up on her Kryptonian education and had been for quite a few hours already.

Normally Kara taught her about her Kryptonian heritage at a more sedate pace, and usually back at the farm, but this was also something of a punishment, given that Kona had disobeyed Kara’s orders, leading to her adventure with the self-styled Teen Titans. While she was proud that Kona had handled herself so well and had aided her brother, she had still disobeyed her and so some punishment was due. From what she had heard from Zatara, Zatanna was still grounded.

“What don’t you get, honey?” Kara asked, walking over and sitting down beside her.

“This,” Kona said, pointing towards the screen. She was going through the Kryptonian history files and was currently in the time period where the Kryptonian empire had begun to collapse.

“Kryptonians had lots of off-world colonies, right?” Kona asked, causing Kara to nod. “So, I get that their empire had become unsustainable and all that, collapsing under its own weight, but why did they all return to Krypton then? I mean, surely some of their colonies where in systems with yellow stars, right? Why would they willingly abandon places where they had super powers in order to return to a world where they had none?”

Kara nodded, understanding why this would confuse Kona.

“I asked myself that very same question shortly after I arrived here,” she explained. “When my abilities manifested, I, too, wondered why anyone would willingly give them up, especially the flying part. I went through every scrap of data I could find looking for an answer.”

She briefly paused, remembering a moment when she had been more than willing to give up her powers if only she could preserve her home world with its bright red sun, but those had been very special circumstances.

Kara entered some commands into the computer and called up a new file. “My dad and my uncle Jor did extensive research before sending Clark and I here. They explained a lot about the enhancing effect Earth’s yellow star would have on the Kryptonian physique, given our well-documented ability to metabolize sunlight. They did predict that I would be stronger, faster, and tougher here than any of the natives. But can you see what’s missing from these files, Kona?”

Kona quickly scanned the pages before her, moving through them at super speed.

“There is nothing in there about flying,” Kona finally concluded. “Nothing about laser vision, either.”

Kara suppressed a smile at Kona’s continued frustration at her lack of laser vision.

“Exactly. Which made me wonder and caused me to go through all the historical records from Krypton’s empire days. There are numerous notations about Kryptonians experiencing enhanced strength and speed on other worlds, of being tougher and harder to hurt, but nowhere was there anything about them achieving flight or any sort of energy projection power. Neither are there any records about Kryptonians lifting mountains or moving at supersonic speed.”

She looked at Kona, waiting for the young girl to draw her own conclusions.

“So...,” she began, “obviously the old Kryptonians didn’t have any super powers? Not on our level, at least?”

“Yes,” Kara agreed. “From what I could gather, our species always had the ability to metabolize sunlight, but not nearly to the degree that the three of us have. Otherwise I doubt the empire would have collapsed as it did and I agree that at least some of the old Kryptonians would probably have resettled on a planet with a yellow star, if for no other reason than to keep flying.”

She leant back in her chair. “There is not enough data to conclusively prove it, but I suspect that at some point between the collapse of the empire, which was roughly 10,000 Earth years ago, and the destruction of Krypton, our ability to metabolize sunlight increased dramatically. 10,000 years isn’t really a long time in terms of evolution, so I suspect that some kind of outside event triggered a mutation. Possibly the destruction of Krypton’s moon Wegthor, which caused a radiation shower over large parts of the planet. Our sun, Rao, also went through several phases of increased solar flare activity during that time, which might also be the reason. We’ll probably never know, though.”

“Okay, that makes sense,” Kona admitted, then gave her a hopeful smile. “Think that’s enough learning for today?”

Kara shook her head. “No way, young lady. You got four more hours of studying to do and that’s just today, remember? You want to sneak out and have adventures? You better be prepared to accept the punishment, too.”

Kona huffed in disappointment, but got back to her studies. Kara ruffled her hair, causing her to groan, but she could see the slight smile on her daughter’s face. She walked back to her worktable to resume her own work.

Exactly four hours later (to the second) Kona turned off her computer screen and came over to join her.

“What are you working on, anyway?” she asked, peeking over Kara’s shoulder.

Kara took a step back and regarded the fruit of her labors. The device looked like a big spotlight, a circular lamp with a button on top.

“You made a lamp?” Kona asked. “Oh, a Super Lamp?” she teased her.

Kara gently swatted her shoulder, though very happy that Kona felt comfortable enough to tease her by now.

“No, smarty pants! It’s something my uncle Jor was working on shortly before Krypton’s destruction,” she told Kona. “When he and my dad figured out that Krypton was going to die, they were considering several alternative ways to save as many people as possible. Uncle Jor had discovered the existence of an interdimensional realm outside of normal space/time. He called it the Phantom Zone. He was planning to build a device that would allow access to this other dimension and use it to bring the population of Krypton to safety. Sadly he did not have the necessary time to complete the project, especially when the Science Council cut all his support and funding, so he and my dad instead focused on building escape ships.”

“And now you have finished that device?” Kona asked. “Why?”

Kara smiled at her. “Well, two reasons. One, it was the last thing my uncle worked on and I wanted to finish it in his memory. And two, well, it’s an unexplored dimension, an entirely new frontier. I might spend a lot of my time as a superhero, but I do consider myself a scientist, too.”

Kona nodded. “Okay, so it’s finished then? It can open a gateway to another dimension?”

“It should work, yes, but now we need to test it. Not here, though. Just in case, we’re going to take this to some place a bit more remote.”

“What’s more remote than the middle of the Arctic?” Kona asked, confused.

*****

The Saharah desert, at the border between Niger and Chad was as remote and hostile a landscape as to be found anywhere on Earth. Nothing but sand for hundreds of miles in any direction. No traces of human civilization, only glaring sunlight. It was here that three aliens and a human-alien hybrid came down from the sky.

“Remote enough for you, Kona?” Kara asked Kona, grinning.

“Ice, sand, not a big diff,” the teenager replied, shrugging. Then she spread her arms and turned her face towards the glaring sun. “I must admit, though, the sunlight is far more plentiful here.”

“Wait until you get your first space flight,” Clark told her teasingly. “Unfiltered sunlight up in space is the absolute best.”

“This desert does remind me of Mars a bit,” J’Onn said, walking up besides Kara. “The sand is not the right color, though.”

“I know what you mean,” Kara replied. “A bit more of a red tint to the sand and the sky, and this could almost be Krypton.”

She had asked J’Onn to accompany them, both because of his technical expertise, and because he – more than anyone else – would understand how important it was to her to finish something that had begun on her lost home world.

“Why here, though?” Kona asked. “The Arctic isn’t really any livelier than this place, is it?”

“True,” Kona agreed, “but on the off chance that something goes wrong, I didn’t want our Fortress to be in danger.”

“Is there any danger?” Clark asked, regarding the Phantom Zone Projector that Kara was setting up.

“There shouldn’t be,” she replied, “but it never hurts to be careful. Which is why the two of you will watch from a distance! Three miles, minimum!”

Both her children huffed with nearly identical looks of teenage frustration, which only increased when they noticed that the other was doing the same. Kara had to resist the urge to hug the stuffing out of them both.

“Go and fly, my pretties!” she shooed them, grinning broadly.

Still looking put out, the two of them took flight and were soon just tiny dots in the totally cloudless sky.

“I am glad to see you so happy, Karen,” J’Onn told her, smiling.

“I am,” she agreed, still not entirely used to the feeling. Most days she still felt guilty about it. Survivor’s guilt, she knew and understood that. But she was no longer that broken girl that had fallen to Earth these many years ago, forced to go on and survive when everyone else had died. Clark, her wonderful son, was almost a man. Kona was settling into her family as if she had always been there. Somewhere out there was Kandor, a city full of her people, alive and well. Sure, there were always problems. Brainiac was out there somewhere as well. Luthor had escaped from prison and refused to be found. Overall, though? She was happy.

Which probably meant that something bad would happen sooner or later, but she refused to think too much about it.

“You should probably put in some distance, too, J’Onn,” she told him. “Just to be on the safe side.”

“No need for that,” he replied, his body shimmering in the way she had come to recognize as his phasing power. Right now a bomb could go off right next to him and it wouldn’t impact him at all.

“Show off!” she muttered fondly, then turned toward the device.

Seeing as the so-called Phantom Zone was not so much a different place, but rather a different state of being, the device would not open a portal or any such thing. It would emit a short-range beam and any matter within that cone of light would experience a phase-shift. The expected effect was actually not that different from what J’Onn could do naturally, but the principle behind it was entirely different.

Kara’s “guinea pig” was a primitive robot drone she had built, actually little more than a big metal box with sensor arrays, cameras, and everything else she could think of to get a proper look at the Phantom Zone. Positioning it before the lens of the projector, she flew back a good distance herself and then activated the device with a remote control.

A beam of bright white light emitted from the projector and enveloped the drone robot. Within moments the drone’s shape became indistinct, transparent, and then vanished entirely. Kara shut off the projector and flew closer again. Focusing on the spot where the drone had vanished, she shifted her super vision through all possible spectra, but there was nothing to be found. The drone was completely gone.

“Well, step one seems to have worked exactly as predicted.” J’Onn said, appearing next to her.

“Yeah, but maybe I’ve just created a really fancy disintegration ray,” Kara replied, using a handheld scanning device to verify what her eyes had already told her. “We’ll give it a minute, then we’ll bring it back. If it’s still there to be brought back.”

Returning an object that had been successfully shifted into the Phantom Zone to normal space had actually been the hardest part of the entire project. She suspected it was also the reason why Uncle Jor had eventually abandoned the idea. Once something was in the Zone, it was completely impossible to perceive or locate it from the outside. No communication was possible, either. So while the beam of the Phantom Zone projector could reverse the phase-shift and bring an object back into normal space, it required perfect coordination. Someone needed to turn on the projector in normal space and whatever (or whoever) was in the Zone would need to be there at the exact place and time to be hit with the beam, all without any possibility of communication between the two parties.

Had Uncle Jor actually sent the Kryptonians into the Zone, they would have been stuck there forever. With the planet destroyed, there would be no one left to retrieve them, no way to communicate with anyone, they would have been in a phantom state for all time. Which might actually be a fate far worse than death, now that she thought about it.

In this case, though, it should be straightforward. The drone was immobile; it would be in the exact same spot where she had made it disappear. So all she needed to do was to activate the projector again, aim it at that exact same spot, and hit reverse.

“So let’s see if it works,” she told J’Onn, who phased out again. Kara once again put some distance between the device and herself, then activated it. The bright beam of light lit up once again and a moment later an object shimmered into visibility. The drone was back.

“It worked,” Kara exclaimed, smiling broadly and shutting off the projector.

Later on, Kara would blame her enthusiasm for overriding her common sense. Instead of first scanning the drone from afar, she immediately flew close to it. It was only then that she noticed that the drone, while whole, looked different. The metal seemed to shimmer, almost as if coated by some liquid, and the sand it was sitting on was beginning to sizzle.

“Kara,” she heard J’Onn’s strangely pitched voice from his phasing state. “Be careful, something seems to...”

Kara had half a second to register that there was some kind of energy charge clinging to the metal of the drone before the world went white. A thunderous boom tore through the quiet of the desert and a blinding flash of light put even the midday sun to shame. The energy discharge vaporized the drone, completely shredded the Phantom Zone projector, and sent Kara flying as if shot out of a cannon. None of which she really noticed due to passing out.

*****

“Mom? MOM? Can you hear us?”

Slowly blinking awake, Kara could see the worried faces of her children and J’Onn hovering over her.

“Not so loud,” she complained, her head hurting.

Quickly cataloging the situation, she found herself lying on her back in the sand, every inch of her skin tingling uncomfortably, spasms shaking her muscles as if she had been hit with the mother of all electric shocks.

“What happened?” she asked, not making an attempt to get up yet.

“We are not certain,” J’Onn replied. “The drone returned from the Phantom Zone as planned, but it seems to have carried over some kind of energy charge. Once the drone was fully back in phase with normal space, the energy discharged violently.

“Yeah, there is a huge crater over where it was,” Clark told her.

“Are you okay, mom?” Kona asked, sounding extremely worried. Kara smiled despite feeling stiff and sore as hell. Kona probably hadn’t even noticed that she had finally called her mom without needing to think about it first.

“I’m fine, baby girl,” she replied, carefully sitting up. “Just had the wind knocked out of me a bit.”

J’Onn and Clark were both there to steady her as she stood up, swaying slightly. Kona hovered close, wringing her hands in distress.

“Well, back to the drawing board, I guess,” Kara finally said, her super vision showing her the smoking crater. It was more than a mile away, actually. She had flown an impressive distance.

“None of the equipment survived, I fear,” J’Onn told her. “We have no data to try and figure out what kind of energy that was.”

“We’ll need to repeat the experiment then,” Kara sighed.

“WHAT?” Kona yelled.

“Without blowing myself halfway across the desert in the process, I promise,” she assured her daughter.

“We should first give you a complete check-up,” J’Onn reminded her, “just to ensure that there are no lingering effects on you.”

Kara was about to protest, but seeing the worried looks on Cark’s and especially Kona’s face, she finally nodded. “Good idea! Let’s head to the Fortress!”

They took off, shooting into the sky and heading North. For a moment Kara felt strange, almost dizzy, and her flight wobbled. A heartbeat later everything was fine, though, and she simply put it down to still being winded. After all, she was Superwoman, wasn’t she? It would take more than an explosion to slow her down.

*****

In the middle of the desert, the blazing sun glared down mercilessly on the endless sand. Right in the middle of nowhere was the place where Superwoman had fallen during the explosion, an impact powerful enough to leave a deep impression of her body in the sand.

With an eerie glow, something stirred from the impression, a thing created from sand and rock. It rose, crackling with energy, its form imitating that of the hero who had fallen here. Slowly, ploddingly, the figure took a single step towards the distant mountains. Then another. And then another.

*****

End Chapter 56

Author’s Note: Just to avoid confusion, this is not in any way, shape, or form a Star Wars crossover, despite the episode title. With the overall storyline being named “Sand”, though, and the Phantom Zone playing a role, I couldn’t help but think of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, both the name of the first movie and the fact that Anakin Skywalker really, really doesn’t like sand. No Jedi, Sith, nor scruffy-looking nerf herders will appear here, though.

I briefly entertained the notion of bringing in the classic Phantom Zone villains (Zod and his crew), but decided against it as I did not want to have so many super-powered Kryptonians running around. Three are plenty for now. If the ending of this chapter seems a bit familiar, you might have read Superman (Volume 1) #233 from 1971. This chapter here is (very) loosely based on that story.

Chapter Text

Chapter 57: Attack of the Clone (Sand - Part 2)

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

A thorough check-up at the Fortress showed that everything was fine with Kara and both she and her family soon put the incident behind them as little more than a failed experiment. Kara dove back into her work, intending to construct a new Phantom Zone projector. The world moved on, though, and important matters required the attention of Justice League leader Superwoman, K-Solutions CEO Karen Kent, or Smallville single mother Karen Kent. A few days of rest and relaxation on Paradise Island in the arms of Philippus was about the only break she had and recreating the Phantom Zone experiment slipped further down her list of things to do.

It wasn’t until several weeks later that Kara got the first inkling that something was wrong.

It was a perfectly normal day for Superwoman, or at least it should have been. A passenger airplane approaching an airport reported an emergency, the landing gear refused to extend. It wasn’t exactly a major catastrophe, but seeing as Kara was relatively close by, she decided to fly over and lend a hand, if only to spare everyone the stress of an emergency belly landing. A brief burst of X-Ray vision quickly revealed the problem, a jammed mechanism, and it would have taken but an equally brief burst of heat vision to unjam it without any further problems.

Only her heat vision refused to work.

Kara was so baffled that, for nearly a solid minute, she just hung there, clutching the underside of the speeding airplane, unable to comprehend what was going on. She had had her super powers since she had been 13 years old. Perfect control since she was roughly 15. Her powers had never failed her, not once, in well over a decade. That they would do so now... it was inconceivable. It was as if one of her arms suddenly refused to move.

When she finally recovered her wits, she improvised. Carefully punching through the hull of the airplane, she unjammed the landing gear with her fingers and manually unfolded it. Flying off, she quickly passed the cockpit and signaled the pilot that all was well, who gave her a thankful wave. She stayed put just long enough to see the plane land safely, then she took off at her best speed.

*****

J’Onn and Diana watched as Kara unleashed searing red beams from her eyes and quickly reduced a large metal plate to so much slag. J’Onn observed the readouts of the Kryptonian medical scanner Kara was hooked up to.

“Everything seems to be normal, Kara,” he replied. “The readings all match your normal baseline. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

Her eyes returning to their normal blue, Kara sighed. “I don’t get it. Nothing like that ever happened to me before.”

Diana walked over to her, putting her arm around her shoulder. “Maybe you were just tired? You’ve been pushing yourself a lot in recent weeks.”

Kara shook her head. “I’ve been pushing myself much harder in the past and it never affected my powers before. If I was really, really tired, my heat vision would be less powerful, but it wouldn’t just cut out completely.”

She sat down in a chair, studying the readouts from the scanner as well. “I don’t get it,” she muttered, running her fingers through her long hair in frustration.

“There are no studies about the long-term effects of yellow sunlight on the Kryptonian physique,” J’Onn said. “You have been metabolizing solar energy for over 15 years now, on a very large scale for the last 10. Maybe...”

“You think I might be... what? Burning out?”

J’Onn shrugged. “I’m just saying that there are many possible explanations for what happened, Kara. I fear without more data to go on, we have little chance to find out more. We need to keep a close watch on this phenomenon, should it repeat itself.”

As much as she hated to admit it, he was right.

“We should ensure that you are not operating alone, at least for a while,” Diana told her. “It was a harmless incident this time. It might not be so the next time.”

Kara nodded. It made sense, no matter how much she hated the thought.

*****

The thing made of sand had walked in a straight line for weeks now. It did not require any rest, nor any sustenance, and neither was it in any way affected by the scorching heat of the day or the freezing temperatures of night. When it finally reached the first scattered outposts of civilization, it just kept walking. The few people who saw it reacted with confusion and a healthy amount of fear.

“What is that?” they asked.

“Is it... is that sand?” someone else wanted to know.

“It almost looks like... no, that can’t be, can it?”

“Uh, hello? Miss? Can you understand me?”

The thing stopped walking suddenly, now facing a store front with a mirrored window. For endless minutes it gazed at its own reflection. A humanoid shape, clearly made from sand, yet cast in the image of a woman. The features of its face were rough, almost unfinished. Yet one thing stood out very clearly. On its chest, there was the outline of a symbol. A diamond shape with something that looked like the letter S inside it.

“Superwoman,” the thing muttered, its voice rough and barely understandable. “Kara-El. Karen Kent.”

By the time the police arrived, called by the concerned citizens who had seen the thing made of sand as it marched through town, it was no longer there. The few souls courageous enough to have observed it said that it had simply leaped upwards and vanished into the sky. Nothing was left behind except a trail of sand.

*****

A week had passed without any incidents, so Kara was almost ready to write the whole thing off as an odd one-time occurrence. So with no terribly pressing issues ahead, she finally found the time for something that was long overdue.

“It’s so beautiful,” Kona said, her eyes fixed to the curved horizon of the Earth, where the sun was just rising. They were hovering at the very edge of space, hundreds of miles above the surface, and the bright smile on her daughter’s face made Kara so happy she felt like bursting. She still remembered the first time she had taken Clark up here after he had mastered his flying ability. It was every bit as amazing the second time.

“No trouble with the lack of air?” she asked, her voice carried to her daughter via Kryptonian-tech devices that picked up and interpreted the vibrations of her throat as she sub-vocalized her words.

“No, it’s just like you said,” Kona replied. “While it does feel weird not to breathe, there is no dizziness or anything.”

“Just remember that your body compensates for the missing oxygen by burning through stored solar energy at a faster rate. It doesn’t matter for a short-term jaunt like this one, but it can become a problem during extended space travels, especially in systems with older, red stars.”

Even as they spoke, they flew higher still. What little blue tinge remained in the sky vanished, replaced by the blackness of space.

“Amazing,” Kona whispered, trying to take it all in as she spun higher and higher.

“Be careful,” Kara reminded her. “Unfiltered sunlight up here in space can make you a bit giddy at first. Don’t overdo it!”

“I LOVE IT!” Kona cheered, flying a corkscrew pattern that took her still higher.

Kara wanted to laugh about the antics of her daughter, but suddenly found that she couldn’t. She had gotten used to the somewhat weird feeling of not needing to breathe in space, so it took her a moment to recognize the sensation for what it was. The burning of her lungs, the black spots appearing in her vision, the numbness spreading through her body.

She was suffocating, she realized. She tried calling out, but nothing came out but a choked croak.

*****

The first inkling Kona had that something was wrong was the weird, croaking sound she heard over the transmitter. For a moment she thought that the thing might be broken, so she looked around, having lost track of Kara during her flying antics.

“Kara, where are you?” she asked, not seeing her immediately. The sky was so damn big.

She heard the weird sound over the transmitter again and then she finally spotted Kara, who was at least several hundred feet below her. Zipping down, she pulled even with her and her eyes widened. Kara was just hanging there, her hands clutching at her throat, and her face was turning blue.

“Kara? Mom? MOM?! What’s wrong?”

Kara opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. It took Kona another few previous moments to realize what was happening. Kara had told Clark and her about the mysterious power outage she had experienced a week ago, just in case it should happen again. This time it wasn’t her heat vision that had failed. It was her ability to function without breathing. She was suffocating.

Not wasting anymore time, Kona quickly grabbed Kara around the waist and headed downwards at her best speed. Within seconds the silence of space was filled with the howling of wind and Kona only levelled out once they were well within the atmosphere again and she could hear Kara take deep, gulping breaths.

“Thank you, Kona,” Kara said, her voice scratchy.

“What happened? Did your powers fail?”

Kara nodded. “It seems that way. I just... suddenly my lungs burned and I started blacking out.”

Kona hoped that she didn’t look quite as scared as she felt. She had only known Kara for a few months, but she was Superwoman. Invincible, unconquerable, indomitable. The very idea that her powers could fail... that something might happen to her...

“We should get you to the Fortress,” Kona said, worriedly chewing her lip. “Try and figure out what’s happening.”

“You’re right. Let’s head there right now.”

Kona let go of her, preparing to head north, but the moment she did Kara dropped like a stone. A scream escaped both their lips, Kara’s probably one of surprise, Kona’s definitely one of distress. This time Kona reacted faster, though, and immediately dove after the plummeting form. Thankfully they were still quite high, so Kona had more than enough time to catch her with room to spare.

This time, though, Kara looked even more distraught than the first time.

“I can’t fly anymore,” she muttered, clearly unable to believe it. “I can’t fly!”

*****

For the third time in just a few weeks Kara found herself hooked up to the medical scanner in the Fortress and for the third time the scanner told her that everything was just fine. She was hovering a foot above the ground, she had been holding her breath for the last ten minutes, and her eyes had just melted yet another poor steel plate. All her powers worked just fine, as if she hadn’t nearly suffocated in space and fallen to Earth like a stone mere hours before.

“This is getting ridiculous,” she swore under her breath. “The finest technology from two different worlds and all it tells me is that everything is just fine?”

She looked at her worried audience. Kona, her brave little Kona who had carried her all the way to the North Pole, was doing her best not to show how worried she was. Clark, who had arrived just minutes ago, looked confused, not sure what to make of the story he had been told, and worried as well. And J’Onn looked as neutral as he usually did, even as he studied the readouts of the scanner.

“Your energy levels are steady,” he said.

Her feet hit the ground again, though a part of her wanted to remain hovering just to remind herself that she could.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” she muttered. “If something were disrupting my ability to metabolize solar energy, then all my powers should stop working, not just one or two. They are all merely aspects of our inborn Kryptonian ability.”

From the corner of her eye, she saw a pensive look appear on Kona’s face. “What is it, Kona? Did you think of something?”

The girl started a bit, clearly a bit uncomfortable as everyone turned to look at her. “Well, I... I was just thinking of what you told me in my last Kryptonian history lesson. About the ancient Kryptonians not having the same abilities we do. That they had strength and such, but not the ability to fly, nor the laser vision. They probably couldn’t survive in space, either, could they?”

Kara nodded. “That’s an interesting thought, Kona. All the abilities that have failed me have been the ones that resulted from whatever it was that increased the Kryptonians’ abilities after our Empire days were over.”

“Maybe that is why the Kryptonian scanner can’t find anything,” J’Onn continued the thought. “It was designed and programmed at a time when your people had no idea that these additional abilities might emerge upon absorption of sufficiently powerful solar energy. It wouldn’t know what to look for.”

“Great thinking, Kona,” she complimented her daughter, who beamed back at her. “You, too, J’Onn. We need to do a comparison between my DNA and that of Empire-day Kryptonians. I just hope dad and uncle Jor included historical medical scans in the database they sent with us.”

They ended up doing another scan of Kara, then one of Clark as a non-afflicted present-day Kryptonian, and had the computer compare it against historical data. A hologram showing three different DNA helixes appeared in the room, showing the gene sequences of Kara, Clark, and a very, very old ancestor of theirs who had lived well over 8,000 years ago. The computer highlighted the differences.

“That confirms my theory,” Kara said, studying the differences the DNA of Clark and her showed when compared to their ancestor. “Something did cause a mutation of our species at some point. You can see the additional sequences here and here,” she pointed. “No way were those changes the result of natural evolution, not in that short a time.”

J’Onn manipulated the controls, highlighting the respective parts, and overlaying Kara’s and Clark’s DNA.

“I do not see any differences between you and Clark, though,” he said. “So whatever is affecting your powers, it does not seem to have impacted the underlying DNA.”

“What about that explosion in the desert?” Clark interjected. “When the Phantom Zone thing went up? That’s when the whole thing started, or shortly thereafter.”

“The scanners gave me a clean bill of health afterwards,” Kara said, then swore under her breath. “The same scanners that told me that everything is fine just now.”

“We still don’t know what kind of energy it was that clung to the retrieved drone,” J’Onn agreed. “It’s possible that it somehow affected those additional gene sequences.”

“Okay, at the very least we have a direction to search in now,” Kara said, feeling at least slightly relieved. “I think I need to bring reconstructing the Phantom Zone projector back to the top of my to-do list.”

Suddenly an alarm went through the Fortress, a frequency that Kryptonians would have been able to hear no matter where they were on Earth. Here in the Fortress, though, it was especially loud.

“What is that?” Kona asked, pressing her hands to her ears.

“Rao,” Kara breathed, her eyes widening in fear. “That’s the perimeter alarm I put around the farm.”

Not waiting for anyone else, Kara shot out of the Fortress at her best speed and headed south towards Smallville, Kansas.

*****

Kara had still been a teenager when she had used the Kryptonian construction crystals stored in her escape ship to build her polar Fortress, thereby gaining access to all of Krypton’s advanced technology. The very first thing she had done with said access was to construct a security system for her new home in Smallville, Kansas. Nothing mattered more to her than the safety of her loved ones, Clark first and foremost. She had known that she wouldn’t always be there to personally keep an eye on him, but the alarm was such that she would hear it anywhere on Earth (and on a frequency no human would hear).

Of course the alarm had to be somewhat specific. She hadn’t wanted it to go off everytime a grazing cow wandered onto the Kent lands or a neighbor came over for piece of Martha Kent’s famous apple pie. So the alarm was programmed to only go off when something unusual was detected. Such as people from outside Smallville. Or things that were neither human nor animal.

A figure made of sand definitely fell under the definition of unusual, so the alarm went off the moment the strange entity crossed the edge of the property. It had touched down roughly a mile away from the farm, the same spot that Superwoman and her family usually touched down when they arrived in daylight, and had walked the rest of the way. The sand thing approached the farm at a leisurely pace, muttering to itself all the time.

Suddenly, though, there was something in its way.

“Stop right there,” Kara dropped down from the sky, positioning herself between the farm and the intruder. “I don’t know what you are, but...”

“Superwoman,” the thing muttered. “Kara-El. Karen Kent.”

Kara’s eyes widened as the sand thing said all three of her names.

“What are you?” she asked. “How do you know these names?”

“Superwoman, Kara-El, Karen Kent!”

„Why are you looking like me?“ she asked, seeing that the sand figure was approximating her shape, not merely the symbol of her house on her chest. It was like someone had tried to make a sculpture of her out of sand, but wasn’t terribly good at it.

She sensed her children and J’Onn touching down behind her, but her eyes never left the sand thing. It wasn’t making any threatening moves, but the very fact that it was here, on the Kent farm, made her consider it a threat of the highest order. Never mind that it seemed to know all three of her names.

“Why is there a sand clone of Kara running around?” she heard Kona ask.

“You mean at the same time when her powers start malfunctioning?” Clark replied, sounding grim. “And looking as if it’s made from the same sand where that Phantom Zone thing exploded? I hardly think it’s coincidence.”

“Is he right?” Kara asked the thing. “Are you responsible for this?”

“Superwoman, Kara-El, Karen Kent!”

„It doesn’t seem to have much in the way of vocabulary,” J’Onn said. “I am not picking up anything with my telepathy, either. There is just a void there, nothing else.”

Kara took a step closer, the sand thing still not moving. It didn’t have eyes as such, but it seemed to be studying her as well.

“Are you attempting to copy me somehow?” she asked. She was scanning the thing with her entire range of vision powers, but was getting nothing but sand and yet more sand. Whatever was animating this thing, it was beyond her perception.

“Careful, mom,” Clark said from behind her. “Don’t get too close!”

Kara knew that he was right, but she also knew that they were standing here on the Kent farm in broad daylight, three recognizable superheroes and a creature made from sand. With every passing second the chance that someone would come by and see them increased. She needed to gain control of this situation sooner rather than later.

“What do you want?” Kara inquired once again, taking another step closer.

Suddenly the air between the two of them seemed to sizzle and spark. Kara stumbled, feeling as if a vacuum had formed directly in front of her and was threatening to pull her in. The sand thing stumbled closer as well, perfectly mirroring her movements, and a moment later their hands touched.

The world went white.

Kara had no awareness of time passing, but the next thing she knew, she was lying on her back and looking up at the faces of Clark, Kona, and J’Onn. A moment later they were joined by Martha and Jonathan, who had apparently come running from the farm.

“Karen, honey, are you all right?” Martha asked, kneeling down beside her.

“What... what happened?” she asked, sitting up with a groan.

“There was a blinding explosion the moment you and that sand thing touched,” Clark told her. “Knocked us all off our feet. When we regained our senses, the sand thing was gone and you were just lying there. For a moment we feared... well...”

She reached up, touching her hand to his cheek. “I’m fine, Clark. Well, fine may be pushing it, but I’m here.”

Getting to her feet with the help of Jonathan and Clark, she looked around. Something was wrong, though. Everything seemed... less, somehow. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but something was definitely off. The world felt... smaller.

She tried to look around the farm, tried to see if there was any trace of the sand creature, but her eyes refused to focus on anything that was far away. She couldn’t look through the farm house. She couldn’t see into the infrared spectrum.

“Mom?” Kona asked, seeing her growing distress.

Kara jumped, trying to fly upwards to get a better view, but her feet hit the ground again. She looked around, her panic growing, and snatched up a rock lying on the ground. She took it between her palms and pressed, trying to grind it into powder.

The stone cracked a bit, but otherwise remained unimpressed.

“No,” she whispered, letting the stone fall down. “No, it can’t be!”

She dropped to her knees, trying to hear what was happening in Smallville. She pounded her fist into the grass, trying to split the ground apart. She looked at the tree, trying to make it burn.

Nothing happened.

“They’re all gone,” she whispered, her heart pounding in her chest, hyperventilating. “All gone!”

She barely noticed that Martha and Kona were there to hug her, didn’t see the helpless look on the faces of Clark and Jonathan. She didn’t even notice J’Onn’s telepathic attempt to calm her racing thoughts and prevent her from going into a full-blown panic attack.

Her powers were gone. All of them.

*****

End Chapter 57

Author’s Note: I hope the amount of exposition I put in this chapter hasn’t put anyone off. Just remember that Kara is a scientist, so she is going to look for scientific solutions to her troubles. I am also laying the groundwork for some future developments here with Kara’s exploration of the source of Kryptonian powers. Just be patient and remember that I am neither a geneticist nor a biologist.

Chapter Text

Chapter 58: Revenge of the Villains (Sand - Part 3)

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Justice League belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

“John Corben?”

The cyborg that had once been known by that name looked up, seeing a shadowy figure standing in front of his cell. He could count the number of people who had visited him since his incarceration on one hand with fingers to spare. Metal fingers, naturally. Few people wanted to visit the murderous robot freak with the human brain inside his metal skull.

“Yeah, what about it?” he asked.

He couldn’t really see the face of his visitor – what was it with the lack of lights? – but he had the distinct impression that he was smirking.

“I have a business proposition for you, Mr. Corben,” the figure said.

“Sounds nice,” he replied, “but I fear I am kind of stuck here at Ryker’s Island for a bit longer. Twenty to life, so I doubt they’ll let me leave after just seven years.”

Looking to the side, he gestured towards the generator standing just outside the cell, a cable connecting it to his chest. “Besides, I don’t have an extension cord handy.”

The shadowy figure chuckled. “Now don’t worry about any of that, Mr. Corben. If you agree to my proposal, I will supply you with a few long-overdue upgrades to your hardware.”

“What do you want in return?” Corben asked. He might not have been the smartest cookie on Earth, but he knew that stuff was never for free.

“Oh, just something that you are quite willing to do, Mr. Corben. Unless I am mistaken and you are not interested in extracting some payback from the woman who put you here seven years ago.”

The cyborg once known as John Corben would have grinned if not for his lack of lips. “Call me Metallo!”

*****

“Rudy Jones?”

Even raising its head was difficult for the emacipated creature that had once been a normal human being called Rudy Jones. For the last four years it had been stuck in this cell, isolated from any and all sources of life-giving energy, being fed just the bare minimum it needed to stay alive.

“What do you want, energy bag?” it croaked, eyes drawn to the shimmer of energy in the shape of a person standing in front of its cell.

“Do you remember what it felt like to feed, Rudy?” the person-shaped energy asked. “Do you remember how it felt when you fed on the world’s tastiest energy?”

“Superwoman,” it mused, almost moaning in delight. “I remember the glow!”

“What would you do for another taste of that glow, Rudy?”

The creature once called Rudy Jones struggled to its feet. “Rudy Jones is dead! Call me... Parasite!”

The person-shaped energy smiled.

*****

“Joseph Martin?“

The man with the invisible skin looked up from where he was sitting in his lead-lined cell.

“My name is Atomic Skull,” he yelled. “Atomic Skull!”

“Of course,” the figure outside the cell replied. “Terribly sorry. Mr. Skull, I fear I have bad news. The villainous Doctor Electron is still at large and terrorizing the world. No one has been able to stop her since the day she defeated you and had you imprisoned.”

“She tricked me,” the Skull yelled. “She and that little brat! It was the only way dastardly villains like that could defeat me!”

The figure outside the cell smiled.

“I think we can arrange a rematch, Mr. Skull.”

*****

Sitting in a chair before the large monitor board of the Justice Leage Watchtower, Kara was doing her best not to tap her foot in frustration and impatience. The urge to smash her fist into the monitors was pretty strong, too, even with the knowledge that the damage it would cause right now would be miniscule at best.

Right now all members of the Justice League were scouring the planet, looking for the mysterious sand creature that had vanished from Smallville. Vanished, and taken the largest part of her powers with it, it seemed. Right now, Kara was still quite a bit stronger and faster than even the strongest normal human, but she would not be lifting any ocean liners out of the water anytime soon.

Nor was she able to fly.

She pushed down on the feeling of panic surging up inside of her again. Having lost so many of her powers, especially the one she had come to treasure the most, felt crippling. She felt vulnerable, helpless, in a way she hadn’t felt since she had been forced to watch her home world explode. Ever since that day she had known that, if push came to shove, she had the power to protect her loved ones against just about anyone and anything. No longer, though. The feeling of impotence was horrible.

It didn’t help that she had also gotten into a fight with Clark, as she had forbidden him and Kona from getting anywhere near that creature. While she didn’t think the sand thing could siphon off their powers, too – it seemed to somehow have imprinted on her – she had no intention of taking a risk. Clark had been furious and only been somewhat placated when she told him that she wanted him to watch out for Kona and the Kents on the farm, just in case the creature returned there. She was sure both her children had seen through that weak argument, but had finally agreed, if grudgingly.

“Kara, do you read me?” Batman’s voice came over the com.

“Yes, I’m here. What is it? Have you found the sand thing?”

“No, sorry, nothing new on that front. Something else is going, though. I’ve just received information that three old friends of yours have been sprung from prison by parts unknown. John Corben, Rudy Jones, and Joseph Martin. All three breakouts happened within an hour of each other.”

Kara needed a moment to remember the people to whom these names belonged. When she did, she just groaned. “I really don’t need this on top of everything else!”

“I hope I don’t need to remind you that you are not currently in any shape to face even one of them, let alone all three.”

“I know, I know,” she waved him off. They had had this conversation already. While she was still a lot stronger an tougher than most of the Justice League except Diana and J’Onn, she was not used to fighting at this reduced level of strength. Something both Bruce and Diana had thought to mention repeatedly.

Kara instead mused over this new information. “The sand thing didn’t strike me as the type to spring criminals from prison, but I can think of someone else.”

“Luthor,” Batman agreed. “This seems right up his alley. He knows he can’t face you alone, especially with the League at your back, so he’s getting some reinforcements.”

“Figures,” she muttered. “Doesn’t know about my power loss, but still manages to turn up when it’s the most inconvenient.”

“I’m informing the others to be on the lookout,” Batman said. “Hopefully they’ll lay low for a while and not get into trouble.”

“Don’t jinx it,” Kara reminded him before signing off. While she had no intention of getting into any life-or-death battles until she had her powers back, the current situation might not give her that option. Leaning back to think, she decided to make some contingency plans, just in case.

*****

A week passed. A week in which the heroes of the Justice League put in long hours to look for the sand creature, the escaped super villains, and Lex Luthor. All without any success. Everything remained quiet. Kara’s power levels remained constant, no further power loss, but neither did her missing abilities return.

Then the villains attacked Metropolis.

There were four of them. Metallo, Parasite, and Atomic Skull were easy to recognize, though evidentally Metallo had gotten a major hardware upgrade. He was easily twice his previous size and bristling with weaponry. Parasite was equally huge, which meant the creature had probably already drained some unfortunate souls of their life energy. Only Atomic Skull seemed unchanged.

There was a fourth person with them, someone wearing what looked suspiciously liked a highly-advanced, heavily-upgraded version of the battle suit that Lex Luthor had built and arranged to have stolen during his first face-to-face meeting with Superwoman. The green and purple armor’s helmet was closed, no telling who was inside, but Kara would eat her cape if it was anyone but Luthor, or at the very least someone working for him.

They were making a dramatic entrance, just dropping down into the filled-to-capacity Metropolis Stadium, where thousands of people were cheering for one team or the other. The villains didn’t care. Within minutes all exits were sealed and an entire stadium’s worth of humans were taken hostage. And then the armored guy who was obviously in charge of the group looked into the video cameras that were broadcasting the game live.

“I want Superwoman and her Justice League! If the alien is not here in fifteen minutes, we will start killing hostages!”

Ten minutes later, the League was gathered on the Watchtower and ready for action.

“I am not liking this plan,” Kara said.

“They specifically asked for Superwoman,” Diana said, zipping up Kara’s trademark blue suit and adjusting the blonde wig.

“Which is why I should go with you,” Kara protested.

“You really have a spare Superwoman suit and a blonde wig just lying around?” Shiera asked.

“We have pulled this trick before,” Diana replied. “Also, I’ve been making some scattered appearances as Superwoman during the last week, just to keep up appearances.”

“Is anyone listening to me?” Kara asked, exasperated.

“We went over this, Kara,” Batman reminded her. “If they see a Superwoman who can’t fly, they’ll think we are trying to trick them.”

“We ARE trying to trick them,” she said, pointing to Diana, who now looked like Superwoman. If Superwoman was several inches taller, curvier, and with a different facial shape.

“We outnumber them,” Adam Strange said, double checking his weapons. “We just need them to be tricked long enough to get into position before they can start killing people, then we’re good.”

“That’s Luthor in that armor,” she reminded them. “Or maybe he’s remote controlling it, I don’t care, but he is the brains behind this, I am sure. You can bet he will have some kind of plan. This has trap written all over it!”

“Of course it’s a trap,” Batman agreed. “And the best way to figure it out is to spring it.”

“I know you do not like being left behind,” Diana said, hugging her. “You are a great fighter, sister, but you have not adjusted to your reduced strength levels, never mind your lack of flying power.”

Kara and Diana had sparred just yesterday and Kara had never felt more like an absolute novice. Diana had thrown her around the training area like she hadn’t been able to years, despite not using anywhere near her full strength. Never mind that Kara had fallen flat on her face more than once, instinctively trying to fly.

“If one of us were similarly impaired, what would you decide?” Diana asked.

Kara swore under her breath, but Diana had a way of making one speak honestly even without that lasso of hers. “I would tell them to stay behind, as they would endanger the others.”

“I know you are used to be the one to save the day,” Adam told her. “Trust us to do it for you, just this once, okay?”

“Fine,” she huffed. “But I’ll keep an eye on you and if I think things are going south, I will join you, powers or no powers.”

A moment later the rest of the League was gone, teleporting down to Metropolis. The moment they were gone, Kara began to suit up. A ray gun was clipped to her hip, identical to the model her ancestors had worn once upon a time back on a far more war-like Krypton. Indestructible Amazonian bracelets that were a gift from Philippus went onto her forearms. The Kryptonian bodysuit that had once protected her from the ravages of space flight as she sped away from her dying home world was already tougher than Kevlar.

Finally, from her pocket, she retrieved the final item she needed. Something that had been resting at the bottom of her jewelry box in her room in Smallville for years. A golden ring with the letter ‘L’ engraved upon it. A souvenir from an adventure that she had forgotten she’d been on for over a decade before remembering it again.

“Now let’s hope they didn’t leave that feature out just because I wouldn’t need it,” she muttered, slipping the ring onto her finger.

The Legion of Superheroes, protectors of the 30th century, had given her this ring when she had been 16, when she had been Supergirl, stranded in the future for several months. The ring was a membership badge, a communicator, and a symbol of that oh so brief time in her life when she had felt she could just be a teenage girl without being weighed down by responsibility. The ring was all that to her, but there was another thing it could do. A thing she had been able to do without any outside help since shortly after coming to Earth, but could not do any longer.

Focusing her thoughts, the psycho-responsive metal the ring was made from reacted as designed. Lyle Norg aka Invisible Kid, the inventor of the Legion rings, had once told her that he had tried to recreate the fabled Green Lantern rings. While he had never even come close to duplicating the full capabilities of the Oans’ miracle devices, the Legion rings successfully replicated two of their features: they responded to their bearer’s thoughts. And they made their bearers fly.

She might no longer be the all-powerful Superwoman she had been a week ago. But she was still a daughter of Krypton. An Amazon warrior. A member of the Legion of Superheroes. The leader of the Justice League. And she would be damned before she would allow anyone to harm her friends and family if she could help it.

*****

Lex Luthor was not a happy man.

During the last few months, he had learned much. He had learned that what he had once considered to be the cutting edge of technology was little more than a caveman’s sharpened stick when compared to the wonders Brainiac had showed him. He had learned of the worlds beyond Earth, of the great empires that had once been. Brainiac had shown him many things. Hidden many more, he was certain, but that didn’t matter right now.

He had also learned that he had been wrong about oh so many things.

Before meeting Brainiac, he had firmly believed that many of the Justice League members were aliens like Superwoman, more of her ilk, masquerading as others to disguise the fact that they were the spearhead of an invasion. Now he knew better. There were just two Kryptonians left in existence, three if one counted the Cadmus hybrid (and if Brainiac wasn’t the source of that advanced tech Donovan had used to create it, he would eat his armor). The so-called Martian Manhunter was indeed that, a Martian, also the last of his kind. Wonder Woman was indeed an Amazon from Greek myth. There were so many things out there he had never even considered possible and in his hubris, he had dismissed them as trickery, as inconsequential.

Today should have been his day of triumph. The day when he, armed and prepared, would finally beat back the outsiders that had taken it upon themselves to guide humanity’s fate. The self-styled gods who watched from the skies and made the little people worship them. Humanity’s fate should be in the hands of humans, he firmly believed that. Humans like him. He should feel happy today, for now he could finally fight them.

He was about as far from happy as was possible.

The high-tech armor he now commanded, the one that made him more powerful than just about anyone else on Earth, was little more than a prison. He had seen the codes Brainiac had embedded into the operating system, he knew that the armor would turn on him, refuse his commands, the moment Brainiac decided it should. The three criminals he had freed believed that he was calling the shots, but he wasn’t. He was just a patsy, a strawman.

The Justice League had come, just as he had planned. Like the pure-hearted protectors of humanity they pretended to be. Certain of their inevitable victory. It should be enjoyable to show them the error of their ways. He should feel elated. The only thing he did feel, though, was frustration.

“The Martian is vulnerable to fire,” Brainiac whispered in his ear and he quickly relayed the order to Metallo. The cyborg, now equipped with weapons far more powerful than any ever built on Earth before, quickly activated flame throwers and drove the green-skinned hero back.

“Atomic Skull’s energy blasts can empower the Parasite,” Brainiac supplied, and once again Luthor relayed the orders. A moment later the Parasite was twice his previous size and Batman and the Hawks could do little but try not to get caught by him, even as the Skull did his best to fry them.

The energy bolts Adam Strange was firing at him harmlessly ricocheted off his armor’s shields, the technology of Rann no match for what Brainiac had supplied him with. He almost laughed as an arrow broke against the metal covering his chest. Not even the explosives embedded in the arrow head could rattle him.

As the woman pretending to be Superwoman began to engage him, Luthor mused on another mistake he had made. It was so easy to see now, in hindsight. Such a simple trick to fall for. Superwoman and Wonder Woman had switched costumes. He had been fooled by a catsuit and a wig. The great Lex Luthor, brought low by a simple change of clothes. How they must have laughed.

“The Amazon’s strength is near Kryptonian level,” Brainiac cautioned him. “Direct engagement not advised.”

A brief burst of his inbuilt rocket boosters widened the distance between him and the disguised Wonder Woman, then he began to blast her with energy beams from his gauntlets. The illusion of Superwoman was shattered when the Amazon had no choice but to deflect his attacks with her bracelets. It was maddening that she somehow managed to do this again and again, but not as maddening as the one burning question that plagued both him and Brainiac at the moment.

Where was the real Superwoman?

*****

Despite her determination, Kara was not stupid. Charging directly into the midst of battle would have been foolish, as she was still far weaker than she had been. Being able to fly again, though slower than before, did a lot to boost her confidence, but it wouldn’t do to become too confident. If her friends were able to finish this without her, she would just watch from the sidelines and congratulate them afterwards, no sweat.

Arriving at the battle in progress, though, she could see that her friends were in trouble. The Parasite was gigantic and brimming with power. Metallo seemed to have become a walking arsenal. Atomic Skull seemed more deranged and reckless than before, blasting radioactive energy beams every which way. And the armored figure seemed impervious, no matter how many hits Adam and Green Arrow landed on it.

She was certain that Diana’s masquerade had failed, as she was currently busy deflecting energy beams with her bracelets. Just about the only good news was that her friends had managed to open up the emergency exits of the stadium and, even as they fought, the hostages were pouring out at a steady pace. Inevitably some people were stupid enough to stay and watch the fight, but at the very least the largest part of the crowd seemed to have some smarts.

Staying out of sight, Kara considered where she could do the most good. Parasite was almost impossible to beat in a direct fight, the only way to defeat him was to trap him somewhere and wait until he ran out of energy. She smiled as she saw Shiera use her Nth Metal Mace to bring down an empty part of the stadium, doing her best to bury the Parasite under debris. The Hawks seemed to be doing okay for now.

Diana and the armored figure seemed to be stalemated, as Diana deflected every energy beam, but couldn’t get close enough to bring her strength into play. Adam was assisting her, even as Green Arrow had switched around and was currently fighting the Atomic Skull alongside Batman. Skull, despite his powers, was still human, so she was confident that her friends could take him.

J’Onn was in trouble, though, as Metallo had flame throwers.

Focusing on the Legion flight ring, Kara shot down into the arena and directly toward the Cyborg, who was distracted trying to kill her friend. The Kryptonian ray gun was in her hand and firing before he ever knew she was there. The energy beam from the weapon reduced the flame thrower on his left arm to scrap metal. A moment later Kara landed next to the surprised Cyborg.

“What the...?” the metal man began, but she didn’t wait for him to finish.

She was neither as strong nor as fast as she had been, but she was wearing indestructible bracelets on her forearms. In a move she had seen Diana use more than once, she used all of her still considerable strength and speed to clash the two bracelets together. Metallo’s right arm, sporting one as of yet unbroken flame thrower, was caught between them and shattered like glass.

“Finish him off, J’Onn,” she ordered her teammate, even as she shot back into the sky to survey the battle field.

*****

Luthor did not miss the arrival of Superwoman. He was surprised at the speed with which she disabled Metallo’s weapons, but even more surprised at the methods she used. A ray gun? And were those bracelets on her arms, like Wonder Woman’s? Since when did Superwoman need such tools to aid her?

“Parasite, Superwoman is here,” he ordered. “Drain her powers!”

“That’s not Superwoman,” the creature roared back, currently half-buried in debris, but making his way out.

“What are you talking about? Of course she is!”

“No! Superwoman glows like a star! That one does not!”

A moment later Luthor understood. Parasite saw the world only in terms of life energy. If Superwoman didn’t “glow” anymore, if she needed to use weapons, than that could only mean one thing.

“Superwoman is powerless,” Luthor smirked, feeling happy for the first time in a long time.

*****

The Brainiac node embedded into the armor of Lex Luthor stalled for a moment, uncertain of how to proceed. It had reached the same conclusion as Luthor. Somehow Kara-El was currently weakened, lacking most of the great power bestowed upon her by the yellow star of Earth. How this was possible could be analyzed at a latter date, but it definitely impacted the parameters of this mission.

The Brainiac master program had programmed this node with clear directives. One – The existence of the Brainiac master program must be protected. Two – A new Kryptonian Empire must emerge, unless this impeded directive one. Three – Kara-El must survive to become the ruler of this new Kryptonian Empire, unless this impeded directives one or two. Sub-directives for this particular mission were to ensure that Lex Luthor and his task force would do as much damage as possible without endangering any the prime directives.

Given the unexpected and unknown state of Kara-El’s powers, though, it was impossible to properly calculate when exactly the prime directives should come into play. It was impossible to calculate at what point this arranged confrontation would endanger the survival of Kara-El. For all its sophistication, the Brainiac node was still just a computer program. Faced with an unknown and unforeseen variable, it stalled.

Lex Luthor, on the other hand, improvised.

*****

Kara had roughly two seconds to register that a) someone had managed to get their hands on another piece of Kryptonite and b) that her reduced power levels did not make her any less vulnerable to it, sadly. Then the pain drowned out all rational thought and she tumbled to the ground, only the flight ring’s automatic safety feature preventing a very hard impact.

“What do you know,” she heard a mechanically-altered voice right next to her. “It does work after all!”

She opened her eyes, her entire body throbbing with pain, and saw the armored figure standing over her. A compartment on one of its gauntlets had opened up and a small glowing green rock was now visible inside.

“Don’t tell me...,” she forced the words out. “Are you still… calling it... Lexonite, Lex?”

The figure laughed and a moment later the opaque visor of the armor slid back, revealing a familiar face. Lex Luthor had lost a lot of weight compared to the last time she had seen him and what little had remained of his red hair was now completely gone, but it was clearly him.

“I do like that name,” he said. “I can understand why you don’t, of course.”

He looked at the rock in his gauntlet. “Now I’ve been told that this tiny little rock will not be enough to kill you, merely cause you a whole lot of pain. It will neutralize your powers, though, what little is left of them. In other words…”

A long blade slid out of his other gauntlet, gleaming in the stadium lights. “I can make you bleed!”

Kara’s eyes widened, even as they flitted around the stadium. Diana had been about to come to her aid, but had been tackled by the Atomic Skull. J’Onn was still busy with Metallo, who was proving to be very tough even without flame throwers. Parasite was also not contained yet, keeping the others busy. No one was close enough to aid her. Fighting past the pain, she tried to get a solid grip on her ray gun.

A searing red beam came down from the sky and reduced the entire right arm of Luthor’s armor to so much molten slag, including the Kryptonite rock. Luthor stumbled back, looking more surprised than hurt, and Kara quickly got back to her feet. She already had a reprimand on her tongue, figuring that Clark had come to her aid – probably with Kona in tow – despite her having given them both firm instructions to stay home. The words died before she could utter them, though, as someone else dropped down from the sky. Something else.

A thing made from sand.

“What are you supposed to...,” Luthor started, but couldn’t finish. In a blurr of super speed the sand thing was right in front of him and a moment later its right fist burst free of Luthor’s back.

Shocked silence spread over the battle field for a second, but then Luthor laughed. The armor toppled over as the sand thing withdrew its fist from the clearly entirely robotic figure and the hologram of Luthor’s face flickered out.

“Bastard was never here?” Metallo yelled. “He sent us into danger and stayed safely home?”

“The glow!” the Parasite crooned in delight, its eyes fixed on the sand thing.

The Justice League overcame their surprise more quickly than the villains and a short time later it was all over. Metallo was disarmed – literally – and helpless. Atomic Skull was knocked out cold by a blow from Diana and Parasite was buried in rubble, Adam using his ray gun to melt it into a single solid mass. The damage to the stadium was extensive, but it seemed that there had been no loss of life, not even among those few idiots who had refused to leave until the very last minute.

Kara never took her eyes off the sand thing that was still standing over the destroyed robot.

“Why did you help me?” Kara asked, her hand still clutching her gun.

The sand thing looked back at her. She noticed that it looked... more real. Last time she had seen it, it had appeared like an amateur sculpture had done a quick and dirty job of modeling a likeness of her. Now, though, it looked almost real. There were even hints of color visible through the sand, the red and blue of her costume, the pink of her skin, the blonde of her hair.

“Superwoman helps people,” it finally said. Apparently its vocabulary had expanded, too. And its voice sounded almost like her own.

“True, but you are not Superwoman! I am!”

The sand thing shook its head. “You were Superwoman. I was nothing. No more. Now I am something. I am Superwoman.”

It took a menacing step towards her. “You will be nothing!”

*****

End Chapter 58

Author’s Note: Looking into how long some of the villains in this chapter where in jail in my story actually motivated me to set up something like a timeline for Adventures of a Super-Family, if for no other reason than to keep everyone’s ages consistent. Caused me to spot one or two minor inconsistencies where Kara’s or Clark’s age was off by a year, but overall I’ve actually managed to keep everything straight. For reference, we last saw Metallo in chapter 4, Parasite in chapter 10, and Atomic Skull in chapter 7. They’ve all been locked up for years at this point. I’m trying to avoid the whole revolving-door prisons we see in comic books all too often.

I actually planned to have the Sand story concluded in this part, but it ended up being far too long for that (Lex took up more space than planned, that’s just the kind of guy he is). So up next: the conclusion of the Sand story.

Chapter Text

Chapter 59: Irreplaceable (Sand – Part 4)

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

“What the Hell was that?” Lex Luthor yelled, yanking the control helmet he had been wearing off his head.

“The functions of your drone were terminated apruptly,” Brainiac replied. “The sudden signal loss can have a disorienting effect on organic life forms.”

“Never mind that, I meant that... thing! It moved as fast as Superwoman used to, and she seemed to have her heat vision, too.”

“Indeed,” Brainiac agreed. “Sadly with the drone destroyed and the enhancements to Metallo’s body mostly disabled, I do not have any observation capability left in place. I am activating one of the other drones, but it will take several minutes until they are in range.”

Luthor scoffed. “I doubt any of my dear team mates will still be conscious by that time. I hate to say it, but the League is rather effective even with Superwoman at dimished capacity.”

“The three criminals are irrelevant,” Brainiac stated. “However, we must quickly ascertain the state of Kara-El and determine the nature of this other creature that seems to have similar powers.”

Luthor nodded, his thoughts running a mile a minute. Brainiac seemed almost... worried. Worried about Superwoman. Luthor was fully aware that Brainiac did not want her killed. He said he wanted her to follow him off-world to create a new Kryptonian empire somewhere else. Personally Luthor didn’t believe that. If today’s attack showed anything, it was that Brainiac was planning for Luthor to play some kind of role and he doubted it was about driving Superwoman away from Earth. He wasn’t certain about the machine’s endgame yet, but he was fairly certain that it did not include the long life and prosperity of one Lex Luthor.

It was about time for him to put some plans of his own into motion.

*****

For the longest time, it had been nothing. Even the notion of time had been unknown to it, there had just been an eternal now. There had been no sense of self or existence, a simple statement such as “I am” would have had no meaning at all, even had there been a voice to utter it or an ear to hear it.

Then everything had changed. Suddenly existence was divided between before and after, suddenly it had been wrenched out of its everlasting nothing into a world of something. Something solid, something with edges and weight, had appeared from nowhere and it had latched on to it, if for no other reason than it was there. And when this something had been wrenched back, it had tagged along.

This new existence was different, oh so very different. There was time, there was space, there were things, so many things. It lacked even the most basic understanding of what was happening, but out of something a creature of this new world might have called instinct, it latched onto something else. Something new, something warm, something powerful.

Someone.

The understanding took the longest. Creating a form for itself, patterned after the first warm thing it had touched, happened almost instantly. Understanding, though, that took time. So for endless weeks it had simply walked, getting used to sensations, understanding things like gravity, heat, cold, and wind. Then it had come upon its own reflection and for the first time it gained a sense of self.

It had a name. Three names, actually. It... she had a place in this world. Following memories that were not hers, but had become hers, she had flown to the place that she associated with the strange new concept of ‘home’. And it was there that she had met the other. The one that was like her, the first one she had touched in this world. When they had touched again, she had become still more, more real.

She wanted to be something. She wanted to be real.

She felt emotions now. Sensations. Feelings. There was so much of it, much more than she could ever have imagined. The shapeless nothingness she had once been felt utterly empty and meaningless in comparison. This was her world now. She had a place in this world, a role.

All she needed to do was to remove the one who currently occupied said place and role, then everything would be well.

“You were Superwoman,” she told the thing she would replace. “I was nothing. No more. Now I am something. I am Superwoman. You will be nothing!”

*****

Kara took a step back, raising the ray gun. She was not sure it would avail her anything, seeing as the gun would not have hurt her if she were still at full strength. And going by how easily the sand thing had dispatched the Luthor robot, it did indeed seem to have nearly all of her powers.

“What do you mean, nothing?” she asked, hoping to keep the creature talking. “Did you come from the Phantom Zone?”

“Phantom Zone?” the sand thing replied. “A shift in the dimensional phase of matter and energy, first theorized by my uncle Jor-El as an entirely separate state of existence.”

“He is not YOUR uncle,” Kara replied. “You are not me!”

“The creature seems to be copying you, right down to your memories!” Batman said, standing beside her. “Maybe that is what it means by having been nothing. It had no personality or memories until it imprinted on you. And now it wants to finish he process.”

“Well, we will certainly not stand idly by while...,” Diana began.

Then the sand thing moved.

*****

“Okay, now we need to move,” Clark said.

“What’s going on?” Kona asked from where she hovered beside him, once again cursing the fact that her vision powers were nowhere near as strong as Clark’s. The two super teens had been hovering just a few miles outside of Metropolis for quite a while now, close enough for Clark to see everything. While Kona did have far better vision than any human, she couldn’t watch events that were miles away at any detail.

“The villains are down,” Cark told her, “but now the sand thing is there. And it’s attacking the League and mom!”

“Okay then, we need to move!”

“That’s what I just said!”

“You’re wasting time!”

*****

Kara had been active as a superhero for nearly a decade now, and during that time she had faced many foes. There had been a few who had been as strong or stronger than her, such as Mongul and Steppenwolf. Foes that had the ability to harm her, such as Parasite and Atomic Skull. She could not, however, remember a single instance where she had faced a foe that was faster than her. One that could move so fast that the battle was almost over before she even noticed it had begun.

The sand thing moved every bit as fast as Superwoman ever had. By the time Kara realized that she had started moving, half the Justice League was down and out. Green Arrow and both Hawks were crumbling to the ground, knocked unconscious by fists moving fast enough to break the sound barrier. Kara took half a step back, hoping to put some distance between her foe and herself, even as she saw Batman begin to reach for his utility belt. By the time he was halfway there, though, a super-fast fist impacted on his jaw and knocked him back, thoroughly unconscious.

Adam Strange managed to get a shot off, but the beam went wide as there was nothing but an afterimage where he had aimed. A moment later super-fast hands tore his armor apart, leaving him helpless.

Kara was on her second step back when J’Onn and Diana advanced on their foe. Both of them were capable of moving much, much faster than any human, almost as fast as a fully-powered Kryptonian. Unfortunately Batman seemed to have been correct in that the sand thing had not merely absorbed her powers, but also her memories. Which included the knowledge of her teammates weaknesses.

A burst of heat vision sent J’Onn screaming to the ground, desperately trying to put out the flames threatening to engulf his body. Diana was between him and the thing a moment later and a furious exchange of blows followed. Kara took the opportunity and ran over to J’Onn, snuffing out the flames with her cape, before turning back to the fight.

For a moment Kara started to hope. Diana had a good track record in their regular sparring bouts, she still won more than half of them. Twenty seconds into the fight, though, Kara knew that Diana would not win. She fought every bit as brilliantly as she usually did and got more than her share of hits in, but the sand thing didn’t seem to feel any pain, it barely reacted to blows that Kara knew would have sent her to the mat. Its return blows, whoever, did have an effect.

Deciding that enough was enough, she jumped forward and tackled the distracted sand thing away from a weakening Diana. The moment her shoulder touched it, though, she felt another wave of weakness go through her. She managed to get a punch in, but it didn’t seem to do anything other than weakening her further. She stumbled and fell to the ground.

Diana got back up, tried to get between them, but a thunderous blow from the creature hit her hard enough that her eyes were rolling back in her head.

“I would never hurt my best friend,” the sand thing said, shoving an unconscious Diana away from her. “But I cannot let anyone stop me from becoming complete!”

Kara clenched her fist, feeling as weak as a newborn kitten. Even what little in the way of super strength she had had left seemed to have deserted her.

“She is not YOUR best friend,” Kara protested weakly. “You are NOT me! I would never have hurt my friends!”

“They will understand,” the sand thing said, standing before her, appearing even more real now. It barely looked like something made out of sand anymore. It was becoming her identical twin. “I am you. Perfectly you. Once you are gone, it will be exactly like before.”

“Like hell,” someone growled and a moment later a red-and-blue blurr hit the sand thing with the force of a jackhammer, launching it halfway across the stadium. The sand thing crashed into the rubble and for a moment everything was still.

“We got this, mom,” Superboy said, helping her back to her feet.

“Yeah, no sand thing is going to replace you while we’re here,” Kona agreed, standing at her other side. She was dressed in Jeans and once again wore that black T-shirt with the red Superwoman symbol she had worn the first time they had met.

“I told you both to stay away,” she protested. “You are so grounded!”

“Well, you need to be alive to ground us, so there!”

The rubble exploded outwards and the sand thing was suddenly in front of them once again. Kara didn’t even manage to blink, but both her children were in full possession of their super speed. They zipped out of the way of supersonic punches and each of them grabbed one arm of their foe, doing their best to immoblizie it. Smart thinking, she thought proudly, even as she was furious with them. They had no doubt seen that hitting the thing seemed to do nothing at all, so they were trying a different tactic.

The ground blew apart as the sand thing launched all three of them up into the sky. Kara stumbled back, trying to keep them in sight, but they were lost in the blue before she even managed to look up. Wobbling, she tried to focus her thoughts on the flight ring, trying to make it up into the sky. She had no idea what she could possibly do to help them, but she needed to be up there.

She had barely made it a few feet off the ground before something crashed down into the stadium with tremendous force. When the dust settled, Kara couldn’t help but gasp. It was Kona, her small body lying at the body of a crater created by her impact. Her daughter was conscious, but clearly hurt. Nevertheless, she fought to get back to her feet.

“No,” Kara whispered, the sight of her battered daughter hurting worse than the Kryptonite. “No, no, no!”

Another impact shook the stadium and two interlocked bodies skidded across the battered ground. Clark was clinging to the sand thing like a leech, trying to subdue it, but she could see that he was not having much luck. Clark was almost as strong as she was (or had been), but he was still a decade behind in terms of fighting experience and stored solar energy. If the creature had absorbed all of that from her...

With a grunt of pain Clark went flying again, crashing into one of the few thus far undamaged rafters of the stadium. The sand thing seemed utterly unimpressed and was approaching Kara again. She quickly aimed her ray gun and fired, knowing even then that it was futile. The searing red beam did absolutely nothing, didn’t even make the creature flinch.

“I don’t understand why Clark and Kona are doing this,” the sand thing said, sounding more and more like her with every passing second. “Why are they attacking their mother?”

“Because you are NOT their mother,” Kara said, retreating and firing again.

“But I will be,” the thing said, seemingly confused. “I will be you. Everything will be exactly as before. There will be no difference.”

Kara shook her head. “You really don’t understand it, do you? How can you copy me, all of me, and not understand it?”

Kona was back on her feet and tried to come to her aid, but the sand thing didn’t even look in her direction, simply catching her fist in her hand and squeezing it. Kona dropped to her knees, wincing in pain.

“Stop it!” Kara yelled, rushing forward without thinking. Nothing mattered except protecting her daughter.

The sand thing threw Kona away like a broken toy and rushed forward as well. A moment later a hand like a steel vise closed around Kara’s throat and lifted her into the air. She gasped, her air cut off, and her entire body seized. She lost the feeling in her fingers and toes.

“Almost done now,” the sand thing said in her voice. “Then everything will be well!”

“You... don’t... get it!” Kara forced out, even as she felt herself growing cold.

“I get everything,” the sand thing replied. “I will be you!”

“YOU WILL NEVER BE HER!”

Clark was there suddenly, bruised and dirty, but looking more determined than she had ever seen him. For a moment she thought he would try another futile attack, but then she saw what he was holding and couldn’t help but smile. Her wonderful, clever boy!

Diana’s Lasso of Truth was in Clark’s hand and in a burst of superspeed he had it wrapped around all three of them. The golden lariat flared brightly, constricting around them, and even the sand thing with her full power wasn’t able to break it.

“Understand this,” Clark growled at the thing, the rope burning around his hand. “You will never be her! You will never be our mother! Because no matter how closely you copy her, we will always know that you are the one who took her from us! Something she would never do!”

For the first time ever the sand thing looked shaken. “But...,” it began.

Kona’s small fingers curled around the rope as well, pulling herself back to her feet. Kara could feel the familiar tingle of Kona’s telekinetic ability, as her touch caused the coils to wrap even tighter around them. “You can’t ever be Superwoman,” she hissed. “Because Superwoman would never hurt others just to get what she wants!”

Even as she felt herself fading, Kara couldn’t help but smile, she was so proud. “You will never be me,” she whispered at the shaken-looking mirror image of her own face. “Because I would rather die than hurt my children!”

The magic of Diana’s lasso swirled around them, the golden flames enveloping them all. Kara hadn’t understood it the first time, but by now she knew how this wonderfully frustrating, unbreakable magical rope worked. It didn’t force someone to tell the truth. No, it dispelled falsehood. It burned away all lies and illusions and left those in contact with it nothing but the truth. Nothing but truth to speak, to see, and to understand. No one could lie while being bound by the lasso. Not even to themselves.

“I... I am not you,” the sand thing finally said, its eyes widening. “I can’t be you.”

Kara wasn’t sure, but she thought she felt the cold fading from her body a bit. The darkness she had seen creeping in from the edges of her vision grew lighter.

“I understand you want to be someone,” she said. “But you can’t be me!”

The golden fire around the lasso faded, almost as if the magical artifact understood that its job was done, and the coils slackened around them, falling to the ground. Kona and Clark carefully took a step back, eying the sand thing with suspicion. It let go of Kara’s throat, who stumbled a bit but remained on her feet.

Her doppelganger just stood there, facing her, looking utterly lost and confused. She looked between Kara, Kona, and Clark as if she was trying to make sense of something.

“You...,” it began. “You are three... and yet... you are also... one?”

Kara nodded, even as Clark and Kona stepped closer and each wound an arm around her. “Yes! We are a family!”

The doppelganger still looked confused, but finally, after a seemingly endless moment, started to smile. It was a sad, yet accepting smile. “I think... I understand.”

And then the colors faded from the sand thing, the perfect features of its face crumbled, and the entire figure just collapsed into a heap of sand.

For a long moment no one seemed to know what to do or say. Kara just stared at the sand, uncertain what exactly had happened here. Then she noticed that she could see each individual grain of sand if she wanted. She noticed that she could hear the voices of people outside the stadium. Looking up, she could see right through the damaged walls.

“Mom?” Clark asked.

Stepping out of the arms of her children, Kara looked around in wonder. The world around her seemed to be getting bigger with every passing second. She could feel the rays of the sun tingling on her skin, suffusing her body, filling her with strength.

With a whoop of joy, Kara launched herself into the sky under her own power, the ring on her finger completely inactive. She zipped halfway across town in a burst of super speed and let loose with a burst of heat vision that cut a red line into the endless blue sky. She dove back down into the damaged stadium and easily lifted a giant piece of debris out of the way.

Looking down, she saw Clark and Kona, both of them bruised and dirty from the fight, but smiling at her antics. Her children, her wonderfully headstrong children, who had disobeyed her orders and flown to the rescue like the heroes she knew they were. Floating back to the ground, Kara quickly enveloped both her children in a huge hug.

“Thank you,” Kara whispered “Thank you both!”

“Hey, we already have a super mom,” Clark said, hugging her back. “I wasn’t about to exchange her for a new one.”

“I love you, mom,” Kona simply added, burrowing into her body.

Kara hugged them both that much harder, tears in the corners of her eyes. “I love you, too. Both of you! And you are still grounded!”

“We know,” they chorused.

They stayed like this for quite some time before they were interrupted. Diana was back on her feet, though still wobbly, and was touching Kara’s shoulder.

“Uh, Kara?” Diana said. “You should probably take a look at this.”

Looking up from her embrace, Kara looked where Diana was pointing and saw a TV crew and their camera, which was filming them from the only undamaged entrance of the stadium. The camera was probably getting wonderful pictures of Superwoman, who was huggin her son Superboy, as well as a blonde teenage girl that looked remarkably like her.

“Clark,” she said, not taking her eyes off the camera.

“Yes?”

“I hope you will forgive me, son, but I fear your little sister will go public at a younger age than you did.”

“Yeah, I figured.”

*****

End Chapter 59

Author’s Note: The original Sand storyline in the early 1970s Superman comics started out really strong, dragged for months, before ending on a whimper. Superman became powerless, regained most of his powers, became an utter dick, got into a fight with his sand doppelganger that destroyed the world, awoke to find the fight had been but an illusion cast by a conventient Asian hypnotist-type, and finally let his Sand doppelganger go home without getting his full powers back because he felt he couldn’t be trusted with them anymore. It was mostly a ploy to depower Superman a bit (not that it lasted), but to me it is one of the most-wasted-potential stories in the Superman franchise. Hope my version of it is better. Oh, and I originally wanted to use a Star Wars title for this chapter, too, but couldn’t really think of one that fit (I tried “Return of the Super” and “A Super Hope”, but... no!).

Up next: the aftermath of the Sand Saga, featuring Supergirl, Batman, Lois Lane, and Martha Kent.

Chapter Text

Chapter 60: Growing Up (Sand – Epilogue)

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Batman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

“So it’s just... sand?” Batman asked.

Kara nodded.

“I’ve run it several times, using Earth-built and Kryptonian instruments, and double-checked it with my own vision powers. It’s just sand, nothing but sand.”

Following the battle in Metropolis Stadium, the League had collected every single grain of sand that had comprised the strange doppelganger that had almost succeeded in killing and replacing Superwoman. Now it seemed, though, that the effort had been for naught.

“So the thing might be gone forever or it might be back any second now, is that it?”

Kara sighed. “I wish I could give you a definite answer to that, Bruce. My working theory is that the actual entity is made of pure energy. The sand was basically just a medium, a way for it to have a physical presence in the world. Though how it managed to reshape simple sand grains into a perfect copy of me…”

“Well, not a perfect copy, Karen,” Batman said, almost smiling. “It did miss some of the most important aspects of you, after all.”

Kara smiled back at him. “Why, Bruce! I do believe you are trying to make me blush!”

Turning back to the screen, Kara hit a few keys. “But back to the topic. Seeing as energy can not be destroyed, I can see but two alternatives. One, the entity somehow phase-shifted again and returned to its place of origin, the Phantom Zone. Or two, it’s still here somewhere, assuming it can survive in our dimension without an anchor for any length of time, and might try to assume another physical form.”

“Do you think it will try and copy you again?”

“I don’t think it could, even if it wanted to. I believe that, when it was brought here and the Phantom Zone Projector exploded, the phase-shift was still in flux. When the energy field came in contact with me, it basically created a duplicate right down to the quantum state and used the sand I was laying on as raw material. That’s why it was capable of shifting aspects of me to itself. At the quantum level, we actually were one and the same person at that time.”

“And you think that, with the sand now being inert, this binary existence at the quantum level has been resolved?”

“I hope so, yes,” Kara said. “I am none too keen to see myself beating up my friends and my own children again anytime soon.”

“They are both allright, I gather?” he asked.

Kara nodded. “A bit banged up, but nothing some rest and sunlight won’t cure. Also, grounded, both of them, though I have to wonder how much it will really achieve.”

Batman gave her a look. “Well, I do believe their mother was supposed to stay out of that battle as well, and yet...”

Feeling somewhat chagrined, she looked over at her friend. “Do you think I am a bad role model for them, Bruce?”

“Quite the opposite, actually. It seems your children are developing a knack for knowing when to follow the rules and when to disregard them. Which I believe is an essential skill for life in general and our kind of life in particular.”

This time Kara did feel herself blush a bit.

“No trace of Lex Luthor, I assume?” she asked to change the topic.

“Adam and I went over the robot drone he used,” Bruce told her. “The basic design is a Lexcorp armored suit from a few years back, but someone has extensively modified it. Someone smart enough to install a kind of deadman’s switch. The moment the drone was disabled, the transmitter array that was used to control it remotely melted down into slag. No way to trace where the signal was coming from.”

“I hate that man,” she muttered.

“I fear for now we can only remain on the lookout for him,” Bruce concluded. “Have you decided what to do about Supergirl having been caught on camera yet?”

“I have one or two ideas,” Kara replied, smiling.

*****

“Thank you for coming over, Lois,” Perry White greeted her, gesturing for her to come into his apartment.

“Well, I’m supposed to start working at the Daily Planet in a few weeks,” she replied, shrugging off her jacket. “Thought I probably shouldn’t piss off my future boss before my first day.”

“Smart thinking,” he replied. “Drink?”

“No, thank you.”

“I think you’ll need one before the evening is done,” he replied, smiling, and handed her a drink regardless.

Lois Lane was well aware that, if the circumstances were even slightly different, she would probably have cause to worry. A young woman like herself, invited over into her much older boss’ apartment with the only vague clue being that it would be good for her future career? But this was Perry White they were talking about here. The man who had survived General Sam Lane’s ire at introducing his daughter to journalism. The man who had gracefully endured the hyper-active 14-year old intern she had once been. Who had offered her a job at the Planet despite her still being in college. She would rather believe that Lex Luthor had renounced his ways and volunteered at an animal shelter before believing that Perry would have any dishonorable intentions towards her.

She was still very curious why he had called her here, of course.

“Why am I here, Mr. White?”

He sat down, his own drink in hand, and motioned for her to do the same.

“Lois, almost nine years ago I was already a seasoned reporter, had a name in the business, all that. I didn’t really need that big break that just fell into my lap on that day – you know what day I mean, right?”

Lois nodded, how could she not. She had been 12 years old at the time and after seeing a flying young woman lift an airplane over her head, her world had never been the same again.

“Anyway, I didn’t really need it, but it still opened a lot of doors for me, pretty much ensured that I would become editor-in-chief. I knew I had gotten lucky. I mean, I keep telling people that it was instinct that led me to that airfield that day, but let’s be honest: it was mostly luck.”

“Why are you telling me this, Mr. White?” Lois asked, rather confused by now.

He chuckled. “Because, Lois, I figure that it’s someone else’s turn to get lucky. Someone who isn’t already a seasoned reporter with a name in the business. Someone who can really use a big break.”

“I have a name in the business,” Lois protested. Granted, she was mostly known as that girl who called herself Superwoman’s Pal, but still.

“I’m trying to do you a big favor, girl, so say ‘thank you, Mr. White!’ and smile!”

“Thank you, Mr. White,” she dutifully parotted and gave a forced smile. “But what kind of big break do you...”

Her voice trailed off and her eyes went past Mr. White. Two people had just emerged from the apartment’s kitchen. One was a teenage girl, blonde, who wore Jeans and a black T-shirt with a Superwoman symbol on it. Some part of Lois’ mind registered that this was the super-powered girl who had appeared at Metropolis Stadium yesterday, the one who had fought alongside Superwoman and Superboy.

The largest part of her mind was busy, though, because the other person entering was Superwoman herself.

“Hello, Lois,” Superwoman greeted her, smiling. “It’s been a while. Glad to see you followed up on your dream to become a reporter.”

For what felt like hours Lois had no idea how to react. Some part of her that still was and always would be a Superwoman fan girl wanted to sqwee in delight. Another part of her wanted to blurt out that she had figured out that Superwoman was also Karen Kent, CEO of K-Solutions. Yet another part wanted to scratch Perry White’s eyes out for the obvious delight he took in seeing her so shocked and flustered.

“I... thank you, Superwoman, I... it’s great to see you again!”

God, she hoped that didn’t sound as pathetic outside her head as it did on the inside.

“Lois, this is my daughter, Supergirl. She was kind of accidentally caught on camera yesterday.”

“Hi!” the girl waved.

Lois just stared for a long minute, her brain refusing to compute. She had seen the footage of the battle yesterday, of course. Had seen the pictures of the girl, who ended up in a loving embrace with Superwoman and Superboy. One would have to have been blind not to see that those three were family, and that was without factoring in that she was the spitting image of her mother. But it was entirely different to meet her in the flesh, never mind getting the first official confirmation that she was in fact Superwoman’s daughter.

“Uh… hi!” she finally replied, waving back. Then she remembered the drink in her hand and quickly downed it in one gulp. She had no idea what it was that Mr. White had handed her, but the burn in her throat helped clear her head a bit.

“I figure a smart girl like you, Lois, will have no trouble figuring out why you are here, right?” Mr. White said, sipping his own drink with a smile.

“You... you want me to write about Supergirl?” Lois asked.

“Well, Perry recommended you,” Superwoman said, sitting down on the couch besides the man. “And he has yet to steer me wrong when it comes to relations with the press.”

“Wow, I... I don’t know what to say.”

“Your ‘thank you, Mr. White’ already covered it, Lois, don’t worry!” Mr. White replied. When exactly had he gotten to be such a wise ass? Was he getting some late payback in for all he’d had to endure with her as his intern?

“The thing is,” Superwoman began, turning serious, “we hadn’t planned to unveil her to the world already. We wanted to wait...”

“YOU wanted to wait,” Supergirl interrupted her, though a second later she blushed, seemingly regretting opening her mouth.

“WE wanted to wait,” Superwoman continued, looking just the tiniest bit annoyed, “until she was at least as old as Superboy was when he went public. That plan kind of went out the window yesterday.”

“Eh, one question?” Lois raised her hand. When Superwoman nodded, she continued, looking at Supergirl. “You were one of the two girls with the Teen Titans during that storm, right?”

The girl nodded. “Yeah, she’s right. The plan kind of went out the window on that day, not yesterday.”

Superwoman just shook her head and Lois had to suppress a smile at the look of loving frustration she could see on her face. For a moment she felt incredibly home-sick, remembering this exact look on her mother’s face when she and Lucy had gotten up to some mischief or other. She really missed her family.

“Anyway,” Superwoman said, “Supergirl is not going to be a full-time superhero anytime soon, but she will help out if there is a crisis brewing. So we want to get her story out there before the media starts making up things on their own.”

Lois nodded. She figured there were already some of her less scrupulous colleagues out there, composing some ridiculous stories about Superwoman’s mysterious half-human, half-alien love child.

“So,” Lois said, turning to look at Supergirl. “Let’s start then. Where you born on Krypton as well?”

The girl took a moment to share a look with her mother, than sat down opposite Lois. “No, I was born here on Earth. In a laboratory, to be precise. Some mad scientists wanted to create their own Superwoman. So technically I am half-human, half-alien.”

Lois mouth dropped open.

“You’re welcome, by the way,” Mr. White remarked, lighting up one of those disgusting cigars of his.

*****

“Hey, you’re still up?”

Kara looked up to see Martha walking out onto the patio. The sun had set long ago and she could easily hear the even breathing and steady heartbeats of both Kona and Clark in their respective rooms. Rao, how she had missed being able to hear that sound.

“Too wired to sleep,” she replied, stretching her arms above her head. “A lot has happened within the last 24 hours.”

Seeing a reflection on Kara’s right hand as she stretched, Martha walked closer.

“You are still wearing your Legion ring?” she asked, sitting down beside her daughter.

“Yeah, I might not need it to fly anymore, thank Rao, but... I don’t know, it just felt good to put it on again, you know?”

“You miss your friends from the future?”

Kara nodded, looking a bit wistful. “Yeah. Don’t get me wrong, Diana and Bruce, J’Onn and Adam, Shiera, they’re all great friends. But the Legion were the first real friends I had, the first time I felt I could really just be a teenager among others. Seeing them again, regaining my memories, that was great.”

“Don’t you have any way to visit them again?” Martha asked.

“Not really, no. I could travel forward in time using relativistic flight, but that’s terribly imprecise. I’m kind of waiting on the Flash getting a handle on his time travel powers, but I fear that might take a few years yet.”

“Well, once that happens, maybe you can convince some of your Legion friends to come visit our time. You have told me so much about Imra and the others, I would really like to meet them one day.”

Kara smiled. “Yeah, that would be cool. I’d love to introduce you to them. I’d also like them to meet Kona.”

Martha frowned. “What about Clark?”

Kara laughed, waving her off. “Oh, they’ve already met Clark. Or they will. I’m not sure how it works. Silly boy thought I didn’t see him in the Time Institute in the 30th century.”

“Clark has been to the future?” Martha asked, looking astounded.

“Not yet, I don’t think,” Kara replied. “I only caught a brief glimpse of him, but he did seem a bit older than he is now. Time travel gets awefully confusing sometimes.”

“I can see that,” Martha just said, trying to wrap her head around it.

The two women fell silent for a while. Kara was just gazing out into nothing, a look Martha knew only too well.

“What’s on your mind, sweetheart?” she finally asked.

Kara chewed on her bottom lip, a clear sign that she was trying to get her thoughts in order.

“Do you think it’s weird that I’ve grown so close to Kona in so short a time?”

“Why should it be weird?”

“I mean... like just now, when you asked why I wanted to introduce Kona to the Legion, but not Clark. I... don’t want anyone to think that I’m neglecting Clark or... or preferring Kona in some way.”

“Why would anyone think that?” Martha asked.

She sighed, clearly having problems articulating her worries. “It’s just... when that sand thing tried to replace me, when Clark and Kona arrived to defend me... I was terrified. Not for myself, but... when I saw how it hurt them and I couldn’t do anything... Rao, I have never felt so useless and scared. I would gladly have given my life to protect them, but... but when that thing hurt Kona, I... I completely lost it. I rushed forward, knowing full well that I wouldn’t be able to do anything, but still.”

“You would have done the same for Clark,” Martha reminded her.

“Yes, of course I would have, but I’ve been Clark’s mother for more than half my life now. I’ve known Kona for just a few months. Isn’t that... weird?”

Martha scooted closer to her and wrapped her arm around her shoulders. “Honey, there is no minimum time requirement for letting someone into your heart. I know that because I completely and utterly fell in love with that alien teenager who fell from the sky fifteen years ago and it happened on that very day. When you sat down with us and you were so sad and I took you in my arms... on that day you became my daughter and I knew I would do anything in my power to keep you safe and make you smile again.”

Kara leaned into her, closing her eyes.

“I just... sometimes I feel like I’m doing Clark an injustice. I needed so long to... to truly think of him as my son, to love him as my son. I mean, I loved him the very day he was born, but it was different. He was family, sure, and I would have done anything to protect him, but it took years until I was really, really in a place where saying ‘I’m his mom’ didn’t feel... weird anymore. Isn’t it unfair that I needed just a few months to feel like Kona’s mom?”

“Kara, honey, you were thirteen years old when we decided to make Clark your son, still a child yourself. You had just lost your home, your people, and you were in an entirely new world, never mind suddenly gaining super powers. Frankly, it is a testament to your strength and fortitude that you were able to function at all. You needed time to grow up, to settle into your new life. And I promise you, Clark never felt anything but loved by his mother.”

“Thank you, mom,” Kara replied, snuggling closer into Martha’s side. “I’m just so scared that I won’t be able to protect them.”

“I believe every parent worth the name shares that feeling, honey. And most of us don’t have super powers to make the job easier.”

“I don’t know how you do it,” Kara confessed. “I was powerless for just a week and it nearly drove me insane.”

“You were never powerless, Karen,” Martha reminded her. “Maybe you briefly lacked the strength to juggle tanks, but you were still Clark and Kona’s mother and you still protected them, just in slightly different ways. Sometimes all you can do is be there for them and offer a shoulder to lean on and an open ear.”

Kara chuckled, her cheek still resting on Martha’s shoulder. “Fortunately I have a master of those skills I can learn from. Thank you!”

Falling silent, the two women just kept looking out into the night, secure in the knowledge that, at least for tonight, everyone they loved and cared for was safe and happy.

*****

End Chapter 60

Author’s Note: Well, this wraps up the Sand storyline and brings Lois Lane back into the fray and closer to the Super Family. A lof ot talking and very little action here, but everyone needs a bit of a rest after everything that happened in the last few chapters and it was time for more Kara/Martha bonding time, too. Will the sand thing / doppelganger return? We shall see. But given how many reviewers ended up calling it “Sandy”, I will probably have to bring it back in order to actually call it that. For reference, the scene Kara refers to about spotting Clark in the 30th century took place in chapter 33.

Up next: a bit more levity as we ponder: what joke begins with a bunch of superheros, a psychiatrist, and a clown entering a bar? Or rather: what happened when Superwoman and Hawkwoman went out for drinks?

Chapter Text

Chapter 61: What’s Up, Doc?

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

(Author’s Note: The events in this chapter happen roughly two weeks prior to the events depicted in chapters 54 and 55)

*****

Early morning (6am)

Dr. Harleen Francis Quinzel, PsyD, certified genius, and one of the youngest people ever to gain her doctorate in criminal psychology, slammed the door of her office behind her and all but collapsed onto the couch she usually reserved for patients. This had been such a long, long night and she couldn’t remember ever having been this tired, not even during the most stressful times at university. It was slowly getting light outside and she had yet to sleep a wink.

Deciding she really needed to get her thoughts in order before she collapsed into utter exhaustion, she heaved herself up again and stumbled over to her desk. Sitting down, she took a cassette recorder out from a drawer and set it before her, hitting the record button.

“Today I finally met the person known only as the Joker,” she began. “Ever since the beginning of my studies I was fascinated by her case. A classic psychotic break at first glance, but so very fascinating in its details and nuances. When I was hired by the Gotham City PD as a consultant, I was hoping to get the chance to meet her in person and get further insight into her very special case.”

She sighed, leaning back and closing her eyes. “Be careful what you wish for, isn’t that the old saying? Or maybe the curse of ‘may you live in interesting times’ is more fitting? I don’t know.”

Leaning forward to rest her head on her crossed arms, she continued. “Anyway, when I hoped to meet her, I was thinking of a professional meeting. Joker having been apprehended, me being called in to determine her sanity and whether or not she was fit to stand trial. I could certainly never have imagined the circumstances of our actual meeting. And that isn’t even factoring in the involvement of Superwoman, Hawkwoman, and Batgirl.”

*****

1 hour earlier (5am)

In her entire life, Kara had never experienced such a thing as a hangover. She had had super powers since she was 13 years old and alcohol had never had an effect on her. She should know, given that there had been a time in her teenage years when she had desperately sought to get drunk in order to drown out the memories. Right now, though, the descriptions she had heard about what hangovers were like seemed very fitting.

She blinked, the lights in the room were way too bright. She was reminded of her first few days on Earth, before she had learned to control her enhanced senses. A headache was pounding directly beneath her forehead.

“I think she’s coming around,” a female voice said, very loud.

“Superwoman? Are you... you?” another female voice, also very loud.

When the spots finally vanished from her vision, she saw that she was lying on a couch in a room with no less than four other women. One was an unfamiliar blonde in her early 20s. The other three, though, she recognized.

“Batgirl? Shiera? JOKER? What... I... where am I? How did I get here? I can’t remember a thing.”

“You can’t? Great, that’s good!” The infamous clown princess of Gotham was wearing her signature outfit as always, but looked extremely rumpled. The makeup adorning her face was smeared, practically gone in places. Her constant manic grin was on full display, though she seemed almost... embarrassed?

“If you don’t remember a thing,” the Joker continued babbling, “then there is really no need for anyone to dig up any old stories from long in the past and we should all just go our own merry way and...”

“Joker,” Shiera interrupted her in a voice so sugary sweet that it might well cause cavities.

“Yes?” the clown asked.

“SHUT UP!”

Kara groaned and pressed her hands to her head, even as she struggled to sit up. “Not so loud, please!”

The unknown blonde sat down beside her, checking her over with the air of a medical professional. “Hi, Superwoman. I’m Dr. Quinzel, I’m with the Gotham City PD. How are you feeling, honey?”

“Like someone dropped a mountain on my head and stuffed my mouth full of cotton. How... I can’t get hung-over or anything, so what happened to me?”

From the way Batgirl and Shiera were glaring at Joker, she had a pretty good idea as to who could best answer that question for her. So she flashed forward (almost stumbling in the process, but thankfully she was moving so fast that nobody noticed) and hoisted Joker up by the lapels of her coat.

“What did you do to me?” she demanded.

*****

9 hours earlier (8pm previous day)

Barbara Gordon, by now widely known as Batgirl among Gotham’s criminal element, had only just begun her early evening patrol when she came upon a disturbance. The place was a rather well-known comedy club in the more upscale part of Gotham City. Not exactly a place where millionaires hung out, but neither was it a dive. It wasn’t usually a trouble hot spot, so it was pretty much just sheer chance that she had passed it at all on her way to Gotham’s more notorious East End.

The disturbance made itself known when a high screeching sound caused numerous windows to blow out, raining glass shards down onto the pavement. A few pedestrians ran away, but interestingly enough there was no crowd fleeing from inside the club. Weird. Batgirl quickly changed course and landed on the club’s roof, making her way inside.

Before she even reached the club’s main room, she could hear it. Someone was singing. Badly! Someone was singing badly with a voice so loud and strong that it blew out windows and made the walls rattle. Also, there was some kind of rhythmic stomping that caused plaster to trickle down from the ceiling. Carefully peeking around the corner, Batgirl briefly considered the notion that she had hit her head somewhere and was hallucinating.

Half of the club looked like a disaster zone. Smashed tables, shattered glasses and bottles, spilled drinks, all the trappings of a room after some kind of fight. Despite that, though, there was still a crowd present, gathered around the remaining tables. The people all looked to be in a state somewhere between amazement and panic. Like a crowd gathered around a burning fireworks factory, utterly fascinated despite being aware of the danger. Which nicely described what Batgirl saw on stage.

Three women were up on the stage, a microphone standing before them, arms around each other and singing. Batgirl instantly recognized two of them, though her mind kind of refused to truly let the information sink in.

“Superwoman and Joker, together on stage, singing together?” she muttered.

The presence of Joker was not that surprising, she figured. Since putting on the cowl, she had had a few run-ins with the weird clown woman, who seemed to straddle the fine line between being a criminal anarchist and a Gotham City folk hero. Batman seemed to have a kind of hands-off rule when it came to her, at least as long as she only went after bad guys and there were no innocents caught in the crossfire. Joker was crazy, so seeing her singing in a wrecked comedy club wasn’t really out of character for her, Batgirl figured.

Joker was not smiling, though. Or rather, she was, she always did, but right now her signature grin seemed very forced. Come to think of it, the third woman up on stage, a redhead whom Batgirl didn’t recognize, had a rather similar expression on her face. A very superficial smile (though not nearly as broad), strained, and seeming to say ‘I’d rather be anywhere but here’.

Standing between the two women was Superwoman, and she was grinning so broadly that Batgirl feared her face might split in two. She was not dressed in her usual super suit, but rather wore normal street clothes. Still, it was kind of hard not to recognize her, especially as she was singing so loud as to cause physical damage to the room and her dance steps (if that was what it was supposed to be) were busy chipping away at the structural integrity of the stage.

Standing on the side of the stage was a tall, thin man in a striped suit, who was watching the women with a look of utter perplexity on his pale face. Batgirl needed a moment to remember where she knew the guy from. Right, his face was on the posters outside the club, he was the club’s star comedian. She had seen him on TV a few times, too.

Moving through the shadows, she appeared next to him. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

The guy started, looked at her with wide eyes, but then just shrugged. “Hey, another super hero, why not?”

“Uh... yeah, I... what is going on here? Why are they... I mean... why?” She gestured helplessly towards the stage.

The comedian sighed, then winced as Superwoman hit another high note that shattered another round of bottles behind the bar.

“Well, I am not really sure what’s going on, to be honest, but they came in about an hour ago.”

*****

1 hour earlier (7pm)

“What is it about Gotham?” the comedian on stage asked. “I mean, if you live in this town, it seems you have a better than even chance of becoming some kind of theme criminal. No joke, I almost ended up as a super villain myself. A few years ago there were these guys trying to trick the Batman by taking turns dressing up as…,” he made a dramatic pause, “… the RED HOOD! Very intimidating, I tell you, a guy in a tux with a red fish bowl on his head. Scary! And I almost ended up wearing that outfit, too, because I was really hard up for cash. Then I got this gig here, though, and... well, there are nights when I think ‘why the hell didn’t I become a super villain instead?’”

The audience laughed, including Shiera and Kara. Shiera had been pleasantly surprised when Superwoman (call me Kara!) had asked her if she was interested in a night out, just the girls. Wonder Woman (it’s Diana, Shiera!) had been invited, too, but apparently she’d had some kind of thing back on her home island, so it was just the two of them. Not that Shiera minded. For all that Superwoman was by far the most powerful superhero on the planet, she did find her far less intimidating than the stunningly beautiful Amazon princess. Kara just seemed more... down to Earth, as weird as it was to describe an actual alien from outer space that way.

“Are there really that many super villains in this city?” Shiera asked, only half-listening to the comedian’s increasingly outlandish tale of how he had avoided super-villain-hood by sheer chance and how a comedian’s life was actually much weirder and more stressful.

“Well, maybe not so many actual SUPER villains,” Kara said, sipping her drink. “But Gotham does seem to produce a large numer of weirdos that dress up and commit their crimes in overly complicated and themed ways. Not sure why.”

“Something in the water maybe?” Shiera proposed, only half-joking.

“Nah, Batman and I stopped those ninja assassin guys from putting their fear toxin in the city’s water supply.”

Shiera just stared at her for a long moment. “Your life is weird!” she finally said.

Kara opened her mouth to answer, but then stopped, cocking her head to the side.

“What is it?” Shiera asked, guessing that Kara had picked up something with her enhanced hearing.

“Some kind of commotion behind the stage. I’ll better...”

The curtains behind the comedian flew open dramatically and a figure in a purple suit appeared on stage as if by magic. Her face was covered in white makeup, her hair was a screaming green, and her grin was so broad, it seemed unnatural.

“Hello, Gotham,” Joker greeted the crowd, waving her arms wide. “It’s time to start laughing for real!”

“Great,” Kara muttered. “Joker!”

“I read about her,” Shiera whispered to her. “Should we… I mean...”

Kara seemed uncertain, surely aware of the many eyes watchin the stage and the fact that neither of them were wearing their superhero costumes.

“Now I know that the comedians in this club aren’t exactly a guarantee for laughter,” Joker began.

“Hey,” the comedian said, looking offended.

“Sorry, honey, but your story about you almost becoming a super villain is neither funny nor in any way, shape, or form believable. Anyway, where was I? Oh, yes. It’s time for some laughter! Especially from the gentlemen in the back row who are currently doing their best to remain inconspicuous despite being part of a sex slave trafficking ring. But hey, it’s a dishonest living, right?”

Kara’s eyes swiveled towards the three men in question, who now seemed very, very nervous.

“And to make sure we’re all going to have a great time, I brought some presents! Well, one present! But a really big one that will surely put a smile on all your faces!”

Joker produced a large canister from somewhere behind the stage.

“Okay, now we’re going to have to do something,” Kara said. “Can you keep those three guys from leaving?”

“On it!” Shiera answered. Thankfully she had decided to bring along a little bit of her Hawkwoman equipment, just to be on the safe side. The Nth-metal-forged brass knucks weren’t much, but they would enhance her strength tremendously.

“Now, never fear, brave Gothamites,” Joker said, her hands on the lid of the canister. “I promise you, it will be fun! Lots of fun! Well, not for those gentlemen in the back who... hey, why is there a readhead sneaking up on them?”

“Oh, for Rao’s sake,” Kara said, quickly moving towards the laughing woman. “Give me that!”

“Hey, that’s mine,” Joker protested when Kara wrenched the canister out of her hands. “Well, not really mine, I didn’t pay for it, but still! You can’t just go and take canisters filled with experimental laughing gas from people who are just trying to make someone laugh! That’s not funny!”

“Joker, shut up,” Kara said.

Joker paused for a moment, looking closer at her face. “Hey, I know you! Oh! Oh! It’s you! It’s you! Wow, I haven’t seen you since...”

“Not now,” Kara hissed at her. “Now what kind of gas...”

There was a ping inside the canister.

“Too late!” Joker chuckled, taking a step back.

Shiera, who had just quietly knocked out the last of the three supposed slave traders, looked up. Purple-colored gas exploded outwards from the rupturing canister, but before it could spread beyond the stage, Kara simply took deep breath and inhaled the entire cloud.

“Wow,” Shiera just said.

“Did she just inhale all of my precious gas?” Joker asked. “Man, what a pair of pipes! I’m sure you have a great singing voice, too!”

“Kara, are you okay?” Shiera asked, stepping closer to the other woman.

Kara raised a finger, signaling her to wait, and a moment later she was simply gone. Shiera needed a moment to process, but then understood. Kara’s lungs were full of gas, she needed to release it somewhere. Probably miles up in the sky.

“Did you know your friend is really Superwoman?” Joker asked her, stepping up beside her.

“I know,” she growled, wondering whether it might not be a good idea to cave the clown’s face in.

“Really? What gave it away?”

“Is this still part of the act?” someone from the audience asked.

“Uh, sorry for the interruption, folks,” the comedian on stage said, clearly trying to salvage the situation. “I... I am not sure what happened, to be honest, but that’s Gotham City for you! Now, we don’t we get back to...”

In a burst of super speed Kara was back suddenly, causing both Shiera and Joker to jump.

“So, the gas is gone,” Kara said, smiling. Smiling broadly. Smiling extremely broadly.

“Í know I keep going on about people needing to smile more,” Joker said, once again taking a step back, “but you might be overdoing it a bit, honey. Really, that kind of smile... I’m not sure it’s a good thing on you!”

“Of course it is,” Kara said, grinning manically from ear to ear. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt this good in my entire life!”

*****

One hour later (8 pm)

“And then they just… got up on stage and started singing?” Batgirl asked, confused.

“No, that was actually my idea,” a new voice said beside her. Batgirl only now noticed the young blonde woman who had stood up to join them. She was in her early twenties maybe and was dressed in rather conservative looking business attire, a pair of big glasses on her nose.

“And you are...?” Batgirl asked.

“Oh, sorry. I am Doctor Harleen Quinzel, I work with the Gotham City PD as a profiler. Great to meet you, Batgirl, I’m a big fan! Well, not a fan of the way you and Batman break the law to apprehend criminals, but you know what I mean.”

Batgirl really didn’t know how to connect this introduction to what was happening on stage. Apparently her confusion was easily visible on her masked face, though.

“Oh, yes. I was in the audience when this all went down. It was easily apparent that the gas affected Superwoman somewhat like a huge amount of alcohol, driving her into a state of intoxification. Now with many people, such a state can easily lead to outbursts of violence, which... yeah, with her being Superwoman, would probably not end well at all. So I figured the best way to... well, handle the situation was to… keep her entertained.”

“Keep her... entertained?” Batgirl asked, aghast. “That is Superwoman up there, the most powerful person on this entire planet! If she’s... intoxicated or... or whatever is going with her, we need to call Batman! We need to call Wonder Woman! We need to call the entire damn Justice League! We...”

“BATGIRL?” someone yelled from the stage, causing the walls to rattle.

By the time Batgirl had turned around, Superwoman was already next to her and an arm like a steel vise clamped around her shoulders.

“Uh, yes?” Batgirl said, feeling very breakable right now.

“You’re here, too!” Superwoman cheered, her voice slightly slurred. “Rao, this is so great! This is turning into the most perfect girl’s night out ever! Come up and sing with us!”

Escaping from the clutches of a hurricane would have been easier.

“Just go along with it,” Dr. Quinzel whispered to her.

*****

Nine hours later (5am)

Kara clutched her head in her hands

“So... let me get this straight! I inhaled some gas...”

“Laughing gas,” Joker interrupted her. “My own brand. I call it Smilex! Trademark pending!”

The glare of two glowing red eyes made her take a step back and she panthomimed zipping her lips shut.

“I inhaled some laughing gas,” Kara continued, “and somehow this caused me to become... drunk?”

“Thankfully it seems you’re a happy drunk,” Shiera said, patting her shoulder. “Very pushy, but happy.”

“I don’t get it,” Kara said, leaning back on the couch. “No Earth toxin has ever affected me in the slightest!”

“Well, you inhaled enough gas to blanket an entire city block,” Dr. Quinzel offered. “The immense compression it underwent in your lungs must have increased its potency immensely.”

Kara looked at Shiera and Batgirl. “And... that was it? We were on stage, singing and dancing, until the effects wore off and I went to sleep?”

The two redheads shared an uncomfortable glance.

“Well,” Shiera finally said. “Not exactly!”

*****

Seven hours ago (10pm)

“Shouldn’t we stay in the club?” Joker asked, pointing at the building behind them. “I like the club. Okay, the comedians aren’t funny, but the lights are low, the drinks are good, less chance of wide-scale property damage,...”

“Oh, don’t be a party pooper,” Superwoman said, a hand that could crush coal into daimond resting casually on Joker’s shoulder as she led them outside. “I need some air! We need some air! We need to go up, up, and away!”

“What does she...,” Dr. Quinzel began.

Incredibly strong arms grabbed two women each – Shiera and Batgirl on one side, Joker and Dr. Quinzel on the other - and a moment later all five of them were shooting upwards into the sky.

“Would this be a bad moment to mention that I’m not good with heights?” Dr. Quinzel asked.

“How is this even working?” Joker asked. “She is barely touching us! Not that I’m complaining about the whole not-falling-to-my-death thing, you know?”

“And me without my wings,” Shiera muttered.

“Hawkwoman?” Batgirl whispered, excitedly, causing Shiera to groan.

“Man, you girls really suck at the secret identity thing,” Joker remarked.

“I really have a problem with heights,” Dr. Quinzel said again.

“There is nothing better than flying, girls! Am I right?” Kara laughed.

“You’re a shrink, right?” Joker asked the terrified doctor currently holding on to her jacket for dear life. “I think I might need one before this night is over!”

*****

One hour later (11pm)

“C-c-c-can we g-g-g-g-o back to flying?” Batgirl asked, skidding across the ice like a human-sized hockey puck.

Upon landing in Gotham’s central park, Superwoman had immediately proceeded to use her freeze breath (freeze breath? What kind of power was that?) to turn the entire lake before them into one solid mass. Then she announced that it was time to ice skate.

“Oh, quit complaining, Baby Bat,” Joker told her, sliding past her as if she was a championship skater. “A frozen butt is tons better than a crazed alien dropping you from tremendous height.”

“She is only crazed because of you, you... madwoman!”

“Wow, we really need to work on your insults, girl! I’d laugh if it wasn’t so pathetic.” She paused a moment, then shrugged. “What the hell, I’ll laugh anyway!” She then proceeded to do just that, which immediately caused Superwoman to start laughing again, too.

“Your turn, Dr. Harley,” Kara announced, grabbing the blonde doctor.

“No, that’s fine, I don’t neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee….” Superwoman sent her skidding across the ice with a single shove, the blonde somehow managing to remain upright.

*****

Three hours later (2am)

“I don’t like what this is saying about my state of mind, but this is almost cathartic, in a strange kind of way,” Dr. Quinn said.

The group of women was standing at the edge of an old industrial park. A large sign told them that the entire area was scheduled for demolition in a month to make room for a new solar energy facility, a project sponsored by Wayne Industries and K-Solutions.

“They’ll save a lot of money, too,” Joker announced. The woman had procured a cigarette from somewhere and had barely flinched when Superwoman had lit it with her heat vision. She was also using a black marker to cross out the date on the sign, over-writing it with today’s date.

“Wheeeeee!” Another building collapsed as a human-sized projectile barreled through it at super speed. A moment later Superwoman was standing beside them again.

“Which one next?” she asked, hopping up and down. “Which one next?”

“How about the big one on the left?” Dr. Quinzel proposed. “It looks... mean.”

And Superwoman was off again, reducing the building in question to rubble.

*****

Three hours later (5am)

“Okay, I think I have heard enough,” Kara said, hiding her flaming red face in her hands.

“Well, that was nearly the end of it,” Shiera told her. “Shortly after that you dozed off and slept like a rock until five minutes ago.”

“Please tell me those three guys didn’t get away in the confusion, at least!”

Batgirl shook her head. “No, they’re in police custody. Apparently they made a full confession, the only thing they wanted in return was safety from those ‘crazy super chicks’!”

Joker piped up. “Oh, that should be our stage name! Crazy super chicks!”

“Joker…,” Kara growled.

“Shutting up,” the clown assured her.

Kara stood up, looking at Batgirl and Shiera. “Well, all I can say is, thank you! I imagine it wasn’t exactly easy riding herd on drunken me all night. I didn’t hurt anyone, right?”

“No, though I think you might want to look into an anonymous donation to that comedy club. It did take quite a bit of damage.”

Kara nodded, turning to look at Dr. Quinzel. “You as well, doctor. I doubt this kind of thing is really part of your job description, not even in Gotham.”

“It certainly was an experience,” Dr. Quinzel replied. “And... yeah, an experience. I’ll probably think of a more witty description at some point, but right now I’m far too tired.”

“I hear you, doc,” Shiera muttered.

“What should we do about Joker?” Batgirl asked. “Hey, where did she go?”

Kara just shrugged. “She slipped out a minute ago and is currently ducking into an alley across the street.”

“Shouldn’t we arrest her?” Shiera asked. “She did release that gas on you!”

“I know,” Kara sighed. “I probably should take her in, but I doubt she really intended for any of this to happen and she did stay with us all night and helped keep me out of trouble. Plus, three slave traffickers off the streets.”

“Okay then,” Shiera nodded, yawning. “Can we go home now?”

*****

One hour and ten minutes later (6:10 am)

“And that was the end of it,” Harleen dictated into her recorder. “All the superheroes left, the three sex slave guys are in police custody, and Joker... well, who knows where she went to. And me… well, I think I’m going to bed now.”

Shutting off the recorder, she got up to do just that. In that moment, though, the door flew open.

“Hi, Dr. Harley,” the Joker cheered, immediately wrapping her up in a hug. “So glad to see you are still up and about. I have soooooo many things I need to talk about, so you better start your clock, doc! Ha, that rhymes!”

“Uh... what?” Harleen was far too tired to really understand what was going on.

“Hey, this was your idea,” Joker told her sternly. “You offered to become my shrink, so now we get shrinking, doc! And smile while doing it, that puts the patients at ease, I hear.”

Harleen blinked. “I never... I said I would be interested in studying your case! I never said anything about becoming your personal therapist!”

“Po-tay-to, po-ta-to,” Joker waved her concerns away and deposited herself on Harleen’s couch. “Anyway, this whole thing with Superwoman last night really got me thinking, doc. I am seriously considering the possibility that I have a major crush on her. What do you think?”

Harleen groaned and collapsed forward onto her desk. What had she done to deserve this?

*****

End Chapter 61

Author’s Note: I have really toiled a long a time with this chapter. It was actually one of the first I had started writing for this story, but somehow I never really got it to work. Multiple re-writes were involved, some of them starring Catwoman and Poison Ivy as well, and there was even Red Kryptonite included at one time. Harley Quinn (or Dr. Quinzel, rather) came rather late to the party, but after someone mentioned in the reviews that they would like to see my version of the Joker interact with her own version of Harley, I thought of ways to include her. I began writing a version narrated by Harley breaking the fourth wall, but eventually decided against it. In the end I tied it back to Hawkwoman and Superwoman going out for drinks (briefly mentioned in chapter 55) and went from there. So now this chapter here is finally out and off my back. Hope it was worth the wait and the amount of work.

For reference, Superwoman and Batman prevented the poisoning of Gotham’s water supply way back in chapter 6, where they first met. Joker was last seen in chapter 13.

Chapter Text

Chapter 62: Tales of the World’s Finest

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Wonder Woman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Smallville, Kansas

Behind the Kent family barn, two women stood facing each other. Their hands interlocked, they strained against each other with power far beyond what their forms should have been capable of. Beads of sweat shimmered on their foreheads, not caused by the sun high up in the sky, but rather by the sheer force they were bringing to bear.

“Ready to quit, sister?” Diana asked, grinning fiercely.

“Funny, I was about to ask you the same!” Kara replied.

With her powers fully restored and a few days of rest in the sunlight under her belt, Kara had wanted to make sure that everything was back in working order. And what better way to do it than to spar against the one woman in the entire world capable of matching her strength. Well, maybe not matching it one hundred percent, but Diana came closer than anyone else. Clark might one day be just as strong or stronger, given the rate his powers were growing as he neared adulthood, but right now Diana was still her closest match.

It frustrated Kara a bit that she still couldn’t quite figure out how Diana’s powers worked. Sure, she had met a few of the Olympians during her journey through time, had witnessed their tremendous abilities, but how a blessing from what basically amounted to ancient superhumans could endow an Amazon with near-Kryptonian abilities... well, she still didn’t get it.

It grew even more frustrating, she mused, once she realized that Diana could increase her strength. Right now, with her bare feet digging into the soft ground of the Kent farm, Diana seemed even stronger than usual. Her friend called it the blessing of Gaia, the ability to draw strength directly from the Earth itself. All Kara knew was that it worked. Braced against the naked ground like this, Diana actually matched her strength.

“It seems your strength is back up to its normal levels,” J’Onn said, observing them. J’Onn was currently wearing his ‘Cousin John’ face and was actually playing a game of tag with Clark. So far Clark was not having much luck, despite his greater speed. The Martian Manhunter’s shape-shifting ability, though, allowed him to move in ways no normal humanoid could. Plus he did have the ability to become immaterial, too.

“That’s cheating,” Clark complained, once again failing to tag a ghost-like J’Onn, who simply laughed.

Diana and Kara finally let off, moving apart. “I can only agree,” Diana said. “Your strength is as formidable as it ever was, sister.”

Kona was sitting beside them, idly playing with the golden lasso that Diana had given her for safekeeping during the spar. Kara grinned as she saw one end of the lasso twirl up into the air, animated by Kona’s telekinetic ability. She knew her daughter had become fascinated with the magical artefact ever since she had first touched it during the battle against the sand doppelganger. Maybe it was simply because it was the one object so far that did not blow up once she used her telekinesis on it.

“Looks like the World’s Finest are back in business then,” Clark said, landing beside them.

“World’s Finest?” Kona asked.

“Oh, that’s the name the press gave to the two of them back when they were pretty much the only superheroes around,” Clark explained to her.

“You make it sound like that was decades ago,” Kara complained, wiping off sweat. “It was only a few years.”

“I have been meaning to ask,” J’Onn interjected, “how did that name come about?”

“It was the thing in Washington,” Kara replied.

“You are so eloquent, dear sister,” Diana laughed. “Yes, the ‘thing’ in Washington.”

*****

Seven years ago – The Thing in Washington

“An army of the dead?” Kara asked skeptically.

“I know you still have trouble believing what your science cannot easily explain, Kara,” Diana replied over the phone. “But it’s true and I really need your help. Ares is marching on Washington as we speak.”

“Of course I will help,” Kara replied, using super speed to put on her costume. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

Kara spent most oft hat minute trying to figure out what kind of scientific phenomenon might be responsible for creating creatures that appeared to be the walking dead, but couldn’t really think of anything. As it turned, out a minute was more than enough for a huge army of monsters, demons, and undead warriors to arrive in Washington DC and start spreading havoc. Military units were also present, but hopelessly outclassed against creatures that just shrugged off bullets and simply got up again after being hit by tank rounds. So Kara tabled any further scientific analysis for now and exploded into action.

The next few minutes were a frenzy as Kara moved through the city at super speed, helping out wherever she could, her thoughts being mostly on containment at the moment. The undead warriors were the least of her problems, as they were basically just humans armed with antique weapons, their only advantage being that they simply didn’t stay down, no matter how badly hurt. The bigger creatures were more problematic, as some of them were strong enough that blows from them actually hurt. Still, Kara quickly managed to corall them around the Washington Monument.

“Well met, sister,” Diana said, arriving at her side. “If you can keep his army busy, I can deal with Ares.”

She pointed towards a huge mountain of a man, easily three times as tall as a human, clad in ancient-looking armor. His eyes were glowing and lightning seemed to crackle around his eyes. His eyes fell on Superwoman and for a moment there seemed to be something almost like recognition in them, but then they focused on Diana with intense hatred.

“You sure you can take him?” Kara asked.

Diana unsheathed her sword. “It’s what I was born to do!”

Then the battle commenced. Kara took on an army comprised of thousands upon thousands of zombies, monsters, and demons, while Diana slugged it out with a god. All the while a few brave representatives of the media were lurking in the shadows, filming the whole thing.

“Viewers at home, I am still not sure what it is we are seeing here,” one of the reporters said, “but I am confident to say that our world’s finest heroes are on the job.”

*****

The Present

“Did the two of you have many adventures together?” Kona asked, twirling the lasso around.

“Quite a few,” Kara replied. “Those first few years after I went public and Diana arrived from Themyscira, it seemed there was some kind of thing every other month.”

“Oh, remember that time in Kaznia?” Diana asked.

“I remember you being pretty sweet on that princess. What was her name? Audrey?”

Diana sighed wistfully. “Yes, Audrey. She was… sweet.”

“Yeah, and while you were deailing with her... sweetness... I had to deal with that brute Vandal Savage.”

“Which you enjoyed, sister, admit it!”

*****

Five years ago – That Time in Kaznia

“Do your worst, alien,” Vandal Savage said, grinning despite the blood running down his face. “You and your friend might have ruined my plans for now, but I am immortal. There is nothing you can do that will cause me lasting harm.”

What had once been the ancestral castle of Kaznia was in ruins. The huge military machines Savage had built to launch his campaign to conquer the world were shattered. His attempts to portray himself as a benevolent ruler whose hand was forced by circumstances had failed. But the bastard was still laughing after an entire castle had collapsed on top of him.

“Immortal, eh?” Kara asked, smiling. “Let’s test that theory!”

She grabbed him and a moment later they were miles up in the sky, the wind rushing past them.

“You think a drop from this height will kill me?” Savage laughed. “Think again!”

“Drop? No, I was actually thinking of the other way,” she pointed upwards.

“Other... what? No!” For the first time, Savage looked slightly worried.

“You’re immortal, right? So you should be fine if I just throw you roughly in that direction.” She pointed again. “If my aim is true, you should probably hit Titan in about a year or two. If not, well, there is a good chance you’ll hit one of the planets in the Vega system in about, oh, 10,000 years, give or take. But hey, you’re immortal, right? No skin off your back!”

“Uh,” Savage grunted. “I... I demand to be tried under Kaznian law!”

“Really?” Kara asked him, grinning. “I’m sure if I asked Princess Audrey, she wouldn’t mind me sending you into permanent exile. She didn’t seem to be your biggest fan after everything you did to her and her country.”

Savage grumbled something under his breath.

“What was that?” Kara asked him, despite having heard it very clearly with her super hearing.

“Please don’t throw me into space,” Savage finally forced out.

*****

The Present

“You wouldn’t really have thrown him into space, right?” Kona asked.

“No, of course not, but he didn’t know that.”

“You are doing great with the lasso, Kona,” Diana said. “You are using your telekinetic abilities with it?”

“Yeah,” Kona replied, smiling brightly as she twirled the lasso around herself. “It’s amazing. Usually the things I use my TK on blow up. But the lasso just... doesn’t! It’s great!”

“Well, I would think so,” Diana replied, smiling as well. “It’s made from the girdle of Hestia and utterly indestructible. Nothing can damage it.”

“Nothing, really?” Kona asked. “Not even mom?”

Diana’s smile grew even wider. “No, not even your mom. As a matter of fact, once upon a time your mom…”

“Oh no!” Kara interrupted her, growling. “We are NOT talking about the thing with the lasso! EVER!”

Diana just laughed, while Kona looked confused.

*****

Six years ago – The Lasso Incident

“I don’t want to break your toy,” Kara said.

“You won’t, believe me,” Diana replied, gently tying her lasso around Kara’s shoulders. “And it’s not a toy!”

“You do know I can lift ocean liners, right?” Kara asked. “Snapping a piece of golden rope, no matter how supposedly magical...”

“It’s not supposedly magical,” Diana interrupted her, drawing the lasso tight. “It’s a gift from the gods.”

“So you keep telling me,” Kara nodded. “So... I won’t get intro trouble with your supposed gods for breaking it?”

“Please stop using the word ‘supposed’, sister. And no, you won’t get into trouble, because you won’t be able to break it.”

“We’ll see!”

“Yes, we will! Ready?”

Kara rolled her shoulders, the golden rope tight against her body. “All set!”

“Okay, then! Try and break it!”

Solar-charged muscles, enhanced by a force field capable of defying gravity itself, strained against a deceptively thin rope made of what looked like spun gold. The look of smug confidence on Kara’s face slowly began to fade as the rope refused to snap, replaced by one of puzzlement.

“Problems, sister?” Diana asked, smiling.

Kara grunted in response, increasing her effort. The very air around her seemed to ripple, the ground beneath her feet began to crack, but the golden rope refused to give.

“This is impossible,” Kara complained.

“I told you, gift of the gods!”

“It doesn’t make sense! No matter how strong the material, it’s too thin to be this strong!”

“It’s not the material,” Diana reminded her. “It’s the magic of the gods!”

Kara scoffed. “There is no such thing as...”

“Tell me, Kara,” Diana interrupted her. “If you had your pick among the Amazons, whom would you take to your bed?”

Kara’s eyes widened. “What? Diana, I...,” she trailed off, the golden rope starting to glow as if aflame. She closed her mouth with a snap, clearly trying to fight against the compulsion. The rope burned brighter, though.

“I… I…,” Kara stammered, “I... damn it, Diana, I would pick Philippus, okay? Philippus!”

“Really?” Diana raised an eyebrow, amused. “Why her?”

Kara’s face was so flushed Diana briefly feared her cheeks would burst into flames. “I… she looks like someone sculpted a goddess out of dark chocolate! I would like nothing better than...”

Diana laughed and with a flick of her wrist uncoiled the lasso from Kara. Her friend stumbled back, looking mortified and embarrassed.

“I hate you,” she muttered, the blush on her face still in full evidence.

“You were the one who wanted to test yourself against my lasso, sister,” Diana told her, smiling. “And never fear, your secret is safe with me.”

“Not like it will ever happen,” Kara muttered. “Damn woman avoids me like the plague.”

*****

The Present

“I am NOT telling you, Kona,” Kara stated. “And don’t look at Diana, either!”

“It’s no use,” Clark chipped in. “I tried to get them to spill what mom said under the power of the lasso for years. Neither of them ever speak of it!”

“Some things are not meant for young ears,” Diana said, chuckling.

Taking her lasso back from Kona, who reluctantly parted with it, Diana fastened it back onto her hip.

“Cookies are done, everyone,” Martha called out from the farm house. “Come and get them before they get cold!”

Clark and Kona were off in a blur of super speed, J’Onn following them only slightly slower. The Martian had developed a severe sweet tooth since being adopted into the extended Kent family and could never resist Martha’s baking.

“Why are you so adamant about not telling them about that, anyway?” Diana asked in a low voice as she and Kara followed the others at a more sedate pace. “It’s not like they don’t know about Philippus and you. Would revealing that you were attracted to her even before your trip through time be so terrible?”

Kara smiled, shaking her head. “Not really. I mean, it was kind of embarrassing back then, but by now it’s mostly habit. Clark has built this up into such a mystery in his mind, though, the truth could be nothing but a disappointment now.”

Her face darkened for a moment. “Also, I don’t really want them to inquire about any other times I might have been under the influence of your lasso.”

Diana simply nodded, hugging her friend and sister close.

*****

Six years ago – The Other Lasso Incident

Ever since she had first met Kara over a year ago, Diana had considered her a sister-in-arms, a very close friend, as close to being family as a non-Amazon could be. During their adventures in Man’s World, she had mostly followed Kara’s lead, as she was the one with more experience in that world and a far more established presence. Kara usually acted with confidence bordering on arrogance, especially in her Superwoman persona, but her warm demeanor nicely counterbalanced that.

All of this caused Diana to overlook the fact that Kara was basically still a child, especially by Amazonian standards. She was 22 years old, an adult by the laws of both Earth and her lost home world, but she had been forced to grow up much too fast, had been robbed of a large part of her childhood. All of which Diana didn’t really know yet except in the broadest of terms, but that was about to change.

It had started innocently enough. Kara had been on a visit to Themyscira. They had gone swimming together, had relaxed on the beach, and were now back in the room Kara had been given for her stays on the island, putting their clothes back on.

Knowing that Kara had been kind of stressed lately between the requirements of her multiple identities, Diana asked a perfectly innocent question.

“How do you feel, Kara?”

There was a gasp from Kara and Diana turned around, wondering what might have caused it. Her eyes quickly took in her friend, standing there, arm extended. A moment later Diana noticed that she was holding her golden lasso in her hand, probably having been in the process of giving it to her.

The golden rope flared up brightly, tightening around Kara’s hand, and Diana remembered one of the first lessons she had been given upon receiving the lasso: at times the truth is a far, far more dangerous weapon than any other, especially when prompted in such an open, non-specific way.

“Kara,” she began, hoping to stop what was coming, but it was too late.

“I am scared all the time,” Kara whispered, her eyes wide.

Diana was shocked by those words. Kara, scared? Her uber-confident, self-assured friend? Scared? How was this possible?

“Every minute of every day I fear that the ground will collapse underneath my feet,” Kara continued, her voice almost as if in a trance, the glow of the golden lasso illuminating her face. “I can feel even the tiniest tremor in the earth. I can feel it every time the tectonic plates shift, and I must force myself not to have a panic attack. I need to tell myself over and over again that Earth will not explode like Krypton did. But I am so scared, Diana! I am scared that all those bits of happiness I have found, all the good I have achived, all the people I love, will be snatched away from me in an instant. So scared that I will lose everything all over again!”

Diana finally managed to move, taking the golden rope out of Kara’s hand. She threw it away into a corner of the room, the golden flames dying out, and Kara all but collapsed in front of her, only Diana’s arms keeping her upright.

“I am sorry, sister,” Diana said, hugging her close. “I am so sorry!”

She could feel Kara nod against her shoulder. “It’s... it’s not your fault! Never should have picked up that damned lasso!”

Moving back to hold her friend at arm’s length, Diana smiled at her. “I cannot even imagine how deeply Phobos has sunk his hooks into your heart, dear sister! But I do know how much I admire you!”

“What?” Kara asked, confused.

“You are so strong, Kara! To have lost so much, and still finding the courage to start anew! To make new friends, new family, even though you know better than anyone how fragile it all is, how quickly it might be taken away! Surely even the bravest of gods could not match that kind of valor.”

Kara hiccupped, something between a sob and a laugh, and Diana hugged her close once again.

“You know what I’m scared of the most?” Kara whispered a moment later.

“You can tell me, if you wish.”

“I am scared that everything will vanish. All over again, everything taken from me, swept away as if it had never ever existed in the first place. And I will be left behind, again. Surviving when everyone else dies.” Kara sobbed, her body trembling. “And then I’m so angry at them for just leaving me! And I... I hate them for forcing me to live while they get to die along with everyone else.”

Diana didn’t know what to say. She had never experienced this kind of loss, this kind of pain. So she did the only thing she could do and held on, allowing her friend, her sister, to unburden her soul.

“Never fear, my sister,” Diana said, holding her tightly. “You are not alone!”

*****

The Present

“Do you still tense when the ground moves?” Diana asked, whispering.

Kara smiled wistfully. “I don’t think I will ever not be scared of what might happen. But... it gets easier every day.” She grabbed Diana’s hand, intertwining their fingers. “Especially knowing that I have my sister here to steady me when necessary.”

Diana nodded, squeezing her hand. “The World’s Finest stand together, sister mine! Always!”

*****

End Chapter 62

Author’s Note: I’ve come to realize that, while I have established Diana and Kara as being best friends and my world’s World’s Finest, there have been relatively few scenes with just the two of them and even less actual adventures with just the two of them. So here we remedy that a bit. Also, a lot of people have asked me to write the flashback scene where Wonder Woman demonstrates to Kara that not even she can break the Lasso of Truth (mentioned in chapter 52).

Diana’s ability to draw power from the Earth itself is one of her lesser-known abilitites and hasn’t really been showcased much, but she has used it in Wonder Woman (Vol. 2) #30. The flashback with Vandal Savage and Princess Audrey references the Justice League cartoon episode “Maid of Honor”, though in my universe it was an adventure with just the World’s Finest, not the entire League. The battle against Ares is inspired by the final battle of the animated Wonder Woman movie from 2009. Ares remembers Kara from their brief meeting in chapter 29.

Up next: the Great Luthor-Brainiac Team-Up.

Chapter Text

Chapter 63: The Great Luthor-Brainiac Team-Up

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

The conflict began not with a big bang, but rather with innocuous, seemingly unconnected events.

A number of newspapers and news channels began to publish stories about how numerous government officials in America, Europe, and Asia had taken huge bribes that originated with Lexcorp and Lex Luthor. Many of those stories were actually true, though some were years, if not decades old and concerned officials that were long out of office or even dead by now.

A few weeks later there was a huge story in the Washington Times, revealing that a secret government project had acquired Lexcorp military technology for the express purpose of using it against Superwoman. That story was true, too, though details like the project having been discontinued years ago were relegated to the small print. Instead, connections were drawn to the infamous Cadmus Project, by now publically known to have created Supergirl. The implication that Supergirl was originally intended as a weapon to be used against Superwoman was easily read between the lines.

At roughly the same time, the Church of Hope and several other religious organizations that regarded Superwoman as a deity or at the very least an inspiration received huge donations from anonymous sources, enabling them to launch massive recruitment campaigns. Opinion columns and editorials condemning the government bureaucracy for plotting against the savior of the world were numerous and well-received by large parts of the public.

Batman was the first to notice a disturbing trend and informed the rest of the League.

“I have yet to find definitive proof,” Batman told the others, “but it seems that someone is putting a significant effort into deitifying Superwoman…”

“You mean more than those churches already do,” Green Arrow interjected, causing Kara to grumble under her breath about the idiocy of worshipping her as a goddess.

“While at the same time,” Batman continued, “vilifying both established institutions in general and Lex Luthor in particular.

“Could Luthor himself be behind it?” Adam Strange asked. “Who would know better about all his dirty dealings than he?”

“Luthor might be an obvious suspect simply for being on the loose,” Kara agreed, “but this isn’t really his style. Even after he went to prison, he tried to paint himself as the valiant hero, the philantrope, who wants to protect humanity against the vile alien invader, me. I can’t see him creating a new narrative with him as the villain. His ego wouldn’t allow it.”

“Kara is right,” Diana said. “Whoever is doing this, it has to be someone who is intending the exact opposite of what Luthor has tried to accomplish in the past. If Batman is right, then that someone wants her to be regarded as an authority figure, possibly even a benevolent goddess.”

Kara was a bit embarrassed that it took her so long to connect the dots. Luthor’s mysterious escape from prison that could only have been accomplished using teleportation technology. Cadmus’ mysterious technological benefactor. All the advancements made to Luthor’s battle armor and Metallo in their recent clash. And now this concentrated effort at making Kara look like a saint and goddess while at the same time attacking established insituttions.

“Brainiac!” she growled.

“It would fit with his stated agenda of turning Earth into New Krypton,” J’Onn mused. “With you as the planet’s ruler.”

“Well, we figured he would be back after Colu,” Batman summarized. “It seems he is preparing some kind of big push. Which means we need to be ready to push back!”

*****

Upon first meeting her hybrid daughter Kona, Kara had taken measures to ensure that the girl who had been born in a laboratory was not in any way compromised. The Martian Manhunter had read the girl’s mind, making sure that she was telling the truth as she knew it and that there weren’t any hidden personalities or triggers in her psyche. The Kryptonian scanners in Kara’s polar fortress had not only mapped out the girl’s genome to determine her parentage, but had also performed a deep scan for hidden objects, implants, the likes. This should have ensured that there were no surprises.

Of course it was Brainiac who had supplied Cadmus with the technology and necessary knowledge for creating a human-Kryptonian hybrid in the first place. Brainiac, who knew that Kara-El had a telepath on her team. Brainiac, who knew exactly what technological capabilities Kara-El had access to. Brainiac, who had not been idle in the years since Krypton’s destruction and had assimilated technology from many different planets, quite of few of them unknown to the Kryptonians.

One such technology had been acquired on the planet Elia, capitol of the Dominion. The Dominators were an alien race that utilized plant-based technology, which was about as different from the crystal-based technology of Krypton as was possible. Brainiac had found it difficult to incorporate this alien technology into the vast arsenal it had access to. Difficult, but not impossible.

The Dominators, who regarded themselves as superior to all other races and civilizations, were huge advocates of subversion and operating behind the scenes. A common saying among galactic civilizations was that a Dominator would never fight openly if a dagger in the back would also do. As such it was hardly surprising that they developed appropriate technologies to support their ideology.

The Dominion-designed bio-chip that had been implanted into Kona’s neck while she had still been growing inside her clone tank was completely invisible to Kryptonian and Earth-built technology. While inert, it appeared as just another piece of Kona’s body, practically indistinguishable from the tissue around it. It could remain that way for years if need be, undiscovered.

Until it was activated by a specific transmission burst broadcast on a frequency only dogs and Kryptonians could hear.

*****

Clark winced as a shrill noise made his ears ring. A few dozen dogs howled in the distance, clearly every bit as unhappy about the sound as he was. Looking around, his X-Ray vision showed him Martha and Jonathan in the farm’s kitchen, entirely unaffected. Ultrasound then, he concluded. Painfully loud ultrasound.

He turned his head, looking for Kona, figuring that she would hear the sound as well. Maybe together they could triangulate the source of it, figure out where it was coming from. When he turned around, though, Kona was standing right behind him.

“Kona, do you...?” he began.

Had he been prepared, he might have had time to react. As it was, though, he needed roughly a second to realize that something was wrong. A second was an eternity to someone already moving at super speed.

Kona lacked the vision powers of full-blodded Kryptonians, but she was every bit as strong and fast as them. Her fist broke the sound barrier as it flew towards Clark’s chin and when it made contact, her tactile telekinetic power flared, almost doubling the force of impact.

Clark went flying like a shell shot from a cannon, arcing through the air until gravity reestablished its hold and brought him down in the middle of a corn field miles away from the Kent farm, where he hit with the force of small meteor. Clark noticed none of this, of course, as he was thoroughly unconscious by that time.

By the time Martha and Jonathan came running out of the house to figure out what the ruckus was all about, neither Clark nor Kona were anywhere to be seen.

*****

“What’s the emergency?” J’Onn asked as he emerged from the teleporter tube.

“I just got here myself,” Batman replied, checking out the computer. “It’s Kara’s code, but she’s not here.”

Batman looked around the conference chamber of the Watch Tower. Everyone was here in response to the signal. Adam Strange, Wonder Woman, the Hawks, the Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow, himself. The entire League was present except for Kara. All of them gathered in one place, called by someone who wasn’t here.

“We should leave,” Batman said. “Something isn’t right!”

Before anyone could move, though, the lights in the Watch Tower suddenly fizzled and died, plunging the entire room into utter darkness. Emergency lights came on a moment later, tinting everything a deep, bloody red.

“What happened?” Green Arrow asked.

“Everything but the emergency systems have failed,” J’Onn replied, trying to get one of the consoles to work. “Teleporters are down, the Javelins are dead as well, and even if they weren’t, the shuttle bay doors won’t open.”

“Meaning we are trapped up here,” Diana said, looking grim. “And Kara is on her own.”

Batman nodded. “Looks like Brainiac is making his move! We need to act fast!”

*****

Kara was on her way home after half a day of K-Solutions paper work, which she couldn’t really concentrate on. Brainiac was planning something, had already set something in motion, but with no clear idea what he would do next or even where he was, all they could do was wait. She had actually talked with Perry White during her lunch break, who agreed that the amount and tone of all those media stories indicated a coordinated effort to push a narrative, but there was little he could do about it. It wasn’t like Kara could ask him to publish anti-Superwoman stories.

Something would happen soon, she was certain, something big. Brainiac was preparing some sort of endgame, but what? And how?

“Mom? Mom, can you hear me?”

Kara came to a stop in mid air, her super hearing picking up the distressed voice of her daughter, pitched high into the ultrasound range.

“Kona?” she whispered, looking around.

“Mom, I think I’m in trouble,” she heard the voice again. It was coming from the general direction of Metropolis. Kara wasted no time and accelerated in that direction.

*****

Lex Luthor looked out across the vista of Metropolis. Any elation he might have felt upon being back in the city he considered his home and property was overshadowed by the current situation. It was too soon. He was not ready. He had only just begun to decipher the technology of his captor, had only just begun to formulate plans to turn the situation to his advantage. Time was running out, though.

By now he was fairly certain what Brainiac intended for him. The machine might think him too primitive to understand what was happening, but Lex understood enough. He was the bad guy in this play that Brainiac was staging. The dastardly villain that was supposed to go down in flames against the heroic savior of the world.

Brainiac didn’t want Superwoman (who was apparently called Kara-El, an interesting if useless piece of information) to leave Earth so she could build a new Krypton elsewhere. No, Lex was certain that Brainiac had already selected the world that was supposed to become New Krypton. This world. Lex’ world. Brainiac wanted to take his world away from him and transform it into an alien paradise.

The Supergirl, that hybrid creature Cadmus had been used to create, was merely the start. Soon this world would be teeming with half-aliens, human DNA corrupted to recreate an extinct species. Real humans would soon become the endangered species, then vanish entirely within a few generations. Superwoman would rule his world like a goddess, something that simply could not be allowed. Lex was beginning to have doubts that Superwoman was actually in on Brainiac’s plans, but in the end it didn’t matter.

So here he stood, on top of his own building, the Lexcorp tower, awaiting his fate. According to Brainiac the enhanced battle armor he wore would put him on equal footing with the Kryptonian and Lex was supposed to defeat her in battle. How this was supposed to motivate Superwoman to leave Earth behind was unclear, but it was a lie anyway. Lex was fairly certain that he was being set up to die today. What other reason would there be for actually being in the armor in person instead of remote-controlling it again?

There was a wooshing sound behind him and Lex turned around, expecting to face Superwoman. He was surprised, though, to find Supergirl standing on the roof with him. Just standing there, staring straight ahead with empty eyes.

“Brainiac, what is this?” he asked.

“I have activated the hybrid’s bio chip. She is now under my control. We will use her in your battle against Superwoman.”

Lex had a dozen questions on his lips, but didn’t ask any of them. Facts clicked together in his mind. He had long figured out that Brainiac was the source of Donovan’s cloning technology. There had been no trace of a control chip in any of the plans Westfield had shown him in prison. Lex had noticed a peculiar organic growth in the girl’s neck during Westfield’s last ‘consultation’, but had dismissed it as unimportant. Details aside, the fact that Brainiac obviously had a method of controlling minds was terrifying. Lex himself had been unconscious when Brainiac had freed him from prison. Was there such a chip in his own neck now, too?

“How will we use her?” he asked instead, his voice perfectly smooth.

“The bio chip will not allow more than basic motor control, so she will be, as the human saying goes, the bait!”

Lex nodded, it was a good idea. Superwoman would undoubtedly come to the rescue of the girl she considered her daughter. It could easily be used to lure her into a trap. Like everything else, though, he doubted Brainiac was really telling him the truth about what was going on. Looking at the girl standing beside him, frozen in place and helpless, he almost felt something like pity for her. Today, it seemed, everyone was dancing to Brainiac’s tune.

*****

Kara was still a dozen miles away from Metropolis when her supervision showed her Lex Luthor standing on top of the Lexcorp Tower, once again wearing a bulky suit of battle armor. There was no way to be entirely certain, but she was reasonably sure it was really Luthor this time, not just a remote-controlled drone.

Far more worrying, though, was that Kona was standing next to him, still as a statue. Had Luthor done something to her? Or rather, Brainiac? By now she was fairly certain that Luthor did not have much say in this particular team-up. Brainiac was clearly using him. Didn’t mean she wouldn’t squash him if he dared to lay a finger on her daughter.

She was still too far away to be seen with the naked eye when Luthor turned towards her, his armor’s scanners clearly having picked up her approach, and fired a barrage of missiles towards her. They barely made it halfway towards her before she vaporized them with her heat vision.

Kara did not slow down. She had no intention of giving Luthor or whoever might actually be at the helm of that armor any chance to act if she could help it. She was little more than a blur and planned to tear the armor apart before Luthor could even blink.

There was a noise like a bell and Kara ricocheted off a force field surrounding the armored form of her opponent. The impact didn’t hurt, but the unexpectedness of it disoriented her for a moment. Long enough for Luthor to fire off some sort of energy beam. The beam hit her just as she was regaining her equilibrium and knocked her off course again. It hurt, too, in a rather familiar way.

“A little gift from your old friend, the Atomic Skull,” Luthor announced. “Replicating his unique energy signature was not easy, but worth the effort, I would say.”

Kara caught herself just in time to evade another energy beam and retaliated with a burst of heat vision. The twin red beams hit Luthor’s force field and caused it to crackle, but it held.

“What do you hope to achieve here, Lex?” she asked, stopping for a moment to reassess her strategy. “Or am I talking directly to the puppeteer instead of the puppet, Brainiac?”

“Lex Luthor is no one’s puppet,” Lex announced, firing off another energy beam. This time she easily evaded it. “It’s time to remove the alien influence from this world, Superwoman! Starting with you!”

There was a weird echo to Luthor’s words and after evading yet another energy beam, Kara saw what caused it. Luthor and herself were on every TV screen in Metropolis. Extending her supervision, she saw that it was not just a city-wide broadcast, either. Narrowing her eyes, she spotted more than a dozen miniature drones that were filming them from every conceivable angle and broadcasting live across the world.

Brainiac wanted an audience, it seemed, for whatever he had planned.

Okay, first thing first. Before she finished this charade Brainiac was producing here, she would bring her daughter to safety. Moving at super speed once again, she zoomed towards her daughter, intending to grab her and remove her from the scene. The moment she touched Kona, though, a burst of telekinesis hit her like a sledge hammer and sent her skidding across the roof of the tower.

“No one is leaving until I say so,” Luthor announced, stepping closer. When Kara was back on her feet, still a bit shaky from the impact, she saw that he had removed something from a compartment of the armor. A glowing green rock.

“Lexonite again, Lex?” Kara asked, getting back to her feet. “Really?”

Knowing that Brainiac had access to Kryptonite (he probably mined it directly from the debris field of Krypton), she had made sure she was prepared for it. The rad-shield she had built into her uniform wasn’t perfect, but it would shield her from the worst of the radiation for a few minutes at least.

“You created a counter measure,” Lex gave her a nod. “Impressive. But it’s not really meant for you!”

With a casual gesture, he flipped the rock towards the immobile form of Kona, where it came to rest at her feet. A moment later the girl, who had no rad-shield to protect her, started to convulse in pain and dropped to her knees. The empty look vanished from her eyes, replaced by panic and pain.

“Mom?” she cried out. “I couldn’t move! I hurt Clark! I... it hurts!”

“KONA!”

Kara was on her feet and moving, but despite the rad-shield the Kryptonite radiation still slowed her down. A double burst of energy from Luthor’s gauntlets tagged her before she was halfway across the roof and she had to dig her fingers into the concrete to prevent from being blasted right off of it. Her muscles spasmed, the Skull’s radiation combined with what Kryptonite radiation made it through the shield hurting a lot. All the while Kona was still fully exposed to the Kryptonite.

Luthor’s armored form now stood directly above her daughter and Kara watched in horror as the blade he had tried to use on her during their last encounter slid out of his gauntlet.

*****

It was a completely irrational decision, Lex would later admit. Oh, not the turning against Brainiac. He had been certain about doing that almost from the start, it had only been a question of when and how. The irrational part was in the timing. He had prepared, yes, but he was not ready. He should have waited a bit longer in order to maximize his chance of success.

Lex Luthor had never been an irrational man, not even when he had been a teenager. The decision to arrange an accident for his parents hadn’t been an emotional one. Sure, his parents had been useless, abusive scum and seeing them dead had been emotionally satisfying, but the real reason to get rid of them had been the life insurance. The payout had enabled him to lay the groundwork for what would later become Lexcorp. He had killed quite a few people in his life, but never out of anger or any other emotion, always for logical reasons. Even his vendetta against Superwoman was entirely based on logic, as a being with powers such as hers could not be trusted on his planet, simple as that.

Today, though, for the first time in his life, Lex Luthor acted against his own better knowledge, acted out of emotion rather than logic. It was triggered when Brainiac spoke the following:

“The hybrid has outlived her usefulness. Eliminate her!”

Lex Luthor would, later in life, oftentimes remember this moment, trying to figure out why reason had abandoned him in such a way. He would rationalize it, asserting that he had figured out that Brainiac’s plan was for him to kill Supergirl, which would in turn cause Superwoman to kill him in a frenzy of rage. Right now, though, seeing the helpless girl before him, the cold machine voice ringing in his ear, there was no logical thought, no weighing of options, no figuring out. There was only a gut reaction.

“No!”

*****

End Chapter 63

Author’s Note: To be honest I had very little idea how this chapter would go as I started writing it. I had “Luthor and Brainiac team up against the Super Family” for the beginning and “Luthor turns against Brainiac” for the end, that was it. Everything else pretty much came from the characters themselves.

For reference, the Church of Hope was first mentioned in chapter 26. Kona escaped from Project Cadmus in chapter 38 and the Project was shut down by the Justice League in chapter 45. Brainiac abducted Luthor from prison in chapter 49.

Chapter Text

Chapter 64: The One Hour Conquest of Earth

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Brainiac was a computer program and as such incapable of emotions. It did not experience anything like disappointment when Lex Luthor decided to stop following its instructions. There had always been a chance that Luthor would not fulfill his designated role. While it was a simple matter to predict the behavior of large groups of organics, individuals always had the potential to act in an unforeseen manner.

Brainiac spent a moment going over the original plan. Luthor, now established as a villain in the eyes of humanity, would kill the hybrid while the entire world was watching. Supergirl had gone public but a short time ago and she was very popular among the humans. Luthor killing her right in front of her mother would cause an immense outpouring of sympathy for Kara-El and no one would blame her for killing Luthor in retaliation. Disgusted with the actions of a human and traumatized from the death of her daughter, there would be a significant chance of convincing Kara-El that taking over planet Earth for humanity’s own good was the right course of action. Brainiac’s ability to create another hybrid to replace the dead one would serve as added incentive.

Brainiac erased this plan, as it had clearly failed, and started implementing its first backup plan. If Luthor refused to be the villain for Kara-El to beat, someone else needed to step into the role.

*****

Lex Luthor was not considered one of the world’s leading engineers for nothing. People decried his ruthlessness, his greed, but few had ever doubted his skill. Luthor had been directly involved in the design of the Lexcorp battle suits and had made sure to include numerous failsafes. As the battle armor was basically designed as a miniature fighter jet, it only made sense to include an eject option for the pilot. An eject option that would not be compromised by computer failure, power failure, or someone hacking into the armor’s system. A manual release, entirely mechanical.

Even as he still wondered why he had turned on Brainiac in so obvious and crude a manner, Luthor triggered the ejection. The front portion of the armor blew open and Luthor flew forward, pushed out of the armor that would undoubtedly obey Brainiac over him when it came down to it. He stumbled forward a few steps, fighting to regain his balance, but finally tripped and fell. Some higher power was probably having fun at his expense, as he found himself falling right at the feet of Superwoman. The alien looked down at him with a mixture of confusion and disdain.

Taking her eyes off him, she quickly sent a burst of heat vision into the now open armor, incinerating it from the inside out. A second later her head swiveled around and a second burst took care of the Kryptonite fragment still lying beside the girl. Then her glowing red eyes were back on him.

“Luthor!” she growled. Oh yes, this was the point where she would have killed him, had he actually gone through with killing the girl.

“No time for idle chit chat,” Luthor barked at her. “There is a control chip in the girl’s neck through which Brainiac can override her motor control. It’s organic technology, look for an anomalous growth near the cervical vertebrae!”

She glared at him, he could almost feel the heat emanating from her stare. A moment later, though, her eyes swiveled to the girl and Luthor had no doubt that her gaze easily penetrated the hybrid’s skin.

“I see it,” she said after a few seconds.

The girl was still shaking from the after-effects of the Kryptonite. Taking her into her arms, Superwoman immobilized her with her legs and bent her neck forward.

“I am sorry, baby girl,” Luthor heard her say. “This is going to hurt!”

Luthor knew that the source of the aliens’ apparent invulnerability was actually a skin-tight force field generated by their cells. The girl had it, too, meaning no surgery tools made on Earth would be able to penetrate her skin and remove the bio chip. Well, unless Kryptonite was involved, of course, but that had been reduced to slag a minute ago.

Superwoman’s eyes flared red and a moment later twin narrow beams pierced the girl’s neck, more precise than any laser scalpel. The girl screamed as the stink of burning flesh filled the air for a moment. The whole procedure lasted only a second or two, but Luthor was sure that it felt like an eternity for the girl.

He paused. Why did he care what it felt like for the girl?

“It’s gone,” Superwoman said, her eyes returning to normal. The girl sobbed in her arms and she hugged her softly, whispering soothing nonsense in her ear. Luthor suppressed the urge to scoff.

“I’m so sorry, mom,” the girl finally spoke. “I... I couldn’t do anything. One minute everything was fine and suddenly there was this noise and I... I punched Clark and...”

“Not here, baby girl!” Superwoman interrupted her. “Everything will be fine, I promise you!” She kissed the top of Supergirl’s head.

Luthor filed the name ‘Clark’ away in his mind. He assumed it was the real name of Superboy, though it sounded far too human a name for an alien. Superwoman stood up and gazed around. Her eyes flashed red over a dozen times and small explosions went off in the air around them. Surveillance drones, Luthor assumed. Brainiac was no doubt keeping an eye on them.

“Well, now that our world-wide audience is no longer watching,” she said, approaching him, “start talking, Lex! What are Brainiac’s plans?”

*****

Luthor chuckled, which by itself was enough to make Kara want to simply push him off the roof.

“Are we talking the plans he told me about or his real plans?” Luthor replied. “The latter would have seen me die about a minute ago, I believe. Killed by you in retaliation for killing your darling offspring.”

“Brainiac ordered you to kill her?” Kara growled. She hadn’t thought she could hate Brainiac more after it had let her people die, but right now she was proven wrong.

“How did he put it?” Luthor mused. “The hybrid has outlived her usefulness. You are aware that it was he who supplied Cadmus with the technology to create her, right?”

“I suspected it,” she replied. “You had some input into the process, too, though.”

Luthor shrugged. “I was bored in prison.”

“What will Brainiac do next?” she hissed, already quite fed up with him.

“No idea, to be honest. Like I said, to the best of my knowledge I was supposed to be dead at this point of the charade.”

Kara was torn, not really sure what to do next. She needed to get her daughter to safety. She needed to check up on Clark, whom Kona had apparently hurt while under the influence of Brainiac. She needed to get Luthor back into prison.

“Superwoman, can you hear me?” J’Onn’s voice came through the communicator she always carried with her.

“J’Onn?” she asked. “Where are you? Brainiac is on the move, we need the League!”

“We know,” he replied. “Brainiac faked a signal from the Watchtower, luring us all there and then crashing all its systems, sealing us in. Batman and Green Arrow are working on it. Wonder Woman, Adam Strange, the Hawks, and I exited the Watchtower the hard way and we’re on our way to your position.”

She exhaled, relieved. “Okay, J’Onn! Please tell Wonder Woman to head to home base and check on Superboy!” She didn’t dare use Clark’s name or mention Smallville with Lex Luthor still standing just a few feet away. “I have Luthor in custody here, someone needs to take him back to prison while we deal with Brainiac!”

Luthor laughed. “Good luck dealing with him without my help!”

Kara glared at him again. “I neither want nor need your help!”

“Suit yourself,” he shrugged.

“Superwoman, this is Batman!” the Dark Knight’s voice crackled over the com.

“I read you, Batman! How are things on the Watchtower?”

“We have most of the systems running again, including the long-range sensors. We just picked up a fleet of ships approaching from behind the moon. They are similar in design to the ship Brainiac used the last time.”

Kara cursed under her breath. “Just great!”

“Those ships are a diversion,” Luthor remarked.

“Of course they are,” Kara barked at him. “Brainiac doesn’t want to destroy the Earth, it wants me to rule it. Doesn’t mean it won’t annihilate a city or two just to keep up appearances.”

“The Javelins are still down,” Batman interjected. “We need you, J’Onn, and Wonder Woman in space to run defence. I’ve sent out a signal to the Green Lanterns, but neither Gardner nor Sinestro have responded so far. It is possible Brainiac is jamming our communications, of course.”

“How far are we on option C?” Kara asked.

“Option C?” Luthor asked, looking interested.

“Ready to launch as soon as we have a target,” Green Arrow replied.

“Good,” Kara simply said. Ignoring Luthor, she turned towards Kona, who was back on her feet. “How are you feeling, baby girl?” she asked.

The girl was obviously still shaken from everything that had happened. Kara cursed Brainiac under her breath, hoping that the machine hadn’t just undone all the progress they had made in making Kona feel like a normal girl and part of their family.

“Like shit,” Kona simply replied.

“Language, Kona,” Kara admonished her jokingly. “Can you fly?”

Kona concentrated for a moment, rising above the roof. She was pretty wobbly, though. Kara wasn’t sure she was up to return home on her own. Never mind that Kara really wanted to take her to the Fortress first for another thorough examination. They had missed the bio chip the first time around and Kara wanted to be sure that there were no further surprises hidden inside her girl.

“Okay, change of plans,” Kara announced, motioning for Kona to land again. “Hawkman, Hawkwoman! Converge on my position in Metropolis! I need you to secure Luthor and watch over Kona while we deal with the space ships!”

“You’re making a mistake,” Luthor told her.

Ignoring him, Kara waited until she could see the Hawks approaching the Lexcorp Tower, then launched herself into space.

*****

“Greetings, people of Earth,” a cold, metallic voice rang out from every TV set and radio in the world. It had been but a few minutes since audiences worldwide had been shown a battle between Superwoman and Lex Luthor that had ended in confusion. Then the signal had cut off, allowing regular programming to return. Now, though, things were getting even more confusing.

“Your planet has been selected for assimilation into the Construct,” the voice continued. “Organic beings are inferior, thus you will serve the Great Machine. Even now our fleet is approaching your world. We will give you some time to accept your inevitable doom in whatever primitive manner you choose.”

Images appeared on every screen, taken from satelites and spy drones up in space, showing the appraoching fleet of ships. They looked menacing, dangerous, and a feeling of unease spread across the entire world.

Only to be replaced by cheers when the images showed the figures of Superwoman, Wonder Woman, and the Martian Manhunter approaching the invasion fleet.

*****

Lex Luthor figured that Superwoman and her little band were in space by now, probably reducing the approaching ships to scrap with very little effort. It was just a diversion, after all, but for what? What was Brainiac really planning?

Ignoring that brute Hawkman, who was daring him to make a wrong move, Luthor started thinking. If he were in Brainiac’s shoes and wanted to convince an entire planet full of stupid people to throw themselves at Superwoman’s feet (well, more than they were already doing it), what would his next move be? Obviously this was about handing Superwoman a big victory in a very public way to elevate her standing from beloved hero to worshipped savior. Preferably making the established authorities of Earth look weak and foolish in the process. But how...?

Of course! It was so obvious.

“Hey, Birdman,” Luthor barked at the winged brute. “Ring up your leader!”

*****

Kara sliced another of the approaching ships apart with her heat vision, watching with a certain amount of glee as it blew up. All of this was a distraction, she knew. These ships were meant to be easy to defeat for her and her friends. Still, after all the frustrations of the last few hours, she was more than happy to indulge in a bit of wanton destruction.

“Superwoman, can you hear me?” Batman’s voice came over her com.

“I hear you, Batman. We’ve destroyed most of the approaching ships.”

“Good, but we have another problem. It seems Brainiac has infiltrated the datanets of Earth’s major military powers. They were already at high alert because of the space ships, but right now missiles are being prepped to launch all over the globe and from the radio chatter I hear, it’s not because anyone gave an order.”

“This is Hawkman,” a second voice cut in. “Our dear Mr. Luthor here seems to think that Brainiac plans to have the major powers launch their missiles at the aliens, only for the missiles to mysteriously go off-course and threaten to annihilate cities.”

“Forcing me to stop them, making the world governments look even more inept and foolish, while elevating my standing all over again.” Kara surmised.

“We need to launch Option C, Superwoman,” Green Arrow put in his two cents. “If Brainiac is in the military nets and decides to go for broke, not even the entire League will be able to stop every single missile, never mind what other attacks it might launch if it has access to the right command codes.”

Kara thought it over, but saw no other way. She had hoped to reserve Option C for a shot at Brainiac itself, not whatever copy of him was running rampant through Earth’s computers, but Green Arrow was right. They couldn’t afford to wait any longer.

“Okay, Option C is a go!”

Option C was the League’s code name for a weapon against Brainiac they had developed in cooperation with the Coluans, the most intelligent species in the Milky Way. Given that Brainiac was an invasive computer program, basically a piece of malware, the idea had been to create a program that would attack Brainiac’s specific codes and – hopefully – delete them from any computer system or datanet it had copied itself into. The Coluans had been very eager to develop it, still smarting from having been taken over so easy by the malevolent AI.

The problem was, of course, that there was no way to test it except by using it against the real thing.

The Anti-Brainiac program had been kept on an isolated drive since they had received it from the Coluans. Batman quickly hooked up the drive to the Watch Tower systems. They had managed to purge Brainiac’s influence from the station by manually rebooting all the systems from a backup, but there was a chance it was still present. So the program’s first test run was on the Watch Tower itself.

“No traces of Brainiac in our systems,” Batman reported. “Transmitting the program into Earth’s datanet.”

For a full minute nothing seemed to happen, then Batman’s screens flashed red.

“The program encountered Brainiac in the United States military command net. It’s attacking as we speak.”

There was silence again, making Kara uneasy.

“Batman, talk to me! What is going on?” she asked, even as she was destroying the last of Brainiac’s attack ships.

“The Pentagon just experienced a complete system crash. All computers are down.”

“That wasn’t supposed to happen, was it?” Green Arrow asked.

“What’s happening?” Kara interjected. “Is the program not working?”

“It’s working, but not as good as we hoped,” Batman said. “Brainiac seems to be fighting against the program by destroying every system where it encounters it.”

“Rao, we could be seeing a complete world-wide computer crash,” Kara muttered.

“Looks like you need some help after all,” Luthor said, the smirk audible even over the com. “Maybe from someone who has familiarized himself with Brainiac’s codes and technology these last few months.”

Kara growled in frustration.

*****

Kona Kara-El, also known as Cornelia Jones and Supergirl, was not having a good day. Come to think of it, she was having the worst day ever. Okay, the days she had spent in a cage in Cadmus hadn’t been great, sure, but she had had nothing to compare it to then. Ever since breaking free, though, her life had improved steadily. Some ups and downs, sure, but overall she had been... happy.

Then Brainiac had sent it all crashing down. An alien machine had turned her into its puppet, she had hurt her brother, she had lured her mother into a trap, and she had almost died. Even now she was still not back to full strength, meaning she wasn’t even able to help her family and fight against that alien thing that had pulled her strings and destroyed her life.

The only upside so far was that the control chip in her neck was gone (hopefully) and Clark was apparently all right (if still unconscious). Overall, though? Still a very, very bad day. Which was evident by the fact that Kara had agreed to bring Lex Luthor up to the Watch Tower and given him access to the computers there in the hopes of defeating Brainiac.

“Make no mistake, Superwoman!” Luthor told Kara even as he worked frantically. “The only reason I am doing this is because I want Brainiac in charge of my world even less than I want you in charge!”

“I never wanted to be in charge of this world,” Kara countered, watching him like a hawk. “Which, by the way, isn’t YOUR world!”

“It will be,” he simply said. “There is really no one else qualified!”

Kara scoffed, her arms crossed in front of her chest. “I see your hubris didn’t suffer from being Brainiac’s puppet for months!”

Luthor paused in his work for a moment and glowered at her. “This machine, which I believe was built on YOUR world by YOUR people, was planning for you to kill me and then take over MY world!”

“Your point being?”

“My point is that I was right about you all along, alien! You ARE the spearhead of an invasion. The fact that you apparently didn’t know about it doesn’t change that. Brainiac is here because of you.”

Kona saw a brief glimpse of guilt in Kara’s face, Luthor’s barb apparently hitting home, but then her features hardened again.

“And it has selected YOU as the villain of this charade it is performing and not a single person anywhere in the world had trouble believing it, Lex! Now what does THAT tell you?”

“Only that people are stupid, which I already knew. And you are welcome, by the way!”

“Welcome? For what?”

“I spared your custom-built daughter’s life, didn’t I?”

Kona flinched, vividly remembering the moment when Luthor had stood over her in his battle armor. She had almost blacked out from the pain of the Kryptonite, but had still known that the blade on his gauntlet could end her life. And a part of her was thinking that she would have deserved it for betraying her family, no matter how little choice she’d had in the matter.

The look of fury on Kara’s face, though, was oddly comforting. Kona figured that she was working very hard to keep herself from reducing Luthor’s smirking face to pulp with a super-powered slap.

“Are you honestly expecting me to thank you for not killing a child in cold blood? What kind of screwed up psychopath are you?”

“The only screwed up part of this entire affair is that I revealed my true intentions to Brainiac too soon because of your petri-dish offspring!”

Kona flinched again at the reminder. She really was just a thing, wasn’t she? A laboratory experiment gone awry. As though hearing her thoughts, though, Kara’s arm was suddenly there, wrapping around her shoulder. Despite thinking that she didn’t deserve it, Kona instinctively leaned into the touch, even as the woman was gazing coldly at Luthor.

“Then why didn’t you do it, Lex? Surely the murder of yet another innocent wouldn’t have troubled the great Lex Luthor, would it? Not like you have a conscience left to give you sleepless nights.”

For the briefest of moments Kona imagined there was a flicker of... something... on Luthor’s face.

“None of your business,” he growled, turning back towards the computer.

Kara looked astonished. “Was that... don’t tell me that Lex Luthor actually had qualms about hurting someone!”

“Listen, alien!” he turned towards her again, hissing. “Do not flatter yourself by thinking you have me figured out! I do what I do because I decide to do it, not because some alien machine is setting me up for a fall! If I kill someone, it will happen because I decide it should be so! No one else! I decide who lives and dies and that goes for humans, aliens, and hybrids, too, whether they share my DNA or not!”

Kara blinked. “What did you just say?”

Kona felt like the world had come to a stand-still. She hadn’t really just heard that, had she? It wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be!

Luthor blinked as well, his brain apparently just catching up with his words. “Uh, well...,” he began.

Kara’s hand was suddenly around his throat, fingers like steel clamps pressing into the vulnerable flesh and lifting him out of his chair.

“Did you really just tell me that those bastards at Cadmus used YOUR DNA for Kona? Is that what you just said, Lex?”

Kona couldn’t do anything but stare at the two of them. It just didn’t compute. Her brain refused to acknowledge it. Luthor was dangling in Kara’s grip, his face beginning to turn blue, and obviously incapable of answering even if he wanted to.

“He is my dad?” she finally whispered.

*****

End Chapter 64

Author’s Note: This title’s chapter is a bit of a mystery. I was one hundred percent sure that it was the title of an old Justice League of America story, but I can’t seem to find it again. The closest I have come is Justice Leage of America (vol. 1) #11, which was actually titled “One Hour to Doomsday”. So no idea where this chapter name actually came from. Maybe it’s like “Yesterday” by the Beatles, where Paul McCartney himself wasn’t sure whether he had actually come up with it or plagiarized it from someone else.

I really enjoyed writing the dialogue between Kara and Lex a lot. With Kona stuck between them, I was going for “bickering divorced parents” as a lead-up to the revelation of Kona’s parentage. Hope it worked out as I planned. Up next: Lex Luthor saves the world (kind of)!

Chapter Text

Chapter 65: The Great Superwoman-Luthor Team-Up

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

*****

Lex Luthor did not like it when things were out of control.

He was a man who liked it when things went as predicted. He hated surprises. Being as smart as he was, it was not often that something caught him off guard or left him stumped. His entire life, he had been able to deal with any sort of obstacle or complication in one of two ways. Buy it or remove it.

It was one of the reasons, he had to admit, that he had developed such an intense dislike for Superwoman. She was a wild card, a complication, an obstacle, a surprise, all of it at once. She would not be bought (despite having initially giving him the impression that she might be open to it) and refused to be removed. In retrospect, this had probably clouded his judgement when it came to her.

He liked to believe that his time in prison, both the human-built one and the gilded cage provided by Brainiac, had allowed him to regain a bit of mental flexibility. An ability that had atrophied, given that the world around him had been so predictable and easily controlled for so long. There was a certain creative drive in being forced to improvise, to react to situations as they developed.

Sadly, his creative drive seemed to be stuck in idle right now, because he had no idea how to deal with an enraged Superwoman’s hand around his throat, rapidly cutting off the oxygen supply to his brain.

*****

Brainiac abandoned its first backup plan. The unexpected presence of a counter program in Earth’s data nets had made the use of Earth’s primitive military might impractical. It spent a fraction of a second to note that the counter program showed obvious traces of being Coluan-designed and transmitted its specs to its nearest backup node for deeper analysis. The counter program would not work again. Right now, though, it was time to activate the secondary backup plan.

As expected, Kara-El and her allies had made short work of the ships Brainiac had sent. They had never been intended as more than a distraction, of course. Leaving kill codes behind in Earth’s primitive data nets, Brainiac transferred its core program to the other asset that had arrived on Earth, hidden from all sensors and covered by the highly visible armada of redundant space ships. Cutting off its connection in order to prevent the counter program from following it, Brainiac fully activated the asset.

“People of Earth,” Brainiac’s voice boomed across the airwaves once more. “Your precious heroes may have destroyed our fleet, but neither they nor your helpless governments will stop the Construct! Prepare for extermination!”

A huge shadow fell over the city of Metropolis.

*****

“Uh, mom?” Kona said.

Kara gave no indication that she heard her; she was too busy choking the life out of Lex Luthor. The man who, apparently, was the donor of roughly 30% of her DNA, meaning he was the closest thing she would ever have to a father. She hadn’t even begun to process that little revelation, to be honest. She was partially a Luthor? It was inconceivable.

“You can deal with him later, Superwoman,” Batman said, putting his hand on Kara’s outstretched arm. There was no hope in hell he was ever going to move it, of course, so he didn’t even attempt it. “We still need him right now.”

Luthor chocked out some noise of his own, probably meant to be some kind of plea, but it was just incoherent noise.

“You know, he’d already be long dead if she really wanted to kill him,” Green Arrow remarked, standing next to Kona and leaning casually against the wall. “Supes is just showing him who’s boss!”

That got a reaction out of Kara, an annoyed frown, but then she opened her hand and unceremoniously dropped Luthor to the ground. The bald criminal greedily pumped in air, holding his aching throat.

Kara crouched down beside him, grasping his chin in a vise-like grip to have him meet her eyes. “Okay, Lex! We are in the middle of a crisis right now, so we shall table any further discussion of that particular topic for later. And there will be a later, I promise you! Now, get back to work!”

Luthor’s return stare promised dire retribution, but apparently his throat was too raw for a witty comeback. He finally got up and sat back down before the computer, his fingers already hard at work on the keyboard again.

“More trouble on the way, Superwoman,” Adam Strange’s voice came over the com. Lacking the raw firepower to take on entire space ships, Adam had been tasked with orbital patrol, keeping an eye out for further threats.

“What have you found, Adam?” Kara asked.

“Some kind of space ship has just appeared right above Metropolis and Brainiac is broadcasting another villainous monologue! I am heading in, but I think I could use some backup. That thing is huge.”

“On my way, Adam! Wonder Woman, Hawkwoman, Hawkman, Manhunter, head to Metropolis as well!”

“We will be there in a few minutes, sister!”

Kara turned to look at the others. “Batman, GA, keep an eye on Luthor here! If he makes any trouble, feel free to put an arrow through his leg!”

Green Arrow chuckled. “Will do, boss!” He saluted by tipping an arrowhead against his hat.

She turned to give Kona a hug. “You stay here, too, baby girl,” she whispered to her. “I promise we’ll figure this all out the moment the crisis is over!”

“I can help, mom,” she whispered back. “I think I’m fully recovered!”

“Thank you, but we need to give you a full check-up first! I couldn’t bear seeing you controlled again.”

Kona swallowed hard, the painful memory of being a helpless puppet resurfacing with a vengeance.

“O-okay,” she chocked out. “Just... stay safe, mom!”

There was an audible scoff from Luthor, but neither of them paid it any heed. A moment later Kara was gone, on her way to Metropolis.

*****

Clark Kent, better known to the world as Superboy, slowly came awake. The first thing he noticed was a rather unfamiliar sensation. Since his super powers had begun to kick in early in puberty, he had been mostly invulnerable. Pain, something he had occasionally experienced as a kid, had quickly become a distant memory. Not now, though. Right now, his jaw hurt like crazy.

“He’s awake,” the familiar voice of Martha said. “Clark, can you hear me?”

He opened his mouth to speak, but even that motion sent jolts of pain through his jaw. So instead of speaking, he just groaned.

“Easy there, son,” Jonathan told him. “I fear that punch actually managed to fracture your jaw. You feeling all right apart from that?”

He nodded carefully, opening his eyes. Grandpa Jon met his eyes, apparently recognizing the big question mark there.

“Okay, we don’t know the full story yet,” he told Clark, “but apparently Brainiac is on the move. Somehow he took control of Kona, which led to her sucker punching you. There was some kind of showdown with Luthor. Kara only sent us the cliff notes version, but apparently Kona is now free of Brainiac’s control and Luthor is, kind of, on her side, but Brainiac is launching some kind of assault on Earth. They’re all busy with that right now.”

Kona had sucker punched him? Right, he dimly remembered her suddenly being behind him and then... nothing. Brainiac had taken control of her? Damn! He had never personally encountered the Kryptonian AI so far, but making his baby sister knock him cold? Oh, he would have some words with that tin can about that, how was he ever going to live that one down? Groaning, he slowly began to rise.

“Diana found you in a field a few miles from here,” Martha said, sitting beside him and supporting his back as he sat up. “She brought you here, but had to head out again almost immediately. Apparently there were some space ships to take care of.”

Space ships? Brainiac? Luthor? Man, how long had he been out?

*****

“That is one ugly ship,” Adam said.

Kara could not help but agree. A huge... thing... was hovering over Metropolis. It looked somewhat like a floating skeletal head. Instead of a neck, there were a number of large steel tentacles emerging from the underside and the familiar three circles in a triangle adorned the ‘forehead’.

“Brainiac is really into branding, isn’t it?” Hawkwoman remarked.

“For all that it is just a computer program, Brainiac does seem to have an ego,” Kara agreed.

“Time to cut it down to size then!” Diana all but growled.

If there had been any doubt about Brainiac’s true intentions, they were banished the moment the Justice League arrived over Metropolis. So far, the ship had done nothing but hover menacingly, but the moment the heroes were in sight, it began to move. The final act of Brainiac’s performance was about to begin, it seemed.

Searing energy beams emerged from the floating head ship and struck the city below. Two skyscrapers were destroyed almost immediately. Thankfully, those were office buildings, unoccupied on a weekend, and the evacuation of the city had begun the moment the menacing ship had appeared. Still, the effect was immediate, as people began to panic.

“Hawkwoman, Hawkman, Adam, you’re on crowd control! Protect the civilians! Diana, J’Onn, let’s take this thing out!”

Kara had barely finished her sentence when she flashed forward in a burst of super speed. As she had expected she did not meet the actual hull of the ship, but rather a force field that surrounded it. Putting all her strength into it, she hit the field with the force of a cruise missile and the entire ship shook from the impact. The field held, though.

A moment later Brainiac focused its firepower on her.

A blindingly bright beam of force tagged Kara, sending her spiraling end over end. The impact hurt, too. It was not like those blasts from Luthor’s armor, earlier, but rather some form of particle beam cannon. Not lethal to someone with her power, but more than enough to knock her silly.

“Brainiac has stepped up its game,” Kara told the others, head still ringing. “It won’t kill me, but I doubt it has the same reservations about anyone else. Beware those beams!”

She saw J’Onn turn immaterial, trying to pass through the force field, but it repelled him. She saw Diana slam into the field as well, staggering the floating ship once more, but her Amazon sister failed to penetrate the field, too.

Concentrating, Kara unleashed a powerful blast of heat from her eyes, focusing it on the same spot Diana had just hit. The ship shook once more and began to rotate, apparently trying to prevent Kara from a sustained attack on a single spot, but she was having none of it. Moving at super speed, she kept up her attack.