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It was so exhausting, in the last month all Kara had done was pretending, not even her name she recognized anymore… Who is “Linda Lee”?! That false identity crafted by her cousin still sounded strange in her ears, all the adults and children in Midvale’s Orphanage had to call her two or more times to her release that she is the “Linda” who they are talking about.
Even when she was allowed to wear her family’s shield it was far from everyone’s sight, because she was “the superman’s secret weapon”. Oh, that title hurted her so much, of course Kara loves her cousin but she hates living that way: sneaking out of the orphanage every time something bad happens, saving the day in secret, fearing being exposed to the world at any moment and being a disappointment to him.
Kara was sitting on the roots of the tree that guards her android duplicate, she wept copiously, she was feeling so lonely, all she wants is a friend…
Not the orphanage girls that she has to simulate a personality for that country orphan girl called Linda Lee, but someone like her, someone who she could trust to be just Kara Zor-el.
And it was in that wet soil, hugging her own knees that her eyes were gifted with a strange vision… Three young girls flying in her way, each with a different symbol on their chest: the left one has a black and white phantom symbol, the middle one has a golden saturn’s symbol and the right one has three triangles intertwined.
— Wh… Who are you?— Asked Kara sobbing.
“My name is Saturn Girl, it’s an honor to finally meet you Supergirl.” Said a blonde girl with pink skin.
Her eyes widened… How does this girl know her real identity? How can she talk without opening her mouth? How…
“I know you are confused, Supergirl. Maybe we don’t have enough time to explain everything, but allow me to enlighten you. I’m the current leader of the Legion of Super-Heroes, the biggest hero team in the XXXI century. We've come to seek your help because the Fatal Five took control of the Earth, several members of the Legion lost the battle and were arrested. You’re our last hope.”
Saturn Girl’s voice echoed in Kara’s head while she used her powers to show every moment of the Legion since the beginning.
—Alright Saturn Girl, I understand. I will do everything in my power to save your Earth and your team members.— Said Kara and offered her hand to Saturn Girl.
“Thank you so much, Supergirl. I knew that we could count on you.” Her admiration was obvious by the way she was shaking Kara’s hand. “Oh, I almost forgot… These are Triplicate Girl and Phantom Girl, they’re my teammates.”
— IT’S A BIG PLEASURE TO MEET YOU! — Yelled an excited Phantom Girl pushing her leader away and shaking Kara’s hand. —They always talk about you in my school lessons, I aspire to be a heroine as good as you.
Kara’s heart lit up, THEY KNEW HER… No, more than that: they were inspired by her. This means that in the future she’s more than a secret weapon fighting in the shadows, someday she will see the sun and will be her own superheroine and worthy of inspiring a new generation of young heroes.
“Cmon, we don’t have time for this. Another time you can ask for an autograph, Luornu.” Said Saturn Girl.
— You’re such a killjoy, Imra.— Complained Triplicate Girl showing her tongue.
Supergirl’s thoughts were interrupted when she felt Imra’s hand pushing her to an oval transparent ship.
— It’s the time bubble, a courtesy from the head scientist of the Legion. It’s the first time travel dispositive in the world.— Explained Phantom Girl.
Kara nodded, impressed with the progress of earthlings technology and stepped into the bubble. It was a strange trip, she felt the molecules of her body stretch and then back into their original shape, her head felt heavier and she was hit with dizziness for a few but long seconds. But these weird sensations suddenly stopped and for her happiness, she heard the long waited news leaving Phantom Girl’s lips:
— We already arrived, you can leave the bubble.
She laughed in embarrassment, the trip ended 5 minutes ago, but she forgot to leave the bubble due to the dizziness that the time jump provoked on her.
Kara’s legs were still trembling, but she stepped out and was surprised by a scenery that felt so new to her eyes but somehow reminded her of her home in Krypton.
So that's the Earth in the XXXI century, where the galaxy reached the technological and diplomatic peak.
— Excuse me, can I…
Her divagations were interrupted when a masculine voice in the room was directed to her, Kara raised her head to see who called her, but her heart skipped a beat, her eyes widened and with unsteady steps, she instinctively fled backward from that man.
It can’t be, how… That is Brainiac, the coluan monster responsible for the destruction of her planet, but HOW??? A few weeks ago Kara and her cousin imprisoned him in the Phantom Zone after an arduous battle.
That team… How do they call themselves “Legion of the Super-heroes” while they keep this monster on their side? What kind of future do they think they are building by sharing a table with that genocidal maniac?
She took upon herself the responsibility to correct that mistake, today she will avenge her family, her people and every single world destroyed by Braniac’s hands.
Kara gave up on running away, took an impulse and pinned him by his neck to one of the walls.
— How do you dare to show your face here, assassin? After all the evil things you do against this world? ANSWER ME BRAINIAC!
— Supergirl.. I-I… N-no…— The young coluan boy tried to explain himself but Kara's grip was taking his words away along with his breath.
“SUPERGIRL STOP!” Yelled Saturn Girl in her mind “I know what that looks like, but he is NOT your Brainiac.”
New scenes flooded Kara’s mind, that boy she is gripping is the brilliant Legion’s scientist who created the first time travel dispositive, one of the first members of the team inspired by her and her cousin's good deeds. The grip on his neck gradually eased as guilt consumed Kara's mind.
He doesn’t deserve it… Looking closer, he didn't even resemble the monster that once terrorized Krypton that much, he was younger, gentler… His wavy blond hair, reaching his shoulders, was so beautiful. How could she mistake him for something so vile?
— I… I’m so sorry I imagined things I shouldn't have and almost caused irreparable damage. I hope you can forgive me for that.” She said, looking downcast.
— Your… Predecessor? — She asked, confused, but facing him.
— My name is Querl Dox, my family descends from the infamous Brainiac lineage. In the Column culture, every individual takes on a title that represents them before society. My mother, Kajz Dox, the fourth in the Brainiac line, named me the fifth with that title in our family. A dirty and feared title on our planet, she expected me to cleanse our family's name and prove that the Doxes could be more than the endless cruelty of our ancestor.
—That's incredible, but…— Kara paused for a second, trying to better organize her feelings about the matter.
A sudden urge to comfort the one who was once the target of her unjust revenge overwhelmed the Kryptonian; it was too much for someone so young to bear.
— You don't need to do this.— She said, gently touching his shoulders, trying to comfort him — Listen, my parents were scientists on Krypton and…
— I know.— He interrupted, smiling.
—This is a little strange, but let me finish it, okay? — Said Kara.
— Actually, no, you are one of the greatest heroines this world has ever known. In every corner of the universe, children hear about the legend of the last daughter of Krypton in schools; it was my favorite story when I still had something to learn. I have every detail said in class written down on my computer's hard drive. I always visited the Krypton museum here on Earth just to go to your section. And… Oh! —
The words died in Brainiac 5's throat when he realized the situation he had gotten himself into, having revealed more than necessary about himself.
"She must think I'm a stalker…".
Their cheeks burned bright red, they were breathing heavily, unsure how to proceed in that situation.
— Look, I'm sorry… I know it's strange, but…— He tried to explain but was interrupted.
— It's okay, look, I know it's almost a thousand years in the future. It's still a surprise that I actually managed to do something valuable as a heroine, but I understand that everything I did here is part of the past, an important story that everyone studies and remembers. You're not a weirdo for knowing these things.
—I'm… Glad you think so, I'm your biggest fan. Not that I've competed with anyone for it, or anything like that.— It was a lie, but she didn't need to know that — You were my biggest inspiration to pursue a heroic career, seeing someone so young who went through so much rise up to save a world that wasn't even theirs several times, changed the chemistry of my brain when I was younger.
Yes, to Kara he was kind of weirdo… But that's what was cute, that awkward little green face while he chatted about how important she had been in his life moved her. She would remember to thank Saturn later for preventing her from making that terrible mistake.
— It's an honor to know that I changed someone's life so much and that I was more than I am now. — She thanked him awkwardly — But what I wanted to say is that, my parents were scientists, they made mistakes along the way, and in science, mistakes are also lethal. And I'm not to blame for this, it's not my duty to clear their name. When they put me on that ship, they gave me a new chance to live my own choices. Honoring an entire thousand-year lineage is a lot for someone so young, don't put so much pressure on yourself.
Querl's eyes shone, it was the first time someone had spoken those words to him. He didn't blame his mother for putting that burden on his shoulders, he truly understood… Since school, people had been suspicious of him, treating him as someone destined for misfortune, the heir to a terrible legacy, and it was no different with his mother. She blamed herself for not having done anything great, even though she had worked so hard in Coluan science to repair the harm her ancestor had caused the world.
But Supergirl was right; he should try to live less in that shadow and try to live more thinking about being his own hero, as she once did.
— Thank you very much, I will try… It's just that it's difficult when such a large shadow covers your family for generations." — She confessed in a lower tone. — Oh, Querl… I hope that one day you will find yourself as the hero I saw in Saturn Girl's memories, you deserve more than carrying this burden. — Kara said, touching his face in admiration.
Before Brainy could respond, a cough echoed through the room, forcing them to turn towards the noise.
— When the lovebirds finished the small talk... We have a republic and a whole team to save. — Luornu said, rolling her eyes.
More embarrassed than ever, the two heroes abruptly separated, avoiding eye contact, and while they listened to Saturn Girl relay the rescue plan, all Kara could think about was how eager she was to see the hero that the memories that Imra showed to her.