Chapter Text
center>
Episode 1: The Thaw
---
Deep beneath the rocky mountains, inside a LexCorp underground facility, by day. A deep groan beneath the earth. Metallic. Then, silence.
A containment chamber. Reinforced glass. Frost coating the walls. Inside, a female figure floats in pale blue liquid. Her blonde hair drifts around her face. Her eyes are closed.
A crack spreads across the glass. Thin. Then another. The liquid starts to leak out. Emergency lights flash red.
The figure's eyes open.
Kara Zor-El stares at the glass in front of her. She doesn't understand where she is. Doesn't understand how much time has passed. She only feels cold. And a pressure in her chest.
She strikes the glass. Once. Twice. The glass shatters outward. The liquid drags her to the floor. She drops to her knees on wet concrete. Coughs. Breathes. The air is thick. Tastes like old dampness.
She rises slowly. Trembling. Not from fear. From cold.
KARA (in Kryptonian):
— Kal... Kal?
No one answers.
---
In the corridor of the LexCorp underground facility.
Kara walks down a long hallway. Emergency lights flicker. Some doors stand open. Others sealed shut. Scorch marks scar the walls. Broken glass litters the floor.
She stops in front of a door left ajar. Pushes it open. A monitoring room. Dead screens. Overturned chairs. Dust.
At a central console, one screen still glows. Flickering. It shows an open file.
Kara steps closer. Reads.
"SUBJECT K. STATUS: FROZEN. PURPOSE: CONTINGENCY. DATE OF CAPTURE: UNKNOWN. NOTES: SUBJECT WAS FOUND IN A KRYPTONIAN TRANSPORT POD. PRESUMED CONNECTION TO KAL-EL. MAINTAIN SUSPENSION UNTIL FURTHER ORDERS."
Kara reads the word "CONTINGENCY" twice. She doesn't understand all of it. But she understands enough.
KARA (in Kryptonian):
— How long?
She keeps searching. Finds a log of dates. The last entry is from three years ago.
Kara goes still. Three years. Three years frozen. Three years that don't exist for her.
She keeps walking.
---
In the facility's laboratory.
Kara enters a lab. Bigger. Colder. Test tubes. Machines. And in one corner, a small cage.
Kara stops.
The cage is made of reinforced metal. The door hangs open from the inside, the locking mechanism disabled with precision—not forced. A control panel beside the cage shows signs of tampering: wires cut with a clean edge, not torn. A nearby security camera hangs destroyed from its mount, the lens blown out from the inside.
Kara steps closer. Studies the panel. The wires. The camera.
She says nothing. Doesn't cry. Just watches for a moment, then pulls her hand back.
She keeps walking.
---
At the facility's exit, in the rocky mountains, by day.
Kara pushes open a metal door. Sunlight hits her like a hammer. She shields her eyes. Steps back. It hurts. Everything hurts.
Little by little, she adjusts. Walks down a dirt trail. The facility fades behind her, camouflaged into the mountain.
She reaches a road. Empty. Looks both ways. She doesn't know where to go.
She walks.
---
In Silver Creek, a small town in Montana, dusk falls.
Wooden houses. A bar. A general store. A gas station. People walking without hurry.
Kara enters the town. A couple of people glance at her, thrown by her clothes. Then go back to their business. Just a young woman in strange clothing. A Kryptonian suit, torn and scorched at the edges.
She walks into the bar. The place is nearly empty. A couple of people at the tables. A TV playing above the counter.
Kara sits on a stool. The bartender looks at her.
BARTENDER:
— What can I get you?
Kara doesn't answer. She watches the TV. A news broadcast plays.
REPORTER (TV):
— It's been three years since the deaths of Superman and the Justice League in the battle against Darkseid. Metropolis continues its rebuilding efforts, but many citizens still feel the absence...
Kara stops listening. The words dissolve. Three years. Three years dead.
The bartender watches her.
BARTENDER:
— You okay?
Kara looks at him. Doesn't answer. She stands. Walks out of the bar.
The bartender watches her go. Doesn't say anything.
---
On a park bench in Silver Creek, at dusk.
Kara sits. Stares straight ahead. There's nothing to look at. Just the horizon.
She doesn't cry. Doesn't scream. Just stays still.
The minutes pass. The sun sinks lower.
---
On a road near Silver Creek, at dusk.
A black motorcycle pulls onto the shoulder. Dick Grayson gets off. Takes off his helmet. Looks at the town in the distance.
He pulls out his comm.
DICK:
— Cyborg. I'm in Silver Creek. The Kryptonian signature moved. It's here.
CYBORG (via comms):
— I see it. But there's something else. The Phantom Zone signature moved too. Heading south.
DICK:
— Drevok?
CYBORG (via comms):
— Looks that way. But he's not attacking. Just moving.
DICK:
— How much time do I have?
CYBORG (via comms):
— Depends what he does. But not much.
Dick pockets the comm. Looks at the town. Puts his helmet back on. Rides off.
---
On the park bench in Silver Creek, at night.
Kara is still on the bench. Night has fallen. The town lights have come on.
Dick walks over. No bike. No helmet. Just regular clothes. He walks slowly. He doesn't want to scare her.
He stops a few feet away. Watches her.
DICK:
— Are you Kara Zor-El?
Kara turns. Fast. Too fast. Her eyes flare with heat vision for an instant, then die down when she sees him.
KARA:
— Who are you?
DICK:
— Dick Grayson. Robin.
KARA:
— How did you find me?
DICK:
— A Kryptonian energy signature showed up somewhere it shouldn't have. The facility's cameras confirmed the rest.
Kara studies him. Wary.
KARA:
— Why are you looking for me?
DICK:
— Because I picked up something Kryptonian where nothing Kryptonian should be. And because no one else was going to come check it out.
KARA:
— I don't need help.
DICK:
— I know. But you have it anyway.
Kara stands. Steps back.
KARA:
— I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. And I don't know why I should trust you.
DICK:
— You shouldn't.
Kara looks at him. Her eyes narrow. Then, in a lower voice.
KARA (in Kryptonian):
— You speak my language?
Dick answers without hesitating.
DICK (in Kryptonian, heavily accented but fluent):
— Yes. Kal-El taught me. Years ago.
Kara goes still. It's the first time she's heard anyone speak her language since she woke up. And he's not an enemy. He's human. A human who knew Kal.
KARA (in English, accented):
— You knew him?
DICK:
— Yeah. I worked with him. With the League.
KARA:
— Then why isn't he here?
Dick doesn't answer right away. He looks at the ground. Then at her.
DICK:
— Because he died. Three years ago. Saving all of us.
Kara looks at him. No surprise in her eyes. She already knew. But hearing it from someone who knew him is different.
KARA:
— I know.
Silence. The wind blows.
DICK:
— Come with me?
KARA:
— Where?
DICK:
— Somewhere you can think. Where nobody can find you.
Kara hesitates. Looks at the town. Looks at the night. Looks at Dick.
KARA:
— Why should I trust you?
DICK:
— You shouldn't. But you don't have anywhere else to go.
Kara looks at him a moment longer. Then nods. Once. Barely.
DICK:
— Let's go.
---
In a roadside motel room, at night.
A plain room. Two beds. A window facing the parking lot. Dick walks in. Kara follows.
Dick drops his bag on the bed. Pulls out a water bottle. Offers it to Kara.
DICK:
— Drink.
Kara takes the bottle. Drinks. Says nothing.
DICK:
— There's clothes in the bag. Not Kryptonian. But it'll do.
Kara looks at the bag. Then at Dick.
KARA:
— Why are you doing this?
DICK:
— Because it's what I do. Find things nobody else is looking for.
Kara doesn't answer. Takes the bag. Walks into the bathroom. Shuts the door.
Dick sits on the bed. Looks at the door. Sighs.
---
In the motel room, later.
Kara comes out of the bathroom. Wearing a gray t-shirt and black pants. The clothes hang a little loose on her. But they're clothes.
She sits on the other bed. Looks at Dick.
KARA:
— Where's Kal?
DICK:
— His body?
KARA:
— Yes.
DICK:
— In Metropolis. There's a memorial. But no body. He died in space. Same as the League.
Kara looks at him. No tears. Just a stillness that's more unsettling than tears would be.
KARA:
— And his home? His fortress?
DICK:
— In the Arctic. Destroyed. The war reached it too.
KARA:
— I want to go.
DICK:
— Tomorrow.
KARA:
— No. Now.
DICK:
— You can't fly well yet. You don't know this world. And Drevok's out there.
KARA:
— Who?
DICK:
— A Phantom Zone signature moved at the same time as yours. Cyborg thinks it's a prisoner. Drevok.
Kara goes still.
KARA:
— A prisoner?
DICK:
— Looks that way.
KARA:
— What does he want?
DICK:
— I don't know. But he's not staying put.
Kara stands. Walks to the window. Looks out at the night.
KARA:
— I know that name. He was a scientist. An advisor.
DICK:
— Dangerous?
KARA:
— Respected. Until he wasn't anymore.
Silence.
KARA:
— Where is he now?
DICK:
— Somewhere south. Moving. Not attacking. Not yet.
KARA:
— And what are you doing here? Why aren't you stopping him?
DICK:
— Because I can't stop him alone. And you just woke up. You need help.
KARA:
— I didn't ask for help.
DICK:
— I know. But you need it.
Kara looks at him. Then turns back to the window.
KARA:
— Tomorrow. We go to the Fortress.
DICK:
— Tomorrow.
Kara lies down on the bed. Doesn't sleep. Just closes her eyes.
Dick watches her for a moment. Then turns off the light.
---
In the ruins of the Fortress of Solitude, in the Arctic, by day.
The wind blows. Snow whips into flurries. The Fortress ruins rise before them. Broken crystal columns. Dead consoles. Snow piled up inside.
Kara walks through the wreckage. Dick follows at a distance.
She touches a wall. Recognizes the Kryptonian architecture. The wall pulses with a faint blue glow, then dies.
KARA (in Kryptonian):
— Kal-El... what happened here?
She reaches a console. Broken. But a small hologram still flickers. A figure. Superman. Recorded years ago. His image distorts.
Kara stops. Doesn't breathe.
SUPERMAN (Hologram):
— Kara... take care of them. Please.
The hologram cuts out. Nothing more. No speech. No explanation. Just that.
Kara stands still. Frozen. Staring at the dead console.
She doesn't cry. Doesn't scream. Just stands there.
Dick arrives. Stops a few feet back. Doesn't approach. Doesn't say anything. His own eyes stay fixed on the dead console. He wasn't expecting this either.
Kara touches the console. Her fingers brush the cold metal.
KARA (quietly, in Kryptonian):
— You didn't know I was here.
A pause.
KARA:
— You didn't know I was alive.
A pause.
KARA:
— And you still left a message.
She turns to Dick. Her eyes are dry. But something in her face has shifted.
KARA:
— Did he know I was on Earth?
DICK:
— I don't know.
A pause.
DICK:
— I didn't even know this message existed.
Kara looks at him. Searches his face. Finds no lie.
KARA:
— Then who was it for?
DICK:
— I don't know.
Kara looks at him. Then looks at the ruins.
KARA:
— Just in case.
She falls silent.
Dick steps closer. Offers his hand.
DICK:
— You're not alone.
Kara looks at him. Doesn't take the hand. But nods.
KARA:
— I know.
She turns. Walks toward the exit.
Dick follows.
---
At the entrance of the Fortress of Solitude, by day.
Kara steps out of the ruins. The wind hits her face. She looks at the horizon. Snow. Ice. Nothing.
DICK:
— Where to?
KARA:
— Metropolis.
DICK:
— Why?
KARA:
— I want to see the memorial.
Dick nods. Pulls out his comm.
DICK:
— Cyborg. We're headed to Metropolis.
CYBORG (via comms):
— Copy that. But there's something else. Drevok stopped.
DICK:
— Stopped?
CYBORG (via comms):
— Yeah. He's somewhere in Colorado. Not moving. Like he's waiting for something.
Dick looks at Kara. She looks back at him.
DICK:
— Waiting for what?
CYBORG (via comms):
— Don't know. Don't like it.
Dick pockets the comm.
DICK:
— Let's go.
Kara nods. Looks at the Fortress one last time. Then turns away.
---
At the Heroes Memorial in Metropolis, at dusk.
A large park. A wall of black stone. Names carved into it. Superman. Batman. Wonder Woman. Flash. Green Lantern. Aquaman.
Kara stands in front of the wall. Looks at Superman's name. Says nothing.
Flowers rest at the base of the wall. Some fresh. Others wilted. A child walks up with a flower. Leaves it. Walks away.
Kara watches him go. Then looks back at the name.
DICK:
— Want to be alone?
KARA:
— No.
Dick steps closer. Stands beside her. Doesn't speak.
The minutes pass. The sun sinks lower. The city lights come on.
KARA:
— On Krypton, when someone died, their name was carved into a crystal plaque. Placed in the Hall of Ancestors. Everyone could see it.
A pause.
KARA:
— But the names faded with time. Because Kryptonians believed eternal grief was a weakness.
DICK:
— And what do you think?
KARA:
— That they were wrong.
She looks at Superman's name.
KARA:
— I don't want to forget.
DICK:
— You don't have to.
Kara looks at him. Then back at the wall.
KARA:
— What happens now?
DICK:
— Now we rest. Tomorrow we think.
KARA:
— I can't rest.
DICK:
— Neither can I. But we try.
Kara nods. Sits down on the ground. Facing the wall. Dick sits beside her.
They don't talk. Just look at the name.
---