Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Reborn

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 26:

The Danvers family sat in the living room of the parents’ house in silence.

The three time travelers were currently unconscious thanks to a special gas Alex had sent into their cells that Lobo had given to her. The five family members had left Batman, Lobo, J’onn and Kelex overseeing their prisoners’ “care” in the event they awoke before Alex and Kara could return.

Leslie had gone to Kara and Alex’s house to rest, deciding the conversation and decision that needed to be made was up to the family and not her.

Lobo promised the girls their prisoners would be out at least another four hours but had never used the gas on any of their species, so he wasn’t sure. Thankfully, Brainiac 5 seemed to be a complete biological creature as opposed to what Kara had heard about Brainiac 13 who was apparently more machine than organic.

“So, what do we do?” Kara asked finally.

“Send them with Lobo.” Jeremiah answered immediately. Kara and Alex both looked at him, eyebrows raised in eerily similar fashion. The father sighed and mumbled a quick ‘sorry’. Looking at Kara, he said, “Ok, I’ll admit… sometimes, while you were growing up, I would have nightmares of you and Clark never having escaped the Phantom Zone, drifting there in some half-life existence forever. If we believe this green guy… to have a chance at getting your great-grandfather out, we have to consider it. Alex, you have studied Phantom Zone projectors over the last year. Do you think what he says is possible? The ability to track someone in the Phantom Zone and bring them back without unleashing other prisoners?”

Alex said nothing for a moment. She had been thinking of little else and still wasn’t certain.

“I need to know more, but I believe it is possible. If he tells me his theory…” She hesitated; her expression thoughtful. “Based on what we know, I believe they are from the future. I mean, why not, right? It wouldn’t be the strangest thing we have ever seen.

“So if the Coluan is to be believed… and the Lar Gand guy, if he really was rescued from the Phantom Zone, then it’s possible. The Coluan said he stumbled upon the Prince by accident. But even by accident, we know he can go into the Phantom Zone and pull someone out. If anyone could pull it off, it would be a Coluan from a thousand years in the future, as much as I hate to admit it.”

Clark shook his head. “You two made a Phantom Zone projector when you were freshmen in college. You didn’t need a Coluan.”

Kara nodded. “Yes, but that was to send someone to the Phantom Zone. Finding someone, a specific someone in the Phantom Zone is a different ballgame.”

Clark looked at his older sister. “One of your plans for getting Kara out of the sun was to send a projector into the sun to suck her into the Phantom Zone then track her so you could pull her out. How far along did you get?”

Alex dropped her head in frustration. “Kelex and I were making progress, but we weren’t close. The Phantom Zone, all we really know about it is from Kara’s brief experiences waking up for a short time while floating inside. We have no real idea what it looks like. It was too much of an unknown with too many variables, so I was placing my hopes on a Rann Transporter and that is where we were concentrating our efforts.”

Silence filled the room once again, all the Danvers in deep thought. Kara noticed that unlike their time alone before, this seemed to be a comfortable silence as opposed to the tense silence that had been a characteristic of her family since she escaped the sun.

“Alex, during the building process, would you be able to determine if the process is even feasible or not? For instance, if he were trying to release someone else or if it would even work?” Kara asked.

Alex looked towards her sister, deep in thought as she contemplated Kara’s question. The rest of the family remained quiet while Alex worked through the problem in her mind. She finally nodded and answered, “I know a good bit about the projector and I’m an expert in alien biology, Kryptonian and Coluan being at the top of that list, so, yes, I believe so.”

The blonde nodded slowly. “I think between your expertise and mine plus Mom and Dad’s knowledge of Kryptonian DNA, we would know if he was leading us down a wrong path. It’s just their story that bothers me.”

Jeremiah raised an eyebrow. “In what way?”

Kara took a deep breath. “They went through a lot of trouble to track us down. They could have struck us at any time when I was Supergirl. If they weren’t present during those years though and the world thinks I am now dead… why come after Alex? Is it just for an Omegahedron? Alex has saved a lot of aliens. There would be no reason for someone to come here for revenge. Alex hasn’t been seen since my death, so the world most likely believes her to be dead, but these three had reason to believe she wasn’t.

“I… I think they are from the future. The tech in those rings, the metal, the flight abilities, I don’t even have the tech to build that. It isn’t nth metal. If I could have made rings like that, Alex would have had one years ago. And that belt he had… if they were trying to change the timeline for their own benefit why come here?”

Kara paused a moment and finally admitted, “I believe they are telling the truth.”

Clark wasn’t surprised. He had felt the same when listening to them. The green guy looked at Kara in a way he wasn’t comfortable with, but he was obviously in awe of her. What was more telling was he seemed in awe of Clark too, not something the boy was used to seeing. Clark felt he hadn’t done anything noteworthy in his life and still wasn’t sure if he ever would, superhero wise. He had calmed recently, focused on having Kara back and hoping that would bring Alex back to all of them but the bitterness he felt towards the rest of humanity had not faded.

Regardless, he believed them.

“Me too.” Clark spoke up, catching everyone by surprise.

“Does anyone not believe them?” Alex asked.

Eliza shook her head. “I don’t trust them… but I believe them. They say they came back for Clark but… he is too young. My biggest concern is giving them a power source so they can go back and try again in twenty years.”

Clark spoke up quickly. “I swear, Mom. I will never go to the future. I won’t leave my family, ever. Not now, not in twenty years. Kara was right. This is their battle fight to fight.”

Jeremiah noted the conviction in Clark’s voice but wondered. He was a young boy, turning into a young man faster than Jeremiah would like. Would Clark truly believe the same in 20 years? Or did he run into the same danger that sent his daughter’s life into a spiral of violence, mental issues, other problems. He had wondered many times over the years if alcoholism and addiction were something that ran in the House of El. He wondered if depression was a common problem among all generations.

He also wondered about Seg El.

“What about the guy whose jacket you wore last night, Clark?” the father asked. “What if we could rescue the last blood relative the two of you have, the last true hero from the House of El? Would it be worth the risk?”

Alex shrugged her shoulders, having thought about this but not coming to any definite conclusion. One thing, however, did stick with her. “Over this past year, the thought of Kara being stuck in the core of the sun forever terrified me. If he is really there, then he is stuck in his own hell and has been for a very long time. Everything we know about the guy tells me he doesn’t deserve that.”

Kara nodded. “But the cost is him facing Brainiac again. We could release him from one hell only to send him to his death?”

Eliza shook her head. “Not necessarily. The Coluan asked for one hour. We will have much more time to talk him out of it.”

Kara disagreed. “He fought Brainiac once, gave up his life for all intent. If we bring him out, he will go after Brainiac, try to end him. He wasn’t his son, or Jor El, or Zor El. Seg El was an honorable man, a hero. If he’s released and given the shot, he will finish it or die trying. If you would in his position, wouldn’t you Clark?”

Clark looked at his sister then looked at the floor. “I don’t know, Kara. He could be a part of our family. He wouldn’t be alone in this world; he would have us. You know how hard it is to be alone so I don’t know if he would want to go to the future to finish what he started or choose to stay.”

Alex shook her head, not fooled. “Yes, you do know. Since we found that crystal, his jacket, his story… it was obvious the man was a fighter. The House of El did not become legendary on Krypton by being cowards or acting like your birth parents. We can try to talk him out of it, but I suspect we won’t be able to. When the true heroes of the House of El decide something is worth fighting, they don’t stop until the fight is over.”

Kara took a breath and closed her eyes, going over every possibility in her head then deciding it didn’t matter. “This is all theoretical. We aren’t sure they are telling the truth or lying about getting him out to save their own skins.” Kara told them. “For right now, I think we could all use a couple hours of sleep… even I’m tired. After we wake up, I want to talk to them again. We can discuss it some more if any of you think it’s necessary, but the final decision should be made by Clark.”

Everyone was surprised, especially Clark. “Me?”

Kara nodded. “I know, no matter what you decide in the future, these are the kinds of decisions you will need to make one day. You need to learn to trust your gut instinct. Listen to everything you hear our guests tell me. Think hard about it but don’t overthink it. Then decide. We will back you, no matter what. Right everyone?”

The parents were the most hesitant but nodded agreement.

Clark looked to Alex who winked at him. “Soon you are going to be the only one with powers in this family. I have a feeling, knowing you, that whether you reveal yourself or not, you are going to make tough decisions at some point. This is a good place to start. We will talk about it, but this is your call. Get used to it.”

Clark couldn’t help the huge smile erupting on his face as he experienced a surge of self-confidence. His parents’ belief in him was one thing. But his sisters… his heroes believing in him and supporting him? He was bursting with happiness.

The family retreated to their bedrooms, even Alex and Kara returning to their old room. To Alex’s surprise, Kara was out before she was. Alex gave way to sleep reluctantly, hoping for once no strange dreams or nightmare inducing images would fill her head or Kara’s.

Alex didn’t sleep well though, even in slumber her mind going over everything she had heard from the three time travelers, and visions of the fight the night before, only this time, she ended up killing the three, standing over the corpses, while Clark stood beside her crying, asking her why.

Alex had no answer for him.

Her phone buzzed on her nightstand and she woke quickly, answering without looking at caller ID, not wanting to wake Kara. Phone in hand, she stepped into the hall and moved towards the bathroom, locking herself inside.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” she heard a familiar voice ask when she placed the phone to her ear. It was a voice she had not heard in a very long time.

“Cameron?”

“Alex.” the woman whispered, relieved. “When no one answered, I thought maybe something had happened or you didn’t want to speak…”

“What do you want, Cameron?” Alex cut in, half dazed from her restless sleep being interrupted and half disbelieving that the woman she had slept with for so many years was speaking to her.

“I wanted to… ask… just check in. I wanted to call days ago but I knew with the anniversary… of… anyway I called your office, but your secretary told me you had taken an indefinite leave, so I was worried.”

“You called my office first?” Alex asked. “You have my number obviously. Why didn’t you call me direct?”

The woman on the other end of the line hesitated. “I was afraid you wouldn’t pick up.”

“If I had checked caller ID before I answered, I wouldn’t have. What do you want? I haven’t heard from you in two years.” Alex said.

“I didn’t think you wanted to hear from me.” Cameron replied.

“I didn’t. Still don’t, so why are you calling?” Alex was growing irritated.

Cameron hesitated before speaking. “I guess… I wanted to see if you were okay. Everyone at the DEO, most everyone knows what you have been doing since Kara… since your sister’s death, wiping out Cadmus on your own, not letting anyone help you. I tried to ask Connolly if you were okay, but he would only tell me it was none of my business. But the rumors from the Metropolis office said you were done… that they were all dead. Is it true? Are you done?”

Alex felt her cheeks beginning to burn and not because of embarrassment. Cameron’s true intent with this phone call was transparent in her questions. “You should listen to Connolly. It’s none of your business… my whole life is none of your business. It stopped being your business when we broke up.”

Her ex said nothing for a moment and Alex prepared to end the call.

“Can I see you?” Cameron entreated her. “Just one time. I’ll meet you in Raleigh, or Metropolis. I’ll even come to Midvale. Please, Alex. I just want to talk. The way things ended…”

“They ended on your terms, if you recall, so you have no reason to be calling me or asking to see me.” Alex said heatedly.

Cameron sighed. “Yeah, I know, but we never…”

“And we never will. That’s why you are calling now, isn’t it? Because Kara’s dead you’re thinking to try again? That’s why you want to know if I’ve given up crime fighting, if I am done with Cadmus and just living a normal life… so I can be what you always wanted me to be?” Alex heard the hitch in her ex’s breathing, letting her know she was right.

She needed to put a stop to Cameron’s hopes for them because what she had shown Kara during their mind merge was the truth… Cameron had never been anything more than a distraction. She also had to convince the other woman to never contact her again, knowing if Cameron stopped by suddenly, Kara would be exposed.

“Let me be clear… it’s over Cameron. Don’t come anywhere near Raleigh or Midvale. If you do, you won’t like how it ends.” Alex warned her.

“You’re threatening me?” Cameron asked in disbelief. “Were things that bad that you feel like you have to threaten me? Do you hate me that much? I thought after some time you may need a friend, someone who knows what you have been through.”

Alex shook her head in frustration. Cameron had always blamed Kara for their problems. Hearing this, with Cameron believing her sister dead, she was surprised it took her ex this long to call… although Alex had been busy and apparently everyone in the DEO knew what she had been up to the past year.

Swallowing her annoyance, she decided the truth was the best response. “I don’t hate you, Cameron… I just don’t care. The past is over, and I am letting it go. All of it. That includes you. Live your life and I will live mine. I hope yours is a good life… I really do… but I’m moving on. I would suggest you do the same. Don’t call me, don’t stop by, and don’t ask questions about me. Goodbye, Cameron.”

Alex ended the call before the woman could get the last word, something Alex knew her ex loved to do. She took a deep breath and composed herself then opened the door.

She nearly screamed when Kara was standing on the other side of the door. “Damn it! You scared the hell out of me! What are you doing?”

“I need to use the bathroom.” Kara told her innocently.

Alex’s heart slowed back down to its normal rhythm. “Oh… yeah, let me get out of here.”

Kara placed a hand on her shoulder. “You okay?”

Alex smiled at her. “We are letting the past go.”

“And you can’t chance her showing up here because she will see me. That’s not fair to you.” the blonde pointed out sadly.

Alex looked her sister in the eye. “Fair? We are going to live happy lives because we have earned it. That’s fair. I never needed her. She is probably lonely and thinks you are gone so I would give her my undivided attention. It was never going to happen. You know how I felt, Kara. I’m just glad she called and didn’t stop by unannounced.”

Kara nodded. The last thing she wanted was someone like Cameron Chase knowing she was alive. “You and Mom will have a few more calls to make like that if we really don’t want anyone else to know we are… I mean I am alive. It’s going to hurt.”

Alex knew what she meant, thinking of the people that had been a huge part of her life, close friends like Dick Grayson and mentors like Jason Connolly and Jessica. But it was necessary, and Alex knew that.

“Let’s go to the basement.” Alex suggested changing the subject.

“As soon as you move so I can pee.” the blonde reminded her.

Ten minutes later the two entered the Fortress.

“Boys woke up briefly, tried to stand in their tiny crystal restraints. I think they are getting a little cramped. They’re all sleeping again… I can give them a deep tissue massage to work out the kinks when they wake up.” Lobo told the girls, a mischievous smile lighting his face.

Kara shook her head, having a good idea of what Lobo’s idea of deep tissue meant. “They will be fine. I’ll speak to them soon. I didn’t hear Clark’s heartbeat when I woke. Where is he?”

Bruce turned to the place the future Man of Steel had headed. “My guess would be the basement. He walked in that direction.”

The two girls nodded and moved towards the basement of the Fortress where the lode crystal stood. Kara floated down and Alex jumped behind her, being caught before her feet could hit the floor. Clark was there in front of a crystal control panel, the hologram of Seg El standing tall before him.

“I thought this might be where you had run off too.” Kara told him.

The boy didn’t answer, instead continuing to stare at the image of his great-grandfather while wearing his jacket.

“Clark? You okay?” Alex asked, stepping behind him and putting her hands on his shoulders.

Clark nodded, not saying anything. The two girls stood behind him, letting him clear his own thoughts.

“We can’t leave him there. Not if there is a chance, we could get him back.” he finally said.

Kara nodded, the shimmering image holding her attention as well. “I agree.” she admitted.

“But… how do we know if we can trust these guys?” Clark asked.

Alex answered truthfully. “We don’t. Nothing we can ask, nothing we can say, will tell us for sure if we can trust them. We just have to follow our gut feelings, decide if the risk is worth the reward.”

Clark was silent for a few moments longer. “If we let him out, he will go fight Brainiac. Look at him. He did it once. I’ve seen that look in both your eyes. When the invasion was coming, the two of you… you got this look. You changed. I knew there was no way I could stop either of you from fighting. He won’t be any different.”

“Probably.” Kara admitted. “Or maybe he will want to be with what’s left of his family.”

“Maybe he is better not knowing his kids and grandkids destroyed the planet he gave his life to protect.” Clark pointed out. “Which is worse, Kara?”

Kara closed her eyes for a moment, the question catching her off guard. “I don’t know, Clark. I really don’t. Neither is a good option, but that happens. Sometimes, there is no clear right or wrong. I guess you have to try and put yourself in his place. If you were there, stuck in the Phantom Zone, would you want out, no matter the cost, no matter how hard the truth is to hear?”

Clark shook his head, remembering when he had learned from Kara the truth about what the House of El had done to Krypton. It was a sharp pain in his gut that had not gone away for long time.

Alex patted him on the back. “Forget about it for now. Give it some time. Those three aren’t going anywhere unless we decide to send them with Lobo.”

Kara cleared her throat, catching the two’s attention. “That’s another thing. I’m not sure I can do that, send them with Lobo I mean.”

“Of course you can.” Alex assured her. “It’s easy. You say, ‘Lobo put them under a rock where they will never be found.’ Then it’s done.”

Kara chuckled but shook her head. “It’s the Daxamite.”

Clark and Alex were both surprised.

Kara understood their reactions and explained. “He was the prince. He was born into a family that subjugated their people to poverty, servitude, owned slaves, started wars… but I was born into a family that destroyed not only my planet, but his as well. I know what happened wasn’t my fault. I also can’t assume he is like his parents. If these three really are what they say they are, he is obviously risking a lot to come on this mission. That isn’t the behavior I grew up learning about when it came to Daxamite royalty. He was stuck in the Phantom Zone according to the Coluan… The House of El definitely took his planet from him. What would it say about me if I sent him into exile?”

Neither Clark nor Alex responded, not needing to. They were both shocked by her attitude, but it made sense. The man’s reaction to their threat of sending the three to the Phantom Zone lent a strong credence to his story of having been trapped there, probably much the same way Kara and Clark had been. Did they really have the right to keep them from their homes?

In the past, the answer would have been simple. There wouldn’t have even been a question because Kara and Alex would have killed them on sight.

Not hearing a reply, Kara walked to the opening of the basement and lifted Clark up, then tossed Alex up through the ceiling entrance. She took one last look at Seg El then floated up and closed the basement entrance.

Kara followed her brother and sister to the center of the Fortress where her friends and parents were waiting. Instead of greeting them, she looked at Kelex.

“Well?” she asked her friend ambiguously.

“The technology is safe. The wind outside is 9 mile per hour from the East and the temperature is 10 degrees Fahrenheit. I recommend staying below one hundred feet unless you wish them to be outfitted with portable oxygen. I have the thermal flight suits ready.” Kelex informed her.

Eliza and Jeremiah looked at Kara questioningly.

“Ready to feel what it’s like to fly?” the blonde asked brightly. “The rings are a bit big so keep your hand in a fist. Clark, you have Mom and Alex and I will take Dad.”

“Flying?” Jeremiah asked, a hint of trepidation in his voice.

“Flying.” Kara confirmed. “Suit up, Danvers. Time to take to the skies. It will be dark soon. Kelex give them small tanks and a ventilator in the thermal hood along with goggles. Sunset is an hour away so let’s move.”

Thirty minutes later, the Danvers stood in front of the Fortress. Neither parent had an idea how to fly, so Clark decided to give them a crash course, taking his sister and mother’s hand and lifting up slowly.

Kara watched them for a moment, Alex being somewhat comfortable with flying due to her many trips in Kara’s arms but never having experienced the feeling of floating herself. Eliza was more nervous but seemed to enjoy the view… until Clark let go of both their hands. Eliza literally yelped but continued to float. Alex did not make any sound. Instead her face showed excitement and she laid out on the air as she had seen Kara do millions of times, reached out her hand and took off, yelling in delight.

“Looks like she’s a natural.” Jeremiah said. “Any idea of how this works?”

“Lift it to the sky. I would guess from what Kelex has learned about it, it is some sort of metal that responds to the muscle’s movements, even the slightest. If you want to go up, move up. If you want to turn, then turn. Just take it slow.”

Jeremiah lifted his fist to the sky doubtfully. “I don’t think this is going to work, Kara…”

Jeremiah shot into the sky quickly, Kara scrambling to keep up, grabbing his legs before he flew off into space.

“Drop your hand, drop your hand, drop your hand!” she shouted frantically.

Jeremiah did and began to drop, Kara catching him in her arms.

“Wow.” she said nearly out of breath from the surprise.

“I’m going to be sick.” Jeremiah moaned.

Kara laughed a bit. “I’m going to let you go, just stand, okay? No sudden movements. Ready?”

“You’ll catch me if I fall right?” her Dad asked, slightly panicked.

“You always caught me. It would only be right.” she told him.

Gently taking her arms from under him, his feet dipped below him, but he maintained altitude, not moving.

“Try to relax… don’t think about moving anywhere. If you think about it, your muscles unconsciously respond. It’s why you never have to think about moving your legs when you walk. Your brain tells you to go somewhere and your body follows.” Kara explained.

The man laughed, beginning to relax. “So this is what it’s like, huh?”

“Feels amazing, doesn’t it?” Kara said brightly. “Just floating, having nothing under your feet. It was one of the few things I’ve never lost an appreciation for.”

The two looked over the landscape and kept an eye on Eliza and Alex who had finally returned, zipping past them, needing Clark to slow her down.

Kara reached out and took Jeremiah’s gloved hand. He looked at her and even though his face was covered by a mask and eyes covered by goggles, she could tell he was smiling.

They stood in the air, hand in hand, watching the sun go down over the icy landscape as the stars appeared and took its place lighting up the sky.

“I will never get tired of this view.” Jeremiah whispered.

“Watching the stars with you… that has always been some of the happiest times of my life. We need to start again.” Kara told him wistfully.

The man laughed. “I would think you would get tired of looking at the same constellations.”

Kara squeezed his hand. “It was never about stars. It was about the two of us, just being together. It was my time to spend with my Dad. I want it to be again.”

Jeremiah reached forward and brought her close to him, wrapping her in a tight hug. “I’d like that too. Tomorrow night we dust off the telescope. I don’t care what else happens. Time travelers, Phantom Zone projectors, Lobo being on Earth… tomorrow night, just the two of us… alone.”

Kara pulled back and turned back to the stars, her eyes misting, a bit of heat melting them as soon as they froze.

“You were there.” she said quietly.

“What?” Jeremiah’s voice was raised slightly in obvious confusion.

“You were there.” She explained. “When the Worldkiller entered me, I could feel myself going away. He was taking over my mind and I felt myself fading away. Then you were there.”

Hearing no response she continued. “All I saw was darkness. I could barely hold onto myself. I couldn’t feel anything… but then I saw a light. A flashlight. I was in my cave the night you came and found me; the night I ran after Alex became so angry about me breaking my fingers. You came to me that night and told me we could go home, or we could stay there but you would never leave me.

“You were there. I held onto that. Even in my darkest moment, you were my light, reminding me that I still existed and would never be alone. That helped me. It gave me what I needed to fight back, to regain control of myself, long enough to take the action I took.

“It was my family that gave me the desire to stay alive in the sun. I could have given up. I remember some of it. I remember wanting to live so badly and that kept me from dying. I know I don’t tell you enough, I never did in the past, but I love you so much. Just don’t ever forget it. Everything good I did, you were a part of that, made me the person I was. The bad I did? That was on me.”

“Kara…” Jeremiah started to interject but she interrupted him.

“It was. I pushed you away so many times. You tried to help but I lied or ignored your advice, told you I could handle myself. Don’t blame yourself for my poor decisions, they are my fault.” Kara’s tone was earnest, almost pleading as she continued. “Dad, I need for you to be strong for me again. I need to move on from my past, to stop blaming myself and I don’t want you to feel regretful. Neither of us can hold onto those feelings or we won’t heal… and neither will our family.”

Jeremiah said nothing, closing his eyes and fighting off the uncomfortable burning in his chest.

“There was so much I wanted to protect you from.” he finally told her.

“You gave me something I never thought I would have as a little girl. You gave me a Dad. That was all I wanted, and you did that for me. The rest? We can’t protect everyone we love from everything. As much as I want to protect Clark from every bad thing I have seen in my life, I can’t… but that’s life, right?”

Jeremiah nodded. “I suppose it is.” he admitted regretfully.

“But life can be good. Going forward, our lives will be. I promise. No more lies. I’m going to be Daddy’s little girl and follow all his advice from here on out. Sound good?” She grinned somewhat impishly.

Jeremiah laughed as he pulled her into a hug, wanting her close, but also to anchor himself and keep from shooting off towards space again. “Didn’t you just say no more lies? You and Alex, you two have always gone your own way… I don’t expect that to change.”

He smiled as he looked into her eyes. “I love you, Baby. Don’t ever leave me again, okay? Not even to save the world.”

Kara nodded, greatly comforted holding on to the most important man in her life. “Promise. Want to float over to them? Mom and Alex look like they are having fun. Clark’s back is to us, but I know he is smiling, and I hate to miss those.”

An hour later the family and team sat around a table, Bruce, Leslie and Lobo having declined the opportunity to fly. J’onn walked from the crystal cells to join them.

“They are still asleep.” the Martian told them.

“Can you read any of their minds without their rings?” Alex asked.

J’onn shook his head, frustrated. “The Coluan is blank, everything hidden behind walls even unconscious. I haven’t had any more luck with the Daxamite as I have had with Kryptonians. As far as the other, this Garth, I’ve picked up a bit, but I suspect the electricity his body is constantly generating may be hampering my abilities. He is dreaming, and from what I have seen in the images, it does appear to be a futuristic landscape, but his dreams are mostly about a blonde woman.”

Kara snorted. “I know what’s that like. Thanks for that, Alex.”

Lobo caught that immediately and looked the sisters. “So… when you two did your mind meld thing, you remember what it was like to screw each other’s exes? Are you both bisexual now?”

“No!” Kara and Alex shouted.

“Lobo, shut up.” Bruce told the man. “What are we going to do?”

The family looked at Clark. In turn, the boy looked at his parents and sisters before taking a deep breath. Quietly, but with confidence in his voice, Clark said, “We are going to try to get Seg El out of the Phantom Zone. If he wants to go with them, he can. If he doesn’t, he stays, and we give them the power they need to go back to where they came from.”

Kara stood up. “Okay. Kelex, keep their rings and that belt in the vault. Get a grounding cuff for lightning boy and a red solar cuff for the Daxamite, locking them down so they can’t be removed except by me. We are going to have to work with them, but we won’t be stupid.

“Mom, Dad, Leslie, don’t be alone with them without one of us around. I’m going to have a few words with them, bring them back here for the cuffs. Kelex keep a close eye on the Coluan. He doesn’t touch our tech. If he needs to do something, either you, Alex or I will do it for him. Any questions?”

Lobo raised his hand.

Kara sighed. “Yes, Lobo?”

“So we aren’t hurting them?”

“No.”

“Not even a little?”

“Not unless we have to.”

“Huh… And you and Alex aren’t bisexual now?”

Kara dropped her head. “No, Lobo.”

“But you know what that Chase chick looks like naked…”

“Lobo!” Eliza scolded him while Alex and Kara merely rolled their eyes simultaneously.

“Sorry, Mrs. Doctor D. I am just curious about this whole mind meld thing.”

“Then be curious when Clark isn’t around, understand?”

“Sorry ma’am. Won’t happen again.” Lobo said, almost contrite enough for Eliza to believe him. Almost.

“Any other questions, dumb, rude or otherwise?” Kara asked.

Bruce nodded. “Alfred is preparing steaks and potatoes. Should be ready in an hour. Should I ask him to prepare three more of each? If we need these three for information, having them pass out from hunger wouldn’t be in our best interest right now.”

Alex nodded, forgetting that their prisoners hadn’t eaten in over a day. “Yeah, probably best we feed them. Like Leslie, we need to keep them healthy until we don’t need them anymore.”

Leslie shot the finger at a smirking Alex.

Kara rolled her eyes and walked towards the back, around the wall that separated the makeshift detention area from the rest of the Fortress.

She used her heat vision, warming up the small crystal cells until the three jerked awake.

“Good morning. Or afternoon, or night, I guess. Have a nice nap?” she asked brightly.

Brainy shook his head, trying to regain his equilibrium. “You gassed us.”

“Yep.” Kara said, addressing the Coluan. “So, I’ve got a couple questions for you. You answer those and maybe we will hear you out and not send you all to an unknown region of the universe. Ready?”

The Coluan nodded his head.

“Good. First question. What enemy is coming that my little brother has to beat?”

Brainy shook his head. “I can’t tell you that. Superman wins. If I tell you anything about the situation it could influence your decisions in the future, perhaps changing the outcome.”

“How do you know you being here wasn’t a part of your timeline and you sharing that information is why he won?”

Brainy looked thoughtful for a moment, then sighed. “We can’t take that chance. He is Superman. He wins. The same as you always have.”

Kara looked hard at the man, but her mind was racing. Either could make sense in her mind and time travel theories always gave her headaches. “Fine, but you will answer one question, or I activate the Phantom Zone projectors under your feet. What happens to my family?”

The three Legionnaires looked at each other. Lar and Garth shrugged their shoulders, leaving it up to Brainy to answer.

“I don’t know.” the Coluan admitted. “Since you announced yourself to the world, records of superheroes are well researched but the ordinary humans around them… well, not much is known. In your case, we only knew Supergirl had a partner. We hoped when we arrived in the wrong time period that she might be alive and have access to a power source, but we didn’t know for sure. We have been here for weeks, searching. Finding her wasn’t easy and required a lot of information not known to the general public in our time.”

Lar spoke up, cheekily confirming what his friend was saying. “Yeah, what he means by that is if Brainy wasn’t your biggest fan and hadn’t researched every speck of information in every archive that exists about your life, we never would have been able to find her.”

Brainy looked slightly embarrassed but nodded in agreement with Lar’s statement. “He is right. Alex and Kara Danvers are not known in the future. Neither are your parents or Clark Danvers. No one ever found out Supergirl was alive after the battle with the Worldkiller. I will tell you this though… at approximately forty years of age, Superman announced his retirement and was never seen or heard from again. Since that time, other heroes have risen. Every generation has their legends. Now our generation needs help… desperately. That’s all I can tell you.”

Kara stepped closer to the Coluan’s cell. “Okay. Here is the deal. Superman has decided he wants his great-grandfather back. We get him back and you can have your hour to try and convince him to leave with you. If he says no, he stays with us and we will give you the power source you need to go back to your time.”

“Understand this… if you ever come back looking for Clark, we will kill you. I don’t want to, but my family comes first. You will give your word, all of you, that you will never contact him again once you are gone.” Kara stared intently waiting on their agreement, which was quick in coming from all three.

Nodding in acceptance, she continued, “Ok, while you are here, only Brainiac 5 will work in the Fortress with me, Alex or Lobo watching him.

“Lar Gand, you will wear a red sun cuff. Garth Ranzz, you are wearing a special cuff that won’t let you play with electricity. You two will stay in Midvale at the hotel with J’onn or Bruce keeping you company.

“We start in the morning, building this tracking device. Once this is done, you are gone and out of our lives forever, got it?”

“Yes.” Brainy promised, becoming very excited though he knew Garth and Lar would be less excited without their powers and stuck in the hotel.

Kara replied with an edge of hardness in her tone. “When you go back to your time, don’t you ever reveal our identities. I am forced to trust you with this and that is not easy for me to do. It would be easy for other time travelers to come back and find us if we are known. Understand?”

“Yes.” Brainy told her.

Kara looked at the other two.

“You have our word.” Lar told her. “I realize our planets have a history…”

“And that’s what it is. History.” Her attention focused solely on the Daxamite Prince, she said sincerely, “For what it’s worth, I am sorry about your home. I know… I am sorry.”

Lar nodded and smiled. “It wasn’t your fault. I guess it was fate.”

Kara thought of saying something, but it didn’t matter anymore. “You are right. It isn’t my fault. Fate can be cruel. Kelex, open the cells.”

The crystal in front of the men sank into the floor and they practically fell out.

“Come with me.” Kara instructed. “I’ll show you to the restroom, and then you can join us. Dinner is soon. After that, you three are going to tell us everything about Brainiac 13 and what he is doing.”

The men stretched and followed her. Before Brainy entered the bathroom, he turned to Kara. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. I just want this done. It’s important to me that Seg El is released. I want my little brother to meet the greatest hero in the history of the House of El. That meeting may be what is needed to inspire Superman one day.”