Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Survivors

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 46: Family Reunion

Kara sat next to Alex, the two trying to digest what had happened the last couple days, neither really watching the TV. A news station reported a Supergirl sighting, flying over National City but none had seen her on the ground, saving the day in the city or any other city. Questions were being raised, was she gone? Had she done what she came to do? People who had formed churches based on her, had followers in the streets, praying to the skies. The governments of the world worked tirelessly to find her, the United States included. Hank Henshaw had told the President that the Kryptonian would assist the DEO but had no idea who she actually was. Lane, Waller, they would not rest until they found out. Unfortunately if they came close, their entire cyber network would be wiped clean by Kara’s supercomputer and tiny robot butler.

“So when is your next outing?” Alex asked.

“Not until this whole thing is done.”

“That could be a while…”

“Shhh!” Kara ordered. She heard it, one of three voices her mind had become attuned to, one that stood out above all the others in this city.

“Kara, help!”

“Clark.” the blonde whispered.

“What?”

“Call Connolly and tell him our parents home is under attack. Astra is there! Get Dante to launch the drones!”

“What… drones?” Alex asked but Kara was already gone, the shattering of glass telling her as much. She never saw the blonde move and the girl didn’t even bother to open the window.

“Oh no.” Alex picked up her phone, dialing Connolly and ran out, towards Dante’s apartment, hoping he was home.

At the Danvers beach house, Eliza and Jeremiah stood in front of their little boy as Astra took her time, walking around the living room.

Everything she saw infuriated the woman more. There were pictures on shelves, pictures of her Kara, as she was when she landed, pictures of the girl and this so called sister of hers in different locations, alone or with these three present. Vacations, school, sporting events. A framed photo of Jeremiah and Kara looking through a large telescope.

Astra took note of the pictures of Kara at different ages, watching her grow in the past five years.

These should have been her memories. These years, the last of Kara’s childhood were given to these humans.

She heard the boy call Kara for help. The boy, all that was left of Jor El, the man who stood for everything wrong with Krypton.

“Kara is at her residence, little Kal El. The city has millions of noises. I doubt she can hear you. No, we are going to spend a little time alone. I am going to educate you, on the history of our planet, my planet, my home that your father and uncle destroyed!”

“Don’t speak to him.”

“Shut up woman! You won’t be speaking soon enough.”

“You are a liar. My parents tried to save Krypton. They were heroes!” the little boy shouted.

Astra looked at the boy and realized he believed this.

“You are the bad guy. You are the one who scares Kara. She told me about Krypton…”

“Then she must have lied to you. Krypton was destroyed because of the House of El. Kara knows this. She told me the truth. She loves you for some reason so she lied to you. Did she tell you your mother and father were heroes? Really? They destroyed a planet! They are responsible for millions of deaths! Your family, your blood!”

“Shut up!” Eliza screamed.

Jeremiah pulled Eliza behind him and she attempted to pick the boy up. Grabbing for him while keeping her eyes on Astra she found nothing but air.

Instead a small streak shot across the living room in the air and collided with Astra.

The woman did not move but Clark did, dropping to the floor with a crunch, screaming and grabbing at his shoulder where he had struck her.

“So fragile. It is a miracle, a testament to Kara’s skill that you didn’t die when you first arrived. Watch carefully, Kal El. You can feel the loss of your parents they way I felt the loss of my world and my daughter!”

Clark screamed, sitting up, eyes lit and beams flaring out, striking Astra in the abdomen. The women was shoved back a few feet, but then reached into the beam and almost grabbed him cutting the vision off. Jeremiah fell in front of the boy and Astra’s hand found his neck. Tossing the father away, Clark tried to bring the red vision back, tried to hurt the woman but nothing he did worked. He wasn’t angry now. Now he was scared. HIs mother was next to him on the floor, his Daddy was rolling around on the ground shaking his head and the bad guy, the bad woman, the one who gave Kara nightmares, was standing over him and his mother.

Her eyes were glowing.

“Please let him go. Kara will never forgive you if you hurt him.” Eliza told her from the ground.

“Kara has been brainwashed by you and your friends in the military. You turned her against me.”

“Fine, kill me! But don’t hurt him! Don’t make him watch. You have given Kara nightmares since she landed! Do you have to do it to another child?”

Astra looked at the woman on the ground, covering the son of the man who killed Krypton and decided that yes, she did want him to have nightmares.

“He isn’t a child. He is the son of Jor El. Jor El was a monster, so he must be as well.”

Astra’s eyes lit up, and she tried to focus on not killing the woman too quickly. This would be slow. First the woman, then the man, then she would scar the boy. She would mark him as a reminder that his days were numbered.

Had she not been so focused, she would have heard the sonic boom, seconds behind the blonde streak, moving like a missile towards the residence.

Kara did not stop, never slowed down, crashing through the back of the house and tackling Astra, sending them both out onto the beach with a ground shaking boom. Eliza looked at the hole in her wall, the spot Astra had just been seconds ago and back to Clark. The boy was scared, his shoulder was hurt, and his eyes were glowing off and on like a flickering candle.

“Jeremiah?”

“Get to the safe room.” the man whispered. Eliza, satisfied he was alive, picked Clark up and ran, putting him in the lead lined room below the house. Running back up, she tried to grab Jeremiah but he was already in front, watching the fight on the sand.

Connolly and Jessica ran up, rifle in his hand and handgun in hers. Eliza recognized them as DEO weapons that carried Kryptonite.

“Don’t shoot Kara.” the mother told him.

“There are others around, there have to be. Vivian, are the drones in the air?”

“ETA 72 seconds to your location, fully loaded.” she confirmed.

The man peered into the sky, trying to see in the darkness of the cloudy night.

“Take them silent above the skyline.” he whispered

The Martian Manhunter landed next to the group.

“J’onn take these two into the safe room under the house and protect them. Clark is there.” Connolly ordered.

“I’m not leaving her.” Jeremiah told the man.

“You cant help her and will distract her. Follow me now, let her do what needs to be done without worrying about you. Your son needs you.” the Martian told him and practically shoved the man towards his home. When Jeremiah fought, J’onn lifted him by the waist and moved him inside quickly. Jessica dragged Eliza away, leaving Connolly on the beach. He kept an eye on the sky, watching for glowing eyeballs and keeping an eye on the battle that had now reached the water.

Seeing nothing in the sky and not able to tell what was going on with Kara and Astra due to the speeds, he stood ready for whatever might come.

Kara was in a blind rage. She had seen Clark ram Astra, seen the woman pick her father up by his neck and sling him across the room, seen her prepared to kill her mother. She felt Astra’s ribs crack when Kara hit her in the side and drove her into the soft sand outside. The blonde swung and kept swinging never letting up or holding back. People from miles away could hear the booms her swings caused. The ground was shaking, and Astra’s face was bleeding.

Then the woman hit Kara with her heat vision. A shirt burst into her forehead, momentarily blinding her with the light. Taking hold of one of Kara’s arms in a downward swing, the general flipped her niece over, putting her back on the ground. An elbow to Kara’s nose, shocked the girl senseless for a moment.

Astra stood over Kara, looking down on her beautiful niece. She had longed to see this face since before she was sentenced to Rozz and here she was, an enemy, one who humans had turned against her. As painful as it would be, Kara would have to be taken by force and be restrained until Astra could talk to her calmly, make her understand. This wild beast was not her Kara.

“Kara, stop fighting. It is okay now. I have you. There is no need…”

Astra’s attempt at calm was interrupted when Kara’s leg swept hers. She fell until she was struck by the blonde’s fist, sending her back in the air. Kara followed, grabbing her hair and slamming her back into the surf.

The young girl straddled Astra, who was face down in the water.

“You touched them! They are mine! Stay away from them! You aren’t my aunt, my mother, you are nothing!”

Astra forced her face out of the water, only for it to be pushed back down. Her niece was attempting to drown her.

Kara held tight, but the woman’s entire body rose in the air and twisted, sending the girl into the surf. Kara twisted in the knee deep water, finding a fist flying towards her. She dodged and flipped Astra into the water on her back and unleashed her heat vision towards the woman’s eyes. Astra countered and the two were locked in a battle of wills, less than two feet away from each other.

The heat evaporated any water near them, the water actually seeming to flow around the area the two fought, as if reserved for them alone. Because of the steam of the evaporated water, neither Connolly nor Jessica could see the two, only a vapor cloud lit up by a very bright light, a small sun in the middle.

J’onn and Jessica ran out, J’onn still in his Martian form.

“Anybody else up there, J’onn?” Connolly asked, beginning to back up. The heat from the battle in the water was becoming too intense to be near, even from their distance.

“I can make out figures in black. I hear no thoughts. They are all Kryptonians.” the man responded. A squeal of tires, told the trio that reinforcements had arrived. Dante and Alex ran from the side of the house.

“Alex got check on your family and keep them safe.” Dante ordered.

“Kara is out…”

“Do as you are told, please! Protect them or she can’t do what needs to be done!” the Cherokee yelled. Alex did so, staying in the ruined doorway to keep her parents and brother behind her and Kara in front. Ty and Hawk arrived, Hawk carrying a missile launcher with him.

“I’m loaded with K RPGs.” the large man told his commander.

“Vivian, are the drones above cloud cover?”

“Yep, no movements towards them yet.”

“What are they waiting for? I know they hear them.” Connolly wondered.

“My guess, is Non is holding them back or Astra told him too.” J’onn suggested quietly, armored up and ready to fight. “And they most likely are too absorbed in the fight to notice or just don’t give a care about drones, thinking they can’t be hurt in the air. There missing comrades were all taken or killed with no witnesses. It is unlikely they know why.”

In the water, Kara and Astra both screamed, Astra trying to force Kara’s beams back without injuring her and Kara trying to turn Astra’s brain to dust.

“Calm down! I am not your enemy, Little One!”

Hearing that title enraged her more. The power flared, hotter than Kara had ever produced and the sea continued to turn to steam farther out, water not evaporated, now boiling.

Taking a chance, Astra locked her leg around Kara and flipped her over. The blonde’s heat vision stopped instinctively as it always did. If Kara was not focusing, she always stopped its power. It was ingrained from years of training, a practice to ensure she always hit what she was aiming for and nothing accidentally.

Despite the military training of Astra and the special forces and martial arts training of Kara, what occurred next was nothing short of a street fight, both women standing their ground and swinging wild looping punches, striking each other, hard enough that the sand trembled.

Kara felt two ribs cracked give but paid no mind. She had felt it before and could fight through it. Astra knew her cheekbone was likely crushed and her nose broken. She had a tremendous headache from the power the two exhorted. She understood the only way to take Kara would be to knock her out.

What Astra had not banked on was Kara’s skill. She knew her niece had learned to fight but in so many different manners and with so much power, caught her by surprise. It was easy to see how she had killed the other Kryptonian. Kara landed three shots for every one that Astra managed. Kara’s face was bloody and bruised but Astra knew hers was worse.

In effort to stop the onslaught she used her freeze breath, blowing Kara back onto the shore. The blonde hopped up and Astra struck her with a blast of heat vision in her chest, burning her remaining shirt off. Under her shirt, Astra saw the symbol she hated, the blue top with the red House of El symbol on it. Kara wiped blood from her lip and sneered at the woman.

“I’ve been used to heat vision blasts for years. There is nothing you can do to me that I haven’t done to myself.” she told her aunt and walked slowly towards her, looking for an opening.

“Kara, you need to calm down and talk to me. Come with me. I will leave these humans and your cousin alone, I swear.”

Kara smiled but there was no joy.

“Leave with you? You don’t seriously think I am going to let you live? You touched them. You hurt them. You threatened to kill the only family I have left. I am going to slaughter you. Then I will do the same to your coward husband.”

Kara unleashed her heat vision, into Astra’s chest this time, instead of her head. The woman, not expecting the angle of attack, covered her chest and dropped to a knee.

“Hurts doesn’t it? Have you felt pain since you landed? I have. I have gotten very comfortable with it. When is the last time you hurt, Astra?”

“What has happened to you?”

“I became what I had to be. Your journey ends here. You died when you touched them.”

“I won’t kill you, Kara.”

“I know.” the blonde told her confidently. “I’ve been preparing for this for too long to lose to you. I have fought you in my dreams, fought you in my head awake, almost every day. I became what I am to end you and Non. I will end Myriad. We won’t destroy another planet. I will not allow it!”

Astra looked at Kara and for a moment did not recognize her at all. She had the face of her niece, the eyes, but behind those eyes was a monster she had never seen before. A look she had only seen on war hardened soldiers who had fought for too long.

Kara attacked once more, moving at incredible speeds even Astra barely saw and landing the blade of her hand in the general’s throat and a follow up strike to her ear, and a kick to her solar plexus spinning the woman around.

On the beach, Alex had left the house to stand by the others. None of them could see exactly what was going on, she had no idea who was winning but kept her gun trained anyway, hoping to get a clean shot at Astra.

“Non. He is coming down.” J’onn whispered.

The others saw a flash of light hair and then it was gone, colliding with the Green Martian in the air. Non swung but J’onn phased through him, striking the back of his head.

“That is not your fight. It is between the two of them.” the Martian told him, finally seeing him face to face after so many years.

“A shifter? From the red planet, perhaps? This DEO gets more and more interesting.”

J’onn did not comment, instead enlarging his form, nearly as tall and monstrous as the White Martian’s he loathed. A very sharp talon that he now possessed swiped across Non’s chest, hitting him hard and slashing his chest. Non blasted his heat vision but the Martian was no longer there, now behind him and striking his head, sending him to the surface. Before the man could stand, J’onn had him from behind holding him in place with his eyes towards the sky.

“Connolly, now!”

Connolly opened fire, a Kryptonite bullet speeding towards Non. The Kryptonian sensed it and jumped, legs in the air and forcing him out of the Manhunter’s grip. The bullet struck J’onn in the chest. Non kicked the Martian in his back and flew off, out of sight.

J’onn reached into his chest and pulled the bullet out, giving a pointed look to Connolly who shrugged his shoulders.

“You should have held him better.” the man offered and turned his attention back to the two females circling each other on the beach.

Kara and Astra had locked eyes, after breaking apart once again, neither ready to make a move, wanting the other to strike so a counterstrike could be performed.

“If I have l truly lost you forever, they won’t have you either, Kara. Come with me and they will be safe.”

Kara said nothing, walking slowly in circles, eyes glowing brightly, hands at waist level, mind going through hundreds of scenarios in her mind in seconds.

“Kara? Talk to me.”

“We said everything we needed to say on the phone. You have injured them, threatened them, threatened me. You are going to die. I will not let you leave.”

“I am your family, Kara. Remember when you were sick? When you had fever? Who was always there when you woke up? Who kept you cool when you were awake, seeing things that weren’t there? Who held you during the quake that destroyed the power source and plunged your compound into darkness? Who told you it would be okay, that you were safe?”

“You did.”

“Exactly.”

“But you aren’t her anymore and I am not that little girl who was scared of the dark. Those people died with Krypton. You are too dangerous to be left alive now.”

“I want to save this planet!”

“You just threatened a six year old boy and told him you would kill his parents in front of him! You think you are a savior? You are sick, twisted, monster! I want to remember you as you were. I want to remember me as I was. But this? This is unavoidable. You want to take over this world and I won’t let you. You want to touch my family and I will not allow it. One of us has to die.”

“Kara, please don’t make me kill you.”

“I’m not making you do anything. Your choices are your own, just as mine are. Don’t worry about it. I promise you will not be killing me.”

“Kara…”

Kara took advantage of Astra beginning to speak to strike, an uppercut into her jaw sending her up and then back down with an elbow to her forehead as Kara followed.

Astra swung, Kara dodging behind her then caught the arm, twisting her body and bending her aunt backwards.

Astra’s eyes looked at the dark sky and the blonde face above hers. She tried to move but couldn’t. If she dropped her weight, Kara would still have control of her. She couldn’t stand up in this position, couldn’t even reach Kara’s face. She was completely defenseless.

“Kara?” Astra asked, seeing the blonde warrior had tears in her eyes, even as she had one arm wrapped around Astra’s neck.

“I really am sorry. If there is an afterlife I hope you can find peace. I don’t want to do this, but I have to. Its the only way to ensure that you never harm another human again.”

“Kara,please, I love you…”

Kara lifted her body and twisted, hearing the familiar snap that she had heard once at a Metropolis bar. She felt the body go limp, but held it for a moment.

“I love you too.” she whispered.

Kara gently laid the body on the ground and closed Astra’s eyes.

Then she heard that voice, the voice she heard as a girl and in her nightmares.

“You traitor. You killed your blood.” Non whispered from high above.

“You are next.” she shouted. “You are next, Non! I swear on Rao’s flames, I will kill you! You are dead you coward! My face will be the last thing you see before I incinerate you!”

The man spoke softly to the seven Krytponians in the sky.

“Finish them all.”

Non then took off into the night, leaving his army to do the dirty work.

Kara panicked, looking at her sister, her friends, knowing her family inside the safe room, was not safe from these seven.

“They are attacking. Use the drones! Fire the missile, Dan! Connolly order the drone strike!”

“Get inside the lead room now, Kara!” Connolly ordered.

“No time…” Kara started and then saw the streaks moving down from high above. The drones and their payload were up above and they wouldn’t use them until she was safe? Kara looked quickly, too quickly for any human to see and saw the slight gleam. She dove for her com that had been in her ear and was now lying on the sand.

“Kelex, take control of the drones and release the payloads now!”

The Kryptonians flying towards the ground, stopped. They had heard the sounds of drones flying slightly overhead but paid them no mind. The DEO was most likely using them for surveillance and they were all watching the great General Astra fighting the daughter of Alura and Zor El.

Now they paid mind. Missiles were flying down from above at a high rate of speed. When they were one hundred feet above them three missiles exploded and a haze of green fell from the sky.

The seven Kryptonians immediately felt nauseas and lost power, falling to the ground hard. The green dust was everywhere, a Kryptonite blizzard had surrounded the area. Non’s army stood, most having broken bones from the fall but all conscious. They turned towards the humans and tried to move towards them.

Ty grabbed Kara and lifted her to her feet, trying to force the girl inside and to safety. Kara, though sickened, grabbed a knife from Ty’s belt and ran towards the Kryptonians. J’onn stopped her, tackling the girl and lifting her in his arms, phasing them both into the safe room. He lay her down on the table and Kara passed out.

Outside, the humans that remained wasted no time continuing Kara’s attack, firing their weapons. Alex did not need Kryptonite. In their weakened state her gun fired a compressed light bolt clean through one Kryptonian’s head. She stood still, not moving, gun still raised while the Seals around her cleaned up, killing the rest.

Alex did not know how long she had stood there, arm raised, until she felt Connolly’s hand gently pushing her arm down.

“I killed her. That… it was a woman, she was a woman. I killed her. I… her head…”

“You did what you had to do. That woman would have killed your family, you, all of us. You did what you were trained to do. You protected your family. Are you okay?”

Alex nodded her head, trying to wake herself from the hazy state she felt. Once her brain began to catch up to reality she looked around. Despite the darkness on the beach, and the starless and moonless night, the sand was glittering with green.

“Kryptonite! Kara was out here! Is she….” Alex cut off her enquiry and ran for what remained of the house. There was a giant hole in the back where Kara had flown through and one in the front where she had driven Astra out. The glass that did remain had shattered from the sonic booms and the force of the blows being exchanged.

The older sister ran straight to the stair case behind a door in the kitchen, one that led to a safe room, lined with lead. Alex had no idea about these Kryptonite bombs and drones but apparently Kara did, no doubt due to Justin unlocking all the DEO’s secrets.

Once down below, she opened the door and nearly screamed. Kara was on a table, J’onn, Eliza and Jeremiah over her, and her sister was having a seizure.

“Alex!” Clark cried. “Kara is sick!”

“What happened?”

“She was outside when the Kryptonite… those bombs were designed to saturate the atmosphere around the target area with Kryptonite particles. She has them in her now.” J’onn explained.

“Why the hell did you detonate the missiles when she was still out there?” the father wanted to know.

“We didn’t. Her robot took over our drones on her orders. She launched the missiles. She saved everyone, Jeremiah.” J’onn told him.

“And now she is dying? How can I get this out of her? Will it wear off?” the man asked. “Eliza? What do we do?”

“If she inhaled it, then it is in her blood, her lungs, it will have to burn out but her vitals… we don’t have time, Jeremiah. It is killing her from the inside.”

Clark ran to Alex and jumped into her arms, keeping one arm tucked into his side.

“Please make her better. Please don’t let her die. Please Alex, you can do something, you always do. You always make her better.” the little boy mumbled.

Alex looked at her sister, wearing the top of her blue suit, her shirt burned off, the jeans she had been wearing no more than ragged cutoffs now. Her eyes were opening and closing, rolling around, jaw clenched.

Finally the seizure stopped. Alex almost screamed again, thinking Kara was dead, but she was still breathing.

Breathing with a lot of difficulty.

“Her pulse is weak, Jeremiah.”

The man had a stethoscope out and was listening to her lungs.

“She is filling full of liquid.” he told his wife.

“It is in her blood…” Eliza started until Kara began another seizure, this time causing them all to jump back and Clark to close his eyes.

“Jeremiah… I’m sorry but we have no choice.” the mother told him.

“I haven’t tested it on a live subject! We were going to do that next week. I can’t give it to her without knowing what it could do to her!”

“Jeremiah… my baby is dying. I know it will work. You have been working on it non stop, the only thing you think about. I believe in you. It will work. Its the only thing we have!”

“There has to be another way.” the man mumbled.

“There isn’t! She is filled with this green… we don’t… I don’t want to either but she is dying.”

“No she isn’t!” Clark yelled, catching Eliza by surprise. She should have paid more attention to what she had been saying around him but the woman was panicking.

“Eliza, what about a blood transfusion from one of the inmates, maybe we could flush it out of her system…”

“There is no time! Jeremiah, I believe in you! She does too.”

“If I am wrong and it kills her how can I live with myself?”

“She is dying.” J’onn whispered. “That dust, it isn’t something you can just pull out like a bullet or a shard. Jeremiah, if you have something, please try it. I can hear her heartbeat slowing.”

The man ran upstairs and was back shortly, a plastic case in hand. Opening it, he pulled out a syringe and vial. Preparing the syringe he tapped on Kara’s very soft forearm and then moved his finger to her neck.

“Carotid artery will get it through her quicker.” he explained to no one in particular. Of all the things he had ever been through, including Hank Henshaw’s raid on his house and Astra’s attack tonight, nothing scared him as much as what he was about to do right now.

The man plunged the needle into Kara’s artery and injected the serum.

J’onn held her down for another ten seconds until he seizure stopped. Kara lay still once again.

Alex finally worked up the courage to ask.

“Dad, what did you just give her?”

I’ve been working on a serum, an advanced form of the protein Granulocyte, modified to work with Kryptonian DNA, hopefully. It is going to promote the growth of her white blood cells in the same way the human version helps fight radiation poisoning on bone marrow. I widened the scope, placed a few hundred thousand more modified platelets, packed it with potassium…”

“You made a Kryptonite radiation sickness treatment.” Alex figured out.

“No, I… I decided to take it farther. I didn’t want just a treatment, I wanted an immunity booster. I wanted to make sure she was not effected by Kryptonite, ever. From autopsy reports on other Krytponians I figured out that they are nearly identical to us except on a cellular level. As long as there is nothing prohibiting her cells from metabolizing the solar energy like red sun rays or Kryptonite, she can’t be harmed. To be honest, I’m not sure if she wasn’t affected by Kryptonite or red solar energy, if she would need to eat or even breathe.”

Kara watched her father’s trembling hand, brush hair off Kara’s forehead.

“She has to eat and breathe. She gets hungry, she passes out from panic attacks.” Alex reminded him.

“It was her mind’s way of protecting itself.” Jess guessed. “If she couldn’t take the fear her mind would make her lose conscience to protect her.”

“After the fire in Gotham her pulse ox…”

“Was at a level that would have killed a human in minutes. We helped her come back quicker with oxygen but she would have gotten there on her own.” Eliza explained. “How many times have we said her appetite is dependent on her mood? She gets hungry, she needs sleep and she needs oxygen to feel better but as long as the sun is shining on her, she won’t be affected by hunger or lack of air from a physical standpoint.”

Alex shook her head. “Forget that. Her breathing, it sounds better. This is great, Dad! You have made her immune to Kryptonite!”

“I hope.” the man mumbled. “I haven’t even tested this drug on any of the Kryptonian prisoners. We were going to keep one in a red sun cell and try it on him. Yeah, I know, testing on live subjects is wrong, but I couldn’t find any Kryptonian rats and I sure as hell wasn’t giving it to my Kara without knowing if it worked.”

“And it worked.” Alex told him, relieved, ignoring the part of her mind saying anything could happen over the next 24 to 48 hours.

“Is Kara going to live? Did you make her feel better, Daddy?”

“She is going to be fine, son. We just have to watch her. I gave her a new medicine and we aren’t sure what it will do to next couple minutes, hours, days are going to be very important. If her breathing clears up we need to get her to the DEO headquarters.”

“You are all coming to the DEO base, downtown. Better medical facility and none of you are leaving until this is over. Non got away. He sent his men to die and fled.” J’onn informed him. “But as long as he has aliens left in his army, you are all going to be protected in the DEO.”

Neither parent bothered to argue, Eliza instead pulling out a stethoscope to listen to Kara’s lungs. Truthfully as much as she hated having Kara in any Government facility not at full strength, she wanted her husband and children safe and that was one of the safest places in the city if not the world and they were surrounded by friends, family really. Truthfully Non would be less likely to attack the downtown base than a base in the middle of nowhere.

“The fluid seems to be lessening. I think it is working Jeremiah.”

“We need to get her moved. We need equipment, blood work, everything. I have to know I didn’t just kill my daughter.”

“You just saved her Dad.” Alex assured him but Jeremiah could not be cheered. This whole evening had been a nightmare. He had to check on Clark. He had given the boy a quick examination even with the fighting going on outside, checking his eyes for damage, feeling if his collarbone was broken or just cracked. The little guy had been so tough, trying to make his eyes light up to protect them until Eliza finally convinced him to stop before he passed out. He gritted his teeth when Jeremiah checked the bruising, he tried to sneak out and help his sister. Then Kara had been brought in, beaten and bloody, green Kryptonite dust all over her. The moment J’onn placed her on a table she began having a seizure. Eliza was nearly cut, not realizing there was still a knife clutched in Kara’s hand for some reason.

An hour later, a convoy pulled into the underground parking garage of the DEO downtown. Connolly escorted his team inside. Hamilton was waiting for him.

“Where is Director Henshaw?” the man asked.

“He is on his way in.” Vasquez assured him. “ETA five minutes. He was at his apartment when the call came in.”

“Good, threat level Red. All agents carrying green ammo, neural blockers for the guards, anyone doesn’t have clearance, shoot first, ask questions later. This place is a fortress now. Do not let me down people. Rios! Yeah, thats your name, right? Get a team together, civvies and loaded. Talk to every neighbor of that house, anyone who lived on the beach and put Federal jurisdiction over any police or fire responding. Talk to them all, make them understand they saw a meteor shower and to not touch anything covered in green dust. Tell them its radioact… I don’t give a damn make something up. You! Agent… tall guy, crew cut?”

“Yes Commander?”

“Take more tall guys and go to that house, Agents Gavin and Webb are standing guard over a house with a lot of dead Kryptonians inside. Take a van, bring the bodies.”

“Yes sir!”

Dan Hawk followed the family with Kara in his arms and a wide eyed Clark in Alex’s arm. He had never been to the DEO.

“This is where Mommy and Daddy work?”

“Yep.”

“Is this where the girl you kiss works…”

“Clark! What did Kara say about listening in to others conversations?”

“Don’t do it and if I do don’t talk about it.”

“So lets stick to that, okay?”

“She is going to be okay, right?”

“Yeah. We just have to keep happy thoughts in our heads.” Alex assured him.

“Should we pray?”

The big sister stopped for a moment, deciding how to answer.

“Clark, it can only help and we need all the help we can get right?”

The little boy nodded his head.

“But first Mom and the doctor are going to check your shoulder. I understand you flew into the bad lady?”

“I tried to knock her down but couldn’t. Then I tried to make my eyes get hot because Kara said if I was mad it might happen. I was mad but then she pushed me and I was… I was scared. I couldn’t do it.”

Alex shook her head. “There is nothing wrong with being scared. She was a scary lady. She was mean and you did everything you could do, more than you had to do. You bought Kara some time to get there.”

“You never get scared.”

Alex gave him a sad smile.

“Sweetie, I wish that was true. I get scared a lot. But being brave doesn’t mean you don’t get scared. It means you get scared and do what you have to do anyway. You were very brave tonight, Big Guy. A real Superman. Lets go check on our sister. okay?”

“Alex, what did that lady mean? She said my father killed a planet. She said he killed Krypton. What does that mean?”

The girl closed her eyes, and felt very cold inside.

“Clark, someone like her, she is evil and filled with hate. She was Kara’s mother’s sister. Her aunt. Kara’s mother had to put her in prison because she hurt people very badly. She killed some people. She was mad she went to prison. Don’t worry about what she said. She is gone now.”

‘Can she come back?”

“No.”

“Because Kara killed her?”

Alex said nothing, wishing once again that her little Munchkin was not so full of questions. The kid was a natural born reporter.

“Yeah, Clark. Kara made sure she could never get near you or our parents ever again. Lets go check on the both of you.”

The boy’s questions ended and he was placed in a room to be examined by Eliza and a nurse who assisted Hamilton. An X Ray machine was brought in and Alex stood in the hall between Clark’s room on one side and Kara’s on the other. Jeremiah was drawing blood, he had several monitors, running samples, and she had never seen her father so pale and shaken. He was sweating even thought it was 70 in the med rooms.

“Are you okay?” a soft voice asked from behind.

“Oh! Oh yeah… Cam… Agent Chase. Yes, I don’t need medical attention, but thank you.”‘

“Cut it out. No one is paying attention. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I had to… I killed a… I never had before. It just surprised me.”

Chase shook her head. “You should be going to college parties, not shooting aliens and making out with Federal agents.”

“I’m exactly where I am supposed to be, doing what I am supposed to do.” Alex told her immediately.

Chase sighed, watching Alex watch Kara asleep.

“You really, really love her, don’t you? You all do.”

“Problem with that?” Alex asked sharply.

“No, I think its great. I just don’t understand… I hope one day you will tell me your story. Your real story.”

Alex shrugged her shoulders. “Right now, all that matters is my little brother and little sister are going to be okay. Nothing else is important.”

“There is talk, some people were watching satellite feeds. The lights were bright but… did your sister really kill their general?”

“Yeah, she did. Only one more Kryptonian escapee. We take him, a Coluan and about 20 aliens out and we save the world. Piece of cake. I need to check on my dad. He needs water.”

To the family’s relief, Clark’s collarbone was not broken or cracked.

It had been though. A series of X rays taken five minutes apart showed where a crack had been healed and over the course of twenty minutes even the feint sign of the crack was gone. After twenty minutes the X ray would not work. The bruising was gone and the little hero announced himself as feeling very good and wanting to be with his sister. His skin was soft and he wasn’t as strong as Kara or much stronger than normal but he became stronger when he needed to the night before. Strong enough to make Astra notice him but not strong enough to move her. Now it seemed to be gone, thankfully.

So the Danvers family converged in Kara’s tiny little room, surrounded by windows while Hank Henshaw and Dante stood outside, neither man’s eyes leaving the blonde on the bed. Jeremiah looked worse than hell, desperately needing sleep now that the adrenalin of the night had worn off somewhat but wouldn’t leave the lap tops monitoring every function of Kara’s.

At 5 AM, her bruising healed completely. Bones were shifting in her face slightly and her abdomen moved strangely, letting the family know that Kara’s ribs may have been cracked and were realigning and healing. At 7 AM, the IV in the brachial artery popped out of her skin, which quickly hardened.

At 8:02 Kara’s eyes opened.

She saw a very concerned and tired family looking at her.

“Everyone is okay? Clark?” she asked, voice a bit raspy.

“Everyone is safe.” Eliza assured her.

“I thought I was dying. It hurt, my lungs were burning and I couldn’t think.”

“Thats what happens when you detonate Kryptonite bombs over yourself, idiot.” Alex told her.

“They were coming. We had seconds. If they hadn’t stopped to look for the missiles they would have killed you all before the Kryptonite had a chance to work. Clark? Are you okay, baby?”

The boy nodded his head and hopped off of Jeremiah’s lap, moving to the corner of Kara’s bed.

“Can I hug you now? I couldn’t last night because of all the wires and stuff. I’ve been up almost all night. I think I slept…”

“Clark, are you okay? Did she…”

“She is dead?”

Kara nodded her head. Eliza moved to pick the boy up and usher him out. Kara stopped her.

“No use stepping around the issue. I know what I did. I made the decision. I will live with it. Could someone hand me a trashcan?”

Alex did so quickly and Kara turned away from Clark and vomited in the receptacle.

“Does your… Eliza take a sample of that to your lab, have…”

“Its fine Dad. I just feel really hung over like that one time we don’t need to talk about. What did you do? How did you keep it from killing me?”

“I… had no choice Kara. You were dying. I didn’t want to take the risk…”

“Dad,” Kara stopped him. “Calm down. Just tell me.”

“I had been working on a serum, an antidote and immunity booster using…”

“He made you immune from any harm caused by Kryptonite exposure.” Alex finished. Her little sister’s eyes widened.

“Kryptonite won’t hurt me?” she asked with a lack of excitement to her family’s chagrin.

“We don’t know that.” Jeremiah told her. “It took care of the Kryptonite in your system, but I don’t know how long it will last. I think with regular injections, if it can be proven safely, you may be immune. I don’t know the limits though. Shards could still hurt you. The dust was burned out of your system but if you are hit… Kara, I just don’t know. I don’t even know what this drug will do to you in the long term. I wasn’t going to suggest this until I knew it was perfectly safe and tested hundreds of times. I didn’t have a choice.”

“You saved my life.” she told him. “Are you okay? Your neck is bruised.”

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. You are going to have to stay in bed a few days. We will get you a room that doesn’t have windows for walls but you need to stay in bed. Your mother and I have a lot of tests to run. We are going to have to get your blood so we will be taking walks to the Red Sun room but thats it. As far as Kryptonite you always act like it can kill you. Always.”

“I get to treat you like you treated me when I had the flu, Kara. Can I force feed you chicken soup?” Alex asked playfully. Kara smiled but it quickly vanished.

“I didn’t see her. In Metropolis. I mean. She must have followed us, across the whole country and I didn’t see her. You were almost killed because of me. My worst nightmare since I came into your lives and it almost happened because I was too stupid…”

“Stop. That was not on you. You had a good plan but she was a step ahead. She was a General.” Eliza reasoned. “You saved us. No more blame games, Kara. This is no different than when you were thirteen. We faced the worst and got through together, okay?”

“Was Non killed?”

“He told his army to attack and ran.” Jeremiah told her bitterly.

Kara nodded her head, not surprised. “All the other Kryptonians are accounted for?”

“Yep. He is the only Kryptonian left. Quite a few other aliens but the only Kryptonian is Non now.”

“Have the bodies been recovered?” the blonde asked.

“We have our forensic squads processing them for any clues to where Myriad might be. After that, the bodies are usually burned from what I understand.” Jeremiah told her. “Kara… what would you like done with Astra’s body? Are there prayers or…”

“Burn it with the rest of them. My aunt died on Krypton. That monster was my enemy and she can be treated like the rest. I’m kind of tired. You want to take a nap with me, Clark? Maybe Mommy and Daddy can go get some sleep too? I bet if I slide over Alex can cuddle up. You up for it?”

Clark nodded his head and moved into her side. Alex debated laying down with her, considering her sister did just vomit but it seemed to be out of her system.

“Sleep, you two. I will wake you up if she starts to feel funny.” Alex promised. Both parents reluctantly agreed and kissed Kara on the cheek. They would go to their labs, call Jess and tell her about Kara’s lack of a real response to killing Astra and lay on the couch, hold each other to stop the shaking.

The two sister were now alone in bed with Clark who as usual draped himself on top of Kara.

“Kara?”

“Yeah?”

“You said my first parents were heroes. But that lady who attacked us said they killed Krypton. Why would she say that?”

Kara looked at him, his beautiful eyes, his shaggy dark hair, the way his eyebrows moved closer together when he was really concentrating or listening.

“Because bad guys lie, Clark. Thats one of the many things that make them bad. They lie and they kill.”

Alex looked at her sister and knew she wasn’t talking about Astra. Kara saw herself as a bad guy. No matter what she did, she would never see herself as a hero, not in her heart, unless Alex could convince her some day.

“Hey Alex?”

“Yeah, Kara?”

“If we find out that Kryptonite really doesn’t work on me anymore, or for a while… or… you get the idea.”

“Yeah?”

“We probably shouldn’t tell Batman.”

“Yeah,” Alex agreed. “It will be our secret.”