Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Survivors

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 47: Laying down the law

The two had left in the dark and arrived at the Fortress in the dark. It would be a month before a sunrise graced Antarctica, perfect for sneaking in a Martian in green form.

J’onn watched Kara’s face being scanned by a light he had not seen before in the ice. She brushed snow off a rocky frozen wall and placed her finger on a small depression in it.

The large door that J’onn would have sworn was a natural part of the mountain slid open. The Martian and Kryptonian walked in, one as if she owned the place, which she did, and one very cautious, taking in the sheer impossibleness of a place like this existing.

“Relax J’onn, nothing in here bites.” Kara told him, amused at the look on his face.

“I’m just trying to take it all in. Its amazing. All this from a bag of crystals.”

Kelex flew in front of the two.

“Welcome back, Kara. And you must be J’onn Jonzz of Mars. A pleasure to meet you face to face,so to speak.”

“He really does sound like Loki.” J’onn muttered.

“Kelex, take J’onn’s eyes, facial recognition for his the scanners and a DNA sample. He will have access to Justin and be able to enter the Fortress as he pleases.”

“Shall I place him in the command sequence?”

“Yes, he will be number four.”

“Number 4?” J’onn asked, trying not to flinch when Kelex poked his finger, very hard.

“Yep, if I go down, Alex has control, If both of us go down, Mom and Dad have control and we are going to hope they can be on the same page. I would have never heard the end of it if I placed one over the other. If all Danvers are out of contact or unable to take command of the Fortress it reverts to Dante and then you.”

J’onn nodded his head. “I suppose as far as places go, I am pretty high up.”

“You will have access to the mainframe as you wish. I should probably introduce you to Justin.”

J’onn followed her to the middle of the large chamber they were in and saw a circular machine, twelve foot high and a monitor and keyboard in front.

“Good morning, Justin.”

“Hey baby. How are you today? I was wondering when I could see that face again to go along with that voice. Being here with Kelex gets a bit monotonous.”

“Is that the singer you were so obsessed with when you were fifteen?” the Martian asked, amused.

“I was not obsessed and he is a musical genius.” Kara told the man.

“Elvis, the Beatles, James Brown, they were musical geniuses. This guy was a pop star.”

“Is a pop star and it is a legitimate form of music. Unless you want to be locked out in the cold while I take care of business I would suggest you do not criticize guys who I admire but am not obsessed with.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. So this is the computer that sees the world. How does it work?”

“I have no idea about the inner workings. Kelex built it and it can basically use every phone in the world, every camera, every recording device, security cameras, computer and wireless signals to present a clear map of the civilized portions of the world. Areas like the Congo, Sahara, the uninhabited rain forests of South America and so forth can’t be seen obviously but he can access weather satellites to give me an over head views of those areas. It also has facial and voice recognition, so if you have a recording and picture of an enemy you want to find, he is pretty much guaranteed to be found, unless he is in a hidden part of the world.”

“Which is where the Myriad main hub is being built.” J’onn guessed.

“Yep, which is why I needed a bounty hunter, to go where Justin can’t see. What I don’t understand is why Metropolis is key. Every Kryptonian I have encountered has been in or near Metropolis. Even the one Jack took down in Gotham after the fire. Astra moved so quickly to Metropolis to find me. She didn’t fly from the Sahara have to be near.”

“Perhaps they have their own Kryptonian technology to counteract yours, or anyones for that matter. Your machine may be light years ahead of Earth technology but that doesn’t mean it is better than theirs.”

Kara nodded her head. “I suppose that is right. Batman has something like this, so it isn’t like this is unheard of. Astra could have been hiding from the Government but she had no way of knowing that I would have access to a machine like this. Unless… it isn’t a machine she had but a living machine. If Indigo is with them, if she is going to be the main CPU in Myriad, it would be well within her capabilities to counter any devices that could trace the prisoners.”

“The Coulan? It is possible. Have you come up with any strategy to defeat her?”

“I’m working on it. Her physical form can be torn apart but to truly kill her we have to catch her when she is in electronic form. She can also shape shift, I am sure, and is strong, perhaps nearly as strong as a Kryptonian. I will have it figured out.”

“I have no doubt. If you need someone to bounce ideas off of, I am here.”

Kara laughed softly. “You kind of always have been. No matter what I threw at you, you just wouldn’t go away. Do you know the real reason I never liked being around you? You reminded me too much of what I had lost. I saw you and knew what you had lost. I did my best to forget everything but it was impossible. But every time I saw you, I couldn’t take my mind off of it.”

J’onn patted her shoulder. “That is understandable.”

“Yeah, but really not a good excuse. You saved everyone from Non. You took a huge risk, showing up in your green form, and taking on a man who could have burnt you in a second. Thank you.”

J’onn shrugged his massive shoulders. “You never have to thank me. We are in this together. Besides, it isn’t like one blast of heat vision would have killed me.”

This surprised the blonde. “I thought you were susceptible to fire?”

“I am, if burned enough. But simply striking me with heat vision for a few moments wouldn’t hurt me. It would take a lot of power and effort.”

“Oh… I always assumed that any…”

“I know. I let you assume that. I figured you would be more comfortable with me if you thought you could defeat me at anytime. Not to say you couldn’t, but it wouldn’t be easy. I am a pretty formidable foe.”

“As Non found out.” Kara admitted. “So I promised you, I would bring you here. Just make sure you use the front door and don’t phase inside. Kelex has to have facial, ocular and DNA confirmation or he will continue attacking and the little guy packs quite a punch. Alex and my parents can get in on voice recognition alone as I understand Alex did when I was brought here recently. But Kelex still scanned her face, eyes and voice before he let her in. He just went outside to meet her and perform the task himself.”

“I understand. So you are here to pick up some weapons for Alex?”

Kara nodded her head. “That and a few more items. I wanted to bring you here for another reason though. I’m not sure if you will want to see it but I wanted you to have the choice. If you don’t want to see it, believe me I understand. But watching the recordings of Krypton that Kelex showed Clark, made me realize how much I missed seeing the beauty of the planet, when it was unblemished.”

“I would be glad to watch with you, if that is what you want.”

“No, seeing it once was enough for now. I told you that Kryptonians visited Mars thousands of years ago.”

“Yes…”

“Like every other expedition, Krypton kept great records. I had Kelex prepare the images and video we had of the planet. The pyramids, the temples, the cities, everything I could find. Anyway, he had quite a bit, so I thought maybe we can sit in the back by that large screen and watch it. I know it isn’t the same, but the planet, I don’t know. You can watch alone if you want or not at all. I just…”

“I want to see it.” the Martian told her immediately. “And I would like it if you would watch with me. I know you are in a hurry to get back…”

“Non isn’t attacking the DEO, especially with his Kryptonians dead. My family is safe there. We have time. I would be honored to watch with you.”

The two sat side by side on a crystal bench, watching the large monitor. J’onn took in everything, soaked up every detail of the way his planet used to look, his people joyous, without worries as they once were. The White Martians had not risen to the surface, their murderous race in its earliest stages below the surface. None of them knew their people would be wiped out, herded like cattle into camps and burnt to nothing.

“The landscape is so beautiful.” Kara whispered. She looked at the Martian and saw what she believed was a tear falling from his red eye. “Are you okay?”

“I am perfect, Kara. Thank you for this.”

“I kind of owe you a lot. It will always be here. You have access to come anytime. This is your place as well whether I am with you or not. Your home will always be here, J’onn. I’m going to pack the things I came for. Take your time.”

Kara kissed the Martian on his cheek and walked off, leaving him alone with his home. Once she returned, backpack in hand, she sat with him for another hour, watching the Kryptonian delegates being shown the great pyramids on Mars. Only the remains of one still existed today. Several smaller pyramids were shown as well.

“Why were they built? I have never understood why they were built on Earth. Obviously as tombs but why those formations?” Kara asked, walking back over with a large bag in hand.

“You could think of them as cellular towers. They made our telepathic communication with the entire planet, stronger. They served as gathering points of psionic energy and spread the energy out with more ease across the planet. Our ancestors visited Earth many years before this and attempted to communicate with humans. I believe they got the idea from us but I am not sure.”

“Who knows? Maybe in a thousand years humans will be able to communicate using telepathy.” Kara mused.

“I doubt it. To be connected to your race like that, would require too much honesty. There would be no secrets, no duplicity in speech. The Earth would have to be one, one language, one belief system, one government. There could be no wars, no lust for power over others. Wealth would be a thing never heard of because everything would be shared. Martians evolved as a single entity and split into a multitude but were still connected as one. To hurt others would be to hurt yourself. I do not believe humans as a species are capable of this. They are passionate in their beliefs, political, moral, religious and their actions, helping others or conquering, some feeding their brothers and sisters and others who will murder them for $20 in a wallet.”

Kara agreed with this. Despite the love she had been shown by her human family, she was very aware that not all humans were like them. Hank Henshaw taught her that. She learned it in school, listening to the children and teenagers in high school, constantly bullying, or gossiping about others. She saw the wars that humans waged, the weapons, the civil wars in smaller countries, the genocide.

Krypton may have had one religion and one government but they had their secrets too. Astra and Non, Jor El, her father, even her mother, all had huge secrets or murderous impulses in Astra and Non’s case. She had heard rumors in the hallways about General Zod and his brutal methods in dealing with races deemed dangerous to Krypton. Almost every planet she could think of would not be able to handle telepathy. Perhaps Czarnia but one evil born led to the deaths of a species, just as lone humans had caused genocide, war, poverty.

“Your people were special. I cannot imagine another world that would be able to live like that. To live in perfect harmony and peace. I cannot imagine having it and losing it. I am sorry J’onn.”

“Thank you. Thank you for this. Could I ask a favor of you Kara?”

“Of course.”

“Stop having your metal Loki take over my equipment and use the weapons on your commands. Would it help if I said pretty please?”

Kara looked at him, not being able to hold back a smirk.

“You realize my metal Loki and my super computer that is bringing sexy back are the reasons the DEO is cut off to Batman, ARGUS, the military…”

“Kara? Stop taking control of my weapons.”

“Okay.” she agreed. J’onn was suspicious of course.

“Okay? Just like that?”

“You seem so surprised when I agree with you.” Kara observed innocently.

“Yes. This is true. With good reason, I might add.”

“I took control of those drones because you were all going to wait until I was in safety and it would have taken too much time. Alex, Clark, my parents, they come first. Those Kryptonians were strong enough and fast enough to kill you all before the Kryptonite would have been released. They must be protected J’onn. No hesitation. We are soldiers, right? The mission is what matters. Keeping them alive is of the most importance and comes first in the mission. All humanity needs to be protected from Myriad but they are priority. We are and always will be soldiers but they aren’t.”

The Martian shook his head slightly. “Keep telling yourself that, Kara. I told Lane when I kicked him out of the DEO five years ago that I didn’t need soldiers, I needed fighters. We are warriors, all of us. We fight a war to bring peace but we do not thirst for battle. I would like to look a bit more. Will you give me a tour?”

“Sure. To be honest, I am not sure I have seen it all yet either. Lets take a look.”

The two aliens did spend the next few hours exploring the Fortress and its beauty and the sheer amount of knowledge it held staggered his mind. Setting off and timing their entry into the US at dark, they made it back to National City by eight in the evening the next day.

Kara waited until Hank Henshaw had reported for duty and then visited herself, so her mother and father could take blood and examine it for hours to see what the serum had done or was doing to her. Kara for her part felt fine and as soon as Jeremiah gave the word, she would be allowed in a room with a small piece of Kryptonite to see its effects on her, if any. That was for a later date.

First she had to find Alex.

Asking around, Kara learned Alex was in the weight lifting room. Strange since Alex never lifted weights, preferring body weight exercises but perhaps she had decided to add some mass to her thin frame. Walking into the room she realized Alex had added mass, about 130 pounds of blonde mass to her frame.

“Rao! Alex! Seriously? The door isn’t locked! Chase you are going to get fired it you get caught! What… put your shirt on Alex!”

The two women scrambled off the weight lifting bench, Chase standing and Alex rolling off to the ground in her haste to grab her shirt.

“Kara! You are back! Nice trip?” her sister asked with a huge grin from the floor.

“Not as nice as your’s has been.” Kara told her, closing the door. “What is it with you two?”

Cameron said nothing, red in the face but Alex just shrugged her shoulders.

“You said you didn’t care…”

“I don’t care if you are… yeah… a federal agent. I care about the fact that you two seem to do it in a Federal building all the time in rooms with no locks! Can’t you find anywhere else to do it? Somewhere you can’t be caught?”

“Its cool, Kara. Our mutual friend is watching the cameras and would have locked the door if anyone came down who wasn’t you.”

“You thought I wanted to walk in on this?”

“No, but our mutual friend refused to bar you access.”

“Oh… okay. That makes… wait a minute, you are using our mutual and very talented, intelligent friend to help you find spots to get your freak on. Really?”

“Like you don’t use him to look in on Barry Allen sometimes.”

Kara said nothing for a moment, deciding to let it drop.

“Who is this mutual friend?” Chase asked. “You told me you were tight with that goth girl that works off site.”

“Yeah, we are. Vivian. Still it would probably be best not to mention this to her.” Kara suggested then turned to walk out. Alex caught up with her in the hallway.

“Hey! I am sorry I brought Barry up. I shouldn’t have. I didn’t mean it to be… I shouldn’t have.”

“Its fine, Alex. You are right. As much as I say I won’t invade anyones privacy unless the fate of humanity is on the line, I have looked at him a few times, just from security camera footage. He seems happy. I’m glad. He never would have had that, mixed up in this. He could have been a target and hiding in the DEO like you all have to do. It was for the best and always will be.”

“It doesn’t have to be, Kara. This will be over soon. We can move on, like we always talked about.”

“And do what? Still want to be archeologists? Or circus clowns? Because you seem to be at home here. If I give up this superhero business when it is over will you go to Medical School or into research like you wanted to when we first met?”

“What are you talking about? I could do a lot of good here. You could do a lot of good for the world. Why would we give it up?”

Kara looked at the ground, then lifted her head. “Come with me to the locker room. I have something for you.”

The camped Blonde walked quickly, Alex trying to keep up. Once they were inside Kara snapped a lock off a locker and opened it, pulling out a large duffle bag.

“Did you just break into someone’s locker?”

“No, its mine. No one was using it. I got a lock with a key and threw away the key. I snap it off and weld it back together when I leave. No chance of anyone picking the lock.”

“But it still has tumblers…”

“That I disengaged. A lock that doesn’t open, perfect for keeping alien gear.”

Kara pulled out Alex’s suit, a replica of the bronze one she already had.

“This has a flexible exoskeleton in it, very thin wires through the torso, arms and legs. You won’t notice them but once you are wearing it, they will be activated by your body heat. As long as Agent Chase is around it should only take a few seconds. The threads will provide you with approximately 100 pounds per square inch in your strikes and about 200 in your straight kicks to your already existing power. It will make you run faster but I can’t help with upper body strength. It was either power the shoulders and torso or the arms and legs. You will run faster but not that much faster. Basically it is giving you just a little something extra without being invasive. Now the weapons.”

Kara handed a long sword to her sister, one with a three foot blade.

“Its made of the same metal the cell was made of to hold Lobo. Kelex has it incredible sharp. Keep it in the scabbard because it will cut its way out of any bag you put it in. Only the material of our suits seems to hold it. The little guy did good. There is also a K Bar knife that will have a slot at your lower back. The scabbard for the sword is built in as well. You need to practice tumbling with it on. It will hold upside down so that means a twist to pull it out. This two foot baton expands and when it does, the ends are full of light compressed under enough dark matter that it becomes very solid and very strong. It will emit compressed light every time it strikes something. The frame is light weight and practically indestructible. If you hit someone hard enough you will crush their skull. Just…”

“I get it. Are you okay?”

“Of course. Why?”

“You just don’t seem… okay.”

“Long day and night of flying. I need some sleep.”

“Cool, lets keep this stuff packed up and we can check it out at home. That gun looks really cool.”

Kara shook her head.

“You are staying here. I can stay here if you want but if Non is watching, I may be able to draw him out if he sees me alone.”

“And you think I am going to hide here while you use yourself as bait? What about you needing sleep?”

“I will sleep with one eye open. I always do. Is Streaky still in Mom’s lab?”

“No, she got kicked out when she tried to eat a lab mouse. She is in Dan’s office.”

“Okay, practice with the sword, staff and knife. I will go over the specs of the guns later…”

“No. You either stay here or we both go home. We watch each other’s backs. Who is going to watch your’s if you are fighting Non and a horde of other alien criminals attack you. He won’t hesitate to fight dirty.”

“Fine” the blonde conceded. “I will stay here. But tomorrow I have to go home. You need to go to class with back up and I will do what I do. Superheroing stuff or something like that.”

“In National City?”

“Depends on how badly I am needed elsewhere. I’m not going to stop doing what I do because of him. He has always been a threat. I guess you should show me where a bed is. I really do need some sleep.”

Alex placed the bag in her locker and guided Kara back to her hospital bed.

“Are you serious? I’m fine!”

‘Dad’s orders. He was pacing the entire time you were gone, worried about you. He wants tests run everyday, until we know what effect that serum may have had.”

“I’ll sleep here but no wires are to be attached to me.” Kara kissed her sister’s cheek and lay down as soon as she left. Kara tried to sleep but despite her exhaustion, could not. Every time she closed her eyes, the girl saw Astra, looking at her, begging her not to do it. She heard her mother’s voice asking her why, felt Astra’s body going limp in her arms, saw the realization in her eyes that Kara was going to kill her.

Giving up as soon as she heard her parents, Clark and Alex’s breathing indicating they were asleep, the girl got out of bed and donned the red skirt and cape. She made her way to the roof, surprised to see Ty there, decked in black, rifle at the ready.

“Uh, what are you doing?” she asked

“Getting ready to plant a bullet between Non’s eyes if he shows his face. Bigger question is what are you doing? Shouldn’t you be getting some rest?”

“Can’t sleep. Thought I would fly around, see if anything was going on.” Kara told him. “You know I don’t need much sleep.”

“Yeah you do. I wonder if you go to that red sun room if a sleeping pill would help you? Maybe I oughta ask your Daddy about that. How come you can’t sleep? The fight?”

“What else?”

“You did what you had to do, Kara. She made her own choices. She could have approached you a hundred ways instead of threatening to kill your parents in front of your little brother.”

“I know.” Kara admitted, having thought of this. “Doesn’t make it easier I guess. I would do it again, no regrets. But it still hurts, I guess.”

“Damn girl, have I ever told you how proud I am of you? A few years ago you would have said it does not make it any easier and sounded like a robot when you was saying it. Now, you wouldn’t know English is your second language. Vivian used to do the best impression of you… out of love of course. Nothin but love.” he assured her.

“Thats okay. I considered dressing like her for Halloween one year so we are even. I can’t sleep without seeing Astra, feeling her neck breaking, hearing her tell me she loved me. No matter how many techniques I learned it seems like breaking a neck is my go to finishing move.”

“It does tend to end a fight quickly. You did what you had to do Kara. Any of us would have done the same thing. I have killed a lot of people. I hated killing every one of them. Even the truly bad dudes, it still stung me. I felt a bit of my soul leave with every bullet I fired, every target I hit. But I did it, because when it comes down to it, in a war, its your people or theirs. You chose your people over them and even over yourself. Things we are involved in, they affect us. We can’t be the same as those people in the city. Their biggest worry is the mortgage, or the wife or the girlfriend or hoping the wife doesn’t find out about the girlfriend. Us? Seems like we got life or death decisions every single damn day. I am sorry. None of us ever wanted this for you. We should have killed them before you ever got here. We tried, Kara. We looked everywhere, captured anyone we could and used any means necessary to get them to talk. Your aunt covered her tracks well. We should have been better.”

“Ty, its okay. Its not your fault, any of your faults. I had to be the one to do it. It was always going to be me. Call it fate I guess or some god’s sick sense of humor. I knew when I learned she was a killer that it would happen this way. It always had to be me. I’m going to go for a flight. I will call you if I need back up. I would appreciate it if we could keep this to ourselves.”

Ty took a look at the skinny little girl. the girl she always would be to him. The scared kid, the one with so much guilt. He would always remember the tiny thing slicing her own arm open with her part never went away but she wouldn’t kill herself now. Not since she had a mission. Jess would have to keep her sane afterward but now she was focused.

“Get outa here. They gonna freak when you ain’t here in the morning. I’m telling them I saw you leave but couldn’t stop you. Your Mom and Dad can be kinda scary when it comes to you and Alex.”

“Yeah, I know. I will try and make it back before morning.”

Without another word, Kara took off, slowly, in no hurry and with no destination in mind. She knew eventually she would have to sleep, have to answer to the ghosts that lived inside her head, but not right now. Tonight she could make it without sleep. Maybe a few hours here and there.

She still had to find Non. Then what? Once he was gone, everything she had prepared herself for, trained herself for, was over. Her demons would no longer walk the Earth. Instead they would all live inside her head. What would be next if she did survive?

Kara had no idea.

Flying around the city offered her no answers so she found a nice landing spot and stood, taking in the lights and the quieter sounds at night.

At 9 AM, Cat Grant strolled into her office. As usual when she exited her elevator, she was followed, first by her assistant with a latte and then a wake of editors in different departments coming in slowly as she settled in. This morning she took her coffee, sat behind her desk and fired up her desktop but a flash of red caught her eye. Looking to her left, towards her balcony, she saw the one she had named Supergirl, standing there, looking out over the city. The girl had her arms on the balcony rails and was leaning over, one knee slightly bent and looked very comfortable.

“You… whatever your name is. Do not let anyone in my office until I say otherwise.”

“Miss Grant?” the assistant asked, very confused and not having noticed the caped blonde on the balcony.

“Do not question me, do as you are told and leave my office. I will call you if I need you. Go back to surfing the internet while pretending to work.”

The assistant hustled outside, leaving the woman alone. She stood up and confidently walked out to her balcony. Of course the blonde didn’t turn around, so Cat walked up next to her. Even from the side view of her face, something was obviously different. This young kid, because that was what she was, seemed tired, morose a bit, even defeated?

“You could have made an appointment.” Cat mentioned quietly.

“I’ll leave if you want. I was flying around last night and this seemed like a good place to stop. My family has been texting me all morning so I am in enough trouble. I’m not ready to face the dressing down yet.”

“Are you not allowed to fly after curfew?” Cat asked, half teasingly and half seriously, wishing she knew what this girl’s home life was like, anything more than she already knew.

“It’s been a rough couple days. I should have been resting but couldn’t sleep. I imagine you know how that is.”

Cat nodded her head slightly. Perhaps she would get information today instead of questions about celebrities and costume choices.

“How rough has it been? You haven’t been seen in three days. There was a meteor strike a few days ago. No one was injured but I would expect you would have been there.”

Kara said nothing, looking out over the sea and spying a pair of dolphins jealously. They were so free.

“I can’t really talk about where I have been.”

“Off the record, then. You obviously want to talk about something with me. There are a lot of rooftops you could sightsee from. Where have you been?”

Kara took a long look at the woman then back to the ocean. Cat figured she would get nothing so was very surprised when after a few moments the girl spoke.

“I don’t talk to many people easily. I hate talking to most people if I don’t know them. But the people I am comfortable with, those I just meet and feel like I can speak without having an anxiety attack, they have all been hurt, somehow. I thought about this last night. They have either lost a parent, both of them or have some other issues. Take Lois Lane. She hates her father. I don’t know much about you but I would imagine you went through hell getting to where you are.”

“It has not always been easy.” Cat admitted carefully.

“Off the record?”

Cat sighed. “You need to talk to someone or you wouldn’t be here. I will never report anything you don’t want reported. Despite what many in the industry, and my detractors who call me a trash talk show hostess at heart, I have integrity. So talk to me.”

Kara shook her head. “I have a therapist. I have loving parents and a sister I am very close to and I have stood here all night waiting for you. I have no idea why.”

“Because I’m me of course. Lets start with your name since we are off the record. I am Cat Grant. You are?”

“Linda Lee Kent.” Kara replied immediately, holding back a smile, and offered her hand.

Cat took her hand impressed by the girl’s grip, not that she shouldn’t have been.

“That isn’t even close to your real name, is it?”

“Not even on the same planet.” the blonde admitted.

“Then try again.”

“Karen Starr.”

“Thats not real either, is it?”

“Just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t all out to get us. Thats what I have always told my parents.”

“So where have you been the last few days?” the older woman tried.

“Off the record, I suppose you figured out that there are other aliens on this planet. There are also some from the same planet I am from. They were not friendly. One of them, my aunt, my mother’s twin sister, had been looking for me since they crashed here. She found my adopted family and tried to kill them. I stopped her, snapped her neck and then bombed the rest of my fellow species with a substance that could kill us all. I had somewhat of a near death experience, but was saved by my father. I have been recovering.”

Cat stared at the young girl for a moment.

“Did you say you snapped your aunt’s neck?”

“Yeah,” the girl told her with a sigh, “it wasn’t like I just went up to her and did it. She was as strong as I was. She was a criminal before she landed here and she threatened my family. We fought and I won. I’ve also been recruiting people to help me fight the one remaining Kryptonian on this planet who is also my uncle, plus an organic, in a way, computer bent on killing the human race and a dozen or so alien criminals from around the universe. Once I go through them, I should be done.”

Cat looked at the girl for a moment.

“Back on the record, what have you been up to the past few days?” the woman asked quickly.

“I watched a lot of Netflix. I caught up through Season 7 of Murdoch’s Mysteries and am through Season 5 of Death in Paradise. Its a show on BBC, really funny. Its about this…”

“Stop, stop. My God, you can ramble. Off the record then. How many aliens are on this planet?”

Kara shrugged her shoulders.

“Thousands. Aliens have been on Earth for centuries, maybe back thousands, even a hundred thousand years. Most of them, practically all of them just want to be left alone. The ones I am having to deal with were kept in a prison that existed in a timeless Phantom Zone near my home planet. When the planet was destroyed, my ship was trapped there for decades, at least two, and somehow it piggybacked onto my ship and landed on Earth before I did. Want to know the best part? My mother was the judge who sentenced them all there.”

Cat gazed out over the city silently, trying to digest what she had just learned. The woman finally shook her head.

“You have the most interesting life. I thought my life was exciting but you have me beat. You said that S on your chest was your family’s coat of arms. I am guessing you wore it, in all its brightness, to draw these criminals out of hiding. To make yourself a target?”

“Something like that.” Kara admitted. “No, exactly like that. I enjoy helping people, I do. I would do it even if these creatures were not out there. I have to end this, and I have to do it quietly. The aliens of this world who are peaceful should not be hunted because of the actions of a few. As far as the symbol it isn’t just a target. I guess maybe I am hoping to bring some honor to it. It was once revered on our planet. But I learned things, things I can’t forget but maybe for once my house can save a planet just because it is the right thing to do.”

“I can see that. Why did I agree to go off the record again?”

“Because I never would tell you this on the record and you have to admit, someone as curious as you has to be excited to learn all this.”

“Yes, very excited. I won’t have nightmares about evil alien escapees trying to destroy mankind now. I suppose that bogus meteor strike the Government claimed was…”

“The result of a Kryptonian Death match and my near death experience.”

“I see. You said you had a therapist? Please tell me that is true? For all of our sakes. If you don’t, I can recommend several very good ones.”

“I have had a therapist since I was 13. I’m not sure how much good it has done. No, its done me a lot of good. I would have killed myself a long time ago… there was a time I would have panic attacks when I heard thunder.”

“So this army,” Cat continued, trying not to focus on how bad it would be if this girl lost control of herself, “where do you find people who are willing to go after these prisoners? I suppose they are like that nightmare you killed at the warehouse?”

“Funny you should ask. I didn’t kill him.”

“I saw you smash his head into bone chips and then burn off the remains.” Cat reminded her.

“I know right? He survived, grew back his hair and everything. He is going to fight these prisoners with me. One of my team anyway.”

Cat looked hard at the girl for any signs of sarcasm.

“You beheaded him and he wants to fight by your side?”

“He is into that sort of thing, I guess. Even asked me on a date. Not really my type.”

“So you don’t date seven foot demons?”

“I tend not to.” Kara admitted. “Or anyone. I keep people away from me for the most part. Its safer that way. No one can touch me, nothing can hurt me, so if you were the Government how would you stop me?”

“I would go after the ones you love.” Cat realized.

“My family… they have been in danger since they took me in. That is bad enough without bringing others into it. Thats why I never use my real name among other things. I am sure you have to be wondering why you can’t find my identity since I don’t wear a mask. It would drive me nuts. You never will. I have quite a few tricks and am good at blending in.”

“Wonderful, just like the serial killers who were deacons at their church and volunteered for charities. And the future? I will go ahead and assume you will win. What then? Will the world ever hear from you again or will you fly off into the sunset?”

“If the world wants me, I will be there… for a while. Then I am retiring.”

“Retiring?”

“From being this Supergirl you have branded me as. I know of a way to get rid of my powers, to grow old, to live life the way it is supposed to be lived. I have a plan. I will do my best to atone but I have my limits. You either die the hero or live long enough to see yourself turned into the villian. I would prefer to go out on top and have peace for the remainder of my life. To be left alone to grow, to live normally, like I dreamed about as a child.”

“And does a career figure into this superhero retirement plan?”

“I don’t know.” Kara admitted. “I really have no goals right now beyond saving the world. Once that is done… who knows? Maybe a circus clown or an archeologist. Maybe I will come work for you. Need a bodyguard?”

“If I have to deal with my incompetent assistant much longer I may need a new one. This one is close to being charged with corporate espionage. She is so inept, one would think she was working for my competitors to bring down my company from the inside.”

“I have a feeling working for you could be… stressful.” Kara told her, trying to be as diplomatic as possible.

“Not if someone is strong enough. Speaking of CatCo, I am having a launch party for you. We are publishing a magazine highlighting your saves, the photos of you, interviews with heads of state and religious leaders on how your existence is changing human knowledge and beliefs about their place in the universe. I would like you to be there.”

Kara did laugh, before she could hold it back.

“A party? You named me Supergirl. That is tough enough to swallow. Listening to people debate my existence and whether it effects them is the last thing I want to do. Not going to happen.”

Cat was not about to give up. “I sense some disapproval about your name. You wear a big, strangely shaped S on your chest. You have superpowers, super strength, super speed, you can fly. What exactly should I call you? Do you have anything better? “

“Absolutely!” Kara told her quickly. “What about… S… no… how about… no that would be lamer. Okay, I don’t have anything better. Couldn’t you have called me Superwoman?”

“You are barely old enough to vote.” Cat countered.

“Thats fair.” the blonde admitted. “I’m curious, how much money are you going to make off my symbol and this name?”

“A lot. Tell me your real name and I will keep it secret and we can share the proceeds.”

“Really? No, I don’t believe you would ever reveal anything I tell you off the record but knowing more than you need to can put you in danger. It could put your family in danger. You have a son, right? I read that somewhere. If you want to report on me, do it from afar. Its best that way. I definitely won’t be coming to any launch party.”

Cat nodded her head. “Thats too bad. There are going to be a lot of celebrities there.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr.”

“I don’t care.”

“Tom Hiddleston…”

That caught Kara’s attention.

“You said you didn’t know him.” the girl reminded her.

“I did some research, watched Thor, the Avengers, etc. Tacky CGI orgies in my opinion but yes I am familiar with him now. It wasn’t hard to get him to agree. You are quite famous. The chance of meeting you…”

“You told him I would be there?!”

“I mentioned there was a good chance. I guessed I would hear from you again. I understand Lois as been bullying you. Yet you come to me voluntarily. So… still can’t make it? Its in two weeks. Plenty of time to fight your alien war and then relax with a party.”

“Two weeks? I’m not sure.”

“Regardless, the party will be a smashing… oh, look at this.” Cat stopped, looking at the alert on her phone. “A hostage situation at the Museum of Natural History.”

“A museum? Who takes hostages at a museum?”

“Apparently there is a rather large diamond on display. A group of armed men have taken over the place but a silent alarm alerted police. Instead of a clean getaway they are holed up inside with hundreds of hostages.”

“I don’t get involved in police business.” Kara told her quickly.

“Of course not. I wouldn’t dream of suggesting that… oh my.”

“Oh my? What oh my?” the girl asked.

“There was a first grade class inside having a field trip. Those poor children must be so frightened. I couldn’t imagine what they are going through.”

“A first grade class?” Kara asked quietly.

“There is gunfire between the police and the criminals. I hope no officers are shot. It would be a shame for lives to be lost, children without parents. I am sure the police can handle this though. As you said, it is what they do, not your problem. Of course considering how brazen these criminals are to do this during the daytime and the number of gunmen, I can guess these men are professionals, not typical…”

“Okay already! I’ll go but if they tell me to stay out of it, I am staying out of it.”

“Of course, that is a wise decision. If you really think this is for the best, then you should go. It is entirely up to you.”

“Yeah? Because it doesn’t seem that way.”

“I didn’t go to your balcony to lounge around. Do as you must, Supergirl.”

Kara rolled her eyes and shot into the sky, the blast of wind, causing Cat to stumble a bit. Despite almost falling over, she could not stop smiling. She had a news team and many cameramen to get to the Museum.

Kara flew into the sky above cloud cover and looked down on the Museum. What she saw disturbed her.

“Alex?”

“Yes? Planning on coming back anytime soon? Maybe get some actual sleep?”

“I need you to suit up. Hostage situation at the Museum of Natural History. Wear it under your clothes. You are going to need to blend in until I can get you to the roof and they are heavily armed. I can handle the main room with the hostages but there are four gunmen in the back entrance and one on the third level. The back entrance, basement entrance and front entrance are wired to explode if there is a breach. When I drop you off on the roof. Take care of the guards and the third level. I am going to come from below the first floor and do my best to take the gunmen near the hostages all out without killing them.”

“On my way!”

“Wow.” Kara mumbled to herself. “Give her a robbery and she forgets all about arguing with me. Okay, here we go.”

Supergirl broke from cloud cover and descended quickly, hitting the ground outside of the police tape, standing with the rest of the gawkers who were now staring at her.

The police also noticed her, the ones who didn’t have guns trained on the building. Kara moved towards the rope, the crowd parting for her. She heard it’s her quite a bit, one person called her a devil and three called her an angel. Four said she was really hot in her skirt.

“Can I be of any assistance officer?” she asked the black clad older man who seemed to be in charge of a SWAT team.

“Its you.”

“Last I checked.” Kara agreed. “I just took a look from above. The back, basement and front entrances are wired. Enough to kill any officers trying to get into the place.”

“How would you know that? You can really see through walls?”

“Yep. Five on the first, hostages crowded in the back of the main atrium. Four gunmen covering the back entrance and one on the third level. The second level seems secure.”

“Bring the teams back!” The officer yelled into his radio. “The doors are wired! Abort!”

Kara relaxed a bit, glad a SWAT team wasn’t about to be torn to pieces.

“See anything else?” he asked.

“Yeah, a drainage tunnel underneath the Museum. I can bust into the first floor from underground, stand between the hostages and the gunmen and take them out quickly. The ones in the back and on the third level will be taken care of. I have a partner I can drop on the roof. She will be able to take the others out quickly. She does that. I come up through the floor and disarm the men inside.”

“You will get killed. I know you are strong but those guns are…”

“I’m bullet proof. Missle proof, bomb proof, pretty much everything proof. I can move faster than they can see. If they do get a shot off I can block it from hitting any hostages. Thats it, the best I got.”

The man thought of this for a moment. If he relied on her and she screwed up, it would be on him. Of course she did catch a 747 and stopped a tornado.

“Can you put my officers on the roof?”

“I only work with my partner. She is more than capable of taking out multiple opponents silently. Your call. Say the word and I won’t bother you again.”

The man walked off and consulted with the senior officer on scene who had not taken his eyes off the girl who couldn’t be older than his daughter. He could imagine the trouble his kid would get into with this Supergirl’s powers. What would this kid do? He had two choices. Trust her or become involved in a prolonged hostage negotiation that placed the hostages in more danger every minute it went on.

The man nodded his head and the SWAT commander told Supergirl the news. Kara took a deep breath. They were trusting her. Now she had to earn that trust. Walking through the crowd she reached the street and took off in the sky.

“You here, Alex?”

“Just pulled up on backside of building a block away. Suiting up now. The new mask feels weird.”

“The eyes have infrared along with monitoring and Kelex can see what you see. What weapons did you bring?”

“This expandable staff that glows? Not sure what that is all about realy. My blaster and my Glock, and the incredibly sharp knife Kelex made.”

“Use the staff. It is filled with compressed light that will pack a punch on contact. You hit someone with it they are out for a while. I suppose we shouldn’t kill anyone since this is our first outing and all.”

“You think if I pull this off Cat Grant will throw me a party?” Alex asked innocently.

“You were listening?”

“No, she has already began advertising it. How do you want to play this?”

“I’m giving you a lift to the top then I am going under. Once you clear the bad guys in the back, I take out the ones in the front. I disarm the bomb and we have pizza.”

Alex was about to respond when Kara swooped in and lifted her up, leaving Alex feeling as if her stomach had stayed on the ground. On the roof, Supergirl looked her older sister over.

“Don’t hesitate to kill if you have to. I will deal with the fallout. You stay alive.”

“Yeah, yeah. Let me do what I do and you do what you do. Soon as the area is clear, they are all yours.”

Alex moved quickly to the access door at the top and jammed her knife through the handle, twisting it and opening the door. Taking out her expandable baton that turned into a glowing staff she quickly and silently moved to the third level. The man standing at the base of the stairs never heard her as she slid down the railing and kicked the back of his head. She felt the power in the suit that Kara talked about and was fairly certain she had made harder contact than ever before. He dropped like a stone. Catching his rifle with her foot before it hit the ground, she gently laid it down and continued to move.

On the second level she spied the armed men in front, the frightened hostages in the back and was glad to see they were focused on the door. Sliding down the railing again, she twisted off before hitting bottom and ran before the hostages could see and give her away. Deciding to go for boldness and speed instead of stealth, she ran into the entryway in the back, using her staff for fear of accidentally shooting the bomb at the door. The men were surprised to say the least, seeing the copper and armor clad thin girl running in, swinging a staff of light.

Alex went low, taking out the legs of four men and proceeding to reenact her treatment of Lex Luthor’s head on them. A few grunts were heard but nothing major until her boot struck one man’s ribs and he screamed. She dropped to a knee, landing an elbow in his eye and knocking him out but the damage had been done. The ones at the front were alert now.

“I hope you are ready, Kara. Now would be a good time to make an entrance.”

The men in front did hear the scream and thought for a moment the back had been breached. Hearing no explosion, the leader silently ordered two men to the back with a look. Neither man made it far before the marble floor exploded in front of them, a figure in red and blue flying out and hovering over them.

Kara landed quickly and moved, grabbing the two men in front of her by the arms and tossing them out the windows of the museum into the street beyond. One man fired at her, the bullet striking her harmlessly. Another fired, more in panic. The heroine caught this to avoid a deflection into a hostage.

Using her heat vision on the guns, she swept over all three, melting them in less than a second and clipped all of their knees. Taking two by the collars she threw once more, their bodies jointing their comrades outside through the shattered window.

One remained. He pulled a handgun from behind his back and aimed.

“It’s you.”

“I get that a lot.” Kara admitted. “Put down the gun or I will break every bone in your body and I will look cute doing it.”

The man showed no signs of doing so the blonde helped him out, taking the weapon and breaking it in her fist.

“Do you want to catch a ride outside like your friends or would you rather be knocked out here?”

“Wh… what?”

Kara nodded to Alex who struck the back of the man’s head, sending him into darkness.

“Think the guys outside are still alive?”

“Probably. Okay Manhunter, disarm the bomb.”

“Manhunter?”

“I can’t call you Martian Manhunter so Manhunter it will be. Should I call you the Girl Wonder?”

“I would never hurt you, Kara. But if you ever call me that I will kill your cat.” Alex threatened. “And I am not disarming a bomb. That is more your thing. If you need a body taken apart or put back together call me. I’ll be making sure the hostages stay calm.”

Alex walked away towards the hostages who were still in shock, looking at the hole in the floor, the red and blue clad blonde and the woman in a strange suit and very strange armor.

“Everyone calm down. Supergirl is going to disarm the wires on the bombs and you can all leave in an orderly fashion.”

“Yep, just gonna disarm this bomb. Lets see… hey Manhunter, take them to the back, just in case for some reason that wouldn’t be my fault, I screw this up and cross the wrong wires.”

Alex agreed with that sentiment and led the twenty two hostages to the back she had recently cleared, pleased to see the bad guys were still out cold and she wouldn’t have to waste ammo on any of them.

Kara was left with a problem.

“Okay, this shouldn’t be a problem. We figured out how to turn the Phantom Drive into a Phantom Zone projector, so… yeah. Doesn’t look to complicated… for an art major who dropped out after one semester.”

Outside the police had the men thrown out the windows in custody. After five minutes the doors to the front opened up and Supergirl stood in the entryway.

“The hostages are coming out.” she told the men. “Gunmen left inside are unconscious.”

Stepping to the side, the hostages did come out in an orderly fashion, by running and screaming. Alex moved back to the roof inside while police rushed in from the front past Supergirl to the unconscious robbers in the back.

“So that went better than expected.” Kara told the SWAT commander who walked up to her.

“Thank you.” he told her gratefully and offered his hand which she took with a light grip.

“Thanks for trusting me. Maybe we can work together in the future. The bomb in the back is still active. I didn’t want to push my luck with two of them. Might want to call in your bomb squad. I should go.”

“Thank your partner for us as well.”

“Are you kidding? I’m telling everyone I did this on my own.” Supergirl told him with a wink and was rewarded with a smile. Without another word, she shot to the sky, picking up Alex from the roof and carrying them both to the DEO base in the desert.

“Connolly has your bike and clothes. Not bad, Alex.”

“Not to bad yourself. My entry was much more subtle than yours.”

Kara shrugged her shoulders. “I needed a shock and awe element for my plan to work. The National City police are grateful for your help.”

“Grateful? That was awesome! We went in and I got to… and you came up from underground and… it was awesome. All we were missing were bad guys with bad accents, a hundred more floors and running barefoot on broken glass as we would have totally went Die Hard on them. So what’s next?”

“Uh, excuse me?” an agent interrupted before Kara could answer.

“Yeah?”

“There is someone out front to see you. The large Czarnian with the red eyes? He has a skull on the front of his bike now. We are pretty sure its fresh. Anyway he said he needed to talk to the hot blonde in a skirt with severe anger management problems. We think he is talking about you, but that is in no way a comment on your hotness or emotional state. Just his words.”

Kara looked at her sister, all joy from her eyes gone now and answered her question.

“Looks like Myriad is next, Alex.”