Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Life Equation

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 05:

The two cousins sat in front of each other, away from the others, Kara only taking her eyes off Kal El to look in wonder at a place she had not been to since she was five.

“I can’t believe he did it. I mean, I can, but wow. He actually stored his work, a Kelex unit, all this in a crystal. This is amazing. Father didn’t think he could do it. I shouldn’t be surprised. Uncle Jor was brilliant and he did spend quite a bit of his time researching Kryptonian crystals. Still it’s amazing. There are even those statues of him and your mother holding up Krypton. Father would roll his eyes every time he saw it and said he was compensating for something. I was never quite sure what he meant, but I assumed those statues were some sort of load bearing wall.”

Kal El coughed to hold in his laughter. “So… how are you alive… and here?” he asked.

Kara told him the story of Argo City, what her father had done and the Phantom Zone, and her role in the escape from the timeless area.

“Wow,” was all he could say. “Can I ask you… why didn’t my Father try to save Kandor in the same manner?”

Kara took a deep breath and released it, hoping he wouldn’t ask but supposed it was bound to come up. “Your Father wanted to. Every City state had a council which had one appointee to the Kryptonian High Council. The High Council would make the major decisions on Krypton. My mother was both Chief Justice on the Argo City Council and our delegate on the High Council. Jor El was the first to suspect and confirm that Krypton was doomed, its core giving out higher radiation signatures and causing more tectonic plate movement than ever recorded. He approached the High Council but not all believed him. Jor El and my Father had already come up with a risky plan, the domes. There was a great debate in the Council, my Mother and her allies in support of Jor El and those who were against the idea, who dismissed the data. In the end, a majority of Council Members refused to acknowledge the fact that Krypton was doomed.”

Kal El shook his head sadly. What she said was the same as his father’s AI had told him. No one would believe him. Or at least the people who had the right influence would not believe him.

Kara continued. “Mother returned to Argo and held a secret city meeting of the Argo City Council. She had Father speak. Unlike the High Council, our people believed Father. They started projects, underground tunnels, while my father worked on the shield generator. Every citizen was encouraged to build fallout shelters, though most were told it was in case of another Daxamite invasion attempt. Those who couldn’t afford them were helped by our engineering and construction Corp at the Council’s orders. An alarm system was set up city wide, signaling our citizens to enter their bunkers and hold tight to whatever they could. Because of the support of the City Council, my father was able to complete his task. Your father had no such help.”

“Politics.” Kal El grumbled, greatly angered at such a senseless loss of life.

Kara nodded her head in agreement. “It was not all politicians, just those with the power to ignore their fears. Your father decided the best way to carry on the House of El was to have a baby and send you to Earth. He also had a plan he was working on with a Green Lantern named Tomar Re. You father believed if we could collect enough of a substance called Stellarium, he could contain the increased radioactivity and reinforce the tectonic plates to hold. Unfortunately, Tomar Re never returned from his search. We have no idea what happened to him. He was a good man and have no doubt he did all he could. We all thought we would have more time. The final quake occurred faster than anyone could have guessed. You were barely sent away in time and I have told you what happened to us.”

Kal shook his head, his sorrow at what had been lost to both of them evident. “90,000 citizens of Argo… killed, along with the rest of the planet. I am truly sorry, Cousin.”

Kara sighed wistfully. “I am as well, but the most important thing is our people live on through us. I wanted you to know you are not alone. I can take you back to Argo City with us. If you want of course, I would be glad to have you, Cousin. All our people would. Within the next three years we will be terraforming a lifeless planet and bringing life back to it. We will start a new Krypton.”

Kal El smiled at the idea but from the look in his eyes, Kara knew he would say no. “You have built a life here, haven’t you?”

Kal El nodded. “I was found by a loving couple when I crashed, or landed I suppose, Martha and Jonathan Kent. They hid my pod, raised me as their own under the name Clark Kent. I grew up in the State of Kansas and still own the farm in a small city called Smallville. Growing up I began to realize I was different, that I could do things no other human could do. When I turned 18, my Dad showed me the pod I arrived in. I sat inside it and the ship activated, gave me the crystal and told me to find somewhere remote, somewhere unlikely to ever be found by humans, I would find the answers I was looking for. I did so, watched the crystal turn to light, to grow and this place emerge from it. The first time I walked in I met Kelex and then I met… my Father. At least a hologram filled with his knowledge and all I needed to know. He never mentioned what his brother was working on or that there might be other Kryptonians still alive in the Universe. I thought I was the only one until Zod arrived. After he was dead…”

“You thought your people were gone forever. I understand. So you have a life here. Do you live here in the lab?” Kara asked.

Kal El shook his head. “I have always blended in with humans. Once I learned who I was, I visited a married couple, scientists, who a friend knew. They helped me learn more about my powers. Their names were Eliza and Jeremiah Danvers. Alex is their daughter. Jeremiah was killed… perhaps it’s best we do not get into that right now.”

He looked sorrowful, but sighed and continued, “I worked in secret with them to master my powers. I got a job as a junior reporter at a large newspaper in one of the largest cities in the world and have built a career. I also help this planet, try to save the ones who are in danger, fight the battles against stronger enemies that humans cannot fight, whether they are from this planet or beyond. At 24, I donned this suit, one sent with me by my Father…”

Kara interrupted, chuckling. “No. That design is definitely your mother, trust me. She was more into bold colors. She was sort of a fashion icon on Krypton.”

Kal El laughed, the situation feeling a bit surreal. He simply couldn’t believe he was sitting here with a Kryptonian he shared blood with; someone who knew stories of his Mother and Father from first-hand experience. Though his Father’s AI had his knowledge, his personality was a bit dry and he knew nothing of his mother.

“Sorry, go on. Why do they call you Superman? Why not Kal El?” Kara asked.

At times the man wished he would have been called Kal El. “When I became known, I didn’t do interviews or talk to many people. The symbol on my chest resembles an ‘S’, so the media on Earth started calling me Superman.”

Kara’s mouth fell open, a look of incredulity erupting on her face along with a hint of annoyance. “The symbol, our crest resembles an ‘S’? No, it doesn’t! I studied the English alphabet in detail. I have never seen an ‘S’ drawn like our symbol. That is an outrage! Have you set the humans… straight? That’s what correcting an incorrect conclusion means, right? Set them straight?”

Kal El shrugged his shoulders. “By the time I talked to a reporter the name had already stuck.”

Kara could see how this could be a problem. She admitted to herself that perhaps their family crest did resemble an ‘S’ but not by much. She decided to change the subject as the matter was, as humans would say, water under the bridge at this point. “So you still have a job as a reporter? You blend in with humanity?”

Kal seemed relieved at the change in topic too. “Yes. It gives me access and a reason to be in places where trouble occurs.”

Kara was confused by this. “If you are this… Superman… why would you need a reason?”

Kal El grinned at his young, though he supposed older, cousin. “I go by Clark Kent as a human. The general public does not know my true identity. This allows me to blend in, have as normal a life as possible.”

Kara though for a moment. She knew one thing this Earth had was impressive news coverage. “Do you wear an image inducer in your human life? How do people not recognize you?”

Kal El look a bit embarrassed now. “I wear… I wear glasses.”

Kara looked at him for a moment, then snorted, trying to hold it back. Then she was in tears, laughing so hard. She held up her hand to try and catch her breath. “Okay… sorry about that. Are you telling me that a simple pair of spectacles fools humans as to your identity? You are joking, right? Pulling a fast one, screwing with me, man? Something like that?”

Superman shook his head and smiled. “I also don’t have my hair as neat… you would be surprised. It has worked for six years.”

Kara shrugged her shoulders. He would be the one to know. “Wow. Good for you. Still it must be lonely, unable to find a Mate. I know the feeling. I’ve been alone for a long time and I was good with that. I don’t know if I still am, but at least the option is there for me. Being the only one of your kind on this planet must be difficult.”

Kal El cleared his throat. “I actually have a… what we would call girlfriend. From what I understand of Kryptonian traditions, there are potential mates, a decision is made by the Council then mates are bonded for life, correct?”

Kara shrugged. “Councils don’t decide anymore. Argo City has done away with some of the traditions we felt were outdated by the High Council. Because of the destruction of Krypton, we no longer have the Codex so I cannot make a Genesis Chamber. Unfortunately, this means women have to give birth as your mother did. In extreme pain. I don’t want to talk about mating right now. Tell me about this… girlfriend. Do you plan to be happily miserable with her?”

For a second Kal wondered if his super hearing was slipping. “Happily miserable?”

“Yes,” Kara confirmed. “The mating rituals of humans. You find someone you love, stand beside them in front of a judicial or religious leader, promise to love and honor each other until death then you are happily miserable. Is that not correct?”

Kal was about to answer before Kara began laughing. “Sorry, I was screwing with you. I know Earth’s courting procedures are much more lax than Krypton’s. Seriously, as a cousin, I find this icky to talk about, but as a scientist, I have to know. How do you copulate with a human?”

Kal felt the color drain from his face, only to be filled with the warmth of a blush. “I… I would think the same way Kryptonians… what you said.”

“But, everything, including humans are so fragile on this planet.” Kara pointed out, this time looking generally confused, ever the scientist and showing no signs of embarrassment.

“We… are careful.” he finally decided on.

Kara nodded in understanding. “I would guess you would have to be. The pelvis area alone and…”

“Kara.” Kal stopped her. “What about you? Is the young man you are traveling with your Mate? Have the two of you bonded?”

Kara shook her head. “No. I met him a couple days ago for a formal dinner and potential mating interview. That night, my Uncle asked him to accompany here and he did so without hesitation. I… like him, not sure about Mates yet though. But… I think he is mad at me. I’m not sure… I don’t know what to do about him. I was hoping to speak to Alex about this alone, get a human female’s perspective. Girl talk. It’s a difficult subject. Finding a man who would follow me on the journey here, I can’t imagine one who would, so he has that going for him, but… I think I irritated him. He wanted to protect me when we landed here and… I have never needed or wanted protection. It’s just not in me.”

Kara could see the questions in Kal’s eyes, so she explained a little more, opening up some more about her situation and role in her peoples’ lives so he could hopefully understand. She sighed, “Mother is insisting I get bonded, have a Mate, birth children to carry on our House. On top of her demands, I’m under a lot of pressure with my people. I love serving Argo City but despite what I have done to give our people a good life, I am not allowed on the council. I have found several potential planets that could be our new home but am not allowed to explore them. Apparently I am old enough to be the Head of the Science Guild and old enough to be bonded, have children, but not old enough to have a say in the everyday running of Argo City and the path our people should take. It’s all a bit… much. It is kind of like our people are more interested in me getting bonded and pregnant and seem to forget that the air they breathe, the water they drink, the food they eat, the animals that give life to our home, all came from me. It’s like I have done my part with my brain, given them what they want and now I am supposed to use my body as they see fit. It’s a bit much.”

Kal put an understanding hand on her shoulder. “It sounds like you are brilliant, and I have faith you will figure it out. Don’t discount a man who would follow you through hell and throw himself in front of a bullet for you. Also don’t assume there is nothing on this planet that can hurt you. I need to tell you about Kryptonite.”

Kara listened for the next five minutes, becoming angrier. “So, let me get this straight. The Martian is using pieces of our former home, of Krypton, to harm us, to possibly kill you? Why haven’t you reported him to the Green Lanterns yet? Do you not have a method? I realize Earth is too primitive in their notion of warring governments to be considered a higher-level planet, but the Green Lanterns do protect all sentient life if the need arises. I have the means on my ship to contact them.”

Kal El shook his head. “I actually know a human Lantern and often have contact with him. J’onn is watched carefully and the man he took the shape of was not a good man. J’onn has done a much better job than Hank Henshaw ever did… Henshaw was responsible for the death of Jeremiah Danvers, Alex’s father. We have an agreement to stay out of each other’s way. J’onn can lead his organization and as for me, if he should ever try and use Kryptonite against me, I suppose you could say I have other friends, powerful friends that I hope to introduce you to before you leave.”

Kara was intrigued by this, but it was something that could be discussed later. For now, she had a more important matter to attend to. “I need to use your restroom and then I would really like to step outside, if you wouldn’t mind.” Kara told him.

“I’m afraid there isn’t a restroom here.” Kal told her.

Kara rolled her eyes and walked to the wall behind where he was seated. She felt for a moment, then her handprint lit up and a door opened.

“I never knew that was there.” the man mumbled.

Kara was not surprised. “Sounds like Uncle Jor. He will tell you the secrets of the Universe but not mention you had a bathroom. Meet you outside?”

“I’ll be there.” he assured her, then walked off to communicate with Lois and pass on this unbelievable turn of events.

While Kara took care of business for what felt like the first time in days, Kell and Alex stood at the other end of the Fortress listening to two very similar robots talk to each other. Alex was thankful they were speaking English. She felt much better after learning more about this Kara Zor El just from the discussion. Kara activities sounded so… human.

“So… Master Kal El did not activate you until he was 18?” Kara’s Kelex asked his counterpart.

“That is correct,” the other unit responded.

“Does he ever call you by anything other than your designation? For instance Barbie, Fido, Spock, Little Drang, Krypto or Non Jr?”

“No, those are not my designation. Why would he do such a thing?”

“Has he ever jumped on your back and demanded that you float him around a city?”

“No, that would be illogical.”

“Has he ever painted the crest of the House of El on your back with pink paint?”

“Of course not.”

“Have you ever offered him sound advice and guidance and be called an ‘irritating, know-it-all bucket of bolts’ and have your auditory capability deactivated?”

“That would be quite rude.” Kal El’s Kelex responded, sounding shocked.

“Most 6-year-old girls are from my limited experience.” Kelex grumbled before continuing his barrage of questions. “Has he ever made you hold a large drilling bore while following him into unstable ground, in an attempt to reinforce a power shield with a potentially explosive power source?”

“No.”

“Has he ever put makeup on you? Drawn eyebrows above your optical scope?”

“No.”

“Have you ever been forced to take part in pretend formal dinners?”

“No.”

“Has he ever placed you in a dress?”

“Why would he do that?”

“Exactly!” Kara’s Kelex shouted. “Why would someone give such a technologically advanced machine as me to a beyond brilliant five-year-old with no regard for rules? Zor El did. Once she painted the end of my hand digits purple! Would you like to hear about our trip through the ‘Wormhole of Death’ we undertook to reach this planet, all so she could fly and perhaps escape from a potential bonding before she became pregnant? I don’t see the problem. If she were to have children, do you know who would be changing diapers? Me! That’s who. She has been a pain in my receptors since I was activated. She has nearly disintegrated me and herself several times due to what she calls reasonable risk experiments! Disintegration! Does that sound reasonable to you?”

“No, if I were sentient, it would sound terrifying.” Kal’s Kelex unit said, not truly understanding the gravity of the situation.

Kara’s Kelex shook his head. “Trust me, you don’t have to be sentient to be terrified. Be assigned to her for a day. Then you will know terror. As much as I wish to be home, I don’t suppose I could convince you to switch assignments with me?”

“No.”

Kelex dropped his head. “Of course not.”

Alex smirked at a grinning Kell who was watching the conversation. “Sounds like Kara’s robot really hates her, huh?”

Kell shook his head. “No, he loves her. Or as close to love as one can get for a non-sentient unit. I have learned that he takes pleasure in complaining. She has had him since she was five. Considering the twenty years in the Phantom Zone and ten years in space I would think outside of her mother, aunt and uncle, he knows her better than anyone.”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “Even you?”

Kell’s face fell, his expression one of dispiritedness. “I doubt I am anything to her. Perhaps one day, if she will have me. Courting Kara Zor El is not something that is easy to do. I am the first she has ever agreed to spend time with after a first meeting and that was only because I was willing to undertake a suicidal run through space at her Uncle’s request. I would have come regardless. If you only knew… I don’t really know her though. She is the only child of the leader of the High Council of Argo City, the only niece of the leaders of our military. She is the head of the Science Guild, the youngest ever to take that position… brilliant beyond all comprehension. Yet she sneaks on board cruisers to train with her aunt and uncle in hand to hand combat skills and practice learning how to use our powers under a yellow sun using devices that she created. Tell me Alex, are humans still fascinated by what would be considered celebrities?”

Alex smiled, impressed by how much the two Kryptonians knew about Earth. “I suppose you could say that. Why?”

Kell chuckled under his breath. “Because to Argo City, there is no bigger celebrity than Kara Zor El. She is a hero to her people, Krypton’s bright future, her genius only paralleled by her uncle and father. She is beautiful, obviously, but does not seem to realize it. She is set apart, almost revered, held on a pedestal, and I feel… so unworthy of her. Those who have attempted to mate with her are from much more esteemed houses than mine. She has turned them all down. She knows they want her as a trophy, and she will stay single forever rather than allow that to happen.”

Alex watched the man closely, noting it was obvious he was fascinated with the blonde himself and doing a poor job of hiding it. “And you?”

Kell shrugged his shoulders. “I want her just as she is. The problem is one can easily feel unneeded in her presence.”

“You are intimidated by her.” Alex guessed.

Kell opened his mouth to deny this but then simply nodded his head. “She doesn’t need me, not to protect her. Kelex could have handled the weapons on the trip here. I… the more I get to know her, the more I wonder if I am living in a delusion, a false hope.”

Alex smiled, a soft look on her face at the forlorn Kryptonian. “Seems to me, all you can do is be yourself and let her decide if she finds you worthy. You don’t notice how she looks at you, do you?”

Kell looked quickly at the human. “How does she look at me?”

“Like maybe she’s a little afraid of you, of what you could mean.” Alex said. “It can be hard for an independent woman to let herself open up. Maybe she is scared because she likes you. Like really likes you.”

Before Kell could comment, Kara and Kal El arrived.

“Time to go flying!” Kara said brightly, excitement obvious on her face.

Alex was handed a coat by Kal El and the four walked outside. Thankfully it was a calm day, no snowstorms, just a beautiful white landscape.

Kara took a deep breath and closed her eyes, raising her face skyward, enjoying the sun.

Opening her eyes she lifted off, slowly. The blonde was not in a hurry, smiling brightly as she drifted higher in the sky, Superman keeping pace with a bright smile of his own.

The feel of her body, the feel of floating, of the open sky above, made her awestruck, speechless. It was amazing. She looked at her cousin and saw he had worked his way into a different position, his front horizontal to the ground and his arms in front.

“Use your arms, keep them straight and think of them as guiding you where you want to go.” Kal El told her. “Just lie down on the air and think of moving ahead.”

Kara did as he instructed, and it came so naturally to her. She didn’t fly fast, simply basking in the sensation, making slow circles, engrossed in the feeling.

She looked down and saw Kell still on the ground. Swinging her feet towards the Earth, she did just as she did at the Gym and floated slowly to the ground, landing in front of Kell.

“You look beautiful up there.” the man admitted.

Kara reached out her hands to him. “Come with me?”

Kell shook his head. “I don’t think my skill level is on par with yours. I have only floated once.”

Kara kept her arms stretched towards him. “Kell, please come with me. I want you with me.”

The man smiled and reached out, taking her warm, soft hands for the first time since their jump through the wormhole.

Her face vibrant with joy, she said, “Close your eyes and relax. Don’t let go of me. I’ve got you, okay?”

Kell smiled and closed his eyes, reveling the feel of her hands. He barely noticed his feet slowly leaving the ground.

“Open your eyes.” Kara told him softly.

He didn’t look down right away, instead caught in her gaze. Somehow she had moved closer to him, their faces only a few inches apart.

“Beautiful.” the man whispered.

Kara looked towards the ground and he followed. The man was surprised how high they were, and how alone they were.

“You were right about the Kryptonite.” Kara told him. “They have ammunition that can harm us. Maybe I should have stayed behind you.”

“I don’t want you behind me, Kara, I want you beside me.” the man told her softly.

Kara leaned closer as if to kiss him then backed up, clearing her throat. “I promise, we will stay by each other’s side.”

Kara let go of one of his hands and held on with the other, lying out horizontally. Kell followed her lead and began being pulled by her, letting her guide the way.

The man had never felt something so freeing, even in his travels as a child with his father. It was so peaceful he doubted he would need earplugs in at the moment. He glanced often at Kara, specifically each time she laughed. The two had made their way out over the ocean and she was telling him where to look, how to focus his eyes, see the aquatic life under the deep dark water. They drifted over colossal glaciers, high mountains, barren white fields.

The two finally stopped over the Fortress, as Kal El called it.

“I loved Krypton. I wish I could have seen it from this vantage point, no ships, or skimmers, just being free to look with nothing in front of my face. To feel Rao’s light closer, warmer. Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?” Kara asked wistfully.

Kell shook his head and looked at her, taking in the innocence, the joy on her face.

“No, I haven’t.” he told her. The quiet tone of his voice caught her attention and she turned towards him, to find him staring at her.

Kara cleared her throat, her mouth feeling a bit dry.

“Since we are technically in the process of potentially mating… could I kiss you?” she asked impulsively.

Kell reached for her, placing his hands on her cheeks and kissed her slowly. Kara tensed at first, not sure what to do or how to do it, then relaxed and placed her hands on his shoulders.

They finally broke apart.

“Wow. I always wondered what it would be like to kiss someone. I thought… wow.” she told him quietly.

“I never would have dreamed that my first kiss would be with Kara Zor El, floating high above an alien planet.” he told her.

“I’m your first kiss?” She asked, surprised.

The man nodded and the two began to slowly descend.

Once they touched ground, they were greeted by Kelex. “I recorded the event for posterity and used your commlink to send it to your Mother. You broke the two second rule.”

Kara pushed her friend gently in irritation, sending him twenty feet away into a snowdrift.

Thankfully, Kelex shook off the snow and floated back to Kara.

“Sorry? Forgot my strength.” she said, not sorry at all.

“Your pulse and blood pressure are high, and your skin is flushed, all signs of sexual arousal. I would suggest you go jump into the ocean before you violate any other rules.” the robot told her and moved back to the Fortress leaving two very embarrassed Kryptonians behind.