Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Life Equation

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 12:

“I can’t believe you are eating another one of those.” Kell said, looking at Kara who was stuffing a third footlong chilidog in her mouth. She had already gone through three nachos and the white Meteors jersey she wore was marked by cheese, chili, and mustard stains.

“I can’t believe you aren’t. Your jersey is clean. That’s not the way baseball jerseys are supposed to be after a game.” Kara told him between bites. “I swear Cherry Coke is the greatest beverage in the universe. I have to learn the recipe. From looking at the label, it would seem all the ingredients can be harmful to humans so there must be a way to mix them safely. Still, humans wouldn’t drink this if it was harmful to their bodies, right? That baseball cap and jersey look really good on you by the way. How does mine look?”

Kell could barely contain a grin. Wearing glasses, blue jeans an oversized jersey and a baseball cap with her hair pulled through the back in a ponytail, she certainly did not look like the awe inspiring beauty from Argo City. There was a slight mustard stain on the corner of her mouth as she smiled widely while watching the professional players playing a ‘ baseball ‘ game.

Instead of beautiful, she looked… cute. Adorable even.

“I think it fits you well.” Kell told her sincerely.

Kara looked at him for a moment, her wide smile disappearing. “It fits me well?”

“There you are… fishing for compliments once again.” Kell needled her, laughing.

“Yes! We should go fishing next! But I was not, as you put it, fishing for compliments. I just want to know if I look like a fool.” Kara asked, bottom lip pushed up.

Kell shook his head and smiled at the pouting woman. “ You look adorable .”

Kara blushed for a moment than smiled once again. “I think you should try glasses out. They are really kind of cool for blending in.”

“I’m not wearing glasses.” Kell told her adamantly.

“Why not?”

“Because.”

“Because?” Kara asked. “Because isn’t a reason.”

“Of course it is. It’s the best reason. It encapsulates all possible responses and shortens it into an easily understood sentence of one word.” Kell said.

Kara thought of pointing out the errors in his reasoning and grammar but decided to let it be since a player had just hit the ball. Kell stood up with the rest of the large crowd to cheer.

“Sit down, Kell. It’s going to be caught five feet short of the fence.” the girl informed him.

Seconds later, Kara’s statement was proven true.

“Five feet! How did you know it would be five feet?” Kell asked, amazement on his face.

“Baseball is a sport no different really than sports we had on Krypton” Kara explained, careful to make sure they weren’t overheard by the surrounding fans. “When a ball is involved, it becomes a simple matter of physics. When you take the speed of the pitch, the altitude of the area in relation to sea level, wind speed, the temperature fluctuations, the wood of the bat as opposed to other materials and the back spin force created by the pitch, one can easily deduce the likely landing spot for a ball. When you add in the degree of the angle in regard to the swing, then it became obvious where the ball is going to go once it was struck.”

“You are serious?” Kell asked her.

“I never joke about science.” Kara stated.

Kell shook his head. “If we were… home, you would never be able to tell any of those things.” he pointed out.

“Of course I would. I would have Kelex analyze the pitches in slow motion…”

“Stop.” the man told her. “This is a problem. You came here to explore and instead you are breaking everything down into equations. When you were with the dog, flying above the field, you weren’t analyzing anything. You were just having fun, enjoying the experience. When you flew above the Southern Continent you were lost in the experience. Here you have a great experience to enjoy but instead you are analyzing hits and pitches. Why can’t you let yourself enjoy this? Is it because flying isn’t involved?”

“I am enjoying this!” Kara protested.

Kell took a deep breath and looked around the stadium. There was close to half the population of Argo City in this baseball park. They had luxury seats on the first base side of the field, just under the second deck where people actually brought food to them for a price. It was a close game against a rival team and the atmosphere was electric.

“Close your eyes.” he told her. “Feel the excitement in the air. Smell the food, listen to the cheers. Can you feel the tension? The way the heart beats and breaths seem to hang on every at bat? Let yourself feel it, Kara. Not everything is about science.”

Kara shrugged her shoulders and straightened her cap. “You are right. I’ll stop analyzing… everything. There is a certain electricity, an excitement that doesn’t make sense here. How does it feel to you? What do you think about baseball?”

Kell watched the next pitch, a swing and a strike and felt the crowd deflate then begin cheering once again.

“I think I am very impressed. On our…” Kell stopped, looking around him though no one was paying attention. “On our old home, I doubt our best… athletes could accomplish what these hum… humorous people have. The speed and power of the swings, the speed of the pitches, the agile play in the field, it is amazing. We definitely need new sports once we reach our… new home.”

Kara smiled, enjoying the innocent joy in his voice. He really was excited. Perhaps it was true, Kara did have a habit of breaking things down to their simplest level and could sometimes miss the big picture in front of her, except when it came to flying. Flying still gave her the greatest feeling of freedom she had ever experienced.

“I need some of this cotton candy the woman is offering in the row above.” Kara told her partner. “Could you get me some?”

“Hold on, the inning is almost over.” he mumbled, watching the field intently. “Two on, two outs, need a run and the fourth batter in the lineup is up to bat. He’s going to hit a homerun and win the game. I can feel it.”

“I checked his stats on my phone and the probability of him…”

The crack of a bat told Kara that the batter had made contact. She looked quickly and stood beside Kell and the other 15,000 humans that were in the park and cheered as the ball sailed high over centerfield.

“See what I mean?” Kell asked, his eyes wide, arms in the air. “Not everything can be measured by science and probabilities. Sometimes you have to go with your gut. Can you believe the energy in this stadium? It’s incredible!”

Kara smiled and took his hand as he cheered loudly with the rest of the home team fans, enjoying the feeling as well. One thing she was certain of, baseball and sports victories engendered close to a joyful mass hysteria. It was one she found herself caught up in, though she had no reason to.

The two Kryptonians walked hand in hand through the concourse as fans filed out of the stadium.

“That was amazing. I will have to thank Mr. Wayne again.” Kara told Kell.

“Were you bummed that Kal El couldn’t make it?” he asked, knowing the answer.

“Of course not! We did literally jump into his life from nowhere. He can’t rearrange everything on short notice. He has a job and other responsibilities.” She told him. “Tomorrow we go to National City to get Alex and I am sure he will be with us as much as possible. He does have to save this world often.”

Kell understood. “So, kind of bummed?”

Kara grinned a bit, surprised as she often was by how easily Kell saw through her at times. “Yeah, I wish he were here, but it’s kind of cool… just the two of us. I liked it and you look pretty… good in that jersey. Hey! I’m going to buy a baseball and go back to the field! Maybe I can get an autograph if any players are still hanging around.”

“What is an autograph?” the man asked.

“The player signs his name on a ball.” the girl explained.

“Why?” He asked, perplexed.

“So people can… collect them I guess.”

“Signing an object makes it collectible?”

“It does on this planet… that I am from.” Kara told him, aware of humans surrounding her.

Kell looked around, a sudden feeling they were being watched coming over him. He peered over Kara’s shoulder and saw Hal Jordan, dressed casually, meaning no glowing green suit or ring. Hal caught his eye and motioned up. Kell nodded, understanding what the man wanted. The Lanterns were here.

“Buy a ball, seek these collectible signatures and I will step outside for some air… literally.”

“Oh… you want me to come?” Kara asked, understanding immediately.

Kell shook his head and let go of her hand. “I got this. Have fun and we will meet at the gate. It shouldn’t take long.”

Kell left Kara behind, walking out with the crowd and looking to the sky, trying to find a glimmer of light that may give away Kelex’s whereabouts in the cloaked ship above. Giving up, he pulled his phone out and called the irritating robot.

“This is Kelex, how can I help you?” the unit answered politely.

“Are the Lanterns on board?” Kell asked, already irritated.

“Five are, Jordan is on his way up. Would you like me to land? I know you aren’t keen on flying… or at least not good at it.”

Kell clenched his teeth, not for the first time wanting to use his newfound strength to rip the tin can to shreds. “There is an alley four blocks away, north of the stadium. Move the ship over the clouds, uncloak and I will be there.”

“But…”

“For Rao’s sake, can you just do as I ask for once?!”

Kell heard nothing for a moment then a quiet acknowledgement from the Kelex unit.

Reaching his self-appointed area, Kell looked up, took a deep breath and launched, above the cloud in seconds and spotting Kara’s ship. He flew slowly towards the open hatch and walked into the cargo bay, Hal Jordan landing softly behind him.

“Impressive.” A dark skinned Green Lantern told him. “This annoying robot made it seem like you couldn’t fly very well.”

“I’m a fast learner when I need to be. Kell Ur, Flamebird Corp, First Wave Division.”

Hal Jordan, decked out in glowing green, offered his hand. “When we met yesterday, I didn’t mention that there are five other Lanterns assigned to this sector. These are the other five.”

Kell was caught by surprise. Six Lanterns?

“Why are there six Lanterns protecting this Sector? From my early lessons I was told the most any sector had was two.” Kell pointed out.

“Things change. Since the invasion attempt by Darkseid and his Parademons…” the tall black man with no mask began before being stopped by Hal.

“Darkseid was dealt with years ago.” Hal assured Kell. “No reason to bring it up now. Kell, this is John Stewart. The man beside him with the unfortunate hair is Guy Gardner. Kyle Rayner…” the man beside Gardner waved politely, “Jessica Cruz and Jennifer Hayden.”

“Call me Jade. Everyone does.” the green skinned woman told Kell. He noted beside Jade all the other Lanterns were human, something which surprised him considering the Guardians’ past opinion of humans and Earth. He thought if there was a need for human Lanterns in order to blend in, Earth must be a big target for someone or some race. He began to suspect Hal purposefully deflected his question about the high number of Lanterns assigned to this sector. He was a little troubled by that thought, but let it go for now.

“Jade, what planet are you from, if I may ask?” he politely. “I can see the others are human.”

Jade winked at the man, making him feel uncomfortable with the suggestive grin on her face. The Lanterns’ suits didn’t leave much to the imagination, especially the females, nor did her face hold any mystery as to her interest. “All human, mostly. Metahuman. I’ll be glad to tell you all about me sometime before you leave. Maybe if you get a break from bodyguard duty, we could have a drink. Who knows, I may travel to Argo on a little vacation of my own. I didn’t realize the scenery was so nice there.”

Kell was not impressed by her obvious flirting. “I’m sure I will be busy with Lady Kara and the beautiful scenery in Argo City is to her credit.”

“We were wanting to speak to you about her security arrangements, get a timeline of her trip here, where she plans to stay, when she plans to leave and what routes she will take.” Hal told him, giving Jade a warning glance.

Kell nodded his head. “Easy enough. Lady Kara goes where she wants when she wants, usually making last second decisions. She is very spontaneous and impulsive. Kelex can keep you all apprised of her location at any time. While I greatly appreciate the Lanterns assistance, it is important that she does not see or hear you. Lady Kara has been protected her entire life by guards and does not enjoy the feeling.”

The man named Guy Gardner stepped up. “We are here to protect the Princess instead of relaxing at home, where I would like to be. The short blue guys say she needs to be secure, so we are here 24 hours a day, at her service because she decided to take a vacation to Earth. If you want our help, there need to be some rules. I don’t do spontaneous and I am not chasing a Kryptonian all over Earth when she feels like letting loose.”

Kell frowned, not liking his tone. Turning, he moved to face the disrespectful Lantern. “Her name is Lady Kara Zor El, head of the Kryptonian Science Guild. She is not a princess. We do not have a monarchy on Krypton. She is sensitive about being called royalty so I would suggest you not call her by that incorrect title.”

“Sure, she isn’t a princess.” Guy told him. “That’s why we have all been activated to be some secret service for a Kryptonian delegate visiting our planet because she wants to check the place out and be a temporary sidekick to Superman. I might slip and forget the Lady part. I promise no princess though. Maybe she would prefer her highness?”

Kell answered the question by punching the man in the jaw, a blow that shook the ship and sent the Lanterns stumbling back except for Gardner who dropped to the ground unconscious.

Kell looked at the assembled Lanterns as they regained their footing, his anger evident in his posture and face. “All of you, hear me now and understand this… Her name is Lady Kara Zor El and you will address her as such unless she requests otherwise. When your friend wakes up, please remind him of protocol when speaking to or about an esteemed delegate from another planet. He may speak to me as he wishes but if I detect any animosity or disrespect towards Lady Kara, I will assure you he will stay down permanently. That said, there do need to be rules.

“She is not to see any of you unless absolutely necessary. Do not become involved in her affairs unless she, Kelex or I ask you to do so. Even if it appears she is in danger, Kal El or I will be the first to respond if assistance is needed. I will be near her, always.

“If any of you have a problem with this, I can ask the Guardians to assign new Lanterns or we can make do with the three of us. I do not mean to offend or disrespect any of you. I have nothing but respect for the Green Lanterns… most of the Green Lanterns,” he clarified looking down at an unconscious Gardner, “but I was ordered by General Non to ensure she has fun. Being followed and surrounded by security every day and night is not her idea of fun.”

Hal cleared his throat.

“We apologize for Guy. He is new and isn’t familiar with diplomatic protocol. I will have a word with him.” Jordan promised. “When he wakes up I mean… if he wakes up.”

“Tell him to watch his tone when speaking of her and especially to her. It may be best that he doesn’t speak to her at all. She has done more good in her life than he will in a thousand lives.

“All of you are welcome in the ship,” Kell continued, “take shifts if you like and alert the others if there is a need for all of you, so that the majority of you can spend time at home. Whatever you do, when Lady Kara gets in trouble, do not jump in, believing she needs rescue.”

“Trouble? What sort of trouble is she planning on getting in?” the female named Jessica asked.

“Trouble has a tendency of finding Lady Kara all on its own.” Kell’s statement proved prophetic when an explosion was heard far below.

“Case in point.” Kell said. “I’m going to watch. Stay hidden and stay out of it unless called. Thank you for your assistance and when that man wakes up, if he takes issue with me, suggest he go home and stay there.”

Down below Kara waited for Kell, wondering how long the conversation with the Lanterns would last and how much of a pain they would be.

Kal called her, surprising Kara.

“Hi, Kal! The baseball game was just… wow. Please thank Bruce for the tickets. I had no idea cotton candy tasted so good. I just ate a stick of it while waiting for Kell. I also had three footlong chilidogs, two orders of nachos and bag of peanuts. Kell and I ate the shells before we noticed other humans were discarding them and eating the nuts inside. The shells were not tasty but the peanuts were. How is work going? Any important stories to cover?”

Kara flinched back from the phone when she heard what sounded like a small explosion on the other end of the phone.

“Kara, glad I got a hold of you.” Superman started until Kara heard the familiar hiss of heat vision and an explosion again. “I’m not going to be able to make it to dinner tonight. Something has come up. Justice League business. We are in… Bruce, watch out! We are dealing with something in Canada right now…”

“Are you in a fight and calling me?” Kara asked, recognizing the sound of battle from the other side of the phone.

“It’s nothing serious… hold on…”

Kara heard a boom, she suspected from Kal El hitting an enemy.

“It will be fine. Lois wants to know if you might be interested in tacos tonight?”

“She does?”

“Yes, she just called me, and I told her I was about to call you, so she told me to tell you to call her… hold on. Diana, throw him this way!”

Kara heard another strike that sounded like thunder.

“Anyway, as soon as I am done with this I will be there, I promise.”

“Okay… do you need my help?” Kara asked hopefully.

“No,” Kal El told her, “They aren’t strong, just a lot of them and moving towards an inhabited area. You two have fun. I will call you back.”

The call ended, leaving Kara staring at the phone in her hand. Kal El was off performing heroic deeds and she was here, wondering what a taco was and where the hell Kell was. There was really only one option available to her

“Siri,” Kara asked, holding the phone close to her mouth. “What is a taco?”

Before Siri could answer an explosion occurred, one not far from the stadium. She didn’t need her enhanced eyesight to see a giant plume of flame and smoke rising from a tall building along with a binding light. The blonde didn’t waste time, running to the first alley, hiding her clothes in her handbag and changing into her uniform then took to the sky after hiding the bag and changing behind a dumpster. It occurred to Kara that if she continued doing this, she would definitely need a more efficient way to change.

She arrived at the site of the explosion, the sign outside identifying it as something called “S.T.A.R. Labs Metropolis”, pleased to see the event seemed to be contained to the seventh floor. Smoke still poured from the spot where the building had been breached and an eerie light illuminated the smoke, but no raging fire was seen.

Instead she saw something worse than fire when she entered into the hole on the seventh floor that the explosion had made. Beyond the smoke caused by small fires of wooden desks and chairs around her, the room was glowing brighter, literally, as if bathed in pure sunlight.

Alarms were going off in the building and she could hear hundreds of employees rushing for the exits above and below her.

A glance around told her this was indeed a research lab. Kara knew a thing or two herself about lab accidents that could lead to structural damage, having been the cause of a few herself.

She was concerned that the brightest glow was from the inside of what had once been a closed room with thick walls and the scraps of a large device for unknown purposes. Inside that wall was a large glowing cube, emitting the light covering this floor.

Squinting her eyes, focused on the glowing cube her foot almost stepped on something soft, biological and probably human.

Expecting to see a dead body, Kara was shocked to see a breathing unconscious woman in a torn and blackened containment suit. Instead of third degree burns and having difficulty breathing, the woman was unconscious and glowing as bright as the room itself. The blonde knelt next to her, close enough to make out the name on the suit, Dr. Karen Faulkner.

“Dr. Faulkner? Can you hear me? I need to know what you were working on. No need to be embarrassed, I’ve been known to cause a few explosions myself, but I need to know what that cube is and what kind of energy is in your body right now. Can you wake up for me?”

The small glowing woman remained breathing and her heartbeat was strong, but she showed no indications of waking up.

“Okay,” “Kara whispered. “I will figure it out.”

The blonde looked at her surroundings, hoping to find a computer station that was still standing but having no such luck. She did see the remains of the steel door that had been blown off the room that had been holding the device and the cube.

Moving at superspeed, Kara recovered the metal from the room and used her heat vision, securing a makeshift bunker once again. The glow in the room dimmed but Dr. Faulkner’s body remained bright.

A fire crew had arrived at the floor’s emergency stairwell. Kara moved to the hallway to stop them.

“Don’t come in here! Make sure the building is evacuated. I have a woman in here struck by an unknown radiation source. I haven’t measured the radiation levels in the room yet. Your men could die from exposure.” Kara calmly told the firefighters at the foot of the stairs.

All firefighters recognized her from the cell phone pictures and video school kids had posted on the internet.

“Hey,” the one with the Captain’s title on his thick jacket said. “You’re Superman’s sidekick. Where is Superman?”

Kara clenched her jaw and closed her eyes briefly. “Busy. You have me. Do as I say or risk your men’s lives. Either way, I have work to do.”

Kara left the stairs and went back to Faulkner who was lying on the floor, still unconscious. She looked up and used her X-Ray vision to ensure the floor above was clear.

“Okay, Dr. Faulkner. I am going to have to move you now. I can’t leave you alone and I need a computer to find out what you were working on and what that cube is.”

Kara shook her head. “Why am I talking to her even though she is unconscious? This is why I have always stayed away from patient care.”

Kara lifted the small woman in her arms and moved quickly to the stairwell, moving up a floor above. To her relief, the laboratory here did seem mostly intact. The main computer console on the far wall was operational thanks to what she guessed was an emergency power source that had kicked in after the explosion.

Setting the doctor gently on the ground, Kara moved to the terminal. She had hoped terminal would be open, but unfortunately the system needed a username and password.

“I don’t have time to play guess the password with a human computer.” the girl mumbled, quickly taking the computer apart then putting it back together again after making some hard drive modifications. The screen lit up and Kara had full access to S.T.A.R. Labs research records.

Finding Doctor Faulkner’s records was easy enough. She had only been working on one project.

It was an energy processor using a bioengineered actualizer with the hope of using solar radiation, along with other harmless solar radiation, and the ability of plant life synthesis to create a clean reusable energy source.

“Props, Doctor. Nice idea, right track but not going to work. Also the safety systems… they were tampered with. The actualizer was turned off. With no biological plant life to harvest, the energy needed a release and exploded, dousing the room… and you in its radiation. So, I can go find a biolab somewhere and create a natural photosynthesizer to bring the cube back under control.”

“What am I going to do about you though?” Kara hadn’t turned around during her search, but she did hear the groans of the woman as she rose. “I’m glad you are up. I need your help…”

Kara’s request was cut short when a large hand grabbed her hair from behind and flung her to the far wall and through it.

The blonde rose to her hands and knees, shaking her head to clear it, not knowing where an alien could have come from that was strong enough had come from.

What Kara saw running through the hole in the wall her body had been used to create did not appear human but judging by the even more shredded remains of the containment suit, she knew the 7 foot tall, muscular, orange skinned woman was Dr. Faulkner.

And she was growing larger.

The orange skinned demon rushed Kara as the blonde slid out of the way just in time to avoid the oncoming charge.

“The cosmic radiation cocktail is using your biometrics as a battery. It’s mutating you. This is not good. Dr. Faulkner? Karen? Any chance you might calm down while I figure out how to fix this?”

The woman swung again, hitting Kara in the jaw, dropping her. Kara opened her eyes to see two fists crashing down from above and rolled once again then stood.

“I’m sorry about this.” the blonde told her, swinging her fist, just as her Aunt had taught her, into the very large woman’s jaw, sending her to the floor.

The blonde watched the orange skinned human, hoping she was unconscious.

Instead she saw the woman grow two more feet and gain more mass.

“That’s not good.” Kara whispered.

Faulkner stood with a roar and punched Kara in the chest, sending the blonde through a wall and out into the air outside the lab. Kara fell a story then caught herself in midair. Before she could take a breath, she realized Faulkner had jumped out the window after her. Kara, not knowing if a fall from that height would kill the woman or just make her angrier, allowed herself to be knocked to the ground, keeping her body between the mutated human and the ground.

The fall did nothing to Faulkner who raised a fist and crashed it into the pavement where Kara’s head had been a half second before.

Breaking free from the creature, Kara took in her surroundings, saw some people running for their lives, fireman and cops surrounding the scene, some cops with weapons drawn and quite a few cameras flashing.

“Dr. Faulkner, we can’t do this outside. What I need to save you is inside the building. I’m sorry I have to do this.”

Kara attacked, dodging swings and throwing her own into the broad chest of her adversary. She kicked twice to the woman’s shin bone, causing the creature to bend down slightly then raised her fist and launched, delivering an uppercut that lifted the mutant off her feet.

Faulkner’s gigantic form tried to sit up after hitting the ground, only for Kara to slam both her hands against the woman’s ears, stunning her, then a follow up strike to the back of her neck sending her into temporary unconsciousness.

Satisfied that her foe was unconscious for the moment and still breathing, Kara lifted the large being, wrapped her arms under the massive shoulders and flew them both back to the seventh floor. The blonde tossed the mutated doctor to the floor and wrapped both arms around her neck, as the woman slowly came to and began to rise… only for her air to be choked off. It was a move Kara had learned from her aunt, a simple way to cut off oxygen to an attacker without killing them.

It was working. Faulkner became limp and Kara lay her back on the ground when she was assured the woman was still alive and would hopefully be out for a while. At least long enough for Kara to do what needed to be done.

Cracking the door to her makeshift bunker, Kara took a moment to study the cube, peering deeply with her vision then looked at the ceiling.

“A fail safe was here, probably a bio fluid that would drown the cube and absorb the energy then pipe it into a containment unit on a sublevel. But the fluid was rerouted and drained. Someone sabotaged your work and you became the bio battery. I have to draw this energy out of you, or its going to kill you… soon.”

Kara looked around the lab, cataloguing every available tool and component she saw. “You’ve got skill, Dr. Faulkner, to pull this off in a substandard lab. The energy isn’t going to switch from one biometric receptor, like you, to a biofluid. I’m going to have to draw this energy out and it will probably hurt but it won’t kill you. Maybe. But if I don’t, you will die. Nobody, no race can contain and evolve this quickly to a mutation. Okay, Kara, one portable energy containment and dispersion unit, coming right up.”

Kara moved quickly, gathering tools, taking sheets of metal and cutting them with her heat vision, seeking out chemicals that would give her the correct mixture she needed.

Eventually she had a circular, makeshift metal device with a 12 inch diameter polymer shield covering the front, facing away from her palm.

The blonde spied her last needed item, duct tape. She wrapped the metal disk around her right hand, and turned, just in time to use her left to catch Faulkner’s large fist from striking the back of her head.

Kara pressed her right shielded palm to the woman’s chest and as she hoped, the cosmic rays began flowing from the orange skinned monster’s body into the polymer shield which broke it down into the empty radiation chamber just behind it, pressed to Kara’s hand.

Kara pushed Faulkner to her knees and was pleased to see the woman begin shrinking, her bones returning to their previous state, her skin paling from the bright orange it had been.

Once the pull stopped, Kara released the woman and listened, grateful that she was still breathing.

“Okay, it worked. Now I need to get rid of this thing before it goes critical. Not the best material for holding this much cosmic energy.” she admitted and flew away, straight up into the sky.

Kara was not sure what effect flying in space would have on a Kryptonian and had no desire to find out. She flew as high as she could before the air thinned out and then tossed the device towards what would be considered open space. Once it has reached maximum height she struck the small object with her heat vision, watched it blow up in a flurry of energy and relaxed when the radiation began to dissipate into the near vacuum it has been blasted into.

She decided not to waste time admiring her handiwork, knowing a very human Dr. Faulkner was still in the lab with a dangerous cube that was only contained by a makeshift bunker put together with previously shattered metal and heat vision.

Flying back into the seventh floor seconds later, she was relieved to see Dr. Faulkner was regaining consciousness. “Dr. Faulkner? Can you hear me?”

The dazed woman nodded her head.

“Do you feel any desire to hit me?”

“What?” the woman asked, very confused.

“I’ll take that as a ‘no’.” Kara told her, relieved. “I have access to the system, but I need you to tell me which biofuel you planned to douse the solar cube with? The fail-safe was empty. I can fill the pipeline and manually input the security procedures, but I don’t have time to analyze each of the possible candidates. What were you planning on using?”

“Compound 3416.” the woman whispered.

Kara was back minutes later, kneeling beside the slowly recovering woman, watching with her X Ray vision as the fluid compound flooded the room containing the cube, liquifying and draining it to a sublevel liquid storage center deep underground.

“It’s done.” Kara told the woman who was being held in her arms. “How do you feel?”

“Every bone in my body hurts.” Faulkner admitted.

Kara was not surprised. “Your body just went through a transformation in a quick amount of time, your bones grew as did your organs. They have returned to their former state but that kind of traumatic activity to your system is going to have to be watched carefully. I don’t know what the long term state of your health will be, so you will need to be monitored constantly. I’m going to carry you out of here in my arms and you can be taken to a hospital. Is there a colleague you trust? Someone who specializes in perhaps metahuman studies, or altered DNA?”

The woman nodded. “I trust all my colleagues.”

Kara frowned a bit, lifting the woman gently into her arms. “Maybe you shouldn’t. Your safety systems and containment plans were sabotaged. Be careful and if you need anything from me, call the Daily Plant and ask for Lois Lane. She can get a message to me and I’ll be there for you.”

Kara watched the woman give her a faint smile and wave before she was loaded into an ambulance. Before she could go back and retrieve her bag, a middle aged man in a lab coat approached her. He had blonde hair, a clean shaven face and manicured hands she noted when he offered her his. He also had a face that Kara thought resembled an ‘Earth Weasel’.

“Supergirl, right?”

“Kara Zor El, but Supergirl works.” she told him, shaking his hand, wishing she didn’t have to. Something about the man gave her a bad feeling.

“Dr. Thomas Moyers, director of S.T.A.R. Labs, Metropolis branch. The monster that you took back in the building… was that Kitty?”

Kara raised an eyebrow, wondering why he would associate the orange skinned woman she had just fought with a kitten.

“I mean Karen. Dr. Faulkner?”

Kara nodded her head. “Her fail safe was tampered with, bio fluid drained and she was doused with the energy from the power source she created when the cosmic ray mixture went critical and couldn’t be contained. It caused a mutation. I was able to drain the radiation from her and disperse it in the sky. She will need to be monitored closely. She has had quite a shock to her system.”

Moyers took this in, his heartbeat increasing and sweat forming on his brow.

“Any idea who may have wanted to place her in danger, possibly kill her and ruin her experiment?” Kara asked, suspicion already pointing to the agitated man in front of her.

The man shook his head nervously. “No idea. Kitty was working on a revolutionary clean energy source, one that could change the planet in regard to how we use our natural resources.”

“One that is brilliant.” Kara stopped him, “though slightly flawed in its design. Biocontainment, living cells such as plants storing energy and harvested, is a good idea but the cells are too weak to ever be contained by anything other than the liquid source made as a failsafe and that has to be contained because of radiation after use. It’s a great idea but not feasible.

“It is also an idea that if someone thought it could work, would place many stakeholders in current nuclear, fossil fuels and solar energy properties at risk of losing their hold on the energy market. The type of stakeholders who would have no problem offering one of your scientists a great amount of money to make sure it never happened.

“I’ll be giving a report of the incident to a Government agent I know, who is also a bioengineer. I’m sure her organization would be willing to look into this case.”

The man swallowed hard, his eyes shifting, refusing to meet Kara’s eyes. “S.T.A.R. Labs has always handled investigations in house. Involving Government agencies and having to disclose propriety research is not our policy… so…”

“So… it’s too bad for you that I don’t work for S.T.A.R. Labs.” Kara interrupted him. “Be sure to give Dr. Faulkner the best treatment and ensure nothing happens to her. A death would defintely bring your lab under more scrutiny than just one Government agency. I will be going now. I have a feeling we may meet again, Dr. Moyers.”

Kara took the sky above the clouds and then dropped back down quickly, landing in the alley she had left her bag in. She was surprised to see a man there holding her bag.

A man wearing Kryptonian battle armor with two high powered handguns stuck to his hips and a rifle magnetically linked to his back, his face covered by a dark visor that was attached to his helmet.

“Kell?” she asked like it could be anyone else.

“I thought we were going to meet by the gate?” the man asked, humor in his voice.

Kara stepped closer and saw the small flaming red bird insignia on his chest plate along with a blade under it. “First Wave? Tip of the blade?”

Kell shrugged his shoulders. “We were all assigned somewhere. It’s not Red Shard unit but I enjoy the challenge.”

“Any reason you are dressed like this, now?” Kara asked.

“Just in the event you needed your masked sidekick who is defintely not Kryptonian and only uses handguns to come to your aid.” She could hear the humor in his voice and relaxed.

“You were watching?” she guessed.

“Of course. I watched you fight an orange monster while building science projects. How does your face feel? You took quite a few shots, but you look as beautiful as ever.”

Kara laughed at his tone, blushing once again. “Benefits of a yellow sun. I feel like a brand new person. So where were you?”

“Roof of the building across the street. I kept my rifle aimed at the unfortunate doctor in the event she needed to be put down, stunned or otherwise.”

“Watching my back, huh?” Kara asked.

Kell shrugged his shoulders. “You’re my partner. I have no doubt should I ever need you to watch my back, you will. I believe that’s what partners do for each other. Or am I wrong?”

Kara shook her head and smiled. “I think you got it right. So how long have you been waiting here?”

“Long enough to find out what a ‘taco’ is. It should be a treat. I’ll head to the roof and change into something a bit more casual. I saw a phone booth four blocks away you could use to change.”

Kara smirked. “A phone booth? I think I’ll hide behind the dumpster, soldier boy.”

An hour later, thanks to a long cab ride and backed up traffic due to the incident at S.T.A.R. Labs, Kara and Kell reached Lois and Clark’s apartment. The three had a nice dinner, both the Kryptonians trying every type of taco Lois had delivered and leaving no leftovers for Clark.

The hour was late, and Kara was tired. She thought of waiting up for Kal El, but her eyes were slowly closing. Kell noticed and suggested she go to bed.

Kara stood up and moved towards the room before turning back and holding her hand out to Kell.

“Yes?” He asked, obviously puzzled.

“Come to bed. We are dressed. I just want you to hold me, like you did on the couch in Smallville. Would you do that?”

His eyes were wide as he hesitated. “It wouldn’t be…”

Kara interrupted him, not wanting him to argue. “We aren’t on Krypton and we aren’t breaking any rules. Please? I just want to be held tonight.”

Kell took her hand and walked to the bedroom behind her. He left the door open and sat down against the headboard. Kara curled into his side. The man was determined that as soon as she was sleeping peacefully, he would leave her for the couch. He only closed his eyes for a second.

When he opened them again, Kara was stirring at his side and sunlight was pouring in through the window. The blonde smiled up at him radiantly.

“Thanks for staying.” she whispered.

Kell nodded, not really knowing what to say for a moment.

“Let’s keep this to ourselves.” he finally told her with a wink.

The need for further conversation was cut off by Lois yelling.

The two moved quickly to the kitchen where Clark was standing silently while Lois brandished her phone like a weapon.

“I can’t believe this bitch!” Lois screamed, practically shoving the phone in Kal El’s hands.

The man took the object and winced. Noting Kara was up, he cringed and passed the phone to her.

Kara saw the phone was showing Catco’s website with an article by Cat Grant. The headline read ‘Supergirl and unknown alien destroy S.T.A.R. Labs’.

“She is really mad, isn’t she?” Kara whispered to her cousin who looked down sadly in confirmation.

“I’m going to destroy her! Kara! Do not go to National City today! Do you know why she is writing these things? She is baiting you, hoping if she disparages you enough in print that you will confront her, give her the interview she wants. Do not fall for it! I know you are angry but…”

“I’m not.” Kara told her, stunning the reporter to silence.

“But… she wasn’t even there, and she is saying you purposely…” Lois tried to explain before Kara stopped her.

“She doesn’t matter.” the blonde told her softly. “I know what I did there and it wasn’t so anyone could write flattering headlines about me. A woman needed saving. I did my best to save her and I succeeded. This ‘Cat Grant’ person is irrelevant. My people, Kryptonians, know who I am… they know what I do, and they know where my heart lies. I don’t care what some lady in National City or anyone else says about me. I don’t have to prove myself to anyone on this planet.

“Let it go, Lois. Anger gets you nowhere. Write what you believe, let her write whatever she believes. None of it will change anything. I’m going to National City today to find Alex and then we will begin exploring this world in greater detail. I’m here to learn and have fun. I may go to a beach tomorrow. Kell and I have talked about an amusement park and seeing the views from mountaintops. I hope you and Kal can join us as much as possible. I have no plans to talk to Cat Grant. She just doesn’t matter. If she is so petty about not getting an interview that she would attack a person in print, what does that say about her? Why would I validate her attack by commenting on it?”

Lois said nothing, calming down a bit outwardly, but her fire still seething underneath.

Kara looked at her cousin, noting he had a fond smile on his face as he looked at Lois. “Kal, I am going to write a report on what happened yesterday with all the details for Alex to examine. I also believe a Dr. Thomas Moyers sabotaged Dr. Faulkner’s experiment, probably bribed by people who had a vested interest in seeing her fail. I would be glad to make you a copy. You said Bruce is very good at investigating these kinds of things, correct?”

Kal wrapped Kara in a hug, squeezing her tight. “That would definitely be something Bruce would love to look into. I know a reporter who might be interested in a story like that as well.”

“Fight you for it, Smallville.” Lois said, the investigative fire back in her eyes.

“Awesome, dude.” Kell said. “Are there any foods resembling tacos that could be eaten for breakfast? I’m buying.”