Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Life Equation

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 26:

Alex Danvers had just entered the DEO from the roof where an unmarked, black troop carrier chopper had landed, provided courtesy of Bruce Wayne and the Justice League. J’onn was relieved to see her… at least until he noticed what she was wearing and who the men and women were behind her.

“Alex, what the hell is going on?” J’onn asked her quietly. The DEO agents in the large operation center had stopped working and were taking in the sight of their second-in-command wearing strange, alien armor and equipped with weapons that were definitely not DEO issued, surrounded by people dressed the same.

Alex glared around the room until the agents returned to their tasks before addressing J’onn’s question.

“I brought back up.” she told him.

“Back up?”

Alex nodded. “Yes, sir… ten special forces soldiers from the best military in the Universe.” She explained, not understanding J’onn’s tone. He seemed upset, more than normal. She had thought the man would be grateful for the help.

“I need my top agent, not a human wearing alien armor and leading aliens into battle.” J’onn replied, his voice low, but his anger evident. “You have a team to lead here. I will have a talk with these Kryptonians, place them on standby. They can stay in the DEO…”

“Have you lost your mind, sir?” Alex practically hissed. “We literally have hundreds of androids that could possibly land in this city and I have a group of superpowered soldiers to fight and you want to me to leave them in the DEO?”

J’onn looked at the man in front… tall, dark, with a close, military-style haircut and the short-haired, blonde female standing next to him, grinning.

“They are unknowns.” J’onn pointed out, looking back at his disgruntled second. “They can be used…”

“General Non gave me command of the unit. They aren’t unknowns. I have been training with them when I was able to, and they are my team now. They are also the best chance we have of winning.” Alex cut in.

“But you don’t work for General Non, do you?!” J’onn asked, his voice raised. “I don’t care what command he gave you. Unless you have joined the Kryptonian military, I am still in charge! Wear the armor if you want but I need you with your fellow agents!”

Alex locked eyes with the Martian in a battle of wills. Seeing she was not going to win a staring contest and assuming J’onn was reading her mind, she spoke.

“You assigned me to Kara Zor El, to watch her, answer her questions, show her the planet. Then you asked me to give you information on what was going on. I have done all those things as you asked, and they know I am giving you information. They aren’t hiding anything and are here to help. I have been entrusted with a valuable asset, one placed under my command and you are going to let some personal feud with Superman get in the way of using these men and women to save lives?! That is taking it a bit far, J’onn!”

Alex didn’t shout or even raise her voice, but by her tone and manner, she didn’t need to for him to see how angry and disappointed in him she was.

J’onn took a deep breath and looked over at Kryptonians. During her daily phone call to him days ago, Alex had told him these particular Kryptonians did not speak English, but the blonde was whispering to the tall man who was grinning now as well.

Shaking his head, he looked back at her, his eyes flashing quickly before getting himself under control. “Fine. I’ll assign someone else to lead your team. Do with them what you want.”

J’onn walked off leaving a bewildered Alex, wondering what was going on in his mind. Winn approached her, taking in her impressively dressed new friends.

“So… are these guys all like… Superman?” he asked with wide eyes. “Because that would be so cool. I could make them all costumes after this is over…”

“Not now, Winn.” Alex snapped, irritated with J’onn and taking it out on her friend. “You are my eyes and ears. Be prepared.”

She walked over to the control table and pulled up a map of National City.

“Commander Zol? I can show you where to place our team. I want us split up and move to the points I will show you. Each one has a high rise that will provide good vantage points for snipers… and you have no idea what I am saying.”

“I will pass on your orders.” The blonde that had been whispering to the Commander while Alex had been arguing with J’onn spoke up, surprising her. Alex remembered her name to be Ninna and was the one who had helped outfit Alex with her Kryptonian armor and weapons.

“You speak English?” Alex asked, almost accusingly.

“Bit. Not much as Lady Kara, Kell or General Non, but yes, I speak English… some? I can understand you.” Ninna replied.

Alex shook her head. “When I asked for weapons and armor you acted like you couldn’t speak any English!”

Ninna laughed, obviously amused and in a playful mood despite the seriousness of the situation. “It was fun watching you speak louder as if I was deaf or a loud mouth would make me understand English. It was cute to hear you say ‘comprende?’. I will not say sorry. I liked it.

“So orders? Or maybe you want us to kill shifter or…”

Winn’s eyes widened at the word kill but then relaxed, realizing she hadn’t said human. “Wait, shifter?” the man asked, a puzzled look on his face.

“Kryptonian thing, Winn. She meant invading alien androids.” Alex told him quickly, flashing a quick look at Ninna and the woman seemed to get the hint because she didn’t say anything further.

J’onn had never told Winn about his true nature, not because he didn’t trust him but because he didn’t think Winn could keep his mouth shut.

Alex looked down at the map and began pointing out locations until Zol laughed.

“What?” Alex asked, looking at the man then at Ninna.

“He wonders why you do not have three-dimensional hologram of city, detailing ground points and… real time… oh, what is word… ‘feed’ of where citizens are.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “You want a real time 3-D hologram of the city showing the movements of over 7 million people? We don’t have that. You will figure out who is there when you get to your locations.

“This is pretty simple. Anything falling from the sky, shoot. Anything landing on the ground that looks like an android, shoot. Basically, a lot of shooting. You can run faster than any bike or car so don’t hesitate to use your speed, just try to not fly. I’ll be in the center of the city and have my bike on the ground…”

“I will carry you wherever we need to travel.” Ninna pointed out. “I need to stay with you to give your orders to the others. I have no problemo picking you up, Alex Danvers.”

Alex’s mouth opened slightly then she shook her head and focused. She began pointing out weak points where they should not be backed into, open areas where they could herd the androids and fall back areas while Ninna translated for her Commander. Satisfied, Zol nodded to her once and placed his helmet on, the others falling suit and moved to carry out her orders.

Before Alex knew what was going on, she was in Ninna’s arms, the world blurring past her, then being lifted into the sky before landing on the tallest building in downtown National City… Catco Worldwide Media.

Alex stumbled a bit when her feet hit the ground. She lifted her helmet off to take a breath and turned towards Ninna who had also removed her helmet and was smiling brightly at her.

“A warning would have been nice!” Alex said a little grumpily, still trying to catch her breath.

Ninna shrugged her armored shoulders, still smiling.

Alex huffed. “Enjoy it now. You can’t do that in Argo City.”

“You would be surprised what I can do in Argo City.” The woman told her, a playful edge to her voice Alex had never heard before. It was almost like she was… flirting.

Surely not. The woman was a soldier on a mission, not here for fun. And why would she be interested in a human?

Before Alex could respond, her eyes caught sight of a green flash in the darkening sky. She placed her helmet on and used the vision enhancement to spy three Green Lanterns high above the city. One looked down and waved at her.

“Looks like the Lantern Corp has arrived.” Alex told Ninna. “We have extra manpower for the sky, so let the teams know to move to the ground and stay there no matter what. If the wave passes the Lanterns, a few of us stopping a handful of androids in the sky isn’t worth revealing our advantage.”

Ninna nodded, relaying Alex’s orders in Kryptonese to their group. She then pulled her rifle, Alex hearing the charge as the woman readied herself for battle. After a few moments of silence, Ninna began whispering in Kryptonese. Surprisingly, Alex could hear a solemn tone in her voice and her companion was no longer smiling.

“What were you saying?” Alex asked quietly when Ninna ceased speaking.

“I praying to Rao that we not fight.” she told Alex.

“You are frightened?” Alex guessed. “I know this is a new planet, but we will be fine. We have ten Kryptonians, DEO teams and Green Lanterns. I think we will win. I hope so. Of course, I have no idea about these androids, but our rifles can switch to fire electromagnetic pulses and disrupt whatever power source…”

“I no scared of fight or robots.” Ninna said, interrupting her and shaking her head. “If they make it to planet, it means my General and Lady Kara failed. They do not fail. They die before failing.

“I have watched over Lady Kara for many years… I was 18 when I gave my oath to protect her, it was and is… a great honor. If she fails, the situation is bad. Krypton cannot survive without Lady Kara. I no… do not… like being here. I should be by her side… where I belong.”

Alex was taken back by the seriousness and anxiety in Ninna’s voice. She had been nothing but confident, even a bit humored at the situation… until now. She knew these men and women had protected Kara since she was a very young girl, knew they had watched her grow and understood why she was important to developing a new planet. But there was something else.

“You love her. She isn’t just an assignment to you.”

Ninna looked up at her, eyes glistening, a small smile appearing before her expression turned serious again. “All Kryptonians love her. She gives life to our people when we should have died. Many of us believe she is Rao’s angel in our time of greatest need and his guiding hand. She is strong, a fighter who would give her life for others without hesitation… like Zor El. It is why if androids land, something bad has happened.”

Alex stood quietly for several minutes watching the sky. “Ninna?”

“Yes?”

“While we wait, you think you could teach me some of those prayers?”

Ninna smiled and patted her on the back. “It would be an honor. Repeat after me with your eyes closed and your face to the sky.”

While Alex was learning to pray in Kryptonese, Kal El stood on the roof of the Daily Planet with Alura, Lois and Hal.

Kal El had been in continuous contact with the Justice League members as they had spread quickly across the world thanks to Zatanna, Hal Jordan and John Stewart. John planned to join the Green Lanterns in space while Hal remained with Kal to protect Metropolis with his fellow Kryptonians.

Diana was stationed in London but ready to be anywhere in Europe, while Bruce had a team of young heroes in Gotham.

Shazam, Victor and Wally were in Keystone and Central City.

The Titans were in San Francisco where Rachel Roth waited to take them wherever they were needed most.

The rest were scattered across the world, waiting for reports from the Lanterns about the distance and possible landing spots the enemy could approach. Kal had positioned his fellow Kryptonians throughout the city ready to fight if necessary.

He very much hoped they weren’t needed, Kryptonian or otherwise.

“Your parents would be so proud of you.” Alura said, stepping up next to him. “Are your Earth parents… do they still live?”

Kal shook his head sadly. “My father died when I was 18 of a heart attack. My mother died last year… she was very sick for a long time.”

Alura noted his sorrow and did not push. “I am sorry for your losses. They have done a wonderful job. It is easy to see how many people admire you, not just humanity but the heroes in the room where we met your team. All those extraordinary powers they possess and yet they looked to you with a sense of awe.”

“We all do what we can.” Kal replied, shrugging his shoulders, a bit embarrassed by the praise and changing the subject. “Are you okay, Alura? I know you must be frightened.”

“Terrified.” the woman admitted. “But Kara is with Non and he won’t let anything happen to her. He would die first, and he is very hard to kill. I should know. I’ve wanted to kill him a few times myself over the years, but he still lives.”

Clark laughed softly and shook his head. He had learned much about Krypton and his people from Kara and Kell but what he didn’t see was the way the others acted as a unit, or more to the point, a family. Non, Kara and Kell acted so… normal. Non joked and laughed often, Alura doted on her daughter, worried for her, Kara’s love for her mother was obvious every time she looked at the woman. The tone of her voice, sadness mixed with pride when she talked about her father, the humorous back and forth she had with Jor El’s AI amazed him. Kara picked on Non constantly and seemed to take pleasure in disregarding his orders and, while he appeared to be angry with her often, Kal could tell he truly was not.

Even their Kelex unit was different than his, more… human. While Kal’s unit was great at giving information and analyzing data, Kara’s Kelex acted like a frustrated older brother. They were a family, like any other he had known, closer in so many ways given everything they had gone through with and since the destruction of Krypton.

A family like he hoped to have himself soon, provided he ever worked up the courage to tell Lois about the surprise growing inside her.

These Kryptonians were so much different than Zod. They had every reason to take Kara and run but despite knowing the threat they were facing, remained here. Even Alura, perhaps the most regal woman Kal El had ever met, stood beside him in armor with weapons in hand, prepared to battle for humans she had no reason to care for.

“Your Mother loved you so much.” Alura told him. “I talked to her nearly every day of her pregnancy. She only had a few days to hold you in her arms after you were born but she loved feeling you grow inside her.

“Astra and I thought she was crazy. Her food cravings, the mood swings, swelling feet… not something Kryptonian women had to deal with but she did it gladly. I almost wished I had carried Kara naturally.”

“Really?” Kal asked, surprised.

“Yes, right up until Lara asked me to stay in the room with her during delivery. That ended any fantasies I might have had. Although now I want my daughter to experience the same thing. If I had to have carried Kara naturally, I would. She is worth any amount of pain I would have felt. She will understand that one day when she is a mother.”

Clark nodded, but wondered if Kara would ever come to see it that way. He suspected she would. Kara had too much love in her heart not to share it, to create a life and nurture it.

“I’m almost ashamed to say this, but when I first learned my true nature, I was frightened. My pod, when it activated, was a little creepy I guess.” Kal told her.

“I could imagine. Krypton must have seemed a very different place in your mind when you first learned of it.” Her eyes took on a faraway look. “It was a very special planet. Of course, if you stepped outside the cities, there was a strong chance you would be attacked in under five minutes by predators if you didn’t know what you were doing. Even if you did, you could still be attacked, something Zor learned early in his life but never seemed to care about.”

Clark smiled at the thought of his uncle running through jungles with Kara on his back, fleeing from monsters.

“Yeah, it didn’t help that Jor El put a creepy, crystal skull in my pod. I never was sure what to make of it. When I asked his AI, I was told to put it in a safe place and not to touch it.” Kal told her, remembering the shiver he felt when he saw the skull.

Alura said nothing, and Clark noticed she had stopped breathing. Glancing at her, he saw her eyes were wide.

“Alura?”

The woman was obviously shocked, muttering to herself while still staring at her nephew. “He didn’t tell her. When Kara finds out she is going to kill him. She will figure out a way to kill an AI.”

Kal’s brow furrowed. “I’m confused. Did the skull belong to someone she knew or…” Kal’s question was cut off by the sound of a communicator, like the one Kara carried to keep in contact with her mother.

“I think you are receiving a call.” Kal prodded her. Alura blinked rapidly as if coming out of a daze and grabbed the link. A second later Astra’s image appeared.

“Astra?” Alura greeted her questioningly.

“No, I am the other woman who looks exactly like you and has to do both our jobs.” Astra responded, then relayed her news. “They were successful. The androids are gone.”

Alura let out a sigh of relief, hearing Kal do the same. “Thank Rao, is Kara on her way back…”

“Quiet, sister.” Astra cut her off. “Is a Green Lantern near?”

Hal stepped up beside Alura. “I’m here, General.”

“Hal Jordan. I believe the android launch was a diversion. Did you pull Green Lanterns from Apokolips to defend Earth?”

The man nodded. “Yes, we pulled every Green Lantern in every nearby sector… damn it, he’s attacking Apokolips.”

“May Rao be with you and your Lanterns. Move quickly.” Astra’s image was gone.

Before Clark could say a word, Hal Jordan was speaking into his glowing ring. The sky around Metropolis lit up in a green glow as Lanterns took to the sky throughout the city, no doubt on their way to battle.

“Hal, can you portal there?” Clark asked.

“I can get us close. Let’s go.” Jordan said, stepping back and opening a large green circle.

“Alura, stay and wait for Kara to return. Let the Kryptonians know to stand down and return to the Lake House. I have to go.” Kal said, preparing to dive into the circle.

“Go where?” Alura asked, but already knowing the answer.

“I can’t believe this, but I have to help Darkseid.” Kal told her.

Superman and the Green Lantern launched themselves in the circle of energy that closed behind them once they were through.

Alura looked at Lois Lane who stood with her arms crossed and an annoyed look on her face. “He does things like this. No ‘bye, honey’, no kiss on the cheek, no ‘see you soon’ or ‘would you like me to pick up dinner on the way back?’… just gone.… off to the other side of the world or off to a planet run by a warlord who wants him dead… just gone.

“I should call Bruce and tell him to let everyone stand down. Looks like the party is happening on Apokolips. Maybe Brainiac and Darkseid can kill each other and solve both problems for us.”

Alura could tell despite Lois’s casual comments the woman was scared. Alura feared for her best friend’s son’s safety but at least she knew Kara was coming home.

While Alura was relieved to know Kara had succeeded, she incorrectly assumed she was returning home.

Non was piloting the scout ship quickly, possible scenarios running through his head.

Everyone stopped when Astra popped up.

“Put me on Holo. I want a view of the bridge.” she ordered.

Non sighed and did as instructed. Within seconds a life size version of his wife was standing next to him.

“Is there a reason why you are moving so quickly and not in the direction of Earth?” She asked, eyes flashing.

Non thought of some excuse he could give but could not think of any that would remotely work. Resigned, he admitted, “I’m doing something stupid.”.

Astra nodded her head, already knowing that. “You plan to fly a scout ship into a battle with a crew of two and Kara?”

“Kell has the weapons, Kelex has navigation, I have flight and Kara has engineering. What else do we need?”

Astra clenched her fists and looked as if she wanted to scream. Instead, she settled for shouting.

“You need to get my niece back to Earth! Preferably back to Argo City! I never should have agreed to let her go up with you! I knew she would talk you into something like this!”

Non swallowed nervously. “I wasn’t talked into anything.”

“So, you admit this is all your fault? You will admit this is your decision when I explain to my sister that you are taking her daughter to Apokolips?!”

“We will stay cloaked and out of harm’s way.” Non promised her. “Are the Lanterns returning?”

“Yes, but only the ones who can portal. The rest will take perhaps an hour to reach Apokolips from Earth, but I hope they do leave some behind. With Brainiac able to move through interdimensional rifts, he could be over Earth at any time.”

Astra stayed quiet for a moment and Non knew not to disturb her. She was either going to yell at him some more, or she was going over every angle she could think of to get them home alive.

“Fine, if we are going to do this, we need a plan. Where are Kara and Kell?” She asked.

“Kara needed Kell’s help in the weapons bay. I think she had some questions about the innerworkings of the missiles.”

Astra looked at him in stunned disbelief. “You truly are an idiot. She just reconfigured our missiles to do something they were not designed to do in minutes. She knows those missiles inside and out.”

“Maybe she wanted to show Kell something or had questions about the other weapons.” Non shrugged his shoulders, not seeing the big deal. “I’m a bit busy flying through hyperspace to babysit them.”

Astra shook her head and her holographic image stepped in front of Non. “Darling, how often have we spent in the weapons bay, crawling in between the very tight rows of missiles?”

Non smiled at the thought. They had done it quite often; the last time was a month ago. “You know the answer to that, Love.”

“And why do we go there every so often?” she asked.

“Because being on top of explosives gets you excited.” he told her with a grin. She raised an eyebrow and his grin was gone.

“Kara! Kell! Get to the bridge now!” he yelled into the ship’s com.

Thirty seconds longer than it should have taken them, the two were standing beside Non.

“Aunt Astra… wow… you are projecting from Argo to the ship’s bridge. We’ve never had the chance to try that before. Can you see everything…” Kara began to ask before Astra raised a hand.

“I can clearly see your hair is a bit disheveled, Niece. Yours as well, Kell.”

Kara had a moment of panic before quickly recovering. “I was showing Kell how I reconfigured the missiles to create interdimensional rifts. There isn’t a lot of headroom in between rows and we had to crawl between some of them.”

“I know exactly how much head room there is between the rows of missiles. Is this why your lipstick is smudged and some of it seems to have found its way onto Kell’s lips and neck?”

Neither said anything for a moment, Kara not sure how to answer and Kell wishing he could step out into space rather than face Astra’s glare.

“That’s what I thought. You are flying to a potential war zone near a planet we know is hostile whether Brainiac is there or not. You really think this is the time to break mating protocols? If you can’t control yourselves, perhaps it is time the two of you came back to Argo City now and were bonded. Do you think this is an appropriate situation to be screwing around, Kara?”

Kara looked at her Uncle who was barely holding in a smile. “It seemed appropriate. Seize the day and all that. We have fifteen more minutes before we enter the sector. We did just pull off an amazing victory…”

“Kara!” Astra snapped.

“Sorry. Won’t happen again.” Kara told her Aunt quickly, knowing it was a lie. She really enjoyed lying on top of explosive ordinance.

“Kara, go change.” Non told her, giving her an out.

“Change? I’m in my flight suit. Why do I have to change?”

Non looked at her sharply. “Because I want to be prepared for any situation. Find armor that fits you, load up with weapons. I want you both to have full face masks activated. In the event we have to land for some unfortunate reason, like crashing, we should be prepared for the worst. You won’t be able to use heat vision with a face mask on, so arm yourself.”

Kara nearly squealed. “I get to wear armor?! You’ve never let me wear armor before. Like real armor, not the play stuff you make me spar in, right?”

“Go! Kelex, help her outfit herself. Kell, stay with me. I wouldn’t want any distractions slowing her down.”

Kell nodded and stood by his General with his hands behind his back, ignoring Astra on Non’s other side.

Unfortunately, Astra’s projection moved like a ghost, suddenly appearing in front of him, causing him to flinch.

“General.” Kell said quietly.

“Kell. Be prepared for anything. But above all, you know what you must do.”

“Protect Kara.” he told her immediately, a mantra for all military personnel for Kara’s whole life.

“No matter the cost to you,” Astra added pointedly, letting the younger man know she was not pleased with the current situation and, while she may like him, her focus was the safety of her beloved niece. Nothing and no one else mattered.

“Watch my back too if it wouldn’t be too much trouble.” Non told him dryly.

Kara walked in five minutes later with Kelex. Kell was shocked at the sight of her. Her hair was pinned up in a tight bun, armor covered her body and a black helmet was in her hand. A rifle was attached to her back and her legs sported sidearms on each thigh.

Most surprising was her face. The playfulness was gone. They were close and Kara sensed it.

“Are we running silent?” Astra asked.

“Yes, dear.” Non answered.

“All reserve power available to cannons?” she asked.

“Yes, dear.”

“No pulse waves are to be sent out. Kara, check the area for magnetic and gravitational disturbances. How far out can you check? Will the curvature of the planet interfere with the readings? Non, perhaps you should send out a single…”

“Would you please stop backseat flying!?” Non shouted. “I have this under control.”

Astra was silent for a moment, a frown on her face. “Perhaps a wide slingshot…”

“Astra, please!”

The woman shrugged her shoulders. “Fine, do as you please. Run things as you see fit. Don’t listen to me. It’s not as if I beat you in every single war simulation we have ever had. I’m sure you don’t…”

Kara held up a hand. “Aunt Astra, this really isn’t the time, is it? Uncle Non knows what he is doing. Right, Uncle Non?”

“Of course I do.” Non answered, nodding. “I am risking death at your Mother’s hand if we make it out of this… and if we don’t, she’ll bring me back to life so she can personally kill me.”

There was silence for a minute before Non announced, “Planet upcoming. Kara, check for any gravitational disturbances. Kell, go to the weapons room and prepare to fire on my command. Have two proton torpedoes and cannons hot on both sides. Kelex, give me a map of the area but do not let the signal be tracked. I plan to stay cloaked and give the planet a wide berth. This is recon only. If we need to engage in combat, it will only be to escape. Am I understood?”

“Yes, sir.” three voices rang out, Kelex included.

Non slowed the ship coming out of hyperspace and Kara moved to the monitoring station in front of him.

“Gravitational and magnetic… damn it. There was an interdimensional tear, but it is returning to its natural state. We must have just missed him.” Kara muttered, frustrated.

“Kelex, send a pulse, a single pulse, then I will move to point 451 designated North.” Non ordered.

A few minutes later, after the pulse went out and Non had made an evasive maneuver to hide over the planet, Kelex reported no large ships were anywhere in the sector.

“This doesn’t make sense. If Brainiac was here and left, it must have happened quickly. Surely Apokolips has some sort of orbital defense.” Astra said, confusion in her tone. “Ground signals?”

Kara shook her head. “All I see are hot spots… Uncle Non, swing around to the heading where I found the interdimensional tear. Fly in close.”

Non rolled his eyes. “Flying in close is not part of a stealth recon mission.”

“I understand that… but… Aunt Astra, have you studied the lay of the planet? Do you recognize the coordinates I am looking at?”

Astra’s hologram looked down, checking out the panel in her own ship far away and bringing up navigational charts.

“That is the central point of the planet. Darkseid’s seat of power should be there.” Astra finally said.

“And yet I am picking up nothing. No weapons, no energy sources, no life signatures.” Kara said quietly. “Uncle Non…”

“Moving in.” the man acknowledged her unspoken request. “Kell, we are entering atmosphere. Be ready. Rules of engagement do not matter. If we are seen and I pick up any power surge, lock on and fire.” he ordered the man through the com.

The deck was silent as Non glided closer and closer to the planet’s surface.

“No wonder he tried to invade Earth. I wouldn’t want to live in this hell either. Is the atmosphere breathable, Kelex?” Kara asked.

“Yes, but it will stink. Recommend keeping filtering masks on… this isn’t right.” Kelex muttered.

He didn’t need to point that out. Kara and Non both inhaled sharply, taking in the ground below.

Where Darkseid’s palace and the immediate city surrounding it should have been was a perfect circular crater reaching at least twenty miles in diameter.

Kara checked the energy signatures of the planet as they circled the globe, the barren and volcanic wastelands and torched cities littering the area.

“It’s like they didn’t even have a chance to fight back.” Kara said, a chill running through her body. “This planet is supposed to be one of the most fortified in the universe. How could this happen?”

Non and Astra stared at the sight below, both knowing exactly what happened. “He bombarded the planet from above, probably using the androids like he sent to Earth. While the military dealt with them, he used his primary weapon on Darkseid’s palace and surrounding area. The city is most likely shrunken, under Brainiac’s control. I doubt Darkseid had time to react.” Non surmised. “Without his capital, his planet wide defenses could have been overtaken easily by androids.”

Kara was not sure how much of the devastation they were seeing was from Brainiac and how much was the natural state of the hell Darkseid ruled.

“We need to land on the edge of the crater. I need to trap any residual energy. We can move on afterward, see if they were able to put up any resistance, see if we are dealing with bombs, androids, or both. I need evidence.” Kara told her Uncle.

Non glanced at Astra and they had an unspoken conversation as they often did through their eyes.

The General dipped the large scout ship and approached ground.

“Kell, we are landing. Secure weapons and meet us at departure point.” Non ordered.

Ten minutes later, the Scout ship was landing softly and quietly on the red dirt of the planet.

The three Kryptonians and Kelex slowly exited the ship, rifles at the ready and walked a hundred yards to the edge of the huge crater where Darkseid’s palace and surrounding city used to exist.

“He attacked all sides of the planet at once.” Non said. “It must have been androids. There are scorch marks towards the center, I can see them. He must have blasted this area with incredibly accurate weapons. Popping up from an interdimensional rift, launching his minions and raining hell down on the planet in seconds, then using his primary weapon to rip the city from the ground… this is not good.”

Kara agreed but said nothing. Her rifle raised in front of her, she told Kelex to move ahead and check the outer ring for energy signatures.

“Find anything, Kelex?” the girl asked.

“Nothing we can measure. Whatever radiation was here has dissipated quickly. Still no forms of life.”

“Surface life, you mean.” Kell told them. They all turned in the direction he was staring.

The ground was opening up.

“Astra?” Non asked. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

“Yes.”

“Then could you be so kind as to tell me what I am seeing? Kara, is it seismic…”

Non’s question was cut short by the crumbling of the ground and humanoid creatures rising out of the large holes.

Other holes opened up and more creatures emerged.

“Necropolis. Underground tunnels of Apokolips. Those must be Dreggs. Barely any records of them exist, but they are mostly believed to be mindless, attacking whatever is near without thought. Get back to the ship! Now!” Astra ordered.

“Too late.” Non told her, knowing they wouldn’t outrun the possibly hundreds of ragged creatures moving towards them. “Kara, get back to the ship, we will hold them off!”

Kara paid no mind, opening fire with her rifle set to stun and hoping the sudden burst of power through the Dreggs’ bodies would paralyze them. A few were knocked down but quickly rose and continued the assault.

She lifted her face mask, ignoring the foul air and used her heat vision, dropping the rifle and taking a side arm in both hands, firing with accuracy, just as her Aunt had taught her.

“We can fly remember!” Kara shouted to the others engaged in combat. Even Kelex was unleashing the full power of his optical weapon. Non and Kell were hitting with accuracy but the tide kept coming.

“This is a yellow sun system! Take to the air!” Kara yelled once again, lifting off herself. Soon the four of them were high above the throng of Dreggs who were amassing below them. None of them had weapons, other than the vicious claws that tipped their fingers and incredibly sharp teeth.

“I’m flying ahead, searching for any debris Brainiac’s weapons may have left behind.” Kara took off before anybody could stop her, Non cursing and trying to keep up.

“Go back to the ship and prepare it for fast retreat, Kelex.” Kell ordered the robot who surprisingly had no sarcasm in him at the moment. Kell then took off after his Mate and her uncle.

He found them on the far side of the planet, Kara landing softly and Non behind her.

“We are too far from the ship, Kara.” Non told her as he and Kell landed beside her.

“Then go back and bring the ship here.” she suggested, looking around, trying to understand the devastation surrounding them. “This isn’t right. Apokolips should have close to the same level of destructive weapons as Brainiac… perhaps nearly as strong as Krypton’s weapons. Only our solar storm canon could have wreaked this much destruction so quickly.”

Walking forward, trying to see more, she suddenly shouted, “Wait, I see armor!”

Kara ran towards a suit of armor, turned it over and saw a dead soldier encased inside, the body burnt inside the metal suit made from Element X, a metal Kara was familiar with.

“He never fired a shot.” Non realized, seeing the fallen one’s weapon still holstered. “Kara, we need an orbital shield around Earth. Brainiac was only able to do this because of surprise. He unleashed hell before Apokolips could respond. He knew every detail of this planet, every weapons array, every ship hangar… he did this in seconds and then took what he was after.”

Kara realized her uncle was correct. The speed at which he devastated the planet was unreal.

“I’ll need to find an armory if any are left standing. I need as much Element X as we can gather. If I can make eight satellites to surround Earth, linking gravitational fields and repelling breaches with their own, he won’t be able to pop up there like he did here.” Kara told her Uncle.

Before seeing the absolute destruction of Apokolips, the idea of defeating Brainiac was an abstract in Kara’s mind. As she theorized, she just had to develop the right equation to prove him wrong and she would defeat him.

Seeing the massacre of a planet that had such advanced destructive technology made this very real for her. If they had not stopped those androids, this is the sight they could have seen when they returned to Earth.

She was about to suggest they begin searching for the remains of a military base when thousands of wings could be heard flapping in the air. The three looked up and saw a dark cloud approaching, almost like a storm. A storm that broke up into thousands of winged monsters.

“Parademons.” Non told the group. “We can outfly them. Back to the ship.”

“I need the metal for the satellites!” Kara argued.

“Go, we will cover you.” Kell promised her. “Look quickly. This is going to get messy.”

Non grabbed her before she could race off. “Kara, stay with us. Form a close triangle and stay on the ground. It will take one point of attack away from them. Fire a steady RT wave stream from rifles, we have one minute before they overheat then switch to pulses.” Non ordered. “Cut them down as the fall on us.”

The three did exactly that, backs to each other in a triangle, sending red rays into the sky and cutting whatever parademon that neared them in half, becoming covered in black goo as the remains fell from the sky.

“My visor is covered with nasty parademon gunk.” Kara complained. “I can’t see.”

“Keep your visor on! Continue firing towards the sky and keep the beam steady. We have 20 seconds before the RT waves overheat. Once they do, use pulse, sidearms and heat vision.” Non ordered.

Thankfully, there was no need for a switch in ammunition. The sky lit up, green blasts of energy and red heat vision lighting up the sky, a man in a blue suit with a red cape, flying quickly into the horde, Hal Jordan and John Stewart on either side of Kal El.

The Kryptonians on the ground watched as the flock of parademons swarmed and then retreated quickly as other Green Lanterns joined the fight, hundreds of them, knocking the demons to the ground in ashes and others flying off as quickly as possible.

Superman landed next to his fellow Kryptonians, taking in their armored forms covered in black slime.

“What took you so long?” Non asked, raising his visor.

“Lois, says I’ve put on weight.” Kal El told the General, wanting to laugh at the three Kryptonians covered in black gunk. “I’m guessing if you are this far away from the ship, there is something you are looking for?” he asked Kara knowingly.

“I need Element X. An armory is the easiest place to find it.” Kara explained. “If I am going to build an orbital defense ring around Earth, it has to be strong enough to withstand Brainiac’s weapons. The soldiers we discovered here are burned alive, but their armor has held. I also need bodies to determine what kind of weapons Brainiac or his androids used on them.”

Kal El nodded, his face now grim. Looking at what happened to Apokolips, he knew that Earth definitely needed some planetary defenses and quickly. “Let’s find an armory and get some Lanterns to carry as much as possible back to Earth. Who knows how much time we have.”

Kara shook her head. “He won’t attack right away. He has what he wanted. He won’t return until he has solved the Anti-life Equation. We should hurry, though. It could take him weeks or days, but he will figure it out. When he comes… let him. We won’t let this happen to Earth. Darkseid was taken by surprise but we won’t be.”

Kal El hoped she was right. He looked at Non, whose grin was gone.

“Fair warning… Alura may actually succeed in killing you this time, General.” Clark told him, not really kidding.

Non shook his head. “You are Superman. You protect the innocent. There aren’t many people in the Universe who are more innocent than I am. So… when we return… protect me… please?”