Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Life Equation

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 37:

Argo City, Nightwing Gymnasium

Fin Ra Su had not experienced pain in her short life, at least beyond a stubbed toe. She was only a baby when Argo City escaped the Phantom Zone and as far back as she could remember, Argo City had always been beautiful, warm and safe, even in the darkness of space.

This morning she was feeling pain. Every instinct in her body told her to stop but she pushed on, despite her screaming muscles. She would not give up.

Her arms straightened finally, pushing her body off the floor. She then collapsed to the mat.

“Five pushups.” Astra told her, performing the exercise beside her with one arm, repeating the process over and over without seeming to break a sweat. “Better than yesterday. I told you once the first was done, the others would come day by day. Lady Kara exercises every day for at least an hour, here or in her lab. A strong body promotes a strong mind. Time for sit ups. You completed five yesterday. I want eight today. You are doing well.”

Fin, sat up shakily and rolled on her back.

“Thank you, General Astra,” she said, trying to control her breathing.

“You are to be Lady Kara’s assistant and protégé. We will spend much time with each other. There is no need to call me General Astra. General will do.” Astra told the young girl, hoping to put her more at ease.

Fin smiled thinly as Astra grasped her ankles. She performed her first sit up and winced.

“Problem?” Astra asked, obviously noticing her discomfort.

“I’m not used to… I’ve never worn pants before. They are a bit confining and pinch.” The girl admitted, as she lay back down.

“You will get used to it. You will need this outfit for exercise and eventually for hand to hand combat. It is important to be fit and ready to defend yourself at all times no matter which Guild you belong to. It is especially important for you. Do you know why?” Astra asked as the girl struggled to do her sit ups.

“A strong body promotes a strong mind?” Fin gasped as she lay back down taking a deep breath to prepare for her next one.

Astra smiled, pleases that she was learning. “Excellent. I want three more sit ups then we must commence rounds. I asked for several tasks to be completed and none of them have been.

“You will learn soon enough, but Lady Kara does not deal so well with others. It usually falls onto me due to my superior social skills to deal with those under her.”

“Really?” Fin blurted out before she could stop herself.

Astra smirked and the red-faced girl continued performing the sit ups.

Once she finished the last one, in great pain from the look on her face, Astra helped her up and the two walked out of the gymnasium to Fin’s obvious relief, her body still trembling slightly from exertions it wasn’t used too.

Taking a shuttle, Astra entered the forward weapons room to speak to the Head of the Engineering Guild. “Engineer Lo, it has been twenty-five hours since I told you I wanted the ability to create a rip in the time space continuum to enter sector 2418 immediately. I expected an answer in twenty-four. Why have I not been informed that it has been completed?”

Ginn Lo pulled a bit at his collar and took a deep breath. “We have yet to learn how to tune into the right gravitational flux to direct a…”

“Lady Kara sent complete plans of her design, did she not?” Astra interrupted, looking at the representative from the Science Guild, a man by the name of Vil Dym.

The man hesitated at the look of disapproval on the General’s face, sweat beading on his brow and beginning to slide down the sides of his face. “Yes, General Astra, but the technology…”

“Took her five minutes eating something called a corndog, with a device no larger than her palm using materials found in a Kansas Farmhouse.” Astra replied shortly, not hesitating to cut Dym’s excuses off. “You have her directions, why is this hard for you to replicate?”

“Because of the upscale in size, building something that is designed to create a small rip in the space time continuum for one person is much easier than for something the size of the Nightwing.” Scientist Dym was floundering under her intense gaze as he attempted to explain his Guild’s problem.

“Kara opened a rip using six missiles in open space to send thousands of androids into the Phantom Zone. It took her less than an hour. You are a member of her Guild, are you not?” Astra asked in a demanding tone.

“Yes, General… but I’m not Kara Zor El .” Vil Dim replied emphatically, obviously trying to keep his eyes on the General as he continued to squirm under her intense disappointment.

“Obviously, but it stands to reason that someone of your rank should be able to read her design and increase the scale to what is required to do as I ask.” Astra told the man, making a mental note to make inquiries to determine if someone else was more capable of doing what she needed done… maybe she should be talking with Scientist Miya Nel who Kara had placed in charge of the project. “I suggest you figure it out before I inform Kara of your failure.

“You have the information from the Scout Ship weapons. That information goes no further than the four of us. No one is to know of the mission this technology was used for. I don’t care if you have to use the Nightwing missiles and alter them as Kara did to open up a hole, I just want it done.”

Astra walked off, Fin following behind, trying to keep up with Astra’s longer stride and nearly running to do so. Fortunately, their destination was not far. The room Astra guided her to was one she had not been privileged to enter yet, though she had made note of the very tall door days earlier when the General had given her a basic tour of the Nightwing.

Now that door was opening at the General’s touch as Fin followed her through. She stopped as she passed the threshold and gasped. Forgetting to even breathe, Fin stared in wonder and delight at the sight before her.

The young girl had read every report Lady Kara had ever sent to the citizens of Argo City on her projects. She even read the old ones written right after the escape from the Phantom Zone when Argo City was being rebuilt and knew stories of Lady Kara’s work before the destruction of Krypton. It still didn’t compare to actually seeing this particular creation of her idol and soon-to-be mentor.

In the middle of the room, surrounded by engineers and scientists, was the Alphahedron. It wasn’t glowing as brightly as she would have expected. Instead of the red raging energy she imagined based on details in Lady Kara’s report on the unprecedented power source, it was a soft blue, with swirling green streams of light inside.

Kara Zor El truly could bend the power of stars to her will and the evidence was in front of her.

She slowly walked forward, her eyes never leaving the glowing globe that held half the power of a star.

Shaking her head slightly, Fin forced herself to listen as the General asked questions about the feasibility of testing an enemy’s shield and breaking it with the Solar Storm Cannon but not destroying the target completely. Though she was young, she had no trouble hearing the hesitancy in the engineers and scientists answers as they couldn’t give the General any answers to her questions.

Without thinking about the rank and status of those in the room with her, Fin decisively declared before she could stop herself, “It’s easy.”

To her horror, the voices around her stopped. She looked up and saw all eyes on her now and felt the blood rush to her cheeks, her own eyes wide.

“Speak, child.” Astra ordered.

The girl took a deep breath and thought of closing her eyes but instead focused only on General Astra.

“The Solar Storm Cannon was designed to unleash the power of a star onto an enemy. It recharges using the light waves in the universal spectrum, basically absorbing the light around it, through six ports on each side of the ship. The Alphahedron can unleash a blast that never ends… unless it happens to be in a black hole with an absence of light.” Fin explained quietly.

“How do you know this, child?” one of the scientists asked doubtfully, a small frown on his face.

Fin thought this was strange that he didn’t know. “Lady Kara sends out reports to every citizen’s holopad on her projects with detailed information on the process. Everyone should know.”

Astra snorted, eyebrows raised in surprise. “You read those?”

Fin nodded. “Every one, at least ten times. I have all of them saved on my holopad. Lady Kara’s reports are how I taught myself advanced science not covered in basic education. I think…”

One of the scientists stepped forward and knelt in front of the girl with a kindly smile. “That is very impressive child but…”

“Quiet, En Za.” Astra snapped. “Lady Kara chose this child for a reason. She took a microbot, one that Kara only trusted herself to make, and reversed engineered it using tools found in her home. I want to hear what she has to say.”

“She took a microbot… that is against the law!” Za stated heatedly, backing away from the girl.

“If the House of El followed the law proclaimed by the Kryptonian High Council, all Kryptonians would be dead now! I won’t say it again, Za… Shut. Up.

“Fin, please speak child.” Astra ordered, though her tone was more gentle.

Fin was trembling under all the attention and disapproving looks but Astra winked at her and gave her an encouraging smile.

Taking a deep breath, she took that as a sign of support and answered, “The Solar Storm Cannon is basically a laser at heart, beautiful in its simplicity… a simple concentrated light beam powered by a star. Lady Kara designed the Alphahedron to be fully charged at all times because we live on the dark side of the moon and have limited access to light waves. She was never asked to make a weapon that could change its power output. It can be done easily though with her design.

“The first thing needed is to fire the Solar Storm Cannon and drain the energy from the Alphahedron. Then we can set inhibitors on the solar absorption panels, perhaps only using two at a time and increase as needed. Like if I throw a pebble at a pane of glass, it won’t do much good, but I can increase the size of the rock until I know which one can break the glass. It might be easier to understand if I draw it.

“Anyway, the weapon needs to be emptied then reenergized while shining light on the target until the light begins to break the target. The more power, the more absorption, the less needed then less absorption. So long as we have unrestricted access to a sun like the one that shines on the planet Lady Kara is on, controlling the absorption rate shouldn’t be difficult. If I could have access to an omegahedron and the solar lights in the gymnasium, I can build a smaller model to test.”

The engineers and scientists looked towards the large globe and the ports that ran to it. A test fire draining the Alphahedron, measuring the level of energy stored using increasing light waves absorbed from the universal spectrum would slowly break into any shield without unleashing its full power unless necessary. While it was true that the ports were designed for continually intensity, it was a simple plan the girl was proposing.

Za placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “I would very much like to see your model. Perhaps we can go to the Science Guild’s lab.”

Astra raised her hand. “Begin without her. She will be there soon. First, Fin, what do you know about the technology Kara developed for opening interdimensional rifts?”

“I didn’t know she had created the technology, but the idea is beautiful.” Fin said excitedly. “I read the report Lady Kara’s wrote when she was fifteen on her theory of ten dimensions of time space tears and matter displacement and her theory on alternate universes using a particle accelerator to create tachyons. She never followed up on her theories because they weren’t relevant at the time to Argo City’s survival, but I knew she would do it one day. That’s all I know about her interdimensional research… I wonder how she did it?”

“She ate a corndog.” Astra said, staring at the girl for a moment. “You’ve really read her all reports… voluntarily?”

“I memorized them all. Her works are incredible.” Fin stated confidently with a wide smile. “I think my favorite is the splitting of genomes using the subatomic realm to mutate two separate species, creating new strains of biological life while minimizing more aggressive traits. Did you know she was my age the first time she did it? She used the technology three years ago to make the Dantines that nest in the Western Quadrant of the city. She made a whole new species! Who does that, right? She is so amazing.”

“Yes, yes, she is very impressive. I hear it constantly.” Astra said dismissively, attempting to redirect the girl’s attention. “Tell me Fin, you heard the conversation with the other idiots I first talked to. Why can the scientists not recreate her space time gap interdimensional tear hole thingy? Give me your opinion.”

Fin fell silent as she thought through the information Kara had laid out in her earlier report comparing it with the schematics she sent to the scientists for building the new device. Carefully, she described what she thought was the problem to the attentive General. “The technology looked correct but just going off her earliest observations, I would guess they have the order of dimensions wrong. If Lady Kara based this technology on her theory relating to string metaclons and sodolum splices, then the tiniest mistake in the pattern could throw off the entire process. Like she has written several times, everything has a pattern and once you discover it, the path will lead you to the beauty of the Universe.

“In this instance, it can literally lead you to anywhere in the Universe in a simple step. But the dimensions must be torn in the right order. If the sequencing is off, it could open a rift to anywhere in the universe, not a certain spot. I could look at the sequencing and compare it to her earlier work, and perhaps recognize a pattern.”

Astra grinned and placed a hand on the girl’s back leading them outside. “Let’s get the trans dimensional hole thingy…”

“Interdimensional tear.” Fin corrected.

“… space hole thingy fixed. Then you can show them how to turn the Solar Storm Cannon into less of a force of mass destruction.”

Astra walked along the corridor with a large smile on her face, Fin following close behind. Her plan was becoming closer to reality. A few more steps and she would take down an enemy that thousands had tried and failed to do.

The two entered the previous room where they had left the technicians attempting to replicate Kara’s technology and was pleased to see a tall, muscular, red-skinned Green Lantern was present and assisting.

“General Astra.” The man greeted her, standing straighter. “I am H’kaee, Green Lantern of Sector 1002. It is an honor to meet you.”

“H’kaee, it is a pleasure. Have you come to relieve one of the Green Lanterns providing security for our home?” Astra asked.

The man shook his head. “No, General. I come on behalf of the Guardians. They have replicated the technology Lady Kara designed for interdimensional travel. I used it myself to reach Argo City from Oa a few minutes ago. The Guardians sent me to see if any assistance was needed implementing the technology here in Argo City.”

Astra nearly rolled her eyes, annoyed the Guardians figured out how to replicate the technology before the Kryptonian Science Guild. She was beginning to wonder if the Science Guild could do anything without Kara giving them explicit instructions in person. The General had always wished Kara would have delegated more of her projects but was now beginning to understand her niece’s reticence to do so.

In light of her new understanding of their shortcomings, Astra decided the Kryptonian Science Guild was not what was needed. She had a fundamental idea of how scientific knowledge was gained. Small steps were built on by a next generation, who was followed by a next generation until there were breakthroughs leading to more discovery. Scientists needed basic foundations to continue work.

Her niece, however, was different. Kara did not base her work on the findings of others before her. She came up with an idea, made the technology needed and then made her idea reality. What may have taken generations of scientists tens or hundreds years to accomplish, she could perform herself simply and quickly.

Zor El recognized Kara’s intelligence when she was so young. Instead of educating her like other scientists, he encouraged her to use her own imagination and complete problems on her own, unbound by what others had built before her. Zor taught her not to be held back by the notions of what others before her believed was possible.

Astra needed someone like that now. Someone who was not hindered by rules generations before had put in place… someone who had gained the attention of her niece in one conversation as Kara once again saw beyond what normal people saw.

“Scientists, be gone.” Astra ordered, then turned to the Lantern. “H’kaee, I introduce to you Lady Fin Ra Su, Lady Kara’s protégé. If you will show her Kara’s instructions on the dimensional… thing, I have faith that she will understand the design and the two of you can replicate this quickly and painlessly.”

The Green Lantern bowed. “Of course, General Astra. Is there anything else you require from the Guardians at this time?”

Astra thought for a moment, remembering her few trips to Oa and the technology they possessed in regards to weapons.

“No, I believe I have all the weapons I need.” Astra told the Green Lantern. “I just need to be able to get to sector 2814 in a moment’s notice.”

The Lantern looked apologetic. “I must warn you, I used the technology, but the Guardians were the ones who made it work. I am not a scientist.”

Astra smirked at the man. “Maybe not, but Lady Fin is, and she will contact Lady Kara before the technology is tested.”

He nodded, his eyes drifting to the wide-eyed little girl that may as well have been attached to Astra’s hip. “The Guardians are gathering Green Lanterns in Oa in the event of an attack on Earth. Between the two of us… three of us… should Brainiac attack Earth, what are your plans for getting Lady Kara to safety, if I may ask?”

Astra shrugged her shoulders and grinned. “If Brainiac arrives on Earth, I will retrieve her myself in the Nightwing… after I turn Brainiac to dust.”

The Lantern grinned, suspecting as much. The Guardians had surmised correctly that if Earth would be attacked, Krypton would become involved, not just the Kryptonians on the planet but thousands of Kryptonians in one of the largest and deadliest battle ships in the history of the Universe.

The man placed his arm over his chest. “If the day comes, I hope to be by your side. Happy hunting, General.”

Metropolis

Kara flew just over the top of the speeding, sporty vehicle that was desperately trying to evade the dozen police cars trailing behind it. The three men had robbed a pawn shop and shot the owner in a small settlement just north of Metropolis. They had made an unwise decision to take the first highway and drive to Metropolis, probably to lay low among the millions of citizens.

Unfortunately for them, several witnesses had contacted the police and on the sparsely filled highway, the police took no time to find the speeding sports car.

Now, Kal El had given her a task. She needed to stop the vehicle without killing anyone inside.

“I like to grab the bumper and slowly pull it back.” He told her from above. “When it stops…”

“I thought you wanted me to figure this out?” Kara shouted over the wind to her cousin above.

Clark smiled and winked at her from the sky. “Have fun. Metropolis is coming up in two miles. Once the car reaches the city, traffic is denser and there will be more chance of civilian injuries. So, take your time.”

Kara shook her head and smiled, easily flying past the car and then landing on its hood as it moved along the road. The driver’s eyes were wide, seeing the blonde kneeling on the hood and shooting the finger at him with a smile.

Supergirl smashed her hand through the hood, pulled a small section back, reached inside the engine block, then launched herself back into the sky.

The cousins watched as the car slowed, the engine skipping, steam rising from the hole Kara had torn with her fingernails and finally a complete loss of acceleration, causing the car to slowly stop in the middle of the highway.

“What did you do?” Clark asked her, slightly perplexed.

“Ripped out the fuel pump.” Kara told him. “Cars aren’t complicated. It was the easiest way to slow and disable the car without sending the occupants through the windshield due to a sudden stop at high speed. Oh, I also shot the finger at the driver. Probably not classy but since he couldn’t hear any superhero-like quips, I thought that would do. So, do we want to grab the weapons from their hands or see if they surrender?”

The two stood in the air easily in view of the car’s occupants and watched carefully as the men exited the vehicle with their hands in the air, weapons in the vehicle and surrender to the police.

“I admit, I’ve never tried disabling a fuel pump before when stopping cars. Nice idea.” Clark admitted, a huge smile of admiration on his face.

Kara shrugged it off, laughing. “That’s why we make such a great team. You’re the muscle and I’m the brains… only I have muscles too. Why did I need you again?”

Clark playfully pushed her in the air. “I’ll remember that when you need me to knock you out because you retreat into your crazy mind lab.”

Kara smiled and took off back towards Metropolis, Kal by her side, this time her arms in front of her.

“Lois wants to have a simple wedding in Smallville on Saturday. Nothing big, just a few friends and maybe a video if the High Priestess needs proof. That’s a joke by the way.” Clark told her, kiddingly… sort of. “Do you think you will be ready to beat Brainiac by then?”

“No way a galactic conqueror hits Earth on your wedding day again.” Kara promised, still grinning. A sly look crossed her face as she clued her cousin about his mistaken assumptions. “You know this wedding isn’t going to be simple right? My Mother has Bruce Wayne’s credit card.”

Clark cringed, not having thought of that. “I’m sure Alura will be happy knowing we are getting married and not care about what the ceremony consists of. We want it simple and quick… in case Brainiac does attack.”

Kara looked at her cousin, disbelieving. “You realize my bonding ceremony will be witnessed by over thirty thousand people, right? My mother has been planning for it since before I was born.”

“Oh…” Clark mumbled,”… right, I did forget that. It’s not the first time you have stood in front of that many people and made an oath though.”

“True,” Kara admitted, “but Kell is going to freak. Something tells me he isn’t good with public speaking at mass gatherings. When I did it, I was too young to know I was supposed to be nervous. Growing up watching my Mother helped too. When she speaks, people listen. Everyone listens. He will be fine though with the whole Kryptonian race watching his every move and listening to his every word.”

Kara paused for a moment. “He’s going to freeze, isn’t he?”

Clark blew past Kara and landed on top of a skyscraper in downtown Metropolis, Kara following. “No, he will be fine as long as his focus is on you. From what I’ve seen of him, he seems good at blocking out everything around him and only focusing on the enemy.”

Shaking her head, Kara corrected him. “Partner, wife, bond mate. Not the enemy.”

“If you say so.” Clark said, humoring her. “Speaking of weddings, I should probably give you a heads up. Lois is going to ask you to be her Maid of Honor.”

Kara was shocked by this. “Me? She hasn’t known me very long. Surely she has other female friends who would be more qualified?”

Clark shook his head. “No, not really. Lois has a tendency to be a bit… confrontational with others as I am sure you have noticed.”

“What about Dinah?” Kara asked.

“No, they have had several loud arguments over the years. Not each other’s biggest fans.” Clark replied.

“Mera?”

Clark grunted, trying to keep from laughing. “The first time they met, Mera said something about Lois respecting her position as ‘Queen of Atlantis’ and Lois shot a harpoon at her. It turned into a big thing.”

“Oh.” Kara replied, having a hard time imagining Arthur Curry as the king of anything. “What about Diana?”

Clark finally laughed out loud. “Yeah… no. Remember when Lois described her as a half-naked Amazon? That’s one of the politer things she has called her over the years.”

Kara though for a moment, her mind going over the women she had met who Lois had known for a long time. One name popped up that she had heard often: Zatanna, the one Kara strongly suspected of being a metahuman who drew power from other dimensions.

“What about Zatanna?”

Clark shook his head, blushing. “Umm, No. She used a love spell on me at a comic convention I was covering. It kind of got heated when Lois found us. Lois and I weren’t even dating then but it would be an understatement to say she was not happy.”

That would be the type of thing a mate wouldn’t like, even if they weren’t together. Kara was sure it wasn’t much different than her experience with Jade.

“Who was Lois’s Maid of Honor at your first wedding attempt?”

Clark’s cheeks grew a bit red. “Her cousin. We don’t talk about her… ever. So, you are it. Just wear whatever bridesmaid dress she wants you to wear, hand her a ring when she needs it and it’s a done deal.”

“You really think my mother is going to let me stand in a religious ceremony and not have an opinion of the dress I wear.” Kara asked disbelievingly, shaking her head. “Yeah, she is definitely becoming involved now. We are going to have to keep a close eye on those two.”

Clark shrugged his shoulders. “The wedding is in four days. There is only so much that can be done in four days.”

Kara snorted. “My Mother… with Bruce Wayne’s credit card… just keep telling yourself it will be simple if it makes you feel better.”

The two stopped talking when they heard loud arguing amid the familiar hum of city life, followed by screams and what sounded like objects being thrown to the ground.

“That way.” Kara pointed out. Clark nodded and motioned for her to take the lead.

Kara followed the sounds of screaming ten blocks northwest of downtown. She located the small convenience store easily enough and landed on the sidewalk in front, walking through the door.

A woman was behind the counter, on the floor, while a man continued screaming at her with a gun in his hand. He heard Kara walk in, turned and fired without hesitation.

Kara watched the bullet bounce off her chest and then caught it before it could ricochet into the wall. Moving faster than the assailant could see, she had his gun in her hands and crushed it.

The blonde turned towards the wide-eyed woman on the floor. “Have you hit an alarm?”

The woman shakily stood up and nodded.

“Go outside.” Kara instructed the woman. “Superman is waiting for you and will stay until the police arrive. I need to have a talk with this man.”

The woman stumbled her way towards the door as Superman walked inside and scooped her up, carrying her outside.

Kara gave her attention to the man in front of her who was staring at the crushed gun in her hand. He was young, perhaps not over twenty-one and judging by his eyes, she suspected he was under the influence of a narcotic.

She began to speak when he swung his fist at her. She dodged easily and told him to stop. The man flinched as if expecting to be hit.

“Do you know who I am?” Kara asked instead of striking him.

The man nodded his head. “You’re Superman’s sidekick.”

Kara closed her eyes tightly, doing her best to ignore her cousin’s snickering outside. Kara was understanding Lois’s irritation with the title every time she went out in a cape.

“Did you know I was bullet proof?” Kara asked, shaking away her annoyance and focusing on the task at hand.

The man shook his head.

Kara suspected as much. “Yet you fired this weapon without hesitation, knowing it would kill me if I were not. You threatened the woman who works in this establishment with this weapon. Why would you do such a thing? I want to understand. I hear police sirens coming. You cannot escape, so please answer my question.”

“I… don’t know. I told her to do what I said, and she freaked out and hit the ground. I tried to scare her you see… I’m not saying anything without my lawyer.” The man was looking around frantically.

Kara rolled her eyes and nodded to the upper corner of the room. “There is a video camera in the corner. I am fairly certain your lawyer isn’t going to get you out of armed robbery recorded for posterity. Now answer my question. Why are you doing this?”

The man was still looking around, probably for a way to escape. The blonde shook her head. “Even if you could get around me, which you can’t, Superman is outside. I doubt he will ask you any questions. Now, pretty please, answer my question…. Why. Did. You. Do. This?”

The man looked at the ground. “Money. I knew she was the only one who worked during the dayshift and she wouldn’t have put up a fight like some of the other employees on this street. I didn’t mean to shoot you. I just wanted it done quick so nobody would come inside and interfere. You scared me so the gun went off.”

Kara looked dubiously at the man. “The gun just happened to go off. What did you hope to accomplish by robbing this store? Is there millions of dollars in the register?”

The man shook his head.

“Then why?” She asked. “Why risk going to prison or perhaps being sentenced to death for a small amount of money?”

“Because I needed it! You… you wouldn’t understand.”

“You needed money for drugs.” Kara asked. “You are right, I don’t understand what it feels like to be addicted to drugs, but I can’t imagine taking someone else’s life because of my problem. Why would you feel you have that right? Should she suffer, lose her life, her family lose her, because of your addiction? What if another person beside me had walked in. They would be dead, their life gone because of your problem.”

The man glanced at her finally, still not wanting to meet her eyes. “I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. If she would have just done as I said, this would have been over quick.”

Kara shook her head sadly. “You still blame her… you are unwilling to take responsibility for your actions. Now you will spend many years in prison where there are no drugs. If you had taken her life, you would have spent the rest of yours locked up and living with that guilt. I’ll be honest with you, I saw a couple episodes of Oz and I would hazard a guess you won’t make it out of prison alive. You seem like the type to get shanked in the shower. No offense, just a personal observation. You got lucky today. No one died.

“The police are here. It would be best if you lay on the ground face first with your hands behind your head. They will yank your hands to the small of your back to cuff your wrists and it will hurt you but not as much as if I have to do it. Do you understand?”

The man nodded and slowly got to the floor. As soon as the police rushed in, Kara walked out to her cousin.

“I don’t get it.” She told Clark. “Selfishness to the point of taking life, that’s no different than Brainiac. He does the same on a much larger scale, but it all comes down to selfish desire at the expense of everything and everyone else.

“These illegal drugs alter the brain’s chemistry and bring out the worst in humanity, just as Brainiac’s obsession with control and collecting knowledge has cost lives for thousands of years. I don’t know if I will ever truly understand evil but I have a feeling I will soon learn more than I want to know.”

Clark nodded, not knowing what to say. He had seen evil in almost every form and still didn’t know if he would understand why some people made the decisions they did.

“My people may not be perfect, but we take responsibility for our actions and look out for one another… except Zod. That guy was a serious glitch in the Matrix.” She said, then grinned. “That is a fun movie. Mind blower. But yeah, I’m not sure I will ever understand evil. I’m not sure I want to.”

Clark looked to his right and closed his eyes. “A mother is looking for her child. She is in the amusement park twelve miles south of here.” He told his cousin and the two launched. Kara took a brief glance below and saw the man being carried out in cuffs, while the woman was covered in a jacket given to her by a man who was comforting her.

Good and evil. It existed in everyone she supposed. It was a personal decision which side a sentient could fall.

The two were over the park in seconds, Clark spotting the mother and Kara searching for the lost child. There must have been hundreds of children here. Kara understood human children regularly took breaks from education in the summer season. This was something she couldn’t quite grasp the concept of. The educational structure seemed to be different on Earth than what was normal for Kryptonians.

On Krypton, children were educated every day. Official educational centers did not last as many hours as human institutions, but the subjects were only for basic education. Most of the true learning was done at home by parents or relatives, relating to different Guilds.

She realized now this approach may have hampered the potential for other Guilds in the history of Krypton. This led her to another thought about the Genesis Chamber and the Codex and if continuing to use it in the same manner as the past was the right decision. Though some children moved beyond traditional House Guilds, most remained in either their mother or father’s.

If Clark had come from the Genesis Chamber, he would have been a scientist, since Jor El and Lara were scientists. Instead, he became a farmer and then a writer. She supposed reporting was not much different than science. Investigating and finding the truth in things were large parts of both professions. Yet had he joined the Science Guild, Krypton would have never known of his talents in agriculture and writing. It would have been an injustice.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Kara kept a keen ear open until she heard what she was searching for. A small girl in front of a carousel was crying out for her mother, large tears falling from her eyes. A man and woman were kneeling in front of her, trying to calm her and asking where she had last seen her mom.

Kara landed softly beside the small group and knelt in front of the child. The little girl looked at her with wide eyes, having seen her float to the ground and wearing the famous symbol on her chest.

Kara looked at the two adults who were also staring at her with wide eyes. “Superman has found her mother. I will stay with her while he walks her mother over if that is okay with you.”

The two adults nodded and stepped away.

Kara placed a hand on the little girl’s cheek. “What is your name?”

“Anna. I saw you on TV. You are Supergirl.” The youngster said in awe.

Kara smiled, relieved that for once someone hadn’t called her Superman’s sidekick.

“You are Superman’s sidekick, right?” Anna then added.

Kara’s smile remained but it was much more strained. “I think of myself more like a partner. He is my cousin and my Dad was a lot cooler than his Dad. Are you looking for your Mom?”

The little girl nodded her head. “She told me to stay by her, but I wanted to see the carousel. I was just going to take a minute to look but when I turned around, I couldn’t see her.”

Kara took the girl’s hand gently. “Superman is walking with your Mom towards us. I can hear him. It is going to be okay. She will be with you soon. It’s important that children don’t leave their Mommy’s side in a crowded place. It is easy to get lost. I used to do it myself, and my Mom was never happy with me.”

“But she always found you?” The girl asked, her small brow furrowing.

Kara nodded. “I never understood how until I recently learned I had tracking chips embedded into my bones. It all makes sense now. But I shouldn’t have run away like that because she might not have found me.”

The little girl looked at her questioningly. “You have a chip in your bones? That’s so cool. We have a chip in my dog. His name is Spike. We got him chipped at the vet. Mommy says it is important to know where your pets are because they get lost and sometimes get in trouble.”

“Your pet?” Kara asked, not thrilled with the knowledge.

“Yeah. Why did your Mommy put a chip in you? Did she think you were a pet?” the girl asked innocently.

“No.” Kara denied emphatically before stating, “Maybe… no, no she didn’t. When I was a young girl I had a lot of people who wanted to hurt me or take me. My family had to know where I was at all times.”

The girl placed her hand on Kara’s cheek now. “People wanted to hurt you? Why did they want to hurt you?”

Kara shook her head. “Sometimes, there are bad people in the world who just want to hurt others. That’s why it is important to stay by your Mommy or Daddy’s side.”

“Mommy says Daddy is a drunk and she doesn’t trust him with me.” the girl stated.

Kara opened her mouth then closed it, not sure what to say.

“So, do you still have a dog chip?” The girl asked. “You’re a grown up now so she doesn’t have to watch you all the time, right?”

Kara once again opened her mouth then closed it, again not sure what to say.

“You don’t still have to ask permission to do things, right? Or are you still like Spike? Spike doesn’t get to go on walks by himself. He has to wear a collar and I keep a leash on him. Humans don’t wear collars and leashes though, so at least you get to go where you want, right?”

Kara shook her head. “Anna, I was having a really good day. Yes, I am still watched but my Mommy has a chip too so we can watch each other.”

The little girl looked very confused. “So you are both like Spike? Does Superman have a pet chip?”

Kara took a deep breath and forced herself to smile. “No, Superman doesn’t have a chip. Can we talk about something else?”

“If he is your cousin, why doesn’t he have one? Is that why he is called Superman and you are called Supergirl? He doesn’t have to ask for permission to go anywhere, does he? Boys have all the fun. Except for Daddy. Mommy says he is miserable.”

“I understand. I am quickly becoming miserable myself.” Kara said. “Oh look, your Mommy is here.”

Kara stood beside her cousin as the distraught mother hugged her daughter. The woman thanked them both several times and took her daughter in her arms tightly and left.

“So…” Clark started… “have fun, Spike?”

“Shut up, Kal El.” Kara said, teeth clenched.

Clark laughed loudly, having listened to the conversation while walking the mother over.

“It’s okay. I am a big supporter of chipping pets. They can run off and get in so much trouble or get hit by a car or bite someone.

“So, since we are here. Want to sign some autographs? Take some selfies?” he asked, the smirk still on his face.

“Shut up, Kal El. You’re just jealous nobody wanted to kidnap or kill you when you were a child.”

Clark looked at her in disbelief. “I had to hide the fact that I was an alien my entire life or the government would take me or kill me. I didn’t have a robot and a special forces team following me around to keep me safe.”

“Let’s start the selfies.” Kara decided, noting the people around were coming closer as they realized the Supers would not just be flying off.

After spending the rest of the day walking the park and Kara even convincing Kal to ride bumper cars with her and a water ride, the two took off into the sky to enjoy the skyline of Metropolis as it lit up in the night.

“Sorry for the slow day. I’m sure you were expecting more excitement.” Clark told her.

“This day was perfect. I wasn’t looking for a fight. I just wanted us to have some alone time. I’ve had a great time, Kal. I am so glad I found you.” She told him, hugging him in the air.

“I’m glad you found me too.” He told her, squeezing her tightly.

The moment the cousins shared was cut short by Watchtower. “Girl Scout, General Non has asked us to contact you. Putting him through now.”

“Kara?”

“Hey, Uncle Non.”

“I regret asking you to end your night early, but if you could go to your lab at Watchtower, I will meet you there. Astra has requested to speak to you along with young Lady Fin.”

That caught Kara’s attention. “Fin? I don’t understand.”

Non laughed quietly. “Apparently your step-by-step instructions on how to build your interdimensional tear thing was not clear enough for your scientists. But Lady Fin has worked out the problem and wants to show you her results. She has also come up with a design for the Solar Storm Canon, a way to reduce and increase the power levels as needed and Astra needs you to approve it.”

Kara was speechless. If what her uncle was saying was true, Fin’s intelligence was more on Kara’s level that she realized from their brief conversation. “Fin… but…”

“She is your biggest fan and has read all your papers multiple times going back to our escape from the Phantom Zone and some papers before the destruction of Krypton. Astra said she educated herself in science using your work. I’m having a hard time believing it, but Astra says she has an uncanny knowledge of your prior projects.” Non told her.

Kara smiled at the thought, a wave of happiness washing over her. “I knew it! I had a good feeling about her the first time I spoke to her.”

“I’m happy you have found someone who has read your reports. I began to lose faith.” Non said, chuckling. “So, meet me there in ten minutes?”

“See you there, Uncle Non.”