[Krypton. Argon City]

It was the middle of the day. Everyone was either in the schools or busy working.

There was no warning. These robots had simply attacked without warning or provocation, coming in pods like meteorites that had no sense or control, crashing helter-skelter among Kyrpton's many buildings, killing some and mortally wounding others. The robots the emerged from the pods merely stepped over the bodies and the carnage and rounded up the citizens for whatever this invader wanted the Kyrptonians for.

Kara had no time to think too much about any of this as she ducked behind a chunk of wall to remain hidden. She only focused on her destination; her mother's lab, where Alura was most definitely hiding. That lab was like a fortress. So Kara ran for it, but then a pod crashed directly in front of her. She bit back a scream and ducked behind a large chunk of debris. Her limbs trembled subtly in terror as the robots neared, one even reaching out to grab her. She bite her lip and prayed earnestly to somehow be spared.

Then, as if the gods had heard her internal pleas, the robots were distracted as the military arrived. Sadly, they were no match for the soldiers and, much as she hated it, Kara had to take the opportunity to escape. That was what the soldiers would want, she was sure. She powered her legs as fast as they would go, but sadly it was not enough. Her feet tripped over themselves and she fell. She landed harshly on her butt, and saw a truly frightening skull-like space ship with horrid-looking tentacles

So it was Brainiac who ahd come to Krypton. Kara gulped in terror. As the robots neared again, she backed up on her hands and knees for a moment before she scrambled to her feet and sprinted away. She had to get to her mom's lab. If anyone would know what to do, it was Alura.

Kara's heart was pounding against her ribs and her lungs burned as she ducked into a pipe just big enough for her, but not (luckily) for the robots. Kara dared to be relieved when she emerged from the pipe to find no robots around. She got to her feet and kept running, however.

It wouldn't take long for those things to find a way through the wall. But, for now, she tried to regain her breath as she walked the few dozen meters or so to the lab.

Once there, she was able to truly take in just how badly damaged the city was.

But that was nothing compared to what happened next. Brainiac's ship, positioned over the city, shot down some beam. The earth shook under its force and then...pieces of the city were sucked into the beam, suddenly shrinking and becoming almost pixelated in appearance.

In short, as strange as it was to behold, it seemed like the ship was using the beam to...digitize the city. There was no other explanation, and the city was completely gone in seconds. Kara whimpered a little in fear as she stood there, frozen and numb with shock and horror, too absorbed in her feelings to notice the robot behind her until it was too late. Once she had noticed it, a strange feeling of hopelessness came over her. If Brainiac could do that to an entire city...what did resisting and hiding matter? Was it worth even trying to fight back?

Luckily, she never had the chance to ponder it too much as someone began shooting the robots, startling Kara out of her depressed stupor.

"Kara, come quickly!" Kara would know that voice anywhere.

"Mother!" She cried in relief, ducking and running as her mother covered her. Finally, moments later, the door closed and they were safe.

For now. The dents pounded into the door didn't bode well.

"Stay with me, Kara!" Her mother ordered. Kara didn't object. In fact, that was her plan. Kara was finally able to let go of her emotions, nearly tearing up as she did.

"Mother, the ship- -it just- -Argo city is gone!" She whimpers. "Millions of people!" Her mother's darkened expression doesn't change and Kara realizes that her mother had already known. And knew who was behind this.

"And that's just the beginning." Alura warns gravely. "Brainiac's de-stabilized the planet's core." Kara paled in fear. Oh, no! "Krypton won't hold together much longer." As if to prove her point, the ground shook again, probably to herald another city's destruction. Kara couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was like a nightmare, only it wasn't.

This was reality now. Kara's mother finished unlocking the door into the inner part of the lab and the door opened.

"But, all your research...isn't there something you can do?" Kara asks desperately as they enter. She had been so certain her mom would have some idea or invention to get rid of Brainiac.

"That's why we're here." Alura replies in the gentlest voice Kara had heard since she arrived. Kara was confused as she gazed about the room. What was a spaceship doing in her mother's lab?

"A spaceship?" She asks, hardly even aware it was out loud. "That's what you've been working on?" She continues. Alura began powering up the ship, much to Kara's increased confusion.

"Your uncle Jor-El discovered a planet that can sustain Kryptonians, far away from Brainiac." The ship slid into the boarding position as Alura spoke, and Kara approached as if mesmerized. It was a beautiful ship. "He built a ship just like this one for your cousin, Kal." Kara frowned.

"But, Kal...he's just a baby…" She replies, highly concerned about a baby being sent into space, much less in a probably untested spaceship. Kara's mother approached as Kara spun, and the younger woman did not like the look her mom was giving her. Sad, depressed...like the world was- -oh. Right. The world was about to end.

"Which is why you'll need to protect him, teach him our ways." Alura instructed gently. Kara's confusion increased, and she didn't like the uneasy feeling swelling in her gut.

"Me teach him? What about you?" She asks, fearing she already knew the answer. The look Alura gave her daughter was answer enough. Kara's hopes crumbled before her as realization dawned.

"No...no…" Kara whimpers, fighting against the notion that her mom was not getting off Krypton. "No, I won't leave you!" She cries, tearing up and nearly sobbing the words out. "Please, please don't make me!" Kara sobs. Alura's face fell as her daughter broke down in front of her. All Alura could do was put a comforting hand on Kara's shoulder, offering what little words were left to say.

"I can't come with you, but you'll never be alone." She tells Kara, which doesn't help, especially when Alura hugs Kara. Alura was not much for hugging, so Kara knew it meant and said a lot. "You belong to the house of El, Kara. A house of hope. Never forget that. Never give up hope." Alura pleads, tightening her grip on Kara as their time came to an end and robots begin pounding on the door to invade the inner lab. The women both glance at the door in fear. "Get in!" Alura orders and Kara does so with just a touch of reluctance. Then, just as the ship is taking off, Kara spies robots approaching her mother, who had not moved since initiating the launch and turning to watch it. Kara pounds on the window to warn her mother, but it's too late; the nearest one has already impaled Alura on it's tentacles. Kara sobs and screams out, but can't do anything more as the ship launches. Then, the ship careens out of the atmosphere and Kara sobs harder, everything hitting her at once and she puts her hands over her face in despair.

What use was it, sending her away? She had nothing. No- -wait...Kal. There he was, so innocent, so small. Kara touched the window, gazing in a protective gesture. Of course she couldn't think despairing and depressed thoughts now; she had Kal to worry about. Kal to protect, to raise, to teach about Krypton and his powers.

Then, as if to crush what glimmer of hope her situation had...Krypton blew up. Literally. It sent a wave of heat and fire and debris toward the ships, sending them spinning and hurdling off-course. Kara began to panic. Kal was just a baby! He'd be tossed around like a ball in there!

"Kal, hold on!" She screams, knowing that he can't hear her. "Kal, no! Please!" She begged of the gods. "Kal!" Then, as it was programmed to do in emergencies, the ship began to send Kara into hypersleep as it went tumbling through the cosmos. Kara had tried to stop it, but couldn't, all the while trying not to think of Kall's position and probable bruising.

But it was so hard.

=#=#=#=#=

[China. Valley of Peace]

[Po's Point of View]

Po just wanted to sleep. That's all he wanted. After all, everything was so peaceful, with Tigress in his arms and no noise from their son's bedroom just yet.

Po should have known his son inherited his mother's stealth. As such, he probably shouldn't have been surprised when Xayden landed on his father's rotund belly, skidding off and into Tigress, who grunted as she was suddenly brought to awareness.

"Son, we've told you- -" Po began, but Xayden cut him off.

"I know, I know! Not before 8:00, but it's my birthday and you promised to finally tell me about the Masters that taught you!" Po groans.

"So I did, buddy." Tigress purrs as she stretches and Po feels himself begin to blush. After eight years of marriage, she could still undo him just by purring. "Just let Mom and I get dressed, then we'll eat and head out, kay?" Xayden raised a brow.

"'Head out'?" He asks. Po nods.

"Heck, yeah! I'm gonna use visual aids for this talk."

"Hopefully not the next one, though." Tigress muses under her breath. Po turns scarlet, but manages to keep his voice and demeanor outwardly calm. Mostly.

"Uh...s-so, ah, run along, and we'll be out in a minute." He all but squeaks. Xayden, apparently, didn't hear or didn't understand the comment his mother had made and beams up at his dad, hugging him around the neck and kissing his cheek.

"Okay!" With that, he scurries off. Po suddenly starts laughing.

"Honey, you can't make those kinda comments when our kid's right there!" He protests even as he continues laughing. Tigress chuckles.

"It's just funny watching you turn red and squirm around like a kitten, love." She teases, smiling fondly at her husband. Po sighs.

"I suppose he is still too young to get it, but...maybe not quite so often?" Tigress nods.

"A deal." Po sighs in relief, grinning up at and kissing his wife. How on Earth had he deserved someone like her?

He honestly didn't know.

"Thanks, honey." He says gratefully and stands, pulling on his customary pants as Tigress pulls on her tunic and capris. "Have I ever told how much you rock that outfit, Tigress?" He muses, smiling. Tigress returns the smile.

"Only about fifty times this month alone, love." She replies teasingly. Po laughs.

"Well, I'm gonna keep saying it, cus it's true!" She and Po laugh as they head out of the suite and are instantly greeted by a hug around the thighs from their eight-year-old son. The parents laugh. "You got us, bud." Po praises, smiling down at Xayden, knowing he could very easily get away if he truly wanted to. Xayden laughs as his father picks him up.

"Dad, dad! Uncle Monkey said that he'd show me some moves with a bamboo pole, if you were okay with it." He tells his father eagerly. Po sighs. He and Tigress didn't want to make a warrior out of their son just yet. But, at the same time, it was only inevitable that he learn the fighting style at some point. After all, Xayden's entire family were kung fu masters. But for now, the less Xayden practiced Kung Fu, the better. That being said…

"It's alright with me. Tigress?" Po asked, making sure to not be the only one deciding this matter. The female tiger nodded, ruffling her son's head fur lovingly.

"As long as it's not too intense." She then put an arm around both her boys. "Now, shall we get some breakfast in us?"

=#=#=#=#=

Breakfast with the Five and an aging but still strong Shifu was always interesting, as the masters generally found little to talk about beyond fights they'd had and enemies they'd defeated. Xayden never minded the stories, even if a few of them were repeated occasionally. Po and Tigress knew the stories would be told eventually, so why fight it?

After breakfast, Po packed lunch and dinner, as well as enough snacks to make a few snack stops on the way to his planned destinations.

"Why are you packing food, dad?" Xayden asks, watching his dad with excitement, anxious to get going on his promised day with dad. Po just smiled.

"I told you; I'm using visual aids." From there, Po refused to explain further as he led the way toward the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. Po was always seized with many different emotions here. One, grief for Oogway. Two, peace, knowing he was honoring Oogway's memory by being himself and no one else. Three, a sense of belonging that the wise turtle himself had begun to instill in him here, so long ago. "So, this is the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom, Xayden. This is where I first felt I belong here, thanks to Oogway." From there, he gave a detailed explanation of his late tortoise friend and master. Then, he led his son on the hike to the Pool of Sacred Tears. It was as hard as he remembered, but he was rewarded by the awed look in his son's eyes. "This, son, is where Shifu and I began my training. And where we became fast friends." Again, a detailed explanation was given. Just as it was ending and the sun was setting, however, Po heard a crackling noise. Cautious, he announced that they should begin to gather firewood for their overnight stay by the Pool with forced cheer. Xayden, too young to sense the danger, leapt into action eagerly. Po, however, stayed behind. He spun toward where he'd heard the noise just as a portal opened up. Before Po could even fully process what was happening, he was grabbed by what looked like metal tentacles and yanked off his feet into into wherever the portal came from.

There was not a trace of what happened and Xayden screamed when he returned, running all the way back to the Jade Palace, alerting everyone to what had happened.

No one had any clue what could have happened, but they searched everywhere anyway. Tigress did her best to comfort her son, but was slowly succumbing to the stress and worry growing in her gut. She just knew something horrible was happening to Po.

=#=#=#=#=

[Brainiac's ship. Earth's atmosphere]

"You wished to see me?" Po vaguely wonders who could have a voice that deep when, from out of the shadows, a huge gorilla steps forth. Po's eyes widen as the tentacles still holding him shove him forward. The gorilla had his hands cuffed before Po could even register his freedom. The gorilla then sneers inches from the panda's face, his rancid, sour breath hot on Po's face. "I have big plans for you." The gorilla growls. "Crane's been looking for a new subject for some time." Po's blood rushes from his head and he gulps.

New...what?