Title: Possibilities
Chapter Title: A Different Biology
Fandom: Supergirl (Elements of Lois and Clark, Comic Supergirls and Supermans, Supergirl 1984,)
Characters: Kara
Rant: I was going through the episode when I got to Ep 7 and oh, that episode makes me so mad! Whoever wrote this or researched this didn't get it through their skull that KARA. IS. AN. ALIEN! Why are you giving her the same limitations and abilities of a human? Now while I personally don't believe in macro-Evolution, I will admit we share biological traits with primates. Why do these writers believe that an alien, from a different solar system, will also come from a primate like creature? And even if they did, they still wouldn't be alike!
Disclaimer: I don't own Supergirl
Note* I made it that Kryptonian share traits with Kaaniis. A Kaani is an animal that shares an appearance with human canines. This is to explain Krypto the Superdog. (Which also never made sense to me)
0000
Kara had called her sister the minute she could after she saw the blood flow from her hand. From there, within half an hour Kara was back at the DEO and immediately stuck in the med-lad. Doctors were all around her and Alex even said they were thinking of bringing Eliza in.
After the initial panic was gone, Kara had suggested allowing her to talk to her moth- the hologram of her mother. There, they got their answers.
"Your concussive beams are highly concentrated beams of solar radiation. These beams pull their energy directly from your cells and are the fastest way to deplete the energy your Kryptonian cells absorbed," Alura said, "This depletion is not permanent, my dear daughter, but it will take some time before enough energy is reabsorbed for you to be able to use your abilities again. Now, you are like what you would have been had you still lived on Krypton.
Do not fear too much Kara. While you no longer have your abilities, you are not completely vulnerable. Your biology will be your advantages over anyone that wish to cause you harm, and your time with your advanced strength will have left reminisce in your muscle, which still would have built themselves over the years.
But be careful dear one, without the yellow sun, you are now vulnerable to the human's diseases, and while your Nano-Bots will be able to eventually fight off any infection, initial contamination could be extremely harmful. As you know, after our last Great War, we, at the core, destroyed our immune system."
Kara nodded and turned off the hologram. She turned to Alex, her sister holding her hand tight. Alex smiled at her, moving her hand so to hug Kara.
"Guess you're going to be alright," Alex said, leaning her head on Kara's shoulder.
"Yeah," Kara said, happy she wouldn't be completely vulnerable.
"Director Henshaw said they want to do some tests," Alex said carefully and Kara tensed.
"What kind of test?" Kara asked, her voice tight.
"Just a few x-rays, now that they'll work. Maybe some blood. Physical tests. Maybe some brain scans," Alex told her.
"Is that safe?" Kara asked, moving away from Alex and looking her older sister in the eyes.
"You'll be fine Kara. I wouldn't let them do anything to you don't want," Alex said.
Kara bit her bottom lip, and for the first time didn't need to be careful, less she tore it clear off, and thought. It would be interesting to finally see the insides of the body. She can remember learning about her biology in school back on Krypton, but it was so long ago.
The other tests though…
As long as she deactivated the Nano-Bots that would be pulled out when they take blood, or maybe even command them to leave the area so that the humans couldn't get their hands on the tech…
And the physical tests. To be able to really see what she could do. The true limits of her abilities.
"You'll be there the whole time right?" Kara asked.
"Every step of the way," Alex told her.
"Ok," Kara said and allowed Alex to take her back to the med-lab.
0000
"This is… not what I expected," the doctor said as he looked at several X-rays. Kara sat behind him as he put up two of the photos, Alex inching closer to the wall.
"You have four lung chambers," Alex said in slight awe. That x-ray showed Kara's organs. From her brain all down to her digestive system.
The first thing you notice was the four-chambered lungs. Shaped and processioned similar to humans, it was almost like the lungs were cut in a horizontal manner and made into four lungs instead of two.
The next thing you notice was much shorter intestines. Kara's small intestine was nearly half the size of a human's, but her large intestine was about 1.5 times the diameter of a human's. The doctors speculated she had different digestive acids to make up for the smaller digestive track.
The third difference was seen in the next photo, still of her organs, where she was facing to the side. There you could see the different shape of the brain. While the human brain looked like two fists putt together, Kara's brain was different. Her looked like two fists together, but with the pointing and middle fingers extended straight forward, a short extra part at the back (the 'wrists') carving downwards.
"And a different brain!" Kara said with a grin.
"Somethings… not right. Like it's… missing?" the doctor said, looking over the scans.
"You don't have a uterus," Alex said suddenly.
She was right. Where Kara's uterus should be was nothing. She still had a vaginal cavern, but absolutely no womb nor ovaries. The vaginal cavern also looks like it was extended.
"Did you have a Hysterectomy Miss Danvers?" the doctor asked her.
"Not really," Kara told him.
"But it's gone!" the doctor said, moving closer to the photos, "Like it's been removed."
"No Kryptonian has a womb," Kara tells them and they turn to her in horror, "We have them removed at around 12, when we know for sure what gender we are."
"Why?" Alex asked.
"After our wars we pretty much destroyed our bodies. Almost all Natural Borns died in the womb or immediately after birth. We use a Birthing Matrix, something like a technological artificial womb for Gestation," Kara tells them.
"So you haven't had a natural birth in?" the doctor asked.
"Over 700 years," Kara told them. She watched as everyone exchange looks of horror and disbelief.
"And everyone's ok with that?" Alex asked.
"For their children to be alive instead of dead. Of course. We control Population growth. There are no Lentrani, the unwanted. There are no children born to parents, or parent, that aren't ready fanatically, emotionally, or mentally," Kara tells them calmly, "We have no abortions. No teen pregnancies. Hardly ever orphans."
The doctor scoffed in disbelief, "We must seem so backward to you."
"Not really," Kara said, "You're a different society. And yes, the whole pregnancy thing is kind of gross, but that's how you procreate."
"You said something about being sure what your gender is," Alex cut in, "Do you choice your genders?"
"No, nothing like that. It's, like, um," Kara struggled to explain, "Ok, background. Originally Kryptonian social was a Matriarchy. This went on for over a melena when something happened-"
"What happened?" the doctor interrupted.
"That's a long story and one I'll tell on another day," Kara told them, "Anyway. We became a Patriarchy. This went on till our last Great War. We realized we needed to be equal, but past prejudice and gender expectations will get in the way. So, in response, out scientist played around with our DNA so that at birth, we all look alike."
"But how? Males have external reproductive organs," the doctor said, "Unless that's different for you?"
"No complete. While most of the male penis is located inside the body there was a small part that was located outside. The scientists made it so that all of it was inside," Kara said, blushing slightly, "When it becomes… active, the phallus would extend out of the body and become external. The first time this happened is around 12 years old."
"And female?" the doctor asked.
"We bleed the first time. Once it's over, we get our uteruses removed and are considered to be in the next stage of our life cycles," Kara tells them.
"Same for the males when they get eject," the doctor guessed and Kara nodded.
"Before that we are genderless. You can find out genetically, but hardly anyone does. Even then, it's illegal to use gendered words to describe a young child. This way, all children are brought up similar. There no difference to how you would raise a female to how you raise a male-"
"Because you don't know," Alex said.
"By giving everyone the same opportunities while growing up, gender division is pretty much eradicated," Kara said.
"What about Superman?" the doctor asked and Alex suddenly started laughing.
Kara and Alex remembered going to Smallville one Christmas to spend with Clark. They remembered some of the town's people referring to Kal as female. Most correcting themselves, but some were stubbornly refusing to.
"His hometown thinks he's Transgendered," Kara told the doctor.
"Ah," the doctor said and went back to the x-rays and pointed to something in the throat, "You have two voice boxes."
"Yes. Each generates a different level of sound," Kara told them, frowning slightly; "I actually need both when speaking English. When I'm speaking modern Kryptonian, I only need my primary."
"Modern?" the doctor asked.
"Yes. Back when we were Savage, our language involved some nonverbal communications and word pronunciation is different depending which voice box you use," Kara told them.
"Can you show us some?" the doctor asked.
"No," Kara said immediately, "On Krypton, in my society, to use such language is seen as primitive. Some wouldn't even use their secondary voice box."
"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean disrespect," the doctor said.
"It's fine," Kara said, holding up a hand.
"What else doctor," Alex said, changing the subject.
"Well," the doctor said and took down the x-ray and putting up one of her bones, "this."
"What?" Alex said going back to the wall.
"Miss Danvers seems to a have, and I'm estimating, around 380 to 400 bones. And I'm guessing, most of her joints are double jointed," the doctor said.
"Wow. No wonder you were always so good at gymnastic," Alex commented.
The doctor turned to Kara, "We also did a scan of your muscular system. You seem to have nearly twice as many muscle humans do. This would explain the bulky structure Kryptonians seem to have."
Kara shrugged, but commented, "Male and female muscle growth is also the same."
"So if a man and woman with the same about of training fought-"
"The end result would always be 50/50," Kara finished for the man.
"Incredible," the doctor said.
0000
The tests continued during the week.
Kara ultimately decided to switch off her Nano-bots that were pulled out during blood withdrawal. The humans had been suppressed by the existence and had asked Kara for the original nature of them.
"Immune system," Kara told them, before explaining the Nano-bots evolved to be used in helping them connect and control their technology. As well as help with memory storage and recall, and the speed at which Kryptonians learn since most Nano-Bots were located inside the brain.
They team did brain scans and basic neural tests. They moved to physical test and were again surprised by the result, though after they learned Kryptonians had twice the amount of gravity than the earth, they were more believing.
While Kara couldn't lift a car over her head, she still had much more strength than an average adult human male. The doctor theorized that her muscles still had a workout whenever they were used during her time with super strength. Thus they still grew. They also suspected Kryptonian muscles grew faster than humans.
Similar could be said about her speed. While Kara was no long as 'fast as a speeding bullet' she was still fast. After several dozen tests they determined her average speed to be around 44m/h, just under the fastest dog breed.
Kara was conflicted there. She wondered if she should tell them that Kryptonians evolved from a canine like breed. Many species in the universe that a tendency to call them dogs, or their equivalent, because of that and Kara didn't want to hear some of the more xenophobic agents call her a bitch.
In the end, she told Alex, who agree that she should keep her discretion.
They did more test and asked more questions. Not only to Kara, but to the hologram of her mother. On and on it went. By the end of the weekend, Kara was ready to run away. She really didn't like being a lab rat.
0000
Kara sneered as she whipped her nose again. She really should have just called in sick, but her life couldn't stop just because she didn't have her powers anymore. And while getting sick was frightening, Alex had insisted Kara get vaccinated before the end of the weekend. Her Immunisation Nano-Bots were already programmed to fight off colds. Thus Kara doubted she would still be sick by the end of the day.
Unfortunately, that didn't stop Ms. Grant from pretty much throwing her out of the building. And while she recognized that the older woman was just worried, her words weren't very nice. Not that Ms. Grant was ever really nice.
'Nice and kind are two different things' Astra once told her. Kind was telling people the truth. Nice was making them feel good. Kindness could be hidden in the cruelest of actions and niceness could hide the most violent of deeds.
"Hey," James said, running up to her, "Hey!"
"Hi," Kara said smiling, "Where are you headed?
"Uh, look at a rental," James explained with a smile, "Lucy and I are getting a place together actually."
"That's-that's awesome," Kara said, trying to sound happy. Not that she had any right to feel otherwise. James was never hers. Never could have been hers. She would never be able to give him what he wanted. What humans want.
Kara sneezed.
"Lost your powers," James said, knowingly, "Solar flare."
"I did not know we were calling it that," Kara said with surprise. Usually, it was Winn naming things. Or was it Winn that messaged James?
"Well, he does," James said, referring to her cousin, "Well, he likes to name them. You know, heat vision, freeze breath"
"He's such a nerd," Kara said with affection and James laughed sharply, "I don't know, today, I'm less Girl of Steel and more Girl of Stucco."
"Oh, you'll be all right," James said, "Just lay low and enjoy your time off, you know."
"Yeah," Kara said before agreeing properly, "You're right. The world can survive without Supergirl for one day."
Then an earthquake hit. Then there was falling down and buildings breaking. Cars that headed to her and James pushing her out of the way.
Kara felt like hyperventilating.
She remembers the last time an earthquake hit with her powerless. She remembers being woken as her whole room shook. She remembers her mother rushing into the room, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her out of the house. Dodging building and seeing dead, bleeding Kryptonians. Remembering her friend, her lifeless eyes staring at her as Kara screamed her name. Her father holding her as she tried to get to the younger girl. She remembers crying and begging and even cursing. She growling and whining and screeching. She remembers her parents telling her to be strong.
She remembers her planet exploding.
Her bonds with her parents breaking and parts of her mind dying and her soul crying.
She remembers it all.
And she screamed!
0000
Kara came back to awareness as James rubbed her back. Medics were around them. One, she assumed, had placed a blanket over her.
"Kara?" James asked, his voice quiet and shaking slightly.
"James," Kara said, looking up, "What happened?"
"You started screaming and then you just went blank. You wouldn't move. You were so heavy, I almost couldn't lift you," James said, his eyes wide and his hands shaking, "Where were you?"
"What?" Kara asked, confused.
"I saw my dad look like that when he had flashbacks of the war…" James trailed off.
"My last day on Krypton," Kara told him, looking in front of her. Looking at the destructions. Looking at the people drawing their last breaths and their family or friends begging them to hold on. She heard the cries of people in the air and smells the death, "It started just like this."
"Kara-" James started, but Kara stood up, cutting him off.
She couldn't look at this. Knowing there was nothing she could do?
Or wasn't there?
Frowning, Kara headed towards one of the men who seemed to be in charge. She walked with purpose, her figure drawing short looks. The man turned around as James caught up with her.
"What can I do to help?" Kara asked, ignoring James behind her.
The man gave her a look, like he didn't think there was much she can do, but nodded when he saw the determines in her eyes.
"There are teams helping to move rubble. Some are helping if you know first aid-" the man started.
"Rubble. Where?" Kara said.
"Kara-" James started, but she gave him a look.
"There," the man pointed. Kara staked off, hearing the man behind her, "You shouldn't argue with your girlfriend. Especially when they have that look."
Kara ignored them. She also ignored the bulky men that gave her looks. She ignored James telling her she was going to hurt herself. All she did was lift. She grabbed a building piece and threw it to the side. Some pieces, she knew, should have been too heavy for a human her size, but Kara isn't human.
And with or without her powers, she was going to help!
0000
Kara got lost in the rhythm of movement. Lift something, throw it away. Lift and throw Lift and throw. Find someone, call. Move. Lift and throw. Lift and throw.
Sometimes things were too heavy and she needed help. Help. It's been a long time since she needed help with physical labour.
She would call the team and they would slowly move the object to another place.
Trucks came and they loading the scrap to be taken away. And then they continued. Lift and throw. Lift and throw.
James was long gone, having given up on trying to stop her. More relief aid had come. Water was being handed out. Dogs were around, finding people. Volunteers all around her. For once, Kara wasn't the main attraction. She was just another cog in a clock. One of many. All trying to help.
She never got the chance on Krypton. She wasn't going to waste her chance here. Not again.
"HELP!" someone called and Kara turned. A man. Stuck in a car, ready to fall off the bridge above her.
When did she get to the bridge?
"Where's Supergirl," people muttered behind her.
Here Kara though and looked for the fastest way up the building. None. None but climb.
Growling under her breath, Kara dug her finger, scraped and bleeding, into the side of the bridge and started to climb. People behind her cried. Some calling of her to stop. She slipped a few times, but the man's voice urged her on.
She was going to help. She was going to help. She was going to help!
She pulled herself up the bridge and started to run. Faster and faster. She jumped on cars, jumped between them. But just kept going. She got to the car and grabbed the back. She tried to pull it back onto the bridge, but she just wasn't strong enough.
"My son!" the man called and a small boy peeked out the back window, "Save him!"
Kara growled again as she hooked one arm around the bumped and started hitting the window with the other. The bumper started to pull her down with the car and she doubled her efforts.
The window cracked and she yelled at the boy, "GET DOWN!"
He ducked and Kara smashed through the window. She broke a few more places and the boy moved to crawl out. His hands pushed onto the glass as he cut himself. She grabbed the boy just as an aftershock made her let go of the car.
Kara bends down, burying the screaming boy's face in her chest as she watched the man fall to his death.
She didn't know how long she sat and stared, but eventually, someone came to get the boy. She felt arms around her as she was lead to another place. She couldn't see. She couldn't hear.
That little boy was an orphan because of her. Because she didn't have her powers. Because she fought Red Tornado. Because she couldn't control her anger.
"Here," the male voice said, handing her a bottle of water. She looked up and saw Maxwell Lord in front of her.
Kara stared at him for several minutes before taking the bottle, "Thank you."
"You lost your powers," he said.
Kara hesitated, shaking hand reaching up to make sure her glasses were on. There were. She looked at him, and he gave her a look that said he didn't want to hear her denial.
"Yes," Kara replied and drank the bottle clean. Done, she stood up, her legs shaking slightly and started to move towards the next area. She was stopped by a hand on her wrist.
"You're still helping," Lord said, suspicion colouring his words.
"Yes," Kara said, easily ripping out of his grasp. She then turned and headed to work.
She stopped when she saw a man run into a small store with a gun. She watched him for a few moments and changed direction.
"What are you doing?" Max asked her.
"I have to stop them," Kara told him.
"You don't have your powers. You'll get killed," Max told her.
"Maybe," Kara said, "But I have to try."
"Are you crazy?" Max said, stopping in front of her and grabbing her shoulders. She reached up and grabbed one of his hands. And stopped.
"I hate my skin colour," Kara said suddenly.
"What?" Max said, surprised.
"It looked different under Krypton's red sun. Less… pink," Kara told him, "I remember looking into the mirror for the first time on earth and… screaming. I was so afraid. Afraid of myself. I looked like an alien."
Max pulled away, watching her. Kara looked him in the eye.
"Do you know what I did?" Kara asked and Max shook his head, "I ran through the wall. I was so scared that I started breaking things. I hurt myself."
"Those men aren't scared," Max told her.
"They are. Maybe not of their skin. But they look at the destruction around them. The hopelessness and they think… This is it. I'm going to die. I have nothing left to lose," Kara tells him and walked around him.
"You know what that feels like," Max stated.
Kara hesitated. (The crying and screaming. The begging and pleading. Save me. Save me! Mamma, please! Don't send me away!)
"Some days… some days I look at myself in the mirror and I can't see me," Kara tells him instead.
0000
Supergirl took the gun out of the young man's hand and smiled. He couldn't be much older than her. Probably just as afraid.
She moved out of the way and he slowly made his way to the door. He reached it and ran. Kara smiled, hoping…
Sighing, Kara unloaded the gun completely before heading outside again. She moved to a police officer and handed her the gun. People saw her and cheered. Hope filled their eyes and she couldn't giv-
The earth shook again and you could hear the building break. Kara looked up and saw the rubble falling to the ground. Heading straight for the people below.
(They begged and the pleaded and they cried out for her)
Her heart gave one strong beat and Kara pushed off. Using both flight and superspeed she got rid of all the large pieces, breaking the rest into smaller piece as they fell to the ground in dust.
She hovered overhead and heard the people screaming all around the city. Heard them calling out to her.
Thank Rao for the chance to help.
0000
Kara gently knocked on Maxwell Lord's office window, watching the man turn to her. He stood up and headed her way, opening the large window for her. Kara smiled and landed on the office floor.
"Thank you," Kara started.
"For what?" Max asked.
"For helping them. When I couldn't," Kara told him.
"I dragged your name through the mud," Max reminded her.
Kara smiled quickly, "I'm not some all-powerful being. You remind people of that. I can't… I can't always be there. I won't stop trying, but… I can't."
"I'm surprised you didn't go to Cat," Max said.
"I already did. You two… you two were the ones that saved people today. You did more they I ever could."
"I don't know. People are still talking about the blond girl with the pink cardigan who help a lot of people."
"I'm glad I could," Kara said, smiling.
"Are you going to be there tomorrow?" Max asked her.
"Yeah. As both. I need to… help," Kara said as she remembered the last days.
"Is that what Krypton looked like?" Max asked.
"Yes. Just a lot more dead and a lot less hope," Kara told him.
"Thank you," Max said.
"For?" Kara asked, frowning.
"Not giving up," Max said.
Kara smiled and headed back to the window. Outside people were still helping, still working. She was going to go help tonight.
For her dream would be of Krypton. She was not ready for hell tonight.
00000
End
Notes*
-I know that in the comics Kryptonian Society is a Patriarchy, but I prefer having them an Equal Culture. My reason for this is because of the Birthing Matrix. With females no longer need to give birth and the Scientist ability to manipulate the genes that Male and Female are of the same strength, there is no point for one Gender to be above the other.
-In my head cannon, before Daxam and Krypton split, the species were a Matriarchy. I got this from the ep 14, where Non said it's their custom for a surviving Female to lead the funeral right. When the spices split in two and the Daxamites left to their own planet, the culture changed to a Patriarchy, only to become an Equal Rights after the last Great Civil War.
-Kryptonians are injected with Nano-Bots at the age of 3. They are originally designed to allow them to use their technology. A side effect allowed them to have bonds. Most of these bonds are forced, few bonds are natural.
These Nano-Bots can cause Kryptonians to have bonds. The Nano-Bots 'read' your brain waves and then link to other Nano-bots that have similar brain waves. The Permanent bonds are Family Bonds, Platonic Bonds, and Mate Bonds. In these bonds you feel the person in your head.
When they die it's like half your mind and soul is torn from you. It's psychologically painful. This means that in a way you can't kill you're boned. No one has ever recovered from doing so.
Temporary bonds can also be formed. These are easily broken and cause no harm to those involved.
-I decided on Nano-bots because I like the 'bonding' element. This is somewhat canon, but not entirely. In Lois and Clark: The adventures of Superman, Kryptonians have long range telepathy. In place of that Telepathy, I have bonds.
-Kryptonian Biology: I mixed some things between human and dog biology.
-Kryptonian Culture: Personal interpretation. Ideas from all around.
- Sudden PTSD-like flashbacks: Not intentional. When I got to that part I realized that it would be so similar to how Krypton exploded. That Kara is powerless and people would get hurt. Get flashbacks just made sense.
POST RANT:
First of all, the shop scene with the gun is one of my favoured in the series. Especially the part just before where Kara and James fight.
Most of my issues come from the fact that they tried to make her 'human', especially when she isn't. I understand the old-old comics not having much diversity. And I understand they wanted Kryptonians to appear human, but really? They couldn't have maybe shown some pictures of the inside of her body or come up with a better idea than 'she's now human'.
Especially the muscle thing. Her muscles are still working when she does things, even if she is using her superstreangth. The point is she's still lifting a lot over her head. Her muscles should have grown, should have strengthened. So why is she physically week? Do people not understand basic biology?
I didn't really understand the broken arm. Yeah, I get that they wanted to show that she was 'vulnerable', but really, a broken arm?
Do you know what I would have wanted to see? Kara helping like everyone else, not caring that she didn't have her powers. Helping like a human, showing she wasn't going to stop. Yes, they tried with the gun scene, and yes, I love it, but they could have done the entire episode of her struggling to help. Forgetting she didn't have powers. Realizing she needs people to help her.
SIDE RANT
Really like the newest episode. S02E19. Alex gets kidnapped. That was brilliant.
But Kara dismissing talking to people? Did they watch season 1? She almost always talked to people! They made her into a trigger happy person for one episode to give animosity between Kara and Maggie.
Out. Of. No. Where.
