Author's note: Wanna know my jam when I write these chapters?
*hands up* Five For Fighting's 'It's Not Easy' usually does the trick. I love the lyrics and goes well with my train of thoughts.

And *cough* okay, I lied. Clark and Diana won't be meeting in this chapter. Lol and I feel like this chapter is extremely lacking in action. Not to mention, rushed. Still happy to get it done though.

Anianka35: Hi! Thanks for the continuous feedback! I love Lara too. It's a bit odd to write her like this in my part since, in my mind, she's more serious but I guess she was desperate so we can't really blame her. Haha. She's the cunning one among the El children and I'd love to write more of her 'antics' in the future chapters.

jdcocoagirl: thank you, kababayan! *winks* You're making me blush. Yes, Diana doesn't know Superman's identity yet. She's just started in the JL and not very familiar with the members. Especially to Clark considering that he just came home from his mission.

Apokoliptian Mothership

The imposing figure of Darkseid loomed before them. His trusted Commander and General knelt on one knee and bowed their heads. A hushed passed along them before Kal-El spoke without looking up, "My lord, you summoned us."

"Rise." The Apokolip's Dark Lord ordered. Kal-El and Diana erected and waited submissively for the reasons of his summon. They have triumphed over hundreds of alien civilizations already. The only empires they had not reached still was the Almerac, Citadels, Tamaran and Okaarans. The inhabitants were tenacious and relentless. It was only a matter of time before they yield themselves. Darkseid's forces were already unstoppable. Their surrender was inevitable.

Darkseid's red eyes flashed.
"It has come to my attention, commander, that we have been mislead. Scott Free is not on Earth but on New Genesis." Darkseid ended his sentence with a low growl. The General lifted her head, noticing the furies aligned perpendicularly at her side. Lashina was smirking at her. Diana clenched her fist and focused her attention to Darkseid. "I want you two to search the motherbox and take it from that fool's grasp. He has been a hindrance for a while. He will not give his precious creation up so easily. I will need you to do all your best to milk it from him."

Scott Free was known for his competent and avant-garde creations. Motherboxes were one of them. When Darkseid learnt of the powerful motherbox he created, he immediately ordered his best warriors to retrieve it for him. Only the task was unachievable. Too difficult. At least for the ones that were tasked to take it. Darkseid knew too well that the ones he held in front of him were capable of completing it.

"Your will be done, my lord." General declared.

Darkseid looked pleased. He gestured to the Female Furies. "Bring the Furies with you. They will aid you to your mission." He waved his hands, dismissing them. "Begone."

The Commander and General were the first to leave, followed by the Female Furies. Darkseid called Lashina before she fully went out. The Fury walked up to him and bowed. "My lord, what may I be of use?"

"I have a different chore for you, Lashina."

Later that morning...
Smallville, Kansas

The two figures hovered over the roof of the Kents' home. They seemed hesitant to land on it and stayed afloat in the air for a bit. They were careful to tap their father's keen and sensitive senses. The Kents' were asleep at the moment, Jonathan Kent's snores attested this fact. Kairos looked over the horizon wistfully. "Up for recharging?" He whispered to his sister who was looking over the vantage as well.

"Race you up there?" Asked Lara. She did not wait for his answer and soared to the sky. Fast and fluid. Kairos grinned before going after her. He had always admired the way Lara flew. It was not like his and his father's flying. Akin to their mother, Princess Diana, she glided through the air as though she was one with it. While Lara glided gracefully, Kairos sliced through the wind callously.

Once they reached the strathosphre, the siblings let out a loud cry and bathed in the sun's rays. Their bodies absorbed it greedily. Although half-Amazon, their father's genes seemed to be the dominant ones and their need for the yellow sun was constant. Of course they could still fight just as strong without recharging but the sensation of it was overwhelming that their body often sought it.

"This is wonderful." Lara said, doing a 360° somersault in the air. "I almost forgot what this feels like."

"Tell me about it." Kairos laughed, feeling hyped. "I know I shouldn't ruin the moment but shall we wait until the Kents wake up and bid them farewell?"

Lara kicked the fluff of clouds below them thoughtfully. The stratosphere smelt sweet and pungent around them. It was distinctive and it smelt of burnt wire. She had to laugh at the irony.

"Quit laughing by yourself. What say you?" Kairos asked.

Lara nodded. "We just have to make sure he's not there. We've . . . I mean, I've already messed up his proposal and I don't want to face his ire. I'll make it up to him anyway." She said, waving her hands unconsciously. If they were human, they would've had acquired several health complications for being exposed in the ozone for too long. They were grateful they weren't.

"Yea, by doing what exactly?"

"I'll think of something." She sent him a dirty look. They remained in the ozone for three minutes before deciding to descend from the skies together. A set of fresh clothes materialized on Lara and Kairos's body. The stratosphere's scent which clung on their body was now gone and replaced by the smell of newly-washed clothes.

Kairos stared at the large area of green lands under them. "So peaceful. I'm beginning to think that we're born in the wrong decade."

Lara smiled at his remark. "It's incredible that we get to see dad again. Like this." She said quietly. "He's so different. In an odd way."

"You're simply too used to the man in our time." Kairos replied, landing on a fresh patch of grass. A fog blurred the view of the Kent's farm. They trudged through the tall grasses and felt the dewy wetness of each blade.

"Oh, I think he's much the same. I meant to say there's something empty . . . missing inside of him. Can you not sense it?"

Kairos frowned at her. "I never knew you were a judge of character."

Lara chuckled."I'm not. That's your job."

"Clark Kent is lonely. Even with his meta-human and alien colleagues, he still feels he is alone. That no one is capable of fully understanding him. It would only cease until he meets Diana Prince. Gods, it feels weird to call our parents their names." Lara rolled her eyes affectionately. Kairos continued, "You remembered when you used to ask how they fall inlove? And we'd sit and listen to mom tell the story?"

Lara sighed reminiscently. "Yes. I always requested it before bed as a bedtime story instead of the norm. I always thought it was a badass fairy tale." She giggled. "Still now, I think it is so."

Kairos shook his head. His blue eyes twinkled. "Mom . . . she completed him in a way that Lois Lane and Lana Lang could not. Not even the mermaid Lori Lemaris with whom he had a brief affair with. He, at first, put her in a pedestal and distanced himself away from her, all the while ignoring his feelings for her. He feared that-"

"He could not be the man she might need. Dad didn't realise he had more than enough to offer her." Lara finished, smiling. Her expression suddenly wavered. "And now those are nothing. They're nothing but empty shells. Pawns doing Darkseid's bidding."

Kairos fixed his dark hair. "I beg to disagree. They're still there. At the back of their minds. Their brainwashing did not remove their memories but repressed it. I studied Desaad. The Apokolip's god of torture. He's very powerful but he's easy to manipulate if he's made unaware."

Lara perked up. This bit of information, she did not know. "Easy to manipulate? How so?"

"His origins are in New Genesis. He met Darkseid when he was young and the tyrant was but only a princeling called Uxas and a slave to his mother's wishes. Darkseid took an interest in him and tried to play him. He tricked him into believing that Desaad's two favorite pets had fought each other and his cat had killed his bird. Desaad buried the cat only to find his bird alive. Swinging in his cage. He killed the poor bird in a fit of rage. From then on, he followed Darkseid and became his main henchman."

Lara looked bemused. "How . . . morbid."

Kairos cast her a wry look. Lara added, "Would this piece of information help us?"

Her brother shrugged. "I don't know. I only indulged your question. You seemed curious."

She glowered at him before announcing, "It's sunrise. We leave this afternoon."

"Where'll we go?"

"I told you. I know a person."

Kairos snorted. "I didn't ask if you knew someone or not. Where will we find this person?"

Lara tied her dark hair in a bun. "London." She said simply.

Something told Kairos that he knew who this person was.

Kent Household
Meanwhile...

Clark Kent closed the door of his room quietly and crept to the adjacent bedroom to check up on Lois. In spite of the fact that Martha and Jonathan knew that they've already consummated their relationship, the two didn't approve of them sleeping in the same bed while the two were in their house. They were old-fashioned that way. He twisted the doorknob of Lois's door and found her still sleeping. He stood at the doorway and stared at her, feeling his heart twinged in pain. She would've been his fianceé today if it weren't for what happened last night.

Lana had pushed Lois out of the way just as the countdown ended and kissed Clark ravenously. Lois as well as everyone were shocked. He pulled away from her and she looked at him in bewilderment, as if she had just realised what she had done.

Lana had apologized to Lois and him. But the damage was done. Lois walked out of the party in haste.

"Let the gal sleep, Clark." Martha chided, walking up to him and placing a hand on his arm. "I was just about to take a look at you two. Breakfast is downstairs."

Clark gently closed the door and massaged his temples.
"Where's dad?"

"In the backyard, feeding the livestock. He woke up early and insisted that he needed the exercise."

"I should help him. I think I've already forgotten how farming works." Clark joked. Martha squeezed her lips into a thin line and looked as though she wanted to stop him from going. He lifted a brow questioningly.

"What?"

His mother relaxed and kissed his cheeks. "Check on the cows, sweetie. They're a bit hard to feed."

"It's nice to be back, Ma." Martha nodded in agreement. Clark left and went on his way downstairs. The smell of bacon and eggs reached his nose and he noted that he'd go back to eat them. He walked to the backdoor and noticed, for the first time, the windows. They were fastened by nails and looked chipped. His brows furrowed. What had happened when he was gone? He looked around. The windows in the same wall seemed to be fixed amateurishly. This deepened his confusion.

"Strange." He muttered, grabbing his sweater from the rack and swinging the door. He saw his father patting the soil with a shovel. "Morning, dad. What are you doing?" Clark asked, burying his hands in his pockets. Jonathan was standing on a large spot of brown soil. What's odd was that the brown soil was surrounded by white snow.

Jonathan anxiously wiped the cold sweat from his face. He already spent his morning covering his grandchildren's tracks, now his son was here asking him what he was doing. "Clearing snow away off our yard."

Clark tilted his head. "Oh." He rubbed his jaw. His five o'clock shadow felt coarse against his bare fingers. "Er . . . I noticed the windows. What happened to them?"

Jonathan pretended to shovel away snow from the yard and took no heed of his son's question. Clark's thick brows disappeared in his hairline. "Dad," he repeated firmly. "What happened to the windows?"

"Windows? What windows?"

"Dad. . ." Clark was starting to get irritated by his elusive answers. "Did somethi—"

"Clark!" Martha called out from the house. Jonathan sighed in relief. "Could you buy us some milk, darling! We just ran out of milk."

Clark shook his head and took off. A minute later, a sound of an engine roared. Jonathan could see their pick-up truck drive away in medium speed. He let out a shaky breath he didn't realize he was holding. He silently thanked his wife for the interruption.

"Well, that was nerve-racking." Kairos and Lara appeared. "We should have been quick to fix this. Sorry to burden you, Mr. Kent." Said Lara, looking apologetic.

"Nonsense. I liked the warm-up." The older Kent thumped his fist on his chest. "Gives a healthier, stronger heart."

The siblings smiled. "We've come to say our farewells, sir." Kairos said solemnly. "We'll be off to search for our brother Jon." Jonathan's cheery face replaced into an expression of sadness. Lara felt her heart contract painfully and stepped forward to hug the old man.

"We'll be back, Mr. Kent." She bit her lip. "I'm a woman of my word."

"As well as I." Kairos joined in. "Can you call Mrs. Kent for us sir?"

"Call me grandpa, young man. I can't have my own grandson calling me by that name." Kairos laughed but nodded nonetheless. Jonathan called for his wife who quickly came out. Martha was on her aprons and mittens. She looked delighted at the sight of the siblings and walked briskly to meet them.

"Why the long faces, dear?" Asked Martha.

"We've come to say goodbye, grandmother." Lara said, clenching her jaw to stop herself from shedding a tear. "Thank you so much for everything but we've wasted enough time here. Kairos and I would like to hang out here more only I'm afraid our mission awaits us."

"Is that so?" Martha asked sadly.

"Please understand, ma'am." Said Kairos. "If we ever go through all of this, we promise to visit you one last time. Our time is limited and I worry for the people in our time. We are their only hope."

Martha looked troubled. "Will you be alright? Have you any money?"

Lara interjected, "We have more than enough. Daughter and son of Superman here. We could press coals into diamonds with our hands." She joked. Jonathan Kent placed his arm over his wife's shoulder in consolation.

"They are right, Ma."

"But. . ." Martha took a deep breathe before crushing the two in an embrace. Kairos and Lara's head knocked into together and they winced. "Did they ever tell you that you look like your father, Kairos?"

Kairos's face softened. "I've been told quite a few times." He said softly, rubbing the sore spot. His head twisted to look into the distance. "He's coming."

The Kents took a step back. "I wish to meet the woman who delivered you into this world." Martha said as they watched the El siblings hover. Jonathan nodded.

"Soon." Kairos and Lara smiled before they blurred out of sight.

New Genesis
Supertown - Celestial City

A defeaning boom thundered around the city of the New Gods. The inhabitants was startled at the sudden disturbance and looked up to the skies only to see a bright cobweb suspended high in the air. The people recognized it as the boom tube portal. They gasped altogether as, one by one, its passengers came out. The Apokolips' Furies, parademons, and its two champions. Commander Kal-El overlooked the floating city and tried to see through the Genesisian palace.

"See anything?" The General asked.

Kal-El shook his head. "The walls are lined with special promethium. I'm afraid we have to find Scott Free ourselves."

They propelled downwards. The first thing they did was subdue the guards of the palace. It was an incredibly easy feat. The Kryptonian punched down several guards and entered. Behind was Diana who unfurled her electric whip and lashed it to floor, testing it. It was the General's favorite weapon. Darkseid had offered countless weapons to replace the whip she favored but Diana declined. There was something with it that she was familiar with. And it was also one of the reasons she and Lashina were not civil with each other. Lashina wielded the same weapon.

Dozens of guards halted down the hall and began to shoot at them. Kal-El didn't even flinch when the beams hit him. He zoomed and defeated them in one go. Diana frowned at him. "You could have left some for us, you know."

"There will be more, General. We don't have to compete over a small number of —"

Kal-El stopped mid-sentence as he was slanmed against a solid wall. Diana gasped and prepared herself. "Orion!" She hissed. "It's good to see you again, dear prince."

"Ah! The great General of Apokolips!" Orion grinned. "You brought Darkseid's kitties with you. How adorable."

The Female Furies roared. Diana held up her hand and stopped them before they could engage. Commander Kal-El got up to his feet and surged at Orion and launched a hundred punches at him. Diana decided to join in and coil her whip around Orion's torso. The supreme high voltage of the whip shocked him immensely. Orion screamed in agonizing pain.

Diana watched in satisfaction. Her eyes went to the Female Furies who busied themselves with the palace guards.

Her eyes twisted back to Genesisian when he started to laugh. "Oh! I applaud Desaad for his amazing skills! You two have completely lost your minds!" He smiled through gritted teeth.

Kal-El eyed him coldly. "Where is your brother?"

Even through the excruciating torture, Orion managed to mock them. "Which one?"

Kal-El pulled his collar. His eyes started to emit smoke, signifying the budding of his heat vision. "The one you were swapped with."

"I don't . . ." Orion was starting to falter. "Know. He could be," He howled in pain. "He could be everywhere." The second son of Darkseid lay sprawled on all fours. His body shook vehemently.

"Kal-El, what shall we do with him?!" Diana demanded, tightening her hold of the whip. The Kryptonian clenched his jaw.

"We go forward. Leave the whip with him. Make sure his accelerated healing is useless. With its electric field stemming directly from the lightning of Apokolips," Kal-El smirked at Orion. "I fully doubt he could heal himself fast."

Diana did not want to part from her weapon. She was about to say her protest aloud when a war cry resounded and she was forced to be separated from her hold. The General steeled her feet onto the ground and slowed her momentum. She growled when she saw Big Barda take on Kal-El. Despite being weakened, Orion freed himself from the whip and charged at her.

Snarling, Diana wrapped her arm around Orion and flipped him, his back turned to her. The New God raised his elbow and striked her ribs sharply with it. "Where is Scott Free?!" She gasped, head butting him in the stomach and catching him off guard by ramming her knee in his crotch simultaneously. Orion closed his eyes and held his precious body part for a moment. Diana did not wait for him to recover and pummeled her fist into his face.

Orion was extremely strong. They were almost equal in terms of strength and he was known for his bursts of anger. He used his anger to drew his strength in and, unlike his father and brothers, he could not control it. It was both a disadvantage and an advantage to him.

"You would not succeed! The light will always prevail." Orion exclaimed, whacking her face with the back of his palm in return. Diana touched her lip and saw blood. She roared and shouted at Stompa to fetch her whip. The Fury obliged and flung her her weapon.

"You would have been a real God beside your father. Yet you turn their back from them and mingle instead with these weaklings. A waste." Diana lifted her leg to kick Orion in the stomach. The Genesisian caught Diana's leg and whirled her before hurling her into the concrete. The impact made a huge gaping hole. Diana sat up and wiped the blood on her mouth.

"My turn." She muttered. The General surged at him at supersonic speed and held him by the neck. She secured her whip throught his body and pressed the grey button on the handle. "Taste your weakness, my prince." She whispered before tossing him onto the floor like a rag doll. She let the parademons drag Orion away.

Diana looked around and spotted Kal-El still battling with Big Barda. She could see the woman was having difficulty fighting with him. The General rolled her eyes and snuck up from behind. She pressed her fingers on Big Barda's neck trigger points. The woman fell unconsciously in one swoop.

The commander looked at her. "How. . .?"

"I'm the General, Kal-El. It's only natural for me to read her file and," she pointed at her neck. "I've been told it was Big Barda's weak point. We must move quickly. It would only hold her for a short time."

Kal-El's eyes swept to the motioness Orion. Diana explained briefly, "Radion."

"In your whip?" Commander asked. It was illegal to be in possession of Radion. He looked impressed. Diana nodded.

Laboratory - Main Control Room
Genesisian Palace
Meanwhile...

Scott Free cursed himself for not stopping his wife from going for the Apokoliptians sooner. Now Big Barda and Orion had fallen and there was no stopping the intruders. He was at least grateful that Orion had transported his wife Bekka to the Justice League for safety. Now unaccompanied, the new ruler of New Genesis was left to fend for himself. He pushed the emergency buttons to impede their entry and unlocked the special chamber where he kept the supreme motherbox. He activated the holographic projection of himself and glanced at the monitors. Kal-El and Diana were headed in his direction.

He took a deep breathe and exited the room. He flew along the hallways quickly and barked at the servants to take refuge. The palace was no longer fortified. For years, Darkseid had attempted to steal the motherbox from him and failed. It appeared that with his new powerful henchmen, he was succeeding this time.

"Barda!" Scott Free cried out as he saw his wife limping and holding onto the wall to walk properly. "We have to leave."

Big Barda shook her head. "We can't." Scott circled his arms around her waist. "We're surrounded this time."

"Aren't we always? I have the motherbox to take us away from here."

She lightly glared at him. "I told you that motherbox would be trouble. I should have destroyed that all those years ago."

Scott scoffed. "Yes, you should have."

"They've taken Orion, Scott. He's . . . that Amazon defeated him."

"Diana is a force to be reckoned with. She's a daughter of Zeus. They took her bracelets that concealed her god mode. I am even surprised she held back." Scott said seriously, his face grim.

The wall behind them smashed into smithereens. Scott and Big Barda gasped.

"Scott Free." Kal-El chuckled. "Finally."

The ruler of New Genesis was too slow for Kal-El. The commander had pinned and cuffed his hands before he could reach for the motherbox.

"NO!" Big Barda cried out. She slumped onto the floor. Diana dug her heels into her back.

"Be still, traitor." General hissed. "You'd be a good addition to the team if you complied with our wishes."

Big Barda reached for Diana behind her. Diana took her arm and held it. The sound of bone breaking could be heard. Scott's eyes widened. "Over my dead body, witch."

"DON'T TOUCH HER!" Scott screamed.

"The motherbox first." Said Kal-El. "Give us the motherbox and we'll leave you and your lover alone. I'm already giving you an ultimatum. Take it." Scott Free was torn. His eyes switched to his wife and Kal-El desperately. He clenched his fists. He was close to reaching the motherbox when Big Barda whispered something incoherent. A hush passed amongst them.

"What?" Diana demanded. "What did you say?"

"I wish your sons and daughter luck." Big Barda said, she looked at the commander and general. "They'll save the universe even if we were to fail to protect the motherbox."

Diana stiffened. Kal-El gripped Scott's face, not letting himself be distracted by the lies thrown at them. "The motherbox, fool."

Bernadeth interjected. "We're only wasting our time." She produced her Fahren-knife and stabbed it in Scott. The new Genesisian king screamed at the burning sensation in his stomach. "You'll be spared. Give what Darkseid wants."

The sister of Desaad deepened the blade. Scott cried out.

"Your refusal is futile, young king. It would not save you." Scott was turning pale. His lips turned blue and he spat blood. Big Barda could not hold it any longer. She couldn't bare to see her husband in so much pain.

"Just give it to them, Scott, damn it!"

Scott fell down in a loud thud, his breathing shallow. He raised his right hand in his enfeebled state. There was a blast of blinding light. It was gone before they could shield their eyes.

Laying where Scott had lain was the motherbox. They looked around. He and Big Barda were nowhere in sight..