Supergirl: The Last Daughter of Earth
Chapter 7
The next week had been eventful, to use a kind description. Zor El and his brother Jor El had put her through battery after battery of tests, observing what the differences between her physiology now and what it was before she left Earth, and how it was different from the human genome in general. Each test revealed something that led to more and more fantastic theories, which of course meant more tests. She was beginning to feel very much like a guinea pig or something in a lab, being poked and prodded to no end.
Through it all, Kara was at her side. She never left, not once, and was unfailingly there during every test. Despite Kara being about a year younger than Alex (they'd sat down and did the math together, calculating Earth's year versus Krypton's year), she was extremely protective of the human. She knew, of course, that her father and uncle wouldn't hurt Alex, but yet, that instinct still kept her right there all the time they worked with Alex. If anybody other than family were to discover that Alex was an alien, "trouble" didn't even begin to describe the resulting chaos.
The week hadn't been all bad, though. In between hours and hours of poking and prodding, Alex had gotten the chance to meet Kara's Aunt Lara, and little Kal El. Like Jor El, Alex had pretty much instantly felt at ease with Lara, and Kara's adoration for her aunt and uncle made it all that much easier to feel that way. They'd both been very kind to her, and had treated her as if she truly was family, and not some stray that Zor, Alura and Kara had found somewhere. Every day, Alex was beginning to feel a little more at home than she had the day before.
Jor El, Lara and Kal El had stayed with Kara's family during the week since they weren't going back to Kryptonopolis anytime in the immediate future, what with all the tests and such the brothers were doing with Alex. The house was more than big enough to accommodate them all easily, so there was no crowding or everybody running over everybody else during the day. So, even with the tests, things weren't that bad. She was relieved to discover that the Kryptonians had devised far easier, and less painful, ways to take blood and DNA samples, and do other examinations that the techniques on Earth seemed like stone knives and bear skins in comparison. She much preferred the Kryptonian methods, unquestionably.
Zor El and Jor El were busily examining the latest findings, so Alex was free for a while. She and Kara opted to go spend time with Alura, Lara and Kal El. Kerex and several other robotic servants tended to the more menial tasks and assisted wherever possible under normal conditions, but with a baby in the house, that service was magnified. They flitted about as the girls and the women talked.
Alex was absolutely amazed at the ease with which she slipped into things. Jessica was needed less and less for translations, though she was far from unneeded in any circumstances, but Alex's Kryptonian had improved greatly the last week. While still not completely fluent, and having a somewhat limited vocabulary compared to native speakers, she was doing quite well. The human was relieved that her odd accent was becoming less and less noticeable as well.
"You seem to be acclimating pretty well," Lara said as she accepted the bottle from Kerex, who had just warmed Kal El's lunch for her. She presented it to him, and he took it without fuss, and began consuming the protein rich milk supplement he was being given. "Have you given any thought to what name you'll use? It's important that it sound as Kryptonian as possible, as you know. It can be unusual, few would question it, but if it's truly strange, there will be suspicion. The Sagitari aren't the most relaxed people, to say the least, and given the Supreme Council's xenophobia, they're even less so."
"We've talked some about that, and we want to stay as close to her actual name as possible, yet make it satisfactorily Kryptonian as well," replied Alura, giving the girls something to drink to help pass the time as they spoke. It also helped to keep the throat lubricated Alura had joked with them, which caused them all to laugh, even Kal El, who gurgled and laughed along with them. "That way, her reaction to it is instinctive, and natural. Giving her a name nothing like her own would probably take quite a bit of getting used to."
Alex took Kal El as Lara handed him to her, a privilege she'd greatly enjoyed since they came for their visit. The young child waved his hands excitedly upon seeing her face, and doubly so as he saw Kara's as well. He squirmed happily and then returned to his meal, seeming as content and content can be. "I've been thinking about it a lot, and Kara and I have talked about it quite a bit, too. Is there any chance I could keep being called Alex? I mean does it sound like a name someone would name a child?" asked Alex as she took the empty bottle from Kal El's mouth. She promptly and carefully held him on her shoulder and patted his back gently, as she'd seen mothers do on Earth.
The Kryptonians all glanced at each other, thinking about it, obviously, which kept Alex bouncing and inside she was full of nervous energy and wondering if she'd asked the wrong question or made some other mistake. She was really feeling some serious dread, but Alura spoke, "I have a great aunt named Alixa, so it isn't really a stretch to be named Alex. It'd be considered a little exotic, maybe, but nothing that would set off anyone's 'alien alarm,' I don't think."
"I didn't even think about that!" exclaimed Kara, her blue eyes lighting up like stars. "I don't think there'd be any issues with it. It's not like we have a name book somewhere and these are all the names that are possible for Kryptonian women or anything." Her smile made her face almost shine like a runaway comet, and the excitement she was feeling was an almost physical thing.
Lara took Kal El back, and laid him on the couch beside her, so he could sleep. He'd dozed off in Alex's arms. "Alex Zor El. It has a nice sound to it, I think. Welcome to the family, Niece," she said with a smile. "And Alura, the idea of saying she was Arn Zee's daughter was a good one, I believe. It's tragic that he and his family all died in senseless fighting, and I mourn your loss with you. It's for the best, though, since it'd be hard to explain a daughter you've been hiding for fourteen years. Adopting the only survivor of Arn's family would make perfect sense, and none would question it, I don't believe."
"I thought so too," Alura replied. She leaned back in her seat, and gave the girls a quick smile. "What do you think, Alex? Does all this seem like something you can work with, and that sounds plausible to you? Few in Argo knew Arn and his family, and those that did hadn't seen him since his late teens, I'm sure, so there's plenty of opportunity for him to have had a daughter your age that they'd know nothing about."
Alex glanced over at Kara, and then at the others in the room for a moment in silence. Finally, she nodded, "I don't think it'd be any problem to work with that. Like you said, it'd make perfect sense, and I doubt anyone could prove otherwise. So, that means nobody would give you any trouble or anything, right?" She didn't want to be the source of problems for them, if there was going to be any. They had all been extremely kind to her, and she didn't want to repay them with hassles, or worse.
After they answered her, confirming her hopes, Kara smiled, and hugged her tightly. "Hello, everyone, this is my big sister, Alex Zor El," she said in way of demonstration. "Who's that incredibly smart new girl? That's Alex Zor El. Do you think Alex Zor El is single? People say I'm in a good circle; I'm good friends with Alex Zor El. I want to be in the Guild that Alex Zor El is in; it'll be a wonderful experience. Of course it'll be wonderful. Alex Zor El is wonderful."
She carried on for a few moments, and then looked at Alex with an apologetic smile. "I'm not teasing you or making fun of you, I promise," she swore, as she gave Alex's hand a gentle squeeze. "I'm just trying to let you hear your name roll off tongues in different conversations and circumstances, so you can get used to it. Once they know you, it'll be just Alex, of course, but you've learned by now how associations affect how one is addressed or referred to."
Alex was quiet, but she wasn't angry or upset, it didn't seem like. Kara thought it seemed more like she was sad than anything else, though there was some happiness in there as well. "Oh, it's okay, Kara, I get it. I understand. I know I don't look like it, or sound like it, but I'm really happy. Thank you, all of you, very much," she said with a light smile.
She was trying to move on with her life as her parents had wanted her to, but it wasn't that easy just yet. It seemed as if her new family understood that, because like before, they weren't pushing her. Alex had just hit the tip of the iceberg with her grief, and her expression and acceptance of it. She wasn't sure if, or when, she'd have another episode like she had at the fortress, but she was sure Kara would be there for her if and when she did.
X
A few hours later, Alex and Kara returned to the lab where Zor El and Jor El were working, and examining the results of the tests that were done so far. Ever since the first burst of flashing lights as she passed close to the sun, Alex had felt off, like something was different, she was just unsure of what. It had gotten even more apparent when she slipped through the wormhole, and landed on Krypton. Now, she'd somewhat gotten used to it, but she was very intent on finding out just exactly what was going on, and why.
It had gotten much easier for her to move around, and she no longer felt like she weighed a ton. Her breathing was much closer to normal and regular, and she wasn't feeling the compulsion to cough and wheeze harshly. She thought she must be adapting pretty well to the environment of her new home, since she wasn't experiencing those things anymore. That was good news, at least.
The two brothers glanced at each other, and finally Zor El waved the girls to sit down. "This is all extraordinary," he started, giving each girl a meaningful gaze for a moment. "We've never seen anything like it, and we're not even sure of how far the potential goes, but we can tell you some things for definite sure now, if you'd like."
"Yes, please," answered Alex. She gripped Kara's hand, and squeezed it. The human wasn't sure of how good or bad the news was, but she was sure she'd need Kara's support. The slightly younger girl had been a lifeline and a rock since Alex had arrived. "Just how different have I become?"
There was a pause, and with a pad in hand, Zor El glanced over some notes or something similar, and then replied, "It seems that the radiation you were exposed to, and your natural habitat on your home world have had some startling results since you arrived here. Your molecular structure is not nearly as dense as ours, as you know, however, the way your cells build up and store energy is much different than ours." He indicated himself, Jor El and Kara before he went on.
"It seems your cells have become able to absorb and contain energy, to be directed and used later in several functions. It's not just the solar energy, either. We bathed your cells in several different types of energy, such as an omegahedron set to discharge power, and even plain, simple fire," he said, with an expression that suggested he was barely able to believe it himself. "They absorbed, and contained, all of that energy, and were capable of storing more still. They also show signs of being able to release that energy in controlled and regulated ways."
Kara's brows shot upwards, and she quickly turned towards Alex. "One single omegahedron powers all of Argo City, and could power half again that much, easily," she explained. "Father is saying your cells are capable of storing all that energy, and more. That's an enormous amount of energy. The things that would probably make you able to do…they'd be unbelievably amazing."
The brothers confirmed Kara's statement, and Jor El picked up, "In addition, a combination of released energy and the structure of your molecular makeup show an amazing potential for almost instantaneous healing, and total regeneration. For example, we could run over you full speed with a skimmer, and before you could get up off the ground, your body would already be healed as if nothing happened. The pain would probably be extremely brief, if your brain could even register the sensation at all before it was repaired."
Alex felt like everything was in extremely slow motion, and her jaw felt like it was melting more than it was dropping. A confused expression morphed into an incredulous expression, then kept progressing through several different states, as she was momentarily dumbfounded, unable to speak for a few moments.
"Think of your cells as being infinite energy storage," continued Zor El as his brother finished his statement. "We all constantly absorb normal energy, like ultraviolet rays, solar light, mild electrical impulses that move along our nerves to send signals to our brains, and such things as that. Our bodies store that energy to give us fuel to do the things we do. Food and water provide some of that energy, and when we expend that energy, our cells need to recharge. This is why you eat multiple meals, and other means of letting your body re-energize itself."
He paused to make sure the girls were taking all this in, and understanding before he continued, "Your cells, however, are like super capacitors. The amount of energy your cells can store and use is incalculable. You'll still need to eat and sleep, of course, but you can go for much longer periods without it being absolutely necessary. And it's our belief that your cells can discharge energy in other ways than simply being used to execute normal, everyday tasks. We believe you could discharge that energy beyond your body, like the beam of an energy weapon, or a tool, for example. You could cut through a metal door as if you had a laser cutter simply by expelling that energy in a controlled, focused manner."
"There is a point where your energy use would eventually come to the point where you were using more energy faster than you could store it," interjected Jor El thoughtfully. "This is where sleep, food and such things would become necessary for you. You'll still be able to get tired, and such like you've always done. Even so, your cells will rapidly recharge and store energy…well, rapidly compared to a normal person, such as Kara, Zor El or myself. The actual applications and limits of your manipulation of that energy will have to be measured through testing."
Alex frowned, and looked up at her adoptive father and uncle. "Wait a minute," she said, holding up a hand. "You're telling me I can heal faster than I can feel most pains, or still ridiculously fast compared to how something would normally heal, and that I can shoot lasers out of my eyes or hands or something like that? And of course, if something hits me or whatever hard enough, it can stun or hurt me, but that'd take a massive amount of damage? Do I understand correctly?"
"Presumably, you could expel that energy in any manner you choose," said Zor El, as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "From your hands, your eyes, your feet, or anywhere you chose, as near as we can determine. However, it'd probably be easiest and most easily controlled to do so from your eyes or hands, because of the nature of precise control over the movement, pressure and precision that they each require. From the results, it would appear that the energy you expelled like that would be more or less like concentrated star light and radiation, a 'star bolt' if you will."
"Ouch!" exclaimed Kara suddenly, as she pulled her hand free of Alex's and shook it rapidly. "You've got a really tight grip. I know you didn't mean to hurt me or anything, you've just never gripped my hand that tightly before."
"Damn, I'm sorry, Kara," apologized Alex, even though Kara told her that she knew that it wasn't intentional. She took Kara's hand again as she slid it back into hers, and looked back at the scientists again. "Okay, that sounds pretty awesome, actually. I just have to be really careful and control it, it sounds like."
Zor El chuckled softly, and nodded towards the girls' joined hands. "It has energized your cells enough that it makes you incredibly strong, as well. With practice, you can learn to control it to where you can function as you always have until now; you just have to be conscious of it. Between your strength and healing ability, we're sure you've got the endurance to go along with it," he said, as he leaned back in his seat once more. He was obviously amazed at what he was seeing in the test results.
"Why haven't I been able to do all this before today?" she asked, being extremely careful while holding her sister's hand. "I haven't noticed anything like this before now. Is this some sort of psychosomatic response?" She felt like that was a fair, and good, question. It struck her as odd that she'd be told she could do these things, and suddenly she notices herself doing them.
"You haven't so far," answered Jor El, his pad also in hand. "It takes some time for the energy to build up in your cells. It's been doing so ever since you were first exposed to the radiation, and it accelerated in this environment. What you're feeling and doing right now is only the extreme beginning of what's to come and what you'll possess. In a way, your body is just now developing the abilities we've conjectured so far."
"Wow…" Alex breathed out softly. She wasn't sure she wasn't dreaming at this point, that she wasn't having some sort of really wild dream, and would wake up in her own bed back home. After a moment or two, though, the realization that it was all real would come back to her. "Is there anything else that the tests you've done on my tissue samples have suggested?"
Zor El glanced at Jor El, and then back at his pad before he answered, "The brain scan we took shows an astounding acceleration of the synaptic activity and speed between nerves and brain, and even in the synapse firing of your brain while it's thinking, or otherwise in use. It's so fast we can't even begin to accurately measure it. With that, we're sure that you're probably thinking nearly as fast as Jessica can, if not faster."
"That suggests a very strong possibility that all of you will be able to travel equally as fast, especially with your cellular structure enhancing your strength and endurance as it is," added Jor El, as he watched her reactions with interest. In his opinion, she had taken the news fairly well, all considered. It did make her ability to conceal her identity as an alien a lot more difficult, should she ever be observed doing any of these amazing things she could do.
"That's a lot of…wow…you think I'll be able to do all of that?" Alex asked quietly, as she looked at her hands again. Her eyes lifted to watch Kara's face, praying she didn't see fear or anything like that in her eyes.
"Honestly, you may be capable of much, much more than what we're cautiously hypothesizing," answered Zor El. He paused, almost dramatically, and smiled gently. "From what we've empirically observed, we both are firm in the belief that if you apply your energy usage properly, you may even be capable of independent true flight. You may very well be able to soar through the skies at will, without any vehicle, or any other form of assistance."
"You think I can fly?" Alex asked in a quiet, awed voice. She had always loved dreams where she could fly, and in the sci fi movies she'd watch, she particularly enjoyed ones where people could fly. It seemed like it'd be so cool and exhilarating, she couldn't believe her ears to hear someone saying she may actually be truly capable of such a thing.
"We wouldn't be surprised in the slightest," responded Jor El, as he set his pad down on the table they sat near. "We are probably only scratching the surface of what capabilities you may actually develop. You could conceivably be capable of much, much more."
Kara quickly turned towards Alex, and the smile she wore was so wide, Alex thought for a moment her face might split in two. "This is all so amazing. You are so amazing, Alex. Think of all the things you could do with these sorts of abilities. You could do great things to help people, or anything else you chose to do." She grew quiet a moment and then continued softly, "I'm so much in awe of you, even more than I have been even before now. I know they don't make up for what you've lost, but Rao blessed you with coming here, and gaining these abilities for some purpose. Whatever it is, I know it'll be great, as great as you, Alex."
Alex carefully embraced Kara when the younger girl wrapped her arms around her new sister, and laid her chin on Kara's shoulder. Just when I was starting to feel something close to normal, to okay and being able to adjust to things, something comes along and throws a monkey wrench in all my shit, she thought with an excitement, but also a disappointment. This will make trying to work through losing everything and everyone more interesting, that's for sure. I just have to be careful and not punch a hole through the planet or whatever, if I'm even capable of that sort of thing.