So I'm aware this is extremely late on a Monday again, but apparently the CW are now showing the first two episodes of Supergirl tonight (and every Monday) in preparation of the second season (I'm in the UK so I had no clue until today) so there's been a lot of increased interest in my updating this chapter tonight too – which works well with the pilot for reasons you'll see below. Also, I usually dedicate an episode to a singular reviewer, but this week, due to the nature of this story (you'll see *winks*), I want to dedicate this to every reader and reviewer of this story thus far – it's cliché to say, but honestly I wouldn't be continuing this without you all and there are many, many more stories to come that I hope you'll all be excited for, in particular a certain ex-sidekick of a certain Gotham vigilante soon… so on that note!
Episode Seven – Visitor from Another Planet.
There was a flash of light, just outside the city. A figure emerged from the bright flash of energy, but as it was daytime, and as this was a part of the city no one batted an eyelid to, it went unnoticed. The figure was glad of this, their arrival planned, their co-ordinates researched. Ever since the Kryptonian had been detected in this region of space, this far from home and completely unprotected from the guidelines of Kryptonian law, she was the perfect target, the perfect mate.
She had done her research.
-PowerFlash-
Doctor Stein had found his way back to STAR Labs now. Clarissa, his wife, lived in Central City of course, and after spending a few days back with her after being away for some time, pun intended – Jax, his Firestorm co-partner had returned to spend time with his mother too – he had taken the opportunity to visit the Labs. Since his inclusion in the Firestorm amalgamation, Clarissa had taken up tutoring jobs, so income wasn't so much of a problem, but he did have an ulterior motive to visit STAR Labs – especially with his involvement in Team Flash and the new rumours spreading about the Lab's scientific revival thanks to CatCo Picture News.
It was nearing midday on a Tuesday when he entered the dilapidated building and made his way to the Cortex – the heart of Team Flash's home – to find two unfamiliar girls and Professor Harrison Wells, the Earth-2 variant he assumed, working away. In fact, the blond of the young girls was with Doctor Wells, looking in on the treadmill Barry usually ran on to see the second girl running with extreme speeds similarly matching Mr. Allen's as the Flash.
"A lot's happened since I've been away," Stein announced himself, the blond turning sharply to look at him while Wells didn't even seem to note his arrival.
"Professor Stein?" the blond asked, smiling as she moved over to him.
"You know of me?" Stein asked as she lifted her hand to shake his. Stein took the hand uncertainly as he looked over the girl – he had never seen her before.
"Barry and Caitlin go on about you all the time. I'm Kara Wells, you're one half of Firestorm. Ray wondered if you would be coming back. I take it those time travelling people never came back for the rest of your team?"
"Urm," Stein didn't know quite how to respond to all this, glancing again to the brunette on the treadmill. He hadn't given much thought to where Ray had gone. Stein had kind of assumed he had headed back to Star but it seemed the man was here instead.
"Oh, that's Jesse, Harrison Wells' daughter and my adoptive sister. She's also a speedster like Barry – it's a long story involving Barry losing his speed and dad trying to give it back to him."
"Give it back to him?" Stein's eyes moved to Wells now, "you re-enacted the Particle Accelerator explosion? That's an extremely dangerous thing to do."
"And it was" this time Wells turned to look at Stein, neither grimacing nor smiling, "but Barry survived and is more powerful than before, my daughter is now a fellow speedster and Mr. West is showing potential. Before long Central will have three very fast protectors, and Kara here."
"Mr. West?" Stein had been away for far too long it seemed, that was becoming obvious now. "Joe is a potential speedster?"
Harry actually laughed at this, his speedster daughter having finished on the treadmill as she joined her father and foster sister in curiosity. "Not that one. West Junior, Joe's long-lost son."
"Joe has a son? Fascinating!" Stein exclaimed, his eyes moving back to Kara however as he backtracked. "And what about you, my dear? A lot of new faces to get to know."
"I'm an alien with superpowers thanks to the Earth's yellow sun." Kara stated with a small smirk, much to Stein's shock.
"An alien? Well…" he glanced between Wells and Kara before voicing, "I've faced time-travel, immortality, meta-humans and reincarnation, but aliens… well, this is new territory. Would you mind filling me in?"
Kara seemed nervous for a moment, but this this didn't hinder her or Harry as they went on to explain about Barry breaching to Earths 3 and 4, and about the original version of Kara and that past, explaining Barry's return, Kara Wells' origins and even her training at ARGUS. Harry went on to mention Jesse's abilities and what they had discovered about the speed-force through her now. The professor, who kept repeating 'fascinating' every few minutes, seemed to hang on to their every word.
-PowerFlash-
Barry had been working all morning. Well, that is to say he got all his day's work done within five minutes and spent the rest of the time lazing around, thinking about Kara, Jesse and Wally – well, mostly Kara. Try as he might, he couldn't quite take his mind off his foster brother and Harry's daughter, but suspected that was more speed-force-related than actual thoughts toward them. If Wally were a speedster like himself and Jesse, then it would make sense he was connected to Wally like he was Jesse. Kara however…
"Hey, Bar?" Joe stuck his head in the door to Barry's Lab, Barry turning lazily on his chair to look at his foster dad who raised an eyebrow, his tone suddenly changing as he noted: "If the Captain saw you like that…"
"It's fine. I've done everything, Joe, and if Captain Singh was to look in on me, I'm fast enough to make myself look busy before he had anything to complain about." There was a boyish smirk on his face at this, which Joe couldn't help but chuckle to.
"Well, as long as Singh doesn't spot you flashing about like the hero you are… anyway, I'm not here to question your job, but to ask you to do an extra job."
"Oh yeah?" Barry jumped from his chair as he moved over to Joe, now intrigued.
"Two girls found dead of confirmed heart attacks in downtown within a block of one another. Both bodies are now down in the morgue, but I thought you'd be interested in them – unusual circumstances and everything," Joe reasoned.
"Since the Particle Accelerator explosion this place has become the heart of unusual circumstances," Barry stated as he motioned for Joe to lead the way to the elevator, not that he didn't know where to go. "I take it Julian is already there?" He asked as Joe pressed the button for the basement level on the lift.
"He's got nothing else going on since we don't have any dead metas to examine, so he took the case, even if it seems below his pay grade, but being a forensic anthropologist he knows his way around a dead body or two," Joe stated as the doors finally opened and they stepped into the elevator.
"How's he getting on with his study on deceased metas, do you know?" Barry asked, generally interested. Ever since Singh had appointed him on Cisco's request – Cisco of course being the CCPD's official meta-human liaison, still – Julian Dorn had been hands-on in looking over all the corpses of those in both STAR and the CCPD's morgue. He and Cisco were the first in the field in studying meta-human biology and so it was exciting work for both of them. Barry had met Julian on a few occasions too, like right now to examine potential meta-human attacks, and of course those times when he'd been at STAR with Cisco at the same time as Barry.
"Not a clue. You're best asking him yourself," Joe stated simply as the elevator grinded to a halt and the doors pinged open. They moved into the short corridor that led to a set of double-doors. Beyond those doors a constantly cool room was situated – it was large with several gurneys situated in a row. At the back of the room was a wall of storage coolers – looking like simple lockers although much deeper than the average locker – and windows, situated right up against the ceiling, cast a dull light in the room that the strobe lights had to constantly fight with during the day. There was an office situated next to the corridor – accessible by both corridor and morgue – which was currently empty as it's only occupant – a tall, thin, blond man in a lab coat – was currently examining a female form upon one of the gurneys.
Julian Dorn looked up at Barry and Joe's arrival and smiled a rather attractive grin at the pair. "Detective West, Mr. Allen, great to see you" he was distinctly British as he moved over to the pair, removing his disposable gloves to shake their hands, "I was hoping you'd pop by before lunch."
"Yeah, what's the story?" Barry took over, moving past Julian after shaking his hand to look at the two bodies with curiosity.
"Two females, mid-twenties, both found within minutes of one another and suffering multiple heart attacks," Dorn stated as Barry grabbed a pair of disposable gloves. Julian put on some fresh gloves too while Barry checked over the first woman.
"Any indication of heart problems in their families?" Barry asked.
"Already checked and no for either – completely unsuspected. While it's possible one could have suffered a sudden attack, the possibility of another woman having the same fate so close to the other is something we can't overlook," Dorn joined Barry as he added. "The only indication of similarities within the two is a faint genetic trace left on their lips. The same pattern but not human."
"Not human?" Barry looked to Julian, curious. "Meta, then?"
"Possibly…" There was doubt in Dorn's voice as Barry looked closer to the lips of the current woman. Neither forensic scientist said anything else for a few minutes as Barry moved off to look at the other woman before he glanced back to Joe. His foster father had an odd look on his face. "There's something odd with the DNA" Julian continued. "Most meta humans just have an extra molecular strain – one mutated DNA factor. This seems completely different, though."
"What is it, Joe?" Barry asked as Julian glanced between the living pair now, unable to avoid the look on his father's face now.
"Don't you see it?" Joe stated simply, looking at the girls' bodies himself.
"See what?" Barry asked, a little confused now, obviously not on the same thought pattern as his father.
"Both women in their mid-twenties, both of similar height, white and both are blue-eyed and blond," he covered the points as he knew them.
"They are similar, yes." Dorn thought aloud.
"You think they were attacked for their looks?" Barry asked.
"Yes and no. I think they were attacked because they look like someone similar. The same sort of thing happened in Star City last year, but that was… different." He didn't want to go into too much detail on the time when Sara had been resurrected without her soul and had sought her killer in people who looked like Thea Queen – then she had actually left actual marks on her victims, not just a possible kiss to the lips. He'd learned all this posthumously from Quentin Lance, of course.
Barry frowned as he took a step back, looking between both women before he looked back at Joe, who now had a concerned expression on his face as Julian glanced to Barry now. Then he saw it, he saw what they both looked like – who they both looked like. Kara! "Oh no…" he muttered to himself. "I need to go on lunch. Desperately." He whipped off his gloves a little too fast before rushing as quickly as humanly possible to the exit – using the stairs instead of the elevator this time.
Julian's eyebrows raised as he glanced to Joe now. "Am I missing something?" Julian wasn't stupid and he saw that Joe and Barry had somehow had a conversation he did not understand right in front of him. That was a bit annoying.
"We'll let you know," Joe stated. "Thanks for letting Barry in on this though." He patted Julian on the shoulder and was about to turn to leave when Julian suddenly spoke up.
"Err, Detective West?"
"Yeah?" Joe said stopping and turning back around to look at the young man.
"Iris," Julian muttered, not meeting Joe's eyes now as the man looked to him.
"Yes? What about her?" Joe almost demanded.
"Is she… I mean, well I don't want to impose but I was wondering…" he was stuttering through his request before he blurted out: "Is she single?"
"If you mean to ask if my only daughter has a boyfriend, then no, she is not seeing anyone." Joe cautioned, noticing Julian grin in spite of himself. "And I didn't know you knew her."
"I've seen her about here and at STAR Labs…" Julian supplied.
"Well, I'm meeting her for lunch, if she has the time I can bring her by the station if you make yourself available in half an hour?" Joe didn't like setting up dates or anything of the likes for his daughter, but she was old enough to make her own decisions and he didn't like to see a clever man like Julian not get the chance to at least make an impression, and if he liked her, well, all the better. Julian was a nice kid and Iris needed to move on from Eddie, and possibly Barry too.
"Cool," Julian responded, a little nervously now.
Joe smirked as he was allowed to leave this time, Julian moving off to his lonely office as Joe headed to the elevator.
-PowerFlash-
Barry arrived at STAR Labs to find Doctor Stein had joined their ranks, as Harry had previously predicted, who was in conversation with the scientist while Harry's daughters sat back and watched. He had no idea where STAR regulars, Cisco and Caitlin were, or even Ray now he thought about it, but he moved swiftly over to Kara without even a 'hello'.
"What's up?" Kara asked, noticing the worried look on his face.
A few months ago, Barry would have kept shut about his concerns, put on a brave face and waited until all hell broke loose, but now he knew he had to tell her what was worrying him. "Someone's after you."
"What?" Kara stared at him blankly before adding, "Who? How do you know?"
"Two victims in the CCPD greatly resemble you" Barry stated simply.
Kara actually spluttered in laughter. "Two women look like me happen to be dead, and so I'm in danger?" She couldn't help but shake her head at this.
"You don't get it," Barry kept his cool in spite of Kara's odd reaction. "These girls died of heart attacks, close to one another with no history of such health issues in either of their families. They were… kissed to death." It was the only thing that seemed to make sense – foreign, hell even alien, genetics on their lips that matched. There were no other signs of possible cause.
"I'm sorry, did I hear you right? You have two victims back at the CCPD who were kissed to death?" Stein had joined the pair, looking between Barry and Kara as he added his catchphrase "Fascinating!" with enthusiastic wonderment.
"I'm sure it's a coincidence, albeit kind of weird," Kara dismissed, looking back to Harry and not wanting her family involved in such a silly cause of worry. "Plus, I'm not likely to link lips with strangers."
"Waiting for that special person, I suppose?" Stein added thoughtfully. Kara glanced toward the doctor but her face seemed to have gone slightly redder as Stein began to mention his own wife and the special love they shared – his go-to in situations like this is seemed. Jesse smirked, as Stein didn't seem to notice how embarrassed Kara was getting.
"But whatever this person did, it forced a heart attack in those two women," Barry tried, Kara actually placing her hands on her hips now as she shook her head in a little annoyance.
"Look Barry. I know you're concerned, but I'm so much more than either one of those women, I'm sure. Look, why don't we go to lunch? You can show me that pizza place you keep going on about while keeping an eye on me to make sure I don't kiss anyone I shouldn't."
Now it was Barry's turn to blush as he silently nodded in agreement, Kara taking his hand with a glance to her sister before they both left.
It was barely half an hour later, both superheroes working on their fifth pizza each when Barry's phone went off. Glancing an apologetic look to Kara, he noticed Joe was his caller and answered without a word. "Bar, there's a third victim. Just got the call." Joe went on to tell Barry the location, as well as the fact that Julian wanted his expert eyes again, so Barry stood up. Kara frowned curiously to the speedster as he glanced worriedly to her.
"Gotta cut this date short," he stated as he put the phone away, "another body. Back to STAR? Cisco's been requested to join in and use his own 'expert opinion' in finding the killer."
"You mean Vibe them out?" Kara stood as Barry quickly paid the bill and returned. "And you called this a date, Mr. Allen. I didn't realise I'd be so lucky!"
Barry didn't really have time to think that one through as he and Kara moved off back to the Labs, a little quicker than met the eye, and met up with Cisco, Julian and Joe at the entrance – they had to slow down pretty quick before Julian was let in on the secret.
"That was fast!" Julian nevertheless greeted the pair, smiling at Kara in spite of the situation.
"Kara Wells," Kara introduced herself, waving off the speedy remark as she nodded her head to the other blond before Cisco moved forward.
"I think this may be a CSI thing only," he stated a little bit worriedly, indicating that he'd rather not have Kara around for this. "Your dad's testing Jesse again in the Cortex and Jesse seems to want some sisterly support there. You know how Harry can be."
She knew this was a way to get rid of her, but Kara nodded in agreement, quickly returning to the Cortex as Cisco led the men to the cold storage area. Barry wasn't quite sure how Cisco was going to do his 'Vibe-thing' without Julian figuring something out, but the answer was waiting for him in the form of Martin Stein.
Stein was good, Barry had to give him that, as he instructively moved Julian off, asking the anthropologist about his studies to the meta-human genome all the while moving purposefully as far away from STAR's morgue as possible.
"How does he not know you're a meta?" Barry turned his attention to Cisco now; as the pair worked on meta-human DNA in their spare time, living meta tissue from Vibe could have been extremely useful in their research.
"I barely know the guy; I don't want to go blurting about how I'm a meta-human in front of him. He's mentioned doing autopsies on the living in his past, and he's not even thirty yet! Besides, you work in the same building as him – if anything, the Flash would be a hell of a lot more interesting than the dude who can see places and open portals to other worlds."
"Opening portals to other words is a lot cooler than zipping about the place in a tight red suit," Joe pointed out as Barry stared at him in disbelief.
"Can you just do your thing?" Barry quickly interjected, turning his attention to the girl on the table and forcing himself to breathe as he noticed how extremely similar to Kara she did look – this one even had shoulder-cropped hair like Kara. Could it really be something similar to a Lazarus Pit situation Joe had filled him in on during the quick phone call?
Cisco sighed as he pulled his newly improved Vibe goggles from his deep jacket pocket – he'd modified it even more since his time with Winn on Earth-3 and so used it as much as possible in his every day Vibe life. He'd even taken apart the old Reverb glasses permanently to add bits of it to this new one. "So what, the dude kisses her and she dies? I touch the lips right?"
"Have you never kissed a girl before?" Barry groaned indignantly as Cisco glowered at him, shoved the goggled on a little too violently, and placed a finger to the woman's lips.
"Damn she's cold already…" he muttered as he nevertheless concentrated, Barry and Joe now looking to him in intrigue – it was much harder to make out him Vibing with the goggles on and they couldn't quite see his eyes through the small Plexiglas window, but the fact he'd silenced himself and seemed to be rigid-still was indication he had found what he was looking for.
Cisco suddenly ripped off the glasses, faster than even Barry could – and that was saying something – as he breathed heavily, glancing to Joe and Barry. "It's a woman! She's… it's hard to describe. She's looking for someone in particular, for Kara. Something about Kryptonians…"
"Did you see where she was?" Barry asked, his worst fears coming alive already.
"She's homing in on her. She's close… but Barry, she's also powerful. I mean I could sense the power radiating off her…"
"Well, let's hope she's never faced off with a Flash!" He was gone, leaving Cisco and Joe in a somewhat awkward silence.
Barry's costume was off its mannequin before Kara knew what had happened, but she was just as quick as she stopped the Flash before he had the chance to even leave the Cortex, let alone the facility. "You're not going without me! I heard what Cisco saw, who he saw. We face her together or not at all, okay?"
Barry didn't want to argue – well he did, but he knew it was a fight he wouldn't win – so reluctantly he nodded; Kara vanished to Cisco's hidden room and returned in a moment in her off-white and blue costume. As per her instruction to Cisco since her face off with Hydroman, the costume now had its own cape, albeit completely different to her originator's: This was slightly darker blue than her boots, was cut shorter than most to stop just below the waist and was made of a bullet-proof, powerful synthetic alloy that Cisco found very hard to even cut to shape, let alone design to work with the outfit. It looked good though.
She was still lacking in a symbol, but ever since Winn had given Cisco that Super-necklace on Earth-3, Barry was just waiting for the House of El to make its appearance on the outfit soon.
"Let's kick some female ass!" Kara stated, placing the mask on her face, causing Barry to grin as Jesse moved to the computer banks, her father at her side – she wasn't yet ready or confident to go on missions, even though Cisco had practically finished her speedster outfit, but at least she'd be talking them through via their ear pieces.
Kara took to the air as Barry took to the streets, each keeping an eye out for anything unusual, any women acting shifty. That was until something flew up and joined Kara.
A figure, slightly taller than the Woman of Steel, wrapped entirely in white shawls with her pale face only just visible through the fabric Kara couldn't see through floated above the city, Kara coming to a stop in front of her, her own heart racing.
"Kryptonian!" The white cladded woman bellowed, her voice reaching the streets below as many people's attention were drawn, camera-phones immediately shooting the odd scene as the Flash, unable to maintain height like one who could fly, did his best to keep in the vicinity, jumping from rooftop-to-rooftop to keep in with the action, but the women were slightly too high for him to reach anyway.
"What do you know of my race? What are you?" Kara asked back, forcing herself to remain calm as she took note of the zipping red blur that was Barry below them.
"Why are you so far from home?" the woman countered.
"This is my home," Kara stated, curious if this was confirmation that Krypton lived in this universe, or if this woman was playing games with her. "Why do you seek me? Why leave a trail of dead in your wake?"
"I search for a mate. I know of your recent exploits on this planet, your genetic structure. Those Earthlings were weak compared to the noble and long-lived race of Kryptonians," Kara could just make out blood-red hair beneath the white shawls.
"You look for a girlfriend in me?" This was what Kara translated from the woman's speech. "Who are you?"
"I am Maxima, Protector of Almerac, dishonoured from Crucible Academy. I have come for you, fellow planet protector."
"I'm no planet protector!" Kara raised her hands in shock. "Do you want to help protect this planet, or do you need me to help protect this Almanac place?"
"Almerac." Maxima confirmed. "But no. I simply come to fulfil my life's purpose. To find an equal in which to mate." At this she removed the shawl that covered her head, revealing a powerful face, deep botte-green eyes and larger-than-life flowing blood-red hair. She was attractive in her own way. Kara also noticed the thing glinting on the other woman's wrist.
"I think she wants to have sex with you, Kara." Jesse's voice in Kara's ear almost made her jump, forgetting her sister was at the computers back at STAR, but she tried to keep her cool as she glanced to Maxima.
"Sorry, you're not my type," Kara replied a little coolly, not sounding apologetic for a problem that wasn't her own – she'd literally just had her first date with Barry; she didn't need this woman, this alien, come and mess things up.
"Unacceptable!" Maxima lunged. Kara only just managed to fly backward as she let out a blast of her laser vision on the woman, which didn't even seem to singe her, let alone hurt her.
"My mentor Alex is quite good when it comes to –" Kara tried as Maxima began to circle her, Kara noticed Barry had stopped circling too, and realised he stood on a roof closest to them now, ready to strike when they got closer; Kara began to drift toward him, forcing Maxima to move with her. "She's quite badass when it comes to fighting, Alex that is, I'm sure she would make a worthy mate for you."
"I do not need some weak Earthling – they break too easily. I require someone strong, someone who could aide in the protection of my home and the widening of my own desires." Maxima didn't seem fazed by what she was saying, but Kara found herself blushing once more for the alien woman.
"A little too much information for me, Maxi," she tried, glancing quickly to where Barry was and just in time as he jumped. Kara had to fly backward quickly as Barry found himself grappling with the alien woman some hundred or so feet above a nasty fall to death, but Kara kept close as she watched the Flash prove he was almost more than a match for Maxima – she even helped as she put forth a few punches before Barry lost his grip on the red-head and began to fall.
Kara swept down, grabbing Barry and moved back up to continue the fight with Maxima, only to find she'd vanished. With Barry in her arms she looked around, noting the cameras pointed up at them and no super-powered red-head in sight. "Lost her," she sighed. "That was… weird."
"Well, I hope she doesn't mind us borrowing this?" Kara looked to Barry holding what looked like a charm bracelet in his hand – the thing that had glinted in the light before theirs and Maxima's fight.
"Source of her powers, maybe?" Kara suggested hopefully.
"I think we should get this back to STAR," Barry countered, Kara agreeing as she didn't even bother to put Barry down on the ground, flying straight to the Labs.
-PowerFlash-
"Fascinating!"
"Will you stop saying that?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Allen, but this really is quite fascinating! It's technology from a whole other world!"
Stein had been waiting for them in the Cortex – Cisco was entertaining Julian in STAR's morgue and Joe had gone back to the department. Barry hadn't seen Caitlin or Ray all day. But now Stein was examining the bracelet Barry had claimed off of Maxima with great interest and couldn't help smiling as Harry looked over his shoulder. Kara stood by Jesse at the computers while Barry paced about nervously.
"You see these charms?" Stein indicated the few objects hanging from the chain. "They fit into part of a greater design when placed as such." He moved what looked like a ringed planet next to a crescent moon; instantly the two fused together, the bracelet glowing momentarily. "There's so much that can be learned from such a thing. If only you could have brought this Maxima woman in for questioning, she could provide the information to get this to work in our favour."
"Something tells me our meta-human holding cells wouldn't be enough," Harry pointed out right behind Stein. "You know we should really use Kara in a cell to figure out how to hold aliens." Kara gave her adoptive father a curious look at this. "No offense, but if more are going to show up we have to figure out how to hold them."
"Maybe after we stop Maxima" Jesse voiced, "who, if she were here anyway, would then be jumping Kara at every opportunity," Jesse found the situation hilarious despite the dangers Maxima presented.
"I can't believe this universe's Maxima showed up," Barry finally stated, remembering when he was on Earth-3, happily believing that there were no aliens on his Earth and so safe from that kind of threat. He had even thought about not wanting to face off against Maxima the other week, making a mental note there and then to be careful of what he thought in future. "Oh, she's held in the DEO of Earth-3" Barry added to Jesse and Harry's curious looks, Kara silently nodding with her own memories of Earth-3 thanks to the memory transplant that world's Kara had given her.
"So what do we do with her? She obviously won't leave without me by her side and I'm not looking to relocate any time soon," Kara finally stated, a little despondent. She wanted this woman gone; even going so far into half-way thinking of asking Cisco to open a portal to another Earth and throw her in, but that seemed too idiotic; Maxima would have others in this universe who would miss her, even if she was threatening this planet and Kara herself.
"And no need for a girlfriend when you already have a boy–" Jesse chimed in, but shut herself up at the glare Kara gave her. Barry was pretending not to hear this part of the conversation as he distracted himself watching Stein fiddle with the alien bracelet.
"Where did she go, though?" Kara directed this at Harry, who had taken over Caitlin's job of tracking foes while Caitlin was away.
"I lost track of her," Harry admitted, a little deflated as Kara sighed, Jesse however spoke up again.
"You don't need to look far." She had been spinning lazily on her chair but was now facing one of the television monitors; on it looked like a familiar scene to Barry – Central City Park, a handful of civilians (he noted 90% of them were female), and a white robed figured flying around them, keeping them in check. A super-villain hostage situation both Zoom and Livewire had attempted before.
"It's a trap," Harry immediately stated, moving toward the screen and grabbing Kara's shoulder to stop her from moving off.
"We get that, Admiral Ackbar," Jesse groaned, throwing in a Star Wars reference to her father's agitation. Barry had pulled his mask on already though and Kara's hadn't even left her face.
"Why is It always a park?" Barry mumbled, flashbacks to the other times this had happened flying through his mind.
"I gotta do this dad," Kara moaned, "even if I have no idea how to stop her."
"Maybe we could knock her unconscious?" Barry suggested, lighting flashing in his eyes, determined to stop her this time.
"Worth a shot," Kara shrugged, removing herself from Harry's grasp as the pair sped from the Lab; Harry running back to the computer desk to keep monitor on the pair while Jesse started monitoring their vitals and checking the cameras nearby to keep an eye on the powerful pair.
Barry and Kara arrived at the park in seconds: Kara flying down to the ground, and Barry speeding to a stop – already on the ground. The people being held hostage were pleased to see the two heroes, but Maxima had kept them in their place – she only stopping circling her pray when both the Flash and Supes came to a stop before her.
"Kryptonian, Speedster," she addressed the pair. "I need back my transponder."
"Transponder?" Barry asked. "That bracelet? What about my Kryptonian friend here?"
"I would like both." There was a wry smile on her face now as she looked over Kara.
"Why? Why me?" Kara persisted, noting helicopters coming near now and a few police cars pulling up – hopefully they could save these people before Maxima did too much damage.
"The Crucible Academy teaches only the best to protect their home worlds. We are taught to protect them with an honourable mate –" Maxima began.
"But you said you were dishonoured from that place" Kara quickly countered.
"I value their teachings nonetheless, and I still seek that mate; a champion in their own right. I have chosen you, Kryptonain to help protect Almerac, to be my mate. To live and die in the honour of the Academy!"
"I am a protector of this world though," Kara tried to reason, trying to make this Maxima see sense. She didn't seem that bad, but this obsession in wanting a mate to help protect her world seemed close-minded. "I help protect it with the Flash and others. We like it here and we have a good thing going…"
"Why do you choose to be so far from your home world though? Almerac is in a neighbouring yellow star system to Krypton; it would take no time to travel between the two; why do you choose to stay so far away from home?" There was passion in her eyes now, a plea for Kara to answer.
Kara didn't know how to answer though. She stared, open-mouthed at Maxima as she finally formed the words: "Krypton lives?" These words almost not getting through Kara's own head, shocking her.
"But of course. It never went," Maxima seemed confused at this, moving closer to Kara. Barry didn't know how to act, what to do, but was spared the wonderment when Stein spoke in his ear.
"Barry, I think I know how to stop Maxima without cause of a fight. Her bracelet; she mentioned it was a transponder – it seems to also be a teleporter. I have no idea how it can work, but we've copied as much as the technology as possible for future research and I hope that by putting it back on her it would force some sort of reboot, transporting her back to her home world or this Academy place she mentions. It's worth a shot." Barry nodded to himself, knowing Kara had heard this as he back-tracked back to STAR Labs.
But this was all the distraction Maxima needed as she leapt at Kara, the Kryptonian not having the reaction time she should have as the powerful other alien grabbed her shoulders and forced her head on to Kara's, their lips locking in a moment of shock for the Kryptonian, and relief for Maxima.
But Maxima pulled out after only a second, her green eyes meeting Kara's blue's as she looked in shock and despair. "There was no connection," she muttered, moving backward. She had been so sure Kara was the one but it seems she was wrong. "It's meant to be primal, to be perfect… but –" there was a burst of light and a clinking noise and the Flash stood beside the redhead, Maxima's bracelet back on her wrist. She looked momentarily at the thing, and then back to Kara and, with her eyes suddenly watering, she vanished in a beam of energy – transported far away from Earth.
"It worked!" Barry punched the air before looking back to Kara, who stood stocked still. "You kissed her?"
"She kissed me!" Kara protested a little weakly. "But there was no connection, she said. I didn't… Flash, that was my first kiss!" She hissed the last few words, unsure what she thought of this. She wanted Barry to be her first kiss in all honestly, not some alien woman, but maybe it was for the best if there was 'no connection' so Maxima wouldn't return to try again.
Barry couldn't help but smirk at this, his attention now turned to the people still congregating on the grass – apparently unaware they had been set free – and the police lingering on the street. "Come on. Time to help clear up" he avoided her gaze now as he moved off.
-PowerFlash-
"You kissed a girl!" Jesse almost sang to Kara, the Kryptonian and the Flash back at STAR Labs – another job well done – as Jesse couldn't help but repeat herself, obviously thrilled to have little sister to tease. Kara though didn't seem to hear her sister – she hadn't even taken off her costume, actually, just sitting on a chair, staring into space.
"Kara, what's wrong?' Barry asked. The group had been trying to get Kara's attention for several minutes, including Jesse's sing-song, but Barry's voice finally made Kara look to him.
"Krypton lives," Kara said, her only thoughts having been to her home world since Maxima's reveal. "It never blew up."
Barry sighed, putting a hand on Kara's knees as he bent down to look her in the eyes. "You had to know that was a possibility. Especially since there is no Superman or Supergirl on this world."
"It didn't really cross my mind," Kara said, lost in memories that were not here own. "The red sun, the yellow grass, the beautiful cities. They are all still there." Kara had a sudden longing for a home she had never stepped foot on, knowing that this longing came from the original Kara. From Supergirl. It had been passed over to her along with the memories. "My mom, dad, Uncle Jor, Aunt Astra, little Kal – they all live on Krypton. Myself, though…" The thought finally came to her. "The real Kara of this world is there, probably in her fifties now with a husband and children of her own, most likely. Maybe a judge like mom or a scientist like dad… or went into the army like Aunt Astra. Maybe even politics, who knows. With the connections of the house of El she could even be supreme ruler of Krypton."
"I'll put the bets on the army," Barry said with a small smile as Jesse let the two talk, moving back to Stein to continue an interrogation she had started on his arrival hours ago. "If she's anything like you, or her counterparts I met, she wants to help people" Barry concluded.
"My home is out there and I will never see. Even if I do though, I don't have a place there," Kara muttered.
"You have a place here with us. This is your home – you even said so," Barry reminder her, and Kara gave him a small smile, moving forward to suddenly hug the man, her grip still a little too tight as she felt a pain he didn't voice.
"Sorry," Kara mumbled. "Barry…?" he was about to turn around but looked back at Kara. "If Maxima found out about me, there's a chance Krypton could too, isn't there?" Barry nodded his head knowing it to be true, wondering where Kara was going with this. "You think they would come here to investigate? What do you think they would think of me? A clone of Kara Zor-El taken from DNA from another world's Kara Zor-El. What do they even think of clones?"
"I honestly don't know Kara," Barry said truthfully, a little defeated at this. "But we'll worry about that when the time comes. If the time comes."
-PowerFlash-
"Power Girl?" Iris had arrived in the office after lunch. She had watched Barry and Kara's battle with the alien woman first hand and soon found the hash tag 'PowerGirl' trending on Twitter, with – surprise, surprise – Cat Grant responsible for the first tweet regarding the girl in white. Iris would have been okay with the name had it not been for the 'girl' part of it. Kara was anything but a girl, in spite of being created just over a month or so ago as a clone. Now she found herself charging into Cat's makeshift office, her boss staring at several pieces of footage she'd collected of 'Power Girl' since her origins in Central with her longer hair.
"We can't name her that!" Iris now insisted the back of Cat's head.
"'We' didn't, Miss East," Cat responded, turning in her chair now to look at Iris, her eyebrows raised and a curious expression on her face.
"I'm sorry," Iris found herself responding, but forced herself to go on. "A female superhero though, shouldn't she, at least, be called 'Power Woman'?"
"I'm sorry, Eileen, but I really can't hear you over the glare of your cheap bling" Cat sighed; glancing to the chain around Iris' neck and the large loop earrings she had selected that morning.
Iris ignored this though, wanting to put her point across as she risked leaning against Cat's desk. "If we call her 'Power Girl', something less than what she is, doesn't that make us guilty of being anti-feminist?" Cat blinked at this, surprised at Iris' words as she leaned back in her chair.
"I stuck a label on the side of this girl, before anyone else had settled on anything – I branded her, Eileen, if I want her to be Power Girl, then she will be Power Girl. Now she will be forever linked to Cat Grant and CatCo – to this very paper! Do you not understand the power of media? My power, simply sat behind this desk? What do you have against such a title anyway? I've put the word 'girl' right after 'power' – she's a powerful girl, you see?"
"It's not…" Iris tried as Cat stood up, Iris forcing herself to move back as she stuttered, "I meant…"
"I'm a girl," Cat said simply, pointing to herself, "and I'm your boss, and powerful, and rich, and smart, and – if I do say so myself – super hot. So if you perceive Power Girl as anything less than excellent, isn't the real problem… you?"
"I'm sorry, Ms. Grant." Iris found herself saying, suddenly feeling dejected. The fire she had felt ever since Cat had branded Kara with such a title seemed to have doused upon. Ms. Grant had that effect.
"You better be, Eileen, because from this day forward, the Flash's female co-superhero is Power Girl, and there's nothing anyone can do about that." There was a wicked grin on Cat's face now as she sat back down. "In the meanwhile, don't you have an article about this Maxima to write about? Power Girl and Maxima shared a rather intimate kiss before the latter vanished – that's a story all of its own after all."
"I'll… Right, yeah. I'll get right on it," Iris mumbled, turning on her heel now and moving back to her desk, her mind suddenly very empty as the buzzing of Cat's words filled her ears.
"Oh and Eileen," Iris looked over to Cat, "Don't ever try to one-up me again or you'll find yourself demoted quicker than you can say 'Power Woman', okay?" she half-teased, half-threatened.
...
Next time…
"How do you know this 'Scott Wynn' person?" Jesse asked Wally as they entered the bar. It was an okay place, not the sort of place she was used to on Earth-2, but reminded her of the bar Barry and Iris had taken her too that time when she'd discovered the bad things her dad had done in her name, and when that friend of Caitlin's, Trajectory, had tried to harness the speed force for herself.
"I heard him sing one night, and thought I'd introduce myself. I don't have that many friends around here and Winn's a cool guy," Wally said as they moved over to the bar.
"I thought he was Scott? Unless you call him by his last name," Jesse speculated, knowing some people did go by their last name.
"No, Scott Wynn's his stage name – his real name is Winn Schott Jnr."
Post-chapter Note 1: While I'm okay in updating on Mondays, I would like to stress to everyone that I cannot always update on this day; I have this thing called a life (I advise all of you to keep away from them – nasty distracting things, make you late for lunch) so between that, writing new chapters/episodes, events popping up (such at the London Film and Comic Con this weekend just gone), and trying to update every Monday, I can't always oblige. I do, however, love the interest that's now building to this story and hope I can live up to expectations!
Post-chapter Note 2: I also thank you all for your reviews, and I apologise for not getting back to you all; I will make an effort to do so more in future.
