The Conduit

Sakura sat paralyzed.

They came from everywhere. One-hundred tiny white orbs. They sprang from multi-colored portals like wild white lilies from grass. The room lit up like it was suddenly underwater, submerged in hues of pinks, greens, blues and purples the likes of which Sakura had never seen. But the colors swirled with a pattern. They didn't hurt her eyes at all. The portals parked themselves in an even circle, suspended at about three feet, gently pushing away all her easels and belongings. Approximately at eye-level with Sakura.

As the portals closed, the eggs began to open up. They were just like the one she'd opened earlier, a puzzle box. Each egg split into a hundred pieces, and soon there were ten-thousand tiny white shards in her room, staggered in the loose shape of a sphere. The glowing white filaments started disconnecting and reconnecting on their own, like a massive, exquisitely complex switchboard manned by invisible hands.

The wires began to knit together, bundling up into a system that looked very familiar and beautiful to Sakura. And with a start that didn't show on her body except as a twitch of her lower lip, she realized it look like a circulatory system. She'd seen anatomy diagrams plenty of times. The glowing filaments began to undulate with color, as if they flowed with a luminescent fluid.

The egg shards came together, fitted together with clicks like marbles hitting against one another. Sakura watched as the pieces folded in over the filaments, forming a sarcophagus. Arms appeared; a spot for a head, legs. It continued to look fluid, like it would fit a body like a snug sweater.

The arms and legs began to rotate; gears and barrels extruded themselves out of the major forms, clicked, ticked and became solid. Sakura sat and watched out of the corner of her eyes, not missing one detail. Contour lines appeared over every inch, fleshing out the suit with organic-looking, beautiful curves.

But it was the helmet that had her mesmerized. The inner surface was covered with hundreds of tiny sensors, circles that were also bluish white lights. From the middle of each circle there was a white filament that pulled through and flicked back and forth like cilia.

Sakura stood up, tilted her head, birdlike and looked at the helmet closely. The cilia waved as if saying hello.

She lifted her index finger to the tapered end of one of the cilia. A tingling feeling pulsed through her skin.

The helmet's circular sensors changed colors. From a bluish white, waves of colors rippled outward from the place where she touched it. Sakura lifted the helmet from the shoulders. It was still connected by wire filaments, bundles stretching.

She turned and placed the helmet gingerly over her head.

Her entire scalp began to tingle. Her hairs stood on end. Her spine tingled. She turned and walked backwards into the open suit. The circular sensors ran the length of a spine too and her entire body began to tingle. She closed her eyes.

Inside her head the strange green man's voice spoke. "Sakura Sato, you will be my Conduit. You are going to experience some discomfort during the calibration process."

He never mentioned that the calibration was going to be performed on her.


Kenji shifted exhaustedly in bed. He heaved a sigh. He wished he could sleep. He had a little insomnia from time to time. A little to do with the medications he was taking, and a little to do with the chemotherapy. Sometimes it was the Red Bull working over time. He swore, sometimes those things gave him nightmares. The chemicals, the entire witch's brew, fucked with his brain, he was sure of it.

But tonight he was being kept awake by his interaction with Sakura. Something about the egg he'd given her bugged him. Maybe he shouldn't have done it. He'd been so damn tired from restraining her from hitting herself that he hadn't noticed that he'd seen those eggs before. Actually, he couldn't believe he'd missed it. The thing was all over the news. It was basically harmless, from what he'd heard, but the way Sakura had been screaming, well, it just didn't sit well with him. It made him anxious. Uneasy. Of course, that could be the nausea.

Kenji turned on the TV. The news would be on right now, after all. He tried propping his head on the heel of his hand, but that was way too exhausting. He laid his head on his pillow and stared at the TV sideways. He should really put the TV on its side. That way he'd be able to see it right.

"Tonight on Metropolis at Eleven, we're bringing you breaking news on the developing story on the space eggs. I'm Moira Guinness."

Kenji sat up immediately. Turned up the volume. "And I'm Matt Taylor."

"As reported three weeks earlier, individuals all over the world have been coming across these space eggs. It didn't take very long for people to recognize that these eggs were not made of technology that originated on earth. Scientists, researchers and mathematicians from top universities, government facilities, and even some private labs, like LexCorp, have been purchasing the largest quantities of eggs from civilians for further study. One egg has been reported as selling for as much as one-point-two million dollars. Before scientists could determine the threat of these eggs, if any, university and laboratory spokespersons are claiming these eggs have gone missing, despite being stored in secure locations with camera surveillance. The disappearance of these stored eggs appears to have occurred simultaneously, and internationally. Labs and universities are not alleging a breach of security, but suspect the eggs themselves have acted on their own. That seems to be the only explanation for how they pulled their disappearing act. We'll keep you posted."

"Next up, the destruction of the Liaoning Meteorite—is Batman responsible? And Bill Johnson with the weather for tomorrow. Coming up. Don't go away…"

Kenji frowned and turned off the TV. Did that mean that Sakura's egg had vanished too? She must have seen what happened. The girl hadn't been able to look away from the damn thing, not even for a second. If anyone knew, it was her.


Ten minutes later, Kenji was in her room. His jaw dropped when he saw the state of it. Total disarray, absolute chaos. And Sakura was freakin' anal when it came to keeping her room in order. She started screaming if, like, a string in the carpet was out of place.

The easels were moved against the walls, her bed pushed on its side, against the corner.

Kenji couldn't believe no one had heard any noise. He closed the door behind himself as soon as got in.

Sakura was nowhere to be seen.

He went further in. Maybe she was in the bathroom.

The door was slightly ajar, but it was dark inside. But he did notice a subtle turquoise color reflected on the tile floor. It was a weird color, not something you'd expect to come out of a hospital bathroom.

He knocked on the door a couple of times, quietly. He was afraid of frightening her. "Sakura? You here?"

"I'm here, Kenji."

He almost jumped out of his skin. He'd never gotten a clear, straight reply from her like that. And she'd never, ever, said his name.

He frowned. "What the f—" He pushed open the door and pulled back in surprise. "Whoa."

A figure stood in the middle of the room, wearing something like an exo suit. He'd never seen anything quite like it. It was white in color, like a brand-new car, but covered in contour lines and shone like the inside of a shell. The shoulders were broad, rounded, sleek. Tiny bean-shaped lights lined the arms, the legs, the spine, shoulders.

The figure turned.

When he saw Sakura smiling—yeah, smiling—at him through an opening on the helmet, Kenji stumbled back into the bedroom. He hadn't seen this girl smile. Ever. This was freaking him out. He didn't like the look of her suit. He didn't like those barrels on the arms.

She walked out after him, looking down at herself, flexing her fingers. "You're not going to believe what just happened."

"Yeah, I-I'm having a little trouble," he stammered finally. "What is that? And what happened to you? Do you—do you remember how you were?"

She shrugged in a kind of girlish way. It didn't look possible in that suit, but she pulled it off. She seemed to have grown taller by about six inches. And Kenji had been trying not to acknowledge this since seeing her a minute ago, but she looked menacing. "He told me I'm his Conduit. He…calibrated me."

Kenji raised his brows, deeply worried. "Did you just say he calibrated you?"

"Yes. He fixed my autism."

"Who?" Kenji demanded.

"The one who sent these eggs to earth. He needs help. He told me Superman is preparing an attack. And he chose me, because I was able to break the egg. I have to go."

Kenji grabbed her arm as she opened the window. "Sakura, wait. Where are you going?"

"LexCorp."

"Why?"

She blinked. "I'm going to take all the information and give it to him so he can decide which one is the best way to stop Superman."

"Who is this fucking guy?!"

"He said his name is Brainiac. We have to stop Superman together."

Kenji pulled on her cold, steely arm. "Look, do you really think this is such a good idea? You don't even know who he is."

Sakura took her arm away and pushed the window open further.

Kenji pushed her away from the window. "Let's go tell someone else before you go and—"

Sakura shoved him abruptly. "Get off me!" She shook her head. "I thought you'd be happy for me. I'm not—I'm not a freak anymore."

Kenji smacked against the overturned mattress, but his head cracked against the footboard. He gave a groan. But he was more stunned by Sakura's behavior than the actual fall. "You're not a freak anymore?" Kenji demanded before he could bite the words back.

Sakura gave him the coldest look he'd ever seen her muster. The helmet closed over her face. There was no nose or mouth, just a glowing blue visor. "You're not going to stop me. Nothing is ever going to stop me again."

She swung her legs out the window.

Kenji jumped up and went to catch her around the waist. "Sakura, wait!"

But he grabbed thin air as she went plummeting down the five stories. "Sakura!"

She never hit the ground. A portal opened up under her from one of the barrels on her arm, and she flew in, feet first. It closed behind her with a thunderclap.

Kenji was breathing hard. He fell down on his butt beside the window and felt something on his neck. He touched it and saw that it was blood. "Ah, shit," he muttered. He'd have to explain that to the nurses later. He didn't know what to do. Should he call the cops and tell them? Should he call the FBI? Who the hell was he supposed to call when a fucking alien entity was controlling someone he knew? Who was he supposed to call when he learned that Superman might possibly unleash an attack?

He sighed and looked at the floor and spotted two things he hadn't noticed before. A cell phone vibrating, showing Slide to answer on the screen. And a small black object with a blinking red light. He crawled to the two items and picked up the black thing. It was shaped like a bat.

Yeah, maybe he could call that guy.

That's when he saw a shadow pass over the window. Speak of the devil, Kenji thought.

But it wasn't the Batman.


Author's Note: There is another Superman villain by the name of Conduit. My creation is my own; however, DC's Conduit is Kenny Braverman. He was born on the side of the road as Kal-El's ship passed over him. Kenny, as a newborn, received kryptonite radiation poisoning from the starship during its descent. He suffered from illness as a child, but became a close second to Clark Kent in sports. When he gets older, he develops stronger powers and uses a specialized suit that amplifies them. The suit also utilizes kryptonite and Kenny of course battles Superman.

I had already christened Sakura Sato as Conduit before I decided that the chances were pretty good there was already someone named that. I was right. I chose to keep the name because it's fitting.