The bridge had already been cleared. The police were just setting up road blocks before the superman-like heroes let the bridge go.
Lois could see them if she leaned a little bit and squinted. Identical from this distance, the only differences being the younger's hair glinted red in the sun and, of course, the different costumes they wore.
"Hand over your purse, lady."
She sighed and rolled her eyes. She didn't have time for a mugging, but the nozzle in her back said differently. Her father was right. She should start carrying a gun.
"I'm not carrying a purse. Only an idiot would carry anything of value with all the mugging and looting and violence."
One of the criminals turned her around and rudely patted her down to make sure that was true.
"Hey, that's the reporter Superman has the hots for!" the other suddenly cried.
"Are you sure?" the other one asked.
"Saw her in a news clip once. We're going to get it now that he's back and he's got a friend. I told you we should start trying to find jobs."
"Shut up. We'll just have to make sure she don't tell him."
Lois didn't like the sound of that. Despite her struggle and despite landing a good kick that sent one to his knees in pain, the other one still managed to push her into the river. It was a decently long fall, just high enough to kill her when she hit the water.
But before she'd fell too many feet, she felt 2, 4, 6 pairs of hands on her. The clone had her by the ankles, the young one had her by the hands, and someone she couldn't see supported her from behind.
Lois had 3 super beings to protect her now. Did it really take that many? This was almost starting to get embarrassing.
The men didn't stick around to talk as soon as they had her on the pavement, they were too busy going after the fellows who'd held her up. The bridge was sinking into the river.
She whipped around to see who the third person was who had rescued her and recognized her as the girl from the church. Linda. "Who the-never mind. We have to get you out of here. Duck down. Don't let people see your face."
The girl obeyed. She started to run, but Lois stopped her. "Don't run. We don't want to attract attention. We're not too far from my apartment."
She pulled her keys out of her shoe when she got to her car, the place where she hid her cash and keys these days though it might not be necessary anymore with triple the help she had before.
She opened the back door for the girl while she slipped into the driver's seat. "Do you have anyone I can call?" she asked. "Parents? Grandparents?"
"No. I live in a home for children. I've only been there a month. No one would care if I went missing."
She knew exactly where to take her. It would be a long drive, but a plane would be too risky, too many people.
"Get down onto the floorboards until we hit open road. I'm almost certain you got filmed with phones. Your face is going to be recognizable in minutes if it's not already. Mind if I ask you how you got the ability to fly?"
"No. I don't suppose I do since you were such good friends with Superman," came her muffled voice. "I'm his cousin."
She'd been ready for almost anything: an experiment at S.T.A.R. Labs, from an ancient tribe, even another Kryptonian, but the personal connection with Clark warmed her heart more than it saddened her and made her more determined than ever to protect the girl. "That doesn't make sense. Krypton exploded before you were born."
"A fragment of Krypton was left. The people used advanced technology to seal the air and we survived. We didn't have the codex, so my parents and others created babies without technology, but it was a landmass floating in space and a large meteor headed our way. There was nothing to be done. My father, Zor-El, was a scientist like his brother. It's what they were created to be. He had enough time to build a spaceship before impact, but only for me, not for anyone else."
Lois wished she could reach back and hug the girl. She'd lost her mother at an early age, so she knew something of what she was going through, but to lose everything and everyone she knew, she couldn't imagine. "I'm so sorry."
My father knew from his brother where Kal-El had been sent too and he was able to tap into a satellite and learn of Superman. That's why he knew to send me to Metropolis to find my cousin. Only he..."
Lois' eyes glistened. "He would have been so happy to know he has a cousin. What did you do when you discovered he was gone?"
"I claimed amnesia. It seemed the easiest way to go instead of fabricating a background when I know so little of Earth's culture, which is only what I was able to learn while my dad was building the ship through the satellite. They gave me the name Janie Doe, but it sounded so plain and dull. I heard the name Linda and it sounded much prettier to me. You're the only one I've given that name to."
"Well, then I guess you can still be called Linda. What's your real name?"
"Kara. Kara Zor-El."
"Your first name isn't so unusual. It's a name on Earth too, but I think it's wise that you move as far from your Krytonian identity as possible in everyday life. People still have a ways to go in accepting people who are different and Linda is very normal-sounding. Need a last name too though."
"How about Lee? That sounds nice together. Linda Lee."
"Good. Then that's what you'll go by."
"Can't I just stay with you?"
The girl's voice sounded so lost. She wished she could say yes. "No. I'm going to be the first place they look because of my connection with Superman and because you saved me."
As soon as she felt they were a safe distance away, she pulled into a town. Small but as she drove in the downtown, she found what she was looking for, a beauty school with styled wigs in the windows. She covered Kara, who was still on the floorboards, with her jacket before going in.
When she came back out, she handed her the purchase. Kara got up off the floorboards for a closer look.
"What's this?"
"A wig. The world's going to be looking for a girl with blonde hair. The more you can do to disguise yourself, the better. May I?"
After a nod, Lois tucked her blond tendrils under the plain brown cut. Boring, common, less likely to attract attention. "We'll worry about your clothes when we get where we're going. That should do for now if anyone peaks in."
"Where are you taking me?" Kara asked, buckling up to blend in, not because she needed to.
"I'm taking you to Smallville. The only place I can think of where you'll be safe."