Don't blink
They won't even miss you at all
And don't think
That I'll always be gone
You know I've got you
Like a puppet in the palm of my hand
Don't you let me down
So run like hell
Sleep with one eye open
You can forgive or forget
You will tell everyone the damage done
Too bad you can't stop me
You can't stop me now
Two humans- one male, one female- approaches KR-12's cage. KR-12 doesn't pay them any mind at first, instead she focuses on painting the cage floor with her blood. Right now she is painting her mother's symbol on the floor. It is a crude design, but it doesn't matter. KR-12 knows that the design will be gone by the time she gets back from the experiments anyway. One of the humans, the female, taps on the thick and impenetrable glass of KR-12's cage and finally draws KR-12's attention.
"Hello there," The female says, "I'm Ida." She talks to KR-12 like she knows KR-12 understands. In a way, KR-12 does; but not enough. She doesn't think she'll ever truly understand this language, no one has bothered to teach it to KR-12.. not even Lex.. and KR-12 wonders if she'll ever be able to learn anything at this point. But KR-12 doesn't care about that, she knows Ida is just like the others- just like Jacobs. Ida offers KR-12 something, a round shaped treat with dark spots on it. KR-12 is hesitant, but she takes it and immediately thrusts her hand out for another after she's shoved the thing into her mouth. In all honesty, she doesn't know what to do with it.. Lex had only given her treats or food whenever she'd done something correctly, but since Lex hasn't been back in some time...
Either way, KR-12 remembers how to eat after a few seconds. She is doing her trick now, a trick she's learned through time along with trial and error. The trick is to seem cooperative, the kind of experiment who can comply and do its part. It is to take the treat, the pain, lie dormant in her cage.. because in the white coats can do nothing, they do not remain in the cage. Ida looks at KR-12, an odd look in her eyes- one KR-12 has never truly seen before.
"She'll work." Ida says, nodding. "This is the hybrid project, right?"
"Yes." The male nods. "But, Williams... are you sure Phillips will clear this?"
"What's she going to do?" Ida rolls her eyes. "Phillips doesn't own the labs, Finch. Lex never put her in charge. Besides, you know the Luthor girl runs the place now- she put me in charge. Phillips just supervises." They leave, but they return later. This time, the white coats are with Ida and the Finch person, but KR-12 doesn't put up a fight. She goes easily, and she knows her job. She lies upon the metal bed, staying still as they strap her down.
"She's very calm." Finch murmurs, watching as Ida prepares a needle.
"This one's seen the inside of a few labs," Ida nods, "she knows the drill. It's in her papers." KR-12 listens, although she can't really translate the words. She stares up at the white ceiling, the lights nearly blinding her. Then there is a knock at the glass window of the room. KR-12 rolls her head to the side and sees Phillips outside, smirking, ready to watch Ida and the Finch hurt KR-12.
"I thought I'd join you," Phillips's voice says smugly, her voice muffled by the glass, "watch your progress."
"Get her prepped." Ida says, though KR-12 can sense the gruff reluctance in her voice. Phillips enters the room, wearing the coats that the white coats wear when they hurt KR-12, along with the masks that protect them from the chemicals; but KR-12 can still see Phillips's eyes, she is so close.. painfully close. They put a mask over KR-12's mouth and nose, which has happened before- more than once, really. Once it made her go to sleep, another time it made her cough.. her chest had hurt for a long, long time after that. This thing is connected to a whirring machine, which Finch turns on at Ida's command. When they turn it on, a weird wind starts in KR-12's mouth. It makes her feel sick, and after a few moments KR-12 feels the familiar prick of the needle in her inner forearm; but Ida isn't taking any of KR-12's blood, she is injecting something into KR-12's arm. But really, all KR-12 can think about is Phillips and how close she is, how these straps around her knees and wrists feel a little more loose than usual- or perhaps KR-12 feels a little stronger than usual? KR-12 feels the heat that wants out of her, that burning sensation she felt when she realized she wasn't human.. through her hands, feet, teeth.. every fiber of KR-12's being wants to let this power out.
KR-12 screams, heaving herself toward Phillips- and as she does so, she can feel the blue-white energy crackling around her arms and legs; illuminating her usual eyes white with power. The straps snap off of KR-12, the energy still cackling around her body as it feeds KR-12's rage and hatred. She can see Phillips's eyes light with fear as Phillips stumbles back, and KR-12 likes it. Suddenly, something grabs onto KR-12's shoulder and forces her down- it is a gloved hand which is unaffected by KR-12's energy. The hand slams her down onto the table as Finch and Ida scramble to strap KR-12 back down. The sneering face KR-12 looks into is familiar... is it James? It is, and KR-12 doesn't remember seeing him in the room before.. when had he entered?
The straps are tighter this time, and the wind comes back on- this time it is green, though, and KR-12 feels even sicker than before but she has no choice but to breathe it in.
Kara could feel Rhiannon nervously clinging to her hand as they entered the DEO. Kara had finally taught Rhiannon the concept of eating with silverware after their meeting with Lena, Sam, and James; but in all reality, Kara was surprised Rhiannon had been able to keep the food down now- especially after Kara had been able to convince Rhiannon to come with her to the DEO so she could introduce Rhiannon to Winn and J'onn. Kara knew that Rhiannon would meet them at the Christmas party the next night, but Kara had also wanted to check in with Alex and try and see if they could run some tests on Rhiannon. Even though Lena was running her own tests on Rhiannon, Kara wondered if the DEO would be able to runt the tests at an accelerated pace. Kara roused herself from her thoughts long enough to realize the amount of fidgeting Rhiannon was doing, along with the way her eyes darted around nervously.
Hey, Kara murmured in Kryptonian, drawing Rhiannon's startled focus onto herself. Then, she continued in English, "I'm not going anywhere, alright? Just hold onto me, and it'll be alright." Kara didn't know why, but something about her daughter's fear brought out a new side to Kara- almost like when Bizarro had gone to sleep, the fear Kara could nearly smell radiating from Bizzaro's decaying body. Rhiannon watched Kara with innocent eyes, pursing her lips. She didn't say anything, she simply nodded and held tighter to Kara's hand. Kara felt Mon-El's eyes on her, which made her a little sick. The fact that Mon-El was back was so surreal, yet also... odd. He was married, and he'd been gone for seven years when in Kara's time he hadn't been gone for too long. Kara could tell he was curious about Rhiannon, most of the people watching them were.
"Kara!" Winn's voice roused Kara from her thoughts as she approached the control room. Then he paused, watching Rhiannon. In short, pun intended, Rhiannon was nearly a badly casted stunt double. Sure, she had most of Kara's features- including the blue eyes- but she was not completely Kara. Kara made a mental note that she'd definitely need to try and find out the rest of Rhiannon's genetic structure to try and find Rhiannon's other parent, if there even was one- which Kara didn't doubt, because Rhiannon was not Kara's clone. "Ah... who's this?" Winn's voice seemed to heighten by an octave or two as Rhiannon's confused and suspicious eyes landed on him.
Really, Winn? Kara felt herself thinking before she even realized it. Of course Winn would be attracted to Rhiannon, Winn was attracted to nearly every pretty girl he saw. "Winn, this is Rhiannon. She's my daughter." Kara saw Winn visibly choke up, which Kara approved of- he should choke up in front of her daughter, besides.. Rhiannon deserved the world.
What the hell's gotten into me? Have I always been this motherly? Kara wondered as Winn spoke.
"Like.. from the future? Like Mon-El?" Winn squeaked out.
"No, from now." Kara shook her head. "It's a long story, I'll explain later."
"Oh, well.. yeah, you probably should because she's already wandered off." Winn said, nodding behind Kara.
"Ah, what?!"
Rhiannon had never been one for hallways, but now was an exception. She could feel the tendrils of someone's, or something's, consciousness lapping at the borders of Rhiannon's mind. There had only been a couple people before this who had tried to access Rhiannon's mind, but neither of those attempts had gone well. Even so, this didn't seem like someone was intentionally trying to break their way into Rhiannon's vaulted mind. This seemed more desperate, almost.. sad? Rhiannon didn't know the word for this, so she wasn't necessarily sure how to describe what she felt from this strange mind touching hers.
Where are you? Who are you?Rhiannon mind-spoke, trying her best to use the telepathy she knew she had- just like Ida had taught her. Rhiannon could feel the intense surprise the other mind was feeling at the moment, as if no one had tried to reach out to this consciousness before.
This is an... interesting development. It was a feminine voice that responded, although it sounded.. or perhaps felt was the better word.. distant. How are you speaking to me? How have you broken through my mental restraints?
Rhiannon blinked, a little confused, but she gave an answer nonetheless. It's telepathy.. but you found me, really.There was a long pause, but after a moment Rhiannon dug into her power and was able to create a mental space for her to attempt to scry this person. The mental space was blurred and abstract, something Rhiannon didn't really have a grasp on. The figure Rhiannon saw in the vision was blurry, though two blue orbs stared curiously at Rhiannon.
This is impressive. What are you? Who are you?The voice was laced with curiosity- and Rhiannon could tell she was talking to a female. Are you a prisoner here too?
Rhiannon blinked, surprised. Prisoner? No. I am Rhiannon, daughter of Kara Zor-El.
So you're Supergirl's spawn, huh? Rhiannon could hear the disdain in the voice's tone, but Rhiannon ignored it for the moment. She searched the female's consciousness, almost as easily as someone could look over the news on their smart phone.
And you're Gayle. Gayle Marsh, the villain under the alias Psi. Rhiannon said. You create illusions. Hillucikinesis? Impressive.
I'm assuming you can do the same, given what you're doing now. Psi seemed to purr, a laugh escaping her throat. You're much more than her, aren't you? What are you?
I don't know. Rhiannon admitted.
Well, sometimes looking for answers only leads to more questions. Psi hummed. Sometimes you're better off not knowing, that way they can never force you to belong.
Maybe knowing who you are is not equal to where you belong. Rhiannon suggested.
Perhaps. Psi mused. Rhiannon wanted to say more, but something cut her off- pulling her from the illusion, from the dream. Rhiannon blinked in confusion, where she turned to find her mother and Alex staring at her.
"You can't wander off like that." Kara said, and Rhiannon could tell that Kara was struggling to hide mixed emotions- mostly anger and concern- behind a semi neutral expression. "I didn't know where you were, or if you were hurt."
"I'm okay." Rhiannon muttered, lowering her gaze. "You don't have to worry about me." No one else in Rhiannon's life had worried for her before, so of course it was odd and foreign that Kara would worry.
"I've got a right to be worried!" Kara said, a nervous laugh escaping her. "You're my daughter, even if I didn't really.. have you. I'll always worry and be concerned for you, I'll always be here.. I don't care if you don't think I need to worry, I'll do it anyways."
Rhiannon blinked, but she kept her eyes on the floor. "I'm sorry. Are you upset with me?" It was a childlike question, and although Kara had some suspicions that Rhiannon was manipulating her- Kara could tell the girl wasn't, she had no reason too.. not really.
"No." Kara sighed. "I'm not upset with you. I just don't want you wandering off, I don't like to think of you walking around alone."
"Kara," Alex cleared her throat, "I, ah.. shall we continue on? We've got a lot of tests to run... and, is that Maggie's jacket?" Kara nodded slightly and offered a look that said she'd explain later, to which Alex nodded and motioned for Rhiannon and Kara to follow. Alex led them to a room which Rhiannon found vaguely familiar, a room similar to the one Ida had trained Rhiannon in. It was a concrete room, a room Rhiannon guessed could be manipulated depending on what was needed. Alex guided Rhiannon to a bench, motioning for Rhiannon to sit on it. "This is a bench press." Alex explained to Rhiannon. "What you're going to do is lift this bar up and down, alright? It's pretty simple. It's going to gauge your strength abilities. Now, we're not necessarily sure about the limits of your strength- so we've set it pretty low. This is just about the amount Mon-El can lift."
"Mon-El?" Rhiannon asked curiously, looking at Kara.
"It's a story for another time." Kara offered a nod, her voice soft. She wondered if, in another timeline, Rhiannon would be the daughter she and Mon-El had. She banished the thought soon after, shaking her head as she watched Rhiannon shrug off the leather jacket for the sake of her comfort and lay back. Her hands gripped the metal bar, her muscles already tensing beneath her scarred skin. Again, Kara felt as if Mon-El was watching- but this time she felt Imra's eyes as well. Kara tried her best to ignore this, instead focusing on her daughter. Rhiannon lifted the bar from its supports effortlessly, almost as if she was unphased by the weight of the bar. Alex watched curiously as she reached for a dial to increase the weight distribution on the bar. Rhiannon just kept pushing the bar up and down, seeming relaxed for once. Perhaps, now that she had something to do- something to keep her moving, Rhiannon was at ease. Alex adjusted the knob again, leaning forward in interest.
"She's at your level now." Alex said, moving to adjust the knob again. "And... now she's above you. Looks like whatever they gave her is beginning to wear off. Maybe she can even exceed your limit." Kara felt a pang of jealousy, but at the same time she felt proud. Perhaps Rhiannon was stronger, but Kara wondered if that was part of Rhiannon's design- to be stronger, better. Alex adjusted the knob a couple more times before Kara saw Rhiannon visibly falter in her movements, and eventually she set the bar back down. A light sheen coated Rhiannon's skin, which Kara recognized as sweat. Kara didn't sweat, not on this planet; so the fact that Rhiannon could was baffling.
"That was fun," Rhiannon smiled at Kara, "but what does it mean?"
"Well," Kara shook her head, folding her arms over her chest, "it definitely means we'll need to keep an eye on your strength." In truth, Rhiannon was stronger than Kara- which had already been established, though she wasn't stronger than Kara by too much. Rhiannon seemed pleased by this, however, and she offered another smile and a nod- although her eyes had wandered curiously toward where Mon-El and Imra were watching. Mon-El stared straight back at Rhiannon, an odd look in his eyes. Kara wondered if it was distrust, or even jealousy, and for a moment Kara found herself wishing Mon-El to be jealous.
"Yeah, she's strong." Mon-El commented with a nod, his voice carrying through the room. "But can she handle herself in a fight?"
An odd look came over Rhiannon's features, a sour scowl, as she shot a retort back at him. "Why don't you come and find out?" Mon-El blinked in surprised, and truthfully even Imra seemed a little astounded. "I'm not afraid of you." Rhiannon added after a second, and really she wasn't. For some reason, Mon-El reminded Rhiannon of James. So sure of himself, so arrogantly confident- the type of person who says they've changed, but deep down they're still the same.
"Rhiannon, I-" Kara moved to place a hand upon Rhiannon's shoulder, but Mon-El spoke.
"Alright." He said. "Let's spar then."