Steady as she goes
The night rain pounded down, yet she remained floating just outside his patio doors. She was soaked to the skin and a shiver went down her body. In the distance Karen could feel the heat rising, flooding over everything and moving towards her. She knew he was just on the other side of those doors waiting for her. It was her decision whether to open the doors. Part of her was afraid if she did she would never be able to close them again. She'd walked away from him three times and she didn't have the strength to do it once more. She should just leave it alone, but there was an empty place inside of her that hungered for him.
The heat was getting closer and the rain began to turn into steam as it touched her skin. Karen wasn't sure which was more intense, the heat moving towards her or the heat she was feeling inside. She only needed to move one-way or the other and the decision was made. It was a battle between what she wanted and what she felt she had to do.
She could feel the heat in waves getting ever closer.
Night turned into day.
She couldn't take her eyes off those patio doors.
The heat continued to grow more intense.
One move that was all it took.
One decision.
A flare of blinding light caused her to closer her eyes. When she opened them again she was awake. An unfamiliar landscape greeted her and then suddenly the last few harrowing hours came rushing back.
She was on Apokolips and they were hunting for her.
Karen had been pulled through the boom tube and found herself surrounded by parademons and Apokolips soldiers. Her first, most basic instinct was to run, but then another, stronger emotion kicked in, anger. These were the ones responsible for the devastation of her world, for the deaths of nearly everyone she held dear. Five years may have passed, but seeing them touched a raw nerve that hadn't healed over. Five years of thoughts of vengeance for all that they had done suddenly burst from her.
As the head soldier laughed and his troops moved closer, Karen's eyes began to glow with fury. With a scream that came from deep inside of her, she unleashed the strongest, widest burst of heat vision against them. The commander seemed stunned until he felt his flesh begin to burn and then the nightmarish sky filled with his screams.
Others attacked bringing the fight to her. That was a mistake, as it just made it easier for her to touch them. Moving at unimaginable speeds Karen seemed everywhere at once. Parademons were ripped in half and tossed aside like leaves falling from a tree in autumn.
More came at her, this time with armaments, but it hardly slowed her down. Five years of sadness, sorrow, remorse and anger spilled out of her and she destroyed everything in her path. Karen was no longer the teenager her cousin tried to protect, but an adult Kryptonian woman at the peak of her powers. Rage poured through her and her only thought was to make them pay for what they had done.
She rose off the ground and became a deadly creature of the air. The winged parademons attacked but they were hopelessly overmatched like ducks thrashing about on a pond as a hawk dove towards them. Karen felt no need for restrain, no second thoughts about unleashing every weapon in her arsenal against these monsters. If she could, she would have torn the very planet down around her to avenge those that had been lost.
As powerful as she was, though, she was just one against many. The call had gone up the chain of command and more and more soldiers and parademons arrived by the second. The fallen didn't matter for everyone one that dropped two more took its place. Apokolips placed no value on life, only victory. If it took a tidal wave of their forces to achieve this, then that is what they did. There was always more fodder for the cannons. In the end, Karen had no choice except to run, to escape and try to think of a way out of this nightmare.
Gotham
Helena fought back tears as she hastily packed her things to transport up to the Watchtower. She checked and rechecked all her weapons just as she had done a thousand times before. It was something her father had so ingrained in her it was second nature. At the thought of her dad, the tears almost came, but she willed herself not to cry.
Seeing these people, this world's Batman, Catwoman, Superman and all the rest had lured her into believing they were just like the ones she knew back home. Being here for the last five years had been such a jolt to her system. It was as if she had woken up one day and everyone from the post-apocalyptic world around her had been raised from the dead. Her mother and father were alive and well in this universe and as much as she tried to deny it, part of her wanted them to be just like they were back home. She desperately needed them to be, as she missed her parents so much.
But this world's Batman had painfully reminded her he wasn't the same man. He wasn't her father. As much as she might want it, he'd made it brutally clear they weren't the same. She had never felt so alone as she did at this moment. At least when she hadn't known him there was always that hope, the idea they were similar. It made her loss just a bit easier to take. Now the last illusion had been stripped away. Her parents were dead and she would never see them again.
The slight sound of the window opening caused Helena to grab her crossbow and spin around. Crouched on the windowsill was Catwoman.
"You really should lock these things,' Catwoman said. "You never know who might drop by."
"I did lock it,' Helena replied.
'Yeah,' Selina said with a shrug. 'Cheap lock though, you'd think a classy place like this would have better."
She slowly shifted and sat on the windowsill, looking at Helena and the crossbow.
"So are you going to lower that or shoot me?"
"I haven't decided,' Helena replied. "What are you doing here?"
Selina let her eyes moved over Helena's features, searching for hints of whom her parents were. They were there to plainly see now that she knew. The revelation that Helena was an alternative version of Selina's daughter was still sinking in, yet as she looked at the other young woman she couldn't help the feelings that came with it.
"You're going after your friend?" Selina asked.
"Yes."
"Want some help?"
It was Helena's turn to be surprised. The crossbow dipped for a moment, but then snapped back as she remembered her recent conversation with Batman. She was suspicious.
"Why? Why would you help me?" Helena asked.
Selina shrugged and then slipped off the windowsill. She glanced at the crossbow briefly.
"You might as well put that away, we both know you're not going to shoot me,' she said.
"I wouldn't be too sure of that,' Helena snapped.
Defensive, just like you know who, Selina absently thought. She had no real plan when she started this, only the desire to see Helena again. The emotions connected with the revelation were still swirling inside of her. Now she was here in the same room and she wasn't sure what to say. There were so many questions she had about that other Selina Kyle. What was she like? Were they anything similar? Yet even as she thought of them, Selina knew now wasn't the time for those questions. Helena's friend was in danger, so she would put them aside and play this straight.
"You asked why?" Selina said. "Well, you helped save Gotham from that bomber earlier, so I thought I'd repay the favor."
"That-That's not necessary,' Helena replied, a little unsettled by being this close to Selina.
"I know,' Selina acknowledged. "Look, would you put that thing away before you accidently shoot me, please?"
She said it so like Helena's mother would she immediately lowered the crossbow. Helena blushed as she realized this.
"Sorry." She offered.
"Forget about it." Selina waved it off. 'So do you want some help?"
"Yes,' Helena honestly said. "But-But I don't know where we're going, so it's probably not safe for you."
"I live in Gotham,' Selina remarked. "I'm pretty used to unsafe places."
"I appreciate the offer, but I don't think it's the best idea,' Helena said. Part of her wanted desperately for Selina to come with her, but another part wanted to keep her safe. She'd watched her mother die once; she didn't think she could do it again. "Superman's going with me, so it should be okay, but thanks."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"Well, alright,' Selina said with a nod. She smiled at Helena and then took a step closer to her. Her hands fumbled at her sides for a moment. "You be safe and come back some time, maybe we could talk."
"I'd-I'd like that,' Helena replied with a smile.
Before she even realized it, Selina took Helena in her arms and gave her a hug. Helena was surprised at first but then returned it.
"Don't do anything stupid,' Selina whispered in her ear.
"I won't." Mom.
Apokolips
Karen was on the run. The dogs of war had her scent and were tracking her. Apokolips was a huge planet, but she stood out wherever she went. While technically they were all New Gods, there was a strict caste system on the planet. There was Darkseid, his elites and then everyone else. He totally controlled this world and everyone lived in fear of him. Karen could see in the Lowlies eyes that none of them would help her. They were all too afraid.
She needed to blend in until she could figure out a way off this world. The dress she wore at CERN was in ruins and made her stand out wherever she went. The dogs of war probably had her scent from the pieces of fabric that had been torn away. She needed to change clothes to get them off her for a while. The Lowlies wore rags and she couldn't bring herself to steal from them. Being as cautious as she could, she made her way towards some of the glittering towers that dotted the landscape. These were the homes of the Elite, the very people that carried out the orders to decimate her world. She had no problem taking through them. Finding someone of similar building took a short time and when the woman was alone, Karen stuck. The fight was over in seconds. Stripping the woman, Karen tossed her tattered dress over the side of the building.
The woman's outfit fit like a glove. She'd guessed right. The blue boots were just her size and while the white outfit didn't cover her legs, the material felt much stronger than anything she'd worn before. The one part that gave her pause was there was a cut out in the center of the chest that showed more than a bit of cleavage. While she'd never been exactly modest about her body, it would take some getting used to. Slipping on the belt she picked up the red clock and wrapped it around herself like a cape. A chain attached it to her collar. She glanced at her reflection in the polished steel wall and had to admit it looked good. At least she would throw them off her scent for a short while and hopefully could figure out some way of getting off this accursed planet.
The Watchtower
Helena beamed in and joined the others. There was something disconcerting about seeing Kara in the Supergirl costume, as back home Karen had once worn it. She could see how different they were from body types to temperament. It was just one more reminder that this wasn't her world.
Clark stood to the side taking it all in. He couldn't help noticing Kara remained floating away from the others as he usually was. She was suspicious of all of them, not just him. Again he wondered if he was doing the right thing asking her for help. She certainly was strong enough, but if anything happened to her he would never forgive himself.
He just needed to get Karen back, though. Everything else seemed to fall away when he thought of her. It made no sense, but he felt a connection to her unlike any he'd experienced before. He couldn't seem to be neutral when it came to her. As maddening as she could be, he knew it wasn't over between them. He wasn't sure what the future would hold, if anything, but as long as there was a chance he just couldn't seem to let her go.
"Everything's ready,' Victor finally said. "There is some bad news. The vibrations are familiar. She's on Apokolips."
"Oh, no,' Helena groaned.
"What is Apokolips?" Kara asked in Kryptonian.
Before Clark could respond, Victor answered. Surprising everyone, he spoke in Kryptonian to her.
"Apokolips is Darkseid's realm and it's a nightmare."
"How-How do you know my language?" Kara asked, suspicious of the unusual young man.
"One of the benefits of being half machine,' he replied.
"I speak a little of your language too,' Mr. Terrific offered.
Kara glanced at Clark but he could only shrug. She didn't know what to say, but it was actually wonderful to hear her native language again.
"Um, well, thank you,' she finally said to both of them.
Victor smiled at her and she returned it. Helena watched all of this and tried hard not to roll her eyes.
"So we know it's going to be dangerous, how soon can we go?" She finally asked.
"Whenever everybody's ready,' Victor replied.
There was a buzz from Clark's communicator.
"Just a second, please,' he said and took a step away from the others. "Hello?"
Gotham
Bruce had been trying to concentrate on his work, but it was hopeless. Finally he broke down and contacted Superman.
"Hello?"
"You're going with her, aren't you?" Bruce asked.
"Yes.
"Keep her safe, Clark,' Bruce replied. "Please."
"I will, I promise."
"Thank you, Batman out."
The Watchtower
The line went dead and Clark turned to the others.
"Can we go now?" Helena asked.
"Yeah, let's do this." Clark replied.
Helena, Kara, Michael Holt and Clark all gathered as Victor opened up a boom tube. Nodding to each other, Clark led the way into it.
Apokolips
They materialized in the heart of the capital. The noise was deafening, surrounding them almost like a living wave of sound. Kara instinctively covered her ears, as it overwhelmed her.
"God in heaven this place is a nightmare,' Michael gasped as he gazed around them.
"Soldiers,' Victor said.
"Coming this way,' Clark added. "But I'm picking up something about a Kryptonian female several streets over. They seemed to have found something."
Mr. Terrific pulled out his T-Spheres and floated off the ground. Clark put his arm around Helena, while Kara offered to carrying Victor. While he could probably have flown himself, he nodded in acceptance. They all started moving towards the location Clark had identified.
Parademons, dogs of war and soldiers all seemed to be gathered around something. When they saw the new comers they turned and attacked. The five went into action. Kara let Victor slip from her grasp as she headed straight into the flying parademons. As far as she was concerned they were monsters so she saw no reason to hold back. Clark landed, but kept Helena near him as he took the first wave of soldiers on. Mr. Terrific, Cyborg and Huntress moved to flank the group and take out some of the others.
Clark waded through them until he saw what they had discovered. The tattered remains of a dress were still in the commander's hand as he ordered his soldiers to attack. He could smell Karen's scent still on the dress and the anger welled up inside of Clark. The mechanical dogs of war attacked but he ripped them apart with his bare hands, moving towards the commander all the while. Beams of red shot out from both Kryptonians, the intense heat adding to the chaos.
When Clark finally reached the commander he snacked the dress from his hand and then backhanded him to the ground. Helena somehow managed to be next to Clark in that moment.
"That-That's Karen's,' she gasped.
Clark turned to Helena.
"She's alive, Helena, I know it,' he softly said to her. He then glanced off into the distance as the other three finished off the fight. "If she's not when we find her someone is going to pay dearly. I promise you that."