THE NEW AGE

Bruce was surprised by Isabel's decision to stay and wondered what the reason behind her decision was; it wasn't long before he saw Isabel and Terry holding hands, giving him the clue. Bruce had always known that Isabel and Terry had feelings for each other, ever since they started bickering with each other. Normally, he would be quite reluctant with the idea of Isabel having relationships; yet, he was relieved to see her smile when she spent time with Terry after flying back to the Manor from the Fortress.

Isabel sat on the coach with Terry, resting her head on his shoulder and stroking her new bracelet on her wrist. Terry remarked, "Nice bracelet. Tribute from the Kandorians?"

She nodded, smiling as she remembered the young boy handing her the bracelet made by his people as a token of respect. The Kandorians worshipped her as an idol as she was a kind and gentle leader, unlike the military leaders they were used to. She provided them with technology, building them houses and shielding them from prying humans.

Terry played with her sleek black hair and asked, "How were they doing then?"

She replied proudly, "They are doing really well. They are contented and even suggested to be named as New Krypton out of respect for me."

Terry whistled, clearly impressed by his girlfriend's success, questioning, "So, how long are you going to hide them in Antarctica with Brainiac's technology? Aren't they ready to live among us?"

Isabel sighed and shrugged, asking, "Terry, am I selfish to shield them from humans? When their presence is revealed, the turmoil will surely shake the peace in New Krypton."

He wrapped his arms around her small frame and pressed his lips to her neck, saying, "I understand. I know that most people will react out of fear of the "aliens" and may not accept them easily. I mean, your father, Superman, spent years to build a good reputation. However, I just know that you can't hide them forever. They need to be prepared for the world outside."

Isabel chuckled at his comment and mused, "Terry, you're surprisingly deep." He reprimanded, "What does that mean?"

Bruce cleared his throat to announce his presence in the room; Terry retracted his arms from Isabel and sat up straight. Bruce raised his eyebrows at the couple; Isabel smiled meekly at him and asked, "What happened?"

The old man gave the both of them stern glares and continued, "There have been some reports of missing scientists who were exploring Antarctica."

He gave Isabel a knowing look; she frowned at him and stated, "It had nothing to do with the people in New Krypton." Bruce added, "Superman wants you to investigate the event. It seems rather suspicious that the scientists disappeared right inside the region of New Krypton."

She defended, "That's impossible. New Krypton is shielded by a forcefield; no human can approach it." "Yes, but are you sure that your people didn't leave the forcefield?"

She stood up abruptly and declared, "Fine. However, if it has nothing to do with the Kandorians, tell Dad to back off."

Bruce remarked, "You are too attached to them, Isabel."

"Someone has to look out for them since the League wouldn't." Bruce sighed; he knew that once the girl found something to protect, she would do so at all costs. He ordered, "Terry, go with Isabel and keep her safe."

Behind Terry's driver seat in the Batjet, Isabel stared absent-mindedly at her bracelet with the House of El's S crest etched on it. "You have nothing to worry about," Terry reassured her, noticing her furrowed brows as she stared out of the window at the snowy Antarctica.

Soon the Batjet shuddered as it reached its destination and Isabel created a hole in the forcefield to let the jet into New Krypton. Terry's eyes widened as he was greeted by the surprisingly beautiful kingdom of the newly immigrated residents; it was as if he entered a different world with dainty dome-shaped houses around the Fortress.

As they got out of the jet, the Kandorians bowed down to greet Isabel and a boy no older than nine super-sped towards her, wrapping his arms around her. The boy had a cheeky smile, which reminded Terry of his little brother, Matt. The crowd looked rather flustered at the sight of the boy hugging their leader, but Isabel patted the boy's head affectionately.

The crowd turned their attention to Terry and muttered among themselves; Isabel introduced, "Fellow citizens of New Krypton, this is my friend and our ally, Batman." The crowd bowed to Terry as they walked into the Fortress.

Terry looked around at the Fortress and noted with a grin, "You are quite well respected here. That boy's a huge fan, I must say."

Isabel added on a serious note, "That boy, Mon-El, is the one who made me the bracelet."

Terry repeated, "Mon-El? Doesn't that mean he is from the house of El?"

She nodded and revealed, "Yes, he is my cousin. Zod sent his sons to Kandor before the destruction of Krypton."

"Zod's son?"

"Yes, he has an older brother called Con-El too."

Terry questioned, "Isn't it a bit risky that Zod's sons are in New Krypton?"

Isabel shook her head and said matter-of-factly, "Zod was evil, but that has nothing to do with his sons. Mon-El is the sweetest boy I have ever met and Con-El...well...just needs some time..."

Terry sighed and couldn't stop himself from worrying for the overly trusting ruler of New Krypton. "Should we start asking your people if they know anything about the missing scientists?"

Isabel said nothing suddenly, pressing a finger to her lips to silence Terry. "Wha-?" He opened his mouth to ask, as Isabel walked towards the statues of Elders of the House of El.

She cleared her throat, and commanded curtly, "Come out now, Con-El. I know you're here." The boy stepped out from behind the statue and Terry couldn't help but see the similarities between him and the late Superboy. His dark hair was scruffy and his clothes were shabby; he squinted his blue eyes at her.

He said mockingly, "What? Are you going to tell me off because a commoner like me isn't allowed in your palace, my lady?"

Isabel frowned and shook her head, explaining, "Con-El, you are always welcome here, but I would appreciate it if you wouldn't sneak around."

He scoffed and repeated, "Sneak? I belong here as much as you do! Do you forget? I am the descendant of House of El."

Terry gave the Superboy lookalike a cold stare and growled, "I think you should be more respectful towards Isabel. She did everything she could to keep you safe."

Con-El chuckled darkly, remarking sarcastically, "Don't make me laugh. She is doing no such thing. Her loyalty lies with the Earthlings; She locked us up here to keep us from harming her precious creatures."

Terry snapped, "That's enough from you!"

Isabel said softly, "It's alright, Terry. Con-El, I know it's difficult to trust me, the one who sent your father away. However, I will do what I can to protect you and New Krypton."

Con-El glared at the girl, questioning, "You have failed. The Earthlings captured the New Kryptonians and you did nothing to stop them." Isabel and Terry shared a quick worried glance and

Isabel added quickly, "Tell me what happened."

"My pack of hunters went out fishing a week ago; we left the border of the shield to hunt. On the second day of camping, my comrade, La-Ra, caught sight of some disturbance in the water. He jumped into the water to investigate, while we continued fishing. However, he never resurfaced. You have left us weak and unprotected against the Earthlings. You can't shield us forever. They will hunt us down. It's either kill or be killed with them."

Isabel questioned, "Why does no one know of this disappearance?"

Con-El glared at the ground and growled, "The people...are afraid of my father and me...They couldn't care less what happened to me or my friends..."

Isabel walked over to the taller boy and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, promising, "We will find him."

He slapped her hand away and grunted, "I don't need your pity, traitor." T

erry stepped forward to interfere, but Isabel shook her head. She looked into Con-El's blue eyes and saw Connor in them; she smiled and said, "This is not pity. I care about every single person in New Krypton. If anyone harm any one of my precious people, they will have to answer to me."

She could see Con-El's frown disappearing away only slightly, but he quickly looked away, saying, "I'll take you to the place where La-Ra was caught."

They went to the edge of the iceberg; Con-El pointed at the sea, stating, "There is something down there. I tried to dive in to find La-Ra, but my body felt strangely weak and I couldn't breathe."

Isabel nodded and without another word, she dived into the sea with Terry. The lack of hesitation from the ruler of New Krypton surprised Con-El. Terry shone a light as they dived deeper into the cold waters; there were unmistakeably shards of Kryptonite covering the ocean floor. Isabel frowned at the unusal amount of Kryptonite around this area and continued to swim forward only to see the wreckage of a submarine. There was a massive crest on the submarine which was torn into half; it was the Luthorcorp symbol. Terry examined the submarine and could tell that the submarine was ripped open by hands. They shared a look and rose back to the surface.

They were both silent as they pieced everything together. Terry began, "The Luthorcorp submarine...those marks..." Isabel shuddered at the thought of Lex Luthor; she had not forgotten her childhood nightmares of Luthor.

Con-El asked, "Luthorcorp?" Terry nodded and explained, "The company of Lex Luthor."

Con-El grinned and said eagerly, "Let's find him and free La-Ra, making sure that he knows the power of New Krypton."

Isabel shook her head and said, "We can't just march up to Lex Luthor and demand for La-Ra's release. We need a better plan."

Kon-El scowled at her, roaring, "Coward! I shall march up to this Lex Luthor then!" Without another word, there was a gush of wind; Kon-El disappeared into the skies. Terry asked incredulously, "He can fly?"

Isabel sighed sadly and said, "Yes, the House of El was blessed with the power of flight. We need to stop him before he finds Luthor; Luthor will show no mercy to them and he clearly knows their weakness to Kryptonite."

Terry glanced at the worried girl, and suggested, "We can always enlist the League's help. Superman can be most helpful against Luthor..."

She snapped quickly, "No. I will deal with Luthor. These are my people."

Terry stayed silent for a while and said sorrowfully, "Con-El did have a point. You can't hide New Krypton forever. Sooner or later, humans will find out about them."

Isabel nodded slowly and stated determinedly, "I will make sure that Luthor doesn't ruin New Krypton's impression."

Bruce frowned as he heard Terry's quick report about Isabel's decision to pursue Luthor; his fingers lingered on the button on the Batcomputer to contact Superman. He knew that despite Luthor's old age, it was too dangerous for Isabel to meet alone even with Terry's help; They need someone who had experience in dealing with the bald villain.

He sighed as he could imagine her anger if he had asked for her father's assistance; from what Clark told him, Isabel refused to speak more than sentence to him ever since Connor's death, which left Clark thoroughly perplexed at the reason for her anger. In fact, Clark had asked Bruce for the reason, but Isabel made him promise not to speak of the terrible truth of Connor's death to anyone.

So the boy scout decided that his daughter was still grieving for her brother. He sighed, and monitored the blinking emblem of the black Batman symbol racing towards the Luthorcorp Tower, praying that Terry could reach Isabel in time.