"Most impressive," Zor-El continued as he remained in place. "Rok-Var has taught you much: it's been ages since any Kryptonian has used Torquasm Vo."

Despite what she'd just achieved, Linda was unsure how long she'd be able to maintain her hold onto this reality. She didn't want to be there, but she was slowly realizing over the past few months that what she wanted and what she needed to do were not always one in the same. "This is your last chance, Zor-El," she growled as she assumed a fighting stance. "Release your hold on Kal-El and leave us alone!"

Zor-El moved slowly toward her. "You think just because you've managed to create this reality you have what it takes to wield the full power of Torquasm Vo?"

As if it had a mind of its own, a nearby tree suddenly bent in Zod's direction and quickly wrapped around him like a large tentacle, suspending him high above the ground. He struggled with all his might, but it was to no avail.

Linda's eyes widened in shock; she hadn't actually expected that to work. She slowly smiled, pleased with herself, and easily launched into the air, floating up to his level.

"I think I'm off to a pretty good start," Linda smirked, reveling in her father's helplessness. She willed the tree to squeeze tighter around him, enjoying watching him struggle, his face turning red. Feeling more confident she floated close, leaning in until she was inches from his face. "So, how does it feel to be at the mercy of someone more powerful than you, and knowing there's not a damn thing you can do about it."

Zor-El glared at the young girl, then his face contorted as he gave a loud shout. Before Linda could fully comprehend what was happening the trunk exploded, sending chunks flying in all directions. Linda shouted as the force of the shockwave hit her, knocking her backwards, stunning her. She fell to the ground and landed hard, tumbling and rolling before crashing into a large boulder nearby. She groaned softly, her head still a little fuzzy. Remember, it's only real if you believe it, she said to herself. "Easier said than done," she muttered to herself. She took in a deep breath and carefully pushed herself up on her hands and knees and looked up; her eyes slowly widened in shock. Zor-El hovered in the air, completely free from his binds. A full suit of black Kryptonian armor, fashioned out of pure energy, protected his body; a large version of his symbol was emblazoned on his chest. The familiar look of pure hatred on his face caused the young girl's stomach to turn to ice.

"Foolish little girl!" Zor-El shouted. He dove at her, but Linda wasn't able to move out of the way before he slammed a fist into her face. She flew backwards, hitting the boulder and splitting it down the middle. She yelped in pain as Zor-El yanked her up by her neck, her feet dangling above the ground. "You think just because you managed to create this pathetic excuse of Krypton's past you're more powerful than me?!" Still holding her, he launched into the air and then threw her down. She hit the ground hard, forming a deep crater, and Zor-El landed on her feet first, driving her further into the rocky soil. He easily kept his foot planted on her face, like she was an ant about to be crushed, unfazed as she struggled under him to get free.

"Torquasm Vo was a discipline taught to those in the Military Guild," he growled, "but only a handful were able to fully master it. How could the child of a mere scientist even think for one moment that they were more powerful at a technique I trained for years to accomplish?!"

Linda stopped struggling and stared at him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She opened her mouth, but the ground started cracking and crumbling around her as Zor-El removed his foot. She tried to get away, but the rocks and dirt quickly surrounded her on all sides and started cementing together. Zor-El hovered back, willing the ball of cemented rock out of the ground into the air; he watched with a sadistic look of pure malice as more rocks and dirt were added, creating more and more layers around the young girl.

- - - -

At the core of the large mass Linda's heart pounded in her chest and she began hyperventilating in the pitch black all around her. She tried to move around, to get her arms in a position to pound her way out, but there was barely room for her to even wiggle her shoulders-and it felt as if it was growing smaller with each brush against the rock. A feeling of overwhelming dread filled every portion of her body; she tried to swallow, but her throat suddenly felt dry and like it was closing up. She tried to keep her composure, but flashes of being in the tube of blue liquid kept filling her mind, and she could only think of one thing as she dissolved into panicked sobs, her body shaking.

"Let me out of here!" she screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks.

[Pathetic] she heard Zor-El's voice clearly, almost as if he was right next to her. [I've single-handedly defeated your mightiest warriors and I've easily taken complete control of a reality that you created.]

"Please let me go!" Linda begged through loud sobs.

[Of course. After your friends are forced to kill your cousin, I will release you from your life so I may take control of your mind again. And once I've killed your friends, no one will be able to stop me from finally getting what I want.] She shivered as he chuckled maniacally. [Too bad you and everyone on this pathetic squalor of a planet won't be around to see the end result-and you have no one to blame but yourself, Kara Zor-El.]

[Linda, don't listen to him] Zachary's voice broke in. [You can do this. I believe in you.]

Linda shook her head, still crying. Zor-El was right; she wasn't strong enough or good enough or even clever enough to stop him...and everyone on Earth was going to pay for her failure. "I'm sorry," she whispered in defeat. "I tried. Honest. I'm sorry...but I can't. I can't."

[You can!]

Linda froze at the sound of the familiar voice that had always brought comfort. It didn't belong to Zachary or Zor-El, or Clark or Bruce. "Rok-Var? How is that-"

[This is your world, Kara!] Rok-Var interrupted. [You are the master of it, you control it, and you decide what happens!]

"But Zor-El's stronger than me! He's always been stronger than me! I can't beat him! Everyone is going to die because I'm not strong enough!"

[Kara, you are more powerful than you know!] Linda paused, feeling a sense of deja vu at the words being spoken to her. [You can do this! You must do this! On, girl!] The maniacal laughter of her father's tried to drown out Rok-Var's words, but the teenager closed her eyes and focused on her mentor. As her father's cruel laugh slowly faded, the fear and hopelessness diminished in Linda while a plethora of new emotions-anger, love, and rage-began building inside of her.

Hovering in place, Zor-El chuckled as he heard the sobs growing quieter from inside the rocky prison until they stopped completely. It was only a matter of time before he'd be free from Kal-El's mind, and then he could take control of the young girl. She wouldn't take long to succumb to him once more, especially in her defeated state, but he had to admit he was growing a little impatient; he had waited so long for his prize, and now it was so close he could almost taste it.

A low rumbling sound came from the rock and Zor-El looked over, just as the entire structure exploded. The Kryptonian brought his arms up to shield himself from the debris raining around him, but the force of the explosion threw him to the side, spinning out of control. He tumbled for a short distance before righting himself, and he looked down at the spot where Kara's prison had been. The dust in the air was thick, but it quickly dispersed, and Zor-El's eyes widened in shock at what he saw in its place.

Floating in midair was a ball of pure flame that shone brighter than anything Zor-El could remember. It quickly dimmed, allowing him to see Linda hovering above him. She was clothed in a tight red bodysuit, with a gold belt, boots, gloves, and gauntlets; across her chest was a gold emblem in the shape of a flaming bird. Gold designs woven into the material gleamed brightly in the sunlight, gave the illusion the outfit was on fire. A long flowing cape made of red and gold, fashioned to look like flames, completed the ensemble.

Zor-El's eyes widened in shock, but he quickly regained his composure. "Is this supposed to impress me?" he asked, frowning.

"No," Linda replied, through clenched teeth. "This should scare you."

"Well, if you think a silly little costume and some optical illusions are going to frighten me, then you might want to rethink your strategy."

Wordlessly, Linda dove at him as fast as she could. Zor-EL had just enough time to widen his eyes but he couldn't dodge her as she slammed into him at full speed. The sound was deafening, and the shockwaves radiated outward for miles, so powerful they uprooted all the surroundings around them. Zor-El fell to the ground littered with debris, slamming into the rocky soil, but he didn't have time to even catch his breath as the young girl landed hard on top of him and began pummeling him repeatedly.

"You've tormented me all my life!" Linda growled, never ceasing her punches. "You forced me to create this horrible fortress! You brainwash my cousin, threaten the people I care about, and all the people of this planet-and you think all I'm fighting you with is a silly little costume and optical illusions?!" As she felt the anger and rage surging through her, she quickly propelled herself backwards into the air, hovering above him. "Earth is my home, Zor-El-and you have no place in it!" Her eyes flashed a bright orange, but instead of quickly fading, beams of actual flames shot from her eyes. They struck her father with full force, and he cried out in pain from the searing heat.

Linda ignored his screams as her entire body was quickly engulfed in flames, and she raised her palms toward him; fire shot from her hands and hit Zor-El squarely in the chest. He writhed in agony, but the young girl channeled every bit of her energy, anger, and will into the fire as it poured from her hands. The heat and brightness intensified as energy cracks formed on Zor-El's body. Like glass about to fracture, the cracks quickly multiplied and radiated outward as light burst through them. Zor-El's body convulsed and Linda let out a final shout as she thrust her hands at him. A final burst of energy hit her father, and his body exploded into fragments of fire. Linda braced herself, closing her eyes, right before the shockwave slammed into her like a planet. She gave one final scream, then everything went black.

- - - -

Linda's eyes shot open as she gasped loudly. Her entire body trembled as she breathed heavily, her vision blurry with unrecognizable blue and white shades. The young girl was confused for a moment, but everything quickly came into focus; she was back in the fortress, sitting on top of the giant globe. She furrowed her eyebrows when she realized how quiet it was below her.

"Linda!"

Her teacher's voice didn't sound like he was in distress, but Linda remained wary as stood up and cautiously made her way over to the edge of the globe, craning her head to look down. Both Batman and Zachary were standing over her cousin, who was sitting on the floor, breathing heavily. Zachary glanced up at Linda and gave her a smile and a thumbs up. Her body still trembled from exhaustion, and she tried to shake it off, but all she could manage was a weak smile before the energy left her body and she collapsed, tumbling off the globe. Linda was fully aware she was going to slam into the ground below, but she couldn't muster the energy to stop herself as her eyes slowly closed.

(End of Chapter 9)