I was lounging on the couch and put the TV on. As predicted the news cycle had gone on to something else. I was relieved until I saw that a metahuman had several people trapped in a building and was holding them hostage.

He was pacing in front of the doors. I saw him take a hit from the police sniper and it did nothing. I glanced upstairs. I shook my head and decided it would be best not to get involved. Then I saw the list of hostages. Alexander Luthor and his family. James Faloni and his family. I nearly crushed the controller in my hand when I saw the names. The police weren't going to stop him. I closed my eyes. I went upstairs and peaked in on Emma she was asleep.

I pulled off my clothes in my room better to not incinerate them by accident. I went outside, I was naked, and I felt seriously self-conscious about it but bursting into flames in the house was out of the questions we'd just finished fixing it. I closed my eyes and focused on my fear and anger that some crazy was putting my friends in danger and I could feel the heat building up in my core. As the energy built up I felt myself lifting off the ground I left it flare out slowly and I sixty feet in the air I looked down at my silvery bodysuit and I could see mini solar flares and loops of plasma wrapping over my body. I thought of Glen and my body shot forward streaking through the air. It wasn't as fast as I could run but it wasn't slow either it took me about twenty minutes to arrive by the building. I didn't really want to kill the person. And from what I knew about my abilities I would likely incinerate them just by touching them so I tried to suck the plasma in from around my body and ended up falling flat on my ass after falling sixty feet in front of a couple of shocked policeman.

I felt my chest and stomach and still felt the silvery material covering me. It seemed like without the plasma around me I couldn't fly. Okay. Noted. I stood up and dusted myself off I could see my flowing plasma hair in the reflection of their cruiser's window and my eyes that looked like mini suns. I cleared my throat and tried my best to sound…well older.

"I'm here to help."

The two policemen had their guns pointed at me. They were not looking particularly confident in their weapons.

"Uh sure, what can you uh do?"

"I'll take care of this."

I must have flickered out of existence for them I could move so fast the metahuman was actually kinda cool looking. He was covered in this shimmering black void material. He was pacing in front of row after row of blue blood. This had been some sort of charity event. I saw Glen and blushed then realized there was no way he'd recognize me the plasma hair tended to conceal most of my features. Bruce Wayne was there with his grandson. They didn't look so much frightened like the majority of people there, as they looked frustrated. Then I caught site of April and Jacob. There was a very buff looking man sitting in front of them. I had met him once it was Jacob's father. He looked pissed and was staring daggers at the metahuman. He looked quite shocked to see me, more so then the rest. The metahuman was so busy ranting about his manifesto that he hadn't noticed me. So, I cleared my throat.

"You need to surrender yourself to the police before someone, namely you, gets hurt."

He spun around and shot a beam of black energy at me which I dodged easily. Superspeed. Yay! It disintegrated a desk. That would probably hurt. While I was distracted by the damage, he caused he grabbed a handful of the silvery material that encased my body and his eyes were starting to glow with the same void energy like he was charging up for a blast. I grabbed his wrist and twisted it violently. He was strong, but, not as strong as Superman's granddaughter apparently and I punched him in the face. I was careful because I was pretty sure I could put my fist through a normal human's skull and wasn't looking to kill him. Unfortunately, I was too gentle because apparently he was somewhat durable. He struggled to free his wrist from my grasp and let go an uncontrolled blast from his eyes when I leaned back to avoid and he took out a massive section of the ceiling and several floors above. Yep that would really hurt.

"Stop it, I don't want to hurt you. I will if you make me."

"I'll never surrender, Metahumans need to be free! Power to the Metahumans! You can't stop me you're just some kid."

"I'm Superman's granddaughter. Do you want to rethink that statement?"

"He bled like everyone else!"

He took aim with his free hand and hit me with a blast I couldn't avoid without letting him go. I half failed of both and went flying as he clipped my shoulder and I was blasted through building's wall and into a police car. I was right it had hurt my shoulder was black and muscle was showing. I almost threw up. It hurt, a lot but pain wasn't new to me. I pulled myself out of the wreckage of the car. I was pissed now. I had been barely holding back my solar core at this point. I let it loose and the plasma around my body started to slag the pavement and the police car. I flew upwards until I was eye level with him. He was standing at the edge of the hole my ungraceful exit had caused I could see orbs of black forming by his eyes. He was charging up for a big attack.

"Last warning before I show you real power little man."

He took a shot at me with his eye beams and it missed wide. I had barely been controlling the building energy inside me and I just gave up holding it back and hit it him with unrestrained twin plasma blasts from my hands. Basically, it's like solar flares from a sun I don't really control them I just don't hold them back. He went flying backwards through the building and the opposite wall. I flew upwards and hovered above him in the street. He was struggling to get up. I could see parts of him were still lit up with plasma fire. He was screaming in pain. I wanted to turn away, but the job wasn't finished yet. I flew downwards pushing my plasma field back into my body and landed on my hard he was imbedded into the pavement and stopped moving. He was still breathing. The shimmering void energy that had covered him vanished. He was naked and looked to be in his twenties, just an average guy. He had a few severe burns on him, but he was alive. I looked back up and saw several of the blue bloods looking out the hole at me. One of them being Bruce Wayne. I let the energy from my core flood outward.

He started to stir. I hovered above him solar prominences and filaments twisting in on themselves around my body. My fists were glowing ready to unleash another blast at my command.

"Stay down or be put down."

He held up his hands and I saw the police inject him with something and his eyes closed. They started pointing their guns at me now. One of them must have been spooked by something and shot at me. The bullet turned to liquid metal and fell from the air long before it would have been a threat to me. I shook my head and flew away. I have to say, flying is the best. If I thought running made me feel free. This was a whole new level. Of course, at that point I still had limited solar energy. So I was flying about 600 feet and enjoying the thrill of it and the next thing I knew I was picking myself up with some serious road rash because I'd slammed into the one of the back country roads that ran between Metropolis and Smallville naked while traveling about sixty miles per hour. My shoulder was still pretty chewed up from where he hit me. Unlike Superman when he was full grown, I had an extremely limited Solar battery and apparently all my power came from it. (It didn't but we'll talk about that later.) I didn't quite understand how it all worked at the time. Hell, who knew Superman was a giant solar panel. I sure didn't at the time.

I was about a mile from home and naked. So, I tried to run. That did not work. Basically, I had to run home naked, and by run I meant I basically had to jog home because I was in no way currently endowed with any superhuman abilities whatsoever. It was an embarrassing, and humbling experience for a self-conscious teenage girl not comfortable with her body. What woman is? I was exhausted by the time I got there and literally fell asleep on top of my comforter. I didn't wake up at my customary 5:30 am, I didn't wake up until noon. When I'd had good six hours of sunlight shining down on me. I was fully healed from the road rash and the partially disintegrated shoulder by the time I woke up. I heard movement downstairs. I quickly jumped in the shower. I was covered in dirt and grime that I would not be able to explain away. When I peeked my head down the stairs Emma was on the couch watching tv while Martha lay in her baby bouncer. Sarah was focused on her tablet and Henry's mother was in the kitchen wiping down the counters. I heard my stomach complaining. I was starving then I remembered the lasagna in the fridge, so I hopped down the stairs. Emma looked in my direction.

"Are you feeling alright hon?"

"Feeling great mom."

"You don't usually sleep past 5:30 am. I figured you must have needed the sleep."

"I did. Sorry I wasn't there to help this morning."

"You've helped more then you should have had to already Amber."

"I don't mind mom."

I pulled out the leftover lasagna and put some in a bowel and turned on the microwave. I leaned on the marble countertop with my elbows and had my chin in my palms watching the TV. I almost fell over when I saw myself on the news again. I looked at Henry's mom and Emma but neither seemed to realize it was me. I swallowed hard and continued watching. The news was reporting the metahuman's name was Zevrous Dun, he called himself Voidmonger and was a self-described member of the Metahuman Liberation Front. I pulled the bowl out of the microwave and sat down at the breakfast counter on a stool and started munching on my leftovers.

I kept watching the news. I was dreading the conversation with Edna. But my ego was sure being stroked. It was easy to forget the whole crashing and skidding along the pavement last night with all my injuries healed. They had a few glory shots of me. It was hard to believe it was me. I saw myself as this gangly disproportionate spindly clumsy girl. The girl on those videos looked amazing. I assumed it must just be a shape change thing when I'm using my powers. Because there was no way I looked that good day to day. Again, they just kept repeating the same facts repeatedly since they had no new information on the unknown female metahuman. The news loves a mystery. I heard a knock at the door and Henry's mother answered it. It was not Edna, who I had expected, but it was Agent Brown.

"I wanted to ask Amber some more questions if you don't mind."

Emma's eyes snapped to the doorway. When I saw the look, she gave that Agent all I could think was lawyer-momma-bear mode engaged. She stood up slowly and shuffled to the door.

"Is there any reason you feel the need to question my daughter again Candace? I understood that she gave you a very comprehensive statement the last time outlining everything in extreme detail."

"Uh, Emma, you're out of the hospital. I'm glad you're doing okay."

"Don't change the subject Candace, you never waste time on witnesses who already gave statements."

"There are just a few details I need clarification on, that unknown metahuman subject from the Metropolis Police Gala last night had a striking resemblance to the description the one surviving cartel member that shot up your house gave of their assailant. She was seen heading towards Smallville before disappearing off the face of the earth. Its just a bit of a coincidence that she was heading to Smallville and the last sighting of her was also heading back to Smallville after the attack on the cartel members. Seeing as they attacked your house."

Emma glanced back at me and I gave her a confused look and shrugged.

"Where were you last night?"

"I was here, watching Sarah and Martha while you were sleeping mom."

"There you go Candace she didn't leave the house."

"Is there anyone to corroborate your alibi?"

"There is but she's like a week-old baby. She woke up crying and I rocked her for hours in the nursery so she wouldn't wake up mom."

I was getting better at this whole lying through my teeth thing. I hoped at least.

"And beyond that the metahuman that was there last night had bone showing through her shoulder on the video as gruesome as it was, as you can clearly see Amber has no injuries."

I glanced down at my thin strapped tank top and shorts. And felt extremely self-conscious suddenly as all eyes were on me. Candace started putting her pad away looking slightly vexed.

"At the risk of hurting our professional and personal friendships I'm going to remind you that I'm a lawyer and as her parent, I'm going to act as Amber's lawyer, and right now it seems like you're harassing my client for no good reason. She's twelve for Christ's sake."

Candace closed her notepad up and stuck her pen in her jacket pocket and slid her pad into her other pocket.

"You're right Emma. Just got caught up."

"No problem its what makes you a good agent. I assure you that there is nothing superhuman about Amber except her moral compass and her ability to exceed expectations. Emma smiled. I could tell her Candace were closer friends then I had expected.

"Now we have that out of the way, why don't you come in and hold Martha and have a coffee."

Candace's serious face lightened up and she rushed inside. Emma picked up Martha and put her in Candace's arms.

"She's so adorable. I love newborns."

I started making a pot of fresh coffee while they caught up on each other's current events. Candace was apparently engaged and getting married soon and was concerned Emma wouldn't be up to being one of her bridesmaids. As the conversation expanded I learned that they were good friends and had been sorority sisters.

"Ma'am, what would you like in your coffee?"

"Just some milk please."

I mixed her coffee and made Emma a coffee the way she liked it, two spoons of sugar and lots of milk. I put cups down for the pair of them and took Marta and sat down and rocked her in my arms while they chatted. I caught Candace glancing at me now and again. I figured she might still be suspicious, but she couldn't prove anything and hopefully it would stay that way. There was another knock at the door. Henry's mother answered it. This time it was Edna and she was giving me a look. Emma waved from the couch seemingly unaware of Edna's annoyance towards me. Edna looked at me again and softened a bit when she saw me rocking a sleeping Martha.

"Hey hon. I was coming to borrow Amber, I need some help with the bales."

"Amber go help your grandmother please."

I walked over to Edna and offered her Martha she took her, and her usual gruff demeanor melted. I walked upstairs and pulled on my work jeans and I selected a more concealing tank top, but didn't want to go crazy it was in over a hundred today. I grabbed my filled water bottle from the fridge. Edna handed Martha off to Henry's mother and I followed her to her truck and she drove back to the farm. She didn't say anything the whole ride over. She parked her old pick up truck in its spot then went into the drove me into the field with her tractor and the trailer. She waited until we were in the middle of the north field.

"Start tossing the bales on the trailer. We'll talk when we finish."

I tried to pick a bale up, I'd done this several times and I barely noticed there was weight attached to them even the massive round ones but today I struggled to lift up one of the small square bales of hay. I was winded after the first one. Edna hopped off the tractor and pulled off her gloves and looked me up and down.

"Are you feeling alright? That usually is what you look like after one of the big bales. What's up?"

"I don't know. But we can go on it will just be slower."

Edna shook her head and continued baling the hay. Now that I realized they were not so light to me today I was able to adapt but my muscles were seriously sore. Something I can honestly say hadn't happened since my transformation. We finished the trailer and Edna pulled it into the barn and I was so dead tired I could barely help her. She did the bulk of the work and didn't seem to upset about it. My arms were jelly.

I ended up draining my water bottle several times over and sitting on the farmhouse steps like a lump. My skin wasn't getting burned at least so there was that. Edna sat beside me. Heather was apparently in Metropolis consulting for Luthorcorp. So, we were alone. Edna threw 4-liter jug of water in my direction I caught it with an umff. I started drinking that too. I was covered in sweat. I never sweated. Today was a new experience.

"What's up with you today?"

"I donno Grandma, I'm just done."

I took another big gulp of water and laid back on the porch in the shadow of the veranda.

"You look like I just worked you hard and you never look like I worked you hard, even when I have you tossing thousand-pound bales of hay. Tell me what happened."

"I was flying home with muscle and bone hanging out and next thing I know I was crashing into rural road seventeen and picking myself up naked. It's like I have no more power left."

She pondered for a few minutes.

"Clark wasn't always Superman you know. When he was young, he had some serious limits, and I don't remember him flying until he was in college."

"You might be pushing yourself too hard, which is why I told you to hide your powers and mind your business, let the police handle things."

I groaned from the porch

"Grandma, April was in danger. He was nuts. Like completely nuts. And the police couldn't stop him. Metropolis doesn't have a Batman to smack them down. The police are completely incapable of dealing with metahuman threats. Bullets were literally bouncing off him."

"And? Look at you now barely able to pick yourself up."

I heard tires biting into gravel as something came up the driveway. I assumed it was Heather coming home. I didn't notice Edna stand up I had my arm over my eyes to block the sun. I heard footsteps and felt a shadow fall across me because it was blocking out the sun which was feeling extremely good right now. I waved my hand trying to shoo Edna away. I probably sounded pretty whiney when I spoke.

"Grandma is bad enough you violated several child labor laws today now you're blocking my sun."

I heard a male voice speaking next, it sounded strong but aged. I bolted up right and I winced my body was complaining about everything today. I held my hand over my eyes and realized I was looking up at Bruce Wayne leaning on a cane with his Son and Grandson, who was my age looking down at me. Edna looked displeased at his presence.

"Certainly, looks like Clark Kent's granddaughter. Though she's a lot more whiney then I expected."

I had no idea why Edna was so pissed at him. You're probably thinking its because he's Batman or was before he retired, and she blamed him for Clark's death. You'd be wrong. I had never asked about Emma's father.

"What are you doing here? I haven't seen you since my mother's funeral and I liked it that way."

"I was I town and I wanted to see my ex-wife, daughter and grandchildren."

"Where were you when she was in the hospital? Hmm, or when she had Sarah? You're a no-good absentee father."

She was hammering his chest with two fingers from her left hand. He held up his free hand. His son and grandson were looking at each other. I guess they hadn't realized he had been married before their mother.

"Edna you wanted the divorce, you told me to stay out of her life, so I did, right up too the point a Mexican drug cartel started shooting at her. That is showing me, maybe I should have been involved so she wasn't working as a Federal Prosecutor and putting herself in harm's way."

"Oh, you are not coming in here and upsetting everything then running off again."

"Me running off. You're the one who took my daughter and shacked up with another woman."

Edna's face was really red.

"I'm going to take that cane and beat you with it. A Christmas and birthday present every year does not make you a father! You stay away from her."

"I already visited Emma, she was happy to see me, Martha and Sarah are adorable. She invited me back for dinner once her husband is out of the hospital. I wasn't going to bother you, but she said her other daughter was over here helping you. I wanted to introduce myself."

The way he was looking at me gave me the impression he already knew we'd met once, at least in passing.

"Oh no, you stay away from Amber. I know what you want but she's not going to get involved in that stupid thing with you. It's why I left you, you were too busy doing that to be there for me and Emma."

"I'm sorry for that Edna. I didn't value you like I should have."

"You didn't wait long afterwards did you."

"You moved on and so did I."

He promptly turned towards me. I was so intrigued by the unfolding drama that I had forgotten I was dressed in cut offs and a tank top and covered in sweat. I probably looked like a boiled rat. My hair was matted and messy. I started to blush. He offered his hand. I took it and shook it.

"I'm Bruce Wayne, and I'm your adoptive Grandfather, this is my son Damian, and my grandson Tim."

I waved at them still shielding my eyes from the sun which felt so good, it's hard to describe what it feels like when something is injecting itself into every cell in your body at once. Like water for someone stranded in the desert. I hate draining myself, but the charging up afterwards feels like the world's best massage. I could see the family likeness between the trio and Emma.

"Hi."

"We won't keep you long, it looks like you had an exhausting day…and night."

I flinched slightly, yep he knew it was me. I scrambled to think of something to say and I blurted out.

"You were at that hostage thing last night; I saw it on the news."

"Yes. Poor misguided soul. Sure, glad Superman's self-proclaimed granddaughter showed up to save us. She sure suffered for it though, poor girl. Bet she's dead tired today."

I smiled sweetly.

"I wouldn't know about all that."

"I think you might have something in common with her, I saw you on the news too. Pulling people out of burning cars."

I blushed again.

"That was pretty scary."

I held up my red blistering palms.

"Still paying for it."

Edna looked at my palms then at me.

"You need to leave, and I need to help her with this mess."

She pointed at my hands.

"You should have said something child."

I shrugged. It hurt but not enough to bother me. I can't blame her for not understanding. She had no idea the kind of pain I had been in as Kristen. Bruce nodded.

"See you next weekend Amber. I look forward to having a longer talk when the old crows aren't biting at my heels."

He glanced at Edna.

"Show your face around here I'll hang you in the field so you can scare them away."

He waved and got into his limousine with his son and grandson. Edna pulled me in the house and started putting some antibacterial jelly on my palms and wrapping them in bandages.

"I'm getting worried. Clark would have recovered by now."

"You said it yourself. I am young. Maybe it will just take time."

She glanced in the direction Bruce Wayne had driven off. She looked like she was regretting something.

"What's wrong Grandma?"

"Just kicking myself for being so prideful. Bruce is not all he seems he might have been able to help."

"What do you mean?"

"That is not for me to tell. Just relax."

"I'm going to go lay on the roof and soak up some more sun Grandma."

"Don't fall and break your neck, god knows if you'll come back from that today."

I nodded and went upstairs and climbed out of Emma's old window and lay on the roof. It was flat enough that I had no fear of falling. I slipped off my clothes and was in an old bikini I found in Emma's drawer. I'd never go out in public like that, but it maximized the sun's contact with my skin and that felt glorious. I'm not sure how much later it was because I had no way to tell time besides where the sun was and I'm not a boy scout, obviously, Edna poked her head out of the window.

"Your Grandfather asked if you would like to go to Gotham for the weekend. I suggest you say yes."

I rolled over and looked at her.

"Why would you want me to do that? You hate him."

"I don't hate him; I just have some resentment towards him, but he can help you better then I can."

"What about mom and the kids? She is in no condition to take care of them or herself yet."

"I already called Heather and told her that she would need to stay over and help out there."

"I don't trust him Grandma. He knows who I am."

"Yes, and that is precisely why he can help you."

"I was supposed to go camping at Crater Lake tomorrow night!"

"That can wait. You are vulnerable and weak. That means you might be sick with something I have no idea how to cure and I'll be damned if I'm going to let STAR labs at you so they can figure out what makes you tick."

"Fine."

I stood up and pulled my towel with me. Every muscle I had burned and complained. Nothing makes you miss superpowers like not having them after having them. It took me a few minutes to get back in the house after sitting on the windowsill and then I finally went inside. It took me about twenty minutes to get home. I was not walking fast, let's just say that. Emma was sitting on the couch drinking coffee with Bruce. She looked at me when I came in. I hadn't bothered changing out of her bikini I was literally too exhausted.

"Where did you find that old thing, and oh my god what happened to your hands."

She rushed over which means she shuffled over and looked about as weak and I felt.

"Its nothing mom just some blisters. From the hay bales. Gloves weren't quite enough."

"I'm going to have a talk with your grandmother this is unacceptable."

I waved my hand dismissively.

"It's nothing mom."

"It's not nothing you're going to show up at Excelsior with callous all over your hands."

"Nothing wrong with looking like I do chores."

Emma shook her head.

"Go sit down mom, I'm fine."

"You're not fine, you look like you're positively beat."

"I am very tired, but I'll be fine after a hot shower."

"Dad, are you sure you want her to go with you? She seems to be in a mood this weekend. She's probably going to upset about it, she was supposed to go campy with friends."

"I'm sure she'll forget all about it when she gets to Gotham."

I just ignored the conversation from there and got into the shower. I leaned against the wall for a good fifteen minutes letting the hot water run over me. I finally washed my hair and got out of the shower. I replaced my bandages with better ones and got dressed into something sensible. By the time I got to my room I saw that my bag was already packed with summer clothes and one of my evening gowns that Heather had insisted on my owning was in hits traveling case. I frowned and picked it up wincing when the case rubbed against my palm. When Damian saw me almost falling down the stairs trying to lift my suitcase he rushed over and grabbed my elbow holding me steady, then he picked up the suitcase and my dress carrier.

"Careful there Amber."

I felt completely useless at that point. I literally was having trouble carrying plain old clothes in a fabric suitcase. He carried the to the door. Emma stood up and gave me a hug.

"You get some rest when you can."

"Mom, are you sure I should go?"

"Of course. You make sure Sarah behaves herself."

"Mom can we talk, I uh need to ask you some questions about that um school uniform thing we talked about."

She looked a bit confused and I dragged her to the walk-in pantry.

"Mom what are you thinking sending your kids off with a man you barely know?"

"I don't barely know him; He's my dad and we've been talking on for years over social media and on the phone. I just didn't tell mom so she wouldn't freak. We have lunch once a month."

"Oh. Why didn't you tell me about him?"

"I was waiting for the right time. Its kind of a big deal, he's like one of the richest men in the country."

"I feel kind of stupid for posting that Help! request now mom."

She hugged me.

"I'm sorry. We can return that money."

"No, we can't I promised Precious Angels they would get some of it."

"Then we'll give it all to them."

"Then we won't be able to afford the medical bills."

"We'll find a way."

I frowned and we hobbled into the living room together. I couldn't believe how weak I felt I kept feeling like my legs were going to collapse under my weight. The limo driver had moved all our luggage to the car and after the hugs and kisses Sarah and I were on our way to Metropolis International Airport for a short flight to Gotham.