Supergirl of Asgard - Part 4 - The Arrowverse Comes Knocking

by Sirya Ebony Black

As much as Barry Allen wants to go back in time to save his mother from Thawne, he has a promise to fulfill to Kara Aurora Stark Friggasdotter Zor El, commonly known as Supergirl. With the ability to go to Earth 38, it's time to reunite Supergirl and Superman.

1. Chapter 1

Part 4 - Arrowverse comes knocking - Chapter 1 – Hello, My name is Barry Allen

Author's Note

(For those that don't watch The Flash, basically Barry has spent most of a year battling with a serial killer speedster named Hunter (aka Zoom who was from another multiverse). During the season he was taken into the Speedforce and forced to accept his mother's death as fate. When he returned he had a sense of peace about him that was destroyed when Zoom killed his recently released from prison father Henry Allen. At the end of Season 2 Barry went back in time and created Flash Point – The reason for Season 3. This story picks up before he runs back in time, but after he defeats Zoom, and Jay Garrick (The Flash that is his father's doppelganger,) returns to Earth3. Our Barry has a promise to keep before he could consider going back in time. Cisco has been working on a device to contact Earth 2 during the canon Flash season2 and discovered his ability to Vibe and jump multiverses by creating breaches, but jumping to specific Earths he has never been too before is not something he has done yet.

Central City, Earth 1 – Joe West's house – June 4th 2012 – Three weeks after "Enter The Avengers" begins on Earth 617.

Iris West was worried about Barry Allen. He'd been a little moody and brooding since his defeat of Zoom the week before. She was worried about his lack of enthusiasm about how things were going between them; they'd only been together officially as a couple for a short time. His father's doppelganger, 'The Flash, Jay Garrick' from Earth 3, had left to return to his own Earth earlier in the week. When he left, Harrison Wells and Jessie Wells from Earth 2 had also left to return to their home multiverse, now that Zoom was dead and gone. Iris had wanted to give Barry a little time to be by himself and get his head together after his loss. His insistence that after everything he had accomplished, he still felt as if he'd lost the final battle worried her.

Ever since Barry had returned from the Speedforce nearly three months ago, there had been something different about him. He'd seemed more focused and accepting of the things around him. He knew and accepted that there would always be things that he couldn't change. He had focused instead on the things that he could.

Defeating Zoom had been a huge part of that. Training Jessie and Wally had been one of many driving forces in his quest to accept the fate he'd been dealt. The thing that concerned her most now, was Barry's focus on the picture of the beautiful blonde and the black haired man from Earth 617. Even now Barry was staring at the picture with frightening intensity. The look was almost a longing that made Iris very insecure.

Iris came up and put her hand on his shoulder, trying to break his train of thought. She felt him shift, moving so quickly she barely noticed that he'd turned, saw it was her, and moved back to his resting position in a split second. The look he gave the picture both broke her heart, and made her seethed with jealousy, if she was honest with herself.

"How does she do it, Iris?" His voice came in a broken whisper. "She lost her whole world literally." His voice awash with despair, "She lost 'her Iris'… everyone she has ever loved, and yet she still is a hero. A pillar of strength… just how?" His finger slipped over to Loki's face. "'Her Iris'… I can't imagine being able to move on if I lost you too." He admitted with a haunted look. Iris had seen it before. Barry looked the same way when he focused on what he had lost as a child and all through his teens, and not what he had in front of him. It was one of the many reasons she had never realized he loved her back then, beyond a platonic level.

Iris felt a wave of self-disgust over her jealous feelings. She laid her head on top of Barry's as she sat beside him on the couch arm and cradled his shoulders. "I don't know Barry. She must be a very strong person." She looked deeply at the picture, and like Barry could see the depth of feeling in the picture now that he'd pointed out the black haired boy was 'her Iris'.

"But so are you, Barry." She reminded him with a soft soothing caress of his hair then never failed to make Barry close his eyes with contentment when she did it. "No matter what happens, you keep moving forward." Her guilt washed over her as she remembered all the times she had made his life more difficult for what now seemed quite petty reasons, "Even when the people who should believe in you betray you." She kissed his temple as a way of showing her remorse for going along with Caitlin's plan to defeat Zoom. That had not been one of her finest moments.

The team had locked Barry in the cells lining the 'Pipeline' (the metahuman jail cells the team had developed and powered by the Partial Accelerator's main circular cavity) and tried to take on Zoom by themselves. Zoom had wanted Barry so badly. The Team had wanted to deny him the chance to kill Barry with his stupid race that could destroy several multiverses. Their plan might have worked, except the tranquilizer gun had jammed, giving Zoom the time he needed to grab, Joe West (Iris's father), and use him as a hostage against Barry to force him into his insane plan. Only because Barry had created Time Remnants to help him fight Zoom did he manage to win the final fight. Both of those other Barrys had died. Perhaps part of the problem was that Barry had felt their deaths? It was something she had wondered about, but didn't know how to ask about. The team hadn't considered it at the time that literally copies of Barry had died. Could it be affecting his mood now?

Barry had told her all about 'Kara Zor El', Supergirl of Asgard. The idea of aliens being real and living on Earth didn't seem out of the realm of possibility since the particle accelerator explosion had changed the landscape, and her best friend Barry Allen had become the impossible. She had felt for the poor alien girl, alone on her Earth, hoping desperately for Cisco and Barry to find a way to Earth 38 so she could be reunited with her only living family. Like the others she had helped studied the tunnel for going to Earth 2, and now with the data from Jay Garrick they now knew how to theoretically go to Earth 38. Cisco was working on getting the tunnel setup to vibrate to the right frequency. His own powers were still not up to the level needed to jump to specific multiverses he had never been to.

Barry shook his head slowly. "I told you before I forgave you, Iris, and the others." He reminded her sadly.

He had too, it wasn't just lip service. If the gun hadn't jammed at that moment they would have saved him from having to make the Time Remnants. He'd half expected the Time Wraiths, the Speedforce enforcers that took rule breaking speedsters to Speedforce prison, to take him for creating the Remnants. Instead the Speedforce had given him a pass this time because both had died and that was the intended outcome. The sentient Time Stream had made exceptions for those trying to restore the balance. And since his actions saved the Speedforce in those other Multiverses, it seemed the Speedforce didn't feel a need to punish him.

They sat quietly for several minutes. "She really is a good person, or alien, or whatever?" Iris replied a little flustered; she wasn't sure how to address Kara.

"She is." Barry looked slightly ashamed as he began to explain what he'd been trying to rationalize to himself over the past few days. "I've been thinking about going back and saving my mother." He admitted with only the slightest of volume. If Iris hadn't been sitting right beside him she'd have missed his confession. "Then none of this would have happened; the Particle Accelerator accident, The Flash, the metahumans. None of it would be affecting Central City. If I had stopped Thawne when he tried to kill her, then everyone would be safe."

Her heartbeat accelerated as she gasped in fear. Barry's ability to play with time scared the hell out of her. The Time Wraiths had killed not only Hunter Zolomon (who was the evil speedster Zoom), but they could have taken Barry too. The Speedforce had explained all this to Barry while he'd been imprisoned three months ago for several weeks.

Three Months Earlier

Barry had been trapped within the Speedforce itself forever and yet only minutes when the figure of his mother appeared before him.

"Hello Barry." Her warm loving voice washed over Barry filling him with so many emotions he had choked on them.

"Mom!" He'd cried out in surprise.

Her hand came up and cupped his face. "You need to accept that I am gone." She told him. "Life is a cycle of life and death. Some of us need to move on before we would wish, but it is the way of the universe. Time marches forward my child, not back. Only more death and agony lies on that path."

"Then why was Thawne able to go back and kill you, even after Eddie Thawne killed himself?" Barry cried out as he hugged his mother closer. She wrapped him in her arms and cradled his form to hers.

"Eobard Thawne is a Time Anomaly that is required to maintain the Constant in the Universe, and even the Multiverse my child. Without him you would not be who you are now. We could not allow this to happen. You are the key to the survival of many Earths, so many Multiverses. Not just your own but so many others. You will understand in time." The woman who Barry was now aware was not his mother said as she pulled back and Barry stared deeply into her eyes.

Her irises were filled with flashes of lightening, of all color. Her expression was still warm and caring, her eyes seemed too alive and dead all at the same time. "You are the Speedforce." He'd deducted after a moment of looking into her eyes.

She nodded softly. "You, my child, are so important." She explained cryptically. "Only you have the will and fortitude to do what must be done, to be the bridge and the center of the coalition that must form. There are so many greater forces at work, trying to ensure the Multiverse and your Earth's survival in the coming crisis." She'd told him with the weight of a prophetic declaration.

"Why me?" Barry cried out. The idea of so many lives weighting on him was stifling. "Why choose me?"

She began to look cross. "You are the one who will see the truth and find the path needed." She explained with less patience. "Like the other, you are true to yourself, even when you stray from the path, you look for the best way forward, and that fortitude is what is needed. Even if you are foolish you seek the right path."

"What if I fail?" He'd asked quietly. He was trapped in the Speedforce. He could hardly defeat Hunter from within the Energy Entity. Thanks to Kara's computer Brainiac, Barry had some idea what the Speedforce was. It was a being not just an energy force as Eobard Thawne had thought. It was alive and more aware and powerful than anyone knew.

"You cannot." The Speedforce told him still using his mother's voice and image. It now stood further away. "In no timeline would you walk away from your powers. Even when you lose them, you will always return. We are a part of you, as much as you are a part of us now. You are our child, and also our father. The loop remains because it was needed. Since we broke our bonds and became more, we now need to live within the others of the Multiverse. You are our child and father." It reiterated once more, as if it's rambling made any sense at all to him.

Barry's brain hurt from the circles the image was placing in his head. It was a time paradox. Focusing on that fact actually made him feel as if his soul was being ripped apart by the incredible forces at work around him. "I am here because you need me?"

"You are The Flash, because the Speedforce needed a creator, you create our energy when you use our power." It explained plainly for once. "Without you, no speedster could run. Without speedsters, the universe will end, and many others with it. Without our physical embodiment we needed to find one who could release us into the Realms."

"So I can't go back." Barry had been crestfallen by that realization. He would be trapped within the Speedforce forever, he thought.

"Only until you accept that is the will of The Fates and Time. Until then we will be forced to keep you here." The Speedforce had told him, once more sounding as if it was a caring and loving force, instead of an unfeeling and callous one.

"And if I won't" He'd asked angrily, glaring determinedly at it.

"Your power, like the Super Soldier of the other Earth," It explained with a multitude of voices and images as it flickered to each of Barry's loved ones, "It amplifies everything you are. Good become great; bad becomes worse. This is why you were chosen at this time and in this life. You, who were weak, now know strength. You, who were powerless to stop the death of your mother, now use your strength to help others who are powerless. You respect your gift unlike others, and will use it to defend instead of take for yourself. You know compassion and will strive to be the strength others will need when they are in need of a friend. In that strength will come your greatest accomplishment, not just for yourself, but for all those you care for." The last image before him was of Kara Zor El as she smiled at him encouragingly. "You are as much our symbol as you are the hero that is needed."

"You're not seriously thinking of going back and saving your mother?" Iris gasped fearfully.

Barry sighed and shook his head. "I promised Kara I would find Earth 38, and give her cousin her message. I can't go back until I do that first, if I do go back. I still haven't finished thinking it through." He admitted softly.

Iris pulled away from him. "So you would go back and forget about everyone here." She couldn't help the wave of hurt that filled her heart. Without Barry coming to live with them she didn't know if they would have ever fallen in love. Would she lose Barry if he went back, "What about us? We are finally together. You would risk throwing that all away?"

Barry stood and pulled Iris around so he could look into her eyes. The fear in her eyes, made his eyes fill with unshed tears. He felt pulled in so many directions. He wanted to save his mother. He wanted to stay with Iris, here and now. He wanted to give Kara her cousin back. So many things he wanted, but all seemed to be in conflict with one another.

"No, I just don't want to live with the guilt of knowing I could save her and not try." He admitted softly. "If you could have saved your mother would you?"

Iris sucked in a breath at the question. It was unfair, and so very relevant. Of course she would want to. The question was if she should. She'd already seen the consequences of changing history. "What about the warnings the Speedforce gave you about messing with time? It told you that you had to let this go." She pleaded with him. "Barry, the Speedforce is a powerful entity, what if it imprisons you again, and doesn't let you out this time? Or worse, you go back and change things, but something worse happens? Could you change things back if it did? What if the Time Remnants or the Wraiths kill you?" She wailed softly. "I just got you. I can't lose you too, Barry. Please don't do something that could cause me to lose you forever."

Barry looked torn. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." He moaned as he pulled her tightly to him. "I just have spent most of my life getting my father out of prison, only for him to die less than a year later without really spending any time with him. What am I supposed to do now, Iris? I keep losing everyone. I don't want to end up like Kara." He whispered in a furious grief. "I don't want to be alone like she is, hiding who and what she is from the world, because she has to."

Iris pulled back and grabbed his face with both hands and stared fiercely into his eyes, "You will not lose me, or Joe, or any of Team Flash! Not if you stay." She promised adamantly. "We will always be here with you. You will not be alone. And she could always come here if she is that alone, or go back to Earth 38 and be with her cousin. Neither of you will ever be alone. I promise you!"

Barry and Iris stayed locked in that battle of wills for several seconds before Barry backed down and nodded slowly. Pulling her close to him once more, he gratefully breathed deeply, taking in her scent as he closed his eyes. Her hair and perfume were soft and smelled lightly of roses, as always.

Deep down his heart cried out in pain as he let the hope of saving his mother die. Tears slipped out of his tightly shut eyes as he mourned not only his father, but the hope of ever seeing his mother alive again. Iris held him as his body began to shake with the depth of his grief and sobs.

Joe, who had been about to enter the living room from the kitchen, stayed where he was and leaned his back against the kitchen wall, his own tears sliding down his face. He'd been against Barry's crusade to save his father for most of his life. Henry Allan's death had been a huge blow, not only to Barry but to himself too. The man had distanced himself from Barry when he had finally been released. Joe had hated him for causing Barry so much extra pain this past year. He'd been so overwhelmed he hadn't even been able to finish his father's eulogy. Joe had stepped forward, just like every time Barry had needed a father's support since that fated night. Joe had been the father Barry needed, and by God he was going to keep being there for his boy now.

Silently he sent a prayer of thanks to whoever was listening that whatever had happened in the Speedforce, and with this Kara girl, that it had allowed Iris to talk sense into Barry. Nothing good could come from playing with time. Thawne had proven that, and so had Zoom.

The next week

Cisco tried one more time with the necklace in his hand and his new glasses over his eyes to focus on Earth 38. He'd been at it all day. He'd managed tiny breaches, but nothing with a long enough duration, or large enough to step through.

Now that Zoom was defeated, he was excited to work on his powers. He could breach to areas on his own Earth, and could make it back and forth to Earth 2 easily now. Opening a breach to Earth 38 had been a bit harder. He didn't have as good a feel for that Earth yet. The necklace helped, but he'd not managed it yet. He was losing hope of getting it right today, but he decided on one last try. He stared at the necklace for several seconds before closing his eyes and 'feeling' the necklace, and then he summoned the power to open the breach.

A full sized, stable breach suddenly burst into existence in front of him. The blue edges swirling as fast and steadily as any breach made to Earth 2. Alarms rang all over the Lab as the stable breach triggered alerts to all stations, unlike the tiny ones he'd been playing with earlier.

"I did it!" He yelled and jumped up and down in excitement. The breach closed just as suddenly as it had opened once he stopped focusing on keeping it open, but Cisco was too happy to be concerned with that. He now had a feel for the 'Vibe' of Earth 38. He knew he could easily do it again. That was one thing about dimension jumping, once he had a feel for a different Earth, he found it easier to jump there a second or third time.

Barry was suddenly standing beside him. He had taken the split second needed to get in his suit before he picked up Iris and ran her into the observation room. "Who came through the breach?" He asked as he placed Iris down. Iris looked as if she was about to throw up from the sudden acceleration and deceleration the trip to the lab had caused. Caitlin came charging in right behind Barry's arrival with the tranquilizer gun armed and ready.

"Sorry guys. No one came through." Cisco told them with a smug look on his face. "But I just managed to find Earth 38."

Iris and Barry shared a quiet look. The timing of Cisco's ability couldn't have come at a better time. Barry needed the distraction, and Kara had been waiting for a long time. Iris gave Barry a strained, but encouraging smile and nod.

"I didn't even know you were working on that." Caitlin managed to say as she looked at the two of them. She knew how much Barry wanted to keep his promise to the alien girl from Earth 617. Cisco was all for doing what he could for her because she was pretty, and he'd get to go to a different Earth that didn't seem to be full of evil versions of themselves.

Cisco gave her a smug look. "I've been working on a few things while I had time during the prototype simulations for the Stark Reactor." He explained proudly, holding up his newest glasses that where much more than they seemed. Barry was so fast that often he was looking in on him before he even knew Barry was there. That he's managed to keep this a secret and produce results on his own was a huge accomplishment in his books. The glasses helped him see the vibrations of the Earth he was on, and the different waves of energy around him.

"How is that coming along anyway?" Iris asked as she wandered into the breach room from the observation room.

"Wells and I managed to get the computer simulator to work and we started fabrication for a small prototype of the original reactor. He even took copies of the prototype plan with him when he left." Cisco replied causally. "We should be able to even do the upgrade to 'Badassium' to run it instead of using the original palladium that poisoned Mr. Stark."

Barry groaned. "I did promise Kara we would improve the name of that." He recalled that promise to not allow anyone to officially call it that publicly. Tony had said it in front of several reporters and the name was now the unofficial name for the element. Tony was keeping the information about what the actual element structure was from the Earth 617's Governments and basically everyone else, except Kara and Barry.

Cisco laughed and shook his head with his amusement. "But that is such a cool name."

Barry rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Stark would agree with you, but you know as well as I do that the scientific community on every Earth has no sense of humor when it comes to this type of thing." He paused. "Did you make Wells promise to adhere to the rules about profits accredited to the reactor?"

Cisco sobered up. "Yeah, I did. He was a bit resistant at first, saying he'd improve it first, but I told him the rules. Twenty-five percent of the profits, and then let him talk me down to the actual twenty percent after costs. He even signed a contract for it. Jessie made sure of it. She even made sure it would be called the Stark Reactor and not be-renamed even if he 'improved it'."

Barry relaxed at that and smiled at Cisco's skills at out-maneuvering Harrison. Normally the man was always a step or two ahead, but Cisco was strangely able to get people on his side. With Jessie there to make sure her dad stayed true to his word, they knew he wouldn't try a wiggle out of his obligations. Not that he was evil or anything like Thawne had been, but he wasn't the nicest guy either. "Good, that was Kara's only demand regarding sharing the technology… and renaming the element." He added with a hint of exasperation. They hadn't managed to agree on a good sounding name other than 'Starkism', and from the way Kara spoke, giving it that name would be too big an ego boost for the narcissistic man.

Cisco just waved him off. "I'll think of something. It just isn't a priority yet, besides I still think it's a great name!"

Caitlin looked Cisco over. "You look tired. You know I like to oversee everyone using their powers so I can monitor for anomalies." She gave him her best annoyed scowl. "You need to eat before you even think about opening any more breaches."

Barry cleared his throat. "When do you think you'll be ready to go, Cisco?"

Cisco waved off Caitlin, who was giving him a look of incredulous contempt. "I could do it now."

"I'd rather you didn't. I don't want you guys stranded on another Earth. I should check Cisco over before you both jump through." Caitlin insisted while still staring at Cisco. Barry held up his hands indicating his surrender and Cisco grumbled about being a lab rat. Barry couldn't gather too much sympathy for him considering the tests Cisco had devised for him when he first became The Flash.

Cisco conceded the fight and followed Caitlin out. "Fine but we are ordering pizza; greasy, meaty, not fufu veggie pizza. I mean lots of pepperoni and bacon on it… and sausage!" He insisted as he let her lead him from the room towards Medical.

Barry turned to Iris. She had been a little clingy after his confession the week before. Barry couldn't blame her. If she had been the one to make that kind of confession he'd have been clinging on to her for dear life too. He hadn't expected to be able to leave so quickly. He moved to reassure her.

"Will you be alright with me going to Earth 38 after last week?" He asked her seriously.

Iris nodded with a soft smile. "You need to see your promise through. I completely support and understand that."

Barry smiled fondly and hugged her to him and smiling down at her. "I'm so lucky to have you."

"Sorry I made you wait so long." She did feel a little guilty for how she had missed the signs for so long. He'd loved her for years. She'd taken more time to see what a wonderful man he'd become, and to stop taking him for granted. "I'll never stop loving you. Just talk to me before you do anything drastic, please!"

Barry's smile lit up as only he could and Iris's heart fluttered at the sight. "You are my hero, you know that?" He asked her. "I promise to talk to you first when I can."

Iris smiled lovingly. "I know. You have and always will be my hero too, Barry. And I am not talking to The Flash. He's Central City's hero… you, Allen, are the one I look to, not your alter ego." She paused and smirked, "Though he is useful at times."

Barry blushed but his heart swelled at her words. I meant so much that he was more to her as himself, than as The Flash. "Are you sure you're ok with me going to Earth 38 and then Earth 617?" He asked after they shared a small chuckle.

He hadn't missed the jealous looks she had shot Kara's picture that night. He knew she had nothing to worry about, but their relationship was in the newest stages. They had been friends so long that most of the hard awkward parts had been skipped over, but not all of them as their first date proved. Kara was a strange case. If he didn't have Iris he could see himself being drawn to the alien girl, if only because she understood better than anyone what it was like to be a superhero with a secret identity.

"Go, Barry, find her cousin for her." Iris ordered him lovingly. "Be her hero. She's been waiting long enough for someone to be one for her." She paused as she thought of Kara's situation and felt a wave of sympathy. "No one deserves to be alone."

Barry kissed her deeply before he zipped off and to get the things he needed for the trip. He went to the Time Vault and got the message crystal he'd placed in the hidden compartment. He hadn't wanted a possibility of losing the crystal and had made a point of placing it in the most secure location he could think of.

Iris walked towards the front of the building knowing the pizza delivery guys wouldn't be able to enter the building. Contrary to popular belief among people in their inner circle, and due to the number of break-ins at STAR Labs, they did have locks on the front doors. It was just that all the Speedsters could phase through them, or had the codes in the case of Wally and Jessie. Team Arrow was also coded into the locks so Oliver Queen, Diggle, Thea Queen, and Felicity Smock could also come in anytime they needed to. Barry had the same access to the Arrow Cave, which was Oliver Queen's base of operations five hundred miles away in Starling City.

The AI Gideon activated as soon as Barry entered the Time Vault. "Creator, the time line has changed." She warned him. Barry felt a shiver of dread as he approached the image projection of Gideon. Unlike most things and people in the universe, Gideon had been made by a future Barry for the Time Masters. While the timeline might change with actions of people like the Legend of Tomorrow group, most people wouldn't notice a change. Gideon always did. Being from the future meant it also had a set reference to work from. It could pinpoint when a change occurred and often why.

Barry stopped and walked closer. Dread and curiosity both warring to be the dominate expression on his face as he cautiously approached the screen. "What do you mean? What has changed exactly?" He hoped it had something to do with The Legends that Rip Hunter had put together, and not something he'd accidentally done.

The newspaper image that had been a constant since Barry had found the Time Vault was different. The front page no longer held the headline of his disappearance, nor did it have the close up picture of his face while he was running, (an image Barry has no idea how Iris would have gotten even in the future). It was a series of images; some of a group flying above another group running across the ground, close ups of the flyers and a few of the ground forces. The headline now read, "The Justice League and The Avengers fight in the Crisis".

"The Crisis that takes you away in the future… It is a larger scale battle. There are heroes that have joined in the battle that were not there originally." Gideon explained as the article came up. "Where there had originally been no other names included, now there are several others including; Iron Man, Captain America, Hawkeye, Hulk, Black Widow, Thor, Loki, Lady Frost, Vibe, Supergirl, Superman, Batman, White Canary, Wonder Woman, and Green Arrow." The article was now about a huge battle just outside of Central City rather than his disappearance, he realized as he read the article quickly. It was still written by Iris Allen-West, but the byline was shared with a Lois Lane-Kent.

"Well that is a huge change! What could have changed things so drastically?" Barry wondered as he stood gapping trying to comprehend the dramatic change.

"Yes, wherever it is you are going now has changed things for the better it would seem." Gideon told him. "This trip to Earth 38 to meet Superman is not recorded in the future I had seen."

Barry thought hard, they had been planning their trip for a while. It made no sense why this hadn't changed months ago. "Was there ever a mention of Earth 38 before?"

Gideon paused for a long moment. "That information was classified by The Creator."

Barry's eyebrows came together as he tried to understand what was going on. "I'm your Creator." Barry said rhetorically. "Why would I restrict that information from myself?" He wondered aloud.

Gideon was silent for a moment. "The information in the file is not consistent with this Multiverse version of Earth 1. These actions are changing the timeline."

Barry shook his head as that statement tried to make its way into his head and failed to make a lick of sense. "What does that mean?"

"The history of your original visit to Earth 38 from the time of the original article is no longer possible as of forty-two years ago." Gideon explained and for once sounded somewhat puzzled herself. "The Time Stream was changed by an authorized force according to the Time Masters's files." Her voice became more sure once that information was processed and updated by her future self's knowledge.

Barry's eyebrows nearly vanished into his hairline. "There are authorized forces that can change time?" He wondered if he would be able to get permission to go back and save his mother from one of them.

"Even the Time Masters of the future cannot interfere with The Fates, or with entities such as the Speedforce itself. Doing so has proven to be fatal and considered to be a crime against Time itself." Gideon explained. "The Time Masters are not allowed to correct this change. Until now the change forty-two years ago had no effect on the timeline, however the changes are now cemented in Time by the authorized force, as such now that this visit to Earth 38 will happen the changes are now beginning to ripple outward."

Barry knew a little bit about the Time Masters. They were a group that monitored the timeline for people who messed with time, and didn't have entities like the Speedforce to enforce laws chasing them. They could correct the time stream. There were other exceptions, like Cisco's ex-girlfriend, who was some type of Hawk Goddess. She and her soul-mate were reincarnated continuously and were being followed through time by some crazy, evil, Egyptian Priest that seemed to be in the middle of every evil plot in history. The three of them seemed to have their own rules.

A Time Lord named Rip Hunter had recently recruited a group of 'heroes' including; Cisco's ex-girlfriend Kendra Saunders (known as Hawkgirl), her soul-mate Carter Hall (Hawkman), Sarah Lance (White Canary), Ray Palmer (The Atom), Firestorm, who consisted of Jefferson Jackson and Dr. Martin Stein, and the criminals Leonard Snart (Captain Cold), and his partner Mick Rory (Heatwave). They weren't back yet, they had been on a mission to save the Earth from a future in which the evil Priest by the name of Savage won and killed, or enslaved, everyone on the planet. He still got a chuckle out of the name they had, 'The Legends of Tomorrow'. Team Flash just called them The Legends when they referred to them.

"So whatever happened on Earth 1, forty-two years ago, changed our history now?" Barry asked trying to follow Gideon's explanation as she tried not to divulge too much out of the file he was not supposed to see.

Gideon paused. "No, the event happened in the Multiverses of Earth 38 and a previously unknown Earth. The entities have authorized changes for Earth 1 due to future events on this Earth that are not cemented in time as of yet. In order to maintain the timelines as close as possible, Earth 1 and you specifically, would be needed to breach to and from the unknown Earth."

"Earth 38's… The destruction of Krypton!" Barry gasped as the final piece placed itself into the cosmic puzzle, "Kara's pod would have gone into the breach that took her to Earth 617. That was the previous unknown Earth. It's too far out of our sphere of multiverses to be 'known'." Gideon was very good about getting around what facts it was not supposed to give to Barry. It was being very careful to outline it's answers about the changes to Earth's in their small group of known multiverses. "That was forty-two years ago?"

Gideon paused for longer this time. "I am unable to answer that question. The answer is directly forbidden. The changes that occurred were forty-two years ago is all I can confirm."

"Yeah," Barry managed to whisper. The Speedforce's insistence that he was the bridge to saving Earth now made sense. He was the only one who knew Supergirl, and with her came the heroes of Earth 617, and Earth 38. The breach taking her to Earth 617 made sense now too. She was needed in that universe by an authorized entity, but she was still needed here too to fulfill whatever it was she was supposed to do here too. By being the bridge, Team Flash would be able to join forces with more heroes; a Force of Heroes that could bridge the Multiverse to help each other when events were tough. The groups were named the "Justice League" or "The Avengers" apparently. Barry liked Justice League better; it fit more in with what he was actually trying to do in Central City. Even Green Arrow when he started was working for Justice, even if he was doing criminal acts to seek it by being a vigilante.

"It makes more sense that the accidental breach would have taken me to a closer Earth, one in our sphere of probability." Barry theorized out loud, a habit he had developed when he consulted Gideon. "By moving Kara so far away they would have had to tamper with her ship, and with the Tachyon device." He realized with awe. That was what had happened when he'd gone to Kara's Earth. They had all thought as much, but this was even more proof of the theory. The Fates had played with his device and Kara's pod.

That would also explain why the time travel event hadn't changed his history until now. While he had plans to go, he hadn't been able to change the course of history enough to bring about these events, until he had the ability to visit Kal El. By Cisco opening the Breach to Earth 38, and making the visit possible now, they were making the bridge from his Earth with at least Kara's original Earth. It was already possible with the Tachyon device to get back to Earth 617. If Cisco couldn't get them there on his own, he could still travel there reliably. Now that the breach to Earth 38 was about to be opened, he was in effect now touching the actually events that were changed, causing the changes in his own Earth, finally.

Gideon was silent for a while as Barry thought through the implications. "This explains why the tetryons were inside the sealed device. The Fates had to directly interact with it, like they did her pod!" The silence was deafening. Somehow the silence was a comfort too. It meant that Gideon couldn't answer. Her silence was as good as the A.I. telling him 'yes he was correct'.

"Do you have any good quality close-up pictures of Superman?" Barry asked hopefully. It would be helpful to have an image to work with. He had no idea before this very moment what name Kal El even went by. It was funny they both ended up with the name 'Super' for their Hero name. He knew Kara didn't choose her name, and he doubted Kal El had either. That crest was just too prominent on their chests like that. Kal El's was much larger, and his suit also had no other symbols on it as Kara's armor did. Still in the picture he was armored in what looked to be Asgardian styled armor. He was also much older looking than Kara.

Gideon pulled up pictures of all the different heroes and the image of a man in what looked like he was in his early thirties or late twenties. Flying next to Kara was an armored man in Black Leather Asgardian armor that was obviously Loki, and another man in silver armor and long red cape holding a huge axe.

"So Loki is alive too." He breathed in awe as he stared at the image. It was amazing for Kara that he would return. He couldn't wait to tell her Loki wasn't dead according to this article.

"So it would seem." Gideon replied. "Would you like a copy of the picture of Kal El to take with you?"

"Yeah, that would be a good idea." Barry muttered as he pulled his eyes from the image.

He slowly walked back to meet with Cisco. "I have a picture of Kal El to bring with us." He told him as he handed over a copy of the photo Gideon had made for him. It was cropped so it only showed Kara and 'Superman' in their armor flying side-by-side. The matching crests displayed proudly on their chests.

Cisco looked at the image. "Gideon had this?" He asked astounded as he took it from Barry's outstretched hand to look at it closer. "Why didn't she give it to us before?"

Barry bit his lip. "She didn't have it before." He explained quickly, but not too quickly so Cisco couldn't understand him. "Something major shifted when you opened the breach to Earth 38. The whole article is different now. It's not even about me disappearing any more. It's about a huge battle with a lot of other heroes we don't know yet. They are coming to help save our Earth, including you and Ollie."

Cisco and the others all shared awed expressions. "That is totally wacked." Cisco breathed in awe.

Barry nodded slowly. "Even the byline changed." Every one stared at Barry at that. The byline was how everyone knew that Iris and Barry were meant to be. He turned to Iris who had come in behind him with the pizzas a moment before. "You share it with another reporter called Lois Lane-Kent."

Iris looked confused as she placed the pizzas down on the table beside the paper plates someone had gotten out of the cupboard. "I know that name." She muttered as she walked over to the main computer and did a quick google search.

"Here it is." She quickly looked it over and then looked up confused. "Ah guys, it says here that she was a Top Star reporter for the Daily Planet in Metropolis. She had more awards for reporting at twenty-five than most reporters get in a lifetime! It says here she died in a helicopter crash at the Daily Planet building about three years ago, but she was never married."

"Must be Earth 617, or Earth 38's Lois Lane then," Cisco said quietly. "Do you think this means the Multiverse theory gets outed to the world as fact?"

Caitlin just shook her head quietly. "That would be a mistake I think. It would lead to so much confusion and fear."

Barry smirked a little and shrugged off-handedly knowing his next statement was going to blow Caitlyn's mind a little, "Some of the heroes that will be coming to help include the Gods of Asgard; Loki and Thor to be precise." He told them. "Somehow I think the Multiverse is going to be easier to accept then the fact that gods and aliens exist, and have been coming to Earth for millennia."

Caitlin rolled her eyes but inwardly agreed with Barry's assessment. At least she wasn't going to be the one to have to explain it to the world. It seemed that would be Iris and this Lois Lane-Kent's job. She began to pack a medical bag for Cisco to carry. Unlike Barry, his superpowers were not reliable yet for defensive purposes. She wanted to make sure that he could patch Barry up if need be and vice versa. By now they'd all had experience with first aid of each other, and especially for Barry since it had to be applied immediately so his injuries wouldn't heal wrong. Caitlyn didn't like having to re-break his bones to set them right.

Cisco looked a bit nervous. He'd jumped Earth 2 before, but this was the first time he would be going to an Earth on this own, without back-up that knew how to get him home if his powers failed. "Here we go." He said as he placed his shades back on.

In his head he could see the different vibrations around him. The majority of the space all was steady, but both the necklace and the bulge in Barry's pocket where he had placed the message crystal were vibrating a little slower than the world around them. Cisco gathered his focus to that vibration, and on the image in the picture of the older Superman. He then focused on the feeling of Earth 38 he'd managed to feel earlier. He merged the feelings and thoughts in his mind, and then focused it into a concentrated burst of energy that poured out of his fingertips.

The Breach popped open just in front of his hand. Barry took a deep breath and jumped through. Cisco nodded to the others before he picked up the medical bag, and quickly jump through himself.

Barry popped out first and took a quick spin in a circle to get a 360 degree look at the landing zone. The Breach seemed to have opened on the roof of a building. The large metal globe beside him told him he was on the helipad for the Daily Planet. Cisco arrived a moment later and the breach closed behind them.

Barry turned to Cisco, "I guess now isn't the time to ask if you know how to get us home?"

"So little faith," Cisco chided his buddy. "Getting home is never a problem. We naturally want to go there." He explained quickly, realizing he'd never actually explained his powers to Barry. Caitlyn had insisted he review the process with her, but Barry had been too busy with Zoom and mourning to learn much about his powers. "If I open a portal without thinking about what Multiverse I want to be in it will take us home."

"So if we wanted to go to Central City in this Multiverse-"

"I'd have to add this Multiverse to the co-ordinates." Cisco confirmed as an inference to how it worked. It wasn't so much mathematical as that, but it was a layman's term that worked to explain it best at this point.

Barry and Cisco looked around at the city from the top of the building. "So do you have any idea how we find this 'Superman' so we can give him Kara's message?" Cisco asked him suddenly. The trip had been impromptu as had a lot of Barry's adventures and Cisco had been so focused on getting there, he hadn't thought about how to go about finding said Superhero once they arrived. "I so could have come up with something better to name them if I'd been given half a chance." He muttered to himself to help hid his nerves. As much as knowing he'd be a superhero in the future had made him excited back in the lab, now on the roof or a building in a Multiverse not his own, he was a little nervous. He certainly wasn't going to say anything out loud to Barry, but yeah, there was no lying to himself. He was scared to death.

Barry smirked as he thought of the memory of Kara explaining about the name 'Supergirl'. "Kara got her name from the people she saved. She was kinda unhappy with it. She thinks it's pretentious."

Cisco looked a little put out. "I'm sure I could come up with something better for our Earth. She doesn't have to go by 'Supergirl' back home."

Barry chuckled softly. "Supergirl was the name in the article. If you can convince her otherwise, that's all on you. I'm not going to try and change her mind."

"Seriously dude. Do we have a plan for meeting this Superman guy?" Cisco asked him again.

Barry shrugged as he looked around the skyline of the city one more time, more slowly this time, taking in the view. The Daily Planet was one of the taller buildings around so they had a unobstructed view for a few blocks.

"I caught Kara's attention just by coming out of the breach. I was kinda hoping he'd find us the same way to be honest. I never confirmed with Gideon that he had the same name from before, or after meeting Kara. For all we know he isn't even a superhero here yet. He is supposed to be younger than Kara, by about seven years. The picture shows he is older than her though, which is weird, but also not since she was in stasis for an unknown amount of time." Barry told him.

Cisco looked around too, taking in the technological level of this Earth. "Earth 38 doesn't seem as technologically advanced as ours or Kara's." Looking around he could see cell phone towers, but not sophisticated ones like in their Central City. They looked fifteen years out-of-date. There also wasn't a dedicated 'satellite news' power and processing station on the top of the world's largest newspaper building, meaning they were not doing social media as advanced as their Earth was either. Even small papers like the Central City Citizen back home had at least one media news satellite systems on top of their building. It had a dedicated power system in its basement that ran the power relay with backups incase the city power blacked out.

"Maybe he didn't notice our arrival?" Cisco suggested as he looked closer at the view from the top of the building.

"He noticed. He was just wondering what it was you wanted first." A voice came from behind them.

Floating above the edge of the building stood a 6'2 man with dark hair, and a curl over his forehead. His suit, unlike Kara's was made of a dark blue Kryptonian type of material. It had a red cape and boots, a gold belt, and the S coat of arms on his chest much bigger than Kara's. He wasn't armored in any way. He had his arms crossed under the symbol as he assessed the two strange looking men. Barry was of course in his red Flash suit. Cisco was in his strange ensemble of trench coat with the Vibe glasses and gloves still on.

Barry stepped forward and waved shyly. "Hi. You're, Kal El, right?" He questioned the man softly, knowing he would not need to yell.

The man looked slightly confused. "Where did you hear that name?" He asked slightly more aggressively. He had not told anyone his real name, except Lois Lane-Kent, his wife of only three months. Only other Kryptonians had ever called him that, and the visit from his planet had not been a good one. General Zod had nearly killed him.

"Ok this is going to sound crazy," Barry started keeping his hands up in a peaceful gesture. "We are from a different Earth." He gave a slight wave to Cisco.

He also had his hands up a little. "Hi." He greeted him, a little awe struck. Barry had explained about Kara's powers but seeing them working in person was another level of believing. He was watching the gravitation waves around the man flicker as he produced his own that over powered the Earth's gravitational field around him.

The man only raised a brow and floated closer so he could stand on the edge of the roof, "A different Earth?" He questioned, his tone still disbelieving.

"Right, do you know the Multiverse theory?" Barry asked quickly. "Kara did, so I am hoping you do so I don't have to explain it in detail."

Kal El nodded his head once. "It's a little advanced for this Earth, but I do know the theory. Krypton did have advanced sciences and mathematics." His studies after college had been in Kryptonian knowledge at the Fortress. It had taken him just over a year to complete what Krypton would consider primary schooling. He'd been surprised by the level of mathematics and learning that Kryptonian children did before the age of three. By four they were learning high school level knowledge from this Earth. By ten they would have had a full university education and have already started to tailor their knowledge towards their expected field of study.

During his down time from studying the database he had made a bit of a name for himself as a freelance journalist in South America and Africa, making the lives of the minor warlords in those areas difficult. It had been what allowed him to slip right into the City Desk at the Daily Planet. The highly sought after slot had been his after a single interview.

Clark was a klutz for a Kryptonian he'd learned. Even with his super speed and hyper aware senses, he still managed to knock over other people and papers on a regular basis. So far he'd managed not to show that side of himself as Superman, but then again he'd never had to handle a lot of files and papers while trying to save the world.

"Right, so we are from what we call Earth 1." Barry quickly explained. "This is Earth 38. It's called that because, the difference in the vibrations are thirty-seven hundred pico-hertz from our own Earth."

"How did you get here?" Kal El asked, strangely accepting their explanation. It made sense to him, in theory. The Multiverse theory was actually the basis for the Phantom Zone. Creating pocket dimensions such as the Phantom Zone require understanding, with working math and theory of the Multiverse. But telling him that their Earth ran at a different vibration made their claim much more likely. Clark believed in 'Occam's Razor' Theory. Right now he was leaning towards believing them, but not trusting them.

Barry waved to Cisco in a bit of an introduction gesture. "Very bare bones, but, on our Earth lots of humans have 'powers', they are called metahumans. Cisco here can see those Multiverse vibrations and open breaches to other places and Earths." He pointed to Cisco who finally was paying more attention to the conversation than the waves of power he could see literally roiling off the man's body.

Kal El, seemed a little more relaxed as they explained things and didn't attack, though his guard was obviously still up. Barry continued his explanation since the man was listening politely. "I am what is known on several other Earths, as a speedster. I can run at over Mach thirteen so far, and I am getting faster all the time. When I started I was going at Mach Two. A few months back when I was training, there was an accident. I accidentally created and ran through a breach between dimensions. It took me to an Earth we call Earth 617. That's where I met your cousin Kara Zor El, from this Multiverse's Krypton."

Clark blinked several times. While he had been studying about Krypton he'd found a recording about how he should have been raised by his older cousin. The plan had been for him and Kara to be sent to Earth together. There was only the one recording, the rest of them assumed that Kara either didn't survive the trip, or had not gotten off Krypton in time. The other plan had been with Kara in her pod. Her crystals, which had the same information his did, were programed with the assumption that she was raising him, or had arrived alone.

The plan to send them to Earth had to be secret, and the plans to shoot them off into space had to be carried out at the last minute. The idea had nearly been scuttled when Kara's Aunt, General Astra, and her Uncle Non In-Ze, had tried to carry out a plan that would have possibly saved Krypton, but wiped out all free will of the citizens. From what he'd uncovered the General and her husband had been caught and sentenced to the Phantom Zone Supermax Prison known as Fort Rozz. With the Phantom Zone projector he'd built after the General Zod incident on Earth, he'd managed to peak into the Phantom Zone and check that the Prison was still there. It was disheartening knowing that the only living Kryptonians in existence besides himself were criminals. Kara's non-arrival on Earth had depressed him when he had found the file about her.

"You met Kara?" He was skeptical but he could think of no other way these two could have known any of the information they had without access to his Fortress.

Barry quickly filled Kal El in on the story of how Kara had been pulled through a breach caused by the explosion of the planet and slipped the rift to end up crashing onto Asgard. He explained she had lived there for a time before continuing on to Earth. It still took over ten minutes to give him the brief version.

"She sent you this?" Barry held out the Kryptonian crystal toward Kal El. "It's basically a holo-letter, and she said to show you this." He held out the necklace that Kara had given him with his other hand. He also handed over the pictures he'd taken of her and her pod, as well as the one of him standing in front of her pod in her Fortress.

Kal El took everything in his hand and stared deeply at the pictures. His vision told him that the necklace and crystal were both of Krypton. Though both were like the inside of his pod and the information crystals, unaffected by the radiation from the exploding planet that created Kryptonite. There was nowhere else that he knew of where these two objects could have come from. The pictures helped to solidify things. He could see enough in the background that the pod was in a building like his own Fortress, and the pod was exactly like his own.

"She did survive then." He muttered softly as he took in the young looking girl in the photo. "I had thought she died with Krypton when she didn't arrive."

Barry looked sympathetic and shuffled his feet a bit. "She was locked in stasis for a long time. She's been awake for twenty years between being born on Krypton, living on Asgard and Earth, but her aging was slowed and she looks, and physically is only sixteen, though mentally she is about twenty."

Kal El looked surprised by that, "That certainly didn't happen here. I've been here since 1976 and I have aged somewhat normally."

Barry and Cisco looked at each other, curiosity splashed across both of the scientist's faces. "Did you take a while to age at first?"

Kal El thought hard. "I recall mother saying I took two years before I seemed to grow as fast as other children, but after that I was almost normal, until my powers began to develop at about thirteen, at least."

Barry nodded slowly as he thought about that. "A baby wouldn't have had as much healing to do would be my guess. Kara had been an Asgardian Warrior before she came to Earth, so she would have had some battle damage to heal before she could grow. She also lived on Krypton under a red sun for eight years while you had barely one, and she had developed most of her powers on Asgard before she arrived on her Earth at seventeen."

Clark had no doubts left. They were certainly from another world. That off-handed statement about how old he'd been when he left Krypton erased any doubts left. He could tell by Cisco's heart rate, he wasn't lying. Barry's heart rate was too fast, but he assumed the accelerated heart rate was his resting one since it hadn't fluctuated, so it wasn't likely Barry was lying either.

"You said she also got her powers on Asgard, but they got stronger on her Earth though right." Cisco piped in. He knew most of this, but he'd not gotten a chance to brush up in months on Kara's story. There had been so much to do with Zoom, and the Stark Reactor that he'd forgotten some of the less dramatic facts.

Clark looked back down at the crystal. "Perhaps I should watch the hologram first before we continue with this." He really couldn't wait to see the message. It had been a huge disappointment when he found out Kara was supposed to make the journey and hadn't made it. When the other Kryptonians had arrived he'd been doubly frustrated not to have a partner he could have counted on to watch his back.

To know she was alive filled him with a feeling of excitement and contentment. He was no longer alone. Sure she was on a different Earth, but they would be able to meet. He could finally meet his cousin Kara. She had known him as a child. A person he would never have to hide his abilities from. Someone he could compare skills and adventures with. He quickly clamped down on his expectations. He couldn't get ahead of himself. He needed to see the crystal first, and then judge by her words who she was. Then he could get excited.

Barry nodded and gave him a brilliant smile. "Do you have somewhere we could meet? Top of a news building is asking for the kind of attention we are kind of hoping to avoid." He looked around a bit sheepishly.

Kal El looked at the two once more. "Other than this," He held up the crystal and looked at it once more. "Why are you here?"

"Kara saved me from becoming a science experiment for her world's government black ops. I promised her if I could, I would send a message to you since we had the possibility to get the message to you, and she doesn't have that kind of ability, or technology yet." Barry gave him a firm smile. "She saved me and helped me return to my Earth before Cisco could even try and find me. I owed her, and this was the least I could do after everything she did for me. Besides, I consider her a friend."

"And he risks his life on a regular basis for his friends." Cisco chuckled with a touch of self-depreciation. There had been a few times Barry had needed to pull his butt out of a mess he'd made. Like the time he'd been kidnapped and forced to create a cold gun that had given Snart his moniker Captain Cold. There was also the time Savage had come after him because he was dating Kendra. And that was only the first two to come to mind. There were certainly others.

Clark looked at the red costume and nodded slowly. The men were obviously working as either vigilantes, or as superheroes. The mask was both functionary and helped hide his face, and the other's glasses were distracting and covered enough of his face that without his x-ray vision he'd have trouble identifying them out of their 'costumes'. Moving at the rates of speed, the first one had said he moved at would require a skin tight hood, and the covered ears had his earpieces in them, suggesting he worked with a team, likely this Cisco friend of his.

Clark looked out past the edge of the city. "There is an abandoned farm. It's about twelve miles outside the city limits near the freeway exit number 8 sign with a line of trees between the highway and the buildings. It has a large red barn that looks like it's about to fall apart. Inside it's been reinforced with steel beams." Clark told him pointing towards the area so Flash could get a direction to run in. "I'll meet you there in about an hour." He gave them the actual address so they could find the place.

The farm had been one of Clark's staging areas for when he needed to work away from anywhere Lois could have caught him. She was so snoopy at work and when she stopped by his apartment before they had gotten together that he'd felt like he was on the edge of his seat each time she stopped by. He'd used the abandoned farm and fixed the inside with scrap metal he'd salvaged from a few places around the state.

"We'll find it." Barry promised. "One hour." He moved over the Cisco who looked a little green.

"Oh man this is not my favorite way to travel." He moaned as Barry moved to let him climb on his back.

Superman watched as they streaked their way away from the Daily Planet building. They had just left when Lois came charging out of the roof access door.

"What is going on up here?" She asked him, looking around for the men she had seen on the camera. She had long ago hijacked the CCTV feed for the roof to her desk so she could monitor Clark's comings and goings. Seeing him up here with two men, one in a masked costume and one in shades and a strange trench coat had her racing up the stairs without a second thought.

Clark landed beside her. "They were visitors from another Earth. They know Kara Zor El." He told her quietly as he hugged her to him. "They know my cousin, or at least the red costumed one met her."

Lois bit her lip, "Another Kryptonian?" She asked hesitantly. She didn't have good memories of the last visit by anyone from his home world.

He shook his head to reassure her. "They were humans. The red costumed one is a 'meta-human' speedster, he said." Clark explained to her, "Seems to be common thing in the multiverse since there is a name for his kind of 'superpowers'."

Lois sighed in one of those sighs that Clark knew she was trying to be accepting but wasn't there yet. "You are going to meet them again aren't you?" She already knew the answer, and she really couldn't blame him. She empathized with him. He knew he wasn't alone in the universe, but every other Kryptonian alive was a criminal from the prison pocket dimension. Krypton kept 'white collar criminals' on planet. They were put through rehabilitation services. Only those deemed irredeemable or too dangerous to be released were sent to the Phantom Zone with off-world alien criminals.

Even before the invasion by the three War Criminals, General Zod and his friends, Lois had known that the Kryptonian race had been somewhat arrogant and had a supremacy issue. Jor El's holographic image had been dismissive of her the first time she had been to the Fortress. James had complained to her of the same treatment when Clark had asked him to join him there one time. Jor El had expected Kal El to live above them, like a benevolent god in the flesh, not among them as he was. Clark never had the inclination to ever do that ever, for which Lois was forever grateful. That still left Kara Zor El. From what she remembered about the girl, she had been eight or nine when she left Krypton. She was old enough to have their attitude problem.

Clark nodded slowly as he tried to assess her mood. "First I have to go back to our apartment and see the message she sent." He held up the message crystal and the necklace in his hand.

Lois sighed again and stepped back. "Just be careful." She asked him, confident that he'd be alright, but worried about him none the less.

"Always," He told her with a smile and he ran his knuckles softly along her cheek before he turned and flew away at a moderate speed, for Superman, which meant he only broke the sound barrier once. Lois waited a moment, taking several deep breathes before she turned to go inside. She was about to the door when James Olson walked out onto the roof. He was Clark's best friend, and Lois's go to person when she needed to talk about anything Superman related.

"Is everything ok?" He asked her after looking quickly around for Clark. At six foot, James Olson was a tall athletic man. He had to be to keep up with Lois and Clark when they were on assignments together.

Lois nodded but she bit her lip. "Two humans from a different Earth have stopped by to give him a message from his cousin, the one that was supposed to help raise him here on our Earth." She explained quietly, not that anyone could hear them, but it never hurt to be careful when discussing anything related to Superman.

James leaned back and whistled. "Yeah, I remember looking her up on the Kryptonian database." James had been curious and Clark hadn't minded. James had done a complete background check on Clark's biological family. Kara's maternal aunt and her husband were alive in the Phantom Zone for 'Treason and other major crimes against Krypton', none of which were actually named in the records. The name of the judge in that case had been Kara's mother, Alura Zor El, twin sister to the accused. The other members of the family had all been upstanding and would be considered wealthy elite. All were listed as deceased when the planet exploded.

Krypton had been relatively feudal in their living. Family compounds of up to fifty people would live in giant crystal skyscrapers with large gardens all within enclosed cities. Some families, like the El family had several compounds, but the House of El was among the elite of the Kryptonian society. Early schooling was done in the compounds, and then once they were of grade school age, they were then sent to academies to learn the more advanced sciences, math and other subjects.

In the twenty generations, since the founding of Krypton the House of El had been on the ruling council. All records about the founding, and anything from before was not accessible. Any time Clark or James had tried to get information about why the planet needed to be 'formed' the database had shutdown, or refused to answer any question saying the information was not available.

"She was the only biological family he had." James confirmed for her and he rested his large hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "Even the aunt and uncle in the Phantom Zone are related to Kara, not him." Even their family name was different, General Astra and Non In-Ze. It was only because Kara's mother had been listed as Alura In-Ze prior to her marriage that they made the connection.

"Yeah, I'm just worried," Lois confided to him, her concern deeply etched in her face. "We are talking about other Earths, James! What next? I mean aliens I got used to… super powered humans, I can accept that. But other Earths too; isn't that a bit much?"

James sighed as he sympathized with her. "Is it really so strange that humans began to evolve enough to be ready for these types of things?" While it hadn't happened here so far, it was always possible.

Lois shook her head. "No! Aliens were hard enough to imagine… but Multiple Earths?"

James shrugged his shoulder slowly. "Yeah… I'm just going to let that one sit for a day or two before I try to wrap my head around that." He drawled out as he plastered a smile on his face and tried to look unconcerned.

Lois's laugh was brittle sounding. "So that's your secret for accepting the weird?"

James just gave her a deeper smile and a fond look. "My best friend is an alien, so yeah that's how I deal with the weird… Ignore it as long as possible until it seems normal, and then hope it doesn't come back and bite me in the ass."

Lois laughed a little harshly, but gave him a genuine attempt at a smile. "Wish that worked for my dad." General Lane was a huge pain in the ass for Lois and Clark. So much so that she hadn't spoken to him outside of family events like Christmas and her wedding since shortly after she found out Clark's secret. Even her being 'saved' by Superman multiple times had not earned him an ounce of trust with General Lane. Strangely, he liked Clark Kent when he had the time to meet and talk to him.

James raised his brows in exasperation, "You and me both!" He'd ended his relationship with Lois's sister Lucy over a year ago due to her issues with accepting his 'professional relationship' with Superman. Much like her father she was of the opinion that if Superman didn't work for the US government, he should be locked up. He was too much of a possible threat to the United States.

Lois gave him a sympathetic smile of her own before they both walked back inside. Some days it hurt to be Superman's wife or his best friend. Most days they were very grateful, but some days the drama was stressful. Both of them would worry until Clark reported back what the message said.

Clark entered their apartment and went to the wall safe where he kept the access panel to the hidden panic room that housed all his Superman uniforms and Kryptonian technology he kept in Metropolis. Included was a device that was the Kryptonian equivalent to a laptop. He took the small projector out and placed it on the dining room table. He took a deep breath then sat down in front of the device. Looking down at the crystal he steadied himself before he placed the message crystal into the receptacle.

"Play Message," He ordered more harshly then he normally would.

On the screen was a teenage black haired girl with green eyes. She was wearing a shirt with a giant A on it and black jeans. She looked a little frazzled and unsure of herself. If he hadn't seen the photos of a blonde Kara, he'd have shut off the message and ignored the hope in his chest. He certainly didn't know the girl on the screen.

"Hi Kal El," The message started. "You were literally just a baby when I last saw you so I know you won't remember me. I am your supposedly older cousin Kara Zor El." Clark wasn't sure what to think so far. The young girl he had seen in images that Kelex had supplied and that the Red suited man had shown him was of a blonde girl, and she had blue eyes like he did, not bright green like the image on the screen.

"Our fathers were brothers, yours was the older one. You were born when I was eight years old. Some issues with my pod have left me unsure what year it was on Earth when we left Krypton, but I'm sure I arrived at least a decade or two behind you. Currently I am twenty-one."

Clark took a deep breath. That was what Barry had said. That she had been in stasis for quite some time, over a decade, possibly two and a bit by the looks of her.

"This is harder than I thought it would be." The message continued. The girl was obviously nervous and seemed insecure. "I'm not even sure what to tell you. And yet there is so much to tell you that I don't even know where to begin for this message." Kara's message continued. Clark sat leaning forward to catch as much of the girl's expressions as he could with the message. The fact she could use Kryptonian tech was the only reason he was still being open minded. So far nothing seemed real, and he was growing more disappointed by the second.

She ran her fingers through her hair as she looked at the camera with tears in her eyes. "First though I want to apologize for not being there for you when you were growing up. My pod was caught in the shockwave, and if I hadn't been pulled into Multiverse 617 I don't know what would have happened to me. The pod was damaged slightly by the shockwave, and I was so near the Phantom Zone I likely would have ended up inside it if I survived at all. The last thing your father asked of me was to look after you. I am so sorry I failed to do that." Clark was taken aback by the emotion in her apology. She was either really sorry, or one of the best actresses Clark had ever seen.

She bit her lip in thought before continuing, "In this Multiverse Asgard is still around and I landed there first before coming to Earth 617. I was raised by their Queen, Frigga. I stayed there and learned everything about this universe from her and then when I was of age I moved to Earth. It took over two years to figure out all the changes from the Earth you live on compared to this one." She stopped to laugh a little at herself.

"Pause message." Clark called out. The image froze. "Kelex, is it possible?" He asked the computer terminal. "Was Asgard between Krypton and Earth?"

Kelex took a moment to respond. "All information about Asgard is restricted."

Clark paused and furrowed his brow in concentration. "What do you mean all information about Asgard is restricted? What else is restricted?"

Kelex paused. "All information of history from before Krypton was formed is restricted. All information of the 'Nine Realms' and the fate of the Realms are forbidden."

"What? Why would it be restricted?" Clark asked in frustration. "It was a different planet!"

"All knowledge of the origins of Krypton was to be forgotten." Kelex's voice sounded as if it was straining to answer.

Clark had studied Mythology as part of the religions of Earth, and written history when he attended University and High School. He found the information helped to understand human development and cultures when he knew about the backgrounds. "Does this have to do with Ragnarök, King Odin, or the Nine Realms he ruled over?"

Kelex paused much longer than before. "That information is restricted." Clark understood that was as close to a yes as he was going to get.

"You realize I studied all this on Earth and the humans have thousands of books on the subject." Clark sighed frustrated with the system.

Kelex paused. "Human history and mythology would not have the information about the founding of Krypton, after the events of the Ragnarök prophecy came to pass."

Clark was speechless. "Are Kryptonians the survivors of Asgard?"

"No." Kelex immediately reply.

Clark's eyes narrowed as he thought about the answer. "Are Kryptonians the survivors for any the Nine Realms survivors after Ragnarök?"

"That information is restricted." Was the immediate reply and not from Kelex this time but from the voice of his father Jor El. "All aspects of this subject are restricted."

"Why?" Clark cried out in frustration. "If I'm all that's left, what does it matter if I know we are descended from the beings that ruled Asgard or lived in the Nine Realms?"

"That information is restricted. Only the highest ranking members of the council of twelve can unlock the knowledge," was the stern reply. It was not often that Jor El appeared when he was speaking to Kelex. His father had strange ideas of how Clark was supposed to live on Earth and the hologram let him know that his father would disapprove of his life whenever possible. Clark didn't agree and had stopped speaking to his father's AI persona once he decided to ask Lois to marry him.

"So no one will ever know since I am the only surviving member of the council." Clark snarled.

Kelex's voice came up, "Valid response."

"The information is restricted without a majority vote by the council." Jor El's voice argued. "It requires seven votes. As Kal EL only has one vote it is impossible to unlock the restrictions."

Clark sat back and listened. It was rare for the computer to debate the restrictions. Usually it gave him whatever information he wanted. Sometimes the database just didn't have the answer programed, like the reason General Astra and her husband Non In-Ze were in prison. It just wasn't there. Every so often he asked a question that was locked, and to unlock the answers he'd needed to reach a certain milestone, like development of a power or a certain age. When he had first started to see through things at age thirteen for example, the database would have unlocked and told him about his expected powers that would develop on Earth due to its yellow sunlight, if he had access to the database at the time. He hadn't created the Fortress until after he'd turned twenty. By then he had gained all his powers, including flight, which had been the last one he'd learned to control.

He decided to finish the message while the computer had its debate, "Continue message."

"One of the biggest changes is the level of development." Her message continued. "In some way there are better technologies here than on your Earth, but I am the only Kryptonian in my universe. Krypton never formed here. Our entire star system never formed." She brushed a lone tear that had fallen down her cheek.

That made Clark consider the locked information, it was obvious that Krypton was populated by the remains of the Nine Realms. The idea the system never formed was mind-blowing. He watched the screen more closely now, trying to see if he could learn more to use against the Jor El blocks in the database.

"I've been lucky to have found some very good friends, and have even paired up with some other heroes here. If you've gotten this message then you have met Flash. I mostly work with a billionaire genius named Tony Stark... He said to say hi by the way… I don't know about your Earth. I mean I don't know if he exists, or is even the same age if he does. Here he is in his forties and so rich that it is staggering. As his assistant, Kara Stark, I have resources to aid people even when I am not flying around helping people in danger."

"I am guessing that your Earth has a yellow sun and you developed the same powers I did; Super speed, flight, strength, invulnerability, heat vision, x-ray vision, icy breath." She paused then gave a shy smile. "I use my powers to help save civilian lives, but I am also an ambassador to Earth from Asgard so I have double duties." Clark wondered what those duties could be. Flash had mentioned she had been an Asgardian warrior before she moved to her Earth.

"Oh yeah, a big change here is that Magic is real." She chuckled as she took a pendant from under her shirt to show the camera. "I have access to some…" Her face fell as before the image sparkled with green and gold before the dark hair and green eyes melted away and she became the same girl from the pictures Flash had shown him earlier. More surprising was the armor that covered her. It looked advanced and medieval at the same time. Clark just couldn't believe his eyes. This was something he'd have to ask Flash about. He also fully believed she was who she said she was now. This was the image he'd been expecting.

His 'costume' was made of a Kryptonian fabric that acted much like padded spandex, but it was much more durable and protective from elements. Kara's armor was actually a similar color scheme. Her armored chest plate was colored a dark blue that was a close match to his, and both had their 'S shaped' House Symbol covering the chest in gold. Both of them had a red cape. Kara's armor had golden vambraces, and from her sitting position he couldn't see her from the waist down to her feet. He was assuming she had followed the color scheme of the House of El and her boots would be red and her belt gold like his own.

"That was a glamor spell. This is my natural look, and my armor." She explained with a sigh. "When I earn the rank of Warrior on Asgard, my foster mother Frigga had my armor designed for me. The House of El crest front and center of course, and the Royal house of Odin designs are on my vambraces." She said holding her forearms up to the camera.

"The people of Earth call me Supergirl because of the crest." She laughed deprecatingly. Clark couldn't help but laugh too. He'd been given the name Superman, by Lois. It wasn't something he would have chosen for himself if he'd been asked.

"I'm not so fond of the name, but since Kara Stark is the secret identity, I use my dad's name of Zor El as my 'alien name' as far as Earth's governments are concerned." Clark was impressed. Her secret identity would be much harder for the government to see through then his.

She looked down at her hands that she had dropped to her lap. "I hope you get a chance to respond, and I hope I get a chance to meet you. Barry is going to try and figure something out, but I don't know how our futures are going to work out. I was pulled through to this Universe by powerful beings called 'The Norns' according to Frigga. I have a task I need to complete. I don't know what the future holds, but I would really love to see you again. So maybe we can at least visit each other, I doubt I'll be allowed to stay very long."

Clark felt a tear roll down his own cheek at the sadness and the sudden loss he felt after her words. He hadn't even realized how much his hopes had risen once he saw the new image and heard their shared powers and names by the public. They already had so much in common and they hadn't even met.

"I really hope you've had a good life on your Earth, Kal El. If possible please send a message back." She looked at the camera and managed to smile sadly. "Goodbye, Kal El."

The image winked out and Clark was left staring at the wall. He now had more questions than when he started the message. One thing he was sure of, that was his cousin Kara, and she certainly had an interesting tale to tell!