Superman: The Ark of Krypton
Chapter 139
By
Jason Richard
Kara flew to STAR Labs in her Supergirl uniform, carrying a large metal box. She landed on the front steps of the building as technicians game to retrieve it. In truth she didn't know why she volunteered to do this. One of Brainiac's probes could have done the job just as well.
As she put the box down, she heard a voice.
"Supergirl?" said Eliza Danvers. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh," said Kara. "We collected some debris from the Colu ship. We figured STAR Labs could analyze it."
"Isn't that dangerous?" asked Eliza.
"It's fine," said Supergirl. "Brainiac analyzed it thoroughly. It's all dead. I'm not even sure STAR Labs will find anything that Brainiac didn't, but we figure it can't hurt to try."
"I see," said Eliza. "I was wondering why doctor Hamilton called me in. Would you like to join us? I'd love to hear your insights into this technology."
Kara hesitated and said, "I'm not sure it will help."
Eliza's eyes narrowed. "Are you alright?" she said. "You look frustrated."
Kara sighed, sitting down on the steps, "A lot's happened."
Eliza sat down next to her and said, "Yeah. A lot has happened, to all of us."
"I just..." said Kara. "No matter what I do it never seems to be enough. We barely managed to defeat the Colu, and all the while, another evil managed to take the win for himself. And...I can hear people...talking about us now that we've told the truth and..."
"Yeah," said Eliza. "I've heard some of the things people have said. I can't believe people would believe Luthor over Superman."
Suddenly Kara thought of something and said, "Can't you tell people that Luthor hacked your systems?"
"We've already talked to the police and the FBI," said Eliza, sadly. "We've no direct evidence that it was Lexcorp that did it."
Kara's anger only got stronger. "There's got to be something we can do," she said.
"We're doing everything we can," said Eliza.
That wasn't quite true. They were doing everything they believed they should do. Them and Superman both. There was more they could do. STAR Labs could try and hack Lexcorp systems back, they had many weapons they could turn on them, and Superman...he could wreak havoc if he wanted to...destroy anything in his path.
But immediately, she knew the Kara she was back on Krypton would be horrified at such thoughts. Frustrated, she buried her head in her hands.
"Hey," said Eliza kindly, putting her hand on Kara's shoulder. "Hey. What's wrong?"
"It's just," said Kara. "Back on Krypton the worst thing I had to worry about were the science academy exams. I was nervous about getting a good score, but that was it. Then...then all of it was destroyed before my eyes. And now...now this planet is being threatened, and I thought I'd have the power to stop it, but..."
"I see," said Eliza. "Kara...everyone feels powerless. Everyone, including Kryptonians apparently. People who are on top of the world can have everything they've built come crashing around them, and even Superman has his weaknesses. If the pair of you a can lose, with all your power, then so can these aliens, and so can Luthor. We just have to persevere. Back in that laboratory, I saw a determined, intelligent young woman who had a huge hand in defeating these Colu. If anyone can find these thing's weaknesses, it's you."
Kara looked up gratefully and said, "Thank you. That makes me feel a lot better."
Then she stood up.
"Going somewhere?" asked Eliza.
"Yeah," said Kara. "I've got work to do. We all do."
Eliza stood and said, "Yes. I think we do."
They nodded to each other, smiling, and then Kara flew off while Eliza walked back inside.
…
One advantage of Luthor having footage so close to the battle and releasing it to the public was that Kara got a good look at the Ship after both of their attacks. As she sat in the Ark, she watched the footage over and over again. She saw the many pairs of blasts she shot at it, the enormous amount of energy Superman threw at it, and the targeted sequence of blasts Luthor's cannon shot at it.
She figured she'd found something. She sent some equations to Brainiac to make certain, and while she waited, she called Clark at his apartment, using a cell phone Clark got her.
"Yeah?" asked Clark.
"Hey Kal-El," said Kara. "Brainiac said that he managed to learn something about Apokolips technology from that probe that was at Luthor's trial?"
"Yeah," said Clark. "We're going to start tracking down any Apokolips spies we can find. Brainiac's jamming extraterrestrial transmissions, but they have to be watching us somehow."
"I know," said Kara. "Well, I'd like to look into the other problem we have around here. Luthor. I want to find the evidence we need to put him away."
"I see," said Clark. "I've been thinking about that myself. I just wish I was certain we could protect the Earth without him."
"I was thinking the same thing," said Kara. "Hold on." She checked the data from Brainiac, and to her delight, the information matched up. "I was right. We could have finished off the Colu ship ourselves. It wouldn't have finished repairing itself once we got you back from the sun. Another massive attack like the one we hit it with in the first place and it would have been over."
"So if Luthor hadn't interfered…" said Superman.
"We'd have been fine," said Kara.
"He did help me out earlier in the fight," said Superman. "But I'll admit, it's been harder to detect Intergang lately. They haven't stolen anything or hurt anyone since I last put them away, but the fact that I can't track them means that Luthor's sound dampening technology is getting better. And, of course, now that they know about kryptonite…" he shook his head. "We have to take him down sometime. Alright. Just take Brainiac with you if you're going to investigate Luthor. He's dangerous."
"I know, thanks." Said Kara gratefully. "One more thing. I…don't actually know where to start."
"I figured," said Superman, sighing. "I'd help, but like I said, I'm focused on Apokolips. However, I know someone else who'd be more than happy to help you out with this."
…
Someone knocked on the door to Lois's apartment. Lois, wearing her pajamas and reading a book, walked to her door curiously and opened it up to find none other than Supergirl standing there.
"Hey Mrs. Lane," said Kara. "I hear you'd like to take down Lex Luthor?"