Clark was surrounded by bright, swirling light. Trying to not lose his balance, he took two steps forward, and found himself in a tall, empty room. Light emanated from the walls and floor. There were no windows or doors that Clark could see, just a straight column of light in the center of the room.
"You have come." A voice echoed around Clark "It has been too long."
"I don't understand. I have never been here before." Clark answered, looking around. "Where are you?"
"Your genetic signature is the same." A hologram of Jor-El appeared. "This is you, is it not?"
"It's my father." Clark said. "Who are you?"
"I am the Archive." The voice replied, in English. "Further scans indicate you are indeed the son of Jor-El. I have waited for you, Kal-El, for all of your life. As the last Son of Krypton, you are the my custodian."
"What must I do?" Clark asked, and a blue sphere appeared in the air before him.
"Contained in this sphere is the entire Archive. The portal you entered through will be discontinued. When you exit, the structure in which you are standing will be destroyed. Nothing of it will remain." The Archive spoke simply. "The human selected as the Guardian will be released from her promise."
"You're talking about Sarah Sullivan." Clark said. "What will happen to her?"
"She will be restored." The Archive replied. "Made whole. She will be a willing tutor for Kara Zor-El. As it was initially planned."
"Where are we now?" Clark asked. "How do I get back to the caves?
"When you take the Archive in your hands, you will be transported to the place you call the Fortress. There, the Archive will reside in safety. You will be returned to your world at the exact moment you left. Now, before the transfer of information is made to the sphere, you may ask me anything."
"Anything?" Clark looked around. "Show me Krypton, when you were last there."
"The Golden Age." The Archive said, and without warning, Clark found himself standing in outer space. "Do not fear, Kal-El. It is merely a hologram. The structure in which the Archive is contained was constructed of a type of mineral found on Krypton."
"Oh." Clark looked down and saw Krypton, glowing softly green in the tranquil expanse of space. It was an awesome sight, and Clark was unable to breathe.
"We must go to the surface, Kal-El, for you to see the glory of your people at the zenith of their evolution." The Archive informed him. "You must understand what was lost."
"I'm ready." Clark said, and before he knew it, he was standing in a courtyard surrounded by columns. A soft breeze ruffled his hair, and Clark swore he could smell flowers. "Where is this?"
"The original Archive." Slowly, Clark walked toward the doors of the Archive, which rippled and moved like molten gold. "Every philosopher and scholar in the Universe found their way to Krypton to study here. Every culture and planet were represented, none were left out. Except one."
"Earth." Clark nodded. "But why?"
"At this time in history, the population of Earth had only just begun to band together into tribes, their language a primitive hodgepodge of grunts and hand gestures. The Terran universe is young, compared to the rest of space."
"When did Kryptonians begin to study Earth?" asked Clark.
"Always. Since it's creation, scientists from Krypton went to study the effects of the yellow sun on the Terran life forms. Earth was the first planet Krypton had witnessed being born, and the responsibility of that knowledge was taken very seriously. Great care was taken to not interfere at all with the development of the plant and animal life."
"Amazing." Clark reached out to touch a long table. "It all seems so real. I can smell the air."
"The hologram is quite authentic. It is a function of the Archive to preserve all details of Krypton."
"Show me my parents." Clark told the Archive and in moments he was swept forward in time. Before him, stood his mother, looking over a long, bronze colored aircraft.
Her dark hair was caught up in a neat pony tail, with only a curl escaping at the place were her head and neck met. She wore a crisp white uniform, the insignia of her clan shimmering on her shoulder. Clark guessed that in this hologram, she was almost his age, and wished he could speak to her.
"Lara Lor-Van, daughter of the house of Van. She was one of the first female commanders in Krypton's fleet. A eager explorer, Lara Lor-Van was also the captain of the first intergalactic cruiser in the fleet, a Quasar class ship capable of warp speeds. Her piloting and speed records were never matched. Her marriage to Jor-El, third son of the house of El was considered by many to be a mistake."
"How so?" Clark asked, slightly put out by this information.
"There would have been other more advantageous marriages, as the house of Lor was a diplomatic and political family. Lara Lor-Van could have sat on the Council of Krypton. The house of El were scientists, teachers. They were not explorers or military in any way. Lara Lor-Van was meant to marry another, but when he chose the darker path of his clan, the dedication promise was vacated."
"Who was this man she was meant to marry?" Clark asked, his stomach sinking. General Zod appeared before him, as he must have been in the days before he had been condemned to the Phantom Zone. Tall, brutally good looking and powerfully built, Clark had difficulty seeing his mother at this man's side. Clad in black body armor, Dru-Zod was just as terrifying in this hologram as he had been when Clark had faced him in the Fortress. Had Zod been at his peak, as he was here in the Archive image, Clark realized, the outcome would have been very different.
"General Zod. Banished to the Phantom Zone for crimes against all living creatures.
Jor-El argued strongly against his execution, despite the bitterness between himself and Zod. Eldest son of the house of Zod, Dru-Zod laid waste to many small systems in our quadrant, bringing them to their knees in the name of Krypton. But Krypton was not a conquering people and the outrage over his treatment of prisoners resounded throughout the galaxy. It was the merciful intervention of his most hated enemy that prevented Dru—Zod from execution." The hologram of Zod was replaced by one of Jor-El, at work in his laboratory. Jor-El, third son of the house of El, considered a brilliant light of scientific research, was also a gifted statesman, granted a junior seat of the Council of Krypton at a very young age. His research into preventing the destruction of Krypton's sun was promising enough, but ended in disgrace when his findings indicated that the only avenue was to evacuate the planet. What else would you like to know, Kal-El?"
"I have to get back home…" Clark looked around. "How do we begin the process of the information transfer?"
Clark found himself once again in the glowing room. The lights dimmed and the Archive's voice took on a more computerized sound. "Transfer to begin in five seconds…"
A lighting strike just outside of the cave made Chloe jump, her nose stinging from the acrid scent of ozone. Thunder rumbled ominously overhead. The wind suddenly gusted through the cave, whipping dust around the three women. Kara went to the mouth of the cave, to look out listening for something.
"How much longer will he be in there?" Chloe asked, and Sarah shook her head.
"I don't know, Chloe." She blinked in surprise, and put her hand to her throat. "I'm actually speaking."
"Yes, you are." Chloe smiled, running to her mother. "What happened?"
"I don't know." Sarah looked into her daughter's face. "You look so much like your dad." She kissed Chloe and pulled her close. "My baby."
"Chloe…" Kara looked over at them. "Someone is coming. It's Bruce."
"Bruce? How did he get out here?" Chloe asked, walking with Sarah to the mouth of the cave. She looked up at the sickly sky and a chill ran down her spine. "That's a tornado sky."
"We should be safe in here." Sarah looked around. "It's stood for thousands of years, after all."
Bruce pulled the car in front of the cave and got out. "Get back in…as far as you can!"
They all moved back toward where the portal had been, and Bruce looked around.
"Nice." He said, winking at Kara, who turned her face away from him. "Still mad, Boss?"
"It will not do you any good to speak to me." Kara began, and then, she stopped, her head tilted back toward the mouth of the cave, listening. "Sssh." She held up a hand. "Don't speak at all…"
The spirit warrior had told Livvie to not be afraid, that he would protect her. So she had run, far from home, searching for Naman and the Fledgling. But the sky had grown darker and more angry and the rain fell harder, and Livvie still had not found them. The little girl fell, tripping in a gopher hole.
"Help me, spirits!" Livvie cried, but there were no helpful answers, no gentle reassurance for her reply. Instead, there was the cold, vicious clatter of a rattlesnake disturbed. Gasping, Livvie slowly pulled herself into a ball, covering her exposed skin as much as possible, just as the old ones had once told her to do, and quickly began to sing the song they had taught her instead of a lullaby. But the snake did not stop his angry rattling, but instead it grew louder and more urgent.
"NAMAN! FLEDGLING! HELP ME!" Livvie wailed with all of her little might. "I am alone!"
"Rao have mercy!" Kara cried. "It's Livvie! She's in danger!" Before Bruce or Chloe could reach her, Kara was gone. Bruce and Chloe ran to the mouth of the cave, searching for any sign of Kara, but there was none.
"NO!" Chloe called out, reaching for the Kryptonian girl. "Kara! It's too dangerous! Come back!" Her heart breaking, Chloe wished desperately for Clark to come back.
"She can't." Sarah said gently, taking Chloe by the hand. "It would be against who she is."
"How do you know that? " Chloe asked, tears streaming down her face. "How could you possibly know that?"
"She's part mine, that's how I know." Sarah smiled at the stunned expressions on Chloe and Bruce's faces. "My DNA, I mean."
Kara stopped, scanning the countryside for any sign of the little girl. The black funnel cloud was roaring toward her, but was still in the distance, ten, maybe five miles away. The wind was vicious, so Kara strained over the sounds around her to listen for the little Kiwatchee girl. There was a rattle, and Kara snapped her head to the left, watching the land for any sign of movement. Then, she spotted Livvie, crouched in a small, weeping ball, her eyes locked on those of a long serpent that was tensed to strike. Kara darted toward them, reaching down to snatch Livvie as she passed, causing the snake to fall on the ground, it's target missed by a fraction of an inch. Kara came to a halt, far away from the snake, but in unfamiliar territory.
"Fledgling. You saved me." Livvie sobbed, and Kara hugged the little girl tight.
"From the snake. Now we have to get away from that." Kara looked over at the funnel cloud that had seemed to instantly appear before them. Kara had run too far, too fast, and now, she could barely move. "Hang on tight, Livvie. I think we're going for a ride." The long black cloud hurtled toward them, and Kara closed her arms around Livvie, shutting her eyes against the wind that pulled them up, up, up into the tornado itself.
"You're going to have to pass that by me again." Bruce said, looking at Sarah suspiciously. "Because I'm not easily surprised, and I'm surprised now." Chloe saw the dark expression on Bruce's face and shuddered, thinking of the Batman of Gotham City. If Bruce managed to be this scary with criminals there, it was no wonder that crime in Gotham had dropped exponentially.
"Kara is part human?" Chloe interrupted, and Sarah shook her head.
"No, not in the way that she might have been if she were made like you were." Sarah nodded. "My DNA was a way locking the Archive. It was also a way of preserving some of me if anything happened." Sarah caressed Chloe's cheek. "But I managed to marry your Dad and have you."
"So Kara is my sister. " Chloe asked again, and Sara shook her head.
"No, baby, not your sister." Looking over at Bruce, Sarah continued. "When Joe and Sonny came, we became friends. I helped them excavate these ruins, and promised to guard the knowledge here until they returned. They took my DNA, because the portal was encoded genetically. I don't know how they did it, but they combined my DNA with Kara's. She's 100 Kryptonian, with a little kick of humanity. It was a bond that Sonny hoped would keep the Archive and Kara safe, when she and Kal-El came to Earth." Sarah looked back at the uneven wall that the portal had been part of before, her face pale with alarm. "Kal-El! He can't get back!"