Dr. Starke placed the baby in the growth accelerator and closed the chamber door. It had been his original plan to let the clone grow unaided, but Mr. Luthor seemed to have other plans for the child and demanded she be aged.
"Okay, sweetie, let's see what happens." Dr. Starke set the accelerator for just 6 months. He didn't want to rush anything more than he was already. The accelerator hummed and filled with light, light that duplicated the sun by 200 times. After a few minutes, the high pitched whine fell silent, and Dr. Starke went to the chamber and opened the door.
She sat there, wrapped in the pink blanket, the wisps of white gold hair longer and falling into ringlets around her perfect little face. The blue eyes that looked up at him were shining and happy. Dr. Starke smiled. "Hello, Karen."
Karen 1 smiled back, waving her little hands in the air. The process was successful. Dr. Starke reached in and lifted her out, taking her to the changing table to make her clean and fresh. Mr. Luthor would be very excited, but Dr. Starke was sure that the news of one treatment a week would have to be sufficient. The child still needed the development time. Done changing her, Dr. Starke picked Karen 1 up and kissed her cheek. "You need more people time, honey. I think I'm going to start taking you home at night."
"I don't think so, Doctor." Lex Luthor stood in the doorway, incongruously holding a small, stuffed white lamb in his hand. "Karen will stay here."
"She needs interaction, Mr. Luthor. No child will develop properly without it. And honestly, sir, this place is nowhere for a baby to be raised."
"We'll see." Lex walked to them and held out the stuffed toy to the doctor. "Meantime, the child doesn't leave the lab."
'I understand." Dr. Starke looked down at the little girl, who turned the lamb over and over in her hands. Lex was studying her as well. After a long minute, he looked back up at Dr. Starke. "What is it, Mr. Luthor?"
Lex took the baby and stared into her face. "Nothing. Are her eyes looking more green today?"
Dr. Starke shrugged. "Not that I can tell, but all babies eyes change color."
"Not this one." Lex handed Karen 1 back. "Figure it out, Doctor." He turned on a heel and walked out of the lab, his dark jacket floating behind him like wings.
Dr. Starke looked at the baby, and held her close. "I'm sorry, Karen. I'll find a way to get you out of here and away from that bad man." The baby looked up at him and smiled, and Dr, Starke blinked. Did she seem older already? Puzzled, the scientist carried her to her playpen, so he could make his notes and think. If the growth acceleration process continued to work outside the chamber, the question was not how much acceleration Karen 1 could withstand, but how much she would really need? Dr. Starke turned back to his notes and sighed. It wasn't the first time he'd performed experiments without considering the ramifications before he'd begun, but it was certainly the first time he'd regretted not knowing what Lex Luthor had in mind, both for the technology and the child. The single strand of human dna had not affected the process, Dr. Starke thought, looking back at his notes. The alien DNA had simply absorbed it, incorporated it. Feeling eyes on him, Dr. Starke craned his head around to look at Karen. Her eyes were bright, sparkling and blue, and they were watching him with an intensity far greater than normal for a six month old baby.
Setting Krypto down when they arrived at the Fortress, Clark made his way to the console and found that it was gone. Looking around, Clark then looked up, at the glowing Archive sphere.
"What did you do?" recognizing now the difference in the Fortress. The walls were smoother, the temperature warmer. "Where is the console?"
"It has been eliminated." The Archive's neutral voice said. "There is no need for it. All of the data in the crystals has been assimilated into the archive. This process is much safer, Kal-El. There can be no theft or destruction of the information they held any longer."
Clark took this in and looked back up at the Archive again. "And if someone tries to steal you?"
"No human could withstand physical contact. The human key had to be restored after her minimal exposure to the knowledge contained here." The Archive informed Clark.
"My cousin is glowing." Clark said simply. "And she's already strong enough for me to feel it when she hits me. Why?"
"Why?" The Archive spun and then came to a stop, the image of the galaxy appearing from the newly smooth walls. "Kara Zor-El has not had the long term exposure to the yellow sun as you have, Kal-El. She is working harder to fill her stores of the energy. When her level has been reached, the glow will vanish."
"And her strength?" Clark asked, "Will she be as strong as I am?"
"There is no reason to expect otherwise." The Archive replied simply. "One of your origin would have no choice but to gain the powers you already have exhibited, and others."
"That means…"Clark looked over at Krypto, who had trotted outside the Fortress to relieve himself. "A dog with superhuman strength, heat vision and the ability to fly."
"Precisely." The Archive almost seemed amused. "It will require discipline, Kal-El. He is intelligent as all of his species was, but needs to learn to control his abilities. The Hounds of Krypton were used as guard dogs, highly prized for their ability to bond with their owners. How did you come to own it?"
"It was a gift for Kara's Dedication." Clark answered, and the Archive spun again. Suddenly, Clark felt as if he were standing on a rooftop in the capital city of Krypton. The sky was soft green over his head, and he could hear the sounds of the Kryptonians going about their daily lives. Clark could see several dogs like Krypto, all either guarding groups of small children or accompanying people who looked fairly important.
"The Kryptonian Hound is highly prized for their loyalty, intelligence and guarding instincts. Once bonded with their clan, they are fierce and powerful protectors. The hound must be bonded with her. And you, as a member of the house of El as well. Bring the girl here. We will begin the training. Once it is complete, your dog will no longer be a behavior problem." The Archive shot a beam of light at Krypto, who yelped just as he was going to lift his leg on the wall.
Clark stifled a grin and nodded. "I'll leave him here with you, then."
If the Archive could have sighed, it would have, Clark thought. Instead, an image of a metal crate appeared, it's door open and a bowl of food inside. Krypto, curious, nosed his way toward the food and into the crate, which slammed closed behind him. His howls were loud, but suddenly damped by the Archive itself.
"When you return," The Archive said, and Clark was sure he could detect a very slight weary tone. "We will begin the training process."