PART II
Six months pass by.
Immediately after Fyers' death, the group of castaways and survivors raided the mercenary camp, killing any stragglers and searching for supplies. While not a lot had survived the blast, there were some tents, tarps, and weaponry that could prove to be useful should any other untoward people ended up at the island. The real jackpot was the cache of food and clean water found at the edge of the settlement – with a baby and five mouths to feed, the supplement would be beneficiary if bad weather prevented hunting and gathering.
Kara was immediately sent off with Barry and Slade, so the former could treat the latter and she could tend to Kal-El. Shado and Oliver continued to peruse the camp for other materials before calling it a day and returning to their shelter. The next day, they along with Kara visited the latter's space pod, relieved to find it unguarded and untampered with. Together, they moved the pod farther inward of the island, and then disguised it with foliage and dirt to ensure no one would find it. Kara had no wish to rifle with the contents of the pod just yet, wanting to wait until they were rescued, for fear of losing anything important there.
After that, life went on. With no discernible way off the island, the days were spent routinely, with training and hunting and gathering. Kal-El soon began with his first steps and his first words. Kara continued to learn English from everyone, and eventually learned to speak it passably, if brokenly. Her grammar still needed a lot of work, and her limited vocabulary was constantly expanding. Barry had apprenticed himself under Shado, learning more techniques from her and the medicinal properties of several plants around the island, essentially becoming the group's second medic.
Oliver, meanwhile, had devoted himself to Slade's tutelage. Along with practicing archery with Shado, he had learned how to wield blades and exercised his mind with several strategic games that his mentors had cooked up. As the oldest of the younger generation and already an older brother when he had arrived on Lian Yu, Oliver's protective instinct had awoken and remained on overdrive. It went unsaid that when neither Slade or Shado were present, he was in charge. With the constant and unknown dangers surrounding the island, it was no secret that those two, as the oldest and most skilled, would be the first targets for any unwanted guests. It was a testament to how much the children had changed that they accepted that reality with grim acceptance.
But despite those dour thoughts, those days went peaceably by. Evenings were spent recounting tales about their old lives. Oliver wistfully lingered on the memories of his many misadventures with Tommy, Laurel, and Sara, and the short time spent with his little sister, Thea. Barry explained the death of his parents, and had refused to tell tales until one story from Oliver prompted him to talk about one incident with his parents during his childhood. Soon after, he regaled everyone with anecdotes of his brief time with the West family, particularly his best friend Iris. Shado had her own stories regarding her and her father, while Slade narrated about his son Joe's more embarrassing moments. However, the most fascinating chronicles came from Kara's mouth, where she explained things about Krypton: its culture, religion, legends, etc. More than one person would interrupt her for their own commentary, or to relate something about Krypton to life on Earth.
Many years from now, the remaining survivors would look back at these nights with deep fondness. Gradually, the six misfits, strangers from all walks of life, bonded and grew closer until one could look at them and see what Oliver saw when he shot an arrow through Edward Fyers' heart: a family. Not of blood, but of choice, of hardship – one far more valuable, one that could never break.
But like all things, this calm was not meant to last, no matter how badly they wished it had.
Footsteps.
Kara's ear twitched, and she turned her head. "I hear things."
Barry, sitting beside her, looked up, peering at the forest facing the dimming sun. They were doing some last-minute gathering before the day ended, and Barry had asked Kara to come with him. The poor girl had been fretting over Kal-El all day, who had taken a minor tumble down a small slope. Aside from a few bruises, which he and Shado assured Kara would heal in no time, he was completely unharmed. Unfortunately, that didn't stop his cousin from nearly losing it and babying him almost all day. Barry had to all but drag her away from Kal, assuring her that Shado would take care of him and that she needed to relax.
Barry narrowed his eyes as a few dark silhouettes appeared from behind the tree line.
So much for relaxation.
The fight had not been going well. While Barry and Kara had months of training and knew how to work together, they were still facing a group of fully-grown men, and there was only so much teamwork could make up for the lack of strength and reach. They had managed to take out three of the intruders, but the remaining five were about to pose a serious problem.
"BARRY! KARA!" two familiar voices called out: Slade and Oliver.
Kara smiled, and was about to call back, but the distraction cost her – one of the men grabbed her from behind and restrained her with his large, meaty arms. Barry noticed her predicament and ran to aid her, but was blocked by another, rather sizeable man. Kara struggled in her captor's hold, writhing as his arms tightened, until she screamed and, completely on instinct, hitched up her back, lifting the man up and throwing him over her body to one of the trees. His body had been thrown with such force that it broke through the tree trunk, ripping it in half. He continued to skid across the ground before his back hit another tree, and remained there motionless, either unconscious or dead.
The remaining men, who were about to gang up on Barry, had stopped their pursuit, shell-shocked. Barry used the distraction to take two of them out, grabbing the knife he had used to cut herbs to stab them each in the neck. The last two were quickly killed by the newly arrived Slade and Oliver. Kara stood some ways away, stunned as she looked down and stared at her hands.
"What was that?" Oliver asked once they got back to the shelter. Kara had remained silent as they returned to their island home, contemplating the incident in her mind. Shado had met up with them outside the plane wreckage, and was given a quick rundown over what happened, including what Kara did.
Now, they were all standing in a circle. Kal-El had long since been coaxed into bed, and Slade, the unofficial leader, had called a conference to discuss the recent incident. Everyone was now looking at Kara, who was staring back at them, rubbing her arms in worry.
Barry, resident genius, took point. "Kara and Kal are aliens. They grew up under a sun that emitted red solar radiation. They must process yellow solar radiation differently, which causes some…interesting…side effects as a result." he hypothesized, using the knowledge he gained from Kara's stories about Krypton to pull together a feasible theory.
"So basically, because Kara is descended from a species that lived under a red sun, when they're exposed to a yellow sun, she's developing superpowers." Oliver summed up in layman's terms, with a clearly hysterical and dubious tone. Around him, Kara, Shado, and Slade were also listening with rapt attention, disbelief in their eyes.
"Pretty much." Barry shrugged.
Slade sighed. "Well, I'm not as shocked as I should be." At the incredulous looks, he became defensive. "I'm still a little shocked, alright! But still – Kara's an alien. She and Kal," he jabbed his thumb towards the slumbering toddler in the corner, "literally crash-landed here on the island in a space ship, and were discovered," he pointed at Oliver, then Barry, "by two teenage castaways. Let's face it, nothing about our situation is normal. Why should this be any different?" At that, everyone had a thoughtful look on their faces, and slowly nodded their heads.
Shado then frowned. "If that's the case, then why did it take so long for her powers to show up? And if Kara has them, shouldn't Kal have them as well?" Kara flinched at the reminder, and looked at her cousin with dawning horror. Oliver placed his hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture, and she leaned into him, appreciative of his consideration.
Barry turned his head, and observed the youngest of their number with a critical eye. "It could be for a variety reasons: age, size, weight, gender, etc. The amount of time of exposure to a red sun might have something to do with it as well. Kal probably won't develop his powers until he's older, though likely it will be at a younger age than Kara is now, since he's had less exposure to a red sun and more to a yellow sun. Location is also a factor; God knows this place gets more than its fair share of rain." Everyone grimaced at the reminder.
Slade coughed into his hand, and everyone turned towards him. "Well, there's nothing we can do about it. Training is suspended for the coming days anyway." At everyone's questioning looks, he narrowed eyes. "We've got company." he reminded them.
At that, the mood immediately shifted. Everyone became far more serious, guarded, clearly remembering the last time they had "company".
"Now," Slade mused, "the question is: why are they here?"
The Hozen. The Mirakuru.
BOOM!
Slade.
"We need to go." Shado proclaimed grimly. Barry, Kara, Kal, and Oliver, all surrounding an unconscious Slade, with half his face burnt, looked up.
Oliver, quick on the uptake, spoke. "The Mirakuru?" Shado nodded.
"Be enough?" Kara asked, hopefully. One of her hands was clutching Slade's own in clear distress.
Barry, being the only other medic in the group and thus fully aware of the severity of the situation, closed his eyes. Then he opened them again with grim determination. "It'll have to be," he said.
Oliver climbed down into the sub first, and helped Barry and Shado carry Slade down the ladder. The man was fading. They had little time left. All three set Slade down to the side, Oliver staying behind to keep him company.
Kara entered next, a silent Kal-El in a makeshift sling with her. Rapidly, the three tore each and every cabinet open, Barry grabbing any leftover medical supplies, until they found it: a box covered in Japanese kanji.
Shado immediately passed it to Kara, who, using her newfound strength, ripped the lock off the container to reveal several vials of a green substance. Barry grabbed one, and using a syringe he had found, filled it with the Mirakuru. He handed it to Oliver. Normally he and Shado would suggest a sedative, but there was no sedative to be found, and things were dire enough as it was.
Oliver looked hesitantly at it, then at Slade. The older man stared back through his remaining eye, tiredly.
"It could kill you." Oliver stated quietly.
Slade chuckled. "I'll be dead either way." The others crowded around them. Kal-El, with his tiny hands, reached out for him.
"Papa." he said.
Slade gazed at him fondly, at everyone with a softness that was rarely seen anywhere, let alone on Slade Wilson's face. "No tears, alright? No matter what happens." he commanded firmly. They all nodded, reluctantly.
"Do it."
Oliver paused, before jamming the syringe into Slade's neck, pushing the chemical into his bloodstream.
Silence.
Then screams and tears of blood.
"Please!" Shado begged. Beside her, Kara stood, Kal-El buried into her chest, shaking and crying, shouting in Kryptonese for Ivo to stop. Kal-El, sensing his cousin's distress, began crying as well.
"CHOOSE!" Ivo demanded, waving his gun back and forth. Before him were a subdued Oliver and Barry, both with their hands tied behind their back. Both were silent, Barry with his eyes closed, mouth in a thin line while Oliver stared hard at the ground, gritting his teeth. They were trying to remain strong, trying not to make a stressful situation any worse. Surrounding them were Ivo's men, all with guns trained on them.
"I can't, I can't!" Shado screeched back at him, and the sheer desperation in her voice could be heard. Tears began leaking from her eyes. Kara continued to sob.
Oliver, evidently having had enough, stood.
"Me. Take me." he said, pressing his chest against the barrel of Ivo's gun. Barry's eyes snapped open, and he looked up at the scene, before standing himself.
"No. Choose me. Kill me!" He insisted. Ivo turned towards him, and his gun moved, but Oliver moved with him.
"No!"
"Damn it, Oliver!" Barry yelled at him.
"I'm not going to let you die Barry! I'm the oldest! It's my responsibility to protect YOU!" Oliver shouted back.
"You have a family to get back to! A sister, friends, parents! I have none of that!"
"You do! What about your dad, huh, are you just going to let him rot in prison? What about Iris?" Oliver countered. "You still have so much to live for, so much to offer. You're going to change the world! Me, I'm just some useless rich kid! I'm not going to let you die here, not if I can do anything about it!" Kara's sobbing stopped, and she sniffed as she watched her two closest friends argued over which of them were going to die. Shado clenched her fists.
Slade, having watched the proceedings from the sidelines behind a tree, roared, catching everyone's attention.
Chaos ensued.
"SHADO!"
Barry slowly, methodically, cut open Shado's shirt, revealing the bullet wound in her chest. He looked back at his makeshift family, and shook his head sadly, his eyes like glass panes. Kara ran forward first, and kneeled beside the dying woman, opposite of Barry, Kal-El in her arms. Her tears returned, bloated beads of water streaming down her face. Kal-El, sensing something was wrong, reached out towards Shado, calling out, "Mama." Shado, with what little strength she had, slowly reached back, and lightly grasped Kal's hand for the last time.
Oliver was next, collapsing next to Kara, on his knees. A single tear slid defiantly down his face. Shado smiled at him sadly, and let go of Kal-El's fingers, placing her hand comfortingly at one of his knees.
Slade was last. He stared unbelievingly at his partner, before his legs gave out and he collapsed next to Barry. He reached out, stroking Shado's face gingerly.
Shado looked at all of them. "I love you. All of you. As my siblings." her eyes shifted between the three teenagers. "As my child." she looked at Kal-El.
Finally, her gaze landed as Slade. "As more." Slade returned her gaze, before leaning down. Their lips met for an all too brief moment.
When the kiss ended, Shado spoke. "Promise me something, Slade." she begged. "Promise me that you'll protect them, our family, alright? Promise you get them back home…no matter what it takes."
Slade, heartbroken and stalwart, nodded at his love. "I will. I promise."
"Good…" She said softly, and slowly began to close her eyes. "I'm…glad…I got…the…chance…" she exhaled, and expired.
The dam broke. Any composure everyone had shattered all at once. Kara broke down, clutching a confused and distressed Kal to her chest as she wept. Oliver pulled them into his arms and rested his chin on the top of her head, his own tears falling unabashedly down his cheeks. Barry curled into a ball, crying, constantly pleading "I'm sorry" to anyone that could hear.
Slade pulled the body of his lost love into his arms, and howled to the ebony sky.
They bury her next to her father.
"We're getting off this island." Slade announced.
One by one, the rest of his companions, his children, looked at Shado's grave, and their faces hardened.
And it was going so well at first.
The ship was in disarray, to say the least. There is fighting everywhere. Barry and Oliver tried to defend Kara and Kal wherever they can, but are soon overwhelmed by the sheer number of fighters. Slade is tearing things apart up in the brig.
Kara punches away any man that gets near her and Kal, but a lucky shot manages to catch her. She is separated from her cousin, who falls to the ground. He shies away from prying hands.
His cousin watches it all, and panics, a mental scream.
Blue rays of light burst from her eyes.
The rope is breaking, thread, by thread.
Barry holds onto it as hard as he can, reaching up to the grab the upper half, but they know he can only support much weight.
Slade, at the bottom of the makeshift ladder, looks down, then up. Oliver, reading his mind shakes his head.
"No." he says.
"Kid, it's the only way."
"NO!" he shouts louder, catching Barry and Kara's attention. The water continues to rush beneath them, gushing at a breakneck pace.
"You three have made me proud. So very, very proud." Slade inhales, and closes his eyes. "I wished I could've seen you all grow up, introduced you to my son."
"SLADE!" Oliver yells, pleadingly.
"I'll be sure to say hello to Shado for all of you."
He lets go.
"SLADE!"
They all scream.
Oliver wakes up. Beside him Kara is tending to Kal-El, staring fearfully at the people surrounding them. Barry remains unconscious, but breathing. He lays next to Oliver, peaceful.
The unknowns are darkly clothed, faces concealed. They each have a sword on their sides, bows on their back.
Standing in front of him is a girl, around their age. She is middle eastern appearance, hair dark, eyes slim. She is beautiful.
"Who are you?" Oliver asks.
She smirks.
"I am Nyssa al Ghul. Heir to the Demon."
No Evil!Slade, and before you ask, yes, he isn't dead. Slade will come in a later arc in the story, I promise.
At this point in time, Kara has her strength, heat vision, and limit access to her super senses. She can also float off the ground for an extended period, though she doesn't dare try flight yet.