Issue #13 – REIGN OF THE SUPERMAN

Smallville:

Kara was in unfamiliar territory and as she looked around she knew that fitting in wasn't going to be easy. Before her eyes was a farm, primitive by her standards. She wondered how her cousin could have survived in such a boring place.

"You want me to live here?"

"Yeah…why is there something wrong?"

"Well…no…it's just…"

"What?"

"Kal-El…I know you were raised here but I wasn't. I'm not used to such primitive surroundings."

Clark had to laugh. It had never seemed primitive to him. It was home. He knew Kara had been raised in a technologically advanced society but while the Fortress might be more familiar to her, he felt that the best thing for her was to work on the farm with his mother and learn about humanity by experiencing it, not just downloading it into her brain from an education panel on Argo.

"I know it doesn't seem like much to you, but trust me on this ok…it will help you get used to being around human beings…"

"I could do that with you…I could be out there saving the world…"

"No…you're not ready. Your powers on this world haven't matured. You also need to learn to control them. This place helped me do that…and it will help you too."

"But Kal-El…"

"No buts Kara…your father wanted me to keep you safe so that's what I'm going to do…and I told you, call me Clark."

As Martha Kent approached, Kara wondered how this woman could have possibly raised her cousin. After all humans were an inferior species. Still, she had to admire Martha, after all it couldn't have been easy raising someone with the powers he had.

"Mom, this is Kara…she's my cousin."

Lodian Nebula:

Brainiac's ship travelled through the nebula, searching for something, a weapon he could use to destroy Kal-El. Lex Luthor had his own plans but despite his intelligence, Luthor never measured up in Brainiac's eyes and the AI decided that he would have to destroy Superman himself. Emerging on the far side of the cluster, Brainiac located a nearby star system and set his course,

Smallville:

Kara worked on the farm, frustrated that her cousin wouldn't train her and help her to master her powers. However Clark was doing just that. He had learned to control most of his abilities as he did his chores years before and now Kara was doing the same, even if she didn't realise it.

He would stop by from time to time to check on her, watching as her strength and speed developed, followed by heat and x-ray vision. Over the next few weeks, she grew more accustomed to Earth's gravity and learned to take advantage of her gifts. Farm life became easy as she accomplished daily tasks without breaking a sweat.

Kara began to understand why Martha was so important to her cousin. Her moral guidance gave Kara a new perspective about humanity as she realised that the primitive race had real potential. But even as she worked, there was sadness in her as she struggled to come to terms with the loss of Argo and her family. She wanted revenge on Brainiac, and maybe that was why Kal-El refused to let her join him as a protector of the planet.

Planet Shalrex:

It was a desolate world. The entire planet was covered in an eternal ice age and it seemed no life could exist there. But Brainiac knew there was a terrible force on this planet and he had to find it. The ship's scanners filtered through the ice, searching for any signs of life.

There was nothing. The ice shielded whatever was hidden on the planet. So Brainiac took a different approach. The ship emitted a concentrated energy pulse that enveloped the skies and ignited the atmosphere. The icy world began to melt, giving way to boiling seas as primitive microorganisms deep under the surface were incinerated by the rising temperatures, ending any chance for evolved life on that world.

It was then that Brainiac found what he was looking for. Floating on the boiling ocean was a body, apparently lifeless. It had been abandoned on that world centuries ago but as the planet continued to get hotter, the being began to show signs of life. Brainiac believed he had found the means to destroy Kal-El once and for all.

Smallville:

"I don't want to put her in any danger Mom, I'm supposed to protect her and with the likes of Luthor and Brainiac out there, it's too dangerous…"

"Clark, you chose to use your powers to save the world…Kara is making that same choice and while I know you want to protect her, in the end neither of us can stop her."

"But she doesn't want to be a protector, she wants revenge…"

"That's why she needs your guidance…"

Clark and Martha discussed Kara's situation quietly as the young Kryptonian sped through the cornfield in the distance, laying down pesticide. She could hear the conversation from a mile away and she listened closely as her cousin weighed up the pros and cons of allowing her to join him.

Kara had never seen Krypton; it had been destroyed long before she was born. She knew of Jor-El though. Her uncle was highly regarded on Krypton and Argo. He had a noble spirit and his son seemed to share many of the same qualities. She remembered her father Zor-El, he had always been reluctant to talk about his brother. Kara wondered if the tragic events of Krypton's demise were too much for her father.

She knew how he felt. The image of Argo being destroyed by Brainiac had been burned into her brain, she knew it was a memory that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

Kara ran at high speed through the field, jumping through the air and landing a few feet away from her cousin. Martha smiled at her and Kal-El looked into the sky, searching for the wisdom to find the right path for Kara.

"So…are you going to help me?" Kara asked, hoping that he would say yes.

"I'm still not sure Kara…your still a teenager…"

"Yeah a teenager who is stronger than any human, knows more about the universe than any scientist on Earth and who's cousin happens to be Superman. Kal-El…please…"

Clark thought to himself, going over everything in his mind. He didn't want a sidekick, though Kara wouldn't want that anyway…she didn't want to be his partner, she wanted to be his equal, not in his shadow. She would find her own destiny. Clark sighed to himself as he reluctantly decided that the best way to protect Kara was to teach her to protect herself.

"Alright…but if I do this, if I teach you to master your powers and train you as a protector, you must do what I say, you must be willing to study everything you are given, learn about everything this world has to offer…it won't be easy."

"I promise I'll be a great student…"

"Pack your things then, we leave for the Fortress in an hour."

Kara kissed her cousin on the cheek and ran into the house, gathering the clothes and items Clark had given her. To his surprise she was ready to go within seconds, her enthusiasm causing Clark to smile. He looked over at his mother who just shrugged her shoulders and laughed softly.

LexCorp:

"…Stabilisation complete…prepare electric surge…"

"Commencing…no vital signs…"

"Increase energy output…"

"Increasing…stand clear….we have a heartbeat…"

There was darkness. He could hear sounds, voices around him. His eyes opened, adjusting and focussing as his vision became clearer. A man stood in front of him, bald…menacing.

"Wh…where am I?"

Lex Luthor smiled, ignoring his scientists who were congratulating themselves on a job well done. His attention was focussed on the man in front of him. Luthor looked at his creation, his weapon.

"You're home…son."

The man looked into a mirror…he saw himself but didn't recognise the face staring back at him. It was all new to him. As he stared at his reflection, he saw a strange, yet familiar blue suit hanging on a hook.

"Who am I…?"

"You're Superman…"

Fortress of Solitude:

"Ok Kara, now try not to think about it, just do it…"

Kara Zor-El was struggling as she floated a few feet above the ground, trying to control her body and keep herself in the air. She concentrated hard, her eyes closed.

"I can't hold it…I'm gonna fall…"

"Listen to my voice…you can do it, imagine yourself floating high above the clouds looking down on the planet, you're not falling, just floating…"

Kara opened her eyes and looked down at the ground. At first she seemed to be in control but her concentration disappeared and she fell, her feet back on the floor of the Fortress.

"I can't do it Kal-El…"

"Yes you can…you just need to practice. Eventually your instincts will take over and it will become natural. Hey, it took me a decade to master flight…you're doing better than I did."

Kara was encouraged by Kal-El's words and took off again, determined to stay in the air longer this time. She tried to think of something unrelated to flight, her mind going through the lessons she had learned about the laws and customs of Earth.

As Clark watched her, he couldn't help but smile. Kara had come a long way in such a short time and he was very proud of her. However she fell again as a ringing sound invaded her senses. Clark looked around spotting his phone and rushing to answer, signalling Kara to remain quiet though thanks to her super hearing she could hear both sides of the conversation.

"Uh…hello?"

"Clark…it's Lois. Sorry to disturb you on your little vacation but I'm in a bind. Perry wants that corruption scandal story tonight but I can't hand it to him without your editorial. Can you email it to me?"

"Uh sure…no wait…I don't have it here…it's in a print out folder in my desk at the Planet…"

"I'm there now…"

"Uh, third drawer on the left…"

"Hold on…got it…wow Smallville this is a lot of work…how did you manage to finish this before you left?"

"Oh I'm a fast typist…I'll be back in Metropolis tomorrow…"

"Great. You can meet me for lunch…anyways I gotta go…big story breaking…"

"Oh yeah ok…uh see you tomorrow….wait what story?"

"Damn Clark don't you have TVs in Smallville? One of the rigs off the coast is on fire…look I gotta go, see you tomorrow…and you're paying for the lunch…"

Before Clark could respond, Lois had hung up, obviously in a rush to get the story. Clark changed quickly, preparing to take off. He looked back at Kara who was staring at him.

"Wait here…I'll be back soon. Keep practicing."

Clark was gone in an instant, exploding out of the Fortress and heading into the distance. Kara looked on, watching as he made his way to the burning oilrig, admiring his suit.

"Damn, I want one of those…"

Superman flew at high speed, his eyes focussing on the flames in the distance. He descended rapidly, hovering above the water as he assessed the situation. The coast guard was there, airlifting workers off the rig. One of the workers was trapped under a broken pipe, surrounded by fire. Superman flew straight through and lifted the pipe with ease.

His x-ray vision showed that the man had a broken leg and couldn't walk, so Superman lifted him and flew towards the helicopter, ensuring that he got on board safely before turning back to face the blaze.

There were other workers still on the rig, awaiting the next rescue chopper to come and get them. Kal-El signalled to them to find cover, waiting until they were safe before letting out a fierce gust of air to put out the flames.

The fires refused to go quietly though and intensified as the main valve burst, sending oil into the air, catching fire. As it threatened to rain down on the rig, Superman flew underneath and began to fly in circles, accelerating faster and faster up through the falling oil.

As his speed increased, he created a whirling tornado of fire and oil and began manoeuvring it over the water and away from the rig. Superman was in control of the spinning fire and as he rose to the top of the twister, he began to blow down into it, his cold breath dousing the flames and creating a large ice cyclone sculpture made from oil and water. He grabbed the ice and flew upwards through the atmosphere, launching the sculpture into space towards the sun, where it would melt and be consumed.

Clark flew back down to the rig, sealing the valves and pipes, ensuring that the workers were alright before flying away, back towards the Fortress. Kara was there, high above the ground. She had been inspired by Clark's actions and more determined than ever to master flight. She descended slowly, touching down and smiling as her cousin watched with pride.

"Hey Kal…can I have one of those suits?"

Metropolis:

Superman landed on the ground in front of the Metropolis Reserve Bank, strolling confidently through the doors. Customers looked on amazed as he smiled at them. He waked casually towards the large sealed door of the vault and ignited his heat vision, burning through.

Nobody could comprehend what was taking place as Superman used the burned holes as grips, pulling the vault door apart and throwing it out through the bank window into the street. Reluctantly, the security guards drew their weapons and fired, only to find their bullets bouncing off him as he emerged, carrying sacks of money. He left the bank as the police arrived, burning through the lead police car and blowing it up before flying off into the distance.

Barcelona:

In the Nou Camp stadium, F.C. Barcelona were preparing to entertain Real Madrid in – El Derby, one of the greatest spectacles in world football. As the teams went to walk out onto the pitch, they saw Superman standing in the centre circle. The fans and players were shocked as Superman used his heat vision to burn the grass, turning the pitch to ash before flying off.

Dublin:

On the streets of the Irish capital, onlookers could only watch, helpless as Superman began to heat the Millennium spire, then freezing it rapidly. With a gentle push it fell over, crashing against the ground and shattering into a million pieces.

All over the world, reports began coming in about Superman turning rogue. Lois Lane refused to believe it, while Lex Luthor sat in his office and smiled as he engaged in a conference call with the Mayor of Metropolis.

"Mr. Mayor…I hate to say I told you so but the evidence is clear. Superman is no longer on our side."

"He was never on your side Luthor. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if all of this is your doing."

"Please don't insult me. I hate Superman but I don't have the means to frame him. However I do have a way to stop him."

Luthor grinned as he held up a small sample of kryptonite. Brainiac had given him the task of destroying Kal-El, but while Lex wasn't opposed to getting his hands dirty, he had no problem with letting the world do his job for him.

Fortress of Solitude:

Clark was unaware of the events transpiring across the planet. The Fortress was the only place on Earth where he could be fully isolated and find peace from the never-ending sounds of the world around him. Kara was proving to be a gifted student. While on Argo, school was boring for her and she found it hard to concentrate, the lessons her cousin was teaching her proved exciting and had her undivided attention.

"Ok Kara…let's go over it again."

"Fine…1st rule, We cannot interfere with the course of human evolution and technological advancement. 2nd rule, we cannot use our influence to make people decided one way or the other in a political process. 3rd rule, While in principle we oppose war we can not stop any attacks on other nations…wait a minute…what about civilians? What if ordinary people get caught up in a war?"

"We can't interfere Kara…we can help with humanitarian efforts if we are needed but war is…it's complicated. Keep going."

"4th rule, the fate of criminals cannot be decided by us, all suspects are innocent until proven guilty and their fate will be decided in a court of law. 5th rule, we must not use our powers to accomplish tasks that humanity is capable of doing itself. We are not gods…we help when we are truly needed and we can guide humanity to build a better future for themselves but our powers are not tools for their convenience. Wait…one question, why the disguise?

"You can't be a protector 24 hours a day Kara, you will need an identity so you can live among humanity."

"You mean like Clark Kent? I'm not wearing glasses…"

"You don't have to…even the simplest change can be very effective. The colour of your hair for example…"

"I hope you don't expect me to wear a wig…"

"No not at all…"

Clark walked to the crystal control panel, which hummed into life. From the crystals, a small device was created which Clark brought to Kara, placing it on her head and watching as it was absorbed into her hair.

"That device will allow you to change the colour of your hair by applying a certain degree of pressure while running your hands through."

Kara experimented with it, her hair changing to a brown colour. She stared at herself in the mirror, looking at the brunette staring back at her.

"I think I prefer being a blonde…"

"Well that's just the first stage, you need an identity…how about Michelle Dawson, Linda Lee…Danvers…"

"Linda Lee? Clark I'm not like you, I'm not going to be living among humans as you do, I don't need an identity."

"It's something you should think about Kara. Living as a human being will help you understand humanity better and help you to protect them."

"I'll think about it…now what about the suit?"

Clark smiled as he walked back to the crystals, bringing up the Kryptonian Archive database and searching through various designs.

"What do you want? We have an interesting purple number…how about a white top and red skirt?"

"I…I think I want mine to be like yours. After all we are family…"

Clark set the controls to create a new suit, similar to his own, but designed for a female. He was honoured that Kara would choose to follow the design he had chosen for himself and as Kara swiftly changed into her new suit, he had to smile as she stood before him, dressed in the familiar blue and red. Finally, Clark handed her a familiar symbol, the S-shield crest, like the one Clark wore with pride. As the shield attached itself to Kara's chest, she turned to look in the mirror.

"It's ok…there's something wrong though…doesn't seem very stylish."

"It wasn't designed for style, it was designed for comfort and flexibility."

"Doesn't mean I can't look good while saving the day though does it…I have an idea."

Kara changed her hair back to its original blonde colour before ripping through the suit, tearing off the sleeves, shortening the skirt and exposing her torso.

"Now this works…"

"I'm not sure I approve of that."

Kara laughed at Clark as she admired herself in the mirror. It was a new beginning for her, now all she had to do was convince Kal-El that she was ready to be out there, fighting evil. In her heart though she wanted one thing above all else…revenge.