It's early Fall and the dark, bitting cold of the Arctic tundra is set a glow by the brilliant, dazzling lights of the Aurora Borealis; the stillness of the icy plane stretching for miles without a living sole in sight and the blare of the whistling winds filling the open spaces and reverberating off of dark canyon walls. In the distance, set against the brilliant white of a towering ice wall sits a golden, dwarf star key, its face in the familar shape of the crest of the House of El, next to an ice panel door with a carved indentation of the crest's reverse image. Beyond the icy door is a long, towering entry way adorned with magnificent ice and crystal sculptures and structures. At the far end of the entry walkway a brilliant purple energy field appears and two figures step out before the portal closes behind them. As the beautiful, blue eyed blonde and her stunning, green eyed raven haired companion make their way, hand-in-hand, deeper into the remarkable ice palace a floating silver, half-sized robot approaches them.
"Kara Zor-El, Lena Zor-El… welcome," Kelex greets them. "Please follow me… your Father is waiting." Kelex turns and floats away toward the Fortress' command center as the ladies follow behind. As they make their way toward to their destination Lena squeezes Kara's hand tightly as a beaming smile lights up her face. Kara glances at her fiancé and grins sweetly.
"Hear something you like?" she asks Lena coyly.
With a radiant glow in her eyes, Lena gushes, "I've… never heard… anyone else say it out loud before. Having heard it just now… I realized I've never felt more content hearing my own name.
"Well," Kara replies warmly, "after you shared the story of visiting Eliza and Ukr to get their blessing to propose, and after hearing him call you Inah I came back a few weeks later and instructed Kelex to never address you by any name other than Lena Zor-El ever again. We may not be married yet, but you always have been and always shall be my family, my life, my love." Kara lifts Lena's hand to her mouth and kisses it.
The overwhelming sense of love that Lena feels in this moment sets her soul ablaze. Her heart begins to race and takes flight as she feels Kara's love blossoming so deep inside that she feels like her feet are barely touching the ground. She isn't sure she'll ever be able to find the right words to express to her love how exuberant she feels everyday having found the amazingly unparalleled love and companionship that exists between them, but she knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that she will never, ever stop trying to. Knowing that Kara can hear the fluctuations of her heartbeat and probably has already noticed her increasing palpitations she squeezes her fiancé's hand again and says, "And you have always been and always shall be mine. El mayarah."
A moment later the pair follow Kelex around the last corner leading into the Fortress' command center. As they enter the chamber they immediately find themselves face-to-face with the warm, familiar face of Zor-El looking upon them both as a bright, shimmering hologram floating above the central command console.
"Girls!" Zor-El's eyes light up and a smile fills his face as he greets them. "I'm so happy to see you both. Thank you for coming to the Fortress so quickly."
Both of the girls smile affectioately at him as Kara replies, "Father! We are so happy to see you, too. Kelex contacted Lena and told her you have something important you wanted to see us about, so we came as quickly as we could."
Zor-El nods appreciatively. "I do. We need to talk about Kandor." He pauses for a moment, gathers his thoughts, and continues, "As you both know, when you and Brainy returned Kandor to us our first priorities were to determine the state of Kandor, its population, and to find a suitable location to transplant and re-enlarge the city… if that was even feasible."
"Last time we were here," Lena remarks, "you mentioned that you and Brainy were still trying to determine if there was a viable way to re-enlarge the city, but you did not say if the science academy had made any progress on determining the state of Kandor or finding a suitable transplant location. Has any progress been made on either of those fronts?"
"As a matter of fact," Zor-El replies as he reaches for a button on the command console in his lab which switches the holographic display from his visage to a duplication of the data display he is viewing on Argo. On the left hand side of the display is the image of a large, baren asteroid floating through space surrounded by a substantial amount of cosmic debris. On the right hand side is the technical data of several scans performed by the science academy detailing the current vital statiscal information of Kandor's population. Lena steps closer to the holographic display and studies both sides intently.
"If I'm reading this information correctly," she points at the right hand side and begins, "the science academy has determined that Kandor's population has remained safely in stasis, unharmed, for the last 54 years."
"Well," Kara interjects, "that tracks with what we learned from one of the other Brainys."
"Other Brainys?" Lena asks with a confused look on her face.
"That's right!" Kara turns and looks at her with an expression that Lena has come to recognize as the look that fills her love's face when she recalls, with some measure of pain, something that happened during the dark times before their reconciliation. Kara continues, "Just after Crisis, we discovered that a number of multiversal counterparts of a number of beings managed to cross from their dying universes onto Earth Prime and Al's Bar was the nexus point. The morning we awoke in this new universe and I came to see you at LuthorCorp we discovered there were 5 Brainy's here, including our Brainy. We found out that one of them had used Coluan bottling technology to shrink their Earth just before the anti-matter wave annihilated their universe. When we confronted him he confirmed that his entire planet would remain safely in stasis until we could find a suitable location to re-enlarge it."
"The 54 year timeframe is also accurate," Zor-El adds. "Brainiac abducted the city when Kara was 3 years old."
"Wait!" Lena looks at Kara with a shocked expression. "You're 57 years old? I know we've talked before about the years you lost after Krypton's demise, but for some reason I just never did the math."
Kara's face contorts with a deeply pained expression. "Chronologically… yes. Biologically… I'm 33. Honestly, for the longest time I tried desperately to block that from my mind. I lost 24 years drifting in my pod through the endless void of The Phantom Zone. Until I met you," she pauses, smiles faintly, and looks in Lena's eyes, "I believed fate had cheated me out of the opportunity to live the life I was destined for… but I now know that fate guarded me patiently in that hell so I could be here… in this time… at this age… to be with you."
Lena puts her hands softly on Kara's cheeks, pulls her close, and gently kisses her lips. She leans back, looks her in the eyes, and says with a passionate smile, "And for that, I'm forever in fate's debt." She turns back to the data on the screen and asks, "So, Ukr, we know the population is safe, but has the science academy figured out a way to re-animate them?"
"Yes," Zor-El confirms.
"And the asteroid?" Kara regains her composure and inquires.
"Tor-Ze has been tracking its galatic trajectory for sometime now," Zor-El replies. "He's determined that its path is stable and unimpeded. He's also determined that if we can clear the debris caught in its gravitational field that the surface area is more than sufficient to house the city, the surrounding villages, and the containment shield we'll have to erect around it."
"So," Lena comments, "that means the last hurdle to bringing Kandor back is finding a way to re-enlarged the city safely. I believe that there may be something in the system schematics I downloaded from the skull ship during the battle with Brainiac that could help us."
Zor-El presses the button on his lab station's control panel switching the display back to his image. The girls notice a somber expression has overtaken his face. Kara asks, "Father, what's wrong?"
"I know how important the return of any part of our culture is to you, Kara, and to the people of Argo," Zor-El states in a conflicted tone, "but there is potentially more at play here than simply returning Kandor to its rightful place in this universe."
"What do you mean, Father?" Kara asks with a heightened sense of concern and curiosity.
"Inha," Zor-El begins, "you were so young at the time and I doubt you were aware of or would have even understood how dark and difficult the days that preceded Brainiac's attack on Kandor were. The 3 months leading up to that dark day were some of most trying and difficult for our family… both in our home and your cousin's." Zor-El continues on as he shares with his daughters the soul crushing terror and paralyzing fear he experienced the morning Jor-El shared his devasting discovery about the irreversible deterioration of Krypton's core with him, the anger and disillusionment he struggled with the day he, Jor-El, and General Zod presented those findings to the Council of Elders only to realize they had been fully aware from the start and the council's threat to banish all their families to The Phantom Zone if any of them pursued their discovery further, and Zod's ultimate betrayal of Krypton and Kandor by coaxing Brainiac into attacking as a distraction for his attempt to overthrow the council.
Lena puts a consoling arm around Kara's shoulders as a look of abject exasperation fills her love's face. Kara mutters in disbelief, "I had… no idea. I knew Zod was a monster… but he sacrificed his own home… his own family… to try and soothe his bruised ego and exert his dominance."
"Actually," Zor-El remarks, "Zod claimed after his defeat and capture that Brainiac was supposed to attack and seize Argo City, but as it turned out Brainiac had his own agenda and his sights set on capturing Kandor before trying to turn his attention to Argo. The coucil took command of the defense force after quickly turning back Zod's coup attempt and managed to fend off Brainiac just after he shrank and captured Kandor."
Lena asks inquisitively, "How did the council manage to defeat Zod so swiftly, Ukr?"
"Tor-Ze and Jor-El," he responds. "Tor-Ze managed to download a surveillance recording from the defense force armory of Zod and a handful of his faithful soldiers planning the attack. Jor-El brought the encrypted recording to me, I managed to break the encryption, and Jor-El presented it to the council in enough time for them to fortify the council chamber defenses to repel Zod's attack. The day of Zod's banishment to The Phantom Zone he swore he'd return to seek his vengence on Jor-El and his family."
"General Zod is dead," Kara proclaims. "He escaped The Phantom Zone… as a matter of fact I believe it was his escape that caused Fort Rozz and my pod to be jettisoned to Earth. Several years after he arrived on Earth he engaged Kal-El in battle. In the end Zod was unwilling to yield, so Kal was left with no choice but to kill him."
"Be that as it may, Kara," her Father notes, "Zod was amassing a following of loyal soldiers that believed his leadership and unyielding tyranny would lead to Krypton's salvation. Now that we are realistically close to being able to bring Kandor back I'm concerned that those followers may still be lying in wait to try and see their leader's dream come to fruition. We don't know how many of them remained in Kandor when Brainiac attacked or how many of them may have fled and potentially made their way to Argo before Krypton exploded. After Zod's banishment they effectively vanished. The elders believed they all perished with Kandor, but Alura and I have always suspected that some of them assumed new identities and started new lives. They could be living among us right now and could see Kandor's return as an opportunity to re-emerge… to try to take power. Your Mother and I are gravely concerned.
"Have you and Ieiu expressed your concerns to the High Council?", Lena asks.
"We have," Zor-El replies with a deep sigh. "Unfortunately they believe most of Zod's followers likely died trying to repel Brainiac's attack on Kandor and that our responsibility to any survivors of Krypton far outweighs the risks that any of them may still present an imminent threat to Argo's safety. They also believe that if Zod's followers seize control of Kandor upon re-animation that they will simply isolate themselves from Argo and the remainder of the universe, but…".
Kara interjects grimly, "You're worried someone specific survived, aren't you?"
Zor-El nods affirmatively. "Zod's wife… Ursa. Zod was the commanding General of Krypton's planetary defense forces and Ursa was the head of Kandor's Military Guild. Ursa was Zod's equal in every way imaginable… including their shared belief that Krypton desperately needed a firmer hand guiding its way and that to secure its future Krypton would need to conquer its neighbors to strengthen its position in the universe. If she still lives… the High Council's belief that Kandor would potentially lean toward isolation could prove to be a horrible miscalculation."
Kara closes her eyes, losing herself for a moment in the still vivid memories of the intense chaos of the day her parents and her aunt and uncle placed her and Kal in their pods for their journeys to Earth. She can still hear the unadulterated terror in the screams and cries of the people of her world as Krypton tore itself apart all around them. She knows her world could have avoided the tragedy of its demise had its leaders not blindly mortgaged the planet's future haphazardly and now… despite her parents' openly expressed concerns… she feels as though the lessons Argo's leaders claim to have learned from those past mistakes are conveniently being ignored because of a blind sense of obligation. Internally, as she's willed herself to do some many times over the past several years during her darkest, most trying days as Supergirl, she focuses her resolve to face the difficult challenges that are most certainly ahead of them. She opens her eyes with steely focus, assumes a posture that Lena recognizes all too well as her "hero pose", and says, "So, what's the plan?"
Zor-El grins proudly at the display of courage and intestinal fortitude demonstrated by his amazing daughter. "We proceed cautiously, but as expected by the coucil and the science academy. Your Mother and I will need your support and assistance in the coming days and are hopeful that you two and Brainy can return to Argo."
Kara and Lena look at each other, each reading in the other's eyes that they are of the same mind. Lena looks back at Zor-El and says, "We don't want to speak out of turn for Brainy, but if our family needs us you can be certain we will be there. We doubt Brainy will feel any differently, but we'll return to National City immediately and bring him up to speed."
"Wonderful," another familar voice from a face as yet unseen remarks from somewhere in Zor-El's lab. As the girls faces begin to beam the image of Alura comes into focus as she steps into frame next to her husband. "Kelex will transmit the necessary clearance approvals from the High Council so you can land the Legion ship outside the house again. If there are any delays or issues on your end just let Kelex know and we'll deal with them."
"We will, Ieiu," Kara responds affectionately. "You both take care, be safe, and we'll be there soon."
"You, too, my Inhas," Alura beams radiantly. "We love you both."
"We love you both, too," there daughters reply in unison.
Later that evening back in National City, Alex, Esme, Kelly, Brainy, Nia, J'onn, and M'gann are gathered in the Olson-Danvers living room for their weekly family dinner and game night. As lively conversation, banter, and laughter fill the room a knock is heard at the front door. Alex lifts Esme out of her lap, sets her down next to Kelly, and hops up off the shea's lounge to answer the door. As she makes her way to the door J'onn smiles and say, "It's…".
Alex grabs the door knob, looks at him, smirks, and sarcastically interjects. "You know what… I may not be able to read minds… and I cannot see through this door, but believe me… I always know when my sisters are on the other side." She turns the knob and opens the door to reveal Kara and Lena standing in the outer hallway smiling radiantly at the site of their gathered loved ones. They step through the doorway and each stop to give Alex a warm, affectionate hug. As they make their way past Alex everyone else rises from their seats to greet them. Esme rushes over and grabs hold tightly of her Aunt Lena's leg.
Lena looks down with a brilliant smile, pulls Esme off her leg, picks her up, and gives her a tight squeeze. "Hello, princess!"
"Auntie Lena!", Esme replies enthusiastically. "You and Auntie Kara are late. We've been waiting for you. What took you so long?"
Kara steps over next to Lena and Esme, leans in to give her niece a kiss, and says, "Auntie Lena and I had go talk to our Ieiu and Ukr at Uncle Clark's secret lair. It took a little longer than we thought it would, but we got here as quickly as we could."
"Uncle Clark has a secret lair!?", the young girl asks excitedly and giggles. "I want to see it."
Alex walks over, puts her arms around Lena and Esme, smiles, and says, "I'm sure Auntie Kara would love to take you to see it someday, but not tonight sweetie."
"Ah…", Esme reacts and gives her Mom as faux lip quiver. "Auntie Kara?"
Kara giggles and smiles infectiously. "I'm sorry, monkey… your Mom's right. I would love to show it to you… and I promise I will sometime real soon, but not tonight. Auntie Lena and I just got a back and we're starving."
Lena sets Esme down, looks at her fiancé, and jokingly smirks, "Please, my love… when are you not hungry? If that stopped us from going places we'd never leave the penthouse kitchen." Everyone laughs hysterically at Lena's remark.
Kara smiles, shrugs her shoulders, and remarks, "Guilty as charged." As the lighthearted laughter continues she looks around at everyone and asks, "So, what's for dinner… pizza and potstickers?!?"
A couple of hours later, after a highly enjoyable dinner and an enthusiastic night of games, Kelly quietly makes her way out of Esme's bedroom, closes the door behind her, walks back over, and sits down comfortably next to her wife. J'onn steps back into the living room from the kitchen and says, "So, is my granddaughter down for the night?"
Kelly smiles and replies, "Yes she is, Grandpa J'onn. She had so much fun tonight and wore herself out. She was sound asleep before I even got her into the bed." She turns, gives her wife a kiss, and looks over a Kara and Lena. "So, J'onn mentioned that you guys went to the Fortress to talk to Zor-El. Is everything okay?"
"Honestly, we're not entirely sure," Kara replies. "He reached out to talk about Kandor."
The mention of Kandor gets Brainy's attention. "I haven't spoken to Zor-El since before the wedding. Have your parents and the science acadmey made any progress?"
For the next several minutes, Kara and Lena relay the pertinent details of their conversation with Zor-El… the asteriod, the condition of Kandor, his and Alura's concerns about Zod's followers, and their request for Brainy, Kara, and Lena to return to Argo to assist with next steps. As Kara and Lena finish, Nia looks at them and says, "When do Alura and Zor-El expect the three of you?"
Brainy puts a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Nia, are you sure you're okay with me going back to Argo so soon after getting home from our honeymoon?"
Nia leans in and kisses her husband's cheek. She puts her head on his shoulder and say, "Of course. I'll miss you, but Alura and Zor-El are family and they need your help. When our family needs us we do whatever we have to to be there for them."
"Nia," Kara says, "thank you." Nia nods and smiles at her as Kara continues, "I expect we'll head out in two days, so we'll need to meet with Cat tomorrow to fill her in. She can provide support on big issues, but I think you're ready to cover the big chair while I'm away."
Nia looks stunned. "Really, Chief?!? Wow!" She gets an excited smile, a twinkle in her eyes, and says, "I'll make you proud and I won't let you down."
Kara walks over, sits next to her, puts a hand her knee, and smiles brightly. "You're ready. I know you'll do great."
"How long do you think you guys will be gone?" Alex inquires.
Lena looks at her and shrugs. "We're not entirely sure. If everything goes smoothly, hopefully no more than a week. If Alura's and Zor-El's concerns prove valid things could dicey and extend our stay."
"Well," J'onn adds, "thankfully its been relatively quiet around National City recently. With M'gann back from Mars and Dana around for support we should have things covered here."
Kara nods approvingly. "I figured you would, but I also took the liberty of letting Barry, Dig, and Clark know that you'd reach out if a situation warranted addition back up. Never hurts to have extra friends to watch your back in a pinch."
"No, it certainly doesn't," J'onn agrees.