A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.
John C. Maxwell
Alfred walked up behind Arthur, "Master Bruce has asked me to tell you there has been an adjustment to the departure time, you have about an hour before the plane leaves," he covered his mouth to hide the smirk on his face at the look of fear on Arthurs's face. "Perhaps next time Master Arthur, you should not surprise the two most well-armed members of your team."
"Uhm, yeah. You might have something there Al." Arthur said as he patted Alfred's shoulder and stepped off the patio and headed back to the cave.
"Would the ladies care for some more to eat, before you depart?" Alfred asked. Then he looked directly at Diana as the next statement left his mouth, "a good leader makes certain her team is completely prepared."
Kara bit her lower lip to keep from giggling at Alfred's direct tone with the princess and watched as a smirk showed itself on the older man's lips. "That is an excellent idea Alfred, do you mind?" Diana asked politely.
"Of course not, Ms. Diana. Might I borrow Ms. Kara in the kitchen?" Alfred bowed slightly.
Kara stood up, "I don't mind helping at all, your highness."
Diana looked over her shoulder and smiled at the young blonde. She shivered at the intensity of those blue eyes as they watched her. She felt something stirring in her chest, an alien feeling, something she had buried over a hundred years before, "Thank you, Kara."
Kara licked her lips lightly as she watched the princess enter the house and head for the cave. She took a deep breath to calm her hammering heart and then blushed as she caught Alfred's eyes staring at her.
As she entered the house, Alfred whispered, "I believe someone may be taken with Ms. Diana."
Kara blushed bright red, refusing to say anything for fear she would embarrass herself even more.
Diana entered the cave as Bruce stepped out of his locker room, wearing a fully armored version of his uniform. "Did you get some rest?" He asked in a clipped tone.
Ignoring the attitude behind the question, Diana answered with a smile, "The best sleep I have had in quite some time. It was a wonderful reminder of home." Then she morphed into the formidable warrior she was and asked, "Where is he?"
"He is in Pozharnov, Russia," Victor answered. Then he pulled up a holographic image of the location, "They are here," he pointed, "hidden behind the walls of this nuclear power station."
Barry stepped over, "That looks like a settlement, there and there…," he pointed to several inhabited buildings within the current bubble surrounding the plant. "Who settles there?"
"People like us, people who aren't welcome anywhere else," Arthur interjected.
In the kitchen upstairs Kara was helping Alfred make sandwiches. "I see you know your way around a kitchen, Ms. Kara."
"Oh yes. At home, we all help wherever we are needed. Mother has been teaching me to make meals since I started living on Themyscira." Kara smiled at the memory.
"How did you end up on the island?" Alfred asked as he set down the knife he was holding.
Kara stared down at the counter, "My pod crashed there. I left Krypton at the same time as Kal-El, but my ship was knocked off course by the explosion." Kara paused, swallowed back the sadness that she could feel building in her chest, "I watched the-my world die."
Alfred walked over to the young woman, "I didn't mean to upset you, Ms. Kara." Then he held out his open arms to the blonde.
Kara didn't hesitate, she allowed the older man to wrap his arms around her, and spent several minutes crying into his shoulder. When she finally stopped, she dried her eyes and looked up at the man's wrinkled face, "I apologize, Alfred."
"Nonsense, Ms. Kara, I don't mind at all," he smiled. "Now let's finish up these sandwiches and move downstairs with the rest of the team."
Kara smiled, and together they finished the meal.
Kara entered the cave several minutes later and looked at the map. "What is that?" She asked as she set the food down on the table and stared at the hologram.
Bruce rolled his eyes, "It's a map of Steppenwolf's location."
Kara studied the hologram, she pointed at the center of the reactor, "what's this?" Her hand caused the hologram to stutter, blurring the image for a moment until she drew her hand back. "Sorry."
Victor smiled, "no big deal," he said as he adjusted the view of the map, allowing them to view it from a hilltop about two miles from the reactor. What they saw gave them all chills.
The shield was radiating out from a large growing stalk. "That looks like a vine?" Arthur questioned, cocking his head to the side and moving around the image. "How the hell do we get through that?"
Diana studied the image, her mind weighing different strategies. "How well armed is your transport?" She asked, looking up at Bruce.
"It will take everything the plane carries to punch a hole through that shield, nothing will be left to take out the plant," Bruce answered. "Have you finally decided to become a leader?"
His tone irked Diana, "Isn't that what you were pushing for, for me to lead this team?"
"You didn't seem interested before, now you are?" Bruce smirked, "I guess you are trying to impress your new girlfriend?"
As Diana's eyes narrowed, four heads turned slowly towards Bruce. "You should watch your tone with the princess, Demon," Kara warned, her blue eyes flashing red.
Bruce kept his head up, "No one has ever seen you before, you show up out of nowhere, and suddenly…," he pointed towards Diana, "she decides to become the leader we have needed all along."
"I told you where I come from and who I am, I have nothing to gain by lying to you," Kara said, defending herself and Diana.
"You could tell us anything, we have no way of proving anything," Bruce said, attacking again with words. "For all we know, you could be an agent of Steppenwolf."
Tarie left its sheath faster than the eye could follow and Diana reached out to hold back the young warrior. "Enough of this, Bruce."
"Yes, Master Bruce, I agree with Ms. Diana. I believe the young woman is exactly who she says she is, and your attitude is completely unnecessary" Alfred said, his tone cold as he stared at the man across the room. He set down the plate of food he was carrying and continued, "I raised you to be a better man than this. This arrogance is completely uncalled for."
Bruce's eyes narrowed as the rest of the team looked at him.
"If I wanted you all dead," Kara hissed. "I could have killed you all yesterday and returned home." Kara took a step forward and felt Diana being dragged with her as the princess's grip tightened on her arm.
"You are full of yourself aren't you, Supergirl?" Bruce asked.
"No, Demon. I am fully aware of my abilities and my limitations, like all of my sisters on Themyscira," Kara responded. "If you would like to test those abilities, my blade is ready."
At the same time, Alfred and Diana spoke, "Enough!"
Kara heard the command and immediately backed down, Bruce growled and smirked, "Always a soldier."
"Soldiers follow real leaders, Demon," Kara scoffed as she looked sideways at Diana. "The rest of your group believes that as well," Kara smirked as the remaining members of the team stood behind herself and Diana.
As he turned his back on the team, a smile replaced the scowl on Bruce's face, "when would you like to depart, Diana?"
"If I fly, I can get us there in about three hours," Victor volunteered, "and if I get to the boxes, I think I can separate them."
"You're not sure?" Barry asked, a tinge of fear showing in the way he was standing. "What about Superman?"
"Our first step is getting that shield down," Arthur said, looking at the map. Kara sheathed Tarie and walked up beside him, studying the image.
"I may be able to punch through, then you could fire the weapons from the transport," the warrior suggested, then she asked, "do we need my cousin?"
"An extra set of hands is always welcome during a fight, Kara," Diana spoke, placing a hand on her shoulders. "Antiope always reminded us we were stronger together than apart."
"El Mayarah," Kara whispered.
"Stronger together?" Victor questioned.
"You speak Kryptonese?" Kara asked, her eyes wide with excitement.
"The mother box added the language to my database," Victor smiled.
"How are you all okay with this? We could die?" Barry squeaked out.
"To die defending innocents is the way of a warrior, Barry. There is no shame in being frightened," Kara encouraged, "fear makes us smarter in battle, absence of fear is foolish."
Barry stood up straighter, "Really?"
Diana smiled, "of course, that is why the gods gave us the ability to run away. So that we can survive and fight again." Artemis' words were making more sense, though young, Kara was encouraging each member of the team, giving them hope for the upcoming battle. Bruce, however, his outburst was so out of character. She looked towards the doorway and saw his cape at the edge.
Alfred noticed as well and stepped into the hallway, "Eavesdropping, sir?"
Bruce smiled, "She's even better than I thought. Her strategies make sense, and Diana seems a bit more sure of her decisions as well."
"So that little outburst was?" Alfred questioned.
"I needed to know if the team would back her up," Bruce responded with a wry grin, "Diana needs to know that the team is behind her choices. She is unsure of herself and needed a push. The comment about Trevor didn't affect her, but questioning Kara, that tipped her over the edge."
"That woman could have killed you, sir?" Alfred swallowed.
"I'm sure Diana would have stopped her," Batman said calmly, but he didn't seem completely sure of the answer.
"I'm not so sure I could have, Bruce," Diana admitted as she entered the hallway. "That was a huge risk."
"It was a risk I was willing to take, Diana. You are the leader this team needs, you can lead them into the future." Bruce admitted. "I don't-I am not sure that Steppenwolf will be the last fight."
"Artemis said the same thing last night," Diana said to both men.
"The goddess?" Bruce asked skeptically.
"Yes, the goddess," Diana answered defiantly. "We all have our beliefs, Bruce. She said Kara was here to help, to bring hope. So far she has been right."
"Diana, I'm sorry. I'm not disparaging your beliefs," Bruce explained, "with everything else I have faced, this is just something else I have to wrap my head around."
Diana smiled, a softness in her eyes, "I understand, Bruce. Now let's get back to our team."
The three people returned to the control room, and Bruce made his way towards Kara, and held out his hand, making peace with the young Amazon.
Twenty Minutes Later…
"We still need to contact Superman." Arthur reminded the group.
"Where is he?" Kara asked, looking at the map on the wall, "Maybe, I can get to him and meet you before you get to the boxes."
Bruce walked her over to the map and pointed to Smallville, Kansas. "This is where the satellite said he went. His family owns a farm on the outskirts of the town. His fiance and mother are probably there with him."
Kara studied the map, "I'm sorry, but your maps are not clear to me. Where are we?"
Bruce smiled, "We are here, Gotham City. We will be heading towards Pozharnov in Russia, here." He pointed at each location on the map. "Do you think you can make it in time?"
Kara was doing the math in her head, she bit her lower lip in concentration. Her answer was guarded and quiet, expecting a rebuke from the older man beside her, "if my cousin can fly as fast as I can, maybe."
Bruce was impressed, "You're not sure?"
"No sir. I've never had the opportunity to travel at my fastest speed, so I'm not sure what my limits may be," Kara answered honestly. "Kal is an unknown factor as well, I don't know his limits at all."
Bruce thought for a moment, "The fastest recorded speed they have on record is just above the speed of sound." He noticed the confused look on Kara's face, and took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to compare speed for her.
Victor walked up, "when you traveled to earth, was there any indicator for speed for you to follow?"
"In my pod? No." Kara answered, shaking her head slowly.
"How about a fish, you fish on Themyscira right?" Arthur asked, "Marlins, Bluefish, any fast fish?"
"Yes, but they don't fly." Kara's confusion was growing faster.
"How about me? I travel pretty fast, faster than Superman, I think," Barry volunteered. "I can move fast enough to vibrate through a wall, run up a building and generate lightning."
Kara was totally confused by this point, "I sorry everyone, but I don't understand how to compare my speed in the same way you do." She was getting frustrated and upset at herself for her own failure to understand.
The men continued to explain, talking above everyone until Diana approached and placed her hand gently in Kara's and tugged her away. "What's wrong, Kara?"
"They are trying to explain concepts of speed to me, and I don't understand the references, your high-Diana?" Kara spoke through gritted teeth while staring at the floor, "I feel useless."
Diana lifted Kara's chin, and once again felt a shudder at the intensity of those cerulean orbs looking at her. "Kara, it's okay. Calm down." She smiled tenderly at the blonde, "take a deep breath."
The young captain breathed in and out, concentrating on the brown eyes staring at her. She closed her eyes for a moment and when she reopened them, Diana was still right there.
Diana smiled again, "Have you met Hermes?" She watched the blonde's head nod, then continued, "Have you ever raced him?" Another nod, "Did you win?"
A wicked grin came to Kara's lips, "Yes, mother said she had only seen one other Amazon move that fast."
Diana blushed, she hadn't realized Kara would know that story, "Yes, I beat him, once. So what comparison did Bruce use to explain speed."
"Faster than the speed of," Kara thought for a minute, "sound."
"Hermes travels faster than that, which means you travel much faster if you can defeat the messenger of the gods," Diana explained.
Kara grinned widely, "That means I can retrieve my cousin and catch your team before you have to take down the shield."
"It's our team, Kara," Diana smiled again, "you are a part of this now. Are you ready to go?"
Stepping across the room, Kara picked her shield up from the corner and checked her scabbard for Tarie. "I'm ready, your highness."
Diana looked around the room, "Okay everyone, let's go…"
The elevator rose up to the level of the lake, and the transport approached. Kara watched in fascination, until Diana reminded her it was time for her to go as well.
"Fly safe, Captain Zor-El," Diana said formally as she and Kara grasped wrists.
"For the honor of Themyscira, princess," Kara smiled back, "I will see you soon."
Kara lifted gently into the sky, and waited as the transport took off, then she smiled and waved to Alfred. Over the wind, she heard him say, "be safe, Supergirl."
Kara flew as fast as she could towards Smallville. Once there she hovered over the town and closed her eyes, focusing on the Mark of Rao on her shoulder, and the image of her cousin that was seared into her mind. She felt a tug, a pull towards the south. She allowed it to lead her, guiding her towards the Kent farm, her cousin's home here on Earth. As she reached the farm, she slowly lowered herself to the ground and stood at the porch leading up to the front door. An older woman spotted her and opened the door.
"Well, hello there," Martha Kent smiled as she stepped out onto the porch, "bet you are here to see Clark, aren't you?"
"Yes ma'am, if that is acceptable." Kara answered, "our first encounter did not go as expected."
"Would you like to come in?" Martha asked.
"No ma'am, if he doesn't want me here, I will leave," Kara responded with a frown on her face.
"I'll get him for you…"
Clark Kent stepped through the door a few moments later. He seemed even bigger than before to Kara, and she stepped back at the look on his face, not from fear, but to give him a sense of security.
"What can I do for you?" Clark asked.
"The Dem-Bruce, asked if I would come and ask you to help us fight Steppenwolf," Kara answered, keeping her voice even and calm.
"Why do they need me, they have you?" The man asked defensively.
Kara was taken aback by the question, "We need as many fighters as possible, this will not be an easy battle, Steppenwolf has many troops at his command, and we only have a few warriors."
"Who are you, you sound like Diana, you are trained and it seems like you are stronger than me?" Superman asked, fear in his voice at the possible answer.
Kara took a breath, "I am Kara Zor-El. I was born of the matrix and spent twelve cycles on Krypton before you were born. We were both launched into space on the same day, moments apart." Kara's head dropped as she whispered, "I was supposed to protect you, to raise you. But my pod was knocked off course and I was trapped in the phantom zone for twenty-four Earth years."
Clark was speechless, he watched the girl in front of him, playing nervously with the corner of her cape as she explained herself.
"I-I failed you, and I am sorry," Kara looked up, her eyes red-rimmed, "when I arrived, I landed on Themyscira. I-I wasn't even sure you were still alive. I'm so sorry."
Clark found his voice at last, "It wasn't your fault, Kara? You were just a child."
"I made a promise to always protect you, and I failed you. I failed my mother and my father," tears rolled down the woman's face.
Martha Kent, stepped out the door and around her son, reaching out to the blonde girl in her yard. "Come here, baby." She gathered the young woman in her arms and felt her shake as she sobbed into the older woman's shoulder.
Clark heard his fiance making her way towards the front porch as well, and waited till she came through the front door and together they made their way down the stairs. He approached Kara warily and placed his hand on her right shoulder.
Through the Mark., Clark saw...
Kara's arrival, her fear of the Amazons, overwhelmed by the love they shared.
Her first arrival day and the visit from Rao.
Her first sword, her first hunt…
Her first kill.
Her battle with Steppenwolf, saving Myri.
Her fear, her happiness,
Meeting the three sisters and being sent on a quest to help.
Through the mark, Kara saw…
The loss of his father, to protect his son's identity
The happiness at seeing Lois after coming back from the darkness
How his heart lifted as he heard his mother's truck
His worry
His fear
The unknown…
Lurching away from Kara, Clark ran away, towards the barn. Kara dropped to her knees, taking Martha with her. Martha looked at the girl and saw fear and confusion in her eyes, while Lois chased down Clark.
"Tell me what's wrong, sweetheart," Martha begged.
"I can-I saw-his thoughts, so much confusion, and fear…" Kara stammered out, "it's the Mark, some sort of connection."
"Shh, baby. It's okay, he will be back," Martha whispered, "It'll be okay."
In the barn, Clark was sitting on the edge of the pit that had hidden his pod after his arrival, rubbing his hands over his face. Lois walked slowly up behind him, and whispered, "Clark?"
"Sorry Lois, I saw her memories, again," Clark explained, as she sat down beside him. "That little girl out there, she has met-she has a mark, an ability for us to share thoughts, memories."
"Is that what happened? Is that why you ran? You were frightened?" Lois asked.
Clark nodded, "I have to go, Bruce needs our help."
"I guessed as much when Alfred called about what they were going to do, are you up to it?" Lois's concern could be heard in her voice.
"I guess we will find out…," Clark said, "I need to change."
Lois brought her lips to Clark's and kissed him deeply, "No dying this time, please."
Clark smiled as the kiss ended, and he drawled, "Yes ma'am."
As Clark headed towards the house, Lois made her way towards the young Amazon in the front yard. The young woman stood as Lois approached, holding herself at attention. Lois stopped and examined the woman, who held herself with such pride. "He means the whole world to the two of us, please bring him back?" Lois asked as her voice cracked.
"I will do all I can, it was my mission before, and it is my mission now to protect him," she smiled sadly.
"I'm Lois, Lois Lane," Lois held out her hand.
"I am Kara Zor-El," Kara responded, then she asked shyly, "you are his betrothed, so we are family. May I hug you?"
Taken aback for a moment, Lois smiled up at the blue eyes, "I would be honored."
Superman stepped out on the front porch a few minutes later to the sight of three women hugging in the front yard of his family's farm.
As the three women separated, Kara looked at Clark. "Is that your armor?" She asked, her nose crinkling at the appearance of his uniform. "How do you fight in that, it's so tight?"
Then they were gone, making haste for the transport and Russia.
Aboard the transport, headed towards Russia…
"So Diana, you think your girl will come through and bring Superman to help?" Arthur asked.
Diana turned her head, smiling at Aquaman, "She is not my girl, but yes, I believe she can convince him to help us."
"I'm not sure we actually need Superman," Bruce spoke. "Supergirl is a much more capable fighter it seems, and she will not hesitate to do whatever it takes to protect her team."
"You mean protect her," Arthur pointed at Diana.
"Kara will not let this team down," Diana spoke, turning directly towards Arthur.
Arthur held up his hands in surrender, "I don't disagree with you at all, but you will be her priority in a fight."
Warmth blossomed in Diana's chest at Arthur's words. She turned her head, hiding her smile behind a curtain of dark hair. The little blonde was stirring some very old feelings in the mind of the princess.
"What about the shield?" Victor asked.
"This is Supergirl...please respond?" Kara's voice questioned over their earpieces, "we are getting close, I have the transport in sight."
"Damn, they must be moving really fast," Victor exclaimed. "We still have an hour worth of flight time."
"Kara, this is Diana, we will open the transport's back door when you get closer. Let us know when you are close." Diana smiled as she spoke.
Arthur jumped from his seat as a face appeared in his window, and blue eyes and a smile showed through. "We are on the left side of the vehicle, your highness."
Barry moved to the back of the plane, and hit a red button. The vehicle started to buck a little as the cargo door on the back began to open, over the sound of the wind, Victor heard the two Kryptonians' boots touchdown on the metal floor and pointed at the Flash. Immediately, Barry hit the button and the door started to close.
As the door clanged to a close, the rear door opened and Kara entered, Superman right on her heels.
Arthur smiled at the little blonde, "that wasn't funny, Kara."
Smiling widely, Kara laughed "It was funny, you should have seen yourself jump."
"Where did you learn that trick, anyway?" Arthur asked.
"I use it to scare my Zyvesh all the time," Kara admitted, then realizing what she said, she bit her lower lip and looked towards Diana.
"Zyvesh?" Diana questioned.
"It is my nickname for your mother, your highness," Kara admitted, suddenly feeling very guilty.
Instead of anger, Diana started to laugh, "my mother, I'm sure she doesn't think it is as funny as we do."
The two women continued to laugh until they realized how quiet the men were. Arthur, Victor, and Barry were all staring at the dark-haired man standing apart from everyone else. They stopped laughing and Kara hiccuped a bit as she swallowed the last of her giggles.
Clark looked as if he would rather be anywhere else at this moment, as this team looked at him with expectation and awe.
He held out a hand to Victor, "Hi, I'm Superman."
Victor took the hand and introduced himself, "I'm Vic Stone."
Realizing how silly he sounded, Clark introduced himself to everyone else as Clark Kent, which sounded foreign to Kara's ears, but she bit back any reminder of Krypton, as she relived his memories again. He had no memory of the planet, and from what she had seen, he had no desire to learn.
After introductions were made and Bruce came back from the cockpit, the group started to discuss strategy. Arthur admitted that combat for him normally meant punching stuff till it stopped attacking was his usual solution, so he sat down beside Kara and watched. Superman also admitted to not usually planning a strategy before a takedown, and Barry was completely lost.
"Our first priority has to be that shield so that we can get the civilians out of the area," Bruce started. "Kara, Diana said you had an idea?"
"Yes sir, how accurate are your weapons?" Kara questioned.
"They are laser-guided and can hit a target within ten meters give or take a meter," Bruce answered, then realizing Kara wouldn't understand guided missiles, "Sorry, they are extremely accurate and can all be fired at once."
Kara looked up and smiled, "Thank you, I believe if I focus my vision on a single spot, my cousin and I can punch a fairly large hole into the bubble. If you fire your...missiles, as soon as we collapse the section, they should be able to take down the protective shield."
"Your heat vision is that strong?" Clark asked.
"My vision has been enhanced by my mark." Kara explained, "so yes, I can maintain it on one spot for some time and at a great distance."
Clark nodded and Bruce clapped his gloved hands together, "okay, so that gets us through the shield. Then what?"
"We have to figure out how to get into the containment facility past all of those parademons," Victor spoke up.
"No, we have to get the innocents out of danger first," Kara interjected.
Diana and Bruce both nodded their agreement. "Our young ally is absolutely correct," Bruce smiled. "I have an idea for that." He removed a small device from his suit and pressed a button, emitting an ear-splitting shriek. "This sound will draw them out, towards my vehicle, away from the civilians and open a path so that all of you can get in and get to the mother boxes."
Kara gasped, "That's suicidal."
Diana and the rest of the team nodded their agreement. "Bruce, that is foolish, why not simply drop the device and get into the containment building as a group?"
"Once the vehicle is destroyed, they will come after us," Bruce warned.
Kara looked at the map again, noting the positions of people within the shields. "What if we split our forces? Send Clark and Barry to this side, where the innocents are and attack from the other side. We can use Bruce's device to draw them out, keep them occupied until their mission is complete," she pointed to Clark and Barry.
"But I'm one of the strongest ones here?" Clark questioned.
"Your fighting style is sloppy, and as proven by several of your past fights, you are better suited to search and rescue," Diana said, her tone as diplomatic as she could manage.
"Once the final innocent is out of the area, our primary mission is to get Victor into the building housing the mother boxes and deactivating them," Kara said, as she wished her unit from Themyscira was here right now.
"Bruce and Victor, you two will be the artillery, while Kara, Arthur and I attack as infantry. Arthur, I'm assuming you know how to use that trident?" Diana settled the strategy, nodding her approval at Kara.
"Yes ma'am, I know which end to stick into the bad guy," Arthur laughed.
Kara smiled at the large man, "The pointy end, Atlantean."
The rest of the flight was spent preparing for the upcoming battle. Kara sat with Victor, Barry and Arthur and the blonde amazon explained what she knew about the Parademons and their weaknesses. "Their wings, take them out of the air and they are helpless," Kara explained. "Barry, hit them and get away, you don't have the temperament for this, okay?"
Barry nodded his head, "Maybe when this is all done, you could train me a little bit?"
"Perhaps, if I am allowed to return from Themyscira, I can teach you," Kara volunteered, happy at having been asked.
"So, Supergirl, what was it like growing up on Themyscira," Arthur asked.
The crinkle on Kara's forehead showed itself, "Why do you all refer to me like that and then Bruce made me use it as a-a call sign?"
"Well, you are his cousin," Arthur answered, pointing at Superman, "and I hate to break it to you, Little One, but you look like a little girl compared to him, even if you can kick his ass."
Kara understood the reference, and a guilty smile reached her lips, "I didn't mean to hurt him, but he was attacking Diana, and I couldn't let that happen." Then she admitted in a whisper, "I thought she was Athena, and that would have been even worse for Kal-Clark."
From the other side of the plane, Diana's head turned at the whisper, and she smiled at the back of the blonde's head.
"You believe in the Greek gods?" Victor asked.
"I have spoken with many of them," then she turned and showed them the mark on her right shoulder. "This mark was given to me, by Rao, the Light of Krypton."
Arthur, who carried the mark of Atlan on his shoulder, looked closely at Kara's, "May I?"
Kara nodded, as Arthur touched her mark. The effect was immediate…
Through the mark, Kara felt…
His loneliness, he was the only one of his kind
Missing his mother
Acceptance could never come
Finally finding a group that accepted him for who he was
A connection with a fellow warrior
Fear, but strength
Intelligence, hidden behind brutish acts and childish taunts
Love, with red hair and blue eyes, Mera…
It wasn't just a mark, Arthur was a child of Poseiden, known to the Atlanteans as Atlan…
Through the Mark, Arthur felt…
Her loneliness as an orphan
Her happiness at finding her cousin, but there was also hesitation
Missing her Amazonian sisters and Myri
A connection as part of this group
Fear, of failure
Intelligence
Confidence
Love, with brown hair and eyes
Kara was a daughter of Rao, the last true Kryptonian of the Matrix
As he removed his hand, there was no fear in Arthur's reaction, only understanding. Kara felt no sickness, only acceptance and respect for a man who knew who and what he was and what he needed to overcome to be better.
Standing, Arthur offered his hand to the little blonde. Kara accepted and as she reached her feet, she was wrapped in a tight bear hug, "thank you, Little Sister. That was a true gift."
Sighing, Kara wrapped her arms around the big man's neck, "Thank you, son of Poseiden…"
Barry and Victor looked at the two warriors, confused by what had happened. "Told you we were outcasts," Barry snickered.
Kara looked down, "We are all outcasts, Barry, that's why we fit together so well. It's why we will overcome Steppenwolf and win the day. We chose to work together in this fight, we share a vision and a goal that cannot be overcome."
Victor spoke up, "like a really strange family, we are strong, but together we are even stronger."
Kara's smile lit up the whole plane, "El Mayarah…"
As the words left her mouth, an onboard alarm sounded…
"We're here," Bruce said calmly.
Kara peered out the window at the madness below the transport, "Stronger together…"
