Chapter 2: The approach to The End
A/N: I just wanted to thank the peeps who have viewed this story so far. After so many long months I am back to this thanks to Guardians of The Galaxy vol. 2, there was just something about the whole film along with the MCU that motivated me to get back on it. Of course don't forget to read Vigiliante's Arise if ya'll haven't. It's my most successful tale yet.
The red colossal giant of a star reached its goal at perfect timing as it started to soar over the horizon. The dark rays of the Sun named after the Kryptonian deity basked the remote mountains of the lower western side of the planet first before bringing its shine upon the major and minor civilizations of the centuries old race.
The early morning in the city of Argo was greeted by thousands upon millions of inhabitants as they initiated the long and busy day ahead for them all. Stores have opened after a long night of closing, terminals became crowed once again, and the streets didn't plan to go completely deserted until the day and night hours were officially over. Deep within the large Metropolis was an enormous penthouse crystalized residency that could only indicate was the home to many families that came from the prestigious and wealthy class. Near the very top of the structure which happened to be the largest residency of the others below lived no other than three members to the House of El. And were they in for the long day ahead of them.
Alura In-Ze in all her beauty and glory calmly walked down the quiet narrow hallway fully dressed in her appropriate attire with her shoulders back, head held high, tiara glistening, and hips plus cape swaying from side to side. The door that led to Kara's room lifted upon sensing her presence and she did her best not to make any sudden noise upon seeing the still sleeping form of her child in her bed chamber. Alura walked to one side of the bed and crouched over to where she was face to face with the sleeping Kara. Being extra gentle, the women leaned a little closer and brushed her long well treated eyelashes across the younger Kryptonian's cheeks earning a small sniffle from her lips. Alura then planted two light kisses to her forehead and chin followed by attaching her lips to Kara's in a gentle manner. The aging mother separated and brushed a long straight lock of golden hair behind Kara's right ear.
"Good morning my beloved sprout. May you be blessed throughout the day and keep your mind calm with beautiful thoughts." That being said the scientist left the room the same way she came in becoming eager to meet up with Kara considering the girl would be awake soon in approximately two more hours.
The nanocrystals that made up Kara's bed vibrated rather loudly beneath her, the girl stiffened harshly as she felt jolting all over her nape and neck. After a couple of seconds of the same procedure Kara's eyes opened wide as she propelled herself upright on her technological mattress, the moving bed coming to a halt upon completing its objective. The girl rubbed her eyes to remove all traces of sleep, she smiled upon remembering that she didn't have to return to the academy and she actually felt well rested which was something she hadn't experienced in months. She was about to leave her bed chamber to stretch when she was all of a sudden lifted into the air from the huge tremor that erupted from the planet. She wasn't normally startled when they hit but this time it was enough to make her yelp as nearly the entire building shook with raw power on the behalf of the tremor activity. If Kara listened closely, she would've been able to hear the loud screams of the people down below in the city streets.
Kara couldn't have been anymore relieved as the quake stopped a quick five seconds after it began. Normally she would move on and forget as if nothing ever happened but curiosity was getting the best of her. Whenever Krypton went through a seismic tremor it was normally small ones that would merely vibrate the environment. How was it possible for them to automatically become more violent after several years of minor shaking activity? Perhaps she will never know until years later. Getting her act together, the young Kryptonian disrobed herself from her sleeping gown and set her eyes on a long crystalized pole similar to the one her mother used for her daily stretches. Although she wasn't as nearly skilled in the arts of freestyle and running as Alura In-Ze, Kara took pride in her ability to be more freely and agile than the rest of the other trial members who depended and relied on their baton weapons. As she let out calm breaths during her balances Kara's mind was soon filled with thoughts on what her parents would be showing her for the day. She only hoped that all of it would be worth it considering her instructors were probably wondering where she was at this hour.
Zor dismissed the third hollow message he had just received on his wrist communicator as he along with his wife stood in their dimmed research quarters side by side, they were waiting for their daughter to join them soon. One look to Alura's mature face was enough to tell him that she was already starting to feel saddened by this whole plan once again despite how she was on par with her husband about this. He edged closer to her and took her soft callous hands into his own.
"Alura please, we have talked about…." He didn't get to finish his sentence for he was quickly interrupted.
"I know Zor, I am fully aware of all this. It's just…" her chin was lifted by her lover's knuckle and he gave an understanding look.
"This is about how much time we have left with her isn't it?" the scientist stood corrected as the women silently nodded. He didn't blame her, since yesterday his wife thought that they would still have another week left before departing with everything, she thought she could have all the time in the world with their daughter. And now here they were, cramming up all the time they thought they would have in just less than forty-eight hours.
"I know this isn't easy darling but let us put it this way, have Jor and I not conducted those test reviews we would have never found out about the true time of the planet's damnation. We wouldn't have been prepared." Alura sighed but knew her husband was correct in every way.
"As I said last night, we should make the most of what we can. We are doing this, for her." The women snuggled into his neck, putting his words into her head and blocking out the negativity with all her might.
They quickly separated on instinct as they hear the shuttle door to the research quarters open up with a whoosh. In the door way was Kara in her lime green and white attire with her face clean and beautiful shoulder length hair glistening in the now bright hallway. She walked into the room with an exciting look on her face as she skidded up the small set of stairs that her parents stood on. They greeted her with a loving group hug.
"Good morning darling." The parents of the young Kryptonian said simultaneously.
"Good morning Mother, good morning Father." She responded as she embraced her bearers even tighter. The trio parted to give each other better room and Zor was the next to speak.
"Well then. Are you ready to see what we have for you dear?" the girl's answer was proper as she was polite with a smile.
"Yes Father." That being said the scientists' issued her towards a rather large circular disk that looked as if it was made out of pure white glass but Kara knew exactly what it was, a warp pad. Warp pads were advanced teleportation devices that were given by the Council to people who worked under the science guild. This particular model however was different from the average design. When Kryptonians came to the discovery of the science behind teleportation centuries ago it didn't mean that there wasn't certain limits that they reached. A warp pad had the capacity to take a living host or more from one end of a room to a maximum of across an entire city, but the House of El always had the tendency to construct their own designs of these discs, being the gifted family that they were Zor along with his wife managed to build this warp pad to teleport anyone for miles amongst the platform when they stood on it. He had succeeded like his father and his father before him.
Kara wasted no time as she stood in the center of the large disk with her long emerald active boots placed together followed by the obsidian black boots of her parents who now stood side by side next to her. With a few button presses from Zor's wrist communicator the platform beneath their feet began to vibrate at a steady pace, soon the three Kryptonians found themselves surrounded by a white aura that showed no signs of stopping as it spun around the circle. In the blink of an eye the family of three vanished as the aura evaporated and the room went silent with the only noise that could be heard was the warp pad shutting down upon having completed its procedure.
Unknown location-500 miles East from The city of Argo
The warp pad illuminated with its magnificent technology, it brought light to the very dark room that it had been laying in. Light was followed by life as three beings manifested from the glowing disk and eagerly stepped off of it to compose themselves after the quick teleportation travel.
"Great Rao, where exactly is this place Father?" the girl asked her bearer in complete wonder. Her question was responded by the voice of her female parental figure. She placed her palms on her petite shoulders and spoke directly into her ear.
"Welcome Kara, this is your Father and I's secret research facility." As if on cue, Zor pressed a code mark on his communicator and smiled to Kara now placing his hands behind his back as the dark room began to light up only to realize it wasn't a room at all. The girls jaw nearly dropped upon seeing the surroundings in front of her, the three appeared to be inside some sort of underground world that expanded for quite a few miles. The only thing that didn't make this place look remote was the huge dome like walls that were made out of the metal used on Krypton including the large blue lights that were built into them.
"Mother I don't understand." The hands on her shoulders tightened a little as the women let out a small chuckle.
"What don't you understand darling?" Kara continued to look ahead for a while before properly speaking next.
"Why would you along with Father, work on projects and research in an openly huge place such as this?" Kara's attention went to her father as he let out his own chuckle while moving behind her.
"Because a place such as this." Alura geared Kara to wear she stood facing backwards and grinned as her daughter let out a huge surprising gasp while tilting her head up. What stood in front of her did indeed give her the surprise of a lifetime. In front of the three Kryptonians stood a gargantuan vessel that expanded further out into the other side of the tunnel.
Kara was shocked, she truly was. In all her nineteen years of living thanks to Rao the girl had never seen anything so humongous. After blinking multiple times to make sure what she was seeing wasn't an illusion Kara's mind switched to the knowledge she had received during her ten years of basic educational courses. This large vessel was in fact an obsolete by two models Kryptonian Prime Armada Fleet Ship, she felt honored upon being able to see one for herself. She couldn't determine the length due to the fact that the ship expanded as far as her eye could see into the dome but the estimated height that she could guess at the top of her head was at least nine-hundred meters. The next and final thing that left her astonished was the design of the ship. Even though from her angle on not being able to see the entire thing the ship was one of a kind as it had the shape of two jagged spears that looked as if they were being held together by the engines which she assumed were at the very back of the structure. Despite not being fond of obsidian Kara thought the color suited the fleet ship fine along with the royal blue streaks across the spears that were made from the crystals of krypton. The rest of the vessel however, obtained an armored appearance from Kryptonian metal which happened to have a natural color of obsidian.
"Is mere storage for something much, much greater." He finished his sentence with pride in his voice.
Kara stepped forward to observe more closely even though said action was completely unnecessary considering the tips of the giant spears were a good ten feet in front of them. The girl continued to stare at the marvelous obsolete but quickly spoke up to break the tension.
"Mother…Father…it…it is absolutely beautiful! I bear witness to what was once a primal ship to our military." The two aging soulmates couldn't be anymore happier upon seeing their heir in such high spirits. They have succeeded with beginning the day with a good start.
"Indeed Kara." The proud women said as she made her way next to her husband. "It is quite a structure to come across. You're Father and I managed to salvage this model after it was discharged and discarded by the Council, we brought it here to this underground lair and have been keeping it a secret ever since." Kara's first train of thought after hearing this disclaim was to be on the alert. On Krypton, possessing any kind of warfare technology without the authority of the Council and military leaders was a crime that would lead to grave consequences but those thoughts quickly disbursed. These two were her parents, she trusted them with her very own life considering them along with Rao gave it to her. If they had managed to keep this vessel a secret from the Council themselves then there really wasn't anything that she had to worry about, the situation even seemed to be under control.
"Oh please Father I beg you, let us all go inside!" the aging lovers were taken by surprise when their daughter rushed to them in an embrace with nothing but exciting joy in her voice. Zor stared into the beauty of his seed's face. He wasn't going to say no. After all, showing Kara the vessel that will become hers in the future was the main reason they came down here.
"Of course love, this is after all what we intended for you to see." He stroked away a long hair that fell into the girl's eyes.
Being the intelligent girl that the scientists' knew she was it didn't take long for Kara to locate a holo entrance near the left upper gargantuan spear, after all, she didn't put her effort into her studies for absolute no reason. The two however stood still as the young Kryptonian fell under the same aurora similar to the warp pad from earlier and in the blink of an eye, Kara Zor-El vanished from the ground and was taken above to join the massive ship that was once the prime of an armada.
"Perhaps we should have followed her, there are many ways of entering the ship after all and not every boarding takes one to the same location." The women said in slight regret.
"Nonsense Alura, she can take care of herself and if I recall. You and I have been exploring this ship for many years now. It wouldn't exactly take long to find her despite how colossal the aircraft is." Zor assured his wife with a smile and a calm stroke to her back.
"Care to join me Alura In-Ze?" The man ushered his wife towards the same holo entrance from which Kara had been abducted from.
"But of course Zor from the House of El." Was her reply with emphasis and well mannered. Once following the same gesture as Kara from earlier, the surrounding of the big cave went silent as the two disappeared followed by the heavy lights of the walls going dark and everything was bathed in darkness as how it was before the arrival of the three.
Kara kept her eyes closed as she felt herself no longer in the presence of the teleportation but in fact an area which seemed rather alien to her despite being on her home planet. She wasn't scared. As a matter of fact she was both curious and excited. She was inside a functioning discharged military ship. Kryptonians never lived their lives knowing what these vessels were like unless they decide to enroll into the service.
I cannot imagine how large this place is. How did Mother and Father managed to salvage something as outstanding as this fleet ship? I must explore. I don't want to leave this place anytime soon but its best if I stay semi put. I wouldn't want to get lost in a place such as this. Great Rao this place is big enough to potentially store all of the citizens populated in Argo City.
Shaking herself from her train of thought Kara observed the somewhat large room she had been ported to. Unlike most of the quarters she was used to entering this one was different. Everything from the floor to the walls to the ceiling was lit up with an ivory white atmospheric tone. If she didn't know any better the girl could only tell she was in a lab of some sort judging by the platonic crystal capsules that were sprawled ahead of her. Kara caught something in the corner of her eye near the closest wall to her and she quickly ran to it. She sighed in relief when she noticed that on the wall was a huge glowing holo map of the ship that explained exactly where she was. The purple triangle indicated her heart beat which was located at the bottom of the ship considering the map demonstrated the outline of the vessel. She was indeed somewhere below the giant but Kara refused to increase the magnification on the map mostly because she didn't know how to operate it. There was only a certain extent to how much she knew about her people's intellectual technology.
The girl's vision landed on two more triangle indicators that suddenly appeared near the top center of the ship. Her parents had boarded. They were here with her. Knowing that they would soon be looking for her Kara rotated her body towards the first thing that she saw upon porting into the strange quarters, the crystal capsules. If she was going to stay put she might as well explore the lab.
The capsules were nowhere near a sight for sore eyes. They stuck out of the ground in the forms of triangular spears, a total of five were in a pattern, a huge one in the center and two small ones on the top and bottom side by side. It almost looked like a shrine of some sort but Kara knew better, they contained something and she was going to find out. The girl knew she was straining from her discipline but she was only Kryptonian, she wasn't perfect despite what people thought of the House of El. Kara ignored the smaller pillars and focused on the one dead center. She was close now to the point of touching it and that is just what she did. What followed the touch was the crystal casing beginning to part open in all directions causing Kara to flinch back regretting her decision and regret she did. What happened next was in fact going to be one of the most devastating things that Kara Zor-El would face in her life.
A wave of nausea hit Kara as she looked at the object that rose high from the pillar to reach her frighten gaze. The shine of a proportionally large crooked emerald rock filled the white room rather quickly and turned the walls and ceiling a sickening green. The girl didn't have time to see the artifact properly as her eyes rolled into the back of her head and fell to her knees while cupping her hands over her mouth. The nausea was replaced with dizziness and the young Kryptonian's strength was leaving her body faster than she could pick herself up. The girl's next physical reaction was harsh coughing, almost as if her entrails were stuck in her throat. Kara couldn't take the pain in her head anymore and unleashed a loud painful screech followed by torrents of dark blue colored Kryptonian blood excreting from her esophagus and nostrils. There was no end to the suffering and Kara continued to vomit more of her interior fluids all over the once white floor. This was indeed the most physical pain she had ever experienced in her life. It was getting to a point where the young being cried out with tears flowing down her cheeks but the cries came out in haggard garbles rendering Kara to choke and gag on her blood. Unable to take this kind of punishment anymore the girl mustered all that was left of her strength into her right leg and she threw herself at the base of the platform. Her prayers to Rao were answered as the capsule detected the encoded touch of an El and the emerald rock was locked under its crystalized prison once again.
Kara laid on the floor while arching her back as she took in gulps of precious air that her lungs have been begging, the pain and nausea quickly leaving her body and the atmosphere was white once again expect for the large globs of cerulean blood that littered the floor along with Kara's stained nose and lips. Her strength however remained drained and she immediately began to lose her ability to stay awake. The last thing Kara swore she saw was the blurry angelic appearance of her mother running towards her followed by the yells of her father Zor-El.
Despite knowing what she went through Kara rose rather harshly from the bed chamber she had been placed into. She took in her surroundings and noticed that she was in a medical field lab equiped with many tools and beds lined in order from left to right from her position. The girl didn't have time to move as she heard the shuttle doors to her right open up with a loud swoosh and in came her parents with looks on their faces that represented both relief and worry. Alura rushed to one side of the bed and brought Kara's head into her chest while loudly thanking Rao that she was still well and alive. Zor came from the other side and brought the back of his daughter's hand to kiss it gently.
"Oh Kara, you had us worried sick darling." Her father spoke with guilty in his throat.
"Mother, Father, what happened? What was I exposed to?" the girls only response was a hush from her bearers.
"Silence Kara, do not waste your breath." The youngling of the two wasn't satisfied with her answer.
"Mother I am serious. What happened to me?" she watched her tone as she asked again but she couldn't help it. It wasn't until this very moment when she realized that she had gotten her strength back. There was no feeling of head pains, nausea or numbness. It almost felt as if she had woken up from a deep sleep replenishing her energy.
"Kara." Her attention geared towards Zor as he looked into her young eyes. "What you just experienced was your first exposure to a natural deadly particle from our planet." The girl's eyes bulged in shock.
"Deadly particle of natural origin?!" her voice began to tremble and Kara no longer fought the urge to stutter away from her mother's embrace. Like always she accepted it and Alura rubbed the side of her face while humming smoothly.
"Calm you storm dear, we will explain everything. For now…just let us hold you." she finished in a whisper and the three wrapped their arms around another, waiting for the tension in the atmosphere to calm down. Here they were thinking the late morning was off to a good start.
This just went to show that not even the House of El was perfect. Zor felt like a fool upon thinking it was ok to let his daughter board the ship alone in the first place. Especially when she ended up in the room where he least expected her to be. Have they not checked a nearby map for quick directions their own flesh and blood would've suffered and died from prolonged Kryptonite radiation, Alura was scared to death when she realized where Kara was and punched in the coordinates to take her to the head control quarters of the ship. There was the only place that they could port where they pleased on the vessel without taking them to an unwanted location.
Zor knew that Alura was upset with him and he would accept whatever harsh language she would bestow upon him but they had much bigger things to deal with such as getting their daughter out of the Kryptonite lab to safety. And now here was Kara Zor-El, she had escaped lethal harm once again thanks to Rao who was keeping her safe.
"Please Mother. What happened to me?" she asked for the third time not being able to hold in the questions that were bottled up in her mind and throat anymore. Just now Alura decided it was best to speak. The three fixed their postures and they were determined to get this over with.
"Darling what you experienced was your very first exposure to Kryptonite." The girl's expression hardened.
"Kryptonite?" the women nodded. Zor intruded next with a stern approach.
"Kryptonite is a mineral that your Uncle, Mother and I discovered many months ago dear. If you had been there you would have seen how we reacted when we first saw it at eye level, it was identical to yours." Kara took in the information rather quickly but stood silent knowing that he wasn't done.
"So you are saying is that the emerald stone that I was exposed to…"
"Causes a severe physical reaction towards us Kryptonians." The women finished the sentence loud and clear. She was proud to know Kara caught on quickly and now understood what Kryptonite was capable of.
"But where did you both find this…this Kryptonite? How have you managed to discover such a deadly artifact?" Alura geared her head towards Zor, issuing her husband to take the lead in explaining.
"As I said dear, we discovered it many months ago while on a research expedition. Kryptonite is labeled a natural mineral because it comes from the very core of the planet. What most didn't realize is that these stones have been pushing and terraforming for centuries and can now be found amongst the lower crust of the planet." The more her parents kept explaining the less tensed Kara seemed to be. To be safe she was going to finish with at least a couple more things on her mind.
"Will I grow ill soon? Does it remain dormant until a few more hours?" her parents looked at each other before letting out comforting chuckles simultaneously. The girl's mother rubbed her forehead against hers.
"No dear, it is a blessing from Rao that the effects of Kryptonite can only affect us if we were in the very presence of it. And they immediately ware off upon separation. But do be careful, we have studied what the stones full capacity of prolonged expose can do to our people. It could lead to the decomposing of body cells and what follows, death." Kara nodded in conclusion but couldn't help but swallow a lump of saliva that was caught in her throat upon hearing that last remark.
"Thank you Mother, and you as well Father. I won't be going near that laboratory anymore for as long as I live, this mineral is toxic and I don't want any part of it. Who even thought of the name Kryptonite for such a stone?" Zor couldn't help but laugh.
"Why your Uncle of course Kara, after we conducted tests on several pieces he decided to call it that. You're Mother and I couldn't help but agree to the term." Kara did raise a brow at this but she decided to official drop the topic now, the three could tell that this was just going to lead from one question and answer to another so at this point the time was right to move on.
"Enough said darling, you are safe with us once again and that is all that matters. Shall we move on? There is so much left of the ship to show you." he was greeted with high spirits from the girl and her mother moved to give her room to get off the bed chamber.
"Indeed, let us go." She checked her reflection in a crystalized mirror next to the chamber and noticed her nose and lips were clean of any blood or smears. She figured her mother or her father cleansed her mouth while she was rendered unconscious.
Instead of using the doors that led to the exit Kara followed her parents who stepped onto a much smaller warp pad of different design. Considering this was a military ship, the glass pad had jagged ridges around the edges and was a color obsidian rather than clear white. The young Kryptonian didn't question one bit as she followed her bearers' gestures and noticed that Zor brought his right forearm to his face. On his limb was a rather thin royal blue gauntlet, it almost looked like as if it was a piece of war armor if not for the nanocrystal technology radiating off of it.
After several odd finger presses and confirmed sounds the three fell under the teleportation technology for the third to fourth time and disappeared to another part of the ship.
When they arrived to their new location Kara was the first to step off and take in the appearance of the most impressive room yet. Despite never being on a ship such as this it didn't take long for Kara to put two and two together and come to the conclusion that this was the head control room where a General along with his or her inferior comrades would discuss plans and strategies. The area was quite beautiful. The dark metal walls were decorated with aligned family crests. Some of which Kara didn't even recognize. All except one, and that was the symbol of El that the girl wished to where upon her upper chest one day, and what she didn't know was that day was today.
"Quite impressive Father." She exclaimed as she walked towards the only symbol on the wall that had different colors other than obsidian. She was about to place her palm on the enormous crest when she restrained herself and twisted her head to face her parents, they stood side by side with proud smiles on their faces, smiles that had other meanings to them, not just happiness. Alura issued her head forward as if she was telling Kara to proceed.
"Go ahead Kara, you were doing so well." Kara did show concern by what her mother meant by that statement. Did they want her to do something? Was this why they brought her here? She quickly went with the flow and her neatly clean hand touched the middle of the serpent in the prisoned crest. Today was a day of surprises for Kara as she heard confirmed hums from the ceiling of the room.
…Subject identified as Kara Zor-El. Daughter of Zor-El and Alura In-Ze. Welcome and pleasant greetings.
The dark yellow and crimson crest embedded into the metal wall opened from the middle horizontally and the young Kryptonian feasted her eyes on what stood inside the secret chamber.
It was dark for several seconds but the crystal lights soon illuminated the vault in a bluish white and what was presented was enough to make the girl gasp to the point of covering her mouth with both hands.
There in the middle of the brightness was a glass female mannequin that stood straight up to Kara's height with its arms spread to its lower sides and slowly rotating from the left to face her. It wore a magnificent royal crimson cape that started from the shoulders all the way down to where it dragged onto the ground for a good few inches past the ankles and feet. The womanly figure was covered in a glorious dark royal blue metallic fabric that concealed the neck, arms, body, and waist which was red with a yellow brace buckle but leaving the slim thighs and legs exposed. Down to the knees were two twin crimson polished cuffs in the shape of diamonds that were connected to the long red thick high heel boots that glistened in the surrounding light. The last thing that left Kara astonished was the tiny golden crest that held the cape together at the neck and the large family crest of El in yellow and red upon the chest and breasts of the figure.
Kara didn't even notice her parents were now directly behind her as the placed their hands on her tensed shoulders. She never once took her eyes of the outfit that was on display.
"Be amazed young one." The oldest of the three spoke loudly.
"We present to you, your family crest." Alura planted a kiss the girl's tender neck.
Kara was losing the battle with her emotions at this point. She felt shocked, flabbergasted, confused, excitement, and last but most defiantly not least, humbled. The outfit that was within a moments grasp was no doubt intended to be for her to wear. Here her parents were giving her something that she had no intention to receive until she passed the trials. It was against the rules and laws of Krypton for young Kryptonians to be given their crest before passing said trials mostly because it was a ceremonial and traditional event that could only happen till after graduation. Kara wasn't in any position to be thinking she deserved such a gift. She was a young girl who was bestowed the consequence of repeating several courses and on top of all of that she didn't live up to the expectations of her instructors considering they knew very well what house she aired from.
Unable to handle the whole situation any longer the girl bowed her head and at last turned away from the great trophy. The married husband and wife stared at their offspring in concern and were silenced by the girl's serious confession.
"No…no I cannot accept this, this is too much no." she cried and did very little to walk away but was stopped by the superior strength of Alura.
"Kara, this is for you." she gestured towards the unworn metallic uniform.
"You have done well these last few years. You have always put the best of your efforts into your objectives and you never once surrendered to defeat. That in our eyes makes you…." she stopped upon realizing she wasn't getting anywhere again with the girl.
"No Mother, this isn't right. It is one thing for me to be called your successor. It is one thing for me to be encouraged and pushed to accomplish greater things. But for you both to be presenting me the family crest so that I may wear it when I am nowhere near done with my trials is strictly forbidden even in the eyes of Rao. You will never admit it, but I haven't earned it Mother. I will not under any circumstances commit this treason and accept this." Alura was left speechless, being the mature one she wasn't going to make a scene and was thankful to Rao that her husband decided to step in by cupping Kara's bowed chin and brought it to wear their eyes met at equal level.
The look he was giving her was a perfect combination of sternness and strictness but it also consisted of understanding and loving.
"Now you listen to me young one." His voice grew deep in a tone where he and his wife knew she wasn't going to utter a peep.
"It is time you stop seeing yourself as something you are not. You are my blood. You are your Mother's blood. You are not perfect but nobody really is, all except Rao above. For so long you have let society brand your name as something that isn't and will never be great and even though we have had these conversations before, you still fall victim to their pathetic words. I hereby think it is time you put such stupidity aside Kara Zor-El." Just as he suspected the girl stood silent and he brought her into his chest for warm comfort.
Zor closed his eyes with his face growing a sad yet gleeful expression. He remembered when he held his child the day she was born. How he stroked her small head as his wife nursed her with her breast. He never admitted it to anyone, not even to Alura but Zor knew that the visions he dreamed with the first few nights of Kara's life as a newborn were indeed fact a blessing from the Kryptonian deity. For four whole nights in his sleep Zor pictured himself in an unknown bluish sky that he had never seen before with pale white clouds and the very sun shining a bright golden yellow. The literal atmosphere was disturbed by a red streak that zoomed across his vision and the horizon at supersonic if not hypersonic speeds. The object would come back and forth but it moved too fast for him to picture what it was exactly until it came to a complete stop in the air several feet in front of him. There stood a beautiful young girl with shoulder length blonde straight hair and a uniform consisting of the colors red, yellow, and blue. What mostly caught his attention was the symbol of his family crest upon her suit and the glorious red cape that fluttered in the air behind her back. Everything would then end as the appearing goddess's eyes would glow a synthetic yet magnificent red and the scientist would wake up just as the girl in his dream smiled and whispered.
…..Fear me not. I am S…..
The tear fell loosely down the male Kryptonian's cheek when he opened his eyes. He didn't once hear the footsteps of his wife approaching but she did and wiped his cheek clean of moisture.
Alura, with no sensation of getting bored from the over made gesture brought her cape around the two and the three stood in each other's love for over a minute. When they split the two scientists' ushered the girl towards the chamber that hadn't moved one bit. They were taken by surprise when Kara quickly stuttered towards the uniform on display. It was time for a repeat.
With the help of once again another confrontation Kara's emotion of excitement took over her body and pushed whatever negativity she had to the back of her mind. She took several steps forward to where it felt as if she was entering the vault containing the precious gift. Unable to turn back Kara planted both palms on the chest of the mannequin. The girl cooed when she dragged her slender fingers across the strong metallic crest.
"Oh Mother, Father, it is astonishing in every way." Kara inspected the suit more closely and was impressed when she found out that the metal like fabric was indeed built with molecular nanocrystals. The sole compressor that contained all the microscopic encryption particles was hidden in the small neck brace that held the cape together.
Wasting no time Kara touched the neck jewelry with her index and middle finger and watched as the thin armored suit began to dissolve into the golden brace. The cape went first followed by the cuffs with boots and finally the rest of the one piece was sealed within the container. All that was left on the now bare female figure was a small necklace chain that held the golden piece of technology on the upper collar. She saw her parents turn their backs towards her and took this in as the final step to commence the wearing of her family symbol.
Not wanting to cause too much tension Kara disrobed herself from her emerald and white garments. Being the proper educated Kryptonian that she was the girl folded her discarded robes and placed them near the feet of the mannequin. She now stood outside of the vault with nothing on her body except for the rather tight but loose chain she fashioned around her neck. Hoping for the best Kara took a soothing breath, closed her eyes, and pressed the symbol on her collar.
For the last El it all became an absolute bliss as she spread her arms and arched her head back, pleasurably grinning as the tiny particles worked their way to cover her bare flesh. She could feel her feet elevating from the heels of the boots and her knees being cupped by the diamond shaped cuffs but what made her let out a laughter of pure joy was the protruding crest that manifested over her flawless breasts and the sound of a heavy cape dropping down behind her back and ankles. With the transformation complete Kara opened her eyes to look down upon her newly acquired gift and the girl couldn't be any more surprised. She trailed her fingers from her now bare thighs to her slim waist, admiring how it fit comfortably around her thin stomach. Her now royal blue covered arms continued the trail up and stopped right below the family crest. The girl softly cooed as for the first time in her life she ran her fingers through the serpent locked in the prison but this time it was on her own chest. Her last and final aspect that she inspected was the cape that was wrapped around her neck and shoulders, despite being almost near exactly as long as her mother's cape Kara wouldn't have had it any better. Her inner child got the best of her and she spun around on her crimson heels, admiring the sound of the cape moving with her rhythms, not once did it get caught between her legs.
After a few more swirls all went silent as Kara was back to facing the inside of the chamber but the only difference this time was the crystalline mirror that stealthily manifested while she was in her trance. Her parents could be seen hand in hand near the back angle but the only attention that Kara was giving into was none other than her herself, her reflection of course. Seeing her own body in the coverage of her uniform brought flutter to her face. The girl never thought she was ever going to wear anything like what she had on until the next few years but in a way despite knowing what she along with her parents were doing was wrong, her inner wants and needs got the best of the Kryptonian.
She loved it. She didn't care at this point what even the Council members themselves would say if they were right here in this very room with them Kara loved her brightly polished suit. It made her feel as though she had a bigger than life purpose, it made her feel stronger and powerful. Almost as if she was invincible. But the one thing that Kara felt the most by wearing the crest was representing a symbol, an icon, perhaps this was how an El felt upon receiving their family crest. Perhaps this was how any Kryptonian on the planet felt when they received their family crest.
The beautiful girl swerved with a movement of her heel and ran to her bearers giving them a loving embrace for the umpteenth time not only for the day but for the past nineteen years.
"Thank you, thank you both so much. For this gift and for everything that you've had ever done for me. You have given me everything and I will not rest until you have seen my success." Alura stroked the side of Kara's face and nuzzled her forehead into hers before planting a small kiss to her nose.
"You're Welcome darling, and you have earned this. Being the person you are who always stood up when pushed down no matter what is the exact definition of an El. You never surrendered before and Rao knows that despite your doubtful moments in the near future, you won't be surrendering then." Kara blushed as her father stoker her cape covered back.
"You look absolutely beautiful Kara. Your Mother did a great job at designing it." Zor protested the revelation proudly while staring at his wife in admiration. The girl's eyebrows rose in surprise.
"Mother, you made this yourself?" the women gave a loving smile as she nodded her head to her daughter. When Alura started constructing the uniform many sunsets ago she wanted to make what would be the perfect suit for Kara. A mixture between the most elegant fabrics purchased off the market along with the perfect combination of nanocrystals and the ancient thin Kryptonian female armor used by the Armada and Military during the celestial Golden age of the Kryptonians under their planet's yellow sun.
Loving the uniform even more now that she knew who was responsible for making it Kara giggled and now focused her loving hug on Alura while Zor stepped back in glee and understanding. The women lifted her heir slightly off the ground and spun her around in rhythmic circles, their capes flowing outwards while flapping in the calm room wind. While they spun Kara peppered her mother's cheeks with light kisses feeling as though it was time to show her own affection of love and gratitude.
The spinning stopped and Kara could feel her boots touch the floor again, she felt her mother's lips brush against her left ear followed by a whispering I love you.
"As do I."
"My Dears." Zor began once again. "Surely it would be best if we put a certain outfit, to the test." He ushered towards his daughter who looked down at her clean suit.
The young one couldn't agree more.
"Yes Father." Alura nuzzled her nose into Kara before the married scientists joined together with their daughter quickly following to the side. They left the control room they were currently in and pursued down the many corridors that looked so large and so similar, one could get lost. It took a while but the three managed to reach yet another destination.
It was another massive door, among many. But this one had a planetary enigma symbol, indicating that this was indeed a virtual obstacle room, one of billions used for many purposes on Krypton. Training and exercising being the primary of course. The gateway opened up in a four-paralleled way and inside was a bright beautiful picture. There were many bluish metallic silver structures and walls that looked like as if they were more than three dimensional due to their translucent effect they had upon detecting the head master of the ship. Polished crystals struck out of the obstacles in many forms and fashions to ensure that these could be used as leverage, most likely climbing or balance techniques.
Kara had been in many of these rooms in the past, it excited her to see one upon this great ship her parents have salvaged. The voice of Zor-El echoed throughout the virtual complex.
"Now then." He took a step to the side and the two beautiful women watched as he stepped on what appeared to be a warp pad which raise him up into the air. "Let us see if your now better, attire. Is fully functioning Kara."
To her Father's meaning, Kara took her eyes away from him and was greeted with the sight of her Mother, running towards the advanced structures that awaited them, she marveled as the glorified women used her momentum to escalate the walls and only slowed down to indicate for Kara to follow. The girl happily complied. Alura proceeded with her daughter running behind her. She used her momentum to climb up another wall with her legs before throwing herself in the opposite direction straight into a crystalized pole in which she perched herself on. To Alura's amazement Kara did the same procedure at a much slower pace but overall moved elegantly like her. Her new outfit allowing her to be quite flexibly through the air.
Alura stroked Kara's chin when they met face to face on the same pole and the older female leaped off her thin platform in order to start hopping off several pillars that could be seen sticking out of the artificial ground. Kara didn't hesitate to follow and carefully-calculate her movements as step after step of long booted platforms connected with the structures. Alura on the last path of the pillars jumped and dug her fingers into a stern jagged wall, the sound of a leap of triumph from Kara soon followed. Their capes hung past their ankles in the air but the Mother and Daughter proceeded upwards, the two keeping an eye on each other considering there was nothing holding them in place but their hands. And now feet, in which they were using to climb faster.
To the aging scientist's surprise Kara managed to make it up to the flat part of the metallic advanced wall first, a hand was what awaited her and Alura gracefully took it so Kara could help pull her up. The uniform did have a sense of comfort. The lack of coverage in the Kryptonian's legs was enough to give her the mobility that she needed.
"Does it suite you fine darling?" she couldn't help but ask while taking the opportunity to catch her breath slightly.
"Indeed Mother, the fabrics also helps me keep cool." The heir touched her abdomen to ensure she was fine before spotting her Father a few feet above them in the air. She was about to gesture for him to join on the platform when his warp pad lowered to the bottom of the structure. Alura and Kara watched in amazement as Zor performed his own barrage of acrobatics to reach them, his every move was precise despite being in his metallic brace and coat and within a few minutes, he made the final push up and spun forward in the air to roll over his right shoulder and crease his legs up so that now he was standing with his family atop the virtual room.
The two he loved most were impressed.
"And hear I wondered why you stopped being so active." Alura stepped forward to entwine their callous fingers together.
"The art of acrobatics has always been your preference as a hobby, besides…I am for mostly science." the married couple connected their lips, earning a blush from Kara, who was watching them from one practical step away.
She cleared her throat once but was amazed at how her parents continued their intimacy. She hunched her shoulders and cleared her throat a bit louder finally catching their attention. Alura let out a playful huff and gear her vision towards her husband.
"Well, as you know Zor-El, I am one for mostly science too." One final kiss past and the aging lovers returned to acknowledging Kara. Who seemed as though she was in though.
"Kara." Zor placed a hand behind her head. "Is there something on your mind?"
The young one gave in to her mind for a while, taking in everything that has happened throughout the day.
"Mother, Father, I know we have been here for a while….but I wish to see Aunt Lara and Uncle Jor." She concluded with her parents slightly taken aback by what she wanted to do next. It wasn't that they were upset or anything. They were merely stopped in their tracks for their plans considering there was still so much left to see of the ship. Zor had planned to even show Kara the weapons and artillery facilities. There was just so much left to explore. Alura issued forward.
"Is there any reason in particular for why you wish to see your Aunt and Uncle dear? Surely you'd like to see the rest of what we have on the Armada." Kara nodded but overall readied her breath.
"I know Mother, I am being truly honest, this place is amazing. There is so much left to see. But I think its best if we explore this a step at a time. The ship will still be here for the weeks to come." The parents looked towards one another but nonetheless ushered Kara to proceed.
"Aunt Lara and Uncle Jor are family. After everything that we have been through today I want nothing more than to spend it with those I care about." The heir brought her arms around her bearers. "Please Father, only you know the reasons for why we came here but can we please visit them. You know how things have been since Kal. If we are the House of El. Let us be there for them." Zor listened carefully as he stroked his child's face.
"That is what makes me love you more everyday Kara Zor-El. Always thinking about others before you. I just might agree with you to the visit. Your uncle could use the company. What say you Alura?"
The two now had their concentration on the older women.
"I would have to agree as well to the both of you." she reached up to see her husband's gauntlet and was surprised to see the solar time now approaching noon. "Presenting you the family crest is what I personally intended after all Kara….we have been here quite enough. Let us leave the premise." Kara's smile could only brighten as she straightened her collar and long cape, enjoying the sound it made as it dragged on the platform they were on.
The warp pad wasted no time as it's command link reactivated and levitated itself in front of the three. The two patiently waited their instructions and soon the family were engulfed by the wonderful technologies of Krypton.
Lara Lor-Van, the beautiful wife of Jor-El walked in great light brown robes that hugged her body comfortably. She had spent a rather long time in a Gaula bath for most of the morning but with the help of Jor she had managed to leave the hot comfort and dress while placing the white silver polished family crest upon her torso. The young women adjusted her long braid before opening the main doors to her home to whoever decided to visit unannounced. Her eyes widened when she saw who was the first one to stand front.
"Kara!" she gave an impressionable grin.
"Aunt Lara!" the young blonde immediately stepped forth and received the welcome of her relative. They separated and Lara moved back to allow the second family in.
"Please do come in, please." Kara took in her surroundings, admiring the well-made furniture and atmosphere.
"My oh my." Lara began once again. "My dear you look beautiful in the family Crest."
Kara's concentration switched to her outfit and she blushed upon hearing the compliment.
"Why Thank you Aunt Lara, Mother designed it herself for me, I know I'm not supposed to wear it yet but it feels so nice and well."
"Not to worry my dear, sooner or later I was going to have to see you in it." the women teased as she turned towards Kara's parents.
"As for you both." She hugged each older member and embraced the kiss Alura planted on her cheek. "Thank you both for coming. I was beginning to think that today would be nothing but ordinary." Alura chuckled.
"Kara insisted that we come visit you and Jor, and we both figured it would be for the best." Zor nodded in agreement.
Just then another presence entered the living quarters and the four were greeted by Jor-El, who had his back straight, shoulder's arched and majestic coat wrapped around his torso.
"It appears everyone is here for the noon?"
"Uncle Jor!" his niece's eyes were lit with life, if only his could have been filled with a little more than half.
"There she is." He issued forward spreading his arms out. "The heir to The House of El, finally wearing what is rightfully hers." The younger man cupped her chin and pressed his lips to her forehead earning smiles from Zor, Alura, and Lara. Lara took this opportunity to excuse herself.
"Oh my, where are our manners, please make yourselves comfortable. I will go and prepare us all some Vertoon." Kara's eyes widened at the thought of the delicious cupped broth and followed her aunt to join her in the serving quarter. Vertoon was indeed one of many and only things that Krytonians ever consumed. Mother's milk being another of course. But over the years of study, Rao's people in fact didn't need much for consumption of energy. With the exceptional cases of water for hydration and the nutrients that Vertoon broth provided, along with several vegetation crops providing nutrients in muscle growth for those who were physically able.
Once Lara and Kara were out of sight the now three in the living quarters engaged into one another.
"Oh Brother." Zor shook the younger man's hand before cupping his shoulders to see him straight to the face. "It is good to see you again. Here in your home, and in the flesh."
"Thank you Zor. Thank you so much for arriving. For considering us a part of a farewell."
"You are more to us than a simply farewell Jor." Alura stated sternly. "You along with Lara, are family. Kara wanted to see you both. She loves us all with her heart."
"Yes, she does." Zor reminded his sibling. "And I wasn't lying when I said that we would see each other again."
"You also weren't lying when you said the last time we speak it would most likely be are last." The aging parent's faces grew grim.
"Yes, but now is not the moment. We still have the rest of today and spending them with Kara is all that matters, so now that we are all here thanks to Rao's will let us cherish this time." Alura took her husband's hand.
"After all, we have everything ready for her….the ship is active and prepared when the world will cease to exist." Jor looked down for a moment before speaking up and his voice met the look in his eyes.
"Lara only wishes to see Kal again….she can still hear his cry in her head." It went quiet after that last sentence. All except for the small sniffles coming from the serving quarter. When the three went in just around the corner there they saw Kara giving a loving hug to her Aunt, the would have been mother had tears in her eyes and was doing her best to remain composite with her posture. They listened carefully.
"He was beautiful, he was so beautiful."
"Yes he was, he will always be in our hearts Aunt Lara."
"I miss him so much dear, I want my child back."
"Rao is forgiving, if anything he will bless you in the future with a healthy infant, along with many more. For you are a worthy women of Krypton," Kara stroked the small droplets from her cheeks before doing what her own mother did best. Brush her eye lashes against Lara's face, earning tender coos and happiness from her.
The three watching, felt nothing but pride for the young girl and moved away so that they could seat each other on the furniture of the living quarters. Shortly after Lara came in with an extravagant tray of glass cups, five to be specific and each containing the warm scarlet liquid that was Vertoon.
Each member of the family took a drink gracefully before whispering a fair thank you and sipping the much needing beverage full of nutrients. The perfect moment was precise for Kara. Today had been a wonderful day. A day in which she could leave her worries behind despite what she had learned from her mother. Sure, she was most likely going to have to return to her trials and do her very best to succeed the next time, but she was confident now, more confident than she had ever felt in a long time. She needed this. And she was glad her Father had given it to her. And was proud that her Mother had designed and given her the family crest. Sure, she was going to have to remove it by the end of today but for her, it was beyond more than an honor to be wearing it for just today.
This was between the family under The House of El. No one else needed to know. Not her peers, The Council, or anybody else.
To the girl's amazement she began talking about the certain events that have led to this moment to her Aunt and Uncle. They listened carefully with wonder as she explained how her parents have managed to salvage an entire Armada fleet ship in an underground base. Zor and Alura did nothing for precaution as their daughter spoke. Family bonds could hold secrets stronger than any research document.
Lara did however choke on her cup of Vertoon when Kara brought up her encounter with the deadly Kryptonite and the painful reactions she experienced from exposure. Had it not been from a gazing look from Zor, Kara most likely wouldn't have dropped the subject. Once they were done with the refreshments Kara protested first and collected the tray and cups from everyone. Lara had protested that the young girl shouldn't be acting like such a servant in someone else's home but the Kryptonian felt more than certain to help clean up after everyone. The four adults playfully chuckled as Kara left into the serving quarters with the tray, her cape elegantly dragging on the clean floor as it disappeared with its owner around the corner.
It all happened too fast.
The tray in Kara's hands flew out into the air as her body was launched upward from the huge tremor that hit the complex. The girl would've been slack jawed upon seeing the broken glass if not for another tremor hitting the area, sending her off her feet once again and hitting her head on the translucent ceiling. The whole home of the upper levels of the building began to shake tremendously, not once stopping and immediately striking fear into the young girl's heart.
What was happening?
"Kara!?" the screams of Alura In-Ze entered her ears and the room.
"Mother!?"
The tremors were hitting, but unlike any she had ever felt. They were massive, and terrifying compared to the ones that have been happening the last few months. Alura immediately went into the serving quarters with her daughter but she didn't have time to grab her as the two, heard the very ground beneath the building echo rather loudly. Almost like as if a creature was being awakened by the very thing it hated the most.
"Mother….what wa…." The crystalized structure boomed and vibrated at rates that almost made Kara want to stay where she was on the floor, her Mother instinctively threw herself on her heir, determined to keep her safe in the unknown hell that had decided to disturb their day.
Grabbing Kara's caped shoulders Alura lifted them both to their feet and geared them towards the rest of the family who were huddled in the center of the complex. Lara's trembling hand going for the Holonet and would've succeeded in turning it on if not for one more seismic tremor scaring the poor women into the submission of her husband's arms.
"Father! What is happening?" Kara called out to the one person she felt as though he could give an answer. The aging man was next to his brother, reading several calculations on his wrist gauntlet. His face grew grim by the millisecond as he stared his fiery gaze into his wife and anyone else willing to look.
Everyone except for Kara understood that look.
"We were dull to believe that we knew better than him. That we knew the exact date of our demise."
"No…" Alura's trembling voice whispered into the spine of Kara Zor-El.
"Father what is happening?!" the young girl cried immediately submitting to fear, especially with how her own Mother was reacting.
"It had started." Was all he said as his gauntlet flashed a thermal image of the planet terraforming from the inside.
A/N: The end is near! Stay tuned if you guys wanna see more. And once again I'd really like to hear from ya'll weather in Vigilante's Arise or here on which phase of the MCU should I place Kara in once she is sent off to her new home. Phase 1, 2, or 3. I was personally thinking phase 2.