PART SIX
9:30 A.M. Wednesday, Midvale, Danvers House
Up since before dawn to talk, kiss, have sex and be close a little longer. Kara and Lena were wrapped around each other sweaty, panting and sucking on each other's mouths while they each had a hand inside the other's panties. Close to orgasm as stroke each other's clit's, they kept going until they orgasmed together.
Kara cuddled closed to Lena, totally focused on her girlfriends slowing heartbeat after another amazing round of intense sex. Kara had never experienced anything like it before. She was already addicted to it after just a few times. She loved the way it made her feel, like her body was singing without words but it was also that she could make Lena feel that way too that heightened the experience to levels she only had Krypton words for. Kara loved how Lena's body reacted, how Lena smelled and how she sounded through every moment. It was so intoxicating and overpowering that the rest of the world simply did not exist. However, in that lull in between Kara heard over their combined heartbeats a sizzling sound that caught her attention.
The sizzling sound multiplied then turned into a whistling then a boom as multiple things hit the ground nearby. The sound was loud enough to startle even Lena and they both jumped up in bed.
"What was that?" Lena asked. She looked around like something had hit the house.
"Something fell from the sky. I think it was debris from space or something. There were lots of pieces, some of it landed nearby." Kara said. She got up checking the window looking out.
"Hey, what time is it?" Lena asked.
"Nine thirty. Oh dang it's getting late." Kara said with a heavy frown.
"We should get dressed. I don't want your mom catching us like this. It's not how I want to meet her. I want to make a good impression with your family." Lena said. She threw off the blanket and stood up. Lena's hair was still wild from their activities that morning and sweat still coated her whole body. Kara couldn't help but stop and stare, she thought Lena looked so sexy in her rumbled underwear Kara forgot what she was doing. She stood there watching as Lena got dressed, and it wasn't until Lena was almost fully dressed that she noticed that Kara was just standing there watching her with a lecherous look on her face.
"Kara, please. If you keep looking at me like that we're never going to leave this room."
"What does that mean?" Kara asked.
"It means I want to have sex with you again. So please stop looking at me like I'm first food you've seen in several months. I need to get dressed." Lena said.
"Wait, am I really looking at you like that?" Kara asked her eyes wide.
"Yup." Lena answered laughing.
"Oh, I need to be careful about that." Kara shook her head shaking the sex haze out of her mind and moved to get dressed. She slipped on her jeans and a green t-shirt and socks to go with her running shoes.
Lena sighed and huffed with irritation at having to put the torn up riding gear back on. The pants were torn up and beat up, the shirt was crusty from dried blood and the jacket was stiff and had holes in it. Kara helped Lena put the jacket on and hugged her.
"It's only temporary." Kara quietly reminded Lena.
"I know but it's like wearing death. I don't like it." Lena admitted.
"Hey, before I take you into town. Do you want to check out what came down? One of the pieces hit that field behind the house." Kara said with a smile and shrug. She didn't want Lena to leave just yet and was thinking of anything to prolong it. Lena quickly agreed.
"That sounds like fun. Let's go check it out."
Kara locked the house as they left and they walked hand in hand through the woods toward the field in the direction that Kara had seen one of the pieces fall and hit the ground. Kara felt more than a little sad that Lena had to leave and from Lena's sad expression she felt the same.
"Hey, I know this sucks but it's not forever right?" Kara said with a shrug.
"You're totally right. I have all your info memorized so I'll call as soon as I can and we'll email and video chat until I get back here. It'll be good. I think I should come back this summer." Lena said.
"That would be great." Kara agreed.
"Hey Kara, have you ever traveled…wait, sorry. Let me ask that in a better way. Have you ever traveled around Earth?" Lena asked.
Kara shrugged and admitted she hadn't. Lena told Kara about all the places she had traveled to and visited describing it to Kara, who admitted it would be nice to visit places that sounded that nice. Lena then began planning a trip for the both of them; a trip that she said would show this world to Kara.
"We'll have to plan it for after we finish high school because I intend on keeping you for a couple of months to do it right. I want to take you everywhere and show you everything." Lena said.
"That sounds great. I can't wait." Kara said. They stared into each other eyes and kissed again. Kara thought it would be wonderful to have something else to look forward to besides seeing Lena again. A trip would be the perfect thing. Kara really liked the idea, it was exciting.
They pushed through the brush and reached the field. Lena squeezed Kara's hand and turned to her with a worried expression. There was a hole in the ground from the impact and it was smoking. Kara could hear a low level buzzing sound all around them and shrugged it off as sounds of nature she wasn't used to.
"It's okay. I can protect you." Kara said with a confident smile that brought one out in Lena.
Lena nodded and squeezed Kara's hand in silent communication; they walked over to the impact hole in the center of the field. It was about four feet deep and six feet wide, they both looked in to see a burnt black gray crusted square chunk of something inside.
"It feels hot over here." Lena commented.
"It did fall from space. I wonder what it is, doesn't look like a rock. Looks like a piece of something." Kara said. Unlike Lena Kara had better vision and couldn't help but use her X-Ray vision to look at the object. It wasn't a rock but a metal item covered in organic material.
"What is it?"
"I'm not sure but its metal covered in organic material I think." Kara said, she looked over at Lena and she shrugged.
"Let's pull it out and look at it." Lena suggested.
"Okay, let me go get a stick." Kara said. She used her super speed to run over to the trees and she broke off a long branch then ran back.
Lena waited at the edge of the crater her hands in her jacket pockets she stared at the object with a frown.
"Do you hear that?" Lena asked.
"What?"
"That buzzing sound. I think it's coming from that thing that fell." Lena said.
"Hum. I thought it just something new about Earth I wasn't aware of. Maybe?" Kara said.
Kara reached down with her big stick and used it to drag the black and gray object out of the hole. The closer Kara got it to them the more the temperature dropped. They both stopped and looked at each other and shrugged. Kara dragged the object out of the hole and onto the grass in front of them. They both crouched down to get a better look at it but there was too much gunk covering it. Lena took the stick from Kara and used it to knock some of the gunk off. A few hard whacks and the organic material came off in huge pieces revealing a fractured broken metal piece underneath.
"Hum, interesting." Kara said.
Lena gave the object one more whack with the stick and the metal piece opened like a small chest revealing very complicate inner workings, in the center there was a glowing blue object. Lena tossed the stick aside and stood just behind Kara as they stared hard at the strange object. They didn't have to say it but they knew whatever it was, it was not from this earth. Lena held on to Kara keeping one hand on Kara's shoulder remaining one step behind while Kara bent down to get a closer look. She hoped to identify it by looking under the control mechanism which to her knowledge would be under the glowing blue object.
Kara glance over her shoulder and smiled up at Lena. When she did Kara did not see the blue spark emanate from the blue object arching out and traveling around the metal object. By the time Kara looked back over the spark was gone. Kara reached out to carefully pick the object up but when she made physical contact with it another blue spark shot out from it zapping Kara hard shocking her and in turn Lena who was still holding on to Kara's shoulder. A current of alien electricity rolled into Kara then into Lena freezing them in place before the metal object exploded into a dozen pieces. Kara took the brunt of the shockwave shielding Lena who was knocked back into the grass rendering her unconscious. Kara however was instantly knocked unconscious and blown up off her feet into the nearby trees getting tangled up in the high branches.
The explosion could be heard for miles in every direction.
10:15 A.M., Wednesday, Midvale, Luthor Safe House
Lex was pacing the living room of the house he owned. He was angry. They still had not found his little sister yet and he was ready to start hurting people if it sped things up. Suddenly his phone ran, he answered it before it could finish the first ring.
"Tell me something good." Lex said.
"A girl matching Lena's description was just called in. That explosion we all heard, she was there Boss, and they've called in for med vac." A man said.
Lex went pale; he swallowed a lump in his throat as he ordered, "Get the chopper out there now. I need to know if it's her or not. If it is my sister, take her to Central Hospital, they're already expecting her. I won't let my baby sister be treated by any backwoods doctors. Call me the moment you know."
Lex hung up the phone and waited. The more he thought about how he and his little sister got to this place the guiltier he felt and angrier he became.
11:30 A.M., Wednesday, Midvale, Danvers House
Alex felt like crap, the meds were helping but not fast enough. She just wanted to get home and climb into bed to sleep for the rest of the week. She slept most of the way home, and was relieved that every time she opened her eyes she was closer to home so when she felt the car stop she opened her eyes and let out an excited. "Yay! We're home."
"Let's get you into bed." Eliza said as she grabbed her keys and purse.
Alex got out of the car and followed her mother inside the house. Eliza called out to Kara announcing that they were home but no one answered them back.
"That's weird. Your sister's is supposed to be home. Alex, did you talk to your sister today?" Eliza asked.
"No, but I can go check upstairs real fast." Alex replied.
"Will you?"
"Sure." Alex jogged upstairs winding herself. She mentally chastised herself for going so fast when she wasn't feeling well then checked the bathroom then their bedroom. She found the bathroom empty and her bed slept in which immediately bothered her until her sick addled brain remembered her sister had a friend over earlier that week. Kara's bed was also slept in and not made which was completely unlike the usually very tidy blonde. There was no sign of Kara anywhere. Alex went back downstairs to tell her mother that she had not found Kara when she came across Eliza on the phone.
"Hi Mrs. Emerson…Yes we just got home a moment ago and I was wondering if you've seen Kara….No, she's not home right now and she didn't leave a note or take the cell phone like she was supposed to. I found it on the table by the front door. Do you have any idea where she might be? What! When?...How long ago?...Okay, I will, thank you Mrs. Emerson. I'll let you know when I find Kara. Thank you so much for checking in on her while I was gone."
Alex waited for her mother to hang up the phone before bugging her about what was going on.
"So?" Alex asked giving her mother a demanding look that Eliza missed completely because she was really worried and was already rushing for her keys and cell phone.
"Mom, what's going on?"
"There was a meteor shower over an hour ago in the area, followed by an explosion a short time later. A young woman was caught up in the explosion; she's about your age and was airlifted to that big hospital four towns away. Mrs. Emerson heard from Mr. Thompson it was young woman with dark hair that was taken out, that it definitely wasn't Kara. But you know how your sister is she might have tried to help. Mrs. Emerson suggested we check the woods. Kara might have gone out there just to check out what crashed by the house, Mrs. Emerson said a piece fell in the field in the back. You wait here, I'll go look." Eliza said.
"No, mom I'll come too. If Kara is in trouble, I want to help. And if she's not I want to be there when she gets yelled at." Alex said smirking.
Eliza just rolled her eyes and grabbed Alex a coat on their way out the door. Eliza led the way with Alex struggling to keep up. Being sick was sapping her energy but she was determined to keep up. They reached the field and saw the impact crater. They spread out and started calling Kara's name in all directions. As Alex called out her sister's name she noticed an odd hole in the top of one of trees she walked over to it just as strong wind blew through the area making all the branches dance. That's when Alex saw the strange object stuck in the canopy.
"Mom! Mom! I found her. I found Kara! Hurry!" Alex screamed for her mother. Eliza was on the other side of the field and sprinted as fast as she could over to where Alex was standing. Alex pointed up and Eliza looked up gasping.
"Kara! Kara! Kara!" Eliza yelled up at girl but she was tangled up and looked unconscious in the tree branches. There was no way to get her down without a tall ladder or the fire department.
Eliza pulled out the cellphone and made a call. "Clark! Thank you for answering, I need your help. It's Kara, she's been hurt. Come quick. We're in the field behind the house. Just look for me and Alex."
Thirty seconds later Superman arrived flying down and landing next to them with a worried look on his face.
"Where's Kara?" Superman demanded.
"I don't know what happened Clark. We just got home and we couldn't find her so we went looking for her. We found her like this." Eliza said, she pointed up to the trees. Superman looked up, spotted his cousin and in a blur of red and blue he removed Kara from the tree.
Superman set his cousin on the ground and tried to gently wake her and when he could not he got really worried. He picked Kara back up in his arms and told them, "I need to take Kara someplace where I can find out what happened to her. I will bring her back as soon as I know what's going on."
"Please hurry Clark. I'm so worried." Eliza said with tears in her eyes.
Superman nodded and flew off with Kara in his arms. Alex just stood there confused and overwhelmed. She never knew it was possible for someone like Kara to get hurt, she had always thought Kara was invincible like her cousin Superman was. This rocked Alex to her very core, she suddenly felt terrible for all the teasing and jerk things she had done to her adoptive sister. All she could think about was how worried she was about Kara and how badly she wanted her sister to be okay. Alex burst into heavy tears. Eliza was quick to comfort her daughter despite feeling the same swell of emotion.
Eliza and Alex walked back to the house together, they both reassured each other that Kara was going to be okay even though neither one had no idea what was going to happen. When they returned to the house Eliza suggested Alex lay down and rest but Alex couldn't, she was too wound up from everything. Alex wandered the house, going from room to room curious to what her sister had been up to while they were gone. In the office she found something.
"What is this?" Alex picked up a recently burned CD that was labeled "Kara sings "STONE" acoustic"and thought about listening to it for a long moment then felt bad. She wanted her sister's permission to listen to the CD, she took it upstairs and put it with Kara's stuff on her side of the room.
Alex knew how self-conscious Kara was about singing around others, so if she did a recording while she had her friend over it must have been a very special friend. Alex went back downstairs and found Eliza on the house phone talking to someone from town about what exactly fell from the sky and if they knew yet what caused the explosion in the field. Alex didn't want to bother her mother so went to go watch TV when the cell phone rang. Alex answered it.
"Hello? No, sorry my sister can't come to phone right now. Can I take a message? Her pictures are ready for pickup? I'll let her know. Thank you."
Alex hung up the phone and sat down. Alex wondered what was on those photographs and if their mom should know about it. Alex knew Kara had not told their mom about her new friend, so did Kara want their mom to see those pictures? Alex was conflicted.
"Crap!" Alex muttered then called Mrs. Emerson and asked a favor. A few minutes later she tapped her mother on the shoulder, Eliza was still on the phone.
"Mom, I'm going to store to get some more cough drops and Gatorade. I've asked Mrs. Emerson to take me. I'll be back as soon as I can." Ales said.
"Take the cell phone so I can reach you." Eliza reminded Alex who nodded her head that she would.
Alex waited out front and Mrs. Emerson came driving by picking her up. They chatted on the way to the store, Alex didn't tell the older woman about what had happened to Kara. It would only cause gossip to spread around about the family and Alex knew better than that. They reached the store and Alex insisted on going in alone. She rushed inside and quickly picked up a bag of cough drops and a blue Gatorade then went to the Photo counter to pick up the pictures.
"Pictures for Danvers, please." Alex politely asked. The older woman behind the counter pulled them out and offered to ring everything up for Alex. She checked out and got back in the van. She was home in less than half an hour. Alex put the pictures with the CD in their bedroom.
10:30 P.M., Wednesday, New Haven Township, Central Hospital private room
Lena woke up in pain, her side hurt and she had an IV in her arm. She blinked and looked around the dark room she saw white walls with boring artwork and a nurse walk by. She was in a hospital. Out of the shadow stepped her brother, Lex.
"How do you feel Lena?"
"Horrible. I feel like I was hit by a truck. Why am I here? Where am I Lex?" Lena asked. She struggled to sit up but her side was killing her, even breathing was hard.
"Don't move, you have two broken ribs and light concussion. You're in the middle of nowhere getting treatment at a hospital." Lex answered as he stepped closer to her bed. He reached for her hand and she took it with a small smile.
"Lex, please don't bullshit me. What am I doing out in the middle of nowhere at a hospital feeling like I've been hit by a truck? Did something happen at school?" Lena asked, she was so confused about what the hell was going on. Why wasn't she at school? She was supposed to meet her boyfriend after school, wasn't she? The more Lena tried to think about it the more it hurt her head.
"Lena, what's the last thing you remember?" Lex asked with a worried expression.
"Getting back from class at school, I was supposed to meet my boyfriend." Lena answered. Lex flinched and she saw it.
"What?"
"That was seven days ago Lena." Lex said.
"Wait? I've been what, asleep for seven days?" Lena asked trying to put the pieces together.
"No. Your friends were robbing the science department to makes drugs on campus and when the science lab caught on fire they set you up to take the fall. Your boyfriend threw you under the bus by not confirming your alibi because his new girlfriend told him to do it. I pulled you out and put you in a safe house. Which you broke out of, the security team I hired to protect you instead hunted you down and tried to kill you. It was by the grace of some higher power that you're still alive. From what I can tell you then laid low for the next four days, not that I blame you. I will vet the teams better, this will not happen again. I just wish I knew what caused the explosion that landed you here. The doctors said you were healing very well from your injuries from the first accident and that you should recuperate fully from these new ones."
"The security team you hired tried to kill me?" Lena asked her head spinning.
"You sent me an email explaining the whole ordeal. I'm sorry Lena, it never should have happened." Lex said.
"What happened to those men?" Lena asked.
"They've been taken care of. I don't do well with people who break my rules." Lex said firmly then changed the subject. "I'll have people from one of my teams look into this and figure out what caused the explosion and this…although you did have this on you."
Lex handed Lena a scrap of paper and a beaten up yellow rose, the note was in her own handwriting it read: You are not like your family. You are your own person. Forge your own path! Lena stared at the piece of paper and the flower for a long time.
"I feel like I lost something." Lena said still holding on to the piece of paper.
"You did, seven days it seems. Not much in the scheme of things. Nothing important anyway." Lex said with a comforting smile.
"Yeah, you're right. Hey, do I have to stay here while I get better? Can I go someplace else where I will feel more comfortable?" Lena asked. She felt off and it wasn't just the accident, she needed to get out of there.
"Whatever, you need little sister."
11:45 P.M., Wednesday, Midvale, Danvers House
Alex was exhausted but she stayed up with her mom as they waited to hear back from Clark. They sat in the kitchen drinking tea and talking about the tour they had taken, it was one of the few safe things they could discuss that kept their minds off of Kara. Alex put her head down on her arms resting on the table when they heard a thump on the back porch. Eliza jumped to her feet the same moment a knock on the back door sounded. Eliza rushed to answer the door as Alex got up and wiped the tiredness from her eyes.
Clark was at the door, he wasn't dressed as Superman but in normal clothes that Alex wasn't used to seeing him in. He was carrying a still unconscious Kara in his arms. He had a tight smile on his lips, he nodded in greeting to them. Eliza waved him in and he thanked her coming inside.
"Where should I put her?"
"The living room. That way we can take turns watching over until she wakes up. She will wake up won't she Clark?" Eliza asked. She was very worried and it showed.
"I'm certain she will. Let me set her down and I'll tell you what I know." Clark said. He took Kara to the living room setting her down on the couch. Eliza covered her with a blanket and put a fluffy pillow under her head making Kara comfortable. They moved back to the kitchen and Alex followed them. Clark got right to the point.
"I have access to a little of the tech from our home world, it's not much but it was enough to examine Kara. It's really unusual for anything on this planet to harm us like this and from the scans I was able to take. The signature left behind wasn't from this planet, it was off world but I couldn't identify from where. I believe the meteor shower that hit this town was actually debris from an alien space craft. The explosion everyone reported might have been one of those pieces igniting. I think Kara was caught up in the blast."
"Is she going to be okay?" Alex asked.
"Physically she's fine, there's nothing wrong with her. Mentally, it's a different story. Her mind's been affected." Clark said, his worry showing in the deep frown on his face.
"What part of the mind Clark?" Eliza asked. She stepped closer to him giving him that stern mom look Alex knew well. Clark looked down and he shook his head as he answered, "It's the part that deals with memory. That part of her brain took trauma, I don't know if it's repairable. She may have memory loss, how much I don't know."
"Memory loss? What do we do Clark? Try to remind her of what she's lost?" Eliza asked.
"The memory loss could be permanent. It might do no good to remind of her what she's lost. And if its' not that long of a time period it may not even be worth it." Clark said.
"Okay, so we let Kara decide."
"NO!" Alex interrupted.
"What's wrong Alex?" Eliza asked.
"Kara made a new friend over the break. She'll forget all about her friend. That would be horrible. We should try to remind Kara of what she lost. Kara would want that, she would want to remember this person. I know she would." Alex said.
"If we can find this new friends name and contact information we could invite them over otherwise it might just be a really frustrating exercise for Kara. You know how hard it is for her to make real friends. How do you think your sister is going to feel or react to finding out she made a real friend but can't remember them? Can't remember them or contact them because they lost that memory? Do you want to cause your sister more pain?" Eliza pointed out. Alex's face crumped, she felt like crying.
"But, you can't do this to Kara! This isn't fair. Let me look first before you decide okay?" Alex said getting up.
"Okay." Eliza replied.
Alex rushed off, she searched the office first even looking through her mom's computer. Alex couldn't find any notes or new contacts. Alex looked through all the room searching their bedroom last and felt completely distraught when she couldn't even find the new friends name written down on anything. She knew the girls name was Lena and that she had been in trouble maybe that was why Kara had not written anything down. Feeling hopeless Alex burst into tears and sobbed on her bed for a few minutes. Then it hit her, "The pictures and the CD!"
Alex got up from her bed and rummaged through her stuff and found an empty green tin and put the envelope of pictures inside and the CD. Alex found a black sharpie and wrote "Spring Break Junior Year" over the lid and hid the tin in their closet.
"I don't care what anyone says. I know my sister. I know she's going to want to remember what happened this week. I'll hold on to this until she's ready." Alex said. Just saying it out loud and hiding the box made her feel better. She couldn't help her sister heal but she could protect something she knew was precious to Kara, even if Kara might not remember what that precious thing was any more.
7:55 A.M., Thursday, Midvale, Danvers House
Kara woke up feeling stiff with a very unusual headache. Opening her eyes she looked around and was confused to why she was on the couch. She sat up and grimaced at the flared pain in her head but a few heart beats later the pain began to dissipate.
"How do you feel cousin?"
"Clark?" Kara turned around to see her cousin sitting on the chair next to the couch. He was dressed in casual clothes and was sipping on a cup of coffee.
"What are you doing here? Is something wrong? Wait, what am I doing on the couch?" Kara asked looking around. She was so confused.
"How do you feel Kara?" Clark asked.
"My head hurts but its getting better. I'm confused. I don't remember falling asleep on the couch last night. Hey, what time is it? I think I'm late for school." Kara said sitting up all the way and looking alarmed.
"It's okay, there's no school today. Kara what day is it?" Clark asked.
"It's Wednesday, I've got three more days before spring break. Which you know cousin, it would be cool to hang out for a little while since I have time off." Kara said with a light smile.
"That would be fun. We should go flying this afternoon." Clark suggested and Kara's whole face lit up.
"Now you're talking!"
"Kara, do you know why I'm here today?" Clark asked.
"No idea. Unless it's to pull me out of school which I don't mind at all." Kara joked and Clark smiled.
"No, it's because you got hurt. Today is Thursday of spring break, you've lost eight days." Clark began much to Kara's immense shock. Kara blinked and shook her head in disbelief, she didn't want to believe it and wanted to argue but the firm look on her cousin's face muted any argument. Clark handed her the day's regular newspaper the Eliza received every morning and it had the date that Clark said it was on it. Kara felt like someone had taken the ground out from underneath her.
Clark explained everything he knew about what her accident, how she was hurt and then asked her a series of questions. It became apparent within a few minutes to them both Kara had zero memory of the last eight days. Kara felt like she was going to be sick but nothing came of it. Just nausea and dizziness to comfort her over her memory loss.
"What did I miss? Anything important happen?" Kara asked looking to Clark.
"No. You just stayed home and hung out." Clark answered looking away.
"That's so weird, I don't remember what happened but I get this sense that something important did happen. Like I'm missing something but I just can't place my finger on it." Kara said. She was struggling to draw up memories that were simply not there anymore but the nagging sensation remained.
"I'm sorry Kara. I wish I could help more."
"It's okay Clark. I know you do the best you can. I wish you could hang out more but how's the life of a journalist?" Kara asked. She needed a distraction desperately and asking her cousin about his job seemed like good one. She had never been interested in Clark's day job before, she used to think it was most boring thing ever but for some odd reason she definitely interested today.
"Really? You've never wanted to know before." Clark said.
"I know but I think what you do is really cool. I may even go into it when I go to college. So?" Kara said with a shrug.
"Really? Where did that come from? I thought you wanted to be a teacher and work with small children?" Clark asked.
"Yeah, I don't know. It's just something I'm thinking about. If you don't want me to, just say so." Kara joked.
"No, no, no! Going into journalism is a great thing Kara but only if you're serious about it. I would love to talk to more about it. How about while we're flying?"
"You're on!"