Kal set her down on a hill after they'd been flying for a while. "Kara, I want you to meet two important people to me, but we're going to have to fly fast to get there safely. To keep you from getting windburned, I need to cover you with my cape, okay?" Kara nodded. Kal handed her his cape, which she wrapped like a shawl around herself. She looked at him with a questioning glance. Kal nodded. "That's fine. Are you ready?"
She nodded again.
Once again, she was scooped into his powerful arms, her face facing his neck. A second later, she felt the pressure of the wind against her as he sped her to the destination. This continued for what felt like a minute, her time, and then ceased. He lowered her to the ground, and retrieved his cape. As Kal did so, she got her first glance of her new location. Verdant green fields, dotted with tall, healthy trees surrounded her. She was on the front steps of an old building. She looked around. To her right, she noticed another big old building with a big primitive door on the front.
Kal let her look for a second, and then spoke. "This is the farm I was raised on."
Kara looked at him. "Farm? What is that?"
"Remember when I told you that we have plants that produce edibles?" She nodded.
"Well, this is one of those places where they are grown."
Clark spun as Martha Kent came to the door. "Land sakes, Clark, who's your friend?"
"Believe it or not, Ma...She's my cousin, Kara...from Krypton."
"From Krypton? Clark, we thought you were the only survivor." Jonathan Kent walked up and placed an affectionate arm around his wife's waist.
"Up until today, Pa, I thought I was, too. Do me a favor, say your first names only and shake her hand, gently. With the exception of one English sentence, all she can speak and understand right now is Kryptonese."
The Kents nodded. Clark turned to Kara, who was now curiously watching the chickens fight over the feed.
"Kara, I'd like you to meet my adoptive parents." She looked back and noticed the white-haired couple that was looking at her curiously.
The male spoke. "Jonathan."
His mate spoke. "Martha."
They then both stuck out their hands. Kara gingerly shook Jonathan's warm hand, and then Martha's.
She stopped. What did I say on the beach? Ah!
"I'mm Kara. Niice. Too. Meet. Yuu. Both."
Both the farmer and his wife broke into smiles almost as big as Kal's.
Kara smiled in relief.
Kal spoke again. "Let's get in the house." She followed them into the domicile.
"Clark, ask her if she wants any juice to drink." Martha hustled to the refrigerator.
Clark looked at Kara. "Are you thirsty? We have juice." Kara looked at him with a question in her eyes until she saw Martha setting a pitcher of orange liquid on the table, which Jonathan helped himself to, pouring it into a smaller glass and drinking it. Clark put a glass in front of her and filled it halfway. She reached out cautiously, grabbed it and sniffed it.
That's a strange odor...not unpleasant, though. She took a small sip and felt a tart, cold sweetness cascade down her throat. Hmmm...pleasant, she thought.
Kal spoke. "That is orange juice. We got it by squeezing the juice out of a couple of these." He handed her a round orange fruit.
She examined the fruit, noticed the connector at the top. "This grows on those trees?"
Clark nodded.
"How do they form?" Kara asked. She took a larger swig of the juice, and then finished off her glass. Jonathan refilled it for her. Kara nodded her thanks.
Clark spoke. "They actually start out as flowers. A certain insect then pollinates them. The flowers wither and drop off and the fruit grows. Once it reaches a certain point, the fruit is picked and sent to market or to a company, where they are juiced."
"Clark?"
"Pa?"
"Why is she wearing that suit?"
"That's what the Kryptonians wore to extend their lives, after the clone wars ended."
"Isn't the dear hot in them?" Martha asked.
"Probably, Ma...but she isn't likely to like the idea of changing them now."
"Maybe you could create another...at that Fortress of yours." Pa Kent interjected. "You've talked about your robot...Karex, that was a copy of the one your father had. Maybe he can create a modifed suit. Make it a bit easier for her to get around..."
"Kelex, Pa...But that's an idea..."
Kal told Kara that he had to get something from his other house and that he would be back briefly. He almost LITERALLY disappeared before her eyes.
Amazing, she thought. To think I'll be able to do that someday...
She looked over as Martha came in with two big books and set them on the table. Opening them, she pointed to the old pictures of a dark haired baby and said, "Kal." Kara looked at her and nodded. They flipped through the pages, stopping at one with baby Kal sleeping next to another sleeping animal. She pointed at the animal with a question on her face.
Jonathan was the first to respond.
"Dog."
Kara responded. "Dog."
The both smiled at her. Not too bad, she thought.
"Rus-ty." Martha Kent said, still pointing at the dog.
Kara looked at her, baffled. Martha thought for a minute.
She pointed at herself. "Human...Martha."
Jonathan spoke up and pointed to himself. "Human...Jonathan."
Martha spoke again, this time pointing at Kara. "Kryptonian...Kara."
Kara thought for a second, and then it hit. One...'Human'...was a general description. The second word was the proper name of the person or thing.
Her face lightened. "Dog...Rusty!"
They both smiled and nodded.
I'll get this language down yet, Kara thought with a small, satisifed smile.
Kal returned a few minutes later with a strange device in his hands. "Kara, could you please stand over here for a minute, with your arms straight out?"
"What is that, Kal?"
"A scanning device. It'll scan your physical dimensions and allow my robots to produce an updated bodysuit for you. That'll make it easier to get around in the earth's climate. Besides, much more sweating, and your gonna have another super power...Super-Body Odor." He grinned.
Kara nodded and stood still as the gold strobe beams slowly moved up and down her body.
"Kara, please turn around." She nodded and faced away from them. Again the beams strobed up and down, but this time, ended with a beep.
Kal spoke into the device. "Kelex, do you have the information?"
A mechanoid voice spoke from the scanner, "A-OK, Big Blue...It's all here. It's gold. We're slammin' on it now. Should be ready in an hour! Beep ya then!"
Then silence.
Clark sighed. "I really shouldn't have let Nat rework his response circuits..."
For the next hour, they all looked through the rest of the family albums. Clark translated Kara's questions into English and his parent's questions into Kryptonese. Jonathan and Martha even learned a couple of Kryptonese words themselves. Martha also showed Kara how to work the LexMart InstaMatic Camera. Kara was facinated by the primitive device and loved taking pictures. Martha made sure to put a couple of those pictures in her albums. In the middle of this, Kelex called again, letting Kal know that the suit was done, and to his specifications. He spoke to Kara and then left the house in a blur minutes later.
It was about this time that Kara noticed an uncomfortable pressure in her lower body. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably, not finding any relief. If anything the pressure became worse. Martha looked at her, concerned. "Kara...You...Good?"
"No, Martha. Pressure here...What…?"
Martha stood and beckoned Kara to follow her. She led her to the bathroom and showed Kara how to use the toilet. To her relief, that removed the pressure.
"Kara...pressure there...body waste...remove."
Kara nodded. Her attention and fascination were drawn to the simple but effective mechanics of the house's waste removal system. Martha walked over to a nearby cabinet and pulled out a nappy white rectangle of cloth, and then walked over and turned on the shower.
"Get you...clean, here." Martha gestured at the running water.
Kara was a bit reluctant at first, but eventually gave in, as she was feeling rather...sticky.
By the time she finished and dried herself off, she noticed that her old suit had been quietly replaced with the new body suit, along with a bandage next to it, apparently to protect the biosuit's cranial interface points while they healed closed. Examining it further, she realized that Kal had removed the dark blue outer vestment and silver lineage strip and integrated it into a new,lightweight catsuit. Putting it on, she realized a few more changes. The suit now had separate, form fitting upper and lower pieces. The upper 'shirt' stopped at her wrists, the bottom at her ankles. She now had separate but comfortable form-fitting boots. The top of her headpiece was now removed, as was the area at the base of the neck.
Kara dressed, and then stepped out of the bathroom and went back to the...'living room'. Kal was on the couch with his Pa, talking with Ma, who sat across from them in a small chair facing the hallway.
"She's done." Ma said.
Both Jonathan and Kal turned to look. "You look very nice, dear. Do you feel better?"
Kal stood and translated.
Kara nodded. "Yes, many thanks. This feels more comfortable than the original biosuit." She appraised Kal, who was now dressed in a white T-shirt and a pair of jeans.
"Why are you not wearing your suit? You look...strange without it."
"I wear that only when the world needs me as Superman. I wear normal clothes to blend in and relax." He continued. "I hope you didn't mind. as I indicated before, I had Kelex change the bodysuit design a bit to give you more mobility. If Plastic Man startles you again, you're not going to trip over the hems on this one!"
"Why all the changes?" Kara asked.
"For four reasons: One - Just in case you want to feel grass against your bare feet or run your hands under water as you experiment-this will make it easier.
Two- You are going to have to gradually start wearing a more 'earthy' style of dress. This is the first small step toward that goal. When you are READY, we have a blouse and pants that you can wear, but for now we decided that that change would be too much at once for you.
Three- Most people have hair down here. Those openings in the headpiece will allow your hair to be out in the open once it grows in."
Four- You will be eating solid food from now on. This food is not as efficient as the pills you grew up on. You will have to... remove the waste. This setup will make that easier."
Kara looked at Martha with amusement on her face. "I experienced that, already, Kal. VERY uncomfortable. Your waste removal system is rather primative, but it nonetheless seems quite effective." She then noticed the sun casting patterns of light in the room as it set. She went and looked out the back door... To a kalidescope of oranges & reds, framing the orange setting sun. Tears filled her eyes as, moments later, she was suddenly back in her room, staring out the window as the mighty star Rao set for the night...
"House of my father!" she whispered.
Martha was the next to speak, hesitating slightly, using the few Kryptonese words she learned that day... "Kara. Hungry are you?" Kara turned, smiled slightly, and nodded.
Martha spoke again, looking at Clark. "Clark...How...I...do?"
Clark went over to his mother and kissed her on the cheek. "For your first tries at an alien language...I'd say pretty good." He turned to Kara with a smile. "What did you think?"
She responded with a small smile. "Her phraseology is a bit off, but not bad for her first tries. Why does she call you Clark, Kal?"
"It's my earth name… they gave it to me when they found me and I became their child. Out of my costume, the world knows me as Clark Kent. You'll probably find that it's necessary…you can't be a superhero 24/7."
"Oh." She quietly followed them into the kitchen, and she now noticed the delightful odors. "What is that? It smells wonderful."
Martha decided to give the Kryptonese a breather for the moment. "Ravioli."
"Ra-vee-oo-li." Kara repeated. She took a deep breath of the exotic melange of smells permeating the kitchen. A rather loud growl sounded from her stomach. Embarrassed, Kara said to Kal, "These foods are all so strange...such a variety in texture, flavor, color...Krypton had nothing like this. Everything was processed and optimized into nutrient pills. Quite different. That said, I have to say I think I prefer the strange food HERE."
Clark relayed it to his parents, and then responded. "We have pills here, but they're vitamin or mineral supplements. I can't imagine 'eating' like that every day." He laid out four plates, and then knives & forks. His head perked up as if listening. "Be right back, Ma." Clark disappeared from the room. There was silence for 30 seconds, and then Clark was back in the kitchen in his suit & cape. "Ma, I have to pick up something else up at the Fortress...I should be back in less than 20 minutes."
Martha nodded. "It should stay warm until then, but don't dawdle." Clark nodded, and then vanished.
True to his word, 19 minutes later, he was back in the kitchen carrying a small, rather strange looking gold device.
"Clark, what's that?"
"Ma, this will hopefully help Kara pick up English a bit faster. It's been unusually quiet today, and knowing the way things go, it's unlikely to last long. Without this, if I'm not here, you, Pa and Kara are not going to find it easy to communicate. This will minimize the communications problem." Kal turned to Kara, and replayed what was just said. Studying it gently, Kara asked, "How does it work?"
"From what Kelex said, just put it on your head before you go to sleep tonight, turn it on with this switch..."
"Ah...it feeds me the language subliminally during the night when I'm most receptive."
Kal nodded, took the device back, and put it on the counter.
"Clark..."
"Ma...?"
"When she's done with it...could it be set up to work in reverse?"
"To teach you Kryptonese? Yeah, I think so...Shouldn't be a problem...but WHY?"
"Since we found you, you've been learning about OUR people, OUR culture, OUR language. Your people, with the exception of Kara, are no more..." Martha hesitated, flushing slightly. "I'm...just curious. I'd like to learn more about the world you left behind...The parents...the language. The few words I've learned seemed easy enough to pronounce..." Martha trailed off and looked at Kara, who was studying the big pot on the stove. "It also might help me help HER feel more at home here. That's all she spoke until she had to leave Krypton and her parents..."
Clark reached over and hugged his mother with both arms. "Ma...thank you. I think she feels so ALONE, so lost. Her emotions are giving her fits, too. That WOULD be a big comfort to her." He hesitated. "Enough talk. Let's dig in...I'm hungry!" He disappeared before Kara's eyes for a moment, reappearing a second later in the T-Shirt & jeans. He pulled out Kara's chair and gestured her to sit down. She did so just as Jonathan put the big metal drum with the ravioli on the table. Martha set down in a small pitcher of bubbling hot red sauce. The Kents took turns ladling the ravioli onto their plates. Kara followed suit, putting two onto hers. My, this is the STRANGEST food I've seen yet. she thought. She looked over at Kal, who was pouring the red sauce over his and moving them around until they were fully covered. He then dug into them with relish. Kara picked up her knife and fork and mimicked Kal's actions on one of hers. She cut through it and saw whitish...stuff in the middle. She looked back to see him looking at her again with mild amusement.
"What is this...stuff in here?" she asked.
Clark chuckled. "Don't worry...It's a form of food we call cheese." She hesitated, and then took her first bite. She closed her eyes to better focus on the sensations and flavors. It's rather bland, she thought, but not horribly so. She opened her eyes and reached for the red sauce. Poured a small amount on her plate. Mixed the other half in it. Put it in her mouth, closed her eyes and chewed. Wow. The sauce makes quite the difference. Adds almost a bit of bite to it. She opened her eyes and saw all three of the Kents looking at her with smiles on their faces. She felt herself blush again.
"Well?" Kal prodded.
"It is rather...bland...plain, but the red sauce helps add spice to it."
Kal nodded. "Tomato sauce."
"Wasn't one of the first foods you introduced me to a tomato? I rather liked that, but this sauce tastes quite different."
"It has other ingredients in it, Kara, besides, it's made of a different variety of tomatoes than the one you tried earlier."
"Oh." She reached for more sauce and covered the remaining ravioli thoroughly. Attacked it with gusto. Then reached for the big pot again.
Ten minutes later, her stomach was letting her know, in NO uncertain terms, that if she took ONE more bite, it was all going to come up as fast as it went down. She decided to quit while she was ahead.
Martha spoke, again in Kryptonese. "Kara...You full?"
She nodded. "I am." Clark stood up, brought his plate to the sink. Kara followed suit, watching as he filled the sink with hot soapy water, cleaned his plate, rinsed it, and then set in on a wire rack to dry. Kara was about to do the same when Kal spoke. "Roll up your sleeves or they'll get wet." She hesitated, nodded, and then rolled up her sleeves. It took her all of 5 minutes to wash and rinse her plate. She and Kal then went back and took care of Jonathan & Martha's. Another twenty minutes and they were all done in the kitchen.
Kara yawned and looked at Kal. "What are we going to do now?"
"I think it would be best if you went to bed. You look like you could use some sleep. You can use my room. I'll be at my other house tonight."
They led her upstairs to a midsize room, with pennants on the walls. Martha went and turned down the bed. Her shoes came off, the activated headset went on, and she got under the covers. Kal went and lightly pecked her on the forehead. "Goodnight, Kara. Sleep well. If you need anything, Ma & Pa are just down the hall. Hopefully, you'll be speaking a new language tomorrow." She nodded. He went to the door, and switched off the light.
"Kal?" a sleepy voice said.
"Kara?"
"Thanks to you for the day. It was...fun. And I am...happy...that I am not alone anymore..." With that, sleep claimed the young Kryptonian. And Krypton's Last Son stood there watching her with a smile on his face and tears in his eyes...
Neither am I, Kara. Thank you, father...Thank you, Zor-El.