Disclaimer: I do not own Supergirl, Superman, or Valor
Story Title: The Traveler
Chapter 2
Earth 2017 – National City
"Be careful, the object has crashed, but we are still getting energy readings from it," Alex's voice came over the comms. Supergirl and Martian Manhunter landed beside the large scar in the Earth. "Supergirl, be careful, we have no idea what that thing is," J'onn said. Supergirl nodded before she ran toward the object, stopping short when she got her first look at it. "It's a Kryptonian pod, just like mine." "Supergirl, be careful, you don't know what's inside." Kara ignored J'onn as she gripped the hatch to the pod, yanking it free with one simple pull. She dropped the hatch and stared down, her blue eyes wide at the sight of the dark-haired man in the pod. He looked to be around her age and he was sleeping peacefully. "J'onn," she said. The Martian Manhunter joining her in an instant. He looked down at the young man before him. "Is he a Kryptonian?" Kara just stared at the handsome young man, something inside her hoping that he was from her home. She knew Clark would feel the same way. "He's still unconscious from the hibernation pod." "Okay, can you fly the pod back to the DEO?" "Yes, no problem," she replied as she stood behind the pod grabbing it tight before flying off into the air, going slow as not to damage the pod or its occupant. J'onn watched as she flew away. "J'onn to Alex, come in," he said. "Alex here." "Prepare the med bay and call Eliza; we're going to need her help with the occupant that kara is bringing to you now." "Who is it?" "He is an unknown alien, still unconscious, Kara is bringing him in. Alex, make sure that we have tight security on this." "Do you think he's a threat?" "I don't know, but I'm not taking any chances." "Okay, I'm on it, see you back here soon."
DEO Headquarters – Med Bay
Kara, J'onn, and Winn sat outside of the med bay, giving Doctor Eliza Danvers and her daughter Alex the space they needed to help their patient.
Kara paced up and down the corridor leading to the med bay. J'onn and Winn sat just outside the door. "Kara, you're going to run a rut in the carpeting," J'onn said. Winn smiled. "Yeah, if you start pacing at super speed its going to look freaky." J'onn rolled his eyes at the comment from Winn. "Mister Schott, why are you sitting here, shouldn't you be at CatCo?" Winn smiled. "I have the week off and I told Kara I would help investigate the mystery man in there." J'onn sighed. He knew that Winn was a great researcher, computer technician, and he was obsessed with science fiction. He also knew that Kara trusted him with her life. So, he was willing to give the guy a shot. "So, shouldn't you be researching?" Winn smiled. "I have a few algorithms running as we speak, but until I get a report on whether he is a Kryptonian or not I do not have enough to go on."
Kara stopped pacing. "He has to be a Kryptonian. He was in a pod just like mine and Clark's." J'onn frowned. "You also know that there is a chance that he may not be a Kryptonian. A lot of weird things can happen and why did it take so long for him to get here?" Kara had her hands on her hips. "Maybe he was caught in the Phantom Zone like I was with Fort Rozz." J'onn shook his head. "We scanned the zone after your pod and Fort Rozz broke free and we continue to scan it; we've never found any other ships, pods, or mechanical objects in the zone." "Well, maybe his pod got knocked off course. If he remained in hibernation he would not age, just like in the zone."
J'onn stood up and walked toward kara, stopping just a few feet from her. "Kara, I know you want him to be Kryptonian, but keep an open mind here. We need to be ready and I'd hate to have you disappointed if it turned out that he wasn't Kryptonian."
Kara sighed. She looked back at the door to the med bay. She remembered the red flight suit that the man was in, a flash of a memory as a child appeared. She remembered that suit from someplace. She couldn't remember clearly, but she thought that she remembered it from Krypton. "J'onn, there is something about him that is familiar. I remember a flight suit similar to the one he wears." "Do you remember from where?" "From Krypton, it's a vague memory, like it was rushed, but I'm sure I saw that flight suit before." "Do you remember anything about the context. Who was wearing it?" Winn asked as he joined them. Kara focused, trying to piece the fleeting memories together. She sighed in frustration. "No, I can't remember." J'onn put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey now, you'll remember in time. Mr. Schott, please check DEO databases on references to such flight suits, maybe we can get an answer there." Yes, sir," Winn replied as he ran off to the nearest computer terminal.
The door to the med bay opened. Alex stepped out, wiping the sweat from her brow. Kara rushed to her side. "Is he okay? Is he awake? Did he say something?" "Kara, calm down with the questions. Let her take a breath," J'onn said. Alex gave him a thankful smile. "He's still asleep, but he's stable and appears to be healthy." Kara smiled. "Did you figure anything out about him?" Alex smiled at her sister's enthusiasm. "He's not human that's for sure. His skin broke a few needles." "So, does that mean he's Kryptonian?" "Well, we tested some Kryptonite to see if there was any effect, but the radiation didn't seem to affect him." Kara eyebrows furrowed. "How's that possible?" "We don't know. I was hoping that you might know." "Me?" "Yeah, could he be a mutant Kryptonian or a hybrid with another species?" Kara's mind spun with the possibilities. "I don't know, give me some time to think," she said before she walked away. Alex and J'onn watched her go. J'onn frowned at the sag in her shoulders. "I told her not to get her hopes up." Alex smiled. "She wants there to be more of her people. I know her; she was hoping that she could teach him like she was supposed to teach Clark." J'onn nodded in understanding. "Did you check to see if a Kryptonite-tipped needle could puncture his skin, get us a DNA sample?" Alex smiled. "No, we didn't. I'll go back in and try that." "Alex," J'onn said. Alex stopped and looked up at him. "Give my thanks to your mother." "You should really tell her yourself." "No, I'm going to find Kara." Alex shrugged her shoulders before she went back into the med bay.
J'onn searched through the DEO headquarters until he found Kara standing on the balcony overlooking the city. Kara was leaning on the railing, her arms crossed in front of her. J'onn joined her, standing just a few feet behind her. "So, what are you going to do?" J'onn asked. Kara looked at him. "About what?" J'onn smirked. "About the guy in the infirmary." "I don't control what happens to him." "Come on, you work here with us, I'm looking for your opinion."
Kara turned around, leaning her back against the rail. J'onn gave her a friendly smile, wishing that she'd open up to him like she would her sister. "I know I'm not as close to you as Alex or Eliza, but I'm here to help and to listen." Kara nodded. She looked up to J'onn like a father figure. "It's just I was so sure that he was a Kryptonian." "Maybe he is or maybe he's half-Kryptonian." Kara's blue eyes widened. "Does that really change your opinion of someone that you haven't even spoken to?" Kara looked down at the ground. "I need to know where he's from J'onn." J'onn smiled, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Come on, it won't be long now, let's talk to him together, and get the answers we all want to have." Kara nodded before the two left the balcony, walking through the DEO headquarters until they reached the med bay.
Kara stopped outside the door. "Can we go in?" J'onn nodded. "Come on, he's stable remember." The two entered the med bay. Beds were arranged neatly around the room, medical equipment setup around each station ready to assist with any medical emergency. Kara caught the eye of her adoptive mother and her sister. The two were on the far side of the room on either side of a bed, on the bed was the mystery alien. Alex smiled as J'onn and Kara joined them. "You were right J'onn, the Kryptonite tip worked." Kara stepped back. "Don't worry, we have already discarded the Kryptonite, but we got our blood sample," Eliza said, smiling at Kara and J'onn. "Good work, any idea on how long a scan of the blood will take?" J'onn asked. An audible beep echoed from the computer next to Alex before data began to flood across the screen. "What does it say?" Kara said, her voice barely controlling her enthusiasm. Alex read the data carefully; Eliza standing at her side to review it as well. Eliza shook her head in wonder. "Incredible," she said. Kara's eyes widened. "Is it bad?" Alex shook her head. "His DNA is very similar to Kryptonian but different." Eliza nodded. "If I had to hazard a guess I'd say that our friend here is half-Kryptonian." J'onn stepped forward. "What about the other half?" Eliza read through the data again. "This other set of data is close to Kryptonian, like a lion to a tiger, for example." J'onn touched his chin. "That could explain why Kryptonite has less of an effect on him."
Kara stepped over to the alien's bed. "When is he going to wake up?"
Eliza joined her. She looked down at her patient. "His brain wave activity is strange. I think he may have memory loss. We won't be sure until he wakes up." Alex joined the two followed by J'onn. "The good news is that the pod he was in subconsciously trained him on Earthly languages and customs, similar to what your pod did for you. He should be able to speak to us." Kara nodded. "However, you think his memories from before his trip could be lost?" Eliza sighed. "I'm afraid that's most likely true. We won't know how much until he wakes up."
Kara reached down and grabbed his hand. J'onn motioned for Alex to follow him. The two left the med bay. Eliza wrapped her arm around Kara's shoulders. Kara reached up with her other hand to take Eliza's. "I don't know what to do." Eliza squeezed her hand tightly. "Oh my dear, you're going to do what you always do, you're going to help him, as you do for everyone else." Kara turned to look at the only woman in her life that she looked at as a mother. "How do I do that?" "Be yourself, but do me a favor." Kara looked into Eliza's blue eyes that were so much like her own. "What?" "Don't forget to take care of yourself as well." Kara smiled. Eliza always looked out for her. "Now, why don't you stay here with him. I need to talk to J'onn." Kara nodded. "Kara," Eliza said as she stood in the doorway. "Yes," Kara replied. Eliza gave her an encouraging smile. "Call us if anything changes with him. He's out of woods, but he's different than you and Clark. So, we don't know how Earth's environment will change him." Kara nodded. Eliza left the room.
Kara looked at the alien's hand that she was holding. He looked like a human or a Kryptonian. She let go of his hand and moved some dark hair away from his forehead. She had to admit he was a handsome man. She felt heat rise to her face as she looked at him. Where did these feelings come from? She shook those feelings away. She had a job to do. She reached into her pocket in her uniform and pulled out her phone. She dialed a familiar number. "Clark," she said into the phone. "I'm doing fine." She listened as her cousin spoke. "I need your help here at the DEO." She listened again as Clark told her that he didn't get along with the DEO. "Clark, a pod landed last night. There was a lone occupant. Eliza said he is half-Kryptonian. I need your help." She smiled as Clark sighed in defeat. "Good, I'm in the med bay when you get here. Bye." She sighed as she put away her phone. She knew Clark needed to be here when the alien awoke. They needed to be ready for anything.
AN: Setting up for more. As you can tell, I shifted things up a bit from the comics because here he is half-Kryptonian. There is a reason for that, so stay locked on target.