Beyond Smallville: Yesterday's Child: Identity
"Red Eyes!" Kara hissed. "What is wrong with you? They were only offering me a job." John waved her off. "Their intentions were honorable, Kal El, yet your destiny is far greater than working for someone else. Jor El sent you here to protect Earth from primarily rogue Kryptonians, and also any invasion force from other worlds." Clark nodded. "I realize that now, but what about Kara?"
"I have no idea what Kara's destiny is or was." John admitted. "Jor El and Lara thought that they were sending Kara here to protect you. Zor El's intention was to send Kara here to help repopulate Krypton on Earth, and kill you if you interfered." Chills ran down Clark's spine.
"Yes, well now no one controls Kara's or my destiny except us." Superman stated boldly. "We will have to adapt, Kara." Clark began. "John, we're going to need some kind of cover. I've been giving that a lot of thought lately. Kara and I need to create two separate identities for ourselves."
"We can neither rule Earth as my father Zor El intended, nor ignore our destinies any longer." Kara sounded much more grown up. "It's going to be complicated." John agreed. "I have created multiple identities over time. Humans tend to have multiple personas as well. Duplicity is common."
"Kara, we can no longer hide out on the farm content to live our lives in secret." Kal stated. "As one of my good friends recently said: I lie on the couch while a world of trouble swirls outside my door." Kara smiled, slowly warming to the idea. She had never liked the fact that they renounced their heritage.
"Eventually someone would catch us using our abilities anyway." Clark added. "As Marcus and Zara have. We should still hear them out, and go visit their place of business. John, can you delete some selected memories that they acquired? The way you did for Lois?"
"Yes, but keep in mind, human psyches are complicated. I will do my best." The Martian Manhunter presses one long finger against Marcus's head, another on Zara's. They will forget why they came here and how they got here as well. You'll have to take them back to Metropolis."
The human's heads sagged as John removed his touch. "Kara and Kal El, I cannot always be there to save you. You'll both have to be far more careful in the future." John backed away slowly. "Also, I believe that your new friends can help you. Oliver, AC, Bart, Dinah, and Victor have all invented duplicitous lives. Unfortunately, it seems that humans fall into duplicity far too easily."
He flew off, leaving them to consider his last words. Kara and Clark carried the humans to the den and sat them on the couch. Kara hurriedly threw on a pot of coffee, boiling the water with her heat vision. She brought them the hot steaming mugs. Clark sat casually across from the strangers.
Kara sat on the arm of the chair beside Kal. Marc and Zara came to, yawning and stretching. "What were we talking about?" Marc began. "I'm sorry, it must've been sodding jet lag." Zara said with her clipped British accent. "You were asking Kara and I if we'd like to tour your business facility."
"Yes, of course." Marc faltered. "It so happens that I've been offered a job at the Metropolis Daily Planet newspaper." Clark explained. "It would make a great first story." Zara nodded reluctantly. Kara cast Kal a sidelong glance. "You also said that you may be interested in hiring Kara."
The alien teen smiled brightly. "Why didn't you want to hire me?" Clark pressed. "That's because Marcus almost exclusively hires women for his Arizona facility." Zara said petulantly. "Really? Why is that?" Clark wondered, sounding more like a reporter than an alien super hero.
"I've found that women tended to be more responsible and trustworthy than the men I know." Marc defended. "Surely all men can't be irresponsible and untrustworthy." Clark commented. "True, but I have my reasons." Marc said defiantly. "Fair enough." Clark said diplomatically.
"Kara and I will think about it and get back to you." He asked for their business cards. "Miss Rolfe, you mentioned something about archaeology?" Kara hinted. "Yes, I'm looking to increase my archaeology staff this quarter.
"We've so many bloody digs around the world, that I'm sodding short staffed all the time. It's not Marcus's funding that gives me ills, it's the foreign governments that are always struttin' about with their hands out. Grease a palm here, grease a palm there..."
"That might be something that I'm interested in." Kara offered. "Clark, what do you think? It would be a good way to learn about the culture, travel to foreign places, see the various people of ...ear...uh...the world." She quickly corrected herself. "Is that what you want?" Kal inquired.
"Yes, I think that I would." Kara beamed. "Miss Rolfe, what do I have to do? I don't want any special treatment. What qualifications do I need?" Marc seemed pleased with the outcome, though something was still nipping at the back of his mind. Did I forget something?
He glanced at his watch and realized that they'd been here...wherever...for well over an hour. "Then it's settled. You'll both come out to tour the facilities and learn about the business." Marc decided.
Zara stood up. "I've an archaeology lecture at the Metropolis Museum of Natural History this afternoon. You're both invited to check it out. Here's two backstage passes. We can talk more then."
"Sounds good." Kara said pleasantly. Clark's cell phone rang. He snapped it up. It was Lois. "I have to take this call. Excuse me." He headed to the back porch. "Yeah Lois?" Meanwhile, Marc and Zara finished their coffees, and still couldn't shake the feeling that they were missing something.
Was John's memory manipulation effective enough? Only time will tell. Lois was excited. "You should've seen it Clark, Lex was fried by the Board of Directors. They unanimously voted against his closure of the Daily Planet deal. Perry White was offered the Publisher's job...he refused it!"
Clark wandered alongside the backyard foliage petting Krypto / Shelby at random intervals. Lois was rattling on. "Perry accepted the Editor's job instead. He wants you to come in for an interview as early as tomorrow. That's assuming that you're willing to get up off your butt from the farm."
"I'll sell the remaining forty acres to our neighbors." Clark sighed. He knew that it was time to let go of the past and that included his Earth father's land. His Earth mother, Martha, had already said that he could leave the farm anytime he wanted. She moved on to Washington.
"Thanks Clark." Lois eyes began to tear up. She was glad that he couldn't see her. "Thanks? For what?" Superman wondered. "Just for putting forth the effort." Lois downplayed her emotional state. "You'll see! It'll be great! Lois and Clark, Daily Planet Reporters!" She was really amped up.
Clark chuckled. "I don't have the job yet, Lois. Hey, here's some breaking news for you. Kara may be leaving for a new job as well. This old farmhouse will be empty without us." Lois considered something that she hadn't believed was possible. Could she and Clark start a relationship?
"Hello? Lois?" Kal noted her unusual silence. "Sorry Smallville, I think my caffeine and sugar buzz is wearing off. Anyway, I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning? Perry will want to schedule the interview with you. Bring your razor thin resume with you." She teased.
Marc and Zara were ready to go. Kara was just getting some last minute information from them. "Hi, um...that was Lois. She said that I'll probably get the job at the Planet. We'll be in touch?" Clark asked hopefully. He felt bad that Marc and Zara had to be zapped by John, but it was necessary.
No one man or group should have that kind of power, he mused, quoting some of the logic behind the Traveler fiasco, and Lex's attempt to control or kill him. Kara and Clark escorted the humans to their car. "Thanks for your time." Clark commented diplomatically. "Bye." Kara waved as they left.
Marc and Zara drove off in the general direction of Metropolis. "What were we tracking on the way out here?" Zara glanced at their small high tech locator device. "I'm not sure." Marc admitted. "Maybe we just left the GPS going." He said, though that seemed like a lame explanation.
"Remind me again why we were interested in those kids from Smallville." Zara said. "I mean they seemed nice, but why would we put forth such a grand bloody effort to meet them?"Marc watched the GPS, retracing their route to Metropolis. "I have no idea."
Kara and Clark headed up to the barn loft to gaze out at the sunset over the Kent Farm. "I guess things will change forever, now." Kara commented depressingly. "It's for the best, Kara." He hugged his little cousin. "We still have a lot to do. I mean Lex is still out there, and now he'll be twice as angry with me, and Lois for that matter." Kara rested against his shoulder. "The whole planet will one day be watching us, Kal." She remarked, with some wisdom beyond her years. "It's inevitable, I guess."