Barbara's P.O.V.
It had taken me thirty minutes to fly to the Labs, and another thirty to talk the guards into letting me through. The entire time, Kara hadn't stirred once. I could only imagine what was going through her brain; Cassie had filled me in on the troubles they had with Kara's fear of heights when they first started training. What she had gone through today had no doubt brought some of those fears to light.
I stood in an examination room, but I still held Kara in my arms. I knew better than to let her down without talking to Dr. Hamilton first. When he walked in, I could hardly believe that he was the right person at first. He seemed so unassuming as a balding, fifty-something man with thick glasses and a messy tie.
"Nightingale, I believe?" He started to extend a hand, then looked down to Kara, and I watched him pale slightly. "What happened to her?"
"A clone or android, or something; it looks like Superman, but it's wild. He did this to her in a matter of seconds."
"Oh lord," he murmured, "Oh why did she try?"
"For the same reason I did," I answered immediately, "Because she saw a place where she could help, and she decided that justice was worth the risk."
The man looked at me, taking me in. This was it—this was the moment that mattered. I knew that breaking in front of this man was the very last thing I could ever do. So I stayed strong, even though I was cradling the unresponsive body of my best friend in my arms.
Even though I had left my mentor and other best friend to fight a beast that not even a kryptonian could stand up to on their own.
Even though Superman was out of reach, and not even the 'invincible' Batman and Robin could hope to be of service.
Even though I felt completely alone.
The moment passed as the man straightened and motioned to the table. "How much do you know about your friend's case?"
"She has green kryptonite in her," I answered, "From the comet she arrived in." He nodded in approval to my answer as he checked Kara's eyes with a light he took from the wall. He pulled a stethoscope from a drawer and checked her heartbeat, or tried to, rather, as it took him a few times to find it.
"How much do you know about kryptonite?"
"It's the one thing that can weaken Superman, and I'm assuming Supergirl."
"Did you know there was more than one?"
I felt a twinge in my stomach, and part of me wondered if this was a good idea.
"For instance," he continued, and the knot in my stomach tightened, "Let me tell you about red kryptonite."
Kara's P.O.V.
I was sitting at a dinner table laden with tons of food that I had never seen before; on either side of me was a person that seemed to have straight from my memories. On my left was a woman with long blonde hair and deep golden eyes, staring at me with kind concern; on my right was a tall, well-built man who appeared to be in his late forties, with graying blond hair and sparkling blue eyes.
"Mom?" I asked, "Dad?"
"You see?" The woman smiled, "I told you she remembered us."
"Hello, Kara," The man smiled as well, ignoring the woman's comment, "We're so happy to see you."
"Is this real?" I asked, "Am I really back on Krypton?"
Both of their smiled faltered slightly, and my mother looked down at the plate in front of her, "No, returning to Krypton is impossible now."
"This isn't Krypton," my father said, "But this isn't a dream either. We are in the Phantom Zone, and your mind has led you here."
"Does that mean I won't wake up?"
My mother placed her hand on mine, and met my eyes. "As we speak, your body is on its way to being mended. Your best friend is watching over the progress. Your mind wandered here because it recognized the connection it held to us. While we wait for the healing to complete, however, there are some things we need to explain to you."
"We sent you away when you were six years old, just moments before the red sun Krypton orbited exploded. At the same moment, we were thrown into the Phantom Zone, and your rocket was encased in Kryptonite. The rocket kept its originally trajectory, and despite the kryptonite casing, the speed increased; however the casing slowly disintegrated the protective shield of the rocket."
I started to feel an itch behind my eyes; I rubbed my eye and refocused on my parents' words.
"During your sixteen year journey, the kryptonite held you in a suspended state, preventing your age and the element began to fill your body; your memories were suppressed as were your natural kryptonian abilities. For the most part, your kryptonite prison, and the cause of your poisoning was green kryptonite, the most common form of the stone."
The itch was growing harder and harder to ignore.
"The casing, however, held another form of kryptonite—a form so rare that even kryptonians were not fully aware of its existence. The scientists that combed through the wreck of your rocket, however, found it. When processed, this form is known as red kryptonite; it causes our kryptonian abilities to grow ten-fold, but depending on what time of sunlight we are processing, this could lead to extreme pain and madness."
The itch was burning now, spreading throughout my body; and yet I fought to focus on their words. I had to hear the last of it, I knew I did.
"Most importantly, red kryptonite negates the effects of green kryptonite."
The burning was too much now. I cried out and fell to the floor, tearing at my skin. My parents were at my side in an instant, and my mother took my hand.
"Kara, Kara listen to me." She spoke quickly, as if she was fully aware how little time she had left, "once you are healed, there will be nothing that can hold you back. Fight for the justice your old world so desperately needed."
The dining room and the table started flickering away, as if they were part of an image superimposed on another. "Kara, your mother and I love you very much, and we are so happy you found your cousin." My father stroked my hair back, "but more than anything, remember, you must remember, all kryptonians are your family now, clones are no exception."
"Clones?" That seemed so out of place.
"Ease his pain the same way you are being healed, and you will have not only a new cousin, but a new ally in your quest."
The entire room flickered away, revealing a doctor's office, and a man and young woman standing over me. A moment later, the Kryptonian room appeared again, although it was somewhat transparent.
"We love you, dear." My mom's blonde hair slowly became red, and my father's full head of hair disappeared.
I suddenly recognized Babs and Dr. Hamilton above me. Both of them held violently bright red rocks. I felt as though my skin was about to burst.
"Leave!" I cried, and I watched as Dr. Hamilton dropped his chunk and grabbed Barbara, pulling her out a door the same moment the red kryptonite touched my skin. I screamed as the heat tore through me, hungrily devouring everything that held me back. I could feel the burst of energy leave my body, and destroy the room around me.
But my transformation wasn't complete; right when I thought I had a moment to breathe, I felt something in me crack, as if I was splitting in half. I cried out as something pulled those pieces apart.
Right as it should have broken away, one of the halves seemed to disappear; the entire sensation of being broken in two disappeared, and I felt oddly perfect.
Exhaustion took hold, and my head rolled to the side. On the table next to mine was another blonde girl; as my eyes became heavy, hers evidently lightened. Her blue eyes followed me into unconsciousness, reminding me of someone I couldn't quite place. Darkness took hold, and I drifted away into sleep.
I woke to someone shaking my shoulder.
"Kara, Kara! Wake up, please Kara, wake up!"
I groaned and opened my eyes, letting my gaze land on Barbara, who visibly relaxed at my consciousness.
"Oh thank god," she breathed. I brought one hand to my head while I propped myself up on the other. My eyes felt so tired, as if I had been watching the world championships of ping-pong.
"What happened?" I asked, my throat somehow in singing shape.
"Let's start with what you remember," Babs suggested gently, scooting in behind me as I sat up so that I had something to lean on. I was in an examination room, like at a hospital although this one appeared to have had a bomb explode in it.
"Um," I said, trying to focus; I could hear voices from outside the steel door, hundreds and hundreds of voices vying for attention. "I remember going to the gym…"
"And then what?" Babs encouraged, but my brain was already piecing it back together.
"Oh my god," I realized suddenly, "How long have I been out?"
"Only about ten minutes," Babs answered, "I couldn't see you for the first five because Hamilton insisted on checking the integrity of the room before letting me in."
"Babs, we've got to get back, we've got to go help the others."
"Kara, you've only just woken up!"
"And she should be in top-shape," Both of us whipped around to see Dr. Hamilton entering through another door, holding a strange container in the palm of his hand. "Try standing, Kara, I'm sure you can probably manage a supersonic flight by now." Despite Barbara's immediate protests, I pushed myself all the way up and stood; but Hamilton was right, that wasn't nearly enough. I could feel every inch of me vibrate in anticipation; I could go anywhere, do anything I dreamed of. I had no limits.
"The red kryptonite you were exposed to completely negated the effects of the green kryptonite in your system," Hamilton confirmed, "And the increased receptivity it caused encouraged your body to heal faster. The effects of the red kryptonite should have been effectively terminated when what was left of the green kryptonite was expelled, rather forcefully, I might add…"
"So I'm at full power?"
"You should be," he answered simply, "Although I could run some tests to be sure."
"There's no time for that," I cried, "We have to stop that clone before it destroys the city, and Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl with it!"
"Ah, yes, well," Hamilton shifted slightly. When I focused on him, I realized I could hear his heartbeat as it steadily increased. "Try this," he offered the container.
"What is it?" Barbara sounded justfully paranoid.
"A piece of green kryptonite," he answered, unable to look me in the eyes.
"What is S.T.A.R. Labs doing with something like that?" I could practically hear Barbara's eyes narrow.
"Look at it as a back up plan," Hamilton said, pushing the container to Barbara, "For instances like this." Even though I'm sure Barbara could have pressed the issue further, she bit her tongue and accepted the 'gift'. "Feel free to keep it," Hamilton added, still not looking at me, "Just in case." Babs nodded grimly and deposited the weapon into one of her larger pockets.
"Thank you, Dr. Hamilton, for saving me." I added, as we were leaving.
"Surprisingly, Kara, it wasn't nearly as difficult a choice as you might believe," he sighed, as if he wasn't completely satisfied that that was the case, "I don't think I could have let myself live with the guilt if I had turned you away."
"Why is that?" Babs almost snorted in disbelief.
"For the very same reason I gave you the kryptonite," he answered, "Because in situations like this, we need to have someone we can look up to. As much as I hate to admit it, sometimes, the world needs superheroes."
Babs and I looked at each other, and then back at the doctor, nodding in silent agreement, before we took off, soaring as fast as we could to Metropolis, and the crisis that lay within.
When we arrived at the city, the fighting had moved from where we had left it to the airspace of downtown. Now it took me nearly no effort to gaze through the buildings and find the clone bearing down on Diana as Cassie buzzed around them like a fly, trying her hardest to let her fury be known. I started to fly towards them, but Babs, of all people, stopped me.
"Wait," she said, "we've got to get you a new look."
"Seriously?" I asked, "We're gonna worry about this now?"
"Yes," Babs was completely serious, "A hero is only as good as her disguise, and in this case, the reporters watching will know who you are because of Clark. You made it clear that you don't want Lois to know that it's you fighting up there, so you need to make sure she won't recognize you."
"But how? We don't have time!"
"I have an idea," Babs grinned, and I had the distinct feeling that the table of our personalities and roles had suddenly turned. She took my wrist and pulled me towards the street vendors below, saying only, "Follow me."
Clark's P.O.V.
I set the last refugee on the deck of the Aircraft Carrier, and watched a crew member put an arm around her shoulders and guide her to safety. The monsoon had almost completely obliterated the small island, and it was bad enough that even though I had been standing by the whole week, I still hadn't been able to save these people's homes.
"Clark,"
I heard the barely audible whisper come from behind me, and I turned to find Batman readying his Bat plane for use.
"Anything I can help you with?" I asked, floating over to him.
"There appears to be a disturbance in Metropolis," he directed my attention to the small holographic projection he directed onto the deck.
"I'm here in downtown Metropolis, and above us is quite possibly the fight of the century." The camera pointed away from the anchor to the skies, where two figures grappled with each other, and a third tried desperately to make her presence known. I recognized Wonder Woman immediately, but I had no clue who the small blonde girl with her was, only taking comfort in the fact that it clearly wasn't Kara.
"Is that the former Batgirl?" I asked, only to see Bruce grimace.
"No, that's Wonder Girl, Wonder Woman's niece; she should be in Gotham, considering she's currently under my supervision."
"What's her name?" A thought had occurred to me, and I silently prayed that I wasn't right.
"Cassie, why?"
I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose, "Kara brought Cassie with her to watch my place."
"…Woman and her associate appear to be fighting a version of Superman, May. Is this true?"
I immediately refocused on the image. They were right; somehow, Diana and Cassie were fighting a younger version of me. "How is that…?" Bruce asked, but before I could answer, a new blur soared through the image and sent the clone flying; she paused for a moment by Diana and Cassie, but left to pursue their opponent as another, red-headed ally appeared by them. In that moment, the world came crashing around me. Bruce muttered something that sounded like "Barbara," but I still had the image of the blur in my mind.
"Oh, Kara…"
"Superman!" I turned to the call of the soldier, although I was still in shock. "The locals say there's one more village further in land."
I nodded, and looked at Bruce. He tapped the button on his wrist and made the newscast disappear. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can join them."
I nodded, "Call in Flash and Aquaman to take over after this one. I don't want to leave these people completely." Bruce nodded and began radioing in orders. I took to the skies and set my course for the storm-ravaged island once more.
Hold on a bit longer, Kara, I'll be there soon.
Kara's P.O.V.
Even though I was still certain our little detour had been a waste of time, part of me was happy I had let Babs pull me aside to settle a costume. Some entrepenuer, in their moment of insight, had created a much smaller, female replica of my cousin's suit, and Babs had somehow managed to find one in a deserted shop within five minutes. It was far more comfortable than I had originally imagined it would be, and although it was only a blue leotard and cape, I felt as powerful as Clark.
So when I had the clone in my sights, I launched myself at him with as much force as I could muster. He went flying out of Diana's grasp and skidded across the roof of a nearby building.
"Kara?" Diana could hardly believe her eyes, and I couldn't really blame her.
"Babs will explain," I excused quickly, and shot down to meet the recovering clone. He shook his head, and his desperate gaze focused on me. "Calm down, will you?" I tried, but the moment I opened my mouth, he let out another angry howl and ran at me, intent to tear me apart. My instincts took over, and I grabbed his wrist the minute it entered my bubble. The next moment, he was in the side of a building.
I really was stronger.
It wasn't enough to knock him out though, as a moment later, he was soaring back out of the building towards me. I ducked and grabbed his foot, managing to spin him around a few times before letting him go.
The plan, as Babs and I had discussed, was for me to try to tire him out and get him away from the city; in the three hours we had been gone, Diana and Cassie had done a pretty decent job of it, but I noticed that there was some damage aside from mine. If we allowed much more, lives could be in jeopardy. So this time, when I saw that he was at least momentarily dazed from his landing, I took the chance to fly at him. I locked my arms around his middle and kept on flying, determined to get him as far to the edge of the city as I could. When he regained his senses, however, he began pummeling my back with his fists; I may have been stronger now, but I could still feel his blows. I stopped my flight—we were still a few miles from the edge—and threw him down as hard as I could. He landed on the roof of a—thankfully!—empty car. I had hoped that the landing would daze him again, but he recovered faster this time; he stood up and immediately shot back up to hover directly in front of me.
I could see the open desert behind him; I had to get him there, but I couldn't keep throwing him into buildings. Clearly, he was just becoming more resilient. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw three figures zooming towards the desert. When I magnified them, I saw Cass pause and wave her arms, and her distant voice calling, "This way!"
Could it really be that easy?
I flew up to the clone, grabbed both his punches and locked eyes with him. The red in his eyes didn't look like blood anymore; I knew I had seen the red, but I couldn't think where. Instead of dwelling, I put on my challenge face.
"Race ya!" I cried, then threw him aside and shot out towards the desert, praying that my feint would work. Behind me, I heard a frustrated growl, and I felt the air rumble then watched him flash past me in a blur, aimed straight for the desert, where the others waited.
Another blur joined him; Cassie had taken up where I left off, luring him onward. When she fell far enough behind, Diana appeared, actually giving him a run for his money. I flew as fast as I could, catching up with Cass in no time. Diana had the clone out of the city, where Babs had to be hidden, ready and waiting to appear.
Once she was clear of people, Diana rolled midair to grab him in a bear hug and force him to slow. She let go once he was slow enough, allowing me to plow straight into him and send him straight into the ground.
You would think that being driven straight into the ground would at least cause someone a minute of recuperation before fighting back. Instead, I was thrown away immediately, and the clone shot back up into the air.
"Babs, get the damn kryptonite!" I yelled, shooting back towards him.
"If I get it out now, it'll hurt you too!"
Cassie got her lasso around him, but her electric shocks were nothing to him now. Diana caught him in hers as well, but he pulled them around easily. It was only when I pulled him into a hold that he was somewhat immobilized.
"I'll be fine!" I yelled, "Just hurry up and un-power him already!"
Barbara hovered in front of us, eyes filled with indecision.
"Babs, I can't hold him forever! Do it now, and we'll live with the consequences!"
Babs stared at me for what felt like an eternity in a second; then in one fluid movement, she held out the container, clicked the button, and looked away.
I felt it immediately, as did the clone. The red disappeared from his suddenly drooping eyes, and we both very nearly dropped out of the sky. Babs followed us, kryptonite out the whole time, as Diana and Cass lowered us to the ground. When we hit the ground, Cassie dropped her rope and pulled me out of the light, setting me aside while they tied the clone up. Once he was secure, Babs clicked the lid back into place, and the clone let out a tiny sigh of relief.
I stood up, shaky, and walked over to him. Now that he wasn't crazy and trying to kill us, I could see that his eyes were actually blue, like mine. His eyes focused exhaustedly on me, and then the logo on my chest.
"Hope," he whispered, looking back up to me, and smiling, actually smiling, before his eyes rolled back in his head, and he fell forward into my arms.
He knew; the same way I knew, he knew.
You will not only have a new cousin, but a new ally.
"We're taking him to Clark's," I decided, picking him up. All three of my companions looked at me as if I was crazy. "He needs to be in a safe place, and that is the only place I trust. C'mon," Without waiting for their answers, I lifted off, intent on getting home.