78. Kara's Visitor part 4

A flurry of dust fell in Kansas night air as the T-Car came to a stop.

Robin unbuckled and stood up in his seat, looking over the open gate of a long, wooden fence enclosing the expanse of farmland.

"See anything?" Cyborg asked.

"Y-Yeah….," the Boy Wonder squinted through his eyemask. "House…barn….shed…the works."

"This is where Kara directed us to go, right?"

"Yup. Must be the Kents'."

"Let's just go already…," Raven droned.

"Hey Robin, you see an outhouse?"

"Hold it, B.B."

"I don't have to go, dude. I'm just wondering if they're that primitive."

"Shhh! Shut your beak, man, and let Robin do the talking!"

I smirked.

"Pfft! Fine! I'll just ask Kara."

"Yes, she must be the expert on lavatories."

"Yeah, well, I'd ask you Raven but this isn't your region of expertise."

"Am I supposed to say 'touche'' to that?"

"No, you're supposed to kiss me."

"………touche'."

Robin sat back down, sighed, and put on a brave smile. "Let's go for it…."

"Well alright," Cyborg shifted gears and coasted us up the hill and up a thin dirt path towards the house.

It was a two story thing with red shingles on its rooftop. There was a barn about fifty feet away; and even taller structure. A tractor and a trailer and a few other pieces of equipment rested besides the wooden body. In the distance I saw the unmistakable sight of yellow mounds of hay. There was another long stretch of fence enclosed within the property, and beyond it I saw nearly a dozen cows grazing and sleeping under the night sky. Under the bend in the hill beyond the haystacks were rows of some sort of crop, but I couldn't tell what it was. I wasn't a green thumb.

We came to a stop a polite distance from the house and filed out slowly.

Cyborg was the first to step out…then Robin and I…finally Beast Boy and Raven.

"So…..like….," Beast Boy blinked. "Are we welcomed?"

As if on cue, the screen door burst open and out flew Kara—still in her Supergirl garb. "Hey, y'all! What took you so long!"

"Um….America," Beast Boy smirked.

"Figures," she winked. "Superheroes these days. Always such city slickers!"

There was a gasping sound from inside. "Have my friends arrived?!" Starfire flew out, glowed green, and giggled happily in mid-air. "Greetings, dear companions! We are now dwelling within the Village of Small!"

"Smallville…," Supergirl cleared her throat. "Did you get to see downtown?"

"Not really," Robin smiled. "It was too dark on the way here."

"This place has a downtown?" Raven asked.

"Well….it's got a bank. So I suppose that matters," Supergirl shrugged.

Just then….two voices:

"Is that them, Kara?"

"Let us have a look-see…."

I craned my neck and blinked through my shades as two adults emerged through the open screen door and stood between the hovering forms of Supergirl and Starfire. I saw a strongly-built man with glasses, balding hair, and a tan complexion. Then there was a woman of shorter and more graceful stature, her hair a dyed attempt to avoid graying. They both looked……quaint….

The Kents.

"By golly, it's them!" the man remarked. "In the flesh…..metal and flesh, that is."

Cyborg and I smirked.

Robin stepped forward and proceeded to engage in extreme cordiality while half of us rolled our eyes. "Greetings. I'm Robin. And we are the Teen Titans. This is Cyborg….Noir….Raven….Beast Boy….and you've already met Starfire."

"And quite happy we are to have!" the woman smiled, folding her arms and looking over. "Quite the polite out-of-towner, she is. And what a marvelous story she had to tell of….the Kerblefack?"

"The Kerbolafax from Ooblertron!" Starfire beamed. "The ancient, seventeenth epic poem of Hujunora'm!"

"Yes…that…," the woman nodded and looked back at the other Titans. "Plus she can fly. And we've had no end of that in our house."

Supergirl blushed. "Maaaa…."

"I'm John Kent," the man smiled. He hugged the woman. "And this is Martha."

"Pleased to meet you."

"I….erm…," Robin scratched the back of his neck, "….assume that Supe---Kara has informed you of her proposal?"

"That she has," Martha smiled. "And we couldn't agree more."

I blinked under my shades.

"You serious?" Beast Boy remarked.

"As serious as ever!" Starfire beamed. "Their graciousness is exceedingly….gracious!"

"Believe you me…we're more than willing to help whenever this sort of superhero business comes into fruition," John stated. "Lord knows the number of times we've supported Clark amidst his struggles as Superman. It's the least we can do."

"And our unassuming lifestyle keeps people from suspecting our boy of being the hero that he is," Martha added. She glanced over at Kara. "And the same goes for future generations."

Supergirl smiled bashfully. "A-Aren't they the greatest?"

"So let me get this straight…," Raven stepped forward and spoke, "You are aware of the risk of being found out by both Intergang and Metallo during our operations in Smallville….and you are still okay with our presence here?"

"Absolutely."

"…..," Raven stared. "Well……um…..th-thank you."

Martha chuckled under her breath. "My…you are the pensive type, aren't you?"

"Hehehehe," Beast Boy giggled and pointed at Raven. "She just called you pensive!"

"She will be calling me 'brutal' in about a minute if you don't be quiet…."

"Ahem….sh-shutting up now," Beast Boy turned red and stood up straight.

"Care to come inside and have a bite to eat?" John asked. "From what Kara's been telling us, it seems like y'all've been on the move a little too much as of late."

"First thing's first, Pa," Kara floated down and stood on the steps to the house's porch. "We gotta find an inconspicuous place to put their car."

"Well, by all means."

"That…and….," Kara smirked to herself. "I've been promising them a bit of an explanation."

"Concerning?"

"Why Intergang has been finding so much Kryptonite around here lately."

Raven seemed to brighten at that…if such was possible.

"Ah yes…superhero matters. Always important."

"Thanks for understanding."

"Thanks for keeping us informed!"

Supergirl and Starfire walked over.

"So…I got the perfect place in mind…," Kara said, eyeing the T-Car.

Cyborg sweatdropped. "Uhh….perfect place in theory or in reality?"

"Let's find out together, shall we?"

"O-Okay….."

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"We can't seriously be doing this!!" Beast Boy cackled.

"Hey," Robin smiled, his arms folded. "If Cyborg has no complaint about it….it must be fine! Have you any complaints, Cyborg?"

"Uhhh……huh?"

"Any compla—"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Cyborg said blankly. He rubbed the human part of his head nervously and eyed the interior of the hay-strewn barn. The T-Car fit perfectly on the bottom floor of the wooden structure. In fact, that was exactly where they put it. "None of those pitchforks and sickles and stuff hangin' from the ceiling are gonna fall down in the middle of the night, are they?!"

"Nope," Supergirl effortlessly shut the huge barn doors behind us and dusted her hands off. "Unless—of course—a tornado hits in the middle of a storm. Then this place becomes a veritable inside-out grenade of shrapnel and splinters. But don't worry about your car. You'll be sleeping in here too---some of you---so you can keep an eye on it."

"A-And what if a tornado hits in the middle of the night?" Beast Boy gulped.

"Then maybe it will be up to Supergirl to save you!" she smirked.

Beast Boy managed a chuckle. "I don't know about the rest of us…but I'm sure Noir would like tha—"

Robin elbowed him.

"Ooof!"

I mouthed: 'Thank you'.

Robin shrugged.

"So…," Raven eyed a conspicuous rat in the corner of the barn that scurried away. "….you said you were going to share---"

"Yes, I'm 'going to share'," Supergirl rolled her eyes. "As much as I hate to admit it, y'all aren't here just to crash. Hey Cyborg."

"Hey Kara."

"Can I borrow your car?"

"For what?"

"Hopefully something productive," she walked over and peered inside the driving compartment. "This thing's got a computer right??

"Damn right it does," Cyborg smiled. "State of the art processor with twelve times the availabl—"

"Can it show a map of Smallville and the surrounding areas?"

"It sure can. AND! Better yet….," Cyborg sauntered over and tapped a few controls.

A circle opened in the dashboard. A small, silver cylinder slid up and out. The tip slitted and a tiny, bright blue light strobed. There was a flash across the interior of the barn…and then a holographic, topographical map of central Kansas appeared. The floating 'scene' zoomed in on Smallville and slowly rotated for all of us to watch with ease.

"Sweet…," Beast Boy smirked. He looked at Cyborg. "Can it do Area 51?"

"Sorry….no."

Robin smiled.

"This….," Supergirl gestured goofily at the rotating 3-D hologram, "….is Smallville."

"You don't say…," Raven muttered.

"It is quite a beautiful settlement!" Starfire exclaimed with hands clasped together. "Tell me…how long ago was it founded?"

Supergirl smiled. "I'd be happy to tell you all about the history of this town…but perhaps at another time. What's important is what I'm about to tell you now."

"Concerning Intergang's and Metallo's interests here…."

"Right, Raven." Supergirl then turned back to Cyborg. "If I enter a trajectory into the computer, can the model simulate a falling object?"

"I don't see why not," Cyborg gestured towards a number pad in the dashboard. Supergirl leaned over and typed away a few numbers.

"Something falling from the sky??" Beast Boy scratched his green head. "We're not gonna see Bruce Willis and a bunch of stereotypes save the world, are we?"

"You wish," Supergirl mused. She finished typing.

I squinted my black eyes through my shades as a red arrow streaked a curved path downward and ground into the 3-D 'earth' of the hologram. The arrow stopped completely just off of a country road leading towards a farm that looked suspiciously liked the Kents' place.

"About…..oh….thirty years ago or so….the planet Krypton exploded. You all probably know this from pop culture. But what most people don't know is exactly how Superman got all the way here to Earth when his planet went kaboom."

"Yeah….I've always wondered about that…," Cyborg admitted with a nod.

"Well, he's told me some details himself," Kara smiled. "Even for such a good boy scout as he is, Blue Boy keeps some things to himself. I guess I can't blame him. He is the last of his kind. Though he's kind of got a cousin in me and stuff."

"You were saying….," Raven droned.

"Ahem. What I do know is that Superman's parents really loved him and stuff. And they knew Krypton was gonna go kablooie. So they strapped their kid up in a spaceship and shot him out in hopes that someway—somehow—he would survive in some other sentient environment and live on the legacy of Krypton…yadda yadda. Anyways, he ended up here," Supergirl pointed at the map. "After a wormhole spout him and his spaceship out, he crash landed on Earth. In Kansas of all places." She rolled her blue eyes. "And John and Martha Kent found him. They raised him up like a human kid until he was old enough to understand who he was and stuff. And gradually he discovered that the nature of the Terran Sun cancels out the suppressed Kryptonian strength that his natural Sun robbed him of. And thus we have Superman."

Robin subconsciously glanced over at Starfire.

The Tamaranian was gasping. "That is similar to the story of Nova'm!"

"Who??" Supergirl made a face.

Starfire blushed. "Oh….n-nevermind. J-Just someone I know and care for." She simpered.

"Man…," Beast Boy sweatdropped. "There sure are a lot of aliens on this vacation."

"Live and learn, kiddo," Supergirl winked with a smile.

I watched her.

"Anyways….the story of Kryptonite is very similar to the story of Superman," Kara went on. "Through the wormhole went Superman's spaceship. Right? Well so did shards of his exploded planet. Kryptonite. And while his ship landed in Kansas, all the Kryptonite shards went scattering every which way. And that's the sort of stuff crooks like Metallo and others have found over the last thirty-odd years and used against Blueboy."

"Right," Raven nodded. "But why's there so many of it here in Kansas? Because the ship crashed here?"

Supergirl held up a finger. "You're on the right track……I-I think."

"You think?" "There's a theory that Clark's been tossing around for months now…," Supergirl said. She walked over and got Cyborg's approving glance before typing away at the T-Car's numberpad a bit more. "He thinks that the wormhole may have caused some shards of Kryptonite to….ya know….cling to his spaceship during the fall to Earth. But when he struck the atmosphere and the friction heated everything up, the shards went going their own fancy directions…but all more or less fell in the same vicinity."

"Unlike the other Kryptonite pieces that fell through the wormhole independent of the spaceship….," Robin remarked.

"Yeah! Exactly!" she finished typing. A bunch of green specks appeared in a scattered line around the end of the red arrow on the 3-D map. "So….like…imagine a cluster of Kryptonite all around this area! Like…it fell off the ship and sunk into the ground of Kansas—but mainly Smallville. And since they were all superheated, they sunk into the earth and stuff. And over the last few years—as morons actually tried to develop in this part of the country, we've had the stuff hidden. But now, there's some sort of 'mining expedition' if you were. Intergang realizes there's all this Kryptonite in the area. And they're swamping in here to collect it all before everyone else. To make sure they beat everyone else to the 'Kryptonite Rush', they have Metallo along with them."

"All that Kryptonite falling into their hands…," Raven muttered aloud, "…it would give them a financial foothold in the criminal underworld."

"They could auction the stuff off and get loads of dirty money," Cyborg said.

"Not to mention spread Kryptonite around into dozens of the wrong hands…," Robin gritted his teeth.

Supergirl bit her lip as she added: "Or they could just put all the many pieces of Kryptonite together to make something so lethal that it would kill Superman on the spot."

Everyone was silent at that.

I gestured in the air.

Cyborg 'read'. "Yeah, good point." He looked at Supergirl. "How would Intergang realize there was so much Kryptonite here? I mean…it's not like they're ones to know that Superman—or Clark Kent—grew up here of all places."

"I….um….I-I have no idea," Supergirl shrugged.

Raven raised an eyebrow.

"Trial and error, perhaps," Supergirl shrugged. "They must have found one shard of Kryptonite here…then another….and then found a pattern and decided to search the place from head to toe."

"What ways do they have of finding Kryptonite?" Robin asked. "Emissions from the glowing matter?"

"I dunno. I'm no technogeek."

Robin opened his satchel and held the tiny shard. "Well…think of this thing that we've got as a vaccine. If the Kryptonite is a virus, then imagine using this thing here to root out the rest of the strain."

"A closed-net search following the frequency of our sample's emissions?" Cyborg remarked. "That can be done."

"Good," Beast Boy blinked. "Who cares if any of us understand it…."

"We must find the Kryptonite before Intergang does!" Starfire exclaimed. "That is the plan, is it not?"

"It is now," Robin palmed his fist. "I think we'll be doing some hunting for our vacation, Titans. Kryptonite hunting."

"Woo hoo!" Supergirl pumped her right arm and smiled. "Now we're getting somewhere!"

Raven glared at her momentarily before looking at Robin, "How are we to know what amount of Kryptonite is left to be found? And even if we do find the rest that's in this region…it won't make Metallo give up what he and Intergang have rounded up."

"But it will make them realize they're not the only ones on the playing field," Robin said. "As of now, we can't think up of a way to purposefully confront Metallo. He's got a dangerous weapon strapped to his chest."

"Dude, it is his chest!"

Robin sighed. "Point being…we gotta do this the round about way. Who knows? If we can find more Kryptonite than what they've got, we could perhaps pressure into giving up part of their scheme."

"Whatever the case….," Cyborg spoke, "…anything's better than sitting around and doing nothing."

"Right," the Boy Wonder nodded.

Starfire said: "Agreed."

I smiled.

Raven stared at everyone, then breathed: "Sounds like we're all in agreement."

"You sure?" Beast Boy smirked at her.

Raven glared.

"She's sure…."

"Cyborg…," Robin walked over with the small green shard. "How long would it take to analyze this and perform a scan of the surrounding counties?"

"Ooooh…even with my computer that's gonna take a while. That is if you want it done right."

"And when do I not?"

"Heheh….good point, man. I'm gonna guestimate about eight hours."

"Overnight…," Starfire remarked.

"See?!" Supergirl exclaimed with arms wide. "You need a place to crash after all!"

Robin smiled. "I suppose so." He handed the shard to Cyborg who put it into a compartment inside the T-Car. "I must thank you for your hospitality," the Boy Wonder professionally said. He gestured, "…and perhaps soon it would be a good idea to send a message to Superman in the Watchtower so that he could come by and help out since surely he'd—"

Supergirl suddenly gasped: "No!!"

I winced.

Beast Boy jumped.

Raven raised an eyebrow.

Silence…..

"Ahem…," Supergirl gulped and nervously smiled, "…C-Clark is very….um….b-busy with…ya know…the Justice League and….um…….promoting Justice….with his….er….League…"

"How so?" Robin asked, curious.

"Why…h-haven't you heard the news?"

"….."

"The battle with…um…."

"….."

"…..the aliens?"

Starfire gasped. "A battle with aliens?! How horrible!!"

"Yeah…can't imagine the pressures he's going through right now," Supergirl sighed dramatically. "He'd be most grateful if we capable superheroes handled this ourselves."

"…………," Robin stared. A beat. "Okay, then."

Supergirl smiled.

"After all, you know 'your cousin' much more than I ever will…I suppose…."

"Hehehe….yeah. Green thumbs think alike."

"Indeed…," Raven muttered. She was looking into space in thought.

"Well…while you're getting that supercar of yours all…analytical and jazz….how's about coming into the house and getting your fill?"

"Of what?"

"What else?? Food…water…and…um….clothes!"

"But we're wearing—"

"Bah! Uniforms! Don't be so stiff! If you're gonna sleep over—some of you in a barn—at least get comfortable!!"

Beast Boy looked at me.

I looked down at him.

He smiled and spoke to Supergirl: "How comfortable do you want some of us to get?"

I later reminded myself to strangle him.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"So….any of you got secret identities?" John Kent asked from across the kitchen table.

Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and I sat with him. Our plates of 'vittles' were half empty. I was the last to clean my plate, the finicky eater that I was that evening. I picked around peas and carrots as I glanced over at Robin only to realize that the other guy Titans were staring at him too.

The Boy Wonder sighed…but put on a brave smile for the host who was generously giving us a place to stay and…er…'munch'.

"At this point…only one of us."

John smiled and leaned his chin on his hand. "Should I guess who?"

"I don't know if Superman has told it to you or not yet Mr. Kent….but…," Robin glanced around at his curious companions He cleared his throat. "It's still very much a 'secret' identity."

John's eyebrow lifted.

"He means he won't tell us!" Beast Boy said.

"Ohhhhhh."

Cyborg let out a laugh.

I smirked and swallowed some more vegetables.

"Who knows how long that's gonna last," John Kent leaned back.

"I like to think optimistically about it," Robin folded his arms. "I have every right to keep it secret."

"Oh, by all means," the man smiled. "Clark has told us all about the ways of the Bat. The secret vigilantism. The masked do-gooder and stuff. It's really an ancient type of practice if you think about it. Something of legend and lore. I find it admirable. No way I'm gonna spoil it for you."

"Hahahahahaha!!" Cyborg exclaimed. "I like how you word it, Mr. Kent. 'Spoil'."

Robin frowned.

"I have my way with words," John said. "Or so my wife claims."

Beast Boy nervously asked: "So…um…..like….are you really Superman's mom and dad?"

"Foster parents. I suppose that's the politically correct term. As far as I'm concerned, he's our boy."

"And Kara?" Cyborg asked.

"Our girl," John smirked. "Big happy family."

"Ever gonna get a superdog?" Beast Boy asked.

"I dunno," John scratched his chin. "Why…are you applying somewhere?"

Cyborg laughed again.

Even Beast Boy chuckled. "Dude…that was a good one."

Robin seemed to be thinking about something else.

I dug around my food some more.

A beat.

After some silence, I glanced up and realized that John Kent was looking directly at me.

"You're the one they call 'Noir'."

I blinked under my shades. Why did people still address me as 'the one they call'??

I nodded.

"Was that your sword I saw hanging off your back when you first stopped by?"

I smirked slightly and nodded.

"Tell me…is that thing really made out of wood?"

I leaned back. My eyes traced the ceiling through my shades as I thought….then extended my hand and twisted side-to-side.

"Somewhat?"

I nodded.

"It's wooden," Cyborg exclaimed. "But Noir's powers make it nearly invulnerable at key moments. He can slash through most things if he wanted to."

"Fascinating," John nodded. A beat. "You seem to both be on the same page."

Cyborg and I exchanged glances.

The android smirked. "Well….kinda. We communicate with each other."

"And that means…."

"Cyborg's the only one who understands sign-language," Robin remarked. "And I understand morse code. That's how we relay information to each other when crime-fighting."

John blinked. "You mean….nobody else can talk to him?"

My male companions seemed a bit cornered. They blushed and scratched their necks.

"Yeah…about that…see…," Beast Boy muttered. "We're thinking of brushing up on our sign language skills."

"When?"

"…………………..soon."

I smirked and shook my head.

"You've seen it all, huh?" John remarked.

I shrugged.

"Guess with the line of work you're all in, it takes more than language to communicate with each other."

"Got that right," Cyborg nodded.

So did I. I took a last bite of food when we heard the muffled voices of the girls in the hallway.

"Something wicked this way comes!" mused Beast Boy.

"Nah, it's just me and Starfire!" Supergirl's voice said.

"I heard that….," Raven groaned.

Cyborg chuckled.

"What's up?" Robin craned his head and glanced out the kitchen doorway. "Are you people hiding?"

Giggles…then: "On the count of three…one…two…three…"

Kara and Starfire bounded in—laughing—arm in arm. They were dressed in identical sets of blue overalls and white undershirts. They seemed absolutely humored with themselves as they both attempted a choreographed greetings that resounded with Starfire's voice predominantly over Kara's: "Hee to the Haw!!"

I immediately spat out the peas and carrots in my mouth to the floor, wheezed for breath, and chuckled breathily.

Robin had his eyebrow raised and his mouth in a crooked attempt at a smile.

Cyborg and Beast Boy were laughing.

The girls tried to catch their breath, red in the face.

"Oh my god…that's too silly!" Supergirl wheezed.

"Hee to the haw?!?!" Beast Boy wiped a tear from his eye.

"Indeed!" Starfire smiled. "Is it not appropriate?!"

"I swear…I love the way she talks!" Supergirl pointed and hugged Starfire. "Oh man…it's great to have an alien girlfriend to laugh at the absurdity of everything with!"

"If you say so," Cyborg smirked. "Mind if we watch?"

Supergirl frowned/smirked.

Starfire said: "What is it you desire to watch, Cyborg?" she smiled innocently.

Robin had his hand over his face. "Why….are you both….wearing overalls…," he muffledly suppressed a Boy Wondrous chuckle.

"Why not?!" Supergirl grinned wide. "Life is short! Light years far apart! Seize the day and grab a drinking buddy!"

"Look at me!" Starfire twirled around in her country get up. "I am ready to cornshuck, am I not?"

"By all means," Cyborg chuckled. "Cornshuck away!"

"Dude!" Beast Boy 'kicked' the android in the leg with his foot.

"Ha ha ha!!"

"These overingalls are most comfortable," Starfire mused. "Robin, why is it that you never suggested to me that I pursue such an article during our previous encounters with the shopping?"

"Because….because…th-they're overalls, Star!" Robin gestured. "It's all so…so…."

"Country?" Kara raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Yeah…that…."

John Kent chuckled.

"Starfire….I promise," Robin gestured. "We get back to the City…I'll help you find all the overalls you want."

"Truly? Oh thank you, Robin!" she rushed over and hugged him in his chair. "I am elated that you approve of my nubile spirit of cornshucking!"

Struggling for breath, an embraced Robin glanced through his eyemask at the suspicious stretch of bare skin between Starfire's undershirt and her lower body hidden by the overalls. He blushed. "Uh…..y-yeah. Cornshucking is very good…"

"Say…," Beast Boy craned his neck. "Is that Raven I heard in the hallway? What's she hiding for?"

"Raven!" Starfire stood up and spoke to the doorway. "Why are you not hee to the hawing with us?!"

"Simply……pointless….," a dark voice uttered from the hallway.

I smirked with curiosity.

"For crying out loud! Just come on out!!" Kara hollered. "Nothing bad's gonna happen! They're your friends!"

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of…," Raven muttered. She emerged from the hallway. Suffice to say, only her face emerged. Everything from the chin down was veritably disguised in a plaid button-up shirt and blue jeans. To say that it was a very masculine set of apparel would not be lying. "Laugh all you want. I merely wanted to make Starfire shut up about dressing me up."

"I fail to see where the 'dress' part comes in," Beast Boy tried his polite best to not giggle at what was obviously a giggleful scene. "Who knew Starfire was a Mark Twain fan?"

"Oh, but I am!" Starfire exclaimed. "How very much I enjoyed reading the story about life on the Mississippi with Applebees Finn and Nugget Jim!"

"That's 'Huckleberry Finn'," Robin corrected.

Beast Boy nodded. "Yeah, and that's not 'Nugget Jim'. That's 'N---….er…."

Cyborg cleared his throat.

Beast Boy sweatdropped. "N-Nice getup, Raven."

"Hey Beast Boy…"

"Yes, Raven?"

"You know this one place called Hell?"

"Yeah."

"Why don't you go there sometime?"

"Okay…."

I chuckled.

Raven glared.

"Oh! That's not the best part!" Kara beamed. She gestured to Starfire.

The Tamaranian giggled and reached behind her and produced something. She handed it to Kara and soon Raven had a straw hat planted on her blue head.

"Oh my gawd…," Cyborg shook his head.

Raven looked about ready to turn to ice like she had been wanting to all those years.

"I'll admit to one thing," Robin said. "The life of a superhero never ceases to surprise me."

"Well while you're enjoying your 'surprise'," Raven grumbled, "Can we go to sleep now?"

"We do have a full day tomorrow," Robin stood up and nodded. "It's best to get some rest before we conduct our searches."

"And hopefully the T-Car will be finished with its analysis," Starfire said…then put further strain in adding: "'Y'all'"

Supergirl giggled and hugged Starfire's right arm. "Gosh, you're so cute!"

Starfire blushed. "Am I truly?"

"Might as well give the gentlemen some new clothes to sleep in too," John Kent stood up and said. "Those costumes can't be comfortable after such a long day."

"Hey…," Cyborg did a Fonze shrug and smiled, "…my birthday suit's always comfortable!"

"Okay. Dude. Not in someone else's house!"

"What do you suggest?" Robin asked.

"Hmmmmm…," John rubbed his chin. He looked up and smiled as he called out: "Martha??"

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"Luckily for you…most of Clark's old stuff will fit," Martha said as she rummaged through a closet in the guest room. Robin, Beast Boy and I were using the room one after another to change into some clothes over night. Then afterwards, it would serve as the bedroom for Starfire and Raven. "I don't mean to be brash…but…Robin and the green one sure are small for their age, aren't they?"

I smirked. But then turned straight face as Mrs. Kent offered me a set of slacks and a white shirt.

"Ah…he wore these during his high school years. Casual stuff. Whenever he was around the house and doing homework or what not."

I looked her. I looked at the clothes. I looked at her again.

"Oh…don't be silly!" she smiled. "Robin and Beast Boy reacted the same way! They just couldn't believe they were wearing the same clothes that once belonged to Superman!"

I nervously nodded. That was more or less true.

"Trust me…he would not mind a bit, provided the circumstances."

I gently took the clothes from her. I watched as she walked out of the room and into the doorway.

"You might as well let the two girls of your team know when you're done. They seem rather drowsy as we speak---though I believe the one with the stone in her head isn't gonna admit she's practically sleeping on the couch for the past ten minutes or so. Heheheh…I swear, she's quite a trouper."

I nodded.

That she was.

"I'll leave you in peace. Take your time."

She closed the door.

I took a deep breath and set the articles onto the bed before me. The shirt was like a tank top…or one of those 'wife beater' trademarks. I chuckled to myself momentarily.

I slipped off my boots…then my combat shirt. I slipped on Clark Kent's old shirt, then removed my lower fatigues and went on from there.

I was halfway through jumping into the slacks when suddenly—horrifically—the door to which my butt was directly facing opened wide.

Supergirl's voice: "Raven? Kori? Are you in here yet—Hello."

I gasped and tumbled head-first across the bed and stumbled onto the floor. THWUMP!!!

"Yikes!!! Sorry about that! I thought that the girls were in here already and---hey! They ARE Calvin Klein!!"

Blushing furiously, I poked my head up from the far side of the bed and pointed a furious finger towards the door. My long black hair was tossed.

"Huh? Oh. Right. Privacy. My bad. Cya tomorrow!" she sing-songed and was gone in an instant.

I panted. I came down the rollercoaster of embarrassment and slowly gathered the strength to stand up and pull the slacks up all the way. It was a good minute or two before I actually stepped pensively out of the room with my clothes in my arms. I spent the time pinching myself and dreading the fact that this was all terribly real.

For the rest of the night I counted the seconds away till the day I died…

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"Well, this isn't so bad!" Robin mused as he tiredly stretched out onto a makeshift blanket spread over a bed of straw. "I've had to sleep in worse places than this in my day! Heck, this one time I was chasing down Ra's Al Ghul—"

"Yeah yeah, whatever Robin," Beast Boy mumbled. He laid down a few feet away on the hayloft of the barn's 'second story'. Beneath us, the T-Car silently continued its analysis of the small Kryptonite shard. "We all know about your fifty years of experience in fifteen odd years of life."

"Sixteen!" Robin frowned. A beat. "At least I think it's sixteen."

"Man, that's sad," Cyborg remarked from where he was already laying down and getting drowsy. "Being so busy fighting crime and stuff that you forget your own age."

"Who're you to speak, Cy?" Beast Boy smirked. "Sometimes—I swear—it's like you forget about the body parts you once had."

"I never forget that, man."

"And what about your tube?"

"Leave my tube alone!"

"Okay…that just sounded dirty."

"Can we sleep now?!" Robin growled.

"Oh. Sorry."

"No problem…good night Cyborg."

"Good night, Robin. Good night Beast Boy."

"Good night Cyborg. "Good night Robin."

"Uh….yeah…good night Beast Boy."

"…….."

"…….."

"…….."

"…….good night Cybor—"

"Man!! You already said that!!"

"Did I really?! There's so many people in here it's hard to forget!"

"Just shut up and go to sleep already!"

I whistled.

Everyone looked my way.

I waved and smiled from my blanket.

"Goodnight, Noir." All three said at once.

I smirked and did the 'ok' symbol with my hands. Now everyone could be quiet with finality.

The four of us turned over and settled into our exhaustion by letting the silence of the barn and the Kansas night creeping in from outside lull us to sleep.

For a few minutes, my bare black eyes wandered the wooden nooks and crannies of the place…when truly I was only 'looking' at my mind. My shades and Myrkblade rested in the hay besides my blanket. I could barely catch the sight of my reflection in the sunglasses.

I kept thinking about a smile…a smile on a face beneath golden blonde hair kept in place by a black hairband. Ocean blue eyes as Supergirl thanked me for saving her from the trainload of Kryptonite.

I didn't think of the implications of such an occurrence. All I thought about was the occurrence itself. And before I knew it, I was sleeping.

Peacefully….

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

The next morning came in a blink of black eyes.

I shot up straight in bed as if startled by something. Really all it was was the incredulity of nighttime passing so quickly. The dull gray-blue sky filtered in through the barn door below. Over to my left, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Robin were still sleeping soundly…most of them turned over from having subconsciously moved during the night. All except for the Boy Wonder. Robin always slept on his back. Always ready to move…

I held my metal and flesh hands out in front of my face. I flexed my limbs.

I felt awake….I felt renewed…it was the best sleep I had experienced in days. Not once—even in self-analyzing it—did I again think about the anxious and frightening prospect of moving westward. Old nightmares were gone and in their place was a gentle softness. A relishing of life. The simple curve of a smile and blue, playful eyes.

I blinked.

It was a long time since I remembered both thinking about someone while going to sleep and the thinking about that person again when waking up.

My heart beat faster for a second or two and then slowed down.

I bit my lip…not liking the 'sound' of that.

I obstinately picked up my shades and Myrkblade and climbed down from the loft.

There was one thing I couldn't afford to forget doing….

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

I was meditating.

Surrounded by fields.

The morning wind kicking lightly at my long black hair.

Still clad in Clark Kent's old clothes.

I held Myrkblade out in a painful pose and kept myself locked in such a position.

My black eyes narrowed under my shades.

I constantly poured murk energy into my foot…which was not on dry ground.

No…I was standing atop the waters of a pond in the far side of the Kents' farmland. Using my powers, I kept myself balanced atop the liquid surface….in absolute concentration. I felt so much energy that morning…I was willing to go through with the greater level of focus. It was something I hadn't felt since….the days after Fang was done in last.

I took a deep breath, slashed Myrkblade up, twirled in mid-air, came back down, blurred my feet, and balanced myself again on the water.

I froze there. Then…..SWIIIISH!! I jabbed Myrkblade forward and blurred to my other leg, straining to balance on the other foot…and suddenly finding it easy to do.

I smiled slightly…a big 'no no' in focused meditation.

But there are many 'no nos'.

"Wow…."

I blinked. My heart beat increased. I struggled to keep my concentration, and somehow managed to do so. My black eyes darted to the corner of my shades and there I saw Kara…floating casually beside me. Her hands behind her back. Her blond hair waving slightly. She was still in her pajamas…acting as if there was no world to care about her or for her to care about.

"That's pretty dang cool…what you're doing there," she pointed.

"……..," I stared. I looked back into space. Swallowed a lump in my throat, and strained to keep my pose for as long as possible.

"I think Jains do that. You ever heard of Jains? They're a lot like Hindus…only they're willing to go the whole nine yards and stay in one place for a very long time for the sake of honoring God or something….I dunno…but it's kinda like what you're doing. Only on water. Are you into Eastern Religions at all? With that sword and that meditation and all, it seems like you would be."

I wanted to shrug…but that was also a 'no no'. The way she was talking…I suddenly thought of the Messenger. Two things converged into one in my head, and I was feeling suspiciously happy.

"Am I distracting you?"

I had to be honest.

I shook my head.

"Good," she smiled and floated around me as if admiring my meditative handiwork….heh. "What are your powers, anyway, Jordan?"

I did a double-take, nearly losing my balance. I looked at her in shock.

"What? Oh…heheh…last night right before you were---um---changing, I got to talk with Beast Boy and he said that 'Jordan' was your real name. That's not a secret identity or something, is it?"

Sometimes….

I shook my head again.

"Well, it's a cool name. Jordan! I like that!"

I swung myself into another pose and made sure to point Myrkblade away from Kara as I continued meditating.

"So, what are your powers? They kinda look like Raven's…only built for melee combat or something. Oh…and for zipping around like a godawful mosquito!"

I smirked. Another no no.

"I feel like I'm getting old," she mused. "So many young heroes these days are up and coming…and any one of them could probably take even me on if worse came to worse."

I shrugged. I got into another pose.

"What would happen if—like—you swung your sword with all of your black energy power stuff into my neck?!"

I dared not think of such a thing. Though—funny—I would eagerly have done so about twenty-four hours ago when the two of us first met…

"The world will never know, I guess," she mumbled. "I'm always thinking such pointless things. Even on Argos as a little girl, I did…."

Silence. I continued meditating.

A beat.

"You know, Jordan," Supergirl smiled. "You're looking really sexy right about now."

I plunged into the pond.

SPLOOOOSH!!!!

When I resurfaced—with Clark's old clothes soaking wet—my waterlogged ears graced the insane giggles of Supergirl clutching herself and floating merrily above me.

"Some student of the dark arts you are!" she laughed. "I-I'm sorry. But that's just too funny! A jumbo jet would have crashed here without you losing focus and yet—" her voice trailed off into another throng of giggles.

I sputtered and swam my way with Myrkblade to the edge of the pond.

"Hehehehehe!! 'Grab the innuendo from my hand, Grasshopper!' He he he he!!"

I gasped and got up onto the ground. I wrung my black hair out. I looked at her with a dropped jaw.

"What?" Supergirl remarked. "Oh, it's true by the way."

My hands froze in my hair. I blinked from under my shades……and blushed.

"Ha!! There you go again!!" Supergirl shook her head and smiled. "Priceless." A beat. "OH!" she lifted a finger and beamed. "By the way…I'm here to tell you that all the other Titans are awake and the T-Car is finished with its analysis. It's time to get to work!" I looked at the pond, at myself, then at her.

"Well, naturally I visited you to do more than just relay that message!" Kara smiled, floating backwards. "When talking to Beast Boy last night, he dared me to get through the day with the chance to say 'I got Noir to wet himself at the sight of me'."

My black eyes bulged.

"Cya at the barn! Ciao!" she flew off.

I tried to stand up, but tripped on my wet pantlegs and fell to the earth. THWUMP!!

I snarled silently and clutched a handful of earth.

It wasn't until a good minute later—having dried myself and sheathed Myrkblade—that I noticed nobody was nearby to see me. So I laughed breathily to myself.

I slowly whistled my way to the barn over the hill.