(Check out Infinite Superman issue #4 Man of Steel Part II: The Last Daughter of Krypton to see what happened before this.)

Cover – Supergirl floating in the air. Her ship is behind her and guns are being pointed at her from below.

*Translated from Kyrptonian

INFINITE SUPERGIRL

By KryptoKin

Welcome To the Real World Part 2

At the edge of the Air Force base

Kara stood still as Superman flew off in a flash of red. The wind blew gently around her and pulled at wisps of her shoulder-length blonde hair as she stared into the clear baby-blue sky.

"Supergirl?" Kara looked away from the sky at the young man named Cole Cash. "May I ask you a question?"

"Of course." The young man smiled brightly at her then took a few tentative steps forward.

"I know you wear the same colors as him but I have to know, are you really here to help?"

"Help?"

"Yeah, Earth. Are you going to fight bad guys and protect people like Superman?" Kara looked up at the sky again with an indifferent look on her face.

Kal-El, the man who claims to be my baby cousin is a supposed savior. A hero. Is that what I must do? Protect a planet that not long ago wanted to capture me? Kara looked back at the soldier and said, "I do not know. I would like to help others but…I do not know." The man frowned slightly but shook his head like he understood.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEP!

Kara fell down on her knees and clutched her head. Cole Cash went wide-eyed and leaned closer to the fallen blonde but kept his distance. The noise stopped as quickly as it started and Kara shot off the ground once it did, throwing Cash backwards and making him land on his back.

As Kara sped through the sky, a shadow watched her from behind a tree outside the base's high fence then disappeared as soon as she was out of sight.

In a limo driving down a long empty highway

Lana Lang held the glass of red wine between her hands. She was bent over, resting her forearms on her knees and letting her long red hair fall around her face.

"Well Miss Lane? What do you think of my proposal?" Lana looked up at the well-dressed Karen Starr and frowned slightly. "I see you don't like it. Is there any way I can convince you to trust me?" Lana sat up fully and looked Miss Starr dead in the eyes.

"You can tell me why a multi-billionaire wants to hide and take care of a super-powered teenager? And how about telling me how you knew she was coming in the first place? And why you even contacted me?" The smile on Karen's face faltered for less than a second but it did not go unmissed by Lana.

"For the first question, all I will say, is I know what it is like to feel lonely. I grew up feeling like an outsider with no one but my cousin and best-friend at my side. If it wasn't for those two, I don't know where I would be now." Karen grabbed a bottle of wine out of the ice and refilled her glass. She swirled the wine gently before taking a drink. "As for the second question Miss Lang, I have friends in strategic places. They knew she would be arriving soon."

Lana shooed away the bottle when Karen offered it to her. "But why me? I'm a reporter for a subpar paper who grew up in a town that sounds like it's from a comic book." Karen put the bottle away and leaned closely to Lana.

"But that's why I chose you. You grew up in meteor-freak central in the same town where Superman is from." Lana went wide-eyed and dropped her glass of wine but it never hit the ground. Karen Starr sat up and handed Lana the fallen glass. "No need to hide it Miss Lang. I know Clark Kent and Superman are one in the same but I don't care. The government already has their claws in him. I don't want the same for Kara.

"How do you know-"

"That's not important. What's important is her safety." Lana looked at her glass of wine that was still in Karen Starr's left hand. She tentatively reached out and took the glass.

"What do you propose we do?" Karen leaned back in seat and smiled.

"First, we need to get some paperwork in order. Then we go get our girl."

An Air Force Base

Supergirl flew through the hole Kal-El had made when they escaped and landed in front of her ship.

I do not like this. There should be soldiers here.

Kara stepped towards her ship and placed her hand on the broken glass box. The sound of running feet in the distance filled her ears but that didn't stop Kara as she explored the box.

What is this? It looks like a containment field.

"You need to leave." Standing behind Kara was a man in a long trench-coat and a fedora, his face partially hidden by it.

"Who are you?"

"A stranger to all, a friend to few. You may call me a friend." Kara heard the feet run past the room with yelling coming from behind the closed doors.

"Are you doing that? Keeping them out?" The slight hint of a smile graced the man's mouth before he answered.

"No, that is another person's doing."

"Who?"

"You'll find that out when the time comes." There was a hum coming from behind Kara. She turned and watched as her ship floated up and down. The lights shined through the glass lightening cracks that decorated the ship, Kara laid a hand on a spot under the nose of the diamond-shaped ship and the door on top of it opened up. As Kara flew up to the opening, she looked down at the man in the fedora.

"You said you are my friend but all friends have names." Loud banging came from the door and the voices of men yelling to open the door came from the other side of it.

"My name is my business but you may call me the Phantom Stranger." Kara looked up at the doors as they blew open and men dressed in SWAT gear ran in past the man in the fedora.

They cannot see him. Why?

The SWAT men aimed their guns at Kara. Colonel Kane and his daughter ran in behind the men, dressed in similar gear but carrying handguns. "Supergirl, I suggest you get down from there. We don't want to use deadly force but we will if we must." Kara scanned the soldiers around her. She could hear the heartbeat of one closest to her and when she looked at him his heart started beating faster.

They are scared of me. Kara moved away from the ship but stayed floating at the same height as she spoke. "Colonel Kane. I am not here to hurt anyone. I only want my ship. This is the last thing I have, the last thing my father ever built me. I cannot let you have it and I cannot let you have me." The stern look on Colonel Kane's face did not falter but Kate Kane's did. Her frown was gone and she was looking up at Kara with sympathy.

"I'm sorry Supergirl, but I have my orders."

"Very well." What happened next took place in the same instant. Colonel Kane's men fired at Kara and she stood there watching the bullets fly at her in slow motion as she stared at the Phantom Stranger.

"God bless Supergirl. I'll be watching." With that, he disappeared behind a group of men and time sped back up. Kara lifted her cape to shield her face and floated backwards until the opening to her ship was at her feet. She dropped in quickly and the door sealed shut over her head.

*"Fly!" The ship hummed and came to life as Kara placed her hands on two crystal balls either side of her. Using them, she steered the ship up and out through the large hole in the ceiling. The men continued to fire at the moving black ship until it was out of the building.

"Cease fire! Cease fire!" The men quickly stopped and looked at their colonel or the ship. Kane pulled a radio off his belt. "Sir, we have a problem… She's gone and so is the ship."

Captain Parker's Office

Marx was pacing back and forth across the floor of the office. He fiddled with the cuffs of his green suit as he went from one end of the room to the other. Mary-Lou Jones and Derrick Albright sat in padded chairs facing Captain Parker, who was sitting at a large wooden desk, and watched Marx.

"We are dead. We are all dead." said Marx as he passed by the two teens staring at him in wonder.

"He's kind of a drama queen, don't you think?" stage-whispered Mary.

I am not even going to comment on that, thought Captain Parker.

"You would be dramatic too if your life's work was on the line," said the frantic man in the green suit.

"Calm down Marx," said the captain.

"How can I be calm?! Supergirl broke in here without any warning. Superman broke in with a bang and now-haha-the ship is gone! So you tell me ole Capitan, how can I be calm?"

"Because we still have it."

"What-oooh, yes you're right. We do still have it, don't we?" Mary and Derrick looked at each other worried.

"Umm, not to interrupt your mental conversation but we would like to go home. I'm pretty sure kidnapping is still illegal." Marx turned on Mary and snarled.

"Look pretty young thing. You stay here until we find that blonde friend of yours. Got it?" Mary held Marx's stare as Derrick looked at the captain.

"Sir, have you found Kara yet? She ran out of the infirmary so fast. I want to know if she is okay. I mean, you have cameras all over the building you had to have found her by now.
"I'm sorry Derrick. With this whole super mess going on, finding your friend has taken a back burner to the colonel. Now, we do have a small team of men searching the building for her so they will find her eventually. A single knock sounded firmly on the door and interrupted the stare contest between Marx and Mary. "Come in."

Kate Kane stepped in the room and saluted Captain Parker. "Sir, Colonel Kane wishes to see you in room four one eight." The captain sighed and stood up.

"I'm sorry Mary and Derrick. I have to go speak with my superior. Airman Kane does the colonel need your presence?"

"No sir. I'm to stay with these two until you return."

"Good." The captain left the four in his office.

"Here," said Kate. "The men found her bag behind a wall." Mary took the bag and unzipped it.

"Why would Kara drop her bag?

"I'm not sure, but they also found her clothes next to it."

"Are you telling me Kara is running around naked?" asked Derrick.

"Ha-ha no, but I was told it looked like her bag was rifled through. She might have changed her clothes."

"But why?" Marx slammed his hands on the wooden desk.

"Are you three that stupid? She changed her clothes into her suit. Kara is Supergirl!"

In the woods, 50 miles from the Air Force base…

Two squirrels played in the middle of a clearing surrounded by trees. They ran over a stump and across the grass when a large shadow came over them. The large diamond-shaped Kryptonian ship was descending into the clearing. One of the squirrels ran off but the other stayed in place as the ship came down fast and stopped inches from the quivering animal. The triangular door of the ship opened and Kara flew out then landed gently on the ground.

She took a few steps forward then fell on her knees. Her hands gripped the dirt and rolled into fists as drops of water hit the ground. A red glow came from her eyes as she gritted her teeth. Suddenly, Kara let out a sonic scream as fire shot from her eyes and drilled into a large rock on the other side of the clearing. Kara closed her eyes and the tears began to fall again.

"It is not fair. It just is not fair," she said, bent over and talking into the dirt.

"Life never is." Kara scrambled up from her spot and stared at the tall, blonde woman standing in front of her. It was Karen Starr.

"Who are you? H-How can you speak Kryptonian?" Karen stepped towards Kara but the shorter blonde stepped back. "Answer me." Karen sighed then moved quickly as humanly possible and took Kara's left hand in her right.

"I am." Karen took her hand and stretched it out against Kara's so that their hands were flat against each other. Both women had the same length fingers, though Karen's middle and index was slightly longer. The short blonde looked into the eyes of her taller companion. Her mouth fell slightly open and her eyes went wide as she stared into the almost identical pair of blue eyes.

"How…"

"I cannot tell you my dear. But I can say I have a plan and you are going to have to follow it at every point." Kara simply nodded as Karen slowly took her into her arms and gave her a hug. She was stiff at first but eventually relaxed into the arms of the taller woman. Karen was the first to pull away. "I have someone here you need to meet." She looked into the woods behinds her and motioned for someone hiding in them to come forward.

Out of the shadows stepped Lana Lang. Her hands were in her pockets and she took her time coming over to the two blondes. "Lana Lang, meet Kara Zor-El the last daughter of Krypton. Kara, meet Lana Lang, the woman who's going to save your life."

To Be Continued…

A Note from the Author

Sitting on a blue plastic chair in a white room is Supergirl dressed in uniform. "Hi everyone, my name is Kara Zor-El but you already know that. I'm here to talk about the holiday season with you, especially the emotional burdens it can bring. The rate of suicides after Thanksgiving to New Years is always at an all-time high. Many men and women feel depressed and alone during this time of year.

I would like to say, as well as KryptoKin, that you are not alone. You have a Heavenly Father watching over you. Now whether you believe in God or not, that is up to you, but you should know that whatever you need He will be there for you. He also put special people on this planet to help you. If you are feeling upset, alone, depressed, or even suicidal please don't hold it in and let it implode on you. Tell someone like a friend, a stranger, or find out the number of a suicide hotline and talk with them. Your life is important and has the potential to be beautiful and full of worth. Don't waste it by ending it.

Also, if you know someone who has lost a loved one and will be experiencing their first Christmas or Chanukah without them, then be there for them or pray for them. It isn't easy to go through losing someone you love and not having them around to experience a time for joyfulness. And know that you are on the hearts and minds of KryptoKin and me. So, have a Merry Christmas or a Happy Chanukah."

Supergirl stands up and starts waving goodbye. "See you in Infinite Supergirl number five, Welcome to The Real World Part Three. Goodbye."