Cover – Supergirl stands with her hands on her hips as if posing for a photographer. Behind her is a transparent crowd of people dressed in traditional Kryptonian clothing.

*The Authority writes all of its numbers in binary.

INFINITE SUPERGIRL

By KryptoKin

Little Girl Lost

Home of Zor-El

Argo City, Krypton, Space Sector #2813

21 years ago

Zor-El rushed with Kara through a long, black corridor. Kara, dressed in her red and blue uniform, stared in awe at her father's determined face as he pulled her along by the hand. The two stopped in front of a silver, circular door with a matching, rectangular panel next to it. He waved his hand in front of the Ci-Ran station, his personal AI.

"Password please," it buzzed out.

"Little Flower."

"Password accepted."

"Excellent." The door began to open. "Ci-Ran, start protocol Alpha Niner."

"Yes, Zor-El."

In the middle of a room filled with tools and experiment stations, hovered a black ship in the shape of a diamond. Under the ship, a black sphere also hovered. A circular doorway in it was open. Zor-El approached a console supported by a black platform the width and length of a notepad and the height of one meter. As he worked, images of Earth flashed through a hologram coming from the platform. The images stopped before a thin white crystal pushed out of the system. Zor-El took it and pushed it partially into a small hole at the base of the orb's circular opening.

"Father, what is happening?" The lab shook. Kara grabbed onto her father. Another terra tremor, thought Zor-El.

"I am sending you away, Kara. Far away from this planet, this war…and from me."

"What are you talking about?"

Before he could answer, Alura rushed into the room. "Zor-El, the soldiers are here." She closed the laboratory doors.

A genuine smile graced his lips. "That means Jor-El succeeded. Kal-El has left our planet and is on his way to safety." He pushed Kara towards the ship, "Quickly! There is no time!" but she stopped him.

"Wait! What is going on?"

"Kara," he said while resting his hands on her shoulders. "Jor-El built a rocket that could leave our atmosphere. He built it for Kal."

"But why?"

"To protect him," Alura placed her hand against Kara's left cheek. "Now it isour turn to protect you."

"From what?"

"From-"

KABOOM!

The sound of an explosion echoed down the hallway. "They are inside now. Quickly Kara! Into the ship!"

After she got in the sphere, she turned and reached a hand out to him. He didn't take it. "What are you waiting for?"

He stepped back and stood next to his wife. He took her hand in his before speaking. "We are not coming with you, Kara. You must take this trip alone."

"W-Why?" Kara sobbed out. Her parents rested their hands on her shoulders simultaneously.

Alura spoke. "Our time is done, Kara. We have lived our lives. Now it is time for you to live yours." She wiped away the tears streaming down Kara's face.

"Do not cry, Little Flower," Zor-El said as he brushed a strand of Kara's short blonde hair back. "Where you are going, Kal will be also." He pushed the crystal in all the way. Shouts of people could be heard outside the doorway of the laboratory. Kara reached across the opening and gave her parents, one last hug. They kissed Kara on the head then let go.

"Remember Kara," Alura said, "we will always love you."

"Always," Zor-El repeated.

The last image Kara saw was of her parents holding hands as the door behind them exploded and soldiers ran in.

Earth

Gotham City, USA

Five year old Katherine Kane stared down at her kicking feet as she sat at the edge of her bed. She was dressed in an all-black dress and a matching pea coat and beret, her apple-red hair a stark contrast to the darker colors. The bright floral room decorated with stuffed toys, posters of fairies, and white wooden furniture turned little Katherine into a red and black silhouette. Next to the bed Katherine sat on was a bed identical to hers, save for a stuffed pink panda with a stupid grin leaning against the headboard.

"Katherine, sweetie." In the doorway of the bedroom stood Captain Jacob Kane dressed in a black suit and tie. His buzz cut and sharp nose accentuated his harsh military exterior. And his mouth was curled down in a slight frown while his eyes were watery and the shadows under them dark.

Kane stepped forward and gingerly sat on the bed with Katherine. It's not fair, he thought. It's not fair that she lost her mother. That she lost her sister. "I know…*sigh*…" Kane gently laid his hand on his daughter's back. Tears could be seen going down Katherine's chin. "I know."

Space Sector #2874

The Authority: Ship *00010111(23)

The Commodore, a 7 foot tall, thin man dressed in a form-fitting silver suit with a torso-length, white shoulder cape stood in the middle of the deck. His bald head shined slightly and his hands and the right side of his face were adorned with black tribal tattoos. Identical men in black form-fitting suits sans capes sat at various computing stations. Each man had black hair shaved and styled in different patterns.

The Captain, a man identical to the Commodore except for his white suit and red cape, approached his superior. He gave the Commodore a curt nod then handed a silver cylinder no bigger than a tube of lipstick to him. The Commodore rubbed his thumb down its length. The tube glowed red and projected a red, tribal symbol (shaped a little like a 'W') on his forehead.

When the projection stopped, the Commodore spoke. "Activate a Lieutenant in the Crisis division."

"Which one?"

"The one best suited for the job. You are dismissed." The Captain gave the Commodore another curt nod and left the deck.

The Captain walked swiftly down a hallway. He pressed his hand to a scanner. After it scanned him, a blue light projected a different tribal-like symbol (similar to a 'Q') on his forehead. The light turned off and the door opened. The room he entered was all silver except for a tinted window that spanned horizontally from wall to wall, and vertically from the ceiling to the middle of the wall.

"Good Will, Brother."

A golden man stepped through the windowed wall and bowed to the Captain. "Good Will, brother. How may I assist you?"

"I need a Lieutenant."

Brother waived his hand and the black window cleared to reveal a large assortment of men in thousands of metallic pods. "We have a great assortment of them. What would you like?"

"Bring up the height defects. We need this one for Earth."

Brother waived his hand again. Over 20 pictures of identical men spanned across the entire window, blocking the view of the pods. "Is there a being in particular?"

"Any of them possess exceptional leadership qualities?"

"They all do."

"Of course, a foolish question. We need one who can think on his feet. Someone who is imaginative and organized." Brother waived his hand and three pictures dominated the screen. The Captain stared at them then frowned. "No, none of them are right,"

"May I make a suggestion, brother?"

"Of course, need you ask?"

"It is simply my protocol." Brother waived his hand and a file came forward. The picture of the file was greyed-out with the number 00001001 diagonally across it.

"A deviant? That is against protocol. A protocol you designed."

"Not all protocols are rules. Some are filters used to find those needed."

The Captain approached the screen and stared at it. He narrowed his eyes as he read the writing on it. "Prepare him."

Space Sector #2813

The black Kryptonian ship sped through the vacuum of space. Inside, Kara lay asleep on a gelatinous bed inside the black sphere. As the ship passed a series of planets and moons, the white designs of the ship glowed red. Metallic tentacles reached out from behind a red planet for the diamond-shape vessel, but missed it as the ship accelerated.

The Authority: Ship 00010111(23)

A metallic pod floated behind Brother as he walked down a hallway. He entered a room and the pod followed.

It rotated to a vertical position when Brother faced it. He waved his hand in front of it and the pod opened. A non-tattooed man only wearing a black pair of shorts fell out of it. Brother caught him and carried him to a blue table that's surface moved like a sturdy gel when it took the pressure of the man's body. The blue gel turned red and hummed. A white liquid secreted from the gel and covered the man's body until he was fully clothed in a form fitting white suit. When the gel turned blue again, he awoke.

"Good Waking, brother Lieutenant. How do you feel?"

The Lieutenant sat up and slid off the table. He curled and stretched his fingers as he spoke. "Queer. It is odd to be awake."

"I know. The Captain who requested you has been informed of your waking. He will be here in fifteen seconds."

Brother walked away from the Lieutenant and through a wall just before the door slid open to reveal the Captain from earlier.

"Good Waking, brother," he said without a smile. "I take it you are coherent?"

"Yes."

"Good." The Captain handed the Lieutenant a silver tube. The tube projected a different red symbol (like a 'K') onto the Lieutenant's forehead. When it stopped, he spoke. "What is expected of me?"

"You must protect her. That is the main objective, or is one of your defects a slow mind?"

The Lieutenant frowned and handed the tube back. "There is no need to be rude. Or has becoming a Captain made you forget your place?"

The Captain frowned and crossed his arms. "No, but being a deviant has clearly made you forget yours."

Space Sector #2810

Kara's ship sped past a blue, ringed planet and towards an asteroid field. The white designs of the ship turned red as it entered the field. Effortlessly, it moved around the large chunks of space rock. Just as it moved past an extremely large asteroid, four metallic claws reached out and grabbed the ship. The red intensified as the ship tried to extricate itself out of their grip. A yellow beam shined on the vessel and the red turned white as it was pulled into the skull-shaped ship.

Space Sector #2870

The Authority: Ship 00010111(23)

The Lieutenant walked slightly behind the Captain as the superior Officer spoke. "You have been briefed on your assignment but I would like to go over it. Your file says you do not have perfect eidetic memory. For all I know you could have forgotten all told to you."

"I remember everything."

The Captain stopped and stared down at the Lieutenant. "Your passive-aggressive defiance is duly noted, but I am your superior and should be treated as such."

The men stared each other down briefly before the Captain moved on again with the Lieutenant in tow. The two entered a large silver room. A man, working on a see-through touch-screen, sat behind a counter. Unlike the other men on the ship, he had tan skin, green eyes, and apple-red hair.

"Good Will Captain, Lieutenant, how may I help you?" The man had a metallic voice; the Lieutenant frowned when he spoke.

"Good Will, Designer," the Captain replied. He reached out and handed the Designer the same tube he gave the Lieutenant. "The Lieutenant is going to Earth."

The Designer pointed the tube at himself and a green symbol projected on his forehead. "I understand. You can leave, Captain. I will take care of the Lieutenant from here until he departs." The Designer gave the Captain a slight nod that was returned.

The Captain turned to the inferior Officer and frowned. "Do not cause problems for him."

"I won't." The Captain made a face and left the room.

A chuckle came from behind the Lieutenant; he turned around. "Your file said you were a deviant, I just did not realize how much. You are already using contractions."

"I was informed that is how humans speak on Earth."

"You were informed correctly. However, this is not Earth. Now come with me. You have a uniform to try on."

In perfect horizontal rows, smooth all-white ships in the shape of shelled sunflower seeds hovered. Pilot Scout 448 stared at them from a viewing window 100 feet above the hangar floor. "Are you ready, brother?"

The Pilot saluted the Major that approached him. "Yes, sir. The ship was chosen and the coordinates were downloaded."

"Excellent." The Major rested his right hand on the Pilot's shoulder. "Good Will, Pilot. Live With Purpose."

The Pilot put his hand on the Major's. "Live With Purpose, Major."

Smallville, Kansas

The Smallville Gazette, Five years ago

A large room filled with a maze of grey cubicles showed reporters and runners moving about. In the middle of the maze sat Lana Lang at her desk. She was surrounded by piles of files. Behind these files, her hands were flat against her desk and her forehead rested on it too.

"Yo, Lana." Lana didn't react. "Lana." Still no reaction. "Lang!"

Lana's head popped up. "What?! What do you want?"

Matt Kearns stared at Lana in shock before speaking. "I'm headin' to cover the Paramour concert. Got an extra ticket. You in?"

"Can't. Still have Ronald's article to review."

"Ya know what I don't get? Why they got you bein' fact checker when your writing is better than half the goobers here."

A pile on Lana's left slanted dramatically over the edge of her desk. "I'm just thankful for the job," she said while looking at it from the corner of her eye.

"Keep tellin' yourself that. See ya around, Raggedy Lang."

Lana groaned as Matt walked away. Just as he was out of sight, the pile fell over. She groaned even louder and let her head fall on the desk. You need this to pay the bills. You need this to pay the bills… Yeah. Keep telling yourself that.

Bzzzzzz. Bzzzzz. Bzzzzzz… Bzzzzz. Bzzzzzz. Bzzzzzz.

She kept her face on the desk and blindly reached for her cell phone. After three attempts, she finally grabbed it and slid it off the desk to look at. A brief moment passed before she lifted her head while looking at the screen.

She typed quickly on the keyboard:

Who is this?

Another text came quickly after.

A friend who needs your help. In a little more than 4 years Clark's cousin is going to crash on Earth. I need your help to protect her. What happened to him should not happen to her. In exchange I can get you out of that fact checker position. Are you in?

Lana stared at her phone. Should I respond? Is this legit? What if this is a way of getting to Clark? No, not possible. Clark belongs to the military. I have no clue where he is or how to reach him. But still… She stared at the phone for a minute longer before typing her reply.

Leave me alone

This reply followed:

I can't do that Miss Lang.

Lana let out a huff and made a face as she pushed her phone away. It wasn't long until another message buzzed. Her eyes flashed to the phone but she ignored it. Then it buzzed again, then again, and then again until she gave in. All the messages said the same thing:

Check your email

Lana brought up her email. It was filled with a long list of unread messages. The most recent one had come 3 minutes ago with an attached file, according to the desktop's clock. Her fingers hovered over the mouse as she focused on the title: YOU NEED TO SEE THIS. She clicked the message's check box and moved the mouse pointer to the trash icon when it decided not to obey anymore. Without permission, the pointer clicked on the message then the attachment that came with it.

The zip file was opened, even with Lana trying to get control of the arrow again. The file opened and several photos popped up. Reds, blues, whites, greens, and yellows flashed across her face as the photos opened on the screen. The suddenly finally ended and the file closed immediately. Lana leaned back in her chair and stared at the computer in shock. It wasn't until her phone buzzed again that she snapped out of it.

Well? Do you I have your attention now?

She stared at her phone with a furrowed brow before replying. She sent a text, slammed her phone on the desk, and then crossed her arms while staring at the phone. When the reply finally came back, it said one thing:

It's a deal

Space Sector #3209

19 years ago

The skull-shaped ship bypassed a purple planet with three moons when an explosion erupted from the left side of the ship. The black Kryptonian vessel zoomed out from it and sped off through space. The Authority scout followed close behind. "Father-ship twenty-three, this is Scout four-four-eight. The Kryptonian flight is back on track. However, it has been severely delayed by The Collector of Worlds and damage to the ship will keep it from going into hyper-speed. Should Scout four-four-eight assist?"

"Is the girl in suspended animation?"

"Yes Commodore."

"Then leave her be."

"May I make a comment, sir?"

"You are entitled."

"Based on the delay done by The Collector, the girl is eighteen years and six months off schedule."

"That is the plan. Is there anything else?"

"No Commodore."

"Good. Get to the Father-ship. We need to see what you saw."

"Understandable. Scout four-four-eight is on Father-ship trajectory." The ship flipped around vertically.

Suddenly, a white beam consumed the Authority scout ship. The Collector's vessel, already in the midst of self-repair, stretched out in the darkness of space.

The Authority, hmm…let us see what you know.

The Authority: Ship 00010111(23)

The Lieutenant, dressed in a black form-fitting suit, gave the Captain a curt nod and shook his hand. "Thank you, Captain. I know I did not make my training easy for you. I apologize."

"If it had been easy, you would not be perfect for the job. Then again, Brother has never made a mistake."

"There is always a first time." The Captain flinched then stepped back as the Commodore approached the two men. "Lieutenant, you were chosen by Brother to go to Earth and watch over Supergirl. However, if you show disrespect again, I have no problem incinerating you."

The Lieutenant bowed to the Commodore. "I understand. I apologize."

The Commodore said to the Captain, "Make sure his transition to Earth goes smoothly. Everything must run flawlessly if we are to succeed. Captain," he raised his eyebrow," Lieutenant."

"Sir," the two lower Officers said simultaneously.

As the Commodore walked away, an Officer approached and began to move his hands vehemently as he spoke. Once they were out of sight, the Lieutenant said, "That could have gone better." The Captain smiled then frowned when the shorter Officer looked at him.

"We need to go." The men walked down a long white corridor in silence. They entered a room painted sky blue from floor to ceiling. "Good Will, Brother. Activate protocol Delta-Victor-Oscar."

Brother stepped out of the wall opposite the men and waved his hand in front of it. A portal that looked like a red tunnel made from spider-webs appeared. The Lieutenant's hair whipped back as did the Captain's shoulder cape. Brother materialized a metallic, rounded briefcase in his hands and gave it to the Lieutenant.

"This contains all you need to be successful on Earth. Do not waste this opportunity." Brother leaned down and kissed the Lieutenant on the forehead before disappearing in the wall. The Lieutenant turned to the Captain.

"Good Will, brother," the superior officer said. "And remember, most of the ground work has been laid down for you via Brother. Everything that happens this moment on will be on you. Keep that in mind."

"I will." A piece of the Lieutenant's raven hair blew in his face. He ran his fingers through it. "Speaking of keeping, I'm glad I got to keep my hair."

The left corner of the Captain's mouth barely curled up when he commented on the Lieutenants remark. "You will be allowed more than that. You will be given a name too."

"The name I am to be assigned on Earth?"

"No, your real name."

The Lieutenant's smile fell abruptly and he stared at the Captain in disbelief. "I get my name back? The one Brother gave me at conception?"

The man reached out with a box and a slight smile. "You have earned it, my brother." The Lieutenant, with tears in his eyes, took the box and opened it.

He smiled. "Emery… I like that."

Lana Lang's House

Kansas City, Kansas, Now

Kara lay on a cushy lounge chair with her fingers locked behind her head and stared at the sky. Lana came through the sliding doors wrapped in a duvet with a mug of some hot liquid in her hands. Holding the blanket and mug with her right hand, she grabbed the chair that matched the lounge and dragged it over to Kara.

"I expected you to be floating around tonight."

"The sky is too clear for that so I chose to stay closer to the house." AKA, the sky is too clear for her to hide in the clouds, Lana thought as she blew on her drink and took a sip. "Lana, do you ever miss Smallville?" The ginger handed her cup to Kara and pulled her legs on the chair to where she sat crossed-legged and completely wrapped in the blanket.

"Sometimes, then I remember it's just another place. Home is where-"

"The heart is. I know," she said as she handed the cup back. "But between never seeing Clark and barely seeing Karen… I miss home. I miss my parents. I miss my friends."

"What about Derrick and Mary? Aren't they your friends?"

"Yes, but I'm talking about the ones I lost."

Lana took another sip of her drink before saying, "If you had the chance to go back, would you?" Kara moved her hands from behind her head, crossed her arms, and looked at Lana.

"Do you mean if I had to choose between getting killed with my parents and coming here, would I choose death?"

"Sure." Kara looked at the sky. The stars filled the black sky with two blinking lights of a plane flying across it. The constellations Orion and The Big Dipper posed with their fellow stars and the smiling moon.

"Sometimes, but then I remember the lengths my parents went through to keep me alive."

"Is that a no?" A shooting star flew across the sky through the place where Orion's heart would be.

"Maybe."

Author's Note: This issue was originally planned for December of 2013. It does not take place after Infinite Supergirl: Year One #12 but between issues #6 and #7 in terms of time frame.
Thanks go out to InfiniteDCUniverse for giving me the opportunity to write Infinite Supergirl. I have greatly enjoyed writing this storyline. Due to time constraints though, this is the final issue of Year One. I wish I could continue it but I cannot. The story was renamed Infinite Supergirl: Year One for the purposes of only having 13 issues total. I would also like to thank him and the readers for their patience with the sporadic updates that took place. (REALLY sorry for that one)
I hope that those who have come to love this story are inspired to write your own and share them with the comic-loving community.
With all my love,
KryptoKin