29: Fortress.
Antarctica, central region.
Flying there was actually quite fast and easy for both of them.
Once the decision was made, there was no need to wait too long; the technology that the fortress could provide them was something Daniel needed, and Carol as well.
There were many things both of them could gain from it, and it would be too negligent to wait for too long.
Soon, both figures descended from space directly into the center of Antarctica.
One could say that this place was the most inhospitable on Earth.
No ordinary human could expect to set foot here.
Fortunately, neither of the two was an ordinary human.
Both dressed in Defiant suits looked around; everything was white and surprisingly silent.
Not literally.
There were sounds, of course, but none belonging to intelligent life. If they didn't concentrate, even with their super senses, they could feel a silence.
"Well, this is the center, so it should be safe here," Carol said, looking at the ground beneath them, just ice and snow, nothing more.
Even with her X-ray vision, she couldn't find anything interesting or troublesome in the surroundings.
"Alright, so how do we do this?" Daniel asked, looking at her for instructions.
She quickly took out the white crystal and chose the central point, placing the crystal there, and both of them took several steps back quickly.
Then it began.
First, it was a small white crystal, then two, three, four, ten, a hundred, a thousand.
The quantity was lost as their size began to increase, layer upon layer of crystalline structure was born at an incredible speed.
Soon, in less than a minute, a large white crystalline structure formed.
It was large, at least it should have been about five or six stories high.
It was wide and long, and if the vibration she felt in the ice said anything, it was also deep.
If one looked at it from the outside without paying too much attention, it would appear to be a rather strange ice structure.
That would be corrected when the snow began to cover it and better mask it.
"Well, it certainly was amazing," Daniel said.
"Yes" Carol said, looking at the strange building. She approached slowly and placed a hand on the structure.
The crystals seemed to glow with a faint golden light for a second, then a door opened.
The crystals appeared to be able to reshape themselves, as the entrance appeared where there had previously been part of a solid structure of a large crystal.
"Let's go," with Carol leading the way, they both entered.
It was spacious, with plenty of room and many wide pathways.
Many open areas and places to explore.
But it still felt somewhat empty.
It was a strange structure that neither of them could quite understand.
But they didn't need to, at least not now. Carol quickly took out what she now knew was the key to her ship as well as the storage source of all Kryptonian knowledge.
Even more importantly, it was the place where her mother's consciousness was stored.
She placed the key into one of the crystalline structures, and it seemed to meld into it easily.
"It seems like everything went well," the voice of Lara Lor-Van reached her ears, and soon a projection of her emerged.
She looked at the place with a smile, as if reminiscing about old times.
"I think a proper guide is in order," her excitement was evident even as a projection.
Both heroes nodded and soon followed her.
Learning more about their new hideout was a priority.
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"When we began to travel through the cosmos, we faced various types of difficulties, among them, the differences in gravity and atmosphere were the most pressing. In places without a yellow sun, the different types of ecosystems presented a small challenge to overcome. To make explorers feel more comfortable and at the same time to make it easier to investigate all non-Kryptonian life, all the fortresses were equipped with an environmental simulation system capable of changing the interior atmosphere and gravity to any necessary requirement. It can be done throughout the entire place, in specific parts, or specific locations, as needed," Lara explained.
To illustrate her point, there was a change in the gravity of the room they were in.
Daniel felt the weight of his body shift slightly, but nothing drastic.
"Now, you are experiencing the gravity of Krypton, which is 15 times greater than that of Earth," Lara explained.
Carol leaped, where a light jump would have lifted her hundreds of meters before, now it only raised her a dozen.
She hadn't used much force, of course, but it was enough to demonstrate the change in gravity.
While Carol tested the gravity, Lara looked at Daniel, who seemed just as comfortable with the increase as her daughter.
She had learned from Carol that Daniel was different, as fast, strong, and enduring as Carol herself, at least from the young woman's perspective.
Although it was hard for Lara to believe, one had to know that a Kryptonian under a yellow sun had few equals in the universe.
Even if they had only been under a yellow sun for a second, the abilities they could demonstrate were beyond those of almost all races in the universe.
Carol had spent almost her entire life basking in the light of the sun.
More than a complete decade, almost two.
Before the destruction of Krypton, no other Kryptonian had spent so much time under a yellow sun.
The amount of power that Carol should possess was not easily measurable even for those of her own kind.
The longer a Kryptonian spent under a yellow sun, the more changes occurred in them, not to mention one who grew up directly under a yellow sun.
That had never happened before.
And that someone else on the same planet possessed equivalent power was hard for Lara to believe.
It's not that she wanted to call her daughter a liar or anything like that.
Maybe Carol didn't realize how much power she actually had, so calling someone else her equal was easy for her.
Lara had followed her daughter and Daniel's exploits when they were given limited access to Earth's media.
She had seen their training sessions and had heard some of her daughter's stories about her battles against different enemies.
If one thing was clear to Lara, it was that her daughter had no idea how much power she truly possessed.
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"This is the living area. Each fortress is capable of accommodating more than a thousand Kryptonians at the same time, so there is plenty of space. At the same time, the fortress can reshape itself following the orders and requirements of the inhabitants, so that number can easily increase or decrease if necessary."
Soon, they arrived at a different place with many rooms that quickly changed, becoming just two.
"Any room can increase or decrease its size to meet the necessary requirements. Of course, there is a certain limit to how large they can be, related to the size of the fortress and the things inside it."
The tour was informative, with many useful features and functions within the fortress that could easily take a whole day to explore. Fortunately for both, Lara focused only on the most important aspects for now.
The tour took more than two hours nonetheless.
"And this is the central room. From here, you can control and monitor everything in the fortress."
The room, although large, was more modest. In the center stood a strange crystalline structure that occasionally glowed. Soon, the structure reshaped itself, taking on an appearance more like that of a computer in a command center.
"This is the supercomputer that comes with the fortress and serves to guide the entire place."
Carol approached, looking at a projected screen that had emerged from the crystalline computer. Several lines of text in a strange language formed.
She didn't bother trying to read them; instead, she looked at her mother, who snapped her fingers, changing the language to a familiar English.
Daniel and Carol began to play with the supercomputer.
It was unlike any operating system on Earth, and although it had changed to an understandable language, it was still complicated to navigate through it.
They would have to study it later.
"Now all the authority over this base belongs to you, my daughter. You can use it for whatever you want," Lara said, waiting on the side once her words were finished.
Carol nodded.
"How do I assign authority over the base to other people?" She asked, looking at Daniel, making her intentions clear.
Lara furrowed her brows slightly but still spoke.
"The supercomputer has its own artificial intelligence; you can call it Codex. You just need to give it a simple command." Lara proceeded to explain the method.
Carol nodded, approached the large computer, and spoke.
"Codex, new authority assignment. I assign shared maximum command capability to Daniel Warren Evans." There was a strange sound, and then the computer lit up, and a synthetic voice emerged.
"Command received. New maximum command authority assignment to subject Daniel Warren Evans. Proceeding with genetic signature and quantum energy signature scan." A light emerged from somewhere and began scanning Daniel's body.
"Scan complete. Maximum command authority assigned." It was easier and faster than both of them had expected.
"Is that it?" Carol asked.
"Yes, now both of you share the same level of authority over the fortress," Lara said.
Daniel shifted his attention to something else.
"Can it scan deep into my body? Scan my atoms?" With this unusual question, both women looked at him, and Lara replied, "Yes, it can. This fortress is equipped with the finest Kryptonian analysis equipment for the proper exploration of foreign species and different worlds."
Daniel nodded and thought about his previous little problem. It was time to see if he could find out more.
"Codex, scan my entire body and show me."
Soon, a scan came again, and a projected image of Daniel's body appeared in front of him. It began to build up from his atomic structure to his molecules, cells, nerves, veins, bones, muscles, flesh, and skin.
The projection completed quickly, and Daniel saw his naked figure in front of him. A data screen appeared to the side, showing different vital signs.
"Anomalous cosmic energy detected within the body." Another image showed a view of his atoms, surrounded by a bright blue energy.
"Cosmic energy?!" Lara looked at the information with some amazement.
She ignored the projection of Daniel's naked body and started reviewing the data.
Daniel didn't interfere. Carol's mother had been one of Krypton's leading scientists, so if anyone could know something about what happened, it would be her. Besides, she seemed to have an idea about the type of energy that had struck his body.
Carol approached, glanced at the projection but not for long; she already had a clear image of Daniel's body in her memory. Instead, she paid more attention to the strange energy within his atoms.
"What happened?" she asked with concern.
"An accident," Daniel began to recount the events that had taken place earlier in the day. He focused mainly on the incident itself and didn't provide a detailed description of the subsequent battle.
"So, you and six others were struck by cosmic energy released from the space rift?" Lara, who had been listening while examining the data, asked.
"Yes, though one of them got sucked in, and another one exploded himself trying to kill the rest. Oh, and one disappeared, so for now, there are only four of us left, and one needs serious help because his condition isn't pleasant," he told them about Ben, about how his body had transformed.
Lara thought deeply before speaking.
"Cosmic energy is a special and mysterious type of energy that exists in a higher plane. Very few beings can access it, let alone survive a forced infusion. The fact that all of you have been imbued with it, and your bodies haven't atomically decomposed, is a miracle in itself," she said with astonishment in her voice.
"What kind of energy is this, and are there any side effects? Anything bad to expect?" That was the most urgent question for Daniel now.
Lara nodded and then shook her head.
"Yes and no. If your body can't withstand cosmic energy, the weakest side effect would be the destabilization of every atom in your body, turning you into less than dust, which clearly didn't happen," she said before continuing.
"If you're still alive, then the effects it might have on you or the others are highly diverse. This kind of energy can produce any effect it desires, such as size alteration, molecular restructuring, matter transmutation, teleportation of objects, creation of force fields, interdimensional portal creation, telepathy, telekinesis, and cosmic awareness. The things someone capable of accessing it can achieve are too varied, and if you don't have precise and real control over it, then I can't accurately predict what changes it might bring about in you," she thought deeply before continuing to speak.
"Furthermore, the way you gained access to this energy was uncontrolled; it was all a complete accident. You had no choice. So, from what you're saying, the effects induced in your bodies were just a random outcome of many things that energy could do. Therefore, unless you try it out for yourself, there's no way to know for sure," she concluded.
The knowledge about what hit them was helpful, but Daniel still had the same problem.
"And Ben's condition—do you think there might be a way to help? If Susan and Johnny can return to their normal state, is there any way he could do the same?"
Lara thought before speaking.
"One of the most notable characteristics of Cosmic energy is its malleability. It's flexible and capable of changing and adapting. The state of this boy, Ben, shouldn't be entirely irreversible. But to give a precise verdict, I need a deep scan of his body,"
Daniel nodded; he would have to figure it out, but at least he had a path to follow.
He looked at the projection of his own body. The scan the fortress had performed was deep, but not as deep as his own internal vision. Still, it had its own benefits.
"I need to figure this out. I need a room to experiment and test," he said. He needed to see what had changed and whether the Cosmic energy had "given" him something more.
He soon left, leaving Carol in the command room as he headed to an isolated part of the fortress to begin his experiments.
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Carol watched Daniel leave with concern. She wanted to help, but she wasn't as much of a scientist. She had good grades and a perfect memory, but unlike Daniel, she hadn't pursued knowledge in the same way.
She knew he had been traveling the world, trying to learn as much as possible. He had even taught her some of the things he had learned. Still, she hadn't been as focused on it as she should have been.
She looked at the scan data, barely understanding some parts of it. It seemed that even though she was about to finish her studies, she would have to keep learning.
"Come with me," her mother's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked in her mother's direction and saw her pointing to a corridor they hadn't explored yet. With nothing else to do, she followed.
"Tell me, my daughter, what do you want to do in this world?" After walking for a few minutes, the sudden question made Carol pause for a second before answering.
"I want to help people, I want to be a hero," it was something she had already considered and, in fact, was already doing.
"Do you want to lead them?" That question made her furrow her brow and purse her lips.
"No, I'm not a leader, I just want to help them." She wasn't like Daniel. She knew he wanted to be more than just a hero, a symbol.
But she hadn't considered that. Until recently, she had simply been a farm girl, albeit one with extraordinary powers and abilities, but a farm girl nonetheless.
For a long time, she had simply drifted, not knowing what to do or who she really was.
Now everything was different, but some things hadn't changed.
Even if she knew who she was and where she came from, it didn't change where she had grown up or the parents who had raised her.
Deep down, Carol knew that she was still that farm girl who helped harvest crops, feed animals, and clean the stables. Her ambitions were never grand, and she didn't believe she had any duty beyond helping when she could.
"You could do so much more if you were more proactive. If you really want to help them, they'll need someone to lead the way. Primitive species often tend towards self-destruction if left on their own. Very few manage to transcend that," her mother's words took a direction that Carol didn't like. Strangely, it reminded her of a conversation she had had a long time ago with a woman she had saved. It wasn't the same, but it felt somewhat similar.
"With Krypton's technology and knowledge, you could make the greatest difference this world has ever seen, be a pillar, a beacon, one of hope." As if responding to her mother's words, a section of the hallway wall opened, revealing a bright blue suit that covered the entire body in a way that seemed to accentuate every part of it.
A bright, red cape billowed behind the suit as if there were wind. On the chest, a large symbol resembling an "S" was prominently displayed. Her mother approached and placed her hand over the symbol.
"That's what this symbol means, the emblem of House El, hope," Carol looked at the suit and the symbol for a brief moment before continuing to walk.
"Why are you showing me this?" Her mother seemed overly insistent.
Watching her walk, her mother sighed, the wall closed, and she followed behind.
"I just want you to know that your destiny is much greater than you think. Your future is immeasurable, and what you can do for this world is limitless," there it was again, it seemed her mother had some expectations of her, some very big expectations.
"I know, but what I want to do is nothing as grand. Those things Daniel can do, he certainly has those ambitions. Maybe you should talk to him about it," that was a clear dismissal, and Lara could see it.
She furrowed her brows as she watched her daughter walk away.
Maybe she was being too insistent, rushing things too much?
But like her mother, or a remnant of her, Lara knew that her daughter's potential was beyond anyone else's.
As a Kryptonian, or at least what was once a Kryptonian, she hoped that the legacy of Krypton would prevail, even if it would never be as it was before.
Perhaps she was expecting too much.
But she couldn't help it; every part of her, whether it was the mother, the scientist, or the Kryptonian, wanted to see Carol reach her full potential. She wanted her to become all that she knew she could be.
But Carol didn't seem willing.
Even as a virtual consciousness, Lara couldn't help but sigh.
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Note:
Sure thing, guys! A new chapter after a period of inactivity. The problems are still there, but nothing that isn't temporarily manageable. I tried a new method to translate this chapter, so let me know what you think.