Summit

The conclusion of Where's Superman

Kara sat with Superman atop a tall media skyscraper, on a square base beneath its transmitter, sort of a small Eiffel Tower. Such a view would have mere mortals clinging to a spar in terror. The wind at this height muted the city roar far below, where tiny vehicles inched along a maze of roads.

"It wouldn't do," Kal said, legs dangling over the side, "for Clark to show up at the same time I do. Since it's been two days now, I'll have him wander in with some fanciful tale." The projector sat nearby, the elephant in the room.

A helicopter passed at eye level, its tail bearing TV station call letters. The war surplus Bell H-3's were an affordable choice for traffic reporting. The clear bubble in front glinted as it turned for another pass.

Kara waved. "Looks like we're on TV tonight. As long as that's the case—" She flew up to stand precariously atop a blinking light at the very apex of the world, or so it seemed. Next came a leisurely flight on her back, arms behind her head, within arm's reach of the pilot. He gave a smiling thumb's up, his cameraman filming it all. She did a parachutist free fall, pulling up in time to sweep in next to Kal.

"Perry won't like that," he said. "He just got scooped." He crossed an ankle onto a knee. "I want to bring Binia out, but I can't think of where to hide the projector—just in case."

Kara wrapped arms around pulled-up knees. "I know a way, but you might not like it." He gave her a curious look. "Remember when the Chiller pulled kryptonite on me, and I was going to drop it in a volcano? Well, I didn't."

He seemed to connect the dots. "Against something like this, I suppose. Why didn't you use it on Dalith?"

"When I saw how you kept your powers over there in the zone, I didn't want Dalith to suffer with kryptonite poisoning forever."

He nodded. "Uh, Kara . . ."

"I know. Binia will need a sister type. Someone to show her how to dress, et cetera. We still need a name, and there are only so many feminine suffixes."

"What about Supermaid? I like that better than Superlass."

"Done. I think I'll introduce her to Chiller."

Kal grinned. "Haven't you done enough to that guy?"

"I need to know if he was involved with Dalith. There's a way."

"Hm. She'll need an identity and a career. As far as playing at super hero, she's a long way from a solo." Kal leaned back against a spar. "On Krypton, she was an astronomy student. She could do the lecture circuit as an extra-solar expert."

"There goes her secret identity."

Kal rose and set up the projector. "We can spend all day speculating. May as well take the plunge." He switched on the monitor and squatted in front. "Binia to the fore." Having been warned, the denizens didn't interfere with her passage. Kal stood off to one side, watching closely, gave Kara the nod. She activated the transfer. Out of a momentary haze, Binia materialized, promptly collapsing to all fours.

"That's gravity," Kal said. "It'll come back to you."

Binia stood and inhaled for the first time in years, eyes agog at the tower and sky. "I had forgotten what a world is like. This one is brighter than Krypton." She went to the edge, but shied away at the drop.

"No worry," Kara said. "Ready for your first flight? I'll hold your hand." The pair set off, with Binia clinging for dear life, but gradually moving out to arm's length. Kara let go, and Binia flailed. "It's all mental. You just think where you want to go." She spent a few minutes showing Binia various moves, some of which Kal wouldn't approve. They returned to the starting point, but Binia skidded to a stop instead of planting herself.

The lofty vista held Binia in thrall. To the north were forests that gave way to a distant city. To the west was a dome that could only be an observatory. "I must go there." She set sail in undulating flight.

"Best follow her," Kal decided. "I'll stow the projector."

Kara caught up but didn't try to talk Binia out of it. The other sailed inside the opening around the giant lens, settled down near a professor and two baffled students.

"Supergirl?" The professor cleaned his glasses as if seeing things.

"Long story, Professor. She was unjustly held in the phantom zone. Her expertise is in astronomy."

Binia commandeered the eyepiece, having no problem aligning the giant machine to sight on a different target. "When we learned our sun was going nova, we sought other worlds, but found only this one." In a few minutes, aided by a star chart, Binia locked on a target. "You will want to see this, Kara."

"A star," Kara said. "Any special one?"

The professor matched the target with settings on the chart. "That's a red dwarf called LHS 2520, in the constellation Corvus, thirty light years away."

"Krypton's sun," Binia said to everyone's amazement. "The light of its demise will not be here until Superman turns thirty." She looked around. "Have you no computers or space telescopes?"

The science men traded looks. A student in a white coat said, "It'll be decades before we have anything like that. We've only just put a man in space!"

"A pity," Binia said. "An orbital model could detect an exoplanet called Krypton. I must speak with your captains of industry."

"First things first." Kara led her down from the platform. "Let's go to my place for a change of dress. We're about the same size. I need to check on a certain underworld figure."

As they lifted off, the professor charted the new star for constant watch.

Just before noon, two stylish ladies entered a rented suite in a building not far from the Planet. Kara set two one-inch iron bars on the desk of a nervous secretary. She bent one into a U shape.

The secretary pushed her chair back. "You're the one who vandalized Mr Chiller's property. What do you want?"

"Vandalize is not a nice word," Kara said. "We aren't here for trouble."

Binia took her cue from Kara. "We will see this man, Earth woman."

Kara made a pained expression as the secretary hurried into the next room. "We'll need some time for social graces. Just follow my lead." The woman returned, motioned them in, giving them a wide berth since Binia had an iron rod.

The Chiller was holding a conference with four other men in flashy suits. He stood up from his desk, the genial host. "Gentlemen, this is Supergirl. We worked together to get a fugitive from the phantom zone our of our hair!"

"Well," Kara said, "here's another one." Binia bent her rod.

Chiller blanched. "You can't do this to me!"

Binia looked around. "So scofflaws are identified by flamboyant dress. Shall we destroy them?"

"No," Kara said, "we pit them against each other."

One of the men rose. "What is this, a setup? You're in cahoots with these two super broads? I'm outta here!" Though uncertain, the others remained.

"You three pass the test," Kara informed them. "You don't seem to have a guilty conscience." To Chiller: "You may be on the way to becoming a semi-honest businessman."

"Yeah? It ain't easy with you dames crimping my style!"

"Not to worry," Kara replied. "I'm getting back to class, and I'm sure I can get Binia enrolled in the same ones." She steered Binia out.

They strolled to the nearest cafe, where Binia got acquainted with Danish and coffee. The juke played the latest hit, Elvis' She's Not You.

"That is most pleasing," Binia said.

"Never mind him. Too much competition." Kara waited for Binia to assess the day so far.

"I can see that patience is required." Binia couldn't decide if she liked coffee or not. "I must be patient, and not rush to the head of the line."

"And for the super hero gig—no maiming or killing."

"Gig?"

Kara smiled. It was like having a sister out of the blue. Or the phantom zone.