Author's Note: Trucking along as best I can, for those of you can see this. Site is giving me a heck of a time trying to upload new material, so blame IT for the delays.

Anyhoo, enjoy!

Chapter 4: Helping Hands

Theo's fists slammed into another atomic robot, pummeling the mechanoid into the ground. He continued to wail on it even after it had fallen, totally consumed by a driving force to destroy, destroy, DESTR-

"Hey hey hey! Theo! Theo?" A hand caught his arm, stopping him from landing another blow. Theo whirled, the cloud lifting from his eyes as he stared into the icy blue gaze of Superman. He blinked shaking his head.

"S-Superman? Gosh, what… what happened?"

"You don't know?" Superman asked, cocking his head. Theo shook his head.

"N-No. Everything got kinda… fuzzy again." Superman helped him stand. "Did I… do something wrong?"

"Not necessarily wrong…" the Man of Steel gestured to the rest of the room. Theo looked and gulped as he discovered dozens of atomic robots beaten into the ground with fist-sized dents marking their chassis's. "But I think you lost control there for a moment."

"Uh… I… Oh gosh, I'm sorry." Theo sheepishly apologized, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay. We'll figure it out. For now I think you've had enough practice in testing yourself." Superman replied. "Why don't you head on out; just over the zoo gantry, third door on your right, you'll find some food." Theo brightened and nodded.

"Hey, yeah, food sounds good." He took off at a trot, partly because he was eager to avoid his embarrassment. Superman watched him go, stroking his chin.

"I don't know what happened, Kal." Kara said, floating beside him. "One minute he's fine, the next all his vitals are elevated and he's this close to going berserk."

"I know. I could hear his heartbeat speed up. Something tells me this is tied to the Doomsday in his genes." Superman mused, crossing his arms.

"Is it… bad?" She wondered.

"I can't say. But the atomically-hardened metal of the robots requires over ten-thousand pounds of force to damage like this." Superman stated, kneeling beside one of the downed robots as his x-ray vision studied its internals. "The fact Theo could churn out this much strength, moving from robot to robot as fast as he was, means he could be as strong as the original Doomsday was." He stood up again, contemplating the scene before him and the evidence it provided. "But the fact he was not aware of his actions is telling. There's a link to combat that we haven't quite considered. I'm going to take it up with Batman. Kara, stay close to Theo. Keep an eye on him, make sure he feels comfortable, just don't let him leave the Fortress. Got it? We need to know everything he's capable of before he goes back into the world."

"Sure thing." The Girl of Steel promised as she darted out the door and chased after Theo, leaving Superman alone. He spoke a verbal command in Kryptonian and the robots in the room all stood up as their chassis's fixed themselves with ease.

"At least they fix easy…"

The food Superman had offered took the form of a galley of sorts, where a variety of pre-programmed Kryptonian fabricators generated edible meals. Kara was incredibly familiar with them, having made use of the same technology during her short life on Krypton before its destruction. Theo had no idea how they worked and was grateful for the coaching.

Soon the pair were seated at a table big enough for four, partaking of their preferred delicacies. Theo was happy for a good meal, and amazed by something else in particular. "You know, I'm actually surprised I can still get hungry. I thought I might lose that after… all this." He said, gesturing to his Doomsday-ish body. Kara snickered.

"Hey, how do you feel about your new powers? Getting used to them?" She wondered between bites.

Theo shrugged. "Sorta. It's a big change. Suddenly I can knock a wall down with one punch, I can jump over miles and miles, everything just breaks when it hits my skin… I'm surprised I'm not shooting lasers out of my eyes."

"Well, Doomsday wasn't Kryptonian like Kal and me."

"What was he?"

"Kal says he was created by an ancient Kryptonian scientist for a war of some kind. He doesn't like to elaborate, probably because he has a hard time talking about Doomsday." Kara trailed off, not wanting to dwell on the matter.

Theo could understand. Watching the live news broadcast from Metropolis, WBGS caught every second of the brutal battle that cost Superman his life. Theo remembered seeing the forlorn shred of cape caught on a piece of rebar, like a grave marker over the crater where the broken and bloodied Man of Steel had died next to the monstrous Doomsday. As a Superman fan, it had been among the saddest days of his life.

"I can remember what it's like suddenly discovering I have powers. I was stuck in suspended cryosleep for decades and when I woke up I had been on Earth long enough to absorb enough sunlight that I could knock over a wall just by pushing it. One minute I was your average Kryptonian girl… the next I was, well, a Supergirl." Kara mused, brightening somewhat at the shift in topic.

Theo mulled that over for a moment. "What was Krypton like? Anything like Earth?" Her expression suddenly fell. Depressing memories of that last day on her home, how it started like any normal day… until the tremors started, came rushing back.

"I'd… rather not talk about it." Kara said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. Theo could tell he strayed into an uncomfortable area and backpedaled.

"S-Sorry. I-I didn't mean… I-I was just curious. It's... nevermind."

They finished eating in awkward silence. Kara left her dishes be on the table as she stood and stretched. "Well, I'm gonna go for a flight and work off the calories. Food's good but it won't do if I'm not faster than a speeding bullet." She made for the door, only to stop halfway. A thoughtful look came over her that quickly transformed into a devious grin. Strutting back over to Theo, she leaned down and whispered in his ear, "You wanna come with?"

Theo blinked. "Huh? Why?"

"Why not? It'll be fun. Sure, the Fortress is cool and all, but I bet you're dying to stretch your legs, right?"

"Well… I-I guess it wouldn't hurt to step outside…" Theo quickly thought back to Superman and shuddered at the memory of Batman. "What about the others?"

"Oh we'll be there-and-back before they even notice we're gone." Kara promised. "I did mention I'm faster than a speeding bullet, didn't I?" She added with a wink.

Kara pushed open the osmium door of the Fortress and stepped out into the chilled arctic air. The two took a moment to study the sun-kissed land, ice and snow glittering under rays of yellow sunlight. Theo definitely stood out in stark contrast to the pristine arctic climate; his grey skin like a shadow against the blue-white backdrop of the icy fortress. The young man shifted back and forth, feeling snow and ice crunch under his bare feet. He studied them for a moment. "It's so weird…"

"What is?"

"I know it's cold. I can feel it's cold. But it doesn't… like, bother me? I'm barefoot on ice, my skin should screaming at me to throw some boots on. But now… nothing." He shifted back and forth, getting a feel for the odd sensation. "So… how's this gonna work? I'll just wait here for you?" He asked.

"No, silly, you'll come with."

"How? I can't fly."

"Easy. I'll carry you."

"You-… You're sure? I-I mean, I don't wanna be a bother…"

"Sure I'm sure, Teddy. I've lifted way heavier things without breaking a sweat." Kara floated around behind him and hooked her arms under his, grasping his shoulders. Theo stiffened. He'd never had a girl pressed up against him so closely before, especially not an attractive blonde like Kara. Not to mention the obvious warmth from her body heat contrasting to the cold arctic air. He wasn't sure if he could blush in this new appearance, but he had to nervously wonder if he was capable of any other embarrassing reactions. "Ready?" She asked, jolting him back to reality.

"Y-Yeah." Theo stammered in reply, wondering if he should grab on or not. Kara didn't give him a chance to consider.

She bent her knees, like an athlete preparing for a high jump. The ground rumbled around them. Loose pebbles lifted from the earth, caught up in some sort of localized gravitational effect. The rumbling increased in volume as seismic waves radiated from his body.

"Up, up, and away!"

She rocketed into the air, punching through clouds until hers was only a shrinking blue-and-red blur in the sky. A sonic boom thundered high above the arctic as they disappeared into the heavens. A long white contrail marked his passage. Theo forgot to breathe for solid minute, taken aback by the suddenness of the moment. When he did, the air was sharp and his eyes watered. His body suddenly adapted, a thin transparent layer of protection appearing over his eyeballs to prevent the wind from stinging them. He gasped for air.

"Don't worry! I won't drop you!" Kara promised. "Even if I did, you'd probably survive the fall! Probably!"

Theo laughed nervously, finally coming to grips with the insanity of the moment. He looked down, the vast expanse of ocean stretching out in an infinite amount of miles in every direction. Arctic? Atlantic? Where were they? Who cared! Kara dove low, skimming across the ocean's surface, and Theo whooped in delight. His heart filled with exhilaration, balling his fists he threw his arms out in front of him, pretending for a brief moment he was the one who launched them into the open air.

Up, up, and away.

Kara chuckled, maintaining her course and speed with perfect acuity as she took them out over the Atlantic Ocean. She kept half a mind on her sensory organs; looking, listening, for anything out of the ordinary. So long as they were alone, that was just fine. She craned her neck, searching out foreign sounds other than the rumble of waves. Her super-hearing functioned just like her cousin's did; allowing Kara to hear all the fluctuations taking place in the Earth's collective sonic frequency. This far out in the Atlantic Ocean she had a much easier time picking out disturbances… like a call for help.

"Mayday! This is the Bright Aurora calling all ships in the vicinity. We've had an explosion and the platform is on fire. Numerous survivors are in the water!"

Kara thought quickly. The Bright Aurora was an offshore oil rig only a few nautical miles away. An explosion at the massive platform was seriously bad news. An oil platform like the Bright Aurora could house more than two hundred souls, all of whom might be in mortal danger. Years of being a hero urged her to investigate, to do something, and for a brief moment she forgot about the nature of her passenger.

"I'm gonna go check something out!" She called to Theo, making a sharp left turn and leaving a wake in the water as she bolted towards the Bright Aurora.

Locating the burning rig wasn't a challenge—the smoke and flames were soon visible from miles away. And it was as bad as she had feared.

The enormous drilling platform, which loomed hundreds of feet above the surging waves, was engulfed in flames. With its towering derrick and one-hundred-and-fifty-foot tall cranes, the imperiled platform resembled a large industrial factory on fire, which was essentially the case.

Terrified oil workers could be seen dashing around the rig's various decks, fleeing the flames and explosions. Some had no choice but to leap from great heights into the frigid water, taking their chances with the sea rather than facing the blazing inferno. Lifeboats bobbed on the whitecaps, fishing survivors out of the oily waters. Gargantuan fireballs blossomed on the upper levels of the platform.

"What's going on? How did this happen?" Theo asked.

"I don't know! But there's people who need help!" Kara responded. Her eyes probed the sprawling metal structures, seeing beyond the painted steel. She heard men screaming and cursing and praying. Kara could hear their hearts pounding in fear. There was a flotilla of boats coming to assist in the rescue efforts. Fishing crews hurried to pluck burned and drowning roughnecks from the sea. Coast Guard rescue helicopters buzzed overhead, braving the rising smoke and flames. Strong winds carried the choking odor of burning gas and oil.

"Dispatcher says there's still men trapped inside," She heard one of the boat captains say. Kara's eyes narrowed in concentration as she peered past the flames to check for herself. Her vision shifted along the electromagnetic spectrum so that she could see through the steel walls of the rig and into the chambers beyond.

Dozens of men, trapped inside, appeared to her as living X-rays. Even over the roar of the flames and the groaning metal, she could hear the despair as they wept and begged for their lives. Others made their final farewells to loved ones they never expected to see or hold again.

"There's still a bunch of guys inside!" Theo looked towards her as best he could, wondering what they were going to do. Kara seemed just as perplexed, the desire to intervene strong but her confliction over what to do with Theo halted her efforts.

So he made the decision for her.

Squirming in her arms, Theo eventually worked up enough momentum Kara couldn't handle and plunged from her grip into the dark water below. "Teddy!" She cried out, watching stunned for a moment as he disappeared beneath the waves. Her telescopic vision honed in on his dark form, performing a front stroke through the water as the waves propelled him closer to the burning rig. She performed a double-take. His first instinct was to play hero? It was admirable were it not for Superman's strict warning to keep him close to the Fortress. Now he was free for anyone to see and Kara had no doubt her cousin was aware of things too. She groaned in frustration and with a muttered "Shit…!" took off like a shot towards the burning rig to do her part.

Back in the Fortress of Solitude…

Batman remained bent over a computer, his fingers flying across the keyboard in a single-minded pursuit of knowledge. Superman paced the floor behind him, hands clasped behind his back. "Theo seemed to lose himself to some sort of… animal instincts while he was exploring his strengths and weaknesses. I managed to get ahead of him before they consumed him, but when I looked into his eyes… I saw Doomsday again." The Kryptonian fell quiet, painful memories surfacing. "I can see how he managed to break out of wherever he was being kept. I think it might be best if I keep him away from fighting or punching or… anything like that."

"No." Batman suddenly cut in. "If he's struggling with this, then that's exactly what he needs to keep doing. He has to come to terms with it. Control it. So it doesn't overwhelm him again."

Superman took that under consideration, cupping his chin as he pondered the possibilities and what his next course of action should be. He left the matter alone for a moment and looked over Batman's shoulder. Multiple documents and lines of code flashed in rapid sequence across the screen.

"What are you doing?"

"I would have saved this for the Batcomputer. But yours is a tiny bit faster." Batman answered simply. Superman smiled. He knew his hybrid computer was a combination of the best technology Krypton and Earth had to offer. It was leagues faster than the Batcomputer and he knew Batman knew it. "I hacked into the government's servers and discovered a secret facility dubbed 'Black Site Kilo', formed under one of the directors of the Department for Metahuman Affairs." The Dark Knight continued.

"Kilo." Superman repeated. "K… for Kryptonite."

"You beat me to it."

"Who can we get to look into it?"

"Sarge Steel wouldn't know, this is too antagonistic for his liking. Nemesis would be our best bet; he's an agent with the department. Clark, if this facility was commissioned without the affirmation of Sarge Steel, then that can only mean one thing…"

"The order came from higher up. An executive order."

"Possibly even presidential."

Superman grimaced. The concept of being conspired against by the very leaders of the country that had been his home for the past thirty-plus years was painful to consider. All of his feats, his efforts, his sacrifices in the name of peace and justice and freedom… did they really mean nothing? He quietly sighed. "Did you find anything under Black Site Kilo?"

"Enough to figure out how Theo came to look the way he does." Batman answered. Keystrokes revealed a network of documents with redacted black stripes. "Black Site Kilo is housing three separate endeavours from the looks of it: something called the 'Last Line Initiative', something else dubbed 'Project Source', and a 'Project Paradigm'."

"Paradigm? As in a 'paradigm shift', like the changing of the times'."

"That's where I found a single reference in one of the technical reports to something they call 'the Doom Kid'."

"Doom Kid." Superman said, quirking a brow. "Kid-Doomsday. Well that cinches it." He crossed his arms, studying the very document including the named reference. "So… now what?"

"We need to make plans to put a stop to it. The government can't control another Doomsday-like monster, no matter how much they think they can. This isn't a problem we can just bulldoze over and call it a day. This needs to be torn up by the root." Batman replied, straightening up and facing his friend.

"I'm guessing they conveniently left out the location of this 'Black Site Kilo'."

"Yes. But that's where Kara finding Theodore comes in. My guess is Kilo is located somewhere in Kansas, within a hundred miles of the border with Missouri." Superman looked away, craning his ear as he picked up a sonic disturbance. "Trouble?" Batman asked.

"I was so busy paying attention to this I should have been paying attention to them." Superman answered with a sigh. "Need anything else?"

"I've already encoded the computer to upload the blood samples and DNA sequencing map to the Batcomputer. I can let you know what I find… after you deal with your kids." Batman replied. Superman grinned.

"You would know. You've had… what, four? Five?" He retorted before disappearing out the door faster than the eye could track. Batman stood glowering for a moment longer.

The violent sea thrashed the underside of the platform. A thirty-foot wave crashed against one of the massive steel legs supporting the rig. Churning white water briefly hid the rusty metal spider deck that lay below the main complex, just above the surface, but when the wave subsided, a solitary figure was left clinging to the leg.

Theo dug his bare fingers into solid steel. Icy water streamed from his white hair. The wave had done him a favor, carrying him up out of the water and onto the platform. Despite swimming through the Arctic waters, he wasn't even shivering. Cold didn't bother him the way it did other people.

Neither did fire.

He took a second to get his bearings. The deck modules containing the control rooms and living quarters were still levels above him. There was no time to lose. He tensed his muscles, and then hurled himself upward at the module above. He smashed through the floor of the lower deck, exploding into a smoke-filled corridor. Emergency lights flickered weakly. Blaring sirens competed with the ferocious roar of a rampaging fire. Random explosions rocked the floor. Straining girders moaned in agony. The air reeked of gasoline.

The enclosed deck was a dark, claustrophobic maze. An ordinary man might have found it impossible to navigate, but Theo ran through walls of flame without hesitation, unaffected by the scorching heat. Heavy steel bulkheads got in his way and he barreled through them as though they were made of balsa wood.

The fire was spreading rapidly, peeling the paint of the walls and blocking fire exits. Walls and doors were too hot to touch, at least for most people. Theo wasn't most people. Bursting into the smoke-filled hallway, he found a handful of desperate engineers and roughnecks trying to make their way to safety. Soot blackened the men's faces. They clutched rags to their mouths, but were coughing and choking anyway. Burns, bruises, and broken limbs slowed down some of them, so they were being helped along by their equally frightened comrades. A flashlight shone in his face. "Are there any others?" he asked.

The men were too intent on escaping to question his presence. "Forget 'em!" a limping hardhat shouted. Guilt and anguish contorted his sooty face. "They're dead!"

An explosion knocked out the lights, plunging the hallway into darkness. Theo believed otherwise. These men had written off their fellows because of their circumstances. Theo was superhuman enough to brave the conditions and extradite them. His headlong tear through the module had ripped open an escape path for the men to follow. A flashlight probed a busted bulkhead. Once they started along the cleared route, Theo trusted them to find their way to the lifeboats or helipad. There were others who needed him more now.

Without another word, he re-entered the smoky blackness, following the almost inaudible cries of those still trapped inside the burning module. His route took him rapidly through the drilling chamber at the center of the platform. The vertical drill string, suspended from the derrick, stabbed down into the erupting well. A high-pressure stream of oil gushed from a ruptured pipe.

Theo rushed through the stream, dousing himself in the flammable liquid. Flames ignited the oil, setting Theo ablaze. He kept on running, covered in flames, as his clothes burned away—but not his hair or skin. Fire and smoke filled the pitch-black corridor outside the mess hall and galley. A red-hot fire door closed off the entrance to the galley. He ripped the door off its hinges with his bare hands and tossed it aside. He rushed into the galley, eliciting startled gasps from the men. They stared at him with varying combinations of shock and wonder. A few backed away fearfully, and Theo realized how he appeared to them—like a fiery demon, burning brightly. "What are you?" a man asked.

"I'm… uh…" Theo didn't really have a good answer. "A… Just a… Good Samaritan." He said, simply and almost dismissively. He raced across the mess hall and hammered a wall with his fists, popping it free like the door of a bank vault. Open air showed on the opposite side of the breached surface, offering a way out. "Go!" Theo bellowed, and he stepped aside to let the men through.

Diminished flames danced upon his bare skin as he hustled them out onto a swaying metal catwalk, hundreds of feet above the frothing sea. An exterior stairway led to the main deck and helipad. Supergirl had been busy, using her super-breath to extinguish the fires in the air, water from melted ice soaking the structures. Theo was relieved to see that the landing area was relatively free of flames. The heroine circled above as he led the surviving men onto the helipad. Scanning the sky, he spotted a Coast Guard helicopter hovering nearby, circling at a safe distance while the men within judged the situation. Theo waved his arms above his head to get its pilot's attention. The endangered roughnecks jumped and shouted as well. The copter was their best shot at getting away from the burning rig.

Supergirl was already moving, shooting through the smoke and leaving a brief hole behind as she hovered before the windscreens. Pilot and rescuers looked on amazed for a second as Kara beckoned them towards the rig. She turned and inhaled deeply, filling her lungs to full capacity before exhaling. Unlike with before, she kept her mouth open in a wider circle. Narrowing her lips would turn her breath into a thin stream cold enough to create ice even in desert climates. Shaped like a larger 'O' her breath buffeted the smoke like a stormy day, blowing the thick curtain of black out of the way to expose Theo and the men on the helipad. She heard the pilot barking into his headset.

"I've got some guys on the helipad!" He said. "I'm gonna try for them!"

The chopper pilot spotted them.

Braving the flames, the chopper came in for a landing. The wash from the spinning rotors temporarily dispelled the choking smoke around the helipad. Theo shouted above the noise as he herded the men into the chopper.

"Go, go, GO!"

More explosions erupted from the engine rooms. The entire rig seemed on the verge of collapse. The drilling derrick, towering over a hundred feet above the main deck, listed to one side as its overheated steel trusses began to give. It leaned precariously over the helipad, threatening to crash down on the chopper even as the last of the men clambered aboard. In the cockpit, the pilot fought the control stick, trying to keep his machine level amidst the explosions. The helicopter tilted sideways, almost dumping the rescued roughnecks back onto the deck were it not for Supergirl's outstretched hand steadying it. A hardhat called out to Theo, who was still standing on the rig, clothed in flames and smoke. He stretched out his hand to rescue his rescuer.

But an instant later Theo was gone. Dashing away from the helipad, he threw himself against the toppling derrick. He pushed back against the tower, fighting gravity and thousands of pounds of red-hot steel. Straining with all his might, he managed to halt the derrick's momentum long enough for Supergirl and the chopper pilot to guide the craft out of danger. She helped it on its way, a little push from her flying form accelerating the helicopter and the men out of harm's way before she turned back to go salvage Theo.

Theo could have held onto the derrick for a lot longer than imagined, if only the metal beneath him hadn't been weakened by the fire. Theo rode it all down as crumpled rig debris slammed into the helipad with the force of a giant's hammer. The seismic impact in turn set off a volcanic explosion that sent the entire platform crashing into the sea, taking him with it. "Teddy!" Supergirl cried out in worry.

Countless tons of steel and concrete drove Theo into the water, through thousands of gallons of burning oil. The flames licking his body, however, were doused as the sea swallowed him.

He sank beneath the waves. Compared to the fiery pandemonium above, it was surprisingly cool and tranquil down below. The curtain of flames spreading across the surface felt very remote and far away, almost as though they belonged to a different universe. Stunned, Theo basked for a moment in the peace and quiet, closing his eyes as he let himself drift.

If I can do all these things, I should use them for something, right? I know Superman wanted me to stay in the Fortress but those people needed help. I don't wanna be a monster like Doomsday. I wanna be different. I HAVE to be different from him.

Theo opened his eyes again. He found himself drifting naked beneath the sea, his clothes having been burned away by the inferno. He started swimming and poked his head above the waves. The burning platform was now several miles away, spewing clouds of black smoke into the sky. He had no idea how long he had been drifting underwater for.

A shadow fell over him as he tread water. "Hey, Theo." He gulped as Superman dropped out of the sun. "You alright?"

"I-I, uh… I think so?"

Superman nodded. "Good. Hang tight." Darting off, Superman made for the burning rig. His freeze breath bathed the entire structure in supercooled air, dousing the fire within moments. The Man of Steel circled the oil rig for a brief moment, no doubt scanning for any more people within. Satisfied with the search, he darted back to Theo and scooped him out of the water. In the blink of an eye, he had unlatched his cape and wrapped it around the young man like a towel, before carrying him across the water.

Supergirl dove in beside them, flying in formation. Superman gave her a stern look. "We saved everyone that could be saved." She said simply, trying to deflect his piercing look. "No idea how the rig caught fire, must've been some sorta mechanical malfunction that caused the oil pressure to spike."

"Most likely." Superman said in a low, even tone. Theo caught on to the emotion not present in his voice.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly. Superman did not respond right away, the silence awkward as they crossed dozens of miles in a matter of seconds. When he did speak, it was firm and with authority and directed at Kara,

"We're going to have a talk about this."

Later…

Dressed in a new set of blue fatigues, Theo lay on a bed as analysis machines studied him. Supergirl and Superman hovered around him. "No burns. No broken bones. You're in perfect health." Superman mused. "The molecular structure of your skin is pretty dense."

"So I'm… bulletproof?" Theo wondered with a partial smile. Superman grinned back.

"Probably."

Theo's face suddenly fell. "I'm… I-I'm really sorry, Superman."

"Sorry because you know you disobeyed my wishes? Or sorry because you got caught?" Superman inquired. Theo fell quiet, unwilling to answer. The Kryptonian leaned forward and braced himself against the edge of the bed, his gaze unwavering. "What you felt that made you use your powers the way you did? I have those feelings, too."

Theo looked up, considering his impulsiveness. Superman always appeared so controlled and balanced, it seemed unthinkable that he would have impulsive thoughts. "R-Really?"

"Yes. But I keep them in check, otherwise I risk losing the trust of the very people I've sworn to protect. When I first showed up in Metropolis there was a lot of talk about what the world should do with someone who has powers like mine. And it took me a minute to realize that other people were more afraid of what I could do than I was. So what I had to do, more than anything, was earn their trust. Prove to them that, no matter what, I would never use my powers to hurt them, involuntarily or voluntarily. All these years later, every time I use my powers that trust is tested. Every. Time. The thing about trust, Theo, is that once you break it… takes a lot longer to heal than any body part."

Scarlet eyes fell and shoulders drooped. "I'm sorry I betrayed your trust." He whispered quietly.

"I forgive you." Superman replied, patting his shoulder before taking his leave. Kara remained for a moment longer.

"I'm sorry I got you into all this, Teddy. The idea was mine. This is my fault." She apologized.

"Yeah, well… I'm the one who decided to do something." He responded. "I just… I just wanted to help. I might look like Doomsday but I refuse to be like him."

"By running headlong into trouble without any fear for your own safety?"

"Heh, yeah, sure. Mom always said I was the most selfless man she ever knew. I dunno."

Kara smiled faintly, crossing her arms. "I believe it. You acted like a hero back there, Teddy. Maybe we did get in trouble, but I think you did good. Reminds me of my first few days being Supergirl." Their eyes met. Blue and scarlet radiant. "You know, it might take some time before Kal can cure you. Maybe in the meanwhile, you can be a hero. Like me."

"You… I-I dunno. Superman doesn't trust me any more."

"I didn't hear him say that." Kara said simply. "But, still, think about it." She proffered, strutting out the door. Theo did for a moment, leaning back and resting against the pillows.

"Me. A hero." He said simply.