KARA OF ARGO CITY
Kara ran her finger down the length of one of the crystals Clark had placed on the table. "They're really pretty."
"Those are holocrystals," Clark gestured to the seven crystals he had arranged in a radial configuration, and then held up another, shorter crystal. "And this is an extractor crystal."
Martha, Jason, and Kara looked back and forth between the crystals. They couldn't tell the difference between them, but they nodded anyway.
"Kryptonians have a large tetrahedral crystalline lattice that forms the basis of our nervous systems," Clark informed them. "It's mostly carbon-based, but there's also some silicon and boron and…." The blank stares from his three audience members let Clark know he was losing them fast. "Nevermind. The point is that the signals in my nervous system are transmitted by photons and vibrations instead of molecules like they are in Earthlings. This crystal," Clark indicated the crystal in his hand, "can pull and transmit the photons and vibrations from my memories." He gestured again to the crystals on the table. "The holocrystals aren't really necessary but they'll help bring everything into focus on the table." He brought the extractor crystal up to his head. "I just have to play around with the position and the angle a bit while I focus on the memory…"
Clark took a deep breath, his brow furrowing in concentration as he moved the crystal slowly around an area behind his left temple. He closed his eyes and focused intently, sifting through the vast expanse of his memories to find the specific moment he was looking for. He adjusted his grip slightly, feeling a faint hum of resonance as the crystal began to align with his thoughts. He moved it closer, then further away, tilting it slightly to the left, then to the right, fine-tuning the connection.
Suddenly, he felt a subtle click in his mind, a sign that the extractor crystal had locked onto the correct memory.
A faint, low rumble began to fill the air. At first, it was indistinct, just a subtle vibration that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere all at once. The sound grew, deepening into something more pronounced, rich and resonant, yet still mysterious, like distant thunder rolling across the plains. The rumble carried with it a sense of warmth and a hint of mirth that made the room itself seem on the verge of laughter.
The holocrystals brightened and began emanating a warm, gentle glow. The light intensified, spreading across the circle, each crystal pulsing in harmony with the others. Slowly, a shimmering image began to form in the center of the circle, starting as a mere wisp of light, swirling and coalescing into a more defined shape. Clark held the extractor crystal steady. The image grew clearer, colors blending and solidifying into the recognizable figure of a man.
As the hologram took shape, a wild mass of bright red curls came into focus, vibrant and untamed, catching the light in a fiery halo. Then, the face emerged from the shimmering light—a wide grin stretching across its features, green eyes twinkling with a playful glint.
The man's shoulders shook with mirth as his deep, rumbling chuckle fully manifested, echoing throughout the kitchen with a vibrant, joyous energy, blending with the warmth of the sun and the familiar scents of home. It was as if he was right there with them, his playful spirit bridging the gap between Krypton and Earth, past and present.
"That's your father, Zor-el, Kara."
Kara's breath caught in her throat as a whirlwind of emotions surged through her, almost too intense to process. She stared at the image of her father, desperately searching the recesses of her memory for some spark of recognition that would connect her to this man who she knew must have once meant everything to her. But no matter how hard she tried, the memories remained frustratingly out of reach, leaving her feeling adrift in a sea of emotions she couldn't fully understand. The mix of awe, longing, and confusion swirled inside her, making it impossible to know how she should feel. Tears welled up in her eyes, not just from sadness, but from the sheer intensity of it all—this moment that should have been filled with familiarity but was instead filled with an overwhelming, indescribable sense of loss and hope intertwined.
Kara reached up and started absentmindedly scratching her left collarbone. "My father?" she whispered.
"This is from a memory my father shared with me," Clark informed them. "I'm going to show you your mother now, but it's going to look a little strange because it's my own memory from when I was a baby and she was holding me."
As Clark refocused, the image of Zor-El, which had been steadily glowing in the center of the circle, began to fade.
"No, wait!" Kara cried in dismay.
Clark paused for a moment. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I don't have any memories of them together. I can't show them at the same time with this primitive setup."
"K," Kara whispered.
The light from the holocrystals dimmed momentarily, the figure of Zor-El dissolving into a cascade of shimmering particles.
Kara let out a little whimper as her nails dug deeper into her flesh.
Then, a new light began to emerge from the center of the holocrystals, growing brighter and more defined. Slowly, the image of Alura started to crystalize, forming out of the luminous haze. This time, the image was slightly distorted, the edges flickering and the colors not as clear. Her face, magnified by its proximity to baby Kal-El's eyes, appeared stretched and curved, an effect of the memory's perspective.
Despite the distortion, the figure of Alura became recognizable. She was cradling baby Kal-El in her arms, her face close to his, her features radiating warmth and kindness. The soft glow of her smile and the gentle touch of her hands were evident, even through the imperfect projection. Her soft, melodic voice reverberated through the crystals on the table. "Us :dhoia, us :zrhueiao, Kal-El. Nahn khap w ynughne." Even though they couldn't understand Kryptonese, the vibrations somehow translated wordlessly into thoughts for the three observers. They understood Alura was saying, "Good baby, beautiful baby Kal-El. I am your aunt."
Kara watched in silence as she scratched her collarbone, her expression a mixture of joy, wonder, and sorrow as she saw her mother's likeness. She reached out with her free hand and tried to touch the projection, another whimper escaping her throat as she pawed the air.
"She's not real, Kara," Jason told her, not unkindly, but earning him a brief sideways glare from Kara.
"I know that," she grumbled irritably.
Martha sidled over to Kara and put her arm around the girl, who leaned into the embrace.
"She seems so gentle and kind," Martha told her. "You look just like her."
Kara sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand before resuming scratching her collarbone.
Clark looked up and noticed Kara's skin in that whole area was getting red and raw.
"Kara, what's wrong? Why are you scratching yourself like that?"
Kara shrugged. "I don't know. It feels weird."
Clark furrowed his brow as he peered underneath Kara's skin at the mermex crystal, which was glowing faintly. His attention elsewhere, the hologram shimmered as the image started to fade away.
"No," Kara protested, again pawing the air where the hologram was still barely shimmering. "Jeju!"
Clark startled as Kara yelled out for her mother in Kryptonese, the hologram going dark as he completely lost focus. "It shouldn't be doing that," he murmured as the mermex crystal continued to vibrate and expel photons. He looked at the extractor crystal in his hand. "I wonder…" He leaned toward Kara, bringing the extractor crystal to her collarbone.
Kara winced and grabbed with renewed vigor at the area of the mermex crystal. A flash of light and a bang emanating from her collarbone flew into the crystals on the table, scattering them and causing three to fall to the floor with a loud 'clang.' Martha and Jason both yelped and jerked away from the table.
Clark quickly pulled the extractor crystal away. "That hurt?" He was perplexed.
Kara ignored his question. "Kal-El! Ewuhsh-odh rrup w wahnwukhai!" she yelled. Then she scrunched up her nose and gave Clark an inquisitive look, wondering what she had just said.
"It shouldn't be doing that," Clark repeated.
"Doing what?" Martha inquired.
"Clark! Finish the memory! Please!" Kara begged, this time in English.
"I wanna see more too," Jason chimed in.
"No. The extractor is destabilizing the mermex crystal."
"I don't care!" Kara insisted
"I'm sorry," Clark apologized. "We can't do this anymore unless I can figure out if it's safe."
"Awe…" Jason exclaimed, disappointed.
"No." Kara cried. "It's fine! It doesn't hurt!" Despite her protestations, she continued to claw desperately at her collarbone, oblivious to the pain.
Clark pulled Kara's hand away and held it. She was staring to bleed. "Kara, it's OK. I'll extract the memories and record them so you can watch them later." He watched with mounting concern as the mermex crystal continued to leak. He didn't know enough about mermex crystals to even guess what what was happening or what it meant for Kara's well-being, but it had to be stopped before Kara tore herself apart. "I have to go back to get some more crystals from the ship."
Kara reached up to her collarbone with her other hand, so Clark held that one too. "Kara, stop."
"It feels weird," Kara whimpered, futilely trying to free her hands. "I have to! Let go!" She writhed and wriggled as best she could.
Clark's concern escalated into alarm as another flash shot out from the mermex, causing Kara to roar in pain. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Ma, maybe try some ice."
Martha hurried to the freezer to get some ice.
Clark let go of Kara's hands and grimaced as Kara attacked her collarbone afresh. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he repeated, and disappeared in a 'WHOOSH.'
He streaked through the skies, heading due north, the biting wind doing little to cool the burning urgency in his chest. He flew as fast as he dared, constantly weighing the balance between urgency and the potential damage his speed could inflict. Manipulating gravity the way he did carried with it the danger of causing gravitational and atmospheric disturbances and interfering with magnetic fields among other phenomena. Every moment in flight required careful consideration: how much time could he save without creating destructive shockwaves or upsetting weather patterns?
As he soared above the Arctic tundra, Clark mentally kicked himself the whole way for not taking all of the crystals with him back to Smallville in the first place. Below him, the desolate, icy landscape stretched endlessly, but his focus was solely on the crystalline structure that had once been his sanctuary. The Fortress of Solitude loomed closer with every passing second, its spires glinting like silent sentinels in the pale light. The anxiety gnawed at him, but he knew he had to maintain control, to find the balance between speed and safety.
He didn't slow down as he approached the entrance. In a blur of motion, he flew straight through the towering gateway, his eyes catching glimpses of the once-vibrant halls now silent and empty. The command console, where Jor-El's crystals had once stood, flashed by in his peripheral vision, a stark reminder of what had been lost, the pang of regret momentarily stealing his breath. Lex Luthor's theft during his five-year absence had turned the once hallowed fortress into a monument to his greatest failure. The empty halls, the lifeless command console—each a reminder of his failure to protect the legacy of Krypton and keeping its advanced technology from being stolen and used to almost kill billions of people. The cold silence amplified the weight of his guilt. He could almost hear the faint hum of the technology that used to fill these chambers, the comforting presence of Jor-El's crystals now replaced by an eerie stillness.
He rocketed through the corridors, the sense of urgency mounting with each passing second. The thought of Kara's implanted crystal, now unstable and possibly threatening her life, spurred him on. He reached the hangar, his heart pounding as he approached the ship. The familiar sight of the vessel brought a flicker of hope amidst the anxiety. He quickly activated the ship's systems. The compartment housing the stabilizing crystals opened, and he seized them with a determined grip.
With the crystals securely in hand, he turned to leave, but not without a final glance at the fortress around him. He had lost much, but he would not lose Kara. He took a deep breath, steeling himself against the torrent of emotions, and launched himself back into the sky, racing back to Smallville.
As Clark soared through the skies, the cold winds of the Arctic gave way to the warm, temperate breezes of the heartland. From his vantage point about 6000 feet up, the Kent farm came into view over the horizon when he was about 100 miles away. He let out a cry of dismay at the sight of the farmhouse, engulfed in a soft, ethereal glow that extended almost all the way to the barn, a hologram of a memory apparently leaking from Kara's mermex crystal.
He was both intrigued and concerned as he observed the memory, playing out like a vivid dream. From Kara's perspective, the scene unfolded. Zor-El, Kara's father, was holding a smaller hand—Kara's hand—walking through the beautifully paved pathways of Argo City.
"Argo City is a jewel among the stars," Zor-El's voice resonated warmly, filled with pride and love. "Our family has lived here for over a thousand generations. You're very lucky, Kara, to call this place home."
Clark wooshed into the house, barely recognizable under the façade of the hologram. Martha was writhing on the floor in the family room, which at the moment looked like a Kryptonian walkway, holding her hands over her ears, gasping, and seeming to be in some sort of pain. Jason was standing next to her, a holographic crystal column briefly engulfing his entire body as the scene played out, holding his head in his hands, while he grimaced and groaned. Kara stood in the middle of the kitchen next to the holographic Zor-el, clutching the extractor crystal in a white-knuckled grip with one hand, while her other hand clawed at her bloody collarbone.
Shit! Why had he left the extractor crystal with Kara?
Grabbing Kara with one hand and prying the crystal away from her with the other hand, Clark tried to get her attention. "Kara! Kara!"
The holographic memory shifted as Kara of Argo City turned her head, her eyes taking everything in. Clark could see the breathtaking architecture, the sparkling gardens, and the bustling activity of Kryptonians going about their daily lives. Zor-el and his daughter continued walking, and soon the younger Kara's attention was drawn to a familiar face in the distance somewhere past the farmhouse wall. Another little girl, accompanied by her father, approached them from the front yard.
Kara of Smallville appeared to be existing in the memory as if she were actually reliving it. In the middle of the kitchen, Kara jumped up and down and pointed ahead of her and would have run straight through the wall had Clark not been holding her back.
"Duri! Duri!" Little Kara's excitement was palpable as she recognized her friend. The holographic Duri ran through the wall and joined them in the kitchen. The two girls greeted each other with joyful shouts, letting go of their fathers' hands and jumping up and down.
The hologram shifted again as Clark grabbed Kara and carried her to the couch where he draped her over his lap. Throwing the extractor crystal aside, he brought the two stabilizing crystals to Kara's collarbone. Kara squirmed, but Clark held her tight as he tried to coax the memory back into the mermex and seal the leak.
"Kara!" the other girl called out, her joyful shout reverberating through the family room. The two girls embraced briefly before starting to play. They jumped and ran around, engaging in a playful game of tag, their fathers watching with amused smiles.
The memory shifted with dizzying and jarring effects to those in Smallville. The perspective jerked around as the girls ran, the hologram struggling to keep up with their swift movements. Crystalline pillars and buildings blurred and twisted as the younger Kara's head turned rapidly, the images warping and distorting. The path seemed to tilt and spin, creating a disorienting effect that made Clark feel as though he was caught in the whirlwind of Kara's childhood joy.
Zor-El and the other father were conversing. Their words were barely audible as Kara was engrossed in play and not paying the men any attention, but Clark listened with interest as the two men discussed a rash of unexpected and disturbing quakes that had recently been rocking the city. Jor-El had told Clark that Argo City was prone to tremors and that his brother was the head geologist in charge of tracking and predicting the quakes and mitigating their effects. But Jor-EL hadn't mentioned Argo City had ever suffered from instability. Clark was curious to learn more, but he had to get the mermex crystal stabilized first.
Clark's ministrations were working. The hologram was getting smaller, blurry, and distorted as he created and strengthened a stabilization field around the mermex crystal. Kara stopped struggling with him, and Martha and Jason seemed to be recovering as well.
"Don't leave, Naryal," Clark could make out Zor-El's words. "We're going to get a handle on it."
"I have full confidence you will," Naryal assured him, "but until then, the exodus will continue. Surin and I have made our decision. The residences on our side of the city have become almost uninhabitable, and it's getting worse by the day. Everyone is leaving."
"Can you at least wait until after the ceremony? It's such a big day for Kara. She'll be so disappointed if Duri's not there."
"How much does she even understand? Has there ever been a Kara so young to carry the burden?"
"She is very young. But in each generation, the ceremony must be completed 30 days before the next syzygy. There is no mention of exceptions when the events are expected to occur earlier than usual. We're traveling to Kryptonopolis in three days. I have some business to attend to there and I need to visit the archives as well. We'll be bringing my brother and his family back with us, and Kara Mon-El as well. She is the current keeper of the comb. Illegitimately, in my opinion, since she also no longer resides in Argo City." The raw bitterness in Zor-El's voice was apparent.
Clark's interest was further piqued. Apparently, this memory was from a little more than 33 days before the syzygy and Krypton's destruction. But it was at this point that the mermex crystal became fully stabilized and the hologram disappeared completely.
Clark got up and gently laid Kara down on the couch before he knelt beside his mother to help her stand up. Jason stumbled to the armchair and crashed onto it, still holding his head in his hands.
"Aaaah. I'm buzzing," Jason moaned.
"Ma, you OK?" Clark helped Martha to the couch to sit next to Kara.
"Oooh. I don't know. " Martha leaned forward and brought her hands to her forehead to rub her brow. "What was that?"
"That was one of Kara's memories."
"But the buzzing, and the…" Martha waved her hands in front of her for a moment before returning them to her brow. "… the haze… I thought I couldn't breathe… even though I could, I guess." Martha shook her head, trying to make sense of the experience.
"That was Krypton. That's what Krypton was like."
Jason was almost feeling normal again. "How did anyone live there?" he asked.
"Our physiology evolved to live there. You know, it wasn't exactly easy for me to adapt to living on Earth. It wasn't so easy for you either, from what your mom told me."
Clark noticed Kara reaching under the coffee table where he had earlier tossed the extractor crystal. He quickly grabbed her arm and restrained her. "Kara, no."
"I want to remember more," Kara whimpered, still eyeing the crystal.
"I know, and I think we'll be able to do that, but not here," Clark told her as picked up the extractor crystal from the floor and tucked it into his pocket. "The fortress is a much more conducive environment for crystalemetry. It'll be much easier to balance the extraction and the stabilization there."
Kara only half understood what Clark was talking about, but she nodded her head and started walking toward the front door. She turned to look back at Clark expectantly.
"We can't go now."
Kara stopped in her tracks and frowned.
"I have to take Jason back to Metropolis. And then I… have… to be somewhere." Clark put his hand on Kara's shoulder, wincing as he surveyed the damage to the skin around her collarbone. "If you go to bed early tonight, we can go tomorrow morning before I go to work."
Kara nodded, still frowning, but trying her best to handle her disappointment.