DISCLAIMER: None of these characters are mine. Most of these characters are from the L&C show, but Supergirl is a combination of the two essenses (Pre-Crisis and Post-Crisis), and Zod, Ursa, and Non are from the second Superman movie. I'm not making any money off of this story, so sueing me would be pointless.
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Clark quietly landed on the front porch of his parents' house and quickly changed back into some regular clothes - a loose-fitting, button down shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes - and his glasses. He knocked a few times on the door and waited. A few moments later, the door was opened by his father. He looked relieved to see his son.
“What's going?” Clark asked as he came in, Jonathan shutting the door behind him.
“Follow me, son,” was all Jonathan said. He walked through the living room with Clark behind him, and the two men walked upstairs to Clark's bedroom. Jonathan walked in first, and Clark followed. The younger man saw his mother sitting on the edge of his old bed, upon with lay the young woman from the ship. The color of her skin was a light pink, and she was breathing deeply, like she was sleeping.
Martha glanced up when the two men entered and stood up. “Clark,” she said, hugging her son. “How is everything? Lois?”
“She's fine,” Clark replied, glancing at the young woman. “Who's she?”
“We don't know,” Martha replied. “She was in a spaceship that crashed a few miles from here.”
“A spaceship?” Clark furrowed his eyebrows.
“Yeah, we thought it was a meteor,” Martha continued, “but when we saw it, it was a silver spaceship. Looked very much like the one that brought you to Earth as a baby, only much bigger. We didn't know what to do, and we didn't want anyone else to find it, so we brought her and the ship back here. No one saw us, thank goodness.”
“Where's the ship now?” Clark asked.
“In the cellar,” Jonathan answered. The parents watched as Clark walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. The young woman stirred and she opened her eyes. She glanced up at Clark and blinked several times, then she cocked her head to the side. Suddenly, her eyes went wide as she smiled and sat up. Before Clark could react, she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
“Oh, thank goodness I found you,” she said. “I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to.”
Clark gently pushed her away. “Look, miss, I'm not sure who you think I am, but -”
“You are Kal-El, aren't you?” she asked, quizzically. Clark is definitely off guard by this. She notices and looks sheepish. “Oh, I'm sorry. I - I keep forgetting you don't go by your Kryptonian name much. You prefer Superman, don't you?”
Clark looked hesitant, but he realized that she already knew his true identity, even in disguise, so he couldn't deny it. And there was something very familiar about her. “Um,” he said slowly, “yeah, I do prefer to be called Superman, but . . . actually, I prefer to be called Clark.”
“That's your Earth name?” she asked slowly. She knew the answer, but she was still a little light-headed and wanted to make sure. She glanced up at Martha and Jonathan. “And these are your Earth parents. I recognize them from the holo-archives.”
“Well, you seem to know quite a bit about me,” Clark said. “And my life, but I don't even know your name or where you're from or even why you're here.”
The young woman looked a bit embarrassed. “I apologize, Kal - Clark,” she said. “My name is Kara Zor-El. I'm from Argo City, and I'm the daughter of Alura and Zor-El.” She looked straight at him. “I'm your cousin.” Clark and his parents just stare at her, not sure if they just heard her correctly. Kara just looked quizzically at Clark. “Are you okay?”
“How . . . how can you be my cousin?” Clark asked. “My family was killed when Krypton exploded.”
“Not all of them,” Kara replied. “Remember that there was an expedition of Kryptonians sent out before the planet exploded to search for a new place to live, and they founded New Krypton?”
“So, you're from New Krypton?” Clark asked.
Kara shook her head. “No, I'm not from New Krypton, Clark. I'm from Argo City, one of the cities of the Planet Krypton.”
“But that's impossible,” Jonathan said. “When Krypton exploded, everything on it was destroyed.”
“Not everything,” Kara replied. “When the scientists of Krypton realized that the planet was in danger they sent an expedition to go search for a more stable planet. However, my father and Clark's father knew that there wasn't enough time, so they worked on two separate projects to ensure that the Kryptonian race would survive. My uncle, Jor-El, fashioned the spacecraft that sent Kal-El - um, Clark - to Earth, while my father managed to convince the Argo City Council to construct a protective dome around the city. When the planet exploded, Argo City was hurled into space.”
“And you just drifted around in space for all this time?” Martha asked.
“No,” Kara answered. “We drifted for some time before we found life on an asteroid. We were able to sustain life temporarily on our own, because of our emergency reserves, but after they became depleted we made contact with New Krypton, and we were able to secure resources from them, maintaining contact with them for many years since then.”
“So, you know Lady Zara,” Clark said.
“Yes,” Kara replied. “Since you were supposed to marry her she maintained contact with the El family. Even after the incident with Lord Nor and her marriage to Lieutenant Ching, she maintained friendly relations with our family, and provided us with almost all the information we have on you.”
“So, why are you on Earth?” Clark asked.
“General Zod,” Kara said gravely. She shuddered involuntarily. “He's a heartless monster. He's also a Kryptonian. He, um, was the leader of Krypton's armed forces before he decided to defy Kryptonian laws and tried to place himself as the ultimate ruler. He and his two associates, Ursa and Non, tried to help him fulfill his maniacal plans, but they were defeated and exiled to the Phantom Zone by the Head Council, which your father and my father were members.”
“What's the Phantom Zone?” Clark asked.
“It's place where all Kryptonian criminals were sentenced,” Kara answered. “No one is supposed to be able to escape it, but General Zod, Ursa, and Non managed to find a way, and they did escape. Before they had been exiled they vowed revenge on all those who imprisoned them, but after they escaped they learned that Krypton had been destroyed and only Argo City survived. After teaming up with some other terrorists from the Phantom Zone who possessed powerful weaponry, they came to exact their revenge on my father, the person they thought was the only living member of the Council, and his family. In order to save me from being killed at their hands my father put me in suspended animation and sent me in a spaceship to Earth.” By the end of the story, she had tears streaming down her cheeks.
Clark glanced up at his parents, and saw that Martha had tears in her eyes, and even Jonathan was trying not to crumble. He looked back down at the young woman, who had her head down. “Hey,“ he said softly. He tilted her chin up with a finger and looked at her. “Come here.” He gently pulled her toward him and wrapped her arms around her. He felt her lay her head on his shoulder and he just held her.
“What am I going to do now?” she whispered, hugging him tightly. “I'm all alone.”
Clark pulled back and looked at her, cradling her face in his hands. “You're not alone, Kara. You have me.”
“And you have us too, honey,” Martha replied. She came over and sat on the other side of Kara, wrapping her arms around the young woman and hugging her from behind. Jonathan put an arm on the young woman's shoulder. Kara gave a small smile, completely touched by the gestures of these people who were strangers to her.
“So, what now?” she asked. “What do I do now?”
“Do you think General Zod and the others know about you coming here?” Clark asked.
Kara shook her head. “They shouldn't. My father learned about them coming to Argo City long before they arrived. I'm not even sure if they know I exist.”
“Okay,” Clark replied. “Then this will be what's going to happen. Kara, you're going to stay here with my parents for the time being, until we figure out what to do exactly. Is that okay?”
“Why can't I stay with you, Clark?”
(End of Chapter 2)
