Kara sat on her large, leather chair in the Genomorph's underground base, her elbows resting on top of the wooden desk and her fingers crossed in front of her face.
Her feet tapped furiously against the ground in impatience and she desperately wished she had brought Dexter with her, running a hand through his fur while he purred in her lap would have helped calm herself down.
Despite herself, shards of red light had manifested around her when she had lost her temper earlier, some of them had scratched her new desk, some had left scratches at the wall at her back and one had even destroyed a lamp right above her position, leaving it slightly darker than the rest of the room.
Kara actually liked the aesthetic. It kept her face in the shadows, preventing the woman she was about to meet from seeing any signs of disgust… or fear. It would be much harder to notice if she flinched at the geneticist presence.
Closing her eyes, she tried to concentrate on her cousin's Torquasm Rao teachings, letting go of her anger and clearing her mind. While Torquasm Rao was created for military use, it also happened to be a great meditation technique… Kara just wasn't very good at it yet.
"Dr. Spencer, please come in." Dubbilex opened the door with a wave of his hand, motioning for the Geneticist to walk inside the room.
Kara almost shuddered reflexively. To be in the same room with someone like Dr. Spencer gave her goosebumps but she tried to focus on what the woman could do for Kon, and maybe even Match.
She remained silent for a few seconds more, until she had gotten her temper under control, and then opened her eyes to take in Dr. Amanda Spencer for the first time.
The scientist was a young black woman, with a thin figure; she had short and curly hair and wore a white lab coat, complete with thin glasses over her brown eyes.
Staring at the woman, Kara saw the slight shaking of her hands, the woman's heart accelerating, the drop of cold sweat running down her cheek. Dr. Spencer stood frozen in place like a deer in headlights.
After a couple of seconds Kara noticed Dubbilex glaring at her and that her eye was still shining with barely contained heat. Drawing another breath, she blinked the signs of heat vision away and nodded.
"Nice to meet you, Dr. Spencer. I'm told you have a solution for the Genomorphs' degeneration problem?" Kara asked, taking her elbows off the desk and leaning back on her chair.
"I… ah, I wouldn't call it a solution, it's more like a temporary fix until I can better study the situation." The woman said, wiping the sweat from her forehead and trying to loosen her turtleneck. "The Genomorphs' degradation is caused by a lack of a certain element in their cells. The treatment can directly infuse that element inside them, but their body will reject it after some time and revert back, making constant doses necessary. Really, it would be best to solve the issue completely, but stopping further degradation in the meantime before it does anything permanent is necessary to buy time, and maybe I could use, no, it… I'm sorry, I'm rambling."
"I see, and what do you need to make a permanent cure?" Kara asked, tapping a finger against the arm of her chair.
"I-I will need new facilities and my staff will have to be replaced." She gulped and answered.
"Would larger revenue help?" Kara asked, doing her best to think about the benefits to Kon and the Genomorphs, this time, it seems like she was succeeding. "The Genomorphs' cure is a priority for me."
"Yes, Yes! If I had the means to replace lost materials, it could allow me to be far less careful with testing, as well as hire more workers and better equipment."
Kara traded a glance with Dubbilex, seeing a satisfied smile as well as some amount of affection for the scientist on the man's face. "You'll have it. Now, I'm aware that you worked on Project Kr, what can you tell me about using the treatment you'll be developing on the Kryptonian clone?"
"Well, we could not fully clone Kryptonian DNA; we used human DNA to fill in the holes and connected everything using Genomorph genetic material." The woman said, seeming to forget her fear now that she was speaking about something she was passionate about.
Kara had to blink and start thinking about Kori in order to stop herself from blasting her with heat vision, her fingers digging into the leather chair.
"At first, we believed that such a patchwork approach had made the clone vastly weaker than a natural Kryptonian but, re-analyzing the data, I believe that the Kryptonian part of him is working overtime to prevent the Genomorphs' degeneration." The woman nodded and smiled at both Kara and Dubbilex, as if she wanted congratulations for solving such a problem. "His cells are constantly using the solar energy absorbed to try and fix his Genomorph deficiencies. These cells don't have any extra 'power' to do much else, that's why he hadn't manifested some of the Kryptonian's more traditional powers like flight or heat visi…on."
"What's wrong?" Kara questioned when the doctor seemed to trail off mid explanation.
The doctor swallowed again, looking worried right at Kara's good eye and she readjusted her collar once again. "Nothing, I believe I just realized something."
"Oh, do tell." Kara immediately realized the woman had connected the dots. Feigning interest, she leaned to the right and rested her chin against her closed fist.
"Miss Danvers…" Dubbilex tried to say, but Kara cut him off with a glare.
"No, I really want to hear it."
"I-I'm sorry! I was just doing my job. I never had the full picture of the project until it was already too late! I never wanted to create him! Err, I mean…" The woman explained, nervously glancing around the room. "Then, well, the clone was already produced, I wanted to make sure he could survive… and the study possibilities were…"
"Let me make something crystal clear, Dr. Spencer." Kara told her, leaning forward again and making it so the light of the room illuminated her fully. "I'm not actually too mad at you for my newest cousin's creation. I'm mad about the abuse you did against my older one. That stealing his DNA and replicating it against his will didn't raise any red flags for you boggles the mind. That you cared about Kon-El's survival, and are still working to improve his situation, has stayed my hand for the time being and forces me to put some trust in you. But. You will NOT abuse that trust, am I understood?"
The woman flinched but eventually answered, her voice almost a whisper. "Yes."
"Good, Superman was raised by a loving family, he was taught all of your Earth's values and he truly, deeply believes in the good inside people. He's a hero to the core, he'd never hurt you." Kara explained while opening a drawer and pulling out a thick folder with hundreds of pages and two thumb drives inside. "I am not Superman."
With a flick of her wrist, Kara threw the folder at the woman's chest, almost causing her to fall on her ass. "That's all the information I have on a second clone, one made without human DNA, I want you to tell me what your treatment can do for him."
Dr. Spencer clutched the folder, holding it closely to her chest as if it would keep Kara from hurting her. Taking a couple seconds to gather herself, the woman considered what Kara had just said. "Wit-without human DNA? His cells would be breaking down much faster than even the Genomorphs." She said, her mind focusing back on her work as she desperately tried to avoid even looking at Kara. "The treatment would help, but I don't have any idea about how to stabilize his Kryptonian side. All previous data indicates that his powers will start mutating in less than two years, he'll start developing failed mutations and become unable to sustain life in only ten years outside of a suspension chamber."
"Just do your best." Kara ordered, then thought about Match once again and got a glint on her eye. "Do you think it would help if he doesn't have his powers anymore?"
"It would need to be tested, but that is a possibility. The cellular mutation is probably triggered by the incomplete Kryptonian ability to absorb radiation, if he doesn't have his powers…"
"Very well, Dubbilex will help you with anything you need. Stabilizing the Genomorphs is your current priority since Match is currently in suspended animation, but I want your team trying to find me a solution." Kara waved the scientist away, almost causing the woman to run out of the room. Just as she had grabbed the door handle, Kara called out, causing her to pause and look back. "And, Dr. Spencer, you WILL be apologizing to both my cousins, in person."
The doctor nodded, then scrambled out of the room and Kara could hear her almost running down the corridor.
"Was that really necessary?" Dubbilex sighed, massaging under his horns.
"What? I thought I was surprisingly kind and accepting." Kara pushed herself back to her feet and almost slammed the drawer closed. "I hate amoral scientists."
"Dr. Spencer isn't amoral; she's only… absorbed in her work." The genomorph justified, then took Kara's place, using his telekinesis to move her chair out of the way and adjusted the drawer, pulling it out and making sure it wasn't broken before driving it gently into the desk. "And she is undeniably a genius in genetics. She's our best chance at a permanent solution."
"Do you think she'll do something short-sighted then? That I pushed her too far?" Kara fidgeted, feeling a little guilty now that she wasn't in the same room as the woman.
"No, Dr. Spencer was feeling guilty for what she did before she walked into this room. She believed your intimidation was justified." Looking up, Dubbilex frowned at the busted lamp above his head, quickly typing a request for a replacement at his computer. "Still, I do wish you had not been so aggressive."
"There won't be a next time. I never want to see that woman again." Kara finally lost Dr. Spencer's steps amongst the noise of the facility.
"And if she solves your problem with Match? She'll probably need to oversee any treatment the boy receives."
"Well, fuck. Now you have me hoping I meet her again." Kara almost banged her head against the door in frustration. "Are we done here? Do you need me for anything else?"
"No, I can do everything else myself." The wounded man said, causing Kara to frown at him. "Go back to your vacation."
"You shouldn't even be doing anything." Kara glared at the genomorphs, but Dubbilex didn't seem as impressed with her intimidation tactics as Dr. Spencer. "You're wounded, Dubbilex, rest."
"My body is wounded, my mind is perfectly capable." The Genomorph glanced at her, and then refocused on his work. "I'll rest when you finally get me a substitute for CEO."
Kara narrowed her eyes on the man. "You were just bored without any problems to solve, weren't you?" She accused.
"I don't know what you're talking about." He continued using his telekinesis to type away at the computer, making sure to avoid even looking at her. "Oh, look at the time. Didn't you have to speak with Koriand'r today?"
Kara snorted, but did look at the time. Gathering Match's files, looking at Dr. Spencer's research before talking to her and consulting the Fortress's AI for his take on them had taken longer than she thought.
Thinking about an angry Kori glaring at her for trying to dodge their talk made Kara cringe. Shaking her head to dispel the image, she smiled at the man. "Nicely deflected. Goodbye, Dubbilex."
"Until later, Miss Danvers."
After Kara teleported back to Fawcett City and was making her way to her apartment, she saw Captain Marvel flying above her, leaving a trail of dispersed clouds as he moved towards a corner of the city.
Using her X-Ray vision, Kara saw that it was just a bank robbery. Seeing that the Captain would arrive before her, and that his enemies were just normal people, Kara shrugged and continued walking.
Who the hell thinks it's a good idea to rob a bank in Captain Marvel's city? Rao, that's another level of stupid.
Closing the door behind her, Kara finally deactivated her holographic display, revealing her missing eye. Gently massaging her temple and scratching an itch from the re-growing eye she threw her security equipment on the table.
The container filled with her drones, clattered on the wooden surface and almost spilled. Before she could do anything else, Dexter weaved between her feet and she grabbed him, squeezing the cat against her cheek for a second until it had enough and tried to claw at her.
"Fine, fine, I'm releasing you." Dropping him on top of the table, Kara pulled out her phone and started checking her internet search bots.
With half a day to trawl the net, her programs had gathered a lot of generic information on Poison Ivy, but nothing to indicate her current location. The bots had managed to find a useful tidbit though. It seemed like Count Vertigo was currently in the country.
In a hurry, Kara readjusted her bots' search parameters, making them start looking for any members of the Injustice League: Black Adam, Wotan, Joker and… she couldn't really remember the others.
Would they be acting faster than normal? Did The Light need them to draw attention before what the plot would dictate in canon? Or were they just gathering to get comfortable with each other and plan?
Kara shook her head. No, she couldn't just assume that The Light's plans remained the same; she had already interfered so much that they could have changed their goals, or how they were going to go about fulfilling them.
Well, at least she managed to deliver a huge blow to them before they started adapting. It would be wonderful if The Light didn't adapt to her moves, but that would also be very unlikely.
Kara would have to re-evaluate her suppositions. After her attack on Infinity Island, her elimination of Felix Faust and the villains starting to deny The Light, any plan that they had was probably well and truly scrapped.
With some concern about her own plans, Kara gathered her things and went to her room to start considering where she'd get access to a supply of equipment for Dr. Spencer's research. Remembering something she had read in her previous life, Kara threw herself on the bed and considered how to approach this.
Pulling her phone out, she tapped a finger on the screen for a few seconds, then made up her mind and called one of her associates. "Hello, Mister Swift."
"Good evening, my dear. To what do I owe the pleasure of your call? I do not believe we have any operations planned." Came the elegant voice from the other side as the Shade answered his phone.
"I may have a new operation in mind, one that may require the entire team, but I still need to gather more information for that." She commented, thinking about Poison Ivy's rescue. "But I'm not actually calling about that, it's a more… personal reason."
"Personal, you say? I confess I did not expect any connection of such nature between us." The Shade commented with amusement. "Should we have this conversation in person then?"
"No, I only wished to ask if you were still connected to Caldecott Industries." There was a long silence on the other side of the line.
"Hmmm, I do, in fact, have some connections there." The Shade said, being careful with his wording. "I do not, however, have any intentions of involving them in this side of the business."
"I'm sorry if I wasn't clear; it's not really about that." Putting a hand over her eye, Kara considered her next words carefully. "I need a supplier for medical equipment and materials, as well as help with some genetic projects. I have no intention of involving it with any Superheroic, or villainous, actions, but I needed a company that I can trust."
"Does your cousin not trust STAR Labs? It IS the leading developer here in the New World."
"I prefer not to put all my eggs in the same basket, and, while my cousin may trust them, I'm not certain STAR Labs are entirely safe, it is a good company, but I have security concerns." Kara adjusted her position on the bed and felt Dexter jumping in with her, demanding she give him some water. "Still, they would probably be my second choice."
"I see. I'll arrange a meeting for you, in your civilian identity of course." The Shade said, his voice making it clear that the last part wasn't a choice.
"Of course." Kara agreed, she only wanted to get a business deal with them, not draw any attention towards her company or her other activities.
Hearing the door opening, Kara said her goodbyes and turned off her phone. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself. In a way, her talk with Kori wasn't dangerous, or even that life changing, but why was she more anxious about this than she had been about attacking Infinity Island?
Using her X-Ray vision, Kara looked at Kori entering their home and sucked in a breath. The Tamaranean looked around herself, not seeing any signs of Kara in the house. "Friend Kara?"
Instead of answering, Kara thought about the kiss, about how she wanted to get into a relationship with the girl, and about how easy Red Arrow had died, how dangerous it was… and how she had lost everything twice over.
Krypton had exploded, taking with it almost everything she had cared about, her family, her friends… her future. Her original Earth was also gone, it hadn't been destroyed, but she doubted she would even see it again, even with the level of technology in DC.
Drawing her legs to her chest, Kara hugged herself, her breathing coming faster and faster. Really, even if she could open a portal to her original Earth, what then? Her parents had been almost sixty when she died, were they even alive right now? Over thirty years after her rebirth?
No, she had lost two families, and she couldn't handle losing any more, she just…
A warm hand cut off her trail of thought and Kara looked up, staring right at Kori's concerned eyes. Kori's hand gripped her arms and gently pried her fingers from their vice like grip at her legs.
Adjusting her place between Kara's legs, Kori cupped her face between her hands and forced Kara to fully focus on her eyes for a few seconds.
Kara felt her muscles relaxing; her breathing starting to go back to normal as she stared at the green eyes in front of her, gripping one of Kori's hands with her own, Kara squeezed tightly and finally managed to form a smile. "Thanks."
Leaning down, Kori kissed Kara's lips, her touch very brief and light, offering comfort and support. Still holding her hand, the Tamaranean kicked off her boots and sat down on the bed beside her, putting her back against the headboard. "I apologize; I did not intend for our talk to cause you such distress."
"It wasn't that, not really." Kara sighed, leaning sideways and resting her head against Kori's shoulder. "I had to meet someone I really didn't want to earlier today, then everything just hit me all at once… I, it's just…" Kara couldn't really explain, she couldn't explain how much she feared losing everything again, how she feared getting involved with things.
Caring about her cousin was easy. He was Superman after all and very few things could hurt him, and there were even less now that she kept bothering him to wear the damn radiation shield. Kori, however, was vastly more fragile.
"Friend Kara, may I tell you about my planet?" Kori finally spoke, interlocking their fingers and smiling at her.
"Sure."
"Tamaran is a wonderful planet, full of wonders and beauty; it is also a planet at war." Kori let her head lean down on top of Kara's, closing her eyes as she remembered. "My sister was shunned for her disability, and I was raised as the future queen of our people. By the time I started my training, I had lost two uncles to the war and, in the following years, the Citadel increased its assaults, killing many."
Kara felt Kori's hand squeezing her's, but her strength was quickly failing as she let herself think about her planet and started to lose her powers.
"Together with Komand'r, I was sent to Okara for military training, but I was aware it was also to protect us, and then…" Shaking her head, Kori lifted their hands. For a second, she just looked at them, her smile falling away. "On my planet, I learned that there will always be people trying to hurt us or the people we care about, and sometimes, there is nothing we can do to prevent, or even affect, that. But that does not mean we should give up, that we should not care, that we should not love."
Bringing Kara's hand closer, Kori kissed her finger, then smiled again, regaining her strength. "Friend Kara, our bonds are what give us strength. Even if it is painful, even if it is hard. The memories are still there, they are still beautiful, they can still make you smile as you remember them and, if you can smile, you win."
Kara didn't say anything, just continued taking comfort in Kori's presence. She couldn't help admiring the Tamaranean princess's strength. Sometimes, seeing how cheerful and happy Kori was, Kara forgot she wasn't the only one who had suffered.
Eventually, Kara took a deep breath. Releasing Kori's hand, Kara pushed herself away from the headboard and sat atop Kori's thighs, staring directly at her friend's face. "Thanks for talking about it. I guess it's about time I stopped avoiding things, huh?"
"I do not wish to hasten you, Friend Kara." Kori smiled in a way that illuminated her whole face. "I understand that most other races are not as open as we Tamaraneans."
"No, it IS time I stop avoiding things." Kara closed her eyes for a second, letting go of her fear. Opening them again, she put an arm at Kori's side and leaned over. For a second, she paused just above Kori's lips.
The pregnant pause stretched for a full second, but it felt like an entire hour. Kara's heart was beating like a hummingbird's, and she could hear Kori's beating alongside it. Finally, she pushed herself forward and captured Kori's lips.
Pushing herself forward, Kori's hands slowly snaked their way around Kara's waist. The kiss deepened, their mouths opening slightly as Kori answered with eagerness and Kara quickly lost track of time. The only question remaining in her mind was why she hadn't done this before.
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