"Why!" A loud roar echoed on the highway.
The absent-minded Superman turned his head around to see Flag throwing forward a punch with a ferocious expression.
Sanchez took one straight to the face and fell to the ground. Blood spurted out of his mouth as his hand slammed headfirst into the hard asphalt.
Sanchez originally wasn't in the best of conditions, and dizziness overwhelmed him.
Too bad, Rick wasn't going to hear that.
Rick climbed on top of the fallen soldier and started punching vigorously.
"You Traitor!"
Pow!
"Son of a bitch!"
Pow!
"You're working for Mannheim, huh?"
Pow!
"That bastard killed several members of our team".
Pow!
"Why!"
"That's enough".
Clark frowned and rushed forward to catch the flying fist. His iron grip was something Flag couldn't get rid of, but the latter didn't care.
Flag felt like his world was crumbling. He struggled frantically.
"Let me go! I'm gonna kill him".
"You keep doing that and believe me, you will". Sanchez's face at this point was a mess. Blood seeped from his nose, mouth, and tears on his face.
"Why! Why!" Rick yelled in anger.
"We were friends. Brothers. We ate together, drank together, fought together. Why would you betray us"?
Flag stared at him intently, his expression as if he didn't want to miss the slightest changes of Sanchez's facial features.
The anger bubbling in his heart currently was indescribable.
Sanchez coughed up blood. He tried opening his mouth to say something but.
"He is in no condition to be interrogated. If we're going to get answers out of him, you can't beat him to death first".
Clark admonished.
Turning his gaze to the beaten Sanchez, numerous thoughts passed through his head.
"Perhaps there's an inside story to this. Something that doesn't show on the surface". He said to himself.
Clark could see the eyes filled with guilt and self blame earlier. He took the punches without so much as trying to fight back.
And for someone like Superman who was trained to see the good in everyone, It was natural for the Man Of Steel to have such ideas.
This kind of optimism, this strong belief in the fact that there was always good deep down in everyone, was very naive. Even Clark himself knew so.
As, although he advocated his fact, he never applied this principle to some special cases. People who were monsters in the truest sense.
For example, The Joker.
Mad or not, Clark was certain that that clown was a being without an atom of good left in that soul of his. Besides, it's cruel to expect people to forgive such a character just because he eventually stopped doing bad.
Clark was sure that if the Joker ever regained his sanity and stopped evading the law with that as an excuse, he would face execution by the government.
And even if the Joker was truly reformed, Clark wouldn't do anything to try to save him
However, Clark's "Naive Optimism" wasn't without merits occasionally.
"Lau…. Laura…" Sanchez managed to utter a word through intense pain.
"Who?" Clark asked.
Pui!
Several teeth were spit out from his mouth alongside a mouthful of blood.
"Laura.... He's got…. Laura". Sanchez said weakly before passing out.
Rick's pupils shrank, and his body stiffened for a second.
"Who's Laura?" Superman asked with slight confusion.
"... That... She's his ...daughter". Flag answered in a daze.
The sound of spinning blades, police siren's, helicopter whirrs.
Two search lights shone on the bodies of Superman and Rick Flag.
"Stop..... Do not move....."
The loud voice spoke through the megaphone.
"Well..... There's your inside story".
Watching the approaching helicopters, fighter jets, police cars, FBI vans, Superman let out a sigh. Mannheim escaped, and the Android was taken.
This was going to be a long night.
.....
"Ok, I'll have....."
"..... The sausage and peas, french fries, Apple pie, a cappuccino, chili labneh eggs and... pancakes".
The voice of the waitress responded, causing Kara to look over.
What came into view was a female with fair skin, dark hair, green eyes, wearing a blue uniform and a small apron tied around her waist.
"Um…. Thanks....." She answered absentmindedly and stretched her hands out but paused in midair.
"Wait a minute..... but, I haven't ordered yet". Kara uttered after a moment of realization.
"Um..... Yeah!". A wry smile appeared on the waitress's face as she replied.
"It's not yours, it's the handsome guy's order".
"Oh!" Slightly taken aback, the young kryptonian snapped her head back to the young man.
"You already ordered? Why didn't I notice".
"With the level of attention you put into that tablet, even with your senses, I'd be surprised if you did". Amari remarked plainly.
His gaze turned to the waitress.
"Thanks, you can set it down..... Anna, I presume".
The pretty waitress raised an eyebrow before her eyes fell on her rather moderate chest are whereby the right side laid her name tag.
"Right. That's what the name badge says. Here you go..."
She took a step forward, wanting to set the food down but missed her step in the process.
She lost her grip on the plates she held, and the cappuccino in her grasp fell off.
Time slowed down almost infinitely as the movements of the waitress stilled. So did the falling plate of food, the spilled cappuccino with its contents half empty in the air and virtually everything else.
In the café, time seemed to slow down by more than a thousand times.
Watching the falling food that would no doubt spill all over him if he did nothing and allowed fate to play its course, Amari stood up from his seat expressionlessly and took action.
Grabbing the food order and placing it down on the table, then scooping the airborne liquid back into its container. The whole process took less than a second as he placed everything on the table under the eager eyes of the young Kryptonian before seating back in his chair in the same posture he left it.
Time played back to normal pace.
The waitress who had a panicked expression returned to normal, trying desperately to catch what had left her hands, only to freeze a second later.
Amari sat in his chair, face indifferent, features without expression.
He took the cappuccino in his right hand and brought it to his mouth, taking a drink.
The waitress was incredulous.
Everything seemed.... Normal.
"What just happened?" She asked with shock and disbelief in her tone.
"You mean, what's supposed to happen... I guess?" Amari put down the drink and replied rhetorically.
"We met". He said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"You alright?"
"I…." The waitress shook her head a bit.
"... Think I've been working too hard recently".
"Take a break then. Unless your boss's the type that doesn't give days off".
Hearing his words, Anna was stunned for a moment before chuckling. He was right, her boss was that kind of guy. Old, grumpy and the likes.
"Smooth talker, huh, Chad?"
"Not my name, but thanks for the compliment".
"You're not from around here, are you, stranger?" She asked with a smile.
"What gave it away?"
"Your expression, and the fact that your order, is a culinary curiosity around these parts".
She gestured towards his plate, before gazing intently at his face.
It wasn't just his expression. She was pretty sure she would remember if she came across a face like this around her.
"Damn. He's hot". She said to herself.
Amari shrugged noncommittally.
"Nothing?" She took a few steps, drawing closer.
"You aren't one of those macho tough guys, are you?"
"Do I look like one?" His voice was flat, eyes indifferent, his body didn't shift. All signs clearly pointing that he had no interest in whatever she was selling.
Seeing this, she bit her lip slightly, making a seductive action. It wasn't intentional, and she didn't even know she did it.
Macho tough guy? Judging by the muscles that fully outlined his T-shirt, she was sure that this guy packed quite a figure underneath that top.
Body of a well proportioned athlete with the face of a pretty boy surpassing those she had seen on TV.
Especially the eyes. Those gorgeous, purple, magnetically attractive pair of eyes.
Was this guy some new celebrity on the block she didn't know about yet?
"I don't know. Maybe I'd find out if I get to know you better". She said, her tone turning flirty.
"Haisel. What are you doing dwaddling at table seven? If I recall correctly, your shift's not over yet".
At that moment, whatever atmosphere she thought she had created was shattered by the loud yelling of a day, middle-aged man.
Her face quickly took on a red hue as she blushed from slight embarrassment.
"I'm kind of busy". As she said so, she placed her palm on the table and slipped something closer to Amari.
"Perhaps, we can talk sometime". Giving a wink, she turned around and headed back to the counter.
Amari watched her leave with.... Meh…. You already know what. Looking at the piece of paper that was close to his palm, his eyes momentarily scanned the number on it before he raised his head to meet the sullen eyes of someone who was practically ignored in the last thirty seconds.
"Handsome, huh?" Kara said with a touch of sarcasm.
Amari looked at her with a deadpan expression before facing his head down to his dinner.
"I'm eating now". He said lightly as he picked up the knife and fork.
"Think I didn't see?" Kara questioned rhetorically.
"She was totally flirting with you. She even left her number! Classic movie scene".
"Do I look like I was flirting".
"Ok, now that just sounds narcissistic".
"If I recall right, the concept of flirting doesn't exist on your planet". He said without raising his head.
"Alice has been letting you watch too many Rom Com's, hasn't she?"
"That ....". The blonde tucked her hair behind her ears and cleared her throat.
"..... That is for..... Research!" She said, as if suddenly enlightened.
"Yes, research". Tapping the table with a "matter of fact" expression on her face, she continued.
"I mean, I'm not gonna stay in The Axiom forever. Since Krypton's destroyed, and I'm now on Earth, I'll have to come face-to-face to earthlings in due time. It's all for the purpose of blending in better". She uttered with unprecedented enthusiasm. It failed to cover up the twinge of sadness when she mentioned Krypton's destruction.
...
Amari's POV
"Uh-huh..... And I'm so sure you got a lot of research material from watching ''Fifty Shades of Grey"?"
I asked with a slight nod and eyes full of amusement, knowing that a rare spectacle would soon come by.
Sure enough, the Kryptonian's face suddenly turned beet red. Her fair cheeks took on a red hue that would make someone think she just experienced sunburn.
But it was dark outside..... So Moonburn then?
"Don't talk about that. Besides, you're not related to me. So you can't tell me what to do".
Seeing the embarrassed girl with a red face, gathering courage to utter those words, I couldn't help but wonder what Clark would think if he knew that the dear cousin he hasn't even met yet had been corrupted.
The thought was... Interesting, to say the least.
"Oh? Why not? A few seconds ago, you seemed eager to dive into the concept of earth relationships. You used the cerebral transducer, I'm sure part of the information must have introduced the concept of the carnal desires humans chase after. Something that should be foreign to your race..."
"Enough!" Kara yelled in embarrassment as she slapped her hands on the table. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite familiar with controlling her sudden increase in physical strength.
The diner table was smashed in half as the delicate palm made contact with its surface. Akin to a sledgehammer.
BANG!
The loud noise was particularly conspicuous in the quiet restaurant. Thankfully, the evening rush was over and what remained were the staff and two or three insignificant customers.
They all had their mouths agape as they stared at the scene in absolute shock.
Kara froze for a moment, her mind went blank before an anxious expression appeared on her face.
I looked at the broken table with a slight frown on my face.
"There goes my dinner". I murmured softly, not the slightest bit worried about this scene being seen by regular people.
My order had been smashed alongside the table.
I turned my head to look at the quiet restaurant and spoke in a calm tone.
"I apologize for the table. My acquaintance is stronger than she looks".
I stood up as my words came to a halt.
Snapping my fingers, the destroyed furniture was restored back to the way it was less than ten seconds ago.
Not only that, it looked brand new.
"There we go, good as new. Come on, Kara, we're leaving".
And with that, I turned towards the exit and walked at a leisure pace. Kara was surprised at first before following behind me quickly.
The sound of the door being pushed open and closing back was all the living souls in the diner could register.
After a while, someone asked.
"What was that?"
"I think they were supers".
"Really..... Shit, so cool. You think they were heroes or villains?"
"How would I know? They weren't in costume or anything".
"Did you see how that girl smashed the table with a slap. What's her bones made of?"
"Huh? I didn't see clearly…. Whatcha talking about?"
"The girl. She just..... Um..... Hit…. the table…. I guess?"
"... And? What's so special about that".
"Um..... I think, something happened to it…. Or something".
"You sure? The table looks fine from here".
"Yeah... I can't really remember what happened. I feel like it's on the tip of my tongue".
"What's on the tip of your tongue?"
"About something that happened here…."
"Oh? And..... What was that?"
"..... I dunno". He replied with a shrug while scratching his head. He had a slight, tingling feeling. That feeling he usually had, telling him that he had forgotten something.
"Nah. Don't remember anything happening. You're probably mistaking it for that robbery incident downtown".
"Yeah... Maybe you're right". And soon, that feeling faded away, leaving the man chatting with his new acquaintance about unrelated events.
Something strange happened tonight, but only two people were destined to ever remember.
.....
General POV
The city lights shone, the lamplights were bright, there sounds of driving cars were minimal as people went their way on the sidewalks.
"The night..... It's beautiful". The blonde said, with a brilliant light in her eyes as she looked to the sky.
Seeing the numerous stars that lit up the night sky more than the dazzling city lights, a strange feeling welled up in Kara's heart.
"I guess you're right".
Amari responded plainly.
"Um..... Hey, what about what happened back at the..... Diner?"
"Yeah? What about it". He replied with a question as he continued his walk.
Kara, who walked beside him, frowned a little.
"Aren't you scared?"
"Scared?" Amari rolled his eyes.
"Take it with all seriousness when I say this. In this universe and beyond. Nothing scares me".
Looking at his blank expression, Kara didn't know whether he was serious or speaking casually.
However, from what she had learned from her experience with him recently, he didn't sound like he was joking.
He made sarcastic and rhetorical remakes sometimes, though rare, but you could easily tell.
This was different.
"... Um…. Sorry, I didn't put that right. What I meant to say was, aren't you concerned that they'll talk about what they've seen or something. Or watch the surveillance cameras... Um..... If they were any, that is".
"No". His reply was concise.
"No?"
"No". He replied again. "They can't really talk about what they don't remember seeing, can they?"
Listening to his words, the young kryptonian was a bit shocked.
"You... Altered their memories?"
"You could say that. At this point, they shouldn't even remember we were ever there to begin with. The same goes for cameras".
He gave an affirmative reply.
Kara was silent. A little astounded at the thought.
"Don't be so surprised. My capability to do such relies on ability. Your cousin can do the same with a set of glasses that defy common sense".
Amari said lightly.
Kara didn't say anything anymore as the two continued to enjoy the evening walk.
After a considerable amount of time passed, they found themselves near a fountain. Looking at the rippling reflections of Amari and herself in the water, Kara let out a sigh inwardly.
Amari didn't say a word, maintaining the peace and quiet of the environment for a few minutes.
Until eventually, The Deviant spoke.
"So I guess this is where we part ways". He said, shifting his gaze from the water to a pair of eyes that were also staring back at him with a hint of nervousness.
"... You knew?"
"That you were going to ask to leave, here and now? Yes. I've expected it when you asked to leave the Axiom".
He said flatly, his face and body language portrayed no expressions.
"If you want to reunite with your cousin, then by all means. Like I said, you can leave whenever you want".
Hearing his words, the slight uneasiness finally disappeared. While it disappeared, a feeling of disappointment appeared and disappeared as soon as it surfaced.
"Thank you". She whispered softly.
Honestly, she didn't even know what she said it for.
"I didn't do much. No need for it". Amari said with a small gesture.
"... So..... What are you going to do now?" Kara couldn't help but ask.
"Make a detour. I have something I want to do before heading back". He said with a light shrug as he tilted his head to the side.
"... Ok. Well then..... It was nice knowing you". Kara said, extending her hand out for a goodbye handshake.
Too bad, he didn't reciprocate the action.
"Huh?" Kara was a bit surprised, her gaze caught that Amari's face was turned to the side, looking into the distance with a look of surprise in his eyes.
Turning her head in that direction, what greeted her sight was nothing.
Kara waited for a few seconds without finding anything and just when she thought she had been taken for a fool, a slight distortion in space made her opened her mouth in shock.
To a regular human, it happened in the blink of an eye. But for Kara..... It still happened in the blink of an eye.
The space distorted as a yellow portal was formed out of thin air.
Before she could be surprised, a streak of yellow lightning rushed out of the portal and into the distance, disappearing.
The portal behind quickly closed as its user was gone.
"Oh my..."
Kara had barely finished her words when she was interrupted by yet another distortion in space.
A portal once again appeared in the same spot. Only this time, the portal was deep blue.
Same as last time, a streak of bright blue lightning rushed out of the portal and moved in the direction where the first lightning streak disappeared as well.
The portal closed, leaving a dumbfounded Kryptonian and a thoughtful Amari in the exact same position.
"... That... What was that?" Kara asked with surprise and curiosity in her tone.
To this question, Amari answered with four words.
"Unexpected and uninvited visitors".
"Visitors?" The confused voice reached his ears, but Amari paid it no heed.
"Well, this should be fun".
....
If you'd like to read ahead, consider visiting my Patreon
Patreon.com/Future805