Clark sat up slowly, his gaze fixed on the robot before him. "How long have I been unconscious, Eradicator?" Superman's voice carried a note of urgency, tempered by the calm authority he always exuded.
"Exactly 216 hours, 53 minutes, and 38 seconds," came the precise reply from Eradicator, its mechanical tone betraying no hint of emotion. The passage of time, measured with such clinical precision.
As the Fortress doors parted, Clark turned his attention to the newcomer, his superhuman senses honing in on the approaching figure. 'Kara?' he thought, recognizing the familiar silhouette of his cousin.
The blonde Kryptonian entered the room, her concern evident in the furrow of her brow. There was a palpable tension between them, underscored by the weight of recent events. "Are you alright, Clark?" Kara's voice was soft, laced with genuine worry as she drew closer to him.
"I'm... I'm alright now," Clark began, his voice tinged with a mixture of relief and lingering apprehension. "About what happened-"
"Don't worry about it for now, the situation is under control," Kara interjected gently, her words offering reassurance in the face of uncertainty. Superman nodded in acknowledgment, grateful for her understanding.
"I could hear everything, ever since I returned from that space," Clark confessed, his tone heavy with introspection. In the emptiness of that void, where time seemed to lose all meaning, he had grappled with his own fears and doubts.
"Still, I owe you an apology. I had ample time to reflect, to confront my own insecurities," Clark admitted, his voice tinged with remorse. "I realized that I was driven by fear—fear of what might happen if he turned against us, if I couldn't stop him."
Kara listened in silence, her expression softening as she reached out to him. "I understand, Clark," she murmured, enveloping him in a comforting embrace. "We all have moments of doubt, moments when we question ourselves. But you, more than anyone, have always embodied hope and resilience."
"I became exactly what I once fought against," Clark confessed, his voice barely above a whisper as he returned her embrace, drawing strength from their shared bond. In Kara's arms, he found solace—a reminder of the enduring legacy of hope that defined them both.
"Well, Gohan has been nice enough to let it go so when you see him again, I'm sure he won't hold it against you," Kara reassured Clark, her tone warm and understanding. Clark nodded in agreement, though he still felt the weight of his actions lingering in his mind, a constant reminder of the need to make things right.
"I was kinda expecting Karen to be here too. Is she caught up with something?" Clark asked, his curiosity evident as he glanced around.
Kara shrugged casually, a hint of uncertainty in her expression. "She's off hitting the training with Gohan, gearing up for whatever threat the Angel was talking about," she explained.
"Training..." Clark echoed, the word sparking a thought within him. Perhaps it was time for him to get back into the swing of things too.
Back in the 7th universe, a wave of light struck the earth in Capsule Corporation's backyard as Donna, Damian, Karen, Goku, Vegeta, Beerus, and Whis arrived.
The rest of the gang was taken by surprise. "Woah, so this is a different Earth?" Donna mused as she looked around.
"Why is everything round?" Damian suddenly questioned as he observed his surroundings.
Yamcha, Tien, Krillin, Chi-Chi, 18, Bulma, Trunks, Goten, Gohan, and Diana noticed their arrival.
"Hey guys!" Gohan called as he approached the group, casually dressed in his base form.
Donna and Damian were most surprised at Gohan's casual demeanor. He always had such an intense expression on his face in DC.
"Is that Chi-Chi's cooking?" Goku asked, watering at the mouth as he approached the house and greeted everyone. Soon, the greetings were underway. Yamcha was blown away by Karen.
"Woah..." Yamcha muttered as Krillin turned and eyed his friend. He could agree that woman was very beautiful. She reminded him a lot of 18, but would he ever say such words out loud? Never. He valued his life.
"So you're not human as well?" Yamcha asked, trying to start up a conversation with Karen, who eyed him before nodding.
"I am Kryptonian," she explained as Gohan nodded.
"Yeah, she is naturally strong, fast, and durable," Gohan explained but Karen approached him angrily.
"Don't talk about me as if I am some limited edition item," Gohan sweat dropped and backed up realizing his mistake.
"My bad!" he apologized somewhat embarrassed as Chi-Chi nodded. "I don't know where he got it from Miss Karen but if you don't hit him I will," Chi-Chi revealed as she pulled a pan from her back.
Gohan backed up, not sure of what to expect until Karen started laughing, everyone joined in. Soon they split up again, a few remained outside while Chi-Chi, 18, and Diana went into the house to help prepare lunch.
"By the way, Gohan, is there any reason as to why you wanted us to come back home?" Goku asked his son.
"Oh, that's because I proposed to Diana," Gohan explained as it dawned on Goku.
"Really!? Congratulations son!" Goku said as Vegeta rolled his eyes, not sure why they needed to be back in the 7th for it.
"Oh Vegeta," Bulma walked up to him. "You could smile for once, you know!" She explained as he scoffed. "Since you guys are training I thought I'd make a stronger gravity chamber," this caught the prince's attention, turning to face her with an interested expression. Bulma chuckled before pulling out a capsule and handing it over to him.
"Don't break it this time! The last one I made you blew up from inside! This one goes up to 100,000 times earth's gravity," She complained as Vegeta nodded.
"I won't be using it so it's fine," Vegeta explained as Damian and Donna felt a shiver run down their backs.
Bulma noticed Vegeta staring at Damian and Donna, so she lightly smacked his shoulder. "You shouldn't bully them, Vegeta!"
"I-I'm not, woman!" Vegeta argued back.
Damian and Donna were stunned for a second. Someone spoke to Vegeta like that? They hadn't known him for too long, but he was so stern, yet this blue-haired woman wasn't even glared at.
"Wait, I can't so much as look at Master Vegeta wrong, but she can be condescending?" He questioned as Krillin overheard him and chuckled.