Arsonist of Smallville

[Batman]

Supergirl: Kara lounged, it was something she'd learned gave her great pleasure. This was her planet now, Earth. But she didn't know many people, and none outside the realm of her hero family and friends. But from what she was slowly learning about Earth culture, lounging and sunbathing was quite the commodity for girls her age. Well, looking about her age, the distance of travel among galaxies and such made it a bit confusing. However, she floated amongst the cool misty clouds, arms behind her head and blond hair swaying softly with the air so high up. The sun felt nice, warmed her somehow from the inside out. Not to mention it was recharging her as a Kryptonian. She could still hear the sounds of Metropolis below her, her expert and precise hearing picking up every shuffle of foot, every door closing, every car honk and every exhaust blow. So loud, this place was so loud, it was a struggle to focus and block it out as Kal had been teaching her. Of course it was easier for him, he'd grown up here among the humans, learned to deal with his powers at a young age with guidance from those who knew nothing of Krypton. But he understood now just the same. It was hard for her, kept pushing in and forcing her to struggle with the abilities. But she'd been managing decently thus far. Now, however, her hearing peaked with the shriek of a woman.

Kara physically jerked in the air, the shriek as her ears tuned in making her wince. She really needed to practice dulling down this ability, it was getting painful at times. The blond turned in the air and made her descent. Her cape made a crimson stain in the air behind her as she streaked back to Earth. Upon nearness she had to try hard to filter through the sounds until she followed the shrieking. Along with it, there was a loud whooshing, a fire blazing hot and the smell was overwhelming in the air. She circled the tall red-bricked building and found the shrieking origin. A window on the fifth floor held a woman trapped from the window behind a wall of flames. 

Kara's brows lowered in determination, blue eyes set with her goal, she flew rather quickly, and threw her arm up, bashing away the burning debris from the window as she made her smooth entrance and hovered in the room with the woman. It was empty, a living room mostly on fire as the woman stood trapped in the corner as her home aflame kept her a prisoner. Kara approached her slowly, feet still hoverring as the woman gazed up at her, fear holding her in place. "It's alright, I'm going to get you out safely, give me your hand." The woman nodded, looking shakingly at her extended hand and grasped it. Kara wrapped an arm around her, smelling burnt hair and wool from her sweater. She lifted the woman gently and tucked her close to Kara's form. Kara couldn't feel the burn from the flames, but she could. 

The Supergirl sucked in a breath and aimed for the area leading to the window. The blast of icey breath flew out and sent frost into the air which quickly disientigrated around the heat. The flames snuffed out as a thin layer of ice formed as a path. Kara followed it out and through the window before lowering them down to the street where fireman were arriving. Supergirl handed the shaking woman to the paramedics and turned back to the building as the men questioned her. 

"Is there anyone else trapped inside?" they asked.

She shook her head, looking unsure, "I don't know, I don't know."

Kara balled her hands into fists and went back into the building, through the window and into the hall to listen carefully. She could hear the fire, the crackling of burning wood, the foundation groaning as it wanted to collapse. She could hear fire alarms shrieking and the air popping with heat. Then the sounds of the street filtered in, cars, the fire engine's siren, police cars screeching as they arrived, people shouting to get back. Kara grimaced and slammed her palms to her ears. 

"No, no no! Be quiet...." she tried to focus again for the building on fire. The alarms seemed too loud, they shrieked and made her wince, the flames licked at melting wallpaper and things fell from burning shelves, crashing to the floor. Focus, focus....

Superman: Clark was at his desk when the newsflash came across a T.V. a block away, his fingers slowed in their typing as he listened closely to the details. The city was his to save, but it seemed another kryptonian had beaten him to the punch. “Unfortunately, we have seen no sign of Supergirl since she entered the burning building almost two minutes ago.” Two minutes was too long, Clark and his cousin both could have swept the building and extinguished the fire in under 30 seconds. He stood, made his way toward the bathroom before moving into the roof access stairwell, a quick change and a burst of speed and he was in the air, honing in on his cousins voice. Her abilities were obviously acting up, she had not gained the level of control he had and, after a sweep with his x-ray vision, hadn’t noticed the two children unconscious on the lower floor. He had no time to waste, inhaling deeply he made a beeline straight for the open window. Kara wouldn’t burn, she had time. He flew past her to the first floor and collected the children, quickly dropping them off at the paramedics ambulance before turning back and standing behind Kara. A quick exhale and the flames extinguished around them. “Concentrate, Kara, focus on my voice and only my voice, relax, don’t fight it, let it fade."

Supergirl: There was a different noise hard and fast, whizzing through the air like a missile, but it didn't sound the same. The wind shot past her in the burning building, her skirt and cape fluttering with his motion. Kara tried to shove out the noises, to open her eyes and help him. Vaguely she heard her cousin moving to the floor below, then the sound of two beating hearts echoed through her. She gasped, feeling flooded with fear and realization. She was Supergirl, gifted with so many abilities and here she was so close to people who needed help, children! Yet she hadn't known, couldn't focus. Pain lanced through her, guilt riding her as tears welled up at her cheeks and streaked down, evaporating in the heat that wouldn't burn her. 


She clutched her hands over her ears tighter and curled her fingers in her blond hair, trying harder to make it all just stop. There was a cold breeze as her cousin extinguished the flames around her and his own beating heart started up close behind her. His voice came through the noise, barely audible and almost too jumbled through it all to be understood.

The inexperianced teenager whimpered, shoulders faltering as she squinted harder, trying to make the sounds stop. Shouting, running feet, cars honking in traffic, water hoses running with the fireman calling out orders into radios. Her breathing quickened as she panted, overwhelmed with it all. 

"I can't!" she gasped, trying not to hear them all. "There's too much, it's so loud!" She was nearly yelling, unable to hear herself over the sounds rushing in her mind. Fade? How do you let it fade? How could she let so many rising things just fafde? "Kal, why won't it stop?" She took a shuddering breath and felt another set of tears fall.

Superman: His hands came to her shoulders, he understood,but not the this extent. He had been gifted with his super hearing as a child. His parents had guided him through focusing on just what was around him and he’d had years to perfect it. His hands came to hers, pulling them away from her ears slowly. “Look at me, focus on my voice. You can do this Kara, you just have to relax.” A lot of his control came from emotion, it was why he was so careful, so critical of himself. If he ever let his control slip, he could be Earth’s greatest threat. “Think of something you enjoy, something calming. Then, just relax, focus your senses here. You’re okay.” It was the things his parents had said to him, their soothing voices allowing him a completely relaxed state.

“Don’t let them trouble you, you’re here with me, the sun is shining, allow it to fill you up. Focus on my voice.” He wanted her to deal with this, handling it now meant more confidence, a better control, but if she lost control, if she stopped being able to control her abilities here and now. Well, he’d have to fly her into space, isolate her from the sound and try a new theory. His hands soothed her arms. The outer fires still guarded them from prying eyes.

Supergirl: She felt his hands on her shoulders, pulling her own hands from her ears. His voice was calm, tranquil, soothing. Kara heard his words through the snarled mess in her mind, nodded as she focused on something peaceful. Flying, she loved flying, it was her greatest joy in being what she was here on Earth. Soaring through the clouds and just feeling the breeze on her face as her hair played with the wind.

Car horns blared.

She winced, her images shredding before her with the sounds again. Kara sucked in a breath and tried again. Flying, floating gently on those big, billowy clouds, the yellow sun warming her and filling her with energy. Up there in the clouds where she was safe and no one could bother her, no one could touch her...it was quiet. Quiet.

Kara's eyes slowly opened and the first image she had was of the symbol for hope, the "S" on her cousin's chest matching her own. Hope, she had hope she would manage this like everything else, hope that she would be as great as he was some day with practice and time. Her blue gaze raised and found his, the girl looking vulnerable and so grateful. "I...I'm sorry, Kal El, it...I couldn't make it go away, the children, I should have heard them." She shut her eyes and her expression turned to one of pain as she looked down at the burnt, charcoal floor of the building. This was once a safehaven for someone, where people lived and slept, now it was a mess, and they almost hadn't escaped. If she'd have focused, if she'd been better at dealing with these powers, it never would have happened.

Superman: “You have nothing to be sorry for, Kara, you saved a life and were trying to save more. It was an intense situation and you lost control. You haven’t had these abilities as long as I have. You’re a hero, you just made a mistake.” He gave her shoulder another reassuring tag before turning to the sight of the emergency personnel rushing in. The floor was weakened and he gripped his cousin’s arm, levitating them both to keep any weight from causing a cave in. “Evening Chief.” He had a quick conversation with the man about the building being empty. 

After he and the Fire Chief’s quick exchange, he took a look around, checking the source of the fire, he needed to know if it were accidental or man made and Kara needed a distraction. He moved to the lower floor and continued to investigate the area for any signs of arson.

Supergirl: His reassuring tone and the physical contact had her feeling warmed and understood. She nodded gently and turned to the fire Chief, meekly staying quiet as she ran over what had happened for a moment as the two spoke. As Kal began his search for the origin of the fire, she avoided the fire Chief's gaze, unwilling to speak to him right now. She was too busy mulling over what had just happened in the building as the Supergirl searched with her own eyes through the building. The origin of the fire had been on the main floor, rather than the basement where most of the electrical boxes were. As she frowned and followed the path of the scorched remains, she looked to the ceiling and found frowned at the smoke set into the paint and how it had bubbled. It had burned hot, hotter than it should have for an electric fire. 

With the thought as a distraction, a new one hit her. The scanners beeped their tones through the fireman's radios on their belts. "Attention Metropolis Fire, Attention Metropolis Fire" the dispatcher called out in a professional tone. "You have a multilevel fire on East 45th Street, East 45th Street. Levels two and three are unattainable, victims trapped inside." Kara's head lifted and her head spun, blond hair swaying out in a wave before she flew up the stairwell to meet her cousin. Their eyes met and her jaw set tight. 

"Arsonist," she said softly, "Gotta be."

Superman: Something definitely wasn’t right, it was obvious an accelerant was used, but Superman couldn’t smell or otherwise detect any kind of gas or other types of chemicals to speed a fire along. It was a strange situation and it implied arson, or accidental fire. However, with the origin starting on the ceiling, it was most definitely arson. He heard the scanners and a soon as Supergirl’s eyes met his he flew from the open window. “I’ll take the top floor.” He said, his normal tone was used, knowing full well that she could hear him even over the wind whooshing past her ears. “There!” He turned, bending his body until he carried himself into the building past the shouts of the family trapped inside. He began scooping them up, one at a time and carrying them safely to the street. The quickest way to extinguish this fire would be to deprive it of oxygen, but he didn’t dare do that in the presence of innocent people for fear they might suffocate. With another intake of breath, he began dousing the base of the flames with his icy exhale.

Supergirl: Kara nodded as he zoomed past her, blond hair whipping with the sudden take off just before she leapt into the air and joined him. Their flight was fast and expedient over the city of Metropolis, and sure enough, the scent of burning fumes was in the air. It wasn't too far from the apartment building that had just been the first victim of the arson, and sure enough, it was another apartment building. The signs outside were the same, Kara noted with a quick glance, just before she dipped to the lower level of the complex. Supergirl headed to the back of the building where the lesser of the burning took place. She found the back exit up in flames and heaved a breath before coating it and the wall in ice. With it cooled, she kicked in the door from the air and felt the heat rush out. Supergirl coated the floor and walls in a thin layer of ice, providing a path to the hall and doors where occupants were trapped inside. This one had gone up faster than the last building, it was more engulfed and the damage was worse than before, the floors and walls trying to buckle. Yet there were so many trapped, how had it gotten so bad so fast that these innocents couldn't get out?

She shoved the thought away and focused on finding the beating hearts in the building. One after another, she broke down the doors and iced the rooms to cool the place as she escorted the families out to safety. She reached the other end of the building and kicked in the cooled door. The building groaned around her, the foundation shuddering and the floors starting to give a loud crackling. She knew that sound, enough from working on other runs as the Supergirl, that sound meant the building was about to collapse any moment. She found the family cowering in the corner between a burning kitchen and living room. Her breath cooled down the flames until they vanished and the floor cooled. "This way! Now!" The family nodded and ran for her, a mother, a father, and a daughter and son. They ran past her out the door and she flew overhead, watching the cracks started in the walls and spreading up and growing larger. "Hurry!" she shouted, the exit just feet away. 
But a small cry sounded from behind her and Kara turned as the family she'd been escorted ran out the door and to the safety of the street. Her heart pounded in her chest as she waited. Come on...sound off again...

Supergirl hovered back into the midst of the building, listening intently. 'Focus, Kara...just let it flow in gently.' She heard the whoosh of the flames on the floors above, the movement of her cousin working fast, the crackling of the foundation as it prepared to give under the pressure...
"Where are you!?" she cried out, searching the rooms, trying to listen for another sign. A child's whine sounded again and she peaked up, zipping through the air to the stairwell that lead upstairs. Just on the other side of it was a door to the manager's office. Kara blew out the flames as she had before and tore the door off the hinges and behind her. The manager lived here, the walls aflame and the ceiling coated in dripping flames, melting away the paint that dripped down in firey chunks. The sound of a little cough came from the small room at the back. Supergirl tore into the door and found what must have been the babysitter, a young girl about Kara's age, curled up on the floor and on the small bed in the corner, a little boy in a Batman shirt, clutching his blanket. 

The building shuddered and Kara lowered, checking the pulse of the sitter, she was just barely alive, smoke inhalation had done its work with the heat. She wrapped the girl up under one arm and approached the boy. "Come here, buddy, I'm going to get you out." He backed up to the corner and shook his head, coughing, tears making tracks down his soot-covered face. The building shook again and Kara lowered to stand on the floor, arm extended. "Hey, I met Batman...he's really tall...like Superman. And he wold want you to be safe, right?" The boy nodded and slowly inched forward, but the building groaned a final time and Kara didn't take a chance. She scooped the boy up and tore off for the door, his small body against her chest, his little arms wrapping around her neck. But the building wasn't waiting, chucnks of the ceiling broke apart and crumbled down just before the supports did the same. 

The complex made the most frightening noise she'd ever heard as it failed to support itself any longer. The boy let out a cry and clenched his arms around her neck. The wall of the exit buckled in and collapsed, the way out gone before her eyes. She gasped and knew she couldn't rush it, not with innocents in her clutches, she couldn't keep both safe. The chunks of the ceiling broke off faster and larger as the rest of the walls caved in as well. Kara spun, sliding under the stairwell and curling her body over the girl and the little boy. The little boy's face looked up at her, brown eyes and soft brown hair, his Batman shirt stained with soot. It was only now that she realized that his blanket was Batman was well. She grabbed the blanket and threw it over their heads as she angled herself completely over them. "This is our little fort okay? Our Batman fort...nothing can hurt us here." The little boy nodded, fear swimming in his eyes and he held onto Kara for dear life as the building crashed down completely. Blast after blast went off as the pieces crashed to the floor and the levels went down one after the other, every level of the place suddenly smashing down onto her. 

Kara grunted and pressed up against it, keeping the pocket of air right there as the rubble and debris filled in with such weight onto her. Something slammed heavily onto her back and she sucked in a breath, opening her eyes to look down at the little boy. "We're safe....our fort is safe." The building kept going down for what felt like forever until finally it seemed to end. Kara held her stance there, curled around the two of them and straining against the weight around her. She could lift a great many things, but having the entire weight of a building on her wasn't easy just the same. And if she moved wrong, she threatened distrubring more debris to collapse and wounding her innocents. 

"Kal..." she whispered, knowing when he listened, he could hear her. "Kal, I have two people, I'm afraid to move and hurt them...we're under the stairs."

"Are...you talking ...to Batman?" the little boy asked.

Kara smiled at him, blue eyes bright as her hands kept up the weight of the building on her. "No, I'm talking to his friend, Superman."

The little boy nodded, "I like him too."

[Batman]

Superman: The time went quickly and the building groaned each time he exited and reentered. Another family here, another scorching inferno there. Kara had taken the lower half of the building while He got the rest. With the speed in which they moved, it should have been easy to clear the whole building before it collapsed, however, nature has a way of throwing wrenches into the works. He felt the building buckle and swept the building quickly with his x-ray vision, luckily there was no lead in the wall linings. He watched the exit collapse in front of her before before his hands went up, He was on the thirtieth floor. She was a on the fifth. He acted quickly, his hands raising as her supported the upper floors with his back. Kara seemed to have the children covered and as the building collapsed he groaned, keeping the upper levels supported to keep some of the tremendous weight off of his cousin. Somehow he had always found things lighter when flying so he levitated quickly, attempting to keep the balance of the large upper floors before jetting off toward space. He waited until the building, clear of anyone that might have been in danger, was out of the atmosphere before he pushed the large remnants of the apartment complex out to drift. He would collect it later and properly dispose of it, but for now, he had bigger problems. Without sparing a second glance he flew toward the Earth once more, hovering just above the collapsed building. “Clear the area, please.” His vision found Kara once more, and he began carefully clearing the rubble, he didn’t want to cause further collapse so the process was slightly slower than it would have been. Once the majority of the weight had been properly dispersed he took a step back. “You’re clear, Kara. I don’t want to risk coming in to get you, incase the sides collapse and hurt the children. Just come straight up, fast, keep your body over the kids.”

Supergirl: Kara felt a great weight over top of her dissapear as her cousin lifted it and soared off. She let out a sigh of relief, he was always so on top of things. She wasn't perfect at being a hero, she wasn't even well-practiced yet, but he had things so well versed. He always knew exactly what to do, what to say, how to react. How was he so good at everything? She frowned to herself, displeased that she wasn't better. She would never be as good as him, Supergirl would never be Superman. She told herself he had more practice, that he'd done this for longer, that he was trained and worked alongside other heroes for so long. But part of her still felt inadequate. And how embarassing, she couldn't get a hold on some of her abilities and she required his help in helping others in the same day.

His voice came to her clearly despite the layers of rubble and she nodded, though he couldn't see her. He knew exactly how to safely exit the rubble, where as this was her first time being trapped with innocents under so much. Kara warmed her features to smile at the little boy, "What's your name?"

The boy swallowed and wet his little trembling lower lip, "Andy."

She smiled, "Andy, we're going to move now, okay? I want you to hold on tightly, and I've got a surprise for you when we get out." The little boy nodded, wrapping his delicate arms around her neck tightly and burying his face in her neck. "Good," she murmured and collected the babysitter in her embrace as well, curling around the two and lifting straight up with a quick leap. The jump blasted the rubble from her, tossing it in a radius of a few feet, but not enough to hurt anyone on the street. In the air she hovered, holding onto the unconscious sitter and the shaking boy.
The crowd that had gathered again after the collapse broke into applause for the Supers, cheering and clapping joyfully. Even the police and fire crews were clapping softly. The sun hit her skin, warmth and energizing as she smiled down at them. This is what he felt, this is how Kal always felt? How the crowds cheered and thanked him, it was so enthralling, so encouraging.

Andy peeked his head out from her blond locks and saw, over her caped shoulder, Superman. He gasped and she smiled, floating down to the awaiting paramedics and laying the girl on the gurney as the medics went to quick work to help her.

She rubbed Andy's back gently and pried him off her neck to hand him to the authorities and a crying manager that had arrived home to find her complex aflame. Kara watched Andy's brown eyes fixed on Superman with awe and she poked his nose. "You get checked up and I'll see if Superman will come say hi, okay?"

He nodded thankfully and turned to get checked by the paramedics. Kara turned and flew over to Kal, away from earshot and above the rubble. An embarassed blush took her cheeks as she rubbed one arm. "Thank you, Kal." She dipped her head, looking down at the rubble before up at him again. "You took most of the building away?" She frowned. "I wouldn't have thought of that..." her blue eyes watched the spot where she'd been crouched over her charges. "And you always know the best way to do things. I should be better."

[Batman]

“Kara, it’s not about knowing what’s the best thing to do. Often times in those situations you find yourself acting on impulse. I’ve been doing this now for five years, it comes with time.” He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulders, turning her to the small boy now cradled in the arms of his parents. “You saved him, your actions brought him safely away from that fire, don’t worry about how, or if I would have done it better, you did it, Kara, and that’s all you need.” With a gentle squeeze of her shoulder, Superman turned to discuss what he’d seen with the fire marshal, it was a man Superman spoke too often. “Boy, am I glad you two were there.” “Just doing our jobs, we were happy to help. It appeared that the fire was set intentionally, several different places of origin, I wanted you to know, since the building was destroyed, you may need to look into overtime, this was definitely arson.” He didn’t tell the man that he’d felt the heat, fire to him was fire, the fact that it was hot when dangerous was known, still, he didn’t need to keep him in the dark completely. “There was also something strange about it, he prevention systems were working when Supergirl and I arrived, but they did nothing, you’ll need to be careful if another fire occurs, your men may have trouble putting it out.” The man offered his hand and Superman shook it before stepping toward the local police and updating them on the status as well. After the update, he made sure to go over and speak to Andy and his family, making sure the little guy was okay, other than some smoke inhalation he seemed to be no worse for wear. After an autograph, Superman moved to rejoin his cousin.


She blinked rapidly and glanced to her cousin, then back out to the crowd, trying to find the face she'd just seen. But it was gone, there was no redhead, no glaring eyes and no heavy intentions. The use of her professional name brought her to the realization of the people watching them as the heroes who just saved innocent lives. Her jaw set tight and she looked up to her cousin. "A redhead with eyes full of something close to dark intent, I think she might have had something to do with these two buildings aflame. Did you notice? The name of the apartments was the same on the ouside? Could that have something to do with this arson?" She wasn't Batman, and she certainly didn't know how to look for clues like he did, but she'd once heard him explain the brief knowledge on how to be a detective, picking up little pieces of evidence and seeing what fit together, as well as never lowering your guard on who might be a suspect. Kara took the paper and put on her warm smile, heading over to Andy who eagerly smiled back. "Hey tough guy, you met Superman huh?" He nodded excitedly and started telling her all about him as she used the side of the squad to sign the paper for him. 'You were so brave! Batman would be proud! Keep up that smile, Andy! heart Supergirl'


Superman had felt the intense heat from the fire before it was extinguished itself in the vacuum of space. Normally he didn’t register how hot or cold something was because his skin was only reactive to very intense temperatures. Here, however, it seemed he could feel the heat from the flames before they reached the point they would normally affect him, seeing as how none of the apartment residents burned to death in the resulting inferno, he assumed the fire was at a standard level of heat. There were several options, a supernatural fire, or any other biological factors that could have played into this mystery. “Well, then let’s head back to a computer, we’ll search the name and see if we can find anything else relating that name to mysterious fires.” His feet gently lifted off the ground before he rocketed toward the sky, then, once out of sight, he turned and doubled back, reassuming the unassuming alter-ego of Clark Kent. The editor was happy with the report he was given and Clark had the day off. He made his way back to his apartment to await Kara’s arrival and begin tackling this horror.


Kara nodded and followed suit, taking to the skies in a quick lift off. The cool air freshened her cheeks and only now did she realize how warm she'd felt during the fire. Strange, the fire must have been so hot that she felt it? She still wasn't completely understanding of the ways on Earth, especially being a Kryptonian without the ability to feel certain things and having to be gentler with items. She'd already ripped off several doors to things, even damaged concrete and Earth upon rough landings. Landings she hadn't felt but apparently the ground did. Now, however, she rounded the corner on the sidewalk of Metropolis, climbing the steps to the apartment building that Clark Kent resided at. The blond stepped into the elevator next to a rather elite looking woman with a poodle and big bug-eyed shades. Kara looked down at her own attire, dark blue jeans and a red V-neck that clung to her body snugly. She didn't like many loose-fitting clothes, they bothered her for some reason, and yet, Kal didn't seem to like her choosing of tighter fitting ones either. The dog in the elevator growled and she looked down at it, the small creature barked and snarled and she made a disgusted face just as the doors opened. The dog yelped and ran to the end of its leash, yelping and growling at the Supergirl. She shook her head, why did dogs hate her? This planet made no sense. She reached his door and knocked, careful not to damage the wood door as she had done once before, the rivets in the wood still apparent.


Clark had known she was coming about a minute before she made it to his floor, he set his cup of water down and made to open the door quickly, the barking dog drawing a quizzical glance and a small smile toward it. The small beast calmed considerably and Clark closed the door behind Kara. “Wellington Reels was the original owner of the company that owned the apartment building but I can’t find anything relating him or his corporation to the fires, or to any strange fires that may or may not have occurred in the last twenty years. There have been some strange fires in the area, fire chiefs said they burned hotter than they should have, but couldn’t find anything that pointed the use of accelerants, just like the fires we encountered. I take it you felt the heat on those last two blazes?”


Kara sighed with a groan as he closed the door behind her, the poodle and uptight woman continuing down the hall. She looked up at her cousin, "How do they always like you but hate me?" She shook her blond head and entered his apartment, heading to the kitchen immediately. He might have gotten used to the amazing taste of Earth food, but she was still excited over every bite. "Where's that stuff, the wet stuff that tastes sweet? Ah!" She grabbed up four strawberry yogurts from his fridge and hopped up to sit on the counter, swinging her legs and chowing down as she listened. Kara nodded, swallowing a delicious bite of the ice cream-like substance. "Yeah, it felt hot, but I just figured it burned so hot I felt it." she frowned, thinking. "Though now that you mention it I guess that would mean it's so hot it should have melted the building. She took another bite and waved the spoon with thought. "That girl that I saw, the redhead. Maybe she was mad at somebody? She looked really angry and I think she was looking at the squad where the baby sitter for Andy was. Do you think she knew her?" her blond brows knitted together. "But that doesn't make sense why both complexes were burnt to the ground." She groaned, "Ugh, this Batman detective stuff is harder than he makes it look."


Clark folded his arms over his chest. “She could have been mad about a lot of things. Perhaps she lived in the building and she’d just lost everything when it collapsed? Our best clue is that the buildings are connected, but it could be a useless clue as well. If I know Bruce he’d take all aspects into consideration. So, I’ll continue working on any connection to the building, including residents. You saw the girl, so the logical thing would be for Supergirl to try and find her. See if she knows anything related to the fires and why we can feel their heat.” This was covering most of their bases and giving them a trail to follow it reminded him of the days of Smallville, he didn’t miss the terror that was the meteor infected wreaking havoc, but it was still nostalgic to think and ordinary citizen had become extraordinary.


Kara frowned in thought, trying to deduce her own options. It was clear that Kal had been doing this longer than she had, and working with Batman was evident as well. She nodded, understanding that as Supergirl, she should find a way to find the girl she'd seen. But how did she find one girl in Metropolis without a name? She had a face, that was all she had, spotting a redhead in Metropolis was going to be an interesting task. But Supergirl was fast, maybe she was putting it past herself to find someone. She hoped off the counter and tossed the yogurt cups into the trash, patting her cousin's shoulder. "I'll go find our redhead, you be the journalist." Kara had to remember she couldn't just take off from the balcony of his apartment and instead, left as a normal human should, through the door.


Upon leaving, she changed into her Supergirl attire in a flash, taking to the skies and breathing in the fresh air as she began her search. She started from where the complex had burned down. It was taped off by the police and still smoking as the work crews started their tear down, redirecting traffic. Supergirl explored radius out from there, using her xray vision to see through the walls of surrounding apartments and offices, looking for the face she remembered from the street. She'd gotten several blocks away and still found nothing but didn't give up her search. It was when she used her vision to see through a marketplace that she caught sight of red hair similar to what she recalled. The girl checked out and hauled her two crates of water bottles to a small car before getting in and heading out of the parking lot. She couldn't make a scene in the parking lot as Supergirl with so many watching and trying to contact her. Following the car was the best option.


The girl drove a good fifteen minutes before she arrived at a home in the suburbs of Metropolis. The area was nice, quaint, and she landed in the driveway as the car pulled up to the house at the end of the street. The girl made a face in the rearview and got out slowly, standing to look at Supergirl. It was only now that she realized the girl was about Clark's age, a woman, she was smaller and had a young face, but she was a grown woman. "Can I help you?"


Supergirl smiled warmly and folded her hands in front of her, doing her best to appear casual and sweet. "Yes, I...I'm sorry but I saw you earlier today and I wanted to speak with you." There, that sounded nice enough, right? But the woman's eyes flattened and she frowned deeply, making her way to her trunk and opening it, picking up her water bottles.


Clark took to the phones, it was best to avoid suspicion and to keep the state of alarm down to a minimum by playing the role of the curious journalist. “Hello, Mr Hayes, this is Clark Kent, I’m calling in reference to the apartment fires that occurred today. Yes, the Daily Planet would like to do a human interest piece on those that lost their homes, however I need your building registry as the one that was posted, exactly.” The manager had finished the sentence for him the building directories were destroyed. “Yes, you can email the registry here.” He gave the man the email address and waited until he got the alert. Once the alert was received, he read through the email quickly before exiting his apartment. He changed into the uniform of hope and the symbol of Justice, Superman before he began visiting each of the members of the fallen building. A lot of them were at the police station filing lost items reports. He kept his eyes out for a redhead with angry eyes, but had no such luck. No one knew how the fire had started, and this pattern continued after Clark Kent took a report from the victims at the hospital with no luck. Another conversation with the fire chief explained that no accelerants had been used. Nothing was adding up and this was definitely a metaphysical problem. He spoke in his regular tone as he walked, trying to assist Kara in her ability to single out voices even when focusing mainly on the average human’s range of hearing. “Kara, there is no connection other than the owner of the building, which after some research, I found also owns a farm in Smallville, he apparently took the land over after the original family lost it to the bank and profits from use of the land allowed him to acquire a certain stream of wealth. Have you found the girl?”


"I was on the street, you followed me. Which part of that is supposed to make me feel like talking to you?" She snapped back and Kara frowned and watched her unload her water. Her duty was to find the girl, now what? She wasn't guilty of anything and there was no reason to suspect she had anything to do with theburning buildings, just that look Kara recalled on her face. But Batman had told her to follow her instinct on things, even if it proved wrong sometimes. She held her ground and followed close behind the girl, trying to think on how to approach things further. Suddenly, her cousin's voice broke in through her thoughts. He was testing her, she was sure, making sure she was doing as he'd been trying to teach her. Another thing that came easily to him with his practice and effort, sifting through all the noise she constantly heard to find that one voice she needed to hear. Luckily, she'd been practicing this a lot lately, soaring up above Metropolis and trying to find his voice, figure out what he was doing and where at any given moment. There were times when she was sure he'd wanted privacy, the little moments he spoke to Lois and she was sure she could imagine his face in those times. He liked Lois Lane very much, she could tell, but she didn't quite understand the relationship. However, the memory was interrupted when she listened to him speak. Rather than risking sounding awkward aloud in front of the girl, she answered him and spoke to her in the same, "You looked upset outside the apartment building earlier today. You looked...angry."


"Leave me alone." the girl growled, unlocking her door and stepping inside. Kara was learning progressively about customs and comfortable spacing, so she knew not to follow her inside. She did, however, hold a hand on the door to stop it from shutting. Her blue eyes searching the green orbs of the woman before her. "Why were you so upset? What happened?" her eyes pleaded, and the green eyes she was looking into seemed to almost soften, wanting, wishing they could tell a secret. But suddenly that flicker was gone and Kara felt a heat fill the air between them. The woman's green eyes narrowed and her hands on the water cases clenched them. The heat between them grew hotter in a flash of a second and Kara actually exhaled, trying to inhale to regain herself but the breath was hot in her lungs and uncomfortable. She choked once, her hand faltering off the door as her blue eyes widened.

In her hands, the cases of water bottles suddenly started sizzling. The water boiled so hot, the smell of melted plastic filled Kara's nostrils. The cardboard caught fire, flames licking along it right before her on the woman's hands and arms. The heat between them was rising and Kara started to pant as she watched the flames lick and destroy the melting mass of water cases in the woman's hands. "I told you to get. OUT."


The water boiled over and exploded in her arms, the plastic and cardboard melting away. Flames erupted over the woman's body all over, so hot, it was so hot. The girl threw out her hand at Kara and the flames shot out all over her. Kara's body jerked back and she threw up her arms, pain lancing all over her skin as she screamed out in agony. The scream rose high over the houses and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the woman...was gone.


Kara stumbled out onto the lawn, her body licking in angry flames as she screamed.


Superman realized immediately that she had found the girl and focused on the conversation. It appeared that the young woman was not in a talkative mood. He was trying to take his time, letting Kara handle the situation to the best of her ability and showing trust in her ability to do so, until the scream. Metropolis flew by in a flash, using her screams to pinpoint her location he inhaled deeply and held the breath until he landed. The fire felt extremely hot, more so than it had at the apartment buildings. He recoiled for a moment before exhaling his icy breath over her body, it would affect her, sure, but it would also extinguish the flames. As he coated her, he noticed some of the flame still persisted. Scooping his cousin from the ground he aimed for the healing rays of Earth’s yellow sun and flew toward it. Pain seared through his fingers but he could not stop. Once they broke the atmosphere the flame was robbed of it’s oxygen and died, but he did not stop flying them closer to the sun and then holding. “Kara, Kara! Answer me, please!”


They burned, actually BURNED. The flames licked and ate away at her as her screams rose. She didn't even hear her cousin land near her, hadn't heard the swift movement of air as he'd raced across the city to her aid. She'd only felt the terrible pain as her flesh bubbled up and seethed at her. The cool rush was a temporary relief as he exhaled his Icey breath on her, but still, they burned. She batted her arms in the air, flailing as she whipped back and forth in an effort to keep,them from her face, her mouth wide and agape as she screamed. His arms scooped her up and suddenly they were moving fast through the air. Her hands clutched his cape at his shoulders, her screams near his face as she bucked in his arms. The cold air of space bit around her and the flames, one by one snuffed themselves out without oxygen to sustain them. Her screams dulled to whimpers and little sobs as she buried her face in her cousin's neck and kept her sobbing. She was Supergirl, a symbol of hope and a heroine, but she was still a teenage girl. One that wasn't prepared for the things he had experienced or knew to be aware of. She could hear him, his frantic voice urgent in her ear. "So hot," she panted, hot tears streaking down her cheeks and freezing in the cold of space. They glistened like little crystals on her cheeks. "It was so hot, Kal. They burned. It burns." She could still feel the heat inside her skin, like the sun trapped there, not the warm, healing yellow sun, but the red kind that burned too hot. "It burns." She repeated, "why does it burn?" She'd been shown, practically nothing hurt them, nothing could cripple them save for the green rock, Kryptonite. She'd been in a few burning buildings, none of them had phased her. Slowly, the warm yellow sun filled her, cacao ones her safely, made her feel warm and slowly healing.


Kal released her, looking at his hands and arms. It was clear that the sun was healing them, the burns that had rested on his palms were quickly disappearing with only the smooth flesh of his skin remaining. The feeling of the heat stayed a bit longer before it too disappeared. “I know, I felt it.” He turned his eyes back to Earth, studying the planet from a great distance away. “We know what happened. She set the fires, fires that can hurt us. She intentionally set them in two apartment buildings owned by a man who made his fortune in Smallville. I’ve told you before about the meteor infected, and how sometimes the people that were exposed to so much of the Kryptonite’s radiation they developed abilities. These abilities were able to hurt me when I was a teenager, it’s possible she developed them there and is holding a grudge on the man who owns the building for one slight or another. You know what the girl looks like, I know Smallville, we’re going to have to visit my mother and see if she can give us some insight, and if not, we can check out the history of the farms currently owned by Theodore Hayes.”


Kara drifted away from his arms as he released her, the lack of gravity in space allowing her to casually drift, her cape and skirt floating freely with her hair. Her skin was beginning to heal almost completely, taking a bit longer than his, most likely due to the prolonged exposure. Her head nodded lightly as she listened, gazing at him with fear and uncertainty. "You think that she has a unique ability because of a shower in Smallville?" he'd told her before of the terrors he face in his home town, of the people corrupted by power and abilities they didn't understand or have control of. Usually, they were lost to their new position in life and sought the wrong path, as this woman had. And despite her being the Last Daughter of Krypton, she looked fearful of chasing after this newfound problem. This was the first time she'd been hurt by something else besides green Kryptonite, and that was just because Batman wanted to ensure she knew its effects and he knew it worked on her. She looked down at Earth, a large, bluish ball before them. "Okay, to Smallville."


Clark took a few more moments to allow the sun’s healing rays to take full effect. He nodded before aiming toward the plot of land on the big blue sphere known as Earth. He could see Smallville even from the vastness of space and with her on his tail he made sure to scan the area of his mother’s farm, checking to make sure no civilians were working the land or anything of the sort. He landed in the backyard, quickly he changed into the unassuming attire of Clark Kent and made his way to the front porch, knocking on his mother’s door.


Kara followed suit, idly examining herself to ensure she looked alright. Her wounds healed, they felt warm and tender, but they looked healed. She landed with her cousin in the backyard and changed as well, dark blue jeans and a red shirt before standing just behind her cousin at the front porch. She loved Martha Kent, the woman was warm and sweet and always gave her sweets, especially once she learned how much Kara loved them. The blond went over her meeting the woman, how she had melted the plastic and carboard of the water cases, how flames had been her ally. Was Kal right? Was this linked to Smallville? But she couldn't help but wonder what drove the girl to attack her. Maybe something had scared her, maybe she was like Kara...and didn't have control at all. The thought ran in her mind as she inhaled the warm air of Kansas, smelling like fresh cut grass and corn fields.


Clark greeted his mother with a hug and waved Kara forward as she readily invited them inside. “It’s good to see you, mom, but I didn’t come purely for a social call. We responded to the two apartment fires in Metropolis today and Kara met a girl who can summon flames at will. Flames that burn us.” He nodded to his mother’s look of apprehension and understanding. “The sun still seems to heal the burns, but the apartments that caught fire were owned by Richard Hayes, history says he made his money on some foreclosed farmland here in Smallville and since you and Dad knew almost all the farmers, I thought maybe you could let us know if there was any communal bad blood there?” He took a seat at the table, leaning back into his chair and waiting for any information Martha might have.


Martha Kent's eyes brightened as she saw her son on the porch. She swung the door open and wrapped her arms around him, straining up on her tip toes just to hug the man. She patted his back and looked at him with such love and devotion before grinning around his shoulder at Kara. "Kara, honey, hi there." She nodded at Clark and stepped inside, "Sure, sure, come on in." She sat on the couch and pushed a plate of cookies toward Kara, who, eagerly munched away at them as Martha grinned and looked to Clark, sitting back in the chair and setting one leg over the other in thought. "Oh, your father would remember better than I could, you said Hayes? I think we did know a Richard Hayes, bought up the farmland that the Jameson's owned, then the Wuthword's." She frowned at him, "Clark, it...burned you?" her worried eyes scanned him and Kara. "What are you talking about, sweetie, are you alright?" She reached a hand out and held it over his wrist, searching his blue eyes.


Clark nodded understandingly to his mother, his blue eyes moving to Kara’s face with a small nod in her direction. “She got the worst of it, but the fire singed my fingers when I carried her toward the sun. It hurt, but it wasn’t any intense degree of heat. So, I’m assuming that she was in Smallville during the meteor shower and with her predisposition towards destroying these buildings made me think back to the meteor infected. So, do you know if any of the land he took was affected by the second meteor shower?”


Martha seemed relieved, sure with her own eyes that her son was unharmed. He motioned to Kara and Martha's eyes followed, checking her over briskly as the blond stuffed another cookie into her mouth, crumbs along her chin. She swallowed and smiled at Martha, "I'm okay, Mrs. Kent, Kal acted quickly when I couldn't." She smiled appreciatively at her cousin again as Martha nodded and smiled at him as well. "Yes, he's quite good at that." she took in Clark's question and frowned in thought. "Gosh, the meteors landed in so many places, it would be hard to say, but I want to say on the Jameson's land. I'm pretty sure it tore up some of their crops and even the backyard. I seem to recall them having to replant a tree near the house."


He nodded, folding his hands. “Did the Jamesons have a daughter?” He turned to Kara now. “ I was talking to the ones that lost their homes, Kara was following a hunch and came across the girl with the ability. Could you describe her to my mother and see if she sounds familiar?” Clark thoroughly enjoyed these moments. He loved his mother all the more for being able to accept Kara, she had come on a bit stong, having been raised on Krypton and remembering Kal only as a baby, but the Kents had welcomed her with open arms, the same as they had done for him so long ago. Kara liked Earth, he could tell she was falling for the planet as much as Kal had, and now here they were, a real family again and it felt good not to be alone.


Kara took another large bite of cookie an glanced up at her cousin. The look in his eyes, it was warm and thankful. She knew that look, understood what it meant because she'd felt the exact same. Home, Earth was home now. This, Martha and Kal, Batman and Diana, this was family. This feeling, the warmth and happiness, the feeling of just being whole for at least a moment...this was the feeling of belonging. This was a part of the life, of what was so worth fighting for. Being a symbol for, Hope.


Kara smiled back at her cousin, the warmth in her blue eyes making them like the coral reef, warm and clear and full of wonder. She bit the cookie again and swallowed before turning her eyes to Martha. This amazing woman, she was so sweet, so loving and kind and accepting. Kara would never understand what it was like, to accept an alien as your child, to love him and care for him, to show him the way despite being so lost about him. "She has red hair, long, to her back. And her eyes are green, the kind that looks like fresh fern greens. Her cheekbones are sort of high, like Wonder Woman's, and she's just barely a little taller than me, she seems really short. Though, I think she's older than me, despite her looking so young."


Martha listened intently and nodded, looking to Clark. "Yes, that's got to me Vick Jameson's daughter, his eldest, Sarah. The youngest, Lucy, she died in a terrible fire that took their barn some years ago." Realization hit her eyes and she inhaled, holding her hands at her lips. "Oh Clark you...you don't think she ...?" She couldn't finish the sentence, couldn't imagine what other things in Smallville had happened that linked to foreign events. That perhaps the older sister had been exposed to the meteors falling and that even farther so, that she'd killed her own little sister.


Superman finally understood how hard it must have been for his parents. A child that had not only their strength, but the strength to lift trucks above his head, the ability to withstand any blow or pain. He had broken a lot of things when he came into his super speed, but, despite the Kents frustration, which had to have been present, they had stuck by their son in every endeavor he had ever partaken in. Now Clark had a chance to return the favor, with Kara. It was a bit different, Kara was her own woman when she met Clark, she had come into her power instantly, not over time, she was fully grown, understood logic and reasoning. Clark wanted to make sure she understood why they needed to protect those too weak to protect themselves. They were not to be controlled or ruled, but guided and inspired. Kal and Kara knew what it was like to lose a planet, now the humans had a chance to save theirs. “It’s possible it wasn’t her fault the first time, you know how the meteor infected operate, often times their abilities don’t manifest until puberty or times of great stress. Now, she seems to be setting these fires deliberately, and if she’s that far gone, she has to be stopped.”


Kara, staring at her cookie and frowning, her voice solemn and quiet. "I don't think it's her fault. I think she's..." her blue eyes, the soft, round eyes of a hopeful Kara, looked up at her cousin, pleading. "I think she needs our help, Kal." Her blond brows drew together as she looked up at him, curled in toward her knees with her arms folded between her chest and thighs. She looked like a small child, hopeful and trying to see the good in the world. Just like Kal had taught her. Martha watched the girl and let out a small motherly noise and wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulder, kissing the top of her head and rubbing an arm before looking at Kal. Her motherly gaze looked confident and knowing, "Whatever the case, I know you'll handle it well, son."

Clark shrugged, running his hand over his chin. “I’m not going to assume anything. There were several things that could have happened. Radiation from the Kryptonite might have binded to her DNA, we’ve seen it before in the meteor infected. There was the boy that couldn’t get warm because he fell into Smallville’s iced over lake lined with Kryptonite at the bottom. It’s possible she’s just scared, but, she can hurt us, she’s already hurt Kara. I don’t want to be caught off guard because I’m too naive.” He often tried to remind himself of the things that Batman taught, but he could never stop hoping. Bad people weren’t inherently bad, no one was born evil. He had to believe that, he had to keep the hope alive. “Either way, whether she’s afraid and needs our help, or looking to cause others pain, we have to stop her, I’m just not sure how.” He smiled as his mother boasted her confidence in him. “I’ll do my best mom, whatever the case is, and Kara will too, I’m sure of it.” He placed his jacket over his shoulders and moved to kiss his mother’s cheek. “I’m going out to the farm to talk to Mister Jameson, see if he and his daughter have kept contact, that might help me narrow this down.” He didn’t want Kara to get hurt again, and she might need time to recover, so, he placed a hand on her shoulder. “Stay here with Ma’ for now, I can make it look like I’m working on a report for the planet, it’ll be harder to sell with both of us showing up.” Turning, he stepped out of the door, borrowing his father’s old truck, he could get there faster on foot, but appearances had to be kept.



As her cousin placed his hand on her shoulder and asked her to stay behind, her immediate reaction was to shake her head. Before she could get a word out, he’d already made sense of his plan. He was right, it would be easiest for him to go as though he were making a report for the Daily Planet. But Kara couldn’t shake the knowledge that this girl was beyond dangerous to them. Where as most things never harmed them, this girl could burn them. And while Clark was better off most likely because he’d already spent so much time here on Earth absorbing the Yellow Sun’s rays and allowing him to heal better, it didn’t mean she couldn’t still hurt him. Kara wanted to attend as back up, at least hide someplace nearby and do some searching on the grounds while he investigated in case something arose, but he was Superman. He knew far better than she did how to react and what to do before her mind had even considered the possibilities.

Her shoulders slumped and she nodded in defeat before he left and took the truck. Martha’s arm wrapped around her form and the woman smiled at Kara. “Don’t worry, he can handle himself. Just listen in in case he needs you, you’ll hear it.” She moved and took up her coffee cup from the table, gesturing to the seat Clark had vacated. “Come sit down with me, tell me what I’m missing out on in Metropolis.” Kara couldn’t help but smile at the woman and she slipped into the chair and began telling Martha Kent about the big city.



As the truck bumped down the long dirt path, Clark worked on the story in his mind. It was simple, they were doing a piece on life in the home lands, families that were still supported by cropland and providing the U.S. with food and tobacco and things of that nature. He wanted to speak about hardships, how things were now, so on an so forth, not to mention, the Jameson’s had apparently knew his father, so it should be an easy in. The house came into view and Clark pulled the truck up short, stepping out and onto the porch before knocking against the thick wooden door. The man that answered was obviously a lifetime farmer, with hard calloused hands, a deep set in tan, eyes that seemed squinted by hours in the sun and a build that, while showing it’s age, still looked strong. Clark offered his hand. “Hi, Mister Jameson? My name is Clark Kent, I think you knew my father, Johnathan?” The man nodded, taking the hand and shaking it firmly. “I did, good man Jonathan, sorry to hear when he passed. Heard you moved up to Metropolis, though.” Clark nodded. “I did, I got a job as a reporter, it’s actually why I’m here, I’m doing a piece on those in the agricultural business and the different challenges they face as opposed to white collar workers, can I have a minute of your time?” The man folded his arms across his chest, eyeing Clark suspiciously. “What’s so interesting about agriculture? Nothing big or dramatic in it.” Clark nodded. “It won’t be a front page piece, it’ll be a human interest story if it even get’s picked up, still, I’d like to write it.” The man nodded, continuing to scratch his chin. “I suppose I’ll let you in, you bein’ from around here and all, come on in, have a seat in the kitchen.”



“He takes you shopping?” Martha nearly spat up her coffee with the laugh. Clearing her throat and using a napkin to wipe her mug, she leaned back in the wooden chair and her eyes warmed further. “My son takes you shopping. I can’t imagine.” She was such a warm and kind woman, homely. Everything about the farmhouse property gave Kara the sense of comfort and peace. Of all the things that Kal had told her transpired in Smallville as a teenager, she couldn’t imagine they’d take place here in such a quaint town.

Kara giggled and chewed her lip, nodding as she slowly spun her mug. Coffee was never quite her taste, except when they put ice and flavors in it at Starbucks. That was something magical. “Yes, we’ve gone a few times. I think his friend, Lois talks him into it. But…” she leaned toward Martha. “He doesn’t like it when I find dresses or skirts.” Martha’s answering laughter was full of joy as she patted her own jeaned leg.

“No, I can’t imagine he would.” Taking a sip of coffee and smiled something like a secret smile at Kara and asked, “You seem happy with him mentoring you.” It was an inquisitive comment, probing to see how things were from Kara’s perspective with her son. Kara couldn’t help but wonder if Martha had spoken with Clark on the phone, as she was sure she would. A mother to call and check in now and again, something Kara would give anything for.

Despite the thought bringing sadness to her, she smiled and nodded, hands palming the mug. The mug probably would have warmed someone else’s hands, but Kara couldn’t feel the distinction hardly at all. “He’s a wonderful mentor, he’s very kind in the way he explains things, even when I make a mess of things.” She let out a soft laugh, thinking back to all the times she had made a mistake. “He’s never once yelled at me, and he doesn’t try to make me feel bad when I don’t do things right. He’s very positive, always this…amazing example of how he needs to be. How I need to be.” She smiled at Martha and saw the happiness in her eyes match.



Clark nodded, making his way inside, he brought a pen and pad from his jacket pockets, placing them on the sturdy wood of the table before removing his jacket and placing it over the back of the chair. “I hope you don’t mind if we jump right in.” He asked after a quick look around, unbeknownst to Farmer Jameson, that look had included both an infrared and x-ray sweep of his grounds, there was no sign of any other person, Clark focused his hearing to be sure, only picking up the sound of the farmer’s heartbeat. Jameson chuckled, sliding into his own seat at the opposite end the table. “Not at all, just like your old man, straight to the point.” Clark grinned, nothing could cheer him up quite like fond memories of his father, or admonished accusations of his likeness to him. “I learned from one of the best, sir.” “The bank and telemarketers call me sir, son, you can call me Vic.” Clark nodded. “Alright then, Vic, let’s start at the beginning, what made you decide to take up farming, was it a family business that you inherited or a calling?” The farmer leaned back. “Well, I suppose it was a bit of both, my grand daddy started this farm some years back, taught my daddy how to work the land and daddy taught me. I always had a way with the crops and never minded outside work, I’m sure you’ve had your fair share of it over that at the Kent farm. I always knew I’d end up farming, just like my daddy always knew he would, round here, it’s in your blood.” Clark nodded. “Now, a life like this, where one bad storm or a freak twister can ruin a whole years income, how’d you make it through the hard times?” Vic nodded, his eyes going far off. “That’s all part of the business, it’s a community, your daddy and me were competitors, so was every other farm out there, but when tragedy struck one of us, it hit us all, we’d pitch in for those that needed it, you take care of people around here, son, they’ll take care of you.” Clark nodded, writing another brief note. “I remember those hard times well, but what about when something managed to hit all of you? The meteor shower, the very event that put Smallville on the map, my parents talked about it like it was Smallville's own great depression.” “It was near enough, lot of families lost it all, some lost all that mattered. We did what we always did, helped a neighbor rebuild, I had a corn and potato field that was mostly untouched, others had vineyards, soybean, we pulled together, helped where we could and we made it through, farmers are built to last.” Clark offered the man a smile, making another note before his expression saddened slightly. “Did you lose anyone in the shower?” Vic sighed, his hand rubbing over his chin. “My family missed the most of it, it was our back crops that got hit the hardest, even those were salvageable, but, you throw a rock round here, you’ll hit somebody with a heartbreak story, everyone’s got em, it’s what brings us together.” Clark could see this man valued loyalty and community, he was also very honest, all traits Clark respected, he began feeling a bit guilty over the charade, but he pushed the feeling down, it was all necessary. “If not the shower, what was your heartbreak story?”


“Why…” Kara took a breath, staring at her untouched coffee. She could feel Martha’s curious eyes on her and she tried again, “How were you able to take him in? Knowing what you did about what he could do?” It baffled her. Two humans, without a family besides each other, found a young boy and knew he was special from the start. They kept his secret, kept him safe, they raised him as their own and called him family. It was what good, honest people should do, but that hadn’t meant everyone would or could. Instantly, she felt guilty for asking and she blinked rapidly, trying to reword herself. “I – I mean, I can’t imagine…”

“He needed us.” Martha answered softly, honestly. “And we needed him.” Her eyes, surrounded by aging facial features, Kara could almost see the younger woman that stood with a Johnathan Kent and found her cousin. “Johnathan and I couldn’t have a child, but we’d wanted one. We’d just come to accept it wasn’t going to happen. And he was …small and alone. You can see a lot in a child’s eyes if you really look. His said so much more than I’d ever seen before. We were supposed to find him.”

Kara watched Martha unblinkingly, holding her breath as she listened. In her mind, it was like she could stand in that ditch by the field and road. She could smell the Smallville farm air, see the bright skies around them that stretched so far it was endless. The crunch of dried leaves from the crops under her boots as a younger Martha and Johnathan found the pod from a no-longer existant Krypton. She recalled how Kal El looked as a baby, his bright blue eyes so wide and alert. It was impossible to imagine looking at him from Martha’s perspective. Of course she would have helped that adorable baby. Of course one would take one look at those eyes and just know what was the right thing to do. That’s how he was then and how he was now. She saw in his eyes what needed to be done. There was something in those eyes that just gave you this direction and reassurance. Though, not most criminals didn’t see that in those eyes.

“He’s lucky to have you.” Martha’s words took Kara from her thoughts abruptly and she looked at the woman with confusion. Shouldn’t that have been her line? Clark was so very lucky to have landed in their capable hands. Mrs. Kent knew Kara was lost and went on to explain, leaning against the family wooden table. “We were lucky to have him to be part of our family. But we were just parents, he had no siblings, could trust no one with who he is. There wasn’t any full house for Christmas with laughter and warm hugs. It was just us. We filled a very important role in his life, but we can’t fill them all. Since he’s found you, you’ve filled that role without ever knowing it, Kara.” Martha reached over and grasped Kara’s hand with a squeeze. “You may be his older cousin, but you’re more like his younger sister here. And let’s face it, Clark has always been good at protecting those he cares for. Your presence gives him a new look on things, new perspective that he’s needed.” Kara stared at Martha Kent silently. This human woman was so much more amazing than she’d ever given her credit for.


“What’s my story got to do with farm life in America?” The old man asked, his arms folding over his chest. Clark took the defensive gesture and immediately changed tactics. “Sir, I’m not trying to pry, but the whole point of the peace is to put a face on the men and women of agriculture, to try and get the people who don’t deal with growing our crops or raising our animals a look inside the life.” Vic continued to stare at Clark suspiciously before shrugging with a sigh. “Well, hell, it’s public record anyway. There was the usual trouble, you know, hard winters, scavengers, time that hit the hardest though was when I lost my daughter.” Clark nodded, his pencil sketching the words across the notepad. “Do you mind talking about that?” The man heaved another sigh and shrugged. “I had two daughters and one day they was out in the old barn playing like they always did, then I hear this god awful screaming.

so, I started running over and I could smell smoke, we used to keep our hay in there, the wood had already caught and I couldn’t find a way in but I could hear my girl calling for me, begging me to help her and then, the roof collapsed, when they cleared the wreckage...wasn’t much left.” His voice choked slightly, but he managed to contain himself. “Apparently, my youngest had left the barn right before the fire started, went to pick flowers for some game or another and when she came back her sister..well, like I said, it’s public record. The hardest part was the hearing that followed. State declared the death was a result of neglect. My wife was sick, I was tending to my fields, we just...we lost sight of em for ten minutes, craziest thing I ever seen. I lost my oldest daughter in the fire, the state took my youngest for three years, till I could prove I was fit to take custody of her. She hated me by that time of course, said I abandoned her.” The man placed his head in his hands. 

“I hit the bottle pretty hard, almost lost all my crop, your daddy and a few others got me sober, help me get my land back in order, kept the banks off my back. Like I said, good people around here.” Clark nodded, smiling sadly. “I’m sure that was a terrible time, Vic, thank you for sharing it with me. Do you mind if I use it in the article?” Vic shook his head.”I don’t mind, I just, I need to be alone for a while, you mind coming back to ask the rest of your questions?” Clark stood. “Not at all sir, thank you for your time.” A brief handshake preceded Clark moving back to his father’s truck, hopping in and heading back towards his mother’s home. He could imagine the anger, misplaced or otherwise. The foster system in America was not known for creating the best personality traits, or being the most nurturing system. Still, it didn’t explain why the girl had appeared in Metropolis, there was more mystery to uncover and Clark was willing to be he knew where to look.

He arrived at the Kent farm a few moments later, filling in his mother and Kara on all that he’d learned. “I think something happened when she was in foster care, something that ties to Metropolis.”



Kara stood from her chair by the table, the wooden leggings grunting across the equally wooden floor. The fire in the barn, there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that it had something to do with that woman’s abilities. She’d caused her older sister’s death? Then been whisked away into the foster system? While Earth’s ways were still a bit strange to Kara and she was learning them more every day, she knew enough of the foster care system to know it wasn’t great for helping kids as they needed. But narrowing down what caused such a change in the girl, that would be hard.

“Her poor father…” Kara whispered. That man had a sick wife, lost his eldest daughter entirely and then been accused of possible neglect and his youngest hated him for being put in the system, it was a chain of horrid events that pulled at Kara’s heart. She’d understood well as Clark had shown her time and again, criminals weren’t just mindless villains out to hurt people, though sometimes they were. No, they had a past that usually dealt them a bad hand of cards to play with and they’d fallen prey to the darker path. If Kal El had landed with a bad set of parents instead of the wonderful Kents, could he have wound up that way? Would he be a villain using his abilities to harm people? She couldn’t focus on the thought and immediately shoved it away.

Taking a step toward her cousin, her jaw set with her shoulders, a determination in her blue eyes. “So what is the next step? What do we do? “ She thought a moment. “The foster system, it would have her name someplace, right? Couldn’t we look that up and find her?” Then another thought occurred and her voice faltered before quieting a bit. “Kal, she can hurt us…how are we supposed to stop her if she can hurt us as bad as she can? She won’t know we’re trying to help and she seems rather focused on her line of arson rather than being helped.”


Clark tried to think of how to explain it, there was no excuse for this type of behavior, no passes, you had to face justice, and even though, often times, the villains were victims themselves, you had to worry about protecting the innocent, those that hadn’t chose the wrong path. “It’s hard to explain, Kara, we’re going to try and help her, of course, but, there are greater things at risk here and...and if you’re going to do this, you have to learn, sometimes, you can’t save everyone.” It was a hard truth, one that Clark had wrestled with to this day, every time he’d saved one person while hearing another’s life end, he could be from Tokyo to Metropolis before most people could blink, but he couldn’t be everywhere at once, and sometimes, the bad guys were going to win, if only for a short time.

It was why it was so important to control his hearing, all those screams, those cries for help, they would drive a normal person to madness and Clark wasn’t normal, he couldn’t afford to be crazy on top of it. “If it comes down to it, there may be no way to help her, it may end badly for her, as sad as it is, we may have no choice.” He wasn’t talking about killing her, not intentionally, but sometimes people were too far gone to listen to reason and they had to be taken down hard. “As for her hurting us, I’m wondering about that. Normal fire doesn’t burn us, I could sit in an active Volcano and not so much as singe an eyebrow, but, my heat vision can damage our bodies, it heals rapidly, but the damage is still done. You were weak when she set you on fire, I’ve seen that happen to our race before, but only from Kryptonite. –

We feed off the yellow sun, what if the flames she creates emit the same energy as Kryptonite and our fueled by the sun’s radiation? It would explain what happened to you, why you and I could feel the flames, it would even explain why the firemen couldn’t put the fires out, it burned like super napalm until we deprived the flames of oxygen.” He continued running through the ideas in his head. “Lead, we could use lead to contain her, she wouldn’t be able to create the flames, she’d be cut off from the radiation and not able to hurt anyone.”