Chapter Six
An hour later Clark reappeared in the newsroom. Kara watched as Lois walked up to her husband.
"You okay?" she heard Lois ask.
"Yeah...everything's fine...It...Somedays this sucks," he said back to her.
Suddenly Perry reappeared in the newsroom, flicking on the giant plasma screen that dominated the room. The familiar newsroom of ZNN appeared on the screen.
"And we now have confirmation – Mount Etna has erupted. The Sicilian volcano is always geologically active, but this looks like a full-scale eruption. And as far as we're aware one of Etna's resident teams of volcanologists is stranded near the active crater. We'll bring you more news as it develops."
"Lois, Clark, I want something for this for the afternoon edition, and everything on this for the evening edition!"
"On it, Perry," said Lois and Clark tried to make a dash out of the newsroom.
"Where you going Kent? Deadline's in an hour and a half!" Perry huffed.
"I've got a friend at the US Geological Survey."
"Oh, right son...Good thinking, but you get your butt back in time for that deadline."
A few moments later an update came through from ZNN.
"And our correspondent in Catania has some breaking news for us – Superman is at the scene and is currently taking the geology team away from the crater and to hospital...The lava is flowing relatively slowly, and we're hoping the Man of Steel will do his usual trick and channel the lava away from the city of Catania. Scientists will continue to monitor the eruption, and will pay closer attention to seismic activity around the world for the next few weeks."
There was a burst of cheers and a round of applause in the newsroom as everyone realised Superman had achieved the impossible once more.
Kara tried to push away the feeling of guilt that she felt at the news. She should be there helping. What if someone died while she was sat in the newsroom? She flit a quick look to Jimmy who oddly looked as troubled as she did. After a few seconds he too rose, again drawing Perry's ire.
"Jimmy!"
"Uh...My friend Dino owns Super-Shots on 15th...His family's from Sicily, so I'm going to see if he's managed to get any shots."
"Okay kid...you be careful."
Jimmy left the newsroom without another word.
However, rather than going to Dino's photolab he found himself back in his apartment.
"What's going on with you Olsen?" he spat at the mirror.
"I've got all these weird thoughts running through my head, and these abilities," Jimmy paused and focused his thoughts for a few moments. After a second or two he was once again hovering off the group, "I mean...I could probably fly...and this has all happened since that damn phonecall!"
Jimmy knew there was still a gap in his memory, but he remembered the pain of a needle going into his neck. Returning to the group he felt where he's sensed the latent pain, and flinched upon finding a single track mark in his neck.
"What the hell?"
Kara was stuck at the newsroom, keeping an ear open to the news broadcast.
"Kara...Can you work the science angle on this for me?" asked Lois, "I need background on the volcano...What type of volcano it is, when was it's last big eruption Pattern of eruptions..all that sort of stuff."
"Yes ma'am."
"Don't ma'am me...I told you, call me Lois."
"Yes Lois...I'll get right on it."
No sooner had Kara started to key in a Google search when the whole began to shake. For several moments the building violently trembled before calm returned and everyone tentatively got their feet.
"Okay kids...That seemed to be mild one, but you know the drill – out onto the street," called Perry as he sounded the evacuation alarm.
As everyone started to file out of the building Kara asked Lois a question.
"I didn't know Metropolis had earthquakes."
"I've lived here my whole life, and that's only the third I can remember," replied Lois.
"What if people are hurt?"
Lois shook her head, "No no, Superman will come back...He'll know we're in trouble," she stated emphatically.
"But he's in Sicily, away from a TV or a radio...I doubt his hearing's good enough to hear this far away."
Lois turned to look at the younger woman, regarding her coldly for a moment before she conceded the point.
"Well we'll just need to hope he can get here if he's needed...I'm just going to call Clark."
Kara watched Lois key in the number, signaling the end of the conversation.
"Liam!" called Perry, "You were smart enough to grab your computer, but are you smart enough to actually use it? Get ZNN on!"
The young copy boy quickly set up his prized Macbook and accessed the ZNN newsfeed. Kara however became distracted by some of the calls from help she could now hear.
Oh my god! Help! I'm trapped!
Mommy? Where are you mommy?
When will maintenance get this elevator working? I'm sick of this
Yeah we need an ambulance at Portland Crescent...Car got totaled during the quake
But soon those calls were drowned out by dozens of others all coming from the docks.
Someone get binoculars...Is that a wave out there?
Oh my god...It's a tsunami!
We're all going to die!
Kara flinched and began to make a hasty exit as ZNN began to cover the story.
"We are getting unconfirmed reports of a Tsunami off the eastern seaboard, and it's expected to make landfall in Metropolis within a few minutes. There are no time for evacuation procedures, so can we please ask all citizens to keep away from the docks and get as far away from the coast as possible."
"Oh my god," said Lois, turning to look at Kara.
"Kara?" Lois said, realising her young charge was gone.
Kara made it down to the docks in no time due to her super-speed. She quickly got rid of her glasses and her clothes, hiding them behind a dumpster. She grabbed a shard of a broken mirror from near the dumpster and using her laser vision quickly cut thick bangs into her hair. She used her heat vision to warm her hands and used them to straighten her hair. And with not a moment to spare she took off, heading for the massive tidal wave.
Kara tried to ignore the people who had been running away from the ocean who were now staring at her and continued on-course towards the killer wave.
Okay...Superman did this once...let's see...
She plunged into the murky water, heading towards the unseen structure of the wave, and after a moment she began to turn as quickly as she could.
Jimmy sat in his apartment, his head in his hands, overwhelmed by the voices crowding his brain.
"Go away!" he screamed, begging at them to cease.
"No! Leave me alone! I'm not a hero!"
After a moment the voices receded and Jimmy realised he was trembling.
"Who did this to me?" he wondered as some of the voiced returned again.
The wave's collapsing! Superman must be back from Italy!
Wow! Who was that?
I thought that was Superman but it's a girl!
That girl's saved us all!
Wow...A new superhero!
"Huh?"
"Come on!" cried Lois, "I can't get through to Jon's cell phone, or to his school!"
"Lois, come here," Perry offered her a reassuring hug, "Superman will come through for us, and he's so fond of Jon, I'm sure he'll keep your boy safe."
"Chief!" called Liam from his spot on the tarmac, "You have to see this."
Lois, Perry and the rest of the Daily Planet's finest gathered around the monitor. Cat appeared as well.
"What's going on?" she asked.
Liam indicated to the ZNN Newsfeed.
"And this is astonishing. Superman is still in Italy diverting the lava away from peoples' homes, but the tidal wave has collapsed in on itself and we are receiving unconfirmed reports of a female superhero at the scene. Out cameraman is down there and we are expecting – yes we have footage!"
The newsfeed cut to the image of a small red and blue figure punching her way out of the water and flying away from the docks.
"For our viewers just tuning in, that figure is not Superman, but another new superhero in Metropolis...We're waiting on a frame-by-frame analysis, and yes thanks to our HD camera we have an image for you!"
seconds later a rather blurry image was shown on the screen. Although fuzzy it clearly showed a girl with a blue top, red skirt, cape and boots, and a long mane of straight blonde hair.
"What the heck?" said Lois a tone of shock through her voice.
"Who is this Supergirl? Stay tuned for more on this exclusive development!"
Jimmy watched the drama from his apartment, stunned when a red-blue blur went past the window.
"Supergirl..." he said to himself, "Maybe I'm not the only one to get powers lately."
Jimmy however still suspected his parents, and channeled his energy into pinpointing his parents' voices.
"We need to find him...He'll be confused...He might try a stunt like Kal-El or this 'Supergirl' whoever she is."
"I don't know...He's not that stupid. This planet doesn't need another hero."
That was it. Jimmy was going to confront his parents.
Kara circled the city, and realised she wouldn't be able to go back for her clothes until the media furore had calmed down.
"There you go girl, that was your big debut!" she smiled to herself, her nerves finally leaving her.
Help, somebody! I can't move!
Hearing the call, she decided to answer it, and followed the panicked voice to a construction site a few miles away. Upon arriving she found a site worker trapped in the workers' elevator by some collapsed scaffolding.
"Don't worry sir. You'll be out of here very shortly," she called to reassure him before carefully removing the mangled metal.
Once the scaffold was out of the way the worker looked at her.
"You ain't Supes!"
"Nope, I'm a friend."
"Wow...well thank you ma'am!"
The worker enveloped her in a hug, planting a kiss on her cheek.
"You're very welcome," she smiled shyly, "Now I have to go...Have a nice day sir!"
Kara swiftly took off, leaving the worker in the yard.
"Wow!" he called excitedly, "Thanks Super-uh-girl!"
From the shadows of the construction site a shadowy figure watched Kara leave the scene before reaching for his radio.
"Commander, I've located Subject 001 and I'm proceeding as ordered."
Chapter Seven
Hours after the commotion finished in Metropolis Lois sat at home with Jon mulling over the day's events.
"Does dad know?" Jon asked as he finished another brownie.
"About this new superhero? I don't know. This operation in Italy will probably take a while yet. Your dad needs to let the eruption run its course without letting it hurt anyone. I'll need to talk to him about it as soon as he's back."
"Talk to me about what?" Clark said as he appeared at the French doors.
"How did it go in Sicily?" Lois asked him quietly as he stepped into the room.
"Very well for once…no fatalities, not even a single injury. The cable car for the tourists might need a bit renovating however."
"Haven't seen the news then?"
"No…why?" Clark asked, his voice full of concern.
Jon read the atmosphere in the room and scooped up a few more brownies.
"My Xbox is calling to me, speak to you later," he announced before beating a hasty retreat.
When Jon was out of the room Lois motioned to her husband, "You'd better sit down for this."
Kara was back in her apartment, every part of her shaking from the emotions of her exertions.
She'd given up on retrieving her clothes and glasses earlier, but knew she'd need to return for them soon before someone else found them. For the first time she was glad she'd built up a collection of glasses, opting for a pair of Ray-bans.
She pulled on a pair of skinny jeans and a sky blue T-shirt complete with a pair of red pumps. As she reached for a cardigan she regarded her left arm for a second, examining some large scars that were visible on her left bicep and forearm. The scars were ages old, a permanent reminder of her time as Subject 001, but for the first time in her life they might actually be of use to her.
In the public eye Kryptonians were immune to harm, so how could a Kryptonian have such prominent burn scars? The scars would make Kara King a completely unlikely candidate for being a Kryptonian.
She looked at her arm and then at her reflection in her hall mirror, "Well Kara, the scars are the one thing that you're going to stop hiding."
Forgetting about the cardigan she stepped out without it and went to retrieve her clothing.
Jimmy had been trying to track down his parents for quite some time. Although he could hear snippets of their conversation from time to time he couldn't pinpoint where they were hiding, and now he was wandering the city mostly aimlessly, hoping that their voices would become louder as he went.
His listening was interrupted by his phone.
"Olsen."
"Jimmy? Thank God, you okay son?"
"I'm fine," he lied, failing to cover the tiredness in his voice.
"Where were you today? You didn't show, then there was the earthquake and still no call…How's your father?"
His father? How could Jimmy answer a question about his dad right now?
"Uhm…He's uh…He's good actually, uh the problem was a bleed they couldn't stop, but they cauterised it and it held and he had a transfusion. He's just going to need to rest up for a few days and then recover at home," Jimmy lied.
"That's good son, so glad to hear that," Perry responded sounding relieved, "Take a few days off if you need to until he's home and settled."
Jimmy wasn't normally one to take time off, but this was going to be an exception.
"If Lois and Clark are covering this 'Supergirl' story and don't need any help then I would appreciate that Perry, thank you."
"Keep in touch kid, we're all thinking about you."
"Thank you, that means a lot Chief."
Seconds after Jimmy hung up the phone, a knot of worry in Perry's gut grabbed at him with renewed gusto. Perry had called the hospital earlier and knew that Jack Olsen had already been discharged, so why was Jimmy lying?
Perry was going to have to find out, but he'd need help so he began to draft an email.
To find one Jack, he'd have to draft in another.
Kara approached the docks walking as quickly as she humanly could. After using her powers so freely earlier it was taking an extra level of restraint to stop from using them now, but she had to keep her nerves and collect her clothes quickly.
The dumpster came into view and she continued on, hoping her stuff hadn't been disturbed. Her stride was interrupted however when she walked headfirst into someone who was walking with just as much determination in another direction.
"Oh I'm so sorry!" she gasped.
"Wow no, no I am! I uh- Kara?" Jimmy responded slightly startled.
Of all the people she could have walked into it had to be Jimmy Olsen.
"Hi Mr O – Jimmy," she smiled sheepishly.
Jimmy smiled at her for a few seconds more than Kara was comfortable with, before managing to verbalise a response.
"Hi Kara!"
Kara smiled shyly at Jimmy. This was awkward and she begged him to start the conversation.
"So, uh…What brings you to the docks on a night like this?" He asked, his eyes going skyward, bringing attention to the fading light.
"Just trying to get my bearings, get used to the city, explore a little," she offered by way of explanation, "and I was curious, what with Supergirl and everything."
"Aren't we all," Jimmy smiled, "Lois and Clark are going to be working on that story…That's the best start your career could have!"
Oh no…they'll find me out! I hadn't thought of that!
"Oh yeah definitely…best news I could have hoped for!"
"Well if you want to be breathing tomorrow to cover the scoop of the decade, don't wander down here alone after dark…All sorts of nasty folks congregate down here."
"I'll not be long then," she reassured him, "I just want to get a breath of sea air and then I'll be on my way."
"Okay then," he said, "I'd offer to walk you back but: A – You might find that a bit presumptuous or creepy and B – I'm afraid I've got stuff to do."
"It's no problem, but that you for the sort-of offer," she smiled back at him.
"Don't mention it," he grinned.
A moment passed and Kara became aware that Jimmy had noticed her scars.
"Oh uhm…house fire when I was little," she improvised an explanation.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't staring, I just happened to notice…" he trailed off. "I'm sorry…I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah."
Kara and Jimmy held eye contact for a few seconds later, and despite herself, she couldn't help but be more than a little flattered at Jimmy's obvious interest in her.
The moment lasted a little too long once again, so Jimmy mumbled his goodbyes and walked off, leaving Kara alone in the shrinking light. With the light being so low she took the change to speed to the dumpster and opted to fly home as quickly as she could.
Jimmy walked on a little bit, not daring to look in Kara's direction. Their encounter had been a little awkward, and he was chiding himself for losing his place and openly staring at her, especially staring at the scars on her arm.
But she was lovely. Really really lovely.
But also much younger, an office junior, and office romance was just asking for trouble these days. He wasn't Clark Kent and she wasn't Lois Lane.
No, he'd have to cool off; besides, romance should be the furthest thing from his mind right now.
We have to find him Orsa!
Jimmy stopped as the familiar voiced pierced his skull. That was his dad, and his dad was close by.
I know Nim! It was never supposed to happen like this!
Nim? Orsa? What the hell?
Jimmy focussed on the source of their voices and, finally getting the hang of his super-hearing, he pinpointed their location. Not quite ready to see if he could fly, Jimmy broke into a run at super-speed.
"We need to find him and tell him the truth before there's an incident. He won't know what to do!" Jack shouted at his estranged wife.
"Tell me what truth?" Jimmy said as he burst into the Olsen's safe house.
Clark sat silent.
Lois had walked to the TV and switched it on to ZNN who were replaying the grainy footage of Supergirl's rescue of the city.
The footage was just looping and the commentators were regurgitating pseudofact after pseudofact.
"What does this mean Clark?"
Clark shook his head slowly, "I don't know…I don't even know who she is."
The couple returned to silence for a moment, thinking over all the possible scenarios.
"Do you think she could be a Kryptonian?" Lois asked.
"It's possible, but she was wearing the symbol of the House of El…She wouldn't do that unless she were a relative, unless she's not a Kryptonian and doesn't understand the symbolism."
"Yeah…that leaves two options we know of for her getting Kryptonian powers. 1. Lightning strike? Have you been hit by lighting recently?"
"Nope."
"And 2. Red Kryptonite."
"All my powers are present and accounted for, so not that either."
"Could she be a cyborg?" Lois queried.
"It's possible," sighed Clark, unconvinced, "I've got a feeling that I'm going to need to wait and catch up with her next time something happens."
Last edited by sueKay87; 07/15/14 12:53 PM.
