Chapter 1.5
Kara Zor-El
I have a giant zit. Kara groaned, stuffing her face into the pillow. It was like a giant thing decided to balloon itself overnight, creating something monstrous and ugly. It was red, and ugly, and a zit! She didn't even know that Kryptonians could get zits. It wasn't as if she was never sick a day in her life.
Her cousin might know how to handle this. Now that the mess was over, with the whole Doomsday guy wrecking everything, she should give a visit to Clark.
Kara got to her feet, and went to the bathroom. She avoided the mirror, a chance that she might see the monstrosity that was her zit. She shuddered. Puberty, her mom said. Ugh. Double ugh!
Dolly kept insisting that she pop it. Her other best friend, Jen, kept teasing me relentlessly. Touching the damn thing hurt.
Don't think. Do. Not. Think. About. It!
Her cell and her house keys secured, she jogged downstairs.
"How many times did I tell you not to run down the stairs?"
That's my dad. He doesn't believe in a lot of things. Birthdays, for example. My birthday, now that I'm turning sixteen. Only my mom and I celebrated our birthdays. We were fine with that. Dad was supportive, not that he would say anything.
Kara hummed, as she texted back her best friend. The orange juice she poured herself felt nice and cool as it went down her throat. On a nice, hot day, like today? Totally.
"Where's mom?"
The bearded, strong, man grunted. His face was stuffed to the newspaper. Even though access to the news would be much more efficient, and easier, should he have a cell or e-pads, the newspapers were something he could touch and feel. It was solid, perfect, and brings the purity out of journalism. Or some such nonsense. Dad didn't believe in the fancy techno gadgets, either.
A grunt. "Grocery shopping. Do you need anything? I could give her a call," He didn't sound worried, but I could sense it otherwise. He knew I was a little down for the past few days, for a while now. The zit wasn't helping any. Jen says it was hormones, or whatever. Blah.
"Nah, I'm going out for a while," She turned to face her dad, as she prepared her coffee. "I'm gonna go visit Clark, I think. Get a handle on it,"
Her dad stilled. He wasn't comfortable with her hanging out with Clark. He knew their secrets, and her parents would take it to their graves. That's how much trust Clark had for Kara's parents. But that didn't mean her dad approved. They wanted her to be safe, and considering the kind of monsters Superman fought on a daily basis, they were worried Kara might get in over her head. She was their only daughter, after all.
They were right to be worried, not that she would ever tell them that.
Her parents were proud of her, nonetheless.
Her dad sighed, and his eyes softened. "Alright. Just be careful when you fly over,"
"Hmm, kay," Kara opened the front door.
"And be back before six!"
Ugh! Curfew!
Kara sighed, then lept into the air. Her flight took her above the clouds, and the sunrise that accompanied her was beautiful. The light washed over her skin, invigorating and strengthening her. She touched it. Yup. Zit's still there. Ugh.
Her eyes followed the shooting star up into the sky, then the patterned and beautiful white stars of the Milkyway galaxy. She wondered about her real parents, for just a moment. Her memories were hazy, but she could remember their faces. They were worried. Scared.
Sighing, Kara flew away.
It was a fleeting thought. Her parents were right here, alive and well. The AI in Clark's fortress taught her things about her Kryptonian heritage, and the real names of her birth parents. It taught her of their language, costumes, and so many things. The A.I. was a font of knowledge more valuable than any computer on Earth.
The feeling of belonging intensified, when she dropped onto the front porch of her cousin's house, in Kansas.
Kara frowned. There were loud noises, coming from inside. Shouting, in fact. Her nice aunt was there, but her breath was a little shallow. Her cousin, Clark, was shouting. And another voice, angry and cursing.
Surging through the air, she slammed open the door and rushed inside.
Kara gasped, mouth hanging open. "Clark!?"
Clark was on the floor, wrestling? The strange man had his arm around her cousin's neck in a chokehold.
They froze.
"Wait!" Clark yelled out, alarmed.
Kara didn't wait. Her flight aided her, and she winded her fist back for a hook punch. All she saw was red. How dare he hurt her cousin, and endanger her sweet aunty?
The windows shattered.
Kara gaped.
Her fist was stopped cold, enveloped around that massive black-haired man's fist. Her hands felt tiny in the palm of his hand, like a giant.
"W-what?" Kara pulled her fist back. She couldn't. The strange man was too strong. No duh! He took down Clark! What chance did she have?
"Everyone, stop! This is all just a misunderstanding," Clark glanced at the man over his shoulder. "Can you please let Kara go? We'll settle our difference some other time, but Kara is family. Your family,"
"What!" Kara and the stranger were in sync with one another. She eyed him warily. Another Kryptonian? Clark didn't say anything about this.
The stranger turned to face her. Those eyes, black and narrowed, focused on her form. His long, dark hair, fell over his shoulders like a dark black waterfall in the night. He looked tall, slumped over her cousin as he was, but she could tell by his girth and strong muscle structure; they were even bigger than Clark. And Clark was one of the biggest guys she's ever seen up close.
And ew. He's like super old, and about Clark's age, even. Double ew!
Broly frowned slightly, then his mouth widened into a grin. "Well, well! Look at that little doe, walking into a lion's den. Who's the little doe, brother?"
"Before all of that, I think you should fix my windows, yes?" Her aunty looked visibly put out. And annoyed. She'd never saw her aunty annoyed before. Ever. Not once. Aunt Martha was a loving woman; all heart, and wisdom. Just like her mom. "Clark, Broly, I suggest my house is fixed by the end of the night. Or else no dessert!"
Aunt Martha turned to her, eyes softening instantly. "Come on, dear, I'll explain everything. You're far too skinny, I think,"
Broly grunted, then let go of Clark and got up. "Whatever. Come on, let's fix the damage the little doe caused," The stranger turned to face Kara with a smirk. "Next time, before you go gung-ho on everything, make sure the innocents are out of the way, first?"
The stranger, named Broly, quieted down from her aunty's glare. And with that, the man grunted, and walked passed her, and out the door.
Kara's face flushed red in embarrassment and humiliation.
Clark patted her head. "It's okay. You couldn't have known. He's... erm, complicated, Kara. Mom'll explain everything, okay?" At Kara's hesitant nod, and a tired sigh, Clark nodded. "I'll make sure to bring back some take out. You might have an appetite after all of that,"
Her cousin left. The truck started up, and exited out the driveway, and out into the road.
"Who the hell was he? And family? I didn't know there were other Kryptonians on Earth?" Clark demanded hotly. Though she didn't yell, she felt angry and hot. She just wanted to blow things up. Anything. Something. Namely, that smug guy. As hard as it as for her to come to terms with, he was right. She put her aunt in harm's way when she attacked like that recklessly. It cringed at the thought that she might be hurt, and even worse if Clark never forgives her.
"That... is a complicated issue," Aunt Martha replied, as she started up the stove. "As hard as it is to believe, Clark wasn't the only one we've found in that valley,"
Kara snorted in disbelief. "No way! What are the chances of that happening?"
"Close to zero, I think. I'd like to think something helped us, to give us hope," Aunt Martha smiled gently, "Just as your parents found you, and gave you a good home and a good life,"
Kara didn't believe in such religious phenomena, despite her own parents' beliefs. She's an alien, for goodness sakes. There's no precedent for something like that in religion. Any religion, in fact. On earth, at least. Her own people, the Kryptonians believed in Rao; the God of the Sun, and Peace. Or some such. She couldn't remember. It wasn't very interesting, after the first fifty minutes of lecture into the socio-economic development of the Kryptonian world.
Still, that didn't answer any question of just who he was. "So... he's Kryptonian?"
Aunt Martha chortled, giggling like a school girl. "Oh, honey, I wish he was a Kryptonian. That would have been so much simpler," At Kara's question gaze, her aunt dramatically finished with, "He's a Saiyan!"
Kara squinted. "A what?"
She looked surprised, and quite peeved. Yikes! "Clark didn't tell you about Saiyans?"
Kara could bench press hundreds of tons of steel, and here she was, hunched over the table, showing her neck, and prostrating before her aunt. "Ah... yes?"
A sigh. "Well, I'm sure Clark would explain it all before tonight's finished," Aunt Martha set the plate on the table, and presented her with a home meal of hot food. It tasted fresh, and nice, and made her stomach rumble in anticipation. "I raised Broly and Clark as brothers, and that makes you his cousin by default, I think. For now? Let's have you eat something before Clark comes back. Your room is upstairs, left exactly as they are,"
Kara nodded gratefully. It was a surprise she now had another cousin to deal with. Maybe he wasn't related by blood, but what did that matter to her? Absolutely nothing. Still, that Broly guy felt just a little too dismissive of her. She would like to show him just how strong she was.
It was the first time someone shrugged her off like nothing. Clark was an exception, because he's freaking Superman! He's a nobody!
The image of Clark's being held in a chokehold by Broly came back to mind. A nobody wouldn't do something like that to Superman. There are exceptions, maybe. A context she was missing. Still, to see Superman, the hope of the world, a juggernaut legend and mythical powerhouse that half the world worship as if he were a god, given a noogie by some random douche made her quite angry.
It was a lie to say she didn't quite worship her cousin like a heroic idol she would have modeled after.
"So, why were they fighting, when I came in?" Kara almost forgot about that incident.
Aunt Martha looked confused, then sighed exasperatedly. "Clark's the mature one. Always have been, growing up. With Broly as a brother, Clark has no choice but to grow up faster. But Broly has a way of... making Clark very, very immature,"
It took Kara a few seconds to click. Superman had always been cool and collected, almost in near-perpetual control of his emotions akin to Batman. But Broly brought out his immaturity, was that what her aunt was saying?!
Kara gulped her food down her throat.
It seemed so alien, to see Clark so childish. Like a child, even. When Kara barged into the house, they were on the floor. Were they wrestling? A disagreement?
"They had another argument," Aunt Martha replied with a smile, "Broly kept bullying Clark about something or other. It pushed Clark up the wall, now that I think about it. That's when they fought. Nothing serious, I assure you, Kara. Otherwise, this house would not have survived at all,"
Aunt Martha chuckled good-naturedly.
It was an hour later, when her cousin-... cousins, barged into the house with supplies to fix the windows and other damages that occurred thanks to her recklessness.
She wanted to help, and help was never refused. Kara kept half an eye on Broly, as she helped Clark to the best of her abilities. Not that they needed any. They looked reasonably well acquainted with the damages done. Their eyes were practices, as they surveyed the damage, and removed the debris.
As Kara worked, she felt a shadow fall upon her shoulders. "So, you're my little cousin? You don't look like much,"
Kara lazily got to her feet, and placed her hands on her hips. "You talk a lot, for a guy no one knows,"
"Ha! Look at this little doe, thumbing her nose at me like I won't bite," Broly was really, really, tall. Taller than even Clark. He looked menacing. For a dozenth time this day, she wondered how he wasn't a villain or something. With that kind of arrogance and attitude, it was kind of weird to see him fixing up a house in such a mundane environment.
"Broly, she's got potential," Clark replied, as he wandered over. He nodded toward her, and smiled gently. "Kara is powerful for one so young. With training and battle experience, I have no doubt she would surpass both of us in the future,"
Broly's brows disappeared into his hairline. "Heh, I think I know exactly who I want to take under my wing, then, brother,"
"No!" Clark crossed his arms in denial immediately. "She's off limits,"
The big man smirked, almost predatorily. "She's family, so I say the little doe earned it if she was fearless enough to take a lunge at me,"
"Wait, what? What are you guys talking about?" Kara questioned, completely baffled.
Clark sighed. "He wants to take you in as a mentor, of sorts,"
"A mentor? For fighting?"
"You're strong, little doe, but pathetically weak for a Kryptonian," Kara bristled with anger. She really hated her new nickname. Before she could interrupt, Broly continued, "But I think, I could turn her into something resembling a war machine,"
"Hell. No." Kara denied. "You might be my cousin, but I don't want to be tutored by you,"
Broly eyed his brother. Clark sighed.
It took an hour of convincing before Kara acquiesced, with some grumbles of protest.
She needed the training. How bad could it be?
Turned out, it was bad. A lot worse, in fact.
Bad. Bad. Bad!
