Chapter 13: Chapter 13: From the Stars

Eve POV:

I ended up spending three more days in Atlantis. Fortunately, I did not end up looking like a prune. Not just talking about magic with Mera, but sightseeing as well. I even got to meet the rest of the royal family; King Orin and Prince Orm. I had already met Orin as Aquaman, of course. In the initial meeting/interrogation I had with the Justice League, I had told him that Orm was probably Ocean Master, but he was reluctant to believe me without proof. Mera had confided in me that she already had her suspicions, and that she was keeping a close eye on him.

With me, he acted perfectly polite. Since he wasn’t running around causing havoc then and there, I just did as Mera and treated him like I didn’t suspect him of being a racist terrorist. He actually seemed like a pretty nice guy, if a little snobbish. I hoped this would turn out to be the one universe in which he was actually a good guy, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Tula and I became fast friends. She turned out to be a perky but somewhat shy girl, reminding me a little of M’gann. That all went out the window when there was anything magical involved though, as she was a complete magic nerd. I got her to promise to visit the surface sometime, as I suspected she and Zatanna would get along swimmingly.

Garth was also friendly, although I didn’t get to spend much time with him. As it turns out, Kaldur had used his return home after months at the surface to confess his feelings, and the two of them were now going out. Since Kaldur would be going away again with me soon, they wanted to spend as much time together as possible. Something I couldn’t begrudge them.

“That’s good to hear,” Superman commented as I told him about Kaldur and Garth. “Aqualad is a solid bloke. He deserves to have someone like that.”

“Yeah,” I replied. “Garth seemed like a decent guy too. I’m happy for them.”

The day after I came back from Atlantis, Superman had called me and invited me to go patrolling with him. Seeing no reason to decline, I accepted, and we were now hovering above the city looking for trouble. I was using the opportunity to practice enhancing my senses with ‘Enhance Ability’, boosting my sight and hearing.

“Speaking of solid blokes,” I added, “How are things going with Superboy?”

“They’re going well,” he replied, a warm smile spreading on his face. “You were right. He is just a good kid who got screwed over. Thank you for talking some sense into me.”

“He’s family,” I said. “While I’m not really one to put much faith in the sanctity of blood relations, they should at least be given a chance.”

“He is,” Superman agreed. “Maybe not a son… but I’ve started seeing him as a little brother. Besides, Ma and Pa have already started the adoption process.”

“Guess they are the leading experts on dealing with Kryptonian teenagers,” I said with a grin. He laughed at that.

“Yeah, but it’s not exactly like they were expecting another one to fall from the skies,” he said casually. “Not something that was likely to happen again. There aren’t exactly many of us left.”

I froze.

“...”

Shit.

SHIT!

“Eve? What’s wrong?” Superman asked, concern in his voice. He must have noticed my rising panic.

“Shit!” I exclaimed. “Shitshitshitshitshit! I forgot! IforgotIforgotIforgotIforgot! How could I forget?!” I was rambling now as I felt guilt and panic rise in my chest.

“Calm down, Eve,” Superman tried to comfort me. He had moved in front of me and was now trying to make eye contact as he held my shoulders. “What did you forget? Whatever it is, it doesn’t warrant this panic. Breathe.”

“It does!” I insisted. “Kara! I forgot about her!”

Supergirl was probably my favorite DC character, and I somehow forgot about her with everything happening. Her story touched me more than any of the other superheroes’. Going to sleep with her world burning around her, only to wake up not only in another place, but in another time as well. Her baby cousin — that she was supposed to look after — was all grown up, and what was supposed to be her purpose was gone. Then she rises above her fear and anger and decides to help others instead. She was the reason I wanted to be a superhero, for crying out loud!

“Kara?” he asked. “I’m not sure… wait. As in Kara Zor-El? My cousin?”

“You know about her?”

“Yes. From the Fortress records,” he said. “Her pod was supposed to arrive a little after mine, but since it didn’t, it assumed her pod never made it off Krypton. Are you saying she’s here?”

His eyes had widened slightly by now. The realization that his cousin — another full-blooded Kryptonian — might still be alive.

“Stuck in orbit,” I managed. He had managed to center me so my breath was coming out more evenly now. “Probably. I don’t know for sure, but that’s the story I know. I knew, but I forgot, and now she’s still stuck up there! We need to find her!”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Stay calm, Eve,” Superman reassured me as my panicked guilt started to rise again. “No one expects you to know or remember everything, and you’re telling me now. If she is up there, she will be in suspended animation. No harm has been done.”

I managed to calm my breath again. I knew logically that me forgetting this until now wasn’t actually a big deal, but it felt like it. The poor girl was stuck alone in space, and even if she wouldn’t notice the passing of time, I felt like shit for forgetting about her and leaving her there for even a moment longer.

“We will find her,” he assured me. “Both of the Green Lanterns are on Earth at the moment, and when their ring knows what to look for, they can easily scan the system. Everything will be alright, okay?”

I nodded hesitantly. It was his family stuck up there, but I was the one being comforted? I was pathetic.

“Let’s get home for now,” he continued. “Metropolis can handle itself for one day.”

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I felt like shit. Not only had I been in this world for over two months now, but I had spent one of those months with the Kents. I had even become Superman’s sidekick! And still, I had somehow forgotten about Kara.

The only reason I could find to explain my lapse in memory was that there were so many other things happening to me. After coming to this world I had been busy. First helping out at the Kent farm, then sisterly duties with Zatanna and sidekick duties with Superman. Finally, I had my new friends and the team to worry about.

I knew I had plenty of excuses, but still. Guilt was my constant companion over the past few days. M’gann could, of course, easily sense what I was feeling, and her worry made me feel even more guilty.

Finally, three days after I had told him about Kara’s probable survival, Superman showed up at the mountain.

“We found her,” he said, and I jumped to my feet from the couch where I had been wallowing.

“Is she okay?”

“She’s fine,” he assured me. “Being that close to the yellow sun for so long, she would have been fine even if she didn’t have the pod to protect her.”

“And mentally?” I pressed. I already knew she would be fine physically. It would take a lot to hurt a Kryptonian under a yellow sun. But to her, no time would have passed since the destruction of her planet and the death of everyone she knew. That would leave a scar on anyone.

“I…” Superman hesitated. “I haven’t opened her pod yet. It’s at the Fortress. I wanted you to be there,”

“Why?” I asked, confused. “She’s your family. I’m just a random human to her.”

“Maybe,” he answered. “But you’re also the person who knows her best. And you care. I want you to be there when she wakes up. She’s going to need a friend.”

I wasn’t sure I deserved it, but I can’t deny that I wanted to be there too. Growing up, Supergirl had been an inspiration to me; my favorite superhero. Being able to actually meet her, and before she even became ‘Supergirl’, it was… nerve-racking.

“Alright,” I agreed, before looking down at my casual jeans and t-shirt and asking, “Um, should I change into my costume, or…?”

“That’s up to you,” Superman said with a small twitch of his lips. “Do you want her to meet Arcana, or Eve?”

I hesitated for a moment before answering.

“I’ll just be me. Let’s go.”

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Kal-El POV:

Eve looked nervous. I was nervous too, of course. I had thought I was the last of my bloodline. The last Kryptonian. Now I was about to meet my actual cousin, whom I had believed to be dead. I was worried about what she would think. About me, about Earth, everything. But more than that, I was looking forward to having more family.

After she talked some sense into me and I started to connect with Conner, I realized that I had been missing something in my life. True connections. I had tried to keep my life as Superman and Clark Kent separate, but having someone to share both parts of me was more liberating than I could have ever imagined. I hoped Kara could be someone like that too.

Come to think of it, Eve was the one who pushed me to tell Lois as well. Of course, she had already known, but still. Being able to be open about it was a true blessing. I really had a lot to thank her for.

As we exited the zeta-tube in the Fortress, Eve was wearing an expression I couldn’t really read. She mainly looked nervous, but there were a bunch of other emotions too, most I couldn’t parse. Guilt, unwarranted as it was. Apprehension, excitement, and… sadness? The rest was beyond me.

“This way,” I said as I guided her towards the room the Fortress AI had constructed for Kara’s pod. She nodded, but didn’t speak.

“Welcome home, Kal-El. Welcome, Eve,” the AI greeted us in the usual appearance of Jor-El. “Are you ready to open the pod?”

Eve looked between me and the hologram before speaking in a low voice. Far more muted and serious than her usual cheery self.

“You really do look alike,” she said. “She will probably think you’re Jor-El when she sees you.”

I hadn’t thought about that. It would make sense, though. The last time she saw me I would have been a baby, and Jor-El would have been my age. At least she wouldn’t wake up to an unfamiliar face, even if it didn’t belong to who she thought. I nodded to her before answering the AI.

“Yes,” I said, and walked over to the pod. When I noticed Eve wasn’t following, I turned to her and asked, “Are you coming?”

“I…” she hesitated. “I think it should just be you, at first at least. She will have a lot to process. Dumping more new people on her immediately will probably just make things harder. Especially considering my appearance.” She gestured to her head. “I’ll be right here.”

That made sense. Eve was, as usual, trying to consider the feelings of those around her. J’onn had told me that, according to his niece, she was abnormally empathetic. I had barely given a thought to how jarring this would be for Kara, focusing on my own happiness instead.

I nodded to her before telling the AI to “Open the pod and wake her up.”

There was a ‘hiss’ sound as the pod unsealed and the hatch opened up. Inside, I got my first look at my long lost cousin. She was wearing a blue solar-suit with the House of El crest on her chest, similar to my own. Her hair was long and blonde, and her brow was locked in a slight frown. After a small twitch, her eyes opened as she regained consciousness after over thirty years of sleep. Blue. Just like mine

“Uncle Jor-El? What happened?”

Eve had been right. Of course she had.