Chapter Ten:

Sons and daughters

After the destruction of its research facility, the DeSaad Corporation went into receivership. Its research arm was immediately discarded, largely due to the public outcry caused by the exposure of the illegal human experimentation conducted at Michael Canto’s direction. Lois Lane had reported every gruesome detail on the pages of the Daily Planet and for a time, its custodians considered changing the name of the company entirely. However, once the furore had died down and compensation made to the families of the victims, DeSaad slipped out of the public consciousness and the company kept its trading name even if it had been whittled away to a shadow of its former self.

Six years since that day, DeSaad had rebounded from those troubling times and while no way the juggernaut it had been in the past, it was now operating at a profit. Its resurrection from bankruptcy had come in the form of its new CEO, Grace Good. Grace had gained her reputation as a corporate raider who had taken several companies on the brink of insolvency and through some smart cost cutting, saved them. Grace was willing to invest her own money and had taken DeSaad from grateful government auditors who were happy to relinquish control. With Grace in charge, DeSaad tapped into the burgeoning ‘smartphone’ market that exploded into a billion dollar industry. Leading the company’s charge into the telecommunications industry, she made DeSaad a viable force once again.

As a result of this, Grace had grown accustomed to her autonomy since being assigned to Earth. Kanto's departure had infuriated Darkseid and the only thing that had kept their master from obliterating Kanto into atoms had been the revelation of a live Kryptonian on the planet. Darkseid's orders to her had been specific; observe and report the Kryptonian's activities on Earth. It seemed simple enough except that the said Kryptonian had disappeared without a trace. For five years, Grace busied herself with DeSaad, making alliances with Brainiac to find him.

Unfortunately, when the Kryptonian did return, it was at Brainiac's expense. Not only did the AI have to content with an equal, the Kryptonian was no longer a raw, undisciplined youth. He'd returned to the world, with his powers fully realised and revealed to the world as Superman. Brainiac's disappearance soon after indicated that he'd confronted Superman and was bested. Grace was realistic; she was out of her league and didn't even bother to make such an attempt. Capturing and claiming him for Apokolips was beyond her and she suspected might even require the direct intervention of Darkseid himself which her master was not prepared to do. Yet.

However, the presence of a second Kryptonian, a child, changed everything.

From Lashina's report, the girl was young, little more than a teenager. Younger than even the Swan had been when Kanto brought her to Apokolips. A child with those power levels under Granny's tutelage? The possibilities were endless. To say nothing of fact that her DNA could hold the answer to the riddle of the Anti-Life Equation Darkseid had sought for so long. All this could be possible if they could acquire her.

Unfortunately at present, that was proving to be more difficult than Grace or the Furies had anticipated. It had been a week since their confrontation with the girl named Kara at the Kent home and there was still no trace of her anywhere on the globe. Grace had the Furies had used all the resources available to them to find her but so far, it had availed them nothing. They'd even watched Lois Lane under the hopes that the reporter might lead them to Kara but it appeared that this was expected since the human made no move that could give away the girl's location.

“This is boring,” Mad Harriet grumbled as she sat perched on top of the leather sofa in Grace's penthouse office, flicking through the channels of the big screen television “Why can’t we just carve up the girlfriend until he gives us the girlie?”

“Don’t be stupid,” Lashina retorted. “He’ll be expecting us to come after her and unless we can reach her before him, we’ll be at a disadvantage.”

"I can take him," the Swan smouldered, still wearing the bruise on her skin delivered her to her by the Amazon interloper who had turned the tide of the battle at the Kent home. They almost had the child! The Swan's ego smarted from the loss.

"We aren't sure he'll be alone," Grace pointed out as a matter factly. "The Amazon is almost as formidable as he is and you barely held your own against one of them."

Swan strode over to Grace, dropping forward against the oak desk and glared at the woman. "I can take you apart..." she through hissed teeth.

"ENOUGH!" Lashina snapped her whip around Swan's throat and pulled her away from Grace. "Grace is right and the girl is too valuable a prize to lose."

"Oooh the pretty bird's had her wings clipped,” Mad Harriet sang gleefully from her seat.

Swan yanked the whip off her throat and flicked it aside, her expression stormy but was disciplined enough not to attack her captain while on mission. When they returned to Apokolips, there would be a reckoning, Swan promised herself but not now. She turned away from Lashina and was about to teach Mad Harriet a lesson when suddenly her eyes caught sight of something on the screen...

"STOP!" She barked sharply.

"What?" Harriet asked innocently.

"Give me that," Swan did not answer, instead closing the distance to Harriet and snatching the remote from her hands. Turning the device to the screen, she pressed the buttons that retraced the steps of Harriet's channel surfing.

"What is it?" Lashina demanded, wondering if the Swan had spotted something else that could be useful to them.

When the channel she'd sought finally came into view, the Swan adjusted the volume controls so that she could hear what was being said regarding the broadcast.

".....despite Mr Wayne's reputation as a philanderer, Judge Maria Vargas stated that Wayne had made an impassioned plea to the court to be appointed as Dick Grayson's temporary guardian until a more arrangement can be reached. It’s a matter of public record of course that Wayne had suffered a similar tragedy when his parents Thomas and Martha Wayne were shot and killed in front of him as a child.

"I lost my own parents as a child," Wayne has been quoted to have said to Judge Vargas, "I understand what Dick is going through and I can help him. If I can do this, then at least my parents’ death will have some meaning."

"Uggh," Harriet complained, grimacing at all this over sentimentality. "I'm going to be sick."

"I know him,” the Swan declared and then swung around to face Lashina. "I KNOW him. He is friends with the Kryptonian! He was at the farm, I remember him there."

"Bruce Wayne?" Grace said with scepticism. That wastrel was a friend of Superman? It was hard to believe. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she nodded with utter certainty. "He was at the farm along with the Kryptonian."

"If that's the case," Grace mused, an idea forming in her mind as she saw Bruce Wayne walking down the steps of Gotham's Court House with the young boy he had adopted. "Then the Kryptonian must consider him a good friend, if Wayne knows the truth about him."

"They are close," the Swan nodded, uncertain how she could be so sure of this. She just felt it in her gut that it was the truth.

"Well then," Grace looked at Lashina who was starting to smile because the Fury captain was starting to guess where Grace was going with this. "We might have added a new piece to the board. What was the boy's name again? Dick?"

************

Martha remembered the first time she saw Clark fly.

He had just shoved her to the ground after telling her that her son was dead. The complete emptiness in his eyes, so lacking in feeling or warmth had near shattered her heart. When he took the sky, the wonder of what he had done was entirely lost upon her. All she could think about when he disappeared into clouds was that Jor-El had stolen her son. The loss was temporary of course and eventually Clark returned to her but the moment was lost and even though she’d seen him fly countless time since as Superman, Martha still regretted missing that first flight.

Fortunately today, Martha had the chance to see another Kryptonian take flight and this time, she could fully appreciate the moment.

It had been a week since Diana had brought Martha and Kara to Themyscira, the island paradise that was home to the Amazons. Martha didn’t remember very much of those first few days. Her injuries had kept her groggy and sequestered to the Isle of Healing where she’d been under the care of Epione, the chief Amazon healer. Nevertheless, she soon learned that despite being isolated from the modern world, Amazon medicine was surprisingly sophisticated. Thanks to Epione’s expert skills, her convalescence was nowhere as painful and lengthy as it could have been. In fact, she was soon well recovered enough to return to the main island and be attended to at the Queen’s palace.

Martha was grateful for this because she was eager to see how Kara was doing. While she’d been healing, Diana brought Kara to visit her every day and although the girl appeared to be in better spirits than before, Martha still wanted to be close by. Diana had also explained that she was showing Kara how to deal with her powers, teaching her to manage the strength and speed she now possessed. While there were some lessons that only Clark could teach, Diana was still a good substitute for the time being.

This morning, Martha was admiring the breathtaking view of Themyscira as she watched Kara’s latest lesson. The island was very much the paradise that Lois had described in her writings. The city was constructed on the remnants of an extinct volcano that hand long ago exhausted itself. The results of its final expulsion had left the earth rich and the Amazons had cultivated this to feed its population. The island maintain much of its conical shape though the northern edge had collapsed upon itself and created a crescent shape bay. The architecture of the city was pre-Hellenic and slanted towards the Corinthian period with terraces that culminated at the Temple of Athene which was its peak.

From where she’d been situated by Epione, who was part nurse, part drill sergeant, Martha was able to watch Kara and Diana as she rested against the daybed placed there for her benefit at one of the balconies attached to the palace. Martha took in the sight of Kara with a mixture of awe and pride as she saw Kara taking to the skies, her gold hair billowing in the wind and the soft fabric of her blue toga swirling around her. Even from this distance, she could see the unbridled joy on the girl’s face as she delighted in her new powers.

It was the first time Martha had seen Kara really happy.

Diana was hovered close by, circling the girl like a mother hen in case Kara need help. As Martha understood it, Diana had taken to flight no sooner than she had learned to walk. It was so unlike Clark who had learned by the most extreme of circumstances. It made Diana the perfect tutor to and as Martha watched them both, flying through the sky like two majestic birds, she couldn’t help feel the same jubilation that Kara must be experiencing at that moment.

“I never tire of watching her,” a voice declared behind Martha.

Glancing over her shoulder, Martha saw the Queen approaching her. Even thought she was dressed in a short everyday toga like everyone else and her crown was absent, Hippolyta projected royalty. It was in the way she carried herself, Martha had decided. Everything about her epitomized the gravitas of someone who commanded with exuded wisdom and compassion.

Martha had met presidents who didn’t have half as much presence as this Amazon Queen.

“She’s beautiful,” Martha agreed with the same pride that could only be shared between mothers, “you must be very proud.”

“I am,” Hippolyta answered, unashamed to deny it as she took a seat on the far end of Martha’s daybed. “However, my pride comes from the love in her heart. Her other gifts would mean little without that.”

“I understand,” Martha appreciated the sentiment most intimately. “I feel the same about Clark.”

“You also have reason to be proud,” Hippolyta complimented, sincere in her admiration of this very mortal woman who had raised a god. “Diana thinks most highly of your son. It is not easy for us Amazons to trust men but he has shown us uncommon kindness and courage.”

“He is father’s son,” Martha admitted, refusing to take all the credit for Clark when so much of his nature was due to Jonathan’s guidance. “Jonathan was a good man and we raised Clark to be the same. Of course it was not always easy.” She added with a little laugh thinking on the mind field that had been Clark’s childhood and adolescence.

Sympathising completely, Hippolyta broke in a smile and nodded in complete agreement. “When one raises a child who can take to the skies when lessons bore her or run as fast as the wind, there are always challenges. I imagine you had similar difficulties with Clark.”

“I did,” Martha nodded before her expression softened. “It was very hard for him. We had no idea where he had come from, what the extent of his powers were. All we knew was that he needed us and we needed him. We tried to help and guide him as best we could but we were always afraid that that once people found out about him, they were going to come to take him away from us.”

She fell silent recalling the day when she and Jonathan had summed up the courage to take Clark to a doctor, to see if medicine could explain his powers. However, at the last moment she’d lost her nerve, having been struck with the cold fear that if they exposed Clark to anyone else, he'd be taken from them and they’d never see him again.

The silence prompted Hippolyta to reach for Martha’s hand and squeeze it lightly, sensing that there was some pain behind it. Hippolyta felt a kinship with Martha, aware that this woman understood all too well that raising an extraordinary child was not without its own dangers and difficulties. Even with all their powers, neither Kal nor Diana were truly invulnerable. Furthermore, their destinies constantly placed them at odds with beings who were almost as powerful and capable of defeating them both.

“I do not think anyone else could have done so well for him as you and your mate, Martha,” Hippolyta spoke. “We all feel the need to protect our children from what we believe might harm them. I myself worried that when Diana was a child, growing up in an island where everyone around her were millennia old might have made her feel isolated and alone.”

“Oh I don’t think she could have felt alone,” Martha was quick to assure the queen, not after what she’d seen since being here. Her gaze swept across the island, thinking that aside from its beauty, this was a close-knit community that reminded her of Smallville in many ways. “Just the way all of you have welcomed Kara since she’s been here tells me that no child growing with all this could ever feel alone.”

Martha's remarked serve to jog Hippolyta's memory of Diana's childhood and what her birth had meant to her Amazon sisters. “Truth be told, my sisters are rather delighted to have another child here to fuss over and indulge. It has been a long time since Diana was a child. She was the first infant born to this island and she did not belong only to me but to all of us.”

“It shows,” Martha replied, thinking that Diana’s sweet nature had to do with the positive environment in which she had been raised. “Kara’s been through so much. It’s bad enough that she’s arrived on a new world but she’s lost everything and everyone she’s ever known. Seeing her smile and laugh,” Martha’s voice choked with emotion thinking the change in Kara's demeanour since being here, “I can’t thank you enough for that. Not just for giving us a place to hide but for helping her see she’s not alone. She needs that now more than anything.”

“It is my pleasure Martha,” Hippolyta said glad to hear that. “Kara’s stay benefits us as much as you. Furthermore, Diana considers Clark family as do I. Your son helped my daughter defeat Ares and saved my people. You and yours will always be welcome here.”

“Thank you,” Martha said genuinely touched by the emotion. Glancing up at Diana once more, she sighed, “Clark and Diana are so much alike. Their powers allow them to understand each other in a way I don’t think anyone can truly appreciate. Clark’s never really had that kind of connection.”

“Diana as well,” Hippolyta admitted and then frowned, “however it is her romantic connections that give me pause.”

“Ah,” Martha rolled her eyes and tried not to smirk because this feeling, she knew well too. “Diana’s like most young women. There’s just something about the brooding, silent type…”

******

“Keep up little one,” Diana called out to the girl even though the Amazon princess knew the taunt would return to haunt her, if what she had seen of Kara's ability was any indication. Leaving Kara behind her, Diana soared higher and higher into air, until she was punching a hole through the clouds, leaving Themyscira a rapidly shrinking speck beneath her.

“No fair!” Kara shouted after her, trying to make herself heard over the sound of roaring wind in Diana’s wake. “I just learned how to fly!” She pouted and became even more determined to catch up.

Yet even as she said it, Kara knew she had no fear, not any more. Not only that but she was actually flying! Beneath her was Themyscira and the higher she got, the greater this feeling of freedom spread across her chest until it felt like she might explode from the sheer power of it. Kara glanced down and saw the island disappearing into the vast blue ocean that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. This world was so different, not at all like Krypton and definitely not like the containment of Argo City. It was big and it was beautiful and she want to run or fly across it so she'd all of it.

The realisation made her laugh, made her understand why Father wanted her to come here, why he was willing to lie to get her here. She wished she could tell him and Mother how wonderful it was to be able to do this. However, since she could not, she would do the next best thing. She would honour them by living the life they had sacrificed so much to ensure she’d have. Since coming to Earth, Kara had been so afraid. She thought she was alone but these past few days had taught her she was anything but that. There was Kal, Martha, Lois, Diana and all the Amazons who welcomed her with open arms since coming to Themyscira and Earth. Every one of them had extended their hand to her in friendship.

She had only to take it and in doing so, she was set free.

Diana had taught her how to use her strength, taught her how to pick a cup without shattering it and how to hug a person without breaking every bone in their body. Diana had taught her how to use her speed, how to defend herself, how to move so fast, she was almost invisible. The simplest things she’d taken for granted needed to be relearned and though he knew her training was nowhere complete she was eager to master it all. After what had happened to Martha because of those horrible women, Kara was determined to become the warrior she needed to be to protect the people she loved.

Diana’s most important lesson however, had nothing to do with her powers.

“Your powers make you strong little one but they are not all you are.”

Those were words that could have come from her father and Kara paid attention. Diana was right, these powers were amazing and what they allowed her to was just as amazing but she could never forget who she had been before she had them. Her parents had raised her to care for people, to be kind, to be a person of good conscience. Those women had tried to take her so they could turn her into a monster. They’d almost killed Martha to achieve that end and that was a crime Kara could not forgive. Her outrage added fire to her determination to gain control of these powers. They were never going to take her and they certainly weren't going to hurt anyone else trying.

Kal was out there right now, Diana told her, protecting the humans as Superman. Kara had been powerless to help her parents and Argo City. She would not fail her new family now that she had the power to protect them.

Tucking one arm beneath her chest, Kara outstretched the other forward, aiming herself like a comet as she streaked through the sky, white hot and unstoppable. She didn’t realise that she was going faster and faster, not until she reached Diana and started to pass her by. Kara flashed the Amazon a smile of mischief, waving once before another surge of acceleration had her explode forward, leaving Diana behind. A loud boom exploded around her and the clouds scattered as if they were trying to get out of her way as she pulled further away from her teacher.

Up this high, there were no clouds and the colour of the blue sky began to darken. The air around her thinned and felt cooler though she did not notice. Staring ahead, she could see the heavens beyond the earth, twinkling their amusement at her audacity. Laughing, she performed a series of loops, squealing in delight with each new manoeuvre.

The shockwave from the sonic boom disrupted Diana’s flight and she called out after the girl, aware that would be a point where she would not be able to keep up with the Kryptonian. Kal was able to break the gravitational pull of planet to brave the vacuum of the exosphere, Diana could not. While she was pleased that Kara was pushing her limits, the girl had less than a day of flying experience behind her and Diana did not want Kara to lose control of the situation by impetuousness. Besides if she experienced any difficulty up there, Diana might not be able to retrieve her.

“KARA! COME BACK NOW!”

She thought Kara might disobey because the girl was riding a wave of euphoria that was difficulty to rein due to her youth. Diana herself remembered just how intoxicating it was to fly for the first time and her heart swelled with pride that she'd been able to help Kara realise that ability but like any teacher, she was cautious. For the first time, Diana began to understand Hippolyta’s anxiety that same day. Life is a circle, Diana sighed inwardly and felt a surge of relief when she saw Kara heading back towards her.

Instead of stopping, Kara tackled Diana in a big hug that had them both plunging downwards a little before both women regained control of their flight and pulled apart to hover in place for the moment.

“Diana, that is so amazing!" Kara gushed, oblivious to the fact that with the wind velocity around them, she was barely audible at 200 thousand feet. "I can’t believe it! I could see the stars Diana! If I’d gone any further, I could have been in space! Can I go into space? Has Kal done it?” She asked firing all of these questions as quickly as she could think them. Suddenly, Kara couldn’t wait to see Kal again. She had all these questions for him. Had he ever gone into space? Did he have to wear breathers? Was it cold? Would they feel the cold out there? Could they fly in a vacuum? So many questions! Her head was almost bursting with them.

Diana laughed because Kara’s excitement was so infectious. Diana barely heard half of what Kara was saying and suspected that it had not occurred to Kara that she did not possess the hearing of a Kryptonian. As it was, it was only Kara’s super hearing that allowed her to hear Diana’s earlier call. Instead of trying to answer, she gestured Kara to follow as they began their descent to return home.

Understanding that it was time to head back to the island, Kara nodded and smirked again before diving towards the ground, leaving Diana behind her again. She couldn't wait to tell Martha everything that had happened today.

Diana shook her head and smiled, suddenly feeling the need to find her mother and apologise to Hippolyta for her entire childhood.

TO BE CONTINUED