The Last Daughter of Krypton

[gardy1]

Flight Plan / Yesterday's Child

Flight Plan Chapter 4

“There it is again, Chief.” A middle aged air traffic controller pointed to a blip on his radar screen. “What’s the flight designation?” His supervisor asked. “That’s just it there is none.” He replied.

The supervisor watched as the blip disappeared again over Lake Michigan. “I’ll get on the phone to the Air Force and see if it’s one of their birds. They might have had some flight training scheduled. Either way, the bogey is out of the local air space. How big is she?”

The controller wondered why they always referred to various craft as ‘she.’ “She can’t be that big, sir. I’d guess that she was a Piper Cub or another small Cessna. Actually she was hauling ass pretty good. I wouldn’t rule out an F-16 or F-18.” The controller answered.

His supervisor placed his arms behind his back thoughtfully. “But whose is she?” The controller shrugged. “She’s gone again. Maybe it’s just a radar ghost, or a flock of geese.”

The supervisor coughed roughly. “I hate to alert the Feds if it’s just some wayfaring birds. Keep me posted, Reilly.” The controller nodded. “Will do, boss.”

Kara zipped through the high level clouds filled with ice crystals. She’d never seen Chicago, and now seemed like as good a time as any to look it over. Lex’s arrival at the Talon had spooked the young alien into a game of hide and seek with the clouds.

Kara enjoyed blasting some crystals into water and making it rain with her heat vision. She headed for the Sears Tower, one of the tallest buildings in America, if not the world.

Careful to avoid any maintenance workers, Kara landed atop the skyscraper and relaxed. I’ve only seen Earth through television shows, books, and the Internet, Kara mused.

I know a lot about this world that Kal and I are supposed to save, yet I’ve really been nowhere. The flying, though unexpected, was a great way to get from place to place, she considered.

Kara draped her long legs over the side of the last flat space atop the tower, below the broadcasting antennas. She gazed out over Lake Michigan and the surrounding area, blissfully unaware of the controversy she’d started at O’Hare International Airport…or that Brainiac was intent on tracking her, and bending her to his will.

A few large jets had taken off from the large airport, and the smaller one called Midway, deeper inside the large Midwestern city. Kara watched them with passing interest.

Earth’s technology was on the rise, similar to how Krypton’s was a few short centuries ago, she observed. The humans had reached another planet, their moon, and had sent primitive craft across their solar system and into the rest of their galaxy.

What if someone bad found it? Kara thought warily. Someone like Brainiac? She shuddered, ignorant of how close to reality she’d come. The young alien continued on her journey, leaving the Sears Tower and Chicago behind, heading south to Florida.

Yesterday's Child

Lois got up before Clark the next morning, though she figured that she was still buzzed, something felt different. Her attitude seemed to have improved.

She shook the cobwebs from her brain, and Lois knew that Clark was trustworthy, so she decided not to make a big deal about her unusual bed partner. He was probably just exhausted, she reasoned through the hangover haze.

Lois hopped into the shower and made an extra effort to brush her teeth and refresh her breath. Still, there was a great opportunity to tease him, she considered. Lois double checked her teeth, making sure that they were pearly white.

She fussed more than usual with her hair, untangling it. Now it was time to annoy Clark, Lois’s eyes sparkled as she went to his room and knocked extra hard on the door. “Rise and Shine, Smallville. We have a whole new day ahead of us to get into trouble.”

Lois made it a point to say that extra loudly, though her own head pounded away. While Clark was in the shower, Lois had cooked bacon and eggs, in an effort to make up for her behavior the night before.

The smell of a pot of fresh coffee wafted upstairs, luring Clark to the kitchen. Lois was already seated at the breakfast table, nursing her orange juice.

“Morning, sunshine!” Clark teased as Lois glanced at him with one eye closed. He quickly examined the bacon and eggs. At least Lois hadn’t burned anything this time, he assessed the damage.

When Lois turned away to stir the milk in her coffee, Clark used his heat vision. He cooked the bacon thoroughly, and dried up the grease from the eggs.

“Thanks for coming out to get me, Smallville.” Lois said hoarsely. “I really need to get my crap together.” She added contritely. “Did I do anything stupid last night, Clark?”

He forced back the urge to snicker. “Define stupid.” He let her stew for a moment. “Not really. You did temporarily lose your keys and watch, and bad mouth Lex at the top of your lungs in front of half the bar. Actually, I found that part amusing.”

Clark grinned as Lois put her tongue in her cheek. “Sorry about that.” She apologized as she shook her head. “I guess I haven’t been myself.” Clark nodded. “Me either, and about the whole bed sharing thing…”

“Ah, don’t worry about it Clarkie.” Lois showed off her blazing white smile. “I’m a big girl, I wasn’t worried about it. I trust you.” Though I am a bit disappointed that you didn’t try anything, she thought wistfully. “Thanks Lois, that means a lot.”

There was an uncomfortable silence again. “Oh, I spoke to my mom last night on the phone.” Clark gallantly changed the subject. “Oooh! Was your mom pissed that I was sleeping over?” Lois wondered.

“No, she was glad that I brought you back here. You still might get a stern lecture.” Clark teased. Lois grinned. “That’s okay. Maybe I need one. It could help me get my head out of my…”

The noise of the bubbling coffee pot cut any further comment from Lois off. “Why did you bring me here instead of dropping my sorry butt off at the Talon apartment?” Lois inquired.

Clark had been expecting that question. He still had a hard time answering it. Clark shrugged. “I guess that I wanted to be sure that you were safe.” He began. “Besides, the Talon apartment was bringing me some bad memories.” Clark added honestly.

“Yeah, I guess we both have issues.” Lois stated. “Anyway, where’s Kara on this lovely day?” “I don’t know.” Clark said with disdain. “She’s been very temperamental lately.” Lois nodded.

“Welcome to the world of teenage women, Smallville. I had quite a few issues with my sister Lucy over the years, and still do. We all hope that they grow out of it.” Myself included.

As if on cue, young Kara Kent strolled in the front door, surfboard in hand. The eighteen year old blonde alien girl was wearing a bright red and orange bikini.

She also had a travel bag which was slung over her slim shoulder. Kara was also sporting bright black mirrored sunglasses. “Hey, Clark!” Kara flashed a peace sign at them. “Miss Lane!”

Clark and Lois gawked. “Kara, where have you been?” Clark started the questioning. “Dude! There were some bodacious waves down at South Beach! I was just hanging…whatever.” She leaned the board against the foyer closet.

“Dude?” Lois and Clark exchanged glances. “Bodacious waves? Okay, first, call me Lois.” She rubbed her eyes. “Second, please turn that bikini off. You’re blinding me.”

Lois gave Kara some grief. Clark snickered, despite being angry at his troublemaking young cousin. The criticism went right over Kara’s head. “Lois, what are you doing here this early in the morning?” Kara grilled playfully.

“Clark and I just woke up.” Lois reddened as she realized her faux pas. Clark was silent, clearly enjoying the exchange. “Oh really? Way to go cousin!” Kara teased, flashing the thumbs up at them as she zipped past them upstairs.

“Shut up, Clark!” Lois gingerly pretended to be angry. He couldn’t help himself, Clark laughed outright. Lois whipped the used coffee filter at him.

Naturally he caught it and tossed it into the garbage. Kara was in and out of the shower in record time, and back in her shorts and tee shirt. "So Kara, how can you afford to jet down to South Beach, on your salary from the Talon?" Lois asked.

"It didn't cost that much..." Kara began as Clark rolled his eyes. "While I was down there, people kept buying me things." Kara stared at Lois blankly. "I bet!" Lois shook her head. "Were you wearing that bikini the whole time?" Kara nodded.

Clark groaned. "The people were so nice in Florida." Kara smiled brightly. "Uh huh." Lois's eyebrows rose. "Were these people mostly young men and boys?" She grilled Kara. "Yes. Why?" Lois took a sip of her coffee. "Deer in the headlights." She muttered. Thankfully, there was a knock at the door.

Clark got up to answer. "It's only 8 am" Lois grumbled. "Is there a cow milking emergency?" Two strangers stood in the doorway. One was a man who looked to be in his early thirties, the other was a younger woman with long reddish hair.

"Can I help you?" Clark asked suspiciously. "Perhaps. I'm looking for Kara Kent." Lois was immediately alert. What's the kid done now? She wondered silently. "Who's asking?" Clark was ready to fight. "I'm Marcus Worthington, and this is Zara Rolfe."

"May we come in?" Marcus asked politely. Clark quickly used his x-ray vision to check for any other uninvited guests. He saw none. "I suppose." Clark said reluctantly. "Kara, do you know these people?"

She nodded. "Yes, they're customers from the Talon." Kara nervously entered the kitchen. Marcus and Zara followed Clark towards the den. "I'm Clark Kent and this is Lois Lane." Marc and Zara exchanged glances. Another one? They thought in unison.

"I'm sorry for the intrusion at this early hour." Marcus opened apologetically. "Zara and I have a full day of meetings ahead of us in Metropolis." Clark was unusually impatient. "You said you needed to talk to Kara? What about?"

Lois eyed them both suspiciously. "Um...I guess I wanted to offer her a job, not to put too fine a point on it." Marcus replied as Kara filtered in closer. "A job? In a major coffee shop in Metropolis?" Lois began the interrogation.

"No, something a little more...challenging." Marcus hinted as Zara checked over the alien's home for anything out of the ordinary. "You couldn't call or e mail her?" Lois pressed, suddenly defensive of Clark's teenage cousin.

"Awkward." Zara muttered, loud enough for Marc to hear. Clark was wary, but curiosity took over. "Please, sit down." He directed them to the den. Kara followed them in and used her own enhanced vision to check the couple for anomalies.

Lois glanced at her precious watch. "I'd love to chit chat, but I have to work for a living." She announced. Lois kissed Clark on the cheek, embarassing him, and went upstairs to gather her things. "Kara is what relation to you Mr. Kent?" Zara questioned.

"Kara's my cousin from...Minnesota." Clark lied. "I'm sorry, but this is highly irregular." He added. "Kara is eighteen and capable of making her own decisions." However odd they may be, he thought. "But I feel that i'm responsible for her."

"Understandable." Marcus dead panned. Lois bounded back downstairs, Clark's travel bag in hand. "I'm leaving, are you sure that you'll be okay?" She asked worriedly. Clark nodded. "Call me." Lois smiled brightly. "Bye, Kara, Mr. Worthington, Miss Rolfe." She sped out of the house, car keys in hand.

"What kind of a job are we talking about?" Clark probed. Kara had been silently trying to recall the couple from the Talon's conversation. "Whatever Kara is most qualified for, Mr. Kent." Zara answered evasively. A superpowered alien teen would be handy on any archaelogy dig, she thought selfishly.

"Let's back up, shall we?" Marcus offered. "Please do." Clark challenged. "Do you know who I am?" He began. "No, should I?" Clark asked coldly. "My name is Marcus Worthington, the CEO and Owner of the international company, WorthingtonCo."

"I'm Professor Zara Rolfe, a sort of independent archaelogical contractor. I'm currently employed by Mr. Worthington." She chimed in. "And you know Lex Luthor." Kara accused, sending shivers down Clark's spine, and warning bells went off in Clark's mind. "Yes, Lex Luthor is a business associate...actually more of a rival." Marc said.

Now we're getting somewhere, Clark mused. "A rival? What possible cause could a billionaire business owner have to hire a coffee house worker?" He added the jab. "We both know that Kara is more than a coffee maitron, don't we?" Marc baited.

"I'm not sure what you mean." Clark countered. Kara gulped audibly. "I'm going to get right to the point..." Marcus paused for dramatic effect. "Are you familiar with the Swann Institute for Developmental Knowledge?" He threw down the gauntlet.

So that was it! Clark felt his eyes burning, a prelude to anger. "Dr. Swann is dead." He stated, as Kara glanced at him in complete bewilderment. "Unfortunately true." Marc admitted. "He trusted Zara and I with his research. Virgil was afraid that certain knowledge would fall into the wrong hands."

"I suppose this knowledge fell into the right hands, namely yours." Clark snapped. "Wait! What's this about?" Kara stood between Clark and Zara facing Marcus. "Yes, Clark, it did. You have no idea what you're up against." Marc sent chills down his own spine with the knowledge that there was now likely more than one Traveler.

"You'd be surprised what I know." Clark said defensively. "I don't doubt it, Clark. I am not your enemy or your problem. Zara and I feel we need to help in any way we can." Clark was getting restless. "What makes you think that we need any help?"

Zara shifted uneasily, knowing that primarily, she was in the presence of two aliens from another world, and second, that in the blink of an eye, either Kara or Clark could kill them both. For the first time in her life, Zara was truly scared.

Clark noticed that Zara's heart beat faster with his superior hearing. Marcus, amazingly, was still calm, cool, and collected. "It is we who need help Clark." Marc placated. "We on Earth, need you and Kara to help." The teen alien gasped.

The phrase, 'we on Earth', told Clark a lot, none of which, he liked. "Clark, or Kal El, we know that either you or Kara are the Traveler, and no, we're not part of Veritas. Yes Clark, we know all about or most of the story surrounding Veritas, and how everyone involved has met an untimely death, usually under suspicious circumstance."

"Zara and I are not your enemies." Clark was speechless. Kara gawked openly. "What proof do you have that this Traveler exists?" Clark hoped that Marcus was bluffing... he wasn't. "Dr. Swann sent me four DVD discs, delivered to me personally, by his daughter, Patricia Swann." Clark nearly swallowed his spit.

"How do we know that you didn't kill Patricia?" Clark asked, not expecting a full answer. "Who's Patricia Swann?" Kara asked warily. "Someone who died because of us." Clark replied solemnly. "Not because of you, Kal El, for you." Marc stated.

"Zara and I don't want to die, yet we feel we must do something." Marcus commented. "What are you afraid of?" Clark fished. "Anyone that can usurp Kara or you for their own ends, namely for monetary or influential gain."

"Why do you care?" Clark asked cynically, shocking Kara into silence. "Because, were we of Earth to lose you or Kara, we would be destroying our own future." Marcus answered elegantly. Clark checked his vital signs. Marcus believed in what he said.

"What if Kara and I weren't here? Earth would go on without us." Clark tested. "Maybe, for a while. Eventually we would be eliminated, either by destroying ourselves, or some beings from another world would bring about our demise."

"You know of others?" Clark challenged. "I have no proof, Kal El. It's a logical conclusion, isn't it? Jor El believed in you." Marcus name dropped. "What do you know of Jor El, he's been dead for eons?" Clark asked, as Kara neared tears.

"Jor El had left a message piggybacked on his original transmission that he'd sent to Dr. Swann. It had been encrypted in a disc that we were sent. We don't know what it says, because it's written in Kryptonian." Marcus informed them. "Here."

He handed Clark a DVD. "What makes you think that Jor El wrote this?" He asked suspiciously. "Who else would?" Zara asked as her vitals finally returned to normal.

"Zor El, Brainiac, even Lara." Kara said before she'd thought it through. Too much information, Clark winced. "What's it say, Kal?"

"It says that the fortress array system has been compromised." Clark read the Kryptonian verses. "You mean all the information we've received from Jor El isn't legit?" Kara wondered out loud.

Marcus and Zara stared at them blankly. "Fortress?" Zara repeated. Clark shot her a dirty look. "You may not reveal that information, under any circumstances." He threatened them. Marc gulped, taking Clark's threat seriously.

"How long has your kind been here on Earth?" Marcus asked after he regained his composure. "I thought that Kara and I were the first. Recently, we've learned otherwise." Clark admitted, purosely to spread the couple's paranoia. I have to keep them guessing.

Zara swallowed hard. "You mean that there could be an all out invasion?" Clark picked out the fear in her voice. It was mean, he knew, but they seemed to have very few options.

"We're not really sure." Clark continued to bait them. "It's up to us to remain ever vigilant." Kara was lost in thought. "I think we should hear them out, Kal." She put in. "You mentioned a job?"

"Now wait a minute, Kara." Clark interrupted. "We don't know anything about these people." He pictured Kara lying in a bed in a lab somewhere with kryptonite liquid running through her veins.

"Kal, you've been ragging at me to fit in, to assimilate into Earth's culture. What better way than to get a normal full time job?" She argued. Zara was amazed. They're just like us! Squabbling like siblings! Suddenly she began to feel comfortable with them.

"That's the key, isn't it? a normal full time job." Clark pointed out. "How would you define normal?" He posed the question to Marc and Zara. Clearly, Marcus had been prepared for this.

"Thank you for listening." He began as Clark waited patiently for an answer. "We have a number of opportunities for young ladies at WorthingtonCo." Marc gave them the standard pitch.

Superman noted that he'd said 'young ladies' not young men. Marcus seemed singularly interested in Kara. "WorthingtonCo is one of the top companies to work for in the world." Marc was a polished speaker, Clark observed, though he was still suspicious.

"We build things...unusual things..." Marc teased. "WorthingtonCo is always on the cutting edge of research and development." Kal bristled at the word 'research' and decided to press the point.

"Who pays for all this research and development? What has your company built that we would know about?" Clark grilled, sounding more and more like a journalist every day.

"Our most recent project was bidding on a new International Space Station and Zero G Laboratory." Marc explained. "We partnered with WayneCo Technology. Fortunately, we were able to outbid Luthorcorp and a group of foreign investors for the contracts."

"As for who bankrolls our business...it's me." Marc stopped to let that statement hang in the air. Now Clark was becoming impressed. Worthington seemed legit, and he'd heard of WayneCo as well.

"Luthor was going to use his space station as a weapons depot!" Marc went for the kill to close the deal. Kara gasped and Clark whistled. "You can prove that?" Kal asked. Zara shook her head.

"No, the bugger was too slick, we couldn't pin a thing on him." The British archaelogist added. "It bloody took a week of baths to wash the blooming slime off me from being in the same room with Lex."

Kara laughed and Clark forced a quick smile. "That sounds like Lex." He commented. Marcus mentally crossed his fingers. Had we gotten to them? He wondered silently. Would Kal let Kara go out on her own?

"Lex was planning to be the first to mass produce weapons in space." Marcus informed them. "His private interests, as he called them, included a Star Wars type missile defense system. Though the concept has been around for a while."

"This time, Lex would've held all the cards. He could've literally done anything with his project, held any country hostage, charged enormous 'protection fees' to the U S Government, simply altered the balance of power in the entire world."

"It's fortunate that WayneCo and I were able to stop him. His own board of directors turned down any further requests for funding." Marc concluded. "It's bloody likely that Lex's directors will end up 'missing' or taking an early retirement package." Zara added.

"The bottom line is that we may not be able to stop him next time." Marc continued. "I also expect that Lex will try to sabotage our joint project as it moves forward." Clark shook his head. "That's bad."

"Yes it is, Kal." Marc agreed. "How can we help?" Kara asked. Clark felt like someone had hit him in the stomach with a kryptonite bullet. "You know what this means, don't you?" He asked Kara.

"We won't be able to live simple lives here on the farm." She replied. "We would have to 'come out' so to speak. With that kind of visibility, eventually someone would catch us." Superman stated.

"Catch you?" Zara repeated. "Yes, catch us using our powers." Kara responded. Marc swallowed hard, saddled with the enormity of their problem. "Observe." Kara zipped away and back. In the blink of an eye, she'd come back to the den with a dozen eggs.

"Wow!" Zara exclaimed. "You must be handy to bloody have around the house." Clark was horrified. "We'll have to think about it." He said reluctantly. "That's all we ask. Don't take too long." Marc countered. "We never know when Lex will strike again."

----- Added 6 Minutes later -----

You will believe a man, or a girl, can fly. Flight Training

“I guess that I still have some reservations.” Clark stated calmly. “How did you find out about us?” Marcus and Zara had expected that question. “Ironically, we now believe that you ‘outed’ yourself.” Marc began. “It was roughly two weeks ago...”

Flashback Sequence to Kara and Clark standing atop a ridge overlooking Dead Man’s Quarry, an abandoned limestone quarry that lie ten miles away from Reeves’ Dam. Clark is staring blankly at his younger cousin. “It’s simple, Kal. You just relax, concentrate, and think that you can fly.”

“You just think that you can fly?” Clark echoed skeptically. “Exactly.” Kara insisted. “Watch.” The teen alien smiled broadly, extending her arms out from her sides, and floated upward. She effortlessly floated back down. “Now you try.” Kara’s eyes sparkled in the early morning sun.

Clark felt foolish, but mimicked his cousin’s movement. For a moment, Kal floated upward about two feet. “See, you’re doing it!” Kara encouraged. He dropped back down clumsily. Kara sighed. “Well, it’s a start.” She backed up a bit. “Maybe you can try a running start?”

Kara ran forward to the cliff’s edge, and leapt upward, soaring easily above the rocky hillside leading down into the quarry. Superman followed her motions, running off the gorge’s peak and jumping forward, as he’d done one time to land atop a semi-tractor trailer and rescue Lois and Lucy Lane.

This he accomplished simply enough, until Kal realized that he was near the quarry’s center, with hundreds of feet of empty air below him. Kara banked slowly around towards him, mirroring the soaring, curvy flight of a nearby brown eagle parent, eyeing the pair suspiciously as they neared her nest.

Clark suddenly sank like a rock, falling straight down, until he reached a speed that caused a sonic boom within the confines of the quarry walls. Kal hit the floor of the canyon with a thunderous crunch, that dug a seventeen foot hole, sending dirt, rocks, and other debris skyward.

Kara shook her head, allowing her long blonde locks to scatter in the wind. She flew in low just as Clark was climbing out of the hole. “Are you all right, Kal? You have to concentrate at first, until you get the hang of it.” Superman brushed the limestone dust from his red tee shirt and blue jeans.

Clark nodded. “I guess that I just have too much on my mind.” Kara floated down beside him, and crossed her arms skeptically. It’s got to be a mental issue, she surmised. “I bet you’re thinking about Lois, aren’t you?” She teased. “No.” Kal said flatly. “What’s that, Chloe always said?” Kara taunted.

“Oh yeah. Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.” Kara ostracized. “No.” Clark said with some irritation. “Lois, Lois, Lois,..” Kara taunted as she jumped across the craggy canyon base, finally landing perpendicular to the lowest section of a wall. “Race you back to the top, running! One, Two...”

Kara dashed straight up the quarry wall. “Three! Go!” She mocked from about halfway up. Kal sped alongside his young cousin, before finally passing her near the top quarter of the gorge’s bank. He stopped a fraction of a second before Kara reached him. She smirked. “Now we try it my way.”

Kara ran along the edge of the canyon’s lip, with Clark at her heel. After a full lap, she suddenly jumped up and flew high over the quarry. Kal followed her move, and was soon soaring behind her. She turned back and stopped. They were dead center above the quarry. “It’s as easy as that!” Kara laughed.

Clark found himself hovering next to Kara. He didn’t feel like falling. “You did it, Kal, you can float! That’s half the battle!” Clark relaxed and smiled. “Thanks, Kara.” The young alien pointed to the ridge on the other side of the quarry. “Now, go horizontal, like if you were swimming.” She directed.

He complied, extending his arms from his shoulder, like an airplane’s wings. Kara did the same and led him to the wall. Clark landed sloppily, knocking a few small boulders into the quarry. “You’re getting it, Kal.” Kara complimented. “Just keep on practicing.” She urged.

The two aliens stood at the edge of the wall. Kara decided to try one more thing. She zipped away, startling Clark. “Kara? What?” Before he could finish his question, she had sped back at him, and physically shoved Clark into the steepest part of the quarry. He fell most of the way down.

Kara watched with delight, as Clark extended his arms, and about thirty feet above the canyon floor, began to level off, soaring easily across the base to the other side. Kara flew down, darting like a hawk in search of prey, as Clark went vertical, and landed comfortably beyond some rough foliage.

“See? You did that without thinking about it!” Kara stood confidently atop a boulder. “Yes, I did.” Clark said playfully. “One, Two, Three...” He dashed off along the base of the canyon, Kara ran after him. The two aliens again ran straight up the quarry wall, and slowed to a stop at it’s peak.

“Race you to the Reeves’ river?” Clark offered. “You got it, cousin.” Kara accepted the challenge. “Flying or running?” Clark rubbed his chin. “Both.” Kara said. “Okay, one, two,...” She dashed off, with Clark at her heel. The super heroes ran and alternately leapt or flew over obstacles along the way.

They vaulted over fallen trees, fences, and shrubs, frequently switching to low short flights, and even strafed a semi-tractor trailer, hoping that the driver hadn’t seen them. At one point, the aliens flew above a main highway, and hadn’t noticed a late model black BMW car driving their way.

“Marc, did you see that?” Zara Rolfe asked her long time boyfriend. “What?” He wondered out loud. “I swear it looked like a bloody yellow and blue bird, soaring above the tree line.” Marc was skeptical. “A blue and yellow bird? Like a parrot?” Zara shook her head. “No, it was much bigger.”

The couple dismissed it as a great blue heron or something, and hadn’t thought about it until recently. At the time, Kara and Clark were blissfully unaware of any spectators. They followed the Reeves’ River until it spilled out into Red Bluff Lake.

A bit before they reached the Red Bluff beach, Clark darted off in a tangential arc, leaving Kara surprised, as she searched the horizon with her enhanced vision. Kal sped back in with blinding speed, and unceremoniously tackled young Kara, knocking her into the water. The two aliens bobbed in the lake.

She laughed hysterically, splashing Kal with mighty waves of fresh, cool, water. “Let’s see how fast we can swim.” She urged. The two raced for a while, until they grew bored of the frivolity. Clark climbed out of the lake, and extended a hand to help Kara as well.

Clark hadn’t been this happy since he and Lana....His thoughts clouded his good mood. “What’s the matter, cousin?” Kara asked worriedly. “If it’s about that Lois remark...I was just trying to...”

Kal dismissed her with a wave. “No, it’s not that. In fact, I think you could be right. We need to make some changes in our lives, and stop worrying about the past. Those ghosts will always be there.”

“Kara, what do you think of this?” Clark began. “Chloe came up with an idea sometime last year. She suggested that I adopt another persona. You know how Oliver and his buddies all have secret identities? They could lead relatively normal lives, and still help Oliver on his missions. We should try that.”

“Changing our names, or acquiring silly nicknames, doesn’t change who we are.” His teen cousin observed with an unusual amount of wisdom. “True.” He agreed. “If we did, we’d just create more lies on top of lies.” Kara nodded with a serious expression on her thin face. “Let’s consider it, though.”

Back to present time: “Clark, that was you and Kara that we saw on the road that time, wasn’t it?” Marc was looking for confirmation. “Yes. It was.” Kal admitted. “I must ask you two to keep this in the utmost secrecy. You are in a position to completely alter the human race’s future.” Superman added seriously.

“I understand, Kal El, yet, that is exactly what I’m trying to do.” Marc affirmed. Something shimmered into the center of the room, startling everyone. In the blink of an eye, a large greenish brown silhouette formed, and held a small triangular crystal, with the house of Jor El’s ‘S’ on it.

The object flashed brightly, stunning Marc and Zara, and momentarily paralyzing them. Kara watched in horror, ready to attack. “John? What the hell are you doing?” Clark accused. The Martian Man Hunter stood rigidly, his bright red eyes glaring. “Once again I must rescue you, Kal El.”

to be continued...

[lauraforever]

AMAZING chapters buddy!

[gardy1]

Last Daughter of Krypton - Identity

Here's another chapter: Enjoy!

Yesterday’s Child: Identity Chapter 5

“Red Eyes!” Kara hissed. “What is wrong with you? They were only offering me a job.” John waved her off. “Their intentions were honorable, Kal El, yet your destiny is far greater than working for someone else."

"Jor El sent you here to protect Earth from primarily rogue Kryptonians, and also any invasion force from other worlds.” Clark nodded. “I realize that now, but what about Kara?”
“I have no idea what Kara’s destiny is or was.” John admitted. “Jor El and Lara thought that they were sending Kara here to protect you. Zor El’s intention was to send Kara here to help repopulate Krypton on Earth, and kill you if you interfered.” Chills ran down Clark’s spine.

“Yes, well now no one controls Kara’s or my destiny except us.” Superman stated boldly. “We will have to adapt, Kara.” Clark began. “John, we’re going to need some kind of cover. I’ve been giving that a lot of thought lately. Kara and I need to create two separate identities for ourselves.”

“We can neither rule Earth as my father Zor El intended, nor ignore our destinies any longer.” Kara sounded much more grown up. “It’s going to be complicated.” John agreed. “I have created multiple identities over time. Humans tend to have multiple personas as well. Duplicity is common.”

“Kara, we can no longer hide out on the farm content to live our lives in secret.” Kal stated. “As one of my good friends recently said: I lie on the couch while a world of trouble swirls outside my door.” Kara smiled, slowly warming to the idea. She had never liked the fact that they renounced their heritage.

“Eventually someone would catch us using our abilities anyway.” Clark added. “As Marcus and Zara have. We should still hear them out, and go visit their place of business. John, can you delete some selected memories that they acquired? The way you did for Lois?”

“Yes, but keep in mind, human psyches are complicated. I will do my best.” The Martian Manhunter presses one long finger against Marcus’s head, another on Zara’s. They will forget why they came here and how they got here as well. You’ll have to take them back to Metropolis.”

The human’s heads sagged as John removed his touch. “Kara and Kal El, I cannot always be there to save you. You’ll both have to be far more careful in the future.” John backed away slowly. “Also, I believe that your new friends can help you."

"Oliver, AC, Bart, Dinah, and Victor have all invented duplicitous lives. Unfortunately, it seems that humans fall into duplicity far too easily. There are others..." John added cryptically.

He flew off, leaving them to consider his last words. Kara and Clark carried the humans to the den and sat them on the couch. Kara hurriedly threw on a pot of coffee, boiling the water with her heat vision. She brought them the hot steaming mugs. Clark sat casually across from the strangers.

Kara sat on the arm of the chair beside Kal. Marc and Zara came to, yawning and stretching. “What were we talking about?” Marc began. “I’m sorry, it must’ve been sodding jet lag.” Zara said with her clipped British accent. “You were asking Kara and I if we’d like to tour your business facility.”

“Yes, of course.” Marc faltered. “It so happens that I’ve been offered a job at the Metropolis Daily Planet newspaper.” Clark explained. “It would make a great first story.” Zara nodded reluctantly. Kara cast Kal a sidelong glance. “You also said that you may be interested in hiring Kara.”

The alien teen smiled brightly. “Why didn’t you want to hire me?” Clark pressed. “That’s because Marcus almost exclusively hires women for his Arizona facility.” Zara said petulantly. “Really? Why is that?” Clark wondered, sounding more like a reporter than an alien super hero.

“I’ve found that women tended to be more responsible and trustworthy than the men I know.” Marc defended. “Surely all men can’t be irresponsible and untrustworthy.” Clark commented. “True, but I have my reasons.” Marc said defiantly. “Fair enough.” Clark said diplomatically.

“Kara and I will think about it and get back to you.” He asked for their business cards. “Miss Rolfe, you mentioned something about archaeology?” Kara hinted. “Yes, I’m looking to increase my archaeology staff this quarter."

“We’ve so many bloody digs around the world, that I’m sodding short staffed all the time. It’s not Marcus’s funding that gives me ills, it’s the foreign governments that are always struttin’ about with their hands out. Grease a palm here, grease a palm there...”

“That might be something that I’m interested in.” Kara offered. “Clark, what do you think? It would be a good way to learn about the culture, travel to foreign places, see the various people of ...ear...uh...the world.” She quickly corrected herself. “Is that what you want?” Kal inquired.

“Yes, I think that I would.” Kara beamed. “Miss Rolfe, what do I have to do? I don’t want any special treatment. What qualifications do I need?” Marc seemed pleased with the outcome, though something was still nipping at the back of his mind. Did I forget something?

He glanced at his watch and realized that they’d been here...wherever...for well over an hour. “Then it’s settled. You’ll both come out to tour the facilities and learn about the business.” Marc decided.

Zara stood up. “I’ve an archaeology lecture at the Metropolis Museum of Natural History this afternoon. You’re both invited to check it out. Here’s two backstage passes. We can talk more then.”

“Sounds good.” Kara said pleasantly. Clark’s cell phone rang. He snapped it up. It was Lois. “I have to take this call. Excuse me.” He headed to the back porch. “Yeah Lois?” Meanwhile, Marc and Zara finished their coffees, and still couldn’t shake the feeling that they were missing something.

Was John’s memory manipulation effective enough? Only time will tell. Lois was excited. “You should’ve seen it Clark, Lex was fried by the Board of Directors. They unanimously voted against his closure of the Daily Planet deal. Perry White was offered the Publisher’s job...he refused it!”

Clark wandered alongside the backyard foliage petting Krypto / Shelby at random intervals. Lois was rattling on. “Perry accepted the Editor’s job instead. He wants you to come in for an interview as early as tomorrow. That’s assuming that you’re willing to get up off your butt from the farm.”

“I’ll sell the remaining forty acres to our neighbors.” Clark sighed. He knew that it was time to let go of the past and that included his Earth father’s land. His Earth mother, Martha, had already said that he could leave the farm anytime he wanted. She moved on to Washington.

“Thanks Clark.” Lois eyes began to tear up. She was glad that he couldn’t see her. “Thanks? For what?” Superman wondered. “Just for putting forth the effort.” Lois downplayed her emotional state. “You’ll see! It’ll be great! Lois and Clark, Daily Planet Reporters!” She was really amped up.

Clark chuckled. “I don’t have the job yet, Lois. Hey, here’s some breaking news for you. Kara may be leaving for a new job as well. This old farmhouse will be empty without us.” Lois considered something that she hadn’t believed was possible. Could she and Clark start a relationship?

“Hello? Lois?” Kal noted her unusual silence. “Sorry Smallville, I think my caffeine and sugar buzz is wearing off. Anyway, I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning? Perry will want to schedule the interview with you. Bring your razor thin resume with you.” She teased.

Marc and Zara were ready to go. Kara was just getting some last minute information from them. “Hi, um...that was Lois. She said that I’ll probably get the job at the Planet. We’ll be in touch?” Clark asked hopefully. He felt bad that Marc and Zara had to be zapped by John, but it was necessary.

No one man or group should have that kind of power, he mused, quoting some of the logic behind the Traveler fiasco, and Lex’s attempt to control or kill him. Kara and Clark escorted the humans to their car. “Thanks for your time.” Clark commented diplomatically. “Bye.” Kara waved as they left.

Marc and Zara drove off in the general direction of Metropolis. “What were we tracking on the way out here?” Zara glanced at their small high tech locator device. “I’m not sure.” Marc admitted. “Maybe we just left the GPS going.” He said, though that seemed like a lame explanation.

“Remind me again why we were interested in those kids from Smallville.” Zara said. “I mean they seemed nice, but why would we put forth such a grand bloody effort to meet them?” Marc watched the GPS, retracing their route to Metropolis. “I have no idea.”
Kara and Clark headed up to the barn loft to gaze out at the sunset over the Kent Farm. “I guess things will change forever, now.” Kara commented depressingly. “It’s for the best, Kara.” He hugged his little cousin.

“We still have a lot to do. I mean Lex is still out there, and now he’ll be twice as angry with me, and Lois for that matter.” Kara rested against his shoulder. “The whole planet will one day be watching us, Kal.” She remarked, with some wisdom beyond her years. “It’s inevitable, I guess.”

"If I qualify and accept that job with Mr. Worthington and Zara, will I still have time to locate Kandor?" Kara asked rhetorically. "You'll find a way, Kara, I know you will." Clark said with confidence. "Meanwhile, i'll be spending more time in Metropolis."

Kara's bright blue eyes sparkled. "Yeah, with Lois!" She teased, playfully hip checking her cousin away from the window. "She's a good person, Kal. She seems tough enough, and responsible enough to learn our secret."

"I hope you're right, Kara." Clark smiled, again hugging the teen alien.

[lauraforever]

WOOHOO! AWESOME chapter!

[gardy1]

Last Daughter of Krypton - Legend of Kara

Here's another new chapter, enjoy.

Beyond Smallville: The Legend of Kara Chapter 6

Kara Zor EL Kent flew merrily above the bright amber Kansas cornfields, admiring the diversity of wildlife, plant life, and of course, the people of Earth. Each farm looked different to her. Back on the now extinct Krypton, asteroid Argos, and City of Kandor, the ending of the planetary lives forced the remaining residents underground…before it all was destroyed in a devastating explosion.

Kara considered herself very lucky. She’d escaped the end of her home world, fled to Earth, found her cousin Kal El, and now enjoyed the hospitality of her new adopted planet. There were always problems, to be sure, yet here she was, alive and well.

Kara soared into the broken, low hanging levels of clouds, following a flock of geese, gathered in a standard ‘V’ formation. The super girl began to appreciate the little things of her new life. Clark and Lois had helped motivate her to leave the Phantom Zone, and now she had given herself a second chance. Additionally, rumors of Kandor still persisted within the tortured minds of the dark ghouls.

The wraiths, or ‘Zoners’ had let it slip that Kandor had been miraculously saved. Kala Grel, a well-respected Kryptonian scientist had been experimenting with miniaturization. Legend held that Kala found away to use the technology present in the Phantom Zone to create a type of multidimensional storage facility, and she’d managed to save most of Kandor within it.

Kara knew that it was a shot in the dark, but what else did she have to go on? Faith, and only faith, was currently motivating her. She called it ‘her destiny’ that night when she’d last spoken with Kal El at the family barn loft. Kara decided to start investigating the area of her crashed space ship.

She’d surfaced at Reeves Dam, during the battle of Bizarro and Clark, nearly a year ago. There could very well be a clue that she’d missed hidden beneath the lake. Kara extended her arms like an airplane and began to lower her flight path nearer to the now repaired dam.

Suddenly, something grabbed her ankle, bringing her enjoyable flight to an abrupt halt. She turned to face…BRAINIAC! Kara gasped as she twisted in the Kryptonian Artificial Intelligence’s grasp. “You! Let me go!” She growled, attempting to kick the AI in his celluloid head.

“You’re a hard girl to find, Kara Zor El.” BRAINIAC said, pulling her towards him. Kara still struggled in his ironclad grip. “I see that you’re disobeying your weak cousin Kal El’s directives again, flying out and about where all of the pitiful humans can see you.” He taunted.

“Why don’t you just stay dead?” Kara hissed, flipping him over her head with her leg. The AI still held her shoulder, threatening to dislocate it or tear off her thin arm. “What do you want?” She snarled, having fought for her life in the Phantom Zone, Kara was in no mood for the AI’s insolence.

“I wish to offer you a choice.” BRAINIAC sneered, in a very human like expression. Kara switched positions, getting the AI in a chokehold, though he struggled mightily. “What makes you think that I’d be interested in anything you had to say? I should drag you back to Kal El, and let him deal with you.” She snapped. BRAINIAC shifted his weight, flipping Kara over his artificial shoulder.

The two opponents hung in midair, squeezing each other as much as their immense strength would allow. “You can either join me in completing your father, Zor El’s mission, namely to rebuild Earth in Krypton’s image…or die.” BRAINIAC stated with conviction. “You dare threaten a daughter of the House of El?” Kara scoffed. “You owe your very existence to us!”

“My father and uncle helped create you!” Kara ranted. “You were to help Krypton, not turn against us! You were created to serve us!” She shoved BRAINIAC off of her a short distance. He spun in midair and returned to get back in her face. “You’re not programmed to kill another Kryptonian.” Kara scowled. BRAINIAC ‘s celluloid lip curled. “I got over it.”

“I am serving your father.” The AI argued. “Zor El’s plan all the long was to repopulate Earth with Kryptonian DNA, and call it New Krypton.” Kara didn’t buy it. “I’ll reprogram you myself!” She snapped. “Or turn your rotting mechanical insides into scrap!”

“You can’t, Kara Zor El.” BRAINIAC countered. “You don’t have the access codes.” He lunged for Kara’s thin waist, and she barely sidestepped his advance. “I can always shut you down, and figure it out later.” She bluffed. “Humans are poor liars, as are you. I can see their influence on you already.”

BRAINIAC and Kara continued to square off, rotating around each other like two lions approaching their prey. “You need to find a new mission.” Kara threatened as she readied for the AI’s inevitable attack. “Besides, Kal El will never let you harm the humans.”

BRAINIAC growled, an unusual sound for an android. Apparently he’d increased his ability to mimic human sounds as well as their appearance. “Kal El will one day become irrelevant, and you can rule Earth.” The AI tempted the girl of steel. “I don’t want to rule Earth.” She retorted.

“I intend to help the humans by any means necessary.” Kara defended against the first swing of BRAINIAC’s robotic fist, deflecting it with her elbow. The shockwave of the two titans hitting each other reverberated down to the ground. “Then you will die in humiliation, as will Kal El!”

BRAINIAC charged the teen super hero, as she grabbed his head with both hands and began to squeeze it. His artificial skull became misshapen but was too well built for Kara to crush it. The AI horse-collared the young alien, and began to punch her in the cheek. Kara took a few hits before spinning out of his grip. She backed away a few miles, intending to ram the AI.

“Take this, you overgrown hunk of junk!” Kara shouted as she accelerated to supersonic speed. The sonic boom echoed across the empty Kansas farm fields. Kara dove for BRAINIAC’s midsection with both fists extended. The impact knocked them in opposite directions. The thunderous shockwave had been felt all the way to Metropolis. Clark picked up the sound and winced. “Now what?”

Clark and Lois had just returned from Marcus Worthington’s Arizona Ranch. Lois had set her luggage down on the floor of the den within the Kent Farmhouse. “Thunder?” She glanced out the window. “Hmmm, not a cloud in the sky.” Clark also found the noise suspicious.

Can’t I get a moment’s peace? Superman thought sourly. Lois fed Krypto / Shelby, and sat on the edge of the coffee table, digging out her laptop. “Okay, back to work, Smallville.” She directed. “We have to finalize Worthington’s story before tomorrow morning, per Perry White.”

Another sonic boom echoes over the usually silent Kansas crop fields. “Something’s not right.” Clark mumbled. “Of course it’s not right, that’s why we call it ‘finalizing a story’ in the biz.” Lois responded absently, as she flipped through page after page of her story’s PDF File.

Clark ignored his best friend and colleague, instead opting to focus his attention on listening. He turned his head in the direction of the melee. He thought he heard an upset female’s voice in the distance, nearly lost in the myriad of local sound waves.

Kara whirled head over heels just a few dozen feet above the farmland. The impact with BRAINIAC had knocked the super teen out cold. Gravity held her up as she spun across the state line. A young woman walked casually along an onrushing stream, following the yellow gold water towards its source. A thick layer of yellow orange sediment lay at the creek’s base.

She speaks distinctly into her cell phone. “Hey Tim, just checking on my stash. You know I ran flat out of power yesterday evening. So we guessed correctly. Even I have my limits.” The young man’s voice replied: “That’s good, I guess. That must mean that you can function normally…well, normal enough for you, anyway.” Tim joked. “Funny, Tim-ster.” She retorted.

Something soared over her head, landing with an Earth shattering thud, on the side of the muddy stream’s bank. “WTF!” She shouted into the phone, making Tim wince. “Now what?” The teen gazed in disbelief at the sight. A blonde girl dressed in blue, white, and red lay motionless in a small crater.

The girl looked to be roughly the same age as she. “Laura! What’s wrong?” Tim’s panicked voice split the silent air. “What was that explosion?” Laura rushed over to the injured teen. “Tim, I’m okay. Let me check it out and get back to you.” She flipped off the cell phone. “Holy crap! Are you okay, Miss?” Laura climbed into the crater and felt Kara’s wrist looking for a pulse.

Her pulse was weak, her breathing was labored, and a small trickle of blood leaked from her mouth and ear. Laura bent down shaking Kara gently. “I better call for a paramedic.” She muttered. “The trouble is that out here in the middle of nowhere, an ambulance would take forever.”

She popped open the cell and it beeped. Kara’s eyes fluttered open, and she coughed roughly. “No, no ambulance…I’ll be all right.” The alien super girl croaked. “Yeah, well you have a fairly narrow definition of all right, lady. Where did you come from, anyway?”

Laura was about to punch in 911 when a sonic boom shattered the air around her. “Whoa!” She glanced upward, expecting to see a fighter jet, or a large thundercloud in the sky. Nothing. Instead a single odd-looking man floated a few yards above her. “Now there’s something you don’t see every day.” Laura commented.

“Hey flyboy! I don’t know how you’re defying gravity, but we could use some help down here.” Laura instructed him. The alien’s head jerked slightly, like it was out of synch with the rest of its body. “Run…go…now!” Kara muttered as her eyes closed once more. “Run? You’re not going anywhere, sister.” Laura carefully placed Kara’s head back down.

She was getting the impression that the flying guy was responsible for the young girl’s injury. “Do yourself a favor, lowly Earth creature, and walk away before you get hurt.” BRAINIAC warned. “Are you threatening me…? Earth creature? Are you kidding me? Come on, pull the other one!” Laura snapped as she stood up. “Look genius…this girl needs help.”

“That is not your concern.” BRAINIAC’s head twitched again, and Laura noted that the side of his face was suddenly distorted.

more to come...

[lauraforever]

Wait a minute... Laura and TIM?! Who's TIM?! Other than that, it was amazing!! Loved the Brainiac vs Kara beginning!

[gardy1]

Beyond Smallville - Death in the Heartland

Thanks for reading. Tim & Laura are my new characters. Here's the origin story. Creating a new hero from scratch is more difficult than i thought. First attempt:

Late Summer, 1995: Death in the Heartland pt 1

Falcon Claw, Nebraska near Crater Lake and Comet Creek.

The sleepy farming town of Falcon Claw was preparing for harvest season. Situated halfway between Lincoln and Norfolk, Falcon Claw was doing quite well for itself. Most of the old timers dreaded the expansion west from Omaha, fearing that it would lead to suburban sprawl and the destruction of important farmland.

They still had some time, or so they thought. This season had been harsh as the weather waffled between intense heat and frequent powerful storms. A record number of tornadoes had ravaged the area all summer. Some harvests boomed, while others wilted on the vine or in the fields. Falcon Claw had been fairly lucky up to this point.

The Falcon Claw Festival was barely three weeks away. It was more than a simple county fair. It was imperative that all of the local farmers bring their merchandise to the town square. They'd set up booths and hawk their wares.

Tourists from across the Midwest drove for hours on end, sometimes a couple of days to appear at every county fair and festival in Nebraska. Roughly thirty percent of the farmer's sales came from their displays of food, livestock, or machinery, and arts and crafts. Many homemade specialties were sold as well.

Today, an old red pick up truck pulls up next to the Lake's General Store, near the center of what passed for downtown Falcon Claw. Steve and Muriel Lake had married seven years ago. They'd ventured here from the truly rural and unpopulated areas of western Nebraska, in the hope of getting their only daughter a quality education.

Five year old Laura played happily in the front garden of the general store. The gravelly road crackled beneath the pick up's well worn tires, as it came to a stop. James and Marion Trent climbed out. They needed some more items to complete their latest harvest, and feed the remaining unsold livestock.

The Trents had been recently married, but unfortunately, Marion was unable to bear children. She'd taken the news from the doctor hard. James had already begun considering adoption, many beautiful children were homeless, parentless, or displaced from dysfunctional families.

James and Marion greeted their friends, the Lakes. Marion loved little Laura, and Muriel Lake didn't mind sharing their precocious daughter's attention with them, especially given how busy the Lakes had been this year.

"Hey Steve, how're things going?" James asked cordially. "Pretty good, Jim." Steve shook his hand heartily. "Since the end of spring, we've been going full tilt." Marion nodded. "That is good news, Steve." Muriel got up from her shelf stocking to join the others on the old wrap around porch, which encircled the general store.

Muriel and Marion hugged. "How's things back at the farm?" She asked as Marion shrugged. "We've been pulling our own." Jim agreed. "We hit a rough patch back in July, but the late August rains have helped. Can you believe that it's almost September?" Steve shook his head. "What can I get for you folks, today?"

Marion handed Muriel a list of smaller items that they were interested in, as Jim put on his canvas gloves. "I'll need to get nearly a pallet of feed, the animals are eating like there's no tomorrow. You might as well throw in a few bags of fertilizer."

"You got it, Jim." Steve grabbed the keys to the storage area beside their building. "The fertilizer just came in this week, that's about as fresh as it gets in these parts." Jim nodded. "That sounds like a plan."

Laura had bounded up the steps when she'd seen the pick up and recognized the Trents. The little girl had her raven black hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. "Mr.and Mrs.Trent!" The excited girl said, remembering to be polite. Marion hugged Laura.

"My gosh Laura, you're getting so big!" She commented. Muriel smiled proudly as she headed back into the store. "Yeah! And i'm working now, too!" Laura boasted. "Really?" Marion was impressed.

Laura took the twenty something Mrs.Trent by the hand. "Sure, i'm in charge of the garden at the back of the yard." The little girl was quite pleased with herself. "C'mon, i'll show you." She urged.

Muriel called out the open window. "Now Laura, Mr. and Mrs. Trent are very busy." Marion looked up at the storeowner's wife. "Nonsense! I always have time for the little angel!" She said. "Angel, Eh?" Steve chuckled. "Okay, but don't be long. The weather's about to turn for the worse." He warned.

"We won't." Laura promised. She guided Marion through the white pickett fence gate, and out into the vast yard. "I have to water, and fer...fertilize..." The child struggled with the unfamiliar word. "Take care of all the flowers and vegetables for Mama and Poppa."

Sure enough, flowers as tall as the fence and good-sized tomatoes, lettuce, and peppers decorated the entire rear third of the property. "Very good, Laura." Marion praised as the first rolls of thunder echoed in the distance. Laura smiled appreciatively.

Her father and Jim were at the feed and fertilizer display just to the side rear of the store's entrance. "We'll need 17 bags of feed and at least three of fertilizer, Steve. I'll go and get the truck." James said as he left. Steve grabbed a manually operated lift truck.

It clattered across the pebbled driveway. After James was out of sight, two grizzled young men silently approached the store, after parking their dark sedan in a nearby alley. One, who had a three inch scar across his cheek, motioned towards the display.

They split up, and the taller of the two followed the wall nearest to Steve, who had been left alone, out of the view of the store windows. He spotted the potential customer heading for him.

"How can i help you?" Steve asked innocently. Without a word, the younger man pulled a small caliber revolver, equipped with a silencer, from his thigh high black trenchcoat pocket. The assailant fired two shots at Steve, who never had a chance.

The first shot pierced the pleasant storeowner's chest near his heart, the second impacted his head, killing him instantly. He fell to the dusty ground and lay in a pool of blood. The murderer turned without a thought, to retrieve the getaway car.

James was already backing the pick up truck toward the display, when he noticed something reddish on the white and gray rocky path. A fierce wind rippled through the town, heralding the approaching storm. The chimes above the store door tinkled.

Meanwhile, the second man was already inside. He spotted Muriel Lake getting a bag of groceries ready. Like a wraith, he silently closed in on her. "Hello sir, may i help...?"

The unfortunate woman never finished her question. Two basically silent shots tore through the dank air, killing her in the same manner as her husband.

The gloved shooter went over to the cash register and popped it open, using a nearby crobar, which had been hung on a display. He quickly filled his pockets with money, and then bent down behind the counter, raiding an unlocked safe.

Noiselessly, he turned on his heel and walked right out the front door. The murderer's accomplice pulled up to the opposite side of the wrap around porch in the getaway car.

The robber carried three canvas bags as he got into the car, and peeled out, heading for the main highway. This all took less than five minutes. Later, it was determined that the thieves were likely hitmen, or gangbangers looking for a fast buck.

The skies continued to darken, lightning crackled, and the swirling winds created dust devils as the storm drew near. Marion and Laura were way at the end of the property. The elder woman became suspicious as she glanced back at the store.

She hadn't seen Muriel puttering around the store in the last few minutes. When the rolling thunder distracted her, Marion looked to the skies, which had become a sickly green.

The pitch black clouds roiled, separating from the miles tall wall cloud at the rear edge of the thunderstorm. Marion had grown up in tornado country, and knew the signs all too well.

She hurriedly grabbed the child by the hand, guiding her towards the store. Opposite them was the storm cellar, near the feed display. "Laurie, we need to go in. It's about to storm."

James came rushing into the yard. He placed himself between Laura, his wife, and the shop. Marion noted that Jim's complexion had turned a ghastly white. By now, he'd thoroughly checked to see if Steve and Muriel were alive, to no avail.

The attackers spent a moment trashing the phone lines, the storm had done the rest. No one had cell phones yet. "Uh...honey... maybe we should take Laura with us for a while." Jim said nervously. Marion gulped. Something had gone terribly wrong.

Jim's ashen face reflected the greenish hue of the turbulent skies. "Okay, dear." She managed to put on a stoic face. James hurried them along, glancing in the general direction of the store. For all he knew, the killer or killers, were lying in wait for them.

The storm rumbled closer, and as if on cue, a grayish black funnel lowered from the spinning black hook cloud. They'd run out of time as the storm dictated their next action. James grabbed Laura's hand and virtually yanked the child off the ground.

Jim chanced that the gunmen were gone as they scurried toward the family pick up, forgetting about their supplies. The assailants could have easily picked them off.

They sprinted up the gravelly drive. "Let's go sweetie, the weather's turning bad." Marion urged the frightened girl. "Who will tell Mommy and Daddy?" Laura asked worriedly. She was far too smart for her own good. James dragged them out the pickett gate.

"Honey, Mama and Daddy had to go away for a while." Jim, choked out. Marion knew what that meant. She held back the tears and put on a brave face for the little girl.

"You can come and stay with us." James offered. "After the storm, we can have some cookies and pop at our house." Marion added. "Now, let's go!" James reached the pick up first, and lifted Laura into the passenger seat. Marion piled in after her, as they sped off.

The storm came in much sooner than they expected. Rain fell in sheets and flew sideways, along with some good-sized hail. As if things weren't bad enough, the thunderstorm produced a full fledged twister.

The pale green and yellow skies provided the backdrop, framing the black tornado, as it snaked its way through central Nebraska. It flattened farms, uprooted trees, and tossed farm equipment around like they were children's toys.

The Trents and Laura clipped along the highway, staying parallel to the tornado. Marion could barely contain her emotions. Something awful had happened to their friends, and they probably couldn't have prevented the tragedy.

There was nothing they could do now except take care of Laura. A telephone pole snapped in half, falling on the road ahead of them. James skidded off the highway and onto the shoulder. He'd barely avoided hitting a quarter of a grain silo roof.

Laura pointed off to the left. "Why is that boy out there all alone?" James followed her gaze, and sure enough a boy about Laura’s age sat alongside the ditch apparently unaware of the impending danger. There were no vehicles nearby, and the Trents didn’t have time for a thorough search.

The twister snaked towards the highway. What on Earth was he doing here? Marion wondered silently. James had stopped the truck just past the boy. He hurriedly got out and glanced around. There was precious little time to debate a course of action. James made a snap decision.

He slowly approached the boy as the tornado roared in the distance, churning up the formerly pristine farmland. James didn’t want to scare the child away. In the dense wind whipped wheat stalks, he’d never find him again. "Hey buddy!" Jim said, raising his voice above the din.

"Do you know where your parents are?" He asked, bending down near the boy. The child stared at him blankly. Maybe the boy was in shock, disabled, or didn’t speak the language, Jim mused. He examined the child closely, he appeared to be uninjured.

His clothes were sopping wet, and he was covered from head to toe in what looked like a grainy, yellow, soot. Jim was out of time, a second twister was beginning to form behind the first. He reached down and picked the child up. Fortunately, the boy didn’t squirm or resist.

The child pointed away from them. "Tractor." He muttered. James turned his head, watching a green and yellow farm tractor spiraling towards them. The tornado had gotten too close. "Oh no!" Jim yelled as the machine flipped end over end aiming right for the family vehicle.

"Move the truck!" James yelled as he spun away from the out of control tractor. "Truck!" The boy mimicked. Marion wasn’t fast enough to get her and Laura out of the way. By sheer luck, the vehicle careened once beyond them, merely glancing off the pick up truck bed.

Still, the impact was enough to knock their truck forwards into the ditch. Laura screamed as Marion desperately tried to hit reverse. The front tires spun in the muck. The tractor had finally come to rest against a boulder at the edge of a property. It began to leak gasoline.

The second twister had reached the ground, and it tore across the highway behind them, bearing straight for downtown Falcon Claw. James ran to the pick up, boy in his arms, and popped open the passenger door. Marion stayed behind the steering wheel, gunning its powerful engine.

They only had moments before the fallen tractor would explode. The pick up was still too close to it. Mr. Trent pushed the front of the truck backwards, rocking it in place. Finally, the rear wheels caught, and with a lurch, Marion had sent the truck back onto the highway, skidding to a stop.

Miraculously, Jim clambered back into the cab, slamming the door as Marion slid over to the passenger’s side, buckling Laura and the boy in. The yellow slime dripped off the boy onto Laura, and she fidgeted. James fish-tailed the truck as the tractor burst into an inferno.

They sped towards the Trent Farm, reaching it in short order, and immediately took the kids down into the storm cellar. The twisters had missed their buildings entirely, but Falcon Claw wasn’t so lucky. The second tornado annihilated the Lake’s General Store, thereby destroying all evidence of the crimes.

The heinous murders remain unsolved to this day, with no hard evidence, no witnesses, and no clue as to who the perpetrators were. James and Marion took in Laura until a relative could be found. They tried in vain to locate the boy’s parents. No one claimed him, and there were no records of that specific child in the area. Even the country’s database couldn’t find his parents.

DNA tests were done, but no match was ever found. Some scientists were puzzled at the DNA map of the child. There seemed to have been a number of anomalies in his system, yet no one followed up on his case. After a lengthy arduous process, the Trents adopted the lost boy.

They named him Michael Angelo Trent, after Marion’s maiden name, Michols. Little Laura had a relative named Wanda Jenkins, her aunt, who lived in Metropolis, Kansas. Wanda was the youngest sibling of Laura’s mother, Muriel. At the age of twenty three, Wanda bravely decided to raise Laura.

She sacrificed her hardware business, to move to Falcon Claw and start anew. Wanda raised Laura as best she could, frequently turning to the Trents for help and advice. The orphaned children grew to be good friends.

continued in Death in the Heartland pt 2;

----- Added 13 Minutes later -----

From "Laura Lake of Falcon Claw" a series of my original stories. It also may appeal to fans of "X-Men" - But Kara continues after this story.

Six Years Later:

The children had been warned to stay away from Comet Creek, and Crater Lake. Naturally, that was the first place they chose to explore. Young Michael Trent and Laura Lake rode their ten-speeds along the main highway leading toward the undeveloped woodland area.

Comet Creek flowed in a zigzag fashion down into Crater Lake. The area had been so named because legend held that the ancient Native American tribe, the Tekamah, believed that a spirit was cast down from the skies, after rebelling against the gods.

Scientists were able to prove that a piece of a comet did impact the area ten thousand years ago. Many Tekameh elders passed the story down by word of mouth, generation to generation.

They believed that many Tekameh braves had gone to see where the outcast spirit had landed, as a test of their manhood, or worthiness to lead the tribe. Some never returned, others had, bearing bizarre stories of evil spirits.

One was that the animals refused to populate the land near the crater. Another tale was told that braves had simply gone mad, or become possessed by evil spirits. Yet another warrior spoke of waters that had burned gold.

Eventually, the Tekameh braves had written the evil spirit story on some cave walls, where the alleged golden water spouted from. The creek was thought of as bad medicine, or poisoned.

For eons, the Tekameh refused to drink water from the creek, believing it to be cursed. They would travel miles away to get food and water from other 'cleansed' sources. The Tekameh had been removed and relocated from their ancestral home in the 1800's. No one knew if any pure blood Tekameh still existed.

Today, Michael and Laura splashed around near the creek's edge, watching the current run swiftly into the lake. Parts of the creek were shallow, allowing anyone to easily cross over to the other side.

Laura picked up a handful of the yellowish substance below the creek’s surface that had mixed with the sandy sea floor. She rubbed it and examined it closely, allowing the sun’s rays to reflect off of it.

It seemed to sparkle, drawing her in.To a more educated observer the mineral resembled simple phosphorus, or a form of sulphur. No one to their knowledge had ever tested the minerals, some of which clumped together to form rocks. To a curious 11-year old, they might as well been gold nuggets.

“Mikey, look at these cool rocks!” Laura excitedly showed her best friend. “Its like they glow or something.” Mike was unimpressed. “Cool.” He said absently as he scoured the creek for fish, finding none. Laura would not be swayed.

“I think that they’re magic rocks.” She boasted. “Yer butt!” Mike scoffed. “They’re just rocks.” Laura snorted. “Are not!” Mike ignored her as he moved a bit further along the creek towards the deeper section.Laura grew bored and disgusted as she crossed the creek and wandered up a small incline.

She continued to rub the rocks between her fingers, and some of the yellow mineral left residue. She smelled it, and it had absolutely no aroma at all.The precocious child climbed up a slimy embankment and spied a cave entrance, partially hidden behind overgrown foliage and boulders.

“Awesome!” Laura yelled at her friend, a good distance below her. “Mike! Check this out! A cave! ”Now that got his attention. “No way!” He called back. “I’ll be right there.” Laura had already grown impatient, and climbed down into the dimly lit cave. She could see several feet into the darkness, but it quickly blackened.

Laura carefully skirted to the right side of the cave.She hugged the walls, because the cave’s center seemed to dip into a ‘V’ rock formation. Laura wasn’t careful enough. She lost her footing, and fell clumsily into the cave’s center.

She landed face first in a shallow pool of the yellow minerals. “Owwww!” She yelped, as she felt something rip into her leg. A sharp rocky outcropping had torn a gash in her leg just above the ankle and behind the shin.

Tears formed in Laura's eyes as the stinging injury began to ooze blood. "Mikey! Mikey!" Laura yelled. "I'm in the cave and i'm hurt!" She tried to crawl forward but slipped into a congealing pool of the yellowish liquid.

The pool at the bottom of the cave floor was barely six inches deep, yet it was enough to cover Laura's legs and her skinned elbow as she rolled over in it. Laura coughed repeatedly as she attempted to stand up.

The tough ten year old was able to get to her knees before the dimly lit cave seemed to spin around her. Immediately, she fell backwards at the edge of the pool of yellowed mineral water. Everything went black.

When Mike finally found her, Laura lay motionless, her body sprawled alongside the cave wall. "Laurie!" He dashed toward her prone form. "Laurie! Are you okay?" The horrified boy yelled. He dragged her up upon more solid ground.

Laura was drenched in the odorless, slimy liquid. Mike helped his friend to sit up as Laura's big blue eyes fluttered open. The pupils appeared to be surrounded by sharp bright golden yellow rings.

"Laurie?" Mike gasped. "My leg!" Laura croaked, "It burns!" She instinctively rubbed it, and her hand was covered with a reddish orange filmy residue. "I must've passed out!" She said worriedly. "How bad is it?"

"You got a nasty slash and some blackened bruises." Mike replied. "Can you walk?" His hands had been soaked in the yellow mineral water as well. "I think so." Laura responded bravely. He helped her to her feet.

Mike glanced down at the cut and stared briefly for a moment. "No broken bones." He muttered. The gashed area began to puff up. "We better get you home before it gets infected." Laura took one wary step and collapsed.

She fell right into Mike's arms. "I can't Mikey! You'll have to carry me!" MIke blushed. "Carry you? All the way back home? What about the bikes?" Laura tried to ignore the pain lancing through her frame. It seemed to be subsiding a bit to her.

"We can have your parents come by and pick them up." She replied. "Okay, but you're a cow!" He teased. "Am not!" She snapped. "Are too!" He joked, happy that his friend was doing better.

Mike effortlessly picked her up and carefully carried her through the cave entrance. He then set Laura down on a flat clean boulder above the creek. Before they left the area, Mike hid the bikes behind some bushes near the cave.

To his surprise, Laura felt really light, as Mike dashed through the heavily wooded area toward the Trent Farm. To him it was no trouble at all carrying Laura the three to four miles back to their property.

Laura felt dizzy, but overall, much better as they zipped past the horse corral and onto the Trent's front porch. Mike placed her on the porch swing and felt as if he hadn't really broken a sweat. Laura's head hurt much more than her leg.

"Mike, check my cut. I'm afraid to look." Laura whined. He reluctantly complied. "Whoa!" He exclaimed. "What? What's wrong?" Laura nearly cried. "It...looks...fine to me." He couldn't hide the amazement in his voice.

"I'm serious Laurie...the cut is almost healed." She risked a glance at it to verify his observation. The gash had closed, stopped bleeding, and had left a small yellowish brown scar in its place.

"It doesn't hurt anymore either." Laura exclaimed with relief. "Boy, were you lucky." Mike shook his head. "You're gonna still get in trouble for gettin' hurt." He added playfully. "Not if no one knows." Laura's eyes sparkled...literally.

"Will you keep my secret?" She pressed her hand with his. "Yeah." Mike replied warily. "Your Aunt Wanda is still gonna see the scar." He reminded her. Laura gasped as she checked out the leg again. "What scar?"

Mike's eyes widened. "Wow! That is awesome! The scar's gone, too!" Laura still had a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Aunt Wanda is coming by to pick me up in a couple of hours. Do you think we can have your dad pick up the bikes before then?"

"Sure, if he's not too busy." Mike responded. With that, Laura reached up and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, Mikey!" She smiled appreciatively. "Whoa!" Mike wiped the kiss off of his face. "Yuk!" Laura playfully hit him in the shoulder.

That night Laura slept uneasily as bizarre, inexplicable nightmares made her toss and turn all night. The children didn’t see much of each other over the next few years. They traveled in different social circles. Laura tended to hang out with the ‘undesirables’, or misfit people.

Mike grew more and more popular among the jocks, motor heads, and laborers. Most of his friends were sons and daughters of electricians, machinists, and construction workers. Mike figured that he’d have to learn all the trades to help his parents run the farm.

Laura had become more of a lone wolf among her classmates. She’d spent a good amount of her time reading articles on the Internet, and tended to socialize with the nerds, Geeks, and Goth kids.

Though Mike and Laura both attended Falcon Claw Middle School together, they rarely ever spoke to one another. Laura noticed some subtle changes as she grew older.

She found that she could run faster, jump higher, and swim longer than the other kids. Laura rarely became ill, and her decidedly average school grades improved every year, until she finally managed to join the Honor Roll, making her Aunt Wanda proud.

The young stepmother did her best to raise Laura into a mid teenaged young lady. The independent minded Laura proved to be quite a challenge to her conservative aunt. One day, just short of her sixteenth birthday, something dramatic happened to Laura.

She’d been unusually happy, after acing a test, and coming in first in a track meet. Laura started jogging, just like always, and suddenly discovered an amazingly fast burst of speed. She had inadvertently passed her Aunt Wanda’s townhouse.

Laura was soon running so fast consistently that she opted to leave her bike at home, and stopped taking the bus to school. She felt a bid weird, but quickly got used to her new ability. Laura was zipping home on a particularly nasty rainy day, when her visual perception shifted.

The raindrops surrounding her seemed to hang in midair, they resembled transparent circles. A sparrow appeared to have stopped flapping its wings, and debris caught in a silent wind floated steadily before her. Laura was about to scream, when she slowed to a stop.

The world around her returned to normal. The adolescent girl gazed at a mile indicator sign on a deserted highway. It read: Falcon Claw, 17 miles. "What?!" Near panic, Laura forced herself to calm down and assess the situation logically. Don’t freak out! Don’t freak out!

She encouraged herself to reverse her route, traveling much more slowly. Laura started jogging along the highway, incrementally increasing her speed until she began passing trucks and cars at quite a clip. Fortunately, she only encountered a few vehicles.

In moments, she was sliding to a stop on the porch of Aunt Wanda’s townhouse. Laura was simultaneously thrilled and scared. Now that was not normal! Do I dare tell Aunt Wanda, or keep this a secret? She struggled with the idea for a few minutes.

Laura decided to conceal her unusual abilities for now. Once she’d gotten used to it, she came to depend on her hyper speed, though the visual perception shift still frightened her. She completed all of her chores with amazing speed.

Laura was never late for classes, important appointments, and did all this without growing tired. Other powers soon followed her hyper speed and she cautiously adapted to them. She was painting the roof on her Aunt Wanda’s General Store, and clumsily fell off the two-story ladder.

Laura landed in a heap, three stories below on a solid granite walkway without any injury or even a scrape or bruise. No one witnessed the miracle and Laura’s confidence in her abilities grew exponentially.

Six Years After the Cave Incident:

Every time she used an ability, or a new one manifested itself, Laura took more and more chances. Now seventeen, Laura had grown into a beautiful young lady, though socialization seemed to elude her.

Along with more typical adolescent problems came the tendency of Laura to accidentally get involved in other people’s business. She involuntarily found herself mixed up in any number of strange occurrences within the farming community. There were reports of local illnesses.

Laura seemed to sense an undercurrent of something not entirely normal about the immediate area surrounding Falcon Claw. A few of the town leaders began to request environmental studies of the water, soil, and air nearest to the former Arax Chemical Plant, which was now owned by Randolph Rowland, one of the wealthiest men in America.

The studies hadn’t produced anything conclusive, yet Laura wasn’t convinced. Enter Tim Servo, a self-proclaimed geek, computer whiz, and borderline genius. A classmate of hers, Laura immediately befriended the misfit. He in turn, harbored a severe schoolboy crush on her.

The free-spirited Laura had decided to use her special abilities to investigate the area on her own. Six full years after the exposure to the yellow mineral, she’d been able to conceal her powers...barely. One boring evening, Laura decided to test some of her new qualities.

What would be a good challenge, that if I fail, I won’t be killed, injured, or caught? Laura considered all the options. I need to tell someone...to trust somebody! She sighed and could only think of one option. I’ll demonstrate my bizarre behavior to Tim.

She was now seventeen and could make her own important decisions. Maybe he can figure me out...it’s not as if anyone really listens to Tim when he talks, she observed sourly. He only had two friends...me and Shana Springbrook.

Laura punched up his home number on her new cell phone. Though Laura had passed her driver’s test, Aunt Wanda still made her beg to use the car, which got old really quick. "Hi Tim, whatcha doin’?." Tim, to say the least, was shocked to hear from the object of his affection.

"Is this thee Laura Lake, Lab Partner extra ordinaire?" Tim joked after he’d gotten over his initial surprise. "Hey Tim, I wonder...can I come over?" Laura asked far too sweetly. Tim stared blankly at the phone.

"Hello? Earth to Tim..." Laura prodded. "Uh...yeah...sure." He replied calmly, though beneath the surface, Tim could feel his heart beating faster.

Regaining his composure, Tim resorted to sarcasm. "To what do I owe this distinct pleasure? Did you fail your Trig Exam? Or blow your Lab Report?" Laura snorted in an unladylike manner. "Nope, I aced them both. Tim I wonder if you could time me as I jog over?"

Puzzled, Tim agreed. "You’re going to jog the four miles without stopping?" He was very skeptical. "Are you entering a charity marathon?" Laura swallowed and steadied her nerves. "No, I’m just curious as to how fast I can run." Tim shrugged. "Very well, I can extrapolate your average speed by multiplying..." Laura cut him off as her eyebrows rose.

"Now Tim, you should know better than to use multi-syllable words like ‘extrapolate’ around me. It makes my head hurt." She quipped. Tim folded his arms. "Let me put it another way. It’s six-fifteen now. If you leave right away, you ought to get here around seven o’clock." He challenged.

"Okay, I’m on my Aunt Wanda’s driveway." Laura glanced in every direction, making sure that her unconventional escape would go unnoticed. "I’ll use the timer on my laptop. That should suffice." Tim offered. "One, two, three..." Laura counted. "When I snap off my phone, start the timer."

"Gotcha!" Tim readied the laptop. "And Go!" Laura clicked the phone shut. Tim started the timer. Laura zipped into hyper speed, this time expecting her visual perception shift. It came. The whole world surrounding her slowed to a near stop. Above her, a crow seemed to hang in mid-air.

Water droplets from the humidity in the air halted before she blew through them. Cars appeared to crawl as she passed them along the highway. Just that quick, Laura recognized Tim’s parents neat red brick bungalow, near the semi-busy downtown area of Falcon Claw.

Laura shuddered to a stop, scattering debris and causing a huge vortex of dust to form around her. It dissipated rapidly. To the average passerby, she seemed to solidify out of nowhere. Laura waltzed onto the porch and rang Tim’s doorbell. He opened it and gawked, snapping the laptop timer off.

"Holy crap!" He exclaimed as Laura patiently awaited her invite. "That’s incredible! No human can run that fast." It was now six-eighteen. She hadn’t even broken a sweat. Tim escorted her in, purposely keeping his distance from her. He closed the door and gaped. "How?"

"I don’t know." Laura whined. "I just can. I’ve been able to run at high speed for a few years now. I’m a freak!" Tim rubbed his thin chin. "There has to be some logical explanation..." Reality was starting to set in. Laura felt like crying, but resisted the urge. Tim had already begun to analyze her.

"No one will ever talk to me again if I reveal myself to anyone else." Laura folded her arms across her ample chest, and began to pace the length of the Servo’s family room. "Promise me you’ll keep this a secret, Tim...I trust you." He nodded absently, and decided to tease her.

"Relax, Wonder Woman, no one really likes you anyway." He sparred. Laura’s eyes briefly flared yellow. "Said the number one geek at Falcon Claw High." She returned the barb. Tim smiled. "You are correct, my mutant friend." He continued to ride her. "I’m number one for a reason." Tim said proudly.

"Mutant? Is that what I am?" Laura didn’t care for that particular label. "Quite possibly." He replied. "We see mutations in cells all the time, birth defects, blonde hair instead of black, blue eyes instead of green, etcetera. You get my point." Laura was beginning to calm down a bit.

"What am I supposed to do now?" She inquired. Tim couldn’t resist, as he motioned for Laura to sit on the black leather couch. "You can join the circus, win the Olympics, get your name in the Guiness Book of World Records, or even get a job with the Post Office." He continued to taunt her.

"Thanks a lot, Tim." Laura said with mock anger. "Should I tell Aunt Wanda? Go to the doctor? I mean how do I get rid of them?" She was becoming panicky again. "Them?" Tim’s eyes widened. Laura had let it slip that she had developed more unusual abilities. She sighed with disdain.

"I wasn’t sure how much to..." She choked on the words. "I can also leap for amazing distances, and I’m very strong...supernaturally strong, and I can see through solid things if I concentrate." Laura admitted. That was all the abilities she could remember having. "Whoa! Multiple mutations!"

"Uh...Tim...can we not use the "M" word so much?" Laura asked half-seriously. "Anyway, Laura, this could be your chance to become popular." Tim added. "There is an upside, you know. You can become fabulously wealthy." Laura shrugged. "I don’t really care about money."

"Good girl!" Tim applauded. "That’s your first step to becoming a super hero." Laura snickered. "And I suppose you’ll want rights to the comic books, TV shows, action figures, and blockbuster movies?" Tim nodded. "Of course." She was all seriousness again. "Now what do I do?"

"I know what you can’t do." Tim stood up and began to pace the room with his hands behind his back. "You can’t go to the doctor, because they’ll just turn you into a lab rat.

You can’t let it get out until you’re at least eighteen, because the government would take you away from Aunt Wanda and try and turn you into some kind of nefarious super weapon, either for their own devices, or for sale to the highest bidder. Didn’t you see Terminator or Bionic Woman?"

Laura sneered. "I must have missed those while I was trying to get a life!" She teased. "Mock me now, missy, but one day the truth will out, and you’d best be prepared for it." He warned. "They might consider you a babe of mass destruction."

"I don't want to be a lab rat, be popular, or become the female Terminator! I just wanna be me." Laura whined. "Let's see your head." Tim sighed and climbed atop the living room coffee table, because Laura was a few inches taller than he.

"When did you discover these bizarre abilities?" Tim grilled, as Laura had completely captivated his attention. "It wasn't something that happened overnight. In Middle School I won a Meet because I could swim so fast." She replied.

"I also took first place at a Track Meet freshman year." Laura continued. "Just recently, I discovered the other abilities." Tim went back to pacing. "Have you ever been sick? You know, colds, flus, and the like?"

Laura shook her head and her long black hair flipped over another shoulder. "I can't recall the last time I missed school or anything for being ill." Tim stopped. "I know a little about medicine and genetics based on all of the books i've read, and perused on line, though I'm hardly qualified to make any medical assessments."

"If you don't have any headaches, nausea, dizziness, or have grown a third leg or third eye in the middle of your forehead, you should be alright." Tim concluded. "At the first sign of any odd symptoms, you get your ass to a hospital, okay?"

Laura nodded and kissed Tim on the cheek. She enjoyed watching him redden. "Thanks buddy, I'm calmed down now!" She smiled warmly.

"For all we know, your super Wheaties abilities will just wear off one day."
"I hope so." Laura sighed. Tim sat contemplatively. "Are you sure that nothing unusual ever happened to you when you were young?" Laura strained to separate her confused memories. "There was this one time that I was injured, and my body repaired itself." Tim’s eyes widened. "Bingo!"

Laura related her story about the incident at the Tekamah Caves. She’d almost completely forgotten about it. Tim committed the story to memory. He would write it up later on his laptop. Laura didn’t know at this point that the self described geek had been following illogical, unscientific stories as well as common facts.

"I'll have to give it some thought, but I think that you're onto something." Tim commented at the conclusion of Laura's story. "Such as?" She prodded the boy genius. "This occurence is not without precedent." Tim added vaguely.

Laura patiently awaited further explanation. "There have been reports in the media about people with unique or unusual abilities cropping up all over the scientific community." Tim watched as Laura's face brightened and her hair lightened.

"Most experts dismiss these claims, but I believe the Shadow Government is behind either the mutations themselves, or covering it up, similar to the Air Force Project Blue Book conspiracy." He stared as Laura developed yellow circles around her normally green hued eyes. His distraction did not go unnoticed.

"Are we talking UFO's, Black Helicopters, and Area 51 here?" Laura scoffed. Tim had expected her sarcasm. "Yes, that's exactly what i'm talking about. The possible next evolution in humanity...meta-humans."

"Meta-humans?" Laura repeated. "Well, that sounds better than mutant." Tim nodded. "Human, but enhanced in some ways." He defined the term. "Yet, your story about the Tekamah Caves would appear to fly in the face of a natural genetic revolution." Laura wasn't sure how she felt now.

"Can't we just get rid of them...meaning my abilities?" She asked hopefully. "I'm not sure if that's possible." Tim scowled. "We'd need to do research. I have a file on my hard drive that details 'unusual genetic occurences'. I can start there."

"Thanks, Tim." Laura rubbed her eyes. "Are you okay?" He asked. "No. My eyes are burning." Laura closed them and opened them several times. He gasped as her bright green eyes appeared to glow suddenly gold. "What?" She asked warily.

"Uh...unless I miss my guess, you're about to mutate again." Tim backed away slowly, grabbing his camera phone and pointing it at Laura. "Tim?" She was about to cry, when two beams of golden light lanced out of her eyes, setting the edge of the coffee table on fire! "Eeeee!" She screamed and quickly closed her eyes.

Tim put out the fire with an old pet blanket located near the couch. He waved the smoke away from his face as Laura whimpered. "I'm sorry!" Mrs. Servo had smelled the smoke and came rushing downstairs. "What on Earth?"

"Uh...sorry mom!" Tim apologized as he grabbed a white deodorant candle from a shelf and threw it on the burned edge of the table. "Laura and I were playing around, and I knocked the candle over." Tim's lie was brilliant, Laura praised.

"For God sakes Tim, be careful!" Mrs. Servo chastised him before joining them in the living room. "I'm sorry...have we met?" She waved some smoke away. Laura gingerly opened one eye a crack. The burning sensation had stopped...just in time.

"No, I'm Laura Lake. I attend Tim's school." She sheepishly extended a hand and Mrs. Servo took it. Laura remembered to use a fraction of her strength. She would have to learn to control these bizarre powers for as long as she had them.

Mrs. Servo politely left the young people alone after being reassured by Tim that there would be no more horseplay in the house. Behind Laura's back Mrs. Servo winked and smiled at her son, giving him the thumbs up at his choice of girl.

Tim reddened. Laura rubbed her eyes again. "That was close!" She remarked. "You're not kidding!" He collapsed back into the easy chair. "Great lie, Tim. I'm impressed! Thanks!" She praised, embarrassing him further.

"That would likely be the first of many more lies." Tim grumbled. Laura was depressed, suddenly realizing the magnitude of her situation. "How old are you again?" He prompted. "Sixteen. I'll be seventeen soon." Laura replied.

"Is that important?" She was perplexed. "No. It just tells me that the next two years of your life will be critical." Tim commented. "You must remain hidden." Laura sighed loudly. "I refuse to simply hide, Tim. These were supposed to be the happiest days of our lives."

Tim nodded. "I understand. You also need to see the bigger picture here." Laura cocked her head, allowing her now sandy brown hair to flip across her shoulder. "Meaning what?" Tim stood and began pacing again.

"Laura, the world is such a mess today." He began solemnly. "Terrorism. Rampant crime driven by greed or lust for power. Corruption running wild at every level of government. Wars. Starvation. Disease. Evil tends to win over good."

"Thank you Doctor Doom." Laura snapped sarcastically. "The world has always been a mess, Tim. History shows us that fact time and time again." He slowed to a stop. "Yes, but you have been given a gift. Don't you see?"

Laura's eyes began to glaze over, not due to a mutation, but the deep thoughts that Tim had laid out for her. "You mean that I'm some kind of a Messiah?" She asked skeptically. Tim shook his head.

"No, i'm not particularly religious. I pride myself on being logical and scientific." He added. "Nevertheless, your abilities defy logic. I guess what i'm getting at is...perhaps you were given these powers for a reason?"

"We can debate that all night Tim." Laura countered. "I know. We have to learn more about you." Tim said. "Meaning, how you're put together. What caused the mutations, etc." Laura didn't care for where the young genius was going with this.

"What's the plan?" She prodded. "First, research and development. I think that you should follow up on this Tekamah Cave incident. Can you find the caves again?"

Laura nodded. "I think so. I haven't been back there since the event. I know it's near Comet Creek which flows into Crater Lake. The yellowish liquid ran near the base of the hill and reversed its flow toward the back of the caves."

"Good. It's likely that there's an underground spring or something. It bubbled up from below the lake, i'd bet." Tim considered. "You're certain that it wasn't sulphur?" Laura had mentioned that the liquid had no smell at all.

"I'm sure. I guess that i'll be spending Spring Break in a musty old cave." She remarked sourly. "When can you go?" Tim rubbed his thin chin. "This is a journey that you must take yourself." Laura frowned. "Meaning that you're scared?"

"No." Tim chuckled. "I can be of more use here, researching...your DNA." He quickly yanked one of Laura's multi-colored strands of hair from her head. "Ouch!" She yelped, and began rubbing the spot. "It's all in the name of science, honey."

Meanwhile, across town:

Mike Trent had grown into a good sized athlete. He had developed problems of his own, however. He and Laura weren’t close at the moment, yet she could tell something was going on with him. Mike tossed and turned all night, the nightmares had become relentless.

Tonight he envisioned his biological parents driving the family car. His view seemed to be from the back seat. The car was speeding, careening over the debris strewn road. Mike glanced behind him through the rear window. A black van was chasing them, and beyond that, the skies had darkened.

The twister snaked down from the heavens, like the finger of God Himself had stirred the amber waves of corn, ripping them from their roots. His mother was in the front seat screaming. A big lake seemed to be on fire to his right, the sky had become a sickly green to his left.

Mike was about to turn to his parents, when the rear of the car became airborne. The back door of the sedan was ripped open and torn off. He felt himself being sucked out into the air by the tornado’s vortex. The car appeared to disintegrate before him. Mike felt like he was sailing above the fields.

He watched helplessly, as the black van following them burst into flames, and he suddenly landed in a ditch filled with a slimy yellow liquid. A small wave of yellow engulfed him and then everything went black. Mike woke up yelling.

He sat up in his bed, soaked in sweat, and breathing heavily. This happened to him several times over the subsequent years. Each time, his foster parents assured him that the nightmares were caused by something he ate, or perhaps something he’d seen on TV. Mike was skeptical. It seemed to him that he was reliving the past.

There had been several tornadoes over the years, but none of them came close to the devastation wrought by the twister swarm that had thrust Mike into their world. The Trents had told Mike about his true origin when he turned fifteen, and they judged he could handle the truth.

They also told Mike of Laura’s tragedy that same day. Were the events somehow linked? He often pondered. Marion had always said that things happened for a reason, and they considered themselves blessed to have saved both children from uncertain fates.

continues in "Explorer"

[lauraforever]

WOW, this is awesome! Thanks for shedding some light on Laura and Tim. For a second I thought they robber would be Tim... I'm glad he wasn't lol. Your story is awesome!

[gardy1]

Death in the Heartland

Hey thanks for reading. A have a bit more on Laura under Beyond Smallville: Gold Wing,
I'm crossing her over with Clark / Chloe, and then some. It's listed under "Other Pairings, and such" Coming soon, i'll get back to Kara / Laura.

Thanks
Gardy1

[lauraforever]

Hey, thanks for letting me know.

[gardy1]

The Legend of Kara - pt2

The Legend of Kara - pt2 - PG 13

Laura pretended to ignore BRAINIAC, turning her back on him. She flipped open her cell phone, set the disc camera to record, hit the mute button, and speed dialed Tim Servo’s number. She placed the open cell phone on Kara’s rib cage. At first Tim got an eyeful of Kara’s ample chest.

Back at his home, Tim gasped. “This is better than Cinemax.” He muttered as he watched Kara’s chest heave up and down, as the fallen alien teen continued to breathe shallowly. “Laura? What the hell are you doing? What’s that dude doing up in the air?” Tim’s voice, of course, went unheard.

Laura faced the camera at her and BRAINIAC. “Stupid creature!” The AI yelled, showing a very anomalous human emotion. “Get out of the way! I will not ask again. Kara Zor El is mine.” Laura grinned mischievously. Now it’s time to see how indestructible I really am.

The AI ran out of patience. “Very well.” He said and fired a quick volley of heat vision at her. Laura was still bending over Kara. The blasts of energy dotted her back and buttocks. To her it simply felt like a burning rash or moderate sunburn. She was about to turn and attack.

BRAINIAC fired a more intense burst of superheated air at Laura. This time it caught her square in the shoulder. She felt her shirt catch fire and peel off, sending smoldering fabric pieces to the ground.

“Now, you’re just pissing me off!” She snarled, and stood defiantly before BRAINIAC. “Impressive!” The AI praised. “There may be some hope for this pathetic world after all.” He pulled a fist sized piece of green Kryptonite from his stolen jacket’s pocket.

That was how he had so easily defeated Kara, keeping her in a weakened condition. He shoved it at Laura, who just stared at it.

“Pretty. It glows.” Laura quipped. “How...?” Before BRAINIAC could finish his sentence, Laura vaulted at him, with both arms extended, her hands balled into fists, and hit him in the mid-section, causing the AI to lose flight control and tumble down to the rocky river bank.

“What the hell are you?” BRAINIAC grumbled. “You’re worst nightmare, freak.” Laura countered, and leapt a good twenty yards to land beside him. The AI stumbled back up to a standing position. “That was your first mistake.” Laura challenged as she used a Tae Kwan-Do move on him.

She swept low, kicking the AI’s feet from under him. BRAINIAC fell onto his back as Laura closed for the kill. The AI attempted to jump into the sky, Laura was a hair too fast for him. She grabbed his arm, and body slammed the AI into the ground, with a tremendous thud, kicking the Kryptonite out of his extended hand. The green meteor rock flew into the creek, sinking to the river bed.

A small crater formed around BRAINIAC, who may have finally met his match. He wasn’t down for the count yet, as the AI pushed straight up, managing to get a few feet above Laura before she caught on. He grabbed Laura by the throat, attempting to choke the life from her. It almost worked. Almost.

Laura jammed her elbow into his rib cage, which was actually just an encasement for the AI’s inner workings. Electrical fixtures within the AI crackled, sparked, and shattered. Some were quickly repaired by an infusion of the black ooze, likely BRAINIAC’s lifeblood.

She used the distraction to yank the AI over her shoulder in a classic judo move. Her toss sent the AI flying into the side of a nearby hill, embedding him in a layer or two of solid granite and limestone. By now, Kara was stirring, since the green K was no longer near her. The super girl was still weak.

She would still be no match for BRAINIAC. The rogue AI had nearly extricated himself from the hillside. Laura dashed to Kara’s side, using her supernatural speed. “Okay, Space Girl Barbie, let’s get you out of here, before it comes back.” Laura urged as she helped Kara to her feet.

“Thank you.” Kara managed to croak, spitting out a bit of blood. “Don’t thank me yet, I still don’t know what to make of this whole bizarre scene.” Laura countered, grabbing her cell phone, flipping it off, much to Tim’s dismay, and pocketing it. Kara wobbled a bit as she glanced over her shoulder.

“Let’s get you home.” Laura urged. “Uh...yeah, but I don’t know where I am.” Kara said. “Great. Let’s start by you telling me where you’re from.” Laura helped Kara get walking again. “Smallville, Kansas.” She muttered. “Yes, well you’re not in Kansas anymore.” Laura couldn’t resist the barb.

“Ready?” Laura watched as a glazed expression crossed Kara’s face. She super sped Kara away, heading back across the Kansas / Nebraska border. BRAINIAC staggered away from the hillside, making a few lame attempts to fly. Laura’s beating had left him virtually powerless...for the moment.

continued...

[lauraforever]

Woohooo!!!! AWESOME Story! I just LOVE that Laura left Brainiac virtually powerless... for now. LOL!

[gardy1]

Legend of Kara continues

Legend of Kara - Chapter 7

Laura zipped into central Kansas, still carrying Kara. “Okay, now what’s your name again?” She asked the injured girl. “Kara, Kara Kent.” She replied hoarsely. “Kent? As in Clark Kent?” Laura slowed to a sudden stop, jarring the teen alien. “Yes, Clark’s my cousin.”

“Oh this just gets better.” Laura grumbled. “I met Clark and Chloe a couple of years ago. What is it with your family? Trouble just seems to come looking for you two.” (Laura Lake: Gold Wing)
Eighteen-year old Laura had a brief but meaningful fling with Clark in between episodes of the Lana Lang soap opera. She left him on mediocre terms, her love rejected.

Laura didn’t hate Clark, but wasn’t too thrilled about seeing him again. Still, curiosity… “I feel fine now, Miss…?” The blood stopped flowing from Kara’s lip and her color looked better. “Lake, Laura Lake.” The two superheroes shook hands. “Thanks for coming to my rescue.” Kara added.

“Unfortunately, you’ve also made yourself a target for the Brain Interactive Construct.” She concluded as Laura’s eyes widened. “A what?” She was skeptical. “We call it BRAINIAC, an artificial life form, bent on destruction.” Kara didn’t share any more details.

“Great! That creepy flying thing is a robot?” Laura put her hands on her shapely hips. “Why not just pull its plug? I mean it needs electrical power to run, doesn’t it?” Kara nodded. “The construct is infinitely more complicated than that, but essentially, yes, we can pull its plug.”

“The problem lies within getting close enough to shut it down, or destroy it.” Kara informed her. “The AI has proven to be a constant problem for us. Actually, I feel better now. If you want to go on your way.” Laura shook her head. “No, I’ll see you home, and say hi to Clark.”

“You have unusual abilities?” Kara questioned. “Clark never mentioned you before.” Laura frowned. “I’m not surprised. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess.” Kara felt bad for her. “How fast are you?” Laura smirked. “Pretty fast!” Kara wanted to cheer her new friend up. “Race you to Clark’s?”

Laura’s eyes brightened. “You’re on, missy.” She assumed a race position. “On three…one, two, three! Go!” Kara laughed as the turbocharged teens raced across the empty cornfields, two lane highways, and vaulted over grazing cattle and fallen trees.

Kara kept to her bargain, racing along the ground and resisting the urge to fly. She hoped that Laura would hang around for a while. Kara hadn’t any friends, other than Clark’s. She made it a point to remember to grill Kal on his fly by night romance with Laura.

Kara beat Laura to the Kent’s front porch by a few seconds. She’d been running at quite a clip, yet not full out. “I win!” Kara chuckled as Laura pulled up alongside her, scattering dust and debris. Kara walked in, and Lois was still in the front room, working on her laptop. Clark was nowhere in sight.

“Hi Lois!” Kara was glad to see his cousin’s potential girlfriend, despite her mixed feelings about Laura. “Hey kiddo! What the hell happened to you?” Lois noted that Kara’s blouse and skirt were torn, dirty, and blood soaked, as she glanced up from the computer screen.

Then she saw Laura with half of her shirt missing, and she appeared to be sweated up and dusty. “Who’s your friend?” Lois inquired, closing down the laptop. “This is Laura Lake.” Kara shoved her new buddy towards Lois. “She…uh…rescued me.” Lois’s eyes lit up. “Rescued you?”

“From what? A dust storm?” She teased. “Hey!” Laura briefly waved to Lois. Who’s she? Laura wondered, slowly putting two and two together. Ah! Clark’s new girl, I’d bet. She thought sourly.
Laura considered making a lame excuse to leave, now that she’d gotten Kara home safely.

Lois got up and approached the teens, shaking Laura’s hand. “Lois Lane, Daily Planet.” She said half seriously. “Would your friend care to stay for lunch, Kara? I confess that my culinary skills are limited to P, B, & J. But you know how that goes.” Kara glanced at Laura. “Would you?”

Laura fidgeted, but again curiosity had gotten the best of her. She had to stay and check out Clark’s new babe. “Sure. Thanks Lois. P, B, & J is fine.” Kara smiled brightly as she waited for Laura to sit down. Immediately, using some of her super speed abilities behind Lois’s back, Kara made three sandwiches. By the time Lois had dug out the clean plates, Kara was done.

Lois eyed Kara suspiciously, but set the table, then dug into the refrigerator. “Okay girls, bottled water, pop, or orange juice?” She offered. “Oops. Scratch that. We’re out of pop. I sent Clark into Metropolis to get some supplies and groceries, he’s still not back yet.”

That answered another of Laura’s questions. The teens and Lois ate, and chatted about a number of things, including boys. Laura was starting to warm up to Clark’s main squeeze, she thought solemnly. It had been almost two years anyway…

Suddenly, just as the girls finished, the ground shook and a sonic boom was heard. “Uh oh!” Kara winced. “What is with all the racket?” Lois asked as she got up to look out the window. “Lois! No!” Kara shrieked. Laura was already up and near the front door. She guessed that their robotic adversary had returned.

[lauraforever]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! May you have lots of awesome new chapters for all your fics!

[6-Super-Man -5]

Amazing and Happy New Year!