Supergirl and The Robin Hoods - Chapter 13

[scforbes8489]

Chapter 13 - Faster than Light -

186,000 miles per second; not just a good idea … it’s the law.

That t-shirt gave Kara a laugh earlier in the summer, when she was walking the streets of Central City as an ordinary human. Einstein had shown that it takes an infinite amount of energy to break the light barrier. Infinite energy is, of course, impossible. So, most scientists just assume that it can’t be done. The thing is, as you approach light speed, it’s possible to “sidestep” the laws of physics that most Earth people know. Wormholes and vortices open up in time and passing through one of those “doors” allows speedsters to move in the fourth dimension … time.
Kara’s friend, Barry Allen, knew this. He’s stepped through time - more than once - and visited both his possible future and his past. The future, it turns out, isn’t “set in stone.” The past, it seems, is much more complicated. One small change and you’re in a branching timeline. A new reality. Supergirl would be learning how delicate the past can be and how the future is always in motion.

The red and white cat wove between her legs. Kara was trying to study but Kris was demanding her attention. Really, the cat’s name was “Christmas.” That was when she popped out of the wrapping on her first December 25th on Earth. Her adoptive Earth mother had surprised her, and Alex - her sister - with a kitten. Alex and Kara had been arguing all week over just about anything. Who should get the first shower in the morning. Why did Alex have to, suddenly, have a sister? Kara was wearing the warm, fuzzy robe that belonged to Alex. Alex the the last of the ice cream that was promised to Kara.
The list of insults and arguments went on longer than Santa’s “Naughty” list. Alex and Kara’s mom, Eliza, , finally, decided on one thing that might help …. Christmas. Not the holiday … A stray in need of a home.
Contrived? Maybe. Hopeful? Certainly. Brilliant? Absolutely.

When the sisters had something else upon which to focus … their differences faded … If there was a more perfect cat for these sisters it wasn’t on this planet. Cats can be capricious, moody, they can play favorites and be completely aloof.
Kris loved her new family from the moment she burst out of the paper where she was hiding. She purred and slid against Alex … then Kara …. Then wove between both of them.
Kara was finding high school more of a trial than even the most awkward human teen. Alex was finding that adjusting to having a sister, midway through school, was somewhere between “impossible” and “ridiculous.”
Kris was the common ground. She was the go-between. The stray that loved them both and was taken into the Danver’s home.
Kara was a bit of a stray herself. Last daughter of Krypton. Her cousin, already a “hero” on Earth, had a life of his own in Metropolis. Kara … her one purpose was to be protecting Kal-el, now trying to find her own way on a world where she wasn’t native and in a family where she felt like a fifth wheel.
Eliza found the perfect catalyst for two chemicals that wouldn’t mix on their own. A little cat that loved them both. Equally.

Kara’s eyes blinked and she focused. There wasn’t her familiar red and white cat. There wasn’t her pink comforter or her sister or her home in Midvale.
Kara felt her wrist held tight behind her. Close together. Crossed and tied ankles were her next sensation. A quick, little, tug brought her back to reality. She’d drifted off. A bit of sleep while bound and gagged in a van that was soon to be at the bottom a Central City Lake. Powers drained by kryptonite-infused rope. Smart cuffs applied, in addition to the rope, to keep her secure for the impending dam breach.
She didn’t begin to struggle right away after waking. In truth, it had been the best nap she’d had in months. The kryptonite in the ropes, interfering with her sun-given powers, wasn’t so strong as to be causing pain. It was just enough to interrupt the mitochondria in her cells from using the solar radiation on Earth to give her the powers of strength, flight, vision beyond the visible spectrum, almost invulnerability.
A few tugs …. Crossed ankles held by ropes and cuffs. In a way it was relaxing, if it wasn’t for the impending destruction.

What was that? Footsteps again? How long had she been asleep? It didn’t matter … her struggles resumed in earnest. Mmmph … mmmm … muffled screams and wrists looking for any sort of give in the cuffs and rope. Nothing. Her chest with the S - shaped symbol against the van floor. Fingers flailing. Her cape more a nuisance, now, than any kind of help.

The van door slid back. Kara’s eyes, no longer blindfolded, saw Jazz staring back at her for a moment. Shannon didn’t hesitate; she crouched in the van and began untying the Girl of Steel. Knots were undone, gag removed …
“What the … Why … YOU … “ Kara stammered and looked for the words. Her brain fog begins to clear. This was the girl who’d tied her … tricked her … captured her with the help of “Yose” and “Tech.”
“Supergirl. Fist … I’m sorry …”

“Sorry? SORRY? You kidnapped me!” Kara began …

The black ropes with the Kryptonite in their fibers were off Kara’s body now but the Smart Cuffs remained … Kara was still, for a moment, hogtied. As her strength slowly returned, Shannon began a hurried explanation.

“I know I’ll have to pay for this. I understand. But it wasn’t supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be us getting you out of the way for a day. Just long enough to make a statement against the Luthors.”

“Lex!” Kara was snapped back to their predicament. To the impending dam breach. To Yose and Tech going off to set charges and flood half the city.

“We were going to sound the tsunami warning …” continued Shannon. “We weren’t going to let the water loose until everyone was out of the way. Tech and Yose played me.They used me …”
Kara felt her strength returning and easily burst the Smart Cuffs. Carbon fiber pieces shattered around the van.
“We can talk later. Tell me where they are … what they’re planning.”

Before Kara could finish her next sentence J’onn reached the van.

“Supergirl!” He yelled and Kara was aware that her friends were right behind Shannon, along with a man she’d never seen before, Shannon’s dad John.

Kara went straight to Alex and Dreamer and a three-way hug ensued.

“Where’s Lena?” Asked Supergirl.

“We thought she’d be here.” Began J’onn.

“Lex. Lex took her somewhere.”

Then all eyes turned to Shannon as John walked next to his daughter.

“Listen … everyone … I’m sorry.” Began Shannon, looking at the eyes of a Martian, Dreamer, Supergirl, and her dad. “They’re planning on placing charges in three key areas to break the Central City Dam.”

“We saw the plans.” Said J’onn We’ll have to act fast to stop them. Supergirl … are you up for this?”

Supergirl was still feeling the effects of the kryptonite … but her fog was clearing and she let out a stronger ‘Yes” than she really felt.

One minute. Kara used an old technique she was taught in high school to calm herself. Just breath for one minute and plan what you have to do, then act.

“Bombs … Dam …. Where do we start?” Said Kara.

There was silence and Shannon suspected, correctly, they were waiting for her.

“There’s three explosive points. ‘Turns out there’s only three places where, given a simultaneous detonation, this whole dam will go.”

“And you were a part of this?” Said John … Stepping back and looking at his daughter with an, almost, disdain she’d never seen before from her father.

“You don’t understand …” Shannon began. “It was supposed to be a statement. A manifesto against the Luthors. The tsunami alarms were going to sound all over the city hours before. No one was going to get hurt.”

“Shan …” began John … “You’re smarter than this. How could you trust those … ‘guys?’”

Shannon looked at her dad … then looked at Supergirl …

Supergirl interjected … “I think Shannon knew what we all know. Lex is only out for himself. They were trying to make a statement against a reality that never should have been … Shannon; do you know the locations of the bombs?”

“Yes …” she began. “But it’ll be a simultaneous detonation … There’s no way you can be three places at once.”

“J’onn can handle one …. I can handle the others …”

J’onn stood and looked around … “I’m going in search of the first charge. It has to be in the main footing of the dam. Kara … The other two will be up to you …”
With that, J’pnn flew off; down the verdant hills into an access shaft and the heart of the dam.



Alex jumped in … “Solar flares …”

….. Everyone looked at Alex.

“Solar flares. They’re these ….” And Alex reached behind her back, to her belt, and pulled out what looked like grenades.

“We developed these when the DEO was still active. Before ‘Crisis.’”

“They’re charges that put out the same spectral signature of our sun. They were meant to be a ‘portable boost’ should Supergirl ever need it. One should be enough to fully recharge Supergirl and give her the speed needed to stop the other two.”

‘We’ll do all three …”. Said Kara.

“No, Kara … That’s too much. One is enough …. The last time you were exposed to that much yellow-sun radiation at once, you went into convulsions. You had an incredible speed and energy boost, but the exposure nearly killed you. It’s too dangerous.”

“You can watch me … hold me … The bombs are going to explode in minutes.”

———————

Deep in the bowels of the Central City Dam, Lex was snapping a cuff to a pipe. A pipe that lay next to an explosive device. A pipe that now held the wrist of Lena, his adoptive sister.

“Lex …. What are you doing? What is this?”

“Justice, my dear sister. Poetic justice. You’ve obviously aligned yourself with the antithesis of all things Luthor. With a Kryptonian …” Lex said … drawing out the last word.

“These, would-be ‘terrorists’ are simply doing my job for me. You’ll be another casualty in their fight. Your death in this dam breach will garner more sympathy for me and will galvanize the rest of the population. They’ll BEG to be protected and led by Lex Luthor … my name will be a beacon of freedom while - all the while - I take their freedoms.”

Lena pulled on the cuff.

“Don’t fret, dear ‘sister.’ Your demise will mean your brother …. Me … will be enshrined as a ‘savior!”

“You’re mad!” Said Lena.

“Perhaps …. But, soon, you’ll be a permanent resident of this city …. And I’ll be on my way to leading these sheep ….”

Yose and Tech had studied the plans well. For what they lacked in morals they made up for in engineering insight. Three charges were placed. With the mass of water backed by the dam … it would be enough. A flood, the likes of which had not been seen since the blue dams of the most recent ice age broke loose, would soon crash upon Central City.

________________

Back with the group gathered around Supergirl ….

“You’ll need to be in, almost, two places at once, Supergirl …” began Alex.

“How will you do this?” asked Dreamer.

“Jazz … where are the charges?” Asked Kara …..

Jazz looked at her father … then looked at everyone.
“They’re impossibly far apart. This dam has three, main supports - drilled into the granite bedrock. There’s a charge at each pump house located at the waterline. They’d be set to go off simultaneously. There’s no way to stop it!”

“How much time do we have?” Asked Kara.

“Maybe five minutes ….” began Shannon.

“Fine …” said Supergirl ….. ‘ ….Alex …. Set the solar flares.”

“Wait …” said Alex. “That’s too much energy to absorb. You convulsed last time you were exposed to a third of that.”

“Then hold me down ….” Said Kara.

“Hole down ‘Supergirl?’” Said Alex …. How?

“My cape ….”

Without a word Supergirl removed her red cape …..

“This is Kryptonian …. This can hold even me … use this.”

“How?” Said Alex.

“I seem to remember Shannon here was pretty good with knots.”

With that, Supergirl took her cape and laid it flat. Her heat vision soon had separated the red cape into long lengths.

“Shannon ….” Began Supergirl … “Tie me down with this …” and she handed Shannon the long, red strips.
“You’re good with knots …. Get to work …..”

Shannon looked at everyone, then went to work - again - binding the girl of steel.

______

“Lex …” pleaded Lena. “This is mad! Ridiculous! You CAN’T do this!”

“Oh, but dear SISter … I already have. The ‘tech’ idealists - it turn out - are less worried about their principals and more worried about their bank accounts. There will be no ‘Girl of Steel’ to rescue you this time … Goodbye, my HALF sister. And I mean the ‘Half’ part in every sense of the term.”

Lena pulled on her cuff. It was simple, metal, attached to a pipe, and totally unbreakable to her. She slumped against the wall. A cold, concrete wall. Cold like all the nights she waited for some encouraging word from her mother, Cold, like all the Christmas mornings she was greeted with hundreds of presents but no, real, emotion from her half brother and adoptive mother. The cold was pressed against her back. But it surrounded her. Engulfed her. She could have struggle more. Lena could have tried to break free. But there’s a moment, in all of us, where our will leaves us. Where we say; “What’s the point?”

Lena had reached that point. She sat against a cold, green, concrete wall and let the cold fill her. What was the use?

____________________________

Back, outside in a clearing by the van, a recovering Girl of Steel was leaning against a tree near the van that had been her temporary prison. Her wrists were crossed and tied behind her back - around the pine tree. A harness around her chest, made from her own red cape, criss-crossed between her “S” and held her arms close to her body. Her waist was secured as well, against the pine tree. As Shannon tied Kara’s ankles together - lashing the red cape around her boots - Alex spoke up.

“Ive set the charges …. As soon as the Solar Flares burst you’ll feel and intense, solar charge for, about, ten seconds. The cape should hold you. Based on the last time we used these, you’ll have enhanced abilities for no more than five minutes.”

Supergirl looked up at her friends from her vantage point on the ground. Wrist tied. Ankles crossed and tied.

“That should be four minuted more than I’ll need. Alex …. Light the charges.”

“Everyone, shield your eyes and turn away!” shouted Alex.

“Kara … I love you! Be careful.”

“I love you too Alex … ‘see you when this is over. Light ‘em up …”

With that, Alex gave a last look towards her adoptive sister. Her sister from forty thousand light years away. Her sister who was, now, tightly tied to a tree near a dam that loomed over Central City.

Shannon and her dad, John tuned and covered their eyes. Dreamer and Alex did the same.

“Wait!” Said Kara. “You’d better blindfold me, as well, in case the charges are too much.”

With that, Shannon took the last of the red strips of cape and tied a tight, smooth blindfold over Kara’s eyes … knotting it behind her blonde hair.

“Ok …. Fire …” said Kara.

There was a two second pause, which felt like two minutes to everyone gathered. Then, two Solar Flares burst into life. They made, only, a slight sound - like a small fire cracker - but the clearing was, suddenly, bathed in the light of a thousand sunrises. It cast shadows impossibly long into the surrounding forest.

Kara felt the solar radiation penetrate her. It went through her and inside of her. It filled each and every Kryptonian mitochondria with more energy than they would, normally, process in a month.

Humans process sugars for energy by turning glucose into a molecule called Adenosine Tri Phosphate (ATP’s) Kryptonian physiology has a very similar way of processing sugars. But, on Earth, that process is enhanced a thousand fold by the radiation from a yellow star. Kara felt that enhancement like an explosive release throughout her body. It was as if she couldn’t catcher her breath and - at the same time - wanted to shout out to relieve the tension. While her friends kept eyes closed and still saw light Kara tried to separate her wrist and flail her legs. But, Shannon’s knots and the Kryptonian fabric held firm.

Kara, lashed to the tree and feeling the full effect from the sunburst, wondered if she’d taken too much of a chance. She remembered feeling both weak and invulnerable at the same time.

Shannon’s knots held firm while Kara writhed and twisted.

When the Solar Flares dimmed, a bit, the gathered heroes looked Kara’s way. She was still tied up - but seemed to be, almost, glowing with an internal light.

“Kara! Are you ok?” Screamed Alex.

“Yes! … Untie my wrists … QUICKLY!”

Alex ran to the far side of the pine and worked the knots. Shannon and her father, John, undid Kara’s ankles and legs.

The Girl of Steel burst from her place in the clearing and hovered a few meters above everyone for a moments … Then, with a speed and burst of light Alex had never-before witnessed - flew towards the dam.

Her molecules moved at an impossible rate. Velocities far greater than she’d ever experienced - even when helping Barry Allen - The Flash - a year before.

She saw J’onn leaving the dam with one explosive charge.

“Two to go …” she though as her, now, cape-less blue form entered an access tunnel and searched for the second device.

Finding a blinking, black box lashed to a central support she emerged before even a tenth of a second had elapsed and hurled the explosive at five times escape velocity into the stratosphere.

“One to go …” Kara thought as she, again plummeted into the dark seeking the last explosive.

Five …. Four ….

Kara’s x-ray vision scanned and found nothing …..

Three … Two

Kara’s enhanced, super-hearing listened for some sign …. Nothing …..

One ….

One second.

One second to go.

Quite a bit can happen in one second.

A humming bird can beat its; wings more than sixty times. A universe can expand from a singularity to a tenth the size of a galaxy. Four humans can be born. Two will die.

And, in one second, Kara found Lena - and the explosive charge -

.99 seconds ….

Kara bade her molecules to move at speeds never-before seen on Earth.

.85 seconds …

Kara moved with the speed of an electron falling back to a lower energy state … .99 the speed of light ….

And, then, it happened. Kara - with the last burst of energy from the Solar Flares - reached a speed only Barry Allen had achieved before on Earth. An impossible speed. A speed that warped and changed the very nature of the universe.

.55 seconds …

Kara reached Lena and a black and red box … a cuff was broken and a charge was dislodged … It a moment that was, really, not a moment at all … the charge was being thrown to the edge of space and Supergirl and Lena were together, flying faster than any human, Kryptonian, or object larger than a neutrino, had ever traveled before …

Lena and Kara landed together … More of a tumble, really.

They splayed and rolled on a lawn in Central City.

They heard no explosion. There was no flood.

Lena had ended up straddled atop Kara … who lay back on the ground dazed from her exertion.

Bodies together … Lena … still with one, broken, cuff on her right wrist, looked around. The she looked down at Kara ….

“What happened?”

Kara … slowly coming to, looked up from her dream-like state to see Lena atop her.

“Are we OK? Where’s the Alex?”

For. Moment, Lena and Kara just took in the quiet. The, sudden, lack of activity.

Lena slowly realized she was straddling the Girl of Steel … and as she, slowly, dismounted she looked around.

“Something is wrong with the skyline!” Lena said.

Kara propped herself up on her elbows. Sans cape, but she was still wearing her blue suit.

“Oh … my …..”

She never finished that line.

“Lena … Do you trust me?” Asked Kara.

“I do.”

With that, Kara picked up Lena in her arms and flew. A much tamer speed than a few moments before. Kara had a feeling … a hunch she had to check.

Midvale was named for it’s location … Near a lake midway between Central City and a National Forest. A hamlet that enjoyed tourists and revenue from the city while being wonderfully away from the bustle of a port city. Kara landed on, what seemed to Lena, a nondescript own in front of a two-story white home with yellow shutters and trim.

As Kara and Lena recovered their senses on green grass outside of Central City … a red and white cat approached. It, then, almost galloped up to Kara and began to rub against her blue suit.

“Kris?!” Said Kara …

[scforbes8489]

... Happy to continue the rope adventures of Lena and Kara if anyone is interested .... otherwise, we can let them land back in time in Midvale and readers can imagine their next adventure.