His week had been Hell, no pun intended. After almost being ripped apart genetic strand by genetic strand, he was glad it was almost over. The past few days he was reminded again of the balance Kal El had warned him about when living a more active life among civilians. They didn't have things as easy as they made it seem, though neither did they. It didn't help that the past days he had to wear the Kryptonian armor, which he didn't care was a heirloom, it itched but not in the normal sense. His T.K. actually itched as it tried to fight its way out of it. That, plus he was still healing. He had seen his teammates get injuries that required rest and attention, but this was a first for him. Usually in a few hours he was like new. Now, when he showed up to class, or when he showed his face around people would stare. He hated it, never said it, but he hoped they got the message when he glared at them. With the bruises on his face, they were fast to turn away.
"Well, don't you look handsome," Lois had said when she saw him check the studio they would use.
"You too Ms. Lane," he said to her before she gave him a punch on the arm.
"What does Clark feed you?" she said shaking her hand.
He knew she didn't remember ever finding out about their other identities. After a long talk with Clark, he admitted not remembering a lot of things which Kon did. It seemed Clark remembered a straining relation between him and Lois growing but never changing into something else. He didn't give him all the details, but he could tell it was frustrating to have her and then lose her again without even realizing until later.
"I still don't know how you convinced them to give you an interview. We are not getting the League dropping in the middle of things, are we? That would just make things better," Lois said as they worked in some of the questions for his individual article and things he should check.
"Like Clark says, a good reporter never reveals his sources," he told her as he wrote down the address of a safe home for runaway kids.
"I taught him that, you know?" Lois said with a smile.
"You should tell him next time you see him," he said before her smile faltered, "that bad?"
"He didn't tell you?" she asked him.
"He is a very private person, has always been," he told her as he gathered his things.
"I can't help to feel he is hiding something," she said with a sigh, "if he was honest, maybe we could be like real friends again."
But Clark didn't want to just be friends with her, but he didn't say it. That was something they would have to work on their own. Meanwhile, he would keep Lois Lane out of the investigation she had been helping him with regarding Dr. Spencer and N.O.W.H.E.R.E. It wasn't just because Clark asked him to, but because they had gotten to her without him realizing, and he worried what they might try next time. He had yet to check with Tim, but he knew there was a big chance they had also gotten to him. He also considered leaving him out of it if that was the case.
That night, as he felt the bits and pieces of himself continue to heal he examined the sphere with the memory carrying his recording might not be safe at home anymore. He thought about taking it to the Fortress, but after H'El's breach it didn't feel right. After a while he realized he knew the right person and flew straight to El Paso hoping Blue still hadn't left for San Francisco. After entrusting his friend, or better say his scarab which couldn't be accessed by mind-altering abilities as corroborated by M'gann he felt safer. Whoever had messed with his mind last time would need to do a lot better than to wait for him to be weakened.
"What happened to you!" meeting with Lori always helped him feel normal, somewhat. She fretted over him as a friend would before carrying on. "Do you remember the guy I met a few weeks ago at that club? Well, he finally called me and we are going out this Friday. Do you have any plans? I could call a friend and make it a double date."
"I will pass this time," he was sure any girl who saw him as he was at the time would turn tail and never look back.
Seeing Lori always reminded him of one bit of good news. He didn't carry Luthor's DNA, which meant the asshole had no claim over him. Still, it was saddening he couldn't think of Lori as a cousin anymore.
Talking about cousins, he spent a few hours with Kara as she healed back in the Watchtower whenever Kal El stepped out. Kal El didn't want her alone at any moment if possible. He got that he was worried Kara might do something stupid because of the mistake she made, but he didn't think she would do something too stupid, maybe just run away and hide for a while. However, he was worried how others might treat her if they weren't there to defend her. In her current position, he doubted she would speak up for herself. He had already talked down some of the members of the Team. He hadn't realized it until then, but she just like Kal El was the kind to punish themselves more than anyone else. However pleasant it was to have some quiet while he stayed with her, it always felt strange. He started bringing her books when he realized she only stared emptily at space, probably remembering her greatest moment of weakness and admonishing herself.
He knew it might not happen, but he hoped she would find the solace he did in books. CADMUS had put a lot of information in his mind, to the point where most facts didn't surprise him. However, they failed to put in or influence his take on the classics and the not so classics. It was as if the years and experiences he was denied in his creation were gained back a hundred times over.
When she was finally okay to leave the Watchtower, it was early Saturday morning. Though not without some issues, when they were free they got caught in a whole new web with the interview and the boundaries their team wanted. As he prepared to fly to San Francisco as Bart asked him to talk to the governor, he met with another interesting revelation.
"I want to join the Titans," Kara had said, and he couldn't say no because they actually wanted her with them.
Not that he didn't trust her, well he didn't fully but he was within good reason. At the end of things, it was thanks to her that they defeated H'El, but he couldn't forget the rage with which she spoke and hurt him. If she got angry enough, she could hurt someone. If she was joining, he thought, they had to work on her temper and that coming from him was something.
As they flew towards San Francisco, he took the opportunity to stretch his senses. The Kryptonian armor had come out the night before, and though he was not back to his full strength, he felt more like himself. He expanded his senses for miles and took in the feeling of life moving around him. As morning snuck into every cranny he could sense it stirring; life taking place. It could be child waking up, the beast pushing its young into awakening, a blade of grass seeking the light of the sun, and so much more.
"Can't you fly faster?" Kara said snapping him out of his wandering mind.
"We still have time," he told her noting she was anxious; "you won't get to meet the rest of the team until later. There are other things need to get done."
"And what am I supposed to do in the meanwhile?"
He shrugged, "whatever you like."
She opened her mouth to snap at him, but just as fast closed it. He wasn't sure what had changed her mind, but she seemed thoughtful. It was strange to talk to her without debating, fighting or straining the lines of civility. He hoped she didn't act like this all the time. Actually, debating with her was much more fun than making fun of her which he had fun recently was easy for him to do. He got easily on her nerves, but she barely retaliated due to her almost beating him to death (okay, maybe she had a good reason.)
"Why did you choose to become a reporter?" she asked him out of nowhere.
"Huh?" he looked at her solemn face. Whatever was her reason for asking seemed important to her, "To put in a few words; because I like it. I like what real reporting stands for and I think is something that is needed."
"Because you like it…" she tried the words before he understood why she was asking.
"You are happy with what you choose, right?" he asked her. He knew back in Krypton she didn't have any choice about what she would do with her life, but here the options were endless.
"Yeah, but what if I wanted to do something less productive?" it was always about having a purpose, especially for Kryptonians.
"As long as it not a criminal activity, I think everything is productive," he told her before thinking a bit more about it, "you can pick a less active civilian life, but even then you would still be Supergirl."
She seemed to think about it before the weariness she had been emanating before dispersed into a slight sense of security.
"Thought," he said thinking of his own circumstances, "I find that if is something you enjoy, it really shouldn't matter how 'productive' it is. There are few people who can actually live doing what they like, but the objective here is to be happy."
She caught on to what he was saying before she looked at the endless road ahead of them. They were among the most powerful beings in that world, but what did any of that matter if they weren't happy with their lives. At that point, they were doing what felt right for them and though the feeling might change over time they had to remember that yes, there was the world to protect, but they also had lives to live.
San Francisco finally came into view along with who he hoped was an ally. He had yet to meet this Green Lantern floating and waiting for them. Kyle looked taken back for a moment when he saw Supergirl but quickly took the expression most young men did when meeting the beautiful Kryptonian. He wasn't sure if it was because he shared Kal El's DNA, but he didn't find Kara that alluring. Or, it might be related to her almost lobotomizing him the first time they met. Kyle looked like a love-stricken puppy for the first few seconds until he cleared his throat.
"Nice to meet you, I am Kyle," he said with an awkward smile.
"Kon," he said with a nod of his head. He didn't think the League had sent Kyle to talk them out. If that was the case, they would be facing Wonder Woman.
"Kara," Supergirl said returning the smile.
"So, I heard from Blue Beetle that you guys are creating a new team?" Kyle said temptingly.
"Yeah," he said a little surprised. Everyone knew they were creating a new team.
"We are all meeting today," Kara said hitting him lightly in the ribs with her elbow.
"Oh, great… ehm," said the Green Lantern that had yet to be invited into the League or the Team.
"You can sit in with us and see if is to your liking," he told him after finally understanding.
"Really?" Kyle had asked before he nodded, "great! Whe-"
"Actually, the meeting will be in a few hours. First, I need to convince the governor of the city to let us base off their shore," he told the enthusiastic Lantern. "You can come if you like," having a Green Lantern on his side at the time would probably be good.
"If he is going, so am I," Kara said not leaving space for argument.
"Alright, but you two better leave the talking to me," he told them before they flew straight to the governor's office. He was not as much of a Silver Tongue as Tim, but he knew his way around.
was the youngest governor of San Francisco in the past hundred years. She was in her mid-thirties and with already two years under her belt in the post. Before that, she had been part of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors which meant she had a strong pull and knowledge of the city's working infrastructure. She was married, previously divorced and had one son of twelve years of age. He believed destiny was on their side with her on the seat instead of some old fart who still looked at vigilantism with a narrowed mind. The capture of the Escorpines the previous week showed the necessity the city had for them. Though unintentional, Damian had set them towards a good start.
Since they had announced their interview with the Daily Planet and ClarkCatropolis, more and more people were asking for heroes in San Francisco. It was a city of wealth and poverty in the oddest of mix with a large youth population. Those in their teens and twenties were the strongest voices in these demands. Not surprisingly, after the takedown of multiple human trafficking rings by Red Robin, and also the assistance of Blue with what was some sort of spell gone wrong it was almost impossible for Alissa Jackson to find a reason to say no to them. She, as the mother of a twelve-year-old, would understand there was a lot of work which could only be done by them.
The building was an old piece of white marble architecture with three floors and an astounding entrance with pillars to welcome anyone who came by. They entered through the front windows, not without getting the attention of a few people. He calculated at least twenty minutes would pass before every reported in the area got to the sight. Major Jackson was on her traditional wooden desk surrounded by a carpet of the same kingly blue of the California flag. She saw them the same way an adult did a child. According to what he knew, Tim had sent a message to the woman asking to keep her schedule open for his visit.
"For a moment I thought it was a joke from some teen hacker, not so rare if you care to believe me," Major Jackson was of black woman dressed in a grey suit and a white blouse. "Though," she said with a gentle smile which made him want to trust her, "I was not expecting you or them of all people."
"Red Robin, the leader of the Titans, had to deal with a few things. He apologizes for not being able to be here himself, but I can assure you we can provide any answers for whatever questions you have in regards to our request," he said keeping an even tone.
"Let me guess, you want to be based here," she asked with a knowing smile.
"Can you blame us? You have a beautiful city though it also needs plenty of help," he said.
"You made it seem so only a week before," Major Jackson said with a slight narrow of her eyes. Of course, as a politician she would see things in a different way, always looking for the angle.
"Not our intention, we can assure you. We already had planned to talk to you before that happened," he told her.
"You have thirty minutes before my next appointment… do you have a name? calling you Superboy seems kind of silly," she said entwining her fingers over her desk and giving him a curious look.
"My name is Kon El, this is Kara Zor-El; Superman's cousin, and our companion is a Green Lantern, but that's all I can say," he presented his companions who gave a nod towards the woman.
"Fair enough Kon El, so what exactly had your 'leader' in proposition?" she rolled the words in her mouth as a teacher did when trying to make a child see the real purpose of the question.
"You are right to say we want to move in to be of help to your city, but we also seek your consent," he told her wondering if it was too late to get Tim up there.
"None of your predecessors ever did that," she said showing only a little bit of shock.
"We seek to do things differently. We are aware the League is currently in alliance with the government of this country, and those who from the U.N., but some lines are not well set. At times, there is nothing they can do when it comes to nations which are not in alliance with the U.N. and others it is not known if it is our place to help. Here and now, we seek to come to get to an understanding and set clear lines," meaning, they didn't need the authorities chasing after them when the real threats were somewhere else.
"If I approve of you moving in," she said moving the pieces into her favor.
"You know you can't really say no. I am sorry to say this, but what happened a week ago was not planned. As you can see, we are young, and we were seeking to have for once an ordinary night, but it didn't turn out that way. Imagine what we could uncover if we really looked," even then he believed the drug trafficking world was in turmoil. It was always a downside of their involvement. It tended to make the criminals extra ferocious.
"How old are you Kon El?" she asked him taking him by surprise for a moment, but quickly masked it. This was a question he had expected.
"I am physically sixteen, as for the time I have existed, about eight years," he told her before it was her turn to look shocked.
"And your companions from that night?" she asked.
"Though it is a fair question, I can't reveal information about my colleagues. I can tell you as much as I can about myself, but not them. Though, I imagine you noticed, we are all in our teens or very early twenties," he motioned to Kara and Kyle as they did look older. Red Robin, Blue and Kid Flash were all in their teens.
"You seem like a very mature young man, but you can imagine how it would look like if I let a bunch of teens run around the city imposing the law," anything that diminished her saying over the power was a threat.
"First, we are not your average 'teens.' Secondly, we are not imposing, but reinforcing. Criminals would be delivered to the proper authorities as always to be processed by the law," there was a reason why the League didn't have a prison of their own. They had always known that would make things a lot easier, but easy wasn't always the best answer.
"And soon we will have an Arkham of our own," Major Jackson said waving her hand dismissively.
"Would you prefer them behind cells or running in the streets abducting more children and using them for their own means?" it was a low blow, but he couldn't hold it back anymore. Who knew home many had already died because the Escorpions had not been brought to justice.
The room fell into silence. Now he had done it. If she didn't believe before that the whole operation against the Escorpions had not been planned, she didn't believe it anymore. He knew it sounded like a threat because it was. They needed the approval of the community, or at least the eighty percent who voted for this woman in the greatest landslides of the decade.
"How old are you Kara Zor El?" the Major asked looking unaffected to Kara, who was standing to his right.
"I am twenty, I arrived at Earth three years ago," she said in a polite tone.
"Three years, I thought it was just recent," the Major said looking a little thoughtful.
"My cousin Kal El sent me to live with his adoptive Earth parents for the first year of my time here. After I had moved to Metropolis, I started getting evolved," Kara explained helping somewhat. They were not complete rookies; Kara tried to say through her explanation.
"In your planet, how something like this would be seen. From what I understand they were quite advanced," the Major asked; she never looked away from Kara.
"In Krypton, there was no vigilantism as the crime was nonexistent. However, two guardians always stood by us in secret. It something seemed amiss they interfered," Kara explained reminding him of the stories of Nightwing and Flamebird. He didn't believe the legend of the two deities possessing people every time they were needed, but it seemed Kara did.
"Is this where Superman got the idea?" Major Jackson asked with an intrigued look.
"No way to know. The humans who raised him could have also been the reason. They raised him to do what he believed was right, and that was to use his gifts to aid humanity. Not dominate it, or anything else, but help it towards its path into greatness," Kara said proudly, "this is something Kal El has taught us."
"Greatness," the woman said looking at the three of them.
"Superman, Kal El believes in the potential of this world. He thinks it could be just as grand as or even greater than Krypton was," and though Kara's voice shook a little, she still said it. He imagined it was painful to remember she had almost taken that opportunity away from the Earth population.
"Is that what you are working towards?" the Major asked looking back at him.
"In part, yes; we believe in the potential of humanity. But, we know crime and others can interfere with their growth. It is also about protecting those who can't protect themselves and also keeping greater threats at bay. When you are born, given, or in my own case created with unique abilities, we soon come to realize there are also responsibilities that come along with them. One does not need to have to have abilities like ours to make a real change in the world. Right now, there are people preparing themselves to come up with cures for illnesses, and conditions, there are also people out there trying to work their way out of the bottom to have a real saying in the world. Those people don't need to be distracted by things like tugs or invasions. That's what we are here for," and as he said the words, he realized how true they were.
"Nice little speech Kon El and I don't doubt you really believe every word of it, but let me ask, what this will really entitle to my city?" she asked as she stood up and walked around her desk to stand before him. She barely reached his shoulder, but her presence was imposing. He couldn't even feel a hint of fear from her. Her emotions were in control, and almost nothing would break through her shield.
"I want you to imagine the following" he had to appeal to her not just as the major, but also to her humanity. "Your son wakes up one day and he finds he has an ability which no other human has. He is afraid, and he doesn't know how to control it. What would you do?"
"Ask the League for help," she said simply.
"But the League is too busy fighting a threat, and as the minutes pass by, your son becomes more frightened by himself. This is not something he knows how to control. It has the potential to do something good, but he has no idea how," he said feeling the emotions starting to slip by, "people find out what your son can do, and they want to use him for their own purposes. But, there could be a community of people like him he could rely for not just for help, but also to learn to use his abilities."
"You want to train Metas," she said showing real emotion for the first time. She had not expected this.
"To learn how to control their powers so they won't hurt themselves or others," he summarized.
"Or to create an army," she said narrowing her eyes on him.
"Someone already tried to do that, we stopped them. You have contacts in the capitol, ask them about what happened in El Paso last year," La Dama had tried to do just that. He didn't want to imagine what would have become of the kids she had captured if it hadn't been for Kid Flash, Blue Beetle, and Red Robin, "but, we believe someone might be trying to do the same. The past few days multiple young Metas have been targeted; Static in Dakota City, Red Star in the Taiga Forest, and kids who don't even wear masks. They can't go to the authorities because they are afraid people will find they are Metas... Scared Metas, can you imagine what becomes of them?" what happened alone in the Taiga Forest alone had been a disaster.
"Dangerous," Major Jackson said taking all this information in.
"It is a known fact to us, as it should be to you, that the real enemy is fear. We are not asking to base in your city, but the shores of your city. We found an underwater island where we can start building our base. It will be visible from the shores and give your town an attraction as well as a sense of security. It will be far enough so that the young Metas won't cause you problems. Your city can come to be known as the cradle of a new generation of heroes," he knew it sounded like a sales pitch at the end, but she had to see the other benefits they could bring to the table.
She was quiet for a few moments before she checked her watch and sighed. He knew their time was almost up.
"You haven't said anything Mr. Green Lantern," the Major asked, "what do you think of all of this?"
Kyle bit his lip, his youth showing through, but then he made his mask fade away and looked at the Major with shining green eyes, "I believe a good person can teach another person to also be good. We have been taught to do our best, for the best of everyone and to be as selfless as possible. But, that we also need some of the people's cooperation to keep doing it." he paused for a moment before saying, "before I became a Green Lantern, I used to believe only people with special abilities or skills could be heroes, but now I know that anyone can be a hero. Right now, it is your turn to choose if you will be one for those kids. Because, being a hero is not about wearing uniforms or flying, but it is about helping others at our utmost capacity."
She gave them a gentle smile before checking her watch again, "I need to talk to the Supervisors Board, and some other people, the answer is not no, but a maybe. Tell your 'leader' to contact me tonight to give a response."
"We appreciate the time you have given us Major Jackson," Kara said with a slight bow.
"Get going now," the woman said before giving Superboy a stern look which told him there were still many things they needed to discuss. However, he would leave that to Red Robin. Alissa Jackson was by no means someone you could push around.
As they flew out, he almost went blind when countless reporters started shooting pictures of them. He had raised his hand before they all ducked protecting their cameras and phones. It was good to know his reputation as a phone murderer was still standing.
"Let's hurry before they realize," he told his companions before they got away from the sight as fast as possible. They went to a warehouse filled with equipment and material. Blue Beetle and Thorax were already there.
"Ehm, hi," Blue said a little unease to see Supergirl and the Green Lantern there.
"Please tell me she is joining," Thorax said dropping a beam and hurrying to them.
"I want to," Kara said a little shocked by the closeness.
"Really?" Thorax asked with a silly smile. Though his armor was of a more aggressive design and bulkier than Blue's he could see the guy inside through his expressions.
"Yes," Kara said getting infected by the smile.
"Ja- Blue, Supergirl just talked to me," and that seemed to have made Thorax's day.
"So, she does have that effect on everyone," Kyle said before Kara started blushing.
"For most," he said with a shrug.
"Forgive my friend; he is a big fan of yours, which makes him forget to act with some dignity," Blue Beetle said with a smile.
"Shut up escarabajo, don't let him poison your mind with his venomous words," Thorax said giving Blue a narrowed look, "old models, you know?"
"Glad to have you aboard Supergirl," Blue went to her and stretched his hand. He could sense he was still a little nervous around her because of what happened a few days ago, but kept it hidden for which he was thankful. Right at that time, Kara needed people who accepted her and see things were forgiven so she could start forgiving herself.
"Are you ready?" he asked Blue looking at the pile of items they had stacked.
"Yeah, we got all that we need, but what about them?" Blue said looking at Kyle and Kara.
"Why don't you guys go explore the city?" he thought it would be good for them to see the people they would be looking after.
"There are some civilian clothes over there if you need to change," Blue pointed towards a door. Leave it to Red Robin to leave everything at hand.
"Is there a shower in there by any chance?" Kyle asked shedding his Lantern uniform, "Seriously, I have been running errands all week nonstop."
"I think there is one at the end of the room," Blue said before he pushed Thorax forwards. His friend threw him a thankful smile before following too.
"Make sure to be back by eleven to take you to the meeting place," he called to them before they were gone.
Using his T.K. he carried the tons of materials towards their destination. All the while, Blue looked troubled but wouldn't say a word.
"Everything okay?" he asked.
"I think, just complicated," he said before he sensed multiple emotions from his friend.
"We have been having too many weeks like this, right?" he said with a tired smile.
"You too?" his friend asked.
"Complete madness," and there seemed to be no end to it.
"I miss my family," Blue admitted after a while, "even being woken up by my little sister. You don't think I rushed, do you?"
"Not at all," he said before his friend seemed calmer, "and you can visit them, you know?"
"Mom already made a calendar," Blue said with a short laugh.
"So, you aren't going to tell me what is really bothering you?" he could feel layer after layer of thoughts which were just so close to reach, but he didn't know how to. He would have to try to train with M'gann again even if she did try to snap his neck.
"There is a girl," Blue said before he saw the glimpse of a raven-haired young woman.
"And?" he knew there was more.
"Something about Ted Kord," Blue said before he saw a glimpse of a memory stick.
"But you aren't telling," he said matter of fact.
"It's not that easy," Blue said with a frown.
"We all have the right to our secrets," he had his own, "but remember that we are a team. If this affects the rest of us, you have to let us know so we are ready."
"I understand," Blue said thinking about it. There was turmoil, but not as great as before.
He thought of his own secrets; Dr. Spencer, N.O.W.H.E.R.E. the memories, his unknown DNA, and so much more.