(Special Elf note – Chapters Two and Three are concurrent stories!)
Kira awoke to find that she still had a bit of a headache. Figuring that it may well just have been a side effect of her exposure to green k yesterday, she concentrated and quickly the pain subsided. She sat up and ran a hand through her short, blonde hair. She opened her eyes and found herself in a private chamber carved out of solid rock. There was a simple door of banded steel enclosing a room comprised of a bed, dresser, and a desk. Off of one wall was a private lavatory.
Kira began to peer through the door and the rock walls to discover that this room was connected to another, larger area. It had a kitchen, sitting area, and an antiquated communications center. Breaking off of this room was three other bedrooms, only one of which seemed to be in use. Only then did she realize that someone had cooked some food and left it on her desk.
She rose from her bed, stretching her muscles. She was proud of the work that she had done with her family crest and her Daxamite gear. She’d added the crest, cape and boots to her work out uniform. Still, she wasn’t quite ready for that. Instead of grabbing her uniform, Kira opened the dresser to find a simple t-shirt and a pair of shorts. She walked into her bathroom and turned the water on in her shower. She stepped in, letting the scalding-hot water cascade down her body. When she was finished she stepped out and began to spin. Within seconds, she was dry. Still, she grabbed a towel and patted her hair dry, satisfied that it lay precisely where she wanted it.
After she dressed, Kira sat down at her desk and removed the cloth covering the food. What she found, she did not recognize. There were scrambled eggs, toast, jelly, bacon, grapefruit, milk, coffee, silver dollar pancakes, hashbrowns, and a danish. She reflexively recoiled, but then allowed the delectable smells overwhelm her. She tentatively took a bite, then another.
“This is wonderful!” she said aloud. “How can this mudball planet create such delicacies?” Kira began to eat slowly, savoring the exotic flavors. When she finished, she ventured out into the main area. Still not quite sure how she got here, Kira shrugged and looked around.
“Ok. Now what do I do?” she said to herself.
“A question I hope I can help you answer.”
Kira spun around to face the voice. Standing there in her full uniform was Katherine Pryde, sipping on a cup of coffee.
“Ms. Marvel.” Kira said, confirming what her mind told her. “I am sorry, I seem to have misplaced several hours of memory. The last thing I remember is getting a flying lesson from Alan.”
Kitty smiled. “Hey, its all right. We do not know the full extent of the side effects of your first exposure to green K.”
Shock overcame Kira’s features. “First exposure?” she ventured.
Kitty looked away, then locked gazes with the young kryptonian. “Expect to see more, Kira. Alan didn’t tell anyone what Green Kryptonite was, because he hoped it didn’t exist. While you’ve been recovering, we’ve been out trying to find any obvious deposits. Alan destroyed the kryptonite that hitched a ride on your rocket. But there is a lot more we didn’t find.”
Kira nodded. “Well, I am not worried. It doesn’t seem to affect me too much.”
Kitty looked confused for a moment, but then retorted. “Kira, you won’t be able to survive more than about 20 minutes of concentrated exposure. You will experience a rapid loss of your powers, severe pain, unconsciousness, and then death.”
“Like lead to a Daxamite, but no permanent effects.”
“Right, but only if you get away before it kills you.”
Kira poured herself another cup of coffee and sat down. “So why am I here now?”
Kitty walked over and sat across form the kryptonian. “We are here to help you get used to your powers, to help you become Supergirl. And we have only two weeks in which to do so. Alan has called the rally at that time.”
“Sounds good so far. I am ready to take all of this on. I relish the chance to punish the bastards who caused all of this pain.” Then a look of confusion came over her face. “What do you mean ‘we’?”
Kitty smiled. “Ah. My brother will be joining us later. Only he, the Commander, and I know your location. We cannot afford to let happen to you what happened Alan.”
“Your brother, huh? What can he do?”
“Kevin, like me, was born a mutant. He has the ability to control the power cosmic, a virtually unlimited power supply. He can fly, increase his strength to phenomenal levels, invulnerability, energy blasts, almost anything he can imagine. He would be considered a galaxy-class meta, but he has a severe limitation. He can only use one ability at a time or several at lower power levels. He describes it as a percentage that he has to split into what he needs at any one time.”
“Sounds like he is a handful.” Kira commented. Then a wolfish grin spread across her face. “I just have one question: Is he cute?”
Kitty just rolled her eyes and both women burst out laughing. They could tell this was the beginning of a close friendship.
Kevin Pryde landed at the base of Ozone Falls in Tennessee. Shifting his power to strength, he easily lifted the boulder out of the way of the cavern. He entered and replaced the heavy stone. He turned, shifting again, and flew through the natural limestone caverns to the home he carved out many years ago. When he entered the smooth-carved chambers, he instantly knew something was wrong. It was too quiet.
Kevin knew that his sister and the kryptonian were supposed to be here, but the cavern seemed to be abandoned.
“Kitty? Are you here?” When he got no response, he powered up a cosmic energy blast and strengthened his defenses. Walking to the kryptonian’s quarters, Kevin began musing to himself. “If they have already found him, things are going to get a lot worse.”
Kevin never noticed that his sister came floating down from the ceiling to land behind him. She solidified and dove. She slammed into his back, slamming him up against a wall. They bounced off, unharmed, and landed with Kitty sitting on his chest.
“Gotcha!”
Kosmic groaned. “Dammit Kat. Do you know I could have…..” he forced himself to drop the subject. “Oh, never mind. Where is he?”
“Who?”
“The kryptonian of course.”
Amused that her own brother made the same mistake that she and Alan had, Kitty stifled a laugh and pointed behind him.
When Kevin turned, his jaw dropped. Instead of seeing a big, burly, warrior alien as he was expecting, he saw a slender, blonde-haired, blue-eyed young woman. She was wearing a full-length blue bodysuit, red cape and boots, and had the house of El symbol on her chest. The attire left very little to his imagination. It was like a second skin on her body.
“Oh…my…god.” he finally said.
“Kevin, I would like to introduce to you this worlds newest resident. Her name is Kira Jor-El, otherwise known as Supergirl.”
Never taking his eyes off of her, Kevin shook his head. “There is no way that you are a kryptonian.”
Kira was taken aback and was about to tear into him when he continued.
“You have to be an angel, because only the divine could look that good.”
Kira’s eyes sparkled and she glanced at Kitty. She was making a gagging motion, which made Kira smile. “Well, I don’t care. I think he’s sweet.” She said as she walked over to him. She floated up and gave him a peck on the cheek. “So when does training begin?” she said coyly.
“As soon as he gets a cold shower!” Kitty spouted. At his look of embarrassment, both women broke down laughing.
“All right, all right. Cut it out already.” Kevin said, regaining his composure. “Kira, I need to sit down with you and find out all of your abilities. Only then will I know how to help you learn your abilities.”
Kira nodded. “Am I allowed to leave the cave?”
Kevin shrugged. “I can’t stop you. But I would advise against it.”
“I understand.”
“Good. Then let’s get started.”
Over the next 72 hours, Kira and Kevin trained and tested very hard. Every single one of her powers were taxed as far as they could handle. Mixed in was aerial combat techniques, precise heat vision strikes, strength and balance training, among more defined practice such as picking out a marked ball bearing in a pile of thousands. Kitty on the other hand was training Kira at night about history, language, the Terran Resistance, bringing up her knowledge base for future reference.
On the fourth day, they all decided to relax. Training had been so intense, that Kira had not slept in three days. After a good nights sleep and breakfast, they all sat down to play a game of cards.
“So, is it everything you expected it to be, Kira?” Kevin asked, trying to bluff her out.
“Actually it is a lot better.”
“Better?” the siblings said together.
Kira nodded. “Yeah. Nice place, great training, a good friend, and a guy with a nice butt.” Kevin was used to it by now. She had been teasing him ever since they met, but so far, he was able to keep his cool.
“So, are you ready for hand-to-hand combat tomorrow?” Kevin said as he laid down a winning hand.
Kira giggled. “Are you kidding? I am looking forward to it.”
“Really? As long as I don’t embarrass you, is that it?”
“Embarrass me?” Kira said, somewhat surprised. “We will see.”
They all continued to have a good time, relaxing and enjoying each other’s company. Early the next morning, Kira found Kev already awake, preparing the sparring ring further up the cave.
“Good Morning, Kev.” Kira said, stretching her back and arms.
“Morning, how ya doing?”
“Pretty good. Wanna get started?”
Kev held up a hand. “I need to know. What style were you taught? Elise told me that you were a dedicated martial artist.”
“It is a highly offensive and specialized art called Koh-Re. I have been studying since I was a little girl.”
“Fantastic! Then we make a perfect pair.” Kevin said as he put the last touches on the ring.
Knowing she couldn’t resist, Kira cocked her head in response. “We do? How is that? I didn’t know I had found my soul-mate.”
Kev spun around, facing the kryptonian woman. “I…I didn’t mean…. to imply that…. we…”
Kira smiled. “Kev,” she said as she put a finger to his lips. “It’s all right. There is no need to get flustered.” She removed her finger. “Shall we continue?”
“Um, sure. Now that I know you are teasing again.”
All hints of amusement left Kira’s face. “Who says I was?” When Kevin’s eyes went wide, she burst out again. “Come on, think about it later. What style do you know?”
Clearing his thoughts, he led her to the center of the ring. “I have studied an art called Aikido. It is comprised of complete defense. No offense at all. It is designed to use an opponents energy against him.”
Kira bowed. “I see. Complete defense meets total offense. We shall see which is better.”
Kevin bowed in return. “Considering your enormous power, I will not go easy on you.”
“Considering that you cannot match my strength, speed, or invulnerability at the same time, I will go easy on you.”
Kev smiled. “Thank you, Supergirl.” They both stretched one last time and got into a stance. “First one pinned, loses.”
“Agreed…begin.”
Kira instantly rushed over and swung her fist in a wide arc. Kevin caught her wrist and twisted, throwing her off balance and head over heels. Kira landed on her feet and lashed out with a backspin kick. Kevin simply ducked and grabbed her other foot and threw upwards. Kira somersaulted with the throw, but managed to get her foot back around and kicked him in the jaw. Kevin was knocked back and they both hit the floor. Rising quickly, the sparring partners paused for a moment, looking at each other.
“You’re good.” Kevin said as he wiped the blood from his lip.
“Thanks! Are you ready to continue?” Without waiting for a response, Kira lunged, trying to land a devastating palm strike to Kev’s chest. But he was ready. He grabbed her arm and twisted it into a painful arm lock. Going with her now off-balance momentum, Kira swung her leg over his arms so as to straddle his wrist that he was holding her with. In the same motion, she planted that foot and rapidly struck with her other.
Blinded by the speed and complexity of her motion, Kev never saw it coming. He fell to the ground on his back, trying to regain his bearings. Only when Kira sat on him did he know that he had been pinned. When he opened his eyes, she grabbed his wrists and pinned them to the ground.
Smiling coyly, she remarked. “I win.”
“So you do. I’m impressed. You are better than you let on.”
“I know. But after you said that you didn’t want to embarrass me, I could not resist embarrassing you.”
Kevin relaxed and gazed into her eyes. “Kira, you are a fantastic person. Your simple presence will be an inspiration to us all. I only wish that…” his voice trailed off.
“Wish what?”
He shook his head. “Now is not the time.”
Sensing his reluctance, Kira paused, and then slowly bent down and brushed her lips across his. He seemed tentative at first, but soon gathered enough courage, and they began to explore each other’s mouths. When they broke, both were gasping for air. But it was Kira who commented first.
“Now is it time?” Not waiting for a response, she continued. “Kev, all I am used to is stuffy Daxamites. They treat women as objects. Daxam is a male dominated society. When you called me an angel, it was like opening up a part of my emotions I felt I would never use. You have been generous, kind, caring…not overly sensitive, but all things considered, you have treated me like one of your princesses.”
Kevin soaked her words, looking away, but then locked gazes once again. “I don’t believe in love at first sight. I did however feel the instant attraction between us. We’ve got time to sort this out. But know this, I won’t leave you and I will keep you safe. I truly hope that we will find there is much more to it than that.”
“Those are pretty strong words. Are you sure you mean them, Kev?”
Looking as sincere as possible, Kosmic nodded. “I know this must be new on you, and that our feelings are mixed emotions right now.” When Kira nodded, he went on. “Then let’s just give it time. There is no need to rush anything.”
A wide smile crept across her face as she helped him to his feet. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck. “That’s another mark in your favor. From what Kitty tells me, most guys would have tried to take advantage of the situation.” She hugged him tight. “Thanks, Kev.”
He returned the hug. “Anytime Kira. I just have one thing to say.”
“What’s that?” Kira ventured, without moving.
Making a mock choking sound, Kevin joked. “You’re killing me.”
“Oh, you are terrible!” Kira returned in mock anger. After another quick kiss, she was ready to continue.
They separated to opposite sides of the ring and began again. This time Kira was a bit easier on Kev, but even then he could not match the kryptonian’s speed or surprisingly effective special moves. After getting tossed around like a rag doll at almost full strength and invulnerability, Kevin had to stop the sparring.
“What’s wrong, dear?” Kira asked, concerned for her teacher and friend.
“Gimme just a sec, girl. I am trying to heal. You are giving me more lumps than I expected.” Kevin said as his body took on a silverish glow.
Smiling, Kira strolled to the other side of the ring and leaned against the ropes. “Take your time. I know how rough I can be at times.”
“Yeah, I noticed.” Kevin stood again, the glow fading.
“Ready?” she asked. When Kev nodded his head, Kira walked over. Whispering in his ear seductively, she teased him a bit more. “If you are lucky, I might show you some of my submission techniques.”
The normally calm and levelheaded Kosmic had to close his eyes and take a deep breath. “And she calls me terrible.” He commented to himself.
At this, Kira laughed and went to the other side of the ring. She turned over her shoulder and blew him a kiss and froze him over with her breath. “Kev!!” Being as careful as she could, she melted the ice quickly using her heat vision. “Oh Rao, I didn’t mean too.”
Kevin was still partially frozen when he took his next breath. “Damn that was cold! Holy crap, girl. We have got to work on your control.” He said not a word as she wrapped him in her cape, helping warm him up.
“Kev, I am so sorry. It just kind of came out.”
Activating his healing aura once again, Kev began to feel a lot better. In a way, he wanted to get started again, to help her on her control. But on the other hand, he didn’t want to move because Kira had wrapped the both of them together in her cape. She was holding on to him and he to her. It was almost paradise in his mind.
Sensing what he was feeling, Kira unwrapped him and took a step back. “I…I am sorry Kev.”
“Its all right. You are still new to your powers. I took me a couple of years to master mine, especially switching between one and another in an instant. It will come to you eventually.”
“But at what cost?”
Kevin shrugged. “Depending on how close we work together, I am the only one at risk, one I take gladly by the way. You could kill me easily if you tried, but I can counteract most of your effects, albeit one at a time.”
“Sometimes, I can’t see why you tolerate me.”
Kevin smiled. “Simple my dear. You are everything I have ever hoped for in a champion, and everything I have ever wanted in a woman.”
Kira, caught off guard by the statement, turned beet red. “Still as sweet as ever, Kev. A true romantic….”
The two of them sparred for the rest of the day. Satisfied that she was a superb combatant, and due the mishap, decided to concentrate back on powers training. After yet another 48 hours of intensive control techniques, the three friends sat down for the most extensive training yet.
“Kira, you have a good grasp on your powers now, excellent combat prowess, everything that you will need to kill the Kayzik.”
Kira beamed with pride. “Thank you.”
Kitty shook her head. “You wont be thanking us in a moment. Alan is right. You will be a vicious weapon indeed, but now, we have to teach you the greatest defense of all.”
Confused, Kira leaned over the table. “I don’t get it. I am practically unhurtable. What defense would I need?”
“If you have to walk around 24/7 as Supergirl, then the Kayzik would be able to plan an effective ambush. We need to teach you about our culture, our mannerisms, on how to be human.”
“Ok. I get it. A secret ID, huh?”
Kevin smiled. “In a way. But we cannot start today. I have to go have a talk with Chuck and give my report to the Commander. In the meantime, you ladies have fun and relax. I will be back sometime this afternoon.”
As soon as Kosmic flew out, Kitty’s eyes lit up. “Hey Kira, I have an idea.”
“What’s up?”
“Let’s go to the beach. We’ll wear civvies so nobody will recognize us. Plus, it will help you along your path to ‘humanity’.”
“Sure! Let’s go!”
Several hours later, the women were soaking up some sunshine on Myrtle Beach. The beach was abandoned except for the occasional seagull or sand crab. Unknown to the heroines, they had been discovered.
The Kayzik did not always work alone. Some races had such a minute life force, that it was more to the benefit of the Kayzik to co-opt them than to absorb them. A J’Dinn spy watched from the woods. He made no sound and the girls were not looking for intruders.
The Kayzik operated as a hive mind. The J’Dinn did not. He knew that two women alone on this beach meant metas.
He knew no non-metas would expose themselves like this, so as he watched the two play by flying through the air, he knew he was right. When he saw the women toss large boulders in a game of catch, he knew he’d seen at least high-end hyper metas. He’d heard of the fiasco in Australia. He was not stupid and he’d heard the legend of the Kryptonians. He wondered if the rocket had concealed one.
The J’Dinn suspected they would return the next day. He would be ready. As he saw the women depart, he completed his plan. Then he contacted the nearest Kayzik base. He requested a necromancer and two demons. One of the demons would have a special attribute. Its aura would project Kryptonite radiation. He smiled.
Kitty taught her how to stand, how to walk, and how to portray herself as a normal human female. This was, of course, not to hide from the Resistance, but from everything else. It was unknown all who are sympathetic to the cause and who was a traitor.
Kira finally decided on a look and took the terran name of Kira Stevens, but she did not reveal the name to anyone. Also, between ‘classes’ and practice, Kira and Kev were growing closer together. They had truly begun to appreciate each other. After three exhausting days, Kevin was satisfied. The siblings had taught Kira just about everything that they could, and the rally was only two days away. After reporting to the Commander, Kev decided that they would go on a world tour, to familiarize Kira with the geography and the pockets of humanity here on earth.
But that was not today. Today, Kira and Kitty had other plans.
“Kev. We are not giving you a choice in this matter. We are going.”
Kevin shook his head. “Kira, your safety has been my charge. I don’t know if I am willing to let you go alone.”
“Then come with us. We are just going back to the beach anyway.” Kira said, knowing that she was winning him over.
“What do you mean ‘back’?”
“Ooops. I didn’t mean to say that.”
But apparently Kev already knew. “Did you go alone?”
“No. Kitty came with me. We were fine Kev…. nobody even knew we were there.”
Knowing that he could never convince Kira not to go, Kevin let out a deep sigh. “Fine. I guess that you can go out now.”
Kira rushed over and gave him a hug. “Thanks Kev. You coming?”
“And miss an opportunity to see you in a bikini? Wouldn’t miss it. But I have a few things to do. You two go ahead and I will catch up.”
At the beach, Ms. Marvel and Supergirl landed in the soft sand. It was a warm day, partially cloudy and the surf was high.
“Mmmm. This is wonderful!” Kira dove into the water, flying out again after a hundred yards out. Coming back, she landed and took the bikini Kitty had brought for her. “Sometimes, I wish I had a simple life. One without pain or suffering. I know that’s not possible in this universe, but I can still dream!”
Kitty smiled as she basked in the open sun. “Hey, we will get breaks, and we can always come back here. And it’s not all going to be bad.”
Kira sighed. “I know. I just….” Her voice trailed off. She slowly began turning around, sensing that something was amiss. No birds were squawking, and the wind was still.
“What’s wrong, Kira?” Kitty asked, worried by the expression on her friends face. Before she could answer, a large creature erupted out of the sand in front of Kira.
“We’re under attack!” Kira leaped at the beast, pummeling the demon mercilessly. When it tried to counterattack, Kira dodged easily and pounded it even harder.
Kitty could not believe her eyes. She had never seen anyone go right after a Kayzik demon before, much less actually win easily versus one. She never noticed the demon creep out of the water and up behind her. The creature swung and knocked Kitty into the surf. The power behind the assault was enormous, rendering her somewhat senseless. The demon howled and continued after its prime target, intent on draining the kryptonian when it killed her.
Supergirl had pounded her attacker to its knees. “For all the pain! For all the death that you have caused, today, YOU PERISH!!!” Kira unleashed the full power of her heat vision upon the creature, disintegrating every molecule. She turned quickly, hearing the howl of another demon. Seeing Kitty trying to recover in the surf, she stormed towards the demon. “You son-of-a-bitch! You hurt my friend!”
As Kira shot herself at the creature, it simply stopped. It raised its arms, waiting. When Kira came within melee range, twin beams of emerald energy shot from its hands, hitting the young kryptonian. With a pain-filled scream, she fell to the ground. The demon leaped and landed in front of her. Without another sound, it turned a constant stream of the emerald energy on the girl.
Kitty, seeing her friend struggling to get away, scrambled to her feet. She could feel the first hints of the glamour overtaking her as the necromancer approached, but continued on, adrenaline fueling her resolve. “No! Not again!” she screamed as she flew at the demon. “You will not take another champion! I won’t let you!”
The demon turned, but continued to pour energy into Kira. With one hand, the emerald energy shot out, striking Ms. Marvel. Although immune to its radioactive effects, the force was still enough to knock her down again.
“Kira…. no.” Kitty said, trying to get up. It was almost too late. The necromancer had caught up to her. The glamour had begun to win.
Kira, still conscious enough to observe the altercation, gasped. “How…did…it know?” She continued to try and get away but found that she could not move. Minutes felt like eternity as Kira felt her life ebb away. “I’ve…failed. I am…sorry, Kitty.” And then she was quiet.
Kosmic poured on the speed and caught sight of the girls just as Kira stopped moving. “KIRA!!!” he screamed and dove in to attack.
The demon jerked his head in Kevin’s direction, not expecting a third meta. When Kev impacted, he drove the creature back. He bounced off the demon into the necromancer, stunning it. Almost instantly, Kitty shook her head and joined her brother. Without the Kayzik exerting its control, she was free to act.
The demon never stood a chance. Kitty had begun pounding it with everything she was worth, while her brother threw all of his energy into blast after blast. Fearing that it was attempting to exert control again, Kevin slipped behind the creature and summoned everything into his strength. He cut across the demon’s neck, severing it.
Fueled with anger, he found the J’Dinn. He plunged his fist wrist deep into the creature’s back, its blood spurting out on the both of them. The creature stopped and began to buckle, but Kitty held it fast. Kevin grabbed its spinal column and yanked. The J’Dinn let out a roar and collapsed between the siblings.
Kevin’s eyes flared and soon the J’Dinn’s body was smoldering. He knew the necromancer was still alive. He had to make sure it would report their destruction. He quickly gathered Kitty and Kira together and moved them inland. Then he waited for the Necromancer to stir. He screamed at the top of his lungs.
“You have killed my family and you may kill me, but I will not die alone!” Then he caused a severe explosion around him. He used the debris to cover his escape. He knew the Necromancer would report their deaths back to the hive.
I hope that was enough to convince them. With the body parts of that creature, it looks messy enough to be believable.” Kevin mused to himself. Now he had other concerns. He washed his hands and rushed over to Kira who had not moved while he covered their escape. Carefully turning her over, he began to look for signs of life.
“Kira? Kira? Please wake up,” he whispered. She had a fluttering heartbeat and she was not breathing regularly. “What’s going on!?” he yelled. “It’s like she is getting worse!”
Upon hearing this, Kitty rushed over. As she knelt down, Kitty saw what the problem was. “Kev, we have to get her out of here. The sand has been infused with that energy. We’ll need to find a sorceror to clean it out before we come back. If we can’t find one, the Commander can.”
He picked her up and headed for their cave. He threw most everything into his flight and made the trip within minutes.
When he got back to the cavern, he laid her on her bed. Her heartbeat was still irregular and her breathing was shallow. “Time to jumpstart that regeneration of yours, honey.” Concentrating, Kevin began to convert his cosmic energy into yellow solar rays.
He infused the walls with the converted energy. He switched back to strength and began CPR on the young woman; stopping only when he felt her heartbeat and breathing were steady. He breathed a sigh of relief when she groaned and began shifting around.
Kevin dissipated the solar radiation and dropped his silvery form, turning back into a normal-looking guy. He sat down with her and held her in his arms.
“Please be all right. Please, Kira. By all things good in this world, please be all right.” Still limp in his arms, he got no response. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he closed his eyes. It fell upon her face. Kevin never opened his eyes, instead just held her close.
He never saw her eyes open. He opened his and looked down at her when he felt a hand reach up and stroked his cheek, wiping another tear away. They lay there, in her bed, for long moments, just staring into each other’s soul.
Finally, Kira spoke. “Thank you. I owe you my life.”
“Kira, I am willing to lay down my life in order to protect yours. You are important to the galaxy…and to me.”
Kira began to tear up, touched by his words. She coaxed him down and they embraced. When they finally broke, they locked gazes again. “I think I love you, Kevin.”
Kevin smiled weakly. “Kira, you are one of the most powerful beings in the universe, and I am just a mortal. But I will stay by your side forever, if you will allow it.”
“And I want you by my side. Just tell me your feelings, dammit.” Kira said, chocking on her words.
Kevin returned the gesture and stroked her cheek. “I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you, Kira.”
Then her sense of humor returned. “I thought that you didn’t believe in love at first sight?” she stated mockingly.
Kevin smiled and shook his head. “You’re terrible.”
Suddenly, from across the room, they heard a noise. They turned to see Katherine in the doorway. She was leaning with her arms crossed looking like she caught them red-handed. “Disgusting.” She said, a wide grin spreading on her lips.
Kira grinned and stuck her tongue out at her friend, then got up and walked over to her. They gave each other a hug. “Thanks girl. I owe you one too.” When they separated, Kira continued. “Which reminds me. You two did pretty good if you took on those creatures and won.”
“You don’t know the half of it!” Kitty beamed. “We took out a Kayzik and two demons! Not to mention the spy!”
Kevin stood and brushed himself off. “Then I have a decree to make. I feel that the three of us work quite well together. I propose that we do so professionally.” Kitty and Kira glanced at each other and then back to Kev.
“Sure!” Kitty exclaimed. “Team Supergirl is born!”
Kira’s eyes went wide. “Now wait just a second…” she started to interject, but Kevin stopped her.
“Now Kira, it is only natural that beings such as me and my sister rally behind a galaxy-class meta, therefore, I agree.” The siblings walked over and put their arms on each other’s shoulders. “Give it up Kira. We have already decided.”
“Ok, ok. I concede the point.” Kira mused and went on. “I think there is very little for me to learn other than plain old-fashioned experience. So, if you two don’t mind, I would like to try and live as normal people for the next two days. After the tour tomorrow, no powers, just living. Just Katherine Pryde, Kevin Pryde…” her voice trailed off as she got lost in thought.
Kevin looked concerned for a moment. “Having a hard time deciding on a name, huh?”
She looked back and smiled. “No, just making sure that what I had picked is what I want. As I was saying; Kitty, Kevin, and Kira Stevens.”
“Why Stevens?” Kitty asked.
Kira shrugged. “Inconspicuousness, I guess. Plus it sounds like a good maiden name.” She glanced at Kevin and saw that he was turning three shades of red. “But that is beside the point. Let’s try and have a good time, for in two days, the Kayzik will know the meaning of pain!”
Tears of Joy welled up in the sibling’s eyes, for they knew that they had created Supergirl.
ALTERVERSE
The three of them found themselves flying north two days later. The Commander had given word that they were to show up in civvies, but with uniforms handy. They were all to have a picnic, and discuss the future of the planet, galaxy, and the universe. They flew in relative silence, fully aware of each other’s feelings and positions.
At last, they had arrived in the vicinity of the upcoming festivities. When Kevin caught sight of Alan, he slowed. “Hey, there they are.”
They paused and turned to one another. Kira took time to gaze at each of her friends. “Thank you for everything that you have done. But today is the first day of our lives. Today, we begin to live. Not just survive.”
Kitty was enthusiastic. “Then let’s do it. Team Supergirl is on the loose!” On that note, they drifted down to the Champion of the Green Flame.