2 Meeting Another Kryptonian and Discovering a Hard Truth

"Can you not understand me?" I asked a, frankly, stupid question but my senses were still being enhanced and the overload was beginning to impact my mental faculties.

The woman looked confused before realization dawned on her face and she began reaching for what looked like some golden rope. I backed up at this, really trying to press that I wasn't trying to fight or hurt her. She looked at my caution before smiling and speaking slowly at me.

I could tell from her tone that she was trying to keep me calm but in this same way, it was like how Kryptonian tamers used to try and calm the beasts they caught. I didn't like the tone, nor the connotations of what her picking up rope meant. I slowly continued to back up and seeing that this, the woman just sighed before she took her hand away from the rope and raising it.

That made me feel that she wasn't trying to capture and tie me up like some kind of beast.

But instead of fully taking her hand away, she wrapped the rope around her wrist and it began to glow, "Can you understand me now?" she said, her voice now speaking fluent Kryptonian.

Narrowing my eyes, I gazed at her suspiciously before motioning to her device, "What is that? I've never seen a translator like that before...and why not use it as soon as you met me?" I asked and she actually looked away, her eyes filled with embarrassment and a light blush on her cheeks--I could see it all with these eyes. So much information that it stung.

"I-I haven't used it like this before. I usually have the other person hold it so they speak my language," she admitted, a small amount of shame in her voice. Hearing her melodic voice, I actually found myself smiling.

"That's quite forceful, isn't it?" I questioned, a small amount of mirth and teasing in my voice.

It only resulted in her blushing a little heavier. Seeing this, I chuckled--and then I realized what had just happened. Krypton. The people dying. In my desperation and the sudden thoughts, I floated toward her a little to quickly and she was instantly on guard but I ignored that and pleaded, "Please, you've got to help me," I said, my voice raw and cracked with emotion as I thought of the other Kryptonians possibly going through what I was, "My planet was just experiencing an extinction-level event, I was transported here through some sort of tear in space from the explosion--You have to help me find the others! There were hundreds of civilians around me when it happened!" I said, ignoring the training ingrained into me. I ignored the urge to squash my emotions. I had to find the others.

To either help them or to at least find some closure in knowing I wasn't alone on this alien planet. It was a sentiment unworthy of a soldier...but I was made to be different. I was made to protect. I was made with the civilians in mind, and while I may be physically and mentally superior to the normal soldier, I also had much more emotion.

All so I could aid the Kryptonian people better. So I could connect with them. And this connection I innately had with them...it was being torn apart by the thought of them being gone.

"Okay, okay," the woman said, her voice soothing and gentle as she gestured for me to calm down, "Stay calm. My friends and I will help you however we can. If your race have been transported to Earth, we will find them--" she stopped mid-sentence as her gaze landed on my chest.

Or rather the symbol on my under-armor which was the symbol that represented Krypton's might.

But as her face paled, I felt my stomach drop, "What? What is it? What's wrong?" I asked with a slightly too worried voice, yet again showing a side that no soldier should show.

"Your race...what are they called?" She asked a question yet...it felt like she already knew the answer and just wanted clarification. This very fact made my stomach do flips as I got out my answer through grit teeth, knowing that if I didn't do so I'd end up just shouting and asking her what was wrong.

"...Kryptonian. I'm a Kryptonian," I said and from the way her face paled, from the way her heart palpitated...from the way her body went frozen like her blood had solidified.

She instantly flipped out what looked like a communication device, dialed some numbers before lifting it to her ear and speaking almost instantly, "Kara, tell your cousin to meet me a the watch tower. You come too. I need a translator so I don't wear out my energy," she said with a grim tone and the voice on the other side of the communicator replied.

Though I didn't understand the language, I could understand the tone was confused and that the person, a girl, replied with a question. The warrior woman in front of me simply replied with the word, "Kryptonian," which elicitated a gasp filled with so many emotions.

The woman in front of me hung up before looking to me with a gentle smile, "Come with me, I'll take you to see your people," she said and despite the happy news, I could see the hint of pity in her eyes.

I wanted to feel glad. I wanted to feel happy. But a knawing, terrible feeling in my gut just told me that this wouldn't end well. That what was about to happen would be nice for anyone involved.

I just nodded my head silently, but deep down I knew something every other part of me wanted to deny.

. . .

POV Change - Kara Zor-El

I rushed out of my apartment, sending a text to Kal as I took to the skies with speed that would've been too quick for anyone to see even if it weren't 11pm at night.

Diana needs me to translate Kryptonian. That can only mean one thing:

She's found a Kryptonian. A Kryptonian! I had resigned myself to it just being Kal and I who were left but Diana had found hope in a single other of my race. Another person who can understand me, who I am, and where I came from. The fact Diana needs a translator tells me that this Kryptonian is an adult and grew up on Krypton like me!

I rushed upward and through the atmosphere, my suit easily withstanding the friction of leaving the atmosphere. I was about to meet another Kryptonian, so I had to show up in the proper get-up! The proper get-up being my Supergirl costume in this case...It was slightly embarrassing to wear this to meet someone who was probably used to full-length body suits and not Earth-like fashion. But the Symbol of House El should show them who I am!

The freezing and empty void of space did nothing to dampen my enthusiasm and in fact, now that I was free of Earth's atmosphere, I could speed up even quicker. So I did. I broke the sound barrier many times over and still kept on accelerating.

It wasn't long until I saw the League HQ come into sight in all it's glory.

It was practically a massive satellite but that truly didn't do it justice. Flying around to the side of the HQ, I arrived at the port for flyers and other ships to come into, and I got through the airlock after going through all the stupid (yet honestly necessary) security locks. If it weren't for the fact Kal and that grumpy old man Batman would be mega pissed at me for doing so, I would ripped my way through the airlock in my excitement to meet another Kryptonian after so long.

...There's safety protocols involved for that sort of thing so I knew no one would be hurt. Can't a girl be a little too excited about something?

Getting through the air lock, I used my sense of hearing to listen for Diana's voice and soon found it, along with a deep and smooth voice speaking Kryptonian. I felt my knees buckle as I suddenly felt nervous about my first formal meeting with another Kryptonian. I'd met and spent years with Kal but Kal was different. He was raised on Earth and he's my cousin! This man (presumably, anyway. His voice is deep and masculine enough anyway) grew up on Krypton! And he's a male Kryptonian! I just felt really unsettled and anxious about meeting him.

...It's normal, alright? Just a little pre-meeting jitters.

I raced through the halls and soon found myself outside of the room and just as I was about to knock, the door slid open with a mechanical hiss revealing Diana standing there with a smile, "Kara," she gently said before bringing me into a hug. I hugged her back. Diana was the big sister I never had and other than Kal, the only person I saw as family.

She'd been there for me when I just came to Earth. She took me to live with the Amazons on Themyscira and she taught me how to use my powers. It was a bond forged in a very delicate part of my life and I'll never forget it.

But right now my excitement got the better of me and wiggling out of Diana's hug and ignoring the slightly awkward and grim face she had, I looked passed her and at the man who was sitting on the opposite end of a table from me and Diana.

His eyes were blue like mine yet instead of the royal blue Kal and I had, this man's eyes were icy. Almost a gray-ish blue in color.

And they scanned over me before landing on my chest. I felt self-conscious for a second before realizing he was just looking at the symbol on my chest - Earth had corrupted my mind with filth it would seem - before his eyes lit up with excitement and he stood up with a wide smile that almost made me swoon.

"A member of the House of El?" he questioned in such fluent and articulate Kryptonian that I instantly thought he was from one of the more noble houses but seeing his black under-armor that closely stuck to his body, I knew he was of the soldier caste, "It's good to know that a House of the Scientific caste survived!" he joyously said before coming up to me and putting out his hand.

I went to grasp his hand, in a very Earth-like handshake but I remembered my etiquette training and grasped his forearm instead.

...I could barely fit my hand around the thick and very well-toned muscular forearm.

Getting a closer look at him, I saw that he was quite literally massive. He was tall and broad, even more so than Kal. His muscles were of the same type as Kal, brawny and well-toned, but with an extra bit of definition that made me want to run my hand across them. Looking up, I saw his messy-looking dark brown hair which was quite rare to see on a Kryptonian. Here on Earth it was quite normal but on Krypton, Black and Blond are the norms. Brown is a sign of class or at least it used to be.

Then my eyes landed on his symbol and I narrowed my eyes a little before looking up, "You're a part of the Royal Guard?" I asked, feeling slightly intimidated by the fact I was in front of one of the infamously ruthless and battle-ready Royal Guard.

They used to tell stories and spread rumors about the Royal Guard back in the academy on Krypton.

...Well, I can safely say that he doesn't fit any of them. He's neither heavily scarred or ugly. He's gorgeous, in fact--Focus, Kara. He's answering your question.

"Yes! I was put into the Royal Guard and deployed for duty just today--But then that weird event started happening. Krypton felt like it was about to blow up," he said, obviously distressed and it actually took me a second to figure out that he'd said something that should be impossible.

"Wait up...Today? You were on Krypton...today?" I asked, feeling as if he may have been in a similar situation to me - put in cryogenic sleep and only just woken up.

He saw and heard my confusion and backed up a little. His face seemed to be struggling with something before he finally spoke, "...Yes, I was on Krypton today. Is that a problem--Wait, how did you get to this planet? Were you transported here when that last explosion went off as well?" he was getting a bit frantic, the obvious being barred off by his subconscious as it was too much to handle.

I was the same.

"My name is Kara, what's yours?" I asked, knowing he'd need support after what I was about to tell him.

He seemed caught off guard by my question but answered regardless, "My name is Kars. I was not part of any house," he said with a polite smile yet it looked so fragile that I just wanted to pull him into a hug.

I could tell that even if he didn't know what had happened to Krypton, he'd seen some things as it was slowly crumbling away. Things that had effected him terribly.

Walking to him, I grabbed his arm before pulling him toward the nearby chair, I motioned for him to sit down as I sat on the table, "Kars...Krypton is gone. What you experienced was the core of the world becoming unstable and that last explosion was the planet cracking apart," my words seemed to hit him like a sledgehammer as his face froze and drained off all color.

Things went silent. I knew this was blunt. But it was what was needed. Dancing around the subject only hurts more. Dancing around the subject gives you hope...which makes it even worse when it's torn away from you.

"B-but...It's okay if Krypton's gone, right?" his toneless voice crackled as he spoke, "We can...we can rebuild! Kryptonians are never ones to be held down! We can find another planet, terraform it if necessary--!" he stood up as he said this, his own words pumping him full of vigor. It was fake and forced, however, and I couldn't watch my only other kinsman do this to himself.

Shaking my head, I felt my own eyes get teary at the old prickling I still felt every now and then as I looked up at the stars, "Including you, Kars...there's only 3 Kryptonians left. I'm so sorry," I said, my voice cracking up toward the end.

Kars just froze, and then collapsed into the chair behind him.

His face was deathly pale, and his jaw was so clenched that I could practically feel his teeth cracking.

The blue eyes that were so excited and happy to see me enter the room were now lifeless and dull. Like two icy orbs full of nothing but the cold and indifferent. But looking a little deeper, all I could see was pain. Raw, unbridled pain.

I could help it as I brought him into a hug, my own tears coming out. He hugged me back, his arms wrapping around me and squeezing with enough strength to rend metal. But all I could focus on, was that I could feel his tears pouring out of his eyes.

...God, I wish Kal were here. He'd know what to say right now.