44: Objective.

Carol looked at the crimson red "crystal" the size of an apple that she held in her hand. Freezing every drop of blood before it could hit the ground had been easy, then she simply gathered all the genetic material turned into ice, and using her super strength, compressed it into a form she could easily hold.

"It's surprising that even in this state, the cells show no signs of beginning to deteriorate. Maybe you could take it to the fortress so I can—" Before she could finish speaking, Lara's voice was cut off by Carol's actions.

The girl raised the visor of her helmet and, without hesitation, let two heat rays shoot out intensely toward the gathered blood in her hand.

The cells, formed by the almost indestructible intelligent atoms, resisted for a moment before the extreme heat completely destabilized their atomic structure, turning every gram of them into less than ashes.

Lara remained silent, watching this through the cameras in her helmet, and distractedly noted the effect the high-intensity heat had on the blood.

"The great cyclone seems to have disappeared. Is the battle over?" Carol asked after lowering the helmet's visor again. Lara took a moment but finally responded.

"A few seconds ago, the gravitational anomaly on the planet completely vanished from my scanners. Without a doubt, I can say it's because that boy dealt with the cause." Carol let out a small sigh of relief upon hearing this, relaxing from her tense stance.

With the threat seemingly resolved, she took a moment to relax, and in that moment, her eyes glanced at the ground beneath her feet.

All of Washington D.C. was a disaster. Seeing so much destruction for the first time in her life made her frown slightly before shaking her head. It didn't matter; they were just material things. As a girl who had grown up in the countryside, Carol placed little value on things that could be bought with money. To her, what truly mattered were the lives of the people she cared about, and in her opinion, that's how it should be for everyone.

Washington D.C. might be nearly in ruins, but she had ensured the safety of many civilians, either within or around the city. That, as far as Carol was concerned, counted as a job well done. As long as they had their lives and health, they could rebuild the city later.

With that thought, she decided to stop paying attention to the state of the city and instead focused her hearing to locate the direction where Daniel was.

Which was quite easy but at the same time made a worried expression form on her face, as Daniel's heartbeat was irregular, as if something had disturbed or surprised him in some way. Had something happened? Was he hurt?

'It's better if I check,' she thought, and without hesitation, her body became a blur that disappeared from her previous spot in an instant.

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A few moments earlier, Rikers Island.

Time seemed to slow down as a pair of strong, warm arms wrapped around her trembling body, causing her to shudder for a moment. Then she looked up, and her tearful, bloodshot eyes met a pair of deep blue eyes filled with great concern.

"Y-you're here?" Harleen asked, her voice trembling, almost a whisper, as if she feared this was just a hallucination.

"I'm here," Daniel said, putting as much firmness and reassurance as he could into his voice, perfectly hiding the anger that was starting to brew inside him as he saw her injured and battered state.

And upon hearing him, Harleen felt as if the world that had been crumbling around her was suddenly whole again. With relief filling her and feeling an absolute sense of security, she desperately raised her arms, returning the hug and burying her face in his chest as the tears began to flow—only this time, for different reasons.

Seeing her in such a state, Daniel patted her back, letting her release her emotions while he inspected the area.

The smell of blood and chemicals was obvious. He didn't have to search much to find several lifeless bodies, but the one that caught his attention the most was the one right next to the two of them—a body with a shattered face, a body whose blood stained Harleen's hands.

He wrestled with himself—should he ask? Was it too soon? He wanted to know what had happened, but he didn't want to make the already clearly distressed Harleen uncomfortable while she was in his arms.

'I'll find out later. First, I need to take her to a hospital,' looking at her unnaturally pale skin and the blood dripping from her forehead, Daniel deciding to set aside his questions for now.

"Come on, I'll take you to see a doctor," he said, holding her in his arms, ready to fly her out of there. But before he could, Harleen quickly shook her head in clear panic.

"N-No! You can't let anyone touch me!" Hearing the fear in her voice, Daniel raised an eyebrow in surprise. Before he could ask, Harleen pointed to herself, more specifically to the green liquid still dripping from her body.

Then she began explaining in a rushed manner, and the more he listened, the graver Daniel's expression became.

"I-I'm a biological hazard, and I can barely keep myself sane thanks to a... S-serum derived from Killgrave's pheromones that I synthesized." The blush of embarrassment on her face as she confessed this was oddly noticeable, given her new skin tone, which Daniel now knew wasn't due to blood loss as he'd initially assumed.

"I know I shouldn't have done it! I should've told you, but I-I..." Harleen didn't know how to explain, what kind of excuse to give, or if she even could. Her lips trembled, her voice failing to come out. But before she could continue stammering, Daniel gently tightened his hold on her, sending a wave of comfort through her body. She swallowed nervously, forcing herself to lift her head to face him, ready to receive whatever scolding or reprimand he had for her.

But none came. When their eyes met, she didn't see the disappointment or displeasure she expected. Instead, he gave her a small smile that seemed to radiate serenity and calm, easing her nerves.

"We'll talk about that later," Daniel really wanted to sigh; there was a lot to take in, but he decided to handle it one step at a time. For now, he needed to make sure Harleen wouldn't suddenly die from all the chemicals she'd been exposed to.

At the same time, he also had to isolate the room they were in, stop the prisoner escape on the island, and deal with a dozen other things... just thinking about it made his head threaten to erupt into a migraine. What an absolute fucking disaster.

'Maybe I should really learn some magic and get a cloning spell?' The thought crossed his mind before he dismissed it. For one, he wasn't even sure if he had any talent for magic, and for another, he had no idea where or how to find someone to teach him. Plus, he didn't know how it could affect his disadvantages, and he'd rather not get involved with something so abstract if he could help it. It would be really messed up if he accidentally angered some sort of Lovecraftian god or something like that.

'Maybe later.'

He heard the air breaking, and through the same hole he had made when arriving, a figure entered, helping him decide on his next move.

Carol landed not far from Daniel, wrinkling her nose at the lingering scent of Joker venom in the air.

"Just in time, I need you to hold her for a moment," Daniel said. Before she could ask what was happening, he carefully handed an astonished Harleen into her hands.

"This is...?" Carol held the blonde awkwardly, clearly unsure, but Daniel didn't wait. Moving at great speed, he rushed off to deal with the escaped prisoners on the island.

An awkward silence filled the room as the two women stared at each other, a tense quiet hanging between them, a clear discomfort in the air.

Carol, of course, recognized the woman in her arms. Even though she was covered in blood and her skin had turned unnaturally pale, it was hard for Carol to forget her. For that reason, she couldn't help but feel a deep unease, as if she were in the presence of a sworn enemy.

"Hi?" Harleen finally spoke timidly. She thought she might be hallucinating due to all the chemicals in her system; otherwise, she couldn't explain why another "Defiant" was holding her. Though, calling them the same wasn't exactly right since Daniel didn't wear a helmet or have... well, Boobs. Not that the latter really bothered her, she'd be lying if she said it did.

Seeing the strange look Harleen was giving her, Carol wondered if Daniel would be mad if she just let her fall to the ground... or into the sea.

Fortunately for both of them, the man in question quickly finished what he was doing and returned in a blur, starting to clean the chemicals from the room while organizing the bodies and making sure to isolate the area.

"Alright, that should be everything," Daniel said, coming out of super-speed mode. He wiped away an imaginary drop of sweat and approached Carol to take Harleen back into his arms. The Kryptonian hesitated for a moment before finally letting him take her.

"Now we need to deal with you," Daniel said. Feeling much more comfortable with him, Harleen snuggled closer and pointed at Carol with curiosity, completely forgetting the state she was in.

"Did you clone yourself?" she tried to whisper, but for Carol, it might as well have been a shout. She scoffed, her brow furrowing. She didn't like at all the way Harleen was cuddling up to him or whispering in his ear—it was irritating.

"I'll explain later" Daniel told her before looking at Carol seriously "I need to use the fortress."

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"Oh wow," Harleen exclaimed in awe as the three of them arrived at the Fortress and entered it. Its crystalline structure was simply breathtaking to anyone who laid eyes on it.

"So, you're really an alien?" she couldn't help but ask, since, in her opinion, something so strange couldn't possibly come from Earth.

Before Daniel could respond, Carol interrupted, having removed her helmet, her eyes glowing with a menacing red hue.

"Why, are you scared?" Seeing her face so close, Harleen completely ignored the mockery in Carol's words and instead reached out as if she wanted to touch the Kryptonian's face.

"You're so beautiful," Harleen said softly. Carol, who had stepped back to avoid being touched, couldn't hide her confusion, her eyes returning to their normal bright blue.

"Enough talking, we'll discuss all that later. Lara, can you run a full body scan and check her current condition?" Daniel finally interrupted them and carefully laid Harleen on a stretcher that Lara had formed.

"You know you could just ask the Fortress AI directly, right?" Lara's holographic projection appeared, causing Harleen to let out another startled gasp.

"I prefer asking you; you're more reliable," Daniel replied. Despite her complaint, Lara began the scan. Meanwhile, Daniel pulled out some medical kits from the Fortress and started treating the wounds on Harleen's head and hands.

"This is really interesting," Lara finally said, and without blinking, she displayed a full-body projection of Harleen, just as she had done with Daniel. This made the blonde almost jump up in shock as an image of herself naked appeared out of nowhere.

"H-Hey!"

"Hey!"

Ignoring both women's protests, Daniel focused on the scan data, his expression growing serious.

"Is there anything we can do?"

"Unless you want to further destabilize the biochemical processes in her body, then no. Right now, there's a delicate balance within her that's just beginning to settle. Trying to add or remove something could cause everything to collapse, and well, you know what would happen." To illustrate, the entire hologram collapsed, disappearing from view, much to the relief of the blushing Harleen.

"To speed up the process, I recommend using one of the immersion chambers. That will help her heal her wounds faster, while we can monitor her condition and, if necessary, give us time to intervene."

Immersion chambers, a method commonly used by Kryptonians to treat their injured. The fortress had several of them inside, though Daniel didn't expect to need to use them so soon.

"Uh, can I ask how serious this is?" Finally tired of not understanding anything, Harleen timidly raised her hand and asked.

Lara looked at her and calmly responded to her question.

"In short, you're a lucky woman. Where others would already be dead, your body has managed to withstand the chemical soup inside without collapsing. What effects will this have on you? It's still unknown. I guess we'll find out if you survive." Harleen didn't like that last part at all.

"If I survive?! What does that mean?!"

"It means we'd better get you into that immersion chamber as soon as possible." Daniel said, placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder to calm her.

She looked at him before quickly nodding in agreement. She didn't know what this immersion chamber was, but anything that could help her was better than doing nothing. After all, she was still too young to die.

With that said, Daniel picked her up once again and began carrying her to the area where the immersion chambers were located.

Carol watched them leave with clear irritation in her eyes.

"Even if you stare like that, she's not going to disappear," Lara said, causing Carol to turn to her in annoyance.

Then the woman snapped her fingers and closed the door to the room, isolating the sound so they could speak privately. Noticing this, Carol couldn't help but mutter through clenched teeth.

"Maybe I can make that happen." Her eyes glowed red, radiating heat. Seeing this, Lara frowned and spoke in a grave voice.

"You need to control yourself. Feeling jealous is normal for a girl your age, but letting it drive you to do something reckless will only bring regret later. Don't be impulsive!"

Carol clicked her tongue in frustration, trying to maintain a tough expression, but it didn't last long. Her eyes, once filled with fury, softened and became moist as deep sadness overtook her face. Her lips began to tremble, and though she tried to remain strong, she finally crumbled, revealing the many conflicting emotions she had been battling since seeing Harleen.

"What should I do?" she asked with clear fragility, and Lara sighed inwardly, while an odd emotion briefly stirred within her—a protective instinct that made her want to send Daniel into a black hole in the far reaches of space and comfort her daughter.

But that wouldn't help. Carol didn't need comfort; she needed guidance. Crushing that emotion effortlessly, Lara adopted her colder, more calculating approach, using only the logic her state as an A.I. allowed her.

"There's a lot you could do, but the first thing is not to let your impulses cloud your judgment. You must be patient and see everything from a higher perspective. From my point of view, all the cards are in your favor here, and worrying like this is absurd."

All the cards are in her favor? Carol looked at her mother with doubt, and Lara decided to explain further.

"I see that you think you're in a race, a competition, that this woman could take him from you. But you forget something crucial. The differences between you and her are vast. She is merely human. You are not."

"I already know that! But what advantage does that give me?!" Carol retorted in frustration.

"I can fly faster than a plane and crush steel with my hands, but apparently, that means nothing against a fragile, stupid blonde woman." Her words were laced with venom, but behind the anger, Lara could sense her daughter's true insecurity.

"There it is again. Even though you claim to understand, you're still seeing this from a human perspective."

"Then why don't you make it clearer?!" Carol demanded.

"Very well, I'll be clear and direct. She is nothing more than a temporary event, a brief moment that will fade with time. You, on the other hand, are eternal—and that, my daughter, is your greatest advantage," Lara said, leaning in toward her with seriousness.

"Eternal? What... what do you mean by that?" Seeing the uncertainty in her eyes, Lara sighed internally. She had been postponing this conversation, thinking it would be too much of a shock and wanting to wait until her daughter had matured a bit more before telling her. But if she wanted Carol to see things the way she did, she needed to explain it now.

"Normally, a Kryptonian would have a lifespan slightly longer than the average human. But that's on Krypton and under a red sun. You, having lived most of your life under a yellow sun, are now very different from other Kryptonians. One of those differences is the time you will exist in this universe. It's difficult to calculate exactly, but as long as the power of a yellow star feeds your cells, your lifespan will continue to increase. You will continue to exist even when this world turns to dust and this entire solar system is swallowed by its mother star."

Lara gave Carol a moment to process. She could see her daughter starting to grasp what this meant, along with the fear and uncertainty beginning to rise within her.

"I know it's hard to understand, but you don't have to be afraid—"

"How?! If what you're saying is true, then I'll be alone forever!" Carol suddenly felt panic flooding her. This was what she had always feared, her greatest terror—being completely alone. The mere thought of such a possibility terrified her to the core.

An existence like that was something she neither wanted nor desired.

Lara watched as Carol panicked but didn't judge her for it. After all, from her daughter's perspective, there were no other Kryptonians left, and she didn't know of any other life forms that could live as long. It was normal for her to feel this way.

Fortunately for her, Lara could cut that fear at its root.

"Stop panicking. If this were truly a problem, I wouldn't be telling you about it. Do you think I enjoy seeing you suffer?" At her words, Carol swallowed hard and forced herself to stay calm.

Her mother was right. She wouldn't tell her this just to upset her—there had to be something more.

Seeing her calm down, Lara smiled. Her daughter still had a lot to learn about self-control, but slowly, she was improving. She just needed to keep progressing.

"When I said it was your greatest advantage, why do you think I said that?" Lara asked. Carol thought about it. She wasn't stupid, and she quickly came to a conclusion.

"Wait... you mean Daniel too...?" She couldn't finish her sentence for fear of being wrong, but when she saw the smile on her mother's face, her heart skipped a beat. The fear that had begun to creep up inside her started to fade, replaced by the hope now blossoming within her.

"There's still many mysteries I haven't been able to uncover about that boy, but something I have figured out is that his cells have started to slow down their aging. Right now, even if a hundred years were to pass, his appearance wouldn't change at all. I don't know how this compares to you, but if my calculations are correct, his lifespan shouldn't be much shorter than yours."

Carol's eyes opened, filled with clear joy. She had been in deep shock at the thought of having to endure an eternity of loneliness, but if that eternity included Daniel, then her perspective on it felt completely different.

Seeing such a quick shift in her mood made Lara sigh internally, 'teenagers, so easy to please...'

"Are you sure? Completely sure?" Despite knowing she wouldn't lie to her, Carol still asked again, just to make sure she had understood things correctly.

"If you doubt me, you can run your own tests. Just get some of his blood and use the fortress tools to see for yourself." At this, Carol thought of the blood she destroyed earlier today and couldn't help but feel a bit of regret, though only for a moment.

"No... I don't doubt you. If you say so, I can believe it."

"Good, now that you know, I hope you can understand why your worries are unnecessary. Daniel... that boy may not realize it now, but in time, he will understand what he truly needs, and that, my dear daughter, is someone who truly understands him, someone who will be by his side not just for a few years, but for centuries."

'Would this be enough?' Lara looked at her daughter's face and could still see some doubt in her eyes. Therefore, she decided she needed to be clearer, to ensure that the idea and message she wanted to convey were firmly planted in Carol's mind.

"I know the thought of waiting might not sound appealing, but patience is a powerful weapon. Right now, Daniel still thinks like a human, and that's why he is drawn to them. But sooner or later, he'll learn that his destiny is much greater than that, and that woman will be a good example of it. Right now, she may have his attention, but she's just a human—her life is short, limited, and fragile. She will never truly understand him. You, on the other hand, can be by his side forever. Don't you see? There will be no end for the two of you. In time, she will be nothing more than a faint memory, something insignificant. So why are you worried about her?"

Lara wanted Carol to gain a superior and broader perspective, a way of seeing things beyond the human, so she could leave behind such mundane concerns and focus on what truly mattered.

Carol thought about it fiercely while biting her lip. If she looked at it coldly, Lara was right. She had all the advantages here, but even though she knew this, her heart still felt somewhat unsettled.

"Then, do I just have to wait?" she asked, doubt still clouding her eyes. It seemed too simple, too passive for what she felt.

Lara let out an almost exasperated sigh. "If you do that, you'd be completely foolish, Carol. Having time doesn't mean you should waste it doing nothing." She leaned forward, her intense gaze fixed on her daughter. "Even if you choose to be patient, you can't just sit back and do nothing. If you do, that boy will just keep ignoring you."

She continued, her tone sharp. "I didn't tell you all this for you to think you just have to sit there. I told you so you can stop paying attention to things that, in the end, won't matter. It's about focus, my daughter. You can't let every little obstacle affect you on your path, or you'll never reach your goal. What you now see as competition, what troubles you... those are just momentary distractions, and giving them more attention than they deserve is complete nonsense."

Carol began to pace in circles, carefully thinking over everything that had been said, processing what her mother wanted to convey several times until the idea finally settled in her mind, making her eyes shine with determination.

She was clear on what she had to do, and even if she didn't like it, she could work with it.

Because the only thing that mattered was that in the end, he stayed with her.

"I understand... thank you, Mom." Lara raised an eyebrow as she saw her smile mysteriously. She was curious about the conclusion Carol had reached but decided not to ask. If she kept holding her hand, her daughter would never learn on her own. She had interfered enough for now; it was time to observe. And if Carol made a mistake, she would help her correct it.

After all, that's what she existed for.

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Daniel frowned as he looked at the immersion chamber where Harleen lay unconscious. He checked her vital signs one last time before deciding to step away, as there was nothing more he could do for her but wait.

Which was frustrating; he didn't like being passive. But if even Lara couldn't do anything with the Kryptonian technology in the fortress, then all he could do was step aside and let things take their course.

Even if he hated it.

'I need to keep myself busy.' Deciding that sitting still would only frustrate him more, he prepared to head back to his farm and get a new suit to start cleaning up the mess that his battle with Graviton had left in the coastal cities.

At least that was something he could do.

And if, in the midst of that, he happened to run into a certain Scarlet Speedster, even better.

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Note:

I was invited to see Joker 2. I've been a bit short on time, but I decided to give it a chance for some inspiration… I didn't like it. I don't want to criticize too much, but honestly, I came out feeling quite... disappointed? Yes, I think that word is correct. There's not much more to say. If you've had the chance to see it, I'd love to hear what you thought.

P.S., if you find any errors in the chapter, please feel free to point them out so I can correct them.

Finally remember that You can already find the next chapter (and several more chapters) of this story on Patreon ( patreon.com/EmmaCruzader ) All the support received is appreciated ;D