Distant Memories

Zara's POV:

The fact that Kal-El was still alive meant there was a high chance Kara had survived too. That thought alone gave me hope. At least I wasn't entirely alone. Now that I had found Kal-El—or he had found me—it didn't matter. I had a reason to live.

Superman's POV:

No way I heard that right. I already had one surviving family member. I didn't think I had another.

"How is this possible?" I asked, still processing the shock.

"Well, she is your uncle's kid. Doesn't that make you cousins?" Damian said nonchalantly.

"No, Damian. I mean I thought Kara and I were the only survivors. How?" I said, trying to mask my surprise.

The girl looked down at the floor before answering. "When Krypton was about to explode, my father used the last of his power to put me into a statue. Inside it, there was no sense of time, so I didn't age, nor did I know how much time had passed."

"So, you've been in that statue for over twenty years?" I asked, still stunned.

She shrugged. "I don't know. However old you are now is how long I've been trapped."

"How did you survive?" Bruce asked, his curiosity piqued.

She sighed deeply. "In there, I wanted to die so badly, but I couldn't." She removed her helmet, revealing her face fully. "But that doesn't matter now. At least you are alive. Is Kara…?"

I cut her off. "Kara survived, and she's doing well," I said, trying to reassure her.

Bruce then pulled me aside to speak in private.

"We don't know if she's really from Krypton, Clark. She could just be another alien trying to get information about Earth and its protectors," he said cautiously.

I met his gaze and replied firmly, "What if she is telling the truth? What if everything she said is real? Come on, Bruce, she's just a kid. She lost everything."

"So did you," Bruce interjected.

I shook my head. "This is different. I was just a baby when it happened, and Kara was three or four. But Zara… she was old enough to know what was happening. That made the experience even worse for her."

Bruce went quiet, his expression unreadable, before he finally spoke. "What are we going to do with her? She can't stay here long. I'll be having a visitor over later."

I paused to think. "She could stay at my place," I offered.

Bruce shook his head. "She might draw too much attention there wearing that. And how would you explain her presence to your family?"

We brainstormed ideas on what to do until Bruce finally suggested, "She could stay in the headquarters."

I was about to object when he added, "She wouldn't be seen by anyone except the Justice League. Besides, Diana would be more than happy to meet her."

It wasn't such a bad idea.

"Perfect," I finally said.