C1 The Girl Who Crashed

A young woman struggled to open her eyes as she felt the world begin to shake around her. She was sitting on what felt like a padded metal chair that was trembling like it was being subjected to an earthquake.

She couldn't remember where she was or what she was doing. She had vague memories of a life well-lived, met with an early death. She couldn't remember many specifics about herself, personally, but she did know that she died at a relatively young age. The only concrete piece of knowledge that floated around in her head was a name. Her new name...

Kara Zor-El.

Huh. That seemed kind of familiar...

The newly dubbed Kara's eyes shot open in shock. Holy shit- er, should she say by Rao! or something like that instead? Her memories were completely scrambled, but one thing she knew for sure was that she was supposed to be an ordinary human living in the 21st century. She was certainly not supposed to be on what seemed to be a Kryptonian scout ship, possessing the body of Supergirl!

What's more, said Kryptonian vessel was currently in the process of crashing to the planet below. That is, if the flashing red lights, trembling walls, blaring klaxon alarm, and incoming forest rapidly approaching through the large viewing port facing the front of the ship were any indication.

"Fuck me, this is gonna hurt," Kara complained as the ship crashed nose-first into the tree canopy. The impact instantly knocked her out and everything went black, accompanied by the sounds of screeching metal and destruction.

Kara wasn't sure how long she drifted in and out of consciousness. By the time she fully awoke, her entire body was sore and cramped from the crash. Sitting in an awkward, post-crash pose for who knew how long was not a pleasant experience.

Kara moaned as she took stock of the giant bruise her body had become. "Thank Rao seatbelts are a universal thing," she chuckled. Unbuckling herself slowly, she looked out the surprisingly intact window of the command deck.

Kryptonian engineering was obviously built different.

Literally, haha~

Ugh. Maybe Kara had a concussion. She felt stupider than normal even with her shiny new Kryptonian brain. She had yet to be exposed to any yellow sun radiation, so she was as weak and squishy as the average human.

It was also a possibility that death, reincarnation, and rebirth into a ridiculous circumstance had made her a little slower than usual. It was safe to say she wasn't at her best.

Not that she was a paragon of sanity before. Far too many cats for a girl her age. Not enough tattoos or bad decisions, either. She would be sure to live a little this time around. At least most of the Supergirls she knew about throughout the multiverse were absolute bombshells. She should have no issues whatsoever looking like a supermodel for the rest of her life.

Kara couldn't wait to get in front of a mirror and see what she was working with. She was by no means unattractive when she was human, but the thought of being a perfect beauty refined by countless generations of precise Kryptonian eugenics made her drool. Say what you want about modern Kryptonian reproduction, but Kara hadn't ever heard of an ugly Kryptonian.

Before she could lose herself too far in her fantasies, Kara was brought back to reality by an unexpected metallic sound.

"Lady Kara, are you well?" A slightly artificial female voice spoke from behind her. Kara jumped out of her seat in surprise, nearly taking a tumble in the process.

Hovering in the air behind the command chair was a small robot. It looked a little like a robotic Kakuna, floating under its own power. It had a small terminal made of liquid geo that displayed a rough facsimile of a face.

"Uh... I'm... I don't know, actually," Kara gaped. Coming face to face with what appeared to be a Kryptonian artificial intelligence threw her for a loop. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any command codes or passwords she needed to know, because she had zero memories relating to her new body or her current situation.

"If you'll follow me, I will accompany you to the medical bay for a full checkup. We have experienced quite the adventure," the robot insisted.

Kara looked down at her body, taking stock. She was wearing a white Kryptonian jumpsuit that hugged her lithe body perfectly. The symbol of the House of El was stylized in a light grey on her chest. The only thing on her body aside from the basic suit was a thin silver metallic bracelet wrapped around her left wrist, also bearing the crest of the House of El.

She couldn't tell if she had any major injuries, but her whole body felt like it was bruised. Considering she just crash-landed a spaceship she wasn't surprised in the slightest.

"Alright, sounds good to me," Kara agreed. She followed the robot as it turned and floated away, looking around the ship as they walked the halls. It was spacious and filled with many rooms. What was held within Kara could barely begin to guess.

She was jittery with nervous energy and forcing herself to walk slowly behind the sedately meandering droid was driving Kara mental. Seeing as her companion had no apparent desire to speak further, Kara asked, "So, do you have a name, Ms. Robot?"

Without stopping, the robot twisted mid-air and tilted slightly. To Kara, the faceless little bot almost looked perplexed and worried. "You do not remember me, Lady Kara?" the robot asked with more emotion than Kara thought it was capable of expressing.

"Um, no. Not at the moment. I'm having some memory issues," Kara answered. It might be best to play the amnesiac card for now. It wasn't like that was far from the truth. She could recall vague information about her old human life, mainly her hobbies and professional skills, but little else besides. She remembered everything about her favourite comics and movies, especially the Marvel films.

That was why it was no trouble for her to recognize the inside of a Kryptonian scout ship. It was almost an exact replica of the ship that appeared in the Man of Steel movie. Though, it may be more accurate to say the CGI was almost a dead-ringer for the real ship. How confusing.

The bot paused for a moment, logic circuits whirring, before it turned back around and continued, "My name is Kelor, Lady Kara. I am your personal assistant, assigned to you by your father, Zor-El."

Right. Her father was the brother of Jor-El, and most likely deceased, along with the rest of her Kryptonian family. Totally not depressing. "Can you give me a full status report, please, Kelor?" Kara asked, unsure.

"Of course, Lady Kara. Displaying the ship's logs now." the robot replied, projecting a holographic stream of data in the air in front of Kara that maintained its relative positioning as she walked. 

Thankfully, Kara could read the Kryptonian text projected from Kelor's head. She wasn't sure the amnesia excuse could explain how she remembered how to speak Kryptonian verbally, but not read or write the language.

Following Kelor through the ship while she focused on the data in front of her was easy. Even through the confusion and pain that suffused her body, her new Kryptonian brain worked so efficiently it could barely be compared with her slow and clunky human brain.

Let's see... Everything was recorded from Krypton's last months before its core collapsed to her crash on Earth. Even the 38-years she and her ship spent trapped in the Phantom Zone. "Can you give me a summary of the important bits while I look this over, Kel?" Kara asked absentmindedly.

"Yes, Lady Kara," the bot intoned loyally. "After Dru-Zod's failed coup and subsequent imprisonment, the surviving members of the House of El undertook one final venture to, at the very least, prevent the extinction of the Kryptonian species. The initial plan was for all members of the House of El and their allies to escape Krypton's destruction using this vessel, a scout ship with an upgraded Phantom Drive, but enemy action derailed your father's plans."

An image of a terrifying spaceship in the shape of a giant metallic skull popped up in front of Kara. Before Kelor could elaborate, she stepped back in horror. "Brainiac!? Krypton was attacked by Brainiac!?"

Kara could easily imagine how a dying Krypton, crippled even further by internal conflict would fare against the might of Brainiac. The entire planet wouldn't have lasted more than a day. On the other hand, if Brainiac conquered the planet before its inevitable demise there was a chance, however small, that he had bottled a city or two.

"Yes, Lady Kara. Brainiac, The Collector of Worlds, invaded Krypton days before the estimated planetary collapse. Your family was attacked and caught off guard, causing all their preparations to fail. Brainiac's attack was the stone that caused Krypton's delicate balance to crumble. Within minutes of our launch, Krypton was destroyed. None of the intended crew was able to make it to the ship prior to our escape from Krypton, aside from yourself."

Shit. Krypton's fate was difficult to read about when it was just a story, but now that she was living it? She was perhaps one of the only sane survivors of her species. There were others in the Phantom Zone, to be sure, but very few of them, if any, could be counted as an ally of anyone but themselves.

Kelor continued, oblivious to Kara's growing horror, "The gravitational event caused by Krypton's destruction resulted in the local space-time becoming unstable. The spatial turbulence knocked this vessel off-course, and we were sucked into a rift in spacetime, left behind by the long-term access to the Phantom Zone."

The Phantom Zone, huh? Not a fun place, from what she could remember.

"We remained sealed in the Phantom Zone for just shy of 38 solar cycles. You were placed into emergency stasis to preserve your life. Upon our ejection from the Phantom Zone, the process to awaken you began. Unfortunately, our systems were damaged during Krypton's destruction, causing the engines to fail when the ship entered Terra's gravity well."

Kara's head dipped, teeth clenched in anger, and a scowl stealing across her features.

Krypton's destruction.

She might not have any memories of Krypton, but her body obviously remembered enough. The emotions tearing through her made her freeze from their intensity.

Anger. Hopelessness. Fear. Anguish. Rage.

"What about my parents?" she asked, barely managing to keep her cool. She knew the answer, but some part of her needed to know for sure.

"Your mother, Alura Zor-El, was dealt a serious wound during the escape, after which your father immediately commanded this vessel to launch, overriding both your authority and mine. You were the only life-form on board at the time of departure. All systems now recognize you as the Head of the House of El. Jor-El, along with his son, the rightful heir, Kal-El, did not survive Dru-Zod's rebellion. As such, you, Kara Zor-El, have been designated the final surviving member of the House of El. This vessel's resources and technologies are at your disposal."

Kara's expression crumpled and tears slowly trailed down her cheeks. Despair settled around her shoulders like a thick cloak. Brainiac's involvement gave her some hope that some of her people survived, but they would be little more than trophies and slaves at this point.

From what she remembered of the DC comics, TV shows, and movies, it was possible her parents survived through a few different bullshit sci-fi miracles, but there were an equal number of universes where her parents were no longer among the living.

That wasn't even touching the fact that Superman was dead, most likely killed before he even had a chance to take his first steps. What the hell happened? Kara's heart ached at the thought of a universe without the Man of Steel.

What was she going to do?

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A/N: Chapters 2 & 3 have been posted. Visit me at patreon.com/SlowestTurtle