Chapter 49: Chapter 47
"Good job, kid," another hero patted her in the back.
Turning towards him, Kara watched the white costumed man giving her cousin a nod of respect before continuing to walk towards his own table. She didn't recognize him no matter how hard she thought about it so, shaking her head, she took a sip of her water and refocused on the conversation.
"Do you think you can heal them all?" Kal asked between bites of his own lunch.
"Yes, I will be watching for any hidden commands, but most of the victims should be able to recover with time and psychological treatment," Martian Manhunter answered. "Even the worst cases should be recoverable if I receive permission to block their memories from a relative."
"You know," Kara wondered out loud. "If there's too many for you to take care of, I bet there's something in the Fortress's database that's capable of physically erasing memories, I remember Uncle mentioning something like that once."
Both Manhunter and Kal looked at her with blank faces for a full second. "Ah… I'd really prefer you didn't build something like that Cuz."
"What? It's not like I'd be making a mind control device, that's probably much harder and not my specialty, but destroying a few neurons is easy and could help! I'd just have to scrap the device later to avoid it being stolen."
"It will not be necessary, there are only a few cases where such drastic measures need to be taken. I'll be able to deal with all of them myself," the Martian quickly answered, giving Kal another nod and walking away.
"… I just can't take you anywhere, can I?" Kal asked, a hand in front of his face, but Kara could hear the amusement in his voice. "Did you have to make him uncomfortable like that?"
"I think that's mostly the psychic blocker, really. M'gann had the same reaction," Kara shrugged. "Unfortunately, I'm not turning that off. The damn eldritch monster kept getting through it and almost incapacitating me anyway, I don't want to think about what would have happened if I didn't have any protection."
Kara took one last bite of her meal, using a napkin to wipe her mouth. Her mask being broken by Wrath's punch had been annoying, but having the lower part of her face free to eat or even talk was actually very convenient, she'd have to take that into account when making her next one.
"Fair enough. Are you going to stay here much longer?"
"I… no, I think I'm done here," Kara answered, taking a second to look at the refugee camp they were currently in, a huge open space created by the heroes and capable of housing a few thousand civilians for some time. "There's only so much I can personally do and I'm exhausted."
"Good, I took the day off, but I'll probably be leaving in the afternoon too, after we finish all the shelters," Kal said, finishing his own meal. "It's gonna take a long time to fix this."
A long time was relative. In her previous life, Kara would have thought the place might never be able to recover from what had happened. On Krypton, it would have already been halfway rebuilt, here…
Well, the city of Salem was not quite a total loss. Kara had done her best to coordinate the efforts after the main battle and she still felt a small headache from overworking her mind for several hours, but, now, the worst was long over.
From being flattened by a falling tentacle, destroyed by rampaging monsters or incinerated by a resulting fire, a little less than a quarter of the city had been damaged. Still, with all the help they had already acquired and heroes… or even some villains with synergetic powers volunteering, it would only take three or four months for Salem to be rebuilt, perhaps even better than before.
With dozens of heroes working the entire night and most of the morning, every abomination save one had been properly disposed of and every affected civilian was undergoing treatment, with several magical heroes examining the spells ravaging their bodies.
Some had been easily reverted to their normal form, while others had been more deeply affected and a surprising amount actually had their meta-gene activated by the event.
Out in the sea, the giant finger was contained. The limb had started to mutate into a truly impressive aberration, but both Aquaman and Mera had showed up, the King had destroyed the creature's newly grown head, disabling it long enough for his wife to lift it out of the sea with a pillar of magical ice.
Now, Mera, Zatara and Fate were working together to bind the creature, Fate keeping it locked in place with a giant ankh of golden light and the others freezing the water around it, enchanting the ice to keep it asleep.
At the entrance of the camp, Kara saw Aquaman arriving, Aqualad walking close by. Focusing on the man, she narrowed her eyes before releasing a sigh.
"Really, do I have to keep reminding people I can clone limbs now? It's pretty easy," she grumbled. "And why a harpoon?"
"His hand is a recent loss and I suspect the harpoon is enchanted," Kal answered. "Probably temporary too, just a placeholder until Atlantis can craft him something custom."
"Huh, guess they would have the capacity to make him something better," Kara said, her annoyance diminishing at the thought. "Well, tell him I offered anyway."
"I will."
Together, the both of them flew up, watching the devastated city from the air, with craters and collapsed buildings everywhere. The place looked like a warzone, but it was already being cleared of debris and repairs would start in a week. Most heroes had already left, but a few were still helping out, their costumes standing out amongst uniformed construction workers.
From outside the city, relief efforts were being organized, trucks of supplies and manpower arriving to help clean up what was destroyed, the government and several nonprofit organizations busy at work to help out.
Heck, Kara could even see some LexCorp trucks arriving, she'd have to keep an eye on them, but they were probably here for the good publicity, Rao knew the company needed it at the moment.
A news helicopter flew close by; the cameraman focusing on both Kryptonians and Kara knew her relative anonymity was over, she just hoped she wouldn't find any smut fanfic about them anytime soon.
Oh, she knew they would be made. She just REALLY didn't want to know about them.
Looking down at the city, Kara tried to locate Kori working. The Titans had shown up sometime before midnight. They hadn't openly debuted as a team, but they had been working as much as possible alongside their respective mentors.
Still, most of the team had classes today and left after the worst was over. Kori herself had stayed, accompanying Wonder Woman instead of doing their morning training in Greece.
Finally, Kara managed to find her girlfriend, the Princess was listening to what one of the volunteer engineers was telling her, nodding her head before darting inside a building and destroying its support beams, the entire structure collapsed a second after she flew out of a window, her hands patting at her Amazonian costume to get rid of the dust.
Kori caught her staring and waved animatedly, her face opening into a huge smile. Getting a thumbs up from the man she had been working with, the Tamaranean flew up in a straight line towards Kara. They had traded a quick greeting when Kori arrived, but they hadn't met face to face.
Unable to help herself, Kara's face morphed into a smile as the girl smashed into her. Kori wrapped her arms around her neck, pressing their bodies together before capturing her lips and making Kara lose several seconds, possibly a full minute.
"Hello Starfire," Kara breathed out, remembering they were out in public while resting her hands at the woman's waist.
"Greetings Supergirl, I am most pleased to see you well," the orange beauty said and then buried her face in her shoulder and squeezed Kara as tightly as she could, almost making Kara lose control of her flight.
"Hey Starfire, it's alrig… Ouch!" she yelped as Kori actually pinched her. "What the…?"
"Humph! Ire! Vexation! This is the second instance of you battling something beyond your capabilities." Kori pouted at her. "Please, have you any idea how distraught I was? You must give me your oath that you will not participate in another such battle without me!"
"That's not fair, I couldn't have predicted Lobo," Kara answered, doing her best to resist how cute Kori's puppy dog eyes were. She failed. "Alright, I swear I'm not getting into such fights without you again if I can help it."
Kori watched her with eyes narrowed in suspicion but, eventually, nodded in satisfaction. "Very well, I will believe you."
"Thanks Starfire, sorry for making you worry," Kara couldn't help saying, allowing Kori to hang off her neck like a scarf as they both floated, the constant noise from the helicopter telling her everything that had just happened was being recorded.
Behind her, there was a bright flash of light. Turning around, Kara watched as the iceberg currently containing the eldritch finger disappeared into a huge ankh of light, Doctor Fate floating in place for a little longer while Zatara and Mera started leaving.
Catching Kal giving her an amused smile, Kara glared at him. "Shut up."
"I didn't say anything!" Kal defended himself. "Still, I can't say I'm not relieved hearing you're taking her with you when getting into fights."
Kara shifted in place unhappily, her hand gripping Kori's arm around her neck for support. She really hated having him worry about her, Rao damn it.
Almost faster than she could see without accelerating her thoughts, Fate flew towards them, stopping a few meters away to just… glare at her for a moment. Finally, he turned towards her cousin and spoke, dispensing with any niceties. "The beast has been fully contained within the tower, but this battle will have dire repercussions. I must speak with the Justice League."
"Nice to meet you Fate. Diana has told me a lot about her time with the Justice Society of America." Kal flew closer, a characteristic smile on his face as he greeted the older hero.
"The child of Gaia was a staunch ally at the time," Fate acknowledged. "Regardless, we have much to discuss and most of it isn't good tidings. I will require your presence in the Tower of Fate in ten minutes."
Kal gave her an apologetic look, but Kara was already leaving anyway and she understood her cousin had hero work to do. After a night to think about the battle, she had recognized both demons involved and realized they really weren't good news, for anybody.
Kara knew she had deviated from the original plot of the YJ animation pretty hard, but she had thought things were better now. Unfortunately, with Gluttony and Wrath present and helping Klarion, things would probably get much harder.
Both demons were heavy hitters, but they weren't the real problem, it was their father that was the true danger. Trigon hadn't gotten involved with the YJ animation, but he was on the same level as the likes of Darkseid, Brainiac and Nekron… and he still had four other sons.
Hopefully, Raven, his only daughter, was still fine and not under her father's influence.
"I get it. Go take care of things," Kara waved her cousin away with a smile. "I'll see you home tonight?"
"Indeed, I would not leave you alone after such a dangerous engagement," Kori gave her a reassuring smile, doing her best to show support.
"Kara Zor-El, I also require your attendance," Fate commanded, his voice leaving no room for argument. "You were present for most of the fight yesterday. I will not allow you to leave before entering the Tower."
"Fate," Kal almost growled at the Lord of Order's tone. His protective instincts went into overdrive after what had just happened. "I really don't like what you're implying."
"Your 'cousin' does not belong to this place," Fate explained, turning away from her as fast as he could. "Her very presence grates on my senses, disrupting the balance and bringing chaos to this realm, but it is not our Fate to fight, I only require that she be scanned for any signs of the creature's hidden influence and will not be hostile."
"I see," Kal said, still looking at the Lord of Order with some worry. "Kara?"
Kara considered the demand. She was tired from the fight and spending hours working, but she also felt guilty.
From the show, she had known Kent Nelson would be attacked by Klarion, even if she hadn't known when, but, with so many things to deal with and how she had been doing her best to avoid the Lord of Chaos, she had actually forgotten about it.
There was also the mention of that damn creature's control lying dormant inside her, Kara already had an alien organ inside her body, and she had no desire to also have one in her mind.
"It's fine. I can stay a little longer."
"You sure, I can ask Zatara later?" Kal asked one last time and, when she nodded, relaxed his body. "Alright. Fate, will you need to look for this in everyone that was involved with the creature yesterday?"
"Yes. I will be spending the next month purging the being's influence from the affected civilians, but there is only so much damage they can cause," the Lord of Order answered. "A hero affected, much less a Kryptonian, represents a much greater risk, making it my priority."
"I understand, I'll gather everyone involved."
In the blink of an eye, Kal flew away, leaving Kara alone with Kori and Fate. With a wave of his hand, the Lord of Order created a golden portal behind him and teleported away much in the same way as Klarion had done during the fight.
"Come on, let's go to the Tower." Kara said, patting at Kori's arm still wrapped around her neck.
A couple of minutes later, Kara was sitting among more than a dozen heroes inside the tower. The room was large, at least a hundred meters wide and with a twenty meters high ceiling, giving plenty of room for flyers.
Despite the fact everyone present knew each other; the room was still divided into teams, with members of the Justice League and Justice Society standing in their own groups.
Strangely enough, Kara was sitting surrounded by the old guard, Kori and Dani at each of her sides while Kal was in the center of the JL group, speaking quietly with Aquaman and Wonder Woman.
Finally, Fate teleported inside the room, taking a second to look around before casting a spell to close the doors.
"Kent, I take it you're about to explain what just happened?" Alan immediately asked. The Green Lantern was back into his civilian clothes, his hair white once again.
Fate considered the man for a second. "I'm afraid Kent Nelson will not be able to explain anything."
"What do you mean?" Jay asked, leaning forward in his chair.
"Kent Nelson had abandoned his post as Doctor Fate for years now, his dereliction of duty giving free rein for the forces of chaos to act unopposed," Fate finally sat down, taking a second to look at everyone present. "More than a month ago, his imprudent choices finally caught up with him and, yesterday, I assumed control of his body to attempt to remedy the situation."
"You're going to wear him like a sock puppet you mean," Alan growled. "Kent told me he was afraid you'd do something like this and that's why he stopped wearing the helmet."
"I will not deny the situation is not ideal, but not for the reason you believe," the golden helmet took a second to consider his next words. "Even if I desired to relinquish control, which I admit I do not, I would still be unable to."
Noticing the green energy starting to gather around Alan and how the atmosphere seemed to be filled with hostility, Kal got up. "Wait, let's all take a breath alright," giving everyone a second to calm down, he turned towards Fate. "Can you explain the situation?"
"Very well, Kent Nelson was used as a gate for the creature known as Yog-Sotha. Once he put the helmet on, I was able to draw upon a portion of the creature's vitality to fuel my powers and seal the gate, but I could not fully block the connection," Fate leaned back, closing his eyes for a second. "I can't relinquish control without re-opening the portal, but neither can I continue to draw upon the creature's power to fuel myself. It means I have a limited time with which to find a new host and an even more limited ability to use my powers."
"Kent is already dead then?" Zatara asked once he understood what Fate was saying.
"No, I can't control a corpse, but he only lives for as long as he wears the helmet," for a second, Fate seemed to focus inward before speaking again. "Do not worry, Kent Nelson has long since accepted his fate, if anything, it is his soul's continued presence in the mortal plane that bothers him, but he understands the necessity."
They all took that in for a second, with Dani relaxing her grip on the table and the rest of the heroes leaning back, not happy, but willing to hear what else he had to say.
Alan sighed and took a deep breath while Jay patted his back and Wonder Woman herself nodded once. "Kent has always missed Inza, he would be ready to pass."
"Did you just invite us here to tell us about your situation?" Aquaman asked, tapping his harpoon prosthesis against his other arm.
"No, although that is a large part of it," Fate answered. "Yesterday's battle was a complete victory, with both demons fully contained within the tower, the remains of Yog-Sotha either destroyed or under control and Klarion suffering his biggest defeat yet. His wounds will take decades to heal, if they ever do, but the repercussions of his attack will be dire."
"Alright, what are we dealing with?" the current Flash asked, his body still relaxed. "An enemy wanting revenge is not exactly new territory for anyone here."
"Klarion himself will not be a problem. I suspect the creature will be hiding for a long time after the way he was defeated," Fate said with no small amount of satisfaction in his voice. "However, he broke an ancient covenant by opening the path for the eldritch beast into this reality, inviting punishment even by his own faction and I doubt the creature those demons served will be happy with their imprisonment."
"So, if he's being targeted by everyone, why not leave him to deal with it?" Captain Marvel asked.
"The enemy of my enemy is very rarely my friend," Zatara answered his young apprentice. "It is unlikely any faction targeting Klarion will worry about collateral damage or civilian lives."
"Indeed, Klarion has had dominion over Earth for millennia now, but he is far from the only Lord of Chaos in existence. He is also not the most powerful or even the most cruel," Fate concluded. "Worse, I believe I recognize the form of those demons. Yog-Sotha may not be the only dangerous entity Klarion has invited into our reality with this attack. Not to speak of the attack that drove the creature back at the end. An infernal entity capable of that level of power is incredibly worrying."
Hearing that, Kal turned towards her, causing Kara to wince. Her cousin knew about her armor but, even now, most of the Justice League still weren't aware of her own team.
For a moment, she continued to stay silent and it seemed like Kal would respect that but, eventually, she released a sigh and spoke up. "That was actually me."
Suddenly, she found the entire room turning to her. Leaning back into her chair, she started explaining about her armor and weapon.
Of course she wasn't about to reveal everything she had ever done, but she remembered the way Faust had apparently betrayed the Light and, with someone like Trigon involved, could no longer justify the danger of keeping completely quiet. Particularly because, with how much had been changed, she no longer knew what was going to happen.
Her armor may have been the one responsible for yesterday's attack, but there was someone out there capable of ordering a demon like Vortigar and convincing Felix Faust to betray Klarion.
In the end, she revealed most of her attack on Infinity Island, but refused to elaborate on anything else. It was not like the Justice League didn't already know most of what she was revealing… or shared everything they did with other heroes for that matter.
There was a lot more information she could have given, but she… she needed to check on some things and speak with Kal first, alone.
"Alright, remind me not to piss you off," the Flash said, being the first one to break the silence after she had explained things and getting a few odd looks. "What? She ripped out a demon's heart and used it like an AA-battery to explode a giant extradimensional tentacle monster. I don't want to see what she'd do if I gave her a reason to be angry with me."
"Fair enough," Captain Marvel nodded. "Still, it's nice to have a mad scientist on our side for once."
"That is enough confirmation. Vortigar is known to be Trigon's grandson," Fate continued after the interruption. "Fortunately, contrary to his progeny, no mere summoning ritual will be enough to invite the demonic deity into this dimension, but the very fact we have his attention is dangerous."
"You will have our support, Doctor Fate," Wonder Woman said.
"I'm afraid I will require more than that. Until I find a new host, I will be forced to conserve most of my remaining power, unless Trigon or a Lord of Chaos takes the field themselves, I will not directly interfere."
Zatara looked at Captain Marvel and then away, his mind shifting towards his own daughter. Turning back towards Fate, he offered. "How long will it be until you require another host? I have too many responsibilities to wear the helmet permanently, but I can take the role of Doctor Fate during my shifts with the League."
"A temporary host is not ideal, but the offer is appreciated," Fate nodded once. "Without needing to exert myself, I will be able to sustain my presence for three years. If I have not been able to locate a host until then, we will come to an agreement."
Leaning back, Kara interlocked her fingers with Kori's and listened in as both teams discussed the future. Although Jay and Alan weren't coming out of retirement, they were still incredible powerhouses and the fight had reignited the desire in them to help.
Finally, after what felt like an entire day, Fate himself started looking over each one of the heroes present during the fight, searching their bodies for the being's eldritch influence, the creature's corrupting magic.
When it was her turn, Kara hesitated. She understood the need for it, and even the reason it was being done inside the Tower —much easier to contain a struggling hero and less worrying for the civilians— but that didn't mean she was comfortable with letting someone that clearly didn't like her cast a spell on her body.
Kori squeezed her hand, reminding her that she wasn't alone, even Kal focused on her, paying close attention to her hesitation. She didn't trust Fate, but she trusted the both of them with keeping her safe.
Taking a breath, Kara stepped towards the Lord of Order and let a wave of golden light wash over her body, his spell taking longer than with any other present. "It seems you were slightly affected, but were able to fight off the creature's influence," said a frowning Fate as he finished.
Stepping back, Kara looked at the helmet and couldn't help asking. "What did you mean when you said I don't belong here?"
"Your presence in this dimension disrupts the balance of the world. For those with the senses to see it, your entire being looks like a taint that affects everything you come into contact with, spreading to those around," Fate's eyes were hard as he regarded her. "Your very presence changed the fate of this world."
"Why not attack me then?" Kara asked.
The Young Justice show didn't paint Fate in a good light, but Kara could understand… and even respect the Lord of Order's choices when she really thought about it. She could also understand if he thought eliminating her would solve whatever problem he sensed.
She didn't agree, had no desire to actually fight Nabu and would do her absolute best to destroy him if he did push things —she still had another capsule of Vortigar's heart and she believed she could survive long enough to deploy it against the Tower if needed— but she could understand.
"I considered it, but whatever changes you created are now permanent, containing you would not resolve the situation," Fate answered truthfully. "As much as I find your presence an eyesore, I will not attack you simply for being chaotic, else I would have fought Green Lantern decades ago."
That made sense, Kara didn't know if this dimension was the one depicted in YJ or just close enough so as to not matter, but her very presence had already changed things, even if she left the planet or died right now, nothing would erase what she had already done.
As she was about to step away, Kara stopped and looked around. After this meeting, Fate would be extremely busy for the next month just scanning the remaining civilians and, after that, he had almost half a century of problems to look after, she probably wouldn't be able to talk with him anytime soon.
She had long since had a question for the Lord of Order, one she was pretty sure she knew the answer to, but she wanted confirmation anyway.
No, if it was only a desire she'd keep quiet, she wouldn't question him with so many people around them. She needed confirmation.
"Can you sense souls? Are you able to tell if someone is or has ever been possessed?" She finally asked.
For a second, Fate regarded her, the golden glow in his eyes shining brighter as he took in her fearful posture for the first time in their meeting. She had been hesitant before, but not afraid. "I do not know why you ask, but be reassured your body is your own, it has always been."
Kara nodded and finally stepped away, watching as Fate inspected her cousin and Alan Scott in short order. The meeting took a little longer, but Kara had already stopped listening.
She had never regarded herself as a different person; her memories of her previous life weren't some parasite on her mind. They were just another piece of her.
Still, there had always been a small part of her that was afraid, she had read enough stories about a soul taking the place of another, like a parasite possessing them and, with two mystic powerhouses telling her she didn't belong here…
Thankfully, that particular fear didn't seem to be true. She was and had always been Kara Zor-El, no matter what life she had before this one. With things settled, Kara left the Tower, giving Kori another kiss before flying back up into the air and waving her goodbye.
Salem used to have a Zeta-Tube, but the location had been destroyed in the battle and Kara had to search for the next closest place. Eventually, she appeared back at the Fortress, pulling off her half destroyed mask and throwing it at the table.
"Mistress Zor-El, may I help you?" The AI appeared at her side, seeming to realize her goal.
"Prepare the medical room, I was hit with some kind of magical blast and it seems to have accelerated my healing, I need to see if there were other side effects."
"Very well, the scanners will be ready when you arrive, Mistress Zor-El" the image of her uncle bowed and disappeared.
After the last time Kara needed a check up, she had changed the healing pod into a comfortable chair where she could simply sit down while getting examined and even continue to work if she so wished. It was far more convenient, comfortable and didn't remind her of her time with the Psions.
With a command, she took off her clothes, laid the cube of nano-machines to the side and sat down. The scan only took a minute.
"Mistress Zor-El, it seems you have several minor wounds, your muscles are strained and your solar reserves are low. However, there doesn't seem to have been any dangerous negative side effects, only a slight muscle pain, headache and nausea," the AI started talking. "Analyzing the effects on your body, it appears said magical blast has increased entropy in all your cells, causing them to age. A normal human's cells would have been destroyed under the strain, but a Kryptonian seems to be resistant enough to survive."
"What about the damaged cells? I avoided some of the treatments available because I didn't know how they would react." Kara asked.
"As the blast seems to have homogeneously affected your body, the magic has effectively accelerated your recovery by 38 days, although the effect has strained your damaged cells, it was not beyond their ability to withstand," the image of her uncle gave her a disapproving look. "Considering the data, it is likely you would have withstood a second blast of similar strength, but any more would have caused permanent damage or even death."
That was disappointing. Kara had almost been willing to ask Fate for access to Wrath or Gluttony and just have them blast her again. Unfortunately, the attack she received had been blocked by the Nth metal, its power greatly diminished and there was no way one of the brothers would agree to limit himself as such… or that she'd trust them even if they did.
"Do we have anything capable of replicating the effect?" she asked, letting the chair continue to heal her minor wounds. "And how long would it take for the strain on my cells to recover?"
The AI looked away, seeming to think about the answer, which probably meant there was something in the vast Kryptonian database and the AI was simply spending a moment to gather all the information.
"We do possess the blueprint for several equipment of similar capabilities, however it requires exotic materials the Fortress does not have in stock and causes heavy damage to any organic material."
Well, that was even more disappointing, even if not unexpected. If there was anything capable of accelerating her recovery time in the database, Kara would have found it sooner. Still, more than a month of progress toward her recovery was a very satisfying reward from the fight.
Getting up from the chair, Kara stretched her limbs and took a quick shower before putting her clothes back on. After the nanobots were reconfigured to look like civilian clothes, there was actually a small cube of extra materials she stored away in a cabinet in case she ever needed it.
Looking at a mirror, she stared at her newly healed eye. It was actually gray, giving her heterochromia. Kara didn't exactly like the reminder of what had happened, but she didn't mind it too much and she also liked the longer hair, even if it needed a bit of styling.
"Send me the information on the entropy device anyway, I want to see if I can do anything with it," Kara ordered, tying her hair into a ponytail. "Also, get me the configurations for Kal's and my escape rockets, mine should be among the data recovered by the Psions."
"Very well, I will send the data to your personal device. Do you desire anything else, Mistress Zor-El?"
"A painkiller, I think I'm already starting to feel the muscle aches."
Opening her computer, Kara let it project the information on a holographic display ahead of her and sat on a sunstone chair she grew from the floor, starting to make a list of things she could improve or would have to change after the fight.
Finally, one of her robots brought her the painkiller and she opened the files on the escape ships, taking a long look at their configurations and, in specific, the hyper-drive since it was the one component she had some personal experience with.
Unfortunately, after hours of staring at the holograms, she still wasn't able to find what she was looking for. There were some differences in the blueprint, but she'd have to look at Kal's ship in person to be certain.
Finally, she pushed her chair back and released a long breath. Taking the painkiller had also taken care of her headache, but Kara was still exhausted, she'd have to continue looking after asking for Kal's permission to open up his ship.
Teleporting back to her home, she put some food into Dexter's bowl and threw herself on the bed. It was still only six in the afternoon, but she had been awake for much longer than necessary and her Kryptonian body still hadn't absorbed enough sunlight to make sleep a luxury instead of a necessity.
As usual, the cat jumped on top of her body. Using her as a source of heat, he curled into a ball between her legs and, before he stopped purring, Kara was already asleep.
_______________________________________________
Thanks to Eric Faust for helping out with the chapter.
No advanced chapter on pat_reon this week, I'm extremely busy, sorry.
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