Unity Sphere Loading Bay:
"Kara, stop struggling," I grunted as I adjusted her body, ignoring her trying to kick at me as I stepped through the opening doors into the loading bay area.
The League members were already waiting for me as I walked down the steps, catching their attention. Batman was the first to notice us and I saw his eyes immediately locking on Kara's form over my shoulder through his cowl.
Next was Flash and I hid my smirk at his wide eyes before Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter finally noticed.
"Holy crap, she looks just like a female Clark...that's blonde, of course," Barry clarified and I chuckled as I put Kara on her feet.
"I know, though she's a lot more deranged than he ever was."
"What does that mean?" Wonder Woman asked and I just removed the gag around her mouth.
"Do not ever call me deranged, vile Kryptonian! When Lord Darkseid frees me from my bounds, your heart will be the first I shall tear into a thousand pieces for your transgressions!"
"...Like I said, deranged," I repeated, ignoring her attempting to bite me as I put it back on while the three out of the four League members looked bewildered at her words.
The fourth just stared, eyes scanning her form with a frown before he spoke, "Definitely younger than Clark and much more unstable."
"That is an understatement," Martian Manhunter finally found his voice and I frowned at the grimace on his face. "It's like her mind was thrown into a blender before being mangled by a pack of wild dogs."
"Compared to mine?" I asked, referring to my time under Klarion. He seemed to notice before shaking his head with a smile and a chuckle.
"Oh, no. It's much more repairable compared to how destroyed your mind was."
"Good, because Clark would kill me if I let our cousin be more messed up than I was," I murmured, drawing a chuckle from Barry while ignoring Kara's growls.
"Don't worry, he would be proud of what you are doing, but he would be a bit disappointed that you haven't been to see his parents or Lois after his passing."
"Holy shit! I completely forgot!" I exclaimed, feeling a bit panicked as I began to pace. "It's just been so chaotic and I don't think I've had enough time to even recuperate from everything, but I don't want them to think that I've forgotten about them or tha-"
"Chris," Batman's voice cut through my panic, making me blink as he placed a firm hand on my shoulder with a nod. "They all know that you're busy keeping the sky from falling. They won't blame you."
"Still, I should go and visit, shouldn't I?" I spoke before being reminded of my furious prisoner when she began to try and hop away. It didn't help that Barry was carrying her back whenever she got about five hops away, the speedster wearing a look of enjoyment as he aggravated the Kryptonian.
"If you wish to, then it's fine. I believe M'gann and I will be able to have her mind healed by tomorrow at the earliest."
"That easily?" I asked and the man chuckled at my surprise.
"Normally, it would take longer, but with the help of M'gann and perhaps a few other Martians, it should be easier to repair her mind. Of course, I do not want to force any of them to help."
"I don't think anyone would mind, but just in case, Sphere?"
"Yes?" I smirked at Barry jumping in surprise while the other League members looked up at the intercoms.
"Is it possible to send out a message to the other Martians and ask that any volunteers that want to help J'onn to go to the interrogation cells, please?"
"I believe the medical rooms would be better?"
"Understood, Martian Manhunter. All help will be send to Medical Room C. Please follow the lit path," Neon green arrows began at our feet and continued out the room, to which I grinned with a thumbs-up as Batman hummed.
"Impressive."
"Hey, you guys had the Watchtower. I got a moon with a super AI," I bragged with a shrug and a smug smile, chuckling as he just rolled his eyes under his mask.
Then, I nodded as I pushed Kara to Wonder Woman, "I'll leave you to handle her in case she tries something and don't worry, there's kryptonite on the chains and along the path you're following. She'll behave."
"There is no need for that as I'm more than enough, but thank you," Diana spoke and I smiled, lifting up from the ground with a slight push of TTK.
"Also, if you see a pale biker guy, just ignore him. He's going to be staying here until I let him ride the Unity Sphere."
"...A what?"
"You'll see him when you see him. Sphere, tell M'gann and Rae I'll be going to see the family and make sure to remind Ray of our date later."
"Will do," Sphere replied as I walked to one of our shuttles, climbing into it and closing the exit hatch behind me. Through the viewing port as I turned the engines on, I gave one final nod to Batman and he returned it just as they entered the hallway corridors of the Unity Sphere.
At the same time, the loading bay doors opened and the ship shook for a brief moment as it lifted from the ground.
'Well, time to see what the family's up to.'
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Minutes later, the ship slowly touched down on the front yard of the Kent family farm, the engines turning off and the exit hatch opening as I stepped out.
It closed behind me as I floated out and towards the front door, the dry grass crunching beneath my feet when I touched down just a few feet shy of the front door.
To my surprise, I blinked as I heard three separate heartbeats in the house, staring at the front door as it opened and Martha walked out carrying a basket of laundry. Lois exited right behind her and my eyes widened as it drifted to her stomach.
"Holy shit," My words caught their attention and I saw their eyes widen, but my own were focused on the embryo cells splitting and multiplying inside her womb.
"Chris?" Lois asked as I walked closer and I saw Martha's eyes tearing up as she put the laundry basket down. I instinctively opened my arms as the woman walked down the stairs as fast as she could, hugging me tightly with a happy giggle.
"Oh, it's so good to see you, Chris!"
"U-Uh, good to see you too," My eyes were still on Lois' stomach and she noticed as she giggled, drawing my gaze back to hers.
"You Kryptonian men sure love using your X-Ray vision on me."
"I-I mean, I-I heard three heartbeats in the house, so I thought something might be wrong and I tried to look through the walls. I-I'm sorry. That was a big breach of privacy."
"It is, but I've grown used to it, especially after all the times Clark did it," I gave a shaky smile at that before looking to Martha's eyes as she pulled back with a happy smile. Her hands felt warm against my cheeks and my smile grew more steady as she kissed my cheek.
"Match told us of everything that happened, of how you...took the life of that Luthor that made the monster that killed Clark."
"I know. I shouldn't have done it. It was the worst decision I made and it just lead to even more problems for everyone and-"
"You regret it and you wish to do better. That is all I need to hear," Martha cut me off and I felt relieved at her soft smile.
"Is that who I think it is?" the voice of the man of the house cut through the air and I tensed up as I saw Pa Kent walking out with a frown.
Martha picked up on my tension as she turned her head and I caught her eyes narrowing as she looked at her husband.
"Jon..."
"I'm not going to be angry at the boy, Martha."
"Y-You're not?" I was a bit surprised, to be honest, as I expected the man to be at least a bit angry that I took the life.
My words seemed to amuse him as he snorted, walking down the steps and up to me as Martha stepped out of the way.
"Was I disappointed? A bit, yes, but you avenged the death of your brother. How could I be mad at someone who protected the family when the world went the hell?" I smiled as the man placed a heavy hand on my shoulder, gratitude and love shining in his eyes when his stern look bled away.
"Thanks, Pa," I whispered and chuckled as the man ruffled my hair with a smile.
"Always, my boy," he spoke as he patted my shoulder before clearing his throat. "Now, Match helped a lot with plowing the fields, but that boy is as useful as an inflatable tractor when it comes to actually planting the seeds. So, I hope you're ready for some real farming after you're done saving the world."
"Always, Pa," I nodded, to which the man chuckled as Lois cleared her throat.
"Now that we've got the family therapy out of the way-"
"Ain't no therapy. Just two men having a chat."
"-I hope you brought a massive appetite because Pa decided to test out his new smoker I bought."
"What kind of man would I be if I didn't have at least one Barbecue the day I get it?" he asked with a grin, making me smile as Lois rolled her eyes.
"I am starving, but I also have to prepare for a date."
"Ah, that M'gann girl Clark spoke of?" Lois asked before she blinked as I gave a sheepish smile.
"Actually, I kind of have two girlfriends now."
"...You cheating on one of them?"
"No! God no!" I quickly replied at Ma's narrowed eyes, letting out a sigh as she just stared. "Honestly, I don't even know how to explain it because it's new for us too, but M'gann didn't want me to break Rae's heart while Rae didn't want to come in between the relationship of M'gann and I."
"I am glad Clark and I didn't have this problem," I smiled at Lois' amused tone before blinking as Ma patted my arm.
"Well, I don't know what that's like, but as long as you love them equally and treat them right, you'll figure it out."
"I intend to, Ma," I promised and she nodded.
"You are a braver man than I am, Chris. One Martha Kent is enough for me," Pa joked, earning a playful swat to his arm as I laughed.
"I know, Pa. Oh, right! I also forgot to say that we managed to find another Kryptonian that is actually Clark's cousin."
"...Say what?"
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With the League:
Unity Sphere:
"Are we ready?" Batman asked, standing off to the side with Flash and Wonder Woman at the ready.
Martian Manhunter gave a firm nod as he took his true Martian form, the four Martians beside him doing the same.
Kara herself was held aloft courtesy of M'gann, whom stood beside Raven that was busy with making sure the Kryptonite chains didn't slip off.
"We are too. Remember, M'gann, Raven, do not allow her to struggle free and make sure she can't hurt herself."
"Will do, uncle J'onn," M'gann replied, taking her Martian form as the hero looked to Batman.
"We'll begin with a basic probe to see how reactive she is. If she reacts violently, we'll push forward with a deep scan, probe and fix."
"Uh, shouldn't we not go too deep if she reacts violently?" Flash whispered and J'onn caught it as he shook his head.
"Should she react like that and we do not push, it may lead to further complications such as scarring her brain or fracturing her mind even more. The four Martians here are to ensure that her mind stays exactly how it is supposed to be while I do the deep probing myself."
"Got it," Flash spoke with a thumbs-up, Martian Manhunter taking a deep breath before his eyes went blank.
"Beginning probe to the surface," The very moment he pushed forth, J'onn frowned as he found himself adrift in a vast space.
It consisted out of streaks of white and black running through an orange-white void with clusters of black speckles flying past.
"Obey your Granny, my command is Darkseid's will. Obey your Granny, my command is Darkseid's will," he pushed away the subtle telepathic message that was echoing through his mind, focusing his gaze on the shivering Kryptonian girl in front of him.
She sat curled up in the centre of the void, her face buried in her knees while trying to hug herself in an attempt to escape the pain.
J'onn drifted closer to the young woman, ignoring the voices trying to grasp onto him as he knelt beside her.
"Kara?" he asked softly and was not surprised when she only buried her face deeper. "You are not a slave of Apokolips. You are Kara, cousin to Kal-El."
His eyes widened as that made the void buckle as well as caused the clusters of black specks to separate for a brief moment when her breath hitched.
"N-No. Go away. I-I just want the pain to end."
"It will, but first, you need to know who you are."
"Just make the pain stop, please."
"I will, Kara. Just look at me and the pain will," he whispered, a hand on her shoulder as her head slowly lifted. The dead look of her tear-stricken face made his hearth ache as he reached up, wiping away the marks with a soft smile.
"It is nice to meet you, Kara. I am here to help you return to the family that wish to give you a better life."
"M-My family all died. Just go away."
"All but one, no? Kal-el, son of Jor-El and Lara-El," Again, the void shook and he saw a flicker of something dancing in her eyes before it vanished.
"I don't know those names," she whispered as she stared at him. "I only know the fire and the pits. Please, just leave me be. I don't want to be put back in the box."
Whatever this box was, J'onn frowned as the memories tied to it was enough to create another streak of black in the background, which he realised were just cracks in her mental stability.
"Then, allow me to show you a world without such things," he rested his hand against her forehead and the void around them shattered as it was replaced with the lush and roaring landscape of Metropolis itself.
It soon changed to Central City, Star City and even the depths of Gotham as thousands of memories flashed around them. With every passing memory, he could feel the cracks in the distance beginning to fade, but grimaced as too many remained for the images to stay.
"W-What...what was that?"
"A little planet called Earth. A planet I've come to call home," he replied, moving his hand from her forehead to in front of her with a smile, "and you can be the same. All you have to do is just come with me. Come back to the family you still have."
She looked hesitant as her hand shook when she placed it in his grasp and J'onn smiled. Lifting her to her feet, he hid his frown at the scars along her arms and legs, instead keeping his smile as he turned and began floating away.
"Come, Kara. Allow yourself to finally enjoy life as it should be."
A/N: And we end it here! Honestly, the reason I missed yesterday's upload for all stories is because I was both busy and because I wanted to see what stories are close to finishing.
That and I wanted to be the one to pick the next story to finish up.
Next chapter: Apokolips Wars III
As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one...
Ba-Bye~!