I stared into Kara's narrowed eyes. My thoughts churned faster than I could process them. Still, I kept my voice calm, careful. "I can't say." She tilted her head slightly, a single eyebrow raised. "Why not?" she asked with a suspicious edge.
"I don't have to explain my reasons to you, but I'm not your enemy." She scoffed. "That's hard to believe. Viltrumites tend to show their true colors eventually, just like Omni Man." I tensed at that just slightly, but it was enough for her to notice. My jaw clenched, eyes narrowing as I studied her body language.
"You mean... the Viltrumites from your world did the same thing?" Kara nodded, a flash of deep, buried pain crossing her face. "Yeah. They came through the Boom Tubes like a plague. They served Darkseid loyally, mercilessly. My Earth was always in conflict, but when they showed up, everyone united to fight back, but even then, it wasn't enough. They were turning our planet into a breeding farm. Superman did everything he could to train me and keep me away from the front lines."
That image chilled me. Viltrumites, bred for conquest, team up with the god of tyranny. Invading Earth and making it their breeding ground. No wonder she was on edge. "Is Helena okay?" I asked quietly. "Did she make it over here with you?" Her head snapped toward me, tension crackling in the air. "How do you know that name?"
I exhaled slowly. "I just do, and that confirms it." She stood up, visibly agitated now. The energy around her shifted more defensively than before, and her eyes were glowing red. She didn't attack, but her hands clenched. I remained seated, keeping my posture relaxed, non-threatening.
"Look… I'm not your enemy, I promise, but let me clarify something: I was born on and raised on Earth. My connection to the Viltrumite Empire is only genetic. That's it, I owe them nothing. So stop assuming the worst of me. You've seen the records from the league and should have heard I earned my right to be trusted."
There was a beat of silence as she stared at me, the gears turning in her head. Karen crossed her arms, voice still hard. " You're not wrong, but I'll believe that when I see it with my own eyes."
"Fine, I can work with that," I said, rising to meet her at eye level. "Then I need a favor. I need you to contact Helena. I want to talk to her."
That caught her off guard. "Why?"
"Because I think we can help each other. You both want to go back to your Earth, right? You've been stuck here for years, worried about your friends and family and if there's anything to go back to. Meanwhile, my parents are trapped in the Phantom Zone. I think there's a way we can help each other get what we want. But I'll need her specific skill set."
Kara's eyes narrowed further. "Why not ask the League? Or Batman? He could track down anyone if you gave him five minutes."
"Because it needs to be off the books. The League, especially Batman, can't know." I grabbed a notepad and pen, quickly scribbled down a name and a short list of associated contacts and locations, then handed it to her.
She took one look at it and froze. Her eyes flicked up to mine. "…Is this some kind of joke?"
"No," I said flatly. "It's very real." Kara looked at the name again. Her lips parted slightly, but she didn't speak right away. The emotional walls she kept up so easily had cracks now.
"Why Helena?" she asked softly. "Because she's the daughter of Batman and Catwoman. She's one of the best hunters in the world. And she doesn't work by League rules." Kara sighed, tension deflating just slightly. "I'll see what she says, but no guarantees."
"That's all I'm asking." She studied me a moment longer, then said with cool detachment, "I still don't trust you, but you're right. We can help to open portals to alternate worlds… and if you're being honest, then we both have something to gain from this."
I nodded. She took a breath, walking toward the door. "Let's keep it that way, mutual. Don't make me regret it."
"Understood." She got up to leave and paused at the doorway. Then I asked the question that had been bothering me since she showed up. "Why were you even here, Kara?"
She froze; her back was to me, but I could hear the frustration in her voice. "…It was your stupid pheromones, okay?" she muttered, barely loud enough for me to hear. "I flew halfway across the damn city without even realizing it. I don't even like you."
"Noted," I said dryly. "I'll keep my distance."
"Good," she snapped, then, with a flash of light and a gust of displaced air, she was gone. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. The house was quiet again, well, at least for now. Then I saw my phone screen lit up. Five missed calls from Eve.
I called her back. The line barely rang before she picked up, yelling: "Next time you hang up on me like that, Cain, you're in trouble!"
"Whoa, calm down. What happened?"
"We've got an emergency meeting. Get your ass here. Now." I glanced around, noticing my League communicator sitting half-buried under a towel on the floor in my bedroom. Right. That explained it. I'd been… preoccupied. "On my way."
I changed quickly into my gear: black cargo pants, reinforced boots, leather gloves, and a fitted gray muscle shirt. Something low-profile but combat-ready. The bruises still ached from earlier, but they'd faded enough.
I stepped outside, leapt into the air, and flew straight to the Bell Tower, using the secure Zeta tube system hidden behind the clock face. The world blurred around me, then I arrived at Titans Tower, my boots touched down just outside the operations room. The doors hissed open, and what I saw inside stopped me cold.