Daniel arrived in Metropolis exactly as Clark had asked. He had no idea why the Kryptonian wanted to meet him, but since he had nothing better to do after the Gotham incident, he decided to make the trip.
Standing on the rooftop of the Daily Planet, Daniel waited with his hands in his pockets.
BOOM!
A sonic boom echoed across the city. Daniel smiled and turned around.
"Hey, Cla—"
The rest of the greeting caught in his throat. Hovering a few meters above the rooftop wasn't Clark. It was Kara.
She was wearing her Supergirl suit — a blue top with the House of El crest across her chest, a red cape flowing behind her, a red skirt over black leggings, and knee-high red boots. She landed gracefully in front of him, looking rather pleased with herself.
Daniel blinked. "Umm... Kara." He looked around. "Where's Clark?"
Kara's smile instantly disappeared. She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at him.
"My cousin isn't here. And seriously? I show up dressed like this, and the first thing you ask is where Clark is?" She pointed accusingly at herself.
"I'm wearing the Supergirl suit! I spent forever getting ready, and all you had to say was, 'Where's Clark?'"
Daniel stared at her for a moment before letting out a long, exhausted sigh.
Why is this version of Kara like this...?
The confident, cheerful superhero everyone saw on television had vanished in an instant. In her place was the same dramatic Kara he knew, ready to start an argument over the smallest thing.
Daniel rubbed his forehead. "Fine." He looked her up and down before nodding. "The suit looks good. It suits you."
Kara raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"
"...Were you expecting a five-minute speech?"
She puffed out her cheeks. "At least pretend to be impressed!"
Daniel sighed again. "Clark never warned me this meeting was actually an ambush."
A triumphant smile spread across Kara's face. "He didn't. I told him I'd meet you instead."
Daniel could only look toward the sky. "I knew agreeing to come here was going to cost me somehow."
Daniel and Kara began walking across the rooftop together, the awkward atmosphere from a moment ago gradually fading.
"So," Daniel said, glancing at her, "how are you adapting to life on Earth?"
Kara clasped her hands behind her back. "Pretty well. Everything still feels different from Krypton, but I'm getting used to it. The people here have been kind, and my cousin has helped me with... well, almost everything."
Daniel nodded. Adjusting to an entirely different planet wasn't something most people could even imagine.
His gaze shifted to the suit she was wearing. "So you're wearing the costume." A faint smile appeared on his face. "Does that mean you've decided to start helping people?"
Kara looked down at the House of El emblem on her chest before smiling. "Yeah. I've been thinking about it for a while."
She raised her head and looked toward the city below. "My cousin has spent years protecting this world. If I have the power to help people, I don't think I should just stand by and do nothing."
"That's a good reason." Daniel looked out across Metropolis. "Just remember that saving people isn't always about stopping monsters or catching criminals. Sometimes the person who needs saving is just someone having the worst day of their life."
Kara fell silent for a moment before smiling softly. "I'll remember that."
The thoughtful expression lasted all of two seconds. A playful smile spread across her face as she suddenly stepped closer, bending forward until she was only a short distance from Daniel.
"So..." She gave him a quick wink. "Any tips from a top-tier hero?"
Daniel looked at her for a long moment before letting out a quiet sigh. This version of Kara was impossible to understand.
One moment calm, mature, talking seriously about helping people — the next, leaning into his personal space with that mischievous smile for no apparent reason. As if someone kept flipping a switch in her personality.
Daniel raised a finger and gently pressed it against her forehead, pushing her back just enough to restore a normal conversation distance. "First tip. Don't stand this close when you're talking to people."
Kara simply laughed, completely unbothered. "See? You're already teaching me."
***
At the same time, a bus quietly made its way toward Detroit. Rain poured from the gray sky, streaking across the windows as the passengers sat in silence.
Near the back, a teenage girl with black hair rested her head against the glass, staring absentmindedly at her reflection.
Then the reflection smiled. The girl didn't.
Its eyes slowly darkened until they became pitch black, and a cold smile spread across its face. "Anywhere you go..." The reflection's voice echoed inside her mind. "...death follows."
The girl's expression tightened.
"Nothing will change. You can run to another city. You can meet new people. You can pretend to live a normal life." The reflection's smile widened. "But everyone who gets close to you... will die."
The girl lowered her head and tightly clenched her fists. "Be quiet..." Her voice was barely above a whisper.
The reflection only laughed. "You've heard that before, haven't you? It always ends the same. More blood. More graves. And more people looking at you with fear."
The girl squeezed her eyes shut. "I said... be quiet."
The reflection leaned closer from the other side of the glass, as though it could cross into reality at any moment. "You can't escape me. Because..." It placed a hand against the inside of the mirrored window. "...I am you."
The bus continued down the rain-soaked highway, carrying the silent girl toward National City, while the dark reflection continued smiling back at her.
*****
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