The Twins

 

Number 1

 

 

“I don’t think I can do this any more!”

 

Rogue glanced up as she stepped out of the shower, toweling her hair dry.  Kara was sitting on the edge of her bed…their bed now…staring at the bundle of clothes in her lap. From the colors, Rogue could see that it was her Supergirl outfit.

 

After the hectic days they had just spent in the Otherverse Probability, constructing the New Fortress in the Otherverse Rocky Mountains, Kara and Rogue had decided, against Reed Richards’ advice, to show the girls the old Fortress.  Reed had wanted to run some tests on the girls but Kara had put her foot down.  There would be time for that, but right now, the girls needed something else…something besides being poked and prodded.

 

The girls had been fascinated the instant they arrived at the Arctic Fortress, trailed by an eager and extremely protective Krypto.  They had zipped everywhere, looking at everything.  Paying particular attention to the trophies room, where Kara had made copies of the trophies she had once had.  Included in the trophies was a life sized rendition of the battle in Superman’s Fortress between Kara and her clone as well as wax dummies representing people Kara had known and loved.

 

They had been stunned with awe, however, when Kara showed them what she and Rogue called the City Room.  In this room, was the miniaturized city of Kandor. 

 

Kara had smiled, looking at the girls, as she recalled her own astonishment when, as a girl herself, Kal had shown her the bottled city.  Then, the city had inhabited the equivalent of a ten-gallon jug.  Now the city resembled a huge hamster colony, with tubes connecting the various portions of the city.  The city was, she explained, not as small as it had once been.   The miniaturization process she and her father had developed to save the city from the doomed planet Rokyn, she told them, was not quite as advanced as the process used by the evil android Brainiac when he had stolen the city from the surface of Krypton mere days before that planet’s destruction.  Where his process had shrunk the cities inhabitants to near microscopic size, their process had merely shrunk them to about two inches.  Thus the city took up a tremendous amount of space.  From the point of view of the inhabitants, this was much better.  For one thing, the city could be expanded indefinitely, unlike the original.

 

The girls had expressed a certain amount of dismay when first entering the city room.  Bathed under the rays of an artificial red sun, they instantly found themselves powerless.  Though, they did note, they felt lighter.

 

“I thought Krypton had a heavier gravity.”  Carrie had stated after the first shock of being powerless wore off.

 

“It did.”  Kara’s eyes widened for it was Karen that had answered.  She was studying the city with extreme interest.  “I bet that they,” she waved a hand towards the city modules, “feel as if they are in Kryptonian gravity.  At that size, full Kryptonian gravity would probably crush them.”

 

After the City Room, and after informing them of her plans to move the Kandorians to a space station in Otherverse, Kara had shown them the rest of the Fortress and their rooms, She had left them there, with a promise to go shopping for some appropriate clothes the next morning.

 

Now, after spending a few hours with Rogue, exploring their new relationship, she was sitting holding the Supergirl outfit.

 

“Can’t do what?”  Rogue asked, sitting down beside her.  She reached out and moved a stray strand of blonde hair from Kara’s face.

 

“This!”  Kara tossed the bundle down.  “I’m not Supergirl anymore.  There are just too many memories tied up with it.”  She looked up with haunted eyes, hoping Rogue could understand.

 

“Hey, it’s okay.”  Rogue smiled.  “Perhaps Carrie or Karen will become the new Supergirl.  Maybe you just need a new name, a new look.”  She tipped Kara’s face up. “A new start.”

 

“Why?”  Kara shook her head.  “Why do I even need a new name?  It’s not like I have a secret identity anymore.”

 

“And I happen to know that bothers the hell out of you.”  Rogue pointed out.  “I know.  You’ve told me your reasoning behind the Secret ID.  You were afraid that, your enemies would try to get at you through your family and friends if you acknowledged them as Supergirl.  And you were also determined to try to lead a normal life as well.”  She shook her head. “I never had a secret ID.  How could I when I had a mutant power I could not control?  But now?  The idea appeals to me.”  She waved a hand towards the door.  “And what about the girls?  Wouldn’t having a secret ID allow them to have more of a private life?”

 

“Which brings us back to where we started.”  Kara said, bitterly.  “Ever since I was their age, I’ve been Supergirl.  I was also Kara Zor-El and Linda Danvers.”  She shivered and Rogue put an arm around her, drawing her close.  Despite the fact that neither was clothed, there was no sexual feeling.  Not like there had been earlier.  Now there was only closeness. “I couldn’t change the fact that I am Kara Zor-El if I wanted to.  But I have no desire to be either Supergirl or Linda Danvers again.  I couldn’t without thinking of all the people I’ve known and realizing that, if they even still exist, they would not know me.”  She stood and put a robe on and, picking up the bundle, headed out the door.  Rogue scrambled to find a robe for herself and follow.

 

Kara stepped into the trophy room and looked around.  There.  She moved to a glass case holding a life-sized rendition of the Earth-2 Powergirl and, after shifting its contents slightly and adding another wax mannequin (this one with her likeness), arranged the outfit inside.  Though she could never be Supergirl again, she would have this remembrance.

 

Smiling sadly, Rogue took Kara into her arms and slowly led her back to their room.

 

As the door to the trophy room slid closed, Carrie and Karen stepped out of the shadows.  Kara and Rogue had startled them with their sudden entrance and, sensing Kara’s mood, they had elected to remain out of sight, not wishing to intrude.  Now they moved around to get another look at the various displays.

 

Each being an only child, they had taken to the idea of having a sister a bit cautiously at first. Within days, however, they had bonded closer than any true twins could ever bond.  One reason for the rapid bonding was the discovery of a unique ability.  An ability that sprang, most likely, from being the same person, just from different realities.  They had been delighted and a bit unnerved to discover that they feel each other.  Though the new ability was empathic in nature, for the most part, the girls had found they could, with extreme effort, make each other understand what they were thinking. For reasons they could not have given at the time, neither girl mentioned this new found ability to any one else, choosing to keep it a secret to themselves.

 

And now Carrie could feel Karen’s distress.

 

Karen wandered around, looking at the different trophies unaware of the worried look she was getting from Carrie. Eventually, she found herself back at the case Kara had just rearranged, her hands pressed against the glass as she stared at the contents.

 

Sighing quietly, Carrie turned to look at some of the trophies.  She was looking over a piece of wreckage (a plaque identified it as a piece of the Space cruiser Jennifer Walters was aboard when she rammed into Parallax) when she felt a sudden surge of emotion through the empathic link.  She spun around to see Karen pressed against the glass case, tears streaming down her face.  Carrie, not understanding, saw only the two mannequins in the case.  At first, Carrie thought it one was simply Kara in a different costume.  Rather than the traditional blue, red, and yellow costume of Supergirl, the mannequin was dressed in white leotards with blue boots, gloves and cape.  A blue belt with a yellow buckle completed the costume.

 

“Who is that?”  Carrie asked, walking up behind her silently sobbing twin.  Karen straightened up; looking away, unaware that Carrie had already seen the tears.

 

“Her name was Powergirl.”  She said after a few moments, when she felt she had her emotions under control.  She pointed to a plaque on the glass. “According to this, she was Kara Zor-L of Earth Two.”

 

“Earth Two?”  Carrie breathed.  “That’s the Earth Lois is from.”  She was, of course, referring to the Lois Kent that Linda Danvers had rescued when she had rescued them.

 

They stood there, looking at the mannequin in silence for a long moment before Carrie put a hand on Karen’s shoulder.

 

“Tell me about it.”  She ordered. “Remember, I know what you’re feeling.”  She jerked a thumb at the display.  “What is it about Powergirl that has you so upset?”

 

After a lengthy hesitation, Karen breathed a sigh of resignation.

 

“I didn’t know how you all would react to it.”  She began. She shook her head, knowing that she had made a confusing statement.  “To put it simply, where I came from, there was no Supergirl.”

 

“What?”  Carrie was totally confused now.  “That doesn’t make sense, Karen.  You are obviously a Kryptonian.  You said your mother was like mine…a clone of Kara.”

 

“She was.”  Karen nodded.  “But, in my reality, Kara was not Supergirl.”  She placed her hands flat on the glass case, once again gazing in at the mannequin. “Where I came from, Kara Zor-El, not Kara Zor-L, was known as Powergirl…and that is the costume she wore!”  She turned and looked at her ‘twin’.  “Remember when you told me that you wanted to be the new Supergirl.”

 

“Yeah.”  Carrie nodded.  “I was wondering how we would work it out if you wanted to be Supergirl too.”

 

“I didn’t say anything then because…because I couldn’t bring myself to take that name.”   Karen shook her head.  “I am sure that Supergirl was every bit as much a hero as I remember Powergirl to be, but I felt as if I would be turning my back on my own history if I took that name.”

 

They stood quietly, looking at the display for a few moments.  Then Carrie began to smile as an idea took hold.  She grabbed Karen’s arm and spun her around so that they were facing each other.

 

“I’ve got an idea!”  She proclaimed.

 

Within in seconds, the Trophy room was once again quiet, the girls gone.  Gone as well were the costumes from the Powergirl and Supergirl mannequins.

 

 

 “Did you have a good sleep?”

 

Kara settled into a chair at the table they had set up in the kitchen area and looked at the plate of food Rogue shoved in front of her.

 

“Eggs, bacon, sausage, gravy, hash browns, biscuits.”  She mumbled.  “What?  No grits?”

 

“Ugh.  I was a failure as a Southern Gal.”  Rogue admitted.  “I have always hated grits.”  She fixed her own plate and took a seat across the table.  As yet, neither of the girls had yet made an appearance.  “You didn’t answer my question.  Have a good sleep?”

 

“As a matter of fact I did? Why?”  Kara stuffed a piece of bacon in her mouth, looking up at Rogue with a puzzled expression.  From the way she had asked the question, Rogue was inquiring for more than polite purposes.  In response, Rogue switched on a TV monitor.  With the setup the fortress had, they could pick up satellite broadcasts from just about anywhere.  At the moment, it was set on CNN Headline news.  Kara sat up straight as the news repeated.  Two items caught her attention right away.  Two disasters, one in the Colorado Mountains and one on Ellis Island.

 

In Colorado, an avalanche had threatened a troop of Army reservists on training maneuvers.   She watched spell bound as two figures, one blue and red clad and one white and blue, caught on film by one reservist with a video camera, streaked out of the night sky.  Though caught at extreme distance, it was easy to see that the figures were blond women.  Working quickly, they had formed a crude barrier that shunted the rolling slide of snow around the helpless soldiers.  Not the most efficient method, but it had saved lives.

 

Next, a film crew had witnessed and recorded the same figures zipping down to snag a would be terrorist off the torch of the Statue of Liberty.  The terrorist was dropped at the feet of startled police officers by one while the grabbed some object and sped straight into the air.  There followed a tremendous explosion in the air and, despite the reporters expressed fears, the blond woman had sped from the scene, obviously unharmed.

 

Kara sat up even straighter as Rogue turned up the sound. “…absent for the past week, it is apparent that the newest super heroine is on the job as Supergirl and her unknown companion successfully…”  Rogue turned the sound down and looked over at Kara.

 

At that moment, stretching and yawning, Karen stumbled into the kitchen.   Unconsciously, as if were completing some long established ritual, she made her way to Kara, gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek.

 

“Morning Mom.”  She mumbled.  Only then did her eyes open fully.  “OH!” She looked up at Rogue and then at Kara.  “I’m sorry.  I mean…that is…”

 

“It’s okay.”  Kara smiled and snaked an arm around the girl’s waist. “I’m not your real mom, but it won’t bother me if you call me mom.  Besides, it looks as if we’re all the family we have.”

 

“I hope I’m counted in there!”  Rogue piped up, smiling.

 

“You know you are.”  Kara grinned at her friend and lover. Her face then turned serious as she returned her attention to Karen. “I guess that’s something we’ll have to discuss as well.”

 

“What?  You and Rogue?”  Karen asked, regaining some of her composure. “Why?  Mom taught me the same morals and values she grew up with.”  She nodded towards Kara.  “Or rather, the ones you grew up with.  Kryptonian morals and values.”  She shook her head. “I don’t see anything wrong with any relationship you two might have.  Carrie and I talked about it last night and her mother taught her the same thing.”

 

“I had hoped that was the case.”  Kara nodded, glad that was one problem she didn’t have to deal with. However… “Speaking of Carrie, did you happen to notice if she was…” She trailed off, seeing the muted news show replaying on the TV screen had captivated Karen.

 

“Busy last night?”  Karen asked, finally, looking over at her.  Kara frowned and looked up at Rogue.  She finished her breakfast and stood. 

 

“I’ve got to go check something out.”  She said, and fairly flew from the kitchen.

 

“Did I say something wrong?”  Karen demanded of Rogue, her voice full of worry.

 

“No.  No, you didn’t.”  Rogue considered for a moment and then jerked a thumb towards the TV.  “Kara and I slept together last night.  That wasn’t her.”

“Oh!”  Karen looked back to the screen.  For the fist time she saw a shot of the white and blue clad figure.

 

“What I want to know, “ Rogue said, tapping the screen with a fingernail. ‘is who this is!”  She raised her eyebrows and looked at Karen.  For her part, Karen suddenly found the contents of her breakfast plate extremely interesting.

 

They were still there.  Locked in the glass case as she had left them the night before.  Draped over the mannequins, the costumes seemingly mocked Kara by their very presence.  It was only as she was turning away that she noticed that something was indeed missing from the mannequin with the Supergirl costume…The headband!

 

She could not recall when she had started wearing the headband, only that she had worn it as a form of rebellion.  In Kryptonian society, only males wore the headbands.  While Krypton had been more advanced scientifically and in most ways socially, they had still fallen behind in some social areas.  Areas in which some countries were making great strides.  One such area had been equality in women.  She had had donned the headband in defiance of Kryptonian society and had found a staunch ally in Kal.  But then, Kal had not grown up in Kryptonian society.  He had, she was certain, found many Kryptonian ways offensive to the morals and values instilled by Jonathan and Martha Kent.

 

In any case, many of the younger generations of Kandorians had adopted Kara’s attitude, sweeping away much of the patriarchal ways and making way for complete equality of the sexes.  A move that now allowed Allura, Kara’s mother, to serve on the City’s Governmental Council.  A post once held exclusively by males.

 

And now the headband was gone.  She left the trophy room, moving at super speed through the halls of the Fortress until she stood before the door of the room assigned to Carrie.  She hesitated for a moment and then touched the controls of the door, allowing it to slide quietly open.  She stepped in, looking around.

 

Carrie was, she saw; still snuggled under the covers, sound asleep.  She approached the bed and smiled down at the sleeping girl, brushing back a bit of hair to reveal…the headband.

 

“Hey sleepy-head.”  She spoke gently, lightly poking the girl in the shoulder.  “Rise and Shine.”

 

“I don’t wanna go to school today, mom.”  The girl whined sleepily, turning over and snuggling back in.  Then it sunk in and she bolted up.

 

“It’s okay, Kara laughed, seeing the shocked look on the girl’s face.  “Like I told Karen a bit ago, I may not be your mom, but I guess we are family.  “If you want to call me mom, you can, the choice is yours and it won’t bother me in the slightest.”

 

Carrie seemed to relax and ran her fingers through her hair, yawning.  She stopped when her fingers touched the headband and she looked fearfully at Kara.

 

“I see you girls had a busy night.”  Kara stood, hands on hips, looking down at the girl.  She did not even attempt to look stern, knowing it would be virtually impossible.

 

“You….you’re not mad?”  Carrie asked, timidly.  “It’s just that…for as long as I remember I’ve wanted to be Supergirl.  And well….”

 

“And here was your chance.”  Kara finished for her.  “No, I’m not mad.  Concerned, maybe, since I’m not sure of what your training has been, but not mad.”  She smiled and shook her head, remembering how she had felt all those years ago when Kal had been wary of unleashing her, as he called it, on the world.  She perched on the edge of the bed. “I remember wanting to get out in the world and be like my cousin Superman, so I can understand what you’ve felt and why.  But let’s take it a bit slow at first.  Now come on.  Rogue has breakfast and Karen may have eaten yours by now.”  She stood and walked to the door, turning around as it slid open.  “Oh, and Carrie?  You girls saved a lot of lives last night.  Your methods will improve with experience, but all in all, you did a damned good job.”  She stepped through the door, allowing it to slide close behind her.

 

Carrie sat, staring at the door, hugging her knees to her chest, bursting with pride at Kara’s praise.

 

After breakfast, and after the kitchen was cleaned up by the girls (they had volunteered), the four had left the Fortress, flying low and fast until they were some distance from the Fortress before gaining altitude.  It was a precaution Rogue had insisted on.  While the Fortress was virtually invisible until one stood directly in front of it, orbital spy satellites would have no problems picking up slow moving figures, allowing some bright individuals to examine their courses and thus back track to get a good indication of the location of the Fortress.  By staying low, they stayed below most land-based radar and by moving at super speed, they were less likely to be spotted from orbit.  Of course, they had chosen the location carefully, making sure that they chose a spot over which no satellites orbited directly.

 

After gaining altitude, Kara had led the way south, flying over Greenland and portions of Canada before reaching New York.   They had made one stop after Karen made a teasing comment to Rogue and Kara.

 

“I was wondering, Should Carrie and I read that children’s book…what was the name?  Oh yeah…’My Two Mommies’?”  Karen had asked, her expression the epitome of innocence.  The ensuing chase ended with Kara and Rogue dumping Karen in the nearest body of water available…the middle of the Atlantic.

 

Once over New York, Kara had headed towards Pier Four, making sure that they came to ground out of sight of any spectators.

 

“Oh this is cool!”  Karen spoke up, excitement clear in her voice, as Kara led them into the first of the many stores that had sprung up on Pier Four.  Carrie, busy looking around, saw something that caused her to catch her breath.  She nudged Karen and pointed to where a young blonde girl was whizzing by on roller blades.  The girl had a white t-shirt with Supergirl’s big red S symbol plastered on the front.  On the back, the words “Supergirl Rules!” were spelled out in big, futuristic lettering. 

 

For the next several hours, the girls were too busy trying on clothes to notice anything else.  Others, however, had noticed their arrival on the Pier and were quietly pointing out the foursome.  Kara, on the other hand, noticed and frowned at Rogue.

 

“It’s that hair, you know.”  She said, eyeing the long white streak that ran down the middle of Rogue’s thick mane of red hair.

 

“Yeah.”  Rogue sighed in agreement.  While it might be possible for Kara and the girls to go unnoticed, she had become too well known.  In fact, many girls had taken to producing a streak in their own hair.  Especially after Tony Stark had introduced her with Kara months earlier.  “Perhaps I could just act like a Rogue groupie?”

 

“I don’t think so.”  Kara had laughed.  “I think you’re a bit old for that.”

 

“Oh, so I’m old now, is that it?”  Rogue glared at Kara and then the girls.  The girls wisely looked elsewhere while Kara only grinned.

 

“Come on.”  She said after a moment.  She took Rogue’s arm and led the way into the next store.

 

‘Excuse me.”  Carrie, ready to follow the others, stopped when a young girl, about her own age, stopped her.  “Is that…”  The girl’s voice trailed off but she was looking after Kara and Rogue.

 

“Yep.”  Carrie smiled and nodded.

 

“Wow.”  The girl looked back at Carrie, envy plain in her eyes.  “How did you get so lucky?”  Carrie shrugged.

 

“She’s our mother.”  She said, unable to resist.  She then floated a few feet off the ground and followed the other into the store.  The girl gaped after her.  Before long, Carrie felt, it would be all over.  Supergirl had kids!  For some reason, the thought made her feel good.  Within minutes, however, the incident was almost forgotten as she started trying on even more clothes.

 

Whether the girls realized it or not, they would soon set fashion back a decade.  Having been propelled into the present from the late eighties, they naturally chose clothes that were more fashionable to their own time, making disgusted faces and rude remarks about the newer stuff.

 

In the end, the girls walked out of the last store dressed more or less in what had once been called the Daisy Duke style.  Tight short shorts and shirts tied off at the midsection.

 

“How can they stand that baggy crap?”  Karen had demanded, wrinkling her nose at a group of youths. From her vantage point, she couldn’t tell which were male or female.

 

“I want to know how that butchery to the hair became a style!”  Carrie exclaimed.  Like Karen, she wore her hair long.  She could not understand how anyone could find the partial shaved heads, which now seemed all the rage, attractive.

 

“Fashion changes with the times.”  Rogue replied.  Of the four, she was the only one that had actually lived through the changes.  Kara had jumped straight from ’85 to ’99. “Though I have to admit, I find it difficult to understand sometimes.  Personally, I like long hair.  In men and women.”

 

The other three nodded their agreement.   Not surprisingly since they had been raised in a time when long hair was fashionable in men, though shorter hair had become fashionable among women.

 

“Uh-oh!”  Karen muttered, pointing when the other three looked at her. “Reporters!”

 

Sure enough, a television news crew was making its way through the crowds on the pier towards the quartet.

 

“Supergirl! Rogue!”  A young woman holding a microphone called out as she raced towards them.  “I’m with WRTM News!  Can we talk to you for a moment?”

 

Kara looked at Rogue and grimaced then sighed.  She nodded at the reporter and waited for her to catch up.

 

“Thank you.”  The woman panted, trying to catch her breath while she waited for her camera crew to catch up and get ready. “I was afraid you would take off before I could catch you.”

 

She looked at Carrie and Karen, her eyes widening.

 

“So the tip we got was true.” She said.  “You do have children.”  She paused and looked to Rogue. “Or are they yours?”

 

“Call it a joint effort!”  Carrie spoke up bluntly before either Kara or Rogue could.  Karen merely looked at Kara and shrugged.  It was becoming obvious that, of the two, Carrie was the more out-spoken.

 

“It’s a long story.”  Kara told the bewildered woman, glaring at Carrie. “And I’m not about to go into it here.  But for all practical purposes, yes, they are my daughters. If any of your doctors could get a needle into our arms to take blood samples, they would be able to see the DNA matches.”  She saw the camera crew was just about ready so she pointed at the reporter. “Be careful what you ask on camera.”  She warned the woman.  “We will not answer any questions pertaining to our personal lives, with the exception that I will acknowledge that these are my daughters.  If I don’t like what I see on the news tonight, I will be speaking with the third member of our group when she returns from her current mission.”

 

“Your third member?”  The woman looked a little confused.

 

“Perhaps you’ve heard of her?”  Rogue smiled. “Attorney Jennifer Walters?”

 

“The She-Hulk?”  The woman swallowed and nodded. “Of course. No questions about personal life.”

 

The impromptu interview went smoothly until the reporter started asking questions about the previous nights events.

 

“I’m afraid I can’t answer those questions.”  Kara finally said, holding up a hand.  “You’ll have to talk to these two.”  She pointed at Carrie and Karen.

 

 “Does this mean that you are retiring?”  The reporter asked Kara, after getting as much detail from the girls as possible.

 

“No.”  Kara shook her head.  “But it does mean that I am through with being Supergirl.”  She smiled and held her arms out. “After all, I think I’m getting a little old to be a girl.”

 

“I don’t know if this would be a personal question or not.  If so, I can edit it out later.”  The reporter said, after a moment’s hesitation. “From my point of view, you don’t seem old enough to have daughters at all, much less daughters the ages of these two. Since we don’t know anything about Kryptonians, perhaps you could tell us what the average life span of a Kryptonian is?”

 

“On the average, about three hundred terran years.”  Kara replied instantly.  She did not notice the startled look Rogue gave her. “In Kryptonian society, I am barely out of my adolescent years.  And no, I’m not going to tell you how old I am.  I’ve lived on Earth long enough to know that a lady never reveals her true age.  I will tell you, however, that I started my career as Supergirl in the Mid-Sixties.”  She smiled. Seeing the reporter’s confusion, she added  “The easiest way to explain it would be to say that I started on another world.”  She nodded towards the girls.  “I can also tell you that these two are fifteen Terran years old.  Which means they can probably look forward to about another two hundred and eighty-five years.”

 

“That’s incredible!”  The reporter breathed.  Then, remembering that she was being filmed, got her composure back.  She asked a few more questions, focusing on Rogue for a bit.

 

Stepping back a bit, Carrie and Karen huddled together.

 

“How come she hasn’t said anything about moving to that Otherverse Probability?”  Carrie whispered.  “This would be the perfect time.”

 

“Probably because of us.”  Karen responded.  “I heard her and Rogue talking.  They were going to move there because the need is greater, but now they are not sure if it is a good idea.  They don’t know if it’s a good place to raise us.”

 

“Raise us?”  Carrie bristled.  “We’re fifteen years old.  Not babies.”  Karen started to answer but Carrie had already turned away.”

 

“Excuse me.”  She cut into the reporter’s final question to Rogue, addressing Kara. “Mom, don’t you think this would be a good time to tell them that we’re moving?”

 

“Moving?”  The reporter looked from Carrie back to Rogue and Kara.

 

For their part, Rogue and Kara were staring at Carrie.

 

“Moving?”  The reporter asked again, this time turning back to Carrie.

 

“Yes.”  Carrie nodded, looking at Kara rather than at the camera. 

 

 

“It’s not quite certain, yet.”  Kara added.  “But if it is decided that we are moving, I am sure that Stark Industries will hold a press conference to announce it.”

 

The reporter nodded.  She would of course, include in her report that a possible move was in the works, but as yet there was no confirmation.

 

After the reporter and the camera crew left, Kara rounded on Carrie.

 

“Not here.”  Rogue cautioned before Kara could say anything.  She nodded towards the FF HQ that loomed over the pier.  Without waiting for a reply, she took off, zipping upwards towards the roof of the building.  Onlookers watched in awe as Kara and the girls flew after her.  They had almost reached the roof when Carrie veered off and dove back down.  She landed near a bundle of packages, red faced as she faced the crowd.

 

“Forgot our stuff.”  She mumbled as she picked up the bundled and raced off after the others.

 

The next morning, both girls were stunned as they looked at the headlines of the New your Times:

 

New York Welcomes

The Twins:

Supergirl and Powergirl

 

Neither girl noticed Rogue and Kara watching them, their eyes filled with pride, as the girls wiped tears from their own eyes.

 

Later, Sue Richards took the girls aside and, using material donated by Stark industries to create Kara’s costumes, quickly put together costumes specifically designed for the girls.

 

Soon, the people of New York were able to look up and see the two newest members of the Super community sailing through the air in their new costumes. Both girls wore a stylized version of the traditional red and yellow super symbol, the points of the triangle starting just below their breasts, traveling up and out to spread across their breasts and upwards to cover their shoulders. They both wore long sleeved tops that that ended with thick red wristbands on their arms and were tucked into light blue shorts at the waist.  The shorts, as stated, were light blue save for a small triangle in the front that tapered downwards, curving up under the crotch.  The tops of the triangles were colored the same as the tops, switching to a red super symbol halfway down.  They each wore thigh high boots, sensibly flat footed, each with red stripes traveling from the knees up.  The boots were the same color as the tops.  And there was the difference.  While Carrie wore the traditional dark blue that was associated with Supergirl’s colors, Karen’s top was white, with the exception of the red and yellow super symbol.

 

 

 

In the end, Tony Starks did hold a press conference to inform the press that not only was Kara leaving the world (though she would be available if really needed), Rogue and Jennifer Walters were going with her.  No mention was made of Mon-El or the Twins, as the press had named them in headlines that had flashed over all major newspapers the morning after the impromptu interview on the Pier.

 

It had not been an easy decision to make, but in the end, after seeking the advise of Reed and Charles Xavier, Kara and Rogue finally decided that it would be better for the girls to be enrolled in Xavier’s School for the gifted.

 

At first, the girls had balked at the idea of being separated from Kara, if only for short periods.  They had both learned to cope with the knowledge that they were, for all practical purposes orphans.  The first week after their rescue had been the hardest.  They had both cried a lot and Reed’s lab now had an added decoration…a hole in the wall the size of Carrie’s fist.  It had been the constant presence of Kara and Rogue that had pulled them through it. 

 

Taking a clue from the newspapers, the girls had been enrolled as twins under the names of Carrie Marie and Karen Mae Zorel-Dox.  Sue Richards had ‘acquired’ birth certificates for the girls, which listed their ages at 15. The girls had tossed a coin to see who was to be listed as the elder…Karen won by twenty minutes).

 

At Xavier’s School, only Prof. Xavier and the X-men knew about the girl’s origins.  As far as everyone else was concerned, they were simply gifted twins.  To the majority of the faculty and students, gifted was translated as mutant.  A few of the more observant ones, those that kept up with current events, looked askance at the girls occasionally, unable to shake the feeling that they looked vaguely familiar.

 

It was the brown hair that threw most of them off.  Going by what he had learned of Kara’s past, Dr. Strange had created hairbrushes for the four Kryptonian women.  The brushes, acting in a similar manner to Kara’s now long gone magical comb, would allow the user to change the color of her hair to what ever color she thought of while brushing her hair.  The effect was temporary, lasting no more than a day, yet it allowed the four to travel about with a bit more anonymity.  Rogue, especially, had been delighted at the gift.

 

So now, both Carrie and Karen were brunettes.  Changing the blonde hair to brown had been enough to throw most of the curious off the track.

 

“I’m Bored!”

 

Without looking up from the comp-pad she was studying, Karen shot her right hand up and out to snatch an identical unit from the air before it could smash into, or possibly through, the wall.  Still without looking, she flipped it back the way it had come.

 

“You break another one and Reed will skin you.”  She said in a distracted manner.  She was deep into the text scrolling across her own ‘pad.  A Kryptonian history lesson, written in Kyptonesse, of course.

 

The Comp-pads, creations of Reed Richards, working from diagrams supplied by Zor El, allowed the girls to hook-up to a main frame in the Fantastic Four Head quarters and from there, download weekly lessons supplied by Kandorian educators.  Unfortunately, no method had yet been developed that would allow the small pads to cross the dimensional barrier to contact Kandor directly.  That kind of equipment demanded more power and more computing strength than could be stuffed into one of the hand held units.  For now.   Reed was busy working on the problem, when he had the time. And when he wasn’t replacing the ones Carrie had broken.

 

Though they had both tested out with equal intelligence, each with a level of capability that nearly matched Reed’s, it had been clear from the beginning that Carrie had only a fraction of the love for study that Karen had.  While they were both active, Carrie was obviously the more aggressive of the two.   And it showed in her inability to remain inactive for extremely long periods of time.  While Karen could fill her time with reading or studying, Carrie could take only so much stillness.   But then, according to Reed and Prof. X, their test showed that Carrie, while restless, was most definitely not reckless.  She would take her time, think things through, at least once, before acting.

 

Carrie grabbed the Comp-pad out of the air and stuck her tongue out at Karen.  She didn’t however, throw the ‘pad again.  She set the ‘pad on her bed and began pacing around the small room.

 

It was the kind of room one would expect to find in any college dorm.  Enough room for two beds, two desks, and very little else.  But then, Xavier’s School for the Gifted was not a big place.

 

Sitting cross-legged in the middle of her bed, Karen sighed and lowered the ‘pad, allowing it to switch itself off.  It would bookmark her place automatically so she could pick up where she left off later.

 

For a moment she merely watched the pacing Carrie.  Through their link, she could feel the building frustration born of inactivity.

 

“So what do you want to do?”  She asked, “or are you going to wear through the floor?”

 

“I don’t know!”  Carrie threw up her hands in exasperation.  “I just need to get out for a bit.”

 

“It’s past curfew.”  Karen noted, glancing to the alarm clock on the head of her bed.  Curfew, in the school dorms, was 10:00 on weeknights.  They didn’t worry about the weekend curfews since they spent the weekends with Kara.  Of course, curfew in the dorms meant being inside the dorms proper.  There were no regulations about when a person had to be in their room.  So long as the noise levels were kept to a minimum, students could hang out in the common areas, playing games, studying, whatever, as long as they wished.  If they were too tired to function the next day, that was their problem.  Karen didn’t think Carrie would be satisfied with rummaging around the common areas.  She was right.

 

“So?”  Carrie stopped her pacing and stood glaring at Karen, hands on her hips, a gesture so much like her mother’s it made Karen shiver.  It also made her wonder if she had the same movements, and individual quirks.  Carrie could have told her she did.  “Karen, it’s been two days since we’ve been anywhere, or done anything!  I’m not used to this!”

 

“Hmmm.   I believe the last time we did anything we spent the next four hours putting the Danger room back together.  With Wolverine breathing down our necks.”

 

“Yeah well…”, Carrie didn’t like to dwell on that episode.  She and Karen had decided to make use of the X-men’s Danger room.  They had learned that Kara had spent several weeks in the X-men mansion immediately after her resurrection and had, often times used the Danger room.  What they hadn’t realized was that Kara, with her familiarity with technology, had been able to repair any damage she did to the room within seconds.  What had taken her seconds had taken the girls hours.  They had the same powers as Kara, just not the knowledge.     So, under the direction of Prof. X himself and under the stern eye of Wolverine, the girls had painstakingly repaired the Damage room.

 

Of course, Wolverine had also taught them a valuable lesson as soon as they were finished.  He had taken them both into the danger room, after entering a few settings in the controller.   Neither girl had noticed the slightly red tinge the Room had taken on.

 

When Wolverine had finally taunted them enough and goaded them into attacking him, they were both surprised to find themselves sailing through the air to land on suddenly tender backsides.

 

“All your powers aren’t gonna help ya if you don’t know how to fight with out them.”  He had admonished them.  “Any one with any experience would wipe the floor with ya.  Powers or no powers!”

 

‘You couldn’t do that if we were under a yellow sun!”   Carrie had accused, guessing correctly that Wolverine had set the room to simulate the rays of a red sun.

 

‘Okay.”   Logan had moved to the console and deleted the red sun parameters from the settings he had entered earlier.  He then moved back to the middle of the room.  “Let’s try it again.”

 

Karen had hesitated, taken aback by Wolverines obvious willingness.  Carrie, on the other hand, had leapt straight at him.  Karen nodded, as if in confirmation when, with another yelp of surprise, Carrie had gone sailing up and over Wolverine to smash into a far wall, sliding to the floor in stunned amazement.

 

“I might not be able to hurt you, but I can damned sure fight you to a standstill.”  Wolverine told her.  He had crouched, eyeing Carrie warily when the girl stood and flowed easily into a stance Karen recognized as a basic Koh-Re stance.  Wolverine had recognized it as well.  “Well it’s a start.”  He had continued.  “Koh-Re works well with your powers.”

 

“You know Koh-Re?”  Carrie had demanded, startled that this….this Neanderthal…would know anything about the Kryptonian martial arts.

 

“Nope.”  Wolverine shook his head.  “But Kara taught it to Jean Grey and to Storm.  They’ve been teaching others.  Now quit yabbering and c’mon!”  Carrie leapt and spun, her foot flashing out...to be snatched out of the air by a large hand.  Using her momentum against her, Wolverine sent Carrie into another wall. ‘Experience, little one.  Never underestimate it.”

 

After that, Wolverine had talked with their headmaster and had three hours a week of hand-to-hand combat training, with him, added to their curriculum.

 

“Well, at least we’ll get a little more experience working with Wolverine.”  Karen sighed as she climbed out of her bed, walking to the room’s single window.  Have you got anything in mind?”

 

“As a matter of fact…”  Carrie smiled and grabbed Karen’s hand, pulling her out the room’s door.  Karen barely had time to reach out and close the door behind her, her heart sinking as she considered what kind of trouble they were going to get into this time.

 

 

“Walking through Central park at night is not really that smart.”  Karen remarked later as the twins strolled down one of the many paved paths through the park.

 

“Like there’s anything out here that could hurt us.”  Carrie scoffed.  Neither girl wore their costumes, opting instead to simply allow their hair to return to its natural blond color.  They both wore the clothes that had, thanks in no small part to themselves, become the newest rage in girls wear.  Fashion designers were shaking their heads in disgust as girls around the country tossed aside the ‘fashionable’ unisex, baggy garments and donned the old Daisy Duke shorts and tied shirts.  Some leaders of society had raged against this, claiming that girls that wore such things were simply asking to be raped or mauled.  When questioned about it, both Carrie and Karen had been perplexed.

 

‘What does what a girl wears have anything to do with it?”   Karen had asked.  “Rather than telling girls it’s wrong to wear what they like, perhaps it would be better to teach the boys that it is wrong to rape.”

 

“Yeah.”  Carrie had agreed, somewhat heatedly.  “And if they do it anyway, they should cut off….”  Her words were muffled as Karen drug her ‘sister’ away from the reporters.  After that, however, the girls had actively and publicly encouraged women, young and old, to take training to protect themselves.  Within weeks, martial arts instructors were swamped with female students.

 

“You’re looking for trouble!”  Karen exclaimed. 

 

“Yeah, I guess I am.”  Carrie admitted, nodding her head.  Her eyes continually scanned the area.  Occasionally she would squint slightly, activating either her x-ray or telescopic visions.  “And I think we just found some.”

 

As if her words were a signal, a group of boys, ranging from about 14 to 21 stepped out of the shadows lining the path, effectively surrounding the girls.  All in all, there were about twenty of them.

 

‘Well now, look what just strolled into the Kings turf!”  One of the older boys drawled, as he and the others moved in.  Soon, the girls were crowded together.  As yet, neither had been touched.  That ended when the spokesman, obviously the leader, reached up to tap Carrie on the cheek. “Twins!”  He laughed.

 

‘And nice looking ones at that.”  Another boy laughed.

 

“Yeah.”  The leader looked the girls up and down, his eyes filled with lust and violence. “Okay girls.  We gonna party with you two.  So you just shuck off them skimpy shorts and let’s get to it.”

 

“I don’t think so.”  Carrie responded.  She held her chin up and glared at the leader.  For her part, Karen was eyeing the other boys.  Neither of the girls was exhibiting the slightest amount of fear and that was making some of the punks nervous.  In all their days of running this park, they had never encountered any girls that did not exhibit at least a little fear.  Most, in fact, would be screaming in terror already.  At which point the boys would laugh.   Screams in Central Park, especially at night, were never heeded.

 

“I said, get naked, slut.”  The leader growled.  This was not going like it should.  He would have to do something and do it quick just so he could maintain his image.  He reached out and grabbed Carries right breast.   “I said…”

 

His sentence ended in a scream of pain as Carrie snatched his hand away, squeezing ever so lightly.  Despite the leaders, screams, everyone could hair the popping of breaking bones.

 

The all backed away, fear in their own eyes now as Carrie slowly began to rise off the ground, the leaders crushed hand still held in her own.

 

“I thought you boys wanted to party.”  Karen said, smiling now.  While she was not as impetuous as Carrie, she enjoyed a good tangle every bit as much.

 

Some time later, employees at an all night donut shop watched in awe as Carrie and Karen, now dressed in their outfits, deposited the gang of punks in their parking lot.

 

“For the cops when they show up.”  Carrie told them, disgust in her voice.  “We figure they would be here since they damned sure aren’t doing their job.”

 

The next morning’s headlines would repeat her words and so would start the feelings of animosity between the New York police and the twins.

 

After depositing the punks, the twins took off, deciding to fly a patrol around the outskirts of the city.

 

 

With a crack of thunder, Moljnir split the air, the mystical hammer flashing from the Thunder God’s hand to its target like a bolt of lightning!  The resounding crash of impact muffled the faint exclamation of pain as the target; apparently a medium sized man, was bowled over and drove to the ground.

 

No one was more amazed, however, than Thor as the man slowly climbed back to his feet, scowling.  Moljnir, responding to the age-old geas, flew back to its owner, the Asgardean’s hand closing automatically around the thick haft.

 

‘Vat manner of creature are you?”  The Norse God exclaimed, his voice thick with his Nordic accent.  The idea that the God of Thunder, God of the ancient Germanic Norse, spoke with the Thee’s and Thou’s of old English was ludicrous.  He, along with the other members of the Avengers, had responded to a police request for aid in this small New York suburb.  The request had not been for the Avengers in particular, but they had been closer than any of the other super teams in the area.

 

The man spouted something in a language none of them understood, but he look in his eyes was enough to convey his meaning…”My Turn!”   The man had reached out and grasped the bumper of a car and jerked upwards.  He seemed surprised when the car merely shook as the bumper ripped free in his hands. With a snarl, he tossed the bumper at Thor and then bent and, this time, making sure of his grip, hefted the entire car.

 

“Thor, Back off!”  Ironman called out.  “That’ man’s a Kryptonian!”  He may not have understood what the man had said, but, as Tony Stark, he had heard enough of the language being used by Kara and Rogue to recognize what it sounded like.

 

“That’s not good.”  Captain America frowned.  Though he had only encountered Kara once, and then only briefly, he had learned enough from Ironman to know that there was not much any of them could do to hurt the man or stop him if he decided he wanted to go through them.  Of them all, only Thor and Carol Danvers had any hope of even being a major annoyance.  Correction.   Make that only Thor.  Cap remembered what had happened when Carol, after regaining her Miss Marvel powers, had tangled with Kara.  Besides, Carol was, at that moment, going through a voluntary rehab.  At a reclusive New York hospital.  “Can we get a hold of Supergirl or Rogue?”  He asked Ironman.

 

“Negative.”  Was the bitter reply.  “They, as well as She-Hulk are occupied elsewhere.”  He did not explain that they were in a totally different reality.  They had not, as yet, announced that they were moving…had moved, for all practical purposes and he was not sure exactly how much he should reveal.  He turned slightly to address the Thunder God.  “Thor, Keep at him.  Your hammer is magical and magic affects Kryptonians just as much as it does Earthlings.”  He turned his attention aback to Capt America even as Moljnir once again crackled in flight.  “That may keep him busy long enough for us to try to round up some one with more Magical abilities.”

 

“Strange?”

 

“I think that would be out best bet.”  Ironman agreed.   Already he was utilizing the communication equipment built into his armor, attempting to track down and contact Dr. Steven Strange.

 

The battle continued to rage.  The heroes were thankful for the strange Kryptonian’s seeming inexperience.  That alone had allowed them to keep him confined to the suburbs.  While Thor had kept him busy, Capt. America and Ironman had aided the police in evacuating the area.  Many of those that were ushered out of the area could not understand why the heroes couldn’t just end it.  Neither Captain America nor Ironman could answer their questions.

 

Ironman’s attempts to track down Dr. Strange had ended in failure.  Though Reed Richards had not said so, Ironman got the feeling Strange was probably in Otherverse.  Reed had told him that, though they might not be much help, the Fantastic Four would be there as soon as possible.  Prof. Xavier, making one of his many visits to the FF HQ, had summoned the X-Men as well.  Though they might not think so, Ironman was convinced that they could be a real aid.   With Sue Storm’s abilities with force fields, and Bin Grimm’s strength, they just might be able to hold him long enough to allow Reed to think of something.

 

The strange Kryptonian, clearly enraged now, once again yelled something out.

 

“I wish I knew what he was saying.”  Capt remarked.

 

“He’s demanding to know where Kara is.”  Both heroes spun, their eyes widening at the sight before them.  Two blonde girls, virtually identical in physical appearance, stood just behind them, sizing up the situation.

 

“Who….”  Capt was obviously confused, as was Ironman, yet understanding came quickly to him.

 

“You’re Carrie and Karen?  Right?”  He demanded.

 

“You know them?”  Capt asked, turning to his teammate.

 

“To make a long story short and to keep it simple, they’re Supergirl’s daughters.”  Was the reply.  One of the girl’s shook her head. 

 

“Mom has taken a new name.”  She said.  Both girls grinned at her next words  “She decided she was getting a bit old to be called Supergirl.  So she goes by Starfire now.”  She spread her hands and took on a somewhat sheepish look.  “I’m the new Supergirl.”  Ironman gave her a hard look and then turned to the girl in white.

 

“Powergirl.”  She said in a quiet, almost shy, apologetic voice.

 

“Okay. Supergirl, Powergirl.”  Capt. America spoke up, since it seemed Ironman was momentarily speechless.  “Now we know who you are.  Now would you mind telling me what you two girls are doing here?”  His tone and stance told the girls that he was not asking out of politeness.  He was wanting to know why two obviously young, inexperienced girls were doing meddling in such a dangerous situation.

 

Karen, feeling Carrie’s irritation start to build, answered before her twin could spout an angry retort.

 

“We were flying by when we heard some one yelling in Kryptonian.”  She said.  “Naturally we wanted to find out what was going on.”   She nodded to where the strange Kryptonian was still shouting at a rapidly wearying Thor. “He’s demanding that you produce Kara.  He is wanting to know why she is being a coward and is not here to face him now that he has power to equal hers.”

 

“That’s a joke.”  Carrie snorted.  “Look at him….he doesn’t know how to handle his power.”

 

“And you do?”   Captain America demanded, skepticism plain in his tone.

 

“Dammed straight!”  Carrie blurted, frowning at the red, white, and blue clad hero. “We grew up with our powers.”  Her smile was devoid of humor. “Just watch.”  Without a further word, she had bunched her muscles and leapt over the heads of the astonished heroes, landing mere yards in front of the now enraged Kryptonian.  With a startled look at her twin and then at Captain America and Ironman, Powergirl flew up and over, touching down lightly beside Supergirl.

 

The Kryptonian pulled up, eyeing them warily.

 

“Who are you?”  He demanded, still in Kryptonian.

 

“First things first, muscle-head.”  Carrie spouted back in Kryptonian.  “Who are you and what do you think you are doing and what do you want with Kara Zor-El?”

 

“I am Nar Ur!”  The Kryptonian proclaimed, pausing as if the name should mean something.  He scowled when neither of the youths showed any sign of recognition. “I am here to kill that meddling bitch.  Her and her earth born lover and that damned green skinned Green Lantern.”  Supergirl started forward, her fist balled, stopping when Powergirl laid a hand on her arm.

 

“Why?” Powergirl asked.  She had recognized a portion of the man’s name, but had not let that show in her eyes or face.

 

“Revenge, little one.”  Nar Ur laughed,  “Because of them Rokyn is no more…because of them, I am not the leader I should have been!”

 

“I know who you are.”    Powergirl nodded now, surprising Supergirl.  “You tried to stop Kara from re shrinking the people of Rokyn.  You wanted them all to die when the planet broke apart.  You didn’t care about them, you only cared about your own power…and you knew that you would not have the power you wanted back in a bottle!”

 

“They were mine!”  Nar roared in his rage. “I was their leader!  Kara and the others and that damnable Zor El stole them from me!”

 

“They saved their lives.”  Powergirl shook her head.  “And from all reports, you stayed with the planet.  How did you survive its destruction?”

 

“I was rescued.”  Nar did not seem willing to talk about it, yet he could not help himself. “Thanos rescued me and some how cleansed the effects of the planet from my body.  He could have saved us all!  He could have cured us all. We could have left Rokyn and started again on another world…and they would have all thanked me.  ME, not that meddlesome slut and her friends.”

 

“They would have all been dead.”  Powergirl shook her head.  She was now convinced they were dealing with a man lost in insanity.  “There was barely enough time to shrink the city and transport it to the ship before the planet broke up.  Your friend Thanos would have had to have started with his cure months before the break up to save any sizable number!”

 

The three other heroes, standing back now, stiffened.   Though they could not understand what was being said, one recognizable word had come across loud and clear…Thanos!

 

Nar Ur waved away Powergirl’s argument.  In his present state, logic held little meaning to him.

 

“They were mine and that slut stole them from me!”  He screamed.  “I will kill her for that!”

 

“You’ll have to go through us first!”  Supergirl stated, her lips parted in a feral grin.  “Mother hasn’t got the time to deal with scum like you!”

 

“Mother?”  Nar Ur seemed taken aback.  “You are Kara’s daughter’s?”  Both girls nodded and he began to grin.  “Even better.  I shall kill you and then let her suffer with the knowledge that her own cowardice led to your deaths!”  And with a bellow, he lunged clumsily forward.

 

Both girls acted in perfect unison.  Powergirl gripped one out flung arm while Supergirl grasped the other as he stumbled between them.  They pulled him back, further off balance and then slammed downward,  putting him flat on his back with enough force to cause the ground to shake.  They both then stepped back, falling into classic Koh-Re stances.  Had Nar Ur been a student of Kryptonian Martial arts, he would have recognized his peril.  As it was, he climbed to his feet, his face red with rage, murder in his wild, insane eyes.  Again both girls attacked together.  As Powergirl leapt up, her right leg extended, her body spinning, Supergirl dropped down.  Her hands hit the ground and her body spun, her legs tight together as they struck Nar Ur’s from the front even as Powergirl’s extended foot slammed into the back of Nar Ur’s head. A loud crack sounded even as the man pitched forward, his eye’s glazed, to land face first in the dirt, his neck bent at an odd angle.  Both girls resumed their battle stances, waiting for him to climb to his feet.  There was no movement from the downed man.   They stood there, uncertain of what they should do until Captain America moved tentatively in.  Every nerve tense, knowing he had no hope of moving quickly enough to get away if the man was faking it, he reached down and felt for a pulse.  There was none.  Nar Ur was dead, his neck broken.

 

“He’s dead.”  Captain America announced, frowning.

 

“Dead?”  Powergirl was pale.  She backed away and then fell to her knees, puking.  Supergirl, every bit as pale as her twin, swallowed heavily two or three or time and then turned away.

 

“Experience.”  A metallic sounding voice said from behind her.  She turned to see Ironman standing there.  Though she could not see his face, she could see his eyes behind the iron mask and they were filled with…understanding.  He took her hand and led her over to where Powergirl was still on her knees, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

 

“You said you have lived with your powers all your life.”  He said, his tone not unkind.  “Yet have either of you ever fought using those powers?  Using them as you just have?”  Both girls shook their heads.  “I thought not.  Yet you both used techniques you were taught, not by Kara, I would wager since she would have also taught you how to pull your strikes so as not to kill when killing is not needed.”  He motioned towards the body.  “Perhaps killing him would have been the only way to stop him.  But you never found out.”

 

“He’s a Kryptonian!  Was a Kryptonian!”   Supergirl managed to say.

 

“And so are you.”  Ironman pointed out. “Those moves you used, though I am not familiar with the technique, would have killed an earthling man had you two been earthlings.  And there is another lesson for you.  Be aware that you are not truly invulnerable.  Even Kara would tell you that.  True, you heal faster.  But if you come up against someone with powers equal to yours, you can be killed…and there is no healing from that.”

 

“I guess we still have a lot to learn.”  Supergirl replied softly.

 

“That you do!”  Both girls looked up at the sound of a voice they recognized.  Wolverine stood, hands on his hips, glaring at them.  He looked from them, to the body on the ground, and back to them.  His look softened as he walked closer, putting a hand on Supergirl’s shoulder. “And training you will get.  That’s a promise.”  He blushed and glared around at everyone, daring anyone to make a comment when both girls threw their arms around him, hiding their faces in his massive chest.  He and the other X-men, as well as the Fantastic Four had arrived just in time to see the final act. While Wolverine lead the girls over to where Jean Grey, Professor Xavier, and Sue Richards waited, Reed Richards stepped up beside Ironman and Captain America, looking down at the body.

 

“I’ll find out what he said later.”  He told them.  “Let the girls settle down for a day or so.

 

“You don’t think they’ll forget?”  Capt. America asked.  Reed shook his head.

 

“Not if they inherited Kara’s or their father’s ability of almost total recall.” He said.  He glanced over to where the girls were now crying in the arms of Sue and Jean. “And even if they didn’t, I don’t think this is something they are likely to forget for a very long time.”

 

“What I would like to know is what Thanos has to do with all this.”  Ironman stated, his voice full of concern.

 

“Now that is something we might never discover.”  Reed shook his head.

 

 

The cloaked vessel, sitting just beyond the outer limits of the solar system turned and sped away.  In the control room of the invisible craft, Thanos leaned back a wide grin on his purple visage.  Kara’s daughters indeed!  He made a mental note to get another clone of Nar Ur growing.  While he had not been able to save the original strange attunement that had caused all the enlarged Rokyns to die when separated from the planet, he had been able to keep the body alive mechanically and to record all it’s memories.  From cells of the original, he had been able to create clones with out that curse.   And each and every clone had thought itself the original!  OF course, he had had to destroy the first dozen or so until he had perfected the technique.

 

The ship sped into the void, Thanos already making plans for the future.

 

End of The Twins - Number One.