The Twins

Number 2

(Note: the events in this chapter take place immediately after the events detailed in “Raiders of the Lost” and the forth coming “Learning Curve”  by Jason Froikin)

Stunned silence filled the main entrance hall of Xavier’s School for the Gifted as the three stepped through the door.  Most of the students either knew the twins or had seen them around.  And while there might be an air of mystery surrounding them, no one knew, as yet, exactly what their mutant abilities were, it was not the twins that brought the stunned reaction.  Rather, it was the person accompanying them through the entrance.  They all knew who she was. Her red hair, the wide white swath running down the center, was unmistakable.

“Rogue!” The white haired gentleman that had once again taken up the mantle of head master approached. Erik Lehnsherr, otherwise known as Magneto, one time major foe of the X-men and one of the few in the school that knew precisely who the twins were, took Rogues hands in his own, hesitating only slightly as his subconscious recoiled from the idea of touching her bare skin.  Though she no longer had the ability, or curse, depending on one’s point of view, to absorb the powers and memories of others, old habits died hard. “To what do we owe this pleasure?”

“Just bringing back two of your students, Erik.” Rogue smiled as she answered.  Unlike many of the X-Men, she had always felt a close kinship with Magneto, even while they were fighting on opposite sides.  Her face grew serious. “Their mother and I thought it best that they be here for now.”

“Problems?”

“Nothing we can’t handle.  I hope.”  Rogue responded.   She noticed some of the students whispering among themselves and sighed inwardly.  Oh well, there was no way they would have been able to keep the twins’ origins and parentage a secret forever.  Since it was now common knowledge that she had left the X-Men and joined with Kara, it would not take a mental giant to come to the conclusion that the twins were Kara’s daughters and that they shared her powers. But then, Rouge glanced at the twins and shook her head; it would not require her presence to reveal their secret.  The girls, strung out from their ordeal in Otherverse had not bothered to change their clothes or change their hair color.  They stood in the main hall revealed to all in their Supergirl and Powergirl costumes and their blonde hair.

Erik noticed the look and the whispers and smiled grimly.

“Perhaps you would like to see the girls to their room.”  He offered.  “They do appear a bit wore out.”  Rogue thanked him and allowed the twins to lead her through the school to the dorms and their room.

“It’s not fair.”  Carrie grumped as the door to the room closed behind them.  She flopped down on her bed and put her face into her pillow.

“What’s not fair?”  Rogue asked in a quiet voice as she pulled a chair away from Karen’s desk to take a seat.  When Carrie didn’t answer, she turned to Karen who had plopped down to sit on the edge of her bed.

“Us getting sent home.”  Karen answered.  “What did we do wrong?”  She looked up at Rouge and her eyes had filled with tears.  It was only then that Rogue realized that the girls might not have understood that Kara had sent them home for their safety.

“You didn’t do anything wrong.”  Rogue insisted, moving to sit next to the girl on her bed.  She put her arm around the girl’s shoulder and hugged her close. “Neither of you did.  In fact, you made Kara proud.  You made us both proud.”

“Then why are we here instead of there?”  Carrie demanded, lifting her face and turning towards Rogue. 

“To be honest, girls, because I don’t think either of us is used to being a parent.  We probably have a tendency to be a bit more protective than your natural parents would have been.”  Rogue answered honestly.  ‘And the only thing that will fix that is time.”

“But how can you learn if we are here, kept away from danger, and you are there?”  Leave it to Karen to find the flaw in Rogue’s logic.

“I can’t answer that.”  Rogue answered honestly.  “Look, I’ll talk to Kara when I get back and see what we can do.” She stood and forced a smile.  “But since we’re here, why don’t you two get changed and show me around.  I think I should see your classes and meet your teachers.”

“This is our favorite class.”  Karen told Rogue as they entered a large auditorium.  They were greeted with a cacophony of sound that told Rogue this must be a music class.  Here a few students were tuning their violins.  There a couple were belting out chords on their guitars, while over there still others of varying degrees of skill were practicing with their wind instruments.

“You play instruments?”  Rogue asked the girls, realizing once again that there were still many things she and Kara did not know about these girls.

“Yep.”  Carrie nodded then shrugged. “The strange thing is that we don’t play the same things.”  Rogue understood what she was saying.  Since they were, basically, different versions of the same person, it was usually assumed that they had similar skills and likes and dislikes.  Since this was true in most cases, it came as a surprise when something came up to showed that each girl was, indeed, her own individual.

“Carrie plays the drums and I like keyboards and synthesizers.”  Karen explained.  She led Rogue over to a more or less abandoned area.  By now the noise in the room had fallen off as more and more of the students caught sight of the trio and recognized Rogue.  Karen showed Rouge a setup that would make many a professional jealous.  Two synths, linked to three computers and five sets of keyboards.  Carrie, for her part, showed Rogue a drum set that completely encircled the player.

“And you two can play these?”  Rogue asked, impressed.

“They can.  And quite well, I must say.”  Rogue turned to see a smiling motherly type woman approaching.

“Rogue, this is Mrs. Harleyson, our music teacher.”  Karen made the introduction.

“Not that these two need much teaching.”  Mrs. Harleyson amended.  “They are indeed quite good.  In fact, we had Dazzler here one day and she was about ready to offer the girls jobs in her band.”

Rouge raised an eyebrow and looked at the twins in a new light.  She started to open her mouth to make a comment, but the music teacher was not finished.

“And you should hear them sing!”  She exclaimed.  She then got a puzzled look on her face. “Though I have noticed that they have a style that is reminiscent of the early to mid eighties.  In fact, now that I think about it, I don’t think I have heard them play anything written after 1985.”

Both girls seemed to find other things to look at and Rouge had to smile.  Of course their style would come out of the eighties since both girls had made the leap from 1985 to 2000 virtually overnight without living through the intervening years.

“Look, why don’t you two head back to your room and get some rest.”  Rogue told the girls as they left the music room. “Magneto said you could take the rest of the day off considering all that has happened.  I’m going to stop by the mansion and say hi to Prof. X and the others then head on back to your mother.”  She gave them both hugs and then made them look at her. “I will talk to your mother.  Perhaps it would be best for you to be with us instead of here.”

The girls watched her walk away and then looked at each other.

“The workshop?”  Karen asked, grinning slyly.

“You got it, Sis.”  Both girls spun and raced through the school at super-speed, the first time they had ever exhibited their powers.  They stopped first in their room to gather a few things and then change back into their costumes.  They then zoomed down flights of stairs to the sub basement of the school until they came to the science workshop. 

There was no class scheduled for this time of day so they had the whole place to themselves. They quickly turned the lights on and moved to the large covered mechanism that stood in the middle of the floor.  It was their science project and, as yet, no one, not even the instructor knew exactly what it was.

“They need to be with Kara.”  Rogue was telling Charles Xavier.  She sat in his office talking privately with him and Jean Grey about her concerns.  She had already visited with the other X-men and had even had a civil, fence-mending talk with Gambit.  Though it was obvious the Cajun was still hurt, it was equally obvious that he had come to terms with the situation and wanted nothing for Rogue but her happiness.  And if that happiness meant being with Kara, then so be it.  “This being separated from her is hurting them.”  Her indecision was plain.  “But they need to get an education, something they won’t be able to get on the other side.”

“Let’s take that last part first.”  Xavier broke in. “Exactly what kind of education are you and Kara wanting for these girls?”  Though posed as a question, he didn’t wait for an answer.  “I can tell you up front that those girls will learn nothing new at our school.”

“I don’t understand.”  Rogue shook her head.  “Your school is considered one of the best in the country.”

“Perhaps.”  Xavier answered modestly, “Yet my statement stands.”  He nodded towards Jean. “She has the girls records, let her tell you what she has discovered.”

Rogue turned to her old friend as the woman opened a single folder.

“We usually use a separate folder for each student.”  Jean began. “In this case, there was no need.  Notes particular to each girl have been made when appropriate.”  She slid a thick sheaf of papers out and handed them to Rogue.  “These are the test the girls have had since they started her.  Beginning with the simple entrance exam to the latest test taken.”  She kept on talking as Rogue glanced through the papers, her eyes widening. “All these test were taken during their first week, though they could easily have been taken on their first day.”

Rogue held up one bundle of paper.

“This is a post graduate exam.”  She exclaimed.

“Rogue,” Xavier cut in, “Each of those girls deserves, from a strictly intellectual point of view, to have the letters PhD following their names!”  He pointed to the papers. “Those don’t tell all the story.”  He leaned forward, his elbows on his desk. “Rogue, those girls have taken Kryptonian exams designed by the Scientist of Kandor and found mistakes those scientists made!”  He leaned back, “Let me put it to you in a way that you may be able to understand, something you can actually get a grasp on.”:  He pointed at the folder. “Each of those girls is an intellectual match for Reed Richards!”

Rogue’s jaw dropped.  Mr. Fantastic.  Acknowledged as one, if not THE, most intelligent man on earth and by many other non-terran cultures.  And these girls were his equal.

“Equal and possible superior.” Jean nodded, following Rogue’s train of thought mentally.

“Notice I said intellectually.”  Xavier stressed.  “What they don’t have is something we can’t teach them.  That will have to come with time and with observing you and Kara…Maturity!”

“They need to grow up.” Jean affirmed. “They don’t need the education, dear, they need you and Kara.”

“I am afraid that I must agree.”  Xavier nodded.  “Though I think you short change yourself.”

“What?”

“It is true that Kara looks like their mothers.”  Jen explained. “But here and now, you are every bit as important to those girls as she is.”

“Perhaps you’re right.”  Rogue sighed.  She stood. “I’ll head on back and have a talk with Kara at the first opportunity.”

Once outside, Rogue leapt into the sky, fully intending to head back to the Fantastic Four Headquarters and the Probability projector.  Instead, she changed course and was soon landing in front of the entrance to the school, not quite sure why.  She was not prepared for what she found when she stepped through the entrance.

Magneto met her, holding a sobbing young girl in his arms.

“What’s going on?”  She demanded, looking around.  She activated her x-ray vision and scanned, looking for the twins.  They were not in any of the classes they had shown her nor were they in their room.

“They’re gone, Rogue.”  Magneto told her, guessing as to what she was doing.

“What do you mean, gone?”  Rouge’s eyes narrowed as she turned her full attention to the mutant headmaster.  He started to answer and then shook his head.

“Follow me, it will be easier to show you.”  He led the way, still holding on to the young student, and Rogue followed him warily.

“They were in here.”  Magneto explained, pausing before a door to a sub basement classroom. “This is a science lab.  Form what I understand, the girls did not show you this when they gave you your tour.”

“No. They didn’t.”  Rogue responded, apprehension closing around her heart like a fist. “And considering their parentage, I probably should have thought it strange.”  Magneto raised an eyebrow but Rogue did not elaborate.

“In any case, Janice here came down to this room to get some notes she had left.”  He finally continued. He reached out to open the door.  As it swung open, he continued. “She says she found the twins here, working on their science project.  Then one, she says the one wearing the blue costume, it was the only way she could tell them apart, touched a button.  At that instant, the science project glowed to life and lights dimmed through out the school.”

“They just disappeared!”  The girl wailed. “They were there and then…they were gone!”

Rogue stepped through the door and her breath hissed through her teeth.  There, neatly assembled in the center of the room, was a mechanism she had no problem recognizing, A Probability projector!

“Damn!”  She spun to face Magneto. “No one enters this room until Reed Richards gets here.”

Magneto nodded his agreement, but he was nodding to a breeze.  Rogue was already gone!

“Okay, I might have made a slight miscalculation.”  Carrie admitted.  “That girl coming in startled me.”

The twins were standing shoulder to shoulder, watching stage hands hurry back and forth, busy at their jobs.  That they had appeared back stage of a concert was obvious.  That they had materialized in an area unobservable was sheer luck.

“A miscalculation?”  Karen spun and grabbed Carrie by the arm. “A miscalculation?   Carrie, in case it has escaped your attention this is NOT Otherverse.  So where are we?”  Carrie was saved from answering as a harried looking man rushed by, caught sight of them and spun back.

“So you’re here!”   He exclaimed.  “It’s about time…where have you been and why are you hiding back there…come on out!”

The girls hesitantly stepped out of the shadows and the man got his first good look at them.

“Those costumes are a bit skimpy but they’ll have to do.”  He remarked.  He grabbed the arm of a passing stagehand. “Tell everyone the opening act is here.  We can get started in a few minutes.”  The stagehand sped off and the man turned back to them.

“I swear this has got to be the worst day on this tour.”  He regarded the girls one more time.  “So just where did Jerry find you two…. or are there more of you?”  He didn’t wait for an answer as he ushered the girls out towards the stage. “Nevermind, I guess with the Opening act we had lined up falling through we were lucky to get anyone.  For a while it looked as if we would have to send Britney out there cold.”

Confused, the girls allowed the man to guide them until they saw where he was heading.

“Hey wait.”  Carrie dug her heels in the man pulled up short.

“What? Stage fright?”  The man looked disgusted.  Then his eyes opened.  “Oh no…don’t tell me you can’t play any instruments.”

“Oh we play.”  Karen answered before Carrie could say anything.  She point first to Carrie and then to herself. “She’s drums and I’m keyboards.”

“You play drums?”  The man looked at Carrie with frank disbelief. “A little slip of a girl like you?”

“Little…” Carrie balled her fists up and took a step towards the man, stopping when Karen dug her fingers into her arm.  The man seemed not to notice as he turned to consult some tech with a clipboard.

“Hush up and play along.”  Karen whispered fiercely to her twin. “We don’t know where we are or what the situation is here.  We don’t want to make a lot of noise.”

“We go out there and we are going to make some noise!”  Carrie responded, just as fiercely.  “We sure won’t be keeping a low profile!”

“But we won’t be showing off our powers and frightening the locals.”   Karen countered.  “Now just play along.”

“Okay girls…you’re on…oh what are you called.” The man said, turning back to them.

“We don’t have a name.”  Karen answered.  The man looked at them and seemed to notice the big red S on their chests.

“How about the Super twins?”  He suggested…then shook his head.  “Nah, that doesn’t sound right, puts you in mind of a couple of twerps in a superhero cartoon.”  He thought for a moment then brightened. “I got it.  The S-Teens!  That’ll work.”  He gave them a push.”  Now get ready while I introduce you…we got to get going, this crowd has been waiting for ten minutes already.”

The girls made their way to their places, Carrie settling herself behind and elaborate drum set while Karen checked out the synths and keyboards.

“Are you sure about this?”  Carrie asked, hoping against hope that Karen had changed her mind.

“Yes, I’m sure.”  She smiled at her twin. “Relax, this should be fun.”

“Ladies and gentlemen!  Boys and girls!”  The girls could hear the man’s voice,  “Due to unforeseen circumstances, our original opening act had to cancel at the last minute.”  Loud boos and jeers greeted the man’s announcement. “However…however, Briney Spears has asked a couple of close friends to fill in and be her opening act...So, without further ado, I present…The S-Teens!!!!!”

“Who is Britney Spears?”  Carrie asked in a voice her mike wouldn’t pick up but Karen would have no problem hearing.

“A new artist that a lot of the younger crowd are raving about.”  Karen answered in the same manner. “She’s not bad, from what I’ve heard.”

“Okay, So what do we play?”

“We’ll start with Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie.”  Karen answered instantly. “We’ll just jazz it up a bit.  Follow me.”

As the curtain started to open, Karen’s fingers moved over the keyboards

Seated near the front, the young man sat up straight as the curtain opened enough to reveal the opening act.  His hand tightened on the hand of his date.

“Roxy, What are THEY doing here?”  He hissed.  He didn’t wait for an answer.  Instead he fished around in his black leather jacket until he found a slip of paper that he then pressed into Roxy’s hand. “Look, get out of here and find a phone.  Call that number and describe those two girls to whoever answers.”

Roxy looked at the number and the name written beneath it, her eyes darkening.

“And just who is this Linda?”  She demanded.  She was not prepared for the response she got.  The young man turned to her, his face mirroring the worry he obviously felt.

“Roxy, this is not the time.”  He pointed up at the stage and the playing girls.  “Those two don’t belong here and if they are here, then something is probably dreadfully wrong.”  He touched the paper in her hand.  “That person knows how to get in touch with Supergirl and right now, she is the only I believe can handle them.”

As the young girl sped off to make the call to the mainland, the young man turned his attention back to the girls.  He had to find some way to keep track of them and the only way he could do that would be to stick close…but how to get close without scaring them to death….  When they started into their fifth song he figured it out.

“…..The way that you kiss goodnight…the way that you hold me tight….”

Carrie had left her drums, as this song used only Karen’s keyboards and synths, and moved out to the front of the stage as she sang the lead.  The song, as all the ones before, was an Abba song that she and Karen had modernized a bit. Unfortunately, this song was a bit different and it was not until she was near the end of the second verse that she realized their mistake.  Immediately after the second verse, this song required a male’s voice.

Not knowing what else to do, she continued on.  She finished the verse and glanced back to see the panic on Karen’s face as she realized what they had done.  She steeled herself to continue on, in spite of the obvious blunder when, right on cue, a male voice drifted down and around the suddenly hushed auditorium…

“I don’t want to hurt you baby, I don’t want to see you cry…”  Carrie jerked her face up to see the red and blue clad youth floating down from the ceiling of the auditorium to land lightly beside her. “So stay on the ground girl, you better not get too high!”

Despite her shock, Carrie followed through with her verse, never once taking her eyes off this strange youth.

“But I’m gonna stick to you boy, you’ll never get rid of me,  There’s no other place in this world that I rather would be….”

Like Carrie, Karen was keeping her eyes on the youth while her fingers flowed across the keyboards.  Yet she was also listening to the crowd as calls and cheers of “Superboy, Superboy!” rang out.  She studied this ‘Superboy’ as he danced and sang, his voice not really all that good, with Carrie on the stage.  He was nothing like the Superboy they had met upon being rescued by Linda Danvers.  In fact, this ‘Superboy’ sported a definite punkish look while the original had maintained a wholesome look that he would have taken with him into adulthood as Superman.  This ‘Superboy’ had a modern day style haircut that both girls had found distasteful.  A thick head of hair, but shaved high on the sides and in the back.  His black jacket and sunglasses completed the punk look.

As the song ended and the curtain swung closed, the Superboy took Carrie by the hand and led her over towards Karen.

“Carrie and Karen, I presume?”  He startled them both.  “First, welcome to Hawaii, next, what are you doing here?”

While he was apparently no older than they, his tone was one of condescension, as if he were an adult regarding two errant children.  Carrie scowled at the tone of his voice and, with a visible effort, held her tongue.

“It was an accident.”  Karen jumped in.  She nodded towards the stage exit, where the concert  EMCE was beckoning franticly for them to leave the stage.  She floated out from behind the keyboards, and, grabbing both Carrie and Superboy by the arms, zipped over the man’s head, ignoring his popping eyes and dropped jaw. And settled down in a semi-deserted area.

“Okay, first of all, how do you know who we are?”

“Superman.”  Superboy smiled. “After your antics in Metropolis he wanted to make sure we all knew about you…in case you showed up elsewhere.”

“Metropolis?” The twins looked at each other.  “We’re in Linda’s Universe!”  Karen exclaimed.  Then she turned somber.

“And Linda can’t get us back home.”  She finished, recalling Linda’s loss of power.

“No.” Carrie agreed, thoughtfully, “but she may be able to help us find a way home.  C’mon.”

“Whoa.”  Superboy moved into their path as they started to head for an exit.  “Right now you girls are going to Cadmus until we can figure out what to do with you.”

“I don’t think so.”  Carrie made as if to brush past him.  She was about fed up with this jerk’s attitude.  She yelped when she felt her self jerked into the air and held tight a quick glance showed that Karen was suffering the same indignation.

“Look girls, I’m sorry, but I can’t let you run free until I find out what to do with you.”  To his credit, Superboy did appear a bit contrite.  Neither girl, however, was in a mood to notice.  Exerting their full Kryptonian strength, they lowered them selves to the floor and started moving towards the startled Superboy.  Though they were moving as if walking through water, it was obvious that his Telekinetic abilities were nowhere near enough to hold these girls.  Strain as he might, he could no more hold them back than a mouse could hold an elephant with brute force.

“Let…go…of…me!”  Carrie grated, as she got close.

“Oh this is gonna hurt.”  He muttered, closing his eyes as Carrie raised her fist and, with a single blow, sent him crashing through the walls of the concert hall and out into the parking lot.

Opening his eyes and groaning, he readied himself for a beating…a beating that never came.  The girls had no interest in hurting him; they only wanted to get away from him.  Pulling himself to his feet, he saw Roxy running towards him.

“Kon!”  She called as she got closer, concern in her eyes.  She touched a rapidly bruising spot on his cheek causing him to wince. “I called that number.”  She said after assuring herself that he was not really hurt. “A guy named Charlie answered.  He said Linda was taking a vacation at the Kent Farm.”  She hesitated.  “When I described the girls, he said to make sure you stayed away from them.”

“Did he happen to say why?”  Kon El, aka Superboy, demanded.  Roxy nodded, but didn’t offer the information.  “Well?”

“He said the girls would consider you a fake.”  Roxy sighed. “And from their point of view, you would be a punk and he said he would not be surprised if they beat the hell out of you for having the audacity to wear the big red S.”

  Kon glared at her and then sighed.

“I should have thought of that.”  He admitted.

“Kon?”

“Dear, those girls are from another world and another time.  Remember me telling you about that other Superboy I met some time back?”  Roxy nodded, though she did not mention that she had always felt he had not told her everything. “Well that is the Superboy they know.  A teen from the late sixties to early seventies.”

“OH!”  Roxy’s eyes went wide. “I can understand how they would see you then.”  She said.

“Right.”  Kon wiped off his jacket and took a deep breath.  “Look Roxy, you head back to Cadmus and tell them what’s going on. I’m going to follow the girls and make sure they don’t get into any more trouble.”

“Kon, you stay away from those girls.”  Roxy put on her most stern expression.

“Believe me, I don’t like being a punching bag, Roxy.”  SB laughed. “I’m just going to see if I can keep any of the other heroes away from them.”  He shook his head. “They aren’t bad girls, Roxy, but they are so powerful they are dangerous…at least in this world.”  He floated into the air pausing as he levitated over Roxy’s head. “I wouldn’t want to be a bad guy in their path right about now.”  He shivered, as if just imagining the pain and then took off.  He knew he had no hope of catching the girls if they decided to pour on the speed, but he knew they were on their way to Metropolis.  Perhaps he could catch them there and let them know where Linda was.

“I probably should have done that in the first place.”  He acknowledged his mistake.  Like the Twins, he was young and he was still learning. “Oh well, live and learn.”  He touched the bruise on his cheek.  “Man did I learn.”

           “Not very bright, is he?”  Karen whispered as she and Carrie watched the strange Superboy sped away.  They watched from their place of hiding, within the concert building, as the girl he called Roxy found her car and pulled out, they finally stepped into the opening Superboy had made upon his informal and involuntary exit from the building.

“So Charlie warned him to stay away from us.” Carrie mused. “Charlie may not know us very well, but he knows enough, through Linda, that know what we would think of that punk.”

“He’s not a punk, Carrie.”  Karen sighed.  “At least not by today’s standards.”  She sounded as if she were trying to convince herself as much as she was Carrie. “But he’s right.”

“What do you mean?  What could that jerk be right about?”

“We’re out of our time, Carrie.”  Karen leaned against the wall and slid slowly down until she was sitting on the floor, barely missing sting on bricks and rubble caused by their brief struggle with Superboy.  “We don’t belong here.  We don’t belong anywhere.”

“Stop it.”  Carrie whirled on girl she had come to see as her sister, tears beginning to flow. “We belong…we belong…”

“Where?”  Karen looked up, her own cheeks wet with tears. “Here?  Or maybe at Xavier’s school?  Kara and Rogue don’t want us with them, I think they’ve made it clear.”   She stood and walked over to her twin. “Look at us, Carrie.”  She fingered the material of her costume and nodded towards Carries. “You’re not Supergirl, Carrie, any more than I am Powergirl.  We don’t belong.  We should have faded away when our worlds were wiped out of existence.”

“NO!”  Without thinking Carrie shoved Karen away from her, sending her sprawling through the hole Superboy had made.

It was one time that the empathic link the girls shared was not a gift but a curse.  As the anger rose, it rebounded from one to the other, gaining in strength.  With a cry of rage, Karen flew at Carrie, her shoulder connecting with the girl’s midsection, sending her flying through an opposite wall and sending innocent by standers fleeing in panic.

Over the sounds of the battle, Britney Spears continued to sing, ignoring the sounds coming from off stage.

There was no thought, no sense of right or wrong as the girls slashed and tore at one another.  It was not a thought out battle.  It was nothing more than a cat fight between two frustrated, angry teen girls.

And no one in their right mind was about to get between these two power houses…until…

“Enough!  I said ENOUGH!!!”  Both girls were stunned into immobility as they felt themselves grasped and pulled apart, each being sent spinning in separate directions.

“Just what in Rao’s name are you two doing?”

Both girls looked up from their positions on the floor to see a very real and very angry woman dressed in red, yellow and blue.  Before them, hands on her hips, Kara scowled down at them.

Kara was once again dressed in her old Supergirl costume, complete with Kryptonian headband.

“Supergirl!  Thank goodness you’re….” The Stage manager had come running up upon seeing the familiar colors, stopping when he realized that Kara was not exactly whom he had through her to be. “Supergirl?”

“Not the one you’re used to seeing, but close enough.”  Kara spoke through thin lips; her disapproving eyes not moving from the twins.  “Was anyone hurt?”

“N-no.”  The manager answered, somewhat confused. “Though we were afraid they would bring the whole auditorium down if they kept it up.”  He wrung his hands together. “Most of the audience had no idea what was happening, thanks to Britney.”

“I’ll make sure there is no major structural damage.”  Kara told him. “No need to stop the concert.”  It was a dismissal and the manager took it as so, retreating hastily.

“I hope you two are proud of yourselves.”  Kara told the twins, when the manager was out of earshot.  “You stay right here.  Don’t move a muscle!” 

Moving faster than the eye could follow, Kara zipped around the back stage area, repairing damage as needed, bracing supports and making sure there was no danger to any stagehands or the audience.  In less than an instant, she was once again standing in front of the twins, both of whom were having trouble meeting her eyes.

“Let’s go.”  She told them, brushing past them and heading for an exit.

“Where’re we going?”  Carrie asked in a timid voice.  For a long moment Kara merely looked at her, then she relented.

“To Leesburg to find Linda.”  She told them.

“Linda’s not in Leesburg anymore.”  Karen volunteered in a subdued voice. “She moved to Metropolis, though we over heard the Superboy around here say that she was staying at the Kent Farm for the time being.”

“Then we’re going to the Kent Farm.”   Kara announced.  “And while we’re going, you will explain just what you thought you were trying to accomplish and why exactly you felt it necessary to endanger the lives of others with your thoughtless squabble!”

The twins looked at each other, their hearts sinking, it was not going to be a pleasant fight and if they had been wrong about Kara wanting them earlier, they surely thought she would be ready to disown them now.

“So?”  The one barked word startled the girls out of their introspections. “I’m waiting.”  They had flown half the distance between Hawaii and California over the calm Pacific in silence, neither girl wanting to be the first to speak up.

“Karen?”  Kara slowed her speed, dropping between the girls.  One look at her hard eyes told them they better not even think about slowing further to allow her to move ahead. “Carrie?  Look, one of you better start talking and you better start talking now.”

“Or what?”  Carrie, ever the more bold one, popped off.  “You’ll spank us? YEOW!”

Moving faster than either girl could follow, Kara had dropped back and landed a hard swat on Carrie’s behind.

“As a matter of fact, I will!”  Kara pulled to a stop, hovering in the air, glaring at the girls.  “Now, you want to smart off again?”

“No.”  Carrie answered sullenly, rubbing her backside.  “That hurt!”

“It was supposed to.”  Kara responded. “And think about that. Remember it.  You can be hurt.”  She paused and took a deep breath.  “Now, Carrie, you first.  Talk to me.”

“Kara, I think…” Karen began.  She trailed off at Kara’s glare.

“I believe I said Carrie.”  The Maid of Might told her.

“Yes ma’am.”  Karen hung her head, wishing she were anywhere else but where she was.”

It took some time, but finally, Kara was able to drag the entire story out of the Twins, but questioning them one at a time.

“But how did you get here?”  Karen finally asked.

“I followed you.”  Kara told them.  “Reed was able to restore power to the projector you built and we left the settings as you had them.”

“But you had no idea where those settings went.”  Carrie whispered.  “You couldn’t know if we were even still alive.”

“You’re right.”  Kara agreed.  “I had no idea where you had sent yourselves.  But let me tell you, it wasn’t easy coming after you.  I almost had to fight Rogue.  She thought she should be the one to come and get you.  She figures it’s her fault and that she’s the one that lost you.”

“It wasn’t her fault!”  Karen piped up.  “We had been working on that projector for a few weeks!”

“I know that, and she knows that, but she wasn’t thinking with her head.  She was thinking with her heart.”

Both girls looked at her in confusion.

“Haven’t you ditzy blondes figured it out yet?”  Kara demanded.  “We love you girls and if anything happened to you….” She trailed off. And then nodded, as if agree with something, some argument, within.  “And it was our wish to protect you that brought you here.”  She admitted. “Rogue was right, perhaps we are too protective.  We have to let you make your own mistakes, take your own risks.”  She grew stern again, looking at the girls.

“None of this excuses what I saw when I got here.”   She told them.  “Didn’t you think some innocent person might get hurt while you were fighting?”

“We didn’t think…” Carrie began.

“Exactly.”  Kara cut her off, jumping on the confession. “You didn’t think.  You went at each other as if you were a pair of savages.  Even had you been regular teens your actions would have been disgusting in public, but you are super powered teens, with the ability to accidentally bring a building down around the ears of everybody inside with your petty bickering.”  She shook her head and started floating again in the direction of the mainland, picking up speed as the girls took the hint that it was time to get going.

“Let’s go find Linda.”  She told them.  “But don’t think this is over.  Not by a Long shot.”  She cast a glance over her shoulders. “And I damned sure wouldn’t want to be in your shoes when you see Rogue next.”  She looked back to the front, but not before she noticed a shiver of dreadful anticipation go through the girls. Try as she might, she couldn’t stop the smile that tugged at her lips.  Thankfully the girls weren’t looking and couldn’t see!

The rest of the trip over the Pacific was made in silence.  As they neared the coast, Kara nosed down until the trio were flying just over the deck, at times dipping so low that the girls could run their fingers through the sea water as they skimmed it’s surface.

“Why so low?” Karen ventured to ask.

“Flight Control Radar.”  Kara answered shortly.  Then she thought better of it and explained.  The girls needed to learn. “For the most part, the closer you are to the surface, the harder it is for air radar to pick you up.  Of course with the advancements in technology, it isn’t a fool proof way of avoiding detection, it merely gives you a bit more time before you are spotted.”

“So why are we hiding at all?”  Carrie asked.  Her voice was still sullen and Kara figured she would pout for a while, remembering the sting from the swat.  It was probably the first time the teen had ever been spanked.  With out powers, her mother would have broken her hand trying to spank her.

“We’re not hiding.”  Kara ignored the tone and answered the question.  “We are simply attempting to avoid detection.  We are unknowns here and I would imagine that all the flying heroes here wear or carry some piece of equipment that broadcasts an I.D. signal.  That way the air defense people know that what is showing on their screen is a friendly.  Right now, we would show up as three blips traveling at high speed toward a heavily populated area.  That would tend to make Air Defense nervous.”

“So we’re minimizing the possibility of an incident where some one might get hurt?”  Karen offered.

“Exactly.”  She pulled up suddenly and grabbed the legs of the girls as they shot by, bringing them to an abrupt halt. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out the way we want.”  The girls followed the direction she was looking and saw a figure dressed in red sped towards them.  As the figure drew closer, they could see it was a young brown haired girl dressed in a red and yellow costume, a short, white cape, trimmed with yellow, completing her attire.

“Hey Linda I….” The girl’s voice trailed off as she drew nearer.  She finally came to a hover before the trio. “You’re not Linda!” her tone was accusatory.

“No, no I’m not.”  Kara smiled thinly.  Inwardly she was thankful that the person that had risen to confront them was not some one she remembered from her own past.  It was hard enough being here in this world that was so much like the world she remembered…and yet so different. “We’re…friends of Linda.”  She went on.  “In fact, we’re on our way to see her now.”

“Friends?”  The girl looked a bit confused. Then she grasped onto something she could see. “Why are you dressed up like Supergirl?”  She demanded. “That’s kinda dangerous, if you know what I mean.”  She wasn’t threatening and Kara knew it.  She was giving her a fair warning that others, both friendly and unfriendly to Linda, would see the costume and take some action.  Carrie, however, did not see the girl’s words as a warning.

“Of course she’s wearing Supergirl’s costume.”  She drawled, “She IS Supergirl.”  Though she didn’t add the words “you idiot.”  Her tone of voice made it clear.

“Carrie! Enough!”  Kara barked.  Carrie visibly flinched and edged away, keeping her backside turned away from Kara.

“Carrie?”  The brunette looked first at Carrie and then at Karen.  “OH!”  Her face registered sudden understanding. “You must be the Twins!  SB came through warn….er telling us that you were here.”

“SB?”  Kara asked.

“Superboy.”  The girl offered.

“Superpunk, you mean.”  Carrie muttered and Karen, though she kept her mouth shut, nodded in agreement.  A stern look from Kara caused them both to lapse into silence.

“Though, from what he was saying, he thought you were ahead of him.”  The girl continued. “And said the Twins were alone.”  She looked at Kara and then her jaw dropped.  “You’re Kara!”  She breathed.  “The Supergirl from that Otherverse place!”

Kara nodded, smiling sadly.  The girl moved closer and stuck out her hand.

“I’m Mary Marvel.”  She introduced herself.

“It’s nice to…ooof!”  Kara stuck out her won hand and then doubled over as a beam of yellow light struck her in the stomach.  It was not enough to hurt her; indeed, it would not have even fazed her had she been ready for it.  As it was, it merely knocked her back away from Mary and pushed the wind from her lungs.  Before she recovered, she found herself encased in a yellow globe, similar to the globes of energy Jenny created with her Green Lantern Energy.   A quick glance told her the twins were encased in globes of their own, as well.

Glancing down, she saw a strangely dressed man, with close-cropped hair, rising towards them.

“Guy Gardner saves the day again!”  The man yelled out in triumph.  Mary Marvel crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

“Guy Gardner,” Kara drawled as the man came to a sop before them. “You are as big a blow hard as I remember you to be.”

“Whaa?”  Guy was bewildered.

“Don’t try to think it through, Guy, you’ll hurt yourself.”  Mary chipped in.

“Girlee, I just saved your butt.”  The ex-Green Lantern boasted, beginning to think he may have just been insulted.

“Oh puh-leese” Mary shook her head.

“Girls,” Kara got the twins attention. “I think Mr. Gardner needs to cool off.”  She nodded towards the rolling surf behind and below them.

The twins grin and, without much effort, broke free of the yellow energy bubbles.  Guy’s eyes were wide with disbelief as the girls zipped around, each grabbing an arm.

‘I sure hope you can swim, Mr. Gardner.”  Carrie said in her sweetest, evil voice.  In a scant moment the girls were back, without Guy, looking extremely pleased with themselves.  Kara glanced back to see the sputtering Guy wallowing through the surf, struggling toward the beach.

“He may want this back.”  Carrie handed an astonished Mary a yellow ring.

“Whoa.  SB wasn’t kidding when he said you two were powerful.”  She breathed.

“Yup.”  Carrie bragged, jerking a thumb in Kara’s direction. “Almost as powerful as her!”  Mary was, if possible, even more impressed.  Kara saw this and shook her head.

“We come from different times and different worlds, Mary.”  She told the girl.  “Yours is a kinder, gentler world and you are every bit as powerful as you need to be for such a world, as we are as powerful as we need to be for our world.”  She looked around and sighed.  “Though such differences in such power levels makes it clear that we would be wise to make this visit to your world as short as possible.”  She took Mary’s hand in hers. “We’ll meet again, Mary.  But now we have to get going.”  She paused. “And don’t let Guy get to you.  In his own way, he is one of the good guys…I think.”

Mary watched and waved as the trio continued own.  She looked at the ring in her hand, looked out over the ocean and considered….

With a sigh, she headed down to where Guy was finally staggering up onto the beach.  As she swooped over him, she dropped the ring and kept going, ignoring the curses Guy sent after her as he fell to his knees, searching for the ring in the sand.

“Why aren’t we putting on the speed?”  Karen asked as the trio flew east, traveling at a leisurely pace. “We could already be there.”

“When there is need, speed is good.”  Kara responded.  “But we have to take into account the other super beings of this world, not to mention the civilian authorities.”  She paused. “It wouldn’t be good if we rushed in and scared anyone.  By moving at a regular pace, we give everybody a chance to look us over and make the determination that we are not on a hostile approach.”

“But I thought we were trying to avoid detection.”  Carrie said, remembering their earlier conversation concerning radar.

“To a degree, yes.”  Kara nodded, pleased with the questions. “But as I also said, it is not possible to completely avoid detection.  We don’t want to attract attention, but at the same time, we want to make sure that those that DO see us are not frightened.”

The girls thought it over as they crossed the Rocky Mountains and headed out over the Kansas Plains.

“Mom, look up ahead!”  Karen announced soon there after.  Her eyes were wide and shining with disbelief as she regarded the figures that floated in their path.  One they recognized as the Superboy they had encountered earlier.  The other, dressed in white, with a blue cape, was unknown to Carrie, but Karen and Kara recognized her instantly.

“Powergirl!”  Karen breathed.

“Yes.”  Kara nodded, feeling a twinge deep inside. “But not the ones you and I remember.”

“You?”  Karen turned to regard Kara. 

“Yes.”  Kara replied.  “I was from what we called Earth-1 and she was from Earth-2.”  She looked at both the girls.  “Her name was Kara Zor-L and she was to me what you two are to each other…my exact duplicate.”

“And this one?”  Carrie asked as they drew nearer, slowing their approach.

“From what I have been able to learn from the files this world’s Superman gave me, this Powergirl is an Atlantian.  With no connection to Krypton.  Her powers, though not magic, were bestowed via magic.”  She smiled as she looked at Karen. “And her name is Karen, not Kara.”

“I thought you said the twins were alone.”  They heard the woman demand of Superboy.

“Hey, they were when I saw them.  And I would still like to know how I got ahead of them.”  The woman looked at the teen and just shook her head.  She crossed her arms and waited as the trio approached.

“Powergirl.”  Kara came to a halt before the duo.  She didn’t acknowledge Superboy, keeping her attention focused on the one that could be a possible threat.

“Who are you?”  PowerGirl demanded, wasting no time on pleasantries.  Kara took no offense, realizing the woman was on her own territory and that SHE was the intruder here.

“I’m Kara.”  She answered simply.  She noticed the look of surprise that crossed the woman’s face

“Kara?  But that’s the name we gave….” She stopped and shook her head. “Nevermind.”  She indicated the girls. “They belong to you?”

“They’re my daughters, yes.”  Kara adopted a similar stance, her patience beginning to wear thin.  The twins looked at each other and then at Superboy.  They could all see the pride and stubbornness of these two women starting to clash.  Kara noticed the looks and correctly interpreted them.  “We’re looking for Supergirl.”  She stated.  While it was obvious that Mary Marvel had known that Linda Danvers was Supergirl, Kara had no idea what, if anything, these two knew.  And she knew how jealously people guarded their secret identities.  She eased her stance, trying her best not to appear threatening.  She spread her hands and smiled weakly. “We seem to be a bit lost.”

“I’d say.”  PowerGirl snorted.  Then she noticed Kara’s eyes.  Though her stance was peaceful, something in those eyes told her that she’d better cool her jets or Kara would clean her clock.  Her eyes fell on the twins, both watching to see what Kara was going to do, and sighed inwardly.  Stubborn she might be, but she was not stupid.  This was neither the time nor the place to force a confrontation.  She looked at SB, as if telling him that he should take a lesson from this. “Sometimes it’s better to listen first, before acting, boy.”  She said aloud.  Superboy’s face grew red but, in a rare show of wisdom, he kept his mouth shut.  PowerGirl turned her attention back to Kara.  “Supergirl couldn’t be here right now.  She’s a bit…busy.”  She said.  “She asked me to take you to Charlie.”  She didn’t add that Linda had also told her to go easy and watch herself.  Though she hadn’t said so, PowerGirl had gotten the distinct impression that Linda believed Kara would easily take her apart if she gave her a reason to want to. “She’s powerful, PowerGirl.  More powerful than just about anyone in this world.”

“Perhaps we should contact Superman.”  Superboy had piped in.  Linda had shaken her head.

“Kal will be here soon, in any case.”  She told him. “But right now seeing him would just hurt Kara.”  What she didn’t say, because she knew she wouldn’t be believed, was that she knew Kara was more powerful than Kal.  By many magnitudes!  She shuddered, thinking of the amount of power that must have existed in Kara’s old world.  A world where Kara had been counted among the more powerful, but still not the most powerful. It must, she thought, have been a lot like Otherverse.

So now PowerGirl turned and headed out towards Metropolis, with Kara and the twins following in behind.  Superboy, at a loss, shrugged and fell in behind them.

“Kara!”  Charlie came forward and threw his arms around Kara in a hug as PowerGirl guided them into a landing. “Welcome to our world.  It’s good to see you again!”

“Good to see you too, Charlie.”  Kara smiled, returning the hug.  She motioned the twins forward.  “I’m sure Linda has told you about them, but here they are in the flesh.  Charlie, these are my daughters, Karen and Carrie.” 

The girls shook the man’s hand, looking at him with interest.  So this was the Charlie Linda had always talked about. They had heard Kara and Rogue gossiping and knew that they believed Linda and Charlie were in love with each other.  The only problem being that neither knew what the other was feeling nor were they able to express those feelings.  At least, that was what Kara and Rogue had finally decided.  It may be nowhere close to the mark, but one never knew…

“Well, if you don’t mind I’ve got Things to see and people to do.”  PowerGirl announced and, without waiting for a response, shot into the air, disappearing in a flash.   Superboy cleared his throat and looked a bit nervous.

“I probably should be going too.”  He said.  “Roxy’s probably worrying about me.” 

“If Roxy is the young lady that has been calling me from Hawaii every fifteen minutes or so, then yes, I would say she is just a bit worried.”  Charlie drawled.  The words had just left his mouth when the phone rang.  He picked it up and, after finding out who it was, handed the handset to Superboy.  “See?”

Superboy took the phone and spoke while Charlie returned his attention to Kara and the girls.

“So to what do I owe this visit?”  He asked. 

“Well, to be honest,” Kara started, “we need a place to stay until we figure out how we are going to get back home.”

“My home is your home.”  Charlie offered.  “But how, exactly, had you thought of getting back home?”

“We haven’t.”  Kara admitted. “Right now, we are stuck until we can find some method, but frankly I’m at a loss.”

“It would be easy if we had a Probability projector.”  Carrie chimed in. “And eventually, Karen and I can build one, but,” and now she looked sheepish, “there’s no guarantee that we would get home.”

“We were lucky we ended up here.”  Karen nodded.

“Hmmm.”  Charlie regarded the twins thoughtfully.  “A probability projector.  I suppose your talking about a machine like the one Reed Richards has in his lab?”

“Yep.”  Both girls nodded.  Kara, who had been watching Charlie, spoke up.

“What are you thinking, Charlie?”  She demanded, seeing the small smile that crossed the private investigator’s lips.  Before he could answer, Superboy hung up the phone.

“Well people, it’s been real, but I gotta get back to Hawaii.”  He announced. “  Seems Roxy can’t do with out her SuperStud.”  Both Carrie and Karen looked at Kara, as if pleading with her to let them do to SB what they had done to Guy Gardner.  Kara shook her head slightly.

“Thank you for your help, Superboy, and I am sorry for any misunderstandings.”  She told the youth and watched as he head up and away.  She then turned to the girls. “Okay, which of you put that bruise on his face?”  She demanded.   Carrie timidly held up her hand.  Kara looked at her and then sighed, shaking her head.  She turned back to Charlie.

“Now what was it you were about to say, Charlie?”  She asked.

“I know where you can find one of those projector things.”  He answered, smiling.  He pulled out a city map and unfolded it over the kitchen table.  He searched quickly and then put a finger down on a spot.  “Right here.”

Kara looked and instantly grew tense.

“Charlie, that spot, in Otherverse, is the Lexcorps office tower!” She told him.

“That’s what it is here too.”  Charlie responded, shrugging. “A friend, Sharon Holmes, I believe you’ve met her, told me about it.  Unfortunately, she didn’t give me any exact location.  It could be anywhere in the building.”

“Great.”  Kara muttered.  “We don’t know where it is and we don’t even know if it looks anything like the Projectors Reed has made.  I wouldn’t even know what to look for.”  The girls exchanged glances.

“We would.”  Karen offered, after a moment of silence.

“You would what?”  Charlie asked suspiciously.

“Know what to look for.”  Karen told him, and then she turned to Kara. “Mom, Carrie and I would be able to recognize it no matter what it looked like.  We would be able to tell by some of the components that would have to be installed.”

“Yeah.”  Carrie added. “We could go in and get it and then set it up somewhere else.”

“YOU?”  Charlie demanded. “You just think you can waltz right in to LexCorps and steal something and waltz right back out?”

“Sure.”  Carrie shrugged.  “Why not.  It’d be fun.”

“We’re talking The Lex Luthor here.”  Charlie exclaimed, not believing what he was hearing.

“And it would most definitely not be fun.”  Kara reprimanded. “We’re not playing a game here, girls.”

“Well, I don’t see that we have much of a choice.”  Carrie responded, sticking to her guns, Karen nodding, showing her support. “Karen and I are the only ones that would be able to recognize it, take it apart, and then put it back together again.”  She paused, grinning.  “Unless, of course, one of you happens to have Reed Richards stuffed in your back pocket.”

“You’re about a smart ass, aren’t you?”  Kara demanded.  Carrie just smiled and batted her eyes.

“I get it from my mother’s side of the family.”  She purred.  Charlie doubled over, braying like a jackass, while Kara could only sputter in speechlessness.

She wouldn’t interfere, but she would be damned sure to keep her eyes on those two.

Kara stood high atop the globe of the Daily Planet, her x-ray and telescopic vision following the progress of the twins as they sped towards the LexCorps Tower.  Young they might be, but then, she remembered being young once and she remembered chafing under Kal’s stern tutelage.  Now she understood his worry. She smiled, thinking of an old Earth joke…a parent’s curse on their children: “I hope you have children just like you!”

So absorbed was she in watching the twins, she failed to noticed the distortion in the air before her until a head and then a body seemingly appeared out of thin air.

It only took her a few seconds to recognize the face smiling at her…Wonder Woman!  Putting two and two together, she assumed the heroine was stepping out of her invisible jet! 

“Kara.”  Wonder Woman’s rich, contralto voice was full of warmth. “It’s good to see you again!”

For the second time in a matter of hours, Kara was stunned into speechlessness.  This time, however, she shook it off quickly.

“You…you actually know who I am?”  She started, haltingly. “You remember me? Wonder Woman shook her head.

“Do I have an actual memory of physically meeting you?”  She asked, and then answered her own question. “No, I don’t.  But things have happened that have, opened up my awareness of what has past.”  She paused. “I know who you were and what you did.  I can see it here,” She pointed to her head, “as if I were there witnessing it.  But it is as if the memory belongs to some one else, which, I guess, it does.” 

Though she tried, Kara could not keep the feelings of loss and being lost from showing on her face and Diana picked them up and interpreted them correctly.

“Would you change it?”  She asked.

“Change what?”   Kara tried to bluff, acting as if she did not understand what this older, wiser woman was saying.  Wonder Woman was having none of it.  She saw clearly that Kara did not want to look at the reality of the situation, yet she knew that she must be made to look and realize.

“You know.”  She said. “Would you, knowing what the future would bring, hesitate to sacrifice yourself as you did?”

“I…I don’t know.”  Kara’s voice was full of misery as her walls crumbled.

“I think you do.”  Wonder Woman smiled.  She stepped off the wing of her invisible jet and stood next to Kara.  She waved an arm, as if to encompass the citizens of the city below them. “They don’t know it, but they all owe their very existence to you.”  She told the blonde Maid of Might. “Every person in this city, on this world, and on other worlds, owe their existence to you…because of your sacrifice.”  She turned and forced Kara to face her. “We, the heroes of this world and others, owe you the same debt.  A debt we could never pay, even if we were aware that we owed it.  We would not be here either.  With out you, we, or rather the people we were, would have perished.  Kal El would have died, as I would have, and all the others.”  She paused.  “Now, knowing all that, and knowing what would become of you, would you have changed things?

Kara smiled weakly and finally shook her head.

“I couldn’t.”  She said. “It’s what I was, what I am. I would have done the same thing.”  Her smile turned slightly bitter. “Though I swear this time I wouldn’t let myself get distracted.  That’s what got me killed.”

“I know, but then, you are, despite all your power, still only human.”  Wonder Woman put a hand on Kara’s shoulder.  “I know that it does not dull the pain you must feel, but at least you can know that your sacrifice was not in vain.”  She turned Kara to face her. “We all exist because of what you did.  But now it is time for you to let that go and look to the future.  You have another world that, though they don’t know it, owe their continued existence to you and your friends. Rebuild that world, Kara, and be happy.  You can’t turn back the clock.  You can’t regain what you have lost, but you CAN take joy in your future and take pride in your past.  And you can be satisfied that here, in this world, you have friends.”  Both women were silent for a moment and then; Diana folded Kara into her arms, holding the younger woman while the sobs racked her body.  A necessary thing, she knew, and she knew also that Kara was finally, at last, letting go.  Finally, Kara was starting to heal!

“Intruder Alert!  Section 16A!”  The announcement was followed instantly by another, “Intruder Alert!  Section 16C!”

In his secure office, Lex Luthor spun away from his desk, touching a stud in the wall behind him.  Instantly the wall slid to the side, revealing a large, computer schematic of the entire LexCorps Tower building.  For security purposes, the building had been divided into Sections.  The sections were divided, for the most part, into numbers and letters.  The number indicated the approximate location and the letter pinpointed it. In this case, Section 16 indicated the top 8 floors and the letters represented a compass point.

“Intruder Alert!  Section 16B! Intruder Alert Section 16D!”

As he watched, the entire top eight floors of the schematic turned red, showing breached areas.  He reached to the side and touched a point, casting a glance towards his aide, Mercy.

“What the hell is going on?” He growled as the intercom came alive.

“Intruders, Mr. Luthor!”  Came the reply.  Lex slowly counted to five.

“I am aware of that, you idiot. “  He grated when he was sure his temper was at least manageable. “Who is the intruder and how are they moving so fast and what are you doing about it?”

“We…don’t know who the intruder is, Mr. Luthor.”  Came the hesitant reply. “Our automatics sounded the alarm, but no one has seen anything or any one yet.”  There was a slight pause, “though there have been reports of high wind.”

“High wind?”  Lex looked at the schematic as section after section turned red.

“Intruder Alert, Section 10!”  Lex stiffened. Section 10 had no letter designation. Section 10 was his own private offices.  He jumped to his feat as his door slammed open and wind rushed through the office, sending papers flying!

“Mercy!”  He barked, turning back to the schematic. “Total lockdown, now!”  His finger traced the path of red and then.” A search pattern!”  He exclaimed.  “They are looking for something, who ever it is.  But what?”

A rumbling traveled through the building as steel doors slid into place, cutting off all sections from the outside world and from each other.  Almost instantly several loud clangs followed.

“Breach in Section 3A, Breach in Section 3C!”  Came the report.

“Mr. Luthor!”  The shaky voice came over the intercom, “The doors…they.they went right through the doors!”

“Impossible!”  Lex’s face had grown red. “Those doors would give Superman a hard time.”

“I…I’m sorry Mr. Luthor…they aren’t even slowing them!”

At that instant a second, special alarm sounded and a single red section of the schematic began blinking.

“Some one is tampering wit the Gate!”  Lex straightened. “Mercy, the Gate room, NOW!”

Charlie wore a bemused expression as he watched the unfamiliar machinery began to take shape before his eyes.

With the girls, he had picked out a warehouse where the projector could be reassembled and he waited as they moved at super speed, disassembling the projector at LexCorps and returning here to reassemble it, all at super speed.

He stood next to a large toolbox and, thus, was buffeted by wind occasionally.  After each time he shook his head, noticing that some tool had been taken or replaced, depending on the need.

When the girls had taken off, he had got on his cell phone, contacting Linda and letting her know what was going on.  Though doubtless she and Superman were in route, he doubted they would get there in time before Kara and the girls would be gone.  But they could move the projector to a safe location, or disassemble it completely.

“What the hell?”  Lex and Mercy had arrived at the Gate room to find the device half disassembled.  He had stopped in the doorway, the steel doors smashed inward, gawking.  He had then squawked when he suddenly found himself standing in the room…out of the path of the door!  He had not walked; he had been moved out of the way!

“Mercy!  Do something!”  He yelled.  His aide looked at him and shook her head.

“What exactly would you have me do, Mr. Luthor?”  She asked.  If her attitude was not typical, it could be attributed to the fact that the situation was not typical.  Lex, not used to being questioned or thwarted, was a realist, however.   He understood that he had given a nonsense order and decided not to press the issue.  Helpless, he stood by in an ever growing rage as his precious Gate disappeared, a piece at a time, before his very eyes!

Needless to say he was quite startled when a blonde girl, clad in blue and white, and sporting the hated red Super symbol, stopped in front of him.

“You know, you’re cute when you’re mad.”  She said in a sweet, teenage voice.  And then, while he stood paralyzed in apoplectic rage, the girl floated up and bent to kiss him on his bald pate.  “Bye now!”  And she was gone.   And with her, the last piece of the gate!

“MERCY!!!”

“There!”  Karen stepped back, replacing a tool in the toolbox as she surveyed her and Carrie’s handiwork. “Ready to go.”

Kara shook her head in amazement.  They had done it!  The girls had actually waltzed right into LexCorps and stole the Projector a piece at a time, right under Lex’s nose.  She would have given a lot to have witnessed the maniac’s tantrum. 

Wonder Woman had left and Kara had turned her attention back to the twins, just as they found the device and got to work.  When it looked as if they were about done, she had left her perch atop the Daily Planet and headed for the warehouse.  At the last minute she had remembered that it had been her job to acquire an energy source.

“I don’t want to know how you got that out of STAR labs!”  Charlie had exclaimed when she had arrived with a small, fusion generator.

And now all was ready.

“Are you sure this thing is going to work?”  Charlie asked as Carrie made a final adjustment.

“Yep.”  Karen nodded. “And, according to these settings, we should pop out at the Otherverse version of Stonehenge.  Well away from major inhabited areas.”  Kara stepped forward and took Charlie’s hands in her own.

“Thank you, Charlie.”  She told him.

“Hey, you did all the work.”  He tried to brush off the thanks.

“You helped in ways we needed.  You were there and you were a friend.”   Kara smiled at him.  She turned to the twins.  “Girls, let’s go home.”  She stepped up by the girls and raised a hand to wave.  As the gate powered up, she opened her mouth.

“And Charlie, Tell Linda how you feel, you both deserve it!” 

And she was gone.

“We’re too late, aren’t we?”  Charlie turned to see Superman and Linda rushing up.

“Just a little.”  Charlie replied.  He looked at Linda, Kara’s words ringing in his head.

“Charlie?”  Linda looked at him quizzically.  He smiled and patted her shoulder.

“Nothing.”  He said.  “Just thinking of something Kara said, that’s all.”

“So I guess we go back to school now?”  Carrie demanded, her voice sullen, as the trio sped across the sky towards the Fortress in Colorado.

“No.”  Kara shook her head. “You don’t go back to School.”  She sighed.  “Rogue was right.”  She put a hand on each girl’s shoulder. “I think it’s time you came home to stay.”

The trio fell quite a distance as both girls wrapped their arms around Kara!

End of The Twins – Number 2

-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2000 by Dylan Clearbrook, and may not be

-- reprinted without permission.

-- Sharon Holmes and Charlie are original creations of Strike-Two (C) 2000 by Jason Froikin

-- Karen and Carrie are original creations of Dylan Clearbrook

-- Supergirl, Lex Luthor, and certain other characters are property of D.C. Comics

-- Rogue, Xavier, and certain other characters are property of Marvel Comics