Metropolis, a Week Later

“Last time I was on Earth I pretended to be Clark’s cousin,” said Kara, “but that might be too risky at first. For one thing, I met Jimmy Olsen and your sister when I was using that identity, it wouldn’t be good if they remembered meeting Linda Lee the first time Supergirl was around, and I reappeared at the same time as she did. Maybe I can visit as Linda at Christmas, by then Supergirl will have been on Earth a couple of months.”

“That sounds like a good plan,” said Lois. “They aren’t idiots, and we really pushed our luck when Clark and Superman showed up the same day last year. So what did you have in mind?”

“Jor-El is setting Kara up with a couple of identities,” said Clark. “Linda Lee will be the long term identity, of course, but the paperwork for that needs to be perfect, everything from birth certificates and school records through to social security and credit ratings. The computer side of things isn’t a problem, Jor-El can get into the system easily, but it needs a good deal of preparation on the ground. Everything ought to be ready by the New Year, then if anyone asks Linda is touring Europe before she starts college in September.”

“Who’s going to be paying the bills for that?”

“There was a really sweet guy called Ethan,” Kara said sadly, “I saved his life a couple of times seven years ago. I thought I’d catch up with him and find out how he was, but it turned out he died last year; he was a gardener and he made some sort of mistake with weed-killer. I guess he must have figured out that Linda was Supergirl, because he remembered her in his will. It’s not a huge fortune, but it’ll cover two or three years of college tuition and board, by then I ought to have something worked out. Eventually I’ll pass on the money to charity or set up a scholarship.

“Meanwhile I’m going to spend a few months getting to know the world; just hang out and meet people, visit some of the big cities, soak up more rays on the West Coast or in the Sahara, lend a hand if I’m needed. Most of the time I’ll be calling myself Karen Sewell; it sounds enough like my real name that I shouldn’t have trouble remembering to answer to it, and it’s an expendable identity, if I make any mistakes it won’t matter in the long term. I’ve got ID for that but it won’t stand up to a huge amount of scrutiny. Clark’s loaning me a few hundred dollars to get started, after that I’ll take a job if I need a little cash.”

“Yes, Clark told me about that,” said Lois. “It doesn’t sound like enough money.”

“I can always find some buried treasure or something if I run short.”

“Then you’ve definitely decided to stay here… on Earth, I mean?” asked Lois.

“I think so,” Kara said sadly. “I miss home, but if I set off tomorrow, everyone I knew in Argo City would be about six years older by the time I got back. If I leave it another couple of months it’ll be more like ten years. Six months, and even if I survive the trip, everyone I know will be dead by the time I reach Argo.”

“Well, you’ve got family here,” Clark said gruffly, “I hope that makes up for it a little.”

“It’ll have to,” said Kara. “I just hope you won’t mind me spoiling Jason rotten come Christmas.”

“It’s what older cousins are for,” said Lois. “So… when’s the big day?”

“Big day?”

“When Supergirl starts saving the world?”

“I figured I’d make a start this weekend,” said Kara, “That gives me tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday to get things moving as Karen and take care of a few things. And maybe you’ll be able to get a quiet weekend for a change.”

“And finish soundproofing Jason’s room,” said Lois.

“Do you need me to introduce you or anything?” asked Clark.

“I think it might be better if I show up on my own. It’s not like they’re going to mistake me for anyone else.”

“He’s going to spend the next three days fretting that you’ll get it wrong,” said Lois.

“Would I do that?”

“Yes,” said Lois and Kara in unison.

NCIS Headquarters, Washington Navy Yard, Thursday 12.30 PM

“Agent DiNozzo? Reception here, there’s a visitor for you. A girl; says her name is Thrace.”

“Thrace?”

“It’s what she said. Kara Thrace. Doesn’t want to show any ID, it has to be a phony name. She says she’s here to make a statement.”

“Kara… oh, got it. I’m coming down.” Tony rushed to reception. As he’d half expected, Supergirl was standing there, wearing a brown wool coat and red scarf over a knee-length pleated skirt and sensible shoes with white socks. Her long blonde hair was tied back in a neat pony-tail, and she looked about fifteen years old.

“Issue a visitor’s badge,” said Tony, “my authority.”

“Kara Thrace?” he said incredulously, as he led her back. “You’ve been watching Battlestar Galactica?”

“The name got my attention.”

“You’re looking a lot better. How are things going for you?”

“Pretty well,” said Kara, “I’m more or less back up to full strength.”

“So when are we going to see you on the news?”

“Kal-El wants some time to… meditate this weekend, so I’ll probably be handling any emergencies that come up. This looks nice,” she added, looking around the office. “Very… efficient.”

“I feel like I’m a stranger here,” said DiNozzo, “most of my team were moved to other assignments a couple of months ago, they’ve got me doing paperwork while they decide whether to send me back to the Seahawk. Which reminds me; I’ve got a draft statement on my computer, if you’d like to come this way I’ll…”

“DiNozzo!” someone shouted, “where are the drug test reports?”

“They’re on your desk.”

“About time,” said Gibbs, walking through with the inevitable coffee in his hand. He did a double-take as he saw that DiNozzo was talking to Kara and added “And this would be..?”

“Kara Zor-El,” Kara said quietly.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow and said “I’ve met your cousin a couple of times. Welcome to Washington.”

“Thank you, agent...?”

“Gibbs. Jethro Gibbs.”

“I’ve come to write my statement for Agent DiNozzo, and I was hoping to ask a favour…”

*

“…and this is our forensics lab,” said Tony, shouting a little to be heard over the rock music. Oblivious to their arrival, Abby danced between the mass spectrometer and the DNA sequencing unit, and watching a complicated chemical reaction bubble on one of the benches. Tony reached over and hit the “off” button on the player.

“Tony!” said Abby, “I was listening to that.”

“I know you were,” said Tony, “but I wanted to introduce someone.”

“Don’t tell me, you’re the new agent on the team?” Kara shook her head. “Okay then, not an agent, you’re the new computer guy which boy do we need since McGee got transferred to cybercrimes and if you could start with the mass spec once this run is finished I would be so grateful, it’s… Okay, not the computer guy, the intern, I thought you weren’t starting for another week… no? Okay, I…”

Kara smiled, held her finger to her lips, held up one finger, then tapped three fingers to her upper arm.

“One word, three syllables,” said Abby.

Kara touched the three fingers to her arm again.

“Third syllable.”

Kara pointed to herself.

“Um… Me? I? Body? Boobs? Person? Woman?”

Kara fanned her hand to indicate Abby was in the right general area.

“Female? Girl?”

Kara touched her nose and pointed at Abby.

“Okay, something something girl…” Abby’s eyes widened. “Holy crap. This had better not be one of Tony’s jokes.”

Kara smiled, picked up an empty beaker, and stared at it. After a few seconds it melted, and she squeezed it between her hands, blew on it, and handed Abby a small chunk of warm quartz. “Not this time.”

“I’ve got like a million questions about how it all works because most of it doesn’t seem to make any sense at all and… oh my god, are you out of your mind, Tony? Get her out of here!”

“What?” said Tony; Kara echoed him.

“We’ve got a kryptonite sample in the safe, you idiots.”

Kara looked around, spotted the safe, and with her X-ray vision discovered that there were several lead-lined boxes inside it. “If it’s in a lead box it can’t hurt me. If it’s one of the tiny boxes I can see in there it probably isn’t enough to do me any serious harm anyway. Why do you have it?”

Abby calmed down. “Every now and then we’re asked to identify something that might be kryptonite, that’s a test specimen we use for comparisons. Usually what we’ve found turns out to be a fake, there’s plenty of that around. Some people use radioactive glass from the 1950s A-bomb test craters, that’s naturally the right colour and it’s radioactive but it doesn’t glow much, then there’s glass with a little copper oxide and fluorescent dye added, that looks good too and if you fit it with a concealed ultraviolet lamp it’s got a wicked glow. The real stuff is pretty rare; I’ve never seen more than a couple of grams at a time.”

“But who would buy kryptonite?”

“Mostly it’s fanatical rock collectors, a couple of times it’s been terrorists and criminals. No sign of Luthor, if that’s what you were wondering.”

“What do you do with it?”

“It’s a prohibited substance, the penalties are worse than for possessing or dealing heroin. When we’ve finished using it for evidence it gets sealed in lead, embedded in concrete, and shipped to Metropolis, Star Labs have got some sort of disposal process. You’d have to ask your cousin about that, it’s pretty hush-hush.”

Kara suspected that some was kept by the government, but didn’t say so. She knew enough about the damage Zod and the other Phantom Zone escapees had done to understand why it might be considered necessary.

“Anyway,” said Tony, “we’re just waiting to hear back from Gibbs on something, after that I thought I’d treat both of you lovely ladies to lunch, if you’re hungry.”

“It’s kind of you,” said Kara, “but I’ve already put you to a lot of trouble.”

“Right now nobody knows exactly what you look like,” said Tony, “dressed like that you look younger than you did when the old photos were taken, and people will be expecting an older woman. But some time soon someone will get a good picture of you, and after that you’ll never be able to eat in public without a dozen fans interrupting. I’d say make the most of it while you can.”

“If you put it that way,” said Kara. “I am a little hungry. And thanks for the compliment.”

“I could eat a horse,” said Abby, “but a burger will do. Just give me five minutes to shut down the chemistry.”

Gibbs came in a moment later, glared at Tony, and said “The Director pulled a few strings. It’s on for tomorrow morning, 08.00 hours at Quantico. One condition - they want Superman there too.”

“Why?” said Kara. “I don’t need his permission to do anything; I’m nearly twenty-four. Well, twenty-two if you don’t count time in suspended animation.”

“You don’t look it, and you can’t prove it, as far as I know. That’s the deal they’re offering. Take it or leave it.”

“I’ll take it,” said Kara.

“What’s that about?” asked Abby.

Going back out, Gibbs looked over his shoulder and said “She wants us to shoot her.”