"This guy…"
Kara stared at the photo of Adrian on her screen, unsure what expression to settle on.
She wanted to show nothing but irritation toward him, yet she could not ignore the fact that he had saved countless lives. That alone forced her to hold back her annoyance, at least for now.
"Forget it. Even if you're a jerk, I'll go easy on you this time."
She scrolled down, her brows tightening as more images loaded.
The next set of photos showed Adrian fighting a massive figure that resembled a chimpanzee.
In the first image, Adrian stood amid ruins, his body slightly turned, one hand gripping the creature's neck as if he were speaking to it. The creature struggled, its face twisted in pain, arms flailing in a desperate attempt to break free.
Despite the violence, the shot somehow made Adrian look striking.
The second image captured a clash mid-motion. Dust swirled around broken ground as Adrian caught the creature's punch with ease. His composure contrasted sharply with the creature's strained expression, making the moment feel almost unreal.
The third image was blurred by debris. Adrian's cape billowed behind him as he slammed the creature into the ground, both hands locked around its neck. Though obscured, his expression still came through, intense and feral.
Like a lion ready to tear something apart.
"Hmm."
Kara leaned back, twirling a pen between her fingers as she studied the images.
Without realizing it, she began comparing herself to him.
If she had been there, could she have handled that monster so easily?
She did not know the creature's full strength, but judging from the destruction and the comments below, she could estimate enough. It could fly at supersonic speeds, had endured a brutal beating, and still managed to escape.
Even she could not confidently say she would win that fight.
So how strong had Adrian become?
Her pen slowed, then stopped.
Confidence in her own power was not the issue. Experience was.
She had never fought anything beyond small-time criminals. Nothing close to aliens or monsters.
She could not compare herself to someone who faced threats like that daily.
That was why she had stayed hidden from Adrian and Clark.
If she ever revealed herself, she would need to display overwhelming strength from the start, enough to establish her place without question.
That had always been her plan.
The pen hit the desk with a sharp sound.
After a pause, she returned to the screen and scrolled to the comments.
She expected debates about the invasion or the identity of the attackers.
Instead, everything revolved around one person.
Adrian.
Praise filled the page, mixed with arguments about whether humanity would be better off under his rule.
Kara frowned.
Was this really what people thought?
One comment stood out:
"I am Mexican and worked various jobs before returning home. I don't know what Americans think, but I envy your life now. No robberies, no fear of getting shot out of nowhere."
It had thousands of likes.
Kara stared at it, unsettled.
Then she read the next comment from the same user.
"I hope Homelander rules us!"
Her expression froze.
The replies were harsh, mocking the idea, yet the discussion itself felt absurd.
"What is wrong with these people?"
She muttered under her breath, feeling an odd heat rise in her chest. She loosened her collar slightly and exhaled, trying to steady herself.
Another comment caught her attention:
"I lost my bike three times in Metropolis. The police didn't care. Since Homelander took control, I haven't lost one in four months. Life is better now. Why would anyone oppose him?"
More replies followed.
Crime had dropped. Gangs had disappeared. People felt safer.
Each message echoed the same sentiment.
Adrian had made things better.
Kara set the pen down and stared at the screen.
So this was how people saw him.
A savior.
Her grip tightened.
"But this is wrong."
The pen flew from her fingers and struck the wall beside the blackboard, embedding itself with a dull impact.
"Protecting the world doesn't mean owning it. People should make their own choices, good or bad, and live with them. Not have everything decided for them."
She pulled the pen free, its tip bent.
"You've taken that away from them, Adrian."
The room had grown dark. Outside, night had settled over the campus.
Kara sighed, then picked up her phone and sent a message to her mother, saying she would be late.
A moment later, she opened the window.
The moon hung high in the sky.
She stepped forward and jumped.
Instead of falling, she hovered for a brief second, then shot upward.
Wind roared around her as she accelerated, breaking the sound barrier within moments. Shockwaves rippled through the sky as she pushed faster.
Her destination was clear.
The North Pole.
That was where her spaceship had crashed.
Years ago, she had left it there. But when she returned, it was gone.
She knew exactly where it should have been.
So why had it disappeared?
That question had never left her.
If she could find it again, she could unlock its secrets. Kryptonian knowledge, technology, everything she needed to grow stronger.
Especially now.
If she ever wanted to stand against Adrian, she needed more power.
As for Clark…
Kara dismissed the thought.
Compared to Adrian, Clark had done almost nothing during recent crises.
She was certain she could handle him.
The Arctic came into view, a frozen wasteland battered by violent storms.
Ice and snow filled the air, visibility near zero.
For an ordinary person, it would be lethal within seconds.
For Kara, it was nothing.
She moved slowly now, scanning the ground with her vision.
One hour passed.
Then another.
Nothing.
No trace of the ship.
"How is that possible?"
She landed hard on the ice, frustration clear in her voice.
There was no way it had simply vanished.
She could see beneath the surface, through layers of ice and rock.
If it had been buried, she would have found it.
Which left only one conclusion.
Someone had taken it.
Her expression darkened.
She took off again, searching further.
An hour later, she finally found something.
Deep beneath the ice, over twenty meters down, was a massive structure.
It looked like a palace made of crystal.
Curious, Kara used her heat vision to carve a path downward.
Inside, the temperature dropped sharply.
Even she felt it.
That alone told her this place was not ordinary.
The interior stretched out like a frozen cathedral, its walls shimmering with cold light.
It felt familiar.
Like Krypton.
At the center stood a platform with a hollow slot.
Kara broke off a crystal shard nearby and examined it.
It fit perfectly.
After a brief hesitation, she inserted it.
The platform began to rotate.
The entire structure trembled as chunks of ice fell from above.
Kara stepped back, ready to escape if necessary.
But the shaking stopped.
A beam of light rose from the platform, forming an image in the air.
Her eyes widened.
It was a recording.
The scene showed the same hall, intact.
And standing within it…
Adrian.
He faced forward, speaking to someone unseen.
Then suddenly, he turned.
His gaze sharpened, cold and precise.
Kara's breath caught.
For a moment, it felt like he was looking directly at her.
But he wasn't.
His eyes glowed red.
A surge of power followed.
Heat vision erupted, slicing through the structure.
Pillars collapsed.
The ground cracked.
The entire fortress began to sink beneath the ice.
Kara watched in stunned silence.
So this place…
It had been destroyed by him.
Which meant her missing ship…
Her jaw tightened.
"This isn't over, Adrian."
Far away, in Smallville, Adrian sat quietly inside the Kent farmhouse.
The night was still, filled only with the faint sounds of insects and wind brushing against the fields.
In his hand, he held a small, rectangular object.
A key.
The key to Kara's ship.
He had taken it long ago.
At first, it had been simple curiosity.
Now, it was something else.
He had already sensed her presence in the Arctic.
"Kara…"
He glanced toward the window, his expression unreadable.
"It would be better for everyone if you stayed out of this."
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