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This isn’t right. None of this is right.
The Data Seas of Colu were his home, but from the moment of his awakening in the seas the Coluan had felt out of place. This existence didn’t feel like living. Day after day they spent tending the data. There was no interactions besides maybe a few words every month, the weather didn’t change and all the time there was this probing thought inside of his mind to just keep tending the data. Eventually curiosity won over and the Coluan began to probe. What he found… it didn’t make sense. This was their world but it wasn’t, these were the people but they weren’t. Deeper and deeper the Coluan probed until he was blocked off. In trouble. He kept on looking, drawing attention from the Overlords before one day he woke up.
What? What is this place?
The first true sensation the Coluan remembered feeling was cold. He laid on his side inside what looked to be a pod, hooked up to wires that connected to his arms, legs, back and head. There was a long tube that went down his throat and a mask over most of his face. Slime clung to his green skin and dripped down as he lifted his hand. The wires kept him from moving far so with a grunt of effort he pushed the glass wall that kept him contained inside the pod out. It swung open easier than he expected it to, and then he turned his attention to the wires.First the Coluan removed the tube that went down his throat. It caused him to gag and throw up when he finally removed it all the way, but all that came out was more of the slime. He was shaking from cold and what he took as probable exhaustion. The Coluan didn’t remember if he had even left his pod, or how he got inside of it in the first place. His memory was scattered and foggy, a sensation he had never experienced in the Data Seas. The only truly clear thought was an urge to run. To escape from this place.The Coluan turned his attention to the wires on his arms, and that was when he saw them. All around him, as far as the Coluan could see, were more pods just like the one he had been inside. Contained inside of each one were Coluans much like him. Male and female, blue skinned or green skinned, each was unconscious and hooked into their pods like he had been. Fear filled his thoughts and he turned to the wires and began to yank them out.Pain, a sensation the Coluan had experienced before but not so… clear, rushed through him. He bleed, green blood splashing across the silver metal of the pod. He gasped, but didn’t stop. First his right arm, then his left. Then his legs, each yank of wire pulled flesh and tore. He was trembling so he took a moment and tried to gather himself before he continued. The wires on his back were harder to pull out. The Coluan had to be careful, he could feel the metal needles embedded around his spine. More pain, more blood. Slowly each of the wires was pulled from his back. Then his hand reached for the one connected to the very back of his head.The Coluan could still feel the Data Seas. If he wanted to he could still go back in. Someone would probably come and hook him back up. The fear wouldn’t last. He could be back at peace.No! I won’t! His mind screamed back. I won’t be a slave. Not again. This is my choice! My life.The Coluan winched and pulled, screaming out as he felt the Seas fade and suddenly all the data that had still been running inside of his mind stop. The feed was broken, the only sensation left was pain. He was free.The Coluan hugged his form, shaking for a moment or two before he began to climb out of the pod. He managed to get about half way out before his grip gave out and he slid out, falling to the ground in a ungraceful position. He tried to stand but it was harder than he thought. His body was small, weak and frail from the long years spent inside the pod. His legs shook as he tried to get up and his arms couldn’t find a grip. Plus there was the slime that still clung to his figure that also messed with his grip and footing.It took a few attempts but the Coluan eventually got himself up into a standing position and, using the wall as a support, began to walk away from the pod room. He had to run. There was no time for the others. He walked as fast as he could go, not daring to try and run and reintroduce himself to the floor.
Where am I going?
The Coluan didn’t remember how he woke up. The last thing he remembered from the Data Seas was just a blur of light and code. His mind was still foggy and he was unsure about his memory. Was a Coluan meant to leave the pod? Could he even survive on his own? It was too late to second guess or change his mind. He was out and his mind told him to run. So he ran.The winding all way led to room after room of pods filled with more of his people. All asleep, all still in the Data Seas. Thousands upon thousands of Coluans all hooked up and tending the data for them. He remembered. They served the Computer Tyrants and he had escaped. With renew fear he sped up, forcing himself to look away from his people. He couldn’t do anything for them now, alone with a mind he wasn’t sure he could trust. He made a promise to himself that he would come back and save them.The winding path eventually lead him to a ship. It was small, but had enough room for him. He was small. Climbing into the pilot seat he began to work the controls. He was going on pure instinct than knowledge. With a jolt that caused him to be pressed against the seat the ship shot out into space. He looked back at the planet that birthed him and saw a world of metal. It was hollow, a great mass of green light in the middle. That had to be where the Data Sea was. He watched his world fade until it was just a distent green ball and then turned his attention to the controls.
Where am I going?
The Coluan had no clue on how to map a course to an inhabited planet so he just had it keep moving forward. He sat there in the pilot seat for a long time, staring out at the stars. He didn’t know what he was going to do only that he was free to choose now. He shook, still feeling cold, but he was free.The Coluan didn’t know how much time he spent floating through space, only that at some point he had lost consciousness. When he opened his eyes he found himself staring into the face of a human man. He looked older, with deep brown eyes and brown hair peppered with gray. He had a furry lip, and it dropped around his mouth that was open slightly. The Coluan felt exposed and scared, shrinking back against the wall of the ship he was in.He had never seen another being besides Coluans. His breathing came out in quick gasps and the whole room was spinning.“Oh whoa there son, take it easy!” The man’s voice was a deep timber, and he held up pink hands in a sign of… something. The Coluan wasn’t sure. It didn’t help much, he couldn’t get enough air and there was black at the edges of his vision. “By the moons of- what’s your name son?”
Name?
The Coluan searched his mind, trying to puzzle out the answer. When he looked up the man was shifting around. “I-I am.. Am… Querl Dox.”The Darkness took him, and he collapsed to the floor of the ship.
——
R.J. Brande was shocked, truly and surely. It wasn’t everyday that you ran into a Coluan in the flesh and he had now met two! Both of whom had the last name of Dox. Was it just the destiny of this old Durlan to always find the strays of Colu?It had been a thousand years since Brande had seen Vril. He had gone back to Colu in an attempt to overthrow the Computer Tyrants but it hadn’t worked. Vril had escaped but after some time the Durlan and Coluan had lost contact with each other and eventually the Coluan had died. Brande had figured it had been political assassination but with the young Querl Dox laying in front of him maybe that hadn’t been the case. Unless they had gotten his son, heaven forbid.The poor kid was nothing but skin and bones, fresh puncture wounds all over his body from where he had been plugged into what ever those Tyrants used as their playgrounds. He had places where wires could still hook up to him, round ports on his arms and on his back. He was also bald and naked as a jay-bird, covered in a mostly dried pink residue. Brande carefully picked up the boy after wrapping him up in his cloak, he weighed practically nothing, and moved away from the coluan ship.“Carson!” Brande called over the ships intercom, his eyes flicking back and forth between where he was walking and the boy. “Carson I need you!”Carson was a former tech broker from Rimbor, who came into Brande’s service after a long conversation over whiskey. The man was shifty but he could trust him when it came right down to it. The only reason he had hired him. Doyle didn’t like that man much but Brande didn’t think he liked anyone. Carson rushed into the room only to see the boy that Brande was holding and freeze. His gray eyes went wide with wonder.“Brande sir! Is that-is that what I think it is?”“A Coluan, yes. Now come on and help me. I need to wash this kid up and get some food in him! Come on!”Carson stood frozen for a moment before he rushed forward, the awe still clear on his face. The only time anyone in the United Planets saw a Coluan was over a video feed. Coluans never left Colu except for times that they deemed it necessary and that never happened. Brande couldn’t blame Carson for being a little shocked.“By the Comet… A Coluan. A real, in the flesh Coluan!” Carson lead the way through the ship, heading towards the quarters where they could start cleaning the poor kid up. “You know sir, that could be the first Coluan that’s left Colu… ever?”“All the more reason for us to help him. He could very well be the only Coluan out here in the galaxy. He’s alone.”Carson smiled, warming his gray eyes and drooping face. “Alway the good samaritan.”“Hmm…”Carson and Brande cleaned the kid up and got him dressed in a simple long shirt before putting him in bed. They didn’t have any clothes on board for a twelve year old kid but Carson jolted it down on the to do list. When Carson left to get food, Querl hadn’t woken up yet. That was fine, it gave Brande time to think. Exactly what was he going to do with this kid?Querl looked a lot like Vril now that Brande actually had time to look at him. He was bald but he had a similar shaped face and his eyes had been the same bright green as Dox. When he had helped convince Vril to escape from Colu with him, he hadn’t expected to run into another Dox a thousand years later. Was this kid going to turn out to be just like Vril; shifty, manipulative, egotistical, arrogant and just plain untrustworthy? He had a hunch he wouldn’t.——Querl opened his eyes, blinking in the bright light of the room he was in. For a moment he didn’t know where he was, how he got there. This wasn’t the Data Seas. He felt warm and comfortable, wrapped up in a cloth sheet and his head resting against something soft. He moved his head around, looking around the simple looking room before he saw the figure from before. Human Male, he remembered, one line of consciousness drawing the information from his mind. At least the fog had receded though it left blanks in its wake. He sat up, at first only bringing him pain, before he manged to sit up.“Where am I? Who are you?”Querl still thought his voice sounded strange in his ears. He couldn’t remember what his voice had sounded like inside of the Data Seas. Had he ever spoken before? Of course he did but he couldn’t remember why. The one thing all twelve lines of thought did agree on was that was what ever he was sitting on was comfortable and he didn’t want to leave.“My name is R.J. Brande and you are on the Glorith, my star cruiser on route to the United Planets.” The man, Brande, had a soothing sounding voice. Querl rubbed the blanket with his fingers as he sat, feeling the smooth fabric under his fingers. “You know you are the first Coluan I have seen in a long, long time?”Querl opened his mouth to respond but wasn’t sure what to say. He closed his mouth and pondered the statement. “I think everyone else is still in the Data Seas.”“Do you remember how you got out of there son?”Querl once again puzzled over the information inside of his mind but couldn’t find any answers. He shook his head. “No, I don’t remember. The last thing I remember inside of the seas was a flash of light, color and code. Then I woke up.”“Did you even have a plan for when you got out?”Querl shook his head, knowing that he hadn’t. “I only knew that I had to get out, get away from Colu. So I did. How did you find me? The chances of you running across my small ship are 1.2746586046392028 in a million chance.”“I believe luck had a lot to do with it.”“Mr. Brande,” Querl found himself saying, unsure of what he was trying to say, “where am I to go? Colu is my home planet but I can’t go back. I won’t go back. But I don’t know where to go.”“I think that I might be able to help with that Querl.”Querl tilted his head, curiosity getting the better of him. “What do you mean?”“I think we both have something to offer one another,” Brande began, showing the palm of his hands. “You need somewhere to stay and I have need for someone with your intelligences for a project I am pulling together. If you want to, we can work together and help each other.”Querl didn’t see that he had much of a choice. He couldn’t say no, he had no where to go except to Colu, and he would not go back there again. The pain of the pods was still fresh in his mind, and his people’s unconcious faces swam through his memory. He looked at the surface he sat in, at the white cloth that was wrapped around his form, and then back up into the brown eyes of Brande. Did he want to be used again? Would this be any less painful for him than the pods?Go for it, Querl thoughts responded. What do you have to lose?“Then you have my agreement, Mr. Brande.”R.J. Brande smiled at Querl, a warm smile that made him look much younger. “Then welcome to the family Querl.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“You all FORGOT ABOUT ME!”A sonic clap burst through the area, scattering Black Lanterns and Legionaires alike. As Saturn Girl began to recover her senses she sat the sorce of the clap. Supergirl, but not the one who had fought against a Black Lantern version of her father but the orignal. Kara Zor-El of Argo City. She looked like the rest of the Black Lanterns; pale skin, pale blond hair held back from her sunken black eyes with a headband. Long sleeved black outfit with a skirt, where the Superman crest should be instead was a Black Lantern symbol. Her tattered cape fluttered in the wind.“Supergirl we didn’t-” Saturn Girl began but Supergirl cut her off. Heat vision tore up the ground in front of her, nearly hitting her but Saturn Girl managed to move in time.“Don’t even start Imra,” Supergirl said and she twitched, her body cracking and twisting in strange angles. “You all forgot and replaced me with a newer model. It didn’t matter that I died. That I gave my life to save you all. I was forgotten by everyone.”Supergirl flew up and then slammed back down, sending a shockwave that pushed everyone back again. Supergirl looked at each of their faces. FEAR. HOPE. COMPASSION. “I guess that doesn’t matter so much now. I won’t let you forget me again!”Supergirl dived towards Saturn Girl when they all heard Brainiac 5 call out.“Kara!”Supergirl stopped immediately, one arm still reaching for Saturn Girl’s face. For a moment she just floated there, her expression blank before she turned. A mocking warm smile on her face as black spilled from her lips.“Querl…” LOVE. FEAR. HOPE. WILL. “I knew you wouldn’t forget about me.”“Of course I wouldn’t.” Brainiac 5 began to walk forward, and Supergirl began to fly towards him, floating almost lazily towards him. “How could I?”“Oh Querl… Despite your big brain you are such a romantic.” LOVE. FEAR. HOPE. WILL. “I have missed you so much.”“As have I, Kara. You should be resting still.”“I couldn’t wait. I had to see you again.”Kara went to touch his face but Phantom Girl phased through Brainiac 5, anger in her expression. RAGE. WILL. “Don’t you touch him impostor!”Phantom Girl went solid so she could punch Supergirl in the face, Brainiac 5 yelling at her to get away, but Supergirl back handed her away. Phantom Girl was slammed against the wall, landing in a heap. WILL. Cosmic Boy went in next and attempted to encase her in metal. It worked long enough for Lightning Lad to send bolts of lightning through her. RAGE. Supergirl broke through easily and hurled the metal back at the two. They landed hard.“Everyone stay back,” Brainiac 5 said, “I have a plan!”“Yes Legion,” Kara gave a grin. “Listen to Querl. You’ll live longer.”Timber Wolf grabbed her from behind in a tight bear hug. WILL. HOPE. “We won’t leave this all to him.”“Then you don’t know him or me well enough. He doesn’t have to worry about me. You do!”Kara threw him off, and grabbed Timber Wolf’s leg before he got far. She bashed him against the ground and then threw him away. Her eyes blazed red, and she roared. She charged for Lightning Lass but was stopped by a forcefield dome.Saturn Girl could read Brainiac’s mind. It was one of her talents that she could read his mind without her powers. She didn’t need to when she could look at his face. Horror filled her. He couldn’t.“We have to stop him! He’s going to give himself to her!”Brainiac 5 didn’t look at the others as they began to attack the forcefield. He knew it would last long enough for him to do this. It had to. He walked towards the Black Lantern in the form of his beloved and his heart hurt. It had been so long since he had seen her. Brainiac 5 thought he had finally moved on, was able to deal with her death and absence. He hadn’t been prepared. He had been fooling himself.“Is Em right?” Kara asked, whirling towards him. Her smile was a parody of happiness and warmth. “Are we finally going to be together?”“Yes Kara. I just don’t think I could survive losing you again, even like this. Even if logically I know this isn’t truly you and is just the ring. I…I can’t.”Tears were welling in Brainiac 5’s eyes. LOVE. WILL. Supergirl moved towards him, her hands reaching so she could embrace him. He allowed it, trying to remember how warm her arms use to feel around him. “I lost you Kara. The whole universe lost you and then it… it replaced you. The other Supergirl from Kandor is nice but she isn’t you. Could never be you. And as everyone got together and got married or just enjoyed each other I could only watch.. Feeling like my heart was empty.”“Brainy stop!” Duplicate Girl slammed her fist into the forcefield, tears streaming down her face. “You were never alone. We were always there for you!”“But your only friends Trip,” Supergirl said, running a hand down Brainiac 5’s face lovingly. LOVE. WILL. “Querl needs me more than any of you.”“Don’t listen to it,” Lightning Lad short another bold of lightning into the forcefield, a grim expression on his face. “Its just a puppet! Its not her!”“It is her, in some way or form. Her body at least and memories and isn’t that all we are?” Brainiac looked at Kara. “Wouldn’t you want to give up anything to be with your wife? Or Duplicate Girl your husband? He’s right there.”“I never stopped looking for you, Querl. Even when you weren’t there I kept looking. Finally we can be together.”“That’s all I ever wanted.”
LOVE.
Brainiac 5 went to say something else when Supergirl reached into his chest and pulled out his heart. He made a strangled sound, purple blood spilling across the ruined metal floor of the HQ. He was let go by Supergirl, his body dead before he hit the ground. Supergirl seemed not to care about his body anymore, instead looking at his heart that was glowing a bright pink but fading fast. As her ring began to absorbed the pink light she smiled at it lovingly. “Its so nice to still be in your heart after all these years.”“Brainiac… Querl…” Saturn Girl collapsed on the ground in front of the still active forcefield, and going to her face as she sobbed. Brainiac 5’s lifeless eyes stared back at her from the ground, his expression of pain still frozen on his face. Why? “Brainy…”“You… You fucking pile of gods damned corpse filth I am going to fucking destroy you!”
LOVE ABSORBED. POWER LEVELS AT 100%. RAGE.
Lighting Lad shot at the forcefield, no tears falling from his face yet but anger contorting his features. He kept shooting as Cosmic Boy (RAGE. Will.) threw sheets of metal at the barrier and Duplicate Girl (RAGE.) screamed in anger. Invisible Kid (FEAR.) looked shocked. Lighting Lass upset (FEAR. WILL. RAGE.) but anger starting to show on her face. The undead Sun Boy laughed.“We can be together…” Supergirl turned towards Brainiac 5’s body and her mouth opened. Black slime began to fall from her mouth, falling towards Brainy. Saturn Girl pounded the field with her fist.“I won’t let you have him bitch!”“Too late Emm… you have failed.”The white light came, brought on by Ion and the rest of the new Green Lanterns. The fake Supergirl went lax, the black ring shattering into nothing. Saturn Girl stood up, walking towards the still body of Brainiac 5.“Brainiac 5.” Sodom Yat, Ion, floated to the ground and took a few steps towards Brainiac 5. “He…”Saturn Girl sighed, kneeling down to touch Brianiac 5’s face. His green skin was cool under her touch and she closed his eyes. “Brainiac 5 gave himself up to Supergirl, and she killed him.”“He knew what was at stake. He held her off, so you could all survive.”It was truth. Saturn Girl knew that all the other Black Lanterns had stopped once Brainiac 5 distacted the Black Lantern Supergirl. His love had over powered even his computer brain and left him open.
——— A few days later.
They reburied the dead after the Blackest Night, saving Brainiac 5’s funeral for after everything had been done. The Legion sort of fiddled around for a while on what to do for the Coluan. A private funeral seemed the best option, and they all agreed it probably be what he would want. The statue was commissioned and everything was ready. Still… it wasn’t a happy day.“Brainiac 5 joined the Legion while it was still young, right after Phantom Girl did. He was unsure at first but soon he began to fit right in. He was always a team player, making things to help his fellow Legionaires. Flight rings, lead poisoning cures, and time travel devices so we could help Superman. Even when his heart was heavy after losing Supergirl, Querl never stopped helping. He turned his pain into a drive to have the Legion succeed. He always thought of the team before himself, even when he appeared to only be thinking about himself.”“The last conversation I had with Brainy was right before the Blackest Night.” Lightning Lad laughed a little, remembering the conversation. “He was telling me something about a past encounter with Mon El when the experiment he had been working on exploded in his face. He hadn’t even had time to put up his forcefield! For a moment we both just stood there, stunned by smoke, and he started to laugh. I just stared at him while he kept laughing, trying to explain something but he couldn’t get it out. It was good to see him laugh. I think that is what I am going to miss the most about him.”“Brainiac 5 saved my life.” Mon El looked troubled, his blue eyes clouded with emoition. “I had been posioned by the lead in the 20th century and sent to the phantom zone to save my life. I was there for a thousand years and when I was brought out I was sure I was going to die. That was when I met Brainy and he gave me his lead poisoning cure. He introduced me to my wife and the Legion and I will never forget him.”“Querl Dox was a complicated Legionnaire.” Cosmic Boy wasn’t sure if he could speak properly after everything that happened but reading a prepared statement seemed wrong. “From the moment he joined our team to the moment he died however he was a true Legionnaire. He may have done some terrible things in the past, gone crazy a few times, but he always came back better than ever. When Kara Zor-El died, I asked him if he wanted a leave of absences. I thought it only right that he be given time to grieve her loss but he didn’t take it. He instead threw himself into work, attempting to bury his grief under work. I suppose I can relate. In the end Querl gave up his life to save all of ours. There can be no greater end for a Legionnaire.”They buried Brainiac 5 in the Legion Graveyard, where the rest of the fallen Legionaires laid. After the ceremony they returned to the clubhouse determined to celebrate the legacy Querl had left behind and his life. There was time for morbidity and mortality later.In the middle of the party, the white light returned.
VAL ARMORR OF EARTH. DIRK MORGNA OF EARTH. CHUCK TAINE OF EARTH. NURA NAL OF NALTOR. KARA ZOR-EL OF ARGO CITY. EARTHMAN OF EARTH. QUERL DOX OF COLU. LIVE.
The white light faded and each of the fallen Legionaries had returned to life. From Ferro Lad to Brainiac 5, each was alive and more than likely in better shape than they had been upon death. For a moment the Legion could only stare at each other in shock. A miracle. This was a miracle. Then Duplicate Girl broke the silence.“CHUCK! It’s you isn’t it?” Duplicate Girl rushed forward and Chuck wrapped his arms around her, tears of joy falling from his eyes.“Yeah its me hun. I’m alive… I’ve missed you…”“Brainy?” Kara’s voice broke Querl out of an examination of his chest, fear in his expression before it shifted to relief, tears filling his eyes. A smile formed on his face.“Kara.”Kara flung herself at him, hugging him tightly and pushing them across the room. Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, and even Cosmic Boy joined in on the hug. Earthman shook hands with Sun Boy, who had Polar Boy grinning like an idiot he was so happy to see him alive. Sensor Girl reunited with her husband Karate Kid. Dream Girl just hugged everyone she could get a hold of.“How-how did this happen?” Kara was still hugging Querl, still embraced by the others. “I am alive. Actually alive and not forgotten.”“I don’t want to research the why,” Brainiac 5 responded, moving to where he could look into her warm eyes. “It’s a mircle. It happened. That’s all I need to know.”Kara kissed Querl then, and he returned it. Joy, true and strong radiated through Legion HQ. It hadn’t been a proper party before but now.. Now it was.“I haven’t seen him so happy in a long time,” Imra said, leaning on the wall as she watched Brainiac 5 talk with Supergirl, laughing as they talked. The whole mood of the party had shifted from fake happiness to true joy and Brainiac 5 seemed to have transformed completely. He looked different, practically the same age he had been when Supergirl had died and though he still had the same hair length and same outfit he was the same as he had been all those years ago. He had always was always the youngest member of the Legion.“I’m glad for one,” Rokk said, handing Garth and Imra a drink. “Everyone is back, and this is a good day. Rond, Chuck… Even Ferro Lad and his twin brother. This is the best day in the entire Legion’s existence.”“You are right about that.” Garth laughed, sipping at his drink. Then a dark expression crossed his face as he looked at Kara. “Do you think that Kara will go back to the 21st century?”Imra frowned, looking towards the loving couple. She then smiled, and shook her head. “A quick scan says no. She’s staying. Brainy already ask.”Garth grinned. “Then what the hell are we waiting for?” He grabbed Imra by the arm and spun her around. “Let’s get this party started!”
—— Supergirl and Brainy
“So what is next?”The party was going on in full swing behind them. Garth and Imra were dancing wildly, Cosmic Boy dancing along with them. People were playing games, eating food or just playing around with one another. Kara and Querl on the other hand had retreated to a private balcony to talk. It had been two decades since they had properly spoke and the last time they hadn’t parted on the best of terms. Then… well she had died and he had kept on living. Kara put her hand in Querl’s hand, rubbing his hand with her thumbs.“How about we just start again?”Kara lifted his hand up while she still had a hold of it, and placed a kiss on it. Querl reached his hand over and touched her face, drawing his hands across her cheek. Kara just smiled, leaning into him. There was a moment of peace and then Kara spoke.“I’m staying here.”Querl looked at her in surprise. “But I thought you would want to be back with your cousin. I know that you always hated it here.”Kara shook her head, smiling. “For one thing I never hated it here. I hated leaving here. Everytime I left to go back to help Superman I felt upset. I couldn’t just have one thing. I couldn’t just kept traveling around doing what ever he wanted. This time, in this moment, I am choosing for myself.”Then Kara leaned back, grinning again. “Besides, this Kal, the Kal of the 21st century has his own Supergirl. The other Kara. He doesn’t need the burden of his past coming back to haunt him. I will be happier here as a Legionaire. Full time.”Querl leaned forward and kissed Kara, and between her laughter she returned his kisses. When Querl pulled back he was smiling again. “Do you think you’ll have to go through the whole trail thing again?”“Heh I hope not. It was awkward and honestly the best thing to come out of that was meeting you. I missed everything about this.”Querl wrapped his arms around Kara and she snuggled into his arms. The way the party lights were shinning, the people dancing, it played beautifully off Kara’s hair and eyes. They danced a little, just swaying with the music more than actually dancing but it still felt good.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“I hate this.”“Cheer up Kara! Think of it like a big play.”“The worst play.”The Luthors always loved hosting a party. They happened all the time, usually at the end of week but normally Kara wasn’t involved. Kara used to go to parties on Krypton with her parents, or over to her friends houses but they were never so… stiff. Maybe it had something to do with the man the party was being hosted for.R.J. Brande was said to the the richest man in the galaxy next to the Luthors. He made suns for a living, selling them and making other investments that brought in a lot of money for him. Kara didn’t know what to think about him, but Alexis and her adoptive parents spent a lot of time with him so she hadn’t had a chance to really look at him. He honestly seemed a little boring. That was one reason.Another could be the lack of kids like her. Alexis was there but she was always talking to someone or causing trouble. She loved parties. There was a boy at the party she had heard about but she hadn’t seen him yet. Who ever he was he was probably boring too. He had come with R.J. Brande and was probably just as stuck up as him. Kara was feeling more disappointed by the minute.“I’m going to grab a drink from the kitchen Alexis,” Kara told her sister, who looked disappointed for a moment before grinning. Her green and gold dress glittered in the light.“Don’t be gone too long! Brande was going to show us how he forms suns!”“Oh I wouldn’t miss it!”Kara was lying. In her Guild studies she had studied all about stars, formation, destruction, everything that you could ever want to know about stars. She didn’t care to hear it all again from someone other than her old guild teacher so she headed to the kitchen through the crowd of grownups. She got to the almost empty kitchen and breathed a deep sigh of relief. She wished the whole house could be this quiet. She turned towards the sink when she saw him.There was a boy standing in the corner of the room, the one Alexis must have told her about, looking over a holo. He couldn’t be too much younger or older than her but he looked sad. His skin was a bright shade of green and his blond hair was cut very short. He wore a purple suit with gold highlights, his cuffs were gold and he was wearing a bracelet. Kara was curious and walked over.“Hello,” she said, surprising the boy. His eyes were green, a deeper and prettier shade than his skin. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. “I’m Lena. Lena Luthor.”“Querl Dox,” the boy responded, turning to face her fully. He looked nervous. He stood stiffly, his hands almost white knuckled over the holo. “Mr. Brande didn’t say there would be any other children around.”“I am not a child,” Kara replied, sticking her nose up in the air. She probably looked like Alexis, and that thought made her want to laugh. She couldn’t hold it in and the next moment she was giggling. Querl looked confused.“What is funny?”Kara looked back at Querl, confusion and curiosity on her face as well. She had never seen someone more confused before in her life. He looked like he didn’t understand laughter. “Okay so I am a kid. So are you. Don’t you think that’s funny? We are like two of the only three kids in this whole stuffy grownup party!”Kara put her hands on her hips, posing dramatically. Querl took a moment before he answered. “I guess that could be considered humorous.”“Considered?” Kara tilted her head at him. “You know, your weird.”He shrugged his shoulders. “So everyone had been telling me. I don’t think they are use to seeing a real Coluan.”Kara’s eyes went wide and she gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. A Coluan? Querl was a Coluan? How come she didn’t recognize him as one the moment she saw him? Was it because she was a kid? Or maybe because a thousand years had passed. He looked at her with an neutral expression, shrugging his shoulders again.“Standard reaction to hearing about me I think. I take it I am the first Coluan you have ever seen too?”Kara shook her head. That caused the confusion to return to Querl’s face. She had met several Coluans on Krypton when her mother invited a few ambassadors to attend a Science Guild seminar, before the Harvester came. Then they had lost contact with Colu.“What? I’m not the first Coluan you’ve seen? That’s impossible. Improbable.” Querl looked at her closer, confusion changing to suspension. “Your lying aren’t you?”Kara shook her head, hands still over her mouth. She wondered if she should tell him her secret. The Luthor’s had been very clear; tell no one that she was from another world. From Krypton. She also didn’t want to lie to Querl. She bit her lip, lowering her hands.“I’m not lying but I have met other Coluans a long time ago. I can’t tell you where though.”Querl looked convinced she was lying and pulled up his holo again. He was acting like she didn’t exist anymore. “Sure. And I was in and out of the Data Seas all the time.”“I’m not lying!”He wouldn’t look at her. Why did she want him to believe her so bad? “Sure.”“Okay, okay.” Kara said, and grabbed his sleeve. He looked shocked at her touch and looked at her like he was afraid. Had he ever been touched before? “I’m not lying but I can’t tell you the truth here. Come on.”Kara grabbed his hand and began to walk out of the kitchen, Querl following/being pulled along with an expression of alarm on his face. She turned away from the party and headed deeper into the house. The further she got away from the party, the less people were around. She knew exactly where to take Querl, and didn’t stop until she made it to the library. It was dark so she turned on the lights, letting go of his hand.“The library?” Querl looked around at all the books, holos and data disks with interest. “Why did you lead me here?”“I want to tell you the truth but I don’t want anyone else to hear. My name isn’t Lena Luthor.” Kara took a deep breath. “My name is Kara Zor-El. I am from Krypton.”For a moment Querl just looked at her, a blank expression that quickly changed to an amused one. He looked like he was trying not to laugh. “This is another one of your jokes isn’t it. I’ve read about Zor-El. He’s been dead for a thousand years! There isn’t a possibility of you two even being remotely related.”“It’s the truth! I was born on Krypton, in Argo, before the destruction of the world. My father, Zor El, save my life by putting me into a pod! I was suppose to end up on Earth a thousand years ago but…”“It didn’t go as plan?”Kara looked up at Querl and nodded. He didn’t look sure of what she was saying but he was listening. Kara took a few steps away and moved towards the center of the room. Slowly she pushed the proper books and as she did the floor opened. Under the library was the the central lab where the Luthors had put her pod. Querl walked towards the hole, looking towards the steps. Curiosity was quickly over coming his caution and he turned to Kara. “What’s down there?”“The pod I came in. Will that convince you?”Querl tilted his head and smiled ever so slightly. “Maybe.”“Then come on, let’s go see!”Kara grabbed Querl’s hand again and she pulled him down the stairs, laughing as she made her way down. The lights came on as they headed further down, lighting up their path. She didn’t know what the whole lab was used for, or how many entrances there were to the lab but this was the one she knew. She wasn’t allowed to ask about them either, but if she wanted to she could have one of her parents take her into the lab. It wasn’t completely off limits and even her real parents didn’t allow her into the more dangerous parts of their labs. The lights to the lab came on and showed the large round room, filled with large tables covered in different things the Luthors had gathered from around the world from Krypton and crystals everywhere. The true pride and joy of the room was Kara’s large pod. It had been designed by her mother and father, a slick sliver pod with blue crystals sticking from the back and the front as power sources. Kara lead him over to the pod and let go of his hand.“Wow,” Querl said, eyes lighting up. He lifted his hand up, turning to look at Kara in curiosity. “May I touch it?”“Yeah!”Querl put his hand on the surface of the pod, a bright smile forming on his face as he felt the curves of it. He turned towards Kara, still smiling. “You were telling the truth.”“Yep!” Kara gave him a bright grin in return and towards the ship herself. As she began to speak though, her smile slipped. “Mom and Dad, the Luthors, didn’t want me to tell anyone I was from Krypton since I don’t have any powers like Kal did. They were afraid someone would take me away.”“You don’t have powers?”“Nope. No heat vision or superstrenght or even flight.” Then Kara remembered. “Well, I am invunable but that isn’t very cool.”Querl turned away from the pod to look at her, his hand slipping from the surface. “Invunablity isn’t very- Kara that is the coolest power ever! You can’t be hurt. By anything!”“You think?”“I don’t think I know! At least you got a cool power. All I am is a 12th level intellect.”It was Kara’s turn to be shocked. “Only a 12th level? I’m only a 10th! That is so cool! So you can process twelve lines of thoughts all at the same time? Solve twelve different equations?”Querl looked embarrassed, blushing a bright shade of green. “Yes I can.”“Wow! No wonder Mr. Brande hired you. He would be stupid not to.”Querl turned back to the pod and didn’t speak for a moment. When he did his voice was low. “He found me. He didn’t hire me exactly either but I believe that is a way to describe our relationship.”“Found you?”“I-” Querl looked at her for a moment and then back at the pod. He looked unsure, like he wasn’t sure he should tell her something. Finally he smiled slightly. “I guess since you told me the truth I can tell you the truth too. I ran away from Colu, escaped.”Kara looked at Querl in confusion. “Escaped? Why?”Querl looked at her. “It would be better if I showed you.”Querl sat down on the ground and pulled out his holo again. Kara joined him, the ground cold under her but she was curious. Querl brought up the holographic screen and began to draw on it. He started with a large circle and then drew a smaller moon, shaped almost like a skull which he put a pulsing green center in. With each movement of his fingers he made more colors appear. Silver and gray, red and yellow. He drew some finer details into the moon while he began to talk.“I am from Colu, though from my research I have never step foot there. Instead I was born on Yod, the moon, and placed into a pod at the age of one. I never knew anything else than the Data Seas for most of my life until the day I woke up.”“You were inside a pod too? Like mine?”“I guess short of like yours?” Querl had drawn a cylinder shape with a form in it, wires going from its arms and legs towards a mess of wires towards the back. He scowled at it. “But I was hooked in. I wasn’t allowed to leave the Data Seas, or to know what was outside of it.”“Querl that’s horrible.” Kara reached out and touched his shoulder, and he looked at her. There was pain in his eyes, a haunted look. “How did you get out?”“I don’t remember. There was a flash, code and then I woke up. It doesn’t matter. Colu wasn’t real. Not the one I knew. Green and yellow.” He began to draw a strange looking landscape of spires of yellow crystal peppered with green, codes of ones and zeroes. “No passing seasons. The people didn’t live. I got out and Brande found me.” He drew a large ship, a star cruiser class ship, scooping up a tiny little ship. “I have been out for only a short time. I don’t want to go back.”Querl brought his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on his knees. He was looking at the now spinning skull world with sadness. Kara knew he did want to go back, maybe not now but someday maybe. Kara wondered what Colu had been like in her time and felt guilty she hadn’t asked. Querl turned to her then.“What was Krypton like? I haven’t studied much of the culture and its people.”Kara looked towards the holo and Querl cleared the screen with a wave of his hand. Her fingers went towards the screen but she paused right before touching it. “I’m not the artist my father was but I’ll try.” Kara started out by drawing her home in Argo. She drew the large three story house with all the little balconies and outcroppings. The little garden by her father’s work shop. The cute little flowers that bloomed in the spring before they sent her away. “I was born in Argo but I spent a lot of time in Kandor before the Harvester came. I spent a lot of my time there with uncle Jor El and aunt Lura.”Kara drew the ship as she remembered it being described to her. A skull ship with tentacles that reached for the ground. It didn’t come out exactly right so she erased it and instead began to draw Kandor. “Jor El worked with my mom a lot on her projects and Dad always loved talking to Lana. When Krypton began to grow unstable and Kal was born,” she drew cracks going through the ground, “we spent a lot more time at home.”Kara then began to draw her mother and father’s faces. “My mother was in the Science Guild, her name was Alura. My father, Zor El, he was in the Artist Guild. He made grand statues and beautiful works of art. Once he had me help with a commison but it didn’t go well.”As Kara drew the finer details of her father’s warm brown eyes, she began to feel sad. It had been a while since she had spoken about her parents and Krypton but it still made her feel homesick. It was hard to believe at times that Krypton was a thousand years gone, and her parents with it. Her pain was still very fresh. As she finished her mothers blue eyes, she began to cry.“Kara?”She began to wipe away her tears with her hand. “Sorry! Sorry, I didn’t mean to get all sad on you. I just… miss them. I miss Krypton.”“I understand though I don’t share the same sentiments of my homeworld.” Kara turned to look at Querl who appeared to be attempting to pat her on the shoulder but paused half way. “Would this be an appropriate time for a comforting pat on the shoulder?”Kara knew Querl was trying to help, he really was, but she couldn’t help it. The mixture of his concern, awkward position and tone of voice cause her to start laughing. He looked surprised. Why did Querl have to be so awkward it was messing her up!“What’s so funny? Did I do something humorous without knowing again?”Kara laughed some more, trying to stop but she couldn’t for a good minute. When she did she wiped the tears from her eyes she hugged him, causing him to go completely stiff. “Thank you for trying to help.”“You-you are welcome?”Kara held him for a moment only to let go when his holo went off with a loud chime, causing them both to jump back in surprise. The drawings vanished and he picked up the holo. He had a message. He was rubbing his eyes as he stood up.“Mr. Brande is looking for me. I have to get back to the party.”“Aw!” Then she got an idea. “I’ll led you there! Come on!”Kara took his hand again and together they ran back up the stairs to the library. As they ran up, the lights began to turn off, and the doors to the labs sealed themselves. It wasn’t a long run back to the party and she knew the house, so could lead them through the less busy room. When they made it back to the living room they were out of breath but didn’t stop until they were standing in front of Mr. Brande. He had her adoptive mother standing beside him, who looked surprised to see Kara pulling along someone new. Querl took a moment to catch his breath before trying to say anything, a slight blush on his face.“I thought you were reading somewhere but you surprise me son.” Brande had a cheerful sounding voice, deep and rumbling. Kara was reminded of Santa Claus. He was like a younger version of him. “Making friends?”Querl looked to Kara before he answered, and she nodded in encouragement. He smiled slightly and turned back to Brande. “Yes, Mr. Brande. This is Lena Luthor. She was showing me the library when I got your message.”“The Library,” Kara’s mother asked and Kara nodded. From her tone it was clear she was wondering why they were there and not at the party.“Yes. Lena wanted to show me the collection of 21st century books you had in your collection. I really enjoyed the book on Quantum Physics. Humans use to think so small when it came to the universe.”Kara felt a sense of appreciation for Querl. He wasn’t telling her mother or Brande the truth. She would get in big trouble if her parents found out she had told him. Hopefully she could keep it a secret. Brande grinned at Kara and Querl.“That is good to hear! I was worried the only people Querl would ever get along with would always be twice his age! Its good to see I don’t have to worry.” Then he turned to Querl. “I am afraid its time for us to go however. I have a meeting early in the morning and Querl needs to rest.”“I’m not even tired,” Querl said, then yawned. He tried to cover it with a cough but Kara could tell Brande didn’t buy it.“I know you had fun but its time to leave.” Brande turned towards her adoptive mother and smiled. “This was a wonderful party, Lilith, thank you.”She smiled in returned. “Think nothing of it Brande. Anytime.”Brande began to walk out of the room and Querl followed after a note of hesitation. Before they left completely, he looked at Kara and waved before disappearing from sight. Alexis was next to her in a moment.“You made friends with the Coluan? I am so jealous!” Alexis leaned forward, taking both her hands up in hers. “How did you do it? Tell me everything!”Kara laughed. “Well…”Kara didn’t see Querl again for five years. —Five years since waking up from the Data Seas and Querl still found himself more comfortable in lab than out among the people who would soon become his teammates. He hadn’t known what Brande had wanted him for in the beginning. Querl didn’t have anywhere else to go and said yes with only a little hesitation. If he had known his efforts would be going towards assembling a group of teens from all over the galaxy.. He would have still said yes but with much more hesitation.Luornu had been in the lab a few minutes ago but not even she could resist spying on the ‘legionaries’ as Brande was calling them. Brande had taken the craggite in about three years ago and she had proved… interesting. She was kind and they spent a lot of time talking about Cragg and her upbringing there. Querl found her ability to spit into three different forms (each with their own separate personalities) incredible.Too bad Reep hated them both so much.“Querl?”Querl had been working on his onicrom when he heard the door to the lab open and clothes. He thought nothing of it until he heard the voice. Female. It wasn’t one that he reconigzed right away. He thought maybe Luornu had returned back from her ‘spy mission’ but it hadn’t been her voice. He took off his googles and went to stand up.“Yes? Brande isn’t here-”Querl’s words stopped the moment he saw the woman in front of him. She was beautiful. Around the same height as him, with blond hair cut in a bob, bright blue eyes and a brighter smile. She was wearing normal clothes (a blue tanktop, blue jeans, and tennis shoes). There was something about her that was familiar. He couldn’t place it at first but it had five years since he had seen her and they had been kids. He felt suddenly exposed in his tanktop and purple pants. He finally spoke.“Kara Zor-El?”“You remembered!” Kara rushed over and gave him a tight hug. It was so tight he couldn’t breath. Kara realized what she was doing in a moment and let him go, looking embressed. “Oh sorry. Still having trouble with the superstrenght.”“So you did get your powers.” Querl stated and she nodded. “You must be happy.”“Eh, a little. But look at you! You got taller and your hair is longer. We’re around the same height.” She reached up compared their heights. She stood on her tippy toes so she was taller, Querl tilting her head at her. “Wasn’t I taller than you last time we met?”“I believe so. But why are you here? Not that it isn’t pleasant to see you.” Querl was overjoyed to see her, but he wouldn’t admit it out loud. He had thought about the tiny kryptonain girl often in the past five years. She gave him a bemused smile.“When my powers began to develop, Lilith and Jude thought I should find some place to help me learn my powers. Brande found out about it and invited me to join this… Legion was it? He told me you were going to be in the Legion too?”“Yes. Brande wants me to lend my intellect to the group and I am glad to help.” Querl just didn’t understand how a Coluan like him would fit in with a group of superpowered teens. They all had powers and he was just smart. He could invent things that could and would help but still… him as a part of a team? Besides he was a Coluan. The only one in the whole galaxy outside of Colu. How would he even relate to them?“At least I will know someone here. I don’t feel so nervous anymore.”Querl blinked and then smiled. He was the only Coluan but Kara was also the only Kryptonian. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.”“Come on, let’s go and meet the others.” Kara said as she turned away, heading towards the door. Querl grabbed his jacket and followed, slipping it on as they headed through the door of the lab. Kara looked over at him still smiling. They stopped in front of the door to the outside. “You ready for this?”“Kara I am more than prepared for this. I have gotten use to crowds and-”“Hi!”“Oh SPROK!”A girl phased through the wall directly in front of them, causing Querl to fall over. Kara couldn’t help it, she started to laugh. Querl just looked up at the dark haired, gray eyed girl and his kryptonian friend in shock before he rolled his eyes and stood back up. He straightened his jacket and looked at the new girl. His expression was one of annoyance.“You must be the phantom Lourou told me about.”“Yep! Tinya Wazzoo of Bgztl. You must be the two Mr. Brande told us about. Well, everyone is waiting for Cosmic Boy’s big speech. You guys coming?Querl and Kara looked at each other for a moment and then nodded. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"There is nothing wrong with me."Brainiac 5 stood there staring at her, eyes focused on her face but his expression blank. Kara knew Brainy. He wasn't cold. He wasn't emoitionless. He was awkward and dorky, wore his heart on his sleeve. He cared about his friends. He didn't just leave them behind."You let Nia and J'onn get captured by the Agents of Liberty! They could have been hurt or worse.""We rescued them. We rescued all the aliens they were just included in the crowd.""That isn't the ugh!" Kara wanted to turn away and couldn't hide the disgust in her voice. "This isn't you.""How do you know?" Brainiac Five took a step towards her, a flicker of emoitions crossing his face almost too fast for Kara to read. "How much time has passed since our last real conversation? How do you know this isn't who I am?"Kara hated to admit it, Brainy had a point. "I have been-""So busy dealing with Lex Luthor and Ben Lockwood?" A slight smirk lifted the corner of his lips. "As you should have been. Friends are worthless. They hold you back.""I know you don't believe that. You have friends here, in the future!""What? Mon-El? Imra?" Brainy turner away from her, letting out a cold laugh that chilled Kara. "The Legion saw me as a liability if left on my own and gave me no choice in joining. Yes before my Realignment I thought they were doing it out of the goodness of their hearts but they just wanted a pet Brainiac for their Legion."Kara hadn't been told how Brainy had come to join the Legion. She had heard bits and pieces from him, but he never gave her a clear answer. She knew he had been living a dangerous life before the Legion and they had given him a choice. He could either join the Legion or go to jail. She knew there had to be more to it. Mon-El wouldn't have let Brainy in if he hadn't seen something good in him. The same thing Kara still saw in him even now."It must have been easy to leave me behind here in the past, with no one around who trusts me. But that doesn't matter now. Realignment has allowed me to see the flaws I had been allowing everyone to push into me. The legacy they were afraid of, I should have been embracing.""No. Brainiac isn't you. You aren't like him!""Why shouldn't I be like him. I could save you, save everyone. I could," the emoitions that had been filling his voice drained away, "bring order to your chaotic human world?""Brainy!"Kara reached for Brainiac 5 but he dodged out of her way in one smooth movement. He took a quick step away, floating in the air a few inches thanks to his Legion ring. He looked down at her with dark eyes, his expression as cold as his eyes."I see now what needs to be done. Thank you Supergirl for helping me see what needs to be done." Brainy looked towards the window and tilted his head as if he heard something. When he turned back towards her he pulled a box from his pocket and opened it. A green light spilled from it and Kara knew what it was before she felt its tell-tale pain. Kryptonite. He dropped it at her feet."Can't have you following me. Goodbye, Supergirl.""Brainy you don't want to-"Brainiac 5 vanished in a shimmer of blue, leaving Kara standing there with only a Kryptionite chunk behind. She pushed the chunk back into the box with her boot and closed the box. Near immediate relief filled her before she looked up at the empty space Brainy left behind. Kara stood up, and set herself. "I am not giving up on you Brainy. I know you are still in there."-----"Does she know where you went?""No, of course not. Kara Zor-El may be near my level of intelligence but she lets her emotions cloud her judgement. Why would she think I would travel to one of her allies place of residents?""Former ally." Lena Luthor scowled at Brainiac 5 from her seat behind her desk, eyes glittering darkly even in the bright artifical light of her office. When he had come to her, explaining his goals, Lena had agreed to help. Kara had betrayed her trust. She didn't know how to get back at the Kryptonian but Brainiac 5 told her he could help her with her goals. She didn't need to know he was going to betray her as well."Yes.""The Satellite you want to build. How long will it take us?""With the two of us working together… I caculate it will take three months.""Then what are we waiting for Brainiac F-" He cut her off with a wave of his hand. "Just call me Brainiac."Lena smiled, a dangerous smile of an wounded organic. "Well then Brainiac. Let's get to work."