Chapter 32: Chapter 32
Lois Lane was a shark of a reporter. Her words could cut deeper than most swords and her sharp wit was intimidating, so it was with an enormous smile that Kara watched her pester Luthor about his company's shiny new set of lawsuits.
The camera zoomed out of Lois's face and Kara could see Kal's own amused smile at her side. Her cousin was enjoying Luthor's squirming, a lot.
"I want to reiterate that LuthorCorp is doing its best to cooperate with the government in order to investigate all allegations." The bald man answered smoothly. He wasn't showing many outward signs of the pressure to the point where, if Kara wasn't a Kryptonian, she wouldn't be able to see the bags under his eyes. "LuthorCorp has always had a policy of full transparency in our actions and I assure you, I will personally be working overtime to solve these issues. Next question?"
Using the internet, Kara had released a lot of the information she gathered with the Fog, the result was LuthorCorp losing 9% of its value in only a few days, while getting swamped with civil lawsuits, as well as a few criminal ones.
Luthor himself was being investigated for three dozen crimes ranging from bribery to tax evasion to intellectual property theft, but there wasn't much chance that he'd be getting arrested anytime soon. Still, it was funny to watch the man squirm to solve everything. Despite all his power, his base of influence was crumbling around him and the man absolutely hated it.
Good, Luthor wouldn't have much time to come up with plans to kill her cousin if he was busy dealing with a company losing money faster than the Flash could run. Time for the political assaults!
With a tap of a key, Kara scheduled the release of some more information in four hours, right when she suspected he would be going to sleep. It was nothing illegal, but documented proof that LuthorCorp outsourced the production of its latest circuit boards to the 'completely legal' internment camp in China would hit him hard and probably cost him the Ferris Aircraft contract to WayneTech.
Turning away from the TV, Kara continued tapping at her portable computer, putting the finishing touches on her adaptation of the Fog. The tiny robots had limited use as they were, but she was still recreating them with Kryptonian modular crystals.
They wouldn't be able to form her sturdiest devices, but it would speed up the formation of delicate tech and improve her hacking ability… if she didn't care that it made her actions obvious.
"Friend Kara, you are supposed to be relaxing!" Kori scolded as she floated towards her position on the couch.
"This is relaxing; I'm genetically engineered to enjoy tinkering with technology, Kori." Kara answered as she ordered the new Fog based drones into production.
"Regardless, it is your constant surveillance of Luthor's actions that worries me." Kori sighed and slowly settled on the couch beside her.
"But hearing the suffering of my enemies in the background as I work is the most relaxing part! Muahahaha!"
"No, Bad Kara." Kori flicked Kara's forehead, snapping her out of her laughter.
"Ouch." Kara deadpanned, rubbing her forehead to get rid of the sensation. "What was that for?"
"Maniacal laughter is one of the most glaring signs of villainy." Kori nodded sagely as she explained this self-evident fact. "Master Diana has lost many friends when they started showing symptoms that were not addressed."
"Oof, fine. I have to take a shower anyway." Throwing Kori the remote, Kara lowered the lid of her notebook and floated up. "Don't forget we're going out later, you'd better be ready in an hour."
"That timeframe will be more than sufficient." Kori waved her concerns away.
Heading to her room to grab a towel Kara nearly stepped on the pigeon's decapitated head. Somehow, Dexter had managed to leave her a present without dirtying the floor with blood, too much.
Seeing his curled form on top of one of her discarded shirts, Kara scratched him between the ears, earning herself a purr in thanks. "Good Kitty."
A simple command caused the cleaning robot to roll out from under her bed and start sweeping the floor. It was a blocky thing, but filled with cleaning tools and a very good AI, using mechanical tendrils to clean the most difficult spots.
"Huh, now that'd be a good use for the Fog. Could I program it to consume only the stains and dirt? Would be much faster than the robot." Kara wondered to herself as she stepped under the shower and relaxed.
Feeling much better after she was done, Kara stared at the foggy mirror. Taking a small breath, she blew a wave of frigid air over the surface, freezing the water on it and waving a hand through to get rid of the resulting ice, leaving the mirror completely clean.
Looking at her reflection, she leaned closer and started poking at her missing eye. Once it had started regenerating, Kara had to take out all the prosthetic equipment to stop the itching and give it more room. It left her with only one eye again, but only for a short amount of time.
Using her improved vision, she could actually see the regeneration, it was slow and would take a week or two, but she could barely contain her happiness.
Despite all her technology, her robotic eye never really reached the level of her actual flesh one. The discrepancy had been a constant reminder of what the Psions had done to her, one far, far more intrusive than just her leg. With it gone, she was feeling much better.
Stepping out of the bathroom she eventually managed to slip into a black jumpsuit that hugged her body almost as much as spandex, with a cleavage that went almost to her bellybutton.
It wasn't something Kara had even thought she'd be wearing, but Selina was having a 70s party in her club and Kori wouldn't let her miss it, or go without a costume, and Kara found that it wasn't that bad.
Plus, she had invited Danette to come with them. The woman had been staying with her brother for nearly a week now, and Kara felt she had given her enough time to take in her situation.
Yes, Danette had discovered she was an android, and found herself more than sixty years in the future, Kara could sympathize, but at the very least it was still the same planet.
So Kara had decided to invite her out. Danette had 'died' in 1945, so a 70s party wasn't exactly her time, but it was certainly closer than 2010 , so Kara thought it was a good compromise between it and the present year.
Stepping out of her room, Kara saw Kori was already ready. Wearing green bell bottom pants and white shirt, the Tamaranean had managed to style her hair in an afro, somehow, a pair of round sunglasses over her eyes and a huge, eager smile on her lips.
"You are looking marvelous, Friend Kara!" Grabbing her by the hand, Kori nearly dragged Kara towards the door. "I can not wait to meet Miss Reilly. Please, do you think she will like me?"
"Calm down, here." Kara handed a small bracelet to Kori. "I should have made it much earlier, but you didn't ask and, honestly, didn't seem to need it."
Kori put on the device and touched the stone in the middle, causing her skin to ripple and slightly change tone, turning from light orange to olive, her eyes continued to be green, but they no longer glowed. The change didn't actually make her look much different, but now she could easily pass as human.
"Friend Kara, I did not ask because I do not actually mind not having a secret identity." Kori answered, finally dropping her flight and letting her platform shoes touch the carpet. Kara made a guilty face, so Kori hurried to continue. "Do not worry, I know it makes you feel better, and I have nothing against it either. It is merely something I do not commonly think about."
Kara stared at Kori's concerned face, giving the Tamaranean's hand a squeeze, she smiled. "Thanks for doing it then."
Activating her own disguise, Kara only masked her missing eye with a hologram. Walking around with an eyepatch was cool and all, but it did draw a lot of unwanted attention, and Kara was being more careful about that nowadays.
Later that night, Kara, Kori and Danette stepped out of the taxi and in front of the Tin Roof Club.
"Thanks for inviting me." Danette said, adjusting her own blue tinted round glasses. "I have been meaning to leave my brother's house for a while now, but I… didn't really know where to go. Everything's so strange now."
Kara snorted in amusement and led them towards the club while Kori nodded. "Indeed. Getting accustomed to Earth's culture is very taxing. Humans wear so many layers of clothes, it is most disconcerting."
Danette gave Kori an odd look, then remembered who she was talking with. "Right, you would relate." Turning to stare at the line in front of the club, filled with people wearing the skimpiest versions of 70s costumes they could find, Danette shook her head. "I think I have the opposite problem."
Approaching the Club, Kara saw the security at the door staring at her group for some time. Just as she was about to wait in line, the man motioned for them to approach. "Miss Kara, please enter through here."
Kara lifted an eyebrow. "I guess Selina put me on the list then?"
"Yes, the owner wants to make sure you never have to wait in line." The mountain of a man said and disconnected a red chain, allowing them to enter the club without going through the line. "Enjoy the night; the first drink is on the house."
Kara thanked him and entered the club. The Tin Roof Club was fully decorated in 70s disco style, with flowers everywhere and an actual LED dance floor, Bee Gees blasting through the room just loud enough that, if she made an effort, it completely blocked the sounds from outside in the city.
At her side, Danette seemed a little intimidated by the scene. But she made the mistake of letting Kori notice it. Trading a glance with Kara and getting a nod in return, Kori dragged the android onto the dance floor, drawing a lot of attention.
Kara wanted to immediately start relaxing, letting the music take her worries away, but she just couldn't do something like that, not yet.
Stepping to the side, she released a small cloud of drones from her pockets. The little devices scanned the room and quickly camouflaged themselves before floating up and spreading around the club.
Soon, Kara saw the footage of the entire place being shown at the bottom of her own glasses, small enough that a normal human wouldn't be able to read it, it would be able to scan anyone for weapons, and warn her if there was any trouble about to happen. Only then did she let herself enjoy the place.
Focusing entirely on the music, she let the noise from outside fade and joined her friends on the dance floor.
Kara enjoyed the dancing, and the free drinks, they couldn't affect her, and she wasn't really interested in any of the buyers. But, it was nice to see them try; she even danced with one or two who seemed like nice guys.
Seeing one of the asshole ones try to sneak something into another woman's drink almost ruined her night but, after Kara had crushed every bone in his hand and handed him over to one of the security guards, Kori had pulled her back to the dance floor, and the three of them had enjoyed dancing together.
Danette herself had relaxed and turned out to be a fun girl to party with. Her programming didn't allow her to get drunk, but it could simulate a buzz and she had relaxed as the night went.
Still, after a few hours, both Kara and Danette had almost reached their quotas for social interaction and stepped away, finding a booth to sit while Kori continued to dance. Somehow, her afro had collapsed and her hair had settled back into a straight mane, only curling slightly at the end.
Kara briefly wondered if Kori could actually control her hair and made a note to ask her later, before settling on the booth with a smiling Danette.
"Thanks, I really needed that." The android said as she flicked the little umbrella out of the way and took another sip of her drink.
"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself." Kara drained her own whiskey and asked for another. "Have you made up your mind yet?"
"No… I-I think I'll accept your offer, but I still need some time." Danette played with the little umbrella for a second, swirling the ice cubes inside and further mixing the drink. "Brother seems happy to be a doctor and I… Was I a hero because it was what I wanted, or just because it was what Father programmed me to be?"
Letting the slower music fill her hearing, Kara focused her eye entirely on Danette and thought about the question. "Well, you did take a bullet for Flash, that's pretty heroic if you ask me, and probably not a part of your programming. Prof. Morrow wouldn't recognize self sacrifice if it hit him in the face, much less be able to program it."
Danette's hand unconsciously massaged at her chest, messing up her clothes as she touched the place where Dragon King had shot her.
"It's hard to believe it's been more than sixty years." The young woman looked around and had to stop herself from shaking her head. "You know, I used to be the bold one, wearing pants and provocative shirts everywhere."
"Really, bolder than Wonder Woman?" Kara lifted an eyebrow, causing Danette to blush.
"No, Diana always had me beat there, with her completely exposed legs and arms." The former heroine lay back against the seat and snickered. "You know, she once told me she only dressed like that to fluster the men who complained. Seeing as she wears far more clothes now than back then, I believe her."
"You know, you don't have to be a hero constantly. Pretty much all of the senior members of the Justice League have college degrees, some even have several." Thanking the waiter for the new drink, Kara briefly checked if it wasn't spiked before taking another sip. "I can pay for your classes if you want to study anything. It's the least I can do since I got so much from studying your father's laboratory and tech."
"I think I'll take you up on that." The blond finally finished her drink and stared at the cup for a little bit. "It's so strange, knowing that drinking that did nothing for me, I don't really need to eat or drink after all."
"Well, in a few months, I technically won't need them either, but I really don't think I'll be stopping." Kara revealed. With her cells recovering, she'd soon be able to sustain herself with only sunlight.
"It is nice, even more so after your upgrades." Danette turned away from her cup and looked at Kori, now dancing between an older couple. "Say, can you come with me? I have been meaning to go see Flash, but I think I'll just talk myself out of it if I go alone."
"I'd be happy to. Want me to call him tomorrow?" Danette released a long, deep sigh and nodded.
Suddenly, Selina came barreling through the crowd and threw herself on the seat beside Kara, her movements a little sluggish. "And here's just wh-who I was looking fhor! I have to talk with yo-you lather."
"Selina. You're completely drunk." Kara said, pushing the woman slightly away from her, she didn't want to get thrown up on.
"And whose fault is that!" The older woman pointed a finger at Kara's face, or well, tried to; she missed it by a few centimeters to the left.
"Definitely not mine, I haven't spoken with you since our deal was done." Kara answered, taking the newest drink away from Catwoman's hand and lowering her unsteady finger.
Kara traded a glance with Danette, but the android just gave her an amused smile and pushed herself up. "I think I'll dance some more, let you have some privacy with your friend."
'Traitor' Kara mouthed at the android, but just helped Selina get into a more comfortable position.
"It's that bitch! She's back in the city and probably living with him!" Selina cursed a little, then laid her forehead against the table and sighed, tapping a finger against the table. Kara saw she was wearing her Catwoman's gloves as she scratched at the wood. "I thought she was gone after he rejected her that last time! Ugh, I just bet they're both laying together in that damn Batcave of his!"
"… I stand corrected."
"What?" Selina turned her head aside and squinted her eyes at Kara.
"Nothing." The Kryptonian avoided her gaze, then had to push her own drink away from Selina's grasp. "I think you've had enough for the night, don't you?"
"No, it's my club! If I can't scratch Talia's eyes out, I can at least drink myself to sleep in my own club." Selina cursed some more, trying and failing to snatch the drink from Kara's hand. Finally, she gave up and dropped her arm heavily on the table. "And we were doing so well, even had a date a few days ago."
"Was it really a date, or was he just trying to stop one of your jobs?"
"Same thing!"
Kara shook her head and helped Selina get more comfortable, pulling off her gloves and hiding them out of view. Kara had been using her tech to disrupt the sound of their conversation, but she hadn't done anything about the image so it was better to not take any chances.
Nearly an hour later, both Kori and Danette arrived at the booth. Danette sat down on the table waking Selina up and causing Kara to lift her eyes from her phone where she had been writing some more code.
Standing in front of her, Kori gave her a frown, but Kara shrugged. "What? There's only so much interaction I can take 'fore it starts getting annoying."
Kara frowned. Was that a little slur she had detected in her own words? Looking at her cup, she tried to remember how many she had drunk and couldn't. She had lost count at twelve. Still, she was far from drunk, she didn't think she could even get drunk with normal alcohol, but it seems like it was finally having an effect on her.
"I am glad you enjoyed yourself, Friend Kara." Kori smiled brightly.
The night was about to end, and the music had been slowing down for about an hour now, leaving only a few pairs dancing slowly on top of the LED floor. Pulling her by the arm, Kori dragged Kara away from the booth and to her feet.
Almost on instinct, Kara's arms wrapped around Kori's waist. Holding the Tamaranean princess close against her chest while Kori's arms enveloped her neck, the both of them started dancing slowly, enjoying the slow songs.
Eventually, the song ended and there was a slight pause in the dancing. Kara adjusted her position, interlocking their fingers as new music started.
It was a slow song by Elvis. Kara didn't know the name, but it resonated with the both of them, singing about a friend that would always be there, that would dry their tears and support them when the times were rough.
Kara led Kori through the steps, forgetting about everyone around them, enjoying the music filling her ears. Somehow, during the dance, Kori's disguise had deactivated, revealing her shining green eyes and Kara lost herself in them.
From the corner of her eye, Kara saw a glint of violet enveloping Kori's hologram bracelet, then she remembered that the girl didn't actually mind if she didn't have a secret identity, and the club's lights were low anyway, so she dismissed any concerns.
Leaning down, Kara felt the soft tickle of Kori's breath on her nose. They stepped over by a pink lamp on the dance floor, illuminating their bodies against each other. Kara felt warmth blossom inside her chest as their lips met.
Soft and silky, the kiss was completely unlike the first they had shared, both in purpose and in feeling. After what felt like an eternity, Kori's lips parted slightly and their kiss deepened. Kara lost herself in the sensation as, in the moment, sparks of violet light mixed with the pink from the lamp.
Completely unwilling, Kara leaned back. She struggled to get her powers under control, the violet light influencing her mind. Kori wasn't helping by squeezing her hand with a blush on her face. A few seconds later, the light finally vanished.
Looking around herself, Kara noticed the dancers around her giving them a wide berth and were avoiding looking at them, but nobody else seemed to have noticed. With Kori still held in her arms, Kara couldn't really say she even cared.
.
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