[center][img]http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj306/Carnage27/4bb9461b-78a5-4984-be46-e51b45413e1c_zps4ik5vu7y.jpg[/img][/center] [b]Metropolis December 25, 2015 3 AM[/b] Kara Zor-El had heard Krypto’s howls from the moment it happened. That’s the thing about dogs, they always know, even before people did. The old dog’s howls of sadness tore the bandage of shock off Kara’s wound, letting the emotion pour out as she made her way around a ruined downtown Metropolis, trying to find any survivor she could. It was the only thing she could hear as she floated through the city, overturning rubble to reveal choking people. Everything else was a dull, monotone ring, like after standing a bit too close to a firework going off. The civilians she saved cried and hugged her profusely, but she didn’t hear a word they said. She set them down one by one at the emergency triage centers and went for more, barely acknowledging their gratitude. a soothing voice entered her mind, shaking her out of her malaise. She turned to find J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter, floating behind her. A gash across his right shoulder dripped with blood, and his left eye was swollen. J’onn had always been a calming presence to Kara, a fellow refugee on the planet. He knew what it meant to be the last of his kind. But tonight was different. There would be no calming the tempest of emotion flowing through her. “Thanks, J’onn,” she replied flatly, choking back the tears. Zooming off towards the Arctic, she just wanted to be alone. Kara landed at the Fortress of Solitude, hobbling on the leg the creature had injured earlier in the night. It was probably broken, but she couldn’t feel it. She couldn’t feel anything really. Nothing but a void left by the only person who she had a real, true connection to in this world. Krypto bounded through the snow out of the Fortress towards her. His head was held low, and he began licking Kara’s wounds when he reached her, whimpering slightly. She reached down and patted the dog on his head, “Good boy.” The two of them entered the gigantic doors of the Fortress, which shut behind them with a thud. Kara hobbled towards the location’s command center, passing the other wings as she did. The intergalactic zoo, labs, and Krypton museum were eerily quiet, almost as if the robotic workers and specimens in each knew what had happened. This place was now hers, she guessed. Well, her’s and Konnor’s. “Kara Zor-El,” the robotic voice of Kelex, the Fortress’s caretaker said as she entered the control room, “are the reports true.” The metallic-sounding voice roused Kara from her stupor. She looked up at him and wiped a few lingering tears from her face. She adjusted the ripped skirt of her costume, realizing now that it was nearly ripped to shreds. Finally, she nodded, “Yes...Clark...Kal-El...he’s dead.” As the words came out of her mouth, the lights in the control room went out, and a hologram emerged from Kelex’s eyes. There, standing before her was Kal, clad in his full Superman regalia, “Kara, if you’re seeing this, it means I’m gone. Neither of us ever wanted this, and both us hoped it would never come. But it has. You may think you’re unable to carry on. You may think you’re not ready. But you’re wrong. I’ve watched you grow into a powerful woman, and one of the greatest heroes on the planet. You can do this. You can carry on my work, and the legacy of Krypton. I believe in you, and if you believe in yourself the people will love you as much as they did me. Take care of Ma and Pa. Make sure you visit Krypto. Tell Lois...tell Lois I’m sorry. Help Konnor...you two are all we have left. And Kara...I love you. I know you’ll do great.” The tears started again, surprising Kara. She didn’t think there was any left to cry. As the hologram faded, a portion of the crystal floor of the Fortress began to rotate before a cylinder emerged containing a new Kryptonian uniform for Kara. She strode over to it and ran her fingers over the crest on the chest, and marveled how the new one looked so much like Clark’s. She may never be him, but she could look like him, and she could do her damnedest to do as he did. “Kelex,” she turned to the robot and began putting on the new suit. “Yes, Supergirl?” “Get me all of Clark’s files...I need to study up on who I’ll be dealing with.” [center]**********[/center] [b]Metropolis January 2, 2016[/b] It didn’t take long for the criminals of Metropolis to try and take advantage of the destruction and absence of Superman. Like rats feeding on a carcass they emerged in the new year in order to get their piece, and Intergang had always been one of the biggest rats in the city. In the months leading up to Clark’s death, they had gained some fantastic, deadly technology. Kal hadn’t known where it came from, but it made them a much more ferocious foe. Kara wasn’t surprised that they were the first to really start testing the waters of the new Metropolis, but she was a bit shocked they decided to hit the Federal Reserve right away. She had to give them credit, they were certainly ambitious. She swooped down into the hole they had blasted into the side of the building, freezing the first two Intergang members she saw with her freeze breath before coming to a landing in the main vault. There, a man in a goofy looking mechanical suit. She laughed, “Man, and I thought villains wanted to look, oh, I dunno, threatening?” The man spun around quickly, firing an energy beam at her as he did. It struck her in the chest, sending her flying back. That was unexpected. “Well, well, well,” he laughed. “The girl of steel makes believe she can fill in for Superman. Unfortunately for you, they’ll be burying another flying freak and Neutron is done with you.” “Ugh...you’re talking in the third person? Great…” Kara groaned as she stood up and readied herself for the next attack. “Makes me want to put you down even harder!”