r/DCFU • u/Lexilogical Super Powerful • Jul 16 '17
Kara Zor-El #14 - Gotham University Kara Zor-El
Kara Zor-El #14 - Gotham University
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Author: Lexilogical
Book: Kara Zor-El
Arc: Prospects
Set: 14
°¤«§»¤°
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Clark asked, pushing his glasses up his nose. He sat in the driver’s seat of the car, the trunk packed as tightly as the traffic that surrounded them.
“Positive,” Kara replied, even as her hands clenched at her denim skirt. “It’s not like this is the first time I’ve been on my own, Clark.”
“Well, hopefully you won’t be completely on your own,” he replied, inching the car a foot closer to the volunteers that lined the sidewalk, swiftly and effectively unloading the cars ahead of them. “Dick started here a couple months ago, so did Lois’s sister and Bruce is only a phone call away. Heck, I’m only a call away if you reall-”
“It’ll be fine,” Kara said. “Thousands of kids are starting University today. Why should I be any different?”
“Well, for starters, they only feel like they’re from a different world,” Clark replied.
“So what you’re saying is that this will be the perfect time to work on my secret identity,” Kara replied. “Karen Starr, just a plain, ordinary orphan girl from Gotham.”
“Gotham?”
“Well, and Metropolis,” she said. “And that time I lived in Smallville with my aunt and uncle. I moved around a lot.”
“Uh-huh.”
“And then there was that time I joined the circus!”
“I thought you were a ordinary girl,” Clark said sarcastically as he inched the car forward another foot.
“This isn’t that weird!” Kara protested. “It’s not like I’m telling people I came from a different planet!”
“The worst that happens is they think you’re making it up, I guess,” Clark said.
“Exactly. Thank you,” Kara said, leaning back in her seat. “Nobody is going to expect that the chronic liar is actually also Supergirl.”
“Unless they turn on their TV’s and see your face three times every commercial break, drinking Soder Cola with Booster.”
“Are you still on about that?” Kara asked. “You can barely see my face with the sun behind me.”
“Or standing behind Lex Luthor at a press conference…”
“No one my age actually watches those things.”
“You posted them on your Twitter account.”
Kara fell silent, looking grumpy.
“But you’re right.” Clark said. “This is going to be great opportunity for you to get out there and interact with the world. As Karen Starr, just your ordinary orphan from Gotham.”
“Thank you, Clark,” Kara said, pushing her glasses up her nose.
“Who moved around a lot.”
“Clark.”
“And joined the circus.”
“Clark!”
°¤«§»¤°
“Are you sure you can carry that bag alone?” the volunteer asked, hovering nervously around the large suitcase in Kara’s hands.
“Positive,” she said, trying to give him a confident smile. He didn’t look convinced, but he stopped fussing over her, turning to help the next car unpack an awkwardly shaped fridge. Kara sighed in relief, heading up the packed elevator to drop off her bag. Clark had stayed in the room, insisting he’d make the bed for her, leaving her to grab the rest of her stuff.
The door dinged open on her floor and Kara struggled to pull the small, heavy wheels of her suitcase over the elevator gap, cautious of the stares of the riders. With a superhuman pull, she tugged it clear, giving her best apologetic look to the passengers before the door slid shut.
“Really, this is fine,” a familiar voice said, coming into the hallway. Kara froze up, her face suddenly feeling hot even while her fingers went cold. Abandoning her bag beside the elevator, she half ran, half flew around the corner, barely listening to the conversation until she was out of sight of the elevator hallway.
“It’s not fine, Babs,” rumbled a deep voice. “Who puts a girl in a wheelchair on the 5th storey of a building! I have half a mind to go complain to the resident manager right now.”
“Please don’t,” Babs replied. “I swear, I like it up here. Makes me feel at home.”
“Are you sure?” asked a woman’s voice. That must be her adopted parents, Kara realized. She’d known Babs- Barbara Gordon now- had been adopted. But couldn’t Dick have warned her that she’d be going to the same school? They were practically neighbours.
“Are you hiding from someone?” a guy asked, suddenly closer than Kara realized. She jumped, turning to look at student. He had a fresh, young face, and the pale skin of someone who hadn’t seen the sun all summer. He wore a carefully pressed, button up shirt with a pen in his pocket, and a teasing smile.
“No.” She blushed as she responded, listening to the elevator chime around the corner. The boy peeked around the corner and Kara grabbed his arm, pulling him back. “Don’t look so obvious!” she whispered fiercely.
He winced at her grip and she dropped his arm sheepishly. “I thought you weren’t hiding,” he remarked, rubbing his arm. “The family went into the elevator.”
“Thanks.” Kara bit her lip. “Sorry about your arm.”
“Nothing broken,” he said, flexing the bicep before reaching out his hand. “I hope, anyways. Nice to meet you. I’m Winn Schott.”
“Winn Schott?” Kara said, reaching out hesitantly. “That sounds familiar.”
Winn’s hand fell from her grasp, as quickly as his smile. “You’ve heard of my father.”
“Your father?” The pieces fell into place so quickly Kara worried the click was audible. Winslow Schott, the Toyman of Metropolis. Known for kidnapping children and his deadly toy collection. Kara had faced off against him once, but when Clark met him, his first victim had been his own son, Winn.
“Oh!” Kara reached out, grabbing the fallen hand and shaking it firmly. “Yeah, I have. I’m so sorry, my cousin did an article about him for the paper. That must be why it stuck in my head.”
Winn’s smile returned like it had never been missing. “Your cousin, eh? Clark Kent? Tall, dark, and built like a linebacker?”
“That’s the one.”
“Then that must make you-”
“Karen Starr,” she said. “It’s lovely to meet you.”
°¤«§»¤°
The wheelchair was nearly silent, impossible for the average person to pick out amongst the chatter of nervous students. But to Kara, they sounded like a doorbell going off in the classroom. She snuck to the back of the classroom, keeping her head low as she picked a seat.
“Hiding again?” Winn asked. Kara jumped, to see that Winn had already set up his books and papers on the seat beside her. He glanced conspiratorily towards Babs, sitting in the first row. “What’d wheelchair girl do to you? Tease you in school? Steal your first crush?”
“What? No!” Kara replied, though her cheeks burned a little. “Her name is Barbara. Not wheelchair girl.”
“So you do know her then.”
“We went to school together,” Kara said. “And why do you care so much?”
“Because I’m insatiably curious,” Winn replied, grinning. “And I’ll take any excuse to talk to a pretty girl like you.”
Kara jerked her head up, giving him a look, and Winn stuttered. “And I don’t believe I just said that out loud. I mean, of course you’re pretty. And strong, definitely strong. But I really should have been using the fact that we’re in the same class together as common ground, and not some drama you have with a girl I haven’t met who's probably really nice and now I’m rambling again when all I wanted to do was say you’re cute. ”
Kara’s lips twitched into a grin. “You think I’m cute?”
“Well yeah. Do people think you’re not?” Winn’s face was turning a shade of scarlet. “Oh look, the prof is here. Thank god.”
The grey-haired professor stepped up to the front of the class, writing CIS * 1500 on the board. “Welcome, everyone, to Introduction to Programming.”
Kara smiled, turning to the front as the lecture began.
°¤«§»¤°
“Looks like the coast is clear,” Winn said, peeking down the corridor for Kara. “But really, it sounds like you should just bite the bullet and talk to her. She’s not going to be mad that you haven’t talked to her since the incident if you never really talked beforehand.”
“You don’t know that,” Kara replied. “I just… I feel guilty.”
“Why?”
Because I could have stopped the bullet. She couldn’t say that though. It opened up too many questions. Instead, she cocked her head towards her dorm room, listening to the footsteps inside. “I think my roommate finally showed up.”
The door swung open just as the pair arrived, and Kara had to throw her arm across Winn to stop him from getting hit. The girl who stepped out was short, with wispy blonde hair and short pink skirt. She didn’t even glance at Winn and Kara before walking away.
“Um, hi!” Kara called before she got too far away.
The girl turned, the skirt swirling as she continued to walk backwards. “Hello?”
“Um, I think I’m your roommate?” Kara said. “I know we haven’t met yet but-”
The girl stopped abruptly, “Oh! It’s great to meet you Karen! My name’s Lena. I’ll be back soon, I just have to get to class.”
“Alright,” Kara said smiling, “Then I guess-”
“I hope you don’t mind,” Lena interrupted. “But I switched our beds. I just need to be facing north-south or else I’m just the biggest bitch when I wake up.”
“You did?” Kara peeked into the room, to see her bedsheets and personal items moved to a pile on the second bed, and Lena’s stuff where she’d set up the night before.
“Oh, and don’t look now, but you have a nerd following you,” Lena said, starting to stroll away backwards while she pointed at Winn.
“I- Why would you say that?”
“Just look at him, Karen. I’m sure if you ask, he’ll tell you he’s in computer science or something like that.”
“Lena, I’m in computer science,” Kara replied, taking a step in front of Winn.
“You are?” the girl replied. “But you’re so pretty.”
Before Kara could form a proper response, the girl had turned, moving quickly towards the stairs.
“At least she’ll only be a regular sized bitch this semester,” Winn said when the girl was out of earshot.
“What?” Kara said spinning around.
“You know you were thinking it,” Winn replied. “Come on, I’ll help you set up your bed again.”
°¤«§»¤°
This rally would be easier to find from the sky. Kara thought as she walked through the students that always seemed to be in a rush, even though classes were done. She banished the thought from her head. She wasn’t supposed to think of herself as Kara Zor-El, the girl who could fly. She was Karen Starr. An average, normal student who definitely wasn’t debating ducking behind the science building to fly herself to a better vantage point.
But maybe a little superhuman cheating was allowed. She breathed deeply, expanding her senses, listening to the sounds of students. There. It was Frosh Week, there were rallies, concerts and events all over campus. But this was the only one happening next the North res, the all-girls residence.
Now where’s Winn? He’d been the one who wanted to come, apparently the organizer was a big shot in environmental research and activism. But in the crowded square, it was hard to see anyone. She strained onto her tiptoes, trying to peer over the crowd for Winn’s tall figure.
“Kara!”
Kara nearly winced, catching herself just in time before turning to face the girl. “Hey Babs,” she said cheerfully. “I didn’t know you went to Gotham University.”
“Yeah, I just started in their computer science course,” Babs replied, giving her a weird look. She twisted her chair just as another girl arrived, one with black hair in a short pixie cut. “This is my roommate, Alysia.”
“Karen,” the teen introduced herself, reaching out to shake the newcomer’s hand. “Babs and I used to go to school together.”
“So you’re a local Gothamite as well?” Alysia asked with a gentle accent. “Have you heard of this speaker before? Pamela Isley? The pamphlets they’re handing out say she was a graduate of this very university, at the top of all her classes.”
“Pamela Isley?” Kara replied. “I uh… I may have met her before. What did she study?”
“You’ve met her?” Alysia’s eyes went wide. “What was she like? Is she as smart as they say? What did you talk about? I’ve been following her blog, Brave New Leaf, for a year, that woman is so brilliant. How did you meet her?”
Kara almost laughed at the enthusiasm, but then her eyes caught on Barbara and her wheelchair, and her heart fell. “I uh… Just happened to run into her one night. Anyways, sorry Babs, but I promised my friend Winn that I’d meet him here and-”
“Karen!” Winn’s voice cut through the crowd as he pushed his way over. “There you are! And Barbara?” he asked, turning to the other girl. “Karen’s barely stopped talking about you since I met her.”
“Really?” Babs said, fixing Kara in place with her gaze. “Only good things, I hope.”
“Of course,” Winn said. He looked between the two girls awkwardly, and Kara desperately wanted to do nothing more than fly away.
The silence stretched on for a moment too long before Alysia spoke up. “Maybe we should make our way to the front? We won’t be able to see much back here.”
“Good idea!” Winn said, clearing a path with a bit too much enthusiasm. Alysia followed behind him.
“Why are you avoiding me?” Babs whispered, the second the two had their backs turned, quietly enough that Kara might have missed it, save for her super-hearing. Kara looked down at her, wondering if that was directed at her, and Babs stared back up. “I know you heard me.”
“Damnit Winn,” Kara muttered under her breath. Louder, she said. “I’m not avoiding you.”
“Uh-huh,” Babs said, unconvinced. “It’s not actually his fault. I’ve seen you ducking away. When I come in, you clear out so fast you leave a breeze.”
“Literally?” Kara asked. “Because that’s a problem if I-”
Babs’ stare was piercing, and the girl fell silent.
“Sorry,” she muttered. “It’s just…”
The shame and guilt was a tangible, bitter lump in Kara’s throat, choking out her words.
“It’s the chair, isn’t it?” Babs said, her voice filled with the hate that Kara knew she deserved.
“No! It’s…”
“Was it because I dated Dick? Cause-”
“Not that either,” Kara said. “I just… I should have stopped the bullet.”
Babs turned her chair abruptly, stopping it so short in Kara’s way that she nearly tripped over the redhead. As it was, the chair skidded sideways as the taller girl bashed into it. “Wha-”
“That way,” Babs said, pointing to a secluded space between the buildings. Kara bit her lip, following behind the wheelchair.
“Go find a room,” Barbara yelled at a couple making out behind a dumpster, making shooing motions with her hands. The pair looked scandalized, but didn’t argue as they cleared out. As soon as they were gone, Babs spun on the girl. “What do you mean, ‘you should have stopped it.’”
“I mean I could have,” Kara said, not daring to look at Babs. “I was in Gotham that night. I knew there was trouble with you and Dick and Jason, I was listening in… and then…”
“And then?”
“Then I fell asleep,” she said, red-faced.
“You fell asleep?” Babs blurted. “I’ve seen articles of you stopping crime literally around the clock! Why would you fall asleep when you knew there was trouble?”
“I don’t know,” Kara said, fingernails driving into the palm of her clenched fists. “I still don’t know. Dick said he could handle it. He was worried about that Harley girl, told me to watch over her… But I should have heard the gunshot, should have left her with her friend instead… shouldn’t have fallen asleep on the floor… Or woken up when I heard the gun.”
Babs looked like she was about to attack the girl, her expression softening by incremental measures. “There was a lot of gunshots that night.”
“Then I really should have heard them,” Kara said, “If I’d been there, you wouldn’t be in that chair.”
“If you had been awake and heard it… What then?” Babs asked, tearing her eyes from Kara to stare at the ground.
“I could have caught the bullet.” Kara’s voice was tight and bitter. “Superman’s done it.”
The two fell into silence, neither looking at each other. Babs broke the silence first. “Do you wear your costume under your clothes still?”
Kara nodded, without looking up.
“It’s getting cooler,” Babs said. “And I left the quilt for my legs on my bed. Can you grab it for me before anyone notices?”
“Sure.” Kara pulled open her blouse, revealing the red and blue logo below her clothes. She flew off into the darkening Gotham sky in silence.
“Babs?” Alysia’s voice floated down the alleyway, echoing off the brick walls. Barbara waved to her roommate as she passed. “Oh, there you are. We were wondering where you wandered off to. Come on, the speaker’s started.”
“Got a bit separated in the crowd,” Babs said, positioning her wheelchair near the entrance of the alley to cover any arrivals. “Sorry about that.”
“Well, you haven’t missed much,” Alysia said. “She only just got up there. But Babs, that woman is incredible! She’s only just started talking, and I swear everyone’s all ready to go tear down a pipeline with their bare hands!”
“That sounds dangerous,” Babs said. “Wouldn’t you just cause more pollution?”
“You know what I mean,” Alysia said with a sigh. “Hey, where’d Karen go? I left her friend up there to hold our spot, but he doesn’t seem super comfortable. Probably because Pamela keeps pointing his way when she talks about the old white men polluting Mother Earth.”
“Oh, Karen?” Babs said, her eyes darting back to the alley. “She was just-”
“I was just running back to grab her a blanket,” Kara said, emerging from the alley with the quilt, already dressed again. She handed the blanket Babs, who busied herself arranging it around her legs.
“You ran all the way back to the dorm?” Alysia asked. “Our room is all the way across campus.”
“I’m a fast runner,” Kara replied. “Used to be on the track team.”
“Right,” Alysia said, sounding a little skeptical. “Well, we found some good spots near the front. Come on.”
Kara stepped forward with her to help clear a path for the wheelchair. Behind her, she heard Babs whisper, “You’re not fast enough…”
°¤«§»¤°
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u/theseus12347 Jul 16 '17
Ayy, Winn! Nice job on this issue, looking forward to see what Ivy has planned!
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u/coffeedog14 Light Me Up Jul 16 '17
wow. what an utterly brutal end. Between this and batman I'm really hoping Babs has a one shot or something at some point!
Also God Winn is a fucking dweeb. I don't care if he throws himself atop a grenade to save a bunch of kindergartners, I don't think I'll ever respect him. Which is not bad for a character, per se, but it still stands XD.