"I think there's only one explanation," Kara said firmly, her gaze locked on Adrian in the distance. "He came from the future, just like us."
Wonder Woman arched a brow, clearly unimpressed by the claim.
"He's always been cunning," she replied coolly. "That trait runs deep. If you let him deceive you, Kara, he'll seize control before you even realize it." Her tone carried familiarity, as though she had known Adrian far longer than she should have.
Kara sighed, frustration lacing her voice. "I only wanted to greet Clark. But he clearly has some kind of prejudice against me. Considering how the Kents look at me, there must be some misunderstanding."
Wonder Woman exhaled through her nose, tone sharp. "Can we focus on the immediate problem? This isn't the time for family drama."
Before Kara could respond, a cold voice cut through the air.
Adrian's eyes gleamed with icy detachment as he stared at the trio. "Why are you standing with her, Kara? Are you planning to team up against us?"
Kara blinked, glancing between her teammates and her tense cousin. "Wait… did we know each other before?"
Adrian's lips curved into a faint smirk. "Of course we did. We fought once. You lost consciousness, remember? You had to rely on Jor-El's power to escape." His words dripped with sarcasm. "And now you've brought backup? Sorry, but I've never had much respect for people who can't win alone."
"I was knocked out by you?" Kara's expression hardened, anger flashing in her eyes.
Her rebellious side erupted. With a sonic boom, she vanished—reappearing before Adrian in a blur of motion.
Clark's eyes narrowed. Kara's speed… it was far greater than before.
Adrian didn't flinch. He drove his heel into the ground, cracking the earth beneath him before launching into the sky. The air thundered as he broke the sound barrier, leaving a spiraling vapor cone behind.
Kara didn't hesitate. She shot upward, matching his velocity, and the sky lit with streaks of lightning as their figures blurred across the horizon.
Below, Clark clenched his jaw, watching their forms vanish into the distance. Jealousy twisted inside him.
He still couldn't fly—and that fact burned more than he cared to admit.
"So," Clark muttered, lowering his gaze toward the remaining two. "Do you two plan to fight me now?"
Green Lantern raised a calming hand, the emerald light around his ring dimming. "Not my intention. We just want to talk."
He carefully set the unconscious Dana on the ground and continued, "Tigress and Sportsmaster got what they deserved. But this girl… she didn't. Whatever she's done, she didn't deserve death."
Clark frowned. He didn't like Adrian's decision either—but he liked being lectured even less.
"Then talk to him. Though I should warn you… he doesn't exactly take criticism well."
Wonder Woman took a deliberate step forward. "Perhaps, Clark Kent, you should hear some criticism too." Her tone cut like a blade. "Because sometimes, you're no better than a silent accomplice."
As she spoke, she slipped off her black cloak—revealing her full armor.
Golden-red plates gleamed under the light, molded in a regal Greek design. Silver bracers encased her wrists, her tiara glittered with a single star, and at her waist hung a coiled lasso and twin short swords. Her long, raven hair framed her strong yet striking features.
A single silver coin rested against the bare skin above her chest—an Olympia coin. Clark recognized it instantly.
He had been studying ancient Greek culture for his history paper.
A coin bearing Zeus's likeness on one side and an eagle on the other, once used to pay Charon, the ferryman of the River Styx. In Greek myth, that coin was the price of passage into the afterlife.
The symbolism wasn't lost on him. Wonder Woman was a warrior who carried both beauty and death in her stride.
And Clark, a teenage boy still learning the weight of his own power, found himself momentarily speechless.
"I have many scores to settle with your brother," Wonder Woman said, raising her swords. "But for you, Clark Kent… we have business as well."
Before he could respond, she lunged.
"Hah!" The air screamed as her twin blades slashed downward.
"Great," Hal muttered from behind, rolling his eyes. "Every time I team up with hot-headed women, someone starts throwing punches." His Green Lantern ring pulsed, and he joined the fray.
Clark dodged the first strike, his reflexes sharp. He may have been young, but his Kryptonian body moved with power. In raw strength and speed, only Adrian surpassed him.
After avoiding another swing, he pivoted behind Wonder Woman, fist coiling back. "Sorry, Princess," he muttered, driving a punch toward her back.
Before the blow could land, a flash of emerald energy surged forward—a fire truck, of all things—slamming into Clark and sending him tumbling through the dirt.
"Ugh!" Clark groaned, shaking his head. "Did I just get hit by a fire truck?"
Hal smirked, lowering his hand as the green construct dissolved. "Oh, yeah. That's right, kid. Green Lantern's got range."
He puffed out his chest. "Now stand back, Diana. Watch how it's done."
His ring glowed bright again, forming a massive emerald gauntlet around his fist. "Green Lantern is omnipotent!" he declared before soaring toward Clark.
Clark exhaled sharply, eyes narrowing. "Show-off."
He clenched his fists, muscles tightening. When Hal swung, Clark's counterpunch shattered the glowing construct into shards of green energy.
"What the—?" Hal stared in disbelief before Clark's second punch connected squarely with his chest.
The Green Lantern was sent flying, crashing through the barn wall in a cloud of splinters and dust.
Wonder Woman sighed, muttering, "Now I see why the ring chose him. Takes courage—or stupidity—to face someone like that head-on."
Without missing a beat, she charged again, twin blades flashing with divine light. They weren't ordinary weapons—they pulsed with magic, gifts from Hephaestus himself. Each swing hummed with power that could cleave through steel.
Clark dodged, feeling the burn of each near miss. He could sense the magic's danger even without being struck.
Just as he prepared to retaliate, the golden rope at her waist lashed out, wrapping tightly around his arm.
"Hoo-ah!" Wonder Woman pulled hard, dragging Clark toward her with inhuman strength.
Caught off guard, Clark was yanked forward, his body crashing into hers. His arms were bound, the rope's magic searing into his skin.
The Lasso of Truth—he couldn't break it.
In desperation, he remembered what had worked against Adrian before. He gritted his teeth and rammed his forehead into hers.
The impact stunned her for a brief second, but then a fierce glare lit her eyes. With a growl, she gripped the rope tighter and rose into the air, lifting Clark effortlessly.
He barely had time to brace.
Her head slammed down like a meteor.
The ground erupted.
Clark hit with a thunderous crash, debris flying as the earth cracked beneath him. He lay in the crater, gasping, his body aching from the blow.
He blinked up at her silhouette through the settling dust.
That move… he'd been hit by it before.
By Adrian.
A chilling thought crossed his mind.
Why did she know his technique? What was their connection?
As Clark lay there, dazed and breathless, those questions echoed in his head—unanswered and unsettling.
____
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