sectofsupergirl

[sectofsupergirl]

Day 8 of Summer of Supergirl: Unity

Summer of Supergirl is a month long event in June, where every day I post a short fic themed to the day’s prompt. You can find the prompt list here.

Linda had known about Supergirl for a while before meeting her and.. becoming her. Now, with her memories, Linda was closer to her than either of them had ever thought was possible for two people.

It’s almost unsettling, being inside of the head of someone she’d been a fan of. Knowing how she thinks, what she feels— what she’s been through— makes it all feel so surreal.

She’d been like a bird, moving between places, trying to find somewhere safe— and not fitting in anywhere. She gave Linda everything because that’s who she was— but also because she’d been profoundly unhappy.

Linda rubbed the cloth of Supergirl’s cape between her fingers. She’d thought that with a life like hers, doing what she did— she’d’ve been happier. But it turns out falling in love with the wrong person isn’t something that’s limited to human girls.

[sectofsupergirl]

Day 7 of Summer of Supergirl: Misunderstanding

Summer of Supergirl is a month long event in June, where every day I post a short fic themed to the day’s prompt. You can find the prompt list here.

The first thing Mae notices when she wakes up is that nobody is next to her. She, unlike Clark, needs to sleep about as much as human does. Lex sleeps when he has the time to, in between all the work he does for metropolis. Still, she knows when she fell asleep, Lex was there— and the lack of sunlight from their wall-to-ceiling windows says it must be before dawn.

She feels disconcerted— everything around her is unfamiliar. The bed she’s on is smaller than Lex’s, the room she’s in has different floors and walls and decor.

The unfamiliarity makes her heart race and her body feel like it’s been drenched in cold water. The last time she woke up somewhere strange, with no memories of her journey— it seems so long ago now, but the loss of her home hangs over her still. She gets out of bed quietly, gently flying less than a foot above the ground so the sounds of her footsteps won’t alert anyone to her presence. She opens the door to the hallway, and begins to explore the building she’s in, trying to find some clue that would trigger her memories and tell her her purpose here.

Despite just about everything in his life falling apart, or maybe because of it, Dick clung to routine. He never used to be the type— He got bored easily, and forgot things even easier. Eating breakfast every day or sleeping at the same time just weren't possibilities. Now, though, it was important. Half for Damian, since Dick knew the poor kid needed something stable in his life, and thrived off of sameness. The other half was to give himself something to cling to.

It's a school night. Damian's been put to bed after patrol, and Dick has his scheduled 20-minutes of breathing time before he passes out. He'll be lucky to get into pajamas.

He only wanders into the kitchen to get water, and then he... stalls. Something feels wrong.

Mae hears someone in a room down the hall— she presses against the wall of the hallway, making herself invisible. She can’t make herself silent— the sound of her breathing is loud in the sudden silence— the other person’s gone still too.

Dick should know better than to panic. After all these years, he should respond with a practiced calm. It could just be Damian. It's probably just Damian.

He grabs his phone and turns on the flashlight, as he makes his way towards the breathing.

There’s something familiar about him, the way he walks. Mae startles a little as the man brushes against her invisible arm— her focus fails and just as she accidentally shifts into visibility, she pushes him away with her shield— propelling herself backwards a little, right into the wall. The wall crumples a little behind her— she’s never seen a wall bend so easily. Something is strange here.

“Who are you?!” She’s loud, and she’s remembering the last time again— how her confusion drives her to anger. Something is wrong here, and she’s frustrated with not knowing what.

"Who are you?" His stance is defensive, still, ready to restrain her if he has to. But her confusion is what gets him—Not to mention the outfit. The hair. She's Supergirl but... not.

“I’m Supergirl.” The ‘obviously’ is left unsaid. She hovers, back still to the damaged wall. He recovered from her push earlier than expected. The man in front of her is clearly trained— she’s used to fighting civilians and monsters and robots, not trained humans. Is this the doing of one of Lex’s business rivals? Sending an assassin to take out Lex’s strongest bodyguard and leave him vulnerable? “Who do you work for?”

"I know Supergirl." He just about rolls his eyes. Really, her disguise was good for someone who probably hadn't met her— She might've fooled someone else. But Dick had worked with Kara a few times now. This woman was not that kid. "You aren't her."

She looks down at her costume as if she’s checking if it’s still there, then back at the man in front of her, eyes narrowing in confusion and frustration.

“I’m not sure who you’re talking about, but I am Supergirl.” The ‘clearly’ is again left unsaid.

"Supergirl is sixteen." Which is.. probably not public info, actually. She looks sixteen, to him— But what the hell does he know? The public could think she's 25. The public took months to notice the Batman swap.

Her nose scrunches up a little in that annoyed sort of way.

“No, Superboy is sixteen. Don’t mix me up with him, please.”

"Which Superboy are you thinking of? Because neither is sixteen." Rubbing his temple. This conversation is giving him a migraine.

“The only Superboy I know prefers to be called Superman. I- I prefer to call him Kid or something similar. I knew the real Superman. He was the most honorable man I’ve ever met, save for Draaga. Everything he did— I’ve tried to take on his mission without replacing him. Not that others provide him the same courtesy…” She musn’t cry in front of this stranger. She tries to not cry at all, truly. Her outburst with Lois still eats away at her— how could she burden her, be around her wearing his symbol?

“Many people have shown up— after his death, claiming to be him… returned, or something of the like. Perhaps your Superboy and Supergirl are these wannabe types.”

Dick has to... This is the point where he has to admit reality. This girl isn't a poser or a fake. She's probably from somewhere else.

God, he hates dimensional travel. "I... listen, okay, weird question. What year do you think it is?"

[sectofsupergirl]

Day 6 of Summer of Supergirl: Identity

Summer of Supergirl is a month long event in June, where every day I post a short fic themed to the day’s prompt. You can find the prompt list here.

(Rewrite of Adventures of Superman #489)

She’s been many different things to many different people. The frigid emptiness of space gnaws at her as she stands on this planet with so thin an atmosphere. The Cellkeeper stands next to her, in front of the grave of her newest friend.

Draaga had fought and died to protect her. Supergirl. She hasn’t taken this form since she was on her own Earth. That feels like a lifetime ago, now. Implanted memories of Lana’s mix with memories of Clark’s from the Eradicator and with her own memories to create someone she can’t quite recognise when she looks in the mirror.

Supergirl is the closest thing to a true identity she’s ever had. And Earth is the closest thing to a home she’s ever had. The barren rock where Draaga will rest forever may be more familiar to her now than Earth is, but it’s far from being a home. The Cellkeeper is saying some sort of comforting nonsense, but she can’t bother to pay much attention. His helmet sits on top of his gravestone. Next to his grave lies the Cleric, who died after giving Superman the Eradicator.

She doesn’t know if Draaga would appreciate that or hate it. She doesn’t know much of anything anymore. She wasn’t there when Superman first met the Cleric nor when he first met Draaga. She hadn’t even been created when he’d first visited her home universe.

“Draaga gave his life to save you— there is great honor in such a passing. Matrix— do not be sad.” The Cellkeeper tries to comfort her. She knows the value in what he says; Draaga valued honor above all else. He would be at peace with his death. Still, she mourns him.

“In my existence, I have seen the death of my world, my friends— now this friend.” Death seems to follow her wherever she goes. She cannot save those she loves. “For too long, I wandered the galaxies, frozen in the form of Superman… unsure of who I was supposed to be, or where I belonged.”

“You have found that which you seek?”

“This is the image I assumed when Draaga attacked me, thinking I was Superman. It is the form he died protecting. This “skin” feels right, and the name “Supergirl” does suit me.”

“Where will you go?”

“Earth.” She has nowhere else to go. Nowhere else where people know her. She can’t be Superman— but maybe she can help.

[sectofsupergirl]

Day 5 of Summer of Supergirl: Sweet

Summer of Supergirl is a month long event in June, where every day I post a short fic themed to the day’s prompt. You can find the prompt list here.

She climbs the stairs quickly— she’d normally just fly up the stairwell to Lex’s office, but today she’s trying to surprise him. She’d become invisible to make sure his cameras lost track of her; she’d be more concerned about his surveillance of her, but she’s been witness already to what his enemies will do to get to him. Sometimes even his own employees will turn on him.

Lana helped her make some simple cookies. Mae knows Lex probably won’t eat them— he can be very particular about his food, especially with the risk of poisoning.

Still, if he doesn’t, it’s a nice gift for his employees. She isn’t quite so close to them as she’d like to be. She knows some of them think poorly of her— that she’s some sort of empty-headed blonde— but most of them are kind enough and do their jobs well.

She worries over the things she’s overheard as she continues to climb the stairs to the top floor of the tower. Is it so horrible to love someone and be loved back? They think of her as Lex’s pet, simply because she does ask he asks— but she doesn’t do them solely because of that, but also because she believes in Metropolis. She does as he asks because she wants to.

[sectofsupergirl]

Day 4 of Summer of Supergirl: Creation

Summer of Supergirl is a month long event in June, where every day I post a short fic themed to the day’s prompt. You can find the prompt list here.

Linda’s an artist. She’s made sculptures for years, although her subject has varied.

Mae has never had much time for art. It’s always been interesting to her, but with all the evil in the world, there was no room in her schedule. Not that she’s ever really understood how it’s made, either.

Still, it’s Linda’s birthday. She feels silly even doing all this, trying to get her something. Linda’s here, as always, her soul mixing with Mae’s own. There’s no way to ever surprise her.

She should just know what Linda wants. The same way she knows the name of her fifth grade teacher, the same way she knows what happened with Buzz. And yet, she finds herself not wanting to know. It seems almost like cheating to just search the recesses of her mind for the answer.

Linda means too much to her for her to go the easy route, and so here she is, looking at art. Not sculptures, just paintings and prints and the like. She feels almost as if she could just touch them and feel the things they depict. She can’t touch any of it though, not without buying it.

Money has always confused her. Her own Earth was long past the need for capitalism— what would you sell and buy on a planet with no remaining natural resources? All they had was the fight against tyranny. The Kents did all the shopping when she stayed with them. She couldn’t very well go to the store not knowing how to speak, not to mention being a shade of purple. With Lex, money just didn’t matter. He had so much of it and owned so much of Metropolis that if she needed anything, she could get it without much thought.

With Linda, things are a bit more complicated. Linda’s own knowledge mixing with hers has helped her understand things more. Still, there are gaps in her practical understanding of things. She understands how much art should cost, as Linda sells hers— but how to go about buying it from a gallery… not so much.

It’s harder to tell who’s an employee and who’s not, in places like this— at the stores, usually there’s a uniform or color scheme. She’s waved to one or two people already who ended up not working here, and she’s beginning to feel discouraged. Maybe she can find something somewhere easier. She remembers in Metropolis, sometimes artists would sell their work by the road, at a park.

It’s been a while since she’s been to Metropolis. With as much as Lex owns there and with how long she worked with Team Luthor there, her memories of it are tainted. She’d go as Linda, but that defeats the purpose of trying to keep them as separate as possible so she can get her a gift.

Perhaps she can ask Ma to help her pick something. It’s been easier lately, being able to talk to Ma and Pa about her life as Linda.

[sectofsupergirl]

Day 3 of Summer of Supergirl: Tomorrow

Summer of Supergirl is a month long event in June, where every day I post a short fic themed to the day’s prompt. You can find the prompt list here.

He’d been in space for months now. He still doesn’t know what he’s looking for, really. He just knows what he isn’t and cannot be. He isn’t human, and he isn’t Superman, and at least for now there’s no place on Earth for him.

Space feels more freeing, and somehow more familiar. The desolate landscapes remind him of home, and the aliens here know nothing about him. The stars and the frigid nothing of the space between planets fill him with a sense of loneliness still. But he cannot hurt anyone out here.

His memory of it all comes and goes. Mostly goes. The implanted memories of Lana’s are long gone, and his memories of the early days in the lab are fuzzy and distorted.

And yet, still, he hopes. That he’ll wake up and it’ll all be a bad dream. He’d wake up back home and Lex will tell her that she and Superman stopped them and they’re rebuilding Earth. Or he’d wake up back with the Kents as if he’d never believed he was Superman and hurt them, and he’d get to learn more about the daily life of humans on their Earth.

He’s beginning to realise that’s never going to happen. Maybe Space doesn’t hold the secrets to happiness either. Maybe the only real home he’ll ever find is the one he left behind.

[sectofsupergirl]

Day 2 of Summer of Supergirl: Purpose. Find on AO3 Here.

Summer of Supergirl is a month long event in June, where every day I post a short fic themed to the day’s prompt. You can find the prompt list here.

Mae could never leave well enough alone. It was impossible for her to see someone in need and not help, in the same way it was impossible for her to not hope for the best. Trying to stop her was sort of like trying to stop the tide of the ocean by scooping water up with your hands.

In a world full of complex rules and issues, Mae found her motivations to be very simple— she wants to help people, she wants to be human, and she wants her loved ones to live happily forever after.

Things are so much more complicated here than where she was created. The concept of laws— of governmental jurisdiction— hadn’t really crossed her mind until Superman’s death and the incidents with Cadmus. When they spoke of having the legal right to do what they were doing, she found herself lost— why should laws or rules matter in a situation where they’re clearly in the wrong?

Lex Luthor lived for laws. Whenever he could, he found loopholes. Dr. Kelley exposed him for everything, and he slipped out of doing any real jail time. Dr. Kelley, however, went to jail for life. Lex will always find a scapegoat.

He’d tried to blame the murder of Sasha Green on his janitor too.

Since she left him, her life’s been in disarray. She can’t stay with the Kents. She’s learned it puts them in danger— not only because of her, but also because people know about her now. Travelling back and forth from the Kents’ feels ever more dangerous when she knows about Luthor’s trackers and surveillance.

But she can’t stay with Liz Perske forever either. She’s a woman with her own responsibilities— and ever since she had to jump out of a window to help people, she’s felt like a burden on her. Liz didn’t seem too bothered, but it just reminds her of when she’d left Lex in that plane to help Superman. Lex had been so upset with her— her impulsivity puts those around her in danger.

Everything was so simple where she was created. She was born, and then she would fight the Kryptonian criminals and hope to save the surviving humans in the process. Everything changed with her fetchquest for Superman, when she’d woken up so confused. Everything was strange, dead people walking and lost cities standing.

When she’d lost everything and been taken back to that strange world, it was an uphill battle to learn all the new rules. Without Lana’s memories or Lex there to guide her, she found herself reliant on people who didn’t understand her to teach her things she barely knew before. And the Eradicator…

[sectofsupergirl]

Day 1 of Summer of Supergirl: Beginning. Find it on AO3 here.

Summer of Supergirl is a month long event in June, where every day I post a short fic themed to the day’s prompt. You can find the prompt list here.

She was born in Smallville. She used to have false memories of a childhood as Lana Lang, but those have since faded in favour of her memories of her time in the Lab, being created. Waking up and seeing her creator for the first time, in all his righteous glory.

He seemed so beautiful and so hopeful, moulding her into who she is today. He was kind to her, even as he told her about her mission. She fought alongside him for a while, losing a battle of attrition. By the time she was created, all that remained was Smallville. Lex told her that their world once looked like the one she lives on now, with sunlight and trees and cars and animals. People of all different shapes and sizes, deserts and mountains and rainforests.

All that’s left now is protected by a dome, a glass half-circle locking them in and locking the Kryptonians out. It’s empty now, with her in Clark’s universe and everyone else dead. The entire universe is devoid of life, save for maybe the Time Trapper.

There's so much more here. Even before the Kryptonians were freed and began their reign, her home had been plagued by another genocide. The Time Trapper erased countless planets and solar systems, just so he could have a Krypton and an Earth to play dolls with.

This Earth was just its own little corner of the universe, surrounded by alien planets full of life and culture of their own. She doesn’t have to stay here, on Earth. But she’s done her travels— after the death of Draaga, none of it seems quite so welcoming anymore. She still feels more free, when she flies around space. More at home than amongst the civilian populace of Earth.

She feels like maybe that’s wrong of her. To feel a bit out of place everywhere, but especially on Earth. She was created to protect humanity— albeit a different group of humans than the one she protects now, but still. She’s always drawn to them, but she’s still separate from them. At least the aliens won’t hate her for not being human.

Her creator never hated her, she remembers. He truly was proud of her, not just himself— his own creation, travelling across time and space and universes to save them. He let her believe she was human for a while. She’s not quite sure if she’s upset with him for it or thankful for the time she’d had as Lana.

Maybe it would be easier if she could talk to him. If he could have told her the truth himself, instead of telling Superman. But she, impulsive as ever, had gotten herself knocked unconscious long before his death in Superman’s arms.

She really does mess everything up for herself.

[sectofsupergirl]

Summer of Supergirl has an AO3 Collection now.

Summer of Supergirl Prompt List

June 1: Beginning

June 2: Purpose

June 3: Tomorrow

June 4: Creation

June 5: Sweet

June 6: Identity

June 7: Misunderstanding

June 8: Unity

June 9: Metropolis

June 10: Memory

June 11: Hope

June 12: Nature

June 13: Birth

June 14: Space

June 15: Friendship

June 16: Radio

June 17: Home

June 18: Jewel

June 19: Crusade

June 20: Flight

June 21: Sunshine

June 22: Humanity

June 23: Smallville

June 24: Transform

June 25: Conflict

June 26: Laboratory

June 27: Delusion

June 28: Change

June 29: Time

June 30: Death & Mourning

[sectofsupergirl]

Jean-Paul isn’t entirely sure how he ended up here. Not in so far as he lost track of the order of events, but more that he must have blacked out at some point. The Batman suit is heavy on him, the way he’s collapsed onto the ground. A woman sits next to him, and his eyes adjust just enough to make out the S symbol on her chest.

“Batman, you’re going to have to get up. I’m having a hard enough time fighting them off and keeping you shielded, I can’t help you up right now.” Supergirl says through gritted teeth, and he manages to keep his eyes open enough to realise that despite all the chaos, there’s a space about a foot around him in all directions that’s completely untouched by flying debris. Her shield, he thinks, until everything else clicks into place and he drags himself up into standing position. His head really hurts.

[sectofsupergirl]

maekon ficlet / drabble, find on ao3 here

“I don’t want you to think I’m not still mad at you.” She whispers by his ear as she begins pulling his jacket down off his shoulders. “But it’s— in the past.”

“You’re still mad at me?” Kon frowns, incredulous, but he helps her take his jacket off all the same, and once he’s free of it he trails his hands up her sides. “I gotta say, you’re giving some mixed signals.”

“Can’t you just pretend we’re human and come make a mistake with me?” She could easily just melt away her shirt, but she pulls it off over her head anyways, savoring the sensation of air on her human skin, dropping the telekinetic field she usually uses to protect herself.

“I’ll come, but I’m not sure I’d call that a mistake.” He grins, wide, and the joke is so stupid and so un-Lex that she pulls him in to kiss him again. His hands settle on her hips, and she feels a little like she’s in the weirdest teen movie for about ten seconds before she registers what he’s said and jerks away.

“I’m not- we’re not- I just wanted to kiss for a while, is all.” She just wants to feel human for a moment, and maybe she shouldn’t have gone to another non-human for that, but she thought maybe he’d understand. She swallows synthetic saliva with her synthetic mouth and her synthetic body and moves her synthetic hands away from him.

“That’s cool- we’re cool, it’s cool.” He placates, hands up and facing out. Mae finds herself grinning and she feels stupid but it’s fine because they’re both stupid. It’s fine. They’ll be stupid together, just this once, and then they can go back to being— helpful.

“I do think you’re cool,” she says, hesitating for a moment.

[sectofsupergirl]

She and Kon sit together on Bart’s rug. He and Kon are playing some video game Mae doesn’t recognise. Sped-up music plays in the background. Mae leans against Kon, resting her head on his shoulder. The position isn’t exactly the peak of comfort, but the feeling of Kon’s leather jacket pressing into her cheek is a welcome distraction from where her mind was wandering.

It’s hard not to think about Lex. How he could do all that to her and go on with his life, she doesn’t understand. She’s trying not to think too much about him anymore. It seems like he doesn’t think much about her, anyways.

Kon starts laughing, and Mae has to catch herself to avoid losing her balance. She moves away from him, sitting instead a bit closer to the tv, facing towards the window and Bart and Kon. She finds it easier to focus on the birds in the trees and the texture of the rug beneath her than on the game they’re playing.

[sectofsupergirl]

She’d decided she needs a major change in her life to fix things. Fusing with Linda has definitely been a change. Her mind feels like it’s been broken up into a bunch of pieces and then scrambled around and dumped in sewage from a church. She has pop culture knowledge she’s pretty sure she didn’t have before, slang coming from her lips like it’s as natural as anything else. She has memories that she’s definitely sure she didn’t have before, too. Memories of parents, school, a boyfriend…. a human life.

She’s always felt separate from humanity, despite being from Earth too. Maybe it’s because she was created in homage to an alien, maybe it’s because Lex Luthor didn’t think to program her with things conducive to living a life away from his side. She doesn’t know.

[sectofsupergirl]

LindaMae work for @wlwdcchampionship. Find the full thing on AO3 here.

She’d never really been able to feel things, physically. Her telekinetic field kept everything at a safe distance. Things have changed a bit- she still doesn’t feel most things, but now she feels Linda. Her hands are Linda’s hands, filled with Linda’s blood and Linda’s soul. It feels almost like the light crackle of her telekinetic field, just on the inside of her skin.

“Linda? Can you hear me?” She whispers, aware of how odd it would look if someone overheard her talking to herself like this. Humans do that a lot– talk to themselves. But not quite like this, she’s certain. There’s no reply, of course, but she knows she just has to put it up to faith. She has to believe Linda can hear her, because she can feel Linda’s presence. She wonders for a moment if Linda can feel her too, or if it feels different for her.

[sectofsupergirl]

LindaMae drabble for @wlwdcchampionship. Find it on AO3 here. I’ve posted the drabble here under the cut as well, since it’s 200 ish words.

Matrix was an Amenlee, an angel serving God and doing Hir will. She’s meant to operate as a guardian angel, guiding humans to the path of God.

Matrix is not an Amenlee anymore.

Not in any real sense of the word. She failed to help Linda repeatedly, possibly doing more damage than good. Linda survived her failure and reached out to God on her own, and it’s the only thing that saved Matrix. Linda, someone who has never been truly helped in her life, pushed past the hell of her own life to reach for heaven.

Matrix has been able to let go of her doubts and fears and the natural draw of Hell, because of one prayer from her human. That prayer freed Matrix, and in turn, she and Linda became one.

Being one with a Human might have concerned her before. Her fears about Humanity had plagued her, her disgust for them had made her job as a guardian angel almost untenable. She’d almost killed Linda’s boyfriend, almost stooped to the Human level purely to destroy another.

She’s free of those fears, now. She knows Linda’s mind. Linda would have always eventually realised the horror of the life she’d been living. Matrix cannot say the same about herself.

[sectofsupergirl]

LindaMae Steal for @wlwdcchampionship. Find the full thing on AO3 here.

Linda doesn’t speak to her often. Most of their communication is through shared memories and emotions. Their communication seems to wax and wane, but she feels Linda’s presence all the same.

She reaches out to Linda’s reflection in the mirror, pressing her fingertips to the cold glass. She looks so different from Mae– so very human. She almost wishes she could touch her for real, look at her face-to-face, like people do with each other. But she can’t imagine being separated from her again. She doesn’t even know if Linda could survive such a thing. It’s painful, wanting to interact with Linda in a human way, but knowing that in order to do that, she’d have to give up her humanity. She’d have to risk everything.

[sectofsupergirl]

The room is full of slick pods with curled up distortions of herself inside each one, staring back at her like some kind of nightmare funhouse mirror. The man next to her is filled with pride at the sight, and has started talking to her like she should be honored to be part of this.

He thinks she’s someone else. Maybe she is. How could she be so stupid as to think Lex really thought of her as an equal?

She’s been a weapon since her creation. Every time she tries to be a weapon for good, something redirects her in the wrong direction. The Eradicator twisting her intentions, Brainiac controlling her, Lex manipulating her, every time she’s tried to do good for Earth, something’s twisted her intentions.