Yue

 Angelic

28th January

07:28 GMT -5

I knock on the door again. "Kara?"

"Yeah, I'm-. Just a sec-!"

I stand back a little and take a look around the hall outside Kara's apartment. I don't.. really know Metropolis boroughs or property prices, but it looks… Nice enough? Hard-wearing patterned carpet which looks like it gets vacuumed regularly, a few photographs of local places of interest on the walls and essentially for Kara, no tolerance for random people turning up to bother Superman's cousin.

The door swings open, and Kara steps back to allow me inside. She's wearing a white blouse and blue jeans, and… Her emotional balance looks a little healthier?

I close the door behind me. "Not planning on wearing Kryptonian clothing?"

She looks away a little awkwardly, shaking her head. "No. I.. thought about it, but then I realised that Match isn't-. He's kryptonian but he's not from Krypton." She looks back at me as I close the door behind me. "He isn't ever going to live on Krypton, or interact with any kryptonians other than Kal and I. I might as well just… Dress Earth."

"Did.. Kal-El talk to you about Daxam? Because my offer is still open, and it's not limited to him."

"They've got their own culture, and they weren't exactly…" She sighs and looks away again. "If a part of your culture you had absolutely no respect for was all that was left, would you bother going to see it?"

"My home country is Themyscira, and-."

"I mean England."

Hmm. "I want to come back with the 'if wrong, to be set right', but honestly?" I nod. "If the disconnect was that strong, I don't know. I was never that big-"

She walks towards the kitchen area. "Can I get you something?"

"-on. Oh, ah, no, thank you. I was never that big on Morris dancing anyway."

She picks up a half-empty coffee mug and turns around. "Morris dancing?"

"Country dancing with bells, sticks, handkerchiefs and a pole with ribbons on it. And accordion music. If that was all that survived I don't think I'd make a point of stopping by."

She nods. "Did you know that Kal didn't actually know when his birthday was until I told him?"

I frown. "No. What, didn't Jor-El put that information on his recordings?"

She shakes her head, then takes a sip of her coffee. "Neural clones aren't simple to create, and they really aren't people. Uncle Jor started work on it before Kal was born. He's been celebrating his birthday on the day he arrived on Earth ever since he arrived here."

I smile. "Is he going to change it, or is Superman going to get an 'official' birthday?"

"I don't.. think he really cared. I suppose it's not-." She shrugs as she tips her mug back and downs the coffee. "Not a big deal for him. His life.. here.. started when his foster parents picked him up."

I nods as she takes her mug to the sink and puts it in the basin.

"Ready to go?" She nods, walking back towards me. "Do I.. need to worry about crowding Match?"

"No. I remember from history class that clone soldiers were pretty much fully.. ready for the world the moment they were let out of their pods. And Uncle Jor will make sure the programming includes us."

"Assuming that the programming works." I raise my right hand and generate a zeta tube. "After you."

28th January

07:30 GMT -5

"Recognised, Kara Zor-El, A four five, Orange Lantern, B zero six."

Kon and M'gann look around as we materialise. Kon smiles and M'gann waves happily to Kara with her right hand while Kon holds her left. Kara raises her right hand to return the greeting. Kal-El-.

"Where's Kal-El?"

Kon glances down the corridor. "He's in medical already. Probably.. checking things over." He shrugs nonchalantly, then starts strolling down the corridor in that direction. "Or something."

Kara frowns as we follow him. "I don't think Kal actually-."

The door opens in front of Kon and he gasps. "Superman? What happened?"

Kara darts forward at more-than-human speed, nudging M'gann and Kon aside to get inside. I'm a little worried myself; treating a kryptonian with significant injuries isn't exactly a simple endeavour, and I'm sure that Mr White will expect him in the office on Monday.

"It's-. Kara, calm down." I enter the room and see a shirtless Kal-El sitting on one of the unoccupied biers. Bruises are appearing all over his torso, and I can see what are clearly heat vision burn slashes across his chest and.. face. And I think that's going to be a black eye. "It's just a few bruises. I've had worse before."

Kon looks over the injuries while Kara cautiously hugs her cousin. "General Zod?"

"No, not this time." His eyes meet mine and what have you done? "When you said she didn't want to talk to me, you sure weren't kidding."

"Sir… What happened?"

"Huh?" Kon looks at me. Oh.. marvellous.

"I located a certain individual on Earth. They expressed a desire not to be contacted further. It appears that Kal-El managed to locate them."

"I didn't appreciate-" He rolls his right shoulder and winces. "-exactly how strongly she felt about it."

"Sir, she was in the navy. You're lucky you're not dead."

"Wait, there's-" Kara looks from Kal-El to me. "-another kryptonian?" I nod awkwardly. "What's her name?"

"Karsta Wor-Ul." My eyes meet Kal-El's. "Did the two of you reach an accord at some point, or is she leaving?"

"She didn't-" He picks up a new pullover and pulls it over his head, hiding most of his injuries. "-say." He looks around at each of us. "But don't worry. I'll get better in no time." He floats off the bier and onto the floor. "And.. I'm.. disappointed about it, but I got the message. I won't bother her again." He walks over to Match's bier and looks down at his sleeping face. The lights I remember from when I first saw him like this are far fewer in number now, no longer scanning or altering him but just keeping him unconscious. "How about we wake him up now?"

Kon nods, then looks vaguely upwards. "Jor-El? How is he?"

"Match is now a flawless clone of my son. Physically, he is as Kal-El was during his fifteenth year. As best as I can determine his mind is healthy. His sleeping patterns match what my records say was normal for cloned kryptonians at this point in their development, and I have cross-referenced them with the records held by Har-Zod and with Cadmus. If there are any ongoing problems they cannot be identified by data currently at my disposal."

Ah. I glance at Kal-El, who makes momentary eye contact with me and gives me a small nod. That would explain it.

Kon nods. "Okay. Let him out and wake him up."

"Of course. Don't be surprised-" The lights go off and the crystal begins being retracted from around Match's body. "-if he doesn't recognise you immediately. It may take several seconds for him to become fully cognisant of his surroundings."

"Yeah, sure."

There's a quiet grunt from Match as the last of the crystals fall away and he transitions to what I assume is natural sleep.

"Match?"

Match's eyes flicker, then open.