Gearing Up

The figure of the man on the tv spoke out. "People of Earth! My name is General Zod..."

FUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-

"…"

This was bad... This was really bad! I didn't expect my life to go into hard mode so quickly. I was going to have to fight Kryptonians... a lot of Kryptonians. This was going to suck. I was going to get my ass kicked, no doubt about it, but I had to go. And I had to win.

I was a bit worked up and had inadvertently tuned out most of Zod's speech, but I got the gist. It was basically just him demanding the world hand over the secret alien that has been living amongst them... AKA Clark. Afterwards, they would leave our planet peacefully. As if! I'm pretty sure they were planning on killing all life on Earth as they terraform the world to be the next Krypton!

I'd finished putting on my superhero outfit and was about to head out when there was an erratic pounding at my door.

"It's open, just come in!" I shouted.

The door flung open, and in sped Alice and Rosalie, both of them sporting panicked looks. "Oh my gosh, Kara, did you see the TV!?" Alice exclaimed. "Aliens, actual aliens are here! That's insane." I wonder how she'd react if she knew she was currently talking to one...

Rosalie looked at me in my costume. "Are you going out?" She asked with concern in her voice.

"Yep," I said. "I'm going to go and meet up with Superman to discuss what needs to be done. We may have to end up fighting those aliens to the death soon..." I said with some hesitation.

"What!?" Alice replied, shock in her voice. "But they said they would leave peacefully once they got who they wanted..." she trailed off.

"Alice, listen to me," I said seriously. "Zod literally threatened to attack the entire planet if we didn't hand over the alien... does that sound like a guy who will leave peacefully once he gets what he wants?"

The two vampires sported looks of shock and then sadness at what I just asked them. "No," Rosalie said. "They probably won't leave, will they?"

"The only reason they're not bombarding the planet from orbit right now is only because they fear they might hit the alien they're looking for," I explained to the two of them. "I have to go now, though, really. The world needs me," I declared.

Alice and Rosalie both ran up and gave me a cold hug with warm feelings. "Please be safe," Rosalie said solemnly.

"I can't promise that," I replied sadly. "But he gave the world 24 hours, so I don't think we'll fight just yet." With that said, I ran out the front door and rocketed into the sky. I quickly accelerated to Mach 5, heading to Smallville as fast as possible. I had to make it there in time before Clark did something dumb like turning himself in. I was also hoping he had some Kryptonite hidden away somewhere in case we needed it.

...

"Clark, you can't possibly be considering this!" I heard Martha scream from inside the house as I landed at the Kent farm.

"I have to, Ma! It's the only way they'll leave peacefully," Clark said to his mother with a defeated voice. Poor guy... He just made his hero debut yesterday, and now he has to deal with Zod trying to dissect him. Not that Clark knows that part yet...

I didn't bother knocking as I just casually let myself inside the house and walked towards where I heard the voices coming from. "Hi Aunt Martha, hi Clark," I said. "Oh, is that pie? I haven't eaten yet today. Do you mind if I have some?" She just gave me a confused look at where I had even come from. Clark had probably heard me coming but he still let out a sigh at my presence. I was just trying to be funny to break the room's tension... I decided to take her silence as a yes as I cut myself a slice of apple pie.

Martha snapped out of her confusion at my random entry once I sat down at the table. "Kara," she exclaimed, "please talk some sense into Clark! He can't turn himself over!" Clark just grimaced yet looked to me for some hope. He clearly didn't want to turn himself over to Zod either.

"Don't even think about it, Clark," I said to her relief. "You didn't grow up on Krypton." Technically, I didn't either, but still. "Zod was known as Krypton's fiercest general. Do you know why that is?" I asked him. He just shook his head no.

"Krypton's population was small," I explained. "We only had around 1 billion people total, and of those, only a few million served in the military. And yet, with those small numbers to work with, Zod always emerged victorious against enemy forces that outnumbered us by millions, sometimes even billions." They looked shocked when I said that. Yeah, as a general, this guy was terrifying. It's good he only has something like a dozen remaining troops at this point. "He was an absolute master of strategy and deceit. So, believe me when I tell you, he will not leave peacefully once he has you..."

Clark gulped before he solemnly nodded. "So what do we do then?"

I just told him we had to fly up to that ship and demand they leave immediately. If they didn't, we would have to destroy the ship itself!

"We'd have to destroy it?" Clark asked. "But wouldn't that kill everyone on board?" I could only hope so, but honestly, I doubted it. At most, we'd kill half, knowing our luck as heroes...

I knew Clark was extremely hesitant to kill from how he was raised. Even Martha looked put off by the thought of killing them. I internally sighed at these two, especially Martha Kent. They wanted to abduct her son and dissect him! Where were her motherly instincts to protect her baby boy!?

"Clark, that ship they're on has a world engine. It's basically a terraforming superweapon. If they deploy it, all life on this planet will cease..." I didn't say anything more as I could see he was starting to understand the gravity of the situation. Clark went silent for a moment before he frowned and started thinking about my words to himself. After about a minute, he finished his internal debate...

"Okay. We'll do it if we have to," Clark said begrudgingly. He agreed to destroy the ship only if necessary. "So what do we do now?"

I asked him if he had any Kryptonite.

"What's Kryptonite?" Martha asked.

"It's the glowing green rock that makes him sick and super weak." Clark just grimaced before saying he did have a few pieces stored away...

...

"If we are forced to destroy the ship, we must make absolutely sure that we don't do it over the city," I said. "The death toll, if we have to fight off any Kryptonians in a crowded location, would be catastrophic." I explained to Clark as we were rapidly flying towards the ship to get a closer look. At the moment, it was hovering high above Metropolis.

"Supergirl! Superman! Wait!" As we were flying above the city, I heard a familiar voice call out to us. I looked down and standing on the rooftop of the iconic Daily Planet building was Catherine Grant, the reporter who had first interviewed me. Next to her was the same cameraman whose name I couldn't remember, and Lena Luthor! I wondered why she was there.

I flew down to see what they wanted, and Clark followed me as well. We landed on the rooftop together as the trio approached us.

"We meet again, Supergirl." Lena Luthor smiled at me. "I didn't expect it would be under such troubling circumstances."

"And we are live," the cameraman said randomly. Really? Why are we live? I didn't even agree to another interview yet.

"Supergirl! Superman!" Catherine Grant ran up to me and Clark. "The people of the world are scared. They don't know what to do. This is our first encounter with extraterrestrial life, after all. Should we hand over the supposed alien? What do you think?" She fired off a whole bunch of questions at the two of us at once.

"I know that many of you out there are scared." To my surprise, Clark spoke up on his own! I am so proud! "And it's okay to be scared. Just know that no matter what happens, Supergirl and I will do absolutely everything in our power to protect this world and its people." I nodded along and smiled. Couldn't have said it better myself.

"Furthermore," I spoke up as the camera turned towards me. "We do not know if Zod would even truly go away if we handed over the alien." I said. "He threatened to attack the planet in 24 hours, after all. That doesn't exactly sound like the kind of being that wants peaceful contact," I said.

Catherine looked resigned as the camera turned to her momentarily. "So what are you going to do?" She asked us.

"In about 20 hours from now, an hour before the deadline, Superman and I are going to fly up to that ship." I explained to her and the millions probably watching live. "We are not going to leave it up to chance. We will demand that they leave our planet... or we will destroy their ship." Catherine gasped at my declaration.

"You believe you can do that? The military tried to shoot them down with missiles earlier, and they did nothing against the ship's energy shields."

"Yes," I said confidently. "The two of us can absolutely do it." Clark solemnly nodded next to me. I decided to do something a bit crazy before this interview ends. I turned to the camera and spoke. "I know that by the end of the day, billions of people will probably see this. Among you all are beings like Superman and myself who possess extraordinary gifts. If they don't choose to leave peacefully, I expect it will probably be an intense fight tomorrow even after Superman and I destroy their ship. If any other person with extraordinary abilities wishes to aid us tomorrow, Superman and I will be waiting atop the Daily Planet building two hours before Zod's deadline." Clark looked shocked that I basically just put out a global call for help, but then he smiled and nodded in agreement. Having backup would be nice, after all.

"Wow, Supergirl is asking for aid..." Catherine trailed off before smiling. "This reporter truly hopes that we see other heroes emerge tomorrow. Anything else before we go?"

I just grimaced. "I didn't want to cause a panic, but better safe than sorry," I said with a sigh. "Yes," I said with a sigh. "I think the people of Metropolis should evacuate by tomorrow morning at the latest... we will do our best to keep the potential fight out of the city, but it may still spill over." Clark agreed with me as he requested the same thing right after.

Catherine looked surprised at our request for millions of people to evacuate, but in the end, she agreed and also advised the people of the city to do so. Once the interview wrapped up, Catherine and the cameraman quickly left the roof together, probably to go pack their stuff and get out of town.

Lena Luthor, who had been watching quietly on the side this whole time, approached us. "Maybe next time, ask about using my building as a potential superhero meetup spot," she said in a joking tone.

"Your building?" I questioned her.

"You didn't know?" She seemed surprised. "I'm the owner of the Daily Planet franchise. The paper and the news network are both mine," she explained. I did not know. That explains why she was up here on the roof though... It was her building.

I apologized to her about saying people could meet here, and she just waved me off, saying it was fine. She owed us for saving her, after all.

"Thank you, Lena, for being so understanding," I honestly said to her.

"I'll leave you two for now," Lena said as she headed towards the door after Catherine.

I turned back to Clark and gave him a smile. He smiled back at me warmly. "Why don't you go spend the rest of the day with your mom... tomorrow is going to be intense, whatever happens."

He told me he was going to do just that. "I'll see you tomorrow," Kara," Clark said as he took off into the sky and headed back towards Smallville.

I took one last glance at the ominous Kryptonian ship hovering in the air. I took a big risk with that interview. Was Zod monitoring our world's media or internet? I didn't think so. He was only asking for Clark in his evil broadcast to the world. I was on the front page of most news sites every day with the House of El's symbol right on my chest. Had Zod hacked into the world's internet, he would absolutely have known I was here immediately as well. Or maybe he did and just didn't care... i guess I would find out tomorrow.

…

I flew back to my home in Forks. As I landed, I could hear talking inside my house — all people I recognized. Still in my hero costume, I walked in the front door and saw four people sitting around my couch, talking.

"Kara! I'm so glad you're okay," Angela exclaimed as she ran up to me and gave me a hug. I guess we were now friends again if she was here. "I'm sorry I haven't been talking to you for a few days. None of that drama seems important now that aliens might attack our world!" She said on the verge of tears.

"We all saw that news interview with you and Superman. I'm pretty sure half of the entire world saw it at this point," Rosalie said.

"People are still scared, but they're also hopeful that you two will save the day." Alice added.

"I can't stay here for more than an hour," Angela said. "My dad's holding an emergency sermon later, and I have to go, but I had to come visit you to make sure you were okay," Angela finished as she released me from the hug.

"Thank you, Angela," I said. "And hello to you too, Esme." I was a bit surprised that she was here. I don't believe Rosalie or Alice would say anything on purpose to expose me. Maybe it was an accident?

Esme was sitting on my couch, just giving me a gentle smile, like everything was normal and I wasn't fully in my hero costume facing an alien invasion tomorrow.

"Sorry," Alice said. "Esme was nearby when Rosalie and I were talking, and she overheard. She insisted on coming as well." She gave a wry smile.

"Hello again, Kara," Esme said. "And I made a promise to my two girls to help keep your secret for as long as you want me to as well." She reassured me. "I also made a big dinner! Turkey meatloaf!" That sounded delicious, to be honest. And all I'd eaten today so far was that slice of pie.

...

We were sitting down at my dining room table eating. Well, Angela and I were. The other three just made excuses that they ate beforehand.

"This is delicious, Mrs. Cullen," Angela said with a grin. I agreed; it was just as amazing as the last time I had her cooking.

"Thank you, dear."

A bit later, we finished dinner, and Angela had to leave soon after. Now it was just me and three vampires sitting back in my living room.

Rosalie and Alice were sitting quietly on the couch. Alice had occasionally been talking with Esme and me, but Rosalie had been quiet for a while. After not talking for over ten minutes, she let out a sigh. "I'm going with you tomorrow, Kara."

"..."

Esme and Alice gasped at her statement.

I was taken aback. What!? She wants to go with me? To fight aliens?

"Rosalie, you can't do that. You would be exposing yourself and vampires to the world!" Esme said with some panic in her voice.

"I've already made up my mind. I'm not letting my friend go out there and fight while I just sit around and do nothing." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The stoic Rosalie Hale, the one who feared exposing her family's existence the most, wanted to go and help me. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted. While not on a Kryptonian's level, vampires weren't anything to sneeze at either.

"But what will you do when the Volturi finds out?" Esme asked, rightly concerned. Personally, I didn't think anyone who saw her would ever equate a beautiful girl who sparkles in the light to a dark creature who supposedly fears the sun. But those Volturi bastards were extremely paranoid after ruling for millennia.

"You don't have to worry about that," Alice cut in. She twiddled her thumbs awkwardly. "I couldn't get it out of my head. What Kara said a few days ago. That we could totally be superheroes. I've been secretly working on full-body costumes for Rosalie and me... mine's not done yet, but hers is. It covers her whole body, so no skin will be exposed, and no one will know who she is." Esme seemed to take a bit of solace in that at least, as she didn't argue anymore.

"Are you sure, Rosalie? It's going to be dangerous. These aliens, they are going to be strong. They are Kryptonians," I admitted aloud with a hesitant sigh. If she was going to fight with us, she deserved to know the truth at least.

The three of them were confused at the term. "What's a Kryptonian?" Alice said as she slowly sounded the word out to herself.

"I am," I said plainly.

It took a moment for the three of them to register what I'd just admitted. "Y-you're... OH MY GOSH!" Alice squealed in glee. "I'm friends with an actual alien!" She cheered, bouncing excitedly. Esme still looked gobsmacked, but Rosalie seemed to be recovering from her shock a bit faster.

"Wow," Rosalie said. "I wasn't expecting that... or maybe I was? At least now I know why you asked for help from other special people across the world. Are they all going to be as powerful as you and Superman?" She asked. I nodded and told her that they wouldn't at first, but the longer they stayed in the sunlight, they would rapidly get stronger.

"Sunlight?" Esme questioned, finally snapping herself out of it.

"Yes, we Kryptonians gain our powers from the yellow sunlight."

"Why'd you move to Forks then?" Alice asked with a laugh. "We hardly ever get sunlight if you noticed." I had indeed noticed, but I could just fly above the clouds every day to bathe in the rays for a few minutes, so living in a cloudy area was no big deal. We spent the next few minutes with them asking me about space and Kryptonians in general. I did my best to explain what I had recalled from the comics and shows to satiate their curiosity.

"..."

A bit later the three vampires left to let me get some rest. I let out a tired yawn. I didn't sleep at all last night, and it will be a big day tomorrow. Rosalie had also told me not to wait up for her.

She would make her own way to Metropolis on foot at vampire speed overnight. That was a good idea. I wouldn't be able to fly there fast with her in my arms, because she might catch fire from the airspeed…

…

I went to bed shortly after they left, but it was like the next day arrived as soon as my head hit the pillow. Esme had apparently come back over at some point in the night when I was asleep and had left a nice-looking breakfast waiting for me in the kitchen. I ravenously scarfed it down in appreciation.

It was time.

I assumed Rosalie had probably left for Metropolis a while ago. Even at vampire speed, the trip would still take hours for her. I took to the skies and flew myself to Metropolis, heading for the Daily Planet building. It was time to see if any other super beings would stand with me and Clark against Zod's forces.

...

As I flew over Metropolis, I noticed that for the most part, the entire city was empty. However, there was a crowd of thousands of spectators gathered at the base of the Daily Planet building. Because of course there was... At least they were being held back by what looked like the National Guard from storming the building. Apparently, I had the military itself supporting my crazy plan...

I flew down and gave the crowd a wave.

"Supergirl is here!"

"We love you!"

"Go kick some alien ass!"

"..."

To the man's surprise, I landed in front of one of the National Guard troopers who looked to be in charge. He was barking orders to the others, so I figured he was the guy to talk to. "Hi there," I said. "I was just wondering what your protocol is for letting other super beings up to the roof. You have the whole building sectioned off, after all."

The man gave me an actual salute before he spoke. "It's an honor to meet you, Supergirl. The US military is behind you, and we hope you send ET and his friends packing. To answer your question, anyone who shows up and wants to join you and Superman has to prove they have actual superpowers before we let them into the building. After that, we'll escort them to the elevator. We've had to deny about a dozen normal people who just showed up in homemade costumes so far," he explained to me. I let out a sigh at that. I didn't really think about the fact that there would be random people who would totally show up just to fight some aliens with Supergirl. Good thing someone in the government didn't have their head up their ass and actually sent the Guard here to help sort out the suicidal riffraff."

"Thank you so much for your service and your hard work," I said to all the men and women loudly and sincerely. "I'll be heading up now." I flew up towards the roof.

I landed on the building's rooftop about two hours before Zod's deadline. If anyone else was going to show, it would have to be soon. Clark was already there talking to the reporter Catherine Grant. Her cameraman was right behind them, filming their interview. I was surprised she was here and chose not to evacuate. Then again, reporters are known to throw themselves into dangerous situations for their stories. They both noticed my arrival.

Catherine was speaking directly to the camera. "Supergirl has just touched down. So far, it seems like she and Superman are the only super beings that have currently shown up. It remains to be seen whether anyone else will show up. We're going to go and talk to her now."

I walked over to her and the camera. "Supergirl, we are currently live streaming, as you've probably figured out. Completely live, no commercials or cutaways at all until the alien situation is resolved," she said with glee. This was definitely the scoop of her career, I figured. "Do you think anyone else will show up?" She asked me eagerly.

Much to her glee, I nodded. "I know at least one other who has promised to come. She is currently on her way," I explained, and I noticed Clark seemed happy that we were getting some backup.

Catherine turned and grinned widely to the camera. "Did you hear that, viewers? Another superhero will soon arrive, and it's a girl as well!" She did a fist pump for what I assumed was the feminist movement as I chuckled.

"How many people are currently watching this?" I asked her curiously. I saw Clark grimace slightly at my question. Did he already know?

"We currently have around 600 million people watching across the world," Catherine exclaimed with absolute excitement.

Holy shit... that was almost 10% of the whole world watching me live right now... that was insane.

The sound of the rooftop door opening made us all turn around to see our first visitor. I smiled at what I saw. It was Rosalie. She was dressed in an extremely form-fitting purple bodysuit that covered everything. Attached to her shoulder was a short white cape. Atop her head was a purple hood that let her golden hair peek through, while a completely white mask covered her entire face. "Hello, everyone," she said. "Sorry, I had to take the elevator. I can't fly," she joked.

Catherine's face was ecstatic as she ran up to the costumed Rosalie and shoved the mic right into her masked face. "Catherine Grant, Daily Planet News. Who are you? Are you a new superhero? Are you here to stand against the alien Zod with Supergirl and Superman? What are your powers?" She rattled off enthusiastically.

Rosalie just pushed the mic away slightly with one finger since it was so close to her face. "Yes, I am here to aid them. You can call me Rose Knight. My powers include super speed, super strength, and durability." Rose didn't say anything else to the reporter as she walked over to me and Clark. She held out her hand for me to shake, as if we were just meeting for the first time. I giggled as we shook hands, and then Clark did the same with her.

"It's an honor to have you with us, Rose Knight," he said to her with a smile.

BZZZZZZ-CRACKLE

That sound of electricity vibrated around us. "I'm not too late to the party, am I?" An awkward voice called out. Clark and I were surprised that someone was able to appear on the rooftop without us noticing. My face lit up into a grin when I saw who it was though, dressed in their iconic red and gold costume with a lightning bolt on their chest. It was the Flash!

"Oh my god! Another new superhero just showed up," I heard Catherine say ecstatically to the camera. "And oh wow, we just hit over 1 billion viewers!" I blanched at that second part.

"Hello, everyone," The Flash gave an awkward wave to all of us. "I am The Flash. The fastest man alive!" He declared with a bit more confidence in his voice. I could tell this might be his first-ever time in the spotlight in his life. I wonder how long ago he got his powers?

Catherine ran up to him and started rattling off questions about his claims of being the fastest man alive. She asked him what his top speed was in excitement. When he said it, she was along with everyone else.

"I've clocked my speed so far at about Mach 20," Flash replied. Clark and I blanched at that... I was barely able to reach Mach 6 at this point. I knew I'd be faster the more time I lived under this sun, but this guy was insanely fast already. He'd also just gotten his powers and was still growing faster. I knew one day he'd go FTL on us... Poor Rosalie looked like she was sulking as she could only run 200 mph if she really pushed herself.

"It's okay, Rose," I whispered to her. "He doesn't have super strength and durability like you do." It was hard to tell from her mask, but I think she perked up a bit at that.

For the next few minutes, we all continued chatting with each other and occasionally answering some questions from the reporter. We wanted to confront Zod about an hour before his deadline, and it was currently around 30 minutes before we reached that point. If anyone else was going to show, it would have to be soon.

A few moments later, I heard the sound of something flying towards the rooftop. The figure touched down on the roof a bit fast in front of all of us, causing the floor to shake a bit. "Apologies, everyone. I did not mean to be late. I am not quite used to navigating man's world." My eyes widened as Wonder Woman herself showed up! This didn't look like the nice cartoon version of her either; she was clearly battle-hardened, sporting various small scars across her arms and legs. She was rippling with muscle, and on her back, she had a sword and shield strapped to her. Her armor, and it was real metal armor, was still a bit revealing, though...

"And who might you be?" Catherine ran up to Wonder Woman, who had just dazzled everyone watching by proving she could also fly!

She struck a proud pose with her hands on her hips before bellowing out, "I am Diana, Princess of Themyscira! Home of the immortal Amazon warriors!" She declared proudly. I think she also just broke Catherine because the poor reporter looked stunned that the mythical Amazon race had just been proven to be a real thing.

"... if all the Amazons look like her, I wouldn't mind going there," I heard Flash whisper to himself. Wait till he finds out they kill men on sight...

I watched Catherine shake her head and snap herself out of her stunned state as she questioned Diana excitedly. "So, the Amazons are real and not just a myth. Why haven't we ever discovered you all? Why reveal yourselves now?" She said rapidly once again.

"Easy, sister," Wonder Woman laughed at the reporter's exuberance. "Yes, we Amazons are very real. Our island cannot be found because it is cloaked by powerful magics," she explained. "As for why I am here..." She turned to me when she spoke. "Our people are not ignorant of man's world; we monitor it constantly through television signals and the internet." Huh, what do you know? Themyscira has wifi...

Wonder Woman continued speaking as everyone listened. "My people were very surprised when Supergirl came forward into the world as a hero. We had expected man's world to turn against her for being a woman, like it has done to female heroes in the past. We were greatly surprised when we were proven wrong. Instead, they have embraced you, and now men and women everywhere wear your symbol openly with pride. This sparked a great debate among my people over whether it was time to once again reveal ourselves to the world and if they would accept us."

Rose Knight walked up to me and whispered, "You really changed everything, didn't you?" Her tone sounded happy. I just smiled back at her. I guess I had. Instead of being banished, Diana was apparently free to venture off her island with permission.

"That's an amazing story," Catherine said to Wonder Woman. "I would love to interview you when this is over!" she added on. "I'd love to interview all of you," she said to all of us excitedly.

"That would be most acceptable," Wonder Woman said. "Over 1000 years ago, an alien force invaded our world. We Amazons stood together with the realms of men and the people of Atlantis against them. As I shall stand with you all now once again!" She declared proudly. She smiled like she probably didn't just cause 1 billion people watching to lose their minds even more over that revelation...

Even the stoic Rosalie was shocked as I could see she'd frozen stiff from hearing that Atlantis was not only real but aliens had invaded Earth before!

"T-that's... I don't know what to say..." Catherine trailed off as she lowered her mic, stumped on how to reply to that.

I gave Clark a gentle kick to his shin to snap him out of his shock. He looked at me weirdly at that. It wasn't a good look, though, for Superman to be seen frozen in shock over some random history. We had an image to uphold, after all.

"If you're all finished with your classroom introductions, it's time we get to work." I turned around at the fact that yet another person had managed to sneak up on us. I smiled in glee when I saw who it was.

NO... WAY...

"Who are you supposed to be?" Flash said to the darkly dressed newcomer.

"..."

The Dark Knight, who had somehow made it to the roof without anyone noticing him, introduced himself as he emerged from the shadows. "I'm Batman."

-#########-

Whoop there he is!

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Ill try and put a pic of rose knight in the comments. We'll see if itll work...