“Hello......”.

“..... Hey Jimmy.....”.

“Hey Clark. Is this a bad time?”

“No.....”.

In a medium-sized apartment building, a blur could be seen moving in all directions.

“Not at all Jim. What's the matter?”

“It's chief…. He wants to know when your report's coming in”.

“....... Oh! That”.

“..... He says that if you keep.....”.

“.....Yes, I know its late, but I'm already done….”.

Arriving at the sofa, his hands typed away rapidly on the keyboard of his Laptop. A second later, a clear, concise thousand word journalism paper appeared before his eyes.

“Wait…. You are?”

Clark held the phone between his neck and shoulder.

After using a nanosecond for proofreading, the report was sent to Perry Whites' Email for approval.

“Yep.....”.

“.... Tell Chief that tomorrow's front page will be on his desk first thing in the morning.....”.

“Oh…. Then, ok”.

“Thanks. I gotta get going”.

“Are you going anywhere?”

“Well....... Let's just say I have an appointment”.

“Ok, Talk to you later Jimmy.....”.

Clark said before ending the call. Then, he dropped the phone and sped into his room, appearing outside again dressed in new clothes.

“Ok, reports done. Clothes on, the time says it's still early enough..... Nowhere in Rao's name did I put my glasses......”.

Taking a look at the time on his phone that said 5:30, Clark took a look in the mirror and discovered the only thing missing.

“Kara! I'm heading out”.

The Man Of Steel put his glasses on and uttered loudly. However, he received no response.

“Kara? I know you can hear me”. He said with a weary sigh. Seeing that she still wasn't responding, he walked to the door on the opposite end of the kitchen.

Inside the room, a blonde female held a mobile phone in her hand with wireless earphones covering her ears.

Whether or not she heard the voice of her cousin was debatable.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The sound of knocking on the door could be heard, but she simply ignored it. Whether or not she could hear her cousin's voice was debatable.

However, the next movement was impossible to ignore.

“You shouldn't ignore me. Although that headset can block the unwanted noise, it's not enough to make you deaf”.

“Hey! Don't you know it's rude to step into people's rooms without permission?” Seeing Clark step in, the female Kryptonian said with displeasure.

“Don't you know it's rude to pretend to be ignorant”.

“... Ah,". Slightly speechless, she made a nasal sound and shook her head.

“Ok! Ok! I get it. You're going out on your date, I can see that clearly. I won't wait up for you”.

Waving her hand nonchalantly, she proceeded to relax on her pillow once more.

Seeing her antics, the solemn expression on his face eased slightly as he found himself amused.

“It's not exactly a date perse, more like an outing.....”. He had barely finished his words when he was interrupted.

“Yeah, whatever you say”. She rolled her eyes and spoke in a sarcastic manner.

Clark raised an eyebrow.

“You're getting awfully cocky, aren't you?”

“Clark, I'm not a kid. Logically and literally, I'm older than you. I know all about the experiences between the opposite sex's. Whatever you say, I'm not buying it. Have fun with the lucky lady”.

Now it was his turn to be slightly speechless. Shaking his head, he got the conversation back on track.

“My night is none of your concern. We're talking about you now”.

“And? I already said I wouldn't wait up for you”.

“You know that's not what I mean, Kara”. Seeing her playing dumb, he resisted the urge to sigh.

“I'm leaving the house. For your safety, you should do the same”.

“And where exactly do you want me to go?”

“The Cave. After what you've experienced, it would be best if you spent your time there”.

Finally, Supergirl couldn't keep her nonchalance up.

Her tone grew audibly annoyed as she said.

“Kal, I can take care of myself”.

Clark's eyes narrowed as he felt a headache coming in.

“Kara, please let's not have this conversation again. I just want you to go to The Cave. Spend some time with the rest of The Team. It'll be better than spending the night alone here”.

“Really? Then who will I be spending the night with?” Wally, Artemis, and Robin would definitely not be around.

Superboy didn't speak much, Aqualad was always absent whenever there wasn't a task and Megan...... Well, usually, spending time with Megan would be a great idea. But not today.

In fact, not even this week.

Seeing her expression, Clark knew what she meant. He heard from Martian Manhunter.

The simulation exercise was a disaster and had done much more harm than good. No one within the team was in the mood or state to act normally.

Not even the typically cheerful Miss Martian. They needed time to overcome the trauma. He understood that just as much as anyone else.

And Kara going to The Cave now wouldn't be of much help, but that didn't matter. After what happened last time, Clark would be damned if he left her on her own again.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

“Kara......”.

“Do you even know how my life is like over there?” She didn't let him start.

“I mean, you barely even drop by to see how things are going”.

“..... I know”. He said after a moment of silence. “And I'm sorry, but I can't always be around. I've been very busy lately”

Kara examined Clark with scrutiny.

“In that case, where did you find the time to go on a date?”

“I….”. Clark was speechless.

“It ...... wasn't my idea..... Batman recommended it”.

“Seriously?”

“Honestly, I was just as surprised as you are”.

“Ok, awkward”. The thought of the gloomy man with no expression, looking like everyone owed him a few billion, asking her cousin to go on a date was honestly disturbing.

There was a moment of silence. Seeing that, she still had no intention of getting up. The easygoing expression on Superman's face faded.

“Kara, please don't be stubborn. I can't let what happened last time happen again”.

“Kal, I can….”.

“You were kidnapped!” He raised his voice.

The blonde didn't respond this time. Thoughts of Apokolips couldn't help but flash through her mind.

Honestly, she wondered what would have happened to her if she had been successfully captured. Taken away to forever be a slave on that planet.

The atmosphere, the screams......

“I...... I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?”

“Frankly no. Not in the short term at least”. Clark replied with a shake of his head.

“Batman's just too busy right now to look for you. Expect a visit to the cave anytime this week”.

“You......”.

Ding Dong!

At that moment, the sound of the doorbell interrupted their conversation.

Clark paused and used his X-ray vision to see who was on the other side.

His eyes flashed with a bit of surprise before turning to his cousin.

“It's for you”.

“Huh?”

The door was opened. Kara, who was now standing at the door, was surprised to see a vague yet familiar face.

Long dark hair, exquisite features….

“Hi..... Um .....”. Kara's mind went blank for a moment, before proceeding to give an awkward smile.

“It's Zatanna". Perhaps seeing her plight, the female introduced herself.

“Oh, right. Sorry about that. I.....”.

“It's ok. We only met once and we were barely introduced. I don't mind”.

Zatanna said casually. Her facial expression etched with a slight frown.

Both stood at the door for a few seconds.

“Can I come in?” The voice broke the embarrassing atmosphere.

“Oh! Um..... Yeah, sure”.

The door was pushed open as Kara made way for Zatanna to walk in.

Her footsteps paused at the sight of the man in the room.

“Um….”. Now it was her turn to act unnatural.

“Hi...... Mr. Superman… Sir”.

“Hehehehe. There's no need to call me that. When I'm off uniform, I'm just Clark Kent”. The Man Of Steel chuckled, not at all phased at Zatanna knowing his true identity.

To those who knew Kara, it was obvious.

“I know you. Zatara's kid, right?”

“Yes sir”.

“Well, what can I do for you?”

“Um…. Nothing really”. Zatanna said after a moment of thought.

“I'm here for Kara”.

"Oh! Well perfect then. I was just leaving and thinking about whom to leave her with".

Clark said casually as he put on his Jacket, the last piece of clothing to complete his outfit.

Following which, he walked to the door.

“Oh! Do me a favor and make sure she goes to The Cave when you guys are done. I'd be grateful”.

These were his last words as he put on his hat and walked out of the door. Walking down the stairs, he reached a secluded corner where no one could see him and his figure disappeared on the spot.

The door closed behind them as Clark left. Kara turned to look at Zatanna before her.

The frowning expression of her face was particularly noticeable.

“Ok..... So what exactly do you need me for?” Similar to the dark-haired magician, the blonde kryptonian wasn't exactly in the best of moods at the moment.

Walking to the fridge, Kara brought out a soda can and asked casually.

They were peers and acquaintances in many respects. If she could, she wouldn't refuse aiding her for whatever reason she was here.

While chugging the soda, a thought crossed her mind.

“Did Wally put you up to this?”

“What? No”. Zatanna was first surprised, then shook her head in denial.

“I'm not here on behalf of anyone else but myself”.

“Ok...... So?”

“I want you to tell me where Amari is”.

Pfffff!

The half drunk soda was spread all over the tiled floor.

..........

Meanwhile, after arriving several blocks away in an instant, Clark found his date for the evening.

She wore a pink button-up shirt with a tight black skirt slightly above knee-length.

Black hair, blue eyes similar to his...... A smile subconsciously appeared on his face as he walked over.

She hadn't noticed him yet as her eyes faced in another direction away from him.

The side of the street was crowded as numerous people moved on the sidewalk. Thankfully, Clark was tall and could this see where he needed to go.

It happened then. Just as Clark made his way through the large number of white-collar workers returning home from yet another hectic day of work, he felt something bump into him.

This was normal.

After all, in such a busy area, contact with other people who were going in the opposite direction was inevitable.

Certainly, Clark wouldn't mind even if someone bumped into him.

But this..... This was different. Different in the sense that unlike the small collisions that previously took place, something out of the ordinary happened.

The bodies of both parties made contact and Clark felt a tremendous force act upon his shoulder, pushing him aside and causing him to stagger.

Under his glasses, Superman's eyes widened.

'I…. I actually felt that'.

With this thought, he quickly turned around to see the figure of the person who he bumped into.

Apparently, the other party also had the same thought.

In the busy street with numerous people going to and fro, two men stood still and turned to look at the other simultaneously.

However, what Clark saw left him very doubtful.

The figure wore a brown hooded jacket with black long pants. His face sported a scruffy beard that looked like it hadn't been shaved for a long time.

So much that it seemed to occupy the majority of his facial features. The hair was a dull white color and the features gave people the feeling of a middle-aged man approaching his elderly years.

The clothes weren't torn or tattered and looked normal. Clean, as if fresh out of the dryer.

If just based on these alone, Clark would think that this man was one of the homeless in Metropolis or a financially challenged individual in dire straits.

However, that thought was overturned when he made eye contact.

Upon laying his gaze on him, the eyes of this middle-aged man sparked with blue lightning. Quite literally he might add, like Barry whenever he was about to run.

'Speedster?' This was the first thought that came to mind.

But that wasn't right. Speedsters were fast. And the strength this man possessed was definitely not ordinary.

At that moment, Clark activated X-ray vision, wanting to see exactly what this man was.

The discovery left him even more dumbfounded.

Everyone within Clark's sight turned into walking skeletons........ Everyone except the middle-aged man himself. He stood there just fine, his body remaining the way it was as if even the clothes he wore were made out of lead.

"This ...... ".

“Kryptonian”. Right then, the silent old man finally uttered a word.

It was soft, equivalent to a mutter. So low that no one else, but someone with enhanced senses could hear it.

The eyes of the man carried faint surprise, as if seeing an unexpected development.

“Who are you?” Clark looked at him with narrowed eyebrows. His gaze growing more and more intense with each moment.

However, fate had other plans tonight.

“Hey there stranger”.

A hand was placed on Clark's shoulder, drawing his gaze to a person who had appeared beside him at some point.

Lois called out with a smile.

“What's going on?”

“I….”.

Clark turned his gaze back to the middle-aged man........ Only to find that the latter was gone.