(2014-02-20) My Kryptonian Cousin
My Kryptonian Cousin
Summary: Power Woman goes looking for Supergirl. She finds her, and a lot more than she was planning on.
Date: 2014-02-20
Related: None
NPCs: None
Scene Runner: NA
Social/Plot: Plot
Players:
power-woman..supergirl..

Busy busy! On a break from classes at Metropolis University, and without an immediate crisis demanding her attention for the business or the safety of the City of Tomorrow, Karen Starr has a little bit to try to pursue one of her own latest personal projects. She has heard rumors - cycled through the WorldWatching platform - of a blonde girl with similar powers and an S-shield, operating in and around Virginia. Without much more than that to go on, however, Kara is reduced to flying sweeps over the state - and those adjoining - sweeping this way and that, trying to spot something or someone who might be who she's looking for. Power Woman would very much like the chance to meet anyone else sporting the S-shield, especially since rumor has it this blonde wears something a lot closer to Jor-El's costume design than her own. Her cousin is supposed to be male. But maybe the House of El's bioship decided to change that plan? Who knows?

It will take about fifteen minutes to find Supergirl thanks to a combination of luck and super-senses. She's flying over the large town (or small city, depending on whom you ask) of Leesburg. And, indeed, she's in the blue and reds of a Superman outfit. If Superman was blonde, a teenage girl, and wearing a mini-skirt that magically covered her modesty despite the high speed she's flying at.

Fifteen minutes isn't bad, really, considering what Kara was afraid it might entail; she was imagining doing this for hours, on multiple occassions before she got this lucky. So woot!

Having spotted her target, Kara doesn't waste much time wondering how to do this. She just drops her crimson-caped, white-suited self out of the sky above the girl in blue and red, arrowing in ahead of the other's flight path and then stops, cape fluttering out behind her, toes down as she hovers in place ahead of this 'super girl.' So as to look a tiny bit less intimidating or glowery, she raises a blue gloved hand and waves.

Here goes hoping this goes well!

Supergirl comes to what might be considered a screeching halt. That is, it would be on the ground where there would be friction to create a sound. Up here, there's just a WOOMPH of air as she jerks to a stop, hovering about ten feet away from Power Woman.

There's a moment of puzzlement as Supergirl looks from boots to head on Power Woman and then looks down to the chest. "… I should have known." Supergirl mutters. "I should have freaking known." Yep. Linda would recognize that bust anywhere. "What do you want, Karen?"

Power Woman hovers there, facing the other blonde … and stares. She's frankly almost bug-eyed. "Excuse me?" she gets out, before the spluttering gets too severe. Never. Never in all her life has /anyone/ just suddenly come upon her in costume and named her out of the blue. Hell, even Laurel didn't manage that, though it wasn't long before she figured it out when they met out of costume later.

It takes Kara a few more moments looking at the blonde before something else clicks in her head. Despite that blonde hair, that attitude rather sets it off. She's not sure of the hows, whys and wherefores here, but she's going to find out. "Holy … Linda? What the Hell?"

Oh great. She finds Supergirl. And it's her cousin. Her damned /human/ cousin/! What is going on here?!

"Oh! She knows how to swear!" Supergirl says with a mock gasp. Well, in Leesburg, Virginia, when your mom is an assistant pastor, 'hell' is still a swear word. "I'll have to let everyone know you aren't perfect after all! Even though you can apparently FLY. You know, in addition to being a genius and built like a twelve year old's wet dream." She just shakes her head and sighs. "Figures you aren't human. Only way you could be so damned perfect."

Power Woman floats closer, eyeing her cousin, chewing around the volume of confused words she wants to be spitting out right now. Finally, she settles in on her words of choice, but it takes a bit. "Linda, what is your problem? Hunh? I'm your cousin. All I have ever done is try to be good to you, and a friend. That's it! But you spew vitriol at me like I've been purposefully trying to torture you in high school Hell for a decade or something. Whether you like it or not, I happen to /care/ about you, you twit, so stop being a bitch for a minute and talk to me like a person." She floats closer. "A person with whom you apparently have a lot more in common than you seem ready to admit, /Cousin/."

"You probably did this to me, too!" Linda says, her arms flapping around in the air. Her own tone of voice rising. "All my life all I've heard is 'why can't you be more like your cousin Karen, Linda?' and 'you know, your cousin gets straight As in school, Linda' and 'Gee, Linda, I'd love to go to the movies with you but I can't. Say, when if your cousin going to visit? She's hot!' and 'Hey, Linda, guess what! Your cousin just won a million dollar geek prize!'. All my life I've lived in your damn shadow. Never good enough. And now I know why. You're not even human. You're some alien from a planet filled with super-geniuses who have giant boobs! What is it? You have a second and third brain in those things?!?"

Kara barely - but only barely - resists the urge to smack Linda. Frankly, only a lifelong habit of avoiding physical confrontations for fear of doing unintended damage prevents it. Because right now? A smack is exactly what Linda needs. "Get over yourself, Linda. For pity's sake. I have /never/ claimed to be perfect, and never held myself as better than you. Never. If others made you feel that way, your anger is with /them/, not me. All I have /ever/ tried to be is your friend and your cousin. Now stop talking trash and filth, and /talk/ to me." Honestly, the diatribe about her figure, and calling her 'not even human' is really making her angry, and confused. If Linda is wearing that crest, and flying, then by rights she is no more human than Kara herself. Or so she believes.

"Oh, it can't be your fault, can it? Because you're the perfect. Karen. Starr. Well, I've HAD IT!" And while Karen has resisted the urge to throw a punch Linda doesn't. She hauls back and lets fly. As Supergirl, Linda's about half as strong as Karen but she's throwing a lifetime of repressed anger at her cousin.

Half of 'seemingly infinite' is still 'holy crap' level strength. A lot stronger than most things Kara has let hit her. But she's at point blank range, trying to talk to her crazy cousin who is going mouth-frothing insane right in front of her, and Kara doesn't have quite the crazy in her to see it coming. So BAM! The punch lands, and Power Woman goes flying end over end.

Frankly, the one thing Kara manages to do is pull out so she doesn't hit anything on the ground. But the next instant, as she shakes it off, she streaks back at Linda, a blur operating /just/ a hair's breadth beneath the sound barrier - 'cause she's avoiding causing property damage - as she tries to frankly tackle her cousin and take her out over the ocean. If Linda is going to be insane enough to keep up this stupid punching, the least Kara can do is make sure they don't pockmark the landscape or destroy people's homes in the process. "Are you flipping nuts?! You DO NOT haul off and punch someone with that strength! Linda, damnit, you could destroy people's homes!" Crazy teenagers. ('Cause 20-year olds are ever so mature.)

Linda doesn't stop punching. She's got years of pent up rage and finally, she has an outlet. After all, she has the power to do it and, perhaps better, Karen (probably) won't be hurt by her actions. So, even as Karen is flying Linda over the ocean the teen of steel keeps punching and punching and punching, raining dozens of superstrong blows onto Power Woman's quite durable form.

"That's for everytime someone told me I should be just like you."

"And that's for every time a C wasn't good enough because cousin Karen is Soooo much better!"

"And that's for how my parents couldn't talk about anything but your stupid X prize for WEEKS after you got it!"

"And that's because everyone likes you better!"

At first, Kara takes the blows, despite the pain. She knows this isn't her fault, and a part of her knows Linda needs to get this the Hell off her chest before she'll be at all able to listen to reason. But to be fair, it /hurts/. It physically hurts, because Linda is (in the grand scheme of things) one of the strongest forces Kara has ever had to face and fight like this, and Linda isn't pulling her punches. She's /trying/ to hurt Karen, and succeeding.

Eventually, despite all her determination to hold on and hold in her own anger, Kara loses it. She hauls up her cousin with her greater strength, and hauls off for a full-on chin-buster uppercut. "Stop it! Damn you, Stop it!" WHAM!

Maybe a drop in the drink will cool that fervor.

Woosh! Supergirl goes flying and hits the water. Splash! She's down there for about thirty seconds before the surface of the water explodes and Supergirl comes flying back out. "YOU HIT ME!" She screams. But… she doesn't try to smack Karen again. She just stays there, hovering about thirty feet above the Atlantic with water dripping from her miniskirt and hair.

Kara flies over and hovers in front of Linda, nodding. "Yes, dummy. I hit you. You've been hitting me for like five minutes straight, when I HAVE DONE NOTHING TO YOU! Not one thing, Linda. Ever. I would /never/ hurt you. It is NOT MY FAULT if other people have made you feel like crap by comparing you to me. I'm sorry for it, because it's wrong, and you deserve better than that. Because I care about you. But you refuse to hear that. You refuse to believe that. And you insist on blaming me for something I had nothing to do with. So instead of talking to me, instead of giving me a chance to explain, and you a chance to explain things to me, you wanted to hate me. And hit me. And it /hurt/. Just like my punching you /hurt/. Now, are you ready to talk? Or do we keep punching each other?" Lord, she hopes they don't keep hitting each other.

Linda crosses her arms over her chest as she hovers there. "Fine. Okay. Let's talk. So, you're, what, an alien? From Krypton, right? That's what all the interviews say. The ones with that Tilby chick you're probably doing it with." Yep. It seems she got most of her anger out… but none of her attitude.

"For pity's sake, Linda. I'm not sleeping with Trish Tilby." Karen huffs. Cripes, but her cousin gets on her nerves something awful. "In answer to your question, yes. I'm an alien, from Krypton, just like the interviews say. And just like the interviews say, I've been raised here on Earth, by a wonderful family that I love very much, and I consider Earth to be my home." She pauses a bit. "In case you missed it, by the way, that means /you/ are my family, too." That needed to be said.

After a bit longer, Kara finally gets to her part in the questions. "So, care to fill me in? I was pretty sure you were human. But if you're flying and punching like that, you're not, or not entirely anymore. Especially not if you're wearing that symbol." She pauses just a second, and then adds, "Please, Linda. Talk to me."

Linda rolls her eyes in perfect teenage pose. If, you know, your average teenager could hover in midair and punch hard enough to shatter mountains. "I don't know." She says, after a while. "I'm missing days. Memories just aren't there. And weeks before that they're a little hazy. I just woke up in the woods and then I was running and suddenly I was blonde and in this costume and able to break the sound barrier."

Karen purses her lips at that. "OK. I want to try something. I don't usually look at things microscopically, but I can. Let me see if I can see anything that might explain this." It seems pretty clear it's a biological change, so it makes sense to look for a cause at a cellular level. Karen concentrates, and her gaze becomes a very piercing, intrusive and even creepy sort of stare as she focuses deeper and deeper, smaller and smaller, to see what she can find. "You were normal before then, right? Human? No powers at all that you remember?" she queries distractedly, while looking around at the microscopic 'universe' of her cousin.

"No powers. And I've searched the house and I can't find any adoption papers." Yes. Linda did think of that. "And my birth certificate seems real. Mom and dad's names on it." Going to the microscopic level there's something odd, of course. Linda's DNA resembles Karen's to a distrubing degree including some markers unique to the El/L family line. There are, however, also markers that are quite obviously human. A hybrid of the two. Mostly Kryptonian but with a few human proteins.

"Well, my adoption papers all look legal too. Dad was really careful about that." Karen offers, with a wry little smile. She's still a bit distracted, staring deeply, but slowly she pulls back, meeting Linda's eyes. "OK. I know you knew this, but it's new to me. There is definitely something weird going on. Somehow, your DNA is now a blend of Kryptonian and Human. It's as if something has merged Kryptonian DNA - specifically, DNA related to my family line - with yours." She pauses, almost more for effect than anything else. "So now we really are cousins."

"Yay." Linda says. Not without a small amount of sarcasm. "So, what now? If you're going to give me a lecture about how dangerous this all is, you can skip it. I'm not listening." Still, she doesn't sound as angry as she did before. Just defensiv e.

Karen shakes her head. "Nope. Not going to lecture you. I'd like to help you, if I can. But that's going to have to be your decision." She makes a wry face. "You have a lot of resentment built up against me. I didn't do that. But that doesn't make the hurt any less for you, or any less real. And I have no desire to make it worse. All I've ever wanted was to be your cousin, and if I could, your friend. You've always been the closest thing I've ever had - will ever have - to a sister. Moreso now than ever." She waits for a bit, hoping the genuine nature of her words will sink home. "I also wanted to say how proud I am of you. You got these powers, and you didn't use them to beat up people, or steal. You used them to help people. And I'm proud of you for that."

"Oh my GOD can you stop being perfect!" Linda shouts, throwing her hands up in the air. "I liked you better when you were slugging me because at least then you were… human. Gah! And before you start protesting about how unperfect you are? Humilty is over-rated." She sighs. "And I just did… I dunno. I just did stuff. It isn't a big deal."

"You know what, Linda? It is a big deal. But if you're not ready to see that, fine. I'm not going to push you." Linda's attitude is wearing on Karen more and more. A bit part of her wants to smack sense into the other girl, but that's not going to help. Linda clearly has a lot of issues going on, and Karen is realizing that all the love in the world isn't going to get her through those. "I'm going to guess you'd rather not be working with /me/ to learn about your new powers and figure other things out." Duh! "I don't know if you'd be up to it. But if so, there's a school I know of, in upstate New York, that might be able to help. And you might find other kinds there more like yourself, including the toughy of trying to figure out who to be with this. Bonus, I wouldn't be around much, unless you invited me. And it might give you a chance at a fresh start." And hey, that private school polish to her transcript could do wonders for college in a couple of years, too.

"My folks can't know." Linda says. Firmly. "I've got enough problems with them." Still, the idea appeals. Other kids her own age. With powers. Away from her parents. From people who know Linda Danvers as a trouble-maker and know her perfect cousin. A new start. Fresh. She could live with that. "… do they have an art program?"

Karen shakes her head. "I'm not going to tell them. And I don't think that's a requirement for the school, either." She's hoping this might help with Linda's problems with her parents, over time. But all she can do is try, and then wait and see. "Yes, they have an art program." Valid question; Karen knows her cousin has an affection for art Karen herself sometimes lacks. Too much the STEM geek. "If you're interested, I'll take you up there, and introduce you to the staff. Or, if you want me to stay away entirely, I can do that. I'll just give them your name, and ask them to make contact on their own. Choice is yours." Best thing Karen figures she can do is put all the power in Linda's hands. If Linda feels like she's gaining control over her life, that may make her less angry at everyone else's influences.

And, for the first time, Linda's given a choice. Well, not for the first time. But this time the choice isn't 'do what your parents want or join a Satanic cult'. Not that Linda remembers that. Linda looks out over the water. She looks miles away. She stares through the water at whales and sharks and dolphins and fish. So peaceful and yet, feeding off each other. In the circle of life. "… just have them call me? I… look. You probably don't deserve it but…" She shrugs. "You're what's wrong with my life. Or maybe just the symbol of it. I dunno."

Karen shrugs. "I'm not doing anything but doing my best to be me, Linda. And all I want is for you to have a chance to do your best to be you. Not me squared, or mini-me, or whatever. Just you. I hope there'll be some room in that for us to be family. But that's going to have to be your call, whenever you're ready to make it." The taller of the two blonds sighs a bit, mostly just exhaling, cleaning her own mental palette. "I'll have them call you. Whether you go, what you do, is up to you. Just know that if you ever need me, ever /want/ to talk to me, I'll listen. Otherwise, I promise to stay away." It's a hard thing to promise, cutting off contact and promising to stay that way. But she does it.

"You're busy anyway." Linda says, quietly. Uncomfortable with not being angry with Karen. She's been angry at her for so long it feels strange not to be. "I'm going to go." And zip, woosh! Linda's off. A streak of blue and red that's easy enough for someone as fast as Karen to follow if she so chooses.

Like it or not, Karen will never be too busy for Linda. But she made a promise to stay away and given Linda space, and she's going to keep it. So she watches the blue and scarlet clad teen zip off, as only another Kryptonian could observe it, and takes another sigh. Then she breaks the sound barrier - they're safely out to sea, after all - and shoots up the coast to upstate New York, then slows down and flies in for a landing in Westchester.

Maybe one of the resident head shrinkers will be up for a session.

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