Out near the edge of the capital's expanded training grounds, enchanted stone pillars marked the boundaries, their surfaces inscribed with glowing runes that soaked up any stray energy blasts.
One month had passed since Kara Zor-L's arrival in Kahndaq.
In that time, she had learned to draw in solar energy and control her strength steadily instead of in wild bursts. She no longer cracked stone with every step or shattered windows just by raising her voice. John had trained her daily, showing her how to focus her strength, how to feel the power without letting it run loose.
At the present...
John stood at one end in his enhanced form. His black suit gleamed with white lightning patterns, the cape still as he held a wooden crate full of fresh eggs. Kara waited at the other end, dressed in simple white and blue clothes: a fitted white top and blue shorts that let her move freely. Her blonde hair was tied back, and she looked focused.
John picked up an egg between his thumb and finger. "Ready?" he called.
Kara nodded. "Throw it."
He flicked his wrist. The egg sailed through the air in a gentle arc. Kara's eyes tracked it. She stepped forward, hands cupping softly. The egg landed in her palms without a crack. She turned and placed it carefully into the empty crate beside her.
"Hell yeah! You see that?" She jumped with a grin.
"Good," John said. He grabbed another. "But that's just one egg. Time to amp it up a bit. Think you can keep up?"
She grinned and punched her fist on her palm. "Give it your best shot."
This time, he put a little spin on it, making the path curve. Kara adjusted, leaping lightly to intercept. Again, she caught it clean and set it down.
He kept going, one after another. Slow at first, then faster. Eggs flew in straight lines, then zigzags, then high loops. Kara moved with growing ease. Her body blurred slightly as she darted, but her touch stayed gentle. Each egg settled into the crate whole.
John stopped throwing. "You're getting the hang of it. Now let's make it harder."
He lifted the crate and hurled the entire thing upward in a high toss. Eggs spilled out mid-air, scattering like white confetti against the blue sky.
Kara's eyes widened for half a second. Then she grabbed the crate and launched herself up in the sky. She twisted and spun, hands flashing out to snatch eggs one by one. She used her superspeed and strength control without losing her focus.
She landed lightly, without creating a crater and placed the crate on the ground.
"Not bad, Kara," John said, looking impressed. "Not bad at all. You caught every single one without a single hairline crack. A month ago, you would've turned that crate into scrambled eggs from fifty feet up. Now you're handling them like they're made of glass." He nodded. "Good job."
Kara brushed a stray strand of blonde hair from her face. A faint flush crept across her cheeks, pink against her fair skin. She looked away for a second, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand.
"Yeah, well... don't get all mushy on me now," she muttered, but the corner of her mouth twitched upward. "It's just eggs. Not exactly world-saving stuff."
John chuckled. "World-saving starts with control. You nailed it today. Precision under pressure, speed without destruction. That's the hard part. And you did it within a month."
The blush deepened just a touch. She felt a weird feeling in her heart that she couldn't exactly explain when John praised her. Was she excited? Yes. She was really happy that she managed to control her power. But this new feeling was making her confused, increasing her heartbeat, and she was finding it harder to look into his eyes. So, she looked away from him for a moment.
"Okay, okay. I get it. You're in proud teacher mode. Message received."
She finally met his eyes again.
She planted her hands on her hips and lifted her chin, smirking. "But if you're done handing out gold stars, how about we switch it up? I catch eggs. You catch punches. Let's see if you can keep up with me now."
John raised an eyebrow, amusement sparking in his gaze. "You sure? Last time we sparred, you ended up with a crater where the south field used to be. Then you refused to come out of your room for two days."
"That... I was feeling sick. New atmosphere, so it happens," she shot back, cracking her knuckles. "Besides, this time I'm not the one making craters. Your move, Mason."
He grinned, stepping back into a loose stance, lightning crackling faintly along his fingertips. "Alright then. Bring it on. Show me what you've really got."
Kara blurred forward in an instant, the air cracking with a sharp boom as she closed the distance. Her right fist snapped upward in a perfect uppercut, connecting cleanly with John's jaw. The impact rang out like a thunderclap. John's head snapped back, and his body launched skyward, rocketing through the low clouds in a trail of white lightning sparks.
She didn't hesitate. Legs coiling, she shot straight up after him, like a bullet fired from a cannon. Wind howled past her ears as she soared upwards, leaving sonic booms in her wake. The training grounds below shrank in an instant. She broke through the cloud layer and spotted him tumbling higher, arms windmilling as he fought to regain control.
Kara grinned widely, teeth flashing. "Gotcha!"
She accelerated, matching his altitude in a heartbeat. Twisting midair, she drove her heel forward in a brutal spinning kick. The strike slammed into his midsection with enough force to send shockwaves rippling outward. John's body folded around the blow, then hurtled away horizontally, streaking across the sky like a comet. He crossed miles in moments, vanishing into the distant haze over the western dunes.
Kara hovered there for a second, chest heaving, hair whipping in the high-altitude wind. She let out a sharp laugh that echoed across the empty sky. "That's more like it!"
A bright flash of white lightning erupted in the sky right in front of Kara, the air itself crackling with static. John appeared in an instant, materializing from the bolt. His black suit shimmered with residual energy, the white lightning patterns pulsing brighter than before. He rolled his shoulders, cracked his neck with a sharp pop, then flexed his knuckles. A slow, confident grin spread across his face.
"My turn," he said. "Try to keep up."
Kara's eyes lit up with excitement. She shot forward without hesitation, fists flying in a rapid barrage. She threw jabs, hooks, and spinning backfists. John moved with effortless precision, blocking or dodging every strike. He countered with light taps: a palm to her shoulder that sent her spinning a few feet, a quick shove to her midsection that knocked the wind out of her for a second.
She recovered fast, growling playfully as she came back harder. Punches blurred into kicks, her speed ramping up until sonic booms punctuated each missed swing. John danced around her, never quite letting her land anything solid. He redirected her momentum, using her own power against her to flip her over his hip or send her tumbling through the clouds.
Kara laughed through gritted teeth. "Come on! You're barely trying!"
John blocked a haymaker with one forearm, the impact shaking the sky. "I'm giving you room to learn, Kara. Control is the lesson today."
She snarled, frustration mixing with determination. "I don't need kid gloves! Stop holding back!"
The words hung in the air for a split second. John's grin faded into something sharper, more serious. His eyes narrowed.
"Alright," he said quietly. "You asked for it."
He vanished in a streak of white, reappearing behind her. Before she could turn, his fist slammed into her back with controlled but devastating force. The blow launched her forward like a cannonball, sending her crashing through several cloud layers.
Kara twisted mid-fall, righting herself and charging back. John met her head-on. Their collision created a shockwave after shockwave. He caught her wrist in mid-punch, twisted it, and threw her upwards. She broke his grip, spun around, and slammed both heels into his chest. He took the hit, sliding back just a few yards before answering with a lightning-charged uppercut that whipped her head back and sent her shooting upward even higher.
He pressed the attack relentlessly. Every block she managed came with a cost: a knee to the ribs, an elbow to the jaw, a palm strike that rattled her teeth. She fought back fiercely, landing a few solid hits that actually made him grunt, but John was faster, stronger, and his defence was almost unbreakable. He battered her defenses down piece by piece.
A brutal hook caught her across the cheek, spinning her in the air. She tasted blood, and her vision blurred for a moment. Another hit to her stomach made her double over. She gasped, trying to push through the pain.
John hovered in front of her, breathing steady. "Still want me to keep going?"
Kara wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Her eyes burned with defiance... and something else. Heat built behind them, pressure mounting until it felt like her skull was on fire.
"Yes," she rasped. "Don't you dare stop."
John lunged. His fist came straight for her face.
That was when it happened.
Her eyes glowed bright red. Twin beams of searing heat vision erupted from her pupils in uncontrolled bursts. The crimson beams sliced across the sky, missing John by inches as he twisted aside at the last second. The beams carved glowing trails through the clouds, vaporizing moisture in explosive hisses before they faded.
Kara closed her eyes and put her palms over her face as she suddenly felt too exhausted. "What... what the hell was that?"
John flew closer.
"Heat vision," he said. "Looks like the real power's starting to wake up."
Kara opened her eyes and stared at her hands, then back at him. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, adrenaline still pumping. The earlier confusion in her heart mixed with this new rush of raw power. She felt raw, exposed, but also alive in a way she hadn't since arriving on Earth.
She let out a shaky laugh. "I almost barbecued you."
...
[Meanwhile...] [Gotham]
Harley stood before one of her old warehouses. She has finally tracked down Leslie Willis, aka Livewire and her old team.
===
..[POWERSTONES AND REVIEWS]...
If you want to read early advance chapters and support me, you can join>:
www.patr eon.com/XcaliburXc
[I have > 14 advance chapters] [No double billing]