My mind was spinning, this is bad and exciting I unlocked my powers. I looked across the chamber, and my eyes landed on M'gann. She was watching me—her expression caught somewhere between shock and curiosity. The moment our eyes met, she blushed slightly, a flicker of red crossing her cheeks It was subtle.
That was new. But before I could finish the thought, Diana's voice rang through the silence. "I hear all of your concerns," she said, her voice unwavering. "But this was never meant to be a personal crusade. This was a League issue. And we were supposed to face it together. Not through lies. Not through surveillance."
Her eyes locked on Batman. "You turned this into a crusade against a child. A child who saved your ward, Batman. Who bled with the Titans. Who bled for us." The silence from Batman was telling. Diana looked around the chamber now, addressing everyone. "So, starting today, I propose that we end all surveillance on Cain Dawn. Permanently."
The ripple of murmurs was immediate. "Furthermore," she continued, "Cain will be granted full Justice League and Titans access, Zeta tubes and any unclassified knowledge we have to come and go as he pleases. He'll need training and support for what is to come."
Green Lantern John Stewart raised a brow. "Seconded." Zatanna crossed her arms with a smirk and added, "Thirded." Aquaman Im still on edge about a civilization of planet conquerors but Cain has earned his right of trust then gave a nod. Even Superman said, "Agreed." Along with more leagues and Titans members with Dick saying "All the Titans are on bored". Then Diana turned back to me.
"Will that be a good first step, Cain?"
I looked at her, at the room. My rage had cooled, but the distrust hadn't vanished. Still, I gave her a short nod. "It's a start," I said. "But I don't work for free." That drew a chuckle from Wally. Then Batman stepped forward. "I'll pay," he said. "And I'll authorize reparations for the surveillance. If that helps." He paused. "But I have conditions."
I narrowed my eyes. "Of course you do. Let's hear them." Batman held out a communicator. "When—not if—the Viltrumites come… if you're the first one they make contact with, I want you to send out an all-hands message. Through this device. Instantly."
I took the device. Looked at it then crushed it in my palm. The metal cracked, sparks flashing briefly before it crumpled like a soda can. Gasps and mutters followed. Batman didn't even flinch. "Sorry, Bats," I said coldly. "If Static and Cyborg don't build it—or don't approve it—I'm not using it. From now on, I don't take tech from you."
Batman nodded once. "That's fair." A rare moment of mutual understanding. I took a breath, refocusing. "What happened to Mark and Nolan?" I asked. Batman adjusted his cape. "Nolan left the planet. We don't know where he went and no off planet allies have seen him. Mark… is in containment. A joint task force base. Undergoing rehabilitation."
"Re-education?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "You mean Cecil Stedman." He didn't answer. That was answer enough. Silence fell again. Above the Hall of Justice, clouds drifted across the night sky.
Far away, slicing through the upper atmosphere at blinding speed, Kara Zor-El flew toward the Fortress of Solitude—her mind burning with unanswered questions and the lingering feeling of something she hadn't yet understood. The Arctic winds howled around her as she tore through the sky, cutting through layers of subzero air at near-supersonic speed. The chill should've calmed her nerves. But it didn't.
Kara Zor-El's heart still pounded her skin still tingled. She'd fought gods, monsters, alien warlords… but nothing had ever made her feel like this. Not on Krypton or Earth, not until she met Cain Dawn. The flash of his eyes, the weight of his presence, the way their energies seemed to… sync. It didn't make sense. Kryptonians didn't react like this. She didn't react like this.
As the Fortress of Solitude came into view—its crystal spires jutting like glass fangs from the ice—she lowered her speed and descended through the outer membrane. The doors parted with a silent hiss. "Welcome, Kara Zor-El," came the familiar voice of Kelex, the Fortress's loyal robotic steward. The orb-shaped drone floated toward her, blinking with soft blue lights.
"Hey, Kelex," Kara said breathlessly, brushing ice from her shoulder. "I need your help." The robot paused. "Are you injured?"
"No," Kara said. "Not physically, anyway." She swallowed, rubbing the back of her neck. "I need a full body scan. Something… weird happened." Kelex nodded and immediately summoned the scanning chamber. "Please step inside." Kara stood still as pale blue energy rippled over her body, scanning her from head to toe.
After a few seconds, Kelex blinked. "No abnormalities detected. You are in peak Kryptonian health." Kara frowned. "That can't be right."
She stepped out of the scanner. "Earlier today, I had this… reaction. To someone. A Viltrumite hybrid. Cain Dawn. He's part Viltrumite, part Amazonian. The second I got close to him… it was like I lost all sense of everything. My body felt hot. My heart was racing. My nose started bleeding."
Kelex whirred thoughtfully. "There are still no biological malfunctions." "Then what the hell happened to me?" Kara demanded. Kelex's response was simple—and somehow worse. "You have begun what Earthlings refer to as ovulation." Kara's jaw dropped. "I'm… I'm ovulating?!"
Kelex nodded. "Yes. The presence of a hybrid Viltrumite can trigger dormant reproductive functions in certain species. Kryptonians primarily reproduced through cloning on Krypton, but the original biological pathways remain intact. Though dormant, they can be reawakened under unique stimuli."
Kara stared at the robot like he'd grown a second floating head. "Wait, wait, wait… so being around him triggered my actual biological reproduction system?" "Yes," Kelex confirmed. "Hybrid Viltrumites release pheromones attuned to potential mates across multiple genetic matrices. It is rare but not unheard of. Since Kryptonians rarely reproduced naturally, this response is new, but not unexpected."
She felt like the temperature in the Fortress had jumped a hundred degrees. "Will it… get worse?" she asked hesitantly. Kelex paused. "Yes. The more time you spend near the hybrid, the stronger the instinct to breed becomes. Once the 'breeding phase' completes, the effect stabilizes. Without mating, the process may take approximately twenty Earth years before your body disconnects from his pheromonal signature."
Kara's face turned red. Twenty years? She turned around, pacing. "I don't even know him like that. I just met him! He's seems okay! A little Broody! Mysterious… okay, maybe a little hot—but still!" She groaned and smacked her forehead. "Kelex, isn't there anything you can do?"
"Unfortunately, no. Krypton did not develop technology to counteract non-native pheromonal bonds before its destruction. There is no disruptor that we possess." Kara bit her lip. "I'll talk to Samantha," she muttered. "Maybe she can do something."
Kelex activated the communication terminal. Moments later, Samantha's face appeared on the Fortress's holoscreen—her red hair tied back, eyes wide with curiosity.
"Kara? What's up?" Kara sighed. "I need your help with… something science-related." Samantha raised a brow. "Okay, shoot." "I'm dealing with a possible Kryptonian-Viltrumite pheromonal bonding scenario."
Samantha blinked. "A what?"
Kara rubbed her forehead. "Look, I reacted to Cain Dawn. Badly. Like, nosebleed, overheating, tunnel vision bad. Kelex says it's some weird Viltrumite mating pheromone thing that triggered dormant Kryptonian ovulation cycles." Samantha was already taking notes. "Okay… wow. That's so not covered in any textbook I've read."
Kara leaned in. "Can you fix it?"
Samantha winced. "I mean, I don't really know enough about Kryptonian or Viltrumite biology. Let alone hybrids. I'd need years of data, full genome analysis, and probably help from someone like Cyborg, or even Martian biotech. I'm not comfortable experimenting on your body without real groundwork."
Kara groaned, slumping back against the console. Samantha smirked. "How bad was it?"
Kara blushed, face hot. "If M'gann and Barbara hadn't snapped me out of it… I think I would've jumped his bones right then and there. I Didn't care they were standing right there." "Oh wow," Samantha said, covering her mouth. "That's bad."
"Tell me about it," Kara muttered.
She stood up. "I'm just going to have to avoid him. For a while. No contact. We don't have any reason to cross paths anyway… unless he shows up at the Tower or tries to conquer the world or something."
Samantha paused. Her expression changed. "…Yeah, about that." Kara narrowed her eyes. "What?"