randomplaces | Futureknight Chapter 9

David rubbed his face, then flinched and put a hand up to catch Mr. Bean as the baby stress worm crawled off his collar and onto his neck.

"Someone will be down to see you shortly, Commissioner Freeman," said the receptionist, pressing a button. "You can wait in the lobby."

He shook his head and waited where he was, sipping his cold coffee with a grimace and eyeing his cooing fist.

"That sounds like a guinea pig," said the receptionist.

"Yeah. Sorta." He shifted the little worm so that he could rub it between his thumb and forefinger while he stared blankly at a poster that advertised Star Labs’ technological prowess.

"Took ya long enough."

He blinked and focused on Clark's grandmother. "I know. I came as soon as I could. How is she?"

"Sleepin'." She frowned at him thoughtfully. "You look like #$&@."

He frowned back, taking in the pallor of her skin and the dark shadows under her eye, and noticing the way she was leaning against the wall. "What do I call you?"

"My name's Elen," she said indifferently. "In English it's Star."

"Are you alright?"

She sighed and turned her face away for a few minutes. "I will be. Right now I'm still listenin' fer a voice I ain't gonna hear again till I hit Heaven."

"Lobo?"

"Yeah." She wiped her face with the back of her hand. "Come on. Clark'll be glad ta see ya."

He fell into step beside her, finding that he didn't need to slow to accommodate her limp. "What happened?"

She glanced at him absently. "My leg? They call 'em dire wolves now. Broke the thigh bone in two places."

"What planet was that?" He frowned.

"Earth. Back before Eve decided ta try things her way."

"You were time travelling?"

"Nope. Just showed up in this reality 'n got a little lost." She stopped and pressed the elevator button, then put her fingers on a special plate.

"Showed up in this reality?" He looked at her strangely as he followed her into the elevator.

"Uh huh."

He felt the slight dip in his stomach that told him they were going downward, then turned in concern as Star put a hand to her stomach and hissed under her breath. "What's wrong?"

"Queasy." She squeezed her eye shut and went even paler, so that her skin looked nearly translucent. "Urgh…"

"Are you going to be sick?"

"Nothin' left t' be sick with." She leaned her shoulder against the wall and wrapped her arms around herself.

David reached toward her shoulder, only to stop as she flinched.

"Don't do that," she said, her musical voice quivering. "I don't got time ta cry right now."

"Why not?" He guided her out of the elevator as the door opened, then stood next to her as she visibly fought for control.

"Because…" She lifted the back of her hand to her mouth and squeezed her eye shut. "I… oh #$&@."

He caught her as she fell, going to one knee and cradling her for a moment before stuffing Mr. Bean into a pocket and gently patting her cheek. "Star?"

"What happened?" Young Lobo was suddenly kneeling beside him.

"She fainted." David continued his resuscitation efforts and was rewarded by a weak moan.

"Ama?" Young Lobo leaned forward slightly.

Her eye fluttered open, but then drifted shut again.

"Ama." The black-haired Justice Leaguer took her and held her close, resting his cheek against her head. "Don't leave me."

She moved weakly, shaking her head, then keened softly and clenched her fist on the front of his T-shirt.

"She said she was sick." David shrugged out of his jacket and offered it.

Young Lobo scowled at him absently, then looked down at Star with a searching expression which swiftly changed to wonder. "Another sister?"

"What?" David let the hand holding the jacket drop.

"Ama." Young Lobo shook Star gently. "Why didn' ya tell me?"

"Hadn'…" She swallowed and turned her face to his chest. "I hadn' even tol' yer ol' man yet."

Young Lobo rocked her slightly, taking the jacket and putting it around her shoulders. "Let me take care'a things. Yer in no shape. Ada'd kick my rear if he knew I'd let ya get this sick."

She gasped a protest in that musical alien language, then shuddered and moaned.

"Yer tired 'n sick, 'n ya need ta be careful fer the baby." Young Lobo stood, jerking his head at David as he continued speaking to her. "Come on. Clara just brought some cots."

Star nodded, relaxing and snuggling into David's jacket.

"Young Lobo…"

"Call me Narmo."

David quirked an eyebrow. "Alright. What's wrong?"

"She was tryin' ta do too much, stressin' my new sister before she even got a chance."

"Your new sister?" David stopped short in shock. "Star is your mother?"

"Yeah." Narmo's concern faded into a slight smirk. "Lobo's wife."

"But she's Clark's grandmother."

"Yeah. He's my older sister Vendea's kid."

"The medic." David remembered.

"Doctor. Yeah. Superman's ol' lady."

"Clark's Superman's son."

"Yeah." Narmo's smirk got bigger. "Thought ya were supposed ta be a great detective. Ya hadn' figured that all out?"

"I've been a bit busy lately," David said absently.

"Yeah." Narmo's smirk faded, and he turned and started walking again. "Sorry."

"I'm sorry too." David fell into step with him.

"What for?" Narmo glanced at Mr. Bean as the little worm crawled up David's shoulder.

"Your father," said David awkwardly, remembering the other man's infamous temper. "He died trying to help Ronnie."

Narmo's eyes glimmered suspiciously. "Figures. He always was a suck when it came ta her."

David followed him around a corner in the hallway, stepping behind him to let two white-coated Star Lab employees past.

Star made a slight sound, her shoulders shaking.

"Ama?" Narmo looked down at her.

"…Just as much ta you if y'd ever let 'im," she said through her sobs. "'N Clark too."

"I know." He rubbed her arm and stopped in front of a set of double doors.

David cleared his throat.

Narmo looked back at him questioningly.

"Maybe I should come back later. This is family time," said David softly.

"'N yer family, dumb#$&@." Narmo walked forward and the doors slid back. "Come on."

David hesitated, but then he caught sight of the form that floated in a large tank in the center of the room. Ronnie…

He was inside and beside it before he realized he'd moved, one hand lifting to touch the warm glass.

"Do you want me to let her know you're here?"

He looked down at Supergirl blankly. "Is she awake?"

"No." The tiny half Kryptonian shook her head, blue eyes serious under her black bangs. "But she's dreaming."

David rested his other hand beside the first, his eyes tracing the planes of Ronnie's peaceful face. "How is she?"

"Better. Jesus already put some of her neural net back online, even though it was melted in some places," said Supergirl seriously. "We're praying He'll fix the rest now."

-Thank You.- David leaned his head against the tank, squeezing his eyes shut as the rush of relief and gratefulness made his head go funny for a moment.

Then he opened his eyes and looked down at the ageless super heroine. "We?"

"Clark and Misti and Diana and I," she clarified. "And Prudence."

He nodded, feeling no surprise to learn that Diana Free had Justice League connections. A cry from behind him made him turn in time to see Narmo lifting a Robin-suit clad Clark away from a table as the boy gasped and blinked in sleepy disorientation.

"Shh." The dark-haired biker held the child to his chest for a moment. "It's just me. I'm puttin' ya t' bed."

Clark rubbed his eyes wearily. "Did He heal anything else?"

"Not yet." Narmo carried him toward the cots. "Ya wanna sleep with Star?"

"Gramma?" Clark turned his head. "Sure. Is the Commissioner here yet?"

"Yeah, but y' can talk ta 'im later." Narmo lay him next to Star and rearranged the blanket over them. "Sleep now."

"Sure, Uncle Narmo." Clark sighed as his grandmother put her arms around him. "G'night. G'night, Gramma."

"'Night, kid." Narmo squeezed the little boy's shoulder and turned away. "Clara, you oughtta sleep too."

She nodded without looking up from the tank readouts. "Uh huh."

"What's happening?" asked David, leaning over to look.

"Another section just came back online." She looked up at him with an excited grin.

"Thank You, Jesus!" He grinned too.

"Amen," said Narmo, coming up behind them. "Come on, Clara, y' had a rough day 'n ya need ta sleep."

She frowned up at him with the same expression David had seen kids give their fathers. "But I'm monitoring her progress."

"So's God. 'N ya made 'er forget about what happened ta Ada, so she's not gonna have nightmares." Narmo scooped her up gently and hugged her, then carried her toward the empty cot.

She frowned, but then drooped with a sigh. "Sit with me?"

"'Course." He plunked down on the edge of the cot and settled her on it, then rested a hand on her back.

David watched them wordlessly, then turned back to the readouts as something beeped.

"What's it say?" asked Narmo.

David ran his eyes over the panel, trying to see what had changed. "I'm not sure." Then he noticed something that made his blood go cold. "Her heart's not beating."

"That's okay. It never does."

"What?" He turned to stare at Narmo.

"It's some kind'a living rock," said the biker. "Pumps without beatin'."

"A living rock," repeated David blankly.

"Yeah." Clark lifted his head and rubbed one eye with a fist. "The nerve gas wrecked her first one, so her fairy godmother gave her a new one."

"Go ta sleep," growled Narmo.

"I am." Clark settled down again.

"What do you mean, 'fairy godmother'?" David frowned.

Narmo shot him an irritated look. "She's this alien chick that's ben watchin' out fer the Graysons since Dick's little sister was Robin. The heart's made'a the same crystal she is."

"Oh." David turned back to the tank, wondering if he should be surprised about anything he learned about Ronnie and her family. They seemed on a whole to take the strangest things for granted.

"Hey, Narmo." Superman stepped in. "Kenny just side-swiped your bike. You wanna come help me 'n J'onni get it out of the river?"

"The river?" Narmo gaped. "How the frag did 'e get it in the river?"

"Hey, man, this' Kid Flash we're talking about. 'How' has no place in his reality."

Narmo grumbled and rubbed his face. "I'm comin'. That kid's gonna put me in the loony bin yet."

"No, he's not," said Supergirl sleepily.

"No." Narmo got up and followed his brother-in-law out, slugging him in the ribs as he made some sort of crack.

David watched them go, then turned back to the monitors and grinned as a red line suddenly turned green. -God, You're even more amazing than alien fairy godmothers and thousand year lifespans. You're a God of miracles…- He paused as something else beeped, then looked up as a hand pressed itself to the other side of the glass from his.

He stared at it, feeling his heart race, then looked up to see Ronnie resting her forehead against the inside of the tank as she gazed at him with those wide grey eyes.

-Jesus…- He touched the glass near her face, the strangeness fading from his mind, to be replaced by a rush of love and joy. -Thank You.-