Karli Morgenthau (smashedflags) wrote in momadness_log, @ 2024-03-11 22:05:00 |
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Entry tags: | !red portal event, dc: clark kent, marvel: karli morgenthau |
Who: Clark and Karli
Where: Earth-96, Metropolis
When: February 22, 2019 to March 12, 2020
What: Red Portal Adventures (Part 3)
Rating/Warnings: Canon Typical Violence
Status: Complete
"And this-" Clark waved his hand across a sensor beside a door and the polished metal slid aside revealing the space-age living area beyond, "is your suite."
He really hoped that his whistle stop tour of the Watchtower wasn’t as mind blowing as he feared it was. The Justice League’s vast moon base could be intimidating to navigate for newcomers; but his daughter had successfully made herself at home among the Amazons of Themyscira, so he had no doubt she’d get the hang of their lunar habitat just as well. "You’ll get used to the artificial gravity, so I’m told, I never have."
It spoke to the amount of growth she'd experienced since her arrival on Clark's world almost four years ago now that she didn't mention how many families could fit in just the guest quarters. She wasn't some slack-jawed tourist, but she could appreciate the sheer wealth of engineering genius it had taken to not only construct the base, but also make it self-sustaining. "Honestly, I was looking forward to bouncing around a bit, but I suppose it's better for my space-legs and general Earth-bound wellbeing that I'm not. I know just enough about space travel from those shows Jason likes to watch to know that space sickness can be just as real as the sea kind."
Karli secured her travel bag under one of the beds before taking a seat on it and looking up at her Da. "Is this really a sightseeing vacation like you told Mum and Dad, or are we actually up to something?"
"He does love those space shows." Clark smiled, the expression fond as he thought about his son. He’d come very close to losing Jason after the DoD explosion and as such had agreed with Lois’ slightly stricter rules for their son, limiting his super time as much as she could. At least until they were certain that they were both back up to 100%. "Richard bought him a boxed set of another one when he came home from the hospital."
As much as he didn’t like the turn of phrase, it was accurate, they were up to something. But hopefully it wouldn’t be a dangerous something. "There’s a mission as well as a sightseeing trip to the Watchtower for you."
Moving to take a seat beside her, he pressed his shoulder to hers. "I didn’t want them to worry too much. They’ve been… overly protective since the kryptonite."
Their size difference made it easy for Karli to roll her head onto his shoulder. She'd hated the powerlessness of being half a continent away, and knowing that even if she'd been there, there was nothing she could have done to stop any of it anyway. It reminded her of all the ways she'd wanted to help in her own world and been unable to do so. At the very least, she'd had an hours-long flight for the Dick of this universe to talk her down from doing immediate violence when they touched down. The only thing that suffered was the half-broken vending machine near the hospital vending machines.
She took Clark's hand now, much like she'd done when he'd been lying in the bed. In those moments, her Da had looked, well, human. The memory stole her wry amusement at being right about there being ulterior motives for her being here. "I can't blame them. Thing most people forget about being 'nearly invincible' is the nearly bit. Uncle Bruce still's got it sorted, yeah? Getting the DOD's stores contained and all? Maybe shuffled off into some sun or something?"
Clark very gently squeezed her hand as she took hold of his and tipped his head to rest his cheek against her hair. He knew he'd worried all of them, it had taken a lot longer for him to recover than it had against the Kryptonite island. But he had recovered. "You're right, I should be more tolerant of their temporary coddling." He smiled just enough so the expression could be heard in his tone. "He has, you can ask him the particulars when he joins us. I think he has a way to transport them into the sun, he just needs to decide which sun."
It suddenly dawned on him then that this may be part of the mission they had been summoned to the Watchtower for. Perhaps they'd burn up the kryptonite weapons en-route to their actual assignment. "We're going to Thanagar, where Carter and Kendra are from."
She sat for a moment, recalling what she knew about the Hawk-people's homeworld. It was an admittedly sparse recollection. "Any Bat-kids coming along?" She did her best not to sound too hopeful. Getting closer to the ones from this world made her realize she'd never given the ones she'd known before much of a fair shake. "Or will it just be the three of us?"
Karli sat upright and stood. "Okay, I think my hair is going to drive me crazy, even in normal gravity. It's almost the principle of the thing, at this point." Going to where she'd set her bag, she retrieved a band and began to perform the not so intricate ritual of pulling her thick curls into braids. "Got any idea if this is a diplomatic situation or something a bit more… hands-on?"
"I think Dick might be joining us, along with Hal. It's always best to take a Lantern when we're doing space business. I'm hoping it will only be diplomatic, but when they request a Kryptonian presence it usually means it'll devolve into a hands-on operation." He, J'onn, and Diana were often called upon as the so-called heavy-hitters of the League.
He watched as Karli braided her hair, a fond little smile on his face at the normalcy of it. Despite being thousands of miles from home, she was doing exactly what she would if they were back in Metropolis. Speaking of… "We should probably check in with home, let them know we've arrived safely and I've got you settled in." He probably should have done that as soon as they stepped out of the teleporter, but in the excitement of showing Karli around, he'd completely forgotten.
There didn't seem to be much point in asking if they'd requested her presence, too. Sure, she'd had more exposure to the Justice League over the last year, but she was still very much a local hero. Friendly Neighborhood Superwoman. The errant thought almost made her laugh aloud. At the very least, it kept her from making a face at Hal's impending presence. She didn't not like the man, but he was a lot in very small doses. Her first official act of diplomacy was simply to smile. "If Dick can find a way to sneak into my room to steal my snacks, I'll be both impressed and also threaten to toss him out an airlock. See how his fancy flips serve him in partial gravity and no atmosphere."
They both knew she was kidding, but the curl of her smile might have given anyone else pause. Karli got the last of her hasty braids tucked under and went back to her Da so she could take his hands. There was no way she could actually tug him to his feet unless Clark let her; she tugged anyway. "We just have to go to comms, right? To call down? This is utterly mad. I'm on the Moon."
Clark had to smother an amused smile at the diplomatic response to their Green Lantern's presence. Hal was definitely an acquired taste. When he'd first been introduced to the pilot he had been similarly overwhelmed by how—Hal he was, it had taken some time to get used to the cocky exuberance. "You'd be surprised how small a space he can fit into." His eyes flicked to the ventilation grate high up on the wall, remembering when a much younger Dick had tried to sneak up on him via the very same ductwork. "Though he has grown a lot since then," he mused.
"Haven't we all," Karli murmured, the tilt of her mouth faint, maybe a tiny bit ironic.
Tipping his head up to look at her as she moved to stand in front of him, he gave a little smile. His daughter was an incredible woman, but if he told her so again she'd probably give him that fondly exasperated look. Instead, he got to his feet as she tugged on his hands and nodded. "Yep, we just have to go down to comms and call one of them via video chat. You remember the way?" He asked with a little grin, heading for the door. "Who's most likely to pick up?"
She nodded succinctly, then tossed in a wink. "Just have to show me once. And it's definitely Mum. Dad'll be making sure his cheese soufflés don't collapse. Remember the last time? I thought he was going to cry. Should I check with Uncle Bruce about access to the JLA database? I want to know as much about Thanagar as I can before we get there. How long do we have here? Are we boom tubing? Sorry, seems like my questions have questions."
"Yes, I remember, they were delicious though, collapsed or not." He’d had to console his husband afterward, which wasn’t all bad. "Mom will probably pick up, you’re right, unless your brother is home and gets there first." As they walked through the base, Clark answered each question in turn. "You should have access already, partially anyway, but enough to research the planet. We’ll be traveling via boom tube, yes. Unless Batman has brought something green with him he needs to dispose of." He gave a little wink. "We’ll likely leave once he, Nightwing and Green Lantern get here. So we’ll need to suit up after we check in with the family."
Dialing their home computer, he didn’t have to wait more than a millisecond before the connection was made, despite the distance the signal needed to travel. The line rang a couple of times before someone picked up and Lois’ smile lit up the viewscreen.
"Hey, you two, we were wondering when you’d remember to phone home. Settled in?"
"Hi, Mum." Karli smiled back from where she stood at her Da's side in front of the monitor. They probably didn't have a long while to talk, and they hadn't been in the Watchtower for more than a couple of hours, but something about going off-world made this call seem precious. "How's Dad getting on with the food that dare not speak its name?"
As if on cue, a low cry could be heard in the background, but it was hard to say if it was in defeat or triumph. Lois held up a finger, and they got their answer a moment later when Richard came sliding into the home office. His face was glowing and split with an enormous grin. "It is risen!!"
"Giving sacrilege a cheeky little wink, eh, Dad?" Karli laughed, figuring at this point they would all know she was teasing.
Richard went visibly pink, but smiled on unabated. "What can I say? I've finally been blessed by the culinary gods. How's the moon? Have you found any cheese?"
Clark was content to watch the interaction between his wife, husband and daughter, so much so that he didn't even move for a few beats, just basking in the family moment. They were so lucky they had this, especially for Karli's first time off-world.
"Earth to Smallville," Lois' voice gently poked him out of his reverie and he smiled a little bashfully.
"Oh, uh, no cheese. But we didn't exactly raid the kitchen. Hal, Bruce, and Dick will be along shortly and then we're off to Thanagar. Please take a picture of your fluffy souffles, Chef. Wish I could be there to taste them."
"They still haven't found out who took the Nth metal?" Lois had leaned closer to the monitor, and Clark knew the expression on her face. It was the same look she got when she sniffed a story. "Rann is still denying all knowledge?"
Clark looked a little uncomfortable and his voice was hushed as he replied, "Lo, you know I probably shouldn't have told you any of this…"
"Okay, okay." She lifted her hands in mock surrender, "Don't turn the puppy eyes on me, Clark. They're potent even over the internet. Karli, how are you doing? Excited about a new planet?"
Her hand came up automatically and closed over her Da's shoulder. It was as much about his tone of voice as his body language in that moment, and neither Richard nor Lois were there to do this for him. Karli knew it wasn't the same, but it didn't stop her from making the effort. She smiled at the screen. "I am, yeah, but I've got a feeling I'm really only going for socio-economics study reasons and not for my investigative skills, such as they are." She chuckled. "Dad's just gonna have to redo his masterful soufflé for us both to try when we get back."
"Don't jinx me!" Richard laughed. She could see the hint of concern behind his smile, though. He and Lois were stronger than many of the people Karli had known in her life. They were ordinary humans living with the extraordinary. They'd knowingly signed up for the uncertainty and the anxiety that came with it. Her old life felt long gone now, especially the one that never came to be, but she thought her old friends, her old family would have adored her new ones and been happy for her. She hoped so, at any rate. "But when you get back, I'll be all over those soufflés, just you wait."
"Means we've gotta hurry back, then, right, Da?" A light started blinking in a panel at eye level. "And that means we're about to go off-world soon. Love to you and Jason both. I promise to keep us all out of trouble. Or at least try."
Karli's hand on his shoulder settled him and gave her a grateful look before returning his attention to the screen. He studied both their faces and saw the worry behind the smiles, though Lois' was better hidden than Richard's. "We're taking the Bats for their investigative skills, they like to play detective." Clark's expression turned cheeky, knowing that Bruce would likely scowl at the comment. But he was still in the boom tube bay, and couldn't possibly have heard.
"If our Sunflower did just jinx your cheese soufflés, maybe we could have a chocolate one when we get home?" Richard had treated him one birthday and well- they blew brownies out of the water, so to speak. He spotted the blinking light as Karli did and gave a little pout. "Yeah, that's our cue to suit up. Love you both. Give Jason a hug from me when he gets in."
"Go get 'em." Lois smiled in encouragement and their earthbound family waved together as the call disconnected.
"Bruce and Dick are already up in the control room, we should go join them as soon as we're ready." He gave her a look, "Race you."
Still warmed by the nickname—it never got old, hearing her Da say it with so much feeling, even offhandedly—Karli returned the challenge with a smirk. "First one to the control room gets first taste of the chocolate soufflé when we get back."
She didn't think she really had a chance, not if they hadn't added a no powers stipulation, but there was fun to be had in the offing. Her suit was on and she was coming into the control room in less than three minutes. Her first scan in the room was for her Da, but the other was for Uncle Bruce and troublemaker-Dick. This may have been a run-of-the-mill investigation as far as those two were concerned, but she could usually count on Dick for keeping things relatively lighthearted. And she owed him for the emergency plane ride anyway. Maybe Thanagar had a bar or something.
He chuckled as she took him up on the challenge, though as she vanished through the door ahead of him he worried that he might be second in line for the soufflés.
It took him no time at all to suit up and as he raced through familiar corridors he definitely could have been first to the control room. If a Green Lantern hadn’t been in the way. Hitting the breaks, he stopped dead, hovering a couple of centimeters off the floor. "Lantern."
Hal Jordan’s smile was huge and amused as he looked back at Clark, guessing immediately what he’d just witnessed: the Man of Steel racing his daughter. "Superman."
Walking into the control room, he gave a little salute to Superwoman, "Bats didn’t send me the ‘bring your kids to work day’ memo."
"That’s because you’re the fun uncle, GL." Nightwing piped up, spinning the console chair he was sitting in around so he could see everyone, and fixing his gaze on a point just beyond Hal’s right shoulder.
"He’s— behind me isn’t he?"
Karli's mouth trembled with the effort not to laugh; Hal's remarks hadn't ruffled her in the slightest. For all that they saved the world, the members of the Justice League were like any other close-knit family. They all had different dynamics, with Clark, Diana, and Bruce usually taking the helm of co-parents. Sure, the patterns shifted depending on how they came together, but they all got along at the end of the day. Mostly.
And if they didn't, the interpersonal skirmishes didn't last long. Usually.
No one wanted to be the villain in someone else's story.
"Let's get this briefing started, Fun Uncle Green Lantern." It was incredibly satisfying to watch Hal's shoulders bunch up around his ears, even though he absolutely had to know that Batman was right there.
Giving her Da a small wink and knowing full well he would hear her, she leaned over to Dick and whispered, "Funcle GL. Tell everyone," before leaning back upright and giving Bruce her full attention. "I may be jumping ahead, but how substantiated are these theft charges? We're not walking into a full-on political quagmire here, are we?"
Dick nodded enthuastically at the direction, flashing a bright smile at Clark, knowing as well as Karli that he would have heard. Then turned his full attention to their mission leader, as Batman answered the very pertinent question.
"Not entirely unsubstantiated, there has been animosity between the two planets for centuries. But Thanagar's Nth metal is a temptation for many. So while we may not be walking into a quagmire, there will be a politically charged atmosphere."
"All the more reason for Lantern presence." Hal commented, expression serious now business was being discussed. "Though there shouldn't be anyone from Rann on Thanagar, so hopefully we won't need peacekeepers."
Clark inclined his head in a tiny nod, "But we'll be prepared just in case. We're going straight to the mines to see the site, and size, of the theft. Start our investigation there."
Dick jumped to his feet, landing lightly on his toes and heading for the door. "Boom Tube already has the coordinates."
Behind the cowl, Bruce gave a silent sigh at his son's eagerness, but turned to lead the way to their transport regardless.
Her mind swirled with what was to come, the number of unknowns troubling, but not daunting. It definitely didn't keep her from being right on Dick's heels. Really, with this line-up, what could go wrong?