THE MAID OF STEEL # 25

Supergirl gazed down at the Earth slowly revolving beneath her. Sunlight fell across the surface of the globe bathing North America in daylight. It was so beautiful and peaceful from up here. It was hard to believe that there were wars raging, children starving, and people dying down there. From here it was all clouds and water and green land masses and looked like something she would paint in a moment of inspiration.

"Home." Supergirl whispered, watching the slowly revolving planet. Although it wasn't really home anymore. Her home, the original Pocket Universe was long dead, this was a rebooted Earth the Time Trapper had started over from scratch for his own amusement. He had claimed to have reset the Pocket Universe several times over; Supergirl couldn't even be sure that it was the same Earth she had fought Monarch on at this point.

She had been waiting for a long time now. Floating here. Before much long she would need to fly down into the atmosphere again, feeling her lungs with sweet air. She could only last fifteen hours in space before taking another breath, and she'd been up here waiting for fourteen.

Finally a golden portal opened not far from her.

"Finally." She said, unsure why she suddenly was filled with fear. She flew through the portal, finding herself in the Time Trapper's lair.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting." The Time Trapper said, "I don't really have an excuse, seeing as how I am a master of all time, I could have had you here at any point without any inconvenience to me."

Supergirl shivered. The Time Trapper gave her the creeps. He didn't appear to be quite human beneath his purple hood and his voice reminded her of something dead and risen from the grave.

"What brings you to my lair?" The Time Trapper asked, clasping his hands together as he sat on a throne in front of his great crystal ball.

Supergirl's eyes drifted to the curtain to the right; behind that curtain there were containers filled with people. She'd seen them when she was last here. At one point her parents and Mattie, Dick, and Cutter had been stored in containers behind that curtain—rescued from certain death by the Time Trapper. Were the others there behind the curtain other's the Time Trapper had saved in the moments before their deaths—replacing them with Pocket Universe counterparts in order to have them prisoners to use as leverage at a later date?

"I need a favor." Supergirl said. "And, you are the only one who can help me."

"This sounds incredibly interesting." The Time Trapper said. "Do continue."

Sitting at his desk, Phillip Decker looked at the electronic data on his laptop's screen. It had taken a considerable amount of time for his sources to send him a comprehensive set of files about Miss America, the heroine of the 1940's. But the wait had been worth it.

Clicking through the files, Phillip noted pictures of Miss America with the Golden Age Wonder Woman and the Golden Age Fury. There were pictures of her with some guy in a silver suit called Silverhawk. Going through them he came to one finally that gave him pause Miss America with her youthful sidekick Glory. The pretty brunette was the spitting image of Linda Danvers.

Phillip Decker considered his meeting with Linda Danvers last week at the Midway City Museum. Had he imaged a look in her eyes of recognition when her eyes had met his? He wasn't sure. He clicked past the older pictures of Miss America, going through a few scattered photos from the 1950's, the last of them of Miss America sitting before the House Un-American Committee—before the JSA had disbanded due to their refusal to unmask. There were a few pictures of an unmasked Joan Dale during her time working with the FBI, these were dated no later than 1957. After 1957 there were no photos of Joan Dale or Miss America until twenty years ago, when she and her husband Admiral Derek Trevor had appeared looking just as they had when they'd last been seen in 1957. With them was a three year old blonde girl named Lyta, their daughter. No mention of where they had been all those years in between, only the fact that they were back, living in Virginia raising their daughter. Also no mention of the fact that they had both not aged a day since their last appearance in the 1950's. Pictures over the last twenty years showed that they were still aging very little and there were even a few pictures of Miss America in her costume again with the JSA and the modern Wonder Woman and her daughter Lyta—who was now the modern day Fury, even though most reports ascertained that Joan's powers had faded sometime in the 1950's.

He went to the data files that had been included with the photos. Joan Dale Trevor's life was all there for him to see and dissect. Her family life, her single years in New York City before and during World War II. Her time in Washington D.C. at the FBI afterwards, marrying Derek Trevor in 1953 at the Trevor family manor in Virginia. There was two children born to them, one in 1955 and another in 1956. No mention of their current status, and neither of them had been named Lyta. There adoption papers showing that Lyta had been officially adopted shortly before the Trevors had returned. But, the birth records looked fishy to Phillip Decker. They wouldn't have looked fishy to anyone else, but to Phillip, who had seen more than his fair share of expertly doctored documents, the birth certificate looked more than a little fake.

The file Phillip found most interesting covered 1944, when for several months Joan Dale's niece Linda Lee had come to live with her. A few documents from 1944 detailed Linda Lee as being the daughter of Joan's sister and her sister's husband. But, all evidence before and after 1944 supported the fact that Joan Dale was an only child.

Phillip Decker pulled up a picture he'd found of Linda Danvers online, one that had been on the Leesburg Daily Herald website detailing her disappearance and rescue by Supergirl a little over a year ago. He pulled a picture of Glory up, putting it side by side with that of Linda Danvers.

"They could be twins." Phillip whispered, a slight accent entering his voice as he stared at the pictures on his screen. "Or one in the same."

Phillip considered his own life and wondered if somehow it was connected to Joan Dale Trevor and her husband and Linda Lee/Linda Danvers.

Phillip pushed his chair away from his desk, going over to a window and looking out of the impressive skyline of Midway City sprawled out before him on this warm Spring day. He had hoped that Linda Danvers would attend his party last week. He had wanted to get as close to her as he could, and ask her about Bialya 1944. But, she had not shown. Her friend the black doctor had come with her boyfriend. Phillip had spoke to them, asking after Linda, but not asking too much. He didn't want them to wonder what his interest in Linda was.

Phillip's brow creased as he slipped deep into contemplation.

He picked up the phone on his desk, "Allegra, get me Special Ops on the phone. I have an assignment for them."

"So, you want me to send you through time to find Kara of Argo City… where ever she is and bring her back." The Time Trapper said.

"Yes." Supergirl replied, "I know that she's lost in time. Power Girl told me that when she saved her when Power Girl was thrown through the First Light at the Dawn of Time, Kara told her her own journey through the First Light had sent her back into time."

"Perhaps that is her destiny. You did meet her during World War II after all." The Time Trapper replied.

"I did. And, she was older. However, while I was stuck in the past, she disappeared again while chasing after Blackstarr. And, Blackstarr said that she dealt with her." Supergirl replied, "I want to find where Blackstarr sent her and bring her back. That shouldn't damage the time line at all."

"Are you sure?" The Time Trapper asked. "Blackstarr sent her back to ancient Atlantis. Where she met and married Power Girl's father. Surely, Power Girl told you that."

"She did. But, Power Girl's mother died in battle when Power Girl was three." Supergirl said, "What I'm asking is you to pull her out of danger at the last moment and bring her back to my time. You did that with my parents and friends."

"But, I substituted them with alternate versions of them from my Pocket Universe." The Time Trapper said, "At that point and time, your family and friends were destined to die. The only way to cheat death was to substitute them. I cannot do that with Kara of Argo City. Kara of Argo City is unique. There is no alternate version of her in my Pocket Universe. Never has been. Never will be."

"How is that possible?"

The Time Trapper smiled within the darkness of his hood.

"Kara of Argo City was created by this Universe to fill a vacuum. To give Power Girl her place and heritage. You are aware of the Crisis of the Anti-Monitor, and you are also aware—unlike the majority of the people in your reality, that things changed after the Crisis. Before the Crisis Power Girl was just an alternate Supergirl from an alternate reality. But, when that reality and all realities were destroyed and wiped from ever having existed---Power Girl survived. And, she had to fit in somewhere. And, so Kara of Argo City was born. Unique to your universe. And necessary so that there could be a Power Girl and a Supergirl on the same world, when once upon a time they were just different shades of the same person." The Time Trapper said. "So, the way I saved your loved ones will not work with Kara of Argo City."

"Then just take her from time and bring her back." Supergirl said, "Just do that."

"And what of the danger to the timeline?"

"You are the Time Trapper." Supergirl said shaking her head in disgust. "You know how to fix those things. You are a master manipulator."

The Time Trapper laughed, "You ask for something even I am reluctant to do. Manipulating time and events are one thing. Completely removing someone from the moment of their death… Have you considered what implications this would have for Kara of Argo City? What happens to someone if you stop them from dying when they are meant to die?"

"Stop trying to confuse me!" Supergirl shouted. "Just do it. Save her from death and bring her home."

The Time Trapper did not respond immediately. He got up from the throne he sat on and went over to the giant crystal ball in the middle of the room. He waved a hand above it and the crystal flickered and wavered. The image was replaced by a futuristic landscape, and above the buildings a group of flying teenagers became visible.

Supergirl drew closer, looking at the image within.

"Why do they seem familiar?" She asked.

"Because they are part of your history. Although they haven't played a factor since you have started your new post-Crisis incarnation." The Time Trapper said. "They are the Legion of Super-Heroes. Great Heroes of the 31st Century. One day you are meant to be one of them."

"Brainiac 2.5 mentioned that I first fought her as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes."

The Time Trapper nodded, "Yes. You are meant to go to the future at some point in the future." He chuckled lightly. "However, you have not yet done so. And, technically are not supposed to for some time. However, the Legion of Super-Heroes interest me very much. Our histories are curiously aligned and depending on which timeline is current and accurate at any given time, I am both their greatest foe or a former member. Sometimes both. Time is curious that way."

"Why show me this?" Supergirl asked.

"I will do what you ask. I will save Kara of Argo City from her fate and bring her back here. Although I do caution you of the inherent dangers of doing that. However, in exchange, you have to go to the 31st Century."

"I see no harm in that if I am destined to go at some point in the future." Supergirl said.

The Time Trapper smiled, "You would go now. And it's a one way trip. You would have to find your own way back to your time."

"What? Why? You can manipulate time so that I can return at any point. You have brought me back and forth through time before."

"Yes, because it suited me to do so. This is your request. And, as such I will place whatever rules and regulations I wish."

Supergirl looked at the people in the globe. They looked like they were all around her age. A few of them were a little younger, or a little older, but not far away from her age. Her eyes went, in particular, to a green boy with blonde hair in a purple jumpsuit. There was something oddly handsome about the boy.

"No deal." Supergirl spat.

"Very well. The offer stands. If you change your mind, and believe me you will, come and see me." The Time Trapper smiled and from what Supergirl could see of the expression it was the most evil vile thing she'd ever seen. "Now go home. I am done with you."

With a wave of his hand, Supergirl felt a dizzying wave wash over her and then came to finding herself floating out in space above the Pocket Universe Earth.

Supergirl began the long flight back home.

Today while late Spring was outside the window, and the air was filled with the smell of flowers, Brianna Rheardon found herself missing Chicago. Springtime in Chicago had always been her favorite time there. Standing at the window, watching the cherry blossom tree in her courtyard bloom, Brianna was mesmerized by the pink-white petals slowly drifting down to the ground.

"The Inner Circle wants quick results. Are you sure this is the quickest method?"

Brianna turned to the voice of discord, trying not to scowl as her eyes fell upon the weathered older man sitting on the other side of her desk. Once he'd been called Switchblade Lou and had led the Slow Demons. But, that had been a good fifteen years ago. Now he went by his real name Louis Russell and was in charge of running the loan sharks, prostitutes, and drug dealers that comprised the Council's street level operations. As the person in charge of the weapons and scientific side—such as dealing in blackmarket weapons and technology and making sure the Think Tank in the countryside in the southern part of the state was well funded and taken care of, she found dealing with the Switchblade Lou's rather unfortunate. She was also the liaison between Midway City and Chicago, and part of that meant dealing with the Switchblade Lous of the world.

Both she and Lou were on the same level in the Council's operations, and of course, both of them were vying for a spot on the Inner Circle.

"I am. You supply me with the goons, I put give them techs and weapons and send them after Supergirl." Brianna replied.

"I don't see how this is going to be very effective." Lou replied. "She's going to make short work of them."

"True. But, the point of this is that the goons will be unknown to them gathering technical, biological, and metaphysical readings on Supergirl so that we can figure out what exactly her weaknesses are and exploit them. The goons are expendable. They're cannon fodder. That's why I've only asked for those you can bear to loose."

"You seem confident this is going to work." Lou said, not at all convinced.

"Of course it will work. I've thought it all out." Brianna smiled. "They don't call me Brains for nothing."

"Well, Power Girl made short work of you back in Chicago." Lou said, laughing rudely.

"That was over five years ago. And, I was a lot more naïve and was still running with the Gang. I have come a long way. And have a bit more experience in dealing with meta-humans." Brianna smiled even wider. "This time is going to be different."

Lou nodded, not looking at all convinced.

The jungles of South America were a humid steamy tangle of green below her.

Supergirl looked at the gold globe in the distance, the sunlight shimmering off of it.

She could even see the man fighting ahead.

It had taken her hours of circling the globe at superspeed to find him, but finally she had. She had begun to think that he was outside the timeline and in some far flung time she could never follow him to. Finally when her anger at the Time Trapper had finally started to subside somewhat, she had spotted the gleam of the unmistakable Time Globe.

As she arrived, she found Rip Hunter firing blasts from a phaser of some sort at short squat green monsters. They had giant yellow eyes and needle-like fangs. Their claws were deadly sharp. And, while the blasts from Rip's phaser was keeping them back, it wasn't doing much more than crowd control.

"You need a hand down there?" Supergirl asked, lowering herself beside Rip Hunter.

"Sure. These Time Goblins are pretty resistant to my blasts."

"Time Goblins?"

"Yes. They are formed when time anomalies are resolved. It's theorized that the excess matter from the time anomaly being corrected has to go somewhere—since matter can neither be created nor destroyed, and it ends up creating those little monsters. And, of course those little monsters have the ability to eat time. And with each bite they take, it creates a new time anomaly that must eventually be corrected—creating further Time Goblins."

"Wow. So, that's how they reproduce." Supergirl said.

"Basically. Next time you feel like time has gone by too quickly, you are probably feeling the effect of a Time Goblin." Rip said, still firing.

"And you're fighting them in the South American jungles? Because time tastes better here?"

"No. Because somewhere in these jungles there is a time fissure and they come through that into our reality. There are five other fissures spread throughout the world, but the Time Goblins prefer this one because it's in an area not populated."

"That phaser of yours doesn't seem to be doing much good against them." Supergirl said.

"Not really. It's mainly just keeping them back. However, Time Goblins only have a short life span--about an hour. So, if I can occupy them and keep them busy and not eating time, then I have stop hundreds of thousands more from being created and saved myself and the rest of the Linear Men a big headache." Rip Hunter replied.

"I see. How do they handle angel fire?"

"I'm not sure. It's never been tested on them. It's a bit out of my available weapons." Rip remarked sarcastically.

"Well, let's see. Shall we?" Supergirl fired several flaming columns of angel fire from her eyes.

The flames sizzled the air as they hurtled toward the Time Goblins.

"Oh no!" One of the Time Goblins said. The flames struck it, burning it away immediately.

"Oh, that works much better." Rip said.

The Time Goblins shrieked in horror and scattered.

"Quick! After them!" Rip shouted.

Ellen Dalton had a rap sheet a mile long, from such minor infractions as jaywalking and public disturbances related to alcohol, to more serious crimes such as assault and shoplifting, to major crimes such a armed robbery and dealing drugs.

Right now she was a small-bit player in the Slow Demons gang's drug operations. She carried meth from Midway City to Chicago. It wasn't the most glamorous job, and it certainly didn't pay as well as some of the positions in the Slow Demons could have, but Ellen had been running with the Slow Demons long enough now to know that there was more to them than a simple street gang involved with guns, drugs, and prostitution. It went far higher than that. There were connections that went farther than simple street crime, and the influence stretched to all corners of the country and into the political arena… if the rumors were to be believed.

And today, she was getting a real chance to prove that she was destined for more than being a gunrunner. Smiling brightly, Ellen removed the slinky silver suit from the box it had come in. It looked like some sort of fluid liquid material, but it was made of a combination of promethium, silicon, and some other mystery material that Ellen didn't remember the name of.

When her boss had called her last night, Ellen knew it was the beginning of something great. Everyone who was going anywhere in the Slow Demons knew that the boss didn't call people personally unless it was something big. And, something big could lead to a place of power within the organization. The boss had started out enforcing for the Slow Demons, breaking knee caps and putting the fear of god into those who needed such thing. But, the boss had risen up through the organization until he was now the boss. Ellen thought back to her meeting with the boss and the woman. The one with the long flowing blonde hair, who had dressed all in red. The one the boss had called "Brains." Brains had gone over with her several times how to use the various functions of the suit. Ellen only hoped she remembered when the time came.

Looking at the shimmering silver suit, Ellen grinned widely.

Ellen slipped out of her clothes and into the silver suit, the material feeling sensual and sleek against her flesh.

Ellen had been breaking knee caps and pulling minor hits for nearly a year now. And she was good at it. Finally, her being good had gotten her noticed. Now, Ellen was going to take the biggest hit in all of Midway City… probably the biggest hit this side of Metropolis.

Ellen strapped the attachments on, securing the belts and harnesses, feeling the pulse of the circuits in them. Finally she slipped the mask over her eyes, securing it. Once it was on, she tapped the button concealed in a ruby red gem between the eyeholes on the mask.

"Systems online." Ellen purred, walking over to the full-length mirror in her cheap barely furnished apartment on the lower east side of the Red Zone. It was going to take a little time to get used to the tail, but it wouldn't take long. She would make sure she was completely in control and knew what she was doing before she went about fulfilling the hit.

Smiling at her reflection, Ellen Dalton watched the tip of the costume's tail come alive and glow with a hot flashing pink light.

"And the Silver Scorpion makes the scene," Ellen laughed, just before releasing a zap of energy from the costume's tail and shattering the mirror and reducing it to a smoldering pile of dust. "And Supergirl ain't gonna know what hit her!"

"We only have that one left!" Rip Hunter said, pointing to the largest of the Time Goblins. The others had been slow and easily taken care of.

The last one standing was fatter and larger than the others had been.

Supergirl kept trying to blast it with her flame vision, but it kept dodging and going deeper and deeper into the jungles.

"I am going to have to enlist you more often to defeat them. I've never seen anything just destroy them like that." Rip Hunter said, "Of course, magic and mystic weapons are not normally at my disposal. I tend to lean toward more scientific gadgets."

"Why is this one proving so difficult?" Supergirl asked.

"He's the Time Goblin King." Rip Hunter said.

"I thought they only lived for an hour or so. Why do they need a king?" Supergirl asked as the Time Goblin disappeared into a thick cluster of vines and trees. Supergirl saw a highly poisonous snake she couldn't remember the name for hanging from the tree limbs. "Watch out for that snake. It can kill you with one bite."

"Time is a very orderly thing. So even by-products of time are going to work in an orderly way. And, it makes most sense for something to be in charge. So, the first Time Goblin born in a batch gets the most chronal energy and therefore grows biggest fastest and assumes control of the Time Goblin hive."

"You never see stuff about that on the Discovery Channel. But, they will run the monkeys into the ground." Supergirl remarked.

"Well, the Discovery Channel is part of the corporate and government machine. They try to keep odd things like these from the general public. It's the same reason the news refers to you and Superman as meta-humans. The people in the media aware that Superman is an alien from another planet and that you are a mystic being don't want to panic the public. It's easier to gloss over that part. It's the same reason no one ever interviews Dr. Fate for the Brave and the Bold Magazine, and why every time that World's Finest show does a story on Zatanna they focus on her stage magician persona, to suggest she is merely an illusionist who happened to be on the Justice League. The general populace couldn't deal with the reality of what goes on in their world." Rip said.

"I think I got him." Supergirl said, her voice going low. With a blazing blast, she incinerated a tangle of bushes. The Time Goblin King screamed in agony as he burned up. As soon as he was dust, Supergirl put the fire out with her hands. "Couldn't have the jungle burn down." She smiled at Rip.

"Why didn't use just use your super-breath?" He asked.

"That's not one of my powers." Supergirl said. "You're thinking of Power Girl."

"Oh. It's hard to tell sometimes." Rip shrugged.

"I suppose you remember stuff from before the Crisis?"

"I do." Rip said, his expression grim. "But, I don't really talk about that sort of thing. So, I suppose now that the Time Goblins are dealt with here, you might tell me what brings you to the jungles of South America. It's not really the sort of place you would normally be fighting crime."

"I was looking for you."

"Well, I know that I'm exceptionally good-looking, but I somehow doubt you are here to admire my rugged handsomeness." Rip replied, grinning widely.

"You would be correct in that assumption." Supergirl's wrinkled her nose, "Wow. Thanks for making it weird."

"No problem." Rip nodded, "So, tell me what you need help with."

"I want you to help me rescue Kara of Argo City from her death in the past." Supergirl said.

"No." Rip replied without hesitation. "I'm not helping you with that. I'm a guardian of time. I have pledged to not endanger the timeline and reality. Saving Kara from her destined death will cause ripples throughout the timeline. She's already dead Supergirl. She died over 4,500 years ago from where we are. I cannot as a Linear Man do that."

"Yes, you can. She is from our time. And, she shouldn't die in the past, lost in time. She should die here in the present. Surely that's her proper destiny. To die in her own time." Supergirl crossed her arms, her expression growing dark and angry. Her eyes began to dance with the reflection of orange and yellow flame.

"It doesn't work that way. You've traveled through time and to the Dawn of Time. You are aware that even time travel can be part of someone's destiny. It was Kara of Argo City's destiny to be lost in time and wind up in Ancient Atlantis. How else was she to become Power Girl's mother?"

"Yes. And, that has obviously happened. And, now we can go back through time and pull her from the past in the moment before she dies. Then nothing is endangered. We don't need to rescue her before the battle. She goes to battle as it is, and in the very second before she dies, we pull her out of time. Power Girl told me that her mother's body was never found. Surely that alone indicates that we've already intervened and rescued her." Supergirl said, her voice becoming heated as her emotions rose.

"No. That is not obvious from that. It's not something I can help you with. I don't manipulate time like that. You can talk to the Time Trapper, that sort of thing is up his alley. But, be warned, as an agent of the Linear Men I may have to stop you." Rip Hunter replied, his voice taut and level. It sounded as though he was controlling his temper from exploding.

"I've already talked to the Time Trapper. And, he will only do it if I go on a one-way trip to the future. It's like he's trying to get me out of the way for something." Supergirl shook her head, "And I don't trust the Time Trapper. He's evil. And, making a deal with him is like making a deal with the devil. I've already made one with him and there are still times when I'm afraid he's double-crossed me somehow and I just don't know it yet."

"If the devil is the only one willing to deal with you and the price he's quoting is too high, then perhaps you should abandon the deal you're trying to make altogether." Rip Hunter said, turning and leaving Supergirl standing in the middle of the jungle as he headed back to his time globe.

Supergirl watched him stalk off, anger coursing through every part of her being.

In the Time Trapper's lair, a meeting was in progress. Five people stood around the Time Trapper's massive crystal ball.

The Time Trapper looked across his crystal ball at Alexander Luthor. The man's gold armor shined in the light reflecting from the images in the crystal ball. In it Supergirl flew through the air above Midway City, heading toward the Midway City Museum.

"I tried to convince her to take my deal and go to the 31th Century in exchange for bringing Kara of Argo City back." The Time Trapper said.

"You know that's impossible. Kara of Argo City's fate is in place and it doesn't not involve returning to Supergirl's era. For her to do so… it would endanger the time line beyond repair." Waverider said. The shimmering gold man stood to the Time Trapper's left, between him and Alexander.

"Time is fluid. I can always snatch Kara of Argo City in those last moments before her death." The Time Trapper said dismissively, "I am the master of time. I can do whatever I want with it."

"Your gall is frightening." Alexander Luthor said, "And it's reckless. You've been lucky manipulating people between this universe and your Pocket Universe. But, at some point, that luck will run out."

"I can see all outcomes through the timelines. And, I can avoid any unlucky outcomes." The Time Trapper said.

"Let's not degenerate into arguments among ourselves again." The blonde woman to the Time Trapper's right said. "We have to look at the very real fact that Lord Xenon grows stronger by the day. No matter how many layers of Hypertime are created around him, no matter what manipulations we make in the timelines, he grows more and more powerful. We are not going to be able to keep Supergirl hidden from him much longer. And she is still not strong enough to face him. If she goes to the 31th Century, she is going to be far enough removed from the timeline she belongs in that it will buy us time. Time in which she can grow stronger and more powerful and become the hero she will need to be to defeat Lord Xenon and prevent his ascension and becoming the Anti-Monitor."

Everyone looked at the woman.

"If he becomes the Anti-Monitor again and is let loose upon the Universe again, it will not survive this time." The woman said. "There will be no new universe formed at the end. There will be nothing, but the Anti-Monitor and a universe of anti-matter and graveyards."

"But, if she agrees to go to the future," Rip Hunter said quietly, "It would be in exchange for Kara of Argo City. And, we cannot do that. Not at this point." Rip turned toward the Time Trapper, "And you cannot just drag an alternate version of her from your Pocket Universe to die in Kara's place. You know that. We all know that. Kara of Argo City is unique to her Universe. That is why what Supergirl wants is that much more dangerous. Just pulling Kara from her timeline is not an option. I've already tried to dissuade her, but she's determined. She's not going to let this go."

"Then how do we get Supergirl out of the present and into the future?" The Time Trapper asked. "She will not go for any other reason."

"You don't have any one else behind that curtain that might sway her do you?" Alexander Luthor asked.

"No." The Time Trapper replied. "I saved her friends and parents and returned them to her in exchange for defeating one of the more powerful alternate reality Monarchs. I have no one else. Only Kara of Argo City would be an effective bargaining chip for her."

"Surely we could find something else to use to get her to go to the future." Waverider said.

"I cannot believe we are having this discussion." The blonde woman said, shaking her head in disgust. "Why don't we just explain all of this to Supergirl? If we are honest with her, maybe she'll go to the future to evade Lord Xenon. And maybe we could also explain to her the real reason that we can't rescue Kara of Argo City."

"It wouldn't work." Rip Hunter said, "Not with this Supergirl. She is still too unsure of herself and is still learning who she is. The Supergirl before would have gone without hesitation, but she was born a hero and trained by Superman. This one started as artificial intelligence before merging with a troubled girl. She is still not ready. Her heart is still weak. There is still too much troubled girl underneath it all. She needs training with the Legion to truly become the hero she has to be."

"I couldn't disagree more. Her troubles and her doubts are what making her Supergirl. She is not weak. She might not be ready to fight Lord Xenon. But, her heart is not weak. If it were weak, she would except the lies she's been told, instead of continuing her quest to rescue her friend." The blonde woman said, "But, you never have faith in anyone Rip."

"Says the woman hiding here in the Time Trapper's lair." Rip Hunter retorted.

"You know that I have to hide here. Here I am outside of time and hidden from my enemies." The woman replied. "And, until the time is right, I have to remain here unseen and forgotten. Do not try to make me feel guilty for doing the right thing."

"I will mirror her request that we not start fighting against one another again. Our own problems and flaws are overshadowed by the threat Lord Xenon poses and protecting Supergirl." Alexander said.

The five of them fell silent, watching Supergirl in the crystal ball, each deep in their own thoughts.

"Supergirl!"

She turned to see Craig Morris rushing up to her. Supergirl smiled. She'd nursed a crush on him while she'd worked her in her secret identity of Linda Danvers. He had seemed interested in her, although he'd seemed more interested in Supergirl some of the time. With Dick back however, any relationship with Craig Morris was impossible. She just liked being with Dick more, and lately her feelings for him had grown deeper than anything she'd ever felt before. But, she did miss sharing a work-work with Craig and their frequent lunches and having him walk her to the lightrail station in the evenings.

"Hi Craig." Supergirl greeted warmly. Craig had gone back through time with her when Chryseis had blasted them with her spear. He'd been gravely wounded and had nearly died in the past, despite the best efforts of the JSA.

"What brings you here?" Craig asked, his dusty blonde hair was slightly ruffled and Supergirl remembered how he would sit at his desk while working on artifacts and scratch the top of his head when perplexed or confused about the information.

"I was just in the neighborhood on patrol and thought I would stop in. Since Linda doesn't work here, I don't get to visit the museum as much."

"That's right." Craig nodded, "I forgot you two were friends. She said you rescued her from Leesburg and were responsible for locating those weird containers they found her friends and family in a few months back."

"Yeah. Linda and I are old friends, going way back to when I first rescued her from a cult." Supergirl smiled. It all seemed so long ago, and in many ways like it had happened to another person.

"So, you're just here to look at the exhibits?" Craig asked, looking at the display case in front of them.

"Yes. It's been a quiet day. No crime to stop. No super-villains rampaging." Supergirl shrugged, "And I thought it might be fun to stop in. It's pretty quiet and empty here today."

Craig nodded, "Yeah, it's that time of year. It will be slow until the middle of May. And, then it's just going to take off with school trips and then summer with bring the tourists."

Supergirl nodded in response, smiling faintly, although she couldn't complete relax enough to smile there was so much on her mind.

"Don't you think it's a bit dangerous to have that here?" Supergirl asked, pointing to the encased exhibit.

"I do." Craig nodded, "But Jocelyn and the museum board want it here. They think it will help boost ticket sales. After all, it's rare that actual super-villain gear is a historic relic. And, the media from Chryseis's attack was pretty huge. So, it's kind of a draw."

Supergirl nodded, "That staff is dangerous. And, that armor is potentially dangerous. That transient who donned it became Chryseis. Before she was just a street level criminal."

"That's why there is the extra alarms and security." Craig jabbed his thumb toward the red sensors and stainless steel cage and bullet-proof glass surrounding the staff and armor.

"That wouldn't stop a super-villain." Supergirl said, "By the time security was here, they would already have the artifacts. And, that staff appears to make time travel possible."

Craig frowned. "I never thought of it that way."

Supergirl's expression was grim. "I have."

They both fell silent for a few minutes, both looking at Chryseis's gear behind glass and steel and red sensor lights. Both of their thoughts were dark, although Supergirl's were far darker and far trickier.

"It would only take a few seconds…" Supergirl muttered. Her expression suddenly went sad as she remembered what Rip Hunter had told her.

"What?" Craig asked.

"Nothing." Supergirl replied. "I should get going. I need to head out to Hawk's Valley this afternoon and check out rumors of poachers."

"OK." Craig nodded, suddenly feeling like he was missing something.

"I'll see you around Craig." Supergirl said, walking away. Once she was on the museum's front steps she flew off into the afternoon. She did not like her line of thinking these days.

THE END

NEXT ISSUE: Midway City celebrates the First Annual Supergirl Day! But, the arrival of the Silver Scorpion could make it the last. Plus, Phillip Decker's first strike!