2015-06-19 - Future Imperfect - The Missing Girl

The Present:

After hearing about the disappearance of Supergirl, Clark was assigned by the planet to investigate the occurrence. Now, he mostly did natural disasters, and he does cover super-brawls mostly, but this one really hit close to home, and he found himself pulling out all the stops. Parking on the side of the street in his silver SUV, he exits the vehicle and takes a moment to adjust his tie before stepping into the marked off area from where the fight took place. After showing officials his press pass, he is allowed onto the scene, and he immediately begins looking around. If there was any evidence of what happened to Kara, he would find it. Just to make it look official, he flips out his pen and pad, and begins to take notes on what he sees.

Clark's enhanced senses pick up all kinds of strange things. Bits of the area are transposed with each other; there are things like mailboxes that seem to be part of a wall, with the wall bits strewn about where the mailbox used to be. A car has a brilliant lamp in place of a fender. No idea where the fender might have ended up. And there's residual radiation abounding, but it's so twisted and random it's hard to identify. And days old, so it's barely visible even to him.

A streak of dark blue whips overhead at nearly the speed of sound, heading north'ish. It turns around, slowing enough to not worry the populace, and what looks like an anti-supergirl floats down from above. With short black hair and a full body outfit, it's really nothing like her. Except it's still a girl. And flying. And doesn't recognize Clark. "Can I be of help, officers?"

As Clark inspects the area, the things he detects aren't making any kind of sense. As he steps away from the officers, he slips his glasses down his nose to inspect the radiation visually. He frowns. Twisted and random. He'd need to come back with an analyzer to check it out further. However at the gasps around him, he looks up to see a 'Supergirl' descending to the ground. Recognizing her, he murmurs under her breath, knowing that she would be able to hear him. "Mia, we need to talk."

The officers walk over. "Um..no I think we're good here. Just this reporter guy looking around, that's all." He points a finger at Clark, who is kneeling down inspecting a piece of debris from the fight.

Mia nods her head at the officers, then says, "I'm...Cir-El by the way," introducing herself. Which makes the officers blink confusedly, as generally new heroes don't stop to do that with normal people. Their actions speak for themselves. Which she seems to catch on to after she's already embarrased herself. "Right."

Her eyes flick to Clark, and she blinks several times and visibly peers at him. And, eventually, her mouth makes a little 'O' as if finally figuring it out.

Looking to where Kara had slugged Bizarro, through a couple of buildings, creating a nice tunnel, she points and says, "I'm going to have a look over here, make sure nobody's hurt. Want a look, reporter man?"

Clark rises to his feet, struggling not to chuckle a little at the interaction between Mia and cops. However, when she asks him if he wants to look around, he nods faintly. "I would, thank you." He offers his hand. "My name's Clark. Clark Kent." He trails along behind her until they're out of ear shot of the cops and more inside of the tunnel.

Clark turns to her fully, his demeanor changing almost completely. Instead of slouching and hunching over slightly and shuffling when he walks, and doing everything he can to look 'average'. He stands up straighter, when he speaks his voice is deeper than it was before. "I'm sorry. I only just heard about what happened. Mia...do you have any idea what happened to Kara?" With his back to the cops, he removes his glasses, looking at Mia with a focused stare, his bright blue eyes have a sort of a hard, intimidating gaze.

Mia's first reaction is to say, "Have no idea how I missed it for so long," shaking her head and looking at the glasses. Having lived in Metropolis her whole life, she thinks she should have known. Really. But she refocuses, giving herself a little shake, and looks at Clark again. "Sorry. Brain isn't....nevermind."

Floating pretty much all the time, she just kind of hangs there in the air, looking around at the place where Bizarro impacted into the last building he'd stopped in. It's messy at best. "I wasn't even around. I just heard on the news that there was a problem this morning, been trying to tag in and keep the city from imploding since then. I think I missed a few classes. Do YOU know anything?"

Clark replies as he slips his glasses back on. "You were supposed to miss it. I am both Clark Kent and Kal-El. I grew up in Kansas. Clark Kent is who I am. Superman is what I'm capable of." He walks over to stand next to Mia, then does a slightly double take. "Nice uniform." He nods once before he's back to business. "Unfortunately, no. I've been keeping my distance from Kara. To let her experience life on her own." He frowns. "I'm not sure if that was a mistake or not, but it is what it is. I've detected some funky radiation around, but it's old and I don't recognize it."

Clark sighs. "I understand Bizzaro and Toyman was here as well. I very much doubt Bizzaro is to blame. He's not intelligent enough. That leaves Toyman. Whom I will be visiting later." He frowns again. "I'm worried about her, Mia."

Mia hangs there quietly for a moment, thinking about what Clark's said. She waves some brick dust out of her face, looking as hard as she can at everything. "I just don't SEE anything. Just a hole where he hit the wall. I mean, I don't even know where she was when it happened, or if she's just gone to Japan for sushi or something. I mean, if she was mind controlled and hiding it'd be the same thing right?"

She makes a bleah, then spits. "This stuff tasts like sawdust." Landing on her feet, she pauses, then suddenly gives Clark a super-hug. Because nobody can see, and she seems to need it too. "I'm worried too, Kal."

Clark returns the hug, holding Mia close and softly stroking her hair like he does with Kara. A sign of affection that's only meant for the people that are close to him. He replies as he releases her. "You have a point. She could be lost somewhere on Earth, with someone controlling her." He pauses. "But it's not Tuesday so I'm really hoping that's not the case." He smirks a little. An inside joke there. He should really teach her Torquasm so her mind isn't so overwhelmed. "Let me finish up here, and we will go to the Fortress. I have equipment there that can find her if she's in the solar system."

Mia squeezes Clark once more, then pulls back enough to lift off the ground. She just likes it, and she gives her head a little shake. "I can't go with you, bossman. I'm having enough trouble keeping ...hell, I can hear someone talking about robbing a bank someplace. Already. Least they aren't doing it yet." She shrugs, then spreads her hands. "People aren't afraid to do things with everyone gone. Seriously, can I borrow one of Supergirl's outfits so people at least think she's around?"

She pauses, then says, "That....wasn't very tactful, sorry," as she looks down. "In case she's really gone, I mean. She's not gone is she?" For all the power, still a normal kid in a lot of ways. Which is good! Really.

Clark replies confidently. "Of course she's not gone. At least not for good. We'll find her, I promise." He shakes his head. "Trying to pretend to be Supergirl won't make a difference, Mia. What needs to happen is that it's time for you to fulfill your destiny." He places his hand in the center of her chest, where the family crest is. "I know that you're still in training, and I know that this is kind of sudden. But it's time for the world to get to know you. You have a good heart, and I have faith in you. Yes, things may get a little hectic since Kara is gone, but that's where you come in. Fill in for her, don't try to /be/ her." He offers her a smile. "Don't worry. If you get into something you feel like you can't handle. I'll be there to help you."

Floating with her cape of deep blue, nobody would ever mistake Mia for Kara. Short black hair is the least of it. She LOOKS like a worried teenager with the ability to fly. But she smiles a little with the left side of her lips, nodding, and says, "I'll probably let you down a little, but I'll try and keep it to a minimum. Girl scouts honor."

A breeze goes by, sending more of that disgusting red dust down the streets, away, and clearing the air. Finally.

With Cir-El flexing her left arm to show her lack of anything resembling a bicep, a small thought hits Clark. Red dust came from where exactly? They don't use red bricks in this city.

"You'll do fine. I'm sure of it." Clark says as he absently waves his hand in the air when the dust kicks up. And then his eyes widen slightly. Dust? There is no red dust in Metropolis. Faster than the eye can see, he grabs a handful of it out of the air and cups his palms over it while studying it. "This..is weird." he comments to Mia. Using his microscopic vision, he might be able to tell where it's from, having been all over the planet himself.

Mia watches curiously as Kal does air...catching? Um. Okay. Probably has his reasons. "What are you doing?" she asks, drifting over and covering for him as some random passerby looks at her. She turns and waves, keeping the attention on her, the suited flying girl. Hey, look at me! I'm much more interesting than a guy in a suit!

The dust, however, is so dry it's unlikely it has ever seen water. It also seems permeated with that strange random radiation, the way that the bricks and cars and stuff around really isn't. It's a clue, all right.

Mia is covering for Clark, so nobody watches too much. Just in case.

Clark frowns before letting the dust sift out of his hand. "That funky radiation that I see around here. I've seen it before when I mentored at the Avenger's Academy. It's the radiation that's given off during temporal displacement. Meaning that the things that seem to be randomly placed here aren't from this timeline." He ildy pushes his glasses up on his nose. "I'll need to do more research, but I believe that Kara was transported through the time stream. Since our timeline remains the same, I would theorize that she's in the future and not the past." He pauses because Mia is probably staring. He flashes a smile. "My father is a scientist." He says if that explains things. And he does have a genius level intellect. Why he went into journalism is anyone's guess. He sighs, "Now we just have to determine how far she's gone and figure out how to get her back." He glances around before leaning down to tear off a piece of brick and put it in his pocket. "I'll analyze this later."

If his theory was right, there were several options open to him. He could have the Martian do a temporal scan using Kara's DNA. And then perhaps get Cyborg to build something that would allow them to transport her back to her correct time. "Since Kara's essence would also be displaced, meaning that wherever she is, she's emitting the radiation that would be 'normal' in our time. We should be able to use that to track her." He looks at Mia again. "Does that make sense to you?"

Mia says, "My father is a prison guard," as she tries to keep from looking lost. A small smile to suggest that she's okay regardless, and she tries to figure out what she can do. "I'll just hold down the fort while you get that done, then? Oh yeah, makes...total sense." It totally doesn't. But she's read a lot of sci-fi books. With a sigh, she says, "I'd better start taking more physics courses if I'm going to keep up." She frowns, then says, "Go get on it. I've got this. It's just one city, how bad could it be?"

Clark smirks faintly. "You would be surprised. You've been training with Kara, right? So I shouldn't have to tell you to be wary of green and red glowing rocks, right?" He's teasing her again as he leans forwards and plants a little kiss on her cheek. "You be careful, and if you need anything you call me." He gives her a card with his cell number on it. With another smile, he turns to walk back towards the cops.

"I've got what I need gentlemen, thank you for your time." The cops tip their hats towards him as he moves to get into his car and drive away.

And with that, Mia is off, into the sky! Like a bird, like a...GODDAMN IT ALREADY! She's a streak, at the speed of sound, breaking windows as she goes. Girl needs to learn to rein it in a little.

But it's important, obviously, and she is a blue streak to save, to catch....a falling teenage boy who's leaped off of a building down the street, and she's got a serious top-level glower on her face when she grabs him out of the air in her arms. "STOP DOING THIS! How many of you are there out here?!" And the kid holds out his phone, asking, "Selfie?"

And Mia cries a little inside. Kara, come back.