Kara Zor-El. That was the name on the pod's interface. Rafael had read about her well, different versions of her. In one timeline, she crash-landed in Gotham Harbor, narrowly avoiding chaos. But in his world, her luck seemed to have run out—stranded in the middle of nowhere, alone.
Rafael knelt beside her still form, eyes scanning her face. "Come on," he murmured, gently placing a hand on her shoulder and shaking her. No response. Her body was completely still, her breathing shallow. He sighed, realizing it must be the cryo-sleep protocol. It would take a moment or longer for her to fully wake up.
With Kara unresponsive, Rafael stood and circled the pod. His mind was already racing. Grey Matter would be able to reverse-engineer most of the tech here. The structure, the materials—there were potential upgrades everywhere. And more importantly, if he could locate the energy source, it might power some of the more experimental tech he'd been working on.
His fingers traced along the smooth curves of the pod, feeling for seams, panels—anything that might hint at the core's location. But nothing stood out. No hum, no glow, no heat signature. Frustrated but curious, he turned his attention to the interior.
Next to Kara's resting form was a control panel etched with symbols he couldn't read—curved, alien glyphs that meant nothing to him. Still, curiosity outweighed caution. "Doubt they'd put a self-destruct right on the bedside," he muttered and pressed one of the buttons.
But then red. A faint glow reflected on the pod's exterior.
Rafael's eyes narrowed. That wasn't part of the interface. He turned around, searching for the source—and froze.
A high-pitched whine cut through the air. A sharp roar followed.
A drone. Fast. Armed. Heading straight toward him like a missile.
His hand flew to the Omnitrix. He twisted the dial, but before he could slam it down—boom!
The drone collided with him like a freight train, sending Rafael and the pod crashing backward through the dirt and debris.
Crash!
Dust flew. The impact left Rafael sprawled across the ground, gasping for air, pain blooming across his ribs and back. His vision blurred as he forced himself up on one elbow, coughing. Kara's pod lay several feet away, cracked but still intact.
No time. No time to think.
He looked down at the Omnitrix on his wrist, his hand trembling. He twisted the dial, and the hologram rotated finally settling on a familiar form. It looked human. But Rafael knew better.
This was something more. He slammed his palm down.
It felt like a burst of solar energy engulfed him as his body surged with alien power. His limbs grew stronger, his senses sharper. The pain faded as invulnerability took its place. When the light dimmed, Rafael stood tall his eyes glowing faintly, cape fluttering in the wind, the air around him is vibrating with power.
He scanned the battlefield.
Five humanoid drones. Sleek. Menacing. Advancing in a semicircle.
And behind them—one enormous drone. Nearly three meters tall. Thick plating, glowing core, and a silhouette that screamed problem.
A groan caught his ear.
Kara. She was finally waking up.
She pushed herself upright, disoriented, trying to get her bearings, but the massive drone moved fast.
Too fast.
It raised a heavy arm and charged at her like a battering ram.
Rafael didn't hesitate.
A sonic boom cracked the air as he launched forward, Kryptonian strength rocketing him straight into the path of the massive drone. His shoulder collided with its torso mid-charge, the sheer force sending shockwaves through the ground as they both tumbled into a ground.
The behemoth drone hit the dirt hard, but it recovered faster than he expected—servos whirring, red optics flaring to life again. Rafael barely had time to duck as a metal fist slammed into the spot where his head had just been.
"Okay," he muttered, sliding back into a defensive stance. "Definitely not your average goon."
The other five drones closed in from different angles, surrounding him and Kara like predators circling prey. One of them raised an arm—an energy weapon clicked into place, glowing bright blue.
Rafael reacted instantly.
He grabbed a piece of broken metal from the wreckage and flung it like a javelin. The makeshift projectile slammed into the weapon drone's arm, shattering the barrel before it could fire. Sparks flew.
But that was only one.
Two others rushed him. Rafael met them head-on, parrying one strike and slamming his elbow into the chest plate of the other, caving it in with a crunch. He twisted mid-air, catching the second drone by the neck and slamming it headfirst into the dirt.
KRAK!
Behind him, the large drone roared to life again—its limbs expanding with brutal efficiency, dual plasma cannons emerging from its forearms. It locked on to Rafael, aiming with deadly precision.
But before it could fire—ZZZZT!
A sudden blast of heat vision cut through the air, searing into the drone's shoulder joint.
Rafael turned to see Kara—Supergirl—finally on her feet, eyes glowing red, her posture unsteady but fierce. Her hair fluttered, and though she was still regaining her strength, she looked ready to fight.
"Nice timing," Rafael said, breathless but grinning.
"Don't mention it," she snapped, clearly annoyed at being woken up mid-ambush. "Who are you?"
"Long story," Rafael replied, dodging another drone punch and he grabs its legs before tossing it into its companion like a wrecking ball. "Let's just say... I'm on your side."
Kara didn't wait for more. She flew forward in a blur of motion, colliding with the last two humanoid drones. The first shattered from the impact, its parts scattered across the battlefield. The second tried to retreat, but Kara grabbed it mid-air and hurled it into the larger one with a metal-twisting crash.
Rafael seized the opportunity. The big one was momentarily distracted. He sped forward, grabbed its plasma cannon arm, and pulled—hard. With a mechanical shriek, the arm tore clean off, cables sparking and snapping.
The drone let out a digital howl and swung wildly at him. Rafael ducked, then uppercut it with the full force of a Kryptonian punch.
The giant's head snapped back. Its body stumbled. One last strike from Supergirl—a devastating blow to the chest—sent the drone flying backward in a trail of smoke and sparks, where it crashed against a another drone and finally, mercifully, shut down.
Silence.
Rafael stood there, chest heaving, scanning for any more threats.
Kara floated down beside him, eyes narrowing. "You're kryptonian , you're one of us ."
He gave a small smirk, brushing dust off his shoulder. " I am one of everybody ."