Superman: Lost and Found

• Clark adjusted his glasses, watching as Kara paced through his small Metropolis apartment. She pulled at the sweater he had given her, fidgeting as though the fabric was made of chains. "This feels wrong," she muttered. "Pretending to be something I'm not." Clark sighs, setting down his mug of coffee. "It's not pretending," he reassured her. "It's adapting. Earth isn’t Krypton, Kara. You have to blend in first—learn how people live, how they interact—before you can decide what kind of person you want to be here."Kara scoffed, arms crossed as she looked out the window, the bustling streets of Metropolis far below. "Easy for you to say. You've had years to figure it out. I feel like I'm suffocating in all these rules." Clark smiled, patiently. He understood the frustration. He had felt it too once. "I know it’s overwhelming. But it’s not forever. Just think of it as…training wheels. For now, you're Kara Kent—my niece visiting her uncle from Smallville. It’s a small step, but it’ll help you find your footing." She turned back to him, still unsure, but the tension in her shoulders eased just slightly. "And if I mess up?" Clark chuckled, picking up his coffee again. "Then you learn from it. Just like I did."

• The air in the Intergang hideout crackled with unstable energy as Bruno "Ugly" Mannheim wiped sweat from his brow. The dimly lit warehouse was cluttered with stolen tech, crates of illegal arms, and the eerie glow of an unstable portal shimmering before them. Ugly thinks they are about to score great tech again. The shadows in the warehouse deepened, and a hulking figure emerged from the rift—Kalibak, son of Darkseid, his yellowed teeth bared in something between a snarl and a grin. Bruno takes a cautious step back. “We were expecting—uh—merchandise,” he stammered. Kalibak’s deep laugh reverberated through the space like a war drum. “Merchandise?” His voice was dripping with disdain. “You insects have overstepped.” His grip tightens into a fist. “The well is dry.” Ugly opens his mouth to beg for another chance but before he can finish, a hole is punched through his chest. A sickening crunch filled the air as he grips Whisper’s neck with his bloody mitt, turning her screams into strangled gasps. Other Intergang members widen with horror as Kalibak loomed over him. “Darkseid has no need for worms.” The remaining gang members grab whatever weapons they can to try and stand their ground against Kalibak.

• The Daily Planet’s newsroom buzzed with the usual chaos, reporters clacking away at keyboards, phones ringing off the hook with breaking stories in progress. Jimmy Olsen’s bright voice cut through the hustle and bustle as he jogged over. His smile was wide, “Who’s the guest?” Clark stepped aside, gesturing. “Jimmy, this is my niece, Kara. Visiting from Smallville.” Jimmy extended his hand. “Welcome to the Planet, Kara. Don’t worry, your uncle’s the nicest guy here.” Kara raised an eyebrow at his hand before remembering Clark taught her this “handshake” so she reciprocated. When their hands met, a small crack came from Jimmy’s hand as he winced, barely containing a yelp. “Oh! Sorry!” Kara quickly let go, her face flushing red. Clark winced behind his glasses, trying to cover the moment with a cough. Lois watched from her desk, an amused smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. Her eyes flicked to Clark knowingly, she knows about his newfound cousin. “Why don’t you hang out at my desk for a bit?” Clark suggested gently, guiding Kara away from Jimmy’s pained grin. “I just need a minute with Miss Lane.”

• Lois leaned against her desk, arms crossed. “Does she come with a warning label?” Clark exhaled, adjusting his glasses. “She’s… still learning.” Lois’s teasing smirk softened into something more tender. “This world must feel like the Stone Age compared to where she’s from.” Clark’s gaze flicked toward Kara, watching as she carefully folded her hands in her lap, afraid to touch anything. His voice was low. “I remember what it was like... trying to fit in, not knowing how much I could show or what I had to hide. She’s stronger than she knows.” Lois’s fingers brushed his hand. “She’s lucky to have you.” But then Clark’s brow furrowed. His head tilted slightly, the faint sound of distant screams and crumbling concrete reaching his ears. The warmth in his eyes cooled into focus. “Family emergency,” he murmured. Lois nodded without missing a beat. “Go.” Kara’s head snapped up, senses sharpening at the change in his voice. He helped her to her feet, “Come on, kid. Time to learn on the fly.”

• The Intergang hideout was already in ruins by the time Clark and Kara arrived. Walls had been blasted apart, crates of stolen Apokoliptian weaponry lay in splintered heaps, and the floor was littered with the battered bodies of Intergang thugs who had the misfortune of being in the way. At the center of the destruction stands Kalibak’s massive frame. His beady eyes scanned the wreckage. “Where is it?” he growled. Clark met him head-on, catching the downward swing of Kalibak’s fists with both hands. The sheer force of the strike sent shockwaves through the building. As the fight raged, the chaos of the hideout became a battlefield of its own. Unstable weapons sparked to life. Apokoliptian blasters whirred on their own, energy cannons misfired, and disoriented Intergang thugs crawled for cover. A gravity grenade rolled across the floor, beeping erratically before detonating, sending chunks of concrete spiraling into the air like a reversed explosion. Clark dodged an incoming blast, but the shifted rubble revealed the Fatherbox Kalibak was there to retrieve. “There it is,” Kalibak snarled, his patience wearing thin. Kara blasted forward, catching him across the jaw with enough force to send him skidding back, shattering a stack of stolen tech. “You’re not getting it,” she spat. Kalibak wiped his chin, grinning through the pain. “Oh, I will.” His eyes flared with rage as he charged again, knocking Kara out of his way. 

• Kalibak lifts the Fatherbox and opens a boom tube to get back home. Superman reingaged with the beast but the portal opens but Kara's overly aggressive and inexperienced fighting causes Kalibak to slam into Superman and knocks him into the portal to Apokalips. Superman floats in the helish landscape and takes it all in. Kalibak smiles at Kara's mistake, given the Furie’s whole job was to abduct Kal-El. He begins to close the portal but Superman is narily able to fly back through before the portal closes. 

• Kara gets even more mad from what she did and blames Kalibak for being the reason she almost lost him again. She tries to pummel him even more intsnsely but Kalibak is a much more skilled fighter and makes shorter work of her. Clark stepped in, his form a blur as he met Kalibak head-on, forcing him back with practiced skill. But Kara, stubborn and desperate to prove herself, kept throwing herself into the fray, disrupting Clark’s rhythm with her untrained, furious attacks. She got in his way, her anger making her sloppy, her inexperience turning her into more of a liability than an ally. It only took one mistake, one mistimed charge, for Clark to finally snap. “Kara, stop!” he shouted, grabbing her arm before she could blunder into another counterattack. His tone was firm, cutting through her haze of emotion. “You’re not ready for this. Just go.” The words hit harder than any of Kalibak’s strikes. Shame twisted in Kara’s chest as she hesitated, searching Clark’s face for any sign that he didn’t mean it. But his expression was resolute. Without another word, she turned and rocketed into the sky, disappearing into the navy blue sky, leaving Clark to finish the fight alone.

• Superman then continues to take on Kalibak and does much better without her there. Kalibak then reaches for an Apokaliptan sonic weapon that does hurt Superman with decible levels intense enough to drive him to his knees. Kalibak opens a portal and considers putting a hand on Superman to take him with. As he does, Superman shoots a laser at Kalibak’s other hand holding the Father Box. Kalibak winces in pain as the Father Box falls and the portal begins to close. Superman then punches Kalibak through the portal before it shuts. Superman picks up the singed Father Box and leaves to find Kara.

• Clark walks into to the fortress of solitude to find a depressed Kara. Their new android assistant, Kalex, says she has been unresponsive to his questions. She didn’t want to talk to a robot about her feelings. Clark land behind her and Kara felt his presence. “You okay?” he asked, his voice softer now, lacking the frustration it held before. Kara scoffed, keeping her eyes on the still cracked statued of her Aunt and Uncle. “Do I look okay?” Clark steps beside her, letting the silence stretch for a moment. “I know today didn’t go how you wanted,” he admitted. “And I know what it’s like to feel like you don’t belong. To wonder if you’re even meant to do this.” Kara turned to him, eyes filled with frustration and doubt. “Then why keep trying? Why don’t I just quit this whole trying to be a hero thing?” Clark gave an understanding look. “Because it’s not about getting it right the first time. Or the second. Or the hundredth. It’s about knowing you CAN make a difference and choosing to keep going, even when it’s hard.” He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to be perfect, Kara. You just have to keep trying.”

• She exhaled, looking down at her family crest. Slowly, the anger and doubt began to fade, replaced by something steadier. They come up with the idea to switch up how she will become accustomed to Earth. They decide to go to Smallville where Ma Kent graciously offers to host Kara on the farmhouse. Little by little for Kara to adjust now.

• Superman flies to Star Labs in Central City, the most advanced scientific research center in the world. Dr. Emil Hamilton meets with Superman and asks what the pleasure is. Superman then presents him with the Father Box left behind by the Akokapitans. He informs Hamilton it is a sophisticated piece of technology and they’d probably learn a lot from it. It can even open teleportation portals. Hamilton is bewildered by the machine and takes Superman to meet the head of their advanced robotics wing, Silas Stone. Research will begin immediately. 

• In the very last scene, Kalibak approaches his father, Darkseid, and reports that the Earthling connections have been severed. No more wasting their leftovers on those lesser than bugs. He does report he has lost a Father Box and Darkseid doesn’t seem bothered by that. Kalibak is surprised to hear this from Darkseid but his father continues saying not to be concerned by the loss of an inferior recreation. Darkseid claims he is close to finishing the anti-life equation. All he needs to finish are the ancient tools. The era of peace is over. Darkseid intends to break the treaty forged between Apokalips and New Genesis because they will now be hunting to unite the 3 Mother Boxes.