Dias de Sol

The vacuum of space was never truly silent, not for someone with ears tuned to the frequency of the stars. Kara Zor-El floated in the amber glow of a binary star system, her red cape billowing in a solar wind that no human could feel. Beside her, Ruthye Marye Knoll sat perched on a small, hovering asteroid, her purple eyes wide with wonder as she looked at the swirling nebulae of the Andromeda sector.

"You said this would be better than the Yellow Hills," Kara remarked, her voice carrying a cynical edge that didn't quite hide the softness in her eyes. She nudged a floating space-rock with her boot. "No dust, no Krem, just endless suns and enough cosmic radiation to keep my tan permanent."

Ruthye smoothed her leather traveling tunic, her long black hair dancing in the low gravity. "It is magnificent, Kara. Though I suspect you chose this specific sector because the suns are yellow. You are being cautious."

"I’m being smart," Kara corrected, crossing her arms. "I’m not in the mood to lose my invulnerability while I’m supposed to be on vacation. Happy birthday to me, right?"

Krypto, wearing his tiny red cape with more pride than Kara ever felt for hers, barked at a passing comet. He chased his own tail in a dizzying spiral, his white fur gleaming like polished silver under the twin suns.

"Come on," Kara said, grabbing Ruthye’s hand. "There’s a trade outpost three light-years away that sells a nectar that tastes like Kryptonian honey-cakes. We’re going."

They didn't make it to the outpost.

As they neared a blue-tinged gas giant, Kara’s super-hearing picked up a sound that shouldn't have been there. It wasn't the hum of a freighter or the roar of a star. It was the rhythmic, metallic *thrum* of a highly advanced research vessel—and the distinct, frantic shouts of a family.

Kara banked hard, pulling Ruthye behind a massive crystalline fragment of a shattered moon.

"What is it?" Ruthye whispered, clutching her sword hilt.

"Company," Kara hissed. "And not the fun kind. They look... bright. And blue."

Peering through the crystalline shards, Kara saw them. A sleek, retro-futuristic ship with a stylized "4" on the hull was docked against a derelict space station. Four figures were moving with practiced, albeit chaotic, precision.

There was a man whose limbs stretched like taffy, wrapping around a malfunctioning reactor core; a massive, orange rock-giant holding up a collapsing bulkhead; a woman with blonde hair creating shimmering violet fields of force; and a younger man, literally engulfed in flames, flying circles around the station to weld hull breaches with his fingers.

"The Fantastic Four," Kara muttered, her brow furrowed. "I’ve heard stories. Interdimensional explorers. Scientists. They’re a long way from New York."

"Should we not offer aid?" Ruthye asked, her sense of honor bristling. "They seem to be in distress."

"No," Kara said instantly, grabbing Ruthye’s shoulder. "The minute I show up, it becomes a thing. They’ll want to know who I am, why I’m here, if I’m related to 'the other guy' back on Earth. I’m off the clock, Ruthye. We’re staying invisible."

For the next four hours, Kara led Ruthye on a frustrating game of cosmic hide-and-seek. Every time the Fantastic Four’s ship moved toward a new sector, Kara dragged Ruthye and Krypto behind moons, into asteroid belts, and once, inside the hollowed-out shell of a dead space-whale.

"Kara, this is becoming quite tedious," Ruthye sighed as they crouched behind a jagged spire on a small, oxygen-rich moon where the Four had landed to recalibrate their sensors.

"Just a little longer," Kara whispered. "They’ll fix their spark plugs or whatever and leave."

Suddenly, the air shimmered. Kara froze. Her heart hammered against her ribs. She felt a presence—not a hostile one, but a focused, maternal one.

Sue Storm stepped around the spire, her blue eyes scanning the horizon. She was holding a small, bundle-wrapped child in her arms. The baby, Franklin, had tufts of blonde hair and eyes that seemed to look right through the rock Kara was hiding behind.

"Reed? I thought I heard something," Sue called out, her voice calm but alert. She walked within three feet of Kara’s hiding spot.

Kara held her breath, her hand over Krypto’s snout. Krypto, usually a chaotic mess, seemed to sense the tension and stayed perfectly still.

"Probably just the local fauna, honey!" a voice boomed from the distance—Ben Grimm, most likely.

Sue paused, looking directly at the spire. For a second, her gaze locked onto the sliver of red fabric from Kara’s cape. Kara prepared to bolt, her muscles tensed for a sonic-boom takeoff.

But then, Franklin giggled. The baby pointed a tiny finger at a floating butterfly-like creature, and Sue’s attention shifted. "Yes, Franklin. It’s pretty, isn't it?"

She turned and walked back toward the ship. Kara let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "That was too close. We’re leaving. Now."

They retreated to the far side of the moon, near a range of jagged, singing mountains. Kara was ready to punch a hole through the atmosphere just to get away, but as she prepared to lift off, she heard it.

A scream. Not of pain, but of pure, unadulterated terror.

"REED! FRANKLIN IS GONE!"

Kara stopped mid-air. She looked back toward the distant landing site. Through her telescopic vision, she saw the blonde woman—Sue—stumbling, her face pale. The man in the blue suit, Reed, was frantically stretching his eyes to the size of dinner plates to scan the horizon. The rock-man was roaring in frustration, and the hot-shot on fire was streaking into the sky like a flare.

"The child," Ruthye said, her voice trembling. "Kara, the small one is lost."

Kara’s jaw tightened. She looked at the stars, then back at the weeping mother in the distance. Her cynicism, her desire for a quiet birthday, her rebel streak—it all hit a wall.

"Ruthye," Kara said quietly. "You need to head back to the transport ship. Use the beacon I gave you. Go back to your world. I’ll come find you in two days, I promise."

Ruthye looked at the chaos in the distance, then back at Kara. She stepped forward and hugged the blonde Kryptonian tightly. "Find the child, Kara Zor-El. Justice is one thing, but a mother’s heart is another."

With a final nod, Ruthye activated her transport device and vanished in a beam of light.

Kara stood alone with Krypto. The dog looked up at her, whining softly, his tail tucked.

"Yeah, I know," Kara muttered, rubbing her eyes. "I’m an idiot. I could just fly away. It’s not my problem."

She looked at the Fantastic Four’s ship. She saw the "Human Torch" spiraling upward, shouting the baby’s name. He looked desperate, his flames flickering with his rising panic.

"Fine," Kara snapped, though there was no one to hear her. "Krypto, track the scent. Find the milk or the baby powder or whatever that kid smells like. Go!"

Krypto didn't need to be told twice. He caught a scent on the wind and took off like a white blur. Kara followed, her cape snapping behind her.

They found him five minutes later.

Franklin Richards was not in danger—physically, at least. He was sitting on the very peak of the Singing Mountains, three thousand feet above the valley floor. He was playing with a ball of pure, shimmering blue energy that he had seemingly manifested out of thin air. He was laughing as the energy pulsed, unaware that he was sitting on a ledge the size of a dinner plate.

"Kid’s got some moves," Kara whispered, hovering a few feet away.

She drifted closer, moving slowly so as not to startle him. "Hey there, little guy. You’ve got a lot of people very worried about you."

Franklin looked up, his blue eyes wide. He didn't seem afraid of the flying woman or the floating dog. He reached out a chubby hand and patted Krypto’s wet nose. Krypto licked the baby’s forehead, causing Franklin to shriek with delight.

Kara gently scooped the boy into her arms. The blue energy dissipated instantly. He felt warm and heavy, a stark reminder of the life she was supposed to protect.

"Let’s get you home," she murmured.

She flew toward the landing site, but she didn't hide this time. She descended from the clouds like a falling star, landing softly in the center of the clearing where the Four were gathered in a state of total collapse.

Sue was on her knees, her head in her hands. Reed was frantically typing into a handheld computer, his hands shaking.

When Kara’s boots hit the red dust, the sound of her cape fluttering caught their attention.

"I believe this belongs to you," Kara said.

The silence that followed was deafening. Sue Storm looked up, her eyes red-rimmed. When she saw Franklin in Kara’s arms, she let out a sob that broke even Kara’s cynical heart. Sue scrambled to her feet, practically snatching the baby from Kara, clutching him to her chest as if she would never let go.

"He was on the mountain," Kara explained, awkwardly shoving her hands into her pockets. "He’s... uh... he’s a good climber."

Reed Richards stepped forward, his eyes scanning Kara with a mixture of scientific curiosity and profound gratitude. "You... you’re Kryptonian. The crest... the House of El."

"Kara," she said shortly. "I’m just passing through."

"You saved him," Ben Grimm rumbled, stepping up beside Reed. The Thing looked like he wanted to hug her, but settled for a respectful nod. "Thanks, kid. We owe ya one. A big one."

"It was nothing," Kara said, already turning to leave. "Really. Just keep a tighter leash on the kid. He’s got... potential."

"Wait!"

A streak of fire hit the ground, extinguishing instantly to reveal the younger man Kara had seen earlier. Johnny Storm stood there, his hair slightly tousled, his blue and white uniform dusty from his frantic search. He was panting, his chest heaving, but when he saw Franklin safe in Sue’s arms, the tension left his body.

Then, he looked at Kara.

Johnny blinked. He looked her up and down—the shoulder-length blonde hair, the piercing blue eyes, the effortless way she hovered an inch off the ground. He had spent his life being the most charismatic person in the room, but he suddenly felt like he had forgotten how to breathe.

"Whoa," Johnny said, his voice dropping an octave. "I mean... hi. Hello."

Kara raised an eyebrow. "Hi?"

"I'm Johnny," he said, stepping forward with a grin that usually worked on every girl from Manhattan to Attilan. "Johnny Storm. You probably saw the fire. It's... it's a thing I do. You're... you're the one who found him?"

"Krypto found him," Kara said, gesturing to the dog who was currently sniffing Ben’s rocky leg. "I just carried him."

"Right. Krypto. Great dog. Best dog," Johnny rambled, his usual confidence replaced by a strange, frantic energy. He reached out to shake her hand, then realized he was still a bit too hot and pulled back. "I just wanted to say... that was incredible. The way you just... dropped out of the sky. Very dramatic. I love drama."

Kara looked at him, her cynical shield firmly in place. "Are you always this loud, Torch-boy?"

Johnny grinned, unphased. "Only when I'm trying to make an impression. Did it work?"

Sue, still holding Franklin, shared a knowing, weary look with Reed. Even in the middle of a cosmic crisis, Johnny was still Johnny.

"It worked," Kara said, a small, involuntary smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. She hadn't meant to find him charming, but there was something genuine in his eyes—a lack of the brooding darkness she was so used to. "You're a mess, Storm."

"A charming mess," Johnny corrected. "Do you... do you have a phone? Or a subspace frequency? I feel like we should debrief. For safety. Hero business."

Kara chuckled, a genuine sound that surprised even her. She began to rise into the air, her cape snapping in the wind.

"Maybe next time I'm in the neighborhood, Johnny. Try not to lose any more babies until then."

"I'll be waiting!" Johnny shouted as she ascended. "I'll keep a signal fire going! Literally!"

Kara flew toward the yellow sun, Krypto barking happily at her side. She had lost two days of her vacation, she had revealed herself to a team of Earth heroes, and she had a headache from Johnny Storm’s flirting.

But as she looked back and saw the family huddled together on the moon’s surface, safe and whole, Kara Zor-El realized it was the best birthday present she’d had in years.

"He was kind of cute," she whispered to Krypto.

Krypto just barked and chased a stray moonbeam.