Angel Over Metropolis

[earthborn_angel]

She sleeps a restless sleep, tossing and turning in her bed, trying her hardest to slip into that warm, rich blackness that is deep sleep, and yet unable to. It eludes her just as so many things in her life have continuously eluded her. Things like happiness. Things like love. Things like family

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[metromarvel]

There's a flash of light, and a crack in the air.

One of the firefighters down below adjusts his coat, feeling the strange, chilling wind whip up. And then his colleague notices!, "Look, up in the sky!"

Superman's flying form becomes visible as he ripples through the blaze, his arms arcing out in order to softly catch the burnt out form. The Man of Steel sends a quick salute down towards the police and firefighters as he takes a hard right, turning around and climbing further up into the Metropolis skyline!

"I've got you." Superman murmurs to the woman he thought was dead. "You're going to be okay."

[earthborn_angel]

That voice.

Oh, god, that voice.

It's...it can't be.

No. On further inspection, it's not. It sounds close enough. So close enough. But there's a slight difference in timbre. A slight difference in the accent.

Still, Linda's eyes flutter open, and as they fly, the ash and soot covering her dust off of her body, showing unmarked skin beneath.

"S-Superman?"

[metromarvel]

This is normally where he uses some witty quip or kind gesture to disarm and relax the victim.

Superman can only manage a, "...yeah." though, as he flies, not entirely certain where he's going. "...is that really you, Linda?"

[earthborn_angel]

Her head is throbbing, as is her back. For years, Linda has had dual scars on her back, where her wings of flame used to be. Now those scars have opened up again - forcefully - and it feels nowhere near pleasant. Not that she's surprised. When Matrix had been merged with Linda, Linda had been less susceptible to pain when her body changed in any way. That wasn't the case any longer.

"The one and only," she manages to say through gritted teeth. "It's, uh, been awhile." What else do you say, really, to the man that you were a protege of once upon a time? To the man whose other-dimensional counterpart you were married to for the better part of seven years?

[metromarvel]

'Thank you' is never out of fashion, but Superman understands that it's been a rough night.

"Do you need to be dropped off at the hospital?" Superman asks, a little less awkward now that he's focusing on business.

[earthborn_angel]

Every time she closes her eyes, Linda sees flames. It does nothing at all to calm her. She opens her eyes again and sucks in a lungful of the crisp, cool Metropolis air. "Considering I don't know what's going on with my body right now? No, I'll pass." Linda turns to look at Clark, and for the briefest of moments, a shadow crosses over her face. She gains control over her facial expression quickly. "Sorry...about that. I don't know what happened. I just woke up and...there was a fire."

[metromarvel]

Clark Kent is a simple sort of man, despite his education and erudite gift with the English language, and definitely not the sort to even notice, let alone think much of, sinister shadows on friends's faces. If there's one power Clark is thankfully reluctant to use, it is the super-charged senses Earth's Yellow Sun has gifted him with.

Or, at least, that's what you can tell from Superman's face.

"Usually, that sort of thing is a reason to visit a hospital." The Man of Steel argues mildly, "I know a few people from STAR Labs who are very discreet about helping out a metahuman in trouble." And then, the elephant in the room. Clark's smile doesn't waver. "I think what happened is that your quick thinking saved a lot of lives, Linda."

[earthborn_angel]

As Supergirl, Linda hadn't been as polished as Superman. Yes, she was polite and kind. Yes, she saved the day. But there'd always been a rougher edge to her. She'd always been a shade darker than Superman. Quippier. A little snarkastic sometimes. It tied into who she had been before Matrix had merged with her and saved her life. She'd looked up to him, and for a time...when she was on that alternate Earth, she'd changed, become softer, politer.

Losing her family to save the universe had drastically changed that.

Linda snorts. "I wish it had been quick thinking," she admits. "It wasn't, Superman. The wings just...took over. I wasn't aware enough of what was going on." She thinks hard, for a moment. "Dr. Kitty Faulkner," Linda says after a moment. "At STAR. She knows me." She really wasn't about to argue with Superman, and if anyone could help her...maybe Kitty could.

[metromarvel]

Doesn't it though.

"Alright." Superman says, "Just let me get my cell phone telephone..." Superman's hand flips down, touching his belt buckle, and an earpiece emerges from his cape's secret pocket to be placed around his right ear. "Hello? John? Yes, it's me. Yes, could you call Dr. Faulkner? It's, um, sort of important, yeah..."

[earthborn_angel]

Linda chuckles. Superman with a cell phone. She never thought she'd see that. She tilts her head and looks up at the full, bright moon before looking back at Clark. "Thank you, by the way." It's a loaded thank you, not just one for saving her.

[metromarvel]

"Just doing my job, ma'am." Clark says in his mildly goofy manner. It's easier than dealing with the full load behind that thank you, to be honest, and he doesn't want to hurt Linda while she's still getting a hold on herself.

[earthborn_angel]

She smiles at that, but the smile fades a moment later, reality hitting her. Gods, this is beyond awkward. What is she supposed to do? Make small talk? Ask how Lois is doing? Ask him about the latest Supergirl? Oh man...

"Yeah. That's...something I need to get back into doing again."