LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 37.1
“So... I hear you’re good with mechanical devices?” Kara tried to restart the conversation after they appeared under the Genomorph’s base.
“I… yes? I love to mess with things on the mountain and, while there’s not much to do, Mister Kent lets me tinker with things at the farm,” Kon replied, doing his best to hide his embarrassment from her.
“So you like staying at the farm? Good,” Kara said, giving him a small nod. “I mean, they seem to have done a good job with Kal but, if you didn’t like it, you could always come live with me?”
Kon seemed to take some time to consider her words, looking into her eyes, he finally answered. “You mean that? Before, I thought you had just offered because I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
“Nonsense, you’re family,” Kara shook her head, giving the boy’s shoulders a small hug. “Besides, I’m gonna be shopping for a new house with Kori tomorrow or the day after anyways, there will be plenty of room for you.”
“Thanks, but I-I like living with the Kents,” Kon finally said after a few seconds, a happy look on his face. “They’re great and, sometimes, when I need a break, I can just go out into the fields and enjoy the quiet. I don’t think I could live in a city.”
“You get used to it,” Kara shrugged. The noise was really annoying at first, but she had learned to ignore it and, worst case, she could always block all sound in her room. “So, how’s Krypto? Does he still like to steal shoes? Uncle always complained about his slobber even when he couldn’t damage anything and everything… I can’t imagine it got any easier now?”
“Ah, I don’t think he really does that anymore, but he tends to leave the farm sometimes so I don’t actually know… I think Superman managed to train it out of him,” Kon said as the last door opened and they finally entered the facility proper.
A G-Elf gave them a wave as he passed them on the corridor, and Kara saw a G-Dwarf talking with a human man in a lab coat through the window of another room. Taking a second to look around and through the walls, she actually found several places where humans and Genomorphs were working side by side without much problem.
Damn, Dubbilex was doing a good job. Deactivating her X-Ray vision, Kara’s thoughts returned to Krypto and she considered. “Well, either that or being exposed to yellow sunlight actually made him smarter, probably should check on that later.”
“He does seem to understand me when we take walks or play around,” Kon explained. Suddenly noticing the white walls and lab-like environment, he finally asked. “So, how’s this supposed to go?”
“Dr. Spencer managed to stabilize the Genomorph’s genes, at least for a while. The same treatment should allow your Kryptonian cells to stop overworking themselves trying to fix you and let them develop new powers,” Kara continued by explaining what she understood of it, telling him about what equipment would be used and how long it would take.
Eventually, they reached the right lab and Kara saw the slightly tense Doctor waiting for them as well as a lot of helpers in the room with her, both human and Genomorphs. In the center of the room lay the healing pod where Kon was about to be treated, but the area was filled with many monitoring devices, and some downright scary equipment, filled with needles and surgical equipment in case anything went wrong.
Suddenly, Kara noticed that everyone was staring at her and, with a frustrated sigh; she noticed she had actually squeezed the handle until it bent and snapped off the door.
Glancing at the piece of metal, Kara managed to keep herself from blushing. Kon was giving her an odd look so, pretending that there was nothing wrong, she just stared right at the Doctor and, slowly, used her hands to straighten the thing.
For a moment, the uncomfortable cracking of metal filled the room while everyone awkwardly looked on. With it more or less acceptably restored, Kara laid the handle against the door and blasted it with heat vision, welding it back into place.
“There, nothing happened,” she nodded to herself and ignored everyone’s reactions.
“And you said I had anger problems,” Kon whispered.
“Shut up, brat,” Kara whispered back and then waved her hand to present the woman. “This is Doctor Amanda Spencer, she’s the one who came up with the treatment, and she used to be Desmond’s assistant.”
Kon got real quiet after that so Kara glared back at the woman. For her part, Doctor Spencer gulped. Nervously ironing her clothes with a hand and with her heart beating like mad she stepped forward to approach them.
“Kon-El, I-I most sincerely apologize,” Doctor Spencer said, her head bowed slightly, but her eyes no longer avoiding Kon’s. “I did not think about the full implications of my actions when working under Desmond. I can’t begin to express how much I regret that, or how much I wish I could take things back. All I can do now is my best to try and make up for it.”
Kara was sure the woman had taken the speech from the internet, and that she had practiced it in the mirror to be able to say it with a straight face but, well, at least she made the effort.
Using all her senses, Kara could see, hear and even feel the woman’s sincerity, and spontaneity was far too overrated in her opinion. Not that she was gonna be forgiving Doctor Spencer anytime soon, or forgetting her actions… no, Kara found that she couldn’t do that, not yet.
What she could do was make an effort of her own and pretend the woman wasn’t there. It wasn’t ideal when the Doctor was the one responsible for Kon and, in the future, Match’s treatment, but it was an improvement.
Kara saw Kon tensing at the woman’s words, but her little cousin took it all in without reaction. Focusing on him, she saw that he was actually breathing very slowly, his mind focused entirely on Torquasm Rao to suppress his anger.
Shaking his head, Kon turned away from the woman. Instead, he looked at Dubbilex sitting close to the treatment chamber and closed his eyes, probably exchanging a few telepathic words with the older Genomorph.
Finally, he released a long, slow breath, letting his fury out until he was able to speak normally again. “It’s a start,” Doctor Spencer flinched when he looked at her, but Kon just shook his head. “Don’t worry, I don’t want to hurt you, but I’m not gonna say I forgive you. Not yet.”
Kara smiled with pride, it seemed like Kon was doing much, much better than she had expected. Putting a hand at his back, she ignored the woman and helped him into the pod. Her cousin gave a dubious glance at the glass and metal tube but, seeing Kara there, he allowed himself to be sedated and submerged into the pod’s liquid.
Before the procedure started, Kara was brought into a separate room with an overview. Dubbilex, sensing her conflicting emotions, just kept quiet at her side for a few minutes but, eventually, he connected with her mind. “If you didn’t trust Dr. Spencer, you could have delayed the treatment, Miss Kara.”
“You said the rest of the Genomorphs have already gone through this without problems, and I trust YOU,” she sent back without opening her mouth. “That doesn’t mean I’m willing to leave him to go through this alone. I already have too few people I really care about for that.”
Kara watched the procedure like a hawk, her muscles tense and ready to intervene at the slightest sign of something going wrong. She didn’t pace, but her straight posture, with her hands behind her back kept the doctors on edge the entire time… which actually made her feel a little better about the whole thing.
The entire procedure took nearly four hours and Doctor Spencer had to make adjustments the entire time to compensate for Kon’s Kryptonian and human differences.
Finally, it was done and the doctor nearly collapsed in her chair as the machines stopped working. Kara herself felt her muscles relaxing, leaving her feeling kind of sore from the tension she had been holding.
Slightly turning her head towards the woman for the first time since Kon entered the chamber, Kara asked. “Have you made any progress with Match’s situation?”
“I… ah, I looked at his files, but I didn’t really have the time to study it in detail yet,” Dr. Spencer answered uneasily, immediately avoiding Kara’s eyes. “It really seems like his cells have a problem absorbing radiation so, if you can block that aspect of it… He’d still be stronger than the average human, but his body should stabilize, giving him an average lifespan, even with only the current treatments.”
“Will working on his case delay the Genomorph’s cure?”
“It’s… well, it’s hard to say right now,” she swallowed again, adjusting her glasses in nervousness. “If you can get the support from Caldecott Industries as it has indicated, the increased equipment and personnel should allow me to work on Match’s situation without prejudice to my other projects, but I can’t say for sure.”
“I understand,” Kara said and turned back to Kon, seeing his body starting to stir after the treatment.
Rushing into the room, Kara was there when he woke up, helping him step out of the pod and immediately calming him down before he freaked out about being back in a closed pod. “Is it over?”
“Yes, are you feeling alright?” Kara asked while stepping away from him and letting the boy shake himself awake, splashing the remains of the treatment solution on the ground.
“I feel… lighter,” he said, stepping on the ground and testing his limbs, Kara almost expected the boy to immediately start flying, but no, he just stretched his limbs and smiled at her. “It’s nice, like I took off a weight I didn’t know I was carrying.”
“Good, now go take another bath and, Rao forgive me but, if you try to hug me again with that goo, I swear I’m gonna freeze it and you. And I’ll pass the vid of you shaking everything off like a dog to the rest of the Titans,” Kara patted his back, pushing him towards the adjacent room.