Barry had no idea just how prophetic his words would end up being. Kara spent weeks in a coma showing no signs of healing or waking up. She had started her new job at the Citizen working alongside Iris so she could get acclimated to the smaller paper even though her articles were still being published in Cat Co. Magazine. Iris knew the truth about Kara’s absence and she had to keep the secret under wraps from their editor. He did get suspicious after a while, but while talking to M’Gann; Barry was able to work out a plan where she would call the Citizen as Kara claiming to have a severe case of the flu. Both Barry and M’Gann regretted the lie, but it was necessary for the time being.

Unbeknownst to the heroes, the Worldkillers were in their fortress in Nevada watching and waiting as Kara’s blood was being used to create a flawless duplicate of her. The Kryptonian technology in the fortress had completely mapped Kara’s D.N.A. and synthesized a body that was Kara down to the most minute details. From her blonde hair with light streaks of brown, to her earrings and even the small freckle in her right iris, everything was perfectly duplicated. With the physical construction complete, it was only a matter of time before the clone would awaken. When she did, Brainiac was there to greet her as she stepped into the world.

“Good Morning; Supergirl. I trust that you have recovered from the attack you were subjected to?”

Brainiac knew he had to tread carefully with his first words to the young woman he intended to use as his personal weapon. While he considers himself the most intelligent being in the universe, he could not be sure that this woman wouldn’t attack him if she remembered everything that had happened. She could even be a perfect duplicate right down to Supergirl’s morals and sense of justice. He was proven correct as she unleashed a furious blast of heat vision at him, while he barely had enough time to activate his shielding.

“Brainiac…you’ll save yourself my wrath if you let me go. Once Kal-El finds out you’ve abducted me...what he does to you will be considered merciful compared to what I will do.”

The Supergirl clone’s voice was seething with pure unadulterated rage as she continued to barrage Brainiac with her heat vision which cycled from blue-white to blood red the longer she used the power. When they finally reached a stalemate, she ceased her attack as her adversary dropped his shields.

“Perhaps, but are you not even the slightest bit curious as to why you are with me? Or even where you are? Do you remember the fight you were in?”

“I’m not an idiot Brainiac. The Worldkiller; Reign. I was fighting her a few weeks ago. She stabbed me in the shoulder with a black dagger. All I’m surprised about is the fact that she didn’t kill me. That was her mistake because when I get out of here, I’ll be bringing Kal with me and we’ll finish her and her sisters off.”

There was a sinister edge in the clone’s voice; one Brainiac was all too pleased to hear. If all went according to his plan he would be able to corrupt her, use her against her cousin and fulfill his plan to eliminate all Kryptonian life from the universe.

“If you knew where here was, of course you could; Supergirl. But a question, would it grieve you to learn that Kal-El left you for dead?”

“You lie. Kal would never abandon me. He’s my family.”

“I would never lie about something like that. Reign did stab you. I found you unconscious on the pavement as your cousin flew away after her. He will not come for you. I saved your life, he believes you are dead.”

“Prove it.”

“Very well. If you are certain you want to see the footage, I will show it to you.”

Brainiac had been creating this altered footage since he encountered Superman in Metropolis just before he returned to the Worldkiller’s fortress. With his technological enhancements he was able to create an extremely convincing replay of the events in Central City. The clone watched, unimpressed as she didn’t really care whether or not Brainiac was telling the truth. She could still feel the pain from the dagger and knew it was black kryptonite that she had been stabbed with. In the deepest recesses of her mind, she could feel a surprising lack of her morals and desire to be a hero. When the footage ended, she spoke, her tone venomous.

“You know Brainiac, I don’t really care that Kal left me behind to die, even if you didn’t create that footage to convince me. This world has done nothing but treat me like an outcast. Kal is respected, has always been seen as a hero. To everyone else, I’m just his sidekick. I’ve seen it since I first tried to step out of his shadow. So I’m going to show this world what that pain feels like.”

“Excellent Supergirl…I look forward to helping you do to this world what was done to Krypton.”

“Two things, I don’t need your help…and I’m not Supergirl. That naïve, inexperienced little girl is dead.”

“You may not need my help, but the Worldkillers would be an invaluable asset in your quest to destroy this world.”

Brainiac’s words made his companion think. She knew exactly how much power she was capable of and didn’t believe she needed the Worldkillers. She had lost to Reign once, a feat that would not be repeated. Reign had even stepped into the room as she said so.

“You think you’re all powerful Kryptonian? I bested you once, and I am perfectly capable of doing so again. Are you afraid to fight me a second time?”

“I fear nothing.”

“Then fight me and prove my sisters and I should follow you.”

The fight between Reign and the Kryptonian was instantly brutal. Reign utilized every tactic she knew in an effort to defeat her enemy but this Kara reveled in the battle, not backing down and even allowing herself to let go. She forgot all of her morals and met the Worldkiller punch for punch. As the battle neared a conclusion Reign began to realize that her adversary was just toying with her. Finally out of boredom, Kara unleashed a violent blast of heat vision directly at Reign’s face, scarring the Worldkiller permanently. With one last vicious uppercut, Reign was sent flying across the ship and into a bulkhead.

“I guess that’s proof enough for you, Reign? You could never be better than me.”

While this battle was raging, across the country in Star Labs Barry was still by his Kara’s bedside. Her shoulder had finally healed from the wound but she still hasn’t woken up. He is only slightly comforted by the steady beat of her heart connected to the machines. He was just falling asleep when Alura came in to check on him, which was also the exact moment that Kara’s eyes flashed open as she sat up in the bed.

“Kara…take it easy…you’re okay.”

(“Where…where am I?”)

As soon as she woke up, Kara was speaking in Kryptonian; thus confusing Barry as he tried to calm her by speaking with a soothing tone. He didn’t know it, but she couldn’t understand a word he was saying.

“You’re safe. You’re at Star Labs.”

Kara was immediately confused and her eyes began darting around the room in frantic terror. Alura and Barry could only surmise that her actions were a result of the trauma she suffered in her fight with the Worldkiller, but when her eyes landed directly on him and his hand reaching out for her, she recoiled in fear. Her actions sent a shot of pain through Barry’s heart.

(“What…what are you talking about? Who are you?”)

Barry wasn’t sure what to do as he slowly pulled his hand back. He had been attempting to comfort Kara with soft contact to her cheek. But when she curled away from him up against the headboard; he was immediately at a loss for words. Alura could see the pain in Barry’s eyes and stepped further into the room causing Kara’s full attention to shift. She was still terrified but began to relax at the sight of her mother.

(“Mom…? Who is this man? Where’s our home on Krypton? Where’s my father?”)

(“Kara…you have to calm down. You’re home on Earth. Krypton is gone.”)

(“Gone? What do you mean gone? We were just there…Uncle Jor-El brought my baby cousin Kal-El to see us.”)

(“Kara…that was…wait; how old are you?”)

(“What kind of question is that, Mom? You know how old I am. I’m twelve…my thirteenth birthday is next week. Are you okay?)

Alura immediately turned to Barry, and the worry on his face spoke volumes. He still didn’t understand any of what she and Kara had said, but he could tell that his mother-in-law shared his concerns. Just a few weeks after she had arrived on Earth, Kara had explained to her mother that it hadn’t been twenty-four years since they had last seen each other, but was really thirty-six. With the stark reality looming over her, Alura knew she had to do her best to help Barry understand what was going on.

“Barry…I think we should step outside. I’ll explain everything that’s happened. You may want to find a place to sit down.”

Just as Alura was about to follow Barry out of the room, Kara spoke up, her voice still showing the small amount of confusion and fear she felt at waking up in these unfamiliar surroundings.

(“Mom…where are you going? Don’t leave me.”)

(“I’ll be right back, Kara. Don’t worry.”)

As soon as she left Kara’s room, Alura was worried for both her daughter and Barry. Kara’s lack of memories of her life on Earth was a sudden and unexpected eventuality, but she had hope that whatever had happened was only temporary. When she found Barry slumped in a chair, head in his hands, her heart went out to him. As such she took a seat next to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Barry…are you okay?”

“What exactly am I supposed to be okay about; Alura? Kara just woke up from a coma, she’s speaking in Kryptonian and she doesn’t even recognize me. What the hell was that?”

“How did you know she was speaking Kryptonian? Did you understand what she was saying?”

“I heard her and Clark speaking to each other once. Not to mention the recordings of me speaking the language when I came back from the Speed Force. I made an educated guess. But no, I didn’t understand what she was saying. The look on her face as she cowered away from me was enough.”

“Barry…I’m really sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but Kara’s lost her memory of the past…of her life after she left Krypton. She doesn’t remember the twenty-four years trapped in the Phantom Zone, or the twelve years she spent growing up here on Earth…”

“And with that our relationship or our wedding. How could…?”

“I don’t know. But right now, Kara thinks she’s still twelve years old. Whatever unknown properties I’ve yet to discover about black kryptonite, I can only hypothesize that her current state of being is a result of them.”

Alura was speaking scientifically as she knew a calm and focused tone would help Barry remain calm. If his emotions got the better of him, none of it would do him or Kara any good, so she hoped to engage his analytical mind in regards to the situation.

“So what are we going to do, Alura?”

“For now…I have to work with Kara as she is. Neither you nor I can inundate her with the reality of her life. Doing so could cause her to go into an extreme form of shock or psychosomatic trauma. I know you want her back Barry, but this is going to take time.”

“I have a feeling you’re going to tell me that can’t be done at Star Labs.”

“Very astute. Kara will need to be in familiar surroundings. But your apartment, the D.E.O., for the age she currently thinks she is…”

“The Fortress. Clark’s Fortress of Solitude. It’s the most and only Kryptonian location on Earth. If there is any way to restore Kara, it has to be there.”

While Alura and Barry were discussing their options a loud scream came from Kara’s room. She had gotten restless while waiting for her mother to come back and got up from the bed. Both of them immediately ran for the room only to find Kara unconscious again, lying on the floor directly under the mirror hanging on the wall.

From the Cortex, both Caitlin and Cisco had heard the scream and came running. Neither were aware that Kara had woken up but jumped into action as soon as they arrived. Caitlin quickly checked for a pulse and found her friend’s heart beating rapidly. She tried to administer a calming agent but the needle broke on contact with Kara’s skin. While she was at a loss for what to do to help, Barry spoke up.

“Cisco…we need a breach. We can’t take care of Kara here.”

“Barry…to be fair…is there anywhere in the world that Kara can be taken care of?”

“Of course there is Caitlin…Cisco…you have to open a breach to Superman’s Fortress. Kara needs to be in Kryptonian surroundings…away from all of us…”

Caitlin and Cisco could both tell instantly how much those words hurt Barry to say from the evident pain in his voice. While they attempted to contest his plan, Alura explained the idea and why Barry’s reasoning was sound.

“Caitlin, Cisco…you have to know how grateful I am for the care and attention you’ve shown my daughter these past few weeks. But Barry’s right. Kara woke up and she currently thinks she’s twelve years old. Seeing her adult self in the mirror; caused a state of shock, which is why she’s unconscious again. For your safety…I have to take her away. Kal-El’s fortress is the only place she will feel safe in her current state of mind.”

“Alura…with all due respect…our safety is the last thing on our minds right now. Helping Kara is our only priority. We’ve been through a lot since Barry got his powers. I’m sure we can handle whatever Kara can throw at us.”

“No Caitlin. We can’t.”

“Barry?”

“Kara thinks she’s twelve. If she wakes up here…she’ll be terrified and let loose. She has her powers but she won’t know how to control them. She really won’t even know she has them and the results will be destructive. The Fortress of Solitude is the safest place for her.”

The look in Barry’s eyes told Caitlin and Cisco that arguing further was pointless. With a sigh, Cisco focused on the Fortress and opened a breach. Alura stepped through first with Barry following once he had Kara safely supported in his arms. On the other side, Clark was just arriving with Hal and Tomar, landing in front of the other trio as the breach closed.

“Kara? What happened to her Barry?”

“I wish I knew, Superman. The black kryptonite dagger she was stabbed with took away all her memories of her life on Earth. She thinks she’s still twelve years old. My hope is that…”

“Our hope is that she’ll be safer in Kryptonian surroundings. I see you’ve honored our home with your Fortress Kal-El.”

“I have Aunt Alura, and you both brought Kara to the right place. Don’t worry Barry. She’ll be in good hands. I promise.”

“I know she will. Who are these guys?”

“They’re members of the Green Lantern Corps. Barry. They came to help with the problem of the Worldkillers.”

“Any help they can provide will be beneficial. I’m going to head back to Central City.”

“You don’t have to. You’re family. I imagine you want to be by Kara’s side.”

“It’s better that I’m not Kal. When she woke up, she was scared of me. Didn’t even know who I was. I don’t want to be a cause of stress for her right now.”

Clark could only look at Barry with sympathy. He understood all too well what the young man was going through. There had been a time when Lex had discovered a way to erase Superman from every citizen of Metropolis’ memories. He had been off planet and Lois had violently attacked him when he walked into their apartment. While Barry and Clark were talking, Alura had walked over to Tomar and the two were having their own conversation.

“Hello Tomar Re. It has been many a year since you were on Krypton.”

“You know of me?”

“Of you, yes. My husband and brother in law spoke of you. It is a shame we have not met before now.”

“Who are you?”

“Alura Zor-El. Lara and I were witness to the recording made of you offering your help with saving Krypton. Jor and Zor had the utmost respect for you.”

“I am still with a heavy heart over my failure to save your planet.”

“Krypton’s destruction was not your fault.”

“Perhaps not, but I will carry that burden until my dying day. Here I have a chance to rectify that mistake. I will not fail to stop the Worldkillers and save this planet.”