Lost In Time

Chapter 1

 Kara watched as Imra flung her arms around Mon-El. "Were you worried?" she asked. "Who, me? No. No, I knew you'd be fine the whole time." They reminded Kara of her and Mon-El, that playful banter she missed so much.

"She really helped," Kara said, trying to hold herself together. She meant it, too. There might have been a weird history with her and Imra but Kara was glad she had come along on the Fort Rozz mission. She was about to turn away and talk to Psi when suddenly a rumbling sound swept through the DEO.

"Get down!" she yelled instinctively. Mon-El and Imra backed away, and they watched as something that looked suspiciously like an inter-dimensional portal materialized right where they'd been standing. There was a bang, a flash of light, and when she could see again the portal was gone, in its place an unconscious body. Kara rushed forward, kneeling at the person's side to get a glimpse of their face. And when she did, her heart dropped. It was her own.

***

"I don't understand," Kara said as she paced around the room. "She looks just like me! How is that possible?" She also noticed that the woman's outfit was almost identical to hers, except the House of El glyph was smaller and shiny, and the suit had matching blue pants instead of a skirt.

"She could be a doppelganger," Alex offered.

"Or maybe she's from another time period," Mon-El said as he entered the room. Kara tried not to wince. Time travel was his purview, after all. He had every right to be there no matter how uncomfortable it made her.

"But she's definitely Kryptonian?" J'onn asked.

"Yeah, we checked," Alex said. "It's weird though—the amount of solar radiation in her cells is severely depleted. That and her low body temperature makes it seem like she's been somewhere with very little sunlight."

"That explains the broken leg," Kara said, referring to the makeshift splint the woman was wearing. She felt a pang of sympathy. "Shouldn't we turn on the sun lamps?"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," said J'onn. "For all we know, she could be hostile. Keeping her without her powers might be the best way to ensure our safety." Kara resisted the urge to argue, reminding herself that just because the mystery woman had her face didn't mean she was automatically trustworthy.

Suddenly, Kara's twin screamed and her eyes flew open, darting around the room as she gasped for breath. "It's okay," Alex said before she could stop herself, stepping forward. "You're safe." Kara hung back, not wanting to upset her more.

"It was so dark..." the woman whispered. "And horrible..." Kara was dumbstruck at how much the woman's voice sounded like her own, except panicked and terrified.

"A-Alex?" she asked tentatively when she noticed her.

"How do you know my name?" Alex asked, shocked. "Who are you?"

"What are you talking about? It's me, Kara!" she looked more confused than ever, mirroring the looks of Kara, J'onn, and Mon-El. "Where am I?"

"You're at the Department of Extra-Normal Operations," J'onn said in an official tone of voice, trying to salvage the situation. This was not how they had expected it to go.

Kara's twin sat up and ran a hand through her hair, wincing as she moved her broken leg. "That's not possible, the DEO was destroyed..." then her gaze fixed on Kara, taking in her outfit. "What year is it?" she asked in almost a whisper.

"It's 2018," said Mon-El, stepping forward. The woman's eyes widened in realization and horror. "I've traveled back in time..."

***

"So-So you're me?" Kara asked, not wanting to believe it. "From the...future?" her future self nodded, looking lost in thought.

"Why have you come here?" Mon-El asked. "How?"

"I didn't mean to," Future Kara said. "Believe me, all I want to do is get home. Alex, Mon-El, J'onn, they must be so worried. I have to let them know I'm okay." Mon-El? Kara thought, frowning in confusion. What's he doing in her time?

"We know that you've been somewhere dangerous and without sunlight," Alex said. "And you're clearly running from something. What is it? We can't help you unless you tell us what's going on."

"A villain I've been fighting sent me to the f—" she faltered, then tried again. "The Phantom Zone." Kara noticed how she coughed out the words like they hurt. Then what she had said sunk in. The Phantom Zone...the place that was the source of her worst nightmares, even years later. How could she let herself be trapped there again‽

"But isn't that just a place where time doesn't pass?" Mon-El asked, oblivious to Kara's thoughts. "Why would someone want to send you there?"

She scoffed weakly. "People talk about it like that. A place where time doesn't pass." her gaze fixed on Kara as she spoke to her. "But it's nothing like you remember. The phantoms are everywhere—beings that feed off your terror by making you live it. Over and over, worse and worse, until eventually, you forget the phantoms are doing it to you at all. Your nightmare becomes your reality. And that's when you go insane. It's what almost happened to me, what would've happened if I hadn't found a way out."

Kara was horrified. How could she not have encountered—the pod. Of course. It had protected her from the phantom's wrath. But clearly, she wouldn't escape them a second time.

"But that still doesn't explain how you got here," Kara said, shaking off her train of thought.

Her twin hesitated, probably worrying about the timeline. "Like I said, I found a way out, but it must have been defective or something because my fath—my friend and I got separated and I ended up here." Kara suppressed the urge to ask more questions. She knew how dangerous it was to try and change the future, no matter what your intentions were.

"Well, we can work on a time beacon of some sort," J'onn said, drawing Kara's attention to him. "I'll talk to Winn. What year are you from?" Was it Kara's imagination, or did her future self look almost sad at the mention of her friend?

"2021," she said, leaning back onto the pillows. "I'm from three years from now."

"In the meantime, let's set up the sun lamps," said Alex, flicking them on. "You should get some rest." They started to file out of the room.

"Wait, Alex." Future Kara said, halting her sister's steps. "Can we talk for a minute?"

"Sure," she said, gesturing for the rest to leave as she sat by the bed. "What's up?"

"I know that I'm not the Kara you're used to..." she started, and Alex wondered where she was going with this. "....But could I have a hug, please?"

Alex scoffed. "Always," she said, wrapping her arms around her. Future or not, there wasn't a universe or world where seeing her little sister scared and alone didn't tug at her heartstrings.

"I can't believe you're really here," Kara said quietly when they pulled away. "In the fear visions, I saw you die so many times...and it was always my fault."

"Hey," Alex said, reaching for her. "You might not be with your family right now, but they're not going anywhere. And we know you would never hurt any of us."

Kara nodded. "Thanks Alex," she said softly. Alex smiled. "We're gonna figure this out, Kara. Together." 

Thanks so much for reading! Next chapter's on the way, promise! 

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