Stained Glass

Chapter 1: Fighting Trousers

2003

"Remind me why we're doing this again?" Ted Kord demanded, as he hiked along the fields.

"Fame, Ted."Michael Carter replied. "Fame and fortune and the future of Kord Industries!"

"Right." Ted replied, blowing a strand of hair out of his face. He tapped on the device that he had spliced together from remnants of Michael's future tech and his own experiment, tracking the alien ship that seemed to have crash-landed. "Well, we better get there before anyone else if we want it. Double time."

"It's an escape pod." Michael pointed out, as they approached, putting a little extra speed on. "I think there's someone inside!"

"Michael, wait!" Ted called, running after the irritating time-traveller.  "You don't know what could be in..."

Booster Gold was never one for ignoring impulse, and before Ted could reach him he was reaching into the pod and pulling out...a girl. Ted stopped stock still, staring at the sight. "Well," He said with a sigh. "Guess that's one way to get around the legalities of adopting when you're partner's from the twenty-fifth century."
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2011

"Kara, are you sure you want to work at Queen Consolidated?" Michael demanded. "You studied at Stanhope and VUHC. You should be working in the lab with your dad, instead of being in the secretarial pool."

Kara Zor-El, or as she was known on Earth, Kara Carter-Kord, pushed her glasses out of her eyes with a sigh. "Yes, I'm sure, Dad." She frowned at him. "That's the third time you've asked."

"Yeah, well, you don't have to deal with your dad sulking. I'm supposed to be the fun dad, and now I'm stuck with a checklist. A checklist, Starshine. Ted actually made a checklist." Michael said, still sounding poleaxed, pulling on a piece of her hair. "He hasn't been this bad since you moved out and got this apartment."

"I'll bring doughnuts over after work." Kara promised. "It won't be forever. Just to get some more experience on my resume."

"You got your comm, in case you need something?" Michael checked.

Kara held up her necklace of a gold beetle, which could double as a communicator. "Check."

"Glasses working well?"

"Check." Kara replied, with a grin, tapping the glasses that helped prevent sensory overload.

"Phone?"

Kara held up her phone. "Check."

"Other phone?"

"Check." Kara replied, with an eyeroll. "I'll be fine, Dad. Walter Steele isn't Carapax."

"Okay then." Michael said with a firm nod. "Go out there and make your money, Kara, and if you bring any leads home for your dear old dads on some good investments, well, we won't complain."

Kara gave him a grin. "I'm going to be some assistant to an assistant, but who knows."
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2012

The six men saw the helicopter pad as their means of escape, their means of getting away from him, and getting away from the consequences of their theft. Oliver couldn't permit that. Marcus Redmond had defrauded the weakest and most vulnerable in Starling City, in his city, for his own greed.

Oliver took a deep breath, centered himself, and knew exactly what he had to do. He had to make him give that money back. And he would, because this was his city, and he was going to take it back.

One name at a time.
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Women who had been cheated on knew the signs of cheating. Kara, who had been raised by the Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, knew all the signs of a vigilante superhero. Even if they had moved to Central City to go legit, sometimes her dads couldn't resist running off to Hub City or Blüdhaven, she had even heard rumors about Gotham. If anyone was an expert in superheroes it was her. She was 96% sure that the long-lost Queen heir was actually the mysterious man in the hood who had grabbed headlines. She had met Oliver Queen once before his accident, at some mixer when she had been home from Stanhope. Back then he had just been another irritating playboy and she was beyond his notice except as rich, blonde, and pretty. Now though, something was different.