//------------------------------// // Prologue: Final Days // Story: The Girl of Tomorrow // by RuinQueenofOblivion //------------------------------// The Planet Krypton was in turmoil. The planet's core had become unstable following over-mining. Many of its inhabitants had tried to deny the fact, but it was becoming inescapable at this point. The best minds on the world tried to figure out how to solve the problem, but so far they had no luck. Two such Kryptonians that were tasked with trying to figure it out were Civ-el and her husband Arin. They were scientists that had been studying it for months, and had reached one final inescapable conclusion, that there was nothing that could be done. "Is it really the best option, Civ?" Arin asked his wife as she was working on a design for an experimental craft that she had been working on for weeks. "We don't have a choice, the council has given us unlimited resources, but we just don't have the time to build anything bigger," Civ-el said with a sigh as she looked at the designs one latt time. She had to wonder if she was being selfish. Their world was on the verge of destruction, but there wasn't really anything they could do to save it, well, not all of it at least. They were going to make sure that one small part of Krypton was going to survive, and the information on their world. Krypton was going to live on one way or another. Arin put a hand on his wife's shoulder and smiled sadly. "I just wish we could go with her, you know?" "I know, so do I," Civ-el said with a sigh as she looked over at the crib that held their sleeping daughter. "But we both know its the only way. She's our little girl, any parent would do the same to try and save their child." "I know, but I'm still going to miss being able to see her grow up," Arin said, and Civ-el nodded sadly. She got up and gently picked up her daughter, looking at the sleeping orange child with a shock of purple hair. "Don't worry Rei, you'll be safe," she said soothingly. "I promise that nothing will happen to you." She just wished there was another way, but as long as her daughter survived this calamity, then she'd be able to die happy. But it still didn't completely feel right to leave all her fellow Kryptonians to die. 00000 As the last months passed and it became more and more obvious that Krypton was on the verge of destruction, the craft had been completed. Civ-el looked at it for a long moment, it was her last creation, one that the world would never know about. "Is the database ready?" She asked looking at Arin who nodded. "History, philosophy, science, everything she could possibly want to know about her homeworld," Arin said. "And about her family of course." Civ-el nodded in understanding, that was good, she just had to hope that nothing would happen to it en-route. "She's going to have the history of a whole world on her shoulders," she said sadly. "Rei-el, the last daughter of Krypton." "At least she'll know we loved her," Arin said as they started the final checks, the groundquakes were beginning to become more frequent. "We're out of time." "I know, I just have to put in the final calculations," Civ-el said as she input the last set of commands and the craft opened up. "I can't believe its come to this." "Its what has to be done," Arin said, a tinge of regret still in his voice. "She'll have a future, that's all that matters." Civ-el nodded and gently placed her daughter into the pod, leaning in and giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Good bye Rei, I will always love you my daughter. I know you're going off somewhere we can't follow, but I know you're going to grow up to be a great woman, I believe in you. You are my greatest creation, and I know you'll make me proud." She gave her daughter one more kiss as tears began to well up in her eyes before Arin approached and knelt down by the pod, looking at the child within. "Rei, I wish there was more I could say to you," he said as he started to cry. "You're our little miracle, the child we always wanted even when things looked bleak. Things aren't going to be easy for you out there, but your mom and I are confident that you'll make it. You're the light of our life, and I even if you're facing the unknown, then you'll do fine. I love you Rei." He gave her a kiss on the forehead and the child's purple eyes opened briefly as she looked up at her parents. "We love you Rei," Civ-el said as the pod started to close, they stood back and watched as the craft carrying their daughter took off into the sky. "Rao watch over you Rei," Civ-el said as she watched it for as long as it was visible. They just had to hope that she'd be okay out there. As the craft vanished, they went outside of the launch area hand in hand. Now that Rei was safe, they could face the end together with no regrets. 00000 The craft traveled for a long time with the child still within it. Eventually it was drawn into the orbit of an inhabited planet and started its descent towards the ground. Outside of National City a couple is driving along when they see what they first believe to be a shooting star but as it streaked overhead they realized it was something else entirely. "Come on Thorn, lets go check it out!" A young woman with light orange skin and purple hair said as she climbed into the car and started it up. "Its probably just a satellite or something Orange Swirl," Thorn, a young man with blue skin and blonde hair said. "Why do you have to be so curious?" "Its what you love most about me," Orange said with a smile as she leaned over and gave her husband a quick kiss before driving off after the object. "Besides, you never know, it could be a meteor or something." "I think you've been watching too many movies," Thorn said with a groan as she drove to keep a close eye on the object. "You watch, its just going to be a satellite." "Where's your sense of adventure?" Orange asked with a chuckle. "Come on, you've heard about all the weird sightings lately, maybe its an alien." Thorn just rolled his eyes as Orange drove on, he had to admit that he did love Orange's more curious nature, even if it would sometimes get her into trouble. Besides, it wasn't likely that she'd actually find anything that exciting, or so he thought. He was proven wrong when they came upon the crash site. "Okay, that's not a satellite," Thorn said as he opened his door and the two got out of the car, they couldn't help but stare at what they had found. In the ground was Rei's craft, when they approached it they were surprised to see the sleeping baby. They exchanged glances, honestly they had no idea what to do with this child. Since they figured no one would believe them if they told the truth, they gathered up what they could from the pod and reported her as an abandoned child. Despite the best efforts of the police and Child Services, nothing was ever found of course, so the child was put up for adoption and eventually fell into the care of the couple that had found her. Orange smiled as she held the sleeping child in her arms, none of them had any idea just how much their lives were going to change. They had thought long and hard on her name, before finally settling on one. "Welcome to the family, Scootaloo," Orange said with a smile as the child slept soundly.