When Conner opened his eyes, he felt enveloped by two beautiful, curvaceous bodies: Laurel and Karen.
He began to remember the previous night; when he was taking Laurel to the room, Karen saw them and ended up joining them.
Conner sighed with satisfaction, “This is the life.” The comforting warmth of the girls reminded him why transmigrating was worth it, but he shook his head quickly.
He had pending business and couldn’t afford to get lost in the warmth of the moment.
With determination, he separated from them and, carefully, left the room to head with firm steps toward the laboratory.
The following weeks passed between the constant sound of tools, electrical sparks, and the incessant hum of machinery running day and night.
The Dinosaur Island laboratory had become his temporary home.
Karen and Laurel, who had known Conner for years, were stunned.
They never would have imagined this new, dedicated, and meticulous side of him; the first few days they even doubted if he was the same person who, some time ago, had let himself go and had postponed simple tasks like the move to the island.
They tried to convince him to rest more and go out to eat, but in the end, it was in vain.
So the girls ended up resigning themselves to bringing him food personally, taking turns, since they had already seen that, when he got engrossed in a project, he was capable of forgetting even lunchtime.
Finally, after countless calculations and material tests, the last metal panel clicked into place with a soft sound.
Conner observed the four armors aligned in front of him with satisfaction.
“Finally…” he whispered as he stood up, realizing how focused he had been on the project.
Years ago, in his past life, he used to work that way, and since he reincarnated, he hadn’t felt so focused, dedicating himself without rest until finishing.
He hadn’t experienced that same spark again…
until now.
The laboratory doors opened a few seconds later.
Karen, Laurel, Kara, and Raven entered in unison.
“Are you finished?” Karen asked with curiosity.
“More or less,” Conner replied, walking in front of the armors.
They were four suits whose style recalled the MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armors from the Halo universe.
The predominant color was dark silver with golden details distributed throughout the structure and, of course, the S on the chest.
The plates covered only vital areas, allowing for total mobility.
On the left forearm stood out a small luminous screen.
Conner took one of the helmets to explain:
“The operating principle is simple.
Our bodies act as biological batteries that absorb and store radiation from a yellow sun.” He pointed to the reactor on the back of the suit.
“This core does the same: it opens channels to our cells and maintains a constant flow of yellow solar energy while we are under a red sun.”
Kara opened her eyes in surprise:
“So…
as long as we wear this, we keep our powers?”
“Exactly,” Conner nodded with a smile, although he later sighed.
“But there is a limit.” He pointed to the forearm monitor that marked 100%.
“With normal use, we have approximately six hours.”
Karen noticed something in his words:
“‘Normally’ they last six hours, right?”
Conner confirmed with a gesture.
She narrowed her eyes:
“And if we fight?”
“It depends on the intensity,” Conner responded, activating a hologram with a graph.
“Whether it’s flying or using heat vision, I ask you to limit yourselves a bit and not waste energy.”
The Kryptonians of the group frowned, since, technically, Conner was saying they had to keep saving energy, just like when they arrived for the first time.
The only difference was that now they could last longer.
However, in the end, they said nothing, for, although it wasn’t ideal, it was still an improvement.
“I’m just asking for moderation.
Even without limiting yourselves, you can easily last for hours.”
Conner looked at the suits with anxiety to test them.
He never imagined that his first suit in this world would be one of this type, but, after all, a suit is a suit.
Before continuing, he warned:
“Remember: if any indicator hits red, you must return immediately.
Raven, I leave the task of bringing back those who run out of energy in your hands.”
Conner deeply valued Raven’s teleportation magic; in an environment that limited Kryptonians, her ability was indispensable.
Karen looked at the armors and sighed:
“Who would have thought that the red sun, once something completely natural for us, is now our enemy.”
Everyone in the group, thanks to their super-hearing, heard Karen’s murmur and nodded in agreement with her words.
It was truly ironic that a red sun, which used to be something normal for them, now limited them.
Raven just limited herself to watching them.
She was the only one for whom that caused no discomfort or effect whatsoever, so she didn’t know what to say.
A few minutes later, everyone was equipped.
The indicators shone in a unison 100%.
“Time to test them,” Conner said.
Raven opened the dimensional portal again and teleported them near the portal.
Now facing it, the Kryptonians observed the place, not expecting to return so soon.
However, none showed doubt and all entered.
Shortly after, the landscape of Skartaris stretched out before them.
Instinctively, the Kryptonians waited to feel the usual weakness, but the suit performed its function.
The reactor emitted a slight hum and the energy stabilized.
Conner breathed deeply; he still felt his full strength.
“It worked,” he murmured, relieved and happy.
Karen clenched her fist, causing a pressure wave in the air:
“Perfect.”
Kara jumped and rose several meters:
“I can still fly!
Great, before, this was very difficult for me.
If I have to face that lizard army again, I’ll finish them off in a matter of seconds.”
Laurel burst into laughter at Kara’s confidence, but she knew she was right.
She turned to Conner and gave him a smile:
“Congratulations, honey.
Your invention really works.”
Even Raven observed the armors with curiosity, considering asking Conner for one, not so much for the function, but for the style, as she felt a bit out of place being the only one not wearing one, although she preferred to stay quiet.
“Good,” Conner said, hiding his pride behind a smile, “we’ll explore calmly.
We have enough time to observe the surroundings.”
For hours, they roamed Skartaris.
They flew over prehistoric jungles, crossed impossible mountains, and spotted hidden villages.
Conner decided to keep his distance; although he knew the place from his memories of another life, the information was limited, and he didn’t want to intervene unnecessarily.
However, at dusk, they arrived at a devastated region.
The ground was covered in ash, with burnt trees and huts reduced to rubble.
The silence was sepulchral.
“A battle took place here,” Raven said, frowning.
Laurel crouched down next to a shattered wheel:
“And by the clues, it was very recently.” New chapters come out on g.com first.
Kara sharpened her hearing.
Among the wind, she detected crying in the distance, hidden behind some huge rocks.
They headed there instantly.
Hidden among dry bushes, they found about thirty people: old men, women, and children in a deplorable state.
Conner remained silent for a few seconds, thinking about how to proceed.
That was completely off his plans.
His intention was to dedicate the first few days to exploring and trying to better understand that world, but it was barely their second day there when they had already stumbled upon that situation.
Seeing the group with their strange armors, the men raised spears with trembling hands.
Conner approached slowly, with his hands held high to calm their nervousness.
“We don’t come to harm you.”
Silence was the only answer.
An old man took a step forward with a broken voice:
“Who are you?”
“We are just travelers,” he responded, trying to sound calm.
The old man slowly lowered his head.
“Then…
continue on your way…”
Conner’s smile froze for an instant.
He wasn’t expecting an answer like that, but he immediately regained his composure and continued:
“Although we are travelers, we cannot stand on the sidelines when we see someone who needs help.
Can you tell us what happened?”
“We cannot stand on the sidelines seeing that you need help.
Tell us what happened.”
The old man kept his gaze fixed for a few seconds, until he seemed to collapse.
“Everyone…
died…
everyone…” he murmured with a broken and completely defeated voice.
“We…
no longer have any place to return to.”
Frustration and rage overcame the group.
Karen and Laurel, although they didn’t understand the situation completely, upon seeing everyone’s expression, couldn’t help but clench their fists.
Even Kara, who was still learning to understand the complexity of the world, was visibly shocked.
Even Raven slightly frowned.
Conner observed the ruins that could be seen in the distance.
Then he turned his gaze toward the refugees and frowned.
Could it have been an attack by Deimos?
he thought.
Or was it another enemy…
perhaps some monster?
“Conner…” At that moment, Laurel’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
Conner, who had been brought out of his thoughts, slowly turned his head, wondering what was happening.
The Kryptonian looked once more at the children hidden among the adults.
Her gaze was firm, as if she had made a crucial decision.
“Conner, we cannot leave them like this.
We have to help them.”