Night, at the Malibu Villa.
The scene of this party was utterly different from the opulence of Monaco or the extravagant galas of Stark’s past.
Deafening heavy metal rock threatened to shatter the glass walls, while dizzying, flashing colored lights cut through the haze of smoke.
Empty liquor bottles and scantily-clad, laughing, playful models floated in the pool.
The living room carpet was strewn with glittering confetti and spilled drink stains.
Strangers of all kinds—models, fringe entertainers, art World libertines, even a few women with ambiguous airs—crowded every corner.
The air was thick with unrestrained shrieks, raucous laughter, and drunken ramblings.
In Kara’s eyes, this was a complete, apocalyptic revelry.
And at the heart of the party, Tony Stark, clad in the repaired MK4 armor, was surrounded by several exquisitely made-up, scantily-dressed models.
He stood at the DJ booth, his gauntleted hands fiddling with the turntables.
The faceplate flipped open, revealing his face—an unhealthy flush interwoven with pallor, his eyes unfocused yet feverishly bright.
He clutched a bottle of unknown strong liquor, slurring flirtatious words to a model beside him feeding him grapes.
Pepper stood helplessly below the platform.
She had already announced the party’s end, but Tony had pulled a ‘post-party party,’ allowing this madness to continue.
Seeing Pepper’s distress, Kara felt powerless too—after all, only she knew Tony was dying.
Tony, still drunkenly on stage, mumbled incoherently:’See…
this is life!
You…
beautiful girls!’ His voice was hoarse and high-pitched, yet lacking substance, each word seeming to drain his dwindling reserves of energy.
‘Enjoy it!
This is Tony Stark’s super party!
Haha!!’ Kara’s Super Vision allowed her to see more: Tony’s rapid, irregular heartbeat, the toxins coursing through his bloodstream, the subtle damage in his lungs from violent coughing, and beneath the forced exuberance, a bottomless well of exhaustion and despair.
This was no longer a farewell party, but a public, heart-rending ritual of self-destruction.
‘Tony!’ Kara could bear it no longer.
She pushed through the cacophonous music and crowd, walking up to the stage.
It seemed to take Tony a moment to focus and recognize her.
His manic grin froze for an instant, then became even more exaggerated: ‘Kara!
My reporter friend!
You’ve come to join us?
Quick!
Get this lady the strongest drink!
We’re celebrating…
celebrating…
*hic*…’ ‘Celebrating what?
Celebrating that you’re dying?’ Kara lowered her voice, speaking to the incoherent Tony.
The smile vanished instantly from Tony’s face, replaced by a childlike mix of anger and gloom, his mask pierced.
‘Die?
Who says I’m dying?’ He took a fierce swig of liquor, the liquid spilling from the corner of his mouth, dripping down his chin.
‘I’m just…
enjoying life!
What do you know?
You’re always so…
serious!
Just like Pepper!’ He tried to stand up, but staggered, nearly falling, and was caught by a model beside him.
He pushed them away, swaying unsteadily, and wrapped his arms around Kara, mumbling incoherently in her ear: ‘Kara…
don’t you have…
all those powerful superpowers?
You can fly, withstand bombs, beat up big green monsters…
but you can’t save me, right?
You can’t save anyone!
So, why not join the party?!’ His words cut into Kara’s heart like a knife.
That moment of hesitation and struggle in Monaco resurfaced.
Kara shook her head, snapping back to the present.
Before her was no longer the proud genius, but a man distorted by fear and pain, a man drowning.
All her previous theoretical calculations seemed utterly laughable in the face of Tony’s current hysteria.
She was never good with scientific theory to begin with, yet to make up for that moment of hesitation in Monaco, she had exhausted her mind calculating those difficult formulas.
‘Those calculations…
I was never good at them…
and you say this to me!!’ A wave of Wronged surged within Kara, her voice carrying a barely perceptible sob.
All this time, she had been trapped between ‘Reporter Kara’ and’Supergirl.’ Whenever a crisis arose, the dilemma of whether to intervene or not followed her like a shadow—after just a few previous interventions, S.H.I.E.L.D.
had already uncovered her identity.
If she wanted to preserve her current life, she might need to severely limit her public appearances.
And now, Tony was blaming her for not being able to save him.
Though spoken in a state of incoherence, it still left the already conflicted Kara feeling deeply Loss.
Seeing Kara’s hurt expression, Pepper could no longer endure it either.
Though she hadn’t heard the conversation clearly, Tony’s madness was clearly hurting her.
In Pepper’s view, Kara, this twenty-year-old girl, had saved them multiple times.
No matter Tony’s state, he shouldn’t treat her this way.
‘Tony, you need to calm down.
You’ve had too much to drink.
You need treatment…’ Pepper stepped forward, trying to intervene.
‘Treatment?’ Tony let out a wild, grating laugh.
‘Treatment is this!
Music!
Booze!
Beauty!
And…
this!’ He slammed a fist against the arc reactor in his chest, triggering a violent coughing fit and gasps for breath.
The surrounding models let out small gasps of alarm.
The crazed Tony even reached out a hand to touch Kara’s face.
His bloodshot eyes held no spark, only chaotic muttering: ‘Miss…
you’re so beautiful…’ A drunken man in a leather jacket also pushed forward, holding something like a selfie stick, its camera lens aimed directly at Tony and Kara: ‘Hey!
Stark!
Say something!
Is this your new girlfriend?’ *Zap!* A beam of energy shot out, striking Tony with precision, sending him flying back in his armor.
Pepper quickly stepped forward to pull Kara away, her eyes filled with disappointment as she looked at Tony.
A silver suit of armor strode into the hall.
The faceplate flipped open, revealing Rhodes’ grim face.
The beam had been fired by him.
Tony climbed up from the floor and, without backing down, propelled the MK4 towards Rhodes.
Meanwhile, Kara’s mind was in turmoil.
She stumbled towards a corner.
Pepper supported her, but words of comfort were indistinct.
Just moments ago, when Kara had been stung by Tony’s harsh words—fragments of Kryptonian memories once again surged violently, assaulting her consciousness.
Krypton, on the eve of destruction.
The young Kara was placed into a navigation pod.
Her parents’ figures were blurred outside the transparent canopy.
‘Goodbye, my daughter…
our hopes and dreams go with you.’ ‘You will give the people of that World an ideal to strive towards.
They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall.
But in time, they will join you in the sun, Kara.
In time, you will help them accomplish wonders.’ ‘Kara, Daughter of El, you will give them hope.
My child…
you will save them.’ …
‘Hey, Kara, wake up!’ Pepper’s voice pulled her back to reality.
Kara’s eyelids fluttered.
‘Pe…
Pepper?
How long have I been asleep?’ She raised a hand to shield her eyes from the glaring sunlight.
‘From last night until now.
Happy and I brought you to the hospital.’ Pepper took her hand.
‘Kara, what happened to you last night?
You suddenly fainted.
The Doctor was at a loss…
their instruments had no effect on you.’ Kara shook her dizzy head.
Memories of last night gradually sharpened—the party, Tony’s drunken words, those dreams…
Krypton, her parents, hope…
Ever since the incoherent Tony accused her of ‘you can’t save anyone,’ these memory fragments had begun to surface incessantly.
‘Save…
huh,’ she murmured softly, a complex curve forming at the corner of her mouth.
‘What did you say?
Kara?’ Pepper asked, puzzled.
‘I’m fine, Pepper, it’s just…
an old issue,’ Kara said, sitting up.
‘What about Tony?
Before I passed out, it seemed like he was fighting someone.’ At the mention of Tony, a flash of anger crossed Pepper’s face: ‘Don’t worry about that madman.
How could he…
treat you like that?
It was so rude.’ It seemed she still didn’t know the truth about Tony’s poisoning.
‘Pepper, I’m fine now,’ Kara said, throwing off the covers and standing up.
‘I need to go out for a bit.’ ‘Kara, you just woke up!
You need rest,’ Pepper said worriedly.
‘Dares to molest me!’ Kara turned her head, offering Pepper a smile.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”