A dozen minutes later, in the desert skies near the border of Afghanistan and its neighbor, the tail flames of Tony’s armor thrusters began to flicker erratically.
He anxiously tapped the control panel on the inside of his arm, but the system didn’t respond at all.
Tens of seconds later, the propulsion system shut down completely.
As a makeshift creation from the cave that had just endured a fierce battle, the Mark I armor had reached its limit.
Tony fell from the sky along with the heavy armor, swallowed by the sensation of weightlessness, his screams fading as the ground rapidly approached— When only a dozen meters remained above the desert, a pair of slender hands firmly grabbed the armor from behind.
Kara slowly landed while carrying the armor, setting Tony down on the sandy ground.
She tapped on the faceplate, but there was no response from inside.
Kara’s cheeks puffed out slightly, and a cool Freeze Breath gently brushed over the surface of the armor.
The cold air, carrying a faint fragrance, seeped into the armor and jolted the unconscious Tony awake.
Tony struggled to lift his right hand and flip open the faceplate, taking deep breaths of the scorching air while secretly vowing to himself: When I get back, I must build a suit of armor that will never fall.
After the faceplate was removed, before Tony’s eyes stood a young girl wearing a red and blue skin-tight battle suit and a red cape.
The “S” symbol on her chest was exceptionally striking under the desert’s blazing Sun—this was Kara, having shed her disguise.
Her golden hair fluttered in the hot wind as she stood on the sand dune with her hands on her hips.
In Stark’s eyes, the Kara of this moment was incredibly dazzling.
“Of course, except for Potts…
she’s the hottest.” Tony muttered softly with his head down.
“Mr.
Stark, what did you say?” Kara tilted her head to look at him.
“Nothing.
Miss Danvers, is this your battle suit?” Tony quickly changed the subject.
“You could say that.” Kara brushed her long hair back and puffed out her chest; that distinct “S” emblem seemed to flow under the sunlight.
“This’S’…” Tony pointed at her chest, “Does it stand for’Super’?” Kara replied almost without thinking, “You could say that too.
But in my family,’S’ stands for ‘Hope’—’el-mayarah’.
It is like a winding river, flowing endlessly…” Before she could finish, it felt as if her mind had been struck by a heavy hammer.
Those images from her dreams surfaced again: Kryptonian, the red Sun, the shattering Planet, and a Universe like a bursting bubble…
Tony didn’t notice her abnormality and continued talking to himself, “But in the United States, S is just S, for’Super’.
With abilities like yours, you could be called ‘Superman’…
no, should it be ‘Superwoman’?
No, you’re so young and beautiful, how about ‘Supergirl’?” Kara could no longer hear his voice.
A massive flood of memories crashed through her consciousness, her vision went black, and she slowly collapsed onto the burning sand.
“Kara?!” Tony lunged forward in a panic.
He had just lost Ethan, he couldn’t lose her too.
He looked around anxiously, but the edge of the desert was empty.
Just then, the roar of helicopters came from the horizon—U.S.
Military Black Hawk helicopters were flying toward them.
It seemed the Military had finally found them, making the massive commotion they caused by blowing up the entire cave worth it.
The helicopters spotted Tony waving for help below and slowly landed.
The cabin door opened, and a Black colonel rushed down to embrace him tightly.
“Tony!
You’re alive…
thank goodness!
Next time, you’re coming with me!” Colonel Rhodes’ voice trembled with emotion.
“Hey, Rhodes…
I made it out.” Tony hugged his old friend back, then his expression darkened, “Thanks to two friends.
Unfortunately, Ethan…
he…” He paused and urgently pointed to the sand, “And Kara!
She collapsed, save her quickly!” Rhodes immediately ordered the Medics to carry Kara onto the helicopter and helped Tony board as well.
Inside the cabin, Tony briefly tended to his wounds and then immediately went to Kara’s side.
The Medics were trying to give her an IV, but the needle simply couldn’t pierce her skin; several had already bent.
“Mr.
Stark,” the Doctor reported helplessly, “the patient’s skin is abnormally tough.
We can only perform basic monitoring and oxygen supply; we cannot carry out any invasive treatment.” Tony’s heart sank.
The girl who had been so full of life just moments ago now lay there silently, like a fragile sculpture.
Was he about to watch another friend leave?
His gaze swept over the Stark Industries logos inside the cabin, reminding him of the weapon crates in the cave bearing the same mark—those lethal weapons, including the missile that nearly killed him and the Rocket that took Ethan, all came from his company.
“If Stark’s weapons only take lives…
then what am I?
An executioner?” Pain wrapped around his heart like thorns as he slumped into the seat opposite Kara and closed his eyes.
The helicopter transferred to a transport plane, flying all the way to New York.
On the way, the Doctors tried various instruments, but they were almost useless on Kara.
They could only stay by her side without leaving for a second, fearing any mishap for the girl who had saved Tony Stark.
At the New York airport, Pepper Potts had long been waiting anxiously.
The news of Tony’s rescue had made her ecstatic; as soon as the plane entered the country, she rushed to the airport with her team.
The transport plane’s door slowly opened, and Tony and Rhodes walked down the ramp side-by-side.
Pepper was about to step forward when she caught sight of Kara on a medical gurney behind them.
Her footsteps faltered, and she quickly put on a professional smile, though a fleeting emotion flashed in her eyes—this guy Tony, even while being kidnapped, didn’t forget to get involved with young girls.
Tony walked toward her, feigning seriousness, “Eyes red?
Crying for your long-lost boss?” “They’re tears of joy,” Pepper smiled, “after all, I hate job hunting.” “Yeah, vacation’s over.” Tony nodded and walked toward the car.
Pepper opened the car door for him, “You need to go to the hospital, Tony.” “No.” “You have to go!” “I’m not going.
Just send Miss Danvers to the hospital.” Tony’s tone was firm.
“You have to let the Doctors check you!” Pepper said almost at the same time.
“I’ve been locked up for three months, and now I only want two things,” Tony interrupted again.
“One is an American cheeseburger, and the second is—” “That’s impossible, don’t you already have a young lady by your side?” Pepper said helplessly.
“It’s not what you think!
Listen, arrange a press conference for me.” Tony climbed into the car.
“A press conference?
Why?” “Cheeseburger first.” Tony waved to the driver, “Let’s go.” Kara had a long and fragmented dream.
In the dream, she was placed in a spacecraft as an infant and launched into the starry sky.
Behind her, her home Planet Kryptonian turned to dust in a crimson glow.
She drifted in the void for an unknown amount of time until she was suddenly swallowed by a rift and fell into a strange realm—a place with no boundaries, only countless massive and nameless “bubbles” floating slowly.
And the bubble she came from was shattering and dissipating just like Kryptonian.
She drifted in that mysterious space for even longer until she was captured by another bubble.
At the moment of impact, the small bubble and the spacecraft carrying her seemed to be compressed and merged into her body.
After more long drifting…
finally, a blue Planet captured her.
She fell onto a frozen wasteland, enveloped by cold.
Through the haze, the sound of sirens and noisy voices gradually became clear.
As her eyelids twitched slightly, she heard the Doctor’s tense call: “Miss Danvers?
Can you hear me?” Kara opened her eyes and sat up.
The Doctor beside her was both surprised and delighted, “You’re awake!
Do you feel unwell anywhere?
We’d like to perform an examination for you; after all, your condition is…
very special.” Kara shook her head.
If those dreams were the memories buried in this body, then she wasn’t just an alien—she might even be a drifter from another Universe.
This truth was hard for her to accept.
She politely declined the examination.
She pushed open the ambulance door and instantly turned into a streak of light, soaring into the sky.
“Wait!
Miss Danvers—!” The Doctor’s shout was left far behind.
Kara flew back to her residence at top speed and changed back into her civilian clothes.
She needed to find Stark—to ask clearly what happened after she collapsed, and…
whether her body had shown any traces of being from another Universe while she was consumed by those memories.