Marauders

Marauder

From the moment Kara turns 7 she begins training to be a Kryptonian warrior. For 6 years, day in and day out she trains. Then her world turns upside down. She is put into a pod with one last order. “Protect him, Kara. On your honor, Kara Zor-El, protect him.” She is a soldier and she has her marching orders.

24 years floating in the Phantom Zone she learns about Earth. She learns of its geography and topography. She learns of it’s atmosphere and climate. She learns its people and their languages. She learns of its past and present military forces. She learns of Earth from a tactical military point of view.

When she arrives and finds that her baby cousin is no longer a baby and no longer in need of her help, she is at a loss. Her last order, the last order issued by her people and she has failed. She is lost on a new planet with no mission, no purpose.

She is introduced to the Danvers and while they are a good, kind family, she still feels out of place. Alex, the human designated to be her sibling, lets a comment slip about the Midvale Marauders rugby team and Kara is hooked. She experiences her first Earth sporting event. She absorbs book after book, ancient hologram after ancient hologram, and digital article after digital article. She spends days in her and Alex’s room devouring all information.

When she brings up the topic of playing for the high school junior varsity team the coming year, the dinner table goes quiet. No one knows quite what to say. She turns to look at Jeremiah, the man that reminds her so much of her own father, and in that respect the person she turns to for her orders. He hesitates. It is an understandable hesitation. She waits.

He agrees on one condition; she begin training the next day to be able to control her powers. It would not do for a small 14-year-old girl to break the bones of another player with a simple hit.

Jeremiah and Kara hit the ground running and with the help of lead lined glasses and eventually lead lined sports goggles, they are able to get her powers under control. Toward the end of the summer Alex joins them in their practices and gives Kara a run for her money. The sisters practice through the fall and winter. Both girls hit a growth spurt and train even harder to accommodate the longer limbs.

The spring rolls around in a flurry of sun, rain, and flowers. Alex makes the Varsity Soccer team as a sophomore, and Kara is one of the few freshmen to make the starting varsity rugby team. She keeps her powers in check, always, never once does she let them slip. She becomes Midvale’s very own Wonder Girl. She becomes the leading scorer for the team and helps them win a district title that year.

The next year she is a walk on member and is nominated to be the week’s captain more often than not. She gives pointers to her team members and on Saturdays in Midvale the town is treated to the determined voice of Kara and the Marauders calling cadence on their team runs. The JV team soon follows suit. That year she leads them to a regional title. Though she is proud of her team she will not be satisfied until the Marauders claim the State Title.

So she pushes herself. She trains harder and longer. She will win this title and she will do it honorably. She will do it as human as possible. Her face and that of the entire team finds a home in the Midvale Ledger every Monday in preparation for Friday’s match. And for the entire regular season, their faces grace the paper on Saturday mornings in victory. She hangs all of the clippings the Marauders Rugby and Soccer team victories on her wall.

Districts come and go and they remain unconquered. They may be bruised, and sore, but they remain undefeated. They have a three day rest period between districts and regionals and her team almost cries in relief. They sit in tubs of ice, they wrap sore joints, and some even splurge and go down to the mall to get a massage. Kara does not stop. She slows down but does not stop. She runs around the town; she sprints the length of the field. Simply put, she remains resolute in her mission.

The regional title game is just as challenging as the year before but they win. They win by a landslide. Her team goes out to celebrate. Two members take the bench for the state title. She inwardly curses then in Kryptonian and outwardly curses them in English. How they could be so stupid as to get drunk. The town sheriff may have let the underage drinking slide, but her coach does not.

The state title is grueling. She is tempted to use her powers. Just to make her move a little faster, make her a little more agile, give her that extra edge. She shakes the thoughts out of her head almost as soon as they arrive. Her parents have instilled a sense of honor that runs deep; deeper than most humans can understand. She will not cheat.

The clock continues to tick. The seconds pass. Times slows down. She can feel the breeze hitting her, sending little icicles down her skin as it hits the sweat coating her body.

She can smell the grass and mud; she can smell her own sweat. She can taste her own blood. She frowns at the memory of taking an elbow to the mouth. Although the impact did not exactly hurt her, her teeth broke through the mouth guard like paper and cut into her cheeks. She hears the crowd cheering. If she focuses enough she can hear Alex cheering her name.

She can hear her feet pound against the ground. Step after step. The spins around another player and jumps over a fallen one. She runs and she runs. The line is right there. She can almost taste the victory. Just ten more steps. 9…6…3…and she feels a body slam into her side. Even with her strength, her ribs protest and the jostle. She stumbles. She extends her arm as far as it can go. Her shoulder protests at the strain. Her body hits the ground; the ball is just over the line. The crowd goes wild. For the first time in 10myears the Marauders claim the State Title. Kara Danvers is named most valuable player. The school and local newspaper ask for a quote from the MVP. She simply says she looks forward to claiming the title next year as a senior. She lets her teammates carry her on their shoulders. If she uses her powers to slightly float above them, so be it. She is on top of the world.

Jeremiah works his way through the crowd. He has not missed a game in her three seasons. He hugs her as tight as humanly possible and she relishes in the strength and comfort. “I’m so proud of you.” Alex follows up with a hug and “Proud of you baby sis.” No, she is not on top of the world, she is on top of the universe. Eliza is waiting on the sidelines with her gym bag and a towel. Kara has learned that Eliza is not the most outwardly affectionate woman but she shows her affection in subtle ways. Like taking the weight of a smelly gym bag and handing her towel so she can wipe her face clean of the grime. Or making extra pancakes after her games for the family’s weekly breakfast for dinner nights.

Before she reaches the sidelines where Eliza is waiting with her bag and towel, she is approached by a man in uniform. She immediately recognizes that he is a military man. He is a Captain in the American Army and he offers her a full scholarship to West Point should she maintain her grades through the next year.

The next year comes faster than expected. She feels a little lost. Alex has left to go to Stanford, and while it is not that far away, it is far away enough that she does not see her sister but once every few weeks. Her bedroom feels empty, her bed feels empty. But she is a soldier at heart and she remains stoic. She throws herself into her studies and into her rugby. She begins getting letters in the mail from colleges and words like scholarships, full ride, and number one get thrown around. She remains steadfast in her decision to go to West Point.

Her final season at Midvale High School begins and again the town rallies around her and her team. They work their way through the regular and post season. Once again she is stepping onto the field at the university the next city over. This game is even better and more challenging than the last. Each score is answered in return. The crowd rises to their feet once again as the clock continues to tick into its final moments. The Marauders have the lead. They need only stop the other team. Kara smiles as she gets a glance at the stands and sees Alex cheering again. She remembers Alex surprising her in the parking lot.

She runs and runs. Then she dives forward. Her arms wrap around a solid body and they both go down. The crowd is silent. The clock ticks its final second. The ball does not reach the line. The stadium explodes in a whirlwind of cheers and fireworks. Midvale takes the Title once again. She rises above the crowd on her teammates shoulders and raises the trophy high above her head. She gives the game ball to Jeremiah as a thank you for his continued support. Classes end and the summer begins.

Before she knows it she is on her way to New York to attend West Point. She finally feels at peace. She is doing what she was born to do. She has no problem following orders, in fact she relishes in it. She continues to play rugby for the school and she cannot be happier. She studies and practices. She trains and has games. She rises toward the top of her class. For the first year, she is first in terms of physical fitness on the female side. If she has higher scores than some males, well it puts a brighter smile on her face. Her smile falters in her second year when she checks the list only to find that she is no longer in first place. She spends a week trying to find the woman that knocked her from her spot at the top.

She finds her on the obstacle course one night at the start point. She races over next to her and nods in acknowledgment. “Race you?”

The two women work their way through the course. They run, climb, and crawl through every obstacle. The last 100-meter sprint is exhilarating. They cross the line at the same time. Each woman will swear that they beat the other.

“Danvers. Kara Danvers.”

“I know.” Kara smiles, so does the other woman.

“Lucy Lane.”

“Yeah, I know.” Lucy winks and turns to walk back to her dorm.

“Lane!” she calls after her. The woman turns around.

“Have dinner with me?” It is the first time since just before her freshman year of high school that Kara does not feel 100 percent confident

“Sure. When you beat my scores.” Both women smile at each other.

So Kara trains and trains. She pushes herself, and when the next list comes out she gets ready for a date with Lucy Lane.