In the year 2047, Earth faced its gravest threat since the dawn of humanity — an intergalactic plague unleashed by the Phantom Zone's last warlord, Zod's forgotten disciple. The contagion spread through soundwaves, infecting minds and turning people into hosts for alien parasites. The Justice League was overwhelmed. Even Superman couldn’t solve it alone.
But salvation came not from Krypton — but from Venezuela.
María Gabriela de Faría, now a skilled xenolinguist and covert operative for a United Nations intergalactic division, had uncovered ancient Kryptonian audio codes hidden in long-lost inscriptions. These codes could counter the plague. But decoding them required her to enter a high-containment Kryptonian neural link chamber — one that allowed no physical impurities or electromagnetic interference, including hair.
The Shave
Superman himself stood beside her in the isolation tent. “You don’t have to do this,” he said, his voice gentle yet weighted with responsibility.
Faria smiled, resolute. “You saved my people more times than I can count, Kal-El. Let me return the favor.”
Without a word, she sat in the sterile chair as the automated clippers activated, guided by Kryptonian AI. Her thick, dark hair fell in neat coils, each braid a memory. The sides were cleared first — precise, clean, futuristic. A bold pattern was left, sleek lines carved into what remained — not as an aesthetic, but as a neural interface map for the chamber.
When it was done, she stood and looked in the mirror. A warrior stared back — fierce, focused, beautiful in defiance.
The Aftermath
Inside the chamber, her mind linked with ancient Kryptonian frequencies, decoding the viral code and sending a pulse across Earth’s orbit. Within minutes, the plague reversed. Hosts collapsed, freed. Cities exhaled.
Superman, watching from above Earth, smiled.
When María emerged, her head still bare and marked with faint Kryptonian symbols, she was hailed not just as a hero — but as a legend.
Final Line
"Hair grows back," she told the cameras. "But Earth? We only get one."