"Supergirl," Major Lane addressed her client from outside her glass cell. "Supergirl, you need to look at me and tell me what happened so I can help you. I'm your attorney, I'm going to help you get through this but you have to trust me and talk to me." Kara was sitting rejected inside her cell. The Kryptonite emitters were on just high enough to weaken her so she couldn't escape, but not high enough to damage her cells. Still, she hated being so weak and helpless, and every now and then she could feel the kyrptonites' effect on her body and she wondered if she had to stay in this cell for a long time would it permanently damage her? "These are some pretty serious charges, Supergirl, and the worst is the attempt on Cat Grant's life. I really need you to talk to me so I can prepare a defense for you." Lucy sighed as she waited for Supergirl to respond to her pleas. Slowly Supergirl lifted her head and looked at Lucy Lane. Wow! I never thought I'd see Supergirl look so weak and lost. Lucy thought to herself as she watched her client get up from the floor and walk over to the glass.
Slumping down on the floor closer to Lucy Supergirl sighed deeply and asked, "Just what do you want me to tell you? I did all of those things I've been charged with, I'm guilty, so what's the point in defending me?" "Look," Lucy said as she moved closer to the glass cell, "just tell me what happened while you were under the influence of the Red Kryptonite and then about the day of the arrest and we'll just take this one step at a time. You deserve a defense, it's your human right." A slight smile formed on Supergirl's face as she looked at her lawyer and quipped, "I don't have any human rights, I'm not human…remember…I'm an alien!" "You still deserve a fair trial." Lucy responded, glad to finally be talking with her client. "Whatever." Supergirl said as she hung her head and let her hair hide her face. "I did all of those horrible things and if Alex hadn't hit me with the antidote that Max Lord created, who knows how horrible I would've become! I was about to kill my own sister!" Supergirl began to weep as she realized the depth that the Red Kryptonite had taken her to! She felt she was no better than any of the other criminals she'd help the DEO capture since becoming Supergirl, she deserved whatever the justice system gave her as a punishment.
Lucy sat quietly while Supergirl wept. How she wished she wasn't separated from her by this glass, it was plain she just needed to be held by someone who cared. But Lucy was there as her lawyer, not her friend, so she needed to stay professional and try to get the truth of what happened out of her dejected client. Finally Supergirl looked up, with blood shot eyes from crying and began to tell Lucy everything about getting infected with Red Kryptonite and the events that followed. Lucy took pages and pages of notes as Supergirl laid out all that had happened. Finally, when she stopped talking, Lucy looked at her, smiled and asked if she needed anything. "Can you get them to turn off the kryptonite emitters?" Supergirls pleaded. "I know they're set low, but sometimes I feel so lightheaded and achy and I wonder what long term exposure to it will do to me at a cellular level. I promised Director Henshaw that I wouldn't try to escape while I was in the medical bay recovering from my head injury, and I was true to my word, but he turned the emitters on anyway. Can't he just post some guards armed with kryptonite bullets at my door?"
Lucy looked at Supergirl with shock in her face and asked, "What head injury are you talking about? This is the first I've heard about it." "It happened when they arrested me and put the kryptonite handcuffs on me." Kara said, "By the time we got to the DEO I was so weak from the effects of it that I fell getting out of the prisoner van, hit my head and went unconscious. They put me on my specially made solar bed so I could recover free from any kryptonite on my word that I wouldn't try to escape."
"Are you kidding me?" Lucy asked with anger boiling inside of her over the treatment of someone who had done so much for the people of National City. "Didn't Alex tell you?" Supergirl asked. "I haven't seen Alex since your arrest, she wanted me to talk to you before she spoke with me" Major Lane replied. "Anyway, I'm good now," Supergirl tried to sound strong "but these emitters have me worried."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure they turn them off, but you have to promise that you won't try to escape, deal?" Lucy asked hoping she could keep her promise. Supergirl smiled at the determination and yet the love that was behind Major Lane's eyes, "You have my word, I promise I won't try to escape if they turn off the kryptonite emitters." As Lucy was gathering up the paperwork for Supergirls' case, she asked her if she had seen Alex lately. "They won't let her come and visit me," Supergirl replied, "but it's okay, I get it." Lucy smiled at the brave young lady before her, "Let me see if we can't get you some visitors while we await a bail hearing." "Thanks, that'd be great," Supergirl smiled as she retreated to a distant corner of her small cell, slumping down in a rejected heap on the floor.
000000000000000
Major Lucy Lane was one formidable woman. She had to be, her dad was a powerful General, her sister was a world renowned journalist, she just wanted to be as strong as everyone in her family had been. As she marched out of Supergirls' cell she made her way to the main control centre of the DEO where she sought out Director Hank Henshaw. She wanted some answers about Supergirls' treatment during her arrest and she also wanted to petition him to turn off those terrible kryptonite emitters before they permanently harmed her.
"Director Henshaw," Lucy shouted across the room when she spotted him, "I need to talk with you about Supergirl, right now." "Major Lane," responded Director Henshaw, unfazed by her demanding tone, "let's step inside my office and talk in private." Lucy followed Hank into his office and before he could turn around she lit into him for his treatment of Supergirl. "I've only just learned of the injuries my client sustained at the hands of your agents, Director Henshaw, and I'm quite disappointed that they were not included in her arrest report. Can you explain that please?" Hank sat down behind his desk and looking up at the visibly irate lawyer before him replied, "She stumbled when she stepped out of the prisoner van, none of my agents touched her, pushed her or made her fall to the ground, it was an accident." Trying to keep her cool Major Lane stepped forward to the edge of the desk and said, "So that's the best answer you have for how Supergirl got seriously injured while in your custody? Have you no compassion for the woman who's time and again saved so many lives?"
Hank leaned back in his chair, he knew Lucy was right in what she said. He'd been so busy trying not to show any sort of favouritism toward Supergirl when he arrested her that he'd actually treated her like some terrible criminal, forgetting her service to him, the DEO, National City and her country. "You're quite right Major Lane, we didn't treat her like she deserved to be treated." Seizing the contrition in his statement Lucy went after the kryptonite emitters in Supergirls' cell. "What about turning off the kryptonite emitters," Lucy asked, "you trusted her when she was recovering in the medical bay, from wounds received as a result of your lack of care of her while she was being taken into custody. Why not turn them off and post guards like you did then?"
Hank sat quietly just staring at Lucy as he considered her request. "No, I have to make sure she won't escape." Undaunted Lucy pressed in harder, "Did she try when you had her in the medical bay or when she recovered and was taken to a cell?" Hank sighed, "No, she was very cooperative and didn't even hint at being a threat or a danger, she was very compliant with any and all commands from my agents when they moved her to a cell." Lucy leaned onto Hank's desk, "Then why not trust her even now and post the guards at her door with kryptonite bullets? Aren't you worried about the long term effect the kryptonite might have on her at a cellular level? She told me that sometimes she feels lightheaded and achy in that cell with those emitters on. Can't you see that this is tantamount to torture to her?" That realization had only just dawned on Lucy, they were torturing Supergirl, whether they intended to or not.
Hank stood up from his chair and went out to the control room where he instructed Agent Vasquez to go turn off the kryptonite emitters in Supergirls' cell and place two guards armed with kryptonite bullets outside her cell at all times.
"Thank you, Director Henshaw," Lucy said with a faint smile as she turned and headed back to see Supergirl, "very human of you."
Supergirl woke up to see agent Vasquez entering her cell. She had always like the agent, felt she was unappreciated and under-utilized at the DEO, and if she ever got out of this cell she would make sure Director Henshaw knew it. "The Director has ordered me to turn off the kryptonite emitters and post guards with kryptonite bullets at your door, but you have to promise not to try to escape, ma'am." Vasquez said with a smile. "You have my word," Supergirl replied.
Immediately Supergirl began to feel her strength returning once the emitters were switched off. The nausea left, her head stopped swimming, her body stopped aching all over. She drew in a deep breath of air, smiled at agent Vasquez and thanked her. "Is there anything you need, ma'am?" Agent Vasquez asked of Supergirl. Vasquez understood why she had been arrested, but didn't agree with it, nor how Supergirl had been treated since her arrival at the DEO. "How's agent Danvers doing?" Supergirl asked. Always looking out for everyone else, thought Vasquez. "She's okay, feeling the stress of you in here and not being allowed in to see you. Any message you'd like for me to pass her way?" Supergirl smiled and shook her head, "No, I don't want you to risk getting into trouble helping a prisoner out in any way, just tell her I'm okay, that you turned off the emitters and that I love her." "Will do with pleasure, ma'am." Vasquez replied, glad to see her hero on the mend.
"Thanks for getting Hank to turn off the emitters," Supergirl said to Lucy when she entered her cell. "I'm beginning to feel my strength returning already." Lucy walked across the room to the edge of the glass cell and crossing her arms she looked straight at Supergirl, "You have to swear that you will not attempt to escape in any fashion. If you do, they've been ordered by Director Henshaw to shoot to kill with those kryptonite bullets. Ok?" "You have my word Lucy." It was all Supergirl could give to her. Lucy nodded her head in acknowledgment of Supergirls' promise and turned to head home. Her mind racing with what to do to get all the charges against her client dropped when suddenly it dawned on her…how had the Red Kryptonite gotten into her system in the first place? Did they arrest the wrong person? Maybe Maxwell Lord was to blame for everything that had happened to Supergirl, Cat Grant and National City! Worth a shot!