Forgiven Frailty (Last Eve of March)
"Please...please...Rao Sokao Vokai me find her..help me Vokai Khap find Jehna Zor-El.." Ruby didn't know where to even start looking. "Please...please...Rao Sokao Vokai me find her..help me Vokai Khap find Jehna Zor-El.." Skye didn't expect her prayers to be answered as the woman that had once struck her down, appear beside them. "She doesn't have.."
"I know. Follow me." Ruby had a choice to make and without any protest, she followed her aunt. No matter the fued, that's what Jehna was. Skye soared down, somehow able to keep up with her and surprised just as much that this woman could even best her own speed. Was she the child of a World Killer too?
"Where are we.."
"Rrip Kehp to trust me Ruby In-Ze. Your last name is not Kor-El. Your mother may be the child of his but above all, you are Astra In-Ze's granddaughter. Down here." Skye stored this information away for the time being. Nagging questions had to wait. She could feel her aunt's body growing weaker.
"Where is this?" Ruby descended down to the mountains flying beside her aunt, but holding back some for her to take the lead. "Another fortress?"
"One I made." Jehna explained as they landed. "Give me a moment." Skye wasn't surprised that how her aunt had her own way of entry, so did her other aunt. "Come." When Ruby entered she gasped at what she saw. "Hurry." She followed only to see similar crystals appear from the more earthy ground. "I made it one of my priorities to learn the customs of medicine for this planet. I have what you need. I had anticipated this." Skye's eyes widened with this kryptonian motioning for her to lower her aunt carefully onto the slab of stone. "Grab the knife from that chest. All the instruments are there."
"How did you know?" Ruby made haste to retrieve what was necessary. It was the blade that caught her darker eyes. "This knife.."
"The only thing, other than kryptonites, that can penetrate our bodies. Ask them after, focus on Khuhtive Kir Aoe." Jehna knew her little sister's life was fading fast. "I can take it. Bleed me." Ruby used the blade to cut into her arm and remembered what Aunt Kara had said when she was ready to do whatever it took to save her other mom. They were more alike than they knew.
Yet, this aunt held something else that she just couldn't quite put her finger on. Reluctantly she pierced a vein carefully in the blonde's arm. "Hand me the line." Ruby gave it over as her eyes grew large. "I can force it into her body a little faster. I won't go too quickly, I know what that could cause. Retrieve the four yellowish-orange crystals from the chest in the lead lined box. When I tell you, place them in the four pedestals around us. They will generate a wave of pure solar energy. She will need it once we get enough of my blood in her."
Jehna would not fail her little sister. She had failed herself far too often. She would right this wrong she had caused. Kara deserved that and despite her cruelty before, Alex did too. She was already feeling faint from blood loss but she would not falter from what she had started here. "Hand me the tube in the side of that pedestal." Jehna told her niece. Her niece. Ruby was that. She watched with fading vision as the vial was brought to her and she brought it to her face to clench the lid with her teeth and rip it off, spitting it out. "Here goes nothing."
"What is that?" Skye's jaw dropped as she watched the color return to her face meeting those darker cerulean orbs. "That's sun.."
"Yes. I will need it if I am to give her anymore of my blood. In a moment, place the crystals in each pedestal." Jehna listened carefully to her baby sister's heartbeat and nodded. "Do it, then hold on tightly to one of the stands." She clenched to the stone table with her free hand as the last of the crystals were placed in their slots. "Rao...Sokao save Kara Zor-El.."
Ruby wasn't prepared for the blast of solar energy that hit her harder than any strike she'd ever been dealt and she hung on for dear life gasping when her body took in far more sunlight than ever before. Her knees nearly buckled from the power and even the darkness within her hadn't been able to absorb it all. She screamed out and she wasn't the only one. Jehna matched her scream with her own and with the wave passing she nearly passed out right then and there.
"Rao…" Both heard the faintest of that one word from the one on the stone slab. "Rao Ta.."
"Bezhgam back Kir Aoe." Jehna spoke as softly as she could and when those warmer cerulean eyes met her own that seemed to lift from that darker shade, she smiled her first genuine one since she arrived on a place she wondered if she could call home.
"You saved me?" Was she dreaming?
"She saved you Auntie. She saved you." Ruby carefully removed the line from her aunt's arm then did the same to her other aunt. Skye slid her gaze to the hand that slipped into the other's and squeezed it. "I will give you both a few minutes." She walked away and knew there would be no battle in this place. Then she wondered if she even had cell service where she was. Ruby cursed her own stupidity at not wearing her com when leaving. There wasn't any time to though. "Well fuck.." Perhaps she'd be giving them more than a few minutes and she pointed to the entrance which her aunt nodded..
"I'm sorry for the pain I caused her Kara." Jehna truly did regret her actions more than ever. Her little sister looked at their joined hands then up at her. "If I could take it back I would."
"Thank you." Kara attempted to sit up and felt her body pushed up the rest of the way. Their ceruleans met once more. "What you did to my sister.."
"When you are well enough to stand, unleash your wrath on me. I deserve it." Jehna told her.
"I wanted to. I really did. I've already broken my code.."
"You mean the one not to kill?" Kara gasped. "I know. You didn't kill him little sister. I did." The news shot through her. Then she realized how none of them had found his body. "We are more different than she believes. I felt the shift in her heartbeat. I know what you told Alexandra."
"What do you mean?"
"Khap can take it. Bleed me." Jehna shared with Kara's eyes widening again. She smiled. "We both needed to save someone." When she knew her little sister could sit up on her own, she let go of her hand. "Our Niece has her own questions, which I will answer. Ask yours. Khap Nim honest with you both."
"I don't know where to start." Kara didn't. Then she thought about what she wanted to know most. "Are you my.."
"I am your big sister. I will not continue to take that from Alektrah though. Above all else, she welcomed you in and created something with you I know we could never have." Jehna took a moment to calm her racing pulse, for the sake of Kara. "Our Mother is the same. Our Fathers are not."
"But my father.." She stopped interrupting so she could know everything that her sister was offering. "Was he not our Mother's first?"
"No. There was a friend of our Mother that the matrix had actually matched with her. In secret and silence, I was born. For no blessing from the High Council, they kept me just that. A secret. My father hadn't married our Mother yet so he took me to raise until I was older. Our Mother was brought into the Council. From there you know of what she became beyond that. I did not know who my mom was because if I did, I would try to go see her. If I did…"
"The High Council would know who you were." Kara had put the pieces together quickly. Jehna nodded.
"Without wedlock, my Father began to run with the wrong soldiers that were denied the right as guards. They were angered and with that anger came vengeance. My father began to defy the Court and Council. He brought grave injuries to one of the sons of a member of the Court. He was banished and I was taken in by a friend of his that I considered my Uncle. I was angry so I lashed out. I began to cause ruckus in the village. I would yell at Court members. Then I stole just out of spite and was caught by one of the guards."
Jehna looked away from her sister and slipped off the stone slab she had been laying on with Kara. She brought distance between them and kept her back to her. "When I was caught I struggled to get free. The guard has his gun attached to the strap across his body. I moved wrong when I kicked and to hang onto something to keep from falling from the top of the building's ledge, I grabbed his gun. It was an accident but many witnessed what had happened."
She put her head down with her hand to her sides, clenched by the memory. "It had been an accident but because of what the ones said to what they saw...I was brought to the Court to be sentenced. Since my Father had done what he did, his blood and lineage had been stripped from the matrix. If I hadn't yelled my father's name when I was before them, I wouldn't have been banished to Fort Rozz." Kara was appalled.
"They banished you to there?" She had always felt that the High Court and Council had made some poor decisions. But to sentence a child there.. "How old were you?"
"I was eight. When the punishment had been brought to the table, it had been Alura our Mother to be the final vote. For a moment I saw something flash her eyes when I prepared to scream at her. I saw a pair of blues that were so very like my own."
Jehna turned around to face her sister once more and facing her Kara saw the pain in her eyes. "When I was dropped in that hell, I began to learn the customs and laws of the other prisoners. I learned of a few of those that defied everything to try to escape. I then learned about my Father and how when the guards came to punish him further, for his blind murderous rage, he was executed screaming my name as he died."
Kara felt like she was going to puke by the cruelty that had been bestowed upon Jehna and her father. "Years had passed and then I learned of another two that arrived in our hopeless prison. I was told by some and heard from them, about how our Aunt and her husband were banished there for their crimes of trying to save Krypton. I met Non by chance and when he heard about who my Father was and I learned about his friendship with him, I found out how he betrayed him to save his own skin."
"You learned who your Mother was." Jehna nodded. "Did Non know?"
"He did. Aunt Astra didn't. He wouldn't tell her but he reminded me how much he hated my eyes because they reminded him every day of the putrid eyes of his wife's sister's and her pathetic little offspring. I swallowed down that news that I had a baby sister." She walked towards her own sister then, keeping eye contact with her. "I found out about our Cousin and your mission. I found out later about your hell in the Phantom Zone."
"When did you get free from there?" Kara had a feeling she knew but needed that confirmation.
"When you and the three others came there, searching for someone, there was an explosion and several prisoners died. I got free and with it I found an abandoned pod. I fixed the damage to it and I waited until the coast was clear. I remembered when I saw you for the first time and even though it was just a quick glance, I knew it was you."
"Why didn't you come up to me then? I could have saved you and brought you.." Jehna shook her head.
"You had enough to deal with. I knew our paths would cross again." She took her little sister's hands in her own. "When I came to this planet, I wasn't the only escapee. I learned of what humans called military branches. I began to learn all of the customs and different languages of Earth. I studied everything from literature to the most difficult of sciences for humans. I trained in the ways of those I stayed with on Fort Rozz. I learned all the techniques of different fighting styles that there were. The one who had took me in when I was younger, had been one that fled with me to Earth. We began training together."
"If you think I will condone you like our planet and family have...I won't. You can tell me."
"I've killed many Kara. I am glad you have not done that. I won't let you do that. I caught Non before he could hit the ground. I would not let you think you killed him." Jehna refused to have her little sister become what she was.
"But...his guards.." She shook her head.
"They were of our planet Kara. You didn't kill any of them. Did you bash their skulls in and break some stuff in their bodies? Yes. But you didn't kill anyone. As ruthless as I've been, I pumped a gas into their ship to increase their cells, to avoid their deaths by your hands. I have been watching you longer than you think. I know all about Supergirl. I know that our Niece is from both our Cousin and the World Killer Reign. I know that she harnesses some of that power. I watched footage from what I learned about the internet, of your fight with Reign. I saw you fall. I was ready to kill that thing. Then I learned who that body belonged to."
"Why did you come to attack me then?" Kara was confused more than ever.
"I learned of what Non had done and learned all about the darkness you wield inside you. I knew that if our paths crossed after you let that consume you, you would end my life before you knew the truth of who I was. I couldn't take that risk and the fact that a human called you sister...I lost it."
"You thought I would kill you?" Kara shuttered at the thought of ending someone's life by her own hands. Tears ran down her face. "I couldn't.."
"I know that now. I tried to kill those you call family and I...I was envious and that jealousy brought something out in me that I hadn't felt since Fort Rozz."
Skye remained above the peak, listening attentively to the entire conversation and was surprised at whom flew her way. Ruby was about to call out but one finger brought to her other mom's lips signaled her silence. Immediately she noticed what Alex didn't have. Her suit.
Artemis came closer to whisper with her driven wonder. Her daughter could hear far better than any of their kryptonian family. Phoenix hovered and begun to use sign language to ask where her sister was. Skye returned her response.
Sam noticed both her wife and daughter in their silent conversation and wished like hell she'd learned that too. But she saw their newest of blood glance down at the mountain. Before either of them could stop her Alex was flying down towards where she easily saw the entrance with her vision. She hadn't told them about when her and her sister had once been trapped in each other's bodies and Alex had to learn how to handle all that power.
"Please don't think I could ever punish you like that Jehna. I just hope that my big sis holds the same optimism." Both heard the hard landing of one rather pissed off kryptonian. "Alex!"
"Ehduhl Kuks from Khuhtov Aoe." Danvers snarled walking slowly towards them.
"KHUHTOV Kir Aoe! Shit.." That was the wrong thing to say as a beam of heat vision came her direction which Jehna met with her own.
"STOP!" Kara yelled getting up and firing her own in the middle of both of theirs, forcing them to end their attacks at one another. "You are both my sisters." She told them holding out her hands in both directions as her head fell back and she dropped to her knees, spent of energy.
"KARA!" They rushed over bending down at the same time, as if mirroring one another's movements. Brown met blue and for the moment they called truce to attend to their sister.
"What is it?" Jehna was sure that the amount she gave her was enough to bring her back with the solar charges added. Obviously she was wrong.
"Kar." Alex took one of her sister's hands and put it to her chest as she did the same. "C'mon. Match your heartbeat with mine sis. Come on. There you go. Listen to mine. Breathe with me." Danvers listened carefully and heard their united tempos. Alex put her forehead against Kara's. "There we go."
"I…" Jehna was rather surprised with how the trained agent had pulled Kara behind her to keep their sister from who she viewed as a threat. But Kara had another plan and when she touched Alex's shoulder the woman lowered her hand. She deserved this, shifted herself onto her knees and put her hands behind her head that she put down. "Do it."
"You attacked my family. I don't give a damn who you think you are but.."
"Alex.." Kara pleaded. Alex calmed the glow of her eyes and turned her head to look in the cerulean orbs she'd memorized since they were kids. "She saved me." Browns met the blues of the woman.
"Is this true?" Jehna nodded. "Why?"
"I will understand if you must return what I did to you. I will understand if you wish to sentence me to death. I just ask one thing of you...that you do not prolong it." This soldier's eyes studied her carefully as if looking for her weaknesses and practically gazing into the little soul she had left. But when their gazes once again met, the icy browns in Alex's orbs began to warm. Then a hand came out to her and slowly she brought her own out.
"Alektrah Kor-El." She would give this one a chance.
"No. you are Alektrah In-Ze. I am Jehna Zor-El." Both accepted one another's hands, shaking as if in some form of peace. Jehna kept a hold of Alex's and put her head down. "Whatever you wish, I will not fight. My apologies cannot run deep enough, but they are meant with all of Rao's presence." She let go then and waited. One shake of this warrior's head along with a slight smile, warranted their mood.
"You saved Kara. I would take whatever strike it takes to protect her. Ruby would not have come to you if she thought you would hurt her Aunt. But...you can best guarantee I will kick your ass later." Alex smirked.
"Deal." Jehna looked at her little sister, both Alex and hers, and smiled with how she was gripping to both their arms. "Kara.." Those gentle blues so like her own rose to hers. "You need to take it easy. We can move you to your fortress or to your home."
"I'm sure she'd rather go home. We have a med bay there." Alex was inviting Jehna in who nodded in acceptance. They heard the harsher landing of Danvers' wife and cursed under her breath.
"Get away Alex! This bitch deals with me!" Sam snarled with her eyes burning a darker red. Alex knew exactly what that their daughter attempted to push her back.
"Mom...Mom don't." Skye could feel her darker bloodline rolling off of Artemis' body. "Reign...don't."
"REIGN!" Jehna stood up with her eyes burning a darker glow than her sister's. "You tried to kill my sister."
"No...no no.." Kara pushed herself from the ground even with how wobbly as she was. "Jehna, it's alright. She won't hurt me. She just comes out in Sam when she's pissed."
"Stand down babe." Alex helped hold Kara up and when Jehna calmed her eyes she slid an arm around her too. "Kick her ass with me later."
"Kara.." Lena ran over and practically knocked her wife down with how tight she hugged her. "I was so scared darling.." Alex held on to avoid both of them falling over. "Are you alright?"
"Yes. Where is…"
"MAMA Khap Ukiem Rrip!" None of them were prepared for that force and both Rose's mom's landed on their backs with Alex and Jehna on their sides. "Mama okay?"
"Mama's okay Little One." Kara smiled, holding her daughter and giving her a kiss on the forehead. "I'm okay.." Her eyes widened as her daughter flew out of her arms and into Jehna's.
"Auntie!" Strong yet soft arms wrapped around her neck and Jehna was unsure how to react. "Auntie hug!" She did just that, watching her strength as her arms came around the little girl.
"Jehna, meet mine and my wife's daughter Rose." Kara noticed the tears running down her sister's face. "Ni Zivhrah." She told her and it made Jehna cry even harder keeping her arms around Kara's Little One. This was her niece.
"Rose?" Jehna swallowed down the rush of emotions as her niece pulled back to look at her and she saw the gorgeous sky blue eyes with hints of cerulean. "I'm Jehna."
"Auntie Jehna!" The little girl just dove back in to hug her.
"You okay darling?" Lena asked, weary of who was holding their daughter. As Alex helped them up her sister in law looked at her for answers. "Alex."
"She won't hurt her." Danvers assured Kieran.
"She's right Mom." Ruby told her nervous mother whom was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet at different times.
"Did I hear you right Alex? Are you inviting...allowing her back to our.."
"Yes." Alex looked at her sister who nodded in agreement. "We should head out soon. I don't think we want little Rose out too late. How did you two get here anyway?"
"Thank your wife. I wasn't going to just leave Little One at home. She was crying for Kara."
"Oh okay." She was still adjusting to the Super hearing but everything else she seemed to have a good handle on. Alex heard the uneven tempo of Lena's. "Zhehd Nim Bezhgam."
"Dreamer was right." Both Danvers looked at Kieran. "I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't after what happened to you Alex. But if you say she's welcome than that's good enough for me."
"You have good reason for that. I have caused your family.."
"Our family." Kara and Alex spoke as one. Jehna looked into her sister's eyes and then Alex, who was...she had another sister now.
"That can be discussed later. Sam?" Artemis motioned for Ruby to take Rose as she scooped up Lena.
"Do you have your.." She just rolled her eyes smiling. "Of course. You think of everything Lee." Lena slipped the spare oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. "Hang on..Alex?"
"Yes love?"
"Khap Shovuh Rrip Dhoia." Sam didn't expect her wife to move that fast and before she could fathom what had happened she felt Alex's lips on hers. She returned the kiss smiling after she'd told her beauty she loved her.
"Khap Shovuh Rrip Zrhueiao." Alex smirked winking at her. Sam chuckled.
"Always the smooth talker." Both heard the heavy sigh from who was in her arms.
"If you two are gonna make googly eyes and start throwing sex adjectives I am having my niece fly me home." Both women laughed.
"Calm down Dhuhja.."
"Hey! Don't flirt with my wife Samantha." Kara glared.
"Did you know I got to grab her ass in college?" Alex just facepalmed, Lena turned beet red and Kara's jaw dropped. Meanwhile Jehna stood by Ruby with both of them laughing and Rose clapping. "Just say.." Her wife slapped a hand over her mouth.
"I swear, you and Sawyer have horrid habits and when we get back you need to pay up."
"Pay!" Rose clapped laughing.
"Ah….her bank account is floating already and she's only five." Lena laughed then slapped Sam on the arm. "Let's go please I'm freezing my butt off."
"Have a safe flight beautiful." Kara kissed her wife then walked over to Ruby and kissed her daughter's cheek. "Keep her safe Rubes."
"You got it. C'mon Mom you can play knock the bars later!" As the four of them flew out Kara looked at her sister.
"If you ask I will deny you potstickers for a week."
"I'll melt your face." Alex smirked.
"Not if I melt yours first sis. Payback's a bitch huh.." Both heard Jehna clear her throat.
"What are potstickers?" Their jaws dropped right to the floor but Alex was first to recover and put a hand on her new sister's shoulder.
"Oh have I got alot to teach you."
"The arts of fine foods? I'm guessing those are what you mentioned."
"That is the major number one consumption of...OH YES!" Kara and Jehna looked at her funny. "NOW I have the bottomless pit!"
"Dare I ask?" She looked at her blonde sister. Kara just shook her head.
"Ohhhhh they are gonna hate my ass now. Hey we getting out of here now? I'm hungry!"
"Help my sister, ten cents a day." Jehna rose an eyebrow at what Kara just said. "So if I heard this correct...you have a way to fill solar cells?" She nodded.
"I have a couple spare vials and if need be I will use my sun crystals." Alex shot her gaze to Jehna. "Let me show you two and once we both feel you are good enough to fly we can head out."
"I definitely would like to know more about these crystals you have. Being back in this state, I could use any and all aids." Alex shared with Jehna curious at this. "We switched bodies once and well...I learned how to drive instead of being a backseat driver like I always had been."
"That will help when you begin to manifest the other powers we Zor-El's have." The Danvers sisters hadn't known this and more so Kara was wondering what she'd missed before. "Let's get you fueled okay?" They followed Jehna over eager to understand what none of them had ever discovered over the years. New kryptonian 101...
"She's down for the count." Ruby smiled, so relieved to have Rose calmed considering her mama hadn't returned yet. That little thought now rendered front and center attention, with those in the living room slipping their gazes to her.
"I can't help it." Sam spoke up leaning back on the couch and with joint nods she was grateful for that agreement. "She's…"
"I get it." Ruby walked over to the fridge to grab one of her iced tea bottles then sit down next to a rather nervous Lena. "You both have to understand my intentions by going to her."
"That bitch nearly killed Danvers. Hell, Alex's heart stopped Rubes!" Lucy slammed her glass down hard on the table in front of her. Susan and Amelia set their own down with Nia and Maggie standing at the glass sliding doors that lead out to the veranda. "Hey babe...don't you agree?" Sawyer turned her head to answer but didn't even get a chance to.
"You all need to comprehend the whole picture here. Don't you remember how Kara was when she first came to this planet? I know you've been told the stories from Alex." Nia said luring all eyes on her now. "They didn't see eye to eye right away. Alex struggled with her own demons and Kara struggled to get a hold on her powers she never had even asked for. The older sister scolded the younger one. They grew apart when Alex went off to college. Kara lost herself and didn't find that again until the night.."
"The night she risked it all to save Alex and the rest of the passengers on that plane." The Co Director added to the table. "Then the DEO shot her down with kryptonite darts."
"It was the first time I actually felt betrayed." Kara shared with her and her two sisters coming in. Those in the room were ready to stand and for that matter take on the woman that had entered, but Alex put out a hand and mouthed no. She must have known what they were thinking. "The thing is...that even though I had learned all about what my sister was doing, how she had to hide it, what they used as that just in case policy...I began to see things differently. Sure, there were somethings that we didn't agree upon. That happens at all jobs and it's one of the reasons most places of employment don't allow family to work with each other."
"J'onn wanted me to school her in the ethics of becoming someone the world had learned about. He honestly wanted me to show Kara that flying around and catching planes wasn't enough. I educated her and I had to do it by essentially kicking her ass." Alex took over for her sister. "I had to keep her in line. Had to...had to make her less when she'd always been even more than me. I learned that it wasn't my strength or my smarts that had gotten me the job. It had been my sister and what J'onn saw when he bailed my ass out of jail."
"I heard about you getting in trouble with the law but daaaamn.." Lena wondered what else she didn't know about her sister in law. Her eyes kept flickering over to who was leaning against the wall with arms crossed and rather closed off.
"I was selfish at times and when a certain detective came around I was practically questioning everything including myself. I'd just gotten over three difficult things. Actually...four."
"Now I'm even more curious Danvers." Maggie walked over and sat down looking at Nia who stood next to their guest. Sawyer watched her ex go grab a soda versus a beer and actually started chuckling bringing a few glances her way. "So because you are pumping kryptonian now...does that mean you can wipe the floor with me at drinking?"
"Not sure." Alex floated up some while opening the cabinet smiling to find her sister's stash of crackers.
"Hey!" Kara glared then eyed the box in her hands. "I'll find your stash of fudge covered oreos."
"I'll melt your entire container of bon bons that you hoard at the agency." Almost everyone was laughing their asses off at the banter.
"I am not going to talk to you for two days and tell my daughter to use up your taco bell gift card on nachos."
"This is just too amusing." Maggie chimed in as she walked to the fridge then snatched the box up from her ex's hands. "Ohhhh look at that. Hey Kieran? Do you have that dip I like?"
"I wonder if this means I can use your bike as a bowling ball for a junkyard and set some cars up like pins." Sawyer threw the empty box at Alex's face that didn't even bother to catch it before the impact, tearing open the package stealing the empty lazyboy. "I'll use both your bikes."
"Anyone want one?" Maggie was gonna ignore the joking threat, but look into some higher security for the five bikes she owned.
"I'll melt your other three and use them for building my new one."
"Yeah yeah Danvers."
"Can we get back to the point in hand? I get you two have some deep seated issues and I'm not talking about my wife and your's Sam." Lucy had a headache already.
"We want answers." Lena stated looking directly at the arm crossed kryptonian. "Start talking." Like hell she was just gonna sit there and let this killer remain in their presence. "Start talking."
"Okay.." Kara needed to cool everyone's jets before things got out of hand. She stepped forward crossing her own arms just like her sister. "You all need to get it through your thick fucking skulls that she is my big sis too, just like Alex is. I will not just stand here and let your judgements based on one.."
"Kara." Jehna understood the hostility. She knew she deserved every glare and tension that these people her little sister trusted were throwing her way. "Zhehd Kehp Voiehd Dhugh."
"Not all of us know your fucking alien lang…" Lucy realized her error, far too late. Her best friend's sister as well as her friend had grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and shoved her against the wall. "Al.." Alex slid her upright. "Sor.."
"Danvers! Let go of my wife." Maggie wouldn't tolerate her ex treating Lucy like that. For the first time in her entire life, her hand went to her hip where her weapon was holstered. Alex already knew what the woman she once was gonna marry had signaled. She dropped the Co Director, turned around and walked to where her sister was standing. "Don't you ever do that again!"
"Maggie.." Lena wanted to calm this tension down, knowing this wouldn't get them anywhere.
"Shut up Luthor." Sawyer felt herself slapped hard. "How dare.."
"My name is NOT LUTHOR!" Kieran wouldn't stand for this and nodded to Ruby whom went to Rose's room when they heard the little girl crying. "Get out." Lena pointed to the door. "Get out and report to my office tomorrow."
"Lena..it's fine. I said the wrong thing and I own up to my mistake." Lucy didn't like this. They were a family and her words and her wife's had brought bad blood amongst them all. "I'm sorry. Please...let's talk calmly okay?"
"To hell with this." Maggie pushed away and stepped around those that had been around where she'd been sitting, grabbed her jacket and made her way toward the door. "See you later baby."
"I love.." They all heard the door slammed and with it louder crying from the nursery. "..you." Lucy wanted to cry. It was Alex that walked over, pulled her up and into her arms. "I'm sorry Alex."
"I am too." She broke the hug and checked her friend's neck. "Are you alright? I didn't hurt you did I?"
"Hmmph, just my ego." Lucy smirked with Alex slapping her lightly on arm. "I know this isn't my place but would you.."
"I'll talk to her. I shouldn't have reacted that way."
"Yes you should." Kara stated getting a look of shock and almost anger at her. "No. You don't get to condone your ex's actions. I get that Lucy said the wrong thing. I get that you might have a rather good handle on our powers. But I'm no idiot. I know you aren't used to hearing people's heartbeats or pulses. I know right now everything is so loud it becomes too much and in the end you just want to make the noises stop." Kara softly took her sister by the chin to make her look her way. "I heard the erratic beat of Lucy's. I heard the popping and cracking that Maggie did. I heard the clench of her jaw. I know you did too."
"How do you drown this out." Alex didn't realize just how difficult this actually was. When they had body switched, they were on another Earth. They were with Lance and her crew. They had quieter areas and when they had to fight, both sisters had helmets and gear to protect them. She had to hand it to her one night stand hottie, Sara knew how to handle the worst of issues. It must be an assassin thing.
"Years of practice." Jehna uncrossed her arms and slowly stepped closer to the group. "We learn different meditation techniques. We begin to study what sounds are what and we take one out at a time. I bet you taught Kara to listen to your heartbeat, just like you showed me when you were trying to calm her down. That proof of not just loyalty and respect, but of understanding and love, has shown me much. When I came to Earth and discovered the sun shifted things for me, I was overwhelmed. I shut myself off by finding a noise cancellation bunker. That's when I spent time learning about this planet's technology and military and things like that."
"She came to us at.."
"She was thirteen?" Jehna asked, knowing at least that.
"That was the age that she um...she had been sent off in her pod. When she got here, she looked that age." Alex explained.
"What age were you actually?" How could she not have learned of this?
"You are right. I was thirteen years old when our Mom put me in the pod to save me and send me to Earth to look after and protect Kal-El. When Krypton exploded my pod was knocked off course. You know already about the Phantom Zone."
"Unfortunately yes." Jehna knew far too much about that hell.
"I was stuck there for over two decades by Earth standards. For twenty four years I was trapped in that silent darkness."
"I thought you didn't look that old." Jehna commented. "So...how old are you now, by Earth standards?"
"Thirty three. If you counted the years in the stasis, fifty seven." Kara heard her wife chuckle. "What babe."
"I still can't believe I'm dating a coug.." Sam put her hand over her sister in law's mouth.
"Don't go there Lee." Now another question had entered her mind. "Wait a minute." Sam removed her hand scooting back while cracking her knuckles only to see her wife cringe. "Sorry love."
"Yeah, don't do that until I get the dial down on the hearing."
"Sorry. Ummm Jehna.." Sam avoided messing with her hands. "How old are you?"
"By Earth numbers, seventy two." Eyes widened and her little sister looked at her stunned. "I'm fifteen years older than you Aos Aoe."
"Hmm hmm...I'm loving this." Kara felt a wide grin slip over her lips as she looked at Alex.
"What."
"Now you are really the baby Alex." Danvers pointed to the glare in her eyes.
"This face is not amused."
"How old is she?" Jehna was curious now.
"Thirty five." Alex narrowed her eyes more. "Oh Kaaaara.." She snatched the machine out from the hall, plugged it in and threw the kernels in the pot, slipping the noise cancellation headphones on her head. Alex adjusted the music and used her heat vision to heat the oil quicker as they began to pop. Kara jumped to the point her back was suddenly against the ceiling.
"ALEX!" Her sister just laughed even harder. Yet even with the headphones on, she suddenly regretted her actions. Her niece was sobbing pressed into Ruby's stomach with her daughter putting her hands over her ears.
"Shit." Alex unplugged the device and flew out the balcony door she quickly opened and threw the popcorn maker in the pool. She made a face when she saw the sparks from the sinking kitchen appliance. "Sorry.."
"May I?" Jehna walked up to Ruby motioning the monstrous maker was gone. Her niece took her hands off her ears. "May I?"
"Aaaaaauntie!" Rose cried as she picked up her niece. "Louuuud." Jehna rocked her, giving Ruby a look who showed her exactly where the young kryptonian's room was.
Both Danvers watched as their sister walked away with Skye and Rose, to do some bonding there. Alex rolled her eyes at the pout on Kara's face.
"I'm just as immune as your wife sis." They glared at each other just as Susan and Amelia bid goodbye as Kara motioned to Nia to join her in the training room, with Sam and Lena following suit. It left Alex and Lucy on their own, which lead to a rather interesting discussion until the Co Director accidentally dropped a pretzel between the couch cushions. It was then, when Lucy went to get it that she found something she wasn't expecting. "What is it Luce."
"Ha ha someone forgot their phone. I will just shoot them a message through their.." She recognized exactly who it belonged to. "Alex.." Lucy held it up with Alex's eyes shivering with worry. It was Maggie's..
Pulling into the lot, then down in the garage, she parked her favorite bike at her own personal spot. It was then she said fuck it and turned it on again to back up and speed out towards the streets. She wasn't on babysitting duty, she didn't have any obligations at the moment so to hell with it.
Back on the streets as she dove between cars carefully, she picked up speed and headed out of the city some to a little bar she knew all too well. Noticing the ding on the dash of her bike signaling something in her inbox, she reached down and pressed the clear then adjusted the volume on the alerts turning it down. Along her left handle bars she cranked one of her favorite rock stations to just fade away from all the anger she had pent up when she'd originally left.
Almost at the quaint little bar, she got stuck at one of the lights that appeared to be out. Unfortunately with the stop lights off, every car was being reckless and there were drivers yelling at each other for the right of way. This was an entirely different irritation that she really didn't feel like dealing with.
"Come on!" She yelled after flipping up her visor. "You gotta be.." A sudden rev of another bike caught her attention and she immediately looked over. Her eyes locked on not only the gorgeous yet personal looking ride, but to the driver in all the safety gear that was rather sexy and tight which definitely had her staring at the outfit, not the package. "Nice ride."
"Thanks. So we are locked down in this chaos huh?" The man asked with her sighing to nod.
"Gotta ask, who did the paint job and the tigers on the sides of your bike?"
"I did. I work at a zoo on the off season and I spent a year in Beijing, at a monastery learning the cultures and traditions. I got to work at their sacred temple and garden with tigers and well...I just began to pick up this hobby at painting them. Since I did some work on friends bikes doing pinstriping, I gave it a go at my own ride."
"Got a business card? I've got a few bikes I would love to have you do some work like that on." She definitely wanted something similar with the meaning it had behind it to her.
"Tell you what, let's take a detour out of this crap and we can jump to a bar I know." When she chuckled putting her head back with her helmet still on, he tilted his own. "Something amusing?"
"I hope you aren't trying to pick me up cause my avenue aint on the jock."
"Oh I ain't coming onto you if you were going for a point here." He laughed. "Come on, let's blow this popsicle stand." She nodded with them both moving their bikes sideways then backing up. Once they were clear of the other cars while ignoring the fires of profanity at them, he lead her away from the annoyance towards a side street. When they began down a backroad, she followed him toward a side of town even new to her.
Yet with the shit she had just endured on top of the traffic jam, she welcomed a few beers and some calmer conversation. "Down to the right." He told her when they stopped at a light, then took the direction he ventured. About ten minutes later, along with two rights and a left, they arrived and already she could hear a band she knew all too well. They parked in one of the empty spots, that was big enough for two bikes, then turned them off with them both dismounting their rides.
"I'm digging this place already. Since when do joints play Nirvana and Disturbed?" She removed her helmet just as he removed his and got that first look at him. His facial features reminded her of a construction worker with a little cleaner gruff on his chin. When she locked her helmet up and he slipped his into the saddlebag to his left, securing it shut, she held out her ungloved hand to him. "Maggie." He packed away his own gloves and held out his own to shake hers.
"Jaekob." With introductions and a motion with his head, she followed him toward the side entrance. Just as they were about to walk up the four steps to the door, she felt her body grabbed only to be spun around and thrown into the side of the building. Dizziness took a hold of her and the impact had knocked her balance right off. Maggie dropped to her knees and attempted to get back up only to have a hand grab her by the throat, hoisting her up to put her back against the outer wall. She attempted to speak but he just squeezed some cutting her chance to talk off. "Such a stupid little human." He stepped forward some and slid her higher up the wall.
She tried to pull his grip off then attempted to yank his arm away but it was useless. Maggie kicked at him, yet it didn't even phase him and at the moment she knew just what this stranger was. Kryptonian. "I do have to say, I wasn't expecting one of you to leave your nest. Oh well. This works out perfectly for me." Jaekob's eyes began to glow and if there hadn't been confirmation before, Sawyer had it now. His eyes were glowing a bright green and she braced for what she knew could kill her. "Your thundering chest and quickened pulse tells me you think I've come to kill you."
Suddenly he flung her away as she hit the ground hard. Maggie felt that one more than when he had slapped her against the side of the building. Getting up wasn't very easy and just as she had enough strength to attempt to rise he walked over and kicked her in her stomach as she gasped for air and prayed what was in her didn't come back up. "I heard she had some issues with my murderous Niece. Those words that had came out, brought a little distaste to me."
"N...Non.." Maggie hoped she wasn't right, since she'd seen shape shifters such as J'onn take the forms of those they all knew.
"Guess again." Jaekob laughed using his boot covered foot to roll her over onto her back. "I want my little soldier back. If I can't have that, I want you to kill her. I may have promised her dad that I'd look after her, but...that was before his ass had sent me over to that space hell."
"Who.." Maggie gasped against when his foot came over her chest and pressed down some.
"My name you already know. My last name you should know all too well, since it's the same as Non's. I guess no one told you he had a half brother. Jaekob Kor-El Kirghahv. Do you know what I just called you? Well...take a guess."
"Huma…" Maggie groaned painfully when he applied more pressure to her chest.
"No. I said weakling. You are just Tagehd..something I can crush if I wanted to. I was one of the clever and lucky ones that escaped Fort Rozz and came here with who you know of as Jehna Zor-El. We've learned quite a bit about the violence this pathetic planet uses. Gotta say though, that I didn't expect as many killers here. I took the time to study prisons and your...oh what do they call it.." Jaekob pressed down harder and wondered if he'd broken bones yet. "Ohhhh yes. The death penalty. I guess you people don't use torture as a method unless you wear blotches and carry guns on your shoulder."
He took his foot off her chest giving her the opportunity to recover enough of the air she needed. "I watched your own race torture Alura's weaker daughter. I listened in as a human bested other aliens with her little parlor mind tricks. I even got to see the young darkness and a clone of your putrid excuse for a hero Supergirl help right wrongs instead of taking real action unlike myself of our lost planet Krypton. That's alright, the clone was punished by me. I used my heat vision, thanks to the yellow sun you have here, on her coffin pod. She's tiny particles in the galaxy now."
Maggie rolled onto her side struggling to recover again, feeling tears slip down her face. The Red Daughter's body had been destroyed by this monster. She knew if she didn't call for help she was screwed. Then it donned on her that she didn't have her phone and she'd run over her com out of anger at everyone. The worst thing she could have done she had. "So as you lay here and think about what your species is, I'll go enjoy killing overseas. Do pass on my message will you? J...a...e...k...o...b says Ehrosh Bem."
Sawyer couldn't stay conscious anymore as her head slumped over to the side with her body falling forward left in heap face down and defeated. Jaekob just walked away quite amused and showing it, off to play with the people of Earth.
It was then a couple that had exited the building saw the figure on the ground with two bikes on their sides, destroyed by what looked like someone had hit them with a battering ram. They ran over to check on the woman, then call for help. To the side of her body was a burnt wallet and a set of crushed keys. There was nothing of identification they could use to I.D. her. It wasn't long until the cops had shown up and four of them ran over along with two medics.
"What happened?" The lead officer asked and the couple explained how they had found this person passed out and what appeared to be a bruise on her neck with a handprint on the front of it. They pointed to the motorcycles which two officers went to take a look at. When the medics turned her onto her back and carefully slid a board under her body, the two medics, one cop and the boyfriend of the witness hoisted her up and into the back of the ambulance. But when her head rolled to the side the officer's eyes grew large. "Sawyer?"
"What?" The other three cops ran over when they heard the name. "It's Maggie."
"Oh my god." The older officer said in disbelief. "I think we still have her rolodex and her emergency contact at the station." He got on the radio at his chest. "This is Officer Lucus at 2133 Prescott Lane. I have an officer down by Gregory's Pub. I need former Captain Margarita Sawyer's contact information in my Lieutenant's office."
"Third drawer down on the left. It shouldn't be locked." His boss told his officer that ran the route with him.
"We heard and are checking there now. How bad is she?"
"There is a boot print on her chest. It looks like there is bruising forming. She has a handprint on her neck at her throat. I'm checking her airways now." One of the medics said.
"Not good. Any luck?"
"I've got a contact number for an Alexandra Danvers and Eliza Danvers."
"Call the first one and let me know if her fiance picks up." Frank said. "Please...please let her pick up.." The Lieutenant wished, hoped and prayed that someone answered the phone. The sooner that they got Maggie to the hospital the better. This wasn't what any of them expected on their shift. In fact...it was the worst they'd ever had. One of their owns life was on the line. They needed to get to the bottom of this and make who ever had done this to her pay, in spades..