A/N: Thanks again for all the follows/favorites/reviews. Supergirl seems to be getting better and better each week. Can't wait for the next one! Anyway...just a fair warning that things get a bit rough in the second half of this chapter. I don't go into too much detail, but for anyone who finds that sort of thing upsetting you might want to just skim through or skip the first couple paragraphs of that section.
Chapter 8
"I don't know who the hell you think you are, but if you've hurt her you're going to pay. I will find you, mother—" The line went dead, cutting off her threat, and it took every ounce of self-control Alex possessed not to throw the phone at Kara's wall.
"Whoa…what's with the Liam Neeson moment?"
Alex turned to see Chloe Sullivan stepping out of Kara's kitchen, looking concerned. Clark's idea of a 'discreet doctor' turned out to be his wife's cousin, who was not only the world-renowned hacker known as Watchtower, but also a metahuman with healing abilities. Once her knee had been healed, they'd spent several pointless hours trying and failing to come up with any viable rescue plan. Vasquez had since gone home, while Chloe and Clark crashed at the loft. And the Man of Steel had left first thing to go patrol the city…make sure no one was trying to take advantage of Supergirl's continued absence. Shaking her head, Alex picked up the bottle of Jack she'd been nursing since Clark's departure in an attempt to dull her grief at the loss of her sister. After that phone call, it felt like another drink was called for. Frankly, she didn't know what was worse: not knowing what happened to Kara at all, or knowing that her little sister was somewhere out there, being hurt, and there wasn't a damned thing she could do to stop it. She lifted the bottle to her lips, only to have it snatched away by the increasingly annoying blonde. "Give that back!"
Chloe shook her head, setting the bottle on a nearby counter. "You'll thank me later. Now, what's going on? I leave the room for a minute, and come back to find you threatening someone on the phone." She frowned. "It wasn't Uncle Sam, was it? The General, I mean."
"It was Kara. I-I don't know how, but she managed to get to a phone. Only they caught her and took the phone away before she could tell me anything. God…it sounded like they were electrocuting her. Kara's tough, but even her body can only take so much…especially since they're probably using either Kryptonite or red solar energy to keep her powerless. What if she's…." Her voice caught, and a hand flew to her mouth as tears burst forth. A moment later, the small blonde hacker had pulled her into her arms.
"You can't think like that, Alex. Like you said, Kara is tough. And she's also smart. She'll figure out a way to survive. We just have to find her."
"How? These guys are probably even further off the grid than my former employer."
Chloe backed up a pace. "For starters, if you know someplace with a decent computer setup, I'll see what I can do with that phone number. My laptop isn't bad, but if we're taking on the government we're going to need way more computing power."
Wiping at her eyes, Alex thought for a moment. "Kara's friends have a sort of secret HQ set up at CatCo. Well, not quite so secret any more. Cat figured it out after the Red Kryptonite incident. But Winn's setup is way more sophisticated than your average home PC. Almost on par with what we had at my old job."
"Great! Let's go." Alex reached for her car keys, but the blonde quickly intercepted. "Uh-uh. We can't help Kara if you end up crashing your car."
"I'm fine," the elder Danvers insisted.
"The half-empty bottle of whiskey says otherwise. I'll drive. And we'll stop somewhere for coffee on the way so you can sober up. Okay?" Grumbling, Alex let Chloe take the keys. After a few quick calls to let Vasquez and Clark know where they were headed and give the boys a heads-up about needing the office, the two were on their way to CatCo.
About an hour and two large espressos later, Chloe and a half-sober Alex were stepping off the elevator onto the floor where Winn and James worked. The 'secret' HQ was on a different floor, but Alex figured they'd probably want to meet Chloe before granting her access. That, and Cat deserved an update on Kara, given everything she'd been doing on her sister's behalf over the past several weeks.
Winn spotted them first, and immediately started fanboying. "You…you're Chloe Sullivan!" he babbled, pointing at the blonde. "The Chloe Sullivan!"
"That's right," Chloe nodded. Once the blonde had confirmed that she was 'the' Chloe Sullivan, Winn launched into some technobabble that Alex would've had trouble following even fully sober. She was a bioengineer, not a computer nerd. Of course, Chloe actually engaged him in the conversation, and the two were soon off in their own little bubble of geekdom, leaving everyone else wondering just what the hell they were talking about. Thankfully, the Queen of All Media chose that moment to approach the now-former DEO Agent.
"Agent Scully. Care to explain what my arch-rival's hacktivist cousin is doing in my bullpen, making Toyman Jr. act like a 12-year-old on a sugar high at ComicCon?"
"She's here to help."
"With what?"
"That's what I was hoping to talk to you about," Alex said, meeting Cat's eyes. "In private."
"Very well," Cat nodded, before turning to her staff. "I don't pay you people to stand around and stare. Back to work, now! Chop, chop!" The mogul headed into her office without even a glance back. Meanwhile, everyone scurried back to their desks or wherever they were supposed to be, and Alex saw Winn and Chloe headed towards the secret office, still completely engrossed in whatever conversation they were having. James was right behind them, so the elder Danvers quickly handed her phone off to her sister's would-be boyfriend before following after Cat. Once she was inside the CEO's office, Cat closed the door behind them. "Something's happened to Kara, hasn't it?" she asked softly, the haughty façade falling away.
Alex stared at her sister's boss for a moment, idly wondering if the older woman had somehow developed psychic abilities. "W-what makes you say that?"
Frowning, Cat leaned back against her desk, giving Alex the kind of look that – according to her sister – was reserved for her most disappointingly incompetent employees. "A few cups of coffee can't hide the fact that you walked in here smelling like you crawled into a bottle of whiskey. And I can't imagine that Kara would just stand by and let you self-destruct, so I can only conclude that something has gone wrong."
With a heavy sigh, Alex dropped down onto the sofa. A moment later, the whole story came spilling out. General Lane's attempt at torture. Everything Kara had to put up with under Pierson. The suicide mission. Coming back to find Kara gone. Getting fired. The phone call. "Chloe and Winn are trying to trace the number Kara called from in hopes of finding some clue that leads to where she was taken. But I'm not optimistic. Lane didn't do this on a whim. It's probably been in the works for a while, and I'm sure they've taken every possible precaution to keep from being found. Which means that Kara's all alone, and there's literally not one fucking thing I can do to change it."
"So you retreat into a bottle? Believe me, that is not the answer."
"Like you're one to talk," Alex snarled. "At least I don't keep alcohol in my office at work."
"A moot point, seeing as you no longer have said job. And keeping alcohol here is not the same thing as drinking it." Shaking her head, Cat uncharacteristically pulled the younger woman into a brief hug before sitting down on the opposite sofa. "I know I'm not perfect, much as I pretend otherwise. But I was a lot worse when I was your age. Back then, alcohol seemed like the answer for everything, and I gave into those urges far more often than I care to admit. Never to the point where I couldn't function…if I had, I wouldn't be where I am now…but there were more than a few close calls."
"So what changed?"
"Carter. When I found out I was pregnant, I knew things couldn't continue as they were. It took every ounce of willpower I possessed, but I managed to pull myself back from the edge. I haven't given it up completely, obviously, but I don't indulge nearly as often as I used to. And I keep candy in the minibar so that I have something else to reach for when the urge hits." She sighed. "The point is, I know you can be better than this. Maybe this was a one-time slip, maybe not. But if there's to be any hope of getting Kara back, you need to keep it together. Hit something. Find some other vice to indulge in. Whatever you need. Just leave the bottle someplace else until this is over."
"And do what? I don't even know where to begin looking for Kara. Until our resident hackers find something, I'm fucking useless. And that's assuming they're even successful."
"For starters," Cat frowned, "you can stop being so damned pessimistic. If your sister has taught me anything, it's that hope is vital. Without it, we're nowhere. Stop focusing so much on what you can't do for her, and find something that you can do."
"May I assume you have some sort of suggestion?"
The mogul nodded, leaning back in her seat. "Maybe it's time we revisit the story on General Lane's activities."
Alex shook her head. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know, but you can't release anything…not until we actually have a plan for rescuing Kara. I can't risk them hurting or killing her in retaliation if they learn they've been exposed."
"Of course. Do you mind?" Cat asked, pulling up the recording app on her phone and showing it to Alex. At the elder Danvers' nod, she activated the app and set the phone on the table between them. "Now…from the top, as they say."
About an hour later, having put everything on record, Alex made her way up to the not-so-secret HQ. She still felt lousy and was having trouble shaking the urge to grab another drink, but getting it all out there had been at least somewhat cathartic. Sure, she could end up in federal prison for giving away government secrets, but right now the only thing the ex-agent cared about was getting her sister home. What happened afterwards didn't matter. If the price for saving Kara and putting an end to the anti-alien faction within the government was her own freedom, so be it. As soon as she said the word, General Lane's career – or at least his credibility – was toast. She didn't have any evidence to back up her story just yet, but told herself it was only a matter of time. Chloe and Winn were good at what they did; if they couldn't find anything on Lane and his cronies, no one could.
When she entered the room, the two hackers – and Vasquez, who must have arrived while she was with Cat – were huddled over their computers, fingers flying across their respective keyboards as fast as humanly possible. James was sitting in the corner, nursing a glass of scotch as he watched them work. Alex dropped into one of the unoccupied chairs. "Drink?" the photographer asked.
"Tempting, but I'd better pass. One lecture from Cat Grant is enough."
Nodding, he set his own drink aside. "Are you okay?"
"I will be once we get Kara back. How are things coming in here?"
"Hard to tell with these guys."
"I'm not a miracle worker," Chloe snapped, not even looking away from the screen. "I can't just push a button and get all the answers. These things take time."
Alex frowned. "Kara doesn't have time. The longer she's there…."
"I know. If I could make this go faster, I would. But I can't. You're just going to have to be patient."
"I-I think I might actually have something," Winn chimed in. "I hacked into the DEO mainframe and was able to pull up some recently deleted video. It's all timestamped the night you two left for Nevada," he added, glancing over at Vasquez.
"Show me," Alex demanded, moving behind him to peer over his shoulder.
"I've only managed to restore a few of the files so far, but it's not good." He tapped a few keys, and a moment later the ex-DEO agent was watching her sister go through the nighttime routine she'd developed during her time in the cell. Suddenly, the cell filled up with some kind of fog, and Kara started banging her fists against the glass, clearly panicking as she struggled to breathe. She soon lapsed into unconsciousness, at which point the fog cleared and the cell filled with soldiers, who zip-tied Kara's hands and feet – having first removed her boots, socks, and the Kryptonite cuff– before pulling something over her eyes and carrying her out. The video ended, and it was all Alex could do not to smash Winn's monitor.
"Are they all like this?"
"More or less, so far," he shrugged, pulling up a few more – including one of J'onn's cell, which made Alex's gut twist with guilt for having forgotten about her mentor and friend. She knew he wouldn't hold it against her, since he was the one who'd urged her to focus on Kara, but still…. "Then there's these," Winn continued. He brought up footage from the White Martian's cell, along with a couple of other less-than-humanoid prisoners. Those played out almost the same way, except instead of tying them up the soldiers pumped the unconscious aliens full of bullets before dragging out the corpses. It was sickening, and Alex barely resisted the urge to vomit.
"My God," she breathed. Dangerous as those aliens might have been, they deserved better than to be slaughtered like animals. Even the White Martian. Shaking her head, she leaned in closer to Winn. "Finish restoring the deleted footage, and make sure Cat gets copies of everything."
Vasquez turned away from her computer, frowning. "Are you sure Ma—Alex? These are internal DEO files we're talking about here."
"Fuck the DEO," Alex growled. "I don't even recognize the place anymore, and I know you don't either. Otherwise, you wouldn't have left. Lane and his goons have to go, and if I have to burn the whole fucking place down to end their reign and get my sister and J'onn back, then so fucking be it. They can all fucking rot for all I care." She turned back to Winn. "Restore the files and give them to Cat, and keep searching the system to see if they left any trace at all of where the prisoners were transferred." Winn nodded, actually looking a bit intimidated, and the elder Danvers turned to James. "Do you guys still have that abandoned warehouse?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Because I really need to hit something."
Kara stood in the middle of some sort of office, chained up the same way she'd been on arriving at the prison. She had no idea exactly how long it had been since the attempted phone call, but it was long enough for her to have learned the hard way that the stories about how prisoners were treated in places like this were true. After some time in the cell next to J'onn, a bunch of guards barged in, cuffed her, and dragged her to another cell far away from her friend. There, they took her clothes and replaced them with these flimsy paper garments just before cranking up the Kryptonite emitters in the cell and forcing her into a heavy straitjacket while she was too weak to resist. Her newly-bare feet were shackled to the cold concrete floor with a chain so short she couldn't move from that spot, and a blindfold like the one used during her transfer was pulled over her eyes. Without her abilities, she keenly felt just how cold the room was; it made her want to sleep, but the guards made sure that wouldn't happen by piping loud music and noises into the cell at random times. The worst part was the helplessness. They'd made it so she couldn't do anything without their assistance, and they only bothered even offering when they were checking to see if she was ready to give them Alex's name – which, of course, was never going to happen no matter what they did.
Kara had no idea how long they'd left her in that second cell, but eventually the guards grew impatient and dragged her off to some other part of the prison to employ some more forceful methods of persuasion. They removed the straitjacket and strapped her down to some kind of table, where they put a cloth over her face and poured water on it until she felt like she was going to drown. When that failed, the guards zip-tied her hands behind her and started smacking her around. She still refused to name her sister, so they gave up on that method and shoved her into a chair, removing the zip tie and cuffing her hands to each arm. They were arguing over whether to break her fingers or start pulling out her nails when someone came in and stopped them. Whoever it was uncuffed her and removed the blindfold long enough for her to put on some clean clothes, after which the blindfold was replaced and they brought out the transport restraints. Which is how she came to be in her current position, having been left there after her escorts removed the blindfold once again (hopefully the last time she'd ever see the thing).
A side door opened, and a moment later Kara found herself face-to-face with Colonel Harper, now wearing fatigues like his men. "Prisoner 5259," he drawled, briefly seizing her chin as he examined the cuts and bruises her interrogators had left behind. "You are a stubborn one, aren't you? Whoever you called must be really special if you're willing to suffer like this to keep us from finding them. Lucky for you, I've decided that it doesn't really matter. This person may have found a way to keep us from tracing them, but this facility is just as untraceable. The chances of them finding you after that rather pathetic attempt at contact are almost non-existent. And trying to get a name that you are clearly determined to keep secret is a waste of our time." Shaking his head, Harper moved behind his desk and sat down. "That being said, I want to make it clear that the incident is far from forgotten. I don't know whose idea that whole mess was, but unlike the others you have absolutely no excuse for not knowing the rules. After all, according to your file you were raised by humans for at least part of your life, which means you can read and understand the language. That's why I'm holding you responsible for that debacle.
"I have the right—"
"I did not give you permission to speak!" the Colonel snarled, shooting back to his feet. "And in case it hasn't sunk in yet, you have no rights! Nor do you have a lawyer, as of this morning." Kara's jaw dropped, and he smirked, resuming his seat. "Don't worry, I wouldn't dare touch the General's daughter. I just called to find out if she really thought she was your lawyer, and once I confirmed that little delusion I made it perfectly clear that her services were no longer needed." Kara opened her mouth to respond, only to find herself on her knees after a brief, intense surge of Kryptonite from the emitters in her collar. "If you even think about trying to speak out of turn again, I'll dump you someplace that will make what you just went through feel like a fucking spa day in comparison. Understand?" She nodded. "I'm sorry…I didn't quite catch that."
"Yes, Sir." She started to rise, but was stopped by another surge from the collar.
"Do not move until I say otherwise." He stood up, moving in so he towered over her, and she had to force back the panic attack that threatened as she flashed back to General Lane. "You think you're something special, don't you?" the Colonel sneered. "That wearing that 'S' makes you better than everyone else? You may answer," he added, after a moment.
"N-no, Sir."
"Why don't I believe you?" He shook his head, walking a circle around her. "Whatever you were out there, it means absolutely shit in here. It doesn't entitle you to special privileges like using the phone. As I said on day one, any privileges you do get will have to be earned. And so far, you've been doing pretty much the opposite. That ends now." Harper leaned forward, hands on his knees, bringing his face only inches from hers. "The second you leave this office, I expect you to be a model prisoner. Step even one toe out of line, and Seg will become your permanent home…in a cell far away from your little Martian friend, or anyone else. Am I making myself clear?"
"Yes, Sir," she nodded. Kara hated giving in to the Colonel, but she wasn't exactly eager for a repeat of what she'd just gone through, either. If avoiding it meant playing along and jumping through whatever hoops Harper put in her way, she'd just have to suck it up. The mere prospect of being stuck in some tiny, windowless cell for the rest of her life was far more terrifying than anything he could possibly come up with.
"Glad we're on the same page. Now…have a seat." Harper gestured to a chair on the other side of his desk, and Kara slowly climbed back to her feet and sat down as the Colonel did the same on his side. "Despite the headaches your little stunt caused, it also exposed a flaw in our initial containment plan. Specifically, it demonstrated that letting you all sit idle all day is a recipe for disaster. So we're assigning everyone to work details. Win-win for us, really. Keeps you too busy to cause trouble while sparing us from having to bring in additional personnel to keep this place running. The other assignments were handed out earlier this evening, but I wanted to handle yours personally." He pulled out some sort of ledger and started flipping through it. A few moments later, he seemed to find whatever he was looking for. "Here it is. Prisoner 5259 – Custodial." She stared at Colonel Harper for a moment, not quite sure what to make of his pronouncement. Apparently, that was the wrong move. He slammed the book shut, glaring. "Do you have a problem with the assignment, 5259?"
Kara shook her head. "No, Sir. No problem at all."
"Good. Because I expect you to set the example for the others…ones who believe that they're 'too good' for these sorts of tasks."
"Yes, Sir," she nodded.
He flashed her the same smug grin she'd seen on General Lane's face before, seemingly satisfied with her compliance. "In a minute, I'm going to have the guards take you back to your regular cell for the night. Someone will be by at 0400 to let you out for your turn at the shower and whatever else you need to do to get ready for the day. At 0430 you will report to the mess for your breakfast, and at 0500 you will be escorted to Private Langton. I've placed him in charge of the custodial staff for the time being. Eventually, if I find a prisoner I deem trustworthy, I may be willing to shift some of that responsibility so that my men can focus on their actual jobs. Anyway…Private Langton will set the schedules and hand out the tasks. Whatever he says, goes. Understand?"
"Yes, Sir."
Nodding, Harper checked his watch. "It's about 2400 now – midnight, as you civilians would say – so when you get back to your cell you might want to grab a few hours before your shift starts." He got up and went over to the door, speaking briefly with someone on the other side before returning to where she sat. "I'll be keeping an eye on you, 5259," he warned. "I won't try and tell you who to make friends with, but I strongly suggest you reconsider your association with 5178. That one seems to be a bad influence." Before she could even formulate a response, the guards had entered the office and hauled her back to her feet. They threw a bag over her head and dragged her through the complex. Eventually, she felt the collar shut off and knew she was back in her own wing. A flight of stairs and a short walk later, the bag was removed to reveal she was once again standing in front of her cell – a sight that she actually welcomed, having experienced the far less desirable alternative. They opened the door, then removed her chains and shoved her inside. A moment later, the door slammed shut, and the retreating boot steps told her she was alone again.
"Home sweet home," she muttered, moving over to the window and looking out at the stars for the first time in days. Kara searched the sky for the star Rao, which had survived Krypton's destruction, but unfortunately her window was at the wrong angle (this time of year, at least). She was, however, able to pick out a number of other stars and constellations that Jeremiah had taught her during the short time they'd had together before his death. They were different than what she'd learned from Astra back on Krypton – yet another reminder of those losses – but at the same time the sight made her feel closer to the foster father she'd barely known…the one who, in that short time, had already come to love her as his own child. Wrapping her left hand around one of the bars, she leaned her forehead against it as she drank in the view. Depressing as the seemingly-endless ocean was, after spending Rao knows how many days being locked in small, windowless cells and tormented by the guards, she knew she'd never take it for granted again. Silently thanking Rao for watching over her throughout her ordeal and for whatever role the Sun God may have played in getting her out of it (as well as asking for continued protection for J'onn), Kara allowed herself a few more moments to bask before changing into her sweatsuit and climbing into bed – another thing she'd never take for granted again. The bit of sleep she'd caught up on in Seg hadn't done much, and she had no idea how many days had passed since she'd last been able to sleep at all. Even a few hours in a real bed would probably do wonders. At the very least, it would keep her from collapsing in the middle of whatever job Private Langton decided to stick her with come morning. Tears pricked her eyes, and she forced them back, not wanting any of the guards to see that they'd gotten to her. The important thing was that it was over, and as long as she was careful it wouldn't happen again. With one last silent prayer of thanks to Rao for helping her to stay strong despite their attempts to break her, she curled up on her side and let herself drift off.
It seemed like Kara had barely closed her eyes when Sullivan barged in and dragged her out of bed, ordering her to the showers and telling her that she had 20 minutes to be back in her cell and presentable. There were only a handful of others in the wing who were up at that hour, and for a moment the young Kryptonian was envious of those who'd been permitted to sleep in. Not that she could really complain, given the threat Harper had left hanging over her head. After rushing through a cold shower that made every cut and bruise on her body sting like crazy (and learning that Lord Tech had apparently made the collars waterproof), she returned to her cell and was dressed and ready by the time Sullivan returned. Then came breakfast, with the requisite bad food (though not as bad as what little she'd been given in Seg – yet another thing she'd never take for granted again). The most exciting part about mealtime was learning that Livewire had apparently been assigned to kitchen detail. Thankfully, the metahuman was too tired from the way-too-early wakeup call to start trouble. The meal passed without incident, and afterwards Kara and about a dozen other assorted aliens were escorted to what looked like a giant storage room filled with cleaning supplies. Langton turned out to be a skinny Asian kid – maybe 90 pounds soaking wet – who looked way out of his depth. It didn't help that most of the aliens he was in charge of had no idea what they were expected to be doing. He asked if anyone had any familiarity at all with the job, and only Kara and a couple of others raised their hands. Not that she was an expert, but one thing Eliza had never let her slide on was chores, so she at least knew her way around mops and brooms and such. Of course, raising their hands meant getting volunteered to spend a very long morning making sure the others understood what they were supposed to be doing. The other two 'volunteers' turned out to be a Daxamite and an alien from Starhaven (same species as the Professor, though she still wasn't quite sure what that was and thought it rude to ask), both of whom had spent a bit of time living amongst the humans before the DEO caught up with them.
About halfway through the (presumably) 8-hour shift, Langton gathered everyone around to go over the schedule he'd come up with going forward. He'd split them into three shifts, with one of his 'experts' on each. Kara got stuck with the mornings, which meant she'd have Sullivan's unpleasant wake-up calls to look forward to every day except Sundays (their one day off). After that, they were all given assignments and sent out into the prison to do actual work for the remainder of their shift. Which is how she'd ended up in the wing housing the male Kryptonians, mopping a floor that didn't really look like it needed cleaning. Not that she was about to complain. No sense giving Harper an excuse to carry out his threat.
"So it's true," a familiar voice sneered. "I didn't want to believe it, but then again why else would you send your half-wit cousin instead of taking me on yourself?"
Straightening up, Kara turned to face her uncle. "Kal-El may not be a genius, but he's clearly smarter than you, seeing as he's still out there saving people while you're in here."
"As are you," Non shot back. "You betray your own people to play hero to these pathetic parasites, and how do they repay you? By locking you away like a common criminal. Astra would be so disappointed," he added, shaking his head in mock disgust.
"I'm not the one she'd be disappointed in. Your insane plan for turning the humans into mindless drones…it wasn't what she wanted. Not at the end. Maybe not ever. All Aunt Astra wanted was to save Krypton. You manipulated her into believing that Myriad was the answer, all to further your own ambitions. And what did it get you? Nothing. You're back to being the same nobody you were when she met you." She glanced pointedly at his jumpsuit, which was lacking a family crest of any sort, then shook her head. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." Kara attempted to resume mopping, only to have her uncle slam his foot down on the mop head.
"How dare you!" he snarled. "You think that fancy coat of arms gives you the right to look down on me? Had your cousin and the DEO not interfered, I would be ruler of this miserable planet!"
"And yet, here we are. If there's nothing else…." She again attempted to move on, but Non grabbed her arm.
"Don't you walk away from me, little girl!"
Without another word, Kara twisted her arm from his grip, then rammed her knee into his groin before yanking away the mop he was standing on. The movement sent Non crashing to the floor with a loud crack that made her wince. Almost immediately, a guard came running over. "What happened?"
"He slipped," the young Kryptonian shrugged. She grabbed the yellow 'wet floor' sign hanging off the side of the mop bucket and set it down. "Forgot to put that out. My bad."
The guard frowned – clearly finding her story less than credible, given the way Non was curled up and clutching his injured manhood – but didn't argue the point. "Don't let it happen again."
"No, Sir. I'll be more careful from now on. Promise."
"Good. Now get back to work!"
"Yes, Sir," she nodded, dipping the mop back into the bucket and starting on another part of the floor. A few minutes later, Kara could hear a now-recovered Non yelling death threats at her despite the guard ordering him to report for his work detail. Suddenly, something slammed into her from behind, sending her to the floor. A hand grabbed her shoulder and rolled her onto her back, at which point she saw that her assailant was Non.
"I will not be humiliated by the likes of you," he snarled, grabbing the front of her jumpsuit as he straddled her waist. He pulled her close enough to smell the bad prison food on his breath. "Give Astra my regards." At that, Non slammed her back to the floor and wrapped his hands around her throat. Hoping to avoid a repeat of what happened with Faora – especially since Raya was elsewhere at the moment – Kara managed to keep her wits long enough to reach up and jam her thumb into Non's eye. Unfortunately, the pain only made him more determined.
A shot rang out, and blood sprayed across Kara's face as a hole appeared in Non's forehead. The pressure on her throat disappeared as he toppled over, and she looked up to see the guard from earlier lowering a smoking pistol. "You're welcome," he muttered coldly before saying something into his radio about a new specimen for Cadmus. Heart still racing from the shock, Kara pushed herself up onto her elbows and stared at what was left of her uncle. They'd never been close, and she wasn't sorry to see him gone – especially given what he would have done if Alex had failed. But at the same time, his death meant the loss of yet another member of her Kryptonian family. It was down to just her, Raya, and Kal. She could only pray that the numbers wouldn't dwindle any further.
"What the fuck are you doing, 5259?" a familiar voice barked. Kara tore her eyes away from Non's remains to see Sullivan standing over her. He must have wandered over when the other guard radioed in the incident.
"Someone just died in front of me, Sir. Are a few minutes to deal with the shock too much to ask?"
Sullivan crossed his arms, glaring. "You've already had more than enough time. Now get up off your fucking ass and get the fuck back to work!"
With a sigh, Kara slowly climbed back to her feet. "Permission to clean myself up first, Sir?"
"No. You can clean up at the end of your shift."
"But—"
"One more fucking word," he snarled, shoving a large finger into her face, "and you can fucking stay like that until the next shower rotation. Understood?" Kara nodded, not wanting to anger him further. "Good." Sullivan turned to the other guard. "This one gives you any more fucking trouble, deal with her as you see fit." Shooting her one last pointed look, he turned and left just as several more guards arrived to remove what was left of Non. They worked quickly, and soon the only evidence of the incident was the large bloodstain on the floor and what had gotten on her face and clothes. Kara picked the mop back up – thankfully, the bucket hadn't been knocked over in all the craziness – and went right to work on the stain. Horrible and disgusting as the task of cleaning up her late uncle's blood might be, she might as well get it over with to avoid angering the guards even more. Shaking her head, Kara glanced up at the clock over the guard station. 11 AM. Only two more hours to go….
TBC (Yes, I know Non's end might be a bit anticlimactic, but keeping him around would've meant wasting Faora's introduction, and I like her better. Anyway...see you Saturday!)
