Chapter 8
A/N: Thanks again for the favorites/follows/reviews so far. Only 24 days until the next new episode...
By the time Alex reached the scene, the lightning had dissipated and everything seemed almost normal. But the sight that greeted her was far from normal...whatever that word even meant anymore. There was a body laying face-down over the edge of the park's fountain, clad in a DEO-issue tactical suit. And a few feet away lay the head of her mentor. "No," Alex gasped, dropping to her knees beside the body and losing the tacos she'd eaten just a few hours earlier. So many emotions hit her at once that she was hard-pressed to make sense of them all. She was furious at Lord for taking Jo, scared of what would happen to her without Jo's guidance, and sad that Jo was gone. Maybe not as sad as she'd have been if it was someone she was really close to, like J'onn or – God forbid – Kara, but she'd still felt enough of a connection with the older immortal to grieve the loss. As she tried to process everything, Alex caught sight of a bullet wound in Jo's back, and rage came to the forefront. "Motherfucker didn't even give her a fucking chance," she snarled, gripping the hilt of her sword as she climbed back to her feet. The sensation of an approaching immortal hit and she whirled around, practically begging for it to be Lord.
The next thing Alex knew was pain as several shots rang out and bullets lodged themselves in her stomach. She found herself once more on her knees, this time staring up at the vile man responsible for everyone's misery. "So, the alien's big sister is one of us," he grinned, twirling the pistol like he thought he was in some old western. "Guess Mama Danvers is the only normal one in the family after all."
"Fucking bastard," Alex growled, gritting her teeth as she waited for the wounds to heal. Which didn't seem to be happening. If anything, it was getting worse. "What the fuck did you do?"
"Laced the bullets with an alien poison I discovered. Can't remember which species it came from, but I've been told that it's like fire ants on steroids. Any minute now, you'll start feeling like you're burning alive from the inside out, and it'll only get worse until you finally keel over and die. And even then, it may take several resurrections to completely purge it from your system. Your friend there is the lucky one," he added, gesturing towards Jo's remains.
"Motherfucker!" Alex swung her blade, but the poison was already starting to take effect and Lord was able to avoid the swing with little effort. He kicked the sword from her hand, then used that same foot to force her onto her back.
"That's probably true," he shrugged. "Doesn't change the fact that I'm the one in control right now."
"Why not just take my head and get it the fuck over with?"
Lord shook his head. "Lucky for you, I have bigger plans. Much bigger." A siren sounded nearby, and the billionaire pocketed his gun. "That's my cue. See you around, Danvers." He walked away, leaving Alex writhing in pain as the fire he spoke of made itself known...starting in her stomach where the bullets had struck and spreading out from there, working its way through her entire body. It was all she could do not to give him the satisfaction of hearing her scream.
She heard someone call her name, and turned her head to see Maggie rushing to her side. "What the fuck happened?" the detective demanded, pulling off her coat and pressing it into the wounds as she reached for her radio. Somehow, Alex found the strength to pull the radio away before she could make the call.
"No bus," Alex rasped, shaking her head. "No hospital."
"You can't fucking be serious."
"Please..."
Maggie sighed. "At least let me get you to the DEO, then."
"No. Not there. Home."
"What the fuck, Danvers?"
"What happened to 'Alex?'"
"You'll get that back when I get an explanation as to what the fuck is going on."
Alex nodded. "Later...I promise. Just get me home."
"Fine," the detective huffed. "I still need to call the body in."
As Maggie spoke, the young immortal spotted a black van pulling into the park. "I think it's taken care of."
"What the...?"
"Trust me...please."
"Whatever." Maggie took off her belt and cinched it around Alex's waist to hold the coat in place and keep the pressure on. She then carefully pulled Alex to her feet, and the immortal had to bite back a scream at the pain the movement caused. "Sorry, Danvers. You don't want a hospital, so you're going to have to suck it up."
"Noted," Alex nodded. They started forward, and the immortal spotted something rather important on the ground. "Sword," she rasped, pointing it out to her companion.
"Seriously?" Alex gave her a pleading look, and the detective maneuvered them over so she could pick it up without releasing her grip on the wounded agent. "This explanation had better be really fucking good, Danvers," she grumbled, handing the blade over. "We're way past my weirdness quota for the day."
"It will be...promise."
"I fucking hope so." She carefully deposited Alex into the back of her unmarked car, then walked away for a moment, returning with the scabbard and helmet from Alex's bike. Maggie grabbed the sword from the immortal and sheathed it. The detective then slammed the door shut and climbed into the driver's seat, tossing the helmet and sword onto the passenger seat as she started the car. "Is there anyone I can call?"
Forcing down another scream as the pain from the poison intensified, Alex dug her phone from her pants pocket and tossed it to the detective. "Vasquez," she instructed. "Second number." Sue had set up a secured line for talking about immortal business, but this was the first time Alex had ever needed to use it. She just hoped it would be as secure as Vasquez had promised.
Maggie dialed the number Alex had indicated and put the phone on speaker as she pulled away from the park. "Alex?"
"It's Detective Sawyer," Maggie answered. "Your agent managed to get herself shot, and the damned fool is refusing to go to a hospital or anything. Insists I take her home."
"Do what she says, Detective. I'll meet you there." The line went dead, and Maggie briefly twisted around to give Alex a weird look before returning her eyes to the road.
"So I'm guessing Vasquez is in on...whatever this is. Should I be hurt that you told her first?" Alex groaned, her body in too much pain for her to form a coherent answer. "Danvers?" Another groan. Swearing under her breath, Maggie turned on her sirens and hit the gas, weaving through traffic in a way that Alex would've found pretty badass if she'd been able to actually enjoy it. As it was, every bump and sharp turn just made the already-excruciating pain spike.
Mercifully, the way Maggie was driving got them to her apartment in record time. Vasquez was already outside, along with Dr. Hamilton. Though she wasn't particularly thrilled about having the Watcher at her place, at this point Alex was in too much pain to argue. Between Sue and Maggie, they were able to get the wounded immortal into the elevator and to her apartment without drawing too much attention. The doctor was right behind them, apparently having retrieved Alex's sword and motorcycle helmet from the car. "On the table," Hamilton ordered, dropping the items she'd brought in on the kitchen island and rushing ahead to clear space. Once the placemats and centerpiece had been unceremoniously shoved to the floor, Sawyer and Vasquez brought Alex over and carefully laid her out on top of the table as instructed. The doctor immediately undid the belt and pulled the coat away from the wounds. She glanced at Vasquez. "Get my bag."
"Yes, Ma'am." The junior agent disappeared momentarily, returning with what Alex assumed was the doctor's kit.
"Thank you," Hamilton nodded. "Would you mind getting the light, Detective?" Maggie immediately moved to flip the switch for the one over the table. Once she could see properly, the doctor started examining the wounds more closely. "Why aren't these healing?"
"Poison...bullets..." Alex managed, just barely able to get the words out.
Hamilton frowned. "What kind of poison?"
"Alien," the immortal groaned. "It burns."
"Right," the doctor nodded. "First order of business is to remove the bullets. Unfortunately, we're going to have to do this the hard way, as I can't risk mixing an anesthetic with an unknown poison."
Alex shook her head. "Don't care. Do it."
"Very well." Hamilton turned to the other two. "Unless either of you have something handy to tie Director Danvers down with, I'm going to need you to hold her still for me."
"Of course," Maggie nodded, moving over by Alex's head, only to have Sue push her out of the way.
"I've got a better idea." Alex felt arms wrap around her throat. A moment later, something snapped, putting her out of her misery.
Some time later, the immortal surged back to life with a loud gasp. It took a few moments to regain her bearings, at which point she realized she'd been moved to her bed. Someone (hopefully Maggie) had also changed her into pajamas. She lifted the shirt to find that her stomach was as good as new. Next thing she knew, Alex was practically tackled by a certain detective, who kissed her breathless before smacking her hard enough to leave a bruise (at least momentarily). "Don't ever fucking do that to me again, Danvers!" Maggie growled.
"Sorry," Alex shrugged, not sure what else to say. She glanced past the detective to see Hamilton and Vasquez enter the room, the latter sporting a rather nasty shiner. Courtesy of Maggie, no doubt, as the immortal couldn't imagine that her lover would've taken too well to watching someone kill her when they were supposed to be helping.
Dr. Hamilton moved to the other side of the bed and started looking Alex over. "How are you feeling, Director?"
"Fine, I guess. A lot better than when you brought me in."
"Any trace of the poison?"
"I don't—" A sudden wave of pain shot through Alex's body, and she recalled what Lord said about possibly needing to die and come back several times to get rid of the poison completely. "Fuck..." Feeling the burning sensation intensify, the immortal shot out of bed and grabbed Vasquez by the shirt. "What you did earlier...I need you to do it again."
"Ma'am?"
Alex shook her head, biting back a scream. "Whatever poison that fucker used, it's back. So I want you to snap my neck again, and keep doing it until I tell you to stop. It's the only way to get all of this shit out of my system. Please..."
"Alright," Sue nodded, helping Alex back onto the bed. She glanced over at Maggie. "Please don't hit me this time." Without waiting for a response, the junior agent wrapped her arms around the Director's neck once more and, again, Alex felt something snap, plunging her into a blissful oblivion.
It took about half a dozen tries before Alex was able to revive without the burning sensation returning. By that time, it was mid-morning. Vasquez called into the DEO on her behalf, and Maggie had apparently called out as well. Dr. Hamilton left once it was clear she was no longer needed, and the remaining two had used the time Alex spent 'dead' to get her apartment back in order – all of which she learned after stumbling out of the bedroom to give them the good news. "Are you sure you're okay?" Maggie asked, guiding her to the couch and helping her put her feet up despite her protests.
"I'm fine, Mags. And I really should get to work." Alex tried to get up, but the detective wouldn't allow it.
"I just watched you die and come back like 6 times. If there was ever a good reason to play hooky, I'd say this qualifies. And if you think I'd just let you leave without giving me a proper explanation..."
Alex sighed. "Fair enough. Sue...?"
"I was just leaving," the junior agent replied, moving to the door. "I'll tell Kara you'll be by later. Assuming, of course, that she's in the mood to listen." With that, Vasquez walked out, leaving Alex and Maggie alone. The detective's eyebrow shot up as she joined Alex on the couch.
"Why does Agent Vasquez have to give your sister a message for you?"
"We kind of had to lock her up last night."
"What? Why the fuck would you do that to your own sister?"
"She didn't leave us much choice." Another sigh. "Last night, we found evidence that Mayor Lord was using some kind of engineered parasite to turn her friend James Olsen into his own personal puppet. I haven't seen her that angry since that mind-altering substance sent her on a rampage, and that wasn't really her. This was. And if she'd gone after Lord in that state..."
"She'd have given him all the ammunition he needs to ramp up whatever plans he's making to deal with the aliens." Maggie shook her head. "Still seems kind of harsh. I mean, I can't blame her for being pissed. If it were me, I'd have castrated the fucker with my 9mm."
"Ouch," Alex cringed. "And I don't like it any more than you do. But I'd rather have Kara where we can keep an eye on her than risk the alternative. Better for us to handle that motherfucker."
"Is that what you were doing in the park last night? Was Lord the one who shot you?"
The immortal nodded. "Jo – Agent Truman – went to meet with him last night in hopes of getting some info on the parasite, since it wasn't as personal for her. I didn't trust Lord to play fair, so I followed them. They talked at St. Jude's for a while and I listened in through Jo's coms. Then the coms cut out and they were gone by the time I got to the church. Winn helped me track them to the park, and when I arrived...well...you saw the end result." Her voice caught, and she felt Maggie's hand on her knee.
"I'm sorry. I take it you and Truman were close?"
"Sort of," Alex shrugged, wiping at her eyes. "We met just before Lord first announced that fucking ARA deal, and she was helping me figure out some stuff."
"Does that 'stuff' have anything to do with why her head was detached from her body and I was asked to respond to reports of 'alien activity' in the park?"
Another nod. "The freak lightning storm was the result of her head being cut off." She remembered what Jo had said about not outing her, but at this point the cat was already out of the bag. And her late mentor was beyond caring, anyway.
"Right," Maggie muttered. She got up, returning a moment later with Alex's sword. "With this?"
Alex shook her head. "That one's mine, actually. I don't know what Lord used. Only that the fucker shot Jo first so she couldn't defend herself."
"And you have a sword because...?"
"I'm immortal," Alex finally said, after a moment. "Have been since that fight with the Gordanians I told you about. Apparently, that Branx actually killed me, and when it did, some dormant gene was activated that halted the aging process and gave me regenerative capabilities to rival Kara's. Better, even, since – last I checked – Kara can't come back from the dead. On the downside, it also stuck me in some ancient 'game' where others like me will be looking to take my head off – the only way I can permanently die – in order to gain my power or some shit like that. Hence the sword," she added, sitting up and reclaiming the blade. Looking it over, she found herself reliving the moment a few days prior when it was first given to her. She idly twisted it in her hands, fighting back tears. "Jo's real name was Josephine Trudeau. She was born a slave, disguised herself as a boy after she escaped North, enlisted in the 54th Massachusetts when it was formed, and died for the first time at Fort Wagner. Someone found her afterwards and taught her how to survive as an immortal, and that's what she was doing for me. It's sort of a tradition, I guess. Only our time was cut short by Maxwell fucking Lord, whom I still know next to nothing about beyond his official bio and what I learned from our past interactions." She sighed. "Jo was trying to keep Lord from figuring out that I was like them, but now that ship has fucking sailed. Fucker shot me, then left me to suffer because he has 'bigger plans,' whatever the fuck that means." Alex glanced over at Maggie, who had sort of an odd look on her face. "You okay?"
"It's just a lot to take in, you know?"
"I'm sorry," the immortal muttered, setting her sword aside and withdrawing even further to her end of the couch. "You don't have to stay. Or come back...ever. I get it."
Maggie shook her head, scooting next to Alex. "I never said I was leaving, Danvers. Just need a minute to wrap my head around all of this. You give up way too fucking easily."
"Wait...you're not freaked out?"
"Didn't say that. But if I wanted normal, I'd have settled down with some cornhusker and adopted a bunch of kids. Trust me: normal is overrated."
Alex snorted. "I'm not even sure what that word means anymore."
"Who the hell does?" Maggie shrugged. The two lapsed into silence for a few moments, and then the detective reached forward and gently tilted Alex's head so that their eyes met. "I'm not going anywhere, Alex," she assured the immortal. "Don't shut me out, or try to 'protect' me from whatever is going on. I can handle it."
Alex shook her head. "I can't grow old with you."
Another shrug. "I could get shot in the line of duty tomorrow. And if, by some chance, this job doesn't kill me, having an eternally young and sexy lover sounds pretty awesome. I don't care if people start calling me a cradle-robber."
"What about kids? I can't have those, either."
The detective's eyebrow shot up. "Who says I want them? Right now, I think our jobs are way too dangerous to even consider it. And it's not like we could have them without help, anyway. If we ever did decide we wanted kids, there are plenty of options. I could carry them. Or we could adopt. Seemed to work out pretty well for your sister."
"I was adopted too, actually. Except the Danvers' are the only family I've ever known. Jo...she said something once about all immortals starting out as foundlings. No idea what that means in terms of where I came from, but it doesn't matter. Family is more than blood, after all."
"Damn straight," Maggie grinned. Her expression softened a moment later as she wrapped an arm around Alex's shoulders. "Was Jo part of that family?"
Alex nodded, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. "Sort of. Not nearly as close as Kara, but if we'd had more time..."
"I'm sorry. She must have been pretty special to have survived as long as she did...especially with the shit she had to have gone through just being who she was."
"Yeah," the immortal sighed, wiping her face. "She lived through shit I couldn't even begin to imagine, only to have it all brought to a screeching halt in mere seconds by Mayor Fuckwad. And he'll probably get away with it, too, since he's basically made himself untouchable."
Maggie shook her head, giving Alex's shoulders a somewhat-comforting squeeze. "We'll get him, babe. I promise. If you want to go to the precinct and make a statement, I'll gladly fill out the arrest warrant myself. Not even Lord is above the law."
"Awesome as that sounds, it won't work. I didn't actually see Lord kill Jo, and there's no evidence of what he did to me…not without exposing immortals to the world. And even if we could arrest him, either his lawyers would get him right back out on the streets or he'd kill himself and walk out of the morgue to start this shit over someplace else." With another sigh, she turned to meet Maggie's gaze. "The only way we'll ever get justice for what happened to Jo is the permanent way, but that can't happen as long as Lord's in the public eye. Like Jo told me last night, he might as well be on Holy Ground – the one place we're not allowed to whack each other's heads off. It's fucking hopeless."
"And I thought I was the cynic in this relationship." At that, Alex broke, and Maggie instinctively pulled her even closer, allowing the immortal to lay her head in her lap. Alex could feel the detective stroking her hair as she finally let loose the tears she'd been holding back since finding Jo's body. "I know it's not exactly the same thing, but back when I was a rookie in Gotham my training officer got shot in the line of duty – right in front of me. Everyone said there was nothing I could've done. Didn't stop me from feeling guilty, though. I'd only been riding with him a few weeks, but his death still hit me pretty hard. It took a month before I could go on patrol without freaking out every time someone pulled a gun, and even longer to stop replaying that night in my head and wondering if there was anything I could've done differently."
"Sorry," the immortal muttered.
Maggie shook her head. "I'm fine. It was years ago. Point is, I kind of get what you're going through right now. You're not alone."
"I'm so fucking terrified, Mags," Alex breathed, grabbing the detective's hand and pulling it to her chest for comfort. "Jo was the only other immortal I've ever met aside from Lord, and I know I'm nowhere near ready to survive this stupid fucking 'game' on my own. What the fuck am I supposed to do if someone comes for my head? I couldn't even beat Jo when we sparred."
"We'll figure this out, Alex. Together." She gently nudged Alex so that the immortal was looking up at her and used her thumb to wipe away her tears. Though she was far from over Jo's death, Maggie's declaration made Alex feel like there might be some hope after all. 'Stronger together,' like her sister always said. "I don't suppose there's some sort of immortal Craigslist we could consult?" Maggie continued.
Alex laughed, which made the detective smile. "No Craigslist, but immortals all get their own personal stalkers."
"Stalkers?" Maggie asked, eyebrow raised once more.
"Some secret society that call themselves 'Watchers.' They've made it their mission in life to follow us around and record our lives for posterity on the off-chance that this so-called 'game' actually has an endpoint and we all disappear."
"And I take it you know at least one."
The immortal nodded. "Joe Dawson. He's retired, supposedly, but currently owns the immortal equivalent to that dive bar we hang out at. Hamilton is one, too, but we're both kind of pretending that we don't know what the other is."
"Except for last night and the impromptu surgery."
"Yeah," Alex shrugged, sitting back up. "But if we're going to track down another immortal, I get the feeling that Dawson would be our best bet." Her phone buzzed, and she picked it up to find a new text from the man in question (though she had no idea how he even knew her number). "Speaking of…."
"What's up?"
"Dawson. Wanted to let me know that Jo's remains have been taken care of according to her wishes – whatever that means – and that he's hosting a wake for her at the bar two nights from tonight."
"Those Watchers work fast," Maggie muttered. "I'm guessing that the black van we saw last night was one of theirs."
Alex nodded. "Probably don't want the cops sniffing around and asking questions."
"Makes sense. I remember a few weird beheading cases back in Gotham that got quite a bit of attention. Drove me crazy at the time, trying to figure out who could've done it and how." She sighed. "What do we know about these Watcher guys? Other than what you already told me, I mean."
The immortal shook her head. "Nothing. Jo was more concerned with training than talking about that stuff." She turned to meet Maggie's eyes. "Will you go with me to the wake? I get the feeling that I'm about to meet a lot more immortals and I don't want to be in there alone."
"Of course," the detective grinned, taking Alex's hand and lacing their fingers together. "I'd go even if it was just going to be you and Dawson there with a bunch of booze. Like I said, we're in this together." Maggie pulled the immortal in close once more, releasing her hand and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "You know, you should ask Kara to come too. Once she's over being pissed at you for locking her up – which, by the way, I wouldn't blame her for, even though I understand why you had to – I'm sure she'd want to support you in this as well."
"Not an option, Mags."
Maggie frowned, a confused look crossing her features. "Why not? I thought you two didn't have secrets."
"I can't tell her about this…not yet. Not as long as Lord is still a threat. If Kara knew the truth, she'd stick her nose in where it didn't belong and end up getting herself killed. And since Lord is one of the few outside the DEO who knows how to do just that, it's a risk I'm not willing to take."
"You can't keep this from her forever."
"And I won't," Alex assured her. "As soon as Lord is no longer a problem, I'll come clean about everything." She sighed, reaching out and putting a hand on Maggie's knee. "If it makes you feel better, you have my permission to fill her in if anything should ever happen to me in the field before we finish Lord and my head is still attached. Wouldn't want to freak her out over nothing."
"As long as you promise not to start taking stupid chances just because you have these fancy healing abilities now. Knowing you'll come back doesn't make watching you die any easier. Today was traumatizing enough."
Cracking a smile, Alex shifted their positions and pulled the detective in for a gentle kiss. "I promise," she whispered, once they parted. "No stupid chances. No more than usual, anyway."
"I'll take what I can get," Maggie chuckled, initiating another kiss. They soon became lost in each other, the outside world falling away until the buzzing of Alex's phone yanked them back to reality. Cursing under her breath, the immortal picked up the offending piece of technology, letting out an annoyed huff when she saw the message.
"Looks like the DEO just got word on Jo's disappearance. Lucy wants me to come in for a debrief, since I was the last to see her alive."
Frowning, Maggie plucked the phone from Alex's hands. "I'll tell her she's going to have to wait. You need time to process all of this before facing the fucking inquisition."
"It's fine," Alex shrugged, taking the phone back before the detective could type anything. "I'd rather get it over with now so we can get back to finding a way to take Lord down. Though I'm not exactly sure what I can tell her without exposing the whole immortal thing."
"I thought the DEO specialized in the weird stuff. Not that I'm calling you weird or anything…."
"We do, but this is different. Number one, if anyone other than those who already know found out, it would only be a matter of time before it got back to Kara. And I already told you how bad an idea that would be."
Maggie nodded. "And number two…?"
"I promised Dawson I'd leave his niece out of the immortal stuff."
"His niece…. Lane?"
"Yeah," Alex nodded. "He doesn't want her involved, and I intend to respect his wishes unless there's no other option."
"Fair enough. But if you're going in, I'm coming with you. No arguments," the detective added, before Alex could even open her mouth. "Let's get you dressed, and while we're at it we can figure out a cover story for Lane."
"I can dress myself, you know."
"I know," Maggie smirked. "But isn't it more fun when I help?"
"Well…when you put it like that…." She let the detective lead her back into the bedroom, and it was several hours before they left for the DEO.
TBC (Sorry I had to kill Jo, but I'm afraid it was necessary to move the plot forward. Feel free to yell at me in the review section. See you Tuesday!)
