A/N: Yeah, so there was a reason I called the first one 'Pt 1'. Here is chapter 21 aka the part 2 of the fight with an angrier, more dangerous Kryptonite Man… and an army of not so friendly cyborg zombie aliens…
Heads up on two things 1: we have a BIG reveal in this update, and 2: something BAD happens at the end. I leave it to your discretion to read this now or read it with the next update. That said, I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible to soothe your worries. Also, if stuff stays dark and twisty permanently/if something happens to a character and it stays permanent, I'll add it to the warnings so you'll know. I've changed the rating to 'M' because of the upcoming fight with Cadmus and some emotionally charged scenes ahead that highlights their cruelty.
Comments and reviews are always welcome. If there's something you're worried about and need to discuss with me (because of certain events from certain shows that left people permanently scarred – I know it did me a little) let me know. We can talk, and I'll soothe your feelings ;) You can always hit me up at tumblr (/thehypotensivegrad).
Winn found himself all but crashing into one fancy looking medical equipment five minutes after the Legionnaires lest and upon realizing that he needed to find Alex.
Alex, Kara's sister and badass DEO agent extraordinaire, who was currently checking on Thea now that she's woken up. Mick was still soundly dozing off on one of the beds at the med bay while Maggie was arguing with Kate, Batwoman stubbornly refusing to stay still one minute longer.
"You look incredibly pale! You need to rest!" Maggie had argued.
"I'm always pale!" Kate had retorted as she struggled to get out of the bed.
"Do they always argue?" Thea asked Alex.
Alex shrugged. "I'm not stepping in between those two. They have history I don't want to dig up." she replied truthfully.
"Yes, pale with a chest injury that never really healed! Damn it Kate, why are you so stubborn?!" Maggie yelled. "You can't overexert yourself!"
Completely distracting Winn because she's never actually heard the detective yell.
Instead of actually crashing, Winn found himself sliding down the floor as he skidded to a halt, hitting his head as a result as he lost his balance and fell.
Somehow the blow bought him time to figure out what it was that he had wanted to tell Alex.
Winn knew that he could either act on the knowledge of a possible future or not. If he acts on it, would that change the future or secure it? If he doesn't, then what happens?
After essentially arguing with himself in his head while Alex was checking to see if he was okay, Winn grabbed his head and all but pulled out his hair as he screamed.
This shouldn't be really hard to figure out.
But he was scared.
Really scared.
Because what if he makes a mistake, a wrong choice? What if his decisions cost Kara her life?
"Winn, what on earth is going on with you?" Alex asked, looking at him with caution. There she was Alex Danvers, still working tirelessly to make sure everyone was okay even after the day they've had.
Everyone was, as a matter of fact.
They were all helping each other out, despite the fact that fatigue should start settling in, despite the fact that they should all probably want to just crawl into bed, they were still moving.
Just like time.
And do something or do nothing, whatever it was that would put Kara's life in danger would still put it in danger.
It would still happen.
"Kara…" Winn started to say.
"Oh, they moved Supergirl to a fancier sunbed set up." Maggie noted as she walked towards Alex and check on Winn too. "Sun room actually. Palmer and Ramone converted an old training room lined with a small dose of kryptonite into one in record time."
"Yeah, they do that a lot." Thea commented, looking concerned about the way Winn looked. Behind her he saw Kate move from the bed and walked towards something on the floor.
The small black box with the flight ring.
"Care to explain what this is?" she asked and Winn sighed.
He had to tell them the truth.
It was the only way.
Lena leaned over her kitchen counter, her head in her hands, just after taking a sip of her fourth glass of wine. She really needed it to process everything that's happened.
It had been a long day.
Her phone was set right next to her on the counter on loudspeaker, hearing the constant ringing before the tell-tale noise that marked the beginning of an automated voice mailbox system. She groaned and hung up before redialing the number.
It's been an hour and half since she got back to her place, an hour and a half since whatever those black tendrils were disappeared from the city.
An hour and a half since she's been trying to call Kara to check on her, make sure she's fine. But alas, no answer.
Her TV was on, tuned in to one of the few channels that had managed to restore its services. Lena wasn't going to lie, she knew that Kara being worried about a threat would mean that it was serious, but she didn't think it would be on the level that it was.
That people would be turned against each other, that global destruction was a sure thing. That heroes would be taken over and compromised.
Clips of Superman and Batman fighting were now being shown as Lena grabbed her phone, her glass, and the bottle of wine that she had opened as she settled down in her couch still relentlessly calling Kara.
She wanted to hear Kara's voice again, she wanted to take things back to how they were that morning.
Before reality decided to take them right in the thick of it.
Lillian Luthor wasn't particularly happy about their current financial situation that morning, and Lena could tell she had been dying to complain about Thunder Corporation's status with the threat of a corporate raid just around the corner. But Lena wasn't supposed to know that, so she didn't ask when she saw her mother.
Instead, she went with her to the storage docks where they met Westfield. Apparently there was a secret entrance there to an undergrad Cadmus lab somewhere there.
And by lab, t was more like a cramped up space with a few computers and scientists crunching numbers.
"We're downsizing spaces here since we are planning to move soon. However, we need to be careful with a few things, so we are taking time." Westfield had said before fully explaining that since the raids started, Westfield had to be careful and creative about moving a few assets and major projects around.
Especially since the DEO had very nearly reached Project 13 a few good times.
And thus, they had to make do with the make shift underground labs around National City. The main lab, the one that they were still using, was underneath National City University's own research labs. It suddenly clicked to Lena that she should have looked into that as soon as they had uncovered Thunder Corporations real nature since the company has made a few good donations to the establishment of their current lab buildings. The whole inauguration was made into some big spectacle about a year ago as it was a sharp contrast to how things were in Metropolis with Lex in the helm of a different corporation using science for murder plots instead of for the good of the people. Westfield went on to explain that to make sure their most prized projects are kept safe, they set up temporary shops around the city. They were more like satellite facilities, with one small room, such as the one they were in, being used for one particular purpose.
"We currently have a surgery outlet someplace underground in downtown National City and here we have the main computational and surveillance facility at the storage docks." Westfield had explained. "All, of course, are connected to the main lab we have at the university through narrow passages that run parallel to the sewage lines. Again, not exactly ideal, but we had to make do until everything is set-up for our move to the new main base of operations."
"Ah, so this tour's purpose is moot then? Showing me the old soon to be useless space is for what, may I ask, Dr. Westfield?" Lena had asked and Westfield chuckled.
"Oh, it's for a purpose, Lena. I assure you." Westfield had replied and turned to look at Lillian.
"It's a bit of a long walk dear, but we can't risk using the main entrance for the labs. Besides, we would have shown you what we have here sooner, but we were waiting for the right time. My source at the NCPD said that the entire department were being made alert to some foreign threat. I don't exactly know what he meant, but I assume that most of the forces that could be monitoring our activities are busy today." her mother had further explained and Lena made a mental note that the police department was currently compromised by Lillian Luthor's own agents.
The police and possibly a few other agencies that they should definitely look into.
Lena's phone finally died in her desperate attempts of calling Kara when the news featured Cat Grant's face on the television as she gave a heartfelt and rousing speech that moved not just the citizens of National City but of the entire world.
A message of hope.
A message that said they could rise through everything because they were all stronger together. Lena reached for the remote and tuned into Catco media's own news channel where they were currently featuring the new heroes patrolling the streets and helping the citizens of National City with their efforts to get their city back to its feet. Lena couldn't help but notice that Supergirl was missing in action, making her worry even more.
A part of her wished she could have just stayed in Kara's apartment the whole day. That their little idyllic weekend never ended.
That she said what she had let slip to Kara herself before she left, made sure she heard and understood just how much she meant to Lena. Just how much it would crush her if anything were to happen to her.
Lena poured herself another glass, not entirely sure what she should do next.
She wanted to reach Kara first. Make sure she was okay and let her know she was too. She had been putting off reaching Kate after her last update that she was safe because a part of Lena was already dying to know if Kara had been okay the whole time. That she wasn't compromised like Superman. That she wasn't hurt at all.
She got very little news on what was happening above for a good chunk of time while she was underground.
Westfield hadn't been lying, it truly was a great deal of a walk to the main facility. Lillian had decided to be left behind where they entered, telling Westfield that she intended to check on something else she was working on. Somehow, Lena had the feeling that the attack on L-Corp the other night was involved with whatever her mother was working on, but Westfield's incessant chatter about Cadmus' ideal goals and Lex's vision had Lena partially distracted to follow up on what it could have been.
She was curious, of course, where the whole build-up of his speech was going, and so she followed him.
By the time they reached the entrance of the main facility in what Lena had assumed was somewhere underneath the area that encompassed the research labs of National City University, she was half listening to Westfield and half regretting her decision to wear the pair of heels she was currently wearing. Sure, it made her look like she was dressed to kill, but at that point the heels were killing her feet.
The main facility had been split into different chambers inside, and Westfield had been going on and on about how he wanted Lena to meet someone special.
And then the grey alien with horns, the one who had Lena's memories, showed up in front of the two.
"Dr. Westfield. We've been waiting for you. And ah, yes, Ms. Luthor. I apologize for how our earlier meeting had gone. I had wished we could have met under better circumstances." Dubbilex said. He was well-spoken and gentle in his tone, completely different from what she had been expecting of him. He was even dressed in a purple and white suit, somehow giving her an image of a highly intellectual research scientist instead of a Cadmus thug.
Lena had to muster every ounce of strength within her to keep her cool and calm demeanor. The genomorph, who knew the truth about her involvement with Cadmus and what her true intentions were had been standing right in front of her, regarding her as an ally and a friend. She wasn't sur if she was heading for a trap, a part of her conscious mind was telling her that she probably was and that she might never see the light of day again.
But part of her subconscious was telling her that she could trust him.
Because if she couldn't, Lena knew, she would be dead in an instant.
They made their way through a secured hallway, Westfield explaining that while most of the main facility was heavily secured and monitored at the satellite lab where they entered earlier, this part of the research facility was on a different security circuit. "Everything here is isolated. Only Dubbilex and I are allowed access to security feeds, research data, and resources in the lab before us. Everything here is also kept on the server we have in the room. We cannot allow just anyone to reach what we keep behind the doors, after all. Only a select few know about what we keep here and we intend on keeping I that way." Westfield had said in a more serious tone.
"And I suppose I'm important enough to be allowed inside?" Lena had asked and Westfield smiled back at her.
"Ms. Luthor, like I said, I want you to assist with Project 14. We can't have you assisting with the project and not see what we're making, now can we? You would need a good deal of information. When Lex was arrested, Dubbilex and I were the only ones working on Project 13 and with my involvement in all other Cadmus Projects, I'm afraid that my time with Project 14 would be very limited. There's still so much to be done, the war suit, our Mark II. I believe that having you work with Dubbilex personally will greatly benefit us in the end."
Lena nodded, "So behind that door…" she had started to say, wanting to ask if Project 14 was right there, at the very least the beginnings of the project. If what they wanted to reach was right within her grasps.
But Westfield shook his head. "To understand the current project of interest, we need to show you the predecessor. We currently have 14 safe and secure at the main base." he had replied as the three of them reached the outside door of the isolated chamber. "What's behind here is… well… shall we say Project 14's brother."
Lena looked back at Westfield in confusion as he swiped his ID and entered his access code.
The door opened with a gush of cool air greeting them as they stepped inside the dark room. Upon Westfield's command the lights that lined the corners of the lab had opened.
To the right back corner of the room was the main computer. A few screens were pulled up including a security feed of the room, the main files regarding the project all pulled up with an ongoing message of analysis, a screen that flashed 'Transfer Complete', and a screen showing random security feeds from the city, monitoring any signs of a possible raid so that they could be alerted in time.
To the left back corner of the room was an old and empty gestation pod with a small monitor connected to it for monitoring. The pod was simply labelled 'XIII'.
In the middle of the two set-ups was an open sleeping pod that was attached to the back wall.
And at the center of the room was a soft cushioned pad that stretched out from the open pod with metallic levers supporting it. On it was a young man in an all-black suit, red lines running along the seams similar to how Supergirl's suit was designed. On his chest was a red symbol of the House of El, although Lena was sure that Westfield had no idea what it meant. His eyes shut beneath the wisps of slightly long black hair as if he was asleep.
He was connected to a few cable wires, some were attached to his pulse points, a few on his chest, but most were attached on his forehead. Glancing up on the screen, Lena found that they were monitoring his brain activity along with his breathing and his heart rate.
Lena was all but in awe, absolutely speechless at the sight before her.
He was but a young man, a boy, a teenage boy and Westfield went on and on about moving him soon now that everything was ready. How it was their greatest success so far, their greatest creation.
She pulled her hands from her coat pocket as she reached out to him, holding his hands on his own.
Westfield was wrong, Lena had been adamant about, he was not an 'it'.
His flesh was warm in Lena's hands, his chest heaving up and down as he breathed normally without an aid of a machine, his heart beat pulsing through his veins.
He was flesh and blood and alive.
Yes, he was a 'he'. A boy, a teenage boy with a bit Lex's natural physical charms at an angle but who looked incredibly like a young Clark Kent.
Dubbilex had remained silent as Westfield went on about his proud pitch of how it was their ultimate bioweapon… so far…
Because of who Supergirl was, because of the power she possessed, they stood a chance in making something even more powerful than the project she had right in front of her.
Project 13.
Lena had felt herself shudder at Westfield's words, at how he regarded the boy in front of her like it was all but an instrument.
She shuddered at the thought that this was what they all were desperately looking for, what all the monstrosity of projects they've developed and haphazardly discarded when they failed to succeed with had culminated in.
That was when Lena knew that they can't destroy them, no.
They needed to stop Cadmus, that was for sure, but destroy a seemingly helpless teenager as he slept?
This was more than saving Kara, or Superman for that matter. This was more than stopping Cadmus.
This was freeing them.
This was making sure Cadmus doesn't create more of them.
They can't destroy Project 13 and Project 14. No, that would be cruel.
They had to save them.
Lena had given his hands a hard squeeze as she recovered enough to regard Westfield once more.
But she never did get the chance to say anything. The power fluctuated briefly just and Westfield received an urgent message from Lillian Luthor to come see her.
Westfield excused himself, asking Dubbilex to answer any question that Lena had. He left with a promise of returning to briefly talk about Project 14. He never did, with the mess that followed that involved tendrils taking root and destroying parts of the facility they have underground, all Westfield could muster was a promise that they would talk about it at some other day but they have started and things looked promising.
Instead Lena found herself stuck in the lab with Dubbilex for the most part of the Blight invasion.
"Whatever you're thinking of accomplishing at the moment Ms. Luthor, I would advise you to reconsider." Dubbilex had said as soon as Westfield left and it was made clear from the feeds they have of the outside world that he wasn't going to come back anytime soon. "Taking him out of here with you is of no good option. It would only put your life and his in great danger. As for waking him up now, he's still not stable. The memory transfer had just been completed and he still needs to be monitored."
"By memory you mean…" Lena had started to ask.
"Your brother and Superman's." Dubbilex had replied without letting her finish. He had his back turned from Lena as he played around with the information on the screen. "Don't worry Ms. Luthor, the feeds in this room aren't recording at the time. You may speak freely. I can simply explain the missing feeds as a result of the disturbances outside."
But Lena didn't dare speak. She was still uncertain as to who or what Dubbilex was, where his loyalty lies.
Dubbilex pulled out a tiny memory chip from the computer mainframe and placed it in a small plastic case before handing it to Lena. "Everything you and your friends need Ms. Luthor."
"Why are you doing this?" Lena had asked cautiously as she pocketed the chip.
"I was made by Cadmus, true, but I am a sentient being of my own. In the five years of my existence, I saw the pain and cruelty they have spread." Dubbilex replied before turning to nod at Project 13. "He's special. He survived everything so far and is pretty much complete. Dr. Westfield and Dr. Luthor regard him as a monster, as a tool, nothing more other than a simple machine to do their bidding. But he isn't, is he? You held his hand, you felt his warmth. He is alive. Created, engineered, but alive. The circumstance of his birth may be different from much of all other beings but he, like all others, have a beating heart, a sound mind."
"Like you." Lena had managed to say as she realized what Dubbilex sentiments were. They were all created by Cadmus, they were all given life by scientists who programmed and specifically designed them to be the way they were.
But they had their own consciousness.
Their own lives.
They didn't want to live up to the name of a place they were created, they didn't want the circumstance of their creation shape them.
And Lena could understand to well the need to shape your own identity apart from what you came from, the family you never had and the family that shaped you.
"Really, all that needs to be answered is if we have a soul, wouldn't you say?" Dubbilex had then replied. "Do we have a ghost in the machine? In Project 13's case, who is his ghost in the machine? Who is his soul? His identity? Is he Lex or Kal-El? Perhaps he is his own person. Perhaps he has his own soul. One made from what makes both his progenitors good and fighting against the mistakes they both made. But soul or not, he has a heart. And isn't it that what heroes are defined by, their heart? I edited his memories such that he could become his own person. So that he can find his own path and know his history so he could take in his own hands the decision to become who he was meant to be."
"You probed both my brother's memories and Superman's to program him based on it?" Lena had then found herself asking. "Just like what you did to me, and to Supergirl?"
"Yes." Dubbilex replied before pulling out separate a disc, "This is what was uploaded in his cortex, an edited version of all your brother's and Kal-El's memories. I couldn't let him see all… I decided to give him Lex's good qualities mixed with Kal-El's. He is his own, please believe me when I say that Ms. Luthor. You can't let anyone hurt him."
"Why do you trust me?" Lena had then asked, still wanting to shed light on Dubbilex's motives. "How sure are you I won't hurt him?"
"Because I see your thoughts, Ms. Luthor. You are good. You care for him already." Dubbilex noted. "Project 14 had just begun. They've finally succeeded in combining Kara Zor-El's DNA with something it refused to destroy. They will begin the aging process soon, slowly like they had done with Project 13 but with the mistakes they had learned from in making Project 13, I fear they would need her memories uploaded soon."
"Are they on this disc? Kara's memories?" Lena asked.
"That disc has the collective memories of Lex and Kal-El, of Kara Zor-El, and you Ms. Luthor, along with the edited memories for Project 13. That, however is not the main memory database. Westfield still needs it for Project 14 and he had me keep it at the main base. Do not worry Ms. Luthor, he has not seen any of it but he had me made it under his close supervision."
"You've been to the main base?"
"Yes. It is where they had started work with Project 14."
"Where is it? The base?" Lena had pressed on.
"I could not tell." Dubbilex had replied. "We are taken there in the night when I least expect it. Westfield trusts me but he is still cautious. He knows I can probe the minds of those who take us so he has me put to sleep. But you have a GPS device on you…"
Lena took out the device Kate had given her and that was when she had a brilliant plan.
Westfield did say they would be transferring Project 13 soon.
She and Dubbilex had hatched their own plans as he showed her the files regarding Project 13, his test results, every single bit of data that they had collected about him. Lena had asked a favor of him, regarding the memories for Project 14 as they discussed everything that was done with Project 13.
"We need to stop calling him that." Lena had found herself saying after having updated Kate for the nth time that she was safe. Dubbilex had stopped her from sending a signal that gave away their location, afraid that someone form Cadmus might pick it up completely. Short busts were deemed safe, however, thus Lena settled on using Morse code.
"Project 13?" Dubbilex had asked.
"It dehumanizes him. I don't like it." Lena had abruptly replied. "How about Connor?" she had asked after giving it a thought.
"Connor?" he had repeated.
"It's Gaelic. It means strong-willed, wise, and it also means lover of dogs but I think suits him."
"Connor Luthor, then?" Dubbilex had asked.
"No, Kent. Connor Kent. If we need to give him a last name, let him have at least that. If Superman is half the man he is, then he should be able to look past the Luthor part of him. If not and I'm mistaken, I'm hoping we can find some other home for him. I'm sure Kara would welcome him." Lena had replied adamantly, feeling a twinge of guilt for still not telling Kara what she was up to. But she will, she had to. Lena knew at that point that the time for her to come clean about her activities, about her little game with Cadmus was coming. She'll face the consequences of her actions with Katra then, but she would not, and she could never, let this boy grow up to be a Luthor.
"The Luthors end with my brother and I. Speaking of Luthors and the dark deed they've done, do you have any idea what my mom is up to? Or for that matter, do you know Dr. Danvers? Jeremiah Danvers?" she had then added and asked.
Dubbilex took a deep breath, something Lena noted was definitely a sign of something she wouldn't like to hear.
But before Dubbilex could give her an answer the tendrils threatened to break through where they were.
Dubbilex held them off by creating a force field around them. Lena hurriedly ran towards Connor, placing the device safely in his hands before Dubbilex placed him back inside the pod with instructions to turn it on when they move given to Dubbilex.
For a while it had simply been Dubbilex fighting the tendrils taking root until they disappeared.
And when it was over, they barely had minute to discuss matters at hand, Westfield rushing to check on his most prized project.
All the genomorph could do was give her a warning about what was to come. About her mother's schemes.
And one quick probe, fast enough just to see the most recent memory in Westfield's mind that wouldn't alarm him had allowed Dubbilex to see the diabolical plots that he and Lillian Luthor had been planning.
As they parted Lena kept thinking about the promise that she made Dubbilex keep.
Keep her safe, she had kept thinking in the hopes that Dubbilex wouldpeer into her thoughts and get the message.
And the stern look on his face as Westfield ushered her out was enough to reaffirm her where her loyalties were.
Not to her, not to Cadmus, but to the two they wanted to both safe.
Lena closed her eyes and opened them again. The TV kept flashing news updates of efforts in National City, of the good that had come out from whatever had happened to them in the first place.
There was a quick update showing a poor quality video of the heroes called Valor being chased by demonic looking aliens, and yet another from a distance showing Supergirl, the Flash, Green Arrow, and Valor charging whatever it was beyond the city limits followed by another video of the heroes returning, the Flash carrying Supergirl in his arms as they stopped for a moment seemingly discussing things before once again disappearing into God knows where.
The reporter flashed back on the screen, the words 'Supergirl Saved the Day?' flashed on screen as accounts from all over National City seemed to support the fact that Supergirl was one of the few heroes who kept fighting whatever it was that attacked them.
Another update came in confirming that it was an alien invasion and that both humans and aliens living on earth fought to keep this planet alive.
Lena's heart was filled with both pride and worry, her Supergirl had saved them all but from the looks of it she wasn't exactly in tip-top shape.
Was she hurt? What happened? Why is she unconscious? Please, God, don't let her be…
Lena fought every thought that creeped into her mind that suggested that something bad had happened to Kara. She couldn't accept it. She wouldn't let it be true.
But the fight wasn't over. No, not quite.
Because Lena remembered Dubbilex and his warnings.
Because Cadmus was up to something big.
And no, the fight was most definitely not yet over.
Lena scrambled on her feet to find her charger and a burner phone that Kate had given her just in case.
If she couldn't reach Kara, then she would do the next best thing.
She grabbed the burner phone and dialed Kate's number.
"What do you mean Kara may or may not die, Winn?! You need to give a sufficient explanation other than the future isn't settled!" Alex exclaimed. Winn tried to keep things as vague as possible as they tried to gather pretty much everyone that they can at the training room Alex and Kate used. White Canary and Mon-El were still doing patrols but James made it back to the DEO in record time. Winn simply had said that the legionnaires briefly dropped by, the ring being proof he wasn't lying, and that they needed to talk about something that might happen at any time.
Barry was the last one who arrived as they all gathered, bringing the good news that they could travel back now. Cisco tried out is powers and was pleasantly surprised to find himself multiverse hopping for a few minutes to confirm that what Barry said was true.
Everyone had rejoiced upon hearing the news, everyone except for Winn who looked incredibly panicked as he realized something. "No, no, no. That's it! That is it! You all leaving, that's it!" he started spewing out which led everyone to look at him confused.
"We're defenseless right now. It's the perfect time to attack and if you guys leave… when you leave something happens…" Winn went on, causing a look of concern from Alex. He was starting to sound like a raving mad man.
That is, until he explained what she found out what Winn meant when he finally decided to tell everyone what he found out.
"No, you shouldn't have said that. Now we don't know if staying or leaving would cause it. What if we're the ones who bring Kara harm? What if she tries to save one of us when whatever it is that will happen, happens? Dude, time paradox!" Cisco then said unsure of what to do next. "We're influenced by that knowledge now. We can't know anything for sure."
"Look, all I know is we barely stand a chance if Cadmus decides to attack at this very moment. Succeed or not, it could cost Kara her life!" Winn desperately said just as Alex started pacing. Oliver tried to keep everyone calm, asking Winn to further explain what the Legionnaires meant.
"I don't know." Alex heard Winn reply. "All I know is that it's very much clear that they said something could happen to Supergirl. No, I mean Kara. Brainiac 5 said that though Kara may fall, there would always be a Supergirl."
Alex looked at Winn confused just a she saw Kate snap her attention to Winn. "What do you know about this?" Alex asked, sounding quite irritated.
They just saved the day, the day was supposed to behave and not need any more saving.
Not for a while at least.
Especially not from a threat that could potentially kill her sister.
"Nothing, technically speaking." Kate replied and Alex simply glared at her impatiently. She took a deep breath and waited for Kate to speak.
"I'm sorry, considering we were in the middle of preparing for an alien invasion of epic proportions, my investigations have been limited to mostly where Cadmus is hiding Project 13 and the little raids that we could pull off." Kate replied before she sighed. "I don't know much of Cadmus' recent projects. We did pinpoint their source of income and we've been moving to cut the monetary flow. There were a few things regarding a possible Mark II for Cyborg Superman, a few missing Kryptonian bodies from Fort Rozz that were experimented on and… and the possibility that there might be a Project 14."
"Does that mean Project 13 is a failure? And you didn't think all of that was pertinent information?" Alex asked, doing her best not to yell.
"Again, we were kind of preoccupied and we didn't really have much about it to go on with. I'm not saying I didn't make a mistake and not loop you in sooner, but loop you in on what? We're still digging on information to understand things ourselves. Most of what we have are highly encrypted. Besides, Project 14, it's not a second Project 13 exactly. Project 13 is functional and could be a real threat unless we reach it."
"Don't you mean destroy it?" Alex retorted.
"Alex, have you not seen the other projects, its predecessors? Their bioweapons. Living things, living being the key word. Maybe someone decided to play God, sure, but I'm not destroying or taking a life. Not when I can save it. Besides, we don't even know where it is!?"
"And what if it's what kills my sister?" Alex threw back.
Kate took a deep breath and sighed. "Okay, how about we all calm down a little." Felicity then said stepping in between the currently on going screaming match.
"It's not yet finalized. That much I know." Kate then admitted following what Felicity had said and keeping herself calm. "Look, this whole thing with Project 13 is a bit of a sensitive subject. Really, at the end of the day, Superman and Supergirl are the ones with a say on what happens next. We're still trying to dig through whatever information we can from the past failed experiments. There are still a few unknown variables at play."
Alex was about to say something else but then Kate's phone started ringing. She looked unsure before excusing herself and stepping out of the room to answer the call. She watched as Kate left before starting to pace the room yet again.
Barry was quick to explain what he knows about time travel so far and what he's learned. "This mess started with me, I created the ripples. I know it might still be selfish reason but I want to stay. We haven't made everything right yet and if Supergirl dies, she dies because of the ripples I've caused. Because of me. Because the Blight wasn't supposed to come now, not until the 30th century at the earliest but they came today. Kara's already done so much to save this earth against an invasion and she's done a lot to help us on our earth. I'm sorry guys, but I can't leave my friend until this is all over."
"Barry's right." Oliver replied with a heavy sigh. "I was there in the chamber… I saw her fall on her knees and give it her all. We're still here because of her. We have the chance to return home because Kara stood her ground until the very end. I say we stay and keep an eye on things, make sure that the city is back to normal before we leave."
"But how long are we going to be here? We have problems we need to take care of ourselves." Mick then said.
"Until we known Supergirl is back on her feet and has the back-up she needs." Ray then replied and Alex couldn't help but feel thankful that Kara had found good friends like them…
…even if they were from another earth.
Kate stepped back inside the room with an unreadable expression. "Who was that?" Alex asked.
"A source. My source." Kate replied instantly before taking another deep breath and addressing everyone else in the room. "I think I know how Kara might die."
"How?" Alex demanded.
"Cadmus." Kate replied. "Their planning an attack. I think we need to loop J'onn in, this is major thing. Also know where one of their last labs are."
"Where?" Alex followed up.
"Broken up into satellite facilities under National City." Kate replied.
"I'll go get J'onn." Winn offered.
"I'll check on Supergirl, make sure she's okay and ready in case we need her." Caitlyn then added.
"Let's meet back at the command center of this base in five. Bring in White Canary and Valor. We need to come up with plan for the coming attack." Oliver commanded and everyone agreed without question as they wasted no time and making their way out of the training room and getting ready.
They were all tired, sure, but the fight wasn't over.
Maggie lingered for a while as Kate chose to stay behind in the training room with Alex. Seeing as the two of them seemed to want to have some privacy, she eventually made her way out.
"They also have a mole at NCPD. I'm not sure if they still have one at the DEO." Kate then said once Maggie was gone.
"We can solve that problem easily." Alex then replied before she took in a deep breath. She wanted to release her anger, she really did, mostly because she wasn't particularly mad at Kate. Just a little.
They were all in this together now and Alex most definitely wanted to remain informed of whatever it was that was going on with Cadmus.
No more secrets.
"Who was it?" she found herself asking, her mind instantly forming an image of her dad working covertly to stop Cadmus. "Is it… was it my…"
"Alex, I don't know where your father is." Kate instantly replied, knowing where the question was going. "But I think we need to talk."
Alex gave her a questioning gaze but Kate simply shook her head. "I need you sharp. Half of us are still recovering with what happened. Hell, I still feel like I have a needles perforating my skull. We'll talk when this is over, I mean. For now, I think we need to focus on responding to whatever threat Cadmus sends our way is."
"It's Lena, isn't it? She was the one who called?" Alex then said as Kate made an attempt to leave the room, her thoughts finally catching up to her. Because if it wasn't her father the only logical choice would be a Luthor.
She froze on her tracks before turning to face Alex. But her emotions didn't betray her at all. Instead she simply replied, "We're not done talking Alex. As a matter of fact, we have a lot of things to discuss. But I'm not discussing this with you right now."
"I want to know everything you know." Alex demanded and Kate nodded.
"You will." she simply replied. "But I warn you, sometimes the truth isn't exactly what we want to hear." she added, sincerity in her tone, before turning to leave.
And Alex believed her. She knew that it most definitely was not over.
The night before was spent with trying to get something as close to possible as a decent night's sleep for the rest of them, most of the heroes sticking around the DEO just in case they were needed. Alex didn't want to leave for Kara's sake that Maggie had relented and the two of them made one of the empty holding cells as comfortable as possible for some rest and privacy.
Alex didn't talk much, still worried about everything that's happened. Maggie should be used to it by now, like Supergirl, Alex had the weight of the world on her shoulders. And by world, it was mostly Kara. To make the world safe for her sister, give her as normal of a life as possible even though they're reality is anything but normal. Maggie was sometimes annoyed by this, because sometimes it felt like Alex didn't have a life of her own. Everything she's seen her do is for Kara or for her family. There was a part of her that was worried because of it. The part that saw someone she loved be consumed by it all as she chased away all of the demons that haunted her.
But a greater part saw that Kate was right. There had so many similarities that Maggie sometimes feared for the worst. Especially when all she felt was the fear of losing someone she loved because of the responsibilities she chose to bear. But Alex knew when to stop, when to take a breath. Alex knew how to trust, that she wasn't alone even though sometimes she throws caution – and back-up – to the wind and rushes in head on. Alex did what she what she could because of the love she had for her family, for her friends, and for her sister.
She saw Alex for who she was. Someone who kept on fighting to protect the people she loved. Someone who cared about her sister, adopted or not. She could have resented Kara. She could have just dropped her because she was allowed to live her own independent life. But Alex never did. She stuck by her sister's side, never abandoning her.
And Alex still managed to find a way to balance it all.
Just, sometimes somethings take precedent over other things.
So Maggie did the talking, telling Alex stories of her childhood at Blue Springs, nothing as interesting as sharing a bedroom with an alien sister for sure, but she's had her own misadventures. She wanted to see Alex smile, clear away a bit of her worries.
Maggie didn't really have a lot of friends but she had a lot of cousins. And while most of them lived far away, things always got interesting when they visited. She was telling Alex a rather embarrassing story at a pharmacy involving a rather awkward misunderstanding between one of her closest cousins and herself when Maggie decided to come out to her that seemed to finally got Alex to chuckle.
"That's mean." Maggie had said.
"I'm sorry, but why did she think… You know what, never mind. I'm pretty sure the whole thing was entirely stressful and the misunderstanding incredibly mortifying." Alex had replied as she tried to fight back the smiles taking over her. Normally, and if it had been anyone else, Maggie would definitely had been mad.
But it was Alex, and Alex was finally smiling again so she really didn't mind at all.
They both drifted to sleep sharing stories of their childhood and for a minute, things were okay. Everything was calm.
No threat came over the course of the evening as they later found out. James walked into the DEO with boxes upon boxes of donuts and carry-on coffee for everyone to power up as they went over the plans they made the night before. Kara finally woke up that morning, and though the boxes of powdered donuts with her name on it – James literally wrote 'For Kara Only' on one of the boxes – was calling out to her, Alex insisted that they run tests on her to see if she was strong enough to be Supergirl for the day.
They all decided to not let Kara know about what could happen to her. They didn't want it to affect much of her decisions, not that it could potentially have stopped her from being too careless and jumping head in to any battle. The Sun Room seemed to do an excellent job at getting Kara back on track. She wasn't a hundred percent on full power, no, considering Mon-El, Barry, Krypto, and Streaky – yeah, they kept the two pets around at the DEO much to Thea, Cisco, Felicity, and Barry's amusement – were still running faster than her. But she could fly. She was indestructible. And she was still punching a bit harder than Mon-El so all in all it was okay.
Alex gave it about a seventy-five percent back to normal rating.
"Alex, you don't need to baby me too much. We did it, we saved the day." Kara had said finally being able to sink her teeth into a donut and Kara's eyes lighted up that Maggie couldn't help but laugh at how quickly she ended up gulping down the rest.
"Sadly, Little Danvers, it's not that simple." Maggie answered for Alex. "We received news of a possible Cadmus attack while the city's vulnerable."
Kara's face turned from amused and happy-go-lucky to serious and minutes and the team brought her up to speed with what's been going on.
After that, Kara pretty much spent the rest of the morning pacing around the DEO. She had wanted to fly and go see Lena, make sure she was okay, but Alex said that they needed her around in case of any sign of trouble. She had to remind Kara that Kryptonite Man was still hanging round after all.
Kara settled on having a phone call with her girlfriend somewhere private where no one could eavesdrop – because seriously, Maggie could share Kara's sentiments about the DEO freaking out that she's dating Lena Luthor – to check in on things while Oracle patched in on the main computers helping them locate all the satellite labs around National City and the main one underneath the university as what Kate had informed them the night before.
The teams had been roughly preassigned the night before. Most of the DEO agents were going to address the issue of shutting down the labs. They saw movement from the university by suspicious looking vans but Kate had insisted to let them proceed from moving what needed to be moved from the university.
"My source said that they're moving something of great importance form that lab to the main base. If we let them take it, we can track the signal form one of my devices to where their main base is. We can close in on Cadmus and end them once and for all. It's a risky move but I'm all for the bigger payoff at this point." Kate explained. "Besides, we still have the other satellite labs to simultaneously target, shut down, and clean up."
"So we let them get whatever it is out before we shut the main one down? Shut everything else down?" Maggie asked. "How did you get a tracking device inside in the first place?"
"I have an insider I can trust." was all Kate replied before Oliver took the conversation to making sure that everyone knew where they were headed and that the main teams with Earth-1's heroes would focus on whatever Cadmus would throw their way.
And right on cue an alert popped on the screen about trouble all around National City. An army of what looked like Cyborg Supermen, more like Cyborg Flying Alien army really since about half of them looked like they were of different species, were flying around town wreaking havoc.
"Aren't those…" Alex started to ask as she noted the black uniform that about half of them were wearing.
"The missing Kryptonians from Fort Rozz we failed to capture." J'onn growled as a reply. "Looks like you had good intel after all." he added as he regarded Kate.
"What are we waiting for everyone? It's time to suit up." Oliver said and everyone kept on moving on.
"Wow, this Cadmus group's really evil, huh. I mean, didn't we already deal with robotic zombie aliens yesterday? Granted the Blight weren't exactly zombies, but the death and decay part of the picture was clearly there, so they might as well could have been." she heard Cisco ask and somehow Maggie couldn't help but share the same sentiments as he did.
They didn't exactly have much to go with other than the fact that Winn picked up signal that corresponded to kryptonite radiation from all the cyborg aliens, particularly the Kryptonians. No one had seemed to have any other idea on how Cadmus managed to not kill the Kryptonians by infusing them with kryptonite cores until Cisco had pointed it out again.
"They're dead." Oliver had heard him say through the coms. "All of them are. They Frankensteined them all. I think we now know what the isotope they stole from L-Corp was for."
"And why they stole those nanochips in the first place." he heard Alex grunt but Oliver was too preoccupied at the moment to give his two cents about anything as he sent one of his trick arrows flying at a Cyborg Kryptonian whose hands started to break open to reveal a mechanized gun inside.
Cadmus was taking the whole evil thing to a whole other level for sure.
The heroes scattered around the city as the citizens sought out refuge. They had just endured one alien attack, and here they were enduring yet another.
They've talked about this before last night. With the attack of the Blight ending up victimizing both humans and alien refugees, everyone in the country, heck, around the world was forced to work together for the better and put aside their differences. The Blight didn't discriminate with their victims, but the help given didn't discriminate either.
Besides, M'gann, Valor, and Supergirl were all aliens who kept fighting for earth until the end even if Superman and J'onn got blighted.
And at the end it was Supergirl who saved the day.
It was the perfect time for Cadmus to strike. Things were on a temporary standstill, and tension among citizens was at its lowest since everyone basically just wanted to get their lives back to normal.
Having clear cut cyborg aliens coming to attack National City at its lowest just after an invasion could incite panic and hysteria. It could shift the power to those who share anti-alien sentiments, the camaraderie shared by a community rebuilding its home easily tossed away. Chaos would be everywhere.
They barely hit the streets when Cadmus sent their transmission all over the city, igniting the hatred that they knew existed against the alien population.
And Oliver had to hand it to Felicity for stopping the transmission and leaking a few of the Cadmus files they've recovered during the raids that pointed to their more heinous activities, including human and alien experimentations.
Soon, what would have been a terrible riot that had overtaken the streets was turned into cooperation from all of the citizens as they tried to put a stop to this madness once and for all. If anything it minimized the number of targets they needed to stop at all cost, especially when they came for blood and murder.
The teams were currently split, and while the heroes had their own battles and corners of the cities to protect along with a two to three agents for back up, the rest of the DEO marched towards the satellite labs.
Oliver wished he could have done more to help, that they could stay longer, but with this fight he hoped that they would cripple Cadmus enough to tip the scales in favor of the good side.
The Green Arrow turned around just in time to see one of the Cyborg aliens fall from where he sneaked up on him on top of the apartment building he was on. Behind his attacker was Ray giving him some sort of salute before focusing his attention to another oncoming threat.
There were only about a handful of cyborgs across the city, by Oliver's calculations, there's enough heroes to stop them.
And more than enough back up if Kara needed their help.
Going on hand to hand combat against an alien was tough, but Sara already knew that. What proved to be more difficult was going up against an alien whose hands have been severed and replaced with mechanical limbs that open to reveal metallic knife-wielding tentacles.
For one thing, the crazy mad scientists from Cadmus were surely creative. But they must have some sort of crazy nightmares to come up with ideas like that and actually execute them.
Sara was right in the middle of downtown National City. Traffic was low that day, with the destruction that the city had to endure from the attack yesterday causing a temporary halt on a lot of major activities around the cities. It also helped that about half the citizens of the city were still trying to recover from being blighted, there were thankfully only quite a few people on the streets.
From not so far away, near National City's own financial district, she could hear the roaring flames from Heatwave's heat gun toasting some of their enemies alive.
At least someone's having fun.
Sara, on the other hand, was just really pissed.
No one had the right to do whatever Cadmus had done to the poor soul right in front of her. Alien or not.
No one had the right to make anyone else suffer like this, to treat them like objects, specimens that they could just take apart and put back together the way they saw fit.
Cadmus was lucky that she didn't exist in this earth and that perhaps the Sara Lance of Earth-38 was nothing like the assassin that she was because if that were the case, she would personally hunt each one of them down until this all ends.
Kryptonite Man, the Cyborg aliens, all of it would stop and cease to exist.
"Guys, if you hit their core reactors they become unstable. Make sure you hit it in a secluded area though, they sort of self-destruct and while the explosion is mostly contained, we don't want shrapnel hitting any innocent bystander." she heard Barry say through the coms, breaking through her thoughts and making her focus on the fight right in front of her.
"And where exactly is the core, Flash?" she managed to reply through gritted teeth having just dodged a small missile from the launcher attached to her current foe's other hand.
"Chest area. Strike the heart." Caitlyn answered for her.
"Would it really matter if they're already toasted?" she heard Mick ask.
"It would. We could save whatever we could and study the components back at the base. We had that with Cyborg Superman, Hank Henshaw, but we couldn't retrieve that much info. There was some sort of mini self-destructing circuit in the cortex that stopped us from learning much about them." Alex had answered.
"So, try to remove that too then?" she heard Thea ask through the coms.
"The explosive thing-y is right underneath the medulla oblongata, by the way." they heard Supergirl say.
"Whoa, hang on there. You hated biology." Alex then remarked with a chuckle. "How do you remember that term?"
"I didn't hate the subject, I hated the teacher. I hated physics though. Besides, I was entirely fascinated by the differences between our physiology and the terms we used for similar things, so…" Kara had then explained and Sara could all but imagine Supergirl grinning.
"Guys, focus on the fight. Witty banter and exchanges later." they heard Batwoman sternly lecture them. She sounded exhausted, but then again, who wouldn't be.
They were only human at the end of the day.
But it was their heart, their will to fight and see justice done that made them heroes.
No, even better.
It made them legends.
Kara felt sick.
Not because her powers weren't a hundred percent back, no.
But she was sickened at the thought that Cadmus could actually be this cruel.
That they could stomach all of the things they have done.
Of course Kara also felt angry because of the same reasons.
Because of the fact that someone out there had these sort of machinations in their mind.
Kara had just deactivated the last of the Cyborg aliens that Cadmus had sent out to play up in the skies, because apparently they had one who could fly. Supergirl was almost sure that it was one of the Kryptonians who were part of her uncles army but she was never really given that much time to think.
It started from a feeling.
That sickly nauseating feeling when she felt the nearby presence of kryptonite.
Kara didn't have to look behind her to know that Kryptonite Man had made his reappearance. That it was time for round two.
Up in the skies, Kara had no allies. Ray, J'onn, and M'gann were all preoccupied by their own battles. It was why Kara knew she had to win this one not by her strength and powers alone but with her wits too. They've battled before, and even their combined forces couldn't subdue Kryptonite Man, it was time for a change in tactic.
Kara kept a safe distance away and started with heatvision as she flew up higher into the atmosphere. She knew where Kryptonite Man's core was. Her goal was still to disable it.
She knew she couldn't risk the fist fight, Alex would call her out on being insane.
But she knew she needed to get near enough to disable it too.
So for now, Kara had decided she would try and by time for her to figure it out.
She kept sending blasts, her irises burning hot the entire time as Kryptonite Man met each of her attack with a blast coming from his hands. At one point he broke of some of the crystallized rock that started to stick out of his arms, a result of his mutations from their last battle, and started hurling it towards her direction.
Kara met each of them with her freeze breath before they started falling to the ground, some she simply blew away. She would send a powerful blast from her heat vision towards Kryptonite Man's direction before obliterating the falling debris with the same superpower.
That's when she had an idea.
Sadly, that was when Kryptonite Man also ran out of patience and started rushing towards her.
They ended up exchanging a few blows before Kara felt herself losing some of her abilities in jolts, the sickening presence of kryptonite calling her to fall ill each time and remain powerless. As soon as she recovered a good distance, she would blast him back up into the heavens, past the clouds even, just so she could keep him away from National City.
If the Cyborg Supermen-like aliens self-destructed when their core reactors were destroyed, Kara could already predict that Kryptonite Man's destruction wouldn't be pretty or safe.
The battle went on for a while, Kara almost tuning out the conversations happening in her earpiece, ignoring Alex's very own warnings of 'Do Not Engage'. She had the shot, she had the chance, and she was going to take it.
This was the safest way of stopping him once and for all. And Kara knew, she had to be safe, and she intended to stay safe at all times too.
She was going to be careful.
Kara saw her chance when she managed to hit Kryptonite Man hard enough to disorient him a little. She took a deep breath and blow out chilly arctic air to freeze his hands, covering much of the Kryptonite as she could before hitting them with her heatvision, most of his kryptonite hands being obliterated by the process.
Kryptonite Man still had kryptonite near his core. Kara knew she had to be careful about that as she flew towards him. Using X-ray vision, she pinpointed the already damaged isotope core that kept him somewhat stable. She had her hands fisted, punching halfway through whatever it was protecting it. She wrapped her hand around the core, crushing it as she finished the attack, half punching Kryptonite Man all the way through, halfway using her momentum to throw him up higher into the atmosphere.
Kara gasped just as she managed to successfully pull out her hand from his body, just as she saw Kryptonite Man flying upward before self-destructing without his isotope core to stabilize him.
She felt herself falling down, her body failing her to do much of anything as she felt the warm wetness coming from the side of her body that had been left expose from her attack.
She didn't see it coming, Kryptonite Man thawed out the ice with one weak blasts from whatever remained of one his arms, a glowing green stump that had one of the protruding spikes.
A kryptonite shard now plunged deep inside her ribcage.
And Kara found that the last thing she saw was a cloud of mist that oddly reminded her of Krypton's own doom.
The same image that started her very journey as a hero.
Cat Grant wasn't entirely sure what she would make out of it. The whole city was being thrown from one hellfire to another with the attack they had endured yesterday and with the attack they had to endure today.
There was so much to be done, stories to be covered, and truths uncovered. In fact, Catco was at its busiest as the fighting went on in the streets.
However, all of it seemed to have stopped. All the world fading away.
The image of some red blur caught her eyes and Cat walked towards her balcony, eyes transfixed at the heavens as a green mist emerged from beyond the clouds. A loud boom echoing throughout the city, commanding everyone's attention to the scene before her.
She couldn't have been the only one after all.
Cat felt speechless, and something akin to dread and loss gripping her as she saw the tiny red dot falling from the skies right at the heart of the city, all at a speed that was too impossible to stop.
They're hope falling from the sky.
And Cat found that she couldn't quite breathe.
Because this can't be it. This can't be the end.
She didn't come back to watch Supergirl die.
Cat heard a second boom from somewhere in the skies and as another blur of red came zooming into her views, she figured, perhaps all hope was not yet lost.
Alex wasn't sure what had happened exactly, and even in the coming days if anyone would ask, she still wasn't sure.
Maggie had helped her subdue one of the cyborgs behind some alley way when they heard a loud explosive sound spreading through the sky, a green mist forming and expanding everywhere before it completely dispersed.
And right in the middle of the city, for all its citizens to see, she saw the very image she had dreaded.
Kara was falling straight to the ground, no attempts at flying at all. Alex wasn't entirely sure how she still managed to move her limbs, she just knew she kept running, running, running straight to where she could predict Kara would land. Over car hoods, past bystanders entirely too transfixed by the scene they were witnessing.
She wanted to, she wanted so badly to, just scream Kara's name as she ran as fast as she could but she was out breath.
Not form running.
No.
But from the quite sobs taking over her as she stared in horror of her sister falling from such a height at faster speeds than she could run.
All so that she could catch her.
She saw J'onn flying past her, M'gann right behind him. Mon-El was speeding through from somewhere to her left, while the tell-tale signs of Barry's signature lightning streaks came from her right, the speedster running faster than everyone else.
A roaring sound of a motorcycle or two came from nowhere as she saw Guardian speed through while Batwoman pulled up urging Alex to get on.
They were all racing against a clock, with time running faster than they could all move, just so that they could reach her.
Reach Kara.
Because that was the only thought that Alex could think about.
To reach Kara.
To save the hero too busy saving the world to care for her own being.
Jess had come in to check Lena if she needed anything before she went out for lunch, that was when the fighting began. From the view in Lena's office they could both see the fighting going all around them. Lena stood transfixed behind her desk, the safety of the supposedly bulletproof glass separating her office and her balcony in front of her. Jess had remained a few feet away not entirely sure if she should repeat her question again.
Although Lena figured that Jess was too afraid to ask again.
Even if she did, she wasn't really paying attention anymore.
Her eyes had been glued on Kara the entire time. She was fighting an army of cyborg aliens created by Cadmus, by her mother no doubt, left and right. To an ordinary observer, it was Supergirl's finest hour but to Lena, well, she could see the subtle differences in her movements.
Like something wasn't quite right, as if the fight with the Blight had taken a toll on her.
And then Kryptonite Man showed up, and soon he was dancing with Kara higher and higher into the skies, past the clouds as they fought, one resounding sound after another as hits landed while they exchanged blows.
Lena watched with bated breath as her eyes struggled to keep up with the movements of the two opponents as a blur of purple and green and a blur of red and blue went higher, higher.
And then she and Jess heard the explosion echoing throughout every corner of the city, a green mist filling the sky before it disappeared.
Lena felt her heart fall from her chest at the sight of a red blur – Kara's cape entangling with her body – falling from the skies at a rate so fast that Lena wished she could stop time just so she could reach her somehow.
She felt herself gasp, at the sight of it, a hand covering her mouth as tears welled in her eyes.
She felt like falling herself.
Gravity had come to collect.
Because she was Icarus flying too close to the sun.
And the toll she had to pay was Kara.
The fear, the despair, the desolation was overtaking her. Overwhelming her senses. It was just all too much.
Every bit of strength in her body left her at that moment, her knees growing weak, the blood leaving her face.
And before she knew it everything faded to nothing but black.
It was like time had stopped.
And Barry would know, he was the fastest man alive after all. He's had the chance to move so fast that everything else seemed to stay still.
The irony was that everything had been so fast, too fast, for the fastest man alive to even comprehend.
One minute Barry was stopping a rogue cyborg alien from attacking a child who wanted to get a glimpse of one of National City's visiting heroes and the next he had managed to successfully achieve his goals but with the jarring sound of a loud sonic boom.
Barry dropped the mechanical limb he had caught in his hands when he stopped the walking Cadmus experiment and gazed in horror as the heavens turned a sickly color of green before the light of day broke through once more.
But relief didn't come, no.
Not when from up above the sky, past the clouds, he saw the familiar red of Supergirl's cape as she came crashing down to earth.
Guilt, fear, horror, sadness, all of it. Barry felt all of it.
The heaviness of the weight of the world doubled on his shoulders at the thought of how epically he messed up and how much he wanted to right things in whatever simple way he could now.
He ran, as fast as he could, or even faster than ever.
Run, Barry, run.
He could hear the words echoing in his head as his mind landed on one singular thought.
He needed to be there, he needed to catch Kara before she fell.
Barry was the first to alive to the spot that Kara seemed to be heading towards. He was feeling antsy, edging from one side to the other of the spot where not so long ago he could remember battling two of Supergirl's own villains, Livewire and the Silver Banshee, when he had first accidentally crossed earths. He wasn't sure if he wanted to cry or scream or shout.
Just that he wanted to catch Kara and run her to the DEO as fast as he could. Fix whatever it was that caused her to fall in the first place. Because no, Kara was his friend, he wasn't going to let her…
No he won't…
He won't let anyone else he cared about die.
Kara was a good twenty feet away from the ground, Barry's arms waiting for her, when he heard another loud sound from the distance. Barry found himself falling backwards after that.
He was faster than a speeding bullet. That was for sure.
A man in a blue suit, red flowing cape arrive just in time to catch Kara in his arms, his feet still hovering a few good feet from the ground. The light of the sun behind him obscured Barry's view for a moment before he found himself standing up, still looking upwards at the none other than the Man of Steel.
Soon Barry managed to make out his features. The same impossibly blue eyes that Kara frantically ran over the body of the limp figure in his hands. His jaws clenched as his eyes zeroed in on the spot. He looked slightly squeamish but he had a certain look in his eyes that told Barry he was going to power through.
Because in his eyes Barry saw a mixture of urgency and fear. Of guilt and anger. Of desperation and despair.
And soon Barry found his eyes following Superman's gaze, finding the pooling dark stain that tainted Supergirl's suit, just at the side of her left rib cage.
Everyone around him were in awe. Superman barely said a word as he lifted off, up, up, and away. Barry managed to fight through the gust of wind that blew out in all directions as he shot up into the sky, Supergirl in her arms.
And all Barry could do was hope that Superman had a plan.
A/N Pt 2: Whoops, there it is the big reveal! I can't keep it a mystery forever now can I? But that's just part 1, for now ;) Although I'm pretty sure I've let part 2 slip already so there is that…
Again, next chapter will be up as soon as possible! Please bear patience with me. But on that note, in the New 52, Cyborg Superman is Kara's dad (Zor-El) who survived Krypton's doom and was created by one of the evil versions of Brainiac, I used that as inspiration for the dead Kryptonian and other alien species army (Cadmus is sooo evil in this fic that they decided to do some recycling in the most despicable way)… but… well… it's not over by a long shot…
UPNEXT: The conclusion to our crossover saga and a shift in gears as the final showdown with Cadmus looms near… Also, guys, we still have like 9 chapters left, you don't really think something's gonna happen to the lead when there's like 9 chapters more to go, right?