Notes:

This is the last chapter of the first major story arc of Devils in the Dark. If I had to do it over again, I would probably have cut Devils In the Dark into four separate stories. At 416,000 words, God knows it's long enough. That said, you can expect a change in pace. Kara is finally going to get a moment to breath, she's going to make it to her (rescheduled) appointment with her therapists, and actually take a few days off work.

To everyone who's stuck with it so far, thank you. I hope you enjoy the next 300,000 words as much has you enjoyed the last 300,000.


Astra floated in the sky over what used to be Siegel Stadium. Like the rest of the buildings within the zone that Kara had very carefully defined, the drones had reduced the stadium itself into a pile of rubble, almost all of which had been carried away and added to the pile in what was once an airport. All of that, though, was done hours ago. What was pre-occupying Astra's attention at that moment was the sight of Fort Rozz as the drones and her fellow Kryptonians stripped the vast ship.

It was happening much faster then she'd expected, but a lot of that was due to the fact that Kara had a veritable army of drones. Nearly a thousand of them swarmed around the prison where Astra had spent two-hundred and nineteen /lorakho/ of her life. Thirty-six years, by human reckoning. A hundred and forty-six of those had been spent in the nightmarish pseudo-existence of the Phantom Zone, and the part of her who still woke up some nights remembering that horror wondered if building their new home from the rendered bones of Fort Rozz was a wise decision.

Kryptonians were not, by their nature, a superstitious people, but she couldn't help but remember that the prison had been named for a High Priestess of Yuda Kal and wonder if ill fortune had seeped into the very metal of the ship itself. It seemed almost an ill omen, as well, to build their home on the very day that the woman her niece cared for so deeply had been attacked in the very stronghold of her power.

At the same time, however, Astra couldn't argue with the symbolism inherent in both decisions. Fort Rozz had started as a prison, had become a life pod for her species, and then a shelter from their enemies. To see it transformed into a new home and to see the defiance of doing so, even in the face of an attack, had power. And the name her niece had chosen carried a power of its own.

"/ .zrhygrhahs im shahrrehth/" Kara called it. The City of Hope. She'd told Kara it was a fitting name, and it truly was. Hope, not just for Krypton, but for all the aliens on this world.

She was just afraid it was a false hope.

She turned in the air as Fendra approached, smiling at her friend.

"General," Fendra said.

"Lieutenant," Astra said.

"Is Lady El coming?" Fendra asked.

"I believe she is," Astra said.

Fendra nodded. "Good. It is fitting that she is the one to place the SunStone."

"You're sure we have everything we need?" Astra said.

Fendra turned and looked at the rapidly shrinking hulk of Fort Rozz. "I could wish for more Nth Metal, if I were honest."

Astra laughed. "You could have the whole of Thanagar in your hand, and you would wish for more Nth Metal."

Fendra gave a small shrug of acknowledgement. "I admit, wizards and witches frighten me, but these humans… Some of them truck with gods and demons as well. Nth Metal is the best defense against such creatures."

"True, old friend, but Kara counts one of their most powerful witches amongst her friends, and she will lay protections on our home," Astra said.

"I would feel better if we could build under the light of Rao," Fendra said. "I miss our home. I miss the red light, and the long days."

"I know," Astra said. "But for now, this is a place we can call home."

Fendra nodded. "Almost time," she said as the drones separated the drive section from the rest of the ship. "Did Lady El tell you why she wants the drive?"

"No," Astra said, "but I did notice that there are four large starship hangars located beneath her Fortress. I believe my niece is planning a surprise for our friends from Oa."

Fendra smiled again, and this time it was predatory. The smile of a warrior on the verge of battle. "That will be a surprise I will enjoy helping her deliver."

"As will I," Astra said. "As will I."

The two of them floated together, overseeing the culmination of the last few days' worth of work. The piles of metals and components from Fort Rozz grew even as the ship itself dwindled to nothingness under the relentless assault of the drones, until finally, the last piece of the ship was set atop the last pile.

Astra reached up and tapped the earbud she wore. "Nimda, patch me through to Kara," she said.

A moment later, Kara's voice came over the channel. "Yes?"

"We are ready, Little One," Astra said. "It's time to place the SunStone."

"One moment," Kara said. There was silence on the line for close to two minutes, and then Kara answered. "Give me fifteen minutes," she said.


Cat stood on the bridge of the Waverider, with Carter on her right, Sara on her left, and the rest of the 'Legends' scattered around them. Everyone was watching as Kara approached her Aunt in the skies above the South Bay region of National City. The view was magnificent. They could see the entire area that Kara had purchased from the city. It looked like months of work had been done. The old airport, the stadium and the two-block by ten-block row between them had been picked bare, in less than twenty-four hours. The only things standing inside the zone were some kind of position markers that were clearly alien in origin.

Cat, though, had eyes only for Kara. Kara who'd protected her and her son, even when she wasn't there. Kara who'd arrived moments after the situation began and taken over like the general and leader she was. Kara who'd held her and her son.

Kara who was so much more of a hero than the people in National City would ever know.

The view zoomed in, and Cat watched as Kara accepted a crystal from her aunt and flew down among the wreckage and rubble that was piled up in the middle of the old airport, landing in one of the few clear spots. She approached a device on the ground that was clearly designed to accept the crystal, and she sat the crystal in it, then pressed a button before stepping back, and rising into the air.

What happened next was something Cat would never, ever forget. The ground where the crystal had been placed seemed to liquefy, turning into a milky white puddle. The view zoomed out as the effect spread quickly, until just a couple of minutes after Kara had placed the crystal, every square millimeter of the designated area was covered in milky, shimmering white. The debris piles seemed to sink down into it, until all five thousand acres were a gently rippling pool.

Then the city began to grow. Vast spires, curing up hundreds of stories in sweeping, organic shapes, as if formed from the bones of some ancient creature. And in the middle of it all, the most beautiful building Cat had ever seen. A dome-like base whose sides curved up near the peak, slowly tapering into a narrow spire that went on and on until it spread out again, like a blossoming flower. The whole building, easily the largest in National City, and quite possibly one of the tallest in the world, was a soft white, and covered in inscriptions where each letter must have been at least a good twenty-five feet tall.

"It's beautiful," Cat said.

"What does it say?" Carter asked.

"It's a prayer," Sara said.

Cat turned to look at her. "You can read it?"

Sara nodded, and began to recite the words in Kryptonian.

"/ .,rao, urk, nahn voiehd w tov aos te tov aonah im
gavrrigi i threhk im
ukru chao ieiuu zhalish bykhuhs
.enaies w rraop ukiemodh zhehd vo taukiemodh kryp w zhehd
chao taukiemas rraop w kryp
fidh khuluf w cheh ehroshu zhgami rrem tiv zhizhaf
chao sokao:divilodh w zhehdiv giehrehd osh fahroshi dovrroshw zhehd vahsah
thronivodh w zhehd vo thronivodh kryp w zhed
chao tathronivogh rraop w kryp
rao:diviodh w zhehd i ehrosh waila
chao tiv ewuhshehd gem cheh zehtiahruju
:bezhgami w zhehd :dehdh chahv lizrhom i :divi vav
taiahzrhimuhsh i ehroshuju/"

"Your accent's still terrible," Kara said.

Everyone on the bridge turned towards the corridor leading into the bridge to see Kara standing there, smiling.

"What can I say?" Sara asked. "I had a lousy teacher."

Kara laughed, and walked towards them, circling around the center console, and Cat had to fight down a stab of jealousy as Kara slipped her arms around Sara and hugged her tightly. "You kept distracting me when I was trying to teach you the consonants," Kara said before she kissed Sara lightly on the forehead.

"You were easily distracted as I recall," Sara replied.

"Not in front of the children, Captain," Kara said, her tone dripping with innuendo. She let go of Sara, and turned to Cat, reaching down and taking Cat's left hand as she stared out the view port.

"Father Rao, these are the children of your children,
born of your blood,
through fathers and mothers uncounted.
We beseech you to love them as we love them,
and as you have loved us,
to warm their lives when the cold encroaches,
and light their way through the shadows that befall them,
to protect them as we will protect them,
and as you have protected us,
to comfort them all their lives,
and at the end of their days,
accept them once again into your light,
where all our journeys began."

"It's the Kryptonian prayer for new souls," Kara said. "A blessing and a protection for all the children who will be born there."

"It's a hospital?" Cat asked.

"No. It's a Genesis Chamber," Kara said reverently.

"What's a Genesis Chamber?" Carter asked.

Kara smiled as she looked down at him. "On Krypton, it was very rare for children to be conceived naturally. Krypton was a wonderous place. We called it the Jewel of Rao. But it was always a harsh world too. Like a fire, it was beautiful, but if you weren't careful, it would hurt you, or even kill you with just a moment's inattention. Thousands of years ago, women began using birthing matrixes. Machines that took a sample of the parents' blood, mixed the DNA, and then brought the child to term. This freed women from the dangers of pregnancy and child birth, ensured that the child was healthy, and it meant that should some tragedy befall the mother, the child's life would not be lost along with her.

"Before the unification, when my people still warred amongst ourselves, the Genesis Chamber was always the most heavily fortified and defended spot in any city. Within its walls, each city housed all the birthing matrixes of all the unborn children, so that even if a tower or an entire enclave were destroyed, the next generation would thrive. We stopped using them following the unification. People would install support systems for a birthing matrix in a small, armored room in their home. Larger houses, like the House of El would have vaults in their towers and citadels. They called them Genesis Chambers, but they weren't. Not really."

"That tower, and the chamber inside, is the future of my people. That's where Krypton will be reborn. Only this time, we'll be better. We'll look beyond ourselves. We'll remember what selfishness and hubris brought on us, and we'll be better, do better, and maybe someday, Father Rao will shine his light on us again."

"And there," Kara said, pointing to a squat, mushroom-shaped building that somehow still managed to tower over all the human-built structures in National City. "That's the Medical Halls. Five thousand beds, a thousand attendants and six thousand drones. Free medical care for anyone, human or alien, who walks through the door."

Kara pointed at a tower sitting where Siegel Stadium had once been, not as tall as the Genesis Chamber, but just by comparison to the buildings in National City she knew, Cat guessed it was nearly half a kilometer tall. "There. That's the Citadel. It's city hall, police headquarters, and the court house, all rolled into one. That's where we'll build the new government. And the section here next to the old stadium grounds will be the market district. Stores, restaurants, cafés, merchant stalls. Beyond that, bars, clubs and theaters, then the residential district to the East of the Genesis Chamber, and the industrial park to the west."

Kara turned to look at Cat, a smile on her face as radiant as the sun. "It's not Kandor, or Kryptonopolis, or Erkol, or even Argo, but it's there. A real Kryptonian City."

"What are you going to call it?" Sara asked.

Kara turned to her, still smiling. "/ .zrhygrhahs im shahrrehth/" she said. "It means, City of Hope."


Sara sat in the galley of the Waverider, staring into the bowl of beef stew in front of her, trying to figure out how she felt. She didn't know Kara. Not really. Not beyond a one-night stand. But she knew Kara. For years, she knew Kara. She remembered the first time they'd kissed. A night in a dingy bar, after they'd lost someone. Kara slamming back shot after shot, drinking men who were too stupid to know better under the table. Sara had known Kara for years and missed the smile and the hope she was used to seeing. She remembered taking the glass out of Kara's hand, and slamming the shot. Remembered the words, and the smile and the kiss that followed. The night that had followed. The mornings she woke up with Kara wrapped around her, clinging to her.

"Alkawala al-Saghir," she whispered, testing the name, and nearly drowning under the feelings that went with it. Love, grief, anger, fear, lust, need, failure, desperation.

Thea dying on a Parademon's sword. Plugging an Omegahedron directly into the Hyper-Temporal Delineator. The chronoton backwash as the hypertime engine tore itself apart. The moment during the timequake when she could see everything. The moment when Kara had kissed her goodbye, before the memory transfer to her younger self.

The memories were there, but vague, thin, a future half forgotten.

But Kara was here, Kara was real, a living, breathing woman she could touch and taste and see and hear and smell.

A woman who was so in love with Cat Grant it almost hurt to look at.

Sara didn't understand it. She didn't know why Kara took her home two nights earlier. Why she would do that when she had Cat? Was it just because Kara remembered their future together too?

She was missing context. She could see flashes and moments, feel emotions, but there was no way to string them together, and it was driving her crazy. Well, crazier. Too much of the last few years were spent dreaming of Kara Zor-El, and now that she'd found her, she was only that much more confused.

"Gideon," Sara said.

"Yes, Ms. Lance?" Gideon replied.

"Is there any way to… make me able to remember more?"

"You mean to enhance your transtemporal memories?" Gideon asked.

"Yes," Sara said.

"There is," Gideon said. "However, the procedure is not one hundred percent effective, and there are risks involved."

"What kind of risks?" Sara asked.

"Death is the most common. Complete destruction of higher brain function is the second most common."

"How common?" Sara asked.

"The procedure is successful in fifty-three percent of all cases. Death is the outcome in forty percent of all cases, while complete destruction of higher brain function is the outcome in four percent of all cases. The remaining three percent experience temporal schizophrenia," Gideon said.

"What's that?" Sara asked.

"It's a rare condition where someone spends the rest of their life perceiving all possible versions of their timeline simultaneously," Gideon said.

"That sounds fun," Sara said.

"I assure you, it is not," Gideon replied.

"What's the procedure involve?" Sara asked.

"It involves injecting hyper-chronotons into the memory centers of the subject's brain," Gideon said.

"Where do you get the hyper-chronotons?" Sara asked.

"They are generally siphoned off a time ship's temporal delineator," Gideon said.

"How long would that take?" Sara asked.

"Approximately thirty-six hours," Gideon said.

"Can you start the process?" Sara asked.

"Yes, but if I do I will be required to inform Captain Hunter," Gideon said.

"Enable Root Access, Authorization Romeo Hotel One Eight Six Eight," Sara said.

"Root Access Enabled," Gideon said. "Standing by for new commands."

Sara blinked, not sure what just happened. Something which made this all the more urgent. "Gideon, collect enough Hyperchronoton particles to perform the transtemporal memory enhancement procedure. Do not notify Rip of this order."

"Understood," Gideon said.

"End root access," Sara said.

"Root access terminated," Gideon said. "I will notify you when the particles have been collected, Ms. Lance.

"Thank you, Gideon," Sara said.


Alex blinked as the flash of the transmat system deposited her mom on the landing deck at the DEO and smiled just a little as Eliza shook her head slightly.

"I'm never going to get used to that," Eliza said as Alex started up the stairs to where she was standing.

"It's not for the faint of heart," Alex said.

"How's Kara?" Eliza asked.

"Calmer than I would have expected," Alex said. "I think that has something to do with it." She gestured off to her right and watched as Eliza turned toward to have a look.

"Wow," Eliza said, walking towards the landing Deck's western edge. Alex smiled as she watched her take in the sight. "Kara did all that?" she asked.

"With the help of the other Kryptonians, and her new computer," Alex said. "They're calling it im shahrrehth/"

Eliza turned towards her. "You were always better with spoken /kryptahniuo/ than I was," she said.

"City of Hope," Alex said.

Eliza turned back towards the Kryptonian buildings that now dominated the National City skyline. Dozens of towers, shooting up into the sky, but one taller than all the others, but Alex knew the one that drew her attention.

"Is that a Genesis Chamber?" Eliza asked.

"Yes," Alex said.

Eliza shook her head. "If you'd told be this that first day, when she was just a scared little girl clinging to Clark, I never would have believed it."

Alex stepped up beside her. "I just hate the price she had to pay to get here," Alex said. "So much pain."

Eliza turned towards her. "Something's wrong, isn't it?"

Alex turned to her. "How do you always know?" she asked.

"I'm your mother," Eliza said, as if that explained it, and truthfully, maybe it did.

"She's having flashbacks and panic attacks again," Alex said. "I think between the missile attack, the concussion, the fight with Kal and seeing Sara again, she's started to come apart at the seams."

"That's not good," Eliza said. "What happened today couldn't have helped."

"No," Alex said.

"Where's your father?" Eliza asked.

"He's in medical," Alex said. "Come on. I'll show you the way."

Alex led the way down the stairs and into the DEO, leading Eliza to the bed where Jeremiah lay sleeping.

"We have him on a Propofol drip," Alex said. "I thought he might take losing ten years a little better without the 'hi, I'm your daughter' thrown in at the same time."

"Your dad was… is pretty resilient," Eliza said as they stepped into the medical suite. She stopped, looking down at Jeremiah, and Alex heard her breath catch.

"You okay?" Alex asked.

"Yes," Eliza said. "It's just… It's really him."

"Yeah," Alex said. "I know."

"When you told me he was alive, I'm not sure I believed it," Eliza said. "I never thought I'd see him again. And not like this. He hasn't aged a day."

"Literally," Alex said.

"That's going to be hard to get used to," Eliza said.

"I know, and I'm the one who carried him out of the jungle," Alex said. She pulled a chair over beside the bed for Eliza, then reached up and checked the pump on the propofol.

"Ready?" she asked.

"As I'll ever be," Eliza said.

Alex nodded and turned the pump off. "I'm going to wait outside," she said. "He should wake up in a few minutes."

She stepped out of medical, and leaned against the railing, watching something she never thought she'd see again. Her mother and her father, together. Eliza reached down and picked up Jeremiah's hand as she waited, and Alex had to swallow a lump in her throat.

Her father was here, he was alive, and in a few minutes, he would be awake.

"Hey, Danvers."

Alex turned towards the sound of the voice, smiling at the sight of Maggie walking towards her dressed in a DEO uniform.

"Hey, Maggie," Alex said as Maggie took a spot against the rail next to her and slipped an arm around her.

"How's your mom doing?" Maggie asked.

"I think she's handling all of this better than I am," Alex said.

"It's a lot," Maggie said. She leaned into Alex a little bit. "I really hope it works out well for you though."

"Us," Alex said, turning to look at Maggie. "You're a part of this family too. I know that sounds like I'im moving fast. I mean, we've only been together what, a week and a half? But you were family before that. Whatever happens between you and me, you'll always be family. You know that, right?"

Maggie gave her a brilliant, radiant smile with those gorgeous dimples on full display, and then, before Alex knew what was happening, she found herself being soundly kissed.

When it was over, Maggie dropped back down off her toes, still smiling up at Alex.

"You know, for someone who's new at this, you know exactly how to talk to a girl," Maggie said.

"Just telling it like it is, Sawyer," Alex said, trying to ignore the way her cheeks were heating up.

"Well, I like the way it is," Maggie said. "But you still owe me a second date."

Alex sighed. "Maybe we can manage that this weekend?"

"Worth a shot," Maggie said.

Alex glanced away from Maggie when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye and froze as she saw her dad start to move.


The world came into focus slowly, and Jeremiah wondered why. He wasn't exactly a morning person, but unlike his wife and his eldest daughter, he never usually had trouble getting out of bed in the morning.

"Easy," someone said. It took longer than it should have for the voice to register. Eliza. That was Eliza's voice. He turned towards the sound, giving her a weak smile.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," she replied, smiling. "Take it easy. You're coming out of propofol sedation."

He frowned as he slowly absorbed her words, trying to remember why he'd been sedated. He didn't remember being sick. Just cold. So very, very cold.

"Why?" he asked.

"What do you remember?" Eliza asked.

He thought about it. What was the last thing he remembered. Alex. Kara. Pain. Lots of pain. Henshaw. He'd fought with Henshaw over something. A Martian. Henshaw had tried to kill a Martian.

"Henshaw," Jeremiah said, trying to sit up, but he was so weak, Eliza was able to stop him just by resting her hand on his chest.

"Easy," she said. "You're safe."

"He stabbed me," Jeremiah said.

"Yes," Eliza said. "You're okay now though."

"How?" Jeremiah asked. There was no pain. Maybe a side effect of the drug?

"A lot has happened since you got stabbed," Eliza said. "The DEO has access to some really good medical technology. They were able to repair the wound."

"The DEO?" Jeremiah asked. "Is that where we are?"

"Yes," Eliza said.

"It looks different," Jeremiah said.

"It's a different facility," Eliza said. "You've been out for a while."

"Where are Alex and Kara?" Jeremiah said. "Is someone with them? Are they safe?"

"They're fine," Eliza said. "Alex is close. Kara's busy. She wanted to be here, but something came up."

"No," Jeremiah said. "She shouldn't come here."

"Easy," Eliza said. "The DEO's no danger to Kara."

"What?" he asked. "I don't understand. What's going on?"

"You've missed a lot," Eliza said. "I'll tell you what's going on, but I need you to stay calm, alright?"

Jeremiah nodded. "Alright."

"Do you remember when you left for Peru?" Eliza asked.

"Yes," Jeremiah said.

"What was the date?" Eliza asked.

"April 3rd, 2006," Jeremiah said.

"That's right," Eliza said. "How long ago was that?"

"Um… I don't know. How long was I out?"

"Not counting how long you were out," Eliza said.

"We'd been in Peru two days when we went into the Jungle," Jeremiah said. "I got separated the first day, and Henshaw found me that night with the alien we were after. That's when he stabbed me."

"Okay," Eliza said. "Jeremiah, I need you to stay calm, alright?"

"Telling me that is making me nervous," Jeremiah said.

Eliza smiled. "You always were the worrier," she said. "This is going to be hard to hear, but today is December 3rd-"

"December?' Jeremiah asked. "No. It's April."

Eliza shook her head. "Let me finish," she said gently.

"Okay," he said, confusion swirling. Was that why he was so weak? Had he really been out for months?

"Today is December 3rd, 2015," Eliza said.

Jeremiah stared at her for a moment, then shook his head. That wasn't possible. No. It couldn't be. That was almost ten years. He couldn't have lost that much time.

"Jeremiah," Eliza said, "I need you to calm down."

He shook his head. "That can't be right."

"It is," Eliza said. "It's complicated."

"But that's ten years," he said. "Alex and Kara… You said Alex was here." He turned his head, looking around for her, and he two women standing outside the room he was in. One was short, with tanned skin. Black hair. He didn't know her at all. But she was standing next to a taller woman, pale-skinned with reddish-brown hair that hung just past her chin.

It was the eyes that did it. There was no world, no life, no time when he wouldn't recognize those eyes. Alex's eyes. Alex's eyes staring out at him from an adult face. He could see it, see his daughter's features in the woman she'd grown into.

"Alex?" he called out.

The woman nodded. She hesitated for a moment, looking at the shorter woman next to her, who gave her a small nod. Then she started forward. That's when he noticed the shorter woman's arm had been around her waist. She came forward, hesitantly, but she came, stopping beside his bed.

"Hey, dad," she said. She gave him that smile. The one she always gave him, right before she told him why something wasn't her fault. "I guess I have some explaining to do, huh?"


Translated from the Kryptonian:

.,rao, urk, nahn voiehd w tov aos te tov aonah im
Father Rao, these are the children of your children,
gavrrigi i threhk im
born of your blood,
ukru chao ieiuu zhalish bykhuhs
through fathers and mothers uncounted.
.enaies w rraop ukiemodh zhehd vo taukiemodh kryp w zhehd
We beseech you to love them as we love them,
chao taukiemas rraop w kryp
and as you have loved us,
fidh khuluf w cheh ehroshu zhgami rrem tiv zhizhaf
to warm their lives when the cold encroaches,
chao sokao:divilodh w zhehdiv giehrehd osh fahroshi dovrroshw zhehd vahsah
and light their way through the shadows that befall them,
thronivodh w zhehd vo thronivodh kryp w zhed
to protect them as we will protect them,
chao tathronivogh rraop w kryp
and as you have protected us,
rao:diviodh w zhehd i ehrosh waila
to comfort them all their lives,
chao tiv ewuhshehd gem cheh zehtiahruju
and at the end of their days,
:bezhgami w zhehd :dehdh chahv lizrhom i :divi vav
accept them once again into your light,
taiahzrhimuhsh i ehroshuju
where all our journeys began.

zrhygrhahs im shahrrehth
City of Hope

kryptahniuo
Kryptonian (Language)