The Lost Princess

by Speisla Cartoon Cartoon

(X-Over w/Wonder Woman) Lena never knew anything about her biological parents, believing that she had been abandoned. But the truth may be something she had never expected. Like she's the lost daughter of Wonder Woman, for example. Or that liars and traitors conspire to ruin her life.

37. Requiem

Diana of Nowhere

?:?

It had been ten minutes of silence when Alura stopped suddenly, so quietly that Diana took a few seconds to realize that she was not moving. The ghost was standing in the sand, motionless like an indifferent statue. Diana and Maggie exchanged a look. Alex looked at them in confusion. "Why do we stop?"

Diana pursed her lips. "Alura has stopped moving." The brunette advanced towards the ghost. "Alura, why did you stop?"

'Something is going on,' said the ghost without turning to her. 'The dead are singing.'

"I don't hear anything," said Maggie, turning to her girlfriend. "She says the dead are singing."

"What does that mean?" asked Alex, looking at Diana, given her inability to look at Alura.

"It means something is disturbing them," answered Diana with a frown. "I can't hear anything either... Alura, why...?"

'Open your minds,' interrupted the ghost, 'and you will hear.'

Maggie repeated the message to Alex, who pressed her lips together in a thin line. The three of them were silent, looking at each other and trying to hear something through the infinite desert. Diana could not hear anything that resembled a song, but she was surprised to see small clouds of sand moving around her. The air is still, the sand shouldn't move. Alex looked like a cat about to jump at the slightest sign of danger. Maggie folded her arms, staring at the sand.

Alex grunted. "I hear nothing."

Diana nodded. "Whatever is disturbing the dead, I can't hear it either. Do you hear anything, Maggie?" Diana asked the smaller woman, but the detective did not respond. "Maggie?"

Maggie's hand shook slightly, her gaze lost on the moving shapes on the sand. Alex stiffened, shaking her shoulder slightly. "Maggie, are you okay? Babe?"

She murmured something.

"Maggie..."

"I can hear them." Her hands went up to her head, nervously scratching her scalp. "It's awful. It hurts!"

"Maggie." Alex took her face in her hands, trying to look into her eyes. "Maggie, calm down. Alura, what's going on!?"

'She has the gift of sight,' replied the phantom staring into the infinite. 'Therefore, she will see.'

Diana watched in horror as Maggie collapsed in Alex's arms, trembling as if the cold had flooded her body. "Maggie!" they both shouted into the void of infinity. Maggie dropped to her knees, looking at the sand that kept moving faster and faster. Diana tried to touch her, but none of her words or actions pulled a reaction out of her friend.

"Maggie, please, talk to me! Maggie!"

"K-K-."

Diana held her so she would stop shaking. "I think she's trying to say something."

"K-Kara." Her eyes gazing at the infinite blackness on the heights. "Stop! Kara, NO, stop!"

---

The blonde woman, that thing imitating Kara, gripped her neck with deadly force, depriving her of the air she needed so much to survive. Maggie only saw sapphire eyes before being thrown into the hole. Unlike the previous time, unbearable light flooded all around her as she fell, a heat as if she were burning deep in hell and could do nothing to get out. Two dark figures appeared before her eyes, moving around her like nauseous crows. Maggie recognized the figure of the two bats, fighting to the death. But this time they were talking. And their voices were infernal cacophonies, hundreds of voices speaking as one. The gAp mUst DIe. Maggie screamed, but she could not hear her own voice breaking, because the divine voices of the bats flooded her brain as if it were to explode. tHE GaP MuST diE. MUsT DIE. MuST DIE bEfORE REachINg The WatCHER.

She

must

die

must

die

d

i

e

There will be none left.

MAGGIE!

---

Just an immortal Detective (with the gift of sight)

?:?

She opened her mouth, her lungs eager to be filled with that strange, lifeless air, like a castaway who had almost succumbed to the water. Maggie's eyes met the blackness of infinity, terrifying by the mysteries it hid. What is this hard thing under my head? Maggie stirred a little, trying to find out where she was. Immediately, brown eyes on a worried face entered her field of vision. "Maggie, can you hear me?"

She blinked a couple of times. "Al..."

"Shhh." Her girlfriend put her index finger on her lips, calming her. Maggie noticed that she had her head in Alex's lap, next to a pretty pale Diana. "Don't force yourself, you gave us a good scare."

"They don't want to leave me alone, Alex."

"Who?"

"The Gods," Diana murmured, her eyes worried. "It was no accident what you saw on the River Styx, Maggie. I believe that immortality has given you the gift of clairvoyance."

"You can't be sure," Alex said in a hoarse voice. "Has it happened before?"

Diana nodded in silence. "Menalippe."

Alex rubbed her face, closing her eyes in frustration. "And Menalippe went totally crazy." Alex helped Maggie to sit up, holding her in her arms like a little girl. "Maggie, sweetie, can you tell me what you saw? What did you hear? You mentioned Kara's name."

She bit her lip, squeezing her hand. "It looked like Kara, but it wasn't Kara. It was a... thing." She felt Diana pressing her other hand. "She pushed me into a big hole. As I fell, horrible voices began to scream 'The Gap must die'."

"Lena," said Diana, opening her eyes slightly. "We have to get out of here as soon as possible."

"But Hades said that the gods can't get involved..."

"And they can't, but I know from experience that they always find a way to cause problems, Maggie," replied Wonder Woman, taking a couple of steps forward to approach Alura, as still as a statue. "Alura, we have to keep moving foward. We don't know how much time we have left."

'We can't.'

Maggie saw the brunette turn her hand into a fist. "The dead have ceased singing."

'You don't know that, Amazon,' replied Alura coldly. 'The dead sing when an intruder has entered their domains. I can feel it.' Alura turned, allowing Maggie to see the ghost's face, hard and indifferent. 'Someone is near.'

Alex tugged on her sleeve. "What's going on?"

"Alura has said that someone is near, we can't move forward."

Alex and Diana exchanged an almost sad look, before her girlfriend drew her sword.

---

When will all this end?

It hurts too much

I don't want to feel anything

---

Bruce Wayne

8:50 PM

The computer in his office looked old on purpose. If someone entered the password of more than twenty digits, that Bruce changed every two days, that old thing running Windows XP would become one of the fastest and most intelligent computers in the world. Bruce had been there for the last four hours, his eyes reading non-stop and his brain processing all the new information.

The book escaped any order, genre, and concordance. It mentioned places that did not exist, impossible historical facts, legends, illogical numbers. This undoubtedly follows some kind of code. That was the most logical. If Veritas was really as dangerous as it appeared to be, they would not be foolish enough to put all their secrets in a book that could fall into enemy hands. I'll decipher the code. Bruce hoped he could find some information about the magic medallion. Some clue to track down its members. Why the hell would they want to kill Luthor? (if she told the truth and they want to kill her) But the book was almost a maze. The key is Lillian Luthor.

Bruce returned to the fragment written by Lena Luthor's real mother, trying to draw some conclusions. *I managed to get hold of a gap and keep it safe, in secret from the others.* *everything will go well while Diana remains ignorant.* What is a gap, Lillian? What did you steal from Diana?

"Of course." Bruce rubbed his face. "The gap has to be related to Lena Luthor."

'Did you say something, dear?' asked Selina through the communicator. 'I can't hear you properly, if you growl instead of talking.'

"I'm looking for what Luthor's hiding," replied Bruce to Catwoman. "This book mentions the word Gap several times. I think that's what they're hiding from us."

'Do you have any idea why?'

"To protect someone." Bruce was still reading speedily page after page. "And I think I know who."

On the communicator, Bruce heard faint fighting sounds. 'Sorry, the Penguin's Band is rather inopportune. What do you think?'

"I think Lena Luthor is probably trying to protect her mother."

'Greek Snow White or Grumpy Rapunzel?'

"Lillian Luthor."

Selina was silent for a few seconds. 'Are you sure?'

"It's one of the hypotheses I have." Bruce came to a page where he found a great picture of a castle. What is this? " One of the hypotheses that I consider more possible."

'So you think the girl is evil and has been faking for years? Lying to a Kryptonian? That sounds paranoid even for you, dear."

"I didn't say it was most likely, just possible." This castle must be about the size of a fortress. "It would explain why they haven't told us the truth."

'Now you're being ridiculous, Bruce.'

"Think about it for a moment," said Bruce rubbing his forehead, seeing in his mind with perfect clarity the incredulous look on his wife. "All we knew about Lillian Luthor was fake, which means she's been lying for years without anyone noticing it. Lena Luthor is a smart woman, I have no doubt she'd be able to lie to anyone. If she were completely clean, she wouldn't be trying to fool us."

'You don't know that, Bruce. The girl-'

"You still think of her as an innocent girl, Selina." Bruce took the book in his hands, reading Lillian's words for the thousandth time. Gap. Why did you need a Gap? Does Lena have any secret power related to this Gap? What is this Chaos Door? "You forget that she's Alexander Luthor's sister and one of the twenty most powerful people in the world."

'It's not like you to judge a person for their family.'

"I judge her for herself. I have investigated L-Corp twenty-two times these past three years, making sure she didn't follow in her brother's footsteps."

'And she has not.'

"No." Bruce released the book, returning to the computer. "Because she has followed Lillian's, lying and manipulating, or at least trying to, to get something. Hundreds of people have died and more could die, and yet Lena Luthor refuses to be completely honest with us. What is worse, Selina, no matter how intelligent and suspicious she is, her behavior isn't normal, not in someone who wants to find her family at any cost." Bruce rubbed his forehead in frustration. "I've tried to find something of Diana in her, even something of... Diana's... wife, no matter how unprofessional she was, but all I see is Lillian." He rubbed his hands together. "Our children are like us, even if they don't have our blood, and so is Luthor."

'...'

"Catwoman, are you there?"

'...'

"Selina..."

'I'm here, sorry, I almost slipped on the roof of the church. We're not getting any younger,' replied his wife, her voice slightly hoarse. 'You know what I think? That this circus has gone too far. Why aren't you honest with the girl and ask her once and for all what she's hiding?'

"Because she could lie."

'If she knows you don't trust her, she'll never make a mistake. My cats are already tired of following her everywhere. And if she lied, you'd know.'

"Or maybe she would escape with Supergirl's help, and it's not very recommendable to frustrate a Kryptonian."

'Now you distrust Supergirl? I hope you're not around Helena.'

Bruce rolled his eyes. "I don't distrust Supergirl. She's much stronger than Clark, much harder to break. But whe all have a limit, and I'm afraid Miss Danvers will reach hers if she doesn't find her sister."

'In that you're mistaken,' said Selina quietly. 'You're comparing Kara to her cousin. Clark is afraid that his own family could be in danger and that's why he hasn't been involved. Superman is scared. Kara also is, but she's strong enough to face it,' replied Selina. 'I don't know if we can trust Lena, but we can trust Kara. And that's why we should give Lena a chance. And maybe she'll give us a chance.'

Bruce sighed, looking away from the screen of his computer. "I can't trust her."

'You're being stubborn.'

"I'll talk to them tonight." Bruce got to his feet. "I'll show them the book and I'll ask them one last time if there's anything they can tell me about this Gap. And if they lie to me, I'll assume they're hiding something dangerous enough to risk their families."

*Tock Tock Tock*

Helena entered through the door, wearing her purple pajamas and her Supergirl cape. She had two cats in her arms and one more at her feet. Her daughter looked at him with tired eyes. "Daddy, I'm sleepy. Can you read me a story before bed?"

'Duty calls, Batman,' said Selina playfully in the earpiece.

Bruce sighed and turned off the computer, careful to put the book in the secret drawer of his desk. "What would you like to hear today, Kitty?"

"I want a Supergirl story!"

"Again?" Bruce took her little hand and got out of his office. "Wouldn't you like to hear a tale of someone else? Maybe, Batman?"

"Um... I like Artemis, could you-?"

"I'll read you a Supergirl story."

---

The half-demon Woman

9:08 PM

Rachel Roth pulled the hood up over her head, moving through the hallway of the second floor of her building, heading home. She was having a hard time trying to control the bubbling emotions inside her. The last thing I want is for something to explode by accident. She sighed, murmuring her mantra in a low voice. No trace of Eliza Danvers. The sorceress shook her head. At this rate, Starfire will never recover. She walked past one of the hallway mirrors, glancing at her appearance. The roots of her hair were violet again, she would soon have to repaint it black. Maybe I'd just do a spell, it'd be much easier, thought Raven grumpily, opening the door of her apartment.

Batwoman was sitting on her couch, looking at her family photo album.

"Good evening, Raven," said Batwoman without looking up. "You were a cute baby, but in this red dress you look like a cherry."

*Bam* Her lamp exploded a few inches away.

"Kane..." Calm down, Raven, calm down. The woman stepped forward, taking the album from the masked's hands. "I hope you have a good reason to enter my house, poke into my things, and hope that I don't send you to the fifth circle of hell."

"I have a very good reason indeed," said Batwoman, standing up. "But first I need you to say the Unbreakable Vow. I need to be completely sure that what I'm going to tell you won't get out of these walls, it's a life-or-death situation."

"With you, all is of life or death. If you want me to perform the Unbreakable Vow, you'll have to tell me what this is all about," replied Raven, raising an eyebrow.

"I can only tell you that it's about saving innocent people from religious fanatics, as I saved your mother when Trigon's sect took her away, remember?"

Raven did not even blink. "Does this endanger my team?"

"I really doubt it."

"Fine, but after this I won't owe you anything." Raven reached out, taking Batwoman's hand, allowing an aura of dark magic to wrap their hands together. "Don't get smart, if you break an Unbreakable Vow we could die."

"I know," grunted the woman. "Do you swear that you will keep in secret everything that happens in this room tonight?"

"I swear. Do you swear you'll buy me a new lamp?"

She could have sworn that Kane rolled her eyes under her mask. "I swear."

The dark magic in their hands turned golden, illuminating for less than a second each of the veins in their bodies. Raven let go of Batwoman, looking her up and down. "Speak, I don't have all night."

Instead of talking, she turned and walked to the window, opening it and looking down. "You can come in now," said the redhead, retreating a little.

The sorceress saw a figure entering slowly through the window, a blonde woman with a brunette in her arms. But what-? By Azar. In front of her eyes, the two most wanted faces of the country landed in her living room. Supergirl looked at her with sincere eyes, large and blue, slightly gloomy. "We are the ones who need your help, Ms Roth. Our family is trapped in the Underworld and we need you to help us get in touch with them."

"Supergirl and Lena Luthor..." Raven stared at the dark-haired human. She had a shiny medallion on her neck, with the symbol of a woman coming out of a well. She narrowed her eyes. That symbol seems familiar. "Your friends are getting weirder over time, Kane."

---

Lena

9:16 PM

Kara had moved the table and chairs from the living room into a corner, giving the sorceress (her name suits her) enough space to draw a circle on the floor with a white dust. Lena did not know exactly what to think of the woman. Her eyes were disturbing, dark wells where no emotion shone, of a deep purple color. That woman gave her the creeps, and Lena did not know exactly why. Maybe it has to do with her being half demon. She scolded herself mentally. I'm probably the last person that should be judging someone by their family.

She approached Raven a little. "Maybe I can help you with something."

"No," replied the other woman. In the lamplight, Lena would have sworn her skin was gray. "Your race doesn't get along particularly well with magic."

"My race?"

"Amazons," added Raven without looking at her. "They used to hunt magicians a couple of millennia ago. There's not much that an Amazon can do when it comes to magic."

Lena pressed her lips lightly, feeling the medallion cold against her skin. "How can you talk to the ghosts, Miss Roth?"

She looked at her briefly. "When I came to Earth, I tried to be a vigilante, asking the murder victims who their murderers had been and doing them justice, but it was years ago. I can only communicate with the ghosts trapped in the Underworlds," explained Raven to Lena. "If your friends had ended up on Hades's Elysian Fields or on Anubis's Dat, there would be no way to contact them. When a soul leaves the world, there is no way to retrieve it."

"Are you sure, Miss Roth? I have a friend from another Earth who came back from the dead," said Kara, rubbing her hair.

"There are no Lazarus Pits on our Earth, Supergirl."

Kate cleared her throat, looking down, another of Raven's books in her hands. "There must be some way to get them out."

Raven shook her head. "I'm afraid it's impossible, since the only known entrance is in Themiscyra and the Amazons are no longer what they were," she said seriously. "And stay away from my things. My magic is controlled by my emotions, and I'm sure no one wants to explode because Kane doesn't know how to stop being irritating."

Lena saw her girlfriend bite her lip, as if she wanted to say something but she was holding back. She walked to Kara, taking her hand and looking into her eyes briefly.

Kara smiled, turning to the sorceress. "Um, haven't you been in Metropolis lately?"

"No, I haven't been in Metropolis," replied Raven.

"You sure? In a downtown cafeteria?"

"You must have me confused with someone else," said Raven, finishing drawing the symbols on the floor, similar to letters of the Greek alphabet. Lena noticed that Kate's mouth twisted slightly, a detail that she found very curious.

The strange woman looked up. "Now I need you to sit around the circle, please. Miss Danvers, I must warn you that under no circumstances must you attempt to use your powers."

"Magic can harm Kryptonians, I know," said Kara as she sat at the other end of the circle, being imitated by Lena and Kate. Lena bit her lip impatiently, watching the symbols on the floor, thinking about how to beat people who had magic and aliens when she only had her intellect, no matter how big it was. ('And a goddess of gods who asks for her freedom, Lee'), said Lex's voice in her head.

"Do you have any belongings of the people we are looking for? Preferably, an object with emotional value," asked Raven.

"I've got this," said Kara, reaching into her pocket, pulling out Alex's little golden ball. The Snitch spread its wings, like a bird awakening. "It's my sister's."

"A Snitch." Her dark eyes shone for less than a second. "Do you love your sister, Supergirl?"

"More than anyone else in the world, besides Lena."

"Then it'll work. The most powerful magic in the world is created out of love."

Batwoman smirked. "Sometimes, a good pair of shots are more effective than love."

Raven twisted the corner of her mouth. "I don't expect your limited mind to understand it, Kane."

Lena watched in silence, studying her scant facial expressions. There's something in her. Almost imperceptibly, the medallion warmed in her chest, as if the metal had been exposed to the sun. I don't know if it's bad or good, but there's something in her. She took a deep breath, trying to think like a businesswoman. We need her for now. Unconsciously, her hand began to rub her medallion. Realizing it, Lena stopped and put both hands on her knees, trying not to attract attention.

Kara put the Snitch in the middle of the circle, the brightness of the ball reflected in the blue of her eyes. The Snitch fluttered slightly, bouncing impatiently on the floor. Lena took her hand, looking into her eyes with encouragement. Kara interlaced their fingers.

Raven closed her eyes. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos." Her chest rose and fell slowly, barely breathing. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos." Lena began to feel a little tired, as if something was slowly drinking from her soul. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos..." The heat of the medallion increased, but strangely Lena felt no pain, only euphoria, a sudden discharge of adrenaline throughout her body. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

*Zszszszs* A white sphere appeared inches above the circle on the ground, shining like a small moon in the darkest night. Lena felt her breath escape between her lips. It's impossible. The ball of energy emitted an almost imperceptible white smoke, as if the land of the ghosts were made of ashes and flames, and these could pass through the sphere. The medallion on her chest was as hot as a little sun. Stop, thought Lena, glancing at Kate. Stop, she will notice.

Beware

Beware of what?

Gods. Evil, unworthy creatures, they want you dead but I will not let them approach.

There are no gods here.

There are gods on the other side. A god of death and another one whose identity I do not know. You can feel them, therefore I can also feel them.

Raven's eyes were white, shining like two stars. "Supergirl, try to call your sister."

Kara leaned slightly forward, bringing her face to the magic sphere. "Alex?" She said in a trembling, slightly tense voice. "Alex, sister, can you hear me? Are you there? Alex?"

---

Maggie Sawyer

At that moment

Contrary to the pain she had felt before, Maggie began to feel very good, as if her body had lost all her weight and her soul was flying. She blinked a couple of times, looking at Alex, who was still holding her sword. Someone's coming. Diana was alert at her side, watching around with attentive eyes. "Alex, Diana, I'm feeling something."

Both women looked at her worriedly, not lowering their guard. Maggie looked around, trying to find the ghost. Where's Alura? She barely felt the air in her lungs, as if part of her brain were asleep, feeling the closeness of a familiar presence. It can't be. "Lena?"

Diana's eyes widened in confusion, one second before (*ZSZSZSZSZ*) the white sphere appeared and its force made them fall backward, landing on the sand.

Maggie growled and cursed at the horrible feeling of sand in her eyes. She rose quickly, her throat drying and her heart racing, as she stared up at the huge white sphere. What the hell is this? She felt she knew the answer, despite not being able to remember why or which. Damn it, why am I so sure this has to do with Lena?

Alex grunted and stood, still aiming at the sphere with her sword. "But what the fuck is this?"

Diana spat the sand from her mouth. "Looks like a-"

'Alex?'

Maggie lost her breath.

'Alex, sister, can you hear me? Are you there? Alex?'

"Kara?" Alex took a step forward, lowering her sword. "Kara, is that you?"

'Alex!' Shouted the voice from the sphere. 'Alex, you're okay!? Are you all okay?!'

"Kara..." A painfully relieved smile grew on her face. "We're fine! Maggie and Diana are here with me! How is this possible?! What is this thing?!"

'It's magic. It's a long story, but-'

Diana interrupted. "Is my daughter with you? Is Lena okay?"

'I'm fine, Mother. I'm here,' answered Lena's voice.

"Oh, Lena..." sobbed Diana with a smile.

'We're in Gotham. National City was attacked. They have taken them all. Kara and I are looking for them with your friends the bats.'

'Alex,' said Kara's voice. 'Where are you? Is there any way to get you out?'

"No. No no no you have to keep away from Themiscyra, don't come here. We're on our way back. Hades told us how to get out. We'll be fine, trust me," said Alex quickly. "Kara, listen to me, I don't know how much time has passed, but I know you and you've spent all this time worrying about me. I need you to stop doing it."

'What? Alex, no...'

"Kara, listen, you're in danger too. Lena is in danger."

'We already know that.'

"No, you don't understand! Hades told us that the gods approved of what happened in Themiscyra. The gods want her dead, you understand? There are people called The Truth, Veritas, they want to kill Lena."

'It's Lutessa.'

"What?" asked Diana incredulously.

'Mother,' answered Lena's strange voice. 'Listen to me. Lutessa is alive, she's the leader of Veritas. Hippolyta told me they have Mom.'

Diana let out a sound between a moan and a sigh of relief. "I thought-thought-forget it. How did they take her? My mother is with you?"

'No, she's not here, but she's fine. Lutessa has Mom and Winn, and M'gann and Mr J'onzz. We thought she had you too. When Hippolyta told us where you were, we looked for a way to talk to you.'

"Lena, I'm going to get out of here." Diana moved a little closer to the sphere, its glow reflecting in her blue eyes. "I'm going to find you. I'll never allow anyone to hurt you again. Please be very careful, I can't lose you again."

'Everything will be fine. I promise.'

---

The Ghost

At that moment

Alura had moved away from the travelers, appearing at the place where the song had originated, not far from there. The desert was as infinite as ever, but somehow it seemed less dark, something that only happened when one of them came down to the abode of the god of death. "I can feel you. Show youself."

"I have never been hidden."

She turned, finding him, the source of the clarity. A young man, bright as a small sun, whose mere presence radiated pain in her whole being. "You are the ghost of another world, trapped here by a misfortune."

"Why did you wake the dead, Lord Hermes?"

"I was hoping to get your attention," answered the god. "I have an order for you."

"I can only obey the God of Death."

"You will obey me when you know what I want. I am clement, I offer you something in return." Hermes approached. "I know you have not forgotten the reason you ended up here. What you need to move on."

---

Lena

9:27 PM

'Please be very careful, I can't lose you again.'

Lena sighed, her eyes heavy and the heat in her chest threatening to melt her heart. "Everything will be fine." I'll keep you all safe, no matter what it costs me. "I promise." Out of the corner of her eye, she checked Raven's condition, still holding the trance, with her eyes white. Kate was watching them in silence.

'I love you, My Sun and Stars.'

Lena bit her lip, gathering courage to say the words she had planned to say under other circumstances. "I love you too, Mother."

Batwoman gently cleared her throat. "Sorry, I don't want to interrupt," said Kate. "Maggie's there? I need to talk to her."

A couple of seconds passed until a slightly hoarse voice was heard through the sphere. 'Who is it?'

"I'm Kate."

'Who?'

"Kate Kane, Mags. How many Kates have you dated? You better not answer me, I don't want to know."

'What?!' asked Maggie's voice. 'Kate? What are you doing there?'

"Who do you think has saved their lives? I assure you it wasn't Batman."

'Kate, I-Thanks.'

"Give them to me in person when you get out. For now, I need your help, Mags," said Kate, her voice slightly louder. "I need to find these terrorists."

'I imagine you've already investigated Lillian Luthor.'

"That woman knows how to hide her footprints."

'I was investigating her before coming to Themiscyra. Before kidnapping Lena, she was experimenting with stem cells to try to heal Lutessa. But all members of her team died suspiciously.'

"You think it was Veritas's thing?"

'Maybe. There's also the possibility that Luthor did it on her own, we don't know when she joined them. You can find out if you search for clues in the doctors' deaths. My notes are-"

"I already have them, on your desk."

'Were you in my apartment?'

"Sorry, Mags, but it was an emergency." Lena noticed that the redhead smiled for less than a second. "You said you talked to Hades," she said. "Did he say why the whole world suddenly wants to kill Diana and her family?"

'He said it. It's not for Diana, it's for Lena.'

Lena's eyes widened in horror. No...

'Listen, Kate. There are two creatures. One is something like Veritas's god, and the other is known as The Watcher.'

She saw Kara clenching her fists from the corner of her eye, undoubtedly preparing for danger, her blue eyes darkening slightly. Batwoman stared at the white sphere with her mouth slightly open. Maggie, no, shut up. You'll make them discover us.

'The Watcher wants to use- What are you doing? Hey, stop!'

"Mags?" asked Kate with concern.

Kara leaned forward. "Alex!"

'Kara, forget me! We'll be fine! Protect Lena! Find J'onn!'

"Alex, what's going on!?"

'NOTHING! They need you, Kara! I believe in you! I love y-!'

In front of Lena's eyes, the sphere disappeared, like a small star burning the last of its energy. Kara turned to Raven quickly. "What happened!? Make her come back!"

Her eyes stopped flashing white, regaining their dark violet color. "I can't."

"Roth..."

"The spell works like a phone, Kane," snarled Raven. "And something just cut the cable."

"She was about to tell me something important!" yelled Batwoman.

Raven did not even flinch. "I don't have energy to try again tonight, Kane."

Lena felt a small pang of pain in her stomach, being careful not to take her gaze away from Batwoman. I must do what is necessary to eliminate Veritas before it's too late. Her heart crumpled as she watched Kara pick up the Snitch from the floor, stroking the little ball with furious glassy eyes. I'll find you wherever you are, Lutessa. I'm going to stop you, even if I have to die for it.

---

Maggie Sawyer

Twenty seconds earlier

'You said that you talked to Hades. Did he say why the whole world suddenly wants to kill Diana and her family?'

Maggie remembered the hooded figure in the castle, warning them that they had become enemies of the gods themselves. That Veritas would not stop until they killed Lena. "He said it. It's not for Diana, it's for Lena."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alura appear again, her face carved in stone. Diana approached the ghost.

"Listen, Kate. There are two creatures. One is something like Veritas's god, and the other is known as The Watcher."

Alura passed through Diana, looking at the sphere with angry eyes. "How dare you disturb this world?"

"Alura, we need only a moment," said Diana, irritated.

By Alex's gaze, she seemed to be suspecting what was happening despite not being able to see the ghost. Maggie concentrated on talking to Kate. "The Watcher wants to use- What are you doing?"

It was fast and frightening like a predator's attack. Alura pulled a hammer from her black robe, and began to hit the sphere in front of Maggie. Diana shouted 'No!' furiously behind her, trying to hold her, action as useless as if she was trying to hold the air. Maggie watched with a start as the sphere began to crack with each hit, as if it were made of glass.

"Hey, stop!" yelled Maggie, anger exploding in her chest. "Stop!"

Maggie took the sword from Alex's hand, so fast that she could only glimpse at her stunned, confused face. Alura hit the sphere again, cracking it like a broken mirror. Alex was yelling something at Kara. Diana was trying to stop her, but all her blows passed throught the ghost. But when Maggie attacked her in the arm that held the hammer, Alura's mouth opened in a hideous mute cry and the object fell to the ground. What the hell? I can touch her? Alura drew back, wide-eyed, her teeth clenched. "Any intrusion of the living is forbidden!"

"Are you crazy!? We're talking to Kara! We've to warn her about the go-!"

*CrrAsh*

Maggie left the sentence unfinished as the sphere shattered, leaving a trembling Alex in front of a small pile of broken glass.

"My obligation is to stop mediums who try to cross the border into this world, those are the rules," she answered coldly. "You broke the rules."

Diana stepped dangerously close, inches from her face. "You've destroyed the only way I had to talk to my daughter." Her eyes flashed in a furious blue fire. "No wonder you're still trapped here. If this is just your soul, you must have been a horrible being in your life, and I don't want to imagine how much Kara suffered because of you."

"You don't know anything about my daughter."

Maggie felt a whirlwind taking the sword from her hand. Alex pointed to the space in front of Diana. "WHERE is SHE!? Tell me, where is she!"

"Alex..."

"Show yourself!" shouted Alex. "Let me see your face, damn you!"

"Tell your friend to calm down."

"Why did you do that!? Why!?" Alex tried to attack her, but being unable to see her, she simply threw blows into the air. "Show yourself and I'll show you what I did to Astra, Alura!"

Maggie saw the ghost's expresion change into a terrifying grimace, the first emotion she saw in that face. "You..." She approached Alex. "were she the one who killed my twin?"

"To save someone." Maggie forced Alex to stay still, still looking at the ghost suspiciously. "But if you hardly care about the daughter you had in life, why should your care about your sister?"

Alura ignored her words and moved forward, near the broken glass, to pick up her hammer. "We must continue our way."

"We're not finished," growled Maggie. "Where did you go? Why weren't you here?"

"I was looking for the origin of the song." The ghost began to walk. Controlling her frustration, Maggie took Alex's hand and the three followed her. "I went to find out why they started singing."

"Tell us," said Diana dryly.

"Someone has come to visit Hades."

Maggie exchanged a look of concern with Diana. The detective told her girlfriend the words of the ghost. Alex just nodded, her lips tight, resigned not to see or hear half of what was happening around her.

"Who has come?" asked Maggie.

"I don't know, I could not see the visitor."

"You're lying."

"Why should I?"

I don't trust you, thought Maggie with her teeth clenched.

Diana cleared her throat. "Maggie was able to touch you a moment ago."

"It seems your friend is not just a simple seer," she said without stopping. "But you should never touch a ghost."

Maggie felt as if someone had thrown a bucket of cold water over her. Think, Sawyer, think. Alura always refused to share most of the information. Maggie's brain kept screaming danger, her instinct turned on like mad. I have to do something. Diana whispered something to Alex, so quietly that Maggie could not hear it. We can't stop or go back. I have to do something.

---

The half demon Woman

9:42 PM

Raven looked at them one last time. In some strange way, Supergirl looked better; less tense and more determined. More like herself. She had even helped to tidy up the mess that was her living room, when according to her experience most would simply have gone once they had gotten what they were looking for. I don't think it's a big deal for her with her speed. Once she was done, she approached Raven and shook her hand. The sorceress was momentarily surprised by the physical contact.

"Thank you," said Supergirl. "You've helped us a lot."

"We couldn't hear what Maggie said," replied Batwoman in a bad mood. "Something doesn't want us to know."

"We'll figure it out," said Lena Luthor seriously. "Maggie told us how to find more information. If we find the connection between the deaths of Lillian's colleagues, we might find one of the members."

Kate did not look very happy. "You sound too optimistic."

"I am obliged not to be pessimistic. To be pessimistic is to surrender and surrender means more people will die."

Raven noticed that the Luthor heiress had her arms folded across her chest, over the medallion, as if she needed to touch the metal. I've seen a medallion like this before somewhere. Perhaps in some book of the library of Azarath? " Kane, those terrorists you're looking for, they use magic, don't they?"

"We believe so." Batwoman looked at her intently.

"And that medallion is magic?" asked Raven, looking at Lena.

The Amazon girl nodded, her face calm as the waters of a stream. "It's a force field, a kind of protection."

"Usually I can trace the magic back to its source. Give it to me."

For less than a few seconds, so fast that Raven hesitated to have seen it, Luthor's eyes changed from blankness to panic. That would have been more or less understandable if at her side, Supergirl's posture had not also changed to something that felt like protective instinct. A Kryptonian who seems ready to throw me against the wall. Raven held out her hand. Maybe I should feel intimidated, if I'd afford myself to feel something.

Slowly, Lena Luthor took off her medallion and handed it to her, her hand trembling slightly, like a leaf in the wind. Raven brought the object near to her eyes. A woman coming out of a well. A 'V' etched on the other side. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the object in her hands, as she had learned in Azarath.

She could feel absolutely nothing in the medallion.

"I can't feel anything," she said, slightly astonished.

Kate sighed. "Their magic must be too advanced to be traced, otherwise we would have found them."

"No, Kane, I can't feel any magic in this thing." She handed it back to Lena Luthor, who put it around her neck. "It's just an ordinary gold medallion."

Supergirl approached her partner. "Well, that's not true. This thing has protected Lena from the explosion at L-Corp," said Supergirl putting her hands in her pockets.

Batwoman approached Raven. "Are you sure, Roth?"

"I just know that I should be able to feel magic inside, even though I can't track it down," said Raven, looking at Lena's chest. "I've never seen anything like it, and perhaps the wisest thing to do is to go home and look in Azarath's library. And I'll ask Azar if she knows anything."

Lena Luthor narrowed her eyes slightly. "Azarath? I've never heard of that place."

"It's not on Earth." Raven shrugged. "It's difficult to explain, you can only travel there with magic, but if there's information about your medallion, Miss Luthor, it's in my home."

The dark-haired woman did not seem entirely convinced, but she nodded slowly, her remarkably beautiful face hardened.

"I want to help," said Raven, trying to sound warm, not knowing if she was achieving it. "I also have people who are everything to me, and I'd do anything to protect them. I can understand what you're going through."

Lena Luthor pursed her lips, as if pondering whether to say something or not. "They have my mother, Miss Roth."

Raven sighed. "I know that's horrible, my mother was also kidnapped a couple of years ago. Kate saved her."

"At least Eliza's safe," said Supergirl with her sad look.

Raven felt her heart beating slightly faster. "You know she's okay?"

"As long as she stays away from me. The last thing I need is to turn her into a target." She sighed. "Thank you again, Raven, for being our ally in all this, we need it right now."

She allowed herself the slightest of smiles. "Supergirl's side is the right side."

The corners of her lips rose feebly, a grimace too small to be considered a smile. Lena Luthor shook her hand, Raven thought for a moment that the poor woman was playing at a disadvantage in a whole new world. Not long ago she was normal. Now she's an Amazon, she's in a relationship with an alien, and her family is threatened by gods and magical terrorists. She would not want to be in Lena's shoes, with her demonic father she had enough.

"Maybe you could learn manners from your new friends, Kane. You would make our lives much easier."

Batwoman did not respond as the three of them approached the window. Supergirl took Lena Luthor in her arms and got out softly, without making the slightest noise. Batwoman pulled out her grapping hook gun.

"Kate."

She stopped to look at her. "What?"

"I'm not evil. When will you realize it?" asked Raven, controlling the mixed emotions that the masked woman always awakened in her stomach.

"I realized that a long time ago."

"Really?." She crossed her arms. "You say you're not like your cousin, but he doesn't trust anyone and you're doing the same thing."

She stood for a couple of seconds watching her in silence. "I don't make friends, Rachel."

The female soldier disappeared out the window, her black and red cloak fluttering in the wind. Dumb. Raven put her hands in her pockets, wishing, not for the first time in her life, to have been born normal.

Three minutes passed for her to return to normal, with her scattered emotions totally under control. Sighing slowly as she mentally repeated her mantra, she pulled her cellphone out of her pocket and began to check her email. She had the usual spam messages, and a message from P. Finally.

'R,

E.D hides in New York. Moore Street 1986'

She felt a small wave of triumph that made her smile.

'P,

I'm coming.

R.'

---

I hear them singing
I know because I should be singing too
Instead, I'll just go to sleep.
I love you Lena
I wish we had more time, Little Princess.

---

The Only Survivor

2:50 AM (Current Local Time in Scotland)

The ceiling had exactly two hundred and twenty-three brown spots. Powergirl had counted them all, lying on the floor of her cell. One of her most useful skills acquired on Earth was her ability to pay attention to many things at the same time. To Adam it had always been confusing how she could read a book, do homework and talk at the same time. This ability allowed her to pay attention to Winn's words and to recall with painful precision her last moments on Krypton, before her aunt Astra had put her in that pod.

'And then Lena alerted the police about her own adoptive mother. Everything changed from then on, that's when she earned our respect. Y'know, her adoptive mother is as nice as a toothache, but it must have been very difficult for her...'

"Did she love her?" Karen asked out loud.

'Um...' Winn's voice hesitated. 'It's complicated. Lena's adoptive mother isn't a good person, but Lena always hoped that in time she might change,' the man sighed loudly. 'But at some point we all get tired of waiting.'

"Then it wasn't a difficult decision to make," replied Powergirl, her eyes fixed on the ceiling, thinking of her Aunt Astra's last good bye. "Humans make their decisions based on love. Correct and incorect, right and wrong, humans only care until their loved ones are in danger. No offense, but you all are a stupid race that only seeks power and most of the time refuse to save yourselves."

'That's uncomfortably true,' said Winn. 'We humans are, selfish, stupid, and quite blind and indifferent to our own problems. Sometimes, to protect us, we're willing to hurt others.'

Karen bit her lip. I want to be selfish, just for once.

'You know? I've been thinking about my friend Kara lately,' said Winn in a low voice, as if suddenly he was very tired. 'She often faces difficult decisions, but she always chooses to do the right thing. She always knows what's right... Sometimes I wonder how she knows. What's good and what's wrong. And how she has the strength to do the right thing even if it's painful.'

I don't know if I can. Karen felt her eyes fill with tears. I don't know if I can be that strong. It would be as if they died because of me a second time, if I don't kill that woman. How can I do the right thing when the only options I have are bad? The right thing can't be to give up Adam's bad jokes, Carter beating me in video games, Catherine complaining about milennials. James and Snapper kissing on SnapCo. Alexandra being a good mentor. Even Margaret, the annoying one. They can't have gone. I can't let them go.

"Those Lena and Kara sound like good people," said Karen repressing her anguish. Please tell me they aren't good. Tell me they're bad. Tell me they hurt people and should disappear. Tell me please.

'They are the best people I know.' Winn sighed loudly. 'Do you know the law of karma? To do good things so that good things happen to you? There are people who prove that this is a lie. They only do good things, but bad things happen to them. Sometimes I just wonder why...' Silence. 'It doesn't matter.'

Karen closed her eyes, breathing all the air her lungs could contain. Her heart ached intensely in her chest, as if Krypton had exploded again. Why always me? She tried to remember her aunt Astra's reassuring smile. She needed to regain control of her emotions, stop thinking like Kara Zor-L and Karen Starr and start thinking like Powergirl. Is there a Powergirl if my Earth doesn't even exist anymore? She did not know. What am I going to do? What would Aunt Astra do? What would Catherine do? She squeezed her eyes shut. They wouldn't be crying pathetically on the floor.

Counting to ten, Karen gathered strength to sit on the floor, leaning her back against the wall. They would stand firm. My Aunt Astra would remind me that I am a strong member of the House of L, like when my parents were sent to Fort Rozz. That the House of L doesn't act according to fear and pain, but hope. Catherine would tell me to make the decision that I won't regret later.

Powergirl watched the green glow of her handcuffs, feeling a slight pain from her wrists to her arms. I can't. Powergirl vowed to protect humanity, even if it's not mine, even if they don't deserve it. She rubbed her wrists slowly, trying to ease the pain. She was tired of feeling pain. And that means I've failed them all again. It was the first time she felt trapped inside her own body. I've run out of options. Someone screamed in the corner of her mind. Karen wondered if it was the echo of one of her many nightmares or a repressed memory. "Hey, Winn..."

'Yes?' asked the boy on the other side of the wall.

"What color are Lena's eyes?"

'Um, greens,' answered the boy, confused. 'Why do you ask?'

Karen laughed lightly, without any joy. I knew. "I've always liked green eyes."

---

Lena

11:45 PM

As the three of them walked through a entrance tunnel, Lena realized that, against her best wishes, she was getting used to the coldness of the Batcave, the distant screech of the bats, the cats following her almost everywhere. However, something was different this time around. Lena could feel Her in the back of her mind, as if She were waiting for the opportune moment to speak again. The almost cozy warmth on her chest proved it. Kate had remained silent, but Lena knew the soldier was only organizing her next plan of action. Kara, on the other hand, had not said much during the trip, lost in her thoughts as if they were a maze and she were trying to find the Minotaur. "Maggie mentioned the doctors who worked with Lillian."

"Hugh Laurie, Remy Hadley, Robert Chase, Chi Park, Lisa Cuddy and Eric Foreman," recited Kate by heart. "All of them dead the same year Lena was kidnapped and Lutessa disappeared. I thought that clue was a dead end, but Maggie thinks it could lead to something, so I'll take a look." She pursed her lips. "She was the best detective in Gotham."

Lena smiled sideways. "Maggie is the best detective anywhere."

"Don't you feel worried about the fact that mythological beings and magic terrorists want to kill you, Ms Luthor?"

Someone always wants to kill me. "Of course," said Lena, feeling Kara's hand caress hers. "And confused. No god has tried attacking me."

"There's only one reason for that," said Batwoman. "They can't do it. If they could approach you, Veritas wouldn't exist."

"I see that gods are just as clement everywhere," said Kara sarcastically, folding her arms, though Lena could barely see her in the darkness of the tunnel.

Batwoman pursed her lips. "At least we've been able to draw a conclusion. If the gods want you dead, somehow you pose a threat to them. Maggie said you're in great danger."

"I wish she'd have said why," answered the brunette in a neutral voice.

Kate did not answer.

After what seemed like hours, the three women got out from the tunnel into the illuminated main hall of the Batcave. Lena watched as Kara hardened slightly, like a hound sniffing a clue. She's heard something. She followed Kara's gaze, finding Wayne sitting at the computer, with an open book in his hands. Batman was staring at her, his eyes cold and as hard as a steel wall. Lena knew something was wrong as soon as she saw his eyes, and her suspicions were confirmed when she recognized the book in his hands.

"My son Dick was able to restore it with the help of a friend." He stood, walking toward them and giving the book to Lena. "Almost the whole book is written with some kind of code that doesn't seem to follow an order, but there are two texts that follow a certain logic, one of which is this one," he said, pointing to the page. "My computer can't find what language it is."

Lena's heart fluttered in her chest. "It's Banen, the language of Bana-Mighdall."

"Do you know what it says?"

"My mother just taught me some loose words, but I think this is a kind of children's story." Lena and the Great Monster. At the beginning of time, before the war of three million years... "I'm afraid I can't translate it."

"I can," said Kara, smiling slightly. Without a word, she took the book from her hands. "I learn things faster than humans, and in the time I was in Themiscyra, I was able to deduce almost all of the Banas's language, let me take a look at it." At Lena's concern, Kara's eyes flew down the page, taking only a few seconds to read it completely. "It's an old legend. The story of, um, there's no exact translation for this word... The Monitor."

Batman nodded. "Please continue."

"It says that she was a kind of magical creature, who was at war against a great villain called... Anti-Monitor. The Anti-Monitor was the winner, and murdered the Monitor, destroying her heart. According to the text, then the Anti-Monitor was killed by the gods, as they saw him as a threat."

Kara, are you lying? That's ridiculous.

"Wait, are they both dead? Are you sure it says that?" asked Batwoman, approaching Kara. "Maggie mentioned two creatures: Veritas's super god and a Watcher. Kara, are you sure they aren't the same ones?"

Her girlfriend nodded. "This old legend is pretty clear about it. I don't know what Maggie meant, but here the creatures have been dead for millennia. They can't be the same."

"I understand," said Batman dryly. "Supergirl, there's another text a few pages further on, which I've translated with my computer. Would you mind reading it out loud?"

Kara nodded, searching for the text Wayne had indicated. Her mouth parted and her eyes widened. "It's Lillian's handwriting."

Lena felt a sudden pang in her heart, a mixture of surprise, fear and pain. Lillian. It would be very fitting for her adoptive mother to ruin everything even in a coma. What did you write? How much does Wayne know?

"...*It was not easy, but I managed to get hold of a gap and keep it safe, in secret from the others. I do not think anyone ever knows what I sacrificed to achieve it. According to my calculations, everything will go well while Diana remains ignorant. None of the ancient texts tell me exactly what I must do, they only offer me confused prophecies and inconsistent dreams. I know what I must do, but not how I must do it. Somewhere in this huge world of which so many people ignore, so much is the Chaos Door and I must find it. I think the list of possible locations could be reduced to four places, A1, A2, B1 and T1. It could be any, and it's particularly difficult to keep everything a secret, so the best option is to watch over the gap and wait for the time to run its course. If my calculations are accurate, in one or two years it will develop its true nature and an incalculable and incomprehensible power. If all goes well, I will not have to look for the Door, the gap will lead me to it*." Kara stopped reading, taking a deep breath, her shoulders slightly taut. "Just when I thought she couldn't be crazier."

"However, it has shed a little light on various things." Bruce put his hands in his pockets, even though his face was far from relaxed. "Your mother mentions that she stole something from Diana to find something called the Chaos Door, just before writing those codes about its possible locations. Something called The Gap. You don't have to be a genius to come to the conclusion that she's referring to you."

Lena nodded slowly, resisting the urge to look at Kara. She sighed, feigning exhaustion. "Maybe they're afraid I'll make their existence public. They know Maggie and I had proof, we were looking for answers. I just need to make them public to expose Veritas and Lutessa."

Bruce nodded. "Sounds logical, but it doesn't explain why your mother kidnapped you."

If he says 'your mother' again to refer to Lillian, I think I might try to kill him. "Lillian wrote 'Diana must remain ignorant'. I used to think she did it just to hurt her, but with Lutessa alive that doesn't make sense."

"I'll tell you what I think," said Wayne, pursing his lips. "I think you're that Gap Lillian mentions in her diary."

Lena was sure she could have pushed Wayne, caught up with Kara, and fled so fast that no one would ever catch up with them. But of course, she was smarter than that, enough to know that would confirm the culpability Wayne was so eager to attribute to her. "That sounds like a logical solution, but the book just confirmed that it's impossible. I can't be the Gap that Lillian mentions, however, Veritas undoubtedly thinks I'm related or that I know what it is."

"Why do you say it's impossible?"

"Because Lillian says 'In a year or two, it will develop an incalculable power'. She wrote that when I was two years old. It's been thirty years, Mr Wayne, and I have no 'incalculable power'." said Lena, using her professional voice. "I'm just a businesswoman."

The old bat pressed his lips imperceptibly, nodding a bit. He turned to his cousin. "How did it go with Rachel Roth?"

"We were able to talk to Maggie, Wonder Woman and Agent Danvers. They were okay, but something broke off the trance before Maggie told me something important." Batwoman bit the inside of her cheek. "I'll tell you what I think. Neither the Greek gods nor Veritas's 'Super-god' can approach Lena, for whatever reason, and that's why Veritas is pursuing her, mere human. That means that Lena's theory is possible. What's more dangerous for a secret sect than a journalist and a millionaire with influences?"

"It doesn't explain the Gap thing." Batman turned away, returning to the computer. "Whether it's a weapon, a code, a person or information, there's only one thing certain: it's related to Miss Luthor, and I will find out what it is."

Kate suppressed a yawn, walking toward the other chair. "I will go back and review the information about those doctors, why don't you go to sleep a little? No offense, but you clearly need it."

"Usually I don't need much sleep," said Kara, rubbing her hands together. "Just an hour or two. It's very useful for patrolling at night." She sighed. "I miss patrolling."

"You must remain hidden," said Batman without turning.

"I know, Mr. Wayne." Kara folded her arms, exhausted. "Maybe if I wear a mask..."

"People would notice it anyway," said Wayne, turning in his chair. "I understand your need to do good, Ms Danvers. I know you miss being Supergirl, but even if you borrowed one of Kate's suits and called yourself Batgirl, people would notice. Or worse, Veritas."

Kara nodded, sighing. "I understand." Her eyes met Lena's, looking away quickly. "And by the way, it's Superwoman from now on. Ms Grant finally agreed to change it."

The corners of his lips rose slightly. "I'll remember."

Kara and Lena turned to head for the stairs, their footsteps echoing in the immensity of the cave. Before she touched the door handle, Lena heard Wayne's voice, stopping her.

"Miss Luthor," he said. "Why do you think a text as seemingly trivial as an old legend in Banen is in such an important book to Veritas?"

Lena sighed, feeling the pain pounding in her temples. I'm sick of him. "Maybe it's not as trivial as it looks, Mr Wayne," she said before opening the door and climbing the stairs.

---

The heartless Woman

3:04 AM (Current Local Time in Scotland)

The yellow moon glowed in the window, high in the sky, being an indifferent witness to all the errors of the inhabitants of the Earth, human and not human. From the window of her office, Tess was staring at it, listening to Mozart paying homage to the dead through an old record player that had belonged to Queen Delphini Black I. The singing of the dead pursues the living. She sighed slowly. Your loved ones shouldn't suffer for you, Lena.

"So she has finally finished?"

'She's sleeping, Tess,' answered Teague. 'Goodness hasn't told me what's going to happen. I hope it's something fun.'

"It will be something useful," replied the woman. "Did you take the Martian to the island? Is he already connected?"

'Yes, Slade is with him. The Amazons surely are happy to see a man.' Teague laughed a little. 'Goodness wants you to be there when she wakes up.'

"I'll decide on it after talking to Powergirl."

'Why do you even bother? You know she'll tell you no.'

Psychopaths don't understand the meaning of subtlety. "Maybe she'll tell me yes."

'She won't.'

"I'll try to convince her."

'You can't save her, Tess. She doesn't want to be saved.'

Lutessa closed her eyes, listening to the music. "If we succeed tomorrow and the Gap dies in Gotham, it will not be necessary to save anyone. Otherwise, Powergirl will have to be our backup plan."

'Were you serious about her family?'

"Very serious," said Tess, pulling away her wheelchair to her desk. "If you take an oath and don't do it, your allies become enemies."

'It's a double shame she's going to tell you no. Do you need her now, or do you want her to talk to my man a little more?'

"Wait ten minutes and bring her in. And don't forget that Helena Wayne's bedtime was half an hour ago."

With the absence of Teague's voice, Tess was finally able to fully enjoy Mozart's music, violins and pianos honoring the thousands of souls who roamed the Underworld without finding peace. She closed her eyes, thinking of white walls, an isolated house on the outskirts of New York, orphans lost forever, rain soaking her hopes, sharks' teeth biting out her innocence.

Lena has to die. Tess reached for an aspirin on her desk. Nothing else matters. She has to die at any price.

'Powergirl on the way.'

Tess hurried to swallow the aspirin, then drank a glass of water. This tasted much more bitter than usual, as if she were drinking vinegar. At that moment, the record player stopped, ending the singing of the dead. But the song kept reproducing in her mind, with more acute voices, thousands of children's voices singing from their graves.

The door opened, letting in the guards escorting the woman with the helmet on her head. They made Powergirl sit in front of her, then took off her lead helmet. Tess noticed the undeniable signs of sadness on her face, swollen eyes, dilated pupils, wet cheeks. Karen stared at her, staying calm and strong despite the vacuum in her eyes. Those are the eyes of a survivor.

"I want us to talk alone," said Powergirl, putting her handcuffed hands on her knees.

Tess turned to the guards. "Wait outside, please."

The guards turned and went out in silence, not looking at either of the two women. Tess studied Powergirl's face, trying to understand the thoughts of that potentially lethal and dangerous creature. And maybe, that way, I also could understand Supergirl's.

"You have had some time to think," said Tess, without breaking the eye contact. "I need an answer." Powergirl lifted her chin slightly. "I know what I would answer if I were you."

"And what would you answer?"

"I would say yes without hesitation," said Tess. "Not every day you can recover the people you have lost, the ones you have loved."

Powergirl sat upright in her chair, pressing her lips together as she nodded. "Once, a couple of years ago, one of my enemies kidnapped my brother Adam. This guy wanted me to free his father from prison, and in return he'd release Adam. When I caught him, I told him to let me talk with him to make sure he was okay. The only thing Adam told me was 'Don't do it, Kar. You can't give in to what this criminal wants. Powergirl is a sign of justice and that's more important than anything, more important than me'." The blonde put her handcuffed hands on the desk. "He was the one who gave me hope, who made me believe in people. If it were up to me, I'd say yes, because I'd be willing to do anything to get them back, like that time with Adam." She looked away, her eyes turning into glass. "So instead of making the decision on my own, I've decided to do what Adam would do in my place, and he'd say no." She looked at her again. "Adam would say that nothing justifies taking a life, that the end doesn't justify the means. Adam would do the right thing even if it hurts."

"And he would be wrong, because the end always justifies the means," replied Tess. "By your decision, billions could die. I don't understand that you don't want to avoid that."

"I will not murder two innocent people."

"Not even to save millions of lives?"

"Find another way."

"There is not."

"Yes, there is. Murder is never the answer, it never really fixes the problem."

"Have you ever heard the dead singing, Kara?"

The Kryptonian looked honestly confused for a moment, her head tilted slightly.

"Their songs are full of grief and pain," continued Tess, staring at her. "But someone has to listen to them, somebody has to make the hard decisions, the ones no one wants to take, someone has to be willing to make sacrifices for the common good, and I'm sorry, but I'm not surprised, you're not strong enough."

"You can't decide who lives and who dies, Miss Mercer," replied Karen coldly.

"You're wrong again. If you don't make a decision, it doesn't matter what your values are or whatever hope you decide to have, because people will die for your lack of action. Someone has to be the scapegoat," she said mechanically. "I am the person who lives in the True world, I am the one who decides how many deaths to have in my conscience. Hope is a luxury that I can't afford, Kara."

"When I received these powers, I thought they would be the way to prevent what happened to Krypton from happening to Earth." Karen spoke softly, much to Tess's surprise. "But then I met people who showed me the opposite. There's always hope, it's never too late."

"Do you have hope, Kara Zor-L?"

"No," she said sadly. "It died with all those I loved, it died with my Earth. But this Earth could still have it."

The medallion in her chest began to burn, the slight pain catching the attention of the woman in the wheelchair. "It's always been too late, from the moment the first bacteria appeared in the Multiverse." She put a finger to the earpiece of her ear, without breaking the eye contact with the alien. "You can go in now."

Immediately, the guards re-entered the room, turning to Karen and forcing her to rise from the chair. The alien looked at her with almost resigned eyes. "You're going to kill me?"

"No, but I think you want me to." Tess pulled her chair out of the desk, pushing forward. "We will erase your memory. I will send you to Earth-19, one of the few Earths where the existence of the Multiverse is known. Its sunless climate will prevent you from having powers, although you will never drink coffee again. But I guess it's still better than your cell."

"No," the Kryptonian said, her face breaking. "This isn't over, Lutessa. What you do is wrong. You can't-"

"Put the helmet on."

One of the guards put the lead helmet back on her head, interrupting her words. Karen tried to resist being taken away, only getting the guards to drag her. Tess watched silently as she disappeared through the door, listening to the struggle through the hall. The dead sing. She felt the medallion warm in her chest again, not enough to hurt her but to remind her that He was there. The woman pulled her chair to the left, to the small table where the record player was, an object so strange that it could well be from another world. If you can bear the songs of the dead, it means that you understand the Truth. In the True world there is no hope, only survival. Tess switched on the record player again, allowing Mozart's Requiem to go into her ears and relieve her headache. "Powergirl can't use her x-rays on herself with the Kryptonite, I hope the scar isn't visible. And tell your horror movie monster to send us the package before he takes the child."

'Done,' Jason answered in her ear. 'I'm checking on your favorite guest. She's not fun without her sarcastic and challenging comments. Maybe if I show her her friend's head...'

"I trust you have the Kryptonite sword ready," said Tess before pulling out the receiver from her ear, throwing it on the table angrily.

Whatever it takes.

---

Kara Zor-El

11:51 PM

The Kryptonian opened the door of her room, gently pushing away the cats that followed her everywhere. "Go away," said Kara with exhaustion. "C'mon. Shu, shu!"

Kara could not remember ever being more stressed in her life, and worst of all, worse than the impotence of not being able to recover her sister, was the feeling of not advancing in the search for Veritas. We can't continue like this. Alex's last words were to give her courage, to encourage her to find the others. To remind her that she could not surrender. That the world, her friends, Lena, all needed Supergirl. But I need Alex. A small sob escaped her lips, sadness mixed with anger. I'm going to destroy Lutessa, Teague, everyone. I will-

She felt Lena's hand on her shoulder. Lifting her gaze, Kara found herself in front of her serious face, almost calm. "We need a bath."

"Yeah," said Kara, wiping a tear that had run down her cheek. "We need it."

Lena took her hand and pulled her into the bathroom, taking off her clothes along the way and unceremoniously throwing them to the floor, all except the medallion. Kara took off her blue sweater and black pants, as if they were suffocating her, needing to be naked almost desperately. Lena let her hair down, running her fingers through her scalp. Kara felt a shiver run down her back. "Turn on the water."

The brunette did so, turning her back to Kara and leaning slightly. Kara had the urgent need to kiss her back, touch it, bite it, dig her nails into that perfect skin and forget everything for a few minutes. Stupid, I'd probably break her spine. I already hurt her the last time, it can't happen again.

They both sat in the tub, under the shower. Kara stared at her girlfriend's black hair, soaking wet, her beauty more intense than a mermaid's. Kara thought she could look at her for days. "We need to talk."

"I know," said Lena. "You just lied to Wayne. You don't know a word of Banen."

"I heard your heart and I knew there was something wrong. I said the first thing that came to me," she sighed. "You knew what it says in that text."

"It was Lena and the Great Monster." She leaned against the tub. "Wayne isn't stupid. All he needs is a prophecy with my name to confirm that I am the Gap." Her gaze turned sad. "Lillian spent all these years studying me like a mouse? Her words seem to indicate that. She was looking for a door somewhere." Their gazes met. "She thought I was some kind of key."

"It seems that she also thought that you'd have powers."

"Something that never happened." Lena rested her face on her hand. "I imagine her disappointment when she realized that I was just a normal human. More clever, but no super cosmic powers."

"Maybe she misinterpreted the 'confusing legends and prophecies' she mentions. And we can't say you're very normal now, Potsticker."

Lena smiled slightly, biting her lip and taking her hand. "How do you feel? For real."

Kara sighed. "I feel... we're over the worst." She rubbed Lena's hand in hers, looking at her long fingers. "Alex told me to forget about her. She asked me not to give up and look for the others, that she would be fine. I want to believe in my sister. But Lena, what if this was the last time I hear her voice? If I never hug her again and tell her that I love her? And if I lose her like I've lost my planet? Am I terribly selfish because I still want to go and get her?"

"There's no gram of selfishness in you, Kara Zor-El Danvers." Lena lifted her chin, looking into her eyes and stroking her cheek with her thumb. "I know you're scared, just like me, and that you're tired. But that conversation with Alex wasn't a goodbye. They know what happened, they managed to escape once and they'll do it again."

And they'll continue to flee if they manage to come back. Kara touched Lena's soft lips with the tips of her fingers. "I think we have to talk about our options, because we can't continue like this."

Lena sighed deeply, nodding her head. "I hear you."

"Option number one: we tell them the truth," said Kara slowly, watching Lena's eyes widen slightly. "We tell them everything, that you're the Gap and that... she is on our side." She looked at the medallion. Is she? "Because this way we aren't advancing."

"I know, but we can't do that." Lena squeezed her hand. "Kara, Kate is a good person and I'm sure she would want to do the right thing. But I know Wayne. Not Batman. Wayne. He always does what he thinks is right for the greater good, facing the consequences." She rubbed her fingers. "He wouldn't understand. He couldn't. He would think he can handle all by himself, and the first thing he would do is take away my medallion by force." She sighed. "He would think I'm a threat."

Kara rubbed her knees, feeling that the water was warmer.

Lena pursed her lips. "After all, it's what he thought of Artemis, that she was a threat. Wayne doesn't think any better of me."

And Kate? What would Kate do? Kara bit her lip. "Second option: we return to National City."

Lena looked at her with startled eyes.

"The DEO is still there, Lucy is there, Cat, your grandmother, people we can trust. I know the Bats can do things that no one else can, but what is the point of that advantage if we don't trust them? We could find Lutessa if we didn't spend half our energies on lying."

Lena bit her lip, shaking her head with bright eyes. "We would be putting them in danger. Veritas is looking for us too, keeping an eye on everything. You think they wouldn't notice if we come back home?" Kara stroked her wet hair, wishing she could remove that look of sadness from her eyes. "We can't."

Kara nodded slowly, rubbing her shoulders in small circles.

"Option three..." Her hands slid down her skin to her chest, where the medallion shone. "We got her out."

Lena's body hardened under her hands, as if her skin had turned to stone.

"I guess it's the only real choice we have," said Kara, touching her medallion. "We will never be truly free if we don't get rid of Veritas. All of them, our Earths and the others's. We need her to do that."

Her eyes softened, nodding slowly. "My grandmother warned me: sometimes there are no right decisions, only bad and less bad." Their gazes met. "We have to take the book and get out of here."

"Let me talk to her." Her heart began to run a marathon in her chest, breathing deeply. "I'll take care of the rest."

"You sure?"

"I am, Potsticker." Kara smiled at her, bending over to kiss her forehead. "Trust me, everything will be fine."

Lena looked at her with quiet eyes for a couple of seconds, taking her hands with all her strength. Kara watched as her beautiful girlfriend, the woman she loved, close her eyes and squeezed her lips into a thin line.

The change was almost immediate. Her body language disappeared, her heart began to beat at a slow and steady pace, her face softened into a blank page. When Lena opened her eyes, they were red as the color of blood, staring at their hands clasped in front of them. "You made the decision, Kara Zor-El."

"Yes," said Kara, not letting go of the Entity's hands. "Millions have died for Veritas, and millions more will continue dying if we don't stop them. It's as if all our life we had been slaves without knowing it."

"Slaves of the destiny that Mobius imposed on you."

Kara felt a sudden pang of pain in the head, so violent that she let go of Lena's hand, afraid of accidentally hurting her. Her vision clouded for less than a second.

The Entity kept looking down. "Hearing or thinking about His name is painful, is it not?"

"Veritas' members say it."

"They have years to practice. Eventually, they can say His name without feeling pain. He feels fascination for pain, as I feel it for love."

Kara smiled slightly, an almost involuntary grimace. "I don't know if you've heard, but a few minutes ago I invented a silly story to get Lena out of a jam. The Monitor and The Anti-Monitor. You said there isn't a word for what you and your brother are, maybe we can call you that." I know I don't have Cisco's imagination or Cat's wit, but it doesn't sound bad. "Does it bother you if I call you Monitor?"

It almost seemed like she was confused. "Why do I need another name? Mine does not cause you pain."

"Because it helps me stop thinking of you as 'the Cosmic Entity that's possessing my girlfriend and could kill us just by wanting it'."

"I have told you before, I do not want to harm any being, only the gods and my brother." She moved in her place, laying Lena's hands awkwardly on her knees. "I'm... tired of being alone in the dark, feeling my Gaps being born just to feel them die seconds later. Lena is the only one who has lived so long."

"And she will die if we don't stop Veritas."

"Everyone dies, Lass," said the Monitor. "That is the beauty of life and change, the limit of time that makes everything more beautiful, the death of the old for the birth of the new, again and again, without ever stopping. With each birth there will be a new door, full of possibilities, but that beauty would be impossible without death. Life and death need each other." She looked at her cheek, slowly lifting Lena's hand and touching it with the index finger. "But no one should die before their time. And death should be natural, not a result of hatred, fear and ambition."

Kara smiled slightly, feeling the tickle on her cheek. "Why does Veritas want to keep you locked up if you're not evil?"

"Fear." Lena's index finger touched her nose. "The worst illness. You should know, you are also afraid of me. You can not help it, it is not your fault."

Kara looked away, frustrated to recognize that the Entity was right again. Some people are scared of me even if I just want to help. She took Lena's hand, pushing it away from her cheek, forcing herself to concentrate on her vital signs due her inability to look into her eyes. "I'll free you, Dax Novu, but we have to set up a couple of rules first."

"Speak."

"You will not use your powers against anyone other than Veritas." Lena's index finger began to rub the palm of her hand. "Maybe Bruce and Kate will try to stop us, but they are good and don't deserve to suffer any harm."

"I can erase their memories to make them forget everything about you and my Gap, as if you have never been here."

"You did it before?"

"I have not been as subtle as I should be." Her gaze fixed on Kara's chest, as if she could see her heart. "It is very easy to get carried away by Lena's emotions. Being connected to her for so long, I have begun to feel them as if they were also mine." She lifted Lena's hand to touch her neck awkwardly. "It is fascinating."

Kara moved her hand gently away. "Don't do that."

"Why?"

"We... beings, um, we take our living space very seriously. It feels bad that someone other than Lena touch me. Well, technically it's Lena's hand but, you understand, you're not her."

She raised her eyebrows imperceptibly, staring at the floor. "My apologies, it is that I had never been able to admire my work so closely." She put both Lena's hands on the edge of the tub. "The Kryptonians have almost a hundred thousand years more evolution than humans. You have different internal organs: three kidneys, four intestines, a bigger stomach and you use sixteen percent of your brain, five percent more than the most intelligent human. Why do you spend so much time restraining yourself?"

"To not hurt anyone," said Kara, looking away. "You can't hurt anyone, okay? If we get in trouble, we'll tell you what to do, but no one must get hurt. Especially Kate and Bruce."

"Good."

"Second condition, you can't erase my memory."

"I know, Lena already told me a while ago."

Kara swallowed. "I only have one more condition." She leaned back, leaning her back on the tub. "Lena will not suffer any harm now or after releasing you. You will always protect her, no matter what." She's my brightest light, the only thing I have left. "And you'll help us fix this whole mess."

She nodded. "That is all?"

"I've been betrayed some times, Monitor. It's not that easy to trust people anymore," said Kara, trying to look into those red eyes without looking away. "I need to trust you. Lena and I need to know we're doing the right thing."

"I do not defraud, Kara Zor-El. That is the creation of my brother."

Kara nodded slowly, clasping her hands under the warm water. "Now that we agree, I have some questions to ask you." Kara cleared her throat. "Why couldn't Raven feel anything in the medallion?"

"Magic has changed a lot over time, but it only works in Existence." She said looking at her neck. "I am out of Existence. Magic is useless with me, it can not track something that is not in the world."

Kara ran a hand through her wet hair. "Magic is inefficient, I understand." She leaned forward. "Being a Gap involves having powers? Lena has some kind of power? We found a journal of the former owner of the medallion, Lillian, the woman who... raised Lena. She believed that she would develop powers."

"And she did."

Kara half opened her mouth slightly. "Lena has powers? Which ones?"

"Her nature," she replied, trying awkwardly to brush a strand of black hair from Lena's face. "One of the reasons I made her stronger was for her to stop feeling jealous. Those kinds of feelings go against her nature, and are potentially harmful to her wellbeing."

Kara blinked. "I don't understand."

"My Gap is different from all other beings. She can not be reached by the influence of my brother. The gods can not harm her. Destiny does not affect her. And more importantly, her soul is pure, impervious to the evil of the world. That is why it was an aberration that she was jealous."

"You're saying that Lena's superpower... is her good heart? Her ability to do good?"

"Yes."

Kara smiled slightly. "Lillian must have been pretty frustrated." A sense of pride grew in her chest, she wondered if it was for her own merit or because of the Entity. "Okay, I just have one more question. What do I have to do to get you out?"

The Monitor looked at her chest, at her heart. "Open the Door."

---

Helena Wayne

00:10 AM

As much as her father had kept his word and told her a Supergirl story, Helena was in bed, unable to sleep. Usually the darkness of her bedroom was not a problem if she simply avoided thinking about it, but that night the darkness seemed different, darker, sinister. Supergirl is in the house, nothing bad can happen. I have to stop being so dumb. Helena reached for her bedside table, taking the cellphone her brother Jason had given her for her birthday. Covering her head with the blanket, Helena hugged her Supergirl doll and began to explore Twitter. * realRonaldDump: Despite the constant negative press cofveve.* Uh? The little girl pressed her lips together. What is cofveve?

*Nock Nock Nock* "Helena?" A familiar voice came from the other side of the door.

Helena heard the door open slowly. She smiled, pulling her head out from under the sheets. "Hi."

"You shouldn't be up so late."

"Sorry," she said, leaving her cellphone. "Can't sleep."

"Mm, I see... When I was little and I had nightmares, I used to go out for a night walk. What do you say we go for a walk?"

Helena wrinkled her nose, hugging her doll. "There are monsters out there."

"Oh, of course not." The echo of the footsteps bounced around the room. Helena suddenly felt a strange smell, similar to old garbage. "You see, there are no monsters out there. You want to know why?"

"Why?"

A hand stroked her black hair. "Because the monsters are right here."

The hand covered her mouth, silencing the cry that wanted to come out too late.

---

The Woman Who hears the Song

3:40 AM (Current Local Time in Scotland)

Lutessa had always detested Granny Goodness, from the first moment she had laid eyes on her almost twenty five years ago. She could not bear her shark teeth, her manipulative attitude, her natural talent to make people suffer. I know it perfectly well, this woman always finds a way to break anyone. The old woman stood on the other side of the white room, next to the table where a white sheet covered the shape of a body. Goodness had a small jar of the serum in her hand, moving it gently. "It's amazing how technology evolves. I don't think I could have done it without the serum, not without making her useless."

"I know." Too well. "I would appreciate it if you stopped wasting our time and wake her up at once. We still have to take her to Gotham."

"As you say."

Lutessa saw the old woman reach for the white table by the side of the stretcher, where there was a wooden box with the well-known symbol of the well. Opening it, Granny Goodness drew out a gold medallion, shining like a snake's venom. Tess watched the woman remove the sheet from above the body, revealing gray skin full of scars that still retained some of the gold of the sun. Whatever it takes to kill Lena. Goodness lifted the head slightly, sliding the medallion down the neck, letting it fall between the bare breasts. Whatever it takes to kill Lena. Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes.

Goodness sighed with a smile on her lips. "She is beautiful. I never believed that mixing science with Truth would work so well."

"Wake her before my patience is over."

Goodness shrugged, taking the serum again and preparing a syringe. She placed her right hand between the breasts of the body, above the medallion, her smile showing the shark's teeth that matched the body's scars. "We give this body to our Master, Owner and Lord of the Universes, so that He may make it a weapon to protect His Truth..."

The medallion began to glow in a blue light.

"...To erase from this Earth the Gaps that threaten order and peace..."

Lutessa bit her lip. I should have killed her.

"...To maintain in her Prison the Watcher eager to escape and destroy us..."

Whatever it takes.

"...Use this body with sleeping soul, and make awaken something new and pure in your Truth, a new being, cleansed of all lies..."

Tess stopped listening to Goodness's voice, watching the body tremble as if electricity were running through its veins. The blue light of the medallion gave off heat as if it were a slow fire, without damaging the skin, but spreading a smell of coal that flooded the room. Goodness's voice stopped as the body stopped moving, her skin drained of all color, like an old rag doll.

Granny Goodness did not withdraw her hand from her chest. "It's over."

Tess moved a little closer to the stretcher, looking for some sign of consciousness in that indifferent face. "Wake up, we're waiting for you."

"You have to give her a name," said Goodness. "It's like you're her mother now."

Tess sighed softly, not wanting to show the slightest weakness in front of the person she hated so much. "Wake up." She held her still hand. "Wake up, Requiem."

Her eyes flew open. They were blue and beautiful like two sapphires.