Disclaimer: Still ... own ... nothing.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Healers and Soldiers
Sure, one could argue that since Kara was adopted from Montenegro at age seven, comparing her to Alex was a moot point. However, everyone that met the sisters could see the bond they shared was more important than any blood connection. That made their outlooks on life even more interesting. Despite being falsely accused of plagiarism and having to reinvent herself in her early twenties, Kara Danvers was full of cheer and optimism about people and life in general. That wasn't to imply Alex was a Debby Downer, but she held a more practical view of people and society; her trust was harder to gain and once broken, even harder to repair. Both sisters were protective of each other, despite their occasional bickering, and they were intensely loyal to those they called family and friend, as the team swiftly discovered.
Barry found he clicked more easily with the blonde-haired Kara and her friendly, but inquisitive disposition. They'd both been through hardships when they were young, losing their parents in one form or another, and they'd had to adapt to that tragedy and a new family soon after. Rather than let their past define them, they chose to see the good still left in the world and they continued to look to a better future, picking careers that would help them achieve that goal. Barry focused on getting justice for others and finding the truth for people on the worst days of their lives; Kara decided to inspire others with her words and her faith in a community's ability to rise to the challenge. Barry and Kara hit off quickly, becoming the best of friends in no time, much to the amusement of their respective partners; Iris, and James Olson.
Alex related better to Oliver and John. They were a quieter, intense bunch who'd seen a little too much of others' pain and could sympathize from their own experiences. They were tough and prepared to do what was necessary, even if they lost a part of themselves in the process; if it protected others from the same fate, they were willing to make the sacrifice. They still found the good in life and helped others where they could, but they were the soldiers to Barry and Kara's healers. They were the strength the rest of the team relied on when hope was not enough. And the team was their strength when they needed it.
The Cortex felt rather full, with Harry and Cisco at the computers explaining to Iris the technical aspects of the next piece she was researching. Thea had pulled Oliver to the side to plan a surprise birthday party for their mom and, from the exasperated shake of his head, Diggle was apparently getting roped in as help. Caitlin and Alex were discussing Oliver's brain in medical terms Barry didn't fully understand but he was certain his dad would. That left Barry and Ronnie to show Kara where they stood in their research into Lord Industries. The room was busy, but Barry felt there was some space left for a few more people.
"Maxwell's A.I. program wasn't even on my radar when I started my research on him," Kara explained after Ronnie asked her about her own investigation; "I was looking into his social media platform, Indigo. A programmer in the company came to me because he was concerned with the level of personal information the site collected and stored on the sly. When I started digging into Indigo, searching for proof I could publish, that's when I heard the rumors about the next gen A.I. It was only after I found evidence Lord was collaborating with other CEOs on a bigger project that I was hit the plagiarism lawsuit."
"You have evidence of the conspiracy?" Barry shot forward. This was news she hadn't shared in previous meetings, but Kara sadly shook her head; "I had proof. Pictures of a clandestine meeting and a short recording where everyone talked in code. I lost it all. I'd planned to copy the information onto my personal drive, but I was fired, and all my work confiscated before I could."
"What about your whistleblower in Lord Industries? Would he have any proof?" Ronnie followed up.
"His name is Winn Schott and his only proof was some questionable coding in Indigo which he couldn't bring to me due to Lord's strict intellectual property monitoring. Last I heard, he quit shortly after my downfall and took a job at Catco. I'm afraid if you're looking for any leads, my old ones aren't the way."
"They're a start," Oliver disagreed, walking over and bringing their conversation to the attention of the others; "And considering the dangers of the Ghosts, which use Lord's A.I. program, I think taking down Lord Industries should be our top priority."
"Taking out the brain behind the dispersal methods might draw the wrong kind of attention, especially when we don't have any lead on the drones themselves or the bio-weapons," Diggle cautioned from a tactical standpoint.
"About that, there's something that's been bugging me," Alex interjected; "Barry, you said the first time you met Oliver, it was the future version of him that mentioned wanting to save the world."
"He did, we think he was referring to the corporate takeover," Barry acknowledged.
"You think, but you don't know because he didn't tell you. Why? Why only tell you how to free your dad?" Alex posed, forcing Barry to think back to that day his life was forever changed five years ago. He'd never really stopped to consider Oliver's motives for saving Henry Allen because it was his dad and future Oliver had claimed they were good friends. What friend wouldn't want to save the other's innocent father?
"Oh, you think maybe that Oliver suspected his future would be changed with Henry Allen's release, so he didn't want to warn of things that might not come to pass," Kara bounced on her feet excitedly, seeing her sister's point more clearly than the others.
"That's a possibility I've been considering with what we know about Oliver's gift," Alex scooted Cisco over to pull up a file on Barry's dad; "Which begs the question, what's so important about Dr. Henry Allen?"