A lot of back and forth with this chapter. Next chapter is where stuff really begins to pick up. I managed to finish this chapter on time, no idea if I'll be able to do the same with the next chapter. In any case I'm happy with how this chapter turned out and I hope everyone reading enjoys it. So like I always say, thanks for reading, let me know what you think and as always enjoy.

Chapter 16

Kelly was sore, and hungover, two things that didn't mix well with work. It hadn't hurt at the time but Lori shoving her had been really painful. She'd forgotten just how strong her cousin was and was wishing she had never pissed her off. Then again Lori should have never been at her apartment. She should have just left well enough alone. Kelly could barely remember the conversation they had had. By the time Lori had shown up she had already been halfway through a bottle of alien liquor, far to intoxicated to be functioning at all. Part of her wished she had stayed home, she was in no shape to be working.

Any thought of leaving was quickly thrown away when the receptionist approached her. Informing her that Lena wanted to see her immediately. She didn't argue, speaking to Lena would be better than sitting behind a desk all day. The elevator jerked slightly as it began its ascent, it hadn't worked very well for over a year, but every time Lena was about to get it fixed something happened. Kelly was tempted to do the repair herself, the lurching always made her stomach twist. It was a short trip to the top floor. The doors opened into a small area where Lena's assistant Jesse sat. She regarded Kelly with little interest waving her towards the office.

Well at least Kara isn't here. Kelly thought pushing open the office door. Lena was behind her desk, typing away at her computer, probably working on some kind of business deal. She never really understood her aunt. She was a smart business woman, a brilliant scientist and one of the most caring and dedicated women in the world. She had the world in the palm of her hand and yet she sat behind her desk, developing prototypes for some other scientist to build instead of doing it herself. She did do a lot of building and research for the DEO as their only outside consultant, so the hands off approach she had to L-Corps science prospects made sense to a degree.

"Good, you're here," Lena said not bothering to look up from her work. "Feeling any better?"

"Besides the throbbing headache I'm great." It was only the partial truth, her head was pounding, but she still felt horrible. Not physically, just emotionally.

"Take a seat," she said. "I'll be a minute I need to finish approving these schematics."

"Schematics for what?" Kelly was genuinely curious, some of the things L-Corp worked on were revolutionary.

Lena smiled behind the screen of her computer. "It's a prototype that hasn't been made public yet, unfortunately even though you are family and an employee of L-Corp, you are still general public."

"Ouch," Kelly feigned hurt, she knew there were restrictions Lena had to follow and it really didn't bother her.

She went over to the couch, realized she probably didn't want to sit there. Instead she sat in the chair next to it. She didn't think it would be much better (knowing how her aunts were, no place in this office was sacred). Lena was absorbed in whatever was on her computer screen, not paying any attention to her. Kelly almost felt like she was in the principal's office. A feeling she hadn't had for years (she had spent quite a lot of time in the principal's office because of fights. She hadn't started any of them, but she always finished them). It was almost worse than that though. Kelly admired Lena for multiple reasons, and any inkling that she could be in trouble with the woman she looked up to was terrifying.

The silence was filled with nothing more than the clicking of a keyboard. Kelly watched passed Lena to the balcony outside (a balcony she learned Lena had specifically added after she met Supergirl). It had been a convenience thing, to allow Supergirl to come by unannounced at any time. Kelly had launched herself off of it a few times, free falling towards the ground before taking off towards the sky. It had felt so amazing the first time she had done it, the absolute rush of adrenaline. She missed that feeling. She rarely got it anymore. Her blood didn't rush through her body like it had when she first picked up the name of Flare.

Lena stirred from her desk, breaking Kelly from her thoughts. She watched her aunt walk over to her liquor cabinet.

"So why did you want to see me?" Kelly watched her pour herself a glass of scotch.

Strange… she thought, it's a little early for that isn't it? She sighed outwardly. Perhaps she should have no opinion on the matter. Yesterday she had started drinking at ten in the morning. Lena was clearly more comfortable with a glass in her hand. Kelly figured it was almost like a power thing for her.

Lena turned to face her. "Do you know anything about Myriad?"

It was a strange question to start with. "It was a weapon, mind control I think, created by Kryptonians and was used to enslave the people of National City by Non a long time ago." She had read the file on it once. There had been something about it being stolen from the Fortress of Solitude but all of that information had been redacted.

Her aunt seemed to accept the response. She moved to the couch, setting her glass aside.

"There was a period of time where I chose a path that was wrong, at the expense of who I was," she started. "At the time I thought what I was doing was the right thing. As it turned out, I was just as horrible as Lex."

"Bullshit," Kelly said. Lena was the best of them, the good Luthor, Kelly knew that, the whole city knew that. "You've always been the good one."

Lena smiled, but Kelly could see the sadness behind it. She knew there was a lot she didn't know about her aunts – hell even her own parents had secrets. There would always be things she didn't know. But her aunt – Lena Luthor – being the bad guy? It didn't sit right with her.

"I wish that were true," Lena said. "But Kara betrayed me once and in return I betrayed her."

"What did you do?" Kelly couldn't believe it, her aunts had the strongest relationship out of all of them.

With a sigh Lena looked her dead in the eye and said, "I stole Myriad with the intent to use it."

XXXXX

Alex hadn't been in in full tactical gear in years. She avoided it as much as possible, it gave agents the idea that maybe she would go back into the field. At one point in time she may have considered it. Now though she was comfortable running things from behind a screen. Today though she needed to be there with her agents. She had two teams with her, her two best teams in fact. Bravo team was led by Vasquez, who didn't spend much time in the field, but Alex trusted her more than anyone.

"Keep it tight, I want a thorough search, understood?"

Every single agent replied with the affirmative. Bravo team broke off heading left towards the back of the steel factory. Alpha team, with Alex in the lead, moved towards the front. Initial data from the building showed that it was empty, but Alex wasn't about to send people in without searching it first. Warden could have left traps behind, rigged the place to explode. There were hundreds of possibilities. None of which bode well for them.

"Vasquez, report."

"Nothing so far ma'am, looks deserted." Vasquez said. "Maybe they knew we were coming."

Of course they did, that goddamned traitor, he knew we're on to him. Anger rose in her chest, one step behind, they had always been one step behind. "Finish clearing the building. Search for anything left behind. We are not leaving empty handed." Alex followed her own advice, continuing to search through the building. She could see Vasquez and her team moving down the catwalks above. Her own team was split up on the ground floor, moving slowly around the decrepit machinery. To her it looked like no one had been there in years, maybe Brainy was wrong. Maybe they hadn't been here.

"Director I think I've got something," one of her agents shouted from an adjacent room.

Alex stopped her pattern, moving instead towards her agent. Something was better than nothing she had to keep reminding herself of that. She lowered her gun as she went, it was empty, just her agents populated the building.

Her hastiness to find something was about to cost her. She felt it before she heard it. A wire pressed up against her shin followed by a distinct click. The agent near her heard it to, his eyes suddenly wide with fear.

"Everyone get down! Bomb!"

She dove back, hoping for some miracle, hoping no one would get hurt. Next thing she knew, heat was on her back and fire was surrounding her.

XXXXX

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Kelly had been through the DEO and the NCPD files (the ones she could get a hold of) dozens of times. She wanted to learn about the cases and the people her parents had put away. Learning that her aunt, a woman she looked up to, had actually been on the other side of the fight was shattering. She had always seen Lena as a woman who wasn't defined by her family name, she wasn't like the Luthor's. And yet, when it came down to it, she was still a Luthor. There was something she didn't understand.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Lena shifted so she was facing her niece. She hadn't told anyone about Myriad in years. Not even Lori had been told about it. Kara and she had decided it best she never knew. She was confident Kelly wouldn't say anything to Lori either. Still Kelly was right, why had she told her about Myriad?

"Because I know how you feel," she replied. "We both acted in a way we felt was right. But just because we think we are doing the right thing, it doesn't mean that it is."

Kelly should have known this was about Donovan. Why else would Lena tell her about Myriad, something that had been buried beneath dozens of black lines? Apparently Lena knew everything about what had happened that night, how Kelly had almost beat her father to death. She probably knew exactly what Kelly was struggling with.

"Lex had a twisted view on the world, Kara, Clark and he died for it," Lena continued. "His rage and hatred lead him to his death. Don't let your own rage control you Kelly."

Kelly smiled, "you sound like my mom."

"Well Alex is a smart woman," Lena said smiling herself, "Even if we don't always agree with one another."

"So, I think there was more to this than a quick 'Come to Rao' meeting," Kelly said.

Lena rose, giving Kelly a glance that told her to follow her. "I actually need you for something important," she said, making her way to her office door. "Come with me."

Some people would find this very creepy. Kelly thought. Sometimes her aunt had a strange way of asking for help. That nice woman persona only went so far before she slowly crossed into semi-evil genius territory. It was a weird transition sometimes, and sometimes she wondered who all saw it.

The lab had been upgraded since the last time Kelly had been there. It would be much more difficult to break in if the need should ever arise. She had never seen safety measures like this, not even at the DEO. It was impressive, but also overkill. Once she finally unlocked it (which took way longer than it should have), Lena lead Kelly into the lab. She noticed the hole she had put in the wall was still there. Lena would fix a security problem, but a damaged wall? Apparently not.

"What's this about?"

"Well, cousin." Kelly hadn't even noticed Lori standing there, she was in a version of Kara's suit that Kelly had never seen before. "Mom needs your help with something."

"Nice suit, you the new Supergirl?" Kelly joked, before turning back to her aunt. "Help with what?"

Lena went over to Lori, placing her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "This suit, is a prototype, the one that will keep Kara safe from Warden," Lena explained. "However, it is missing a crucial component. One only you can help me with. I need you and Lori to spar, use your kinesis, I need the readings from it to finish the protective shielding."

Kelly nodded, more to herself. It made some kind of sense to her, she wasn't as smart as her aunt or even her cousin. Science wasn't really her thing, but if her aunt was saying it, it was probably more complicated then she was making it out to be. There was just one problem that Kelly saw in this plan. If she used her powers, her mom would know and would place the dampener on her. She didn't want that to happen.

"Just one problem," Kelly said. "My mom will know, I can't lose my powers. Even if it's temporary I can't."

Lena smiled. "Alex can't track your powers in here, and before you ask, it's a measure I've had in place since Reign."

She wouldn't question it, if Lena said there was no way Alex would know, then she meant it. Kelly knew her role in the case was over, she deserved it, and she had no place in it. But she could help, she could give them an edge. That was more than she could have asked for, a second chance, a way to prove she wasn't her father.

"Alright, I'm game," Kelly said with a grin. "What are you waiting for, Lori? Hit me."

XXXXX

When Alex came to her vision was swimming. The ringing in her ears was so intense it almost had her screaming. The world around her was on fire, but she couldn't remember why. Her shin had hit something, a wire. That was it, a trip wire, it had been a bomb they had walked right into a trap. She tried to roll over but the nausea kept her on her back. Somewhere in the distance she thought she had heard shouting, but she couldn't be sure. Alex couldn't focus, all she really wanted was to close her eyes. Maybe then her pain would go away, if only for a short time.

A part of her, in the back of her mind, nearly let her close her eyes. Before she could her vision snapped back into focus. Vasquez was standing over her, shaking her, trying to get Alex to move. Alex forgot about the ringing in her ears, reaching out to grasp Vasquez's arm. The other woman pulled her to her feet.

"We need to get out of here," she said.

"We will, but not without our agents," Alex said. "Get who you can, I'll get the rest."

Vasquez went without a hint of hesitation. Much like Alex she was a woman of action. Alex took in the scene in front of her. Walkways had collapsed, metal beams and machinery had been torn from their places. She saw two agents still on the ground, neither were in immediate danger. She couldn't figure out who they were in their tactical gear. It wouldn't matter, they both needed to get up. She ran over to the first agent, a woman Alex knew, but her name she couldn't recall at the moment. She probably had another concussion. Maggie would kill her for being reckless, but how could she have known the place would be booby-trapped.

"You need to get up," she shouted shaking the first agent.

At first all she received was a groan from the agent. It took one more first shake to get the girl fully cognitive. The agent shot up her eyes darting around in panic before settling on Alex. Nothing had to be said between the two of them. She knew she had to go, which she did, leaving Alex to get the next agent.

She moved systematically, finding four different agents, none of which were injured beyond a bruise or two. Vasquez was hard at work getting them out of the building, and the smoke was so thick Alex almost missed an agent, one she did recognize, trapped under metal girder.

"Tomlin?" Alex ran over to him, trying to lift the girder off him. "Tomlin talk to me."

"Director?" he sounded groggy, unfocused. "Don't bother, it's too heavy."

Alex tried again, her back straining under the weight. He was right, she wouldn't be able to lift it, he was trapped. They needed Supergirl.

"Hang tight, I'm going to get you out of here."

She opened her watch, pressing the El symbol to call for Kara. It only took seconds for the Kryptonian to arrive. There were no questions asked, Kara saw the danger and went straight into action. Alex ducked out of the way allowing Kara to throw the girder off of Tomlin. He groaned in pain but didn't move. Alex knew he had some sort of crushing injury but they had to move him, had to get him to safety.

"You take him Supergirl," Alex said. "I'll follow you out."

Kara lifted Tomlin from the ground, trying to keep him as stable as possible. Alex needed to make sure everyone was out. She wasn't going to let Warden take any of her people.

XXXXX

"Time out, time out," Kelly was out of breath, Lori was pushing her to the point it was almost painful. "Do you have what you need, please tell me you have what you need?"

Lena shook her head. She wasn't getting the readings she needed, and she knew that Kelly couldn't do what was required of her.

"I need you to do what Warden did to Kara," she said. "Can you pull that off?"

It was Kelly's turn to shake her head. "No, I don't have that kind of focus or control… or energy. I don't think I could even attempt it." Forming objects out of solid light was difficult enough, it usually left her drained. Removing ambient light from around a person, creating a place where light can't exist, would probably cause her to faint. That was, of course, if she could even do it.

"There has to be…" Lena was now talking to herself, her focus on the screen in front of her.

Lori exchanged glances with Kelly, shrugging. She was just as lost as her cousin. Though she was just as bright as Lena and actually understood the data on the screen. Lori went over to her mother, glancing at the screen. The resemblance between her and Lena was still jarring to Kelly. The only real difference between the two was Lori's blue eyes, she got those from Kara. Kelly sighed watching the two. Even though her parents weren't biologically her parents, she wished she looked more like them. She shared some characteristics with Alex, Kelly assumed her biological mother had something in common with her. Mostly though she looked like her father, and she hated it. She would never tell her parents the truth, but when she saw herself in the mirror, she saw him.

"I have an idea," Lori said. "I think I know how Warden has enough kinetic energy to remove the ambient light from around us."

"She has a concentrated source of light," Lena said taking the words right for Lori's mouth. "I was just thinking the same thing. Something like the DEO's yellow sun grenade, but a permanent fixture."

"Like something in her suit?" Kelly suggested.

Lena snapped, a smirk crossing her lips. "Exactly. I know how to get the reading I need, to finish the suit."

"I'm not going to like this am I?" She could see the exchange of looks between Lori and Lena which answered her question.

"No at all," Lori said. "We use my heat vision on you, all you have to do is absorb it."

"It's heat guys, how to I absorb that?"

"It's concentrated light energy, that's all it is, you can do it, I know you can," Lena said.

"No that shit hurts."

The last time she had been hit with the heat vision (by Kara no less) she had been sore for over a week. It was the only time she hadn't healed in a short period of time. She had been fifteen and the incident wasn't entirely Kara's fault. It was a mixture of poor timing and bad placement. How was Kelly supposed to know the bad guy was going to go right past her? It was something she never wanted to experience again.

"We have to do this Kelly," Lori said, "please, for my mom's sake."

God damnit… Kelly thought. "Fine fuck it, hit me." She tensed, knowing Lori would hit her square in the chest. If it meant taking Warden down, Kelly would do anything to help, no matter the cost. Lori didn't give her any time to change her mind. As soon as she was in place her eyes began to glow, and then all Kelly felt was pain, and a surge of energy.

XXXXX

When Kara called her to tell her their search of the factory had been a trap, Maggie had panicked. The line had cut off before she heard if Alex was alright. She had raced over to the DEO, ignoring the speed limit. The guard at the front tried to stop her, argue with her, but she was having none of it. One threat from her was all it took to get him to back down. Inside the DEO was chaos, there were a handful of agents, running around, some carrying bandages other just trying to stay out of the way. None of them mattered, she needed to find Alex.

As it turned out, Alex found her. She ran up to Maggie pulling her into a tight embrace that was definitely not work appropriate. Maggie breathed a sigh of relief. Her wife seemed virtually unharmed. It was a huge relief.

"I was worried," Maggie said once they broke apart. "You aren't hurt are you?"

"I'm fine," Alex assured her, taking one of Maggie's hands in hers, her way of grounding herself. "Minor cuts and bruises all around. Tomlin wasn't so luck, he was transferred to the hospital in critical condition, crushing injury. No news yet."

Maggie knew Tomlin, he was a newer agent, young, full of potential and had always been eager to please Alex. She always thought the man had always had a little bit of a crush on her wife. Alex found that to be ridiculous. Maggie felt bad that Tomlin was hurt, she liked the guy, but she couldn't help but feel relief it wasn't Alex.

"Fill me in Alex," Maggie said. "No more keeping me in the dark."

"Vasquez, can you handle this for me?" Alex asked, refusing to let go of Maggie.

"Of course," Vasquez said. She caught a glance of their interlocked hands. "Take your time Director."

"Thank you."

Alex tugged lightly on Maggie's hand urging her wife to follow her. Maggie, although slightly confused allowed herself to be lead back to Alex's office. She found her wife's behavior strange, usually after an incident Alex was all focused on work, but now she seemed to want to focus on anything but. Alex shut the door behind them, pulling Maggie to her again. She buried her face in Maggie's neck, trying to calm herself. Maggie could feel how tense Alex was. She hugged back, running her hand down Alex back in an attempt to soothe her.

"I'll tell you everything," Alex murmured. "But right now I need you, please. Today was to close, I tripped the bomb that was on me. I just need…I need to know that…"

"Hey, it's okay," Maggie said, pulling far enough away to look at her wife. "This isn't your fault. Whatever you need from me, it's yours."

Her wife surged forward, cupping her face in her hands. The kiss was rough, full of want and need. Maggie kissed her back, maneuvering Alex until her back was against the wall. Her hand went to Alex's thigh, urging her to wrap her legs around Maggie's waist. Her lungs were burning when they broke apart.

"You sure about this Alex?"

"I need you, please."

That was all she needed.

It was thirty minutes later, Alex was on her back on the cot she kept in her office for those nights she just couldn't make it home. Maggie was lying next to her tracing circles across Alex's muscular stomach. Alex had broken down after, she had needed to feel Maggie, too know things were alright, that she, herself was still alive. Maggie was happy to remind her. Alex was stressed, beyond what Maggie had realized, today had been a breaking point. Maggie was just glad she had been able to be there for her wife.

"I think Kelly has been lying to us."

Maggie propped herself up on her elbow. "What makes you say that?" Their daughter rarely kept secrets from them. She had always been honest with them when she did something they wouldn't approve up. In recent years she had become a little more shut off from them but Maggie figured that was because she was an adult. What adult tells their parents everything?

"I think she knows more than she's telling us," Alex explained. "Maybe she's doing it to protect us, or maybe she's afraid of what might happen if she tells us everything. I don't know. But I know my daughter, and I know when she is keeping things from me."

She knew it wasn't on purpose, but whenever Alex referred to Kelly as explicitly her daughter. Maggie hadn't been there at first but she had been around since Kelly was five. Alex seemed to pick up that something was wrong. She sat up running her fingers through Maggie's hair.

"Our daughter," she corrected. "We'll figure it out. But first I have to fill you in."

"Alright Danvers," Maggie said. "Lay it on me."

XXXXX

Kelly collapsed to her knees, her chest heaving. Lori was panting too but she was nowhere near the point of exhaustion Kelly was at. She knew Lena was waiting for her to attempt to remove the ambient light from around Lori. Her hand was shaking as she raised it, looking like one of those kids that thought that if they focused enough they could be a Jedi. In truth Kelly didn't know where else to focus on moving the light. She could feel Lori fighting it, like she could stop it. In truth she had no control over what Kelly was attempting to do.

She could feel it, the surge of power she felt, followed by a complete drain of energy. Lori was feeling it too, there was a stark contrast from Lori Luthor-Danvers the Kryptonian and Lori the human. She looked weaker, more human. Then she didn't see anything, Kelly blacked out dropping to the floor. Lori fell too, but she managed to catch herself.

Lena finally moved from her place behind the monitor, going first to Lori to make sure she was alright. Lori waved her off. Kelly was trying to get to her feet when Lena got to her. Her aunt had to give her support.

"Did it work?"

"It did, you did well," Lena said.

"Good," Kelly said. "Can I sit down now?"

"I have a better idea," Lena said. "Lori why don't you take Kelly home. Then head home yourself. I need to program this data into the suit, once that's done I'll be home."

Lori took her cousin from the table she was leaning against. Kelly was heavy, or would be heavy to anyone else. The training must have taken it out of her because she was barely standing. Lori was proud of her, yesterday she had been taking comfort at the bottom of a bottle. Today she was at least trying to go some good and she had. Maybe now she would stop being so hard on herself and so difficult to work with.

"Hey kid?"

Lori glanced up at her.

"Thanks," she said, "for knocking some sense into me."

"I'll do it again, if I need to."

Kelly laughed. "Oh trust me, you will."

XXXXX

Warden followed Ms. Thorul, with her hands behind her back. She was learning the Thorul she use to know was gone. Replaced by an angrier, colder woman who cared very little for the people under her. Thorul didn't care at all about Warden, or that was how it felt. She had been by the woman's side for over sixteen years and she gets treated like garbage because of Donovan. Had Ms. Thorul be anyone else Warden would have left years ago, but she couldn't. She owed this woman everything.

"If I may ask ma'am, what are we planning?" She was scared to question her, she would be powerless to stop her if she got angry. "The DEO found the old steel factory, we're running out of time."

Thorul stopped and turned to face Warden a smile on her face. "Right you are, and normally I would send you," Thorul poked her roughly in the chest. "But you seem to like going behind my back."

Warden went to speak but was shushed when Thorul placed her finger against her lips.

"I think it's time I paid our little Flare a visit."

"Are you sure that's safe?" Warden said. "She isn't like me, she is different."

"I'm aware," Thorul said. "I don't care, Flare has got to learn that her place is with us, and if she continues to go against me I will make sure she pays the price."

"What is your plan?"

"I'm going to talk to her, if she says no we'll she'll see just how dangerous I am," Thorul said. "You are going to wait until I give you the green light. When I do I want you to go after the girl."

Warden paused. She didn't hurt kids, she wasn't a monster. "You want me to hurt the kid?" Thorul laughed shaking her head.

"No, just use this," she handed Warden what she recognized as Kryptonite. "It won't hurt her, much."

Warden took it, shoving it in one of the pockets in her armor. There was one other problem that Warden needed to know about.

"And the secretary?"

"He'll be dealt with soon enough," Thorul said her voice growing harsh. "I am tired of working with men who think they are in charge. This is our game now Warden, Flare will join us one way or another. Now go. I have preparations to make."

Her words were final, Warden knew that. She left before any of Thorul's rage could be taken out on her. Warden was no longer in her good faith, she would do as she was told no matter how much she hated it. She couldn't betray Thorul, she couldn't. Things would work out and go back to normal, they just had to finish this.