A/N: Firstly, I want to apologize to everyone. What happened is something that hasn't happened in a while, namely stressing out so much about a new round of revelations in the Arrowverse and how to incorporate them into my storytelling. But thanks to LycoX consistently encouraging me, I eventually got to the point where I realized I can't let stuff ruin my enjoyment of writing, nor can I let what happened in Crisis dictate where my creativity goes. Now, without further commenting from me, "The Emerald Queen" continues…
Chapter Fifteen
Oliver Queen had thought long and hard about what he was going to say to his family. A small part of him had thought about coming clean about his work as the Green Arrow, but something deep inside whispered that that wouldn't be a good idea. So he had called Lena and talked to her about what he could reveal about the situation. The two had talked for a couple of hours the night before, hashing out what Oliver would say to the families today. By the time they had hung up, Kara had yet to wake up from her fitful sleep, but both Alex and Superman were close by, the latter only leaving to handle something that his super-hearing picked up.
Oliver dressed casually, seeing as he would be going to the Queen Mansion on his Ducati, and had a quick breakfast of oatmeal and coffee before heading to the underground garage. Oliver's footsteps slowed as his instincts told him that something was off as he entered the underground garage. Oliver looked around slowly as he made his way towards his motorcycle. There was nothing suspicious anywhere in the garage, and he saw no one lurking in the shadows or between cars, yet for all the visual evidence to the contrary he couldn't help but feel that someone was there, watching him, weighing his worth, judging his very soul. "Is someone there?" he called out, feeling foolish for doing so, especially when no answering call came. Probably just leftover paranoia from your trip to Cadmus, he thought to himself sourly as he swung one leg over the Ducati and picked up his helmet.
As he left the underground garage on the motorbike and headed into the morning traffic, Oliver thought again of what he had seen at the Cadmus base. The number of cells that they had passed on their way to Kara's cell, the beaten, tortured form of Kara Danvers and her fear that he was somehow with Cadmus… it tore at Oliver to remember Kara's expressions as they cycled through fear, relief, hope, and briefly despair when she couldn't stand on her own before once more becoming hopeful as Oliver carried her bridal style from the cell. Oliver's hands tightened on the handgrips as he recalled the trembling that had wracked Kara's body. She didn't deserve that, he thought fiercely. None of them do. A memory of another time, another life came to him, where those who profited in some way from the suffering of others met far grimmer fates than simply losing their money or being exposed for the criminals that they were. I'm not him anymore, Oliver thought, but even he knew it was half-hearted at best.
*DC*
Kara Danvers lay curled on her side, hearing people talking around her but not comprehending what was being said. She had woken up only minutes ago but aside from answering a few questions about how she was feeling, she hadn't said much and she had met no one's gaze for longer than a few seconds, afraid that they would see what Lillian had seen in her, what Oliver had recognized but never said anything about; she was broken, and she would always know she had been broken by humans because of Slade Wilson's parting gift in the scars forming on her back. Tears spilled out of her blue eyes, soaking the pillow, as she thought back over her week of torture and understanding that Lillian could easily have killed her at any time; she wouldn't have even needed Kryptonite to do it because under red sun emitters, she was as fragile and soft as any human.
Barry, Laurel, Caitlin, and Ray were here. She had seen them standing outside of the infirmary as she answered Alex's questions, all of them looking anxious. Lena was there, too, pacing back and forth, and Kal was here, his expression as anxious as those of her friends from Earth-1, if not more. But Kara didn't know if she could face any of them. They had all wanted to rescue her, she knew, and in the end, Cadmus had released her of their own volition, drafting Oliver of all people to act as their errand boy, and because of that, Kara knew that Cadmus could've killed her at any time but chose not to for the sake of the power this gave them over her. And there she went again, thinking about what it meant that they had released her. But it didn't stop the truth from being the truth; Cadmus had had all the power and they still did. They had Gold Kryptonite. They could destroy Supergirl in an instant. Forged properly, Gold Kryptonite could take away her powers permanently, leave her as soft and fragile as any human like she had been under the red sun emitters, and it wouldn't even need to be a killing strike. That was what Lillian wanted her to know, and it terrified her.
"Kara?" Kal's voice broke through the fog of fear and terror that surrounded her and she slowly shifted her body, so she was laying on her other side, facing him. Kal sat in the chair beside her bed, putting a hand out and gripping her hand in his own as the sun lamps did their work in helping her healing along. It was still going slower than normal, probably due to her long exposure to red sun emitters and the Gold Kryptonite, but it was at least happening. Only the wounds on her back were remaining, and they were heavily bandaged to keep them from becoming infected. "Kara, I'm so sorry I let my distrust of everything connected to Lex overpower our relationship," Kal said. "You did what you had to do to keep the world from becoming slaves to the Daxamites, even sacrificed the man you loved. Like I told you before, I doubt I could ever sacrifice Lois the way you sacrificed Mon-El. You are so much stronger than I am, Kara, and I know you're going to beat this. I want you to know I'm here if you ever need to talk, and I'm sure Oliver Queen will be, too."
"Where is Oliver?' Kara rasped.
"He headed back to Star City," Kal said quietly. "From the sounds of it, his family was worried when he didn't show up when they expected him to thanks to Lillian hijacking his plans for yesterday. But he left word with J'onn that anytime you want to talk, he'll be available." Kal sighed. "While I don't agree with some of his attitude, I can admit he's a good man, and a good friend to you. He wanted to be here, I think, but he has obligations that pulled him away. I'd be surprised if he doesn't find a way to come back here as soon as he can."
"You're wrong about one thing, Kal," Kara said. "I'm not going to beat this, because they've already beaten me, both literally and figuratively. I'm done."
"Done?" Kal asked, his brow furrowing.
"This is the end of Supergirl."
*DC*
Oliver had spent the morning practicing with his sister like he used to, and like always, she missed the opportunity to knock him down to the mat for a change. But after lunch, the Merlyns and Lances had arrived, and it was time for Oliver to tell his family what was going on and some of what had happened with Kara. "Yesterday morning, when I arrived at the private hangar to come back home, one of Cadmus' agents was waiting for me. He told me that if I didn't come with him, it would result in the death of Supergirl."
"Why did he pick you, instead of Lena? Isn't she friends with Supergirl?" Mia asked.
"Because I'm friends with her, too," Oliver said. "I've met her as both Supergirl and her civilian identity and, thanks to my time working for Amanda Waller on my Earth not to mention our family's general need for public masks, I was able to discern who she was. And no, I won't tell you who she is when she's not flying around. Everyone deserves a bit of privacy, even superheroes. Now, I did as I was requested, because I didn't want to be the reason she died."
"So, you went into Cadmus, all to save someone's life who you've met a few times when you've gone to National City?" Moira asked with a raised eyebrow. "Oliver, I won't lie; the thought of you being in their clutches terrifies me. There's been plenty of evidence that they're as unkind to humans as to aliens for the purposes of their studies. You could've been walking into a trap to become like that Metallo man that they unleashed on Supergirl and Superman last year."
"She's my friend, and she was in trouble," Oliver said simply. "And I'm not exactly defenseless on my own, Mom." Moira nodded in acquiescence to this fact. "Once there, Lillian gave me this spiel about how I was a champion of humanity with the way I help the downtrodden at my shelter and the way I was against the move to Nth metal for our construction projects. That was why she chose me, because she sees me as a champion to point to. Then they took me to see Supergirl." Oliver leaned forward, clasping his hands together. "What they did to her was monstrous. It's got me thinking things I haven't thought in a long time, and I don't know if I want to stop thinking these things."
"What are you saying, Oliver?" Mia asked in a whisper.
"I'm saying that Cadmus has to be stopped, whatever the cost, and I have the skills and knowledge to wage a war against an organization like theirs," Oliver said quietly. "Amanda Waller gave me those tools, and this world's Amanda Waller helps run Cadmus. I can counter their moves because I know how she thinks, what she'll do when pressured. I can do so much more than run a shelter to help others." Oliver looked away. "But I'm afraid of embracing that side of me, because if I do… I'm letting the darkness that I was consumed by back into my soul."
There was silence as the families digested this. They knew Oliver had a past, of course; he had been open about what he had done and who he had been trained by as his therapy had progressed, refusing only to speak of his time after he had returned home. But he rarely spoke so openly about what he was capable of, preferring to focus on what he was doing now to help people. They didn't know what to say thanks to this, and Oliver took their silence to mean something else. "I'll leave you to figure things out," Oliver said quietly. "I may be going back to National City some point soon." Oliver stood and left the sitting room, leaving the families to continue to try and figure out what they could say, what they should have said to keep him from walking away. Robert sent a quick text to Dr. Green, asking her to check in on Oliver as soon as possible.
*DC*
Barry Allen double-checked the address he had gotten from the . to the building in front of him and then entered with a troubled sigh. He was still shocked by Kara's apparent decision to leave her life as Supergirl behind because of what had happened, and he had been the one to suggest she first talk to someone who had experience with this sort of thing. Of course, the only person they knew on either Earth with this sort of experience was Oliver, which was what had brought him to Star City. It seemed Oliver liked some familiarity, considering he had bought the same loft that Thea had lived in and which he had lived in with her until his joining the League of Assassins to take them down from the inside. Barry had only been there once, when the heroes were having a little meet and greet at Felicity's suggestion while dealing with Vandal Savage.
Barry found the right apartment number and knocked. He heard the sound of footsteps approaching the door and then it opened slowly, Oliver peering out to see who it was. When he recognized who was standing on the other side, Oliver gave a soft smile and opened the door a little wider so Barry could step through. "Come on in, Barry," Oliver said, and the speedster stepped through, taking a look around the loft and seeing the designer furniture and appliances. Apparently, Oliver was more about the creature comforts these days than he had been when Barry had known him. "How's Kara?"
"Not good," Barry said with a sigh, accepting the glass of whiskey that Oliver poured for him even though it would do nothing to him. He took a sip of the liquid, which burned its way down his gullet. "She woke up, but she's… different. She says she's done being Supergirl. She's not eating, and she's doing her best not to sleep, even if that means healing slower. We've all tried talking to her, but she simply doesn't respond to any of us. You're the only person who's suffered anything close to what she has, Oliver. We need you to come back."
"I was already planning to come back tomorrow, anyways," Oliver said quietly after a moment. "I didn't feel right leaving; I should've just told my family something came up and I was staying a while longer."
"I could always run you down there," Barry suggested, only to receive a flat expression in response. "Okay, that's a no on running. Just thought I'd make an offer." Barry finished the glass of whiskey. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Oliver."
A/N: I know this is shorter than previous chapters, but to be honest I'm not going to be trying to force the 3K word chapters anymore. It tends to contribute to the stressing out thing.