The reinforced elevator door crumbled under her fists like tinfoil. Lena soared into the hallway, doing her best to ignore the looks from various prisoners. Some of them looked as if they were hopeful for the first time in months, while others seemed to reach a new level of fear.
It was sickening. More than one alien was marred by gaping wounds. Most clearly hadn't been fed adequately for weeks. Part of Lena wanted to shoot them a reassuring look, but she couldn't afford to retract her mask in the presence of cameras. Not yet.
She already had a force of drones on the way to lock down the building. Vanity herself had taken down any organized opposition, but she wanted to leave nothing to chance before her human personnel moved in.
Alex was at the end of the hall, restraining an unfortunately-conscious Lillian Luthor. But it was the other Danvers sister who demanded her attention. Kara was lying on the floor of a cell, shielded from a kryptonite crystal shining in the next room over. She was clearly weak and in a considerable amount of pain.
But she was alive…and seemingly unharmed.
"Kara!" Lena flew right past Alex and Lillian, kneeling next to the prone hero. Warm relief flooded through her veins as Supergirl, fully conscious and alert, favored her with a bright smile.
Her arms wrapped around the hero, pulling her into an embrace. Kara returned the hug weakly but warmly. "I'm okay. I'm okay," she murmured in Lena's ear. "It's so good to see you…"
Now out of sight, the villain retracted her mask. She all but buried her face into her friend's hair, basking in the knowledge that Kara Zor-El was safe.
Lena pulled back, allowing her to look into Kara's eyes while keeping a firm grasp on her shoulders. She moved her gaze up and down her friend's body, desperate to reassure herself there were no injuries. When her eyes swept over the bracelet on the hero's wrist, she sent it a single mental command.
Yellow light flooded into the room. Gasping, Kara stared down at her now-glowing bracelet. "That…this feels amazing. I didn't know it could-"
With the amount of kryptonite exposure Kara had recently received, yellow sun radiation alone wouldn't bring her back to normal for hours. But it was a good head start.
The CEO managed a small grin. "It's always best to be prepared, Kara. I…" her mirth faded as she again stared into her hero's eyes. Kara was relieved, but the fear and panic had not yet vanished from her gaze. Minutes ago, she had been terrified. Much of that still remained.
Lena sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let this happen to you. I-"
The hero shook her head firmly. "Cadmus was never going to stop. This…was the best way. Look at them, Lena. Look at what they've done. We had to bring them down."
"Speaking of which…" Alex's voice cut in behind Kara. "These prisoners need help. Soon."
The villain nodded. "I have medical teams on route. They'll move in as soon as the building is locked down. Twenty minutes at most," she said. "My people are good at what they do. We'll convert a lot of the space here into medical facilities and use whatever equipment we need to set the injured right."
"You are a disgrace. Lex would be ashamed of you."
Lena's blood chilled as she turned to face the elder Luthor. "I can imagine no higher compliment," she sneered. "You're a monster, Lillian. The things you've done to these people…" she paused, thinking. "Maybe that's what I should do with you. Leave you here and let your former prisoners decide your fate. I imagine some of them have had a lot of time to mull it over."
The other Luthor merely scoffed.
Lena could scarcely believe that she had once lived with this woman. Called her 'mom'. Begged for her love and attention. Was it a good thing, in the end, that she hadn't received Lillian's affection? Would Lena have ended up on her side if only her foster mother welcomed her with open arms?
No. Lena couldn't believe that. For the sake of her sanity, the villain had to remind herself that she would never have been part of this.
"You could have been so great, Lena," Lillian said. "I blame myself for not recognizing your potential sooner. Now look at you. Styling yourself a champion of these creatures."
Kara's fingers found their way into her own, and the CEO turned to give her a brief smile.
A disgusted cough erupted from Lillian. "Lex died to bring the last Super down. And you…you could have crushed her any time you wanted," she said, sending Kara a look of pure loathing. "Instead you protect her. You're her benefactor, for god's sake! Don't you see how pathetic she is, without her precious powers? She would be a homeless, unemployed, failed cub reporter. But no. Thanks to your money, she's free of any human concerns. Giving her all the time she wants to fly above this city and be worshiped as a goddess."
Lena opened her mouth to argue but realized there would be no point. Instead, she shot the other woman a wicked grin. "You know, perhaps you've just given me an idea. Since Supergirl is so popular, I think it's time L-Corp capitalized on the opportunity. We're going to start selling merchandise. I'll put the House of El crest on everything from t-shirts to coffee mugs. No…" she paused, glancing back at Kara. "We're going to give it all away for free. A public thanks for all of her efforts. I'll build her a few statues around the city while I'm at it."
Kara chuckled weakly. "Lena…" her voice was tinged with gentle reproach, but a noticeable red tinge had crept into her cheeks.
Lillian's mouth gaped open ever so slightly. Her gaze moved rapidly between the hero and villain, shifting between wonder and horror. "You're together," she said simply. "Oh, Lena, whenever I think you couldn't be a bigger disappointment…"
Behind Lillian, Alex's eyebrows jumped to the top of her head. Her fierce gaze swept over Kara and Lena before landing squarely in the CEO's eyes.
For the first time that day, Lena was at a loss for words. What could she say? Deny it and upset Kara in the process? Or agree, potentially horrifying Alex and forcing a step onto the hero that she was not yet ready for?
"We are. As of this morning." Kara's voice rang through the air, soft but clear.
Several seconds passed. Alex said nothing, but her face was a storm of emotions. There would be several tense discussions ahead; that was for certain. But not here. Lillian was going to face a united front from the three of them.
Finally, Lillian shook her head. "A Super and a Luthor? It's impossible, even if you're determined to tarnish everything your brother stood for. You think she'll ever agree with what you're doing, Lena?" she asked, a slight smirk breaking out on her face. "Without some more red kryptonite, I mean."
Lena's eyes widened. "It was you."
"Of course it was. We were going to show the world just who the Supers really are. You got in the way, regrettably, but you paid a price. Didn't you?" she nodded at the CEO's leg.
The villain hadn't thought her hatred of Lillian could increase, but it just had. Snarling, she stepped away from Kara and pushed the elder Luthor against the wall. White hot anger burned through her body.
"A price I would gladly pay ten times over. You've lost, Lillian. And I will never let you hurt her again." An image burned into her memory now swept through her mind- Kara devastated after the Red K had finally been removed. She had lost her golden reputation forever…all because of Lena's willful blindness.
Lillian chuckled. "Her safety is a touchy subject for you, isn't it? I know why, of course. You know that you can't protect her. Not forever. I won't be the first to discover her identity. Someone will get to her eventually. Maybe it will be me, maybe it will be someone else," she mused. "But if it is me, I'll make sure to make her suffer first."
The villain's thoughts turned to the prisoners down the hallway, their faces contorted with pain and despair, and she realized that Lillian wasn't bluffing. Kara could have been one of them. She almost had been.
With a single thought, the nanites on her right arm began to shift into a spike. "I believe you," Lena hissed. "And I'm going to make sure that never happens." Alex, now standing to the right of Lillian, nodded.
Lena didn't need Lillian. All the information she could ever want was now on Cadmus's servers- within her grasp. The older woman would never give up. She would continue trying to escape until time ground her bones to dust. And if she succeeded, Kara would be her first target.
The villain lifted her arm-
"Lena!"
A weak but firm hand seized her wrist. The CEO turned to see Kara on her feet, wobbling slightly despite the firm frown on her lips. "You can't kill her. Not like this! She's beaten."
Lena shook her head. "She's smart. Even if I do my best to contain her, she might be able to break free. Cadmus still has sources within my organization." The villain sighed. "I don't hurt innocents, Kara. But Lillian…do you have the slightest doubt that she's guilty? The evidence is right in front of us!" She swept her hand down the hallway.
"Of course not!" Kara agreed. "But you can't kill her! Using lethal force during a battle is one thing, but this…." She paused. "Do you want to kill her because she's a threat, or because you hate her?"
The villain closed her eyes. Both of those things were true. Logic and emotion each compelled her to put an end to Lillian's life. Did it matter if hatred was a partial motivation if pure reasoning would have forced her hand regardless?
It was to her immense surprise that Alex spoke.
"Lena's right," the officer said, a vicious gleam in her eyes. "She deserves it."
"Alex!" Kara protested.
The irony of Alex Danvers siding with Lena Luthor over her sister would have been amusing in almost any other situation, but for the moment the villain could manage little more than a befuddled stare.
Alex turned to face Lillian. "I tried to kill Lena when I thought she was the one who murdered Maggie. Now we have the actual culprit right in front of us. Look at what she's done, Kara. She revels in this. And she will always be a threat."
"Well." Lillian's amused voice cut in. "The latter two points are correct. But as to the first…I don't recall ever arranging for the death of a 'Maggie'. Was she an alien?"
In a blur of motion, Alex seized the elder Luthor by the hair. "She was a human. My partner. You had her gunned down to turn Supergirl and Vanity against each other. Do you deny it?" the officer hissed.
Lena didn't miss the look of genuine confusion in Lillian's eyes.
"Categorically. Cadmus protects humans; we don't kill them. Not unless they're proven traitors to their race." She nodded at Alex and Lena. "And I have no recollection whatsoever of this scheme."
"Liar. Do you want to kill her, Lena, or should I? I don't mind."
Kara jumped forward, imposing herself between Lillian and her sister. "Alex, don't! Listen to yourself!" she protested, leaning against the wall for support. "Revenge never solves anything!"
"Say that again after you have had a friend gunned down in front of you," Alex shot back.
Lena's thoughts were whirling. For once, she believed Lillian. Cadmus was just about self-righteous enough to avoid unprovoked murders of humans. Later, the villain would check the organization's servers and derive the truth, but they would probably only confirm what she already knew.
She had always suspected another party had been behind Maggie Sawyer's death. The murder had never fit into Cadmus's MO. Lena hated the organization with every fiber of her being, but that didn't blind her to the lies at the heart of Cadmus. It told itself it was a defender of humanity, a last beacon of light on a world under siege. Targeted human killings didn't fit with that.
"Please," Kara said, holding one hand in front of both Alex and Lena. "Please don't cross that line. You're both better than that." She turned to face the supervillain. "You used me to get to Cadmus. That's fine; you needed to do it! But don't use me as bait to help you kill someone! That's what you'll have done if you kill her now!"
Some of the fury inside Lena finally dissipated. She already knew what it was like to have hurt Kara once. Could she really do it again, even if her goal was to protect her? Were Lillian's chances of escaping really that significant?
Alex's furrowed brow betrayed her indecision. Lena knew she was realizing that killing Lillian to make herself feel better would only hurt Kara in return. When it came to her sister, Alex Danvers never wanted to be selfish.
Which left Lena.
What decision was honestly better for Kara? Would letting Lillian live just to preserve the hero's happiness and trust in Lena be a selfish decision in its own right?
"Lena," Kara pleaded. "She's right; there are always going to be threats to me. What are you going to do…kill them all? You can lock her up with every security measure you can think of. I'll still be safe. But if you do this now, I'm going to spend the rest of my life thinking back to this moment. Wondering how I could have stopped you."
A moment of silence hit the air.
"Congratulations," she turned to Lillian. "A Super just saved your life. I'm going to lock you in the darkest cell I can find and keep you strapped to a wall twenty-four hours a day." Lena glanced at Alex. "You have a problem with that, or should I turn her over to the courts?"
\
As Kara watched, Lena thanked the man on the line before putting down the phone.
"It's bad, but it's under control," she addressed the room. "Some of the people in those cells were tortured; Lillian was desperate for any information on alien technology. Others were harvested for their DNA. We found…there were bodies. But the medics think that all of the freed prisoners are going to make it."
Kara, Alex, James, and Winn stared at her, all of them spread out on the couches of the former's living room. The last twenty-four hours were a lot to process, and getting everyone up to speed hadn't been easy. So far, they hadn't even mentioned the topic of Kara's relationship with Lena…for which the hero was grateful.
"What will happen to the prisoners now?" James asked. "After they're medically cleared, anyway."
Lena sighed. "We'll find housing for them. Those with useful knowledge or abilities will be offered placement in L-Corp. If some of them refuse, well, I'll understand."
James frowned. "We might know that, but the public won't. What do you plan on telling everyone?"
"All I need is plausible deniability. Vanity took Cadmus down, and L-Corp received an anonymous tip as to its location. Other than that, we'll be open with the public," she replied.
Kara could see some problems with that, but James again beat her to the punch. "You could cause a panic," he said. "Everyone will know that a Luthor took down an alien prison and R & D facility. Do you think everyone will believe that every alien was set free? Some will assume you were just eliminating a rival. They'll think you're going to pick up where Lillian left off, releasing a few prisoners as a cover and containing the rest."
Lena crossed her arms. "I take it you have a suggestion?"
"As a matter of fact, yes I do," James said with a smile. "I am experienced in the field of media, after all. You need to grant someone unrestricted access to the facility. Someone known to be a critic of the Luthor family and completely trusted by the public."
Winn sat up. "Are you seriously using this to bolster your own career?" he asked, amusement clear in his words. "You think a tour of Cadmus Headquarters would sell papers?"
"Not me," James shook his head. "I'm not well known enough. Not yet," he smiled ruefully. "Fortunately, we have one of the world's most famous and respected reporters in our circle. And she's not exactly a fan of the Luthors."
Lena's eyes widened, then she nodded thoughtfully. "Lois Lane. Yes…that could work. If I gave her a tour of the place and let her know anything she wanted but the location, interview some of the prisoners…"
"No one would worry about what you were up to there," Kara finished for her. "And aliens would be reassured you've released all of the prisoners."
"Some people would still worry. But it would certainly help," Lena said.
Alex cleared her throat. "So you get credit for taking down Cadmus and a massive boost in popularity among aliens," she noted, glaring pointedly at James. "On top of all of those prisoners who are probably going to take the jobs you offer."
"That seems perfectly fair to me," Lena replied steely. "Considering that I did take down Cadmus and free hundreds of alien prisoners."
Kara stifled a groan. Evidently, working together hadn't made her sister best friends with the resident supervillain. Well, at least we're past the attempted murder stage, she thought dryly.
"Speaking of reporting," the hero cut in. "Do you think it's safe for me to go back to work now?" she asked, not bothering to hide the undercurrent of hope in her words.
Lena's eyes fell to the floor.
"…No," the villain answered. Kara opened her mouth to object, but Lena continued. "Cadmus might have sent the red kryptonite, but there's another enemy out there that knows your identity. The man sent after Maggie Sawyer was under orders to spark a war between the two us, and his bosses clearly know who you are."
Alex let out a frustrated groan. "And that couldn't have been Cadmus because why, exactly?" she demanded.
"I've told you why. More to the point, Lillian has never been one to lie about her 'achievements'," the CEO replied, accompanying her statement with air quotes. "There would have been no point to it anyway; she knows I'm going to be combing through her files. If Cadmus did kill your partner, I'll soon know about it."
Kara sank further into her cushions. She'd taken on the role of Supergirl with the explicit promise to herself that she would still continue her normal life. For two years, it had worked. But now her two lives had crashed into one another, and any semblance of normalcy was slowly being snuffed out.
Supergirl held the weight of the world on her shoulders, but Kara Zor-El wasn't strong enough to bear that burden constantly. All of those alien prisoners she'd seen today only reminded her of the consequences of failing her duties. She needed an escape. Maybe it was selfish, maybe it was just pragmatic. But Kara needed to be able to pretend, just for a few hours of the day, that the world was not her responsibility.
A faint pressure on her shoulder made her look up. Lena was staring at her with a frown of concern, and Kara realized just how heavily she had been breathing.
"It's not forever, Kara," the villain promised. "Once it's safe, you can have any job you want. Whether you want to go back to Catco, run your own company, or just be a waitress. I'll make it happen. I promise."
Alex got to her feet. "I'm not sure what gave you the impression you're in charge of the Superfriends now, especially since stopping you is still one of our goals. That said…" the officer glanced at Kara. "Lena's right about this one."
Kara swept her eyes over Winn and James, but neither seemed to be eager to step in on her behalf.
"I get it," she said. "Supergirl is too important to risk."
Winn got to his feet and walked over to her. "You're too important to risk. To all of us. How many times have we almost lost you in the past month? After everything that's happened, can you blame us for wanting to be careful for a little while?"
The hero shot him a reluctant smile. "Guess not," she admitted.
\
A few minutes later, Kara and Lena were the only ones left in the apartment. The others had gone home for the night, while the CEO had decided to stick around and help Kara on the road to recovery. The faster her powers returned, the better.
The hero was surprised Alex hadn't made an issue out of her new relationship with Lena, but she knew it was only a matter of time. Once her sister had fully processed the day's events, there would be a reckoning there.
"You okay?" Kara asked as soon as they were alone.
Lena frowned. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be? You're safe, and I wasn't hurt today."
The hero winced. "I know you don't consider Lillian your mother-"
"She's not," the villain said quickly, a fierce edge creeping into her words.
"I know. But you did view her as family once. Seeing the things she's done couldn't have been easy. Not that it was easy for any of us, but…if someone I'd lived with for years had been so cruel…it would have been hard," Kara said. "You know I don't condone killing. I never will. But…I can understand why you were tempted."
Lena sat back down on the sofa cushions. "She wanted me to do it. Lillian hoped that me killing her would drive a wedge between us. It would have given her a final petty victory," she said bitterly. "Would it have worked? If I had gone through with it…would you have forgiven me?"
The hero bit her lip. Killing was something she would never be okay with, but forgiveness came easy to her. If she could forgive Alex- ever so slowly -for trying to kill Lena, then…
"I think so," Kara admitted. "But I don't know if I ever would have forgiven myself. I never want to see you cross that line. I would have blamed myself for failing you."
Lena sighed. "I know. That's why I didn't do it. But that doesn't mean I'm not second-guessing myself. I'm almost certain Cadmus has a high-ranking mole in my organization. Hopefully I'll be able to flush them out once we dig through their files. Lillian though…she's smart. If she breaks out-"
"You'll make sure that doesn't happen." Sitting next to Lena, she took the villain's hand into her own. "And if by some miracle she does, you'll protect me. Just like I'll protect you. Whatever disagreements we have…we'll be there for each other. Right?"
Feeling a sudden surge of boldness, Kara leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on the Luthor's lips.
"Always," Lena promised.
The ex-reporter gave her a sad smile. "It's not fair. I've had two sets of parents to look up to. I can't imagine what it must have been like to grow up alone. To make myself into a good person without a mother or father to look up to."
"I didn't need one," the CEO said, shifting her gaze to the side.
Kara shook her head. "No. You didn't. But that doesn't mean it wouldn't have made things easier. You…" she paused, catching her breath. "It's okay for you to wish that you had a better family. That's not selfish; it's human."
Deep down, Kara was almost certain, Lena imagined a world in which the Luthors had been the model family they had presented to the world. A reality in which she had been welcomed by her father and stepmother with open arms.
How much would that have changed? Would a Lena with a happy childhood and strong emotional support system have never lusted after world domination?
"I…I know, Kara." Lena nodded shakily. "But I have enough. I…you're enough."
The hero wasn't certain who initiated it. All that she knew was that a second later, the two of them were wrapped in a fierce embrace. Kara hugged her friend as tightly as she could, trying to convey all of the emotions that words never could.
Unfortunately, as tightly as she could, wasn't very tight. Even with the aid of yellow sun radiation, Kara was still weaker than the average human. Hopefully, Lena got the message anyway.
When they finally pulled apart, a faint glint was visible in Lena's eye. Mission accomplished.
"I have surgery tomorrow," she said, again adopting a more business-like tone. "My people will be scouring through Cadmus's files. By the time I've recovered, they should have everything I need."
Kara would have much rather preferred to be hugging Lena again, but she knew this was going to be important. "For what?"
"The DEO," Lena said. "Cadmus will have known where they are. Alex mentioned that Lillian eventually planned to trade you for a Martian they have in custody."
"A Martian?" Kara questioned.
The villain nodded. "According to Lex's files they had some incredibly powerful abilities. Including shapeshifting. They were supposed to be extinct, but I suppose there was a survivor. I have no intention of leaving him in the DEO's hands. Him or any of the other prisoners they might have. Cadmus wasn't the only group kidnapping aliens."
Kara's blood ran cold. The thought that there were still aliens out there suffering like the ones she'd seen today…"
"They're going to be ready for me," Lena said. "They won't have time to move their headquarters, but they'll know I'm coming. Henshaw won't go quietly. He'll use hostages against me. If I gain the upper hand, he'll probably blow up the entire base just to spite me."
From what she knew about Henshaw, Kara couldn't help but agree. "So what's your plan?"
"You. You and me. We go in together. You're faster than I am. We use you as an element of surprise to free any hostages and deal with Henshaw's other traps. He won't expect us to be working together," Lena explained.
Kara frowned. "Why not?"
"Because the DEO is still officially sanctioned by the U.S. government," Lena explained. "They may be off the books, but Congress basically granted them a free pass when they passed the legislation creating the group. People were scared, Kara. Aliens were popping up around the world and no one knew how to handle them. Government officials wanted an organization not subjected to oversight…it would let the DEO deal with the problem any way they saw fit while maintaining the rest of the government's plausible deniability. Even with Olivia in my pocket, I haven't been able to track their HQ down."
The hero didn't need a reminder of the last time she'd attacked a government facility on Lena's orders. But this was different. Wasn't it? Did a government base really benefit from the protection of the rule of law when it flagrantly violated the most basic tenets of the Constitution?
Does it really? An annoying voice in Kara's head reminded her. Aliens aren't entitled to Constitutional protections. At least, not yet.
No. Screw it. Innocent lives were at stake and Kara had the chance to save them. The government had branded her a traitor already, anyway.
"Day after tomorrow," Kara said. "Your surgery will be done and my powers will be back. Let's do it. You and me."
Lena smiled. "We'll work out the details once I have more information from Cadmus's files. For now, though, let's get you set up in bed with the extra-strength sunlamps."
The thought of lying in bed filled Kara with a warm sense of relief…until she realized that the image she was picturing in her mind wasn't exactly her sleeping underneath the sheets alone.
"Will you stay with me?" the hero blurted out suddenly. "Sorry." A fierce red tinge emerged on her face. "I just…I don't feel like being alone tonight."
The look on Lena's face was something like…relief.
"Yes!" she said immediately. "I mean," she paused, adopting a more neutral expression. "Of course I will, Kara."
\
It wasn't until an hour later that Kara felt safe for the first time since her capture by Cadmus. She was lying in bed, clothed by comfortable pajamas and bathed in the soft glow of yellow sun lamps. Most importantly, she was wrapped in Lena's arms.
The hero was just about to drift into sleep when a murmur over her shoulder caught her attention.
"Kara?"
"Mmmm? What is it?"
Lena's voice was unusually soft. "Are we…are we girlfriends now?"
Kara smiled into the sheets. "You and my sister are constantly fighting with one another. I'm a superhero and you're trying to take over the world. I'm still really mad you won't take this bracelet off." She paused. "But yes. We're girlfriends."
Lena seemed to relax further into the bed. "That's good."
They were asleep within minutes.