"You're going to wear through the floor," Winn said. "This isn't an expensive apartment, you know."
The elder Lane sister halted her pacing. "I'm worried. Can you honestly blame me?"
Winn sighed. Lucy had demanded to accompany her sister to National City when she'd learned that Lois was going to be touring L-Corp's newest facility. As the only one in their social circle neither visiting Cadmus's former headquarters nor raiding the DEO's current headquarters, Winn had been stuck with the job of hosting her.
Or, more accurately, babysitting her.
"I'm worried about Kara, but hero duty is nothing new to her," Winn answered. "As for James and your sister, I'm confident they'll be completely safe today."
Lucy shook her head angrily. "I'd feel a bit more confident if I hadn't been forbidden to go with them. Doesn't that make you suspicious?"
Lena had refused, point blank, to allow Lucy Lane to accompany her sister to Cadmus HQ. For one, she'd explained, there was no reason for the military officer to be there. More important, however, was the fact that Lena didn't trust her.
Out of all of the Superfriends, Lucy was the one who had least relaxed her hostility towards the supervillain. Lena had trusted Lois to keep her word and give an honest accounting of what was happening at Cadmus without trying to find a way to derail the villain's future plans. The same did not apply to Lucy.
Winn brought a hand to his temple. "What is it with you? If Lena wanted any of us dead or captured, we would be. I might not agree with everything she does, but I think she's played it straight with us."
The officer crossed her arms.
"Have you ever stopped to think that everything that's happened has been to Luthor's benefit?" Lucy demanded. "Every interaction with us has brought her and Kara closer together, gotten the rest of you to trust her, and placed even more power at her fingertips. Yes, I agree that it looks impossible for Luthor to have planned a lot of it out. And I can think of potential ways for her to have achieved her ends sooner. But it has all worked out for her. With her brain as big as it is, do you really believe that all that's happened is exactly as it seems?"
A lot of things had worked out for Lena. Winn knew, without a doubt, that the CEO was a master in turning situations to her advantage and maximizing her returns. But as for actually having set up Kara's attempted kidnapping, the RedK, or Cadmus itself?
"Lena is smart," Winn said. "She's not omniscient."
Lucy frowned. "I get it, you know. Why you all want to believe her."
"Huh?"
The officer rolled her eyes. "There was nothing any of you could do for Kara. You might have called yourselves the Superfriends, but you didn't have the resources to support her in any meaningful way. You wanted to. But deep down, you knew that Kara was on her own. If she fought something too strong for her or was injured, you wouldn't be able to help. Now Lena Luthor has taken that burden from you, and you feel relieved."
No. They had helped Kara. Winn had assisted the hero in tracking aliens and locating emergencies numerous times.
And anyone could have done that. A voice in his mind whispered. But you couldn't have saved her from any real threat. None of you could have.
"So what?" Winn demanded with a little more venom than he had intended. "You think today is all a big trap?"
"I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. But I know what it's like to put your faith in someone strong only to have your guts ripped out," Lucy said.
The image of General Sam Lane, U.S. Army General and alien-hater extraordinaire flashed in Winn's mind.
"Lois was lucky," Lucy went on. "She had Clark. She put her faith in him and was rewarded for it. But it doesn't always work out that way. I idolized my father…and I almost didn't make it out. I'm worried that Kara is about to make the same mistake, and you're all letting her."
\
"What do we do now?"
Lois shrugged, lounging back in her chair. "Who says we need to do anything? We have food, drinks, and a TV. Let's just wait here until she gets back. Luthor can hardly blame us for being unsupervised for a while because her CFO had to run off for an hour."
Alex bit her lip. She wasn't worried about Lena Luthor getting angry at her. But Sam had seemed…off…before she'd left. What was wrong?
James nodded calmly, continuing to idly watch CNN on the breakroom's television. It had been a rather slow news day, which meant that he was stuck learning about various Thanksgiving preparations across the country. Since his cell phone didn't work below ground, it was his only option.
Lois's phone, however, apparently did. A buzzing erupted in the reporter's pocket, one that had her reaching for the device in a practiced movement. Alex raised an eyebrow as an L-Phone emerged into view.
"The Planet made us get them," Lois answered her unspoken question. "Apparently, purchasing tracked technology from a supervillain makes good business sense if said technology is more reliable than anything else on the market." She rolled her eyes. "It's Perry. I've got to take this."
Rising up from her chair, the reporter began to walk into the hallway and lifted the device to her ear. "Hey, boss. I'm almost done here."
With little else to do, Alex turned to watch the television. "Why does the news think anyone cares about the Thanksgiving decorations that Philadelphia is putting up?"
"Some people do," James answered. "Anyway, this is better than when they spent two months straight talking about a fruitless search for a plane."
The officer remembered that well. "Yeah, but at least that was relev-"
"Perry, no!"
The muffled plea reached Alex's newly enhanced hearing. James, who hadn't heard a thing, simply remained in his chair as she hurried after Lois. The officer emerged in the hallway to find Lois hissing into her phone, shock apparent on her features.
Now Alex was close enough to hear Perry White speaking back.
"Lois, you know I won't," his voice came through the phone. "But I doubt we're the only ones who got this. You need to-"
"Alex!" James's voice echoed from within the breakroom, louder than either of them had ever heard it. "Get in here now!"
\
"Supergirl…is it over?"
Kara looked at the boy on the hospital bed. He could have passed for human if it wasn't for his bright orange skin and disproportionate limbs. As it was, he had been snatched up by the DEO off the streets and been less than a day away from a complete dissection before the hero had arrived.
She grimaced at the preliminary cuts on his arms, her heart breaking more with every second. "Yes. Yes it is. They're not going to hurt you again." Supergirl nodded at the pile of unconscious guards, each of them restrained with the most secure material she'd been able to find.
"You're not leaving, are you?" An alien woman asked. "There are more of them out there."
Supergirl looked back at her. "Once I exit, Vanity is going to seal the doors behind me. If any of them try to break in, I'll hear them long before they can get through and zoom right back here," she said firmly. "But that shouldn't be a problem. We're going to knock out every single guard between here and Henshaw's office."
This didn't have the comforting effect that Kara had hoped for.
Muttering broke out amongst all of the prisoners who were neither unconscious nor drugged out of their minds. One of them turned to Kara. "Vanity is here? You're working with her?"
"I am," Supergirl said. "We needed to cooperate in order to free you. We've already taken down Cadmus and released all of their prisoners. Once we're finished here, L-Corp will bring in the best professionals it has in order to treat you. After that, you'll all be free to leave."
Some of the aliens looked relieved, but others were less certain. "How do you know we won't just become her science experiments?"
"Vanity has saved my life multiple times," Kara said. "I don't agree with everything she's doing, but she doesn't hurt innocent people. You will all be safe. You have my word."
\
The DEO had some impressive technology at its disposal. But all of their alien weaponry could do nothing but stagger her. Lena had been working on alien technology just as long as they had, and it turned out that willing cooperation from alien refugees was more productive than kidnapping and forced experimentation.
Plus, she was more intelligent than the DEO's scientists. Or Cadmus's, for that matter.
Vanity ignored the bullets that bounced off her suit. She deflected missiles and alien ray blasts with hard light shields. A sonic cannon was taken out with a burst of superspeed before the pathetic DEO soldiers could even point it in her direction.
Stun blasts and ropes materialized from her suit were more than sufficient to take out most of her opposition. Certain DEO experiments had produced soldiers with abilities beyond human capacity; no doubt they were the product of harvested alien DNA and gene splicing. Unfortunately for them, none of their results were comparable to the power of Harun-El.
She waded through her opposition, careful to keep an eye on the facility's security cameras. Lena watched through her visor, making sure that no soldiers approached either the detention block or the medical bay. Such observations also granted her a most enjoyable view of Supergirl tearing her way through the other areas of the base, taking down guards just as quickly as Vanity was.
I should review the footage later. I'll make a tally of how many soldiers each of us incapacitated. Winner can get a back massage.
Lena rounded the corner and came upon Kara finishing off a woman encased in advanced armor. In a burst of speed, the hero ripped the alien metal and circuitry off of her opponent before unleashing a gust of freeze breath that pinned her to the wall.
Her head still free, the woman thrashed desperately against the ice. "You'll never-"
"Uh huh." Vanity unleashed a stun blast, sending the soldier straight into unconsciousness. "Henshaw is bound to give us a speech," she turned to her girlfriend. "There's only so many villainous monologues I can take in a day."
"Like you're one to talk," Kara replied, smiling despite the sarcasm dripping in her voice. "Speaking of Henshaw, are we ready to move on?"
Lena did another scan of every camera in the facility, double-checking every room. "Yes. All of the guards are restrained except for those in Henshaw's office. The only hostage he still has is the Martian, and there's no way he would kill a prisoner so valuable." Gesturing for her girlfriend to follow her, she continued walking down the hallway.
Kara frowned. "The Martian is down there? I hadn't seen him yet, but…"
"A prisoner that important must be kept separate from the others," the villain answered. "Henshaw has a specialized vault built just for him. I'm looking at it through the cameras now; it's behind his office."
They arrived at the elevator shaft, the only way to and from Henshaw's work area. The doors were sealed shut.
"Allow me," Kara said, stepping forward and ripping the doors off their hinges as if they were tissue paper.
The shaft descended deep underground. The elevator itself was stalled on the upper floors, leaving nothing obstructing their path. It was a fall that would have killed any human, but to them…
"Let's finish this." She dropped into the shaft, Supergirl right behind her. The wind whipped past her face as the villain descended into darkness, feeding the exultation of victory in her chest.
They landed in a cloud of dust. In front of them was another set of elevator doors, both of which were knocked inward from a single kick from Kara.
The office itself was large, at least as big as Lena's own, but most of the space was empty. Henshaw was sitting at a chair at the far side of the room, his finger hovering over a button on his desk. Two guards flanked him on either side.
"One more step and the Martian dies," he warned. "Detonation is not a pretty way to go, especially for a Martian. You'll get me, of course, but that's not why you're really here, is it? I'm not your prize."
Lena smirked. "Oh, I'll get you both. Because I know you-"
And that was when Kara struck. She darted forward at maximum speed, zeroing in on Henshaw. He might…might…have had time to press the button before Supergirl tackled him. But he hesitated to kill such a valuable prisoner, as Lena had known he would.
Supergirl and Henshaw slammed into the wall. With no one in reach of the button, the rest was simple. Five stun blasts from Vanity's palms disabled Henshaw and his guards within seconds.
Restraining them with yet more ropes, Lena walked across the room and placed herself at the wall right behind the desk. She raised both of her fists into the air, allowing the energy to build before unleashing a massive concussive blast.
The rock and metal gave way. Beyond the crumpled remains of the wall was a dimly lit hallway, at the end of which was…
"It looks like a bacta tank…only with no liquid," Kara breathed. Frowning, Lena couldn't help but agree. A green alien was suspended in a glass pod at the end of the hallway. He was dressed in an old DEO jumpsuit, and his eyes were shut tight.
Next to the pod was a control panel, one that Lena walked to and began to examine. "This is it," she said, triumph lacing her words. "The last Martian. J'onn Jones, according to Cadmus's files. They've been keeping him sedated constantly ever since they finished interrogating him.
Kara walked up to the pod, staring at the prisoner with a mixture of horror and awe. "They feared him that much?"
The villain nodded. "Martians are strong and fast. But their most powerful ability is their capacity to shapeshift. They can become anyone, at any time, for however long they wish."
Shuddering, the hero placed a hand on the glass. "No wonder the DEO considered him so valuable. Keeping him unconscious for so long…it's monstrous. I can't even imagine what they planned to do with his power. With an ability like that in the wrong hands-" Suddenly, she froze. The indignity in her eyes gave way to uncertainty. "Lena…what do you plan to do with him?"
She looked up from the control panel. "Keep him imprisoned just long enough to ascertain that he truly wants to be an ally for humanity. Then give him a job offer," the villain replied matter-of-factly.
Supergirl's fists clenched. "You can't!"
Lena raised an eyebrow. "Why not? I've done it for all the other aliens I've rescued, and it's worked out rather well for both them and me."
"I…I can't let you have something so powerful. You'd be unstoppable, Lena! The world wouldn't stand a chance. I did not come here to hand you the Earth on a silver platter!"
Really? This is happening?
"What did you think was going to happen?" Lena demanded, allowing her frustration and incredulity to fully manifest. "You knew there was a Martian here. Did you think I wouldn't offer him a place in my organization?"
Kara's eyes widened and Lena realized, belatedly, that the hero hadn't actually thought that far ahead. All she had cared about was saving innocent prisoners from Henshaw's clutches. It hadn't even been the villain manipulating her. Supergirl had manipulated herself.
"I thought you realized," the CEO admitted. "I thought you were okay with that in exchange for saving lives. Really, is it so bad, Kara? Look at what I've just done…what we've just done! Hundreds of prisoners freed in four days. Haven't I proven that I can be trusted with power? That I'm the one best suited to wield it?"
The hero frowned, her eyes falling to the floor. "I-" Kara paused, taking a deep breath. "Taking down Cadmus and the DEO isn't the same as taking over the world! That's what J'onn Jones will let you do! If that goes wrong- if you plunge this planet into chaos- and I allowed it to happen, how could I ever forgive myself?"
Lena stepped in front of Kara. Placing two fingers beneath the hero's chin, she gently raised her girlfriend's face. With a single thought she retracted all of the nanites above her neck.
"Can you honestly tell me, after all I've accomplished, that you think my plans would end with a devastated Earth? Everything I've done so far has worked out for the best," she said firmly, staring directly into Kara's eyes. "Why would my final plan, the endgame I've been working towards for years, be any different?"
Supergirl pursed her lips. "Because it is different. Nothing you've done is nearly as difficult as taking over an entire planet."
"Not yet," Lena agreed. "But I've achieved some miraculous things. Tell me, Kara, why you're so eager to place your trust in governments that have failed time and time again yet refuse to bestow any faith upon me? You haven't even considered that I might be right." She paused, noticing the indecision in the hero's eyes. "Or have you?"
"I-"
Lena saw it in the corner of her eye.
It was a familiar glint. The villain had worked with nth metal enough to recognize it on sight. She saw the spear as it sped through the air, moving at such velocity that even her reflexes weren't enough to catch it. As it passed between her and Kara, Lena's gaze was drawn to the shimmering point as it sliced through the air.
Nth metal wasn't sharp enough to pierce Kryptonians. But Martians, lacking the famed durability bestowed by a yellow sun or an infusion of Harun-El, were not so fortunate.
Lena's mouth gaped open as the spear smashed through the glass and embedded itself in J'onn's chest.
\
No.
Alex was watching the television screen. She understood what she was seeing, but her mind refused to accept it. This was the thing that would never happen. Could never happen.
The headline at the bottom of the screen blazed triumphantly. SUPERGIRL REVEALED. A clip of Kara Danvers, seemingly alone, removing her suit at superspeed was playing on one side of the broadcast.
"This shocking footage was emailed to us through an anonymous source," the reporter was saying. "Law enforcement officials have already procured an arrest warrant for Kara Danvers, a journalist formerly employed by CatCo media. In a statement released this very minute, Police Commissioner-"
Lois's trembling fingers placed themselves on top of Alex's arm, but the officer didn't even notice. The reporter continued to drone on, but nothing he said mattered. Her world had ended. Kara's world had ended.
\
A ragged breath escaped from the Martian. Then he was still. Lena knew, based upon the placement of the spear, that the metal had pierced his heart. Instantly fatal.
Lena whipped around. Kara did the same. Floating in Henshaw's office, her movements silent enough to escape even Kryptonian hearing, was Reign. A satisfied smirk rested on her lips.
"You believed it would be so easy," Reign said, addressing her words to Lena. "She was right about you. Such arrogance."
In a blur of motion, the alien had retreated to the elevator shaft. An instant later, she was gone.