No human being is so bad as to be beyond redemption.
Mahatma Gandhi
Kara, Kelly, and Eliza, with Ozi looking on, were in the backyard exercising. Kelly was leading them through some basic yoga poses. Kara was learning that working on her book and daily talks with Kelly, Alex, and Sam were helping with the mental aspects of what had happened. However, the physical toll was harder to adjust to, so she was working out and practicing yoga. With the increase of physical activity, natural light, and her appetite returning, her stitches were out and her broken bones were healed, weeks ahead of schedule.
Alex came downstairs and stood looking out over the lake and the three most important women in her life and smiled. Everything was getting better, slowly, but it was getting there. Her schedule at the DEO was not as demanding, which she thought to herself 'is kind of nice.' Things with Kelly were growing and they were considering a place together, but first Kelly had to find a location for her practice in National City, and she had several places to look at over the weekend. While lost in her thoughts, she heard the backdoor open up as Sam and Ruby came out on the porch, dressed to travel.
"Hey, Auntie A, not down there stretching and bending?" Ruby asked with a quick smile.
"No, I'll take a hard pass on the weekends, I beat my body up pretty badly at work, and weekends are a good time for relaxing. Although this weekend, I'm taking her to the beach," Alex smiled. "How's training going?"
"Oh, my god, Kara is such a great teacher, I can control my vision, although seeing through things is kind of weird. She said my hearing will improve with practice, and it's so cool because I can actually recognize people by their heartbeats." She paused, took a breath, and continued, "flying is so much fun, but I can't figure out how she sleep floats and strength is really cool unless I forget like mom did, you should see the hammer she bent."
"Thanks, Rubes, nothing like telling the world." Sam laughed, "yes, I bent a hammer, Kara-nevermind." She blushed.
Alex looked at Sam, "Kara what?"
"She came over and scared me, I didn't know she could move that quietly and I was concentrating on what I was doing." Sam was suddenly very interested in the woodgrain of the porch.
"The fact that Kara was in her jeans and that button-down from last weekend is beside the point, right Mom?" Ruby smiled widely.
"Shush, she might hear you," Sam hissed, smiling at her daughter.
"No she won't, this takes a lot of concentration for her right now, she isn't used to dealing with gravity or the chance of injuries. She has to relearn how to use multiple powers at once," Alex said, looking out at the group in the yard.
"Is that why she keeps insisting we focus on our hearing when we are doing other things?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, when you fly to Metropolis, use your hearing and your vision as you go, you'll be amazed at how much it helps you navigate," Alex suggested, "By the way, what's up with the visit's from Superman?"
Glaring at her child, who looked as shocked as she did, "How did you find out?"
"It wasn't Ruby." Alex smiled at her 'niece', "I work for the DEO. Kara helped us design devices specifically for tracking her and her cousin. Lucy told me that he has been caught flying in and out of Midvale all week."
Sam blushed again, "nothing to hide, I just wanted to take her flying, and he is the only person I know other than Kara, and well, to be honest." She paused and looked at the blonde, "He really sucks as a teacher."
Alex and Ruby both burst into laughter, which caught the attention of the three women and Ozi, who looked to Kara. The blonde nodded and Ozi shot towards Ruby, her tail wagging as she plopped down in front of the teenager, waiting for her treat and a back rub.
The three women made their way to the porch, Kelly kissed Alex, tasting the coffee on her lips, while Eliza hugged Ruby. Kara made her way immediately to Sam, wrapping her arms around her neck.
"When are you leaving?" The blonde asked.
"We are flying out in a few minutes." Sam breathed deeply, taking in Kara's scent, and calming her heart at being the person Kara came to first. "We will be back Tuesday after the movers leave, okay?"
Kara's head bobbed as she snuggled closer. She heard Kara's heart start to calm and sighed as Kara released her. Ruby jumped in between them and wrapped her own arms around Kara, "I'll text you all through the weekend, okay?"
"I will look forward to it." Kara smiled, her head rested on Ruby's.
Sam hugged Eliza, and whispered, "If you need me, call, okay."
Eliza nodded, "thank you, Sam."
Alex and Kelly got their hugs, then watched as Sam and Ruby launched themselves into the sky headed towards Metropolis.
Kelly and Alex headed upstairs to finish getting Kelly's things together for her weekend in Metropolis, while Eliza and Kara made a simple breakfast of fruit and toast.
Thirty minutes later the two women came downstairs looking absolutely perfect together. Kelly was dressed casually, but Kara noticed that Alex was in her leathers.
"Are you going back?" Kara asked, a slight tremor to her voice.
"No, I'm not, well I'm not going to National City." Alex smiled at her sister, "We are headed to the beach for a few days."
Kara perked up instantly, "On your bike?"
"Yep, just you and me. We need some Danvers downtime." Alex smiled at Kara's exuberance.
"Really, no missions, no Supergirl!" Kara's face fell as she said it, but she took a breath and worked through it in her head, 'Supergirl will be back' she thought, then the smile was back.
Kelly watched closely, looking for Kara's tells. She watched for the crinkle, the fingers twisting. None of it came, Kara was getting better, stronger, and working through her fears. She couldn't resist, and stepped over to hug the blonde, whispering, "I'm so proud of you."
"Thank you, Kels, for everything, but mostly for taking care of Alex," Kara had meant to whisper, but instead said it out loud. She looked over at her sister, and saw the smile, Alex's smile, the one that had saved her and supported her so many times.
"You're welcome, Kara," Kelly responded as she reached over and held hands with Alex, whose smile was so large, Kelly almost forgot what led them all to this moment.
"Go upstairs and get ready, I'm going to walk Kelly out," Alex said in her very best big sister voice.
"C'mon, Ozi, help momma pick out something for the beach," Kara said as she headed up to her room.
Alex and Kelly made their way to Kelly's car, and stood beside the door talking and holding each other for a few minutes. "Alex, remember, watch for her tells if she starts to get nervous, or…" Alex interrupted with a kiss, passionately locking lips with Kelly. Alex smiled as her girlfriend sighed and wrapped her arms around the back of her neck, drawing them closer together. The kiss went on, neither woman wanting it to end.
Upstairs in her room, Kara was pulling on a pair of jeans and peeked out the window, watching the two women. She touched her own lips for a moment, but the lips she pictured touching hers were not painted red, and the hair, the hair was a soft brown, not raven black. Sighing, she stepped back and grabbed a few long sleeve shirts, some jeans, and a pair of tennis shoes for the beach, sliding them into the duffle she kept under the bed. Then she reached for her sweater, planning to wear it over her tee-shirt when Sam's Central City University sweatshirt fell onto her bed. 'Whoops!" Kara thought as she slid it over her head relishing the clean smell of strawberries and cream, 'I'll give it back on Monday." Finally she added a pair of motorcycle boots that Alex had bought her years before. 'Ready to go," she thought with a grin.
Making her way downstairs with Ozi by her side, Kara reached the last step as Alex re-entered the kitchen. "You'll need a jacket, Sis, it's going to be cold on the back of the bike."
"Um, Alex, I don't really have a heavy jacket, I don't normally wear one," Kara said, her crinkle showing.
"Look in the closet, baby, you might find a surprise," Eliza grinned.
Kara rounded the corner to the hallway, opened the closet door, and there it was, her own leather jacket, just like the one Alex wore. Kara pulled it out of the closet, holding it to her chest, hugging it close. "Mom? Alex? This-this is for me?"
Alex and Eliza stepped forward, wrapping their arms around the adoptive heart of their family, and hugged her tightly. Kara could feel the tears forming in the back of her eyes, but she'd cried so much over the last few months, she refused to let the tears fall, but that didn't stop her throat from closing up as she tried to croak out a quiet, "thank you."
"Hey, hey Kar, you okay," Alex asked a tremor of worry in her voice.
Kara lifted her blue, tear-filled eyes, but all Alex could see was the gorgeous, goofy grin on her sister's face. "Thank you, thank you so much," she sniffled through unshed tears.
"Well, try it on," encouraged Eliza.
Alex helped Kara slide into the jacket, which fit perfectly, even over the bulky sweatshirt she was wearing. "This looks great, Kar," Alex smiled. 'Sam's going to go nuts when she sees this,' Alex thought to herself with a wry grin on her face.
Zipping the jacket up and buckling up the bottom clasp, even Alex had to admit, her sister looked pretty good in leather, 'yep, Sam's going to implode.'
"Looks fantastic, baby," Eliza smiled as Kara twirled around just a bit.
"You think Sam might like it?" Kara asked shyly.
Alex choked on her response as Eliza smiled, "I'm sure she will."
"Are you okay watching Ozi?" Kara asked, smiling at the last comment.
"Yes, Alex has had this planned all week, you are staying at the same house we stayed at when we went down to the beach after graduation." Eliza said, crouching down to pet Ozi, "just me and my grand-puppy this weekend."
"Thanks, Mom!" Exclaimed both girls as they started hugging again.
The four of them headed out to Alex's Harley, and as Alex packed their gear in her saddlebags, Kara knelt down to talk to Ozi, "be good for grandma, girl."
Ozi bounced around, barking and carrying on, and Eliza came over and picked up the dog, giving her a treat from her pocket.
Alex was about to climb on the bike, when Eliza set Ozi down, "wait a minute you two, let me get a picture."
At first the girls figured they would just pose for the picture, but then Ozi decided she needed to get involved, so Kara picked her up, and with Ozi in the middle, and the bike behind them, Eliza snapped a picture, capturing the moment perfectly. As the image was saved on her phone, she sent out a text, attaching the picture to everyone in Kara's extended family.
Ozi ran over to Eliza as the girls mounted the bike and drove off down the road. As they stopped at the stop sign at the end of the road, Kara whispered, "thank you." Then they took off.
National City, L Corp
Astra landed on the balcony of Lena's office and tapped on the glass door.
Looking up at the familiar sound, Lena smiled, a bit sadly, and stood up from her desk. Her heart thundered so loudly, she was sure Sam, Ruby, and Kara could probably hear it in Midvale. Taking a deep breath and smoothing out her skirt, she approached the door, forgetting that she had started leaving the door unlocked once again.
"Hello, Astra, back from Tokyo?" Lena asked, trying to get her heart under control.
"Hello, Lena," Astra responded. "I arrived at the DEO two hours ago, I had to debrief, that's the word Director Lane used."
"You didn't go to Midvale to see Kara?", Lena was curious.
"She and Alexandra are having a sister's holiday, I am going to see her on Monday." Astra smiled, "My Little One needs some time with her sister. Kara is also the head of our family here on Earth, and she asked me to keep you protected, Lena, therefore I am taking care of my responsibilities."
"You all take that vow very seriously don't you?" Lena smirked.
"Lena Luthor, you are under the protection of the head of the House of El, this is not a joking matter among Kryptonians. We do not take vows of protection lightly, Kara's vow means her life is forfeit under Kryptonian law, were you to be killed or commit a crime while under her protection." Astra said solemnly, "This is very important to her, and to any who belong to her house."
"Kara did what?" Lena asked, shocked, "She has no right to do that! She shouldn't have put herself at risk because of me."
"That is not your decision any longer, Lena Luthor!" Astra snapped.
"I mean no disrespect, Astra." Lena whispered, "Why? Why would she do that for me?"
"Lena, your friendship is very important to Kara, but you must understand, Alura, she is the governor of Argo City, she is the highest-ranking member of the Judicial Tribunal, the ruling council of Krypton." Astra explained, "my Little One could be compared to a princess on your planet. In a way you assaulted a member of our ruling family. By placing you under her protection, she saved your life."
"Oh!" Lena gasped, shock evident in her eyes.
"This is why protecting you is so important." Astra spoke quietly, softening the blow, "it's also because I have come to enjoy your company, Lena Luthor. You took care of her, you made her well."
"Oh, it was-I needed to-it was my turn to protect her." Lena turned away, "We both finally took responsibilities for our actions."
"You are still under her protection Lena, that is not going to go away because she took responsibility for what happened," once again Astra explained.
"So how long will this protection last?" Lena asked.
"For so long as Kara Zor-El draws breath or releases you from her protection." Astra answered, then her communicator went off and Lucy's voice sounded in her ear."
"Astra, there are three Lex-bots attacking an alien shelter on the northside of National City. Dreamer is there, but she is outnumbered on this one, can you assist?" Lucy asked calmly. "I know you just got back, but we need your help again."
"Of course, Director Lane, send me the coordinates." Astra smiled, "I'm currently at L Corp."
"Ms. Luthor may have some insight for you then," Lucy said sarcastically. "They are her designs."
Astra's eyes flickered for a moment, orange then blue as she looked at Lena, she asked calmly, "Any information on Lex-bots would be helpful, there are three about four kilometers from here."
Lena looked shocked as she answered, "Kryptonite core, learning robots, will not fall for the same attack twice. Kryptonite levels should be well below your levels of invulnerability."
Clicking an unseen button on her collar, Astra's head was covered by a helmet, the white strip showing through the top, and a mask covered her eyes, hiding their color behind white shields. She rushed through the door to the balcony, and launched into the sky, verifying the coordinates and taking a vertical route up, then arcing over the city, landing in front of a kryptonite beam that was about to strike Dreamer.
"Nice to see you, Solaria," Nia smirked.
Growling at the name the press had given her, Astra responded, "you too, Dreamer." Then she grunted as a kryptonite blast hit her right in the center of her chest and was dispersed.
Nia watched and smiled, "guess LL was right about your immunity."
"We will find out, can you handle the one of the left and I will take care of the other two?" Astra asked.
"I can do that," Nia said confidently, as a whip of blue energy formed in her right hand.
Astra floated several feet off the ground, moving to the right, causing all three robots to target and follow her movements, reassessing the situation, since their primary weapons were ineffective against this new threat. As the third robot turned, Nia's power whip slashed through the air, wrapping around her target, as it tightened, she pulled with her enhanced strength which along with her energy powers, ripped the robot into several pieces.
Identifying Nia as a threat, the middle robot turned its kryptonite cannon towards the blue and white-clad heroine. Astra picked that moment to attack, crushing the one that was targeting Nia and snatching the last and blasting straight up, into the sky. Astra's speed continued to increase until she reached a height several miles above the city, then she stopped suddenly and threw the robot even higher, targeting with her heat vision. The blue light struck the energy core and the metal creature burst into a fireball that could be seen as far as Midvale.
Landing slowly, she checked on Nia once again. After verifying that the young heroine was okay, she picked up the two energy cores. Handing one too Dreamer, "Take this to the DEO, we need a way to track these before it becomes a regular occurrence."
"What about that one?" Dreamer asked.
"I'm taking this one to L Corp. Lena created these monstrosities. It's time for her to live up to her potential, and put a stop to them." Astra continued, "Lena has much to atone for, destroying these-things, can be part of her repentance."
"Astra, you cannot take one of those core's to L Corp." Lucy's voice came over their coms.
"I can and will, Director Lane, Lena Luthor needs a chance to redeem herself, in her eyes and in the eyes of my niece," Astra spoke with authority.
"Astra, I don't trust her," Lucy said through gritted teeth.
"I am aware of that, Director Lane, but Kara does, and if she does, I will stand by my decision," Astra responded. "It is the right thing to do Director."
"I can't stop you, Astra, but I don't agree with you," Lucy snarled.
"I understand, and I take full responsibility for my actions," Astra smiled, knowing she had won this battle.
"Very well, Solaria." Lucy snapped, "Lane, out."
Metropolis, Several Hours Later
Sam and Ruby touched down in the alley directly behind their condo. They both fixed their hair and headed around to the front of the building. Then they headed up to the condo for the last weekend.
Ruby unlocked the door, and as she entered, her mind turned back to one of Kara's visits.
"Mom! I'm…Aunt Kara?" Ruby shouted, "I didn't know you were coming. Does mom know you are here?"
Kara turned from the stove, where she was making homemade pizza and smiled. "Hey, Ruby. No, your mom doesn't know, today's her birthday, so I flew in to make dinner, then if it's okay, I will stay the night."
"On a weeknight?" Ruby gasped.
"I can get to work on time if I pour on the speed on the way." Kara winked. "By the way, I got that thing you wanted for your mom, it's wrapped on your bed."
"How?" Ruby was surprised.
"I'm Supergirl, and my favorite 14-year old asked." Kara smiled and Ruby washed her hands and together they made Sam's birthday dinner.
About an hour and a half later, Sam came in to find the table set and her favorite pizza and cake on the table.
"About time you got home," Ruby deadpanned, as she came out of her room holding a beautifully wrapped present.
"You made pizza and cake in the few hours since you got home from your friend's house?" Sam asked, confused.
"That would be me," Kara said from the doorway of Sam's bedroom.
"Kara? Did you come? For my birthday?" Sam grinned.
"Of course," the blonde responded, as she handed Sam a second present. "Happy Birthday, Sami."
The two women hugged, holding on to each other for a few seconds longer than normal. Then they all sat down and ate pizza and cake. As they finished dinner, it was time for presents.
"Mine first!" Kara winked at Ruby.
Sam carefully opened the present, inside was a picture, one of her, Ruby and Kara, taken six months before, during one of Kara's weekend visits, they had visited Memorial Park, and they were hugging each other close, with Ruby in the middle, smiling and having the perfect day.
Smiling at the memory, Sam looked up to Kara, noticing, not for the first time how lovely her eyes were. "Thank you, Kara."
Kara bent and kissed Sam on the cheek, "Happy birthday, Sami."
"My turn, momma." Ruby smiled, tears already forming in her eyes.
"Ruby?" Sam asked worriedly.
"Open it quick," Ruby smiled.
Sam tore open the paper, and there, staring at her was the only picture she knew of that existed of her, Ruby, and her adoptive mom, Patricia. She set the picture on the table, covering her mouth with her hand as her eyes started to water. Ruby walked up to her mom, tears freely running down her cheeks as she hugged Sam,, "Auntie Kara got it for us, momma."
Sam looked up to see Kara, moving away from them headed towards the balcony. She quickly reached out wrapping Kara's fingers in her hand, pulling her closer, stopping her from leaving. Ruby noticed as well, reaching for and grabbing Kara's wrist. They both continued to pull, until she was engulfed in a hug.
The pictures were hung side by side on the wall in the living room, right where they had left them. Ruby looked up at them and smiled.
Sam walked in the door as her phone buzzed. She opened the alert and smiled at the picture, admiring the brilliant blue orbs that inhabited her dreams every night. She took a deep breath and smelled that wonderful mix of vanilla and cinnamon that always seemed to follow Kara everywhere.
Then her memories were everywhere at once.
There on the couch, Kara showed Ruby the stars that led to Krypton.
In the kitchen, chopping vegetables, the first time she had shown Kara how to make chicken soup.
Ruby's artwork on the fridge.
Kara and Ruby watch Disney movies, while she sat at the table working.
Kara on the balcony, recovering from one Alien fight or another.
Ruby and Kara holding her hands when Reign haunted her dreams.
Kara's cape, wrapped around her shoulders as she fell asleep in the recliner.
Ruby, sitting on the couch with a cold, while Kara sat beside her, so Sam could video conference with Lena.
Kara.
Ruby.
Peace.
Hope.
Family.
Love.
Shaking her head, Sam looked at Ruby, "I think it's a pizza and potsticker kind of night."
"I miss her too, momma," Ruby smiled sadly.
Huntington Beach, Several Hours Later
Alex's Harley rumbled down the main street as she and Kara headed towards the Beach house Alex had rented for the weekend. They pulled under the house, grabbed their bags, and headed in. As they entered the living areas, they realized nothing had really changed, the view was still gorgeous, and this time of the year the beach wasn't that crowded. Setting their bags on the couch they stepped out on the front deck.
"By Rao, this is so beautiful," Kara whispered.
Alex looked out over the water, noticing a few surfers out on the water. Then she stepped closer to Kara and leaned her head on her sister's shoulder. "How about tomorrow, you try surfing."
"You need something to laugh about, Alex?" Kara grinned.
"I think it would be fun, Kar." Alex grinned back, "I haven't been on a board in years, not since before Jeremiah."
"Alex, you don't talk about him much, not anymore?" Kara grimaced, knowing she was touching an exposed nerve.
Alex turned her back to Kara, "He betrayed us, Kara, almost to the end." Then she turned back towards her sister, "he was willing to hurt you, even though he-he helped me at the end, I can't forgive him any more than I can forgive her."
"Alex, he was your father." Kara swallowed.
"And you're my sister, the little alien girl who came to live with us. For so long, Kara, for too long, I hated you living with us, I hated it. Then I realized, you stopped being you, you started to hide who you really were. You have powers, but you hid them to protect me and mom, your whole family. You did that even though I hated you," Alex admitted, tears forming in her eyes. "You made a decision to hide who you were because you cared about us."
"Alex? Of course I care. You and mom, Sam and Ruby, Kelly, all of our friends and family, I would do anything to protect you and them. I would give up being Supergirl forever if it would keep you all safe." Kara stated, meaning every word.
Alex pulled Kara towards her, holding her shoulders, "That's why I decided to stop hating you and to protect you, Kara, because I know you would do the same for me. That day, the day at the beach when I saw what you could really do, even though it scared you, that's the day you stopped being the weird little alien girl and became my baby sister."
Kara lifted her hands to Alex's cheeks and wiped away the tears, "thank you, Alex. Thank you for being the person I could always count on, the person…"
"I wasn't, Kara, I wasn't always there. I yelled at you when you came out with your powers. I doubted you over Mon-El, I never trusted your opinion of Le-her, and when you needed me the most, I didn't even remember who you were." Alex lowered herself to the deck, landing on her knees. "And when you came home, I couldn't save you, I had to count on someone else."
"Alex, you couldn't have known, you have to let this go, please," Kara's tears started and she sank down on her knees in front of her sister. "I don't care if you hate Jeremiah or Lena, but please, stop hating yourself."
"You almost died, again Kara, and I couldn't protect you." Alex cried, her head resting on her sister's shoulder.
"I'm here now, I'm not going anywhere, you brought me back Alex, you always do. The Black Mercy, Snowbird, and blood poisoning, you are always there, you have brought me back every time." Kara sniffled, getting her tears under control. "Now let me be here for you. I love you, Alex, let me be here for you like you always are for me."
Through her tears Alex nodded and felt lifted to her feet. Kara led her to the couch and sat down beside her, holding her hand while Alex leaned her head against her, tears staining her face. After a few minutes, Kara started to sing, the same Kryptonian lullaby that Alex and Astra had sung while she was healing. As she felt Alex's breathing even out, she let herself relax, wrapping her arm over Alex's shoulder and dozing off herself.
Midvale, Later that Afternoon
Eliza was following Ozi through the woods when she came across the bench that she and Alex had built. She rubbed her hand over the rough wood, looking out over the lake. "I miss you sometimes, Jeremiah, but more than that, I hate what you put our girls through," she whispered. "How could you do that to them?"
She looked over the lake for a few more minutes, then sat down, "They were so determined when they found out you were still alive. They wanted you to be proud of them, and you betrayed them, tried to use Kara against Alex. You…" the tears started, as Eliza reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a set of gold bands.
Holding them in her hand, she wiped away the tears and stood up, "She won't even come here anymore because of you, because of what you did. Her favorite spot, the one place we knew we could always find her, and she won't come back. Because of you!"
Eliza cocked her arm back and threw both rings towards the middle of the lake, watching two separate splashes. Turning on her heel and wiping her face, she looked at Ozi, who was looking at her with her head cocked. "I feel better now, Ozi. Are you ready to head back?"
The little dog barked and started to trot back towards the house, leading Eliza home.
National City, Lena's Office
Astra landed on Lena's balcony so hard it caused the glass to rattle. This time she didn't bother to knock, she just entered the office. She was met by Morgana, who growled at her.
"Morgana, down!" Lena said, her heart beating hard from Astra's landing. "Is something wrong?"
"The power core in those robots was not created to incapacitate a Kryptonian, it was built to kill," Astra snarled.
Lena immediately realized the issue, "I only designed the robots, Astra. I didn't design the power core."
"What would have happened to my Little One if she had been attacked by one of these things?" Astra snapped.
Swallowing hard, "Severe injury or death."
"And you designed them?" Astra questioned again.
"Yes, but I didn't create them to kill Kryptonians, I created a synthetic form of kryptonite," she swallowed hard, then continued. "Lillian and Lex used the robot designs, then figured out a way to modify their power core so it would operate using the kryptonite radiation."
"You need to determine how to track and deactivate these- things," Astra commanded.
"Astra, I'm sorry. I designed these robots long before I met Kara. The original design was supposed to be for military use." Lena stopped talking for a moment, her brain was racing over the designs.
"Lena?" Astra questioned.
Lena walked to her desk, picking up her cellphone, she checked her contacts, and there was Lucy's number. "I don't know why I have this, but here goes…" She tapped the green icon to dial Director Lucy Lane.
"What do you want, Lena?" Lucy's angry voice asked, barely disguising her dislike.
"Is Brainy trying to track the Lex-bots?" Lena asked, ignoring Lucy's tone.
"What business is that of yours?" Lucy growled.
"I'm texting you a very specific frequency. The robots were designed for military usage, and if they followed the design, the tracking chips should still be in place," Lena said as she sent the text.
"Goodbye, Ms. Luthor," Lucy said as she disconnected the call.
Staring at the phone, Lena frowned. "Astra, I didn't build those robots, I never wanted Kara dead, I swear."
"I am not going to apologize for my anger, Lena, it is my niece's life and the life of every person who goes up against one of these creations. I will however thank you for helping the DEO," Astra nodded.
Astra had just been introduced to Morgana, who had been out on a walk earlier that day when her coms went off.
"Solaria? We have a location. Coordinates are being loaded to your guidance system now. Teams Alpha and Gamma will meet you there. Lane out," Lucy's voice announced.
"I have to go, Lena," Astra stood and headed towards the balcony, "Thank you."
"Be careful, Astra," Lena said as the woman took off. Her phone vibrated in her hand and she turned it over, 'Thank you, Ms. Luthor' she read, from Lucy's number.
Huntington Beach, The Living Room
Alex opened her eyes slowly, blinking away sleep. Sometime during their nap she had ended up with her head in Kara's lap and a light quilt wrapped around her. She smiled as she sat up, looking around for her phone. She lifted it, checking the time, 'two hours, we slept for almost two hours,' she thought to herself, noticing the flashing notification for a text message. Calling up her messages, she saw a new one from Ruby. 'We made it to Metropolis fine, will text later if okay. Love ya, Ruby.'
Alex texted back, 'sorry, fell asleep, you can text anytime kiddo, love you too, be good for your mom.'
Setting her phone down, she started to tickle her sister. She watched as a small smile formed on Kara's face, then she started to twitch, and finally started giggling and laughing. "Al-Al-Alex, stop tic-tic-tickling me!" Kara stuttered out, laughing harder.
"Thank you, Kara, thanks for pulling me out of the funk I've been in." Alex laughed as she pulled her fingers back.
Grabbing at Alex's hand, Kara pulled her into a hug, "Alex, you are my sister, I will be here for you whenever you need me, I promise."
"Thank you, Kar," Alex whispered. "Want to go for a walk?"
"That would be great, Alex, let me put on my tennis shoes." Kara smiled.
"I need a few minutes to change out of my leathers," Alex said as she grabbed her bag and headed to the front bedroom.
A few minutes later, the two women were walking down the beach headed towards the pier. "Can we stop for burgers, Alex? I'm starving," Kara asked.
"You always think with your stomach, Kar," Alex laughed.
Seated in the diner, both women glanced at the menu, Alex ordered a chicken sandwich with fries and water, while Kara ordered two burgers, fries, and a large chocolate shake. As they waited for their order, Alex swallowed a few times, trying to start the conversation.
"Just speak, Alex. We are sisters, you can talk to me about anything," Kara said, rolling her eyes.
Alex laughed, "Who taught you that? That looks like a Ruby move."
Kara stuck her tongue out as the waitress arrived with their drinks. As the waitress walked away, "So, what's going on?"
"How do you feel?" Alex asked, "How do you really feel?"
"You mean about all this, my powers or Lena?" Kara asked.
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Alex responded, "All of it."
"I miss my powers, I know they are coming back, but I don't understand why it's taking so long. There is nothing like being able to fly, and I know it makes me sound like a wimp, but pain stinks." Kara smiled.
"Let me explain it as she did," Alex started to explain.
"You know, Alex, she isn't Voldemort, she isn't going to magically appear if you say her name three times." Kara smiled.
"That's Beetlejuice, not Voldemort." Alex smiled back, "Now what sh-Lena said, was the blood poisoning attacked you on a cellular level, affecting their ability to absorb and process sunlight."
"So my cells have to repair themselves, instead of just taking in the sunlight and giving me my powers, they have to be fixed first. This is like flaring by a factor of one-hundred," Kara stared at the light, pondering something. "So, what would happen if..."
"What, Kara?" Alex asked, looking at her sister.
"What if we overloaded my system with solar radiation?" Kara pondered.
"Theoretically that could work, but based on your current condition, it could cause more problems, or mutations. There is also the kryptonite cure that she gave you. Astra is the only other subject. Ruby and Sam are immune because of Sam's genetic differences," Alex explained.
"Do you really think I'm immune now?" Kara asked, "I mean I looked at the formula, and it should work, but how do we test it?"
"I was thinking about that. We could use the old DEO headquarters sparring room, it's still set up with kryptonite emitters, so we could even control the dosage," Alex smiled, as Kara nodded her agreement.
"After I get better?" Kara smiled.
"I'll get the key from Lucy," Alex grinned back.
The waitress approached with their food, and Alex laughed as Kara almost inhaled the first burger. "Slow down, sis, I know some of your powers are coming back, but wow."
"Sorry, I didn't eat before we left, and all that exercise works up my appetite," Kara said between bites.
"So, what about this mess?" Alex asked, steering the conversation back to where they had started.
"Lena and I agreed, Alex, it was a combination of both of us," Kara started, "and to answer your question, no what she did to me, locking me up there. I didn't deserve that Alex, no matter how betrayed she felt, that's not what friends do."
"Do you still love her, Kara?" Alex asked, staring straight into her sister's eyes.
"I'll always love her, Alex, I can't pretend there weren't feelings there. Things weren't right between us after Lex. I lied to her, I hid who I am, I betrayed her trust."
"It's your secret, Kar," Alex interrupted.
"I know that Alex, but if I have to be totally honest with myself and with you, telling her didn't make me feel any better. I lost something between the two of us when I told her. I'm not sure how to say it, she-she didn't see me as Kara anymore." Kara's eyes watered, but she refused to cry, she started to speak again as Alex reached across the table and held her hand, "all the fear I had of telling her, it came true. You know she didn't call me Kara until we-I was recovering?"
Alex shook her head, she hadn't been privy to those conversations, Kara's relationships with all her friends had suffered over the last few months, and she had closed herself off over Lena. "I didn't know that Kara, I'm sorry. I'm sorry she did that to you."
Gripping her sister's hand harder, Kara spoke again, a slight crack in her voice, "I should have seen it coming, but I was blind to her faults. I still want to be friends with her, I still love her, but it's not the same feeling."
Kara looked down at her plate, picking at the last bite of her hamburger, she pushed it to the side, "I just want what you and Kelly have."
Looking up from her plate, Alex's eyes opened wide, "What do you mean?"
"She really cares for you, and you feel the same way. It's not like the movies, your heart doesn't race when she's around, it slows down." Kara lifted her eyes to look at her sister, "She grounds you, she is good for you."
"You really mean that?" Alex asked.
Kara nodded and reached into her pocket for her card. "Kara, I got this," Alex said as she tried to stop her.
"Nope, I kind of have some money coming in now." She blushed, "I got my advance from the publisher, and Lena, is marketing my chess game."
"What? You didn't tell me," Alex gasped.
"You were in National City all week, and I just signed the contract yesterday, and I didn't expect you till today. So now I'm telling you." Kara smiled.
"So my sister is a writer and a game developer," the pride evident in her voice.
Kara blushed as the waitress walked off with the check.
Somewhere in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Base BX2187
Astra arrived ahead of the two assault teams and flew over the area immediately surrounding the base. "Director Lane, I recommend changing the assault teams, there is a clearing large enough for their aircraft approximately 500 meters from the back entrance."
"Surveillance?" Lucy asked.
"Five cameras, all currently inactive," Astra reported.
"Krypton Assault, change location to landing zone two, Solaria will cover," Lucy commanded. "Solaria, can you see inside the base?" Lucy questioned.
"Negative, the base has lead inside the walls!" Astra spat out.
"Damn!" Lucy swore, "I know you have Lena in your ear as well, anything we should know Solaria?"
"Director, I understand are disappointed with my decision, but bringing an unauthorized person on a covert mission is not something I would do," Astra responded, "Lucy, I understand your anger, but Lena did what I asked."
"Sorry, Astra. I can't seem to get past Kara," Lucy tried to explain.
"I will keep that in mind from now on, Lucy, but my niece still has trust in her, so as her protector I must uphold that trust." Astra smiled.
"Okay, I will hold that under consideration, but no classified information," Lucy smiled.
"Of course, Director," Astra answered, as she set down in the clearing ahead of the assault aircraft. Dreamer landed directly behind her, having patrolled the other side of the mountain base.
Minutes later, the assault aircraft set down, and thirty-six DEO specialists filed out of the modified VC-22, laying down a perimeter so that their commanders could confer with Solaria and Dreamer.
"Solaria?" The Alpha Team questioned.
"The base is secured and lead-lined, Dreamer and I can fly, and my strength would allow for a surprise breach through the rear entrance. Send half of your men through two minutes after we begin the assault. Follow that up two minutes later with the second half," Astra explained. "We don't know what the inside looks like, and I would like to avoid unnecessary injuries or deaths, commander."
"Yes, ma'am, I will send my two heavy gunners in the second assault element, that way the third team will be slightly larger and can clear any side rooms that get missed," the senior team commander added. "Our weapons have been modified to fire stunning energy bursts, and can be switched to explosive rounds when we find the robot storage area."
"Very well, commander, if you approve this plan, we will begin the assault on my mark," Astra ordered.
"Yes, ma'am," the commander almost saluted.
Solaria nodded to Nia, who smiled a wicked little smile and moved forward quietly with her new teammate.
Scanning the door with her powers, Nia identified a weak spot in the steel door and marks it with a floating blue X.
"Solaria to all units, check-in now," Astra whispered into her coms. She was rewarded with two clicks from all the troops. At the final click, Astra whispered, "Mark." then connected her fist to the floating blue X in front of her, and was rewarded as the door shattered.
Two men were guarding the entrance and went down hard as the door exploded inward towards them. Checking their vitals with her hearing, she nodded to Nia, indicating they were alive. Nia nodded back, and the two women moved forward. Dreamer reached out with her power, barely visible streams of energy flowing down the hallway, as she searched for any source of life. Each time she identified a target, Astra burst through, taking the men down. The first assault group moved in at the two-minute mark and made their way down the hallway, securing the unconscious men and continuing forward. They reached Solaria and Dreamer at a crossroads, one path forward, one left and one right. Astra paused, waiting for the third element to reach them. Six minutes later the group was redirected, one group left one right, and Nia and Astra heading forward with a group of four. The two assault units met minimal resistance, but Solaria's group found the hanger and looked down on several hundred Lex-bots.
"Oh, shit," one of the machine gunners whispered under his breath.
"Indeed," Astra smirked. She was about to rise up above the rail and drop down and start ripping apart the robots when the alarms started sounding throughout the base. Her training kicked in, and she sensed rather than saw the first rounds that struck through the wall she and her five comrades were hidden behind. She pushed back the assault force and placed her body between the rounds and Dreamer, protecting the young girl from harm.
Astra turned and fired her heat vision, decimating four of the Lex-bots. "Astra, two members of Alpha are down four members of Gamma. What is your situation?" Lucy shouted over her coms.
"We are currently exposed to enemy fire, none of my team is injured," Astra answered calmly, as her military training took over completely. She moved quickly down the walkway and rose and shot her vision again, taking out three more robots. "There are several hundred active machines in this location, Director."
"Did you say several hundred, Solaria?" Lucy clarified.
"That's correct, my estimate may be off, but that is the best guess," Astra answered as more shots rang out. She heard a scream and watched one of her team drop to the floor, a gaping wound in her leg. She moved to the woman's side, applying pressure to the wound, while one of the machine gunners pulled his med-pack from his hip and started treating his teammate.
"Solaria, fall back, you are incredibly outnumbered, we can send a larger assault force," Lucy directed.
"We can't, they will attack the city, and I can't be everywhere at once, someone will get killed," Astra snapped.
"And Supergirl will kick your ass and mine if you or anyone else gets hurt," Lucy snapped right back.
"What would she do, Director Lane?" Astra asked, growling at the situation.
Dejected, Lucy answered, "She would get the troops out and go back in. Please, be careful Astra, please."
Astra smiled at the concern in Lucy's voice, "Don't worry, Lucy, this would be a true warrior's death, but I made a promise to my Little One, and will not be dying today."
Back at headquarters, Lucy Lane closed her eyes and lifted her cell phone, scrolling through her messages and clicked on the screen, dialing Lena's number.
"Lucy? Is Astra okay?" Lena's concern bled through the line.
"She's fine right now, but she is pinned down at one of Lex's old bases and surrounded by a few hundred active robots." Lucy paused, swallowing hard, "We need your help, please?" The last word was whispered in desperation.
"I'll do what I can, I can be there in about twenty-five minutes," Lena said, running to her desk to grab her bag.
"No, that's too long!" Lucy yelled, then Lena heard her next command, "Brainy, connect to Lena's personal computer, Directors Authorization, LL252, and do it quickly."
"Lucy?" Lena choked.
"Don't make me regret this decision, and don't let anything happen to her aunt," the threat evident in Lucy's voice.
"I'll do what I can, can you patch me through?" Lena asked, her palms sweating.
"Astra, I'm allowing Lena in on this operation, she is coming across the coms, now," Lucy snapped harshly.
"All troops are out, one didn't make it, Lucy," Astra choked.
"Thirty-one out, one casualty, assault craft is approaching now. You did what you could, Astra," Lucy said, gripping her command station.
"Astra! I'm pinned down, I can't move!" Nia cried over the channel.
"On my way, Nia," Astra spoke, her voice sounding much calmer than her heart.
"Astra, there is a control grid three floors above the hangar. It controls all the robots and I am trying to get into the computer system now, I need you and Nia to keep the AI busy for a few minutes so it will stop rerouting me," the panic was evident in Lena's voice, she hadn't battle Lex's systems in several months and she wasn't ready. Then a thought came to her mind, "Lucy, can you get on a computer and help, your-other skills may help."
"Logging on, shoot me a hint of where to go." Lucy jumped into her seat just as Lena sent her a link. She double-clicked and was instantly plugged into the system. She recognized the code, and immediately doubled back through the files, and then started looking for the AI code.
"What are you doing, Lucy?" Lena asked.
"Using the AI against itself, I'm plugging in false signals throughout the system and masking yours. Kara taught me this trick, just keep going, between Astra, Nia, and me you should be able to get to the control system." Lucy smiled, this was something she could do.
Astra dropped to the floor of the hangar, crushing a robot as she landed. Across the room, Dreamer lowered herself slowly, twin energy whips cutting through four targets. Then she was gone as she ducked behind a half wall and popped back up twenty feet further down the wall. Astra tracked three robots targeting Nia and lit them up with her heat vision, but she focused too long and one caught her and flung her towards the far wall.
Lucy was running through two different subsystems when she found one that may help. Quickly, she reprogrammed twelve of the robots to target other machines.
"Nia! Duck!" Lucy screamed.
Nia dropped to the floor, using her power to form a small shield around herself, just as Lucy's twelve pets started to fire at the other Lex-bots. Astra climbed out of the hole she had created in the wall in time to watch twenty-four monsters fall to the rounds being guided by her commanding officer. It didn't last long as the twelve controlled units were utterly destroyed as the AI targeting master system let loose from thirty different robots.
"Almost there…"Lena mumbled, forgetting she was on the coms.
Nia screamed as a round pierced her shoulder, breaking everyone's concentration, except Astra, who was suddenly standing in front of her young charge, bullets bouncing off her back like water flowing from a shower. "She's alive!" Astra snarled, "you two get these damned things turned off, now!" Then she turned and her heat vision changed to the same blue hue of Kara's eyes, and twenty robots exploded, taking another fifteen with them. She turned and scooped up Nia and leaped up to the balcony.
Nia gritted her teeth, "Get those bastards, Astra."
"By Rao, now I know why my niece loves you so much," Astra said as she jumped the railing, landed, and punched one of the robots through two more into the far wall.
"I'm in!" Lena shouted. She took a quick second to figure out the system, laughed and found what she was looking for. "Astra, get out now, and make sure the blast doors are closed and locked."
Punching another robot, Astra spoke quietly, "affirmative." Then she jumped back to Nia's side and lifted the girl up. She flew quickly to the entrance they used and scanned the room. Using her heat vision, she sealed the doors, then remembered the hole she had created. She laughed and flew down towards the floor and snatched two robots off the floor and carried them to the hole, crushing them together and welding to the wall. Then back to Dreamer.
"This hurts," Nia's lips were shaking, "Kara's going to be mad at me."
"Nonsense, she will be proud." Astra smiled as they flew through the doors, pausing long enough to seal them as well. Then she shot through the hallways exiting and flying up about five-hundred feet, hovering directly beside the assault craft.
"Lucy, I'm sending a core overload to four separate units, this is going to be one hell of an explosion," Lena stated calmly.
"All personnel, withdraw from the area immediately, Astra and Krypton One, pull back and up to one-thousand feet and one mile out," Lucy commanded.
Following their director's orders, the troops withdrew.
"Core overload in 5...4...3...2...1…" Lena counted down over the coms. Then her screen went blank as the computer system ceased to exist.
Nia turned her head towards Astra's chest as the base exploded and the mountain shrank in on itself. She groaned at the pain in her shoulder and passed out, while Astra looked down on her, "indeed, she will be very proud of you, little dreamer."
"Krypton One confirms base destruction," the pilot said quietly. "RTB in forty-five minutes, Krypton One, out."
"Krypton One, this is Director Lane, confirm RTB, see you shortly guys." Lucy stood from her chair, and looked to Vasquez, "Make sure medical is prepared for incoming injured."
"Lucy, is there anything I can do to help?" Lena asked, her voice surprising Lucy, who had forgotten she was there.
"No Lena, we have it under control from here," Lucy answered, the hardness in her voice tempered by Lena's assistance.
"Let me know if I can do anything for the family, please Lucy," Lena practically begged.
"This isn't on you Lena, it wasn't your fault." Lucy spoke softly, then whispered, "and Lena, thank you. You saved us again."