Chapter 9

Kara closed her eyes as she tried again. Trying to remember the sound of the air within the cabin when Andrea would appear, it was a whoosh followed by a bit of a popping sound, that resembled a muted balloon pop, but it was unique enough that Kara focused her attention on listening for it.

The mass of people below filled the air with indiscriminate chatter and fogged her senses as she tried to hone in on the one specific sound. Andrea had not been present since that day at the cabin, despite her saying so. She felt the anger boiling in her gut at the pressure of trying to hear it and heard herself growl out in frustration.

"Take it easy Kara, you're too tense. Try relaxing a bit." Clark was hovering up beside her. "What are you listening for?"

Clark had coached her before on the trick of trying to locate a new sound. She had enlisted his help again today trying to push herself, wanting desperately to resolve this mystery for Andrea's sake as well as Lena's. But the task she had placed on herself was difficult, it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Only this haystack was the size of a city. Clark had spent most of his adolescence and adult life mastering his abilities. She had only truly started pushing herself as Supergirl in the last five years. "Andrea has a unique sound signature when she...teleports, for lack of a better word. I'm trying to listen for it to find her."

Clark flew to face her head on. "First take a deep breath and try to relax every muscle in your body."

Kara closed her eyes and focused on releasing the tension first from her clenched hands and jaw allowing the rest of her body to follow suit. She exhaled slowly, releasing the last bit of tension she felt in her and neck and shoulders.

"Good, now I want you to focus on a sound you can pick out easily, something that you can find almost instinctively." Clarks voice was low and soothing, almost hypnotic as he guided her in the task.

Kara didn't have trouble pulling the sound towards her, she did it just as easy as breathing and the sound of the soft drum of the heart beat came front and center to her mind. "Got it." She said.

"Great, that was impressively fast. Now think about what you did to find that sound."

Karas eyes snapped to Clark's, "I didn't do anything different." She said in frustration.

"You did more than you realized. I asked you to find a sound that was familiar so that it would be easy but the principle in locating it is the same as finding Andrea." Clark instructed. "Now think about what you did."

Kara furrowed her brow as she listened to the soft rhythmic heartbeat across the city. She had no idea what she was doing, it was second nature for her to pick out this particular sound, it often soothed her to hear it. She tensed up in frustration and lost focus and instantly the heart beat got washed out in the noise of the city before returning to her ears again as she slipped back into a relaxed state.

Kara's eyes opened wide in realization. It reminded her of a brain teaser trick Jeremiah used to play with her when she was a kid that dealt with blind spots. He would take a piece of paper and draw two dots and have her focus on one until the other dot seemingly vanished off the paper. It was a rough analogy, but it helped her clarify in her mind what was happening; her ears were in essence playing tricks on her and creating blind spots when she tensed up and lost focus.

"I think I understand..."

"Now try it with Andrea." Clark encouraged.

Kara exhaled and focused on the cabin, specifically the stairwell and the sound the draft of air she had heard just before Andrea appeared.

Twenty minutes of complete silence went by. Clark hadn't moved an inch; he allowed Kara the time to focus and listen. It took a specific kind of strength for Kara not to lose track of the task as she admired her cousin's patience. She had been coached and trained before, by J'onn, Alex and several others. Egos abounded with each as they all tried to chime in words of advice or encouragement, none of which Kara despised, they all offered wisdom she was grateful for, but the silence from Clark brought its own kind of training. It forced Kara to figure it out on her own, and develop the skill in a way that came naturally to her. It was Kryptonian at its core and it made Kara struggle with nostalgia of the past and the urgency of the present simultaneously. Kara was just about to give up when she heard it, the rushing of air followed by a dull pop. Her eyes snapped open and her body turned around mid air facing the opposite direction.

"Where?" Clark asked intently.

"Below ground, off the bay." Kara answered.

They shot off in tandem towards the sound. The swell of pride at being able to hone in a new skill made Kara feel just a bit lighter in the air than normal.

"Excellent job, that took me years to master, at this rate you should have it mastered in far less time." Clark praised.

"If so it will be attributed, in part, to your teaching." Kara complimented in return.

"I'm just glad I'm able to offer help when I can." Clark smiled that charming smile which came effortlessly to him. Kara did a barrel roll around him coming up under him and blew a large puff of air which knocked him off course startling him. He quickly self corrected but not before Kara called out "Last one there buys dinner." She disappeared in a blink the air around her collapsed onto itself sending out a crack of thunder into the air.

She heard him, several miles back, call out "Cheap shot! You're already faster than me!" A second crack of thunder let her know he had accepted the challenge.

She laughed and called back to him "You're going to lose with that kind of attitude."

Suddenly she felt herself being pushed down from above by a large gust of wind. "I never lose." Clark laughed as he flew past her and she shot herself forward matching his pace.

"Careful, Clark, your head is going to get so big you'll lose your ability to fly." Kara teased. She looked forward and nodded ahead of her. "Finish line is the shore line."

He smirked and they both launched themselves forward racing neck and neck until they started to approach the bay. Kara threw her hands out in front of her and swung them back in one fluid motion pushing herself slightly forward and crossed the line of the bay just before Clark.

They both smiled at each other and slowly started throttling down on their speed as they approached the spot where Kara had heard Andrea.

"This is it." Kara said as they approached what looked like a concrete bunker that had stairs leading downward.

"Well I guess I owe you a dinner." Clark said smiling. Kara beamed as she and Clark descended down towards the concrete stairs.

"I'll be looking forward to it." Kara said proudly.

Clark walked in first while Kara took up the rear following behind. The cold concrete reverberated with each step of the sound of their feet as they descended. Clark and Kara in near unison floated up just enough to avoid warning anyone below. "Great minds…" Clark commented as he glanced back at Kara who was too focused on what they would discover to acknowledge the comment. They pressed forward descending to the bottom with barely a sound and came to a large opening, the tunnel branched in three directions and they paused at the fork and debated.

"There's voices coming from this direction." Clark spoke softly to Kara who nodded as she scanned the remaining two tunnels.

"There's a guard and a lead door this direction. That tunnel is a dead end, leading back to the surface." Kara added.

"So we split up for now. You find out what you can hear. I'll take care of the guard and whatever's on the other side of that lead door." Clark touched Kara's shoulder as they crossed paths, but said nothing more.

Kara made her way towards the distant chatter. The voices mixed together and echoed off the walls of the tunnel making it difficult to distinguish. As she drew closer she saw a large door barring her from what lay on the other side.

"I've been trying to tell you, Lex, this plan of yours won't work without Lena, you have to get her back in your corner." Kara stiffened at the sound of Andrea's voice.

"My dear, Lena's preoccupation with Supergirl is problematic, it would leave us wide open. Bringing her in would only compromise an otherwise flawless plan to be rid of those Kryptonians once and for all." Lex seethed, Kara didn't have to use her x-ray vision to know Lex was chomping at the bit with each word he uttered. She moved slightly to the side of the door to avoid being discovered and continued listening in.

"But she has the tech we need to ensure your plan. So how do we succeed if we don't get Lena to cooperate?" Andrea said.

"Whether she wants to cooperate or not isn't important. Getting her q-wave tech is our only priority. It failed, unsurprisingly, in her non nocere project but it can be quite useful for our needs. If she chooses to consort with those aliens…" Kara could hear the venom in the word as he spoke, "then let her. It's your relationship with Lena I'm most interested in. I believe you'll ensure us a statistical advantage in achieving our goal. Lena was always fond of you, the relationship you once shared was... oh how cute… of course I knew." Lex commented. Kara clenched her fists together. She knew from the night before, but already didn't like being reminded of it.

"I just want my father back." Andrea pleaded. "Please just let him go and I'll do whatever you ask."

"If you think I have him locked away, you are clearly mistaken. I don't dirty my hands with petty kidnappings."

"Then you know who does have him?" Andrea asked.

"Of course I do my dear." Lex cooed.

"Where is he?" Andrea's voice had turned from pleading to methodical, letting the rage she felt seep into each word.

"Now why would I tell you that?" Lex clicked his tongue a couple times. "That would defeat the purpose of our little….arrangement."

"Just tell me what I have to do. And if you don't release my father after I have followed through on my end of the deal then…"

"My dear, you are in no position to threaten me." Lex said in almost a yawn.

Footsteps approached Lex from the other end of the room. "Sir we seem to have a slight disturbance coming from the west corridor."

Kara held her breath, that's where Clark was.

"Must I do everything?" Lex seethed, his footprints drew near to the door and Kara hovered above the entry, trying to conceal herself as much as she could within the shadows. The door opened and light poured into the tunnel.

Lex turned back on his heels to face Andrea. "Don't come back here empty handed. Or your dad will be the least of your worries." Lex reached into pocket and swiveled back around walking into the tunnel. He pulled out a small lead box and opened it. Kara fell instantly onto the ground and crumpled up in agony. The Kryptonite raging a fire in her veins making her feel like she was imploding. "Looks like I haven't the need to hunt you down, you decided to come to my doorstep instead. How kind of you." Lex sneered at Kara. He crouched low onto the balls of his feet as he dangled the green element in front of Kara.

Kara felt the rock zapping her of strength. "Don't look so surprised. Like a moth to a flame, you trapped yourself in here with no sun to rejuvenate those impenetrable cells of yours." Lex smiled wickedly at her. "What was your plan anyway, infiltrate us, stop us heroically and go home satisfied cause you saved the day? You have no idea what a foolish move that was." He snapped his fingers and Andrea appeared at his side in an instant. She looked at Supergirl with shock and a bit of fear; her mouth, a thin line as she waited obediently.

"Y-you don't know...w-what I'm capable of." Kara floated up off the floor, her eyes red with heat causing Lex to falter backwards.

"Impossible, you were on the floor!" Lex yelled angrily holding the green rock out in front of him.

"Unlike my cousin, that small pebble, though catching me off guard at first, will not become my undoing." She focused the white heat from her eyes onto the rock, disintegrating it into dust and feeling the immediate release of the toxins it had imposed on her. Lex cried out and grabbed at his hand instinctively as the heat seared his flesh.

"Agh! This isn't over! He yelled and flipped his watch, stepping into the portal, he vanished almost instantly. Kara's eyes flickered to Andrea in a challenge.

"I just want my father back, Supergirl, don't get in my way." Andrea took a step back, not in fear but to ready herself for a fight.

"And you think working with Lex is the way to do that?" Kara asked, crossing her arms.

"I've given someone else time, but she has yet to prove her value. I'm not going to sit around on my hands waiting and at the mercy of others."

"Then let me help." Kara offered.

Andrea spit at the floor. "I like my chances with Lex." Andrea vanished into the shadows.

Kara let out a long ragged breath and dropped hard to the floor cracking the pavement beneath her. The bluff had been enough, but she was drained and felt weak. She needed to recharge, but that would have to wait. She pushed herself up off the floor and staggered back through the hallway. Clark hadn't come back yet and it concerned her.

She approached the spot where they had spilt up and walked toward the fork in the tunnel that Clark had ventured.

"Cl-Superman?" Kara called out as she made her way further down. She wasn't sure if anyone was still around and she didn't want to unknowingly out her cousin in case they weren't alone. She made her way along the winding tunnel surprised by how far it seemed to travel underground. The light from the small bulbs that had lit her path were getting fewer and farther between when she saw she was approaching a large metal door. She took a few more steps quickening her pace when she felt her foot run into something making a sound similar to that of a large potato sack being tossed. She looked down and saw two guards were slumped on the floor on top of each other knocked unconscious but still breathing. She walked carefully around the pair and pushed forward toward the metal door now only several yards away.

When she reached it she suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of fear. "Superman?"

She opened the door and stood in silent horror. Superman was laying on a stone, his eyes closed as vines wrapped around his chest and neck. A fresh panic consumed her as the realization sunk in. A black mercy. Her heart rate shot up as she took in the sight, unable to process what her eyes were seeing. "No!" She stumbled as she ran to his side the effects of the Kryptonite, still lingering in her body, made her feel sluggish. The last time she had seen one of these she had fallen victim to its fantasy inducing dreams and nearly was killed by it. She knew not to try to remove it by force, the plant would only kill its host faster. Her hands moved to his restful face and shook slightly as they traced without touching the vines and the barbs that clung to his chest. "Wake up, you have to wake up. Please I can't do it for you." Kara's eyes filled with tears, with all her powers, she felt completely helpless. Lex had a Black Mercy down here? She shuddered at the thought, she needed to get Clark out of immediate danger. She pulled him up with some effort, and struggled as she walked the main tunnel back to the surface. They had been down there for over an hour, she needed to get him to Jonn's. The DEO was still a pile of rubble making finding a facility that could safely monitor Clark difficult.

"Fight it Clark, you have to fight it." Kara kicked the door open and stood briefly in the sunlight and felt her strength slowly returning to her. She readjusted Clark in her arms and pushed off the ground with great effort.

The DEO was still in ruins. She cursed inwardly as she flew, the technology they had there would have allowed her to enter his dream and try and get him to reject the Black Mercy, but without that tech there was no way to reach him. She wondered if he could fight through the illusions on his own before the plant could kill him. The plant's fantasies were immensely strong, and incredibly realistic. She didn't want to risk Clark's life on the chance that he could see through them. There was only one lab in the city she knew of that was capable of creating the device she needed, but was time on her side? She didn't want to waste anymore debating and she shifted course in the direction of L-Corp.

She stumbled through the balcony almost dropping Clark as she fought to regain her footing. The Kryptonite still lingering in her body, and the exertion of flying across the city, had left her drained, she felt the world around her growing dim as she fought to remain conscious. She saw Lena turn around at hearing her land the smile quickly turning to fear when she took in the sight in front of her.

"Lena, he... needs...help." Kara managed before she collapsed sinking into her own darkness. She saw Lena rush to her as of in slow motion and dreamed of her name being called, but the silence of unconsciousness beckoned her to the abyss and she didn't fight it. Clark was safe now, that's what mattered. She could rest.