Chapter 9

Kara handed black boxes to Nia and Brainy and gave two to Alex. She took a large bite of her donut and went to speak but thought better of it at the warning glare from her sister. It had been ages since they'd had a chance to meet up for coffee at Noonan's. It felt like things were finally starting to get back to normal, sans the DEO, of course.

"Why do I get two?" Alex inquired.

"One for you and one for your girlfriend if she wants to back us up again." Kara thought it should be obvious and wondered how well Alex had been sleeping.

"Have you forgotten already? I don't have a… oh, she's not my girlfriend."

"Yet," Nia supplied.

"Anymore," Alex argued.

Kara grinned in delight at her sister's disgruntled scowl. "Oh, speaking of girlfriends, guess who does have one." She bounced with excitement and prepped her finger guns.

Brainy gave the long-winded version of the answer everyone knew. "Given that we have established Alex's lack of romantic relationship and knowing that Ms. Nal and myself are 'on a break' as she terms it, it is logical to conclude that you, Kara, have a girlfriend."

Kara shoved enthusiastic index fingers at her chest. "Yep, it's me! Don't you wanna know who it is?"

Nia and Alex rolled mildly amused eyes and responded at the same time. "It's Lena."

"Congratulations," Querl offered with an attempt at a supportive smile.

"Yeah, it's about time. You two took so long to figure it out that every one of us lost the bet," Alex chided with annoyance.

"What? What bet?" Kara asked.

Nia grabbed Alex's arm. "No wait. Didn't Sam put in for five years, or was it J'onn?"

"Ah shit, she did. J'onn's was three. I'll text Sam. She's gonna flip!" Alex pulled out her phone with a grin.

Kara snatched the cell out of Alex's hand.

"Hey! Give it!"

"No! You all bet on me and-" Kara paused and cocked her head. "Lena's in! I'll find Lex's hideout and text everyone the location." She grudgingly tossed the phone back to her sister.

"Got it."

"Yep."

"Move it, Superjerks!" Kara ordered before speeding off.

XxXxX

Supergirl released Alex when they landed with J'onn and M'gann beside them. She was eager to take down Lex Luthor once and for all. She was so done with his murderous schemes that she knew chipped away at Lena's fragile heart a little more each time. There was no way she could deny Lena the chance to participate in Lex's takedown despite how much she hated the idea of her girlfriend willingly putting herself in danger. She was her own woman and had earned the right. The Super had to keep telling herself that in an effort to resist the overwhelming urge to pull the plug on the op.

"Agent Dox, we're in. Do you have eyes?" Alex asked.

"Surveillance cameras are up. Dreamer is fifteen minutes out." Querl answered from his position behind monitors at The Tower. "Target is two rooms to the east."

"Copy that. Alert us to signs of discovery," the former DEO Director ordered.

"Will do."

Alex was in her element. "J'onn, you're on point. I'll take the rear. Supergirl, no charging ahead."

Said hero shot her sister a half-hearted, petty sneer, knowing she was right to call her on her typical impatience.

When they approached the room occupied by Lex, the aliens stepped aside to allow Alex to tie a line of detcord to the door's handle. Does she always carry that around with her? A loud pop and they were inside.

The first thing her attention zeroed in on was Lena Luthor. She was strapped to a steel chair that buzzed with an invisible energy, leads were stuck to her temples and chest, and her left hand was strapped to a glass cylinder attached atop an elaborate, uncased machine. She recognized the container as the so-called bottle holding the Ancients like a genie lamp. Focusing on the pale woman's trapped hand, she realized it had been attached with layers of duct tape. That vile fiend!

The villain was standing feet from his sister, hooked up to similar leads as well as wide tubes plugged into the base of his hairless skull, presumably delivering the hypocretin harvested by Dr. Somnus. Unsanitary. Lex's frame was inert, and his eyes were impossibly wide. A cloud of indigo energy twisted around him, as violet sparks jumped across his skin. His eyes glowed with the same emerald green shining from the irises of the Danvers sisters.

Supergirl's gaze flicked back to Lena. Recalling a lecture from the school of Dox, she realized Lena's newfound ability to freeze time was the stabilizing element Lex required for his transformation to succeed without irreparably damaging space-time. The recognition of how he was callously using his sister made her stomach roil with revulsion, and she desperately hoped they weren't too late to foil his nefarious scheme.

The four heroes took positions two paces apart, as predetermined, facing their adversary. The Kryptonian had to trust that her girlfriend would remain safe during the battle and narrowed her focus on Lex. With feet grounded and hands balled into fists, she repeated the mental directive they had agreed upon. Do no harm. Do no harm…

Lex's stiff form hedged slightly at the psychic onslaught, but he stood firm, continuing to absorb Ancient power. Supergirl was tempted to sack the plan and box her way through the conflict. He's right there, begging to be my punching bag. She remained rooted. Too much was as stake for her to be reckless; the world was at stake. Do no harm. The Superfriends were equally steadfast at her side.

The Girl of Steel's resolve wavered when she caught a wince of pain cross Lena's features.

XxXxX

There was a surprising lack of cronies present in Lex's lair. The few who had noticed the intruders appeared to be unwilling to enter the room occupied by their boss. Brainy surmised they were following precise orders despite the extenuating circumstances. Probably wise.

"Querl Dox, you need to stop what you are doing."

Brainy turned around to encounter someone he never expected to see again. "Ah, Mar Novu. The residents of Earth no longer wish to heed your guidance. As you can see, I am quite busy."

"There is no time. You are needed elsewhere," the dark Maltusian responded.

Brainy stood and clasped his hands behind his back with his chin held high. "I know of your deceit and that alternate dimensions remain in existence. You cannot be trusted."

The Monitor's mouth tightened, as he decided how much to divulge. "You are correct, though my actions served a greater purpose. The last time I was killed and a new multiverse was created, dozens of Monitors came to be. There was one for each dimension that intersected Earth Prime. Over time, the Monitors became greedy, self-serving, and tyrannical. Bob was the only exception."

Brainy cocked an eyebrow. "Monitor Bob?"

"Yes. The Monitors collectively devised a plan which would result in the destruction of all life in existence. The only course available to save some lives was to allow the anti-Monitor to eliminate all worlds occupied by the Monitors. It was the only way to ensure life survived and balance was restored."

"It was the only way, hm? I will take that to mean it was the only way to ensure your own survival. What is it you want of me?" Brainy asked impatiently.

"There is a very old god who has held claim on Earth for thousands of years. She is, in fact, older than time itself. You may be familiar with her attendants by the moniker Leviathan. Normally, her presence is not of concern; however, Lex Luthor has recently crossed her."

Agent Dox scowled. "Lex Luthor will cross anyone if it is of benefit to him."

Novu continued. "When this god, Lady Styx or La Dama, becomes dissatisfied with her home, she destroys it easily and moves on to another planet."

"I see. That is problematic. I assume you are here, because you believe I am capable of stopping her?"

"You and two others," the Monitor confirmed.

XxXxX

Lex glowed steadily brighter as the seconds passed. Supergirl's resolve to follow the plan was waning.

Without looking at her, Alex somehow knew. "Supergirl, don't."

The blonde hero took a step toward Lex and removed her lenses. "Lex, this has to stop! You're going to kill yourself and your sister along with you!" Every muscle in Lena's body appeared to be tensed in strain.

"Wouldn't that be poetic? Heh. Supergirl's a quantum physicist now, hm? Stick with your day job, little girl." Lex's voice was deeper and vibrated with unspent energy.

She smirked condescendingly. "Actually, yes; I was what you would call a quantum physicist by age eleven. You are constantly underestimating me, Lex, and it's your downfall every time. You play with alien tech that you know little about like a toddler with a rocket launcher. You rely on your sister to do the research for you, because you know she's a lot smarter than you. In fact, Lena is your better in every way." She smiled proudly.

Lex seethed, and the sparks arced wider. "Lena may be more intelligent, but she requires guidance to realize her full potential."

"No Lex. It's you who requires guidance. You're still the lost little boy desperately seeking daddy's approval that will never come. Lena's approval is the next best thing, right?"

"I'm her brother. She should-"

"She should what? Look up to you? Ha! She hates you, Lex, or was that not clear when she shot you?" Baiting him was almost too easy.

"Only because she's been corrupted by you! Goddamn Kryptonians!" He heaved, and the pulsing indigo cloud surrounding him expanded.

A sly grin curved on the Super's lips. "Oh, I wouldn't say corrupted. It's more like… seduced."

Lex screamed in rage, "alien whore!" A blast of purple-blue exploded at the line of Superfriends.

J'onn jumped in front of Alex just before he, Alex, and M'gann went flying to crash against the wall. M'gann screamed from a broken leg, J'onn was unconscious, and Alex coughed to catch her breath beneath the weight of her space dad. Supergirl crossed her arms and glared at the bald man in challenge.

Lex clapped his palms together and concentrated on them. He seemed to be drawing minerals or rocks to himself like the earth bender, Rama Khan. Unlike the brown earth Khan typically commanded, the Luthor's swirled with silver and red.

Supergirl cocked her head in curiosity. The growing clump of rock was pretty and reminded her of Christmas. She knew she couldn't attack without potentially harming Lena, but she could be patient enough to allow Lex to expend his powers before his transformation to godhood completed. When the Christmas rock was suddenly encased in large shards of green, she realized too late that the others were red and silver kryptonite.

With a blink, the Kryptonian's body was trapped, and the crystals tore through her skin and invaded her veins. She distantly heard Lex's maniacal laugh, as she was flooded with agony, rage, and confusion. She opened her mouth to scream but couldn't tell if any sound escaped.

XxXxX

Brainy rapped impatiently on the gray door and frowned at it solemnly.

Dreamer rocked onto her toes, nervous over the impending meeting. "Maybe she's not home?" she suggested hopefully.

"Given the time of night, she is most likely in her apartment. If she is not, we will visit her office," Brainy explained.

The hero deflated. This was happening regardless then.

The door opened a few inches, and a sleepy eyeball peered at them. "Who are you, and why are you knocking on my door at… what time is it? 11:40?" She shifted her gaze to Dreamer and widened the opening, visibly relaxing. "Oh, Ms. Nal. What can I do for you?"

"Wha, Wh- I'm not-" She struggled to form a response at being so easily recognized in her mask.

Andrea folded her arms and grinned sympathetically. "I've known about your extracurricular activities for some time, Ms. Nal. Why do you think you're given so much attendance leniency? Nevermind." She cut Nia off when her mouth opened. "I imagine you're here for something important. Would you like to come in?"

"We are in quite a hurry, Ms. Rojas. I would prefer to explain quickly from here," Brainy said.

"And you are?"

"I am Querl Dox, also known as Brainiac 5 or Brainy. Although some know me as Barney Fife."

Andrea shot a questioning look to Dreamer.

"My ex," the hero supplied unhelpfully.

"Ah."

Brainy grew more insistent. "To the point: Nia and I require your assistance to defeat an all-powerful god who plans to destroy the planet."

The masked brunette added, "right. I'm afraid we have a slight apocalypse."

The executive briefly wondered if this was a joke but decided it couldn't be based on the nervous anxiety enveloping her visitors. "Well," she announced resolutely, "good thing we're hot chicks with superpowers. I'll get my coat."

Dreamer choked on a laugh and snorted ungracefully with an embarrassed blush.

Brainy didn't seem to notice. "Excellent. Our first stop shall be the Fortress of Solitude."

His ex-girlfriend's eyes went wide. "Oh, awesome!" She bounced and veritably squeed. Brainy gave her a curious side-eye but refrained from asking what could possibly be exciting about an end-of-the-world mission.

XxXxX

Lena was doing everything should could to keep going, to maintain the frozen time she held over the miniature world in the bottle. She was exhausted and near tears, and every blink was painful. She knew if she faltered for even a second, space-time could be shredded irreversibly. She held on for every defenseless soul in National City, in the world, and she held on for the love of her life. She couldn't let Kara down; she would die first.

The plan was going as expected until her brazen girlfriend deviated from it with her frustratingly characteristic impatience. Lena's panic multiplied when Lex amassed the kryptonite, and when the rock enveloped Supergirl, she nearly passed out from her skyrocketing blood pressure. She attempted to solidify her concentration on her task, as she helplessly watched Alex run to the caped hero.

Since Supergirl's head was the only part of her body not covered in green, silver, and red, Alex groped behind her ear. A heart-wrenching sob fell from the former agent, as she screamed for her sister. "Kara! She has no pulse. I can't find a pulse! Kara! No!"

Darkness crashed around Lena, as her world thudded to a breathtaking halt. No. Every ounce of anger, joy, heartbreak, and love brought into to her life since the day the wide-eyed reporter walked into her office was poured into the only word capable of escaping her throat in that moment. "Karaaaaaa!"

She gripped the arm of her chair with her right hand, mid-scream, when she suddenly felt like she was speeding backwards on a roller-coaster. Her vision was clouded by streaming shadows, and the next instant, she was sitting on a concrete floor staring at a black mouse.

"…doesn't like cheese. Nope, but Starbuck does like peanuts and blueberries. Don't you, sweetie? Do you like blueberries, Lena?" Eve asked her with a dopey grin.

Lena attempted to gather her composure. "Yeah, sure… Eve, what day is it?"

"Hm, I don't know. I've been here a long time. I'd say you should have a better idea, since you just got here."

"I just got here."

"Yep!"

"It's Thursday," Lena determined. "I have to stop it before it begins."

"Stop what?" Eve asked.

Lena ignored the question. "Hang onto the rail." She didn't wait for a response before she stood, grabbed the bed post, and drug the bed across the room until it the corner hit Starbuck's wall. Eve giggled and asked what was going on. Lena told her, "I need your pillow," and snatched it before receiving permission. She tore off the pillowcase and pulled down the zipper. She flipped up the bottom of Eve's sleep pant leg and yanked off a loose thread.

"Hey," the blonde mildly protested.

"Thanks." Lena quickly wrapped the string around the zipper slider and zipped up hard. The slider and pull broke free. She kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the bed. Eve watched on with fascination, as the CEO used the zipper pull to turn a screw out of the recessed speaker grill. She hopped down, pushed the bed back into place, and instructed Eve to act natural.

"What's natural, Lena? Why should I do what you say anyway?"

The dark-haired woman moved next to the door and plastered on some fake cheer. "Dinner will be here soon. You should ask Starbuck what they would like to eat."

"Oh, you're right," she agreed and went through detailed menu options with the rodent.

One minute later, as expected, a guard opened the door carrying two trays of food. Lena jammed the screw precisely into the taller woman's carotid artery and ducked to avoid the spray. "I'll come back for you," she assured Eve before taking off down the hallway.