Chapter 10
Kara blinked several times trying to adjust her eyes to the blinding lights that surrounded her. She felt a weight resting on her arm and looked down to see Alex sleeping over her, both her hands clutching onto Kara tightly. Kara blinked a few more times looking around the room, letting the white washout of the room slowly turn back to color as she started regaining her vision. Her eyes fell on Lena, her hair pulled back away from her face and clothed in a large white Lab coat. She was standing across the lab over another bed looking down at a tablet tapping away as she took vitals of the patient before her. She moved to grab a stethoscope and it was then Kara caught a glimpse of Clark still entrapped by the Black Mercy.
"Clark!" Kara was surprised by the rasp in her voice as if she had just swallowed a jar full of broken glass. It came out weaker than she had anticipated and she looked around slightly confused. She tried pushing herself up and felt like her head was going to explode into a million pieces. She winced and fell back groaning as she lifted a heavy arm to her head.
Alex sat up and pulled Kara's hand away, she smoothed her hair and readjusted one of the lamps above them. "You're awake. Thank God."
Kara looked at Alex incredulously her breath quickening. Her eyes darted to Lena, who had just noticed that she was conscious and was rushing to her side. "What's going on? Why do I feel like…like…" She was at a loss for words as she tried to register exactly how she was feeling.
Lena touched her arm and Kara locked onto the connection, the slow panic she felt welling up started to dissipate under the sensation. "I did the best I could under the circumstances. I wasn't prepared for… God Kara, had I had the foresight to plan for either of you coming to me in the conditions you came in…" Lena shook her head trying to gather her thoughts. Kara looked up and saw her face for the first time. She was ragged. The lack of sleep weighing heavily on her features, her body was tense and the stress of what Kara had just put her through was breaking her usual calm and poised facade. Lena took a couple of visible breathes as she inwardly tried to reset. She looked down at Kara with the look of a doctor talking to a patient. "Your blood had been poisoned by a synthetic type of Kryptonite. After you passed out your body started to go into shock and seized up. I had never seen anything like it." She closed her eyes as she tried to gain control of her voice which was betraying her. "I have no idea how, in that condition, you made it to my balcony, while carrying Superman, after flying across the city." Kara stared back blankly, she didn't realize how bad off she had been. "My lab was not equipped with sun lamps, nor the necessary equipment to properly monitor your cousin. So I called your sister and Brainy for help." Lena looked up at Alex and they both shared a sympathetic smile towards each other. Kara looked over to Alex, a questioning look still in her eyes.
Alex continued. "Brainy was able to salvage one of the sun lamps from the wreckage at the DEO. When I say salvage, I mean he had about five components that fit in the palm of my hand. Between him and Lena they were able to re-engineer, out of the scrap they found around here; these." She waved her hand above her at the six rudimentary sun lamps now shining down on Kara. She looked at Lena and shook her head in awe. "It was impressive how quickly they had you under the lamps, before the sun had dipped below the horizon." Alex smiled at Kara and looked up at Lena. No words were said but a look of mutual respect was shared between the two of them.
Lena shook her head and lightly moved her thumb across Kara's forearm. "I never liked missing a deadline." She said solemnly, the attempt at lightening the mood falling flat as the weight of the consequence lingered heavy in the air. "But these lamps are not ideal, and they aren't recharging you quick enough. To make matters worse it's been dense overcast the last two days. We've been back and forth between you and Clark for the past 48 hours monitoring both your conditions. As yours has slowly improved, I'm afraid Clark's has only gotten worse." Lena looked down not wanting to look Kara in the eyes.
Kara reached across and touched her hand. She bent her head forward trying to pull Lena's attention back to her. "Look at me Lena." Lena's eyes closed hard before slowly lifting up to meet Kara's. Kara searched Lena's eyes trying desperately to convey what words couldn't in the moment. Lena's lips came up briefly, her eyes softening as she looked back at Kara, but the frown quickly took over again as she moved her hand away, the connection lost and the void it left, filled Kara with a sense of dread. "I'm so sorry Kara, you came to me for help but I'm afraid there was only so much I could do. He isn't attempting to reject whatever hallucinations he's being fed."
Kara rested her head back down, taking in the information. Two days. I've been out for two days. She glanced over to where Clark was, he was looking much paler now than when she had brought him here. The life was being sucked from him. She heard Lois whispering soft endearments in his ear, tears streaking down her face as she hovered over him. Kara clenched her fists unwilling to accept this was the end. There had to be something they could do. "How come J'onn can't create a mental link? Get us in his mind so we can pull him out ourselves? Where is he?"
"He's off world with M'Gann, they had a small insurgency on Mars that left the rebellion in shambles and he's helping to restore order." Alex informed her.
"Brainy and I thought about how we could replicate in theory J'onn's ability, to an extremely limited extent. We have the major mechanics worked out and are finishing out the final tests now. We are calling it a REM oscillator, we believe it can aid us in entering Clark's dream state." Lena paused briefly, crinkling her brow in the way she did when she was trying to work out a complex formula in her mind. "However, there are a lot of variables to consider and the risks in using it are great. We don't know whether or not when someone goes into his consciousness if we'd be able to pull either of them back out. Add to that Clark's delusions seem to be getting worse, it's as if he's now trapped in a nightmare. It's not like the Black Mercy we've come across before. This one seems to have been altered. We've done what we can to keep him comfortable, but his vitals are getting weaker." She looked defeated and tired and she looked up at Kara helplessly, "We are running out of time."
"You have done all of this in 48 hours?" Kara looked at Lena in awe.
"Not without lots of help." Lena deflected. She always had a difficult time receiving accolades and recognition.
"Still. It's incredible." Kara looked at Lena with new admiration and smiled a little at the rose color cheeks that formed on her porcelain skin. She averted her attention to Clark, "How short of a window are we talking?" Kara asked without taking her eyes off Clark.
Lena sighed heavily, "A few hours, maybe, it's hard to say for sure. The oscillator just needs to be linked to Clark. Lois has volunteered to-"
"I'm going in. Not Lois." Kara cut her off.
"No." Both Lena and Alex said it in unison.
Kara's eyes broke from Clark and fell between Lena and Alex her eyebrow hitching upward. "And what makes either of you think I'm willing to negotiate this?" She asked firmly.
Lena worked her jaw as she reigned in the anger that threatened to rage forth. Alex didn't hold back as easily. "If you think I'm going to pretend that you are stable enough to dive into Clark's mind in your current condition you are sorely mistaken. You only just woke up. You could barely lift your arms a moment ago. Your strength hasn't fully returned."
"Is the Kryptonite out of my body?" Kara asked Lena.
"You woke up when the last of it left your system." Lena replied dispirited, she looked as though the wind had just been knocked out of her.
Alex turned her head and walked in a circle in a huff and then approached the bed again. "You are a stubborn idiot sometimes you know that right?" Kara smiled and reached up to Alex beckoning for a hug. She knew that was her sister's way of conceding.
"It's in my nature. Yours too you know." She felt Alex let out a frustrated chuckle as her she hugged her a bit tighter. "That better not be your way of blaming me for your stupid choices." Alex muffled into her shoulder.
"I'll be fine." Kara looked up at Lena who was watching them still with a torn expression on her face. "I don't plan on failing, I have several reasons not to." Kara said as she looked back up at Lena. Lena locked onto Kara's eyes searching them. The mixed expression still on her face twisted slightly into a half smile. Kara smiled back and reached her hand out to grasp Lena's squeezing it gently, watching the remnants of tension relax into worry across Lena's brow and mouth and Kara wanted to pull her into a hug of their own, but resisted. Lena wasn't ready to share what had started between them, with anyone else, and she wasn't about to compromise that.
Alex stood up releasing Kara from the embrace and Kara dropped Lena's hand in tandem. "You're pizza and potsticker dates better not be what you're referring to." Alex teased..
"Those are sacred days of the week." Kara volleyed back. "I'm fine. I'll be fine. You both know I have the best chance of succeeding. Clark needs me. I can't let him down." Kara's tone shifted and she sat herself up to prove her point.
"Alex, Brainy needs your help with lifting this...whatever this is… over here." Lois called over. Alex sighed and gave Kara one more look before making her way to where Lois was. Lena turned around and reached for the curtain drawing it half closed creating a small bit of privacy for the two of them. When she turned back around tears had filled her eyes. Kara felt her stomach go into her chest. "Lena, I'm s-so sorry." Her voice broke with emotion letting loose what she had held back since she had awoken. She reached out for her and Lena dropped to her side letting Kara pull her into a deep hug. "I'm so so sorry, I hate that I had to put you through that." Kara reached her hand up to cup her face. "Are you ok?"
Lena looked up at her, the tears still refusing to fall in her glassy green eyes. "You are asking me if I'm ok?" She shook her head. "Physically, I'm just tired. Mentally..." She touched Kara's hand that rested on her face pulling it in to kiss it before returning it back to her cheek holding onto it tightly. She breathed out a sigh of relief as she looked back up at Kara, the weight she had been carrying on her shoulders started to vanish as she softened to Kara's touch. "You scared the hell out of me." She whispered.
Kara's eyebrows crinkled in sorrow. "I know. I'm sorry. You were the only person I knew who could handle both of our conditions. If the DEO were still around I would have never..."
Lena put her hand on Kara's mouth. "I'm glad you came to me. I don't think I would have liked finding out you went to Star Labs or anywhere else where I couldn't tend to you myself." Lena's eyes darted from Kara's to look down to her hand as she slowly pulled it away. Kara's lips parted slightly at the disconnect. Lena leaned in and kissed her, Kara's hand that still rested on her face curled as she pulled her in trying to soothe away the stress of the last couple days. Lena broke away first and gave Kara a stern look. "Don't ever scare me like that again."
"I wish I could make that promise, but you know how my day job can be." Kara offered a small smile and Lena returned it before raising her eyebrows. "If paper cuts and carpal tunnel were my only worries we'd all be better off." she said sarcastically. Kara chuckled and rested her hand on Lena's shoulder. "Are we ok?"
Lena scoffed a light laugh and shook her head. "I'm won't scare away that easily… not after everything."
"Good." Kara said, her eyes shining brightly. She leaned forward and kissed Lena again enjoying the private moment a little longer before her sister or anyone else could interrupt. "It's so surreal to be able to do that."
Lena smiled. "We've been friends for so long...this..." She linked her hand with Kara's and smiled. "Is definitely something I'm getting used to as well, but I want it. More now than ever." Kara heard Lena's heart jump as she squeezed Kara's hand. "I really like you. God help me."
Kara beamed, "I really like you too." She looked over at the curtain and whispered "My sister's coming back."
"Please be safe…" Lena pleaded.
"I promise." Kara rested her head on Lena's enjoying the smell of her perfume and closeness. "Thank you. For everything you have done. I don't know how to repay you."
"You can owe me." Lena stood up and leaned forward pecking Kara one last time on the lips and winking as the curtain pulled back. Alex stepped through and Lena excused herself, walking off towards Brainy.
Alex had opened her mouth to talk, but closed it when she looked at Kara and turned to look at Lena as she walked away. She threw her thumb out in Lena's direction and turned back to Kara "Did I miss something?" She asked. Kara smiled and shook her head no, unable to speak out of fear she might say more than she should. She felt a certain happiness well up within her that she thought had been lost forever. Alex dropped it without much more thought and shifted her focus. "Brainy is all set up and ready for you whenever you are. Are you sure Kara? This Black Mercy is different from the ones we've seen before. It's, I don't know, more sinister?"
"All the more reason it should be me." Kara said pointedly.
Alex put her hands on her hips and sighed resignedly. "I'll kill you myself if anything goes wrong." She nodded toward Clark. "Come on then, it's probably best not to waste anymore time."
Alex walked away and Kara stood to follow. She caught herself on the table as she felt her knees buckle slightly and she straightened up quickly before her sister or Lena had a chance to see. She looked down at herself in frustration. She never liked feeling vulnerable. She'd pull Clark out of the Black Mercy's grip and then she'd fly into the outer atmosphere and let the sun work its magic on her abused cells. She found her footing and made her way to the bed that lay adjacent to Clark's.
She glanced over at Lena who was busying herself with the logistics of the oscillator while talking with Brainy. She had moved around the two beds fitting probes and diodes to Clark trying to avoid direct eye contact with Kara. Alex stood by Kara's side putting her hand on Kara's shoulder for support. Lois stood across from them, near Clark, stroking his hair. There were black, thin veins protruding out of his neck and stretching across his face as the poison from the Black Mercy started making its presence more known. Kara felt a shiver down her spine at the sight of it as she remembered her own experience with the plant.
Lena approached her with a handful of diodes and began a similar work on her that had been done to Clark. She attached two of the diodes to the sides of Kara's temple and another two at the base of her neck. Her hands only faltered briefly when she had to place a heart monitor around her chest. When everything was in place she and Brainy took another look at the load test, finalizing the protocols and making the necessary adjustments. It was then that she focused her attention onto Kara.
The heaviness had returned to her shoulders. Kara nodded in encouragement. "I'm ready." Lena nodded and the rest of the room fell silent to everyone but Kara who could hear the heartbeats of everyone in the room that quickened in anticipation of what was about to happen.
Lena tapped a few more things into the tablet and then looked at Kara. "The mind is new frontier, there are things we simply just don't understand. Going into another persons head space and seeing them from the inside out on a good day would probably reveal horrors you aren't prepared to see. But Clark's has been manipulated and altered and he's been trapped for two days. Pulling him out will be difficult and that's putting it mildly. If for any reason I feel like your mind or body is becoming compromised I'm pulling you out immediately. There's no room for error here and I will not take any unnecessary chances." She warned.
"I trust you." Kara said as she looked at her. Lena tightened her grip on the tablet.
"Ok let's begin."