Captain Blues: Enjoy!
The Hopeless Night: The Phantom in our Heart
Chapter Three: Save Her
[Opening Scene - Flashback: Fortress of Solitude]
Kara stood in the crystal with muted shock as she stared at Lena, the familiar, unbearable feeling of Kryptonite flowing through her veins.
But Kara didn't know what hurt her most. The Kryptonite that was used to trap her in the crystal or that the woman she loved had trapped her in that crystal.
"Did you reprogram the Fortress defenses to attack me?" Kara asked, unable to keep the hurt from her voice as tears fell down her cheeks.
"Yes," Lena replied, a cold expression on her face, despite the tears streaks. "And I rigged it to answer to this little button I have in my hand," Lena explained as she held up the small black device with the red button.
Kara's vision became blurry as she struggled to keep her eyes on Lena, but the combined might of the small amount of Kryptonite keeping her within the confines of the prison, the betrayal she felt, and the ache of her heart was making her weak.
"Are you going to kill me?" Kara asked, the total weight of her sorrow showing in her voice.
Lena's breath hitched at those words. "No," Lena answered through her shuddered breath. "No, Supergirl, I'm not going to kill you."
Lena pressed another button, causing a purple portal to appear. "I'm not a villain," Lena softly told her. "You shouldn't have treated me like one."
As Lena walked to the portal, Kara shouted, "Lena!"
Lena stopped and turned her head. "Save your brea-"
"You won," Kara interrupted with a broken tone. "You wanted to hurt me, right? To make me feel what you felt? Congratulations. You've succeeded. You pretended to be my friends for weeks to manipulate me. You convinced me to steal for you, you stole from me, and now, you used my Achilles Heel on me, knowing the pain it causes…."
Kara fell to one knee and gasped out in agony, which prompted Lena to turn around instantly. "You have done with Lillian failed to do with me what Lex was unable to do with Superman. You have me here, on one knee, weak before you."
Kara held her chest and closed one eye as Lena stood at the portal's entrance. "But despite this. I still see the good in you," Kara whispered. "You can do whatever you want to me. Hit me, hurt me, kill me. I won't stop you at all."
She saw that Lena's expression held a subtle look of grief, and for one agonizing moment, she wished that Lena took her up on her offer. Kara would rather feel death than feel her heart breaking like this. "But whatever you have planned with Myriad, don't do it. Because if you do, you'll be going down a path that I can't save you from," Kara panted out.
Lena turned around back to the portal and said, "I don't need you to save me. There's nothing to save me from."
"Lena, please, I'm begging you," Kara whispered. "Don't do this."
"Goodbye, Supergirl," Lena whispered before she walked through the portal which closed after her, Leaving Kara alone with her grief.
[Change Scene - Present Time: DEO]
Supergirl floated alongside Jessica and Brainy, her chest heavy and her eyes blurry, forcing herself to keep calm.
Supergirl knew that she had to calm down.
She was at the DEO. This was not the place to feel these emotions.
There wasn't any place where she was allowed to feel these emotions.
"Hey, are you okay?" Jessica asked as she placed a hand on Supergirl's shoulder, causing Supergirl to look at her in alarm through blurry eyes.
Supergirl blinked, allow the tears the spill before she turned away and whispered, "I'm fine."
Supergirl knew that Jessica and Brainy had stopped walking, which caused her to float ahead of them for a moment before she stopped.
"It's obvious that you're not fine," Jessica told her.
"Is this the right time for this?" Brainy questioned.
"I'll be fine," Supergirl told them as she continued to float forward until she saw J'onn watching a screen.
"What is going on, J'onn?" Supergirl said as she floated beside her boss.
"We have a situation," J'onn said as he motioned to the screen before him. National City was in chaos as the screen held the image of a sole woman. From what Supergirl could tell, The woman was a Korugaran, who had magenta-colored skin, short black hair styled in a pixie cut, a black sclera with glowing yellow irises, and a black mark beneath her left eye.
She also wore a black skintight suit with a yellow jacket that bore the infamous emblem of the Sinestro Corps on each side of her jacket's collar, a metallic belt, and yellow boots. The female also held a yellow ring and a glowing yellow outline around her body.
"Wait, I know her," Jessica murmured with a tone that Supergirl knew all too well. "Oh, Soranik," Jessica whispered, her voice tinging with despair, which caused a memory to ripple through Supergirl's mind.
[Change Scene - Flashback: Mount Norquay]
'Why did she betray me?'
'She used me as if I was nothing to her.'
'Why does this hurt?'
'I have to stop her.'
All of these thoughts went through Kara's mind as she flew out of the DEO like a bat out of hell. Thanks to the Red-Sun lamps, she had recovered enough from the Kryptonite. Alex didn't want her to leave, especially after the information Malefic had shared with them.
But Kara knew where Lena was, and she was going to stop her misguided attempt.
'How could I have been so stupid?'
'Why did I love her?'
'She used me.'
'I need to stop her!'
The world blurred past her as she sped through the sky, appearing as a blue comet in the sky until the horizon slowly revealed Mount Norquay. Kara forced herself to stop and panted in the air as she held her chest in discomfort, her eyes closing briefly.
Kara had pushed herself, and her body was still weak from kryptonite exposure, but she had made it to her location.
The Canadian Bunker of the deceased Lex Luthor.
'She is in there.'
'I'm such a fool.'
'There is still good in her.'
Kara gritted her teeth as she heard her thoughts suddenly heard three slots open. She opened her eyes to see three glowing ion cannons pointed directly at her. The cannons fired and collided into the shocked Kara's body, each blast blowing her backward into the air.
'She attacked me?'
'She hurt me.'
'I need to stop her.'
'I can't give up on her!'
Kara forced herself to remain in the air and balled her fist, the flicker of rage slowly growing. "I'm still standing!" Kara shouted before she flew back and then flew forward. As she dashed towards the base, the cannons began to glow the familiar green of kryptonite.
'Kryptonite!'
'She is going that far?'
'I can't stop now!'
Kara pushed herself, but just as the cannons fired. She darted down to avoid the beams, and while she managed to clear two of them, the third beam grazed her right side.
Filled with that familiar pain, Kara let out a rage-filled scream as she cocked her fist back and delivered a mighty punch to the mountain, causing a gaping hole in the structure to reveal an elevator shaft.
Kara flew up the shaft and came upon an elevator door and punched through it before tearing it off and tossing it behind her, but to her sadness, the room was empty.
Lena was gone.
[Change Scene - Present Time: DEO]
Supergirl shook her head when Brainy announced, "There is someone else."
Supergirl then noticed a middle-aged caucasian male with short blond hair with a deranged smile on his face and glowing red eyes.
The man wore a skintight suit with black leggings and a red torso with black sleeves. The man also had red metal shoulder pads attached to a flowing red cape with red boots and gloves. But what unnerved Supergirl was the emblem of Red Lanterns that glowed in the middle of his chest.
"And she's with Frank Laminski. This will be fun," Jessica sighed out. "Damn it…."
"Friends of yours?" Supergirl asked.
"Soranik Thaal and Frank Laminski. Soranik was a former Green Lantern and partner of mine," Jessica explained with a distant tone. She shook her head and said, "And Frank was someone who wanted to be a Green Lantern but failed…."
"Looks like he found a ring that fits him," Supergirl said.
Jessica snorted, but then she narrowed her eyes, "But why are they here?"
"Does it matter?" Brainy questioned. "People require assistance."
"We need to stop them," J'onn said with a frown on his face.
"I'll take them both on," Supergirl said with narrowed eyes.
"That would be inadvisable," Brainy said. "We have no knowledge of their combat capabilities."
"But I do," Jessica said as she looked to Supergirl. "I'll go with you."
"Also, inadvisable," Brainy said. "Judging from the medical wrapping around your left thigh and right forearm, you are still wounded."
"It doesn't matter," Jessica said, her eyes locked on the image of Soranik. "Wounded or not, I have to stop her….I have to save her…."
Supergirl glanced at the image and felt another memory invade her mind.
[Change Scene - Flashback: DEO]
"I can still save her," Kara said as she stepped onto the platform.
"You don't know that," Alex warned.
"Yes, I do," Kara replied with a determined expression. "I'm the one who hurt her, so I'm going to fix this no matter what it takes."
"And if you fail?" Brainy asked.
"I won't," Kara said. "Brainy, get the hologram online."
Brainy and Alex exchanged a glance before Brainy got to work on the hologram. After five minutes, he said, "Hologram online and ready to commence."
"Good luck," Alex sighed out.
Kara nodded and shut her eyes before opening them to reveal a large room with Lena standing nearby.
"Lena," Kara said, startling Lena.
"Supergirl?" Lena questioned with surprise before her gaze turned cold.
"Please hear me ou-" Kara started.
"Save it," Lena interrupted sharply. "You've shown me who you really are, and I believe you."
"You have every right to say that," Kara said, the guilt creeping in her voice. "But whatever it is that you are doing with Myriad and Malefic's Q-waves, please don't do it."
Lena scoffed and asked, "Did it ever occur to you that I was going to do something good for the world?"
"With Myriad? No matter what good you can do, people won't understand," Kara answered.
"Of course, you assumed the worst," Lena breathed out. "I'm not the bad guy."
"I know you aren't," Kara said. "Which is why I am here."
Lena narrowed her eyes.
"You're hurting," Kara began. "You spent years trying to be open and trusting, even when everyone expected you to be like your family, even when everyone in your life let you down, even when I was weak and lied to you, knowing that all you ever asked for was the truth, you were always better."
Kara took a deep breath and said, "I acknowledge that I hurt you. Hurting you was the last thing I ever wanted t-"
"You wasted your time coming here," Lena interrupted. "You think acknowledging what you've done will sway me?"
"Lena," Kara said, struggling to keep her voice even despite her aching heart and the anger she felt. "Please listen. Lex took advantage of my weakness, and he used it to manipulate you. He wanted my mistakes to change you. He wanted you to become him by hating me like he hates Superman. But you are nothing like him. Nothing. Don't let my mistakes turn you into something you're not."
"I am good," Lena said as she approached Kara until they were eye to eye. "And I always was. Lex didn't change me, and you didn't change me either."
Lena then formed a cold smile that caused Kara to clench her jaw, trying to keep her emotions in place. Despite the situation, Kara couldn't help but feel helpless at seeing the smile. That type of smile didn't belong on Lena's face, and neither did that aura of coldness that surrounded the Luthor.
It was then Kara realized that she was staring at a stranger and not the woman she had loved.
"You just exposed me to the ugliness of humanity. You did me a favor, Kara. I learned what kind of deceitful person you really are, and that's what inspired me to do this," Lena whispered as her hand caressed Kara's holographic jaw. "Thank you for revealing the truth," she whispered.
"Lena," Kara started.
"No, this conversation, like us, is finished," Lena said as she walked to the console and began to type away.
Hurt blossomed in Kara's chest as a sad smile appeared on her face. "So that's it? Years of friendship gone, just like that?" Kara asked, causing Lena to pause before she hit the last button.
"I didn't do this, Supergirl. You did," Lena said, her voice cracking, revealing her anguish for a moment. "You ruined our friendship with your deceit."
Kara let out a sorrowful laugh and said, "My deceit? Look at what you've done to me tonight. I made one mistake, one mistake that was only ever meant to protect you an-"
"Protect me?!" Lena exclaimed as she turned around sharply. "Lying to me is protecting me now?!"
"Damn it, Lena!" Kara shouted, unable to keep her emotions at bay any longer, seemingly shocking Lena. "You don't understand what it means to share a secret identity with someone and how much danger that puts them in!"
Kara gasped in pain as she fell to one knee, the weight of the night's events and the wound she took from one of the cannons taking their toll on her. Kara could see Lena flinch with a flash of concern appearing in her eyes before it changed back into that familiar coldness.
"You don't get it…." Kara panted out as she held out her arm, stopping Alex from storming on the platform to help her. "My choice to conceal my identity wasn't born out of a place of maliciousness. And if you can see past your hurt, you would see that. You would see that I wanted to protect you, and you would see how much I care about you!"
Kara closed her eyes for a moment to gather her emotions, then opened them to stare at Lena and said, "But you won't, will you? You will believe that my words are lies and that I'm trying to deceive you. You won't see my tears or hear my grief. All you'll see is someone that hurt you by wanting to protect you."
The room was quiet for a moment, with only Kara's harsh panting filling the silence. Kara was feeling weaker, and her vision was blurring. She could hear Alex's faint cry of worry and shook her head to stare at Lena with tears in her eyes.
"All I wanted to do was be with you, Lena. Your name, your past, your family, it meant nothing to me. Because all I-I saw was you, my best friend, my confidant, the person I fell in love with," Kara told her, unaware that she had revealed her feelings to the woman.
"But if you're willing to continue with your plan, despite my pleas, despite the pain you put me through tonight, then I will do everything in my power to stop you. E-Even if it hurts like hell…." Kara finished as bitter tears fell down her face.
"That was an acceptable speech," Lena began, her voice shaking as fresh tears fell down her face. She quickly wiped the tears away and turned back around to hide her face from Kara.
"Unfortunately, your words mean nothing to me anymore," Lena whispered after a moment of silence, her voice cold and unfeeling as she pressed the final button on the console, causing the room to flicker wildly. "But it's time for us to part ways so, spare us both the drama and leave me alone," Lena finished.
Kara bowed her head and punched the platform as she was taken back into the real world, with a concerned Alex and Brainy rushing to her side.
She had failed.
[Change Scene - Present Time: DEO]
Supergirl snapped out of her memory and turned to Jessica and asked, "She was someone close to you, wasn't she?"
"She was my best friend," Jessica replied. "Hell, I-I even had a crush on her before she betrayed us for the Sinestro Corps…."
"Do you really think you can save her?" Supergirl asked.
"I think so. No, I know so," Jessica said.
Supergirl frowned and glanced at the screen and said, "I'll give that chance then. You can come with but don't slow me down."
Brainy and J'onn looked surprised by her words, but Supergirl paid them no mind.
"Thank you," Jessica said with a grin.
Supergirl turned away and said, "We're wasting time. Follow me to our exit point." Jessica nodded, and together, the two rush out of the room.
But Supergirl knew that there was no saving someone who didn't want to be saved. She taught her that, and unfortunately, she had a feeling that this Soranik would teach Jessica this very same lesson.