Disclaimer: TV/Comics/Books characters do not belong to us. We write for fun and the only thing we get from this is lots more fun. There might be some TV/Comics/Books Canon, but it's mostly for background's sake. There might also be characters that are not TV/Comics/Books related – those are ours.
IMPORTANT NOTE: There are two writers to this story, myself and Wally Boswell, writer of the compelling and wonderful 'Abandoned, The Fortress Aftermath'. Please, check him out if you haven't already.
Chapter 2
LCorp's Headquarters,
Pursing her lips, Lena carefully pressed Kara's hand down on her bleeding wound, forcing herself to look away from the fast-approaching aircrafts. Kara whimpered at the contact, her greenish face contorting in pain.
"Stay here, Kara. Don't move. I'll be right back."
Lena didn't wait for an answer. Carelessly discarding her stilettos, the CEO quickly crawled to her office's door, making sure to keep out of sight - she had enough experience with that. Straightening upright once she got inside, she sprinted to her desk, silently patting herself on the back for deciding to keep her 6 am gym classes. Pressing a button under her desk, the CEO watched as a red glow spread from sensors on the walls, forming a protective shield around her office and balcony, locking it down. No one could get in or out of that shield, not even Supergirl - she had made sure of that.
Flying her fingers over her keyboard, the CEO opened a software window and typed rapid commands. Whoever was coming for Kara was completely blind to them now; they couldn't even scan their biometric data.
Rushing back outside, Lena watched for a moment as the black helicopters flew near her building, surrounding it like hunters about to close in on its prey. But they wouldn't get their hands on her - not today.
A pained whimper caught her attention and Lena ran to the fallen alien.
"We're safe now. I activated the shield," Lena said, dropping to her knees by Kara's side.
"You finished it…" Kara whispered breathlessly.
"Yes." Lena frowned. "I need to get you inside."
Kara nodded and tried to move, but all she managed was a grunt of pain.
"Right…" Lena sighed. How was she going to get Kara inside? The Kryptonian was too weak to be any serious help and too heavy. "I'm going to help you sit but I need you to put your legs under yourself. Can you do that?"
"I'll try…"
Lena nodded, slowly lifting the Kryptonian by the shoulders until she was in a sitting position. Kara gasped at the movement and her head dropped heavily on Lena's shoulder, seeking comfort. Panting, she grasped at Lena's button-up shirt, clenching the smooth fabric in her fist.
Lena blinked, not expecting Kara to do that; not expecting the emotion that came from it. Closing her eyes for a moment, Lena touched Kara's head with her hand, smoothing her disheveled hair soothingly until her panting subsided.
"Now, the hard part, Kara. Ready?"
Kara nodded and gritted her teeth while Lena shifted and slipped her arm around her shoulders, holding bleeding side with her free hand.
"On my count: 3, 2, 1!" With a powerful pull of her legs, Lena forced them both up, placing her right leg slightly forward to keep them balanced.
Kara cried out in pain, the sudden stretching of her abused abdomen making her lose her balance, but Lena was ready and kept them upright, more out of stubbornness than actual strength.
"Damn, you're heavy…" Lena grunted, steering the Kryptonian to the balcony's door, to take her inside.
"Sorry…"
Lena dropped Kara on her desk chair, trying her best not to jar her side. The blonde grunted in pain at the movement, her eyes squeezed shut. She looked outside her balcony, relieved to see the helicopters pull away from LCorp. Whatever they were looking for, they hadn't found it.
"I need to call Alex."
Kara nodded, her head dropping back against the back of the chair. "M' phone…"
Glancing at the soaked shirt, Lena pushed down the feeling of uneasiness that was starting to churn inside her, and ran to her private restroom, grabbing several clean towels before rushing back to Kara. "I have some towels here and I'm pressing them on your side to stop the blood, but I need you to hold it in place." When she failed to get an answer, Lena touched a sickly green cheek with slightly trembling fingers. "Kara! You can't pass out on me!"
Kara moaned but forced her eyes half-open.
"Did you hear what I said?" Lena gently pried Kara's hand away from the wound and lifted her blood-soaked shirt, gaping at the horrid wound on the toned abdomen - she was not mentally prepared for that. There was a bullet hole on her left side and most of her abdomen was covered in bright green and gooey red, spread out almost like a spider's web. "Oh, Kara…"
"N—no… Sorry…"
Forcing herself to focus on the task at hand, Lena put a warm towel over the gaping wound, ignoring Kara's hiss of pain. Taking the alien's hand, she placed it over the towel, to keep the pressure on. "I said you need to stay awake."
Kara mumbled something unintelligible and Lena grabbed her phone, pressing Alex Danvers' number. "I mean it, Kara." Lena frowned when the call went straight to voicemail. Now what? What would she do now? She couldn't call the DEO. Maybe J'onn? No, that was too dangerous. "Damn it… Kara, I can't get a hold of Alex. Who do I call?"
Silence.
"Kara!"
##
Alex Danvers' apartment,
A low beeping sound caught her attention and Alex looked up from her glass as the blue spiral laser retracted, and a 3D blueprint of her apartment surged in its place.
"This is so cool…" Alex's dark eyes widened in delight at the sight before her, and for a moment she completely forgot why she was using this in the first place. Several red dots blinked on the blueprint, apparently scattered all over her apartment. "I'm impressed. They aren't taking any chances." She stopped in the middle of the virtual projection, blinking at the red dot in her bathroom. "Now, that's perverted!"
Touching the side of the small gadget, the virtual keyboard materialized again, and Alex pressed the alien keys, making a mental note to thank Kara for this. It was not Kryptonian, but it was one of the many alien objects apprehended by Superman that was icing away at the Fortress. She wondered if she could convince her or Brainy to tweak it to certain parameters…
Looking around, she watched gleefully as the red dots became green, one by one. Chuckling under her breath, Alex pressed several more keys. "I bet even Lena Luthor would have a nerdy fit over this one." More keys were pressed, several of the green dots now changing colors to yellow. "Now, to loop the system… See if you like being deceived by alien tech, asshole."
Rubbing her hands together, Alex went back to her comfy spot. She had to wait a little longer before she could turn on her phone and call her sister. She hoped she wasn't doing anything foolish.
##
LCorp's Headquarters,
"Kara!" Lena forgot about her phone and lightly patted the blonde's cheek, not feeling the steeliness she knew she would feel if Kara was fully powered. "Come on, Kara, wake up!
Kara stirred with a groan. "Lee…"
"Who do I call? I can't reach Alex!" Lena was now holding her face between her hands, desperately trying to get the alien to focus on her. What was it about Kara Danvers being hurt that always made her lose her cool? "Kara?"
"I need to get… bullet out…"
"And how are you supposed to do that, Supergirl? Do you have some hidden power that you haven't shared yet?" Lena closed her eyes briefly, regretting her outburst immediately. Kara was right, the bullet needed to come out if she had any chance of survival. Apparently, even on the verge of passing out from blood loss and Kryptonite poisoning, Kara was better at keeping her head clear. That was embarrassing. "Sorry…"
"Mom… call mom…" Kara cracked her eyes open, dazedly looking at Lena. "I can't… see…"
"I know, I know…" Lena frowned at the new color in Kara's eyes - they were turning grey. What was happening? Why were her eyes turning grey? Wh—
"You… Want to see… you…" Kara slurred, her eyes closing again.
Hot tears blurred Lena's eyes and she slipped Kara's good arm over her shoulder. She couldn't just let Kara bleed out to death before her eyes. She wouldn't! "You'll see me again, Kara, but you have to stay awake and you have to help me, ok?" No answer. "Kara Zor-El!"
Kara's lips twisted in a tiny smile, keeping her eyes closed. "You sound… like mom…"
"We're getting up now." Lena took a deep breath and hauled Kara to her feet, wrapping her free arm around her waist. Kara cried out in pain, swaying dangerously, but Lena had a firm grip on her.
"I'm sorry, but I need to take you to the lab while you can still walk," Lena grunted out. "Do I want to know what sweet Kara did to get her mother to yell at her?" How the alien was still conscious was a mystery, but she had to keep her talking, had to keep her awake.
"Testing… powers…" Kara gritted out.
Lena led her to the wall behind the couch, keeping a tight hold on the Kryptonian's waist. Kara could now barely take a step forward and her left leg was starting to give out.
"What did you do? Blow up the roof?" Damn, this was hard. Kara was heavy and was leaning most of her weight on her, but from the wheezing sound of her breathing and the tiny grunts of pain, Lena knew she didn't have much time left. She had to take her to the lab.
"K—kinda…"
"Kinda? Did you take off flying and forgot the roof was there?" Lena stopped by the couch, touching her fingers on a spot behind it.
"Nightmare…" Kara gasped, swaying. "Couldn't… control… S-shot…"
Kara started to lean forward as the wall opened in front of them, revealing a well-lit corridor.
"No, no, no, Kara! Stay with me! Just a few more steps!" Lena released the arm she was holding over her shoulder so she could shift and half place herself in front of Kara, to stop her from falling.
"I-I can't… Le—"
"Yes, you can! Yes, you can!" Lena's voice cracked as she stared at the pale, blood-stained face, touching her chin with trembling fingers and forcing eye contact, even if she knew Kara couldn't see her. "I'm looking at you, Kara. Yes, you can. You can, for me. Please?"
Kara leaned on her hand. "For you…" She nodded once.
"For me… Come, just a few more steps." Lena shifted back, taking hold of Kara's arm. "Almost there."
Kara grunted, her breathing faint, but stubbornly shuffled forward with Lena, the fake wall closing soundlessly behind them.
##
CatCo's Headquarters,
James was frowning, cold sweat running down his back. He was pretty sure he had just heard gunshots and he couldn't stop the faint popping sounds from making him want to hide under his desk.
"I thought you said Kara Danvers wasn't in the building!"
Agent McKenna's angry voice was a welcome and much-needed distraction.
"She isn't. At least not that I'm aware of. This is a magazine, I don't keep tabs on my staff's clocking in and out," James replied, willing his voice to remain steady. They were shooting at Kara? With Kryptonite bullets? He needed to get rid of this half-assed agent. "We're reporters!"
Agent McKenna stopped his furious pacing, shooting him a hard stare. "I'm bringing you down for questioning! You're und—" The man's phone rang with an annoying old-fashioned ring and he picked it up, cursing under his breath. "What?" The prominent vein on his forehead started pulsing. "What do you mean, you lost her?"
James covertly closed his eyes in relief. All right, so not all was lost. Kara had managed to get away. She would find a way to get in touch later and…
"You shot her? Why aren't you following the blood trail, idiot? She can't be far!"
Shot? Kara was shot? James paled suddenly, memories of his own shooting months ago clouding his judgment. He had to call Alex! And Lena! She needed to know what was happening.
"I'm surrounded by idiots…" The balding man grumbled, putting away his phone. "Come, Mr. CEO, let's have a nice little chat in my office."
James stood still and quirked an eyebrow at him. "Am I under arrest, agent?"
The vein pulsed again. "No."
"Then I'm not going anywhere with you, agent McKenna, not until my lawyer gets here. Besides, it seems that you're shooting my staff for no reason at all. I need to make sure no one else gets hurt."
The vein started throbbing, the agent's dark, beady eyes following as the tall CEO walked back to the chair behind the desk and made himself comfortable.
##
LCorp's Headquarters,
Halfway through the short corridor, Kara had already forsaken her blood-soaked towel, the hand used to apply pressure on her injured side now helping her keep her balance against the pristine wall, leaving a trail of fresh blood behind.
She was leaning heavier on Lena, making them stumble often, but Lena stubbornly held them both upright. The Kryptonian's breathing was slowly fading into a barely heard wheeze, urging the CEO to move faster, but despite her best efforts, Kara was slowing down her pace.
"Lee…"
"Almost there, Kara, I promise. Just a few more steps," Lena gritted out. She refused to believe what her logical mind was telling her, that they wouldn't make it to the lab; that she wouldn't be able to save Kara. "I can't make this without you, Kara. Just a little longer."
But Kara was just too weak, too exhausted to take another step and the Kryptonian stopped abruptly. Her weight shifted and she slowly slid down against the wall, dragging Lena with her.
"No, no, Kara, no!" Lena tried to hold them upright, but the alien was just too heavy, and she fell on her knees. "Dammit, Kara, now it's going to be harder to get up!"
"M'sorry…"
Lena was still holding the alien's arms over her shoulders. "You need to get up, Kara! Now!" She tried to haul them up once more, but this time Kara didn't budge, and Lena stumbled forward, almost falling over the alien. "Come on, Kara! I—"
Trembling fingers touching her cheek stopped her train of thought, and she looked down at the injured woman, tears blurring her eyes. Kara's eyes were closed, and her face was now completely covered by green veins. Smudges of her own blood tainted her skin and parted lips moved slowly, almost as if she was trying to talk.
"Kara…" Lena moaned. Nonononono…
Kara smiled, just a little. "Wanted… See you…"
The hand touching her face slowly dropped, falling on the Kryptonian's lap, unmoving.
"Kara?" Lena whispered, tears falling without permission. "Get up…" Lena grabbed the blonde's shoulders, roughly shaking her. "Get up, Supergirl!" A sob escaped and she shook harder. "Get up!"
But Kara remained silent and unresponsive, and Lena cried out loud. Letting go of her shoulders, Lena gently cupped Kara's face with both hands, trying to clean some of the blood with her thumbs, but only making it worse. Bringing the woman's head closer, to rest on her chest, Lena hid her face in those blonde tresses that always smelled so nice and fresh, sobbing harder.
"Get up… Please… Get up!" She cried, clutching the woman's head to her chest. "You can't leave… Please… I'm not done yelling at you!"
But silence was her only answer.
##
DEO's Headquarters,
Col. Haley stared intently at her computer screen. Several of the blinking lights went off and she let out a breath of relief. Good, Alex had found all the bugs. Smart girl.
Haley had peeked over the sergeant's shoulder while he typed away his very simplistic password and now, she could access his security system. If he was under her command, he would be on his way to being promoted to latrine duty for being so careless with security. Not to mention the password - a set of numbers that resembled a birthday, probably his own.
Now she just had to be quick enough to reset the bugs to her neighbor's apartment and make it look like they were still monitoring every one of her movements at home. She started typing away, being mindful to keep him in her peripheral vision. One of her operatives was harassing with complaints about alien staff, keeping him distracted as she hacked the security system. Amateur. Definitely not DEO material.
The screen glitched and all of a sudden, all the bugs were rebooting before her eyes. Haley blinked, baffled. What was happening? They had a backup system?
Shit.
##
LCorp's Headquarters,
Heart-wrenching sobs filled the hollow corridor. "No…" Lena whimpered, holding the unresponsive alien in a bruising embrace. "Don't go… Please, don't go… You can't leave me!"
She was so lost in her pain, it took a moment for her mind to register the warm breath tickling her collarbone. Popping open tear-filled eyes in disbelief, her breathing caught in her throat. Pulling Kara slightly away from her, Lena pressed shaking fingers to her neck, a loud gasp of relief escaping her lips when she felt the soft thumping under her fingertips.
"How?" She whispered, confused. "How are you still alive?"
Pulling her back into a tight embrace, Lena kissed the blonde head on her chest, forcing her brain to start working. She was a Luthor, CEO of LCorp and perfectly capable of facing off and bending hostile boards to her will. She had faced death and critical situations too many times to crack under pressure, so why was she doing it now?
"Ok, ok, I can do this…" Lena wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, gently easing Kara against the wall. "We can do this."
Ok, so yelling at the alien may not be the best solution, especially because the woman was currently unresponsive. "Think, Luthor, think!"
She needed a plan, even if it meant performing surgery on Kara right there on the hall! Mumbling under her breath, Lena glanced at the door to her lab as if it was trying to tell her something. "The prototype… I can use the prototype, Kara!" Looking back at Kara, Lena cupped her face reverently, whispering fiercely. "Don't you dare die on me, Kara!"
Pushing herself up, Lena ran as fast as she could to the door at the end of the corridor.
##
Deo's Headquarters,
Looking around, Haley spotted Vasquez walking inside the control room and texted her quickly. The agent checked her phone, staring at it for a moment. Putting it away, Vasquez made a quick detour.
Haley pointed to her screen and they quickly swapped places, always mindful of the sergeant's whereabouts. "She debugged the devices, but they rebooted right after."
Vasquez cursed under her breath. "I can try to deactivate them remotely…" The agent typed quickly, looking over the screen to check on the military.
"Focus on this, I'm keeping an eye on him."
"Yes, ma'am… What the…" Vasquez frowned at the screen.
"What?" Haley kept her eyes on the man, but Vasquez's unexpected chuckle had her look down at woman, scowling. "Something funny, agent?"
"The bugs didn't reboot, ma'am," Vasquez smirked. "Danvers looped the system. I recognize the signature reading from the Sel'Gur debugger."
Haley exhaled, relieved. Damn smart girl. "Go rescue Andy before he's thrown in a cell too."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Vasquez?"
The agent turned, looking at her questioning.
"Good job."
Vasquez gave her a small smile and walked away, smoothly interrupting her colleague's ranting. The look of relief on the military's face was painfully evident. Idiot.
Haley logged out of the system, thinking it was a good thing they were finally on the same side. She was sure Alex Danvers would prove to be a formidable adversary of Lex Luthor.
##
LCorp's Headquarters,
Lena punched in a code on the digital pad on the side of the double glass cabinet, where a shiny black exoskeleton was exposed. Quickly removing the armor, she put it on hastily but quickly found a problem: her pencil dark shirt would hinder her mobility. Cursing under her breath for her poor decision on wardrobe that morning, Lena grabbed a sharp scalpel from a nearby table and sliced her skirt on the sides, all the way up to her hip. Better, much better. Attaching the bottom piece of the exoskeleton to her legs and hip, Lena activated the central system from a virtual pad on her wrist, watching it come to life with a soft humming, green LEDs lighting up along the sides of the structure.
It was far from being done and it still had a number of glitches she needed to fix before she could take it to the next level, but all she wanted right now, all she needed was for it to work long enough for her to pick up Kara and bring her inside the lab, where she could actually do something to help her.
"Please, don't let me down…" She pleaded as she ran outside the lab three times faster than she was physically capable of. This was usually the moment she would be grinning like an idiot, naively proud of herself, but not this time. This time she had a life to save and it depended on her unfinished project to work long enough to get Kara inside.
Stopping in front of the slumped Kryptonian, Lena knelt by her side, hesitantly touching her neck. "Good girl…" She sighed, relieved when she felt the faint thumping against her fingertips.
Carefully placing her arms under Kara's knees and back, Lena gently swept her up, sprinting back inside.
"Hope, set lab on lockdown!" Lena barked, gently placing Kara on the gurney.
"Yes, Ms. Luthor." Came the pleasant voice.
That was another ongoing project. She was tired of backstabbing assistants. If she couldn't have Jess back, she would build her own assistant. At least she knew she could trust this one.
Ripping Kara's shirt off with a powerful yank, Lena clenched her jaw at the sight of the woman's visible injuries, tears blurring her eyes again. Besides the obvious bullet wound, Kara's torso was covered with lacerations that resembled small burns and there was another bullet wound on her left shoulder, but this one looked like it was a clean shot. Carefully lifting her shoulder, Lena peeked at the injury, seeing the torn flesh on her back that indicated the bullet had exited.
"Dammit, Kara, you're not making this easy…"
After checking her for more injuries, Lena turned on the monitors that surrounded the gurney, placing several of the wires attached to them on Kara's chest. She needed to keep an eye on her vitals. The monitors came to life with Kara's vital information and Lena frowned, unhappy with the readings.
"Not good, Kara, not good at all." Lena placed an oxygen mask over the alien's face, her fingers brushing her stained cheek in a tender caress. "I see I'm going to have to find a way to keep you safe from Kryptonite… Just because the world needs Supergirl, and nothing more."
Picking up her phone again, she tried again Alex's number, but it went to voicemail once more. "Bloody hell!" Glancing down at Kara, Lena searched her right back pocket, knowing that's where she kept her phone when she was not wearing her jacket.
Not wasting time trying to hack the phone herself, Lena hurried to her central computer and plugged it. "Hope, hack this phone and video call Eliza Danvers. Contact could be under 'Mom'."
"Yes, Ms. Luthor."
"And turn on the sunlamps and direct them over the gurney to give Kara as much exposure as possible." Lena rushed back to Kara's side, opening a drawer with pristine surgical instruments inside and everything she needed to remove that bullet. Taking out gloves and antiseptic, she busied herself with cleaning and disinfecting Kara's abdomen. Despite those rock-hard, well-defined muscles, it was surprisingly soft. "How much longer, Hope? Kara's running out of time here!"
"Kara Danvers' phone is unlocked. Video calling 'Mom'," Hope replied in her pleasant voice.
"Thank God… Send the feed to the main screen and activate the mobile camera. Zoom in on the gurney." Lena moved so that she was standing in front of the camera, hiding Kara from view. She didn't want Eliza Danvers to see her daughter like that, not without warning.
"Hey, sweetie." Eliza Danvers' bright smile faded from her lips before it was fully out. "Lena? Where's Kara? Why do you have her phone?"
"Mrs. Danvers, thank God you answered." Lena knew she was on the verge of tears, but she really didn't care at this point. Kara was badly injured, and she needed help. "Kara's been shot with Kryptonite and Alex is not answering her phone and she's bleeding to death! She lost too much blood and she's in shock and the kryptonite's poisoning is spreading too fast and…"
"Lena!"
Eliza's stern voice stopped her rambling at once. "I'm sorry. I—" Why was she acting like this? She was always able to function under pressure. Always! Why wasn't it working now?
"Is she there?" Eliza's voice softened, but the firmness was still there. Lena nodded. "Let me see."
"Mrs. Danvers—"
"Lena, if I'm to be of assistance, I have to see the damage."
Lena swallowed and stepped aside to reveal Kara's bloodied form. For the longest time, the only sounds inside the cold, spartan room were the soft humming of machines and Kara's ventilator.
"I'm sorry…" Lena whispered, shying her eyes away from the horrified look on Eliza's face at the sight of her injured daughter.
"That bullet needs to come out now," Eliza's voice cracked, "or the Kryptonite will kill her before she bleeds to death."
Lena closed her eyes, her hands clenching in white knuckle fists at her sides. "I can't do it…"
##
Alex Danvers' apartment,
Alex quickly scanned the final sweep report, pleased to confirm that all bugs had been located and reprogrammed into a loop.
They would eventually find out the rouse, but hopefully, it would give her enough time to prepare for whatever it was Lex Luthor was scheming this time.
She made sure to leave some of the bugs with live feed, such as the building's main doors. That would buy her some extra time.
Now, all she needed was to upgrade her home security system and she could finally turn on her phone and call Kara, J'onn and Lena.
And mom. He probably had her under surveillance already and that made her feel uneasy.
Bastard!
##
LCorp's Headquarters,
"Why not? Lena, Kara can't wait any longer and I'm too far away."
"But…"
"Lena, please, look at me." Eliza softened her voice, her blue eyes searching Lena's. There was no recrimination there, just gentle pleading. "Kara has no time left. She needs you."
Lena glanced over her shoulder at the prone woman on her gurney, her sickly green covered torso, stained with blood, and the faint rise and fall of her chest. Kara needed her…
"I've done minor surgeries before, but never like this…" Lena admitted, looking away. She knew that image would haunt her forever. Her shoulders slumped. "I need you to guide me."
A relieved breath escaped Eliza. "I will, Lena, I will."
Taking a steadying breath, Lena grabbed the last piece of exoskeleton from the glass cabinet, a metallic wireless band that she placed on her head. Touching a key on the virtual pad, a light went on, activating and connecting the headband with the rest of the metallic structure. "Hope, forward live feed from Prototype 01 to Eliza," Lena ordered. "This will allow you to see what I see, Mrs. Danvers."
"Good, and Lena?"
"Yes?" Lena glanced at the tray of surgical instruments.
"Live feed on Prototype 01 ready, Ms. Luthor."
"Call me Eliza."
Lena nodded. "Hope, send my private jet to Midvale and a car to pick up Eliza. Now."
"Yes, Ms. Luthor."
"How long until your jet gets here?"
"Hope?"
"31 minutes and 02 seconds."
"All right, let's get this started then. I will be guiding you on the go and I'm taking two units of her blood with me," Eliza sighed. "God, I wish Superman was here…"
"Blood?"
"She needs a transfusion, Lena, and human blood is not compatible, only Kryptonian."
Lena blinked, clutching the scalpel in her hand. "From any Kryptonian?"
"Yes, why?"
"Sam…"
"What?"
"Sam! She's a Kryptonian. I still have a unit of her blood here!"
"Oh, thank God… That could be enough to hold her until I get there. Get it now, Lena."
Lena ran to her vertical refrigerator and removed the bags with Sam's name.
"Is she on Earth?"
"Yes." Lena hooked up the bag, inserting the needle in Kara's arm.
Lena could hear muffled noise from the other side and could only imagine the older woman was getting ready to be picked up by her town car. She was so glad she had upgraded her jet's engines before Kaznia.
Kaznia… that had changed everything, hadn't it?
"Do you have any reports on her blood? I need to see them." Eliza asked.
"I do." Lena glanced at the blood dripping slowly into Kara's arm and picked up the scalpel she had left on the tray. "Hope, do as Eliza requested."
"Sending reports to 'Mom'."
"Mom?"
Lena looked up at the main screen, noticing Eliza's surprise. "That's how you're listed on her contacts.
"Oh! I didn't know that…" Eliza mumbled. "All right, let's get this started."
Apparently, Kara had little secrets from everyone. Shaking her head slightly, Lena clenched her jaw, hoping she was up to the task. Kara's life was in her hands now.
"You'll do fine, Lena. We'll keep her safe."
Keep her safe. Right.
##
Lena had just removed the kryptonite bullet from Kara's torn flesh, tossing it carelessly into a nearby tray, when the line on the heart rate monitor went flat, a beep going off. Lena looked up sharply, staring at the screen, frozen in place.
What… "Eliza?"
"She's crashing, Lena! Get the paddles!"
Lena dropped her instruments like they were hot and reached for the paddles nearby, quickly applying the gel and then placing them on Kara's torso as Eliza instructed.
"Now!"
Lena pressed both buttons on the paddles at the same time and pressed on Kara's chest. The released energy jolted the Kryptonian's chest, but the line remained flat.
"Increase by 100 joules!"
Lena adjusted the energy and pressed the paddles again. The line remained flat. "It's not working!"
"Increase for maximum energy."
Lena stared at the older woman. "But…"
"She can take it! Do it!"
Lena adjusted again and repeated the procedure. "Come on…"
The line on the monitor changed to its regular movement and remained stable.
"Oh God…" Lena placed the paddles back on their hooks, her hands shaking visibly. Biting her lower lip nervously, she stared at monitor in front of her, clenching and unclenching her trembling hands.
"Lena, you need to close the wound, sweetie."
"I—I don't think I can… My hands…" Lena looked at her trembling hands. She needed a moment to recover from what had just happened. She needed to sit down and have a shot of whiskey, and… She might need to throw up too.
"Take a deep breath, Lena. You can do this."
Lena closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, Kara's sweet smile flashing before her eyes hauntingly. Pressing a button on the virtual pad, she felt as thin metallic claws extended from the wrists' bracelets and covered her fingers, thin rings wrapping around them and stopping her trembling instantly.
"That is amazing…" Eliza whispered, marveling at the technology.
"What now?" Lena asked. She didn't feel anything was amazing right now.
"Let's close the wound," Eliza said. "Where's your Kryptonian friend?"
"Metropolis," Lena replied curtly while picking up her discarded instruments. She was still reeling from Kara's cardiac arrest.
"How fast can she get there? Can she fly?"
"Yes." Lena focused on making sure she was closing the wound right. She refused to look up at the heart rate monitor, no matter how badly she wanted to. It was still beeping steadily, meaning Kara was stable for now. "Hope, call Sam Arias."
"Calling Sam Arias."
"She needs more blood and she can get there before I do, and I can't get a hold of Alex. God, I hope she's all right."
Lena wasn't so sure of that. Knowing her brother, Alex Danvers could already be sitting in a cell at the DEO, but she couldn't worry about that now.
"Sam doesn't know Kara is Supergirl," Lena warned, willing her voice to remain impassive. She would not let anyone know how much saying those words out loud affected her.
"Connecting Sam Arias."
"We have no choice, Lena. She can be trusted, right?"
"Hey, boss!" Sam's perky greeting sounded loud in the silent lab. "How are y—"
"Sam, I need your help."
"Lena, what's wrong? What's going on?"
"It's Kara."
"Kara?"
"She's been shot and she's in pretty bad shape."
Sam was silent for a second. "How can I help, Lena. I—"
"She needs your blood."
"What? Lena, have you gone mad? I'm a Kryptonian! My blood would kill her!"
Lena sighed, never taking her eyes from her work. She wanted those sutures perfect, even if Kara wouldn't scar. "Kara is Supergirl."
Shocked silence. "What?"
It was almost funny, the irony of it all. So many secrets. "Sam…"
"Are you telling me I almost killed one of my dearest friends?"
"Sam, I need you to fly here now. If she crashes again, I'm not sure I can bring her back this time. Please!"
"I'll be there in 10 minutes," Sam said tersely, disconnecting the call.
"Why did she almost kill my daughter?"
Lena cringed. She completely forgot Eliza was still on video.
Today was not her day.
###
TBC
NOTE:
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