It was an absolute disaster on the overpass after the Reckoning attack, leaving half the convoy dead, the other half injured and many of the heroes incapacitated. But the biggest gut punch was the death of their lead suspect and witness. Henry Irons was zipped up into an opaque body bag by a group wearing coroner jackets before he was carried on a stretcher into the back of a van. Kara followed their path with her eyes as she sat in the back of an ambulance getting her shoulder bandaged. With her powers returning now the Reckoning and his red-sun belt gone her body would heal in a few hours. Her pride, on the other hand, she doubted that would ever recover.
Police officers and FBI agents paced solemnly around the crime scene as forensics tried in vain to get anything to help. More bodies were collected and zipped into bags to be taken away, including Colonel Lauren Haley. Alex knelt over her former boss looking the most downcast, thinking about the last time she spoke to the woman. A part of her couldn't help but lament about her best chance of getting her job back going down the drain with her death. She stood up and approached Kara, who was guiltily averting her gaze trying not to feel like a monster. "What happened wasn't your fault" Alex told her when the paramedic gave them some space.
"I left you to die" Kara whispered.
"No you didn't" Alex assured her.
"I chose to stop Jake over saving you. If J'onn hadn't shown up…"
"Hey, don't think like that" Alex said, catching her shoulder hoping she could stop whatever self-destructive spiral Supergirl was about to fall down. Yes, Kara prioritised catching the bad guy over saving her life. But if Alex was in her place dealing with this particular bad guy, she doubted she would've chosen differently. But she was right, if J'onn hadn't shown up things might've ended differently.
The two sisters turned to one of the ambulances where J'onn in his human form was being treated by some paramedics. He'd explained how he was just coming around from his coma when Alex's signal watch went off. He didn't even hesitate to race off and help. Eliza had called to give them the heads up five minutes after the attack. She was relieved to hear he was okay.
Brainy, however, wasn't so lucky. He was hanging on by a thread when the paramedics arrived on scene, a nasty cut across his neck leaking blood covering his uniform. Nia was franticly pressing a cloth to the wound trying to stabilise him when they arrived, struggling to talk through the sobs as they hoisted him into the back of an ambulance. She was forced to stay behind as they drove away to get him to a hospital, leaving her standing in the middle of the street with her arms covered in blood. Kara caught her staring at her hands as she stood there, her face glistening with tears, wondering if she was picturing the nightmare she'd been having. Juxtaposition aside, Dreamer wasn't in any state to stay out here.
Alex gently suggested she go home and get changed so she could met Brainy at the hospital. "I should've stayed with him" she muttered in response, her attention far away. "I was too far away. I should've been closer, I wasn't fast enough. I should've…" Kara slowly came over, taking her bloodied hands in hers before wrapping her arms around the trembling girl. She felt like she failed her for leaving Brainy too, too wrapped up in bringing Jake to justice. She had failed to save anyone tonight.
Eliza arrived to check on her daughters, hugging them both thanking god they were safe. With some insistence Alex got her to take J'onn and Nia with her. She promised to look after them both while they tried to sort this mess out.
Alex circled the crime scene for the fifth time, looking at the bodies lined up to the side and the devastation from the battle. She replayed the incident over and over, the playback only serving to make her more furious until she finally snapped and kicked a car door shut. "We had him!" she shouted, fury filling her chest as she balled up her fists. She delivered a few more kicks to that car door, venting her anger as everyone left her to it. She continued to attack the metal until she grew tired and broke into sobs, tears streaming from her eyes as she leant against the railing at the side of the overpass. "We had him" she whispered more sombrely.
Maggie appeared behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder. Alex grasped it tightly, wiping her face trying to compose herself. "We'll find something" she said optimistically. But Alex could see in her face she wasn't holding out much hope. They did agree on one thing when they gave the place an initial once over, this ambush was a rush job. It wasn't planned. He must've seen the news or gotten the heads up and rushed here. They hoped he made a mistake as a result. One mistake could be the key. Supergirl hovered uncomfortably over the spot where she watched him stab Henry with the kryptonite blade, as if watching any hope they had left vanish before her eyes.
It was a couple of minutes before their spirits were lifted when Maggie got a call on her work phone. "What do you have?" she asked. Her eyes lit up when she got an answer. "How recent is that?" she asked, a hopeful smile tugging at her lips.
Alex and Kara walked over to her asking "what's going on?"
"My guy traced the phone number Irons texted before we apprehended him" she replied, referring to the burner phone they took off him.
"I thought he called a burner" Kara said.
"It is, untraceable. But the phone is still active, so we've got a ping from the cell towers in the city. They've triangulated the signal."
"He made a mistake" Alex laughed. Burners were meant to be destroyed after use, but Jake was in so much of a hurry he left his one.
"They have an address" Maggie beamed, running to her car already dialling to get a search warrant. The Danvers sisters rushed after her, already placing bets on where it would lead. Kara predicated his hotel room. Alex guessed their workshop. Maggie climbed into the driver's seat of a police car and began relaying the address to the duty officer. "I want as many officers as we can spare at this location."
However, when she spoke the address out loud Kara froze. "No, that can't be right" she said, peering into Maggie's car asking "ae you sure they have the right address?"
"They're positive" she replied. Then she saw the expression on both their faces and asked "why? Do you know it?"
The officers all waited outside as Maggie rapped loudly on the front door of the property, the search warrant in her hand as she stood on the front step. She had confirmed the owner of the house she was at, confirmed it was the address her techs had identified, and as a result was much less enthusiastic about her job.
The front door opened up and a tall dark skinned man dressed in a t-shirt and jeans looked outside to see the army of police waiting for him. "What's going on?" he asked as Maggie stepped up to him.
"James Olsen?" she asked, following procedure automatically. When he nodded she held up the parchment of paper she was holding. "We have a warrant to search this property" she said apologetically.
"What?" he gasped, looking at the police surrounding his house?
"James, what's going on?" a female voice called as a tall dark skinned woman appeared behind him. Kelly saw the police outside and pointedly asked "what's this about?" Maggie held James's gaze as Alex and Supergirl stepped into view, catching the Olsen's by surprise. "Alex? What's going on?"
"I'm sorry Miss Olsen, but I need to conduct a search of this property" Maggie reiterated as Kelly snatched the warrant from her hand.
James instinctively refused to move until Alex softly insisted "please just cooperate, we'll explain everything."
He looked at them both and nodded, gingerly stepping outside to allow the police officers into his house. Kelly stared wide eyed at them but he calmly asked her not to make a scene as he approached the Danvers sisters. "What's going on?" he asked.
"Henry Irons was killed less than half an hour ago" Alex explained in a hushed whisper.
His eyes widened as he looked at Kara, suddenly seeing the bandage under her costume around her shoulder. "Holy shit! What happened? Is everyone okay?"
"Brainy's in hospital" Kara told him. "Nia's fine, but she's in shock. J'onn awake, but…Colonel Haley was killed, along with a dozen others" she explained, her voice shaking. "It was Jake. We didn't expect it, not so soon…"
James paled, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I heard the signal watch go off, but I…I should've been there."
"Probably, yeah" Alex nodded, looking at the circus unfolding outside his house. "Or maybe its best you weren't."
James looked at the officers spilling into his house, asking them "why are they here?"
"Mr Olsen!" Maggie called, insistently requesting "it'll be best if you join us inside." he reluctantly followed her, and Alex and Kara followed him for support.
Inside the police were searching everywhere, through drawers and cupboards and under the sofa. Kelly was standing in the living room glaring at them furiously when her brother came to join her. "We haven't done anything wrong, so why are you all doing this!" she cried, advancing on the captain until Alex stepped in front of her. She glared at Alex, who stared back apologising silently.
"I am sorry about this, but I have to follow procedure when the evidence presents itself" Maggie explained, making sure her officers were being thorough but respectful. "Do either of you know a Henry Irons?" she asked them.
"We've seen him on the news" James lied. He knew Maggie knew about his double life but he also knew he couldn't just admit that in front of all these policemen. "We heard on the TV he'd been arrested with that diplomat?"
"That's right" Maggie nodded, choosing not to push that story. They were here for one reason so she needed that to be debunked. "Have you been here all evening?" she asked.
"Yes" they both replied.
"All night?" she checked.
"Yes!" Kelly answered for both of them. "We stayed in, had dinner, watched some TV. We were in the process of turning in when you came barging into our home" she snapped.
"Kelly" James whispered, putting his hands on her shoulder calming her down. He understood they had a job to do, that they must have a good reason for being here. "We were here all night. We haven't left."
Maggie nodded. "I have to ask, can anyone corroborate this? Delivery man? Neighbour? Any phone calls?"
James looked at his friends before shaking his head. Alex and Kara had been silent as Maggie conducted her questioning. They knew she had to do this and hoped it would work out.
Maggie looked around the room peering into the kitchen. Her officers walked up and down the stairs as more moved into the garage. James got nervous when they began searching around his bike, which would be normal in ordinary circumstances. "Would it be alright if I could see your cell phones?" she asked suddenly. The Olsen's blinked in confusion, but Alex nodded then to do it. With great reluctance they retrieved their mobiles and placed them on the kitchen counter. "Are there any more in the house?" Maggie asked.
"No" James replied.
"Well somebody tell me what this is about?" Kelly insisted, losing patience.
Maggie nodded, pulling out her mobile slowly explaining "we recovered a phone from Henry Irons upon his arrest. Before he was caught he sent a text to a burner phone. His call history detailed a number of calls to this number during his time on the run. My people were able to trace the location of that phone to this address" she told them. "Has anyone else been to this house in the last few hours?" she asked them.
James and Kelly shook their heads, replying "no one."
"So you think the phone is here?" James asked, posing the question to Alex and Kara.
"We think it's a mistake" Kara replied. "We know you don't have anything to do with this."
"But the Captain needs to follow procedure" Alex confirmed.
"Don't worry" Maggie told them, dialling the phone number into her mobile and pressing call. "If the phone isn't here, then you have nothing to worry about" she told them.
That statement became hollow, however, when they all heard a buzzing coming from one of the drawers in the kitchen. James and Kelly furrowed their brows in confusion as Maggie paled, turning around carrying her phone to follow the sound to the drawer by the sink. She nodded to a nearby officer wearing gloves, who slowly opened it and rifled inside. She found the mobile phone under a cloth, vibrating from the call Maggie just placed.
Alex and Kara turned pale as they looked to James. "That's not mine" he said, the only thing he could think to say. Kelly echoed him as Maggie pulled on some latex gloves and examined it, flipping the phone open to find the call history mirroring Henry's, along with the text message he sent. She looked to the Olsen's, as if asking for an explanation.
"Captain!" another officer called, interrupting them as their attention was pulled to the garage. Maggie put the burner phone into an evidence bag before walking into the space to find her officer.
James turned to his friends as everyone followed her to the doorway of the garage. "I've never seen that phone before!" he whispered.
"I have" Kara told him. "Jake had it. He used it to talk to Henry Irons."
"He must've planted it here" Alex assumed.
"How? We've been here all night" he replied.
As they looked into the garage Maggie stood before her men as they pulled out a heavy trunk from beneath the workbench. James's inhaled sharply as they pulled it out, catching his sister's eye nervously. Maggie sensed the tension and looked back at him. Kara squeezed his hand knowing what was in there. He waited until the officers unlatched the case before clearing his throat. "Captain, I can explain" he said, stepping forward against his sister's objections.
Maggie turned back, preparing to hear him confess to being Guardian when her officer opened the case and revealed the suit. But their blood ran cold when, instead of a grey suit of armour and shield, they revealed a black and red light-weight suit with a reflective visor and high-tech gauntlets. Everyone stared as the officer looked up showing the gear. Maggie took a step forward as one of them held up the mask, staring into her distorted reflection which morphed into a skull sending chills down her spine. She looked back to Olsen, seeking any explanation.
But James was lost for words. That shouldn't be there, that wasn't right. "I've…no, I've never seen that before…" he stammered, his heart racing as he turned back to a shell-shocked Alex and Kara.
The surprises kept coming as another officer called Maggie over to a locker, pulling out a long bundle of cloth wrapped up. She took it and placed it on the workbench, carefully unwrapping it revealing a glowing green sword stained with blood. Kara impulsively stepped back sensing the kryptonite, her eyes frantically staring at the evidence and back at Olsen. Their hearts were racing. They knew how this looked.
Maggie Sawyer was the most alarmed. She knew Olsen had nothing to do with this. She knew what they were meant to find. She knew the evidence was planted. But she was also a police captain and leading a high profile case. She had to do her job. She had to follow protocol. She put the murder weapon down and stepped away, letting her men process the scene before turning back to James Olsen. "I'm sorry" she said apologetically as she reached down to her belt.
They all knew what was coming, which was why Alex in to step between her and them. "Maggie! Don't do this" she begged quietly. "This is what he wants" she told her.
"I have to" she replied regrettably, pushing Alex aside carrying her handcuffs in her hand. James was quiet as he watched her approach, his sister's head shaking as she demanded she put them away. He looked to Kara, but she couldn't find the words to say. He understood how this looked, and he understood Maggie had to do her job. So he turned back to her hand silently nodded. She sighed. She knew this wasn't right, but she had no choice. "James Olsen, I'm arresting you on the suspicion of murder. You do not have to say anything…"
As Maggie read James his rights, Kelly broke into shouting until she was restrained by an officer. Alex was forced to stand back and watched as James turned around and tried to comfort his sister, pulling her into a hug telling her it'll be okay. When Maggie asked if he understood his rights he nodded, holding out his hands allowing them to be handcuffed. Kara stared at him, tears in her eyes as he was escorted out of the house into the street.
Neighbours and onlookers and police officers watched in silence as Olsen was led outside by the police captain, her gaze down as she brought him to a police car waiting for him. Kelly, Alex and Kara followed them out, watching in silence as he was guided into the backseat, the door slamming shut. He looked out through the window, flashing them a smile trying to give them hope. He had to hope everything will work out. But as he was driven away in handcuffs, that hoped began to dwindle.
Kelly began to seethe angrily as the police continued their search, her eyes whirling around until she locked onto Supergirl. "Why?" she asked, anger filling her heart as she lashed out at the woman with her fists. Alex leapt in to catch here while Kara just stood there dumbstruck. "I know who did this" Kelly cried. "But why James? It's you he's after! You brought this on us!" she screamed.
Alex dragged her away, trying to calm her down saying "we'll fix it. We know he's innocent, we'll prove it. We will" she promised.
Kelly broke out of her hold, glaring at her ex-girlfriend furiously. After a moment she shook her head, turning away saying "I need to call a lawyer." Alex nodded, letting her go.
She took a deep breath, wondering what just happened. An hour ago they had the blacksmith in custody, a case against Jake ready to be made. And suddenly this? She turned back to her sister to check she was alright only to discover she was gone. "Supergirl?" she called, searching the area scanning the air. She couldn't see her. "Kara!" she shouted, afraid of what she might do after what happened.
Jake grabbed the whisky bottle and poured him a large glass forgoing the ice. He didn't usually drink, but on this occasion he made the exception, taking his glass and swallowing the contents in one gulp. He grimaced heavily, the drink burning down his throat. For a moment the discomfort made him forget about what had happened. He wished he could forget altogether. He poured himself another glass and gulped that down too, pushing himself away from the cabinet into the dark hotel room. He nursed the bruising on his ribs, wincing as he crossed the living room to the open curtains. He didn't bother to check if the surveillance team was still outside. He hadn't even bothered to be careful in slipping back into the room. Right now he just wanted to go to bed and forget.
He reached for the curtains and pulled them closed. But as he peered out of the small crack he paused, looking out at the dark horizon of the city. Something caught his eye and he could've sworn it looked like a pair of glowing red eyes.
The next thing he knew the glass window was exploding inwards cutting into his skin as he was thrown backwards into the far wall with a loud thud. He collapsed to the ground with the air knocked out of him, leaving him gasping and sobering up. Before he could get his bearing a powerful hand gripped his neck and flung him against the wall, slamming against his back sending jolts of pain over his vision as he looked down and saw those same glowing eyes glaring back at him.
"Oh…bit late for a booty call don't you think" he joked, prompting Supergirl to tighten her grip around his throat.
"Why?" she growled, anger fuelling the heat in her eyes as she pinned him against the wall. "You killed Henry Irons" she snarled.
"You think I wanted to? He was my mentor!" he snapped back, crawling at her arm as his feet hung inches from the floor. "If I didn't one of his clients would've sent someone to do it instead. I couldn't have that!"
"So you killed him?"
"I didn't have a choice!"
"Fine, but why Jimmy?" she asked him, lowering his face to glare into his eyes where he could feel the heat. It was taking everything not to accidentally incinerate him right now. "He had nothing to do with this! Why frame him?"
His grimace turned into a sneer. "Why not? After all, you introduced us. The city wants a devil, now they have one."
She grabbed him with both hands, slamming him against the wall squeezing his throat. "It's me you want" she said, her voice quivering a little under the rage. "I'm the one you're after? Why not just kill me? Why James?"
"I never wanted to kill you, Supergirl" he growled. "I want you to understand why, I want you to suffer. So tell me Kara Zor'El…how are you feeling?" he asked.
The rage inside her boiled over, the understanding that he framed James knowing it would hurt her. She felt sick, guilty, hurt, but mostly angry. The heat in her eyes grew hotter, red mist smoking from her eyelids as she snarled, her nails digging into his flesh as her palms constricted around his neck. No doubt about it, she wanted to kill this man.
But before she could, the hotel door burst inwards and two armed DEO agents stormed in brandishing their guns. They found Supergirl with her hands around Jake's throat and stumbled with hesitation. "Nobody move" one of them ordered.
"Please, don't kill me" Jake whimpered, his voice strangled as he fell into his act.
Kara glared at him. She didn't want to hear his fake innocence. But then she heard the agent's guns click their safety off as the barked "step away from him! Step away from the man and put your hands up!" she looked over to them as they aimed their guns at her, their hands shaking as they stood their ground. She saw the fear in their eyes as they looked at her. She saw more faces outside in the hallway, guests in the neighbouring rooms, their frightened expressions staring back.
She looked around and glimpsed her reflection in the broken whisky bottle, the glowing eyes and furious expression. She was terrifying them. She looked at what she was doing and realised this wasn't going to help James. J'onn wouldn't approve. Alex might understand, but she'd remind her this wasn't the way. But when she looked at Jake and saw through the façade he put on, she thought about everything he'd done tonight. He had killed the Blacksmith. He tried to kill Alex, Brainy, and Maggie. He killed Colonel Haley.
With great reluctance she released her grip and stepped back, letting the young man fall to his knees gasping for air. She stood over him, incredibly tense as her eyes steadily returned to normal. But her anger remained. She looked at the agents still pointing their guns at her, the guests still horrified in the hallway. She looked down at her ex-boyfriend, quietly growling "this isn't over."
"No, it isn't" he agreed under his breath, knowing she could hear him. he looked up at her and for a moment showed his true face before she dashed out of the hole she'd burst through, flying back into the city leaving him with the mess to clean up.