Chapter 1: Invitefully Unknown
"Rao, these guys are good. I'll have to bring this up to Cat in our next roundhouse. Reminds me, gotta schedule that with Megan and Dee. Probably Snapper too. Can't believe Ms. Grant got him to come back to Catco." Kara leaned back in her chair, looking up, where the new skylight was, which had been a blessing too. Not to mention the installation, tucked away, of a slide panel charged with yellow sunlight, in case of emergencies.
The stack, neatly as it was, had to be at least three, possibly four inches high, tagged with neon strips indicating which reporters' pitches were present. Everyone had brought in some brilliant ideas and with their genius and dedication, Kara gave the green light for them to run with them. The photographers, all four now, had shown some incredible talent in what they did, the images they brought to and continue to bring to life by the extraordinary moments meant for them to capture obviously.
It wasn't often that she felt this wiped, which had her reaching under her desk where the biometric scanner was tucked away, or for that matter, hidden from any human eyes. She'd give her praise to Brainy on that aid too. Just as it read her ring finger, after her phone dinged with a quick symbol, more of glyph, in Kryptonese, indicating which digit to place on the pad, a soft and welcome hum of contentment released from her, shutting her eyes and bathing in the illuminated warmth of the lamps. Not to mention the massage setting, on her chair.
She weighed continuing or packing up to actually drive home, which she did every now and then, deciding enough had been accomplished for one day and for that matter night. "Okay. Callin' it." A sunny smile with a shift forward, turning off the wonderful vibrations which indeed helped the lower back, got a lift off to stand and exit the tower of media power. Cat's kingdom was definitely running at full strength, not to mention an enjoyment for the crew.
With a swift, but not too wind blown clean up, she went around the place tidying while discarding trash and whatnot, easing up the tasks of the cleaning crew. Mostly, it was dust busting and polishing the lenses and boards to prep, for a new day, that indeed cleared their space without any worry of residue and such, impeding on things for the job. "That's good." Kara told herself, going back to her domain to grab her shoulder bag and suit top, dangled over her perch, only to follow the same pattern, which slid the panel back into the ceiling's sleeve, revealing the night sky once more.
"Gotta stop by the corner shop, for our ice cream, or Alex will groan about her faaaaavorate goody not in grabby paws." She chuckled, making her way to the elevator, recently redone, which most definitely spread out the chamber and calmed down that feeling of enclosed spaces. Another welcome addition to the building and for that matter the workers. Kara stopped at the front desk of the open and inviting lobby, checking on the logs before locking them in the file cabinet to the right, beside the coffee station out of any visitors' sight. She had gone to type in the codes to the panel, preparing to set the security protocols, when a slight scraping noise caused her to drop her bag abruptly and spin around at a quicker speed than a human could muster, but finding the space empty. Though to her poor ears it was as if someone was digging claws deeply into something like metal or stone slowly, at the volume the action was rendering, leaving shreds of what once was in the process. Another horrendous scrape, louder to her than the first, was heard and she pinpointed where it had come from, looking in that direction. It was then, the lights dimmed more than what the lobby had been set at, which didn't affect her sight, given the enhanced vision she possessed. There was a puff of warm air against her ear, causing her body to jump for just a moment, when the softest of voices whispered something to her.
"Not one's passage.." She spun around a bit faster, once more left without the presence, until.. "Shant an embrace.." Her other ear had been filled with another line, trying to comprehend the meaning to this escapade. "Our whispered calling…shall one face." This time, the momentum to turn around, had been extinguished by the staggering Kara suddenly over went. She lost steady footing, feeling unbalanced and stumbling back some. Trying to reach up and twist the earring's setting to flick on the comm hidden in plain sight, she found herself unable to lift her arm, or for that matter either of them. Her backside met the front of the lobby's information desk, leaned against it like it was the only thing keeping her upright at the moment. She tried to talk, but couldn't do that either. It was then what appeared to be a black clouded fog swept across the floor and with it the figure of a woman solidified before her cerulean orbs. This..person reminded her of something straight out of Merlin, or Camelot or hell any other of medieval fantasy tales she'd read, watched or studied for the fun of it in college. Like an enchantress, or ..witch..?
The wicked, yet ..alluring expression, had her eyes locked upon the two swirls of glowing green enthrallment indeed, unable to pull her gaze away. Was she..was she..a.. "Closely guessed. Intriguing you are." Out of the corner of her fogging sight was what looked like a wave of a hand close to the side of her face where a fog all it's own seemed to wisp in the air, bringing with it a tug inside of her, that seemed to leave her closer to some far too heavy state of disintegrating consciousness. Her head slipped back and the voice that had been all but a whisper, seemed to raise in the volume. Still, it was soft but it reminded..reminded her of..Indigo. 'Crap.' Only the rest of her instinctual thoughts seem to alert her of, was how if she didn't find a way to break free of whatever was happening to her, Kara didn't stand a lick of a chance. The tug grew stronger, her sight dimmed little by little, and her usually powerful yellow sun filled body seemed to weaken as the voice grew harder and harder to resist. One more thought, or word or..something, came to her mind before it too seemed to betray her and slip into the unknown, unaware that as she thought it, she spoke it too.
"Lee..na." Kara willed her voice to carry through all planes of existence and meet the ears, the mind, something where her best friend, for that matter family, resided in. Her state of wake slipped away when the tugging thickened and yanked at more of her strength, her energy, casting her to the darkness when her body caved and slipped down the desk to slump in a somewhat sitting position completely passed out to the world. All the while, the woman, the sorceress, stood over the Kryptonian's frame, smiling with a pleasant outcome.
"Thaaaank you. How noble. How…honorable, you are. Pro..tective. Dedicated. A hero, a savior, for all to witness. Yes…indeed. A TASTE, unlike any other. You, faire creature, will serve my…appetite. OUR appetite, when necessary. When, it is time to. Your..WHITE witch, such magic, she has YET to tap into. Harmless to me. To…I, Morgana. Morgana..le Fay"_
Her sudden, heavy and disheveled gasp, brought about her body flown upright into a tense and shaking, sitting position. The dark blue sheets and comforter, silver lined some, were held so tight in her grasp that she heard a minor tear where her strength tested it's materialistic endurance. Cerulean orbs trembled and between longer and slower breaths, did her frame reduce in its shivering state. A few blinks, steadier intakes and exhales, calmed her eyes as well. The deathlike clenching of her bed covers to her chest, dissipated over minutes passed.
"Some….dream." Kara spoke quietly, but by saying such, it cemented the thought by a verbal repetition. She shook her head, leaned back against the headboard of her bed frame and released the sheet and comforter, sliding her body to the side and lifting off the mattress. She had fallen asleep again in her midnight blue, a tad darker than her bedspread, silk-like pajama pants her best friend had given her, delighting her by the shooting stars and scattered constellation designs upon them. A spaghetti strapped tank, matching said lower-ware housed her upper body, with a sports bra, in navy blue, thin strapped beneath, kept her frame in an appropriate attired appearance.
Softly, she padded about with bare feet, from her bedroom and into the updated, well slightly renovated spacious domain, with a much bigger kitchen and a living room that too grew in size. It had been partially a congratulatory gift, for her new position at CATCO, enhanced with a state of the art security system, compliments of the DEO and Lena's innovations to ease everyone's worries to her safety, now that she no longer held her identity in the dark to everyone. A tilt of the head, gazing at the clock on her microwave told her she needn't worry about scrambling to the dressing room, followed with a dash pass out the door and to the bullpen at record time, even for her Super gifts, given it being her day off. 'Thank Rao.'
Instead of a flick of the TV's broadcasts, she flew back into her room, to take her phone off it's charging dock and returned to the kitchen landing her soles back on the floor, while bluetooth connecting it to the speaker box, finding one of her favorite albums on her multi-dozen maybe hundred numerous playlists, going for simplistic for the mornin' to press play. 'Coco' reached the space and filled it with the bubbly, fun and soothing tunes, all the while she slid her nice non-stick skillet pan out of its cubby to place it on the stove and go about mixing the batter, prepping with a turn over on the dials to heat the surface. While she did so, her foot tapped to the first song on the list, even though it wasn't as brightly worded, it helped her work out the kinks in her thoughts, which was definitely called for at the moment. The lyrics continued and shaking her skull from certain ponderings, did her first batch of pancakes hit the warming plate after pouring and flipping, removing and repeating, all the while butter and syrup reigned supreme, to her scrumptious consumptions until sated enough to remove the pan from the hot spot and lean against the counter, waiting on her Keurig to finish her white mocha addiction.
'But I can't get out of it,..
I'm just stumbling..'
"And I'm juggling all the thoughts in my head,
I'm juggling and my fears on fire,
But I'm listening as it evolved in my head,
I'm balancing on one fine wire.."
Colbie continued, until the next song played, which before it had, did she take a moment to savor the mocha flavor with sprinkles, mini mallows, whipped cream and a little drizzle of chocolate sauce. Once ingested, practically in one long sip for the Kryptonian, did the cup meet the sink, washed then rinsed to end its adventure on the drying rack, followed by a plate, fork and knife. Not soon after, was the pan taken care of too, with that dried and put back in its prospective home. Kara strolled over to one of the sectionals she and Nia, Kelly and Eliza had picked out, after her place had been redone and it was safe to fill the newest space with a bit more comfort for bigger gatherings, flopping onto the more lounge-seat set up one putting her head back to shut her eyes and let her voice meet the artist's own. Instead of settling in the coziness, she got back up, shut her eyes again and softly spun and danced with her head still back, letting the lyrics pass from her lips.
"Every time that I get close to you,
You're making me weak,
With the way you look through those eyes..
"But all I see is your face.
All I need is your t-ou-u-ch
Wake me up with your lips,
Come at me from up above.."
Yeah, oh, I need you-uu
I remember the way that youu-uu moved.
You're dancing easily through my dre-ee-eeams
It's hitting me harder and harder with all your smiles,'
"You are crazy gentle in the way you ki-i-iss..
All I see is your face.
All I need is your t-ou-uch,
Wake me up with your lips..
Come at me from up above.."
Her focus was only on what played, tuned in with the tune titled 'Magic' unaware of the woman now standing in the open space, with another who placed a hand on the raven haired CEO's shoulder, as if picking up on Lena's thoughts. Alex's were no doubt, spot on to what her sister sang by, or for whom her mind ventured to, as the Super's gorgeous vocals covered the domain in its angelic nature. The enchanting blissful spin, where Kara's feet just barely left the floor, dancing in the air's rink like she was ice skating before them, to touch down and finish the twirl, bringing her head forward at the end of the song's ballad. Eyelids slipped up, to which out-worldly blue hues found the emerald jades of magic's keeper, eliciting smiles meant for one another. A clearing of one's throat snapped their attention to the unsuited, out of the building dressed agent, along with the shit-eating grin that appeared.
"Gooooood MORNING dear sis of mine." Kara's head dropped, letting out a mild groan to wave her arms around animatedly and make her way to the kitchen cabinet, where she now kept the basket of miscellaneous cups for her Keurig, removing it and placing it on the counter by the machine. "Fancy finding your 'Frozen' moves, displaying their whimsical nature so early."
"Aaaaalex.." The blonde sighed, with the groan still evident in the tone she used when stretching her sister's name with her vocals, all the while cackling had ensued. The laughter settled down and Alex promised to lay off the teasing. For now. "Aa..le.." Kara mouthed, uncertain if she had been heard, not able to give either woman a heads up as to what was happening, given she didn't even know what it was.
She took a step back, an intake of oxygen sudden and uncertain, when flashes of one figure before her with orbs glowing of kryptonite emeralds, reached out and up before disappearing. A darkness flooded her site, then what looked like inside CATCO's building, the lobby, shadowed by a blanket of smoke, no…not smoke.. "F…og.." A whisper escaped her lips, where she slipped into another dark space. A space unfamiliar but felt like she'd stepped into some Arthurian legend, lore, a place so..p..e..eace..'ful.' A second enchantress came into view, dressed similarly but of a lighter mane, blonde, with brown spheres that darkened, until a different hand brushed the air close to her face. Those eyes, shifted into two powerful glowing orbs, lit with an almost cat-like ethereal gold before igniting into warm fires to pull her cerulean's in, tug her very self into a thickening fog. Before she knew it, Kara felt herself transported to ANOTHER realm entirely..:
"You shall find your way in a shortened time's whim. The path to Morgana and I. Until then, await your High Priestesses to call you. We shall, we WILL, call for you. Until then, our magic will protect you in your battles, your..challenges. Take in the scents of our forest. The lake you will bask in. Magic will keep you. We….will keep you. The island, a journey soon you will take. Until then….fair…Kara.."_
"Kara!" Alex and Lena moved on both instinct but in unison, catching the Kryptonian whom had mildly swayed until her shoulders dropped as her head fell back and an unconsciousness seized her body where gravity pulled downward. She was out cold, but breathing steady, even when the pair held her protectively until shifting for Alex to lift her up and bring her to the sectional Supergirl loved so. She placed her down, careful as can be, now standing over the sleeping blonde in confusion, with the raven haired companion, family member, beside her. They kept their gazes locked on Kara, even when there were greater concerns, questions and considerations filling their minds. The hero wasn't hurt. Not from what they could gather. Exhaustion? How?
"Whaaaat..happened?" Lena searched her brain for any clues whatsoever, finding herself drawing blanks.
"I don't know. I do know that we WILL figure this out. THAT I can guarantee." Alex cemented, not to dare back down. Answers were dire. Questions kept multiplying. "Fog. She had said that and then I think..full." She shook the dice cup inside her skull, to unleash on the mental board what had been rattling, hoping it would lead the way for her. To… "..to Kara." Lena glanced to the side, just when Alex turned her head too. Their eyes locked, both nodding before returning their focus on the Super. "I'll call J'onn."
"I'll get Nia."
"See if Andrea is available." She wasn't sure what urged her to, but with a flick of the wrist that donned the Hand of the Soldier' her Sentinel suit covered her body, keeping vigil, on a higher alert. "Esme is with Mom. She had asked for two days for a road trip. Kelly and I made sure she had and has all that she needs and also what helps her, especially at night."
"Perhaps we should take this to the Tower, versus stay here." Lena suggested, receiving a nod from Alex. She pressed on her portal watch, summoning the gateway, then both placed a hand on one of the Kryptonian's arms, followed up by a muttering of a spell and they were off. The portal closed, leaving an empty space where three once had resided, filling the loft with crisp warm sunlight, with all shades and blinds open.
Outside the windows, a sudden wind picked up and upon three taps, as if knocking, did they open along with the balcony door. Two figures in renaissance designed cloaks, one of the same dark color blue as the bed sheets and comforter, the other a dark emerald green, made their presence visible while stepping into the warm and inviting domain. Their hoods slipped back, the first displaying long curling loches of raven hair and emerald hues as the second just as long not as curled streams of blonde bore dark brown orbs, shown themselves. Both sets of eyes flickered to life that golden fire, for it to extinguish quickly from view, if another had been present. They sauntered in further, parting to scope out the cozy abode.
"How peculiar. This time, this place, so very different from what we know." The voice, if the ones that had left had still been there, would appear far TOO familiar to that of one of theirs. "What we are used to." Her greens studied the photographs, a delightful yet dark smile at the discovery, brought a chuckle from the blonde, brushing fingertips over each framed image along the wall she walked by.
"Noticed, the similarities I see. Whether it be another realm, another reality or perhaps even a different time and place, that is..in fact..you. What some would refer to as a 'past life' you would be..hers. It is no coincidence that she too harnesses the gifts of magic."
"Then will she be of some threat to us Morgause?"
"Hardly dear sister. She has barely learned simplistic spells, compared to what I had been conjuring as a young child without any difficulty at all. Be weary though, Morgana. Yet even that of a toddlers' skill compared to our gifts, she is not to be underestimated regardless. Nor the bond, sweet karah zor ehl and she have woven as time has passed by." The armor Morgause had worn prior, had been replaced to that of attire meant for agents from the DEO. As her cloak disappeared, leaving a standard issued multi cargo pocketed vest under-dressed in a long sleeved black shirt to hide the inklings or tattoos as they were called in this day and age.
"Far different, a look for us, indeed." Morgana smiled, a calmer expression with less of a sinister meaning, shared with a slight chuckle when she too had wardrobe adjusted in a black pants suit with a dark emerald and jade blended blouse as if something out of a high end business meeting. Their hair was a bit shorter, yet still down to the middle of their backs, but pulled back in tighter styles, braided accordingly. "This century.."
"Be silent." The older of the two of them whispered, along with a spell, cloaking them from view. Morgause kept her hand over Morgana's mouth, knowing her sister wouldn't dare defy her but not taking the chance of any sound escaping, or for that matter some enchantment the new witch could conjure. The two watched, invisible from that very person, stepping out from a portal while tapping on the earpiece.
"It looks like she just indulged in her usual Alex, and by the syrup bottle she forgot to put away, her standard meal too. I'll grab her phone and bag. I gave you back the key, Danvers." Lena ignored the mutterings, while whispering something before rolling her eyes to sigh. "I said be quiet. Let me look. REMIND ME later to make a couple talismans for your darling sister, that will protect her Super den. Not a cave. Wrong city Sentinel. I'd like to see you mention that to Ryan and see how far you get. Hush. Shush. Alex! Quiet." The long, heavy sigh had her focusing on the area around her, rolling her eyes and switching her earpiece off to flip her, now removed from pocket phone, to the speaker. "Repeat."
"Sometimes, I really REALLY wonder if I've rubbed off on you somehow. How's it lookin' witchy'?"
"Call me that again, and I'll get my flame on, to your new bike helmet."
"Threats won't win you any favors. Maybe a pout? Oh no, that's right. My sister keeps her quiver lip on speed-dial for you. Are you glaring? You don't have heat vision. Shucks, huh? I'll let up. See anything?" She shook her head, before realizing that it was pointless in performing that action, given that Alex wasn't there with her. "Worrrrrds."
"I'd follow up with bite me but I'd rather not deal with your canines or morning breath."
"So, you are SAYING that you PREFER my sister breathing on you? Or is it the idea of the biting. Figured you'd prefer that kink." Her emeralds narrowed at the snickering woman on the other side of the line. "Her solar levels are fine. She's not, well, humanized? Go with that one. She didn't flare so…not sure. I mean, we BOTH saw her floating away in that Disney mode she enjoys. Did you..pick UP anything? I'm not sure how your magic works, that makes a sensible sense to me. Before I go on a ramble tangent, let me explain better."
"Go on. Something….I…nevermind. Go on?"
"Gotcha. Okay so J'onn, a ways back, we had this meta, Psi. She was hitting banks like it was going out of style, in random cities, states. We were at the command center when our system beeps that Psi was up to her shenanigans, so off Supergirl went to stop her. At first, some whack job with a twisted mindset, was all that was present. Big mistake, thinking she was easy money to take down. Second time she was getting to Kar, J'onn put a uh psychic shield around her and Gayle, her real name, snapped it away hurting him." Lena stopped Alex mid explanation.
"Second time? Alright Danvers, chronological order here please." She returned to her slow strides around her best friend's pad, keeping vigilant, alert, with eyes scanning the space around her.
"Listen Lu..good point. Okay, so she, Psi, her power was to use fear to cripple anyone that opposes her. She messed with my sister's mind pretty badly. The FIRST time, first meet, Maggie found her in a bank vault that Psi had hit, trembling and disoriented. We got her back to the DEO but by then Kar was shutting us, me mostly, out of how bad the meta had shook her up. I helped her find herself, remember she was stronger than her and she was able to take her down. Those fears, like when she was..stuck in.."
"The phantoms. We all were hit with the visions. It was J'onn that helped us snap out of it. We did so for ourselves, in a way sorta, but when he'd defeated the prime phantom, it was as if I could breathe again."
"Yeah, but that helped you find yourself too, right? It's what brought out your mission to find out more about your mom. What is that saying? Everything happens for a reason." Lena flopped onto another sectional than the one her best friend had occupied before. She leaned back, nodding and taking long, slow, and steady breaths.
"True. How is she?" Her ears picked up another voice on the other end. "Is that Nia?"
"Lena? A..you at Kar..place? Lis..en, I..ha..this.." The raven haired woman sat up, leaned forward, with eyes locked on the phone she'd placed on the coffee table, a seemingly disrupted reception to the convo unexpectedly. She closed her eyes slowly, picturing what she believed to be some form of foresight, that perhaps Dreamer had been visioned with. A moment of silence, until softly Nia continued. "You..see..ing.."
Before she could respond to what had begun as a question, her mind slipped into what appeared to be a forest, with a fog, a mist, within her surroundings. Lena couldn't believe what she was seeing, until not one but two creatures slipped out of the shadows. Their figures, covered in cloaks, yet she couldn't make out the colors of them, became clearer and clearer to her. Two faces, not of creatures, but two ladies, showed themselves, where one was blonde and the other..the..other..
"My g..god…you're..you're…..me."
The two spheres of emeralds met hers until these ones shifted into a pairing of golden fires, glowing with their power and she felt it. Ohhhh she felt them. The other woman, eyes of dark browns, too lit up into that same ethereal gold glow. She forced her gaze away, downward until it slid over what looked to be a bracelet. No, a cuff. The unique designs of the metal, Lena was unable to pull her attention from, finding herself swallowing down the warmest of lumps in her throat. She wasn't aware of both moving closer, for this bracelet seemed to be all her eyes could see and continued to hold the image of long after it was gone from before her sight. Lena didn't even know she was being led backwards, until she felt bumps, grooves and curves when her backside was pressed against something sturdy. Even as she did, her body didn't respond to her, but to the two taking her arms to pull them behind her and around the trunk of the tree, using a braided strip of leather, enchanted and binding, tying her wrists, until she was firmly secured.
"Theeerrre now." The blonde Priestess spoke in one of her ears, slapping the enthrallment away, bringing the heaviest of gasps from Lena. She blinked several times, shivering after coming to, realizing something, someone or both had used another type of magic on her. Not only that, but she was in this forest under a crisp nearly full moon, tied to a tree but unable to use all the strength within her. She felt..drained. That center thought, had her recalling the state Kara was in. She had been drained! Her head slumped forward, eyelids slipping over what was left of her sight, until what was screaming her name had been barely heard by her. FAR from everything known. Into the depths. The depths..of..darkness….._
***Heeeeeere we GO again! Let us delve between two worlds, or for that matter TWO shows entirely. It's been a while, since educational adulting has pulled me from the land of writing tales. I do hope you enjoy this new journey. 'til I write again. ;)