A/N: Hello wonderful people of the world! After four years, I am finally writing a new Supergirl story. I never thought I'd live to see the day haha. Recently I've had a bunch of story ideas ranging from medieval AU to MMA AU (which I'm tempted to start in unison with this story but with summer classes and work I don't know if I'd have enough time to focus energy on both) and everything in-between, but this canon divergent story won out in the end.

There are still some details I'm trying to work out, but I thought I'd at least start the story and see where it takes me. This is a canon divergence taking place right after Lena stands up to Lex in 5x18. I haven't watched season 5 in a while so maybe I'm missing something, but I didn't understand why Lex just let Lena walk out after she found out his whole goal was to control the world, and that she didn't agree with it. So, here's my (kind of dark, definitely angsty) take on what could have been. I hope you enjoy!

Lena's head pounded as wind whipped against her face. Everything was distorted, muffled as if she were underwater, yet so incredibly loud. She tried to open her eyes but was met with darkness, her eyelids brushing something rough. She shifted uncomfortably only to feel something resisting her movements. Her hands were bound. She could vaguely register a man yelling somewhere to her left, the howling of the wind, a mechanical whirring, and in the back of her mind a voice whispered helicopter.

Her breathing spiked as she became more aware of her predicament. The shouting stopped abruptly and before she could make sense of the sudden silence, she felt a cloth being placed over her face as she inhaled the strong scent of chemicals.

"—Supergirl. I look forward to seeing you."

"Sir, the countermeasures are in place."

"Good. Now, we wait for our guest of honor."

Lena's shoulders felt tight. Her head hung low as she gradually regained consciousness. Her mind was groggy, disjointed memories trying to resurface, present but not whole as if she were viewing them in flashes. A sticky liquid clung to her hairline and her temple was throbbing. She tried to cover her face with her hands but felt the chafing of rope against her wrists in response.

"So nice of you to join me, Lena!"

Lena's head snapped up and her eyes flew open, her body recoiling at the sudden overload of light.

Lex stood before her, a sickening grin on his face. "And here I thought you wouldn't wake in time for the grand finale."

"Lex," Lena's tongue felt clumsy in her mouth as she tried to regain some sense of cognitive function. Her brother watched with vague amusement as she struggled to form her next words. "What did you do?"

"It's not what did I do," Lex corrected casually as he began to walk around her. Lena tried to ignore the growing apprehension building in the pit of her stomach. She felt restraints around her wrists and her ankles, the ropes rubbing into her skin and binding her to a hard wooden chair.

"It's what did we do. Give yourself at least part of the credit, Lena. After all, I never would have been able to enact this plan without your—" he paused, looking away in a show of faux contemplation before smiling devilishly at her, "let's call it cooperation."

Lex was behind her now, circling like she was his prey. Her jumbled memories began to piece themselves together as he spoke. She remembered the prison, the riots that broke out as survival instinct overrode the Non Nocere initiative.

Everything seemed to flood back at once. The conversation with Lex. His assertion that humanity could not be fixed; rather, it needed to be controlled. The reveal of his manipulation. The inevitability of her failure. And yet, underneath it all, the smallest feeling of relief as she realized that pain, hurt, was an essential part of life.

She could see herself squeezing her eyes shut as Lex had revealed his true colors, frozen in the face of his anger. But a fire had been rising in her as she waited for the shouting to stop, and when she opened her eyes, she had gathered all of her courage to utter her next words.

"You're a monster. But that doesn't mean I have to be one too."

She had walked past him, reeling with a thousand thoughts and the terrifying question of what to do next. Her mind had already begun to suggest the one person she swore she would never speak to again. Lena's head said she needed to know, that she was the only one who could stop Lex. Lena's heart, on the other hand, said that she needed to see her. She needed to fix this.

She had made it to the exit only for a sharp pain to connect with her temple, then darkness.

"You knocked me out," Lena said with dawning realization. Her temple pulsed in confirmation.

Lex chuckled as he made his way back into her field of view, "Don't act so surprised. You had to know I couldn't simply let you walk away after hearing the gritty details of my plan. I couldn't have you blabbing to that Kryptonian, after all."

Lena felt panic begin to set in at the mention of her former best friend. She steeled herself and tried to school her face into a mask of indifference, steering the conversation in a different direction.

"So, what do you plan on doing with me?" Lena asked, her voice cold. "Are you going to kill me? It would wrap up your loose ends so nicely."

Lex came to a halt before her, his voice as cheerful as ever as he examined his nails.

"It does seem like the smart thing to do. And it would only be fair now, wouldn't it sis?" Lex spread his hands. "After all, you shot me first."

He stared at her blankly, the smile dropping from his face. Lena felt a chill run up her spine as the silence stretched on. After a drawn-out pause, Lex laughed, beginning his lap around her chair again. Lena exhaled, her shoulders relaxing imperceptibly. Lex always was one for dramatics.

"Of course," he continued, his signature nonchalance returning to his voice, "unlike you, I have no interest in murdering my family members. Despite what you might think, I do care about you, Lena."

Lena scoffed at that, although a small part of herself longed to believe him. She wished that deep down, buried beneath the paranoia and the deceit and the hatred, was her kind, good-natured older brother. The boy who had made her feel so welcomed when she felt utterly alone. But looking at the man before her, it was becoming abundantly clear that that innocent boy no longer existed.

"Save me your sympathy," Lena stated coolly, forcing herself to the present. "If you're not going to kill me, then why am I here?"

She glanced at her surroundings, trying to determine where here even was. She was in a large open room, concrete floors and metal supports encompassing the area. There were windows high above her in the rafters and through them she could make out the dark expanse of the night sky. Two giant metal doors were some fifty feet ahead of her. It looked like a hangar.

"I'm so glad you asked," Lex grinned infuriatingly at her. "Just because I don't want you running to Supergirl with all my plans, doesn't mean I don't want her to come running to you."

Lena's heart was pounding painfully in her chest. He couldn't be serious.

"I made a few calls," Lex waved his hand casually. "She has our coordinates and should be arriving any minute now."

"You're lying," Lena muttered, shaking her head. "You don't stand a chance against her without—"

"Kryptonite?" Lex cut her off, his eyes bright as he adjusted his dress shirt. Like he knew something she didn't. "Regardless, I think you'll find I'm well equipped to handle a Kryptonian."

Her stomach twisted at his look of certainty. He had a trick up his sleeve and Lena could feel apprehension seep deep into her bones.

"Besides, I hear that while we were testing your little science project at Stryker's Island, Leviathan was very busy. Rama Khan infiltrated the DEO and stole their stockpile of kryptonite, collapsing the building on his way out. All in a day's work. I'm sure you're relieved I don't have access to that space rock anymore."

Lena's head was spinning. Leviathan had Kryptonite now? The DEO had fallen? Lex had appointed himself its director, wasn't he concerned? It didn't look like it. Nothing made sense.

"I thought we were working against Leviathan or did you lie to me about that too?"

"Oh, we are. Immortals are almost worse than Kyrptonians. But two birds, one stone, as the saying goes," Lex shrugged noncommittally. "I was going to let Supergirl die an easy death by their hands. Let the two destroy each other, wrapping up all my problems with a neat little bow," Lex smiled at the idea before turning to Lena, his eyes hardening. "But you, dear sister, threw a wrench in that plan."

Lena glared at him. Lex had been playing her this whole time, manipulating her. Even now, when she had finally become disillusioned to his treachery, he was still one step ahead. He was working with Leviathan, using them in his own vendetta regardless of the lives they endangered.

"I'm so sorry to have inconvenienced you," Lena snarked.

"Oh, don't be," Lex countered. His eyes twinkled with madness, his smile unsettling. "This way is so much more enjoyable."

His voice was low as he stepped closer to Lena, "Now I get to do the honors myself."

Ice coursed through Lena's veins. He couldn't kill Supergirl. He couldn't kill her. He couldn't.

"Won't that ruin your spotless record on this earth?" Lena struggled to keep the desperation out of her voice. She had to find a flaw in his plan, a reason for him not to execute it. "The masses think you're a hero now. Are you really willing to give up all that praise and worship for one death?"

Lex stared at Lena almost pityingly and Lena resisted the urge to squirm under his scrutiny. She had a sinking feeling he saw right through her façade.

"Of course not. Do you really think so little of my intelligence?" Lex asked, touching his heart in a show of mock hurt. "I know better than to throw away the reputation I've been so conveniently handed. No, while you were unconscious, I contacted Leviathan. I told them that killing Supergirl would be a waste of potential. All that power, gone. I suggested they reconsider their approach and proposed that Supergirl is better as an asset than an enemy."

Lena bit her lip to keep it from trembling.

"You know she would never join Leviathan willingly. She would have to be—"

Lena's words lodged in her throat as Lex's smile widened, his mouth stretched unnaturally wide. His eyes were wild and full of glee. He looked like a madman. Lena's stomach twisted.

"No," she whispered, horror apparent on her face.

"They agreed, after some persuasion. Supergirl will be broken. Leviathan has entrusted me to punish her defiance and recondition her into their perfect champion."

Lena couldn't breathe. Her brain refused to believe what she was hearing. This was deranged, even for Lex.

"Now, you and I both know that Supergirl won't cave so easily, a quality I am grateful for only this once," Lex said grudgingly, a look of clear disdain on his face. "The last thing I want is my biggest threat controlling my greatest enemy.

"The whole process will be taped. I'll make a show of the reconditioning and lace it with evidence leading back to Leviathan to be broadcast across National City. But poor, noble Supergirl refused to give in. Her righteousness caused her captors to go too far in their attempt to break her will. By the time anybody gets my distress call, Supergirl will have died from her injuries. And who to blame except Leviathan? The evil, anonymous, all-powerful beings who kidnapped Lena Luthor and killed the Girl of Steel."

Lena was going to be sick. Lex's obsession with Kryptonians, with power, had manifested. His feelings of inferiority were driving him to do the unthinkable and for what? To prove his superiority? If Lex noticed her growing dread, he didn't seem to care, wrapped up in his own world as he paced before her.

"And who better to expose their horrific acts than Lex Luthor, friend of Supergirl? The loving brother who, in his quest to find his missing sister, discovered the body of his closest ally. People will uproar against Leviathan and while those so-called gods are busy fighting the public and trying to regain control of their anonymity, I'll sneak into their headquarters and upload the Mortality Code. I'll be hailed as the hero who rescued you and avenged Supergirl's death, saving the world yet again."

Death.

The word echoed in Lena's head, sending a stabbing pain to her chest. She was shaking, whether from rage or fear she couldn't tell. Her mind was moving a thousand miles per hour, yet she could only focus on that single word.

Death.

"And to think, all this could have been avoided if you just accepted my offer," Lex said, looking almost apologetic. Almost. "We could have ruled humanity together, saved it. Supergirl would have died a quick and painless death in her valiant attempt to stop Leviathan and her sacrifice would have allowed me time to kill them myself. She would have died a hero's death. But now she has to suffer, all because you were too stubborn to join me."

Lex looked at her expectantly, waiting for her reaction. A thought occurred to Lena, sparking a glimmer of hope. She started laughing, breathy and slightly out of control in her relief. Lex squinted at her in confusion.

"What's so funny?" he asked slowly.

"You," Lena shook her head and if her hands were free she would have made a show of wiping away nonexistent tears of laughter. "Your entire plan. It all hinges on her coming here, and for what? There's nothing here for her."

The apprehension left Lex's eyes, replaced with mirth as he chuckled, deep and derisive. "On the contrary, she has a very good reason to meet my every demand."

"What possible incentive could you have given her?"

Lex's grin was smug, stepping close as Lena resisted the urge to flinch. His eyes were bright with knowledge she didn't possess and she felt her chest tighten at the sense of déjà vu. It was the same look he gave her a year ago when he told her who Supergirl really was.

Lex bent down to whisper in her ear, his voice cold and mocking.

"You."

Lena's blood turned cold. She had caused K—Supergirl enough pain. She couldn't be the reason for her death. She wouldn't.

"She won't come for me," Lena hissed, her words losing their heat as she sombered. "Not after everything I've done."

She set her jaw, glaring at her brother.

"Your plan will fail."

Lex chuckled as a loud crash reverberated from outside.

"Oh Lena," he grinned darkly. "You're so naive."

Gunfire echoed from beyond the walls of the hangar and Lena's heart hammered in her chest. In a flash, Lex yanked Lena's hair back as he positioned himself behind her chair. She felt cold metal pressing against her throat. The edge of a dagger was held precariously under her chin as Lex forced her head up.

The sounds of shouting from outside abruptly stopped, enveloping them in silence.

Two large dents appeared in one of the large hangar doors. The metal groaned as it twisted into the rough shape of handprints. The door gave one last creak as the giant metal slab was torn from its hinges and tossed to the side.

Lena's heart stopped, the air leaving her lungs.

There, standing in the doorway and breathing heavily, was Supergirl.

Kara.

A/N: And so concludes chapter one! What did you think? I love interacting with you guys, so feel free to talk to me! Also, while I was writing this chapter, I initially set out to write past tense, even though I love writing either past or present, but I keep finding myself switching to present tense and then having to stop myself. Would you guys have a preference on this since I can't make up my mind? Keep it in past tense or change it to present? I'm in the middle of writing the next chapter so let me know! If I end up changing it to present, I will go back and edit this chapter to keep it consistent. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the beginning of this story!