Chapter 5: And May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor
Kara waited anxiously by the car, praying to Rao that Kal-El's day had gone well and that he had managed to at least make one friend. She loved her baby cousin more than life itself, but she wasn't blind to the adverse effects their unconventional life had on his development. Kal had grown up in Nanda Parbat, where emotional control was beaten into him at a very young age. He was openly affectionate in private, with those close to him, such as his adoptive siblings and Nyssa, but around others he was quiet and submissive, fading into the background as much as a child could in an organization of assassins. This translated to his behavior out of Nanda Parbat – Kal was remarkably shy around strangers, and it took him a while to warm up to them. Thankfully, he had bonded with the Queens and the Wests in a relatively quick fashion, though he was still skittish around the Merlyns.
"Kara!" The Kryptonian was broken out of her thoughts by the sound of the little sister of one of her two closest friends and "brothers".
"Thea! How's your day been?"
The Queen scion waved her flippantly. "Same old, same old. Is Kal with you? I waited by the entrance for ten minutes, but he never showed."
Kara shook her head. "No. I told him I would pick him up with you. Maybe he's lost?"
Thea groaned. "I hope not. It'll take forever to find him in this crowd." She gestured to the swathes of humanity currently emptying from Balliol Prep.
Suddenly, Kara's super hearing picked up familiar laughter, and she turned towards the entrance.
Kal was trotting down the sidewalk with a dark-haired girl, commiserating over a magazine and giggling over a picture. She smiled at the sight, the stone in her heart crumbling away, and lightly elbowed Thea. The teenager, who had been watching another part of the crowd in hopes of Kal turning up, turned towards her, and at a gesture of Kara's head, saw the scene as well. She smirked.
"Only been one day and he's already got a girl on his arm. Impressive." She commented jokingly.
Kara grinned. "Well, I wouldn't say that. I'm glad he's made a friend though." The former castaway cupped one of her hands around the side of her mouth. "KAL!"
Kal looked up, and noticing Kara, waved. He grabbed the girl's hand and quickly ran to his cousin, evading many of his fellow students with deft skill.
"Kara! Kara! I made a friend!"
"I can see that!" she laughed. "Introduce me, Kal."
Kal smiled brightly. "Kara, this is Ruby Arias, my classmate in Miss Lavinia's class." he said, gesturing to the dark-haired girl. "Ruby, this is my cousin and adoptive sister, Kara Danvers."
Ruby held out her hand. "Nice to meet you, Kara! Your brother is really cool!" she chirped. Kal blushed.
Kara bent over and took the hand, giving it a firm but gentle shake. "It's nice to meet you too, Ruby. And yeah, he is pretty cool, isn't he?" she said, internally giggling as she watched her brother pinken even more.
"Hey!" Thea interjected. "I think you're forgetting someone!" she accused and glared, but there was no heat to it.
"Oh! Yeah." He turned to Ruby. "And this is the little sister of my big brother Oliver, Thea!"
"It's a pleasure, Ruby." Thea spoke, smiling as they shook hands.
Ruby smiled, then frowned questioningly. "Then wouldn't that make her your sister too?" she asked her new friend, and he reddened once more.
"I…well…I mean we're not legally related or anything…"
"I don't mind, Kal. And I don't think Ollie or Mom and Dad would mind either." Thea chuckled. Kal buried his face into his hands.
"Ruby!" A tall woman with dark hair, clearly Ruby's mother, jogged up to the group. She stopped in front of her charge and looked down admonishingly at her. "Ruby, I've been looking everywhere for you!"
Ruby shrunk back a bit. "Sorry, Mom. My new friend was just introducing me to his family." she apologized.
The woman blinked, only now noticing everyone else surrounding her daughter. "Oh, well if that's the case, introduce me to your friend."
Ruby beamed. "Mom, this is my new friend Kal! He just joined my class today. And this is his adoptive sister Kara and his friend Thea!" She pointed to each one of the group as she named them.
"It's rude to point, Ruby." Ruby's mother lightly scolded, then turned her attentions to Kara. "I apologize if she caused you any trouble."
Kara waved her off. "None. Your daughter is a sweetheart. Now, I believe we didn't catch your name." The Kryptonian teased.
The woman smiled. "I'm Samantha Arias. But you can just call me Sam."
"Never thought I'd ever have to enter one of these again." Tommy commented as they passed by the register. All around them were bookcases filled the brim with every kind of book a person could possibly imagine. Everywhere Tommy could see were people either reading books, carrying books, stacking books, or buying books.
Oliver chuckled. "Yeah, well, Kara and I need study materials for the GED Exams. Since she needed to go pick up Kal from his first day at Balliol, I offered to buy what we need on my own. We compiled a list a couple of days ago." He lifted the sheet of paper in his hand, where lines and lines of squiggles were scratched onto.
Tommy groaned when he saw how long it was. "Really wished Laurel stayed now. Her help would've been much appreciated."
"Now Tommy, you know her work at CNRI is important to her." Oliver chided him. "And unlike you, she isn't directly related to her boss. She just can't cancel everything and go off whenever she wants."
Tommy winced. "I know, I know. It's just…I wasn't the studious type in high school or college, and last I checked, neither were you when we were growing up. We don't even know where to begin with all this." He held his arms out to the mass of ink and paper surrounding them.
Actually, Oliver did. This place had nothing on the League archives, and his extracurricular and supplementary training had all but demanded he learned how to navigate that place quick or let getting lost in there cut into training time. But Oliver had technically been stranded on an island for ten years, so he played along with Tommy's statement. "Which is why we ask an employee to help us and tip them well when we're done." he rebutted calmly.
It had taken hours, but finally, they had all the books they needed, bought and stuffed into many, many paper bags, which were now being loaded into Tommy's car. After that was done, the two billionaires got into the car and drove back to the Queen Mansion.
"Can I talk to you about something?" Tommy said suddenly at one point during the trip.
"Anything."
Tommy breathed. "I…need your advice." he admitted.
Oliver blinked. "Advice?" he asked carefully.
"Yeah. Dating advice."
"Tommy, the closest thing I had to a girlfriend before the Gambit was Ellie Josen in fourth grade and that one month I spent dating McKenna Hall in high school. And after it, well, dating was and still is the last thing on my mind." Oliver pointed out.
Tommy exhaled again. "Yeah, I understand that Ollie, but it's either you or one of our parents and I'd rather not get into that anytime soon. They'll start needling me about her and everything." The Merlyn complained.
The Queen winced in sympathy. Yeah. That would be bad. "Point. Tell me what's wrong."
"…I have feelings. For Laurel."
Oliver frowned. "So why haven't you made a move yet? Last I checked, she was completely and totally available."
"I have, though! I've been trying to show her that I'm interested, but she's either oblivious or doesn't want to bite."
The Queen sighed. "Tommy, I know it's the twenty-first century, but there's nothing wrong with going the traditional route and just asking her out. The worse she could do is say no."
"I just don't want to make things awkward between us." Tommy confessed. "Laurel and I." he further clarified.
"Tommy." At the seriousness of his best friend's tone, Tommy turned his head. Thankfully, they were already on the path to the mansion, which he knew by heart, so there was no harm in taking his eyes off the road for a few seconds.
Oliver was staring intently at him. "The three of us grew up together. Been best friends for practically all our lives. One little rejection or a failed date or two won't change that. Any awkwardness between you two will pass eventually. So, and I say this as not only your friend, but Laurel's as well: take a chance. You've got nothing to lose." he leaned back. "The last thing you want is to have any regrets in your life. Trust me, I should know." he stared out the window, lost in thought. Tommy wisely said nothing.
Barry entered the main station with a flourish, making a small twirl when he made it to Joe's desk. "I come bearing gifts." he stated flamboyantly, dropping a bag onto the wood and setting down a cup of coffee afterwards.
Joe smiled. "You are a lifesaver. I was starving." He tore at the bag, emblazoned with Big Belly Burger's famous logo, with wild abandon.
"I figured. Where's Iris? She and I were going to watch that new zombie movie this afternoon at the theater." Barry asked, twisting around to look for his best friend.
"Mm." Joe gulped down a bite of his burger. "She's upstairs, getting something processed with the CSIs. She'll be down in a bit."
"Alright." A hand clapped onto his shoulder. Barry turned. "Eddie! Hey! Iris and I were going out to watch a zombie slasher at the movies later today. Want to come with?"
Eddie smiled. It looked more like a grimace. "No thanks. Horror really isn't my thing." His expression changed, becoming much more somber. "Hey, can we talk?"
"Sure."
A moment passed, and Barry didn't move. "In private." the detective emphasized.
"Oh, well, okay." Bidding farewell to his foster father, Barry followed Eddie out of the main station and into the lobby. Eddie took Barry upstairs, and found an unused room. He opened the door and all but shoved Barry into it, quietly closing the entrance to not alert anyone to their presence. The Thawne then turned around and stared hard at his girlfriend's best friend.
Barry frowned, befuddled. "Now Eddie, you and I haven't known each other that long, so color me confused. What would you need to talk about with me, and why did it have to be in private?"
No point avoiding it any longer. "What are your intentions towards my girlfriend?"
Barry blinked. "Iris?" At Eddie's nod, Barry shrugged. "She's my best friend. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Really? Forgive me if I don't believe you." Eddie growled. "The two of you have been spending a lot of time together lately. She's been with you more often than she has with me, and don't think I haven't noticed."
"Well, when you've been stuck on a deserted island for ten years, you tend to want to make up whatever time you've lost with those you care about." Barry pointed out, starting to get a little bit irritated. He had enough self-control not to let it show, though.
"Yeah. Ten years on a deserted island. I wonder about that."
"You've got something to say?"
Eddie smirked. "That other day at the station, with that move you did. You don't just "pick up" a move like that – you have to be taught it." his eyes narrowed. "So, I'm beginning to wonder if that island was really as deserted as you claimed it was. Or if you were really there for all those years."
Barry's face betrayed nothing. Instead, he smiled. For a moment, Eddie could've sworn shark teeth were sticking out of his mouth. "Believe what you want, Eddie." then, his expression melted, becoming more solemn. "Just be careful. You start asking the wrong people the wrong questions, and they won't be as kind as I am." he warned.
"Is that a threat?" Eddied demanded.
Barry shook his head. "Nah. A warning. Iris really likes you Eddie. You make her happy, so I owe to her to make sure you don't get over your head." his face darkened. "The last thing you and I want is to get into trouble that we both can't get out of." he stated ominously.
The door opened. Barry and Eddie exited the room silently, and waiting for them in the hallway was Iris. She was conversing with someone, probably one of the CSIs, and saw them. She broke off the conversation and headed their way.
Eddie internally panicked. Barry, however, was as calm as a clam.
"Hey guys, what are you doing here?" Iris questioned when she arrived.
"Eddie was just showing me around the Precinct. Figured it would be useful if I ever had to find you or Joe in a hurry." Barry lied smoothly. Barry had actually memorized the Precinct's blueprints a few days after his return to Central City, but no one but Oliver and Kara knew that.
Eddie, grateful for Barry's believable excuse, nodded his head vigorously in agreement. "Yeah. Since he's your best friend and all, he'll be here a lot, so I thought it was important he knew where he could find you in a pinch."
Iris beamed at him. "Ah, how sweet of you." She gave him a kiss for his "consideration", and then turned to Barry.
"So. Zombie movie?"
"Yes." Barry pumped his fist. "I'm so excited! First zombie movie in ten years, and boy have I missed them." he babbled excitedly.
"You're such a dork." Iris stated fondly, playfully giving him a punch in the arm.
"Four."
"Four what?"
"The movie. It was totally a four." Barry claimed.
Iris laughed. "There's an actual scale for this?"
"Of course there is." Barry insisted, causing her to laugh harder.
Once her laughter subsided, she looked at him. Her smile faltered a bit. "So, what are you going to do now?" she asked.
Barry shrugged. "Study for the GED Exams, I guess. The material is easy, oddly enough." he noticed.
Iris smirked. "I doubt Oliver and Kara would agree with you, Mr. Genius."
Barry shrugged. "I wouldn't be too sure about that. Those two are smarter than they look." Plus, they had advanced supplementary training with the League. All this studying was really just a formality. Theatricality is deception, after all.
"Really? From you, that's quite the compliment." Iris was impressed. Barry, like most geniuses, had different standards for what they considered "smart".
"Really. If they hadn't been, we wouldn't made it through those ten years." Iris frowned at that. Barry took notice, but didn't comment – now wasn't the time for that. "I'll grab my books and everything and head to Jitters for the next couple of hours. I'll see you later, okay?" Iris nodded, and they hugged their goodbyes.
"You didn't have to drop me off, you know. You were already home."
Oliver shrugged. "I hadn't seen your house in a while. Plus, Mom wants to talk to me about having lunch with the Bowens later this week, so I've been avoiding her all day." he shuddered. "The last thing I want to talk about with her is Carter Bowen."
Tommy blanched. "Yeah, I get what you mean. He's gotten worse over the years." he informed his best friend sympathetically.
Oliver paled. "He couldn't have." he asked anxiously.
"Captain of the Debate Team. Perfect SAT Scores. Won the National Chess Championships. Accepted into both Harvard and Princeton. Neurosurgeon and best-selling author. All by the age of twenty-six." Tommy listed off in a robotic manner. Oliver whitened with each achievement before groaning out loud in disbelief.
"I should've stayed on the island." Tommy laughed as the Queen buried his face into his hands.
They finally made it to the door, but before one of them could open it, the door handle turned on its own. Malcolm Merlyn's head popped out.
"Tommy, welcome home. And Oliver! It's good to see you."
"It's good to see you too Uncle Malcolm." Oliver greeted his godfather brightly, shaking his hand.
Malcolm chuckled. "I hope you two haven't gotten into too much trouble. I remember how you two were together back when you were kids."
The Queen scion gave a laugh of his own. "Nothing to worry about, Uncle Malcolm. Unless almost getting buried alive by piles of books counts as trouble these days."
"Oh?" Malcolm raised an eyebrow. "You two went to the library?"
"A bookstore." Tommy clarified. "This bozo needed to grab study material for the GED Exams for Kara and himself. I just got dragged along for the ride."
Malcolm smiled. "Well, I'm glad you're taking this seriously Oliver. You still don't know what you're going to do after you pass?" he asked, curiously.
Oliver shifted his shoulders. "Mom suggested I take a position in the company." he admitted. "But I'm not sure if I'm ready for that level of commitment yet. I was actually thinking of possibly starting a business. Or doing some volunteer work around the city."
Malcolm nodded thoughtfully. "Well, at least you have some idea of what you want to do. Now, it's getting close to dinner time, and I imagine your family is starting to wonder where you are." Oliver check his phone and realized it was right. "Don't be a stranger, Oliver. We can have lunch together sometime later this week. Just the two of us." Tommy frowned, unbeknownst to his father and best friend, but didn't say anything.
Oliver grinned. "I'd like that, Uncle Malcolm." he replied warmly.
Barry frowned. He was at Jitters, overlooking the study book he had gotten for the GED. You have got be kidding me. Barry knew he was smart and knew the test would be easy. The League had given him an Ivy League education in…well, just about everything. But he didn't think it would be this easy. He probably could've passed this test before the island.
Someone cleared their throat. Barry lifted his head. A man in a wheelchair.
"Barry Allen." he smiled. Barry furrowed his forehead.
"Yes. And you are…?" Of course, Barry knew who this man was, but again, ten years on a deserted island.
The man blinked, clearly not used to not being recognized, before realization dawned him. "Dr. Harrison Wells. Of S.T.A.R. Labs. Forgive me for not introducing myself first. Most people already know who I am." if only to scorn me, went unsaid, but the sentiment was still there.
"Ah. Then forgive me for asking this: how do you know my name?" Barry's return from dead had not been advertised on every news outlet in the country, after all. He wasn't rich and famous like Oliver was.
Harrison Wells smirked, clearly expecting the question. "I like to keep track of promising young talent. You were on my radar even as a child, Mr. Allen. It truly was a tragedy, not just for your family, what happened to you."
Barry nodded slowly. "And now? As you can see, I'm not exactly an appealing prospect. I'm currently studying for my GED." He gestured to the books and writing utensils on the table in front of him.
Wells shook his head. "On the contrary, Mr. Allen, you are a very appealing prospect, as you put it. I have a feeling you'll go on to do great things with your life, and I would like to help you reach your potential."
Barry leaned back into his chair. "I'm listening."
Wells smiled.
"Tell me, Barry, how would you like a job?"
In an abandoned airfield in the outskirts of Coast City, a man wearing a dark uniform entered one of the hangars. He looked around, inspecting the debris within the hangar, making sure no one else was present. Then, he crouched down. Beneath him was a door hatch. He opened it, and dropped down to the bunker below.
"You're late."
"My apologies, General." Non crossed his arm and placed a fist to his chest, a sign of respect to his superior and wife.
"Did the mission go according to plan?" Astra demanded, ignoring his courtesy.
Non nodded. "Yes. Indigo is preparing as we speak. Myriad will be ready for launch within the year."
Astra returned the nod. "Good." She turned away, returning to her work.
Non frowned. "Astra?"
"Go, Non. Rest. You must be tired." He wasn't, but he knew better than to disobey a direct order. Non nodded once more and walked away.
Later that night, Astra In-Ze paused her work. Silently, she reached into a compartment in her desk, and took out a single item: a spy beacon. Astra had given a similar spy beacon to her niece, Kara, when she was a child, to call for her whenever she was in need. The General's eyes closed as memories invaded her mind, and she held the spy beacon to her chin, allowing it to touch the bottom of her lip.
Kara. This was all for Kara.
There was no one that Astra had loved more than her niece, not even her twin sister, Alura – and especially not after Alura used Kara to capture her and sentenced her to Fort Rozz. When Astra had learned Krypton was dying, her first thought had been of Kara, and how she would die before she truly got to live. And with that, she knew what she had to do.
Astra had committed crimes of the highest order, and she would've felt regret. But her world was dying, and her niece would die with it if she did not act. Myriad was the only way.
Alas, it was not meant to be. She was captured, her love turned against her, and imprisoned within the Phantom Zone, unable to intervene as her planet exploded into nothingness. Thankfully, Fort Rozz had managed to attach itself to a passing ship, and they escaped that hell, only to crash-land on this backwater planet, which was poised to make the same mistakes that Krypton did. The mistakes that destroyed her home.
She had allowed herself to mourn, but only for a moment. Grieving would not bring Kara back. If Astra truly wished to honor her niece, she needed to do for Earth what she could not do for Krypton – save it.
Astra set the spy beacon down, back into the compartment, and closed it. She took a deep breath.
There was work to be done.
And so, Astra finally appears. We're finally getting into the action everybody.
I've finished planning Arc I, so the chapters should be done by the end of next week. I will also begin planning for Arc II. Thankfully, Christmas break is coming up, so I'll have a lot of time to work on this story.
Just a teaser, I already have a general outline for Arcs II, III, and IV and a partial one for Arc V. Arc V will be the "half-way" point of the story, though it will be slightly delayed as I need to finish Supergirl Season 3 first before it can be fully written. I will most likely insert a short filler arc between IV and V, and I already have an idea for what it will be.