Chapter 27: B-Day

Oliver opened the door, and blinked.

"Oliver. Hello." Malcolm greeted him, careful to hide the nervousness and anxiousness he was feeling right now.

"Hi, Uncle Malcolm. If you're looking for mom and dad, they're out of town today. They were invited to this function down in Hub City." Oliver told him, leaning against the doorsill.

Malcolm cleared his throat, gathering his courage. "Actually, Oliver, I was looking for you. I was wondering if you and I could go out to lunch together. Just the two of us. Tommy is still recovering at home and he's getting quite sick of me fretting over him, so…"

Oliver looked at his godfather in confusion, before shrugging. "I would love to, Uncle Malcolm, but I already have business today. I'm going to Kal's best friend's birthday party."

"Kal's…best friend?" Malcolm asked carefully.

"Ruby Arias. The daughter of Samantha Arias. You've heard of her, right?"

"I have." Miss Arias had been considered a potential affiliate for Tempest at one point – the legitimate affiliates. However, her lack of ties to Starling City and overall neutrality in regard to the Glades had caused them to put off making an offer to her. It was still somewhat of a priority, though, and Malcolm had remembered tasking Robert and Moira with cornering her and ingratiating themselves to her, so she would be more willing to aid them when the reconstruction phase of the Undertaking began.

"Yeah. I need to meet up with them at the trampoline park in about an hour – Sam was extremely busy this week, so Kara took care of about half of the preparations. She and Kal are already there."

Malcolm felt himself sweat slightly, and then blurted out, "Then…then, why don't I come with you!" It took all of his self-control not to palm himself on the face for that. Not suspicious at all, Malcolm. He thought to himself sarcastically.

Oliver blinked. "Uncle Malcolm, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Oliver." Malcolm deflected quickly. "It's just…it's been a while, you know. You and Tommy and Thea, you've all grown up so fast and I feel…like I missed out on so much of your earlier years. You especially."

Oliver stared at him. Then he sighed, figuring it wasn't worth it to call his godfather out on such a blatant lie – Malcolm wasn't the most forthcoming of people, even though he was warmer to Oliver than he was to most others. "Alright. Let me call over the car."

"Hey. You two still pissed at Dr. Wells?" Barry leaned next to the entrance of the Cortex.

Cisco and Caitlin, the former furiously clicking through something on the computer, jumped at the sound of his voice. "Could you please stop doing that, Barry?" Caitlin pleaded exasperatedly.

"No." Barry denied them cheekily, before going up to join her in watching Cisco work. "What're you doing, Cisco?"

Cisco clicked his teeth. "To answer both your questions – yes, we're still mad at Dr. Wells. And as for what I'm doing, I'm re-running an old test I made after the Particle Accelerator exploded. It's a 3D model of the entire facility I made so I could pinpoint where the Accelerator went wrong."

"And let me guess – it never occurred to you that problem could've been from an area of the building outside of the Pipeline." Barry concluded smugly.

Cisco turned to look at him, distinctly unimpressed. "Has anyone told you how annoying it is when you do that?"

"Yes." Barry shrugged. "Usually I just ignore them."

Caitlin snorted. "That explains a lot." she muttered under her breath. Cisco sighed, and went back to the computer, only to pause when he noticed something on the screen.

Barry leaned in, and blinked. "Huh. That's not on any of the blueprints I memorized."

"Why is he here?" Kara whispered to Oliver, both watching as Malcolm stared at the mass of children running around and jumping about, distinctly out of place.

Oliver winced. "He insisted on coming."

"Strange." Kara frowned. "Is he alright?"

"Hopefully. He was kind of desperate in wanting to spend time with me today, for whatever reason."

Kara nodded slowly. "Moira told me he's been smothering Tommy a lot, ever since he got home from the hospital."

"Well, according to him, Tommy kicked him out of the house today because of that. Maybe he's a little stir-crazy?" Oliver suggested, though that didn't sound right to his ears. Kara gave him an uncomfortable look. Clearly, she felt it was off as well.

"Kara! The pizza guy is here!" Sam called out.

"Coming!" Kara called back.

"Need any help?" Oliver asked, smirking. Kara swatted him on the arm before making her way towards Sam. Oliver watched them go for a moment, before returning to observe his godfather. One of the younger kids had lost a coin on the ground and couldn't find it. Noting that he was about to cry, Malcolm, in a rare fit of empathy, beckoned the child over. Then, in a familiar movement, he seemingly plucked the coin right out of the child's ear, putting him in awe with a simple sleight of the hand.

Oliver felt his heart stop.

The trick was familiar to Oliver, very familiar. Before Aunt Rebecca died, before Uncle Malcolm grew cold, he used to be the life of the party, a beloved figure for the children of Starling City's elite. And at every birthday party, to cheer a child up, he would do that same old coin trick. Oliver remembered, hazily, that the adults would often jokingly call him an 'illusionist' because of that.

Nineteen years ago, Al Sa-Her joined the League of Assassins. He was only a part of the League for two years hence, and then was released from his vows, whereupon he cut off all contact with them. Coincidentally, nineteen years ago, Rebecca Merlyn was murdered by a mugger in the Glades, devastating her husband and causing him to abandon his son for two years to travel the world.

The thing is, Oliver didn't believe in coincidences. Not since he joined the League.

The Hood narrowed his eyes.

Al Sa-Her…the Magician…is Malcolm Merlyn.

Barry placed his palm on the wall, Caitlin and Cisco behind him. The wall opened in strips, each disappearing to reveal a dark room. The speedster entered first, knowing that at the first sign of danger, he could speed them all out of there in a moment's notice.

With each step, the room gradually illuminated, revealing the contents of the room. The walls were pure white, and dotted with odd, spherical protrusions. Off to the side, Barry could see a stand next to the wall, with a futuristic looking activation pad. He looked, and continued to look until –

He froze.

Right across from the doorway, was a model.

And on it, was a yellow suit.

"I still don't like this, Non."

"Then why did you agree to it, Astra?"

Astra sighed. "Because you are stubborn, and you would just find a way to go behind my back and do it anyways."

Non grunted in agreement, as he transfixed the miniature cameras onto his chest. "You're sure this will work, Indigo?"

"Tested it myself the other way. Even in as far Starling City, we'll be able to receive a feed." The Coluan rested her chin on one of her hands. "Watching the humans in that cesspit called Gotham makes me glad you situated our base here, Astra. They are no threat to us certainly, but that place proved that they can certainly be an annoyance."

Astra ignored her, keeping her attention on her husband. "Remember your orders: do not kill her. Only fight her long enough so we can determine her threat level and, if possible, subdue her and take her here for questioning and containment."

"Wife, are you sure that is wise? She may not be as courteous."

"You are her family, Non. Perhaps not by blood, but still. She will not kill you."

"And what if you're wrong?" Non demanded. "You know the dangers of assumptions, Astra. Your assumptions of her got eight of our men killed."

"Our assumptions, Non. Or have you forgotten how adamant you were in convincing me that she was weak and not a threat?" Astra retorted coldly.

"Semantics." Non waved her off. "Regardless – what if she is willing to kill me?"

Astra sighed. "Then you have full permission to use whatever force it takes to survive. No more than that, however."

"This was a wonderful party, Kara. Thank you." Sam told her sincerely, watching as all the party-goers, one-by-one, departed. It was night, and closing time was almost upon them.

"Anytime Sam, anytime. I'm just glad everyone could enjoy it." Kara grinned, and gestured with her head towards one of the tables, where Ruby and Kal were playing with the former's newly opened presents.

"Indeed." Malcolm Merlyn sauntered up to both women, Oliver at his heels. The latter was chomping away at a piece of pizza. He seemed relax, but only Kara recognized how sharpened his stance really was. She looked pointedly at him, and he imperceptibly shook his head.

"Quite the party, Kara, Miss Arias. Not my typical outing – not since Thea discovered boys, at least – but enjoyable none the less." He complimented them both.

Sam flushed, flattered to receive such praise from one of her business idols. "Coming from you, Mr. Merlyn, that's quite the compliment."

"A well-deserved one in my opinion, Miss Arias. And might I say, it was a pleasure to finally meet you. We should do another outing together some time. Talk business. I hear you have quite the vision for A-Corp." The two businesspeople shook hands as Oliver and Kara watched. They continued the small talk for quite some time, until Kara got a text on her phone. It was from an unfortunately familiar number, and all it had was an address, which Kara recognized as one of the many abandoned plants on the outskirts of Starling City, specifically on the outer, deserted rim of the Glades.

"Kara, what is it?" Broken out of her thoughts by a concerned Oliver, and noting that she was being watched as well by a similarly concerned Sam and Malcolm, Kara laughed sheepishly, fooling everybody but Oliver.

"Sorry. It seems I forgot I had a major errand to do today. No worries, though, I'll just do it now and be done with it. Though, just in case things run a little late, could you take Kal with you to the mansion, Oliver?" Kara looked at him, sparkling, and Oliver understood instantly.

"Of course, Kara. Thea will be overjoyed to see him." Oliver replied smoothly. Kara nodded gratefully, and after bidding farewell to Sam, Malcolm, and the kids, she departed in haste, finding a secluded corner to change and flying off to the Foundry to pick up one last thing…

The Girl in Blue dropped down to the cemented ground, taking note of the industrialized surroundings. Everything around her was well-rusted, and there was fauna bursting everywhere. Clearly, this place had been abandoned for a very long time.

"Hello, Daughter of Alura." The Girl in Blue span around, and her hidden jaw dropped slightly.

Non smirked. "Surprised to see me?"

"You were on Fort Rozz?" The Girl in Blue said in disbelief.

"Indeed, I was. You can thank your mother for that, dear niece." Non tilted his head to the side. "And do us both a favor and take off that ridiculous disguise of yours? How you can breathe in that thing is beyond me."

The Girl in Blue stared at him for a long moment, before slowly letting down her hood, revealing her long, blonde hair, which was tied up in an ornate bun, sans one lock, which framed the right side of her face. She pulled down the veil that covered the lower half of her face, and Kara Zor-El gazed at her maternal uncle in apprehension.

"Kara Zor-El – even more beautiful than your mother and your aunt when they were your age, I dare say." Non couldn't help but admire his niece's loveliness. Truly, had Krypton survived, she would've been its crowning jewel, both in appearance and status. Every eligible suitor in the galaxy would've sought her hand.

Kara perked up at the mention of her aunt, and she narrowed her eyes at Non. "She's alive, isn't she? She's the one behind all this." And suddenly she remembered the woman from the other day, the one who was staring right at her, so obviously spying on her. Was Astra watching her even then?

"Child, who better than Krypton's top general to take control of all those ruffians that were imprisoned within Fort Rozz? Who better than Krypton's greatest warrior, its greatest tactical mind?" Non waxed on about his wife – while he had never been completely faithful to her, his admiration for her had never dimmed.

Kara clicked her tongue against her teeth. "I thought that was General Dru-Zod."

Non scowled. "Zod was an overzealous self-absorbed maverick – he had no care for our planet, for our people. He just wanted to rule before it was all gone. Your aunt, however, is none of those things. She is the beacon for what remains of our people, a visionary that will lead those of us that remain to a golden age."

"And since Krypton is dead, I assume this 'golden age,' as you call it, will be here, on Earth?" Kara asked, her face betraying no more emotion.

Non shrugged one of his shoulders. "But of course. Though, we will need to deal with the humans. Their actions are killing this planet, not unlike Krypton's last days. We will provide the guiding hand soon enough, and that is why I am here."

Kara crossed her arms. "You want me to join you."

"You and Kal-El both, Kara. As the last children of the planet Krypton, this world is yours as much as it is ours."

Kara stared at him once more, scrutinizing Non with a critical eye.

And then she burst out laughing.

Non frowned as he watched his niece bend over and grab her midsection, slapping her thighs as mirth chorused through her. After a minute or so of this, Kara finally calmed down, wiping tears out of her eyes.

"You almost had me there for a moment. If I hadn't been dealing with others of your ilk for the last ten years, I might've been fooled." Kara gasp in a deep breath, genuinely amused.

"…You were never fooled, were you?" Non narrowed his eyes, voice dropping a pitch and tone unemotive and cold.

Kara shook her head, and gave a smug, borderline seductive smile. "You hated my family, Non. You hated me. The last thing you would do is hand over power over this world to me, especially when you know I sympathize with the humans, judging by how your little band of thugs have been following me and Kal-El around for the last few months." She feigned checking her nails. "Quite honestly, I'm surprised you even bothered with silly little ruse at all. Knowing you, I would've figured you would've tried to burn my eyes out with your heat vision the first chance you got."

"That can be arranged, niece." Non stated, moving into a battle ready position.

Kara set her hand down, and took in her uncle, eyes visibly moving up and down. Ever so slowly, she undid the clasp on her cloak, allowing the fabric to pool into a mass of blue behind her.

A second later, her fist meant Non's, a loud BOOM! echoing throughout their surroundings as a shockwave ripped through the air. The ground beneath them shattered, the sheer force cracking it into a circular pattern. They stayed in that stalemate for but a moment, until Kara twisted her body, kicking Non right in the chest.

Non skidded back, reaching down to the ground slow his slide to a stop. Before he could stop and attack back, Kara was already there, dropping down to take out his legs with a sweep of her own. Non managed to catch himself however, and was able to roll away, dodging Kara's follow up punch. He tried to retaliate with a kick of his own, using one of his hands to vault himself upwards, but Kara easily caught his foot and, with a half-spin, throw him into one of the surrounding buildings.

The lieutenant hit three walls before he was able to use his momentum to fly upwards, preventing him from destroying anymore of the battlefield. He took a quick breather, looking around for Kara, only to see she had disappeared. Non grimaced, knowing she was most likely biding her time to strike. I underestimated her. I knew she was skilled, that much I could tell from the Commander's report, but I never thought to think she would be this skilled. The humans were fragile, certainly, but they had a certain creativity to them that Krypton had lost long before their destruction. This creativity translated to their fighting styles, and wherever Kara landed, she must have had the knowledge passed on to her.

Someone cleared their throat behind him, and Non spun around, sputtering to see that his opponent had snuck up behind him without him even realizing it. Kara wiggled her fingers at him in a bastardized wave, before bursting into him once again, knocking him down back to the ground. Non got back up, in more pain than he had been in years, and just barely managed to block Kara's punch. He threw one of his own, only for her to catch it, pulling him forward so she could knee him in the chin. She let go and Non stumbled back, slightly dizzy.

Kara drop-kicked him in the chest, forcing him back even more. Non shook his head, trying to get it screwed back on, and got back-slapped for his troubles. He stumbled to the side, and tried to punch her again with a right cross this time, only for Kara to loop her arm around his mid-strike and flip him over, landing him face-down on the ground. Before Non could pick himself up again, Kara had already grabbed his right leg, and began bouncing him up and down the ground everywhere, before throwing him off to the side, thoroughly bored.

It was a testament to both Kryptonian physiology and Non's own natural durability that he was still able to move after that beating, getting up with only some scrapes and bruises, a stream of blood sliding down the side of his face. He was breathing deeply, however, and that was not a good sign.

Kara put her hands on her hips. "Either your skills have really degraded over the years, dear uncle, or I'm just that good."

Non grit his teeth. "Arrogant child! Don't you dare look down on me! I admit, you are strong, skilled, but do not think for one moment that will be enough to defeat your aunt, let alone me!"

"Why, is it because you've set up cameras all around this facility, all so you could broadcast our fight to her?"

Non paled.

Kara chuckled darkly. "You honestly think I wouldn't check this place over first? The electrical discharge made it light up like a Christmas tree." She shook her head mockingly. "Dear uncle, there is still so much you don't know about me – so much you will never know about me. You and her." She reached behind her, and only then did Non notice the handle sticking out slightly behind her shoulder. Kara firmly grasped it, and unsheathed the glowing, green blade, pulsing outwards. He felt himself collapse as the radiation flooded him, his body weakening with each step his niece took towards him.

"Goodbye, Non. And Astra, if you are watching, know that this will be the fate of you and anyone else who dare threatens this planet." Kara held the blade up, and with a well-practiced motion, slashed it across his chest. Blood splattered everywhere, on the ground, on Kara's face and costume. As Non bled out, he saw his life flashing before his eyes. He closed them as Kara dropped down, and gave him one final stab to the heart.

Indigo screamed as her once-lover took his final breath. All around her, the former prisoners of Fort Rozz were frozen, in shock and fear, as Kara removed the blade from the cooling corpse, swinging it slightly to flick away the blood accumulated on it.

Astra all but slammed her fist onto the computer's activation key, watching the feed sputter out into nothing. It took all of her strength not to burst into tears then and there.

Yeah, Non is dead. The fight would've lasted much longer (and just as one-sided) if Kara hadn't broken out the Kryptonite blade, which basically crippled him and ended it then and there. And now, Astra has to deal with the fact that her niece is this dangerous killer, doesn't approve of her plan, and just murdered her husband.

Malcolm and Harrison are now in Oliver and Barry's sights, and we're reaching a climax everybody! And to think this arc still has like thirteen to fourteen chapters left!