Sorry, this is late. There have been some personal problems we've needed to deal with.
ARROW: S5EP23 – LIAN YU
April 2017
"Chase is working with Black Siren, my half-sister Emiko, Talia Al Ghul and whatever army she's currently controlling, and he's taken everyone in this city I still care about back to the one place I swore I would never set foot on again!" Oliver shouted at Malcolm Merlyn and Nyssa Al Ghul as they stood in the Bunker, staring at the screen marking the last known location of Adrian's plane. Lian Yu was highlighted in bright red writing.
"My pride has gotten me into more problems the past ten years than I can count! I swore to myself I would never let it put my friends in danger again. Of course, I called back up!"
The elevator doors slid open, and Barry, Kara and Sara stepped into the Bunker in their suits, expressions grim.
"Where is this son of a bitch?" Sara asked, eyes dark.
Malcolm turned on Oliver. "If I wasn't such a confident individual, my ego would be bruised."
Three hours and five trips at superspeed later…
Kara set Merlyn and Nyssa down on the white sandy beach of Lian Yu. Sara stood with Barry a few metres away, staring out at the wreckage of a tanker in the bay beyond.
"So Year One was Yao Fey and Shado, Year Two was you and Ivo and Deathstroke," Barry was saying, counting with gloved fingers, "After that, you got found by the League of Assassins, Oliver was grabbed by ARGUS."
"Yep. Lots of bad memories."
"Not all bad," Nyssa said, winking towards Sara.
"Point."
"Urgh," Malcolm said, rolling his eyes.
"Year three Oliver spent in Hong Kong being trained by ARGUS…" Barry continued, then trailed off, "What about four and five?"
"Year Four ARGUS sent me undercover with the Bratva," Oliver said, walking across the beach in full Green Arrow regalia. Behind him strode Slade Wilson, dressed in full body armour, the two-toned mask of Deathstroke hanging from his belt. "Year Five was when I left ARGUS and was liberated/kidnapped by Talia Al Ghul, who dumped me back here to rot after I tried to kill her. Which reminds me, Sara, thanks for telling Talia about me."
"What?" Sara asked, stepping down from the rocky outcrop and walking up to them, Barry behind her, not taking her eyes of Deathstroke.
"Talia. She confessed a couple of weeks ago that she went searching for me because you told Ra's what happened to you on the island. Including about me. She tracked me down as a result."
Sara huffed. "Not my fault. Besides, didn't you screw her a couple of times?"
Kara sighed audibly. "Oliver, is there a single woman you've had sex with that didn't later try to kill you?"
"Felicity hasn't tried to kill me," Oliver defended. They all stared at him.
"Yet."
Slade raised an eyebrow, turning towards Kara.
"Who's the skirt, kid?"
Oliver actually laughed at that.
"Someone a lot stronger than you ever were." Slade whistled.
"Impressive." Kara waved at him, smiling.
"Hi. I'm Kara. Oliver says you're not insane anymore, so… good job on that." Sara facepalmed and Malcolm chuckled. Slade frowned.
"Thanks… I think?"
"What's the plan, Oliver?" Barry asked. "I don't have much time. Godspeed's killed almost all the Speedsters created by the Storm. There's only Jesse and Wally and Avery left now. They should be safe on Earth 2, but I don't want to leave Central alone for long."
"I understand that, which is why I'm glad you could make it at all," Oliver said, walking forward to stand in the middle of the group.
"Thanks to Barry and Kara, Chase shouldn't have detected us arriving. Which gives us the advantage for now."
"It won't stay that way for long," Malcolm pointed out.
"The guy's been ten steps ahead of you all year. He will have anticipated you calling for back up."
"Which is why I left Harkness in his cell. I'm not that dumb," Oliver said. Nyssa rolled her eyes.
"Debatable."
"Barry, you need to be careful with your speed. The island is lined with land mines and other traps. Your lightning could trigger them by accident."
"Got it."
"And Kara? I can't be sure he doesn't have Kryptonite." She nodded.
"Don't worry. Thanks to Cisco's upgrades, most low-grade Kryptonite doesn't work on me anymore. You kind of have to stab me these days, which is much harder seeing as how the suit is now knife proof. Slight oversight on Winn's part there."
"Good. Then do a quick recon of the Island." He stepped up to her and pulled a folded map out of his vest pocket. She looked it over, noting his annotations of likely locations and known traps, then braced her legs and shot into the sky. Deathstroke followed her with his eyes and whistled again.
"Very impressive."
Barry snorted. "You don't know the half of it."
"I'll check our old haunts to make sure Chase isn't using them," Sara said, before disappearing into the forest.
"Malcolm, Nyssa, follow Slade, Barry and I at a distance. I have a pretty good guess where Chase has the others." Then, without waiting for the others to object, he turned on his heel and raced up into the jungle. Barry and Slade followed, the older man casting an odd look at Barry's suit as they ran.
Oliver led them through the jungle without a single hesitation. He had long since stopped needing directions on this island. He knew it better than he knew himself. He led them silently through the brush until finally they approached a clearing in the forest. In the distance, the fuselage of a downed airplane sat buried in the overgrown grass. Between them and the plane, four metal cages – containing Felicity, Samantha, Curtis and Thea – had been propped up in the centre of the field. They were unguarded.
Barry, Slade and Oliver crouched down behind a fallen tree trunk.
"This Chase bloke," Slade whispered, "He's using your past against you."
"He's not the first," Oliver grumbled.
"Exactly. Now, if I were a betting man, I'd say the ground there is littered with land mines, and I don't fancy having half my face blown off again."
"Oh," Barry said, "that's what the whole mask thing is about. I always wondered."
"Barry," Oliver hissed. Barry flashed away, going significantly slower than he usually did to minimise his lightning trail. He shot through the trees, rounding the clearing, then phased. He raced up to the first cage, jumped inside, and grabbed Felicity. She broke apart as his hand passed through her. A hologram. The cage electrified, and Barry screamed as he broke back into normal speed, electricity jumping through his body.
"Holy crap!" Curtis exclaimed, jolting backwards in his cage – the one beside Barry's.
"Olly don't it's a trap!" Thea screamed. The electricity died off, leaving Barry unconscious, and two figures dropped from the trees, landing on the grass.
"Come on out Oliver," Talia said, drawing an arrow and sighting at Samantha.
"Come on brother mine," Emiko said, twirling an arrow of her own, "You think we didn't predict the speedster?" Oliver nodded to Slade, and they stood up, hands raised.
"As John so often reminds me," Oliver said, "Don't underestimate family." Arrows flew out of the forest, passing through Talia and Emiko. More holograms.
"Sister!" Nyssa yelled, rushing forward with Malcolm, bows drawn. Talia looked at Oliver and winked at him.
"At least you remembered something I taught you," she said, then the hologram's vanished, and the clearing exploded. Oliver and Slade were blasted backwards to the dirt. Barry appeared beside them with Curtis, Thea and Samantha, the latter of which immediately puked.
"Next time, one of you can be the bait," he said flatly.
"Not only did you let him out of his cage, but you called my Dad?!" Thea snapped, staring at Slade in utter hatred.
"Did you have any better ideas?" He asked her pointedly.
"Yeah. Call Supergirl!" Kara chose that moment to drop out of the sky, landing beside the group.
"X-Ray vision shows about a hundred people in the temple near the centre of the island," she told them, "And I found the plane Chase used to get here." She pulled out the map and marked the plane's location on it. Thea scowled at Oliver.
"Nice job," Oliver told Kara, ignoring Thea's derision. Malcolm and Nyssa ran out of the woods, though Malcolm was limping.
"Malcolm, Thea, take Curtis and Samantha and head for the airstrip," Oliver told them, "Secure it at all costs."
"What about William?!" Samantha begged.
"I'll get him back."
"What about us?" Kara asked, gesturing to her and Barry.
"We're going to end this."
Half an hour and several more Superspeed trips later…
Oliver chased Adrian down the docks, then launched himself into the air, grabbing the railing and swinging himself aboard as the boat churned out into the bay. He knocked an arrow to his bow and advanced to the back of the boat. Chase stood there, blood trickling down his face, hand around the throat of Oliver's son, body held like a human shield.
"Let him go!" Oliver yelled, sighting on Chace's face.
"Kill me, Oliver!"
"NO! I won't be the monster you think I am, Chase! Not anymore!"
"Either I die, or William does," he snarled.
"Oliver! The bombs are connected to Chase's heartbeat. If you kill him, the whole Island will explode!" Sara hissed through the coms.
Oliver's fingers twitched on his bowstring.
"You've figured it out, haven't you?" Chase laughed, "The boy, or your friends."
Oliver, heart-pounding, lowered his bow.
Then shot Chase through the thigh. He screamed in pain, and Oliver dropped the bow, grabbing William and pulling the boy close.
"Hey, are you okay?" He exclaimed, holding William's head in his hands. The boy nodded rapidly.
Prometheus slumped against the railing, glaring at Oliver.
"I still win. I always win. You are a monster, and now you've sealed your fate." Oliver looked up from William, just in time to see Chase hold a gun to his head.
"Wait Chase…"
"Goodbye Oliver."
"Chase!"
He pulled the trigger and blew his head off. Then Oliver and William were forced to watch as Lian Yu was engulfed in flames. The ocean trembled, and the island started to sink. Water surged inwards, pulling the boat towards the island.
Oliver turned William away from the inferno and held him head to chest. The volcano atop the island detonated, exploding outwards and igniting the air. A tsunami pulsed out rearing towards them as Oliver stared on in horror.
A figure shot up from the fire; Kara! And hanging down from each arm was a person. A blur of yellow lightning shot free from the coast, racing towards one of the nearby islands, before repeating. Kara followed the lightning to the island, and in the bay beyond, the wreck of the Amazo sank beneath the waves. Water splashed over the side of Chase's boat, and Oliver gripped William tighter as Kara shot towards them. Oliver raised his hand, and Kara grabbed them, pulling them into the air as the boat sank.
She flew them over to the second island, dropping them to the ground.
"Oliver!" Felicity exclaimed, rushing to Oliver's side and pulling both Oliver and William close to her. Nyssa, Sara and Dig rushed up beside them, Curtis and Rene behind. Thea, Samantha, Merlyn, Slade, Evelyn and Barry were all missing.
"The others. Where…" Barry appeared in a flash of lightning, panting. He dropped Slade and Thea to the ground, then collapsed, choking and spluttering. Thea's body was covered in burns, and Slade immediately began rolling to quell the fire clinging to his Deathstroke suit.
"Barry!" Kara raced over to Barry, pulling off his mask and holding him up, lips faintly purple. She lowered him to ground, placed her lips over his and sucked the smoke out of Barry's lungs. She moved away, exhaling black breath into the air, then repeated several times until Barry finally let out a ragged gasp as he breathed the fresh air. His eyes glazed over, and he collapsed, unconscious. Oliver dropped to Thea's side while Felicity and Dig held William.
"Evelyn!" Renee exclaimed frantically. "She's still on the island!" Sara and Oliver shared a look.
"With Samantha and Merlyn!" Curtis exclaimed. They turned back to the island and watched as Purgatory, Lian Yu, Oliver's hell, sank beneath the ocean.
SUPERGIRL: S2EP22 – THE JUSTICE LEAGUE (MAY 2017)
"Previously, across the Arrowverse…
Barry Allen, the Flash, and his team of speedsters created by the Speed-Force Storm were betrayed by one of their own: August Heart – the supervillain known as Godspeed. Though he is now in prison in Iron Heights thanks to Killer Frost, he managed to kill all the speedsters created by the storm save Avery Ho, Jessica Wells and Wally West. Following his defeat, Avery has returned home to China, and Wally and Jesse have decided to travel to Earth 2 to get out of Barry's shadow. Harry Wells has gone with them, leaving Team Flash as just Barry, Cisco and Caitlin.
Meanwhile, after accidentally breaking the timeline following their battle with the Time-Demon Malus, Sara Lance's team of Legionnaires have been grounded, their Legion Rings confiscated. The team has since scattered, with Ray, Nate, Stein and Jax working out of STAR Labs, and Sara reuniting with Team Arrow.
Finally, Kara Danvers – better known as Supergirl – has spent the past year becoming good friends with Daxamite refuge Mon-El and Lena Luthor, sister of notorious supervillain Lex Luthor. Now, both of them have been abducted by Mon El's mother, Queen Rhea of Daxam, the sister planet to Krypton. Rhea has brought her armada of Daxamite warships, displaced by the planet's devastation during Krypton's destruction, to Earth. She intends to conquer the planet, but Earth's heroes stand firmly in the way."
(It should also be noted here that, although we didn't mention it, M'gann M'orzz aka Miss Martian actually hasn't appeared on Supergirl in this timeline yet. Her appearance in this chapter is the first time she appears in this universe)
Kara shot towards National City, trailing the fleet of warships as they exited the portal. They were far faster than she was, but… but most of the ships, the mothership included, weren't headed for National City. They were veering east? Why east? She couldn't worry about that now. Two attack ships were flying straight towards National. She had to stop them first, then she could find out where Rhea was headed. She could think of only one place in National City that the scout ships could be heading. The DEO.
She thrust her hands behind her, trying to push as much speed as she could… It wasn't good enough. She couldn't keep up with ships with sub-light engines. So, she did the only thing she could think of. She grabbed the ring adorning her left index finger – the one with the stylised L alongside her own symbol – and twisted the symbol. The ring emitted a series of pulses, a distress call.
The next second, Alex's voice echoed through her ear.
"Supergirl! Hundreds of ships just appeared on radar! What's going on?!"
"Alex! Get everyone out of the DEO! Now!"
Kara shot over the National City suburbs, the two ships now frighteningly far ahead of her. They were headed straight for the heart of the city.
"Evacuate the building!" Alex screamed, no doubt realising exactly what Kara herself had. Then, abruptly, the coms cut off, leaving only a buzzing sound.
"Alex!" She pushed herself faster than she'd ever flown before, but it still wasn't enough. The ships circled the DEO building, then blasted it out of the sky.
The devastating 'boom!' shocked even Kara's ears, but she pushed herself forward regardless, aiming for the collapsing building. The two ships shot up into the atmosphere, vanishing, and Kara flew towards the DEO building as it collapsed. Two figures jumped free as the floor fell out beneath them, and Kara screamed. Catching them metres from the ground. Winn was squealing like a girl as she placed them on the ground beside the crowd of DEO agents, but Alex only nodded. She'd known Kara would catch her.
"Where's J'onn? Mon-El?" Alex asked, grabbing Kara's arm. She didn't answer. Instead she grabbed her phone from the pocket Cisco had sewn into her suit and pulled it out. Oliver had already called her three times. Nothing from Clark or Barry. That wasn't good.
"The ships, where were they heading?" Kara asked, scanning the sky.
"Towards Metropolis," Alex said, "But two ships peeled off from the rest before we lost signal. They were heading for Central City."
"STAR Labs," Kara breathed. Then, counting to five, she turned back to Alex and Winn.
"Get back to that facility. Rhea had some White Martian weapon she used on him. I… I had to leave him there. Mon El and Lena were taken."
Alex grabbed Kara by the shoulders.
"Go. Head for Metropolis. We'll get J'onn and catch up. Don't think about Central City. Barry can handle himself." She swallowed, nodding. Then she shot into the sky, answering Oliver's call.
"We got two ships heading straight for us!" Cisco yelled from the Cortex as Frost and Barry finished suiting up. "Can I be Red-Leader?"
"I think Barry kind of gets that by default, doesn't he?" Frost said throwing a scrutinising look at Barry's suit.
"Yes Cisco. You can be Red-Leader," Barry said, ignoring Frost's comment.
"Yes!"
"What's the plan?" Ray asked, rushing down the hallway in his ATOM suit. Jax, Stein and Nate had gone home for the evening already.
"Not die?" Cisco suggested, placing his glasses over his eyes. He opened a breach, then jumped through, the others following him. They emerged onto the roof and rushed to the edge as the two ships descended from the sky.
"I've got this, I've got this, I've got this," Cisco muttered under his breath. The first ship banked hard, firing a missile at the building, and Cisco thrust his hands outwards. An enormous breach tore open in the air as the alien ship moved to fly away, and swallowed it. Barry raced around the roof a couple of times, before launching himself into the sky and catching the missile at superspeed. He used his momentum to spin it around, and released the missile right towards the second ship.
The breach snapped shut, and Cisco fell to his knees. Barry dropped back to the roof right as the missile smashed into the second ships engines. They exploded, and the ship spun in the air, before crashing nose first into the roof.
Frost and Ray chased after the ship, landing beside it. Frost doused the flames, while Ray blasted a hole in the hull. As soon as there was a wide enough entry, Barry shot inside as a blur of yellow. There was only one pilot, in cool alien armour, so Barry grabbed him and ran back outside, throwing him down to the roof. Frost encased the alien's legs in ice, and Ray bent down and ripped off his helmet. He looked… human?
Also terrified. That was something at least.
"Where are you from? Who are you?" Barry demanded.
The alien screamed out in a language none of them understood. Ray nudged Barry, gesturing towards his Legion Ring.
"Oh! Right." Barry twisted the ring, and the man's language translated into English.
"Please don't hurt me! I'm just doing my job!"
"What was your job?" Barry asked.
"We were just supposed to destroy this building!"
"Why?"
"To stop you from helping Supergirl! That's all I know!"
Shit. Kara.
Barry pulled the Legion Ring from his hand and handed it to Cisco.
"Make him talk. Get the others here asap."
"Where are you going?" Caitlin asked, the white fading from her hair as her eyes returned to normal.
"After all the other ships we saw. Kara and Clark are going to need all the help they can get."
Oliver could honestly say that being flown across country in two hours, in the grip of a superpowered blonde alien, was perhaps the weirdest thing he'd ever done. And for him, that was saying something.
Metropolis was a nightmare. The Daxamite ships had formed a blockade around the city, the giant mothership hovering over Centennial Park in the centre of the city. Dozens of other smaller ships shot wove between skyscrapers, often clipping the sides as they turned. These ships were not designed for this he noted. They could use that. Somehow.
But there was some light in the dark. A golden-yellow blur was already racing through the streets, taking out dozens of Daxamite soldiers in seconds and saving civilians
Kara flew past the blockade, Oliver in her right hand and Sara in her left, and landed in what had once been Krypton Park, a park near the CBD, across the street from the Daily Planet.
Daxamite soldiers were marching in formation through the streets, rounding people up. Oliver thought he might just be sick.
"Oh, sweet Rao," Kara breathed, staring up at the sky in horror. "Where's Superman?"
"We can't worry about it now," Sara said, snapping into captain mode.
"Kara, you can fly and destroy those ships with your powers, right?"
Kara swallowed, nodding vaguely.
"Good. Then you're on perimeter sweep. You have to make a hole in that blockade. Ignore the civilians for now."
Kara spun on Sara, a look of utter outrage on her face.
"Don't give me that. We have to focus on getting support inside the city. That means prioritising. You're our heavy hitter. You're the only one who can take out the ships. We can't do it. Leave the people to Barry, he's the fastest. You have to make a path for the military to get into the city."
Kara swallowed, then nodded, clenching her jaw. Then she shot into the sky.
Sara turned her attention towards the Daily Planet building.
"I'm going to get a call through to the President if she'll take my call. I did save her life back in 1993, so she might recognise me," she stated.
"How? You were kicked out, weren't you?" Oliver asked.
Sara gave him a flat look, then she pulled her 'confiscated' Legion Ring out of her pocket. Oliver rolled his eyes.
"I'm going to get a feel for what were up against. Strengths, weaknesses, exploits."
"I'll meet you at the Daily Planet newsroom." Sara dashed towards the building. Oliver unslung his bow, and ran towards the nearest Daxamite patrol. He ran out of the trees, jumping over the destroyed statue of Superman, and shot a series of arrows at the aliens.
His simple broadheads bounced harmlessly off their armour, merely serving to annoy the alien soldiers. His frost arrows, which exploded with liquid nitrogen upon impact, worked brilliantly. The extreme cold reacted with their armour, freezing them in place instantly. But the real winners were his taser arrows. Turns out alien armour was conductive. That seemed like a major design flaw. Lucky he'd grabbed his 'metahuman' quiver over his standard one when Kara had picked him up. With the patrol down, he retrieved his arrows – he had a feeling he'd need to be rather conservative with them – and began moving down the street to the next group, who'd captured several people with cameras. A journalist crew.
Growling, the Green Arrow ran off into the night.
Barry had raced down the interstate faster than the speed of sound, crossing the 1,000 kilometres between Central City and Metropolis in under half an hour.
He still arrived too late.
Now he was running through Metropolis, an unfamiliar city, blind. All satellite coverage over the city had gone dark, all communications jammed. He'd learned this from Cisco, who'd managed to reach him through a Vibe. Jax and Professor Stein were staying in Central City with Nate to guard their prisoner, protect STAR Labs, and experiment on the Daxamite armour. Hopefully, they'd be able to come up with a weakness. Cisco, Caitlin and Ray had requisitioned one of Ray's private jets and were flying towards Washington DC. From there they planned to drive to Metropolis to do what they could. Barry hadn't had the time to debate with them. He was too busy saving lives.
The Daxamites were rounding people up and had turned the Metropolis Baseball Stadium into a giant containment centre. Barry had tracked a group here. Now he intended to do something about it.
Barry shot down the tree-lined boulevard, punching the living crap out of soldiers as he moved. One thing he'd learned this year was how to use the Speed Force to pack current into his fists. It shielded his knuckles from bruising and acted like a taser when he hit people.
Something he'd learned even more recently, however, was that the Daxamites had never met anyone like him before.
Barry knocked out all the Daxamite warriors in about seven seconds.
Maybe seven and a half (he punched one twice just for fun).
He skidded to a stop in the centre of the arena.
"You're safe now," Barry yelled, "but it won't stay that way for long. Get into the tunnels, quickly!" The former prisoners stared at him, stunned.
"It's the Flash!"
"Go!" Two Daxamite ships, like silver-grey arrowheads, flew over the arena, fixing on Barry. At least it got everyone moving.
Barry gritted his teeth, then shot out of the arena. The ships followed him overhead.
"Let's get super sci-fi then." He raced towards the Chesapeake Bay, running out across the water as the two ships started firing laser blasts at him. He dodged them, then flipped, grabbing a lightning bolt and throwing it at the nearest ship.
It bounced off a translucent barrier around the hull. A shield. Fun.
Barry retraced his steps, throwing bolt after bolt, trying to overload the barrier. Then a green comet fell from the sky, and a giant green energy mallet formed from nothing and smashed the ships together. They promptly dropped out of the sky and fell into the bay.
Grinning, Barry made his way back to the docks. Hal Jordan landed beside him.
"Where have you been?"
Hal's jaw fell open.
"Well excuse me for having fifty-seven different inhabited planets in my Sector, and considering I just locked up my fricken partner, I think you should cut me a little slack," he said.
"Sorry."
"Damn right. Now, what the fuck is going on here!?"
Sara burst out of the stairwell and into the bullpen of the Daily Planet Newspaper to find three Daxamite soldiers manhandling a heavyset man whose hair was greying at the temples. Bother. Sara extended her bow staff, then ran at them. She jumped atop a desk and threw herself at the first man. She kicked off his back, swinging her staff into his head. She hit the ground and swept the staff around, taking out the legs of the other two, one squawking as he fell. Two quick strikes and both were unconscious.
"I need a working computer, quickly!" She said as the journalists slowly regained their wits, coming out from their tables. The heavy-set man, whom Sara thought she recognised, blinked twice, then adopted a firm expression.
"Get her what she needs people! Move it! It's the apocalypse out there, this is not time to be dawdling!" A mousey woman approached with a MacBook and Sara took it gratefully. She pulled out a chair and placed the computer at the desk belonging to one Clark Kent and booted the machine up.
"What's going on out there?" the leader asked.
"Alien invasion. Second one this year actually," Sara noted. She pulled off her ring and placed it face down on the computer. Immediately, the security was bypassed, giving her instant access to the Legion database. She opened the emergency contact folder and selected the White House Situation Room.
"Mr White!" a woman called, "It's Green Lantern! I just saw him fly past in a green jet!"
"Where's Superman?!" Another person called.
Sara dialled the number, and the computer began making a ringing sound.
"How did you do that?" Perry White demanded, looking over Sara's shoulder. "We haven't even been able to turn our cameras on. And what do you mean two?!"
"25th Century technology and we covered the first one up," Sara told him, not really listening as she stared at the revolving White House symbol on the screen.
"That's the Flash!" someone else called.
The computer screen flashed, before resolving to an image of about fifteen people sitting around a wooden table. At the head of the table sat President Olivia Marsden.
"Who the hell are you?!" The Secretary of the Navy demanded.
"Sara Lance?!" President Marsden exclaimed.
"Hi Liv, you're doing well," Sara said, smirking.
"I'm doing well? You look exactly the same as you did in 1993!"
"Benefits of time-travel," Sara noted, then turned serious, "I'm calling you from inside Metropolis. It's a nightmare in here."
"What's happening?! We can't get any sort of confirmation from Metropolis, and all communication from the entire state of Delaware has gone quiet!"
"We're being invaded by Alien's Mr Secretary," Perry White said, "Again."
"Listen, I'm the Black Canary, and I'm here with the Green Arrow, Flash, Supergirl and Green Lantern. Supergirl should be clearing a passage into the city right now. Get as many pilots into the city as you can. The alien ships have laser cannons and better engines, but their armour doesn't seem to be any more impressive than standard military planes. Tanks should be able to take them down as well. Supergirl also told me to tell you their metabolisms are weak against lead, which means if you can get past the armour, ordinary bullets not only puncture but poison them too."
"Understood Canary. Do it, Mr Secretary," Marsden ordered.
The Secretary of the Airforce immediately removed himself from the table, grabbing a landline from the side of the room.
"We need help, Madame President. Reports say Superman disappeared into the mothership when it arrived. He hasn't been seen since," White added
"We'll do what we can."
"The 27th and 94th fighter squadron's are being scrambled now Madame President."
"Good. Prepare to call a national crisis gentleman. Alex?"
President Marsden turned to Alex Daniels, her Chief of Staff.
"Prepare a National Address and get Cat on the phone."
"Yes, Madame President."
"Miss Lance," The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs stated, "Can you stay on the line?"
"I should be able to," Sara told them, "my Legion Ring should protect our communication band from outside detection."
"Good. Give me five minutes to get you an emergency security clearance, then I'll outline the Alien Contingency President Obama prepared after Zod's attack…"
Kara grabbed one of the Daxamite ships by the nose, then threw it into another ship that was coming up behind her.
Finally, she breathed a sigh of relief. She'd managed to carve a hole in the blockade, and the second she dropped out of the way, she spotted a squadron of fighter jets shooting towards the city.
They rocketed through the gap she'd opened, and Kara chased after them, flying alongside the lead craft. She saluted the pilot, a red-head woman, and she reciprocated the gesture. Then she flew in search of Barry.
She found him fighting alongside Hal Jordan and Oliver in Glenmorgan Square, right in the heart of the city. She dropped to the ground and swept a group of Daxamites with her heat vision while Barry flashed between them. Hal and Oliver were standing guard over a couple of thousand people trying to slip underground via a subway entrance.
The Daxamite soldiers were not very good. If she had to guess, they hadn't been soldiers very long, and had probably been conscripted by Rhea from the refugees who saved Daxam's destruction. They relied too much on their staff weapons, and they were unused to their enhanced-strength. Oliver wasn't having many problems taking them down in hand to hand, despite the yellow sunlight strengthening them.
Between the four of them, they managed to halt the Daxamite advance, and with over thirty goons down, the remaining soldiers retreated, beaming back up to the mothership as it passed overhead. A squadron of air force planes strafed the Daxamite bombers, forcing them onto the defensive, but the human weapons couldn't even scratch the mothership.
Barry skidded to a halt beside her, giving her a quick kiss at superspeed.
"I'll explain later."
He just nodded, and Kara stared down the now empty street towards the Daily Planet building, marked by the golden globe at its peak.
"Supergirl?! Where's Superman!?" A woman exclaimed, pushing past Oliver as he guided the last people down into the Subway. She was a petite thing, slightly shorter than Kara was, with shoulder-length black hair wearing a pencil skirt, thigh-high boots and a black jacket.
"Who are you?"
"Lois Lane. Daily Planet. Where's your cousin?" Lois. Clark's girlfriend. James knew about Clark and Kara's identities. Did Lois?
Barry flashed away. "I don't know Miss Lane."
Her face fell.
"Supergirl," Oliver said, moving to her side. "I thought I said to get underground Miss Lane."
"And I said to you, only when hell freezes over." Hal landed beside them, rolling his eyes.
"This is your fault," Hal said pointedly behind his green mask, "That means you get to write the incident report and send it to the Guardians. This time I'm completely blame-free."
"We need to rendezvous with Sara," Oliver said, "she went to the Daily Planet building to contact the outside."
"Okay."
Hal turned down his light, and they began running towards the Daily Planet building. Overhead, Rhea's smug face appeared as a hologram, declaring the city to be hers. Kara tunned her out. She couldn't think about Mon and Lena right now.
Barry caught up to them as they reached the building and moved towards the elevators.
"All the people are taking shelter underground or in buildings. The Daxamites are spread pretty thin – I took out five or so patrols. Most of them seem to be concentrated around Metropolis University. I counted a couple hundred-thousand people holed up inside. The National Guard is moving up the interstate, and more planes are pouring past the blockade from Andrews Airforce Base by the second. They're keeping the Daxamite ships busy. They have better armour, but they can't bank worth a damn, and our guys are flying rings around them."
They exited the elevators, arriving in the Daily Planet bullpen. The room was full to the brim with movement, though no lights had been turned on. People rushing between work stations, writing memos and documenting things they'd seen. And on the five televisions hanging from the roof, were the heads of the five UN Security Council countries. Standing before them all was Sara Lance, tablet in hand, barking orders to interns and tenure reporters alike.
President Marsden, who was in the Situation Room, immediately looked up as the heroes walked in.
"Supergirl. Good timing."
"The Green Arrow," Mr Putin stated, a translated voice coming through the television screen. "I have been learning some very interesting things about you in the past half an hour, Bratva Captain."
Oliver flinched.
"Ex-Bratva captain."
"This is not the time," President Xi's interpreter translated from Mandarin, "According to this ARGUS report I'm reading, the 'Green Arrow' has stopped two global wars by this point."
"Damn it Lyla," Oliver growled under his breath.
"I'm far more interesting in learning about this supposed superhuman black-ops organisation. ARGUS," Theresa May stated firmly.
"I can't believe I'm agreeing with Xi, but this isn't the time," President Macron pointed out, "We all saw the alien woman's message."
"Her name is Rhea," Kara said, stepping up to Sara. "She's the former queen of the planet Daxam. After her planet was devastated by the destruction of Krypton, she murdered her husband the king and came here."
"Vengeance?" Putin asked.
"Probably," Kara admitted, "though its more that her son, Mon El, crashed here in an escape pod last year, and she tracked him."
"Is there any way to destroy these invaders?"
"Conventional weaponry seems to be working well for now," Oliver said, "bullets and arrows work against them." He then repeated Barry's previous assessment of the Airforce's efforts.
"Could a nuke destroy the mothership?" President Marsden asked.
"I very much doubt it," Sara said, "the Waverider could withstand a nuclear blast."
"No. Odds are, a nuclear attack wouldn't do anything," Hal agreed, "I analysed the Daxamite technology, and while it's relatively primitive by galactic standards, the shield surrounding the mothership is Apokoliptian in design. You'd need a Boom Tube to get past that. And good luck getting one of those.
"A Boom Tube?" Lois asked, perking up from behind them. Everyone turned towards her.
"Superman… He fought this guy called Darkseid a few years ago. He had Boom Tubes. Superman took me to his Fortress of Solitude earlier this year… for a piece. He has a Phantom Projector there. Would that work?"
Kara snapped her fingers, though everyone else looked confused. She turned to Hal, who was already stroking his chin.
"The Phantom Projector can open gateways into other dimensions. It's the same basic principle as a Boom Tube. Would that work?"
"It might, but I wouldn't know how to reprogram it."
"Ray and Cisco could," Barry said eagerly. "Alternate dimensions is kind of our thing. If anyone can do it, Cisco can."
"Good," Sara said, typing rapidly on her tablet, "Kara go find Cisco and Ray, take them up to the Fortress and see if you can get that thing working. If you do, disable the shields, get your people off that ship and find Superman then get yourself clear."
"Flash," President Marsden asked, "how fast can you get to New York City?"
"Fast, why?"
"Because Cat Grant was due to address the United Nations General Assembly in two days. We just moved up her schedule, and she's about to give a joint response to our new supposed overlord from the floor of the UN. She could use some superpowered protection."
Barry grinned.
"Right away Madame President, and uhm, other leader peoples."
"Take me with you," Lois said, grabbing Barry's shoulder. "I can do more there than I can here." Oh yeah. She definitely knew who Clark was. Barry nodded, lifted Lois into his arms and vanishing in a burst of lightning.
"Mr Queen, Miss Lance. You have another mission."
Barry skidded to a halt in the centre of the Assembly Chamber of the United Nations. He'd dropped Lois off in the woman's restroom so she could change out of her clothes, which had predictably caught on fire. Several Ambassadors had already taken their seats, and dozens of other guards and assistants were rushing about the space, preparing for the impromptu address. He was noticed, but everyone was so busy they didn't have time to pay him more than a passing glance of recognition. He went searching for Miss Grant and found her in a preparation room behind the main hall. She didn't even look up from her notes as he appeared.
"Ah, Mr Allen. I had wondered if Olivia would send someone to protect me from the Predators, or whatever this latest batch of aliens are called. Honestly, they all seem to blur together at this point."
Barry froze. She knew his name.
"Oh, relax Mr Allen. Do you honestly think I would expose you to the world?" No. He didn't really. Still, he was generally pretty good with his identity. Far better than Oliver was at least.
"Even if you weren't dating my former protegee, I'm not in the business of putting peoples loved ones in harm's way. Rest assured your secret is safe with me."
The door opened again, and Lois walked in, wearing a UN sweatshirt.
"Hi Cat." This time Miss Grant did look up.
"Ah. Lois. How good to see you."
Lois rolled her eyes. "I'm sure." She walked over to Cat and sat down on the bench beside her. Cat stared at Lois as if she was some predator come to take a bite out of her, then sighed and handed over the notes.
"I didn't have a lot of time, but I put together what Olivia and the others asked. It isn't as flowery as I'd like…"
"No, it's good. Really good. Well done Cat. You just need to tighten up here, maybe omit…"
"I wasn't sure about that myself. It seems a bit cliché, but I think we probably need a bit of normalcy given the climate…"
They continued like that, using Miss Grant's red pen to make annotations. The speech appeared to have been hastily written on a notebook similar to the type Barry had used for notes at University. Cat must have borrowed it from an assistant.
Several minutes later, an aid poked her head in and signalled.
"The Assembly is ready for you Miss Grant."
Cat swallowed, and Lois patted her on the back. Then, the three stepped out of the room, and Cat walked up to the lectern that had been prepared for her. Gone was the nervous Cat. The woman standing before the camera right now was the Queen of all Media.
"Good evening Planet Earth, it's Cat Grant. Yes, I've been away for a while, but I'm back. And what a time to do it.
Metropolis is currently under siege by an alien terrorist group called the Daxamites. Admittedly it's not the first time Metropolis has dealt with something like this, and I can imagine that many of you sitting out there watching the news for any scrap of information you can get, are feeling afraid and like your world is spinning out of control. But, believe me, you have power and right now you have a job to do.
I don't know if the people in Metropolis can hear us, but that we can help them all the same. The military might of the world has been turned towards this conflict. I have been asked to address the world tonight not as an American, but as a Media conglomerate who is considered trustworthy by both sides of politics, and by countries across the world. I have just come from a meeting with the Presidents of the United States, France, the Russian Federation, the Peoples Republic of China and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. All are dedicated to fighting back this threat before it expands, and I have been given a message from them to speak for the people of Earth from this place, the symbol of cooperation and unity.
Resist. Resist these invaders with everything you've got. They come with empty promises and closed fists. They promise to make our world great again and yet they know nothing about the people that make this world great. They think they can con us, and if that doesn't work, what, they're going to beat us into submission? They have no idea what they're up against. Aliens and humans, we need to band together and we need to stand up and fight back. The Justice League, a team of the world's greatest superheroes, are on the ground in Metropolis as we speak. But tonight, everyone needs to be a superhero. Everyone needs to get up and say: Not in my house. Let's prove to these thugs that we're strong and we're united and we're not going to be conquered.
Finally, I would like to speak directly to the person who's decided she's our new empress. Let me just give you a little bit of friendly advice, Rhea. If you and your minions happen to be listening, you've come to the wrong town. Oh, and that tiara that you have on the top of your head? It's overkill. Real royals, they don't need to try that hard. Yeah, I'm Cat Grant, this is planet Earth, and we're not going anywhere."
Oliver, Sara and Alex Danvers snuck into an alley opposite the Daxamite perimeter of Metropolis University.
"Why the hell did they build an anti-alien space gun in a University?" Oliver hissed.
"Because it was cheaper," Alex replied, as if that were obvious.
"I'm just glad we have an anti-alien space gun," Sara noted.
Kara had picked up Alex, Cisco and Ray as they approached Metropolis. She'd dropped Alex, Caitlin, Winn and James inside the city with directions to rendezvous with the others at the Daily Planet, before taking Cisco and Ray to the Fortress of Solitude. They'd arrived just as Oliver and Sara were planning to leave. Now Caitlin and Winn were running the makeshift command centre with Perry White, while watching over a comatose J'onn J'onzz. James – in his Guardian persona, which Oliver did not find amusing – was protecting them while Hal prepared a big ass distraction. Which should be starting….
An explosion of fireworks lit up the sky, revealing Hal hovering above the Daxamite forces, including two ships that had landed atop buildings.
"Daxamites! By the authority of the Green Lantern Corps, you are hereby ordered to leave this planet immediately." They started shooting at him instantly.
"It was worth a try," he grumbled, before creating two giant construct frying pans and smashing them into people.
Alex followed the Green Arrow and Black Canary over the fence, wondering why she didn't get a cool code-name. She was just as badass as these people. She deserved a codename. Maybe she should ask that Cisco guy to make one for her…
They moved forward, crossing across an illuminated courtyard by moving with the shadows the ships and the moving trees cast across the stones. She had to admit, the two vigilantes were very good at it. Better than she was.
They cleared the courtyard and made their way into a tall rectangular building with white panel walls. Apparently, it was called 'the Fridge' by the students, though it was actually the physics and astronomy department headquarters. She preferred the Fridge if she was honest.
They climbed several flights of stairs, avoiding the light coming from beneath numerous doors as people hid behind them, eventually reaching an unmarked door two levels below the roof.
Sara punched in the code the President had told her, and the simple wooden door retracted into the wall, revealing another door, this time solid steel. Another code opened this door, and Alex, Oliver and Sara stepped into a small observatory type room, shaped like a hemisphere. Only, where the telescope should be, was a giant canon, and fuel cells lined the walls in giant cylindrical canisters.
Alex rushed to the weapons control console and began the initiation protocols, while Oliver tapped his Legion Ring.
"Arrow to Supergirl. We're in position. What's your status?"
"Ray and Cisco have Mon-El and Lena, Rhea was trying to make them marry each other. Yuk."
"Kara, focus."
"The shields are down, but I don't know for how long. I'm still searching for ahhh!"
"Kara!" Sara and Alex both exclaimed, but Oliver's ring was silent.
"Damn it!"
Sara swallowed.
"Prepare to fire."
"What?!" Alex demanded.
"DO IT!"
"No. I won't fire while Kara is still up there."
"What would Kara want you to do Alex?" Oliver said quietly. Alex froze. There was no question. Kara would want her to fire.
With a shaky hand, she pressed the firing button.
The observatory roof retracted and the canon up into the night. A low whinnying sound echoed through the room as it powered on, the machine slowly glowing with a gold colour as the fuel tanks began to rumble.
A Daxamite ship banked hard, flying straight for them. Two fighter jets peeled away from their formation, chasing the ship, and firing missiles. They would be too late.
"Crap!"
A girl with green skin, wearing black and red armour of a similar style to J'onn's materialised beside Oliver, who cried out, instantly targeting her with an arrow.
The Martian ignored him. She jumped into the sky as the Daxamite ship dodged the missiles and targeted the canon. She screamed, flying straight for the cockpit. She phased through the window, and the ship jerked off course, two energy bolts flying harmlessly into the sky. The two fighter jets took second shots, and this time hit their target. The ship exploded, and Alex just caught sight of a figure flying free of the debris. A Green Martian. Here? J'onn wasn't alone.
The positron cannon fired.
A bolt of golden energy shot into the sky at a terrible speed, heading straight for the Mothership. The bolt ripped through the ship, and the engines exploded with a "BOOM!" that shook the very air.
"We did it!" Sara exclaimed.
Then the mothership started keening towards the city as it fell out of the sky.
SUPERGIRL: S2EP23 – NEVERTHELESS, SHE PERSISTED (MAY 2017)
"Arrow to Supergirl. We're in position. What's your status?"
"Ray and Cisco have Mon-El and Lena, Rhea was trying to make them marry each other. Yuk," Kara replied as she walked through the corridor leading to the bridge of the Daxamite ship.
"Surrender now Rhea. Leave Earth. You've lost," Kara announced, punching one of Rhea's guards through the nearby window. She stalked into the middle of the bridge of the Daxamite ship. Rhea was sitting on her throne in a gown, tiara glittering on her head.
"Oh, Supergirl? You really think I've lost?" Rhea stood up from her throne and grinned. Kara froze, now not so sure of herself.
"Kara, focus."
"Your prisoners are gone, and we're about to blow up your ship," Kara said, "So I'd say yes. You have." She lifted her Legion Ring, then winked at the false queen.
"The shields are down, but I don't know for how long. I'm still searching for…" A fist slammed into her side, sending her flying across the room as she screamed. She blinked away the haze that tried to creep up on her, and her jaw fell open.
"Superman?" It was Clark in his Superman suit, but his eyes… his eyes had turned silver.
"This is my planet," Clark said. His voice was normal, full of passion. "These are my people Zod, and I will not let you harm them!" he picked her up and threw her across the room again.
"What did you do to him?" Kara demanded of Rhea, coughing as her chest burned.
I once told you that my planet was riddled with the corpse of yours. But not only Green Kryptonite rained down from the skies. There are so many more ways to harm your kind than to simply weaken you. Silver Kryptonite. Your cousin is so much like you. Reckless, stupid. Barrelling headfirst into danger. I couldn't have set a better trap if I tried," Rhea said, eyes gleaming.
"Kal it's me, Kara!" She exclaimed, ducking under his arm as he swung. She rolled across the room, coming to a stop near the broken window.
"You're his mortal enemy, Supergirl. The person he fears most. He won't trust anything you…"
The entire ship shook as something slammed into them. Kara and Clark were thrown out the broken window, and as Clark grabbed Kara by the throat, she caught sight of the positron canon cut through the Daxamite ship like a knife through butter. Then he was slamming her into the cement.
"This time you die Zod!" Clark yelled, eyes burning. Kara tried to suck in a breath, but his grip was too strong.
"Please," she wheezed.
He fired his heat-vision, and Kara met it with her own. They stood there, him leaning over her, beams of heat inches from her face, and she thought for one horrible moment, of Clark's face when he came to. What would he do if he realised he'd killed his own cousin?
Barry slammed into Clark, knocking him aside. Kara took a deep breath, heat vision fading as she heaved. She forced herself up to her knees, and her jaw fell open. Barry was moving around Clark at superspeed, trying desperately to stay one step ahead of him. It wasn't easy. Clark was moving almost as fast as Barry was, but the Flash had the benefit of his Speedforce aura. When Kara or Clark used their superspeed, they were still affecting the world around them the same way they normally would. They still faced wind resistance and gravity. Barry didn't have such restrictions, allowing his reflexes to stay just one step ahead of Superman's. And a good thing to, because one hit from Clark in his frenzied state, and Barry could very well die.
Kara screamed, then threw herself to her feet, shooting towards Clark. She grabbed his cape and slung him over her shoulder and into the sky.
She couldn't spare a moment to check on Barry. She chased Clark into the sky, punching him in the chest, wincing in her mind. He shot backwards crashing into a building. She followed, punching him through the floor. They fell two levels before Clark grabbed her arm and hurled her into an elevator door, then blasted her with heat vision. She smashed through the door, falling down the elevator shaft. She righted herself, flying back up as Clark jumped into the shaft to follow her. She punched him and he went flying through the roof.
Kara soared after him, catching up just in time for Barry to run up the side of the building, punching Clark with an electricity-powered punch. He flew off the building, groaning in pain, and Kara and Barry chased after him. In the sky above them, Hal had created a giant construct swimming pool to contain the mothership as it fell, catching the debris. He was trying to drag the wreckage out over the bay, but the heat and size of the construct were causing it to melt in places, dropping pieces of metal to the city below.
Kara chased Clark into Centennial Park. He crashed into a fountain, demolishing it, then slammed headfirst into the pavement. Kara jumped on him, wrapping an arm around his throat and hooking a leg around his waist.
"Clark please listen to me!" she screamed.
"NO! I won't let you tear this planet apart. Not again!"
Clark slammed his head into hers, and they both screamed at the pain. She collapsed backwards, then Barry was there. He threw a lightning bolt at Clark, then charged forward to follow through. Only, the lightning didn't affect Clark, so when Barry swung forward with his fist, Superman caught it, then punched Barry in the ribs.
"Flash!" Kara cried as Barry flew backwards, slamming into a tree. He fell to the ground and didn't move. Kara lanced forward, fist colliding with Clark's jaw, and he flipped backwards under the force of it.
"Clark!"
Both Clark and Kara snapped towards the voice. Lois stood at the edge of the park, Cat and James a few paces behind her.
"Lois?" Clark whispered, blinking.
A green-tipped arrow shot out of the darkness, impaling Clark in the left shoulder. He cried out in pain, falling to his knees as another arrow slammed into his leg. Kara jumped on Clark's back, and grabbed his head, thanking Cisco for the Kryptonite blockers in her suit. Then she smashed his head into the ground, and, finally, he didn't rise.
Kara stumbled backwards, collapsing to her knees, breath coming in soft wheezes. She wanted to sag to the ground. Wanted desperately to fall to sleep. Every part of her body ached. Her head was throbbing, and several of her ribs were assuredly bruised.
She did none of that. Instead, as Oliver and Lois raced forward and yanked the Kryptonite arrows she had given him out of Clark's chest, she flew to Barry's side as Sara reached him. He was breathing, barely, but he was alive. His face was covered in blood, and his chest was a purple mess, his suit crushed. But he was alive. A breach pulsed into existence beside them, and Cisco and Caitlin rushed out, kneeling at their friends' side.
Kara let out another shaky breath and allowed herself to fall. Cat and James caught her, then everything went dark.
Alex knocked on a dorm room door in Metropolis University. The second it opened, revealing a young woman with dark skin and short black hair, she slammed it in her face.
"Please, I just need to talk to you," Alex begged, "My friend is dying, and you're the only person who can save him."
The hallway was silent.
"Why me?" a voice asked from beyond the door.
"Because he's the last son of Mars. At least, he thinks he is, but we both know that isn't true." The door cracked open slightly, revealing a single eye.
"There's another Green Martian? Here?" she asked softly.
"His name is J'onn J'onzz, and he's been trapped in a mental prison by a White Martian weapon. We don't know how to save him, but you might." The girl disappeared behind the door. Then, a few seconds later, it opened all the way revealing a messy apartment and a girl maybe twenty years old inside, pulling on a jacket and grabbing a purse.
"Let's go." She exited the room, and Alex led her away.
"You read my mind didn't you," Alex realised.
"Yep," she said, without even a hint of a blush or acknowledgement of the rudeness of the action.
"I'm Megan… M'gann."
"Alex Danvers."
Kara awoke slowly, and her head was still killing her.
"Hey, you okay?" a soft voice asked. Kara blinked, sitting up despite the headache. It was day time. Her eyes eventually came back into focus, revealing Caitlin standing beside her in a lab coat.
"Barry, is he…"
"I'm fine," Barry said, appearing beside Caitlin and grabbing Kara's hand. She let out a soft sigh of relief.
"He heals a lot faster than you," Caitlin said, laughing.
She sat up rubbing her temples.
"What about Clark?"
"He was still out of it last time I checked, but he should be up any minute now." Kara smiled, then something exploded in the room outside.
"What was that?" Caitlin and Barry both winced. Kara jumped off the bed and pushed past them.
Winn, Cisco, Lena and Ray Palmer were huddled around a desk, each wearing a coat and goggles, fiddling with a small cube-shaped device. A device she recognised.
"Is that the…"
"The machine Lex Luthor designed to irradiate the atmosphere with Kryptonite to kill me? Yes. Yes, it is," Clark stated, hobbling over to her, using Lois for support. He was holding his chest, where a compression bandage had been wrapped.
"Should you be up?" she admonished.
"No," Lois stated flatly.
"Would it stop you?" he asked.
"No," she admitted, before pulling him into a gentle hug. She released him, and Clark caught sight of Barry, now back in his mask.
"For what it's worth Flash, I'm sorry for punching you."
"Not your fault," Barry said, waving him off.
"Also, I'd just like to say that Kara couldn't do much better in a boyfriend."
Kara snorted and rolled her eyes. Barry started stammering a little. She glanced at him warmly and he blushed beneath his mask. Barry spent as many nights in her apartment in National City as he did in STAR Labs these days. They'd talked about the next step. About getting married properly this time. Barry had asked to wait until Godspeed was dealt with, and, now this. Once Rhea had been sent packing, they needed to sit down and have a conversation about how they were going to approach the future.
"As fluffy and sappy as this all is," Cat said, walking in six-inch heals down the hall, "Perhaps it could wait until the alien invasion is dealt with?"
THE PRESENT…
"The Justice League huh," J'onn said, nodding slowly.
"I like it," Sara said, beaming.
"Oh yeah. Super badass," Ray agreed, grinning like an idiot.
"So everything else happened the same way?" J'onn asked.
"Sort of," Alex said, "M'gann freed you from the mental prison. Rhea, who survived the fall, challenged Kara to Dakkam Ur. She cheated with Kryptonite while her remaining soldiers attacked the Daily Planet. The 'Justice League' fought them off. Kara detonated the Lead Bomb, and the few remaining Daxamite ships – there weren't very many by this point believe me – fled into space. Any left on the ground were rounded up by Hal and the Green Lantern Corps and taken to the science-cells on Oa."
"And Mon-El?"
"The Legion," Cisco and Ray said in tandem.
"Long story," Alex said, "Basic version is Kara used her Legion Ring to send him into the future."
Barry and Kara weren't really listening. They had scooted apart as Cisco recounted what alternate them had told him of their time in the Music Meister's hallucination, and both of them had yet to get rid of the crimson in their cheeks.
Married? She had been married to Barry in the Duet dream. Their alternate selves had lived together as husband and wife for months. That was even weirder than the original version! Though, she couldn't admit, watching him sit there with his red face, trying desperately hard not to look at her, that he was kind of cute. She remembered their first meeting, way back when. She had thought he was cute then too. Charming, funny. A superhero. The type of person that could really understand what it was like to be her. But she'd quashed those feelings. She was still hung up on James at the time, and he'd needed to go home. Back to his Earth. She wondered how meeting Barry before James might have changed her. How knowing about Barry being the Flash had influenced her feelings. Had this alternate history Kara had a relationship with Barry that no one had brought up yet. It made sense that they'd worked together more, being on the same Earth and all.
She also couldn't deny that she still felt… safer… warmer maybe, being in his presence. She wasn't sure when it had started, but she'd definitely felt it since she'd awoken on Cisco's Earth-Prime.
She yawned, blinking away the tiredness in her eyes.
"Maybe that's enough for this evening?" John suggested. The group agreed, and they made promises to meet up again tomorrow. They separated, Sara and Ray heading towards the doors – no doubt the Waverider was parked outside. Cisco opened a Breach for John, then travelled through one himself. Alex headed for her motorbike and J'onn… J'onn made his way towards M'gann, nodding slightly to Barry and Kara.
"Kara," Barry said hesitantly, "I… Thank you. For everything. For the talk about Iris… for being there for this version of me. Hearing about how we worked together here, to be honest, I really wish I remembered this world instead of our own. It still has just as many challenges. As many tribulations… but… well, it's easier to face your fears when you have your friends beside you."
"Your superfriends Barry," Kara said, winking at him. He laughed.
"Yeah. Superfriends indeed." He pulled her into a hug. Then, rather brazenly, kissed her on the cheek. Then he was gone.
Kara smiled softly to herself, fingers hovering over the place he'd kissed her. Then she skipped out of the bar and into the parking lot, before shooting into the sky and flying back to her loft. She flew in through the open window, frowning, as she didn't think she'd left the lights on.
She landed and started to head to her bedroom to get changed.
"Mom!" A girl about seven years old with shoulder-length wavy blonde hair was kneeling backwards on the couch, peering over the lip at Kara with sparkling blue eyes. The TV was on behind her, playing a kids show of some sort.
Kara froze. Mom. The girl jumped up from the couch, reaching for something on the coffee table. A workbook, like the ones Kara used to use at school. The girl bounded up to Kara, a brilliant smile on her face, and handed the book to Kara.
"I finished all my homework! I did most of it at school today because Mrs Meadows was out sick again and we had a substitute teacher who wasn't very interesting. He spent most of his time on his phone and he was thinking about football for most of the day but at one point I couldn't really understand him for a bit because there was a lot of fighting and yelling and groaning involved and I think he was watching a video on his phone so I just ignored it like you taught me to ignore it and it worked really good…" the girl continued talking about her day, but Kara could only stare at the name on the workbook cover.
This book is the property of Ellie Allen.
Mwahahahahahaha! See you soon!