Hello lovely reviewers! Here's an update for you all :) I hope you all are doing well!
As always, let me know what you think of the chapter & direction of the story!
Disclaimer: I do not own Supergirl.
"Okay Kara, I'm so sorry but this is going to hurt…" Alex's hand trembled every so slightly as she turned over the wide knife that was heating on the stove.
Although sparsely furnished, the cabin was like a treasure trove of resources compared to wandering around in the woods. Unfortunately, there was no sewing kit, which meant that Alex had to go for cauterization rather than stitches, despite the higher risk of infection. But they had to get the branch out and they had to stop the bleeding that was sure to happen as soon as they removed it.
"Just… just do it," Kara breathed, gripping the sides of the chair Alex has set her on, her leg propped up on another chair.
"Hold onto something, bite down on the towel, and take a deep breath." Alex followed her own advice as she positioned the knife where she could easily reach it to cauterize the wound then grabbed the end of the branch jutting out of Kara's leg. "Ready? Here we go…"
Kara jerked, her face taut with pain as she threw her head back in an attempt to manage the pain.
"Breath Kara, breath…" Alex finally got the stick all the way out.
Kara's cry of pain was stifled, the Kryptonian clearly trying not to loose control.
Alex was trying to do the same. God there was blood everywhere. The clot that had formed around the wound was gone and crimson spilled over her hands, onto the floor...
"Hold on, almost there, just hold on…" Alex didn't know who she was really trying to reassure: Kara or herself.
"Alex…." Kara groaned, breaths coming in shallow gasps.
"Hold on, love, hold on…" Alex was practically pleading with Kara as she worked on cauterizing the first side of the wound. "I know this hurts but we're almost done…"
"Do it!" Kara gasped, holding onto the sides of the hair so tightly her knuckles were white and the wood of the chair creaked.
"Here we go, other side…"
Alex didn't even know how Kara was conscious. Yet the Kryptonian just sat pale and trembling in the chair, eyes squeezed tightly shut but tears still sneaking down her face.
"Last part, okay? After this we're done." Alex grabbed the bottle of whiskey she had found on the cabinet and poured it liberally over Kara's leg.
Again, the girl jerked violently, agonized gasp squeezed from her lungs.
"You did so great, you were amazing," Alex kissed Kara's forehead before wrapping her leg with torn fabric. "It's done now, Kara. Are you still with me?"
Bloodshot blue eyes opened slowly, bright with tears and pain. "I'm here," Kara breathed, clearly fading fast. "We… we need to treat you now…" Somehow she sat up, fierce determination creasing her expression.
"Kara, I'm fine…"
"I… I will not let you…" Kara was barely hanging onto consciousness. "I will not let you sacrifice…"
"It's okay. Let's get you to the bed and you can finally rest," Alex soothed her, moving forward to help the Kryptonian across the tiny cabin to the bed.
"No!" Somehow Kara had the strength to push Alex away, even as she clearly was struggling to stay awake. "You gotta stop pretending… I won't… rest…" Her head lolled for a moment before snapping back up. "Not until we... we… help you…" The Krytponian was literally falling asleep as she spoke.
"Kara, you can't help me right now…"
Kara opened her mouth to protest but Alex quickly finished her sentence. "… but if I promise I'll treat my should while you sleep, will you finally get some rest?" Alex relented, unable to watch Kara struggle.
"You gotta promise," Kara slurred, weak hold on consciousness rapidly slipping away. "I'll… I'll help soon… You promise you'll do it?"
Alex got Kara's arm over her shoulders, moving the younger woman across the room.
"I promise," Alex helped settle Kara on the bed, stuffing a ratty pillow under the Kryptonian's leg to elevate the wound.
"Say it. Say what you're promising." Kara stubbornly grabbed Alex's hand.
"I promise that while you sleep, I will treat my shoulder."
"Good." A sleepy smile spread across Kara's face. "I'm gonna help once I can, I will,.."
"I know you will." Alex smoothed Kara's hair, sweeping the stray hairs out of her face. "Rest now, okay?"
Kara was asleep before Alex even finished saying the words.
"Alex…" A familiar voice pierced Alex's consciousness.
The agent stirred slightly, not willing to let go of the blissful peace of sleep quite yet.
"Alex!" This time the voice was more forceful, commanding.
"Kara?" Alex pried her eyes open then jerked into a sitting position at what she found.
She was back at the DEO, Alex on her favorite break room couch where she always took naps. J'onn stood before her, arms crossed and human face creasing with concerned look.
"Holy shit, what…" Alex jumped to her feet and was confused by the lack of pain. She looked down at her shoulder and found no sign of injury. In fact, she didn't see any of the scratches or bruises that should have been scattered across her skin. "How did I get here?" Then a more important thought struck, accompanied by panic. "Where is Kara?"
"Alex, you aren't here," J'onn reached to touch her shoulder but Alex jerked away.
"Where is Kara, J'onn? Where is she?!"
"Alex, calm down…"
"Don't you dare tell me to calm down, I need to know where Kara is this instance or I swear to god, I will tear apart…"
"This is a dream, Alex!"
Alex froze. "What?"
"This is a dream." J'onn stepped closer and this time Alex let him approach. His dark eyes were crinkled with a mixture of concern and relief. "I've been trying so hard to find you, Alex, you have no idea. Wherever you are, it's far. This is the first contact I've been able to make."
"This is a dream?" Alex stared at him. "It feels so real…"
"I know. It's because it's not a normal dream, I'm creating it from a shared memory. It's the easiest way to get access to your consciousness." J'onn sat down on the couch, motioning for Alex to join him.
"I don't even remember falling asleep, I was keeping watch…" Alex ran her hand through her hair as she slowly sat beside the Martian, trying to wrap her mind around it all. "I was just taking a break after taking inventory of the cabin… I'm supposed to be looking out for danger, I shouldn't have fallen asleep…"
"It's a good thing you did though, it makes you easier to find. Your consciousness, I mean. The unconscious mind puts up less barriers." J'onn's shook his head slightly, expression shifting to the down-to-business one that Alex was very familiar with. "Alex, where are you? We've looked everywhere and had zero luck find you or CADMUS."
Alex let herself sink back into the ratty couch, nearly choking on her disappointment. She really had been hoping that the DEO was just around the corner, ready to pick them up but clearly it was still going to be a long haul. "I don't know where we are."
J'onn's face reflected the same disappointment and worry that Alex was feeling. "You don't know?" His voice was taut, obviously trying to mask the tiny edge of panic in his voice.
"We broke out of the CADMUS facility and now we're somewhere in the woods, that's all I know. I don't even know what country we're in, J'onn. But we help, fast..."
"Are you hurt? And who is we?"
"I'm not hurt. Just a shoulder through and through and some scrapes and bruises, nothing serious. But I'm with an alien, Kara, and she's really hurt. CADMUS is combing the woods we're in and it's only a matter of time…" Now Alex was fighting to keep it together. "J'onn, they've been experimenting on Kara for god knows how long and they'll keep doing it… I have to get her out of here, if you knew the things she's been through…"
"Alex." J'onn gripped her shoulders, staring intensely at her. "We'll find you, both of you, and get you out of there. I need you to tell me everything you can about your surroundings."
"I can't…" The fear and hopelessness that Alex had been holding at bay for so long was suddenly overwhelming. The DEO didn't know where they were. Help wasn't coming. She had failed Kara…
"Agent Danvers!" J'onn's sharp voice cut through her panic, and Alex automatically snapped to attention. "Agent Danvers, I need a status and field report, ASAP."
Alex's brain jumped into work-mode, jammed cogs slowly beginning to spin again. An order was exactly what she needed in that moment; an order she knew what to do with.
"Uh…" She closed her eyes briefly. "The CADMUS facility had no real defining features, no windows... the guards spoke English with American accents so either CADMUS is importing their own staff or we're still in America. When we broke out, there didn't seem to be any civilization near, although it all went to fast. We landed in the woods, I don't know how far from the facility…"
"Wait." J'onn stopped her. "Landed?"
"Oh." Alex realized she had left out a key detail. "Kara, the alien I'm with, she's a Kryptonian. She flew us out."
J'onn's dark eyes widened, "She's a Kryptonian. Like Superman." It was both a statement and a question. "There are more?"
"Yes." Alex nodded. "Story for later. We could have gotten anywhere from a couple miles to a couple hundred miles from the CADMUS facility. I think that's the only reason they haven't found us yet – they don't know how far we got before crashing and they have a lot of ground to cover."
Unfortunately the same reasons it would be hard for CADMUS to find them were the same reasons the DEO would struggle as well. And CADMUS had a very significant head start.
"And the Kryptonian's abilities?"
Alex stiffened slightly. "Kara. Her name is Kara." She was suddenly defensive, hands automatically curling into fists even though she wasn't sure why.
"I'm sorry. Does Kara have the same abilities as Superman?" J'onn quickly corrected himself, hands held up in a placating motion and Alex forced herself to relax. This was J'onn, not a CADMUS scientist.
"She does but she can't use them right now. She's…" Alex searched for the words. "…burnt out, is how she described it. She's not healing, can't fly…"
"Solar flare," J'onn rubbed his chin. "Superman gets them."
Alex really didn't care what it was called, only how to get it to stop so Kara could heal. "How do we reverse it?"
J'onn shook his head. "I don't know. Superman is not exactly on good enough terms with the DEO to be revealing secrets about Kryptonian physiology. We can try to contact him but I don't expect a reply. So on your location, do you have any more details? What about the trees, the weather…"
"It's been raining, probably around 60 degrees, mostly evergreen trees. The forest is huge, I climbed a tree to find any sign of civilization and there's nothing but trees. We did find a cabin but it seems isolated; there are some trails leading from it but no roads as far as I can tell, just hiking paths. I haven't had a chance to thoroughly check it out because I can't leave Kara."
"Anything in the cabin that gives an idea of where you are?"
Alex shook her head. "It's really sparse. I think it's a backup or hideaway to wherever the owner actually lived. Everything with words is in English though but that still could be so many places..."
"Come on Alex, there has to be something more."
"We…" Alex squeezed her eyes shut. "We saw a blue jay..."
"North America then."
God, she was so tired. Even though she was technically in a dream and asleep, Alex could feel exhaustion and pain begin seeping back into her being. The break room seemed to reflect her exhaustion, patches of the wall peeling away to reveal nothingness.
"J'onn… I think the room is falling apart…" Alex stared. "Is that supposed to happen?"
"It's all in your mind, Alex. Focus." J'onn grabbed her shoulders. "I know you're tired and hurt but you need to keep this dream together a little longer. I still don't know how to find you. Can you at least show me an image of where you are?" His desperation was blending with hers and the first image that popped into Alex's head was that of Kara, bloodstained, unconscious… and suddenly the Kryptonian was in the room with them.
"Kara!" Alex rushed forward, somehow propelling herself off the couch with renewed energy and confusion. "What…"
"Alex." J'onn caught her had as she hurried to check Kara's pulse. "She's not really here, you're just showing me an image that you have stored in your mind."
Alex frowned, biting her lip as Kara's form slowly faded away. "I have to get back to her, J'onn."
"I know. I can feel it." J'onn slowly sat on the ground next to her, now in his Martian form. "And I can feel how tired you are."
They sat for a moment, exhaustion and hopelessness pressing tightly.
"I thought you were dead." Alex said finally even though she knew it really wasn't the time to discuss that.
"I nearly was." J'onn's deep red eyes softened. "But I couldn't go yet, I still have some things to do and promises to keep." He took her hand. "I'm going to find you and Kara, Alex. I won't give up."
"Wait." Alex looked up, struck by a sudden idea. "If I show you someone, can you find him?" Even as she spoke the words, the room rippled slightly and Alex found the form of the dead cabin-owner before them, his glassy eyes still staring forever upward. "He didn't have any ID on him but if you find him, you'll find us."
J'onn reached forward, green hands hovering over the man's body for a moment before the image suddenly dissipated, dust-like flecks of light converging into a ball that came to rest in J'onn's palm. "I need to borrow this memory," he explained. "I will return it when I find you."
"Keep it." Alex's breathing was coming more heavily and as she looked down, she saw the bullet wound had reappeared. "I think our time's up." The room was beginning to crumble completely. "Just find us," Alex managed to breathe out before falling into the nothingness around her.
I love writing J'onn's telepathic interactions. There's just so much to play with there!
Leave a review letting me know what you think or just say hello :)
Until next time!
~silverliningineachcloud