She was silent, in the middle of the smoking street. The energy from Jo's body glittered amongst the dark and damaged tarmac.
"I'm scared, Spark," Jo said, the strange amplification of her voice croaked with the words.
"I know. Rest now, I'll make sure you're looked after" Optic said. He pulled his hand away. His skin was blistered and charred from holding her hand.
Supergirl was still sat there, she tried to process everything that had just happened. Another loss of control was weighing on her. All she could bring herself to do was watch Optic calm down her former opponent. Memories of similar scenes of her own with Lena jumbled together in a scrambled mess. To her side she could see Sam lifting herself up and limping back toward the scene. She appeared to be injured and had some makeshift bandages covering both her shoulders.
"Is she okay?" Sam said, bending down to Optic's level.
"She's herself again," he said. Sam gave him a small nod, before her attention turned to Supergirl. Sam approached, she watched her closely when she shuffled forward. She looked her up and down, the bulky pauldron and black combat gear did not match the soft expression on her face. Sam offered her a hand, the subtle whir of the robotic finger's joints sounding off as she stretched them out. It was so similar to Alex's. She stared at the offer with confusion, she had no idea what to think. Her thoughts flipped between resignation and aggression, the ring doing what it could to worm its way into her reasoning.
"You saved her, like you did me," Sam said, hand still outstretched. Supergirl pushed the hand aside and got up under her own power. Both Optic and Sam held their ears and winced when a screeching static blasted out of their earpieces. A voice came back into focus, it was easy enough to eaves-drop with her heightened hearing.
"We have comms back, report." It was J'onn's voice. Sam took another moment to look at her, unease painted all over her face. Supergirl said nothing, her stifled mind only content to listen.
"Supergirl's arrived on the scene. Flower of Heaven is with us, I think she's herself again though. Like when it happened to me," Sam replied, she eyed her as she talked.
"Understood. There were reports of illness or poison before we lost comms. Can you confirm?" He said.
"Yes, it was a side-effect of another World Killer. Currently unaccounted for," she said. Her words were laboured and slurring ever so slightly.
"Well, from reports we're getting in now, the cultists have either been contained or retreated. No further signs of trouble within the city limits. Next move is to regroup back at HQ, it worries me there's still been no sign of the final World Killer," he said.
"Well, this poison one still needs to be found too," Sam said.
"What happened?" he said. Sam hesitated, Supergirl had no intention of alleviating the tension.
"Supergirl attacked, it's unclear where the World Killer ended up," he said.
"I don't know what sort of gear you have for healing Kryptonians, but you better get it ready. Jo's… Flower of Heaven's in a bad way," Optic butted in.
"I'll come with you," Supergirl said. Optic's attention immediately broke from the conversation over comms.
"Like hell you will…" he said. He stood up with an ease that defied his electricity burns. He rolled his shoulders and clenched his fists. The charred skin and blistering that covered his hands vanished before her eyes. He strode toward her, all signs of damage had gone. A flare of heat came from the ring.
"You nearly killed her, just like you nearly killed Sam. And who knows what state Perrilus is in. You have no right to be anywhere near this," he said.
"Spark, you don't need to..." Sam wobbled when she spoke, Optic quickly caught her. Sam leaned on him to stay upright but insisted he not make a fuss. It had distracted them both.
"Krypton is my planet and my responsibility. Also, if you haven't noticed I've been the only one stopping the World Killers," she said. From what the ring could sense and his general demeanour, his reaction was tempered by his split attention.
"Your planet? Typical," he said. Some of her strength returned, the ring sparked and she squared up to him.
"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" she said through gritted teeth. He looked back Jo resting behind him and shifted his weight to support Sam better. He shot her an intense look and after a moment pointed at the symbol on her chest.
"It's exactly the arrogant attitude I should expect from The House of El," he said. She pushed back at the instinct to grab and crush his hand.
"How do you know that name?" She said.
"All Kryptonians knew that name," he said.
"You're a…"
"Yes." He interrupted. "And your house is responsible for all of this, so don't tell me that you're part of the solution." She wanted to be angry, the ring wanted to match his rage in-kind. Instead she found herself distracted by the accusation. She looked to the floor, then Sam, who was now woozily trying to interject. Some words started to come through the earpiece, the open comm clearly wanting some clarity on this conversation. Spark pulled out his earpiece and chucked it aside.
"That doesn't make sense. I checked," Supergirl said.
"Checked?" he said, his tone shifted quickly. The ring died down as his remaining anger faded to the new distraction.
"A database from Krypton was left for me. It had nothing on the World Killers," she said. He stopped to deliberate.
"Where is this database?" He said
"Why would I trust you with that?" She said. Optic stopped and thought for a moment, he turned to Sam.
"Can I borrow that earpiece of yours." Her speech was mumbling and unclear, her eyes drooped so she instead she opted to slowly nod. "Hey, stay with me. We're going to get some answers soon." He said as he carefully brushed her hair aside to take the earpiece.
"Is there a Krpytonian database at the D.E.O. I can access," he said into it.
"Yes, but it's only accessible to Supergirl," J'onn said. She sneered, Optic had somehow wrangled himself into a figure with some sort of authority. She knew she was missing context, Sam had not batted an eyelid at the revelation of his healing and heritage. It still did not sit right with her at all.
"We're coming in. The intel on the World Killers we need will be right there," he said.
"There's no way you can know that. I told you I already tried," she said.
"Let's just say I have a theory," he said.
"Understood, leave Flower of Heaven. We'll send a containment team." J'onn said. The ring gleefully pulsed as it sensed flare of anger from Optic.
"I'm not leaving her to your flunkies. She's coming with us," he said.
"We can't risk bringing her to the HQ with her power-draining abilities," J'onn said.
"She needs help, your human medics are going to be useless here," he said. Sam appeared to perk up slightly, leaning in to speak. Optic held the earpiece closer to her.
"Let Superman look after her. He has somewhere safe for her," she said. His expression hardened, he looked over at the Symbol on Supergirl's chest. That House of El symbol weaved into the Red Lantern glowing at him.
"I trust him, Spark. Not just with her life, but my own too," Sam said. Though still hesitant, Optic's expression dropped. There was a sadness to him as he looked at the resting body of Jo again. The long, strange figure outstretched before them. He gave Sam a small nod.
"Alright, now let's get you sat down," he said. He helped her down carefully and sat near Jo. Supergirl was lost on what to think or how to approach the situation. Even the hum of the ring did little to bring any clarity to her racing mind.
"Is that alright, J'onn? Superman can pick up Flower of Heaven, the three of us will return to HQ," Sam said.
"I'd rather not send Superman away from the city," J'onn said.
"I don't think you have a choice," Sam said, looking at Optic's steely expression. A heavy sigh was garbled through the earpiece.
"Fine, but if circumstances change I'm pulling him back in," the line cut off.
The silence lingered. She watched Optic sit silently beside Jo's now unconscious body. There was still an underlying anger she could sense from him, it was rare to pick up such strong emotion from him. She approached him slowly.
"May I have the earpiece" she said. He seemed hesitant, it took a nudge from Sam to get him to hand it over. She stepped away
"What's going on here?" Supergirl said, doing what she could to keep any edge out of her voice.
"Supergirl, is that you?" It was Lena's voice.
She found herself cooling off and finding a clearer line of thinking come to her. She took a breath.
"I feel like I've missed so much. That friend of yours and Sam are out here talking about Krypton and World Killers," she said.
"A lot has happened very quickly. Those two were sent out as their knowledge and World Killer status could help calm the cult in a more peaceful manner," Lena said. It was still difficult to get her head around what was being said.
"Optic's a World Killer?" she said. The ring flared up, all this time he had been close to Lena and he was one of the threats she was looking for. That lingering doubt she had about him all seemed to make sense now. She clasped her ring in an attempt to stop herself getting riled. The ring wanted to awaken again, its insatiable nature poked at her will.
"In a way, we had to move quickly so there are still gaps in what we know," she said.
"And you trusted him?" She said.
"It's hard to explain. He was going to tell us more before reports of violence out in the city came to us. I don't think he's a threat," Lena said. Optic was still watching Jo, he was easily in earshot but either was too distracted or did not care that he was being talked about. Whatever rage was left fluttered away. She had revealed her own nature to Lena after much longer than he had, hearing her voice reminded her that Lena only had kind words to say. That moment she had told her she was Supergirl there was nothing but understanding from her. It had been a moment of respite from even the ring. She was conflicted on whether Optic deserve that same kindness. She tried not to think about whether she deserved that kindness in the first place, the doubt wanted to linger.
Superman's arrival graciously interrupted the train of thought. A protective Optic was still reluctant but was reassured by both Kal and Sam that it would be okay. They watched him fly off, Jo's long limbs dangling down from Superman's grip.
"Well, I guess it's time for answers," Optic said.
Sam recovered a fair amount on the journey over and was becoming more alert. Before long she was moving under her own power again. There were a lot of D.E.O. dispersed amongst the city helping with relief and doing what it could to restore some form of normality or reassurance. The ring was doing what it could to scratch at her in the presence of Optic and Sam. She shot ahead as to not give it the chance to lash out at them so ended up arriving first.
It was strange to be back at the D.E.O., it was familiar and so different at the same time. The set-up had not changed, the shining open space, blinking panels and screens. Alex, J'onn and Lena were standing at the centre table discussing something. Their chatter faded into the lively scenes of the headquarters, busy agents and constant analysis going on around her. She let them all get on with her work while she re-acquainted herself with the surroundings. There was no nostalgia for this place, it was cold and sterile. The workings of the machine that had chewed her up and spat her out. The arrival of the new Green Lantern did little to quell her annoyance, he shot a suspicious side-glance at her before reporting in to J'onn. The business of the room became more routine as the minutes ticked by. She spotted Lena glance over at her a few times, but apart from that the room seemed content to ignore her. Sam and Optic finally emerged through the archway, he strode right up to the central desk. Supergirl moved, keeping close by.
"We've got two World Killers M.I.A. Supergirl, Sam and I are going to that House of El database to fill in the final missing pieces,"
"I already told you it has nothing of use," Supergirl said.
"Then prove me wrong," he said.
"I don't recall putting either of you in charge," J'onn said.
"You need this. It won't work without me and Supergirl. Sam should come along because she deserves to know. Anyone else is optional. Now let's get this mess dealt with," he said. She looked to Lena, who mouthed "are you sure?" To her. She gave a subtle nod back and Lena moved to her side. J'onn rubbed the bridge of his nose, his impatience was obvious to the entire room.
"Agent Danvers, go with them. I have more to discuss with Fletcher," J'onn said. Alex looked at her uneasily but looked to be obeying the order. J'onn's eyes followed her round the table before he seemed to notice something. "Ms. Arias, what are those green spikes on your belt?"
"Oh, I broke these spikes off Perrilus. I was concerned they had something to do with the poison, I got a bit distracted, sorry. They don't seem to be doing any harm though," she said. J'onn nodded lazily, it appeared he was done with the whole situation. The little group snaked through the D.E.O., with a small detour to the labs to contain the spikes they ended up in that familiar chamber.
"I don't know why we're here, nothing will come of this," Supergirl said. A hand gently rested on her shoulder, it was Lena's.
"The missing World Killers are Perrilus and Deimax. Anything on them would be most useful," Alex said.
"I'm telling you, this is a waste of time," Supergirl said. She activated it, the figure of her mother materialised in front of them. She listed off the appropriate words.
"World Killers," she said.
"No information available."
"Perrilus," she said.
"No information available."
"Deimax," she said.
"No information available."
"See, now can we please stop wasting our time with this liar," she said. The rest of the room looked at him with various states of worry and bemusement, he was unphased. He took a step forward.
"World Killers," he said.
"Voice I.D. recognised. Scanning." Supergirl was taken aback as a male voice came from the machine and her mother's image dissipated. Her heart stopped as a new image began to materialise, the ring picked up a whole new level of anger from Optic. She turned to him. His arms were folded, his gaze was focused. His nostrils flared as the projectors reformed their beams and a new figure stood as the centre of the room. He wore a robe with a large House of El symbol on the centre of the chest. His hair and beard were well kept and slightly greyed. Supergirl looked on in confusion as the image of her father looked back at her.
"Much older, but there's Zor-El, the bastard responsible for all of this," Optic said. The projectors settled themselves, the hologram sprung to some form of life.
"If you're hearing this message then despite the complications, my scout managed to find you and you brought him to this. Something went wrong, I tried to establish contact with the scout numerous times, but nothing has come through. He hasn't responded to the beacons and drones I scattered across Earth for him over the years, but you can trust him.
My life's work, my creations. They start with him. Krypton is doomed but I had to preserve my legacy… Krypton's Legacy. I ran out of time, they won' be perfect but if by some miracle any part of Kryptonian society survived then some form of the World Killer programme is in place to forge their new home. I've included my records and logs, hopefully they may shed some light on the situation. I trust you to work with the Catalyst to make things right and keep my vision alive. Provide for Krypton." The message came to a halt, the room was silent as the image of her father flickered at them.
"I don't understand," she said quietly. Lena's grip tightened, she took her hand.
"Processing" the voice echoed around the room. Another significant flicker of the projectors produced a much younger-looking image of him. This image was much less static and he appeared to be sitting.
"The council insisted I keep extensive records, they say if something should happen to me then someone else could continue my work. Seems rather counterproductive for a secret project, but they're the ones who provide the funding." The image of her father adjusted in the seat. He straightened out his robe and cleared his throat.
"Log one: A planet was recently discovered, its habitat is ideal for Kryptonians. Preliminary research for colonisation has been approved by the council. Unfortunately, there's already a local population in the way. They call it Earth, they're primitive but the Guardians of the Universe would certainly stop any of the more traditional attempts of moving into their territory.
It means I have to do all this work in secret, luckily it appears the yellow sun's radiation of that solar system has provided us a work around. A more covert take over is entirely possible using it. I believe I can create a small number of incredibly powerful individuals who can blend in and be activated at a whim, clearing a path and taking the planet before the Guardians even realise what's happened. What's the old saying? Easier to ask for forgiveness than permission."
"No, that's not the Krypton I know. We were peaceful, it was damn near paradise," Supergirl said. said, doing her best not to squeeze Lena's hand too tightly. Optic scoffed at her.
"You grew up amongst the House of El, practically a princess. Let's just say your view of our world might have been a tad skewed." He turned to address the image. "Catalyst."
"Numerous logs found. Specify." Her father replied, the mechanical nature of the database came across as far more ominous with his voice.
"Play the first log where Catalyst is mentioned," Optic said. The image flickered again, showing her father standing with gloves on an getting on with busywork as he spoke.
"Log Five: The possibilities with the yellow sun are endless. I was almost spoilt for choice for selecting an effective method for activation of the World Killers.
I've settled on utilising the first World Killer. I've already drawn up designs for it to gather information. May as well package in the ability to home in on them and activate their programming. Keeping them dormant until they're ready will let me pass them off as locals to Earth far more easily. While the World Killer's genetics will be changed at such a level that they'll barely register as Kryptonian, may as well the take the precaution to mask them from any scans, especially if any Green Lanterns stumble across my work.
An effective catalyst to be sure, though free will will be an issue. Hand someone the switch to take over a world and there's no telling what might come of it. Again, the yellow radiation comes to my aid. With a little genetic engineering it's as easy to alter the mind as it is the body. Once I've finalised my methods and details on the others. I can simply pack it all into his genetics and have him ready to lie in wait. With the right coding the Catalyst will be drawn to anyone or anything I send to Earth. I can send this Catalyst down as early as I like. The longer its own their the more it will get on Earth's defences, weaknesses and leaders after all. I can easily update its knowledge and genetic coding of the other World Killers as I complete them.
This of course is all currently theory. I'll need subjects soon, I'm sure they won't be hard to find."
"Convinced?" He said. Supergirl was silent, fuming at the image of her father. Lena's voice steadied the tension.
"That does match up with our findings and what he told us. What I don't understand is why you're the way you are. The temperamental nature of the other four makes sense, it sounds like he was forced to send them off before they were complete. But you were sent here long before they were, probably before Krpyton even had an inkling of its own demise, you wouldn't have been rushed," she said.
"You heard him, he mentioned a need for subjects. He found one in me. I was naïve back then, just some idiot on the street that skated in-between guild lines. Krypton was harsh outside the upper echelons, but I always found a way to blag my way through. I should have known that some House of El big shot taking an interest in my particular skillset was too good to be true. I was promised a roof over my head and a place amongst the elite.
Of course, the moment I got to that house he kept me in I realised it was a prison. I don't know if it was the secretive nature or just plain arrogance that had this workshop devoid of security personnel when he was gone. Nothing to complain about, he hadn't even noticed I'd swipe the occasional piece of material or tool when he let me out to do his poking and prodding. The cell I was kept in in his absence was easy to crack with the right combination of scraps. So, I had a free run of the place as long as I made sure I was in that cell when he came back,"
"Why didn't you just run?" Alex said.
"This was the House of El, with their power and resources they would have found me again within a week or replaced me with some other poor sap. So I stayed. Zor-El kept his logs and extensive notes in that little workshop of his. I studied them, it's not like I had anything else to do. I'm no scientist so I could only grasp the absolute basic aspects of his work, but it was enough. I tweaked readings, recalibrated his tools and messed with his data enough to let him believe his work was going as intended whenever he tinkered with me," Optic said.
"He was altering your body and mind… you decide to meddle with that? You could have died," Lena said.
"You heard him, his plan was to wipe my mind and replace it with subservient programming. I'd have been a husk, gathering information blindly and following whatever signals he deemed fit to end some innocent world. To me that was a fate worse than death, so I took my chances. It made for a simple escape plan too, he already intended to rocket me off to a distant planet. All I had to ensure was that my mind was still my own when that happened." He paused for breath and looked away from the flickering image of Zor-El.
"Studying notes, making those tweaks, a little bit of acting and a lot of luck, turns out the plan worked. I walked out of that pod my own man, free of Krpyton's influence," Optic said. His retelling of this story was flat and factual, not his usual upbeat or smug demeanour. She could only look on at the image of her father, her memories of the kind man she knew was broken before her eyes.
"That might be another reason why the other World Killer's programming was so shaky. If Zor-El used you as a template for the other World Killers, then the original data he would have worked with and improved upon for his other projects would have been wrong from the start. He had to work around unknown mistakes, it could be the cause of the delayed changes to Sam or why it was stress that eventually triggered the changes," Lena said.
"That's neither here nor there. This has been a wonderful show and tell, but it isn't what we're here for," He cleared his throat and spoke at the image.
"Creation of Perrilus."
"Processing" More flickers and a new pose for Zor-El, he seemed to make most of these logs whilst he was still working away at some experiments
"Log forty-three: I've decided to name the World Killer for population control "Perrilus." The biological nature of the attacks makes creation tricky. I've thrown out the idea of contagious disease amongst Earth's population, too much of a risk of over-effectiveness. We may want some left after all, they could prove useful. An airborne type virus that Perrilus can spread seems to be in order. I intend for it to be proximity-based, if I can make it rapidly dissipate once outside of a certain radius then we can remove any unwanted locals city by city, instead of accidentally wiping out the entire populace at once."
"That tracks, when Sam took her high into the sky the humans recovered quickly," Optic said. He carried on. "Creation of Deimax."
"Log twenty-two: I originally thought strength alone would have to be the method for land clearance and toppling any unwanted settlements. A boring job for Reign once their dominance has been asserted over the planet, woefully inefficient. I had a breakthrough though, I can splice a creature that can nudge tectonic activity along with other geological control. Summon mountains, flatten terrain, even cause earthquakes devastating enough to level human settlements within hours. Deimax, seems a good a name as any. They'll be quite the demolition and construction tool."
"Well, Deimax sounds dangerous," he said.
"That just leaves The Flower of Heaven's purpose," Sam said.
"Probably to stop us fighting back, without power we'd be totally defenceless," Alex chimed in.
"Is this all I am, a weapon?" Sam said, it is was the first time she had spoken. Optic turned, the anger the ring sensed from him faded. Replaced only by her own as she glared at the static image of her father.
"You were supposed to be, but you're not. You're so much more than that," he said. Sam still looked conflicted.
"If you have any other questions, now's the time," he said to her.
"No, you have what you need and the other World Killers need stopping. Everyone out," Supergirl said, she still had not looked away from the image of Zor-El. It was hard to push away the rage, everything she knew about her home had been upended. The rest of the room gawking at her did not help.
"I said get out. I need to be alone," she said. Alex was quick to come to her aid.
"Yes, we can find Perrilus by monitoring 911 calls for sudden violent illness within a certain area. Deimax with seismic activity that doesn't make sense. Come on, back to the command centre," Alex was ushering everyone out. She did not watch them, unable to look away from her father. She stumbled back when she heard the door close, her heart ached as she tried to stop herself losing control. Her back hit the wall lightly, she slid down until she was sat. She hugged her knees, the flickering image of her father fuelling her anger with each passing moment.
Her sight-line was broken by someone walking around her. Lena sat herself next to her and put her arm around her.
"I said I wanted to be alone," Supergirl said.
"I know you did," Lena said.