El Mayarah – Stronger Together

by muggledad

The whole is far greater than the sum of its parts. BA/KZ

13. Cadmus

CH12 Cadmus

Three more times, various rogues and villains tested members of the League with no obvious intent. No intent other than to make the heroes display their abilities, that is. Recently, Giganta had come to the north side of National City while the Atomic Skull had attacked on the south side of the city. It was obvious to both Kara and Barry that the villains where separating the SuperFlash team so as to tease out their strengths and weaknesses as individuals. Knowing what was going on didn't help matters any, though.

Today was a different challenge, though. The day had started when Barry and Kara were thrown from bed as the world shook underneath them. Without discussion, they quick changed into their uniforms. After flying out the window of their apartment and seeing the breadth of the destruction in progress, Kara tapped her earpiece, "Call Superman."

A moment later, Clark picked up on the other end, "Good morning, Kara."

"Superman, we've a massive earthquake underway here in National City. Flash and I are both in the field, but it's pretty bad." Swerving, Superwoman caught a falling cell tower, as it broke loose from its foundation atop a skyscraper. Grunting as she redirected its momentum slowly in order to keep it intact, Kara gradually flew the tower to the outskirts of the city.

Midflight she heard, her cousin's response, "I'll be there in moments. Let me wake Lois to tell her where I'll be."

Hearing the squeal of tires, she saw a fully occupied minivan lose control and flip into the air; launched as it shot off a newly deformed section of roadway that perfectly made a ramp. Her eyes wide in horror, she saw the van twirl in midair before halting, seemingly of its own accord. The green hands that emerged from underneath told her that J'onn was on the scene as well.

Deciding that there wasn't time to finesse the situation, she shot out to the desert; dropping off the tower before returning to town. As Kara reached the city limits, she heard her husband in her ear, "Superwoman, need your help at 8th and I Street. Multi-story apartment building on fire. I can't get them all out fast enough."

"On the way."

Arriving at the fire, she saw the Flash and Miss Marvel evacuating the hundreds of people from the building that was a fully involved inferno. Without stopping, she threw herself into the fray.

It proved to be a long day.

.oOo.

Barry and Kara zipped into the Boston neighborhood of Beacon Hill where Diana and Cassie lived. She used to live in New York, near the United Nations and her role there as ambassador from Themyscira, but the crowds were too much. Boston was far from a remote hinterland, but not nearly as crowded as the Big Apple. It took her less than a minute to fly to the U.N. anyway, so it didn't matter where she slept.

Kara was carrying the case of wine that they'd picked out as a hostess gift, while Barry had his laptop in a backpack made of the same material as his suit so it didn't fall apart when carried at his usual speeds.

Arriving on the front steps at the same time, Barry rapped on the door. Shortly, Cassie opened the door while talking on her phone. "Hold on," she said to whomever she had on the line, "Hey guys, come on in." Readdressing the phone, she said in a serious tone, "Look, my sister ordered this dinner three weeks ago. We expect the food here in an hour." Cassie's eyes narrowed as she listened, "Do you have any idea who she is? Does the term Wonder Woman ring a bell?"

Barry frowned. Looking to Kara, he saw her frowning also.

Cassie caught their expressions. Blushing, she told the person on the other end of the line, who was obviously a caterer, "Do your best. Let me know in a half hour if I have to go to McDonalds to feed everyone."

She shuffled her feet as Barry and Kara came in and shut the door. "You don't have to say it. I know that wasn't cool and I won't do it again."

Kara smiled before setting down the case of wine. Hugging the teenage superheroine, she whispered, "Good. We can't abuse our spandex ID. I don't mind a Big Mac if that's what we have to do."

Cassie laughed, "Do you know how many burgers we'd have to order? I don't think there are enough in Boston to feed this crew."

Barry took his turn to hug Cassie, "Good to see you, Cass."

"You too, Barry. C'mon in guys."

Heading into the kitchen, the Allens were greeted with a chorus of "Hello" from all present. Of note, Lois had accompanied Clark on the visit. Soon enough, the caterer pulled up, unloading enough food for a regiment of Marines.

As before, they all settled in to eat. The caterer set up the food buffet style in the dining room before vacating the home. Barry opened the wine they brought while Clark and Kara used their breath to cool a half dozen bottles of white wine brought by J'onn.

After eating his weight in wonderful food provided by Diana, Barry opened up his laptop and hooked it up to the miniature projector he'd brought. "Alright, while you all fill up the corners, let's get this meeting moving."

A review of the minutes from the previous meeting took an even minute followed by a voice vote to accept them. "New business. The other day, some of us got together to review the Cadmus intelligence we'd gathered to date. Clark," he nodded to the big man across the table from him, "took the action to reach out to Gotham's guardian about his thoughts."

"I'm meeting with him the day after tomorrow."

Typing in his notes, Barry replied, "Great, thanks. While we were discussing this, the topic of new members came up and what process we would use to admit them. That fellow from Gotham was the subject of the discussion, but really, he was just the convenient discussion point; this would apply to anyone new. I summarized this all in the email I sent out that night. I hope you all have had a chance to think about this, as I imagine that our ranks will grow. There are people out there right now doing good work that are not here tonight. There's the group from Gotham, the fellow in Atlantis, the flyers in London, the guy in Tokyo and so many more."

He looked about the room seeing much indecision on the faces around the table. "Kara said the other night that we all trust each other because we've been through a Crucible together. The other day, Mary and I were running into a burning building together shortly followed by Clark and Kara. Kara and I fought alongside Clark, John, and Jessica in Wyoming. Diana, Cassie, and Kara went toe to toe with Grundy in Gateway City. Billy stood between Clark and me in the desert and nearly died when those four were pounding on him.

"There is no counterfeiting those experiences. We may not have a choice, though, in admitting new members. I have a terrible feeling that something big is on the horizon. Something that not even all of us can defeat. We'll need more. A lot more."

Now the indecision on the members' faces shifted to consideration.

Mary spoke first, "The other day I was very against adding anyone wasn't accepted without universal approval. I have thought a lot about this stance." Taking a sip of her coffee, she said, "Perhaps we could bring people in as probationary members for a set period of time or number of missions before we vote on them becoming permanent members. This would let us all get the chance to work with this person to gain the trust that Barry is referring to."

Nods around the table indicated acceptance of this idea. Barry was relieved. He thought that Mary would advocate for a very high standard of admission that would effectively preclude any new members.

Surprising Barry, J'onn spoke next. "I have very unique concerns; concerns that are hard won. I worry about betrayal."

Barry blinked. The very thought that someone sat at the table could betray them in any way was repulsive and unthinkable.

"Betrayal destroyed the Green Martians. Understand that I have no doubts about any of us gathered here," he indicated with a graceful sweep of his hand to indicate the stunned members gathered around Diana's kitchen table. "I worry about the ones that haven't been vetted like all of us were. If you'll recall, the Battle of Fort Rozz was what brought us together in the first place. I had the DEO scrub every single one of us that participated there, as well as, those who didn't fight there but are here now. I knew all of your secret identities. Your histories. Your strengths and weaknesses. I knew all about all of you. I know very little about this Batman or any of the others that Barry speaks of. As such, I have doubts."

It was a measure of how well respected J'onn was by the members that no one spoke up after that. The answer was obvious to Barry. "Then we won't vote on this tonight nor in the immediate future. However, I would like everyone here to consider this issue from all sides. This is complex. Don't approach it from a 'no, never' perspective, but rather a 'how do we do this' perspective."

Shaking his head, Barry explained, "Like J'onn, I too have catastrophic history. My entire world was destroyed because the heroes there did not band together beyond a loose confederation. I don't know for sure, but if we'd acted in a concerted manner earlier, we could have not only defeated our destroyer but saved our world." Somber, he shook his head again. "I don't know. But it is a data point that we must consider." The room quieted again in a troubled silence as everyone considered the weighty issue.

"El Mayarah," Kara spoke into the quiet room.

As they all looked at her, Kara's expression hardened, "This is why we are all here tonight. It is the recurring strength and purpose of the Justice League. We are stronger together than we are apart. From dealing with natural disaster and routine crime to battling supervillains. El Mayarah."

Turning to J'onn, she acknowledged, "I don't want you to think that I reject your perspective. It's a valid one that must be examined and dealt with as we move forward."

Addressing the rest of the League, she announced, "We must work through our fears. We must be vigilant. I swore an oath. We all swore oaths. We swore to do that which was necessary to protect this world from threats within and without."

Again, silence descended. This time, it was untroubled. Now it was a positive silence as the members considered how to move forward, not if they should move forward.

Taking up the challenge, Barry said, "We'll have a five-person team to determine how we will bring people into the League." Turning to the Martian, Barry asked, "J'onn, will you lead the group?"

The Martian Manhunter, wearing his Hank Henshaw disguise, gave a small smile. "I will."

"Thank you." Sighing hard, Barry muttered, "I really need a beer now." The group started to laugh, tension breaking as they re-oriented to the reality of the present. "Alright, then," he smiled to everyone, "Anyone else have topics to discuss?"

.oOo.

S.T.A.R. Labs had been making progress on the foundation technologies that the Justice League needed to function as a coherent unit. Barry and Kara had been the test users of the items being churned out of a subsection of the labs. This sub-unit was mainly Cisco at the moment, but they were considering splitting off the 'hero division' from the greater S.T.A.R. Labs. There was no rush, but it was being considered.

As it stood that day, all of the League members had worldwide communication in an earbud smaller than a bean. Barry himself had coded the neat function that allowed it to direct call other heroes' cell phones. That way they didn't all have to be wearing their earbud while in 'civilian' clothes.

Oh, and Barry had finally gotten a new suit. Maybe he did a little happy dance. Maybe.

Kara was walking around him as he stood with his arms out and Cisco and Winn ran the final diagnostics on his suit.

"I like the dark red. Bright red is too cartoon-y," she observed absently.

Smiling, Barry snarked, "Yes, dear."

"See, Cisco? Barry knows the right answer."

"Yes, Superwoman. You're right, Superwoman. You're always right Superwoman," Cisco replied in a mock subservience.

"Now you're just being a jerk," Kara scowled.

"Me? Never," Cisco countered absentmindedly while running diagnostics on the Flash's suit. "Ok, it all looks good," he told Barry. "Go take it for a spin. Fast and slow. Go over water and try to get it cold too, if you can. I'll monitor you from here."

As he moved to his desk, Winn and Kara looked over each shoulder as the Flash took off.

"Damn, Mach 20 out of the gate. Fifteen thousand miles per hour from a start." Pulling up another window, it showed his speed over time and there was a huge jump from standing still to his current speed. Even when the scale was exploded, his acceleration was nearly instantaneous.

"What's that?" Kara asked as she pointed to another screen that seemed to be showing Barry's vital signs.

"We can monitor Barry's health as well as his performance through the suit."

Kara frowned. "Where did you get those sensors, guys?" she asked, knowing the answer already.

"Well, we may have asked Caitlin and Alex for some of their prototypes."

After a prolonged facepalm, Kara asked, "Did you tell them why?"

Cisco shuffled around to the other side of his desk before replying, "Well, Alex got this funny expression when we asked, but Caitlin just gave up their prototypes. She said they were already moving to the production set for the clinical trials at National City Hospital."

"Your suit is next," Winn observed to Kara obviously trying to deflect the upcoming eruption.

She stalked to Cisco who was looking at her with exaggerated fear, "Call Barry back now."

"Dude, come back quickly before your superhero life mate turns me into paste."

Kara rolled her eyes and a heartbeat later, Barry skidded to a stop next to her. "What's going on?"

"We need to have a serious discussion with team SuperFlash here."

Barry had a puzzled frown but followed his wife's lead.

"Guys," she said in a gentle tone. "You cannot, through action or inaction, let our identities out. If you do, all of your lives are in danger. Barry and I are tough. But the bad guys out there? They will kill you to get to us. They will kill everyone here at S.T.A.R. Labs."

Winn gulped as Cisco hmmed nervously. "Ok, good point. Doing better from now on."

All four looked at each other for along moment before Barry sighed, "What else, guys?"

"Well, we might have hijacked a small – a very small – satellite to use so we can track you guys when you're being all hero-y."

It was Barry's turn to facepalm. "Who owns the satellite?"

"Welll," Cisco temporized.

"Cisco, don't piss off my wife. She'll melt your face."

"Ri…right," the engineer stammered.

"Hey, I wouldn't melt his face. We all love Cisco."

"Thanks, Kara. Anyway, the satellite may have belonged to a government agency. But we'll delete all the code we uploaded. Ok? All better?"

Kara facepalmed again. "Which agency?"

Winn and Cisco traded nervous looks, "Navy? Yeah, I think it was the Navy's satellite."

Barry bounced his head off the wall. "When will Johnson's micro satellite be ready to launch?" he asked his wife.

"Not soon enough," Kara groaned as she sat next to her husband. "I thought our lives were supposed to get easier?"

Barry laughed as he slung his arm around her shoulders.

.oOo.

Clark landed on the roof of Kara and Barry's apartment. He only had to wait a few moments before Barry appeared in front of him wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Even with his Kryptonian eyesight, his cousin-in-law still could move far faster than he could track.

"Kara's turning off the stove, she'll be right up."

A heartbeat later, Kara appeared wearing jeans of her own. Clark had to laugh. Barry was wearing a t-shirt with the crest of the House of El while Kara was wearing a Flash t-shirt. "You two are killing me."

Kara shrugged while smiling and it warmed his heart. Clark had always felt guilty over how he treated his cousin and he was very grateful that Kara had the courage to clear the air between them. He truly felt that they were bonding – with Barry and Lois included – as family.

"I talked to the Batman and he gave me an address for Cadmus. I did a series of fly-bys using my X-ray vision. There is an underground facility that goes at least ten levels down until there is too much interference to see through."

Now Barry and Kara's expression had resolved to that of Flash and Superwoman. "What kind of defenses did you see?" the Flash asked.

Nodding, Clark leaned on a vent duct, "They were extensive. Quite a few automated weapon emplacements and at least a dozen armed guards. They were all spread out, both automated and human units. It seemed like there was a guard room in addition to the watch stations, but it was obscured by a huge electromagnetic interference source."

Kara frowned, "Was that intentional do you think?"

"I don't know. I think it's time for Barry and Kara to visit her cousin in Metropolis to see the sights."

Kara nodded while Barry pulled his phone from his pocket. Kara glanced over as he began to text all the other S.T.A.R. Labs department heads that the Allens would be out of town for a week. "We'll be there tomorrow. I'll also send out a communique to the League tonight as a stand-to order. I think we'll need Billy and Mary especially. I have no doubt they'll have Kryptonite on site and even Kryptonite bullets." He looked meaningfully at Kara, "I will not put you at risk. My initial thought is that Billy, Mary and I will go in first followed by you two with John, and Jessica. J'onn, Diana, and Cassie as strategic reserve to bring the rain if we get trapped."

Clark nodded. It was a good plan given what they knew. "I want you to have a look," he nodded to Kara. "You might see something I've missed."

She nodded her agreement while wearing an expression of distractedness obviously considering the situation. Barry spoke up, "We're about to have dinner. Join us?"

Pleasantly surprised, Clark looked to Kara who was smiling welcomingly. "I'd like that." Puling his own cell phone out, he said, "I'll just give Lois a call to let her know I'll be a little late. What's on?"

.oOo.

Clark had left a few moments before when Barry's phone rang while he was doing the dishes. Kara was packing a bag for both of them for the next week in the other room when he answered. Drying his hands, he glanced at the caller ID before he answered, "Hey Cisco."

"Dude, I got your text. Are you guys going all SuperFlash this week?"

"Maybe. Superman has a lead on Cadmus."

"We don't have satellite coverage to be able to quarterback you guys."

Barry frowned, but reassured his friend, "This will probably be an all hands on deck with the League. We'll all be there. It will be alright."

"I don't like it, Barry. I really don't."

Barry paused before raising his voice slightly, "Sweetheart?" A puff of air and she was there, her eyebrow cocked in query. He gestured with the phone, "I think these two may need to get up to their wicked ways in satellite usage if we go in Metropolis."

She sighed, chewing on her lip. Nodding, she told him, "Better safe than sorry."

Speaking into the phone, he told Cisco. "Alright we agree, do your thing with Winn. I'll give you a 24-hour head's up before we go. Is that enough time?"

Sounding much relieved, Cisco replied, "Plenty." There was a pause before Cisco asked, "Will this be the whole Justice League?"

"Probably."

"Winn and I were kicking around an idea for a small-scale health monitor like we have for you and Kara built into your suits. It would be about the size of a shirt cuff and you could wear it on your arm or even your leg. That would let us keep track of the rest of the League even if they're not wearing a Cisco special suit."

Barry met Kara's gaze and they were obviously in accord, "Sounds like a great idea. Can you have them ready by mid-week?"

"Well, that's the thing. I need the sensors from Alex and Caitlin. But, after our chat last week, I'm not really excited about pissing off my Boss Lady any time soon."

Kara rolled her eyes and huffed in annoyance. Barry grinned at her as he replied, "I can talk to Alex. She knows about us. How many will you need of what type?"

"I'll send you an email with all the spec details. I'll go in to the lab now to start building the cuffs. Winn is already there hacking the satellite."

Barry shook his head. He should've known that these two would rather ask for forgiveness than permission.

"I...mean," Cisco stammered.

"Yeah, yeah. Get going."

The line disconnected. Barry handed the phone to his blonde lover as he told her, "I'll pack my stuff for Metropolis. You get to call your still somewhat crazy foster sister about the health sensors."

Kara opened Barry's email app, seeing the spec email from Cisco she forwarded it to Alex and Caitlin. Calling Alex, it was picked up on the second ring, "Barry? What's up?"

"Hey Alex, it's Kara. I just sent you and Caitlin an email from Cisco with some specifications of health monitors. Consider it high priority to get them to him soonest."

There was a pause before Alex replied, "I figured that Cisco was using our prototypes for your and Barry's suits. What are these being used for?"

Kara frowned. Alex wasn't being out of line in asking, but Kara had been looking for her foster sister to kick up a fuss. Swallowing her ire, Kara replied, "They're for the rest of the League. We've got a big operation this week and Cisco and Winn think they can set up health monitoring for all of us as we go in as a precautionary measure."

"Oh. Hey, the email just came through. Hmm, yeah…un-huh…Ok this won't be too hard." There was another paused, "Kara, are you sure that you should be doing this? Does the League need you? They've got all those other people…."

Kara closed her eyes and rolled her head back. Biting her lip to avoid yelling at her sister, she took a deep breath. "Yes, I need to do this. I can help and am one of the leaders. I have to be there." Taking a cleansing breath, she explained, "We all rely on each other. Just like Clark came to National City the other week to help with the earthquake, I need to be there for them."

"But you went to Gateway City. Isn't that enough? Barry almost died there if the news reports are correct."

Kara blinked. She didn't think that Alex cared about her husband. "This is what we do. We can help so we must."

Alex's voice wavered a bit, "Ok. I don't like it but I guess this is part of letting you be you." She snorted in sarcastic amusement, "You do you, girl."

Kara smiled, "I will."

"I'll head into work. I can have…say four of the eight ready in the morning with the rest by the day after tomorrow."

"Great. Go ahead and text Cisco. He'll let us know when it's all ready to go." She paused, "Thanks, Alex."

With far less confidence than Kara had ever heard from her sister, she replied, "Sure. Glad to help." Hanging up, Kara wasn't sure what had just happened, but knew there had been a change in her relationship with her sister.

.oOo.

Barry was waiting on the roof of the Daily Planet, under the iconic statue of the globe. At that very moment, he really didn't care too much for the globe. He cared that his wife and her cousin were doing a flyby of the Cadmus installation. His ground level reconnaissance had produced very little information that they didn't have already.

The Flash had started outside of Metropolis, building up a head of steam and vibrating so as to phase through the walls of the facility. He had to pay special attention to his personal frequency. He didn't want to accidentally hop universes again. Winn and Cisco were in his ear, and it felt like old times. The times before the world died, that is.

He'd pushed through his grief to get the job done. Cadmus was located underneath a functioning warehouse that was full of pallets and crates that had a Raiders of the Lost Ark vibe. Moving at relativistic speed, he was in and out of the facility before anyone noticed he was there. With Kara and Clark hovering over the facility and tracking his progress, they were listening intently for any indications that alarms had been tripped.

"No response from the guards or automated systems," Superwoman had reported to him after he exited the warehouse.

"Nothing that we can see, either, Flash," Winn had reported with a distracted air. Barry could hear the man typing, "Yeah, nothing at all."

That was four minutes ago. Superman and Superwoman were doing a prolonged scan of the facility from forty thousand feet above the city. Even the best radars would be unable to track them at this altitude without having obvious emplacements. Barry hadn't seen anything supporting that kind of capability, so the cousins were lingering.

Hearing a click behind him, the Flash turned to see Superwoman landing with Superman a few yards above her. "I'm going to do a quick circuit of the city. Be back in a few." With a whoosh, he was gone.

"So?" he asked.

She shook her head, an expression of consternation on her face. "It was as he described. I saw eleven levels downs, but that was only because I flew a hundred miles out and looked at it from an angle. Lots of laboratories, a huge electrical generator running on thermal heat, a bunkroom for guards and a series of apartments that, based on their decorations, were for employees.

"There were cages of animals and a few larger containment areas. I couldn't see in them. Neither could Superman."

This caused the Flash to frown. "Do you think that was on purpose? Did the design of the facility give any hints as to what was in those cells?"

"Something big," she replied. Meeting his gaze, she added, "Very big."

.oOo.

"So, I'd cook for you, but I'm an absolutely terrible cook," Lois laughed as she pulled on her jacket. "We'll go to our favorite restaurant."

Barry and Kara followed Lois out the door as Clark locked up. Kara looked over her shoulder at her cousin, "No glasses?" He wasn't wearing his 'Clark Kent' disguise this evening.

He shrugged and smiled. "Nah. Not tonight."

Kara smiled as she took off her own glasses, shoving them into her purse.

"I've not had Ethiopian food before. What should I expect?" she asked Lois.

"Oh, it's the best," Lois moaned. "I'm salivating thinking about it. Yummy dishes that are spooned onto this huge pancake-like bread. Everyone sits around a low table and eats family style. You tear off a section of the pancake to grab a bit of the entrée and eat it like that. The food is sooooo good."

They laughed as they walked down the sidewalk. Despite the Cadmus situation, Kara was feeling very happy. They were two young couples out on a double date; family forging bonds of affection above and beyond those of blood.

They're sat at the Red Sea restaurant each of them sipping a Zedibar beer when Barry asked in a low tone, "Should we be involving the authorities with this…situation we're preparing for later this week?"

Clark nodded as he chewed his Alicha Siga Wat. "I had a long talk with J'onn about this. Tomorrow, we have an appointment with the FBI here." He looked at Kara and Barry meaningfully, "In uniform."

"And the Daily Planet's finest also has been writing a series of articles to expose this nefarious underground illicit government organization," Lois then mused in a light tone while nodding to Clark.

"Wait," Kara exclaimed with fake alarm. Turning to Lois, she leaned forward in consternation, "You're letting Clark write the article? Is that a good idea?"

The other three started laughing as Clark wadded up his napkin and threw it at his cousin who was becoming more and more like a sister.

.oOo.

"Good night, guys," Barry wished Clark and Lois as he closed the door on the guest bedroom of their condo. Turning, he rubbed his stomach, "That was an excellent meal. Is there an Ethiopian food restaurant in National City?"

Kara shrugged and Barry immediately knew he was in trouble. Loving spouses become very attuned to normal behavior in each other so that they can tell – immediately – when their partner is upset. Stopping in his tracks, he asked, "Ok, whatever I did, I'm really sorry."

She didn't laugh. Internally, Barry swore as only a husband who truly loves his wife learns how to do. Sitting on the bed, he asked, "You're going to have to help me. What did I do wrong?"

With exaggerated patience, Kara took her makeup bag out of their suitcase. Setting it up at the vanity, she replied, "I love you more than my own life. But your comment about how 'you won't risk me' when we go into Cadmus? It was kind of insulting and, honestly, condescending."

Barry blinked trying his best to recall when he said it. The memory returned and he tried his best to consider the situation from her perspective. It was hard. He had too much baggage of his own to fully get around to her perspective. "Kara, I've lost everyone I've ever loved in any way, shape or form. You are, by far, the most important person in my life. I won't survive if you don't."

She frowned, "What does that mean?"

He shrugged, "I won't have a reason to go on if you're gone."

"You'd kill yourself?" She was horrified.

Standing, he slowly picked his way across the bedroom until he could kneel in front of her as she sat at the vanity. "I don't feel that way now, but I remember very clearly how I felt that day nearly two years ago when I got here. I'll never forget it. If you weren't in your apartment that night, I already had a plan to run to an active volcano and stop overtop the eruption."

Her eyes widened, "Barry…" she whispered.

"I don't feel that way now nor have I felt that way for a very long time, but it was a very real possibility that night. Now? You are the love of my life. You are the reason I get up in the morning and why I strive to be a better man. I don't do it for them," he gestured with his hand and the nameless, faceless mass of humanity beyond the walls of the room. Taking her hands in his, he finished, "I do it all for you."

"Oh, Barry, that's just not good…" she whispered again.

Shrugging, he replied, "It is what it is. I was broken when I got here. Despite our healing abilities, my soul was fractured and there are scars. Don't get me wrong, I want to help people. I run into burning buildings because there are innocents who need saving. I do that for them. I went to Fort Rozz because Non's army had to be stopped before they hurt anyone else who couldn't defend themselves. I lead the League because I have a duty to protect the defenseless. But my motive? Barry Allen's motive?"

Bending over, he kissed her hands, one at a time. "Barry's motive is Kara."

With a worried expression, she threw her arms about her husband's shoulders. As she held him close, he told her, "I'm not some fragile little kitten. I've healed as much as can be, but in the back of my mind, there's that scar that hurts when prodded. I don't know if it will ever heal, but I'm doing pretty well. Better even than before Zoom came." He kissed the side of her head and held her for along moment before continuing, "I know you're one of the most powerful people on the planet. I know that you can probably take out all of Cadmus on your own if they have no Kryptonite. These jerkoffs, though? They have that stuff, you know it."

Reluctantly, she nodded into his shoulder, "Probably."

"So, it's not just Barry protecting the love of his life by having you and Clark in the second wave; it's an efficient use of the League's assets." He smiled as he gave her a squeeze and broke the embrace, "Oliver would be proud of me. He was always on my case about tactics and preparation."

"I don't know about Oliver, but I'm proud of you, babe."

The warmth that filled him up was worth reliving all the memories and angst from his old world. Kara was worth it.

.oOo.

Clark and Kara had drawn what they saw of Cadmus' facility and Barry was impressed with how they were exactly the same. The number of hallways meant that they would need another person in the initial wave. Tapping the drawing with his pencil, he murmured, "Billy here, Mary there, me here and…Diana here. We go…there and meet up here."

Finishing up his examination, he looked up to the cousins who were sipping coffee and chatting while wearing their uniforms. Pulling his cowl over his face, he asked, "Is Diana meeting us there?"

Clark nodded as he downed the last bit of his brew.

"Then let's go have a chat with the Federal Bureau of Investigation."

Seventeen seconds later – they were taking it easy – the three heroes walked up the steps to the Federal Building of Metropolis.

"Holy Shit!"

Barry turned to see a group of teenagers staring at the three heroes in their uniforms. Giving a jaunty wave, he said, "Stay in school and don't do drugs, kids."

After the doors closed behind them, Kara muttered, "That was completely cheesy."

He shrugged, "I had no idea what to say. What should I have said?"

The two Kryptonians chuckled under their breath as they walked up to Diana who was waiting for them. "Shall we?" she asked.

Two minutes later, they walked into the main office of the FBI in Metropolis. The secretary sat there staring at Superman for a long moment before blurting out, "You're amazing!"

Kara smothered a smile behind her hand while Barry turned away, finding the generic government artwork to be fascinating at that particular moment. Diana covered for the blushing Clark, "We're here to speak with Special Agent in Charge Caldwell. Is she available?"

Shaking herself out of her Superman induced stupor, the secretary scuttled into her boss's office. Clark turned to the rest, "Not a word."

That set the others off for a good chuckle until the secretary returned, "Mrs. Caldwell will see you now."

.oOo.

Kara wasn't happy. The Special Agent in Charge, or SAC, of the field office was being difficult. "So, you're telling me that there's a super-secret facility in midtown Metropolis that is run by a malicious government agency that is out to get superheroes." The five sat in chairs around a conference table in the SAC's office.

Superwoman took a long, calming breath, letting Superman take the lead here. This was his town after all. It was Barry that spoke up, though. "Without the sarcasm, yes, Agent Caldwell, that's what we're saying." The look from the FBI agent to the Flash was nearly pure venom.

Superman interjected smoothly, "Agent Caldwell, we've worked together before. Have you ever had any reason to doubt me?"

The agent refocused on Superman, "That's true."

"This organization, called Cadmus," he placed a flash drive on the desk that was filled with the evidence gathered by the Batman, "is not only behind the recent spate of attacks by the supervillain community but is also marshalling their forces for an attack on a major civilian populace. The evidence," he gestured to the flash drive, "points to an attack here in Metropolis, Gotham City or National City. Or worse, all three."

"Given the location of their headquarters," Flash observed, "We're inclined to believe that Metropolis is their target."

The Special Agent in Charge had a much more reasonable expression on her face as she fingered the flash drive. Finally, she nodded and addressed Superman, "If the evidence here is as you say, I'll go to the Attorney General and the Metropolis District Attorney to ensure that the Justice League has the full support of the FBI in this raid." She nodded to herself while musing, "I'll have a few agents with you to make it legal, but we'll treat the Justice League as a super-normal version of our assault and entry team."

Barry frowned to himself. He didn't like the idea that the League worked for the FBI or anyone, for that matter. Before he could speak up, Superman replied, "Excellent. For their safety, though, your agents will need to be far back. This has the potential to get quite violent."

There was some back and forth between Superman and the FBI Lead before SAC Caldwell agreed to call the District Attorney and the Attorney General right away. The heroes took their cue and left the office. As they headed down the stairs, Barry said in a low, angry tone, "I'd like for us to meet on top of the Daily Planet building immediately." He sped off right away, not giving any of the other three a chance to reply.

Tapping his foot as he stood atop the building, the Flash watched the other three approaching. After they landed, he didn't give anyone another chance to speak as he started, "Superman, I know this is your town and we are playing on your street credentials until the League has creditability of its own. However, the League does not work for the FBI or any other organization. Not now, not ever."

The other three were stunned. Barry was one of the nicest people any of them had ever met. He was laid back. He loved and laughed before he scowled. Right then, though, he was ripping into Superman as if he were a misbehaving child.

"We all agreed that we were not an arm of any country's law enforcement. What will the Russians say if the rumor starts that the Justice League works for the American FBI? Do you think the Chinese will want us to come help with an earthquake or an alien invasion? Are we the Justice League of America, or the Justice League for the whole world?"

Barry threw his hands in the air in frustration as he began to pace. Superman replied, "Flash, I don't think that will…"

"I do."

Surprising them all, it was Wonder Woman who contradicted Superman. "I think that Flash has a very legitimate point. I know Agent Caldwell was being hostile toward us, but that doesn't mean that we second the League to the FBI," she took a step forward, jabbing Superman in the chest, "and you don't speak for the League." She pointed at the Flash, "He does."

Now, even Flash was stunned at Wonder Woman's vehemence, "It's one thing to use your personal relationship to smooth the situation, it's another to commit the League to collaboration with and even seconding to an agency of a government."

Holding his hands in a surrendering motion, Superman explained. "You're both right. I was out of line. I'm not used to working in a team environment and my familiarity with Molly Caldwell took over my good sense. I was wrong," he admitted forthrightly. Moving to shake the Flash's hand, he apologized, "I'm sorry, Flash. I won't do that again."

Flash shook his head as he pushed Superman's hand out of the way to embrace the big man, "It's not about me being in charge…."

Wrapping his arms around the man who was effectively his brother-in-law, Clark admitted, "I know. Nevertheless, I'm sorry."

.oOo.

"Does everyone understand their role?" Barry stood on one side of the Kents' dinner table with the hand drawn schematic of Cadmus' upper levels spread out. In a moment where her attention was demanded on the upcoming operation, Kara had snickered at the heroes gathered in Clark and Lois' condo on the west side of Metropolis. Billy and Mary were in their Marvel forms while the rest of the team was fully suited up. "Loaded for Bear," J'onn had observed as they looked over the mingling heroes after a late dinner provided by Lois, while Barry and Diana had gone through the fine details of the initial assault.

The entire Justice League had responded to the call, except the Green Lanterns. Apparently, they were off world and no one could reach them. One more thing to add to the work list for Winn and Cisco.

At her husband's side, Kara was worrying her lower lip as she tried to recall any detail that she may've left out of the drawing. Nothing came to mind, but with Barry being the first one in the building, followed shortly by Mary, Billy and Diana, she was scouring her memory.

"Alright, it's a quarter after midnight. We go in fifteen minutes." She could tell that he was reluctant to ask the next part. He and Clark had settled it, but it had really rankled Barry. "Are the FBI on the way to their designated area?"

Superman nodded.

Kara's pride in her husband blossomed as he wielded the leadership of the most powerful collection of beings on the planet – and possibly the galaxy. "Then that's that." Checking the clock on the wall, he announced, "Last minute equipment checks. Cisco, do a round robin on everyone."

"Already in progress supremo leader." Barry rolled his eyes at his friend. "Wonder Girl, you are good, but make sure the cuff is snug on your sister's ankle. I'm getting intermittent signals here. You too, Miss Marvel. Your cuff isn't tight enough. Captain Marvel, you're good. Superman, Martian Manhunter, you're good. Flash and Superwoman, your suits are online and good to go."

Unconsciously, Kara reached out for Barry to draw him into her arms. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lois reach for Clark while Billy and Mary, alongside Diana and Cassie huddled. Even with her enhanced senses, Kara could barely feel the sensors that Cisco had added to her suit. Watching Billy snug the health monitoring sensor to Mary's upper arm, and Cassie affixing Diana's to her ankle like her own, Kara was reassured that the rest of the team would be monitored, also.

With that in mind, she tapped her left hear, "Overwatch, this is Superwoman. Comm check."

"Five by five, Superwoman."

"Copy you same. Health check all League members."

"All green, Superwoman," Winn replied.

Barry looked up from the drawings to stare at her, a stunned look of horror dawned on him. Instantly, she knew that she'd just done or said something from his old world that brought back terrible memories. Gesturing toward the kitchen, she saw him follow her lead. Once inside, she leaned on the counter as he moved into her arms. Once he'd calmed, taking deep breaths of her scent, she asked, "What just happened?"

"We used to call Felicity, 'Overwatch'."

Nodding, she did what she knew he needed. After a soft kiss, she held him close. "Different world, babe. All of us are coming home tonight."

Looking at his face, she knew he was remembering Lantern Jordan, but neither had the will to bring up his death. Nodding his head, he took a deep, cleansing breath before kissing her. "Love you."

She smiled and he reacted with the same. He always made her feel better and hoped that she did the same for him. "Love you, too."

.oOo.

Since Barry was in the first wave into the facility, Kara was the overall scene leader for the Cadmus assault, though either Barry or Diana could also call for reinforcements.

It was a frozen moment. The seven flying members of the League had dispersed to their initial points while Flash stood ready in Lois and Clark's condo. Hovering, the seven waited on the reconnaissance.

"All clear in the vicinity of the facility," Superman reported.

"All clear top two levels," Superwoman reported. "Go time," she announced.

On her command, Barry sped down the side of the Kents' building while the rest of them sped from their aloft locations. Per the plan, Barry accelerated to around Mach 50. His lightning trail distilled from the yellow orange of his patrol speed to nearly pure white as he burst into the warehouse overtop Cadmus.

Just as he called, "Clear" on the net, the explosive sound of Captain and Miss Marvel barreling through a loading dock rolling door followed Wonder Woman coming through the north wall of the facility.

"First wave in the house," Diana called.

Barry shot to the armored door, slowing his speed, but increasing his internal vibrations so that he was nearly invisible. Reaching the door, he placed both palms on it causing it to immediately disintegrate.

"Door down."

Sprinting down the steps, he ducked at the fourth step as Miss Marvel shot over his head. With the speed of Mercury, and the strength of Hercules, she shot into a four-gun weapon emplacement rendering it into so much scrap.

"Gun one down, Conventional munitions," Miss Marvel called.

Barry moved around the steps, moving to the second sub level as Captain Marvel went straight out on the first level, a crash followed an explosion. "Gun two down, Conventional munitions," Captain Marvel announced.

Now things were about to get complicated. Coming out on the second sub level, the Flash took the left corridor while Wonder Woman broke off from her position directly behind him to take the right corridor. She got the guardroom, while his goal was to incapacitate the control room.

Leaning forward, Barry called on the Speed Force feeling it fill him and drive him forward. Again, time slowed as he reached the command center. The six guards were in the process of rising out of their seats while two other technicians were frozen in the act of manipulating their keyboards. Using a trick Cassie had taught him, Barry performed a knife hand chop to the carotid arteries of each of the eight.

To an outsider, they slumped unconscious to the floor as one.

Barry leaned over the control station and cursed. One of the large cages on sub level twelve had been opened. Ignoring the crashing sound from the guardroom where he assumed Wonder Woman was taking care of business, he announced on the net, "All League, be advised that cell 6A on sub level twelve has been opened." Per the plan, he inserted the satellite interface so Winn and Cisco could do their voodoo.

"Overwatch, tap ready," the told their monitors.

"Got it. We'll be in shortly."

"Crap. That cell is one of the big ones, isn't it?" Wonder Girl asked as she redirected the assault force to the problem at hand.

"Yes," answered Superwoman before she directed, "Wonder Girl and Martian Manhunter need you to take position on sub level two at the stairs."

There was no break as the Martian Manhunter replied, "Moving now."

"Gun four and five down," Miss Marvel announced. "Conventional munitions."

"Supers in the house," Superman announced telling everyone that he was scouring level one and Superwoman was moving to sub level two.

Nodding, the Flash bolted for level five. Captain Marvel was working over level four and Miss Marvel on level three. Superwoman would assist Wonder Woman if she needed backup.

A blink later and the Scarlet Speedster emerged on level five in a firefight. "Armed resistance on level five," he announced. A half dozen guards had overturned desks to form a makeshift barricade and started firing at the stairwell once they heard the ruckus above them.

Instinctively, the Flash began to vibrate so that he became insubstantial. As the bullets passed through him, he moved through the barricade. Circling around, he attacked from the behind and a half second later, six more Cadmus guards were unconscious. "Level five Resistance down. Conventional munitions," he had inspected every bullet that was fired. None had the suspicious green glow."

Looking around he re-oriented himself. This level was all offices and labs, so he headed out to clear the facilities of any possible surprises. Superman announced, "Gun six down." There was a long pause causing Barry's heart to fill his throat.

"Kryptonite munitions on gun six. I say again, kryptonite munitions on gun six." Without further comment, he moved to his next planned level.

Trying hard to stay on task, the Flash sped through the rest of his assignment. The offices were all empty as were the first two labs. It was the last lab, which spanned the entire width of sub level five, that caused the Flash to stop and stare. It was most definitely not empty. "Wonder Girl and Martian Manhunter; I need you in the lab at the end of the hall on level five."

.oOo.

They had cleared through level ten where they had all regrouped. One other gun had been loaded with a belt of Kryptonite munitions that Wonder Woman had relocated to the same pile as gun six. They would clean it up when the mission was complete.

Kara didn't want to press on into an unknown situation without concentrated force, so she waited for Diana to catch up. "Be advised all the cells on level eleven have been opened," Winn announced as the Flash caught up with the League. Superwoman looked to her husband to find out what was going on up on five. He shook her off so she refocused on the present.

"Any idea as to the ID of the occupants, Overwatch?" she asked.

"Only codenames. We're working on trying to decipher the files, but it's…well, we won't have any information in time for you to go in." Wonder Woman landed next to Superwoman and they exchanged a nod of readiness.

A huge roar sounded from below, causing Kara to frown. She felt the roar in her chest implying that this was no wee beastie. Looking around she saw Superman frowning also while Wonder Woman drew her sword. "Overwatch, what are the codenames you have?"

"One is Cyborg Superman, then there is Anomaly, Blaze, and Satanus."

Captain Marvel paled, while Miss Marvel whispered, "Blaze and Satanus? They're both here?"

Now Kara was worried. "What's their story?"

"They're demons," Captain Marvel whispered. "Children of the Wizard Shazam who gave us our powers. They have terrible magic and strength. Nearly indestructible."

"Weaknesses?" Kara asked through a dry mouth.

"If you hit them really hard, a lot, you might win," Captain Marvel replied in a lost tone.

Kara reached out to grab the man/boy by his shoulders, "Hey! We need you. Can you get it together?" She looked to Miss Marvel who was gathering her composure.

Captain Marvel took a deep breath, "Yeah, I'm good."

She looked to the Flash, "I'm thinking the Marvels, Wonder Woman and you go in first to corral the demons. Superman and myself will go in to get the Cyborg Superman and Anomaly." Turning to the Marvels, she asked, "How hard will it be to recognize Blaze and Satanus?"

Mary snorted, "You can't miss them."

"Right. Two by two. Captain Marvel and Flash together, Miss Marvel and Wonder Woman together. Flash, you get a supersonic punch in on the baddest looking rogue in there. We're here to capture, people," she reminded them all. This wasn't Fort Rozz.

"On three then." She looked around and got concurrence from everyone present. Wonder Woman, who had the most experience fighting supernatural enemies was in front and crouched, ready to dash into battle.

The Flash, on her shoulder nodded to Superwoman. For a moment their eyes met. "I love you," he whispered so low, that only she and Superman had chance to hear it.

"I love you, too," she replied at a normal voice. The League didn't react. The love of Barry and Kara was as fundamental to their group as their collective powers. In fact, most considered it the most powerful capability of the League; the love of the Flash and Superwoman.

"Three, two, one…go!"

.oOo.

The Flash barreled around the corner with a ferocity he'd never known, not even at Fort Rozz. There were only four villains to confront, and he had a literal army at his back, but these were easily the four most powerful opponents he'd ever faced. Zoom, Grundy, Metallo, all of them were hidden in the shadows of Blaze, Satanus, Cyborg Superman and Anomaly.

And Kara was right behind him in this fight.

Shoving his fear for his wife aside, the Flash focused on locating the target for his first Supersonic Punch. It wasn't hard. The female demon stood well over eight feet tall with her horned head wreathed in flames. Pulling the Speed Force into and through him, the Flash pushed harder than he'd ever done to accelerate. Outstripping the Amazonian Princess, he unleashed a kinetic force exceeding the largest thermonuclear warhead on the planet. The five hundred-thousand-kiloton detonation in the confined space shredded any non-structural equipment while flattening the target. Blaze was no longer afire – and no longer conscious – but Barry had shattered his arm in the collision. Pain like he'd never experienced coursed through his veins like liquid fire. This was more than a broken arm, there was dark magic involved.

As he vibrated to heal himself, he saw Wonder Woman first collide with Satanus, following up with jackhammer punches that would have pulverized stone and steel. The enormous demon fought back with malice that the Flash could feel in his bones as the two pummeled each other. Reaching back for a finishing blow, Wonder Woman was thrown into the far wall by her opponent. Growling as he stood, Satanus pounced on the Amazon who was untangling herself from the fallen concrete and steel.

From behind the Flash, a war cry sounded as Miss Marvel threw herself into the battle. The heroines quickly had Satanus on his back foot as they combined their attack into an unrelenting assault on the demon.

Wonder Woman landed a shattering blow that brought the demon to his knee.

Miss Marvel followed with an overhand hammer blow that knocked the enormous Satanus to the ground.

Once on the ground, they didn't let up. Blow after blow rained down until finally, the demon stopped fighting back and lay limply on the ground. Wonder Woman quickly trussed him in her golden lasso in case he was trying to lull them into a false sense of victory.

Flexing his hand, the Flash turned to see Superman finishing off what could only be Cyborg Superman. A rather disgusting creation who had exposed mechanical limbs winding into his organic structure, Barry was relieved to see that Superman had ripped off both of the being's mechanical arms and was wrapping him in a steel plate to confine the cyborg.

Beyond Superman, Superwoman was battling with a creature that defied the Flash's experience. For every powerful blow she landed the creature seemed to absorb the shock, channeling it back into a returning blow.

"Flash, you all need to attack Anomaly at the same time," Winn called. "He's absorbing the Kryptonian physiology form Superwoman. If you all attack at the same time, you'll overload his power."

Nodding in response, the Flash cried, "All League! Rally to Superwoman!" Leading the charge, he landed another supersonic punch before Anomaly was overcome by the combined might of the League.

.oOo.

With so much concentrated hero power available, the Anomaly was quickly subdued. As Superman and Captain Marvel bound him with steel cable, Barry tapped Kara before whispering, "Something up on Level Five needs our attention." Nodding to Clark, he added, "And Clark, too."

She furrowed her brow, "Ok, is this some other baddie?"

He shook his head. "No, and J'onn and Cassie are watching over the situation for us until we get back up there."

She looked up, obviously using her X-ray vision, "FBI is coming in to take care of all this mess," she announced to all. "Captain Marvel and Miss Marvel, would you please dispose of the unconventional rounds we found?" Unspoken in front of their subdued opponents was the fact that these were Kryptonite rounds. "Wonder Woman, would you please make sure all we've found are accounted?"

As the three heroes departed, Barry waved to Clark, "Need you up on Level Five."

Moving at speed, the three were there in seconds. Approaching the closed door at the end of the hallway, Barry turned to his family, "I'm not sure what's going on in this lab, but I'm afraid it's both malicious and innocent."

"Huh?" Kara interjected, obviously confused by Barry's vagueness. Clark just waited patiently.

"Hold on, you'll understand in a second," he told his wife. Banging on the armored door, he shouted, "J'onn! It's us. Open up."

Slowly the door opened to reveal the Martian Manhunter. "Good, I'm glad you're all here. We need to talk."

Leading the way into the lab, Barry moved through a set of lab work tables to reach the back wall. "Cassie, can you turn on the lights."

Without a response the lights came up to reveal a series of large stasis tubes. Half of the tubes were empty and a few more had glowing blue liquid, but two had floating figures in them. Both had a striking resemblance to…

"Clark?" Kara asked in horror. "What the hell is this?"

"I have no idea," he replied, his own shock and horror evident in his voice.

A soft voice behind them caused the three to turn. In the corner, J'onn stood sentry while Cassie was sitting on the floor while playing with blocks with a child who bore a striking resemblance to Kal-El. "And we build the tower before knocking it down, right?" Cassie cajoled while the soft laughter from the boy accompanied the noisy clatter of the wooden blocks as they tumbled.

Kara and Clark watched in stunned disbelief as Cassie absorbed a playful hit from the child that caused a resounding SMACK in the room. "Now, now, we don't hit hard," she gently corrected.

Barry swallowed before telling his family, "According to the records, they named him Kon-El. He's a clone of Clark."

.oOo.

1. I own nothing.

2. I'm going to end this story here finishing the initial arc of El Mayarah. I've got ideas for a second arc that may or may not be written. This Kon-El is much younger than the canon Superboy and his powers are more traditionally Kryptonian. I imagine that Barry and Kara are going to take him in and foster him just as they were fostered and loved by adults who weren't their parents. Lots of ups and downs. Batman and the Bat-Family. Growth of the League and the big bad: Darkseid. We'll see…