Chapter 146: Reign

When he was younger, Eddie didn't have a particularly high opinion of therapy. Most of it was influenced by his high-strung and old-fashioned father, who had looked down on those who had opted for to get help for their mental health. He wasn't like those 'tough guy' man's man types, but he felt that personal issues were best kept private and within the family, not resolved by paid strangers. Eddie, being young and not knowing better, had adopted his views.

That changed after he joined the force and made his first kill as a police officer. He remembered the shaking he had felt when he realized he had killed that man, the disbelief and the disgust. It had been necessary, the man had been a murderer, a serial killer who had been holding a child hostage when he had been caught and had been about to kill her, but even so — the spilling of blood had made him feel dirty, regardless of whose blood it had been.

Therapy had been what gotten him through that. That had allowed him to process his actions, accept that they were necessary, and that the fact he felt bad about it even though there was no choice proved he was a good person. He had been grateful for that, even though he hadn't been keen on entering therapy again once he was cleared to go back to work. Of course, Zoom had changed all that.

Which was why he had continued attending therapy even after he had officially rejoined the CCPD. There were still many issues he wanted to work through, and his therapist, Dr. Aryton Shelby, was a good, kind man that had been more than willing to help him. It was him that had helped him work through the aftermath of his parents' deaths, and it is for that reason he had asked for this early session now. There was something else that Shelby needed to help him with now, one similar to Eddie's most recent crisis.

"What's going on, Eddie?" Shelby asked him carefully near the end of their session.

Eddie looked down. "I have this friend — well, former friend — that was trying to get me to do something I didn't want to do last week," he told his therapist. "He kept saying it was the right thing to do, that it was for my own good. But I refused because I knew it wouldn't do any good, and eventually got them to go away."

Shelby peered at him before sympathetic eyes. "You're wondering if you did the right thing?"

The younger man nodded.

"I think you did, Eddie. This friend of yours sounds like he wouldn't accept any choices but the one he made for you. He didn't trust your judgement on the matter." The therapist tapped his pen against his clipboard, the one he had in hand. "It's all well and good that he wanted to help you, but he needed to accept your autonomy as well."

A weight fell off Eddie's shoulders upon those words. If Shelby was telling him these things, then Eddie knew he was right to do what he did. His autonomy was important, he needed to make his own choices. Not let anyone make them for him.

"Thank you for telling me that," the detective said warmly. "That's what I needed to hear."

They continued the session for a few more minutes before they hit time. Eddie got up to leave, but not before bidding Shelby a farewell. He promised to meet with the good doctor again next week. Not for the first time, Eddie was thankful to have such a supportive therapist.

Sam threw off her shoes and stretched out her arms the moment she was inside her home. The flight from Metropolis back to Star City had been short but exhausting, and she was grateful that all the travel was finally over. Never before had she felt more relaxed — that holiday to the homestead was just what she needed.

She quickly went upstairs to settle her things into her room, flopping onto her bed for a moment and letting herself sink into the mattress. The hotel bed was nice and all, but nothing beat the comforts of home. Idly, she took out her phone, and pressed one of the keys for the speed dial. It was time to tell her daughter she was home.

"Mom!" Ruby exclaimed over the line the moment the call went through. Sam laughed.

"Hi, honey. I'm home. The trip went well."

"That's good. Did you fix whatever was wrong?"

"Yeah, I did," Sam told her, waving her off. "It's not going to be a worry anymore. Have you been good for Oliver and Laurel?"

"Yup! Their place is so cool! They have a view of the entire city!"

Sam smirked. "I know. I'm glad you had fun. Do you want me to pick you up now, or are you okay staying over another night?" She'd drive over to Oliver's if she had to, despite her exhaustion. Ruby was always the first priority in her mind.

"I'm fine staying over for one more night," Ruby answered, "Kal and I are watching this really cool movie series together that we found in Laurel's collection. We're almost finished with it."

"Alright then. Go ahead and have fun, and I'll pick you up tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay! Love you mom!"

"Love you too, dear heart."

The call hung up. Sam sighed and set her cell phone onto one of her side tables, then sat up and picked up the remote to her TV. She wasn't quite tired enough to sleep off the jet lag, so she might as well find a show or movie to watch instead.

The television flickered to life, and it took a moment for Sam to comprehend what it was showing: the news.

"…there have been recent reports about increased gang activity down at the docks. Just now, people have found the symbol of the Los Halcones spray-painted onto the containers…"

Sam didn't hear anything more than that. There was a loud, piercing sound in her ear, and the entire world froze.

And then, her eyes started glowing red…

That night…

Nighttime patrols were quickly becoming Astra's favorite part of filling in for Kara. At night, she could see the city aglow and bright, listen to the vibrant life that seeped from every pore. Star City was not perfect, not by a long shot, but it was a beautiful place with a lot of good people, enlivened by the gradually receding corruption that her niece and her niece's siblings and friends worked to combat every single day.

Only two years ago, she had tried to destroy this wonderful city out of misplaced retribution and anger. A target for her rage upon seeing what Kara had become, what Astra had failed to save her from. It had been easier to blame the humans because otherwise it meant blaming herself, and what a stupid fool she had been. Now, with her mind clear, Astra could not blame Kara for stopping her and shunning her in the wake of her rampage. The people responsible for turning Kara into what she was today were long dead, and all she was doing was lashing out like a spoiled, overpowered child. No wonder Kara wanted nothing to do with her then.

That was over now. Astra had redeemed herself during the Dominator invasion, and they had reconciled, closer than ever before. She finally knew what had happened to her niece and little Kal-El during their time on Earth, and had helped them make their peace with it. They were a family again. Astra had never been happier in her entire life, even on Krypton.

So why did she feel so tense?

Something's wrong, she determined as she flew through the maze of skyscrapers, gazing at the cars and people below. The last time she felt like this, it was right before Jor-El's projections were confirmed, that Krypton was soon to be doomed. What followed was a rush of terror and desperation as she searched for a way to stave off the inevitable.

Truth be told, this feeling had been building ever since they met and fought Purity for the first time. The woman was clearly Kryptonian in origin and yet in all the time she spent in captivity, they had not once gotten a single peep in regards to who or what she was. The appearance of Pestilence only added to that fear, and then Purity had escaped, with Pestilence's powers. Both were now dead, and that should've been the end of it, but something was telling Astra that they had only been the beginning.

It was one of the reasons she had agreed to take up Kara's place as Star City's protector while she was out of commission. Her little one would've never forgiven herself if something happened to her loved ones while she was still recovering. Astra would be able to make sure they remained safe.

The former general was broken out of her thoughts by the sound of screams. She winced as her super-hearing caught onto the screams, which were growing louder by the second. Whoever it was, they sounded terrified.

Quickly, she rushed towards the direction of the sound: the docks. She was there in seconds, and used her enhanced senses to try and find the source of what she heard. Her hypersensitive nose picked up smell of blood, lots of blood, and she felt her apprehension increase.

When Astra touched down to the ground and found the scene of the crime, it took all she had not to gag and retch out her dinner. These had once been men, that was for certain, but no longer. Now they were mutilated pieces of meat, fit for only dogs and scavengers. It was horrifying, unlike anything she had seen anywhere else but the worst battlefields in the universe. Who had done this?

A shadow shifted. Astra chased it.

It was a woman.

She was tall, and from what little Astra could see of her face, young. Much younger than Astra herself. She had long dark hair tied up in a near Rapunzel-length pony tail, and was wearing a mask that obscured her face, a black body suit, and a cape. Emblazoned on her chest was an ominous-looking symbol that resembled a skull, shaped in a very familiar way. The entire sigil looked familiar, in fact, though Astra couldn't quite put her finger on it; she internally shook her head and focused on the incoming fight. She could figure it out later.

"You're Kryptonian, aren't you?" Astra said, more statement than question.

The woman tilted her head. "I am," she confirmed, and instinctually, the began circling one another.

"Who are you?" The older of the two demanded.

She received a smirk in response. "I am here to cleanse the scourge of corruption and deliver the awakening," the woman announced. "I am Reign."

Reign. It sounded like a pretentious name, but something about it struck a chord in Astra. One of fear. "And I guess you're planning to do that by doing… whatever the hell you did to them?" She gestured to the grisly scene below.

"What I did," Reign said, indignant, "was dispense justice."

"That," Astra rebuked, "was not justice. It was murder. Murder and madness."

She wasn't lying. Not even Kara could be so brutal when she killed, even for the worst sorts of crimes. Her niece delighted in combat but not in pain and was efficient when it came to her kills. Her opponents always died quick.

But those men below her did not. What Reign did… that was cruelty on the highest level. The only person Astra knew of that could ever match this sort of depravity was Zoom or Zod, who had been stuffed into the Phantom Zone proper instead of Fort Rozz for exactly that reason. He was a monster that had deserved the worst sort of punishment.

"You are full of hubris," declared Reign, filled with self-righteousness. "I am doing what is needed to be done to purge this world full of sin. And if you try to stop me, you shall face my wrath as well. Stand down now."

Astra glared, and prepared herself for combat. "No," she said, firm and unyielding. "I made a promise to someone very dear to me to protect this city from all that may cause it harm, and that includes the likes of you. Whatever sanctimonious 'judgement' you wish to level on the people that live here, it won't happen as long as I am here to stop you."

"Very well." Reign fell into a stance of her own.

And then the world rattled as they clashed.

"I don't get it," Kal wondered as he watched the movie playing on the screen, "why didn't he get on the door? There was enough room there for both of them."

"That, dear Kal," Laurel said, picking up a handful of popcorn for herself, "is a question people have been asking for almost eighteen years."

"It's kind of romantic, though," Ruby claimed, her voice dreamy. "And tragic."

Oliver shrugged. "At least she still has her life," he pointed out, but before he could elaborate on the statement, the movie suddenly shorted out. Shouts of surprise and dismay echoed throughout the room, which were all cut off when the image was replaced by a breaking news update. The four fell silent as Susan Williams presented live footage of a fight between Archangel and unknown woman in black.

"Not again!" Ruby exclaimed, not noticing the shock and fear that was passing through her companion's expressions. "Who's attacking now?"

"I don't know, Ruby, but I'm sure Archangel will—"

There was a sudden screech as blood splattered across the camera that was being used to record the live footage. The news team quickly switched to a new camera, which revealed what happened; Archangel had suffered a nasty hit from her opponent, and was now bleeding profusely from a cut on her forehead. Susan gasped, as the four sitting in the living room stared in horror.

"The cold never bothered me anyway," Barry and Iris sang together, the former significantly more in tune than the latter. The two then burst into laughter as Else continued singing her signature song onscreen, leaning against each other with ice cream cartons in their arms and spoons in their hands.

They were at Iris's apartment, dressed up in their pajamas and having an ice cream movie night. A way of dealing with all their emotions involving Ralph's death. There was a lot of debate of what they should watched, before it was decided that something lighthearted was needed. That led to Disney, and of course to the newest and most pervasive Disney movie in recent memory: Frozen. One that they had managed to find an airing of on TV, thankfully.

"We need to do another karaoke night," Iris insisted as the song finished. "You'll kill it, I'm sure. Maybe someone will record it and you'll go viral!"

"Iris, that'd be awesome and all, but it's probably better if I don't go viral," Barry noted, chuckling. "I am a superhero, after all. Need to keep my secret identity."

"Yeah, well…" Whatever Iris was about to say was lost as her voice suddenly trailed off. Her jaw went slack as she stared at the television screen in horror. Barry followed her line of sight and stiffened.

Another breaking news update, this time from Star City. An attack by an unknown superpowered woman, who was currently clashing with Archangel. A clash that Archangel was losing, judging by her blood-splattered face and her increasingly-ripped costume.

Iris turned to Barry. "Go!"

She didn't need say anything more than that. He was gone before she had even finished speaking.

Astra had never felt more pain in her life.

She was bleeding from both the cut on her forehead and her broken nose, several of her bones had been shattered, she was pretty sure she had internal bleeding, and one of her eyes had been blackened, swollen. Barely able to keep on her feet, to keep her fists aloft and ready to defend her, Astra knew she was a beaten woman. There was no way she could keep up like this, especially when her opponent had nary a scratch on her.

What was infuriating about the entire situation, however, was that Astra had not lost to a truly superior opponent, not really. Reign had some skill as a fighter, yes, but compared to the likes of Astra she was an amateur. No advanced techniques, no true style, just crisp punches and kicks and the occasional hold. Under normal circumstances, Astra would be able to thrash her easily.

But these weren't normal circumstances, because what Reign lacked in skill she made up for exponentially in strength and speed. She was faster and stronger than Astra by a significant margin, and in a fight, that was sometimes all that was needed to make a difference. The older woman could barely keep up with her younger opponent, could not match her blow-for-blow, and was paying for it dearly.

Exhausted and hurt, Astra stepped forward and jabbed, trying to catch a breath by stunning Reign. But the blows were dodged and were soon countered by a left uppercut, followed quickly by a right one. Blood spewed from Astra's mouth, along with a tooth or two, she was sure. The superheroine stumbled back, only to be bent forward a brutal blow to the gut, and then backhanded to the ground, landing on her side.

Astra tried to pick herself up, to get back on her feet to continue the fight, but found herself crushed into the ground by Reign's foot before she could. Rough hands grabbed her forearms and pulled, and her back began to crack as she was forcefully stretched in a way that no man or woman should ever be stretched. Despite her pride, Astra couldn't help the screams of pain that escaped her, nor the hot tears running down her cheeks.

Suddenly, her face was smashed into the concrete by a forceful hand on the back of her head. Astra actually blacked out for a moment, only coming to when she found herself grabbed from the top of her hair and lifted into the air. She could do nothing as Reign took her by the chin and prepared her for the final blow.

The younger woman loaded up her right hand and slammed her fist right into Astra's face, almost knocking her completely out cold. Her body went limp, her barely-opened eyes showing only the faintest signs of consciousness. Reign let go of her chin, and Astra was just about to fall face forward, completely shattered, before she was caught once again, this time by the arm.

Reign kept her grip tight as she floated higher and higher into the sky, right above one of the busiest streets in the city. She raised her arm so the woman dangling from her hand was once again eye-level with her. They stared into each other's eyes, one in victory and the other in defeat.

"Who… who are you…?" Astra croaked out, coughing roughly. She didn't sound forceful, anymore. Just desperate. Scared.

Reign tilted her head, cool and regal. "I am truth. I am judgement," she began, raising her arm a little bit higher. "But above all else — I am death. And I will reign."

And then, she let go.

And that is the end for Act III, which means I can finally get started on planning for Act IV. I do not know when I will finish that, but the current plan is for the arc to be completed before the summer of next year. Wish me luck!

As for what happened in this chapter — well, Eddie is continuing his downward spiral after murdering Ralph, and his therapist isn't helping as much as he thinks he is. I'll let you chew on that for a bit.

And as for Reign, she just handed Astra her ass, and this is going to have definite implications moving forward now that both of the main Kryptonian powerhouses of the JL are out of commission. You'll see in the next act what'll happen.

As always, feel free to make comments, flames will be ignored and deleted, and don't forget to update the TV Tropes page!