By the time Brainy arrived with his team from the DEO to make a forensic sweep there was little evidence left for him to collect. But sweep he did once the area was cleared by the fire marshals and arson investigators. Coordinating with them confirmed the source of the explosion and the extent of the damage, spreading to three other apartments above and below the epicentre. Alex remained on the ground taking command of the NCPD alongside her people, ordering them to search every building and city block in the vicinity. Then she ordered agents to check the buildings further out, anywhere with a sightline to the apartment that Jake could've been watching from. "I want an APB out for Jake White at all the ports, train stations, airports, subways, I want people at the state borders checking every vehicle. If he so much as hitchhiked out of the city I want to know" she demanded, sending off the officers to the pass on her orders.
Brainy returned to her side after an hour with a professional and composed expression, completely masking any hints of frustration or dismay. "I'm afraid there was little left to analyse Director" he said stoically.
"He had a wall full of photographs and evidence" he said in disbelief, snatching the tablet and scrolling through the photos he took. The whole apartment was scorched black and falling apart. "Something must've survived" she insisted.
"We did find somethings" he replied, holding out a couple of plastic bags. The first he showed her was the tattered remains of a thick blanket. "The components to the explosive with found appeared to be of a homemade IED, a rudimentary piece of construction no different to others we've come across. It was wrapped in this we think. I've ran a few preliminary tests and believe the fabric has been soaked in some kind of lead based pigment."
"Lead paint? So that's why Supergirl didn't see it" she muttered examining the fragments and the cloth. "A homemade IED? I thought Jake had a masters in engineering?"
"I'm considering the possibility the construction was deliberate to make the explosion seem to be the work of an amateur. However, that doesn't account for the sophisticated detonator" he said, holding up the melted piece of metal connected to a receiver. "It gives his talent away. It was hooked into the relay transmitter we traced his phone call too. He could've had a similar device linked to his cell phone and triggered it mid-conversation, using the phone signal to mask it."
"Why?" she wondered, looking up at the blown out apartment building. She'd been asking that question for the past hour. "Why set up an explosive device in your own home? It's reckless. And from everything we've learnt he's anything but that."
"The position of the explosive and yield effectively destroyed everything you reported to have seen in the apartment" Brainy mused. Maybe it was a failsafe, a potent emergency in case he was discovered."
"But he allowed us to see it" she pointed out. "If he wanted to cover his tracks why wait until we've confirmed he's the Reckoning? Why not remove all evidence from the apartment before he left?"
Brainy considered the motives, coming to a swift conclusion. "A trap? To draw you in. to kill Supergirl."
Alex had considered that, but it didn't add up either. "Kara would've survived that blast. There was no kryptonite. Nothing to depower her abilities."
"To kill you then" he guessed. Alex looked at him, thinking the same. "But it would've cemented his involvement further. You're right. This motive doesn't make sense."
"Unless the point is to show us how much he knows and then yank the evidence away from us" he considered. It sounded plausible in her head. "He's laughing at us. He calls Supergirl to mock her, to gloat, knowing we wouldn't be able to use it. Well the jokes on him" she said, determination falling over her expression. "We know who he is now. And when we do I'll be the one laughing as I throw his ass into the deepest hole I can find."
"You think he's still in the city?" Brainy queried.
"He was watching us. He has to be" she nodded.
Brainy wasn't so sure, showing the final item he uncovered during his sweep. Alex took it and found what looked like a webcam, the lens misshapen from the heat. "I found that imbedded into the ceiling, along with a handful more" he told her, pointing to the little receivers attached to it. "Wireless transmitters. A simple and elegant security system, which I think fed into a central network. I'll attempt to access the network they use but…"
"He could've been watching this from a computer?"
"Or a mobile device. Do you remember that facility Kara and Lena investigated while looking into Maxwell Davies? When we went to search the building following it's destruction we found similar devices at the entrances. He must use them to monitor his bases…"
Alex's confidence in finding Jake started to dissolve the more Brainy talked. "Kara said he told her I was standing in the wrong place" she said, looking up at the apartment in alarm. "I was standing on top of the bomb and he knew it. If he was watching through the cameras…what is the range on this device?" she asked.
Brainy examined the camera but shrugged unhelpfully. "As long as it's linked to a network…wherever he wished."
"So he didn't need to be nearby" she hissed, pulling out her phone becoming furious. "He didn't have to even be in the city" she snapped, putting the phone to her ear. Once a voice greeted her she bellowed "I want that APB expanded to before and after the incident." She looked at Brainy in frustration. "He could've been out of the country by the time we got there."
Brainy nodded, coming to the same conclusion as he looked up at the apartment block letting the director revise her standing orders. Above him a blur of red dashed across the night sky as Supergirl continued to circle the city looking for a man who quite possibly was long gone.
Kara's frantic search proved as fruitless as she was afraid it would've. She'd been flying nonstop for almost two hours now, scanning every building, street, sewer tunnel and corner of the city expanding outwards. By the time she finally gave herself a moment to breath she'd scoured the whole east coast, unable to find any trace of her former boyfriend.
She hovered several thousand miles above the city brushing the stratosphere panting heavily, her blonde hair carelessly tangled across her face. She opened her ears to listen to the planet below her but only heard the mangled buzz of billions of humans, aliens and animals bustling beneath her. She couldn't focus, the last conversation with Jake haunting her like a ghost, his voice cutting through her defences mocking her as he remained out of reach. "We'll see each other again" he had said. She hoped it would be sooner rather than later.
But once again she had failed. She had checked in with the victims of the explosion while she was searching. Most of the civilians had be unharmed from the incident, many suffering from mild smoke inhalation and bruises. A few had been rushed to emergency to treat broken bones or concussions, as had some of the police officers. Three people had been confirmed dead at the scene. Two more were in critical condition. The worst of these was Captain Sawyer, who had been rushed to the operating theatre and now sat in an induced coma while the doctors continue to treat her. Kara passed by the hospital to scan her body with her x-ray vision, the damage to her internal organs severe and her ribs needing to be mended. She left without anyone seeing her, feeling like this was her fault.
Jake was after her. He set off the explosion to show her what he was capable of. But what stung most was he had been right under her nose and she didn't see it. She refused to see it, even after Alex got suspicious. She trusted him. She developed feelings for him. She relayed that first encounter wondering if that was all set up. How much of their relationship was real? Was everything he told her a lie? Was there a fiancé? Was he a mechanic? Did he have feelings for her? Was Jake White even his real name?
She started to hyperventilate again and rocketed back into the search. As long as she was searching she wasn't thinking. If she wasn't thinking she could focus. She had to find him. He must be somewhere. She had to find him.
Her ears picked up the ring from Olsen's signal watch coming from the DEO, immediately diverting her flight to the city and landing on the open balcony of the building. Most of the damage from the Samaritan attack had been repaired now so normal operations had resumed. Which meant everyone on staff was hard at work looking for the Reckoning as per the Directors orders. Kara touched down at the bottom of the stairs and ran into the lobby where Jimmy, Dreamer, J'onn and Lena was waiting for her. "What happened? Are you okay?" she asked worried, rushing to their side seeing Jimmy put the watch away.
"Everything's fine" J'onn assured her, letting the girl catch her breath.
She looked around and realised nobody was in danger, asking "why did you signal me?"
"It was the only way we could get your attention" Jimmy said, stepping forward and putting his hand on her shoulder. She looked at him figuring out why he did it, and discovering she was too tired from all the flying to object as he pulled her into a hug. "I'm so sorry" he whispered.
Kara didn't want to cry. Not now. Not while Jake was still out there. But seeing her friends surround her offering their support broke her resolve. She reluctantly let them embrace her one by one, each silent content to show her they were here. It was a relief to know she wasn't alone, but seeing them made the urgency to find Jake even more important. "I should be out there" she said.
"The whole DEO is looking for him" J'onn told her while Dreamer wrapped her arms around her.
She was the only one in costume, her identity safely hidden behind her mask. "I couldn't believe it when I heard" she said, looking at Kara with concern. "I still can't believe it."
"Neither can me" Kara confessed, holding back the emotions waiting to overwhelm her. She looked at her friends, the images on the wall flashing through her mind bringing a knot to her stomach. "I trusted him" she muttered.
"We all did" Jimmy replied, looking equally betrayed. Kara realised hers wasn't the only life he'd inserted himself into. He'd fooled all of them.
Lena took Kara's arm and squeezed it. "We'll get him" he assured her, conviction in her voice. "We will find him and he was see justice." Kara nodded, believing Lena would happily do whatever it took to find this man for her.
Their moment was interrupted when Lena's phone buzzed, which she silenced immediately. "What's wrong?" Kara asked.
"Nothing" she dismissed. "Just PR stuff from the Samaritan debacle. It's not important."
Kara could tell it was and believed she shouldn't put her company on hold for her. "You should go. Take care of it."
"Are you sure?" she asked, willing to ignore it. But Kara insisted. She knew Lena well enough that while she'll sacrifice her family's reputation for her she couldn't let her ignore the company she fought so hard to redeem. She gave her a final hug telling her "if you need anything, anything at all, call me."
"I will" she promised, letting the woman reluctantly leave the building disappearing into the lift. As the doors close she gave Kara a warm smile, while the memory of Jake's last smirk flashed before her eyes. The last time she saw him. She shivered at the memory, recalling the cold look in his eyes.
Nia sensed her worry and reassured her "we're all here for you. Whatever you need."
"That's right" Jimmy nodded, joining Nia's side as they comforted the worried superhero.
She hesitantly shook off their concern telling them "I need to find him. he's out there and I don't know…" he thoughts were interrupted when she saw Alex walking towards them with Brainy talking urgently on the phone, hanging up just before she joined them. Kara darted forward asking "anything?"
"We have a lead" Alex confirmed, raising everyone's spirits as they turned to her. But she compelled them by warning "it's not all good news. We think we've figured out where he is."
"That sounds like good news" Jimmy said.
"Actually it's complicated" Brainy said, explaining to the group "we've traced recent activity and found a plane ticket bought yesterday from National City Airport to Heathrow in the United Kingdom. We've just confirmed he boarded the flight earlier this evening."
Kara blinked in stunned surprise. Jake had mentioned how he was returning home to the UK, but after everything she assumed it was another lie. "Are you saying he's out of the country?" J'onn asked.
"We've confirmed he was on a plane over the Atlantic Ocean at the time of the phone call you received at his apartment" he said.
"But he knew we were there" Kara said. "He saw us."
"He was working remotely" he explained. "We found many wireless devices that could've allowed him to remotely view his apartment and trigger the detonator from a computer device, even in an aeroplane. The flight left approximately forty-five minutes after you reported his arrival at Cacto."
"He must've left directly for the airport" Nia guessed.
"If he's on the plane we can detain him when he lands" J'onn said, bringing a sense of hope to the group.
Alex, however, confirmed "unfortunately we were too slow. The plane landed in the UK twenty minutes ago and he's already disembarked."
"So he's in the UK" Kara confirmed.
Alex nodded. Kara turned an immediately walked towards the exit. "Wait, where are you going?"
"To find him" she replied, surging towards the stairs back to the balcony.
J'onn ran to catch up with her standing in her path. "Hold on a minute, just wait" he advised but Kara pushed past him.
So he reached out and grabbed her arm holding her back. "Let go of me!" she snapped, unable to pull out of his grasp as the Martian pulled her back.
"What exactly are you going to do if you find him?" he asked her. She didn't offer and answer as she continued to struggle against his grasp. "Kara, take a minute and think about this."
"Let go! I have to find him" she insisted, pulling her arm as he tightened his grip.
"J'onn's right" Jimmy said, cautiously approaching the agitated woman as she began pounding on the black man's arm with her hand. "You're upset and angry. You're not in the right headspace for this."
"We get it, but you can't just race over there and scoop him up" Alex agreed, though a part of her wanted to shout at J'onn to release her sister so she could do exactly that. But her training reminded her of protocol. "I've put a call into the Secretary of State. As soon as they can they will extradite him back over here and we will have him. We just have to wait."
"We can't wait Alex. You know we can't!" Kara cried, finally ripping her wrist free from J'onn's grasp. She looked around at everyone and their concerned faces shouting "you don't understand. I have to find him. We have to find him."
"We will" J'onn said calmly, assuring her "we will. You just need to be patient and…"
"I can't! He knows!" she cried, the emotions she was supressing finally leaking through as tears welled in her eyes. She looked at everyone around her and screamed "he knows everything! You knows…"
Everyone was supportive as they stepped forward. "We know" Jimmy said calmly. "He knows who you are. We understand…"
"No you don't" she snapped, looking at him distraught. "He knows everything. Not just my name. He knows about Alex. He knows about you. All of you" she said, looking at each of them in turn. Her eyes fell on Nia in her costume and she explained "he knows who you are. He knows about Dreamer, about Guardian…he knows."
Nia's eyes widened as she stiffened. "He knows who I am?" she looked at Alex who glumly nodded, nodding to Jimmy too. She went pale as she stepped back, realising why Kara was so worried now. Jimmy was more composed but the shock still hit him.
Kara broke into tears, looking at J'onn. "He knows about us. About our family, friends, about Lena… he's been watching us for months. Years. That's why I have to find him" she said, terrified about what he might do with that information.
J'onn understood her fear. With all that knowledge he could expose all of them in an instant, turn their lives upside down. Or worse, sell the information to people who could hurt them. He looked around at the others, his gaze meeting Alex who looked just as worried. "I understand" he whispered, turning back to Kara. "But I ask again. What will you do if you find him?"
This time Kara didn't brush the question away, shaking her head admitting she wasn't sure. "I don't know" she confessed.
He nodded, taking her shoulders gently looking into her eyes. "Then until you do, you should stay with us. We'll figure it out together. You don't have to do any of this by yourself." She looked at the ground solemnly, pulling out of his grasp and moving back to the stairs. This time J'onn didn't stop her, but asked her "please don't do anything reckless. Promise me."
Kara glanced back at him, unable to make that promise as she launched back into the air leaving the DEO.
She did indeed fly over the UK, casting a quick scan of the island looking for Jake. But after a few minutes she failed to locate him. But J'onn's words followed her, making her think. Thinking was what she was avoiding because all she could do was worry. And that worry came with betrayal and anger and everything she was running from. Now she realised she couldn't outrun it. And J'onn was right. If she did find Jake she didn't know what she was going to do. She couldn't just drag him back to the US, like Alex said.
She finally changed course and flew back to somewhere she felt safe. The Fortress of Solitude. She flew inside the ice structure and landed in the central chamber where statues stood over her. The wide space was vacant while Kal was still away, giving her the place to herself. She used it to fall to her knees and finally let the pain and heartbreak and fury engulf her, screaming so loud the walls shook as heat burst from her eyes striking harmlessly into the ceiling raining ice and rock down above her. She bellowed until her throat was sore, the lasers fizzling out being replaced by tears as she wept on the floor curling into a ball. She wept in solitude for almost an hour letting everything that had come to pass sink in. she didn't know if it would help but it was the only thing she could do that wouldn't hurt anyone else.