Miranda Oakridge was furious. What she had feared from that abomination's broadcast to the media was working. The city was turning against them. The Children of Liberty were being shunned and forced to hide. Their message was being ignored. She lashed out at the boxes on the counter angrily, inventory clattering onto the floor with a deafening rattle.
"Would you mind not messing up the shop" The Blacksmith snapped from his chair in the corner of the back room where Miranda and Samuel were meeting him. The storeroom was small but there was enough space for them to conduct business. With their hideout compromised the Children were forced to visit the Blacksmith at one of his meeting places, which made getting around a chore and their privacy under threat. This particular shop sold furniture and ornaments. The Blacksmith sat at a varnished writing desk making the final adjustment on the device in his hands while he looked up at the frustrated woman. "I'm sorry the accommodation isn't to your liking" he said, noting how Samuel was positioned at the fire exit and Miranda kept looking up at the security camera above them. "But I assure you, nobody will know we were here, provided you can refrain from making more of a mess."
"And I'm supposed to take your word on that?" she said, fixing her glare on his suspiciously. "I noticed you managed to get away from those freaks rather effortlessly. How do I know you didn't tip them off?"
"Supergirl found us thanks to the signal device on Dreamer's wrist. I told you to smash it" he replied calmly. She walked over to him aggressively, leaning over the black man glaring at him coldly. "I'm sorry about your bowling alley, but those are the risks. And as for my exit, I make a point to stay well away from any fighting. My skills lie in other areas" he smiled, finishing his work and slotting the device into the case in front of him.
He spun it around and showed it to the woman and her companion, standing up with a proud glint in his eye as he put his glasses back on. "Six miniaturised dispersal detonators. So simple and efficient I'm actually going to give it to you at a discount, as an apology for not coming up with it sooner" he said as Miranda picked one up and examined it. "Twist the cap at the top to arm, push to start the six second timer, and then the crystals inside will transmute to gas and the explosion will spread the substance over a fifty foot area. For best results, use inside."
"You want to us to trade our kryptonite dispersal device for grenades?" she scoffed.
"The cartridges I made were good, but this compresses it into a gas twice as potent and achieves three times the spread in the area" he explained.
She looked at them optimistically. "More potent? Potent enough to kill Supergirl?" she asked. He pushed up is glasses. She read the unspoken tell and got frustrated. "We've tried it your way. Now I need kryptonite to kill her!"
"From where I'm standing, Supergirl isn't your problem" he remarked, holding up a copy of the National City post where news of the protest march was getting steam.
Miranda ripped the newspaper from him and tore the pages to shreds. "Then give me something that will kill Dreamer" she snarled.
The Blacksmith gave her a moment to calm down before tapping his nose. He anticipated the request and walked to a cupboard that was meant to be on sale. He opened it and pulled out a leather jacket similar to her Sentinel body armour. He showed it to her like a game show host. "I've taken the liberty of building this. It's a prototype but it should serve your needs" he told her, hooking it onto a hat stand leaving her to examine it. "You're fortunate a contact at TITAN Industries leaked me a copy of a file an old acquaintance made on your mutual friend. The data he created was useful."
"Is that all you have?" she asked him dubiously, looking at him over her shoulder.
He shrugged. "You don't like it, I suggest you wait a few weeks and then we'll see what options I can give you" he replied. "In the meantime, that should help even the odds a little. Improve your chances the next time you confront the young hybrid."
"Don't call her that" she hissed, refusing to acknowledge she had anything human in her.
She looked at her driver and nodded. The man reached into his coat and pulled out an envelope, passing it to the black man who counted the cash within. He smiled, closing the case for the man to pick up and take with him. "I wish you luck" he said as the two of them left with their merchandise. "let me know if I can be of further assistance" he called after them, waiting for the fire door to slam shut before lounging in the nearby sofa kicking his feet up.
"Miranda Oakridge. 47 years old, works as an accountant at a banking firm until six months ago when her company was hit by the fallout from Hank Henshaw's assault on the city with his Metallo army" Alex reported, pacing in front of the giant screens at the DEO Headquarters.
In attendance was everyone on staff, including Brainy and her best operatives. Also here was J'onn, Kara and Guardian. Her mother was also visiting, watching from the upper balcony silently observing. Alex had rushed over here following her visit to the hospital. She called ahead to Brainy to start digging into the woman, bumping into her mother looking for her and reluctantly bringing her along. She had managed to get a bit of information out of Maggie before she was taken away for tests, enough to start a briefing.
"The bank she worked for is still undergoing repairs, funded by TITAN relief efforts back when Maxwell Davies was still in everyone's goo books. Many employees, including Miranda, were put onto paid leave due to the situation however."
"The IP address used by the Sentinel of Liberty matches her work computer" Brainy interrupted, bringing up the date from his tablet. "Her internet history and social media shows she used to be a member of the Children of Liberty when Ben Lockwood was in charge. However she was also part of a subsect in the movement that was advocating for more extreme actions and less political handling."
"I remember her" Guardian said, looking at the profile picture they got from her work ID. "She was what you might call a patriot for the cause, loyal to Lockwood. It's not surprising she carried the torch following his death."
"I guess having your work blown up by a cyborg psychopath would inspire you to take up the fight again" Lena sighed, appearing out of one of the side doors. She had her bag with her, indicating she had just arrived. Kara smiled, glad she was with them. She kept looking to the exits, expecting someone else who hadn't showed up.
Alex ignored the new arrival, focused on her briefing. "Whether her return was because of the incident or that's just a coincidence, she was most defiantly planning a remerging of the Children of Liberty for a while. Captain Sawyer, who has finally regained consciousness" she added, looking to her sister across the room, "told me she was investigating her after finding more than a few circumstantial links between her meetings around the city with suspected members. We've also identified this man" she said, bringing up the photo of a large man beside hers. Kara recognised him instantly. "Her personal driver" Alex answered. "Samuel Lincoln, 37. Works for a hire company until becoming Miss Oakridge's regular client. He takes her everywhere, to all of her meetings. Captain Sawyer had this man under surveillance when she theorised he was her right hand and muscle. We can confirm he was the trigger man who murdered Dorian at the political rally couple weeks ago."
"Is he a member of the movement too?" an operative asked.
"More likely he just does what Miranda tells him to" she replied. "We've got warrants out to question them, but they haven't been seen at their homes or workplaces since we rumbled their hideout. I want APBs on both of them and I want every known associate identified and questioned. She's the ring leader of this group now. We bring her in, she gives us the Children of Liberty, the Blacksmith, and anyone else she might've worked with."
She dismissed them and everyone went to do their jobs. Alex walked over to join Kara who was focused on something more important. "Maggie's okay?"
"She's awake, and talking" she told her. "The doctors say she'll make a full recovery, but they want to keep her for a month at the latest. She remembered the case she was working on" she said, an uneasy look crossing her face.
"Does she remember everything from the apartment?" Kara asked nervously. Alex didn't know yet, but it was possible she did. Kara tried not to panic. What's one more person who knows her secret identity right? "Has anyone seen Dreamer?" asked, still looking around the room.
"She isn't here?" Lena asked in surprise. "I'd have thought after what they did she'd be the first to show up."
"Last I saw her she was at my office" J'onn said. "She wanted to do some meditating."
"And you just left her alone?" Kara said but Lena calmed her before she could worry.
"I've upgraded the security system at the office, she's quite safe" he assured her gently. "Plus I made sure the man Alex has following her was parked outside."
She breathed a sigh of relief, wanting to talk to her. "No, I'll go" James said, suggesting Kara go back on patrol to look for the Children of Liberty. "It'll be okay" he told her, exiting through the stairs to check on her.
Nia sat cross-legged in J'onn's meditation room with her eyes closed, trying to clear her mind so she could fall into a dream state and try and induce a vision. She hoped she could get clues to where the Children of Liberty would strike next. But every time she allowed her narcolepsy to let her doze into mediation she was raked by memories of her abduction. She kept feeling flashes of pain from the cattle prods they tortured her with, the dark images of expressionless masks surrounding her, the bright lights blinding her. She recalled the fear of fighting against them, when bullets tore through the bowling alley, the panic that Kara couldn't hear her. she shook her head and tried again, pushing away the images of her tied up, helpless, the axe falling towards her neck, the way her astral shield cracked beneath her hammer on the verge of shattering. Her heart began to race and her breathing quickened, her palms becoming clammy until she couldn't take it any longer and snapped her eyes open. She inhaled sharply, reaching out to feel the carpeted floor looking at the wooden panels and bookcases surrounding her, the door she kept open across the room leading to J'onn's office. She let out a deep breath wiped her face with her hands, feeling the sweat on her skin as her heart beat against her ribcage.
What is wrong with me? She thought to herself as she struggled to slow her breathing. She couldn't concentrate, no matter how hard she tried. For the first time she wanted to sleep and get a dream she couldn't do it, the memories waking her up. She felt tired. She hadn't slept properly in days. She couldn't focus. After a few minute she shook it off and tried again, closing her eyes and concentrating. She held her eyes shut for almost five minutes before she was forced to give up, her own screams echoing in her ears. "Come on" she whined in frustration.
"Let me guess. You can't sleep" James said as he watched her from the open doorway. He was still dressed in his armour with the helmet under his arm. Nia looked up at him and shrugged sheepishly. "Is it okay if I join you?" he asked her. She shrugged again, letting him take an uncomfortable seat on the floor. The suit dug into his groin and he had to shift awkwardly to get almost comfortable. Nia scooted to the right a little when he nearly kicked her, watching him with a look of pity and amusement. "We missed you at the briefing" he said.
"Dreamer's lying low, remember" she replied. "It'd look odd if Nia Nal showed up."
"Nia Nal is dating a DEO agent. It wouldn't be that weird to see Brainy's girlfriend at his workplace" he offered.
Nia averted her gaze, fiddling with the pin she was still carrying. The one Dorian wore at the rally. It was still stained with blood. "Kara send you here to check on me?" she asked.
"Actually I offered" he said, turning to her looking worried. "I wanted to ask how you were doing."
"I'm fine?" she insisted. He didn't believe her and she knew he didn't. "It's nothing."
"You were abducted and tortured" he reiterated. "Not even Kara would be fine after something like that. I know I wasn't the first time."
Nia looked up at him inquisitively. "You weren't?"
"Of course not" he told her honestly. "I told myself I was. After I was shot, my sister had to come down and knock some sense into me, remind me I didn't have to pretend everything was okay."
"Your sister's a shrink right?" she asked. He nodded. "Is that why she was in your office this morning?" she queried out of curiosity. "To check up on you?"
"Something like that" he replied, sighing deeply almost forgetting she was in the city.
Nia noticed his expression. "You're not thrilled she's here?"
"I'm glad she's here. It's just…I'm not sure I want her here right now, you know what I'm saying?"
She nodded, sighing wistfully beside him. "I keep wanting to call my dad. But I know if I do I'll want to tell him what happened. Then he'll worry and rush down here and I'll be putting him in even more danger. The worst thing is I really want him with me. And my sister. And mom" she confessed, struggling to hold back the emotion she'd been holding in. she didn't want her friends to see how much the experience affected her.
Jimmy saw through her façade and wrapped a comforting arm around her. "You've been through a traumatic experience Nia. Nobody expects you to be okay. It's easy to forget you're still so new to all this. You need to learn to let us in, tell us what you're going though. You don't have to be strong for us. You can trust us. We know what you're going through."
Nia felt the tears falling down her cheeks as the dam started to leak. "I was so scared" she finally admitted. "I knew you would find me, all of you. But for a moment when I was one my own, when they were all around me, I was so scared the signal wouldn't work. That you wouldn't find me. That I was all alone. It not the Children of Liberty, or the Sentinel that's scary" she told him. "I'm not ready to do this by myself."
James sighed, feeling for her understanding perfectly. He went through the same, only he started out wanting to do this himself. He didn't want to be stuck in Superman's, or Supergirl's, shadow. He wanted to be his own superhero. Nia never had that. She always had backup, had him and Kara and Brainy and Alex. Even when she took over for Kara as National City's hero she had help. The idea of going at it alone without that support must be terrifying. "You won't have to" he told her confidently. "Not until you're ready. You're not alone. None of us are going anywhere" he promised.
Nia felt herself relax, glad she had told someone what had been on her mind. She hadn't realised how much this had been on her mind until after she was rescued. She was relieved when her calls for help got answered. She was relieved her friends were still out there looking for her. She was grateful to have them in her corner. She leant against James's shoulder and sighed, glad he came to check on her. She felt much better.
She hadn't realised she'd dozed off until she opened her eyes and found herself in a familiar void of darkness. Oh, now you start dreaming she muttered to herself as she spun in a circle examining her dream.
At first she didn't seem much more than darkness. But then figures came into view drawing her eye closer. She walked forward and found the Children of Liberty, their masks stoic glaring back at her. She panted her feet in front of them, a large group, refusing to be scared. "Where are you?" she asked.
Her attention was drawn behind her where she found another group of people. These were ordinary civilians, humans and aliens, all of them shouting and roaring, their voices muted to her ears. She stepped up to them and peered through the crowd. She saw a lot of faces she recognised from the community. They were looking past her, to the Children of Liberty. The community was standing up to the Children. This should've given her a sense of pride, so why did she feel dread?
Her foot stepped on something on the ground. She stumbled back when she found a white dove, its feathers stained red with its own blood. She knelt down and examined it. She remembered this. Pinned to the bird was a pin, an elegant D made from silver. Dorian's pin. She remembered this. This was what she saw in the dream foretelling his death. Why was it here again?
"Abomination" the Sentinels voice rattled, lifting her gaze up to see the masked woman standing over her menacingly with the axe over her head. Nia froze when she saw it coming down, instinctively reaching up to catch it with her hand. She found herself in her costume struggling against the weapon as she pushed down, the two crowds either side of her shouting and bellowing, her struggle with the Sentinel between them. She looked up at her opponent, feeling her cold glare through the iron mask as she was forced to her knee, the blade inches from her throat. "You don't deserve to life" the Sentinel growled.
Nia woke up against Guardian's shoulder in a cold sweat, the tall man catching her as she stumbled out of her dream and back into reality. She clung to him as he wrapped his arms around her, telling her she was alright, that she was safe. She looked up at him in relief, regaining her breath as she climbed to her feet. "What did you see?" James asked, having only just noticed she'd nodded off.
She exhaled slowly before looking back at him nervously. "I think I just saw our final fight" she replied.