Supergirl thought she'd gotten used to falling out of the sky after all these years. But seeing the ground rushing up to her as she tumbled uncontrollably down still made her stomach do summersaults. She flailed her arms, twisting her body to try and steady her trajectory, but with the stabbing pain in her gut she wasn't as mobile as she needed to be. Which meant when she landed on the rooftop she landed awkwardly, her shoulder thudding against the hard surface sending jolts of pain through her body.
She tumbled onto her side gasping, falling onto her back staring up at the night sky. Her cape was tangled around her midsection, but she waited until she had caught her breath. Unfortunately, the moment she inhaled the pain in her stomach ignited again making her wince. She looked down at her stomach, pulling the cape aside to examine the bullet hole in her costume. The blue fabric was growing darker as blood leaked from the wound. She pressed her palm against it, trying to hold the wound closed as she fought the tears in her eyes.
It happened so fast. She didn't realise she'd been shot until she was falling through the air. There wasn't any warning. She grit her teeth and pushed herself up, sitting up on the roof to quickly scan her surroundings. There were too many buildings around her with a vantage point. She felt the bullet move inside her, sending more waves of pain through her stomach. Oh Rao! How can this hurt so bad?
And alarming thought entered her mind as she suddenly felt woozy, her vision dimming a little making it hard to using her enhanced vision. How did this bullet hurt her? She looked down at the wound, carefully hooking her fingers into the costume to rip the hole open a little. She gulped in fear as she saw the beginnings of the green infection spreading through her flesh, the hint of a glowing metal deep in her body. A Kryptonite Bullet! I have to get out of here!
Instinct took over Kara's actions as she rolled onto her knees, groaning in agony as she crawled up to the ledge of the rooftop. Her phone had fallen from her hands when she was shot. It was probably smashed in the street now. She climbed to the edge and painfully hoisted herself up to her feet, clutching the bullet wound with her hand. She risked inhaling a deep breath to blow a cloud of frost into her hand, her own cold-press until she could get to a doctor. Lena. I have to get to Lena she thought. But when she looked over the side she realised it might not be that easy. She was hit with a sudden vertigo as her senses became sluggish, her balance unsteady. Kryptonite poisoning always made her powers fluctuate. There was a chance she might not be able to fly to L-Corp.
She slumped against the ledge and looked at her wrist. The signal watch was still on her. She hurriedly flipped the clasp and pressed the button and prayed they'd find her quickly. But just as she did her ears rang from an echoing spring, the kind she might hear from a rifle. She winced in alarm, the world around her slowing down as her eyes darted around. Her movements were still sluggish, and getting slower, but this time she managed to glimpse the glowing green bullet rocketing towards her from the left. Her eyes widened and she threw her head back, twisting away from the projectile as it narrowly skimmed her cheek. She felt the kryptonite burn her flesh in slow motion, screaming as it opened a cut over her skin and cut through her blonde hair. If she had been a split-second slower, it wouldn't cut through her jaw instead. She was fortunately.
But her frantic dodge tipped her balance over the ledge of the rooftop and Kara found herself tumbling over the side down into the street below as the gunshot finally echoed across the rooftops.
Everyone's signal watches pinged at the same time, each announcing Kara's distress call. Alex was already in the process of getting worried after her call to Kara was met with silence and the line suddenly went dead. She was sure she heard a gunshot before it was cut off. J'onn was attempting to assure her Kara was fine when the watches went off. The redhead took it as a sign her fears were justified.
"Where is she?" she screamed as Lena ran to the nearest terminal to bring up the location of her signal. She relayed the address to everyone but Alex was already sprinting for the door. "Call Maggie and tell her Supergirl needs back-up!" she called.
J'onn went to follow her until his injures drove him to a wall. Dreamer ran to help him leaving Alex to run off alone. "I'll be fine" he growled, already shifting to his Martian form prepared to assist the Danvers sisters.
Lena, however, took one look at the pain he was in and coldly told him "you are in no condition to help anyone right now. You're last stunt opened a lot of your wounds. You need to rest."
"You sound like Eliza" he grumbled, forced to fall onto a chair grunting in pain.
That left Dreamer the only able-bodied superhero left to back Supergirl up. "What if it's Bloodsport?" she asked in worry. "I'll never get there in time!"
"You will" Brainy insisted, awkwardly reaching over to try and reach into the box they set up by his bed. Lena walked over and pushed him down to the mattress, fishing in the box for him as he directed her to his jacket. She searched it and found the Legion ring he carried with him. "Take this. It'll get you to Supergirl's position" he advised, passing it to Dreamer who hesitantly accepted the icon marking him as one of the Legion of Superheroes in his time. She knew it would let her fly, among other things. "You can do this. We believe in you" he told her.
She looked at them all, each carrying their faith in her. She swallowed nervously. She had already decided she was going to save Kara. She just wasn't sure she'd be able to take on someone as dangerous as Bloodsport by herself. She accepted the ring, feeling like she'd need all the help she could get.
And it's that thought that made her pause at the exit, her gaze drifting back to the costume Jake had gifted her from the blacksmith. She didn't want to consider accepting it, but if what Lena told her was true it was safe, and it would be a huge help. Feeling her window to save Kara ticking down, Nia made a decision and hoped it was the right one.
DuBois watched the former Girl of Steel plummet to the ground through the scope of his rifle. He didn't usually take perverse joy in his kills but seeing the kryptonian spiral downwards like a ragdoll did make him chuckle. He rose up from his vantage point in the skyscraper and calmly disassembled his weapon, reattaching the components to his suit before tightening the straps on his backpack. When he was ready he stepped out of the empty space where the glass pane once stood before he removed it, dropping out of the building and pulling the chord to bring out his parachute. He fell gracefully thirty storeys, landing in the street ignoring the startled car horns as he removed the pack and stalked purposely towards the site Supergirl landed.
He arrived around the corner pulling a pistol from his hip, readying it in his hands as his domed helmet peered around. The side street was empty however. He examined the area and found the impact crater she landed in and the mess of the dumpster she collided with. He held his gun primed, attaching a second component to lengthen it before slotting the clip of kryptonite bullets into the weapon. Now armed he searched the alley, checking around corners. With the injury she sustained he doubted she would get far. He found a blood trail on the ground, following it deeper until the alley came to a brick wall. A dead end. Yet no Supergirl. DuBois knelt down and pressed a filter on his helmet, the blood trail illuminated before his eyes revealing she had veered off into a fire door. He stalked after her, finding the door dented in order to open. She was in a hurry, desperate. He primed his rifle and followed silently.
It was surprisingly simple to lay a trap for the superheroine. He set the fire in the office complex and jammed calls to the fire services. He only had to wait for ten minutes before she flew in to put it out. He got her in his sights and waited until she was stationary. He risked a few seconds to line up the shot, seconds he got when she remained perfectly still and distracted. He was almost disappointed when she went down. He didn't want such a large bounty to be so easy. But then he reminded himself this was business, to remain professional. He missed his second shot to her head, but the fact she stumbled off the rooftop confirmed her powers were inhibited. She was now much easier prey to hunt.
He stepped into the dark warehouse, the back room of a department store it appeared. DuBois was cautious as he crept forward, anticipating a trap in response. Wounded animals tend to fight back, and Supergirl would still be capable of getting the jump on him if he wasn't careful. Or maybe his choice of ammo rattled her and now she's hiding, seeking an escape. He prepared himself for both possibilities as he ventured deeper into the backroom, following the trail of blood to an open doorway that lead into the main floor. He stepped out bringing his rifle up, scanning the area carefully. He waited and listened. The room was quiet. Very quiet, like the building was holding its breath.
DuBois was careful as he stalked onto the area, his visor tracking the blood droplets on the ground and the occasional handprint on a shelf or display. They seemed to be deceasing, but the increasing handprints indicated she was struggling to keep moving. "Just so you know" he said, his voice traveling across the vacant shop floor echoing through the shelves, his hand silently unclipping his scope to slot to the rifle carefully. "This isn't personal" he told her. "Though I do owe you one for that stunt at the docks."
The blood trail curved to the right a few yards ahead, drifting towards a pillar in the menswear. He came to a stop by a display case and crouched down, peering through his scope to scan the pillar. He couldn't see anything, but he looked around until he found a standing mirror at the right angle. He leaned to the left and saw Supergirl's reflection. As he suspected, she was crouched behind the pillar trying to stay out of sight. Her blonde hair was matted sticking to her face which was coated with sweat. She was panting, wincing. Her abdomen was stained with blood as she pressed her hands against her gut, the cut on her face slightly discoloured from the contact with kryptonite. She was pale and looked sickly, as if fighting a fever. Her eyes kept darting to the front entrance. She was in no state to fight him.
And also no state to stop him as he stepped behind the display case, using it to steady his rifle and take carefully aim at the pillar. Using the reflection to gauge her position, he aimed his weapon and gently squeezed the trigger. The gunshot rang over the shop floor as the bullet penetrated the plaster and wood, slicing through the pillar and exiting through Supergirl's right shoulder. She screamed and lurched forwards, clutching her arm before sprinting frantically out of her hiding place. DuBois had his next shot primed in moments, giving chase as she weaved unsteadily through the clothes racks. He had no trouble following her as she was stumbling and whimpering in agony. His next shot wasn't even difficult as he fired a round into her left thigh, sending her stumbling to the ground landing on her backside several yards from the exit.
She groaned through gritted teeth as she dragged herself forwards, hearing him walk confidently towards her as she pulled herself to the front desk and turn herself around. She had tears streaking from her bloodshot eyes as she stared up at him, her expression cold as she wallowed the pain to glare at him. He stood in front of her, weapon in hand, staring down at her coldly as she sat in pain, her costume stained with blood. "You won't get away with this" she said through a clenched jaw. "You and Jake, you will see justice."
"This has nothing to do with him" he told her, priming his rifle as he brought it up aiming at her head. "As I said, this is just business."
Before he could pull the trigger, the execution was interrupted when something suddenly smashed through the skylight of the department store. Both the figures on the ground flinched as glass rained over them, their heads turning up to see something blue tumbling down towards them. It looked like a ball until it suddenly unfurled and Supergirl and Bloodsport were taken by surprise as Dreamer, floating in the air, spread a pair of dove wings that had cushioned her accidental crash into the building. Before DuBois could blink the young woman had thrown her hands forward, sending a powerful wave of energy at him that sent him catapulting across the shop floor into a collection of racks, the weapon armed with kryptonite ammo falling out of his grasp and landing on the ground.
Dreamer's momentum carried her all the way to the ground, her projection of dove wings dissolving as she figured out how to command her Legion ring to slow down. She managed to land in a three point landing, her suit absorbing most of the impact making her costume glow. She rose up and caught her reflection in a mirror, the new suit harnessing her dream energy to create a rippling aura around her figure that seemed to enhance the design, including her mask. It faded after a moment, leaving a slightly more improved replica of her costume with new gauntlets, boots and belt. She checked herself for injuries, but her tumble through the skylight, as impulsive and accidental as it was, left her unharmed. Remind me to learn how to fly she mused making a mental note.
Her eyes fell onto Supergirl almost immediately and widened when she saw how injured she was. "Kara!" she cried, diving forwards seeing the bullet wounds in her gut, shoulder and leg. "Oh no, hold still" she cried, hurriedly grabbing the first article of clothing she found on the floor to press against her stomach. "Are you okay?" she asked, though she could tell from the pale skin and the bloodshot eyes she was far from okay.
Kara tried to tell her she was alright, but her voice struggled to say anything but groan in pain. She could feel the kryptonite bullets burning inside her leg and stomach. It felt like she had been stabbed by a white hot poker. "Lena…hospital" she panted.
Nia nodded, fumbling into her pocket to pull out her phone to call Alex. She frantically relayed the situation and heard Alex speed up her car over the phone. "Hang on, help is coming" she told Kara.
Kara awkwardly pushed herself up against the reception desk, feeling drowsy as she fought to keep her eyes open. She fixed them on Nia and examined her costumed, which looked very different. "Is that a new suit?" she asked.
Nia froze, nervously mumbling an "uh huh" as she tried to figure out how she was going to explain the new costume.
Their brief reprieve was interrupted when they bother heard the clatter of clothes rack toppling over before a whirring started. Kara glanced over Nia's shoulder and shouted "behind you!" prompting Dreamer to look back and see Bloodsport back on his feet, a new assembled weapon in his hands which included a rotating machine gun attachment. He brought it up and fired upon the pair of them.
Dreamer leapt up to her feet and created a force field to shield her and Kara from gunfire. The bullets peppered the barrier and ricocheted around the department store ripping up clothing. DuBois kept up the barrage trying to wear her field down, but to Nia's surprise it was hold much better than it usually would. She lowered one of her hands and stared at the gloves. Lena was right, her energy output had been increased wildly. She took advantage of the upgrade and summoned a whip of blue energy, cracking it through the barrier to catch the weapon out of DuBois's hands and yank it aside. He let it go and pulled out a pistol, firing at the hero still protected. "I'm starting to see why the boy finds you so irritating" he growled under his breath, throwing the gun aside and lunged for the rifle he dropped.
Nia dropped the barrier and leapt for him, jumping from a pair of astral platforms to dive for the man before he could get his hands on the rifle. He saw her coming and twisted to catch her, sending her over his head and crashing to the ground. She managed to clean a hold of him and grappled him down with her, leading to a fist fight with DuBois promptly got the better of. He effortlessly spun her into a grapple, his thick arms locking around her neck and shoulders constricting her airway. She clawed at him before throwing her weight back. He didn't move, but it gave her the momentum to lift her feet and using her boots to create a sturdy platform to springboard off driving his back against a nearby pillar. When he grunted his hold loosened and she fired an elbow into his ribs, her suit channelling her energy into the blow making it hit harder. It made him release her so she could pull out of his grasp and pivot with a baseball bat construct to smack him across the helmet with.
DuBois shook the shock of the blow instantly, swinging back with a jab to her chest with she wasn't ready for. He followed up with a powerful kick to the abdomen which sent the smaller woman flying backwards. Instead of toppling over however, she used her ring and tilted forward, her feet planting onto the smooth floor slowing her to a stop, her knees bent and ready to leap back at him in a tackle. He saw the move coming and used her momentum to send her into that pillar where she crashed to the ground. He then grabbed her dark hair, yanked her to and immediately clotheslined her back to the ground.
Nia felt the air knocked out of her lungs as she landed on her back, staring up at the armoured man as he pulled out another pistol and aimed it at her. She threw up her arm and blocked his shot with a shield she created, using her other hand to create a hook she used to pull his legs out from under him. She used the Legion ring to float up into a roll, landing on her feet and summoning a large hammer to bring down upon the mercenary. He dodged it, caught it and yanked it forward pulling her down into a head-butt, his visor cracking against her forehead. She stumbled backwards in a daze as he leapt back to his feet, rushing at her pinning her to the pillar with his hand around her throat. She tried to break free but he hit her in the temple twice with his fist to keep her dazed while he choked her. "Not bad, but not trained" he told her. He looked at the costume she was wearing and remarked "didn't I see this in Iron's workshop?"
Before he could elaborate Nia unleashed a pulse of energy through her new suit, the shockwave surprising her opponent and forcing him back. She used the opening to punch him with her fists, her gauntlets glowing with energy that exploded with sparks upon each impact. She saw his helmet crack from one of her strikes and went again, until he caught her wrist and deflected it. He went to grab another pistol until he realised he has run out of components, leading her to blasting him with dream energy sending him tumbling backwards.
He landed on his ass with a grunt. But his hand also found the rifle he was dropped earlier. He grabbed it and immediately brought it around locking the scope on Dreamer. Nia heard Kara call out of her before the gunshot rang out, the sound ringing in her ears as she was shot by the kryptonite bullet loaded into the chamber.
She stumbled back feeling the wind knocked out of her, the projectile hitting her side driving her to the floor. She began to panic, trying to recall the last time she got shot. But other than an ache in her side she realised she didn't feel anything. She looked down and was stunned to see her suit glowing with energy, a second layer of armour she involuntarily created. She was okay.
DuBois realised this too as Dreamer was still moving. He rose to his feet and loaded another round. Except his rifle clicked empty. That was his last kryptonite bullet. Cursing under his breath he readjusted the components of the weapon, switching it from a rifle to a shotgun. He stormed up to the young woman and aimed his gun. "I didn't want this to be personal" he growled. "But you two are making it very difficult."
Nia turned around and saw the barrel of the gun aiming at her. She didn't think about her next move, she just reacted. Her hand flew out and the next thing she knew the gun was going off into the palm of…Supergirl? No, not Kara. A projection of Kara. Dreamer found herself summoning a projection of the young woman standing in front of DuBois crushing his gun in her palm. He stared up at the imposing figure, a mix of shock and disbelief. Dreamer used that moment of indecision to leap back to her feet, using her platforms and her ring to launch herself at the mercenary, her fist charging with dream energy as she flew through the projection and punched him across the face shattering his helmet. She hit him so hard he was thrown off his feet, sent spiralling across the floor and landed with a painful thud. DuBois grunted once and fell limp, knocked out by the powerful uppercut.
Nia stared down at her unconscious opponent, relieved and amazed. She looked at her hands, new gauntlets not even dented. This costume was amazing. That thought made her shudder as she reminded herself who made it and where it came from. But she pushed all of that out of her mind and raced to Kara's side. The woman was staring at her too, equally amazed as she slumped against the desk. Nia brought her hands back to her wounds to try and stem the bleeding, hearing the sirens approaching from outside. "It'll be okay now" she told her mentor.
Kara looked at her proudly. "You saved me" she croaked. Nia blushed but Kara squeezed her shoulder. "I knew you would" she beamed.
Alex arrived moments later just ahead of the police, the ambulance not far behind. She fell to her sister's side and refused to move until she got medical treatment. DuBois was arrested on sight, the mercenary taken away while Supergirl was put in an ambulance with instruction to be taken to L-Corp. Alex followed behind in her car, but not before giving Nia a look when she noticed the costume she was wearing.