Kelly was indeed beside herself as she waited at Olsen's house. Staying here was the last thing she wanted to do and it was taking everything she had not to grab her keys and run off to try and find her brother. If it wasn't for the logic behind James possibly coming back here she would be gone already. She looked out of the front window and saw the police car parked outside. They were waiting to see if he came home too.
James isn't a fugitive, she knew it in her gut. He wouldn't make things worse for himself like this. He still had faith the court would find him innocent. Why would he jeopardise that? She didn't care what the FBI agents thought. She knew what they were thinking as they questioned her. They thought she might've helped him. They believed he escaped to flee the country before he could go to prison. But none of that was true. James didn't attack those officers, just like he didn't kill all those people. He was taken, he was kidnapped.
Or he was rescued.
As she looked outside she saw Alex approaching the front door. Her breath caught in her throat as she raced to answer before she could announce herself. She pulled the woman inside before she could say anything, getting her out of earshot of the police outside. "Alex, I know you think you're trying to help and you want to protect him, but I need know he's okay" she said frantically, looking at the young woman intently.
Alex looked at her in confusion until she realised Kelly thought the escape was because of her. She knew what she was initially planning. She thought Alex had broken James out of that van. Her gut clenched as she told her "I didn't do anything."
Kelly didn't believe her. "I know you think keeping me in the dark will help, and considering all the questions those FBI agents had I get it. You don't have to tell me where he is. Just tell me he's safe. Tell me he's alright, please" she begged.
It broke her heart to see her like this. The fear for her brother, the panic in her voice. Alex looked at her distraught as she answered "I don't know. Kelly…this wasn't me. You were right, James wouldn't have wanted this. I don't know where he is."
Kelly stared at her in disbelief. She didn't believe her, not at first. But then the sincerity in her eyes caught her and her chest tightened. She was telling the truth. "No" she said in objection. "No, you must've have. Because James wouldn't do this. He couldn't have done this unless…" her eyes widened as she turned away in horror. "Oh god! No!" she gasped, her heartrate increasing.
Alex appreciated Kelly's intelligence and stepped forward to take hold of her as she began to spiral into panic. "We'll find him" she promised, hugging the dark skinned woman comfortingly. "Everyone I know is out there looking. Everyone, including Supergirl."
She felt Kelly tense a little at the mention of Supergirl's name. It only lasted a moment but they both noted it. "I'm sorry" Kelly apologised, pulling away from Alex's comforting embrace. "I know it's not her fault, but it's just…why? Did that man involve James at all?"
"I don't know" Alex admitted, though she had a solid answer. Because he knew James meant something to Kara. This was all to get under her skin. But if Jake had kidnapped Olsen, it begged the question why and what was he going to do with him. She had to hope he wouldn't hurt him. He was more useful as bait or leverage. She looked at Kelly, wishing she could do more than simply ask "how are you holding up?"
She shook her head, sinking onto a stool trying not to cry. "I never thought this was how my visit would go" she said. "I was just meant to come back and see James, catch up. And maybe apologise for how things ended between us" she added, looking at Alex.
She put her hands in her pockets and approached meekly. "Did it really end? I wasn't sure if anything really got started" she said.
"It did for me" she confessed, something she wanted to say a long while ago. "But the job opened up and I… that's not true. I panicked. I wasn't sure if I was ready for another relationship so when the job offer was made I took it. I regretted it immediately but I was just…afraid."
"I thought I had done something wrong" Alex whispered, sitting on the stool next to hers. She couldn't believe they were finally having this conversation. It's all she wanted since she came back. "I thought I had screwed up, that I was meant to go with you."
"Your home was here" Kelly told her, wiping her cheek. "And to be honest, so was mine. I just didn't realise it until I left you."
Alex looked at her, in surprise and in hope. "Does that mean you…?"
She nodded. "I care about you. And I miss you. So…when this is over, I don't know if you'd still be interested, but I'd really like to try again."
Alex heart leapt as she turned to her, reaching out to take Kelly's hand in hers. "I'd really like that" she said, a tear in her eye as she exhaled a breath she was holding. Kelly did the same, the acknowledgement of their feelings uplifting both of them. "Maybe we could get a drink at our bar" Alex suggested. "You, me…Kara could come, along with J'onn, Nia, Brainy…and James" she said confidently.
Kelly's smiled beamed. "I'd really like that" she nodded. They laughed, their first date set.
They sat in the house and talked, putting each other's mind at ease while they waited for news together.
Olsen's mouth was dry as he began to wake up, his body aching and heavy. He opened his eyes slowly, his foggy vision coming back into focus as he lifted his head. It was dark, but then he began to see the highlights of the room he was in. he saw metal, steel, machines larger than him. Some kind of industrial factory he guessed. He drew a long breath, his chest heaving in air that tasted toxic. Chemicals, he smelt chemicals. Definitely a factory. But it was too dark to see clearly. He turned his head and found a large window on his left. He saw the derelict buildings outside. The industrial estate. He was still in National City.
"Supergirl!" he tried to call, but his voice croaked hollowly. His thought felt thick, like it was clogged. But he was getting better. Whatever gas he was exposed too was wearing off. He waited a minute before he tried calling her name again. He didn't have his signal watch in the courthouse so he couldn't use that. He went to move his arms only to find they were trapped behind his back. He finally looked down and determined he was sitting in a metal chair, his hands handcuffed behind his back. He tugged on the cuffs but they were hooked into the chair. He was trapped. He experimentally hopped in the seat, his feet chained to the floor and the chair bolted down. He wasn't going anywhere. He was surprised he wasn't gagged however. It would be so easy to call out to Kara until she found him. "Supergirl!" he shouted once his voice came back, the sound bouncing around the huge warehouse he was in.
"I wouldn't count on her hearing you" a voice told him from behind. James turned his head, attempting to peer over his shoulder into the gloom. He found an illuminated workbench sitting a few yards behind him were a figure clocked in shadows tinkered with some equipment on the bench. He looked back at Olsen and the man saw Jake's features glow in the lamp hovering over the work station. "Old steel mill like this have walls thick enough to absorb sound, and enough lead to prevent radiation from escaping. Though nothing's fool-proof" he admitted. "There's a chance Kara might overhear you if she's close enough. But I doubt she'll have time to listen once we get started" he said confidently.
"Started on what?" he asked.
Jake didn't answer, returning to his work. He blew on the object in his hand and tightened the screws before pushing a switch on the side. Static filled the room and he tested the microphone. "What do you think?" he asked, his voice distorting through the voice scrambler he'd put together. James turned away in disgusted. Jake just shrugged. "I'm not going to hurt you if that's what you're worried about" he said in his normal voice. "This was never about you. It's not personal."
"You framed me. It feels bloody personal" he snarled.
Jake sighed, walking across the concrete floor to the captive black man. There was a light suspended over them which cast a dim cone over the immediate area, enough for the two to see each other. After a moments pause he said "I didn't have any intention of doing the supervillain monologue thing, I always thought that was a waste of energy, but I figure you deserve to know…this was never part of the original plan" he explained.
"Which part?" Olsen asked.
"This" he clarified, gesturing to him. "I didn't care if everyone found out who I was. No, this proxy villain concept, that was Henry's suggestion. A contingency in case something went wrong. He thought I should have a back-up plan in case you guys proved to be smarter than we anticipated. Not that I thought you wouldn't figure it out, I mean in case you caught on sooner than I thought you would."
"So what changed?" Olsen asked. He figured if he kept Jake talking he might give him something that could help him escape. Jake put his hands on his hips, as if it was obvious. James thought about it and laughed. "Killing the Blacksmith wasn't part of the plan" he guessed.
"Believe it or not, I was trying to save him" Jake grumbled.
"The kryptonite sword in his chest said otherwise" James scoffed.
"Do you have any idea the type of people an international weapons maker does business with?" Jake asked him rhetorically. James looked at him silently. He had an inkling. Jake nodded, looking down at the award winning photographer and journalist explaining "they're the type of people who won't think twice about killing whoever they need to in order to stay out of prison. If Henry Irons had been taken into custody, they would've killed him before he could even think about testifying with technology he gave them. I didn't want that for him. But things got out of hand."
"That doesn't explain why you planted the murder weapon at my house" he said.
Jake shrugged. "Like I said, it was a contingency. I knew the whole city would be on my back and it would only take moments for the trail to lead back to be, especially with that…I'll admit, stupid stunt at the DEO. How was I supposed to know Director Danvers would actually assault me in the interview room? I was trying to throw the investigation off, not get my head kicked in. I needed some time to get everything in place and, I'm sorry, but you made a compelling suspect."
Olsen scowled as he stared up at the young man. As much as he appreciated his candour, it didn't change the betrayal he felt. "So why break me out of prison?" he asked him. "Why not let me rot in jail?"
"I thought that'd be obvious" Jake said, nodding to the man and the outfit he was wearing.
James finally looked down and took a good look at what he was wearing, horrified to discover he was no longer in the suit from the courthouse. He was in Jake's red and black armour, the costume he wore as the Reckoning. He looked up at Jake walked over to a dark corner, passing a camera on a tripod aimed at the black man with a flashing red light. Cables led to a small table where a computer was set up, a set of screens showing a video feed and a map of the city. Jake came back holding the helmet that would complete the look. "You're making a public announcement?" James realised. He scoffed. "You really think I'd help you in any way."
"I'm not worried" Jake laughed, walking over and unhooking the helmet. He stood behind the man and placed the helmet over his head, locking it in place against Olsen's will. "You won't have to do anything but sit there and look the part" he promised, holding up his voice scrambler telling him "I'll handle the rest" in his distorted voice.
"You won't get away with this" James promised him. "My friends will find me and they will come for you. They won't let you hurt Kara" he warned.
Jake believed him, but he wasn't concerned. He walked to the computer, inputting a series of commands as the screen lit up with a series of green lights on the map. He double checked the camera, confirming it was ready before taking a moment to look out of the window. He looked at his watch, waiting for the sun to dip below the horizon before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a detonator. "I meant what I said" he told his captive as he counted down in his head. "If she's close enough she might hear you. But I have a feeling she and everyone else will be a little distracted" he said regrettably, priming the trigger in his hand before pressing the button.
There was no ceremony about it, no countdown, and no big speech. Jake pushed the button and looked out over the rooftops as the dark sky suddenly lit up with a series of explosions across the city. He listened to the sequence of booms as they travelled from district to district, closing his eyes repeating the mantra he'd been keeping for months.
It'll all be over soon.
The endgame had begun.