Facility X, Minutes before the DEO's arrival
Lillian entered the room, as she had everyday for the past ten years. Today was no exception.
Kara had blood running down the side of her face, and bruises on her stomach and legs.
From the day before.
All courtesy of Hank Henshaw, of course.
Lillian had made it her mission to make him the strongest super soldier ever, with capabilities of incapacitating even Superman.
Who better to test out his combat skills and fist weapons on, than Superman's cousin?
Kara moaned in pain as she attempted to stand, legs wobbly. She got halfway up before she fell back down, too much strain causing her to lose balance.
Lillian snorted at the display. "Oh, this is just pathetic! You're supposed to be an almighty Kryptonian, and look at you now. Your big sister would be disappointed in what you've become."
Kara turned her head upwards and gave Lillian the most menacing glare possible, given her current situation. "Leave. Alex. Out of this. This is between you and me."
Lillian laughed. "Oh, relax. I wasn't threatening her or anything. And plus, it's really between you, me, and Hank. But do not fret, child. His training is almost complete and he has become quite proficient in his combat technique. Which basically means that we won't be needing you anymore in a few days time."
Kara felt fear grow inside of her chest, but didn't show it at all to her captor. "I don't care if you kill me. I've just been a glorified punching bag for the last five years, and a freak science experiment the years before that. If you think I feel even the least bit threatened, then think again."
"Well, child. I'd watch that mouth of yours. If we're on the subject of threats, then why don't we talk about how I just told you I wasn't threatening good ol' big sis. Hm? If you keep running your mouth, that can be subject to change."
Kara glowered at her, and made an attempt to stand once again. She was successful this time and limped to the edge of her cell, only being held back by the bars.
She stared right into Lillian's eyes.
And spit in her face.
With that, she turned and sat back in the middle of her cell.
Lillian felt rage boiling inside her. "You have the audacity to affront your captor? You do realize who has the power, yes? Who controls the situation? Who is in control of your life? It almost seems as if you don't care anymore if you survive."
"It's because I don't," Kara immediately fired back. She then slowed down, and repeated it, practically whispering.
"It's because I don't."
Lillian smirked and teased,"Then who's going to protect Agent Danvers if you're gone?"
Kara's eyes lit afire. "You cannot continue to threaten her. Y'know what? I do care if I die now. Because I want to survive, just so that I can watch you suffer, like you've watched me. Make you pay for constantly trying to get to Alex. You'll regret the day you ever got the idea of hurting her in your head. I'll be the one to make you regret it."
Lillian snorted derisively and motioned Henshaw to come inside.
As he walked in, she wrapped up her conversation with Kara. "You know, for the very first time in a couple years, I was going to give you a break. Grant you mercy on your last couple days here. I was going to let you heal with the solar lamps, and I was going to grant you a quick and painless death. But with all of your threats, it has just been pesky and annoying. So instead I've decided that I want you dead today. And preferably painfully." She looked directly into Kara's eyes.
"You forced my hand, little girl."
Lillian turned to Hank and gave him orders regarding Kara, for the last time. "Please, go ahead and kill her today. Make it as painful as possible. Oh and also, make sure you test out the new functions I added to your gauntlets."
Hank nodded resolutely and opened up Kara's cell. He pushed a new button on his gauntlets and they immediately extended to cover his entire hand, including the fingers, with a sheet of metal. The back extended to the edge of his forearm, almost approaching the elbow. Both of his arms were now effectively half covered in steel. He smiled menacingly.
"Time to end this, kid."
Kara stood shakily and readied herself for her final fight. She had learned through the years that she couldn't go on the offensive first, he was too quick. She had to play defense and wait for an opening to attack.
Henshaw noticed his opponent weak in the legs, and decided to go for those first. He faked a punch to her face, and she attempted to defend it. With her thrown off balance from the fake, he viciously kicked her in her left knee.
She screamed in agony as something definitely broke. Without the use of her left leg and her already weak right one, she immediately fell to the floor.
Refusing to go down this early in the fight, she got up on her hands and knees.
Hank saw a very obvious and wide opening and quickly attacked before she could defend. He landed a hard kick to her exposed stomach and right rib cage, no doubt breaking a couple of her ribs.
She flew back and slammed into the rear wall of the cell, simultaneously gasping for breath and moaning in pain.
With her laying on her back, her face was exposed and he brought his heavy boot down on it, causing her head to pitch back and smash into the floor.
Her nose easily broke and blood came pouring out of it. Hank took the opportunity and stomped on her stomach, winding her. Short of breath and in a world of pain, Kara felt herself losing consciousness, but was quickly brought back into reality by a nasty left hook to her face.
She screamed in pain, praying for the suffering to end, to lose consciousness.
Hank kneeled down over her stomach in a mount position and pushed another button on his gauntlet's control panel.
Heavy metal studs grew out of his knuckles.
With the new addition to his arsenal, he began raining down blows on Kara's face.
Punch after punch relentlessly came at her and blood was leaving Kara's body rapidly through at least five different head wounds. The studs ripped her skin apart painfully as he repeatedly landed blows to her face.
Henshaw stood and brushed himself off, preparing to finish her.
Lillian called from the sidelines,"Don't kill her yet, it's too easy. Lay it on a little more first."
He firmly nodded and grabbed Kara's shirt near the shoulders. Using it as leverage, he completely lifted her until she was upright and then slammed her back and shoulders into the cage wall.
She groaned in pain at the impact.
He then clinched up, hands locking behind her neck, and began driving horrifically painful knees into her abdomen.
She gasped and coughed out blood as each one connected and was doubled over in pain, panting due to exhaustion.
Sensing yet another opportunity, Hank pulled her forward and instead hooked his arm around her neck as he rotated his body. He now stood behind Kara, choking her out from behind.
With a strong hold on her, he ferociously kneed her in the small of her back. She jerked forward in pain, letting out a muffled cry, while trying to remove his arm from around her neck.
Already short of breath from being winded earlier in the fight and her broken ribs, she was losing air alarmingly quick. She clawed at his arms, in an attempt to get them off.
It was to no avail.
The metal was completely covering his arm and he was completely unfazed.
Kara felt her vision blurring and the corners of her eyes going black, and accepted her fate.
That's when the door was violently thrown open and she saw her sister and fourteen other DEO agents.
Alex was immediately horrified by the sight that greeted her as they stormed in. Every inch of her little sister's face was covered in blood and her nose was horribly swollen and deformed. She also saw Kara's left knee was completely mangled.
When she caught sight of Lillian from the corner of her eye, Alex immediately shot her in the leg and commanded her fellow agents to restrain her quickly.
That's when she focused on the man strangling her struggling sister. Alex noticed that half of his arms were covered in some kind of metal, so she scanned for exposed areas in his upper arms.
Through her quick analysis, she found an exposed inch of shoulder just to the left of Kara's head. Alex knew it was a risk, but fired immediately.
Knowing that if she didn't, her sister would be dead anyways.
Her shot landed exactly where she wanted it to, and Hank recoiled in pain, unable to hold his arm in place.
Kara fell to the floor in relief, gulping in huge amount of air. Because of the furious movement, one of her broken ribs shifted and punctured one of her lungs.
She found herself struggling for breath once again, and every inhale caused her excruciating pain.
Alex saw her sister struggling to get air in, and immediately ran to her side. As she knelt by Kara, she reached for one of her sister's hands and gave it a tight squeeze.
Agent Danvers crisply called out to the remaining agents to restrain Hank and quickly refocused all of her attention on Kara.
Her breathing was getting heavier and slower, and she was losing massive amounts of blood.
She thought of anything to say that could calm Kara down.
"It's okay, Kara. It's me, I'm here. We're finally together again. I called someone and he'll be here any second to help, so just hold on. Please, just hold on."
Alex moved Kara's head to rest in her lap as she used her free hand to stroke her sister's hair. It always used to calm her down after nightmares.
Kara squeezed Alex's hand and looked into her big sister's eyes. Finally reunited. She stared in disbelief, unable to comprehend that help had come.
She gasped out,"Al-ex? Lex. You... came... You're here..."
Alex looked at her with tears in her eyes, unable to cope with seeing Kara in so much pain. She cried shakily. "Yeah. I'm h-here Kara. I made it. We're g-going to get you home s-safe. You just need to h-hold on and stay awake."
Kara nodded, but her eyelids felt so heavy. "You... made it... Missed you... so much..."
Alex was sobbing, trying to keep her awake, hiccuping through her tears. "I m-missed you so much too, Kar. Everyday. I looked for you. I n-never stopped. So, you g-gotta stay awake. For me. Please just stay w-with me."
Kara's eyes locked on to Alex's. "Thank you... saving... me." Her words were becoming much shorter, just like her breaths, and her sentences were becoming increasingly fragmented. "Proud of... you. I l-love you, Lex."
"I love you too, Kara. I love you so much. You gotta keep breathing for me. Please. Just a little longer." Alex was begging, praying for J'onn to get here faster.
Kara shook her head and gave Alex a sad smile. "Can't... anymore. Love... you... Al... ex."
With that, she closed her eyes and her face relaxed. Alex screamed in anguish, and desperately felt for a pulse.
There was none.
She held her ear over Kara's mouth, listening intently for breath sounds.
There were none.
That's when J'onn burst through the door,
Alex looked up and frantically sobbed,"You have to go! Quick! She's not breathing."
J'onn nodded quickly and resolutely, and scooped Kara out of her arms. Alex was reluctant to let go, but knew her little sister needed help. And fast.
As soon as Kara was safely secured, he flew towards the DEO as fast as his body would let him.
And the agents were left behind to pick up all the pieces.
Load up the Cadmus personnel, free the alien prisoners. Extract all possible intel.
But they were also left to pick up the pieces of the ruined Agent Danvers.