J'onn walked into Alex's room to find her sitting on her bed, completely lost in thought. He gently cleared his throat to grab her attention.
Alex's head snapped up at the sudden noise, and she smiled slightly upon seeing her father figure. J'onn returned the smile before getting down to business. "Winn was able to pinpoint her location. We're sending our teams out in about three hours. Once everyone is prepared and geared up, we're moving out."
Alex just kept her gaze steadily on the floor. "You're not going to let me go out there, are you?"
J'onn sighed, already resigned. "Actually, I was. You are not going out into the field with a very fresh gunshot wound to your leg, but I wanted to bring you in the van. You could run point from there, and if Kara is in need of medical attention, you should be there to help her. I know how important she is to you, and I know there's nothing I could do to stop you anyways."
Alex's eyes lit up in surprise. "Thank you for letting me come. But why do you need me for medical help? Isn't that girl going to be there? Kara's apparent new doctor?"
J'onn stared down at her with disapproving eyes. "Alex."
She shrugged and gave him an indifferent look. "I'm just saying..."
He just shook his head. Alex had never acted this way before. "Alex, I know how terrible you feel for messing up and using Hunter's death to hurt your sister. But she knows you didn't do it on purpose. We all know how you can get when your temper flares up, I'm sure she understands. And I'm sure she forgives you. That being said, you messing up in your guys' relationship gives you no justification to completely invalidate and harass our perfectly capable new agent. Just because you feel like Kara might replace you, or you feel threatened, that doesn't mean Emma is a horrible person."
Alex just stared at the floor. "I'm just scared, J'onn. The last time she got so emotionally attached to someone so quick, they died on her. I'm so worried about what that'll do to her. I only want what's best for her. So if everyone says Emma is such a great girl, I'll take it into consideration. But I'll have to see it first before I start believing it myself."
"I understand how you feel, Alex. But Kara is going to be scared. While she's there, and when she gets back. If she comes back to see her best friend and her sister warring with each other, can you imagine what that's going to do to her? Just do your best to play nice."
He watched as the younger agent reluctantly nodded. "I'm doing it for Kara, though. Not for Emma."
J'onn sighed, cursing Alex's stubbornness. "Guess it's the best I'm going to get, isn't it?"
Alex gave a little laugh and smiled. "Not until she proves herself. But you know... when did this whole best friend thing happen? I thought Kara and Winn were best friends."
J'onn laughed. "I'm sure they're still best friends, Alex. You know, you can have more than one best friend. It isn't illegal or anything. And I'm sure Winn is happy to see her growing close to someone else too. But bear in mind that Kara refused to open up to Winn. Emma was the one who helped her get over her guilt for Hunter, and she was the one Kara chose to confide in. There must be a reason for that, too. Guess we'll just have to ask our girl when we get her back."
He watched as his daughter figure struggled to stand, and wobbled on the crutches. She looked up to him with hardened and determined eyes. "I'll be ready in three hours." With that, she up and left the room. J'onn just shook his head behind her, marveling at the girl's complete and utter stubbornness.
-00-
Emma holstered her gun into place, and tightened the strap of her tactical belt. She was more than ready to have her best friend back, and was willing to do whatever it took. She climbed into the waiting transport vehicle, to find Alex sitting inside with her crutches. Emma did not want to start a fight, especially now, so she just averted eye contact. The tension in the air was palpable, with all the agents watching how things would play out. Especially after their particularly friendly first meeting.
Alex decided it wasn't worth it right now to get into a fight either, so the entire car rode in tense silence until they finally reached the Cadmus warehouse. Emma, being one of the most skilled field agents at the DEO, had been assigned her own unit, and upon arrival, immediately took charge.
"J'onn put us in charge of finding and freeing Kara. This may just be the most dangerous unit to be in, we cannot anticipate how many guards will be with her. We may also encounter Lillian while we're there. This is going to be hard, and it's going to be high risk. If any of you are unwilling to do absolutely everything in your power to free Kara, then you can get out of my unit. I'm either coming back with Kara, or not coming back at all. All of you know how important she is to me, and I'm sure she has made a great impact on your lives too. If you do not share this same attitude, then please take your leave now."
Agent Rose stared out at her team of agents, and none of them even moved an inch. She nodded approvingly. "Then let's go get our girl."
All of her agents nodded back, and they exited the back of the truck, guns blazing. Alex outwardly rolled her eyes at the whole speech, but inwardly, the girl had gained some respect with her sheer determination to save her sister. Maybe she's not so bad after all. She really does care about Kar.
Alex opened up her tablet, and began monitoring the scene from the agents' body cams. She was determined to help in any way possible.
-00-
Emma peeked out from her cover to shoot at some of the opposing Cadmus agents who had opened fire. They looked confused and surprised that the DEO was able to pinpoint their location. The agents were not at all prepared for a firefight, and the DEO agents easily overtook them.
Agent Rose took charge and led her team into the side entrance of the warehouse, heading directly to the location of Kara's tracker. She peeked around the corner of a wall to find a large room with glowing green coursing through the walls, and guards swarming the entrance. She turned back to her team and nodded at them, whispering.
"This is the place."
Their eyes all visibly hardened, and their knuckles whitened. They clutched their guns, ready to end Cadmus once and for all. Agent Rose made a motion for the team to wait on her count of three. She peered around the corner, watching for any sudden movements or surprises. Satisfied that all was good, she held up her hand and began counting down.
Upon her signal, all of the agents came whirling around the corner, guns blazing. They unrelentingly shot down every guard they saw, and immediately stormed into the room. She abruptly stopped when she found nothing in the room. Standing in confusion, she did not know what to do next.
Agent Hanson, one of the fellow agents in her unit, walked up next to Emma. "Agent Danvers is telling me that there are large kryptonite signatures coming from that corner of the room." He pointed to where Alex was describing over the comms.
Agent Rose nodded and headed over. She found nothing but blank wall, but began feeling the grooves of the surface, hoping for some sort of button or secret entryway. Her hand felt slight movement on one of the panels of the wall, and when she applied more pressure, a screen with a hand print became visible.
She turned back to her team. "Looks like we need Lillian's hand print to open the door. We need to find her and bring her here."
They then heard the monotonous clicking of heels against the floor, and slowly turned to find an army of Cadmus agents swarming the entryway, Lillian at the forefront. "Oh, Emma. Don't you just love when we make your job easy for you? As they always said, ask and you shall receive. Looking for me? Well, here I am."
Emma felt the rage boil over, and immediately charged at the woman. She was pissed beyond belief at what she was doing to Kara. "You bitch!" The sound of a hundred gun safeties clicking off stopped her in her tracks. Every Cadmus agent had their weapon loaded and trained on her. Lillian just laughed.
"I don't want to kill anyone, girl. Take your agents and leave. If you surrender peacefully, I won't have to hurt you, your team, or your little alien friend."
Emma snorted. "Cut the crap, Lillian. I can smell your bullshit all the way from across this room. You don't care who dies, or who gets hurt, as long as it furthers your twisted agenda. Well, I got news for you. Your operation ends today."
Lillian smirked at her. "Oh, Agent Rose. I find it absolutely adorable and almost endearing how you think you and your ragtag group of twenty agents can stop my army. Surrender now, and we'll let you leave without anyone having to die."
Emma laughed smugly. "You have all of your agents here... Guess that means you didn't realize that there are two DEO teams right now, working to disable your ship." She watched as Lillian's confident and smug expression instantly faded.
She tapped furiously on her tablet and pulled up the security feed, to indeed find her ship was being converged upon by DEO agents. She yelled to her agents in the room, "What the hell are you guys waiting for? Go! Stop them!"
More than two-thirds of the agents in the room sprinted out, ready for a fight with the other agents, leaving Lillian with about thirty agents. Emma smirked at her. "Guess our 'ragtag group of twenty agents' isn't looking all that bad now, is it?"
She signaled to her team, and immediately they engaged in a firefight with the opposing Cadmus agents. Bodies dropped on both sides, but the DEO agents eventually won until all that was left was Lillian herself. Agent Rose watched as Lillian turned to book it for the exit.
She wouldn't let Lillian get away this time. Emma sprinted across the room as fast as her legs could carry her, and launched into a take down. She tackled Lillian, hard, and they rolled to the floor. Emma whipped out her handcuffs, and immediately secured Lillian.
"A shame I can't kill you. Yet..."
Lillian just smiled smugly at her. "You'll never win. My agents will overpower your pathetic little DEO agents. This plan will go off, with or without little Kara."
Agent Hanson spoke up, relaying the message that Alex was telling him. "Looks like we cleared out the Cadmus agents. DEO agents are currently unloading the ship right now, and the power has been completely drained and cut off. Agent Rose... We won."
Emma turned to Lillian, and watched in glee as Lillian's plans crumbled before her. "See? What was that you said about how I'd never win? Nothing left now except to free Kara. I'll let you do the honors. If you don't want to go willingly, I'd happily cut off your hand myself and use your severed limb on the scanner." Everyone in the room knew Emma would gladly make good on that threat.
Lillian blanched and immediately put her palm to the machine. A secret doorway opened, and Emma looked in to find Kara in a cell. She whirled around to her team, and started barking out commands. "Eight of you, please escort Mrs. Bitch to the transport vehicle. The rest of you, get a med evac and get back as soon as possible."
Some of the agents snickered at the very unruly, yet extremely fitting, name she had come up with for Lillian. Then they were all off to do their assigned tasks. Emma whirled back around to the room, and rushed in.
She unlocked the cell Kara was in with the set of keys left on a table in there. Kara looked up at her friend, tears in her eyes, and melted into Emma's tight embrace. Emma heard the scared alien whisper to her, "Thank you for coming, Emma. I knew you would come."
Emma pulled back, warm brown eyes locking onto Kara's teary yet striking blue ones. She wiped the tears rolling down Kara's face, and gently whispered in return.
"Always."