"Kara, you are going to be flying straight past CatCo." Winn said over Supergirl's earpiece. "Why don't you pick up Guardian? He could help."
"I've already said no." Kara said flying straight past the CatCo roof where James was waiting.
"You know he is going to go down there anyway?" Winn pointed out.
"You know my feelings about him being Guardian." Kara countered. "Just tell me specifically where I need to go."
"There are reports of sink holes appearing in tunnels one, four and five and people being trapped in trains in tunnels one and five. We have lost CCTV, but based on the police reports the casualties are worse in tunnel oneā¦.oh hang on, this isn't good. There's also reports of gas."
"I'm almost there." Kara said flying into the station and hurrying to tunnel one. "There are exposed wires here. Can you cut power?" Kara asked Winn.
"One step ahead of you, just accessing the system now."
"If I freeze the pipes will the gas be safe?"
"Until it defrosts." Winn said.
"Okay." Kara responded using her freeze breath to freeze the pipes before approaching the train which was dangling over a sink hole.
"Supergirl! Help." The passengers cried.
"Hold onto something I'm going to pull the train back." Supergirl said before pulling the locomotive away from the sink hole. When she was happy it was safe she directed people out the carriage towards safety.
"Is anyone trapped?" She asked the driver.
"No. I've just come from the front, I'm the last off."
"Make sure they get back to the station, there is another train in trouble." Supergirl said before heading to tunnel five.
"This is bad." She said to Winn. There are sink holes at both ends of the train and the carriages have all decoupled. I'm going to have to fly them out one at a time."
"Good news is power and gas are off." Winn replied as Supergirl lifted the first carriage and flew it outside. As soon as it was safe she hurried back to the tunnel and lifted the next one to safety. When she returned she saw the chasms were widening and said. "The sink holes are getting worse. A carriage is falling." She said before flying underneath it and catching it. Steadying herself and the carriage she flew it outside before she returned to the tunnel to get the last carriage. But when she got there all she could see was a huge hole. "No." She said flying down the shaft until she could see the mangled remains on the ground.
-00-
When Kara entered the DEO she saw James talking to Winn. Walking quickly she hoped to pass them only to find James standing before her.
"Not in the mood right now." She said.
"Maybe if you trusted me and worked with me, it wouldn't have happened." James said.
"So this is my fault?" Kara asked.
"You told me on Krypton it was a sign of strength to ask for help, so why is it you find it so hard to ask?"
"I'm not afraid to ask for help. But I won't put people in danger." Kara said.
"Is it that you're jealous? I'm getting the cover stories not you."
"Guardian gets the cover stories as you are writing them and have full control over lead stories." Kara pointed out. "Besides I don't care who gets credit for what. You're my friend, or at least you were and I want you to be safe. I'm not going to do anything that puts your life in danger, including supporting you."
"You know what I think? Despite everything you say maybe you believe you are better than humans. You have no problem with J'onn and Mon-El helping you, but when it comes to a mere human like me you just can't work with me."
"I work with human DEO agents all the time. I'm out there every day with Alex."
"And she got shot trying to protect you." James said immediately realising he had crossed a line. "Sorry, what I meant was with my shield I could have stopped that happening."
"I think you should go." Kara said before walking off.
"You okay there?" Maggie asked walking quickly to catch up with Kara.
"You heard that then?" Kara guessed.
"I didn't mean to, but you two were being kind of loud." Maggie said before asking. "You know he's an idiot right?"
"Who James?" Kara questioned. When Maggie nodded Kara said. "No he's not. Not really. He just wants to make the city safer and I get that."
"I know I don't know him, but as part of my job I need to profile people, figure out what makes them tick and I have a different take on it." Maggie said. "When he was in Metropolis everyone knew him as Superman's best buddy. Sure he won a Pulitzer, but that photo was a picture of Superman. His life, his success, was linked to your cousin. He moved out here because he wanted to break free from that, to branch out right? Have a life of his own? But your cousin asked him to keep an eye out for you."
"How do you know that?" Kara asked confused.
"Alex told me." Maggie explained. "But my point was he started to hang with you, got involved in the background, but unlike with your cousin he wasn't the goto guy. You have Alex and J'onn and Winn. James was just another figure in the background. He didn't have the identity or the credit he needed to feel special."
"So you are saying he risks his life every night to get recognition?"
"I wouldn't put it quite as simply as that, but in part, yes."
"He's not like." Kara said.
"As nice as it is you defend your friends even after they're jerks you need to accept he is wrong and what happened out there wasn't your fault."
"I'm meant to protect people. I failed." Kara reminded her. "James was right I should have got help."
"Help was coming Kara, the DEO, the police, they were coming, but only you made it in time. Those seventy three people are alive because of you."
"And seven are dead because I wasn't fast enough."
"Kara, you can't save everyone and I know how bad if feels when someone dies on your watch, but if you keep blaming yourself it is going to tear you apart. You have to focus on the good you do. If you had taken Guardian he wouldn't have been able to change things. The only difference is he may have died." Maggie said allowing her words to sink in before adding. "If you really want to do good though and make a difference you can figure out a way to make sure Alex rests when she is released tomorrow." The comment earning a small smile from Kara.
-00-
When Kara entered her silent apartment that evening she went straight to the couch and curled up. She felt so overwhelmed she was struggling to process everything. Part of her just wanted to take to the skies and have a head clearing flight. But she knew if she did that someone at the DEO would notice and they would tell Alex who would demand to know why she needed to clear her head. She knew Alex wanted to help, but this was something she had to fix herself.
The visions had shown the damage she had done and the damage she would do and no matter what everyone said their lives would be better without her. But she didn't want to hurt them or cause them pain, she needed to disappear in away that wouldn't make them worry. Then with time and space they would see everything she was responsible for and they would know life was better without her.
Standing she started to pace her apartment at super speed trying to figure out a way to leave without causing worry. After several minutes and no ideas she sat back down and turned on her laptop hoping that by concentrating on work her mind might subconsciously figure out a solution.
As she read the emails from people asking for help to find loved ones she suddenly had an idea.
-00-
"What do you want ponytail?" Snapper asked without looking up from what he was reading.
"I have an idea for a story, but it will involve me disappearing for awhile."
"Sounds win win to me." He said dryly before looking up and asking. "What's the story?"
"Anti alien cults."
"Go on."
"Several months ago you were interested in how leading religious figures responded to the presence of aliens." Kara said.
"I was." He agreed.
"Turns out their responses were too liberal and several cults have started, who want you destroy every alien on the planet."
"Like Cadmus?" Snapper asked.
"Cadmus could be behind all of the cults." Kara agreed.
"So what? You are going to knock on the door and ask them to share the details of their evil plan?" Snapper asked. "Because in my experience cults don't like talking to the media."
"I could join one of them, well pretend to."
"Cults may get the weak minded and the nut jobs to join them, but the leaders tend not to be idiots. No one is going to believe that Sunny Danvers has done a one-eighty on aliens."
"Unless they have reason to." Kara said.
"So what's the plan? You going to write a story about how an alien stole your teddy bear?" Snapper asked.
"I was going to write an article against Supergirl."
"You're turning on your bff? This I have to hear." Snapper said giving Kara his full attention.
"I have written an overly critical article about Supergirl, listing all her screw ups and reasons why the city should turn their back on her. Especially after the train fiasco. You publish it and there will be a public backlash and, you could fire me for it. And then an alien will have cost me my job."
"Let me get this straight." Snapper said feeling a migraine building. "You have finally written the article on Supergirl you have so far refused to write? But you want me to fire you for actually following orders so you can run away and join a cult?"
"Pretty much."
"I really don't know if I should be impressed or concerned. But the answer is no."
"What? Why?" Kara asked eyes wide.
"It's dangerous. And as annoying as you are I have a duty of care to my staff."
"What if I had back up?"
"Who?"
"I could work with NCPD."
"Cults are dangerous Danvers. You can't just phone home when it gets tough."
"I know that."
"Let me think about it." Snapper said. When Kara started to turn he added. "Leave the Supergirl article."
TBC...
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing.
