The Cortex, STAR Labs, twenty minutes later.
After making a quick stop to the Central City Police Department where Barry left Killer Frost to the capable hands of Detective Iris West, and notified her that the threat posed by Zoom was finished, he had let for Earth One with Jay and Kara. With the two speedsters, Barry carrying Kara through the breach, quickly heading for the Cortex at STAR Labs, if was the turn of Team Flash to be surprised at the arrival of the Henry Allen look-a-like.
"Oh my God," mumbled Joe when Jay stopped next to the console with a trail of yellow lightning behind him, as did Barry who then placed Kara's feet back onto the floor. The young woman grinning at Barry, who then smirked and told her that she was just happy that she didn't have to run through the breach.
"Yeah," exclaimed Kara, "I'm not as fast as you."
Barry stuck out his tongue at Kara, and then looked over at Jay who was looking at everyone else nervously. It was then that Barry revealed to Jay that he looked just like his own father.
"You're his doppelganger," said Cisco excitedly pointing at Jay. He had a grin on his face, which then vanished when he had a thoughtful look on his face while waving hands about, "if you're Jay, I mean the real Jay Garrick… then who was the Jay who was… you know… here?"
"All I know is that he called himself Zoom," said Jay as Caitlin led the man to another room so that she could medically examine him. As Jay sat down on the bed, with the others standing around him, he talked about how he was attacked in his own universe by a being in black. He said that he wasn't fast enough to stop Zoom, and he was knocked out, "and the next thing I know, I'm in this cage and this.. this guy's just staring at me. He tells me he's dying from something call Velocity Nine, and he needs my speed."
"What happened?" asked Iris.
"He experimented on me," said Jay as Kara flinched while crossing her arms over her chest. It was something that Iris glanced at, especially the part where Barry placed his hand on her shoulder. She then shook her head and turned back to Jay who was saying that he was with Zoom for months, but everything the dark Speedster did had failed, "and then one day, he said he wanted to have some fun. He took my name, and became a hero."
"That man was no hero," said Joe.
"He took everything I was," replied Jay nodding his head in agreement with the detective, "my name, and my uniform. But I couldn't do anything since I lost my speed."
"That's the same thing the other Jay told us," said Barry.
"He said his name was Hunter Zolomon, and…"
"Hunter?" asked Harry as everyone looked at him, "Hunter Solomon? Are you sure that's the name he gave you?"
"Yes, and…"
"Ummm…" said Kara as she put her hand up, "I… I'm sorry but, I think that… I mean… I have to go back to my Earth and…"
Barry looked at Kara's face, aware that Iris was glancing over at their direction periodically, and frowned at how sad she seemed to be. Barry knew that there was no other choice, that Kara had to go home; she had friends there, family there, she had a life there. He knew that she couldn't leave all of that just so that she could stay in his Earth; Barry knew what she'd have to sacrifice. So Barry looked away from Kara, and found Iris looking back at him. Iris West, the young woman that Barry had always thought he was destined to be with, in fact he had seen proof of it in terms of the newspaper from the future in the Time Vault. It was then he realized that his heart wasn't skipping a beat as it always did when he'd look at her before having that one moment when they would look into each other's eyes. Instead, he just felt normal as he looked away from Iris, and Kara. Instead, he looked at Jay who continued his questioning of Supergirl.
"This isn't your Earth, Kara?" asked Jay.
"No," replied Kara shaking her head, "but… but I was hoping you could tell me something about.. I mean… I don't what to be sounding selfish since I have to leave this Earth and… I mean…"
"Go ahead," Harry coaxed.
"You said that I'm the last daughter of Krypton," said Kara while Iris and Joe leaned sideways towards Cisco and asked him about Krypton, specifically… what it meant. Chuckling, he said that he'll tell them about it soon, that he wanted to hear what Jay had to say. Nodding their heads, Joe and Iris turned back to Kara who was asking Jay about her cousin, and if he existed.
"You were the only one, Kara," said Jay as her eyes opened wide, "your ship crash landed in Smallville and you were taken in by the Kent family and…"
"Oh," said Kara as she looked away. She couldn't imagine not having Clark in her life, and it was hard to listen to being the one who essentially replaced him in the lives of the Kent's in Jay's Earth. She listened as Jay told her about the day she joined the Metropolis Police Department as a CSI, and then a year later the both of them met while on a case in Central City.
"So I became a Kent, and a CSI," said Kara impressed while Barry nudged her elbow and grinned. Kara nudged Barry lightly while furrowing her eyebrows at the young man, and then a smile appeared on her face and said that it seemed she had his life, and Clark's life, back on Jay's Earth.
Kara smiled back before turning to Jay who told her that he had been the Flash by then for nearly twenty years before meeting her.
"Wow," said Caitlin impressed, "twenty years?"
"Well, twenty-two by now," said Jay as he looked at Barry, and asked him how long he had been the Flash.
"Two?" said a nervous Barry who was internally excited to have someone who had been the Flash for far longer than him. He put all the questions he had to the back of his mind while he heard Jay turning to Kara again, and telling her that since she didn't have any reason to head back to Smallville since her father had died, and her mother was a Senator. So, she would come to his home every weekend where his wife would cook dinner.
"Oh," said Jay as he straightened up while he was sitting in the bed, "Joan is going to kill me…. Umm… is there any way for me to get back?"
"Where are you from?" asked Iris.
"I guess you could call it Earth-Three," replied Jay.
"We have the breach to Earth Two in the basement," said Cisco before Harry said that he and his daughter could help find a way to get him back to Earth-Three. Jay just nodded his head before looking at Kara, and saying that it was really good to see her again. Kara just smiled and nodded her head before turning to look at Barry. Barry just looked back at Kara and nodded his head, it was time to bring Kara back to her own Earth. However, just before they were to set off for Kara's Earth, Barry had a smile on his face before asking Kara if she wouldn't mind just staying at STAR Labs for a few extra minutes.
"I'll be right back," said Barry as Kara nodded her head, and then he shot off down the hallway with yellow lightning trailing behind him. Kara just looked at the hallway while everyone started to ask Jay more questions. Sighing, Kara turned back to Jay and noticed Iris looking back at her with a curious look on her face. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, Kara wished that she could just slam through the roof, and then fly away. Before anyone could say anything, an alarm started to go off.
Cisco, a look of worry on his face, rushed to the console followed by Joe, Caitlin, Iris, and then Kara and Jay. Cisco typed some keys on the keyboard and then stepped back with his hands on his head, which was shaking from side to side.
"No, no, no," said Cisco in disbelief.
"Ramone," said Harry as he and Caitlin moved next to the young man and looked at the screen, their eyes wide open in surprise. Caitlin the looked at Joe, and told him that there was a prison riot at Iron Heights.
"The meta-humans?" asked Joe as Caitlin nodded her head before saying that everyone was free. In the meantime, Cisco contacted Barry over his earpiece while Kara asked where Iron Heights was located. Jay said that if it was the same as on his Earth, then all Kara had to do was follow him while she flew.
"You can fly?" asked Iris and Joe together as they looked at the blonde in surprise.
"Yea?" came the nervous reply as Harry pulled up a map, on one of the screens in front of them on the wall next to the mannequin where Barry usually kept his suit. He showed them the location of Iron Heights relative to STAR Labs, and Kara just nodded her head after she took a good look at the screen.
"Barry's on the way," said Cisco looking up at the bearded Jay, and Kara.
"So are we," said Jay before he looked over at Kara who took a deep breath before nodding her head. Jay took off running, followed by Kara who left the civilian clothes that she had borrowed from Caitlin on the floor. She flew through the hallways in her black uniform and then through the stairwells with Jay, and before long they reached the open skies. Kara took to the air while Jay was running on the streets, the blonde alien following the lighting trail below as they went on their way to Iron Heights.
It would be few minutes later when both Kara and Jay, at full speed, arrived at Iron Heights prison. The young woman flew around the prison, looking for an entrance when she smiled and noticed a blur of lighting passing right through the wall, followed by another one; Jay and Barry. She watched through her X-Ray vision as Jay and Flash beat the escaped criminals' unconscious before they headed onwards into the prison. Kara looked ahead of them and noticed a group of people, one of whom was wearing a green costume complete with a hood, as well as a bow and arrow; another person was wearing a helmet and outfitted in an all black tactical gear who was thrown to one side by a man who simply waved his hand. And then there was a blonde woman dressed in black who was standing still. Kara watched the green hooded man fire an arrow at the one who had waved his hand, and her eyes widened when stopped it in in mid-air. She then watched as the man walked towards the arrow that was simply hanging in the air, and then grabbed it before striding towards the blonde woman in black. As he neared her, the man pulled back the arm that was holding the arrow.
Oliver 'Green Arrow, Queen could only watch helplessly as Damien Darhk, the one who had orchestrated this prison break with the help of several insiders and Malcolm Merlyn, walked towards Laurel 'Black Canary' Lance. Oliver tried to move… he willed himself to move, but Darhk's magic was keeping him at bay. He looked over his shoulder at John Diggle, who was still on the floor, and trying to get to his feet after he was pushed away by Darhk's magic after he had charged himself through a mystical totem that at first glance looked like a mask. He then turned back to Darhk, who was already a few steps away from Laurel, telling the young woman that he had a message for her father.
Oliver wanted to scream 'no', but his lips couldn't move.
Suddenly the wall crashed inwards into the prisoner's visiting room. Darhk looked behind him as a flying blonde woman in a black suit landed and then zoomed towards him, just as he pushed his arrow wielding hand forward towards Laurel's gut. Just before the arrow head penetrated Laurel's uniform, she saw the woman in black grab Darhk's arm, and then throw him into a far wall. Laurel looked on in surprise at the newcomer, while she able to move once again as was Oliver, as Darhk quickly got up and then used his magic to propel the arrow towards Kara.
"Hi," said Kara before she heard the whizzing of the arrow. Turing around and super speed, Kara grabbed it out of mid-air just as Merlyn was heading for the totem that channelled Darhk's powers. Lauren dashed to one side and used her Canary Cry to hold Merlyn back while Oliver shot arrows at him, and then at Darhk. Darhk, while covering his ears, just like Kara was, then pushed the arrows away, and waved his hand at Kara.. slamming the surprised Kryptonian into the ceiling, and then into the floor. He then smiled and waved his hand at Laurel and Oliver, flinging them across the room until they were slammed into the far wall. The both of them fell onto the floor, and it wasn't long before they were trying to get up with groans escaping their lips.
Diggle had seen what Darhk had just done before he looked around for his brother who had betrayed him and his friends only a few seconds ago. Finding him standing next to Merlyn with a grin on his face, Diggle then turned to the blonde newcomer who was being raised out of a depression on the floor with Darhk's magic. Aiming his weapon at his smirking brother, John frowned and then turned it at the last moment at Darhk, before firing. John looked stunned as the bullets stopped in mid-air, before being pushed back at him; diving to the side at the last moment, the bullets missed Diggle, who watched Darhk approach the woman, who was struggling to move.
"Darhk," said Merlyn impatiently. Kara, while she was struggling to get out of an invisible grip that was holding her aloft, saw Merlyn holding on tight to the totem. She thought to herself that no matter what happened so far, he hadn't put that volleyball sized object down.. guessing that it was important somehow, "we need to leave, now."
"I didn't get to leave my message with Miss Lance," Darhk said as he held out his hand at Kara's chest, "what's the 'S' stand for?"
"Hope," hissed Kara before she was slammed into the floor again and again until it cracked. She was then floating above the cracked ground facing Darhk. She was then punched across her face, an act that flung her to the other side of the room while Darhk chuckled. He then teleported close to her as Kara fell onto the ground, and was then picked up by her hair as she yelped before being flung into a pillar, only having just missed hitting Oliver. Darhk then hung her in mid-air using his magic, and said that it was over. Kara shook her head while she felt something warm trickling down her nose, and on the side of her head.
'Blood?' thought Kara to herself as she heard the twang of a bow, and watched as Darhk caught an arrow in his hand, twirled it around, and then stabbed her. However, the arrowhead shattered, and then shaft broke upon hitting her skin…. And all Darhk could do was smile as the others stared in surprise. Oliver and Laurel looked at each other in surprise, and then looked at Diggle who just shrugged his shoulders saying he was still getting used to meta-humans. Smirking, Canary then used her Canary Cry and tried to get Darhk unsteadied so that Oliver and John could save the mysterious blonde.
But Darhk had other plans. He raised his hands and magically compelled Team Arrow to stay where they were, after he destroyed Laurel's device. While Merlyn was reminding him that they were just wasting time, he told Laurel that he wasn't finished yet, that he wanted to feel his fingers crushing her throat… and that the device she used for her Cry was annoying. Darhk then looked at the floating Kara, who still couldn't move no matter how much she tried, and licked his lips while placing his hand on her chest.
"Oh your life force will strengthen me for years before I have to recharge," said Darhk as he started to pull Kara's life-force away from her. The young woman started to gasp for air as her skin slowly turned pale. She thought about James, Winn, Clark, and then Barry as she felt her body turn cold. It was then, however, everyone heard two booming noises in the distance.
And a small smile developed on Kara's face, while trying her best to keep her eyes open.
Oliver and the others saw two streaks of lightning enter the room; one knocked back Darhk, while the other one caught the falling Kara.
"Flash?" asked Oliver as he, Laurel, and Diggle ran up to him as the other Speedster stood next to Barry, who was carrying Kara in his arms. Barry absent-mindedly waved at Oliver while he watched as colour returned to Kara's face, and she opened her eyes.
"Hi," said Barry looking down at Kara.
"You saved me again," whispered Kara as Barry put her feet on the floor first, and then helped to keep her steady while she stood up.
"Ummm…. Barry?" asked Oliver as the Flash turned to his friend. He was about to open his mouth to ask the slew of questions in her mind when Kara noticed John's brother helping a furious Darhk to his feet, while Malcolm was holding on tight to the rock. Kara guessed that the large stone was somewhat important, she didn't know why.. but the protective way that Merlyn was carrying it told her so. The young woman then smirked before she, to the surprise of Team Arrow, fired her heat vision directly at the stone. Everyone looked on as the stone started to glow red as Merlyn yelped and let it go. It crashed to the ground as he and Diggle's brother stepped back while Darhk screamed. Darhk then turned to Kara and was about to wave his hand at her when Barry ran circles around him at super speed before releasing a bolt of lightning. The lightning hit Darhk, who stepped back as the charge travelled all over his body, and Jay did the same thing to him as well. In the meantime, Kara screamed as she increased the intensity of her beams before everyone dived for cover as the rock exploded.
"Noooo!" yelled Darhk as he stared at the broken pieces of the statue all aver the floor, and on Merlyn. He then turned and faced Kara who was using her arms to cover her face. He rushed the young blonde, who then stepped to one side and pushed him to the ground. Barry then got up and dashed past her, and punched Merlyn while Diggle aimed his weapon at his brother, telling him not to move.
"Stay down," said Oliver in his gravelly voice while he pointed his pulled arrow at a furious Darhk's forehead.
"So," said Laurel as she looked at Barry, Jay, and then Kara. She looked at Barry again and smirked, "something you want to tell us, Flash?"
TBC.