A/N: Hey, y'all! I hope you guys liked the last chapter. It was a hefty one with a lot happening, but I hope it wasn't too long. If it was, please tell me and I will try to shorten them. This one is going to be mostly transitional, so you won't see too much fighting. I've had a few guest reviews ask me to bring Roy back, so all I have to say to that is that I have something in mind. I only ask that you bear with me just a little longer. (yes I'm evil). Onto the next chapter!
Chapter 9
Kara sat back on her bed, her head spinning from the information dump that Alex had just laid on her. It was brain breaking and unbelievable. She shifted and groaned from the pain. Well, not completely unbelievable. Her body ached from everything that she had endured at the hands of Cadmus. The Blue Kryptonite had not been flushed, and that meant she was not going to be healing fast like usual. Alex had told her that even if any evidence of Blue K in her system had vanished, she still wouldn't have her powers. The amount of solar radiation in her cells had been severely depleted, and it would take days to fully restore it.
It was agonizing. She hated sitting in this bed while Oliver and Bruce searched for the people that were responsible for her condition. She wanted to help. Kara wasn't used to being sidelined. She had always been the one running point and catching the bad guys. It was who she was. Sleeping and waiting to get better did nothing to appease the heroic nature of her personality.
She had met so many people since she had awoken. It was touching to see all the people that had jumped universes just to make sure she was okay. Alex visited daily several times whereas the others filtered in and out to make sure she was recovering smoothly. Caitlin Snow was often in her room, monitoring all of her vitals and injuries. The two chatted often and had quickly become friends. The two women were able to bond easily, having several things in common. It was an unlikely friendship, but one that Kara had come to appreciate as she stayed, quarantined, in her room. Oliver checked up on her a lot, giving her updates on their searches for Cadmus and just keeping her company.
Kara slammed her head lightly on the pillow. She needed to get out of this room. It had only been a couple days, but she was slowly going insane. Most of all, she wanted to see Barry. He hadn't visited her other than to tell her he was glad she hadn't died after Alex had left. Oliver had told her that Barry had been running around the city, scouring it for any breadcrumb to follow that would lead them to Cadmus. He told her he was worried he was overworking himself and would crash. She was confused that he wouldn't visit her, and she wondered if he was upset. Kara wanted to clear the air, but the only way to do so was to escape her room which might as well have been prison. Alex kept a close watch on the room to make sure no one slipped in unnoticed and because she knew her sister. She knew that Kara was slowly going crazy just sitting in this white walled, undecorated room and was afraid that she would pull a disappearing act and leave.
Kara sighed. She felt slightly better although nowhere near one hundred percent. Her ribs were wrapped, taking away some of the pain. Her head still hurt and felt like someone was pressing on her skull from inside her brain, but she was beginning to not care. Her arm was braced, taking the weight off of it, and she felt like she was safe to leave the room. Alex had explained that she could get sick, but ever since she had woken up, Caitlin had pumped her full of enough antibiotics and medicine to make up for the 13 years she hadn't taken any. Kara felt she was healthy enough to at least wheel herself around the complex. She definitely couldn't walk, no matter how much she told herself she could. Her kneecap was broken and even shifting in the bed made her want to scream in pain.
Comforting herself in her mind, she pulled her body to the edge of the bed ignoring the searing pain she felt. She reached with her right hand to grab a rolling chair Caitlin used when checking up on her. She pulled the chair around in front of her and bit her lip. Kara took a deep breath and pushed the rest of her body off the bed and into the chair. A slight scream escaped her lips as her leg, arm, and ribs were jolted when she hit the padded seat. Her vision swam, and she had to take deep breaths to calm the seemingly permanent migraine that her concussion gave her. Using her good leg, she spun the chair around and pushed with her leg towards the door. She reached her arm to the handle and pressed it down, opening it. A small gasp slipped from her mouth as she stared into the furious eyes of her older sister.
Alex walked forward, forcing Kara to back up. Her eyes practically bore holes into the sheepish Kryptonian as she held up her hands in a surrendering gesture. Alex's eyebrows rose in a challenge.
"Please tell you're sleepwalking, and you're not actually stupid enough to do what you're doing right now," Alex accused, her voice hard.
"Alex, come on! I've been cooped up in this room for three days now. I want to get out! I'm going insane!" she complained.
"Kara, you're being ridiculous. Caitlin and Ray told me you shouldn't even be sitting up in your bed." She gestured to the chair. "And here you are hopping into chairs thinking that you weren't near death just a couple days ago."
Kara pursed her lips at her. "I know, I know. Please. I need to see something other than these stupid walls."
Her face softened. "Kara, I nearly lost you. It was the worst two days of my life. Please, for my sake, stay in bed." Her eyes connected with Kara's and saw the dooming puppy dog look she always pulled out when she wanted something. "Curse you. Fine. I'll just get a motorized, and I emphasize motorized, wheelchair for you to use."
She smiled. "Thanks, Alex. For now, can you push me around in this chair? I'm not kidding. I really want to get out."
Alex grinned. "Yes, I will."
She grabbed the back of the chair and gently pushed it out of the room and down the hall. Her eyes never strayed from where Kara's legs where, to make sure she didn't accidently slam them into a wall or something. She wheeled her down to the conference room where Bruce had set up an oval table that they used to discuss important situations. She pulled one of the chairs away from the table and replaced it with the one Kara was in, ignoring the shocked looks on all of the people's faces.
Kara smiled and awkwardly waved towards the people crowding the table. "Hi, guys. How are you?"
Barry stood and cautiously walked over to the determined blonde. "Kara? Should you be out of your room?"
She rolled her eyes. "Probably not, but I was going crazy in there. I want to be a part of the conversations going on here."
Oliver, Barry, and Bruce exchanged looks. "Okay then," they responded, uneasy.
Barry returned to his chair and sat, letting Bruce continue. "Felicity, Winn, and Cisco have been monitoring all of the traffic camera's in Gotham, Metropolis, and National City. Yesterday, they picked up footage showing Maxwell Lord and someone talking. The other man remained in a shadowed part of the alley, and the camera never got a good look at who he was taking to. It showed the two talking when the other one slammed Lord to the ground. He walked away leaving Lord, but put something on the back of his neck. The device is unknown, but it is shown expanding into different parts, each one sticking a needle into his head."
Kara winced. "Could this possibly be who is funding them?"
Oliver nodded. "Most likely. Like Bruce was saying, Lord was shown to be in significant pain, but about one minute later he straightened and walked out of there like nothing ever happened."
Alex's eyes narrowed in anger. "Where is he now?"
"He was shown to return to his company the next morning. According to our sources, he hasn't left," he answered.
"That's great! Alex and I can go confront him and make him tell us where Cadmus is, or who is behind all of this," Barry exclaimed, glad that they finally had a lead to run down.
J'onn nodded. "That's exactly what I was thinking."
Alex raised her eyebrows. "I thought you would be worried about us breaking the law."
He scoffed. "A week ago, sure. Now," he said, shrugging, "now I don't care."
Bruce raised his hand, trying to get them to wait. "Be careful. I know you two are emotionally connected to the situation more than the rest of us, so it actually might be better if I or Oliver go. I don't want to make a mistake that will jeopardize anything we might want to do in the future."
Alex and Barry laughed. "Yeah right," she said. "There's no way I'm going to step down."
"Me either," Barry chorused.
Bruce sighed and nodded for them to go. Alex leaned down and gave Kara a swift hug, whispering into her ear. "I'll get Caitlin to take you back to your room. Please don't do anything stupid while I'm gone." Kara merely smiled at her and motioned for her to leave.
Alex and Barry exited the room, practically leaping from excitement. For days they had waited for a lead that would allow them to get revenge for what had happened to Kara. Alex knew that Bruce was probably right, and she didn't want to make an irrational decision. Her blood boiled at the thought of Max Lord torturing her, and she knew she had to remain emotionless if she was going to get anything out of the man. It killed her inside, but she couldn't afford any more mistakes.
Barry picked up Alex, bridal style, and ran the two of them to National City, outside the block where Lord Technologies resided. They glanced at the other and took a deep breath, pushing the double doors open. The secretary at the front looked up from the computer, her eyes wide. She stood from her chair and called out to them.
"Are you Alex Danvers?" she asked, her voice shaking.
She frowned at the woman and looked to Barry who shrugged. "Yes, I am. Why?"
"Mr. Lord is waiting for you in his office. He told me to usher you in right away. If you would take the elevator to the second floor, his office is at the end of the hall," she explained.
Alex nodded. "Thank you."
Her stomach churned, immediately on guard from the new development. If Max was expecting her, there was no telling what would happen. He was smart, she would give him that, but he would not get the best of her again. She remembered how he had planted a device on her purse, and the anger she felt at not seeing it before he discovered Kara's secret identity. She would have to be smarter this time and untethered to any emotions she felt while they talked..
The two took the elevator to the second floor and stopped at the double doors near the end of the hall. Barry gave her an encouraging smile, and she pushed the doors open. Max looked up from his papers and smiled at the woman.
"Agent Danvers! I would say it's a surprise, but it's really not," he told her, standing up. He looked towards Barry and smiled. "And you. Barry Allen. Anyone else would be confused on how a man who died, along with his family, when he was 11 years old in a terrible murder would be standing here right now." He stepped towards the tall man. "But we both know how."
Barry snapped and grabbed the man by his suit. "Stop playing around. Where's Cadmus?"
Max laughed. "Whoa there, Flash! This isn't the calm and compassionate hero I've been told about! What happened?"
Barry slammed him against his desk. "You know good and well what happened. Where. Is. Cadmus. I won't ask again."
He smiled and waved his pointer finger at the man. "You'll just have to wait and see. I'm not telling you anything just yet."
Alex ran forward, pulling her gun from its holster and pressing the barrel against his throat, making Barry release him. "Stop speaking in riddles! You nearly killed her!" she hissed through clenched teeth.
He clicked his tongue. "Now that wasn't me. I admit, I did help, but I did not pull the trigger."
"Who was it then?" Barry asked.
"Lillian Luthor. She enjoyed it too. If I'm not mistaken, it was her along with a few others who spectated while she tortured her."
Alex's anger flared. "Why, Max? Why did they do that?"
"You see, she needed her blood. Torturing was just a more fun way of doing so, if I recall correctly. After the DEO destroyed her facilities, she lost all of the blood she obtained from Kara when she had leveraged Mon-El. She needed more."
Alex pressed the barrel harder into his skin. "Why?"
"She said it was a new project Cadmus was working on. A new experiment."
"What's it called?" she urged.
"I don't really know. Nothing or nohow, something like that. I wasn't listening very hard."
"What do you know, Max?" Alex asked, exasperated.
"I know who she reports to. I know a small portion of their plans. I know how to save Kara. I know a lot of things," he answered, smiling at the two.
"Wait, what do you mean you know how to save Kara?" Barry demanded.
"Mr. Allen, if my intel is correct, which it usually is, I am under the impression that you have been unable to clear her system of Blue Kryptonite." He turned to Alex. "I am very impressed, truly, but you failed in one aspect. Your synthetic Blue K was altered and though you thought you were helping, you actually made her condition a bit more serious. You see, the longer she has the Blue Kryptonite in her system, the more her injuries become permanent. Your version didn't exactly eradicate the Green Kryptonite, but it instead merged with it."
"What?" Alex questioned, fear building.
"It means that Blue Kryptonite takes away her powers; the Green Kryptonite harms her. Together they mixed and formed a Cyan Kryptonite. It didn't quite cancel each out. Pure Green Kryptonite could always be taken out of her body, and then Kara would heal under yellow sun rays without the effects ever showing. Pure Blue Kryptonite nullifies the effects of Green K but takes away the use of her powers. Our new version of Kryptonite, if crafted into a weapon, would make any cut she had, permanent."
Barry and Alex's eyes widened in horror. "How?!"
"The amount of Green K in her system was astounding. In fact, she should have died within five minutes of being shot; she had been exposed to too much radiation. Your Blue K was not enough to overpower it, but it instead, was overpowered itself. The Blue K has amazing healing powers when crafted right, and your team made a valiant effort. Her body pulled together, making new tissue to replace the infected areas, but it healed over the Green Kryptonite. Kara still has Kryptonite poisoning. It's not going to kill her; it's merely going to make her injuries heal as though she were human. She will have a limp, some headaches, and maybe some throbbing here and there unless you get the Cyan Kryptonite out of her system right now."
Alex shook the gun against his throat. "How?! Tell us how!"
He smiled at them. "It might be too late, but I'm in a good mood." He reached into a drawer of his desk and pulled out a vial. "Pure Blue K in a perfect dose to heal her body. It has some extra things in it to make sure the serum is flushed from her body within the next hour after given to make sure she gets her powers back." He held the item out to Barry who took it, wrapping a fist around it tightly.
"Why are you helping us?" he asked, wary of Max's sudden change of heart.
"There are some things you don't have to know. I owe her. Though I agree with some of Cadmus's beliefs, I never wanted her dead." He checked his clock. "You gave it to her quite a while ago. You're running out of time."
Alex cursed and removed the gun from his neck. "I'll be back to shove you in a cell where you belong."
He winked at her. "Wouldn't count on it. I am a billionaire. Quite a few people would notice my absence."
Alex dialed Cisco, the man picking up three beeps later. "Alex? What's up?" The two ran to the first floor, not bothering to take the elevator. They stopped in a small alley next to the building, checking to make sure no one was around.
"Open a breach from outside Lord Technologies. We need to get to Kara."
"Why? What's wrong?" Cisco asked, sensing her fear.
"No time for questions! Just open the breach!" she yelled.
The man muttered a yes and then disconnected, opening a small breach. In less than a second, both Barry and Alex appeared in front of him. Barry zoomed from sight, only becoming a blur with a noticeably slower Alex following behind him.
Kara rolled her eyes at Caitlin. "C'mon, Cait! Stop trying to poke me with things! I'm fine." She shrugged. "Well, at least I was fine until you started sticking needles in me."
Caitlin sighed at the blonde in front of her. "I need to see if you have any more Kryptonite in your body, so sit still!"
Kara flopped her head onto the pillow, closing her eyes as Caitlin took yet another vial of blood for analysis. She had been running tests ever since Barry and Alex had left to have their little chat with Max, and Kara was just about ready to fully embrace the insanity she was starting to feel. She understood the medical need for the examinations, but she didn't want to admit that she was afraid.
Cadmus had experimented on her, often drawing blood, if she was lucky, through syringes. She didn't want to experience anything that reminded her of the day she spent in Cadmus's custody. Kara had never endured that much pain, and she wasn't use to not being immediately shoved under a sun lamp when she did injure herself. She had come to rely on it as an easy way to heal, and she wasn't sure what to do without it.
Caitlin's insistence on tests made her nervous, and she found herself not wanting to tell her that she felt weird, fearing an overdramatic response. The truth was, she had been feeling weird all morning, and it wasn't something she attributed to her mass of injuries. It was almost a sickening feeling in the middle of her stomach. She had been assured that all the Green Kryptonite had been cleared from her body, but the feeling was eerily similar. She had come into contact with it more times than she cared for, and she felt fairly certain she could recognize when she was even relatively close to the substance. It always started as a sickening feeling before escalating into a throbbing ache and then an uncontrollable hot, searing pain throughout her entire body. It felt stupid to worry her when she had already been told that nothing was wrong.
Kara's face contorted as a wave of nausea passed over her. Caitlin had turned around and didn't see her clutch her stomach and bend over. Before she could notice, a red streak swept through the room, making the doctor jump slightly and curse.
"Couldn't you just walk in like a normal person?" she accused, turning around. Her eyes glanced over Kara and widened. "What's wrong? You were just fine a second ago!"
Barry held up a vial and pushed it towards her. "I need you to inject this in her right now!"
"What? I'm not injecting something unless I know what it is!" she exclaimed as she watched Kara moan and grimace on the bed.
"Trust me, Cait! Please!" he pleaded.
"I do trust you! Okay! Okay!"
She took the vial from his outstretched hand and attached it to the end of a tube. She mumbled an apology as she stuck Kara with another needle and opened the line, letting the contents flow into her body. Both stared at her, waiting anxiously, as Alex burst into the room, the door banging off the wall.
"Did you give it to her?"
He nodded. "Yeah. We just did it."
Alex's shoulders slumped in relief. She didn't know what to expect, and she definitely felt apprehensive about giving her sister anything that Maxwell Lord had made. The last week had been the worst of her life, and she was worried her judgement might be compromised when it came to saving Kara. She couldn't risk not doing everything she could to save her, and she felt like her love for her sister could be the thing that doomed the both of them.
However, she trusted her gut, and right now it was telling her that this was the right move. Caitlin had moved to monitor her vitals with Barry looking over her shoulder. The two gave Alex a thumbs up, and she collapsed in the chair next to Kara.
Kara groaned, and sat up. "That hurt." She examined her hands. "But I feel so much better! What did you guys do?"
Alex smiled at her. "You don't need to know. All that matters is that you're finally okay." She bit her lip. "Anything wrong? Anything still hurt?"
She shrugged. "My head still feels pretty crappy and my leg hurts like hell, but everything else seems a hundred percent." Her eyes skimmed over Barry, lingering slightly.
Alex noticed and coughed. "I'm glad. We'll talk later, okay? Caitlin and I have some things to talk about."
Caitlin's mouth shaped into a slight 'o' as she caught the meaning, and the two left the room, leaving Barry and Kara alone. He shifted from each foot until he finally sat down next to her in the chair Alex had just been.
"So," she started, unsure of how to begin.
"So," he repeated. He hesitated, not wanting to overwhelm her, but thought better of it. "I'm sorry. I should have come in sooner. I wanted to, but I needed to catch Lillian." He frowned. "I'm so sorry."
She slipped her hand over his. "I get it. I do, really. I wanted to catch Lillian too."
"There's still no excuse."
He stared in her eyes, taken aback at how kind she was even after being tortured and shot. Every day he was amazed by her, and her uncanny ability to see the best in people. She was beautiful, anyone with eyes would see that, but her real beauty came from her personality. He placed his hand on her cheek, stroking it with his thumb. She closed her eyes for a second before opening them and smiling at him when he dropped his hand.
"After I left the first time I skipped universes to yours, I thought of you every day," he confessed, provoking another smile from her. "From the first time I saved you—"
"—you did not save me—" she interjected.
"—yes I did. From the first time I saved you, I was captivated by you. Your smile. Your laugh. The way you were so confident."
She laughed. "I was confident? I'd say you were a little on the cocky side of the line too. 'I'm the Flash!'" she repeated, copying his voice from the first time they met.
He grinned. "Alright, maybe I was. What I mean is that, I don't know what I would have done if you had died." He sucked in a breath. "Well, actually, I do."
She raised her eyebrow at him.
"I would have run back in time to save you. To hell with the timeline."
She chuckled and bumped her shoulder with his. "Yeah. Then you'd have to go through the whole Savitar, Flashpoint ordeal again." She noticed his look and hurried to explain. "Caitlin told me. We've had a lot of time to talk."
"I see. So you know about the…"
"Yeah I know," she finished. She saw the guilt and fear pass over his face. "Barry, I know you. There's nothing that will turn you into Savitar. Not my death, not Iris's death, or anyone else you care about." She placed her hand on his heart. "You have a hero's heart. One that can't be broken no matter how many times you lose people you love. You love people, and you get back up each time. It's who you are."
Barry stared at her. With each word, he fell deeper and deeper in love with her. He couldn't explain what he felt, but he knew it was stronger when he was around her than with anyone else he had been with. He loved everything about her.
He leaned forward, placing his hands on the edge of the bed. His lips brushed hers, and he closed his eyes, wanting to savor the moment. He pulled back, leaving their faces only inches away. She smiled and looked down. Barry slipped his finger under her chin and tilted her head up, the two of them wearing dopey grins on their faces.
Alex turned to Caitlin. "About time, I'd say."
Caitlin sucked in a breath. "This seems wrong though. I mean, I know the lab has one-way glass, but should we really be spying on them?"
Alex laughed. "C'mon. I didn't exactly know that was going to happen. I just wanted to stay in here to make sure she didn't start seizing."
She rolled her eyes. "You know, for a secret agent, you aren't very good at lying."
"I'm good when I want to be. All things considered, I'm glad that I got to see this. I want her to be happy," Alex said.
"Was she not happy before?" Caitlin asked. "Well, before she got shot," she clarified.
"I don't think so. A month or so before all this happened, she had to make a hard decision. It made her question if she deserved to be happy. She watched everyone around her find happiness while she was left heartbroken." Alex turned to look at Barry, tilting her head towards him. "I don't think anyone could have helped her more than him."
Caitlin smiled. "I had left for a little bit, but from what I heard, Barry was going through a rough patch. I think it had something in part to do with the fact that he had made a mistake and changed a lot of people's lives. We were all bitter and angry with him. A lot of us refused even to fight alongside of him." She paused. "I remember everyone was gearing up to leave without Barry, but the only two people to believe in him were Oliver and Kara. It stood out to me because it was the first time I really got a good look at who Kara was. She's intensely loyal and loving. She's unfailingly kind and hopeful, and the only other person I saw those characteristics in was Barry. You couldn't find two people more meant for each other."
Alex grinned at the information, not surprised in the least. "Do you think they know that?"
"They probably have a good idea about it. If not, I'm going to make sure they know. In the last three years of Barry coming out as the Flash, I don't think I've ever seen him as happy as he is now."
"Yeah, I don't think I've seen her this happy either," Alex said, overjoyed for her sister. She was tired and relieved that after a week of horror, something good had finally happened.
Lillian Luthor clutched her phone in her hand. She knew that her plan had failed, and she was afraid. She couldn't remember the last time she had ever been as scared as she was right now. Her son was insane, she saw that now, but he wasn't who terrified her. She had seen it. She had seen who they all reported to, and she was paralyzed from the fear of what it would do to them if they failed completely.
Her mission had been drastically disappointing, but she was glad she had obtained what she needed to finish her mission anyways. She had heard what happened to Maxwell Lord. She had heard about what her son had done to him; how he enhanced him. Lillian was told Max didn't even know what happened. The fear of becoming the thing she hated most was what drove her to make sure she did not disappoint it. She was the head of Cadmus. She was supposed to be in charge, but somehow she had been usurped. Her once powerful organization was now at the mercy of her son and his new friend. This had not been her plan. She didn't sign up to be bossed around.
It wasn't supposed to be this way. She had been able to shoot Supergirl, but the victory was short lived when she found out that the woman had survived. Lillian was thankful that she had obtained all she could from that alien and was given the go sign to finish her off. It would be the only joy she got from it. Well, that and having her daughter find out that her best friend had been lying to her.
As much as she wanted to keep Lena away from the horror show she had been sucked into, Lillian knew that it would be almost impossible now. She was too close to the whole ordeal and with Lex out of prison, Lean was almost as good as a part of this group. Despite their problems, Lillian cared for her daughter and wanted to keep her as far away from her son's new friend as possible.
She sighed and pulled out her phone, punching in a short number.
"Hello?" a man questioned, hesitantly.
"Yes. How close are we?" she asked, anxious for their project to be done.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. Experiment 8 was a failure. We are proceeding with Experiment 9 as we speak."
Lillian cursed, slamming her other hand on the desk in front of her. "Hurry up! Supergirl is alive, and thanks to Maxwell Lord, she's heading for a full recovery probably by tomorrow!"
"Yes, ma'am! I'm sorry, but this takes time. Metallo was the closest we ever came to doing something like this! We're out of our league here," he complained.
"I don't want your excuses! Figure out what you're doing wrong and fix it! I don't have time for your mistakes. Do you want to disappoint it?"
"No! No, ma'am! We'll fix it right away!" the man sputtered between breaths.
The call disconnected, and Lillian slumped back in her chair. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know who she could turn to. Sighing, she picked up her phone again. She'd have to play along. It was the only way she came out of this alive.