Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Call Me Kara

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 42:

Kara pushed her vehicle to its limits, even Charlie was quiet, sensing the seriousness of this situation.

“Kara, we are in Keystone City. Where are you?” Oliver asked through the com.

“How did you get there so fast?”

“You are going thirty miles and hour Kara. I have you on GPS.”

“Shut up Cisco. The road is winding, lot of dangerous curves. I have a puppy on board. Safety first and all that. I’ll go faster.”

Kara hit the gas on an open straight away, feeling the full power of the vehicle.

“Wow, you hit 45. Thats like a record for you. Keep it up and you are going to need a pit crew.”

“Shut up Cisco! I’m five minutes away.”

“Ten.”

“Last warning. By the way, why are you hiding at the cave? Can you make up your mind on what part of the team you want to be on?”

“No need to be a jerk about it.” the man grumbled.

“Kara I’m already here, you want me to run to you?” Barry asked. “I’m suited up. Alex and Joe are having a hard time getting into the scene and they aren’t going to let me into their crime scene.

“No, I need to get to the city and change. I don’t want to leave Charlie on a dark road. I’m going to go faster.”

Kara did go faster, hitting 55 miles an hour for the first time in her life. She could technically run much, much faster but this was important and she didn’t want to take a risk of losing her power and tripping.

Eight minutes later Kara was in city limits, freaking her out being this close to other moving cars, but she was focused, needing to get to her team.

Barry jumped into he passenger seat, nearly causing her to scream.

“Pull over.”

“Don’t boss me around Barry.” she told him immediately, not liking his tone. Barry sighed.

“Please pull over? I can get you to the scene, you can leave Charlie in the car and wait for Alex and Joe to be done.”

Kara slightly mollified by his apologetic tone pulled over and Barry in full Flash uniform took over driving. It wasn’t quite what he was used to, especially when a van pulled alongside him in the next lane and the two children in the back were staring awestruck at the Flash, driving a Volvo. Barry gave them a slight grin and wave and moved faster. Pulling near the crime scene a block away, he gave Kara a quick kiss and was gone. The blonde sat there wondering what she was supposed to do. Deciding to get information, she exited the car, instructing Charlie to stay put and walked to the yellow tape where Alex and Joe stood, talking to uniformed officers.

“Alex! Come here!”

Alex walked towards her sister, not having anything else to do since they were banned from the scene.

“What have you found out?” Kara asked her.

“Five bodies, all security guards, from the uniforms at least. Patrol who were first on scene says they are all decayed like mummies. The detectives on scene don’t want us involved even though there is an obvious connection to Central City. I wish I had my old badge. I would pull FBI so fast, Mulder and Scully would be impressed.”

“Keep trying to find info. I need to see what the rest of the team is doing.”

Kara walked back down the street to the Volvo and sat in the backseat, pulling her uniform out of a back pack.

“Damn it Charlie, this thing takes a while to put on without super speed and I am just not feeling it right now. Kid Flash picks the worst times to steal my sunlight.”

Finally pulling on the tight boots over her knees, she switched her com to open line.

“Team check in. Whats going on?”

“We are looking for a zombie walking the streets with some files.” Jax answered. Kara stepped out of the car and looked into the night sky. She saw Firestorm’s glow from a distance, two miles away. It was 9 so the streets shouldn’t have been that quiet.

“Oliver, Nyssa, Sara?”

“There is a crowd in the entertainment district. We are searching everywhere else. No way, he is going to be seen there in his condition and the rest of the city is fairly empty.” Sara explained.

“Barry?”

“Running circles. Nothing yet. Patrol found the bodies and hour ago, so figure since the call came in from a janitor on duty he found them fairly quickly. He must be in the city somewhere. I’m searching every abandoned building I can find. Carter, Kendra and Jax are searching the outlying areas by air. Nothing yet.”

“I’m in the entertainment district in civies. Great band but no way a zombie is walking through here without causing a panic. It isn’t that loud and everyone seems pretty sober.” Thea told her.

Kara leaned against the Volvo, not caring that cops might notice her if they bothered looking down the street, or not thinking about it. Instead her mind was on another problem. Something wasn’t right.

He could have had a car. He must have had one, unless he walked all the way from Central City. It was twenty miles away so not impossible considering he had a whole day. Going into the office was brazen, the files he wanted made no sense. Alex hadn’t looked at the files in his office and Ray had hacked his computer but this guy wanted hard copies. But this guy was a PhD, not a car thief. She doubted he would know how to hot wire one and no other bodies had been reported tonight, so far at least.

“Overwatch?”

“Yeah Superwoman?”

“Can you hack into the buildings security cams?”

“Already in it.”

“Wait, I don’t want the inside. We know what happened there. The parking lot doesn’t have security cams on the front for some reason, just roving patrols but I think…” Kara used her restored super vision and looked down the street both ways, “there are are traffic cams at the red light two blocks West of here and one block East. See if any vehicles came through looking suspicious. Driving too slow or passing multiple times.”

Kara waited a few minutes. “Nothing unusual Superwoman. All cars, and there weren’t many, seemed to be speeding a bit. The streets are kind of deserted.”

“Can you see him coming inside?”

“Yes, there is only one camera in the whole place facing the door. Thats weird.”

“Probably to stop people like us from looking inside and seeing their projects. What is he wearing? What does he look like?”

“He is… wow, he is ugly. Ugly… his face is like a blackened avocado. He isn’t in the suit. Looks like fairly clean jeans, a polo that I can’t tell the color of, but it is under a leather jacket, probably tan.”

“He stole clothes. What does he look like coming out?”

“Standbye… I can’t tell, he never looks at the camera.”

“Barry he began to look better when he was draining that girl’s life force. He just drained five bodies. I am betting he looks human and can blend in. Felicity can you send his pic from the DMV to our phones?”

“Of course. Sending now.”

“I don’t have a phone on me.” Carter grumbled. “I am in ancient battle armor. So is Kendra. I think I know what he looks like. We are going to check the city.”

Kara took a deep breath and knew what she had to do. Finding this man was important.

“We have to assume he doesn’t have a car. He probably stole one but if he did he could be anywhere. If he didn’t, we have a chance so we will treat it like that. He isn’t taking the files home so he was either picked up by someone or plans to drop them off. Kendra, as much as this hurts my pride, pick me up two blocks East of the Center.”

“Huh? Pick you up?”

“Yep, I need in the air and can’t take the chance of falling. My vision is the best chance we have of seeing him in a crowd. Alex, Joe, I don’t suppose you have any chance of finding out if the guards were robbed?”

“We got nothing Kara. Joe said he wants a com so he can listen to whats going on.”

“We can deal with that later. Alex suit up, Nyssa pick her up. We all need to be ready.”

“I’m miles away on the other side of the city, looking for this man, so I can… arrest him.”

“Yeah right. Arrest huh? Sara, are you close?”

“Yep.” Kara could hear the joy in her voice but ignored it.

“No, I am not riding on a motorcycle with her. I can take my… I will take Joe’s car.”

“No time and he will need it. Get your suit and meet Sara where I am now, two blocks East. Lets move. We need to converge if we find him, quickly. Any luck Barry?”

“Nope, still running.”

Kendra landed next to Kara and wrapped her arms from behind. Kara shot up into the air, Kendra being dragged with her.

“Who is flying, me or you?” the woman asked.

“I’ll hold my own, just keep your arms around me in case I give out. Its happened twice in the last hour. Alex, tell Joe to watch Charlie.”

“I’m here Valkyrie. Where are you?” the Canary asked, way too happy.

“Thinking of slitting my wrists instead of riding on the back of your bike. I’m changing, be there in a minute. I’m getting my own damn motorcycle.”

“I’ll have you one in the morning my love. For now, ride with Sara.” Nyssa promised.

“Somebody is spoiled.” Thea grumbled.

“Focus people. We are over the… whoa!” Kara yelped.

Barry froze, stopping on a dime. “Whats wrong?”

“Just lost flight and my legs dropped down. Kinda awkward but Kendra has me, no worries. We are over the entertainment district. I’m scanning but I can’t see him. Kendra, lets go to the train station, I can see it from here. Carter, take the bus station. Look for a nervous guy in a brown leather coat with a skin condition getting worse by the second.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Jax asked.

“Keep flying around the city. If you see anyone speeding or driving erratically swoop down and check the car. Try not to scare them to death though. Ray, where are you and Zatanna?”

“I have her in my arms. We are flying over the North side, so she can do her thing. She just isn’t sure what her thing is yet.”

“It will be brilliant, I can guarantee that.” the sorceress added.

“Good, J’onn I don’t suppose you are around? A mental net over the city could help. J’onn?”

“I’m not showing the com we gave him to be on or his position,” Felicity explained, “but I think he is drinking with your Dad and Barry’s dad.”

“That figures. Some Justice Leaguer. He is getting his honorary membership in ours taken away. First he tries to lobotomize Lyla and now he is nowhere to be found…”

“Did you say he tried…”

“I handled it, Oliver. She is good. Kendra, lets go down and look in the train station. Act natural and we should be okay.”

“I’ve got a helmet on resembling a hawk even without my wings and a sword on my hip and you are wearing a cape and mask. How in the hell are we supposed to act natural? We are going to attract attention.”

“That may be good. He might see us and run.”

The two women landed softly outside, already the subject of gawkers.

“Carter was right, you do have really big breasts.” Kara mentioned after pulling away from her, hoping to ease the tension she was feeling.

“You heard that?”

“I hear everything… most of the time. I don’t care, Nyssa says mine are good and she is an expert on women’s bodies.”

“Kara you do realize this is still an open line, right?” Oliver asked.

Kendra shook her head but neither responded, making their way through the parting crowd in search for Pendergast.

“Rao, I think we found him.” Kara whispered within seconds of scanning the large waiting area. X ray vision allowing her to see individuals through the mass of bodies. “Over at the end of the back bench, cap over his head, skin very pale, wearing a jacket and jeans.”

“Maybe he just needs a tan. You aren’t getting close enough to ask him.”

“Stay where you are, both of you. We are all coming. I’ll be there… now.” Barry finished, zipping beside Kara and Kendra.

“You sure?” he asked. By this point the entire area filled with fifty to sixty people noticed the strangely dressed individuals in the station. All recognized Superwoman and the Flash but none knew the winged woman, except she bore a resemblance to one of the two winged heroes in Detroit. The crowd began murmuring, some moving towards them for autographs, not expecting to see celebrities in the station, outside of Central City as well. The man at the end looked up from beneath his cap and stared right at the heroes. Slowly rising, he made his way to the back exit.

“Yep its him. Everybody to the station. Alex, we are going to need some of those knockout bullets you got.”

“It would be easier to kill him, but okay Barry, whatever you say. I can even read him his rights maybe. I have them memorized now.”

As the man moved towards the back entrance, the door was opened, the ATOM and Zatanna stepping inside. Sara, Nyssa and Alex ran beside Kara and Barry, while Carter entered behind Ray.

Decay, panicking, grabbed a young man who was near, gawking at the Justice Leaguers, not noticing the object of their attention. Wrapping a leather coat covered arm around the man’s neck from behind, he placed his free hand near the kid’s cheek.

“Go away or he is dead.” the man told them, his voice raspy. From the look on his face the affects of the bodies he destroyed earlier were wearing off. His face was grayish and his eyes were slowly turning black.

“There is no need for this Daniel. We want to help you. If you tell us how this happened to you we can reverse it.” Barry hoped.

“Go away. Last warning or I kill this kid and start touching everyone.”

We can’t do that. You have killed six people. We have to contain and help you before you kill anymore.” The Flash told him once again, looking for an opening.

“Six? Gayle Marsh killed herself.”

“The body in the zip lock bag says otherwise.” Alex told him, gun drawn on the bit of face she could see.

“Barry, can you get that guy out before he is touched?” Kara whispered.

“Not with the grip he has, but I am fairly certain I can save him if Pendergast does touch him.”

“Yeah, while he does what? Touches you? You are fairly certain?” she whispered. “No way to be at least 99% certain?”

The problem was taken care of when Pendergast pulled his hand back slightly from his hostage’s cheek and a green arrow pierced through his hand causing him to jerk back with a scream and bend over.

“sehtolc dnib mih!” Zatanna yelled loudly, a bright light emitting from her hand and striking Pendergast. Immediately the material he had on closed tight around him, preventing any movement and causing him to trip, falling to the ground. Barry moved and in a half second the hostage was outside where the police had just arrived. Joe rushed in with Keystone City officers, holding a barking dog in one hand and his gun in the other. Nyssa and Thea stepped forward, bows at the ready.

“No need to kill him ladies!” Barry told them, taking in the cops around them. The cops appeared confused as to who to aim at.

“I would suggest you talk to these officers before I tire of them aiming weapons at me and discourage them from doing so again.” Nyssa told him calmly, eyes never leaving an immobile Pendergast on the ground.

“Its over. We have him.” The Flash reported. The officers looked at him and then the figure on the ground who was rapidly darkening.

“If he touches you, he can kill you.” Barry further told them. “He is the man who killed the guards tonight.”

The officers looked to Joe who nodded agreement and they slowly lowered their weapons, except a few who were aiming at the man on the ground. Ray, Zatanna and Carter stepped around the body and joined the rest of the team near the entrance.

“Joe get these guys out of here, while we try to contain him and for Rao’s sake get Charlie out of here! This is no place for a puppy!” Kara ordered.

The League slowly walked forward hoping Zatanna’s spell held, Oliver, Nyssa and Alex prepared to fire at a second’s notice if it didn’t. Ray stepped closest to the man, being completely covered to his chin in armor. He yanked the arrow out of the monster’s hand, eliciting a scream. Pendergast’s entire face was black, his skin drying, outlining his skull.

“So I guess we need a body bag maybe?” Barry suggested, wondering if even a meta human cell could hold him.

“Finally a good idea.” Nyssa whispered, stepping up with bow ready.

“I didn’t say we were going to kill him! I just meant we needed something to completely cover him so he can’t touch anyone. Anybody got any better ideas besides a body bag?”

“Killing him.” Nyssa said once again. Alex shrugged her shoulders thinking it was probably the best idea while the rest ignored the assassin. While they stood around contemplating, the wall to the right, between them and the police in the parking lot shattered. Too surprised to move, they could only gawk at the monster that had walked in. Seven feet tall but hunched over and covered by a scaly armor of what appeared to be skin, the creature swung his long tail, seeping all of them back, Carter putting himself in front of Kara just in time to take the brunt of Canary flying back and striking both of them as they made their way to the ground.

“Owwww.” was Zatanna’s first word, followed by the rest of the team standing up slowly. Barry for a moment feared this was Doomsday and nearly grab be Kara to run her away. A second thought told him this was not that monster. This creature appeared intelligent, peering at the team on the floor. Kara thought for a moment he might speak but instead he grabbed Pendergast and threw him out onto the street, then followed, moving incredibly fast for a creature of that size. Gunfire opened up outside. The group ran to the newly formed hole in the wall and saw a war in the streets, one the police were outgunned, judging by the creature.

“Who the hell are they?” Oliver asked no one in particular. Outside on the street, were the monster and four other individuals.

A blonde, short girl of perhaps 18, wearing what appeared to be a yellow and dark blue suit that resembled something Cisco would make, stood in the middle, the pavement raising as her hands commanded and formed a barrier between the police and her friends. Once the barrier was large enough to block off the entire street, the other three moved from behind her. A female with bright red hair stood up, her size shocking everyone. Wearing a type of green armor over her shoulders and chest, the material of the yellow and green bodysuit underneath highlighted that she was very, very strong, 6 feet tall, and an athletic build nearly resembling a female body builder. The monster stood in front of her, over Decay’s unconscious body.

In front of them all, the monsters’s rock like tail struck Decay’s chest, piercing him through. The young blonde faced them as well as another teenage female, thin, wearing a blue body suit and appearing to be of Asian decent as was the larger man in a similar yellow suit, taller and bulkier.

The red headed woman slipped on gloves and reached inside Pendergast’s leather coat, bringing a small stack of files out, perhaps three or four thin folders.

“The fool was supposed to break into his own office and leave the city by train to meet us. He could not do that, without causing mass murders.” she told the Justice League in a conversational tone, not seeming worried at all.

“Who are you?” Barry asked.

“Caitlin Fairchild. We will be leaving. I apologize for this unfortunate event. We have taken care of him and there is no need for us to fight. We are not your enemies nor are you our concern.”

Barry did not agree with this. “Yeah, we just worked hard to capture this guy alive and your pet monster killed him, plus blondie is seriously damaging city property. I’m afraid we might be your enemies and right now you are our concern.”

“Sara, light em up.” Kara whispered. The woman in black stepped forward and unleashed a canary cry, dropping the three teens and Fairchild but not the monster who ran towards the group.

“Everybody who can fire, fire already!” Kara yelled, pushing Barry aside and sending her heat vision towards the creature while Firestorm and Atom also fired. The combined energy was slowing down the creature who was approaching them at a slow walk instead of a charge but nothing could break through and the four were in a standoff.

“I’m going to have to phase through him.” Barry told the group, voice vibrating. Before he was able to move a clap of thunder was heard, almost on top of them, knocking all to the ground. The young Asian man had stepped up, harnessing some sort of sonic ability that knocked more of the wall over along with the heroes. Barry stood up and rushed. The women in blue sent lightning in his direction. Though surprised, he recognized it instantly, jumping to the side and grabbing the lightning bolt, sending it back towards the young man who had just caused the sonic thunder blast. He flew back into a shop across the street, the female’s eyes widening in horror, running towards the fallen man. Barry faced the monster once more, who was still being pounded by the combined energy of Kara, Jax and Ray, while Oliver, Speedy and Nyssa sent arrow after arrow towards the large woman in the middle. Alex fired into her armored chest, hoping to knock her down.

Before Barry could get far, the ground beneath him turned to sand, and he began sinking. Unable to grip anything to provide friction with his hands or feet, he found himself lifted out of the sand by Carter who had flown into the fray, dropping him on solid ground and striking the tiny blonde in the face, dazing her, followed by a kick to her chest to send her to the ground.

Fairchild had three arrows in her left shoulder and one in her abdomen. Two of Oliver’s bola arrows had her arms pinned to her sides. Alex continued firing rounds into her chest, but the bullets deflected. Adjusting her aim for the woman’s head, Fairchild broke the wires and quickly pulled out the three arrows, and the one in her abdomen, seeming none the worse for wear. Instead she actually appeared to grow a few inches and her muscles became thicker, more prominent. Running back to the other side of the street, she lifted a minivan.

“Incoming!” Kendra yelled, prepared to grab Kara and run. Kara was locked on, trying to melt the monster with heat along with Jax, while Ray hoped to break the thing into pieces.

“Nav,nrut ot stud!” Zatanna shouted, a massive sand storm landing on the heroes instead of a van. The monster began to move forward again slowly, only twenty feet away.

“Kara your power levels are dropping.” Caitlin told her calmly through the com, feeling anything but calm.

“Kara, tell your kid to chill! I can’t burn this thing on my own, bastard is crazy tough.” Jax told her.

“Carter, Kendra, can you contain the… look out!” Superwoman shouted, as another bolt of lightning was sent careening towards them. Carter moved towards the blue clad girl, once he had decided blondie was out, only to be shocked by the bolt meant for Jax, Kara and Ray. While Oliver fired a tranq arrow at the woman who controlled electricity, Barry had reached into the monster’s body from behind, coming to the conclusion that like Doomsday, the only way to stop him was to kill him. Despite the vibrational intensity of his body, he was surprised when he felt strong hands lifting him and throwing him into the air. He hit the ground hard as Fairchild checked on her teammate and unknown to the League, one of her best friends. Seeing Barry thrown to the ground sent Kara over the edge, firing her heat vision at an intensity she hadn’t matched before, only to burn out seconds later and drop her to the ground.

Kendra and Sara moved towards the woman in blue, splitting up and figuring she would have to take one either above or below while the other could take her down. Alex, Nyssa and Speedy ran towards the tiny blonde who was regaining awareness, until the ground opened up before them. Speedy nearly fell into a sudden pool of molten lava until a wire wrapped around her waist and she was jerked back by her brother. The lightning girl had fried Oliver’s tranq arrow as soon as it hit her, rendering it useless. These metas were not untrained. They knew how to handle their abilities easily.

“Enough!” Fairchild screamed. Barry and the one called Thunder were regaining their bearings and the rest of the team with the exception of Ray and Jax stopped to determine the best way to approach this. Kara stumbled outside.

“You aren’t getting away. You killed this man and we want to know why. We haven’t been playing for blood but if this continues you guys are going to get killed. We are trying to be nice, but our patience is wearing thin.” Kara told her, not sure if this was true but wanting to buy time. seeing Barry’s vibrations pick up, knowing he was healing himself.

“Oliver, put an arrow into Thunder Boy’s chest. Alex, Nyssa, take out the blonde girl who likes to play with lava. Head shots, put her down.” Kara instructed. “No more games.” Alex and Nyssa both fired, bullets and multiple arrows flying through the air quickly only to be blocked by a column of rock shooting from the ground in front of the teen.

Ray’s power source overheated and Jax could not hold the creature back any longer so both dove to the side, Zatanna following, thinking she would definitely need better shoes than stilettos, if this was to become the norm. Carter landed in front of Fairchild, striking her multiple times with fists, before she spun and tossed him to the ground. He raised his mace, which the woman grabbed before he could swing, twisted and sent him back to the ground, his arm snapped.

Barry shook his head and hit the young man beside him, then moved towards the lightning girl who was close to striking Sara. Kendra shoved her sword into the monsters eye, the only vunerable part of his body, when he closed, causing an inhuman shriek and hasty retreat.

“Leash, bring us back!” Fairchild yelled. All the enemy metas including the monster had shimmering tendrils seemingly out of nowhere hover above them.

“Alex, shoot her in the head already!” Kara shouted. Alex spun from the spot she had been aiming at the blonde towards Fairchild but it was too late. In a blast of shimmering light, all the combatants were gone, leaving the Justice League standing on the street, alone. Police who had worked their way into the stores surrounding the battle, finally emerged, not having wanted to get involved in a super powered meta gang fight.

“Alex, are they invisible or gone? Use infrared.” Barry suggested. Valkyrie checked the area with infrared, not seeing any heat signatures that did not belong to those already on the scene.

“Gone.” she grumbled.

“Can somebody please explain what the hell just happened?!” an officer in plain clothes shouted, walking onto the scene.

“Yeah, its like this…”

“Jax! I got this.” Barry told the man, fearing what he might say. “Captain… Lange?” The Flash started looking at the cop’s badge, pinned to his belt. “We don’t know what the hell just happened.”

“I could have done better than that.” Jax mumbled.

“The man with the large hole in his chest is Daniel Pendergast, the man who killed Gayle Marsh and the security guards tonight.”

“He looks like he has been dead a whole lot longer than tonight.”

“He’s a meta.” Barry explained. The Captain nodded. In this day and age that was all that needed to be said. “He stole some files from his office tonight. I am not sure what the files contained since the really big female bodybuilder took them but… as much as I hate to say this, anything involved with that Center is probably a Fed issue, most likely involving Homeland Security. I wouldn’t be surprised if they descended soon and took over the whole investigation.”

‘I’ll be damned! Look at this street! Look at the Train Station. Thousands of witnesses saw this meta gang fight on the other side. They may have have been too scared to get close but you can bet they are filming on their phones. This is going viral. The feds won’t be able to cover this up.”

“Did any civilians get hurt, sir?” Kara asked.

“Civilians? What the hell are you?”

“Part of the team that just kept your officers from getting killed. Were any civilians hurt?” the woman repeated.

“No.” the man admitted, defeated a bit, weary. “West has been explaining what has been going on. We tried to move around the asphalt wall through the stores to help but there were lava pits and sand traps and monsters, thunder, lightning, fire, lasers and a really sharp scream… are you guys okay?’

Kara and Barry turned to take in their team. Carter had an obviously broken arm but he didn’t scream when Oliver set the bone and Kendra held him protectively. Alex, was tired, taking deep breaths as if she had just ran a marathon. Nyssa looked a bit annoyed but was unharmed. Speedy was holding her sides, where Oliver had shot her with a grappling arrow and pulled her back. Sara was bleeding from her forehead due to debris striking her. Ray and Jax looked good, even if both appeared exhausted and Barry was pretty certain Kara was completely powerless right now, having burnt out against the monster. He was still sore from being tossed off the monster, and coming to realize he was about to kill the thing, who he still didn’t quite believe was a thing. Evil? Yeah, but his eyes were aware. That thing had been human once, like Pendergast. Zatanna was limping causing Kara and Barry both to worry until the cause was reveled to be a broken heel.

“Not a word.” the sorceress whispered towards Kara, who had raised her eyebrow after checking out Zatanna’s poor choice in foot wear.

“dnuorg nrut ot remrof etats.”

Before the disbelieving eyes of the officers, the barrier of asphalt shifted down, the street perfect while the lava and sand pit disappeared, tuning back into asphalt.

“I think we are good, a few injuries, nothing life threatening, but we really need to get our team checked out.” Barry told the man, grateful that he wasn’t pressing the issue and seemed to be relieved they were here.

‘You want a hospital?”

“We have one. We just need to leave and not be followed, so if you could be kind enough to give us some room and a little cover, we would appreciate it. Most of us are flying out but some have bikes.”

“Yeah, we can do that. How in the hell am I going to do the paperwork on this?” he mumbled, looking around.

“I know a guy in Central City who does great reports… I mean I heard of a guy.” Alex suggested, earning a glare from Barry. “We need to get Superwoman out of here. Why don’t you come with me Superwoman?” Alex ordered in the form of a request.

“I don’t think there is room on the back of Canary’s bike for the two of us.” Kara told her, trying to remain serious but the idea of Alex on the back of…

“We can take the car.” she told her sternly, and Kara knew her eyes were not amused behind that visor.

Kara grabbed Charlie from Joe as she and Alex followed Nyssa behind the station while Barry checked in with everyone. Ray was fairly certain he still had flight power left but doubted he could shrink and his devices that concentrate compressed light blasts were fried. Carter was good to fly and Kendra grabbed Zatanna, flying close to both Carter and Ray, Firestorm in the rear. Sara, Oliver and Thea moved to their bikes, Thea considering changing out of her uniform before even hitting the road, and back into her civies. The heat from the lava had been intense and her leather was still uncomfortably warm. For the first time, she was grateful her brother had shot her.

Once everyone was gone, Barry walked up to Joe and gave him a rundown of the enemies they faced. A team of high powered metas, super strength, sound waves and electricity, the ability to control and change physical substances and a rock monster with a very sharp tail. Though Barry didn’t bring it up to Joe, he also wondered who this Leash was and how the red head Fairchild could say his name and they all disappear. It seemed as if some energy tether had appeared and pulled them all away in an instant. Teleportation. Barry wasn’t as fast as teleportation… yet. Even if he was, he would need to know where they could have gone. His only encounter with a teleporter had been difficult, and Shawna Baez could only jump to where she could see. Whoever had done this was very powerful and this concerned him the most. Could this Leash send this team anywhere? Could he send them into the middle of S.T.A.R. bypassing all security measures?

The Captain having calmed down by this point gave the Flash a heartfelt thanks and suggested he go look after his girlfriend. Even those not in the windows of shoppes lining the street could see the glow of three individuals trying to burn up one monster and merely slowing it down.

In the back of a Mercedes, Alex tried to check her sister over, while avoiding Charlie who wouldn’t stop licking Kara’s face.

“Down boy! Down!” Alex tried to order.

“If that dog defecates in my car, I am driving the Porsche and you can drive this one. Or burn it.” Nyssa told her. “Kara, how are you?”

“Great.” Kara told her sleepily. Alex pinched her arm.

“Owww! Why did you… oh wow. Burned out completely, didn’t I? I wish I could have just grabbed that thing and made a crater in the ground with him. I’m going to get Evil Linda to shoot me up again so I can have the baby sooner. I really need to get back into the game.” Kara mumbled, once again sounding sleepy.

“No, you really need to chill. You should have stayed in Central City. You could have told us what to do from there, since you decided to become commander.”

“Nobody else was organizing you guys. Charlie sit.”

Like magic, the puppy curled up in her lap. Kara began petting him and her eyes closed.

“Hey! Stay awake!”

“Why? I just fought Doomsday Jr. I’m kinda of tired.” she groaned.

“Because I want you awake when Cait checks you out. We can put you under some solar lamps and you can sleep then.”

Kara was going to ask her if she had any idea how hard it was to sleep with a set of bright lights shining over her, but a vehicle moving at a high rate of speed began blaring its horn behind Nyssa. The woman recognized the Volvo and pulled over. Barry opened the back seat and pulled Kara out.

“Drive our car to S.T.A.R. I can get her there in thirty seconds.” Barry left, leaving a dazed and confused Charlie barking at the car window, trying to get to his blonde mother. Alex stepped out of the back.

“Alex? Where do you think you are going?”

“To drive their car to the lab.”

“Not without that mutt. Take it.” Alex rolled her eyes but grabbed a squirming Charlie who still wanted to race down the road after Kara. Bypassing the safety seat, Alex tossed him into the back and drove.

When Barry entered S.T.A.R. Kara had curled up into him, snoring. Caitlin already had the solar lamps set up. Jeremiah and Eliza were also ready for whatever might happen.

“Hospital gown Barry. I need a scan of the baby.” Snow ordered. In a blur, Kara had been changed without even waking. Hank ran in, followed by Henry. The two had followed Jeremiah and Eliza as soon as Cisco had called them.

“Cisco how much video do we have of the group who did this?” Barry asked, his eyes never leaving Kara’s sleeping form. She didn’t appear to be injured, just very tired.

“We have pretty much the whole battle from Train Station cams and street cams, plus what is already being posted on Youtube and Instagram. Felicity is compiling it now, running facial recognition, you know the drill.”

“Carter has a broken arm and just about everybody is injured in someway. Call Curtis and ask if he can come in to help Ray fix his suit. He needs to be operational as soon as possible, in case they decide to visit us here.” Cisco nodded and hurried off, just in time to miss Jeremiah step inches in front of Barry, who looked over the man’s shoulder at Kara.

“You want to tell me why the hell she was out there?”

“She was going to stay near the crime scene with Joe and Alex. She had an idea to use her vision to find the man and it worked. Once the fight began, it was too late to pull her out.”

“You are the fastest man in the universe or something. How does too late even enter your vocabulary?”

Barry felt his temper rising.

“I need to check on her and our child.”

Jeremiah placed a hand on Barry’s shoulder. “This isn’t over.”

Barry grabbed his hand and flung it off his shoulder. “Yes it is. Your concerns are not my problem. My concern is her and the baby. What she was doing, why she was there, that is between me and her. We didn’t expect that much resistance. It won’t happen again. Now back off.”

“So this is what you call protecting her?”

“Shut the hell up!” Barry screamed, causing everyone to jump, and waking Kara. “We fought a monster tonight that reminded me a lot of Doomsday, only it wasn’t some science experiment. I’m pretty sure it was a metahuman. We fought a group none of us had ever seen before, organized with a lot of powers and disappeared without a trace in less than a second. They could reappear here I am betting. I have a lot on my mind, mainly her and I don’t need any crap from you. If you can’t help then get out!”

“Barry, calm down.” Caitlin whispered, touching her friend’s back, hoping to soothe him. Barry looked over at Kara whose eyes were wide.

“You are right Jeremiah. This isn’t over for either of us. But right now isn’t the time.”

Barry saw Eliza placing an IV in Kara’s arm, just under her elbow while Kara shut her eyes and looked the other direction. She hated needles.

“What’s going on?” he asked Eliza quietly.

“Caitlin said she is slightly dehydrated so we are giving her some fluids. All done Kara, no more needles.”

The blonde looked at Barry, realizing for the first time tonight just how tired she was.

“Sorry?”

“Not your fault. You probably saved everyone’s life tonight. You, Jax and Ray kept that monster busy. You couldn’t have gone anywhere else. I should have killed it but, she grabbed me… I wasn’t thinking. This is my fault.”

“Its nobody’s fault. We won.” she told him, tears gathering in her eyes.

“Did we? Because it didn’t seem like a win, it seemed like we survived. If they hadn’t disappeared when they did somebody or a lot of somebodies were going to die and I planned to make sure it wasn’t any of us.”

“You would have done what you had to do. We all would.”

“It shouldn’t have come down to that.” Barry whispered.

“Got her.” Caitlin told the two. “There is little Kid Flash, kicking along, not a care in the world. The heartbeat sounds good, everything looks good. We are going to keep you under solar lamps for the night and keep giving you fluids through the IV but I think you should be fine by morning. I have no idea when your powers will return, but considering how many times they gave out on you tonight, I would start getting very used to living without them, even part time.”

Kara gave her a watery smile, holding Barry’s hand and staring at the ultrasound like they always did.

“Its a good thing we are getting married in ten days. The rate she is growing I’m not sure how much longer I will be able to fit in my dress.”

“Yeah, she is coming along perfectly. You are doing great. Are you still sleepy? Want me to grab your pillow from your room?”

Kara nodded her head, took a last look at the ultrasound image and fell asleep. Charlie began barking and hopping so Alex lifted the mutt up and put him on Kara, where he promptly lay his head on her chest and began dozing as well. Alex turned down the intensity of the lights, being certain that her sister was okay and not wanting to fry her mutt. Kara did not need to wake up with fried puppy on her chest.

The next morning, the Justice League, bandaged and rested, met at S.T.A.R. along with the support team. Ray was present but in a hurry to get back to his workshop where Curtis was working frantically to get his compressed light emitters working.

Kara appeared relaxed, sitting at the table in her pajamas, and feeding Charlie a breakfast taco, Barry had retrieved while she took care of the dozen crullers in front of her. Everyone was looking to her and Barry and since Kara did not seem inclined to speak, Barry started.

“So let’s talk about last night. We found our… :”

“We got our asses kicked.” Jax told him, followed by a slap to the back of his head by Dr. Stein.

“We didn’t get our asses kicked. They had worked together before obviously and we were all over the place. I know I was. We had no idea what they could do and found out the hard way. I think we should start with what we found out yesterday. Zatanna’s spell worked and the images of the murder came through. What Pendergast said about Marsh killing herself is not far from the truth, at least as far as giving him the method of death.” Barry told the group.

“Based on the images we saw, when they both entered the bedroom Pendergast was yelling at Marsh. He grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her into her bedroom wall, then wrapped his hands around her throat. We don’t know what was said and never will but it is obvious they were arguing about something. If I had to guess, probably Marsh’s refusal to participate in his games any longer. While he was choking her, she relaxed and never took his eyes from his. Then the man stumbled back, grabbing the sides of his head, just like the man in the video.”

“So she used her weapon, the one she killed her attacker with, on him.” Harry guessed.

“Yep, only it worked differently this time. Instead of dropping dead, he dropped. The mirror didn’t catch him on the floor but when he stood, he looked like…”

“A black Avocado?” Felicity tried.

“More of a grinning skull, that wasn’t exactly grinning. Kinda like the guy who opened the gold box in Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Alex tried.

“I know that movie! I mean it was like two decades before I was born but I have seen it. I got that reference!” Thea said happily then grimaced, remembering her sore ribs.

“Regardless of what he looked like, Pendergast grabbed her and threw her onto the bed. He turned and looked at the mirror and panicked. He touched the plant on the dresser and it died. He walked over to the window thinking he might use the fire escape and his fingers touched the flowers there, and they withered and died. He noticed, gave up on the window and ran out of the room. Marsh never rose again and we couldn’t see much but it was obvious what happened as we found her the next day. So somehow instead of killing Pendergast she turned him into that thing.” the Flash finished.

“And we found him. Cisco can you pull up video of the fight last night?” Kara requested.

The whole team, brains and muscle watched what happened. Jeremiah requested the tape freeze as the rock monster used his tail to swipe the heroes.

“He’s like a Bearded Dragon.” The man mumbled, fascinated. “That is armor plating but it is moving effortlessly from his back through the whipping motion. He didn’t just swing the damn thing he controlled it, like a Bearded Dragon.”

“A Bearded what?” Jax asked.

“A pet lizard.” Ray explained. “they are sold by the thousands in pet stores, very docile creatures who are easily befriended by humans. The thing that makes them somewhat unique among the lizard species are they can use their tail as a muscle, support their entire body with it, sleep on it, pressed to the glass of the cage. Its tail is an actual appendage, just like a leg, only stronger.”

“When we were blasting fusion energy, I could tell that he was organic, meaning we couldn’t change the armor to something more brittle. Barry had you not been taken from behind would you have been able to phase through it?” Stein asked.

“Yes. I should have ended him sooner. Let’s talk about the rest of them.”

“Hold up. Zatanna, why couldn’t you just turn him into a pet lizard?” Harry asked, smirking.

“Changing the form of organic matter is extremely difficult if not impossible for me. I did turn a minivan into a sand castle. What were you doing Wells? Stroking your microscope?”

“Back on point…” Barry interrupted before another argument broke out. “The tiny blonde, her control of the ground was perfect. She could move it, change its form, control the size, density, and move fast enough to make a barrier that could deflect bullets. The other two, look similar, could be twins, definitely siblings or in a relationship based on how she broke from the fight when I tossed her lightning bolt into the man.”

“Yeah that concussive blast sounded like a big clap of…” Ray started.

“Thunder! Thunder and Lightning! Done deal.” Cisco claimed.

Normally amused by his excitement, Kara was not this morning. “Stop worrying about naming these people and concentrate on figuring out how to control your powers. We needed everybody and who knows if they have more friends. Whoever or whatever this Leash is, tells me there are some we haven’t met yet. They came to pick up files from Pendergast. If he had connections to N.O.W.H.E.R.E. they do as well. I doubt they sent an entire team to take care of him. This leader said they didn’t want a fight. It was business, killing him and taking whatever was there. Cisco your blasts crushed bullets. You are probably the only one of us who can take this monster out in one shot without having to rely on a sword or arrow to hit him in the eye. Figure it out.”

The entire room quieted. Kara looked around and dropped her head. “Sorry Cisco, I just don’t have it in me to act stupid today, alright?”

Cisco grinned a bit at her, knowing she was exhausted and gave her a wink, knowing she was right.

“You did a great job leading last night, Kara.” Oliver told her. “Don’t apologize. I think we are all feeling a bit defeated this morning but next time we will be prepared.

“Speaking of, Zatanna could you heal my arm later if you are up to it?” Carter asked, his snapped bone held together by only a cast, since he refused pins.

“Yes, give me until this afternoon to feel fully capable. Unless you have a faster way of curing a broken bone Dr. Wells?”

Harry shot the finger at the sorceress, causing her to laugh a bit before she could stop herself.

“So what about Katy Fairchild? The red head with the huge…”

“Jackson!”

“I was gonna say huge muscles, Grey.”

“Oh, my apologies.”

“But since you mention it she does have huge…”

“Moving on. Caitlin Fairchild. Caitlin you share a name, what do you think?” Barry asked, handing over the discussion to Dr. Snow.

“Just from what I have seen, she can control her density and muscle mass. Who knows how large or small she can make herself but despite being shot with arrows she pulled them out and seemed to heal and grow. My guess is she expanded her muscles to repair the damaged tissue. Judging by the minivan she tossed, she has superhuman strength even her muscle size can’t explain. When you tried to phase a hand into the rock monster she grabbed you. Vibrating that fast, she should have been thrown back the minute she got near you.”

Barry guessed as much, never being touched by anyone besides Thawne or Zoom in that state. It surprised the hell out of him.

“We should have just killed them all.” Nyssa told the group.

“Yeah, because that would have done a lot to engender the public’s trust in us.” Barry countered.

“Kara was the one at the end of the battle to order Alex to shoot the woman in the head. Perhaps our leaders should determine at what point the rules of engagement change? Were you planning on tickling the monster when you reached inside him, Barry? You said he is a metahuman, not some abomination made in a lab. This needs to be decided quickly and understood by all. I am doing the best I can to be somewhat of a team player but my weapons are designed to kill, not incapacitate.”

“She got a point man.” Cisco said, to break the silence that followed. “What exactly were we going to do if we did stop them last night? We didn’t have enough BOOTs and something tells me it wouldn’t have worked on that monster. I’m not even sure if it would work on an electrically charged meta. You don’t have trouble vibrating out of it. So we keep beating them until we get them pushed into a meta cell and hope it holds?”

“We can’t become a hit squad. I’ve been there and done that and want no part anymore. If I have to kill to protect, I have done it before and will do it again but we have to try and find a better way.” Sara suggested, echoing most of their thoughts. Kara and Alex were torn the most, because Alex agreed with Nyssa but saw Barry and Joe’s point of view and Nyssa reminded Kara that she had, in the heat of the moment, powerless, screamed at her sister to shoot the woman in the head before she got away. She had also hoped the Barry could have killed the monster when he was on top of it.

“The first thing we need to work on before we worry about what to do with the enemy after a fight is winning a fight.” Barry told the team. “Every Wednesday night, at the police bomb disposal range, we meet, split into teams and battle each other. We were all over the place last night, in each other’s way, not making the most of our talents. Kara did a good job organizing us and finding Pendergast but once the battle started, she was locked in battle and couldn’t even see what was going on until her power burned out. I was running around, trying to decide what target to go after next and not being successful at any of them. We had our best physical fighters running towards a lightning storm and a lava flow. We have to get better, working together. Anyone disagree?”

No one said a word.

“Okay then. Lyla is coming by later to get the info Cisco has on Prometheus’s helmet and tell us what they found at the Center. A.R.G.U.S. took it over right after our little gang war and I want to know what she found. We are going to tell her what we know because at this moment, I have no idea who these people are, where they came from, where they went or what the hell N.O.W.H.E.R.E. is. Thanksgiving is in two days and a wedding nine days from then. We are all eating at Ray’s big town home he never uses, so if you can make it, please come. Martin I hope you and your wife will be there.”

“We wouldn’t miss it.”

“Felicity?”

“Yeah Barry?”

“Your Mom and Captain Lance?”

“I will ask, thanks.”

The meeting broke up, everyone leaving except Oliver who pulled Cisco aside and asked to go over the report he planned to give Lyla. J’onn noticed Jeremiah waiting for Barry and thought to intervene but decided against it. This wasn’t his universe or his team. This team belonged to the ones who fought last night. He wished he had been there but perhaps it was best he hadn’t been. The Justice League would work better on their own, just as his did.

Barry kissed Kara who left with Kendra to change at home, under the agreement that Kendra drove and kept Charlie in his seat so he wouldn’t lick her.

Before he could leave, Jeremiah was in front of the Flash. Eliza and Alex looked at each other and walked out, not wanting to interfere in what was sure to be an argument that couldn’t be avoided. Once the two were alone, Barry started.

“So what do you want Jeremiah? Say whatever you have to and get out of my way. I am really not in the mood.”

“Yeah I’m not either. Why don’t I add a few more things to that list I…”

“You can take that list and the zip drive it is on and stick it up your…”

“Excuse me? Do you know what I have given up for those girls lives?”

“Yeah and Kara wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for me! I love her, but I got news for you Dad. We are going to fight. I am going to yell at her and she is going to yell at me, just like she did two days ago. Its the way relationships work. She isn’t fragile. I didn’t want her to be there last night and if I had known what was going to happen she wouldn’t have been, but she was and we dealt with it. She was a hero out there.”

“She could have been killed.”

“We can all be killed. Alex, Nyssa, Oliver, Ray, even Firestorm. I saw on half of the original Firestorm die. If you can’t accept that, come to work, lock yourself in a lab and hide your head in the sand. I would die for her and that child but this is life. We put some symbol on our chest that is supposed to mean something and all it really means is we are willing to die to protect others, the same as badges on cops and firefighters. This is our life.”

“Maybe you should consider letting Oliver Queen take over? You didn’t seem like you had a clue last night…”

Barry snapped, moving towards the wall and punching it, knocking down plaster and cracking concrete. Moving to a tray full of surgical equipment, he tossed it into the opposite wall.

“Go to hell Jeremiah! Get out! I have a ton of responsibility weighing me down and I don’t need you on top of it! Get out!”

Jeremiah smiled, stepping back while Barry tried to slow down his breathing.

“What the hell are you smiling about?” he asked.

“You feel better?”

“What?”

“Do you feel better? I kept a decade worth of anger in me and it has festered, eaten me up from the inside, changed me from who I used to be to who I am now. I miss who I used to be but I’ve lost it. Kara can vaporize something if she gets mad. Nyssa and Alex, Oliver, Thea, Sara, they can beat each other until they are too exhausted to move. I understand Kendra and Carter spar quite a bit. Ray works out, almost as hard as Oliver Queen surprisingly. I had no idea until I caught him in the training room at 5 AM one morning. Jax is quite a boxer from what Martin tells me. What do you do Barry?”

“I… I run.”

“No you run to get better. You train to hit harder because you want to protect Kara but what do you do when you are angry? Because I have been trying to piss you off for over a month now and you are keeping it inside so tightly its going to turn into a time bomb. What do you do?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“Thats fine. Figure it out. Scream, throw things, hit the wall. Do whatever you have to do but… when I first met you, or at least when I came here and got to know you, you were and are the nicest guy I have ever met. Joe says you keep it locked up inside but you can’t Barry. You can’t or it will turn you into me. It eats at your soul. You need to keep yours. So figure out how to let it go. If you need to, yell at me. I can yell back. We can throw things together but you have to let it go. So tell me, do you feel better now?”

“Yeah a little I guess.” Barry took a seat. “I screwed up last night. Do you know what I did the other day, coming back from South America?”

“I may have heard Cisco and Wells talking about unreal speed and controlling this Speedforce finally.”

“Yeah a lot of good it did me. I had a million thoughts running through my head last night, a million things I could have done to stop all of them before they could blink and I didn’t do any. I should have hit that creature so hard, he would have broken in two. Instead I was tossed off because I didn’t watch my back and decided to phase inside him because I couldn’t decide if I wanted to kill him or not. Kara, Jax and Ray can barely keep this thing from charging and I am running around, getting caught in quick sand, trying to keep track of everyone and failing, this is supposed to be my team with Kara out of action and she was leading, then we get to a battle and I can’t do anything and concentrate on fighting. I couldn’t build up the speed I needed in the enclosed space, I couldn’t concentrate on vibrating fast enough to destroy that thing or the red head for that matter. I should have done more. I should have been ready for whatever.”

“You should have been perfect huh?”

“Yeah.”

“You really think that is possible? I know you can control a lot of thoughts at once but with the mother of your child locked in battle with a monster that reminded you of Doomsday, your friends, not soldiers but friends, fighting, each trying to do their own thing and none really succeeding, you think you can turn into an impartial machine, making life or death decisions while relying on others to fight? You can’t be both Barry. If you keep pressuring yourself you are going to blow up. Maybe its at a teammate, maybe its at Kara one day or for quite a few days. Do you know how many times Eliza asks me if I’m okay in a day? Over twenty at least and every time I say I’m fine and every time I want to ask her why in the hell she thinks I would ever be okay? I have to fight that, because no matter how much I love her, my anger is always looking to break free and the ones around me the most are the ones I can’t afford to show it to.”

“I won’t take it out on Kara.”

“No, you will take it out on yourself and thats worse because she will know. She is perceptive and smart and she watches you like you watch her. She is just more subtle about it.”

Barry took a deep breath and the tension left his body. He felt very, very tired.

“Yeah I guess. Any suggestions?”

“Yell. Yell at me, at Henry, at Joe and do it away from everyone else. Get it out. The three of us can take it. Henry and I might yell at you back. Okay I might, Henry probably won’t. But you gotta let it out. You also have to decide what your role in battles is going to be.”

“Role?”

“You can lead, Kara can lead, you two can set the tone for this team, but when it comes down to it, to a fight like last night, you are the strongest weapon. You can’t control a fight and be cool and logical about it if you are actively trying to overpower your enemies. Think about it. You are one of the smartest guys I have ever met and that is saying something around this crowd. You will figure it out. If you need to yell some more later, find me.”

Jeremiah patted him on the shoulder and left, leaving an exhausted Barry slouched in the chair trying to control his thoughts.

Barry picked up his phone and called Nyssa.

“What is wrong?”

“Nothing Nyssa. I need to talk to you. Where are you?”

“At Kara and Caitlin’s. Kara has developed a cold rather quickly and since she doesn’t have the option of using sunlight to cure this right now she will have to let it take its course. The two doctors, her mother and best friend, are in a state of panic, planning on dumping a pharmacy into her, I am trying to convince them to use herbal cures that have worked for centuries and Kara is acting like she had never seen snot before while the mutt keeps barking. If you have something better for me to do, I am available.”

“I’ll be there shortly.”

A minute later, Barry walked in without knocking, moving straight to Kara’s room. She was back in her pajamas, Eliza had a wet rag over her forehead and Caitlin was doing some type of research on her laptop and Kara kept a Kleenex pressed to her very red nose.

“Barry, I don’t want Charlie getting sick. Can you take him to Oliver’s? He doesn’t have a job so he should be good for babysitting. He needs a career and dog sitting could be a good start.”

“Dogs can’t catch colds from humans, baby. I’ll be right back to take care of you. I need to have a word with Nyssa first.”

Barry caught her eye and walked out, Nyssa following.

“What can I do for you Barry?” she asked, both sitting in the living room.

“I can keep a million thoughts in my head and focus on a couple thousand at once if I really try, but I can’t do it in a battle. I need to be able to think fluidly.”

“I can teach you meditation techniques that will help. You are right, having thousands of thoughts at once will do you no good if you can’t choose one. It happened last night, correct?”

“Yeah, but that’s not all. Kara and I, we can lead, we can plan, organize, set the tone, do the public relations that will have to be done, to keep everyone of the local police departments happy. We can decide if and when to deal with A.R.G.U.S. but when a fight breaks out like last night, we need to be weapons. I can’t do what I do best and worry about everyone else. I need a field general.”

“So ask your friend Oliver. I am sure he would jump at the opportunity. As much as he claims to like working alone or with his sister, he does enjoy organizing a war.”

“You are the only one on our team who has experience leading an army, a League. You led your League against Slade Wilson’s men, you led a revolt against Malcolm Merlyn and I am betting you have led your League in quite a few battles that have never seen the light of day, correct? A few grudge matches between your father and his old friend Damian Darhk and HIVE?”

“Yes…”

“I need you to be the field leader. When a fight breaks out, I need you to take over. You can fight but you can also watch and direct. You know our strengths, you know our weaknesses and you know when the time comes that we have no other option than killing. You can determine the enemies strengths and weaknesses faster than any of us. You have a mind for battle that none of us who have worked alone in the past have. Will you do it?”

Nyssa thought for a moment, her face unreadable as usual.

“What makes you think I won’t just order you all to kill our enemies right away?” she finally asked.

Barry had thought about this.

“Because if you were that type of person, Alex wouldn’t love you, Kara wouldn’t see you as a sister, Eliza and Jeremiah wouldn’t see you as a daughter and I wouldn’t see you as family. You don’t take death lightly, Nyssa. Thats why I can trust you. If you order us to kill, we will do it because we will know there will be no other option. So what about it? Are you going to be our General?”

“I never wanted this. I wanted a peaceful life when I disbanded the League. I met Alex and knew that wasn’t in the cards though. We are warriors, written in the stars before we were born, pawns of fate. Yes, you give me your team and I will make them an army.”