Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Call Me Kara

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 43:

The Colony

Caitlin Fairchild stood in front of the hooded figure with a stoic face. She had learned to hide her revulsion for this man long ago. She had only been here for three years but it felt like she had been here her whole life. Caitlin had resumed her normal figure, the one she had before her metahuman gene had been activated five years before. Five foot six inches, athletic but thin body, not weighing more than 120 pounds. She could be much, much larger and much stronger but this intimidated the so called shaper of the future. Why he would be intimidated by her, she could never understood. He was always in the company of Warblade and Rose Wilson, Lillith Clay not far behind. Despite Harvest’s grotesques appearance, Warblade or Rose could kill him easily. Rose was deadly, as deadly as her bastard father who was rotting away in some A.R.G.U.S. prison, and the only non metahuman allowed in the inner circle, strange considering Harvest himself was not a metahuman.

Harvest was a strange man, his appearance frightening, his voice polite but raspy, annoying as nails on a chalk board. He showed no eyes nor nose that Caitlin had seen, hiding behind a mask of red, only his mouth showing. Though he sported wings on his back, she had seen him glide occasionally but not often. The wings were of a light weight alloy he had created. He may not have been metahuman, but he was a genius, if somewhat of a mad scientist when it came to experimentation.

“So Daniel Pendergast, not only loses the best lead we have had for a psychic since Lillith, a woman who could kill with her mind no less, but in the process becomes death itself personified. The idiot could have been a god. The Culling would have been a simple exercise. He is tasked with getting the information on four metahumans for the Culling and cannot do this without attracting the attention of not one so called superhero but multiple, in Keystone City no less. You did well retrieving the files, Caitlin. Your Ravagers should be proud.”

“Thank you sir.”

“Why may I ask, did you have Ridge kill him?”

Caitlin’s heart beat picked up and she controlled her thoughts. She knew without a doubt that Lillith was listening, she could feel the little brat crawling around in her head. Thankfully reading thoughts was not her specialty, so she was not as good at is as she led Harvest to believe.

“He was unstable sir. He left a trail of bodies, and was being searched for. If I left him alive, he could have potentially given away valuable information. Had we brought him here, without control, he may have attacked all of us and had to be put down regardless. I thought it best, considering the force we were not expecting, to obtain the files and be done with him. Also had we taken him, the authorities would search more intently.”

“Sound reasoning. Do you see Warblade,what it is to be a leader who thinks, instead of one who blindly kills?”

“Yes sir.” the meta who was known as Warblade since he first met Harvest, answered. He did not mind the criticism. Caitlin could do all the thinking. He wanted to kill, he was made to kill and he was very good at it.

“I am concerned that all these so called heroes descended on him together. I would not have been surprised to see the Flash and his lover arrive, or perhaps Firestorm even. Maybe one of the new crop of vigilantes that seems to spring up every few months, inspired no doubt by the Green Arrow. They do not appear to be very organized but they were in one place, and we know from Detroit that they are working together as one unit.”

“Yes sir. I am afraid if Ridge had not been as strong as he is, taking the attention of Superwoman, Firestorm and Atom, we very well could have lost that battle. Once the winged woman injured Ridge I felt it best to retreat rather than lose a fight.”

“A wise decision. There was no need for more prolonged violence. We have built our army by working in the shadows. How is your dear friend Ridge?”

“His regeneration abilities are healing his eye but it is a slow process. The sword nearly embedded itself in his brain. He would not have survived.”

“Ironic isn’t it? The two individuals who could emit the most energy unable to stop him, but a winged woman with a sword brought the monster to his knees.”

Caitlin gritted her teeth. She hated when he called Ridge a monster. Ridge was what Harvest made him, but he was still a man.

“Shall I gather a strike team to defeat them sir?” she asked, seeing Warblade licking his lips already. The more Caitlin thought about it the more she saw these foes as potential allies togain the freedom she wanted for herself and her friends. Although more subdued, she knew Rose would love the chance to battle Oliver and Thea Queen, though she had no relationship with her own bastard father, one she doubted knew about her. She simply wanted to succeed where he had failed.

“Absolutely not. We have a glorious mission, Caitlin. Our mission is to shape the future, to control the next generation of metahumans, form them to our liking. Starting a war with these individuals is unnecessary right now. They know nothing about us, Pendergast is dead and no one else in the facility knew enough to talk to the authorities, even if they weren’t terrified of us. The Culling is what is important. I want sixteen for our next event. One survivor in sixteen to join the Ravagers and shape the future. When our army is complete, no force will stand in our way, not even Flash or this Superwoman.”

“She is strong sir. The Flash… he was not performing at his best ability from our studies of him. I believe he was concerned about his companion, though I don’t know why, as she showed a tremendous amount of power.”

“Because though she has no weakness, she has been weak. She defeated Prometheus in the Atom’s armor. She showed strength but allowed him to grab her by her throat. I need to know what these weaknesses are and one man knows more about her than anyone is Prometheus. He studied her. It is what he does, studying his enemies. I have no desire to harm her and call down the masses on us. That would be pointless, but if I could discover how she has these amazing abilities, think of the possibilities for strengthening our own metahumans.”

Caitlin forced down a shudder. Harvest’s experiments are what turned Ridge into the form he had to live with now.

“We have the manpower now, we are more than ready. I could kill them all myself. Why shouldn’t we take them out? They could stand in our way later.” Warblade told the man, unable to keep his mouth or murderous impulses at bay.

“Lillith?”

At Harvest’s command, a small grin graced Omen’s young face and Warblade fell to the ground, in pain. Although not able to kill with her mind, Omen could certainly cause an illusion of pain that was very real to its victim.

“Never underestimate your enemies. Know them. The future I am from, there are no tales of this Superwoman. She is an anomaly in the timeline. The Flash brought her here somehow and the entire timeline I have fought to reshape is in danger now but not irreparable. We are preparing for the future, not fighting a turf war like some pathetic street gang. Caitlin, you and Lillith will recover Prometheus and bring him here. It shouldn’t be hard. He will be transferred to an A.R.G.U.S. facility in the Antarctic soon. Once he is there, bring him to me. My Lillith will control him.”

“You wish for that madman to join us, sir?” Rose asked, speaking for the first time. She was not a fan of anyone who would attack a city so bluntly. The illegitimate daughter of Deathstroke had hoped for an opportunity to visit the prison her father was at, if nothing else to see his scarred face before she introduced herself and shoved a sword through his remaining eye.

“No, Prometheus is an idiot. He wants to beat heroes, kill those who fight for justice, take all the glory for himself. His goals are short sighted and childish. He is a genius however, nearly on par with my intellect. He has information, he has toys hidden around the world and he has information about Superwoman and the Flash. Once I have what I want, you may dispose of him. I understand he believes himself to be quite the fighter. Perhaps we should offer him a place in the next Culling.”

“Yes sir.” Caitlin agreed, not having much of a taste for the man herself. She had never met him but his methods were simple and crude for such a smart man. Destruction for the sake of destruction to feed his ego.

“Now, let us talk about this team of heroes. We go under the assumption that they will be working together. We are sure that Ra’s Al Ghul is dead? The heroic Al Sahim killed him in Star City correct?”

“Yes sir.” Rose answered. “His body was recovered and buried in a transient’s grave since his daughter never claimed him.”

“And Malcolm Merlyn?”

“I took care of it myself three weeks ago as you commanded. I kept his remaining hand if you are interested in a trophy. He actually cried before I killed him. It was quite fun.”

“He shouldn’t have been so curious about those he wished to ally himself who were above him. Anything to get power, that one. Then Nyssa Al Ghul is all that remains and she has aligned herself with these heroes. She is not to be touched. Attacking her is the same as attacking this team. We do not want the attention.”

“I could make it seem as if it were an old grudge.” Wilson suggested.

“Rose do not delude yourself. You did well killing Merlyn, however he was not a noble warrior but instead a snake. He ascended to the title of Demon by bartering with Al Sahim, who later defeated him and passed on the title to Nyssa. Merlyn was never the fighter Ra’s was, nor Al Sahim nor Nyssa. He was schemer. Do not be fooled, you cannot win in a fight against her. Your father has failed many times against Oliver Queen. Both inspire loyalty the same as our Caitlin does. One call and Nyssa would have her disbanded league reassembled and ready for battle within 48 hours. Oliver Queen killed not only Ra’s, but Damian Darhk, defeated your father, and has defeated Merlyn on multiple occasions. He could make a call to A.R.G.U.S. and have their power at his disposal along with Tatsu and most likely John Constantine. I have always liked your common sense Rose so do not stop using it now. We do not need a war against soldiers, assassins, and magicians working as one. Not until I feel our army is invincible. Let us talk about the next Culling. I have looked over these files Pendergast deemed promising. Any thoughts Caitlin? One of these men or women could be your next soldier.”

“They are all acceptable, and I believe we should bring them in. However only one, in my opinion has a chance of surviving the Culling.”

“Let me guess. I think I can read your mind as well as Lillith. Garfield Logan?”

“Yes sir.”

“He is quite the find. Hidden away by his parents all these years because of his green skin. But the abilities are staggering. Before you and Lillith go to retrieve Prometheus, visit him. Lillith bring him back and Leash can begin his work. We have nine months till the next Culling and twelve more potential soldiers. No time to waste. The future waits for no one.”

S.T.A.R. Labs

Oliver Queen, Barry Allen and Cisco Ramon sat with Lyla Diggle in a small conference room waiting for Cisco’s presentation.

“Why isn’t Kara here?” Oliver asked.

“She has 101 degree fever and is coughing constantly. On top of a running nose and morning sickness, she is not having a good day.”

“Have her take off the bracelet.”

“She isn’t wearing it. She blew out her powers against that thing last night.” Barry whispered, not liking to talk much about Kara around Lyla, or anyone outside of their close circle of friends.

“Thats not good. The illness could harm the baby. I know they wanted to build up her immune system but at what cost?” Oliver asked, forgetting he wasn’t a doctor.

“Lyla and Eliza are handling it. I should be there so if we can get on with this?” Barry whispered back. “Cisco what do you have?”

Cisco grabbed the helmet that sat in the middle of the table.

“This baby is like nothing I have ever seen before. Real Neo stuff here.”

“Neo?”

“C’mon Oliver. Matrix? You can’t blame the island for this one. It came out way before you were stranded. Its a Sci Fi classic. Changed the way movies were made forever.”

“I stayed intoxicated quite a bit in my younger you explain as if we aren’t Sci Fi nerds?”

“Prometheus had ports that led into his brain. He somehow hardwired his own brain to interact with this computer and that is what the helmet is. A supercomputer. It could download directly into his nervous system. I’ve managed to unlock all the data finally. He knew how to fight you and Nyssa because he had video of fights the two of you had been in. He had video of your fight on the bridge with Ross…”

“Ra’s.” Oliver corrected.

“Seriously, he shoved a sword into your chest, kicked you off a mountain, blackmailed you into joining him by nearly killing Thea, forced you to marry his daughter, who by the way happens to like girls and tried to kill you during the ceremony, and then tried to kill all of Star City and you again, and you care if I get his name right. Really?”

Oliver dropped his head and took a deep breath.

“You have a point, please continue, Cisco. You were talking about Ross?”

“Right, so he had video of all the badasses in the world and downloaded them directly into his nervous system. Within seconds his body knew exactly how to fight like any of the fighters he wanted to be and could switch in seconds. The damn helmet even told him what style would be best to use while he fought. It’s ridiculous. He had detailed histories of every one of us, even me. Except for Kara of course. Oh and he found out she was an alien because of the blood sample found on the bullet Dig pulled out of her and left on the ground in Star City… what did I say?” he finished, notching Barry and Oliver’s heads drop. Then he looked at Lyla, whose mouth was slightly hanging open and remembered. The cardinal rule when around outsiders, do not talk about where Kara is from.

“Uh… okay. So Kara is… like green and just kinda looks…” Lyla guessed, imagining the sunny blonde as a Martian.

“No she isn’t green. She is what she is. Lyla you were not supposed to hear that, but you did because Cisco is an idiot. But it would be best to forget it.” Oliver told her.

“Why? What difference would it make if she is metahuman or…”

“Because the world is used to metahumans.” Oliver explained. “You throw aliens into the mix and prejudice and fear follows. It was bad enough that Prometheus knew. This had best not be included in A.R.G.U.S. information. Do you understand? She is metahuman.”

“Of course.” Lyla agreed quickly. While she had never felt completely comfortable around Oliver she did appreciate him and his friendship with John. The calm tone he had just used was not reflected in his eyes. She had never seen that look on him. When he was pretending to be Ra’s heir he was more solemn, almost zombie like. At that moment she saw the monster behind the smile and it made her very nervous.

“Felicity will be hacking A.R.G.U.S. to make sure there is no mention of her. It won’t be a problem though, I trust you and your husband is quite fond of her so I am sure you are as well. Relax Barry.” Oliver assured his friend who was still glaring at Cisco.

“There is no need for Felicity… but I understand.” Lyla finished. At this moment she wished Cisco had kept his mouth shut.

“Continue Cisco.” Barry told him.

“Basically his uh… I’m sorry man…”

“Cisco! Please continue. Barry needs to get back to Kara and we have many other issues to discuss.” Oliver ordered.

“The uh… his whole network was installed in the helmet. All the files, all his hideouts, the factories he had the weapons made, the formulas he used for poisons, like Crane’s gas, the bombs he designed with thermal triggers. He could access any mainframe, even A.R.G.U.S. He tried to get into ours but we had it sewn up. We were the only system he wasn’t able to hack so even if our physical security sucks our cyber security is amazing. Probably why he authorized a strike on S.T.A.R. when the Detroit thing went down. From what I can tell, he designed the bioelectric interface himself. I’ve gone through and deleted all information on us. You can look at the A.R.G.U.S. information he stole yourself Lyla. I have it on a portable drive for you.”

“Thank you Cisco. My techs will be here this afternoon and give you this code.” Lyla passed a note to him, “and take possession of the helmet. Prometheus is being moved in two days. He shows no signs of improving. He will be taken to the Southern holding facility.”

“Thank you.” Barry told her.

“Of course. In the interest of information sharing, you Oliver, should know Malcolm Merlyn is dead.”

Oliver froze and Barry laughed.

“Again? How many times can the guy die?”

“This is the last time Barry. He was found in Taiwan, in pieces. He had been stabbed repeatedly through, his eyes taken and his remaining hand.”

“Any… any idea who would have wanted him dead?” Oliver finally asked, shaking himself out of a daze.

“Who wouldn’t? He made many, many enemies. Nyssa?”

“Nyssa has been with us for the last month continuously. I don’t think she cares or would bother with Malcolm. She has had other things on her mind. He was a non issue to her. She has never hid her feelings about anything. If she wanted him dead, she would have found him and done it herself.”

“The fact is we may never know. We have his body in storage. Do you think Thea…”

“Burn it. Burn it and throw the ashes in the trash.” the Arrow told her immediately. “I will tell Thea and she will probably be grateful. He has been legally dead for years now so there are no legal hang ups. She already has everything he owned.”

“Okay. Now I have found out information on this N.O.W.H.E.R.E. Okay, not exactly but the Keystone facility anyway. The director, Robert Kane, swears his clinic is funded by the US Army. We thought Eiling at first but on further investigation, there is no money trail from the Army or any government agency. We had no idea. The money disappears into a black pit. There are no records of this organization in A.R.G.U.S. files. The facility was trying to identify gifted metas with mental abilities but also looked for others. Pendergast headed up what was called the Psi division and was the contact person to the military, so he kept up with other suspected metas.”

“The man is lying. There is no way he was director and knew so little about where the money came from.” Barry pointed out.

“I know, but he was not guilty of a crime and if I were to interrogate him with no evidence, I would really be no better than Amanda Waller, now would I?”

Lyla met Barry’s eyes and then Oliver’s. Both knew what she had not said.

“So basically you are telling us that you know nothing about who was funding this, the organization and the man in charge knew nothing. What about how these metas were found?” Cisco asked.

“Word of mouth, blogs like the one Iris West used to run, rumors. They would try to verify these and if successful contact was made, attempt to talk them into participating in studies, though most of those studies took place elsewhere, and of course Kane had no idea where.”

“Of course. So is that it?” Oliver asked, politely but in a hurry to speak to Lyla alone.

“No. I wasn’t able to find anything else in our files so I did a search of the files Amanda Waller kept in a safe in her office. These were discovered after her death and were hard copies only. She ran several black ops on her own, secret from even A.R.G.U.S. Operations she did not feel would be authorized by the President so she conducted herself due to her belief that she was the only one strong enough to protect our country. The red headed woman, the leader who said she didn’t want a fight? She gave you her name. I found that unusual and we couldn’t find any Caitlin Fairchilds in the world who matched her description or were missing. But I did find her name in Amanda Wallers files.”

“Why am I getting a bad feeling about this?” Barry groaned, thinking of the growing woman who had tossed him when she shouldn’t have been able to touch him. Even from the grave Amanda Waller caused problems.

“You should. Amanda Waller eight years ago, began a program with a group of scientists, specializing in biochemistry, DNA, and unique physiologies. The purpose was to find people with a possible metahuman gene and activate it. She hoped to perhaps clone the abilities and make super powered operatives, or if nothing else, develop her own super agents, loyal to her. She succeeded.”

“That makes no sense.” Barry pointed out. “The particle accelerator hadn’t been turned on then.”

“Jake Simmons. He was nowhere near Central City on December 11, 2013. Metas have existed longer than Thawne ushered them in. He may be responsible for the most at once to develop but there have been others throughout history and these scientist who approached Waller knew it. One of the early recruits was a brilliant young woman named Caitlin Fairchild. She double majored at Princeton in computer science and electrical engineering. During her sophomore year she was recruited by one of her mentors to intern in a government agency called Project Genesis. She was told she would be working in their data collecting software division that assisted the NSA. The work and project were fraudulent. She was fed drugs designed to activate the dormant metahuman gene inside her. How the scientist knew, Waller isn’t clear on. Only Fairchild would know, but by the end of the year, Waller had herself a list of agents, she called Generation 13. All young, all metahuman, and all reporting directly her.”

“And that would be the team we saw last night?” Barry guessed.

“No. Waller’s team was killed in an explosion. They were sent to raid a HIVE weapons manufacturing facility. It was a trap and the entire factory went up in flames. Only Fairchild survived. She returned and Waller gave her a new assignment. She was to infiltrate a group being recruited by a new player, one who had not been identified by even her sources. All she knew was the man collected young metas by cooperation or kidnapping and most were never seen again. Fairchild went to the site of the last kidnapping and made a few waves, showcased her powers in subtle ways, and must have caught the attention of someone. Her last to report to Waller was that she had made contact with the group. Waller died though and since the operations was off the books, the mission died as well. As far as I know the team, this N.O.W.H.E.R.E., this center in Keystone may be the result of whatever Fairchild had gotten involved in.”

“She went in undercover and got left behind, with no back up, no handler and probably no way of escaping on her own. She could be a mole but would have to stay in line to survive.” Oliver guessed.

“Exactly. But until we can find out more, we can’t exactly pull her out or determine if she even wants to be pulled out. Now the question is, do you guys want to find out, do you want us to search or should we work together?”

Oliver and Cisco both looked to Barry. He knew this would come up eventually. He and Kara had both discussed this after Lyla made contact with her.

“It sounds like one of Amanda Waller’s screw ups. That means its yours. If we hadn’t tried to stop them, they wouldn’t have fought us. Find out what you can and if you need us, you know where to find us. We can figure out what our next step is. We aren’t in the intel business. If you need help getting her out, let me know. Other than that, it is A.R.G.U.S. business.” Barry told her, surprising the woman. Lyla felt for sure Barry’s new team would jump at the chance. He was holding back. A joint operation with A.R.G.U.S. was what Lyla had been hoping for and judging by the approval in Oliver’s eyes, what Barry had decided his League needed to avoid.

“If you change your mind or more information comes to the surface, I will let you know and we can talk again. Thank you for your help, Cisco.”

“Thank you for yours, Lyla. Are you and John coming forThanksgiving?” the Flash asked her.

“No, John wants to spend it with his nephew, but we will definitely be at the wedding.” Lyla hugged the man who walked off, Cisco on his tail. She didn’t try to walk out, simpy turned and looked at Oliver who was standing now.

“I know, Oliver.”

Oliver laughed lightly but appeared tired.

“What exactly do you know, Lyla?”

“I know that you would kill over her and I know that I heard nothing here today about aliens or Kara Zorel. Its a non issue.”

“Thats good. I don’t trust easily but you know that. I do trust you but too much is at stake Lyla. If it was common knowledge, the fallout, especially from elements like Eiling, who would use whatever means necessary to get her child… Lyla the League will go to war and considering who we have, I like our chances against the entire US Government. We haven’t exactly ironed out our teamwork yet but we are dedicated and united. I don’t have to tell you how important this secret is.”

“I know. I don’t want to see her hurt.”

“She won’t be. I don’t want to see us have to hurt others to make sure. Right now, outside the team, only Prometheus and now you, know. I am trusting you. Prometheus… I am assuming the Southern base is still in the same location?”

“Yes it is.”

“In eight days Barry and Kara are going on a honeymoon. I am taking a trip as well. I would suggest the facility not be staffed more than necessary. Your people will be safe but some will have headaches.”

“You truly think this is necessary Oliver?”

“You think I am doing this for fun? Taking a trip to Antarctica and entering a secure facility, having to incapacitate guards and not kill them, kill Promtheus and escape? Thats not my idea of a good time. He has killed hundreds Lyla and he was taken down by a blonde girl who sparkled in front of the world after she kicked him in the nuts. You think he is going to let that go?”

“He is insane. He drools all day and night.”

“And instead of relying on that lasting, I plan to be merciful and end his life. Just make sure there aren’t many staff there. I am doing this no matter what.”

Lyla took in his face, a handsome face capable of such charming smiles. She knew and had seen the killer under the hood. He should have been rich, a socialite, a CEO, a pillar of Star City society as his father had been. The roads fate takes us all amazed her.

“Felicity and Thea. I never thought I would see another woman you would kill for without hesitation.”

Oliver smiled and patted her shoulder.

“Not a word about her. If Felicity finds her name in A.R.G.U.S. systems, I am starting a war Lyla.”

Oliver walked out leaving Lyla slightly shaken. She began to wonder if having a relationship with this League was good idea. The Director could understand why they would be afraid of her organization but had never given much thought to why her organization should be very afraid of them. It didn’t matter at this point. The two would orbit around each other and it was up to her once again, to keep the secrets, prevent a war and try to see if she could rescue one of the many people still caught in Amanda Waller’s web.

While Oliver and Lyla came to an understanding, Barry brushed aside Cisco’s apologies about his big mouth and ran back to where his fiancee was lying in her sick bed. Eliza was in the kitchen making soup while Caitlin hovered over his love who appeared miserable.

“Barry, this isn’t good.” she told him through a scratchy voice. “My fever, I can’t get it down. I was supposed to be able to have a cold, take the bracelet off and then put it back on once my immune system had a chance but…” she stopped due to a sneeze. “Caitlin can’t… this can’t be good for the baby.”

Barry sat down next to her on the bed, wrapping an arm around her and glanced at a grim faced Caitlin. She looked worried, very worried.

“Alex went to grab some solar lamps from the lab. I am willing to try them here but if they don’t help her, we are going to have to take her to S.T.A.R. and give her some serious heat,” Caitlin explained.

Barry knew there was nothing he could do. Instead he sat on the bed, rubbing her hair while she curled up to him. Caitlin stuck a thermometer in Kara’s mouth and a few minutes later her eyes grew large. “We are taking her to S.T.A.R. I’m going to call Alex and tell her not to bother bringing them here.”

Caitlin lifted her phone to call and saw she had a text. With a bit of confusion, she asked Barry to go to the store for orange juice and Tylenol. Confused by the request, not wanting to leave Kara, Caitlin stressed again that he needed leave. A nod from Kara convinced him to he grabbed his coat and left the apartment.

“It’s going to be okay. We are going to get you to S.T.A.R. and the solar lamps should help with the fever. Sometimes your body heals before your powers come back.” she explained.

“And if the heat is too much for the baby?”

“Babies aren’t as affected by fever as the mothers. Just try to relax…”

Caitlin’s words were cut short when the blast went off. Kara heard the noise, saw the light, not knowing if it was a bomb or a flare of some sort but she knew it was dangerous. Grabbing Cailtin, she tossed the woman onto the bed and lay on top of her.

Feeling no more heat or smelling smoke, Kara turned slightly and looked towards the door. Oliver Queen stood smiling.

“Sorry, but I heard you were getting really sick. We can’t have that. It would ruin Thanksgiving.”

Kara rolled off Caitlin who did not move, still coming to grips with being on her feet on second and in the air then covered by a very strong Kryptonian in the same second. Looking at the floor, the blonde saw a small round device, no bigger than a marble.

“It just makes a noise and a flash of light. No smoke or fire. Handy when you need a distraction so you can make a quick getaway. Feeling better?”

Kara stood up and took a breath. She was no longer shivering, her nose was dry and her throat was no longer sore. Barry walked in with a gallon of orange juice and a large bottle of Tylenol, looking confused.

“Did I miss something?”

“I just sent a text to Caitlin asking her to get rid of you for a few minutes. Kara feels better. Your welcome. I’m going to leave before I have to babysit the dog again. Eliza has him. I made sure the little mutt wasn’t in the line of fire. Have a nice night.”

Oliver Queen walked out, leaving behind a confused Barry, a sore Caitlin, a grateful Eliza, a wide eyed Charlie who heard the noise even in the kitchen and Kara who, while she felt better, wasn’t sure if her heart had stopped beating or it was beating to quickly to tell.

“I guess I’m cured.” she finally settled on. “Rao, I am so hungry. Barry…”

“Four pizzas, pineapple and…” the man wasn’t sure. The strange mixtures of food changed everyday.

“Pepperoni, Jalapeños, mushrooms and extra pineapple… throw some parmesan and… sausage, yeah definitely sausage. Doesn’t that sound good Cait?”

“I’m going to go vomit and then decide if I want to kill Oliver or hug him. Have fun with your pizza. I think Eliza and I will have the soup she made.”

A relieved Barry lay down on the bed next to her, smiling a bit and relaxing.

“You had me worried.”

“I had me worried.” Kara admitted.

“Probably shouldn’t blow out your powers again huh?”

“Yeah, because I do it on purpose. How did the meeting go?”

“Outside of Cisco letting out that you are an alien and I am pretty sure Oliver threatened Lyla’s life if she didn’t forget that fact, it went well.” Barry filled her in on all they had learned.

“Thats horrible.”

“Yeah… but they don’t sound like an immediate threat to us. A.R.G.U.S. can handle this.”

“That woman, she could be trapped. Can you imagine, going to a great school, having a great life and then you are tricked into becoming a super powered agent for someone like Amanda Waller. I’m sure Waller used her friends or family against her. Then for her team, probably her friends to die and she survived, I know what that is like. Now she is stuck with a group she probably intended to take down, only to be abandoned because Waller was killed and no one knew she was there? If Lyla finds out who these people are or where they are, we have to go in Barry, whether she wants us to or not. We need to keep digging on our own.”

“Why?”

“Because if it was me, I would want someone to give a damn.”

Barry silently agreed, kissing her forehead. “That is one of the many things I love about you. Now let me go find us some really disgusting pizzas and we can spend the night in bed, watching TV. The furniture is being delivered tomorrow to the house. We can start staying there.”

“No. I’ll take all my clothes and belongings there the day before the wedding but I am not officially moving in until I am your wife. We haven’t exactly waited for anything else so, we should at least wait for that. You are going to keep sleeping in this bed until the night before the wedding. Then you are on your own. I know Alex and Caitlin have planned me an awesome party, what about you? Will I be throwing Cisco into space before the wedding?”

“I may do it myself if he can’t keep his mouth shut.”

“It’s okay. She won’t say anything.”

Barry was a bit surprised. “You are the one usually freaking out over this. You trust her that much?”

“I trust that she is scared of Oliver and Nyssa that much.” Kara told him seriously, no doubt in her voice. Barry agreed and ran off, looking forward to pizza, TV and a rejuvenated Kara in bed.

The next few days were uneventful, leading up to Thanksgiving. The only action the team had seen were in one on one battle against each other, that Nyssa decided needed to happen so she could analyze each individuals strengths and weaknesses and fighting styles. Instead of the non metas battling each other however, she paired one human against one metahuman. Alex had been hit in the head by Carter’s mace. Luckily her helmet took the brunt of the blow that was not as hard as it could be and she as able to launch a Kali stick into his groin as he swooped down for a second pass. The battle between the two reached the ground, his strength against her speed and better hand to hand capabilities. Carter was a bruiser, relying on brute strength and weapons so she held the advantage. He held the advantage in that her strikes did little good, until she powered up her glove to full power and struck him in the jaw, sending both to their backs. They both rose and Nyssa called a halt to the battle, ordering Barry and Oliver to go at each other. For the first time ever, Barry won, easily. He caused a speed mirage, as it appeared to all that there were ten of him standing around the Arrow. As soon as Oliver took a shot, Barry hit him from behind, then wrapped him in wire before he hit the ground.

Now a sore and irritated Alex woke up in Nyssa’s arms, having clearly told the woman to sleep on her own side of the bed the night before.

“Uh… excuse me?”

“Go back to sleep.” Nyssa mumbled.

“I’m mad at you. You are supposed to be on your side of the bed.” Alex reminded her. Nyssa nibbled on her ear, sending the fierce short haired warrior into a fit of giggles.

“Still mad?”

“I was about to take him.”

“You were both going to kill each other and it was holding up the training. If I hadn’t stopped it the two of you would still be out there.”

“I shocked the hell out of him, in his jaw. He was dazed and I could have finished him off.”

“And he hit you in the head with a very large mace. You did fine, he did fine, it was training, why do you care, why can’t you just go back to sleep or if you want to stay awake, why can’t you be on top or under me?”

“Because.”

“Because? You are a brilliant scientist and the best you can come up with is because? This is about Barry isn’t it?”

“No, I think you are a great choice but… I have led teams on ops before. I know how to make decisions in the heat of the moment. I just don’t see why he came directly to you. He could have considered me.”

“If it means that much to you, then you can fight me for it.”

“It’s not that it means… wait, what? Fight you?”

“Of course. We are in a League. When a member wants to rise in rank that member challenges the one whose rank they wish to have. If you can beat me, you may have my rank.”

“If I beat you? You know I can’t… I… can I use a gun? Not with bullets but with darts.”

“No. We both choose the same weapon, we take our shirts off. I defeat you then have my way with you. It is tradition.”

“Taking our shirts off and you having your way with me is a tradition?” she asked doubtfully.

“If we do it once it’s fun. If we do it twice it’s a tradition. I am more than willing to give you as many opportunities as you like but I won’t be gentle.”

“You won’t be gentle? Really?”

“Ropes will be involved. The loser is usually held captive for days by the victor. By victor I mean me. So shall we use swords, or I know! How about a mace? I know you do enjoy dodging those. Or not as the case may be lately.”

“Keep giving me crap and you will be sleeping on the couch.” Alex told her. “Keep your rank. I have a badge. I am not annoyed that he asked you, I am annoyed that he didn’t even consider me.”

“He didn’t consider his boyfriend either. You don’t hear Oliver whining about it.”

“True, I suppose. He could have asked Kara though. She would have suggested me.”

“No,she wouldn’t. She loves you and would want the most dangerous, experienced, badass on the team to be in charge on the battlefield. Now are we fighting shirtless for my rank or are you going to yield with honor before the battle has to take place?”

“I suppose I am going to put aside my pride and…”

Alex’s admission of defeat was interrupted by her phone.

“I grew up waking everyday before dawn. I don’t want to do it anymore. Why is your sister calling at 6 AM?”

“She’s excited. They didn’t really have holidays on Krypton besides birthdays and even those were more reserved. She loves holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

To Nyssa’s great annoyance, as always when Kara called, Alex answered.

“Good morning big sister! Why aren’t you here? I have been cooking for two hours. I mean Mom has been cooking for two hours and I’ve been helping. Sort of. Anyway get over here. I was a little worried with the number of people we have coming but the size of Ray’s place is amazing. Its bigger than my house and has this awesome view and this big patio. I can’t believe he doesn’t stay here more. This is going to be so great, much better than last Thanksgiving. You and Mom are getting along so you won’t have to get drunk, Dad is going to be with us, no one is trying to kill us that we know of, at least for the next 24 hours. Its amazing! And there is so much food. Zatanna wants to help but I have to really keep an eye on her. I do not want to ingest a possessed turkey and I told her so. So are you dressed yet or what? When are you getting here?”

“Calm down blondie. Give me a couple hours. We will be there by 8.” Alex told her with a laugh, loving Kara’s energy. She couldn’t wait to see Barry’s reaction to a Kara on Christmas morning. Her first Christmas, she was convinced the Danvers were giving her items in preparation of sending her away. It was the first time she ever told them that she didn’t want to live with Kal El because he was a jerk. Alex had taught her the word jerk and Kara grew fond of it quickly. Knowing now about how his behavior was perceived by someone who grew up on Krypton and whose life revolved around blood bonds, Alex supposed she could understand why.

“Get up beautiful. I’ll even wear that dress you bought me?”

“The blue one?” Nyssa asked, eyebrow raised.

“The blue one.” she conceded.

“You told her we would be there in two hours. Plenty of time to get ready. We can share a shower to save time. I want your phone though. If any dead bodies are discovered they can fester until tomorrow. Understand?”

“Completely. So I suppose I was about to concede to our battle that hasn’t happened yet? Are ropes really involved?”

“They will be tonight.” she winked before tossing the blanket over the both of them.

At Ray’s, Kara had been a bundle of energy, not even Barry could keep up with. Eliza and Joe were roasting turkeys, in two huge ovens. Ray had apparently had another installed in preparation for the event, though Kara had made it clear that Christmas would be at her and Barry’s home. Zatanna mysteriously walked in with a turkey, that had not been in the kitchen prior.

“What is that?” Kara asked her.

“A turkey, Kara.”

“What was it five minutes ago?”

“Still a turkey.”

“Was it a live turkey?”

“No, it was a roasted turkey.”

The two women stared at each other for a moment.

“Whose turkey did you take?’

“The woman two floors below. She is a pompous brat who had her’s delivered early so her guests would think she prepared it. She has three more.”

“Zatanna.”

“Kara.”

“Send the lady’s turkey back to her oven.”

“I can’t. I used up a lot of power getting it here.”

“No you didn’t.”

“Yes I did.”

“If you can turn a drone into a pig and a minivan into a sand castle then repair a street I seriously doubt you can’t return that turkey.”

“She has three more. She can just call the caterer and get another. I know how hungry you get. Are you sure four will be enough? A lot of people will be here Kara. A lot of food that you could be consuming, will be going to other people. Having a turkey to yourself wouldn’t be that bad would it? I just want to do my part.”

“By stealing a turkey?”

“By helping you out. This is for the baby. I know the baby gets hungry.”

Kara stared at her a moment more. It was for the baby.

“I suppose…” Before she could finish the sentence a whoosh was heard, the turkey gone from Zatanna’s arms and Barry Allen was back.

“Zatanna, we are superheroes. We can’t steal people’s turkeys on Thanksgiving.”

“Not if you keep giving it back, we can’t. Fine, I was just trying to help your soon to be wife. I suppose you can run around town tonight looking for eating establishments to be open because she is still hungry. Maybe you can give her one of Caitlin’s energy bars you love so much Barry.”

Zatanna walked off, ending Kara’s temptation to have a turkey to herself. Barry was giving her the look.

“Seriously? You saved this world twice, I think the least the woman can do is let us borrow a turkey she didn’t even cook herself. Besides I was just about to tell her to give it back.”

“Uh huh.”

“I was.”

“Why don’t we walk out and enjoy the view from the balcony?”

I have to help cook. Especially since you stole the stolen turkey.”

“Eliza said she will call you when she needs your heat vision. Let’s enjoy the first holiday together. Pretty cool huh?”

“Yeah. Next year our baby will be with us. How weird is this? Everything that has happened? Sometimes I think it’s a dream and I will wake up back in the old apartment, alone. Do you ever have that dream?”

“No.” Barry told her. “I know this is not a dream. In dreams we wouldn’t have to go through so much. There wouldn’t be shootouts and bombings and immortal magicians or monsters on the streets. There wouldn’t be underground alien prisons or injuries. No this is very real and thats what makes it worth it to me. If it was a dream it would be perfect and who wants that? I don’t. I like that we have to fight for what we have.”

“You can be really deep sometimes.” Kara admitted, “but you really would rather have Vandal Savage and Prometheus than just a nice happy life with us and our girl?”

The two leaned against the rails of the balcony, looking over the city, Kara wishing desperately that she could fly but happy regardless.

“I don’t know. I guess its like everything else in life. You have to experience the bad to make you really appreciate the good. Yeah, I kind of wish sometimes we weren’t Flash and Superwoman, just Barry and Kara. But I think about what we have, the family around us, a partner who will always be there no matter what, a pretty cool dog who shouldn’t lick so much and needs to be house trained, and a baby who is going to be so amazing I can’t even begin to grasp it. She is going to be as beautiful as you. Yeah, its worth the pain.”

“You are kind of romantic when you want to be, you know that?”

“I do my best. You inspire me.”

“So you don’t just love me for my tight costumes and amazing body?”

“Nope… but those don’t hurt.” he admitted.

The afternoon rolled around and guests filled the residence. Ray had arrived back from his play pen excited that he now had two operational suits, neither pink. Alex was wearing a dress that wasn’t black, and Kara checked with her X ray vision and was surprised to see she didn’t even have a gun strapped to her thigh. Maybe she was lightening up.

While the Justice League, family and friends gathered, watched football, enjoyed the view of the city, only Kara heard the knock on the door. She checked quickly and saw Chief Corrigan on the other side.

“Chief? Whats wrong? Please tell me nothing is wrong. I’m having a good day. Barry is sick, he can’t make it. Whatever it is.”

“Relax Kara, everything is fine. I was wondering if Quentin Lance was here?”

“Yes, why don’t you come in?”

“Could you actually ask if he would mind coming out here for a minute? I would like to talk to him alone.”

“You aren’t going to arrest him are you? I don’t know much about him but I know he has had a really, really bad year.”

“Nope, I just need a minute.”

“Okay, I’ll get him. Are you sure you don’t want to come in?”

“Nah, I can’t get caught up in a lot of conversations and don’t want to seem rude. The wife gave me an hour.”

Kara grabbed a confused Quentin Lance, who followed her out the door. Kara came back in but of course casually listened.

Outside Lance wondered like Kara, if he was being arrested.

“Hi Quentin. I’m Jim Corrigan, Chief of police Central City. We met once a few years ago.”

“Yeah, I remember. What can I do for you?”

“I read about you, talked to some people. What are you doing for a living nowadays if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Uh… living off savings mostly. Donna and I are still kinda looking to start up somewhere. Star City has a lot of bad memories. She doesn’t want to go to Las Vegas. I guess we kind of both need a fresh start but I could probably get a pretty good job working Casino security so maybe Reno. We are going to decide after Christmas.”

“Yeah? Look I know quite a bit about you. Got suspended a few times for working with a vigilante who is not Oliver Queen because that would be crazy. Stopped an earthquake machine and got demoted for it. Got forced into working for Darhk and then stood up to him. I’ll be honest I wish you had done it sooner but I don’t have daughters so I can’t judge. I know you could still be a cop if you had thrown your daughter under a bus and you wouldn’t do it. I can’t offer you a detectives shield yet because a lot of my people are still a little sore over Detective Valkyrie stepping in but considering she has a hot girlfriend, most of the guys look the other way and the women love her sister and half of them admit her girlfriend is hot too. You met her?”

“Yeah, we have a history.” Quentin wouldn’t go into the history, some good, some bad and some terrifying.”

“Thing is I got a patrol lieutenant retiring and none of my people have taken a lieutenants test this year. I need someone now and Barry Allen tells me you are one of the best cops he has ever met. I won’t begrudge you Reno, but if you want a job with me its yours. I just need to know by Monday. Take a few days and give me a call. Happy Thanksgiving Quentin.”

Jim handed the speechless man his card and walked off.

Lance walked back in, and in front of everyone called Barry by his correct name and hugged him. Barry couldn’t help but feel good for the man. He needed a break and sometimes being the Flash meant you could help people with more than supervillians and house fires. Sara was ready to give him her bike when she heard the news.

Finally all gathered round the large table in Ray’s dining room.

“I’m gonna say blessing if that is alright with everybody?” Jax asked. Everyone nodded so he began.

“Dear God, Dear Rao, Dear Buddha, Dear… I guess the scientists are probably big on Tom Cruise… I miss anyone?”

“I’m partial to Goddess.” Zatanna told him.

“Dear Goddess… anyone else?”

“I think you have included all, Jackson.” Martin told him, patting his young partner on the back.

“This past year has been rough but we want to thank you for what you have given us. We have survived nuclear bombs, giant robots from the future, war machines, Vandal Savage, our friends survived trips to other Earth to save families, universes, lives. Sara saved her younger self so she would be born, Terminator style. Its a long story, I’ll tell ya’ll who don’t know later. Carter died on us and we got a chance to pick up another in the future. That was pretty cool. We have taken our hits but we are still standing. Now we got each other and we are definitely thankful for that. Everyone in this room has a higher calling Lord, and though it is a difficult path to walk we are thankful that we have it. Not many have had the chance to make a difference in this world like we have and we have all taken the opportunity you have given us. Here we stand, stronger together this year than last, still fighting, still loving and still getting better. Bless this food and bless us all Lord. Amen.”

“Excellent job Jackson.” Martin told his partner.

That night, after all was said and done and Barry had cleaned the entire residence in a minute and six seconds, Kara and Barry relaxed in what Caitlin had accepted long ago was their bed. Kara put on her bracelet so she wouldn’t hear outside of her room since she was pretty sure Winn was here and would pretend he wasn’t. Alex had asked Barry about any hardware stores that might be open tonight, because she needed to buy rope. Kara did not want to know what that was about.

“So are we going Black Friday shopping? All the sales start at 5 AM, only 6 hours from now.” he asked.

“Are you joking? You would rather get out of bed with me and go shopping than wake up with me draped over you at noon, to save a few dollars? I didn’t go Black Friday shopping last year and I made half of what I make now. Or you know, what you make now.”

“Was that a snide remark about who makes the most money?” he asked, pulling off her clothes, slowly.

“Maybe.”

“To answer, no I would rather stay in bed with you any morning but…”

“But?”

“You know how the crowds are?”

“Yeah, horrible. People fighting over stupid items.”

“Exactly. Now think how much fun it would be if someone got an item in their cart and the second they take their eye off it, I’ve got it back on the shelf?”

Kara’s eyes widened. “That is so horrible. We have to do it!”

“Yes! I knew you would be down with it. You are the best partner ever.”

“Better than Oliver?”

“Thats not really a question is it? You have been hanging out with Nyssa way too much. Yes, definitely better than Oliver.”

“The only problem is if I go to sleep I will never wake up in time. You are going to have to keep me awake for the next six hours.”

“I think I can do that.”

“Oh! You know what else? I could blow people’s carts away from them when they aren’t looking!”

“Yep or grab an item the same time as some guy and watch him try to pry it out of your hands! I’ll video it. So we hit Wal Mart first?”

“Yep. Best Black Friday ever. I love you so much. Only you would do this with me.”

“Do it? It was my idea.”

“So we hide Charlie in my backpack right? Barry? Charlie is going right? Barry?”

“Kara, can’t we… you realize when we move into our home it will be okay to leave him alone while we are out, right? I mean it kinda freaks me out when he is in the room when we…”

“He’s not watching! He barks if he isn’t in the room and he isn’t supposed to be here. He doesn’t mind. He usually hides under the bed.”

“Yeah right. Fine we can sneak him in I guess but once we move in to our home he is going to learn to stay by himself, promise?”

“Promise.” Kara lied.

Maybe while we are out we can buy your sister some rope for Christmas.”

Kara laughed then stopped, not getting the joke.

“Rope? Why would she want rope? Thats just dumb, Barry. I guess I’ll handle the gift buying. Now keep me busy for the next six hours.”