Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Reborn

By BetterInTexas

Chapter #12:

Kara walked into the hospital room with no small amount of trepidation, not sure exactly what condition she would find Leslie in and feeling the weight of guilt on her.

To her relief, Leslie looked better than she had expected. There were no wires running from her, no pale skin, just an IV and an EKG monitoring her.

“It’s just precautionary.” the doctor told her, seemingly not surprised to see the blonde. “I’m in no danger but until I can be released, they have to make sure the ticker can handle the real world. No lasting damage. Also, I don’t want to hear any apologies from you. I made the decision and I would do it again.”

Kara smiled sadly and moved to the lone chair in the room by Leslie’s bed. “Why would you want to do that again? I wouldn’t if I were you.”

Leslie just shrugged her shoulders. “Because, it gave me an insight into you that I’ve never had before. It probably gave you a few insights as well. Kara, your mother went against every instinct hardwired into her DNA to save the one person she loved… you. She killed for you… to protect and save you.”

Kara tilted her head, reflecting on Leslie’s words, really thinking on that moment for the first time and how hard it should’ve been for her mother to go against her predispositions, beginning to realize how easily she did. Her mind began to process the truth in Leslie’s words as the doctor continued. “Your mother reminds me of a woman who held a hundred-year-old rifle on a Martian and a special forces soldier when you were found. Sounds like a father I know who stood in front of a Kryptonian General to protect his wife and child, knowing he was probably going to die. Sounds like a sister who took out a secret organization, killed hundreds, to make sure there were no threats to her brother… the same girl who took on a Coluan so her little sister could concentrate on Non.”

Uncharacteristically, Leslie put her hand out, lightly touching Kara’s cheek. “She kinda reminds me of a blonde who would burn down the world to protect her family. One who, while under the influence of a rage inducing ring that turned her into a mindless monster, still stood over her big sister to protect her. It all started with Alura. She taught you how to love. Makes a lot of sense now.”

Leslie dropped her hand, though her eyes watched as Kara worked through the doctor’s revelations. Everything Leslie had stated made sense to the younger woman, but her quick mind latched onto only one statement.

Hundreds? Kara thought. Alex had killed hundreds? What was Leslie talking about? Before Kara asked, she decided now wasn’t the time. She let the thought go, knowing she would get her answers when Alex was in her mind, seeing and feeling everything her sister did even as Alex helped her unlock her own memories.

“So, when are they going to let you out?” Kara asked.

“Three days if everything goes okay. I’ll be recovering in your guest room, waiting for you to come out of your next session… waiting for both of you. Alex is going in with you, isn’t she?”

Surprised and slightly startled at the doctor’s low-key acceptance of that fact, Kara nodded warily. “Are you mad? You don’t seem mad, but you told Dad it was a bad idea.”

Leslie sighed. “It is, but there is no point in arguing. You two tend to do what you want. I never doubted she would be the one to go with you, I just hoped to find another way. Just like I never doubted you two were going to become involved in the Diasporan situation. I can’t stop you, so I will be here to catch you both if you need it.”

Kara wanted to assure her that they would be okay, but she couldn’t. From what she understood, Alex had been in her mind before, even gone into the Red Ring with her. What concerned her now though was how she would react to seeing Alex’s memories, how Alex herself would react to Kara knowing and feeling them. The sisters were too intertwined for Kara not to feel Alex’s emotions and she secretly struggled with worry and doubts that she could bear the knowledge of what her actions truly did to her sister.

Shaking off those thoughts, she asked Leslie a question that had been prevalent in her mind.

“I put my family through hell. I know enough, I’ve seen the interviews, read the books. I tried to kill myself and I know what I must have put them through being an addict. How do I deal with the guilt? I don’t know if I can.”

Leslie closed her eyes for a moment. She knew a bit more about guilt than Kara might believe.

“You move past it. You understand that there is nothing you can do to change what has happened and you promise yourself to do better. I’ve had a hard time with it myself. I still do but I have made myself move past it. You are going to have to do the same. So is Alex. So are your parents.”

Kara tensed. “They have nothing to feel guilty about.”

Leslie smiled sadly. “Having done nothing to feel guilty about and still feeling guilt over things that were out of your control are two very different things. Do you realize, if Alex had seen you die, that Red Ring had every chance of coming to her?”

Kara froze in shock at Leslie’s words. The doctor nodded before continuing. “You may not want to hear it, but it’s true. She held off her own rage for years, focused on helping you contain yours. But with you gone… you will find out about her rage in the year you were away. I doubt she feels guilt over the people she killed, but she will feel like she failed you. Your family was very tight knit, incredibly close, the closest I had ever met, but your supposed death literally tore them apart. They all blame themselves. They all feel guilt.”

Kara sat stunned, thinking on this for a moment. She had noticed the rift between her parents and Alex, even Clark was different. But Kara wanted what she had before. No rift, no guilt, only love and warmth. She craved it. She then noticed Leslie staring intently, obviously monitoring her reactions, maybe judging how far she could push the blonde.

Kara said, “You said you made yourself move on from your guilt. Can I ask… never mind. It’s not my business.”

Leslie knew Kara would be curious when she purposefully dangled that little tidbit in front of her. In all her time with Kara, Leslie never talked about herself, her own perceived failures. Perhaps now was the time.

“You have been dreaming of the Joker. You haven’t dreamed about his… girlfriend yet.”

“That monster had a girlfriend?” Kara asked, not expecting that.

“She was my protégé. Her name was Harleen Quinzel. Harley was brilliant and had one of the keenest insights into the criminal mind I had ever run across. She conducted numerous sessions with the worst of Arkham Asylum with my permission. She spoke to Harvey Dent, Edward Nygma, Cobblepot, even spoke a couple times to Jonathan Crane. She held her own and the observations she made were a testament to her brilliance. But there was one person, one monster I never let her speak to. No doctor could help him. He was too far gone, perhaps he had been born that way. A true manifestation of chaotic evil.”

“The Joker.” Kara said, an involuntary shiver running through her, remembering her conversation with the man.

Leslie nodded slightly, and her eyes seemed far away, lost in the past. “She begged me for time with him. He was the ultimate goal of every criminal psychiatrist. If you could figure out what made the Joker tick, you would make history. Harley was too young, and despite her successful studies of the other inmates, I didn’t feel she was ready to face that. But she pleaded with me and I gave in. I told her she could have five sessions. I thought she would realize that he was unbreakable, he had no humanity in him so finding a rational explanation for his actions was impossible.”

“He broke her.” Kara said quietly. Leslie didn’t answer and didn’t have to. Kara saw it in her eyes, eyes that were quickly turning red and moist.

“She began on a Monday and ended on a Friday. On Saturday, she helped him escape. He turned her from a brilliant academic into a monster in five days. She became his lover, turned into a completely different person, and began to murder as many people as he did, sometimes by his side and sometimes on her own. You stopped her twice and Alex stopped her once. Bruce caught her many times but every trip to Arkham, every attempt I had to reach her, to find the girl I once knew, was thwarted by escapes. Her and the Joker… regardless, that was on me. Every life she took, every life he took because she helped him escape, I felt that was on me. If I had never let her meet him, gave him the opportunity to get into her mind, she never would have turned into Harley Quinn. I live with that every day.”

Kara took that in for a moment, understanding. Her first thought was to tell Leslie it wasn’t her fault, but a big part of Kara knew and understood what Leslie had meant. Being guilty and feeling guilty were two very different things. No matter what Kara told her, Leslie would always feel guilt over her former protégé.

“You said you forced yourself to move on.” the blonde finally said.

Leslie nodded her head, meeting Kara’s eyes. “What happened is in the past. Perhaps it was my fault, but it was her fault as well. It was the Joker’s fault, it was Arkham’s fault for having the shittiest security system in the world. But all that blame doesn’t matter. I made myself move on. I tried to do better, be better. What happened with Harley is a big reason why I refused to let you fall into madness. I couldn’t take another loss. I still can’t. But that is the thing, Kara. Stuff happens, whether in our control or not but what’s done is done. If you and your family ever truly want to heal, you are all going to have to accept that. Hanging on to the past, the darkness, will only set you up for failure and never give you peace.”

Leslie shifted on the bed slightly, reaching over to the younger woman and tapping her lightly under her chin, causing Kara’s attention to be fully locked on the doctor. “Kara, you did so many good things in this world. You saved thousands, hell you and your team of misfits saved every human life when you stopped Myriad. But you also did some bad things. That’s what you will see. You are most likely going to feel your sister’s emotions and that will make you feel guiltier. All you can do if you want to heal is accept the past and try to be better in the future. The same goes for your whole family.”

Kara snorted and looked at the floor, not wanting to meet Leslie’s eyes. “You make it sound so easy.”

“It will be harder and hurt worse than fighting Doomsday.” Leslie told her. She hesitated briefly before adding, “It will hurt worse than killing your Aunt.”

Kara winced, a sharp pain suddenly striking her heart. The blonde knew she had stopped Astra, but no one had outright said it. Kara knew though. She knew she killed Astra. There was no other way it could have gone.

“Be strong, Kara. You can do this. I’ll be waiting for both of you when you get done. When are you going back in?” The understanding in Leslie’s voice helped ease the pain.

“Four days. We need some family time away from the Fortress. I want to stargaze with Dad and walk in the wild with Mom. I want to relax with my family while watching my brother’s baseball game. I want to spend time with Alex on our beach and make sure she is prepared for our trip into my mind.”

Leslie shook her head. “Neither of you can be prepared. I thought I was, and you see how that turned out. You just have to survive. One thing you must consider is when you remember, not only the events but your emotions, you are going to want a drink worse than you ever have in your life. Your mind may be perfect now, but it was also in perfect shape before you started drinking. You are going to fight addiction the rest of your life. These are things you need to think about. Let your family help you, they are your greatest strength, not your super powers. And I’ll be there for all of you. I won’t fail your family, not the way I failed Harley.”

Kara smiled at Leslie’s declaration, instinctively knowing the woman was very capable of fulfilling that promise. She had no words that could adequately thank her, so Kara leaned over and kissed the woman on the cheek, her thanks conveyed in her eyes as she stood and walked out.

She knew Alex was waiting for her in the cafeteria, hopefully with food Kara could consume in seconds. The two would then drive to the Hanger and be back in Midvale in minutes. It was time for Clark to go back to school and despite his protests, Kara telling him she wanted to see him play ball tonight won him over. To make things a little more palatable for the boy, her parents begrudgingly agreed to go back to work leaving her and Alex to check in on Leslie.

As Kara made the turn for the elevator, she nearly walked into Bruce Wayne. The two stared at each other for a moment, Bruce in shock at seeing her in person and Kara taking in his face before she was lost in the past.

“ You knew! You knew he was responsible for the Children’s Hospital bombing and you didn’t kill him!” she had screamed in the Batcave. The girl had read over the GCPD case file of the Joker for the first time tonight while she and her partner in black tried to track the recently escaped mad man.

Alex was standing behind her, hand resting on her back attempting to keep her somewhat calm, but Kara’s anger and focus were on the Batman.

“ We don’t kill people that can be contained. That was our agreement.” Batman reminded her from across the cave.

“ Contained?!” Her voice reverberating loudly across the expanse of the cave. “He can’t be contained! How many times will you let him escape? Every murder he commits is on you now! You weren’t there! I was! You didn’t see the dead children, burnt beyond recognition, or the firefighters who were burned and bleeding! The nurses and doctors and parents, all the bodies after the initial explosion, you never saw any of it! Maybe if you did, you would understand that he isn’t human and cannot be contained! When I find him, I will end him! If you want him alive so you can have more deaths on your conscious, then try to get to him before I do!”

“ Kara,” Bruce had tried to reason. “The GCPD expects him to be caught alive to stand trial. If you kill him, they would brand you a murderer and never trust you again!”

Kara was trembling in rage, her fury not lessening at all. “You think I give a damn what an ineffectual police department that needs a vigilante to clean up their mess thinks? You think I trust them? Most of the are on some mob’s payroll. You think I give a damn what you think? I protect human lives and if killing one monster saves hundreds of lives, I will do it! That’s the difference in us, Bruce! I am willing to do what needs to be done, what you don’t have the stomach to do. Have fun trying to beat me to him without your car!”

Kara had the Batmobile over her head before Bruce could register what she was doing. He did have the foresight to jump away as the car flew directly at him, crashing into the cave wall.

Kara shook her head, desperately trying to avoid the memories seeing this man immediately brought to her mind. Closing her eyes and forcing herself to control her breathing, another memory emerged as she fought to keep from having a panic attack.

“ What are you doing here?” Bruce had asked, standing in an alley where he had lain flowers on the ground.

Kara walked beside him staring at the white roses on the ground. “Alfred told me where to find you. I knew what day this was and wanted to check on you. I know what it’s like to lose… I’ll go. I didn’t mean to intrude.”

The blonde began walking away until Bruce Wayne grabbed for her hand. “Kara, I’d really like it if you stayed.”

Kara nodded and stood beside him, holding his hand gently with her eyes closed and head bowed reverently. The pair stayed there for fifteen minutes without moving.

“ Thank you for being here.” Bruce said softly, breaking the comfortable silence.

Kara hugged the man gently. “You’re my friend. That’s what friends do, right? Be there for each other in the tough times? I know you will always be there for me if I need you.”

“ Always.” Bruce told her and the two began the walk to his car. No one noticed the richest man in the world in an expensive suit nor the brunette wearing glasses as they drove off.

This memory settled her. Feeling in control again, she looked up, opening her eyes. Bruce was still there.

Kara smiled and reached out for her friend. “I missed you.”

An explosive breath burst from the man as he grabbed her tightly with every bit of strength he possessed and held on. It was obvious to Kara that he had not expected to see her here. She knew he was trying to honor Leslie’s directive to stay away from her until the doctor told him otherwise.

“I missed you, too.” he whispered, slowly releasing her though obviously struggling to do so after believing her dead.

Kara stepped back and cleared her throat. ” ‘How have you been’ seems like a weird question to ask right now but what about this situation isn’t weird? I’ve missed a lot the past year and forgotten a lot of my past as I am sure you have heard. What I do remember gave Leslie a heart attack. Knowing what you know, having lived through some of this with me, if I told you I would remember, be who I used to be… would that make you happy or sad?”

Bruce closed his eyes, having thought of this often since he learned of Kara’s memory loss. “I’ve seen you at your best and worst. You’ve seen me at my best and worst. Both are part of us… both make us who we are. So, I guess I would be happy and sad, but no matter what, we were friends. That’s all I care about right now. I have my friend back.”

He paused briefly before continuing, “I also know Alex won’t let anyone but herself accompany you as you unlock those memories. I wish I could help you. But the chances of my darkness and yours mixing…”

“Is more than one person could handle.” Kara finished his thought. A sudden smirk appeared on her face. “But look at the bright side. Maybe we could run around Gotham in blue and red bat suits together.”

Bruce was so surprised he let out a laugh. He had not seen Kara Danvers, glasses, chestnut hair and green eyes, making a joke in a long time. He had never seen the smile on her face she had now. The man was worried about what her recent excursion did to her, considering what it did to Leslie, but Kara had a spark in her eye he had not seen in a very long time, if ever.

Kara said, “I need to go. Alex is getting me food and doesn’t like me out of her sight for long. Once I have a few cheeseburgers, we are going to Midvale. When this is over, come see me. Promise?”

Bruce nodded and patted her shoulder. “I will. Now, promise me, no matter what, when these powers are dimmed enough… promise you are quitting this time and mean it.”

Kara reached out to bring him into a hug as she turned her head to whisper in his ear. “Supergirl is gone. The world is going to have to wait a while for Superman. Until then it has you and J’onn. If you two get into trouble you can’t handle, I’m sure Lobo would love to stop by and lend a hand. I want to see him soon, so I’ll tell him to keep an ear out for you.”

Bruce chuckled as he stepped back. “I think I can handle it on my own. Thanks for the offer though. Now go. Alex doesn’t need any more stress.”

Metropolis

Brainy sat at a computer terminal in the Metropolis Metropolitan Library, Lar and Garth on each of his sides watching YouTube videos.

“This is a waste of time. You have copies of all of Supergirl’s fights on video in the future.” Garth pointed out. “Besides I have a better idea. Let’s go to Gotham City.”

“No.” Brainy told him quickly.

“Yes.” Lar argued. “We shine that spotlight on Gotham City PD’s roof, wait for him to come, explain our problem and ask him to contact this human. He may even have access to this Fortress.”

“No.” Brainy said once again. “Batman will tell us nothing. He may even attack us.”

Garth shrugged his shoulders. “Let him. If he doesn’t want to talk, we make him talk. I’m betting a couple thousand watts would loosen his tongue.”

“We aren’t going to torture anyone, Garth.” Lar told him quickly. “That’s not what we do.”

Garth stood up and turned from them. “I know we don’t do that, but our worlds are all at stake. If we can’t get him to listen to reason, we need to do whatever it takes to get information. I’m not saying we kill the guy but searching this archaic video archive is getting us nowhere.”

“I have considered contacting Batman.” Brainy told him. “However, from what I know of the man, the probability of him telling us anything voluntarily is 0%. The probability of him talking under duress, even extreme torture is 0%. The probability of him injuring us, perhaps even defeating us, is 42.63%. The man has Kryptonian technology, an in-depth knowledge of aliens, is a skilled tactician and warrior and could formulate a plan to incapacity us quickly. We may be more technically advanced our time period, but we are here now. Contacting him could be as devastating as attempting to contact Lobo.”

“So, what are you looking for, Brainy?” Lar asked, not liking the idea of torture even to defeat Brainiac 13. He also knew not to bet against the odds when it came to Brainy and the Batman plan definitely sounded bad.

“Raw footage,” the Coluan replied. “There are millions of videos on the internet, not all archived. Despite the Department of Extranormal Operations’ best efforts, there are still videos of them in action with Supergirl. If I could have a moment to sort through this unorganized waste bin of knowledge, I will have what I need.”

A few minutes went by, Garth bringing back coffee for him and Lar, before Brainy let out a breath.

“Yes. There she is.”

The three men looked at a video obviously taken by a cell phone from a block away, watching a battle.

Then the video focused in and the three saw Supergirl fighting what appeared to be Tamaranean soldiers. They had her surrounded as she stood in front of a female Tamaranean lying on the street. Supergirl’s eyes were glowing, her heat vision blasts countering the Star bolt blasts from the Tamaraneans.

Brainy began explaining the context of what they were viewing. “The woman on the ground is Koriand’r. She is known as Starfire, founding member of the Titans. She was sold into slavery by her sister but escaped, crashing on Earth, in the middle of National City. Her captors, traitors to her throne, followed in an attempt to reclaim her. Supergirl stopped them, but as we know, these aliens are incredibly powerful. Watch what happens.”

The men did watch closely. Supergirl was surrounded by dozens of enemies, hitting several with heat vision. The aliens still stood tall and returned fire from every direction. The blonde hero changed tactics and moved towards them in a circle, hitting them hard enough to knock them out and shatter the windows of the buildings around the fight.

There were two left.

“I can’t believe how she looks. I knew she had anger management problems, but she looks savage.” Lar mumbled.

A female Tamaranean stood and fired a bolt at the blonde’s head only for Supergirl to deflect it with her hand and begin stalking towards her prey.

Another alien appeared behind Supergirl and raised his hand to strike her from behind. That is until a female figure, dressed all in black wearing a tactical helmet, ran into the scene with a rifle that was definitely not made for human law enforcement. The figure fired, striking the man in the head and dropping him. She then took up position behind Supergirl, keeping her eyes on the fallen enemies as Supergirl broke her female foe’s wrists.

The scene was rushed by federal officers, posing as FBI, but history later identified them as DEO agents.

“Watch the woman who rushed to Supergirl’s side first.” Brainy pointed out to his two friends. “She is an agent of the DEO, but her build, as well as her short brunette hair matches her to the photos of Manhunter.”

“And she isn’t in her Kryptonian garb.” Garth realized. “You are telling me when this girl wasn’t out fighting crime as Supergirl’s partner, she was a DEO agent?”

“Exactly. It is well known that Supergirl and Superman were cared for by humans from a young age. This agent possessed an alien weapon, similar to the ones Manhunter carried. Notice how she stayed by Supergirl watching her fallen enemies while Supergirl took down the last attacker. And see this? Notice how she is touching Supergirl’s cheek, looking at a bruise and most likely asking if she is okay. That speaks of a closeness, a trust on Supergirl’s part that you wouldn’t expect her to have for a normal agent, but you would if our mystery figure is her crime fighting partner. I can surmise that our lady in black is likely an adopted sister or close friend. Now we know she works for the DEO or at least she did.”

“So? That has always been a theory.” Garth pointed out.

“That she worked there, yes, but no one ever thought she might be an agent. I have no doubt the DEO erased her existence, but I would think some of the DEO higher ups probably knew Supergirl’s civilian identity and who this girl was, too.” Lar speculated. “We need to get into the DEO.”

Brainy shook his head. “No. I need access to the National City headquarters location. I suspect video of her or any agent inside the building was kept on their server, but at this point in time, there are cameras everywhere. For tracking our mystery woman, I am most interested in street cameras. I can hack into the Department of Transportation’s network and review stored camera footage around the date of this video, look for females of her height, build and hair, entering and exiting the building, perhaps getting lunch nearby at local shops. Once I can get a clear shot of her face, I will be able to identify her.”

“Supergirl worked for years without a mask and no one was ever able to identify her.” Garth pointed out. “You told me once you thought she had an extremely powerful supercomputer that prevented facial recognition. You really think, if this woman is her sister, Supergirl doesn’t have her covered? If your theory is true, the minute we start a digital search for her name, we are going to be blocked, maybe tracked.”

Brainy smiled brightly. “Exactly. We won’t be searching for her name though, only her face on local street cams. Once we identify her face, I will run a facial recognition search of the Department of Motor Vehicles. Her name will be revealed without us raising a red flag that could alert a Kryptonian Supercomputer. Everyone, even Superheroes, need driver’s licenses in this time period. If anyone has ever had a driver’s license in any state, a copy is maintained. So, if this mystery woman worked for the DEO under a civilian guise, she must have had a license at California’s DOT. I also want to visit another place. Most large and even some smaller cities had a tavern that catered to Aliens. I want to speak to people at this bar. When this female eradicated Cadmus, she released aliens. If I could speak to someone who may have seen her, it will be beneficial.”

Lar voiced a concern that they all shared. “What if we find her and she doesn’t give a damn? What if she won’t help us?”

Brainy had a simple answer to that. “I believe people in this time period used the phrase ‘we are screwed’. If she says no, then… we are screwed. For now, all we can do is wait for sundown and fly to National City.

The Fortress, three days later

Alex and Kara lay side by side, holding hands, on an uncomfortable crystal bench with small crystals strapped to their foreheads and a larger one between them. Alex refused any IVs or EKG leads. She did not feel the need to be monitored. Whatever was in her sister’s head was most likely something she lived through and Alex gave no thought to having the possibility of having a heart attack. Only the crystals would monitor Alex and Kara’s brainwaves.

Kelex placed a crystal band on Kara just above the crystal on her forehead. Eliza gave Alex a low dosage sedative pill. This would only be a test run of twenty minutes.

Once Kara and Alex were both in a relaxed state, the band was removed from Kara’s forehead and the four remaining family members waited for Alex’s brainwaves to match Kara’s.

Eliza watched the screen carefully. Her youngest daughter’s brain activity was something she was very familiar with, but she had never seen her oldest daughter’s. The representation of Alex’s mind shown through the complexities and colorations of the crystals was simply breathtaking. Her daughter truly had a beautiful mind.

While she waited, Eliza thought back over the past couple of days and how wonderful they had been. Kara seemed to be in a great mood as did Alex. Clark went back to school, played a baseball game and appeared for once in a very long time to have enjoyed himself. Eliza knew hearing Kara and Alex cheer him loudly played a huge part of that.

The family had eaten together and hung out in both houses, watched movies, and just relaxed. Kara had many great memories of the beach and the five spent a lot of time there. Kara wore a red crystal around her wrist and one around her ankle. Alex monitored her solar radiation count every evening. While the decrease had slowed considerably due to Kara’s need to feel sunrays on her body, they were still dropping.

To top the last few days off, Leslie had been released from the hospital earlier today and was resting in the girl’s guest room, waiting for them to emerge.

Eliza reflected on those moments as she watched Alex’s brainwaves begin to change as expected. Leslie’s brain activity showed the Danvers that the process took about five minutes. Once Alex’s brainwaves matched Kara’s, the two would be in what Kara dubbed her ‘haunted dream home’.

As they watched Alex’s brainwaves continue to change, Eliza noticed, to her great concern, Kara’s begin to change as well.

“That’s not supposed to happen. It didn’t happen last time…” Jeremiah voiced Eliza’s concern. “Kelex, what is going on?”

The AI said nothing, watching the screen carefully.

“Kelex talk to us.” Eliza demanded.

“As they entered a dream state, Alex’s waves began matching Kara’s, but now it appears the two are mixing, merging into one consciousness. Their minds are now fully connected. Alex will not be a passenger as Leslie was. They are both completely open to all their memories. This was not supposed to happen. The crystals should have prevented Kara’s brainwaves from moving to match Alex’s. During the Black Mercy incident, Alex was able to hold onto herself in Kara’s mind and keep herself impartial. I’m not sure what will happen this time.” For all that he replied to them in a straightforward tone, Kelex’s movements when he began adjusting the program settings appeared uncharacteristically shaky.

“Then pull them out!” Clark ordered loudly.

“I cannot do so.” Kelex told him. “Given they now share a combined consciousness, disconnecting the crystal would injure them. They must return to their own selves. Until then we can do nothing but wait.”

Eliza grabbed her head and closed her eyes, her headache getting worse by the second along with her fear. Already knowing the answer, she asked, “You are telling me there is no safe way to pull them out of this?”

“No, they are on their own. All we can do is wait.” Kelex confirmed. “They will have to sort through their own memories, their own emotions. Until their brainwaves no longer match, there is nothing we can do but watch and hope for the best.”