Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Seeing Red

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 22: Introductions

Barry Allen had worked with other heroes before. The Flash had teamed up with Firestorm, both Ronnie and Jax as well as the Arrow and his team. Working with others was nothing new to Barry.

But he was not prepared for the magnitude of the all-out assault that had just been launched. Taking orders from a woman in armor carrying a big sword, he attacked from the right side of the large warehouse, phasing through the wall as J’onn phased through the left side. Despite his determination to keep moving, no matter what, Barry stopped when the large, reinforced, solid steel doors blew open as Diana Prince entered from the front. The explosion above caught his attention when Batman jumped through the new hole and landed in the middle of the warehouse.

There was no hesitation on any of their parts, Diana, striking large K’hunds and throwing them around like rag dolls. Batman moving through a group of multicolored aliens with rifles in the middle of the room, slashing them with the large razor-sharp edges of his gloves, sliding down between them to slash their tendons, and grabbing a dropped rifle, firing with precision at targets.

J’onn began swinging, phasing through Gordanian warriors in the middle, dropping them quickly.

He saw an alien weapon fire a light pulse at Diana and thought of moving her, only to see the woman dip her head at an incredible speed and grin. Another blast came her way that she deflected back into the barrel of the rifle, causing a minor explosion. Other explosions were heard, causing Barry to turn and see Batman setting some sort of thermite on the larger creatures, that detonated seconds after placement, reminding him of the bombs he used on the Dominators.

Deciding to get into the game, Barry activated his eyewear and was given an infrared vision of the entire warehouse. It appeared there were quite a bit of explosives, large vats of unknown liquids and cases of weapons, charged with incredible energy.

“Kelex, give me a target.” Barry ordered.

“Say please. I don’t work for you, so you could at least be polite.” the robot responded. Kara had told him the robot AI had come a long way in the sarcasm department. Apparently, she was not lying.

“Please give me a target.” he conceded while those around him fought the different species, Batman continuing to slash, shoot and plant bombs while J’onn and Diana beat the hell out of larger aliens.

“Straight ahead in the back of the building. Stop the Grolls before they can grab the weapons in the crates. They are moving now, those who were sleeping are now definitely awake.”

Grolls. Barry knew of them from his studies. An invading species, humanoid, no special strength levels but able to emit cerebra radiation waves.

Stay moving, he told himself. Don’t give the blasts a chance to take effect, keep thinking.

The Flash blurred and ran, breaking open the door rather than phasing through it. The Grolls, even those waking up and coming to battle, were not that numerous. Only twenty-two that Barry saw, and as slow as an average human. They never saw him as he traveled through the room in seconds and hit each in the right side, just above the hip bone where the kidneys of these creatures resided. They all fell to the ground in extreme pain. The Flash circled the room once more, kicking their heads and rendering them unconscious.

“Tell me about these vats, Kelex. They look like they are a complicated chemistry set. One wrong chemical mixture and the place goes up in flames.”

“Say plea…”

“Kelex!”

“Fine. Look down.”

Barry did as instructed, eyes roaming the empty floors.

“Forgot about the chemistry set. Batman has handled similar potentially explosive set ups before. He can figure this out. Twenty feet in front of you, and ten paces to your right is a doorway to the underground area. You will have to phase straight down. Have you gotten far enough in your training to do this?”

Barry ignored the robot’s sarcastic tone and ran to the spot. Looking down he saw an underground system through the concrete. The stairway was under him leading to a tunnel system.

The Flash blurred and let himself phase through the floor, a trick he had picked up last week. As he hit the stairs, the man solidified and zipped through the hallways into a smaller room.

“You will want to be careful.” Kelex warned him. “Sometimes these places are booby trapped because Kara has shown to be slowed by large charges of electricity in the event she enters…”

Barry never heard the rest of the sentence, because as he stood, looking over the small empty room, the floor and walls electrified, sending arcs from wall to wall and along the floor. He was blown back into the hallway, dazed and in pain.

Shaking it off, Barry stood up, very glad that the suit seemed to be well insulated against electrical attacks.

“Told you.” Kelex bragged, letting Barry know his electronics were still intact. Remaining solid, he zipped across the room, making sure he was blown forward instead of back and landed on the other side. His own lightning flashed in his eyes and he continued down the path, a path that led to a shipping port where a large container ship was being loaded with what he assumed were weapons and drugs. The Flash was not sure exactly what kind of aliens they were, human in appearance which narrowed it down to about twenty known races on Earth. Not including shape shifters.

They all turned towards him, but surprisingly went back to loading the crates, showing no concern.

“Stop what you are doing. This operation is closed. I will sink this ship and end all of you.” the Flash warned.

“No, I don’t think you will.” a slim woman in a red silk dress told him, seeming amused as she walked down the gangplank. “Draaga? Take care of this.”

Barry felt the hair on the back of his neck raise slightly.

The man definitely had a bad feeling about this.

Turning around and checking a corner he had missed he understood why he had a bad feeling. Standing there was a very large, very grey and very angry alien, of a species that had not been in his previous study materials.

“Oh, that’s not good.” Kelex told him. “That would be Draaga, former undefeated champion of the main arena on War World. Extremely strong, not very smart, and very violent.”

“How do I beat him?” Barry whispered.

“Wait for J’onn.” Kelex suggested.

Barry held in a growl and attacked, circling the monster easily and using speed in his punches but having little effect. The creature finally stopped trying to catch the Flash and stood still, watching the red blur circle him, and land ineffectual punches.

Having no physical effect with his strikes, Barry stood back and threw a lightning bolt into the massive alien.

Draaga still stood with what Barry swore was a smile on his face.

Deciding body shots weren’t going to cut it, the Flash ran up the wall, pushed off and struck the creature in the jaw, breaking his hand and doing no damage to his enemy.

“This isn’t good.” Barry whispered, not grabbing his broken hand, refusing to show pain.

“I told you it wouldn’t be good.” Kelex reminded him. “I’m scanning his body. Looks like he has an old injury, a poorly healed tendon in his right knee. I would recommend using the hand that isn’t broken and phase though his leg, severing the weak tendon. Make sure you get out of his way when he falls.”

Barry moved, not giving himself time to think about the pain, turning his left hand into a buzz saw and sliding under the monster’s legs, slicing his leg nearly off as he passed through. Draaga roared and hit the ground face first, the force stunning him to the point that he lay still.

The Flash stood up with grim satisfaction.

“Nice idea, Kelex.”

“I have done this before. Your right hand has three fingers fractured, all metacarpals, and a small fracture of your scaphoid and lower ulna.”

Barry looked at his throbbing hand, wondering how Kelex knew that. He hadn’t taken the time to scan his hand with his eye lenses.

“One of them, I think my ulna, is out of place.” he admitted, ignoring the aching of the fingers

“It is the Ulna. Snap it back in and keep your hand vibrating for approximately ten minutes then you should be completely healed. Also realign your ring finger metacarpal.”

“How do you know this?” he asked.

“Every part of your body covered in the suit feeds real time data into my server allowing me to have a complete knowledge of your physiology at all times you are active. For example, you will most likely need to urinate in the next thirty minutes.”

Barry shook off his irritation, and refocused. He had to stop these aliens from loading this ship.

The aliens were gone but the ship was still moored.

A series of screams rang out from the cargo hold. Four aliens ran, while another was thrown out by Batman who fired a gun that wrapped the fleeing aliens together in a cable. One very large K’hund was launched like a missile through the top of the ship, a golden rope catching him in the air and slamming him back down. The body was then tossed off the deck next to Barry.

“Let me see your hand.”

Barry nearly jumped, not having heard J’onn behind him. Looking at him, it was obvious, the man was amused. He slowly offered his hand to the Martian who grabbed it firmly and with a squeeze and jerk, aligned the bones in Barry’s hand.

“When you are fighting someone that big, sometimes all the speed in the world won’t be able to knock a monster like that out. Go low, remember your battle strategies. Take out the legs first. Take out the legs, you take out the enemy. If that is impossible, phase through him and cut something on the way out, get behind him and sever his spine. Never go for brute force. Kara is… was strong enough to knock the creature unconscious with one strike. The rest of us, we must think. We can’t all work on rage and brute strength alone. Study Bruce, watch Diana when you have the chance, watch me. Think of the lessons you have learned and are continuing to learn.” J’onn suggested.

“Okay…”

“And never leave the team behind.” Diana told him quietly. She had approached with a scowling Batman but in contrast to him, she was smiling.

“J’onn could have phased above the electrical room and damaged the circuits.” she continued. “It would have saved you some pain. I could have walked through it. Luckily you were solid, and your suit is well insulated. From this point on, when we fight, we do it together. Unless absolutely necessary we stay in pairs at the least, always one of us watching the other’s back. You did well. The aliens inside are neutralized and the DEO is on its way. Would you be so kind as to bring the woman being driven away at a high rate of speed in a limo, back to us? I suppose Kara’s robot can give you directions.”

Barry ran, finding the limo with ease, and slashing the tires, causing it to come to an abrupt stop. He opened the back door and Roulette was in front of the four in moments, a lasso around her body.

“What the hell was that?!” the woman shouted. “You can’t do this! I have done nothing illegal. There is not one substance in that lab that is illegal!”

“No, but the weapons are.” Bruce told her.

“They belonged to the aliens, not me. I had no idea they were there. Do you think a jury will convict me? This world is afraid of aliens. I would suggest you let me leave before I file a complaint with…”

Roulette stopped speaking when the glowing lasso squeezed her tighter.

“I did not plan this night out to listen to you whine.” Diana told her. “While my friend in black records your words, you are going to tell us everything. Where the other labs around the world are, how and where all the drugs and weapons are transported, who is buying them. I am especially interested in what groups are buying the large crates of weapons. Something tells me the market for alien home defense is not that large.”

Roulette thought of many things to say, many threats to promise, having the police searching for them all. She thought of talking about her power, her influence over politicians, the trouble she could cause the Batman and the Flash. She knew the tall green man was the Green Martian who had worked with Supergirl in the past but had no idea who this woman was holding the very warm rope wrapped around her.

Instead of any of that, she began talking, telling the foursome every detail of the alien weapons and drug trade, giving out names, locations, information that would get her killed, if it was discovered she talked.

Ten minutes later, Diana released her from the lasso, leaving Roulette stunned, wondering what the hell had just happened.

“Roulette, correct?” J’onn asked. “You may run and hide. I will give you a day before I let it slip to people who love to gossip that you just gave away every one of the syndicate’s secrets. You might successfully go into hiding. Mongul is very good at tracking and he isn’t very forgiving. I would wish you good luck but I would not mean it.”

Roulette could read people and aliens well, she knew when they were bluffing and when they were dead serious. The Martian was dead serious.

“Don’t tell him, anyone, please. Let me go and I will never become involved in this world again.” she begged but tried to sound strong. The trembling of her lip gave away her true feelings.

“I know you won’t.” Batman told her, “You will be too busy running from Mongul. At least until we take him out. You won’t see us again. If you survive, the next time, you will see Lobo. I suspect he isn’t a fan of the alien drug trade either and lacks our restraint.”

The four turned and walked slowly back to the converted warehouse. Barry stayed behind them, soaking it in. The room was littered with unconscious bodies. Some appeared to be in a vegetative state, no doubt J’onn’s work. Some appeared to be brutally beaten, the cracks and craters in the floor where they lay, giving him an idea it was Diana’s work. He was proud to see his Groll’s were still unconscious and saw a pile of bodies, bleeding, moaning and some with burns, stacked on top of each other. He also spied bat shaped brands on their foreheads. Looking at Bruce’s right hand, he noted the metal bat shaped cover that had slid over his knuckles, no doubt easily heated up. Standing in the middle of the first large area,they watched the DEO entered the large hole where the front doors had been, black combat fatigues and helmets, guns at the ready.

The female agent in front held up her hand, taking in the scene. The agents dropped their rifles but continued securing the room, as Cameron Chase removed her helmet and approached the foursome.

“I should have known you would be in the middle of this.” Chase told Batman. “I suppose you have deactivated the chemical processors?”

Batman said nothing, staring at her, clenching his teeth, to prevent him from saying something rude.

“The Flash and the Martian Manhunter? Impressive crowd you are running with now. Did Alex’s psycho sister finally crack? Did you take her down, Batman? Or did you find another female alien in a skirt more attractive?” she finished, looking Diana over.

Bruce calmed himself, focused on his breathing and reminded himself that there would be no honor in taking her down and she was not a threat.

“I thought the Gotham branch would be here. I am surprised to see you in the field Deputy Director. Did you run out of papers to push in Metropolis?” he asked.

The sarcastic grin that had been on Chase’s face was gone.

“And here I was, very concerned and you are being rude? Is Alex okay? Is Kara too drunk to accompany you tonight? Or did she try to off herself and Alex is playing nurse again?”

Diana stepped up and looked down on the shorter woman. Cameron swallowed hard, not expecting whoever this was to speak.

“We have done your job for you. Do your part and clean up the mess. We will be taking care of the rest of the sites around the globe. I hope you can keep up, Agent Chase.”

Cameron backed up and tried to regain her bearings.

“Who are you? What race are you?” she asked, finally taking in the woman’s entire arsenal. She had not seen an alien fight with a sword and shield before.

“Be careful, Director.” Diana told her. “None of them are dead. I would hate for one to wake up and hurt you. I understand as a warrior you are severely lacking.”

Diana walked around her, the three men following. A rope dropped down from the hole Bruce had opened on entry and he was taken to his jet hovering above, while Diana jumped behind him and J’onn flying off quickly. Barry was left alone with Agent Chase.

“You are kind of a bitch, aren’t you?” he asked, temper rising. He knew who she was, and she had no right to talk about Kara that way. While Kara was saving the world, she sat behind a desk.

“Try having the woman you love be more concerned about nursing her drunk, crazy alien sister and fighting street crime than about you, then talk to me. Kara hated the Flash and now you are running with her two besties. You changed her mind. I heard that Supergirl was flying to S.T.A.R. with Batman to destroy the place. She knew you, under that mask, didn’t she? You must want something from her to get involved with Batman. Judging by the anger in your eyes I can guess what that something is. Before you become too attached to her, just remember, you will always be second to Alex, the same way I was always second to Kara. Don’t believe me? Ask Nightwing how falling in love with her worked out for him. Take care, Flash. Try not to open anymore anomalies for the next few months. We all need a break.”

Barry shrugged his shoulders, forcing himself not to lose his cool with Alex’s obviously bitter ex-girlfriend. “Like Batman said, if you get out behind your desk more often we might see each other again. Do your job and try to clean up a few of these places yourself. We need breaks too. Be careful, Agent Chase. Alex told me you weren’t much of a fighter.”

Chase’s hair blew back as the Flash took off, a trail of lightning following him.

Barry reached the Batcave a minute later, well in front of those flying, and had a seat. His hand ached so he continued vibrating it, wiling the bones to mend. After five minutes, a record for him, his hand did mend and not for the first time he wondered how much faster he could heal if he worked at it.

While he waited for the rest he thought about the events of the night and wandered around the cave, taking in the enormous structure and the vehicles and weapons. There was the car he had seen before but also a motorcycle with very thick tires, some sort of armored SUV that Barry suspected could also fly if this was the one Bruce used in the Myriad battle Kara had told him about. Some sort of tank with four legs was present. Six cases held suits, each one a bit different, especially the one at the end which was nearly completely armored, including the helmet. He couldn’t see how Bruce would even be able to turn his head, but considering Alex had flexible, extremely strong armor on her arms, lower legs and neck and shoulder area, he shouldn’t have been surprised.

Yes, Bruce Wayne’s money and know how along with Kara’s intelligence and alien materials went a long way together.

He watched what Bruce had told him was Brother Eye, a circular column reaching two stories tall, surrounded by keyboards and covered in monitors showing hot spots around the world.

“Impressed? I never got your impression from your visit a couple days ago.”

Barry turned to Bruce, surprised to see his jet was in the landing pad that had been empty moments before. He had no idea how quiet that thing was. It was the exact design as Alex’s and knew it ran on something Kara called a Phantom Drive. Maybe it was called Phantom because the thing didn’t make a sound.

“I think you are ready for a war.” Barry told him. “Is that a troop carrier?” he asked, pointing towards the large machine that resembled a space ship.

“That is our new car.” Diana answered, walking in with J’onn. She then sat and the other two did as well. Not wanting to feel awkward, Barry did the same.

“Tonight was nothing.” Diana started. “A good run but should we have been facing an army of White Martians for example, better planning is going to be needed. The strongest species were not that strong.”

“I beg to differ.” Bruce told her, pulling back his cowl to reveal a very tired face.

“Yeah, I have to go with Bruce on this one.” Barry told her.

“Your enemy was easily beatable, Barry. You just chose the wrong strategy to start. You recovered and performed admirably. I am also impressed by the lack of hesitation you had in attacking that beast. To be honest, I have not kept up with your exploits as much as I have these two. I didn’t know what to expect from you and was very impressed.”

“Thanks… uh… you are the woman from France, Bruce said would be joining us… him… and J’onn, right?”

Diana nodded her head. “My apologies. My name is Diana.” she told him, offering her hand.

“Barry. Nice to meet you.” He shook her hand, noticing how strong her grip was and knowing she was holding back in the same manner Kara held back when he first met her.

“We have a list of targets, but we need to be ready. Bruce, are you certain you want me to lead this team? J’onn?”

“I’ve seen enough.” J’onn told her, smiling, at least Barry thought he was smiling. It could be difficult to tell in his Martian form.

“If you will do this, we will follow your lead, Diana.” Bruce assured her.

“Fine. If we will be based out of this complex for now, we are going to need Rann transportation technology. J’onn, can you find this Lobo who seems to be hiding from Bruce? He is the one who possessed the teleportation technology Kara uses for her Fortress, correct?”

“Yes, I can. Lobo is a lot of things, but one thing he is for certain is loyal to Kara and Alex. If he is off the grid but still on the planet he is not just relaxing. I would guess he is searching for this weapon, this ring he told you about, Barry. We need to know what a Green Lantern is, why the DEO has no record of them or Kelex for that matter and what their role is. We also need to know what, where and who these Red Lanterns are. We need to find that ring.”

“Yes, we do.” Diana agreed. “Even if Kara is no longer fighting, no longer has her powers, she still has the potential for them. Should she remain out of fights and not let her rage take control, she should be safe. That said, there are a lot of powerful beings on this planet and I want to know what we will be facing should this ring attach itself to anyone. We need more fighters. Bruce?”

“I’m going to check on Kara and Alex in the morning, and then fly to Iceland. I have a lead on where I might be able to find Curry while he is on land. If his patterns remain the same, I can make contact. Convincing him may be a bit difficult, but he will join us. As far as others… the search will continue.”

“I will be scouting locations around the world, hidden but central to major areas. We are going to need teleportation devices large enough to fly that transport through.” Diana told them. “This needs to happen quickly. We need to strike these overseas targets soon before the operators realize that Roulette sold them out and have a way back quickly without being chased by foreign warplanes across the Atlantic. I’ll be using your private jet, Bruce, so please have it prepared for me in the morning.”

Bruce snorted. “Can I rethink you leading?”

“No. So, the sooner we can find Lobo, get this technology and find out what this red ring is and who these Lanterns are, the sooner we can begin.”

“I can actually reverse engineer the tech at the Fortress.” J’onn offered. “Lobo may be able to procure larger teleporters sooner but we can build them as a last option. Bruce and I both have access to the Fortress.” J’onn reminded the group.

“Well then, let’s get some rest. The next few weeks will be busy.” Diana told them, ending the impromptu meeting.

Barry sat silently, watching the three make plans as if they had been working together for years. He was feeling a bit left out.

“What about me? I can do… something?” he offered. Diana looked towards Bruce, who cleared his throat.

“Barry, you said you needed time to think about it. I said I wouldn’t rush you. Tonight was about taking out a drug lab that we were fortunate to discover was also a black market weapons depot. I won’t assume anything. The offer stands as always, but you do need to take some time. This will become a huge part of your life if you decide this is what you want. For now, I would suggest you continue your training. Your knowledge of aliens is no doubt on par with mine and J’onn’s after only a couple weeks. You have a lot more skills than you realize and being with the DEO agents training you, is the best thing you can do right now. Give it some time and then, if you want to be a part of this team, we want you.”

The group broke up, and Barry debated what to do. Run back to National City tonight, run to the Block and risk Kara asking why he wasn’t in Central City? Sleep in one of the bedrooms in the mansion?

Instead of any of those ideas, Barry sat in the same chair, looking around the Batcave but his mind was everywhere. There were many paths open to him and not one was obvious. Barry felt his heart was being pulled in many different directions. He was worried about Kara, he was worried about whatever secret Caitlin was keeping from him. At first, he thought it may have to do with Kara but the more he had spoken to her, the more obvious it became that Caitlin had something on her mind that was weighing her down and whatever the problem could be was very personal.

He also thought of S.T.A.R. Labs and his team, or Cisco since Caitlin was busy. He thought of his strained relationship with Joe. Normally Barry would have Iris to talk to about these things. She had a way of focusing him. But tonight, a phone call to mull over these problems just didn’t seem right.

As dawn gave way to morning, Barry received a call that told him exactly what he needed to do.

Cisco had told him Wally was nearly hit by a car the night before. He managed to get out of the way and stopped ten miles outside of Central City twenty seconds later.

The Flash was needed back in Central City to help his brother. The rest of the world could wait.

The Block

While the fledgling Justice League had been busy taking down a weapons and drug manufacturing site, Kara Danvers had been in a room on level 5, sitting in a circle with 6 other people including Alfred.

A man with a cast from his hand to his shoulder was present and had most of Kara’s attention.

“What happened to your arm?” she asked, before anyone began speaking.

The man, about forty-five or fifty, and slightly out of shape with thinning blonde hair and blue grey eyes who seemed older than his years, smiled at her.

“I thought I would try to hold down a Kryptonian while she was in an excited state. My mistake.” he explained with a wink.

“I am so sorry.” Kara whispered.

The man shrugged his shoulders. “Worth it. Next time, I will let your little brother handle it though.”

“I’m worth getting your arm shattered?” she asked, not believing it and wondering not for the first time, how much Bruce paid these people.

“Yeah. You don’t remember me, do you?”

Kara nearly panicked, wondering if she was supposed to. Had he helped her when she was going through withdrawals? She knew she had been a handful, to put it lightly.

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay. You looked tired that night. Maybe a little drunk too. I guess I will start. I haven’t been to a group in a while. My name is Doug Hillard. I work as an equipment specialist for Wayne Enterprises, in the medical tech department. I was approached by Lucius Fox a few months ago about working here and jumped on the opportunity. I suppose I should get to the point.”

Doug had everyone’s attention, except Alfred who was more focused on watching Kara.

“I had my first drink when I was 16. It was what we did, kids, teenagers. It’s not like we were doing drugs, right? That’s what we told ourselves. I didn’t drink all the time, not at first. Things got a little crazier in college though. I joined a frat, partied, barely got through in my classes but I got by. Spent more time hungover in class than anything. It was after college that things got bad for me. I didn’t get the job I wanted with Proctor and Gamble. I was turned down by my first three companies I interviewed with. It hurt. Nobody likes rejection, right?”

Everyone agreed except Kara who remained silent. Rejection was the least of her problems. She stayed away from situations where she could be rejected as much as possible.

“So, I took a job that I felt I was settling for. I didn’t like it, I hated the work, I hated the people I worked with. I did have fun at night though. Every night I would be out on the town. Eventually I met a woman who liked to have as much fun as I did. I’m not sure we ever really loved each other but we did love to drink. She also liked to do a little coke every now and then and got me to try it a few times. A few times turned into a regular occurrence.

She left me, but the habits didn’t. I stayed drunk and high more than sober. Even at work, I was showing up late, showing up drunk, thought nobody knew that, and started making stupid mistakes. I wasn’t getting anywhere and blamed it on the dead-end job. I decided to change my life. I quit my job and moved to National City for a fresh start. Started going to church and cut down on the drinking.”

Kara was surprised he had lived in National City. She assumed everyone here had come from Gotham.

“To make up for the alcohol I started using coke and then some more relaxed drugs, uppers, downers, anything that could get me through the day. I found a job at a small company selling EKGs and made decent money. I wasn’t quite the engineer I wanted to be in college but that didn’t matter. I made enough to get me what I wanted. I even met a woman at church. She didn’t know, and I wasn’t volunteering. She was straight as an arrow and I told myself she would keep me straight. Instead I just became better at hiding the drug use. I also started drinking more.

Then she got pregnant. That was it, right? I had a kid coming, so I better straighten up. I never looked for help, didn’t want it. If I needed help that would mean my wife would find out there was a problem. I had no idea she already knew. I guess I wasn’t as good as I thought I was at hiding things.”

Kara could relate to that. The day Jeremiah confronted her about her drinking was the day she really stopped putting effort into hiding her habit. She had just been thankful he didn’t know about everything else.

“So long story short, I got this great boy and a wife who was getting tired of my shit. Showed up at work drunk one day after partying all night, and my supervisor sent me home. The next morning, I was given a drug test and failed. Fired on the spot.”

Kara noticed quite a few others were nodding as if having similar experiences. Her experiences with work were limited. Cat knew she showed up drunk often but never said anything. Kara drank during work hours herself, but Kara was Supergirl. Supergirl was more important to Catco than Kara Danvers drinking alcohol during her lunch hour and on breaks which she took often.

“I told my wife I got laid off, but she didn’t buy it. Three weeks later she came home from her work and found me passed out drunk in the living room with our boy in his bed, crying. When I woke up she had my bags packed. Divorce wiped me out. I didn’t want it but never had a choice. My habits were well known by her friends and she wouldn’t have had a shortage of witnesses to testify that I wasn’t exactly the best father material. I only got supervised visits and those stopped when I failed my first drug test at the supervision center. I couldn’t find a job, had no home and was living out of a crappy motel, where the only thing that was around were hookers and drug dealers. Of course, they expect payment and I got into a big mess with them. So, I decided to end it. I was 43 and didn’t want to go on. I didn’t see anything getting better. I would only see my boy and ex-wife from a distance. No job, drug dealers pushing me for money every day, or threatening to break bones. I was done.”

Kara watched him closely, almost spellbound by his story. He wasn’t talking to the group as much as reliving the past himself.

“I went to the toll bridge over the bay. Walked on to it and began climbing the maintenance ladder to the top. I had just made it when the police and fire arrived. I had hoped to have it done before anybody saw me climbing but a toll attendant saw me heading up. They tried to talk me down, but I was having none of it. I had bought a bottle from a guy I knew who lived on the street and was drunk. It’s a miracle I made it up the ladder. I heard them on the loud speaker down below, but it didn’t matter. I took a few breaths, whispered an apology to my boy who I would never see again and jumped. I fell for about two seconds when I realized I didn’t want to die. That’s when I met you.”

“Me?” Kara asked.

Doug grinned at her.

“Yeah, this was about three years ago. You smelt like smoke. I found out later that you had been fighting some woman downtown who could breathe fire. I guess you heard the fire department talking to me from twenty miles away. Maybe you didn’t want to break my back when you caught me because you were over me, falling as I was, looking straight at me. I felt your arms under my back and we started to slow. Then we were going back up. You left me with the police and took off. Guess you went back and kicked the crap out of that woman. I got taken to a psych ward and given a sedative. Next morning, I woke up and you were in my room, sitting in the corner. You looked tired as hell. Your eyes were sort of glassed over.”

Kara nodded, still not remembering but supposing that made sense.

“I was probably drunk.” she admitted.

“I don’t know, maybe. I do know that you were sitting there, smelling like smoke and reading a magazine. When you noticed I was up, you didn’t smile or tell me it would be okay. You just said if you didn’t get to give up, I couldn’t either. Then you left.”

Kara desperately tried to remember this. She had saved a few people off that damn bridge, wondering every time if it was her place to do so, but unable to let someone just kill themselves.

“Mr. Fox found me after I got released three weeks later. I dried out while I was inside and was given some pamphlets for rehab centers and told I was free to go. Overcrowding and all that. I walked outside and into Mr. Fox. He asked me if I wanted to do something with the gift you gave me. I started working for Wayne Enterprises and been there ever since. I had no idea that Bruce Wayne did so much for Batman and Supergirl until Mr. Fox offered me this position. I couldn’t turn it down. Half the people in this place and everyone in this room, except Alfred, have been saved by you. So yeah, a broken arm to try and help you out, I can handle it. I even got a lawyer and get to see my boy once a month. If things go well I may get regular visitation rights. I’ve been clean since that night. Mr. Fox put me in a rehab center and Alfred started bringing me to his group in Gotham. You had our backs and we were going to have yours.”

Kara looked at the people in the room, really looked at them and vaguely remembered some of them. One woman she was certain she saved from a rampaging alien in Metropolis, another man resembled someone she thought she may have pulled out of a burning building. Kara felt a bit bad that she couldn’t remember them clearly, but she had spent most of the time since she was 18 in some sort of intoxicated state.

“I’m sorry I don’t remember. I… that was probably rude, no it was. I guess, I was just… I guess it was pretty hypocritical since I tried to kill myself a year later.”

Kara took a deep breath.

“I had my first drink after I discovered that alien bars existed. I was 18. It was my first year of college and my Dad and I had a huge fight. I flew to Metropolis and found this bar filled with aliens. I had been looking for escapees from this alien prison who wanted me dead. One of them, one from my planet, found me and tried to take me to my aunt and uncle who were murderers. I killed him, broke his neck. It was the first time I had… no I guess it was the second time I had ever killed someone. The first was this Vrang… that doesn’t matter. Charlie, the bar tender gave me a drink after the fight and let me take the bottle. I drank the whole bottle and it made me feel so numb. I wanted that feeling. I had my second drink about two weeks after me and my friends saved the world by raiding this alien base. I killed a White Martian and my Uncle. I thought it would solve my problems, you know? I had lived in fear of him for so long and I really thought once I killed him I would feel free, happy… but it never came. A couple weeks later I was in a different bar… this is a long story. Are you all sure you want to hear it?”

One woman laughed.

“This just became the most interesting group I have ever been to. There is no way you are stopping.”

Encouraged by Alfred’s smile she started talking for the next hour. Though she had been hesitant at first, the more she talked, the more comfortable she felt. By the time she was done, she felt… different. Not relieved, not cathartic but a pressure had been lifted somewhat. She sat and listened to others and though their stories did not include killing aliens, she recognized some similarities to herself. By the time the group was over, she was exhausted and fell into bed. She had taken her pills and sedative though she probably wouldn’t have needed it that night. Of course, Eliza watched her take it regardless, complete with the open mouth inspection.

The next morning, she spoke to her substance abuse counselor about her experience the night before and opened up to the woman for the first time. She told the truth about her feelings, something Kara had not done often in her life on Earth.

Four days later, alone on level 10, while Kara worked on her newest reclamation motorcycle, Diana Prince walked in.

Kara looked at her and shook her head.

“I was hoping Bruce wouldn’t find you. I’m sorry.”

Diana was not often surprised, but this was a shock. She had thought she would spend the morning explaining what she was doing here, why she had met Kara in college, who she was. Instead Kara seemed unsurprised and resigned.

“You hoped he wouldn’t find me?” Diana asked.

“I know he didn’t tell you where I was. How did you find out?” Kara asked.

Diana grinned a bit, realizing she had underestimated the girl.

“I have a possession that makes it difficult to lie to me.” the brunette offered.

Kara smirked a bit. “Well I know Bruce isn’t afraid of swords and I doubt the shield did much. It must be the rope. I knew something was strange about it when I saw it in your closet. The hidden panel in the back, armor, which I love by the way, especially the boots, a very big sword and shield and clipped onto the armor, a golden lasso.”

Diana opened her mouth to ask how she knew this but was not sure how to word her question. Kara saw her confusion and decided to have mercy.

“I don’t think those jeans are the type used to grease. There is a fold out chair in that closet if you want to sit. It should be fairly clean.”

Deciding that her jeans did not need to get the grease that adorned Kara’s hands and face, the woman did retrieve the chair and sat next to Kara, who was on the floor, twisting a wrench on a very old bolt, trying to break it loose. Any doubt that Diana had about Kara’s power being completely absent was gone. She managed to loosen the bolt but strained the entire time. She was also sweating.

Kara motioned with her head towards the corner of the room. At the top a camera was focused on them.

“I’m still under suicide watch. Not because I have tried to kill myself, directly anyway. The medications are still being adjusted and I am being monitored 24/7. The antidepressants have possible side effects, one of which is suicidal thoughts, especially in someone who has been suicidal in the past. I cannot tell you how many cups I have peed in. If they ask for a stool sample I am gone.”

Diana laughed, despite her puzzlement over Kara knowing what she knew.

“So, I thought my visit would be a surprise, maybe I would have to explain why I am here, who I really am, what I am. You seem to be well informed.” she started.

Kara put the wrench down and sat on her butt on the floor, leaning back on her arms.

“Diana, since I have come to this planet, I have been a lot of things, most of them not good. One thing that I have never regretted being is paranoid. When I signed up for that course, I had done a background check on the instructor. I did it on all my professors. When he was given an opportunity in France he had to take at the last minute and you replaced him, I was suspicious. I had Kelex do a background check on you. You hid it well but using the same name over the last hundred years? It wasn’t hard for us to follow. You never existed before World War 1. We searched databases at all the museums you worked at over the years, checked video starting from 1995 and up. Before that we searched newspapers that had been archived. Your picture only popped up a few times, but it was enough to tell me you were immortal or at least very good at aging.”

“I see. Here I thought I was being so careful.” Diana admitted, impressed with the technology she possessed.

“Hard to compete with an alien supercomputer but you were good. The second mistake you made was paying attention to me. In college and high school, I made it my mission in life to stay in the shadows, stay out of the spotlight, be as average as possible. I was not a great artist in college. It was a hobby I am good at, but I am still no protege. Yet, you, a woman of the world, beautiful, respected, talented, paid attention to me. You went out of your way to spend time with me, take me for coffee or lunch. I’m surprised Alex never picked up on it. She had decided to take that class on a lark for an elective. I didn’t like an unknown being around my sister. I almost killed you, because I was concerned you were a threat to her.”

“When was this?” Diana asked curiously.

“The night after you asked me to lunch the first time. I turned you down because after three coffees and now a lunch invitation I was convinced you were a threat. I didn’t want to be seen with you on the last day of your very long life. I didn’t though. I hovered outside of your penthouse many nights, watching you, trying to decide what to do. Deciding if you were a threat to Alex.”

“But you never tried.” Diana concluded, trying not to show surprise that Kara had been watching her from above.

“No. I had lunch with you instead. When you turned your back to leave I took your fork. Kelex ran your DNA to determine your species. You were human, but something more. We have still never found DNA like yours. I kept a close eye on you, but figured you weren’t a threat, physically at least. When you left, I followed you to Paris and watched a few nights a week. You like to clean your own place. Your furniture has a solid oak base. You lifted it with one hand to sweep under it.”

“So, you watched me clean my flat in Paris. From that you determined I was very strong.” Diana told her, impressed with her investigative skills.

“Yeah and I saw the armor, the sword, all of it. I never entered your home. I didn’t have to. When you had arrived back in Paris and did not report to anyone, at least any information on me, I decided you were just generally curious. I also knew you wanted to be left alone. I saw you pull a wrist watch out one night and you held it and cried. Whatever you were, whoever you were, you weren’t a threat. You just wanted to hide from the world. I knew the feeling. I never told Bruce because I knew he would find you, try and convince you to fight with us. I hoped you could have stayed hidden forever. I suppose he has his own tricks though.”

“He can be tenacious.” Diana admitted. “Apparently Lex Luthor found an old photo of me and Bruce found it when he was searching Luthor’s system.”

Kara shook her head.

“Kelex could have picked that up but I never had him search for anything not related to me or Bruce. Sorry.”

The woman grinned at her.

“I was not your responsibility. You were right to be concerned. I could have been a threat. But the reason I wanted to meet you in person… I was curious, and I suspected we had some things in common. I also wanted to know how the life you were leading, saving the world, fighting mankind’s battles, was effecting you and your sister.”

Kara laughed softly. “As you can tell by my surroundings, I haven’t exactly done well. Alex has. She has always been the stronger of the two of us. She kept me sane, or at least as sane as I could be. If you came all this way to see me, I suspect you want to know who I really was under the glasses and want me to know who you really are. So, what about it Diana? Which of us is going to tell our story first?”

Diana shrugged her shoulders.

“I guess I should start since I have interrupted your work. My story may be hard to believe.”

“Trust me, Diana. Nothing is hard for me to believe.”