Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Seeing Red

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 48:-Endings

They had emerged from the breach into a busy corridor, surrounded on both sides by armed Diasporans. Jason Connolly’s team, Batman, Cisco Ramon and Caitlin Snow had immediately become involved in a firefight against enemy combatants on their home turf.

Of course, all things considered, this could have been a much worse situation. Cisco Ramon did manage to get them onto the ship and not land them in open space. They were able to fight their way to the room his group currently occupied with no friendly casualties, other than Ramon falling after using one of his little hand blasts and cracking his skull against a wall.

The room his team finally confiscated was defensible, did have some sort of alien computers that Ramon was alert enough to figure out how to give Winn access, so he felt good about that. Winn was a guy Connolly had always liked. Shitty childhood, Dad an imprisoned psycho, Mom abandoning him, the man felt despite their vastly different talents, he and Winn shared a connection.

That and the kid was a freaking genius when it came to anything alien computer related or languages for that matter. Connolly had watched this kid pull off magic on a keyboard, stuff not even Vivian had been able to do. Having Winn in contact made him feel more secure.

Snow, or Killer Frost, had done well. She finally earned the name Killer, sending large icicles into many of the enemies they faced on their path to this room. Now she was reinforcing the door keeping the soldiers away from them with a wall of ice.

Connolly still couldn’t stand her.

Hawk and Ty were scanning through the walls with infrared. It didn’t work very well because of the reptilian nature of the enemy but they were preparing to fire should the wall of ice be breached by an explosion.

“They are retreating.” Ty told him. The team lowered their guns and Snow seemed to relax.

Connolly wasn’t surprised. Though sound did not travel in space, he instinctively knew that the Reds and Greens had found an edge and were winning against the Armada.

He wondered if the edge they got was a red and black clad young woman leading them with the power of hell on her side.

Now the soldiers on this the Flagship were abandoning their posts, probably for escape pods, hightailing it back to the snake planet they came from.

“Winn talk to me.” Connolly ordered.

Winn answered immediately of course. He may have been a goofball around the headquarters but when it was showtime the kid always delivered.

“Yes sir, looks like a shuttle has launched from the Flagship towards Earth. Only one lifeform I can pick up inside, must be the snake king. Probes from the Fortress are showing… Supergirl following it down… has she gone goth?”

“Focus Winn.” Connolly ordered, his fears confirmed. A quick glance at Wayne told him the Batman knew as well. Kara had used the ring. She most likely destroyed the entire fleet and only the remnants were now trying to escape because her attention was diverted.

“Okay, I have the files translated and video is coming your way. Nothing unusual, typical actions of a warring species, monarchy, sacred mission, betterment of the universe, that sort of thing. The videos are of the past ten years since the King started acting like a royal asshole. Only video we got are from speeches he gave out to the masses. Guy needs to pick another suit already. Not much of a diverse wardrobe.” Winn told the group.

“What do you mean by that?” Bruce asked quickly. Connolly caught an edge in his voice. Wayne suspected something.

He moved closer to the caped man, watching the monitors. Winn was sending videos of the speeches, the addresses to some large crowds at a Diasporan city. Wayne was speeding through them, not listening to the speeches at all, or reading the translated notes.

Winn was right, Connolly realized. This guy never changed his clothes. Always the same armor, despite this supposedly being the first war he had led himself. Why wear armor when addressing a crowd of your own people.

“Winn show me a video of the last speech he made before he decided to turn his planet’s military from a defensive force to a conquering force.” Wayne ordered.

After a few seconds, the video feed was up showing a robed King, no armor, a calm voice, even a smile.

“The armor did something to him?” Connolly asked, wondering how that was possible. He had seen a lot of weird things but never seen a suit of armor turn someone from a good person into… of course a ring turned Kara into a monster after she killed Doomsday.

But she had still been Kara, she still protected Alex, she waited for threats to attack instead of rampaging and destroying Metropolis.

“Symbiont.” Wayne whispered. “The King wasn’t replaced by a World killing shape shifter, he was possessed, taken over. WorldKiller 1 or whatever that is, it is a symbiont.”

Everything clicked for Connolly. There were so many questions he had that were never answered about this invasion. Why Earth, why now, why was the King himself coming, having to know that Kara was unstoppable?

“It came for her.” The man whispered, catching Bruce’s attention. “It waited until Kara was powerful under any sun and came for her. It is meeting her alone, giving her what she wants.”

“And it will attack her. It must believe it can take over her body and mind” Bruce finished. Connolly watched as Wayne ordered Winn to open a communication line with Alfred in the Fortress.

His team was watching him, Ramon watching him, even Snow had stopped glaring at his men and looked at him.

They had been played… again. Just as Atrocitus played them to get that damn ring on Kara’s finger, this thing was playing them to get her under its control, to in essence, kill her in a way no other could.

Connolly listened to Wayne talk to Jeremiah, to Kelex, all saying the same thing. They could not get in contact with Kara. Once more the girl had placed herself on an island with no one around. He wanted to know about the war on the surface, he wanted to know if Alex succeeded with a plan so crazy she wouldn’t tell him all the details. He wanted to know if she was alive.

Pushing Wayne aside he asked Jeremiah for an update on Alex.

He probably should have waited till the battle was over because his fury was building. Alex succeeded at great harm to herself and was in surgery. The idea was reckless, irresponsible and had a high likelihood of failing. Those were the missions he loved to pull off and his love had been passed to his protégée. Connolly should have talked her out of it but instead had encouraged her.

“Winn, where is the ship landing?”

“It landed five minutes ago. It’s in the Amazon Rainforest. No one is around for over a hundred miles in all directions.” Winn told them.

Connolly looked hard at Ramon who was still sitting at the console, rubbing the back of his head.

“You ready? Can you get us there?” he asked.

Before Ramon could answer, a small red circle of light appeared in the center of the room, growing quickly, causing the team to scramble away from it.

Gardner stepped out of the portal.

“How much longer? Kara said we can’t blow this ship until you are all off.” he told them.

Though Connolly had only met him face to face once in the weeks up to this invasion, Gardner was different now. His eyes were red, both pupils and irises. His ring was shining so intensely with raw power the temperature in the room raised noticeably, even farther away from him judging by the sweat forming on Ty’s brow across the room.

Connolly also sensed the man was looking for a fight and it didn’t matter where he got it from. He had seen that same look on Kara’s face for several years.

“Is it over?” Connolly asked, though he wasn’t sure exactly what “it” was. Was it the war being over, the invading enemies and ships dead or destroyed? Was it the Worldkillers were all dead. Was he asking if Kara Danvers was over and all that was left was the part that made her a vicious killer.

Gardner must have sensed his anxieties in that question.

“The Worldkillers are dead, the Lanterns and the military took out any enemy who landed along with fighters in the sky, Kara just destroyed the whole fleet in less time than it takes me to fix a sandwich and the only survivors are in tiny short range escape pods that have no chance of making it back to Diaspora. That sound like its over?”

“No,” Wayne told him, before Connolly could. “This is far from over. That king is on our planet, with Kara. He is Wordkiller 1, a symbiont. Open up a portal to get us there, now. If she kills that thing it will take over her body. I’m contacting Diana.”

“She is in Metropolis.” Connolly reminded him.

“Yes but she can get Stewart or Jordan to transport the League there. If we go with Gardner we should all reach her in minutes instead of hours we don’t have.”

Connolly listened to Wayne talk to Alfred then speak to Diana and explain the situation. Kara was already on the ground with the thing no doubt. If it attacked her they couldn’t do anything. Only Kara would be able to fight it, force it away from her body.

But if the Green Lanterns showed up…

“Stop! Call Diana back. If the Greens are there you know what will happen.” Connolly told Batman.

“I would rather Kara attack the Greens than attack the Worldkiller.” Bruce calmly pointed out.

“Yeah, but there are probably just under a thousand Green Lanterns left. If that thing takes her over, they won’t give her time to fight it off. They will try to kill her. If the Amazon thinks there is no other way… We need to get there now. Call off your Amazon, Wayne.”

Bruce shook his head. “Diana wouldn’t do that. J’onn, Barry, Lobo, they wouldn’t let her do that.”

“Are you willing to risk Kara’s life on it?” he asked pointedly.

The silence from Bruce was all he needed. “Gardner, if the Greens attack her, no matter her state, what will the Reds do?” Connolly asked.

“Attack them. We will handle Kara, help her get it out of her system. She belongs with us.” Gardner said without doubt. The battle had apparently brought out his blood lust as well. Connolly wondered if this was a good idea but if he wanted to keep Kara safe from the others while she fought the Wordkiller he had no choice.

“Take us to the surface, and have your Reds meet us there. If anyone tries to hurt Kara, no matter what, we take them down.” Connolly ordered.

Snow walked towards him, still in her evil Elsa get up as Ty liked to call it.

“If she is taken over by a Symbiont, Kara will need to be taken down. Once it is in her, she is done.”

Connolly looked hard at Dante, the meaning in his look clear. He wanted to know whose side Dante was on. If Connolly even suspected Dante would turn on Kara the man would die here with his frozen meta.

“Dante trained Kara. He knows she is mentally strong enough to take control of her body. He trained you and I hear you aren’t a cold blooded wannabe killer anymore. Should we ask him? We don’t have time for this. Kara will win and anyone who attacks her dies” Connolly told her then looked towards Dante. Should this turn into a battle, Connolly would find out Dante’s loyalties for good.” Gardner?”

Gardner nodded his head and a red circle opened up, the occupants of the room hurrying inside.

Connolly had never traveled in a Lantern’s portal but it did not appear to be much different than Ramon’s breach. A bright red light and they were on Earth.

Just in time for a green portal to open up next to them.

A look at the Justice League and Lobo told him all he needed to know. Diana and Curry were nervous, weapons in hand. They would try to take her out. Lobo had a huge rifle in one hand and a chain with a blade in the other but his eyes were on Diana and Curry. J’onn nodded to Connolly, glancing at Diana. J’onn would never turn against Kara nor would Lobo. He didn’t need to look at Flash to know Barry would never turn on Kara. He would give her the chance to win this herself.

A Kryptonian drone flew towards the clearing, followed by hundreds of Green Lanterns. Across from them we over two hundred Red Lanterns.

In the middle of all this, Kara was in a standoff with the King of the Diasporans, Worldkiller 1.

The Landing Site

Kara stood on the ground impatiently, waiting for the King and Worldkiller who started this to walk out of his small landing vessel. She had escorted the ship to Earth, to this remote part of the world and forbidden her Red Lanterns from following but doubted Guy would listen. It didn’t matter so long as they did not interfere. This snake belonged to her alone.

The blonde was not sure if it was fear that made the King hesitate to come out or if he had a plan that needed more time to enact. She was pleased to see the ship had no lead shielding and X Ray vision showed the man to be standing in one place, seemingly waiting on her.

Not crazy about walking into a trap, Kara used her heat vision, carving out a door in the craft where the King stood and laid eyes on him for the first time.

“Please step out of the car and place your hands on your head.” she told him.

The sight of him put Kara on edge. He was no different than the ordinary Diasporans she had spied as she was ripping through their ships. They were similar in height and weight to large humans, had scaly skin resembling a snake and shared other characteristics with serpents, including the temperature of their blood.

The only difference Kara could tell between the soldiers and their King was the black, shining armor this man wore, armor that covered the top of his skull, protected his neck, shoulders and arms. His large cloak covered his shoulders and back but the armor was no doubt all over him.

She looked closely at the man’s body, not only using X Ray visions but microscopic as well, focusing on the cells of the Diasporan.

“Have you seen everything, all my secrets?” the creature asked in Kryptonese.

“You are no shapeshifter. Shapeshifter’s cells are in a constant state of excitement even when at rest. Your armor is attached to your central nervous system through multiple points, all leading to the brain. You are a symbiont.” Kara told him. “I would guess Zor El made you into some sort of intelligent battle suit for Zod but screwed up. You were too smart for any one Kryptonian to handle so he sent you away.”

“Zor El would be proud of you, young Kara.” the Worldkiller told her. “I was the first living weapon your father created and attempted to control. Your father launched me into space where I floated for years, alone, no host, no sound or sight, just emptiness. Then I was discovered by a Diasporan scout ship and entered the King when he inspected my tomb. The rest, as is often said, is history.”

Kara shook her head, not believing this. It was supposed to be simple. She had destroyed Reign, destroyed the Diasporan Fleet with ease and the King had been polite enough to bring himself to Earth for his last stand. She would kill him and find Alex, make sure she was okay, then regroup with her Reds.

Instead she was dealing with a creature she had never encountered before, one who was obviously more intelligent than she had given credit for. But why here? Why come now?

“You took over a kingdom just to destroy planets you had no intention of inhabiting? Why?”

The Worldkiller laughed, a low, hissing sound but what she supposed countered for a laugh where he came from.

“I turned the Diasporans into a conquering force to improve the Universe. To better life for all species. There are too many weak planets in the known Universe. Too many fighting amongst themselves, leaving their homes unprotected from real threats. When my army attacks that world is forced to come together, to work as one to survive or perish. If they survive, the planet is stronger for it. If they die, the Universe is stronger for having culled the weak.” The Symbiont explained. “Do not mistake me for a killing machine like Reign. Your father did not recreate the mistake of having his creations as intelligent as I am.”

Kara watched and listened closely, coming to the conclusion he truly believes what he was saying.. “What makes you think you have the right to decide what planets are strong enough for the Universe?”

“What gives you the right? Your grudge against the White Martians was legendary before you became a Red Lantern. Is that not what Red Lanterns do? Burn the scum of the Universe? Is your mission and mine that different?”

Kara did not answer. She wanted to understand her enemy, not have a philosophical discussion.

“Why this planet? Why now?”

“You led the people of this Earth. You showed them what a hero truly was. I watched to decide if they would follow you. They did not. Even now they do not follow you. You have taken control of the nuclear weapons capability of the nations. Had you not, they would have struck each other. You know they would, that is why you hijacked their offensive capabilities. Even while fighting a war you are having to protect them from themselves. You forced the Green Lanterns hands into fighting rather than have this planet’s airpower match mine, this planet’s soldiers match mine. You have no faith in the humans.”

Kara did not argue this point. She had faith in many humans but no faith for mankind as a whole.

“You came yourself. You knew I wouldn’t stay out of it. You knew I was a Red Lantern. You brought your army to certain death, along with the imprisoned Worldkillers. You knew you would lose and I would have you here. Why?”

“Why do you think? Have I given you too much credit for your intelligence? You know what I am. You must know what I want.”

“Me.” Kara realized, and looked more closely at the Worldkiller’s body.

The King’s silence told her she was correct. She wouldn’t have what she wanted today, she wouldn’t have this man’s blood but she had won the war.

“I’m not killing you. I will place you in the tomb that held Doomsday and send you to the Phantom Zone or let you drift endlessly in the unexplored areas of the Universe but I won’t kill you. You will not have me.”

The Worldkiller nodded his head. “I did hope in your great anger you would strike me down without thought. It appears your curious nature, your desperate need for answers will be my downfall. You have left me with no choice I suppose. In your detailed survey of my body, you missed the small bomb attached to my lower spine. I don’t need you to kill me to be free.”

“You won’t kill yourself.” Kara told him, trying to sound confident but the tone of his voice told her he was very serious.

Kara checked his body carefully, a chill overtaking her, though that should have been physically impossible. Her blood was pure burning rage, her entire body a weapon, but this small bomb embedded on the King’s spine just under his black tendril told her he was not bluffing.

“You are bluffing.” the blonde tried. “You have no way to know for sure if you can take me. My body isn’t human or Kryptonian. My blood can burn you to nothing.”

But what would he do if he took over her body? Could she fight him off, keep control? Would the ring allow him to take her over? Could his form stand up to her power without disintegrating?

She felt a portal open up behind her. Guy’s portal, though she specifically told the Reds to stay away. Bruce had a way of getting people to do as he wanted and she suspected Guy was no different. She recognized the heartbeats of her friends, Connolly and Dante, Ty, and Dan, as well as Bruce. Ramon and Snow were also likely present but Kara did not bother to look. Another portal opened up, this one made of Green energy Kara assumed must have been John Stewart along with Barry, Curry, Lobo, J’onn and Diana.

The sky around them became filled with Red and Green Lanterns watching from above. Kara’s showdown with the Worldkiller had drawn quite an audience and a part of her wondered who was there to kill her if things went badly. So long as they stayed out of her way until this fight was done, she could handle the rest afterward.

“Kara, you can’t kill him. He is a…” Bruce started to warn her.

“I know what he is, Bruce.” the blonde calmly told him, feeling anything but. Her hand was being forced, she was on the defensive and a blow hadn’t even been thrown. This had been a mental challenge since they both landed. A standoff between a man having confidence in his own powers on one side and a blonde girl who was trying to feign confidence, fool him into thinking she could stop him if he tried to take over her mind and body.

The two continued to stare at each other as if they were old west gunfighters. After a few long moments the snake king finally spoke.

“I have no idea if I can survive your attack. You may kill me as well, the same manner I am sure you killed Reign. In the end, you have no choice but to try and stop me. Ten seconds and the bomb detonates. All it takes is one touch of my tendrils attached to this spine. After that, it’s you or I in battle. Prepare yourself Kara. I would recommend your friends go away. The blast is going to be quite large.”

Ten seconds seemed to last forever in Kara’s mind.

“Guy, protect them from the blast. You are going to need all of them if this thing beats me.”

Kara unleashed her breath on the creature, fire as hot as the molten core of a planet burning the body and detonating the bomb inside him with two seconds remaining. She hoped by taking the offensive in his death, setting off the bomb herself and perhaps weakening the symbiont if it was not prepared.

The symbiont attacked her, covering her entire body in a black liquid. Kara felt cold, so cold it burned. She could feel the symbiont trying to force its way into her mouth, forcing itself into her ears, trying to pry her eyelids open.

Kara screamed from the pain.

Another voice, his, spoke in her head in Kryptonese.

“It is over. Take the rest you have searched for so long. You have reached the end. It is my time now.”

“No!” Kara shouted. “This is my body, my mind. You won’t take it!”

“I already have.”

Kara opened her eyes and found she was in a familiar place. She had retreated into herself, just as she had when the Ring attached to her. This time was different. She did not have Diana with her and she was not fighting herself.

She was surrounded by the four remaining Inversions and Zor El.

“Interesting choice.” the Worldkiller told her. “You could have manifested me as one of your greatest enemies, Non, Astra, Zod, Brainiac, but instead you chose your father. I have to say your mind is a fascinating place. Don’t worry about the dark. Soon you will go away, find the peace you have sought for so long. You will forget you exist.”

“I won’t let you stay in my head.” Kara told him, not sounding confident. The Inversions, the demons she had banished were free again. She had let them out of the box to defeat Reign and they had no intention of going back.

“If you are wondering your friends see you, surrounded by my armor, unable to move, not knowing if they should touch you or not, not knowing if they should try to kill you. The Amazon and the Green Lantern are considering it and the Batman and the Flash are preparing to fight to keep us alive. Your military friends have circled Diana and the Lantern Stewart. Guy Gardner is calling the Reds to protect you. J’onn, the Martian is trying desperately to break into your mind. He will also fight the Amazon. You have quite the circle of loyal friends, Kara.”

Kara shook her head and moved towards the monster. Before she could take a step, two of the Inversions had her by the arms, pinning her against a dark wall. She could feel a substance wrapping around her waist and thighs, preventing her from moving.

“I would not count on your ring to save you. Your friends are quite upset you locked them in a box. They are more amendable to my way of thinking. You were nearly the perfect Red Lantern but that nagging bit of morality stayed with you. Your humans made you weak.” he told her. The Worldkiller reached out and caressed her cheek. His touch was so cold Kara tried to jerk back but was unable to move away.

A hand was placed on her forehead and the Worldkiller was gone, along with the Inversions. There was nothing, no sight, no sound, no floor beneath her feet, no wall holding her.

She was completely alone.

“Not like this.” Kara whispered, relieved she could hear her own voice. “Not like this. I don’t want to just disappear.”

Kara frantically looked all around. She knew her eyes were open, or at least thought they might be. The longer she stayed the less real she felt. She was going away, merging in the darkness.

“Kara?”

A voice, a voice she knew as well as her own.

Jeremiah was there. She couldn’t see his face but she heard him, smelt him, knew his heartbeat.

“Hey there. It’s kind of dark in here. I hope you aren’t thinking of moving back in. I don’t think we can get a satellite signal in here or an outlet for a TV. How are we going to watch all those romance and action movies?”

She could feel him moving closer to her. The closer he got, the more real she felt.

“This is what space is like, only without the sound. If you sit long enough, you can forget you exist.” the blonde found herself saying, remembering this conversation. She had retreated to her cave because Alex was mad after finding out Kara had been breaking her own fingers. Jeremiah had followed her.

“Do you want to forget you exist?”

Kara shook her head. “No.”

“That’s good. I know there are four people in our family who will never forget you exist.”

“I’m scared.” Kara told him in a small voice.

She felt his hand take hers and reveled in the warmth.

“I know, but you are not alone. You will never be alone. It’s the only choice you don’t get to make. I will always be here with you.”

“I feel like I am slipping away.”

Jeremiah squeezed her hand. “So stop. Don’t let him win. This is your body and those demons on your finger serve you, not him. You are stronger than they are.”

Kara shrugged her shoulders. “I can’t fight them all forever. I can’t fight the ring, I can’t fight him.”

She could feel the air move as Jeremiah stood up. She missed the warmth of his hand immediately and fought to reach for it again.

“You don’t have to fight them forever. You just have to fight them right now.” he told her.

Jeremiah was gone, along with the feeling of Kara’s hand. She felt herself slipping into nothing again. Once she had read a comic book about a girl who could walk through walls. The girl thought it made her special until she couldn’t become solid again. Then she began dissipating, becoming more and more of a ghost until there was nothing left of her.

A small light. Kara could see a light. It wasn’t much of one but was growing.

“Hey.” Alex greeted her, fourteen and innocent, not knowing the dangers that would come. The light was growing and Kara held onto the vision. She wanted Alex to stay but knew what she had to do, what the right thing to do was.

“Please go away. I will ruin your life.” Kara told her.

“You aren’t ruining anything. Me and you kid, against the world. Nobody beats us.” Alex told her and ran her hand through Kara’s hair. The blonde’s vision changed and she was on her back. Her body was solid and in great pain. She was sweating, cramping and shaking. Her muscles were screaming.

She felt Alex behind her, arms wrapped around Kara’s chest.

“I swear if you ever take another drink after this I am going to beat the hell out of you.” she heard an exhausted Alex mumble, more to herself than Kara.

“Let me go.” Kara whispered.

“It’s either me or hospital straps. Take your pick, sweetie.”

“Let me go!” Kara screamed. “You can’t do this! You can’t! Let go of me!”

“No.” Alex’s resigned and very tired voice told her.

“I will hate you forever.” Kara told her, ready to say anything if Alex would let her out of this prison.

“No you won’t.”

“I will.”

“Sure you will. You’ve said it eight times in the past hour. Keep telling yourself that. You are stuck with me.”

Kara did not remember this, but it was not surprising. She didn’t remember a lot about the time she spent detoxing. The blonde knew she said horrible things, and she also knew Alex held her for days, never left her side.

“Why? Why do you do this to yourself?” Kara asked her.

She felt Alex shrug her shoulders. “Because I love you, whether you like it or not.”

“I’m slipping. I don’t know how much longer I can hold on before I am gone.” Kara admitted. She felt Alex’s face press against the back of her hair, a whisper in her ear.

“Why do you think that? You are stronger than he is. You have known love, hate, pain and suffering. You have known sacrifice, heartache and strength he doesn’t have. He can never make you go away, any more than those red demons can. Everything you have done, good and bad, has made you who you are today. He is nothing compared to you. Nothing compared to us. How can you not exist? It’s impossible. That would mean I don’t exist and I do.”

Kara found herself back in the cave, a fourteen year old Alex in front of her. “You will be mad.” she told her big sister.

“That’s usually what you say when you are about to tell me something stupid you have done.” the girl told her with a wicked grin Kara missed so much. She hadn’t seen that grin on Alex’s face in years.

“You know I can’t beat him forever. He is too strong. He is in my mind, searching through everything. He will know about Clark, know about all of you. He won’t stop until you are dead, until he has the Codex and Clark is dead.”

“You will handle it. You always do. I will always believe in you.” Alex told her, then was gone, back into the dark.

Kara felt tears in her eyes. She was grateful for that because it reminded her this was real. She was crying due to the pain. Alex was gone and she could feel the Worldkiller’s fingers prying through her mind, invading her against her will. It made her feel helpless, victimized. Soon she would have no secrets, no protected place in her mind. Nowhere left to run to.

“Mommy? I’m scared.” she admitted and felt herself walking through the complete darkness. She reached out and felt the bed. Pulling back the covers like usual, she slid in next to Eliza whose arms were open wide for her. Kara wasn’t sure if the woman even woke or it was a natural reaction for her to hold Kara late at night. Those arms felt so good right now.

“I don’t know what to do.” she whispered. “Should I just go to sleep? I’m tired.”

“Not yet, sweet girl.” Eliza whispered in her ear. “Fight.”

“You never wanted me to fight.” Kara reminded her.

Eliza squeezed her tighter though it had no effect on Kara’s hard body. “But you are a fighter. I love that about you. You and Alex, my daughters, protecting the world. You have always been a fighter Kara. Don’t stop now.”

A bright light lit up the place Kara existed in. Everything was bright, nearly hurting her eyes. Kara reached in front of her and brought her hands up. She was whole, complete. She even wore the most beautiful white dress. It was a dress her mother wore during her mating ceremony. Kara had seen holos of her mother and thought she was the most beautiful woman who ever existed.

“Kara?”

The blonde turned around and saw her.

“Mother?”

Like the others, Alura seemed so real, Kara could swear she was here. The girl reached out and Alura took her hand. The blonde was shocked at how that hand felt. The texture of her mother’s skin, long forgotten came flooding back. She remembered details she had forgotten, a freckle under her right eye her mother had, the tiny sparkles of green in her blue eyes, the smell of her perfume.

“You are so beautiful.” Alura whispered. “I have been with you every day. I am so sorry. This was never the life I wanted for you. Not this. You shouldn’t have to correct your father’s mistakes.”

Kara shrugged her shoulders. It didn’t matter now. It was over.

“Hug me?”

Alura wrapped her arms around the girl and brought her close. Even the smell and feel of her hair was so real.

“Did it hurt?”

“Did what hurt?” the mother asked.

“Dying? Did it hurt?”

Alura shook her head. “It was over quickly. All that hurt was watching you go away.”

“Alex is going to be mad, isn’t she? She won’t understand. I don’t have a choice. I can feel him, clawing through my mind, making me go away forever. Either way, I am lost. At least this way I can win. I can end the threat.”

Alura nodded her head, her eyes filling with tears.

“The funny thing is, as many times in the past as I wished I was dead, now that I know what I have to do, I don’t want to die.” Kara told her.

Alura smiled at her. “That’s good. It means your life was good. You have things to hold on to. That’s what you have to remember. Protect those you cherish. You are not doing this for selfish reasons.”

“I would have made a good teacher. I think I would have.” Kara said but wasn’t sure if it was true or just the thing she held on to, her hope for a normal life.” Are you going to be there? When I die, will you be there, waiting for me?”

Alura nodded her head. “Always Kara.”

“Will they forgive me? Will they understand I had no choice? Will Alex forgive me?”

“One day.” the mother told her. “The two of you will be together again. Nobody is ever really gone.”

“I might be. He wants to erase me, use my body to destroy everything.”

Alura shook her head the smile gone, her face hardening.

“Then don’t let him. We don’t quit daughter. Eliza never quit, Jeremiah never quit, Alex never quit, they loved you through it all. You cannot quit either. That is not what we do. We fight. Now go Kara. You know what you have to do.”

Kara did. She had to burn everything. It was the only way. The Red Ring, the Worldkiller, it all had to burn.

The blonde kissed her mother on the cheek and closed her eyes.

When she opened them, she was once again in the dark room with the demonic figures of the inversions and Zor El.

“I thought you had gone away.” The Worldkiller said, sounding slightly impressed.

Kara’s eyes glowed and she pulled from the wall with all her strength. The black material wrapping around her began to give.

The four Inversions attacked, grabbing her as she broke free from the blackness of the Worldkiller. Two held her arms and two had hands around her throat. Kara twisted and threw them away, then kicked out at the monster in her father’s form.

“Get out of my head.” she told the Worldkiller, lifting him in the air by his throat. The surprise was evident on his face and Kara knew she had him for now. He had not expected her to resist. Tossing him away, Kara could feel the air on her face, make out the sounds around her. She felt the black goo wrapping her body, trying to enter her mouth. The girl strained, her red ring lighting up and burning the black Symbiont a bit, forcing its form to retreat from her mouth.

She looked at those surrounding her and met Bruce’s eyes.

“Tell my family, Alex, tell them I love them. Tell them I didn’t have a choice.” she said with her last breath.

Kara’s arm shot into the air with a scream and a red beam of light was emitted from her ring, forming a red portal. The girl wasted no time, flying into it. It closed behind her quickly.

Kara had what she wanted. She had regained control long enough to use her ring. She had fought the Inversions and the Worldkillers and had the satisfaction of hearing them scream when they realized her plan.

She had sent herself to the middle of the sun. With light filling her vision, she felt her body disintegrating, the ring exploding and the Wordlkiller dying.

With a final victory, Kara found the peace she had sought for so long.