Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Survivors

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 48: Preparations

The DEO agents stood in the large open area of the underground desert facility, staring at the seven foot monster with a goatee, grey skin and red eyes. He had found a shirt today but it did little to hide the large muscles he was not afraid to exhibit. The man, or monster, was smirking, as he always seemed to be. Lobo acted as if he was in on a joke only he knew and perhaps he was.

There she was, in all her red and blue glory. Kara Danvers had entered the room, her sister in the Kryptonian battle armor beside her, hand on the butt of the gun that burst his ear drum once. Lobo was very interested in the bag Kara was carrying.

“Ladies. Been playing cops and robbers I see. I hear it has been an interesting couple of days.”

Kara shook her head, annoyed that he was so comfortable here but a small part enjoying the nervousness, even fear of the DEO agents surrounding him.

“Not here. Lets take a walk.” Kara told him, the two girls walking past the monster as if his sight did not affect them one bit. Of course it didn’t. The sisters had taken him out before and had no doubt they could do it again if needed.

Lobo winked at an attractive red headed female agent, motioned for her to call him and followed.

Outside the trio walked for ten minutes, far enough away from prying ears.

“Kelex, are any listening devices active?”

“Nope, you are clear to talk to the psycho.” the tiny robot responded.

The blonde looked at her sister.

“He is getting way too good at picking up the nuances of the English language.”

Alex shrugged her shoulders. She may have been working with Kelex in her spare time on his speech but Kara didn’t need to know that.

“What have you found?” the blonde asked.

“Canada of all damn places. In the wild between Toronto and Sudbary, under the damn ground with a reenforced tunnel that will walk you straight to the main hub of Myriad, under Lake Huron, the Georgina Bay. Its perfect. The hub is large but covered by deep water and the woods cover the entrance to the base. The green land is too damn rough for the average hiker to travel. If they do, they wind up dead and the body somewhere else. No listening devices, no cell phones, no satellite pics. Considering they got Indigo covering the electronic interference, it isn’t a surprise that your tech couldn’t find it.”

“How did you find it?” Alex asked suspiciously.

“Easy. I figured like you, most Kryptonians had been showing up in Metropolis. They had to be close. I managed to hang out at the bar enough that no one left when I walked in. They were pretty tight lipped until a few days ago. Some Fort Rozz guys abandoned Non. Rumor spread like wildfire. Kara Zor El had killed the remaining Kryptonians and her aunt, the great General Astra. You went from the hunted to being the hunter in a few days time. You are now the boogie man aliens tell scary stories about to their kids. Nice job, Beautiful. Everyone is scared of you now. Some of the guys said Non is going through with Myriad. A few hard core holdouts remained, probably about ten maybe fifteen. I am not sure of all the species. I guess the deserters are running, hiding from you. The hub is made of a metal, I am sure like the one that cell I was held in was made of.”

“So I can’t break in from the outside.” Kara mumbled.

“Nah. The problem with that metal isn’t the hardness, its the flexibility. It will bend with your strikes and go back to its original form. Like hitting through silly putty. I like silly putty. Do you like it? Ever played with it? I found it before I came to this planet actually, only it was made from the eyes of a…”

“Lobo, can we please stay on point?” Kara asked politely, not wanting to hear that story.

“Right. Look the thing is about a month away from completion. Word from some of the defectors is Non is going to attack National City, try and take over some guy named Max Lord’s satellites. Only problem is a lot of them think you probably live in or around National City and want nothing to do with it.”

“How do I get in? Fight my way through the tunnel?” Kara asked.

“Yep. We can handle it. There is a power core int the middle of the ship. You overload it and it will blow the place from the inside. The shell will still be on the bottom, probably with a few holes in it but the tech will be wiped out.”

Alex shook her head. “How in the hell is she supposed to get to the middle of this thing, fight Non and probably Indigo and then destroy the power core? She isn’t getting stuck in a massive explosion.”

“She would survive.” Lobo countered. “I’ll do it if you want. Doesn’t matter. But I have a better idea. I realize you are all used to her using superpowers but lets try something else. We kill Non and Indigo, everyone else then set some explosives next to the power core, set a timer for say thirty minutes, stroll outside, sit on the shore, maybe grill some steaks and watch the waterworks when it goes up. Should be a hell of a show. The force of the explosion inside should at least cause a few water spouts.”

Kara and Alex looked at each other, neither wanting to admit it was a good idea neither of them had thought of.

“I guess that could work.” Kara mumbled. “We attack in two days. We will meet somewhere in Metropolis and all move at once. Alex and I need another day to finish our plan for Indigo.”

Alex handed him a card. “Call this number. Once you do, we can reach you and you can reach us.”

“Sounds great. Should give me plenty of time of get my gear ready. So we taken all those loser agents or just the ones who know how to fight?”

“Just the ones who know how to fight. I don’t want others getting in our way.” Kara told him.

She reached in her bag and brought out an Omegahedron, handing it to Lobo.

“I said after the job was done.”

“In case I don’t make it. I know you won’t take off or betray us. You have a very strange way of looking at life but you do have a code. I want you to have it.”

“Thanks kid.” he told her gratefully.

“Don’t thank me. If I die I want to make sure you get the hell off this planet.” Kara told him with a sweet smile.

“I knew you were falling in love with me. Don’t get fatalistic. Non isn’t anything compared to Astra. His army is running and he knows his plans are in trouble. He has a Coluan and thats about the biggest weapon in his arsenal. If you got a way to take her out, the rest is just us kicking ass and to hell with the names. Non is all yours.”

“Non is no joke. Astra most likely held back with me. That was her mistake. He won’t make the same.” Kara pointed out.

“You can take him. You aren’t Alura’s daughter anymore. The aliens on this planet are scared of you. They could care less what your mother did to them. They are more concerned with what you are going to do with them.”

“I’ll be ready. I’ve got some recon to do. Could you call that number and give as much information as you know to a guy on the other end about the coordinates? Once he has it, I will get a good idea about what we are facing.”

“No problem. This guy have a name?”

“He’s a tiny robot maid that sounds like Tom Hiddleston.”

“Loki? Love that guy. My kind of scum. See you in two days, Kara. Oh, and you are welcome.”

The two sisters watched Lobo leave, both impressed by the sound of his bike.

“Why did he say you were welcome?” Alex asked, as soon as he was out of sight.

“I have no idea. Weird guy.” Kara told her, not mentioning the fact that she saw him move quickly, tossing the red solar grenade into the bag when she pulled out the Omegahedron. He knew what she wanted it for. Somehow he knew.

Kara supposed they may not be that different after all.

“Lets go inside. You have to be burning up in that suit. Connolly should be here shortly with your bike. You were great today.”

“Thanks for inviting me. For trusting me.”

“I always will, even if you scare the hell out of me.”

Alex shrugged her shoulders.

“You know what would be cool? If we had like a team of people like us. People with superpowers or really good fighters. We could come up with a cool name, maybe have a secret headquarters…”

“Alex, we have a team. A guy with a bat fetish and a lot of tech, a former acrobat turned vigilante, five Navy Seals with a death wish and an alien bounty hunter who commits genocide as a science experiment. What else do we need?”

“How about Super Fr…”

“If you finish that I will turn your bike into the pile of metal I found it in.”

“I’m shutting up now. Stay away from my bike or your cat could be next.”

The two girls eventually made it back to the DEO office downtown, Kara and Alex sealed off in the basement in case they crossed the wrong wires, while Jeremiah and Eliza worked on the weapon that would weaken Indigo before Alex could finish her.

In theory.

That night, Kara did lay down in the sick bay bed and slept all night, no dreams, no nightmares, just closed her eyes and blessed darkness until morning. She saw Alex, Connolly and Hawk off to school, trying not to laugh at the image of Hawk sitting in Alex’s genetics lab and proceeded to continue research on Coluans before finding Webb to spar. Her plans were derailed when she received an alert from Kelex.

“Yeah?” the girl grumpily answered, reminding herself to make a habit of remembering to take the com out when she slept.

“I received an email from Cat Grant. She said she urgently needs to speak to you.”

“How did she get my email address?”

“You sent her an email with your uniforms. She replied back. You told me not to let your communications be traced. An email can be responded to whether the sender knows the IP or not.”

“Oh… that makes sense. Email her back, tell her I am in the course of preparing for an alien war and will talk to her hopefully in a few days unless I am dead.”

“She was very urgent in her request. It was stated this was a matter of upmost importance and time sensitive.”

Kara rolled her eyes and walked to the locker room, taking off her pajamas, not giving a damn about the agents who had seen her walking the Federal building in them and putting on her red skirt and blue top. A quick good morning to her mother, father and little brother and she was gone with a promise to return shortly.

Minutes later she landed on Cat Grant’s balcony and knocked on the glass door.

Kara was immediately concerned. Cat was not her usual self by her face. The woman always had a look of supreme confidence, bordering on arrogance and appeared unfazed by anything or anyone around her. Now she looked tired and worried.

“You emailed? I’m kind of getting ready to finish off the rest of the evil army bent on destroying the human race so I can’t really do robberies today. By the way, there was no first grade class in that museum.”

“I… received a request. I usually dismiss all public requests to assistants, interns, execs in PR, you get the idea. This one came to my attention however. I have stayed up all night deciding if I should tell you this. Honestly I still don’t know. I do not know if you can handle this…”

“I’m Supergirl, remember? I can handle anything, including hostage situations where imaginary first grade classes are in danger.”

“This is a bit more serious. A woman named Patty Tyler contacted me. Actually she contacted our charity foundation and was passed on to me. She works for the Make a Wish Foundation. I suppose you know what that is.”

Kara nodded her head slightly, not liking where this was going.

“There is a little girl, she doesn’t have much time. She has… she wanted to meet you before she… I am sorry but I couldn’t justify keeping this from you. I don’t think you should go. You are what, 18 or 19? Too young for…”

“What hospital is she in?” the blonde asked.

“St. Vincents. Supergirl…”

“You swear to me, right now, that you will never reveal my identity. Swear to me, Cat.”

“What? Why…”

“Swear to me. I am trusting you here. Swear to me.”

“I swear, even if I find out I will never reveal it.”

“Then my name is Kara. If we are going to spend a lot of time together and I suspect we will, I don’t want to be called Supergirl when we are alone.”

“Kara.” Cat whispered. “Its a beautiful name.”

“Call the lady back, tell her I will meet her at the service entrance to the hospital. All cameras on me will be turned off in the hospital. I can handle that. I will be in plain clothes with a ball cap on, riding a black motorcycle. I can change into my uniform on the floor. I don’t want anyone else knowing about this. I won’t make a spectacle of this girl.”

“I understand… Kara. Are you sure? Are you sure you can handle this? I saw you after Oklahoma when you found that little girl…”

“I have to handle it. Who would I be if I didn’t go? If you insist on calling me a hero in print I have to act like one. Call this Patty. I will be there in an hour, no, thirty minutes.”

Thirty minutes later, after a quick stop at her apartment for a change of clothes, backpack and motorcycle she arrived and in the back a rather nervous looking woman was present. The cameras did not record her thanks to Kelex, placing them on a continuing loop where she walked but Kara still kept her head down, hair in a ponytail and cap pulled low.

“Are you Patty?”

“Yes… you are… her?”

“Yes. Take me too her.”

The woman did not waste time, hurriedly walking inside.

“She doesn’t have much time. She is… she is in a bad way. Her parents are alone with her.”

“Wait. If she doesn’t have much time… should I intrude on that? On her being with her parents?”

Patty shrugged her shoulders. “The parents were really hoping you could make it but didn’t have their hopes up. The girl has studied your pictures over and over again. I don’t think an actress could have pulled this off.”

“Then lets go.” Kara told her, walking by her side.

They arrived on the fifth floor, the pediatric word.

“Her name is Arianna. She is ten and has Leu…”

“Okay. Please ask her parents if they want me to come in. I will be in the bathroom changing. Also ask the head nurse to clear the wing as much as possible. I don’t want this girl’s… situation to turn into some publicity stunt for me. Okay?”

“Of course. Give me five minutes. The bathroom is at the end of the hall. I will knock when they are ready.”

Kara walked into the bathroom, changed in seconds and vomited in the toilet. Taking some water from the sink, she did her best to wash her mouth out and prayed to whoever or whatever was listening that she would be strong enough for this. The knock on the door came too soon.

She unlocked the door and looked at Patty who told her it was fine. The two walked three doors away.

The blonde slowly opened the door into the brightly lit room. Inside was a bed, a beautiful dark skinned girl, very thin and wearing a bright blue head scarf over her bald head with a red symbol Kara knew well emblazoned on it. The parents turned and took her in, smiles on their faces but Kara knew the sorrow they were hiding. She had seen it before, when a mother tried to be strong for her child but knew they were going to die.

“Hello.”

“It’s really you.” the girl whispered. Her eyes lit up, despite the obvious tiredness behind them. The small nasal canulla delivering oxygen had been removed and placed on the side of her bed. No wires or IVs were attached to the child. Medical interventions were finished.

“Yeah, you are Arianna?”

“You know my name?”

“Yep. Can you keep a secret?” she asked, taking a chair next to the bed across from girl’s parents.

“Yeah.”

“My name, my real name is Kara.” she whispered. “Ariranna is a lot cooler though. I heard you wanted to meet me?”

“Yeah… thanks. I just wanted to… you are really her?”

Kara stood up, walked to a small cabinet and poured a glass of water. Walking back to the girl she gently blew into it. The water turned to ice, causing the little girl’s eyes to widen.

“Thats how you beat the tornado! I watched on TV.”

“Yeah, that was pretty scary.” Kara admitted.

“I’m scared.” the girl told her.

“I know. Thats okay. We all get scared. But you are going to be…”

“I’m dying.” Arianna whispered.

Kara choked back a sob. Of all the times she had thought she could not feel pain unless she did it to herself this was one time she was wrong. The burning in her chest would not go away, only worsen.

Not knowing what to say, she held the little girl’s hand.

“Are you an angel? I know you said you were an alien but you look like an angel.”

Kara shook her head. “No, I am not an angel. Just a girl born on another planet.”

“Do you think there is a Heaven?”

The teen closed her eyes for a moment.

“Can I tell you a story?”

Arianna nodded.

“Recently, I almost died. I was in this place and it was… it had to be Heaven. I couldn’t stay there but I wanted to. I wanted to more than anything. It was Heaven. Everything was perfect, everybody was happy. No one hurt there. There was no pain or sickness. It was the most beautiful day you could imagine and it would never go away. I know there is a Heaven. It is so beautiful, Arianna. I have seen it, been to it.”

The girl coughed violently, sitting up in bed. Her mother rubbed her back until she calmed. Laying down once again, she looked back at Supergirl.

“My little brother came in earlier. I told him I loved him.”

“Thats good. I have a sister and a brother here on Earth. I have parents on Earth. Its important that we tell them we love them.”

“He was sad. I don’t think I am going to see him again.” the girl admitted.

Kara shook her head. “You have to believe, Arianna. You have to believe that we are all going to see our loved ones again. They are never gone. You will never be alone. You will be with them and they will be with you, even when you are in Heaven. Love does not end. Where you are going, it is going to be so beautiful, just like you.”

Arianna smiled at her and blinked slowly.

“I’m getting sleepy.”

“Let me leave you to visit with your parents. I bet your mother and father want to hold your hand and I am getting in their way.”

“No! Would you please stay? Just until I go to sleep?”

Kara nodded her head. “Yeah. I am going to stand in that corner. You talk to your parents but I will be here, just over there, okay? I am not going anywhere.”

Kara stood up and nodded to the parents who were smiling through heavy tears. She walked to the corner of the room and stood, watching the two adults take their little girl’s hands. She did not listen to what they were saying, concentrating on anything else she could hear. Kara did keep her eyes on the little one. Thoughts of those she had loved once and were now gone were flashing in her head. Astra’s face looking at her, telling her she loved her. Despite how twisted she had become Kara believed her. Astra had loved her. Her mother had loved her. Despite what had happened, the love had been real. It had to be.

After ten minutes of talking to her parents who were trying so hard to be strong, Arianna closed her eyes. A wail from the mother a few moments later told Kara all she needed to know. A nurse walked in and Kara slipped out, going to the bathroom to change. When she stepped out, Patty was waiting for her.

“Thank you. You have no idea what that meant to her. I… I had seen you on TV but had no idea how really young you were. I won’t ask again. Nobody should have…”

“If you need me again, contact Cat Grant. Only you. Maybe there are some days I can come up here and visit some of the other kids if they want to see me. As long as we can do it quietly. I don’t want media knowing about this. What happens here is… sacred.”

“Yes it is.” the woman agreed. “Let me walk you out.”

Kara stepped out, moving automatically, not thinking, just wanting to get away. Once she was on her bike she had intended to drive straight to the DEO. Instead she passed it and kept driving. For over an hour, she just rode, trying to clear her mind, not thinking about anything but what she had just seen. She had just seen parents lose a child and it felt like she had burned herself again only more raw. She wondered if her mother had sounded like that after her and Clark’s ship left the bay.

The blonde didn’t realize she had stopped her bike until she was nearly to the door. Opening the heavy, tall wooden door, Kara walked in, up the aisle and slid into a seat. Looking around her, she was impressed by the architecture. Old cathedrals always fascinated her, reminding her so much of the temples of Rao on Krypton.

“Are you here for Confession?” a voice in the aisle asked her. She looked up and saw a young man in black with a white collar. He had a full head of blonde hair and youthful eyes. She suspected he couldn’t be older than 30.

“No, I am not Catholic and it would take too long. I just… I don’t know why I stopped here.” the girl admitted. “I’ve never been in a church here before.”

“You mean National City or Earth?” the young priest asked. Kara looked at him sharply.

“Sorry, but you have been causing waves in my social circles. Even in casual clothes you are hard to miss. You are the most famous face in the world after all.

Kara quietly laughed. “I usually am pretty good at blending in, avoiding attention. I wear disguises. I am so good I could walk in here tomorrow and you wouldn’t recognize me. I just don’t have it in me today.”

The priest nodded and slid in next to the girl.

“Perhaps you need someone to talk to?”

“No.” she told him, shaking her head. “I… have people to talk to. Besides its just been a trying day and it isn’t even Noon. I am good though.”

“You have been crying since you walked in. You still have tears on your cheeks. Haven’t you noticed?”

Supergirl wiped her eyes. “I guess after crying so many years it just goes unnoticed. For a supposed superhero I cry a lot.”

“Showing emotions can be a strength. Never be afraid to cry. Maybe if more people cried in this world, it wouldn’t be such a bad place. Are you sure you don’t want to talk? Even if you aren’t part of the tribe I keep what is said to myself. Perks of talking to a priest. You can tell us anything and we can’t say a word.”

“I thought that was only in the confines of Confession?”

The man was surprised and chuckled.

“And you said you weren’t Catholic.”

“I studied all religions when I arrived here. I found them fascinating. When I was a girl, on my planet we worshiped our sun. I believed our god was the sun in every cell in my body. But my illusion was shattered later on. For a long time now I have believed there is no god. Nothing but the living, good and evil, right and wrong, and once we are gone, we are gone. I told a dying girl this morning that there was a Heaven. Did I lie to her?”

“What do you think?”

Kara looked at the man, surprised.

“This is the part where you tell me there is a Heaven.”

“I could tell you that over and over.” the priest admitted. “What good would it do? What it comes down to is what you believe. That is all that really matters. I can’t make you believe something. Deep in your heart, you know what you believe. We can compare different religions or the views of believers as opposed to non believers all afternoon. Humans have been doing it since the first caveman erected a statue and kneeled in front of it. None of that matters. Faith is what is important. A person needs faith. But the basis of faith is belief. My only suggestion to you is to believe in something. Find what is in your heart and let it be your guiding star. If you do that you won’t be wrong, no matter what else anyone says. Just have faith in that.”

“Can I ask what your thoughts are? I hear people all over the city and on television even though I try not to. Am I the savior of the human race or the AntiChrist?”

“I think you are a girl who is doing the best she can with what she was given to help others. Thats all anyone could expect from you, no different than anyone can expect of all of us. We all have to do the best we can no matter what. If it means feeding a homeless person, volunteering at a shelter, standing up for a kid being bullied or catching a 747, we all do what we can. Its the only chance this planet has of becoming something wonderful. Some say it can never happen. I believe that it can. If nothing else we can’t stop trying, right?”

“Yeah, I guess so. I should go. Thank you.”

Kara stood up and moved into the aisle, walking quickly. She needed to prepare. She could search her soul later for what she believed in. Right now, she had a fight to prepare for. The fight with Astra had been sudden. Kara had flown in blind panic, fought her, not having time to think about it. This time she did and her mind would not quiet. Arianna, Non, Astra, her mother, they were all racing in her head on a continuos loop.

“Oh, Supergirl?” the priest called.

“Yeah?”

“Next time you are here we are taking a selfie. It will elevate my standing in my social circles. Plus I am going to tell the world you are Catholic. It will be on my Facebook page. My bishop is going to be so jealous.”

“I’m not a Catholic.” she reminded him, grinning despite herself.

“Are you going to call a priest a liar? Good luck and stop by anytime if you need a quiet place to think. The church is always here. Do me one favor. No matter what you believe in, don’t stop. Its making the world better.”

Kara gave a small smile and walked out to her bike. She needed to see her little brother.

While Kara was having a difficult morning, Alex was having a frustrating one. It was hard enough to concentrate in class, knowing what she would be facing tomorrow and itching to be training. Still she had to maintain her classes. Having two bodyguards or backup as they pretended to be, was frustrating as well. Connolly wasn’t bad, other than getting many lingering looks from her female classmates.

Hawk seemed to attract attention though. Being 6’9 with a bodybuilder’s physique squeezed into a tiny chair tended to do that.

Dan kept a watch, walking the perimeter of the food court with a double cheeseburger in his hand while Connolly and Alex ate sandwiches at a small table, away from the crowd.

“You ready for this?” he asked, not needing to say what this was.

“Of course. I’ve been training for this for five years. You have been training me. You know I am.”

“Yes.” he agreed. “Physically you are ready for this. Mentally, are you ready?”

“You think I’m not?” she asked, trying to laugh it off but failing.

“I think you are, but what I think doesn’t matter. You killed that Kryptonian on the beach. How have you been handling it?”

“She was a threat to my family. I would do it again.”

“I know you would.” the man agreed. “I asked how you were handling it. Kara has done many things in the recent past that she has had to do and we both know that while she has no problem doing it, she doesn’t handle it very well. I want to know how you are feeling about it. Have you talked to Jess?”

“No. The first time you were in a battle did you talk to someone after you killed?”

“Yep. Lance Corporal Micheal Tonlin.”

“Oh… really? What did you say?”

“I asked him if he had seen what a great shot that was.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “Of course you did.”

“I asked that because I didn’t want to think about what I had just done too deeply. Jess says I internalize so much stuff if I was popped with a needle the explosion would be catastrophic. You don’t have to be like that. Its okay to talk about it. Its okay to kill because it needs to be done but not feel good about it.”

“You want me to talk to you…”

“God no! I suck at emotional stuff. Thats why we have a psychologist on government payroll dedicated to your family. Talk to her about it. But right now, I need to know you aren’t going to freeze.”

Alex tossed her salad fork on the table and glared at the man.

“I will do what needs to be done. I always have and I never freeze.”

“Okay, I just had to ask. I’ve been with you for hours every week over the last five years, teaching you everything I know because I believe in you. If something happens to you because I didn’t train you correctly thats on me and I don’t want it to be on me. You don’t have to do this thing with the computer thing. One of us can do it. I can do it.”

“No you can’t. I made the weapon and I will use it. Follow the plan. Besides, since you refuse one of our Kryptonian outfits, you can be pierced. This woman… thing, can shape shift, probably turn her arms into blade, Terminator style. I mean the Judgement Day movie.”

“My favorite.” Connolly admitted. “Maybe I shouldn’t have trained you so well. The fact is you are good enough to do this. I wish you weren’t. I never intended for you to be. I wanted to teach you some basic strikes, how to handle a gun, stuff like that but never to the level I took you.”

“Then why did you?”

“Loyalty.” he told her.

“Loyalty? You did it because you are loyal to me?”

“Nope.” he answered and took a bite of his sandwich. “Your loyalty. Every time I thought I should hold something back I kept thinking if I did you would jump into a situation anyway. You have tremendous loyalty, Alex. That can’t be taught. You were loyal to a couple alien kids after knowing them for a few minutes. But when the DEO raided your home, that was when I figured it out.”

The man took a bite of his fries and saw he had her attention.

“Ty took set up and Dan and I had the woods. As soon as Ty fired, we came out, Dante and Jack entered through the upstairs to clear the house and Dan and I mowed down the rest. But I had to stand there in cover for about thirty very long seconds waiting for Ty. What I saw was a very angry young woman. Kara was resigned, ready to give herself up if it meant saving you all but you, oh no. You were looking for someway to hurt them. You weren’t looking to run. You weren’t going to leave her side and the first opening you had, your 70 pounds of skin and bone was going to try something, anything. I kept coming back to that. Does she really need to know this move? Better teach her because she is going to get herself in some crap one day whether she knows it or not.”

“I guess I’m not good at giving up on anything or anyone I love. Its probably why Kara is agreeing to this. She knows I would go after Indigo or Non myself and she wants me to have a plan instead of running in blindly.”

Connolly agreed. “Thats what I am thinking. But I do want you to think about something. That loyal person you are, the one who won’t leave a sister behind even outgunned and outmanned and outsized, that is the fighter you need to be. You have a great suit. I love it. It should keep you safe. You have a laser gun, a regular old handgun, a Kryptonite sword, a staff that I’m not sure how the hell it works but I am pretty sure it can break concrete. You got this suit that makes you a little stronger, a little faster. Thats all great but those are toys.”

“Yeah, toys that make me better.” she argued.

“Nope. They are toys for you to use. Don’t forget you are still the girl who can kick ass all on her own. These things you have are great but don’t rely on them completely. You are the fighter you are because of the work you have put in. You put that work in because you have amazing loyalty. Its what drives you. You aren’t fighting to save the world, you are fighting to save Kara if she gets in too deep. Just keep it in mind. Don’t rely on weapons. You are the weapon. Anything goes, fight as dirty as you can. You understand? Your mind and your heart, those are your weapons. The rest are just useful toys.”

“Yeah, I got it… I think. Sometimes I’m really not sure if you even know what you are talking about.”

“You do have a fair point. Talk to Jess if you need to. Killing someone isn’t easy, even if they do deserve it. It is necessary but it can weigh on some people.”

“Some people? Not you?”

“Are you kidding? I killed the guy who delivered the paper this morning just for target practice.”

“Sure you did, tough guy.”

“Just so you know, no matter what happens, I am damn proud of you. So how many more hours of class do we have to sit through? Or we can skip and go to the range? Maybe spar a little? Play Call of Duty?”

“You had me at Call of Duty. Lets go.”

As the sun began to set the Danvers sat down to eat in Jeremiah’s lab. Everything had been set, all the plans, weapons checked and rechecked. Kara had spent the afternoon playing video games with Clark, enjoying being in his presence. He soothed her, kept her calm and focused. She was doing what she was doing to keep their family and this planet safe. Clark had been elated to have all her attention that afternoon. He knew what was coming, what was going to happen. His hearing had been growing stronger as had his mastery of it. He still accidentally saw through things but recovered after a few seconds without falling down. So to have time with his big sister meant a lot because he knew she had a lot on her mind.

Seeing as there was no hiding anything from Clark, the family talked about tomorrow.

“So you guys will be set up in a safe house in Metropolis Vivian has secured. Kelex will feed you communications.” Kara told her worried parents. “I’m flying to Gotham tonight to talk to Batman. You guys will meet us at the safe house at 10 AM, you leave here at 6 so get plenty of sleep, especially you Clark.”

“Yes Mom.” he told her sarcastically. Kara ignored it.

“Do you have to go tonight?” Eliza complained.

“Yes, I need to give him the coordinates, go over the plan, check out his weapons and take him to the launch point for the attack. I will be fine.”

“Let me go with you.”

“No Alex, we talked about this. You need to keep watch on the experiment. If it doesn’t grow the way you hope we are going to have to come up with another plan.”

They continued eating their pasta from some Italian restaurant that delivered, in silence. After everyone was finishing up, Jeremiah asked another question that was on his mind.

“So… have you decided on what suit you are going to wear tomorrow? Its not going to be the bathing suit one or the blue skirt thing, right? Or the denim…”

“Going with the red skirt, Dad. I know its the one you hate the least.” she told him, grinning.

“I don’t hate them all… okay I would rather you not wear most of them but I actually like that one. You look cute in it.”

“Just the look I was going for in an alien battle.” Kara agreed.

“I thought you were going with the war armor?” Alex asked.

Kara shook her head. “I thought I was, but when I k..beat Non, he is going to be beat by a girl in a skirt. I’m not a soldier. I am not going to dress like one, even if the outfit looks totally bada…”

“Kara, language.” Eliza reminded her.

“Even if it looks really awesome. Maybe for a special occasion sometime but I am fighting as me tomorrow.”

“So you are about to leave?” Alex asked, knowing the answer. Kara would be across country in an hour, maybe two if she took her time. She wouldn’t be near the DEO, Jessica, Alex, her Mom and Dad, no one who could calm her down or be there for her. She had been pleasant with Clark but Alex still suspected something was up. She had an unusual heaviness to her eyes, a sadness that had not been there until Alex returned from class. Perhaps she was coming to grips with Astra’s death… with killing Astra. Alex doubted her sister had time to take it all in. Once this was over, once Non and Myriad were dead what then? Once the mission was over how would Kara process everything?

That was all their fears though none of them spoke about it outside of therapy.

“Look, I should probably go. Before everyone arrives tomorrow I wanted to tell you all… thank you. I’ve met quite a few humans since I landed, listened to millions more and there is no one, no one but you three who would have put up with all the crap I put you through, all the danger I brought to your life. Every bit of joy I have felt since I landed has been because of you all. I wish I wasn’t as screwed up as I am, but you loved me anyway.”

“We love you anyway, you mean. Nothing changes tomorrow. When this is over we can enjoy some peace. That is all that matters and you are going to be fine.” Jeremiah told her.

“Alex…”

“Stop Kara. We aren’t doing this. We are going to win tomorrow. No time for speeches just in case we don’t make it. We are, end of discussion. Be careful tonight. Call me when you get there, okay?”

“Yeah.” she agreed and hugged her tightly. “I love you all. Clark, be safe. I love you.”

“I’m sorry.” the boy told her, surprising them all.

“Sorry about what?”

“This. Everything. I’m not dumb. I know a lot of stuff must have happened, stuff you don’t want me to know. You shouldn’t have to fight all the time to protect me. Its because of something my first parents did, isn’t it? That is why that Astra lady wanted to kill me, right? All these bad guys, its because of something that happened on Krypton and you are having to fix it. I don’t want you to get hurt, Kara. We can wait. If we wait I can help you. I’ll get stronger and we could do it together.”

Kara knelt down next to her little cousin, her brother in every way.

“Listen, none of what is happening is your fault. None of it. I have to do this now, because I can’t have threats to you in this world. I swore when you were a baby that I would always protect you and I will, until my last breath. One day you will be strong but right now, right now I am going to do this. I won’t let you be harmed. What happened on Krypton, maybe I will tell you one day when you are much older. Its nothing that matters now.”

“My first parents, they weren’t heroes were they? You never talk about them. When I ask you don’t want to talk about them. You didn’t want me seeing pictures of them. You never talk about yours. What did they do Kara? Why do you hate them?”

Kara let out a breath and looked around the room. Seeing no answers she knelt in front of the little boy.

“I don’t… Clark, they were people. They made some mistakes, some bad ones but they didn’t mean to. I just have to fix those mistakes. What happened there doesn’t matter because this is our home, this is our family. Don’t worry about the past.”

“You do.”

“I do it so you don’t have to. I’m going to fix this, I am going to make sure no one can harm you again and then I will feel better. Thats all I ever wanted for you. Just to be happy. So try for me, okay? Be happy and have faith. We can do this, and it will all be behind us.”

“I will. I love you.”

“I love you to, Clark.”

Kara walked out quickly before she decided to go with plan B involving building a ship and flying everyone to a new system. This planet was Clark’s home, Alex’s home and hers. She would be damned if Non ruined it. She would not run.

Kara left, leaving the four remaining.

“Kara is still sad.” Clark told them.

“Kara isn’t sad, she is just focused.” Alex assured him.

“No, I listened to her today when she left. She met that Cat lady. She found out a sick girl wanted to meet her so she went to the hospital. I was on the balcony and saw her a few times. She went to the hospital. She was talking to the girl. The girl told her she was dying. Kara stayed with her until the parents started crying. I think the girl died.”

The three Danvers looked at each other but there was nothing to be said.

“Clark, you need to promise me to stop listening to Kara when she isn’t here.” Alex finally told him.

“There are bad people out there. I have to know if she is in trouble.” he argued.

“Kelex will let us know.” Jeremiah assured him. “Promise me, no more listening to Kara, okay?”

“Okay. I promise. I just want her to be okay. Is she ever going to be okay?”

The three looked at each other, hoping they couldn’t have to be the one to lie to the boy. Seeing no one step up, Eliza assured the boy that Kara would be and hustled him off to the locker room for a shower then to bed.

Alex and Jeremiah stood up and moved towards their project, arms around each other.

“Did you ever thought it would come to this when I told you about Kara and Clark?” Alex asked her father.

“No, I didn’t. I thought it would come to this the night Kara found out about Astra and that prison. Seeing her at the cliff, all that hurt, those beams shooting off into the sky… that was when I realized it would come to this, one day. Thats why I never tried to stop the training, never would have stayed in Midvale while you two fought here. I would do it all again. Even with all we have gone through, I wouldn’t change a thing, besides Kara punishing herself for things that aren’t her fault. I wish you weren’t going tomorrow but I know why you have to. You are my daughter. I would expect nothing less.”

“I love you, Dad.” Alex whispered and kissed his cheek.

Gotham City

Kara landed in front of the door, changed out of her costume in a blur, wearing the clothes that had been in her pack and rang the bell. Alfred answer, smiling this time as opposed to the confusion he showed last time.

He stepped aside and Kara entered the large foyer.

“Good evening Miss Danvers.”

“Hi Alfred. No need to be formal. Kara works.”

“Miss Kara?”

“No, I was thinking just Kara.”

“I still call Mr Wayne, Master Bruce.”

“I don’t judge. Whatever you guys are into… oh the old school, got it. But really don’t call me miss anything, please. If you need a title you can call me DJ Funky Fresh Princess.”

Alfred sighed. “Kara it is then. Shall I show you to Master Bruce, Kara?”

“That would be great. I see he is in his man cave… or vigilante cave… does he really call it the Bat Cave?”

“He doesn’t really call it anything. Dick is the one who insists on calling it the Bat Cave or Bruce’s palace of brooding. Master Bruce is fond of neither of those. This way.”

Kara followed the man to a large fire place in a room she had not been in, which included the majority of the house. Touching a series of bricks that Kara memorized, the fireplace slid over and a metal elevator door opened.

“What do you do if you really want to light a fire?”

“We don’t.” Alfred told her with a smile. He was not fooled. She may act like a typical teenager and look like one but he had seen those eyes in two men before. They were eyes filled with darkness, eyes that had seen the dark side of the world and would never be the same for it. Hers were harder than Dick’s. She and Bruce had much in common, at least on the inside. Both good people, trying to fight demons without becoming one themselves. She had her family, Bruce had Dick and himself.

The elevator ride was short and when the door opened, Kara stepped out, noticing that Alfred stayed in. Watching the door close she walked into the nearly empty space filled with tech, machines, weapons and one man working on some sort of grappling gun in the middle.

“Hey.” she greeted him. Bruce turned and stood up, offering his hand.

“Its good to see you again.” he told her sincerely, even smiling.

“You too. So we need to talk.”

“Thats never good.” he told her.

“Actually it is good. Most of the Kryptonians that were left were killed three nights ago. Killed by… me and my friends. Only one is remaining and I plan to take him out myself… so good news, one less problem to worry about. A lot of the aliens have left him so the force we are going to face is much smaller but I have no idea how much smaller or what aliens remain.”

Bruce stared at the girl for a few moments and crossed his arms.

“I’ve spent the last 48 hours building Kryptonite weapons.”

“Yeah…”

“I built a Kryptonite suit.”

“Really? Cool…”

“It wasn’t easy.”

‘My Dad loves working on projects. He does a lot of science projects with Alex and he and I built a telescope one time. I bet you and Dick bonded while working together, right?”

“DIck is useless when it comes to building anything.”

“Oh… but isn’t this good news? A lot less super powered enemies to fight. So this is a good thing even if you have wasted a lot of time.”

Bruce dropped his head and then smiled at her, motioning towards a chair near his work bench.

“Why don’t we have a seat and you can tell me what has gone on since the last time we spoke.”

The two sat and Kara caught him up to date on Lobo, the battle on the beach and finding the location of Myriad.

Bruce said nothing for a few moments. The cheerfulness Kara had tried to portray when she walked in was gone. The more she talked the more he saw her true self.

“You had to kill your aunt. I am sorry, Kara. No one should have to… I am sorry.”

“Doesn’t matter now. All that matters is ending Non and making sure this thing stays a dead shell on the bottom of Lake Huron.”

“Of course.” Bruce agreed. “One question. When you detonated these Kryptonite bombs over yourself and the other Kryptonians why weren’t you affected?”

“I was. I breathed it in as well. I almost died but… my father is a bio chemist. He specializes in making treatments for rare diseases. My Mom researches theoretical life forms that can survive in hostile environments or she used to. She has written dozens of paper on the genetic makeups of… okay off point. Like I said I almost died but my father had been working for years on a drug for me. It was a cure and an immunity booster. He wasn’t sure it would work but like I said I was dying and I guess they figured they had nothing to lose. So anyway, I am now apparently immune to Kryptonite. At least for now. We really have no way of knowing if it is permanent or temporary. But yeah… so there is that. If Non gets by me for some reason you are going to need those Kryptonite weapons. Alex has some as well and my friends have ammo made of Kryptonite so the place should be glowing green by the time it is over.”

“I see. You told me to keep the Kryptonite in the event you ever lost control and I needed to do what your family and friends could not. I guess its a good thing I trust you.” he told her, surprising the girl.

“You trust me?”

“Yes. That doesn’t come to me naturally but I trust you. Nice work in the bank. It would be nice if I could ask the police to let me take over cases. Unfortunately they are not as cordial with me.”

Kara shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe one day they will get tired of not catching you and just ask you to do the job for them. How funny would that be? They could have a spotlight on top of the police station and every time the people in Gotham saw it, they would know that once again the Gotham City Police can’t do their job and need Batman to clean up the mess. No, I can’t imagine they would ever do that. I would think the police would be too embarrassed.”

“No, I can’t see it either. Then again I never thought I would meet a teenage girl who could lift a plane. So Metropolis tomorrow?”

“I’m thinking you can meet us in Canada if you want. We attack at night. You are a bit noticeable during the daytime, especially in Metropolis and you won’t want your identity to be known so plain clothes are out.”

“A fair point.”

“Also I have a bag upstairs. In it is a black spandex suit. Wear it under your regular suit. It is made of the same material mine is. It is completely impenetrable to blades, bullets, fire. If you get shot it will hurt like hell but the bullet won’t enter you.”

Bruce was surprised. “You are serious? Where did you get that material?”

“Its what my suits are made of. I come from a planet that literally was light years ahead of Earth in technology. We had very strong fabrics. Our clothes were designed to last forever, limiting the need for constant wardrobe changes, Fashion was not a big deal on Krypton. Everyone had basic clothes we wore. Of course we had different colors but outfits lasted. Of all the things Krypton had, our fabric was one of the best. I also have a suit for Dick. I made some enhancements and left the cape off. He used to be an acrobat. I can’t imagine a cape would aid him in that.”

“Our capes can actually help us glide in the event of a fall.”

“I’ll catch him then. I also have something else in my bag. It’s a small light grenade. It won’t blow up but it does produce solar rays mimicking the red sun of my planet. If it touches me or I am in a dark room and it is the only light present my cells won’t be able to metabolize the sun’s light and I would be powerless. I’ll be leaving it with you in the morning but I need it tonight to study it more. I am in the process of replicating it at the Fortress of Solitude.”

“Fortress of Solitude?”

“You don’t get to judge. I don’t need to remind you that we are sitting in the Bat Cave, do I Batman?”

Bruce crossed his arms and stared at the girl for a moment before asking the question that had been bothering him the most.

“You gave me Kryptonite. You are now giving me another means of killing you. Kara, do you have reason to suspect that something could happen, that someone could brainwash you, or control your mind? Is there something out there that could make you lose control?”

“I don’t think so.” she admitted. “My Martian friend can’t read my mind. Its just… people like us, Bruce, we have a lot of power. We also have a lot of darkness. If we don’t hold each other in check who will?”

The man nodded his head slowly.

“So to stop you, all I have to do is hold a red light to your skin or trap you in a dark room with only red sunlight. How am I supposed to do this exactly?”

“You’re the Batman. You will figure it out. I can’t do everything for you, Bruce. I’m kind of tired and plan to crash here tonight. I’m going to find a room and make myself at home. You should probably get some sleep to. You have spent 48 hours making useless weapons.”

Kara walked off leaving Bruce who despite his annoyance couldn’t help but smile. Only Kara Danvers had that effect on him. The smile went away when he thought about the fact that she was deflecting. When this was over, she would have to face everything. All the demons she had been keeping at bay because she was able to focus on the mission would hit her. He knew the same would happen to him one day if he lived long enough. The mission was all that kept his demons away, kept the sight of seeing his parents gunned down in front of him from taking him over. Perhaps they could help each other in more ways than just crime fighting.

Kara was greeted at the top by Alfred, grabbed her bag and was escorted to a room he had prepared for her. Leaving her alone, Kara waited until the man was downstairs and went down to the Bat Cave, before she left her room. Four doors down, she knocked on Dick Grayson’s room. He answered wearing only a pair of shorts, clearly not having expected to see her tonight.

“Whoa! Its you. I… uh… wasn’t expecting you. I figured you would call us and we would meet somewhere.”

“I needed to drop off somethings with Bruce and you. May I come in?”

“Yeah! Yeah, of course. What is in the bag?”

“A couple of things.” Kara told him, dropping the bag on the bed and opening it up. She pulled a black suit with a blue chest piece, designed as wings, stretching from shoulder to shoulder. She handed it to him, along with a mask, boots and two batons, like he had never seen before. She had them made in the same manner as Alex’s staff, compressed hard light under a light weight nearly indestructible polymer that could change in strength as needed.

“I’ll show you how these work later. You are familiar with Eskrima sticks, right?”

“My favorite weapons.” the man admitted, taking the dark, light weight but obviously extremely strong batons in his hand.

“The torso has light weight body armor under it, very thin. The entire suit is like mine and Alex’s, impossible to breach or pierce. You can add to it as you want or not wear it at all. Its up to you but I wanted you to have it. If you are going to fight aliens with us you should at least get some alien toys, right?”

“Yeah, right. Thanks.”

“No problem. By the way if you ever want to give up Robin, I think NIghtwing would be great. Kind of goes with the suit. Totally up to you of course.”

“Nightwing… I like it.”

“Its a lot cooler than Supergirl.” Kara told him. “There is one thing I need from you. One favor I need. If you can’t or don’t want to, I understand, okay?”

“Okay… you gave me a kick ass suit. I’m pretty sure I will do it for you, whatever it is.”

“I don’t know you. I am not in love with you. To be honest I don’t know if I will ever love a man or even want to. There was a guy once… but I had to let him go so he wouldn’t be hurt by this life. I will always have to stay away from him or he could be a target. But in case I die tomorrow I don’t want to… I have always wanted to know… I’ve never…”

“I get it.” DIck told her, serious now, understanding what she was asking. “Are you sure?”

“One time. Just once and we never talk about it again. Can you do that?’

“One time and we never talk about it?”

“Thats the deal. If you can’t I understand. Its not fair of me to ask…”

“Hey, calm down. I’ll do whatever you need. I understand, I get it. I have thought I might die a lot over the years and those regrets, the things you wanted to do and never got to… yeah, Kara. I get it. One time, between us, and I will never tell anyone.”

“Thanks.” she told him, eyes watering. She was frightened but had to know, just once, in case this didn’t work out in her favor, what it felt like. Walking to the door she flicked off the lights, made her way back to the bed and activated the red solar grenade Lobo had slipped to her that morning.

Red sunlight filled the dark room, as Kara Danvers prepared to experience another first on what could be the last night of her life.