Call Me Kara
By BetterInTexas
Chapter 35:
“Alex, where is Nyssa? I thought she wanted to be here?” Kara asked, standing with Kendra and Carter who insisted on coming, outside the wedding gown emporium. Eliza had picked the three up along with Caitlin this morning. Eliza herself wasn’t looking well and Kara suggested they reschedule when she saw her mother. Eliza however would not hear of it. Kara was also surprised to see Dr, Stein and Jax driving this morning, almost as if they were following Eliza.
“I don’t know where she is. She didn’t come home last night.” Alex, told her little sister, her tone conveying her displeasure.
“Have you tried calling her?”
“No! I’m… I’m sure whatever she is doing is important if it kept her out all night.” Eliza tried.
“Yeah, but I have only gotten a text that she wouldn’t be able to make it. Thats not like her. How do I know if she was even the one who sent the text?”
“Why don’t you call her?” Kara suggested. Alex normally hated to call, preferring text messaging unless she had been on a mission but this was a strange situation. She had at first thought Nyssa had gotten home late and left early but it was unusual for her not to wake Alex and her side of the bed hadn’t been slept on. Before Eliza could object, Alex had the phone to her ear.
“Good morning my love. Did you sleep well?” Nyssa answered pleasantly
“Uh… yeah, sure,where the hell were you? Where are you now? You said you wanted to be here while Kara tried on dresses. You stay out all night and send me a text in the morning saying you can’t make it, with no other explanation?”
“I… Alex, I don’t want to lie to you.”
“Okay, then tell me…” before the sentence was complete, Alex heard a dial tone.
“What did she say?” Eliza asked. Kara also hadn’t heard, her bracelet on due to the sunlight she was being exposed to.
“She said she didn’t want to lie to me and then hung up.”
“Well, she didn’t lie to you at least.” Kara tried. Alex shook it off.
“She is going to have some serious explaining to do. Felicity and Thea are pulling up. Let’s head inside.”
The train of women walked inside the boutique, opened only for them this Sunday, courtesy of Ray Palmer. Kara looked around making sure he hadn’t planned any practical jokes. Carter and Kendra were also on high alert.
Kara stopped cold, taking in the shear number of dresses. A male, tall, blonde and ruggedly handsome in a way, greeted her and introduced himself as the owner to all her party.
“This is going to be a long day.” Carter whispered to Kara, who silently agreed. She thought she may have three of four to pick from. Not… this.
“I am so excited. Aren’t you excited Kara? I’ve never actually been to one of these.” Thea told her. Kara turned to express her nerves when she saw it.
“Thea, you have something red on your cheek.”
Thea’s face froze and her hand went directly to her cheek. Pulling it back she saw nothing so hurriedly went to the other. A small dot of blood was wiped off.
“Is that blood?” Kara asked, beginning to get worried.
“Yeah. I uh… it’s kind of embarrassing but… shaving! Yep, cut myself shaving. Don’t let anyone know though okay? I’ve always had a problem with facial hair.” Thea lied quietly. Kara turned over the hand with the drop of smeared blood on it.
“What were you doing last night? Your knuckles are raw! They must hurt! Let me find you some ice…”
“No! No… no need for that. I was just uh, training. Hitting the old heavy bag. I didn’t have any gloves and my hands really needed to toughen up so thats why they look like this. No big deal.” Thea partly lied. She hadn’t had any gloves, preferring to take her shots on the prisoner Oliver and Nyssa were still interrogating, bare fisted.
“Okay, if you are sure…”
“Kara! The lovely bride and so lovely you are. Why don’t we let your friends and family settle in with champagne and the two of us can begin our search?” the owner suggested.
“Oh, okay. Do you have anything not in white? White is supposed to be for virgins and I am completely pregnant. I have had numerous exams to prove it. If I was a virgin before those exams, I am definitely not now… wow, that was inappropriate to say. I don’t know why, I just don’t want to be…”
“Kara!” Felicity yelled.
“Yeah?”
“3… 2… 1…”
Kara counted in her head, practicing the technique Felicity had taught her to stop rambling.
“Darling it is fine. No one is a virgin when they walk into my place. How far off is the wedding?”
“Three weeks?”
“That is wonderful, you won’t be showing and we shouldn’t have to have your dress resized. We will go with something not quite as snug around your hot waist, although… no, you can definitely take it. Your core and legs are to die for. We can accentuate those and find a more elegant top since your breasts aren’t that large, low cuts and strapless are out. Lets go work magic.”
“Wait… my breasts? What is wrong with my breasts? Alex what is wrong with my breasts? Mom? Anybody?”
“Your tits are great, Kara.”
“Oh, thanks Carter. Okay, lets do this.”
Kara walked off with the man whose name the rest knew as Harvey and Kara and Carter still hadn’t learned.
“What is his name again?” Carter asked.
“Harvey something. I think he said Dent. Supposedly this guy has been the man to go to for wedding dresses for the last fifteen years in Central City.” Thea explained, trying not to rub her knuckles.
Kara stepped into the back dressing room where Harvey pulled out his first selection.
“This is Tank Sheath dress with 3 D flowers. Very elegant, form fitting, to showcase your legs and waist while remaining conservative and casual. Go ahead and lets see what it looks like.”
Kara nodded and began to remove her shirt only getting it as far as her abs before glancing at Harvey.
“You want to give me some privacy?”
“Oh, but I need to help you zip and adjust. It is nothing I haven’t seen before I assure you.”
“Have you ever seen yourself knocked through a wall before? I’ll call you if I need help zipping up. No, I will need help. Please ask my sister to come back.”
“But…”
“Now!”
Harvey scurried out to collect Alex, who was back quickly.
“Nope.” she said immediately, but helped Kara anyway.
“Yeah, I don’t really like it either. Does Mom seem off to you today?”
“Yeah, but this is a big day for all of us, Kara. She is about to see you in a wedding dress, something she has wanted for a long time.”
“For both of us.” Kara reminded her.
“I have a feeling if I get married the dresses will be more exotic and assassinny.”
“Is that a word? it sounds cool. Assassinny. Oh, do you think I can wear a sword at your wedding?! That would be awesome.”
Alex snorted and pulled the zipper up.
“We have to find you a dress also. What color… black right?”
“I don’t know, what colors do you want your bridesmaids in?”
‘Red of course. But you are going to stand out, being my maid of honor. Maid’s of honor wear something different. I’ve seen that on TV. I’m kidding about the black. I want you in blue and I’m the bride so I get to pick.”
“I’m going to be… you didn’t say anything, I figured you would want Caitlin. I mean she is your best friend and saved your life and…”
“You’ve saved my life in more ways than one since I arrived on this planet and you are my sister. You are going to be by my side. I’m sorry I didn’t ask. I just figured you knew.”
Alex looked away for a moment and blinked her eyes then gave Kara a watery smile.
“Of course baby sister. I was just saying if you wanted her I would understand.”
“She will be there but you are going to be next to me… and you aren’t wearing black.”
The sisters walked out to the waiting crowd. None were enthusiastic.
“It’s a pretty dress.” Thea offered.
“And you look lovely in it dear.” Eliza added.
“But…” Kara hinted at the unspoken comments.
“You can’t really wear a push up bra with it.” Felicity mentioned quietly.
“I don’t need one. I don’t droop.”
“Of course not. We aren’t saying that Kara! Its just… the straps help but we probably need something with built in support to make you pop.” Kendra suggested. Carter shrugged his shoulders.
“I think your tits look great Kara.”
“Carter if you say that one more time I am going to crush your skull with your mace.” Kendra whispered.
“I’m just trying to make her feel better about her small…”
“Shut up!”
“Small… I’m average size for my height and build. I’m a 34 A. Thats average! Mom told me that, didn’t you? Tell them Mom.”
“You are not average, you are above average Kara, in everything you do.”
“I’m bigger than Alex.”
“Hey! Leave me out of this. Can we move on? This isn’t the dress. Dent! Do better.” Alex told the man, leveling him with a frightening glare.
“Of course. Perhaps a mermaid style?”
While Kara dealt with her closet friends and relatives critiquing her body, Oliver, Nyssa and Jeremiah were in a guest bedroom of her parent’s condo, visiting with a bloodied, beaten man tied to a chair. Jeremiah had watched the entire time, not participating but not disapproving either. This man worked for the man who tried to harm his daughters. He tried to kill his wife and would have been successful if not for Oliver and Nyssa.
The man who had still not given his name, began to wake, both of his eyes barely opened due to the swelling. He had seven arrows still residing in non vital parts of his body. While John had gotten rid of his friends body, Thea had worked the man’s face over. Nyssa had just began with her blade when the man passed out.
“Good morning. Have you slept well? You passed out on us.” Oliver greeted the man.
“Just kill me.” he rasped.
“No. Nyssa didn’t you have some plans for him this morning?”
“Yes I did, Al Sah-him. I believe he has too many digits. A person doesn’t really need ten fingers and toes, now does one? What is it you Americans say? This little piggy went to market?”
“I’ve always thought too many toes were overrated. Fingers are a necessity for using a bow. I’m not sure how much losing a hand would hamper one’s life. I suppose we could find Malcolm Merlyn and ask him.”
“You have no idea who is coming for you.” the man told the two.
“We have a pretty good idea. A freak who thinks he is hybrid of Darth Vader and Prince, who has disco lights on his shoulders and wears body armor. I am betting he roller skates in his free time. Big deal. Is he worth dying for?” Oliver asked him.
“I’m dead regardless. I know you won’t let me leave here. If I go back he will… he has killed more people than you have Oliver Queen. He knows who you all are, he knows everything.”
“And what do you know? So he is a sadistic killer. He isn’t Damian Darhk. He isn’t Ra’s Al Ghul. What do you think this man has that we cannot handle?”
Before the man could answer. Nyssa stuck a blade into his knee causing him to scream before Oliver stuffed a towel in his mouth so the neighbors wouldn’t be disturbed. He took it out once the man quieted down and stopped hyperventilating.
“Stop! Please just kill me!”
“No. Not until we have everything we need. The man in the corner? The husband of the woman you came here to murder? He knows everything about the human anatomy. We can keep you alive for weeks.” Oliver reminded him.
Nyssa prepared to try his other knee until her phone buzzed. Oliver rolled his eyes.
“I hope we aren’t keeping you from anything?”
Ignoring the comment, she answered, expecting to hear an irate girlfriend. She was not disappointed.
“Where the hell are you? Get over here now! Kara is asking for you. She wants your opinion of her breasts of all things.”
“Her breasts are lovely, perfect for her frame and incidentally for combat. The suit Cisco made for her accentuates her core, which is perfect. Large breasts are overrated.”
“Then come tell her that!”
“I can’t!”
“Why not? I want to know where you are and what you are doing right now and don’t give me this I don’t want to lie to you and hanging up BS!”
Nyssa took a deep breath and looked at Oliver who shrugged.
“Fine, but you are not to say a word about this to Kara. Eliza will tell her afterward. Your mother did not want her day ruined. Oliver and I had discussed the possibility that Prometheus may order an attempt on your mother or father’s life to send a message. We decided to determine a schedule for watching their condominium and met there with Thea and John Diggle last night. Right after we arrived two men approached your parent’s house and kicked the door in. One had a gun and raised his arm but before he could fire, Oliver sent an arrow through his skull and I captured the other. The two of us have been torturing him for information since eleven PM last night. Your father is on stand bye in case one of us makes a mistake and the prisoner looks like he may die. Now you said you didn’t want to keep things from Kara any longer and this is an important day for her, so are you going to keep this from her or ruin her day? This is exactly why I planned on telling you later.” Nyssa finished sharply. Not hearing a reply, she began to worry.
“Alex? Are you okay, my love? I am sorry if I was too blunt but I would really like to be there and the more pain I cause the sooner we can wrap this up and I can be there for both of you. I haven’t even gotten any blood on me, unlike Thea who made a complete mess.”
“You said my father is there?”
“Yes.”
“Could you put him on the phone please?” Nyssa handed the phone to Jeremiah as if it might bite her.
“Hey pumpkin! How is it going?”
“Not… not great at the moment Dad.”
“Don’t you worry about a thing. You have fun with your sister and I will make sure he stays alive long enough to talk. Even if it takes days, weeks maybe.”
“Okay… I just wanted to make sure you are okay. Are you? Okay?”
“This bastard tried to kill your mother and works for the man who tried to kill you and Kara recently. I am more than okay. Don’t worry your sister. This is a special day for her.”
“Okay, love you Dad.”
“Love you too Sweetie.”
Alex looked at the phone in her hand then back at her sister who was trying to pull her breasts up in a hideous dress. This was an important day for her.
Alex had made a promise to Kara not to keep secrets from her.
Damn it!
Alex stormed out, Kara calling her as she left. When she reached the waiting room, she pointed at her mother and Caitlin.
“Both of you, back here now.”
A confused Caitlin and a worried Eliza slowly followed Alex in the back.
“I am not keeping this from her. No more. You…” she pointed at Caitlin…” are going to keep her calm. You…” she pointed towards her mother…”are going to tell us exactly what happened last night and why Dad is watching a reenactment of Saw 2 at this moment in your nice condo.”
“This is an important day for her…” Eliza started.
“That can be rescheduled or continued since she knows everything is fine. But I made a promise not to keep anything from her just because I think she can’t deal with it. She can deal with it. Lets go.”
Kara stood in silence as soon as Harvey Dent was ordered out by Alex, and listened to Eliza recount the horrors of the night before.
All waited for her to blow up but instead her face hardened.
“Thank you for telling me. You won’t be without a bodyguard from this point on, even if I have to stay with you around the clock. I won’t lose any of my family. Never again. I will never lose any family ever again. Not my daughter, my husband, my sister, my parents or my friends. It won’t happen. I’m sorry we didn’t think of this as a possibility but it won’t happen again. I won’t lose you. ” Kara pulled Eliza into a hug, squeezing the shaking woman tightly.
“Do you want to reschedule this for another day Kara?” she asked her daughter.
“Of course not. Oliver and Nyssa will find out what we need to know. I doubt I could do anything they couldn’t or haven’t already. We need to find a wedding dress, I’m getting married in three weeks and I want my family safe. If that means they have to do what they are doing then that is what has to happen. I don’t like it and I am sure they aren’t enjoying it, but I appreciate that they can be strong enough to do it. Before I even walk out, what do you think of this dress Mom?”
“I think I would like to look at the selections myself. I think I can do a better job than Harvey.”
“I think you are right. Lets take a look.”
A surprised Alex and Caitlin walked to the front, while Kara and Eliza began looking through rows of dresses.
“That went better than expected. I suppose she can handle more than I gave her credit for.” Alex whispered, not knowing how to feel about that. She knew Kara was no longer innocent, not by a long shot, but hoped she hadn’t hardened to this point. Having a homicidal maniacs constantly wanting you dead, no matter the universe, will do strange things to a person. Perhaps her and Kara had reached a different state of mind in regards what was right and wrong. She should have been outraged, angry, sickened. This was not what heroes did. Alex knew this.
She also knew that a man had accepted money to kill her mother last night and that man was in the hands of her lover and one of the darkest but good men she had ever known and while neither were taking joy in what they were doing, they would get answers.
At the condo, the man still refused to even give his name, simply content to scream as Nyssa did unpleasant things to his abdomen with a knife. The door to the condo opened and both Oliver and Nyssa prepared their bows and began the slow march down the hallway.
“Don’t shoot! Or fire… or throw anything sharp at me.”
Oliver relaxed at the sound of the woman’s voice but Nyssa did not. She did drop the bow but kept it in hand ready to fire at a split second if needed.
“We are in the back, Lyla.” Oliver called and walked back to the bedroom while Nyssa acknowledged the woman silently and let her pass, checking to make sure no others followed her.
Oliver looked a bit irritated at her when she walked in. Lyla caught sight of Jeremiah and raised any eyebrow in the Arrow’s direction.
“Jeremiah, meet Lyla Diggle, John’s wife and the Director of A.R.G.U.S.”
“A pleasure, Dr, Zorel is it? I am a big fan of your daughter’s work. The blonde one. I am still upset Alex decided on a career with Central City PD instead of us, but I can understand why she would be leery of working with a Government agency. I would be too if I were her.”
“Uh huh. A.R.G.U.S. huh? I tend to not trust organizations known by letters myself.”
“I can respect that, Dr. Zorel.”
“Lyla is good Jeremiah. I wouldn’t have anything to do with her if she wasn’t. I promise she is a friend.”
Lyla was glad to hear Oliver say that. She had always respected the work him and John did together. The League of Assassins mess that occurred showed both of them how badly things could go when they were apart and not on the same page. Oliver had been the one to help John deal with having to kill his little brother plus the guilt he felt over Laurel’s death and she considered him family.
“So Lyla, why are you here?” Oliver asked, already suspecting and not sure how he felt about it.
“Oh, I don’t know. John couldn’t find a good place to hide a body in Central City, wanted DNA ran regardless, so he calls me of course, sitting at home watching our daughter in Star City alone, while he has fun with you and wants a clean up crew. Call me curious. He had been keeping me apprised of this Prometheus situation. It concerns me, as I am sure it does you, that this man has never popped up on the radar anywhere. No one wants another Damian Darhk, so A.R.G.U.S. is going to have a much greater presence in Central City until he can be apprehended. I thought I would come see what you have done to this poor bastard and I see I have arrived just in time. He is going to die before he talks Oliver.”
“He is going to talk. Eventually.” Oliver told her with a smile.
“Five years ago he would have told you the name of his favorite teddy bear by this point. Face it, your heart isn’t in it anymore Queen. Thats a good thing. Yours isn’t in it either Nyssa. Thats a very good thing. The question is, are you going to trust me again? We have new drug cocktails that can make his blood feel like acid. Truth serums, sound conditioning, isolation. He may go insane but he will talk. We can keep him alive longer, run facial recognition, have a team of psychiatrists manipulate him, you know the drill.”
“And that is why I don’t trust organizations known by letters.” Jeremiah told her.
“Uh, Pot? This is the Kettle. Aren’t you here participating? I am offering the same. This world is dangerous, metahumans, immortal magicians, who knows what else we haven’t seen yet. My organization can’t fight them all. Darhk would have destroyed the world, literally, if not for Oliver, Laurel, Thea and my husband. We wouldn’t have known where to start with Zoom. My organization can’t handle these types of threats anymore. This world needs people like Oliver, Barry Allen, your daughters, Jax Jefferson. We would even take Ray Palmer. Whether she wants to admit it or not, if there was a threat to the world, Nyssa would fight it, for Alex and Kara’s sake if nothing else. I’m not in it for credit and I don’t need anyone to work for me or take orders. Honestly it is better that these heroes are working outside the Government bureaucracy. They can get things done faster. Now there have been terrorist attacks in this city, perpetrated by a man who wants to kill your family. I can have around the clock security for you and your wife, for Joe West, Henry Allen, Quentin Lance, Donna Smoak and resources at the disposal of the team of independent operatives as the President likes to call them, that they may not otherwise have. I want him taken down as badly as you do and Oliver and John trust me. Do you trust them?”
“Yes.” Jeremiah answered immediately.
“Then I guess you are trusting me. Shall I have my people escort this half dead son of a bitch and see if we cant try a few drug cocktails to make him talk or would you rather keep him here? I am pretty sure most of what is going on here is violating your lease agreement.”
Jeremiah looked at Oliver and Nyssa. Oliver nodded his head. Nyssa met his eyes then shrugged her shoulders.
“I probably should get to the wedding dress boutique. It would make Alex happy.” she admitted.
“Fine, take him. I want to know everything he says.” Jeremiah told her.
“Of course. We will knock him out, bag him and take him to the trunk of a sedan we have outside. I am leaving two agents here. They will be discreet. You and no one else will even know they are here unless you need them. Two are already outside the giant wedding gown emporium waiting on your wife. It was a pleasure to meet you Dr. Zorel.”
“I think it’s a pleasure to meet you, Lyla. I hope it is.”
“We are going to be friends, I promise. This is a different world, a different universe. Amanda Waller is dead and things are done differently now. Believe me, I certainly don’t want to make an enemy of either your daughters. Ask Barry Allen about me. If you all will leave, I can handle this.”
Oliver hugged Lyla and walked out, the other two following, Jeremiah and Nyssa walked to her car. Both were exhausted but while Nyssa hid it well, Jeremiah looked worn down.
“Would you like me to take you to S.T.A.R. or Palmer Tech’s basement? You look like you could use some sleep.” Nyssa offered.
“I want to see my daughter in her wedding dress.” Nyssa didn’t question him further, instead pulling out and heading towards the boutique where a most likely angry Alex waited.
After several more dresses, Kara had still not found the perfect one. The choices were much better with Eliza helping. Felicity had sent Harvey for takeout, since it was nearing lunch. The group waited for Kara and Eliza to enter with her latest dress when three people walked in. Jeremiah and Nyssa were next to each other, followed by Oliver Queen, who stood in the back. Alex looked around and rolled her eyes.
“Since Harvey has gone for lunch, go ahead and tell us, how did the torture session go?”
Jeremiah shrugged his shoulders.
“Lyla had her people take him to an A.R.G.U.S. facility where they will be able to find out much more. All of the family members in here will have guards as well but don’t worry, you won’t notice them.” Oliver told the group.
“You seriously couldn’t get him to talk? I knew I should have stayed.” Thea grumbled.
“Why? So you could continue beating him unconscious? Unconscious people can’t talk either, Thea.” Nyssa reminded her. “Does Kara know?”
Alex nodded her head. “She said she appreciated the both of you being strong enough to do what had to be done to protect our family.”
Nyssa smiled. She had expected this reaction. Perhaps now Alex would see that her sister understood much more than she gave her credit for, especially the lengths someone will go to protect their family. Nyssa had a family now and there were no lines she would not cross. She knew the same of Alex and now Alex knew the same about Kara.
“Hey Alex, did you know the first time Oliver and Barry met Carter they got into a fight?” Thea asked, Felicity dropping her head, remembering the Savage round one nightmare.
“Oh yeah? Who won?”
“They double teamed me.” Carter complained.
“You learned what many villains of this world have learned Carter. You do not mess with the epic bromance that is Barry Allen and my brother. Alex you should have seen Barry trying to kill Savage with his staff. Barry almost couldn’t hold on, so Ollie helps him, even though he didn’t have the special gloves Barry had. Barry tells him to run and Ollie says No Barry! I’m not leaving you! It was so sweet you could practically hear I Will Always Love You playing in the background.”
“Thea?”
“Yes Ollie?”
“Shut up.”
“You’re right, I shouldn’t make Felicity jealous.”
Before another word could be said a tearful Eliza exited the back and took her seat. Everyone held their breath, most wanting to see the dress Eliza obviously loved and Carter thinking it would soon be over.
Kara walked out to silence, everyone taking her in. The dress was simple, and she made it beautiful. A high neck halter wedding dress with a crepe skirt. A simple, thin satin sash defined her waist When Kara turned to look in the mirror the group noticed the dress had a T strap racer back. It was conservative, simple and beautiful, just like Kara. Turning back to the group, she wiped her eyes.
“This is the one.”
“Yes it is.” Alex agreed. It looked very bit the ceremonial dress Alex could imagine her being married in, on Earth or Krypton.
“Dad? What do you think?” she asked, noticing he had arrived with Nyssa and Oliver.
“I think I have waited 14 years for this and you are so beautiful, I honestly don’t know what else to say, Kara. I don’t have the words.” Caitlin and Alex walked up to the blonde, each hugging her, both fighting back tears and neither succeeding.
“Wow. I guess… I guess we are done.” Kara whispered, turning to look at herself in the mirror one more time.
“No you aren’t! We have to find a veil to match and shoes of course, then we can meet at my other bridal gown emporium and choose bride’s maid dresses. The hard part is over but the fun has not ended.” Harvey told the group, walking in with two bags of Chinese takeout.
Carter moaned, while Oliver clapped him on the back and left after winking at Kara who had caught his eye and gave him a smile.
“Now what colors for the bride’s maids? Are they all here?”
“Colors? Uh… the brides maids are wearing red. Alex is wearing blue. I guess I need to call Iris and have her meet us there.”
“Excellent. Bold choices. Lets eat and we can begin. By the way, you look stunning in that dress, Kara. The most elegant bride I have ever seen. Only you could pull it off.”
“Thanks Harvey. Okay, lets go find some traditional hideous bridesmaid’s dresses.”
While most of the crew were dress shopping, Cisco and Harry sat inside Ray’s play pen and observed Barry by satellite, who was in the Nevada desert, training.
Barry stood at the bottom of a cliff, vibrating at an unprecedented speed.
“Feel the molecules of your bones Barry. Do you have them?” Harry asked. A distorted voice came back neither could understand.
“Honestly Ramon, you are going to have to improve his com.”
“I never figured I would need one that can deal with this frequency. I’m doing the best I can. A little help would be nice.”
“I’ll do it this afternoon. Okay Barry I am hoping you can hear me at least. Feel the molecules and bring them together, become denser, let the lightning flow through your skin. Can you feel it?”
No answer.
“I’m going to assume he can.”
“You really think he can control his molecules to the extent that he can make himself invulnerable?” Cisco asked doubtfully.
“I really do. Okay Barry, when you are ready, when you feel you can’t vibrate any faster, your muscles are coiled, you body tight and solid despite the vibrations, strike the rock wall. Just your legs and arm into the punch. Swing as fast as you can. Strike like a cobra, faster, as close to the speed of light as you can go. Wrap the speed force around you and hit!”
Barry was lost somewhere in a haze of electricity, vibrations and the Speed Force, tapping into its power. He felt everything, every spark that kept his body together, and he tightened them, controlling every part of his body. He had absolute control. His enemy was in front of him, a wall of stone even Kara would have a difficult time flying through.
Barry focused, planted his left leg into the Earth and swung from the hips, his fist moving at an unprecedented speed, striking the wall, feeling it give, the explosion like dynamite going off. Pulling his fist back he heard Cisco’s panicked voice.
“Back up, back up, back up!”
Barry feeling more alive than ever, his senses on high alert, felt the friction and the movement above, zipping back seconds before the avalanche of rocks from the top of the cliff landed on him. Slowing down, he began to regain his normal form and breathed deeply, glad that Caitlin was shopping with Kara today so neither would be freaking out. His knuckles were badly cracked.
“Can you hear me now?” he asked through the com.
“You can go faster Mr. Allen but that was outstanding. We haven’t reached the mass of a Dwarf Star yet but that was at least a small meteor. Looks like you may have broken your knuckles though. Come back before the Air Force flies over and sees what is causing explosions on their private desert land.”
Barry looked at his right hand, the glove not torn but knowing the knuckles were swelling. He felt the pain but it didn’t bother him as much as it would have in the past. Instead he vibrated his hand, feeling the molecules, atoms, bones, veins, and in two seconds his cracked knuckles were repaired.
“Not quick enough but quicker than last time.” he told himself.
Back at the lab, Cisco gave Harry the proper respect. “Not bad Dr. Wells, not bad at all. That was the same impact as a Tomahawk missile.”
“Yes it was, but he can do better. He can do it Cisco. He can hit the speed of light, I just know it.”
“And what happens then? He burns up like his time remnant?”
“No, he is learning to control the Speed Force, not just to tap into it, but to own it. He won’t disappear. He has the heart to do this and the right motivation. Zoom’s hate could only take him so far but Barry’s love will take him farther. He is going to hit infinite mass one day and he will control speed itself, perhaps even break it, break the laws of fundamental reality. He can do it and he can control it. Can you imagine if he was able to hit a planck second? He would be faster than theoretical teleportation. We can get him there, Ramon.”
“Not that I am doubting you Harry but why do we want to? He is more than fast enough and powerful enough to defeat anything this world has to offer right now. He can probably hit Mach 20 if he wants to. But light speed? The dangers associated aren’t worth the risk.”
“Yes they are and he can control it, I promise you. As far as why should he? Fine, before you met Kara would you believe someone like her could exist? An invincible woman who could fly faster than the speed of sound, shoot lasers from her eyes, had strength on an unprecedented scale, can see through walls, hear for miles and isolate individual sounds, freeze moisture in the air with her breath. How would you defeat someone like that? Yes, Barry could phase through someone of her power but what if he couldn’t? What if she stayed in the sky and never gave him the chance, simply following him around shooting lasers at the speed of light towards him?”
“So you think he needs to get better to defeat his fiancee?” Cisco asked, not liking where this was going. Harry of course was immediately offended.
“No idiot! Not Kara. I trust Kara, anyone knows that despite what she has gone through she is good, loving and has a big heart, as big as Barry’s. But from the stories I have heard, there were others like her on her old Earth, others who were just as strong and seconds from wiping out the human race. Imagine someone or something else coming from another dimension, or a planet in this Universe,something stronger than her, or equal to her but with more than one partner. Imagine an army of her, even a doppleganger of her that is the exact opposite, all the love and heroism she has turned into hatred and a thirst for blood. Who would stand up to him or her, or even them? Kara? Absolutely and she would die. Oliver Queen can make as many arrows as he likes but it wouldn’t matter. Firestorm? Possibly. He hasn’t begun to touch his potential but Stein is working on it, if he can just get Jax to calm down instead of running on pure adrenalin. Ray Palmer? Not a chance. He is a genius but his suit is metal, metal that can be melted, torn, damaged beyond hope of repair. No, Kara would be on her own and the only one that can help her is the most powerful man in the universe. A thin kid who works as a CSI who can run at faster than speed of light, rearrange time and space, and hit with the power of a white dwarf star. He isn’t getting better to stop Kara, he is getting better to stop whatever is next, by her side.”
“I guess you could be right. Still seems like a risk.” Cisco mumbled.
“Of course it is a risk! Everything we do is a risk. We try to make them as calculated as possible but there is no guaranteed safety in this Ramon. But I have heard you talk about Kara’s chances at fighting Zoom, how much easier her and Barry could have taken him on together. What about Kara needing help? Barry, when he reaches his potential, could have torn apart the alien space prison in a second, destroyed the power source and stopped the Myriad wave thing from killing everyone without her ever having to risk death by taking it into space herself. The monster Barry killed, the one not even her cousin could take, what if it was perfected? What if the internal organs could regenerate even after being shredded by explosives in seconds? How would you defeat something like that? How would Kara? Barry though? I don’t care how tough this monster is, he is not standing after being struck by the power of infinite mass and neither is anything else within a hundred miles.”
“Point taken, worst case scenario, Barry ushers in a nuclear winter to take out a monster. Got it.”
“Shut up Cisco. Have you given any thought to what you can do? Bending the fabric of the universe is one thing but directing the vibrations of the Universe towards an enemy? To be honest if there was anyone who could stop Barry, it would be you. You are the only one who can disrupt vibrations of the surrounding air, displace time and space with a thought. I would suggest you start focusing much more on what you can do instead of worrying about Barry. He is focused and smart. You are unfocused and smart.”
“Don’t worry about me Harry, I will be ready. I won’t let him down.”
“Glad to hear it…” Harry stopped speaking when Cisco bent over, grabbing his head and screaming.
“Uh… Ramon? Whats going on?”
Cisco however, was unable to answer. Instead he heard a voice in his head, a presence trying to take over, pushing against his very self.
“Make it stop.” he moaned from his knees.
“What is going on? Let me get your visor.” Harry ran off and came back quickly, placing the visor on the young man who was now curled onto the floor. Once the visor was on, Cisco opened his eyes and saw he was vibing uncontrollably. He did recognize the space, somewhat like the area he vibed when trying to find Barry in the Speed Force but this was not the Speed Force.
He was in between worlds and he was not alone.
“Sorry for that Cisco. I had to throw a psychic net over the entire world to find you and it wasn’t easy. I only had one shot in me.”
Cisco looked at the tall green figure he knew as J’onn Jonzz, standing before him.
“It really hurt man! Not cool, not cool at all!”
Cisco believed the Martian smiled but he couldn’t be sure. J’onn was hard to read in his natural form.
“It wasn’t easy for me either. I never could read any of your minds when you and your friends were on our Earth. Since Roy has been here I have discovered it was because…”
“Yeah, breachers operate on a different frequency. We used that trick to get a bunch of Earth 2 meta’s taken out once. So what? You figured out the frequency and cast a mental search over the entire Earth for me? You can do that?!”
“Apparently. I have been trying for days. Ever since I found out that Kara was pregnant.”
“Please tell me you did not just mentally bust into another dimension and give me a migraine so you can give Barry the you hurt my daughter speech. Jeremiah already shot him.”
“No, but I am concerned. Roy has told me what little he knows of this man out to kill you and your friends. She will be a top target. Has she had any power outages?”
“Yeah… how did you know?”
“I didn’t but I suspected it to be a possibility. Tell me everything.”
Cisco stood in between dimensions and filled his Martian friend on the goings on since the group had left Earth 3. J’onn was not happy.
“I made an oath to Jeremiah to protect his daughters. My oath has not been fulfilled. I need you to open a breach into the Batcave. I am here now and need to come to your Earth.”
“J’onn, I can appreciate your dedication, but we got this.”
“Open the breach or every time you try to sleep I will give you another migraine. Perhaps you would rather me take control over your mind and open the breach myself? I have a feeling it would be painful for both of us. Regardless I will be stepping through for the wedding soon if nothing else and you do not want to see me angry. Open the breach Cisco. I will not allow Kara or Alex to be harmed. I am waiting.”
Cisco found himself back in the lab, Harry kneeling over him.
“What did you see?”
“I… I need to open a breach. I need to let an old friend through.” he mumbled, standing up shakily.
“No! You can’t just open… who the hell knows what could come through? Maybe something worse than Zoom?”
Cisco ignored the man and reached out, remembering the feeling of Earth 3, he focused on the Batcave where he had sent Roy days earlier and opened the breach before Harry could say another word. Within seconds a tall green skinned man in a cape, wearing armor, walked out.
“Holy shit, it is worse than Zoom.” Harry whispered. “Thanks Cisco, we really needed this now.” Harry moved towards his weapons cabinet but Cisco grabbed him.
“It’s cool Harry. Meet J’onn Jonzz, the last survivor of Mars and Kara and Alex’s surrogate father. He is here to help.”
Harry relaxed a bit and began taking in the Martian, while J’onn was reading his mind.
“Kara has not been seen as Superwoman since she was shot? You neglected to tell me about this Cisco.”
“I didn’t know it would be a big deal. I figured it was a given.”
“He knows she is an alien. She was shot and the bullet most likely not recovered by her hooded friends. This man must have obtained it somehow and studied her. It is possible he knows she is pregnant although that early, less than 24 hours, it is doubtful, but he does know she has a weakness and hasn’t been seen in public since. This has to change or he will press his attack now, while he believes her to be weak, which she is.”
“Yeah, Kara isn’t going in public. She has bodyguards with wings and really sharp nails and her powers are there one minute, gone the next. She can’t exactly be flying around and then drop. I’m no expert on alien pregnancy but that doesn’t seem like it would be good for either her or the baby. Plus her street cred would go out the window.” Cisco pointed out.
“Of course she isn’t going out, but Superwoman is.” J’onn told the man and in front of a stunned Harry’s eyes, morphed into perfect replica of the Woman of Steel.
“Wow. Okay, I am impressed.” Wells admitted.
Before anything else could be said, Barry arrived back from his desert training session.
“Hey, I thought you would still be shopping. Do I even want to know why you are in your suit? Barry asked and leaned into kiss his fiancee. The moment his lips neared hers he was thrown across the room into the far wall.
Barry blinked a couple times to clear his head, wondering what he did this time, as Kara walked quickly to stand over him, her eyes glowing but a deep red this time.
“Keep your lips to yourself Mr. Allen. Actions like that are why she is in this position to begin with.” the Martian told him, then morphed back into J’onn’s green form.
“I am so glad you stopped me.” Barry whispered, gratefully.
“I need to talk to the Danvers and you need to call a meeting.”
“A meeting with who?” Barry asked.
“You haven’t assembled a League yet? What are you waiting for? You fiancee is vulnerable and pregnant, the man after you has no qualms about killing anyone at any time, has superior technology and you have not gathered your comrades in an orderly fashion? They could be targets next. We meet tomorrow. For now will someone find out where the Danvers are and ask them to come to this place?”
“Yeah, on it. I don’t remember you being the Martian doppleganger of Oliver Queen.” Barry told him.
J’onn morphed into the shape of Hank Henshaw and smiled.
“I apologize Barry, I was admittedly distressed by what Cisco has told me and I have a feeling I haven’t been told everything yet. There is strength in numbers and I do not want my girls fighting alone nor you. Ask the Danvers to come and see me, contact anyone you can think of who can help in this fight and let us meet as soon as possible.”
“Okay, got it. But they are doing wedding stuff today, shopping for dresses, things like that. They are probably going to want you to join them.”
J’onn thought of this for a moment.
“On second thought, meeting with them can wait a couple hours. Are there Chocos on this Earth?”
“Yea… yeah.” Harry muttered.
“I would really like some. Think you can handle that, Cisco?”
“Yes sir… sir.” Cisco scrambled off while Barry walked away, still a bit dazed from being thrown across the room after nearly kissing a Martian, planning to make some phone calls. The first call would be to Mari.
The Zorels arrived two hours later at S.T.A.R., both girls wrapping J’onn in a hug that he returned.
“What are you doing here J’onn?” Alex asked.
“Fulfilling an oath. I promised Jeremiah I would protect the two of you. That hasn’t changed just because he is back.”
Jeremiah shook J’onn’s hand. “I’m glad to have you here old friend. With you here to read minds we won’t have to torture so many people.”
J’onn looked at Jeremiah for a long moment and then read his mind.
The situation had gotten desperate and while J’onn only knew Jeremiah briefly before he was taken, he recognized the man was desperate and desperate men do desperate things. Though he could never read Kara’s mind, he didn’t need to, to recognize that all in this family had the same drive. All had lost family members and in Kara’s case twice and would do whatever it took to stay together now. This was a development he had not suspected but should not have been surprised. He remembered Alex’s anger, hate, violence, when Kara was missing. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that the others would feel the same. He had noticed that Kara hadn’t flinched at the mention of torture and dug deeper in Jeremiah’s thoughts, his memories of listening to Kara on the roof, in the lab explaining what she had done under the influence of the metahuman. J’onn’s heart broke a bit. He knew Kara had much anger and darkness in her that she desperately tried to keep at bay. Now she had a target and motivation and he hoped it wouldn’t change her from the sweet, loving, bright light he had always known. He never expected her to go through this life unscathed. Everyone had a breaking point. In a way her love for Barry and this child may be what saves her from becoming… Oliver Queen.
J’onn did not bother to read Alex’s thoughts. He had done so on their trip to Earth 3 and seen more of Nyssa in her head than he would have liked. Some things should remain private. The Martian was grateful he could not blush when Nyssa greeted him.
The alien shifted into a form none recognized but was pulled away by Jeremiah.
“The girls are used to you as Hank Henshaw. I know Martian’s have a preferred shape and you have been him long enough that he must be yours. It’s okay J’onn. He doesn’t frighten me. You aren’t him no matter what you look like and I know that. You are the guy who kept my girls as safe as they would let you.”
J’onn recognized the sincerity in his words and morphed into his familiar form of Hank Henshaw. The five, including Nyssa and a promise from Barry to join them later, went to the condo. J’onn would be staying with them constantly when he wasn’t impersonating Kara.
The next morning while Felicity met with what she called the brains unit, of her, Winn, Curtis, Caitin, Harry, Jeremiah and Eliza to go over plans and schedules so a medical expert and tech expert were always on duty, the gathered muscle met in the basement of Palmer Tech. The basement was impressive, larger than the Arrow Cave by three times, with a monitoring station and medical bay, three workout areas and cases for all their suits. None were suited up at this time. A large round table was in the middle of the area between the monitoring station and the first workout area.
Ray stood up and looked at the assembled.
“I would like to welcome all of you to the A.T.O.M. cave and as new members of Team Atom.” he began.
“We aren’t calling ourselves that Ray and this isn’t a cave. Barry, Kara?” Oliver prompted while Ray sat back down, grumbling about being the one to pay for everything.
Both Barry and Kara stood up. Kara began to welcome everyone when her hand flew to her mouth and she ran from the table to the nearest trashcan and vomited.
“I guess that morning sickness started right on time.” Cisco commented.
“That’s Superwoman? I thought she couldn’t get sick. What the hell is going on?” Mari McCabe asked.
“She is pregnant.” Barry explained.
“Oh, congrats Flash. You work fast in everything, don’t you?” Vixen asked with a smirk.
“Sorry about that. It won’t happen…” Kara started then ran back to the trashcan. All grimaced at the sound of her vomiting. She stumbled back to sit down this time and Barry sat as well.
“I’m really… I’m good now.” she promised.
“I think we all know each other so lets get…” Barry started.
“I don’t know everyone. Anyone, besides you and Oliver and his team.” Vixen pointed out.
“Yeah, and we don’t know the Martian, since we had Central City babysitting duty while you guys were dimension hopping.” Jax reminded Barry.
“Everybody calm down. I’ll handle the introductions.” Cisco offered. “First we have from the city of Detroit, Mari Mccabe, code name Vixen, Sara Lance, code name Canary, Oliver Queen, code name Arrow,”
“Green…”
“Oh no buddy. You lost the green part in that condo yesterday. You don’t calm down big guy you are being relegated back to Hood. Beside him is the lovely Thea Queen, code name, Speedy, which will change soon…”
“No it won’t.”
“John Diggle, Spartan.” Cisco continued, ignoring Speedy’s threatening gaze, “Jax Jefferson and Martin Stein codename Firestorm, Ray Palmer, the famous Atom…”
“According to the latest polls he isn’t that famous,” Kara added. All looked at her.
“What? I work in PR. There have been some test studies conducted by toy manufacturers in regards to the sales potential of superheroes. I’m number one, a point and a half above Barry, and three points above Green Arrow, although your approval rating shot up after you killed Darhk on live TV, Oliver. Firestorm is fourth but third in the 14 to 24 year old demographic. Oliver is actually number one in female ages14-28, and Speedy, we are neck in neck with males 14 to 28 but I dominate the 28-45 market. Ray you have some public image issues.”
“What public image issues?! You are in charge of my PR. Help me out.”
“I’m in charge of Ray Palmer and Palmer Tech’s PR. Your superhero alter ego is your problem.”
“What are the main negative talking points?”
“People compare you to an Ironman wannabe.” Kara told him.
“What!? He is a damn comic book character! I’m real and I can shrink!”
“Yeah but you should probably focus more on the flying and energy blast things. Shrinking is not the best power, at least perceived by the general public. Today’s generation has more of a go big or go home…”
“I can go big! I did it once anyway. Destroyed a really giant evil robot! Tell her Jax.”
“Man, I am staying out of this.”
“Lets see how you do with the male demographics when you are flying around nine months pregnant, Kara.” Ray countered.
“Can we get back on point?!” Cisco yelled. Everyone shut up. Kara stuck her tongue out at Ray, who stuck his finger down his throat.
“Now where was I? Yeah Barry Allen and his baby mama Kara Zorel, Flash and Superwoman when she isn’t on maternity leave, J’onn Jonzz, code name the Martian Manhunter…”
“What?”
“What? You are a Martian.”
“I don’t hunt men or women for that matter.”
“Aren’t you going to help us find the bad guy?”
“Yes… but that doesn’t…”
“Martian Manhunter. Kill me later, its worth it. To cool not to go with. We also have the lovely Kendra Saunders and Carter Hall, Hawkwoman and Hawkboy who are not married…”
“Watch it Ramon.” Carter warned.
“We have Alex Zorel, code name Valkyrie…”
“It is? Weren’t we going to talk about this?” Alex asked.
“I handle the names around here. By the way I have a hemet for you to try out. Sitting next to her is the woman who promised I would see my own intestines before I died if I tried to give her a codename, Nyssa. One name, kind like Madonna or Yoko Ono.”
“Yoko Ono is two names, idiot.” Speedy pointed out.
“And I am Cisco Ramon, also known as Vibe. I think thats everyone.”
“What you lack in brains at least you make up for in numbers.” J’onn muttered, only to be kicked by Kara sitting next to him.
“We aren’t quite done. I hope you have room for one more at your big table.”
J’onn and Barry stood up both standing in front of Kara. Martin and Jax immediately merged, Nyssa pulled a sword, Alex her gun with the real bullets, Sara extended her bo staff and the rest stood up, prepared to attack if necessary.
“Calm down! I was requested. Which one of you is Oliver Queen?” the woman asked. She had long dark hair, and was wearing a black miniskirt, fishnet stockings underneath, a white button down shirt, covered by a tuxedo jacket. Tall stiletto boots finished her outfit, making her appear more like a Vegas cocktail waitress than someone invited to a meeting like this. Everyone heard a click and glanced to see Kara had pulled a gun from somewhere and had it pointed at the woman.
“I’m Oliver Queen and I don’t know you, I certainly didn’t request you to be here.”
“No, you requested Constantine to be here or for him to recommend someone who knew magic. John doesn’t play well with others Oliver and you should know that. However, what you have going on here is too good to pass up. Superwoman dear, please put the gun away before you accidentally shoot someone.”
“Screw you lady.” Kara told her. Barry’s mind was racing, trying to remember if Kara ever mentioned even firing a gun much less owning one.
“My name is Zatana. One name, like Yoko Ono. I cast a spell to teleport me to the greatest collection of heroes in the world. Was my spell wrong?”
“No it wasn’t.” Barry told her. “I hope you don’t mind if Oliver makes a call to Constantine to verify you are who you say you are?”
At that moment Oliver’s cell phone rang. He looked at caller ID and was instantly annoyed.
“How the hell do you do that?” he growled, hearing John Constantine’s laugh.
“Your welcome buddy. She is a looker isn’t she? Keep Felicity away from that one. Cheers old boy.”
Oliver pressed end on his phone and looked at Barry, nodding. Everyone relaxed, while Ray hurriedly pulled a chair for the woman who in Kara’s mind resembled a cocktail waitress.
“So you are the famous Flash. You are as handsome as I imagined you would be under that mask.” Zatana told him with a wink. Kara slipped off her bracelet, her eyes immediately glowing.
“Whoa, just being friendly. No need to light me on fire, Superwoman. So what do you call yourselves?”
“Team…”
“We don’t call ourselves that Ray.” Speedy told him quickly.
“Every Earth needs a doppleganger. This is the Justice League. I hope you have much to offer Zatana.” J’onn told the woman, reading her mind and finding her extremely fascinating and dangerous. She was not a threat to them however. There was goodness in her and a sense of adventure to go along with great power.
“I thought we were going to go with Justice Society?” Cisco asked, a bit offended. J’onn looked at him, very annoyed.
“Society? This isn’t the forties and we aren’t going to be driving tiny cars in parades wearing stupid hats, we are preparing to fight a war.” J’onn told him. “We are the Justice League. Welcome to the team Zatana.”
“Okay,” Barry started. “I guess we can go over skills later. Lets talk about the threat we are facing, Central City right now, Star City and if he gets past us then the rest of the world. All we know is he calls himself Prometheus and he is very smart, has a lot of high tech weapons, and has a serious grudge against anyone he considers a hero. I also know he doesn’t have a chance in hell against all of us working together. Before I start, just so everyone understands, we are going to be a team. We are going to train together, work together. When one of us calls, the rest of us come. We watch each others backs, stand together, no room for egos. We have the best tech, the smartest people on the planet and Ray is paying for everything. If anyone doesn’t want to be a part of this, I can appreciate that and thank you for your time. If you stay then you are in, 100% committed.”
Barry and Kara looked around the room. No one stood up to leave.
“Okay then. Lets go over what we know about this guy…” Barry started before Kara stood up and ran for the trash can once again.
Cisco raised his hand.
“Since I am taking notes, should I add all the times Kara’s vomits to the minutes of the first official Justice League meeting?”
Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction 
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