Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Call Me Kara

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 41:

The two men sat in the corner of Jitters enjoying their coffee and watching the early light cascade over Central City. To the passerby, they would seem like two colleagues or long time friends, enjoying a morning chat that had become a twice a week ritual for them. No one would guess the hell both had been through, physically, mentally, and emotionally over the past decade.

Since Jeremiah and Henry had been introduced by Joe, both recognized a kindred spirit in each other and one coffee meeting had turned into two and now sometimes three times a week.

“So did Ray ask you to work for him?” Jeremiah opened after the five minutes of silence they usually enjoyed, sipping coffee at its hottest.

“Yeah, I turned him down of course. Great guy, a really great guy, but I’m a doctor, at least I was. I’m not a researcher. What you guys are doing is amazing, but it’s not for me. Plus I know Ray is trying to help but I’m not you guys. I’m not you and Eliza. You are both brilliant researchers who add to his team. Me, I’m just an old family practitioner. I want to make it on my own as a doctor. But my board recertification test did get moved up by six months out of the blue, and I am sure Ray Palmer had something to do with that. I won’t complain unless he takes the tests for me. I actually take them next month. I’m hoping to be a doctor once again but who knows about after? Getting hired or starting my own clinic would be tough.”

“Why? Seems like good doctors are hard to come by.”

Henry chuckled a bit. “Despite being all over the news and having my innocence proven, there will always be that stigma. Who wants to be treated by a guy who spent a decade in prison, right? Even if I am innocent, people will wonder what it did to me. Did it change me? I haven’t practiced medicine in a very long time. If it was you and you had to decide who to see, would you choose me over someone else who has practiced in the past ten years and didn’t spend a lot of time in prison.”

“I think… now, I would go to you. In the past, I don’t know. I like to think I used to judge people based off feelings I had about them and I would have gotten a great feeling about you Henry, so yeah, I think so. I think if you give people a chance, they might surprise you.”

Henry raised his eyebrows. “That is certainly optimistic, Jeremiah. Good for you.”

Jeremiah laughed a bit and took another drink.

“What Kara said when she was on top of the roof at S.T.A.R., got to me. What I have been through has changed me, hardened me, but I can’t let it affect the rest of my life. I have got to put it behind me. I saw that day what she could be if she let her anger control her all the time. If she can fight it so can I. I have to, for all my girls.”

“But you still give Barry hell.” Henry pointed out with a smile.

“I’m trying. What does it take to get a reaction out of him? Only Kara can seem to get any real emotion out of him it seems. He can’t be that laid back. I see it in his eyes Henry. He has a lot of hurt and worry. He doesn’t need to bury it. But he is fun to mess with. I put the thing about the socks you mentioned on the list.”

Henry laughed loudly. “Has he complained yet?” he asked, knowing the answer.

“Nope. He will though. That son of yours is something else Henry. He is amazing. He would give her the world and ask her if she wanted more. He loves her the way she deserves to be loved.”

“Yeah, I think Joe has more to do with how Barry turned out than I do, but I am very proud of him. Nora would be so… I wish she could see him. I know she is watching but I wish I could see her eyes and the pride I know would be reflected in them. She would be scared like I am, like we are, but she would be so damn proud.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t cut yourself so short. Yeah, Joe has a lot to do with how Barry is, but he loves you, he never stopped believing in you, he has always… Henry you have been the driving force and a large part of why he became a CSI and a hero. Don’t sell yourself short. Have you talked to him a lot since you have been here?”

“Yeah I talk to him on the phone everyday. I wanted to visit him at work but… I just can’t do it. Its hard enough being around Joe. I love the guy, at least I love him for what he has done for Barry and helping me out, but a big part of me…”

“Never wants to speak to him again? Wants to hit him?”

“Yeah.” Henry admitted with a sigh. “I wouldn’t of course, and I understand why he… I’m grateful but I’m jealous. He had my son and tried to convince him for years I was guilty. Yeah, he apologized and I understand but it hurts. I should let it go. Outwardly I have but, its still there. Thawne didn’t just take Nora from us, he took all of our lives. But thats the way it seems to go, huh?”

Jeremiah nodded his head. “I would have felt the same way if Eliza had moved on. Grateful but angry inside. Thats human I guess or Kryptonian. I don’t know how you did it Henry. Yeah, I was in hell but at least I knew Eliza, Alex and Kara were alive. I could fight for them, do what I had to do, die for them even, but if they had been taken, killed and I couldn’t fight back, I would have probably killed myself. You are stronger than I am.”

“Strength has nothing to do with it. I did want to die many times. It was so tempting but Barry… if I had, it would have destroyed him. His faith was the only thing that kept me going. I tried to get him to move on, forget about me. I even moved away as soon as I got out, thinking he would be better off without me. Least till your girl got ahold of me. She has a way of making people listen, doesn’t she?”

“Yeah she does. Its strange to me. When I left her she was this shy, fragile girl who had so much hurt hiding behind the prettiest smile. She wouldn’t speak at a normal volume for months when she arrived, always whispering or speaking lowly. Except at night, when the nightmares hit. But her and Alex, my God they have turned into forces of nature.”

“Yes they have. So have you opened up to Eliza anymore? About what you went through?”

Jeremiah shook his head slightly. “I try, I have tried but its difficult. I don’t want her to know, or the girls to know especially. They would understand and I think thats the worst part. They wouldn’t blame me for experimenting on those aliens,the innocent, scared people who could have been Kara. I’m sure they suspect but they would understand. They would know why and look at me like I was… broken. You know what I mean?”

“Yep. I hope Barry believes that I just left my cell to eat meals and came back to read a book. I never want him to know about the gangs I had to avoid, the many fights he didn’t know about, the head games the violent prisoners like to play, just because they are bored. I just want him to think the worst was sitting in a cell locked up. Sitting in that cell locked up was the most peaceful part of my day. I will never tell him the things I saw and endured. He wouldn’t look at me the same. He would pity me. I can’t stand the thought of that. Offer stands though. If you ever feel like talking about it, I’m here.”

“Same goes for you. So what was all that mess last night? Joe say anything? I heard a bit, something about a zombie that kills with a touch?”

“Got me. Apparently this case that Alex, Barry and Joe caught was metahuman who can accelerate aging to the point of the person’s body turning to dust. Barry and Kara were leaving a movie theater last night and Kara heard a woman call for help some distance away. Barry found this woman on the ground and some kind of monster on top of her. He saved the woman’s life. Joe wasn’t exactly sure how, all the woman said was the Flash healed her but she was kinda traumatized by the whole ordeal and Barry has been busy since. Kara made the smart decision not to go after this thing and called Joe instead. Despite all the police in the city looking for him, the zombie disappeared without a trace. Now they are all planning some team meeting this morning to talk about it.” Henry explained.

“Yeah, Eliza said Palmer used his suit to sneak into some research center the suspected murderer and the first victim were involved in. Alex found out that she was involved with a doctor there in some sort of experimentation thing. Least thats what Eliza thinks. Between Curtis, Winn, Caitlin and Felicity we all get a bit conflicting stories.”

“How did Alex find out what doctor the victim was involved with?”

“How do you think? Used her Robocop helmet to break into the center undetected and found the guy’s appointment book.”

“Wow. Yep, extraordinary girls. I’m guessing she wasn’t alone?”

“Nope, like always, Kara followed her.” Jeremiah said with a slight laugh.

“Please tell me Kara didn’t go in?”

“Nah, Palmer told Cisco who told Eliza that Kara stayed outside the fence with her dog, used her X ray vision and some sort of zip lining gun to help Alex escape all while her and her dog ate sandwiches and I think a cheeseburger was mentioned.”

“Nice. Those girls are scared of nothing.” Henry admitted, considering a cheeseburger for lunch today.

“Yeah, kind of like a guy running into a black hole on the off chance he could save the world, figuring he had about zero chance of making it back down. God Henry, can you imagine what our grandchildren are going to be like? Between Alex and Nyssa and Kara and Barry… they are going to change the world more than their parents.”

“Yeah, I can’t wait to meet our first. You think Nyssa and Alex will adopt?”

“I can’t see either of them agreeing to give up her abs. They train like they are going to war any second. Yeah adoption is going to be the way to go for them but you never know… no, I do know. Adoption all the way.”

“I don’t know much about Nyssa. Hardly anything. Joe said she is private and he knows next to nothing and Joe usually knows everything.”

“She is something else. Raised by one of the most evil men in the history of the world to be an assassin from the moment she could walk, surrounded by infighting, attempts on her life, strenuous training no child should have to go through, being forced to kill or die, betrayed by her own father she had dedicated her life to despite never being shown an ounce of love, cast aside because he didn’t approve of her choices in love and still held onto honor. How does someone grow up like that and still emerge a hero? She and Oliver stopped a biological weapon from killing everyone in Star City, the two along with some friends, this Sara Lance and a kid named Roy Harper, John Diggle, and Felicity Smoak fought an army of soldiers hopped up on some super steroids from taking over the city. She led a revolt against an evil man who usurped her father and then once she had everything she wanted, the power, her father’s position, she tore it all apart because it was, in her mind, the right thing to do. Amazing woman.”

“Wow. Barry mentioned they had a real dungeon and hot tub too.”

“Yeah, a hot tub that could bring the dead back to life and keep a man or woman immortal by bathing in it once a week. She destroyed that too. She didn’t think it was right, against the natural order. Oliver Queen told me that. We got drunk together a couple weeks back. He is quite the talker when he drinks. Unfortunately most of what he says drunk is in Russian but I got the general idea.”

“Oliver Queen scares the hell out of me.” Henry admitted. “But he is devoted to Barry and Kara so I guess it’s a good thing that he is scary.”

“None of us can get through this life unscathed but damn, it seems all our circle has gone through hell more than the average person.” Jeremiah admitted.

“Thats what makes us stronger right? Thats what makes our children stronger. Good hearts can go through crucibles and come out stronger. Do you feel stronger Jeremiah?” Henry asked.

“No.” he admitted. “But I don’t feel weak any longer.”

“Same here. I guess I better get a move on. Early shift at the ER. Being an orderly kind of sucks but at least I am near what I love.”

‘Amen brother.” Jeremiah agreed.

“Coffee Friday?”

“Why don’t you come over tonight for dinner? You haven’t had a chance to meet J’onn really. He is a fascinating guy. He’s a lot like us. He has lost a lot and survived. His whole family and world, just like Kara. Plus he does the best impressions and I mean that literally. Barry almost kissed him, thinking he was Kara.”

“Yeah definitely. Want me to bring anything?”

“Beer.” Jeremiah answered immediately.

“Thats a given. Oh and the next addition to the list, add something about Barry making sure the toothpaste is out of the sink after he spits. He used to not rinse long enough and that crap would just glob right there in the bowl. Drove me crazy. Maybe that will push him over the edge. He is going to have to blow up at you eventually.”

“I hope so, He needs to. He’s keeping it all in. If he lets it out around Kara or any of his friends that he knows will tell her, he knows she will freak. So he’s just holding it inside. He needs to vent, but he has the patience of a saint.”

“Don’t worry Jeremiah. If anyone can push him over the edge it’s you.” Henry told him with a wink.

“I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

The two shook hands and both exited, ready to begin the day and feeling a little lighter like always.

While the sun continued to shine over the early morning, the Justice League, brains and muscle, held a meeting in S.T.A.R. labs before the construction crew reported for the day. So far, the repair team had pulled out roughly two thousand rounds of ammo from the walls and ceiling. A.R.G.U.S. had been nice enough to clean up the blood when they left.

Kara began to start the meeting and then rushed to the bathroom before the words, good morning could flow from her lips.

“Does she have morning sickness or is she just afraid of public speaking?” Cisco asked. Barry ignored him, addressing the team.

“So does everyone know what happened last night?” the Flash asked.

“You and Kara saw a zombie, you saved some cute girl from getting mummified and somehow, a walking monster disappeared in Central City and nobody knows how or where he went to. That about sum it up?” Jax asked.

“Yeah, pretty much. I had to save her, Kara had no way of stopping the guy nor did I for that matter, so I was hoping the police could corral him while we figured… something out.” Barry explained. “Ray, how did the break in go last night?”

Ray smiled, proud of himself.

“Piece of cake. Maybe if I would have been thought of first, Valkyrie wouldn’t…”

“Shut up Ray.” Alex told him, quickly silencing that observation.

“Fine. I won’t bore you all with how I flew right in through the AC vent on top of the roof. I slipped into one of the cells under the door. It was a plain room, concrete, some sort of low grade electrical currents running behind it, almost like an electrically charged cage. There was a desk and two chairs and a video camera in the corner by the ceiling. Nothing else. So I slipped out and hacked into Pendergast’s console and went back to the old Atom Cave. I found out quite a bit.” he finished proudly.

Sara rolled her eyes. “Are we really going to have to ask what did you find out Ray?”

“Glad you asked Sara. So lets start with Project Blue Skye. Blue Skye’s purpose is to identify metahumans with psionic abilities. Telepathy, mind reading, astral projection and so forth. The idea is that no matter the strengths and weaknesses of any meta, the brain will always be a point of weakness.”

“Not Barry or Kara.” J’onn added. “Barry can move his thoughts too fast for mind reading and it is doubtful mind control would work on him. I can read his mind barely at times but the minute he begins focusing on more than one or two things, I lose him. His neurons fire too rapidly. Kara, I’m not sure why but her and her cousin and the other Kryptonians I fought on my Earth were immune to telepathy.”

“Good to know. What else Ray? Who is behind it? A.R.G.U.S.?” Barry asked, afraid of the answer.

John Diggle had gone back to Star City to watch his daughter while Lyla was on a mission. No one wanted to suspect A.R.G.U.S. but by Lyla’s own admission she was still discovering projects Amanda Waller had left behind.

“That… is a little it more difficult. The group Pendergast works for, the one that funds the project is not exactly named other than an acronym N.O.W.H.E.R.E. It appears Pendergast was recruiting psychic metas and sending them to a place called the Colony. No records of where this might be. It has some standard military encryption but I don’t think its military. Too high class. Probably private, posing as government or working with them. I don’t know what the acronym stands for, I don’t know where the Colony is but Marsh would have been the second confirmed one they had discovered. Another woman had been recruited named Lilith Clay. She was listed under the file name Omen. Out of two hundred and twenty prospects this Marsh and Clay were the only ones confirmed as true metas with psionic powers. File says Clay can read minds and force others to see what she wants, almost like forcing them into an illusion that is very, very real. She also has limited precog abilities, but doesn’t go into detail. Clay was 18 last year when she was accepted into this N.O.W.H.E.R.E. program and sent to wherever the hell this Colony is.”

“Felicity?” Barry prompted, knowing her and knowing she had probably been working on this all night.

“I can’t find her Barry. It’s like she dropped off the map. She was an orphan, her parents had died the year before. Since she was weeks away from turning 18 she was never given a guardian and had no extended family regardless. Her parents weren’t rich, they died in a car wreck, I’m not sure how she supported herself. If this is some kind of shady program then she may have been easy to recruit.” the blonde hacker explained.

“This tie in with Prometheus? He obviously had a thing for metas. He had the money, the power…” Barry suggested.

“Not his style.” Oliver answered. “He wanted to kill heroes. He still does. He doesn’t need or want metas, he wants lackeys so he can be the one with the glory. Prometheus is another discussion that can be tabled for now.”

“The neural suggestion I implanted does not require my presence, Mr. Queen. It will not go away when I leave this Earth.” J’onn told him, reading Oliver’s mind. “He is not a threat any longer.”

“I suppose we have nothing to worry about then. Thank you J’onn.” Oliver told him, in a grateful tone, not fooling the Martian at all.

“I’m serious Oliver, there is no need…”

“Can we get back to business at hand?” Oliver interrupted J’onn. J’onn let it go, but would follow up. He had seen enough when Prometheus’s name was mentioned in Oliver’s head to know the Arrow planned to kill him as soon as J’onn left this Earth. It was unnecessary and he would make Oliver understand that.

“Yeah, anyway Pendergast was going to recruit Marsh and we should all see the videos to understand why. She didn’t just read minds. Like Clay she had additional powers, mainly one, the ability to kill with her mind. The videos from the room showed two men brought in and sat in front of her. She was told that one was a registered sex offender and one was not. She had to read their minds to determine who was who and kill the offender.” Palmer told them, almost gleefully.

“Ray please tell me you don’t think this is…” Barry hoped,

“Cool? Of course not, its horrible, but she wouldn’t do it. She figured out which one it was and told Pendergast to let her out because she wasn’t going to kill anyone. So the door opens and I guess both guys walk out and she stays. Next thing you know, one of the guys rushes back in, door slams behind him and he attacks her. Has his hands around her throat and everything.”

“This is how he recruited people?” Alex thought out loud.

“Nicer than League tactics.” Nyssa reminded her.

“I don’t know, I just know it was her last session and before he could strangle her, he grabbed the sides of his head, started screaming and then dropped dead on the floor. The video ended. That was the day before she died.” Palmer finished.

“So if she had that kind of power Pendergast must have been pretty quick to get to her. If she refused him or he told her too much…” Barry started.

“What did I miss? Sorry, I really shouldn’t have had pickles for breakfast. At least not the whole jar but once you start you just can’t seem to stop right?”

“You ate a whole damn jar of pickles for breakfast? What the hell is wrong with you woman?!” Jax asked. Stein kicked him under the table so he let it go.

Barry spoke rapidly for ten seconds, Kara murmured something back to quick for any to hear and Barry spoke rapidly again. Kara nodded her head and sat down.

“So this sounds pretty cool… I mean awful.” she clarified.

“Can I ask a question?” Zatanna raised her hand. “I am the sorceress on the team. I have teleported people across the country, I have turned armed drones into dead pigs, and I have healed bullet wounds. Why do we now have a death, involving a zombie and I have yet to be brought in? This is my wheelhouse people!”

The group looked at each other, not even Cisco having an answer. Harry, finally rolled his eyes and took a stab at it.

“This is at heart, a homicide investigation. It requires information and analyzation. What he is doing to people is happening at a cellular level. There is no magic involved. I can appreciate your… talents, but to stop this man, we have to figure out how he is doing this and how we can counteract his abilities. Magic is not what is called for at this time.” or any other, Harry thought to himself.

“Eeffoc nrut ot dum.” Zatanna whispered as Harry brought his cup to his lips. His eyes opened when the cold mud touched his lips and spit out the foul smelling mud.

“Take your coffee mud to your lab and figure that one out, Wells.” Zatanna whispered.

“I love her. Have I told anyone how much I love her?” Cisco giggled, until he saw Carter glaring, encouraging him not to giggle.

“Barry, Alex, was there a mirror in her bedroom where her body was found?”

“Yeah.” Alex admitted.

“Bring it to me. I can cast a spell on the mirror to show us exactly what happened in her room.”

“Whoa! Hold up Zatanna. What do you mean the.. what spell… wait, I don’t want ghosts in mirrors. Thats… not… thats not cool.” Kara told her immediately.

“You don’t have to be there Kara. I’m sure we can let you know what is found.” the sorceress offered.

“No one should be there, not even you. You are a superhero now Zatanna. You can’t be getting possessed. Things like that are freaky. Its all fun and games until something reaches out of a TV or mirror to grab you. Then what? What are you going to do then? You wouldn’t be able to cast spells backwards because in a mirror everything is backwards. Have you thought of that?” Kara stressed.

“Then I should be able to say them normally and they will work.” the woman reasoned.

“Stop being logical!”

“Kara! It will be fine. It was just a movie.” Alex tried, hoping to calm her down and wishing she had never shown her Poltergeist when she was 14. Or the dozens of other horror movies she had made her sister sit through since then.

“Oh yeah? Ammityville, Conjuring, Conjuring 2, Insidious, Paranormal Activity? All true stories Alex. I cannot be around ghosts right now. Does anyone want to see a beautiful, super powered baby girl who is possessed by demons? I don’t.”

“Kara calm down. There will be no demons and I promise no ghosts. I can use the mirror as a recording device and ask it to play back the images from the night of the woman’s death. I promise, no ghosts.” Zatanna swore while trying not to laugh. She had noticed that Kara ignored the automatic door at Palmer Tech in the lobby and now realized why. The most powerful woman in the universe, scared of ghosts.

“Fine, but… just let me know how it turns out. Let all of us know. Since you are an expert you should probably be alone when you do this right?”

“Yes, I can handle this alone, sweetie.” Zatanna smiled.

“I’ll bring the mirror and Joe and I…”

“You will stay away form evil spirits Alexandra! I will tell Mom.”

“Baby calm down. She will do her thing and we can find out what we need to know. There are no such thing as ghosts.” Barry whispered.

“Of course there are. She is right to be afraid. Poltergeist, demons, the restless dead, all looking for the smallest chance to come back to the world of the living and wreak havoc. Honesty is important. That is my primary purpose on this team, correct? Dealing with things that Wells and his cup of mud can’t?”

“Thats it, I’m out. I’ll be in my workshop if anyone wants to solve a murder with actual science.” Harry muttered, stomping away from the table.

“Harry! Don’t be a hater, man! Come back!” Cisco yelled after him, laughing.

“I told you Alex. All real. She turned a drone into a dead pig. If anyone knows, she would and its real. All of it.” Kara told her sister.

“Kara!”

The entire table turned towards the hall where Charlie was running into the room, followed by an irate Harry, a little mud still on his face.

“Your dog crapped in my lab.”

“Sorry. I’ll have a talk with him, I promise.” she told him, picking up Charlie and placing him on her lap, in the event she had to melt Harry’s face off. She hoped not because she really liked Harry.

“A talk… fine, talk to the dog, make it see reason, ask the cocktail waitress to cast a spell on a mirror, whatever. I’ll clean it up.” he muttered and walked off.

“Okay back on track.” Barry tried. “Alex and I will get the mirror for Zatanna or we can just go to the apartment. Who is not actually doing Palmer Tech stuff and is working for us today?”

“Curtis. Me and him will keep working on this underground organization of potentially evil and at the very least weaponized group of metas.” Ray informed everyone. “I guess the rest of us can get back to work. Should we try to organize a search of some sort for the walking dead?”

“No. Everybody keep your coms handy or phones at least. If police pick up any sight of Pendergast or a Pendergast resembling zombie we all know. Until then, its probably a waste of time searching the area. He is most likely in the woodland surrounding the city and that is a lot of land. So we meet back here tomorrow morning. Sound good?” Barry asked. Everyone nodded so the group broke up, except for Oliver who stayed behind, asking Cisco to show him everything the man had learned about Prometheus’s helmet. No matter what, the Arrow could not get that bastard off his mind. Yeah the so called Decay, as Cisco had dubbed him, was no doubt deadly and this conspiracy could be deadlier but the mad man who had his hands around Kara’s throat, stayed on his mind.

As the group exited the building to begin their day, Lyla Diggle, watched the parking lot. As she had hoped, Kara Zor El walked out of the lab and continued walking, passing her new car, preferring to go on foot this fine morning. The weather was not particularly cold and Lyla noted the blonde did not have her bracelet on. She was happy to see that Kara’s feathered body guards were not with her. It was important that she talk to Kara alone. The director of A.R.G.U.S. knew Barry fairly well, knew his thoughts, knew his personality and felt the two had a good relationship even if it was no as extensive as her husbands and his was. Nowhere near as extensive as Oliver and Barry’s relationship. Despite her husband’s good relationship with the blonde, Lyla had nearly zero contact with her and this had to change.

She thought of offering Kara a ride home, but the blonde looked happy, comfortable, in her jeans, blue sweater and brown leather jacket, enjoying the cool weather. Instead Lyla followed at a distance. Once they reached the apartment building Lyla gave the woman a few minutes to make herself at home before she approached the apartment.

After ten minutes she made her way up to the apartment of Caitlin Snow and Kara Zorel. John, not to her surprise, had never told her Kara’s whole story, and neither had Oliver. She had no idea where the woman came from, how she had these powers, why she suddenly popped up but considering what she knew of Barry and the Zoom case including the metapocalypse, she knew Kara was from another universe, one that had particularly strong meta humans. John’s missing long weekend that he wouldn’t talk about, other than to say he helped Kara’s family move to Central City, made her suspect John had joined the proud few who jumped parallel dimensions. Of course Kara’s sister, mother and father arrived right after. John had said enough about Alex that she hoped the woman might approach her for a job but it wasn’t to be. She was not offended that John kept most information to himself. He kept Barry’s identity to himself until Barry revealed it. Both of them knew the value of keeping other people’s secrets.

Now the landscape of the world was changing. When it had been Barry and his team in Central City and Oliver and his team in Star City, they had been localized groups who did good in their communities, or at least stopped the really bad people. Now there were more metas than ever, some friends, many enemies and knowing who was who was of paramount importance.

Lyla knocked on the door and it was quickly answered by a smiling Kara.

“Hi, Kara? We haven’t really had the chance to talk a lot, I’m…”

“John’s wife, Lyla DIggle. Please come in. I poured you a cup of coffee but wasn’t sure how you liked it. Is black fine or would you prefer cream and sugar?”

Kara strolled towards the kitchen while a surprised Lyla walked slowly behind her.

“I… black is fine. You were expecting me?”

“Yep. Why didn’t you ask me if I wanted a ride? You have been following me since I left S.T.A.R.”

Lyla froze, not used to being caught watching someone.

“I have exceptional eyesight Lyla. Its fine though, the weather was perfect for walking. So what can I do for you?” Kara asked, handing the woman a cup of coffee and walking towards the living room. Having a seat in the love seat and offering Lyla the sofa, the two relaxed.

“I’m sorry I didn’t ask you if you wanted a ride. I wanted to meet with you, get to know you but I felt…”

“Being upfront about it would be a bad idea? Or you wanted to talk to me alone and needed to see where I was going and with who?”

Lyla blushed a bit, but Kara didn’t sound angry. She sat there with the sunniest smile on her beautiful face.

“Yes, I wanted to talk to you alone. I don’t know a lot about what happened to bring you here. John is pretty protective about information he has and I don’t press. I have been watching you for a while and have figured out that you and your family are from a parallel universe. I know you saved John’s life and he and Oliver think the world of you. I want us to be friends. I have an idea from what I have pieced together from Oliver and John that the government where you were from tried to have you murdered… because of how powerful you are?”

“Yes.” Kara answered simply, not elaborating.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“I was sorry to experience it but it all worked out. It brought me back to Barry. I’m happy now.”

“I understand you are expecting. Congratulations. I plan to accompany John to the wedding in a couple weeks if that is fine with you?”

“Of course Lyla. John is like family to me. I would love to have you there. I hope to meet your daughter. John talks a lot about her.”

“She will be there. This is excellent coffee. What brand is it?”

“Folgers. Lets cut the nonsense, Lyla. You didn’t follow me from S.T.A.R. to introduce yourself and compliment my name brand coffee. What is it you want?”

Lyla was shocked by the sudden change. Kara did not appear hostile but she was on longer smiling. Perhaps the time had come to lay all her cards out.

“Okay… based on what I saw in Detroit and the team work displayed here in Central City to stop Prometheus and his forces I am guessing the team up I saw was not a one time thing?”

“No, it wasn’t. But you know that. You know who we all are or could if you wanted to. You probably have people who have gone over and over videos in Detroit and are wondering how a woman in a black skirt and stilettos can turn a drone into a pig or how we all got there so quickly. You are probably wondering how I could be at two places at once. Of course you know I wasn’t in Detroit anymore than Oliver was, even though he was seen in the early part of the battle. You saw us meeting today and while John might not tell you everything he will tell you some things, especially about a large group of heroes becoming more organized. What is it you want Lyla?”

“I want your group, to have a good relationship with my organization. I know you have reasons not to trust the government but A.R.G.U.S. is not what it once was. We want the best for the world and…”

“Then you do what you do and we will do what we do. Our aims should not interfere with one another. As far as working together I am not sure what you think you could bring to us. We have the best technical minds in the world. The best hackers, the best equipment, the greatest bio engineers. We have the strongest heroes, the bravest and the deadliest. I’m not sure what you think A.R.G.U.S. could bring to us besides making us vulnerable to politicians and inept military leaders.”

Lyla was taken back by her tone. Although Kara was not yelling, she may as well have been.

“I promise you, my organization is not…”

“Who takes over if you die?”

“Wha… what?”

“Its a simple question. Amanda Waller is dead. Its a risky business we are all in. Who takes over if you are dead? Is someone appointed? Is someone next in line? You say A.R.G.U.S. is different since you have been in charge and I have no doubt about this but how different is it going to be when the next person takes over. What about General Eiling? Think he might want the spot? He has already attacked Barry before, attacked Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein. He is going after Grodd right now because he desperately wants to know how to control someone’s mind and if you want to know the truth, he is a big suspect in a case we are working. Another like Prometheus, an organization, underground but probably deadly, you haven’t heard about yet. Who takes your place, Lyla?”

“I don’t know. The position is appointed by the President. But I can guarantee…”

“Nothing. You really can’t. I’m curious, does A.R.G.U.S. still run Task Force X? Bombs in necks? Sounds like a Prometheus trick.”

‘No, I shut down Task Force X. I have made a great effort to clean up the organization and make it into what it is supposed to be.”

“And I congratulate you on this Lyla, I do. But we, the Justice League, are independants. If we do you a favor, when will it stop? When will you stop calling us for favors and giving us assignments instead? I think it is best if our organizations stay separate. You don’t step on our toes and we don’t step on yours.”

“I see.” Lyla told her quietly, actually surprised by the restrained hostility. “Can I ask you what did happen, exactly on your old Earth, that has caused you to distrust not only the ones who betrayed you but every government?”

Kara sat back, seemingly relaxed and actually smiled. “I’m at peace with dying to save the world. I’m not at peace with dying because the world thinks I am a threat.”

“You think I am a threat? You trust John, John trusts me.” Lyla reminded her, hoping the same argument she used on Jeremiah would work again.

“John trusted his little bother. How did that work out for Laurel Lance?”

Lyla froze. Her face felt warm and she knew it wasn’t a blush. She was angry. Somehow despite being a master at controlling her emotions, this sunny, blonde girl had gotten under her skin and hit where it hurt the worst.

“I think I should probably leave.” she gritted out.

“Let me walk you out.” Kara offered, standing up. Lyla took a good look at her, looked in her eyes and looked around her. Of course.

The woman sat back down, confusing the blonde.

“You are right Kara. I’m the government. I head up a secret agency and we are involved in a lot of dark work that the general public doesn’t know about. I know a lot about your friends and I know a lot about you, just from the little I have heard about you from Oliver and John I figured out much on my own. I know Kara Zorel would never, ever bring something like John’s brother up. I know John and Oliver don’t talk about it. Felicity or Thea either. There is no way for you to know about that. Barry doesn’t even know all the circumstances of what happened in that prison. I also know, that you are nervous when meeting new people, you hardly ever make eye contact and you tend to babble like Felicity until you are used to someone. I know that even though you don’t feel like it is necessary, Carter Hall and Kendra Saunders never leave you alone if Barry is not around. They may not be with you in the same room but they are always near. I also know that since your birthday, you go nowhere without your dog. So why don’t you stop playing games with me J’onn Jonzz? I asked to speak to Kara, not be played by you again. The mind reading shape shifting thing is neat but its novelty is wearing thin.”

Kara Zor El smiled and shifted into the human form of Hank Henshaw. Having a seat back on the love seat he took Lyla in.

“Kara would have done all those things and she would have been your best friend and offered anything you wanted. She also would have been scared to death and too nice to admit it. She worked for a government organization that I was the head of. Of course they had no idea I was an alien but our purpose… it didn’t matter. She saved the world. She flew a mental time bomb set to destroy every human life on the planet with a pulse, that would fry every human’s brain, into space herself, almost died if her sister hadn’t used… I’m the one who held her sister for days, watched her fall apart after Kara was shot twice by men she worked with, ordered by a general who hated her and a President who thanked her four days before ordering her death. I watched her family fall apart in grief. I’ve worked in black ops agencies for twenty years Lyla and while I have no doubt you have the best intentions, you know what those types of agencies bring to the table. Keep your organization away from the Justice League.”

“I mean them no harm.”

“I know. But you won’t always be there. Whoever comes next can mean harm. I came to this universe because I made a vow to Jeremiah Danvers, or Zorel, to protect his daughters as if they were my own. I came to help with this helmeted freak but I have stayed, watched, learned. Your own military has elements in it, who are after metahumans. I have read all about General Eiling. Cisco keeps pretty detailed records on him. I’ve seen his actions in Caitlin and Cisco’s minds. Stein’s as well. You may not be a danger to them and your organization may not be right now but they could be one day. You want to help, keep away from them.”

“We could do more together. We have the same enemies.” Lyla argued.

“Then let them do what they do and handle your enemies for you. Lyla if you really want to help them, get rid of all the information A.R.G.U.S. has on any of them. Delete Oliver Queens files, Nyssa Al Ghul, any clues to the identities of the others. Don’t try to track down the woman in the skirt who can do some pretty impressive things. Wipe out any knowledge A.R.G.U.S. may have about Ray Palmer and his tech. Just leave them alone Lyla. You know government being involved can lead to no good.”

Lyla took a deep breath. As angry as she was at this man, she could understand where he was coming from.

“I would still like to talk about information sharing on certain cases we are both interested in with Barry and Kara.”

“Then don’t ever follow Kara home trying to get her alone. You have a history, a friendship with Barry. He could have facilitated this. You would have had her nervous, wondering why you wanted to talk to her alone. She is pregnant with a potentially very powerful child and has a great fear of the government, any government. Why in the hell would you try to get her alone? I know why. Barry will do whatever Kara wants in regards to A.R.G.U.S. You get on her good side you get what you want, right? Catch her at a disadvantage, lay on the charm, control the conversation, I know the game. Never do it again. Alex and Kara are under my protection. I don’t like people to play games with my girls. You should know that where I come from we have our own Justice League. We are also quickly developing our own method of inter dimensional travel. I will be checking in from time to time. If I even suspect any element in the government is planning anything against this League and especially Kara and Alex, my League will attack and if you think these kids are something, you are going to love us. I don’t want trouble. I want Kara and Alex to do what they do best, without having to worry about power hungry politicians and militants after them. You are a mother so I am sure you can understand that.”

“I have nothing against your girls J’onn. I think the world of them. My husband would be dead if not for Kara. Yes, I did want to talk to her alone and I felt I could convey what I wanted best in a one on one session. I wasn’t informed of all the details of what happened to her. I will ask Barry if I can talk to both of them. Understand this though, I do want to help, not hurt them and I will offer my help whether you like it or not.”

“Then perhaps I am not making myself clear enough.” J’onn mentioned, rising while a suddenly frightened Lyla, wondered if he would make her forget and what exactly she would be forgetting.

“J’onn!”

Both turned towards the door neither had noticed opening. Kara stood there, Charlie in his carry bag, strapped to her shoulder.

“We need a moment, Kara.” J’onn told her

“No you don’t. I appreciate you trying to protect me but doing that is wrong. Her mind is her own.”

“Kara, maybe you don’t understand what your family went through…”

“J’onn, I am not naive enough to believe that the caliber of people we have on our team will be ignored by the government, any government. I appreciate your intention, but I want to talk to Lyla myself.”

“Okay.” J’onn gave in with a sigh and looked at Lyla once again. “Amazons, Atlanteans, Martians, Kryptonians and a couple guys and women that can go toe to toe with Oliver Queen and Nyssa Al Ghul in hand to hand combat and have a fifty fifty chance of winning. This may not mean anything now but if my girls are hurt you will become intimately acquainted with all of them. I won’t apologize for coming on strongly. I lost one family, watched them murdered before my eyes and I lived with thinking Kara was dead for a long time. Take care Lyla. I look forward to seeing you at the wedding.”

“I look forward to seeing you as well, however you plan to look. Just try not to read my mind because you may not like the names I will be calling you.” the woman told him, not backing down an inch. J’onn smirked a bit and nodded his head, walking out of the apartment. Lyla found herself with the woman she had come to talk to.

“So hi? Sorry about that. Overprotective Martian surrogate father. Every girl should have one. The first time I bet him he shot me with a knock out dart and told me to go back to fetching coffee. I don’t think he was going to give you a lobotomy. Thats what I am going to tell myself. He was probably just going to plant a harmless hypnotic suggestion in your brain against your will… there is really no way I can lessen how messed up this is, can I?” Kara tried, bright red, not even Charlie licking her face.

Lyla stood and walked towards the blonde, reaching out her hand which Kara carefully and gently took.

“Lyla Diggle. Oliver Queen kidnapped me once while undercover with the League of Assassins from my home while my daughter was there. I forgave him. That? That was nothing. Not a day goes by that I am not threatened by someone. I understand I have you to thank for my husband not being spread across a mountain range.”

“Oh that? No big deal. It wasn’t even the biggest plane I have ever caught. Kind of small actually compared to a 747. I almost got hit by one of those too. I was fighting my evil uncle a couple thousand feet in the sky and there is this big light, you should have seen the look on his face… I’m babbling, aren’t I?”

“I don’t mind. Its better than threatening so I am already doing better with you. Does it freak you out when he impersonates you?”

“Not as bad as it freaks Barry out now. Look, I just came home to pick up a wedding planner book from Caitlin’s room. She is waiting in the car. We have to go taste cakes and appetizers and stuff. I’m honestly not sure if I will eat them all or not be able to eat a single bite, so Nyssa and Thea are going to meet me and Cait there. You want to come with? We can talk and you can help with the tasting. Would that make up for J’onn almost lobotomizing you?”

“That is not your fault. He reminds me of your father. You and Alex are important to a lot of people, very powerful people who aren’t afraid to use that power. I hope my daughter has friends like that one day. I would love to accompany you Kara. Thank you.”

Caitlin was surprised to see Lyla entering the car, but greeted her kindly, not having the most experience with the woman, but having heard good things. They arrived at he caterers, the only one who could work on such short notice, to find Thea and Nyssa there. Thea gave Lyla a hug and Nyssa gave her a look that let the director know she was carrying multiple knives and not afraid to use them. Carter and Kendra walked in as well and Lyla had an idea that they had been around the entire time.

After the tasting, during which Kara managed to test four cakes multiple times and vomited the crab puff appetizers before deciding against any type of shell fish, Lyla, Caitlin and Kara returned to the apartment. Caitlin changed and left for S.T.A.R. leaving Kara and Lyla alone.

“So that was fun huh? Sorry about vomiting. It comes and goes.”

“Been there.”

“So I guess, you want to talk right?”

“I would like to, but if you aren’t in the mood or…”

“No! No, its fine. I expected this. Okay I expected you to talk to me and Barry or maybe have Oliver come with you. But… go ahead. I’m not really sure where to start.”

“I just want to offer my organizations friendship. I don’t expect your team to take missions from us. I know better than to order my husband or Oliver Queen to do anything. The best way to get them to do something is to tell them not to. But I do not want us to be at odds. I suspect, and your green friend confirmed that you have reason not to trust the Government?”

“We all have reasons not to trust somebody right? But yeah, I guess I’m a little more cautious than I used to be. My cousin, he is a superhero in the universe I came from and refused to work with the government. I never understood why until I took two bullets. But that wasn’t the entire Government. Just the… President and US Army and stuff. Wow, when you put it that way it does sound bad. But to be honest, I have also had quite a few of other people try to kill me because of who my mother was, so its not like they were alone.”

‘Who your mother was?” Lyla asked. “Dr. Eliza Danvers?”

“Oh… what has Dig told you about me?”

“Next to nothing about your background. I guessed that you were a metahuman from another universe.”

“Okay… see here is the thing. We want to help the world be a safer place. If you know of something that is a threat to the world and you don’t think your agents can handle it, let us know. I can’t guarantee we will get involved. We won’t get involved in political disputes but Damian Darhk types, HIVE, yeah we are all over that. In return if we need something, information on certain things that may not be known to the general public and you know, it would save us time from hacking it. Our tech people have regular jobs too so any assistance you can give would be great. As far as a formal partnership, I don’t think we need one, because I am not agreeing to help A.R.G.U.S. I am agreeing that we will help you. In return all I ask is that you keep meddling hands from our business. Politicians, military, they are going to want to know who we are, what we can do, how to use us. You help keep us covered on that end and we help you out when you need it, provided the threat is something your agents definitely can’t handle. Thats the best we can do Lyla. I’m not used to this. I was a member of an agency, or thought I was. I was used to taking direction and now people are looking to me and Barry to provide direction. I can’t commit them to working with the government but I won’t let that stand in the way of us helping if the world is threatened. Does that make sense?”

“It makes perfect sense.” Lyla told her, relieved, getting more than she hoped for.

“And as a mother, I know you will understand this. Lyla, no one can know about my baby. If anyone tries to take her, harm her, study her, this world will wish I had died in my own universe. You can understand that, right?”

“All records of your identities will be wiped. Even Oliver Queens, thought most of A.R.G.U.S. knows who he is anyway. We won’t look or dig. I can’t guarantee other agencies or military won’t but if I find out about it, I will let you know, friend to friend, and do my best to shut it down. How does that sound?”

“Sounds like we can be friends, Lyla. Is John in the city? I know he went back to be with Sara. Maybe we can have dinner tonight?”

“He is still in Star City, being a stay at home dad for the moment. I should probably be getting back as well. I’m glad… thank you for talking to me Kara.”

“No problem. Thanks for not making me feel self conscious about barfing crab balls. Sorry you got threatened with a Martian brain wipe. What happened to me was traumatic but, I wasn’t awake for most of it. I think it hit my loved ones even harder. I should have let them know I was alive sooner. Thats on me. I just thought… it doesn’t matter. Its over now. But yeah, definitely sorry for the Martian brain cleansing threat.”

“These things happen.” Lyla told her with a laugh, shrugging her off. The two parted at the door and the moment she was gone, Kara was on the phone with Barry.

Later that night, Oliver and Thea Queen were walking through the woods, nearest to where Pendergast had been seen in the alley. Oliver guessed if he had ran, then there would be some trace, perhaps dead foliage, giving the two a trail to follow.

“This is dumb. Its dark. We should have done this during the day.” Thea complained.

“Yeah, because we can walk around with bows and explosive arrows during the daytime.”

“Hunters do it all the time!”

“Do we look like hunters? Can you please whisper? We are trying to track a PhD in the forest. We should have the advantage but with you talking loudly he can hear us a mile away.” Oliver complained.

“Fine… wait! You hear that?” Thea whispered, hearing a slight ruffling of leaves on the ground. Being Fall the ground was cluttered with dead leaves but this was a definite shuffle.

Oliver and Thea raised their bows, prepared to fire at anything from a wolf to a metahuman zombie. Crouching down, they waited but heard nothing else.

The Arrow motioned with his finger to his sister, the two slowly and quietly walking towards the noise. Two closely grown huge Oaks surrounded by naturally grown shrubs and berry bushes blocked their view but the noise had definitely came from behind the trees. Using his bow to brush the foliage aside, Oliver found himself facing a very large gun.

“Oliver? Thea?” a familiar voice whispered.

“Yeah Alex. It’s us.” Oliver sighed. The helmeted woman stood up, holstered her gun and walked towards them.

“What are you two doing here? I picked you up on infrared, I figured maybe Pendergast had a victim or friend.” Alex explained, lifting her visor.

“Where is Nyssa?” Thea asked.

“Behind you.” she answered. Oliver and Thea both dropped their shoulders in disgust and turned to see a black clad Nyssa grinning at them, bow at the ready, only feet behind.

“Heavy steps and loud voice Thea.” she chided.

“Yeah, yeah. Vigilante, not outdoorsman.”

“So since we both had the same idea, any luck?” the Arrow asked.

“No. We traveled approximately a mile into the woods but my robe was getting snagged by thorns and I am particularly fond of it. The man is not here. He did not strike me as an outdoor type. He must be hiding in the city somewhere, probably the tunnels beneath.” Nyssa guessed.

“Yeah, we should probably call it a night.” Alex suggested.

Her idea and desire to leave was cut short when voices broke the night air, moving towards them. All four ducked behind the tall Oak, weapons at the ready.

“Would you shut up already?” Sara asked, frustrated.

“I do not do woods, Sara. You know this.” Jax complained, Martin nearly falling over a root behind him. “Grey don’t like them either. I belong on pavement and he belongs in a lab or museum. Maybe a lab museum. They got those Grey?”

“Shut up Jackson. Sara, he does have a point. The odds of us finding a path of decaying plant material at night time in the immense wilderness surrounding Central City are very low. Perhaps a daytime hiking trip with some of our more woodland inclined members could be better. What exactly is the plan if we do find this man?”

“I’m going to beat the hell out of him, while not being touched and if that doesn’t work you and Jax are going to light him up. I know its a long shot but what else do we have to do?”

“My wife is cooking Spaghetti.” Martin offered.

“Yep. His wife is cooking us Spaghetti. She makes a killer sauce too.” Jax agreed quickly.

“Hey guys?”

“Oh hey Thea. Be quiet, we are trying to find the damn zombie in the dark. Sara wants to beat it up.” Jax informed her before stopping and realizing Thea Queen had not came with them. The trio saw Nyssa, Alex, Oliver and Thea standing in the dark, smiles on their faces, though since most of their faces were covered or hidden it was difficult to tell.

“So out for a stroll?” Alex asked.

“Yep. You guys too?” Sara guessed.

“A bunch of idiot superheroes walking through the woods at night, looking for a zombie. I think I saw this in a movie once.” Thea confirmed.

“Owww!”

All turned to see Ray Palmer on the ground, flat on his face. Zatanna was helping him up.

“Seriously?” Sara asked. “You’re wearing stilettos in the forest,Zatanna?”

“Oh hi. Didn’t see you… all of you… there. Yes, I am wearing marvelous shoes, there is never a bad time or place to look your best. Besides Ray is the one who fell on his face.”

“I’m good.” he moaned, standing up. “Were we having a meeting?”

Oliver was going to answer when they all heard it. A dog barking in the distance. Rushing forward, Zatanna and Ray stumbling behind, they found the source of the noise, Charlie in a back pack, his head looking at the masked man in a red suit on top of a blonde in a blue vigilante costume both on the ground. Her bow Oliver had forbid her from carrying until she was better with the weapon was lying on the ground next to her quiver.

Alex cleared her throat, causing Barry to jump up and turn protectively in front of Kara, still on the ground. The blonde scrambled for her quiver but mishandled it, spilling all the arrows.

“Oh, hey… everybody. Look Kara. It’s… everybody.” Barry told his love. A half hooded blonde head popped up behind Barry’s legs.

“I told you we had to be quiet when zombie hunting Charlie!” Kara scolded the dog, whose head dropped back into the backpack.

“Are you seriously looking for Decay and decided the ground would be a great place to make out?” Alex asked.

“Are you seriously letting her carry around exploding arrows?” Ray also asked, the entire group scared of the answer.

“Uh… she’s pregnant. She gets…”

“I get urges.” Kara explained. They could all see now that she had black face paint around her eyes.

“Are we seriously going to call this guy Decay?” Sara added. “I thought we were just humoring Cisco?”

“Yeah, Zombie would be much more accurate.” Jax agreed.

“Zombies eat brains, they don’t kill with a touch.” Ray countered. Jax had to admit he had a point.

“You are all wasting your time. Okay, maybe not Barry and Kara. They seemed to have the right idea.” Carter told the group, landing in the middle of them all, Kendra right behind him.

“Cisco gave us an infrared scanner. We just searched twenty square miles and there is nothing out there but deer and a couple wolves.”

“That does seem like a better idea than walking in the woods looking for dead leaves during the fall.” Speedy admitted.

“I was looking for a trail of dead grass.” the Arrow countered, not wanting to admit that Carter and Kendra did have a better idea.

“So…” Barry cleared his throat… “since we are all here, I suppose I can tell you what we found out from the mirror thing…”

“That worked?” Stein asked, having only a slightly higher opinion of magic than Wells.

“Yeah… it was pretty…”

“Unnatural.” Kara finished, despite not being there.

Alex’s phone buzzed. Checking it, she dropped her head.

“It should probably wait. We are going to have to meet in the morning anyway. A trail of bodies was found at the Center in Keystone. All decayed, Pendergasts’s office was broken into and some files taken. Joe is waiting for me and we are heading there.”

“So am I. Anyone else want to come, search Keystone City while we are at the scene?” Barry asked. Everyone agreed at once, except Jax who wanted Mrs. Stein’s pasta sauce.

“Great. Oliver can I use your crossbow pistol…”

“No!”

Kara pouted and picked up Charlie. “Fine, then don’t ask me to use my X ray vision. So… no point in all of us going separately. My car seats seven. Charlie takes up one, Barry is running so five of you can ride with me. Who wants in?

The group walked off.

“Guys? Sara, Zatanna, Nyssa, anyone want to ride with me? Hello?”

Kara took a deep breath.

“Screw them Charlie. We are going to get there first. Let’s ride.”