Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Seeing Red

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 38: Prayers for the Dead

“That was a strike! Jeremiah, tell him that was a strike! Don’t just sit there!” Eliza shouted.

It had been three weeks since Jeremiah had been cajoled into coaching Clark’s Little League baseball team. Three weeks since the man realized that even with a red ankle bracelet covered by his uniform pants, the boy had lost none of the promise he showed before his powers and was an amazing pitcher.

Between Kara’s brain scans and Alex continuing to work on perfecting the bands while minimizing the side effects, as well as Eliza’s hovering, the need for a coach was the perfect stress relief. He had not spent enough time with Clark in his mind, especially considering the recent events of their lives and working with 12 year old athletes was enjoyable. Clark had made fast friends in Midvale and was adjusting to the change well. It was a joy to see him blossoming and he wished Kara had one of these bracelets growing up here. Of course she could have hurt herself worse growing up but perhaps being a part of something, a team, may have helped her. It was certainly helping Clark.

Yes, it was the perfect stress relief.

Until today, the first game.

Clark had gone three innings, not allowing a hit, but Eliza seemed to believe every ball her baby threw was a strike. She also wanted Jeremiah to challenge every called ball.

He sat on a bucket in front of the dugout, doing his best to ignore her, while Clark did the same on the mound.

“Mom, I am so glad to be the one to finally say this. You need to calm down. He is doing great and it was a ball. He can’t throw…” Kara tried.

Eliza hushed her. “Do you watch baseball, Kara? Alex? Do either of you know anything about the sport? I know baseball and I know the difference between a strike and a ball.”

Alex and Kara grinned at each other and let it go. Jeremiah may have wished he could become invisible but it wasn’t going to happen.

It was during a break between innings that Kara realized the one of the heartbeat she recognized and could find among thousands was here. Looking to her right, she found him past the small stands near the first base line fence, watching intently.

The blonde hadn’t talked to Barry since that night. She had returned his ring to the Batcave and asked Bruce to give it to him, to give him the option and gave the monitoring codes to Alfred to assure Barry Kelex would not be watching if he decided to wear the suit. Kara had not watched the news, as was a habit of hers, but between meetings with her group, sessions with her therapist, crystal bands, working on Kelex, and meditation, while also dealing with the side effects of her ever changing brain activity, including 8 to 9 hours of sleep a night, she barely had time to take the required food Eliza stuffed down her, despite her complete lack of appetite.

Now he was here.

Kara took a deep breath to relax herself and stood. Alex grabbed her hand and asked if she would be okay and Kara gave her a quick nod. Eliza didn’t notice Kara’s movements for once as she was busy updating her score book.

She walked slowly to the man and noted that he didn’t turn toward her, either because he hadn’t noticed her or didn’t want to speak. Kara couldn’t blame him if he didn’t want to speak and wondered if Clark had said something to him about the Curry incident as Alex referred to it.

“Hi.”

Barry noticed her then and the look on his face was indecipherable. It was a great poker face, she admitted.

“Hi… I didn’t come to bother you.” he greeted her. “I wasn’t sure if I should come but Clark kept bugging me, he still plays X Box way too late and I finally promised I would be here. I can go if you want.”

Kara noted he looked tired, his eyes wouldn’t meet hers and she wondered if he was sleeping at all.

“No, I think it is great that you are here. I know it will make Clark happy.” Kara assured him. “You can… sit with us if you want.”

Barry shook his head. “I need to run back to Central City in a little bit. I’m going to watch Clark’s last at bat, then I’m sure something is going on in Central City. Wally wanted to spend some time practicing tonight… it doesn’t matter. I appreciate the offer though.”

Kara understood and wasn’t surprised.

“I should get back before Mom takes her attention off her scorebook and the umpire and notices I’m gone. She sort of keeps me chained to her side. I’ll… let Clark know you were here.”

Kara walked back over to the stands. There was a lot she wanted to say to him but wasn’t sure where to begin and this didn’t seem the place. She wasn’t sure where the place was. Taking her seat between her mother and Alex, she relaxed a bit, but still felt… weird. Maybe in the past she had tried to push him away but being around Barry always felt natural. This time it felt awkward, not that she should be surprised. Kara caused this.

“He hasn’t been sleeping.” Kara whispered to Alex.

“Doesn’t look like it.” the older sister agreed, not commenting further.

Being the home team, gave the Midvale Wolves the last at bat of the game. Tied at 0-0 it looked to be going to extra innings. Kara supposed the bands were working and not just providing the side effects. Despite being surrounded by people in her Kara Danvers guise, she did not feel that anxious, only ready to be away from the smell of some of the fans and popcorn which for some reason she was not enjoying.

With two outs, Clark stepped to the plate.

It was on the second pitch that he made contact for the first time in the game, launching the ball over the Centerfield fence with distance to spare to win the game.

Kara and Alex were so happy, they didn’t even mind Eliza screaming in joy and rushing the dugout. Thankfully she couldn’t get past the locked gate, preventing her from rushing the field and kissing her baby in front of the entire town.

The blonde looked for Barry and saw him grin then walk off, no doubt planning to run back to Central City the moment he was clear of spectators.

That tampered her joy but the look on Clark’s face made it difficult not to smile. He was glowing and it felt so good to see him like this. She had realized long ago how lucky he was to be raised here and not on Krypton.

Or by her.

Shaking her head to clear those thoughts she joined Alex in congratulating her little brother who was torn himself, wanting to hug everyone but wanting to be cool about it.

After pizza and ice cream, the family arrived back at the parents’ house where Kara was promptly sent upstairs to her old room and Alex once again for the last time that day, placed what Kara referred to as her tiara on her head while she sat on her make believe throne.

The blonde was a bit irritated that her sister was looking at her phone the entire time. Normally Alex would do this at the Fortress or their house where she had the tech to watch her brain activity constantly.

“What game are you playing?” Kara asked.

“I’m not. I’m watching your tiny brain and monitoring your potassium levels and the difference in your serotonin reabsorption rates from the past week. I think I finally have figured out how to fine tune these crystals after all these years. You have been feeling better, getting out of bed with no problem and not as depressed overall but still bouts of nausea, decrease in appetite and dizziness. I’m trying to adjust the energy just enough to cut down on these symptoms.”

Kara shook her head, trying to understand how she was…

“You have an app for my brain?!”

“Yep, made it myself. I call it Airhead. It’s pretty ingenious. Don’t worry, nothing can get out. Its information coming directly from Kelex. No one can cut into a Kryptonian signal, you know that. Now stay quiet and rest. Think happy thoughts. You have a play date tonight and I don’t want you stressed beforehand.”

Kara laughed quietly. “I’m not stressed.” she assured Alex.

“Whatever. So what did Barry have to say?” the brunette asked.

Kara was no longer smiling. “I thought you wanted me to think happy thoughts?”

“That bad?” Alex guessed. “It didn’t look like you were fighting or doing much else.”

The girl shrugged her shoulders. “We really didn’t say anything. There wasn’t much to say. He was there for Clark.”

Alex shook her head, frustrated but not wanting to push her sister. Maybe one day in the future Kara would realize what she could have but until they could figure out the problem with the ring and get her head straightened out, nothing good would come from extended contact.

An hour later as the sun sank down into the ocean, Guy Gardner was at the door, suited up in his red and black. Jeremiah was leery around the man, who wouldn’t be, but Guy had been allowing Veritas and anyone else Bruce thought could help, unlock the secrets of a red ring. He was pretty positive the Green Lanterns would never let any humans look closely at their rings.

“Hello Dr Danvers.” Guy greeted them.

“Eliza and Jeremiah.” the mother corrected him and asked him inside. Before he could take them up on their offer, Kara was downstairs.

“You ready?” she asked, stepping outside.

“Kara, stop.” the mother ordered. She looked at Gardner and his wrist, happy to see he was wearing a watch over whatever energy fabric he had on. “You are sure your watch will work in space? I want her back in four hours at her house. I will be ready to help her sleep. Kara what are the rules?”

Though Kara hadn’t allowed her ring to morph her clothes, she felt red already, only from embarrassment instead of anger.

“Please don’t.” she quietly begged.

Jeremiah lifted an eyebrow and crossed his arms. The girl let out a huff and decided she had no choice.

“No killing sentient life forms, no matter how much they deserve it.” she recited. “No traveling to unknown regions, stay away from Oa, stay away from Greens, stay away from Ysmault, no attacking other creatures and rationalizing it as self defense and only use the ring until it feels settled and then right back to Earth, early if I can.”

Eliza kissed her cheek. “Try to stay calm and come back to us. This is the same as heat vision. Learn to control it, don’t let it control you. I love you.”

Once they were inside, Guy Gardner began snickering. Kara did her best to ignore him and let her ring’s power flow through and over her.

Unlike her biker get up from three weeks ago, this time she was in the black, along with thigh high red boots and a red cape, the ever present Red Lantern symbol over her chest.

The two shot into the sky, Kara following her instincts and reaching the other Reds waiting for her above the Earth’s atmosphere.

Skallax, and Bleez were both grinning though it was hard to tell in Skallox’s case.

“Did Mommy pack you a lunch also?” the goat headed Skallox asked.

Kara struck him with an energy blast that sent him tumbling uncontrollably through space. The man gained control eventually and moved back quickly to the group who Gardner had caught up with.

“Looks like she is having you for lunch, Skallox.” Bleez told him humorously.

“She does pack a punch.” the Red admitted, rubbing his chest.

“I was holding back.” Kara told him. She had promised her parents she wouldn’t kill and for the first time was able to control the intensity of the blast.

Barely.

“Yes you were.” Gardner told her, approvingly. “I’m not sure what you went through to control heat vision but controlling this ring is as easy or as hard as you make it. Its part of you, and using it is as simple as thinking. If you wanted him dead, he would be dead. You didn’t so the ring didn’t kill him. Skallox, mind your manners.”

The man scoffed.

“Get her away from a yellow sun and I’ll take the girl to Lantern school.”

Bleez hit the man in the back if his head.

“Can’t you sense it?” the blue alien asked. “She has more power than Atrocitus, more rage. She will destroy you no matter what sun she is under. The only difference is under a yellow sun, she will have to take the time to decide if she will use heat vision or the power of the ring to incinerate you. Do not challenge her. We are trying to help her, not get you killed.”

“Let’s go to Callisto.” Gardner cut in before Bleez gave Kara any ideas. Skallox was an acquired taste. “Kara, it’s one of Jupiter’s moons…”

“I know the stars, Guy.” Kara told him, irritated by the talk already and wanting action, seriously considering taking the goat head to a red or blue sun and destroying him.

Bleez opened a portal and the foursome flew through, arriving about a mile above the moon’s surface.

“Okay Kara, Bleez placed some combat droids on the surface. We are going to skim about five hundred feet over the surface. The beams won’t have any effect on you but they will affect us so if you could please take them out…”

Gardner stopped speaking as Kara raised her arm. Five separate blasts shot from her ring, moving fast enough that the Lanterns couldn’t keep track. Small explosions were heard down below, muffled due to the height and the very minimal, poisonous atmosphere.

“That’s five down. One left on the other side of the moon. What do you want me to do with it?”

None of the three had an answer immediately. Finally Gardner shook his head.

“How did you do that?”

Kara shrugged her shoulders. “I saw them, raised my hand and thought about destroying them. One beam turned into five. This is just a big rock. I can see through it, no lead in its crust or core. I can fire my ring through the center of the moon to destroy the last one from below its location but I may split a large chunk of the moon open and give astronomers something to gawk at. You are right, using this ring is easy. I let go on Mars but I also became one with it. I can destroy whatever I want with a thought. What about it Skallox? Want to go to a galaxy without a yellow sun and try your luck?”

The creature shook his head quickly. “No, I’m good.”

Gardner felt a bit of fear. Red Lanterns were powerful and Bleez was right. Not even Atrocitus could have pulled that off. He also had no doubt Kara could split this rock in half and that would definitely have an effect on Jupiter.

A thought passed through his mind that she could destroy the Guardians but he shook it away. That was the ring talking.

Bleez looked at him and he could almost read her mind. Kara could wipe out the rest of the Sinestro Corp, raid Oa and take the bastard from them and give him to Bleez.

Kara would need little to no encouragement to do this, if she knew what the Sinestro Corps had done to Bleez. Gardner shook his head towards her. The woman nodded but he knew the thought was still there. Gardner was certain if another war broke out among the different Corps, the Reds would win. He also knew that many would die and Kara would be a Lantern from that point on, no hope of turning back. He couldn’t let that happen.

“Let’s skim the surface and you can check out this napalm breath we all have. I know you used it to disintegrate Doomsday but you need to know the range and how it feels in a controlled environment.”

Kara shot off, leaving the Reds scrambling behind her. She arrived over the droid, too high for it to pick her up on radar.

“Okay,” Gardner told her, “when you get close, say within twenty feet or so, let that anger you feel when you use your ring, gather in your midsection. Flex it and just breathe, sort of like you use your freeze breath I imagine.”

“Why do I need to get within twenty feet?” the blonde asked and opened her mouth towards the surface. Unlike the rest of the Reds who vomited a napalm like substance that could burn practically anything short of Doomsday to dust, Kara expelled a pure stream of fire, racing to the moon’s surface and scouring whatever it touched, disintegrating rocks, hardening ground and vaporizing the remaining droid.

Leaving the speechless Lanterns behind, she landed quickly on the surface, causing the ground to shake. Kara looked around at her destructive blast radius, satisfied. One of her favorite things to do was star gaze with Jeremiah and she knew everything there was to know about the cratered surface of this relatively large moon in comparison to Earth’s moon. She had scorched the icy ground, leaving more indentations in the already cratered rock.

The blonde decided to perform her own tests and report back to her father. Despite seeing through the moon, she didn’t get a good look at the structure. Unleashing her energy into the surface, she drilled deep with no problem, moving towards the core. When she hit 200 kilometers she broke through into a type of salty liquid, the heavily theorized salty ocean that lay deep below the moon’s surface. Deciding it was too dark to see much, even with her vision and the light of her ring, not that there was much to see, Kara twisted and shot to the surface where her three fellow Reds were waiting for her.

“Ocean or more ice?” Gardner asked, trying to take in the ease she had drilled into the incredibly hard crust and how quickly she had done so.

“Ocean. Smelt like trace amounts of ammonia. I didn’t go to the bottom. I was afraid I wouldn’t stop and destroy the core.” the blonde explained.

Gardner nodded his head. “The planet Jupiter appreciates your restraint. So not many canyons or mountains to destroy here and our play targets are gone… in seconds. Where do you want to go now? We still have… 3 hours and 45 minutes.”

Kara thought about it, not sure. Deciding to listen to her ring, the answer became clear. She looked at her blue skinned companion.

“When I was in the Blood Lake, I saw everything, Bleez. Let’s go to Korugar. I know there are still Sinestro Corp members hiding there. They aren’t all dead. We can take revenge, Bleez. We could wipe them out in less than an hour and continue to…”

“Kara!” Gardner snapped. The blonde actually growled at him for daring to challenge her. She wanted blood tonight.

“Growl all you want girl, we aren’t here for you to lose yourself in a blood lust. Stop letting that ring control you. If Bleez was still hellbent on complete destruction she would have killed them already. We would have been with her. She had her revenge on the ones who harmed her. It’s over.”

Kara looked at Bleez and saw the temptation on her face.

“Is it over, Bleez?” the blonde asked with a big smile. “Or do…”

“Kara stop.” Bleez whispered. “I… I appreciate the sentiment and while our rage gives us power our minds cannot give in completely or we may as well have never gone into the Blood Lake. Calm yourself. You promised your parents you would not lose control or start fights. We are here for control. You don’t want anything to control you, right? Not Guy, not me and not the ring.”

Kara did calm. She had felt the power of Bleez’s ring flare when Korugar was mentioned but it calmed itself quickly. It was her revenge, not Kara’s.

Shaking her head, clearing her thoughts, Kara apologized.

“I shouldn’t have brought it up. I am sorry, Bleez.”

The woman placed a hand on her shoulder.

“It is fine. You feel my emotions and you know my history as I know yours. We are together in this. None of us asked for it but even once you have the ring safely taken off, we will still be part of the same thing, always. Let’s go sightseeing. Are there any planets you have always wanted to see that don’t have sentient life forms you want to destroy? Think of it, like you thought of Mars and take us there.”

Kara did think. There were many places she had heard about; places Lobo had traveled that she had never been. Avalon had always sounded so nice.

Then it occurred to her. There was a place, devoid of life where she wanted to be. She had a chance to do something she always wanted to do.

Reaching out, she closed her eyes and concentrated. Unlike getting to Earth or here, this was more difficult.

A portal opened and she flew through.

There was no planet here. She knew there wouldn’t be. It was nothing but deep space, thousands of light years from Earth, but the constellations were so familiar to her because she studied them from her earliest days.

“Hey kid, I think you screwed up.” Skallox told her. “There isn’t a planet here. I was just kidding about fighting under a different color sun. I really don’t want to.”

“There will be no fighting here.” Kara told him. “This is sacred space. A planet once orbited here. It is gone now but its sun remains. Daxam, what is left of it, should be on the other side of Rao.”

Kara took a closer look at the stars, the distance from Rao, the speed and rotation of the former orbit. She closed her eyes and thought, advanced equations, thousands of thoughts running through her head. Even near a red sun, Kara did not need her old powers to think. She had always been brilliant, no matter what Zor El may have thought.

Opening her eyes she flew, keeping herself centered, using the constellations in relation to Rao to circle the sun in the same orbit Krypton would have had. She found Daxam an hour later. Backtracking, her Lanterns following behind, now that she had the definite rotation and season of the long dead planet she could find what she was looking for. It wasn’t long until they ran into an asteroid field, exactly where she knew it would be.

The asteroids were not typical space rocks, but large boulders, some the size of small mountains and radioactive, the green energy sparkling in space.

Landing on one of the smaller ones, the Lanterns silently behind her, she took in the remains of her home planet.

“This is what is left of Krypton.” she whispered.

No one said a word, not even Skallox. Kara slowly turned, taking it all in. She tried to imagine the planet’s size, tried to imagine the magnetic poles and wondered if she could find the exact spot in space at this moment where her room once was.

But it was pointless. Even Kara’s vast intellect could not be that precise. All she knew for certain was she was standing on a piece of what used to be Krypton, in the spot Krypton would have been.

The girl knelt on both knees and bowed her head. Before she began, she looked at her fellow Lanterns.

“I can get back to Earth on my own. My ring feels fine after my drilling session on Callisto. You don’t have to wait. I need to pray.”

Gardner and Bleez floated down beside her.

“I never took you for the religious sort.” Gardner said.

“I’m not, but a young girl named Kara Zor El was. She deserves the prayers to be said as do her people.”

Bleez placed a hand on her back.

“As I told you, we are one now. If you pray, we pray.”

Kara nodded her head and began whispering. She spoke of Rao’s light, the setting of life and a new birth. She spoke of love, loss and living on in the stars. She began singing, a song that was joyous and yet somehow mournful at once. She offered herself to the bidding of the sun, begged Rao to take her people into his eternal protection and warmth.

When she was finished, she stood, the others standing with her. Skallox remained quiet, Gardner and Bleez’s red aura’s shining brightly, tears streaking down their faces.

“Thank you for being with me. Kara Zor El may be gone, but perhaps I can try and keep some of her alive. I’m going home now.”

Gardner opened up a portal and the three flew away. Kara took one last look at the remains of her planet, now an asteroid belt, no different from billions in the ever expanding universe.

A circle of red and Kara was alone above her home in Midvale. She wasn’t sure where the other Lanterns had gone, perhaps back to Ysmault. Inside, Alex was pacing in the living room, no doubt waiting for her to return with her parents and Clark who were watching her television on her couch. She smiled and landed in the yard facing the cliff and her ring calmed as her clothes returned to normal.

Walking inside an hour early, she could almost feel the relief that ran through the room. Alex hugged her tightly.

“Did it go okay? Feeling better? You didn’t kill anything, did you?”

Kara chuckled and backed away only for her father to grab her.

“It went fine. No wars were started but I was tempted. I have good news for you, Dad. There is an ocean under the surface of Callisto. I went into it. It was salty, nasty and had a scent of ammonia.”

“I knew it! I knew it wasn’t thicker ice. It was the only explanation for the varying background magnetic conductive sphere. Not bad for an amateur astronomer. Can you bring me back a sample next time?” he asked, annoying Eliza with his excitement. When she suggested the moon, she meant Earth’s.

“There won’t be a next time because we are going to get this ring off her and then no more flying in space. Was that all you did tonight?” the worried woman asked.

Kara shook her head.

“I found the remains of Krypton. I saw Rao and stood on a meteor that was once part of the planet. I said the prayers for my people and I finally said goodbye. I know you probably aren’t happy with that, but I needed to do it.”

Eliza kissed her forehead.

“And now it’s done?”

“Yep. Now it’s done.”

“You are okay?” she asked, searching for any of Kara’s tell tale signs of lying. She had picked them up well over the years.

“I am.” Kara assured her and to her own surprise actually meant it. “I always knew it had to be done. Now it has been. Alex, I don’t want to be alone tonight. Would you sleep with me?”

“Of course.” Alex told her, already planning to. The sedative band did wonders for her sleep but if anything could disturb her slumber it would be this.

Clark walked up to her and took her hand.

“You saw what was left of Krypton. What was it…” the boy stopped, not knowing what to say.

“It’s gone. I just had to put its people to rest. It’s the past, Clark. Earth is our home. You need to get some sleep and dream about hitting more homeruns while Lana is watching. That’s all that matters now.”

Clark tried to scowl but in Kara’s opinion was too cute to. “I don’t care if Lana was watching.” he told her then paused. “Was she watching?”

“Every move you made, Superman.” Alex assured him. “Get some sleep. I’m about to knock your sister out. I like to play with her ears and nose before I go to sleep myself.”

Alex’s worries were unfounded. The band did not put her out immediately now, instead letting Kara feel drowsy and drift off gently. After she fell asleep, Alex lifted the band off her and placed it by the nightstand. Kara had no dreams that night and more importantly, no nightmares.

Central City S.T.A.R. Labs

Cisco and Barry stood in the middle of the room watching Wally race around the speed track, checking his speed. The boy had gotten faster, not as fast as Barry but quite a bit faster than when he started.

Cisco looked up from the monitor, deciding someone had to say something and since Iris wasn’t going to it fell on him.

“Barry, you look like hell. Go home, get some sleep.”

Barry shook his head. “What gives you the idea I can sleep when I am home? I saw her today, Cisco.”

That was a surprise. Cisco knew he had taken the day off of work but had hoped he was relaxing. Apparently, he had ran to North Carolina.

“Where?”

“Clark invited me to his baseball game. I stood away but she hasn’t been wearing any red sun devices I guess. She heard me. I think she was wrapped up in watching Clark so she didn’t hear me at first. I tried to stay out of sight but with her hearing, for all I knew she heard my heartbeat.”

Cisco was surprised but he wasn’t sure why. Of course Supergirl could tell the difference in individual heartbeats.

“Did the two of you talk?” he asked hesitantly.

The look on Barry’s face told him the answer.

“Not much. Just said hi. She invited me to sit with them but I didn’t. It would have been awkward. I told myself I wouldn’t push my way into her life again. I shouldn’t have gone but I did. She looked good. It was hard… it was hard not to…”

Hold her was what he was trying to say but couldn’t. Cisco understood.

“Barry, has she ever said… you said she was under that lake of gross for four days. Has she ever talked to you about what she saw?”

The man shook his head. “Not in detail. Not with me, anyway. I’m sure Alex knows. Why?”

Cisco shrugged his shoulders, not wanting to think about it but figuring Barry should know.

“When Gardner showed up here and made me touch his ring, it gave me a vibe… it showed me a nightmare. I saw Ysmault, I saw that monster you killed, I saw what he did to make those rings. I saw the blood and the rage. I’m just saying, if I got that from a touch, who knows what she saw with one of those things on her under that lake. I saw that lake, Barry. It scared the hell out of me. I could barely speak after he left. If she saw what I saw but over four days, it had to scar her. Something like that, I couldn’t imagine it. Those wars… you told me Stewart can make those constructs and while that sounds cool, those rings, they are weapons. They have taken lives, a lot of lives. This Lantern stuff, it’s a world we don’t understand. I don’t want to understand it. I would guess there was a reason aliens didn’t talk about them. The sad thing is, the Reds, I don’t think they were the worst. I think it was the yellow ones.”

Barry shivered, thinking about that. It was true when they sparred together, Stewart’s ring did amuse Barry. He made green constructs which in Barry’s opinion weren’t much more than balloon animals.

But the more he watched, the more he understood just how dangerous that ring could be. Atrocitus knocked Diana back with one of those blasts. Yeah, they killed him, but the first time they had met him, they were very lucky he didn’t take some of them out. He had given away his secrets with that display and it led to his downfall, allowing them not to underestimate him and develop a plan to end him quickly. The Green rings were attracted to individuals with great will power. Reds were attracted to the angriest, most powerful beings in the Universe. According to Stewart, Reds could conceivably make constructs, they just didn’t bother, preferring to destroy. Before she got a ring, a fight between Kara and Atrocitus could have destroyed the planet.

Not that is mattered.

The man thought often of the pictures that were in Kara’s parents house. The pictures of her as a child caught his attention. She smiled in photos with her family but there was always something there, something in her eyes, anxiety, sadness perhaps.

She was always waiting to be attacked.

The photos of her on Krypton were different. She was innocent, not a care in the world. Kryptonian children may have had enormous amounts of pressure on them but they were still children. Kara never got to be a child on Earth. She was a mother when she landed for all intents and then when she didn’t have to be any longer she broke down.

Maybe one day that little girl could come back.

Maybe not.

It wasn’t up to him now. He had to stay away, give her the space she wanted. He had his ring on, the one Bruce gave back to him, and told himself he would always wear the suit. He should have been glad that she wasn’t watching but wasn’t. Being in it had made him feel like she was there in a way.

Caitlin and Dante walked into the room and Wally moved next to them.

“What was my speed?” he asked immediately.

Caitlin brushed him aside. “Forget about that. There is a big black… space craft, plane, something hovering over the parking lot. Its silent, it can barely be seen but it’s there.”

Cisco’s jaw dropped. “We are under attack from aliens? Sweet! Let’s suit up. Barry find out what kind they are.”

“The Amazon kind.” a new voice said. They all turned and their eyes widened except for Barry who was used to Diana’s armored appearance. The others had seen glimpses of her on television and all but Wally had seen her at Bruce Wayne’s Christmas party in a dress, but this was different. This wasn’t the elegant woman who looked as if she belonged in high society.

This was a warrior with a sword and shield strapped to her back.

“Plus a Martian, an Atlantean and a couple humans. Barry, you didn’t answer your phone.”

Barry reached in his pocket and realized he left it in the main room.

“Sorry, I didn’t… what’s wrong?” He knew Diana didn’t suit up for a night on the town in Central City.

“That is what we need to find out. There is a large energy source in the Greenland Ice cap. It has appeared practically overnight. Satellites cannot see any ships, man made or alien but whatever is there is putting out a tremendous amount of energy. Batman believes if it is a ship it could be using cloaking technology.”

“Like a Klingon?” Cisco asked, before Caitlin could put a hand over his mouth.

Diana was amused at Snow’s attempt to quiet the boy. “It is a valid question. It could be very similar in theory. Until we investigate on the ground we won’t know. Barry?”

The Flash raised his hand and was suited up before she could blink. He had gotten very good with the ring.

“Let’s go.”

Cisco thought he already knew the answer but supposed he should try anyway.

“Could you guys use some help? We can be ready to go in five minutes or less. I could get dressed on the… plane thing.”

Diana, to his surprise, nodded her head. “There is something you can all do for me. If this is a trap and we fall, you will need to be prepared. Alfred is our primary filed support however he does need nights off. I understand you and Caitlin Snow are experts at monitoring situations in the field. If you wouldn’t mind, I would like for you to listen in, see what he sees and watch how we operate. If I ask for support in the field and you feel as if you and your team can take one of your portals to our location, please do so. Study what we do, watch us, tell Alfred if you notice anything out of the ordinary and be prepared if we are defeated. Perhaps if you enjoy the challenge Alfred can stop complaining about his lack of a dating life and you can all take point on some missions. Does this sound acceptable?”

“Absolutely. I’ll check now for his signal.” Cisco assured her, practically running to the main control room.

Diana and Barry walked out of S.T.A.R. Labs into the parking lot, the others following. Caitlin, Dante and Wally couldn’t help but be impressed as the landing bay was lowered to the ground and lifted up the two. The jet flew silently off into the night, Central City unaware that a large flying transport filled with the Justice League had just been there.

“That is a cool way to get a ride to work.” Wally admitted.

Inside the lab Cisco had a headset on and was speaking to Alfred. Caitlin sat beside him in front of her monitor.

“Is this Dr. Snow?”

“Yes.”

“A pleasure to hear your voice, Caitlin. I understand you and Master Ramon will be assisting me tonight?”

“Anything you need, sir.” Cisco assured him, trying to keep the glee out of his voice.

“Excellent. While the team is no doubt sipping tea as I guide this large monstrosity through the air, I would appreciate if you could check all the seismographs in the surrounding area. By that I mean everyone within a thousand miles and check for anything unusual. I am not much of a hacker myself.” Alfred lied. He had the second most advanced computer in the world, probably on par with Kara’s.

“Yep, breaking in now. It will only take about five minutes.”

“Perfect. The team will not reach the site for five hours and we need to find everything we can about the area. Once you have that done, I would be grateful if you could go over energy signatures I am sending over now. Brother Eye is working on decoding them but a pair of human eyes might offer more insight. Dr. Snow?”

“Yes Alfred?”

“I am sending you the real time bio scans of Bruce and Barry’s suits. Please keep close watch on them on the ground. If they are struck as Master Bruce is prone to being, let me know the pressure and if any injury has occurred. Someone has to worry about his health since he doesn’t. Any questions?”

“No sir.” Cisco told him, glancing at a profile on Caitlin’s screen of the Bat suit, one of many suits he was sure.

“Excellent. Let’s begin working.”

Cisco pulled a lollipop from his desk drawer and smiled at Caitlin.

“This is going to be SOOO cool!”

While Team Flash was discovering the wonder of Bruce Wayne’s tech mixed with Kryptonian technology, Barry was listening to a rundown of Bruce’s findings.

The end result was they knew nothing except there was a large source of power that had popped up on a Wayne Industries spy satellite and Brother Eye had confirmed it as an alien source but not one seen before.

“It’s like they are sending out an invitation.” Curry said. “Has the Navy picked this up?”

Bruce shook his head. “Brother Eye masked the signature minutes after it was found. If it is alien and as powerful as it seems we are most likely looking at a ship or a superweapon being set up. The military could be walking into an ambush or could send troops into inhospitable terrain to be taken out by aliens who obviously have bad intentions. This is ours. We go in, scout it out, find what we are dealing with and Diana can decide what we do after that. Everyone agree?”

Hearing no disagreements, the party broke up, Bruce going to do a diagnostic check, Curry beginning the timely process of putting on his armor and J’onn heading to the flight deck. Only Stewart, Barry and Diana remained.

“You sure you don’t want me to fly ahead?” Stewart asked.

“No. If they are aware of the Lanterns which most species probably are now with the news of Kara spreading through the Universe, they could pick you up even in space. I don’t want them to know anything until we are all together. Arthur is right, they are inviting us. We will find out why and handle it together.”

Stewart shrugged his shoulders, satisfied. “You’re the boss. I’m going to join J’onn on the flight deck. I think he is beginning to warm up to me.”

Stewart left, leaving Barry and Diana alone at the table.

“Thanks,” Barry told her, “for including my team. It means a lot to them.”

Diana smiled and shook her head, pulling her sword from the table and a small block of promethium to begin unnecessarily sharpening it. It was a skill her Aunt Antiope taught her when she first began training and one that never failed to help her relax now.

“I didn’t include them as a favor. Every time we go out, there is a chance some of us or all of us might not make it back. Alfred has other responsibilities with Kara at times and will want to retire one day. We always need people prepared to step up and they seem the most likely candidates. Those with gifts who want to use them for good, who are willing to fight are not easy to find. You are lucky to have the friends you do.”

Barry grinned and shrugged his shoulders.

“Kara doesn’t think so. She doesn’t even think I’m that good. Maybe I’m not. I guess you heard I nearly got fried a few weeks ago.”

Diana sharpened her sword intently, not commenting on that. Usually she had some words of wisdom but the mention of Kara’s name seemed to affect her, though she tried to hide it.

“Diana, are you alright?”

The woman nodded her head. “You are the one who hasn’t been sleeping.”

Barry didn’t deny that. He was lucky if he got three hours a night.

“Yeah, I guess. You just seemed… never mind.”

Diana took a moment then sat her sword on the table.

“When I fought Kara in Metropolis, I stopped her from killing the Green Lantern with my lasso. Do you remember?”

Barry remembered everything about that nightmare of a day.

“Yeah.”

“What did you see happen?” she asked.

Barry thought of it, remembering how the fight started. He had gotten so close to talking her down and then the damn Green Lanterns arrived.

“You wrapped her waist with your lasso and then hit her in the head with the hilt of your sword.”

Diana shook her head. “That isn’t what happened to me. When I wrapped her, I asked her who she was. I hoped if she could talk again she might… instead I was taken into her mind.”

“Her mind?” Barry asked doubtfully.

Diana nodded, looking at the table top. “I found her there, this scared little girl who had been hurt. She told me the monster wanted to kill her.”

“Because of the ring? She was talking about the ring, right?” Barry hoped.

Diana winced, wondering if she should keep going. Regardless of whether she should, it didn’t matter. She needed to talk about this and Barry seemed the one she felt comfortable with. She spoke to Bruce late into the night about almost everything but she could never tell him about this for some reason.

“No, she was talking about herself. I believe the ring was what finally pushed her in a corner, not allowing her to fight back. I asked her to take me to the monster. She led me to a room… a room of bodies.”

Barry paled a bit. “Bodies?”

“It was a circular room with cavernous walls. Bodies hung by chained arms. Some were dead, some were tortured but alive, but all of them were people she had either killed or wanted to kill. Even Kara Danvers was on the wall.”

The man shivered at the though of what being in the darkest place in Kara’s mind would have been like.

“I was also there.” Diana admitted quietly. “On the wall. The little girl went away and Kara appeared. She felt abandoned. She felt I left her on her own. She hated me, hates me for it. She would never admit it vocally but I know it is in her mind. The thing that bothers me the most is she was right. Perhaps that is why I defend Stewart as much as I do. He at least had a reason for staying out of the affairs of Earth. I just had no desire to help. I should have been there for her, for both the girls, by their side guiding them instead of observing from a distance.”

Barry said nothing for a moment.

“Eliza and Jeremiah told Kara all the time that she owed nothing to this world.” he remembered from his talks with Kara. “You didn’t either. Kara has a lot of… you saw. That doesn’t define who she is. You said it yourself, there is a little innocent girl somewhere inside her. Just because a part of her places some sort of blame on you doesn’t mean that’s how she really feels.”

“I think we both know Kara hides how she really feels. What I saw was the truth. I knew who they both were. I was too curious not to find out, to meet them. Two teenage sisters, much older than their years, who unbeknownst to me had already saved the entire human race, continuing to fight evil wherever they could find it. I saw it in their eyes, Barry when I placed myself in their lives. I knew the path they would take, the path they were traveling down. Hiding behind smiles, their true faces were there. I should have helped them. Pulled them back or protected them from the worst they would see. Instead I did nothing. For four days I lay under that foul blood, holding her, wondering how it had come to this. There is nothing I can do now except try and fill her boots so she never is needed again. The guilt will stay with me though. My mother, Antiope, Steve, I had my adventures over the years but I mostly kept to myself, away from everything. They would not be happy if they knew. Perhaps they do, because they sometimes haunt my dreams as often as that little girl does now.”

Diana picked up her sword and resumed sharpening it.

“Hey… I wasn’t in there, was I?” Barry asked hesitantly.

The Amazon smiled at the question, amused a bit at his worry.

“You were definitely not there. Nor was Bruce or J’onn. They fought by her side. You fought when you received your powers. I am the one she hates. Perhaps the only one she hates more who is still alive is herself.”

Barry shook his head. “You seriously think she hates you more than Samuel Lane?”

Diana shook her head. “I don’t know, Barry. I didn’t have time to look at all the bodies. There were hundreds. I realize the two of you cannot be together now. It is not because she does not love you, it is because she hates herself. It will get better. She will heal. Both those girls will, but it will take much time.”

The Flash wished he had the confidence Diana had, in everything.

“How do you know?”

“She wears hope on her chest. If that isn’t a sign, I can’t imagine what else would be.”

Four hours later, the League was back in the loading bay, a mile from their destination and a mile high.

“Bruce?” Diana asked.

“Energy signal is unknown still. There is no recent activity that would indicate a large ship landing or any large structure being built. Still nothing from the overheads but no energy signals indicating multiple power surges. There is power down below but no one and nothing appears to be using it. Their does not appear to be any harmful radiation signatures but that does to mean there is not, it could just be unknown. My suit and yours will protect us Barry, but out mouth and eye protection will need to be down.”

Diana felt in her gut that there was no alien presence down below or anywhere near. So what was there? Something alien obviously.

“Bruce, take the jet, fly a circular pattern a half mile in diameter five hundred feet above and try to pinpoint the exact location and size of what we are dealing with. Barry follow him on the ground and then move closer to the target after every lap. Curry will approach from the west by Ground and I will approach from the east. Arthur if there appears to be a weapon…”

“I will liquify the ice and let it drop.” he agreed. They had worked together enough now to know how she thought.

“Stewart, you and J’onn stay directly above it. If you come under any attack, we all converge without hesitation. J’onn alert us to any mental signatures. Bruce if you or Barry’s suits pick up radiation, Stewart, you will have to cover the affected area in a dome. Let’s move.”

Five minutes later, Barry was in the center, J’onn and Stewart landing while Diana and Curry had sped their way over the harsh landscape.

“What the hell is this?” Barry asked. “Alfred are you getting this?”

The Flash and his teammates were looking at a small white sphere, similar in appearance to the bottom portion of a snowman. Had it not been for the soft glow emitted from inside it would have been disregarded.

“You’re the scientist.” Curry told Barry. “Figure it out. Hey Alfred, Flash team nerds, any ideas?”

“Not without examining it with various spectrometers.” Batman told the group, silently gliding in with his cape. He detached a small meter from his belt and ran it over the device then touched it with his gloved hand.

“Not a crystal, not a metal. Perhaps a core of a comet? The energy it is emitting is steady though, no disruptions. To be this perfect and not have caused a crater when it landed, my bet is alien made. Its not Kryptonian but the concept could be the same from another planet. This could be anything, a prison, a bomb. To move it could be to set it off.” Bruce told them.

“I’ll place it in a construct and fly it where we need it. You want to take it to your blonde friend’s Fortress?”

Bruce shook his head. “We are keeping her out of this life. I have figured out that involving Kelex and Alex is the same as involving Kara. Take it to S.T.A.R. Labs.”

Barry was very surprised by this and a bit proud.

“You don’t want to take to the Bat… I mean your cave… lair… headquarters?” The Flash asked.

“Brother Eye cost over $250 million to build and that was with me and Alfred doing all the work. I don’t want it near Wayne Manor or the cave until I know it isn’t a bomb.” Bruce told him.

Barry hoped he was smiling under the mask that covered his whole face.

He had to be smiling, right?

Midvale

Kara sat cross-legged at the edge of the cliff in front of her house, looking out over the ocean. Her eyes were closed and she was actually able to meditate, the ring not bothering her and the release of the past night, allowing her to clear her thoughts. One by one she sorted them and filed them away in the complex dungeon she called her mind.

Kara did not know how long she sat but Alex’s heartbeat took her out of her trance. She was accustomed to her sister’s heartbeat but this was different. She knew all of Alex’s patterns and her heart was beating as if she were scared.

Turning quickly, she saw Alex was not running to Kara to warn her of an approaching enemy. Instead she was walking slowly and looked worried almost to the point of being sick.

“What is wrong?” Alex had appeared fine at their Six AM session.

“Shay is at Mom and Dad’s. Mom went to pick up Clark from school. We all need to talk.”

Kara nodded her head, wondering when Shay would finally break the news to her family that this ring was never coming off.

“Its okay, Alex. I have known since I returned to Earth. I know this ring is never coming off.”

Alex shook her head and crossed her arms, eyes to the ground.

“That’s not it… Mom didn’t want to tell you, I’m not sure if we should, but we all agreed to no more secrets… Shay may have a way of getting it off of you.” Alex admitted, shocking Kara.

“Then why do you look so worried? This is great!”

Alex met her sister’s eyes and Kara was disturbed to see tears in them.

“I’m worried because there is high chance it will kill you, and you will want to do it anyway.” Alex admitted.

Kara felt a shiver go through her body. This day she planned to spend in relaxation, just became much more complicated.

“How high a chance?”

“In scientific terms? Pretty damn high.”