Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Wayne Legacy: Knightmare

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 35: Post Metawave – Epilogue I

Peru, Wayne Enterprises Rainforest Research Lab

Six helicopters hovered over the Peruvian lab belonging to Dr. Pamela Isley. Former U.S. Colonel Nathan Hardy, codename Hawk, was in command of the group officially called Wayne Air Support One . Unofficially, they were called the Birds of Prey, named so by Diana Wayne herself. The almost silent choppers were designed by Kara Wayne and built at the Wayne Aviation and Space Center where all fighter jets and satellites were built. Each one carried ten troops and were equipped with multiple types of weapons. These aircraft were way past state of the art and would no doubt be the next armored troop-carrying helicopters sold to the government. Right now, they belonged solely to Wayne Enterprises and had stations all over the world.

Hardy had been in charge of Air Cavalry Units before he retired from the Army. He was almost immediately contacted by General Samuel Lane who told him John Diggle would like to meet with him. Diggle had personally recruited him to be the head over the flight stations near Wayne Enterprises facilities worldwide.

The official responsibility of the unit was to evacuate Wayne employees if areas became too hot and they were in danger. In addition to being an evacuation team, they were an extraction team, prepared to rescue any hostages that had been taken by terrorist cells and fight off any threats to the company’s assets.

Their actual responsibilities went much farther and were a poorly kept secret from the U.S. Military. John Diggle, code name Spartan, had ensured Wayne Enterprises Security was more of a private army than a security firm. There were no mall cops anywhere in its ranks, not even manning metal detectors at facilities. Everyone who carried a badge that said Wayne Enterprises Security on it was highly trained, professional and dangerous. Former spec ops fought for positions at the company, well aware of the high pay and the respect they received.

Hardy also had better equipment and better personnel than he did in the Army and much less red tape. He answered to one man who answered to one lady who appreciated military tactics and wasn’t held back by politicians.

That was why he was able to respond to Peru in less than five hours rather than twenty-four hours or more in which the U.S. government would negotiate with Peruvian authorities to allow them in. When the Peruvian army had contacted him after his birds crossed the border, he identified the group as Wayne Security Forces and told them he was conducting a rescue mission of Diana Wayne’s employees. Rather than any argument, the Peruvians immediately offered to help. Hardy turned them down as he had no idea of what he was flying into.

There had been no communication from the lab since the red skies had gone away. There was a security force of ten men who specialized in Army Ranger jungle ops that had been recruited to be the personal security force for Dr. Pamela Isley and her lab employees. Spartan had informed him that Mechanic wanted the doctor and her personnel evacuated and brought back to Gotham immediately.

The lack of contact bothered him greatly. His men were equipped with the latest satellite phones, able to communicate no matter what. They had an emergency rescue chopper at the complex with high tech communication gear. There should have been no reason they couldn’t contact base.

Of course, considering the skies over the entire world had just turned red and some kind of energy blasts hit the ground seemingly at random, nothing would surprise him. Spartan had told him one of those blasts had hit near or on the lab complex. From the intel photos he studied on the way over, the complex appeared to be whole and intact. As they approached the area, he saw eight of his security personnel on the ground, waving at them.

“Keep arms at the ready until we are sure they aren’t taken over by aliens or something equally as weird.” Hardy told his teams.

As always, Nathan Hardy’s were the first boots to hit the ground. He had his rifle in hand and began slowly approaching his men on the ground.

“Code word of the day.” He ordered, a signal to determine if his men were under coercion.

“There is no code word.” The guard said. All personnel were given a series of words that could be given indicating the number of enemies and their positions. If there was no code given, it meant there was no coercion. Hardy lowered his rifle but kept it ready.

“Why have you been out of communication, Sanders?” Hardy asked, while motioning for his birds to land and his troops to exit and form a perimeter.

“Some kind of large, red blast struck the area, maybe less than half a kilo from the complex. When it did, all our electronics were disabled, including the bird’s electrical systems.”

Hardy felt a moment of relief, glad to know that while the blast was too close for comfort, the complex hadn’t sustained a direct blast.

“All scientists accounted for and safe?” He asked.

Sanders’s face fell. “Most, sir, but Dr. Isley was on a walk in the forest nearby when the blast hit. She was accompanied by Hurst and Fields. We are certain that they were under the blast.”

“How certain?”

“Hurst and Fields are dead.” Sanders reported. “Dr. Isley… all we found was her clothes. We contained the area as a crime scene, and I have two men on it to ensure our men’s bodies aren’t disturbed by predators.”

“Have you searched the area for Isley’s body? Mechanic wants her back. If Mechanic wants something, Nike expects it to happen.” Hardy needlessly reminded him, referring to the Wayne sisters by their code names.

“We did a search two kilometers in every direction. As I said, our electronics are out, including access to infrared devices and any satellites. The only sign of her were the clothes between Hurst’s and Fields’ bodies.”

Hardy sighed. “We need to get their bodies inside and sealed. I’m sure autopsies are going to be needed.”

“That’s going to be a problem sir. We aren’t sure how to get them out. We will need chainsaws.”

Hardy felt a chill. “Why is that? Are they under a tree?”

Sanders shook his head. “It’s best I show you, sir.”

Hardy followed him, along with two other men he had brought. They walked through the thick grass, and Hardy could make out a well-worn path.

When he walked into a small clearing surrounded by tall trees he stared for a moment, not exactly sure what he was seeing.

Or rather, he was forcing his mind to come to terms with it.

He looked at the two separate trees pointed out by Sanders, then noticed a pair of khakis pants and shirt, a bra, underwear, hiking boots and socks, lying on the ground in a crumpled pile, as if the person who had been wearing them had just disappeared.

He shook his head, took a deep breath and walked toward the tree where Hurst was.

Hurst’s eyes were closed. His pelvic area appeared to have melted into the tree. His torso hung four feet off the ground and his feet came out the other side of the tree. It was as if the tree and him had turned incorporeal, pushed together and became solid again.

That he was dead was no question but that he hadn’t been cut in half and his torso on the ground was strange.

Hardy had not been in church in many years, but he crossed himself regardless out of instinct.

He walked over to the tree holding Fields. The man’s face was shown emerging from the tree, his eyes also closed but his mouth was open, clearly as if he had screamed in his last moments. His stomach was gone but his lower body was clearly hanging from the other side of the tree.

“You closed their eyes?” he asked.

Sanders nodded. “It seemed right, sir.”

Hardy patted the man on his back. “No sign of Isley beside her clothes?”

Sanders shook his head. “I believe Hurst and Fields may have been near these trees when the blast struck. It is possible Dr. Isley is in the ground, of course I can’t be sure. We haven’t tried digging for obvious reasons.”

Hardy sighed and looked to the sky for a moment and closed his eyes. “Any other signs of something like this? Any dead animals merge with trees or maybe half stuck in the ground?”

“Not that we have found, sir.” Sanders reported.

Hardy nodded. “Keep your men here. I’ll have my men pack up the lab and get the scientists out of here. As far as this… we are going to need chainsaws… I have no idea. I’m going to have to call Spartan for instructions. This isn’t exactly in the procedure book.”

Nathan Hardy did not know that Pamela Isley was everywhere around him. She wanted to show herself though she wasn’t sure exactly how. She remembered a red flash and then she felt her body… changing. She couldn’t determine what she was. She was breathing but not like a normal human and she was certain, despite the physical sensations she was feeling, she had no body, or rather her body was everywhere, much like her mind. She thought she could carve a message into the ground, her fingers felt like dirt and grass.

Maybe it was for the best. Pam could use some time to figure out what was happening. She felt connected to the Earth, almost as if she were the Earth. She felt so bad for the nice men who had been with her. They were dead and it was a tragedy. They had always been really kind to her. All her people had been. She had created a home of like-minded individuals intent on saving the natural resources of the world.

But what was done was done. She couldn’t communicate with anyone at the moment, but she would figure it out. She would figure out what she was, how to reform her body perhaps and then she would contact Kara. It was the only path forward in her mind. Rather than panicking, Pam felt more alive than ever. Kara would worry, but she would understand when Pam was ready and able to show what she now was to the young genius who had believed in her.

---

Wayne Manor

Kara watched the multiple monitors in her workshop attached to her bedroom, keeping an eye on Silas Stone who was on site in Kasnia. As soon as Black Book had closed down the previous night, Silas was on a military jet being transported to the site of the interdimensional device.

She was also using satellites to survey every location of Wayne Enterprises’ property on Earth. Most had been safe, including the Antarctica base. She was just waiting to hear back from Peru, the one that had her the most worried. She had no contact with them, and satellites showed no movement outside the base. While there was no physical evidence of a blast, Bad Wolf’s readings showed there was one, practically on top of the lab.

Dig had sent a Wayne Security team that specialized in incursions and extractions to the lab’s location. Kara hadn’t been aware they had one of those type of units. Dig explained it was formed so that if a Wayne Enterprises property ever became embroiled in a sudden civil war and employees could not escape, they would be able to get their people out of the area. While the Congress and the President would debate about what to do, Wayne Security would already have a team of fully trained commandos in helicopters evacuating their employees even if combat were needed.

The section was led by a recently retired Army Colonel, Nathan Hardy, who Dig, Sam Lane and Steve all spoke highly of. She was assured if anyone could find Pamela, it would be him.

For now, she was stuck in the manor. She could have gone to the Tower but after a brief period allowing them to catch their breath, Black Book was called together once more. It was easier to work at the manor without the distractions she would have at the Tower.

So much was going wrong. The immediate danger had passed but there were losses they didn’t understand.

Silas had volunteered to go with a United Nations team into Kasnia and investigate the wreckage of Lex Luthor’s device.

Kasnia was enraged the U.S. had launched a drone strike but also scrambling in front of the world, denying knowledge that Luthor had been building such a huge project on their soil.

The world wasn’t buying it, demanding sanctions with some countries demanding the UN step in and take control over what was becoming a rogue state pretending to be a friend. The world was angry and rightfully so.

Dr. Martin Stein’s car has been found empty on the side of the road and there were marks indicating it had been struck by an energy surge. Dr. Stein was only one hundred miles from either Gotham or Metropolis given his car had been pointed in the direction of the two cities. He was likely coming to visit either Kara or Silas yet had contacted neither.

“Kara, can I help you with anything?” Diana asked, walking in with a cup of coffee for her little sister.

“Yes, Silver is coming over in an hour and I need you to approve the final menu.”

Diana sighed, placing the cup on the table. “Kara…”

Kara turned in her chair and stood, looking up at her slightly taller sister. “No! This wedding is happening in less than one month. We have survived an assassination attempt, a chemical attack on Gotham, a worldwide radiation storm… no, this wedding is happening, no matter what! It is going to be perfect, and everybody is going to be happy, and you are going to look gorgeous in your gown and I am going to stand beside you with a ring to give Steve!

“Do we understand each other?”

Diana smiled, pulling her close and kissing her forehead. “Perfectly. If there is anything else I can do, let me know. Sam did a wonderful job organizing the Executive Suites during the crisis, Tatsu and Violet made it safely to the Suites and Sam and is holding down the fort, so I am taking the day off. I will finalize menus and whatever else you want me to do. Don’t work too hard. They are not going to overstress you.”

“I can’t be more overstressed.” Kara said, returning the hug, then waving her sister away. “Don’t worry, Didi, I got this. This is my thing.”

Diana walked out and Kara sighed.

“Kara, you with me?” Silas asked.

She looked up at the monitor displaying the visual of his chest camera and he was looking into it.

“Sorry, was the mic open?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Silas told her with a slight chuckle. “I got my invite, so I want the menu perfect. If you need a break I can pull Ray off what he is doing…”

“No, It’s ok, I’m fine. Ray has to find Dr. Stein. The car wasn’t damaged physically other than the electrical system being blown. Unless this was some kind of radiation that only disintegrated living flesh and left inorganic matter whole, Dr. Stein is out there.”

Silas nodded, resetting his chest camera to the front of his radiation suit. “Okay, I’m moving deeper into the reactor. Let me know if you see anything unusual.”

For the next two hours, Silas Stone walked around the burnt-out wreckage while Kara followed his cam. The two examined everything, identifying parts, and getting a clear understanding of what Luthor had done.

“Of course, this was going to go out of control.” Kara groused, examining how it was built from the destroyed pieces left behind. “What was he thinking? Was he trying to destroy the world?”

“He is a smart man but also overconfident, arrogant, not as intelligent as he believes himself to be and did I mention arrogant?” Silas asked.

Kara chuckled. “Why are we not picking up any strange radiation readings? This thing was taken over by a radiation from another dimension and now it is just gone. No radiation of any kind.”

“Maybe because it didn’t belong in this universe.” Silas suggested. “Perhaps the radiation couldn’t hold its own structure. We have to unlock the code before we can understand. We understand protons, neutrons, electrons so we have to identify what that radiation was composed of.”

“I’m having no luck.” Kara complained, her frustration evident. “It’s like a dead language with no Rosetta Stone. I don’t know where to start. I can only compare its interaction to our known waves and I’m getting nothing.”

“We will get there.” Silas assured her. “I’m stepping out for the day. It’s nighttime here and I need rest. We can pick this up again at… six a.m. your time?”

Kara nodded. “I’ll keep running simulations and try to crack the radiation codes.”

Kara called Ted Kord.

“If it isn’t the Doctor. I didn’t hear that strange sound when your T.A.R.D.I.S. lands. How goes it?” He greeted her.

“Ted, are you having any luck finding victims of radiation blasts?” She asked, amused at his greeting.

“Nope, I got pulled off. I am on my way to National City with some government agency.”

Kara’s heart quickened. Could they have found victims and not told Ted? If they had proof of survival, she would feel so much better. She understood why most wouldn’t want to come forward. Being studied like a lab rat wasn’t a wonderful prospect. As someone who received regular, and quite often, experimental treatments growing up, she could understand. But this was important to the entire planet.

“You found victims?” She asked.

“Nope. This agency brought in Lena Luthor. She is being held as a possible terrorist under the Homeland Security Act. They are bringing me in to watch the interview and give questions for them to ask and then translate the answers. Fifty thousand says I’ll wind up in there asking the questions myself.” He was quiet for a moment, then said, “I asked her out for a drink one time. She turned me down. Now this. Awkward.”

Kara closed her eyes, her headache worsening. “Ted, she wasn’t in Kasnia. She left her family company months ago. She had nothing to do with this.”

“You think Lex planned this months ago? He was obviously working on it longer than a couple months. Kara, what do you really know about her? You met her twice at separate conferences.”

“You thought enough of her to ask her out, Ted. Do you think she was part of Lex’s master plan to screw the world?” Kara retorted somewhat heatedly.

Ted sighed. “No, but she was with him for a very long time. She knows the projects he was working on, and I am sure she has quite a bit of information that could give us some leads, like where he might be hiding.”

“She isn’t a bad person.” Kara insisted. “I only met her twice, but I could tell, she isn’t like her brother. She was trying to make a fresh start away from him and now she is being pulled in… wait a minute. You said the government. Which agency?”

“They didn’t tell me. Said they didn’t exist anymore than Black Book did.”

Kara groaned. It must be A.R.G.U.S..

What could she do, though? Ask Diana to tell her new crony to back off Lena Luthor? Ted was right, Lena had to be interviewed. There was no way out and nothing was going to stop it from happening. Lena would just have to stay strong, and Kara would keep a close eye on the situation. An interview was one thing, but she wasn’t going to let Lena be locked in a hole in the ground indefinitely.

“Okay, I need to call Ray. If anything come up, anything important about that interview, call me immediately. When Silas gets back… I think we all need to converge at Wayne Manor. I have plenty of space, rooms for everyone and we can use it as a central headquarters until we get ahold of this.”

“Party at the manor? I am so in. I heard yours is bigger than mine… forget I said that.”

“Mine is bigger than yours.” Kara confirmed and hung up. Before she could have Athena connect her with Ray Palmer, another call came through.

“Athena, why am I seeing an unknown caller? I never get unknown callers. Who is it?”

“The call is from multiple places around the globe. I cannot pinpoint one area. It is obviously being scrambled and expertly done. It is likely a government organization. Shall I take a message?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know. Screw it, maybe it’s A.R.G.U.S., no… they would go through Diana.” Kara sighed and decided to do this the old fashion way.

She answered it. “Hello?”

“Are you okay? ”

Her heart stopped and her blood froze.

“Emily.”

Kara felt a rush of wind in her room and knew Diana was behind her. She turned around and took her sister’s hand, taking strength from it.

“Yes, it’s me. Answer the question. Are you okay?”

“Where are you, Emily?”

Parlow laughed quietly. “Not yet, Kara. When I think you are ready, I will give you a method for contacting me. I know you are smart enough to slip away from Diana if you put your mind to it. First you must come to understand. There is so much to talk about, so much I have always wanted to say to you. I know you have figured out the truth now, about who I truly am to you.”

“You are nothing to me.” Kara declared. “You beat your parents to death and then shot a friend of mine whose only mistake was loving a psycho. What else do we need to talk about?”

“Harvey was regrettable. When I first told him about you, and he kept it a secret from Diana, I thought he understood, that he would do what he could to help me free you from her control. He turned on me though. His mistake was loving her more than he loved me.

“As far as psychosis, you are brilliant, but I don’t think your PhDs cover psychology. What is psychotic to some is perfectly reasonable to others. That is why you are not ready. I have always had a darkness inside me, just as my daughter does. That doesn’t make us psychotic, Kara. It makes us unstoppable.”

Kara closed her eyes and squeezed Diana’s hand. “Martha Wayne is my mother. You are nothing to me. You are just some lady who left me on a sidewalk dying a couple days after I was born.”

“It was more complicated than that, Kara. You are a smart girl. You know there are always multiple sides to a story. You think I hated my parents for no reason? You think they had no role in splitting us apart? The next time I call you, I want to explain. This time, I just needed to make sure you were okay.”

Diana reached for the phone, but Kara covered it, nodding toward a series of numbers on her screen.

“We can talk all you like if you turn yourself in.”

“We both know that can’t happen.” Emily replied. “Diana would be too afraid I would talk and ensure I was dead before I ever reached a cell. Think about that when you consider who is psychotic. You will be ready to come to me soon.”

Kara’s anger was spiking. “There is nothing you can say that would make me come to you.”

Emily laughed quietly.

“I knew you would say that, but you are too curious. You want to know where you come from, what happened, you have too many questions and you have no answers. That doesn’t sit well with people like us. I will call you soon.” Emily promised, ending the call.

“You should have let me speak to her. I have much I want to say to her.” Diana groused.

“She would have become nervous and hung up. She thinks she is untraceable. She thinks she is smarter than me.”

Kara pointed to the screen which now showed a map of South America.

“She in Montevideo, Uruguay. To scramble a call like that, she would have to be near the largest receiver in the city, the Oriental Republic communications center. How soon can you get someone over there?”

Diana smiled, squeezed Kara’s shoulder, took out her phone and debated briefly who to call. Should she just go alone? Of course, she would have to take Kara with her and disappearing at a time like this would raise questions. Every government intelligence agency in the world was after Lex Luthor and Uruguay happened to be the type of meaningless country Diana did not have any contacts in. The local police department were likely not up to the task.

Uruguay. Emily chose her location well. She found a place that it was unlikely Diana had any connections in, and it was also easy to disappear.

“Diana? Who are we going to call?” Kara asked, seeing her sister’s hesitation.

“Don’t worry about her right now, I’ll figure out something, sweetie.” Diana told her, squeezing her shoulder comfortingly. “You just concentrate on your work and I’ll update you later, okay?”

When Kara nodded, Diana turned to leave and noticed Bruce standing in the doorway with his arms crossed.

“I’ll go.” He offered.

Diana thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. “You are too high profile, Bruce.”

Bruce looked at Kara who was focusing on her monitors once again and motioned for Diana to follow him into the hallway. Diana closed the door when she exited Kara’s room.

“Look, I know you don’t want her taken to the police. Kara doesn’t need the world finding out about… Parlow. The more people you bring into this, the greater the chance someone asks questions. You can buy the local authorities to take her in and keep her quiet, but she could talk. Some third world cop could take the money now and take money from a reporter later.” Bruce said, pointing out several scenarios.

“How would you get there? Your presence alone can cause questions. If a Wayne private jet lands there, no one is going to believe Bruce Wayne decided to vacation in Uruguay a few days after the world nearly ended.” Diana pointed out. “Flying commercial would lead a paper trail and raise more red flags than a private flight. You aren’t watched to the degree Kara and I are, but you are still watched.”

Bruce sighed. “What do you suggest then? Bring someone in who will blindly follow directions and not ask questions? What about that agency director who arranged Crane’s death?”

“Emilia Harcourt is the only one I would trust with this, but her people are busy all over the world and so is she. If I send her, it will be noticed. I don’t trust her agents, only her.” Diana fretted.

“Victor Sage?” Bruce decided, knowing a bit about the man. “If he gets a hold of Parlow, he could talk. The closer we keep this in house the better.”

“Maybe I can fly one of Kara’s planes she keeps here, change the numbers, the beacons, use smaller fields to refuel… and the trip would take me days.” He realized, the more he talked about it.

Diana looked thoughtful. “It has to be Sage. He already suspects the truth about Parlow and knows what will happen if he betrays me. He has tracked her to Mexico which is where she likely flew to Uruguay from.”

Bruce nodded seeing the wisdom in her plan. “Diana, what happens when you do have her?”

Diana raised an eyebrow. “I have questions I want answers to. Then…”

Bruce could guess what the then was. “I mean what are you going to do with her? You want her smuggled to the States I would guess, but that would be nearly impossible. It would be better to keep her in custody out of the country.

“Now if she is brought here, to Gotham or somewhere in the States, where do you plan to keep her? Under Wayne Tower? Here in the manor, under the same roof as Kara? What is the plan?”

Diana closed her eyes. She had been so obsessed with finding and capturing the woman along with the events of the past weeks that she hadn’t given any thought as to where to put her.

“I honestly don’t know. Do you have any ideas?” she asked her brother.

Bruce thought for a moment, a feeling of warmth coming over him that she was asking his opinion. “I know where the Russians were keeping the girls while they waited for a cargo ship. The feds have been done with the place. Then there’s Arkham. The buildings are torn down but the basement cavern is still there and Crane’s escape tunnel hasn’t been filled in yet.”

Diana thought of those areas. Normally, keeping her overseas in a hole in the ground would be preferable but it opens her up to all kinds of questions Diana didn’t want asked. It would bring too many people into this. Parlow would need to be brought here.

“I’ll send Sage. Can you determine which place is most suitable?” She asked.

Bruce nodded and clasped her shoulder in affirmation. “We will get her.”

Diana still looked a little troubled. “Bruce… you know after I find out what I want…”

Bruce gently squeezed her shoulder. “You are going to protect Kara, Diana. I get it, okay? I know what her talking could do to Kara. You are going to take care of the family, like you always have. I just… I wish I could do it for you.”

“I’m glad you can’t.” Diana told him, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “I love you, Bruce.”

Bruce grinned. “Don’t get sappy on me now. The world needs its hard-ass queen.”

Diana laughed as he walked away, then reentered Kara’s room.

“I want Black Book to gather here for a few days and work out of the same area.” Kara told her.

Diana nodded. “I heard. A wise idea. Prepare a list of all the equipment needed and I will acquire it and have it set up here in the open rooms.”

Diana began to walk out.

“Diana?” Kara called back to her sister. “She won’t stay there for long.”

Diana nodded. “I’m calling Vic Sage now. He will take her down, smuggle her out of the country.”

Kara nodded and turned back to her work, trying to wipe the memory of that call from her mind and focus on the tasks at hand.

One thing Emily had said stuck in her mind… she had a darkness, just like her daughter.

Had the darkness always been in her? She felt a great relief when Diana had killed Joe Chill, satisfaction that he was not getting a happy ending after he had killed their parents and wrecked their family.

She celebrated with others when she had learned Finch had committed suicide. She never once felt remorse, only a grim satisfaction that the man who had let her parents’ killer go free had met his end.

She felt remorse at times for the victims of her weapons but convinced herself so easily that no innocent bystanders were hurt. She perfected her craft to ensure the military of her home country was more efficient in striking enemies and leaving innocents alone. She protected United States soldiers.

The military hardware she had designed, the weapons that came from her mind, and sometimes from her own hands, had taken the lives of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands. Yet she felt no regret or remorse. Her mind was constantly on what she could build next, how could she improve on what she had done before.

Kara shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. “I’m not her.”

Of course, you’re not. You are much more deadly and have a higher body count the voice in her head whispered. She recognized that voice. It was her own… and it was so clear, it felt real.

Then she heard Snapper Carr’s voice, reminding her that some overseas had begun calling her ‘Lady Death’.

“I’m not her, damn it!” Kara screamed in frustration, pulling at her hair and shaking her head.

She took several deep breaths, then realized she couldn’t stop. She felt the walls closing in on her and her heart was racing.

Kara recognized her symptoms and knew she was having a panic attack, something that had never happened before.

She felt strong, warm arms wrapping her up. She opened her eyes, knowing Diana was behind her, holding her protectively, but seeing Steve kneeling in front of her. She realized she had fallen to the floor at some point.

Steve placed her hand on his chest and told her over and over again to match his breathing, feel his heart. Diana’s soothing voice was whispering in her ear telling her to relax and Steve’s calm reassuring voice was giving her instructions. She liked instructions. She could focus on that. She could do what she was told.

Eventually her breathing evened out and her heart slowed. She was covered in sweat.

“You are never talking to her again.” Diana said, obviously distraught at Kara’s delayed reaction to the unwelcomed phone call. “Open your mouth.”

Kara shook her head. “I have too much to do…”

While she was speaking, Diana covered her mouth and a sleeping pill went inside that she automatically swallowed. Alfred handed her a bottle of water though Kara knew it was too late. The pill was in her and she was too drained of energy to get angry. She took the bottle and drank, then leaned back against Diana and closed her eyes.

Diana watched her slowly go limp and nearly cried. “She has never had a panic attack before.”

“She has never been through so much in such a short period of time, Diana.” Alfred reminded her. “We have kept her in a stress-free environment her entire life. Even at work, you protect her from stress. Now… we can’t protect her.”

Diana shook her head. “Crane is dead. Parlow will be caught and she is off Black Book.”

Steve disagreed. “Not even you can keep her from helping, Diana. She is a good person and a good person isn’t going to sit this one out.”

Diana sighed and picked her little sister up, taking her to the bed. “I’m staying with her tonight. When she wakes, I’ll give her another pill. She needs the rest. She can sleep all night and start fresh in the morning.”

---

A.R.G.U.S. Satellite Office

National City

Lena Luthor had been sitting patiently for hours in this tiny room, with only a table, chairs and glass walls all around her. Despite knowing she was being observed, she kept her cool, determined to appear unbothered. A pleasant, young woman, who identified herself as Agent Avesta, brought her water, cookies, or whatever else she required. Lena only required tea, and she had to admit, the tea they provided in this government hell hole was delicious.

She had not fought when the agents knocked on her door. They had not manhandled her. They had simply explained that they were with the U.S. Government and asked her to come with them. She had been blindfolded as soon as she was in the back of the SUV.

She was certain Jack was frantic. At least she hoped he was. Since it had come out that Lex was responsible for the worldwide disaster, she had tried to contact him several times. He didn’t answer or return her calls nor had he responded to her texts.

Lena told herself he was maintaining a low profile but she also knew that their business, the one they had been building together, was at a crucial stage in funding. It was more likely Jack was already distancing himself from her and she wondered if his lawyer would approach her with an offer to buy her half of Biomax.

Agent Avesta and Agent Michaels, another pleasant looking female obviously hoping to put her at ease, entered and took seats.

“I appreciate your patience, Miss Luthor.” Avesta started.

“Call me Lena, please.”

“Of course, Lena. This is Lyla and I am Iman. I am sure you know why you have been brought here.”

Lena nodded. “My brother unleashed interdimensional energy over the world. You can’t find him and you want answers. I am logically the next choice to try and get some. I don’t suppose asking for a lawyer would do me any good?”

Iman smiled gently. “Not at this time. We are not charging you with any crimes, so there is no need to worry.”

Lena huffed. “Will anything I say be used in a court of law?”

Lyla spoke up this time, obviously playing the bad cop. “A court of law is the least of your worries, Lena. The world is scrambling, people were hurt and are afraid to come forward for help. We have no idea what happened but we know this wasn’t done overnight. Lex had been working on this project for a long time. What part did you play in it?”

“None.” Lena answered immediately. “He brought it up several times, asked me to work on it and I told him no.”

“You just told him no?” Iman asked. “How did he take that?”

“How do you think he took it? It got bad enough that I left the company. I was never involved in Lex’s illicit deals but he made sure I was linked to them somehow. He blackmailed me, told me he would set me up to take the fall if I didn’t do as he asked. When it came to this project, I told him to go ahead and get us both locked up. I wouldn’t do it and I left the company. He told me one of our top scientists in physics would handle the project, Dr. Theodore Freedman. When I left, I told Lex not to go through with his desire to attempt interdimensional travel. He told me Freedman would be given the project and the go ahead.”

Lyla paused for a moment, then asked for whatever details Lena knew about the process Lex used.

Lena shook her head, sitting back. “I don’t mind what you hear, Agent Michaels and I will cooperate, but I would prefer to speak face to face to the man behind the glass telling you what questions to ask in your earpiece. I doubt Kara Wayne has flown across the country to see me. Michael Holt is unlikely. I would say Ray Palmer, or Martin Stein.”

Iman shook her head. “Dr. Martin Stein was struck by a blast of radiation that touched the ground. We have only found his car. He is currently missing with no trace.”

Lena closed her eyes, thinking of the man she had met more than once, the nice gentleman in glasses who lived and breathed radiation theories.

Iman motioned to the wall behind Lena and the door opened up.

“Ted?” she asked, her surprise obvious. “I thought they would have a scientist here.”

Ted rolled his eyes and had a seat. “Cut the crap, Lena. You got problems. Forget about these two. Not only is Stein missing, Wayne Enterprises had a lab in the Amazon Rainforest that was hit. Two Wayne Security guards and Dr. Pamela Isley were struck by a blast while on a walk. The two guards are dead, somehow absorbed into trees. Dr. Isley is gone, only her clothes were left where she was standing. You know how Diana is about her people. Two are definitely dead and one’s fate is unclear with no trace of her body anywhere. Kara is upset. What happens when Kara gets upset?”

“Diana rains hell down on anyone that may have a part in it.” Lena mumbled, starting to feel sick.

“Tell me what happened. You weren’t there and you may not have worked on this project but if you told Lex you wanted no part of it, you knew what his mindset was. You knew his theory was screwed, meaning you knew the possible outcomes or at least theorized… so, what was this radiation?”

Lena sighed, crossing her arms. “You think my theories on radiation are more accurate than Kara’s? Physics isn’t my specialty, Ted. You know that. I have no doubt Kara Wayne and someone in the field… Silas Stone or Ray Palmer is going over the wreckage and feeding her information. If she can’t tell you what type of radiation it was, what makes you think I can?”

“You have a damn good idea. Don’t downplay your expertise, Lena. Lex wanted you to work on this project for a reason. Let’s start with why? Why did he do it?” Ted asked.

“You finally asked a question I can answer.” Lena snorted. “Lex is driven by pride and Diana Wayne, or should I say, Kara Wayne, was kicking his ass. He had lost all business related to the U. S. Military. It cost him a lot of money but even worse for him, Wayne’s success bruised his ego. How do you think he felt looking at magazine covers of the girl genius, Kara Wayne, innovating the world? He wanted something he believed she couldn’t do.”

“And then he found out she could but wouldn’t.” Agent Avesta replied knowingly. “After you left, Lex approached the National Security Advisor, General Swanwick, with the idea. He was told Kara Wayne knew how to do it but wouldn’t because of the danger. Yet, Lex went ahead.

“Why Kasnia? Of all the places he could build, why there?”

Lena smiled as though it should be obvious. “I suppose you need me to say it. Lex was selling weapons to that country and many others under the table and off the U.S. Government’s radar. Those in charge of Kasnia owed him. Wayne Enterprises wouldn’t sell to them, so it was either buy from the U.S. and rely on their good will or buy from Lex.”

Agent Michaels leaned forward. “You knew this was going on and said nothing. You realize you are guilty as well, simply knowing and not reporting his crimes.”

“I had no choice and your own boss didn’t seem to mind.” Lena smirked at the obvious attempt to intimidate her. “While you didn’t identify yourselves, it is obvious you are A.R.G.U.S. agents. Lex was in constant contact with Amanda Waller and she played him like a fool… selling to one country so they would attack another, setting him up with powerful arms dealers on both sides. So don’t play innocent with me, Agent Michaels. A.R.G.U.S. was involved much more than I was.

“Like I said, he blackmailed me. He put my name on everything so I had no choice. I couldn’t say anything and had no proof regardless.

“I’m being open with you but if you want to lock me away, I can’t stop you. Just make sure Lex and Waller are sharing a cell together far from me.”

Ted motioned for the agents to back off with a slight wave of his hand. “We aren’t here about Lex’s underhand dealings and Waller… isn’t the boss anymore so she doesn’t matter right now. Despite Agent Michaels derailing the conversation, the concern remains the same.

“Lena, what could this energy have done to people? Some are missing, some are dead, some are unaffected and some, like the Wayne Security Officers seemed to have been killed when their phased bodies collided with trees while their boss disappeared like it was the rapture. Could she have been disintegrated? Hundreds, maybe thousands haven’t reported being struck.”

“Have there been thousands of missing persons cases called in?” Lena asked.

Ted looked at the agents who shook their heads. “Only a few are missing that we know of, like Dr. Stein and Dr. Isley. Some are dead but we are only getting in early reports.” Avesta confirmed.

“Perhaps the energy affected each person in a different way based on their genetic makeup. Some disappeared like Dr. Stein and Dr. Isley, some phased into trees… were the security officers still in their clothes?”

“Yes.” Ted told her. “Does that mean something?”

“It could be anything. You need to examine those bodies, the ones unaffected, the dead, and those who were possibly affected but aren’t going to admit to it.” Lena replied.

“Why wouldn’t they seek help?” Iman asked.

Lena’s eyes narrowed as she stared at the agent like she was an idiot. “They probably don’t want to end up in a hole like the one I’m in.”

Ted sighed, acknowledging her point while Iman blushed in embarrassment at being called out.

“They will surface eventually.” Lena reasoned. “As far as what could have happened, the answer is anything. Our laws of physics do not apply to whatever dimension was exposed to ours. We aren’t even sure if it was radiation. We can’t predict what it could have been because there are too many unknowns, too many variables.

“That is why it was such a bad idea in the first place! You know all of this Ted, so why are you wasting your time asking these questions when you know I don’t have answers?

“Just put me in a cell and leave me alone. I don’t know anything that can help.”

Ted motioned to the agents to leave and he followed them out.

Once outside, Avesta asked him what he thought.

“She isn’t lying.”

“How do you know?” Michaels asked.

“Because if Kara doesn’t have the answers, I doubt Lena does. She wasn’t there, there has been no evidence she was in Kasnia at any time, and I know this Dr. Freedman. He is Luthor’s lackey, smart enough to try it and dumb enough to fail. Keeping her here is a waste of time.”

“So, you are suggesting we just let her loose?” Avesta asked.

Ted nodded, indicating just that. “It’s not like you guys didn’t know Luthor was selling under the table and never bothered investigating. According to her, your old boss was involved. Not my business but don’t act like the angels in this scenario. She isn’t the only one who knew and she implicated herself. If she were lying, she never would have done that.”

Avesta’s phone buzzed.

She looked at Ted Kord excitedly. “Gotham PD found a new victim. Information should be coming any second.”

Her face went pale when she saw the next text.

It was a puddle of clay with human-like eyes and a slit where a mouth could possibly be.

“Oh God.” Ted whispered, taking in the strange sight.

“What is that?” Lyla asked.

“It’s a talking, giant, puddle of mud.” Iman informed her. “It said its name was Basil Karlo, stage actor, Gotham City. The Fire Department had to shovel him into the back of a dump truck and he is being transported to S.T.A.R. Labs.”

“Why not Wayne Tower?” Ted asked, knowing they were closer and had just as much research tech as S.T.A.R..

Avesta smirked. “You think Diana Wayne is letting anyone like this near her Tower, much less in it? She won’t let Kara near it either.”

“Kara has been working remotely with us.” Ted informed the agents. “This is likely the most extreme DNA mutation in history. This is… unheard of.”

“We should leave immediately. Harcourt wants us there yesterday.” Avesta pointed out.

“What about her?” Lyla asked, jerking her thumb toward the room where Lena was being held.

Ted smirked. “She is coming with us. There is a new doctoral candidate working at Wayne Enterprises who specializes in gene mutations. Her name is Alex Danvers and she is Eliza Danvers’s daughter. I’ve heard she is brilliant. Lena is an expert in DNA restructuring. We would have both sides covered.”

“How can we trust her?” Avesta complained.

“Why wouldn’t we? We need help, all-hands-on-deck. She isn’t her brother. Besides what is the worst that can happen? Based on what she said, I’m wondering if I should trust A.R.G.U.S..”

“Waller isn’t in control anymore.” Michaels quickly said.

“And Lena didn’t know that until I told her… she wasn’t involved with Lex’s illegal weapon deals. She is coming with us.” Ted told them again. “We need the best minds in the country working this problem and Lena is one of the best minds.”

Avesta and Michaels looked at each other, trying to decide who was going to ask Harcourt.

“She likes you a lot more than she likes me.” Lyla pointed out before Avesta could ask.

Avesta stepped away for a while, and after ten minutes had passed, she came back. “She said yes, after making a call. I have a feeling she called Wayne.”

“Big Wayne or Little Wayne?” Ted asked.

Avesta raised an eyebrow.

“Big Wayne.” He understood.

“She said fine, we use her special skills, listen to her and watch her closely. She works out of S.T.A.R. Labs. Alex Danvers has agreed to help and will be working with her. The bodies of the Wayne Security guards are being flown to S.T.A.R. as well as a few civilians we found dead on the streets from an unknown cause. If this goes south, it’s on you, Kord.”

“I got it.”

Kord walked into the room and found Lena sitting calmly as they left her.

“I could really use a restroom.” Lena pointed out. “I’ve drunk a lot of tea since I have been here.”

“You can visit it on the way out. A victim has been found, turned into a talking puddle of mud and delivered by dump truck to S.T.A.R. Labs. The two Wayne Security guards and a few other bodies found are being sent there as well. You want in?”

Lena nodded. “Hell yes, I do. Although… Is Diana Wayne coming for me? It might be safer for me in here.”

Ted smirked. “You think they would have agreed to include you without calling the queen first? She is obviously good with it. Welcome to the team.”