Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Good morning, Ms. Luthor.”

“Good morning, Jess.”

“This came for you this morning. It’s been scanned by security.”

Lena frowned and eyed the square cardboard box on Jess’ desk. “Who’s it from?”

“Alana.”

“Oh, let’s see, then.” She pulled open the flaps and pushed aside the tissue paper, removing a polished silver cube with the L-Corp logo engraved on one side. It was heavy, probably at least five pounds. A small notecard inside the box simply said For your never-ending stack of papers and Lena chuckled. She and Alana had a few conversations while she was filling in for Jess, with Lena providing some guidance and business advice when Alana made small talk about her desire to become an executive.

“How thoughtful.”

“I’m glad she enjoyed her time here,” Jess commented, removing the empty box.

“I’m just glad she was downstairs when those men attacked.” Lena hefted the paperweight in her hands and carried it into her office. “Can you get me the files on the Green Initiative before this afternoon’s meeting, please?”

*****

“Good afternoon, Kara.”

Kara beamed at the receptionist. It had only taken three months of Kara dating Lena, and therefore having much more regular visits to L-Corp, for the assistant to finally stop calling her ‘Ms. Danvers’, at least to her face. “Hey, Jess! Is Lena busy?”

Jess glanced at her tablet. “She’s free for the next forty-five minutes.”

“Great, thanks!” Kara knocked once on the double doors and then pushed them open, stepping inside Lena’s office. “Hey.”

Lena broke into a smile when she saw the reporter walk in. “Hey, yourself. How’s your day going?”

“Better now,” she grinned, approaching Lena’s desk. She slowed and paused near the chairs, frowning at the wave of nausea that struck, but when she tried to shake it off and took another step, she fell to one knee.

"Kara!" Lena was at her side instantly. "What's wrong?"

“Sorry, I just…” she groaned. She shook her head, wondering if she could pass it off as a bout of vertigo, but the agony pulsing through every cell told her otherwise. One hand clenched in a fist against her chest while the other rested on the floor, slowly flexing open and closed as she tried to manage the flood of painful radiation.

“What is it?”

"Kryptonite," she panted, tearing her glasses off with a trembling hand and scanning the room but not finding the source. A few lead items, like Lena's safe, but nothing that gave a Kryptonite signature. "I don't ... I can't find it. What’s different here?"

Lena frowned and went over her office, mentally cataloging every item. What was new since Kara's last visit? Her gaze fell on the cube paperweight on her desk.

"This?" she asked, lifting the paperweight in her hand.

Kara flinched. "Yes," she hissed.

"What can I do?"

"Your safe."

Lena walked in an arc as far from Kara as she could and she held the object at arm's length, murmuring, "I’m sorry, love," when Kara whimpered, and opened the cabinet that held her safe. Her fingers were quick on the digital combination and she ripped it open, stuffing the paperweight inside and closing the safe again immediately.

The iron fist around Kara's lungs loosened and she took a long breath, trying to push up from her knees but they buckled again and she just stayed crouched on the floor. "Sorry, I'm, I'm okay."

Lena was at her shoulder. "I'm here, Kara. Come on, lean on me," she encouraged, gripping the woman under her arm and walking slowly to the balcony. She considered the couch but then remembered the yellow sun that healed her, and instead lead her outside, walking slowly, somewhat surprised at how heavy Kara was as she leaned against her. "Can you stand here for one second?" she asked, putting Kara’s hands on the railing.

When Kara nodded, Lena left her for a few seconds and carried a chair out to the balcony, placing it just behind Kara's knees and then gently leading her back against it. "Sit here for a minute, okay? I'm going to take care of a few things and I'll come stay with you." She ran her fingers through soft golden locks and Kara nodded her assent, breathing still labored but beginning to ease.

Lena pressed a kiss to the side of her head and then slipped back inside her office.

First, she called Alex.

"Danvers."

"Alex, it’s Lena. Supergirl was exposed to Kryptonite here, in my office. She's okay but you'll want to send someone to collect it and I'd really like her to be seen by a medical team."

"My team will be there in thirty minutes," she replied instantly, beginning to snap orders to agents nearby, including a Kryptonite containment unit. "We'll need complete access to your office."

"Of course."

Alex hung up and Lena messaged Jess through the intercom. "Jess, please clear my schedule for the day, move everything around for the rest of the week to make room. I need you to pull Alana's entire file and then stop all work on your tablet. Also, when Agent Danvers arrives, show her in immediately."

"Yes, Ms. Luthor."

"Come see me when you have the file."

"Right away."

Lena poured a glass of water and brought it to Kara, her gaze worried as the woman took a small sip.

“I'm really sorry.”

Lena frowned. “For what?”

“I didn't… this isn't exactly how I wanted to tell you.”

Lena lowered herself until she could catch Kara’s eye and took her hand gently. “We’ll talk about that later, when you're safe, okay?”

“I'm fine, now.”

“Not until Alex says so.”

Kara groaned, then tilted her head toward the office. “Jess just walked in.”

“Promise me you’ll sit here and rest.”

“I'm okay.”

“Humor me, Supergirl.”

Kara bit her lip. Lena’s words hadn't been particularly clipped but she was still dreading their later conversation. “I promise.”

“And no eavesdropping.”

“I wouldn't,” Kara tried to pout and look offended but she just seemed tired and when she saw the concern reflected in Lena’s eyes, she sighed. “I won't.”

“Thank you.”

******

When Jess knocked softly and then let herself in, she found Lena crouched outside near Kara, who was seated on a chair normally across from Lena's desk. Lena had the reporter’s hand in both of hers and was speaking softly, but Jess couldn't make out the words. Kara tilted her head toward the door, probably indicating to Lena that Jess was there, but Lena took her time, insisting on something to which Kara sighed audibly but nodded. Lena kissed the back of her knuckles, then stood and met Jess near her desk.

"Is Ms. Danvers all right?"

"She was feeling a little faint, she's doing better," Lena explained, and motioned for Jess to follow her onto the opposite side of the balcony. Kara had agreed not to use her superhearing, so Lena pitched her voice quietly. "I need a complete sweep of my office and you need to image your system and compare it to the day before Alana arrived. We need a full log of everything Alana did while she was here. Make a copy of her file and provide it to Agent Danvers when her team arrives."

"We sweep each week," she reminded Lena softly.

"That paperweight from Alana... it contained an illegal material," Lena explained, arching an eyebrow to tell Jess she couldn’t explain. "We need to find out everything."

Jess glanced over to Kara and her eyes hardened at the thought of anyone harming the young reporter. "Yes, Ms. Luthor."

"Quietly," she reminded, and Jess nodded.

"Of course. I'll start now and show Agent Danvers in right away."

*****

Alex arrived with four other agents, two of whom were carrying what looked like a large safe. Jess pulled open the office doors and handed Alex a manila folder as she walked in, allowing all the agents to enter before closing the door and returning to her desk, completing the imaging of her systems.

The redhead stopped short when she saw her sister, in civilian clothes, sitting on the balcony. Lena was standing close beside her, stroking her hair as Kara rested her head against Lena’s side.

Alex cleared her throat.

Lena turned and, seeing the agents filling her office, leaned over and placed a kiss on the top of Kara’s head, whispering something in her ear.

Kara called out, “Alex, will you tell her I’m fine?”

Lena rolled her eyes fondly and pointed to her safe. “I’ll open it if your agents can contain it immediately. It’s a cube about six inches across. Does she need to move farther away?”

Alex shook her head. “We’ll be quick. Guys.” She motioned them near the safe and, averting their eyes for a moment as Lena entered the combination, they opened the heavy lead container and Alex reached inside the safe, grabbing the silver cube and depositing it in the containment unit, which was instantly slammed shut. “Take that out of here. The back stairs, not the elevator. Get it back to headquarters.”

The men nodded and as they opened the door to leave, Jess stepped inside, quietly informing Lena that the bug sweep of her office came back clean. Lena nodded and some of the tension in her shoulders eased.

“Begin scanning for any trace material left behind,” Alex told the remaining agents as Jess left the room. She waved the folder in her hand and looked to Lena. “What’s this?”

“That paperweight arrived in the mail this morning, a gift from a former assistant. That’s a copy of her file.”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “Thanks. We’ll need to look at your computer systems, as well.”

“That will be easier if I do it.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I already have Jess imaging everything, so I can get you a copy of the pertinent information there, but I can’t give you unfettered access into L-Corp’s network.”

“We can just hack in.”

Lena smirked. “Tell Winn he’s welcome to try.”

Kara sighed loudly. “Will you two stop fighting already? Lena, will you let Winn look at everything if he does it where you can watch him?”

“And he signs a non-disclosure agreement.”

“You’ve got a few to sign as well, you know,” Alex stated.

“Great. Awesome. NDAs for everybody.” Kara got to her feet and was immediately met with a hand on each arm. “I’m fine,” she insisted, but let the women guide her inside, smiling gently when Lena insisted on continuing to hold her hand. “Really, I’m feeling okay now.”

“You’re still going to sit under some sunlamps.”

“I know. Can we go?”

Alex glanced at Lena.

Kara squeezed Lena’s hand. “She’s coming with us. She’s going to help Winn go through L-Corp’s systems, remember?”

Alex sighed. “Alright, fine. Let me call ahead to J’onn.” Her gaze flickered over the two women, lingering on their joined hands and Kara’s arched eyebrow and none-too-subtle eye movements. “Be downstairs in ten minutes,” she said at last, turning on her heel and exiting the office.

Neither of them spoke for a moment. Then: “I’m sorry”.

Kara frowned as she realized they’d both spoken at the same time. “You have nothing to be sorry for, I’m the one who’s been lying to you.” She looked down at the floor, wincing when she realized she’d left cracks in the concrete from when she’d clawed against the pain.

“Kara, I scan every package that comes into the building, much less my office. We should have caught the Kryptonite. We’ll update our procedures immediately.” Lena tilted Kara’s chin until she met her gaze. “I’m sorry, love.”

“Hey, what,” Kara stammered, concerned at the tears forming in Lena’s eyes. “No, I’m okay, you didn’t know. Come here.” Kara pulled Lena into her arms and held her tightly. “It’s not your fault, okay? I’m fine. Listen, I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you sooner about being Supergirl. I just… you’ve always just seen me as me, not the superhero, and I kind of…” Kara sighed. “I kind of wanted that to last. But that, that’s selfish and not fair to you, and all those dates I had to rush out of, oh Rao, those lame excuses, I’m so sorry, Lena.”

Lena pulled back. “I still see you, Kara.” She stroked her cheek softly, smiling when Kara leaned into her touch. “It means I’ll watch the news coverage much more closely, but at least now I don’t have to worry about having a crush on Supergirl.”

Kara laughed. “You had a crush on Supergirl?”

“You’re Supergirl.”

“Yeah, but still. It’s the suit, huh?”

“You do look good in blue.” Lena kissed her cheek. “But I prefer what’s under the crest.”

“I always knew you liked my boobs.”

Lena shoved her, amused when Kara pretended to fall back a step. “I meant your heart.”

Kara grinned. “Does this mean you don’t like my boobs?”

“Is this really a conversation you want to start when we’re about to go sit in a car with your sister?”

Her smile fell. “Good point. No more boob talk, geez, babe.” When Lena rolled her eyes, Kara shifted closer and folded her into another hug, nuzzling her neck. “I love you.”

Lena wrapped her arms around her. “I love you, too. Come on. Let’s go get you under the, what did Alex call them, the sunlamps?” Kara nodded and kissed her shoulder. “Then Winn and I will go through the files. We’ll find out how Alana got her hands on Kryptonite. I promise.”

Chapter Text

The ride to DEO headquarters was not as awkward as Lena thought it would be, but it was still uncomfortable. Alex rode in the front passenger seat while one agent drove and the other was in the third row, with Kara and Lena seated in the middle row. It meant they were surrounded by DEO agents and while Kara seemed content to relax into the leather seat, Lena kept a tight hold on her hand.

When they pulled into an underground parking garage and the SUV came to a stop, Alex climbed out first and held the rear door open.

“Thank you.” Lena stepped out of the way so Kara could exit the vehicle.

Kara immediately reached for Lena’s hand again so the woman could resume her grip.

“Come on.” Alex lead the way to the elevators, pressing the button for the twenty-second floor once Kara and Lena were beside her. The other agents detoured to the stairs. When the doors closed, she said, “I’ll take you to the conference room first for the paperwork.”

“That’s fine. I’ll pull the NDA for Winn off L-Corp servers when we begin.”

“And you,” she pointed at her sister, “are immediately going to the medical bay.”

Kara rolled her eyes. “I know.” Lena squeezed her hand and she sighed. “I will,” she said, softly.

Kara insisted on accompanying Lena to the conference room first, but when Alex set the stack of papers before her, Kara put a hand on Lena's shoulder and then ducked out of the room and headed for the sunlamps.

Kara was sitting on the exam table when Alex and Lena entered the medical bay. She’d changed into her suit, her civilian clothes folded on the corner of the table. “I already did fifteen minutes under the lamps.”

Alex nodded and removed the medical scanner from its charger and began running it from Kara’s head to her toes, focusing on her chest and stomach to check for residual effects.

“Everything looks good,” she said after a moment, and Kara hopped down from the table. “Let’s see what they've found on that Kryptonite.”

The three women exited the medical bay and joined Winn in the main control room, where J’onn was hovering over his shoulder.

Lena stood back and examined the technology from a distance. Dozens of large TV screens mounted on the far wall displayed numerous news feeds, monitoring for alien activity, she assumed, and each of the five agents seated in front of the wall was busy typing away at their computers. Lena could see the network cables but not the actual towers and wondered if they were all on a virtual network.

“I’ll have Winn take you on a tour of the geeky stuff,” Kara whispered.

Lena blushed at being caught and refocused on what Winn was saying.

“It's the same synthetic makeup as Metallo, so that answers the question of where she got it.”

“Why couldn’t I find the signature when I scanned the room?”

“Ah, that’s the brilliant part. Sneaky and evil, but brilliant.” He tapped a few keys and brought up a 3D view of the paperweight; Lena felt her lip curl in response. “This looks like brushed silver, right, very nice. But it’s actually a composite with microscopic particles of lead; just enough to throw off your x-ray vision.”

Kara shook her head. “If it’s covered in lead, it shouldn’t have been able to hurt me.”

A few more keys and a cross-section of the cube and the large chunk of Kryptonite it housed appeared on the screen. “The bottom and top panels are completely lead free. If you would have x-rayed it before you were affected, you might have noticed, but probably not. See? Sneaky enough to hide in plain sight, but evil enough to still put out radiation.”

Winn steepled his fingers together and brought them against his chin. “But that’s only part of the riddle. How does she know Lillian? Is she connected to CADMUS?”

“Ms. Luthor?” J’onn prompted.

“I can get you into L-Corp’s network so you can examine her activity.”

Winn grinned with excitement as Lena stepped forward. “We get to work together?!”

Lena chuckled. “It appears so.”

“Yes!” Winn cheered. “I mean, um,” he sobered, “like, it sucks that you were exposed to Kryptonite, Kara. I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Uh-huh,” she smirked. “Get on with it.”

Pulling up a nearby chair and sitting next to Winn, Lena took control of the keyboard for a moment and entered the sequence of logins and commands that would allow them entrance into the well-secured L-Corp systems.

“See, that’s not how I did it when I got in the first time.”

Lena arched an eyebrow. “Do tell.”

“Um. Later.”

She shook her head, not without fondness, and sat back. “Alright, you have access. I only ask that you restrict yourself to learning about Alana and anything that will help you find her.”

“Of course.” Winn began typing furiously. “I’m really not black hat, Lena. Honest.”

Fifteen minutes passed before Winn sighed in disgust and pushed his keyboard away. Lena had her arms crossed and was glaring at the computer, as though it were purposefully being difficult.

“I can’t find anything,” Winn groaned. “Nothing suspicious in her activities on the network. Do we have anything else on her?”

Alex handed him the folder. “A copy of her personnel file.”

Winn snatched at it. “Why wasn’t this in the system?”

“We were focusing on her actions in the network, not her information,” Lena reminded him.

“Right, right.” He grinned triumphantly at the first page. “Phone number, yes!” He turned back to his computer and settled his keyboard within a comfortable range. “Let’s see what we got here.”

Lena glanced between the agents in the room. “You, ah, you have access to phone calls?”

J’onn shook his head. “Not the calls themselves, but we can view the call data records, which tells us the phone numbers of the communicants and the duration of their calls.”

“And with that metadata,” Winn’s typing was getting more forceful as he spoke, “we can find anything unusual in her calling patterns, such as, oh, this little number she called the most. Including… hey, Alex, what was the date you went and tried to leave the galaxy?”

“I didn’t try to leave the galaxy, Agent Schott, I blew up a CADMUS facility with ten Haldorr particle mines and attempted to pilot a Hoshin frigate before it jumped to warp,” Alex corrected. “But it was three weeks ago, March 7th.”

“Kara, what time was it when you saved Lena that night?”

“A little past nine.”

“Yep, boom!” Winn slammed the Enter key and moved his chair around so everyone could see his screen. “That number that Alana called twice a week from the day she started working at L-Corp? She usually called in the mornings, like stupid early, except on March 7th, when she called it at eight pm, in a call lasting just under forty-five seconds.”

Lena sagged back into her chair. “She sent those men.”

“Eh, she probably alerted Lillian, who sent them, but…” He caught Kara’s glare. “Yep, that’s a technicality, we’re good.”

“When was the last time she called that number, Agent Schott?” J’onn demanded.

Winn shook his head. “She called it once more the next morning, but then she probably ditched her phone, because I’ve got a big zero after that.”

“Is the number she called active?”

“Checking now, boss.”

Lena stood and returned the chair to the empty desk next to Winn. She wrapped her arms around herself and tried to hide her shiver, but Kara frowned in concern and walked up behind her, putting a gentle hand on her arm.

Lena took a half-step out of her reach.

Kara blinked. “Um, do you want... can we talk for a second, love?” she asked quietly.

Lena glanced at her and seemed to clench her jaw in the negative, but then nodded and followed Kara to the far side of the room.

“Is this…” she pointed to the crest of her House, “is this too much right now? I can change. Or do you want me to take you home? It's been a long day.”

“I understand why you didn't tell me.”

“What? It wasn’t -”

“I'm a Luthor. My own assistant was reporting to CADMUS and she managed to deliver Kryptonite right to my door. How can you trust me?”

“Whoa! Lena, hang on. I trust you. I always have. And it isn't that I didn't trust you with my identity - I wanted you to continue loving me for me. When people find out I’m Supergirl, it changes things.” She shrugged. “It always does, at least a little. And I just didn't want… I didn't want to lose what we have.”

“Were you afraid of losing me?”

“A little.” I still am.

“Because of what my brother did to your cousin.”

“Because of what my arrival to Earth did to your brother and the rest of this planet. I brought… I brought Fort Rozz with me when I landed. It was used as sort of a maximum security prison on Krypton. When my pod began to exit the Phantom Zone, Fort Rozz followed.” That Indigo had manipulated the exit had never absolved her of the guilt.

“An easy ninety percent of alien attacks that occurred after I got here are because of those escapees. They brought aliens to the forefront of the news, for all the wrong reasons, and they were the siren call for everyone that feared my cousin despite his good deeds. Including your brother. They were proven right. I proved them right.”

She ran a hand through her hair and blinked up at the ceiling. “I love being Supergirl, it's who I am, it's why my parents sent me here. But now that you know… it's a constant reminder that I'm not human. That I have seen, and done, some terrible things. I'm not… I'm not Kara Danvers to you, anymore.”

“Hey.” Lena grasped her face in both hands and tilted her chin down until their eyes met. “I want to know all of you. If this changes things between us, it will only be for the better, because now you can tell me honestly about your day when we curl up on the couch at night.” She stroked Kara’s cheek gently. “Okay?”

Kara sniffled. “You still want couch cuddles?”

Lena smiled through her own tears. “Every night.”

She was pulled into a hug that was maybe a little too tight but she didn't complain, she simply hugged Kara back, clutching at her cape.

“What is this material?” she couldn’t help asking. “I always thought it was a type of leather, but it’s much too soft.”

Kara pulled the edge around so Lena could inspect it. “It’s Kryptonian. There’s no word for the material here, but... Kal-El zhehdiv thron us. It was Kal-El’s baby blanket that his parents wrapped him in when they put him in the pod.” She smiled and traced a section along with Lena, brushing her fingers softly. “He gave it to me when I first announced myself as Supergirl.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“I meant what I said.” Kara took Lena’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “I trust you, Lena. You are not to blame for your brother’s choices.”

Lena threaded their fingers together. “Neither are you.”

A sigh.

“Neither. Are. You.”

Kara leaned forward and kissed Lena’s neck. “I’ll try,” she sighed, “if you will, too. Deal?”

Lena rested her chin on the strong shoulder. “Deal.”

Kara pulled back and smiled, still holding her hand. “Ready to see what they found?”

“How do you know they found something?”

She tilted her head in Winn’s direction. “He’s singing a song about how great he is.”

*****

Alex put a hand to her forehead and then held her palm out to stop Winn’s celebratory chatter. “Wait. Winn, are you saying you know where Lillian is?”

He shook his head. “Not currently, no. But I know where she was.”

Kara scowled. “How does that help us?”

Alex put her hands on her hips. “Her phone’s still active,” she realized.

“Five points to Danvers. Uh, that Danvers,” he pointed to Alex. “It isn’t up right now, but when Alana made that call on the seventh, she was in the warehouse.”

“Where we expect her to be,” Kara sighed, less than impressed.

“But that means you know her phone number.”

“Ten points to Luthor!” Winn cheered. “I guess Alana could have technically been reporting to someone else, but that seems unlikely, given the fact that Alex saw Lillian less than two hours later at that same location.”

“So where is she now?” Kara demanded.

“Keep your cape on,” he muttered, but swallowed at the glare he received. “I mean, I don’t know. Her phone isn’t active right now, but it was, as recently as about six-thirty this morning.”

“Where?” J’onn growled.

“Another warehouse district. Minus five points to Luthor for lack of creativity. Um, that Luthor,” he said, pointing at his computer screen, where a small blue dot was pictured with a pulsing blue halo. “That’s not a precise location, obviously, but she’s within about a hundred meters. Or, again, she was, this morning.”

J’onn clapped Winn on the shoulder. “Well done, Agent Schott. Track her activity and inform us the moment she turns her phone back on.”

“Will do, boss. I’m also running an algorithm right now to look at her past activity and see if she frequents this spot or if there’s another base of operations, and I’ve got a constant scan going for the signature from the paperweight, in case she makes more of that same Kryptonite.”

Kara threw her arms around his neck. “Winn, you’re a genius.”

“You’re not wrong,” he grinned.

“Now what?” Lena asked, looking to Alex and J’onn.

“We wait to see what Agent Schott’s additional research turns up,” Alex stated.

J’onn nodded. “Yes. But we’ll begin planning for an assault on the possible warehouse location.” He held his hand out to Lena who shook it politely. “Thank you for your assistance, Ms. Luthor, but I’m afraid your civilian status means your work with us is finished for now.”

She withdrew her hand and crossed her arms. “You’re saying I can’t be part of the planning process.”

“Correct.”

“Given that I’ve already managed to sabotage one of Lillian’s plots and lure her into a trap where she was arrested, besides Agent Danvers’ explosives, I’m probably the closest you’ve come to actually capturing her.”

Alex pursed her lips. “She has a point. Sir.”

“Lillian Luthor will not just walk into another trap,” J’onn sighed.

“No,” Lena acknowledged, “but I think between the five of us, we can come up with a few options that might have a higher chance of success. And beyond that, she probably has no idea that we’ve discovered the Kryptonite - that might be something we can use to our advantage.”

Kara and J’onn exchanged a glance.

After a moment, J’onn sighed again. “Very well. But you’ll have additional NDAs to sign.”

Winn spun around in his chair. “Lena’s staying? Does that mean I can take her on the tour now?”

J’onn pinched the bridge of his nose. “You have thirty minutes and I expect to see you back at your desk.”

“Yes, boss!” Winn leapt to his feet and took Lena by the arm, practically bouncing in place. “Come on, I’ll show you the server room, it’s amazing.”

Chapter Text

Lena remained at the DEO until well into the evening, when Alex declared the brainstorming session over and said they all needed food and then sleep.

“Are you going to sleep?” her sister challenged.

“Yes, Kara, I'm going home, too. I’ll sleep.”

“I'm going to text Maggie and make sure she doesn't let you do any work.”

Alex grinned and considered making a comment that would bring a blush to the Kryptonian’s ears, but decided against it when she remembered Kara would return the favor. “That's fine.”

Lena was wearing a similar smirk.

Kara glanced between them, then caught J’onn’s pained expression. “Gross!”

“Enough. All of you. Go home and get some rest. We’ve done all we can tonight.” J’onn pointed to the control room, where Winn was slumped over at his desk. “One of you collect Agent Schott on the way out and keep him away from caffeine.”

Alex raised her hand. “It's my turn, I'll take him.”

J’onn nodded, satisfied, and left the room, Alex trailing after him to go muster Winn to enough consciousness to stumble into her car.

“So. Um,” Kara bit her lip as she and Lena walked toward the main floor, “I can fly you home, if you want. Or we can just drive.”

“Can we go to your apartment?”

“Sure.” Kara opened her arms. “Okay?”

Lena nodded and Kara scooped her up, holding her securely, giving her a moment to adjust. Locking her arms around the hero’s neck, Lena nodded again, and Kara took off at a gentle pace.

She’d left the window open in the dining room and landed easily, setting Lena down carefully. “We didn't really have dinner,” she fretted, recalling the eight o’clock raid of the vending machines, “but it's not too late if you want to order pizza.”

“You order what you'd like, darling, I think I still have some leftover salad from yesterday.”

Kara made a face. “Yeah, I can promise you I didn't eat that.”

*****

Kara groaned when she awoke to her phone vibrating on the coffee table. She frowned at the caller ID.

“Winn?” She checked the screen. “It’s three in the morning. Why are you up?”

Lena stirred at her voice, shifting on the couch where they’d fallen asleep, her legs resting across Kara’s lap. Kara patted her calf. “Go back to sleep, babe,” she whispered.

“Okay, so, I might have found an energy drink in my fridge,” Winn admitted.

“Oh my god.”

“Yeah, I know, it’s fine. Anyway. Listen, listen.”

“I’m listening.”

“Right. Yeah. So, I had an epiphany. A lightning bolt! A eureka moment!”

“I need specifics, Winn, or I’m hanging up.”

Kara continued to rub her thumb against Lena’s calf, making sure she stayed asleep. She’d learned early on that climbing out of bed was one of the quickest ways to wake her girlfriend; as long as they were touching in some fashion, even if it was just a hand pressed against her back when it was too warm in the summer for snuggling, Lena would be fine.

“No, no, no. Okay. We figured Alana dropped her phone, right? Psht. Gone. But! I bet she didn’t stop checking in with Lillian. So I went back and even though she definitely checked in more often while she was at L-Corp, even before that, she still called that number once a week.” She could hear Winn typing. “And man, she’s nothing if not consistent. Every Monday at six in the morning. That’s stupid early, Kara.”

“I don’t know, I feel like three o’clock is pretty stupid early.”

“Touché. Moving on. So! I checked Lillian’s phone - well, what we suspect is Lillian’s phone - and boom! Another number started calling her Mondays at stupid o’clock.”

“Alana’s new number.”

“Yep. And to double-check, I compared the location of her phone to the address she gave on her employment form and the locations of the previous phone - it’s a match.”

“That’s great, Winn. Is she there right now?”

“I dunno, it’s not on at the moment. But I’m betting you she’ll be up soon.”

“Did you tell J’onn?”

“Yeah, he’s here.”

Kara frowned. “Winn. Are you at the DEO?”

“Yes?”

“Did you sleep at all?”

“No?”

She sighed. “Let me talk to J’onn.” When he came on the line, she asked, “Are we going after her this morning?”

“No, we’ve alerted Detective Sawyer and her team will be making an arrest just before dawn.”

Kara winced. That meant Alex probably wasn’t getting any sleep, either. “Okay. I’ll come in around seven. Do you need Lena?”

“It’s probably best if she goes to work as usual.”

“Good point. Make Winn rack out for a couple hours, can you?”

“With a tranquilizer if necessary.”

Kara laughed. “He should crash in about a half hour, once the caffeine rush wears off. See you in a few hours.”

“Get some rest, Kara.”

“Good night.”

“Heard my name,” Lena mumbled, blinking at Kara sleepily as she ended the call.

Kara chuckled fondly. “Yeah, it’s okay. J’onn said you should have a normal day, go to work as usual. We can still get a few more hours of sleep.” She smiled when she saw Lena was already falling back asleep. “Come on, babe, I’m going to take you to bed, okay?”

Lena murmured, “I like going to bed with you.”

Kara lifted her into her arms. “I like going to bed with you too, sweetheart.”

“Love you.” She yawned. “Lots.”

“I love you too, lots and lots.” Kara kissed her forehead and laid her on the bed, crawling in beside her and pulling the covers over them both. She’d been immensely relieved when Lena curled up on the couch with her, but there was something especially soothing to her heart when the woman rolled over in her sleep and threw an arm around Kara’s middle, clutching her securely.

Kara gave a happy sigh and drifted off to sleep.

*****

Alana was distinctly uncooperative.

Oh, she’d answered the door when National City police officers pounded on it at a little before six, she’d sighed with resignation when they read her her rights and a detective put her in handcuffs, and she’d sat quietly in the back of the cruiser on the ride to the station.

But her silence continued as she sat in the interrogation room.

Which was fine with Maggie.

She hadn’t had the best luck with CADMUS lackeys surviving to the interview stage.

So she was just waiting for the telepath to show up.

J’onn and Alex arrived promptly at seven-thirty. They weren’t claiming jurisdiction, as Maggie had specifically gone to her captain to request their assistance, but they still got more than a few glares as they walked through the department.

“Sawyer.”

“Danvers,” Maggie replied, with a grin that belied the fact she’d seen the woman just four hours earlier.

“Detective,” J’onn nodded, “thank you for allowing us the opportunity to interview your suspect.”

Maggie chuckled. “Sure. She hasn’t said a thing since we picked her up. The only items she had in her purse were her wallet and cell phone; I’ve got uniforms going through her apartment now.” She gestured to the door. “Be my guest.”

The two federal agents entered the room, closing the door tightly behind them. Alex leaned her hands on the table and stared at Alana, while J’onn just crossed his arms.

Alana refused to acknowledge their presence.

“Where did you get the Kryptonite, Alana?” Alex demanded.

Silence.

“You know it's an illegal material.” Alex rapped her knuckles on the wooden table. “That's a minimum of six months in prison. But I've been doing this a long time and I know the system here. I bet we can get you closer to three years.”

J’onn let a slow smile cross his face as Alana swallowed.

“I’ll let you in on a secret,” Alex said, pushing back from the table. “We can track the Kryptonite. From L-Corp, to your apartment, all the way back to the warehouse. And when we find their base of operations, it can be with your help, in which case you may only see six months, or without your help, and you’ll spend the next three years in prison. Right. Next. To. Your. Boss.”

“We don't need her help,” J’onn stated firmly. “We’ve got all we need.”

Alex smiled. “Three years it is, then. And we’ll make sure to explain to your boss that your little stunt with Kryptonite was a failure. Never even came close to reaching Supergirl. You got yourself and the whole operation wrapped up, with nothing to show for it.”

Alana blinked. “You’re lying.”

“We’re closing in on the warehouse right now,” J’onn shrugged. “I don't care if you think we’re lying.”

Her eyes closed and she lowered her head. “Lillian gave me the Kryptonite.”

Alex glanced over her shoulder, where she knew Maggie was grinning, and then she nodded at Alana and let her speak.

*****

Though J’onn had gotten the details from her mind as Alex was questioning her, prompting her with the phrases that would bring up the thoughts they needed, he stayed and confirmed that her confession revealed the same. She didn't know many details; it seemed Lillian kept most of her work closely compartmentalized, but Alana was able to confirm the phone numbers, where she met for the drop-off to receive the paperweight, and she admitted that Lillian was likely making more Kryptonite.

When they exited the room, Maggie was still grinning as the uniformed officer went behind them to take the woman to processing.

“So…?” she prompted, tilting her head in J’onn’s direction.

He nodded. “She’s telling the truth.”

Maggie sighed in relief. “That’s good news. It’s so much easier to prosecute them with a verbal confession, I haven’t quite figured out how to admit telepathic evidence.”

J’onn smirked.

“You guys making the plan to go after Lillian?”

Alex nodded. “That’ll be our lead.”

Maggie held up her hands. “Not going to fight you on that one,” she assured her girlfriend. “NCPD doesn’t exactly have the tech for facing down Lillian Luthor and CADMUS on their own turf. Let me know if you want another set of eyes on the CONOP, though.”

*****

Kara let Winn sleep on a cot in the locker room until J’onn and Alex returned to the DEO with knowledge that Alana had confirmed Lillian’s phone number. There was no way he’d want to sleep through a minute of being right.

He jerked awake and almost fell off the raised cot when she touched his shoulder. “Who? What!”

“Easy, it’s me.”

He blinked at her. “Did we get her?”

Kara nodded. “Maggie and the NCPD arrested Alana this morning at her apartment, right where you said she’d be.”

“Yes!”

“She also confessed and J’onn verified it telepathically. You were right about that being Lillian’s number she was calling regularly.”

He flopped back and grinned triumphantly.

“How you feeling?”

“What time is it?”

“A little past nine.”

“I feel like I got four hours of sleep, so I feel fantastic.” He grinned when Kara sighed. “No, really. I’m exhausted but I’ll crash when we’re done. Can I go push more buttons?”

She shook her head at him fondly. “Go ahead. But grab an apple or something from the cafeteria.”

“Okay!”

“I told Sarah you aren’t allowed to buy any more energy drinks.”

“Buzzkill.”

*****

Now that he knew he was on the right track, Winn pushed hard. He had maps and charts up on his computer screen, also utilizing eight of the large monitors on the wall to display additional information he needed to compare.

Kara took a quick trip to North Carolina for Winn’s favorite wings and an armful of various dishes for the rest of the agents on the main floor, and everyone crowded around the operations desk to dig in.

Winn began his explanation, rushing through it a little as his mouth watered at the smell of spicy apricot wings, pointing to the different screens, spinning around as necessary. “Okay, so, here’s my theory: Lillian doesn’t have this phone on very often, usually in the mornings for a few minutes and then again around seven in the evening. I think she’s just checking messages and I’d guess she has another phone she uses most of the time.”

“Have you gone through Alana’s contact list?” Alex asked, around a mouthful of barbecue.

“Yeah, no dice. She didn’t identify any others as belonging to Lillian and I ran them all but didn’t come up with any leads. But! If she’s checking her messages when she gets up in the morning, then we might be able to still get her location narrowed down.”

“Where is she trending?” J’onn wanted to know.

“That other warehouse district we saw yesterday.” He pointed to a dot on the map, within the same block as the one he found the day previously. “It looks like she probably went dark for about a week after Alex blew up the first warehouse but I overlaid data for the past two weeks and she’s consistently been in this area.”

Kara nodded sharply. “I’m going to go do a fly-over.”

“No.” Alex balled a napkin in her fist. “We haven’t even had a chance to look at satellite imagery of this place. We don’t have the beginnings of a plan if you need back up. We’re going to take a few days and see where this goes,” she stated, “and then, when we have a solid plan, then we can make our move. Together.”

“Alex, she’s escaped several times already. We don’t have time to just sit and wait.”

“We’ll make time.” J’onn put up a hand at Kara’s scowl. “We all want to apprehend Lillian Luthor, believe me. For a variety of reasons. But we need to do this carefully; we might not get another chance where we can be a step ahead.”

“Fine.” Kara put her hands on her hips. “But I’m bringing Lena in tonight so we can get her take. She knows Lillian better than any of us in this room.”

J’onn tilted his head, acknowledging that truth. “Very well.”

*****

Lena shook her head at Winn’s explanation and the imagery he was showing her. “No,” she interrupted, “she doesn’t wake up there.”

“How do you know?”

“There is no chance that Lillian would sleep in a warehouse, no matter how dedicated she is to the cause. She might get her hands dirty playing surgeon but there are comforts she will not give up.” She gestured to the surrounding area. “That isn’t to say she’d be obvious about her comings and goings. Are any of these homes abandoned or for sale?”

Winn added the parameter to the display and after a few moments of searching, three foreclosed homes were highlighted on the screen. One was literally on the other side of the street, and Lena nixed that one, but the other two were more plausible.

“What about the houses next door to these?”

A few more rapid key presses and Winn adjusted the results. “They’re all currently owned, but the one over here,” he pointed to the home a half-block to the west, “is boxed in by families with kids, it looks like. This one,” which was located almost a full block south, “has one elderly neighbor and the other is a long-haul trucker.”

Lena jabbed her finger at the screen. “I’d check that one first.” She imagined they’d also want to check on the senior citizen living next door in the event Lillian felt she’d gotten nosey.

Winn leaned back in his chair to address Kara, who was discussing strategy with Alex and J’onn, “Hey, did you know your girlfriend is a genius?”

“Yep. She amazes me every day.”

Alex smirked at Lena’s blush.

Chapter Text

The plan was to get a feel for Lillian’s pattern of life, her regular behavior, and then strike either Sunday night or early Monday morning, before she had a chance to realize that Alana had stopped checking in.

Lena kept her routine as normal as possible, working at L-Corp her usual long hours, with a replica of the paperweight in case Lillian bothered to visit, but each night Kara would pick her up and take her to the DEO for the latest intelligence. There was no change, but that was good news. It meant the pattern the agents were building was holding true.

Jess was kept out of the loop, out of necessity, but she remained vigilant and whenever Kara visited in plain clothes, she kept a close eye on her and seemed concerned that someone would try to hurt her again. She did a sweep of Lena’s office every night before she left and then again each morning before Lena came in. Whatever Alana had managed to do, to sneak into Lena’s office, Jess was determined to make sure it would never happen again; at least not on her watch.

Kara was a little glad she didn’t have a day job at the moment. She missed Catco, she missed being a reporter, but she didn’t miss the stress of trying to juggle a full-time civilian job and a high-profile case at the DEO. She liked being able to touch base throughout the day, to check in with J’onn and Alex and Winn.

The best part, she had to admit, was getting to bring Lena in every night, to see her sit with Winn and go over the daily update, to watch Winn compare notes and ask for her feedback on his efforts. Alex had even asked for her input once, on an avenue of approach for the strike team, on Lillian’s habits of observation. Even J’onn listened when Lena gave her opinion.

Kara definitely wanted to apprehend Lillian and put an end to CADMUS, especially if it meant finding Jeremiah, but there was a not-so-small part of her that wanted Lena to keep helping the DEO so they could keep working together.

From Wednesday to Saturday morning, the pattern held.

Lillian departed the residence, where she stayed alone, a little before six-thirty. From there, satellites tracked her path through the neighborhood, though she seemed like any other woman out for a walk in the early morning, until she reached the fence surrounding the warehouse.

One of six full-time guards would unlock the gate and let her in, securing it behind her. Lillian would then walk directly into the warehouse through the door on the western end. Once inside, she turned her phone on briefly, probably to check her messages. She stayed inside the warehouse the entire day and kept her phone off until seven p.m., when she probably checked messages once more, then departed the warehouse around seven-fifteen and returned to the house.

The warehouse itself was lined with lead and apparently foil, as neither Kara nor the thermal imaging cameras on the satellites could get a reading of how many personnel were inside or the layout of the building.

Winn pulled up surrounding warehouses to at least try to get an idea for planning purposes, but everyone knew they’d basically be going in blind.

Which meant preparing for the worst.

*****

By eight p.m., it was clear something was wrong.

“Her phone is still on,” Winn frowned, chewing on the edge of his fingernail. “Why?”

Lena walked over when she heard him muttering. “What's going on?”

“She turned her phone on at seven like usual, but she hasn't turned it off yet and she hasn't left the warehouse.”

“She’s out of pattern,” J’onn growled.

Winn nodded. “And I already checked - there are no previous instances of a Saturday night being out of the norm. Granted, I've only got a few months of data on this number, but still. This does seem unusual.”

Alex crossed her arms. “I don't like it.”

“What do we do?” Kara asked.

“We’re moving up the time table. We’ll meet for the mission brief at 8:45 and depart no later than 9:30. I don't want to give her time to complete whatever she's planning.” J’onn glanced at Alex. “Have everyone meet in the loading bay at 8:30.”

Alex nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Kara put her hands on her hips. “I'll be there.”

“You can attend the brief.”

She blinked. “What do you mean, can?”

Alex sighed and tensed her jaw, preparing for the argument she knew was coming. “Supergirl is going on this mission, but you aren't.”

Kara looked to J’onn and then back to her sister. “No! No way.”

Winn ducked his head and decided it was a good time to reorganize the cables on his desk.

“We know she has Kryptonite, Kara.”

“No, you're assuming. We only know she gave some to Alana. We don't know where she keeps it.”

“This is non-negotiable, Ms. Danvers.”

“I'm not negotiating, I'm stating a fact. I'm going.”

“Kara, you have to stay here. It isn't safe.”

Winn visibly winced at Alex’s choice of words. He glanced at Lena who was watching the events with concern.

“What mission is safe, Alex?” Kara scowled. “You're human! Whether she has Kryptonite or not, Lillian and whatever is in that warehouse is dangerous. J’onn is the director and you're the assistant director, you can't both risk your lives.”

J’onn shook his head. “Until we can get an idea of what's inside that building, you're staying here. If we check and it's clear of Kryptonite, you can join us. But not before.”

Kara’s nostrils flared. “For the record, this is a stupid idea and I hate it.”

“Noted.” Alex tried to soften her tone. “You’ll still be monitoring us and providing information on what you guys are seeing back here, okay?”

She rolled her eyes. “I'm going to go punch something until the mission brief.”

Alex sighed as she stormed away. “That went as well as I predicted.”

J’onn held out his hands. “We have no choice.”

Lena spoke up quietly, “There's no way to know ahead of time if there's Kryptonite in there?”

“Not with the lead,” Winn explained, “it dampens the signature. We’d have to be in very close range to get a reading. Once they get inside, it should be easier, assuming whatever material she has isn't contained in yet more lead.”

Lena frowned but said nothing.

“I’ll text Maggie, she wanted to be here for the brief,” Alex said, pulling her cell phone from her pocket.

J’onn nodded and headed into his office to complete the last minute pre-mission requirements.

Winn waited a beat and then leaned over and whispered to Lena, “Down the hall, fifth door on the left.”

Lena squeezed his arm in thanks and left the command center.

She wouldn’t have needed Winn’s precise directions, as it turned out. Once she started down the corridor, she could hear the smash of whatever Supergirl used for a punching bag.

Concrete. Not what she’d expected, really, but it made sense.

Kara was throwing rapid punches at what appeared to be a slab of concrete which perhaps had once been some sort of retaining wall or similar barrier. Now, however, it was quickly becoming a pile of dust.

Lena was admittedly glad the woman was in the Supergirl suit for the exercise. Though she had had several days to accept that her girlfriend and the superhero were one and the same, seeing the woman as her civilian persona slamming her hands into concrete probably would have given Lena a mild coronary.

Kara drew back for a fierce right hook and then groaned loudly in frustration, pacing the room, stopping abruptly when she saw Lena standing on the third step.

“Um, how long have you, ah, been there?”

“Less than a minute.”

The blonde relaxed slightly. Lena was curious what expression of anger Kara might have released that she’d be concerned about Lena seeing, but she didn’t push.

“Do you want me to go?”

“No, no, you can stay. I’m done with the punching.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I hate this.”

“Staying behind?”

“Ugh. I just…” Kara gestured uselessly. “Alex is human. She could get hurt.”

“So could you. There’s a very real possibility there’s Kryptonite present.”

“But that’s my only risk! One thing. One. Alex… all the agents could get hurt or worse, killed, in, like, a dozen different ways. Regardless of what’s in that warehouse, they’re all at risk.” Kara pressed her palm against the symbol on her chest. “It makes more sense for me to go.”

“Instead of them?” Lena raised an eyebrow. “You’re not a one-woman army.”

“Well, no, but I should at least go with them.”

“I’m sure they’ll call you in once they know it’s safe for you.”

Kara threw her head back. “I can’t protect them if I’m standing in the middle of the DEO watching them on a screen.”

“What about us protecting you?”

Lena turned to see Alex standing just behind her.

Kara sighed heavily.

“You know that is kind of my job.”

“I thought you said it wasn’t.”

“Yeah, but it’s more fun when it is.”

Kara rolled her eyes but a begrudging smile tugged at her lips.

Alex passed Lena and approached her sister. “El mayarah, remember?” She reached for Kara’s hand, pleased when she accepted. “Let us go in first. When it’s clear, you can follow. I won’t let you miss any of the fun stuff.”

She tugged Alex into a tight hug. “Be careful, okay? Please. You aren’t bulletproof.”

The redhead returned the embrace with all her strength. “The goal is always to bring everyone home from every mission.”

Kara sighed and pulled back. “Is it time?”

Alex nodded. “Maggie just got here, we need to head to the loading bay.”

“Okay. I’ll be right there.”

Alex gave Lena a small smile as she passed her again on the way back up the stairs, nodding at Lena’s whispered wish for her safety, and Kara followed part of the way, pausing on the step below Lena.

“I know the answer, I think, but I still have to ask. Do you want me to take you home?”

Lena merely raised an incredulous eyebrow.

“Yep, that's what I thought.” Kara kissed her softly. “I'll walk with you to the control center. I'll be back after the briefing.”

*****

Kara was pacing.

Lena was used to the pacing when, as the reporter, Kara was particularly anxious about an interview, or frustrated at a direction from Snapper, or, adorably, nervously waiting for Lena to finish reading her latest article.

But this was the pacing of a frustrated superhero… and a concerned sister.

The setup (four snipers on nearby rooftops) and arrival (ten agents setting down a half-block away and moving in on foot, under cover of darkness) had gone flawlessly. Even the infiltration (Alex’s team of six merging with the patrol of ten, creating entry points in the fence in three places) was according to plan.

The six guards were managed quietly - five with high doses of fast-acting tranquilizer, but one had reached for his weapon so he’d been taken out by a sniper - and then it was just seventeen agents clad in black inside the perimeter.

Kara’s pacing had started when the guard was killed. Her fists clenched and she’d glared at the floor, looking up occasionally to check on the video feeds from the helmet-mounted cameras on each of the team leads, but she hadn’t stopped moving.

Winn had each of the helmet cams displayed on one of the large TV screens, with two sidebars showing the vitals of each agent.

Lena wasn’t sure how they had such constant, accurate monitoring, but she noticed that Maggie kept her eyes glued to Alex’s readings.

No one was speaking. The only sound was the audio from the agents and Winn’s typing when he needed to adjust the quality of a video stream.

“All teams, we breach on my mark,” Alex’s voice played across the speakers. She was whispering but the headsets in each helmet carried her commands loud and clear. “Three, two, one, mark!”

Bravo team breached the main door with an explosive charge and a second later, agents were filtering in from the west and east doors as well as two windows on the north and south sides of the building.

Kara stopped pacing and stared at the screens.

From above, creating a natural skylight, came Supergirl.

Lena looked at her girlfriend in confusion.

Between the superhero’s arrival and the explosion at the west door, the CADMUS personnel inside the warehouse were scattered.

Four men armed with guns rushed the agents jumping through the northern window, but they were easily dispatched and the camera feed from Delta’s team leader showed each of the guards being restrained with plastic zip-ties.

Charlie team was in a scuffle with five guards that rushed them as they breached the eastern door. Two of the guards had been knocked unconscious but two agents were also out of the fight, though their vitals indicated they were only injured.

Then shots rang out and the display for Agent Mason’s vitals went dark.

Kara swore loudly in Kryptonian.

Alex’s video feed indicated she was keeping an eye on Supergirl but also sweeping the warehouse as she moved, searching for Lillian. She paused and the video jumped as she jerked her head around at the sound of gunfire.

“Gomez, Thompson, reinforce Charlie to the east.”

“On it,” Gomez replied, and she put a hand on Thompson’s shoulder as they maneuvered through the warehouse.

“You,” came a low growl, and Alex’s head swung back around just as something ran into Supergirl. Lena recognized it as the cyborg that acted as muscle for Lillian; he looked like J’onn, except with a silver Phantom of the Opera mask going on, and his left eye was glowing green. The two traded punches and began to throw each other across the warehouse.

“He’s got -”

Whatever Alex was about to say was cut off abruptly. The camera angle spun and then stilled, sideways, and it was clear her helmet had been forcefully removed.

Maggie’s grip on Winn’s shoulder tightened and he flinched.

The feed from her camera showed Alex’s legs and though there was no movement for a terrifying moment, her boots scuffed against the concrete floor as she shifted, probably coming to from whatever blow had knocked off her helmet.

A blur on screen and then Lillian’s face filled the frame.

She picked up the helmet and righted the camera. Alex came into view just over her shoulder, grappling with a guard who was trying to relieve her of her M4.

“Can you see me?” Lillian taunted, the planes of her face sharp in the poorly lit warehouse. “Can you hear me? This is where it ends.”

Lena reached out to take Kara’s arm, to offer some comfort, but she was met with only air.

Kara was gone.

*****

“It’s over,” Lillian sneered, placing the helmet back on the ground.

The camera angle encompassed Alex’s ongoing struggle and the moment the large man overpowered her, wrapping a thick arm around her neck. Alex ignored the forearm at her throat and felt for the knife at her belt, adrenaline causing her fingers to shake, and it took her two tries to pull it from the sheath. She jammed it blindly behind her hips, catching the man just above his kneecap.

He screamed and released her neck in order to grab at the knife.

Then he was gone completely, Alex reeling a little at the sudden shift, as a blur of red and blue sent him flying into the wall some eighty feet away.

“I’ve got you,” Kara said, grabbing Alex’s helmet and returning it to her.

“Get out of here,” Alex hissed, shoving her helmet back on, the video feed glitching and then stabilizing at the rapid movement. “The cyborg’s got Kryptonite.”

“Yes, he does,” Lillian stated, as a flash of green snaked across the warehouse and Kara ducked.

Now that Kara was there, J’onn shed the Supergirl facade and took his true Martian form, towering over Hank, shifting in and out of phase to avoid the man’s attacks.

Lillian sighed. “Well, that explains why it wasn’t working.” Seeming unconcerned as Alex trained her weapon on the center of her chest, Lillian withdrew a vial of green liquid from the inside pocket of her coat. “We owe so much to military research, do you know that?”

Alex curled her lip into a snarl. “Drop it.” She climbed to her feet and then held out her hand, trying to get Kara to move behind her, farther away from the Kryptonite.

Kara stood her ground, eyeing Lillian warily. She could feel the first effects of the radiation, the beginnings of a headache, but she wasn’t going to leave Alex in harm’s way.

Lillian shook the vial and smirked when Kara flinched. “I don’t think the Kryptonian would appreciate that very much.” She removed a syringe from an exterior pocket. “When I read about the techniques that General Lane used to interrogate Astra In-Ze,” Kara’s fists clenched, “and the injection of Kryptonite directly into the bloodstream… I’m a little upset I didn’t think of it first, to be honest. Shame it wasn’t lethal... but, there’s always room for improvement.”

“Don’t think I won’t shoot you.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt your aim or your resolve, Agent Danvers.” Lillian plunged the needle into the top of the vial and drew half of the liquid Kryptonite into the syringe, replacing the vial in her pocket. “However, you should know that besides myself and Hank over there, there are thirty-seven CADMUS agents in this warehouse.” She gave Alex a moment to scan the building. “Yes, there are thirteen which your agents have subdued, but another two dozen are in the lab there in the far corner.”

She gestured to what was probably originally intended to be an office. All the windows were dark but Thompson’s voice came through her headset, “Confirmed heat signatures.”

“What’s your point?” Alex sneered. “I kill you and we rescue your lab rats.”

Lillian laughed. “If my heart stops, so will theirs. While I imagine my death would be relatively simple, a single gunshot, and I would expect nothing less, I can assure you that theirs would be… spectacular.” She tapped the syringe lightly. “You recall what happened to Mr. Miner and his compatriots upon their detention, yes?”

Alex swallowed and she knew Maggie was fuming.

“That was a simple implant in the brain. We’ve come so far, since then.” She glanced at Kara briefly and then locked eyes with Alex. “You should also know that I have approximately eighty-five pounds of Kryptonite in the lab. Some liquid, some in its more natural rock-like formation, even a new gaseous compound I’ve been testing.”

Lillian smiled. “So. What will it be? Kill me, and you also sentence everyone in this warehouse, human and Kryptonian alike, to a painful death.” She waved a hand in the general direction of Hank and J’onn, who were continuing to trade punches, though it seemed J’onn was getting the upper hand. “Hank would probably survive but I don’t know about your pet Martian over there.”

“What’s the other option?” Kara demanded, her eyes never leaving the syringe in Lillian’s hand.

“We walk out of here. You go your way, I go mine.”

“You’re not taking the Kryptonite.”

Lillian rolled her eyes. “Consider it a consolation prize.”

Alex considered their choices, then nodded once, lowering her weapon. “All teams, fall back,” she spoke into her comms. She could hear the shuffle as her agents began to move. “Rally at magenta four.”

The team leads acknowledged the command and then slowly exited the warehouse, carrying their casualties as the sniper teams prepared to provide cover.

J’onn stepped back and kept a careful distance from Hank once the agents started exfiltrating, making sure the cyborg would let them leave, and he joined Alex and Kara a moment later, facing off with Lillian.

“The Kryptonite,” he growled.

Lillian stared at him in disgust. “You’ll get it, as soon as we’re out of here.” She nodded to Hank, who charged the Kryptonite laser from his cybernetic eye but did not fire. He simply maintained a beat on the obnoxious red crest on the superhero’s costume.

Kara glared at the pair as they departed.

When they’d moved out of sight, and thanks to the lead-lined walls, she couldn’t keep an eye on them, Kara let out a heavy sigh.

“Guess we take these guys with us?” she asked, jerking her chin toward the handcuffed guards.

“They’re human,” J’onn reminded her. “We’ll hand them over to NCPD.”

“I want to check out that lab first,” Alex decided. She pointed at her sister. “You. Stay. Here. I’d rather you join the others at magenta four, but I know you’ll refuse, so, please, stay put. Okay?”

Kara crossed her arms and pouted.

J’onn and Alex approached the rear corner of the warehouse.

Kara followed a few steps behind, floating silently above the floor.

J’onn paused as Alex reached for the doorknob. “I can’t get a reading on anyone inside.”

Alex shrugged, testing the handle delicately, finding it unlocked. “Mental shielding? Who knows what Lillian has developed.”

He frowned. “Perhaps.” Red eyes glowed as he squinted. “How many personnel?”

“She said twenty-four,” Kara stated, without thinking.

Alex pushed the door open but turned to scold her sibling. “I told you to -”

“Alex!” Kara cried, tackling her sister and throwing her cape over her, even as J’onn registered that the heat signatures were not humanoid in nature.

Alex’s video feed cut out instantly, but the five team leaders’ helmets all swung to the building when the explosion crackled, cameras catching a low rolling thunder and green-tinted fireball as the warehouse went up in flames.

Chapter Text

Lena would talk, later, about how there had been a moment of absolute silence in the control center. Winn, Maggie, and herself had stared at the screens, completely unable to comprehend what the video feeds were showing them.

She had no clear recollection of the minutes that followed.

When asked, Winn would explain that Agent Vasquez had immediately put a call to the medical team to prepare for casualties and ushered Maggie and Lena to a secluded conference room, where they would be notified of critical information but would be out of the way from the rush of activity. She tried to raise any of the three team members but their comms were out, so she’d touched base with Bravo team leader who confirmed the explosion and described the scene, including the five casualties they’d suffered from the gunfight in the warehouse - two agents had already died of their wounds and he was adamant that he would not accept additional deaths.

Agent Vasquez dispatched a medical evacuation team to magenta four when Bravo team leader insisted the ground vehicles would not bring their wounded in quickly enough.

The helicopter had just lifted off in response when J’onn landed hard on the balcony.

The medical personnel rushed outside to meet him, placing Alex and Kara on gurneys and hurrying them to the medical bays, one stubborn doctor forcing J’onn to sit on a bed and be wheeled in, as well.

The next thing Lena remembered was Winn knocking once and then poking his head inside the conference room. The women sat in silence, though their hands were joined tightly on the table.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he said gently, cutting through the steady high-pitched buzz that had seeped into Lena’s ears. “They’re awake.”

Maggie and Lena walked together and only shifted when they realized the Danvers sisters were in separate rooms.

That was a poor decision and Alex was already shouting at the nurse to take her to her sister.

Maggie stepped in to try to soothe her girlfriend while Lena pushed open the door to the medical bay specifically designed for Supergirl.

She was no longer in her suit. Lena refused to imagine that meant it had needed to be cut off, and instead decided it had merely been dirty so the doctors had decided to put Kara in DEO-issued grey sweatpants and a tan t-shirt.

Kara was lying on the bed, yellow sunlamps at full strength, but she turned her head and smiled weakly at Lena.

“Hey. Can you let Alex know I’m okay? She’s already tried to fire two of our best nurses because they’re not letting her get up yet. Dr. Hamilton says it’s just smoke inhalation but they want her to observe her for a few more hours after the head injury.”

Lena waved to Maggie to get her attention and then gave her a thumbs up. Maggie nodded and then leaned her head against Alex’s, whispering something, to which Alex sighed and sagged back against the pillow.

“Thanks.” Kara tried a smile but it was a little wobbly and she cleared her throat. “Sorry, it might be a little strong in here for you, this close to the sunlamps.”

Lena just shook her head, pulling up a chair.

“You, um, are you…” Kara bit her lip. “How mad are you?”

“Why do you think I’m mad?”

Kara exhaled slowly. “Because that’s the first thing you’ve said to me.” She sniffed and made a face when the movement pulled against one of the electrodes on her temples.

“What happened?”

She paused, not sure Lena really wanted to know, but she’d asked, and Kara wouldn’t lie to her. Not anymore.

“Lillian never planned to actually relinquish the Kryptonite, of course. She’d rigged the whole lab or whatever it was in the corner. I saw the explosives and tried to cover Alex from the shrapnel; I wasn’t even thinking about the Kryptonite part of it, I just knew I didn’t have time to actually grab her and escape, so I did the next best thing.” Kara frowned. “It was hot, I don’t really remember a lot of pain, but I think J’onn did something, because I vaguely remember him carrying us.”

“He carried you here,” Winn confirmed, looking apologetic for interrupting. “Just coming in to collect your suit.”

“How is he?” Kara asked.

“He’ll be okay. He said he phased most of the debris, so he’s bruised, but not badly injured.” Winn grabbed the pile of dark blue and red in the corner that Lena hadn’t even realized was Supergirl’s uniform. The cape was intact but there were at least a dozen gaping holes in the back and two in the right shoulder.

Lena glanced at Kara’s arm, finding the fading ugly red mark just visible beneath the sleeve of the t-shirt. She imagined what the damage to her back must have been like and paled.

“How are you feeling?” Dr. Hamilton asked, slipping inside to check on her patient as Winn ducked out of the room.

“Better,” Kara replied, glancing worriedly at Lena, who had fallen quiet again.

“Pain?”

“Minimal.”

“Breathing?”

Kara took a deep breath as if to prove her next words. “Fine.”

Amelia Hamilton stepped forward and pressed a stethoscope against Kara’s chest, listening intently for several seconds. “Hm, your punctured lung is healing well.”

Lena’s back straightened and her eyes snapped to the doctor.

“Powers?”

“Still, um, a little low,” Kara admitted. Her strength was the most noticeable but she’d tried to call up her heat vision before Lena had come into the room and only succeeded in giving herself a headache. “But no pain,” she insisted, wanting to convince Dr. Hamilton that she was healing.

“Let’s do another thirty minutes under the lamps,” she decided, examining the levels, “and I’ll be back then.” She nodded once to Lena and when neither woman spoke up with a question, she dropped the chart near the entryway and moved next door to follow up with Alex.

“Punctured lung?” Lena echoed, her voice neutral.

“Um, I guess I took some Kryptonite shrapnel in my back.” She decided not to expound upon the burns to her hands, courtesy of the acidic compound Lillian mixed, since those wounds had been the first to heal. “It doesn’t really even hurt anymore,” she tried to reassure her girlfriend, “honest. The sunlamps are helping.”

Lena clasped her hands together in her lap, knuckles whitening.

“Lena?” she asked softly.

She stood abruptly and headed for the door.

“No, please!” Kara began to shift as though to slide down from the bed but cried out once and rolled onto her back again.

“I thought you said you weren’t in pain,” Lena frowned, back at her side in an instant, trying to run a hand through the blonde hair but finding her hand captured in Kara’s.

“Don’t go.”

“Are you hurt?” Lena insisted.

“Just dizzy, I moved too quick. Please,” Kara repeated, reaching blindly for Lena’s other hand, which the woman easily provided, “don’t leave, please.”

She sighed against the trembling fingers. “I’m right here.”

Kara pressed Lena’s hand against her chest, just over her heart. “I’m sorry.”

“Why?”

“For scaring you. For letting Lillian get away. For getting hurt. I don’t know.” Kara swallowed. “I’m just sorry.”

“I’m not mad, Kara.” Lena traced the path of a tear down Kara’s cheek with the edge of her thumb. “I was just scared.” Terrified. “I thought… I thought I’d watched you…”

Kara shook her head furiously and gripped the hand near her collarbone. “I’m okay.”

“You were right. You said it always changes things, a little, after someone finds out you’re Supergirl. I didn’t… for some reason, I didn’t really put it all together. I knew, logically, you’d be in the same situations that I’d seen Supergirl deal with, but the danger, the… risk.” Lena blinked rapidly, fighting the tears that threatened to close her throat with emotion. “I can’t just sit here and watch you put your life on the line.”

“What…” She felt Kara’s heart rate increase. “What does that mean?”

“It means that as of right now, L-Corp is initiating a partnership with the DEO,” Lena stated, raising an eyebrow, “and we’re going to find a more accurate way to track Kryptonite, regardless of the presence of lead. It means I’ll be having a word with Winn about reinforcing the material in your suit. And it means -”

Kara propped herself up on an elbow and pulled Lena into a firm kiss.

Lena stroked the tearstained cheek, uncertain of Kara’s reaction. Maybe she doesn’t want a Luthor inserting herself in the superhero part of her life. “Is that okay?”

“I thought you were leaving.”

“I told -”

“No. I thought you were leaving me.”

“Kara.”

The hero shook her head. “If it’s too much… I get that.”

“Kara.”

“Today was, yeah, scary, for sure, and it’s not going to be the last time, you know?”

“Kara Zor-El.”

Kara blinked at that. “Yeah?”

“I love you.”

She heaved a sigh, as if only realizing she’d been holding her breath. “I love you, too.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Okay,” she accepted, her voice small.

“And I’m not going to ask you to stop being Supergirl or… whatever it is you might be worrying about.”

“... okay.”

“But I am going to improve some things around here before you or any other agents try to take on CADMUS again.”

Kara smiled. “We get to work together?” At Lena’s nod, Kara’s smile grew. “I get to be there when you tell Winn.”