Chapter Text
Larsen B Ice Shelf, Antarctica
Snow and ice whip through the air, slicing into the small strip of exposed skin between her goggles and gator. Despite years of experience doing research in Antarctic conditions, the cold still bites. This is what she gets for following in her father’s footsteps.
“Okay, this is how it’s done,” Jeremiah yells over the howling wind. He turns on the drill, slowly going through the controls and their basic functions while Alex looks on. The machine looks fairly straightforward. Still, Alex focuses on Jeremiah’s movements and instructions with laser precision, fundamentally unable to give anything but her best.
“I’ll finish this one and you can do the next sample.” Alex nods her assent, not bothering with trying to raise her voice over the wind whistling around them. After a few minutes of observation, Jeremiah pauses.
“Can you grab those latest two cores and bring them inside to J’onn? When you’re done, come back out and I’ll let you take over.”
Alex leaves him to it, striding over to the growing pile of ice cores stacked next to the rest of the equipment. Grabbing two of the samples and tucking them under her arms, she makes her way towards the lab door.
The air inside isn’t exactly warm, but the lack of ice pelting exposed skin makes for a welcome change. She slides her goggles down, letting them dangle around her neck, and moves the gator down to her chin. She sets the ice cores onto a shelf in the back of the lab and pulls off her gloves.
“We’re at 26 feet.”
“He’s letting you operate the drill next?” J’onn’s voice has a hint of humor in it.
Alex rolls her eyes. “You know damn well I can use most of this equipment better than you two can.”
J‘onn just chuckles as he bends over to look through the lens of the microscope in front of him.
Alex jots down a few measurements before pulling her gloves and goggles back on.
“Need anything?” J’onn merely shakes his head without lifting his eyes from the microscope. Alex pats him on the back before opening the lab door once again.
She returns to the drill to find Jeremiah almost done with the core. When he reaches the end, he turns off the drill. For a moment, there’s nothing but the howling wind around them. Alex is about to ask how to remove the newly sectioned core when they hear it. A series of cracks rip through the air, drowning out even the roaring wind.
“J’onn!”
The lab door bursts open and J’onn rushes outside in time to see a large crack opening up between them.
“What’s happening?” Alex can feel panic rising up in her chest, but does her best to tamp it down. They need to move, now.
Suddenly, the ice below their feet lurches and the drill drops. The entire machine shifts ominously and Jeremiah launches forward, grabbing Alex by the arm and propelling them over the edge of the ice. They barely have time to scramble to their feet before the ice below the drill bottoms out completely. A loud groaning sound fills the air as the drill drops and a chasm opens in the ice in front of them.
Jeremiah looks at the ice core samples on the other side of the newly formed ravine before glancing over at J’onn. The two stare at each other for a beat.
“Don’t even think about it. It’s a six foot gap at least!” J’onn’s voice is uncharacteristically shaky.
Jeremiah looks like he’s about to argue when Alex decides to take action. Before she can give herself too much time to think about it, she launches her body across the ravine in front of her. She lands with a grunt as pain radiates out from where her knees hit ice. Scrambling onto her feet, she grabs several ice cores into her arms and rushes back to the edge of the gap. She tosses the ice cores over to Jeremiah and J’onn, then takes a few steps back before launching herself over again. She lands on her stomach in front of Jeremiah, who pulls her to her feet and into a hug that squeezes the air from her lungs.
“What the hell, Alex?” Jeremiah yells as he pats her down frantically.
Her heart is hammering in her chest and her breath is coming out in pants, but she manages to smile at her father. “I’m fine, dad. The two of you were just going to keep talking about it. Someone had to do something.”
“Your mom’s gonna kill me,” Jeremiah grumbles, running a hand over his weary face.
A loud crack splits the air and the three turn back to see the chasm widen dramatically, swallowing the rest of the equipment and the ice cores Alex didn’t manage to save.
“Holy shit.”
“What the hell just happened?”
UN Conference on Climate Change - New Delhi, India
“What we’ve found locked in these ice cores is evidence of a cataclysmic climate shift, which occurred around 10,000 years ago. The concentration of these natural greenhouse gasses in these ice cores indicates that runaway warming pushed the planet into an Ice Age, which lasted two centuries.” Jeremiah pauses and looks out at the crowd of assembled diplomats.
Alex tries not to fidget in her seat at the back of the hall. She knows this data like the back of her hand. She helped the team analyze hundreds of ice cores, inputting thousands of data points into the model that Jeremiah is now presenting to the assembled world leaders. Work has never felt so high stakes before.
A graying man in a suit speaks into his microphone and before long, an interpreter begins relaying his words.
“I’m confused. I thought you were talking about global warming, not an Ice Age.”
“Yes, well global warming can trigger a cooling trend. Here, let me explain.” Jeremiah picks up a small remote from the podium and turns to the large screen next to him. A Mercator projection of the Earth comes into focus.
“The northern hemisphere owes its temperate climate to the North Atlantic Current. The Sun heats the water at the equator, and that heat is carried north by the ocean.” He clicks the remote and the map zooms in on the circulating arrows in the Atlantic Ocean. “But global warming is melting the polar ice caps, which is resulting in an imbalance of fresh water in our oceans. This imbalance will eventually disrupt and shut down the North Atlantic Current. When it does, our temperate climate will shift.”
Another man pipes up from the assembly. “Excuse me, when do you think this could happen, professor?”
“I don’t know exactly,” Jeremiah admits. “Maybe in a couple hundred years. But it will happen. If we don’t do something to slow our current warming trend, it will be future generations that pay the price. Our planet is fragile.”
A man scoffs into his microphone and Alex cranes her neck to see who’s about to speak.
“The global economy is just as fragile, Professor Danvers. Who is going to pay for the shifts to solar and wind power that you propose? Making these changes so rapidly could plunge us into economic disarray.”
Of course. Of fucking course it’s Vice President Baker. Alex clenches her fists in her lap, fighting the urge to yell.
Jeremiah remains calm and neutral. “I understand that, Mr. Vice President, I do. But we are talking about the survival of the human species, here.”
“And I’m trying to be realistic about the economic implications of halting our consumption of oil. Maybe you should keep that in mind before making these sensationalist claims.”
Alex can’t believe the words that come out of her father’s mouth. “Well the last chunk of ice that broke off of Antarctica was the size of the state of Rhode Island. I’d call that pretty sensational, wouldn’t you?”
You tell him, dad.
National City, California
“Kara, your phone!” Winn’s voice rings through the apartment and brings Kara tumbling out of the bathroom, toothbrush still in her mouth. She grabs her phone off the kitchen counter and succeeds in answering it, despite her fumbling.
“Alex!”
“What’s wrong with you? Your voice is all muffled.”
Kara strides over to the kitchen sink and spits out the remaining toothpaste. “Sorry, I was brushing my teeth.”
“Gross.”
Kara huffs. “How is that gross, Alex? I’m literally practicing proper dental hygiene.”
“I meant the talking with toothpaste in your mouth. You’re probably spewing your mouth bacteria everywhere.”
“Well good thing you’re not here in person then, isn’t it?” Kara teases. She switches the call to video so she can see Alex’s face. “There’s my beautiful sister,” Kara grins at the tiny Alex scowling back at her from her screen. “How is the conference, by the way? Hopefully less eventful than your last work trip. I seriously can’t believe you almost died for some tubes of ice.”
“They’re ice cores, Kara,” Alex rolls her eyes and runs her hand through her short red hair.
“My point still stands.” Kara grabs her toothbrush and drops it off in the bathroom before making her way back into her bedroom.
“The conference is okay.” Alex is trying to be casual, but Kara knows how excited she is.
She just raises an eyebrow at her sister.
“Yeah, okay, it’s pretty awesome,” Alex concedes. “Dad definitely pissed off Baker though.”
Kara chokes on nothing. “Vice President Baker?”
“That’s the one. He started laying into Dad about the economy and told him to stop making ‘sensationalist claims’. Dad’s response was epic.”
“What did he say?” Kara puts the phone down on the bed and begins to grab piles of clothes, shoving them into her duffel bag.
“Kar, why am I looking at the ceiling?”
“Sorry, I’m just finishing packing for my trip.” She picks the phone up again. “Alex, what did Jeremiah say to Baker?”
“Oh, he goes, ‘Well the last chunk of ice that broke off Antarctica was the size of the state of Rhode Island. That’s pretty sensational, don’t you think?’” Alex deepens her voice as she says it, mimicking their father’s.
Kara can’t stop the laugh that bursts out of her. “He did not.”
A broad smile breaks out on Alex’s face. “He did,” she confirms.
“Oh my god,” Kara groans, still chuckling. “He knows he works for the federal government, right?”
“Oh, he’s well aware,” Alex grins back at her. “Henshaw called him like five minutes after he got done presenting and tore into him.”
“That won’t do anything,” Kara dismisses. “Jeremiah Danvers will always be a rebel.”
“Don’t I know it. Anyway,” Alex drawls, ”getting excited for your trip?” There’s a teasing note in her tone and it makes Kara wary.
“Yeah, it should be fun. The competition will be interesting.” Kara tries to keep her voice nonchalant.
“Kar, we both know you are not in this for the competition.” Alex waggles her eyebrows at her and Kara can’t help the blush that heats up her face.
“What? I love math,” Kara grumbles.
“For some reason, that is true,” Alex concedes. “You’ve always been a bit of a freak like that.” Kara laughs but Alex soldiers on. “But we both know you only joined this scholastic decathlon thingy because of a certain teammate.”
Kara’s blush spreads, but she refuses to acknowledge Alex’s accusation. “It’s not a scholastic decathlon, Alex, it’s an inter-collegiate STEM competition.”
Alex waves her hand dismissively. “Whatever, you math nerd. The point is, you’re only doing it because a certain pretty girl asked you to.” Alex smirks at her and Kara seriously considers hanging up.
“That’s not true! Winn is on the team, too, Alex,” Kara grumbles.
“Yeah, but we all know I’m not the draw for you,” Winn pokes his head through her bedroom door and winks. Kara turns to glare at him where he now stands in the doorway.
“I hate you both.”
“No, you don’t,” he replies easily. “Lena just texted, she’ll be here in 20 minutes. Hey, Alex,” he throws out with a wave before sliding out of the room again.
“Hey, Winn,” Alex calls back. She’s grinning when Kara turns back to the phone.
“Oh shut up,” Kara can’t keep herself from laughing, though.
“Seriously, Kar, you should think about telling her.” Alex’s voice is softer now. “You’ve had a crush on her forever.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Kara tosses her phone charger and a book on top of the clothes and zips up the duffel. “Have a good rest of your trip, Al.”
“Thanks, Kar. Have fun in Metropolis.” She pauses for a moment before adding, “And just think about it.”
“Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
UN Conference on Climate Change - New Delhi, India
Alex, Jeremiah, and J’onn push through the large wooden door and onto the steps beyond, out into the surprisingly cold air. The noise of the street hits them like a physical force, the sounds of shouting and engines mixing together in an overwhelming cacophony. Alex almost wants to go back inside.
She feels a small patch of wetness on the tip of her nose and looks up at the sky.
“Is it fucking snowing?” Sure enough, small white flakes drift down around them, disappearing once they land on the ground. She sticks her hand out, palm up to catch the crystals.
“Alex, language,” Jeremiah admonishes, but there’s no heat behind it.
“Shocked that’s your priority right now,” Alex grumbles and J’onn cracks a smile beside her.
The trio barely makes it down the steps before a voice rings out behind them.
“Dr. Danvers!”
They turn around in time to see a tall, white haired man emerging through the door of the building.
“Ah, apologies for chasing you down,” the man says as he reaches them. He reaches his hand out to shake each of theirs. “Dr. Stein.”
“Dr. Martin Stein? Of the Headland Center?” Alex asks as she takes his hand.
“That’s me.” The foursome begins walking away from the building, towards the bustling street.
“I’ve read your work on ocean currents while working on my dissertation,” Alex supplies. She’s honestly surprised she remembers his name. Having combed through hundreds of journal articles during the undertaking that is her PhD dissertation, her brain is practically fried at this point. Still, she recalls being very interested in Dr. Stein’s work.
“Excellent,” Dr. Stein clasps his hands together crisply. “I wanted to speak with you all about your theory on abrupt climate shift. What do you all say to some tea? Or coffee, if you’d prefer? My treat.”
“Absolutely,” Jeremiah agrees immediately. He looks over to Alex and J’onn for confirmation. Alex nods her assent, eager to hear more about Dr. Stein’s theories.
Jeremiah begins to wave his hand at passing cars, trying in vain to hail a cab. Beside them, Dr. Stein whistles loudly and the next moment a yellow cab comes to a halt in front of them. Jeremiah, J’onn, and Alex pile into the backseat while Dr. Stein opens the passenger side door. Inside the car, warm air spills out from the vents.
Alex is just gearing up to ask Dr. Stein a question when Jeremiah speaks beside her.
“Sorry, could you turn the radio up?”
The driver turns up the volume and they all listen to the voice spilling through the speakers.
“-record breaking hailstorms in Tokyo this evening, with over 100 casualties. Japanese meteorologists were stumped, caught off guard by the rapid development of the storm…”
National City, California
Kara hefts her duffel bag onto her shoulder and makes her way to the living room. Winn is laying on the couch, nose buried in his phone. Kara is about to drop down next to him, when he sits up abruptly.
“Lena just texted, she’s downstairs.”
“Let’s get to it, then.” Kara takes one last look around the living room before heading towards the front door.
“You nervous?” Winn asks as he locks the door behind him, pocketing his keys.
“Not really,” Kara waves her hand casually. “I’m really strong in math and physics, you’ve got computer science covered, Lena is a literal genius in chemistry, engineering and basically everything else. It’ll be good.” They begin the descent to the first floor, carefully avoiding the sagging stair near the landing.
“Yeah, I meant nervous about sharing a hotel room with Lena.”
Kara’s foot misses the step and she almost falls face first down the remaining stairs. Catching herself on the railing, she whirls around, spluttering.
“Wha- why would I be nervous about that?” She can feel her heart hammering in her chest, but at this point she’s not sure whether it’s from the missed step or the idea of seeing Lena in her sleepwear.
“You’re not seriously trying to play it cool right now, are you? You almost fell down a flight of stairs just now.”
She scowls at Winn’s smug face above her. “God, you’re mean. Why am I friends with you again?” They make it to the first floor and open it to find a black town car idling on the street in front of their building.
“You love me,” Winn teases as he walks up to the car and pulls open the door, bowing as he gestures for Kara to get in.
She’s still laughing as she drops down onto the backseat, but almost chokes when she sees Lena sitting there in her NCU t-shirt and a pair of black skinny jeans, her long dark hair flowing over her shoulders. How is she seriously this breathtaking all the time? And how has Kara, after 3 years of knowing her, still not gotten used to it?
The ride to the airport is surprisingly painless, despite Kara’s inability to focus on anything other than their physical proximity. You’d think, after this long being friends, Kara wouldn't be reduced to a stuttering mess every time she feels Lena’s leg press against hers. But Kara accepted her fate long ago. Lena just smiles at her like she always does, eyes crinkling as she watches Kara’s nervous fumbling.
Soon enough, they arrive at the terminal and haul their bags through security and to their gate. Lena pulls out a book and Kara finds herself almost relieved at the prospect of having some time to pull herself together. She pulls out her headphones and spends her time attempting not to stare too blatantly.
It’s really not her fault. Lena Luthor is stupidly beautiful. Like out of this world beautiful. Kara’s pretty sure her heart stopped beating the moment Lena sat down next to her in her freshman year Differential Equations class. She still doesn’t remember anything the professor said for the first two weeks of that semester. Every day since, over the course of their friendship, Kara has learned something new about the girl sitting across from her; about her intelligence, her kindness, her desire to do good in the world.
So she can’t be blamed, really, for having fallen in love with Lena Luthor. So in love that she volunteered for a competition she couldn’t really care less about. So in love that she’s voluntarily getting on a plane.
Oh, shit.
She’s been too busy staring at Lena, too busy thinking about Lena over the past few days, weeks, months, really, that she’d completely forgotten. The boarding announcement brings her back to the moment and she feels her heart start to pound.
“Shit.” She pulls out her headphones, stuffing them into her bag with shaking hands. Lena looks up from her book, a small crease in her forehead.
“You okay?”
“I- yeah, I,” Kara tries to lie, she really does. But she can already feel her throat starting to constrict a little and can’t seem to stop her leg from bouncing. “Shit,” she exhales shakily. “I’m a little afraid of flying.” She hates admitting this to people. Hates when, inevitably, they try to console her.
The crease in Lena’s forehead deepens as she continues to look at Kara. She opens her mouth to speak and-
“You know, statistically speaking, flying is the safest way to travel,” Winn pipes up from his seat next to Kara. She jumps slightly, his voice grating on her frayed nerves. “The chances of a plane going down from turbulence are, what? One in a million? Or is it one in a billion?”
“Thank you, Winn,” she grits out, trying to remain positive despite her growing panic.
She tries to focus on small tasks: scanning her ticket, placing her duffel bag in the overhead bin, organizing her snacks in her backpack. But once her seatbelt is strapped in, there’s nothing else to do. So she tries her best to block out everything around her and focus on her breathing. In for four counts, hold for seven, out for eight. Just like her therapist taught her.
It seems to be working for a bit. That is, until the plane begins to back away from the gate and her breathing is derailed. Vaguely, Kara registers pressure squeezing her left hand. Through the fog of her increasing panic, she looks down to see long pale fingers gripping hers. Her eyes flit up to meet green looking back at her.
Lena’s face is soft and open. She doesn’t say anything, just squeezes Kara’s hand and takes slow, exaggerated breaths, as if guiding Kara through it.
Kara doesn’t let go of Lena’s hand until their plane lands in Metropolis.
Washington, DC
Alex is fucking exhausted. At this point, they’ve been traveling for 15 hours and all she wants to do is lay face first in her bed and not move until tomorrow. But of course she’s not that lucky. As soon as they land at Dulles, Jeremiah’s phone rings. And, of course, of fucking course, it’s Henshaw ordering him and the rest of the team to report to the office to debrief.
Now she’s sitting at her desk listening to Henshaw rip into Jeremiah, once again.
“Seriously, Jeremiah, I know you have ideological differences, but did you have to piss off the Vice President of the United States? He controls our budget!”
“This goes beyond ideological differences, Hank, and you know it.” Jeremiah’s voice is calm but Alex can tell he’s fighting to remain that way. “The future of the planet is at stake. He needs to realize that short-term economic gripes don’t outweigh the risks we’re facing.”
Henshaw sighs heavily and for a moment Alex feels bad for him. It can’t be easy having to navigate the political minefield that is the federal government.
“I get that, I do. But maybe next time you’re trying to convince him, you could be a little gentler. Or at least not embarrass the man in front of dozens of other world leaders.”
Alex can’t help the chuckle that escapes her at that. Henshaw just glares at her.
“Yeah, okay. Sure thing, Hank.” Jeremiah isn’t convincing anyone. He’s never been able to play the politics, even when he really needed to.
Henshaw just grunts and strides out of the office, leaving the three of them in silence.
“So…coffee, anyone?”
Alex almost groans in relief. “God, yes.”
One coffee run later and Alex’s mood has improved somewhat. The caffeine may not be erasing her exhaustion, but at least her headache is gone and she can keep her eyes open for more than 10 seconds at a time.
“Alex, can you send me the latest data once you finish cleaning it?”
Alex grunts in acknowledgement of J’onn’s request, her burning eyes still locked on the screen in front of her.
J’onn chuckles softly beside her. “You okay, kid?”
She groans into her coffee. “God, no. I’m so fucking tired. How are you fine right now?”
“Years of practice,” J’onn says simply. “Once we put this data in, we can head home for the day, get some rest.”
Jeremiah comes back into the office and sinks down into his chair, dropping his head into his hands. He jerks up at the sound of his desk phone ringing.
“Dr. Danvers.”
Alex doesn’t really bother to listen to Jeremiah’s half of whatever conversation is happening, focusing instead on the task at hand so she can leave this godforsaken building as quickly as possible.
“Hold on, let me put you on speakerphone. I want my team to listen.” Jeremiah presses a button on the headset and puts the receiver down. “Okay, go ahead Martin.”
“Hello, Alex, J’onn.” The voice on the other end of line sounds tight and Alex feels a pit form in her stomach.
“It’s good to hear from you, Dr. Stein.”
“You may not think that once I share some news with you.” Alex glances between Jeremiah and J’onn and finds her wariness reflected in their expressions.”
“Why’s that?” J’onn asks slowly.
“We had a buoy register a temperature drop this morning…of 13 degrees.”
“Is it a malfunction?” Alex feels puzzled. A single anomaly doesn’t seem to merit a phone call, does it?
“We thought so, at first. But four more buoys have registered the same drop in temperature. All throughout the North Atlantic.”
“This is unbelievable.” Jeremiah’s voice is shaky and the pit in Alex’s stomach grows heavier.
“You predicted it would happen,” Dr. Stein points out.
“Not in our lifetime, this is too fast.”
“There are no forecast models remotely capable of plotting this scenario. Except yours.”
Jeremiah runs his hand through his hair. “Our model is a reconstruction of a prehistoric climate shift. It’s not a forecast model.”
“It’s the closest thing we have. Nothing like this has happened before.”
J’onn voices Alex’s thought before she can. “At least not in the last 10,000 years.”
Metropolis
“This really is the worst city in the world,” Lena grumbles and Kara has to suppress a laugh.
They’ve been stuck in traffic for 30 minutes and are starting to flirt with tardiness. If things don’t move along soon they’ll be late to the competition.
“How far away are we?”
“5 blocks,” Winn pipes up from the front seat.
Kara grins over at Lena. “Let’s walk.”
The trio exits the cab and sets off down the sidewalk. Kara’s just happy to be stretching her legs. After being stuck on a plane and then in the back of a cab, she’s desperate to get some excess energy out.
Her buoyant mood is almost immediately replaced by confusion. Above the sounds of honking and blaring music and engines, she hears a new cacophony, one she can’t immediately place. When she looks up at the sky, the sight knocks the air from her lungs. Thousands of birds fill the air above them, steadily streaming over the city. Their calls grow in volume, beginning to drown out everything else.
“What the hell?” Winn’s voice mirrors her own disorientation.
Kara pulls her gaze away from the sky and gestures to Lena and Winn. “Come on.”
With the calls of the birds above them, the five blocks to the Metropolis University campus is tense. Just as they’re arriving at the science building, the sky above them seems to open up, and rain begins to fall.
***
Kara solves the equation with 20 seconds left on the clock and slips the answer sheet across the desk to Lena and Winn. After a cursory glance Lena hands the sheet over to the examiner. Pride blooms in Kara’s chest; Lena, the most brilliant person she’s ever met, has such faith in Kara’s own intelligence. It makes her feel a little fuzzy.
The timer ends and the moderator tallies to scores. “That’s 5 points for National City University and 5 points for Metropolis University.”
Kara marvels at the fact that so many other teams failed to solve the equation. Her warm satisfaction grows into a blaze when Lena catches her eye with a brilliant grin, squeezing her arm in excitement.
The inferno inside her is extinguished when she sees a striking brunette grinning over from the Metropolis University team. The girl nods at Lena before turning back to her teammates and Lena blushes . The embers of Kara’s happiness have been submerged in a sticky, molten feeling. It takes her a second to name it: jealousy. She’s jealous of the mysterious beauty who can make Lena Luthor blush.
She struggles to get her head back in the game, but luckily their team performance doesn’t suffer. They end the first day of competition firmly ranked in the top 3 teams. Winn is extremely pleased, grinning from ear to ear as they make their way out of the auditorium. But one look at Lena’s face and Kara can tell the other girl isn’t satisfied. She heads her off before Lena can get a word in.
“I know you’re about to suggest skipping this social reception thingy in favor of an extra study session,” Kara says quickly. “But please, please can we just take the night off and chill? Meeting new people is fun, Lena.”
Worried that Lena will argue, she opts for her signature pout. Lena’s determination falters and Kara can taste victory. “Don’t you want to meet other nerds?”
Lena rolls her eyes but Kara knows she’s won. Lena’s never been able to resist her pout.
“Fine,” Lena says, but Kara can tell her exasperation isn’t quite genuine. “But then more studying tonight once we’re done with this.”
“Yes!” Kara pumps her fist in the air and practically skips down the hall. She loves math and science, she really does, but meeting new people is her favorite part of this whole experience. (Well, other than the obvious.)
“You’re so whipped,” Winn groans softly from behind her. Kara doesn’t quite understand what he means and chooses to ignore him.
Following the crowd of other competitors, she leads the trio to the reception. Kara makes a beeline for the refreshments table, gathering 3 glasses of mystery punch before returning to where she left Winn and Lena standing near the doorway.
She’s about to suggest they go mingle when they hear a voice behind them.
“Lena Luthor.”
They all turn and the feeling of simmering jealousy returns when Kara sees who the voice belongs to. The beautiful brunette is standing in front of them, smirking at Lena.
“Andrea, lovely to see you again.” The two look at each for a beat before Lena seems to remember herself. “These are my teammates, Kara Zorel-Danvers and Winn Schott. This is Andrea Rojas.”
Andrea looks at Kara and Winn for the first time. “We went to boarding school together,” she smiles back at Lena.
“Oh, that’s nice.” Kara doesn’t know what else to say. In all honesty, she kind of wants Andrea to leave so she can hangout with Lena. And Winn. Hangout with Lena and Winn.
Andrea seemingly ignores Kara’s comment. “Want a tour of the building? I can show you my lab if you’re interested.” She’s looking solely at Lena and Kara gets the feeling it’s not a group invitation.
To Kara’s dismay, Lena looks pleased at the prospect.
“That would be great! Kara, could you maybe look after my things, it’ll just be a quick look around.”
“Sure,” Kara mumbles as Lena and Andrea head out of the room. She tries her best not to watch them leave.
“She’s hot,” Winn says, taking a sip of his punch.
“Please,” Kara scoffs. He’s right.
“I bet she’s super rich, too.”
“Shut up.”
Washington, DC
Alex’s phone rings and she seriously considers throwing it across the office. She’s gotten a grand total of maybe six hours of sleep in the last two days and has gone home once to grab a quick shower and a change of clothes. The incessant ringing coming from somewhere underneath the papers strewn across her desk might be the thing that tips her over the edge.
J’onn and Jeremiah both aid in her search, fumbling through her desk detritus. Finally, she manages to pinpoint the source of the ringing and grabs the phone.
“Yeah,” she says, not able to fully process that this is probably not the most coherent greeting.
“Alex? This is Clark.” His voice sounds tense.
Alex’s brain snaps into focus. “Clark, hey, sorry, I’m sort of running on fumes here. What’s up?”
“Is Kara in National City? I tried calling her, but she didn’t pick up.” Maybe tense isn’t quite the right word. He sounds closer to panic.
“No, she’s in Metropolis right now. There’s some scholastic competition she’s doing. Her phone is probably off because of that. Why?”
“Oh, thank god.” The relief in his voice is palpable.
“Clark, what’s going on? You’re freaking me out a little here.” Jeremiah catches her eye but she just shakes her head, slightly confused.
“Turn on the news. National City, it’s…god, it’s being destroyed.”
Alex feels her stomach drop. “What? Being destroyed by what? What the fuck is happening, Clark?” She’s up out of her seat and into the hall before Jeremiah or J’onn can stop her.
“Tornadoes, they’re tearing through downtown National City. When Lois and I saw the news, we…god, I was so worried that Kara was…”
“She’s okay,” Alex assures him. “She’s okay, she’s not there.”
She heads to the employee cafeteria, where she knows a TV is always on. By the time she gets there, Jeremiah and J’onn have caught up to her, clearly concerned by the side of the conversation they were privy to. They join a small group of people already assembled. The news is on and though Alex was prepared for the headline, it still feels like all the blood has rushed from her body.
Tornadoes tear through downtown National City. The banner across the bottom of the screen doesn’t really do justice to the devastation the news footage shows. The camera pans over city blocks that have been completely decimated. Cars, billboards, whole buildings have been ripped apart, debris scattered everywhere.
Alex tries hard to swallow. She vaguely registers that her phone is still pressed to her ear. “Clark? I’m watching it…god, it’s…” She can’t quite get the words out.
“I know. I have so many friends in the city…I just…I’m glad Kara is safe. I’m not sure what I would have done if she’d been there.”
“Yeah,” Alex chokes out. “Clark, I have to go. I’ll call Kara, okay? I’ll get her to call you.”
“Thanks, Alex.” Clark hangs up and Alex returns her attention to the screen.
“You’re seeing what’s left of downtown National City.” The reporter’s voice is somber, more hollow than any newscaster she’s ever heard.
Alex turns to Jeremiah. His face is ashen as he takes in the scene. “Dad…what’s- what’s happening?”
He shakes his head slightly as he pulls her into him. “I don’t know, kid,” he whispers into Alex’s hair.
Metropolis
“You’re seeing what’s left of downtown National City.”
Kara can’t breathe. Everything is destroyed. The apartment she shared with Winn. The NCU library where she’s spent countless hours getting lost in her schoolwork. Noonan’s, Al’s Dive Bar. Her classmates and her neighbors. Her city. Gone.
Beside her, Winn is shaking and Lena looks…blank. The crowd of students around them is hushed.
Kara’s pretty sure the newscaster is still speaking, but she can’t actually hear anything above the muffled ringing in her ears. Movement in front of her finally snaps her back to reality. The screen has changed.
“Hey,” Winn says from beside her. Kara looks around to see another student holding the remote.
“Sorry, I just got off the phone with my mom and there’s something else we need to see.”
Kara turns her attention back to the TV. What else could matter right now?
“…FAA gave the order to ground all air traffic earlier today. However, the order came too late for two planes that had already taken off, both of which were brought down by extreme turbulence in the Midwest.”
“Shit,” Winn breathes.
“So much for one in a billion,” Lena says from beside her.
Kara can’t form words over the weight pressing in on her chest. She grabs Lena’s hand, instead, hoping it can keep her tethered to reality. She squeezes gently once, then again with a little more force.
“Kara.”
She startles slightly, looking over at her. “What?”
“Your phone is ringing.”
“Oh.” She fishes her phone out of the pocket of her jeans. She stands up from the couch and moves out of the crowded room, into the hallway.
“Alex.”
“Kara.” She can hear the relief in Alex’s voice and it makes her heart clench.
“Alex, it’s…it’s all gone.” A sob claws its way out of her chest. “It’s…”
“I know, Kar. I’m watching the news. Clark, he…he called me, asking if you were okay. He thought you were in National City.”
“Oh, I must not have heard it.” She feels foggy, like her head is in a fishbowl. “Alex, what’s going on? The FAA grounded air traffic?”
“Yeah,” Alex sounds tired, heavy. “Yeah, look, there’s been crazy weather all over. It was snowing in New Delhi, there have been really intense hail storms in Japan, these- these tornadoes in National City.”
“What are you saying? You think it’s all connected?”
“We’re not totally sure, but…Dad may have a theory. We’re going to try to run some data. Look, I’ll let you know when we do, okay?”
Kara nods, then remembers Alex can’t actually see her. “Yeah, yeah, okay.”
“What’s it like in Metropolis right now? Is it safe?”
“It’s been raining pretty heavily since we got here. I think there’s been some flooding.”
“Okay. Kar, can you get on a train to DC?”
“Yeah, I’ll look into it. I’m bringing Lena and Winn, okay?”
“Okay, good. Call me when you get a train scheduled, okay?”
“Okay. I love you, Alex.”
“I love you, too. Stay safe, Kara.”
“You, too.”
Washington, DC
Alex, Jeremiah, and J’onn settle at the back of the room, observing the dozens of assembled scientists as they all talk at once.
“All right, listen up everybody. Listen up, please.” The chatter in the room dies down as everyone turns their attention to where Henshaw stands at the podium. “We’ve got a lot of work to do and we don’t have much time. So let’s get started. Voorstein?” Henshaw turns to look at a balding middle aged man who stands up from his seat.
“All our grid models are worthless.”
“I don’t think grid models are gonna be a lot of help here,” another man chimes in from across the room. He looks vaguely familiar, but Alex can’t quite remember his name. “The Canadians are reporting tremendous circulation moving down from the Arctic. In Siberia, there’s a low pressure system unlike anything we’ve ever seen. And Australia just saw the strongest typhoon ever recorded.”
“Hang on, are you saying that these events are interconnected?” Another man interjects.
“Obviously, you idiot,” Alex mumbles under her breath. J’onn chuckles beside her but Jeremiah sends her a stern side glance.
“We have to consider the possibility,” the nameless scientist replies.
“The only force strong enough to affect global weather is the Sun,” Voorstein pipes up.
“What’s NASA have to say?” Henshaw asks, looking around the room. “M’orzz?”
“We’ve already checked. Solar output is normal.” Alex doesn’t recognize the woman who speaks.
Jeremiah’s voice rings out beside her. “What about the North Atlantic Current?”
“What about it?” Voorstein asks.
“I got a call from Dr. Stein at the Headland Center. He thinks the current has changed.”
Murmuring breaks out amongst the group.
“Come on, Jeremiah, how could that be?” What’s-his-name asks. Booker, Alex finally remembers. That’s his name.
“The current depends on a delicate balance of salt and freshwater,” Jeremiah continues.
Henshaw gestures for him to go on.
Jeremiah walks from their place at the back to the center of the room. “But no one’s taken into account how much fresh water has been dumped into the ocean because of melting polar ice. I think we’ve hit a critical desalinization point.”
The crowd of scientists erupts into surprised murmuring again.
“It would explain what’s driving this extreme weather,” M’orzz says slowly.
“Headland had some pretty convincing data,” Jeremiah is now looking at Henshaw. “They’ve asked me to feed it into my team’s paleo-climate model to track the next set of events.”
“Hold on,” Henshaw raises his hand. “Are you suggesting these weather anomalies are going to continue?”
“Not just continue, get worse. I think we’re on the verge of a major climate shift.”
The crowd erupts. Henshaw leaves the podium and exits the room, with Jeremiah following after him. Alex and J’onn follow them out, jogging slightly to catch up to where they’re already halfway down the hallway.
“Hank, what are you going to tell the Administration?”
“What do you expect me to tell them?” Henshaw huffs, continuing his brisk pace.
“The government has to start making long term preparations now.”
“Jeremiah, all you have is a theory.”
“Then give me the mainframe and let me prove it.”
Henshaw turns around abruptly. “No.”
Alex glares at him from where she trails a few feet behind Jeremiah.
Henshaw looks back at the team and sighs. “You have 24 hours.” He turns and walks away.
Jeremiah turns back to them and they all begin to walk back down the way they came. The NASA scientist - Dr. M’orzz - falls into step beside them.
“Professor Danvers, I think your theory may be correct.”
“Walk with us,” Jeremiah gestures for her to join.
“Just a few weeks ago, I monitored the strongest hurricane on record. The hail, the tornadoes, it all fits. Can the model you’re working on factor in storm scenarios?”
“We haven’t had the time,” J’onn rumbles.
“Maybe I can help.”
“Welcome aboard.”
Metropolis
“Okay,” Kara puts her phone down and looks up at Lena and Winn. They’re back in their hotel room, getting their stuff together so they can check out. “Just got our tickets. The earliest train I could find to DC was for tomorrow morning. We’ll have to figure out where to stay tonight. Do you think we should just extend the reservation?”
“I guess that makes sense,” Winn says from the corner, where he’s digging down behind the bed, clearly searching for something. Lena doesn’t say anything, just pulls out her phone and starts typing.
“Lena?”
Lena continues to stare at her phone for a moment longer before she looks back up at Kara. “I just texted Andrea. She said we can stay at her apartment tonight. Her teammates, Brainy and Nia, are staying there, too.”
“Aha,” Winn exclaims, straightening up with a phone charger in his hand.
Kara clears her throat. “Great. That’s great.” She should be grateful. Definitely. Ugh, why does it have to be her though?
Kara texts Alex with an update on their new travel plans.
Kara [1:34 pm]: Got 3 train tickets to DC, leaving Metropolis at 9:00 am tomorrow. We’re staying with one of Lena’s friends tonight.
Alex [1:34 pm]: Ok, good. Safe travels. Keep me updated, ok?
Kara [1:35 pm]: I will
Kara looks up to where Winn is standing with his phone plugged into the wall. “Were you able to get in touch with your mom, Winn?” He looks up and gives her a small smile, less exuberant than his usual expression.
“Yeah, she’s…she’s devastated about National City. But glad we weren’t there. I don’t know if there’s ever been a more fortuitous time for a vacation.” He laughs nervously.
“Hmm, I don’t know if that’s the case for everyone,” Lena says quietly from where she’s still sitting on the bed.
“What do you mean?” Kara asks, almost afraid of what Lena’s answer will be.
“Lillian and Lex are somewhere in the Alps right now. I’m not sure what kind of weather they’re experiencing.”
“Oh.” Kara sits down on the bed next to Lena and gently reaches out for her hand. In the early stages of their friendship, it became clear to Kara that Lena wasn’t used to physical affection. Kara would reach for her hand or pull her into a hug and be met with a sort of stiff bewilderment. It took months for Lena to relax into her touch. Even after all this time, Kara still feels some occasional resistance. But this seems like a good time for some physical comfort.
Lena closes her eyes, but keeps a firm hold on Kara’s hand. Kara starts to rub her thumb across the back of Lena’s knuckles. “I’ve tried calling them both, but neither one has picked up. They aren’t exactly…the best family, but they…I just want to know if they’re safe.”
“I’m so sorry, Lena.” Kara pulls Lena into a firm hug. “We’re here.” She doesn’t know what else to say, doesn’t think there is anything else she can say. This isn’t exactly a normal situation.
Lena squeezes her back and buries her face in Kara’s neck. Kara just holds on.
Washington, DC
The office door swings open and Alex can tell her dad is pissed. Jeremiah looks thunderous.
“I take it talking to Baker went well?” J’onn asks from his desk. He and M’gann have been working on inputting data into the model for the last 45 minutes.
“Spectacularly,” Jeremiah huffs as he slumps down into his desk chair. “I told him they need to deploy the National Guard, start evacuating people now. The asshole told me to stick to science and stop telling him how to run the country.” He throws his hands up in the air. “As if he listens when I tell him the science.”
Alex rolls her eyes. “Of fucking course.” She wasn’t expecting anything else from him, if she was being honest. The man has never been a paragon of reason. Still, being this obstinate in a situation this dire? Alex is fuming. “Lives are at stake for fuck’s sake.”
Jeremiah must be stuck in his own head, he doesn’t even mention her language.
The tense silence of the office is pierced by the ringing of Jeremiah’s desk phone.
“Dr. Danvers,” he says into the receiver. After a moment he sits up straighter, then presses a button on the headset, switching the call to speaker.
“I’ve got you on speakerphone, Martin.”
“Ah, hello team,” he greets before presumably continuing on his train of thought. “Several hours ago, three helicopters crashed in Scotland. They went down because the fuel in their lines froze.”
“What temperature does-,” Alex starts.
“Negative 150 degrees Fahrenheit. We had to look it up. The temperature dropped phenomenally fast. On the ground, people froze before they could get out of their cars.”
Jeremiah turns to M’gann. “Can you get me a satellite picture of Scotland two hours ago?”
M’gann nods and walks over to J’onn’s desk as Dr. Stein continues.
“We’ve got mountains of data. But nowhere near enough computer power to analyze it. Can you help?”
“Send us what you’ve got and we’ll do our best,” Jeremiah says.
“Thanks, Jeremiah. Bye for now.”
Jeremiah hangs up the phone and M’gann calls them over to the computer. “This is Scotland at the time the temperature dropped.”
“This thing looks like a hurricane,” J’onn says, clearly surprised.
Alex stares at the screen in confusion. How is this real? “Hurricanes don’t form over land…”
Metropolis
Kara looks out at the rain pounding the windows. Cars are attempting to drive along the flooded streets below as water floods out of sewer grates. She hears the TV click on behind her and makes her way over to the couch, where Lena, Winn, Brainy, and Nia sit watching the news coverage.
“It’s a mob scene here at Metropolis station. Over half of the platforms are flooded and service has been suspended on all trains.” Fuck. “With planes still grounded and trains now out of service, that’s bad news for the countless commuters…”
Andrea walks into the room, phone in hand. “Hey, my driver is coming to pick me up, do you want a ride to the train station?” She pauses when she sees the TV.
“Not anymore,” Winn breathes out.
“In Nova Scotia earlier today, the ocean rose by 30 feet in a matter of seconds.” They turn their attention back to the newscaster. On screen, they watch footage of water rising, washing over piers, onto roads and engulfing cars.“What we have feared for the past few days, has indeed happened. The cold front moving down from the Arctic has created an enormous storm system in Canada, which is starting to look more and more like a tropical hurricane.”
“I have to go pick up my little brother, do you want me to give you a ride?” Andrea is still staring at the screen as she speaks.
Lena tears her eyes away from the TV and looks up at Andrea. “Where is he?”
“A boarding school in Philadelphia.”
The newscaster continues. “If this system moves south, we could see a wind-driven storm surge that could threaten the entire Eastern seaboard.”
“Let’s go,” Kara says, standing up and switching off the TV. Her heart is pounding in her chest and she feels a little desperate to do something, anything. The group gathers their things and heads out of the apartment.
Andrea’s phone rings and she answers it, hanging up after a few moments. “David’s stuck in traffic over on 5th avenue. It’ll be easier to head out of town if we meet him straight over there.”
“Walk? In this?” Nia looks a little queasy as she says it.
“We don’t have much of a choice,” Kara insists, as she leads them down the stairs.
Out on the street, they’re greeted with utter pandemonium. The water is knee high, with cars stuck bumper to bumper. Rain is pelting down harder than Kara has ever seen.
“Maybe we should just stay here,” Lena suggests.
“No, we need to get out of the city,” Kara insists. They can’t stay here.
The group gives in and they begin to slog through the water, walking between abandoned cars. It’s slow going, trying to weave in and out of the stream of people. After a few blocks, the group’s desperation starts to feel like a physical force.
“This is insane, we’re not going to be able to get anywhere. We should go back to my apartment,” Andrea says.
“No, we need to get to higher ground.” It’s the first time Brainy has spoken all morning.
“Brainy’s right,” Kara says, trying to interject as much confidence into her voice as possible. Despite the situation they’re in, she feels better now that they’re moving, doing something. “Come on, up to the library. It’s just at the end of the block.”
They rush through the water, picking up their pace. Kara leads the way, jumping over two taxis that have been abandoned sitting bumper to bumper. Behind her, she hears a small cry and she turns in alarm to see Lena doubled over. Kara rushes back to where she’s standing, gesturing for the rest of the group to continue up the steps towards the library.
“Hey,” Kara’s laser focused, her earlier anxiety gone in the face of action. She reaches Lena. “Are you okay? What happened?”
“I’m fine,” Lena insists as she stands back up. “I just cut myself on something under the water. I’ll be okay, Kara,” she waves Kara off.
“Okay, let’s go,” Kara says, once again turning to head towards the library. They’re so close now.
But when Kara turns around after 15 feet or so, there’s no Lena behind her.
“Shit!” Kara squints and sees Lena bent over by the window of a taxi, speaking to the occupants, who appear to be trapped. Lena’s speaking in French, translating for a policeman who is trying to help the family get out. The officer breaks the glass on the window and helps the woman and child get out of the car and the group starts making their way towards the library. But Lena has turned back, reaching for something in the taxi. Come on, Lena.
“What the…” Kara’s heart stops. A wall of water, higher than she’s ever seen, is moving towards them. “Lena!” The scream she lets loose pierces the air and Lena’s head snaps up.
Kara is running. There’s nothing, no thoughts besides Lena. She gets to her in seconds, grabs her by the arm and practically picks her up as she drags her back to the library. She chances a glance behind them and sees the wave engulfing everything. They make it through the library doors and sprint across the lobby to the stairs beyond, just as the wall of water crashes through the glass.
Washington, DC
Alex stares at the screen in front of her. This can’t be real. This cannot be fucking happening. The three storm cells engulf the entire Northern Hemisphere. She flips through the projections, watching as the storm cells get bigger, covering progressively larger areas of the planet. She takes a deep breath to steady her pounding heart and looks over at Jeremiah.
“Dad…”
She’s not sure she’s ever seen him look so serious before. He’s pale and his face is drawn. “It’s going to be okay, kid.”
She doesn’t know how that could possibly be true, but a big part of her wants to cling to his words for comfort, so she doesn’t argue.
Alex watches as Jeremiah picks up his office phone and punches in a series of numbers. He transfers the call to speakerphone and they all sit in silence, listening to it ring.
“Dr. Stein,” the familiar voice on the other end of the line rings out.
“Martin, it’s Jeremiah.”
“Jeremiah,” Dr. Stein greets. “Were you able to recreate the thermal cycle?”
“Yes, I just emailed you the projections. The storm’s rotation is pulling super-cooled air all the way down from the upper troposphere.” Alex watches the projection on the screen, a spinning cyclone, air moving downward as it rotates.
“But shouldn’t the air warm up before it reaches ground level?” Dr. Stein asks slowly.
“It should, but it doesn’t,” J’onn answers. “The air is descending too rapidly.”
“Is this an isolated incident?”
“No, we’ve located two other supercells in addition to the one over Scotland. One over Canada and one over Siberia,” Jeremiah says, his voice tense.
“Do we know their projected path?”
“Yes. These storms…they’re going to change the face of our planet. I emailed you the projections of 24 hours out, 48 hours, and seven to ten days.” He pauses momentarily. “When this storm is over, we’ll be in a new Ice Age.”
“My god,” Dr. Stein exhales.
“Is there…is there any chance you and your team can get out of there? Go south?” But in her gut Alex knows the answer.
“I think that ship has sailed, my friends.”
Metropolis
Dozens of people are on the main floor of the library, spread out around and between the tables that are lined up in the middle of the large, open room. Bookshelves line the perimeter of the space and in any other time, Kara would be perusing them, running her hands along spines, searching for the right book to pluck from the shelf.
But right now Kara’s attempting to squeeze the excess water out of her clothes, wincing at the way it puddles on the floor beneath her feet. After a minute she gives up and sits down on top of the table where Winn, Nia, Brainy, and Andrea are gathered. She looks across the room and sees Lena talking to the family she helped outside. After allowing herself a moment to watch Lena, to fully appreciate how close she was to losing her, she returns her attention to the task at hand. She pulls out her waterlogged phone and tries to turn it on. She wasn’t expecting it to work, but still feels a pang of disappointment - and a sliver of panic - when it doesn’t.
She tosses it onto the table in frustration and drops her head into her hands. What are they going to do? She needs to talk to Jeremiah and Alex, needs to find out what is going on. Kara picks her head up and looks across the table to see Andrea on her phone. The other girl lifts it to her ear and waits. After a few moments, she exhales and hangs up.
“Is your phone working? Have you been able to get through to your brother?” Kara asks, hopeful despite the odds.
“No,” Andrea groans. “The grid must be down, I can’t get any calls to go through.”
“Shit,” Kara exhales sharply.
“Mine isn’t working either,” Lena says as she joins them at the table. She gives Kara a small smile and despite the rather dire circumstances they’re in, Kara feels just a little bit better.
“Yeah, same here,” Nia chimes in. “I’ve tried to make a few calls and sent about a dozen texts. None of them have gone through.”
An idea forms in Kara’s brain and though the odds might be slim, she has to try. She stands up without a word and makes her way over to a kiosk at the edge of the room, where a library employee sits looking a little dazed.
“Excuse me…” Kara says tentatively as she approaches the short blonde woman.
“Yes?” The woman looks surprised that someone is speaking to her.
“Are there any payphones in the building?” Kara feels Lena’s presence as the other girl joins her side.
“Yes, I think so…but they’re on the Mezzanine level.”
“Great, thank you,” Kara says quickly and turns on her heel.
“Wait, I think it’s under water!” The woman shouts at her back. But Kara doesn’t stop.
“Older payphones draw their power directly from the telephone lines,” Lena says beside her. “You’re a genius, Kara.”
“Says the literal genius,” Kara huffs. They fall into silence as they make their way down a few floors.
Lena clears her throat and Kara looks over at her questioningly. “Kara, I…thank you, for saving me earlier. I…I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t come back for me.”
Kara stops walking and turns to face Lena. “Lena, I would never…could never leave you behind.” Lena pulls her into a hug and Kara wraps her arms tightly around the other girl.
“Thank you,” Lena whispers into Kara’s hair. After a moment they break apart.
A few minutes of wandering and they descend one more flight of stairs to find a low, dark hallway partially submerged in steadily rising water. Kara can just make out payphones lining the far end. She pauses for a moment before stepping down the last few stairs and into the water.
“Fuck, that’s cold!”
“Kara, are you sure this is a good idea?” Lena’s standing a few steps up, bent over slightly and peering down into the hallway.
“I need to call my family,” she says as she slogs through the water towards the bank of phones. When she reaches them, she grabs a phone off the hook and presses it to her ear. A dial tone. There’s a dial tone.
“It works!” Kara’s so excited that despite being submerged above the waist in freezing water, she turns to grin at Lena. She dials Jeremiah’s office number and thanks whatever gods might be out there that she’s had it memorized since she was 14…and that it hasn’t changed in all these years.
After a few rings, a deep voice answers.
“Dr. J’onzz.”
“J’onn! It’s Kara. Is Jeremiah there?”
“Kara, thank god you’re okay. He’s right here, hold on.”
After a pause, Jeremiah’s voice comes on the line.
“Kara?”
“Jeremiah!” Kara’s shivering and her voice sounds shaky.
“Are you okay? Where are you?”
“I’m at the Metropolis Public library, the one on 7th Avenue. The cell towers must be down, but there’s a bunch of payphones in the basement.” The water is rising rapidly around her, already up to her chest now.
“Kara, what’s that noise?”
Kara ignores him. She doesn’t have much more time before the water gets too high. “Jeremiah, what’s going on out there? What’s happening? Metropolis is completely flooded.”
“Kara, listen to me, very carefully, okay? Do not try to come south to DC. It’s too late for that, this storm is going to get much worse and if you’re caught outside, you won’t survive it. It’s going to turn into a massive blizzard, with an eye in the center, like a hurricane. In the eye, the air will be so cold you could freeze to death in seconds.”
“Kara!” Lena’s voice rings out through the rapidly filling hallway.
“What should we do?” The water is up to Kara’s chin, but she can’t hang up yet.
“Do not go outside. Whatever you do, do not go outside, okay? Burn whatever you can to stay warm and wait out the storm.”
“We will come for you, Kara, okay?” Kara feels her heart clench at the sound of Alex’s voice.
The water is past her nose now and she has to turn her head up to breathe. The low ceiling of the hallway is just above her, with maybe a few more inches of air left before the hall is completely submerged.
“Kara, did you hear me?” Jeremiah’s voice is panicked.
“Kara? Please come back, the water’s too high. Kara!” Lena sounds distraught and Kara feels her own panic rise as she slips under the water.
Washington, DC
The line goes dead. Alex slams her hand on the table. A sob bursts out of her chest and Jeremiah pulls her into his arms.
“It will be okay, Alex. Kara will be okay. Do you hear me?” He pulls back to look Alex in the eyes. “She will be okay.”
Alex nods, blinking back the tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She takes a deep breath and steps back.
“Where’s the arctic gear?” Jeremiah has turned to J’onn, who looks shell shocked.
“Jeremiah, you can’t be serious.”
“I’ve walked that far in the snow before,” Jeremiah’s voice is firm, his eyes determined.
“It’s not the same. You know it’s not the same.” J’onn looks back and forth between father and daughter.
“I’m going, J’onn.”
“I am, too,” Alex says. Jeremiah looks like he’s about to protest, but she cuts him off before he can. “She’s my sister. I’m going.”
“Okay,” he breathes. “Okay. Eliza is seriously going to kill me.”
Alex can’t help but smile at that.
“Before you willingly walk into the eye of a superstorm, I need you to do something.” They turn towards the doorway to see Henshaw standing there.
“What’s that?” Jeremiah asks, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I need you to brief the President.”