Supergirl ~ Triggers ~ Part Three

***

Kara was whispering in Kryptonian, her arms crossed over her chest, when she heard the door to her apartment open. "What are you doing?" Oliver asked.

"It's a Kryptonian meditation," she answered, scratching the back of her head as Oliver walked up. He wasn't alone, she noticed – Slade, Malcolm, and Laurel were with him, too. "We say an ancient mantra to strengthen the mind."

"Do you do it often?" Laurel asked curiously.

"No," Kara admitted. "I've never felt like I needed it."

Oliver nodded thoughtfully. "Winn's still working on the psychic dampening technology," he told her.

"Mmm," she nodded absently.

"And Lena mentioned there's something we need to talk about?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Did she?" Kara asked. When Oliver remained silent, she groaned. "She told you, didn't she?"

"In case you were wondering, we didn't need to ask," Malcolm held up his hands. "She only said we'd need to talk."

"Look, I didn't want you to worry," Kara sighed, standing up and walking to get a drink of water.

"I'm pretty certain 'worry about your girlfriend' is one of the very first bullet points under the job description of 'boyfriend,'" Oliver countered.

"Funny, that sounds about right for us, too," Slade nodded.

"And do remember that you fight the most dangerous and evil people on the planet," Laurel tossed over her shoulder.

Kara closed her eyes, then turned back around. "I don't know how to fight this one," she admitted, walking back over. "And I should be able to stop her, but . . . but then she makes her way into my mind and . . . " She took a deep breath, sitting back down on the floor. "And forces me to relive the scariest moment of my life."

"Come here," Oliver sat down next to her, holding out his arm. She curled into him, and Oliver put his arm around her shoulders, watching as Malcolm, Slade, and Laurel sat on the furniture around them. "What did you see?" he asked gently.

Kara closed her eyes. "I saw . . . nothing, the first time," she answered slowly. "In the vault, I just felt claustrophobic. But when I went out with Malcolm and Laurel . . . she turned into my mother. And then I was in my pod, shooting into the sky . . . and Krypton was exploding around me."

"Oh, God," Laurel closed her eyes, Malcolm pinching the bridge of his nose. Yeah, that would be torture to relive.

"But it wasn't just that," Kara continued. "What was next . . . I don't understand it."

"What do you mean?" Slade frowned.

"I could feel the heat," Kara answered, her voice laced with confusion. "I could the fires, I felt like I couldn't breathe, not because of the confined spaces . . . but because it felt like I was in the fire."

"You're sure?" Oliver frowned.

"Yeah," Kara nodded, biting her lip. "It's torture." She looked up. "How am I supposed to deal with that?"

"Well," Laurel considered. "Remember your fears don't define you. You know, who you are is Supergirl. Who you are is Kara. That's what defines you, and she's got nothing on that."

"Who I am as Kara is feeling broken again," Kara mumbled. "Even Lena's realizing I can't do my job right now, which is new and horrible. It's like everything that's made me feel good, like . . . like a relief, is . . . it's disappeared."

"So this is what it's like to see you mope," Malcolm frowned. "I don't like it."

"Way to make her feel better," Slade scowled at him, but Malcolm tilted his head slightly in Kara's direction. When Slade looked back, he saw she had smiled slightly at their banter.

"Look," Oliver drew Kara's attention back to him. "It's not always going to feel like that."

"My life as Supergirl is one of the few things I can count on," Kara sighed. "I've got all of you, but that's my life as Kara. As Supergirl, I get to go out there and help people. I can make a difference in the world. I can feel strong, even though sometimes a huge part of me feels so weak, and she's taking that away from me."

"Hey," Oliver shook her slightly. "She is taking that away from you. You are as strong as the people you have by your side. And you've got the biggest team, the biggest family, right there with you."

"If anything, by trying to take away Supergirl," Slade leaned forward, "she's just going to make sure we don't let you fall."

Kara couldn't help but smile slightly. "Best family ever."

"Damn right," Malcolm smirked at her.

Oliver kissed the top of her head, then blinked when his phone buzzed. What made him look up was when everyone else pulled out their phones, too. "Oh, great," he sighed. "Don't psychic bank robbers ever take a break?"

"Still can't believe we're actually saying that," Malcolm muttered as all of them got to their feet.

***

Sam walked hurried down the steps of her home when she got a text alert. She quickly pulled it out and blinked when she found she received a Google maps location. The next location sent a chill down her spine.

***

"That thing could take out an entire block!" Laurel's eyes widened when they saw the wrecking ball in the middle of a street.

"I have to get down there, now," Kara swallowed.

"Hold on!" J'onn called, and they turned as J'onn and Winn walked up. "Not without this, you're not."

"What is it?" Kara frowned, taking the device Winn handed her.

"Psionic inhibitor ray," he answered.

"It should protect you from her powers," J'onn explained.

"We'll set a perimeter to secure the area," Alex told Kara.

"We'll meet you there," Oliver added.

"Just have to keep her out of my head long enough to get a good shot off," Kara took a deep breath.

"You can do it," Slade assured her.

Kara took a deep breath, then nodded. Oliver gave her a quick kiss, and they watched her take off, heading for the accident.

***

Sam skidded to a halt by the police cars and got out, eyeing the swinging wrecking ball warily.

Then she saw Ruby walking towards the center of the carnage. "Ruby!" she screamed in horror, racing towards her.

The wrecking ball hit another building over, and Ruby stumbled, collapsing as concrete just barely missed her. "Ruby!" Sam cried again, pushing past people to reach her daughter.