Supergirl ~ Both Sides Now ~ Part One

***

"We're here."

Kara took a deep breath, then swooped down to land amongst the D.E.O. vans parked outside Julia Freeman's house. The moment she touched down, the D.E.O. strike team along with J'onn, Alex, Oliver, Slade, Malcolm, and Laurel poured out of the vans, Mon-El landing on the ground a second later. No words were said among them as Kara led the way up to Julia's house, the rest of the team falling in behind her.

J'onn looked to the side and pointed at Mon-El and Laurel, then pointed off to the left of the house. Mon-El nodded and raised his hand, some of the D.E.O. soldiers peeling off and following him, Laurel jogging after him. J'onn looked at Malcolm and nodded, and the two men led more of the soldiers to the right side of the house. That left Kara, Alex, Oliver, and Slade at the front, the four of them approaching the door.

"OK," Winn's voice came over the comms from where he was in one of the surveillance vans, Lucy with him. "We've got one heat signature inside . . . no movements. Look like we might catch this Worldkiller off guard. But be careful in case she's as bad as Reign."

"Copy that, Telle," Kara nodded, taking a deep breath. "Watch our backs."

"You got it."

Kara bit her lip, then planted one foot on the door and smashed it inwards. Oliver and Slade were in immediately, weapons drawn and aimed. Kara and Alex were behind them, Alex's alien gun up and ready to fire. The D.E.O. soldiers swarmed in after them, and Kara looked around, not seeing any sign of Julia. "Telle, what's your twenty on the heat signature?" Alex asked.

"Looks like a back room," Winn answered.

***

Mon-El and Laurel slowly moved through the kitchen, only to slow down further when they heard a female voice singing. They did a double take, exchanging surprised looks, then saw J'onn and Malcolm come from the other side. As soon as J'onn heard the singing, his face scrunched up in bewilderment. "Is that Lisa Loeb?" he asked.

"I thought the target's name was Julia Freeman?" Mon-El blinked.

"It is," Malcolm frowned.

***

Kara perked up when she heard the singing, she and Slade both moving forward at the same time. The eight heroes met up and emerged in the living room, where a woman was kneeling on the ground, headphones over her ears, singing and swaying like no one else was in the room, eyes closed. "That's our Worldkiller?" Laurel asked in disbelief.

"Is that her?" Oliver asked, looking at Kara.

Kara took a few steps forward so she stood in front of the woman. "Yeah, that's her, all right," she confirmed.

"Huh," was all Malcolm had to say, looking at Julia in confusion.

Alex and J'onn, however, gestured for Kara to get her attention. Kara timidly nodded, then bent down, slowly reaching out for Julia. Just before she touched her shoulder, Julia's eyes opened. The moment she saw the heroine in front of her, she let out a bloodcurdling scream, flinging her headphones off and scrambling backwards until she was pressed up against the wall. Kara jumped back as Alex and Slade raised their guns, Oliver and Malcolm reloading their bows. Laurel's eyebrows just climbed higher, signaling her surprise at the woman in front of them. "Supergirl?" Julia stammered. "The vigilantes? What – what are you . . . what are you doing here?"

"Are you Julia Freeman?" Kara asked, slowly walking forward.

"Yes," Julia answered, eyes flicking around nervously. "What do you guys want from me?"

Satisfied, Kara turned back. "Stand down," she ordered. Oliver, Slade, and J'onn complied, Malcolm a bit slower, and J'onn turned to reinforce the order. "It's OK," Kara insisted when Alex alone remained holding her gun up. Reluctantly, Alex lowered her gun as well, and Kara turned back to Julia. "Do you," she began, only to frown. "You don't know why we're here, do you?"

"No," Julia whispered, swallowing hard. "What's going on here?" Kara continued forward, looking at Julia in concern. Could she . . . could she have been wrong about this? "Supergirl, please, don't," Julia gulped. "Don't let them hurt me. Please."

Alex's jaw was clenched as she watched what was happening, and Laurel looked up at Malcolm, who was exchanging even more bewildered looks with Oliver and Slade. "This is our Worldkiller?" she repeated.

"No, no," Kara shook her head. "Don't worry. I won't." She held out her hand encouragingly, and biting her lip, Julia moved to take it.

That was when Alex raised her gun again, taking a threatening step forward. "Don't move!"

"Whoa!" Julia backed away quickly, Kara turning around and looking at Alex incredulously.

"Wolf!" Oliver looked at her sharply.

"You stay right there!" Alex snarled.

"Let's get her back to the D.E.O.," J'onn tried to calm everyone down.

"This doesn't feel right," Kara walked back over insistently.

"Guys," Laurel watched Julia warily as she scrambled to her feet, pressing against the wall as if she hoped it would swallow her, her eyes blown wide.

"She's right," Malcolm tried to cut in.

"I said Alex glared at Julia.

Laurel shouted, eyes widening as Julia panted for breath, then threw her hands out to her sides.

Sound vibrations were immediately projected, and Kara tried to approach, only to grimace in pain and find herself stopped in her tracks. Mon-El and J'onn hnched over behind her, reaching for their ears, and Oliver and Malcolm doubled over, fists clenching.

That left only Slade, Laurel, and Alex mostly upright to see Julia's eyes snap open, now pure white.

Glass and electronics shattered all around them, forcing everyone to back up and cover their heads, trying to avoid being cut. The fire poker went flying past Alex's head, heading for Oliver, but Mon-El brought his hand up just in time, snatching it out of the air. Both men looked at the poker in surprise, then Oliver nodded his thanks, Mon-El nodding back.

When the vibrations stopped, J'onn made the first move, walking forward with the power-dampening cuffs in his hand. Julia screamed in his direction, unleashing a sonic scream similar to Laurel's and Dinah's that hit J'onn and catapulting him back and through one of the walls. She turned in the direction of a few of the D.E.O. soldiers, but Laurel jumped in the way. The two screamed at the same time, and everyone stared in a mixture of shock and horror as Julia's overwhelmed Laurel, the metahuman's eyes widening in surprise before she was thrown into the D.E.O. soldiers behind her, all of them falling to the floor.

Kara turned back around, and as Julia opened her mouth to scream again, she blew with all her might, freezing the entryway into the living room, Julia trapped on the other side. "J'onn!" she called desperately.

Malcolm and Mon-El went to help the collapsed men, Malcolm reaching Laurel first. "You OK?" he asked.

"Yeah," she nodded shakily, taking a few deep breaths as Malcolm put his arm around her. "What . . . what was that?"