18

Chapter 18Chapter Text

Kara landed on the sidewalk below Catco before picking up the phone call. She knew who it was, not many people knew the number to her super-phone, "Hey."

-"Kara? Are you all right?"-

Her sister's voice felt like a punch in the gut. It'd been weeks since she'd heard her since she'd seen her. Kara hadn't gone this long without her sister since the day she arrived on Earth. Her breathing trembled from how badly she wanted Alex there. "I'm fine."

-"You're lying."- Alex stated with a resigned sigh.

Kara could feel something settling, she wasn't alone, her sister wasn't a mindless drone. "A bit." Because she had Daisy, she had Cat, they'd figure it out. And what was going on in National City wasn't what was important with Alex. "Did you reach Cadmus? Did you and Hank find your dad?"

-"We were on our way there until we heard about all this."- Alex's frustration was audible.

Every word eased something inside of Kara, Alex was safe. "Where are you now?"

-"At Mom's."-

"Stay there. If you come to National City, Myriad will take over you too." Kara felt like she could breathe fully for the first time in hours.

Alex's stubborn soul couldn't sound like she was chaffing at that more. "There's no way I'm leaving you there by yourself."

"I'm not alone." Thank Rao, Kara didn't know what she'd have done if she was alone. "I'm, uh…I'm with Quake and Ms. Grant."

And oh Alex was not happy about that. -"Quake?! The villain who's been flirting with you on tv! And wait, why wasn't Cat affected?"-

"Quake's a good person and she's helping." Kara really wished there was enough time to hug her for stopping Non earlier. "And um…Maxwell Lord protected Ms. Grant and himself."

-"Of course he did. Kara, we never know when we can trust him. And we're coming back to you working with a villain!"-

"You know what? I don't really have a choice right now. You don't know what it's like here. It's my only option. And I trust Quake to protect me if Lord tries something. I love you, Alex."

-"Kara, liste-"

Kara hung up before she could let Alex spiral on her. She winced, that was going to bite her in the butt later. But she didn't have time to explain Quake and why it meant Kara wasn't alone in this. She kicked off, flying back up to the executive floor of Catco. She really wanted to walk right to where Daisy was sitting, legs kicked up on a desk and doing something on her phone, and slump into her. A hug would be really nice right now.

"You ok?" Daisy looked up, that stupid creepy mask facing her.

Maxwell wasn't content to wait, however, cutting in before Kara could reply. "Are you finally ready to do what needs to be done?"

She just sighed, settling back into the moment, that she needed to be strong still. "What's your plan?"

"Before you and I sang Kumbaya and decided to be friends, I was working on a weapon to use against the Kryptonians. All Kryptonians." Maxwell stood up from where he'd been sitting.

Kara crossed her arms. "What kind of weapon?"

"A bomb." He didn't have a shred of shame. "Filled with Kryptonite dust. It'll irradiate the entire city. Choke them all. No more Myriad."

Ms. Grant who'd been walking toward them paused, before speaking into her phone. "Um, Anderson, do you think you could hold on for just a skosh?" She looked at Maxwell, "Forgive me, but won't that kill Supergirl and Superman?"

"Not if she flies up and detonates it over the city center. Then she and he skedaddle. She won't be able to come back to National City for roughly fifty years…"

Cat laughed, it wasn't a nice laugh.

"But that's a small price to pay to save the world, right?" Maxwell's smarmy voice stung.

Kara forced herself to ask, she could feel the rising hum from Daisy. She felt herself settling at that, it wasn't going to be necessary then. But she still needed to ask. "What about the human beings? Will they be affected at all?"

"The concussive force to properly displace the Kryptonite dust will result in some losses." He said like one might say the weather might be terrible.

Cat made a very distinctive 'Hmm' sound. "Anderson, I'm gonna have to call you back. What exactly are we talking about Max? Losses"

"8% of the population." He had actual discomfort at that.

Ms. Grant replied back. "8% of four million people? That's over three hundred thousand people, Max."

"Versus the seven billion people on the planet that Non wants to turn into zombies," He snapped hotly.

"Hey!" Daisy was up and out of her seat. "How do we even know the bomb would stop this?"

Max's expression was pure venom as he looked at Daisy. "Well, we wouldn't need to bomb ourselves if you were willing to actually handle the issue instead of just talking about it."

"I'm not opposed to killing, I'm opposed to committing genocide when we don't even know if it'll help." Daisy's shoulders were braced, one hand clenched. "So tell me, Max, do we even know Non and his army are in National City? Because if they're not, you've just killed 8% of the population here for nothing, and trapped both of the Super's outside of the city and unable to help stop this."

The air in Kara's lungs felt cold. She hadn't…why hadn't she thought of that? Her voice was less strong than she'd have wanted. "The DEO doesn't know where Non and the Fort Rozz prisoners have been hiding out."

"And they can fucking fly fast enough that distance isn't really going to be a handicap." Daisy waved at Kara, her eerie mask focused on Maxwell. "So tell me, what makes you so sure this will even give Non and his Kryptonian followers a nosebleed?"

Maxwell's heart beat in his chest, "I swore to save this world, this is our only option."

"So you don't know." Ms. Grant's voice was full of disgust.

Daisy stepped forward, encroaching on Maxwell's space, and this time he stepped backward. "And Non's forces are full of non-Kryptonians. What's your plan when one of them gets the controls for Myriad? What if they want to kill humanity instead of making them a living think tank? We have time for a solution while Non is in charge. The second that changes, things could get very dark or very bloody very fast. What's your plan for the other aliens following Non's commands, fuckface?"

"Then what's your plan!?" Maxwell burst out, arms jerking sharply at his sides. "We can't do nothing while our planet is subjugated!"

"Enough!" Ms. Grant snapped. She looked between Daisy and Maxwell. "Both of you." She looked at Daisy, "Hot Topic Murder Twit, go back to playing with your phone." Her eyes settled on Maxwell, and they were far colder then. "Sit down and maybe reflect on how you just proposed killing hundreds of thousands of people for nothing. I have no doubt if you try and leave or kill innocent people again our nightmare fuel over there will tranq you, likely with more glee than such an act deserves." Her attention turned to Kara. "You, with me." And then she strode through her office and toward her balcony.

Kara felt rather left-footed. She was pretty sure all of them did.

Daisy let out a bark of staticy laughter, "If you need me, I'm right here."

She smiled in gratitude at Daisy and then followed Ms. Grant out onto her balcony. Kara quietly settled against the railing just down from where Ms. Grant was.

Ms. Grant spoke up with a sigh after a few quiet moments "I've always liked the view out this window. Wish I had it from my office." Her tone was more real, softer out here. "I like looking at the park. All the people. Mothers pushing their strollers. Kids playing. I wonder which of them would have died in Max's moronic attempt to save the city?"

"I don't know how to fight this." Kara admitted the horrible truth. She looked at her boss, her mentor. "What do I do? Quake won't say it, but she wants to hunt Non and his army down, take the fight to him. She's only not saying it because she knows what that means. But I don't know what to do."

Ms. Grant looked at her, "You could come up with something better than murder or irradiating the city. Not that the last one is still on the table."

"My mother was faced with this decision on Krypton. And she chose wrong. I love her, but she didn't save Krypton like she promised. And my planet died. My culture. My home. My parents. Everything was just wiped from the stars." Kara blew out a breath, she knew that the moment they brought the fight to Non, or moved from this tower their course would be locked. She didn't know what course would save the people of the city. "How can I let that happen?"

Cat's voice was…kind. "I know you're scared. I am too. But so is Max. And so is Non, for that matter. Even Quake is scared. All of you are letting your fear guide you, but somebody has to find the courage to stand up even though they're afraid."

Ms. Grant was steady as she stood there, admitting weakness when she hated showing weakness more than anyone Kara had ever met. "You know, the worst decisions that I've ever made in my life were based on fear. But you showed me that there was another way to be strong, by having faith in people. By believing that goodness would prevail. And because of you, I started letting people in." She chuckled lowly. "I even opened myself up to my assistant, Kiera, who helped me have a relationship with my son again. Now, I can't tell you what to do, Supergirl. But if you've taught me anything, you taught me that hope is stronger than fear."

Kara could feel her eyes burning with tears she couldn't shed.

"And that is what I think of every time I look at that." She pointed at the crest on Kara's chest. "You've changed me. And I am not easy to change. And I believe that you can change everyone out there. Not with violence, not with fear. Just be Supergirl. That's all anyone's ever needed from you."

And Kara felt herself fill with purpose, "Thank you, Cat. That gives me an idea." A crazy, wildly idealistic idea. But one that had to be given a chance.

Kara risked sliding her hand into Daisy's and squeezing as they waited for Cat to unlock the door to the old broadcast office. It was dark, Maxwell and Ms. Grant were focused on the door, the mission. She looked at Daisy and felt her shoulders loosen at the expression on Daisy's face beneath that stupid mask.

Daisy just squeezed her hand back, the warm humming sensation going right up her arm. She nodded to her, quiet approval, and it meant a lot. That Daisy was going to go along, didn't need to be convinced, or argued around like Maxwell had needed to be. Just was there to help. And not angry at her.

Except, "You're bleeding?!" Kara reached to the side of Daisy's head, and that was blood trickling from her ear, and she could see it through the mask, the sluggish trail from her nose.

"It's nothing." Daisy caught Kara's hand where it had brushed her wig's hair aside to better see her ear.

Ms. Grant turned around, "Excuse me?"

"It's the signal, feels like a migraine from hell, I think it's breaking some capillaries but I'm healing faster than it can do any real damage." Daisy squeezed Kara's wrist gently before dropping it. "I promise, I've fought with way worse than this."

Maxwell's eyes were hard. "We don't have time to delay this."

"He's right," Daisy flicked her fingers, the door opened and she walked straight through past them before looking around. "So, we're sure this stuff is still functional?"

Ms. Grant seemed to recover first, just marching in behind her. "Well, no reason why it shouldn't."

Maxwell looked at the old technology and dusty everything as Ms. Grant started pulling fabric covers off. "So, you brought us to your very first, very out of the way, TV station so we can…what? Dust off your daytime Emmy?"

"No, Max, Actually we are here to inspire." Ms. Grant was full of certainty and purpose as she worked. Kara just quietly followed suit and shot worried looks at Daisy. "We are going to show them a symbol. One of optimism, love, and yes, hope." The defensive certainty was comforting. "A sight so undeniable, that people will recognize it even under this spell."

Daisy dropped down powering up the ancient systems. "I can help, maybe, with some of this."

Max dropped his arms to his sides. "Where do we start?"

Kara was mostly doing as instructed as Maxwell and Daisy shot each other dirty looks as they coordinated on getting the system up and running. She was also keeping her mouth shut because her worry wouldn't help, and she had a feeling if she said something Maxwell would say something rude again, and Daisy might actually punch his nose in if he did.

"Do you think we can do it?" Ms. Grant asked.

Maxwell didn't look up from the wires he was currently connecting as Daisy adjusted the dials. "We can't stop Mryiad's signal, but we can piggyback off of it." he rolled to another tower of tech Kara wasn't even sure the name of. "We're lucky this TV station is old."

"Not that old." Ms. Grant corrected.

Maxwell shot a look over at her, "Not old-old. But old enough that it uses broadcast technology instead of digital."

"I like digital," Daisy grumbled from her corner.

Maxwell, shockingly, ignored the bait. "We can transmit a signal by calibrating it to Myriad's frequency, without leaving any online fingerprints."

Kara couldn't help herself, "Take that, Indigo!"

"Can I just say, if Non's apparent tech support wasn't actually eviler than my bloodline, I'd want to compare notes," Daisy remarked as she leaned back, whatever it was she'd been working on lighting up successfully.

"It'll ride the wave without anybody knowing a thing." Maxwell was smug but then looked disturbed that he apparently agreed with Daisy on anything.

Ms. Grant looked at Maxwell, and she meant her words for him and not all of them. "I have one question for you, Max."

"Shoot," Maxwell looked at her curiously.

She had a look on her face that made Kara look away, because nope, nope, nope. "The earrings, how did you know I would wear them?"

"I didn't." And oh Rao, why did they have to keep flirting? He was the worst. "I guess I just had hope."

They all stiffened or startled at a loud bang.

Kara looked at them, "Stay here." The door slammed shut in her face before she could walk through it. She spun looking at Daisy in frustration. "You're bleeding!"

"You're not going to go fight whatever that is without me. You have my back, I have yours, that was the deal. A bloody nose isn't changing that." Daisy wasn't going to let herself be left behind.

Kara hesitated but nodded, "Fine, but you let me lead if we can help it."

"Sir, yes sir." Daisy gave a casual salute as she strode towards her, the door opening, "You giving orders, very hot."

She threw her eyes to the ceiling, of course now was when Daisy decided to go back to flirting with her while dressed as Quake. Even if…maybe she was relieved to have Daisy with her as she followed her out, to see who or what Non had sent to stop them.

Kara was suddenly more grateful than anything that Daisy was with her as she saw who was waiting for them. "Alex?" Dread ran down her spine. "What are you doing here? I told you not to come."

And it was Alex, Kara would never mistake her for anyone else. But she was in a metal exoskeleton, one that glowed a sickeningly familiar green. And the words that came from her mouth were not her own. "I warned you what would happen if you worked against me. I found your ultimate opponent. One that knows your every weakness."

"No!" Kara couldn't, she couldn't do this. Panic was all she had at this. Her words came out with a stammer. "I'm not doing this. I am not going to fight my sister." Her voice rose to a shout, "DID YOU HEAR THAT, NON?! If you want to fight me, come out here and do it yourself. I'm not going to hurt her."

"You have no choice." Alex's dull, lifeless voice replied. "Kill Alex Danvers or let her kill you."

Daisy grabbed Kara's shoulder pulling her back, raising one hand, every metal joint in the exoskeleton snapping. "Fuck that." She moved, and fast. A light brush of vibrations told Kara to stay put rather than actually moving her or preventing her from moving.

It was fast, Alex was stuck in the wreckage of what had once been a suit, and Daisy was faster than any human. She had Alex flipped and pressed into the asphalt in seconds, her arms twisted behind her, and her knee keeping Alex down.

Daisy looked up, "You wanted to try out the hope thing, I think we have patient Zero."

An ugly chocked sound of pure relief came from Kara's chest and out of her mouth. "Thank Rao." She stumbled forward to her knees in front of Alex, whose glazed eyes were looking up at her as she uselessly fought against Daisy's hold. She reached out, her trembling fingers touching Alex's face. "Alex, I know you're in there."

Alex wiggled, but at least Non's voice wasn't sickenly puppetting her mouth. He was probably desperately trying to figure out what had cut his puppet's strings.

"Alex, this isn't you." Kara didn't know how, she'd been so sure she could do it before, but here, with her sister in front of her, she just wanted to cry. "You can beat this ok, I know you can."

Kara sobbed as she felt the tick of vibrations against her. "We're a family, you are my sister. I love you and I know you love me. This, this is nothing to all the years and things you've given up because I'm your sister. Because we're stronger together, and I'm right here. Stronger together. And you're the strongest person I know. You can do anything you want because you wouldn't let anything stop you." She swallowed, forcing out every drop of sincerity that she had into her voice. "You are Alex Danvers, and nothing, especially not Non can change that! I need you to come back to me, please."

"Kara?" And it was like something was blinked away from Alex's eyes.

She outright cried, "Yeah, it's me."

And then Alex was scrambling up, Daisy releasing her and floating off of her. Alex's hands grabbed Kara's shoulders, "I'm so sorry, I didn't, I didn't mean to." She blanched, ripping the holstered sword off of her back and tossing away from her like it was on fire before lunging forward, wrapping her arms around Kara. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Kara hugged Alex as tightly as she dared, "It wasn't your fault, it wasn't you, you came back to me."

She looked up, her vision blurry with tears, and she saw Daisy just quietly standing there, scanning the area for danger, keeping watch so that Kara and Alex could have this. And Kara realized with stunning clarity that she couldn't bear the thought of Daisy not being by her side. Of her leaving.

Daisy who listened, who understood, who stood by her side, and supported her every time. Who was dependable, who had stopped Kara from having to fight her sister. Who was in pain right now, because Myriad was hurting her, but was still here. Daisy who Kara had been leaning on since all of this started, hadn't uttered a word of complaint about it. And who Kara felt better every time they touched. Every time she felt the hum of her vibrations, was reminded of her presence. Who was good and kind. Who she could never repay this to. And Kara, might, probably, definitely, be kind of in love with her.

"Too tight!" Alex wheezed.

Kara loosened her arms, pulling her attention back to her sister. And she felt warm, her sister was here, and Daisy and just…that could and would wait till this was over. Because neither of them would leave her side. "Why did you come back?"

"I love you too," Alex's expression was faintly watery too.

Kara just laughed, "You shouldn't have come but it's so good to see you."

"Kara! Alex!" A wonderfully familiar voice called from across the parking lot.

Kara's head snapped around, barely faster than Alex's, and not without noticing that Daisy was very aware and ready to intercede if need be. She spoke, more to tell Daisy who this was, "Eliza, J'onn!"

"Are you both alright?!" Eliza half stumbled as she rushed to them.

And Kara couldn't help smiling. "We're alright."