Chapter 34: Disillusioned

Storm huffs in frustration, they are upset that their last-minute plan didn't work like how they thought it would.If they were honest with themselves, deep down they would have realized that there is no winning this. I have come too far to back down now. No way are they going home empty-handed. Either Storm brings their head home on a stake to show to their mother's grave or they take their last breath on earth prime.Sara turns the weapon on, "The weapon is ready!" They all nod in consensus. Sara takes a deep breath and advances toward Storm with the ray gun in hand. It is bulky but not too large for it to be difficult to handle."Surrender now!" She pauses, "Or die." Just loud enough to get Storm's attention. The waves attempting to crash over Dreamers' shields and flood the dock have died down a bit, the sun barely peaks through, the wind has become a brisk breeze while Storm is distracted.Storm seemed overwhelmed with the new voice, they turn to where it was coming from and all the heroes can all tell that Storm is trying to hide their surprised look.It's been so many years since Storm has heard their mothers voice and it seems so warm and inviting, despite the harsh words said, it makes them feel, nostalgic.They laugh out, "So the cowardest Supergirl sent you out huh? To what, pressure me into coming in. Hands held high and just, surrender?""That would be ideal Storm, but, I know you, you won't go for that."Storm's eyes grow angry, a huge thunderous cloud hangs overhead, lighting strikes in all directions. "You don't know me! You are not my mother. No matter how much you sound like her, how much you look like her. You are soft. You don't know what it takes to do what we did, you are not her and you will never be!" Storm beams a lightning strike Sara's way.Just in time, Zari winds her captain out of the way, sending her tumbling into a wooden box that lay all around the dock. Her totem glows a bright red, matching with her internal anger.Sara gets up with a grunt, "I know I'm not, not truly, but we are the same. We went through the same fucked up tortures, all the abuse, yelling, distance, we are the same in that sense." Sara was about to centre the device but it has been slightly broken from the fall, she tries to reconfigure it back together like how it's supposed to be.Sara's continued speech seems to be the only thing keeping Storm at bay, for now, it seems that this connection that they deny seems to be the only thing keeping them from going fully nuclear."The difference between your mother and I, you and me.... I used all of that built-up locked-away emotion for good. I became a better person, with help from my family."Storm laughs, "Bull shit. Deep down, you're a killer, murderer, liar. You are just as fucked up as mother and I, maybe more so. No matter how much you think you're running from it, it's who you are. I was just strong enough to embrace it."Sara smirks at that, she knows the feeling Storm is going through, she has been through it herself in her youth. It's hard to watch Storm go through this internal torture, and thier Sara did nothing to help the child through the hard times, all she did was double down on the pain and redirect it to the world around them. Nobody will understand how much Sara wants to apologize to that child, to her child for not taking care of them."It takes more strength to go against your very nature, to go against something you've been programmed to do for most of your life, something that has been conditioned in you without any other source of reference. It's easier to give into those evil impulses. It takes a strong person to admit they were wrong, to come to terms with all of the fucked up shit they've done. It takes a strong individual to invent a new self, someone far away from what they were made to be."While Storm is distracted with aiming their sea currents and lightning strikes, Sara reassembles the gun fully but still can't use it yet, it's recalibrating.Dammit, "You're not strong," Storm sneers at that. Sara turns to where Kara is shielding citizens from lightning strikes and bowling ball-size hail."You're weak Storm, you took the easy route. I'm sorry your Sara didn't do right by you, I'm sorry that she spread her hatred for the world onto you."Sara quickly looks down, the same time Winn talks into her ear, "The device is at 80%, I'm trying to sync up some satellites to redirect their power into the device. Try to stay still so I don't have to reconfigure them to a new position.""Don't talk about her like that!" Lightning and thunder crack through the air, it has a loud purple glow to it, it seems this wave of storms holds more power. The loud booms crack through Agent Red and Supergirl's ears, piercing them from the inside out. They are knocked off balance by the onslaught of loud erratic noises."She LOVED me!" They yell, sounding close to tears.Maybe I can get through to Storm."Sh-She.... She loved me like no one else." The last part whispered out."I'm not saying she didn't love you Storm, I can tell she loved you with all her heart, she sacrificed herself so her baby could live. But the love she gave you, wasn't the right kind.""It's at 90% Captain, get ready.""You needed a caring heart, not a drill sergeant. You needed someone to hug you when you fell, not someone who tells you 'soldiers don't cry, suck it up'. You needed a Mother, not what she was, not what she was trying to be. You need the right kind of love, Storm."Storm screams out in agony, the entirety of National City is covered in dark grey storm clouds and lightning strikes off buildings."Supergirl, Superman has arrived in National City, there are fires popping up on the outskirts of the city. It is best if you head out and help there, I think Agent Red can handle the supering there."Lena rings in, "Kara, there is a storm cloud circling the centre of the city, it's getting ready to touch down, it's a superstorm Kara. This can take out the entire city, you guys have to get Storm to stop." The tiny Luthor says frantically."The weapon is at 100% Captain Lance, good luck." Winn disconnects himself from her, he prays that it doesn't have to come down to Sara having to kill her 'child'.Sara points the gun squarely on Storm's chest, everything feels still. Storm looks around at all the chaos they are causing. The screaming of children, the crying of their parents getting pelted by rain, their homes getting zapped with lightning, lighting them on fire. The hail beating their cars to be unrecognizable. It's chaos they would usually admire but the cries of these humans aren't satisfying them like it usually would."Go big or go home." Their eyes shift and train on Zari.Sara catches the eye shift, "Storm!"Storm smiles sickly."Storm, you can live, you don't have to do this."They smile wider through their tears, "But I do Sara." They summon large storm clouds, seemingly putting all their energy into them, it glows purple and pink. Strikes crack from within, shaking the ground."That's another thing that's different between you and me," They breathe out a defeated sigh, "you'll never understand. Goodbye.... Mother, I love you, I really do."Storm quickly shoots a focused lightning beam at Zari, Zari doesn't see it coming, too focused on keeping the rapid tornados at bay.Sara's eyes go wide, "No! Z!" Sara quickly sprints at an inhumane pace, everything happens in slow motion. Sara jumps in front of the purple beam and shoots her own rounds at Storm. The shot hits each target and they both lay limp on the concrete.A black crispy layer is left on the White Canary's suit just over her heart.Zari freezes, staring wide-eyed at her captain, her Sara, her Mama.The storm clouds slowly clear up, the water seizes its tidal wave and the area is soon pelted with sun rays instead of hail.Winn clicks into the channel, "The superstorm has been neutralized."Zari's feet seem to work now and she runs and drops to her knees next to Sara's head. "Ma- Sara?" She tries to shake her but her eyes are still closed, she doesn't seem to be breathing enough. Zari can't see her chest moving like it's supposed to."Mama?" She says with a hushed voice.Ava comes down along with the ship. "Sara?" She bends over to feel her pulse, Zari looks up at her with tears in her eyes."She has a pulse, she's knocked out, it seems that she had too much trauma to her airways. We have to get her to the med bay so Gideon can help."Nathan and Mick carefully pick Sara up and put her on a backboard, careful not to exasperate the condition of her lungs. The entire time on the ship, Zari doesn't let go of her hand.Ava recomposes herself and speaks saunters over to speak with Alex, Supergirl touches down right then watching Sara get hauled off into the Waverider. Agent Red is still helping citizens into their homes."We will park in the same place at your base, I'll let you guys know how she's doing when she is a bit better. You ok to clean up here without us?" She looks pointedly at Storm's unmoving body.Alex answers, "Yeah, we got it. Go be with Sara."Ava nods and says a small thank you. Soon enough the ship shoots off into the air, making their way to the DEO.Alex taps into the team's mic channels, "C Team, you guys got clean up. Rest of you can head to the base and finish up processing there."Agent Red comes over to the Director after finishing up with the residents of the port, "Ready to leave?""Mm." What Alex really wants to do is curl up in bed with her family and sleep away all of this heart ache. She doesn't know if she would have been able to do what Sara did, kill someone who looked like her baby. But what Sara did was save her little, she sacrificed herself for her, Alex can definitely relate to that."Director Sir!" An Agent screams from the other end of the port, running over with a dirty dusted over green backpack.Alex grumbles at being called. I was so ready to leave too. "Yes Agent?" She tries not to snap."I think what's in here should be helpful to you." He hands her over the bag. When she opens the bag she finds four blue liquids in various-sized vials. Also in the bag is an assortment of gadgets and tech. Also a very worn picture of Storm and their mom. The picture of course looks like Sara but her hair is cut short and coloured a lighter brown. Storm looks to be no more than eleven and they are smiling while holding up the head of an old guy. A symbol that Alex can't make out is carved in his head.She picks up one of the vials, "This is....?" She holds it up to the light, sparkles shimmer around it when she shakes it up a bit, it glows with the vibrant rainbow painted across National City's sky."Seems so sir."Alex smiles and puts the object back in the bag carefully. "Well Agent Walker, I think you earned yourself the rest of the day off." He smiles and yells his thanks while running back to gloat to his fellow teammates.On his way, one of his teammates trips him, but the smile stays on his face fully, nothing can ruin this moment for him.Alex rolls her eyes at that and then focuses back on Sam, "Sorry Sammy, I wanna oversee the antidate-making process. I'll let you know when I'll be home ok?"Agent Red nods solemnly, "That's ok, I'll take Mag's home," She looks over to Supergirl, "You comin'?""Yeah, let's go get the girls, it's almost dinner time."Both supers fly off to the DEO and meet their girls. Charlie of course has left, nobody expected her to stay once she found out her Mama was injured. Charlie left them with Winn as soon as Storm was neutralized.Kara and Sam change into their civilian clothes and pack the girls into Sam's truck and make a quiet drive home. Both girls aren't difficult when they are fed and then washed and dressed for bed. Both of them fall asleep while being rocked in the respective caregiver's arms and are out before nine......Alex quietly enters the house around two in the morning, looking the most tired she has in a while. Alex drops her things by the coat rack and sets a small lunch-like bag on the kitchen counter. "I can warm-" Before Sam could finish Alex stuffs her face with a forkful of cold chicken and rice.Sam smiles fondly, she slides beside her girlfriend and kisses her stuffed cheeks."Sorry 'm late." The redhead says after she swallows. Kara pours her a glass of water and sets it in front of her sister. "Thanks Kar." Kara nods her head and goes back to quietly putting away dishes.She pushes over the lunch bag Sam's way, motioning for her to open it. "This the antidote?" Sam says in surprise, she was sure it would have taken longer than this."Yeah, they wanted to put it in a needle, that would work faster. I knew the needle wouldn't go over well though so we had to reconfigure it to be taken orally. This formula took longer to make."Kara sets mugs into the upper part of the cabinets, "I thought the antidote would have taken days to synthesize."Alex takes a sip of her water. "I did too but they have been working on something while we were gone. They needed the components and to reconfigure some stuff they got wrong. It would have taken over a week if they didn't do that. I'm tempted to be a little bit nicer to my staff."Sam laughs, "Lex, you really should stop scaring them to death, be nicer.""Hey! I said thank you!" Kara and Sam roll their eyes.Kara picks up the small bottle, "Having it in a liquid form is definitely worth it, I really don't want to retraumatize Lena." Kara gives her sister a hug and a kiss on the cheek."Give it to 'em now?" Kara says while holding up one of the tiny bottlesSam hugs Alex too, "You finish eating, we'll go give the girls the doses."Both girls were originally put to bed together to try and get them to stay asleep without having the adults in the room, it seemed to work. Kara gently wakes Lena up and has her drink the bland pink liquid, Sam does the same for Maggie. Both girls fall right back to sleep after that.Kara picks up the little Luthor and brings her to their room to sleep the rest of the night. Sam gets ready and soon Alex comes in to do the same.They can all agree it's been a while since they felt at peace, so content. They are happy to be home in a familiar bed, and they can all agree that they are ready for their babies to be back to normal."That was fun," Alex says in the air with a smile on her face.Sam snorts and cuddles her baby who is in the middle. Her hands rest on Alex's stomach, the redhead threads her fingers in her girlfriend's hand and lets out a content sigh."I wouldn't have it any other way Lex."