100.jpg)
TUESDAY AFTERNOON
= = = = = = = = = = = = = =
St Clair Hospital, Pittsburgh.
Inside a waiting room there was an atmosphere of intense tension as Neyra, arms folded sat across from Lisa Kozny who paced in silence, gathering her thoughts. Neyra had been silent for most of the helicopter trip from New York, and now here they waited. The armed escorts that had been intended for Molly Matthews had also now gone, Neyra forced to lie that in the confusion in New York another team had taken on that responsibility.
Lisa then, after mulling things over and replaying them in her head realised she wasn’t at fault.
“I really thought those men were legit, it’s not my fault!” Lisa began.
“I asked you to do one thing, go with Selena and Matthews to the chopper, that was it,” Neyra responded in annoyance.
“Look, I had to deal with something and …” Lisa said with a shrug.
“Something more important than me getting hung out to dry?! If Ingram or my secret Santa finds out I’ve lost Matthews they are going to crucify me … Lisa I …” Neyra said before being lost for words. Losing Matthews could put her on a very slippery slope with Ingram. Worse, after the mystery ‘unknown caller’ gifted her Matthews and access to the Mech demonstration site she was sure she now on the hook of a much higher power.
“If I I had stuck with Selena, what difference would it make? Selena said it herself, she was trying to get me as well. And then what good would I be to you? I’d probably be locked in a room with Selena, forced to listen to one of her monologues about why I had to convince Laura to go with us to the test site,” Lisa explained.
“But Lisa, at least I’d know you were there to keep an eye on Matthews. I trust you, but Selena … she … she scares me sometimes, you know?” Neyra confessed. Remaining mad at someone she respected was starting to be a burden.
Lisa ran her hands through her hair and took a breath. Neyra truly was in a hard place right now and Lisa understood she had to take that into account, “I know what you mean, but, this is the worst of it, I’m sure. She wants a crack at Matthews, in her own way. She’s not going to kill her. Look it’ll be okay, I’m sure.”
Neyra sighed, her head dropping in deep thought which provoked Lisa to secretly exhale in relief too. She really hoped what she said was true, Selena surely wasn’t going to harm Matthews, after all they had been certain she had been controlled by Vel and his monster. Selena would see her as innocent, right? Right?
As the pair retreated into their own thoughts the double doors that insulated them from the hospital beyond opened and in entered…
“Oh, McGee, thank god!” Neyra said, rising to her feet.
“Hey! McGee” Lisa said, raising a tired hand in greeting.
McGee, the lumbering giant entered wearing his large dark overcoat and stopped just inside the room.
“Neyra, Lisa, I’m sorry I took a while to get here, the airport was crazy what with all the diverted flights and it was hard to get a cab. What is going on?” McGee began.
“We are pretty sure we figured it out. Vel and the monster, they have Kara,” Nerya began.
“Are you sure? I’ve had a face full of Supergirl on TV saving New York. Didn’t you see what she did? It’s like the Arctic over there…” McGee responded, doubtful about what Neyra had said.
Lisa shook her head, “I know it’s hard to believe, McGee but when you see it all laid out it makes sense. The attack on the president, it was just a way to get Supergirl there. They got inside her head, that’s what this is about,”
“But, how would they get in? The crystals that infected the others don’t work on Kara, we’ve been over that. And besides, Lucy and Selena said they got all the pieces. How could Matthews have done it?” McGee answered.
“We think the mech demonstration might have something to do with it. It might have been some sort of device, or a technology of some kind,” Lisa explained.
“OK, let’s say that’s true, how are we going to get her back? What does Selena think? In fact where IS Selena?” McGee asked, checking over his shoulders to make sure he hadn’t missed her inside the room.
Lisa Kozny and Neyra Thornton exchanged glances. Neyra had cooled off a little and didn’t want to throw Selena under a bus, an act which confused Lisa who thought Neyra would happily tell McGee what had happened.
“Wait …” McGee added sensing the flood of memories permeating from his friends. There was betrayal; Matthews and Selena at the heart of it all.
McGee spun around, his hands falling onto his bald head in disbelief, “Wait! She did WHAT? Oh that’s just great,” he groaned. He had seen a powerful image of Selena’s betrayal pour forth from both women.
Neyra put her hand on McGee’s shoulder, “I know it looks bad, but Lisa thinks she has her reasons. But yeah, I am screwed if Ingram calls,”
“Neyra, I am so sorry she did this to you. I thought it was going so well …” McGee began. Having helped Neyra in the background he knew all about her incredible achievements at getting Lisa, Lucy and Selena out of their individual predicaments.
“Well it was, until,” Neyra began to agree.
Lisa cut in, “Until it wasn’t. And I fucking trusted her. I even made her promise; warned her even about what it meant to Neyra if …” Lisa sighed before continuing, “Why I actually speak to you I don’t know, you can see it in my head anyway, right?”
McGee looked peeved at the accusation, “Hey I do my best to keep out. But I get the picture and I believe you both, don’t worry. Look, I will straighten that minx out when we finally get together. Now then, if I read you right, she said she would meet you at demonstration site. She means where the mech demonstration was?”
“Uh huh – that’s what she said. That visit’s all arranged. But Selena is trying to get Laura on the team first,” Lisa added.
McGee spun to face Neyra hearing Laura’s name, “And I guess if she’s manipulating the scene it means you’re not good with that?”
Neyra shook her head, “I wasn’t, but that helicopter ride to get here was long. I’ve had time to think and cool down and Selena’s take on things is growing on me. Look, before all this got out of hand Kara wanted me to keep this whole INFINITY thing a secret from Laura. I was just trying to respect Kara’s wishes, but things are different now, and with Selena pulling this stunt she’s left me little choice, which is exactly what she wanted. ”
“And where is Selena now, do you know?” McGee asked, sensing Neyra did know.
“She told me she’s holed up where we all first met. I’ve told Laura to check it out and play things by ear. I’ve no idea what she will find, but, I trust her, I just wish I was there,” Neyra explained.
“Hmmm, that place,” McGee’s eyes narrowed. He remembered being there, the team interrogating poor Laura hard, trying to find out what terrible secret she was hiding. A secret they had to figure out before they could let her in to their group.
Just then the door to the waiting area opened and a nurse appeared with a clipboard in his hand.
“Special Agent Jones?” the nurse asked. He glanced among the three people in front of him, unsure of who was who.
“Yes, that’s me,” Neyra responded, her hand rising, her fingers clasping her badge.
“Ah, good, you may see Miss Wang now. She’s in room eight,” the nurse said with a smile.
= = = = = = = = =
Soon the trio entered Lucy’s room. The lighting was subdued but comfortable and the monitors tracking Lucy’s condition emanated a soft glow while accompanied by a subtle bleeping with her every breath. Lisa looked on at Lucy who was oblivious to what was going on around her having been re-housed after the evacuation.
The trio gathered around Lucy’s bed and sat down, Lisa putting her hand on one of Lucy’s hands while McGee held the other. Neyra sat a little to one side, taking in Lucy’s state.
“Well, she seems … peaceful,” Neyra ventured, hoping to give Lisa some encouragement. Despite Lisa seemingly letting her down Neyra wasn’t going to be callous about it when it came to Lucy.
Lisa nodded in reply before facing Lucy, “Hey, Lu, it’s us…” began Lisa.
“Hey Lucy. I’m sorry Laura can’t make it yet, but she says hi, but you’ve got me, Lisa and McGee…” added Neyra.
“Hey, young lady, I’m glad we could make it. You’re looking good” McGee said with a smile.
There was a silent pause but only the bleeps of the monitor responded, a sad reminder of Lucy’s condition.
"Lu, there's some crazy stuff happening right now... I... I wish you were awake, we need you. We think Vel has Kara and… well … we could really do with your help," Lisa said warmly, like Lucy was fully present.
Lucy's monitors beeped on, un-phased by Lisa's words. The mercenary-spy seemed likely to be able to sleep on forever.
“Yeah, Lu, when are you going to wake up? It’s no fun being your boss if you are going to sleep through all this!” Neyra joked subtly.
My boss? That’ll be the day! Besides, I would wake up if I could but…
“You should see her,” scoffed Lisa, “you won’t believe what Neyra has been up to!” Lisa’s tone was good humoured having accepted Neyra’s little olive branch.
McGee blinked glanced across the room, a little startled, "Woah... no, wait, wait, wait. What was that?!"
"What?" Lisa asked, looking to McGee, wondering what he had seen.
What was what?
"Don’t you hear that?" McGee said, glancing between Lucy and Lisa in confusion.
"Hear what?" Lisa and Neyra asked in unison.
McGee, you… you hear me?
"Yes I hear you but... I ... I didn't know I could... Oh my god" McGee responded, dumbfounded. Leaning in towards Lucy McGee could see she was still totally comatose.
Lisa and Neyra glanced at each other then back at Lucy and McGee in bewilderment.
"Wait, she… she's communicating with you?" Lisa asked, her expression morphing from confusion to realisation and then to excitement.
“How does that even work?” Neyra wondered aloud.
“God Im an idiot … well … what I do works best if the person I am reading has to answer a question. I can’t just go wading into someone’s brain. Asking a question just makes the right stuff come out, but, I’ve never tried talking to someone in a coma before …” McGee said before pausing.
Lisa looked, mouth open between McGee and Lucy ,“Well … ask her something!” Lisa insisted.
"Lu... are you okay in there? Have you been hearing us the whole time?" McGee asked.
A little bit, but it's much clearer with you... I ... how am I though... honestly... am I okay?”
"She's asking if she's okay. I guess she means physically..." McGee said looking to Lisa for answers.
"They told me she's fine from everything they've tested. As far as they know all she has to do is wake up..." Lisa responded, gripping Lucy’s arm lightly as she moved nearer to the bed.
"You hear that, you're okay. Can’t you wake up?" McGee repeated.
Well, I would but, there's a sort of complication, McGee. I need you all not to freak out, okay?
"What's up?" frowned McGee, sitting up in his seat, "Something’s up..." he mouthed to Lisa and Neyra.
Lisa looked concerned as McGee took Lucy's hand. "We are right here, what's wrong? Talk to us and we will try and make it right."
You remember when your head was close to exploding from all those memories Molly Matthews tried to cram in your head? Well, when you took me inside your head to help you... I came back out with more stuff in my head than we realised. I have a mini-Molly in here with me, a mini-McGee too and... and something else... the monster, Vel's monster... a mini-monster
"Oh crap," McGee blurted.
Lisa and Neyra looked back at McGee with anxiety but McGee raised an apologetic hand, keeping them calm. They protested wanting to know what he had seen but he scowled at them for silence which caused them to relent and then, taking a breath, the friendly giant turned to face Lucy again.
“What do you want me to do, Lucy?” McGee asked.
Do you think you could see in here? Get inside? It will be easier to explain if we do it this way, like before...
"Ok, I'm coming, give me a moment will you?" McGee answered before turning to the others.
“What is it? Is she okay?” Neyra asked with concern, looking down at the otherwise peaceful looking woman.
"Yes, what's happening? Why won’t she wake up? Can she say?" Lisa asked as she stroked Lucy's forearm.
"She needs to show me something in there. I am going to have to check it out," McGee explained as he looked first at Lucy then back at Lisa.
Lisa looked longingly at Lucy. Sure, knowing she was physically well was one thing but she would give anything to be with her again.
"McGee, you know I would do anything to have her wake up..." Lisa said, her desperation obvious.
The gentle giant nodded subtly. He knew well enough that Lucy meant a lot to Lisa, "Well first I need to make sure it's safe for her. When I'm in there, watch me, if I so much as make a peep pull me away from her, understand?"
"McGee sure... But you don’t think she would hurt you in there?" Lisa asked with a frown.
McGee glanced at Lucy before looking back at the Detective. "Lisa... I will be honest now. Lucy... she has had indirect contact with Vel's monster in the past. She wants to be sure she’s not going to wake up with it lurking in her head. She wants to be sure she’s not compromised, understand?"
“Shit,” Neyra uttered under her breath.
"The monster?” Lisa responded bitterly.
"Hey, hey, it's going to be okay, Lucy needs you now more than ever, you need to be strong for her." McGee said reaching out and grasping Lisa’s wrist and making her look at him.
"I want it out of her... get it out... tell me you can get that fucker out..." Lisa said angrily.
Until now only Supergirl was capable of expelling Vel and the monster from someone’s mind. But under their influence Supergirl was unlikely to help anyone like that now. If the group were to free someone they would have to find another way.
"I'm going to try... okay... I'm going to try. Besides, it may be nothing. This is just a precaution, okay" McGee said, trying to reassure Lisa who was obviously very concerned for Lucy.
"I guess if the monster has her we shouldn't let her wake up, right?" Lisa asked, obviously still objective enough to consider the difficult choices.
"Let's cross that bridge when we come to it. Ok, I'm going in. Time gets a little screwy in there, I may be back in the blink of an eye or an hour I'm not sure." McGee shrugged.
"Okay, we will watch out for you, I promise," Lisa said, wiping a tear from her face.
“Take no chances McGee, we need you to figure out what Matthews has done. Getting caught up with the monster is not an option,” Neyra reminded him. With Lucy out of action and Selena in the wind Neyra needed him to stay safe.
“I know, I know, but, getting Lucy back into the game might just be as important. Ok, I am going in,” McGee said.
“We will wait for you, no matter what,” Neyra assured him.
McGee took Lucy's hand and closed his eyes, his breathing slowing, matching the rhythm of the slumbering princess' own calm breaths. In....out...in...out.
Lisa and Neyra watched on as McGee’s breathing slowed, his rhythmic breaths falling in step with Lucy’s.
WHUMP... The eyes of McGee opened swiftly, but he was no longer in the room with Lisa, Neyra and the comatose Lucy. He was somewhere new, yet somehow frighteningly familiar. He was inside a small concrete chamber and in front of him a heavy metal sliding door which was ajar. Beyond were echoed low voices which seemed familiar to McGee and so he confidently grabbed the handle and slid the heavy door open.
Lucy turned her head and smiled "McGee, you're here... thank god..." she said as she approached him hurriedly.
Also in the room was Molly Matthews who hugged herself anxiously and ...
"Err... It's me..." said a copy of McGee with a smile.
Then the real McGee saw something that chilled him to the bone. A female figure, restrained to some kind of metal frame, a gas mask over her head and in tight, tight latex or rubber. Then McGee saw her hair, her distinctive blond hair which flowed from under the mask over her shoulders.
Confused, McGee walked towards the heroine with concern, “Supergirl?! You’ve got Supergirl in here?!”
"McGee, that thing is NOT Supergirl, I swear…" Lucy responded as she blocked McGee’s path.
"Lucy, but... how? Why?" McGee asked in disbelief.
Supergirl rattled in her bonds, “McGee! Please, help me!” she begged causing McGee to push firmly again at Lucy who blocked his path.
“Woah, big guy! Stop! It’s the monster, alright?!” Lucy said, holding McGee back.
The copy of McGee scoffed, "Come on newbie, figure it out!"
Molly Matthews piped up nervously, “Lucy is telling the truth! Supergirl isn’t who she appears to be. It’s that fucking monster,”
“The revenge. Remember Selena’s revenge!” Lucy pressed McGee, gradually feeling his urge to reach Supergirl fading.
“That? Jeez, what the hell happened here?” McGee asked, looking down at Lucy.
“I think I was dying. Up on the plane. But in my head I had a copy of you, Molly here and the monster. We fought for control of my mind. The hypoxia was killing me. But somehow, once I was close enough to the cockpit I could use this monster like a beacon. Molly and I barely managed to reach Andy, the pilot. We must have talked him out of killing us all.” Lucy explained.
McGee paused as he looked around the scene and figured it out, "It was you? You talked him out of it? But you’ve somehow conjured up this place. How? Why?”
McGee's copy nodded, "Vel’s monster and Lucy fought for control in here. The monster was winning, or so it thought but Lu tricked it into becoming Supergirl and so …” he finished, gesturing to the concrete chamber they were in.
Lucy stepped back from McGee and transformed into Selena, “By being Selena. By knowing that somehow she had gotten her revenge in this place I was able to use this construct of my mind to trap this monster. I can’t be myself for long. I have to revert into this form of Selena to keep the monster restrained,”
Molly had walked a circle around the others as they talked, listening on with fascination before she spoke. "So if this is a memory belonging to this Selena woman it means she had captured Supergirl once before? But how? When? Why?" Molly Matthews asked.
The real McGee turned his head, his face betraying the seriousness of the situation. "Selena blackmailed you and your old PhD supervisor, Schneider to make her something that could shut Supergirl down" McGee groaned, this part of his past a reoccurring thorn in his side.
"Me?! But... I don't remember any of that, or this Selena woman" Molly said, gesturing at Lucy in her Selena form.
"To protect Supergirl from you making more copies of your devices Selena had me scrub that time out of your heads..., you, Schneider, your engineers, I made you all forget," McGee said bluntly.
Molly’s hands rose to her head, "Forget? SO, I AM THE VICTIM HERE? I've been blackmailed and memory wiped and all this is meant to be my fault? Another one of those things has my real body and... is planning to..." Molly snapped before pausing, contemplating the terrible before turning to face the facsimile of Supergirl in her tight and dangerous bondage.
"Planning to what..." snarled McGee, "Molly, what have you DONE?"
Lucy in Selena’s form put a calming hand on McGee's shoulder, "McGee, this copy of Matthews, she came over with me LONG before the monster had fully turned her, it's why the monster here is so weak. She's innocent, she was being duped into letting that THING inside her head so that they could..." Lucy explained from within the form of Selena.
"COULD WHAT?" barked McGee.
“McGee… take it easy. I’d be dead without her. She and your copy prepared me for that death ride. Without them I wouldn’t have made it,” Lucy explained.
"No, it’s okay. I know I deserve it. McGee, it was Supergirl. Vel's monster was seducing me to get me to somehow transfer our minds into Supergirl's body." Matthews confessed.
"Oh jeez, the girls, I wish they were wrong, but they figured it out," McGee groaned.
"I've been trapped in here and I'm only a copy! All I know was what Lucy saw and a few whispers between my real self and Andy...my brother..." Molly sobbed, losing her battle to fight back the tears.
"Now you've done it," said McGee's copy in annoyance at his real self as he went to hold the ever distraught Matthews.
The real McGee seethed but he knew deep down it was true. They had all been victims of the monster and Vel, but it still didn’t stop him desiring to lash out at Molly.
"Please, believe me... I don’t think the real me could stop it. It even made me infect my own brother…" Matthews sobbed, her hands covering her face as McGee's copy held her.
The real McGee softened a moment as yet another tragedy dawned on him. The brother, Andy. This copy of Molly did not know.
“Molly. Dr Mathews,” McGee began causing Molly to turn her head to look at him, still embraced by his copy, “I am sorry I have to inform you that…”
“Oh… no. No, no, no…” Molly realised what was about to happen.
“I’m sorry,” continued McGee, “that your brother, Andy took his life shortly after landing the aircraft he was piloting. We suspect that he had also taken the life of his Captain part way into the journey,”
Molly wailed in distress and the copy of McGee held her tight. It was a tragic conclusion to a story that they had only been able to listen in on like a radio serial, confined inside Lucy’s mind.
“Andy didn’t do it. This monster made him,” Lucy’s adopted form of Selena said, gesturing at the restrained monster that continued to retain its form as Supergirl.
The real McGee broke his saddened gaze from Matthews and looked at Lucy's uncanny impersonation of Selena. "OK, this is your party. What do you want me to do?" he asked with concern.
"I won’t risk waking up while this thing is in here," Lucy’s copy of Selena said gesturing at Supergirl.
“Where the hell do we put it then? It would be the same for me, I don’t want it in my head. And these two aren’t real,” McGee said, gesturing at his copy and Molly who he was comforting.
“Well now I know I can just wake up among friends I was thinking of just killing it. But… there’s a problem,” Lucy’s Selena form said a little coldly.
“Kill it? But it’s Suup… ugh… Super…. God what’s this…” McGee said, with a sudden sickening sensation as he contemplated the deed.
“You see?” Lucy responded, “The moment I even think… oh god. Look, before I met you all I might have been able to do it. I’ve done things in my past. Bad things. You know this, yes? But I am not stupid. Selena, she loves Supergirl. And being Selena means loving Supergirl. I … I can’t do it. And neither can you. This world, it’s too real. And no one you know you can trust to bring down here could do it either,”
There was a pause as McGee contemplated the situation. As he sought an idea on how to resolve the problem the silence was broken.
“I… I’ll do it…” piped up a voice, causing McGee and Lucy to look, only to see Matthews looking at them, wiping her tears away.
“You, but…” McGee replied with doubt in his tone.
“Trust me. On so many levels I can do this. And if it frees Lucy to help fight back, then I will do it,” Molly said, composing herself enough to turn her despair into determination.
Lucy’s Selena understood, having spent some time in her comatose world with the echo of Molly Matthews, “McGee, she’s right. Knowing what I do now, I think she could do it,”
“But… how… the moment I even think of… oh god. Dammit, I know it’s the monster but… I can’t even think of doing it so how can she?” McGee floundered. He couldn’t understand how he could separate the illusion of Supergirl from the monster at one level but still be so compelled to not kill it on another.
Molly let her embrace with the copy of McGee loosen and stepped away. "I can do it because I am a product of how the monster began to corrupt me. It's how the monster got into my head; my jealousy and hatred of Supergirl. Schneider, I…. I loved him, then hated him. All he ever did was spend his spare time researching Supergirl, and when he had time for me... well... I pretended to be HER for him, to make him happy. That's the siren song that the monster was using to get me, the real me... the promise to make me into Supergirl so Schneider would love me back!" Matthews explained, her eyes an angry shade of red from her tears.
"Molly, I'm, I'm so sorry," Lucy as Selena said.
Molly looked back, distraught, "You can understand it right? I... I don't know if it's my jealousy or if I can see the monster underneath but... but if I do this... you know how... you know why I can do it. I'm not really a murderer... am I?" Molly pleaded.
McGee shook his head, "Molly, I can't lie, but, for your real self, you're in big trouble. Vel. The monster. They’ve done such terrible things in your name. No one knows what the real you even is anymore," McGee explained.
Molly wiped her eyes and spun around and faced the vulnerable Supergirl who was powerless, rendered inert by Lucy's invoked form as Selena Walsh and her toys which Lucy knew the real Selena had used capture the heroine.
"If that’s so then it’s just more reasons why I can do this. If it’s a problem for you both you should get out the door, I will let you know when it's done." Molly said, her nervousness shuddering through every syllable she uttered.
"Come on, we… we can't see this; we musn’t…" McGee said, a rising sense to defend Supergirl growing inside of him that he knew he had to resist.
"Oh no... “ Lucy’s Selena gulped as she realised what was going to happen.
"COME ON!" McGee insisted, his doppelganger coming to his aide.
“No please, she, she’s going to kill her …” Selena pleaded as she began to resist, the sudden need to protect Supergirl rising in her.
Molly approached Supergirl in her latex suit, trapped in the bondage frame that held her tight.
Selena tugged and fought, her wrist trapped by McGee’s powerful hands, “No NO NO! She’s going to kill my Kara! McGee!! Please!!”
"It’s not Supergirl. McGee, get her out..." Molly screamed, pointing behind herself, not even looking at the doorway.
The monster could see the danger and began to use its tricks. The ties that bound Supergirl and Selena felt real to the monster within and it twisted its mental knife into Lucy’s portrayal of Selena.
"Selena..... help.... please...... She.... she is going to kill me .... please....." Supergirl begged through her mask. Her hands flexed, her wrists yanking ineffectually in their bonds as she desperately tried to escape.
"No... no.... let me go..." Selena protested, her fist raining onto the two McGees’ chests.
The two large men forced Selena back, desperate to get themselves out the door before they too succumbed to the heroine's false pleas.
“It’s just an illusion, Selena. It’s just an illusion,” McGee said defiantly, his copy nodding in agreement, trying to shut out the impulse to save Supergirl.
"She's going to die... I ..." Selena cried desperately trying to get around the McGees who had her pinned to the wall as he reached for the handle of the sliding door.
"Seleeeeena! McGeeeeeeee ...Rao... noooooooooo come back..... Selena... I love youuuuuuu coooooome baaaaaack...." Supergirl begged as Molly neared her.
One iteration of McGee opened the door while the other forced Lucy’s copy of Selena back.
Supergirl pleaded, "Selena, come back... she.... she's going to....Rao, I'm going to die... I... I'm scared... please... I... I need you... Seleeeena... Seleeeee"
SLAM! The sliding metal door echoed as it drew closed sealing the monster's fate.
"You bastaaard.... you..... she.... she is going to die...she... Molly.... let me back... let me back in...." Selena screamed, punching ineffectually at McGee's chest until he enveloped her in his arms. The false reality Lucy had created was so powerful that her Selena form was totally immersed in it, convinced that the real Supergirl was in danger.
The less she protested the easier his own ordeal would feel, it was no consolation knowing that it was really the mind of Lucy who was forced to be Selena for this final act. Rationally McGee also knew that beyond the door it was the monster who would die, but for it to be so, the fake reality had to hold until the cold bitter end and in his heart it was Supergirl who was about to die.
==========
Molly stood in front of the imprisoned Supergirl, the heroine’s once pleading eyes transforming to burning anger now the two were alone. The echo of the slamming door slowly faded and each and every laboured breath the monster took seemed to come to the fore.
“That’s right, now it’s just you, and me,” Molly said angrily.
"Matthews... you won't win... you can kill me... but I am only aberration, an echo that bounced off that man's mind, just as you are. We aren’t real… we don’t matter … you can let me go!" Supergirl began, her voice muffled in the gas mask.
"Don't! I'm not making the same mistakes my other self has done..." Molly said as she studied the hoses in Supergirl's mask.
"They are going to get rid of you just as you are about to do to me. But perhaps together we can take this one’s body?! You could have a second chance! After all, the real you is in enough danger," Supergirl said, now a little anxious as Molly hesitantly traced the path of a hose in Supergirl's gasmask.
"Shut up shut up shut up shut up! I'm done with your lies. Your lies killed my brother and now I am killing you, whatever the fuck you are. You don't deserve to look like Supergirl. She is good, she is kind, she is everything you're NOT..." Molly said as she found a metal valve in the rubber hose she had been tracing.
"And yet you've doomed the world so that YOU could be Supergirl too!" Supergirl cackled evilly.
Molly turned the valve, slowly screwing it closed knowing that the air to the monster’s mask was slowly being cut off.
"Whatever version of me is left out there… she…I … will have to face the consequences of that when the time comes, but, you don't get it, do you, monster? They are starting to figure out the truth of what you've been up to; your time is running out. And if I only get to do one good thing in all this then freeing this Lucy woman of your poison is it." Molly growled as she tightened the valve closed.
The monster’s rendition of Supergirl felt the resistance to her breathing increase until there was no more air reaching her, her limbs flailing without success in her restraints.
"We will kill you, Molly! Schneider too along with everyone else you love! You will burn! I will see you rot Molly! They will not care! No one will mourn yoooouuuu..." ranted Supergirl, her breath getting more ragged by the second.
Molly stepped back, falling to her knees then crumpling in a heap on the floor, head bowed, tears flowing. It had been a fantasy to be Supergirl, and now, somewhere out there her real self had sold her soul to a copy of this dying devil to become her. And it had cost her dear! Andy her brother was dead and now she had to witness THIS.
"Open the valghv... open it... I... I commanghh heww" Supergirl wheezed.
"You can't command me. Here you are nothing!" Molly said angrily, tears marking the last moments of her revenge while the monster consumed the last molecules of oxygen in its latex and rubber enclosed world.
"Reghlsss mee... plssss... plssss...... ghlssss.... sssss" faded Supergirl's voice until the rubber hoses convulsed no more. For a moment Supergirl transformed back into the monster, and then like a dream faded away into nothingness.
"It was only the monster, it was only the monster" Molly reassured herself as she sat among the spots of her own tears on the concrete floor.
Then after what seemed an age Molly rose to her feet, confident the monster, trapped in its powerless superheroine guise was definitely gone. Molly walked across the concrete floor to the metal door, wiping her eyes as she went, then pulled it open to find Lucy’s imitation Selena in a tight embrace with the two iterations of McGee. The real McGee looked at Molly with reddened questioning eyes over Selena’s shoulder, the redhead’s face against his chest.
Molly’s head dropped, "Lucy, you are free. The monster... I killed it"
===============
Lisa and Neyra had seen McGee take his meditative breaths not knowing how long it might be while he was under, deep in Lucy's sub-consciousness, but no sooner had he seemed to have reached peace his eyes flinched open.
"McGee...?" Lisa asked as he rose away from Lucy’s prone body like he had been repulsed from her, “Did it work? Why are you already out?”
"Oh god, what, what's happened!" Neyra asked, her eyes looking at McGee in fear as he turned away from her. He seemed to have become very distressed having been so serene looking moments before.
McGee pointed back behind himself at Lucy who began to gasp a little awakening from her coma.
"Oh my god, Lucy!" Lisa exclaimed as she lunged for the red button at Lucy's bedside.
"Oh... Oh god" rasped Lucy's dry throat as she lunged upright in her bed.
"Steady, steady, we are here," Lisa said, trying to reassure Lucy as she came back to her in the land of the living.
Lucy’s stiff arms reached out, "McGee, McGee," Lucy mumbled as she looked for the gentle giant. The emotions they had experienced had been intense, the reality that Lucy had constructed having felt so real inside her head.
"He's here, he's here!" Lisa said with surprise. She had thought that it would be her that Lucy would reach to but...
"Oh Lisa...McGee..Neyra?!" sobbed Lucy as her aching arms reached out for the trio at her bedside.
The four were soon in a shared embrace, all relieved to have Lucy back.
“My god, what happened in there? Are you okay?” Neyra asked of the emerged duo, McGee and Lucy.
“It’s okay, everything is going to be okay. But oh boy, how do I explain this one?” McGee said with relief.
= = = = = = = = = =
SOMEWHERE NORTH OF LITTLETON CITY
Two black tinted SUVs drove up to the gates of the abandoned factory which stood alone on the country road. Sited due to its advantageous location by a small river that provided it water the factory had risen, prospered, suffered then failed all within the space of fifty years. To Selena's eyes though it was perfect. Perfect when she first used it and perfect now on second asking.
A man in black combat fatigues hopped from the lead SUV, ran to the metal chain link gate and unlocked the padlock protecting it. The red rust encrusted hinges let out a groan as the gate swung open and the SUVs proceeded on into the grounds, the man on foot securing the gate behind them before walking to meet his companions who parked beneath a covered parking space, out of sight. Already there in a space alongside of them was a third large SUV.
The doors of the newly arrived vehicles opened and the occupants began to exit the two vehicles. Selena was among the first, then masked black clad mercenaries next yielding assault rifles and wearing tactical equipment. Lastly came Molly Matthews who was hooded and heavily restrained.
Selena placed her hand on one tyre of the SUV that had arrived ahead of them, the rubber barely as warm as the air around them and she made an approving nod with her head.
"Good, he has been here a while, he should be ready..." Selena said approvingly.
The lead man in black combat gear gestured with his hand in silence to his men indicating who, what and where. Four men nodded and peeled away, ready to sweep the area and take up a patrol.
Selena spun away, and the remaining six men and the restrained Molly Matthews followed. Selena remembered this place well, a mix of emotions welling in her which were triggered by smells and ambient sounds that haunted the factory.
"You know this place?" the lead mercenary asked through his mask.
"Yes, I used it to get acquainted with new… friends..." Selena explained cryptically as she led the group into the factory and then to some metal stairs that would take them down.
"Friends? Now why do I doubt that?" scoffed the masked mercenary.
Selena cast a knowing glance over her shoulder at the man as she walked, weighing her reply in her mind before speaking. The stairs clattered with the many feet as they all descended which served to highlight Selena's thoughtful pause.
"You know me too well, old friend... it's true, it took some ice breaking but break it I did..." Selena said before reaching her hand onto a metal door and opening it.
The group paused as the door opened and then proceeded through into a concrete corridor. Metal doors punctuated either side of the corridor while another guarded the far end and the space was illuminated by overhead fluorescent lamps, some of which hummed or flickered annoyingly.
Inside one of the rooms Selena's trusted friend Shepherd heard the others arrive. He glanced at a screen of one of the laptops he had set up and confirmed it was them, while a second glance confirmed the four men on the surface were patrolling as planned. Shepherd rose from his seat and walked to the doorway and opened it.
One of the black clad mercenaries flinched, the leader placing a restraining hand on the top of the barrel of his twitchy comrade and edging the weapon downwards.
"It's okay, it's ..." the leader began.
"Ah, no names," Selena reminded her men, "now, is the chamber ready?" Selena asked of Shepherd.
"Yes, just though there," nodded Shepherd before pointing to the door at the end of the corridor. He then offered out his hand to the lead mercenary, the two sharing a brotherly handshake.
"Good job, " Selena responded before looking at the lead mercenary, "have Matthews restrained in there please then deploy the rest of your men. When you are set come back here, we have things to discuss,"
The lead mercenary nodded and led the others away with Molly to the far end and then one by one they filed into the chamber beyond. The door closed heavily, a hollow metal echo sound reverberating through the corridor.
After a pause Shepherd offered out his hand which Selena accepted and then he pulled her in close. She was his closest friend, his fiercest protector and so was he to her too. And yet their embrace … there was something off about it.
The pair separated and Shepherd could read Selena’s face, bruised as it was.
“Something is wrong,” Shepherd began, a hint of curiosity appearing on his face, “what happened to you, who … who did this?”
“Shepherd, I … I need to tell you something,” she began. Her eyes betrayed her anxiety to the often cold judging eyes of the large powerful man in front of her.
Shepherd’s eyes narrowed a moment, Selena, he knew, needed to confess something and that something seemed to instil a hint of fear in her. He owed his life to her, yet she was scared of him? Why should that be? He was momentarily torn, on the one hand protective of Selena and on the other, angry that she had evidently done something he might not like.
“Come in here, let’s talk,” Shepherd said. His tone was as ever broody, and there seemed to be something sinister about the whole moment as he swung open the rusty metal door to the room he had just come from.
Shepherd suggested she enter with his eyes and Selena went inside. The room walls were bare, no windows to be seen but organised on some tables were banks of laptops, their screens glowing.
“You’ve been busy…” Selena began, noting the various image feeds both above ground and where they were below.
“Wireless cameras, they make the job quicker,” Shepherd quipped, his tone neutral, “Now, what do you need to tell me,” he followed on.
Selena spun around, realising that Shepherd wasn’t going for small-talk; it was straight to business with him. Once upon a time, when plotting her revenge against Supergirl, Selena had loved Shepherd’s straightforward nature but with time Supergirl had softened her, made her more human. And now Shepherd’s company made her feel a little uncomfortable.
“It’s about your daughter, Kelly … I met her …” Selena said, her back facing the man before turning around to see what effect it had on Shepherd.
“You met her? Is she well? Wait, did she do this to you?” Shepherd asked as he stepped forward. For a moment, on his scale, he seemed almost happy but that slowly evolved into confusion then concern followed by a hint of anger.
Selena raised a hand, hoping to calm the angry giant a little, “Yes, we met, and yes she is well, but, she didn’t know who I was … not at first, it was… it was complicated,”
“Tell me,” Shepherd said gruffly. He preferred simple direct explanations.
In another room Selena’s mercenaries had secured Matthews and then their leader, Dragon, had deployed his men as asked. It had been a while since Dragon had seen Shepherd but Selena had often served as a bridge to get messages to the reclusive man.
Shepherd and Dragon, back when they were still in their respective militaries, had been on a mission together which had gone disastrously wrong. Selena managed to save the pair, the trio the sole survivors from an operation involving a much larger number of less fortunate people. Now, years later their survivor’s bond still held firm.
Dragon walked back towards the room where Shepherd and Selena had been, their raised voices echoing through the metal door and into the corridor. Dragon’s head tilted in confusion realising the unseen pair were … they were arguing?!
The voices were indistinguishable but Dragon’s pace hurried until he got to the door and after pausing to open it he entered to see …
“I didn’t want Kelly to fuck me, believe me … oh……..kay….?” Selena’s rant was defused, her words slowed as she saw Dragon in the doorway. Shepherd who was looming over Selena stepped backwards realising how things looked.
“What the hell did I walk into here?” Dragon blurted, “Are you talking about Shep’s Kelly? And she did what?!” Dragon asked in disbelief.
“YES. She means MY Kelly! Why didn’t you just TELL HER who you were?!” Shepherd demanded to know, a finger pointing at Selena in accusation.
Dragon blinked in confusion. Kelly had screwed Selena? The questions and confusing imagery welled up within the man. He didn’t know if to be turned on or off. And why would she do it? And Kelly didn’t even know it was Selena?
“Errr, look, Shep, it’s good to see you but if it’s all the same to you both I’ll get back with my boys while you clear up… well whatever this shit is…” Dragon said, not knowing what to do.
“No, STAY”, Selena insisted, pointing to the spot where Dragon stood as if he were a dog to command.
“Yes, STAY,” Shepherd agreed, “I want you to hear what Selena has been up to with my little girl…”
Dragon scoffed, “Little? Come on, Shep, she’s a grown young woman, right?” the counting on his gloved fingers quickly confirming that by now young Kelly was … well … certainly old enough, as his counting passed through to reach twenty at least.
“Shepherd, please, I wasn’t sure, and she didn’t know and … well … it was her commanding officer who was in control. It was Walker, Shepherd …” Selena explained.
Shepherd momentarily froze as he heard the name and his ire was redirected, “Walker?”, he seethed, “Walker made her do this? He remembered who you are?” Shepherd said, his anger at Selena subsiding.
Walker, Shepherd recalled had been Selena’s abuser way back when she had been held at Guantanamo and somehow he had gotten his hands on her again?
Selena looked bitter, “He suspected … but … he couldn’t prove it. Someone else had seen to that but we will cross that bridge again when we come to it. All you need to know is I was helped by this …” Selena explained, tossing her FBI badge to Shepherd.
“Celine? Another alias of yours? But this ID … “ Shepherd paused as he studied Celine Weiss’ credentials before coming to a conclusion, “… this looks so real,”
“Why do you think she had us go for the FED look?” Dragon cut in, his fingers pointing at his black tactical gear. Across his chest was a Velcro panel where there had been an FBI patch stuck fast.
“It looks real because it is, but Celine is not, she’s a fiction …” Selena added.
Shepherd looked at the ID once more, the cogs of his mind chugging through what it meant until he reached a conclusion, “You’re inside INFINITY” he groaned, “I heard there was a program but … but this? This is messed up,”
“Yes, INFINITY … and yes it really is perverse but while I am stuck with it I may as well use it,” Selena said.
“The news is that Matthews has not said much, is it true? What makes you think she will talk to you?” Dragon asked.
“I don’t think she will, but I can enjoy trying. Besides, I don’t care if she talks to me or not, I have McGee who will fix everything. No, the true reason we have come all the way out here is to get ourselves a spider,” Selena added.
“Spider …” groaned Dragon, “Oh, not that shit again?!”, his head dropping as it shook.
To know if Spydra was ready to be unleashed upon the big wide world Lucy, Lisa, Supergirl, and Selena had conspired to set her a secret test. Dragon of course knew it was a test too, but his men, armed with non-lethal weapons and Spydra had no idea. The mercenaries lost and Spydra passed, just about, with flying colours.
Shepherd saw Dragon’s reaction, “Who or what is this Spider?” he asked.
Selena had a twinkle in her eye, “Her name is Spydra and you’ll see what she is about, I am sure. Her favoured time to work is in darkness so there will be plenty of time for you to prepare,”
“What exactly are your plans for Spydra? Is this about the Supergirl problem you messaged me about?” Dragon asked, his head cocking to one side, his tone betraying he was suspicious of Selena.
Selena nodded, “Spydra is just about the nearest we can get to having our own Supergirl on the team. We are going to need her for sure if we are going to bring Supergirl down.”
Shepherd looked bitterly at Selena, “Supergirl? Again? I thought you both had worked things out? Or… what?”
“Yes, things between us were… good, but that was before Vel appeared and I am sure Vel has control of her now,” Selena answered.
Shepherd’s mind calculated what that meant. “You mean, the green glowing guy in the news, the one in that was in that guy’s head, Bobby Sanderson? Wait … and that psycho-bitch, Kimberly? That THING?!”
“Bobby and Kimberly were innocent pawns. But yes, Vel, and now you know. So we need all the help we can get if we are to stop what’s coming. Unfortunately I don’t know what Spydra’s mission will be when she gets here. It might be to get Matthews away from us. It might be to just join us. It might be to incapacitate us all until the cavalry comes to lock us up, I just don’t know.” Selena responded.
Shepherd raised a hand, “Ok, ok, I think I get it Selena, I think I get it. It’s probably why you had me lug so many of your darned equipment cases. Well, your gear is in a room across the way and the stuff you asked for the interrogation room is already there,”
“Very well, let’s get to work. Shepherd, you monitor the cameras, Dragon, you run the muscle…and … you’ll just have to play Spydra by ear. Remind your boys she only gives as good as she gets so … fingers off triggers else things may get bad for them,” Selena began.
“Yeah, I’ll make sure they’re all ready to go Dutch if she comes, I doubt they’ve forgotten the last time they met her. What will you be doing in the meantime, Buttons?” Dragon asked.
“I have Dr Matthews to interrogate …” Selena said mischievously.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Luara Granger, AKA Spydra was in the back of a cab which was driving up what was becoming an ever more rural road. On the way they had passed the out-of-town supermarket where Neyra and then Laura herself had been abducted by Selena and her team. It had been the real Supergirl’s plan and had been necessary for her friends to figure out what Laura was all about.
The thing was, Laura hadn’t been Spydra long by then, and in comparison to what she was now she was a complete amateur. Sure, she had her powers and was starting to figure them out, but, like someone holding a gun for the first time she had no aim and no skill. And without skill, her powers were not being used to their full potential. After figuring out that Laura was not a dangerous product of the green dust like the Sandersons had been Supergirl’s friends had tentatively let her into their group.
Lucy Wuan and Lisa Kozny spearheaded Laura’s training, showing her how things were done on opposite sides of the blurry legal line that divided their skillsets. Selena too helped, and of course Supergirl was also there from time to time. And in the end it all culminated in a test, a test that Laura was unaware of. She thought the mission was real, but a key few knew it was not. Laura passed the test and was ready for the real world it seemed.
And so Spydra began. Start small, she had been told, and she did. It was minor things she did, but she kept in the shadows and out of the limelight. For a while that worked and Laura was content but eventually Laura’s and Spydra’s worlds converged and Spydra was exposed to the cold light of day. Organised corruption, a gutsy reporter and a brave cop crossed Laura’s path as part time newspaper photographer and soon Spydra was on point to steer them all through their troubles. After a few key battles the corrupt ones had been taken down but at a cost. Spydra however was ready to swing into action once more.
So now here she was in the back of a cab heading to some drop off point. It was near some abandoned factory or mill. Selena had used it as a base to interrogate first Neyra then herself. Now it seemed Selena was back and wanting Spydra. To what end Laura was not sure, but Selena was a friend. Sure, a friend who at times made Laura uncomfortable as they had started off on the wrong foot, but it was Selena who had given her a suit which was worthy of a superheroine.
“Hey, Miss, I just wanna check. You said the corner of fourth, right?” the cab driver asked. Fourth street up here was little more than a country road.
“Uh huh,” Laura nodded, leaning forward in her seat.
“Only, ain’t that much around save for fields and farms. I know it’s not my business but I don’t feel great dropping you off there, it’s the middle of nowhere,” the driver added.
“It’s okay, someone is picking me up. I have friends up here, one of their mom’s is collecting us all and it was easier for me to wait at the corner.” Laura lied.
“Oh, okay, I see. Well, I can wait a few minutes till they come, it’s dark,” the cab driver said, his hand gesturing to the darkening sky.
“No, seriously, I will be okay, they’ve messaged me, they are on their way,” Laura said as she consulted her cell phone.
“Ok, well, don’t say I didn’t offer!” the driver said with a sigh, concerned for his passenger’s welfare.
“If anything happens it won’t be your fault, besides, it’s not like we are in New York or anything, I’ll be fine!” Laura said.
The cab driver scoffed, “Oh jeez, that?! Who knew that kind of shit could happen! Here? In America? That was crazy, right? Gonna be worse once all the ice thaws they say .. I remember when …” the driver continued, the clarity of his words fading as Laura looked at her cell phone.
Laura reread her messages, making sure she hadn’t misunderstood anything. She was to go to the place where she had met everyone for the first time, Selena, Lucy, Lisa, and Supergirl.
What a life changing event that had been. She had thought she was doomed! Lucy and Selena put her through the mill and interrogated her. Her fears were then exposed, but not by the women who had been sat opposite her, but by McGee who scoured her mind in secret for answers. All they wanted to know was the secret of her origins. Was she empowered by the green dust that had corrupted Bobby and Kimberly Sanderson … what was she keeping secret?
The secret? Laura’s powers came from what was thought a failed experiment, her identity lost. And it was in a bid to recover their lost success that a man Laura dubbed The Albino Man had abducted her along with a load of other potential candidates. During his many tests to unmask Laura she had, in self defence killed him. Her guilt, along with her sense of letting her father down was what McGee latched onto as her secret.
But with all these revelations one fine detail got overlooked. It was Laura’s bite that had killed the evil Albino Man and it was no ordinary bite. She had dissolved him from the inside out, an image that she carried in her head so secretly that even McGee could not get through to see it.
“Ok miss, this is it!” declared the taxi driver. Ahead was a road sign marking the junction Laura had asked for.
“Oh, great,” Laura responded, snapping back to the moment. Leaning forward she read the meter and passed forward the cash. Using only bills Laura was several dollars over, “Keep the change,” she added.
“Thank you very much. Now you take care, okay,”
Laura nodded and smiled and hopped out the cab. The driver paused for a few seconds, no doubt logging the journey or checking with his office for a new fare. Laura had taken him a little out of his ground but the fare compensated him well enough. The cab pulled away then performed a u-turn and left.
The sound of the cab diminished until it rounded a bend, the haze of its high-beams slowly fading from view. Now Laura was in the dark and alone. A quick look around confirmed nothing was coming and so Laura quickly began to peel off her street clothes, stuffing them into her already laden go-bag.
Beneath Laura’s clothes was her suit, but not the suit Selena had given her, she was in the original suit that Neyra had created. And the reason she was in what was no better than a Halloween parody of her real suit was because her good suit was trapped, locked in a case that needed her thumbprint and Neyra’s to open it. She was still cursing having put the suit away, not knowing Neyra would be gone so long but she had to work with what she had.
Laura consulted her cell phone and using a compass app checked the direction to the factory. She needed to avoid the road and being seen so she was going to go across country slightly. There were no buildings here save for a few farmhouses but she was hardly going to go swinging off of those, she was going to have to jog.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Selena had walked around the small concrete room mentally tallying that everything she had desired was there. Shepherd had done all the hard work setting things up during the day while Selena and the others had been escaping from New York. Her laptop was there together with a small selection of her hard drives in their array, networking gear, and a few hard cases containing some other surprises for her guest Dr Matthews.
“Ah good, he remembered …” Selena said in approval seeing a red case in the corner. The need to open that box and use the toys within depended on how cooperative Spydra was when she arrived.
Selena sat at the crude desk that Shepherd had made for her, two metal drums supporting a wooden shipping pallet and began to commands into her machine. This was practically all command line driven operations, loading whatever she needed with typed instructions. With a few clacks of the keys video recording software loaded and a feed began to be shown on the screen.
It was Dr Molly Matthews, hooded and bound to a chair, the would-be assassin who had been instrumental in trying to have Selena and Lucy killed. In order to help Supergirl they had to figure out what Matthews had done to her. Selena worked at the keyboard, created a save file and began recording the room.
Selena rose from the table and picked up two equipment cases then made her way to the chamber holding Matthews. The man guarding the door let Selena inside and with an ominous sound the door closed behind her.
Selena set the two cases down either side of her then laid them flat on the concrete floor. The catches were strong and sturdy and made a firm popping sound as Selena undid them. Reverently Selena swung the lids open in turn and revealed the contents. On one side was a clear latex catsuit and hood and in the other the shiny black plastic and metal torture backpack, the one that would interface with the catsuit and do unspeakably evil things to its wearer.
Selena dragged a finger over the backpack, a flood of memories coming back to her. She had used this device to break Supergirl and now she was going to use it to try and break Molly. Ironic it was that Molly’s own ingenuity had delivered to Selena a weapon that had allowed Selena to capture Supergirl in the first place so she could even get the suit and backpack onto her. Unfortunately for Molly though those memories had been wiped by McGee. And unfortunately for Selena she did not know that the Molly sat in front of her now had even less memories in her head than ever.
Selena rose from her stooped position and made her way to Molly who sat in silence, only her subtle breathing indicating their was life left in her. Selena reached with one hand and with a firm tug whipped away the hood.
Molly flinched from the light and from her oppressor in equal measure. Selena’s free arm wound up and delivered a firm strike across Molly’s face, causing the restrained woman to end up facing back up at Selena. It was then that Selena really could see the truth. Molly was already badly messed up, with grazes and bruises covering her face.
“That ….” grunted Molly “…that was cheap !” her head lolling to one side and coming to rest on her shoulder.
Selena stepped back looking at the back of her hand for a split second then back at Molly who was already so badly damaged. For Selena it was like looking in a mirror, for she herself was already carrying the bruises and grazes from her encounter with Walker and his protégé, Dakota. In those brief seconds Selena’s malice towards Molly evaporated and her prisoner could see it.
“What’s wrong ? Am I not what you expected!” Molly said with a sad sort of sarcasm, “Surely you must have seen my face before now … The Cop Killer, Garrison’s would-be assassin?”
Selena tried to process everything. Was this bruised and battered woman really the criminal mastermind who engineered the assassination attempt on the president? The one who had set up her own brother to die? Had manipulated events to trap Selena and Lucy on their death trip on the plane? Matthews looked weak. Damaged. Vulnerable.
Selena’s tone was conciliatory, “You’re right, it was cheap of me. But you are at the center of something that has… has hurt me, Molly. Deeply. A … colleague… nearly died because of you. And all this…” Selena gestured to her face before continuing, “… is thanks to you too. And someone I care about very much is…has… well, there is a chance I might not be able to get her back. So forgive me, but what you’ve done to me has been so costly. It’s little wonder I can only afford to do what’s cheap,”
Molly looked down and shook her head, sensing she was in no better a situation now than she had been since the start. Selena was just another interrogator in a long line of interrogators saying the same sorts of things about how she had done this or that. Without knowledge of anything she had nothing to offer. Nothing to give. Nothing to say.
“This is insanity. I keep telling you all. I’m sorry if I did those things. Truly I am, but I don’t remember anything. You could tell me I did anything… there’s nothing there. No memories. Nothing,” Molly said, head down despondently.
Selena didn’t know why but she felt that she believed Molly but was curious as to how little she recalled. How far back could she remember?”
“Who did this to you?” Selena asked as for some reason her sense of concern was ignited.
Molly frowned at the woman in front of her before she slowly broke out into pained, crazed laughter.
“Everyone … everyone did this … from the moment I woke up until I ended up in this chair here with you. For a moment, just for one little moment, I thought Special Agent Jones cared. At least she saved me from Supergirl. Actually gave a damn when she found me like this…I really thought that someone was going to try something new and finally help me,” Molly explained as her strained laughter merged into bouts of restrained tears.
Selena could tell; Molly really was broken. She knew from her own experiences what being broken looked like and Molly was in that place now. Selena had learned it the hard way twice, both of them at the hands of Walker. And of course Selena had seen it in the eyes of Supergirl when Selena had had her revenge.
Selena now eyed the two boxes behind her and knew she had brought the wrong tools for the job. In fact, Selena now realised she was entirely out of her depth. Molly needed rebuilding, not breaking down and that would take a different person altogether.
“Molly, I saw you at the courthouse, do you remember?” Selena asked, wondering what Molly knew.
Molly shook her head, tears streaming from her bruised face, “The courthouse? You? No, I remember the other agent, Jones, but remembering most things from before… that’s all gone,” she said, trying to muster some humour in her tone.
Selena drew up another chair and sat opposite Molly and after a pause asked “What do you remember then?”
“Oh god, we’ve been over and over and over this … don’t you people talk to each other?” Molly asked in despair.
Selena nodded softly, “Molly, I … well … if I told you I once was where you are now… I understand how frustrating this is, I promise. Besides, I’ve not had an opportunity to catch up with what the others learned. Now, tell me about the attack on the President, or of Supergirl?”
“Attack… nothing! I’ve not seen a President, and Supergirl? I … I only saw her for a few minutes and then she was gone! I was arrested and now … here I am!” Molly protested.
“So you don’t remember the attack at all?” Selena asked in surprise.
“Before I woke up with Supergirl and the others I don’t recall ANYTHING and by then it was all over,” Molly insisted. Her face was moistened by her tears, a sight that Selena had been seeing, looking in the mirror while she was Walker’s prisoner.
“OK,” Selena gestured with a finger, “if I assume that’s true, then all you can tell me is what happened afterwards. If you are innocent you have to tell me everything,”
Molly shook her head, “Innocent? But I don’t know, I don’t know … I could have … I mean … the news, that … manifesto … my confession! And those police officers I am meant to have killed at my apartment …”
“There isn’t much doubt that it was you, granted, Molly, but not in the sense you think. There is still a good chance you were under the influence of Vel at the time…and that makes you innocent,” Selena explained.
“Vel … that … that was what the test was for at the courthouse. Supergirl … she tried to find him in me … but … she nearly killed me and…he isn’t in me … he isn’t …” Molly said, squirming in her seat at the memory.
“So… what if he was in you before … but gone after the attack …” Selena asked slyly.
“You think … you think I can’t remember because … maybe he took my memories before he entered someone else?” Molly asked.
“Perhaps, Molly, I don’t know and we don’t know who Vel might be in now, for sure but, perhaps what you saw after you woke up might help us figure out what happened…”
Molly’s eyes darted from side to side. Finally there seemed to be an immense weight lifted from her, this woman in front of her was prepared to listen, prepared to trust, and prepared to maybe even believe!
“What do you want from me?” Molly asked, a little hope in her voice.
“I need information, Molly. I want to know every last detail of what you did, what you saw, and what you heard in the aftermath of the attack. If Vel had been in your head and escaped just before you woke up, then, there must be a clue as to what happened, and even how it happened. Understood?”
Molly looked down to the floor with closed eyes and nodded, “I will try … if you will,”
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
At the White House the President Garrison had been roused from her personal time and led to the Oval Office where Daniel Slater, secretary for defence, a few generals and a few members of the joint chiefs of staff had hurriedly convened. The Situation Room was still populated by those who were dealing with hangover of the Tsunami, a room that Garrison had not long escaped from for a break.
Garrison who had dressed down to jeans and a grey sweatshirt top looked to those who normally advised her, their stony faces indicating they were prepared to deliver some bad news.
“Madame President, I’m so sorry to be the bearer of bad news,” began one of the men.
“What has happened now?” Garrison asked anxiously.
Daniel Slater continued to explain, “This evening, at about twenty-hundred hours we expected to regain communications with the air force’s XT80 space plane. As you know the vehicle, with a crew of four, was launched in secrecy two weeks ago and was conducting stealth endurance trials. As part of the trial the vehicle was operating in radio silence, no communications, no telemetry…”
“Yes, I was read in on the mission in the build up to launch day, but….” Garrison said, sensing something very terrible had happened.
One of the senior officers with the air force spoke next, “I regret to report that about half an hour ago, after we remotely woke the craft’s telemetry feed and it appears that during their radio silence the crew of the vehicle has perished, probably due to environmental trauma. Damage to their craft rendered it unviable,”
Garrison’s head dropped, hands resting on the back of her head a moment as she comprehended the loss.
“Do we know what happened?” she asked, quietly.
“We believe, based on the log file timing data and the orbital position of their craft above the earth’s surface …” continued the air force officer.
Slater cut in, “Look, we think when Supergirl did whatever it was to freeze the sea water in New York, that heat transfer, the beam of light … it damaged their craft which was coincidentally orbiting overhead,”
“Oh my god,” said Garrison, her tone grave.
“From the telemetry data we managed to pull down it appears the damage compromised the hull. The logs indicate that the crew area quickly became a vacuum and their O2 stores became depleted, probably due to being ruptured. There is evidence the crew managed to put on their helmets and use personal supplies. They then tried to take some corrective actions by isolating damaged systems but the losses to their air supply was too extensive. The timing of the end of their oxygen supplies and the cessation of operation of the craft coincide. They’re gone. Even if they weren’t, their craft is too damaged, it won’t survive re-entry.” the air force officer concluded.
Slater sought the words to continue, “Katherine, we think it was an accident, but, if it really was Supergirl… what do we do?”
Garrison’s head rose, her ire, her sadness, her anger and her fear becoming focused to choosing a course of action. “Daniel. Gentlemen. Please, sit. ” she said as she gestured at the seats in the room. With a nod at a figure by the door the room was made secure ready for Garrison to speak in confidence.
The suspicion that all was not right with Supergirl was growing already and now the secret and the need to keep on top of it needed to be shared. How long would it take before Vel or his monster suspected the human’s knew the truth? And how would they react once they did?
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Lucy sat up on the edge of her bed, a doctor stood in front of her as he tested her pupil response with his mini light.
“Uh huh, uh huh,” he said quietly as he checked Lucy’s eyes, “Okay … everything looks good …but I would have preferred you stay in for observation for a little while longer,” the doctor remarked.
Lucy sighed, “I want out, doctor. I feel fine and I … well I don’t enjoy being here,” Lucy began.
“Well, I can’t stop you but you need to sign your release forms first, Agent Wang. On a good note the gunshot wound you received is clearing up nicely. Continue to keep it clean, and bandaged and you’ll be good as new, the stitches will dissolve on their own over the coming days,” the doctor explained.
Lucy had been told of her new name and although it jarred a little Lucy instantly adopted her new persona, being the pro that she was, “Thank you, let me sign and I will get out of your hair,”
The doctor left the room and Lucy looked down to the white tiled floor. It was only a foot below the sole of her foot but the drop and landing felt like a mile, Lucy buckling very slightly before straightening up.
Lucy reached down to her thigh and felt the bandage wrapped around it which was under her gown. Her gunshot wound was a cruel gift from her former colleague, Mr Nordic when he and Delacroix had come to kill Lisa Kozny. It had only been a shallow graze but Lucy felt the mild pain that it caused her.
There was a tap at the door and Lucy looked up, her questioning expression breaking into a soft smile as Lisa then Neyra entered swiftly followed by McGee. Neyra was carrying a box which contained Lucy’s personal effects.
“Hey, what did he say?” Lisa asked hopefully as she moved in for an embrace.
“I’m good to go, I’ve just got to sign off …” Lucy said as she hugged Lisa. Looking over Lisa’s shoulder Lucy studied Neyra wondering what other mysteries she was holding back. McGee however got a wink of friendship from Lucy when their eyes met.
Lisa and Lucy broke apart with further words failing to come for either them. They might have had more to say if they had been alone but their topics of conversation felt a lot more limited with the company they now kept. There was what seemed to be a long pause before someone spoke next.
“I guess I have some explaining to do,” Neyra said bashfully as she placed the box by Lucy’s side.
Lucy popped the lid of the box and peered in, her expression curious as she noted her FBI issued glock and ID amongst other things before a happy smile appeared on her face. She reached in, only to pull out her necklace, the one with the flattened splat of a bullet which she eagerly put about her neck immediately.
“No, Neyra, you’ve been great,” Lisa began, “Lu, look, Neyra has … well … she’s been solid while the rest of us …” before the cop faltered.
“While the rest of us, what?” Lucy asked.
“You ladies got hit hard, all of you and Neyra had to pick up all the pieces,” McGee started to explain.
Lucy’s hands rose to her face, “God, Selena, did she make it? The plane was in trouble and …” Lucy recalled.
Lisa nodded, “Yes, she made it but some of the other passengers weren’t so lucky. There were some other problems too but Selena is safe now,”
Lucy’s eyes darted between Neyra and Lisa “Now? You mean she wasn’t before? What’s been happening while I was out?”
Neyra raised her hands, “Selena was arrested by some army officer who recognised her from her time in Guantanamo,”
Lucy was confused, “But it was you who got her out?” her question targeted at Neyra.
Neyra, in Lucy’s eyes had been a tag-along friend until now. Neyra was Laura Granger’s girlfriend and had been involved with Spydra from the very beginning. During Laura’s more formal training from Lisa, Lucy, Selena and Supergirl Neyra had often been there to watch, give encouragement and at times she even joined in. But, even taking that into account Neyra was not a superhero, or a mercenary, she was someone with some basic field skills and that was it.
Neyra’s head dropped as she sought the words, “Supergirl was approached by the government. They wanted her to have this sort of backup plan in place. People to help her. They were worried about Vel. So Supergirl went to Selena to ask her to run it … and she … well she refused.”
“So she came to me next … but …well … you know I …,” paused McGee before he let out a groan.
“You refused too…” Lucy said softly, her tone not questioning, but confirming.
McGee just nodded, ashamed of his choice, “I’m doing more good not having others know of my secret. If she picked me, then despite their assurances, if they dug deep they might find out what I can do and then that would be my life over,”
“But Lisa, couldn’t she have asked you instead?” Lucy wondered, looking at the cop. Surely she would have made a great choice for the role.
Neyra shook her head, “She might have, but, I suspect it was while Lisa was in hospital after what happened with that woman, Delacroix…”
Lucy cursed under her breath hearing Delacroix’s name, her eyes darting side to side as she scanned her memory before looking up at Lisa in realisation, “That’s why Kara came to the apartment, she must have been coming to talk to you! Of course, she had some envelope with her! But then we went to the hospital together, just to check you were ok. They had a guard on you, but Kara told me she could tell you were fine…”
Lisa’s eyes widened, “Oh yes, Officers Tyler and Glen, those guys … those two being there … they saved my ass!” Lisa recalled it was Officers Tyler and Glen whose story gave credence to the idea that Supergirl was planning on recruiting her. Her Captain bought into the story for sure which helped her get loaned to the FBI.
Lucy glanced at Neyra “And I guess Kara knew the spotlight might be dangerous for me to do whatever this back-up plan is and so … that left you, or Laura. We all know Laura’s a great kid but …”
Neyra drew her suit jacket back slightly revealing her holstered Glock and her badge and looked down at them, “And that’s how we ended up with Special Agent Nerys Jones…”
McGee put his hand on Neyra’s back, “… And why Selena is Special Agent Celine Weiss, and you are … Special Agent Luna Wang,”
Lisa continued, “I’ve not changed though but I’ve been loaned to the FBI, and McGee got requested. We spun some baloney about Supergirl having noticed him too and, well, here we are,”
“But where is Selena, and, where is Laura? They are going to help us, right? ” Lucy asked, leaning slightly to one side to make sure she had not missed them entering the room.
“Yeah, about that… well … you see…” McGee began to explain, his face confessing the complications they now faced.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Selena had retreated to her room which Shepherd had prepared for her. She had observed as Dragon and another of his men had reset Matthews’ restraints, allowing the young woman a chance to lie down in relative comfort. Now, somehow, Matthews slept, her gentle slumber being picked up on the surveillance camera’s microphone.
Selena began typing commands on her laptop and began a computer analysis of the interrogation so far. The program would create a transcript, log keywords, search for patterns and so on though Selena was sure there wasn’t going to be too much there that matched anything important. But perhaps later, once they had more recordings, once they had interviewed other people, it might be possible to trip Matthews up if she was lying, or, maybe corroborate her story if she wasn’t.
Creating Transcript ….. 2%
Selena noticed that the program was running and spun away, leaving the room and making her way to where Shepherd was. He was only over the corridor and Selena glanced to the end where an armed man was stood vigilantly guarding Matthews’ door before entering her old friend’s room.
Shepherd looked up at Selena for an instant before his eyes dropped again to look at the screens of his array of laptops. The burly man raised his mug of coffee to his mouth, taking a mouthful, before letting it drop to the makeshift table.
“How is it out there?” Selena asked.
“No change,” Shepherd said flatly, not even looking at her.
“I know it’s no consolation, but I really was just a passenger in the proceedings you know. And Kelly, well, she …” Selena started to explain before instantly striking a nerve with Shepherd.
“Drop it, Selena. You’ve said your piece. It happened and it’s done. I will call her,” Shepherd said gruffly.
“But when, Shepherd? She says she barely sees or hears from you now. Nothing has happened to make you think they are looking for you, has it? I haven’t seen any sign, that’s for sure,” Selena said.
She was referring to a nebulous ‘they’, the ones who they suspected betrayed him, Selena, Dragon and the less fortunate others who had been killed in one night of slaughter. The end result, Dragon and Shepherd went into hiding and Selena was sent down a path where she would exact revenge on Supergirl, the one she blamed for her ruined young adulthood.
“Precisely. And so long as I keep my head down it will continue to be that way. They won’t harm Kelly as long as they think I am not around to be blackmailed. But, I will speak to her, make sure she is on the straight and narrow,” Shepherd said.
“She’s doing Green to Gold. Did you know that?” Selena asked, hoping to prod some life into Shepherd.
Shepherd looked up at Selena, a mix of emotions subtly appearing on his usually monolithic façade.
“No, I … no I didn’t. But … with Walker? I fucking dread to think what HIS private tuition is like…” Shepherd said, finally rising, taking his eyes from the monitors a moment.
“Me too. But look, if he makes her an officer then she will be free. The mentor and the rising star never stay together in the military. And it is in his interests to see she succeeds…” Selena said, trying to spin things in a positive light.
“Yeah, so he can get his hands on new fresh meat. I don’t know why you didn’t see to him a long time ago,” Shepherd growled.
“Regrettably I know now I started my revenge in the wrong place. Besides, what should I do? Kelly can become an officer, I am not about to kill off her sponsor now,” Selena said in annoyance.
Shepherd took a mouthful of coffee, a means to have another moment to think before speaking again, “My girl, an officer, I don’t know how to feel,”
“She wants to be someone, Shepherd, she wants to be someone you can be proud of. Just see her. Tell her how you feel about her,” Selena suggested.
Shepherd scanned Selena’s face, seeing what his girl had done to her. He would have to talk through many things with his daughter it seemed. She had grown up in his absence and now he would have to know what she had become.
“OK, once this is over, I shall,” the big man conceded.
“Thank you,” Selena smiled softly in approval.
Shepherd saw Selena accept his words, drew his mug of coffee to his mouth and took a mouthful of his drink. As he finished the contents his scanning eyes caught sight of his monitors over the horizon of the mug and …
“Jeezus …” Shepherd growled, as he slammed the coffee mug down onto the make shift table he was using.
Shepherd clicked his fingers at Selena and gestured towards the cell where they were holding Molly Matthews. Selena’s hand dropped to her holstered Glock, pulled it free and let it hang by her side as she spun around to the door. Opening the door a crack she could see the immediate vicinity was clear and widened the doorway preparing to move out.
Shepherd picked up the radio handset on the table, “Intruder in the cell! Intruder in the cell!”
The radio crackled into life as Dragon responded first and then he began to coordinate his defences.
Inside Molly Matthews’ cell Spydra approached with stealthy silence up to the prisoner who was restrained, albeit sympathetically to allow her to sleep on the floor. Spydra stooped down, setting her bag down next to her. She then brushed back Molly’s hair revealing her battered face causing the heroine to fear the worst about her captors.
“Doctor Matthews?” Spydra asked, gently rocking the prisoner who was sleeping on her side.
Molly slowly stirred from her deep sleep, something that caused Spydra’s rocking to get firmer and firmer until…
“What … who … who are you ?!” Molly asked in fear seeing the masked face of the heroine. Spydra quickly cupped Molly’s mouth with her hand, silencing her.
“Don’t be afraid … I’m here to make sure you are safe!” Spydra said kindly, her mask hiding her disgust seeing what shape Matthews was in. Slowly she released Molly’s mouth, allowing her to speak.
“But, I am safe… aren’t I?” Molly asked in confusion.
“I have to get you out of here,” Spydra said with urgency, looking at the restraints holding Molly down and planning how to get them off.
With a tug and and a strain Spydra managed to snap the chains that anchored Matthews to the floor. The metal clinked and clanked as the young heroine parted the chains, releasing the prisoner.
“Oh my god, what are you?” Matthews exclaimed as she heard the sounds of the chains snapping brutally.
“Shhhhhh” Spydra hissed. Stooping down she carefully hoisted Matthews up over her shoulders, performing a fireman’s lift.
Molly was astonished by the strength of the small woman who lifted her so easily. The woman beneath her didn’t look capable of lifting half her weight and yet there she was draped over her shoulders. Spydra fired a web at her bag and then retracted the line, bringing it into her grasp.
Spydra crept to the doorway and swung it open. At her feet was the sentry who had been on guard. Now he was wrapped in white webs, a blob over his mouth keeping him quiet. Ahead and above was an opened vent from where Spydra had entered the facility.
It was now as Spydra made her way towards the vent she saw Selena enter into the corridor, blocking her path.
“Spydra, STOP,” Selena said sharply causing Spydra to pause mid escape. Selena kept her weapon hanging by her side, her free arm raised, her palm ordering Spydra to stay put.
“Selena, Ive seen what you have done to her! ” Spydra said, gesturing to Matthews over her shoulder before her arm rose, her wrist pointing in Selena’s direction.
“She was like that when she got here,” Selena said, rolling her eyes, “now, are you going to end this silly game, or are we going to have to do this the hard way…”
“I don’t believe you, so yeah, the hard way,” Spydra scoffed, confident that she could still get out with Matthews.
Selena holstered her weapon while her free hand urged Shepherd to do the same, Dragon too as he came into view.
Spydra could see her escape route blocked by Selena and Shepherd. Behind her was the cell she had just come from and to her side the path was blocked by Dragon, a man she had seen on the day she had been tested by the others. Getting out now was going to be tough!
“I am only here for Matthews. Let me leave with her and …” Spydra began.
Selena looked exasperated, “And where would you go? And how would you get there? Do you seriously plan on carrying her all the way to Pittsburgh and join the others? They are hours away. And you do realise Molly is probably the most recognizable criminal in existence right now? If she is spotted in the wild it will all come crashing down on Neyra. You do understand that, yes?” Selena said in a patronizing tone.
“I… I have my means…” stammered Spydra. As always the pragmatic Selena seemed so powerful without having any power at all. And what did she mean that Neyra would be in trouble for Matthews’ liberation?
Now, arriving on the scene were more of Dragon’s men, some from ahead, and some from the side corridor. Seeing Spydra and hand signals from Dragon their pistols got holstered only for them to ready their non-lethal alternatives, taser guns.
The air was full of tension as the standoff took hold. Many of the men had met Spydra before having been involved in her final test which had earned her her suit. That meeting though had ended in a bruising for many of them and perhaps a few of them were hoping to repair their wounded pride.
Selena’s head cocked to one side in disbelief at Spydra’s defiance, “You are out of your depth here. Now, from what I can see you have two choices. Option one, you can put down Doctor Matthews and we will make her comfortable again while we talk this over like grownups, or, option two, we can…”
Just then Dragon’s men could see Spydra was distracted as Selena continued to monologue. Fingers tested the resistance of triggers to the limit while instincts and training went through the complex shoot or don’t shoot decision making process. Shoot, don’t shoot, shoot, don’t shoot? To Spydra’s senses the imminent atmosphere of danger was electric. Someone was about to lose their bottle and what should have been a reactive defence became pre-emptive attack instead. It was impossible to tell who shot first and who fired in self-defence, projectiles criss-crossing the corridor in unison.
Spydra’s web passed by Selena and Shepherd and striking the mercenary behind them on his chest as the darts of his weapon headed in the opposite direction towards the heroine. With a firm yank the webbed man was dragged forward and crashed into Shepherd and Selena in turn like skittles, bringing them down while Spydra twisted her body, avoiding the taser shot that had been intended for her.
Dragon drew and aimed his taser and went to fire but Spydra spun then hopped out of his line of sight around the corner of the junction in the corridor. The two men behind him also tried to track Spydra and one of them discharged his weapon. A pair of darts went whistling past Dragon into the void where Spydra had once stood only to harmlessly fall to the floor.
Dragon ran to the corner and looked around towards Selena, Shepherd and the other fallen mercenary. Spydra, Matthews over her shoulder seemed to bound towards freedom but as she lept over the prone trio Shepherd and Selena managed to let fly their own tasers at the heroine.
Firing upwards Selena struck Spydra on her butt while Shepherd struck on the underside of Spydra’s modest chest instantly causing some paralysis in the heroine. If she had been wearing the suit given to her by Selena this would not have been the case, but, as it was, Spydra dropped clumsily down to one knee.
Spydra strained to keep her load under control and gently rolled her shoulders, setting Matthews down to the floor. Dragon and another mercenary saw Spydra was faltering and the pair took aim. Spydra sensed the danger from behind of course and twisted at her waist and fired a web behind her, smothering the incoming barbed darts that sought to dig into her. But now another man had arrived, and another and another and slowly Spydra’s world got more painful and more impossible to escape.
“Ungh … ok … ok … I give up … I give up …” Spydra growled as she crumpled to the floor.
Selena dragged herself up, aided by Shepherd, and looked down in annoyance at the heroine at her feet, “or, before I was interrupted, option two, we can take you down and THEN we can talk this over, like adult and petulant child,”
Molly looked up in confusion as to what she had witnessed. Who was this Spydra person? Why was she trying to rescue her? What was going on?!
Slowly the others began to get to their feet while a few enthusiastic trigger pulls ensured Spydra stayed on the floor.
CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICK – sounded the taser units, sapping any remaining resistance Spydra had left in her. Selena contained the hint of amusement she felt as she saw the downed heroine groan.
Molly looked on with concern at Spydra’s treatment, “Please, stop, you’re hurting her!” she pleaded, trying to put herself between Spydra and who she perceived to be her attackers.
Selena rolled her eyes knowing full well that for Spydra the torment wasn’t as bad as it looked but knew she had to relent. “OK boys, that will do,” she said, prompting the clicks to stop and the men to eject the spent taser cartridges from their pistols.
During Spydra’s training within their own little group the taser had become an almost playfully used toy at times. And, although very debilitating Laura would be quickly on her feet again ready for more rough and tumble with her friends, particularly Lucy who appreciated fighting an opponent who could take the best she could give. Now, unfortunately, Selena felt she had to throw some harsh reality in young Laura’s direction.
“Dragon, return Doctor Matthews to her accommodation and then resume your security patrols. Shepherd, help me deal with Spydra,” Selena said, giving Spydra a light shove with her foot, turning her over onto her back in a daze.
“And what do you propose we do with her? If she managed to get the Doc here unhooked from her chains then …” Shepherd wondered. Restraining Spydra would be almost as hard as restraining Supergirl, relatively speaking.
“Don’t worry, what do you think was in all those boxes I had you bring?” Selena scoffed.
Matthews was hauled to her feet by Dragon who then led her away, a guiding hand resting on her back as he did so.
“Please, don’t hurt her, she … she thought she was helping me!” Matthews protested.
“Don’t you worry lass, she’ll be fine!” scoffed Dragon.
= = = = = = = = = =
Neyra, McGee, Lucy and Lisa had checked into a motel and were sat in a quiet corner of the lounge area. On a TV in the corner the news was on, the events in New York that morning being the central feature. It was late in New York and images of thawing ice seemed to be a recurring image. Buildings got flooded, metro stations inundated and everywhere there was strewn wreckage that would need to be cleared up.
“Seems by freezing the water she slowed things down a lot. Slabs of ice don’t move like water, she took the edge off the worst of it. The flooding is a major pain in the butt but at least the casualties were limited,” McGee said.
“I’m lucky my apartment is high up. I think I will have avoided the worst of it,” Lisa chimed in.
“Oh man, my Porsche is probably underwater, the building’s garage is below street level. Selena’s going to be pissed! But, that’s nothing compared to what those people are going through” Lucy sighed, gesturing to the TV screen with her beer bottle.
Neyra nodded, “Yes, you have been lucky. I mean, there are people out there tonight who have lost loved ones while others have lost everything they owned.”
The TV then showed some capture footage of Supergirl helping the city and the army helicopters that had saved so many people from the low lying areas. Neyra’s eyes glared at the imagery playing out, “They are calling her a hero but I bet Vel made her do it somehow, just like he did with the Sandersons”
“Do you think it’s Vel showboating? Create a crisis to make Supergirl look good?” Lisa asked the group.
Neyra seethed, “It’s the not knowing that’s getting to me. We’ve been behind the curve the whole time playing catch up. It was Friday that the attack on Garrison happened and we are barely all together even now, and tomorrow is Wednesday. How much trouble could she have caused by now?”
That thought caused everyone to fall into stony silence as they reflected on how much trouble they could be in.
Neyra felt her phone buzz at her side and she checked for messages hoping it was Laura but it was from her boss at the FBI. She studied the message carefully, her stomach somersaulting as she read between the lines. It had a been nearly a week that Kara had appeared at her father’s offices and asked her to take on INFINITY and now she had a new name, a new job, and was carrying the responsibility of the world on her shoulders. And worse, her signature was on the custody paperwork for a prisoner she had then lost within five minutes. And not just any prisoner, only the most notorious and heinous prisoner currently within the United States!
“Hey, you ok?” McGee asked, seeing Neyra’s anxiety quite plainly. The mere question allowed him to see uncomfortable imagery playing out in her mind as she considered her reply.
“My boss. He wants a status report on how things are going and how Matthews is,” Neyra gulped.
McGee softly nodded, “OK, I know Selena has gone off reservation but you know Matthews is safe right. She’s only acting out to get Laura involved,”
Neyra looked down despondently, “I guess, but I’d be grateful if you could help me out of this hole. I don’t have Matthews and if…” she explained before being cut off.
“Hey, it’s going to be okay, I am sure. Let’s go over it and I will help you craft something to keep him happy, I am fluent in awkward-boss-speak” McGee suggested before turning to Lisa and Lucy, “give us some space to think will you while Neyra and I try and work this out,”
“Sure,” Lucy nodded, “Lisa and I … we need to talk over some things ourselves … in private,” the mercenary added.
Lisa glanced at Lucy, unsure of her tone. It sounded serious, but then, with everything that happened recently that was the only thing they shared right now, serious stuff! Lucy though just nodded towards another corner of the lounge and rose to her feet. Lisa followed Lucy over to the far side, beer in hand and settled on a sofa opposite the mercenary.
“Lu, I …” began Lisa. There was so much to say, so much to learn and the emotions in her head wanted to burst out the dam that held them in check.
Lucy cut across her friend, “Lisa, there are things you have to know… some things that only make sense now that McGee dropped into my head at the hospital …”
“If you mean the monster, I know it’s gone …” Lisa interrupted.
“No, there is more than that. There are things that affected ‘us’, understand?” Lucy explained.
Lisa cocked her head, not sure what Lucy meant, “No, I don’t,”
Lucy sighed a little, through tiredness more than anything but needed to explain, “Do you remember when … when you asked me how I was improving my running times so much? Do you remember how I snapped at you?”
“Yeah I remember. You bit my head off. But I sure as hell remember how we made up over it,” Lisa said, a little enthusiastically. The way Lucy had made up with her had been wonderfully intimate and erotic.
Lucy looked down, guiltily, “Yes, but … it, it wasn’t entirely me. The copies of Molly and McGee, they were trying to collectively keep me alive. It was them that made me altitude train so I could survive the monster’s plan to kill us on the plane. And it was the monster who … who made me snap at you, to keep you away from understanding what I was doing and maybe learning why I was doing it. And so, the copy of McGee … that damned romantic …I think it was him who…helped us make up”
Lisa looked at Lucy understanding now what she mean. How much of their relationship was what she thought it was? How much of it had been influenced by the quiet whispers that had been in Lucy’s head.
“But, we… you and me … we’ve been something since before all that. Even from … from day one when you arrived in New York, right?” Lisa checked.
“Yes, we, I … well, it was real, okay, but, with everything that has happened, I… I need to figure out who I am again… on my own,”
“You’re breaking up with me?!” Lisa asked, her shock obvious.
“No, no, I just need some space, understand. Just so I can find myself. I don’t know where the others have ended and I begin. I … I do want you, Lisa, it’s just …” Lucy explained before she faltered.
“I don’t understand, we were together before all that even happened. And all I’ve hoped for is for you to wake up. I was so scared I was going to lose you and now ... and now THIS?” Lisa pleaded with a low voice.
“And that’s probably a good reason we need to … cool down … I could have lost you to Delacroix and you nearly lost me to Vel. And who knows how we would be if that happened to either of us,” Lucy said, avoiding eye contact with Lisa.
“Lu, … if you want me to hit pause, I can hit pause, but, every minute of every day I … I’m going to be asking myself when you will come back to me…” Lisa said, leaning forward, trying to look Lucy in the eye.
“I just need a little time … that’s all. Perhaps when … perhaps when we get Kara back and we can relax it’ll be easier, I’m sorry …” Lucy continued.
The pair fell into silence for a moment before Lucy glanced over at McGee and Neyra as they worked on their reply to Ingram.
“How is she holding up?” Lucy asked, hoping to keep herself involved with Lisa albeit at arm’s length.
Lisa recognised Lucy’s tone of voice, the lover was gone, the focused mercenary was here. Lisa decided to play things Lucy’s way knowing it was the only way to stay on her radar; the only way to win her back when she was ready.
Lisa looked over at Neyra who was talking to McGee, “Neyra? She’s riding a dangerous knife edge but one thing I can’t take from her, she’s people-smart, helped me out of a hole with that Internal Affairs douchebag, Klein …” Lisa said.
Klein, Lucy recalled was from the NYPD’s Internal Affairs department, and had been a thorn in Kozny’s side when she had first been kicked out of the force way back.
“Klein, he wasn’t … he wasn’t coming at you again, was he?” Lucy asked, her eyes narrowing as she faced Lisa once again.
“Yeah, it was a close call. The NSA had tagged your cell phone and mine having been in the same places at the same times,” Lisa began.
Lucy uttered something under her breath as she understood what had happened, “Of course, I had been helping you on the case of the murdered pilot… you even came to my apartment”
“Yeah and when they figured your behaviour was suspicious on the very plane that murdered man was meant to fly their data mining algorithms put two and two together. Your cover with the FBI hadn’t been well established then and I didn’t know anything about what Neyra had done. So the NSA was roasting me over the coals and Klein… well he was having a field day,” Lisa said, taking another swig of beer.
Lucy seethed quietly, tallying names in her mind before speaking, “But I guess something happened…” she said, glancing over at Neyra once more.
“Yeah, ‘something’ happened, it was Special Agent Nerys Jones,” Lisa said appreciatively of Neyra who was none the wiser as she and McGee hunched over her cell phone preparing to make a call.
Neyra dreaded every bleep the phone made as they waited for Ingram to take the call. Then, her heart sank as a voice answered.
“Ingram. What do you have for me Jones?” began Ingram.
“Sir, you are on speakerphone with myself and Special Agent McGee from the Trouble-shooter section,” Neyra said into the speakerphone, her eyes glancing at McGee who nodded.
“Oh, I see. Good evening McGee, I trust everything is going well,” Ingram said, his tone softening a hint realising a genuine FBI man was in on the call.
“We have some mixed news, sir, but nothing too heavy on the downside,” McGee started, sounding confident but matter of fact.
“Go on?” Ingram said, his tone neutral and hard to read.
“The good news is that Special Agent Wang is awake and with us, they released her from hospital,” Neyra explained, hoping to placate Ingram.
“That’s excellent news. I hope she is able to give you some insight into events on the plane. But, I suspect there is some bad news to come …” Ingram asked, his tone hinting at his suspicions.
Neyra bit her bottom lip, closed her eyes and brought the rehearsed answer to the forefront of her mind, “The evacuation from Central Park was a shit-show, sir. As we were getting Doctor Matthews to the transport the tsunami was on us and our group got separated,”
“Separated?! Tell me you still have Matthews,” Ingram growled.
McGee nodded to Neyra to indicate she was doing okay and to just continue as they had rehearsed their story, “Special Agent Weiss and a security detail have Matthews, they are holed up in a safe house and we will rendezvous at the test site tomorrow. It’s all arranged,” Neyra explained.
“And you have confidence that Weiss will deliver? Where is this safe-house?” Ingram asked, pressing Neyra for answers.
“Yes sir, of course she will, and the safe-house itself … well …it’s Supergirl specific so …” Neyra began to explain.
“No, no, don’t say over this line. Just be sure Matthews shows. Oh, and so you know, there has been a … well … a policy shift. And this is from the very top, understand Jones? McGee? This is to be disseminated to your team at once…”
“If course sir, she’ll be there,” Neyra responded, glancing at McGee wondering if he knew what this new policy was.
“Policy, sir?” McGee asked while flashing a ‘I don’t know!’ face at Neyra.
“Supergirl is not to suspect we know she has been compromised, understand? There have been some events that we think are related to Vel learning how to control his new body. Adverse events. We think the tsunami was an attack calculated to ensure her positive reputation.”
“If we understand correctly, we are not to promote this theory that she has been compromised outside of our own group or Dr Matthews,” McGee checked.
“Correct,” Ingram confirmed , “the fear is that if Vel realises his plan to take Supergirl by stealth has failed he has nothing to lose by unleashing indiscriminate attacks against us, our allies, or just about any nation that he wants. The hope is that, for now at least, with Supergirl’s reputation safeguarded any immediate threat will be reduced,”
“OK sir, I will explain it to everyone,” Neyra said.
“See that you do, and Jones. Tomorrow when you all meet at the test site I expect to vid chat with you… and I want to see Dr Matthews,” Ingram said.
Neyra’s heart plummeted to her feet in dread but mustered a “yes sir,” before their call ended.
McGee put his hand on Neyra’s upper arm to give her some moral support.
“Hey, you did it, good job,” McGee said with a wink and reassuring pat.
Neyra however felt less enthusiastic about the outcome, “But you heard him, he’s basically asking for proof of life, like I’m a kidnapper or that I’ve let her escape or something. He’s only painting it nicely because he thinks you’re possibly not in on all this,” Neyra said despondently.
“Selena will be there, I promise. She can be a bitch, but she’s not out to get you, I swear,” McGee said, while beckoning Lucy and Lisa to return to them now the awkward call was over.
Lisa and Lucy saw McGee gesture to them with a soft smile and a nod and Lucy was about to head back to them when Lisa caught her arm lightly, holding her back. Lisa’s other hand signalled to McGee they would be there in a moment.
Lucy looked at Lisa inquisitively, the cop promptly saying what it was that she wanted, “When we have an opportunity I want to talk about Delacroix, in private,” Lisa said quietly.
Lucy looked at Lisa, irritated at the idea, “The least you know about that the better,” she said. And she was right, what Lisa didn’t know was what was keeping her safe.
“I need to know if there is going to be any fall out. If the tsunami has …” Lisa insisted. Evidently she was concerned that Delacroix’s body might be uncovered after the tsunami had struck.
Lucy shrugged off Lisa’s hand which held her arm, “I said drop it. Never mention her name again, she’s never coming to haunt you, I swear it,”
Lucy stepped away from Lisa’s reach and approached McGee and Neyra, leaving Lisa behind to wonder who this new Lucy really was.
= = = = = == = == = = = = =
Spydra was heard to protest as Selena and Dragon stooped over her prone form.
“Hey, no, stop … oww … what is …no! Hey I … owww get … off me!”
CLICK!
Selena and Dragon tumbled backwards as Spydra weakly flailed at them only to come to rest on her knees, head bowed down. Selena rose to her feet, as did Dragon, the pair cautiously surveying their captive heroine from a modest distance. Selena nodded approvingly to Dragon who stepped away from the heroine before she knelt in front of Spydra, cupping the heroine’s chin, forcing her masked face to look at her.
Spydra’s torso was bound in a harness, some kind of sprung shock absorber type rods connecting to restraints on her forearms and thighs, limiting the speed and range of her movement.
“Exquisite! Dragon, fetch Yuri, I believe he has a score to settle, yes?” Selena asked of her friend, not taking her eyes off of Spydra.
“Yuri? Does he?” Dragon asked, glancing down at Selena who stayed close to Spydra.
“I believe he does, yes. Now please, go fetch him,” grinned Selena.
Dragon muttered something under his breath and then left, leaving Selena and Spydra alone.
“Who? What score?” Spydra asked groggily having been repeatedly stunned to keep her in check while Selena had harnessed up the young heroine.
“You remember your test, don’t you? Do you remember the penthouse swimming pool? The Russian? You know, I do believe I recall you shocking his balls, isn’t that so?” Selena teased.
“What is this … this contraption!” Spydra growled, nervously ignoring Selena’s comment.
“Now don’t you break it, young lady. Believe it or not this is a gift I had made for Lucy. A training aid so you can both spar on an equal level,” Selena cautioned the heroine.
“Nghhhh..” Spydra groaned as she tried to rise, “Spar?! I … I can barely move!”
The heroine had partially straightened up on her feet only to buckle, compressed into a ball by the harness, pulling her to her knees once more.
“It’s dialled to the max right now, but I will turn it back down when Yuri arrives,” Selena explained.
“You wait! When I tell Kara what you’ve done she’ll …” Spydra began to complain.
“Laura, nothing would make me happier than to have you tell Kara. But, you don’t know what’s going on. Vel has Kara; Vel is inside her head,” Selena said bluntly.
“What? That’s why you told me to stay away from her? But the news… she saved New York, didn’t you see? She’s not gone bad…” Spydra insisted.
“Oh yes, we saw. We were in New York when it happened. Well, Lucy wasn’t, what with being in a coma and all …” Selena, explained coldly.
“WHAT?!” Spydra shrieked in shock. Lucy had been her mentor and had taught her how to fight.
“Oh, she’s fine now, woke up just a few hours ago,” Selena said, nonchalantly. Lisa had sent her a message about Lucy being awakened, thanks to McGee’s efforts.
“Oh my god, what happened?! Is she okay?” Spydra pleaded to know, her voice climbing an octave.
“She’s fine. I’m fine too, thanks for asking,” Selena said, gesturing to her own bruises, “and Lisa as well, despite having been shot and beaten by a rather nasty mercenary…”
“But…wait… what?! What the hell are you talking about!? Why hasn’t anyone told me about this stuff?” Spydra demanded to know.
“Because we’ve been fighting to stay alive. But now we’ve gotten things on an even keel it’s time to bring you in,” Selena explained.
“You know I’d do anything for Supergirl. But what are we going to do? I want to help,” Spydra asked hopefully.
“Good, I’m glad to hear it because unfortunately before all this went south Kara asked Neyra to keep you out of it. But a lot has changed and it’s time you knew what has being going on in your absence, especially with that Enchantress of yours, Neyra,” Selena said slyly.
“What do you mean? She’s okay, right?” Spydra said with a puzzled tone in her voice.
“Oh, you’ll see what I mean tomorrow when we all finally get together and…” Selena began to explain when suddenly…
CLANGCLANG
Selena’s eyes looked to the door, no doubt Yuri waiting on the other side. Spydra on the other hand took a sharp breath. She had been focused on Selena and her senses had not been loud enough to alert her of Yuri’s arrival.
“Enter,” Selena replied, the metal door groaning as it swung open.
In walked a tall, muscular young man. His hair was fair, eyes piercing blue and untypically for a mercenary, women could consider him cute. Spydra, severely hobbled by the harness twisted her torso around and saw him enter. The heroine’s head dropped as she remembered who he was, muttering something under her breath.
“You!” Yuri exclaimed, recoiling a moment before realising Spydra was in no state to hurt him now.
“Yes, her. I am glad you remember …” Selena said with a smile.
“Oh … oh gosh …” Spydra said, backing away in a crawl. During the test the adrenaline was in full flow because she thought everything was real. And just as the tension was reaching its peak Spydra had felled the man in front of her like he was nothing. Now she was on her knees in front of him.
“Da, I remember brave girl,” Yuri began, his tone respectful, “whole team laugh at me for a week…” he added with an angry fist-wave before laughing which made it hard for Spydra to gauge his mood.
“To be honest I recall your whole team laughed at each other for a whole week. And Spydra cost you a lot, right?” Selena said, her arms folding as she began to walk around the vulnerable heroine.
Spydra, compressed down to the ground by the harness did indeed feel small like a spider, especially with Yuri looming large. However, it was the circling Selena which added a sense of humiliation for the young heroine, the sense she could be squished under foot in the fore of her mind.
“Da, it is true, it is true. Mission bonus forfeit, fifty thousand euros each. Men quite mad… but … to meet such impressive woman … we forget money quickly,” Yuri explained with a smile.
“Hey, I didn’t know! I didn’t know anything about any money!” Spydra protested.
“Da, da, da, we know … training exercise. But what is this now?! Why you have friend like this?” Yuri asked of Selena as he towered over the heroine whose restraints kept her down.
“That rig she is wearing over that cheap Halloween costume is designed to help level the playing field for her sparring partner. You are going to help me test it before I deliver it gift wrapped to this little bug’s handler,” Selena explained.
“I am to spar with her? If I remember it is painful game!” Yuri scoffed as he surveyed the heroine.
“Damn right it will be,” Spydra said gruffly as she tried to raise one arm to make a warning web shot only to have her arm drawn back to her body by the harness.
“Now, now Spydra, be nice. He’s on the same team, and in oh-so-many ways,” Selena said with a hidden wink to Yuri which caused him to scoff in return.
“What is, how you say? In it, for me? Little spider has spirit, and experience say spirit hurts!” Yuri asked with a questioning tone.
“Take her mask off and you can sleep with her for the night, or you can have your fifty-thousand euros, your choice …” Selena said flatly.
Even masked Selena could see Spydra’s horror, “WHAT?! You can’t do THAT!? Selena! What the fuck!” Spydra shouted angrily as she shuffled around to face Selena who loomed over her.
Yuri’s eyes flashed mischievously at Selena and then he looked down at Spydra as he spoke, “Da, I like deal. I like deal a lot!”
Yuri made a playful lunge down at Spydra, feigning an attempt to grab her mask. He knew though that the game wasn’t yet to begin and laughed as Spydra recoiled with a growl.
“Oooh, your little spider is dog too …” teased Yuri as he stepped away.
“At the moment the harness is dialled to the max. Level 1 is essentially the same as being off. You will spar from levels four to eight… maybe more, depending on how this spectacle plays out,” Selena said, revealing a hand-held device.
“Da, this deal sounds … fair…” Yuri nodded as he removed his tactical gear from his waist up.
“Try to take my mask and I’ll break your fingers, comrade” Spydra said with forced menace.
Selena wagged a finger in disapproval, “Listen, you. You will conduct yourself like you would with Lucy, understand? During sparring it’s expected that people get hurt, but not with malice. You are better than that,” Selena said in a patronizing tone.
“Whatever, I’m not sleeping with hiooooh …” Spydra said as she looked towards Yuri who stood in one corner of the room now bare chested. The young man sported an impressive set of muscles worthy of Adonis.
“Oh my,” Selena whispered as she caught sight of Yuri.
Spydra was currently in a relationship with Neyra. Before that she hadn’t really connected with anyone, having only really explored relationships with the opposite sex. The idea that she was looking in the wrong place hadn’t really occurred to her until she met Nerya and then everything seemed to make sense, or so she thought. Right now though her heart fluttered at seeing this impressive man in front of her.
Yuri clapped his hands together once, indicating he was ready to go, snapping the two women’s attention back to the moment.
“I am ready! Come little spider, let us fight!” Yuri said, adopting a fighting stance.
“Time for you to play, Spydra,” Selena said, stepping back and touching the remote that controlled the harness settings.
VWEEOOWWW hummed the harness as it powered down to a lower level.
“Nhggg, finally!” Spydra said with relief as she felt her limbs become free. With a subtle push she sprung up to her feet, finally able to properly size up Yuri.
Now she remembered him better, a flashback of the moment near the pool and her escape route to the roof back when she had been tested.
Spydra let out a playful scoff as she raised her arm about to let loose a web. Even Lucy liked a little web-play in their sparring, the missiles adding a unique dimension to the workouts that she definitely could not get elsewhere. And, anyway, Selena herself had suggested Spydra conduct things like she would with Lucy … so …
WAIT – Spydra’s instincts warned herself yet she overrode them, letting fly a web missile.
The web coalesced well enough and her wrist reflex sent it forth on its journey from its gland and on, out through the slit in her suit only to be immediately funnelled by a metal restraint which redirected the shot back at herself.
SHLOP! Spydra recoiled backwards, struck in the chest by the blob like missile.
“Ha! Ha ha ha!” Yuri laughed at Spydra’s misfortune.
“What the hell!” Spydra protested only to see Yuri walk confidently towards her.
“Oh yes, I should have mentioned that bit,” grinned Selena, pointing vaguely at Spydra.
Yuri approached and Spydra prepared to fight, only he had a more direct goal in mind. With a lunge with one arm, straight towards Spydra’s head she ducked to one side and delivered a blow, sending him staggering back with a groan.
“Oh I think you will have to wear her down a bit first, Yuri. Route one is never going to work,” Selena mocked the young Russian.
Yuri scoffed as he flexed his muscles, resetting his stance, “So, I see,”
“Whose side are you on, Selena!” Spydra screeched.
“Usually MINE” Selena said, striking the remote and upping the resistance in the training harness.
VWEEEEE – hummed the harness in reply.
“Oh god!” Spydra exclaimed as she felt the hint of resistance against her body.
Yuri smirked as he approached knowing this time he would have to fight and that Spydra would be one notch weaker thanks to Selena’s contraption.
= = = = = = = = = = = = =
A news anchorman spoke over video footage showing first the tsunami striking New York, the evacuation and the wrecked aftermath before transitioning to a live feed of the city skyline. The city was dark save for the glow of flood lighting that was visible here and there between the tall buildings. Military helicopters were in the air, the occasional search light visible as they criss-crossed the sky looking for people in trouble.
“Well … it has been a tumultuous day here in New York but as nightfall approaches the toll of the tsunami on the city is really starting to be felt. Much of the city is in darkness tonight and as we heard from ConEd in an earlier video things are not expected to improve for the majority of people for at least a week. Much of the electrical grid has been waterlogged or damaged by ice and so having just a simple hot meal would be an impossibility for many. That leads to several severe humanitarian problems, also when it comes to fresh water – which has been contaminated by the sea.
However, help has been on hand. The Army and the National Guard which helped evacuate so many before the waters rose have returned with FEMA and as we speak they are establishing food and watering stations across the city. And they are not the only ones helping, New York’s finest have also been on hand, helping survivors in their hour of need. We also can’t forget to mention Supergirl too who helped slow down the tsunami, turning it into ice and now, is helping with the aftermath. Let’s drop in with reporter, Jake Redland now who is at one of those stations the military have set up and see what is going on at street level.”
= = = = = = = = = = = = =
Supergirl set down a cargo net full of supplies onto the grounds of Bryant Park by the public library. Unclipping the net she tossed the corners to the ground from the air, opening the net up. Men from the national guard went up to the load and quickly forming a human chain began to pass the boxes down the line to the serving station.
Queuing around the park beaneath diesel generator powered lights were civilians who had made it there to receive a hot meal. New York was mostly without power and city water pressure was low meaning that many high rise buildings were without drinking water or a means to prepare food. The military kitchen was preparing and dispensing MRE’s, essentially military rations, people collecting them piping hot and moving on, ushered by soldiers who had organised the queue.
“That’s it people, keep moving, keep moving, keep the exit clear, that’s it …” a soldier said in a calm friendly voice, beckoning the grateful people to keep moving.
“Thank you so much…” a young couple said as they collected their small meal and a bottle of water each and walked by, out the exit. The air they exhaled instantly fogged, the ambient temperature at street level having been many degrees below what it should have been that day, thanks to the mass of ice that clogged many streets before turning into mush then ice cold water.
Supergirl landed on the ground in the middle of the park and walked towards a covered area operated by the army. There was an array of men at tables operating laptops and were coordinating with other feeding stations across the city. The logistics for the first day or so were going to be immense with the hope being that by day two or three of the emergency that the population would move out for a while until the clean-up and restoration of services could happen.
Supergirl approached one soldier and she smiled, “hey, may I speak to someone in charge?”
The soldier was a little startled , “Oh, wow errr hi, Supergirl,”
“Hi, sorry, I didn’t mean to surprise you like that,” Supergirl continued with a smile.
“I guess you see it a lot. Ummm, I will take you to the LT now, he’s in charge ” the soldier replied.
The soldier led Supergirl into the covered space and there was the lieutenant, on a call.
“Look, I know I am lucky to have the space I’ve got,” the lieutenant said to the person on the other end of the line , “yes, I am not arguing that with … no … no… of course not. I am just saying IF …IF you get something bigger than a Humvee …” he continued before seeing Supergirl , “oh … errr … look … forget it. I’ve got another option, signing off,”
The lieutenant put the handset of the phone down and offered out his hand to Supergirl. The pair shook hands for a second before the Lieutenant spoke.
“I was told you were about though I wasn’t expecting to see you first hand. What can I do for you?” the lieutenant asked, hands falling to his waist.
“Well, more like what can I do for you? I was helping move supplies and yours was the last lot that was available at the depot though they told me more trucks were on their way,”
“Oh, you’ve brought in the shipment for us? That’s great, thank you. Helicopter availability should improve by morning so right now every load you take is a big help,” the officer added.
“Did I overhear you had a problem?” Supergirl asked.
The officer let out a sly grin, “Actually yes, though you know I am not meant to ask,”
“Sure, but what’s the problem?” Supergirl asked.
“Walk with me?” the officer said, gesturing with his hand. Supergirl looked in the direction he indicated and began to walk with him.
The officer led Supergirl across the park as he spoke, “Well, we’ve started to build a good base of operations here. Logistics, supplies, mess tent for the men, kitchen to serve food to the civilians. Our generators are just over there with fuel for a good few days but right where we’d like to pitch our medical tents …” he stopped and pointed at the problem.
Lying on its side was a big yellow school bus which had been dragged by the ice when it eventually came to rest. Nearby there were some tents with red crosses on them but it was obvious the bus was preventing the men from pitching out the rest.
“Oh … sure … I get it,” Supergirl beamed. She could see the bus was wedged and impossible to move without some sort of equipment.
Supergirl walked over to the bus, glanced around beyond the edge of the park and saw a place she could set it down without a problem. Also out there beyond the cordon of the park was a news team who approached.
“Supergirl? Supergirl? May we have a moment!? Supergirl!?” the reporter called out.
The officer’s eyes rolled, barely perceptible to anyone except Supergirl who understood.
Supergirl gestured at the reporter, “let me take this and then I will get rid of the bus, okay?”
“Sure, thank you,” the Lieutenant replied, arms folding as he stayed back. Supergirl however walked towards the news crew.
“Hi, Supergirl, a busy day for you, can we ask how things are from, well, your unique perspective?” Jake Redland, the reporter asked, his cameraman keen to frame a good shot.
“Err, well, just trying to help the best I can. It’s hard for much to move at the moment so I’ve helped where I can,” Supergirl explained vaguely.
“But, what about the tsunami itself. Do you think freezing the water was the best option now that we’ve seen the chaos of the thaw later on?”
“What? Well, I guess it seemed the best option at the time,” Supergirl began to explain.
“So you have regrets now or …” Jake pressed.
“Well nothing I was going to do was perfect. But it was about the best outcome I could imagine, ” Supergirl said, a little rattled.
“But the families of those lost to the ice or the post thaw flooding would agree though, right?” the reporter asked sincerely.
“Oh, I am really sorry, I … I didn’t know. I did my best, I’m sorry” Supergirl said, floundering a little.
If Supergirl had been under the impression she had entirely saved the entire city that day she was very much mistaken.
“How would you describe the phase we are in now?” the reporter asked, changing the subject.
“With the disaster? Well, as you can see the military are setting up these small aid stations across the city, there are a lot of hungry and thirsty people and without water or power they need help,” Supergirl explained, regaining her composure.
“And you are assisting in the effort?” Jake asked.
“Sure, if the US Military needs any sort of assistance then they can always count on me,” Supergirl smiled, “now then, if you will excuse me, I have this little chore to do and then I must be on my way,”
“Wow, well, thank you for your time, Supergirl, it has been quite enlightening speaking with you,” Jake said.
“No, thank you,” Supergirl smiled then with a subtle wave spun around and went to move the bus.
“Well, this has been Jake Redland in Bryant Park for C.N.Y.N…” Jake said with his photogenic smile which he held for a few seconds before breaking out of his act, “OK, Cut” he said.
His cameraman looked on in confusion, his camera lowering, “But, the money-shot, she’s about to move the bus. I should get it before …”
“Screw that, you already got the money shot, and it is something big! We’ve got to turn this tape in!” Jake said excitedly.
“What do you mean?” the cameraman asked, glancing about himself and then his camera, wondering what it was he captured.
“Just you wait!” Jake said with excitement.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Yuri jabbed at Spydra, her forearms sweeping away his attacks before she did a graceful backflip, her toe catching the big Russian on the chin, snapping his head back. He stepped back and shook his head, trying to cure his sudden dizziness. His hand rose to his mouth and he dabbed at himself realising he had bit his lip when Spydra kicked him.
Spydra looked at the big man, then to Selena, seeing she had drawn blood but the perceptive Russian read her body language quite clearly.
“No, I am good. Is accident, nothing more,” he said before sizing Spydra again, preparing for a new attack.
“Good, I hope you keep having accidents,” Spydra said spitefully, “you think I am going to just let you bed me without a fight,”
Yuri spat the blood from his mouth onto the floor, “Good, you make me work for it, but I work you harder when mask come off…”
Selena sighed and dialled the harness up to the next level causing Spydra to visibly strain a moment as she adjusted to the new setting.
“Now you feel it,” Yuri scoffed as he approached.
Spydra closed the distance and went to do a floor sweep but the move was dulled by her training harness and Yuri dodged her leg. Now crouching Spydra sent two blows towards Yuri’s stomach which he deflected with his forearms before his booted foot hit her squarely on her chest, forcing her backwards on to her behind.
“And now, game over,” Yuri said flatly as he approached Spydra, his plan to descend upon her, pin her arms and remove that mask hiding her face.
Spydra gasped and lifted her legs into the air and rolled backwards springing to her feet but Yuri was already upon her and he delivered a kick which swept across her, striking her on her side. Yuri was surprised by how little give there was as he made contact but her counter punch to push him back was weak, no doubt limited by the harness.
Yuri was unmoved, and Spydra looked up at the man stood over her and realised that her fight was almost over.
“Oh dear. Disappointing,” Selena said as she clicked the remote again, dragging Spydra’s limbs in towards herself.
Yuri lunged forward and grasped Spydra by a strap on the training rig, something she predicted but could not act on. Her hands rose up, resisted by the harness and grasped Yuri’s wrist but it was too little too late to help her now. A good firm push forced Spydra to the wall knocking the air from her lungs.
“Now, I get to see what is under mask …”
“No you don’t” Spydra wheezed.
Yuri’s free hand tried to grasp Spydra’s mask but it seemed stuck fast to the heroine’s face. Little did he know her cling ability worked to keep her mask on her face as much as it could keep her held fast to a wall when she wanted.
“Mask … glued … on …” Yuri struggled to say from his exertion, trying to keep Spydra pinned with one hand and unmask her with the other.
Spydra on the other hand had given up trying to remove the hand that pinned her and worked Yuri’s body, her punches making a firm slapping noise with every strike into his bare torso. Spydra tried to make the man have to guard his body and give up the pursuit of her mask or perhaps release her but he soaked up the punishment.
What would make Spydra lose focus Yuri wondered? Then he thought he knew, her modest breasts under the spandex layer, her soft vulnerable flesh between her legs … grab at those and perhaps…
“No!” growled Spydra before Yuri had done anything and suddenly the mask drifted halfway off her face exposing her chin and her mouth.
“Ha… I … I have you …” Yuri began to say with glee when suddenly…
Spydra bit down onto Yuri’s forearm that was by her cheek trying to get the mask the rest of the way off of her face.
“Aaaahhhhhh” Yuri yelped and he stumbled back to the floor, grasping his forearm.
Spydra first was relieved the man was off of her and then was horrified by what she done, “Oh … oh no … oh no oh no oh no!” she panicked as she dropped to her knees by Yuri’s side.
Selena thought Spydra had just given Yuri a strong nip but Spydra’s reaction to what she had done and Yuri’s collapse told her something was very wrong.
“Oh god, what have I done … I … I didn’t meant to …” Spydra stammered.
“Yuri, are you okay?!” Selena said in a panic as she settled down alongside Yuri.
“I’ve killed him … I …” Spydra said, covering her mouth in horror.
Just as what had happened to The Albino Man, Spydra knew that at any moment the foaming dissolved innards of poor Yuri were going to come frothing out of Yuri’s nose, his mouth, eye sockets and ears. Selena however put her fingers to Yuri’s neck and found his pulse was as strong as an ox.
“Killed him? He’s fine!” Selena corrected Spydra.
“But …” Spydra began to protest as suddenly Yuri’s eyes opened.
“Ooooooooh … hi, pretty ladies … I see you … but Yuri no need more vodka” Yuri said with a drunken chuckle.
“Shit, did he bang his head?” Spydra asked as she looked for blood.
“I don’t think so … but …” Selena said, pausing as she looked into Yuri’s eyes.
“Please call cab? Yuri need ride home …” hiccupped Yuri as he drunkenly pointed off in some random direction.
“It’s like he is drunk or something… what exactly did you do?” Selena asked again as she found the two bite marks on Yuri’s forearm, except, the marks were more like those made by fangs than human teeth.
“I … dammit … I …only bit him, okay?” Spydra confessed.
“Ooooooh hello Selena … is this your new lesbian friend? … Hello friend … I am Yuri … pleased to meet you … did you know that I also too am …” Yuri rambled.
“Shhhhhhh” Selena said, pressing her finger to Yuri’s lips to silence him.
“Oooooh yes …. Shhhhhhhh Yuri … why you shush Yuri? … Is it because she is not knowing …” Yuri asked drunkenly, his eyes failing to lock onto either woman’s face.
“Your bite has drugged Yuri!” Selena realised, “look,” she added, lifting and dropping one of his arms which was totally floppy, “three hundred pounds of paralysed beef!”
“I’m sorry, alright, I didn’t think that I was going to ... look he was thinking of touching me up and it … it was just instinct … and I bit him…” hissed Spydra in reply.
“Aww, don’t be sad little spider … plenty fish in sea, da?” Yuri said with another hiccup.
“Well if he did plan on touching you there was nothing in it, you fool, he was probably just going to distract you to get the mask off,” Selena chastised Spydra.
“How would you know?! And if you dialled this thing to eleven how could I stop him getting my mask?” Spydra retorted, gesturing to her training harness.
“Oooooh … someone has bad day … “ giggled Yuri again as his head rolled drunkenly to one side.
“Spydra, do you seriously think that he… that I …” Selena shook her head, speechless with disbelief before she found the words, “You are an idiot! You need to know how to be one of the boys if you are going to work with them! Didn’t you get it when I said he is on the same team as us?”
“Well, he is, isn’t he?” Spydra asked in confusion.
“Shhhhhh, you give all secret away…” Yuri said with a light laugh, his own hand landing onto his face, his finger to his lips albeit awkwardly. “Shhhhhh!” he managed again before breaking out into spasms of laughter.
“For heaven’s sake, not ‘that’ team,” Selena hinted.
Spydra looked down at the cute musclebound young man. She blinked, cocked her head and her mouth parted in surprise as she realised what Selena meant, “Hang on, you mean… you mean he’s gay?!” she whispered.
“Oh for crying out loud, yes. And you don’t have to whisper, Dragon’s guys know. Listen, he’d sooner have the money than get in bed with you and if he did sleep with you it’s because he probably wanted to protect you, or keep you warm! He’s a gentleman, not a monster! Seriously, I do wonder what you think of me! Now then, explain; why did you think he was dead?!” Selena demanded.
Yuri chuckled, “Yuri not dead, Yuri just drunk! Now get cab, I am late home,”
Spydra looked down at Yuri, flabbergasted, “Because it’s how I killed that son of a bitch who tried to fuck me, Doctor Lawrence, the Albino Man…” she said, still marvelling at what happened to the big Russian.
Selena’s mind flashed back to Laura’s confession about killing Doctor Lawrence. He died in a fall after Laura bit him in a fight. Only, the others had taken that word at regular face value. But apparently it hadn’t been regular human molars that had bitten him, it had been fangs.
“What happened to him? Was it like this?” Selena asked in confusion, gesturing to Yuri who had started to mumble the lyrics to some Russian song.
“No, it was … it was not like this at all,” Spydra began only to see Selena’s challenging expression, “Okay! Okay I dissolved him, alright?! I bit him and the next thing I know his organs bled out of every orifice in his body. I never told anyone about it because it terrifies me, okay?”
“Terrifies you?! What about us?!” Selena asked in shock.
“Yes, it terrifies me! I’ve skipped a ton of dental appointments already because I’m worried what might happen to my dentist if he goes rooting around in there, and a meal rarely goes by when I don’t worry it will be the moment the fangs are going to spring out.” Spydra explained.
Selena paused as she took in what Spydra had said then looked down in genuine sadness, “Oh you poor girl, I … I’m so sorry you’ve lived with this in secret so long. When I have a chance I will work on getting hold of someone we can trust to help you figure this out, okay?”
“Awww, Spider has a girlfriend … spider has a girlfriend!” Yuri said, his weak incapacitated arms trying to gesture at the two women but merely flopping over his torso instead.
“Shut up!” Selena and Spydra said in unison to the prone man.
“Ooooh kaaay … going sleep now … sleep sleep sleep,” Yuri said, his last words slurring as he fell asleep and began to snore.
Spydra prodded Yuri’s bicep to check if he was asleep and he most certainly was.
“I don’t understand. What I did to the Albino Man was horrible and I bit Yuri just the same only it’s like he is just drugged,” Spydra said, holding Yuri’s head in her hands, “I … guess I should stay with him and keep an eye on him,”
Selena sighed and nodded, “Yes, I think that would be a smart move. Let’s get you out of that harness… I think it’s ready for you and Lucy to use,”
“I … I should say thank you for this thing. I can tell it probably cost a lot of money, and it works really well. I know Lucy will appreciate it too,” Laura said with a soft smile, thinking of her sensei as she spoke.
Selena scoffed, “Her knowing you have to be hobbled so greatly just to give her parity might not be as well appreciated as you hope, but, she is a realist, she will recognise how useful this harness can be.” Selena began to work on the restraints holding Laura as the two spoke.
There was a pause as Laura reflected on the events of the evening.
“Selena, what are you going to tell the others about me trying to get Matthews?” Laura asked, her attention returning to the harsh reality.
Selena sighed, “The truth. You tried your best. As for Dragon’s men, you’re going to have to build your relationship with them. They are good men if not a little rough at the edges,” Selena explained.
“OK, ok, I will work it out somehow … but I can’t believe I was stupid enough to think you were really going to let sleeping Cassanovaski bed me if he got my mask off,” Laura chastised herself, looking down at Yuri as he slept.
“Laura, I know it will be hard for you to accept but, showing Yuri, or any of the others your face is not the end of the world. Without a name you could still be anyone, just as they are anyone to you. Dragon’s men are not out to get you,” Selena said, glancing at the young red-head’s face to gauge her reaction while she worked on the last elements of the harness.
“Show them my face? But, you and the others all told me to protect my identity, no matter what …” Laura said in surprise at Selena’s suggestion.
“Yes, we did. And, we know who you are. What we are about to do, facing down Vel as he is now, it’s going to take more than just us. ALL of us has to include Shepherd now. It has to include Dragon. And … it also has to include his men,” Selena said. It wasn’t an order what she was saying but it certainly was a suggestion from the heart.
Laura looked down with doubt, something Selena could read. “Let me think on it … please?” Laura said with a hint of anxiety to the idea.
“Of course, Laura. But, think it all through rationally, okay? I know you’ll make the right decision. Okay, that should do it …” Selena said, pulling the training harness free of Laura’s body.
“Ahhh, thanks … that’s better!” Laura groaned in pleasure as she felt herself freed.
“I shall get you some blankets. Watch over Yuri, but try to get some rest, we all have a long day tomorrow. We need to leave early,” Selena said as she gathered up the harness.
= = = = = = = = = = = = =
McGee made his excuses and retired to bed. It had been a long day and now he needed sleep. Maintaining a wall to keep out the thoughts of others took its toll and when he realised he was starting to see thoughts that weren’t his own he knew it was time to leave.
“Hey, wait up, I think I will turn in myself,” Lucy said downing the dregs of her beer and placing the bottle down on the bar.
“Oh, you’re off?” Lisa asked, disappointed Lucy was going to off to bed already.
Lucy nodded, “Yes, we have a long day tomorrow and I need to recover if I am to be any use. I need some sleep.” The Asian mercenary swung her legs off the bar stool and stood next to McGee who placed a friendly hand on her shoulder, standing over her by a considerable margin.
“Sleep well, Lucy. And please, if you feel anything is wrong you should check in with the hospital. It bothers me that you were discharged so soon,” Neyra added.
“Neyra, I will, trust me, but I am sure I will be fine. I will see you in the morning, in the lobby,” Lucy responded with a soft nod.
“Yes, sure …” Neyra smiled and turned to face the bar again.
Lucy and McGee walked away, talking as they went and Lisa sighed as she turned around to face the bar as well. Her elbows planted onto the bar her hands covering the back of her bowed head.
“I’ll have another,” she said as her head rose, gesturing to the barman when she sensed his presence.
Neyra looked at Lisa and suspected she understood. “Want to talk about it?” Neyra ventured.
“She woke up and it’s like she’s a different person!” Lisa said, her arm gesturing towards the way Lucy just left.
Neyra nodded subtly, “She will be back, I’m sure. I’m not blind, Lisa, I’ve seen you two while you were teaching Laura. You two are close,”
“Yeah well, I will believe it when I see it. Anyway, did Laura get in touch yet? She should have made some sort of progress by now.” Lisa asked.
Neyra nodded and showed her cell phone to Lisa for her to read the last message. It had been from Selena and confirmed that Laura was with them and safe.
“No word about Matthews though?” Lisa asked with concern.
“No, but I am sure things will be clearer tomorrow. I trust Laura to try ensure Matthews is well treated while they are on the move … but … about Matthews … I … I owe you an apology,” Nerya said.
“Look, it’s been a long day and …” Lisa began, trying to stifle that topic of conversation.
“No, I mean it,” Neyra cut in, “look, I know I’m a nobody in this whole thing, you shouldn’t have to put up with me griping. You are a detective. A pro. You don’t have to take any of my shit…”
“Neyra. Please, stop. You called it right, I did let you down. But is it really that bad Selena got what she wanted? Laura is probably on-board and all options are available to us. Now we can work on getting Vel out of Kara’s head. I think the smart move tomorrow is just to forget what happened today, else we will lose more time arguing among ourselves,”
“Yeah ok, I will try. I just wish …” Neyra took a breath and held it a moment then slowly let it out, trying to relax.
Lisa sipped her beer before speaking again, “I know, I know … and I wish too. If it weren’t for that Vel fucker I wouldn’t be here and Lu wouldn’t be … well … you know… “
Neyra looked down the neck of her beer bottle into the pool of care-free inducing liquid below, “You think you’re on your own? I can imagine Selena poisoning Laura with tales about how I am FBI and leaving her hanging till the morning. Laura can be a bit …umm…”
“Naïve …” the pair agreed in unison the two breaking into a soft laugh together.
Lisa glanced at Neyra, “What’s the … hook… you know, between you and her anyway?”
Neyra looked down a little shyly at the question, “I had been killing time, waitressing, at some bar, earning some cash while my father’s new offices were being finished. Laura was there, the birthday girl, with her friends. I inherited their table on the shift handover and … there she was. And … well, I’ve not really thought about it but … I went to get their orders and think I broke her brain or something …” Neyra scoffed.
“Well, I get that, look at you, Neyra, you’re … well, you could be a model,”
Neyra shook her head with a smile at the suggestion, “No, that’s not for me,”
“Well, it certainly did something for Laura for sure…” beamed Lisa.
“Well, not exactly, and to begin with my interest in her was more … artistic. She wasn’t like anyone I had drawn before. Those freckles, and that … I don’t know … tomboy attitude I guess. So, I wrote a message on their receipt at the end, hoping she would get in touch…”
“Oh wow, and … what happened?” Lisa asked with interest, sitting up a little as the story evolved.
“Well, they didn’t pass the message on to her. It was a short while though and I met her again. I was buying art supplies in a store when she showed up … anyway, I asked her again if I could draw her and she seemed up for it,” Neyra explained.
Lisa scoffed, “If you were a guy, I guess it might be a little … creepy or something … inviting Laura to your … studio … sounds sort of stereotypical …”
Neyra blinked before covering her mouth, “I didn’t really think of it like that before! Awkward! Well there isn’t a huge age gap between us …”
“But maturity … it shows … I’m sorry, had to get it out there, she’s not your peer,” Lisa said, apologetically.
“You’re right but, it has its charm and, well, I don’t know, I guess she somehow ticks some unique boxes. I’ve had various partners that, well, either stifled me or just let me run over them. Laura, well … I get pleasure out of guiding her when she needs it, and boy did she need it when the whole powers thing kicked off … but … when she sets her mind on things … stand back Neyra...!” Neyra explained.
“Yeah, I think I get that,” Lisa nodded with a subtle smile before sipping some more beer.
“So, what about you and Lucy. I know things aren’t great now, but, come on, I know you two have a thing going on…” Neyra asked, coyly.
Lisa grinned hearing Neyra’s predictable question, “Man, I knew that was coming. Well you know right, from day one; she told you how it is. She’s done things she’s not proud of but you can tell she’s trying to do good now.”
“Sure, but, like you asked me, what was the hook?” Neyra pressed with a grin. If anything maybe the question might give Lisa cause to fight to get Lucy back.
“Well, ok, look, maybe I am a little shallow, but she’s hot right? But better, she can handle herself, and, well… I guess I like that even more. It kind of makes what we have feel special. She could kick my ass if she wanted to, but, usually … well … let’s just say Lu likes me to take charge…” Lisa explained, only to instantly blush.
“Take char… oh? Oh?! Ohhhh! And I thought I had it lucky with Laura!” Neyra exclaimed, mouth ajar a little.
Lisa looked Neyra in the eye, studying her ‘suspect’, figuring her out before asking the next question, “Do you two … err … do you ‘play’ as well?” Lisa asked, cautiously.
Neyra’s eyes widened at the question, the ‘as well’ part confirming what she suspected, “Err, maybe …” Neyra responded, equally cautious and yet obviously confirming the real answer was ‘yes’.
The pair looked into each other’s eyes and sensed the truth, the two snorting with laughter as they imagined who-knew-what going on behind their respective doors at night.
“OK, ok, I am going to draw a line there, I think,” grinned Lisa, “before we go too far…”
“Yes, okay, but this … it’s been good. I don’t think we ever had time alone just the two of us, and relax like this. This whole infinity thing has been hard for everyone,” Neyra said, sliding her now empty bottle forward on the bar to show it was finished with.
Lisa nodded, then glanced at Neyra, seeing her in a new way. “Yes, I hope one day soon we can do this again, under better circumstances. Right, we’ve a long day tomorrow, we should turn in,” Lisa suggested, putting some cash on the bar.
“You’re the boss,” Neyra quipped.
“No, Nerys, YOU are the boss,” Lisa said, reminding Neyra of her new name and her position.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Supergirl silently touched down on the lunar surface, kicking up puffs of luminous grey dust beneath her red booted feet. The silence was music to her ears, the noisy pale blue disc that hung just above the horizon now far away and separated from her by the icy vacuum of space.
The mind of Molly Matthews now slept, put to one side by her hidden inner monster which was also manipulating the genius, Vel. Now, inside the form of Supergirl the two active streams of consciousness continued to argue as they strode across the moon’s surface towards their goal.
“You think you are clever, don’t you? You might have fixed Supergirl’s image for now but that army you hope Loughlan and Donovan are going to build for you, it’s going to take a long time,” Vel whispered into the monster’s thoughts.
“Our work, making Supergirl look good during the tsunami merely restores her reputation. Every day Molly is making less mistakes taking on the mantle of Supergirl. Soon she will be indistinguishable from the Kryptonian mind that had control of this impressive vessel! And as for my army? It may take less time than you think, human technology is always advancing, especially with your aid! Besides, all this is not a mere hope. It is inevitable!” the monster explained.
“We shall see,” Vel said slyly.
“We will, won’t we!” the monster retorted as Supergirl arrived at her goal. There was the aperture module that she had taken from the mech.
Supergirl knelt in front of the aperture module that had been mounted to the Spider Mech. She grinned evily as the monster within recalled with clarity those final moments. It, Vel and Molly Matthews had been as one, working together to steal the Kryptonian’s body. Supergirl was impaled on a quantum decoder, trapped bathing in the debilitating green glow of the dangerous crystal that resided in the aperture module in front of them. Then the two women had climaxed together as the quantum pulse did its work and … then there was nothing.
Vel and his monster had been knocked out in the pulse but Molly remained awake and the three of them were inside Supergirl’s body. Molly, her mind altered thought she really was Supergirl and then begun her error ridden spree of being a heroine. Now though the monster and Vel were wide awake and it was time to continue their plan; build an army that would enable them to take over the world. Supergirl though, stripped of her memories continued to think she was Molly Matthews, an ordinary human and in potentially grave legal danger. Her new name and her new face were now synonymous with murder and terror.
Supergirl reached behind her back and pulled a bag from her belt. Lead lined it was used to transport camera film and protect it from damaging radiation while in transit. Supergirl opened the bag and turned it inside out, her hand inside it like it was a mitten. Supergirl steeled herself, and her eyes flared a deep red and let loose their cutting beams.
The aperture module didn’t stand a chance as Supergirl split open the chamber revealing the green glowing speck within its clear glass cube. Supergirl felt the poison almost instantly, her beam stuttering as it began to fail. Supergirl began to notice, subtly at first, the cold of space, then the air in her lungs being wrested from her body. Supergirl lunged at the cube, grabbing it with her makeshift mitten and with her other hand drew the bag right-way-around, enveloping the cube. Sealing the bag closed Supergirl shuddered at how weakened she had felt.
“A deadly toy…” Vel thought.
The monster hissed in reply, “But so useful! It may debilitate this body, but the ability to transmit our minds into humans is what we need it for! It gave us Bobby and Kimberly. It gave us Molly and then her brother Andrew. Two minds, two bodies. Now the brother Andrew is dead we are capable of taking someone else… just as we planned”
“The deal you had Molly make with Liam Donovan… you promised them Mike Loughlan…” groaned Vel.
“Yesssss. Molly promised to do things that would destroy Sanderson Corporation while she was still in her own body. She ruined that corporation and made it RIPE for take-over. And did we not deliver? Trying to kill the President. Murdering all those police officers! And all in her capacity as a Sanderson employee! And now, we will poison Loughlan’s mind – with this! Soon he will be installed in his new role which will see my army built!”
Supergirl let the bag hang weightless before her gaze before snatching it from the vacuum and tucking it into her belt.
“Time to corrupt Loughlan!” the monster thought before turning to face the planet Earth and lunging into the ether using Supergirl’s body as its vessel.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
END OF PART 2