Chapter Text
“Tell your parents I said hello,” Non said, full of disdain, as he floated to the ground, ready to end Kara.
“Tell them yourself,” Kara shot back. She poured all of her anger into her eyes and turned toward him, her blue orbs burning red as she shot her laser vision out to him.
Non met her full force with his own. They pushed as hard they could. Kara felt her feet sliding backward across the desert floor, but she held her ground. Reaching deep within herself, she summoned one last bit of strength and pushed it out of her eyes, knocking Non backward and off his feet.
After a deep breath, Kara turned just in time to see J’onn tear Indigo’s body in half and toss each piece into the ground. She ran up to him with a smile, “We did it,” she shouted. “We won!” She checked his wound and asked, “Are you okay?”
“I will be,” J’onn replied.
“Let’s shut down Myriad,” Kara said.
They were about to go when they heard Indigo choke out from her place on the ground. “It can’t be shut down, fools,” she sputtered. “I already locked the system. The engines won’t fire, you won’t be able to fly Fort Roz away. All you’ll be able to do is sit back and watch everyone around you die.” A spiteful smirk crossed her lips and she said, “But between Krypton and Mars, I guess that’s old hat for you two.” After that, she was gone.
Kara and J’onn looked at each other. Kara tapped the comm in her ear. “Alex, we defeated Non and Indigo, but we can’t shut the signal down.” She paused, trying to think, but she couldn’t come up with anything. “What do we do?”
At the DEO, Alex looked to Max. He grimaced through the pain in his head, shrugging. He was out of ideas.
Alex could feel sweat forming on her forehead as the pain increased. She looked over to see Lucy already doubled over a control panel trying to see against the blurring of her vision. As Alex surveyed the room, her heart sank.
When she tried to speak, the effort of it spurred the throbbing behind her eyes. “Kara,” she whispered. She couldn’t talk any louder. “We don’t know what to do.”
After a long pause over the comm, Kara asked her, “How much time do we have?”
Max spit out, “A couple hours. Tops.”
“Did you hear that,” Alex was still whispering.
Back in the desert, Kara could hear the anguish in her voice. Alex was in pain and Kara knew everyone else was, too. She shut her eyes tight. “We’ll think of something, Alex.” She looked up at J’onn. Two hours and no place in the world was safe. Kara thought, unless.
J’onn saw the shift in Kara’s expression. “What is it? What are you thinking?”
“There could be a place that’s safe,” Kara said.
“Where?” J’onn’s voice gave a small trace of hope.
Kara breathed out before answering. “My cousin’s fortress of solitude. In Antarctica.” He looked skeptical. She explained, “It’s possible that the Kryptonian crystals there could block the signal until we have more time.” Her face fell when she quietly added, “But we can’t get very many people there.”
J’onn nodded his understanding. “Then we save whoever we can.”
The two of them let the weight of it settle on them. The burden was instant. They were going to have to choose. Kara blinked her eyes to fight back tears. But there was no time for sadness. Not yet.
“Okay,” Kara said, resolving herself. “You go to the DEO. I’m going to CatCo.” Then her voice became stronger. “Alex first, J’onn. Get anyone you want after that, but Alex first. Promise me.”
He answered without hesitation. “I promise.”
She nodded then instructed him. “Fly to the bottom of the earth. I’ll leave a signal.”
They turned in separate directions and quickly launched into the air. J’onn headed for the bunkers at the edge of the desert. Kara flew toward downtown as fast as she could.
There was no question in her mind as to who she was going to. As she flew, tears streaked from her eyes, across her temples, and back into her hair. Her speed was fueled by her desperation. One face flashed in front of her eyes. One voice echoed in her ears.
Cat.
She had to get to Cat. Because none of this mattered without Cat. Because without Cat, she didn’t matter. The CatCo building was in her sight and she adjusted her trajectory to head for Cat’s office balcony.
She hit the floor of the balcony hard, cracking the concrete beneath her feet and leaving a small crater. There was no time to waste with soft landings. She rushed through the door and immediately saw Cat. She was doubled over on the sofa, holding her head.
Kara came to quickly kneel beside her. “Ms. Grant.”
Cat breathed out, “Kara.” She tried to open her eyes, but the light hurt too much. She caught a hint of red and blue before she was forced to close them again. She tried to correct herself lest there was someone else in the room. “Supergirl.” She was taking short, shallow breathes trying to keep the pain in check.
Kara gathered the small woman into her arms. “I’m taking you somewhere safe,” Kara told her. She stood, cradling Cat and turning toward the door.
She hazarded a glance to the bullpen. She saw Winn, on the floor, his back propped against his desk. He had a hand on either side of his head, pressing against his temples. The pain was excruciating. She heard him whisper a forced, “Kara.” But she only looked at him with sad eyes and took fast steps for the door. She could only hope there would be time.
She lifted off with Cat secure in her arms. After a moment, Cat said quietly, “Carter.” One of her hands reached up to clutch the hem of Kara’s collar. The superhero closed her eyes. She was overcome with emotion. The choices were agonizing. Get Carter or go back to CatCo. Carter was only a child. Of course she had to get him.
“I’ll get him. I promise.” She flew South as fast as she could. After a minute, the pain in her head along with the G forces had Cat unconscious in her arms.
When she reached her destination, Kara laid Cat down gently on the snow and used her super speed to get the key and open the door, not wanting to leave her in subzero weather for more than a few seconds. She made her way inside, carrying Cat.
She went to a corner near the crystals and laid Cat down again. She tried to make sure she seemed comfortable and tenderly pushed a lock of hair from her face. She shook herself. She had to hurry.
Kelex, the service robot greeted her like nothing was happening. “Lady Kara, how can I be of service?”
“Kelex,” she said as she stood, eyes still looking down at Cat. “The Myriad signal is online.”
“Yes,” the robot replied in a calm, cool voice, “I already detected it.”
Kara looked at him. “Can you use the crystals to block the signal?”
“I believe I can.” He immediately went to work at a station with multiple crystals.
She quickly said, “Kelex, regulate the temperature to something comfortable for humans.” Then she added as she turned to leave, “There’s a green Martian coming. He’s a friend. Guide him in.”
“Of course,” Kelex replied.
At the door, Kara turned to take a last look at Cat’s sleeping form on the floor. Her forehead was tense against the pain even though she was asleep. She fought back the urge to stay with her.
She made her way back to National City within minutes, touching down in the yard of Carter’s school. There were people everywhere outside. She found Carter laying on the ground. A girl was holding his hand. She was already unconscious. Carter was groaning. Kara looked around, unsure about the girl. She shook her head, suddenly aware that she was questioning whether to save a child. She scooped them both up, heading back to the fortress.
She came quickly through the entrance, dragging the two children, one under each arm. Her eyes were immediately drawn to a second person on the floor at the wall opposite Cat. “Alex,” Kara said, relief flooding her. She went over to Cat and gently set Carter beside her, along with the girl. She scooted Carter right next to his mother, draping her arm over him so she would know he was here the second she woke up.
Kara took the several steps to walk across the large room to Alex. “Alex,” she said again, putting a hand on her sister’s face. She was breathing. She was safe.
There still wasn’t time to waste. She ran back out and flew back to the city, and back to CatCo. She landed hard on the balcony again, further breaking the concrete. For a split second she thought that Cat would be angry when she saw the damage, but then she realized that Cat may never see this place again.
She dashed through the door and into the bullpen. “Winn?” He had laid down on his side. He still had his hands at his head. She pulled him up. “I’ve got you,” she told him as she put him over her shoulder. She thought she could take someone else too, as she had with the children.
She went to James’ office and found him, barely conscious with his head on his desk. She tried a few different ways to pick them both up without hurting them, but it was too awkward for a long flight. “Damn it,” she whispered. “James, I’ll be right back.” She ran out with Winn, rushing back to the Antarctic.
This time when she came in, Lucy had been added to the small group. She set Winn down near Cat and the others and didn’t stop before she headed back out.
She went back to CatCo. She had to go through the bullpen to get back to his office. Everyone was unconscious. She stopped short and turned in a slow circle, looking around. Her heart had never been so torn. The tears returned and she wiped them away while she made her way urgently into James’ office. They were running out of time. She grabbed him, roughly, and flew back.
This time, it was Clark that she saw laying on the floor near Alex and Lucy. She set James down and let out a spontaneous laugh of relief as she went to Clark. She dropped to her knees and pressed a kiss to his forehead. She pulled his head to her chest for a moment. After a deep breath, she stood again, just as J’onn was coming back in, carrying Maxwell Lord.
She came up to him as he set Max down. “Thank you for bringing him,” Kara said, indicating her cousin. J’onn only nodded. “Why him?” She looked at Max.
“He could be useful. We don’t know what’s coming.” J’onn looked at Kara and said, “There’s only time for one more. Where are you going?”
She looked at Clark and thought of Lois. But she didn’t know where in Metropolis she would be able to find her and she didn’t have time to lose searching. Images played through her mind of all the times she and Lois had spent together. It was an awful realization. Lois was going to die. “Eliza,” Kara responded, already wrought with guilt. “You?”
“I’m going to get Vasquez,” J’onn told her. They nodded to each and both turned to walk back out one more time.
Kara flew to her first home on Earth. She landed and rushed through the door, quickly finding Eliza on the floor, already unconscious. She gently picked her up and then rushed back out, forcing herself not to linger as she caught childhood photos of her and Alex on the wall from the corner of her eye.
She came into the fortress and set Eliza down next to Alex. Her eyes moved as she saw someone shift. Cat had begun to stir.
Kara moved to sit next to her. She put a hand on the older woman’s shoulder to let her know she was there. Cat blinked her eyes open, slowly. “Take your time,” Kara told her. “You’re safe now.” Cat moved to sit up, but immediately felt dizzy and made a pained noise, lifting a hand to her head. Kara reached her arms around her, pulling Cat into her. “Shh. Don’t rush. I’ve got you.” She rubbed comforting circles on her back until she relaxed. Cat’s hand hadn’t moved from Carter. She kept a grip on his shirt while Kara held her.
She asked Kara, “You came for me?”
“Of course I did,” Kara quietly said. She wasn’t sure she should share the full truth. She didn’t know how Cat would feel about it, but she said it anyway. “You were the first one I came for.”
A second later they heard a soft, “Mom?”
Cat pulled herself from Kara’s secure embrace. “Carter?” She put her hands on his face. “I’m right here, sweetheart.” While she tended to him, Kara stood and looked around. Over the next several minutes people began to wake up.
She made her way to Alex, who had tried to stand a bit to quickly. She had a hand on the wall. Kara put her hands firmly on Alex’s shoulders. Alex looked up to meet her eyes. The pain was gone. She didn’t know what Kara and J’onn had done, but it had worked.
Kara’s hands went to Alex’s face, silently asking if she was alright. “I’m okay,” Alex whispered. Kara just nodded, tears coming to her eyes again. She pulled Alex into a hug and Alex wrapped her arms around her little sister. She noticed Eliza on the floor. “Mom?” She released her short hold on Kara and went to her mother.
Kara saw J’onn bringing Vasquez in. He gently laid her down, then he came to stand next to Kara. “She was lucky,” he told her. “Most everyone is already gone.”
“What?” Kara started breathing harder. She didn’t understand what he meant, but at the same time she did. It felt like a massive heavy cloud suddenly came over her, pushing her down. She had to force herself to stay standing, putting a hand on J’onn, which he quickly covered with his own hand. She knew she needed to at least appear strong. “I’m going back,” she stated.
She began to head for the door. But J’onn called after her, “There’s no point.”
She turned to him and said back, “You don’t know that.” Her voice was almost despairing. “The least we can do is try.” She turned back toward the door.
J’onn called after her. “Supergirl.”
She looked at him, with completely downcast eyes. “There’s no reason to use that name anymore,” she said quietly. “Everyone here knows who I am.” Her eyes went to Cat, who had finally stood and taken a couple steps, watching her. “I’ll be back.” Then she was gone.
When she disappeared, Cat turned back to the two kids. The girl had awoken and was sitting next to Carter. Cat put a tender hand on her face. She knew the girl from Carter’s school. She was one of his classmates, and very few close friends. “Sarah, are you alright?” The girl just nodded. She and Carter both seemed understandably confused. “I know this is strange,” Cat told them, “but the important thing to know is that we’re safe here.”
Everyone was beginning to wake up. Alex helped Lucy to her feet, then Eliza. Max was up and helping Vasquez. James and Winn were awake and James came to check on Cat and the children. “Ms. Grant,” he said quietly. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I think so. You?” He nodded his response. “Kara brought us here,” she told him.
Then Winn asked, “Where exactly is here?”
The group began to unconsciously step closer to one another, their social instinct drawing them together in their lack of knowledge. Then a confident voice spoke from behind them. “Welcome to the fortress of solitude.”
They turned to see Superman, standing in his iconic super suit. His soft and caring eyes were clouded over. “Superman,” James said, walking over to him. The two old friends embraced briefly.
“What happened?” Clark asked, looking around the room.
Alex stepped forward. “Myriad,” she told him. Clark’s expression became grave. He knew about Myriad. At least as much as the crystals would let him before flashing a warning. He remembered that the Myriad signal had gone online and he had gone to National City to help Kara. But everything was a blank after that. “The signal affected you. We got you to the DEO,” Alex said.
“I brought you here,” J’onn said. Clark nodded slowly. “Now I’m going to get Kara,” he announced. Without another word J’onn walked out the door.
Lucy asked the inevitable question, “Now what?”
They all just looked at each other. Cat waited for someone to take the lead as everyone’s eyes went from one face to another. Finally, she spoke up. “We know we’re safe here.” All eyes shifted to her. “There’s no need to rush. We stay here and wait for them to get back. That’s step one. Step two,” she paused, “Well, let’s take our time.” She could tell a distraction was in order. She looked at Clark. “Superman. Show us around?”
He nodded, knowing what she was getting at. The fortress was large. There were several anterooms down two hallways on either side of the large main room. A few looked like living quarters. As soon as Clark came close to Carter, the young boy stayed close by his hero. Clark showed them the different crystal stations and tried to explain how to use them, though it was an involved process for humans.
Everyone began milling around, trying to pass the time, and trying to block out the tragic probability of what had happened to everyone outside the fortress. Cat was right, they needed to wait and hear what Kara and J’onn saw.
Alex made her way up to Cat, who was watching Carter and Sarah as Superman was showing them how the crystals worked. He was doing a wonderful job keeping the two youngsters occupied.
“Ms. Grant,” Alex said. Cat jumped a bit and turned to her. Her mind had been wandering. “Sorry,” Alex hadn’t meant to startle her.
“It’s okay.” She waited a moment before asking, “Alex Danvers?” She was fairly sure the young woman was Kara’s sister. The way they acted at the broadcasting station the night before had given away a strong connection.
Alex nodded. “How did you know?”
A memory made its way to the forefront of Cat’s mind. “She was telling me about you and your mother once.” Cat tilted her head to the other woman who appeared to be only a bit older than herself. She asked Alex, “Eliza?”
Alex nodded again. “Yeah.”
The two women went quiet. Alex had intended to introduce herself, but Cat was good at connecting dots. “You know, Alex, Kara feels things more deeply than most people. If Myriad succeeded in what it was meant for, she’s going to need you more than ever.” She knew she was giving away her knowledge of Kara being Supergirl, bit it didn’t seem to matter now, so she said, “She’ll think it’s her fault, even though she shouldn’t.”
She really is good at connecting dots, Alex thought. “She always thought you knew. Even after the trick she tried to pull on you.”
Cat smiled the tiniest smile and quietly said, “Her eyes always gave her away.” It was a more intimate admission than Cat had meant, but she didn’t care about keeping up appearances, not anymore. “To me, at least.”
It also surprised Alex a little, but she let it be. Now wasn’t the time. “You're right about her feeling guilty.”
Cat barely nodded. “I’m sure wherever she is right now, she's overcome by it.” Alex was a bit taken aback at the way Cat talked about Kara. She didn’t know Cat. She supposed she had expected someone harder.
Meanwhile, in the desert, Kara was standing in the bullpen at the DEO. Her mouth was open and her eyes were wide with shock and emotion. The place was completely silent. Everyone was dead. Agents were laying on the floor. Others were slumped over their work stations. They all had blood trickling from their ears and noses. Fresh blood, like it had just happened.
After coming upon the scene in the bullpen, Kara had used her x-ray vision to scan the facility. Every other room was the same.
She didn’t have a thought in her mind. Every time she tried to form one, some idea, some kind of reaction, nothing came. She couldn’t even tell herself to move her feet to get out. She was frozen. Then, a sob escaped her throat. It sounded so loud in her ears against the silence. She put her hand over her mouth.
Her knees gave way and she collapsed on the floor, tears pouring down her face as she wept without trying to stop herself. If she’d only had more time. If she’d only been able to come up with a better plan. If she’d been stronger, faster, smarter.
She cried for what seemed like an eternity when she felt a big hand cover her shoulder. She looked up to see J’onn looking down at her. “I can’t let you do this alone,” he said.
Kara had never been so grateful for a friend. He offered his other hand and she took. J’onn easily pulled her to her feet. She sniffled and started wiping her tears. Her voice was barely a whisper when she said, “They’re all gone.”
“I know,” he told her.
They were pulled from their grief by a beeping sound coming from one of the panels at the control center. They turned to see a flashing red banner on one of the screens. Across it, it read Myriad Signal Offline. So that was it. It was over. The signal had taken up so much bandwidth that it eventually shut itself down.
J’onn took Kara by the arm and pulled her toward the door. She didn’t fight him. Once they were outside, Kara said, “We have to go back to the city.” J’onn knew there was no fighting her. “I have to see it for myself.” He understood.
They took their time flying over National City. Bodies littered the streets. Men, women, children. They were all dead. Kara used her x-ray vision to scan as many buildings as she could. Every single one was the same. Death was everywhere. J’onn’s sharp hunter’s eyes saw the same thing. After a while, Kara couldn’t take anymore. They decided to go back to the fortress.
Before they arrived back, the small group of survivors was trying to settle in for however long they would be there. Clark had three living quarters. No one felt right about having their own space so they pulled the three mattresses from the rooms and laid them in the great hall.
Cat was helping Clark gather all the blankets he had there. He was pulling them down and handing them to her when she said, “Thank you.”
He turned to her. He was waiting for her to make the connection. He was keeping up pretenses and when she realized who he was, he had no plans of denying it. “For what?”
“Keeping Carter and Sarah engaged. I don’t know how they’re going to take it.” She didn’t complete the thought but he knew what she meant. How were two kids going to handle the end of the world?
“No problem. Carter’s a good kid. You did a great job with him, Cat.” He moved to get more blankets and Cat narrowed her eyes at him while he wasn’t looking. She had thought there was something familiar about him earlier, when he first spoke after Kara left. His voice, and the way he said her name like they knew each other, but there was something else.
When he turned back with more blankets, she saw it. It was like a flash in her mind. Another face, turning to her, but the same face. She let out a tiny gasp. She watched a slow smile form on his lips, a smile she’d seen a thousand times, though it seemed over a lifetime ago.
She lifted a hand to his face, just like she had on her last day at the Planet when he made her promise to take care of herself. “Clark,” she whispered, almost unbelieving.
“Hey, Cat,” he said to her.
She stared with her lips parted. “All this time?” She lifted her arms around his broad shoulders and he pulled her in tight. They had been close once upon a time. Rivals, sometimes, just like her and Lois. But Clark was always kind to her, even if she wasn’t always to him. She pulled back, abruptly, slapping his arm. “I can’t believe you never told me,” she teased.
He gave a small, quiet laugh. “Really, Cat? We both know you would have outed me before the next edition hit the stands.”
She smiled. He was right, she would have, back then. “I would certainly have kept your secret more recently.”
“Ah,” he said. “Kara.”
She shook her head, slowly. “I don’t know how she got to me, but she did.”
“She has that effect.” They watched each other for a moment, the bonds of friendship quickly reestablishing. Then Clark said, “We should get these out to everyone.
“Yes,” she agreed.
They came back to the main hall and began distributing the blankets and pillows. The younger ones like James, Winn, Alex, and Lucy seemed surprised to see Cat Grant handing out blankets like a volunteer at some kind of shelter. But the older ones like Eliza, Clark, and Max weren’t surprised. Even Max recognized a mother’s nurturing instinct.
Just then, they heard the sound of the wind and J’onn and Kara came through the door. Their faces were grim and Kara was unable to meet anyone’s eye. When everyone saw them, they knew their worst nightmares were confirmed.
J’onn slipped back into his human form as Hank Henshaw. Everyone took hesitant steps to gather around them. Kara was visibility shaken. She looked in a daze. Alex wanted to reach out to her, but she wasn’t sure.
“We searched the city,” Hank told them. He swallowed hard before he said, “There’s no one alive.”
Silence hung over the group. It took time for it to sink in. Winn spoke up, “What about everywhere else?”
“We’ll begin an expanded search tomorrow,” he answered simply. He didn’t have any compassion left in him for soft or extended explanations. But from the way the two were shaken by what they witnessed in National City, no one had much hope for anywhere else.
Kara finally lifted her eyes to meet Clark’s. Her voice was quiet when she said, “I’m sorry about Lois.”
He gave a weak nod and just said, “Excuse me,” then he turned from the group, walking toward one of the hallways. He was the only one of the group who had a spouse that would be lost to Myriad. Kara’s eyes flicked to Cat. Her eyes glistened with tears. She was staring at the floor. She was the only one with a son who would be lost.
The group was still silent when Carter said, “Mom, I don’t understand.” He was looking at Cat with a face full of questions and fear. So was Sarah. Cat has been terrified of this moment, the moment that she would have to explain this all to them. She looked back and forth between them, forcing her own emotions down. She didn’t know what to do, or say. She needed help.
She turned to Eliza, the only other mother and asked, “Will you come with us?” Eliza nodded, instantly knowing what Cat was asking and the two women guided Carter and Sarah down the hallway and into one of the rooms.
Kara shut her eyes. She felt for Cat, having to put away her own feelings of grief for one son to explain the apocalypse to another son. She saw Alex come up beside her and put an arm around her shoulder. “Hey,” Alex said softly, “come sit with me.” Kara obeyed, not having the mental fortitude to put up any kind of fight.
A few minutes later, Sarah’s loud crying could be heard throughout the fortress. They echoed Kara’s sobs from earlier at the DEO. The sound caused a ripple effect through the group as, one by one, they each began to cry. Some cried openly, unashamed. Others only had tears run down their cheeks. Kara didn’t cry this time. There was nothing left in her.
About a half an hour later, the four finally emerged from the hallway. Cat and Eliza made a pallet for the two youngest of the group. Then Cat made her way to a corner and sat down alone. She stared off, her face expressionless. After several minutes of watching her, Kara left her place beside Alex and went to Cat.
She sat down next to her, close. Eliza and Alex watched as Cat eventually let her head come to rest on Kara’s shoulder. She closed her eyes and breathed out. Kara leaned her own head on top of Cat’s. Then she reached out to gently take Cat’s hand and cradle it in both of hers. Cat didn’t resist. They stayed like that for a long time, silently drawing much needed strength from one another.
That first night, everyone either didn’t sleep, or barely slept. No one could get it out of their minds. The apocalypse. It didn’t make sense. Part of everyone thought that the next day they would all wake up in their beds and remember this as nothing but a bad dream. And surely their loved ones would still be alive.
But when the next day came, they awoke in the fortress of solitude. The sun began to shine through the translucent surface of the walls. Cat was the first one to force herself to acknowledge that morning had come. She didn’t even remember laying down with Kara, but when she opened her eyes she was on her back with Kara’s arm firmly around her waist and a blanket was under and over them.
She turned her head ever so slightly to look at the younger woman. She had fallen asleep. There was no doubt she needed the rest. Cat made a move to sit up and the arm tightened its grip. It was as if, in her sleep, Kara was somehow terrified of losing Cat. So Cat leaned over and barely whispered in her ear, “It’s okay. I’ll be back, I promise.” Kara relinquished her hold.
Cat slipped her shoes off so she didn’t wake anyone walking on the hard floor. She stood and looked around. Carter and Sarah were asleep, thankfully. Cat would never forget the night before, telling them that everyone they love, everyone they even knew was dead. Carter’s father, his brother. Sarah’s family. She knew Sarah had silently cried until she fell asleep.
She continued looking around. Eliza, Alex, and Lucy were sharing a mattress. Eliza was laying on her back, eyes open, staring at the ceiling. Lucy had her head on Alex’s chest and Alex had her arms lightly around her. Alex and Kara were alike, Cat thought, keeping the ones they cared about safe while they slept.
Winn was awake, looking around. So was Vasquez. Max was asleep. Of course, Cat thought, what does he have to be distraught over. James was beginning to stir. Clark was still gone.
Hank stood and came up to her. “Agent Mulder, I presume,” she said dryly.
He gave her a weak smile and held a hand out. “Hank Henshaw.” She took his hand and gave it a light shake.
“Thank you, Agent Henshaw. For saving everyone you could,” she glanced around, indicating the people he had brought.
“Just Hank, Ms. Grant.”
“In that case, it’s just Cat,” she said back. She turned back to Kara to see her waking up. “Excuse me.”
She made her way back to where she and Kara had slept and knelt down beside her. “Hey,” Cat spoke softly, tenderly pushing Kara’s hair away from her face.
Kara’s eyes blinked open and settled on Cat. “Hey,” she replied. Then it was like she suddenly remembered everything at once. She shot up to a sitting position and looked Cat up and down. “Are you okay? I didn’t mean to fall asleep?”
Cat face grew compassionate as she realized the pressure that Kara put on herself. Not just now, but constantly. Constantly taking care of other people, constantly being at the ready. “Of course I’m okay. You needed the sleep. We both did.”
Kara stood, offering Cat a hand. She took it and Kara helped her to her feet. Once Cat was standing, their eyes locked. Something shifted out of nowhere. The same as it had a dozen times between them. A flashing moment when they became closer, more intimate. It used to happen after a talk on the balcony, or after the mutual realization that they needed each other on some level. Now it was out of a shared desire to take care of one another. Cat looked at Kara and Kara looked at her. They held onto the hands that one had offered and the other had taken. Slowly, Cat lifted her hand to ghost her finger tips over Kara’s cheek. Kara didn’t move.
But then, as quickly as the moment came, it was gone. They released each other’s hands, but the new closeness lingered. It always did.
Kara and Cat came back to where Hank was still standing. The group was beginning to get up. Carter and Sarah were still asleep. No one disturbed them. Clark emerged from one of the hallways, his face still downcast. He’d thought of Lois all night.
No one spoke. Cat waited again for someone else to step up. Everyone still seemed unsure. “Well,” Cat started. She took a deep breath. “Listen, none of us know what to do. I think we can all agree on that. We’re all scared. We’re all numb. We’re all exhausted. But we can’t become paralyzed. We need to keep moving forward, somehow.” She looked around, trying to meet everyone’s eyes. “We’ll take it step by step. One thing at a time. Agreed?” Everyone nodded. Then she nodded. She turned to Hank. “You had said something yesterday about doing a search today.”
He nodded. “We could use some help.” He glanced at Clark.
“Of course,” Clark said.
After a few moments of preparation, Hank, Clark, and Kara were ready to go. They planned to be back by the end of the next day. The three were saying a few goodbyes before heading out.
Cat could see the trepidation on Kara’s face. She slipped her hand around Kara’s arm and pulled her to the side. She asked her, “What it is?”
Kara didn’t know what to say, how much to tell or not to tell. She looked away from Cat, shaking her head a little. When she looked back, she said quietly, “It was so awful, Cat.”
Cat didn’t have to ask what she meant. Kara had a heart full of love and compassion. She knew the scene in National City had been difficult. But it was also important that they knew what had happened in other places. She lifted her hands to Kara’s face and she closed her eyes in response. Cat’s touch was so comforting. They were standing so close that she barely had to whisper for Kara to hear. “Listen to me,” Kara opened her eyes to listen. “I can’t imagine what you saw out there. And if I know one thing about you, it’s that you feel things to your core.” She grazed her thumbs over Kara’s cheeks. “So don’t linger. Don’t take your time. See what you need to see and get out.” Kara nodded once, almost unnoticeable. Then Cat added, “And when you get back, I will be right here waiting for you.”
Somehow Kara knew the words held promise, though of what she wasn’t completely sure. Neither was Cat. Everything was muddled now. Everything was different, like ripples on water. How would the perspective be different when the water settled again?
Cat withdrew her hands. Kara took a deep breath and rejoined the others. The three aliens turned to leave and the group watched them go. When Kara looked over her shoulder for one last glance, it wasn’t her sister or her adopted mother or cousin’s face she sought out. It was Cat’s. Kara held on to the last bit of residual hope she had.