Bab 75: 75. Adventures in Architecture
2 years ago...
“That your wife?” Coville asked the man beside him on the plane. A trace of disdain colored his voice.
“Yeah... We're pregnant,” the man grinned, still looking at his phone.
Coville scoffed, pouring his vodka shooter into his plastic airline cup. “Oh, isn't that cute? ‘We're pregnant.’ Like you have anything to do with her damn life, not to mention what's growing in her uterus.”
“Excuse me?” the man frowned.
“Look, I'm sorry, all right, but I know you. I've been you. Pretty wife, nice car. I'm guessing you drive a Beemer?” Coville continued.
The man nodded, a little freaked out.
“Look. Take it from me. It's all a crock. The dream. You get a good job, mortgage, family. You work hard, right? Right? You hustle. You think you're building something, meanwhile your wife's screwing her personal trainer... And then you tank your job and here you are... In coach.” Coville slammed his vodka into the back of his throat.
Suddenly, the cabin of the plane started shaking. The engines on both sides of the jet exploded, and they were going down. Coville looked around at all the people on the aircraft that were praying, and just as suddenly as they had gone down, they landed safely in the water. Coville turned his head to look out the window just in time to see a young girl fly off the wing of the plane and disappear into thin air.
“Everyone, it's alright. It's okay!” Alex Danvers flashed her badge. “I'm FBI, it's gonna be okay,” she repeated, heading toward the cabin of the jet.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
September 28-30, 2017 (pregnancy week 30)
“Come on, Ruby. Get 'em, baby girl! Yeah!” Sam cheered as her daughter dominated the soccer field.
“Let’s go, Ruby!” Douglas whooped from the chair beside Sam.
“Go, Ruby, go!” Jessie cheered, bouncing up and down on the other side of Douglas. She had a chair, but she was too excited to sit.
Sam’s cell phone rang. “Hello?... Well, if JQB has a problem with the conditions of the deal, they can call me directly, anytime…”
Ruby skillfully darted around player after player, ending with a scored goal.
“Yes, Ruby!” Jessie screamed.
“Woo!” Douglas clapped loudly.
“Mom, did you see that?” Ruby called to her.
Sam hid her phone behind her back. “Yes! Amazing! Good job, baby!” When Ruby wasn’t looking, Sam pulled her phone back out. “Yes, Paul. No, I'm still here. Yes, you can send the final docs to my assistant this afternoon.” She hung up just as a redheaded woman sidled up to her.
“Which one is yours?” the woman asked.
“Oh, uh, she's the forward, right there,” Sam pointed. “I swear to God I don't know how she's so coordinated. I struggle to think and chew at the same time.”
Douglas and Jessie laughed.
“How about you?” Sam asked the woman. “Which one's yours?”
Instead of answering the question, the woman said, “Ruby is special.”
“Yeah, she is,” Sam agreed. “Wait... I don't think I told you her name.”
“She is chosen,” the woman told her, handing her a weird brochure. “So are you.”
Sam frowned. “I'm sorry, who did you say you were?”
“A follower,” the woman replied, winking at Jess. “Please, bring Ruby to our community so that she may learn her path.”
“Thanks,” Sam responded cautiously, not wanting to rile up this crazy chick. Thankfully, the woman left without another word. Sam shared a Look with Douglas.
Jessie saw the concerned expression on their faces. “Who was that?”
Sam waved the pamphlet at her. “Cult member, apparently.”
Jessie snatched the paper from Sam’s hands. “That’s the Kryptonian symbol for Rao. What’s she doing with it?” She opened the folded paper, but all that was in it was a time and address. Nothing to indicate who these people were.
Sam cocked her head to the side. “I don’t know. You don’t think she was Kryptonian, do you?”
Jessie shrugged. “I don’t know, but I think you should show Mama, when she comes to pick me up.
“OK, I will,” Sam agreed. “Let’s forget about it until the soccer game is over, shall we?”
“Yes!” The three of them went back to cheering for Ruby and her team. Jessie was completely enamored by watching her girlfriend like this. Truth be told, she really liked the way Ruby’s breasts bounced around while she was running. It made her feel warm inside in a weird, but not unpleasant way. It also made her want to touch them. She wondered when she would get her own. At the moment, she barely had two little bumps where they were supposed to be. She was a little bit jealous. Ruby already had boobs and had started her period. Jessie tried not to let it get her down, but she felt underdeveloped and a little self-conscious because of it. On the plus side, she didn’t have to deal with bullies at school now that she and her sister were being homeschooled by Lena-approved tutors. Jamie hadn’t gotten that stuff yet either, so it wasn’t really a competition between them.
Ruby scored three more goals before the end of the game, resulting in a 5-1 win.
“Great job, baby!” Sam cheered, as Ruby made her way over. “I’m so proud of you!”
“Me too!” Jessie beamed at her. She looked around at all the people and whispered softly, “Am I allowed to kiss you here?”
Instead of answering, Ruby just flung herself at Jessie and gave her a big kiss.
“Alright, enough,” Sam rolled her eyes.
Douglas laughed and kissed Sam to get back at the kids.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Kara and Lena sauntered into Lena’s old office at L-Corp. “I just have to sign some papers and then we can take Jess home and get back to work,” Lena said.
“Yeah, no problem,” Kara replied. “But my boss really doesn't like when I'm late, so…”
Lena gave her an amused look over her shoulder.
“Sorry!” Sam exclaimed, hurrying into the office ahead of the kids and Douglas.
“Hey,” Lena greeted her.
“Ruby won her soccer game, and then the kids wanted to get ice cream to celebrate…”
“No worries,” Lena waved her off.
“Hi, Kara,” Sam hugged both of her friends. “Nice to see you.”
“Good to see you too,” Kara replied. “Hi, baby!” She enveloped her daughter in her arms and cuddled her.
“Hi, Mama!” Jessie squeezed her with all her red sun banded strength.
“Hi, Ruby. Hi Douglas.”
“Hey, Kara! Hey, Lena!” Ruby and Douglas greeted with more hugs.
Jessie let go of Kara and went to snuggle with Lena.
“Okay, so the JQB merger should be finalized any minute,” Sam told Lena, handing her a folder. “Unless Paul tries to pull something, which I will not allow.”
“Ugh. Paul's like the one thing I do not miss,” Lena scoffed. “Skeezeball lawyer,” she explained to the others.
“Ah, gotcha,” Kara nodded.
“So how do you plan on celebrating your first big merger as my CFO?” Lena wanted to know.
“We're still having a girls night at Lucy’s place tonight,” Kara reminded her. “You should come!”
“No, I couldn't intrude…” Sam demurred.
“You do realize Lena's not gonna - take no for an answer, right?” Kara pointed at her wife.
“Accurate,” Lena pointed back.
They all chuckled.
“Okay. All right, I'll go. Um... What should I bring?
“Booze,” Lena said, as though it were obvious. “Just no tequila, okay? Lucy gets a little out of hand when she drinks that.”
“What are we doing with the kids?” Sam inquired.
“Well, Eliza and Ms. Grant are going to stay in tonight, so they’re willing to watch them. They were invited, but they kept insisting that they were sure they didn’t want to hear the conversations we were going to have.” Kara suddenly noticed the pamphlet that had fallen out of Sam’s bag. “Where did you get this?”
“Oh,” Sam made a face. “Some weirdo at Ruby's soccer game. She came up to me, tried to enlist me in some self-help meeting.”
“I hate those things,” Lena complained. “Like a waste of trees and of our time.”
“You mind if I keep this?” Kara asked.
“Yeah,” Sam nodded. “Go ahead. I only saved it because Jessie said I should show it to you.”
“Good call, Jess,” Kara told her daughter, still staring at the symbol on the front page of the pamphlet.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
“Guys night! Ye-ya!” Winn cheered as he and James headed out of Catco.
James chuckled. “Yeah, this should be fun.”
They found Kara still sitting at her desk, looking serious.
“Kara, what're you still doing here?” James asked. “I thought you already turned in your piece for the hospital closure.”
“I did. Uh, this is something personal,” she replied.
“Whoa,” Winn said, picking up the pamphlet she got from Sam. “Hey, where did you get this?”
James looked at it. “What's that?”
“It's the Kryptonian symbol for Rao,” she told him.
“The God of Krypton,” Winn clarified.
“Yeah, I know. But what's it doing on a pamphlet?” James pressed.
“That's what I've been trying to research all afternoon,” she explained. “I can't find anything.”
“Just a time and an address,” Winn noted. “That's kinda ominous.”
“Yeah, well, just how ominous it is, I want to find out. How would you guys feel about a recon mission?” she offered. “I can’t go myself, or they’ll recognize me, but you guys could slip in unnoticed while I watch from outside.”
James and Winn’s eyes lit up. “Sounds awesome!” James grinned.
The three of them rode in James’ 4x4 to the address on the pamphlet. When they got there, Kara flew up to the roof to watch them with her x-ray vision.
“Looks like an AA meeting,” James said as soon as they walked through the door.
“Aliens Anonymous,” Winn quipped under his breath.
“Hi,” a chipper young blonde girl greeted them.
“Hi,” the two men replied.
“Are you new here?” she inquired.
“Yeah,” James nodded.
“Lucky you,” she grinned. “My first meeting was transformative.”
“Really?” James faked being impressed.
“So, what exactly happens during the meetings?” Winn asked her.
“Oh…” she said, looking around a bit sheepishly. “Um... It's actually more powerful if you experience it yourself.” When a man walked up to the podium, she said, “It's starting! Sit.”
“Okay,” Winn whispered, and the two men sat behind her.
“Welcome, children of Rao,” the leader greeted everyone from the podium.
James leaned over to whisper in Winn’s ear, “This is starting to feel a little…”
“Cult- y?” Winn finished.
“Yeah,” James agreed.
In front, the leader continued, “We are here, all of us, by Her grace. We are here together, standing in the light, for just one reason. We are here because Supergirl saved us.”
Kara clenched her teeth together upon hearing those words. She looked around the room again, and sure enough, she recognized everyone there, except for their leader.
“Let us begin by reaffirming our faith,” the leader said, lighting a candle. “Though we go forth alone, our soul unites under Rao's gladsome rays…”
As the leader continued, Kara heard her mother’s voice echoing his words in her head. “For Rao sees all, feels all. His love is eternal. May Rao protect us so that we might protect others.” As the prayer ended, the leader walked through the room, “Many of us don't get second chances in life. Many of us stay lost. And I'm not talking about driving around in circles because you are running out of gas and you have no GPS. I'm talking about being spiritually lost. And needing to find your way back home. Like Olivia.” He turned to the young girl, “Don't be shy. It's okay.”
Olivia stepped up to the podium, “Hello. Uh... It was, um... It was spring break when I caught my boyfriend cheating on me with my best friend, and I took it hard. I snuck into a rooftop party, and I got totally wasted, and I stood on the ledge as a joke. And the next thing I knew, I was falling... And as I fell, I thought, I hoped, if this is it, that it's quick. But it wasn't quick. And that fall lasted an eternity. And then She caught me. And She told me that everything is going to be okay. Because of Supergirl, I realized I still deserved to be loved. Supergirl saved me.”
Everyone clapped when she was finished.
James texted Kara, “Do you remember saving her?”
“I remember all of them,” Kara texted back.
“And now, every day, our Sister Olivia lives in the light of Rao's presence on Earth... The light that shines through Supergirl. In the name of Supergirl, our Savior…”
The group repeated his words, “In the name of Supergirl, our Savior…”
“We give thanks.”
“We give thanks,” the group chanted.
James leaned into Winn, “Wait a minute. Who exactly are they praying to?”
“Me,” Kara texted him. “They're praying to me.”
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Back at the DEO, Kara, Winn, James, and J’onn gathered around the briefing table.
“Okay. So I ran facial recognition,” Winn announced. “Thomas Coville, 44 years old. Born and raised in National City. Definitely not an alien, no offense.”
“Any red flags, Agent Schott?” J’onn inquired. “Criminal record? Arrests?”
“Well, he was pretty much a boy scout until about three years ago when his wife filed for divorce and then his life fell apart. Uh, let's see. He was disbarred from practicing law after a string of misdemeanor convictions for public drinking and disorderly conduct.”
“I don't understand how that connects to Supergirl,” Kara frowned. “I don't remember saving him and trust me, I would remember.”
“That is right, yes, you didn't save him as an individual,” Winn told her. “But I looked into mass emergencies that Supergirl intervened in, you know, burning buildings, colliding trains, the usual. And I dug a little deeper... Thomas Coville was on Flight 237.”
Kara gasped.
“What's so important about Flight 237?” James asked.
Kara turned to him, “It's the flight Alex was on that I saved. The night I became Supergirl.”
“So, now we know why Coville is the leader of a religion that worships Supergirl,” J’onn stated
“But it's not a religion, J'onn. It's a cult,” Kara pointed out. “He's taking the teachings of Rao and twisting them.”
“Yeah, and how does he know so much about it, right?” Winn said. “And I don't mean just the symbol, but I'm talking about the sacred texts.”
“Coville's handing out pamphlets and recruiting people that've been saved by Supergirl into his Cult of Rao. He's got to have a motive. Winn, can you keep digging on Coville?”
“I can dig it,” he replied. “But, like, in the morning, if that’s OK?”
“Right, of course,” Kara assured him. “I know you guys had plans tonight.”
“As do you, Supergirl,” J’onn reminded her. “Head home. I don’t think this is an emergency situation, or not yet anyway. Go. Have fun.”
Kara sighed. “OK. I’ll try.”
XXXXXXXXXXXX
“...So, this very handsome world leader, who I shall not name, invites me to dinner at The Baldwin where he's staying, right?” Lena regaled. “So we get there and he tells me he has this very important question he has to ask me. And I'm thinking, ‘Okay, well, he's going to invite me up to his room.’ So I'm considering my answer, when he turns around and asks me if I was baptized.”
“What?” Kara exclaimed.
“Yeah,” Lena nodded.
“No,” Sam giggled.
“Yes, yes,” Lena laughed. “So I just burst out laughing and said no, but... apparently, he only sleeps with good Catholics.”
“That's insane,” Maggie rolled her eyes.
“Yeah,” Lena agreed.
“Wow,” Alex said. She was a little irritated at the conversation. She didn’t want to know about Maggie and Lena’s past lovers, but everyone was having such a good time, she didn’t want to be the buzzkill.
“Actually, I kind of found it attractive that he believed in something,” Lena shrugged. It was something she admired about Kara - her steadfast belief in Rao and his care was quite admirable. “So, cool with that.”
“What about you, Kara?” Sam quizzed. “Did you have any weird dating encounters?”
“Oh, please, she and Alex have been together since they were in diapers,” Lucy scoffed. “She doesn’t have any interesting dating stories.”
Kara grinned and held up her finger. “Actually, I do have one.”
Alex frowned. She didn’t know where Kara was going with this.
“So, this one time, when Alex first got her driver’s license, she took me on a date to the drive-in movie theater-”
Alex groaned, now knowing what Kara was about to say. She covered her face with her hands in embarrassment.
Kara took Alex’s hand and held onto it. “Anyway, so we went to the drive-in, and we got all kinds of food and drinks and goodies, right? And so Alex decides that the car isn’t at a good angle, and she wants to adjust it a little. Well, I wasn’t thinking, and I left my 32 ounce soda on the dashboard, and as soon as Alex moved the car, it went right in my lap and all over the car.”
“Ohhhh!” the group howled in delight.
“She was so embarrassed, she cried all the way home,” Kara told them affectionately.
Alex shook her head, her face maroon. “I can’t believe you told them that. I was repressing that memory, thank you very much.”
“So, what about Ruby's father?” Eve chimed in. “Is he still in the picture?”
“Nope. It's just me and Ruby,” Sam replied.
“Wow. Raising a daughter by yourself, that's incredible,” Eve replied.
“Yeah,” Alex agreed.
“I mean, how do you do that?” Lyra wanted to know.
Sam shrugged and shook her head, “Uh, not very gracefully. I'm always behind on something. You guys will see when you have kids.”
Outside, a cavalry of emergency vehicles flew down the road.
“Uh-oh,” Kara sighed. “That’s my cue.” She dashed out the door and followed the sirens to a huge factory fire. As she approached, she saw a young man standing on the roof of a collapsing building, so she rushed in to grab him before the fire devoured him.
When she set him on his feet, he said, “I was waiting for you,” and bowed low to her.
She frowned. What the hell?
“You did it, babe!” Olivia, the girl from the meeting earlier that night, exclaimed. The young girl ran up and kissed the young man. “She saved you!”
“I knew she would,” he said. “I never lost faith.”
“You're one of us now,” Olivia grinned. “Thank Rao.”
“Thank Supergirl,” he corrected.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Detective Clemmens sighed and shook his head. “I've never seen an arsonist so excited to get caught.”
Kara frowned hard. “That's because it was a religious experience for him. He set the fire to join a cult that... Worships me. The man who leads it, this guy named Coville thinks that being saved by Supergirl anoints you. So he set the fire, so I would save him.”
“What if you weren't here?” Clemmens scoffed.
“Coville is telling people to put themselves at risk. He needs to be arrested.”
Detective Clemmens shook his head. “Unless Coville specifically told that kid to harm himself and others, he's protected. It's freedom of speech.”
“But he holds sway over these people as their pastor,” Kara argued.
“People can worship whatever they want,” the detective told her, heading to his car. “It's called freedom of religion.”
“There's gotta be something you can do before this escalates!” Kara begged.
Clemmens paused before he got into the driver’s seat. “Until Coville breaks the law, my hands are tied. I'm sorry.”
Kara blew out a breath and sighed worriedly.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Ruby sat on the floor of her mom’s office, “Okay, I just finished my homework. Can we practice my song now?”
“What about your extra credit project for French?” Sam asked distractedly.
Ruby said something that Sam didn’t understand.
“Okay, I'm assuming that means you've done that as well.” She sighed. “I'm sorry, babe. I have this pile of work to do. Can you start your research paper?”
“But you said we'd practice my song,” Ruby complained.
“I know-”
“Excuse me, Ms. Arias,” Sam’s assistant came into the office, “I just got a call from JQB. There's a problem with the merger.”
“What kind of problem?” Sam demanded.
“Morgan Edge just lodged an antitrust complaint with the Federal Trade Commission,” her assistant informed her.
“He did what?” Sam shot out of her chair and headed for the door.
“Mom?” Ruby whimpered.
“I'm sorry, babe. I have to deal with this.”
“Mom!”
“Ruby, this is really important! Okay, we start by getting the Commissioner on the phone, so get me a number. I am not letting this merger fall apart.”
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Kara, in her normal clothes, showed up to the place where the Cult of Rao had met the night before. Coville was there, but his back was turned to her. She cleared her throat to get his attention.
Coville spun on his heel, a little startled, but when he laid eyes on Kara, he lit up. “It’s you,” he said, voice full of awe.
Kara repressed a sigh. “It’s me,” she said softly. “Coville-”
“You know my name?” he beamed.
“I need to ask you some questions,” she continued, ignoring him.
“Oh. Always happy to talk about what we're up to,” he smiled.
Kara didn’t beat around the bush. She put her hands on her hips. “So, one of your followers, he was in a fire last night. He almost died.”
“I heard. He wanted to test his faith. And he was rewarded. Supergirl saved him,” he said proudly.
She frowned. “He burned the building down. Other people could've gotten hurt.”
“But they didn't,” he smiled again. “As was Rao's way.”
Kara scoffed “I... I think it's admirable that you want to help people. But, I mean, logically, Supergirl can't save everyone. There's only one of me.”
“Is this a test?” he asked.
“Excuse me?”
“Did you come here to test my faith? Supergirl? I looked into your eyes from my seat on that plane. When you look into the eyes of God, you do not forget.”
Kara started walking away. She couldn’t deal with his worshipful gaze.
“Wait, don't worry. As Rao says, ‘Let my God walk amongst you and shelter Her.’”
She turned back angrily. “I am not God. Rao is.”
“Rao says even his Gods can lose their way. If you're lost, I can help you.” He turned away from her for a moment.
“I’m not lost,” she retorted. When Coville pulled out a Kryptonian information crystal, her blood ran cold. “Where did you get that?
“I found every artifact of Krypton there was to find. This contains Rao's words. This can remind you of what Rao says,” Coville declared, handing her the crystal.
“I know what Rao says,” she barked, snatching the crystal from him. “You are perverting it!” She took off her glasses, so he could see the furious look in her eyes without it being dampened by nerdiness. “You're going to stop having these meetings. You're going to stop telling people to put themselves in danger. If I am a God, you need to do as I say. You need to trust me.”
“I trust you,” Coville grinned.
When she was gone, he entered his ‘altar’ room, and knelt down to pray. “In her name I swear. I will serve her. I will save her.”
XXXXXXXXXXXX
“Baby? I'm finally, finally done,” Sam sighed as she re-entered her office.
Ruby didn’t answer. She was fast asleep on the couch, books sprawled around her.
Sam sighed in frustration at herself. She took off her jacket and laid it over Ruby’s sleeping form. She just stood there, watching over her daughter for a moment when Lena came in.
“Love that couch,” Lena told her. “So many stress naps happened there.”
“The update,” Sam sighed. “Morgan Edge tried to get the FTC to quash the merger, but I got the complaint dismissed. The merger is finally done.”
“Congratulations,” Lena told her proudly. “You saved the deal and a lot of jobs this week. Really good work, Sam.”
Sam nodded and wrenched her eyes closed.
“Sam?” Lena said worriedly.
Sam tried to keep her tears in, but she was having a hell of a time. “I'm sorry. Oh... This is so unprofessional.” She sighed heavily and sat down in her chair.
“What's the matter?” Lena asked gently, sitting in the chair across the desk.
Sam sniffled. “I'm just screwing up. Not with work. With Ruby. All she wanted to do was practice her song with me. And I kept saying, ‘No, later, later,’ and... I mean, look at her, I just feel like the worst mother... Why are you laughing?”
“Because,” Lena replied. “I actually had the worst mother, objectively speaking. So I find your self appraisal a little funny.”
“I let my kid fall asleep on my couch in the office,” Sam pouted. “It's not great.”
“She fell asleep watching her mom work hard,” Lena objected. “She may not understand the ins and outs, but she knows it's important and you're the only one who can fix it. That's how you raise a girl to be a badass.”
“Yeah. She already is a badass.”
“Yeah, cause she's loved. And she knows it.”
Sam smiled appreciatively at her best friend. “Thanks, Lena. You’re going to be such an amazing mother. Those boys are really lucky.”
Lena grinned. “Thank you. They’re really lucky to have you and Ruby, as well. We all are.” She felt movement in her belly. “Oh!” she yelped in surprise as she received a strong kick.
“Are you OK?” Sam asked worriedly.
“I’m fine,” Lena waved her off. “The boys were just agreeing with me.”
Sam chuckled. “Thanks, guys,” she said, rubbing Lena’s belly.
“I should head home,” Lena sighed. “Maggie and Kara get a little freaked out when I’m out alone after dark.”
“Oh, well, Ruby and I can take you home, if you want,” Sam offered.
Lena pursed her lips as she thought about Sam’s offer. She was just going to let Andy drive her home, but this would give her a few more stolen moments with her best friend. “OK. Actually, I’d like that. Let me just text Andy that he can go home.”
Sam nodded. “Andy’s a sweet kid. Where’d you find him?”
Lena shrugged. “I hired a service, and he’s the one that came to me. I got really lucky. He’s very loyal, and as you said, sweet. After a couple of months in National City, I just hired him on as my personal private driver. It didn’t take much convincing.” Lena finished texting Andy and told her wives that she’d be home soon.
“Now, to wake the sleeping bear,” Sam smirked.
“Let me,” Lena offered. She pulled the books off the couch and sat next to Ruby. “Ruby, sweetheart, it’s time to wake up,” she stroked the girl’s shoulder until she stirred.
Ruby frowned at first, but when she opened her eyes and saw Lena, she beamed. “Hi, Lena,” she said groggily, swiping at her eyes and yawning.
“Hi, sleeping beauty,” Lena grinned. “You wanna say hi to the boys? They’re awake.”
Ruby’s eyes lit up. She sat up on the couch and pressed her nose to Lena’s belly. “Hi, little babies! It’s Ruby! How are you? Are you being good?”
Both the babies kicked wildly at the sound of Ruby’s voice. Lena giggled. “They’re very happy to see you.”
Ruby cooed at them a while longer before Sam piped up. “Ruby, baby, we’re going to take Lena back to Ms. Grant’s before we go home, OK?”
“OK!” Ruby replied agreeably. She started packing up her things, so they could head out.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Kara stood on James’ office balcony trying to settle her mind. She idly fiddled with the Kryptonian information crystal in her hands.
“Hey, you okay?” James asked.
Kara sighed and shook her head. “Our religion was so important on Krypton. Not just spiritually, but it was our community.”
“Yeah, that's how I felt every Sunday at my church,” James replied.
“I didn't realize how much I missed it until I heard those prayers again. But Coville's teachings are so misguided. I tried to tell him, but he only hears what he wants to hear. I mean, how do I tell him that my sister was on a crashing plane and he just got lucky?”
“Mmm,” he shrugged.
Kara huffed and paced into the office and plopped down on the couch. “I can fight so many things but I don't know how to fight someone's belief. He's blinded by faith.”
James sat across from her, trying to convey compassion. “Let me ask you, what makes somebody blind just because they believe? You know how I met Superman?
“At the Daily Planet,” she answered.
“No, that's your cousin, Clark.” He sighed and took a deep breath. “So one day I climbed up this bridge spire to get this angle on this tanker fire. It was beautiful. It was great… There was a lot of smoke in the air... I got light- headed, and I lost my footing, and I fell. And I knew for sure that I was going to die. So I just prayed. I prayed to anything, to anyone who was listening... To save me. And then out of this smoke came this hand, and grasped mine... And that was the first time Superman saved me. Same way you did Coville.”
“My biology absorbs solar radiation at a different rate than humans. What about that is miraculous?” Kara argued.
“In this life, prayer normally doesn't work,” James explained. “Nobody shows up. But Clark did. And you do. Kara, you're something that we can see, something that we can touch. How are you not a miracle?” He picked up the crystal and spun it in his hands. “And at least you got a part of your culture back, I mean, that's... That's something.”
Suddenly, the data crystal sprang to life, projecting a Kryptonian man into the space in front of them.
“Who’s that?” James asked.
“Greetings, new friends. If you're watching me, you've received a collection of works - and history from Krypton-”
“I think I need to get back to the DEO,” Kara said, hurriedly snatching the crystal from James’ coffee table and darting out the door.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
“Winn?” Kara found him in his lab.
“Mmm?” he muttered.
“I need you to run a scan on a BetaHedron signature,” she demanded.
“What's that? A Beta- what?” he frowned.
“It's like the Omegahedron that powered Fort Rozz, only smaller,” she explained.
“Oh, that makes sense,” he replied, starting a search on his tablet and heading downstairs to the briefing room.
Kara explained more as she followed behind him. “So, on Krypton, we used BetaHedrons to power probes that scientists would send out into space that can contain Kryptonian artifacts like this one, embedded with information like our history, religion, so other worlds would learn our culture.
“Oh, yeah. On Earth, we had that too. The Voyager probe,” he informed her.
“Well, the Kryptonian probe must've landed on Earth and this obelisk was in it. And Coville had it.
“Okay. So, you're saying that Coville has an unlimited power supply, with absolutely no idea what it's capable of?” Winn worried.
“Yeah,” Kara sighed.
“Right. Okay. Oh, hey! I found it,” Winn exclaimed. “Look at that. Whoa, guys, this is bad. It's degrading.”
Mon-El came up behind them, “If someone doesn't stabilize that, that's gonna breach.”
“That's gonna be enough to take out an entire city block,” Winn fretted.
Kara scowled. “He knows what it's capable of. He was willing to burn down a building for one recruit. Imagine how many recruits he'd get with a bomb. I'm going to the Community Center to find him.”
“Kara?” Winn stopped her. “The BetaHedron's not there.”
“Then where is it?” she demanded.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
“On your feet for the opening faceoff!” the announcer declared at the NCU hockey game. The crowd cheered wildly.
Meanwhile, in the basement of the stadium, Coville and his followers were gathered around the BetaHedron, most of them kneeling on the floor in reverence.
“Today we repay the salvation that She has granted us by bringing these people into the baptism of light. Today we reaffirm to Her and to all, that She is the God of our Earth,” Coville preached.
Kara was already in the air. “I'm almost to the stadium. You're sure that is where it is?” she asked Winn over the coms.
“Yes,” he replied. “And I checked attendance. The stadium is at full capacity. That is 15,000 people.
J’onn spoke to Mon-El, who was already speeding toward the stadium. “Mon-El, you have 10 minutes before the BetaHedron breaches. You need to get everybody out of that stadium right now.”
Supergirl found the Cult of Rao in the basement. “Coville.”
“Our prayers have been answered!” Coville announced to the group.
“Whatever you did to the BetaHedron, to the probe... You have to stop it now!” Supergirl demanded.
Coville turned around to face her. “Don't you see the beauty? The same vessel that delivered Rao's word to Earth has now become an instrument for destruction. To give you the chance to deliver thousands to our ranks. A test to reaffirm to yourself what Rao sees in you.”
“But Rao is peaceful,” Kara argued. “Rao would never ask his followers to endanger other people. What you're doing is an insult to Him.”
“What we're doing is in service of Him,” Coville corrected her. “And in service of you.”
Kara scoffed and stomped toward the probe. “Winn, you're going to have to tell me how to shut it dow- Ah!” Kara fell to the floor. Suddenly all her strength had been sapped out of her. She could feel the poison seeping into her skin.
“What's wrong with her?” Olivia exclaimed.
“Don't worry, this is all part of Rao's plan,” Coville assured her.
“Winn,” Kara panted. “Winn!”
“Supergirl, what's happening?” Winn came back.
“It's…” Kara used her X-ray vision to look into the probe. There it was. “Kryptonite. Kryptonite.”
“Mon-El, something went wrong,” J’onn told him over the coms.
“Yeah, I heard.” To the head of security, Mon-El said, “We need to stop this game.”
The security head showed him the stadium. “We got a packed house, Agent Matthews. You yell ‘bomb’ out here, people are going to get trampled.”
Mon-El got back on the coms. “You're gonna have to shut that thing down. We won't get everybody out in time. Repeat, we will not evacuate in time.”
“We are all going to die,” Kara insisted. “You need to shut it down.”
Olivia was in a panic. “You said she would save us. That she would save everybody.”
“And she will.” Coville knelt on the floor in front of her, raising his hands above him. “Those people up there, they need to be awoken. Only you can do that. You are the one to deliver Rao's light upon all of us.”
Kara panted. Every breath she took felt like fire in her lungs. She grabbed a stray nail off the floor. “Don't you see?” She sliced her hand open and showed them all the blood. “I am no God.”
“No,” Coville seemed shocked. “No!” Suddenly, all of his followers got up and ran away. “Wait, stop!” he cried. But none of them turned back. “I believed in you,” he said brokenly to Supergirl.
“Please,” she begged.
Coville turned and powered on the machine, punching a few buttons, but the BetaHedron just got brighter. “That was supposed to turn it off. It's not turning off.”
“Winn!” Kara begged.
“It's starting to discharge,” Winn said.
“I'm heading there,” J’onn insisted.
“No,” Winn stopped him. “You won't make it in time.”
Finally, Mon-El appeared in the basement. “Hey!” he yelled at Coville. “Get away from the probe and down on the ground!”
“I'm just trying to help,” Coville insisted.
“Now!” Mon-El barked.
Coville obeyed.
Mon-El ran to Kara and knelt down beside her. “Supergirl.”
“Inside, inside…” she pointed.
Mon-El ran around the probe and opened the hatch. “They put Kryptonian soil samples on the probe. It's laced with kryptonite.”
“Get it away from her!” J’onn ordered.
Mon-El threw the soil as far across the room as he could get it.
“Mon-El. Supergirl. The BetaHedron is about to breach,” J’onn reminded them.
“You have to fly that thing out of here,” Mon-El told Supergirl.
“I can't," Kara panted. "I can't.”
“Mon-El, you and Supergirl need to get out of there right now!” Winn yelled.
“Get away from me,” Kara told Mon-El.
“What?” he objected.
“Quick, get away.” When Mon-El was backed far enough away, Kara struggled to stand to her feet, then she burned a hole into the ground as deep as she could manage. “Now! Now! Push it in. Push it in.” Kara passed out from the exertion.
“Mon-El!” J’onn hollered.
Mon-El was a little busy, though, as he pushed the probe into the hole that Kara had made just in time for the thing to explode. Fire lapped at them from the blaze, but they managed to stay out of the way.
Coville just stared forlornly at the fallen hero, his heart aching.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Beneath the city, on a waking ship, someone wakes up.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Kara spent the night under the sunlamps at the DEO, and by morning, she felt good as new. It was a good thing too because it was time for them to move into their new house. She showered and changed into the clothes Mon-El picked up for her. By the time she was clean and dressed, she was practically bouncing with excitement. She said a quick hello to J’onn on her way out, and then took the elevator down to the ground floor where Eliza was waiting to pick her up.
“Good morning, dear,” Eliza purred. “How are you feeling?”
Kara beamed at her. “I feel great, thanks. I’m so excited to get moved into our new place. It’s like a castle. I feel like a princess.”
“Well, you are a sort of Earth royalty,” Eliza pointed out.
Kara sighed and rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to be treated that way. I just want to go back to being able to be just me. People didn’t fawn all over Kara Danvers before they knew I was Supergirl. I miss that. I don’t like all the attention.”
“I know, sweetie,” Eliza patted her knee. “I’m sorry you got outed, but at least you’re alive.”
“True, but…” Kara proceeded to explain the whole ordeal with Coville.
Eliza’s eyes were wide as saucers. “Oh, my. No wonder you’ve been missing the last couple of days.”
“Yeah.”
Soon, they were back at Ms. Grant’s to join the rest of the family. They had to be at the new house early, so they could accept the furniture deliveries. They had a lot coming. Beds, cribs, dressers, vanities, couches and chairs, lamps, dining room furniture, coffee and end tables - pretty much anything they could think of. Lena had been meeting with a decorator that helped her pick out all the things they needed. With the rest of the wives’ approval, they put together quite an incredible decor. All the rooms had been painted the colors they wanted, and then all they had to do was move their stuff from storage to the new house.
When Eliza and Kara entered the front door at Cat’s place, Kara could smell a delicious breakfast brewing. She inhaled deeply and let out a hungry growl. “Oh, man, that smells so good!” She followed the heavenly aroma into the kitchen and found Alex and Lena cooking a mountain of bacon, eggs and pancakes. She moved in and kissed them each. “Thank you for making breakfast, my loves.”
“You’re welcome,” they replied. “How are you feeling?” Alex worried, putting her hand on Kara’s cheek.
“Really good. Honestly,” she smiled to prove it.
“I’m glad, Angel. You had me worried there for a minute.”
“Yep. A few hours under the sunlamps, and I’m good as new.”
Kara moved around to hug the rest of the gang that was at the table. They all expressed their love and gratitude that she was OK.
“Mama, are you going to feel up to moving things today?” Jessie worried. “We’ve gotta get as much stuff done as we can, so we can go to Ruby’s show tonight.”
“I’ll be fine,” Kara assured her. “I feel great. I’m excited to get things done.” She scarfed down a couple of bananas and oranges while she waited on the rest of her breakfast. She tried not to eat too fast, but she really was excited. Extravagant as the new house was, it was their new home, and she was elated to have this with her new family. It was so much more than she’d ever dreamed she would have.
When Krypton exploded, Kara never thought she’d be able to be happy again. But eventually, Alex had made her happy. The young Earth native had picked up the pieces of her broken heart and slowly but surely put the pieces together into something still quite beautiful. Alex was the root of all the love she possessed in this world. Alex’s love enabled her to love Eliza and Jeremiah, and then Jamie and Jessie, and then the Superfriends, and then Maggie and Lena, and then even more Superfriends. Now, she had so much love in her heart, she overflowed with it, driving her to be stronger, faster, better. Coville didn’t know what he was talking about when he said she was lost. She knew exactly where she was, and it was in Rao’s light. Coville was the one who was lost, twisting the ways of Rao, and driving people to potential destruction.
Jessie poked her in the arm, distracting her from her thoughts. “Are you done eating?”
Kara looked at her empty plate and had an inner discussion with her stomach. “Yes, I think I’m done for now.”
Jessie and Jamie cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher. When they were done, they all loaded up in the vehicles and headed to the new house. They pulled into the long circle drive and into the parking spaces in front of the garage. Again, Kara was blown away by its beauty. The solid brick walls were practically perfect in every way. She pressed her hand to the security panel, and the system greeted her by name, unlocking the giant mahogany double doors. She swung them open and was overcome by the new house smell. She took a deep breath in, savoring it. The front hallway had two big closets on either side, and opened up into the main foyer. Lena had specifically designed the gorgeous water feature in the center of the room that was already flowing. Kara idly wondered if she would be allowed to put fish in there. She’d never been allowed to have fish before, but she might get lucky this time.
She walked through the foyer into the kitchen, taking in the white marble countertops, the mahogany cabinets, and the stainless steel appliances. It was all so warm and modern. Lena did such a great job in picking things out. She opened one of the two refrigerators to see how much room they had, and was surprised to find it stocked with food. She perked up and turned to see Lena grinning at her.
“I had Jess bring over some things. I didn’t want you to go hungry while you were moving,” Lena told her. “It’s the least I can do, since I can’t help much.”
Kara walked back across the kitchen and kissed her wife. “Thank you, that was very thoughtful of you.”
“There should even be some ice cream in the freezer,” Lena added.
Kara squealed with delight. “You’re the best!” She dug through the cabinets and drawers to see what they had and what they didn’t have. They didn’t have much yet. All of Lena’s kitchen stuff was still in storage. Thankfully, Jess had also left paper plates and bowls, and plastic utensils for the stuff in the fridge. Kara wandered into the pantry, imagining what she would put in each place, and then she saw it - a deep freeze. That hadn’t been there the last time Kara had inspected the house. She beamed and opened it up. It was huge! She and Alex had always wished they had more room in their refrigerator/freezer unit in their old apartment. This was perfect, especially considering all the kids they had on the way. “Lena!” she exclaimed happily.
“You’re trying to figure out how much ice cream will fit in there, aren’t you?” Lena teased.
Kara chuckled. “Maybe…” She took Lena’s hand and kissed it. “You’re so smart. You know it? I never would have thought about a big freezer like that.”
Lena shrugged, “Well, smart as I may be, it was actually Eliza’s suggestion.”
“Oh. Good on her, then.”
The pair wandered back toward the other end of the house where everyone else had gone. On the other side of the foyer was the designated living room where they would put their couches and main TV. Further on, past the family room was what Lena called Alex and Maggie’s pool hall. It would have a pool table, darts, and a full bar with locking mechanisms on all the doors and cabinets to keep the kids out of things. Not just locks, but actual security systems. It was a part of Lena’s “Luthorizing” the house. Only the four adults in the house would have access to the bar. Further west in the house was the eight-car garage that Lena would use to store her motorized babies. On the south end of the living room/bar, the part facing the backyard, there was a solarium, and beyond that, a giant hole in the yard that would soon be a pool. Upstairs there were 10 rooms - A master bedroom with two walk-in closets and an enormous ensuite bathroom, a sunroom for Kara, a bedroom for each of the older twins, a nursery for the baby girls, a nursery for the baby boys, 3 guest rooms, a home office, and two more bathrooms. Downstairs was a full laundry room, full bathroom, a space intended for a home gym, and a place for an at home lab for Lena and Alex.
Cat had a worried look on her face.
“Ms. Grant?” Kara said softly. “Are you OK?”
Cat sighed. “I just wonder how safe you’re going to be without the wall being finished.”
“I assure you, it’s plenty safe,” Lena promised. “I’ve taken every precaution. With my security, even Kara would have a hard time breaking into this house. The wall is just to try to keep random people off our property.”
“Are you sure? You guys can stay at my place a little longer,” Cat offered.
“No, Ms. Grant,” Maggie replied. “I know it’s going to be hard, but we’ve taken advantage of you for too long. It’s time for us to stand on our own feet like big girls.” A tear slid down Cat’s cheek, and Maggie embraced her as best she could around her belly. “This isn’t goodbye, remember?”
“I know, I know,” Cat waved her hand in the air.
Carter put his arms around her. “It’s gonna be hard for me too, Mom.”
She stroked his back and squeezed him around the shoulders. “It’ll be OK, son.”
“We can still talk every day,” Jamie reminded him. “And you guys can always come over for dinner, as often as you want, and we’re always having parties, so there’s always an excuse to come over.”
“Right!” Kara agreed. “Like I said before, we’ll always need you, Ms. Grant. But also as Maggie said, we need to be big girls now.”
“I’m so proud of you all,” Cat told them. “Now, when is the furniture getting here?”
“Any minute now,” Lena answered.
“The sooner, the better. We don't have all day.” Cat paced a little.
“Don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of help today,” Alex assured her. “They’re meeting at the storage facility later.”
They only had to wait 10 more minutes for the first delivery truck to show up. Lena pointed out where each furniture item went, as they came off the truck, and Kara and the twins helped unload. Even with their help, it took quite a long time for them to get everything unloaded - there ended up being three trucks altogether. After about three hours, the trucks were empty, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The house looked even warmer now that there was furniture. The Danvers and Grants sat around the chocolate brown living room couches and admired the new vibe. Once they put up a few art pieces and the TV, the room would be complete. And of course, Kara would make sure the room was well-stocked with comfy pillows and blankets for movie nights.
Kara’s stomach growled, and she took her cue and excused herself to the kitchen. The twins followed behind her, probably just as hungry as she was. They made themselves some sandwiches with some potato salad and sliced veggies on the side, and then, of course, they dug into the ice cream as well. When they were finished eating, they declared themselves ready to move on to the next step, which was unloading their storage space. They called Winn, James, Mon-El and Douglas to let them know they were headed out, so they and their girls could come help. Sure, Kara and the twins could do it all themselves, but since Ruby had a recital that night, they asked for help to make things go a little faster. They would need their stuff, if they wanted to sleep in their own beds that night.
Kara took the twins and Carter to the storage facility with her and left the others behind. Her wives and Cat and Eliza would be helping to organize everything when they brought it back, and Kara didn’t want her wives over-exerting themselves. When they arrived, Winn and Lyra were already there waiting for them, waving cheerfully. Kara unlocked the storage unit, and then went inside to pay for a truck. She felt bad that Maggie couldn’t drive the truck like she wanted to, but the detective was just too pregnant to drive. Kara was the only choice. She could do it, no problem. Kara backed the truck up to the storage unit, and they started loading things on. Soon, the others joined them, and it only took about an hour for them all to empty out the unit. Kara was relieved. She called Alex and told her they were on their way back to the house and requested that she order a bunch of pizzas for everyone. Alex agreed, and Kara handed the keys of her van to Eve to drive it back to the house.
It took a little longer to get back to the house than they had planned. Traffic was a bit crazy since it was Saturday afternoon. Kara did it, though. She drove the truck all the way back to their house with no problems. When the truck was about halfway unloaded, the pizzas arrived, and the gang took a break to chow down. They had a few hours until Ruby’s recital, so they were doing pretty well on time.
After Kara had demolished a whole pizza, she was ready to get back to work. She got up from the table and left the rest of the gang to finish eating while she started bringing things inside. She was too excited to sit still, and apparently, so were the twins because they joined her shortly. The three of them had emptied out about a quarter of the boxes before the rest of the group came back out to help. As a group, they made short work of getting everything out of the truck, so all they had left to do was to put things away.
Maggie and Lena made the master bed, while Alex and Kara helped the girls with theirs. They could spend Sunday going through everything else, but they at least wanted their beds in sleeping conditions. They also dug out their toiletries and a few clothes to get through the next week, just in case something happened to prevent them from unpacking the next day. At 5:00, they called it a day. Ruby’s recital was at 7:00, and some of them wanted to go home and shower before they had to be there. Kara agreed that a shower sounded nice. Not that she was sweaty, but some of the boxes had been a little dusty after months in storage. She washed up and changed her clothes into something a little nicer than just jeans and a T-shirt. When she was done, she helped Lena unpack the kitchen stuff until it was time to leave. Eliza drove the minivan with Alex, Maggie, and the twins, and Kara drove the Maserati with Lena, Cat, and Carter. They arrived a little early, thankfully. There were a lot of people around, and it would be difficult for everyone to get seats together. They found Sam and Douglas in the auditorium and filled in the seats around them.
Sam was beaming. “You made it!”
“Of course!” Lena replied. “We wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Eventually, the rest of the Superfriends arrived and found seats closeby. Even J’onn and M’yrnn showed up. Ever since the Martian elder had found out about Ruby’s recital, he was adamant that he and his son would show up. He adored the kids, and he wanted to support them.
When the lights dimmed, they all quieted down and turned their heads toward the stage. The first act was a group of young girls all dressed in Supergirl and ‘Superkid’ outfits dancing to a song about being a superhero girl. It was adorable.
Alex leaned over to whisper in Kara’s ear, “Look at that. They're not worshiping you. They're inspired by you.”
Kara grinned. She would have to give those girls a personal thank you from Supergirl herself. When the first act was over, it was Ruby’s turn. Ruby stepped up to the microphone and grinned at all the people that were there to see her. James started recording on his camcorder, so Sam could just watch.
♪ Come with me ♪
♪ And you'll be ♪
♪ In a world of pure imagination ♪
♪ Take a look And you'll see ♪
♪ Into your imagination ♪
♪ There is no life I know ♪
♪ To compare with your imagination ♪
♪ Living there you'll be free ♪
♪ If you truly wish ♪
♪ To be ♪
Maggie started crying uncontrollably, holding back her sobs, but unable to stop the tears streaming down her face.
Kara’s heart seized up, “Maggie? What’s wrong, honey?”
The detective leaned into Kara’s embrace, but didn’t answer. She was too choked up to speak yet.
Kara urged Maggie up and led her out to the foyer away from any of the people wandering around. “Talk to me, baby.”
“I’m sorry…” Maggie sobbed. “It’s actually not bad crying.” She hiccupped. “I was just thinking that if I’m this proud of Ruby, how much more proud I’m going to be of my own daughter. I can’t believe I ever thought I should deny myself this amazing, beautiful thing. I’m really looking forward to meeting our new little ones.”
Kara wrapped her arms around her wife and just held her for a while. “I’m glad you’re happy now, my love. It’s a big relief. I love you so much. I want you to be happy. You deserve so much good in your life. I really hated that your choice was taken away from you. You didn’t deserve that.”
“I know, but I’m OK now,” Maggie assured her. “I’ve bonded with this little one, and I would do anything to protect her. She’s ours. I wouldn’t trade her for anything in the world.”
Now it was Kara’s turn to shed a few tears. She gave Maggie a few tender kisses. “I’m so glad. I wouldn’t trade you for anything in the world either. You have my heart, 100%.”
“And you have mine,” Maggie sniffled.
“Are you ready to go back in?” Kara checked.
“Yeah.”
Kara led Maggie by the hand back to their seats in the auditorium. When they sat down, Lena took Maggie’s other hand and laced their fingers together. They watched the rest of the talent show, and when it was all over, Kara excused herself and went to change into her Super suit to greet the school kids. Of course, the kids went nuts when they saw her, and she tried to give them all hugs if they wanted them, which most of them did. She thanked them all for making her feel loved and emphatically reminded them that it didn’t take superpowers to be a hero. Everyone could do their part to keep the world safe.
After she’d greeted nearly everyone in the entire building, she made her way back to where the Superfriends were waiting for her. She opened her arms for Ruby, and the girl flew into them, hugging her as tightly as she could. “I’m so proud of you, Ruby,” Kara kissed her on the top of the head.
Ruby beamed. “Thanks, Kara.”
“Shall we go get dinner?” Kara suggested. They had called Amy ahead of time and told her they would be there after Ruby’s show. Everyone agreed, and they headed out.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
When dinner was over, everyone headed home, but Kara had other ideas. “I need you all to come to the DEO with me,” she told her family. When they arrived, she took them to the room that housed her mother’s AI. “Hi, Mom,” Kara said to the hologram.
“Hello, Kara,” the AI responded.
“Will you recite Rao’s Oath with me?” Kara requested.
“Of course,” Alura agreed. The hologram of Alura lit a candle and recited the prayer, and Kara chanted the words along with her.
“Though we go forth alone, our soul unites us under Rao's gladsome rays. We're never lost, never afraid, for we shrink not under the Sun of Righteousness. Rao binds us to those we love. He gives us strength when we have none. And in the darkest places, he guides us. For Rao sees all, feels all. His love eternal. Rao, protect us, so that we might protect others. And we shall rise, a fire in His heart, burning and free.”
“That was beautiful,” Lena whispered, tears threatening to spill out of her eyes.
“I’ve never heard that before,” Alex spoke softly.
“We should start doing this more often!” Jessie exclaimed.
“I would like that,” Kara beamed.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone