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Kara, Lena, Alex, Kelly, Andrea, and Sam sat at a large table in the corner of a restaurant, laughing and chatting through their dinners. It was when the staff was clearing away the last of their dishes that Alex pulled an envelope from her back pocket.
“Alright,” she spoke loudly enough to get everyone’s attention, “as an apology for stealing Nia away from us this sacred Game Night, Brainy gave me this, with instructions to read it to you all after dinner.”
The others exchanged intrigued glances and murmurs as Alex made a flourish of opening the envelope, clearing her throat dramatically before reading aloud.
“Dear Friends, apologies that my beloved,” Alex groaned, making a grossed-out face, “and I cannot join you this evening, as I have absconded with her for the weekend. This is especially egregious knowing SG is still awaiting recharge.” She eyed Kara, still perturbed that she’d blown out her powers fighting a group of Citadelians the day before. “Although you all still have my complete faith in our absence, I thought it prudent to boost morale.” Alex rolled her eyes and shook her head, turning the paper over, looking for more. When nothing further was written, she looked back into the envelope, pulling out the item inside.
Kara practically stood up in excitement, “What is it?”
Lena reached a calming hand to rub her back and Kara sat back down with a smile, leaning closer to her girlfriend.
Alex hummed, “It looks like he got us one of those mystery game nights.”
Kelly said, “Oh, that was nice of him.”
At the same time, Sam rubbed her hands together, “Oh, this is gonna be fun.”
Andrea shook her head with a laugh, eyeing the tall brunette with purpose, “I should’ve known you’d have a competitive side.”
Sam smirked, “Don’t all of Lena’s friends?”
Lena gaped momentarily before conceding, “Well, that’s only because others must strive to be as good as I am at… Well, anything really.”
Alex snorted, “At least she’s humble.”
“Ha!” Andrea gave her a teasing smile, “That’s the only word Luthors don’t know.”
~
On the other side of the city, they located a brick office building set in front of a row of warehouses just South of the docks. The group entered, finding a young man dressed as a guard waiting for them. “Dox-Danvers?” They nodded as they gathered around. “Welcome to Detective Contests.” He spoke intriguingly, “This will be a night to remember. Follow me.”
They filed into a large empty room that had a bunch of different lines across the walls and around the edge of the floor.
He continued, “Please step forward,” waving them further into the room, “Into the center. Yep, passed the lines, please. Good. Good.”
Once they were inside, the door closed and the lights dimmed. Then, he continued with undue gravitas, “This is the home of the Travers diamond-” Lena scoffed, catching Sam’s eye and a dirty look from the guard before he continued slightly louder, “The world’s most infamous diamond.” He raised his hand to indicate the space behind him where a light now shone down on a pedestal that had risen from the floor, an empty necklace display surrounded by a security case on top.
“The necklace, worth $90 million, was stolen earlier this evening.” He opened a small cabinet in the pedestal, pulling out a folder and handing it to the person closest to him: Kara. “It’s your job to discover those responsible for the heist.” He clicked a button and the lines around the room began to move, frames, tables, and items appearing around them. “Your dossier will guide your investigation. You have sixty minutes to solve the case.”
He began to leave, but turned back, “Oh uh, I’m required to mention, there is a panic button just here.” He pointed to a red button under a plastic cover on the wall by the door where they had entered. “In case of emergencies. However,” he held up a pointer finger, “use of the button ends your paid time and there are no refunds.” Then, he quickly exited, the door closing heavily behind him.
Kara and Kelly immediately started reviewing the dossier while Alex and Andrea started checking out their surroundings. “Well, I’ll give it to them; the whole rotating walls thing is pretty snazzy.”
Sam snorted at Alex, “Did you just say snazzy?”
Alex made a face and shrugged, “Been hanging out with Kara too much.”
The blonde looked up affronted, “Hey!”
Kelly rubbed the blonde’s back soothingly while Alex redirected the conversation, “Don’t think I didn’t see you earlier,” pointing in Lena’s direction.
She put a hand to her chest, offended, “What did I do?”
Alex squinted suspiciously, “That whole diamond thing.”
Sam snickered and Lena gave her a pointed look, “That’s nothing.”
Andrea, picking up on Lena’s discomforted, chimed in, “Oh well, now you have to tell us.”
Lena stared at Sam condemningly, but she just shrugged, “Tell’em.”
She sighed, then mumbled inaudibly, “theluthorshavethetraversdiamond.”
They all make confused faces, Kara’s crinkle prominent among them, “What?”
It was the adorable confusion on her girlfriend’s face that got the words out of her, “The Luthors have the real Travers diamond.”
Sam and Andrea milled around nonplus while Alex and Kara exchanged glances and shrugged, but a scandalized gasp escaped Kelly, pulling all their attention once more. Realizing all eyes were on her, she hushedly added, “It’s been missing for over eighty years! How did a Luthor get-” Then shaking her head and holding up her hands, “You know what, I don’t want to know.”
Lena, quite prepared to throw Lionel under the bus, let it go while the others decided to focus on the task at hand, but Alex moved closer to Kelly. “Curious about giant diamonds, are you?” Pulling her hand into her own and swiping a thumb across her ring finger. “Mine not big enough for you?”
Kelly pursed her lips sternly, “You’re plenty big and you know it,” causing Kara to choke on air. Alex ignored her, instead wagging her brow at Kelly, “Yeah, I am.”
Lena tried not to chuckle while rubbing soothing circles on Kara’s back, guiding her away from the conversation as she coughed out a “gross.”
“Easy, darling.”
Kara smiled at her sheepishly, “Imagine I literally die of embarrassment cause my sister straps.” The blonde made a disgusted face, “Ugh Rao, why did I say that?!”
Stifling a snicker then sobering up, Lena took her by the chin and eyed her seriously, “There’ll be no dying of anything, you hear me.”
Kara weakened at the intensity of her gaze, “Yes, Zhao.” Lena’s thumb moved slowly up, pulling at her lip, as they gravitated towards each other. (Love)
“Break it up you two!” Alex loudly interrupting, “We got a job to do!”
They startled apart with groans, but Lena recovered quickly, placing a firm kiss on soft lips and humming contentedly before pulling away.
~
Lena was engrossed in a detailed grandfather clock in one corner, determinedly scanning its features for clues and noting the impressive quality, while Kara, Kelly, and Alex argued about the next riddle from the dossier as Andrea and Sam mostly just flirted on the opposite side of the room.
She was reaching up, opening the clock face when she heard gears start grinding loudly and the entire corner twisted with her on it. “What the-” Before she could fully register that her corner of the room had now twisted to be in an entirely different room, something cloth was being forced over her head. She immediately started to fight off the hands that grabbed her, but couldn’t see and something heavy knocked into her head, sending her to the ground. She could just barely hear Kara’s shouts as she lost consciousness.
~
The sudden sound of gears grinding pulled everyone’s attention as they watched Lena quickly disappear from view, the entire corner of the room twisting to be replaced with an empty corner.
“LENA!” Kara rushed over.
“Careful!” Alex had pulled her back, fingers just short of catching in the seam.
She reached out once more, feeling all along the seam and banging on the wall while calling out for Lena. The others all doing similarly along the rest of the seams in that corner.
“Is this part of it?”
Sam looked at Andrea, “What?”
Her voice was shakier than usual, but she spoke loud enough to hear over Kara’s pounding and yells, “Maybe this is part of the game.” She didn’t sound convinced, but Alex latched on to the option.
She rushed over to where Kelly had dropped the dossier and its contents, shaking her head in disappointment and worry. “We were on the last fucking clue! There’s nothing in here about changing rooms or- “KARA! You’re going to hurt yourself!”
The blonde had continued to pound and kick at the wall along the seam, trying unsuccessfully to force it to give. She twisted towards Alex at the sound of her name, furious worry etching her features, “It’s Lena!” Her eyes shifted just as quickly passed the redhead as she zoned in on the panic button. She rushed across the room, ripping open the plastic and smashing the red button.
The door clicked open and she rushed through it, looking for the guard from before, the others following. When he wasn’t immediately visible, they began searching the office, making their way through the halls in the direction of the corner where Lena had been.
Sam shook her head, “This is wrong. No one’s here.”
Andrea stepped up next to her, “You think it’s a setup?”
Alex answered, “Brainy would never-”
Kelly cuts her off, “What if the guard heard Lena?”
“What?” The name catching Kara’s attention.
“They must have security cameras, right? What if the guard heard Lena mention the real diamond?”
Kara’s jaw clenched as they all exchanged worried glances until they were startled by a ringing phone on the desk nearest them.
Alex was the closest and she quickly answered, “What?” Her features tightened and she practically growled, quickly switching it to speaker, so they could all hear the mechanized voice.
“Deliver the Travers diamond, or your friend dies.”
Kara rushed forward, “Where is she? Lena?! Can you hear me?”
“Shut up! She can’t hear you.” Alex placed a calming hand on Kara’s chest. “The diamond for her life. Simple as that.”
Alex asked, “Where do we bring it?”
“Return to this location in exactly ninety minutes. You’ll get instructions then.”
“My number was on the event registration. I want proof of life.”
“You’ll get it before the deadline.” An oppressive silence followed the hangup as the group took in the words.
Kelly recovered first, “Alex, what-”
Alex raised a hand to silence them, “We need to get to J’onn’s,”
~
Alex repeatedly hushed their questions until they reached the confines of her SUV, just in case the office and surrounding areas were under surveillance. Once inside, she explained that their conversations would be safe now and they’d be able to use the Tower’s systems to locate Lena.
They rushed back, forcing an antsy Kara under sunlamps, then beginning their search. It wasn’t long before Alex’s phone received a dimly lit video of a groggy Lena blinking confusedly up at the camera.
All of them gathered around to watch as the mechanized voice ask, “What’s your name?”
She responded slowly, still dazed, “Lena.”
“What were you doing when you were taken?”
“Hm, opening a clock.”
“What?”
She eyed him angrily, “Game night.”
The camera shook a little as it was raised closer to the guard’s voice, “You have sixty-five minutes remaining.”
At the end, they exchanged glances, but Alex scoffed, “We don’t need’em.”
At that Kara perked up, “You know where she is?”
Alex nodded, “But you and Sam are staying here.”
She immediately got push back: “No way!” “Fuck that!”
Alex quickly reached out, pinching her sister hard on the arm, “OW!” and eyeing her frankly.
Kara frowned, then scrunched her face in sheer determination, “You can’t stop me.”
Alex groaned heavily, rolling her eyes, because clearly in her sister’s current state she could easily stop her.
Sam, who had been watching the exchange, nodded in support, “Yeah, what she said.”
Alex’s gaze flicked between the two, ready to fight them both, when Acrata appeared in a smoky shadow, saying, “We’re wasting time,” and slapped bulletproof vests into each of their chests.
“Where-” Alex closed her eyes, exasperated, “Never mind.” Then looked at Kara and Sam, pointing a finger at them seriously, “Put them on,” then to the room, “let’s go.”
~
Alex entered the office alone and in her normal attire, having Guardian wait with Sam and Kara nearby while Acrata used her powers to do a quick perimeter search. Upon entering, Alex received a text message requesting she send an image of the diamond. Anticipating this request, Kelly had downloaded and manipulated an image at the Tower. Alex pulled a small, black bag out of her pocket, placed the crystal they’d used to trick Nyxly in her palm and pretended to take a picture. She then pocketed the crystal and sent Kelly’s image of the diamond. She got an immediate response with directions to go to one of the warehouses down the dock from where they were.
She left, notifying Acrata to regroup with the others. Once she did, Alex initiated her super suit.
Sam smiled, shaking her head in wonder at the lot of them, “Time for some vigilante shit.”
Kara nodded seriously, “Taylor knows what’s up,” while Alex rolled her eyes and Kelly snickered.
They divided up, Acrata and Kara going around the back of the warehouse while Guardian and Sam took to the roof and Alex entered through the front.
As soon as Andrea let her go, Kara shook off the shadows like a spiderweb had been touching her, “Rao, that was weird.”
Andrea laughed quietly, “Shhh, get over here,” peeking through a window where they could see the warehouse floor. There were three people with what looked like guns milling around, but no sign of Lena. Andrea reached out to grab her arm again, “come on.”
They disappeared in the blackness, reappearing in a corner of the warehouse. They edged forward, carefully staying out of sight, watching as one of the three kidnappers walked away towards the front of the warehouse.
~
Lena’s focus had improved since she first woke up to a phone camera in her face while being aggressively questioned, before being left in the dark once more. Although she couldn’t see well, there was enough light from around the shabby door that she had been able to figure out she was sitting on the floor in a small file room and her hands were cuffed to a filing cabinet above her head. She could hear a few different voices, but couldn’t be sure how many people the guard had working with him.
She maneuvered, pulling a hair pin from her bun and began working on the cuffs, quickly freeing herself. Then, she edged her way to the door, listening for a chance to slip out.
~
From where they were located, Guardian and Sam had a decent vantage point as this warehouse had panels of industrial skylights every hundred yards. Kelly was able to radio down to Alex about the guards that were visible, even noting that Acrata and Kara had entered the warehouse, to which Alex cursed under her breath about ‘never waiting for backup.’
They watched as Sentinel entered the warehouse, calling out for the guard.
~
The guard came forward aiming his weapon at Sentinel, “Who the fuck are you?”
“A citizen asked for my assistance. I’m here to make an exchange.” She pulled the black bag from her pocket, tossing it into the air lightly once before catching it.
The guard’s eyes tracked it hungrily as he pulled out a radio, “Bring the woman,” just as another man stepped up behind the guard.
At the same moment there was a look of recognition in the second man’s eyes, a ruckus could be heard from deeper in the warehouse. His head spun from Sentinel to the ruckus and back, “It’s a trap! She’s one of those Super freaks!”
Alex barely had time to jump out of the way, as the two men began firing in her direction. She could hear Kelly yelling in her ear, at first about Lena and then worried about her. She ignored it, instead focusing on not getting shot and second on developing a Plan B.
She noticed conduits lining a wall. Hoping everyone on comms would hear her, she said, “I’m cutting the power,” and used her Hand of the Soldier to blast the conduits. She created a pair of night vision googles, then proceeded to back track, finding the guard and his second man. She snuck up from behind, tasing them both. Then, proceeded towards the center of the warehouse where the ruckus had been coming from, but was now ominously silent.
~
Andrea and Kara crept around crates and cargo, staying out of sight until they noticed a door opening slowly. The moment Kara saw Lena poking her head out, she rushed forward. Unfortunately, one of the kidnappers noticed the movement of the door, raising a gun in Lena’s direction.
In a matter of seconds, Kara called out to Lena, green meeting blue as she ran forward. Gun fire exploded around them, Kara’s body crashing into Lena’s, as the two fell back into the room Lena had been trying to escape. A blackness swallowed them before they heard the door slam closed and Andrea’s saying, “Fuck! Shit! Are you okay?”
In the dim light, Lena sat up and tried to find her bearings, but a groan from Kara focused all her attention. Both Lena and Kara asked, “Are you okay?” at the same time, as Lena’s hands began to roam Kara’s prone body.
A hiss and “Ahh!” spiked worry through Lena, regardless of the immediate, “I’m okay” that followed, her fingers finding slick that she hoped wasn’t blood.
An annoyed Andrea scolded her, “You’re not okay, you idiot! You got shot! And now you’re sister is going to kill us both!”
~
Unable to sit on the sidelines, Kelly and Sam managed to break in through an emergency exit and entered the warehouse just as the lights cut out. The Guardian helmet immediately switched to night vision, a Lena upgrade, and Kelly reached out for Sam, “Stay behind me. I can still see.”
“Cool.”
They crept up behind the two guards as they approached the room and Kelly quickly dispatched both, Sam hearing the grunts and heavy thuds as they hit the floor. Noting that no one else was around, Kelly switched off her night vision and lit up her shield, casting a ten-foot radius of light around her.
At the sight of the unconscious guards and Guardian standing over them, Sam let out a low, “Daaaammmn,”
Kelly smirked, rocking her head for Sam to follow, “Come on.”
They quickly found the room she had seen Kara and Acrata enter, opening the door in a hurry.
“Fuck!” The room filled with black shadowy smoke for a second before clearing as Acrata reappeared. “Oh, thank God, it’s you.”
Kelly crouched beside a groaning Kara and worried Lena as Sam reached out for Andrea, taking her by the arms and looking her over. Finding she was in one piece, Sam let out a sigh of relief, “You’re okay?”
A slightly stunned and blushing Andrea gaped a moment before finding her bravado, “Quite fine, Querida, but you can give me a more thorough exam later,” adding a wink for good measure.
Kara groaned louder, “Really? Right in front of my bleeding?”
“Bleeding?!” Alex rounded the corner in a huff, Kara’s eyes widening. “Goddamnit! I told you not to come!”
“I’m fiiiine!” She tried to get up, but sat back down with a groan. “The back of my vest took most of it,” pressing against her side to support her likely bruised or broken ribs, “and this is just a graze,” waving vaguely at the open wound across her shoulder.
Lena chided her as she gently guided her to standing while attempting to ignore Sam and Andrea clearly having a moment in the corner. “I’m surprised your powers didn’t kick in, what with all the adrenaline.”
Alex nodded in agreement as she helped, “Definitely spending the night under the lamps.”
Kara groaned more before Lena slid a comforting palm across her back, “She can use the lamps I set up at the penthouse.”
Alex frowned for a moment before relenting, “Fine, but I’m checking her out at the Tower before sending her to yours.” Then, curling an arm around her sister gently, “Come on you.”
Kara leaned on Alex and Kelly as they guided her out and Lena turned back to find Sam kissing Andrea as she pinned her against the filing cabinet Lena had been handcuffed to. She rolled her eyes, “I’m fine too, thanks!”
They startled apart, look appropriately chastised, but still kind of giddy, and Lena shook her head before moving to catch up to Kara just as Alex hollered back, “Let’s move out, Gays!”