Chapter 48

                                    

                                          
Kara and Barry are teleported into the Fortress of Solitude; Oliver appears beside them. Kara is still emotionally devastated from Keiran's death, and still from watching her wife die again. 
                          
"I don't know what you expect us to find here Oliver....." Barry says in a solemn voice, as the three begin walking further inside.
                          
"Nor do I. I just know that a system here has been activated on its own accord." Oliver says.
                          
Barry sighs.
                          
"Kara..... are you okay?" Barry asks, hesitantly, as he places a hand on Kara's shoulder.
                          
Kara pulls away. Barry realises this was a stupid question, but it's too late now.
                          
"Am I okay!?! You've got to be kidding me!!" Kara yells with tears running down her face. "I've lived so long now, and I thought the worst thing I would witness would be seeing my friends and Lena, the love of my life, die! But no!!! I had to witness that monster bring her back to life into that..... whatever he made her.... and then when I didn't submit..... I watched as he tore the woman I love apart..... I HEARD HER scream!!!! I was helpless!!!! Then after..... I had to watch Keiran be brutally murdered!!! No mother should watch their children die, and not like that!!!! So don't you DARE ask me if I'm okay!!!! You've lost NOTHING compared to me."
                          
"I'm sorry Kara." Barry says, quietly.
                          
The three heroes walk to the main console of the Fortress of Solitude. 
                          
"This is where the signal originated." Oliver says.
                          
Kara wipes the tears from her face and begins typing, accessing the Fortress's mainframe.
                          
"Kara Zor-El-Luthor, access accepted." The console says.
                          
Kara begins typing while Oliver stands still looking at the images and Kryptonian letters that appear on the screen. Now as Spectre, Oliver has no language barrier, and therefore can naturally read Kryptonian. Meanwhile Barry just begins walking around, checking to see if he can spot something out of place.
                          
"There's nothing here." Kara says after a few minutes of typing.
                          
"Yes, there is. I saw the signal. I believe we may find something to save the world." Oliver says in an emotionless tone.
                          
"Save the world!?!?! What world!?! There isn't much left to save!! Millions, if not billions are dead, cities are destroyed, hundreds of people have been enslaved, and some.... turned into those.... things. So tell me Oliver, WHAT IS THERE LEFT TO SAVE!?!?!?!" Kara yells and then slams her fists in the console, it doesn't break due to the Kryptonian nature of it.
                          
"Hello Kara." A voice says.
                          
Kara knows that voice, she wouldn't forget it even if it had been a thousand years. It is the voice of the love of her life. Kara looks up and sees that a video is being played on the Fortress's console of Lena.
                          
"Lena..." Kara says, breathless.
                          
"If you're seeing this..... it means that the worst has happened and Noir Protocol has been activated. I don't know when, or if you ever see this, and I hope for your sake, and the world's, that you don't ever. But I am currently recording this message 6 months after my drug has slowly began to stop working. I don't know how long I have left. I know I look like I'm only in my 50s, but I can feel my body deteriorating, and my mind. I believe I only have 10 years or so left. So, I'm making this for you, because if you are seeing this, my sweet Kara, I will be dead. I have no way of knowing how long after my death you are seeing this, and like I said, I hope you never do. But I knew that now that I know I won't be around to protect you, or our family, for much longer, that I need to put something in place, in case the worst is to happen. This Noir Protocol will only be triggered if the Fortress detects several media broadcasts of Superwoman and other heroes being beaten by some threat, along with untold destruction of the planet. As you are seeing this, those scenarios have been met. This protocol is only ever meant to be used as a last resort, as I have made this for you." Lena says.
                          
A floor panel at the side of the console opens up, and from the ground what looks like an advanced Kryptonite proof Superwoman suit appears, shielded in glass.
                          
"This is a suit I have made for you. I'm not sure how long after I've made this, you'll be seeing this. You may have a more advanced suit already, if you are even still Superwoman. Although if I know you, I know after my death you probably threw yourself back in to being Superwoman, so you didn't have to deal with your emotions. But anyway, the advancements of the suit are beside the point. This suit will be more powerful than anything else you have ever used. As of today, until you see this, this suit will be charging with power from the Fortress. The suit itself has an almost infinite battery. When you activate it the inside of the suit will activate yellow sun lamps which will enhance your powers to extreme levels.... This suit also contains my final gift to you, and it's not one I give to you lightly. Inside is a serum partly based off of the drug I've used to slow down my ageing. I've specialised it for you. Once you activate it on your suit, your powers will be increase further, to untold levels. Every cell in your body will suddenly come alive, like nothing else you have ever experienced. But these powers do come with a cost. I can't be sure what the damage will be when you use the energy stored inside the suit via the sun lamps. But what I do know, is as for the serum, while it will enhance your powers, it will only be for about an hour or so. After that time, your body will begin to deteriorate at a rapid rate. The serum will cause cancers to rapidly spread through your body, and it will kill you within minutes. So Kara, please, please only use this as a last resort, and I'm sorry for not telling you of this while I was alive. I knew if I did you may use it before it was needed, perhaps in some effort to make one final sacrifice to die, and I never want that for you. But good luck Superwoman, and Kara, my darling, my sweet Kryptonian angel, I love you, now and always. I'm waiting for you in Rao's light." Lena finishes with tears running down her face as the recording ends.
                          
"No!! Come back!! Come back!! Lena!!" Kara sobs as she tries to type away at the console.
                          
Barry approaches Kara and puts a hand on her shoulder again. This time Kara doesn't flinch away.
                          
"Kara." Barry says, gently.
                          
Kara turns around and envelops Barry into a tight hug and sobs into his shoulder. Barry hugs Kara back, as tight as he can.
                          
"Let it out." Barry says soothingly, as the two continue to hug.
                          
Barry can't really even begin to imagine how Kara must feel. He doesn't know what his response would be if he found a recording that Iris had left for him. So he just knows he needs to be here for Kara in this moment right now.
                          
While Kara and Barry hug, Oliver approaches the glass shielded suit and examines it. He puts his hand to the glass and the glass disappears. He then begins to look closely at the suit's design.
                          
"This will do." Oliver says, quietly to himself.
                          


                          
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