Falling down
Lena had hidden her face in the crook of Kara’s neck and was sobbing uncontrollably. So much that she didn’t even realize it, when the green light was replaced by a warm yellow one.
But when its warmth finally got to her and was prickling her neck, she looked up with bloodshot eyes. She looked up, but it took a few seconds more for the information to actually reach her brain. She could save Kara. The sunlight. That’s all Kara needed. She had to save her.
She hastily moved away from her, trying to give Kara as much exposure as possible. Lena’s hands were shaking. She waited. She waited for Kara’s chest to rise again. Waited. Waited, but nothing happened. Kara’s chest wasn’t rising. She wasn’t breathing.
So Lena took a decision and she hoped to god it was the right one.
She laid Kara on her back. The CEO’s hands were trembling, but she had to do it.
She enlaced both her hands together. She kneeled by Kara’s side. She put her enlaced hands on the blonde’s sternum. Her arms straightened. She took two deep breaths and started pressing. One, two, three… Lena shuddered as she felt two of Kara’s ribs crack under the pressure.
Sweat was forming on her forehead, probably from the physical effort and the now high temperature in the room due to the yellow sunlight. It was dripping off her forehead, but she couldn’t wipe it away.
…twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine and thirty. Lena carefully tilted Kara’s head back. She pinched her nose closed and slightly opened her mouth. Lena put her own mouth on top of Kara’s, as to seal it off and breathed air in her lungs. She saw Kara’s chest rise as the air was forced in the lungs.
She then started compressions again.
“Come on Kara!” Lena shouldn’t give up. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t give up. Never.
…Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen…
“… please Kara. I need you. Come back…”
Lena was so distraught; she didn’t hear the door open. She hadn’t heard the two men walk in. she hadn’t realized it, until one of them pulled her back, pulled her away from Kara.
The other one, a blonde guy, kneeled next to Kara.
Lena fought. She fought hard and thrashed to get back to her. She fought, but she was no match to the 300 pound monster.
This time, she was put in handcuffs. Those would be impossible to get out of.
Her captor then attached a rope to the ceiling and strapped Lena’s handcuffs to it. Her feet were barely touching the floor and her arms were already throbbing. That was the least of her worries though.
The blonde man had taken a syringe with some teal liquid in it -that thing surely wasn’t sterile- and plunged it in Kara’s neck.
Lena had never felt so utterly hopeless. She couldn’t do anything but watch. Watch as the needle pierced Kara’s usually impenetrable skin. Watch as at first nothing happened.
Nothing. Then, she had to watch as her lover’s body start to convulse. Her back arched off the floor and a guttural scream tore out of Kara’s lips.
“Stop it!” Lena screamed as she hopelessly fought against her restrains trying to get to Kara, “what did you do to her!”
The blonde man slowly stood up and walked up to Lena, a chilling grin on his face. He was now mere inches from her.
“I – “ he raised a hand and grabbed her face-“am saving her life.” He pointed at Kara, who was now lying unconscious, but alive, on the floor.
“I’m going to leave you. Look at her breathing while you can. I don’t think it’ll last too long” a smug smirk appeared on his face.
“Go to hell”
“Oh but darling, where do you think we are?” With that, he turned around and left the room, closely followed by the other guy.
...
She didn’t know how long it had been since they left them alone, but Lena was starting to lose her mind.
What should I do? I should be doing something! This is entirely my fault. If something happens to her I’ll never forgive myself. Where’s the DEO? They should already be here.
Her rambling thoughts were interrupted by a weak grunt.
“Kara?” Lena’s eyes were wide open and she held her breath. “Kara, darling can you please open your eyes for me?”
Kara slowly opened her eyes and Lena could have almost laughed out of relief. She thought she would never get to see those eyes open again.
“Lena?” Kara’s voice was trembling. “What’s… what happened?”
“I uhm, well we got kidnapped,” she chuckled sadly, “we got kidnapped by some colleague of mine and they have kryptonite and you died then I tried I really did but… they had yellow sunlight and it still wasn’t enough and I thought you died and technically you did die but then they came in and he injected you with something I… probably some weird adrenaline because you started seizing and it’s all my fault, they’re hurting you because of me and I’m so sorry it’s all my fault…,” tears were now freely streaming down her face.
“Hey,” Kara was crawling towards Lena, “I’m okay. You’re okay. We’re both going to be okay.” She tried to stay strong. She really did, but she couldn’t hide the pained expression on her face.
“Kara please darling stop moving. You’re exhausting yourself more than needed. Just lie down and heal all you can. God knows we don’t have long.”
Kara wouldn’t hear her. She continued, needing to be close to Lena. She was only two feet away from her when the door opened again.
“Ah! I see Mrs. Danvers is awake!” Tommaso walked in, rubbing his hands together, displaying his utter excitement. “Well there’s no need to wait anymore then. “He turned away from them and yelled “Jacob!”
Mere seconds after, the blonde man from before walked in holding a grey metallic suitcase.
“Well I believe you know what to do Jacob,” with that, Tommaso tapped the taller man’s shoulder and exited the room. Lights turned white this time.
Jacob walked towards the fallen hero. He crouched next to her and carefully put his suitcase down. He grabbed her by the shoulders and yanked her up. Kara let out a pained groan as she was forced to her feet.
“Don’t touch her!” Lena was fighting against her restrains. She had to do something.
Jacob obviously didn’t listen to her. He brought Kara to the other side of the room and hanged her up, the same way as Lena.
Both women were now facing each other, though Kara couldn’t hold eye contact for more than three seconds. Her head would loll against her collarbone.
“So, so my ladies, I believe I have a job to do. So why don’t you just make it easier for me huh?” He had one of those arrogant, rough voices.
Jacob grabbed Kara’s chin and tilted it up, forcing her to look into his grey eyes.
“I am going to make you scream until you run out of air darling.” He let go of her and her head dropped again.
He went back to Lena to grab his suitcase, but not without walking up behind her and breathing down her neck. “I am going to make her suffer. You are going to watch knowing there is absolutely nothing you can do to save her and that all this-“he vaguely waved in Kara’s direction –“is all your fault.”
“Fuck you.”
“You know, for a genius, I certainly thought you’d be brighter. For everything unpleasant you say to me,” he pointed at the barely conscious Kara, “she is the one paying. So lady, watch your words.”
Lena’s already pale complexion lost any remaining color.
The man shot her a big smile, showing off his strangely dazzling perfect teeth, before making his way to the suitcase.
“So… I wonder what will make you scream more.” He fumbled through the case and took out a knife. He played with it and waved it around Kara’s face. Surprisingly, she seemed more annoyed by his little game rather than intimidated, but Lena knew better.
She saw the flicker in her eyes, the way her crinkle formed and how her fingers twitched. Lena knew that Kara was scared, but tried to keep it cool for her. Kara was still brave, even facing torture and that terrified Lena the most. She needed Kara safe, even though that was something impossible in their line of work. Still Lena could only hope. Huh, Kara really must’ve rubbed off on her.
That’s when she flinched, hard. Jerry had thrown the knife in the wall behind Kara. It had scratched her face, leaving an angry gash on her cheek.
“I see my knife isn’t scaring you, but don’t worry I’ve got plenty of things we can play with.” That devilish grin appeared on his face again, but Kara had gone limp again. Her head hung down. “Oh no, we can’t have Goldilocks falling asleep on us now can we?”
He reached to his back pocket and took another similar syringe out as before and plunged it in Kara’s forearm this time. Before Lena could yell out, he pressed the liquid inside her.
Kara didn’t thrash this time. She let out a heart wrenching wail. She was now wide awake.
Kara tried to detach herself from the situation. She watched as that man took out two batons.
“You see, I particularly like this one,” he lightly tapped the grey sticks, “because I don’t need kryptonite for it to do actual damage. It will kill you, slowly. It’s going to hurt so much that you are going to beg me to finish you off.” Without a warning he kicked the batons in her stomach.
Kara couldn’t have braced herself for the onslaught even if she tried.
She was being stabbed all over.
Thousands of needles went through every inch of her body.
She bit a scream back as her body was taken over by violent spasms.
She bit back a scream. Literally.
She bit down on her tongue so hard; blood was flowing freely out of her mouth.
Pained moans were the only sounds she could muster.
“Stop it!”Lena was desperately trying to get to him. “Stop it! You want to hurt me! Then fucking take me! Keep her out of this!”
He let go of the sticks.
Finally.
Kara gasped for air. Not enough of it got to her lungs.
Her eyes started rolling in her skull, but she heard Lena’s voice. It was cracking.
Kara anchored herself to that voice. She couldn’t pass out. It would scare Lena. Yes. She would be terrified.
Lena’s words were blurring together, but she understood bits and pieces. Lena was trying to take Kara’s place.
“No. Le… Lena. S’okay.” Her words sounded more slurred than she wanted them to.
“God, I’m so sorry Kara. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry…”
Was Lena crying? She didn’t want to make Lena cry. Lena. Lena was so beautiful. Her eyes… the only green color she was obsessed with. Bits of gold hid in her eyes, Kara was sure of it.
“Aaaaarghhh”
The pain was back and she didn’t see it coming.
She let out a bloodcurdling scream.
She felt bones crack.
She was sure she was bleeding.
The pain was making white dots appear in her vision.
Then it stopped.
She wheezed.
It started again.
And again.
And again.
And again.