Chapter 2
She ran as fast as she could. Somehow Lex leaving the building had put an end to the force field and the whole structure was visible now. She ran inside and set the timer on her watch to four minutes to be on the safe side.
The tank was still glowing, but Supergirl did her best to break the glass. She lay on her back, kicking her boots against it repeatedly. Lena struggled against her bonds, but to no avail.
Sam stopped in front of the tank and circled it. There must be a way to disrupt the power, but all the hatches were welded shut and she didn’t have time.
“Save … Lena!” Supergirl was on her knees again, staring at her, but Sam ignored her plea. She would get them both out. That was the plan and she would stick to it.
“The building is off the grid”, she mumbled and searched across the room. She was almost giddy when she saw the generator. She climbed up to where it was and without further ado ripped out a handful of cables. Maybe not very elegant, but effective. Everything went dark. Including the kryptonite lamps.
She climbed back down, this time careful not to fall, and switching on the lamp of her mobile she instructed Supergirl to get down. She took the next best object – a smallish, but surprisingly heavy barrel – and smashed it against the glass repeatedly. It took five blows before the window crashed into a million little pieces.
“Can you walk”, she asked and Supergirl nodded.
There was one minute left. Sam didn’t waste it on unbuckling the straps. She cut Lena free instead and lifted her up. Lena pulled the gag from her mouth.
“He ... could have ... lied." Talking seemed to be an exhausting task. "I ... could be contagious.”
Sam looked at her and knew that it wouldn’t make any difference.
“I’ll burn that bridge when I get to it.”
The sight that greeted them when they cleared the building – Sam carrying Lena and making sure Supergirl stayed upright – wasn’t uninviting. The DEO in full tactical gear was marching in their direction. But the building would be exploding in a few seconds and they were still too close, so all Sam could do was shout. “Fall back! Take cover!”
The alarm on her watch vibrated and only a few seconds later the blast of the explosion propelled her forward. She managed to turn a little as she fell, so she wouldn’t crash down on Lena.
The impact had her gasping for air and she braced for the debris coming their way. Somehow almost none of it hit her though and she realized that Supergirl’s cape was wrapped around all three of them.
Maybe half a minute later they were surrounded by agents. They lifted Supergirl up and took her away.
Lena was unconscious in Sam’s arms. When agents tried to get to her, she stopped them.
“She’s been infected with a virus. Apparently it’s not contagious, but we should limit close contact for now.”
The agents stood back.
Sam managed to get onto her feet when was greeted by a familiar pair of eyes, staring at her like they’d seen a ghost.
“Sam?” There were so many conflicting feelings playing catch in Alex Danvers’ expression that Sam felt a little light-headed just watching her.
“They said you were dead”, was what Alex finally settled on.
Sam grunted and picked up Lena. “They were exaggerating.”
“There was a funeral. I know. … I was there.”
Sam wasn’t ready for this kind of talk. There were things she had to take care of first. Time-sensitive things.
“… Listen, Alex, I will explain everything, but right now we should take care of Ms. Luthor. Just tell me where to go and I’ll take her there.”
“Let me help you with that.”
Sam turned around and locked eyes with J’onn J’onzz. She had never seen the green Martian up close, but he sure was impressive.
“You mean, you can fly her to the DEO?”
“No. I mean I can fly both of you there. You should be quarantined until we’re sure you’re not infected.”
Sam nodded. “Sounds reasonable.”