Chapter 54
Kara took a deep breath as she approached one of the smaller creatures located only a few blocks from Lena’s apartment building. She knew that Green Lantern and Batwoman were going towards the larger one in the center of the city and while her heart screamed at her to go and help them, to protect her mother, her brother, her family, her mind told her to be logical. Lena told her that the kryptonite blocker only lasted for a limited time, it would be wiser to eliminate the smaller monsters before going after Doomsday.
A loud roar rattled the buildings around her and Kara glanced through them to get her first glanced at the monster, the so-called Doomsday. Her eyes widened as she took in the monster, more humanoid than the reptilian creature she fought this morning, but also more vicious and savage as its large fists slammed into the ground. Jagged rocks cut into his form, adding to his strength and beastly image, along with his glowing red eyes. Red eyes, Kara thought and she quickly scanned the beast again. “Lena,” she said, activating her com. “Do you detect any kryptonite coming from Doomsday?”
“No… but definitely coming from the other three… that might be what psycho-Lillian meant when she said they were failed experiments. She tried to combine whatever serum Lex invented with kryptonite and it didn’t work, so she went to plan B and just boosted its power. But Kara, I wouldn’t take it lightly, it seems to have the strength of a kryptonian without the moral filter…”
“So very strong,” Kara finished.
“Yes, Green Lantern is keeping him occupied while Batwoman gets the rest of the civilians out of the way, but that’s only going to work for so long. We’re a scrappy bunch Kara, but it’s not like we have the heavy hitters on our team like Wonder Woman or Aquaman.”
“Speak for yourself Overwatch,” M’gann’s voice came through. “I’m holding my own just fine over here, and technically I’ve been doing this for a long time, so I have experience.”
“And I’m a trained assassin, what does that other group do? Not kill their villains that’s what,” Sara chimed in. “Broody Batman is all ‘if you kill a killer, the number of killers remains the same.’ I beg to differ, I’ve reduced the amount quite nicely in my assassin days.”
“Ha! She sounds just like Bats! Wait until I tell him,” Kate crowed and Kara rolled her eyes.
“Is Kyle going to interject himself in the conversation too since we’re all here anyway?”
“Can’t-” He stuttered out. “Busy, though I could use help ASAP.”
“I’m on it,” Kate replied. “And Kara, about your mom, she’s wacko.”
“Did you get her to safety?”
“Sort of? I’ll explain later, we need to focus, there’s also Cadmus goons around.”
Kate’s reply made Kara nervous, but she couldn’t do anything about it at present, not with monsters and terrorists running loose around the city. She hovered over the first creature she came to and found Sara whacking away at it with her bo-staff. It was different from the one earlier, still reptilian looking but had two sets of arms and glowing bits of green rock all over its body.
“You sure you’re up for this Supergirl?” Sara asked when she spotted the hero hovering nearby.
“I need a rematch since his friend nearly wiped me out this morning,” Kara growled out before charging at the monster. Her fist connected with its head, causing it to whip backwards due to the force with which she attacked. Her hand twinged a bit due to the kryptonite exposure, but the blocker in her boot was holding steady and preventing her from any serious damage. The monster roared out in pain and rage, and charged back, swiping all four arms at the two blondes.
“This guy does not want to go down,” Sara groaned, wiping sweat from her face. “It looks like he’s going to have to be taken down hard if we want to get rid of them.”
Before either of them registered what was happening, a small missile shot between them and collided with the creature detonating on impact. They whirled around and saw Alex standing behind them dropping a small rocket launcher to the ground. “Damn,” Sara muttered. “I have to say Supes, if you hadn’t already called dibs, I would be on that like white on rice.”
“Nice to know that I’m appreciated White Canary, but we do need to focus.” The redhead pulled out a gun and took out one of the Cadmus agents that was approaching the group. “And that creature isn’t down yet, just stunned a bit.”
“Shit,” Sara growled out and ran at the mangled creature, slamming into it full force, proving again that size doesn’t matter when taking down villains.
“New gun?” Kara questioned when she glanced at the weapon in Alex’s hand.
“Ah, yeah, a new tech genius friend of mine made it for me.”
“It looks like you handle it rather well, and if we weren’t in the middle of something right now, I would probably do what Sara described.”
Alex smirked, “Maybe later Supergirl, it’s a date, so don’t go dying on me.”
“You either Agent.” The two engaged with the wounded monster, though Alex was busy dealing with the rogue Cadmus insurgents while Sara and Kara attempted to contain the beast.
“Look, can’t you just toss it into space or something,” Sara groaned out. “Or get your girlfriend to shoot another missile at it.”
Kara grabbed a large, broken piece of wall and flew high above the monster before dropping down. She hurtled the chunk of building at the creature, who didn’t have enough time to move to dodge the concrete slab. It landed on top of the monster with several tons of force behind it, pressing into the road beneath it just slightly. The monster rumbled for a moment before stilling, its entire body sinking into the depression beneath it.
“That works as well,” Sara hummed. “I’ll give you a 10 for the dive, but a 9 on execution, you wavered a bit on take off.”
“Next time, you pick up the building and drop it on the monster,” Kara grumbled out. The two heard a grunt behind them and they turned to see Alex jumping on another Cadmus goon; her legs wrapped around his neck and she flipped, slamming into the ground hard enough that Kara heard a light crunch.
“Damn," Sara muttered before looking at her blonde friend. “You are one lucky bitch, though I imagine she’d do that to you too, though less with the strangling and more with the suffocating you because you’re mouth is on her-”
Kara slapped her hand over Sara’s mouth. “You really need to shut up,” she hissed.
“And you guys need to stop playing around,” Lena told them over their comms. “Sara, if you live through this, I’ll wrap my legs around your head and you can stay there for a good hour or two.” Sara grinned and Kara wondered if she could get anyone at L-Corp to invent brain bleach for her. “The DEO, FBI and police are still engaging one of the creatures, though it looks like they have that mostly contained. Miss Martian is battling the one from this morning, but it’s pretty weak from the earlier confrontation, Green Lantern definitely needs your help, I can only provide so much air support- Damn! Kara, I had no idea your mom was so good with a grenade launcher.”
“What?!”
“I’m not leaving,” Cat growled out, her eyes fixed firmly on the bat fiend in front of her.
Kate sighed and wished she could rub at her forehead to relieve the growing headache but the cowl essentially covered most of her face. Maybe next time I’ll follow Supergirl’s lead and just wear a mask. “Look, Cat, I promised Ka-Supergirl that I’d get you to safety, the rest of your building has already evacuated.”
“Is Supergirl retreating to safety?” Cat countered, righting herself to stand in front of the other woman. She had been pulling a pair of leggings out of her drawer to put on to run outside, but when the caped crusader showed up urging her to abandon CatCo and her daughter to Doomsday, all thoughts of changing fled her mind.
“Supergirl is-”
“Still vulnerable to those things that wacko Lillian Luthor created, and yes I saw through that ridiculous getup she was wearing, only sociopaths like her would choose such an utterly hideous combination to wear when attempting to create mass panic.” Cat slipped her heels back on and gained a few inches to be able to stand closer to eye level with the superhero in front of her. “That… thing out there was created to kill my child, I will be damned if I’m going to run away and hide. A parent is supposed to protect their child and that is what I’m going to do.”
“How exactly are you going to do that? It’s a humongous monster designed specifically to kill a kryptonian, you’re-” Kate’s voice was muffled but Cat’s hand slapping over it.
“If another word comes out of your mouth about me being powerless, or not able to do anything, do remember who you’re speaking too, I am Cat-freaking-Grant, I am the most powerful person in this city.”
“If you thought that Cat would abandon Kara to face something that was designed to kill her alone, you’re sorely mistaken,” Lucy said as she walked into the office. “At the very least, you should know that Cat wouldn’t leave CatCo while there was news to be reporting and the building needed defending.”
Kate whirled around to look at the lawyer, her mouth twisted down in a frown. “You- I thought you had evacuated! I escorted you out of the building!”
“And I came back in.” Lucy shrugged. “I had to get these.” She set the two large duffle bags she was carrying, and started opening the one on her left. “I had stashed these in my office a few weeks after I started, so I think they’ll come in handy right now.”
“Tell me, Superior Lane, why did you think you needed… weapons in my building?” Cat asked as she looked through the bag. Her eyebrow nearly rose into her hairline as the younger woman pulled guns, knives, grenades, and a small grenade launcher out of the two bags.
“You never know when you might need some of these things around here, so I thought it was best to be prepared,” Lucy countered. “And look, I was right, now, which one do you want?”
“You’re both nuts,” Kate grumbled. She set her hand against her ear and walked away for a few moments while Cat and Lucy divided the weapons between them.
“I’m assuming this stuff isn’t something that you can get at the standard office supply store,” the blonde observed, looking at the grenade launcher curiously.
Lucy shifted on her feet before waving her hand. “Best not to ask questions on where this stuff came from, just to suit up and arm yourself. We can’t let those superheroes have all the fun, have to show them where the power really lies.”
“I knew there was a reason I liked you, despite the fact you dated my daughter and broke up with her.”
“Mutual break up and you need to let that shit go.” Lucy grabbed a couple of the guns, and Cat took the grenade launcher and grenades and made a break for the elevator. She saw Batwoman rolling her eyes at the two of them before the doors closed and the private elevator started the long trudge down to the ground floor.
Cat sighed as she watched the numbers tick lower and lower, her body shifting impatiently as she waited. “I now know why you’re supposed to take the stairs in an emergency, this waiting is irritating.”
“I don’t think that’s what that warning is for, but maybe in the future, you can put in an express function to get you to the lobby faster.”
“I thought about having this be a direct elevator to the top, but Kara reminded me that I would occasionally have to visit the other floors, and I am not taking the regular elevator. Do you know the amount of germs in that box? Or the smells that just linger, mostly someone from the internet services division wearing far too much axe body spray.” Cat paused for a moment. “Now that I think about it, I should fire him, whoever it is, I should get Kara to find out so I can fire them.”
“You can’t fire someone for wearing axe body spray.”
“I’ll find a way,” Cat countered.
Before Lucy could reply, the door dinged open and the two saw the chaos of the lobby as people fled the building, Batwoman helping to usher them out of the doors. “How did you get down here before us?” Cat demanded, a scowl on her face.
“Always take the stairs in case of emergency,” Kate smirked. “Now I really can’t let you two go out there…”
“You’re concern and warnings are noted, and also ignored,” Cat replied. “Shouldn’t you stop being so worried about us and be more concerned with that monster outside wrecking havoc all over the city?”
Kate glanced between them and the street outside before letting out a frustrated scream and waving her hands. “Fine, do whatever you want, if Kara asks, I didn’t see you.” She disappeared out the door, leaving the two women looking after her.
“Don’t die,” Lucy said, shouldering her guns. “I don’t want to have to break in a new boss, plus Kara would be inconsolable, it would be like a crying puppy, I don’t want to have to put up with that.” The lawyer disappeared out the front door, the tactical clothes she changed into earlier aiding in her swift departure.
“Should’ve brought a pair of leggings, though I wouldn’t be caught dead in them outside of the penthouse.” Cat grumbled a bit as she hefted her own chosen weapons behind her and out into the street. When she caught her first glimpse of the monster Doomsday in person, coming up the street towards CatCo, Cat’s heart nearly stopped in her chest. Describing the beast as a monster was an understatement, the creature was a demon, a behemoth towering over the road, his long arms clawing at the ground and the buildings next to him. The Frankenstein creation looked like a mixture of human, rock and malice rolled together, its sole intention to destroy, to kill Kryptonians if what that psycho Lillian Luthor said was true. “Not my daughter you psycho bitch.” Cat loaded a small explosive into the weapon, and lifted it to her shoulder. She aimed as best as she could and fired, a smirk crossing her face when it made a direct hit. The smile turned to a frown when it didn’t appear to do any damage, only irritated the beast.
The monster turned its large head in Cat’s direction, and the blonde woman continuously loaded the launcher with explosives and fired them at the lumbering giant. The Green Lantern flew close to the monster, but out of the way of Cat’s explosives, and started battering Doomsday with large, glowing green fists. She spotted Lucy firing her own weapons at its feet, and before long, Miss Martian also showed up and rammed into the creature from behind.
“Mom!” Kara said, landing next to her mother. “What are you doing?”
“Fighting, what does it look like?”
“Mom, it’s too dangerous for you to be here, everyone else has been evacuated.”
“No, it’s too dangerous for you to be here, that monster was designed to kill you,” Cat stressed, her eyes narrowed as she pointed at the younger blonde. “Do you not understand that? It’s different from a normal enemy trying to kill you, this one, its sole purpose is to kill you, nothing else. Did you really think I wouldn’t get involved in this?”
“What about Carter, Mom? Who’s watching him?”
“Astra’s with him,” Cat countered. “She was closer and I called her when the witch showed up on the TV and she got him out of school and away from the drama. They’re concerned about you though, all of us are.”
“I’m going to be fine, all of my friends are here with me, we’re going to do this together.” Just as Kara finished speaking, Cat saw White Canary race past them, snatching the grenade launcher out of Cat’s hands as she went and the rest of the explosives. “I’ll be okay Mom, we all will.” She glanced over to where Alex was standing not too far away from them. “Will you stay with her, please, for me?”
Alex looked displeased but reluctantly nodded. Kara squeezed her arm in thanks before flying towards the monster to help her friends, immediately engaging with Doomsday. When Supergirl charged at the monster, it turned away from the other heroes and swatted at her, knocking her into the ground. She let out a breath as she hit the ground, her bones groaning on impact. “Well that hurt more than I thought it would,” Kara spat out, pushing herself off the ground. “Be careful guys,” she said, activating her com. “He hits hard.”
“I think he’s more interested in you Supergirl,” Batwoman said. Kara glanced up at the buildings around her and spotted her black-clad friend hanging off the side of one of the skyscrapers. “Maybe we can use that to our advantage?”
“What were you thinking Batwoman?” Miss Martian questioned.
“Well if our resident Super could keep from getting herself killed or beaten to a pulp, we can use her as bait while our eyes in the sky continues to scan Mr. Tall, Dark and Ugly,” Kate replied.
Kara groaned and pushed herself off the ground, dodging another swing from Doomsday as he charged her again. “How long do you guys need?”
“As long as you can give me,” Lena answered. “And try to get me a better view of the rest of him, he’s large, lumbering, annoying.”
“How exactly am I supposed to do that?” She grumbled. Doomsday punched at her again and she grabbed hold of his fist. Bracing herself against the ground, Kara grunted out as she flipped him over her shoulder, sending him flying further down the street.
“Well that was creative,” Lena commented.
“Kyle you might want to give Kara some backup just in case, to keep Doomsday from killing her and all that.” Kara rolled her eyes at Sara’s words, her friends were super helpful.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to do, but who’s going to be making sure that that thing doesn’t kill me?” When no one answered him, Kyle yelled out, “Guys, hello, anyone?”
Cat and Alex braced themselves against the building when they felt the ground tremble from the force of Doomsday impacting with the road. “I hope you don’t think that I’m going to sit idly by while that creature is attempting to kill my daughter and wreck the city,” Cat said, giving the agent an unimpressed look. While her relationship with her would-be daughter-in-law has grown in the last few months, Cat can’t appear to show weakness in public, even in the middle of a crisis.
“I know better than to think such craziness Ms. Grant,” Alex replied. “But you and I both know that there is really nothing we can do to help them.”
“My lawyer is out there fighting.”
“Your lawyer… Oh,” Alex started, realization dawning on her. “Well, Lucy is nuts.”
“All of those Lanes are.” Cat rolled her eyes. “We have to do something though.”
Alex hummed and stared out into the street for a moment before looking at the older woman again. “How do you feel about tracking down the woman responsible for this nonsense?”
“Lillian? Let me at that bitch, she’s been a thorn in my side since we were both younger attending those high society functions and debutante balls. I always knew she would grow up to be a viper.”
“I don’t think I can imagine either of you as a debutante,” Alex muttered to herself before activating her com. “Winn, you around?”
“Alex? Yeah, I’m here, I’m with Lena, she’s been scanning the monster for any weaknesses. I need to get one of these drones, they’re awesome!”
“Nerd! Focus! I need you to track down Lillian Luthor, can you trace the signal from that television broadcast she sent out earlier?”
“Eh, I can try?”
“You find that woman you sweater hobbit or you’re fired,” Cat muttered into Alex’s ear and the agent could hear the man gulp through the coms.
“Yo-you’re with- ah, yes M-Ms. Grant.”
“Oh and Winslow, don’t think I don’t know about this habit of yours of calling out sick to play video games. We will be having a serious discussion when this is over.”
“Ah, um, yes Ms. Grant. Um, I’ve traced the source of the broadcast to a section of National City and I’ve cross-referenced it with any Luthor or Luthor Corp holdings, and I haven’t found anything.”
“Check under Chesington,” Cat told him. “That’s her maiden name, she was from old money, like very old, though I think her father gambled away most of it while her mother drank the rest of it down. Sinking her claws into Lionel was what saved her from ruin, though I’m not sure how well that has worked out.”
“Is there anything you don’t know Ms. Grant?” Alex questioned.
“Yes, where Winslow gets those ridiculous sweaters, I would’ve burned the place down years ago if only to save my eyesight.”
“You’re six blocks away!” Winn yelled out. “Six blocks, to the north, there’s an old abandoned building that still belongs to a holding company of the Chesington Foundation, or it did, I’m not sure, the paperwork is messy. Blueprints say that it’s five stories, though also possibly a basement, built in the late 1960s.”
“That’s got to be the place, thanks Winn.” The agent deactivated her coms before turning to the older woman. “Do you want to go get the bitch?”
“Is my daughter still in danger from a psychopath?” Cat retorted. “Now, Agent, how are we going to get there, the city is no doubt gridlocked from people fleeing.”
“Lucky for us, I have my bike with me today.” The redhead gestured around the building where Cat could make out a black motorcycle parked on the sidewalk.
She gave the younger woman a disbelieving look. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Your daughter loves my bike.”
“My daughter has always had questionable taste in vehicles.” She eyed the machine for a moment before rolling her eyes. “Oh fine, the things I do to save the world.” Cat straddled the bike, adjusting herself on the back of it, before turning her attention to her daughter-in-law standing next to her. “Well, I didn’t climb on the back of this death trap just because I look amazing, let’s get going.”
“Huh, right.” Alex unlocked the helmet and handed it to the older woman before climbing on and starting the engine. “You better hang on Ms. Grant,” she called back to her.
Cat wrapped her arms around Alex’s waist and squeezed tighter when she revved the engine. “We are never speaking of this again.”