The Psychopath

3:04 AM (Current Local Time in Scotland)

Teague took a moment to put his thoughts in order before opening the huge metal door, the horribly cold underground air making him feel like a worm, a dirty mud bug, without soul or thoughts. He attributed it to the location rather than the cold itself. The more time he spent without seeing Winn, the more uneasy he felt. For the first time the possibility of dying soon was in his future, and every second without being with him felt like a second wasted. Rubbing his neck until it creaked, Teague yawned and opened the huge doors.

Each one of the fifty portals shone like a small sun made of moving light, as if they were made of ocean waves. He was not able to understand why that intense light did not disturb the thick darkness of the place. For less than a second his eyes fixed on the infinite blackness on the portal number XV, and he moved as far away as possible, forcing himself not to look at it again as he walked towards the center of the room.

Tess was laying on the floor, with her eyes closed and her hands resting on her abdomen. It was not the first time Teague had found her in a similar position, as if she were making an effort to hear the sound of time itself running out.

He knelt beside her, putting a hand on her forehead to take her temperature. "You have no fever."

She did not answer or open her eyes, as if he had not spoken at all.

"Xandra Danvers left the operating room. She survived... more or less," continued Teague. "I have put her under observation. I also sent a message to Earth-19. Number 19 is satisfied that everything went well." Teague sat on the floor, staring at his hands. "What happens if Powergirl fails?"

"She's not going to fail," whispered Tess, opening her eyes for the first time. "Lena will be dead as soon as Powergirl finds her. Requiem takes care of the rest."

"Requiem is already starting to deteriorate," Jason pointed out. "As strong as the Amazon is, I can't keep bleeding her out to feed your little monster so often. Not if you don't want to kill her. We have to find more blood for Requiem."

"Slade can take care of it," she murmured. "No doubt he can get more Amazon blood without much effort." She looked at him arching an eyebrow. "Any changes in America?"

"Papa Schott has Cat Grant's son. That will delay her and give us a little more time, if that jackass doesn't do anything to get himself killed... Is this supposed to happen?" he asked crossing his arms to keep warm. "Where's the limit with Mrs. Grant?"

"Under no circumstances can she interfere. She's too important for destiny. Under her presidency, in six years, humanity will leave Earth and conquer Titan, Saturn's moon. Carter Grant will be the one who invents the technology to defeat Brainiac in fifteen years. The Grants are the future. We have to keep them away from Lena so she doesn't ruin their fates like she did with Supergirl." She sighed. "Our Supergirl wasn't supposed to become a problem. She had to save us, not ruin us. Now even daring to think about the future is too optimistic."

"Maybe Number One could take care of that."

"It's an option."

"Sooner or later they'll come."

"Lena will be dead by then."

"And if she isn't?"

"We're all dead."

So how much time do we have left? Thought Teague looking up, looking for familiar shapes in the shadows on the ceiling. They looked like hands that stretched toward him, eager to touch him, drag him to darkness.

"Never again," said Tess with her eyes fixed on the ceiling. "Take me with Artemis." She looked up. "I want to see her. I have to make a decision and I need to see how she is doing."

"It's not good for you."

Tess just looked at him in silence, charging her gaze with all the indifference her small body could produce.

Teague rolled his eyes. "Where's your chair?"

"I didn't bring it."

"Did you crawl down here? Again? Why don't you directly throw yourself under a truck?" He sat up, bending down to lift his boss in his arms. "I hate having to carry you."

Lutessa did not answer, nor did he expect her to do so. How much time do we have left? How much? What the hell is the Irish bitch doing? Turning his head to avoid looking at the huge black hole with the number XV, Teague carried Tess out of the crypt to go back up the stairs and return to the castle.

Lutessa Lena Luthor

3:27 AM (Current Local Time in Scotland)

Those green eyes stared at her, behind the wall of unbreakable glass, even though Lutessa knew well that it was impossible to see something from within. She was sitting on the floor, with her legs extended and her arms crossed in her lap. The scar on her cheek looked too deep, and the older ones on her arms were losing the painful color they had weeks ago. Lutessa looked away. She did not want to see her anymore.

"Hasn't she moved since we put her there?" asked Lutessa in a low voice, sitting in front of the glass cage.

Granny Goodness crossed one leg over the other, delicately drinking from a steaming cup of tea before answering. "My apologies, you know I hate being murdered." The old woman set aside the cup of tea. "Sometimes she walks around the cell like a lion in a zoo. She has not spoken until now. It's completely normal, considering the fact that I injected her three times more serum and tranquilizer than a normal woman's dose. It would be foolish to underestimate an Amazon."

"Only fools underestimate any adversary."

"Naturally, pumpkin. You have to control what cannot be destroyed. Bellatrix I said it, back in the 6th century BC. Or was it Narcissa? You'll have to excuse me, my memory is no longer what it was and the three sisters looked a lot like each other." Her sharp incisors glowed in a small smile. "But in the end, people are the same everywhere and she's no different. Everyone wants the same thing. A mission that gives meaning to your life, love that gives you happiness and hope that gives you peace. It's the basis for controlling anyone. And as long as she holds on to that, we can keep drawing her blood."

"Requiem needs more than we can get from the prisioner. We need more." Reluctantly, Lutessa looked back beyond the glass wall. "Why did you bite her in the face?"

Goodness drank a long drink of her tea, her cold eyes fixed on the woman sitting behind the glass. Lutessa knew that she was not going to answer, as she had never agreed to answer questions she considered born of mercy.

"It wasn't you who bit her, right?"

"Little Requiem is still a girl, Lutessa. My heart is weak for my girl. I can't deny her anything."

Lutessa was going to respond when a loud knock sounded against the door. Teague entered immediately, with a small radio and headphones in his hands. Ignoring the old woman completely, he put both in her hands. "They're trying to contact Earth-1."

Lutessa felt an explosion of fear in her mind, her heart shaking inside her chest. Granny Goodness looked at the small objects in her hands with cold intensity and twisted the corner of her mouth, pretending not to study each one of her movements. Lutessa hated when she did that, because it meant she was more interested in her reaction than the problem itself. She put on the headphones and played the message that the quantum waves signal had picked up.

*'Flash, I'm Supergirl. I need your help. It's an emergency. I lost the extrapolator. I'll wait for you at the south pole, Vibe knows how to find me. Please hurry up.'* *'Flash, I'm Supergirl. I need your help. It's an emergency. I lost the extrapolator. I'll wait for you at the south pole, Vibe knows how to find me. Please hurry up.'* *'Flash, I'm Supergirl. I need your help. It's an emergency. I lost the extrapolator. I'll wait for you at the south pole, Vibe-'*

Lutessa took off her headphones, clenching her lips and ignoring her nascent migraine. "I want teams I8, Z5 and P23 checking every inch of the south pole until further notice. If they really go there, Powergirl will follow them. Goodness, make sure Requiem is strong in case we have a chance to kill the gap."

Goodness offered her the weakest of smiles, before nodding and glanced at the woman behind the glass wall. Until then, every day, Lutessa had wished she could kill Artemis without further ado, to avoid her more pain. But while Lena was out there threatening to kill them all with her selfishness and naivety, Lutessa had not been able to afford the slightest mercy with anyone. She could not help feeling anger at Lena for not doing more to protect her mother. Do you even care about her, Lena? Or with my mother did you have more than enough? She hated herself a little more for thinking that. Now things had changed. She needed her alive, if things did not go as she had planned she could always use her to try to force Lena to commit suicide. She doubted that Lena was capable, but she needed all the options available.

There would never be another Earth 15. Avoiding the problem for millennia had led them only to the worst of failures.

Enough was enough.

It was no longer enough to eliminate the gaps. Lutessa had made her decision at the moment she entered the room and saw the woman in the cell. A woman who should be free, living her life in peace. Like the millions and millions that had died because of that cosmic poison called Dax Novu. Lives thrown in the trash at the time Earth 15 was destroyed.

Never again. Dax Novu had to die with Lena.

And she had realized that Winn Schott could be the first step in saving the Multiverse forever. No more dead children. No more fear.

If you could kill the devil to save the souls hell, would you do it? Nothing would be the same again if I do it.

For the first time in decades, Lutessa felt something she thought she would never feel again: hope.

"Jason, take me back to the crypt," said Lutessa as her assistant lifted her up to put her in her wheelchair. "I need to talk to Number One."

"Have you changed your mind?"

"I have found the way."

Number 38

3:56 AM (Current Local Time in Scotland)

The blue portal reflected tiny, faint rays of light on the woman's skin. With her senses dull because of her headache, Lutessa prepared every word that would come out of her mouth, not one more than strictly necessary. Number One was known for never speaking a word more than necessary. Even for them, that was taciturn. The purpose of no one knowing each other's true identities was intended to protect everyone, both physically and emotionally. As far as Lutessa knew, Number One's face could be that of a perfect stranger, or not.

With a small knife, Lutessa made a cut on the palm of her hand, allowing blood to flow and fall on the stone plate that said 'I' just in front of the portal. The communication would last as long as her blood fell on the plate. Talking in this way could be extremely harmful to the health of the Numbers and they only did so in cases of extreme emergency, so they had implemented the Wraiths for routine communications over time.

'Speak,' said a soundless voice, only hearing it in her mind. It was neither male nor female, nor old nor young, like a ghost's. Lutessa ignored the pain in the back of her skull.

'My Supergirl has sent a message to your Flash. My Earth must be isolated before the gap infects the others.'

'It has gotten out of your hands.'

'I take full responsibility for Earth-15. But it won't happen again. The gap will be contained soon.' Lutessa struggled so that Number One did not notice the lie in the back of her mind. The effort caused blood to start sprouting from her nose, but she forced herself to resist. 'Meanwhile, the only help I ask is that you keep an eye on your constants.'

'This conversation is not over, 38. Be fully aware that you may have to destroy your infected Earth to save others.'

'I am fully aware, Number One. That is why I am disconnecting the portals until further notice. Your constants will suspect, try to do something. I leave it in your hands."

'In life and in death, and in eternity.'

"In life and in death, and in eternity."

Lutessa closed the palm of her hand, stopping the bleeding and cutting off the communication. Her throat opened and she took a big breath, as if until then she had been drowning without noticing. A drop of cold sweat fell down her forehead and it undid on her cheek, while recovering the oxygen that her lungs begged for. Jason leaned down, with a bandage on her hands, and hurried to stop her bleeding. Lutessa wanted to tell him not to do it, to let her bleed until she had spilled the last drop of her blood so she would be free of all guilt, but instead stared at the shadows of the ceiling. They seemed to move faster than normal, with their mouths open, watching her without seeing her.

"You need to rest," murmured Teague hurrying to get her out of there.

"... You have to go. I think Supergirl's message is a trap. But if it isn't-"

"Shut up, I'll take care of it. You rest or you won't live long enough to fix your sister's mess."

Diana of Nowhere

12:22 PM (Current Local Time in Egypt)

Her hand was the first to receive the sensory explosion that came with sunlight.

Diana kept her eyes closed at the overwhelming, painful light that threatened to leave her blind at the moment when there were no more steps to climb. Her ears ached as if Zeus were throwing lightning at her head. Diana let out a groan, losing her balance and letting her body fall on the ground of hot dust with few sprouts of dry grass, dangerously close to the mouth of the volcano. Still with her eyes closed, she heard two other pairs of steps dropping by her side, between slight groans of pain and crunching of sore bones. Diana counted to three mentally and forced herself to open her eyes, enduring the pain that daylight inflicted on her pupils for extensive minutes. When she was finally able to distinguish around her, Diana tilted her trembling head (My neck hadn't hurt so much since White Wizard thirty five years ago) and tried to check Alex and Maggie's state. Alex was breathing slowly and silently, her eyes fixed on the sky. Maggie had her eyes closed and her cheek against the dust, hugging her legs like a girl, looking even smaller than normal.

The three remained silent. Diana could not get rid of the feeling that the world did not seem real at all. It was too bright, too hot, as if the depths of Tartarus had taken over her mind and the surface world was nothing more than a dream. Maybe I've lost part of my soul. The brunette took deep breaths so that pure oxygen filled her lungs. I have certainly lost part of my soul.

Diana concluded that the most smart option would be to sit down. She would avoid falling asleep, and could get enough rest until her muscles were ready to get up. The first movement was the most difficult, her back creaking in pain. She forced herself to ignore it. She thought of her daughter and her wife, and it became more bearable.

Once she was seated on the ground, the horizon stretched before her eyes, thousands of kilometers of desert in front of her. Diana searched for the sun, and by its position she deduced that they must be somewhere in the middle of the Middle East. It was not enough to know where they were, but at least it was a start.

"Maggie, Alex." Her voice sounded strange to her own ears, as if she had a cold. "Don't fall asleep. We've to get out of here before it gets dark or we could freeze."

"Desert sweet desert." The pile of dried blood and dust that was once Alex rolled on her elbows and began to rise. "I've never been so happy to be lost in the middle of nowhere. I hate hell. I hate it with all my strength. Whoever designed that place deserves a kick in the balls."

"Tartarus," said Diana, without hope that anyone cared about the difference. "Hell is another place."

"It can't be worse than Tartarus."

"It is."

"Okay I get it." Alex gently shook her girlfriend. "Don't fall asleep, Maggie. We still have to walk a little longer." Maggie did not answer. "I know, it sucks. I know you're tired. But the worst is over and there's not much left to go home." Alex stroked her head. "Maggie?"

Diana laid her eyes on the detective. Maggie had her eyes open, staring at a distant point. Her fingers scratched the sand like if she had ice under her nails. An alarm jumped into Diana's brain, causing her to ignore her pain and crawl forward, until she reached Alex and turned the small woman over to see her face. Maggie's skin was pale, her eyes moving in all directions. She was barely breathing, as if she were in the middle of a nightmare from which she could not wake up. Diana did not need to see Alex to know she looked horrified.

"Maggie." Alex tried to shake her, without getting a reaction. "C'mon, Maggie, talk to me. Maggie!"

"I'm sorry, little one, really," said Diana before raising her hand.

*Bam* The noise of the slap echoed on the rocks. Maggie gasped and sat up abruptly, her head almost crashing into Alex's. She looked around her with confusion. Alex pulled her lovingly into her arms.

"The gods again?" asked Alex, her chin against Maggie's head.

Maggie looked away from her wet eyes, staring at her hands, nodding slightly. "It's like if they were playing football with my head." She touched her cheek, looking at Diana. "Did you slap me?"

"I'm sorry."

"No, thanks for getting me out of there," said Maggie accepting Alex's help to sit down. "Hit me if necessary, I don't care. But don't leave me there... God, I'm going crazy, right? Like Menalippe."

"Bullshit," Alex growled.

"They want to drive me crazy," said Maggie from inside the hug. "They can't reach Lena, so they hurt me. Those motherfuckers..."

"You're like this because of me." Diana took her hand. "If you hadn't had to save me now you would be fine."

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does. I'm going to fix it. You'll be back to normal, I promise you, little one." Diana stroked the cheek she had slapped before. "You're not going crazy, Maggie. I promise I won't let them hurt you."

The detective sighed heavily, nodding without talking. Maggie allowed herself to be comforted by Alex's strong arms for a few more seconds. Later, Diana would be sure that it was her concern what distracted her, preventing her from hearing the sound of the steps approaching behind her. But then Maggie's eyes widened, and Diana only managed to frown and turn her head before feeling a prick in her neck, where a tranquilizer dart had sank under her chin.

At least another ten soldiers with guns pointed at them and shot. Diana tore off the darts and tried to stand up, but the tranquilizer caused her to lose her balance and fall to her knees.

"Don't even try, Princess," said a male voice that Diana could barely hear before she lost consciousness. "Welcome to Qurak."

Kara Zor-El Danvers

6:22 AM

The guard stood a few feet below her, next to the door to the vault. Above the roof, Kara took four steps back, until she was in the position furthest from the guard without losing sight of him. The Kryptonian then bowed down and put her hands on the ceiling, made of hard concrete and more than a foot thick. Kara rolled up the sleeves of her sweater and pulled the small phone out of her pocket again.

'I'm in my position,' she wrote to Lena and Kate, rolling her eyes as she remembered not to use abbreviations so that they both understood. I'm definitely making Lena a Twitter when this is over. 'Two punches, maybe three. 25 seconds. '

Kate replied immediately. 'Got it. On my way.'

Under the ceiling and a few meters away, a Kate wearing a blonde wig and a black eye entered the hallway with three boxes full of glass cups in her hands. She walked slowly, pretending to be awkward and shy.

'E-Excuse me,' said Kate, and Kara could hear her as well as if she were at her side. 'Is this the deposit? I've the glasses for the Halloween party, but I think I'm lost.'

'This is not the deposit. I'm sorry, but you can't be here.'

'Do you know where it is?' asked Kate. 'I'm new in L-Corp, and it's so big that I can't help but get lost. And these things-Ah!' exclaimed Kate, dropping the boxes.

In the same instant that all the glasses hit the floor, Kara used the noise to give two quick punches to the ceiling, so that the sound of concrete being pierced would go unnoticed. She managed to do two holes in those two places, pressing to form a circle between them. Kara gently tugged on the piece, pulling it out of place with a quick tug, and setting it aside. The hole was large enough for a slim person to pass through. Kara ducked in, and floated in the middle of the vault for incomplete project of Charleston's L-Corp.

The motion lasers were on the ground, so small that even she could not see them at the first sight. Lena was right to warn me not to step on the floor. The vault was gigantic, dozens of filing cabinets scattered across the walls and hallways. Lena had said that what they were looking for was in section B99, in a blue box. Flying to the right while searching for the location, Kara wondered if her girlfriend could really remember details like that after so long without visiting the branch, or her memory was getting a little extra help.

Kara reached the indicated shelf and was not surprised to see that they were small safes. Descending into the air toward the B99, she grabbed the small handle and pulled gently, destroying the motion sensor inside the box in less than a second, before it activated. Then she took another box that was inside, closing the locker again without further ceremony. Turning around, Kara returned the way she came. On the roof again, she used her heat vision to glue the concrete circle back into place. Kate was still picking up the broken glass with the help of the guard, amid false apologies and theatrical sobs. She's a good actress, thought Kara, smiling amused.

Kara was concerned that it had been so easy to commit a robbery without anyone noticing. Quickly flying off the roof, she wondered what other laws she would break before the day was over.

The Super Runaway

6:55 AM

Wearing a cap and sunglasses to hide as well possible, Kara walked through the crowd like one more anonymous person coming out of work. With firm steps, she walked two blocks to where they had left the car. Kara looked through the dark windows and saw Lena in the driver's seat, staring back at her as if she also had x-rays.

Kara averted her gaze, feeling it too intense, too deep to contemplate it for too long.

I've to calm down. Kara took a deep breath and imagined the calm, confident voice of her grandmother Nyssa encouraging her to move on, Eliza's warm hand taking hers, Alex's hoarse laugh. That always helped her when she had a bad day. And lately she had too many bad days, so many that thinking about her family was no longer enough. She missed Alex too much, and to be in control of her own life. Painfully she had also realized that she missed being loved unconditionally, the way Alex loved her. When she looked up again, Lena was still looking at her with the same blank expression, motionless, as if she knew exactly what she was thinking and was waiting for her to do something. Fly away, destroy a tree, burst into tears.

As if she could read her soul.

I'm not a child. I haven't lost control.

Kara smiled brightly as she walked toward the car, the gesture feeling unnatural. No one looked in her direction when she opened the door and climbed into the passenger seat, closing the it gently. "Kate is on the way," she said, glancing at her as she left L-Corp, still disguised as a secretary. The supervisor yelled at her complaining about the taste of her coffee, and Kate responded by raising her middle finger. Kara laughed out loud. "Good thing she's rich, she'd be a terrible secretary." Kara opened her bag and took out the small metal box. "We don't have a key. Do you want me to break it?" she said looking at Lena.

She yawned, stretching her neck as if it hurt. "No, it has a little button on the left side of the top that only accepts my fingerprints. I put it there myself," she said taking the box in her hands, smiling slightly sideways. "At the time it seemed like a good idea. Everyone uses keys and the keys are stolen."

"What's the box for?"

"I used to keep my lunch in this."

"Please tell me I didn't just steal a five-years-old empanada."

"You haven't stolen anything, every brick in that building is mine and I've asked you to do it. And you know I don't like empanadas. They remind me of Andrea Rojas and I hate her guts."

"Rojas, like, from ObsidianTech?"

"We went to the same boarding school. The woman is a mix of Stacey from Freaky Friday and Shelby from A Cinderella Story, and she always ate empanadas. Every damn day she ate empanadas. I fucking hated the bitch." Lena put her thumb into a corner of the metal box, and Kara heard the soft sound of a click inside it. But Lena did not open it immediately, but stared at the box, clenching her teeth and frowning. Kara noticed with surprise that there were soft dark circles under her eyes. I thought she couldn't get tired. Kara placed her hand gently on Lena's. "What's wrong?"

Lena looked at their clasped hands, and stroked her knuckles. "A lot in my head."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's the same as always," Lena shook her head. "Maybe another time."

At that moment, the back door opened and Kate got into the car, throwing her wig and pink scarf on the seat. "I understand why you moved to National. I only worked there 40 minutes and I already hate it," she said, taking off the pink sweater in a hurry. "Has anyone seen my red jacket?"

"Under the seat."

"Thanks Kara," said Kate taking her jacket and putting it on. "Very well, Lena, what did we just steal? A weapon?"

"Better, raw material." Lena opened the metal box, showing Kara and the female soldier a bunch of small colored flash drives. "Before Lex went to prison, he was always the center of attention, being the drama queen he is. That always gave me the freedom to keep a low profile. I didn't speak to the press. I didn't get into scandals. I never even had social media. I wanted Lex Luthor's younger sister to be more a curious anecdote than a real person. Until I had no choice but to take over the company."

"I remember when your brother was the worst of our problems." Kate sighed. "I miss 2015."

"If we ignore that my aunt was trying to mind control the planet and my sister had to kill her to save J'onn, of course, a great year," said Kara sarcastically, remembering why she never thought or talked about 2015. "How long did you live in Charleston, Lena? "

"Only a few months. I lived in many places when I came back from Ireland. Most of them laboratories. And these ones here..." Lena shook the USB sticks inside the box a bit. "... are my old scientific journals. Experiments that I could never finish."

"What are you going to do with it?" asked Kara, feeling genuinely curious about why her girlfriend believed it was a good time to snoop around her old stuff.

"One of them was a decontaminant for the oceans," said Lena, closing the box again. "I abandoned the project because the technology I needed to finish it didn't exist. But with what I know now, five years later, I can build it and make it work."

"What has changed?" asked Kate.

Kara realized what Lena was referring to. "You don't have the technology..."

"... But the Atlanteans do."

Lena nodded slightly. "I've been researching about them since I found out that they exist. Having access to the Batcomputer was also a great help. I know they can."

Kate pursed her mouth. "The Atlanteans are a proud, fierce and aggressive people, no matter how friendly Aquaman is. But if we have something to offer them..."

Lena nodded. "A way to clean up the pollution in their homes."

"Then we can negotiate," said Kate.

Kara smiled softly. "Do you think you can sell an artifact that doesn't yet exist to one of the most aggressive races on the planet?"

Lena smiled softly. "Honey, my super power is still being a businesswoman. You leave it up to me."

Diana of Nowhere

1:40 PM (Current Local Time in Egypt)

Neither tranquility nor rest came to Diana with unconsciousness. She did not know how long she had remained in that harmful darkness, where the echoes of her mind struck like daggers at the bottom of her soul, and flashes of familiar traitorous faces suddenly appeared to make fun of her pain. It was only the intensity of her anger that made her regain consciousness, the maddening desire to recover her stolen dignity. How could they do this to me? Why? Why? Diana tried to open her eyes, but her willpower did not seem to be enough to force her eyelids to move. She forced herself not to lose her temper, patiently allowing the seconds to pass until her lucidity returned.

"Diana," said a voice in front of her, leading her back to reality. "C'mon, Diana, wake up. Wake up!" she said again, urgence in her voice.

She finally managed to open her eyes, her first feeling a sticky heat that adhered to the entire surface of her skin, hurting where sweat mixed with dirt. A skylight above her head let in a light so intense that her eyes saw colored dots before getting a clear image. It looked like a warehouse, with lots of wooden boxes around the place. Her gaze finally found Alex in front of her, her lip broken and even dirtier than before, if that was possible.

"Are you okay?"

"I think so," said Diana turning her head to examine the place the best possible. "What happened? How long have I been out?"

"Almost an hour. He brought us here fifteen minutes ago," replied Alex in a firm voice, frowning beneath all the dirt. "We're not far from the volcano. This can't be a coincidence, they were waiting for us."

"Who are they?" Her maternal instinct made her feel a prick of worry. "Where's Maggie?"

"The general took her inside a tent on our left. For some reason they put us apart," Alex explained quickly. "Diana, listen, he'll be back at any moment. Whatever happens, just play along, okay? Trust me."

"What are you talking about?"

Diana was interrupted the moment she heard strong footsteps approaching, as if an elephant was heading to the warehouse. All her instincts suddenly woke up. Through a door behind Alex, a very tall man with brown skin and a big mustache entered. His brown eyes stared at hers, bright and full of emotions, and Diana felt her hand turning into a fist. He wore a military uniform the color of sand, clean as if he had just left the laundry. His steps were as heavy as if his shoes were made of metal. The man smiled at them peacefully.

"I'm sorry I made you wait, ladies. They don't make soldiers as tough as before." He sat in a wooden box next to the wall. Diana did not take her eyes off him. "Dear hostages, I am General Heinle, your host. And you will see that I am a more than generous man if you cooperate with me," he said stretching, relaxed.

Alex did not even flinch. "Where's Maggie?"

"But first a couple of rules," he said standing up without looking at Alex. "You, American, cannot speak. You cannot complain or shout without my permission. Preferably don't remind me that you exist. You're absolutely useless and if you are still alive, it's because you are even more useless as a corpse. But not so much." Heinle did not even look at Alex, his eyes had remained on Diana. "It's with you that I'm going to talk to."

Diana looked him up and down without blinking. "You have to give me back my dagger. In mortal hands, it could cause a tragedy."

"Did you say 'my dagger'?" Heinle took the Dagger out his pocket. The light of the place looked like shadows compared to its divine brightness. "I'm afraid it's not your dagger, Amazon. You stole it. And its rightful owner won't come looking for it, so whoever finds it keeps it," he replied in a deep voice.

Diana frowned. "It's not convenient for you to challenge the gods, General Heinle."

"You are the best example of that." The man squatted in front of her, his disturbingly pleased face in front of hers. He clasped his hands in front of him, as if he were praying with his fingers. "Many people believe you dead, I think you know. Others are looking for you to be sure. Your people want you dead, Diana." Her name on his lips felt like poison in her ears. "It won't be long before they know you're here. And when that happens, they'll try to kill you again, and they'll keep trying until they succeed. Because you've made a lot of mistakes, but it's not too late." Heinle stood up. "You just have to do the right thing, be on the right side. Protect humanity again. You have to give me the girl," he said slowly. "I'm not blind, I understand you loved her when she was a baby. You think she is your daughter."

"Being flesh of my flesh and blood of my blood, very hard she might not be."

"But she's a mistake," he said. "Your only mistake, born of innocence, was to create her. You were naive and selfish. Many people are going to die because of your mistakes, Diana. The only way to avoid it is to tell me where is she," said the man said looking into her eyes. "I know you want everything to end."

Diana took a deep breath, filling her lungs and allowing herself to be reassured by the sound of the air flowing into her body. She looked past Heinle at Alex, who seemed increasingly furious. "Alex, close your eyes."

The woman's expression changed from anger to confusion.

"Do it," Diana insisted.

Something on her face must have convinced her, because Alex closed her eyes and sighed like a beast on the prowl. Diana had no doubt that she was looking for a way to escape.

"You haven't learned anything since we last saw each other," said Diana looking at the man. "You think all the people are stupid, easy to manipulate. But every person is different. You have to know them well to know what they want, what they will do. And you don't know me." In front of Diana, the general stood straight. "Because if you did, you would know that there's nothing you can say or promise to make me give up on my daughter. You disappoint me, Hermes. I'm disappointed that you know so little about life, that you don't understand love. But more than nothing disappoints me that you thought my mother would be so brainless as not to teach me to recognize a god in disguise."

The man's head exploded into a deadly white fire, furious, deeply painful to watch. Diana clenched her teeth and forced herself to stare at the true face of the god, full of terrible hatred. Hermes approached to her face and screamed, roaring as if he were going to tear her apart with his own teeth. Diana felt the killer fire threaten to burn her alive from the inside. It was only her centuries of experience that allowed her not to look away.

"How dare you!?" The pain increased so much that her body trembled. "How dare you disobey your gods!? You, who breathe only because one of us was merciful with your pathetic mother! Have you forgotten who you owe your life, Woman of Clay!?"

"A god gave me life," said Diana, unable to prevent her voice from betraying her pain. "But I'm sure as Tartarus it wasn't you."

"You could have had it all. You could have sitted on Olympus, become a goddess and not the miserable traitorous you are now!" the god touched her arms. The pain was finally too much and Diana let out a groan. "Look what you've done! Look what you've done with your selfishness! I warned you that wallowing with that filthy mortal would be YOUR END."

"I never wanted any of that." It was increasingly difficult to breathe. "But every day I spent with my wife was an invaluable gift and I'd choose her all over again, always."

"It was not your choice." The pain stopped suddenly. Diana let out a gasp. The fire on Hermes's face became less bright, less painful. "Your bastard is going to destroy the world and you will not move a single finger to stop her. You are not a warrior, nor a hero. You are as insignificant as mortals, so I will treat you like one. I order you to tell me. where. is. the gap."

"She is my d-Ah!" Diana clenched her teeth when the pain returned.

"Tell me where your little monster is, or I swear I will make you feel so much pain that you will lose your sanity. Perhaps madness will make you more devoted. Give her to me, Diana," said the deity, his voice low and soft as velvet. "Give her to me. You can have another one, one that is not an abomination. Give her to me and I will give you back everything you lost. She should never have been born and you know it. Fix your mistakes."

Diana stopped understanding what he was saying, only glimpsing the movement of his lips from a very distant place, far below where her body convulsed with excruciating pain. But a word cut off her suffering, pronounced in a voice very similar to Alex's. Her head felt about to explode, her mouth unable to open to tell Alex not to speak.

"Repeat what you said," Hermes ordered.

"I can give her to you," said Alex. Making an effort, Diana looked up, checking that the agent still had her eyes closed. "I have a way to reach her, oh Lord Hermes. Just have mercy on your servants, helpless before you. Have mercy. Forgive our mistakes."

Hermes will burn her alive. Diana tried to warn her to stop attracting his attention, but the god prevented her from opening her mouth. "You do well begging for mercy, unworthy mortal. Continue."

"We didn't know she was so dangerous. She fooled us all. The gap... exercises her will on everyone who approaches her," said Alex in a voice so scared that it could only be false. Damn it, she's going to get herself killed. "She manipulates Diana to do everything she wants. Have mercy on Diana, she doesn't know what she does. The monster also has my sister. She doesn't care about the rules or the consequences. She wants to steal the power of the gods of its rightful owners. Someone must stop her."

"And she stopped will be." Hermes's hand moved throught his face and he regained his human skin and brown eyes. Heinle smiled a little, approaching Alex. Diana felt a stab of alert when she noticed that he was still holding Hera's dagger in his right hand. "You can open your eyes again, mortal. I am merciful. You can still repair your mistakes, and only serve the gods."

"I will do it." Slowly, Alex opened her eyes. For a person who did not really know her, she would not look like anything but a scared young woman. "I will serve the gods. I will seek justice, so that everything returns to normal. Please, let me serve you."

"Tell me where the gap is."

"She contacted us in the Underworld. She threatened to hurt me and my sister, whom she uses as she pleases to satisfy her perverse lust. She gave us a map to find her and we had no option but to obey her orders. I kept it in my shoe," Alex said in a trembling voice. "Let me take off my shoe, please."

The dagger came down in a fast move, cutting the ropes that tied her feet and hands. Alex got startled. She ducked her head, hurrying to move her legs and taking off her shoes, rubbing her bare feet against each other.

"Be faster."

"Of course, I just need-"

Alex leaned back with all her strength, causing the chair to raise her legs the inches necessary for her index toe and thumb to reach the dagger in the hand of the god, taking it in a fast and unforeseen movement. Diana saw Hermes's surprised expression, before Alex's chair finished falling to the floor and her feet were high enough to stick the dagger hard into the neck of the god. Hermes tried to scream, but the dagger ('grAaaAaah!') prevented his throat from making understandable noises, just letting out grunts of a furious beast. His head turned back into a ball of fire as he tried to remove the dagger from his neck, a large amount of blood the color of light flowing from his wound.

Diana began struggling with the ropes to free herself, when Hermes's face deformed into a monstrous grimace, the temperature of the cellar rising to an unbearable heat. From his throat came out a broken growl (AAAARGRGGR), furious, threatening to leave her deaf. Alex turned on the floor, trying to use her legs to stand up. Hermes's hands turned into murderous fire and Diana heard herself scream her name. Alex turned just in time for the fireball to shatter just the chair, the floor, and her pants. The force of the attack made her fly away, hitting the right wall and landing on the wooden boxes. Hermes's left hand was trying to remove the dagger from his neck, but his terrible growls of rage did not prevent him from taking a step toward Alex with death on his face.

"Hermes!" screamed Diana, trying to get him away from Alex. "I'd never have married you! Never! You are the weakest of your brothers! I preferred a mere mortal over your pathetic and shameful ass! Even my two-years-old baby was stronger than you!"

The god launched a flare of divine fire, at the same moment when Diana managed to free her wrists from the rope and put her arms in front of her. Her bracelets absorbed the attack, turning the yellow glow into orange for a second. Diana leaned forward and extended her hands to the floor, supporting the full weight of her body in her arms and raising her legs still tied to the chair, crashing it against the body of the god. The wood broke against the divine body, finally freeing the Amazon. Hermes turned his hands into deadly fire and attacked, ready to pulverize her, but Diana ducked quickly. The only reason I am not ashes is his neck. I need a weapon. She had to keep him from getting to Alex at any cost. Hermes rushed towards her, trying to burn her. Diana dodged him, her skin screaming silently in pain. Diana quickly kicked his pelvis, getting Hermes to fall on his neck and the dagger sunk further. He's a weapon! Taking her chance she jumped on his back, the only place where (it hurts hurts hurts hurts hurts) his hands could not reach her. Diana clung to him with her legs (HURTS) and her hands reached the dagger in his neck. She pulled it out before his hands burned her arms. A bright liquid splashed the ground. He's a weapon. Without thinking twice, she sank the dagger into his two eye sockets, pulling with all her strength so that the blade ("AAAHHHH") tore the orbits of his skull before Hermes had time to fight back. When the god realized what was happening, it was too late. Diana jumped back, unable to continue to endure the pain in her skin for another second. She quickly cut a piece of her robe to wrap the two small, hot, burning spheres that threatened to cook her hands.

"GIVE ME MY EYES," screamed Hermes, the huge hole in his throat starting to heal. He crawled towards her trying to stand up. "I CAN HEAR YOU, DIA-!"

*PLAM* Diana used the god's eyes to throw a huge fireball to the ceiling, shattering it over Hermes. Always attack when they're talking. The entire place began to creak in a horrifying way and Diana ran to Alex, who was crawling to the other side of the room. A huge piece of cement almost fell on her head. When she reached her, Diana pulled from her clothes to get her up, unable to speak. A fireball exploded two inches from their heads and shattered the wall to their left, creating a cloud of dust that prevented them from seeing anything. I should've cut off his hands. Diana and Alex bowed and ran to the hole on the wall, crawling up a mountain of rubble and heading out into the sunlight. They were still exposed to Hermes' next attack when ("Diana!") they fell on the sand, pointed rocks and broken wood flying over their heads. Diana knew she was bleeding from old and new wounds, the skin of her legs screaming in silence, but none of that prevented her from pulling Alex up to run on the sand. A few feet behind them, the soldiers were guarding under the sun, all watching without moving as the little warehouse was shattered.

"They're being controlled!" said Diana loudly, not knowing if Alex could hear her. A rumble (*BAM*) was heard behind them. She turned her head a few seconds to confirm that the mad god had reduced the warehouse to ashes with an explosion of divine fire. The explosion pushed them back and made them fall on the sand, rolling uncontrollably until they stayed still, panting with their sore throats. In a frantic movement, Diana covered Alex's eyes with her hand. "Don't look at him!"

Hermes rose above the black smoke, his face unbearably bright. He seemed to be smiling at Diana from behind the amber liquid that flowed from his empty sockets and soaked his face. He extended his hands as if he were offering a hug. "I can forgive you, Diana. My love for you is infinite. You are the daughter of the gods and the gods love you." Hermes put his hands to his lips, as if he were kissing them. "Come back with us, Diana. Come back home. Come back home. Come back home. Come back home. Come back home. Come back home."

Alex stood up with renewed forces, pulling her up still with her eyes closed. Diana held her arm to guide her and they both ran, trying to get as far away from Hermes as possible.

"I CAN HEAR YOU, DIANA."

Her instinct alerted her in time, causing them to turn to the right and dodge the fireball by a few inches. ("DIANA!") Think, think, we've to get out of here. They both turned to the right of what was left of a wall, finding more still soldiers next to some military jeeps. A little to their left, old but ready to be used, there were three small military planes, the same kind Steve had taught him to fly more than seventy years ago. I guess there's no other option. "There's a plane," she said hoarsely to Alex. A huge fireball landed on their right, Hermes screaming blind of rage. ("DIANA! I CAN HEAR YOU! I CAN HEAR YOU!"). They both ran to one of small planes, and Diana threw Alex over the driver's seat, jumping into the cabin behind her. She held Hermes's eyes firmly to try to attack him, throwing his own fireball at the ground below his feet, raising a violent cloud of sand that should keep him from hearing them for a few seconds.

"Start it!" exclaimed Diana, shooting at Hermes.

"I can't see!"

"The buttons are in front of you! You can do it!"

"BRING ME THEIR HEADS!" shouted Hermes.

The soldiers close to them regained mobility and ran to attack them, but Diana knocked them down with her elbows and fists when they rushed towards her. The brunette almost also fell out when Alex started the engine and managed to activate the plane, regaining her balance in time, almost dropping the eyes. The plane quickly drove forward over the desert, as Alex could not find the right button to fly it. Controlled soldiers began shooting at them, running towards the jeeps to chase them. Diana used Hermes's eyes to throw fireballs that exploded the cars before they could get on. The shots kept ringing next to their heads. Diana turned quickly and stretched out towards Alex, who was driving with her eyes closed and was starting to make the plane move in circles.

"I got to open my eyes!"

"NO!"

"DIANA!"

"YOU'LL DIE IF YOU SEE HIM!" She squeezed her left arm. "The turbines are on your left!"

"We've to find Maggie and get out of here!" she screamed over the engine noise. "It's a green tent!"

Diana looked to her left and right over the desert, looking for any sign of the place where the detective had been taken. The soldiers' shots sounded dangerously close to the moving plane. One of them hit the windshield, turning it into broken glass that was embedded in lots of small places on her skin. Far away on her left, Diana was able to distinguish a green tent, huge and ephemeral on the sand like a mirage. "There! To the left!"

Alex turned to the left and the plane quickly headed towards the tent.

The Eye of the Gods

1:50 PM (Current Local Time in Egypt)

In the suffocating heat inside the tent, Maggie layed unmoving on a table, wondering why the world seemed to fade around her without there being anything she could do to return to reality. Her dreams escaped out her mind and mixed with the few furniture she was able to see, turning them into instruments of nightmares, shady objects that moved and acquired life, that wanted to scare her. "I'm not afraid," said Maggie loudly, defying the shadows. "It's not real. I'm not afraid. Alex!" she shouted, struggling with the invisible force that did not allow her to move, replacing fear with rage. "Alex, can you hear me!? Alex!"

A shadow beside her became sharper than the others, slowly becoming a feminine form. Maggie clung to that image as an anchor to reality. It looked like a woman, totally naked and with the longest brown hair she had ever seen. Maggie tried to crawl, free herself from the invisible magic that prevented her from moving. C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! The woman raised her right hand and snapped her fingers, and the mists in her mind dissipated, her eyelids opening so much as if her eyes were going to fall out her orbits. The tent was larger than Maggie thought at first, the merciless sun torturing her even through its green material. The naked woman was standing there, without speaking or moving, as if she were floating suspended in the air. Maggie gasped and felt an intense fear growing up in her belly, as she had not felt since she was seven years old and her father scared her with La Llorona.

"No." She closed her eyes and refused to open them. All of this is in my mind. Just in my mind. It's just my mind. An extra weight pressed her hips, and the world's coldest hands touched her face. The icy fingers pulled her eyelids apart, forcing her to look at her. Her face was a few inches from hers, her eyes black and empty as infinity, hurting just by looking at them. But Maggie could not move or close her eyes to escape them.

"I demand your attention," said the woman, her voice thick and deep like an earthquake.

"I know who you are," growled Maggie.

"Of course you know. You have dedicated your life to serving me, Margarita Rodas."

"My name is Maggie Sawyer."

"You cannot change your name," said the female figure, holding her chin with a deadly deceptively sweet coldness. "How could you create yourself?"

"Release me," said Maggie hoarsely, numbly. "I don't have what you want and you don't mean anything to Diana anymore, Athena."

The words froze in her throat, without causing pain but a cold that threatened to turn the oxygen in her lungs into fog. Maggie controlled her breathing so as not to lose her temper, knowing very well that another provocation would have deadly consequences.

"You are too young," said the goddess, gently squeezing her hands around her head. "Too inexperienced and reckless. You know how the world works but you are unable to understand it. When a seer dies, her gift passes to the next human that becomes immortal. And that was you. It was your destiny."

Maggie felt her breathing heavier and heavier, as if she were running at full speed without being able to stop. The goddess put her hand on her own neck and pressed her sharp nails against where her carotid should be. "Since the beginning of your time, seers have been able to see fate savoring mortal blood. Past, present, and future. A single drop of blood..." Athena pierced her own neck with her sharp nails. A painful blue light filled the place for a second, but Maggie did not look away. During that second she could see the true form of the goddess, hidden beyond lights and insubstantial fog. It was then that she knew she would not leave the tent, and an uncontrollable shudder shook her body as she clenched her teeth.

She had no nose, ears, or teeth on her wrinkled head. Her open mouth hung without a jaw, where a strongly unpleasant smell came from, so deep that Maggie held her breath so as not to inhale it. "You will be the first to see the fate of a goddess. I cannot imagine a death more honorable than that."

"I don't need to see the future to know you're screwed," she said angrily.

"Has it not come to your knowledge?" asked Athena with the blue blood flowing from her neck, like worms escaping from a corpse. "It is she who wants to kill us, the Gap. She wants to destroy the world and kill billions. Mine is justice and I will not allow it. I regret that you have to pay for Diana's crimes, but you inherited her guilt when you chose to save her. Her punishment will have to be yours too." She brought her index finger wet with blood to Maggie's mouth. "You will live long enough to tell me what I want to know about my future, and then you can rest in peace."

You don't care about justice, Maggie thought from the depths of her mind, refusing to open her mouth, resisting. You only care about saving your ass. She tried to fight, to resist the blood that was slowly approaching her lips, to shake that monstrous being off her as if she were a giant parasite. But the goddess was inside her mind, dominating her like she was nothing but a toy, and Maggie felt her head was about to explode when a loud explosion teared apart the tent behind Athena. Sand and rocks flew through the air while a plane driven by an Alex with closed eyes stopped abruptly next to them, so fast that Maggie barely blinked. Diana shot the goddess with what looked like an atomic flamethrower, a small object in her hand. Athena did not dodge it in time and received the full impact on her chest, being thrown clear into the air and tearing the other side of the tent apart. In less than a second, Diana reached out and grabbed Maggie by her shirt, lifting her off the table and pulling her into the plane. "Now! Take off! Take off!" Diana shouted at Alex.

Still with her eyes closed, Alex pressed a button and the plane destroyed three tables, two chairs, and the last intact side of the tent as it came out. The furious sun warmed her face immediately once outside. Maggie was going to open her mouth to speak when *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* flying bullets made her bow her head. Looking back, she saw that at least seven jeeps of the Quraci army were chasing them. And behind them, flying at full speed, was a bright monstrous man with fire in his hands.

"Qué chinga...?"

"You're fucking swearing in Spanish!? This can't be good. Can anyone just fucking tell me what the fuck is going on!? I've to fucking see, fuck!"

"Don't open your eyes or your face will melt!" Diana exclaimed furiously. "Maggie, that's Hermes! He asked me to marry him a few centuries ago but I rejected him and he hates me ever since!"

"You FUCKING dumped a god!? Couldn't you have mentioned it before!?"

"What happens in the fifteenth century stays in the fifteenth century! Just take this eye!" Diana put in her hand a small sphere covered with a piece of cloth. It felt very hot to the touch, like a lit bulb. "Shoot him with this. Hold it tightly and focus. Alex! Press the button to your right! The other one! The other! That!"

Maggie buried her nails in the metal of the edge when she felt the machine begin to separate from the ground, her hair fighting the wind and her ears about to explode from the noise. "Ay mierda mierda mierda mierda!" she exclaimed in Spanish. "Madre de Dios, qué chingawhat!?"

"Alex, the third button on your left!" Diana exclaimed and Alex searched on the surface of the board with her hands until she found the button, and pressed it. Once that was done, the plane began to rise faster into the air. Maggie saw around her, where the horizon was beginning to widen and the desert ground was getting more and more away. Diana turned to her. "We'll be fine. I've a plan."

"Where-? Athena!"

Behind Diana and running at full speed towards them, the naked goddess was approaching, causing huge sandstorms with every movement of her feet. The desert trembled beneath her, the earth flying behind her like tiny deadly knives. She can't reach us. She doesn't fly. Athena took a big jump into the air and reached a monstrously short distance from where the plane was rising into the air. Maggie could see her dead face, devoid of any humanity, horrible in its infinite emptiness and knew that their doom was only a leap away.

"Alex, the propeller! Second button on the right! Maggie, shoot! Shoot!"

On the ground, Athena jumped again, her atrocius body quickly approaching the plane. She won't make it. She won't- Her hand broke the air at incredible speed and Maggie felt the furious wind entering her mouth and filling her lungs.

When the goddess's macabre eyes were about to swallow all light forever, Maggie imagined that the hot sphere in her hand was her service pistol. She imagined herself pulling a trigger, and a huge ball of fire came out of her hand toward Athena's neck, hitting her in the air like a fly swatter to a bug and making her fall back. The plane took a right turn to avoid the fire from Hermes's hands, who looked enraged as a beast, only counting on the sound of the wind to chase them. The plane went up and down, from left to right, moving non-stop to put as much distance as possible between them and the two gods. Maggie wished with all her strength that Alex knew what she was doing, but after a sharp turn it became clear that not even she could fly a plane with her eyes closed. Diana kept exclaiming instructions in a firm but hoarse voice, her eyes moving rapidly in thousands of directions at once. Following the movements of the gods and looking for a way to escape, Maggie felt pain in her ears when Hermes let out a furious scream like the flames of hell, and her heart skipped a beat when Athena's monstrous hand finally reached the plane and pushed it, making them spin in the air like a crazy bird. The plane turned around and around uncontrollably, emitting noises so horrible that they threatened to leave her deaf. Diana rushed forward, to reach Alex's seat, and Maggie reacted on time and held her legs before the woman fell out the plane. Diana pressed hard on two buttons to Alex's left, and the plane stabilized, but began to lose height at horrifying speed.

Maggie pulled from Diana with all her strength and returned her to her side. Diana growled and leaned toward Maggie. "Grab Alex and jump when I says so!"

"QUÉ FUCK!?"

"We'll pass over a river!" shouted Diana making a sign to the right, and Maggie's frantic eyes followed her hand. The plane was not only rapidly losing height, it was heading towards a huge river on the desert border. We're dead, Maggie thought in that fraction of a second that Diana needed to break a piece of her clothes and pounce on Alex again.

"What are you doing!? Diana!"

"Saving your life! Stay still, Alex!" she said bandaging her eyes with the piece of cloth. "Alex, the plane's going down, but they'll reach us sooner. You got to press the two buttons next to your right hand in ten seconds, and then the lever under your seat. When we're over the river."

Maggie wanted to shout that they would not survive the fall, but the words died in her throat when she realized that it was her only chance. But Alex growled like a lion and spread her arms looking for Diana, as if she wanted to shake her. "The engine will explode!"

"Trust! Me!"

Stripping off her last vestige of self-preservation instinct like an old blanket, Maggie held on Alex's arm. "Do it!" she shouted, trying to sound the most secure and less crazy possible. "Do it, Alex!"

Maggie managed to hear a faint sound before Alex pressed the buttons and pulled the lever, like a can being crushed with a rock. And a second later they were both in the air, she clinging to Alex, who opened her mouth as if she were going to scream but made no sound because of the terrible wind that stole their breath. The impulse raised them slightly upwards before dropping them. Now my life will pass in front of my eyes. But instead of a sequence of flashbacks about Nebraska, her parents, and Alex, Maggie's mind was filled with the vivid memory of the day she had jumped the waterfall in Themyscira. The most important thing is the head. Her last action a second before hitting the surface of the water was to surround Alex's head with her arms, the protective instinct filling her so intensely that it almost overcame all the pain of her body impacting against the icy river.

The cold and agony almost made her lose consciousness, her throat burning as if she had drunk a deadly mixture of rum, bourbon and oil. But before her eyes closed, Alex pulled her toward the surface, pushing her head out of the water and forcing her to open her mouth so that the air entered her lungs. All she felt was a stab of horror when she saw that Alex had taken the bandage off her face. No, she'll die if she sees a god. Her mouth moved but no-

"-aggie! Listen to me!" Alex shook her a little. "I don't see Diana! She's not here! She isn't-"

Maggie looked up, where moving away over the river, the plane turned on itself and up, Hermes almost touching it and Athena just a jump away. Diana's still there. Maggie groaned in horror when she understood what she was doing.

She held Alex's hair tightly and pulled her face to her neck, hugging her as if she wanted to protect her from the cold in the winter. "Don't look."

"What are you doing!? Let go of me! We've to-"

"Don't. Look. Alex," replied Maggie firmly, perhaps holding her head with excessive strength. "Whatever happens."

"Maggie..."

"I love you."

Before she finished saying the words, in the sky the plane took a turn that should have been impossible for anyone who was not an expert pilot. As if an elusive dove had become a killer hawk without any warning. The plane moved so fast that it backed away thanks to the retroactive force, at the same time Athena took a final jump and Hermes was below the plane. Maggie wanted to be able to close her eyes, be mortal again to get her disbelief back, but she did not and her eyes remained wide open when both gods crashed against the plane.

*BOOOOOOOOM*

And when it exploded in a painful white light that would have blinded any mortal, its noise so loud that her ears felt like broken glass creaking inside her brain, Maggie covered Alex's ears quickly. You can't kill them, but you can be faster than them. She could not distinguish either of the two gods in the smoke or the dozens of metal pieces that fell into the water like demons driven out of the sky. I don't see Diana. She has to be close. She must have jumped before. She-

A close and weak noise caught her attention, coming from her neck. The terrifying sound of Alex was sobbing softly, not crying but not holding back her groans either. It was like a slap back to reality. "Where the fuck is Kara?"

Maggie hugged her tightly, being careful that their combined weights did not make them sink, as if her love for Alex was the only thing that kept her sane. "We'll be fine," she whispered softly. "I love you. We'll be fine."

Kara Zor-El

12:30 PM

For some reason beyond simple logic, Lena had decided she did not want to drive, even if that would be the most practical since only she knew exactly where they were going. Instead, she had entrusted that task to Kate, whose heart rate, blood pressure, and slight bittersweet smell demonstrated a growing well-disguised sulk. Lena had been silent for the past few hours, sitting in the backseat with a laptop Kara had stole (technically it's hers, I'm not stealing) from L-Corp's labs in Jacksonville a few hours ago, after Lena assured her, smelling like security, that she could make it untraceable. Also I'd know if...

And it was then, at that time in the afternoon, when she noticed for the first time that she had been smelling people's moods all day as if it were totally normal.

She immediately feigned a cough, trying not to let Kate's always attentive instinct notice her surprise and confusion. The redhead next to her just looked at her sideways and returned her eyes back to the road.

"I know you don't like cars," said Lena without looking up from the computer. "But we've to be as discreet as possible. Everyone is looking for us."

"If only someone hadn't broken the radio," said Kate.

"It was an accident," said Kara crossing her arms. "And if only someone had just let me listen to the Spice Girls..."

"Don't start again," said Lena coldly.

Kara pursed her lips. If I just took us all flying this wouldn't be happening, she thought sulkily. She did not want to talk about it, at least not until she came up with a good argument to win the discussion.

Her smile widened when she realized that Kate smelled of irritation.

Okay... Sneakyly, Kara took a deep breath. What's this?

Kara inhaled deeply again. Among the hundreds of scents she was already used to living with, there were undoubtedly two new ones coming from Lena and Kate's bodies, like a perfume of flowers after a day in the garden. It did not feel like a new discovery, but rather like noticing a discreet detail that had always been there. Why can I do this? Dozens of different responses occurred to her, all of them impossible to verify at the moment. But somehow her sense of smell had sharpened even more. What would Kal do? No, what would my father do? Science, Kara, think like a scientist.

Well... Emotions. All emotions produce a different chemical reaction in people's brains. Maybe I'm smelling that?

"Hey Kate," asked Kara softly. "How long before reaching Parthas?"

"Two hours. Are you bored?"

"No, I was just thinking we've to find a phone to call your sister."

"What?"

"Your sister. Elizabeth, right?" asked Kara innocently. "She must be worried about you. Can you let her know you're okay?"

Kara did not need to see her, because her body began to smell of sadness. "I've already taken care of that," she replied curtly, making it clear that she did not want to talk about it.

My sense of smell is more sensitive, Kara thought, looking away. What happened? For a moment she thought about saying something out loud, before closing her mouth tightly and deciding to reflect a bit more first.

It was then that Kara heard all of Kate's muscles tense as if they had turned into metal, just as the sound of three hearts appeared in the distance, people approaching (flying?). Kara turned her head and with her x-rays saw them, three of them, flying through the sky as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Her gaze met Kate's, hard as steel and ready to act. "Lena," said Kara.

"Mhm?" The brunette looked up from the laptop, raising an eyebrow at Kara's expression and looking out the window. She immediately noticed the three flying dots in the distance, and her back arched painfully, her face hardening into a grimace of anger. "Impossible."

"It seems not," Kate replied.

"The government wouldn't allow it. Marsdin wouldn't allow it," Lena insisted, her voice hard and serious.

"We don't know for sure," replied Batwoman. "Marsdin hasn't yet made any public comment. The President of the United States has made no public comment on a possible foreign threat at elections season. I don't know what's happening in Washington, but I think we can't count on Marsdin."

Kara nodded. "This is too suspicious," she said looking at the three Amazons flying through the sky. "What are those three Amazons doing flying over America?"

"Nothing."

Kara looked at the redhead. "Nothing?"

"Remember the metahuman air traffic laws of 2007. The law remains in force even in a state of crisis. No metahuman can land in a foreign country without a license previously approved by its government."

"But they can fly over it." Kara stared intently at the Amazons that drifted off into the distance, using her super vision to distinguish every detail of their bodies. "I think those three played Midditch with Alex."

"They're not stupid, they know they can't land in America. They just want us to see them," said Kate quietly. "They want everyone to see them, to know that they are out there. For everyone to take the Wonder Women seriously."

"They're no Wonder Women," said Lena pissed off. "They're traitors. They'll wish they never left the island when I'm done with them."

Kara reached back to take her hand, wanting to say 'We'll be fine. We'll stop them and everything will be fine again'. But she could not. So she just stroked Lena's cheek with her thumb until the black flying dots disappeared in the distance, hoping that was enough for the moment.

The Bearer of the Eye

3:39 PM (Current Local Time in Egypt)

Maggie did not know where she got enough strength to swim to the shore, but she knew she had done it when she finally let go of Alex's hand and her feet found the sand. They had not gone through so much just to be separated by the current. The detective ignored as best she could the pain in her bones as they both crawled across the sand to get out of the water, fighting for enough air to get into their lungs.

Once there was no danger of drowning, the adrenaline finally ran out and they both fainted on the shore.

Maggie remained in the realm of her hallucinations for less than five minutes, in which she fought for her rational mind to regain control. The sand beneath her body took horrible, disturbing forms that shouted at her to look at them. Maggie resisted as long as possible, until her subconscious betrayed her and looked at the sand, meeting the image of a face that looked at her angrily. It's God, Maggie thought with a shudder. He's asking me why I abandoned him.

Out of sheer desperation, she was able to regain her mental clarity, gasping and moving her aching muscles. It was the first time she noticed that in the underworld her wounds did not hurt completely, but were rather like a deaf nuisance. "Alex." Maggie shoke her girlfriend at her side, making her wake up immediately. "Get up. We have to get out of here."

"Where's Diana?" asked Alex in a barely audible voice. "She has to be close. The current must have pushed her toward the shore," she said as she crawled across the sand to sit down, then standing up with painful slowness. "We've to look for her."

"Alex."

"C'mon," she said bowing to help get her up with trembling hands. "We have to look for her."

"Alex, Diana didn't jump."

"Bullshit. C'mon, we have to look for her."

For a moment Maggie wanted to insist, but she realized that she could not reject the little hope Alex was offering her. She could have jumped, Maggie thought protecting herself from the alternative. We got to move on. Standing up, she pressed her lips before the symphony of her wounds and looked around.

The desert sand had turned into barren black and sticky land, with several pathetic lonely cacti being their only company, the same brown color as the river water. The sky was an infinite blue getting lost on the horizon. Maggie supposed they would be in the middle of the afternoon, but that in a few hours the night would come.

"Where do you think we are?" Maggie asked.

Alex looked at the river for a moment. "I think this is the Nile."

"Not far from civilization, I hope."

"We'll seek help later, we must first find Dia-" Alex stopped talking when the sound of an engine suddenly appeared, small and annoying like the flight of a mosquito. They both turned around, watching with exhausted eyes as a small car approached them on the dry ground, awkwardly and without being able to avoid the rocks that mistreated the resistant tires. It was then when Maggie knew, without any doubt, that she had completely lost her mind, because the car was a garish pink color with drawings of yellow flowers on the hood. The detective let out a laugh that sounded more like a scream, turning her head towards Alex, ready to share her new absurd delusion. But the agent also had her eyes fixed on the supposed imaginary car. "Damn it. You see it too."

Alex nodded.

"Close your eyes, it could be a-"

"No," replied Alex curtly. "No more closing my eyes. Whatever it's, I'll face that with my eyes open." Alex took her hand. "And there can't be a god so ridiculous."

Maggie did not have time to get ready before the pink car stopped half a mile away, after accidentally destroying a cactus. The driver's door opened, and Maggie saw a little, sharp female figure emerge from inside. The woman paused for a few seconds to give them an equally curious look back. Maggie saw Alex put her hand in her pocket, no doubt looking for something to attack them with. But Maggie's hand stopped her arm when she saw a middle-aged woman emerge from the other side of the car, with red-orange hair so bright that the sun reflected colors on it.

Alex's eyes widened. "Artemis."

"No," said Maggie, who had not been hungover the last time they had seen the woman. "Alexa."

The red-haired woman approached with haste, almost running, with a relieved expression on her tired face. For a moment Maggie considered the possibility that it was another god in disguise, but the woman looked so incredibly stressed out that she could not be any divinity. She would know, as she had done it with Athena. She noticed the woman next to Alexa was old, wearing dark glasses and beige cotton clothes, but Maggie had already spent too much time among Amazons not to distinguish their way of walking, no matter what they wore.

"Agent Danvers. Detective Sawyer," Alexa looked at them as if she wanted to give them a hug out of pure relief, but she kept her distance. "Are you injured?" she asked instead, but neither Alex nor Maggie found an answer in their shock. Alexa looked at them agitated. "We met in National City, at my sisters' place. I'm Lena's aunt."

"I'm sure they remember you, Alexa," said the old woman, approaching them, studying them from top to bottom. "They just survived the Underworld, two gods and a fall from that flying machine. Give them a little space."

Alex, always ready to show herself strong, shook her head. "How did you get here?"

"How did you guys get here? We're 70 miles from Bana-Mighdall," explained Alexa. "Everyone believes you're prisoners on the island, or dead. They believe Diana's dead. And we've been searching-"

"Excuse me for interrupting you, dear," the old woman said, stepping forward. Maggie watched her closely, and the first thing she noticed was that her skin was only a shade darker than her own. Her hair was long, thick, and totally white, pulled back into a tight bun. Her face and hands were full of wrinkles. She appeared to be at least seventy years old, though her body moved as nimbly as that of a woman in her thirties. "But we will have time to explain everything later, when we aren't so exposed. The important thing is to ask them what they know." She removed her dark glasses, staring at Alex with her green eyes. "Where's Artemis?"

"Who the hell are you?" Alex replied.

"Orana," she replied impatiently. "Where's Artemis? What happened to her? Is she alive?"

"We don't know where she's," Maggie replied before anyone had the bad idea to start fighting. "They took her."

"Who?"

"We only know they're called Veritas," answered Alex. "We'll talk after we find Diana. She fell into the water. We have to hurry and get out of here."

Alexa's face twitched. "We saw what happened. It's impossible that she survived."

What the hell are they doing here? Even if the Banas were currently acting under some emergency protocol, finding Alexa when they needed help the most was too much of a coincidence. Maggie stared at the old woman, trying to figure out why her appearance was so disturbing.

"That's bullshit, she's alive," argued Alex with frustration. "Are you going to help us or not?"

Orana let out a hyena laugh, and put her hand on the other Amazon's shoulder. "I know your logic has always been your best weapon, Alexa. But you must remember that Diana never respects any logic and is surely very much alive. It would be too humble of her to die in an explosion." She turned around and started walking towards the pink car. "Are you coming or do I have to drive again?"

Maggie watched Alex move forward without hesitation, almost walking normally, as if they had not just passed through the most terrifying moment of their lives. Drawing strength from where there was nothing more that fear anymore. She's a true fighter. Maggie tried her best to imitate her and followed her, forcing her mind to focus on Diana and not the thousands of ways they could still die on that day.

Lena

7:56 PM

As the sun began to fade into the distance and the trees became increasingly scarce, Lena looked up from the laptop screen she had been looking at for the past hours. It was almost dark inside the car, and her neck had been still for too many hours. She knew that under other circumstances it would have hurt. Kate had her eyes on her in the rearview mirror, her gaze even more sinister than usual. The redhead slowly raised her index finger to her lips, pointing to the seat next to her. Lena did not need light to know that Kara had fallen asleep, her need for relief overcoming the stress and worry. Lena saw Kate take the cellphone in her right hand, and she fought the urge to tell her that she should not drive and use the phone at the same time. A minute after the other small cellphone in her pocket it vibrated with a text message.

'Arriving to Parthas. Going to refuel. Need to go to the bathroom?'

No. Lena clenched her teeth. 'Yes,' she replied quickly.

Five minutes later, Lena saw the dim lights of the small town, getting brighter as the sunlight finished dying and the night flooded the road. Upon entering the town, the first thing she noticed was that the streets were almost empty, only a few garbage collectors taking care of the cleaning and older people sitting in the gardens of their homes. Lena supposed that it was one of those towns without young people, full of parents and grandparents who preferred the tranquility of being left behind in time. Kate stopped at a small gas station, lit by very bright neon lights.

'Don't wake Kara up,' she quickly wrote to Kate. 'I'll come back soon.'

With smooth movements, the dark-haired woman got out the car heading to a hallway to the right, pulling up her gray hood to hide her head. There were no security cameras nor many people in the hallway, and it was brighter than the front. Lena felt the heat of the light being absorbed by her skin as if it were toxic radiation. In front of her, there were two women in front of the bathroom who seemed to be arguing furiously. Before she could avoid it, she listened to part of the discussion. The older, bigger woman did not want to allow the smaller one to enter the bathroom. Lena did not know why until she was close enough to get a better look at the younger brunette woman's throat.

"Hey," said Lena out loud.

The older woman turned to her. "You keep out-"

"Shut up," said Lena effusively, feeling a small warmth deep in her stomach. The woman closed her mouth immediately. "Go home and watch all the documentaries about trans rights you can find until you learn some respect."

The woman blinked slowly, before turning and walking down the hallway.

"I'm sorry she was bothering you," said Lena softly, avoiding looking at the other brunette.

She was silent for a second. "I had it under control, but thanks Lena."

Lena blinked rapidly, panic beginning to build inside her. For the first time she looked at the girl with complete attention. She looked very young, perhaps even younger than she actually was. Her eyes were as black as her hair, thick curls in a ponytail. There was neither surprise nor fear on her face, which could only mean that she knew who Lena was. Veritas. Veritas found me, I've to-

"Don't be scared, it's okay," said the girl, raising her hands in a calm voice. "I'm not your enemy. I don't want to hurt you. I'm on your s-"

"Who are you?" asked Lena, trying to think clearly. "Tell me who you really are," she said, waiting for the stranger to obey the Monitor's orders, as each person had done before her.

But the girl did not even blink. "Those powers don't work on me," she said calmly, as if talking to an unstable person. "But I'll tell you anyway, so you know I'm not here to hurt you. My name's Nia, Nia Nal. And I'm a Dreamer."

"Explain yourself."

"I was born being sensitive to certain... Forces in the universe, one of which has a connection to you. I have dreams that tell me the future. I knew you'd come here and I came to warn you," she said in a serious voice. "You can't do what you're planning."

"I don't know what you-"

"I've seen you," she said curtly. "Don't do it. Not if you want to prevent us all from dying. Lena, you're going to kill us all if you don't listen to your mother."

Lena stiffened like a stone, her mind racing at high speed, trying to find an answer. A logical explanation. But the only answer she found was anger. "I won't. Lillian is trying to trick me again."

"I have to go," said Nia raising her hands.

"You're not going anywhere-"

But the girl named Nia snapped her fingers, and disappeared from the place as if she had never been more than a dream. Lena gasped, looking at her hands as if they had all the answers in the world, feeling the fury and hopelessness stir within her. I have everything under control. I have everything under control. Everything will be fine. She bit her lip so hard that she almost made them bleed. I can't tell Kara.

Turning around, Lena entered the bathroom, surprised at how clean it was. The mirror in front of her returned the image of a slightly disheveled woman, but with the fresh and healthy face of someone who ate well and slept eight hours a day. Which she was not doing. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Lena pulled down her hood and tried to fix her hair a bit. Whatever it takes, she thought, looking at her reflection, turning on the tap to wash her hands.

"I have to save them," she said, muttering. "Nothing else matters." Lena imagined Kara's bright smile, her eyes, and the smell of her hair. "Kara."

Shaking her head, Lena widened her eyes and leaned toward the mirror, insistently speaking to her reflection. "You have to save Kara," she said firmly. "Protect. Kara. Don't let anything happen to her."

Kara Zor-El

6:09 PM

Kara squirmed in her silent sleep, a quiet nightmare from which she could not wake up. In her nightmare, Lena and Kate tried to talk to her, warn her about something, until two black hands, horrible as claws, covered their mouths and dragged them down, down, down, where a hell of white fire swallowed them in silence.

Still, Kara woke up without a start, barely making a sound as her eyes opened and her breathing returned to its normal rhythm. The Kryptonian rubbed her eyes, smelling the essence of her own fear on her body. They won't break me. They won't break me. Not after everything I've survived. Her gaze shifted to the right, finding Kate with a pencil in her hand and a notepad on her knee, drawing silently, pretending not to pay attention to her.

"How long have I slept?" asked Kara quietly.

Kate did not look up. "A couple of hours, you looked tired."

But I wasn't tired. "Where's-?"

"She went to the bathroom while I was fueling. She'll be back soon and remember she can take care of herself. Now more than ever," said Kate again without looking at her.

Kara looked her up and down. "What are you doing Kate?"

The red-haired woman looked up for the first time. In the low light, her hair looked almost brown. "I try to make a sketch of the girl who made a milkshake with my brain."

"Girl?"

"Requiem. But I'm having troubles remembering her, my head..." Kate pursed her lips.

Before she could continue, Kara put a hand on her shoulder. "I saw her up close. And you're right, she was small, so she's either a young girl or a short woman. She was also left-handed, I noticed that when she punched me and smashed the wall."

"Super strength," said Kate thoughtfully, writing that on her drawing. "We'll need to do an electronic profile for her later. This girl is as strong as you are, we have to take care of her."

"Requiem was thinner. And her arms slimmer."

"It'd be helpful to remember some advantage or weakness to use next time," said Kate, deleting the arms and making them slimmer. "They won't take us by surprise again."

Kara let out a small laugh.

Kate raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just that you draw very well. It reminds me a bit of Lena."

"Does Lena draw good?"

"Absolutely not, she can't draw a straight line."

To Kara's surprise, Kate opened her mouth and let out a short, loud laugh. Her face transformed when she laughed. She seemed a few years younger, less solemn. Even a little prettier.

"What?" asked Kate noticing her smile.

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "I haven't heard a laugh in a long time."

Kate shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Good that you mentioned it, because I wanted to talk to you about it," she said putting her hands on the wheel. "Trust me, I get it's not my business, but I think that for the sake of our mission I should ask you not to lose hope."

Kara stared at her, motionless. "I don't know what you're talking about, I haven't lost hope."

Kate looked at her silently. "They're trying to get you to lose it. That thing, it seems to be a kind of parasite that gets strong with people's despair. With their pain. What I mean is that you've been through a lot lately, and they can use that to-"

"I understand exactly what you mean and you're right, it's none of your business," said Kara on impulse. "Everybody is treating me like I'm about to go crazy. Your cousin, my cousin, and now you. Let me tell you Ms Kane that it's not the first time I've lost everything. I'll find a way to rebuild my life, as I already did it before. I won't lose my mind and try to conquer the world like your cousin is sure I will do. And you don't have to pretend you care. I know you don't. You made it very clear when you threatened us in the Batcave," said Kara, not knowing why she was suddenly so pissed. "You don't have to pretend that you care about me or that you want to be my friend."

"But I do care about you. I-" Kate shook her head. "You're right. I shouldn't have threatened you in the cave. I should have listened first instead of immediately assuming the worst. I want to believe than I'm different from Bruce but in truth, I can be an asshole too. This situation is difficult for everyone and..." Kate took a deep breath. "Sorry Kara."

Kara felt the tension in her body ease. "I'm sorry too. I'm not being fair to you. Everything bad that happened to you is our fault. You were unlucky enough to meet us and now your family is also in danger."

"The Batfamily lives in danger," replied the woman, smiling a little. "I'm where I have to be."

Kara returned the smile, feeling a glimpse of her concern lessen for a moment. Two seconds later her ears caught the familiar sound of Lena's footsteps approaching. Kara saw her approaching them, opening the door and silently returning to her seat. "We can go now," she said in a tired voice.

"Any problem?" asked Kara.

"No, no one saw me," said Lena rubbing her temples. "It won't be long before we get to Florida. Just a few more hours and we can rest."

Kara sighed out loud. "Why don't you just let me-?"

""No,"" said the two millionaires at the same time, before Kate started the car and continued on their way.

Diana of Nowhere

3:59 PM (Current Local Time in Egypt)

Diana wished she had been knocked unconscious the moment she jumped off the plane before it exploded.

At least that way, she thought, falling into the water would not have hurt as much as it did. At least that way drowning would not be so slow. She had broken several bones, and although she should feel the cold of the water entering her wounds, she felt nothing as her body descended to the depths of the gray-brown river waters. But her open eyes sought the sun, a light to hold on to to continue fighting. But what her eyesight could not find was found by her hearing, a loud splash just above her. Not a crocodile. Piece of metal? If I reach I can use it to-

But any thought was interrupted by an egregious tug that propelled her upward at full speed, clinging to her hair and injuring her scalp. For a fleeting second her mind was filled with all the horrible things that would happen if Hermes or Athena had not been shattered by the explosion. It didn't work, their bodies must be stronger now, Diana thought before her head came out of the water, the light finally reaching her eyes and her lungs filling with air. The light was so intense that she could not see anything around her, and that second was enough for whoever had pulled her out of the water to throw her onto the shore. Diana forced herself to remember her centuries of training to keep her breathing from shaking, or she could not hear what was going on. When her eyes finally got used to the light, she was lying on her back in the mud, her gaze fixed on the unbearably bright sun.

A woman stood between her pupils and the sun, her face full of a duskiness so black that she could not make out her.

"Then it was you," she said calmly, activating Diana's brain at the familiarity of her voice. "Maybe you managed to buy time against those horrible things that haunt you, but you can't escape what you did. Millions have died because of you. I won't let you get away with it. You're going to rot in prison for the rest of the eternity."

"Kara?" whispered Diana. The other woman leaned closer, but no matter how hard Diana tried she could not see her. She only ( I know it) it was Kara. "What are you doing?"

"It was you who created that monster!" Diana felt two steel-strong hands closing around her throat. "Look what you did! You stupid, selfish, and reckless monster! It's always people like you that destroy the world! But I won't let your spawn kill us all." Two drops of a hot liquid fell on Diana's lips before her neck was released. The thing that spoke in Kara's voice drifted away. "We will see each other again," she said coldly. "Luthor is in Scotland. Try to kill each other, or I'll go after whoever survives."

Lena

4:50 AM

Lena had always been particularly good at hiding her emotions from the people closest to her. But she had a considerable difficulty if the people in question were people she loved. It was hard not to get Kara's attention. It was strenuous to act in a way that would not arouse suspicions in her. Not sighing, not staring too long, keeping a voice firm and devoid of discouragement and fear. And under no circumstances allow herself to think about Lillian.

She was aware that under normal circumstances it would be impossible. But lately nothing felt normal nor the same as before. Not the world, not the people, not herself. Holding on to the things she loved was all she had left. And still it was not enough.

Lena's mind wandered through thousands of different ideas as they finally made it to Miami, she driving and Kara by her side, with Kate in the back. Kara had been silent for the past hour, receiving the welcoming rays of dawn like a rose doing photosynthesis. Occasionally Lena found herself staring at her instead of at the road. She was beautiful. The most beautiful living being she had ever seen in her life. She loved her so much that existing without her would be an unbearable torture.

The early morning sun began to illuminate Miami's beaches, its light passing through the huge glass buildings as the car crossed one of the bridges to enter the city. She had not slept in days, and by now it was pretty obvious she was not going to soon.

"So are we ready?" asked Kate, shaking off the last remnants of her exhaustion.

"Yes Kate, the plan is the same as the last two times you asked," replied Kara blankly, as if she were being forced to watch the longest and most boring movie in the world. "You and Lena take care of the Atlanteans. I use my powers to locate the medallion."

"And if you find it, don't take it," said Kate. "The-"

"The Atlanteans would notice it and that would ruin everything. Because this is just a reconnaissance mission to get information. And if we offend them we can ruin everything. Believe me, I know. My mother was a politician, she taught me diplomacy. I can handle it."

"Is something wrong, Kara? You look like shit."

"Wow, thanks Kate. You do know how to talk to a woman. How would you feel if you needed 22 hours to get up to a second floor in an elevator? Add that to being claustrophobic and you'll understand that coming here in this car has been torture," said Kara, massaging her temples. "We need to go faster," the blonde said as Lena turned to the left to drive next to the beach.

"We need to be patient," said Kate with infinite patience, until she finally seemed moved by the blonde's misery. "We'll think of something."

"We should take a break before looking for Mr. Curry's house. I don't think we'd make a good impression right now," said Lena, remembering the small hotels that were in the eastern part of the city.

"A shower would be okay," said Kate with a shrug. "We can also use the extra time to review the information we already have about Atlantis. I have Bruce's maps, which should be quite accurate about the Atlantean Empire's cities. It won't be easy, but if we can convince them of cooperate with us..."

"I can find the medallion, I know it," replied Kara before yawning. "If we're going to stop somewhere, I want to call Cat. I want to make sure everything is fine. I don't want- Lena!"

Faster than her vision could alert her, a slim woman appeared just in front of the car. Lena let out a 'shit!' and slammed on the brakes, but knew instantly that it would not be enough. So she reacted without thinking. Lena felt a small 'click' inside her chest and a pull similar to exhaling air. Everything turned to red for less than a second and the car stopped an inch from the woman.

Lena saw Kara out of the corner of her eye, looking frantically around them, trying to find out if they had caught someone's unnecessary attention. In front of them, the woman smiled slightly and rested her hands on the hood of the car. Her hair was short, a thick brown color, barely touching her shoulders. She was wearing light beach clothes, but in the early hours of the morning the sun was not hot enough for her not to be cold. The woman waved cheerfully and tilted her head slightly toward Lena. "You took your time, your highness." Lena did not understand what she said next, but apparently Kara did, because in less than a blink the door next to her was open and she was out of the car standing in front of the stranger.

"Stay in the car," said Kate before following her.

"Who are you?" asked Kara without letting her guard down.

The woman put her hand in her pocket.

"Quiet, don't move."

"I have my ID in my pocket," the woman replied calmly. "I'm Tula of Poseidonis, and I have the questionable pleasure of being your escort. Step forward and-"

"Don't talk," Kara interrupted, and the stranger fell silent but did not erase the mocking smile from her face. "Kate."

Kate quickly put her hand in the woman's pocket, pulling out a silver ring with a huge sapphire in the middle that even being inside the car Lena distinguished as incredibly expensive.

"This is the symbol of the Atlantean royal family," said Kate in a calm voice.

"They asked me to wait patiently for you to arrive, and then to escort you."

"How did you know we were here?" Kara asked.

The girl sighed without losing her smile. "Your redheaded friend must be the brain of the group. You don't know anything about Atlanteans, do you Kara Zor-El of Krypton?"

Kate stepped forward. "Your people, if you are who you say you are of course, were the first to combine magic with technology centuries ago. The first thing they did was grant special abilities to many Atlantean subjects, and of course, to the royal family. Which makes me deduce that you found us with super hearing, super vision or super smell. And it leads me to the conclusion that you're either a very high member of the military, or part of the royal family."

"I don't see the two as mutually exclusive," said Tula, stretching and yawning. "And it was super smell. I could smell Superwoman from miles away," she said looking at Kara. "She smells just like sunlight. And I would love to continue enjoying such a beautiful morning on the beach, but we should get in your vehicle to get out of here. The faster we get with Mera, the faster we can start talking. King Arthur said we had a lot to talk about."

Kara looked at her with suspicious eyes. "We were going to take a moment before going over there."

"I thought so, that's why I came to you," the brown-haired woman turned to look at Lena. "I'm sure you don't mind, do you, Princess?"

"Let's better get back into the car," said Kate, exchanging a look with Kara.

The Kryptonian relaxed the tension in her body and the three of them entered the car. When Kara returned to Lena, she put her hand over hers for less than a second, as if she wanted to say 'I'll protect you'. The strange (I must not forget that they're all threats until proven otherwise) Atlantean woman sat next to Kate and stared at Lena without blinking. "You look exactly like a princess."

"I'm afraid I'm just Lena for now," she reached out and the woman shook her hand.

"Tula Marius of Poseidonis. Royal Guard. Bastard of the late King Orvax. Your nanny during your stay in the city."

Lena thought that this attitude could only be on purpose, to test them. She decided not to bite the hook. "It's a pleasure, Tula. Even though what Kara said is true and we wanted to rest before seeing the future Queen, if she is already waiting for us we should not waste her time."

"Mera will be queen when she marries Arthur and lives in Atlantis, she will be upset if you call her something other than her name now. I guess you don't want to upset her." Tula leaned back in the seat and put both hands behind her head in a relaxed posture, and simply closed her eyes as if she had lost all interest in them. "I guide you, it's not very far. Turn on this machine. There's no need to make this longer than it has to be."

And what's that supposed to mean? Lena glanced briefly at Kate, who was pretending quite well not to be watching their new companion. Kara on the other hand could not manage to be so subtle, her eyes fixed on the rearview mirror as if she were ready to use her heat vision on Tula at any moment. Lena thought with sadness that a month ago Kara would have trusted her immediately, not knowing if that change was an advantage or disadvantage in their current situation but without being able to get rid of her annoying and piercing feeling of guilt and mourning for the lost of her beloved Kara's innocence.

Taking a deep breath, Lena started the car again.

Alexandra Danvers

7:23 PM (Current Local Time in Egypt)

Driving in the vehicle at more speed than perhaps she should, Alex mentally thanked J'onn for teaching her Martian mind control techniques to ease physical pain, but also her mother for teaching her to keep her cool even in the worst of panic states. Like not knowing where her sister was, if her friends were alive, and that Wonder Woman had just blown up a plane to escape two gods who were trying to kill them. Not to mention the high odds that her sister's dead mother had stolen her soul. Alex was certain that without Maggie's comforting presence to hold onto, she would be having a much-needed panic attack. Alex deeply wished for a moment of silence, to let off some of all the shit that had happened since she set foot on Themyscira. I never give up, and I'm not going to start now. In the rearview mirror, she saw Maggie, looking anxiously at the banks of the river for Diana. I still have a lot to lose.

"The stream couldn't have carried her very far," said the old woman, sitting on the back next to Maggie. "Be that as it may, we will find her soon. There are crocodiles down the river, if they found her first it will be impossible not to notice it."

Alex almost took a frantic turn when she had a spasm in her arm, clenching her teeth tightly to avoid going absolutely insane and pouncing on the nearest Amazon. Her hands turned white on the wheel, a maddening buzz in her ears. Beside her, Alexa put her hand on her arm gently, looking at the other Amazon with angry eyes.

The older woman sighed deeply. "My apologies."

Alex let all the air out of her lungs. "It's okay."

"We will find her in one piece."

Alex almost wanted to laugh at her futile attempt to be optimistic. "Of course. If we killed Cerberus, Diana can handle some reptiles."

"Did you kill the Cerberus?"

"No, it got itself killed, when it messed with us."

"Alex, stop the car," said Maggie, opening her mouth for the first time. "I think I see her. There on the shore behind the rocks."

But Maggie did not wait for Alex to stop the car before opening the pink door and jumping outside, with an abruptness that should have knocked her down but it did not. Alex braked on the spot and got out behind her, albeit at less speed. Now she's more agile. She did not know if the difference was truly there or her mind was starting to fail, there was not much she could do without more information. She cursed under her breath when her foot almost got stuck in a small hole. Despite the terrible Egyptian sun, and the light vegetation on the banks of the Nile, the terrain was uneven and deceptive. The ground was covered in a soft grass where any hole, stone or vermin could be hidden. Alex realized that she could not just carelessly run when a strong arm suddenly stopped her, preventing her from stepping on a huge sleeping snake two inches ahead of her. She stepped back quickly, looking at the old Amazon who had held her in time. "Thank you."

Orana nodded silently, the wrinkles on her forehead deepening. Alex circled the snake and continued to advance toward Maggie and the shore.

Her girlfriend knelt down next to a dirty, human-shaped lump, shaking her gently. When Alex finally came to her side, her soul returned to her body not only after realizing it was Diana, but that she was also breathing, slowly regaining consciousness thanks to Maggie's gentle but insistent shaking her. Alex knelt with effort and began to search for serious injuries, trying to distinguish Diana's skin underneath all the soot and mud.

She had a very ugly burn on her right leg, skin melted like if it was the clay her friend had originally been created from. The wound on her arm made by Cerberus' fang had reopened. Alex asked for a piece of clean cloth, and Alexa ripped a piece of her shirt to make her a tourniquet before she lost any more blood. But the wound Alex could not take her eyes off was on Diana's neck. There were huge purple marks with shape of hands, as if someone incredibly strong had tried to strangle her. No, they didn't try to strangle her. Someone so strong would have killed her without any problem. They wanted to hurt her. But a god would have killed her. What happened?

Diana finally opened her eyes, breathing hard. "Kara. Kara."

"We're Maggie and Alex," said Maggie taking her hand, relief in her voice. "Your stupid plan worked and the gods exploded, but we have to get out of here before they rebuild their bodies. We have to move you, Diana."

"Kara was here. I heard her voice," she said quietly. "She was sad... angry."

"We'll talk about it when we're safe," said Alex interrupting her, even though she wanted to hear her. I'm coming, Kara. "We're far from Qurac, but if we don't get to Bana-Mighdall before the nightfall we won't be safe until tomorrow. We've to lift you up, Diana. Stay still or you could break your rib. Alexa, hold her back without pressing too much. Orana, you have to hold her hip and-"

When Diana heard the old woman's name her neck twisted so abruptly that Alex heard a crack. Her eyes widened as if they were screaming, and her face turned into a grimace of fury. "You."

Orana took a tentative step forward. "You have to calm down, or you're going to-"

"You are dead. Alexa said you died in prison."

"I can explain it," said Diana's sister-in-law, risking to being attacked and lifting her from her armpits as Alex had told her. "But now we don't have time. You'll have to trust me."

"You lied to your sister, Alexa?"

"She's with me, alright? I answer for her. Mother, please help me lift her, she's too heavy."

Mother? Alex wanted to ask, but kept her mouth firmly shut. It was not the time or the place and any explanation could wait until their lives were not in immediate danger. Her eyes met Maggie's, noting that there was no hint of surprise on her tired face. She already supposed it? It would not be the first time her instincts had been faster in putting two and two together than her own. And now that she looked at the old woman more closely, she could see the resemblance. Holy shit, that's Lena's nose. But Maggie noticed it because she's so smart or because now-?

Don't you dare even think about it.

The two Banas lifted Diana up gently, leading her to the car with maddening slowness. The sun was beginning to die on the horizon, its furious yellow turning to orange with each passing minute, its terrible heat fading. We have to go now.

Diana was left in the back seat of the car, with Maggie at her side pressing hard on the bleeding on her arm. The old woman sat next to the detective in silence, avoiding eye contact with everyone. Alex and the redhead Amazon had to circle the vehicle to get to the front seats.

"My mother's not dangerous," the redhead whispered. "I will explain everything to you in Bana-Mighdall. We'll be safe there, the gods cannot enter the city."

"I don't care about your family problems," Alex whispered as she started the car. "But you're right. You'll explain everything to me."

Karen Starr Grant

3:10 PM (Current Local Time in Nepal)

Powergirl had stopped feeling her legs ten minutes ago.

Her surprise had not been small when she discovered that this Earth also had a Mount Everest, a point so high that if she extended her hands a little she could touch the clouds and feel its expanding particles. Kara was beginning to think that she would have to hold her breath and fly to the moon to find the sound she was looking for all over Earth. She was at the moment listening to Mexico, Ecuador, and the southern part of the United States.

Cars screams cries laughs TVs dogs cats kisses sighs footsteps water electricity, her mind was processing it all at full speed when she began to listen to the south of Florida. Insects phones music *Pump Pump Pump Pump* wind- Karen stopped to pay attention again to that small sound she had found on the beaches of Miami, loud and unalterable, unmistakable. She quickly examined the other sounds around it. One car, four breaths, moving slowly toward the southern part of the city. I found you. Her friend Harleen had once told her that when you rule out the impossible, the improbable, ridiculous as it may seem, was the only answer. It was highly unlikely that they were so far from National City. But it was impossible that Kara Zor-L could not recognize the sound of her own heart, just like the one that was beating at the moment inside her chest, but in another person.

"Supergirl."

And with her there was the beast.

Karen took a deep breath and jumped into the void, flying toward America at top speed.

BONUS

On the road

Hours ago

Kara had always hated feeling weak and hurt, but she hated even more feeling full of energy and not being able to use her powers. The day was beautiful outside the car, the sun was shining, the wind was blowing, the earth emanated life, and the universe had a deceptively peaceful appearance. In the passenger seat next to Kate, Kara opened the window for the wind to meet her face in multiple invisible kisses.

Her powers cried out to be used, but she closed her eyes and just focused on enjoying the sun. No matter how bad things were, Earth's sun still was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

Kate was glancing at her from the driver's seat, behind her dark glasses.

"What?" asked Kara.

She smirked. "I once had a Golden Retrivier. He would spend hours looking at the window when we wouldn't let him out to play."

"You say I remind you to your dog?"

"I say I already know why Lena calls you Puppy."

"That's a trademark, Kate," said Lena from the back seat, not looking up from whatever she was reading now. Kara did not know. "Only I can call her that."

"It's just that the day is beautiful," said Kara with a shrug. "I don't remember the last time I used a car instead of flying."

"Yesterday."

"I meant generally, Katherine." Kara rolled her eyes, resting her hand on her cheek, wondering how fast she could draw Kate a fake mustache. She shook her head, boredom sparking her imagination. "Barry still hasn't shown up."

"I still can't believe you have friends in that horrible universe."

"Earth-1 isn't too bad. Well, aliens live in hiding, metas are more dangerous, and the Legends destroy the timeline once a week but actually... Forget it, you're right. Earth-1 is the worst."

"Can't you ask the Barry of our Earth for help?"

"Barry's not the same person here. I looked for him once. His name is Larry Abben and he sells life insurance."

"Uhg, all this doppelgangers bullshit makes my head hurt." Kate rubbed her temple. "I hope Earth-1's Kate Kane isn't a mess. What if she's not a soldier? Or if she's brunette? Or she goes around eating ham and shells like a gentile? Or worse, Stella from Orange is the new Black!"

"I really doubt that your doppelganger is Ruby Rose, Kate," said Lena in an expressionless voice, wondering if she could use her powers to make everyone shut up.

"I like Ruby Rose," said Kara. "She was amazing on Pitch Perfect 3."

Kate rolled her eyes. "I'm not surprised. What other actor do you like? The Miley Cyrus impersonator who was on Flee?"

"Glee," corrected Kara in a dry voice. "Melissa Benoist was on Glee. What kind of lesbian doesn't know Glee?"

"What kind of bisexual likes Ruby Rose?"

"I'm pansexual, batma'am. All of you are aliens to me. And Ruby Rose is amazing!"

"Stop," interrupted Lena. "Turn on the radio if you can't have a civil conversation."

Kara sighed loudly, reaching out to turn on the radio, wanting to listen to music.

*If you wanna be my lover! You gotta get with my friends! (Gotta get with my friends) Make it last forever, friendship never ends!*

"Great," smiled Kara and started shaking her head.

"The fuck is this?" Kate grimaced disgusted. "What the hell does it say?"

"You don't know the Spice Girls? Didn't you have a childhood?"

"Thankfully I had one without this noise." Kate frowned and changed the radio station.

"Hey!"

*Oh man, wonder if he'll ever know. He's in the best selling show. Is there life on Mars?*

"Very well, David Bowie. This is real music."

Kara wrinkled her nose. "Real music? It has no rhythm and doesn't even rhyme!"

"Art doesn't need to rhyme."

Kara put the Spice Girls back on. *If you wanna be my lover!*

Kate frowned and changed the station again. *Is there life on maaaaaars!?*

"Kate, it's just this song."

"I'm the goddam Batwoman, I don't listen to the Spice Girls!"

"And I don't want to get depressed with David Bowie!"

"Don't be immature."

"Don't be immature," said Kara imitating her voice.

"Enough." Lena stretched out from the back seat, and changed the radio station. "I choose."

Kara closed her eyes tight.

"What?" Lena raised an eyebrow.

"Potsticker, you don't have a good musical taste."

"What? Of course I do," said Lena, repeatedly pressing the button. "I personally choose all the songs in all the L-Corp galas."

"And Jess personally changes them, because you always choose the weirdest songs."

"Unique, Kara. Unique songs. Every big fancy gala needs a detail that makes it special and music is important."

"Some millionaires just want a little of rock," said Kate, clenching her jaw.

"I won't listen to that trash," said Kara firmly.

"Don't call trash the only good thing that has happened to me this week! I need it!"

"Here." Lena finally found a song.

A shrill, feminine voice squawked. *Laissez-vous faire, Milord! Et prenez bien vos aises! Vos peines sur mon cœur!'*

"Luthor..." said Kate slowly. "What is this?"

"Edith Piaff. France, 1959," said Lena with a small smile. "Queen Elizabeth II made it play especially for her in..."

Kara closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I'm driving," Kate interrupted Lena. "I need David Bowie."

"Oh, no. My car, my rules. Edith Piaff."

"David Bowie!"

"Kate, no!"

"THE SPICE GIRLS!" Kara growled and tried to change the station. But her strong finger pressed the button too fast, breaking it, causing the radio to get stuck in just one station.

*'Oh baby! Baby! Baby! Ohhhhh!'*

"NO! AAAHHH!" screamed Kate in horror. "Turn it off! TURN IT OFF! IT'S DESTROYING MY BRAIN!"

Kara started hitting the radio lightly. "It's broken! I can't...!"

*CrASh* The music stopped after Kara accidentally destroyed the radio. She immediately removed her hands, afraid of breaking something else. Kate's right eye trembled.

"Well at least that hellish noise is gone," said Lena, returning to her seat. "Don't feel bad, you can take this silence to reflect on your deplorable musical taste."

N/A: Nia Nal belongs to CW's Arrowverse

Orana the Amazon belongs to DC Comics. (Fun fact, she was the first Amazon who ever dared to challenge Diana)