Sacrifices

Chapter 7 - Domestic

As always, all credit for artwork goes to the original artist. The artist's Instagram is above, they have some incredible work. 

Kara's POV

This place was entirely unfamiliar. My wrists wouldn't move more than an inch or two. My eyes had not yet been opened, I didn't yet need to let any of my captures know of my consciousness. They already had me trapped, they couldn't fill my mind with useless words just yet. Not that they tried.

It took time to finally crack my eyes open and survey my surroundings. A dark-haired woman sat curled up in a chair to my left, hair falling everywhere and stress evident on her face even as she slept. There was a certain familiarity to it. In another chair, closer to the door sat another dark-haired woman, this one in a blue and white suit. Nia. I remembered her. Outside the door stood three more, talking amongst themselves. They debated about letting me go and generally what to do with me, I may be hostile or dangerous. My family was safe I never wanted to hurt them. My family? Alex, my sister and everyone else who had ever been important to me. Where was Winn?

The squeak of trainers rounded a corner towards us and had me on edge.
"She's awake! Guys, she's finally awake!" There he was. The group of now four turned their attention towards me, J'onn stepping forward first.
"How are you feeling, Supergirl?" The professionalism was appreciated but not exactly necessary.
"I've been better."
"You were out for a few days." With what I remembered, I wasn't too surprised.
"Is everyone on the plane okay?" Brainy took this one, loving stats and all.
"I can safely say 100% of people onboard are alive and 93.32% physically unharmed. A little scarred maybe but that is all." The statistics were good, thankfully.
"All thanks to you, Kara." My sister finally spoke to me again. I wasn't expecting her to have forgiven me so soon.
"I'm just glad you weren't on it this time." Her head may have been bowed, but I saw the smile still. I remembered.

The two sleepy souls stirred at the talking. Dreamer had controlled herself from coming to hug me while the woman beside me was a little calmer. She softly smiled at me as all the worry drained from her beautiful features.
"Hi," she whispered.
"Hey," I said straight back. She seemed to have a mysterious effect on me.
"You're awake." Her lips drew into another smile whilst her tired eyes did their very best to stay open. She needed a few minutes, and possibly a coffee or two.

For a moment everything in front of me changed. An image long ago planted in my head finally appeared before me. A few of the people around me glowed the sickly, fluorescent green of Kryptonite as they edged towards me while the others stay perfectly still, unbreathing. The pain started to sear my mind; I didn't know what was real. Still my body braced itself, my breathing quickened and my eyelids clamped down.
"Kara?" Miss Luthor was kneeling at my side in seconds, that had been the pressure around my hand. I opened my eyes again to see her terrified, it wasn't real this time.
"Take off the cuffs," no one moved to help me, "please?" I hadn't intended for my voice to be so small. They only did as asked once the Director had kicked everyone out but the Luthor, she handed a key to the powerless woman and left. It was just me and Lena now.

I never intended to hurt anyone, but seeing how they all reacted I had anyway. Even the woman I'd once shared an apartment with kept her distance.
"What did you see?" Her eyes bore a hole in the side of my head, she just had to know for some reason. May as well just tell her. 
"All of you dead, some mindless zombies injected with Kryptonite. It all just seemed more real with you there." She didn't appear to think after that, her hands just held mine, Why was she making this harder for me? I couldn't have that life anymore, nor did I want to stop her from doing what she was doing.
"That would never happen, I promise." She couldn't promise something like that.
"It has though. Not all of my scars came from battles I won, I've been kidnapped many times and some species use your mind against you." I need not go into any more detail.
"We're real, we wouldn't hurt you like that." The real villains believe not in the evil of their actions but in the ideal possibilities they could bring.
"I only know this is real because if it isn't I failed long ago." The woman with me thought for a few moments before sitting on the edge of the bed. Why did she not fear me?
"I bet all those mind traps never attempted to catch you as you fell from the sky." Where was she going with this?
"Not your brightest moment Miss Luthor but you are correct." Whatever she was planning on she seemed a little nervous.
"Have you ever been shown something so imperfect?" Those things made her anything but, love is strength, it was loss that wasn't. 
"Miss Luthor," I'd received a rather pointed look for my distraction, "I've never been shown anything like it." The way she gazed into my eyes with a titled head and small smile held more power over me than the tricksters ever had. Something so simple actually had me feeling safe for a few seconds. I didn't have to leave right away. For just a brief moment it was as if the long war I'd fought hadn't occurred until reality had to bring it back a little while later of course. She'd pulled her eyes away from mine and it was back to the real world.