The next morning on Argo, Kara was sitting in a back room of her home, with Barry sitting nearby, when Alura walked in, "Thara spoke with the owner of that construction site," she said and they all looked at her, "The pillar fell because of a part they were having trouble with in the past. She also checked. Felra was at work when it happened, so if you saw someone suspicious, it wasn't her."
Kara slightly nodded, bowing her head down before Alura sighed, sitting next to her, "I know that being back here is an adjustment. The remnants of your home that you thought had been destroyed...believe me, I understand. I was haunted for a long time by the end of our planet. And the loss of your father, it wasn't easy to regain a sense of peace."
"So, how'd you do it?" Kara asked.
"Oh, it took time," Alura said.
"I'm so happy to be here with you, and Thara, and Barry, Iris. And yet...I do feel unsettled," Kara said.
"Well, the accident yesterday didn't help," Alura said and Kara frowned frustrated.
"I know it sounds crazy, but I don't think it was an accident. I think something's behind it, and I have always followed my intuition," she said.
"Kara...you've had to live your life as a warrior, surviving on a foreign planet, defending others. You have to take in the fact that you don't have to live that way anymore. You've spent so much time taking care of others. Maybe it's finally time that you take care of yourself," Alura told her.
"It's funny, my sister, Alex, she almost said the exact same thing," Kara said and Alura smiled.
"Well, I know why you love her so much," Alura said and Barry smiled.
EARTH — America, National City
That same day at the DEO, James walked up to Winn, Alex and J'onn, who stood behind the the circular table, "Any leads on tracking the gun owner?" He asked.
"Listen, we were only able to identify like ten percent of the people that actually purchased the Heel-14, and that is with state-of-the-art tracking," Winn said.
"So, what's the next move?" James asked.
"Old-fashioned police line-up. We need you to take a look at some photos, James, see if you recognize the guy who bought the gun. Winn, let's start with the guys that purchased more than one weapon," J'onn said before they all turned their attention to the screens behind them.
Winn had his tablet already in hand, so he began to press a few buttons before multiple guys popped up on the screen, and James quickly examined them before he spotted the shooter, "That's him. Bottom right corner, Arthur Willis."
"Okay, Arthur Willis," Winn murmured, pulling up the man's information on his tablet. But saw nothing out of the ordinary, "Are you sure? Cause this says that he passed his instant background check at the gun show. He has no history of mental health issues. I mean, he doesn't seem like a threat."
"I don't forget a face," James said.
"How many guns did he buy?" Alex asked.
"Uh, let's see — four that I can see," Winn said.
"Get a strike team together," J'onn told Alex, who nodded and walked off.
"Wait a strike team?" James questioned.
"What do you want me to do, James?" J'onn asked.
"If you send your guys out there with the same weapons as him, it's gonna turn into a war zone," James said.
"I need my guys to be armed to defend themselves, and protect the public. We're not the bad guys here," J'onn said.
"Sometimes, without trying, we can be part of the problem," James said.
"Uh, I'm so sorry to interrupt," Winn said very softly, "I have just been perusing Arthur's social media and he just posted what looks like a manifesto," he then pulled the statement up on the screen:
"To whom it concerns, so you understand why. For those who ruined my life, for the partners of Vang and Morales who spit on me when they fired me — who ruined my entire career, my marriage and so much more. They deserve to feel the pain that I felt, they deserve to suffer, too."
— Arthur Willis
63 likes, 6 shares
"Vang and Morales," Winn muttered, recognizing that name, "That is a law firm."
"It's in the same business plaza as the bank where the cops spotted him," James said as they all realized what Arthur was up to, "He wasn't robbing the bank."
"He's going back to his office," J'onn said.
Vang and Morales Law Firm
DEO agents in FBI coats, raided the building, heavily searching for Arthur as Alex talked with a woman in her office, "He threatened to file a lawsuit for wrongful termination. But he had outburst after outburst," she explained.
"Did the firm offer mental health counseling?" Alex asked.
"Of course. But he refused," she said.
"We're gonna find him," Alex assured right before J'onn stormed into the office, "All the entrances are secure. We're checking the building right now."
"Did you check the cellar?" The woman asked and Alex and J'onn looked back at her, "There's a back way into the loading dock, but there's no cameras on that door."
"Where is it?" Alex asked.
"South side of the building," She said.
"I'm on it," J'onn said before he quickly walked out of the room and down the stairs.
———
In the cellar, J'onn slowly slipped into the room, finding Arthur Willis pulling out multiple upon multiple guns, way more than four, out of a duffel bag, gearing himself up, "Arthur?"
Arthur immediately turned around, pointing the gun at J'onn, cocking it, "Don't move," he said.
"I'm unarmed," J'onn said, holding his hands up in surrender.
"Who are you?" Arthur asked.
"Just someone who wants to talk," J'onn said, as he began to slowly and cautiously approach Arthur.
"Yeah, well, it's too late for that now," Arthur said, "No one wanted to listen to me before, but they are gonna listen to me now. This is the only way for me to be heard."
"Arthur, if you pull that trigger, no one's gonna listen to a thing you have to say," J'onn said.
"They took everything from me!" Arthur snapped, "My wife left me because I was already working, then they just kept passing me over for partner. They lied to me!"
"Look, I know you feel like they took everything from you, like you got nothing left. Trust me, I know how it feels to lose everything," J'onn said, getting closer and closer.
"They never respected me," Arthur said.
"You think that gun gives you respect?" J'onn asked, "It has no power. It's just a tool for spreading fear, and fear is not respect — Arthur, I know you've been bullied, but that doesn't give you the right to bully back. You got something loud and ugly there. You think that's gonna make people hear you?"
"I shot at a cop!" Arthur snapped, "My life is over no matter what."
"Your life doesn't have to end like this," J'onn said, "You can go on, you can change, you can...you can begin something new...if you just put down that gun."
"No!" Arthur snapped, "I need it..."
"You don't need it, Arthur. None of us do," J'onn softly said before pulling his attention back on Arthur, "Give me the gun..."
Arthur whimpered, shaking in anger, while J'onn held out his hand, close enough to him now, "Come on..."
The two kept eye contact as J'onn wrapped his hand around the tip of the gun, pushing it down. Arthur gasped as J'onn said, "That's good."
Arthur let go of the gun fully and J'onn sighed in relief, "Good man...Good man..."
SPACE — Argo, Argo City
♪ I remember when the sea ♪
♪ Was singing ♪
♪ And all of my thoughts ♪
♪ Were ringing ♪
♪ Crossed the ocean ♪
♪ 'Round the world ♪
♪ Speeding ♪
♪ No pirate could catch me ♪
♪ Daydreaming ♪
Iris was strolling through the Zor-El's Gardens, feeling the air around her, the wonderful smells of the flowers and plants. She had begun to pass by a bridge when she saw Mon-El on the other side, smiling at her. She slightly smiled back as he crossed the bridge, up to her, "Kara told me I could find you here. Just wanted to make sure you were okay. Are you?" He asked.
"I don't know," Iris said as the two began to continue down the path, "I'm happy for Kara. I really am. I'm happy Argo survived, that her mom's place. I mean, this place is beautiful. It's perfect."
"But?"
"Something is happening here...something off, and I just don't know what it is," Iris admitted, "Kara's mom is saying it's nothing. And I want to believe it's nothing, just something is eating at me...or maybe I'm just feeling, disconnected, somehow."
He glanced over at her, finding a frown on her, but before he could say something, she spoke up again, "Kara and I, we're like two peas in a pod. We can finish each other's sentences, know what the other is thinking, and I love her, but..."
"But?"
Iris sighed before finally admitting, "I envy her — she's married, has a successful career, saves people, probably will start a family soon. And...I want that happiness for myself. I just don't know if I have it in me," she sighed again before the two stopped in their place, facing each other, "But I do know is that I'm very happy you invited me here. I'm glad to be here with you. Your...friendship has made this entire thing so much easier. So...thank you."
He smiled at her before she stepped towards him, hugging him, and once she couldn't see him, his smile dropped. She quietly huffed before the two parted, and she quickly saw his frown, a frown he didn't try to hide from her, "You okay?"
"Yeah, I just didn't want to...I didn't want to burden you before," he said and she looked at him confused, "Um...I didn't just come back here to help fight Reign. I came back...for you," and she stared at him silently shocked, almost shaking in emotions, "When I left Imra, she asked me to sort out how I felt. And not just about her. About you. And I've been trying to convince myself that this...friendship between us was the right thing. But I think I've been lying to myself," she nervously glanced down to her feet, before looking up at him again, her brown eyes crystallizing in stars just as they did all those years ago when he first fell for her, "I just don't want to hide things, pretend like they don't exist."
Iris kept intense eye contact with him before saying, "After you left, I had a reoccurring dream where I was walking down this path. A lot like this one. It was peaceful, and serene and...you were there, waiting for me. And all I've wanted was for you to be in that field with me — Now you are."
"Now I am," Mon whispered, before he hesitantly and softly reached out for her, cupping her cheek.
She almost felt herself sink away from his touch, but she kept eye contact with him, almost feeling her heard explode when he said, "I'm still in love with you, too."
A small smile stammered onto her lips, as he cupped her other cheek as well, stepping closer to her, "For the past eight years, every single day, I've loved you. You. It's always been you. If I had the choice between you and a million things I've always wanted, I would choose you. Every single time."
A smile chuckled from her lips before he cut it off, softly but intensely placing his lips to hers — Finally.
The two were unfortunately interrupted, like they always seemed to be, when they heard a loud rapid beeping. Mon-El glanced past Iris's shoulder, panic filling his grey eyes as Iris looked back as well, "What is that?"
It was a Kelex bot, but it had turned red, dashing right for them. Quickly, Mon-El grabbed Iris, and zoomed them into the air. He swerved around multiple times until the bot crashed into the ceiling of the gardens.
Iris held onto Mon-El tightly, the two of them staring at the ground sternly, when they had both spotted Felra, staring up at them from the ground. She quickly turned around, running off when Mon-El flew back down with Iris, the both of them landing in front of Felra, sending her a stern and cold look.
———
Standing in the marketplace, Iris and Mon-El stood together, with Kara and Barry as well while Thara sternly talked down to Felra, "I defended you last night and now you try to kill the friends of the daughter of the House of El? After everything Alura and Zor-El have done for the survival of this city, how could you betray that?" Thara asked.
Felra began to speak, her voice calming and chilling, as she stared at Kara while doing so, "We are the daughters of the night, children of Juru, the deliverance of all Krypton. And Selena is our high priestess."
"Selena?" Kara questioned, as they all stared at Felra, shocked, "But she helped me defeat Reign."
"Nothing is as it seems."
Suddenly, Thara's holographic device beeped and she looked at it, "It's your mother. We have to go," she said before she walked off and they followed her.
EARTH — America, National City
Later that day after Arthur was arrested, J'onn walked out in the main part of the DEO with Winn and Alex, "You sure you can do this?" J'onn asked Winn.
"Oh, yeah, yeah. Ninety-Nine Percent sure," Winn said but J'onn still looked concerned, "Dude, that is as sure as you're allowed to be in science."
"Are you sure you can do this?" Alex asked J'onn and he nervously exhaled.
"I am," he said before he began his way towards the stairs, "Alright, everybody, gather around. I have an important announcement to make," and everyone began to gather into a crowd in front of him, "Today, we had to deal with a crisis, which sadly has become all too common in our country. Normally, this would not fall onto the purview of the DEO, but because of the decisions I've made about how we choose to protect ourselves, we played a role. But I must make a stand today and do something I should've done a long time ago. Your safety is my number one priority. The DEO will begin phasing out the use of weapons of lethal force," there was a wave throughout the agents, of concern, disagreement, understanding, angry, confusion, "We are destroying our guns."
"Director J'onzz, sir," a random agent spoke, "I'm sorry, but how are we supposed to defend ourselves?"
"I know this transition may be difficult for some of you. Agent Schott will be developing a line of non-lethal weapons which we will begin using as soon as possible. I know some of you may find this uncomfortable. If so, I won't stand in your way. I will be happy to help you transition to another unit," and about ten or so agents immediately walked off, "But I believe we can have a lasting, important and necessary impact on the world by doing it. The greatest strength in the universe lies not in war, but in peace. We are Agents of Peace. Thank you. Dismissed," and all the agents scattered off as J'onn stepped down the stairs.
"Director J'onzz," J'onn's attention was pulled towards James, who walked up to him from the scattered out agents, "I heard what you said about strength and peace, and I believe in that. That's why the only weapon anyone needs is a shield."
"That's something my father taught me a long time ago. Thank you for helping me remember that, James," J'onn said and James nodded with a smile.
L-Corp
Down in the lab, Lena was standing behind her microscope, looking through the molecules of the black rock, with Ella standing behind her. The blonde had turned around, facing the scientist with a giddy smile, "I really can't thank you enough for bringing me on. It's such an honor, and to be doing a project for Supergirl and The Flash..." but she noticed that Lena's expression was confused, looking away from the microscope, "What is it?"
"It's this Harun-El," Lena said, "If this data is correct, it's more than just biolistic delivery system. It could be revolutionary."
The J'onzz Apartment
That night, J'onn walked through his apartment, and sat down next to his father on the couch, who was patiently waiting for him, "I'm sorry I wasn't ready before, but I am now," he said.
"Are you sure?" Myr'nn asked and J'onn nodded.
SPACE — Argo, Argo City
At the Zor-El home, Kara, Barry, Iris, and Mon-El all sternly walked into the backyard where Alura was, also noticing their ship was gone, "Where's the ship?" Kara asked as Alura turned back to them.
"It's gone," she said but as the four stepped closer, they saw that in their ships place, a House crest was burned into the grass. The Worldkiller's.