"Try again!"
Lena lunged at Supergirl, jabbing at her throat. Supergirl dodged the attack to pass by Lena's side. Her arms were outstretched in her first attack, giving the Kryptonian a chance to grab her wrists and hold them behind her back. Lena's ponytail whisked into her face, feeling like silk against her cheeks. Pain rips through her waist as Lena kicked behind her, and she wrung her hands free of the hold. Supergirl slammed into the wall of Astra's old cell, one of the side strips of kryptonite emitters pushed against her back. Pain sears into her spine, forcing her to push herself off of the wall. It felt like flames were licking at her body, but she refused to show it to Lena. She'd have time to rest when she could absorb the Sun's energy again. The two woman circled each other for a moment, waiting for the other's next move. Supergirl's breathing was ragged, and she noticed Lena's left shoulder sag somewhat.
"Don't rely on brute strength so much," Supergirl commanded, "Women win through our wits. If you're fast enough to work around them, stronger enemies won't have time to show it off."
Lena nodded, her chest heaving for air. Her movements were jumpy, her eyes alert and piercing into the Kryptonian. Though her hands and wrists were wrapped in tape, Lena had been building up her biceps in the past few weeks. Not only that, but her stance was finally stable− her feet were farther apart, knees bent to take on any blow. That had taken Lena a full week to perfect, but now she was unshakable for her amount of experience.
"Go for the throat again," Supergirl instructed, "Pay attention to your surroundings." She went for Lena's chest, but the other woman blocked it with her arm. Lena had a hook on Supergirl's arm, using it to force her downwards. Supergirl stumbled for a moment, tripping enough so that her cape brushed against the floor of the cell. Lena slammed her foot onto the edge of the cape, planting it to the ground. The tug of the cape forced Supergirl to the floor, but she hooked her foot around Lena's before the impact. Both of them hit the ground with a thud, and both of them groaned in pain. They laid there for a moment, both women gasping for air. Lena started to massage her sore shoulder. The Kryptonian turned her head to the side, her blue eyes watching her combatant. Lena raised her hands to her forehead, disoriented. She glanced over at the alien, and they made eye contact for a moment.
"Good job," Supergirl smiled at her. Lena grunted in pain as she pulled herself up to her feet. Supergirl did the same, raising herself up into a sitting position.
"You didn't go for the throat," the Kryptonian pointed out. Her muscles ached when she leaned into her arms, so she put them in her lap.
"You said to pay attention to your surroundings," Lena teased, "One more time. I need more practice on that."
"No way," Supergirl protested, "We've been at it all morning. You've had enough." Lena sighed, pouting her face before heading toward the exit door. She pressed the button to shut off the kryptonite emitters, and the glowing green strips on the ceiling and sides of the cell faded. Supergirl felt instant relief in her sore muscles. Lena walked back to Supergirl, giving her a free hand to pull her back up.
"Can we work on it later?" Lena pleaded.
"Tomorrow. You need rest, it's just as important as practice. And it's not like you're gonna need that move today," Supergirl told her, "Well, unless there's something going on that you're not telling me." Lena laughed at Supergirl's response, following her out of the cell.
"No, just the usual business at L-Corp. And I'm having lunch with Kara." With her superhuman senses flooding back, Supergirl noticed a spike in the Luthor's heart rate.
"Oh, really? Where are you going?"
"Noonan's. She said it's one of the best places in the city," Lena told her.
Supergirl chuckled, "Sounds fun. I've heard the pot stickers are to die for." The idea made her stomach growl. She shook the hunger out of her mind, looking up at the other woman. She was unwrapping the tape on her hand, and her heartbeat would occasionally spike before falling back to its normal rate. She turned to the left, her tank top exposing developing muscles in her shoulders.
"You seem nervous about something," Supergirl mentioned. Lena turned back, fidgeting with her ponytail.
"Well, I haven't talked to Kara since my mother's arrest," Lena sighed, "I don't know what to expect from her."
"No worries," Supergirl reassured her, "Just be yourself."
"I know," Lena nodded. She let down her black hair. It fell onto her shoulders, revealing that her hair was wavy when left alone. She waved her arms about to stretch them.
"Ugh, I need a shower," she decided, "I'll leave you to your heroics. I'll see you tomorrow morning, right?"
"Yeah, of course!" Supergirl grinned, "Good progress today!" Lena reached for a water bottle on the nearby table, taking a swig before smiling back. She turned away, giving a wave before heading through the busted white door to the rest of L-Corp. The Kryptonian waited until the door shut with a bang to jump into action. She reached for the drawer by her bed, situated in the corner of the room. Sure enough, the case for her glasses was there, and she put them on before threading her fingers through her wavy blonde hair. She'd have to get to CatCo early today if she wanted to see Lena for lunch.
~~~
The hum of voices flooded Kara's senses as she opened the door to Noonan's. A young man greeted her by her name, a waiter that she recognized from her many visits. He led her to a table for two near the bar, and she seated herself down in the chair facing the entrance. As the waiter left, Kara began to fidget with the collar of her pink shirt. She pushed her glasses in, a silent check to make sure she was well concealed. The waiter came back with a menu and a glass of water, making a heavy thunk against the table. When Kara went to reach for the glass, but her whole body froze at the sound of the bells ringing from the front door.
The clock struck noon when Lena walked into Noonan's. Kara wasn't surprised that she arrived on the mark; she had seen her schedule when planning their morning practices as the Girl of Steel. Lena's eyes scanned the restaurant before resting on Kara. The CEO had her hair up in a bun and wore a white pantsuit. She smiled at her as she approached, though Kara could see that her movements were shaky.
"Good to see you!" Lena started.
"Yeah, it's been a while," Kara responded, "Sorry that I haven't been around lately. CatCo's been insane."
"Oh, really? What are you writing about?" Lena wondered. Kara felt her posture tighten; despite knowing that Lena appreciated her work, she still wasn't used to the fact that someone else was interested in it.
Kara spoke the truth, "I've been working on an article about Supergirl. And, um... how she defeated Cadmus." Lena nodded, her green eyes watching the reporter. The Luthor looked down at the menu as if defeated.
"So you're here for an interview about my mother, then?" Lena asked her.
"No, no. I'm not here to bother you. I just want to talk to my friend."
Before Lena could respond, the young waiter overshadowed the table. Both women looked up, snapping out of their focus on each other. He put a glass of water in front of the Luthor before asking if they were ready to order.
"I heard the pot stickers are great here," Lena mentioned to Kara. She nearly felt her jaw drop to the floor. The Luthor giggled at Kara's reaction, looking back up at the waiter.
"Okay, we'll definitely start with that," Lena decided, and the waiter was off. Kara's cheeks were sore from grinning. The other woman's face contorted in confusion, but her smile stayed.
"God, you're a real life angel," Kara muttered to herself. Her eyes fell to the menu, studying the potstickers option on the appetizers section.
"Are you okay?" She asked the reporter. Kara's eyes grew wide, shaking her head to bring herself to the present.
"Sorry, I− I just really like potstickers. I love potstickers," Kara reassured her. She looked around, feeling a lump form in her throat, "Oh god. Now I can't stop thinking about potstickers." Lena let out a guttural laugh, making a few people at nearby tables stop conversation and smile at the two of them. Kara couldn't help but notice the way her eyes crinkled when she laughed, and she felt herself giggling along with her.
They were both interrupted by an ear-splitting screech that came from outside. The entire restaurant fell into silence, and both women stood up immediately. The waiters froze in their paths, looking around frantically for the source of the noise. Kara noticed Lena's hands ball up into tight fists, draining the color from her knuckles.
"Did Supergirl tell you about the metahuman?" Lena whispered. Kara paused for a moment, not wanting to give herself away.
"A... a little. She said it was after her." Lena looked back at the reporter, her eyebrows upturned. Concern flooded into her eyes, and Kara couldn't break her gaze.
"I think it's after me, too."
There were more screeches and the smashing of glass. Kara instinctively grabbed Lena, putting her arm in front of her face so that the glass bounced off of her Kryptonian skin. She whipped her head to the left to see the shadowy mass morph in front of the broken window, as if taunting the two of them. Lena was up in an instant, putting herself between the reporter and the shadowy mass. A disturbing silence hung over the room− the metahuman shifted into a silhouette of a humanoid, its form dripping an oily black substance. Some of the bystanders pulled out their phones to film.
"Lena, step back!" Kara pleaded. The CEO responded by widening her stance, fists held up to her face. The metahuman made its first attack towards Lena's side, lunging towards Kara despite aiming for the other woman. She kicked it back with her left foot, shielding Kara with her body. It made a strange gaging noise in pain, taking a few steps back. Kara looked down at Lena's foot, covered in the sticky black goo.
Kara Zor-El could protect her, but not while she was Kara Danvers. She could hear Lena's heart pounding in her chest. By Rao, maybe those practice sessions weren't such a great idea. She hoped that Lena kept her earbuds in.
"Fight me if you want," Lena taunted the metahuman, "But don't you dare get anyone else involved!" The metahuman screeched back at her, spitting the oily substance across the room. People in the crowd jumped back at it, though it didn't seem to affect anybody. Kara took a glimpse at the hallway that marked the girl's bathroom. If she could just make it there...
"Lena..." Kara tried to get her attention. The Luthor wouldn't dare look away from the metahuman− her eyes pierced her opponent like swords.
"Get out of here, Kara!" she yelled back. She lunged at the metahuman, connecting her fist with its jaw. A bystander screamed, and the entire crowd was rushing to the door. Kara took her chance to run, stopping after turning a corner to take off her reporter clothes. She ran back into the restaurant as Supergirl, just in time to see Lena slam her elbow into the metahuman's windpipe. It choked at the impact, morphing back into its usual shadowy mass. A few people had stayed behind, staring at their phones as they followed the scene before them.
Perhaps Lena Luthor didn't need protecting after all.
The mass of shadows morphed into a pair of hands that were strikingly familiar to the Kryptonian. Before she could react, the metahuman clamped its oily fingers onto Lena's head, making her lose balance. Instead of causing Lena to lose consciousness, her earpods sent an electric shock into the monster. It screeched out in pain, making Supergirl cover her ears. Lena fell to her knees, but she forced herself back up once the metahuman lets go of her. It morphed into a massive eye, glancing at Supergirl before flying past Lena. It morphed into its probing fingers again, lunging for Supergirl's throat. It latched on before the Luthor could react, and Supergirl found herself gasping for air. The Kryptonian hooked her arm around its wrist, dripping in oil. Supergirl forced it to let go of the chokehold as she flipped around, pinning the phantom arm in between her bicep and chest. It felt like Supergirl was squeezing into a tub of goo. Lena went straight for the metahuman's free hand, twisting its wrist to make it cry out in pain.
The front door flew open, several agents in black filing in. Human screams and the trampling of footsteps filled the restaurant. The metahuman dissipated into an unidentifiable mass, slipping from Supergirl's and Lena's hold. It flew across the heads of several agents and out the door. Supergirl used her x-ray vision to track it, only to see the gaseous monster disappear into a nearby storm drain. She let out a sigh, turning towards Lena. She could see several bruises on her arms, but her eyes were alert.
"Nice job," Supergirl complimented her, "You might be able to take my place one day." Lena's eyes widened in surprise, turning away when one of the agents approached Supergirl. The Kryptonian immediately recognized her as one of the DEO agents that sat near Winn on the major computers.
"Thanks for the help, Supergirl," she spoke, nodding to Lena, "You too, Ms. Luthor. We'll do an investigation from here on the metahuman."
"Great! I'll leave you be, then," Supergirl decided, motioning for Lena to follow her out of the restaurant. As she passed by the DEO agent, she whispered into the Kryptonian's ear.
"Agent Danvers is recovering."
Supergirl stopped dead in her tracks at the sound of her sister. A heavy weight lifted off her shoulders, and she had to keep herself from levitating off the ground. She turned back and grinned at the DEO agent, but she had left to collect evidence. She felt a tug on her shoulder, making her jump and face Lena. The other woman's heartbeat was still pounding from the adrenaline, her eyes glistening with a fresh fear.
"Shit! Where's Kara?" she choked out. Supergirl's shoulders tightened; she had never heard her swear, nor could she have imagined it before.
"Right!" Supergirl forced herself to speak, "Kara! I'll... I'll go check the perimeter! I'll grab her if I see her!" She flew through the busted window without a second thought, cape flying behind her. The few bystanders left filmed her exit, ooing and aweing all the while. Lena frantically scanned the restaurant, only to see a stumbling Kara come out from behind the bar. The reporter hoped that Lena didn't see the employee door close behind her.
"Miss me?" Kara joked. Lena ran up to the other woman, pulling her into a tight hug. They hung onto each other for a moment, and Kara felt Lena's shoulders relax into her arms. When Lena pulled back, she caressed Kara's arms for cuts and bruises.
"Are you alright? Did that thing−"
"I'm fine! I just jumped out of the way when Supergirl got here, that's all," she insisted. She put her hands on the Luthor's shoulders, which rose and fell as she caught her breath. Lena jumped at Kara's touch, but their eyes fixated on each other.
"That was so cool! You beat the crap out of that thing!" Kara exclaimed, "I mean, did you see yourself?!" Lena started giggling, covering her mouth as if she was self-conscious. Kara smiles when Lena's eyes crinkle again.
"Well, I've been taking some self-defense classes," Lena points out, "I still have a lot to learn."
"But you knew enough to take that thing down!" Kara pointed out, making Lena laugh again. The reporter looked around, realizing that most of the bystanders were staring at them. Some of the waiters attempted to clean up the broken glass, working around the DEO investigation team.
"You know, I don't think we're getting lunch here," Kara mentioned. Lena looked around at the chaos around her.
"Oh, we caused all this, didn't we?" Lena realized. Kara let go of Lena's shoulders, causing the other woman to look back at her.
"Not your fault that there's an evil shadow thing trying to kill you, right?" Kara reassured her. She felt her stomach growl, and she shot a question at Lena, "Still hungry?" Lena pondered the idea, looking out the front door before looking back at the reporter.
"There's a good Chinese restaurant a few streets down," Lena mentioned, "Still up for potstickers?"
"Oh god, yes," Kara grinned. Both of them were quick to leave the scene, entering the outside world with smiles on their faces.