Kara was against the idea of buying the motorcycle, at first. Lena's eyes were huge when she spotted the black chopper sitting in the parking lot, a red sale sign hanging from its handlebars. Supergirl objected to Lena driving it at the crack of dawn. Luckily for her, the ran-down tire shop that displayed the motorcycle was closed until seven. So there they sat, against a pine tree at the back of the shop, watching the Sun rise. Lena fell asleep at some point− Kara couldn't tell when. It was comforting, watching her chest rise and fall as the orange morning hues gave way to a clear blue sky. The Sun was all the Kryptonian needed to wake up, so she was content with watching the world wake up with her. By the time the shop was open, Lena was rubbing her eyes to welcome the morning.
"How long was I out?" the Luthor muttered, propping herself up against the trunk of the pine tree. Kara kept her arm around her shoulders, tucking her in with her red cape.
"A few hours," Kara replied, shaking her head, "You know I can fly you to the next town, right?"
"We'll be less suspicious this way," Lena pointed out, "And I've been meaning to treat myself to a new motorcycle for the past year."
"A new one?" It still blew Kara's mind that a millennial like Lena could afford things like this.
"I had one in college, but a friend of mine totaled it. I used to ride it everywhere," Lena's looked out into the distance, as if reminiscing life on the road.
"Sounds like you miss it," Kara pointed out.
"Not after I get this one," Lena spoke, smiling up at the alien. She kissed the Kryptonian's cheek before getting up. Once Lena was around the corner, Kara changed into her reporter disguise, taking a few tries making her ponytail without a mirror. Adjusting her glasses, Kara leaned against the back wall of the tire shop, listening as Lena bargained with a baffled store owner. Soon enough, the engine roared to life, and Lena came out with the motorcycle around the corner. She killed the motor, leaning the motorcycle towards Kara as she lifted her black helmet visor. She had a white helmet under her arm, pulling it out and offering it to the Kryptonian.
"I'm guessing you don't need this?" She joked.
"No, no, I think I'm good," Kara laughed. Lena tossed it in the grass as Kara hopped on, wrapping her arms around Lena's waist.
"Usually I'm the one flying people around," Kara spoke.
"Then you should enjoy the ride," Lena teased, flipping her visor down. She revved the engine and turned the corner through the soft grass, wheels hitting the asphalt. Before Kara knew it, the two of them were speeding down the empty freeway. They followed the Sun as it rose; the small town gave way to endless fields, with the occasional cluster of cows observing them from the road. Kara's blond hair tangled in the wind, as if she were flying through National City. It surprised her that this didn't scare Lena like flying did− perhaps it was because she was in control, tied down to the motorcycle. Or Lena enjoyed the thrill of it, the adrenaline that riding gave her. Kara had to admit, being on the road made her feel warm during otherwise cold flights. Sure, the wind still blew in her face, but she could put her chin on Lena's shoulder and hug her tighter if need be.
Kara needed to stretch once they reached the border of the forest. One downfall to being a superhero was that she couldn't sit still in one place for that long. Not like Lena, who still maneuvered the motorcycle with ease. With the pines towering over them, they were hidden enough to have some fun.
"RACE YOU!" Kara yelled through the wind, letting go of Lena's waist and flying off of the vehicle. She was the girl in the red cape in an instant, rocketing towards the motorcycle before her body could hit the asphalt. Supergirl could hear Lena laughing through her helmet. Lena's body leaned into the motorcycle, shooting down the road at a speed that Supergirl knew was far past the limit. The Kryptonian extended her arms farther to speed up. Her fists clenched to make her knuckles turn white. Kara didn't have the guts to show how easy it would be to beat Lena at a race, so she stayed side-by-side with the chopper. Kara was certain that Lena was aware of her inevitable defeat, but that didn't stop her from focusing on the road or gaining momentum. Time slowed down for both of them. Pines and firs shuddered as they zoomed by, heralding their presence in the otherwise silent forest. The hiss of the wind and their giddy laughing were the only sounds to assail their ears. If only Supergirl could have the power to freeze time, she would use it now.
All these thoughts fell from Kara's mind when she glanced back up to the road. Several yards ahead, the metahuman waited for them. There was a snapshot that would invade their minds forever, a gaseous silhouette against an empty road, a humanoid figure dripping a black oily substance.
Supergirl heard the screeching of tires, and the motorcycle flew in front of her. It continued to skid as Lena tried to take back control. It flew past the monster as Lena threw herself off, rolling onto the grass. Supergirl instinctively screamed her name. The road cracked at the impact as she hit the asphalt on both feet. The motorcycle collided with an ancient oak tree. It was already leaning towards the road beforehand, clusters of mistletoe adding extra weight. Roots ripped themselves out of the ground, one by one. With a load groan, the tree began to tilt towards Lena. She held herself up with her arms, looking up at the falling oak with eyes filled with terror. Supergirl was at Lena's side before she could think twice. She shoved the woman aside, feeling the weight of the oak on her back. The tree pinned her down more out of shock than lack of strength.
A moment in time was all that the metahuman needed. It latched onto the Kryptonian's brain before she could even bring herself to her knees. The scene of the forest swept away. For a moment, she was back on Krypton, feeling her mother's last embrace. Her father stood behind Alura, wiping away stray tears.
Her vision blurred. Lena was running towards her, boots coming closer to Kara's face.
"STAY BACK!" Kara screamed, the air deflating from her lungs. It felt as if her head was splitting apart. She saw Lena pull the ear pods out of her ears before she fell through the floor again.
The pod closed with a bang. The faces of her parents were distorted through the curved glass. This was the last time she'd see them, in their last breaths before their home would burn. Lena's voice made her look forward, the runway dissolving into asphalt.
"STAY STILL!" Lena commanded, "HANG ON!"
Despite the mind-numbing pain in her skull, Kara could feel the tears streaking down her face. Whether she was on Krypton or Earth, her senses couldn't paint a clear picture. The pod had shot her into space, she was certain. She could feel herself flying, farther and farther into the abyss. She turned onto her back, bringing the metahuman into a tight embrace. It wasn't her family, but she didn't care− it was somebody, a living thing. If she could make a stranger's tears disappear, than perhaps she could do the same for her mother. Or herself.
Her vision focused enough to see Lena's figure insert something into the metahuman's head. It screeched into Kara's ears, causing her to let go of her hug and hit the ground in shock. The metahuman fell onto the uprooted oak tree, giving her a chance to pull herself out from under it. Kara was ripped from reality one last time. But it wasn't something recognizable− she was thirteen again, but she was being dragged away from a pair of arms she couldn't identify. Her striped shirt was matted with dirt, ripped in some areas. She screamed until her face went blue, feet pulled through the mud. Someone ahead of her made a gruff remark, slamming something hard on her head. Her desperate screams fell into mumbled objections, and she slid into a dizzying blackness.
~~~
Supergirl's eyes fluttered for a moment. She had to squint at the Sun that shone directly over her. Turning her head to the side, she noticed Lena's ear pods beside her, dripping in black oil. What a brilliant idea− Kara should have seen a trick like that come out of the Luthor's pocket. But that little girl that was being dragged off, that wasn't her at all. There was a missing piece, something that Kara couldn't quite wrap her mind around.
The sensation of fingers running through her hair made Kara look up. Her head was propped up on Lena's lap. The Luthor's eyes were piercing green, challenging the horizon ahead of her. The two of them sat on the road with a dead oak and busted new chopper, nothing but smoke and silence. But Supergirl couldn't keep Lena waiting for her.
"Lena..." Kara coughed. Lena's gaze whipped to the Kryptonian, and Kara felt consumed by the woman's gaze.
"Kara, are you okay?" Lena fretted. Kara nodded, her throat too sore to say anything. A huge smile spread across Lena's face, wide enough to make her eyes crinkle. It would not diminish the sickening feeling in Kara's stomach.
"Lena, there's something−" Kara started, only to be interrupted by a soft kiss. The Kryptonian pulled away, pushing herself into a sitting position and gripping Lena's hands. The sticky black substance of the metahuman stained their fingers.
"Is something wrong?"
"Oh, this is bad, this is horrible," Kara rambled, "Is there a chance that I could, I don't know, see memories in that thing after you put the ear pods in?"
Lena leaned back, baffled, "Maybe. I'm not sure. Why?"
"I saw something," Kara winced as she played the memory back in her head, "I thought it was me when I first came to Earth, but I was getting... kidnapped. I was kicking and screaming, and... Lena, that memory wasn't mine. Nobody could do that to me with my powers. That had to be the metahuman." Lena let go of Kara's hands, flopping them into her lap in defeat. Her eyes were vacant, searching for cracks in the road.
"Oh my god," Lena whispered, "Did we just murder a little girl?" Supergirl shuddered at the thought, her body numb.
"I don't know," Kara mumbled, "Maybe she was already dead. By Rao, I hope so."
"My mom did this," Lena seethed, "She made us do this. That wench turned us into murderers. I'll−"
"Lena," Kara wrapped an arm around Lena's shoulder, "We didn't know. " Lena turned to Kara, tears beginning to form in her illuminated eyes.
"That doesn't change what we did."
A vibrating noise came from Lena's jacket. She reached for her pockets, pulling out her shaking phone. Confused, Kara rested her head on Lena's shoulder, getting a better look at the screen. Lena gasped, making Kara nearly fall over.
"What?" Kara questioned, but Lena didn't reply at first. She swiped through her phone, her eyes bright.
"This can't be a coincidence," Lena was giddy. Sure enough, there was a notification from CatCo magazine. Kara took the phone from Lena, bringing it closer to her face to read the headline: KIDNAPPED GIRL WAKES UP FROM ONE-MONTH COMA.
"One month? That was when Cadmus started going crazy!" Kara pointed out. Lena tilts the phone towards her, scanning for information.
"She was missing for several days before they found her like that. And look− there was some sort of device that was implanted in her brain when they found her!" Lena looked over at Kara, "You think it's her?"
"It has to be," Kara assured her, scrolling through the article. There was a picture of the girl halfway through, wearing the same striped shirt in Kara's memory. Warmth flooded Kara's chest, and she kissed Lena's forehead.
"Sophia," she read the caption, "That's her."
"Not bad, Supergirl," Lena teased, "Not bad." Supergirl pushed herself up in a standing position, offering a hand. Lena accepted it, letting their hands fall and lock as she stood beside her.
"Hey, you know what makes me mad?" Kara joked, making Lena look up at her, "I could have scooped that article. I bet one of the newbies wrote it." That made Lena laugh. She turned towards the Kryptonian, pulling her into a kiss. This time, Kara couldn't stop herself from smiling.