Rescuing Kara

Earth DC-6908

The cape and emblem the man wore was unfamiliar to MJ, Felicia & Gwen, but Cindy immediately had a hunch as to who he was. "Kal-El...?"

"...How do you know that name, Miss...?" Kal wondered, looking at the mysterious woman.

"...Silk. Call me Silk," Cindy introduced herself. "I was... close with your cousin, Kara, in my world. She told me about you..."

Superman raised an eyebrow at the mention of his cousin. "You know Kara?"

"Yes and no. I don't know the Kara from *this* universe. But I knew the one who landed on my world. She's an amazing woman..." Cindy said sadly.

"So you're not from around here?" Kal asked.

"No, we come from different universes," MJ answered for the group. "We've been jumping through the multiverse looking for her Kara and trying to gather clues to some huge vague mystery."

"I see. I'd love to help you out, but Kara -- or, perhaps I should say, the Kara from my world -- has gone missing," Kal explained. "I'm still trying to get to the bottom of it."

Cindy nodded and explained to Kal what the group saw. "We know. We saw where she was being held before we made the jump here, through a portal..."

"Do you know where she is? What can you tell me?" Kal asked, the worry for his cousin clear in his voice.

"We don't know, exactly. I saw her tied to a chair, being taunted by a sinister looking bald man holding some kind of green glowing rock. It looked like some sort of underground facility," Cindy explained. "So I jumped through the portal and ended up here."

"Of course it was Luthor," Kal muttered. "And he's got kryptonite..."

"Luthor? Kryptonite?" Gwen interjected.

"Lex Luthor. A billionaire and a brilliant scientist. Owner of LexCorp. One of the smartest men on the planet," Superman explained. "He's completely ruthless. And he's never liked me or Kara. He's likely planning to use Kara to lure me out, which means that he's got something up his sleeve..."

"OK, that answers that -- and what, exactly, is this 'kryptonite'?" Felicia wondered.

"Irradiated shards of our destroyed homeworld... extremely dangerous to Kryptonians," Kal explained. "Prolonged exposure to even a small shard could kill me... or Kara."

"Kara... no..." Cindy gasped. This might not have been her Kara, but she wouldn't stand by and let anything happen to her, regardless of which universe she was from.

"...would kryptonite have any effect on any of us?" Gwen asked.

Superman shook his head and answered, "Not unless you were Kryptonian."

"And this Lex Luthor is expecting you... but he won't be expecting us," Gwen pointed out.

"...You're thinking we sneak into an evil billionaire's lab, where there's probably all kinds of expensive tech to swipe, and rescue Kara, aren't you, Gwennie?" Felicia smirked in anticipation.

"I figured you'd be on board with that," Gwen smirked back. "Kal, I think we can help you..."

"This isn't your fight," Kal said back. "I couldn't ask you to--"

"--If Kara's involved, it *is* my fight," Cindy interrupted. "We're going to get her out of there."

Kal realized how personal this was to the woman and decided to accept their offer. "I understand, Miss Silk, and I appreciate your assistance."

"Don't mention it. We'll get your cousin out of there, I swear it."

LexCorp research facility

As the group snuck through the shadows of the sprawling underground facility underneath LexCorp towers, Felicia gleefully pilfered anything she could that looked like it was worth anything, sticking it in her backpack. "This. Thing. Is. Awesome." she gushed about the bag, which housed a small portal -- anything she placed in it would travel to another portal, which Felicia had set up in a storage facility in the married group's home universe. "Reed Richards, my hat goes off to you."

"Y'know, when he gave that to me, I'm pretty sure he never meant for it to be used like that," Gwen pointed out.

"Oh, I'm sure he'd be happy to know someone is making good use of his creations," Felicia said back. "Besides, if I give him some of this LexCorp stuff, I'm sure he'll forgive me. This is like a wet dream for a scientist like him."

"Keep focused... we're here for Kara," Silk reminded everyone. "I won't lose her.. not again."

"I'm with you, Cindy, but something's buzzing in my head... I'm sure we're close to something else. Something important," MJ sensed.

Sure enough, they passed a room where scientists were running tests on a purple shard not unlike the green one they saw Luthor carrying. "Spider-Sense is going nuts... this what you were talking about, MJ?" Gwen said.

"It's gotta be... Felicia, would you do the honors?" MJ asked her wife.

"With pleasure, lover," Felicia smirked, stuffing the shard in the multidimensional bag she'd been carrying. The moment it disappeared, the group heard Madame Web's voice echo in their minds.

"This artifact... I sense an extraordinary power from it. I've redirected it to my nexus point -- we will discuss it further once you complete your goal in this world."

"Ehhh, fine. There's plenty of other tech here to swipe," Felicia shrugged.

The group continued on, eventually finding the room where Luthor was holding Kara captive. Through a window, they saw Kara, tied to a chair and moaning weakly as Lex taunted her.

"By now, the message has been sent to your cousin," Lex informed Kara. "I expect he'll be charging through this lab at any moment now. And I must say, as a scientist, I'm *fascinated* to see how a blast of concentrated Kryptonite radiation affects him."

"Grrrrr..." Kara stared at Luthor defiantly, too weak say anything. The look sent her message loud and clear, however.

Lex laughed dismissively and struck Kara across the face. Cindy recoiled in horror watching the display -- it took everything she had not to charge into the room immediately.

"You know, I have to admit it -- when you first showed up in my city, I was furious," Lex continued. "I hated the idea of having to deal with two Kryptonian menaces. But now? Not only do I have the satisfaction of ridding Metropolis of Superman, I also have a Kryptonian specimen to research. You should be proud, Kara -- you'll be of far more use to humanity like this than on your misguided quest for justice."

"That son of a bitch... we have to get in there!" said Cindy, enraged.

"Well, I've got good news, Silk. I think I've found our entrance," Felicia said, having scanned the room with the AR tech in her mask. "Follow me."

"Excuse me, Mr. Luthor?" A voice called over Luthor's radio. "Someone's infiltrated the lab. We've noticed a lot of missing tech, and..."

"...Damn it! You idiots told me you were the best in the business. How could you have let someone through?!"

"...We apologize, Mr. Luthor. We have no idea how it happened--"

"--It doesn't matter. Look, I'm coming to speak with your team leader -- and I expect him to do *everything* I tell him. If you can't make this right, LexCorp will no longer do business with your company. And I'm sure your bosses will be *very* disappointed to hear that."

"Y-yes sir," the mercenary answered. "We'll make this right."

"Damn it! Stealth isn't Superman's style -- and there's no way he would have gotten the Bat so fast. Who could possibly have broken into this lab?" Luthor wondered out loud. "Sit tight, Supergirl. We're far from done here."

As Luthor left the room, the group uncloaked and dropped in from a grate in the ceiling, taking out the guards in the room in the process. "Man, what a dick. If I felt any guilt about cleaning that guy out, it's gone now," Felicia said.

"Kara!" Cindy dashed over and untied the bound woman, who fell into her arms.

"It's... it's you..." Kara sputtered weakly as she looked into Cindy's eyes. "I had a vision of you..."

"Don't talk," Cindy advised. "You can tell me once we get out of here."

"No... Kryptonite cannon. Need to destroy... Kryptonite cannon. Luthor's going to... use it to... kill Kal," Kara groaned.

"Gwen & I'll take care of that. Do you have any idea where this Kryptonite cannon is?" MJ asked.

"Central research... down the hall... not far," Kara said, obviously laboring to speak. "Overloading the cannon will make... Kryptonite inert..."

"Got it. Felicia, you think you can sneak Kara out of here?" MJ asked.

"Come on, Red. You do realize who you're talking to, right?" Felicia answered confidently.

"Of course I do. I just don't want to have to save your admittedly fine ass like I always do," MJ smirked, slapping Felicia's admittedly fine ass as she said it.

"I'm going with them. I want to make sure nobody touches Kara," Cindy insisted.

MJ nodded in acknowledgment, knowing how important this was to Cindy. "I thought you'd say that. Good luck out there."

"So this is a Kryptonite cannon. What do we do with it?" MJ asked as she looked at the device.

"Kara said overloading it will render the Kryptonite harmless to them. I'm guessing we start with that," Gwen answered as she began to play with the cannon's computer system controls. "Bingo. Looks like this controls the cannon's power supply. I'll just crank this up, and..."

"...Stop right there," Luthor yelled as he burst into the room. "You're about to make a deadly mistake."

"I don't think so, cueball," Gwen retorted. "We saw what you were doing to Kara with this stuff. Not cool."

Lex gave the duo an icy stare as he attempted to explain his position."You don't understand. Those Kryptonians are a menace. I merely built this as a means of containing their power."

"By killing them," MJ responded. "We're kinda against the whole killing thing, so... yeah, we're gonna break your little toy."

"It has to be done. I won't leave their power unchecked!" Luthor spat, still pleading his case.

"They're mad strong. I get it," Gwen rebutted. "But there have got to be other options that don't involve killing. Options you didn't even consider."

"Y'know what I think, Gwen? It's not about Kal or Kara having too much power. It's that they have that power and Luthor doesn't, and the thought's eating him alive," MJ added.

Gwen nodded in agreement -- She'd known plenty of characters like Lex Luthor over the years. "I think you hit the nail on the head, babe. Guess you'll have to find another way after all, huh Lex?"

"Overload that cannon and you will have made a very powerful enemy. My resources are vast, and I will not hesitate to use them to hunt you down..."

"Yeeeeeahh. Good luck with that. We're pretty good at the disappearing act these days," Gwen taunted, overloading the cannon.

"NO!" Luthor yelled, a blinding green flash consuming the room as the cannon overloaded. Lex pulled out a gun and looked around. The two women who had destroyed his work and make the Kryptonite he'd collected useless were nowhere to be found.

Lex Luthor was incensed. Those intruders had cost him years of research, and his biggest advantage over the Kryptonians he loathed so much. He would find those intruders, though. He would make them pay somehow. He pulled out his phone and immediately called someone he knew could get the job done.

"Slade Wilson. I'd like to discuss a contract with you... name your price."

MJ and Gwen soon regrouped with Felicia & Cindy, who had brought Kara to Superman. Kara was lying in the sun, seeming resting comfortably.

"Will she be OK?" Gwen asked. "She was in pretty bad condition when we found her."

"She'll be fine," Kal explained. "We Kryptonians feed off of solar energy. Sun's bright today, so it won't be long before she's 100%."

"And if she's anything like my Kara, she's as tough as they come," Cindy added.

"I can confirm that," Kal added. "She'll be on her feet in no time. You must have been extremely close to your world's Kara, Silk."

Cindy smiled sadly at Kal as she thought about the woman she loved. "Our time together was the happiest of my life. I've never been great around people, but no matter where we were or what was going on, I was always comfortable with her. I'd built up these walls over the years, but when I was with Kara... it was like they didn't even exist."

"I understand. I don't think I'll be much help in finding your Kara, but if there's anything I can do, don't hesitate to let me know," Kal offered. "You've rendered Lex's kryptonite stash completely useless. Far more importantly, you saved my cousin today. I owe you a huge debt."

Kara's eyes opened and she began to stir and took notice of the group watching over her. "Kal? ...Cindy?"

"Whoa. Dude..." Gwen said, eyes widening. "Cindy never told Kara her name..."

"Huh. Freaky," MJ said back. "I guess those two really do have some kind of connection."

"Kara!" Cindy exclaimed, immedately sprinting over to the Kryptonian woman and helping her to her feet.

"Where am I? Last thing I remember was seeing your face in Luthor's lab..."

"Your cousin sent me and my friends to get you out of there. He told us you'd recover if you got some sun, so we brought you here," Cindy explained.

Kara looked at Cindy. She couldn't help but notice the affection in the dark-haired woman's eyes. Whoever she was, she cared deeply. "Got it... thanks for getting me out of there. Hey, Kal."

"Hi Kara," Kal smiled, relief in his voice. "Glad to see you're recovering quickly."

"Gonna take more than some twisted kryptonite experiments to take me down," Kara smiled. "Who are your new friends?"

MJ, Felicia & Gwen all made their introductions and expressed their relief that she was safe and recovering.

"Well then, I guess I should thank you for saving me. I don't know who you are, but I appreciate what you did."

"You should be thanking Cindy," MJ suggested. "She's the biggest reason we're here."

"Got it. I still appreciate all your help. And Cindy..."

Kara looked at Cindy and, for reasons she couldn't quite explain, was overcome with fondness for her. The pair shared an emotional glance, not quite sure what to say.

"I, uh, I think those two need some time alone," Felicia observed. "C'mon, lovers, let's get something to eat."

"Good idea. I am kinda hungry," Gwen agreed. "You coming, Kal?"

Kal politely shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, but there's a fire on the other side of town. Don't worry about that, though -- I can handle it myself. Enjoy your lunch, ladies. It was an honor meeting you."

Cindy and Kara sat on the edge of a skyscraper rooftop and talked for hours. Cindy told her everything about her Supergirl -- how she'd found her, how they'd gotten so close, what a great team they made, how she lost her to the multiverse, and how she'd never stop looking for her.

"You must really love her," Kara mused. She'd been following Cindy's story intently, smiling at Cindy's fond recollection of her time with her Kara, and tearing up alongside her when she told the story of losing her the fight with Octavius.

"So much. I don't think I can ever fully describe how she made me feel," confirmed Cindy. "I know the multiverse is a big place, and I may never find her, but I'll spend the rest of my life looking if I have to. Even if there's only a tiny chance she's out there..."

"...You'll find her," Kara said convincingly and optimistically. "Your bond is too strong."

"You really think so?"

"I know you will. When I touched that purple shard, I saw your face, and I felt... something. Like some sort of connection across universes. It's not like we get together in every single one -- that'd be impossible with infinite different realities, but more often than not, I think... I think we're drawn to each other..."

Kara grabbed ahold of Cindy's hand, causing Cindy's heartbeat to quicken. She recalled all the long conversations she'd had with her Kara, and she teared up as she looked at this world's Supergirl -- it had felt like an eternity since she'd felt this way. She'd missed this feeling. At one point, she'd never thought she'd ever experience it again. But here it was. Kara kissed her, softly and affectionately, and the pair spent the next few moments gazing at one another in silence. If only for a moment, Cindy was once again content.

In another universe, a massive crystalline construct began to glow brightly, its energy spreading throughout the multiverse. It reached the universe Cindy and her team were in, and Cindy's eyes widened as she felt it. "Oh my god."

"Cindy? Is everything OK?" Kara asked.

"It's Kara... my Kara. I think something's trying to tell me where she is," Cindy explained.

"Something? Like what?"

Cindy stood up and looked out at the Metropolis skyline. Something... somewhere... was calling out to her. Was it Kara? Madame Web needed to know about this. Maybe she could help. "I don't know. But I can feel her presence. I'm getting closer, I just know it."

Kara stood up and looked out over the skyline as well, her new friend's journey on her mind. "I guess you'll be on your way then. But if you ever come back to this universe, be sure to swing by and say hi, OK?"

Cindy smiled and hugged Kara. She was seriously contemplating asking this universe's Kara to join her team in their search, but she knew better. This Kara had a life here. Her Kara may have been knocked off course, but this is where this Kara was supposed to be. "What are you going to do now?" Cindy asked.

"Since you're going to find your Kara... I think I'm going to try and find my Cindy."

"Cindy...?!" Kara yelled, sitting upright in her bed.

Anya was up immedately upon hearing Kara, storming into her roommate and friend's bedroom. "Kara? Is everything OK?"

"Yeah. I... I really think it is," Kara said, a hopeful smile crossing her face. "I... felt Cindy's presence. Not here, but she's somewhere out there. I can't fully explain it, but think I might be able to find her, Anya."

Anya looked at Kara curiously. "Cindy? Your girlfriend? You said you'd lost her to the multiverse."

"I know, but I feel as though... as though I know where she is. As if something -- or someone -- wants me to find her. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I'm sure of it. I'm going to find Cindy."

Anya had her doubts about Kara's sudden vision, but the Kryptonian's absolute conviction was more than enough incentive to believe there was at least a little truth in what Kara had seen. And when Anya saw the hope in her friend's eyes and heard it in her voice, she was convinced she had to help.

"Let me know if there's anything I can do," Anya offered. "If I can help you find Cindy, I will."

Kara smiled and happily hugged Anya. "That means a lot to me. Thanks, Anya -- you're an awesome friend."

For the first time in over a year, Kara felt a sense of optimism. She didn't know what it was, but something out there was pointing her in her lost love's direction. She didn't know how, but she'd find Cindy... and when she did, she wasn't going to let go again.

Epilogue

Earth M-6908

Kara walked nervously down the apartment hallway. She'd been playing this scenario over and over in her mind, and she still had no idea what she was going to say when this world's Cindy opened her door. After all, they were technically strangers. The Cindy Moon of this world probably had no clue Kara Zor-El ever existed, so opening with "I'm your soulmate from an alternate reality" seemed like an awkward opener.

Kara had looked in her own universe for a Silk, only to find she didn't exist in that reality. Luckily, her universe's cosmic treadmill was able to open portals between nearby universes, and it wasn't long until Kara found exactly who she was looking for. *I need to send Barry a gift basket or something*, Kara thought. She approached the door to Cindy's apartment, and,her heart pounding with both nervousness and excitement, she knocked on the door. Kara's heart skipped a beat when she the woman who answered the door -- it was her.

"Cindy Moon...?" Kara asked, attempting to hide her anxiety.

"That's me," Cindy answered. "Can I help you?"