Chapter Text
Kara's return from the phantom zone wasn’t quite the celebration she had hoped for. Her collapse as she returned to Earth really put a hinder on all the festivities.
After the yellow sun bomb exploded she felt a tingling sensation spread throughout her body. Filled with joy, she didn’t hesitate before flying back to the ship from where the bright light had come from. The feeling of tiny needles spiking every part of her body didn’t fade away. She ignored it though, focusing instead on reuniting with her family.
Kara didn’t think much of the odd feeling until the ship began it's return to Earth. As the phantom projector opened a portal to National City it worsened from a mild annoyance to a dull throbbing ache. The ship entering earth's atmosphere was the final straw. She was standing by the window, looking out over the bay when suddenly pain rippled through her in waves, each one worse than the last. She gasped in agony as white spots danced across her eyes and her knees buckled out from under her. Lena’s head turned to the sound and she rushed to Kara’s side, barely able to get to her in time to cushion her fall.
It was overwhelming to say the least. Thousands of voices crowded her ears, each sound echoing throughout. Her limbs seemed to hum or vibrate, suddenly filled with a powerful energy so intense she felt like she would explode. Her eyes were burning holes into her head and she closed them in an effort to calm down her heat vision. Kara’s mind was foggy, not being able to keep track of all the panic surrounding her. One voice stood out from the rest.
“Come on, please hang on just a little longer” Lena was kneeling on the ground next to where she had fallen, holding Kara's hand with one of her own, using her other to brush the hair out of the kryptonians face. Kara’s whole body felt as if she had had a sun stuffed inside her and was burning from the inside out.
“You did so good. You were so strong without us but we’re here now. We'll take care of you” Lena murmured into Kara’s ear. She felt Alex moving around her, checking her pulse and setting up a machine to monitor her vitals.
“What happened?” Nia spoke up from Kara’s other side
“I’m not sure” Alex answered quickly, still rushing around. “I think the rapid exposure to this much sunlight must be overloading her system.”
“Can we fix it?'' Lena looked up from her spot on the ground. Alex paused before she answered and when she did her voice came out small, lacking the certainty she normally had.
“I don’t know. She’s getting worse”
“Please don’t leave me, Kara. Please try to stay.” Lena’s voice was barely a whisper, stripped of its usual confidence.
I’m trying! Kara thought. She pushed her eyelids open but that was all the movement she could mange. They fluttered closed after just a few seconds. Even a motion as small as that sent pain shooting through every cell in her body. This was psychological torture much worse than anything the phantom zone could do to her. Lena was so close to her but Kara was frozen, unable to even speak.
“Please” All effort that Lena had been making to sound calm was gone, her voice thick with panic and fear. Kara willed her body to move, to show any sign that she was trying to fight. Her limbs cried out, refusing to obey her orders.
After a few moments, Lena rested her head on Kara’s chest.
“We just got you back” She whispered to herself. Kara felt a tear trickle down Lena’s face onto the glyph on her suit where Lena's head lay.
Do something! Kara shouted to her stubborn body DO SOMETHING! She squeezed Lena’s hand slightly, every muscle in her body screaming in protest. She gasped in agony at the small movement.
Lena’s head shot up and she stared at Kara in disbelief before returning the gesture with a squeeze of her own. This small motion brought Lena back to reality, her worries about Kara being channeled into hope instead of fear.
“What if we used red sun energy to get rid of her powers temporarily? Like red sun lamps? She wouldn’t be able to take in any more sunlight” Lena looked up, still keeping a tight hold on Kara’s hand.
”All of the red sun lamps were at the DEO and got destroyed. We could go get some more?” Alex’s voice trailed at the end, posing it more as a question than a statement as she turned to Brainy to confirm her fears.
”The closest red star is Proxima Centauri. It is a red dwarf in the Alpha Centauri star system and is located approximately 4.35 light years away. It would take J’onn 2,219.31 years to fly there and back at his fastest speed”
“That won’t work” Lena muttered to her self. Even with her eyes closed and being blinded with pain, Kara could tell that Lena froze beside her. Her grip on her hand grew stiff and she stopped shifting on the floor next to Kara. She knew that Lenas face held the look she got when a brilliant idea popped into her head but she was hesitant to share it. After a pause that felt like forever Lena finally broke the chaotic silence.
”What about Kryptonite?” Lena spoke slowly but deliberately, pronouncing each syllable as if it was it’s own separate sentence. The final word rang through Kara’s head, sparking a flare of fear that spread through her at the mention of the radioactive mineral. It'll be okay. She tried to reassure herself. Lena knows what she's doing.
“No. No way. I am not putting her through that” Alex shook her head
It can’t possibly be worse than this Kara thought, unable to gather enough energy to speak.
“Alex, do you have any ideas? I don’t want to do this to her either but we have no other options” Lena reasoned
“No, we can’t. I can't”
“We’re running out of time” J’onn spoke up. Alex looked at Kara lying motionless on the floor of the tower. She hesitated and asked
"Is there even any kryptonite left?"
"Felicity has some of Oliver's leftover kryptonite arrows although I fear it may be difficult to return in time-” Brainy spoke up with his suggestion. He cut himself off but they all knew what he was going to say. In time to save Kara
"I'll make it" J'onn spoke in a determined tone and didn’t wait a second longer before flying off the ship. The pain had been steadily increasing so much so that Kara felt herself slipping off into unconsciousness. Her grip on Lena’s hand lessened and her arm fell limp by her side. Lena turned to Kara, realizing she was even closer to the brink than they had thought.
"Hey, J'onn will get here in time but you have to hang on. Please try to stay Kara. We need you. I need you." She pleaded, unable to hide the desperation in her voice.
The pain won, sending Kara plummeting into darkness.
Stay. She thought to herself before dozing off. You have to stay.
For Lena.