The worst part about being at the DEO is when Kara's called out on a mission. It happens more frequently than Lena would like: sometimes, they'll be mid conversation when Lara cuts off, then excuses herself with mumble she barely squeezes out before she's vanishing in a whoosh of superspeed. Most times she's back in ten minutes or less, but other times...
Other times Lena turns on the tv that's been wheeled into her room to watch news footage of Supergirl duking it out with the alien of the week, and sits with her heart in her throat as her only friend in the world faces danger three times her size.
That's what's happening today, except this time, Kara doesn't seem to be enjoying herself. This time, Supergirl isn't trying to lead the alien away from city center or usher the panicked bystanders to safety between volleys.
This time, it's a fight for her very life.
Lena doesn't know anything about the alien when she watches Supergirl get smashed through a building. She isn't thinking about what she's doing when Kara staggers out of the jagged hole she's made, bleeding.
Lena doesn't think at all: she just moves.
She's out of the medbay and sprinting for the lobby before anyone can even call after her. Director Danvers' shouts go unheard as Lena vaults over the balcony rail. The landing reverberates through every one of Lena's bones, but none of them break. She staggers over the cracked pavement, already running.
She runs and runs and runs, her only guide the thin billow of smoke rising over the skyscrapers in front of her. With every step, her heart begins to pound.
The increasing thump of her heart propels her faster and faster, until suddenly she's on the scene, just in time to see Kara whiz past her, carving a furrow into the street before slamming to a stop against a fire hydrant.
Lena sees the alien coming in for another pass and diverts to intercept. She barrels into him at top speed, tackling the beast to tumble head over heels in a messy, undignified sprawl. In the confusion that follows, Lena kicks at him with both feet, sending him flying away from both her and Kara.
Scrambling to her feet, Lena skids to Kara's side. She's horrified to see the bruises already forming, the way Kara can barely open her eyes against the increasing swelling. Still, she looks up at Lena with concern.
"Lena, no, get out of here..."
A roar from behind them drowns out the warning. The pounding in Lena's chest intensifies, growing more and more painful. Fear creeps up her spine, but this time, Lena refuses to let it control her.
She fumbles at the collar of her shirt, ripping the material straight down the middle to get at the leaden material beneath. When she yanks on it, the stitching at the straps give way, exposing the pulsing kryptonite embedded in her chest.
Summoning all of her courage, Lena pivots to face the charging beast.
The column of energy that explodes from her chest catches the alien full in the face, disintegrating it on impact. The alien slumps, but Lena doesn't see it. The pain overwhelms her, but she clings to the last threads of conscious thought to slump onto her front, directing the kryptonite radiation into the pavement beneath her.
She can only hope that she hasn't sealed Kara's fate by removing the shielding.
The last thing she hears is the sound of screams not her own, and the wail of sirens growing closer.
Her last thought is of her friend.
