Endless Legacy (DC Comics)
Chapter 84: The League

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A/N: Maybe all the Cadmus stuff with distract from Kara's ineptitude…

-x-X-x-

"What's this about, Supergirl? You've been very cagey ever since you contacted us about this meeting.

This was going to suck so, so much. But in the end… Kara only had herself to blame. She was hoisted by her own petard. Still, at least she had enough pull in the League to arrange for this private meeting with just the Big Three. Though that probably had less to do with Kara's connections and more to do with everyone else being fairly busy, all things considered.

Regardless, here they all stood. On one side, it was Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman. On the other was Kara, with Blackfire, Tea, and Claire behind her. Both Tea and Claire are wearing blank masks at the moment, hiding their features.

Technically, Superman could look under them because they aren't made of lead or anything, but judging by his confusion, he hadn't snuck a peek yet. Her cousin really was too polite by half.

Starting with the most important bit, Kara tosses a USB drive over to Batman.

"Take a look at the information on that, Batman. It's… kind of a lot."

Superman and Wonder Woman both watch on as Batman hooks the USB drive into what is no doubt a closed system, just in case there's something sinister lurking on it. There isn't of course… just information. Though that information in and of itself is pretty damn vile at times.

Its subtle, but Batman tenses up as he absorbs the surface level stuff from the USB for a minute, his ever-present frown becoming a bit more pronounced as he grunts.

"Cadmus."

Kara watches as both Superman and Wonder Woman stiffen up at that. Wonder Woman's brow furrows, the Amazon crossing her arms over her substantial chest as she frowns.

"Really? I thought they'd been defunded and disbanded."

Opening her mouth to speak, Kara winds up clicking her teeth when Batman cuts her off before she can explain. Hell, if he wants to do the talking here, she's more than happy to let him. Maybe they'd forget all about her and her 'guests' in the process.

"They were. But from what this data is revealing, they're not going quietly. In the wake of LexCorp pulling funding and the United States government pulling its approval, Cadmus Labs that were thought to be shutdown have instead merely gone dark and moved operations. It's all here. Protocols for avoiding notice from not just us, but also LexCorp and the US government. Their benefactors and former superiors have become just another enemy in their eyes, apparently."

Wonder Woman huffs and rolls her eyes.

"Fanatics."

Meanwhile, Superman looks from Batman over to Kara… and to the women behind her. For a moment, Kara fears he might take a peek after all, but instead his focus seems to be mostly on Blackfire, who isn't hiding her identity at all.

"… Where did you get this information, Supergirl? And why is Lucien Luthor's Head of Security here on the Watchtower?"

Biting her lower lip for a moment, Kara finally lets out an explosive breath.

"The answer to the first is also the answer to the second. I got the information from Lucien Luthor. He and his Heads of Security uncovered a Cadmus Laboratory still operating on what should have been empty LexCorp land. They managed to take control of it without letting the rest of Cadmus know. That's where the data on that drive comes from."

She can see the Big Three processing her words. And she knows they're just going to have more questions. So… Kara figures it's probably best to get ahead of the story a little bit. That's why she preempts any of their questions with the big reveal.

"Data isn't all they found in that lab however. They also found what Cadmus had been doing there… the experiments that they'd been working on. Tea? Claire?"

At being prompted, the two clones finally reach up and remove their masks, revealing their faces to Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. The three heroes all freeze up, even as Kara hastily explains.

"The laboratory labeled them Project Galatea and Project Match, but they prefer to go by Tea and Claire respectively. Tea is a clone of me, while Claire is a clone of-!"

""Me.""

Wonder Woman and Superman both speak up at the same time, only to look at one another sharply, their brows furrowing in confusion. Then, they look back at Claire… who smirks and shrugs.

"Both of you, actually."

Silence falls over the room for a long moment as Superman and Wonder Woman both process that. Kara knows how they're feeling. There's a sense of violation almost, that comes with knowing someone cloned you without your knowledge.

Grunting, Batman interjects.

"I see now why you thought it best to have this initial meeting with just the three of us."

Kara nods, even as the others give him strange looks. Wonder Woman is the one who asks the obvious.

"Initial meeting, Batman?"

Nodding along, clearly still going through the data he's been given but nevertheless multitasking admirably, Batman frowns.

"There's a lot here. Cadmus' operations are far greater than we initially thought. And… there's every likelihood that this wouldn't be all of it either. I can't imagine that an organization like Cadmus wouldn't be compartmentalized. Meaning that if there's probably more facilities than even outlined in this data out there."

A shiver runs down Kara's spine. Shit, she hadn't even thought of that. Thank fuck that she'd decided they needed the Justice League's help for this. And that was just with this initial data!

"We need to be ready to take down every location listed in this data dump first, and then equally ready to adapt on the fly and take down every location not listed here once we find out where they are. We're going to need all hands on deck for this if we're going to handle Cadmus all at once."

Batman's eyes snap over to Blackfire.

"I assume you're here to assist us and look after LexCorp's interests throughout this endeavor?"

Blackfire just nods, though that isn't quite good enough for Superman, his eyes narrowed and his tone a little sharper than Kara is used to as he suddenly speaks up.

"What does that mean, exactly?"

Fortunately, Batman is the one who explains because Blackfire bristles, clearly not appreciating the accusatory tone.

"The laboratory that they raided is not the only one currently squatting on LexCorp Land. And many of these Cadmus Facilities are using stolen LexCorp tech. Some of the personnel have been tricked into thinking they're still on LexCorp's payroll as well. Having one of the current Heads of Security for the company on our side will make it a lot easier to convince them to surrender."

Superman relaxes a fraction of an inch at that, before tensing up again. His eyes slide back over to Tea and Claire and his lips thin.

"And the clones? Are they safe?"

Kara isn't sure she's ever seen Kal act this way before. Righteous anger? Sure. But it almost feels like he's taking the feelings of violation over what Cadmus has done, and passing them on to Tea and Claire. And as much of a bitch as Tea is, even Kara knows that's not fair to the two women. They're as much victims in all of this as anyone.

"Based on this data, neither Project Galatea nor Project Match made it to the point where they would have been implanted with subliminal messaging and control phases to keep them in check. There is, however, the matter of a pair of devices implanted in their necks designed to kill them if activated."

Seeing that Tea and Claire have both gone absolutely still upon learning that they were eventually slated to be brainwashed by Cadmus, Kara quickly speaks up.

"T-Those have both been removed! Lucien took care of them."

Batman hums.

"I suppose he also took care of the reported instability in Project Match that I'm reading about here. According to this, she shouldn't even be able to walk around right now, but it would seem that is thoroughly outdated."

Claire finally speaks up then, her hands curled into fists at her sides.

"Yes. Lucien healed me, made me stable. I owe him everything."

Tilting her head to the side, Wonder Woman frowns.

"If I remember his metahuman ability correctly… this means he now has access to Kryptonian and Amazon physiology, yes?"

But Batman shakes his head.

"He would already have had access to that. The moment he became CEO of LexCorp, he gained access to everything his father hoarded over the years, including any and all DNA samples left behind at any of our battles. At this point in time, quantifying what Lucien Luthor is capable of would be… difficult."

That's a scary thought. Kara knew Blackfire was stronger than she should be, but she hadn't even realized that Lucien was… well, it made sense, she supposed. He hadn't been even remotely afraid of her when she'd thrown his desk against the wall of his private study in a fit of anger. Clearly, that wasn't just because he'd had two Kryptonians between her and him…

"There's only one thing about all of this that I don't understand."

Batman's voice pulls Kara out of her thoughts and she freezes when she realizes he's looking at her closely. Superman scoffs, his arms crossed over his chest as he shakes his head in disbelief.

"Just one?"

But Batman simply nods.

"Yes. Everything else makes perfect sense. Cadmus cloning you, while reprehensible, lines up perfectly with their stated mission objectives. Likewise, Lucien Luthor has proven himself to have heroic tendencies and while he's just as ambitious and power hungry as his father, he's not nearly as much of a megalomaniac. Taking down Cadmus, rescuing their experiments, and then turning everything over to us… it fits perfectly."

Kara fidgets and squirms under Batman's piercing gaze even as everyone else seems to be processing his words.

"What doesn't make sense is the method by which he decided to get into contact with us. One could assume that the existence of Project Galatea prompted him to contact Supergirl, however… the existence of Project Match would have been just as much reason to contact one of you two directly instead. In the event that he would have contacted Supergirl, I would have expected him to contact Oracle first and for HER to contact Supergirl… but Oracle isn't here right now, meaning that he went directly to Supergirl. Why?"

Oh god. She was just vivisected by Batman. That was the worst feeling in the world. She felt exposed in so many ways! And worse still is the way that Blackfire, Tea, and Claire are all smirking knowingly at her. For just a split second, Kara had thought she might be able to get away with it.

But no. That was a silly, fleeting thought that she never should have had in the first place. Shoulders slumping, head dropping, Kara lets out a sigh as she stares at the ground beneath her feet.

"… I might have infiltrated his company and become his Personal Assistant…"

As expected, this does not go over well.

"You what?!"

Especially not with Kal. Wincing, Kara bites her lower lip, still staring at the floor.

"I thought… I guess I wasn't as convinced about Lucien's 'heroic tendencies' as everyone else was. So I thought I'd infiltrate LexCorp and find proof of his misdeeds…"

Wonder Woman chuckles softly.

"Instead you found evidence of his earnestness and honesty, prompting you to reveal yourself and offer your aid."

Kara winces and shrinks in a bit more.

"Ah… no, actually. It turned out that he knew who I was the entire time. I didn't find anything one way or another until he revealed Tea and Claire to me and explained what he'd uncovered…"

Silence falls and Kara really just wants to find a hole to crawl in and die in that moment. Blackfire, Tea, and Claire all radiate differing levels of quiet amusement over her pain. Batman is as inscrutable as ever, but he's probably disappointed. Wonder Woman seems to be pitying her at this point and honestly that would be the worst of it… if it wasn't for Kal.

"We're going to be having a long talk once this is all said and done, Supergirl."

Her cousin's disappointment is palpable in both his tone and body language, even as Kara hangs her head and nods.

"Y-Yeah. Alright."

At least the Cadmus mess meant they basically HAD to push that 'long talk' off for a while. Didn't mean Kara wasn't dreading it any less though…

-x-X-x-

"Mm… missed you."

Lucien chuckles, even as he runs his fingers across pristine skin, grazing the naked flesh of the beauty in his lap as he goes.

"It's only been a couple weeks since we saw each other last, silly."

Looking into his eyes, Starfire pouts mightily. The Tamaranean Princess is clad in nothing but a top and some panties as she wiggles in his lap, the movie that they'd been enjoying together starting to roll credits as it comes to a close.

"Two weeks too long in my opinion. Every day I'm away from you is too long for me, Lucien~"

Lucien sighs, leaning forward and burying his face in Starfire's hair. He simply breathes in her scent for a long moment, even as he hugs her to him. In response, the gorgeous alien woman cuddles up to him ever closer, luxuriating in his presence.

"Well I'm here now, Kori. And just like always, we have the rest of the day together."

Starfire positively purrs at that, sounding happy as can be even as she starts to get frisky. Lucien grins when he feels her hands start to wander.

"Oh? Shouldn't we eat lunch first?"

Shaking her head, the Alien Princess starts to get even friskier… only for her own stomach to betray her with a telltale growl that makes her pause and blush as Lucien laughs.

"Food first. Sex after."

"Hmph. Fiiiiine~"

-x-X-x-

The Vote:

[ ] Stick with Lucien's POV - 29%

[X] Switch to Star's POV - 71%

-x-X-x-

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