Supergirl: Flaring Tensions

[Caniac89]

Again I must thank sgz6 for his terrific help in editing and for the use of one of his best villains

It was a stormy night in Chicago. There was a sizeable downpour, along with the occasional flash of lightning. On the outer edge of the storm, a 737 airliner was just beginning landing preparations.

“Flaps down,” Capt. Roger Thomas asked his first officer.
“Check,” Lt. Rod Hill replied calmly.

Storm or not, this should be another routine landing for the two seasoned pilots. Capt. Thomas keyed the radio to call the tower.

“Chicago O’Hare this is American 1373.”
“A1373 go ahead.”
“A1373 is 20 minutes out, requesting landing clearance.”
“A1373 you are cleared to land on runway 4, winds 13 knots from the Northwest, gusting at 27 knots, runway is slick.”
“Roger, A1373 cleared on runway 4.”

“Landing gear is down and locked,” Lt. Hill reported.
“Thank you,” Capt. Thomas said as he keyed the aircraft’s intercom, “Passengers and flight attendants, prepare for landing.”

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of lightning and the 737 jerked violently. Almost immediately, several warning lights came on and alarms started going off in the cockpit.

“That’s the engine 2 warnings, would you look for me please,” Capt. Thomas spoke in a cool, relaxed manner.
Lt. Hill glanced briefly out the right-side window, “It’s on fire.” Hill was also calm as he began activating the engine’s fire suppression system. At the same time, Thomas radioed the tower.

“O’Hare, A1373.”
“Go ahead A1373.”
“A1373 is declaring an emergency. We have lost our starboard engine and are on final.”
“A1373, can you make runway 4?”
“Affirmative.”
“Emergency crews have been alerted, good luck A1373.”

“Rod, I’m gonna need your help with this,” Roger spoke to his copilot.
“I hear ya,” Rod spoke as he grabbed the flight yoke. Just then the lights in the cockpit dimmed and several flight instruments went dark. The aircraft began to slowly roll to the right.
“There went our power, help me straighten this thing out,” Capt. Thomas spoke, still maintaining his composure. With the power steering out, both men strained to right the 737, but it was a losing battle.

Capt. Thomas realized this as he made the final call, “Mayday Mayday Mayday, American 1373 is going down.”

The aircraft shuttered again and, miraculously, started to right itself. Both pilots were surprised by this twist of fate, but didn’t have time to think about it as the plane was approaching the runway. Though they weren’t sure how, the men managed to set the plane down safely and bring it to a full stop. Getting out of their seats, both pilots looked out the starboard window and were relieved by what they saw.

Hovering just outside the window was a figure known the world over. Dressed in her royal blue leotard, red cape, red mini-skirt held in place by a yellow belt, red boots, flesh-tone tights, and her signature S symbol; Kara Kent, better known to the world as Supergirl, waved to the two relieved pilots.

Supergirl helped emergency crews empty the 737 of its passengers and crew before going back to her night patrol. Even though there was still a substantial downpour, Kara didn’t mind. A few seconds of super-speed would dry her right off.

The night had been surprisingly quiet for the blonde super heroine. A hand full of traffic accidents and this incident with the airliner was all that Kara had had to deal with. Oddly enough, there had been no criminal activity at all this night. Deciding that it was safe enough for her to visit a friend just outside the city, Supergirl turned and headed west at super-speed, so she’d by dry by the time she arrived.

To the general public, the 150 square mile property looked like a standard military base. Supergirl however, knew better. The base was, in fact, home to a special group called Talon. A branch of the NSA, Talon’s primary mission was dealing with super-powered beings, both in and out of the United States.

Even at 11:00 pm, and with a torrential rain, the base was bustling with activity. Black Hummers drove back and forth all over the huge base. Operatives ran combat scenarios and practiced on the shooting ranges. Even Talon’s fleet of helicopters and advanced fighter aircraft was practicing maneuvers.

As the Maiden of Might approached the massive central command building, she saw that the lights were on in one of the 7th floor offices. Inside the office, a dark-haired man sat at a desk with his back to the window, focused on his computer. The man wore black tactical pants, a white t-shirt, black tactical boots, and a pistol strapped to his thigh. Kara flew in quietly through the open office window and landed silently behind the man. Supergirl was not surprised when the man spoke first.

“Hey Kara,” Agent Brent Hunter said as he spun in his chair, obviously happy to see the Kryptonian cutie.
“Good to see you Brent,” Kara spoke as the agent stood up and the two friends hugged each other.

The blonde powerhouse had first crossed paths with Agent Hunter and Talon several months ago when Talon was going after the Brain Trust criminal organization. At the time, Talon had been posing as a private military contractor. Supergirl, along with Wonder Girl, American Star, Lightspeed, and American Dream, were also working to take down the Trust and the girls inevitably crossed paths with the Talon branch of the NSA.

After taking down the Brain Trust, Talon had been very courteous to the super heroines. They sent Agent Hunter, who told the girls everything they wanted to know. Since that time, they had all become friends and helped each other with cases on occasion.

As the friends separated, Brent spoke, “This is a pleasant surprise, please make yourself comfortable, you know where the drinks are,” Brent nodded towards the miniature fridge that he kept well stocked with soda.
“Thanks,” the blonde heroine replied as she retrieved a soda. Turning around, Kara caught Brent averting his eyes. She realized that he had been checking her out. Supergirl didn’t mind though, she had done the same to Brent on more than one occasion. At 5’ 11”, black hair, blue eyes, and a strong build, the 22 year old was quite attractive in his own right.

Kara sat on the couch Brent had against the wall while Brent spoke up, “So what brings you here tonight?”
“It’s a quiet night and I wanted to stop by,” Supergirl explained.
“That it is,” Brent agreed, “In fact, it’s been quiet the past couple of weeks.”
“Sure has, I…” Kara was interrupted as the office door opened.

Andrew Steele, the head of Talon and close friend of Brent Hunter, poked his head in. The 24 year old was 6’ 1”, had brown hair, brown eyes, a good physique, and was also easy on the eyes.

“Oh hi Kara,” Andrew said when he noticed the superheroine, “Brent, I need to see you outside for a few minutes.”
“I’ll be right back,” Brent told Supergirl as he stepped out of the office.

The Maiden of Might didn’t object to being addressed by her real name. Several of Talon’s top personnel knew Kara’s identity, and she knew that she could trust them.

A couple minutes later, the office door opened and Brent and Andrew re-entered the office. Here we go again, Kara thought to herself, Andrew and Brent were having another one of their verbal fencing matches. She learned a while ago to not try and intervene; and besides, sometimes things were quite entertaining.

“My point is Andrew, this whole thing is stupid,” Brent began.
“You’ve been behind that desk for too long, get your head right,” Andrew replied.
“That’s not my fault, you blocked my transfer request,” Brent shot back.
“Like I said before, we need you here,” Andrew explained.
“Aww, poor Andy not able to clean up his own messes,” Brent snipped.

Supergirl covered her mouth with her hand, hiding the smile that was forming.

“Watch it, you forget who’s in charge here,” Andrew warned.
“Oh I’m sooo sorry great leader; I’m just a simple foot soldier. Please oh grand commander, how do we proceed,” Brent’s voice was dripping with sarcasm.
“Don’t you patronize me, and don’t forget that I got this job because I’m older and wiser,” now Andrew was starting to lose it.
“Yeah, well you’re half right,” Brent was obviously referring to Andrew’s age, even though Andrew was only 2 years older.
“Alright smartass…” Andrew started.

Kara couldn’t contain herself any longer and started giggling.

Andrew and Brent immediately ceased their argument and started grinning.
“Stop the clock and pay up,” Andrew announced, he and Brent were obviously pleased with themselves.

Again the office door opened and a raven-haired beauty with deep blue eyes walked in. She had an athletic physique and wore a tight black t-shirt, black tactical boots, jeans, and also had a handgun strapped to her shapely thigh.

Supergirl instantly recognized the woman as Kristen Redfield. Kristen was in charge of one of Talon’s tactical response teams. She was Brent’s equal and, like Brent, reported directly to Andrew. Kristen had played a crucial part when Talon had rescued Supergirl and her friends from the Brain Trust.

“Well I guess I stand corrected,” Kristen said, pulling out her wallet and handing Andrew and Brent each a five-dollar bill.
Now Kara was confused, “Umm, what just happened?”
Andrew spoke, “Just a friendly little wager,” he and Brent exchanged high-fives.
“Regarding what exactly,” Kara asked.
Kristen explained, “You see, these two characters think they’re so clever. So, I bet them each five bucks if they made you laugh in less than five minutes.” “And thanks to your lack of self-control, I lost,” Kristen added with a big grin.

Despite being dumbfounded at having been the subject of a bet, Kara couldn’t help but smile. It always amazed her that these people were so light-hearted, given the nature of their work.

“Anyway,” Andrew spoke to Brent, “I came in here to remind you that it’s midnight, so Kristen’s team is now on standby. You’re free to go home or whatever.”
“Thanks,” Brent replied, “I’ll finish up a couple things first though.”
“We’ll leave you alone then,” Andrew and Kristen left Brent’s office, but not before exchanging pleasantries with Supergirl.

Kara and Brent chatted about random stuff for a while before Brent decided to call it a night.
“I hate to say it Kara, but I need to get home and make something to eat, I’m starving,” Brent told Kara as he got up.
“If you’re hungry, I know a place just outside of town,” Kara offered.
“Oh man, any other day of the week I would,” he said sincerely, “But I’ll have to take a rain check, I’m expecting my sister this morning.”
“Really, you never told me you had a sibling,” Kara said, obviously interested.
“You’d like her; she is more light-hearted than I and survived a rather peculiar accident that you might find interesting. You’re welcome to visit the house later, she is a big fan of yours,” Brent offered.
“That sounds like fun and I’d love to meet her,” Kara replied.
“So see you in a couple hours,” Brent asked.
“Deal,” Kara said.

Brent and Kara said their goodbyes before the super heroine flew out the office window and Brent headed for the door. Andrew caught Brent just as he was leaving his office.

“Brent, before you go, something came to my attention that you might find interesting,” Andrew explained.
“Can it wait? I want to get something to eat. On top of that, I’m expecting my sister in a few hours,” Brent replied.
“Your sister,” Andrew paused to think for a moment, “Ah forget it.”
“You sure bud,” Agent Hunter asked.
“Yeah, it’s nothing big,” Andrew explained, “I’m sure you’ll hear about it in no time anyway. Have a nice night.”

With that, Andrew went back into his office. Brent thought his friend was acting just a little strange. What did he mean I’d hear about it anyway, Brent thought as he stepped into the elevator. He pushed the thought out of his mind as another began to form. The past couple of weeks had been really quiet. Even Talon’s intelligence experts hadn’t been able to find anything of interest. Normally Brent didn’t mind quiet spells but for some reason, this particular time was making the hair on the back of his neck stand up.
…………………………

In an apartment on the outskirts of Chicago

The 22 year old brunette had just dried off from her shower as she put on a tank top and short-shorts. Sitting on the couch, Jessica Patterson turned on the television. As luck would have it, the first thing to come on was a news report of Supergirl’s rescue of a distressed airliner. Jessica scowled as the news anchor elaborated on the heroine’s ‘amazing’ rescue.

Jessica had first run into the Maiden of Might when she was in college. Jessica, as Solar Flare, had been using her powers in service of the Brain Trust, and for her own personal gain of course. Then Supergirl had stepped in and, playing the judge, jury, and executioner, stripped Jessica of her powers. Just the thought of this made Jessica’s blood boil.

Jessica had had several chances at revenge, the most recent being a couple months ago. One of the Trust’s projects had allowed Jessica to recreate her powers. With the help of Mary Patterson, her aunt, Jessica had also learned to recreate the radiation emitted by green kryptonite. Solar Flare had confronted Supergirl, and thanks to her new trick, beaten the superheroine to within an inch of her life. Solar Flare was denied her revenge however, because the Trust had wanted to interrogate Supergirl. Then it all came crashing down when some shadow group, Jessica didn’t know who they were and didn’t care, had rescued Supergirl.

Jessica was certain that this time, there would be no rescue, no interference from the Trust, and no damn rules. She had developed her own plan of action designed specifically to get under Supergirl’s skin. First she would taunt the heroine, then she would capture her and force Supergirl to watch as Solar Flare laid waste to the city of Chicago. All the death and destruction would devastate the heroine and only then would Solar Flare rid the world of the Maiden of Might.

[SGWriter]

Looking like this one will be great! SF is in good hands.

[Caniac89]

Pictures of key Talon personnel.

[Caniac89]

Brent Hunter lived in a very large modern-style house that was larger than most modern high schools. Brent could afford such a place because he had made some good investments early in life that had paid back exponentially. These investments allowed him to live pretty much whatever lifestyle he chose.

The early morning light shown into a very large living room located in the back of the house. Brent, dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, was lounging on a couch. Sitting across from him on another couch was his twin sister Samantha.

Sam Hunter was a very pretty young woman. Her raven-black hair was shoulder length with streaks of silvery white and was tied in a ponytail. Her eyes were a beautiful deep blue color. She was 5’ 11” and had a very athletic and shapely form. This morning, Sam was wearing a pair of black yoga pants and a grey tank top.

Most of the world, especially the residents of Raleigh, North Carolina, knew Sam by her heroic identity Silver Osprey. Sam had just gotten done revealing this part of her life to her brother, who was taking it quite well.

“I must admit, this is not the kind of news I was expecting. That being said, it is the best news you could have given me,” Brent said as he jumped off the couch and gave his sister a big hug.
“Wow, you’re taking this better than I expected,” Sam remarked.
“Are you kidding,” Brent said with a big smile as he released his sister, “I just found out that my only sibling is a superheroine. That is awesome news.”
Sam smiled enthusiastically, “I can’t tell you how good it feels to hear you say that.”
Something suddenly clicked in Brent’s mind. “That’s what Andrew meant,” he thought out loud, referring to the very brief conversation he had with Andrew several hours ago.
“Who’s that,” Sam was curious.
“Oh that’s my boss and good friend,” Brent explained as he sat back down, “Speaking of which, I think it’s time I told you about the true nature of my job with the NSA.”

Several minutes later, it was Sam who was now surprised and excited, “You’re not too far from being a hero yourself it seems.”
“Huh, I never thought of it that way, but I’m not running around in tights,” Brent joked.
Sam stuck her tongue out at her brother before continuing, “So did you know about my alter ego before today?”
“Nope, though you’re probably in our database and I would bet this house that Andrew knows,” Brent answered.
Sam nodded in understanding before changing the subject, “Since you’re staged in this area, have you ever come across Supergirl?”
Brent didn’t hesitate, “Oh yes, we’re actually good friends.”
“Shut up,” Sam squeaked playfully, “Seriously?”
Her brother smiled and pointed to the sliding glass door that lead to the back deck, “Ask her yourself.”
Sam turned around to see the Maiden of Might standing outside.

Kara had just landed on the back deck when Brent and the woman with him noticed her presence. Brent motioned for Supergirl to come in, and she did just that and Brent stood up and walked over.
“Supergirl, I’m glad you decided to come,” Brent said as they exchanged a gentle hug.

Since Brent had addressed her by her heroine identity, Kara knew that the other woman in the room was unaware of her secret identity.

“Thank you for inviting me,” Kara said before turning to the girl still sitting on the couch. “And who might this be,” Supergirl asked in a very friendly manner.
As the girl stood up, Kara noticed that she had a strong athletic figure and was very pretty; Kara especially liked the silvery white streaks in the girl’s otherwise raven-black hair.
“I’m Samantha, but you can call me Sam” the girl replied as she extended her hand.
Supergirl shook the outstretched hand, and was surprised to find the woman’s grip was strong, almost too strong, but didn’t mention it.
“So how do you know Brent,” the heroine asked.
“Oh, he once spent nine months with my legs wrapped around his head,” Sam replied casually as she slung her arm around Brent’s shoulders.
Kara was taken aback, “Excuse me?”

Brent was trying very hard not to laugh, but was only partially successful. Finally, he found his voice.

“She’s my twin sister who thinks she’s a comedienne,” He turned to Sam, “Don’t quit your day job.”
“Well thanks for the support,” Sam replied, pretending that her feelings were hurt.
Realizing the joke, Supergirl could tell that Brent had a great relationship with his sister. “So she’s the one you told me about this morning,” Kara smiled
“Yep, that’s Sam,” Brent smiled.
“My brother told me that the two of you were friends,” Sam spoke, “It is such an honor to meet you Supergirl.”
Kara was flattered by the comment, “Believe me, the pleasure is mine.” She continued, “I saw you two talking when I landed, I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”
“Nonsense,” Sam replied, “Brent just got done telling me about his job with the NSA.”
“Oh really,” Supergirl looked at Brent, a little surprised that he would reveal something that sensitive.
“Sure, she’s family, I trust her,” He smiled.
“You outta know better than that,” Sam replied with a sly grin.
Brent clapped his hands to his face, “I’ve been compromised, whatever shall I do,” he asked sarcastically.
Supergirl raised a hand to her mouth as she giggled, “You two are terrible.”
“Why thank you,” Brent and Sam chorused.

The morning was quiet, no emergencies or crimes broke out, giving Supergirl the opportunity to get to know Sam. The three of them sat in the large living room, making small talk for the majority of the morning. Supergirl quickly grew to like Sam and became comfortable around her, and vice versa. Eventually, the subject became centered on Sam, at least indirectly.

“So where do you live, if I may ask,” Supergirl spoke.
“I live in Raleigh, North Carolina,” Sam smiled.
“Oh really,” Kara’s interest peaked, “I hear that Raleigh has gained its own protector lately.”
Sam realized she was going to have to play this carefully so as not to give away her secret. She tried to act surprised, “You’ve heard about Silver Osprey way out here?”
“Silver Osprey, that was her name,” Supergirl recalled, “She’s made several headlines at the Tribune, as a matter of fact.”
Now Sam really was surprised but tried to downplay her alter-ego, “Really? She’s still fairly new, I’m surprised news has made it this far.”
“New heroes often draw a lot of attention,” Supergirl explained.
Sam nodded, “I see, do you have any thoughts on her?”
“Based on what I’ve read, she seems to be a very capable superheroine and I hope I get to meet her sometime,” Kara answered honestly.

Sam was beaming on the inside, her role model Supergirl actually wanted to meet her, but she hid her feelings well.

Supergirl spoke again, “After seeing Silver Osprey’s picture in the paper I must admit Sam, you look an awful lot like her.”
“You would not believe how many times someone has pointed that out to me,” Sam answered truthfully. She continued, “But my job is to study predatory birds for the local university.”
Kara smiled and nodded, but on the inside she wasn’t totally convinced. She was acutely aware that Sam had bounced around the statement with the skill of a politician. Unfortunately, the sound of distant sirens reached Kara’s sensitive ears, interrupting her chain of thought.

“There’s an emergency, I have to go,” Supergirl announced.
“It was nice to meet you,” Sam replied as she stood up.
“Be safe,” Brent added.

The Maiden of Might smiled and nodded her thanks to the two siblings before stepping out onto the deck and flying off.

After a few seconds, Sam broke the silence, “So, care to tell me what’s going on?”
Her brother turned to her quizzically, “What do you mean?”
“I saw the way the two of you looked at each other while we were talking,” Sam teased.
Brent tried to downplay the whole thing, but Sam didn’t let up. Brent tried changing the subject, “You want to go see what the ‘office’ looks like?”
“You’re not getting off that easy, how serious is it,” Sam snickered.
Brent sighed and rolled his eyes, “You’re not going to let this go are you?”
Sam grinned and shook her head, “Nope…”
…………………………

Supergirl saw a thick column of smoke rising from the industrial area of the city. She sped towards the smoke. As she drew near, Supergirl could see that some kind of industrial plant had caught fire. The Maiden of Might landed at the command post that the fire department had established.

“How can I help,” Supergirl asked the fire chief in charge.
“Supergirl,” the chief turned to explain the situation, “The facility is a chemical plant. There are fires on several floors…”

The man was interrupted by a large explosion originating from the ground floor.
“Who was in there,” the chief called to another fire fighter.
“Engine 14 chief,” the fireman replied
The chief keyed his radio, “Engine 14, this is CP, how copy?”
After a few seconds of silence he tried again, “Engine 14 respond.”
Finally a voice came through, “This is 14, several barrels just exploded, all personnel accounted for.”
“Understood, get out of there,” the fire chief ordered before returning his attention to Supergirl.

“Here’s what we know,” he pointed to a blueprint of the plant, “The fires are being fueled by gas from the pipes that run through the facility.” He continued, “The fires are unusually intense and are preventing us from reaching the control valves.”

Just then, a team of six firefighters emerged from the building, it was Engine 14. They were all covered in soot and a couple of them were stumbling. Kara could tell that they had been real close to the explosion. Paramedics immediately began tending to the firefighters.

“Supergirl, we need to close those valves if we ever hope to put this blaze out,” the chief told Kara.
The Maiden of Might nodded, she knew what she had to do.

Without hesitation, Supergirl entered the burning facility and began searching for the first valve. The first thing that Kara noticed was the heat. The fire chief had not exaggerated about the fire’s intensity, but Supergirl pressed on and soon came across the first valve. She closed it without any difficulty and went looking for the other one. Kara was approaching the second valve when several chemical barrels reached their flash point and exploded. The blast knocked the Maiden of Might flat on her back. Supergirl picked herself up and brushed bits of melted metal off her uniform. As she started to close the valve, Kara realized that the fire was so intense that it was actually causing her to sweat.

Once the valve was closed, Supergirl noticed something strange about the ruptured pipes. She would have expected the edges of the broken pipes to have been sharp and jagged, but this was not the case. The edges were very smooth. It was as if the pipes hadn’t burst, but had been cut by a high-powered laser. Supergirl returned to where the first valve was. Despite the still raging inferno, Kara wanted to be sure.

Supergirl raised her to arm to deflect flying debris that had been caused by more exploding barrels. Upon reaching the first valve, the blonde super heroine was not surprised to find that the pipes had been cleanly cut. Kara would follow up on this discovery later; right now she had to help put out the fire.

It took another two and a half hours, but finally the blaze was extinguished. Supergirl returned to the command post and was shocked by what she saw.

A handful of firefighters were laid out in a shaded area, being attended to by paramedics. Several of the firefighters had blood draining from their ears. Others had light burns where their protective equipment had torn open. Ambulances had already rushed a few victims to the hospital and the medics were quickly packaging the rest for transport.

The fire chief approached Kara, “Supergirl, are you okay?”
“What happened,” the superheroine asked, with obvious concern in her voice.
“They were part of a hose team battling the blaze on the ground floor,” the chief explained, “They were standing next to a group of barrels when they exploded.”

The Maiden of Might felt a pit forming in her stomach. These brave men and women had been injured, and what bothered Supergirl the most was, there was no way she could have prevented it.

The chief could tell that the heroine was upset, “It’s okay Supergirl, risks are part of our job.” “And besides, none if their injuries are serious, they’ll be fine,” he reassured her. Kara nodded in understanding. The man had a point, but it didn’t make her feel any better. After making sure that her services were no longer required, Supergirl flew off.

From atop a nearby building Jessica Patterson, now dressed in her Solar Flare costume, had watched the whole thing. She had started the fire in order to draw out Supergirl. Although she was sure that she could have taken the superheroine, Solar Flare had held back, the time wasn’t right.

The villainess had been disappointed that no one had died in the blaze. Once she saw that some firefighters had been injured however, she was satisfied. Solar Flare knew that Supergirl was always concerned with the wellbeing of others and she would see this as a failure on her part. This would eat away at the heroine and she would feel guilty. And after seeing the look on the Maiden of Might’s face before the superheroine flew off, Jessica knew that it was working.

[Caniac89]

Early the next morning, Brent and Sam were situated in Brent’s office in the Talon facility. Normally, civilians weren’t allowed on base. Thanks to Sam’s alter ego however, exceptions were made. Brent had given Sam a quick tour of the main building, and introduced her to Andrew Steele and Kristen Redfield in the process. Initially, Sam was uncomfortable that Andrew and Kristen knew her identity, but her brother had assured her that they were trustworthy and Sam had started to relax by the time they got to Brent’s office.

Brent was sitting at his desk, dressed in black tactical pants, t-shirt, and boots. Sam had taken a seat next to her brother in one of the spare office chairs in the room. She was dressed casually in black jogging pants, white tennis shoes, and a grey long-sleeved shirt. No normal person would suspect that Sam had a certain grey and black uniform on underneath, with her cape, gloves, and boots stowed in a hidden compartment in the backpack she carried with her. Her hair flowed freely today, just barely cascading over her shoulders.

Brent noticed that Sam was a little quiet and looked up from his computer, “You okay?”
“Oh yeah, just getting used to the fact that my twin brother is packing heat,” Sam replied, referring to the modified 92FS Beretta that Brent had strapped to his thigh.
“Really? I still find it hard to believe that my sister dresses in tights and a cape,” Brent snickered as Sam stuck her tongue out.
“All this smack talk has made me thirsty, you have anything to drink,” Sam asked her brother.
“Yeah, the fridge is well stocked,” Brent pointed to the small refrigerator he kept in his office.
Sam retrieved a soda and sat back down. “For the record, you were the one who recommended the material for my costume,” she pointed out.
“Well yeah, but at the time I didn’t know that you were making a superheroine uniform,” Brent replied.
“Okay, I suppose I can give you that,” then Sam quickly changed gears, “So are you and Supergirl dating?”
This caught Brent off guard, “What left field did that come out of?”
“You didn’t honestly think I’d let it go did you,” Sam giggled.
Brent shook his head, “I guess persistence runs in the family.”
“Well? You haven’t answered my question,” his sister replied.
“The answer is ‘I don’t know’, we’ve shared a couple meals, but that’s it,” Brent answered.
Sam leaned forward and whispered, “Newsflash dear brother; that qualifies as dating.” She then stood and spoke in an announcer-like voice, “Hear ye hear ye, my twin brother is dating a superheroine.” Sam fell back into her chair, giggling at Brent’s embarrassment.

“You know, she has a point,” a third voice spoke.
The two Hunter siblings spun around to find Supergirl hovering outside the partially open office window.
Brent opened the window completely, “How much of that did you hear?”
“Just that you are in denial about our relationship,” Supergirl smiled as she floated into the room.
Brent’s face turned bright red as he slumped into his chair while the two girls giggled at his expense, “I guess my secret’s out.”
“Aww, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” Supergirl replied as she leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.
Brent finally smiled, “I suppose it could be worse, I could be dating someone like Sam.”
His sister quickly answered, “If you were dating me that would just be wrong.”
The three of them all shared a laugh at the remark.

“So to what do we owe the pleasure today,” Brent asked.
“Business unfortunately,” Supergirl replied.
Sam began to get up, “Do I need to step outside?”
“Nonsense, it’s not like we’re discussing government secrets here,” Supergirl replied warmly.
“Fair enough,” Sam sat back down.
Supergirl started, “It’s about the fire yesterday…”

Kara described in great detail the circumstanced of the industrial fire while Brent and Sam listened intently. She included everything she could remember, the unusually intense heat, the smooth edges on the ruptured pipes, even her feelings on the injured firefighters.

Once Supergirl had finished, Brent spoke, “Firefighters are paid to go into dangerous situations, you can’t blame yourself.”
“I know, but it doesn’t make it any easier,” the superheroine replied, her stomach was feeling heavy again.
Brent got up and gave her a reassuring hug, “It rarely does.”
Kara took a deep breath and recomposed herself, “Thank you.”

Brent nodded and sat back at his computer, “Now about the breaks in the gas lines…”
“They were real narrow and had clean edges,” Supergirl explained, “Almost like they had been made by a laser.”
“Interesting…” Brent began typing away on his keyboard, “A laser with that kind of power would be huge, too big to be portable.”
Sam spoke up, “You’re assuming that it was in fact a laser, maybe there’s a villain in town?”
Supergirl was impressed, if not a little surprised, “An excellent point, Brent?”
“Let’s see if our satellites picked up anything,” the agent went to work.

After several minutes, a very serious look came across Brent’s face, “Ah crap.”
“What is it,” Supergirl and Sam asked together.

Brent pointed to a satellite photo on the screen. It showed a brown-haired woman clad in a black and yellow costume. Even though the picture was taken from a birds-eye view, Kara knew who it was.

“Solar Flare,” Supergirl said in a hushed tone.
“Who,” Sam asked.
Brent answered, “Jessica Patterson, better known as the villain Solar Flare.” He pulled up a file on the computer before continuing, “Calling her a loose cannon would be an understatement. Known abilities are flight, super strength, invulnerability, can attack with a combination of heated energy and plasma. Also has the ability to absorb and replicate various forms of energy. And to top it all off, has a personal vendetta against Supergirl.” Brent picked up his phone and dialed, “Hello Andrew? We’ve got a problem…Solar Flare is in the area, sending the photos…understood.”
“What can you do about it,” Sam asked as her brother hung up the phone.
“Keep her out of populated areas,” Brent answered matter-of-factly, “Honestly, this is a job for Supergirl.”
Supergirl folded her arms across her chest and nodded, “He’s right, she is ruthless…” her voice trailed off.
“Another emergency,” Sam concluded.
Supergirl nodded, “There’s a disturbance downtown, I have to go.” She zipped out the window before either Sam or Brent could speak.

“Let’s see what’s going on,” Brent said as he accessed one of Talon’s secure satellites. The video feed revealed several small fires in downtown Chicago. A close-up showed one lone figure standing in the middle of it all. The figure was clothed in black and yellow. “Oh no,” Brent remarked.
“Solar Flare again,” Sam observed.
“Supergirl is gonna need some help,” Brent said in a concerned tone.
“I’m on it,” Sam replied as she put her hair up into a functional ponytail. She then began to remove her shirt, revealing the grey fabric she had on underneath.

Short update today, sorry. As always, all feedback is welcome.

[SGWriter]

Great updates, looking forward to the showdown!

[Caniac89]

Sirens blared as fire trucks responded to the fires that had broken out. Unfortunately, a rather dangerous hazard prevented them from reaching the fires. The hazard came in the form of Jessica Patterson. Jessica had on a black sleeveless leotard, suntanned tights, black knee-high boots, and fingerless gauntlets with yellow trim. A black mini skirt with yellow trim was held in place by a silver belt over her trim waist. A long black cape with a dark yellow underside completed her Solar Flare costume. Since her identity was already well-known, Jessica left her pretty face uncovered.

It had been several minutes since she set the first fire and Jessica was getting impatient. Where is that blonde bimbo, the villain thought. As if on cue, a strong wind came up and extinguished the flames. “Finally,” Solar Flare muttered as an evil smile spread across her face. She turned around to find Supergirl standing about 10 feet away, feet shoulder-width apart and hands on her hips.

“It’s about time Supes, I was beginning to think I’d have to torch the entire block,” Solar Flare taunted the Maiden of Might.
“Jessica, why are you doing this,” Supergirl pleaded.
“Simply put, to get at you,” the villain replied matter-of-factly.

With that, Solar Flare pushed off her back foot and flew towards Supergirl. Unfortunately for the villain, Kara was faster. The superheroine struck out with a closed fist, connecting it with Jessica’s jaw and sending her flying backward. Solar Flare crashed into the pavement, carving a path of destruction down the street. Several on-lookers dove out of the way of the tumbling villain.

Jessica rolled to her feet and began firing blasts made of energy and plasma at the Maiden of Might. Supergirl took to the air, dodging and rolling to avoid the blasts as she closed the distance to Solar Flare. In seconds, Kara had reached the villain and managed to grab a hold of her wrists.

“Jessica stop this, someone is going to get hurt,” Supergirl ordered, concerned about nearby emergency workers and bystanders.
“Yeah, you,” Solar Flare blasted Supergirl with twin energy beams from her eyes.

Kara cried out as she was propelled backwards into the side of a building. Solar Flare leapt through the hole Supergirl had just created and stood over the Girl of Steel. Kara tucked her knees into her chest and pushed out with both feet, catching Jessica in the stomach. The blow forced the brunette out of the building and sent her crashing into a parked SUV. As Kara leapt out of the building, she knew she had to lure Jessica out of the city and into someplace open.

When Supergirl saw the villainess crawl out of a demolished SUV, she leapt into the air. Jessica spotted the seemingly fleeing superheroine and gave chase. Once she had a clear line of sight, Solar Flare began firing plasma blasts at the Girl of Steel. Kara dodged and rolled as the blobs of energy came at her. Being the faster of the two, Supergirl had to limit her speed so she didn’t lose her tail.

They had just reached the edge of Chicago when one of Solar Flare’s blasts caught Supergirl in the back and sent her smashing into the ground. Kara had just jumped to her feet when Jessica landed next to her, her hands glowing a fiery red. The villain landed an energized punch to Supergirl’s chest and sent the superheroine sliding backwards, her red boots digging two lines in the dirt. Jessica charged, hoping to capitalize on the situation. Unfortunately for the villainess, Supergirl had recovered. Sidestepping Solar Flare, the Maiden of Might drove her knee into her opponent’s stomach. As the air was forced out of her lungs, Jessica doubled over, right into Supergirl’s fist.

Solar Flare tumbled along the ground before she was brought to an abrupt stop by something hard. Looking up, Jessica discovered that the ‘something’ was a set of railroad tracks that led in and out of Chicago. As she stood up, Solar Flare noticed Supergirl was about a hundred feet away, standing in her power pose. Jessica began to slowly and confidently walk towards the Girl of Steel.

“Jessica, this is pointless,” Kara tried to reason with the villainess.
“That’s where you’re wrong Supergirl, the point is to kill you,” Solar Flare’s eyes began to glow green.

“Oh crap…” was all Kara had time to say as twin kryptonite beams lanced out at her. Supergirl managed to dive out of the way, but just barely. The beams still came close enough for Kara to experience a small amount of weakness, but the feeling quickly subsided. As she squared off with Solar Flare yet again, Supergirl realized that things could go very badly if she didn’t end this fast.

Jessica had noticed the brief look of concern in the superheroine’s eyes; this caused a sinister grin to form on the villain’s face. “Now I’ve got you,” Solar Flare’s fists took on a green glow of their own as she charged at Supergirl. Kara jumped out of Jessica’s path; she had to keep her distance. Even though it wasn’t as bad as an actual chunk of kryptonite, the green glow that surrounded Solar Flare’s hands was still more than capable of weakening her.

Jessica smiled upon seeing Supergirl go on the defensive and lunged forward. Kara sighed as she came in close proximate with the deadly green glow and began to feel its effects. Yet somehow, Supergirl still managed to dodge a left cross and counter with an uppercut that left Jessica seeing stars. Fortunately for Solar Flare, close proximate to the kryptonite glow meant that Supergirl’s blow hadn’t been at full strength and Jessica quickly recovered. The villainess spotted Supergirl trying to gain some distance and fired a pair of wide beams from her eyes. “AHH,” the heroine cried out as the green energy washed over and enveloped her.

Supergirl collapsed to the ground, her strength replaced by pain, weakness, and nausea. Now that she had brought the Maiden of Might literally to her knees, Solar Flare didn’t let up. She kept the deadly green beams on Supergirl for a good 30 seconds before finally cutting them off.

Kara knew she was in trouble; her strength was ebbing, her limbs felt like jello, and her powers were all but gone. She fought the urge to collapse and curl into a ball. Even though the beams had stopped, Jessica’s hands were still glowing and continued to sap her strength and energy.

Jessica was ecstatic as she stood over the fallen Girl of Steel, “Now I’ve got you.”
“Think again,” a voice called out.
Solar Flare turned just in time to see a black boot connect with her face.

Jessica slammed into the ground 50 feet later. She blinked away the stars she was seeing as she stood up. Standing next to Supergirl’s still prone form was the newcomer. She was dressed in a skintight spandex-like grey body suit that included black briefs, a silver belt, and a long black cape. She also wore small black gloves and black knee-high boots. The black silhouette of an osprey with talons extended was stretched over her impressive chest; a white version of the symbol was in the middle of her cape. The girl stood at 5’ 11”, her hair was a beautiful raven-black color with streaks of silvery-white and was pulled back into a ponytail. Two deep blue eyes were set in a very pretty face. She stood confidently in a traditional superheroine power-pose, feet slightly apart and hands on her hips.

“Just who the hell are you,” Solar Flare demanded.
“The name is Silver Osprey,” Samantha Hunter replied confidently.
“Oh really? Well you’re gonna be a cooked turkey once I’m through with you,” Jessica announced as her hands took on a red glow.

The villain fired off an energy blast that Silver Osprey was able to jump over. Sam accelerated towards Solar Flare and engaged her in hand-to-hand combat. Jessica was caught off guard by Silver Osprey’s speed and as such, was unable to defend against the kick that connected with her face and snapped her head to the side. Sam didn’t pause as she delivered a series of rapid kicks and jabs, finishing with a roundhouse kick that sent Solar Flare spinning into the ground.

Jessica shook her head as she stood up. Each blow she had received hadn’t been as powerful as one of her own, but what Silver Osprey lacked in brute strength she more than made up for in technique and skill. Realizing this, Solar Flare send out a barrage of energy blasts, intending to keep the new superheroine at a distance. “Oh boy,” Sam muttered as she began ducking, flipping, and dodging the incoming blasts. Unfortunately, Solar Flare had fired so many blasts at Sam that the superheroine couldn’t hope to dodge them all. One energy ball hit Silver Osprey in the abs while a second splashed over her shoulder and dropped her onto her back.

As Sam hopped to her feet, she felt a stinging sensation in her shoulder and abs where she had been hit. However, the feeling quickly dissipated, thanks to her accelerated healing. Looking up, Silver Osprey saw that Solar Flare had taken to the air. Pushing off the ground, Sam went after the stationary villain. As the two super-powered girls came within melee range they began trading blows. Solar Flare was better prepared this time and managed to block most of Silver Osprey’s blows, while landing a few energized blows of her own. Sam was able to absorb the attacks that Jessica landed and pressed on. Eventually, Silver Osprey worked her way behind her opponent and delivered an elbow to the back of her head, sending Solar Flare plummeting to the ground. Just before hitting the ground, an impact from a red boot sent Jessica bouncing across the ground for several hundred feet before she finally came to a stop.

The fighting between Solar Flare and Silver Osprey had given Supergirl’s powers enough time to recover. As Jessica began to slowly get back up, Supergirl assumed her power stance, ready for round two.

Silver Osprey landed gracefully next to the Kryptonian powerhouse. “I didn’t mean to cut in, I thought you could use a hand,” Sam said apologetically.
“That’s okay,” Kara smiled, “I’m glad you showed up when you did.” The two superheroines adopted fighting stances, ready to take on Solar Flare.

Jessica was beginning to doubt the situation. She had used up a great deal of energy generating the kryptonite and plasma blasts, leaving her in no condition to fight the two do-gooders. The villainess needed to get away and recharge. Upon hearing the blast of a train whistle, Jessica turned in the direction of the noise. A long train dragging several dozen containers of fuel and other dangerous materials was approaching at high speed. Solar Flare eyed the nearby train tracks and got an idea.

Jessica faced the Supergirl and Silver Osprey and called out, “I’d love to stay and entertain you, but I’ve got a train to catch.” With that, the villainess blasted out a large section of the tracks and then took off into the air.

Kara’s gaze darted between the distressed train and the escaping Solar Flare. The decision was clear; the locomotive had to be stopped. Supergirl turned to address Silver Osprey, only to discover that she wasn’t there. Looking towards the train, Kara saw a grey and black figure approaching it.

In a matter of seconds, Sam had reached the front engine of the long train. Bracing her shoulder against the front of the powerful engine, Silver Osprey pushed with all she had. She felt the train jolt as the conductor applied the brakes. Unfortunately, another jolt signaled to the grey and black-clad superheroine that the braking system had failed. Sam dug her boots into the ground to gain additional resistance. Looking back, Silver Osprey saw it was working, but not fast enough, they were running out of track. Suddenly, the train lurched again and started decelerating at a faster rate. Silver Osprey looked to the side and was relieved to see Supergirl also braced against the engine. With both super-powered girls acting as brakes, the train came to a complete stop with a hundred feet to spare. Both heroines were pleased to see that the train, other than the dents where they had been braced, was undamaged.

“Whew, that was a little closer than I would have liked,” Silver Osprey said with a sigh of relief.
“Really? I’ll push a little harder next time,” Supergirl smiled.
Silver Osprey returned the smile and placed her hands on her hips, “I’m only sorry that Solar Flare got away.”
Supergirl placed a reassuring hand on the other heroine’s shoulder, “There will be another opportunity.” Silver Osprey relaxed as Supergirl continued, “In the meantime Silver Osprey, you’ve been in the superheroine community for a couple of months and it’s time you and I became acquainted.”
Silver Osprey perked up, “You mean it?”
Supergirl nodded, “But not here, follow me, I have a better place in mind.” The two superheroines leapt into the air and headed for downtown Chicago.

A couple of minutes later, the two were perched on top of the Sears Tower. Silver Osprey was sitting on the ledge, one leg dangling over the side, an elbow resting on the other. Supergirl was sitting right next to her.

“I’ve read about your exploits, quite a resume you’ve built,” Supergirl complimented the young heroine.
Silver Osprey smiled, “Thank you, it means a lot to hear that from you Supergirl.”
Kara smiled back, “Don’t mention it.”
Sam then became apologetic, “About your little fight earlier, I hope I didn’t step over some unwritten rule…”
“Nonsense,” Supergirl interrupted, “If anything, I should be thanking you for your great sense of timing.”

While Kara was more than happy that Silver Osprey had shown up, something was nagging at her. There seemed to be something very familiar about the new heroine. Supergirl decided to do a little probing.

“So what brings you to Chicago,” Kara asked.
“Oh, I’m visiting someone,” Sam replied as she enjoyed the breath-taking view.
“Cool, how long will you be in town,” Supergirl inquired.
“I’m not sure,” Silver Osprey replied, “I’m not infringing on your area am I?”
“Not at all,” Kara reassured her, “I’m actually very glad that I got the opportunity to meet you.”
Sam smiled and extended her hand, “And I’m honored to officially meet you.”
Supergirl shook the offered hand and found that there was something familiar in the other woman’s grip. Then, all at once, it hit her. Black hair with silvery-white streaks, athletic build, strong grip, Kara had met this girl before. The blonde heroine quickly figured out who it was.

Supergirl decided to be blunt, “Today may be official, but this isn’t the first time we’ve met, is it Sam?”
Silver Osprey’s eyes went wide at the mention of her real name, “What!?” She turned to see Supergirl had a reassuring smile on her face.
“There aren’t many people in the world that have a grip like that,” Supergirl explained as she pointed at Sam’s gloved hand.
Sam sighed, there was no point in trying to hide it now, “And I thought I had done such a good job hiding my identity.”
“Oh you did,” Supergirl reassured her, “It’s just that I was able to tell that there was extra strength behind that handshake of yours.” Kara continued, “Plus, my super-hearing allows me to recognize the voices of individuals.” “On top of that, your hair has a very unique look,” the Maiden of Might pointed out.
“That’s true,” Sam agreed as she quickly started to relax, “It’s probably for the best that you know anyway Supergirl.”
Supergirl smiled and decided to make things even, “Its Kara.”
“A pleasure to meet you Kara,” Sam smiled.
“Likewise,” the Maiden of Might replied.

“Now that the awkward part is over, Can I ask you something,” Kara asked.
“Sure, what’s up,” Sam replied.
“So, how do you feel about me dating your brother,” Kara asked.
Sam giggled, “And this isn’t the awkward part?”
Kara smiled, “Good point, but that still doesn’t answer my question.”
“Honestly, you’re probably one of the few women on the planet who can handle him,” Sam smiled.
Kara laughed, “Yeah, he is a hand full.”
“But seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so happy,” Sam admitted.
Kara’s interest peaked, “Really?”
“Granted, he’s always had a positive attitude,” Sam explained, “But he definitely has a certain sparkle about him lately.”
“Yeah, he does seem happier since I first met him,” the Kryptonian agreed.
“I should warn you about something though,” Silver Osprey said.
“What’s that,” Supergirl replied.
“He may not show it, but Brent has feelings for you,” Sam revealed, “Although, you may have to toss him off of Mount Everest to get him to admit it.”
“Oh really? Interesting…” a sly grin spread across Kara’s face.
“Whatever you’re thinking, I don’t want to know,” Sam announced.
“Why I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Kara replied innocently.
Sam just smiled and rolled her eyes.

Supergirl changed the subject, “Before I forget, I wanted to say that I love your costume.”
“Aw, thank you,” Silver Osprey beamed, “It’s really quite comfortable. I really like your costume as well.”
“Thanks,” Kara smiled, “On a related subject, can I ask how you got your powers?”
Sam nodded, “Sure, though it’s kind of a long story…”
…………………………

As she made it back to her apartment, Solar Flare was pissed. She had had Supergirl literally on her knees when that damned Silver Osprey had shown up. Now Jessica had to face the fact that there were two superheroines in town. She wasn’t deterred though, all Solar Flare had to do was keep Silver Osprey occupied and catch Supergirl alone. Jessica Patterson grinned as a plan began to form.

[SGWriter]

SF is pissed, another good update!

[tmon]

Thanks for starting an interesting Sg story. Sgzr you missed this sentence in your editing.
"Rod, I’m gonna your help with this". Should be a "need" there.

[Caniac89]

Kara and Sam were sitting in Kara’s apartment sipping tea. Kara had invited her newest friend to spend the day with her and for the past hour they had been swapping stories, mainly at Brent’s expense.

“Did you see his face when we told him we had swapped secrets, he wasn’t surprised at all,” Sam told Kara.
“Not surprising, not much seems to faze Brent,” Kara remarked.
“Although, he’s probably glad that he doesn’t have to keep our secrets anymore,” Samantha Hunter observed.
“Yeah, that probably is…” Kara’s voice trailed off as her super-hearing picked up something.
Sam noticed the focused look on Kara’s face, “What is it?”
“Trouble, you up for a little saving the day,” Kara asked as she set down her tea.
“Absolutely,” Sam replied as she started to pull her costume out of the backpack she had brought along. In a matter of seconds, both superheroines were changed and flying out of Kara’s window.

“So what is it,” Silver Osprey asked as the two superheroines flew over the city.
“A 747 airliner has an engine on fire and is requiring emergency landing,” Supergirl answered, her super-hearing having picked up the entire radio transmission.
“What do you need me to do,” Osprey asked.
“Here’s the plan…”

Supergirl stopped mid-flight and Silver Osprey nearly ran into her.
“Whoa,” Sam exclaimed, “What gives?”
Kara explained, “Things just got complicated, there’s a fire downtown.”
“I’ll take the airliner, you take the fire,” Osprey suggested.
“You sure,” Supergirl asked.
“Hey, I may not be as strong as you, but I can still help land a 747,” Sam smiled.
“Fair enough, just be careful,” was Kara’s response.
“You too,” Silver Osprey replied as the two superheroines took off in opposite directions.

Kara arrived downtown to see an apartment building ablaze. What gives, a major fire and an air emergency at the same time? Kara thought to herself. Realizing that the fire department hadn’t arrived yet, she pushed the thought aside, a crowd was forming and she needed to help.

The Maiden of Might was trying to think of a way to put the blaze out when a shrilling cry reached her ears, “HEEEEELLLPPPPP!”

Realizing that someone was still trapped inside, Supergirl rushed inside one of the open windows and began searching.
“Hello,” Kara called out as she started pushing her way through the fully engulfed top floor. As the flames intensified, Supergirl was amazed that anyone was still alive amidst it all.
“Over here,” a woman’s cough-ridden voice called out.
Supergirl worked her way to a pile of furniture and debris and started digging through it, “Hang on, I’ll get you out.”

“Sucker,” was the last thing Kara heard as Solar Flare landed a massive energized upper-cut to Supergirl’s jaw, propelling the heroine through the roof and into the mid-afternoon sky.

Jessica Patterson’s plan was going so well. Jessica knew that she was going to have to catch Supergirl alone in order to have a fair chance against her. So the villainess had caused both the apartment fire and the trouble with the airliner. She knew that the two superheroines would have to split up in order to deal with both emergencies; it was just shear dumb luck that Supergirl had gone to the fire where Jessica was waiting.

Solar Flare stood up and flew through the burning roof after Supergirl, who had by now recovered.

As the two super-powered girls squared off, Kara knew that she had only one option. In the numerous encounters with Jessica in the past, Supergirl had always tried to reason with the villain. Now the blonde powerhouse finally realized that Solar Flare’s hatred ran too deep. This time there would be no talking, no attempt at reasoning, only action would subdue her.

With that, Kara shot forward with both fists extended and connected with Solar Flare’s face. The blow sent Jessica screaming through the air before carving a crater in the street below. Brakes screeched and tires squealed as the downtown afternoon traffic swerved to avoid the newest ‘road hazard’. Supergirl landed at the edge of the crater and was immediately struck in the chest by an energy blast from Solar Flare. Kara cried out as she was propelled backwards, taking out the corner of a nearby building along the way. Citizens scrambled to avoid the falling debris.

As the pain in her chest subsided, Supergirl knew that she had to get Solar Flare out of the city before continuing the fight. As Jessica emerged from the crater she was in, Kara grabbed a nearby streetlight and pulled it out of the ground. Both girls accelerated towards each other and the shock wave from the resulting impact shattered every window on the block, broke the streetlight in half, and sent a stunned Solar Flare shooting skyward.

Supergirl dropped the light post and took off in pursuit of Solar Flare, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake. Jessica recovered in time to see Supergirl ascending towards her. The villainess reacted by firing a pair of plasma beams from her eyes at the Maiden of Might. Supergirl rolled to the side and the beams hit a skyscraper, carving a vertical scar into the building’s side.

“Enough, let’s take this elsewhere,” Supergirl said as she grabbed the front of Solar Flare’s leotard and began spinning her at super-speed. After a few seconds Kara released the villainess and sent her flying out of the city. Once again, Supergirl gave chase.

70 miles outside Chicago, Jessica finally hit the ground and sent a mushroom cloud of dirt and dust into the air. Supergirl landed about 20 feet away as Solar Flare picked herself up. Kara was surprised when Jessica began to speak.

“I’m impressed Supergirl, instead of talking this time you cut right to the fun,” she said with a sinister grin.
“What, do you actually want to talk, instead of trying to kill me,” Kara shot back.

Solar Flare pretended to think about it for a half-second before replying, “Killing’s more fun.”

The villain threw a pair of energy/plasma orbs at the heroine before charging. Supergirl dodged both orbs only to be struck in the side by an energized right hook. Kara tried to ignore the pain as she drove her knee into Jessica’s stomach. The villain doubled over, gasping for air. Supergirl wanted to end this quickly; she clutched both her fists together and swung upward, catching Solar Flare in the chin. Jessica flew upwards in a long arc before meeting the ground again in a cloud of dust.

Getting to her knees, Solar Flare shook her head to clear the stars she was seeing. Okay, I let her get her licks in, now it’s my turn, the villainess thought to herself.

Jessica began firing a spread of energy blasts in rapid succession at the approaching Girl of Steel. Supergirl did her best to avoid the onslaught, she was only partially successful. The superheroine cried out as one blast connected with her abs, while a second splashed over Kara’s shoulder. This halted Supergirl’s advance and Solar Flare seized the opportunity.

The villainess pushed off her back foot and shot forwards, fists glowing red with plasma energy. Supergirl was forced to go on the defensive as Solar Flare unleashed a flurry of punches. Kara did a stellar job in avoiding the energized blows, but eventually Jessica got lucky. A low punch got through Supergirl’s defense and sank into the heroine’s stomach, causing her to double over. Solar Flare immediately followed with a haymaker that buried Supergirl’s face in the ground.

Reaching down, Solar Flare pulled the Girl of Steel up by her blonde hair. Supergirl’s feet were dangling as Jessica began raining punches into the heroine’s unprotected abs.

For Kara, the pain was almost too much to bear. Although it took her a few seconds, Supergirl was able to focus through the pain and gather her wits. Reacting fast, Kara caught the next punch just inches from her abused stomach. Supergirl then swung both of her legs forward and caught Jessica in the chin. This caused the brunette to release her hold on the Girl of Steel and stumble back.

Unfortunately, Supergirl’s stomach was throbbing and preventing her from pressing her advantage. She doubled over as she clutched her abs, not realizing that Solar Flare had recovered and was moving in.

Kara was only made aware of Jessica’s presence when the villain grabbed her shoulder. Supergirl looked up to see Solar Flare standing in front of her, wearing a very sinister grin.

“You’re done,” Jessica announced as she pulled back her fist, ready to deliver the knockout blow.

Supergirl didn’t speak but instead, her eyes began to glow red as she readied her heat-vision. However, Solar Flare was quick to react. Using both of her hands, Jessica covered Supergirl’s eyes as the heroine’s deadly lasers discharged.

“AHHH!” Supergirl cried as her heat vision was forced back into her face. When the lasers cut off, Solar Flare took her hands from Kara’s eyes as smoke began to rise from them. The pain was excruciating and, combined with her still throbbing abs, caused the heroine to sink to her knees. As she opened her eyes, Supergirl was shocked to discover that her vision was blurry, just as Solar Flare spoke.

“And I didn’t even need kryptonite radiation this time,” Jessica said sinisterly as she pulled back an energized fist.

The pressure wave from the resulting blow shattered windows several miles away.

Solar Flare stood over a motionless Supergirl. Kneeling down, Jessica methodically slapped Kara’s face several times before the heroine stirred.
“Good,” the villainess said as she placed one arm under the heroine’s neck, and the other under Supergirl’s skin-tone tight-covered legs and lifted her up. As she took off into the afternoon sky cradling the defeated Girl of Steel, Solar Flare spoke, “Don’t expire yet Supergirl, we’re just getting started.”


Thanks Tmon for catching the typo, it's been fixed. I'm glad you like the story so far and please keep the comments coming.

[SGWriter]

Loved the fight C, especially SF blocking SG's heat vision.

[Caniac89]

The return to consciousness was very unpleasant for Supergirl. Her abs were throbbing and her eyes still stung like hell. As she moaned and rolled onto her side, Kara was relieved, yet very surprised, to find that she wasn’t bound. Opening her eyes, Supergirl was treated to the blurry image of a very dark, concrete room. The only source of light in the room came from a flat-screen TV mounted in the wall, behind a sheet of plexiglass. Kara tried to stand up, but was shocked to discover that she barely had enough strength to make it to her hands and knees. The heroine sighed as her arms gave out and she sank back to the floor.

“Spare yourself the embarrassment,” a voice called out.

Supergirl looked up to see a figure step out of the shadows. Even though her vision was still blurry, Kara knew that it was Solar Flare who had spoken.

“We are surrounded by several feet of lead and concrete,” the villainess explained, “There is no chance of any solar radiation getting through to heal you or restore your powers.”
Jessica knelt over Supergirl and continued to taunt her, “The only way you are getting out of here is if I say so.”

Still exhausted and in pain from the fight with Solar Flare, Supergirl’s only option was talking, “What…what do you…want with me?”
“That should be obvious,” Jessica replied, “I want you dead.”

Kara’s eyes went wide; she was in no position to stop Jessica.

“But that would be the easy way out for you,” the evil brunette explained, “So first I’m going to take out my frustration on the city that you’ve sworn to protect.” Jessica went on, “What’s better is that I’m going to force you to watch.”

Kara’s vision was clearing and she noticed that the TV in the wall was tuned to a local news channel. She started to feel sick to her stomach as Solar Flare continued to talk.

“I’m going to show you what failure really feels like as I level the city of Chicago,” Jessica sneered. “And you will be locked in here, powerless to stop me. As the news broadcasts the continuous images of suffering innocents, you will be begging me to kill you, to end your pain and guilt. I will not stop until there is nothing over 4 feet tall left standing and then, only then, will I grant that wish and bring your pitiful, self-righteous life to an end.”

Supergirl weakly grabbed Solar Flare by the collar of her black leotard, “You…can’t…”

“You’re in no position to stop me,” Jessica spat as she back-handed the defeated superheroine, causing her to loosen her grasp.

With that, Solar Flare stood up and walked towards the heavy metal door that was the only way in or out of the makeshift prison. Jessica stopped in the doorway and looked back at the Maiden of Might, who was still on the floor.

The brunette pointed to the TV, “Enjoy the show, I guarantee that it will be a blast.” She then closed the door with a heavy metallic ‘clang.’ Seconds later there was a barely-audible ‘click’ as Solar Flare locked the door.

It took several minutes, but Kara was able to muster enough strength to get to her feet and stumble to the door. She leaned against the cold steel of the door for support and tried the handle, it didn’t budge.

Having exhausted what little energy she had, Supergirl’s knees gave out and she sank to the floor. “No…” Kara muttered softly as she fought back tears. Chicago was about to have a very bad day, and there was nothing that the Maiden of Might could do about it.
…………………………

Andrew, Brent, and Sam were gathered in Andrew’s office. Brent was dressed in his usual work attire, all black with his sidearm. His friend Andrew had on grey slacks, a white shirt with rolled up sleeves, and professional yet comfortable business shoes. Sam was back in a grey long-sleeved shirt, black jogging pants, and white tennis shoes. She had just finished telling her brother and his friend about the emergencies that she and Supergirl had tended to, and how Sam had been unable to locate the Girl of Steel afterwards.

Brent looked at Andrew, who was sitting behind his desk, “I don’t like it.”
“Supergirl missing and Solar Flare in town, I don’t like it either,” Andrew agreed.
“So, how do you find her,” Sam spoke up.
Andrew replied, “That is a good question.”
“Hold on,” Brent answered, “Doesn’t Supergirl have some type of transmitter on her costume?”
Andrew straightened in his chair, “That’s right; she has an IFF tracker on her belt so that governments of various countries know she isn’t a ballistic missile.”
“I’m on it,” Brent headed for the door.
“Meet us in the Tank,” Andrew called after him.
“Will do,” Brent answered as he crossed the hall to his own office.
Andrew stood up, “Sam, if you like, you’re welcome to join us.” She simply nodded.

The Talon Headquarters building had been constructed with 5 underground floors. On sub-level 4 was a room called “The Tank.” It served as a place to plan and discuss other topics directly related to operations and had been designed with total security in mind. One wall was made entirely of video screens. A long conference-style table was situated in the center of the room. The table had several phones placed on it and was surrounded by office chairs.

Kristen Redfield, one of Talon’s team leaders, had joined Andrew and Sam in the room. The beautiful 22 year old had her raven-black hair tied in a ponytail and was dressed in black tactical gear.

“So what’s taking Brent,” Kristen asked.
“He’s locating Supergirl’s IFF tracker, he shouldn’t be long,” Andrew answered.

Right on cue, Brent entered the room and made sure that the door closed behind him.

“Any luck,” Andrew asked.
“Yeah,” Brent replied as he went to one of the touch screen consoles built into the table.

In seconds, one of the video screens in the wall came to life, displaying an overhead view of a large building.

“Radar and satellite data shows that Supergirl’s IFF signature as been at this structure for the past 3 hours,” Brent explained as he brought blueprints and other relevant data onto the adjacent screens.
“What are we looking at,” Kristen inquired.
“It used to be an automated car factory and was condemned about a year ago,” Brent replied.
“So here’s what we do…” Andrew started before a phone on the table rang, interrupting him.
He picked up the phone, “Steele.” Andrew listened intently for several moments, “I see, thank you,” and hung up.
“What was that about,” Brent asked.
“Things have changed,” Andrew replied in a serious tone as he accessed a console.

Kristen, Sam, and Brent all exchanged looks with each other, it was apparent that things had not changed for the better.

Another screen turned on. This one showed live video feed, courtesy of a local news station. The video displayed images of intense fires in downtown Chicago and standing in the middle of it all, was Solar Flare.

“Kristen,” Andrew spoke up, “Your team’s going in; take whatever you need from the armory.”
Kristen nodded as Andrew picked up the phone again and dialed.

A voice answered after one ring, “Flight Ops, Dawson.”
“It’s Steele, have you seen the news?”
“Affirmative sir, what do you need?”
“Dispatch package Nova, priority alpha, authorization code sierra foxtrot.”
“Sierra foxtrot confirmed sir, wheels up in ten minutes.”

Andrew hung up and turned to Kristen, “You’d better get moving.”
She nodded, “We’ll take care of it.”
“Be careful,” Brent called after her.
“Will do,” Kristen called as she shut the door behind her.
“You’d better gear up too,” Andrew told Brent.
Brent nodded, “Agreed.”
Andrew then turned to Brent’s sister, “Sam, you’re under no obligation here; but if you’d like, we would welcome Silver Osprey’s help.”
The young superheroine didn’t hesitate, “You’ll have it.”

[Caniac89]

Despite regaining some of her strength, Supergirl still felt terrible. Her abs were still sore from the abuse taken at the hands of Solar Flare. Her vision was back to normal, but her eyes still stung. To top it all off, the blonde heroine had been fighting back tears for the past half hour. The tears were brought on by the news coverage of Solar Flare’s rampage in Chicago, the city she had sworn to protect.

Since the TV was behind plexiglass, Supergirl couldn’t reach it to switch it off. She was forced to watch the news feed, just as Solar Flare had planned.

The screen showed images and video of downtown Chicago, which currently looked more like a war zone than a bustling city. Several large fires were blazing out of control, the streets were littered with damaged and destroyed vehicles, and debris from damaged buildings was strewn all over. A field reporter was just off screen, communicating with the news room and commenting on the events.

The news anchor was asking questions, “Jim, can you please tell us what we are seeing?”

The reporter began his narrative, “Well Tony, right now I’m standing in the middle of what’s left of downtown Chicago. Fires are raging out of control and emergency workers are unable to reach anyone who is trapped or injured. According to the police commander on-scene, today’s carnage was caused by the villainess known as Solar Flare, who first made headlines about 2 years ago.”

The anchorman spoke up, “Jim, has anyone been injured by today’s events?”

“Authorities have been pretty tight-lipped on that subject Tony,” the reporter explained, “But considering all the destruction going on, it would be foolish to think that there aren’t casualties. Probably the biggest question on everyone’s mind right now is, ‘Where is Supergirl?’”

Upon hearing this, Supergirl felt like she was going to be sick. People needed her help, and for the first time in her superheroine career, she was unable to respond. This realization caused Kara to turn away from the television as she was no longer able to hold back the tears.

A comment from the reporter caught Supergirl’s attention, “Hold on a second Tony, some large vehicles seem to be approaching.”

Kara turned back to the TV in time to see three black Hummers drive into view, heading straight for Solar Flare. The vehicles stopped about 200 feet from the villainess, who was too busy enjoying the destruction she was causing to notice. Several black-clad individuals exited the military vehicles, and Kara instantly recognized one of them as Kristen Redfield. To Kara, this meant that Talon had responded. With this realization, the heroine allowed herself a glimmer of hope as she watched events unfold.
……………

As the Hummers came to a stop, Kristen keyed her radio, “Let’s turn these vehicles around, we’re gonna need to move fast.”

Responding to her order, the drivers of the three trucks turned the armored vehicles so they were in a small column formation pointed away from Solar Flare, ready to make a hasty retreat.

An operative exited the last vehicle carrying a Javelin missile delivery system. Dropping to a knee, the man took aim and keyed his radio, “Locked on Kristen, just say the word.”
“Stand by, everyone set?” the raven-haired beauty asked her team.
After receiving replies from all the agents with her, Kristen spoke to the Javelin operator, “Alright Matt, get her attention.”

Matt thumbed the firing switch on the launcher, which responded by launching the radar-guided anti-tank projectile straight at the hovering villainess.

Jessica Patterson didn’t know what hit her as the missile slammed into her back and exploded, knocking her out of the sky.

“Alright people, pack it up,” Kristen said over the radio as she waved her hand in a circle over her head. As the Talon agents boarded the vehicles, their drivers gunned the engines.

“What the hell…” Solar Flare said as she picked herself up. Looking in the direction that the Javelin missile had come from, the young brunette spotted the fleeing vehicles. The villainess became enraged at the idea that someone had interrupted her fun and she gave chase.

In the middle vehicle, Kristen popped open a hatch in the roof of her vehicle. Normally, there was a .50 caliber machine gun mounted there, but Talon had removed the guns for this operation. Looking back, Kristen saw that Solar Flare was now pursuing the small convoy. She keyed her radio, “Look alive, she’s taken the bait.” Kristen then shouldered her M4 rifle and took aim.

Hatches opened on the front and rear vehicles and armed agents appeared. In the lead Hummer, Agent Thomas held an M16 with an M203 grenade launcher mounted under the barrel. In the back vehicle, Agent Matt had traded the Javelin launcher for an M60 machine gun.

“This is gonna get rough,” the lead driver radioed as he began dodging the burned out remains of vehicles that cluttered Chicago’s normally busy streets.

Having closed in on the small convoy, Solar Flare began firing energy blasts at the fleeing armored vehicles, which started swerving to evade her attack.

“Light her up,” Kristen ordered as she started squeezing off rounds at their black and yellow clad pursuer. Agents Matt and Thomas followed suit and also began shooting at Solar Flare.

Jessica raised an arm on instinct to deflect the incoming bullets. She had nothing to fear however, since the bullets bounced harmlessly off her invincible body. Even though she wasn’t in any danger, the villainess was very surprised at the level of marksmanship displayed by the individuals she was pursuing; nearly every bullet fired hit her.

Kristen noticed that the buildings they were driving past were getting progressively smaller. As she changed magazines, the Talon agent called to her driver, “How long ‘til we’re out of the city?”
“About 5 minutes,” the driver called back.
“That’s too long,” Kristen replied as she fired an automatic burst at Solar Flare, “Floor it!”

Kristen was thrown against the side of the hatch as the convoy picked up speed. Since they were reaching the outskirts of the city, the roads were virtually empty now, allowing the military vehicles more room to evade Solar Flare’s energetic onslaught.

Agent Thomas, the gunner in the lead vehicle, was loading a grenade into his M203 launcher when he spotted a plasma blast headed straight for his armored vehicle. “Incoming!” Thomas shouted to his driver, who took evasive action.

The ball of plasma energy barely missed the Hummer and exploded as it impacted the pavement to the left of the vehicle. The resulting shockwave was powerful enough to lift the truck off of its driver-side tires. Fortunately for the occupants inside, the wide-bodied Hummer righted itself and motored on.

Having witnessed this from the following vehicle, Kristen realized that heavier firepower was needed and keyed her radio, “Dragon, this is Hammer.”
“Dragon 1 copies, go ahead Hammer,” came the response.
“Hammer has cleared the city and is under heavy fire, we need close air support,” Kristen had to raise her voice to be heard over the wind rushing past her.
“Understood, Dragon Team is engaging,” was the reply Kristen received.

Solar Flare was too involved in her pursuit of the individuals who had interrupted her fun to notice a pair of black Apache Gunships where hugging the ground and closing fast from behind.

Kristen’s radio squawked, “Dragon is locked on, Hellfires away.” Each attack helicopter fired a Hellfire anti-tank missile at the brown-hair villainess that was chasing the convoy of Talon vehicles.

Jessica heard the sound of the approaching missiles, but was too surprised to react and the projectiles exploded upon impact with her. The blast sent the villainess tumbling along the road, carving a shallow trench in her wake.

“That’s it!” Solar Flare shouted as she stood up, her eyes glowing red.

Kristen anticipated what was coming and nearly shouted into her radio, “Dragon, take evasive action!”

The helicopters began dodging and weaving as twin beams erupted from Solar Flare’s eyes. While the Apache pilots were very well trained, hell hath no fury like a woman’s rage, and the deadly plasma beams connected with one of the gunships.

“Dragon 2 has sustained engine damage, we have to RTB,” Kristen heard the pilot radio in a remarkably calm voice.
“Matt,” Kristen radioed to the rear Hummer, “Take the heat off Dragon,”
“Got it,” the agent replied as he swung his M60 around and unleashed a hail of bullets at Solar Flare. The villainess snapped her head in the direction of the fleeing trucks and rocketed after them.
“Here she comes,” Matt called back.

Kristen fired a few automatic bursts before keying the radio again, “Nova Flight, you are cleared in.”
A cool, calm voice answered back, “Roger that, Nova is inbound.”

Off in the distance, a pair of F-15E Strike Eagle Tactical Fighters broke their orbit and steered towards the distressed convoy.

“Nova 1 has radar lock.”
“Nova 2 is locked on, fox three.”
“Nova 1 fox three.”

Two AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missiles left the fighters and screamed towards Solar Flare. Unlike earlier with the Apaches, Jessica Patterson never heard the approaching Sparrows and was blow out of the sky, again.

As she looked around to find the source of the latest missile attack, she came to a sudden realization. The convoy she had been chasing was steadily leading her away from the abandoned factory where she had Supergirl locked up. If it was possible, Solar Flare was now more pissed than ever. “Supergirl!” the villainess screamed as she took off, nearly breaking the sound barrier, and headed for the abandoned car factory.

Kristen ducked inside her armored vehicle and picked up the dashboard-mounted radio, “Wolf Den, Wolf Den, this is Bravo.”
“This is Steele, what have you got Kristen?” was the response.
Kristen Redfield answered back, “Andrew, Solar Flare has broken off, tell Hunter he has 5 minutes max.”

[Caniac89]

Agent Brent Hunter was searching the top floor of the two story automobile factory. Along with his sidearm and tactical gear, Hunter also carried a modified M4 rifle with a multipurpose launcher mounted under the barrel. Under normal circumstances, Brent would have arrived at the factory by helicopter or parachute. This time however, Silver Osprey had flown her brother to the building and was helping by searching the first floor.

Brent had just come across a steel door when a voice came through his earpiece, “Hunter, be advised, Kristen reports that Solar Flare is headed your way, you have 5 minutes at the most.”
“Understood,” Brent radioed back before shouting to his sister, “We’ve got 5 minutes.”

Even inside the concrete-made factory, Brent knew that Silver Osprey could hear him, thanks to her enhanced hearing. Wasting no time, Brent tried the handle on the big door and was not surprised to find it locked. The agent reached into his vest and removed a small door charge. Working fast, Brent set the charge just above the door handle and began wiring it.

Supergirl had watched the initial exchange between Solar Flare and the black Hummers that she knew contained Talon agents. Unfortunately, the news channel didn’t have aerial coverage and quickly lost sight of the action. So for the last half hour, Kara had no idea what was going on. However, the fact that Solar Flare was no longer terrorizing Chicago gave the battered and weak heroine a glimmer of optimism. When she heard someone fumbling with the door, she wasn’t sure what to think.

A few seconds later, there was a dull thump, and the door swung open. Kara felt an overwhelming sense of relief when she saw Brent standing in the door.

“Supergirl!” Brent exclaimed as he ran to her side.
The Maiden of Might looked up with tears of joy in her eyes, “I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you.”
Brent gave her a quick hug before speaking, “We don’t have much time, can you walk?”
Kara tried to get up, but was still too weak, “No…don’t have the strength…”
“Alright, I’ll help you,” Brent put Supergirl’s arm over his shoulders. As they stood up, Kara leaned on the Talon agent for support.

“Thank you, I…AHHH!” Supergirl screamed as a bolt of plasma energy slammed directly into the S symbol on her chest, knocking both her and Agent Hunter to the floor. Brent looked up to see a very pissed off Solar Flare standing in the door.

“She isn’t going anywhere,” the villainess declared in a sinister tone. Having already rolled to a knee, Brent was slowly reaching for his sidearm. “And now it looks like…” Jessica never got to finish as a black boot hit her in the back of the head. The villainess was propelled forward and slammed into the far wall, hard.

Thinking quickly, Brent tossed 2 smoke grenades and in a matter of seconds, the room was completely filled with smoke. Supergirl was out and Brent was checking for a pulse as Silver Osprey darted over.

“She’s alive, get her out into the Sun,” Brent told his sister.
“What about you?” Sam asked as she picked up Supergirl’s unconscious form.
“Don’t worry, I’m right behind you,” Brent replied as he nudged Silver Osprey towards the door.

Solar Flare had recovered from her impact with the wall. Although the room was filled with smoke, she could hear voices. In a fit of rage she fired a pair of eye beams in the direction of the voices.

Brent dove to the floor to avoid the attack. After the beams cut out, he looked up to find that the door had been closed and melted shut by the heat from Solar Flare’s attack, trapping him inside. The agent switched his glasses to thermal mode so he could see through the smoke. He quickly located the villainess, who had gotten to her feet and appeared to be very upset. Well I see how this day’s going to go, Brent thought as he loaded a grenade into the launcher of his M4 and took aim.

Silver Osprey had just gotten Supergirl outside and laid her on the ground.
“Come on Kara, wake up,” Sam spoke as she gently shook her friend.
“Ohhh…” Supergirl moaned as her body began to absorb the readily available solar radiation.
“Oh thank God,” Silver Osprey said with a sigh of relief.

Supergirl stood up and soaked up the solar radiation for a few more seconds. Then she looked around and asked, “Where’s Brent?”
Sam looked back towards the factory, “He said he was right behind us.”

That’s when both superheroines noticed the sounds of explosions and automatic fire coming from the factory. They both came to the same conclusion, but Supergirl was first to speak, “He’s trapped inside with her!”

The Maiden of Might flew back into the car factory, with Silver Osprey half a second behind her. Kara had just reached the steel door when there was the sound of concrete crumbling and all noise inside ceased. Supergirl smashed through the door, with Silver Osprey entering the room right behind her. Both superheroines stopped just inside and took in what they saw.

Most of the smoke had dissipated, exiting the room through a large hole in the ceiling that was letting sunlight in. The floor was littered with bullet casings and there were scorch marks on the walls. Some of the marks were plasma burns, while others were made by grenade rounds. There was also a couple of blood smears on the walls, made by an individual being throw or knocked into the wall. It was obvious that whatever had happened had been very violent.

“Oh no,” Silver Osprey spoke in a very distressed voice.
Supergirl followed her friend’s fearful gaze and had a similar reaction when she saw what had been burned into the far wall.

You may have gotten away Supergirl, but now your friend will suffer in your place
…………………………

Brent awoke to a room shrouded in darkness, except for the one light hanging directly above him. He found himself sitting in a wooden chair with his wrists bound behind him. He quickly took stock of his surroundings. All his gear and weapons had been removed and he was left with his shirt, pants, and boots. Looking around, he spotted his equipment on a nearby table.

“So you’re awake now,” Solar Flare spoke as she stepped into the light. Brent looked her square in the face but didn’t say a word.

Jessica had a sinister tone as she spoke, “You see, I spent a lot of time and effort in order to get my revenge on Supergirl. Now you have ruined those efforts and I want to know why?”
Agent Hunter simply shot her a look of defiance.

“So you’re the strong silent type, have it your way,” Solar Flare then backhanded Brent. She didn’t hit with full force, but she certainly didn’t hold back either. After the blow, Brent had a copper taste in his mouth. He turned his head to the side a spat a mixture of blood and saliva onto the concrete floor.

Brent then looked Solar Flare in the eye and spoke in a remarkably calm manner, “Take it from me, your interrogation technique needs work.”
“You know, you’re cute, it’s too bad that I’m going to have to mess up that face,” the villainess cracked her knuckles as a sinister grin formed on her face.

[justnorm]

Really liking this story...Great Job...

[Caniac89]

Thank you for the kind words sir. Will post next section later today.

[Caniac89]

Supergirl, Silver Osprey, and Andrew Steel were gathered in Andrew’s office. It had been nearly an hour since Sam and her brother had rescued Kara from Solar Flare. Once the two heroines had gotten back and told him what had happened, Andrew had set Talon’s intelligence specialists working overtime to locate his best friend and colleague. He was currently behind his desk, hard at work on his computer. Supergirl and Silver Osprey were sitting on the couch Andrew kept in his office.

Sam had mixed feelings about their current situation; the world had Supergirl back, but now her brother was in the hands of a psychotic supervillain. Kara could tell that Sam was upset and tried to comfort her.

“It’s going to be okay Sam, we’ll find him,” Supergirl spoke in a soothing tone.
“I know, it’s just,” Silver Osprey tried to fight back tears as she rested her head on the blonde’s shoulder, “He’s the only family I’ve got.”
Kara gave her friend a reassuring hug, “He’s a strong person, he’ll be alright.” Supergirl wasn’t just saying this for Sam’s sake; Kara was also trying to reassure herself.

The fax machine in the office suddenly came to life, interrupting the two superheroines. After the machine stopped printing, Andrew removed several papers from it. They were high-quality photos taken from an orbiting satellite. After looking over them, a look a relief came over him.

Andrew looked up, “We found him.”
“Where!?” Silver Osprey nearly flew off the couch.
Andrew handed the papers to Kara and Sam as he explained, “Our tech analysts were able to track Brent’s radio signature to a small, one story storage warehouse located just 10 miles from where Supergirl was held. It’s in the middle of nowhere with lots of open space around it.”
He pointed to the pictures as he continued, “Thermal imaging shows two heat signatures within the structure, Solar Flare is with him.”

Both girls turned towards the window without saying a word. Fearing what was about to happen, Andrew stepped in front of them.

“Slow down you two, we need to think this through,” he spoke.
“There’s nothing to think about Andrew, we’re getting him back,” Kara spoke, in a more harsh tone than she had intended.
Andrew didn’t move, “Solar Flare is expecting just that, if you rush over there you’ll be playing right into her hands.”
“I hope she’s expecting us,” Sam blurted out, “I want to beat the snot out of her fair and square.”
“Listen to yourselves,” Andrew tried to reason, “You’re emotional and not thinking clearly.”
“Easy for you to say,” Sam snapped.
Andrew maintained his composure, “Don’t forget that Brent is my life-long friend. I want him back too but charging in without a plan will only get him killed.”

Despite his calm outward appearance, Andrew was distraught on the inside. He knew that he had no authority to hold Supergirl and Silver Osprey back and that they both had every right to be upset about this situation. That being said, he wanted to come up with a solution that would get his friend out alive. Fortunately for everyone involved, cooler heads prevailed.

“You’re right Andrew,” Sam sighed, “I’m sorry.”
He placed a reassuring hand on Osprey’s shoulder, “It’s okay, we’re going to get him back.”
“Do you have any ideas?” Supergirl asked quietly.
Andrew turned to her, “Here’s what I suggest…”
…………………………

30 minutes later, Supergirl landed outside of the storage building. I hope this works, Supergirl thought as she took a deep breath and entered the structure.

Kara entered a dark hallway lined with doors on either side, leading to storage units. She tried scanning with her x-ray vision, only to discover that the structure had been built to old construction codes and had significant amount of lead in it, rendering her x-ray vision useless. As Supergirl cut off her x-ray vision, she noticed a door at the end of the hall. Something told the blonde heroine that this was the door she was looking for and she headed straight for it. Supergirl opened the door and was stopped cold in her tracks by what she saw.

A single light hung from the ceiling and illuminated the center of the room. Directly under the light, sitting on a wooden chair, was Brent.

His wrists were bound behind him and he was slumped forward, unconscious. There were several bruises on his face and blood slowly flowed from cuts at the corners of his eye and mouth. His t-shirt was ripped in several places, revealing more bruises and lacerations. Flecks of dried blood were scattered around him on the concrete floor.

Throwing caution to the wind, Supergirl dashed forward and knelt next to her friend. She laid her hand on Brent’s shoulder and was surprised to find it damp. Pulling her hand away, Kara discovered fresh blood on her finger tips.

The blonde superheroine gently shook the unconscious agent, “Brent…Wake up…”
“Uhhh…” Brent moaned as he slowly lifted his head.
Agent Hunter’s voice was very weak as his eyes opened, “…Supergirl?”
“It’s okay, I’m here,” Kara whispered as she gently cupped his chin with her hand.
“You…shouldn’t have…come here,” Brent managed between pained breaths.
Supergirl leaned the exhausted man’s head on her shoulder, “I’m not leaving you here.”

“Aww, how touching, I think I’m gonna puke,” Solar Flare announced as she stepped into the light. Jessica Patterson had been watching the whole scene from a dark corner of the room.

Kara faced the evil brunette but didn’t get up, “You’re going to pay for all the suffering you’ve caused.”
“Gee Supergirl, if I’d known that you cared that much I would have airmailed him back to you,” Solar Flare snickered.
“I might have something to say about that,” a voice called out.

Jessica turned to see Silver Osprey leaning in the doorway.

“Honey, why don’t you mind your own business,” Solar Flare sneered at the new arrival.
“Whenever innocent lives are in danger, it IS my business,” Silver Osprey fired back.
Jessica cracked her knuckles, “Then I’ll just have to kill you too.”
“Fat chance,” Supergirl called out as she flew forward.

The blonde heroine wrapped her arms around Solar Flare’s waist. Continuing her forward flight, Supergirl carried the villainess through the wall and took the fight outside.

While Supergirl and Solar Flare fought outside, Sam came to her brother’s side and snapped his restraints. The she gave him a big hug, “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Brent was getting some energy back as he spoke, “Thanks, but we can do this later, right now Kara needs your help.”
“But what about you?” Sam asked, reluctant to leave her twin.
“I’ll be fine,” Brent reassured her, “If you two don’t beat Solar Flare, things will only get worse.”

Sam nodded in understanding before she flew out of the opening that Supergirl and Solar Flare had made moments before. After watching his sister leave, Brent eyed his equipment that was laid out on the nearby table. Slowly, the agent got to his feet.

[SGWriter]

Great updates Caniac!

[Caniac89]

Outside, Solar Flare and Supergirl squared off.

Jessica spoke first, “Tell me Supergirl, how does it feel to know that you failed to protect the city that welcomed you with open arms?”

Kara didn’t flinch, despite the guilt and frustration swelling inside her.

“Hell, you couldn’t even protect one man,” Solar Flare continued, referring to Agent Hunter.

The villainess’s words were like daggers, cutting deep into the Girl of Steel.

“Why do you even bother, save yourself the embarrassment and give up now,” Jessica continued to taunt.

Supergirl snapped, “Enough!” she yelled as she charged the black and yellow-clad villainess.

Solar Flare instantly regretted her comments as Supergirl drove a fist deep into the villainess’s gut. Jessica coughed and gagged as the air was forced out of her and she dropped to her knees, clutching her stomach. Kara followed with a punt kick, sending Solar Flare shooting skyward.

Jessica stabilized herself in time to see Supergirl ascending after her. Solar Flare fired twin energy beams from her palms at the approaching Girl of Steel.

The plasma beams connected with the Kryptonian and an explosion resulted, sending Supergirl falling back to Earth.

Solar Flare landed about 50 feet from the crater Supergirl had made just as the blonde superheroine was getting to her feet. Jessica wasn’t about to let Supergirl recover and began a rapid-fire barrage of energy blasts.

Kara flew towards Solar Flare, rolling side-to-side to avoid the onslaught of heated plasma. Supergirl reached her target in a matter of seconds and kept spinning like a red and blue drill as her fists plowed into Solar Flare’s stomach.

In spite of the pain exploding from her abs, Jessica was able to raise her hands over her head and deliver an energized haymaker into the small of Supergirl’s back. Kara was forced into the ground face first as Solar Flare was propelled backwards by the momentum from Supergirl’s attack. Jessica crashed and tumbled across the ground for several hundred feet, kicking up grass and dirt along the way.

Supergirl was picking herself up when she heard a voice call out, “Catch your breath, I’ll keep her busy.”

Kara looked up to see Silver Osprey shoot past her, heading for Solar Flare. Even with everything going on, the blonde superheroine couldn’t help but smile at Sam’s bravery.

Solar Flare had just gotten to her feet when Silver Osprey reached her. Sam threw a quick right-left combination, followed by a right hook. Osprey followed through the hook, bringing her elbow into the side of Jessica’s head. Using the momentum from the elbow strike, Sam performed a 360 degree spin and ended it by driving her grey-covered knee into the bridge of Solar Flare’s nose.

The evil brunette stumbled backwards, but managed to raise her hand and blast Silver Osprey with heated plasma that sent Sam tumbling.

Both girls recovered simultaneously and charged each other. Just before reaching the villain, Silver Osprey spun around and threw a roundhouse kick that connected with Solar Flare and sent the brunette off in a perpendicular trajectory.

Since Silver Osprey couldn’t hit with the same force as Supergirl, Solar Flare was able to recover quickly and was now pissed. She rocketed towards Sam, who stood her ground and assumed a fighting stance.

As Solar Flare reached Silver Osprey, she spun around, intending to strike the grey and black-clad superheroine with the back of her elbow. Being the better martial artist, Sam easily caught the blow.

Unfortunately, that is exactly what Solar Flare had been counting on. Jessica’s eyes glowed red before discharging. Silver Osprey closed her eyes and cried out as twin beams of heated plasma struck her face at point blank range. Stars exploded in Sam’s vision as Solar Flare landed several punches across the stunned superheroine’s face.

Silver Osprey was stumbling backwards when she felt an arm around her neck. She instinctively grabbed the offending arm, but was surprised when it didn’t tighten around her.

Sam knew that it was Solar Flare who had a hold of her as the villainess called out, “Don’t come one step closer.”

Silver Osprey managed to open her eyes to find Supergirl about 20 feet away. Kara had been flying towards Osprey and Solar Flare, but now had come to a full stop. As Sam felt heat radiating against the side of her head, she knew why.

Jessica had grabbed Sam and was using her as a superheroine shield. Solar Flare had one arm around Silver Osprey’s neck while her free hand was mere inches from her captive’s head, glowing bright red with built up energy.

Supergirl froze as Solar Flare called to her with an evil grin, “Make a move and Osprey here gets fried.” Kara held her ground, her face showing the concern she felt for her friend.

Silver Osprey’s face, on the other hand, showed someone in deep thought. Sam knew that, thanks to her invulnerability and rapid healing, the energy stored in Solar Flare’s hand would not kill her, but it would surely take her out of the fight.

Solar Flare was waiting to see what Supergirl would do next. Meanwhile, Silver Osprey was trying to figure out if she was fast enough to free herself when the decision was made for her.

Jessica felt something hit her free hand and an instant later, the sound of a rifle shot broke the air. The force of the bullet striking her hand shoved Solar Flare’s hand backwards, causing the built up plasma to discharge, right into the villainess’s face.

Solar Flare’s hold on Silver Osprey loosened as the villain was blown back about a hundred feet by her own energy.

Supergirl and Silver Osprey both looked in the direction that the shot came from. Their gaze fell on the small storage warehouse where this had all started. Standing in the hole created by Solar Flare and Supergirl, Brent Hunter was lowering his M4.

Sam’s face changed to a look of sheer astonishment as she realized that the warehouse was about 400 yards away. Her brother had made an impossible shot.

“YOU LITTLE WORM!” Solar Flare shouted.

Kara and Sam turned to see the villainess literally burning with rage.

Jessica threw several large plasma blasts at the man who had been a pain in her ass for the last few hours.

“Oh hell…” Brent muttered as the blasts hurled towards him.

“NO!” Supergirl cried out as Brent’s diving form disappeared in an explosion of dirt, concrete, and plasma that engulfed the entire warehouse.

Sam was overcome with shock and fell to her knees at what she had just witnessed.

Fighting back tears, Kara turned to face the woman who had just killed the man she had become very interested in.
“That’s one pain in the ass dealt with,” Jessica sneered.

“You murdering psychopath!” Supergirl screamed as she broke the sound barrier and flew at Solar Flare.

Jessica grunted as the Girl of Steel slammed into her and began raining punches into the evil brunette. Solar Flare ended up pinned to the ground with Supergirl straddling her. The superheroine continued throwing punches before Jessica blasted Supergirl off of her.

Solar Flare’s body was beginning to ache as she stood up. Still, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pluck Supergirl’s nerves even more. “Wow, I really struck a nerve, I wonder what would have happened if I had tortured him first,” Jessica said, referring to Brent Hunter.

Now in a blind rage, Supergirl rushed Solar Flare again. This time however, Jessica landed an energized uppercut to Kara’s jaw that left the blonde seeing stars.

Solar Flare raised a fist, ready to press her advantage. On the downswing however, something stopped her. Jessica looked up to discover a black gloved-hand grasping her wrist. The hand was attached to Silver Osprey, who looked almost emotionless. Not surprising considering what had just happened to her brother.

Sam elbowed Jessica, and followed up quickly with a roundhouse kick that sent the villainess staggering backwards. Silver Osprey was about to press her advantage when she felt a sudden gust of wind and Supergirl rushed past her.

Kara cocked a fist back and put everything she had into the punch that followed. The shockwave that resulted was heard miles away.

Jessica was struggling to remain on her feet after that hit. When she noticed that blood was trickling from the corner of her mouth, Solar Flare realized for the first time that she may have pushed Supergirl too far, and the Maiden of Might showed no sign that she was about to let up.

Supergirl shot forward and once again started throwing a vicious flurry of punches. Jessica tried to retaliate and fired energy beams from her eyes. The rays of heated energy connected with the S symbol on Kara’s chest. Unfortunately for Solar Flare, Supergirl’s enraged state of mind allowed her to shrug off the blast.

“Oh crap,” Jessica managed to mutter before Supergirl’s red boot smashed into the villainess’s face.

Kara then grabbed Solar Flare by the collar of her leotard and proceeded to rain punches into Jessica’s unprotected abdomen. The brunette winced as each super punch caused her abs to explode in pain to the point that tears were forming in her eyes. Finally, Supergirl knocked Solar Flare onto her back with a devastating uppercut.

Kara walked towards the downed villainess but was stopped as Silver Osprey zipped in front of her.
Sam put a hand on Kara’s shoulder as she spoke, “Solar Flare’s beaten, it’s not worth it.”

Supergirl would hear nothing of it and tossed Silver Osprey out of her way. Sam crashed to the ground 10 feet away, hard. As the grey and black-clad superheroine propped herself up on her elbows, she had a look of utter disbelief on her face. Supergirl, the heroine she had always looked up to, looked like she really wanted to hurt Solar Flare.

Kara was just about to pick the defeated Jessica up by her hair when she felt someone grab and pull her back. Supergirl whipped around and stood face-to-face with Silver Osprey.

Sam tried to reason with her friend, “Supergirl stop, this isn’t you.”
Kara’s eyes were filled with rage, “I don’t care, she has to pay.”
“Kara, he was my brother, I loved him too,” Sam whispered as tears started rolling down her face.

That one line from Sam caused all of Kara’s built up emotions to hit her at once and she broke into sobs.
“I’m sorry Sam… I… it’s just…” Supergirl whispered between sobs as Sam comforted her.

Then Kara noticed that Sam’s eyes were squeezed shut, her jaw was clinched, and tears were running down her cheeks. The realization hit Kara like a brick wall; she had been so selfish when it was Sam who had just lost a family member.

“Oh Sam, I’m so sorry,” Kara said as she cradled her friend, who stopped trying to hold back her tears.
“He… he was strong…to the end” Sam managed as she started crying over the loss of her brother.

The sound of an approaching helicopter interrupted the two friends. Looking up, they saw a Blackhawk helicopter descending. The side door slid open and Andrew, dressed in grey slacks and a white shirt, stepped out. He was accompanied by Kristen and her team, all dressed in tactical gear. Kristen’s team immediately secured the unconscious Solar Flare with meta-resistant restraints as Andrew walked up to Kara and Sam.

“We’ll get Jessica to a proper holding facility,” Andrew spoke. He looked around briefly and noticed the huge dust cloud where the storage warehouse used to be.

Turning back to Supergirl and Silver Osprey, Andrew asked, “Where’s Brent?”

The look on the two superheroines’ faces told it all. With a heavy sigh, Andrew hung his head.

Andrew took a deep breath before looking up at Silver Osprey. “Sam, I’m…” something caught Andrew’s eye and interrupted his chain of thought. “What’s that,” he pointed to the pile of rubble. Both girls turned around and couldn’t believe what they saw.

A silhouette was slowly emerging from the dust cloud. The figure appeared to be limping. Slowly, Brent emerged, bruised and bloodied, from the dust. To the amazement of everyone present, Brent still had a small smile on his face. He stumbled over a piece of concrete, but Supergirl dashed forward and caught him before he fell. Gently picking the agent up, Kara flew Brent over to Andrew and Sam.

“I…I thought you were dead,” Sam managed as she gave her brother a big hug. Brent winced at his sister’s embrace, causing her to pull back.
“Hold on,” Kara said as she checked for injuries with her x-ray vision. “Oh no,” Supergirl gasped, “His spleen is ruptured, there is massive internal bleeding.”
“Get him to the base hospital, NOW!” Andrew practically shouted.

Supergirl took off with Brent in her arms and made a bee-line for the Talon Base, with Silver Osprey close behind.
…………………………

Supergirl and Silver Osprey landed outside the base hospital to find a stretcher team ready to take Brent in. Kara gently laid Agent Hunter on the stretcher and he was rushed inside, with Kara and Sam in close pursuit. They followed Brent through the E.R. but were stopped by an ER tech before a pair of doors leading to the trauma room.

“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to wait here,” the man explained.

The two superheroines understood, but they were able to hear one brief line before the doors closed.

Dr. Murphy, grab the crash cart!

[Caniac89]

It had been 24 hours since Supergirl and Silver Osprey had brought Brent to the private hospital located on the Talon base. Since Talon often worked directly with various superheroes, the Talon staff at the hospital didn’t find it unusual that Supergirl and Silver Osprey had not left the facility.

Kara and Sam had been given their own waiting room where they could have some privacy. Andrew had been in and out of the waiting room, but was unable to give the two heroines any new information on Brent’s condition.

Silver Osprey was sitting on one of the leather couches in the room, her head in her hands, and her mind constantly worrying about her twin brother. Supergirl walked over and handed Osprey a soda from a fridge that the hospital kept well stocked.

“Thanks Kara,” Sam replied as she took and sipped the cold beverage.
“Any time,” Kara said as she sat down and placed a reassuring arm around the grey and black-clad heroine’s shoulders. “How ya holding up,” the beautiful blonde asked.
“Okay I suppose, it’s just…” Sam hesitated.
“You can tell me,” Kara reassured her.
“Brent’s always been there for me,” Sam explained, “And now, the one time that he’s in trouble, I can’t do anything to help him.”

Tears were beginning to form in Sam’s eyes. Kara wrapped her arms around Sam in a gentle embrace. “You’re here now, and your presence is all he could ask for,” Kara said in a comforting tone.
Sam took a deep breath and put her arms around her friend, “Thank you Kara, jeez I’m acting like such a girl.”
“I think you’re entitled to,” Kara giggled quietly, “All things considered.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Sam managed to smile as she dried her eyes and the friends separated.

The mood in the room was noticeably more positive after the little talk.

Kara hesitated for a moment before speaking again, “Sam, I’ve been meaning to thank you.”
Sam turned her head to look at the blonde, “What for?”
Kara looked off to the side as she spoke, “For keeping me from going too far yesterday.”
Sam replied, “She really got to you, didn’t she?”
“I…I don’t know what came over me, I’ve never done anything like that before,” Kara answered, “I just hope I can learn from it.”
“You really care about him, don’t you,” was Sam’s response.
“What,” Kara looked at Sam, who had a gentle smile on her face.
“I know you told me that you two were dating,” Sam was referring to Brent and Kara’s relationship. “But I see it now,” Sam explained, “You love him.”

Kara was silent as she thought long and hard about what Sam had just said. When reality set in, all Kara could say was, “Yes.”
“I must say, I’m not surprised,” Sam admitted, “I should have noticed it sooner.”
Kara raised an eyebrow, “Oh really?”
“The way the two of you were always so relaxed in each other’s company, constantly stealing looks at each other, it was actually quite obvious now that I think about it,” Sam smiled.

Before Kara could reply, a female doctor with short brunette hair walked into the room. The doctor was very friendly as she spoke, “We’ve moved him to room 4 just down the hall, you’re welcome to go see him.”
“How is he,” Silver Osprey asked as she stood up.
The doctor smiled, “Why don’t you see for yourself.”

Supergirl and Silver Osprey hurried down the hallway to find the door to room 4 wide open. They went inside and were pleasantly surprised by what they saw.

Brent was fully alert with the head of the hospital bed sitting up. He had on a hospital gown with a pair of black exercise shorts underneath. Unlike when Supergirl and Silver Osprey had found him in the warehouse, Brent showed no signs of the injuries he had sustained from Solar Flare. He had a big grin on his face as he spoke, “What’s the rush, did someone die?”

Sam felt as if a large weight had been lifted off her chest as she walked over to the bed and gave her twin brother a big hug, “I was so worried.”
“It’s okay,” Brent chuckled as he hugged his sister, “Unfortunately, I’m going to pull through.”
“I’m glad you find humor in this,” Kara said as she approached the bed.
“It’s only funny when I live through it, and I have you two to thank for it,” Brent replied as he reached an arm out for the blonde heroine. Kara sat next to him as Brent wrapped his arm around her, drawing her into a group hug.

As the trio broke their embrace, Brent spoke up, “Thank you both for coming after me.”
“You’re welcome,” Kara said as she planted a kiss on the man’s cheek.
“I thought I heard a noise,” a voice called out.

Three heads turned to find Andrew Steele standing in the doorway.

“You know I can’t keep quiet,” Brent said, extending his hand.
“Glad to hear it,” Andrew replied as he shook the offered hand, obviously happy to see his friend was doing well.
Brent turned serious for a moment, “Andrew, after what I’ve just been through, I think we need to discuss my pay rate.”
Andrew thought for a moment, “10 cents an hour and not one cent more.”
“Done,” Brent replied with a big grin.
“Glad to see you still have your sense of humor,” Andrew chuckled, “You’re also healing up nicely I see.”
“A little too nicely, care to explain,” Silver Osprey remarked with heightened curiosity.
“Actually, I think the doctor could explain it better,” Andrew responded.

Right on cue, the cute, short-haired brunette that Kara and Sam had seen earlier walked in the room.

“Sorry to interrupt, but it’s time for the next treatment,” the doctor spoke kindly.
“Supergirl, Silver Osprey, this is Doctor Lisa MacKinsie, she can answer any questions you have,” Andrew explained before nodding to the doctor, signaling that she didn’t have to keep any secrets from the superheroines.
“It would be my pleasure, what would you ladies like to know,” Dr. Mackinsie asked with a warm smile.
“Well doctor,” Silver Osprey spoke up, “How is it that Brent has healed so fast?”
“The answer lies in here,” the doctor said as she pulled a syringe out of her lab coat pocket and handed it to Sam.

The young heroine examined the syringe closely. It contained a blue-colored liquid that seemed to be shining. In fact, it almost looked like the liquid was moving.

Silver Osprey was handing the syringe back when Supergirl asked, “What is that doctor?”
Lisa explained, “Nanites Supergirl, microscopic machines. Once injected into a patient, they travel through the body, via the blood stream, and repair any traumatic injuries they come across.”
Brent was quite relaxed, but his sister was showing concern, “Wait, you just inject him with these machines and they automatically know what to do?”
“Not exactly,” Dr. Mackinsie replied, “When the body suffers traumatic injury, specific chemicals and hormones are released to initiate the healing process. The nanites react to these chemicals so, if there’s not injury, they do nothing. Furthermore, they only last for 20 hours once inside the patient. After that 20 hour mark, the body breaks them down into nutrients. It’s groundbreaking technology, and highly effective.”
“Go for it doc,” Brent spoke up, “I’m anxious to get out of here.”
The doctor nodded and injected the nanites into Brent’s IV line as she spoke, “If you ladies are interested, I can take you to the lab area and you can see how they are made.”
Supergirl spoke up, “I’d like to see that.”
Silver Osprey took a seat on the hospital bed next to her brother, “I think I’ll stay here, but thanks for the offer.”

Dr. Mackinsie nodded in understanding before leading Andrew and Supergirl out of the room. The door closed behind them, leaving the Hunter twins alone.

“What’s up, you look like something’s bugging you,” Brent observed.
Sam surprised her brother with a hug, “I came so close to losing you.”
“Hey, but you didn’t lose me,” Brent reassured her.
“I know, I just wanted to remind my brother of how much I love him,” Sam explained as they broke their hug.
“I love you too sis, we just happen to have lifestyles that put us in danger,” Brent smiled, “And we’re family, worrying comes with the territory.”
Sam relaxed, “I know, it’s just hard sometimes.”
“I know, but you’re a strong woman, and you know that anytime you need to talk about anything, I’ll be there,” Brent replied.
“Thanks for being so supportive, it means a lot,” Sam smiled.
“You’re welcome, Raleigh is in good hands with you around,” her brother replied.

The siblings were interrupted as the door opened and Dr. Mackinsie, Supergirl, and Andrew re-entered the room. Dr. Mackinsie was still talking about the nanites, “…Unfortunately, they are still very expensive. Conventional military forces don’t even have access to them yet. Our primary focus right now is making them easier and more affordable to produce so they can become available to the public.”
“Thanks for the tour doctor, that is some fascinating work you’re doing,” Supergirl replied.
“Thanks you Supergirl, now if you’ll excuse me, I should probably get back to work,” The doctor politely excused herself and exited the room.

Andrew turned to Brent and Sam, “I hope we didn’t interrupt anything.”
“Not at all,” Sam replied as she got up, “But now that you’re here, how’s the food in this hospital, I’m hungry.”
“It’s actually pretty good,” Andrew turned to Brent and Kara, “Want anything?”
“Pizza sounds great,” Brent answered eagerly.
“What he said,” Kara agreed.

Sam and Andrew left for the cafeteria. Now, it was Kara’s turn to be alone with Brent.

“I heard the doctor, but how are you feeling,” Kara asked Brent as she sat next to him.
“Pretty good considering the shape I was in when you brought me here,” Brent smiled.
The blonde heroine smiled back, “Thanks for rescuing me from Solar Flare.”
“Any time,” Brent replied, “And thank you for coming back for me.”
“You’re welcome. Besides,” she leaned in and kissed Brent on the cheek, “I think I want to keep you around.”

Brent hesitated; he had butterflies in his stomach and didn’t know what to say or how to react. An awkward silence ensued as Kara turned her head away and thought, Oh no, I’ve pushed things too fast and now he’s uncomfortable.

Brent was struggling with his own thoughts and emotions, Why are you making this so hard, you know how you feel about her and she obviously feels the same way. Stop being a coward and just tell her.

Brent reached his hand out and Kara felt his gentle touch on her skin tone tight-encased thigh as he spoke, “Kara, I’m… not real sure how to say this…”
Oh please say it, Kara prayed as she looked down.
Brent was still searching for the right words, “I know we’ve been on a few dates, but…”
Kara mentally braced herself for what might come next.
Brent placed a finger under the blonde superheroine’s chin and gently turned her to face him, “Kara…I love you.”

Kara’s eyes met Brent’s as her mind raced trying to figure out if she had heard him right. She felt his hand on the back of her neck and he gently drew her closer. All doubt left Kara’s mind as her lips met Brent’s in a passionate kiss. Kara eagerly returned the gesture as she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around him.

For the first time in weeks, all seemed right with the world.

When their lips finally parted, Kara managed a whisper, “I love you too Brent.”
“You know,” she continued, “For not knowing what to say, you played that very smoothly.”
“Why thank you, but there is one part I’m disappointed with,” Brent admitted.
“And what part is that,” Kara asked with her arms still around him.
Brent smiled, “The fact that it took a supervillain to get me to admit it.”

Kara was about to reply when she and Brent heard giggling from the hall.

Brent was first to call out, “We hear you out there, might as well get in here Sam.”

Sam walked into the room with her hand over her mouth, doing a very poor job of concealing her laughter. Andrew was a half-step behind the grey and black-clad heroine as she pointed to Supergirl, “See, I told you it would take a near-death experience to get him to fess up.”
“True, but it was worth it,” Kara admitted before she kissed Brent again.
Andrew smiled as he spoke up, “About time if you ask me.”
“I’m so glad that you find this amusing,” Brent replied once he and Kara broke their embrace.
Brent continued, “Weren’t you supposed to bring back food?”
“It will be up here in a few minutes,” Andrew answered.
“But since my brother has finally admitted his true feelings, we need to celebrate,” Sam commented with a sly grin.
“I know that look,” Brent spoke, “What are you up to?”
Sam declared, “I’m going to design a superhero costume for you, ‘Agent Man’”
“Abso-fricken-lutely not!” Brent blurted out.
“I don’t know,” Kara piped up, “I think you’d look good in tights.”
“You have got to be kidding me,” Brent remarked, seeing his sister and girlfriend gang up on him, “Andrew, a little help here.”
His friend was standing in the corner trying very hard not to laugh, “One NSA agent versus two superheroines, sorry buddy but they’ve got you beat.”
Brent looked at his sister, “Design all you want, but there’s no way you can make me wear it.”
Kara leaned in, bringing her face inches from Brent’s, “I’ll bet I can change your mind.”
“Not likely. Don’t forget that the first time we met I wound up beating you,” Brent reminded Kara.
A seductive smile came across the blonde’s face, “Sweetie, you really want to test me?”
She felt Brent’s hand on her thigh as he spoke softly, “Bring in on princess.”

Realizing that her bluff had been called, Kara relented, “Later, I won’t take advantage of an injured man.”
“Not yet anyway,” Brent joked.
Sam shook her head, ‘I see where this is going, I know a dysfunctional relationship when I see one.”
Kara never took her eyes off Brent as she wrapped her arms around his neck, “I don’t know, I think we can make it work.”
Brent responded by drawing Kara even closer and the couple lock lips again as Kara thought to herself, Kal’s gonna go crazy when I tell him about this.

Andrew silently motioned to Silver Osprey and the two quietly exited the room, leaving Agent Hunter and Supergirl alone.

THE END


Again I want to extend a big thank you to sgz6 for his help in brainstorming. I also want to thank everyone who left comments and feedback, I hope you all enjoyed this story.

[Blx]

Awesome. I always enjoy your Silver Osprey stories!

[justnorm]

Great Story...Great Ending.... Very nice job... =D>

[Centurion]

Lots of characters to keep track of, but I love it! I like the way your heroines don't just focus on fighting, but also rescue airplanes, firefighters, and stop runaway trains! And the romance developing between the Maid of Might and a certain government agent!

[Guest]

Hey Caniac, well done buddy. So detailed man. Excellent read.

[Centurion]

Great dialogue, too! "It's only funny when I live through it!" Got to remember that one!

[Caniac89]

Thank you so much for the kind words guys.

[Centurion]

You know, I was reading the part where Supergirl recognizes the Osprey, thinking about that distinctive hair of hers, and I thought: what if she starts a fashion trend among the young women of Raleigh so they ALL start dying their hair like that?

[Caniac89]

But then she wouldn't be unique, lol. Besides Osprey's hair isn't dyed, the look is a result of her accident, see the first Silver Osprey story for details.

[Centurion]

Oh yeah, I knew that. I was just thinking... "Silver Osprey is well known for having that white streak in her hair. Samantha Hunter is also well known for having a white streak in her hair. Hmmm...." A whole gaggle of copycats would relieve the problem.