A Million Reasons | K. Danvers ✔

[60] One Moment

• July 02, 2017 (Explosion in Metropolis Trade Center) •

One moment is enough to change a lot of things.

In one moment, a heart can stop beating, a life can end and a terrible loss can be inflicted on a family. In one moment, a whole building can blow up, leaving hundreds of people dead, injured, pained or destroyed.

One moment can flip the entire world upside down for anyone. One moment's destruction can easily dissolve a million reasons for someone's existence. 

And that's what the scariest part is about life. There is no confirmation of what the next moment would bring.

Zach had no idea that in one moment everything around him would go up in flames and it would change everything in his life.

He had gone to pick Ava up from her office so the two could have lunch together and he would tell her about the mail he had received from the International Olympic Committee to inform him about his qualification for the World Championships. He wanted to tell Ava first because she had played a vital role in motivating him and helping him to achieve his dream.

He had thought of inviting the rest of their friends over for lunch too but before that he had gone to the Metropolis Trade Center, knowing that it would be break time for the office workers so that he could tell Ava himself.

And that one moment in which he was talking to Ava on the phone while she had gone out for lunch with her colleagues, a devastating plot had been set into motion.

He hadn't even completed his sentence when a thunderous blast echoed through the building, shaking its very foundation. Zach had stumbled, smoke and splatters of red and orange blocking his vision and the only sounds he could hear were screams.

His ears were ringing from the noise and he tried to get up, hand searching for the phone that had slipped. Ava's voice had faded in the clamor and all the flaming hues had started to turn dark.

A crushing weight fell over him and the darkness increased, pain shooting up in his body as a scorching heat started to close in. It had all happened so fast that he couldn't even get time to process whether the building had exploded or whether the chaos was due to a seismic collapse.

In just one moment, the entire scene in front of him had flipped.

The lobby of the Metropolis Trade Center was filled with screams, painful cries and intense heat while his eyes were dropping shut, unable to fight against the pain. He couldn't move due to the heavy load on top of him, his brain was shutting down so he couldn't guess what had just happened.

All he knew was that he might not be able to make it through the disaster that had just struck.

He was indeed an exceptionally optimistic person but right then there were no silver linings he could grasp. The only thing he could feel was half his body getting crushed under an unbearable weight and the other half burning up due to the flames spreading everywhere.

The only thing he could do was close his eyes, praying for the pain to stop.

Perhaps his end had come. Perhaps that was how his life's story was written; for him to get so close to achieving his dreams yet never be able to do so.

To finally get everything he wanted in his life but then fate intervened to take him away from it all in the rapid change of just one moment.

And as his eyes fell shut, a painful realization struck him; if his life came to an end just then, he might never be able to see his family and friends again. His parents, Ava, Kara, Luke, Connor and everyone else that he had known would have to suffer his loss yet there was nothing he could do about it.

In such crucial moments that concerned life and death, man was nothing short of helpless.

The only thing he could see was a darkness that reminded him of an end to his whole life painted with colorful pictures and memories.

But considering the pain and the heat as well as the unbearable noise of the screams all around, an end could probably be the best he could hope for. An end could probably be the only way for the pain to stop as well.

***

Kara Danvers or rather Supergirl knew what it was like to battle in the jaws of death for the sake of justice. She knew what it was like to risk herself in order to protect the innocent citizens who got caught up in the destruction unleashed by evil minds.

She also knew that it was impossible to save everyone and taking the guilt of those who still perished would only stop her from saving more people.

But seeing someone she held dear being among those people who she couldn't save was even worse than she had ever imagined.

Seeing Zach among those who had suffered terribly from the explosion made her heart stop as well. 

"Kara, we have to get him to the hospital," a familiar voice shook her out of the helpless shock that had gripped her and she blinked to be able to see through the tears that had welled up in her eyes.

Mon-El was removing the debris that had collapsed over Zach and two others. It was a heavy chunk of the upper floor's slab that had collapsed right on top of them and the weight was enough to crush them to death.

"Supergirl, snap out of it!" His voice was louder then and she flinched, trying to control the turmoil within her, "it's not just Zach who's injured. There are many more people who need help. The paramedics are waiting outside, take him there and then come back. I'll handle the rest."

The entire Young Justice as well as Superman were busy putting out the fire and removing the debris to take out the people crushed underneath. The explosion had been massive as it had made the entire building collapse so there were very few survivors.

She helped in removing the debris but it was taking a lot of will from her to keep herself steady. "Is he..."

"Yes, he's alive," Mon finally removed the last large piece that was crushing Zach, "the other two aren't."

With Mon's help, she was able to lift Zach out from the pile of debris and ash. Blood covered him and it was evident that his left side had been terribly damaged. He wasn't conscious but she could hear the faint sound of his heart still thumping, struggling to survive despite the heavy injuries.

He needed to be taken to the hospital immediately and so did all others who had been injured in the blast.

At that moment, she was Supergirl and not Kara Danvers. She had to think about everyone who she had to save along with the Young Justice. And in order to do that, she had to keep a clear head.

Repeating that thought over and over to herself, she carefully took him out to the paramedic vans where all the survivors were being brought up. Families had gathered up outside the building and the scene was terrible to see them trying to push through and make sure that their loved ones had survived.

But she couldn't stay even a second longer though she did spot Ava and her parents in the crowd, the girl in tears as she was being held by her equally shocked mother.

She wanted to go to her and hug her tightly but knew that her duty came first and there was a lot to take care of. So with a heavy heart, she went back to the destructed building where her team was working to get the rest of the people out.

Deep down she hoped that Zach would reach the hospital on time and it wouldn't be too late for him to survive. She might not be an optimistic person but she would hold onto that hope even if it was the last thing she had to do.

***