Victory Stands On The Back Of Sacrifice

"Now I need your help." Lena had never seen Supergirl like that. She was tensed, visibly nervous and uncomfortable. She thought that it was probably something serious.

"Of course, anything!"

Supergirl looked Lena dead in the eyes and Lena fought the urge to take a step back and shiver. There was something heavy in her gaze that Lena can't put a word to.

"I need help finding your mother."

That... she wasn't expecting.

"My mother?" She huffed out a laugh.

There was a heavy, long pause that unnerved Lena even more than the look on Supergirl's face.

"Your mother... is behind CADMUS. She's their leader."

Lena's stomach dropped.

"You're lying." Her voice is low and cold.

"I wish I was." Supergirl almost whispered. "But she kidnapped me and now she possesses a virus that can wipe out the whole alien population in National City." The hero stepped closer to Lena, placing her hands on Lena's shoulders, looking her in the eyes. "I need you to help me. Help all those innocent lives!"

The two stood in a starring contest for what felt like hours when Lena growled out, "get. Out."

*****

Lena stared at the almost empty bottle of ridiculously expensive whiskey, as she mulled over what Supergirl said about her mother.

Lillian wasn't saint. Supergirl was right, she was cold and harsh and Lena would shudder every time she'd think about her childhood and some separate moments that were forever engraved in her brain. She remembered all the harsh words and actions the woman directed at her and Supergirl's words didn't seem that far from the truth.

She didn't want to believe it. She still wanted to hope that the woman that raised her, wasn't as bad as other people thought she was. Or as Lena knew she could be.

Maybe it was the haze of the alcohol or her finally accepting what she knew for years, but she decided to 'agree' to help Lillian and see what she'd find.

*****  

Lena felt like a complete fool when she walked through the labs of CADMUS with her mother as the woman showed her the projects, the weapons, explaining their plans and what they wanted to achieve.

And all those words, menacing smiles, the cold tone sent shiver down Lena's spine, making her stomach tie itself in knots from disgust and primal fear.

That continued for a week. Lena would help with small things, small projects. She suspected it was to test her. And she saw all the scrutinizing looks. All of them waiting for her to show that she was a spy. But no one knew that Lena was there. She was avoiding Kara and Supergirl, doing this whole 'investigation' on her own.

Soon, she started to work with the virus Supergirl told her about. She was working on creating the missile for now, they didn't let her to the virus-creating itself, but she had seen some of the schemes and she already had some ideas of how to destroy it, but she needed the full access. She hoped she'd be given it soon.

*****  

"Lena." She turned from her work to look at Lillian.

"Yes?"

"Come." Was the order, said in a tone that didn't expect disagreement.

She followed.