So apparently I decided the best way for me to stress about tomorrow's review was to stress write . . . and of course the chapter all the stress writing occurs for is when all of the emotions happen. Of course. So here's 6.5K words of my stress writing.

Things with the cure go wrong, Team SuperArrow is dealt another huge blow, and many emotional conversations are had.

***

The lights in the medbay were off, allowing Winn and Oliver to sleep without any disturbances. Though Kara wanted more than anything to be by her fiancé, she chose instead to stand in the doorway, chewing her lip nervously, unable to stop worrying. The doses had been given before any horrible symptoms were showing. That meant they were going to be OK.

"Kara?"

Kara turned quickly at her name, and she slumped a bit as Dig walked up to her. "Hey," she said quietly. "They're sleeping."

"Yeah, probably one of the only decent amounts of sleep Oliver's gotten recently, huh?" Dig guessed, stopping by her side.

Kara shrugged absently, her gaze going back to the archer. "He hates hospitals," she remembered from when he had first come to Earth-38. "And he didn't refuse at all to be put in the medbay." She sniffed, angrily reaching up and swiping at her eyes. "It's bad."

"Hey," Dig put a hand on her shoulder. "I've been with Oliver for six years. He's been through a lot. Hell, he survived a sword in the gut. He'll get through this."

Kara nodded, exhaling shakily. "Thanks, John. I know you and Oliver are going through . . . whatever's going on – "

"That doesn't matter right now," Dig shook his head, looking over towards Oliver's bed. "Not while he's like this."

Kara sighed, nodding. "He needs all the support he can get." Her eyes slid to Winn, and tears blurred her vision as she looked at her best friend. "Both of them do."

Dig carefully tugged her into a hug, and she buried her face in his neck. "They'll get through this," he told her. "They're strong."

"Listen to him, little one," Slade's Australian rumble came from behind her, and Kara relaxed as he put a hand on her back, rubbing gently. "They'll pull through."

Kara nodded silently, then took a deep breath and stepped back out of the hug. "Thanks," she said quietly.

"No problem," Dig nodded.

Kara turned to lean into Slade, who put his arm around her comfortingly, and she saw J'onn with him as well. "Hi."

J'onn chuckled. "Hi yourself."

Kara sighed, closing her eyes. "Do you think I'll get through to Pestilence?" she asked suddenly.

J'onn considered. "There's no way of knowing. You just have to try."

Kara made a face. "That's not what Yoda would say."

Slade laughed as Dig rolled his eyes. "'Do or do not.'"

"Yeah, I think it's fair to say he didn't get that one right," Dig smirked.

Kara giggled quietly, and J'onn put a hand on her shoulder. "You know, these days, I don't know what my father will remember," he told her. "I wake up and have the same conversation with him every day. I keep at it because sometimes he remembers we've had that conversation before, and we actually laugh about it. I keep trying. I keep talking so that he can find those moments of clarity and laugh. Just because something's hard doesn't mean it's impossible. You break through impossible every day. You inspire the rest of us to do the same."

Kara smiled. "You're a good son." She reached up for his hand and gave it a squeeze. "And thank you. All of you."

J'onn squeezed her hand back, and Slade kissed the top of her head as Dig gave her a smile.

***

Mon-El walked into the cruiser to see Imra looking through data holograms. "Did you talk to Kara?" he asked.

"Yes," Imra answered, annoyance in her tone. "And she didn't listen to reason."

Mon-El raised an eyebrow. "You didn't tell her the whole story, did you?" Imra pursed her lips and looked down, and Mon-El sighed, walking towards the console. "You keep saying this is a Legion mission, but you made this decision on your own out of vengeance."

Imra scowled, turning the console off. "I'm doing this to save countless lives in the future," she told him. "I'm perfectly capable of keeping my personal feelings out of this."

White hot anger seared through Mon-El as Imra walked past him, seeming to think the conversation was over. "You brought me here!" he snapped, turning and stopping her in her tracks. "You can't keep punishing me for it."

Imra just turned and kept walking, right past Querl and further into the cruiser. The Coluan paused in the doorway, watching her go, then looked at Mon-El. "Are you two having a marital conflict which I should stay out of, or is this a work-related quandary where my intellect might be of use?"

Mon-El groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. Considering they were back in the past where his ex-girlfriend was, himself married and her engaged to be married, he thought he was doing a pretty good job of keeping his personal feelings out of this mission. "Why didn't you tell me about this mission before we came here, Brainy?" he asked tiredly.

"Because you would've never agreed to it," Querl answered, walking further into the room. "To come back."

"How do you know?" Mon-El asked.

"Obviously I ran simulations based off specific emotional behavior data taken from your brain over the last seven years," Querl shrugged. "The results were troubling."

Mon-El abruptly turned and started pacing, hands behind his back. "We took an oath when we formed the Legion," he finally said. "To preserve all that is good and to never harm the innocent. How is this mission in line with that? We should not kill Pestilence." When Querl didn't say anything, Mon-El huffed. "And you're obviously on Imra's side."

"It's not about picking sides, Mon-El," Querl shook his head. "If we kill Pestilence when we find her, there is a 98.459% chance the Blight will never happen. Millions of people will be saved. Now, if we try to rescue the person inside of her in order to defeat her, that chance is reduced to 52.744%."

Mon-El sighed. "Some decisions can't be made with a math equation."

He turned to leave, but stopped when he heard Querl inhale sharply. "Mon-El!" He turned around, surprised to see a panicked look on his friend's face. "Something's happened to Oliver and Winn."

***

Kara had finally pulled herself away from the medbay and was out on the balcony of the D.E.O., arms braced on the railing, leaning her forehead on her clasped hands. She recognized the footsteps approaching her, but she didn't look up. "I don't know what to tell William," she said quietly.

"When the cure works, there won't be anything to tell," Malcolm told her, stopping and leaning on the rail next to her.

"And if it doesn't?" Kara asked bitterly. "I'll have to tell him one of the Worldkillers infected him with a virus that is one hundred percent fatal. Oliver gave up the hood originally so William wouldn't have to worry about losing him, and now William might do it anyway when he wasn't even wearing the hood at all."

"Hey," Malcolm put his arm around her shoulders. "I'm sure people have already told you this, but that's not going to happen, all right? Oliver's going to pull through this. He and Winn both will."

Kara sighed, nodding. "I've heard that a lot, actually."

"If we're all saying it, you should probably listen to us," Malcolm smirked.

Kara smiled. "Maybe."

Malcolm chuckled and squeezed her lightly. "More like definitely."

Kara nodded, but paused when she picked up something with her hearing. "Hang on . . . "

"What?" Malcolm frowned.

Two familiar pained cries rang clearer, and Kara's blood froze. "No," she whispered, pushing herself away from the railing and taking off. "No, no, no, no, no!"

She arrived in the medbay just a few seconds before Mon-El and Querl did, almost tripping over her feet when she found Winn making ugly noises as he spasmed, Oliver's back arched off his bed, both grasping their abdomens in pain. "Just – just a thought," Winn gasped out, James hovering by him as Kara ran to Oliver's side, putting her hand over his, her other hand cupping the back of his head. "I – I don't – don't think the cure is working!"

"Kara," Oliver ground out, eyes squeezed shut.

"I'm here," Kara whimpered, adjusting her hand so Oliver was gripping it tightly with both of his, the rest of the team crashing into the medbay. "I'm right here."

"Oh, my God," Laurel swallowed hard, covering her mouth with both hands.

"Alex, do something!" Slade snapped, pushing through the others to get to the other side of Oliver's bed.

"Working on it!" Alex hurried to Winn's IV line. "Someone get Oliver's?"

"Got it," Lucy moved to check on it.

"Come on, kid," Slade growled quietly, fist clenched as Lucy injected a sedative into the line.

Alex looked up after she finished the same injection, Winn's breathing evening out. "This should keep them stable for now," she said.

"Oh, my God," Felicity repeated Laurel's words in a hushed voice, tears in her eyes.

Dig hastily pushed a chair behind Kara as the Kryptonian collapsed into it, relief clear on her face as she stifled a sob. He put a hand on her shoulder, then looked around the room. "I thought this cure was supposed to work?" he frowned at the Legionnaires.

"So what the hell happened?" Malcolm glared as well.

Querl muttered quickly under his breath, then perked up. "Oh, yes, there it is, I see it now. The cure is designed to cure victims of the Blight, but because Pestilence is not technically the Blight but the forebearer of it, the cure we have needs to be modified to fight her particular strand of virus."

"So what do we have to do to make that happen?" Laurel asked with a scowl as Malcolm paced, a look of irritation on his face.

"We need a piece of Pestilence's DNA," Mon-El answered.

"So if we can't find her, more people could get infected?" Slade's eye narrowed, his voice a dangerous growl.

"Which means that the people already infected," Lucy began.

"Yes, and yes," Querl nodded; behind him, Malcolm slowed his pacing before halting entirely, a horrified look crossing his face. "Finding her as soon as humanly or nonhumanly possible would be – "

There was a crash from behind Kara, and Slade's anger abruptly morphed to concern. "Malcolm!" he barked, moving away from Oliver's side and making Kara's head shoot up.

Malcolm's only respond was a groan of pain as his legs buckled under him. From the table she was sorting medical supplies on, Alex collapsed as well. Slade and Dig moved quicker, grabbing Malcolm before his head hit the table next to him, Alex landing in a heap on the floor. "No!" Laurel screamed as the room burst into movement.

"Alex!" J'onn ran to her, Lucy behind him.

"No, no, no," Kara sobbed, seeming unable to decide who to check on as Laurel dropped to her knees, one hand over her mouth as her other hand found Malcolm's limp one, Slade and Dig carefully easing him to the floor as J'onn and Lucy checked on Alex.

"Imperative," Querl finished unnecessarily.

Kara finally sank to her knees, tears streaming down her face as she cried. Felicity crouched next to her, and the Kryptonian latched onto her immediately, Felicity trying to keep herself together as she looked at the two other team members, Mon-El exchanging helpless looks with Querl.

***

Lucy chewed her lip as she watched the doctors put Alex and Malcolm in beds of their own, then heard footsteps race up the steps. She quickly turned and sighed in relief when she saw who arrived. "Thank God, you made it."

"I tried to get here as fast as I could," Max nodded, looking into the medbay with wide eyes. "This was Pestilence?"

"Yes," Lucy narrowed her eyes angrily. "And we still have no idea who she is, and we need to find out before they die."

Max nodded, seeing Kara anxiously move between Alex, Malcolm, and Oliver's beds, looking one second away from having a breakdown. "How's everyone holding up?" he finally asked.

Lucy shook her head sadly. "Either like Kara or like Slade."

Max noticed Slade pacing, a furious look on his face, and he cleared his throat. "I would not want to be this Worldkiller when they find her."

"I want to be there when they do," Lucy said bluntly. "I want to watch her go down."

Max conceded the point with a nod. "True."

***

Kara's attention was drawn to the horrendous coughing from Alex's bed, and she hurried to her sister's side, seeing her struggle to cover her mouth with her arm. "Hey," she whispered, taking her other hand, J'onn walking over from Winn's bed to see her.

"I should be helping," Alex gasped, inhaling hard.

"You need to rest," J'onn shook his head immediately, putting his hand on her head.

"No," Alex shook her head. "Let me – "

"No," Kara insisted. "We're on it, I promise."

"Alex, whatever you have attacking you, you are stronger than it," J'onn told her. "You are one of the strongest fighters I know. Keep holding on, OK?"

Alex nodded weakly, and Kara bent down and kissed her forehead. A sharp inhale from the bed behind her made her turn, and Malcolm started hacking as well. "Hey," Laurel immediately moved forward, Slade turning from Oliver's bed. "Malcolm, it's OK."

Malcolm continued to cough, groaning as Kara and Slade surrounded him. "How long was I – " he began, cutting off as he coughed again, more violently this time.

"Not long," Slade shook his head, hands in tight fists as Laurel squeezed his hand. "You look like hell."

"I feel like hell," Malcolm admitted, closing his eyes.

"Hey," Laurel swallowed, looking down at him. "You're going to be OK. You hear me? You're gonna be OK."

Malcolm nodded weakly, squeezing her hand with a surprising lack of strength that made her eyes tear up more. "Owe you a conversation, don't I?"

Laurel swallowed hard, nodding jerkily. She pressed a quick kiss to the top of his head before stifling a sob, releasing his hand and all but running from the medbay. "You better hang in there, wizard," Slade gave him a warning look with no heat in it.

"Magician," Malcolm croaked automatically, giving him a small glare.

Slade's mouth quirked in a small smirk before he went after Laurel. Kara finally shuffled forward and put her hand on top of her brother's. "You're gonna get better," she whispered, though she sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than him. "We're gonna get Pestilence."

"I know you will, almas," Malcolm gave her a small smile, squeezing her hand lightly.

Kara nodded, squeezing back and stepping away, and Malcolm shifted to get as comfortable as he could, wincing in pain as he closed his eyes. She covered her mouth, feeling tears sting her eyes as she looked around the medbay. Her fiancé, her brother, her sister, and her best friend, all lying here and dying because of a Worldkiller they had yet to even know the identity of.

Why did life seem to want to make her suffer?

***

Laurel pushed through the D.E.O. agents, so desperate for air that she didn't apologize when she bumped into people. She finally burst out onto the balcony and went to the railing, bracing against it and inhaling greedily, closing her eyes as she tried to keep her tears under control. Oliver and Winn had been bad enough . . . but Pestilence was this close to taking Alex and Malcolm from them, too.

"Siren!" Slade's voice behind her called.

Laurel ducked her head. "Leave me alone!" she tried to call back, internally cursing when her voice broke.

"I don't think it's a good idea for either of us to be alone right now," Slade shook his head, walking up behind her, keeping a small amount of distance between them. "We might go on a suicide mission after Pestilence ourselves."

"I'm down for it," Laurel seethed, opening her eyes and glaring out at National City. "If it means screaming in that bitch's ear, I'll gladly do it."

"She could infect us," Slade reminded her.

"Then she can infect me!" Laurel exploded, whipping around to glare at him through her tears. "At least I'd know I was able to kill her before – !"

She broke off before she could say another word, and she clenched her jaw, turning back around. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. There was silence from Slade before he spoke quietly. "Before Malcolm dies, right?"

"Shut up," Laurel whispered.

"That's what you were going to say, isn't it?"

"I said shut up!"

"You're not the only one hurting because he's infected!" Slade growled, eye flashing. "That's both of my brothers in there now, and you don't think I want to go out there with anything that could put Pestilence six feet under?"

"Maybe I'm not the only one hurting," Laurel glared at him. "But if any of them die? How many of you can say that his death would hurt the most?"

"Losing any of them would hurt like hell," Slade ground out. "But I'm aware that I don't care for any of them like you care for Malcolm."

Laurel laughed bitterly. "Slade – "

"Don't even try to lie," he shook his head. "You don't need to do it with me. Not when Malcolm's lying back there fighting for his life. You love him, Laurel. Don't you?"

She swallowed hard. "Yes," she finally whispered, covering her mouth to cover a sob. Slade crossed the remaining distance, and Laurel moved to hug him tightly, crying into his shoulder, her arms tight around his neck. "Oh, my God, what are we gonna do?"

"We'll save him," Slade promised, squeezing her. "We'll save all of them. And then Pestilence is going to pay. You hear me?"

Laurel nodded jerkily, a whimper coming from her throat as she kept crying. Slade shushed her quietly, kissing the top of her head, letting her get her emotions out.

Neither of them noticed Dig swallow and back away from where he had been watching on the stairs.

***

"Holy frickity frack!"

The startled yelp from just outside the breaching room made those gathered to see Jesse Wells off back to Earth-2 look at each other in surprise. "Cisco?" Barry called in concern, Harry and Jesse exchanging looks.

"OK," Cisco ran into the room, panting. "Who has checked their phones in the last minute or so?"

"None of us," Iris said slowly, gesturing to Jesse behind them.

"Check them," Cisco held up his phone. "Now."

"What?" Caitlin frowned, though she did as he said, the others doing the same. "What's – " She cut off with a gasp, hand over her mouth. "Oh, my God!"

Barry's eyes were wide in horror when he read the message from Dig: The third Worldkiller appeared. Winn, Oliver, Malcolm, and Alex have all been infected by her. "Oh, no."

"We need to get over there," Caitlin shoved her phone back into her pocket.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking," Cisco nodded.

"Dad?" Jesse asked as Harry swallowed hard, putting his phone back in his pocket, too. "What's going on?"

"It's a long story, Jesse, but Allen's friends in another universe, Earth-38, they need our help," Harry answered quickly as Barry sped off and quickly returned with duffels, distributing them across the team.

Jesse frowned. "Earth-38 . . . that's the universe you said – "

"Lena," Harry nodded, clearing his throat. "Yes, that's where she lives."

Jesse took a deep breath. "OK . . . better hope Earth-2 can survive without me a little longer." She shouldered her bag, a determined look on her face. "I'm coming, too."

Harry blinked. "You're sure?"

"Dad, you like this woman," Jesse gave him a look. "I'm meeting her and helping at the same time. Yeah, I'm sure."

"Great," Cisco gestured impatiently. "Can we go kick this Worldkiller's ass now? And save Kara's team while we're at it?"

"I'll let you know if anything comes up," Iris quickly kissed Barry. "Go."

"Do it, Cisco," Barry ordered.

Cisco opened a breach, and Barry grabbed him and Caitlin and sped them through, Jesse following with Harry a split second after.

***

A bitter chuckle came from Winn's bed, and James turned to look at him, seeing him look down at the scar on his hand. "I can't even."

"What's going on?" James asked, walking closer.

"No, it's just ironic," Winn scowled. "After twenty years, I finally make peace with my mom . . . and then I get infected by Pestilence."

"You're gonna get better," James told him confidently.

"Maybe," Winn huffed. "Dude, I was attacked by a Worldkiller. There's no cure."

"Hey, don't go there," James shook his head, pulling up a chair to his side. "Winn, you cannot think like that, brother."

"It's just . . . " Winn made a helpless gesture. This is just making me reflect on my life." He sighed, turning his head to look at him. "You know what? After we reconnected, my mom and I . . . I hadn't realized, like, so much of my baggage was tied into her abandoning me. Like, all my life, I never felt like I deserved anything. But you know what? I have done great despite circumstances. I made some true friendships." He sniffled, looking at James as he sniffed, too. "That has been the best part of my life. And now I can finally let myself imagine what I'd do if I could do anything. Like, if I could really be anything. Like, I could be the next Steve Jobs! Or I could make a rocket for NASA. I can build human transportation to another planet, show Elon Musk how it's done." James choked on a mixture between laughter and tears. "Like, I'm ready!" Winn sobbed, eyes glassy. "And I think it might be too late!"

"You are gonna do everything that you want," James declared, reaching over and taking Winn's hands in both of his. He squeezed tightly, and Winn gave him a small smile. James nodded jerkily, then rubbed a hand down his face, standing quickly. "Get some rest."

"Yeah," Winn mumbled, taking a deep breath as James left.

***

A change in breathing from Oliver's bed made Kara look up from where she had buried her face in her hands. "Kara," he croaked, groaning in pain.

"Hey, don't talk," Kara scooted her chair closer. When that wasn't enough, she moved to sit on the side of the bed, slipping her hand into both of Oliver's. "Save your strength."

"Need to talk," Oliver shook his head, taking a deep breath, cutting it short with a cough. "Kara . . . William and Evelyn – "

"No," Kara shook her head wildly, already guessing what he was about to say, and she didn't want to hear those words at all. "Oliver – "

"They need to know," Oliver told her, shaking his head from side to side, wincing with the motion. "Kara, please . . . you have to tell them."

"Oliver," she begged, voice breaking.

"I believe in you, I really do," he told her. "But they need to know what's happening. You have to tell them, and look out for them." He squeezed suddenly, and Kara gasped at the strength he gripped with. "Kara – "

"I will," she finally nodded, squeezing back and resting her chin on top of their joined hands. "I promise. I'll bring them here."

Oliver exhaled slowly. "Thank you."

Her throat clogged by tears, Kara nodded jerkily in response, then leaned down and kissed him. Oliver kissed her back, using one of his hands to run his fingers through her hair when he felt her tears land on his face. "I love you," he whispered.

Kara made a strangled noise in response. "I love you, too," she managed to say before she kissed him again and all but ran from the medbay, tears streaming down her face.

She made it to the stairs when she heard a familiar sizzle behind her. She spun around and watched with wide eyes as a breach swirled into existence, then Barry sped out with Caitlin and Cisco. "Kara!" he called, then caught sight of inside the medbay, and he froze in shock. "Oh, my God!"

Kara finally let out an ugly sob, her legs giving out from under her. Barry and Caitlin ran for her at the same time, Cisco covering his mouth in horror as Harry and a brunette girl came from the breach last, the three of them watching Barry and Caitlin try and comfort the hysterical Kryptonian, Imra watching from the other side of the level, tears of her own staining her cheeks.

***

Dig found Slade in one of the training rooms, and he winced, swearing he could feel the waves of anger rolling off the Australian as he sliced through the dummies set up. "I'd offer to spar if I wasn't certain you'd gut me during it," he said after knocking on the door.

"It's not you I want to gut," Slade ground out, viciously stabbing the last dummy in front of him.

"Yeah," Dig nodded, narrowing his eyes. "What I would give to have a gun that could actually work on a Worldkiller."

"We're of the same mind there," Slade nodded curtly, pulling his sword free and walking to place it on the bench against the wall. He growled lowly, bracing a hand on the wall as he tried to regain even breaths, then he chuckled darkly. "I wonder if this is how they felt."

"Who felt?" Dig frowned.

"The island," Slade answered, clenching his other hand in a fist. "When I was dying, I wonder if this is how desperate and lost Oliver and Shado felt . . . all to try and find some way to save my life." He shook his head, chuckling bitterly. "What I wouldn't do to have a miraculous cure right now."

Dig watched him for a few seconds, then took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

Slade paused, turning to look at him. "What?"

"What I said during the psychic attack," Dig elaborated, walking further into the room. "And after everything that's happened today . . . Winn, Oliver, Alex . . . Malcolm . . . " He exhaled slowly. "Yeah, I have trust issues with the three of you, I don't think that's a secret."

"You could have fooled me," Slade rolled his eye sarcastically.

"But that's also my fault for not trying to see past what we've been through on opposite sides," Dig told him. "There's been too much bad blood, especially involving you and Malcolm, that I let it continue to taint my vision for a long time. You were right, we've barely worked together at all, or even had a decent conversation."

"That's not just your fault, John," Slade told him.

"Yeah, but I probably wouldn't have been the kindest if you tried to have one," Dig shook his head. "But after seeing how you and Laurel reacted to Oliver's infection . . . after Malcolm collapsed . . . " He took a deep breath. "I was gonna say something to both of you, but you were already out on the balcony when I found you."

Slade sighed, closing his eye. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough to know I was out of line," Dig answered. "I never really believed it until Pestilence attacked. Yeah, Siren isn't the Laurel I knew . . . but that's what makes her who she is. And I saw the man Oliver told me about from Lian Yu when you were standing with him and Malcolm. I believe it now." He walked forward, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry for not believing it sooner," he sincerely said, holding out his hand.

Slade considered, then reached out and shook his hand. "Apology accepted." He tilted his head. "I don't suppose you've made up your mind?"

"I have," Dig nodded, a determined glint in his eyes. "I've been with Oliver this far. I'm not gonna let a suit or a grudge stop me. I'm staying."

A vicious smile formed on Slade's face. "That's good to hear."

***

"He's what?!" William's eyes were wide as he stared at Kara, Evelyn dropping her water glass in shock as she registered Kara's words.

She swallowed hard and nodded shakily, sitting down across from William. "The third Worldkiller, Pestilence, infected him," she explained, trying to keep her voice from wobbling; she was failing miserably. "He and Winn were sick first."

"And then Malcolm and Alex?" Evelyn whispered, bending down to pick up the pieces of glass to distract herself.

"Yes," Kara nodded. Evelyn hissed suddenly, and Kara quickly stood when she saw Evelyn had cut her hand on one of the pieces. "Here," she sped and got a towel, handing it to Evelyn.

She took it with trembling hands, trying to calm her breathing as Kara picked up the glass instead. "It's just . . . " She hiccupped, covering her mouth. "He just gave me a chance to get better, and now he's . . . they're – "

"I know," Kara nodded, placing the glass down and helping her stand, moving to where William was still sitting frozen on the couch. "It's hard." She swallowed, sitting down between them and putting her arms around them both. "We're working as hard as we can," she vowed. "We're going to find Pestilence, and we're going to get a cure. We're gonna save them and everyone in the city who got infected. I promise."

William swallowed hard, looking up at her. "Can I see him?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," Kara nodded, tugging him closer. William curled into her side, tucking his head under hers, and Kara kissed the top of his head, arm tight around him. "Yeah. I told him you would."

Evelyn shifted uncomfortably, and Kara silently reached out an arm for her, too. Evelyn gratefully collapsed against her, and Kara brought her into a hug, too. "Both of you can."

***

Lena swallowed back tears when she saw the dozens of messages she had from everyone at the D.E.O., keeping everyone updated on what was happening with Pestilence. Taking a deep breath and clearing her throat, she turned to where Sam was sitting on the bed waiting for her. "Ready?" she asked.

Sam took one last sip of water, then leaned back on the bed, closing her eyes.

***

When she opened them, she was shivering behind a tree in the dark valley. "Why would you hide from me?" Reign's voice echoed behind her. "Now that you've seen what you can be, the power you can have."

Reign was suddenly by her, and Sam gasped, recoiling immediately. "I don't want it!" she told her. "You're nothing but a cancer. I know you think you're gonna escape and take control, but my friend and I are gonna stop you."

Reign blurred, and Sam gasped as Reign grabbed her by the throat and lifted her. "Just wait and see what your defiance will cost you," she sneered. "I will turn your world into ash . . . especially her." Sam blinked in confusion, and Reign smirked. "Your heart, your strength . . . I will kill Ruby, burn her, cut her inside out."

"No!" Sam screamed, squeezing her eyes shut.

***

Lena hastily turned off the forcefields and ran into the containment unit as Sam shot upright, still screaming. "Stop, stop, stop!" she grabbed her by the shoulders.

"No," Sam whimpered, tears filling her eyes.

"It's OK," Lena shushed her. "Hey, hey."

"She said she was gonna kill Ruby," Sam sobbed.

"No," Lena shook her head at once. "No, she can't kill her. Ruby's safe."

"Did you find the trigger?" Sam asked.

"No," she admitted.

"Then Ruby is not safe," Sam shook her head. "We need to stop Reign."

"That is what we are doing, Sam," Lena told her.

"We need to get some help," Sam sniffed. "Before we started this, Alex was trying to figure out what was wrong with me. Or maybe Supergirl? You can call Supergirl. You can – you can find her, right?"

"Sam," Lena swallowed hard. "They know."

"They know?" Sam repeated, eyes wide.

"They know," Lena nodded. "But something's happening out in the city, and they can't be here to help right now." Sam whimpered, and Lena squeezed her shoulders. "But they trust me to help you, OK?"

"There's no one else?" Sam's voice cracked.

Lena opened her mouth to respond, then heard the elevator behind her open. Sam gasped and curled up in a ball, and Lena stood up straight, turning around to glare at whoever dared to disturb her. Harry took one step out of the elevator, saw what was going on, and raised his hands in a non-threatening gesture. Lena's breath left her in a rush, and she hurried out of the containment unit towards him. "Thank God."

"I checked in at the D.E.O. then came here," Harry explained, hugging her when she reached him. "Thought you could use what help you could get."

"Definitely," Lena nodded, taking a deep breath. "Whatever you can help with."

"Anything," Harry promised.

Lena took a deep breath, kissing his cheek gratefully, then walked back towards Sam, who was watching with wide eyes. "Sam, do you remember Harry from Kara's engagement party?" she gestured to him.

"Yes," Sam nodded, managing a smile. "Kara and I teased you about him."

"Right," Lena cleared her throat. "We got a lot of teasing afterwards, actually."

"Seriously, a lot," Harry nodded.

"But we're gonna solve this," Lena told her. "And we are not gonna let Reign hurt Ruby."

Sam's eyes flicked to Harry, who nodded. "Trust us," he told her.

Sam swallowed and nodded, and Lena nodded back.

***

When Kara flew William and Ruby into the D.E.O., she led them right towards the medbay, only to stop in her tracks when Caitlin and Max walked, speaking in quiet tones, Caitlin's face full of worry. "Caitlin?" she asked nervously. "Max?"

Both looked at her, and Max sighed. "Kara."

"What happened?" William asked, eyes wide.

Caitlin swallowed. "We had to sedate them," she answered. "All four of them."

"They were coughing nonstop," Max explained, seeing Kara's face drain of color. "I'm sorry, but they're knocked out."

William made a whimpering noise that made Kara tug him tighter to her. "Are we able to see them?" Evelyn asked in a small voice.

Max and Caitlin exchanged looks, then Max nodded. "I'll keep an eye on them," he told Kara.

"OK," Kara took a deep breath, then turned William and Evelyn to her, crouching down in front of them. "We'll fix this," she told them. "I promise."

Evelyn bit her lip and nodded, then hurried past Max into the medbay. William looked at Kara, swallowing hard. "Get her," he begged. "Don't let her get away with this."

"Oh, William," Kara hugged him tightly, closing her eyes. "We'll get her. Oliver's gonna be OK."

"I can't lose him," his muffled voice told her.

Kara squeezed him tighter. "You won't," she vowed. "He once told me there was nothing he wouldn't do for me." She pulled back, looking into his eyes. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for him, either."

William took a deep breath, then nodded. He headed into the medbay as well, and Max nodded at Kara. "Go get her," he said.

Kara nodded back, and Max followed William into the medbay. The boy went right to Oliver's side, Evelyn hovering by Malcolm's. Kara's gaze swept over everyone inside, then set her jaw and headed for the stairs, Caitlin hurrying after her. "What are you gonna do?" she asked.
"Try things my way first," Kara answered tightly.

"And then?"

"We'll see how that goes."

Caitlin gulped, not used to seeing this side of Kara at all. Still, she took a deep breath as they made it to the ground level. "They're going downhill," she reported.

"With all the information we have, we have to be able to find something," Kara looked around.

"Well, we're doing the best we can here," Querl told her.

"We've followed all of them on security footage when they were at City Hall, assuming they ran into Pestilence, but they spent sixty percent of the time in blind spots," Felicity said miserably.

"It's like they were trying to evade cameras," Querl nodded.

"What about Adelaide?" Slade asked.

"We followed her like the others on every camera we could find in the city," Cisco shook his head.

"Didn't reveal any suspects," J'onn said grimly.

Kara frowned. "What about social media?"

Querl blinked. "Social what?"

Mon-El cleared his throat as Felicity spun around to type rapidly on her keyboard, Cisco pouncing on another computer to do the same. "In this time, a generation called millennials would share their whereabouts with family, friends, and complete strangers on the Internet," he explained. "It's a short-lived trend."

Querl frowned. "Sounds delusional."

"Guessing we're not introducing him to the group chat," Barry mumbled under his breath.

"Your what?" Jesse blinked.

"Here!" Felicity cried, and everyone was immediately by her. "Twenty-four hours before her death, she brought cookies to a mobile flu unit at City Hall."

"That doesn't tell us anything," J'onn frowned. "She works there."

"Wait," Kara pointed on the screen. "Look who's behind her. That's that doctor. She was talking with everyone at City Hall. If she was there twenty-four hours earlier, she must have infected the mayor and everyone else. I'm sure of it."

"I didn't see her with them in the security footage," Querl frowned.

"But you said there were blind spots," Mon-El reminded him.

"She's Pestilence," Kara declared. "She has to be."

"Finally," Laurel's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Here we are," Cisco called, pulling up a profile on the screens. "Dr. Grace Parker: first in her class at Metropolis University School of Medicine, now practices emergency surgery at National City General."

"She's a doctor," Kara whispered. "She heals people for a living."

"You can get through to her," Mon-El told her.

Kara took a deep breath. "We're not gonna make the same mistake we made with Julia."

"Is she still at the hospital?" Dig asked.

Querl examined his tablet, then blinked. "Actually, according to a simple scan of security cameras throughout the city, it seems she entered the Silvermine Health Insurance building five minutes ago."

"I'm going," Kara said at once.

"I'll come with you," Mon-El nodded in agreement.

Slade and Dig exchanged looks, then both turned. "You're taking us, too," Slade said.

"The three of us," Laurel lifted her chin.

Kara stopped and opened her mouth, then abruptly shut it and walked over. Every second they wasted was precious time Oliver, Winn, Malcolm, and Alex no longer had. "Fine," she took the backs of Slade's and Laurel's suits, taking off.

Mon-El grabbed Dig and took off, and Barry turned to Caitlin and Cisco. "I'm – "

"Go!" both urged.

"Yep," Barry disappeared in a flash of lightning.

Querl watched them go, then took a deep breath and turned his comms on.

***

"Imra, they found her."

Imra's eyes hardened when she heard Querl's voice, and she turned on her heel determinedly, walking to suit up.

At long last, Pestilence was going to die.

***

If any of you have yet to know why my nickname is "Miss Moffat," it's because Steven Moffat had way too much fun with feels and emotions in Doctor Who even before he was the showrunner. I was compared to Moffat often for what I did in my Doctor Who books . . . I think I can safely say I have earned that title with this chapter, too.

But hey, at least Dig's staying with Team Arrow! That's something to smile about!

Next chapter will round out "Of Two Minds."