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Published:
2020-04-07
Completed:
2020-06-09
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1,847
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5/5
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Dark

Summary:

Tales from the Darkest Timeline. Chapter One is an index of each piece, including descriptions and featured characters.

Chapter 1: Index

Notes:

An index of the ficlets to be found here.

Chapter Text

The Things She Feels- Lena
"Where were you when my brother blew my helicopter out of the sky? When my mother dragged my broken body to a laboratory and experimented on me instead of fixing me?"

Dark - Brainy and Lena
"Lena took Brainy and aligned him. Now he has no emotions and does whatever she says."

Cracks - Lena and Brainy
"Querl Dox is efficient, astute, logical; he’s clever, cool-headed; he’s obedient. He is a thing of beauty now, since Lena’s set him free, and as she watches him reviewing various monitors she slowly smiles. It’s taken time to get here, but it has been worth her efforts."

But if the Light is Left in You - Nia and Brainy, with Alex and Kelly
"Nia smooths Brainy’s hair, his head resting in her lap… she doesn’t know what will happen when he wakes; who he will be."

Chapter 2: The Things She Feels

Summary:

"Where were you when my brother blew my helicopter out of the sky? When my mother dragged my broken body to a laboratory and experimented on me instead of fixing me?" A tale from the Darkest Timeline.

Notes:

Welcome back to the darkest timeline, apparently the only place I write Lena. This came to me rather unexpectedly, but it was interesting to venture into this world again. Each paragraph marks a passage of time. This was written for the “what is this feeling” prompt for elmayarafest.

Chapter Text

Supergirl.

She lays strapped to the hospital bed though there is no escape; her body is broken. She would not make it out of this room. Some of the damage was done in the crash, but some… Her mother has set up a television; apparently it’s meant to be a treat, so Lena watches Supergirl save a train full of people from going off the tracks and feels…

She can taste the salt of her tears. Her entire body feels like a pulsing bruise; aching, raw, cracked open. Her mother calls it progress; for Lillian it’s science and what does it matter if for Lena it’s torture? On the television, the mayor of National City unveils a statue of Supergirl, bright and beaming. She is there, smiling, oblivious… Lena swallows hard. Maybe she does know. Maybe she can hear Lena scream as her own mother tears her to pieces, but she doesn’t come… why should she come for a Luthor? She looks at the smiling face on the television and feels…

She has a kryptonite core in her chest; it’s the newest prototype and it burns. She can’t keep food down and wonders if it’s poisoning her. Is this how it feels for you? Supergirl struggles against a horde of alien invaders on the news; a false god bleeding; a failure; a fraud. Her lip curls with disgust and she feels…

She’s finally free… Lillian Luthor lays dead at her feet and Lena is free. The television sparks, broken on the floor; there will be no news of Supergirl today. When Lena is done, there will be no more news of Supergirl at all… No more lies about help and compassion. You had none for me. No more otherworldly catastrophes. I will not allow it. No more harm. I will keep them safe… You are no savior, Supergirl. I see you. Her fingers brush the kryptonite core in her chest. She has thought of this moment for so long and now, at last, her plans are coming to fruition… Sparing one last glance at the corpse of her mother, Lena walks towards the doors, and for the first time in years Lena feels…

Hope.

Chapter 3: Index

Summary:

"Lena took Brainy and aligned him. Now he has no emotions and does whatever she says." A tale from the Darkest Timeline.

Notes:

Have some darkest timeline suffering. I’m curious about a lot of things and tried to sort some of them out here while eating breakfast and getting ready for work. Hopefully it fits. I just have a lot of feelings, and now y’all can suffer them too. ;-;

Chapter Text

Everything aches… he feels sick, nauseous; he swallows hard and slowly opens his eyes but immediately wishes he hadn’t. He tries to shift and winces as dampener cuffs dig into his wrists.

He remembers (his mind feels so slow)… covering Supergirl and Nia’s escape… Nia was bleeding- Reign had- had slashed dagger like nails across her face… Nia from Naltor who wanted to do good… why would they hurt her…? Why would anyone want to hurt her…?

His breath catches and he tilts his head up.

“You’re awake.” Lena says softly. She sits watching him. “Querl Dox… Brainiac 5… Friend to Supergirl.”

“I don’t know where she is, so this is futile.” His dark eyes hold her gaze, expecting anger, rage… instead there is calm. Calm doesn’t bode well. He takes a slow breath as he feels the first inkling of fear, like ice sliding down his spine.

“The image inducer’s clever. I’ve been examining the technology while you were unconscious.”

“You mean stealing it?”

“It certainly improves your appearance.” She’s a monster and her words shouldn’t sting, but Brainy’s lips press together all the same. She approaches and Brainy nearly flinches as she touches one of the inhibitors on his forehead. “Now these are interesting… What do they do?”

“They are a part of me.”

“But not all Coluans have them, do they?” She taps the center one and again he fights the impulse to recoil. His head is pounding. “Is it because you’re a Brainiac?”

Yes.

“No.”

“I’m glad you’re here, Brainiac 5… I have so many plans for you.”

He tries to focus on potential routes of escape as best he can, but the dampeners and what he is certain are drugs in his system are making it difficult to form reliable calculations…

“Lena…”

“We need a clean slate though.”

The nausea is rising again.

“Lena, whatever you’re thinking-”

“I have a theory I’d like to test.” Her voice is almost doting and it makes his skin crawl. “I think you could be an incredible ally. You just need the proper motivation. You’re so tied up in all that evil… Querl, I’m going to set you free.”

Everything burns as electricity pulses through him; his teeth gnash together and he feels his nails cut into his palms. It stops and he gasps for air, shaking all over. He knows something now, with almost 100% certainty…

“Don’t do this… Lena…”

She leans in, examining the inhibitors again before digging a tool beneath one and violently tearing it away. He gasps, almost cries out-

“I’m helping you. You’ll see. Everything’s going to be wonderful.”

Then the voltage hits again; higher this time, and his muscles all seem to lock as his synapses fire faster than he’s ever perceived. He can’t bite back the cry of pain that escapes him, and slumps forward when it ends, panting.

Hold on… “Supergirl will come…” just hold on…

“She never came for me.” Lena hisses, tearing the second inhibitor from his head.

Another wave of voltage hits and everything goes dark.

Chapter 4: Cracks

Summary:

"Querl Dox is efficient, astute, logical; he’s clever, cool-headed; he’s obedient. He is a thing of beauty now, since Lena’s set him free, and as she watches him reviewing various monitors she slowly smiles. It’s taken time to get here, but it has been worth her efforts."

Notes:

TW: This has some dark implications that are somewhat off brand from what I normally write, namely dubious consent. This fic takes place in the Supergirl Darkest Timeline, so Querl is not himself or in a place to give consent, and I’m exploring Lena’s need for control and power, but also a desire to be loved, in said timeline, in the form of a kiss. I’ve purposely constructed it so it can be read in different ways- maybe bad for Brainy, or disappointing for Lena. I choose the latter, given she is an authoritarian dictator that literally brainwashed Querl and, as I’ve written it, violently removed his inhibitors without his consent, before he was ready. Thanks to Rachel for reading 87 versions of the ending, while I tried to sort it out, and for digging this image up, that was exactly what I wanted to evoke when Lena kisses Querl.

Chapter Text

Querl Dox is efficient, astute, logical; he’s clever, cool-headed; he’s obedient. He is a thing of beauty now, since Lena’s set him free, and as she watches him reviewing various monitors she slowly smiles. It’s taken time to get here, but it has been worth her efforts.

“You’re magnificent.”

“Hm.” His eyes remain trained on surveillance, not so much as flickering to her, and though she admires his focus, something in her grows agitated.

“Look at me.”

He does. Good. She gazes at him, studying, yet doesn’t notice when he frowns. When he speaks, his voice bears a note of expectancy that breaks her from her thoughts,

“Yes?”

Her eyes meet his before she replies. “Do you enjoy the work we do together, Querl?”

“It is the logical course of action. You’ve shown me that.”

“But does it give you pleasure?”

“Is pleasure relevant?”

“I’m only… curious.” She walks around him; he stands straight and still, at attention. She’s sure he’s still monitoring feeds even as he engages with her; he’s made for multitasking. She has to admit that kind of alien ability is incredible when used properly; for good. His dark eyes follow her, and her hand skims lightly along the line of his shoulder as she comes up beside him. “Do you ever miss them? Supergirl? Her friends?”

He seems to consider the question, perhaps quite literally assessing his recent memories. “I don’t.” Maybe it’s a trick of the light, but she thinks she sees something darker briefly shadow his eyes. Something she recognizes. She moves to stand before him.

You see the truth.

“Supergirl’s nothing but a fraud. You’re finally free.”

“Yes.” He breathes, starting to look back to the screens. She catches his cheek with one hand, bringing his eyes back to hers. Her other hand lightly traces his jaw.

“We’re showing the world what real heroes look like, Querl; keeping National City from harm… I told you it would be wonderful.”

“Yes.” He says again; voice soft; half lidded gaze on her.

Slowly she leans in, her lips brushing his. She kisses him, seeking… something: to be loved, to possess, to be promised he will never betray her… Her lips break from his and she opens her eyes to find him looking at her, his face unreadable.

“What do you feel…?” She asks softly.

“Feel?” He asks, brow furrowing just slightly. “Is this something you want?” His faintly puzzled eyes are searching; she is searching too. She feels something she does not examine too closely; looks for hesitance; for cracks in the ice.

What kind of cracks? What exactly do you want?

Querl Dox is efficient, astute, logical; he’s clever, cool-headed; he’s obedient.

Is he hers?

“You are magnificent.” She says again; her gaze holding his. Her fingertips brush along his neck.

“I see.” He answers quietly.

A gust of wind blows in from the window, and his eyes slide to something over her shoulder. Reign’s returned. Lena turns to look at her. She’s eyeing them, but after a moment, she smiles with the promise of a fight. “I’ve found Dreamer and the Martian.”

Querl walks past Lena, heading for the balcony. “Then we have work to do.” He pauses for a moment; looks to Lena, awaiting her word, and for the moment it is enough.

“Get them.”

Chapter 5: But if the Light is Left in You

Summary:

"Nia smooths Brainy’s hair, his head resting in her lap… she doesn’t know what will happen when he wakes; who he will be." A tale from the Darkest Timeline.

Notes:

A moment of hope in the Darkest Timeline. We didn’t really see how the fight between Nia, Kelly, Alex and Brainy ended… I decided it went something like this. Written for the elmayarafest “from darkness to light” prompt.

Chapter Text

Nia smooths Brainy’s hair, his head resting in her lap… she doesn’t know what will happen when he wakes; who he will be. She prays silently that she was able to counteract what Lena’s done; bring back the Brainy she knew; her friend who was brave and good and who thought she could be a hero.

She blinks as a tear splashes down onto his cheek and wipes her eyes, not having realized she’s started to cry; swallows hard and brushes the droplet from his skin, going still when he shifts slightly with a soft sound.

Please come back… come out of the darkness…

Alex takes a wary stance, vigilant. Kelly is equally watchful, her gaze weary, anxious.

“Brainy…?” Nia’s voice comes softly.

“Nia Nal…” He murmurs, his eyes opening slowly. “You’ve gotten much stronger…”

Nia sucks in a breath. Hopes.

“How do you feel?” She tries to keep the quaver from her voice. Alex’s lips press together.

He seems to consider the question for a long moment, his eyes flickering to Kelly, Alex, and back to Nia. Every second he doesn’t speak feels like an eternity.

“Huh…” He finally says; a soft huff of a sound, surprised, wondering.

Nia breathes in and wishes she could see what’s going through his head. Brainy sits up slowly and all she can do is gaze at him, her muscles all gone still. He closes his eyes, brow furrowing, a frown curving his lips then easing as the red glowing points on his suit flicker, turning blue, green, then softly white.

She breathes out slowly. Hopes.

“I think what I feel is… free.”

And when he smiles, Nia sees light.