Chapter 14 : Blood Bonds - Part 2
March 2016 — Astra's Fortress — Underground
The tunnels reeked of rust and stagnant water.
We moved in tactical formation—Alex on point, four agents flanking, me in the middle with my senses stretched to their limit. Every electromagnetic signature in the facility registered against my awareness: power conduits running through the walls, communication relays humming overhead, and further ahead, the concentrated glow of Kryptonian technology.
"Contact in fifty meters," I murmured. "Two guards, standard patrol pattern."
Alex hand-signaled. The team split, flowing around the corner in silent precision. Two muffled impacts. Two bodies hitting the ground.
We kept moving.
The fortress was larger than our scans had suggested—a sprawling complex that extended deep into the mountain. Mining infrastructure had been repurposed into barracks, armories, what looked like a vehicle bay. Astra had been building this for years.
"J'onn's ahead," I said. "Forty meters, down and to the left. Heavy shielding around his position."
"Can you get me a layout?"
"Working on it." I pressed my hand against the wall, letting electricity flow through the conduits. The facility's own power grid became my map, revealing rooms and corridors invisible to conventional scanning. "There. Holding cell at the center of a circular chamber. Three guards inside, plus the dampening field."
"And Astra?"
"Above ground. She's waiting for Kara."
Alex's jaw tightened. "Then let's give her what she wants. Supergirl, you're up."
The explosion came from the surface—Kara making her entrance, drawing every eye and weapon toward the sky. Alarms screamed. Emergency lighting bathed the tunnels in red.
We ran.
The holding chamber was exactly where I'd predicted.
J'onn hung from the ceiling by Kryptonian chains, barely conscious, green blood staining his uniform. The three guards turned as we breached the door, weapons rising—
Alex fired first. Stun rounds, modified for alien physiology. Two guards dropped. The third dodged, returning fire, and I watched the plasma bolt streak toward Agent Morrison's unprotected back.
Vector manipulation snapped into place. The bolt redirected, scorching a line across the ceiling instead of through Morrison's spine.
"Clear!" Alex shouted. "Get him down!"
I reached J'onn first. The chains were controlled by a panel on the far wall—I found the circuit, sent a surge of electricity through it, and the restraints released. J'onn collapsed into my arms.
"Winn..." His voice was barely a whisper. "You came."
"Did you think I wouldn't?"
"I hoped... you'd be smart enough... to stay away."
"Clearly you don't know me very well."
He almost smiled. Then his eyes went wide, focusing on something behind me.
"DOWN!"
I dropped.
Non's fist passed through the space where my head had been. The wall behind me exploded into rubble.
"Run!" J'onn was trying to stand, trying to fight, but the dampening field had left him barely functional. "You can't—"
Non grabbed me by the throat.
Alex Danvers
She watched Winn go flying across the chamber.
Non threw him like a ragdoll—one casual flick of the wrist that sent a hundred and sixty pounds of human crashing into solid stone. The wall cracked. Winn didn't get up.
No. NO.
Alex raised her weapon, knowing it was useless, knowing Non could close the distance before she pulled the trigger. Behind her, J'onn struggled against chains that shouldn't still be active, agents scrambled for cover, and Winn—
Winn was standing.
Blood poured from a gash on his forehead. His right arm hung at a wrong angle. But he was standing, face twisted in pain and fury, and something in the air around him was changing.
"That," Winn said quietly, "was a mistake."
Non charged again.
This time, Winn didn't dodge. He caught the punch—not with his hands, but with something invisible. Non's fist stopped six inches from Winn's face, force vectors bending around him like water around a stone.
Then Winn stepped inside the Kryptonian's guard and drove his palm into Non's chest.
The impact was wrong. Too loud, too powerful, carrying momentum that Winn's body shouldn't possess. Non flew backward, crashing through the chamber wall, disappearing into the darkness beyond.
Winn swayed. Dropped to one knee.
Alex was at his side in seconds.
"What the hell was that?"
"Vector Punch." His voice was ragged. "Used his own force against him."
"You're hurt."
"I noticed." He tried to stand, stumbled, and she caught him. "Get J'onn out. I'll follow."
"Like hell you will."
She half-carried him toward the exit, shouting orders, reorganizing the retreat around this bleeding madman who'd just knocked a Kryptonian through a wall. Above ground, she could hear Kara fighting—explosions, impacts, the sounds of a battle between gods.
They made it to the tunnels. Made it to daylight. Made it to the extraction vehicles before Winn finally lost consciousness.
DEO Medical Bay — That Evening
The first thing I felt was pain.
A lot of pain. Concentrated in my ribs, my arm, my skull. The kind of pain that said you did something very stupid in no uncertain terms.
"He's awake."
Kara's voice. I opened my eyes and found her sitting beside my bed, still in her suit, dirt and blood staining the famous S-crest.
"Hey."
"Hey yourself." Her expression was complicated—relief and anger and something else I couldn't name. "You're an idiot."
"So I've been told."
"You threw yourself at Non. Non. The guy who almost killed both of us during the mobile command attack."
"He was going for Alex."
"And you thought you could stop him?"
"I did stop him."
She had no response to that.
I tried to sit up, winced, and settled for turning my head. Medical equipment beeped steadily. An IV dripped something that was probably keeping the pain manageable. Through the glass walls, I could see agents moving through the corridors, business as usual despite the day's chaos.
"How's J'onn?"
"Recovering. The dampening field did a number on him, but he'll be fine." Kara's hand found mine. "He wants to see you. As soon as you're able."
"And Astra?"
"Retreated. We hurt them today. Cost them resources, exposed their position." Her grip tightened. "But Winn... you could have died. That hit—you went through a wall."
"I know."
"Humans don't survive that."
"I'm not entirely human anymore." I met her gaze. "The powers change things. My body's adapting. Enhanced durability, accelerated healing. Alex noticed it after the Livewire fight, but today... today proved it's more significant than we thought."
She was quiet for a long moment.
"You scared me."
The words were simple. The weight behind them wasn't.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry. Just..." She struggled with something, then seemed to make a decision. "Don't leave me. Okay? Whatever happens, however dangerous things get—don't you dare leave me alone."
Something more, I thought. This is becoming something more.
"I'm not going anywhere," I promised. "Partners, remember?"
"Partners."
The door opened. J'onn entered, still moving slowly, but upright. His eyes found me immediately.
"You saved her," he said. "My daughter."
"Alex isn't—"
"She is to me." He crossed to my bedside, standing opposite Kara. "And so are you, now. Whatever you need—training, protection, guidance—it's yours."
"I just want to help."
"I know." J'onn placed his hand over mine—his and Kara's, together. "That's exactly why you matter."
Author's Note / Promotion:
Your Reviews and Power Stones are the best way to show support. They help me know what you're enjoying and bring in new readers!
You don't have to. Get instant access to more content by supporting me on Patreon. I have three options so you can pick how far ahead you want to be:
🪙 Silver Tier ($6): Read 10 chapters ahead of the public site.
👑 Gold Tier ($9): Get 15-20 chapters ahead of the public site.
💎 Platinum Tier ($15): The ultimate experience. Get new chapters the second I finish them . No waiting for weekly drops, just pure, instant access.
Your support helps me write more .
👉 Find it all at patreon.com/fanficwriter1