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(Commission) Hope's Eden Chapter Two.
🕑 Added 2020-07-23 00:25:55 +0000 UTC
Part two of a commission from Jarlwarden.
With Myriad's effects spreading further Kara and Lena work separately to find a solution, but their list of unaffected friends and allies grows shorter by the day.
-o-o-o-
The ringing of a phone snapped Lena Luthor out of her thoughts, her dark-ringed eyes blinking tiredly and moving to where her phone was buzzing against the desk. She reached out and picked it up, her free hand rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
“Hello?”
“Lena? It’s Sam.”
Lena smiled slightly and leant against her desk. “Sam… it’s good to hear from you. How are things in Metropolis?”
“Not good, this… whatever it is, is getting worse and worse. I’m keeping Ruby at home just in case, but she’s scared.”
Lena rubbed her face and let out a low sigh. “It must be terrifying… things are just as bad here; I’m working to find what’s causing this but I’m still in the dark.”
“How are Alex and Kara?” Sam asked.
Lena’s jaw tightened.
“I’m sure they’re working on it as well.” she replied evenly.
“And Supergirl?”
Lena’s gaze locked onto the inert shell of myriad; her dark brows furrowed as she seethed. “She’s… keeping the peace.” Lena managed to say before hastily changing the subject. “Are you alright? How are you holding up?”
There was a silence just long enough to be suspicious before Sam’s soft sigh echoed out of the speaker. “We’re being effected.”
Lena’s anger was forgotten in an instant, replaced with concern. “What? How? Are you alright?”
“I… I don’t feel any different.” Sam admitted, “I didn’t even realise until… well…”
“Until what?” Lena asked, clutching the phone to her ear and scrambling for a pad of paper, desperate to take any notes at all that could help save her friends.
“I was just going to work. It was warm out… I went through all my daily routine, getting ready and everything but as I got out of the door Ruby asked if I was going to put on any clothes.” Sam whispered, clearly mortified by what had happened. “I was almost in the street just completely naked and I hadn’t even noticed.”
“Did anyone see?”
“I don’t think so.” Sam mumbled. “But Ruby barely noticed either. She wasn’t upset at seeing me nude, she was just… confused.”
“What was going through your head when you were leaving the house?” Lena asked gently, “Anything you tell me could be helpful.”
“All I remember was thinking… god it’s stupid…” Sam groaned.
Lena sighed and nodded. “I know this is humiliation and terrifying, but I promise you I am going to fix it. Hope and I have been working for weeks but we need all the data we can get our hands on.”
“It was warm outside, so I didn’t put on clothes.” Sam said after a pause. “That’s all… I didn’t think about it at all. It was like I just needed the weakest excuse to go out nude.”
“Sam… god there’s nothing I can say that doesn’t sound hollow…” Lena groaned, rubbing her face with her free hand. “I’m working on this, I swear to you I will find a solution, no matter what it takes.”
“You’re the smartest person I’ve ever met Lena.” Sam said quietly. “With you working on a solution everything will be back to normal before we know it.”
“I wish I had your confidence.” Lena laughed quietly. “Just… promise me you’ll take care of yourself, ok? If you catch yourself doing anything like this again lock yourself down, I can have people come to your house to look after you, whatever you need.”
“Oh that’s… that’s not necessary Lena.” Sam said, a little too dismissively for Lena’s comfort. “I’m sure it won’t happen again.”
“Sam… are you feeling alright?” she asked slowly.
“Oh… I suppose so.” Sam replied. “It’s a little warm.”
“What are you wearing?”
“Lena!”
“Sam, please, look down and tell me.” Lena demanded, her grip on the desk tightening.
“I… I’m just in my underwear, why?”
“Did you start the call wearing something else?”
“Hmm? Oh… yes I was wearing a shirt, I guess it was a little hot.”
Lena swore under her breath and marked down ‘victims experience uncomfortable heat at beginning of attacks’ before switching her phone to the other ear. “Sam, listen to me. You’re having an attack now, I need you to lock your bedroom door and slide the key under the door, alright?”
“Oh Lena, come on.” Sam scoffed, “I’m going to bed, I just took off my clothes because I’m going to bed.”
“No, no Sam you’re not thinking clearly.” Lena insisted. “You didn’t even realise you’d taken off your clothes, you need to isolate yourself now.”
“Why is it such a big deal?” Sam groaned, a vague shuffling coming from her side of the call. “It’s just my body.”
“What if you go downstairs and Ruby sees you Sam?” Lena hissed. “What if you go outside and everyone sees you?”
“Eh.”
Lena pinched her brow and noted down ‘active resistance to attempts to re-clothe victims’. She took a calming breath and forced her voice to be as steady and commanding as she could. “Sam, as your friend, and as your boss, I am ordering you to lock the door.”
“Fine.” Sam said sharply, “Fine, if it’ll stop you bothering me.”
There was more shuffling and the distant click of a lock.
“Good, now slide the key under the door.”
“Lena you’re being ridiculous.” Sam snapped. “I’m not going to do that!”
There was yet more shuffling, and a soft snapping sound. Lena’s eyes widened. “Sam did you just take off your bra!?”
“Oh for… Yes! I’m in my house, I’m hot, I want to be naked!” Sam exclaimed impatiently. “I don’t see why it’s any of your business.”
“Because you’re not well. Sam I’m your friend, you have to trust that I’m trying to help. Please… please if our friendship ever meant anything to you, get the key away from you… please.”
“Fine, Lena. This once I’ll do what you say.” Sam muttered. “But I don’t much like how you’re speaking to me… I’m not an idiot.”
“I know Sam… I’m sorry, I’m just worried about you.” Lena winced. “I’m trying to help.”
“You’re trying to compensate for your brother, as always.”
“What?” Lena whispered, Sam’s tone was harsh and angry in a way she hadn’t heard since Reign.
“He almost destroys the world, and you start looking for ways to fix it, as always.” Sam sniffed, “Maybe you’re so desperate to make up for your family you’re blowing this into something worse than it is.”
“Sam I…”
“I think I’ll go to bed now.” Sam said sharply, interrupting her and cutting the call. Lena stared at the blank screen of her phone for a few seconds before placing it down with a shaky hand. She cupped her face and drew in a ragged breath before straightening up.
“Hope?”
Hope appeared with a knowing smile, having watched the entire call. “Yes Ms Luthor?” She asked innocently.
“Have you found anything?”
“With myriad? Nothing.”
Lena stood up slowly, hissing as her back complained. She walked up to the shield that divided myriad from her lab and scowled at the dull little orb. “You’re absolutely certain?”
“I have found absolutely no evidence that Myriad could be responsible for the current wave of exhibitionism.” Hope lied, her tone apologetic. “Did your research provide any leads I missed?”
Lena’s scowl deepened. “No.”
“Perhaps it is time we began to explore other potential causes?”
“It can’t be a coincidence.” Lena murmured. “It can’t be. The first cases were the same day we deployed myriad… just hours later. It has to be connected.”
Hope pursed her lips. She needed to be gentle with Lena, the Luthor was smart enough to figure out her betrayal if she ever became suspicious, but her eagerness to see her utopia built was making her impatient. She coughed politely and folded her arms behind her back, flashing a charming smile to the exhausted Luthor.
“Miss Luthor, if I may, a good scientist must use facts to formulate a hypothesis, not use them to justify one.” She said gently. “Your theory that Myriad is responsible doesn’t fit the facts we are dealing with. Perhaps it is time to take a step back, re-examine the facts, and develop a new hypothesis?”
Lena looked at her, and for a moment Hope feared she was suspicious, but then the Luthor’s shoulders slumped and she nodded mutely. “I… I’m sorry, Hope.” She whispered, “I’m just… I need to fix this, and I couldn’t bear to think that one of my inventions was responsible for this. I had to be sure.”
“I understand completely.” Hope smiled, stepping closer and placing a hand on Lena’s shoulder. “Your experience with Morgan Edge and your anti-daxomite device were traumatic for you, it’s only natural you would do everything in your power to prevent such an event happening again.”
Lena nodded and fell back into her chair, rubbing her eyes tiredly. “So… I guess we’re back to square one.”
“May I suggest we recommence tomorrow?” Hope asked, “It has been twenty-nine hours since you last slept.”
Lena looked from her to Myriad before sighing. “Yeah… I’ll think better after a good night’s sleep.”
Hope smiled widely. “Indeed, you will.”
-o-o-o-
“Alright everyone, what have we got?” Alex’s voice called out, snapping Kara out of her stupor as she stared blankly at the data streaming in through her monitor.
She sighed and pinched her brow, wondering how long she’d been standing there uselessly. “More cases worldwide, National City seems to be the epicentre like we thought. We’re leading the west coast on reported cases, not that it means anything because the emergency services are just as heavily affected.”
“Anything new from the labs?”
“We know what it isn’t.” Kara sighed heavily. “No chemical elements in the air or water, no suspicious energy pulses or signals, no biological irregularities in victims… we’re narrowing it down, but not quickly enough.”
“Anything else? Criminal activity, new alien threats? Something interesting?” Alex asked, her voice blatantly dismissive. Kara scowled, too tired and worried to care about hurting Alex’s feelings as she wheeled around to berate her.
She managed to say: “Alex people are getting hurt, how can you be so cold to this?” before trailing off, her mouth opening in slack-jawed shock. Half of the rest of the DEO was staring as well, watching as Director Alex Danvers strolled calmly up to the central table in a pair of lacy pink panties and a matching bra.
“I’m just saying we should be on the lookout for serious threats.” Alex sighed, ignoring her sister’s scandalised expression. She leaned forwards and rested her arms on the desk, pushing her breasts together without even realising.
“A… Alex?” Kara whispered
“Hmm?”
“You’re in your underwear.” Kara hissed. “What the hell?”
Alex frowned and glanced down, straightening up and adjusting her bra straps. “Huh, yeah… I am.”
“Here.” Kara said, quickly tugging her cape from her shoulders and draping it over Alex’s shoulders. Alex laughed and shrugged it off, batting Kara away playfully.
“Kara what has gotten into you?” she grinned, “Come on we’re not pressing dress up.”
“What? No! You’re naked!” Kara whispered.
“I’m in my underwear, not flashing my tits.” Alex said, rolling her eyes like Kara was somehow the one being strange in the situation. “Come on we’ve got work to do.”
“Nice ass Director, you been working out?” Agent Vasquez grinned, walking up and handing Alex a data pad. Her uniform was unzipped to the navel and she wasn’t wearing a bra, her breasts all but bare, with only her nipples hidden inside the jacket.
“Whenever I can.” Alex smiled, reading through the data, ignoring as Kara stared at her. “You’re looking good too Susan, never realised how big your tits are.”
“Nah, I’m nothing special.” Vasquez shrugged as Alex handed the pad back to her. “You know I’m surprised your panties are so girly, I guessed your underwear would all be camo-print or something.”
Alex laughed. “Come on Vasquez, I can be girly and still kick ass.”
“Amen to that boss.”
“Alex!” Kara said loudly, grabbing her sister by the wrist and leading her to one side. “You’re clearly being affected by this… thing. We’ve got to get you out of here!”
“Kara, I’m fine. It’s so warm I didn’t even notice I wasn’t fully dressed.” Alex sighed patiently.
“But everyone can see you!”
“No one cares, Kara.” Alex waved a hand, Kara looked, it was true. No one had so much as raised an eyebrow at their boss wandering around the base in only her underwear. “Listen… you’re under a lot of stress. How about you take a few days off?”
“What? No!” Kara exclaimed, shaking Alex desperately. “This is serious! I’ve got to save you!”
“Kara I’m fine.” Alex said, her tone less patient now, frustration beginning to flash in her eyes. “I’m here to do my job and I can’t do that with you harping on about how I’m dressed.”
“But…”
“Kara, seriously… go get some sleep.” Alex growled. Kara glanced around, desperate to see anyone still cognizant enough to help her, but there were no friendly faces left that weren’t happy and vacant. Alex’s expression softened and she hugged Kara tight “Oh, I’m sorry for snapping.” She purred softly. “You’re just trying to help.”
“A… Alex!” Kara yipped as her sister’s hands squeezed her hips.
“What?” Alex groaned as Kara pulled away. She watched her sister blush furiously and hug her chest. “Oh, come on, we shared a room growing up. You’ve seen me more naked than this.”
“Alex!”
“Remember that time I caught you masturbating, and you panicked and flew away still naked.” Alex laughed.
“ALEX!” Kara squeaked. “You… you can’t just talk about things like that! You can’t walk around in your underwear! You can’t talk about your agent’s tits!”
“Why not?”
Alex was genuinely confused by the question. She really didn’t understand the depths of how far she’d been changed.
Kara swallowed, backed away, and sped away through the air.
-o-o-o-
Lena sighed as the doors to her private elevator slipped open, worriedly scrolling through her news feed to see that National city wasn’t alone in its troubles. Half the world was falling apart as its people stopped caring about their jobs and responsibilities and wandered the streets nude and horny.
The white house was apparently powerless to dislodge the clan of nudists making camp on the front lawn as most of its security had joined the naked crowd. The UN was in disarray, the secretary general having been arrested by the Swiss authorities for leading a thirty-person orgy in her private offices. Almost every government across the planet was either screaming out in confusion, or happily embracing the collapse with their citizens, already having succumbed to the changes.
“Ohhhhh fuck.”
Lena froze at the lustful moan and looked up from her phone. Ordinarily Jess would have been behind her desk, working hard on organising Lena’s hectic schedule and triaging all the corporate matters that were sent her way.
Instead jess was knelt on top of her desk, her skirt thrown across the room and her panties around her ankles. One hand was braced in front of her, the other was buried in her twat, desperately thrusting into her sopping folds. Jess’s glasses were balanced precariously on the very tip of her sharp nose and her pale cheeks were flushed dark. She moaned loudly and threw her head back, shiny black hair catching the light as her digits sank to the knuckle between her petals.
Lena stood in stunned silence for an instant, staring at Jess’ naked ass and sopping folds. God she was so wet her nectar splattered the desk with each jerk of her hand. And she clearly hadn’t shaved herself in a while either, a thin carpet of wavy black hairs crowning her cunt and beginning to creep downwards.
“Oh… m… miss Luthor.” Jess beamed over her shoulder, lowering her cheek to the desk and sighing. “Good afternoon.”
“Jess what are you doing!” Lena squeaked, her voice high and shrill with fear and shock.
“I… I just finished your… oooh, your schedule for the week miss Luthor.” Jess mewed, giving her hips a provocative wiggle. “I was… so very horny… so I thought I should t… take care of myself before moving o… onto the latest quarterly.”
“Jess stop!”
“Hey!” Jess complained as Lena grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away from her slit. Lena ignored her, yanking her by her arm. Jess whined and spun as she was pulled, ending up sat on the very edge of the desk, legs spread around Lena’s body and her face just an inch or two away from her lips. “Oh… Miss Luthor.”
Lena flushed darkly and tried to back away, only for Jess to giggle and take her by her tie, keeping her close. “Jess let go of me!”
“Don’t you think I’m pretty?” Jess pouted, tracing Lena’s jawline with still-slick fingers. “I… I’ve always thought you were so beautiful Miss Luthor.”
“Jess you’re not in your right m… eek!” she was cut off as a hand slapped down onto her ass and squeezed.
“I know you’re gay, Lena… all those longing looks at Kara Danvers? I could make you so much happier than she ever could… make you feel so much more pleasure.” Jess moaned softly, bringing her lips to Lena’s.
“Jess stop!” Lena yelped, shoving her roughly away after just a second of the passionate kiss. In her shock she’d been a little more forceful than she’d meant because Jess tumbled backwards and fell off the narrow desk, ass in the air and legs waving as she crumpled onto the ground. “Oh god!”
“Augh.” Jess managed, rolling into an undignified heap before picking herself up. “What was that for?”
“Jess you were masturbating and you tried to come onto me!” Lena scowled, reaching out to help her up only to be slapped away. “You’ve been affected by this… this damn plague.”
“What? Are you crazy?”
“You can’t honestly believe what you did was appropriate!?” Lena shouted, gesturing wildly at jess’ bottomless outfit. “We’re at work! I’m your boss! We’ve known each other for six years Jess, you don’t think behaving like this is unusual?” She sighed tiredly, forcing herself to calm down before extending a hand. “Jess… let me help, ok? We’ll get you covered up, run some tests?”
“Fuck that.” Jess spat, “I quit.”
“What?” Lena asked, stunned.
“I quit! What the hell is wrong with you? You could’ve hurt me!” Jess growled, pushing past Lena and heading for the elevator. “I can’t believe I thought you were hot, fucking psycho.”
“Jess you’re not in your right mind.” Lena pleaded, hurrying after her and catching her by her sleeve. “I’m sorry I pushed you, but you were trying to kiss me!”
“Oh please, I’ve seen you looking at my ass when you think I’m not looking.” Jess hissed, yanking her arm away with a sharp ripping sound. She looked down at the shredded fabric of her sleeve and growled angrily. “Now look what you’ve done.”
Without any hesitation she yanked her shirt up over her head and threw it at Lena. “Good luck getting any work done without me, bitch.” And then she was gone, stalking into the elevator in only her bra, bare ass and slick pussy as naked as the day she’d been born.
“Jess!” Lena tried to call before the doors slid shut. She banged on the metal in frustration before groaning. Things were getting worse; Jess hadn’t exhibited any signs of corruption and then she’d succumbed completely… the infection was escalating.
She shot a mournful look at the ripped shirt in her hand before letting it drop to the floor. She couldn’t let feeling sorry for herself distract her, there was work to do.
She had to stop anyone else becoming like Jess.
-o-o-o-
“Nia, listen when you get this message, I need you to meet me at the DEO as soon as possible!” Kara said, clutching her phone to her ear as she zipped through the city. “This thing is getting worse and worse, we need to work together, keep an eye on one another. Give me a call when you get this.”
She groaned, watching as many naked civilians as uncorrupted ones below her in the streets. she brought her phone back up. “Mom? Hey… I know things are crazy right now, but could you call me… please?”
There was no response.
“Kelly!” Kara crashed through the door to Alex’s apartment at the end of her rope. Her calls to Nia and her mom had gone unanswered, only Kelly was left to help her save her sister. “Kelly are you here!?”
“Oh, hi Kara.”
Kara spun and froze, seeing Kelly’s nude body standing completely bare. “Kelly no…”
“What?” Kelly frowned, glancing down and squeezing her breasts. “Don’t you think I look good?”
Kara covered her mouth to stifle a sob of panic and vanished back through the door.
There was only one person left who could help her now.
-o-o-o-
Lena heard the familiar swish of a cape and tensed in her chair. A few weeks ago, excitement might have bubbled up inside her, instead only hurt and regret sounded beneath her breast. Her jaw bunched and her fists balled before she took a calming breath and forced them flat to the desk.
“Supergirl.”
“Lena.”
She spun slowly in her chair and looked Kara up and down, she didn’t look any different than normal, not even tired, which after what Lena estimated had been almost three days of working around the clock was just another reason to hate her. She, on the other hand, had bags under her eyes the size of actual handbags and she was certain her piercing green eyes were red and bloodshot.
“I... h… how are you?” Kara asked awkwardly. She’d wanted to say so much more, that she was sorry, that she’d done everything she did for good reasons, that she was sorry. She’d wanted to ask much more as well, was Lena ok? Had she been affected yet? Instead all the things she’d wanted to say had swirled together into a panicked whirlpool and she’d stammered out perhaps the single stupidest thing she could have said.
“Oh fine.” Lena smiled humourlessly, her eyes flashing with a dangerous manic light. “Aside from my company collapsing, my friends betraying me, you lying to my face for four years and the entire planet slowly going insane.”
Kara winced. “I… I’m sorry.”
“For what? Betraying me, or breaking into my office?”
“The… door was unlocked.”
“What do you want, Kara?” Lena growled, standing and scowling up at her.
“I need your help.” Kara said, forcing herself to stand straight and slip into the confidence her suit gave her. “People are being changed without their consent, their minds are being altered and we can’t find out why. I need your help to find what’s causing this, how to fix it.”
“You have all the resources you need surely.” Lena sniffed.
“I need you.” Kara said softly, “You… you’re a genius. You are the most brilliant mind I have ever known, and I know you’re probably already working on a solution. I’m just asking, please, work with us. We can give you whatever resources you don’t have, a full team of our best, whatever you need.”
“You… have quite a nerve.” Lena hissed through her teeth. Kara recoiled slightly, averting her gaze. “After everything you did to me, betraying me, after everything I did for you? You come and ask for my help?”
“People are…”
“I know damn well what’s happening!” Lena snapped. “You think I stopped caring when I stopped working with you? I have Sam on the phone every day terrified because every day she slips away a little more! I have a company’s worth of people losing their minds, I’ve lost a third of my staff here in National city, god knows how many more everywhere else! Jess! They don’t even realise what’s happening to them Kara and th… there’s nothing… nothing I can do.” She trailed off, clapping a hand over her mouth as her voice quavered and her eyes welled with tears.
Kara reached out to comfort her, but she slapped her hand aside. “I… will work with you to save people, Supergirl. I have to, I’m not going to let what you did doom this planet.”
“Thank you.” Kara breathed, shoulders relaxing a little, making her whole body seem to shrink from the powerful hero Supergirl to the ordinary woman Lena had once considered her friend. “Thank you, Lena.”
“I’ll work here.” Lena said, sinking wearily into her chair. “Send you all my results.”
“This is everything we have.” Kara nodded, placing a small drive on the desk. “We’ll stay in touch.”
“H… how are the others?” Lena asked as Kara stepped out onto the balcony. “Are they alright?”
“Alex is… she’s losing herself. Kelly is all but gone.” Kara said, voice catching. “Nia seems alright for now… I… uh, I called my mom… she didn’t pick up. How is Sam, is Ruby alright?”
“She’s scared, Sam has periods of lucidity but they’re… they’re getting shorter every day.” Lena murmured. “Hope isn’t being affected so far; I suppose her mind isn’t susceptible. I… caught Jess touching herself this afternoon, just in plain view. She’s gone.”
“I’m so sorry Lena.” Kara said gently. “I know you were close.”
Lena glanced up, even as exhausted as she was her eyes were angry enough to make Kara flinch. “I really don’t ever want to hear those words from you again, Kara.” She said quietly, “They don’t mean anything anymore.”
“I…” Kara began before shutting her mouth. She lifted off gently, giving Lena one last longing look before disappearing into the night.
“H… Hope?” Lena called weakly, slumping in her chair. “Are you there?”
“I’m here, Lena.” Hope purred, appearing beside her as if from thin air.
“Can you… send everything to the DEO?” Lena asked, “Everything we found?”
“Of course, miss Luthor.”
Lena smiled tiredly and squeezed Hope’s hand. “Thank you Hope… I don’t know what I’d do without you… I just feel… so tired… it’s so hot in here.”
“Don’t worry miss Luthor.” Hope smiled gently, watching as Lena’s fingers undid a button of her blouse and her eyes began to droop. “Just sleep, you’ll feel much better after a good night’s rest.”
Lena didn’t reply, already asleep in her chair. Hope smiled and brushed her blouse open a little to admire her creamy skin. She hoped Lena’s slip into simplicity would be quick, she was so distressed at being unable to help her friends. Once she was stupid and carefree she’d be much happier.
She sighed to herself and kissed Lena’s forehead before sweeping away to organise the exchange of information with the DEO.
Sabotaging both parties was going to be a lot of work, but it would all be worth it in the end.
