When Alex and Barry arrived back in the sub-basement, Kara’s status hadn’t improved much.  She was still unconscious and still strapped down to the gurney so if she were to wake up, she wouldn’t hurt herself.  But Barry could see several lasers traversing her body.  The beams didn’t seem to be causing her any pain nor did they leave any lasting marks on her skin.

“Alex, what exactly are those lasers doing to Kara?”

“Destroying the sand particles in her bloodstream.  This is only the first step, Barry.  The particles in her lungs and stomach are going to require a different form of expulsion from her system.”

“How do you propose for that to happen?”

“Well for her stomach, we’re going to have to induce vomiting.”

“I hope that’s going to work.”

“Tests show a 95% success rate.”

“Okay, what about her lungs?”

“That’s trickier.  The way I see it, we have two options.  The first is that I intubate a suction tube down her trachea and into the lungs and hopefully expel the particles via aspiration.”

“And the second option?”

“Would be if you were to run fast enough in a continuous circle to create a vacuum that deprives the room of oxygen.  Since Kara is unconscious the process would have little effect on her except for potential severe coughing.”

“No…no way.  If I do that, I could kill Kara.  I’m not willing to risk her life that way…”

“You’ve done this before?”

“Yes.  I was undercover once and a fight broke out between Captain Cold and Heat Wave.  These guys are like brothers but they had a falling out.  Captain Cold has a no killing code, and Heat Wave killed a guard that got in the way of their robbery.  The only way I could stop the fight was to form a tornado that sucked all the oxygen out of the room, extinguishing the fire.  Heat Wave nearly suffocated.  That’s why I can’t…”

“You may have to Barry.  Would you rather she remains as she is and never know it until one day she really does snap and kill you?  Or would you rather do everything you can to save her?  I think I already know the answer to that one.  But you’re going to have to make the choice.  I can’t make it for you.”

While Barry was weighing his options, and knowing how even while holding back, suffocating both Snart and Rory could have killed them, Kara was beginning to wake up.  At first she was disoriented while trying to move.  She wasn’t sure how long she had been out, but the feeling of being restrained was confusing before she realized she was looking up at a red light when her eyes fluttered open and cleared.

Panic started to set in for Kara she realized just where she was and looked down at her wrists.  The red light she instantly knew was a simulated red sun and she didn’t have her powers.  Now terrified; she screamed out in a state of severe anger and fear.

“ALEX!  YOU PROMISED ME!  YOU TOLD ME YOU WOULDN’T DO THIS TO ME AGAIN!”

Kara started to shake as an intercom activated off to her right.  All she could do was turn her head to the side to locate the source of the sound, but she couldn’t see anything in the darkness of the room.  As her panic levels increased, Kara began pulling her wrists up against the restraints as her sister began to speak.

“Kara, I didn’t want to have to do this.  But you were unconscious and I had to keep you under control after you attacked Barry in broad daylight.”

“What are you talking about; Alex?  I didn’t attack Barry!  Let me out of here!”

Alex silenced the intercom as she looked back at Barry.  His eyes widened in shock and worry as he processed Kara’s shouts and seeming lack of memories of the last several hours.  More importantly, he knew that when Alex said that this room had been used once before, he knew from Kara’s words that it had been used on her.

“Tell me you didn’t; Alex.”

“Didn’t what?”

“Don’t play dumb with me.  Kara just screamed out that you promised you wouldn’t do this to her again.  She was the one time you used this room before.  What exactly did you do?”

“Barry, you have to understand, we didn’t have any choice.  Max Lord used red kryptonite on Kara.  Unlike green, the red variant affects Kryptonian’s brain chemistry.  She went on a rampage, and I had to use green kryptonite against her, my own sister.  You think I wanted to do this to her?”

Barry was processing Alex’s confession as Kara screamed out again.  If anything her screams were becoming more anguished and he was hurting having to hear the pain in her voice.  He remembered what Lord had done to Kara just a few months ago and that gave him a small reason to pause. But while he wanted to run in there and release her from her bonds, Alex stopped him until it seemed as if Kara was begging.

“Alex…please?!”

In the next moment Alex went into the room followed by Barry.  As soon as she was standing by Kara’s bedside, she could see the tear tracks staining her sister’s cheeks.  Alex believed that Kara was genuinely hurting and ran a hand across the latter’s forehead, brushing her hair back.

 Within seconds, Kara’s entire demeanor changed and a vile laugh escaped her throat as she broke free of the wrist straps.  She may not have had her powers, but her anger at this treatment sent adrenaline coursing through her body.  Alex stepped back as Kara then ripped the leg straps loose, and rose up from the gurney.

“You’re so pathetic, Danvers.  You always fall for the sob story from your poor little sister.  You still want to control her.  You still can’t accept that she never needed you in the first place.”

“Kara…”

“I’m not Kara.”

Alex was unable to move as this person who claimed to not be Kara reached out and grabbed her by the throat.  The brunette was easily lifted off the ground; her feet kicking as her airways constricted.  As her eyes began to go dark from oxygen deprivation, Alex began hitting the other woman’s arm.  She flinched in pain as Alex’s repeated strikes became desperate.  Barry had been watching as he held back, still slightly unsure if he could do what Alex has asked him to do. 

But seeing the pain on Kara’s face told him that the red sun was still having an effect on her.  He took only seconds to act, running over to the women at near top speed and placed a hand on Kara’s; electrifying the nerves with his powers.  Kara’s hand immediately sprung open and Alex fell to the floor, gasping for air. 

“Kara…you don’t want to do this.  Alex is your sister.  She loves you.”

“Oh Barry…you’re just as pathetic as Alex is.  Seeing the best in everyone, refusing to accept that the world is a lot darker and more dangerous than you know.  I don’t understand how Kara Danvers could ever have fallen in love with you.”

“Kara; you don’t mean that…”

“I’M NOT KARA!”

Barry flinched at the anger in the voice of the woman standing in front of him.  The woman wearing Kara’s face.  He had been fighting with himself over using his powers to create a vacuum to remove the oxygen from this room, but he knew he had no choice now.  He quickly ran Alex back out of the room and was back inside before the door could close and lock him out.  The black dust from Sand Demon may have been removed from Kara’s bloodstream, but the sensors were still active and showed it still in her lungs and nasal passages.  With a quiet whisper, he spoke to his wife, hoping she was still in there somewhere.

“Kara, I’m so sorry.  I hope you can forgive me after all this is done.”

In seconds, Barry was pushing himself to what was once the limit of his speed.  He could feel the air getting thinner as he ran around Kara in tight circles.  With the Speed Force energy cocoon around his body, the lack of oxygen was unable to affect him.  He could see Kara’s eyes beginning to water as she fell to her knees, clutching at her throat.  But she still wasn’t healed yet so he kept running.  While he knew she wouldn’t be able to hear him, he called out in encouragement.

“Come on Kara!  Come on!  I know you’re still in there!  Break free!  FIGHT!”

Kara was nearing unconsciousness when she began coughing violently.  She placed her hands against the floor so she was on all fours as the black dust began to be expelled from her body.  With one last explosive cough followed by an even more violent sneeze, there was a pile of black dust on the floor in front of her.  As her exhalations quieted, Barry quickly scooped up the dust to place it in a sealed container just as Kara fell on her side.

Now kneeling beside her, Barry could tell she wasn’t breathing and pressed a hand to her heart.  He was terrified, picking her up in his arms and ran for the door.  Alex was on the other side and activated the controls, the door sliding open so he could get Kara away from the red sun.  As he gently set her down, she still hadn’t regained consciousness and her heart was barely beating.

“Alex…”

“C.P.R.; Barry.  We don’t have much time!”

Alex and Barry began working together to try and resuscitate Kara.  Barry was breathing into her mouth while Alex performed chest compressions.  They tried for five minutes but seemed to be having little effect on Kara. 

“KARA!  Don’t do this!  Come on!  Come back to me!”

Barry continued to shout encouragement to her between bouts of breathing for her.  Alex was beginning to lose hope and slowed the compressions down.  But Barry refused to stop.  Kara hadn’t given up on him and he wasn’t about to give up on her.  He didn’t realize it, but Kara was fighting just as hard to live and found herself in a world she was unfamiliar with.

“Where…where am I?”

“Greetings Kara-Zor-El.”

Kara turned to locate the voice that had spoken to her and was met by the face of a woman.  She looked familiar but Kara couldn’t place why.  Trying to get her bearings she took in the world around her and felt at peace.  The feeling was confusing and she turned once the voice spoke again.

“Your confusion is understandable Kara.  Generally the only entities that can access this place are speedsters.  And while you have the power of super speed, you are not one.”

“Then where am I, and who are you?  Why am I here?”

“Because you share a bond with a speedster.  Right now he’s back on Earth fighting to save you.  You just have to wake up.”

“Barry…he’s trying to save me.  Save me from what?  You still haven’t told me where I am or who you are.”

“You’re dying Kara.  A few weeks ago you were in a battle with a meta-human who possessed the ability to control sand.  That sand found its way into your body.  Barry had to nearly suffocate you to save you.  The lightning he generated in his efforts brought you here.  This is the Speed Force.  And for lack of a better introduction, I guess you could say I’m Barry’s mother.”

“Nora…”

“Yes…or a Speed Force representation of her.  But your time here is short Kara.  You know that a threat is coming and Barry needs you.  Go back to him.  Take back your life.”

The Speed Force representation of Nora Allen placed a hand against Kara’s face just as the latter felt a shock to her heart.  A few tears escaped Kara’s eyes at the pain she felt in those seconds.  Her breathing intensified as another shock coursed through her system.  In the back of her mind, she thought she could hear Barry screaming.

“KARA!  COME BACK!”

“Nora…what’s…what’s happening…”

Kara’s train of thought was once again interrupted as she felt another bolt of electricity hit her heart.  It was even more painful than the last and her eyes started to flutter with the pain.

“This is not your time Kara.  Go home.”

One more feeling of electricity hit Kara’s heart as the Speed Force faded from her view.  Her eyes closed as she felt like she was falling and she couldn’t help but feel terrified.  She could still hear Barry in her head crying out for her to come back until she felt him lay his head down on her chest.  Her eyes slowly fluttered open as she regained consciousness with her throat exploding in pain as she coughed her way back to the land of the living.

“B-B-Barry…”

Barry immediately looked up from where he was kneeling by Kara’s side.  She still had tears in her bloodshot eyes and all he could do was help her up to a sitting position, wrapping his arms around her back as she did the same with his waist.

“Barry…what…what happened?”

“You don’t remember?”

“No…the last thing I can remember is the nightmare I had and pushing you out of the bed.  You fractured the bone in your right arm.  Everything else is a blur.  Why don’t I have my powers?”

“Kara, you…I don’t know how to explain this…”

“I’m not a child; Barry.  Just tell me what happened.”

“Alright; the next morning after your nightmare, I was worried about you.  You told me Kryptonians don’t have nightmares like that.  When I suggested you take the day off, you went off on me.  Told me to go back home…”

“What else did I do?”

“I can’t exactly say what happened after you left your apartment, but I helped evacuate an apartment building.  Then you flew in and attacked me.  Told me you didn’t need my help.  There were a couple of times that…”

“What Barry?  What did I do to you?”

“You nearly caught me.  Would have choked me to death if you hadn’t fallen out of the sky.  Then I brought you here.”

“No…Barry…I couldn’t have done any of that…I love you…”

“I know you do Kara.  It wasn’t you.  It was something controlling you.”

Kara looked to Alex who had now stepped back in to help provide an explanation.  She could see the fearful look in Kara’s eyes mixed with confusion at Barry’s words and had to gather her thoughts but Kara spoke before she could.

“Red K?”

“No; Kara…it…”

“Despero and Myriad then?”

“No; Kara.  This is difficult to explain, so it would be better if I showed you.”

Alex entered the red sun lab and came back a few moments later with the receptacle Barry had placed the black dust in, but left it sealed.  Shining a light on the container so Kara could see, she noticed her sister’s confusion reach another level.

“What is that?”

“I’m not sure Kara.  After a taking a blood sample under the red sun, I discovered this black dust in your bloodstream.  X-Rays and M.R.I.’s revealed that it was also in your lungs, nasal passages and parts of your stomach.  The only certainty I have is that this substance; whatever it is, got into your system after you fought the Sand Demon.”

“Who’s the Sand Demon?”

“The meta-human you fought before we left on our honeymoon.  The small sample Alex isolated from your blood attached itself to him when I confronted him.”

“What did you do, Barry?”

“Just got answers; Kara.  But I have more questions than before.  This black dust is dangerous for Kryptonians.  I have a theory that whatever it came from, it reacts to Kryptonian D.N.A.  The sand particles on your uniform looked to be normal grains of sand, but this…I’m not sure what to make of it.”

“Then I need to see this Sand Demon.  Find out what he did to me.  And maybe my mother can determine what this black sand really is, where it came from.”

Barry could tell that Kara was still hurting from what she had done, even if she hadn’t known about any of it.  He wanted to protest, but the look in Kara’s eyes told him he wouldn’t get anywhere if he did.

“I know what you’re going to say Barry.  But I need to know what happened.  If for no other reason than to keep what was done to me from happening again.  I don’t want to hurt any of you.”

“Okay Kara.  But just remember, I know that what you did wasn’t really you.”