The skin on Kara’s palm tightened and blistered, but she was too shocked to register the pain.
“Did . . . did you just say something?” she asked Bubbles. She splashed to a sitting position in the knee-deep water filling the room. “You said poison and power, didn’t you?”
Bubbles regarded her with wide eyes. “You understand me?”
Kara chuckled. “Well, yeah. When you speak English.”
“Uhhh, Kara?” Mon-El crouched in the water beside her. “What are you doing?”
Kara beamed at Mon-El while pointing at Bubbles. “Look who can finally talk! It’s . . .” She paused and whispered to Bubbles, “I’m sorry. What was your name?”
“Pryll,” the sea creature supplied.
“It’s Pryll!” Kara gestured to him as if he were a contestant on a game show.
From nearby, Winn cleared his throat. “Actually, I think Mon-El’s referring to the thing you’re doing with the . . .” He took a deep breath and screeched.
“What?” Kara laughed. “I’m not making that sound.” She glanced at the rest of the team, but nobody agreed with her. Kara’s forehead wrinkled. “Am I?”
“You sound like a sick dolphin,” Alex spoke up. “But Pryll seems to understand you.” She gestured at him.
Kara got to her feet. “Wait a minute. Are you saying I can speak . . . whatever language Pryll can?” She turned to Pryll, who was also getting to his feet. “You can understand me?”
He nodded.
Kara pointed at Mon-El. “But you couldn’t understand that?”
Mon-El shook his head.
Kara’s mouth dropped open and she whirled on Pryll, who jumped back, startled.
“What language are we speaking?” she asked.
Pryll eyed her warily. “Atlantean.”
With a laugh, Kara clutched a hand to her chest. “I speak Atlantean!”
“Wait, wait, wait.” Winn waved his hands. “Atlantean? As in the lost city of Atlantis?” He ran a tongue over his teeth and smirked at Alex. “So it does exist.”
Alex ignored him. “Kara, how do you suddenly speak Atlantean?”
“It must be this!” Kara showed Alex the palm that had been holding the red metal, and Alex recoiled, averting her gaze.
“Oh, God. That . . . that is a very big blister.” She pointed at Kara’s hand.
“Huh?” Kara glanced at her palm, which looked much worse than it had moments ago. “Eesh. So much for impervious skin.”
Mon-El snuck a peek at Kara’s hand, and his eyes widened. “The red metal did that?” He ran his hands over his arms and touched his chest. “I breathed it in! What’s it doing to me?”
Kara frowned. “Pryll said ‘poison and power.’ What did you mean by that?” She faced Pryll, who tilted his head quizzically, and she realized he’d understood only half the conversation. “What did you mean by poison and power?” she asked again, focusing her attention on him.
“The orichalcum gives great power,” said Pryll, “but poisons the body, mind, and soul of those who use it. In the age of Atlantis, it caused much pain and sorrow.”
Kara translated for the DEO team, and J’onn frowned.
“How much poison would that be exactly?” he asked.
Kara relayed the question to Pryll.
“The more one consumes, the more one is poisoned,” said the Atlantean. He pointed to Kara’s hand. “That amount will not kill, but it will cause much pain.”
Kara sighed and spoke to J’onn. “If the supercitizens only breathed dust from the apartment explosion, they shouldn’t suffer too much, but I’m in for some rough nights.”
“Maybe not,” said Alex. “He’s assuming you’re human. The orichalcum might not affect you the same.” Alex shook her head. “What I don’t get is why Pryll is suddenly acting so calm. Yesterday he almost killed us trying to escape.”
“I’m sure it makes a difference that we can communicate,” said Kara. “But I’ll ask.”
She turned toward Pryll again, and J’onn stepped between them.
“If I may, I’d like to try creating a mental bridge,” he told Kara. “Since you can understand Pryll, and I can understand you, I should be able to connect all our minds so we can communicate.”
Kara’s eyebrows went up. “Telepathically?”
J’onn nodded. “If this works.”
Winn breathed in deep. “I’m going to mind-speak with someone from Atlantis. This is awesooome!” he sang under his breath.
Alex touched J’onn’s arm. “You can make mental bridges?”
“It’s very taxing,” J’onn admitted, “but since we’re all in the same room, I should be able to hold the connection for a few minutes.”
“Then we’ll talk fast,” said Kara. She spoke to Pryll. “My friend is going to mentally link us so we can all understand one another.”
Pryll nodded, and Kara gave J’onn a thumbs-up. “Whenever you’re ready,” she said.
J’onn excused the DEO agents who had been guarding Pryll, while Alex pressed a button on the wall to drain the room. Once the water had been reduced to a few puddles, Kara found the piece of orichalcum that Pryll had knocked from her hand and scooped it back into the jar. It was much smaller in size now, and she shuddered, knowing the rest of it was coursing through her body.
J’onn instructed Kara and the others to form a tight circle around him, then closed his eyes.
“You may begin, Miss Danvers,” he said.
Kara turned to Pryll and focused her thoughts. Yesterday, when you tried to escape, you almost killed my sister and Supergirl.
Supergirl, Pryll thought with another tilt of his head. You refer to yourself in the third person?
Everyone looked at Kara, who opened and closed her mouth several times. No, I’m . . . I’m not Supergirl. Supergirl is—
You, thought Pryll. Without eye coverings. He pointed to Kara’s glasses.
“He’s got her there,” Winn spoke to Mon-El out of the corner of his mouth.
“I’ve always thought it was a terrible disguise,” Mon-El whispered.
Kara gave them both a look. You know I can hear you speaking and thinking, right?
Winn and Mon-El fell quiet and stared at the floor.
I am sorry if I caused you or your sister harm, Supergirl, thought Pryll. You were unfortunate enough to enter the room when I tried to escape. I cannot fulfill my duties trapped here.
What are your duties? thought Alex.
I am a guardian of Atlantis, charged with protecting the treasures of my city, thought Pryll.
Which were stolen, thought Winn. He pulled up the image of the divers on his tablet, and Pryll nodded.
I do not know the thieves—only what they wear, thought Pryll. But you have found some of what they took. He pointed to the jar of orichalcum Kara was holding.
Some? thought Mon-El. There’s more of that stuff ?
Ugh. Of course! Alex enlarged the image on Winn’s tablet screen to focus on the net the divers carried between them. How could we have been so stupid? They’re not hauling a tiny piece of orichalcum.
They’re hauling an entire cache, completed Kara.
So where’s the rest of it? wondered Winn.
That’s the million-dollar question, thought Alex.
Dr. Wanabi wasn’t keeping it at his apartment, thought Mon-El. James and I searched the entire place.
How did he come to own the piece in his possession? thought Pryll.
He must have kept it after the dive, thought Kara. But who did he give the rest to?
Maxwell Lord? suggested Alex. Lillian Luthor?
National City Museum, thought Mon-El.
Kara snapped her fingers. We saw those robbers who lived in Dr. Wanabi’s apartment building there! And when you and James showed up at his apartment, he was expecting someone.
Mon-El nodded. Plus, I found this in my pocket.
He held out a soggy pamphlet from the museum with a now-familiar image of Atlantis on the front beneath the words SPECIAL EXHIBIT: TREASURES OF THE DEEP.
“Winn? Can you confirm the orichalcum is at the museum?” Alex asked out loud.
“Let’s see,” he said, tapping on the tablet screen. “It looks like the museum took in several shipments the other day. One was a box from a printing company, one was a box from Sotheby’s auction house, and one was a crate from Sea Kings Dive Company.” He scrolled down the screen. “The manifest includes some drinking vessels, jewelry, coins . . .” He glanced up. “And several bars of red metal.”
If the orichalcum is at the museum, Kara thought, we have to get to it before Dr. Wanabi. I bet he’s trying to find a way to replicate it.
I will accompany you, thought Pryll.
Kara put out a hand to stop him. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you do that. It’s already dangerous with so many people in this city running around with superpowers.
Pryll puffed out his chest. But I am a guardian of Atlantis, charged with protecting its treasures!
And I’m a guardian of National City, Kara informed him. Please let us handle this. We’ll bring back your treasures. I promise.
Pryll’s entire body slumped in defeat.
“Uh, guys?” Winn said aloud, staring at the tablet. “I hacked into the museum’s security feed. If you want to beat Dr. Wanabi to the orichalcum, you might want to hurry.”
He showed them the screen. On it was an image of Dr. Wanabi standing near an exhibit and checking his watch.
“Let’s go,” said Alex, patting J’onn on the shoulder.
The DEO director stirred and opened his eyes, which were bloodshot and bleary. “I’m afraid I won’t be much use to you right now. Best to take your sister, Mon-El, and James. And bring a strike team. Dr. Wanabi is obviously waiting for someone.”
“I’ll text James and have him meet you at the museum,” said Winn.
Kara handed Winn the jar of orichalcum. “Don’t let this or Pryll out of your sight,” she said in a low voice. “And please don’t use this under any circumstances.”
Winn smirked. “Trust me, my only focus is technology, and I can’t get more super at that than I already am.”
Kara stared at Winn until he sighed and crossed his heart with his index finger.
“I won’t use the orichalcum even if there’s a dire emergency,” he promised. “Although how cool would Winntastic be as a superhero name?”
Kara rolled her eyes and opened the cell door.
“Schottcaller?” he tried again. “No? What about Sure-schott? The Winnonator!” he asked the others as they followed Kara out the door. “Guys, this is long overdue!”