| Code Name: Shadow | (DC's Legends of Tomorrow)

56: Death at Midnight

As he lifted the redhead into the air, Meg grimaced, doubling over in pain. Ray quickly set her down, noticing the slice that cut into's Meg's side and the way her skin was bruised and black from broken ribs across her abdomen and chest.

"What's wrong?" Ray asked. Meg squeezed her eyes shut, her arm wrapped around her side to plug the bleeding. After a moment, she shook her head.

"Just a few.... bumps. I'm fine."

Meg certainly didn't feel fine. Perhaps soon she'd be dead on the floor with her father.

"Red, you look pretty messed up there." Mick commented. The redhead was pale, covered in sweat, the side of her suit was soaked in blood that she didn't notice until former bounty hunter pointed it out.

"It's fine- just a scratch." The redhead reassured the two. She was beginning to feel light headed and dizzy- but pushed it from her mind. The jump ship would be there soon to take them back- she'd be fine, "But... we did it guys. He's dead."

Ray grabbed ahold of Meg's arm and kissed her forward, "Savage is dead."

"Not let's only hope the other guys kill him in 1975 and 2021 so he's dead for good." Mick grumbled.

"I doubt they'll have any trouble if he's mortal." Meg shrugged. She glanced over to the Thanagarian meteorite- which seemed to be getting more reactive by the second, "Is that normal?"

Mick turned his head to the cobalt glowing ball- muttering a few choice words under his breath.

"That does not look normal." Mick said, "It'll blow this whole planet to pieces if it blows."

"Well, how do we stop it?" Ray asked. Meg studied the meteorite, clinging onto the Atom to keep herself upright.

"I don't think we can, haircut. Can you destroy it?"

"Don't." Meg put up a bloodied hand, "You'll blow the whole universe up. Then Savage would definitely be able to finish the ritual."

Ray gave Meg a puzzled look as Mick just nodded to her.

"Then what do you suppose we do? That thing's going to blow soon." The Atom pointed out. Meg let go of him, swaying on her feet as she gripped onto life as best she could. Slowly, she walked over to the glowing meteorite, clutching her bleeding side with both hands.

"Margaret- no. You'll kill yourself!" Ray went to grab her hand, but she bat it away with a wave of weak shadows that barely threw his arm back.

"It's the only way." Meg coughed, spitting out blood into the dark grass as she made her way over.

"There has to be another way-"

"There isn't." Meg, who resembled a ghost, turned to Ray. He walked a few steps forward to her, ripping off his helmet and gloves.

He hurried to the redhead, placing his hands on her shoulders as he searched her eyes for something.

"I won't let you die, Meg-"

"Ray." She kissed him quickly on the lips before turning, "I'll be sure to keep my promise this time- to always be there... I love you."

The redhead turned to Mick, "And Mick- stay tough for me, will you?"

"Counting on it." Mick grumbled.

She turned back towards the meteorite, falling to her knees as dizziness overcame her.

"If I'm going to die either way... might as well save the world while doing it, right?" Her voice was up an octave as she crawled next to the glowing rock.

"Just know that you guys are the best thing that's ever happened to me." Meg turned to Ray one last time- studying his features.

Then she touched the meteorite, absorbing the energy and light from it. The intensity of the rock burned every inch of her body. Her skin glowed blue as the meteor seemed to carve into her wrists up fingertips- all the way up to her arms.

Meg screamed- her eyes a blinding cobalt as the energy just kept coming.

Ray wanted to turn away- to not watch every cell of Margaret's body be ripped away by Thanagarian technology.. but for her sake- so she could see him before she closed her eyes for good.

Because he owed that to Meg for all the pain she had endured in her lifetime.

The redhead- well... now cobalt-headed Metahuman convulsed from the energy, wanting to rip her hands away from the rock... but she couldn't. Even if her hands were mutilating themselves.

Uneven breaths shook in her lungs, her dying heart doing its best to slowly pump blood. Meg was dying- it wouldn't be long until she absorbed all of the energy... then she could give into the comforting darkness and join her family on the other side.

Then, as the glowing of the meteorite slowly faded, Meg slumped backward. Her eyes were still open, gazing up at the dazzling night sky, and no air passed through her longs. She was dead.

"I can't believe she did that." Mick stood gaping at Margaret's body, which was limp and lifeless.

"Meg was always full of surprises." Ray was too shocked to cry or even show any emotion- so he stood there, his eyes not leaving Meg's unseeing eyes.

"Haircut, we should go. Red might not be stable enough to... you know."

"I know." Ray slumped his shoulders forward, looking one last time at Meg before turning around.

That's when she made a nasty choking sound.

"Did she-"

"Go look, Haircut."

Ray walked briskly over to Meg- who still looked lifeless. She wasn't breathing, but her body was trembling and quivering, like it was alive.

"We can't leave her here- I think we can save her." Ray scooped up Meg effortlessly, heading towards the jump ship.

"She's long gone- with those injuries and alien technology running through her. The most Gideon could do is make her a breathing vegetable." Mick called after the billionaire.

Ray looked down at the redhead, whose lips were already turning blue as her veins slowly started to appear more clearly on her face. Meg's arms were cut and scarred from the rock, intricate alien designs running up her arms and onto her neck. They were gruesome- but still faintly glowed cobalt.

Meg was dead. In fact- there was a one in a million chance of her even becoming the breathing veggie Mick said would happen.

So why even try to save her if she was too far gone?