A/N: I am so sorry I'm jumping fandoms with an unfinished story, but I swear I'm going to finish that one up as soon as I can. I just needed to get this out, and then there's a prompt for my sister that I need to finish because she doesn't play fair and I can deny her nothing, but after that I'll be at least hopping between fandoms, not abandoning either. So for anyone wanting me to continue writing PP fic, I promise I will. Also, I just moved into a new apartment, but I don't have internet yet, so I'm back to posting from McDonald's and coffee shops, so that might bring a few delays as well. Apologies if it does.
Of all the things Alex Danvers refuses to be, helpless is at the top of the list.
She'd returned to National City to face Myriad, she'd joined the DEO and taken control of her life, and she's spent years pouring every bit of energy into being the best agent she can be. All so she can protect her sister, and stand by her side. Because Kara is everything to her, has been for years. She wishes she could say since she'd landed on this planet, but then again, teenagers are known for stupid mistakes. And every time she helps her now, she hopes she makes up for those early days, one mistake at a time.
So when Kara tells her there's no time, that there's nothing she can do, she refuses to believe it. There's always something she can do. She's Alex Danvers, older sister of Supergirl, and nothing is out of her reach.
So despite the pain in her head, the throbbing in time with the wave patterns they're still mapping on the screens, Alex acts. She doesn't think, doesn't have the spare brain power to think. Kara is in trouble, Kara is sacrificing herself because it's the right thing to do, but Alex can't let that be the end of the story. She can't live without Kara by her side.
She doesn't need to think, it turns out, in fact thinking probably would have been the downfall of this plan. Not that it even counts as a plan, because Alex doesn't remember any of the steps she'd taken to get to this point. She's just suddenly sitting in Kara's pod, staring down at the consoles and wondering if the hours spent studying the reports on this thing will be enough. Because they have to be. Alex can't take any other answer.
A gentle touch of the screen where she can see recent swipes through the dust is enough to bring the pod online, and Alex allows herself a small smile of victory as she focuses on translating the Kryptonian script scrolling across the screen. Kara had taught her over the years, a link back to her planet that Alex had instinctively known she needed, but it's not second nature to her and the pain in her head is still distracting, even as it begins to lessen.
That slight lessening goads Alex into action, Kara is running out of time, so she needs to solve this now.
She manages to remember the script for 'close' and assumes it means the cockpit, so without hesitation she touches the screen over the word, almost grinning in success when the screen of whatever material it is materializes around her. The first step has been accomplished, and now she can actually believe she'll save Kara, not just refuse to accept otherwise.
But when she presses the 'flight control' button, a loud and angry voice starts chattering at her in Kryptonian. She catches a few words, but it's so much faster than Kara had ever spoken, and Alex is out of practice.
"Speak English for fuck's sake" she yells when the pod refuses to start up in favor of continued yelling, unable to stand the delay in getting to her sister's side.
To her surprise it works, the angry Kryptonian cutting off mid-sentence before switching to equally angry English. "This pod is property of the House of El, usable only by members of the family. You are not part of the House of El. Vacate the pod at once." The message repeats twice as Alex sobs in frustration, slamming her hands on the dash because she can't hold herself back any longer. "I have to save her, you stupid hunk of tin! Kara Zor-El is trying to save us, but I have to save her too. I have to save her." Her voice breaks after that, unable to continue as the thought of losing Kara chokes the words from her. She can't lose Kara, can't face life without her. Kara had been right all those months ago, without her sister she has no life. She's put everything she is into being the sister Kara needs, because she can't imagine anything different. That's where Kara had been wrong, because Alex will always put Kara first, but she no longer resents it. She couldn't resent it if she tried.
So no, she will not let some alien artificial intelligence stop her from saving her sister, no matter what it thinks the rules are. Nothing and no one can out-stubborn Alex Danvers when she puts her mind to something, and especially not when it comes to Kara.
The voice is still insisting Alex leave the pod immediately when her patience breaks, and fingers fly over the console instinctively, pressing where Kara would press, flicking through page after page of half understood Kryptonian until finally the pod roars to life. It's enough to cause the AI to stutter in disbelief, and a feral grin lights up Alex's face as she points the nose of the pod towards the ceiling where she knows the rock covering is thinnest, sparing a glance to make sure no one is near the area where the debris from this maneuver is going to fall. Because there is no way Alex is taking the time to find an exit. Not when she can make one.
The pod seems to realize what she plans a second before she does it, throwing up some form of particle shield around the skin of the vessel, something the DEO hadn't realized it was capable of. Obviously Alex and the other scientists are going to need a lot more hours spent poring over the systems to find out everything it can do.
"I do not know how you managed to override the authorized pilot block, but I must insist that you take care with this pod." The voice is miffed now, and in other circumstances Alex might chuckle at the fact she's managed to piss off a glorified computer system, but right now her only focus is Kara.
"This pod is the only thing that can save Kara, so it's going to do what I need it to do" she says firmly instead, quickly pointing the nose towards space and increasing the speed.
"I must insist we return to normal safe velocities while within atmospheric conditions!" the voice screams in her ear, but Alex can't bring herself to care. Nothing on the console is flashing warning signs at her yet, so the computer is obviously overreacting. "The frame is not rated to withstand the high temperatures this amount of friction will result in!"
"Then find a way to cool it down, because I am not waiting to save my sister." She hears the AI voice grumble, and again there's that urge to chuckle proudly. But then they're in space, pushing through the last layers of atmosphere, and the sight almost, almost, distracts Alex for a moment. She's never seen so many stars in her life, spreading across the blackness of space in every direction, still and silent as if watching her. Judging her. Waiting to see if she will fail.
But Alex has come this far, and there's no way in hell she's backing down now. She's fully outside of Myriad's effect now, can tell that Kara has succeeded in saving the planet, so Alex will succeed in saving her. Kara may be the world's hero, but as J'onn had said, Alex is Kara's. Whatever it takes, Alex will always save Kara.
It's surprisingly easy to find her once Alex thinks to ask the pod for help, the voice instantly agreeing when Alex points out that saving Kara will mean having a member of the House of El aboard the pod, ending the strain on its programming that had come from Alex managing an override that shouldn't exist. She's not entirely sure what the pod does to bring Kara aboard and protect her from the vacuum of space around them, but the confidence in the artificial voice is enough that she turns control over to the AI to get them home, not wanting to risk Kara now that she's saved her.
She's ready to take over in a heartbeat if the pod takes too long to get them down, but Alex has to admit that safe reentry angles in alien spaceships isn't one of the classes she took to get her degree, or her position in the DEO. And the pod seems to recognize the urgency of the situation, heading back to what is apparently considered its home base now only slightly slower than Alex would have preferred.
When Kara doesn't wake immediately once they land Alex is worried, but she's breathing and responding to stimuli, so she manages to push the emotions of a concerned sister to the side just enough to run tests and get Kara to the medbay, letting her rest and recharge while Alex tries in vain not to worry.
She doesn't tackle Kara into a hug immediately when she finally wakes up, as much as she wants to, knowing that there are things to say before she can let go and let herself feel the panic she'd had to face, the possibility of loss she could never overcome, no matter how hard she would have tried to keep her promise. But as soon as Kara is standing, ready to accept the thanks of the entire base with her trademark embarrassed smile, Alex can't resist. She pulls Kara into the tightest hug she can manage; not minding when Kara returns it a little more than is comfortable.
Because Kara is here, and safe, and Alex will do everything she can to keep her that way.
Kara may be the world's hero, but Alex is hers.