"Director Danvers, we have a situation."

Alex faltered on her way into the DEO, startled by three agents heading toward her. "What's going on?"

"A meteor crash in the Pacific." The agent in the middle said hurriedly as Alex walked past him. He hastened to follow, looking down at the tablet he was clutching. "We've detected high energy levels emanating from the crash site."

Alex sighed in response. Her day just seemed to keep getting worse. "Put together a team and let me know when you have eyes on the situation. I'll be interrogating our new prisoner."

"Yes, Director."

Alex continued on her way, moving quickly down the hallway with her teeth clenched. She didn't know how she'd managed to lose a prisoner, how she'd employed yet another traitor but she was going to get to the bottom of it.

She let herself into the next room, letting the door swing closed behind her. Walking past the mostly vacated cells she came to a stop in front of an occupied cell. "Let me get this straight. You not only willingly released a prisoner, you then locked yourself up right after?"

Raven looked up in surprise, his brow furrowing at the sight of the director standing in front of his cell. "I knew there was no point in running. Besides, I wanted to stay behind to plead my sister's case. She couldn't stay to argue for herself."

"That's who Hisa is to you? Your sister?"

"Yes."

Alex stared at the dark-haired man long and hard for a moment before shaking her head in disbelief. "And why couldn't she stay to argue her case for herself?"

"She has to save our younger sister, Itsuki." Raven stood up from the hard bed he'd been sitting on and paced across the cell. "She's not one of the bad guys. We just want to protect our family. You have a sister, don't you? You should understand."

"Are you threatening me?" Alex stepped close to the barrier separating the two of them, anger flickering in her eyes.

"Of course not." Raven backed away, raising his hands in surrender. "I just want you to understand why we're doing what we're doing. We're not intentionally working against you."

Alex watched him closely for any sign that he wasn't being sincere but found none. "Where did your sister get kryptonite?"

"She doesn't have kryptonite. She didn't even know the woman she works for had it until they fought Supergirl and Dreamer….speaking of which, can you tell Dreamer I'm sorry about knocking her out? I tried to make it as painless as possible." Raven sank down onto the bed once more, figuring it wouldn't be a good idea to get too close to Alex.

Alex ignored him. "Who is Hisa working for?"

"A woman who has it out for Supergirl. She calls herself Banshee." Raven paused, noticing a flicker of recognition cross Alex's face. "You know her?"

"You could say that." Alex rubbed the back of her neck. She couldn't help but wonder what else could possibly go wrong today. They already had so many issues to contend with. "How is she linked to Lena Luthor?"

"Lena Luthor?" It was Raven's turn to sound confused. "She's not. My sister knows both of them, that's the only connection there. Banshee is the person who's holding Itsuki and that's why Hisa is working for her. It's not what you think though, she's also working with someone else to take Banshee down."

"Lena?"

Raven shrugged his shoulders. "She hasn't told me and I haven't asked. I've told you everything I know."

Alex nodded reluctantly. She believed him. "I appreciate your cooperation though you should know that what you've told me won't keep us from looking for your sister."

"Right." Raven smiled, shuffling backwards so he was sitting with his back against the wall. "But you'll have to catch her first. She won't fall for the same trick twice."

"Good things I have more tricks up my sleeve." Alex quipped before she turned to walk away. She hesitated as her prisoner called after her.

"Alex?"

"Director Danvers." Alex corrected, turning on her heel.

"About Dreamer…?"

"I'll pass your message on. If I remember." Alex turned and walked away, shaking her head.

"Thank you!"

-

Kara lifted her hand, hesitating for a moment before she knocked briskly on the door in front of her. As she waited for a response, her eyes darted toward the empty reception desk. She was grateful Lena's assistant wasn't there to keep her from passing at least. The security guards had been alarmingly easy to get by.

"Lena?" Kara called out softly when nobody appeared at the door or called for her to come in. "Are you in there? I'm here for our...appointment." She grimaced as the words left her lips. Appointment sounded so formal but she supposed that would be what Lena wanted now. Formality and nothing else. If she even still wanted to help her. "Lena?"

No answer. Kara glanced briefly over her shoulder before she carefully turned the handle to Lena's office. Finding it unlocked, she let herself in and paused at seeing Lena sitting at her desk. She closed the door behind her and took a quiet step closer to the desk, noticing that Lena's eyes were closed, her head braced on the heel of her hand while her elbow rested against the desk.

Kara listened closely as she silently approached. The sound of Lena's breathing let her know that the CEO was sleeping soundly and a small smile graced Kara's lips. She paused, allowing herself a couple of seconds to watch before she turned and slowly started to walk away. Their meeting could wait.

Her hand was on the door handle when a voice sounded from behind her. "Kara?"

Kara froze, her heart sinking with guilt. She turned to find Lena was awake and sitting up straight in her chair. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I wasn't sure if our meeting was still on after...well what happened last night."

"I was just resting my eyes." Lena lied, clearing her throat afterwards. "Our meeting. Right, of course. Let's do that."

Kara stared at Lena in concern. "It's fine, it can wait. You've been so busy lately, you deserve to take some time to yourself."

"Kara, sit down." Lena stood up and walked around the desk, gesturing to the couch on the other side of the office. "I'm not busy."

Kara did as she was instructed, walking to the couch. She sat down, fiddling with her sleeve. She looked up as Lena sat down next to her. "Before we start, I wanted to apologise for last night. It didn't happen the way I wanted it to but Alex is doing her job and technically I work for her. I'm not saying I don't support her decision to arrest your friend because I do but I know it couldn't have been easy to watch. Trust me, I know what it's like to watch someone you care about being treated like a..." She paused, taking a breath as Lena slowly nodded. "Well you know. I'm rambling. I'm sorry, I-I didn't really expect to get this far if I'm honest. Usually at this point you've already told me to get out three times. Not that I blame you!"

Lena sighed and looked down at her lap. "Maybe you should."

"Huh?"

"I wanted to apologise too." Lena said, her brow furrowing. She didn't look up, not wanting to see surprise cross Kara's face like she knew it would. "I shouldn't have reacted the way I did last night. I was just angry in the heat of the moment. I understand that you didn't have a choice in the matter of taking Hisa in. I'm not saying I don't disagree with it. You know that I do. But this is your job."

"Right." Kara agreed softly, uncertain if Lena was still angry with her. "For what it's worth, Alex will do everything she can to help her with finding her sister. I don't doubt that for a second. She'll do the right thing, she always does."

"I hope you're right about that." Lena replied quietly. She cleared her throat and finally looked up to meet Kara's eyes. "I'm working on a theory so we can avoid what you've seen in your vision. If I'm right, we should be able to safely remove the antimatter wave as it approaches the earth. With your help of course."

"Really?" Kara felt her heart leap at the suggestion. "How?"

"It's just a theory at the moment." Lena warned as Kara leaned forward slightly. "But I think if I fashion a Quadruple-Loffe configuration I can create an electromagnetic trap of sorts. Incorporating a vacuum may help to get the antimatter inside of the trap but I need to figure out-" Lena was cut off as Kara leaned forward and hugged her tightly without warning. "It's not a guarantee. I still need to find an energy source powerful enough, not to mention materials resilient enough to withstand that kind of heat."

"I know, I'm sorry." Kara guiltily drew back. "It's just...there's hope. I really needed this."

Lena mustered a small smile but before she had a chance to say anything, Kara's phone started to ring and the reporter quickly fished it out of her bag.

"Sorry, it's Alex." Kara apologised before answering. "Hey, Alex. What's going on?"

Lena stood and walked across her office to give Kara a moment to speak to her sister. She sat back down in her seat, her eyes darting over the plans on her desk. She worried that she had given Kara too much hope. There was so much to do, so many things they'd need to collect before she even started to construct the trap. Not to mention, that it was only theoretical.

"What do you mean, she got out?"

Kara's words caught Lena's attention and she looked up to see Kara furtively glance at her. She raised a questioning eyebrow.

"She's with me but...yeah. Yeah, I-I'll ask her." Kara sounded reluctant. "I'll call you back if I find anything out. Bye."

"Has something happened?" Lena asked as Kara hung up the phone and walked toward her desk, fidgeting nervously. "Is it about Hisa?"

"Yeah. She escaped this morning."

Lena watched as Kara bit her lip. "I didn't have anything to do with it. That's what you wanted to ask me, isn't it? Not that I'm unhappy about her escape but I haven't seen her since Alex arrested her. If you need evidence of my whereabouts during the breakout, I can give you access to my surveillance equipment. Though I'd hope it doesn't come to that."

"Of course not, I believe you." Kara said honestly, her shoulders slumping in release. "But if you hear from her can you…" She paused helplessly. "I don't expect you to tell me if you see her. I know she's your...friend. Just please be careful with her. I don't want to see you get hurt."

Lena crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I'm not going to let that happen again."

"Yeah, I guess not." Kara said quietly. Her gaze drifted away from Lena's and a tense silence settled between the two of them. "I should probably go then."

Lena slowly nodded and stood back up. "Probably. I'll call you if I need anything? I mean...I might need some things picked up for the device I'm trying to make."

"Of course. Anything you need. Thank you, again. I don't think I've said that enough. I don't think I could ever say it enough." Kara said honestly, her chest tight. "It really means everything to me that you're willing to help."

Lena shifted uncomfortably but tried not to let it show on her face. She didn't want Kara to die. That had become increasingly clear to her the more she pondered the situation and tried to think about how to avoid Kara's foreseen demise. She had wanted to tell herself that she wanted to keep Supergirl alive but it wasn't just that. More importantly than Supergirl, she just wanted Kara to still be in the world. She couldn't say that. "I'm happy to help. I really have to get back to w-"

"Wait, wait. I'm sorry." Kara grimaced at the rush of words from her mouth. "Just one more question and then I'll let you get on with things." She waited until Lena nodded for her to go ahead before she tentatively continued. "The other night, at the bar...you told Hisa you trust me. Did you mean that?"

Lena mulled that over for a moment while Kara anxiously fidgeted. "I trust you'll do the right thing for a person in need. I trust you as the protector of the city but as a friend? I really don't know. It seems trivial in the face of everything that's happening, I know, but I'm not sure I can move on from what happened. I can't be your friend again. I'm not sure how. I don't even know how to stop being angry with you."

"It's not trivial." Kara replied quietly. "I understand. I'll see you around, Lena."

Lena's eyes flicked up as Kara turned to walk away from her. "I would like to try." Her words caused the Kryptonian to freeze in her tracks. "And maybe someday…maybe it'll be almost like it was before."

Kara clenched her jaw, her eyes misting over. "I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen. Anything."

"Come by tomorrow." Lena slowly sat back down. "It couldn't hurt to bounce my ideas off someone. If you're free, of course."

"I'll be free." Kara's voice broke and she quickly cleared her throat. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

Lena let out a shuddering breath as Kara practically ran from the room, closing the door behind her. She closed her eyes, trying to calm the inner turmoil wracking her. As angry as she was with Kara, she couldn't help but miss her friend. She wanted her back, she just didn't know if that was possible.

-
Lena froze as she stepped out of the elevator into her loft, her skin prickling as the cold temperature of her apartment washed over her. She shuddered, her eyes darting back and forth for what had caused the chill. It became clear as she stepped forward and noticed the door to the balcony was open.

"It's just me."

Lena whirled around, her hand already reaching for the signal watch in her pocket before she saw a glimpse of red hair. "Hisa?"

Hisa shielded her eyes against the unexpected light as Lena flicked the switch up on the wall. "Sorry, I uh...dripped on your expensive looking carpet."

"You're soaked." Lena's brow furrowed as she looked at the puddle at Hisa's feet. "It's not even raining. What happened? I thought you were locked up."

"I broke out. Their plans for me didn't really match up to what I had in mind so…" Hisa shrugged her shoulders.

Lena sighed and turned, walking out of the room.

"Um…?" Hisa stared after Lena in confusion. "Okay, you're mad. I get that. Supergirl is your friend or whatever and you vouched for me with her and now you're probably getting a heap of backlash because of my impromptu exi-" She stopped as Lena reappeared, pushing a towel toward her. "Oh. I can't take this, it's too-"

"Don't say expensive." Lena warned, briefly narrowing her eyes before she brushed past Hisa and went to the kitchen. "I believe you were in the middle of an apology?"

"I was about done, actually." Hisa followed Lena, quickly towel drying her hair to keep it from dripping. "I'm just sorry to be causing you so much trouble."

Lena shook her head in response as she set about making some coffee. "You wouldn't have been in there if it hadn't been for me."

"Well that's true." Hisa grinned as Lena looked at her in surprise. "It's not your fault. It's not even Supergirl's fault, she's just doing her job. I would have wanted to lock me up too but that doesn't change the fact that I can't be right now. When I find Itsuki and she's safe, I'll hand myself in. Supergirl can do what she wants with me then."

"Why are you here?" Lena sat down at the counter, staring at Hisa. "Supergirl already asked me if you'd made contact with me. This is going to be the first place they look for you, and if it's as urgent as you say it is, you wouldn't be wasting time in my apartment, would you?"

Hisa was silent for a moment, her eyes darting to the ajar balcony door. "My contact's gone AWOL and I need help. I need a way to nullify a sonic scream so I can save my sister. You're the only person I trust now, you're the only person who can help me."

"Fine, I'll help you. But you owe me." Lena said, slowly nodding her head. "And I should warn you, I'm going to call upon that favour soon."

"You know you could have just asked me instead of making it sound like a threat. I wouldn't say no to helping you if you need it." Hisa stretched out her hand to Lena. "Partners?"

Lena felt her stomach sink uncomfortably as her mind drifted back to Kara. They had been partners at one point. She could only hope that she wasn't making a mistake now. She couldn't be friends with Kara again but she couldn't let her die either. She'd do anything to stop that. She grasped Hisa's hand, giving it a quick shake. "I'll get you some spare clothes. Are you up for a night in my lab?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Hisa smirked, drawing a soft laugh from Lena.

-
"What's the situation?" Alex questioned as she stopped short of the two DEO agents, her eyes glancing upwards towards the large screen on the wall before she looked back at the two agents. "You said the Exploration Team found the meteor crash sight?"

"Yes, Director Danvers." The first agent nodded quickly, glancing to the screen to her left in a state of panic. "We've been waiting for your order to investigate the crash but…"

"But what?" Alex frowned, turning to the nervous agent in confusion. It was rare to see an agent of the DEO worried about something such as a crashed meteor. "What's wrong?"

"We've been detecting strange energy signatures coming from inside the meteor." The agent answered before taking a deep breath, turning towards the director. "Director, We think something is alive inside of it."

Alex nodded slowly, taking a moment to think about what she should do. She had no idea if whatever was inside of the meteor was hostile or not and she didn't like putting her agents at risk. "Fall back, we'll get J'onn to do a scan over it and see if he knows what's inside."

"Copy that, Director." The second agent nodded and turned back to his screen, gently pressing against the side of his headset. "Seal Team Alpha, Orders are to return back to base asap."

Alex frowned as she noticed the second agent's eyes widen despite his attempt to hide it, watching as he nodded nervously. "What is it?"

The second agent quickly turned at the Director's question. "The meteor is opening."

"What?!" Alex's breath shuddered as she struggled to think about what to do. She had considered calling Kara and asking for Supergirl's help but considering how little her sister was telling her about what was going on with her she reconsidered. "Are we able to establish visual contact?"

"Yes, Director." The first agent nodded quickly and immediately started to type on her keyboard, glancing up at the screen every couple of seconds. "Visual contact established."

Alex frowned in confusion as her video feed appeared on the large screen. She could barely see anything outside of where the submarine's lights were shining. Inside the light lay a large meteor the size of two large fully grown men resting at the bottom of the sea with a strange green light glowing from small cracks around the exterior. She had no idea why but every part of her was screaming danger. She hurried to speak to her team. "Seal Team Alpha, get away from there!"

"Yes, Dir...wait, WHAT IS THAT?!"

Alex froze in horror as a large hand the size of a large person's head tore through the front of the submarine like it was made of tissue, the sounds of the agent's agonizing screams echoed throughout the entire room until the video feed tuned black with the last thing Alex noticing was the water turning red with blood. Goosebumps crawled their way up her skin and suddenly she felt icy cold. "Wasn't the...the Submarine lined with Nth metal?"

"Yes, Director." The first agent nodded slowly, still in a state of shock. She had never seen or heard anything like what she just saw before in her entire life. It was like a horror movie. "The entire exterior was lined with a two inch thick Nth metal lining."

Alex jumped as the video feed from the submarine flickered back to life, attracting the attention of every DEO agent in the room. The video was covered in a thick red hue, chunks of flesh and bones floating around with large shards of metal from the submarine around it. In the centre above the split open meteor floated a large shadow twice the size of a white martian tearing apart one of the agents, it's detail impossible to pickout thanks to how dark it was. She gritted her teeth as the creature took off, swimming out of sight before the video cut out. "We need Supergirl."

TBC...