Maggie knew she was dreaming considering the foggy and rather Scooby-Doo romp-worthy number of doors lining the corridor she now found herself running down. She tries calling Alex's name again considering it had been her ghost-like voice in her ear that had first lead Maggie's dream mind into this seemingly never-ending maze of what Maggie hoped would lead to the true memories of her time good and bad with the woman she loved and not the broken empty thought she was still stumbling over.

Now if she could only find a way to open one of them. She could hear the low buzz of speech from each entryway she trudged passed, but the words were always too low to catch properly and her feet felt like she was running in quicksand as she followed the shadowed agent seeming to be patrolling this newly found corridor of Maggie's mind.

"Please Maggie you have to remember." The soft voice of her yet to be returned love answers the sad undertones taring fresh wounds in the searching detective's heart.

"I'm trying Alex, but you have to help me. Please." Maggie calls again catching the shadow of a leather jacket and tight black shirt and jeans clade body and a quick splash of auburn hair turning around to face her. So similar to what Maggie was remembering Alex wearing when Maggie had first been introduced to the Superfriends at Dollywood. If only her face wasn't lost in the foggy shadow.

Her dream self blinks and the shadowed figure was right in front of her. Just the smallest fraction of an inch separating them now bringing that relaxing flavor of leather, the ocean surf and the sterilized bite of lab equipment and alien weapons cleaner tickled her nose as Alex's phantom body leaned into Maggie's the heat of even in Maggie's mind with clothes separating them Alex's body was as warm and welcoming as the first-ever time Maggie had felt every delicious clothes inch slotted against her own.

"You still my badass detective, Mags." Alex reminds a warm hand cupping Maggie's chin the soft press of a forehead against her own, yet Maggie still couldn't make out the beauty she knew to be Alex's face as her other hand winds teasingly into the small baby like curls at the back of Maggie's neck. "You'll figure it out I know you can."

They don't have long. Maggie can already feel her mind beginning to wake up, but she stubbornly clings to the shadow woman as hard as she can. The red highlights of Alex's dark auburn locks flashing in Maggie's peripheral vision from the growing light of fast coming consciousness in as dream Alex leans in her lips ghosting over Maggie's in one last breath of a kiss before she wakes.

Her eyes open with Alex's name a pained whisper on her lips

"I mean they did warn me you talk in your sleep but dang Sawyer."

Susan's joking tones weren't exactly the ones Maggie wanted to wake up to after that flash of stole time but with a Danvers worthy pout and the offer of one of the more vegan recopied cookies Vaz was hoarding like a tactical gear clade she-dragon Maggie relented in the choice of waking companion given Linda was still resting somewhat peacefully as she hovered a few inches over the twin-sized medical bed.


"Every test subject Checkmate collects gets one almost as soon as they are brought in." Kenzi confessed her eyes downcast in shame as she fidgets with the set of the restraints encasing her wrists. "I've had to implant those in both human and extratextual subjects be they men, women, or children." She pauses allowing for the accompanying gasp at the admission without lifting her eyes from the tabletop. "They would have had me put one in Snow if I'd been able to cut into that super-dense skin of hers."

They could tell she was trying to make a joke of it but hurried on when no one acknowledged her attempt.

"It's like some kind of sick insurance policy. If the subject rebels in any way after its assimilation, then Checkmate uses the activation of the implant to bring that subject back into the fold. If the threat isn't enough and they still rebel then-well."

"Boom?" Jamie finishes. "What we were all thinking it." She adds noting the disapproving expressions from the others seated around the table.

Alex's hand found Winn's under the table needing something other than the cool metal of her good luck charm around her neck to hold herself together as she continued to listen to the inner workings of her ex's former workplace.

How could Kelly willingly work for people like that?

"We should have sat this one out." Winn muttered out of the corner of his mouth pushing the last few swallows of his cold coffee away

"Agreed but A) we don't have superpowers to get us out of this like Kara or Allen and 2) we also need to know what we're up against." Alex sighed pillowing her head against Winn's shoulder with a low sigh.

"True but this is making my skin crawl just liste-" Winn grumbles.

"Agent Schott, Alex—" both sat up just a little straighter at J'onn's call with echoed mumbles of "Yes Sir." Despite J'onn not being in any real position of authority other than his intimidating presence since handing over the DEO rains to his eldest Earth daughter

"I think you're needed elsewhere." The Martian says with an understanding glance toward the door. Rory was sitting as close to the glass as she could without actually touching it her pouting expression fixed on the two agents seated at the far end of the long table while a curious toy bird perched on her head and even thought the thick glass of the windowed wall, they could hear it chirping happily when the pair looked over while Rory's tail thumped against the cool tile of the hall.

"Race you to the med—" Alex was already out of her seat and out the door before Winn had finished speaking Rory bounding happily behind her. "Cheater." Winn calls hurrying after them.

Rory leads the pair toward the roof rather than the med wing with a happy bounce in her tripoded steps.

"Are you sure that is what you want?"

The curious concern of the mother's question makes them pause in their steps Winn giving a small shrug of his shoulders at Alex's questioning glance whilst Rory trots over nuzzling her head under the Kryptonian's chin in loving greeting before circling around to curl up at Maggie's side. A blonde head of water-dampened locks the newly arrived pair guessed to be Linda snuggled up with her head against the reclined detective's other side.

"Would I not be welc—"

"Of course, you'd be welcomed, Maggie Sawyer." Alura says propping herself up on her elbow "The healing and peace of Argo is for all no matter the seeker's homeworld."

The two whispering women pause when the sudden movement upset the resting blonde curled between them. "Easy Kara." Maggie soothes her hand sliding through the sleeping hero's hair the name surprising the other two yet to make their presence known. "We're right here. We're not going anywhere."

Alex feels her heart swell and breaks all at once as her sister quiets under Maggie's touch. Whatever mission she'd come back from must have been a hard one Alex guesses watching in the coming darkness as Kara's arm curls once again around Maggie's hip for some kind of contact.

"Your leaving?"

It's only Alex's quick tug on Winn's arm that saves him from being singed by the sudden startled burst of her sister's heat vision. The two other women are a little slower in looking over at Winn's questioning tone, but Maggie's eyes immediately fall on the heartbroken gaze of the woman the young man's side whilst Kara starts rattling off apologies at lightning speed.

"Can you give us a second?" Maggie asks her voice barely audible as her eyes hold those mesmerizing hazel ones.

Quietly the other three retreated to the other side of the DEO rooftop Rory needed a little more prodding than the others before trotting after them with a pouting huff.

"I—" Maggie started to say but the red-haired agent didn't give her time to offer anything more before she was pulling the dazed detective closed her eyes searching Maggie's before her head tipped forward pressing her lips to Maggie's still parted ones.