"What?" Supergirl questioned when she entered the DEO and saw that Vasquez was looking over her shoulder.
"Sorry, I keep expecting Alex to come in." Vasquez explained.
"She is still banned. Although it is getting harder to keep her in bed."
"So you think tomorrow?" Vasquez asked.
"Getting bored of the paperwork?" Supergirl asked.
"Well yes, but more importantly there is a lot of money at stake."
"You are betting on it?"
"Think of it as team bonding." Vasquez shrugged as Kara looked at one of the security feeds.
"Are they all looking restless?"
"Yes. They have been like that all morning. Like they have all learned the truth about what the suits did to them. Which would be great, except they are all in isolation and should have no way of communicating."
"Maybe we should talk to one of them and the first question we can ask is how they all know?" Supergirl suggested.
"I doubt they will answer, but we need to hold off for another couple of hours."
"Why?"
"We haven't finished installing the anti-telepath devices yet." Vasquez said. "But Aptil is about to come in for a briefing if you want to sit in?"
-00-
"Tell me you have something." Supergirl greeted when Aptil walked into the briefing room.
"I do. But I doubt it is anything you'll get excited by." He said before he started projecting some information on the screen.
"The men who were with the Director when you found her are too well trained. They aren't going to break. They were also very careful about who to share information with. So although the more junior members of the group are talking, they don't know much to start with." He said. "But your first lead, Stan Sparkes, the driver of the ice cream truck, he is signing like a canary. Apparently Kai threatened to use the contacts on his son, or at least that is his defence. Regardless of whether he is lying about that he gave us several addresses that were used by Kai."
"Were?" Vasquez asked.
"They were cleared out by the time we got there."
"So there are enough members left to clear buildings out." Supergirl said.
"Yes. At the moment they are busy trying to make sure we can't find them but after they have consolidated it is possible they will go after the Director, or her family, out of revenge."
"We have already assigned her a security detail." Vasquez said.
"Even if none of the people we arrested can lead us to Sloane Syndicate I am sure some of them must know about the contingency plans. Once we have that intel we can end Kai for good." Aptil said trying to sound optimistic.
"What about the cult who was running the servers? Any link to Sloane Syndicate?" Vasquez asked.
"Nothing obvious and to be honest they dropped down our priority list. With the threat neutralised we had more pressing issues." He said.
"So you won't mind if we look?" Vasquez asked.
"Knock yourself out." He said. "I'll let you know if we find anything."
"Well that was a big load of nothing." Supergirl said frustrated after Aptil had been shown out.
"We'll get them." Vasquez said as Kara's phone started to ring.
"Kara Danvers speaking …. who? …. oh right, is he okay? …. ummm, sure … thirty minutes? … yes I know it … I'll see you there."
"Problem?" Vasquez asked.
"I don't think so, but I need to go somewhere. I'll be back soon."
-00-
"Hi." Kara greeted as she approached the man from the other evening in NoonNan's
"Hi." He said standing. "Thank you for coming."
"Of course."
"I didn't know what you'd like so I ordered a latte." He said pointing to the cup. "But if you want me to change it let me know."
"It's fine." Kara smiled as she sat opposite him.
"I'm sorry for not introducing myself the other night, I was a bit tired after work."
"No problem." Kara smiled.
"I'm Steve, Steve Keller."
"Keller?" Kara asked thinking Martin's surname was Kerr.
"Martin's mother was my sister, she took her husband's name when they married."
"Sorry, I thought you were is dad."
"No. Uncle. Heather, my sister, died soon after he was born. And his father died a couple of years ago. I have been taking care of him since then."
"That must be really hard on both of you."
"He's a good kid. But I think he is worried that if he causes trouble I'll get rid of him, which I would never do, but I can't make him believe it. So he doesn't tell me anything. But your expression the other day told me I should be worried."
"He's getting bullied, pretty badly." Kara said.
"So your daughter was trying to help him when she got hurt?" He guessed.
"Yes."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault or Martin's." Kara said.
"According to his, well our, therapist, Martin has a deep rooted fear of loosing people he cares about, which makes sense. But it stops him wanting to make friends."
"So he doesn't have to go through the pain of losing them." Kara guessed.
"Precisely." He said.
"I lost a lot of people when I was growing up." Kara said.
"How did you get over it?"
"With time I found a new family and I realised the love I got from them outweighed my fear of losing them."
"Martin is definitely not there yet." Steve said.
"I'm sure he'll get there."
"I wanted to thank you for bringing him back the other night. Actually that's not true. I mean it is, but it isn't the main reason."
"So what's the main reason."
"It doesn't matter, I have taken up enough of your time."
"It does matter, what is it?" Kara pressed.
"I felt like I needed a sympathetic ear. Martin told me that it is just you and Alex, and I am not prying, I just thought you might understand how overwhelmed I am feeling and have some advice."
"Advice? No. But I am happy to be a sympathetic ear whenever you need it."
-00-
"Any breakthroughs?" Alex greeted as Kara entered her room.
"Hello to you too." Kara said.
"Hello, any breakthroughs?"
"We are still getting more questions than answers." Kara said. "But Aptil is worried that when Kai have reconsolidated they may come after you and the kids again. But I am not going to let them hurt you again."
"I'm going to call Vasquez and arrange a protection detail." Alex said.
"You don't need to, you already have one." Kara said.
"Since when?"
"Since we found the kids. Ruby has been the one interacting with the kids, but you have a team permanently outside and round the school. The kids and the house are being watched the whole time."
"I didn't order that." Alex pointed out.
"Yeah, but Vasquez did." Kara said. "And Aptil is working really hard to find the rest of them and he is getting leads."
"You trust him?"
"No, so we are keeping an eye on him and J'onn is kind of working undercover there."
"He is?"
"It's probably best not to ask too many questions." Kara said as Eliza entered the room.
"Dinner is ready. Can you fetch the kids?"
"Where are they?" Alex asked.
"At Kara's." Eliza said before noticing Alex was getting out of bed. "What are you doing?"
"Going downstairs so we can have a family dinner." Sensing Kara's thoughts she said. "I can walk."
"Okay." Kara said holding her hands up defensively. "I'll get the kids."
-00-
As Kara entered her apartment, three teenagers, all wearing guilty expressions looked over to her.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing." Alex said.
"Your expressions say different." Kara said looking round the apartment as Chewie ran over to her. "Have you been ring tossing again?" She asked.
"Yes." MJ said. "To help with my basketball."
"And your excuses?" She asked looking from the teenage Kara to the teenage Alex.
"Keeping him grounded." The oldest teenager said.
"Right." The adult Kara replied before looking at her daughter who was yawning. "You okay?" She asked.
"Fine. Just tired." The teenager said.
"You sure?" Kara pressed. When her daughter nodded she said.
"Okay, well it's dinner time."
-00-
"Did something happen at school?" Kara asked when they returned home, noticing her daughter seemed more tired than normal.
"No."
"Then why have you been so quiet?"
"Just tired."
"Have you been using your powers?"
"Only at home."
"Is that what you were doing this evening?"
"Yes." Alex said, feeling too tired to make up a lie.
"Why did you all lie about it earlier?"
"We didn't, we were ring tossing. But with powers, for me anyway."
"Why?"
"We overheard you talking to Alex about being scared of not taking a ring off." Alex said. "So I have … it'd be easier to show you."
"Okay." Kara said confused.
"Give me a minute." Alex said going to the kitchen and removing a narrow metal stick with several small finger width rings on, from a cupboard. She then put it on the side and moved back to her mother. Moments later each of the small rings flew from the pole to her hand. She then turned to her mother she said. "See you don't have anything to worry about. I can get it off."
"Come here." Kara said hugging her. "I really appreciate what you are trying to do. But I don't want you being anywhere near the rings. They are all dangerous." Pulling away she added. "It's late and you're tired. Go to bed, we'll talk more in the morning."
-00-
Having heard everyone go to there rooms, the adult Alex waited ten minutes before getting out of bed and heading to her daughter's room.
"Kara? Can I come in?"
"Sure." The teenager called back. But as her mother entered her room she said. "But I'm not being your shield if grandma finds you in here."
"Fair enough." Alex said walking over to her bed. "So, how are you doing?" Alex asked as she sat.
"I'm fine." The teenager said. But after awhile she said. "I keep having nightmares."
"About?"
"You getting hurt." The teenager said.
"I'm okay." Alex said hugging her.
"I keep dreaming that you are sending me away. Not just in that building, but in general, and I can't get back."
"I hated sending you away, but I thought it was for the best." Alex said.
"I know." The teenager said.
"But even if I have to send you away, I will always come for you." Alex said kissing her daughter's head. After a few moments she said. "You should get some sleep. But if you have any dreams come and see me."
"Okay." The teenager agreed as Alex stood.
"Mom?"
"Yes."
"Will you stay here until I fall to sleep?"
"Of course." Alex said sitting on the bed again and hugging her daughter.