"You have to be joking." Was the only thing Alex could think of to say when the van stops across the road from their destination.
"It's actually rather genius." Kate comments from the driver's seat. "hide in plain sight you know since we blew up their last base camp and all." They all can tell she was trying to maybe lighten the mood, but it didn't help much. "Plus, no need to risk stealing anything to keep the Pandora project going cause it's all right there."
"Yeah cause if there's one thing Cadmus cares about its anything to do with risk." Alex sighs pressing her fingers against the bridge of her nose. This had to be a trap. They were wasting time again with another Cadmus trap when Maggie was who knew where being used as a Cadmus lab rat.
"She is really in there Alex." Linda promises from the back seat as if she could hear the doubt in her sister's mind. "Her heart is weak but still beating." That earns a hit against her side from Kara's elbow. "What?" she asks at the 'did you really just say that' look her twin was giving her.
Alex wasn't the only one surprised that the superpowered women had opted to ride with them in the DEO van rather than fly to the scene. At the moment Alex was glade of the choice. "Is she Kar?" she asks without taking her eyes away from the front of the building.
All those innocents coming in and out. All those unknowing Cadmus pawns. She could hear from her earpiece that J'onn was relaying a plan of attack.
The sisters eyes meet in the rearview mirror as Kara's head tilts like Linda's as she concentrates for a few seconds on the heartbeat in question. The walls where lead-lined and not even Brainy could crack the security system to give them eyes inside, but not even lead could protect against all her sister's powers. "She's holding on Al."
They all pretended not to see the few tears Alex hadn't been able to whip away sliding down her cheeks while those listening in on the coms pretended not to hear the director's teary sniffs as she gets herself back under control.
Going by the angle she guesses it was Linda that gives her a hug from the backseat but at the moment she can't be sure. All she knows is it is a hug she needed to push down the last of her pain and focus only on the mission at hand.
Getting her Maggie back and subdue anyone that get in her way.
She was finished playing around.
"Brainy what have you found on the plans for this place?" Alex questions using her most hardened director voice.
It takes longer than she would have liked for him to answer her. "The schematics were changed multiple times so there is no way of knowing which set are the real ones but it appears that the hospital was set up by a large private donation from a number of shell companies but the bulk of the funds we managed to trace back to a Maxwell Lord, but we can't find anything on the parent company they were working with. Its maddening."
"Wait Max Lord is a part of this too?" Alex couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Um, Alex."
It was Vaz this time she was heading up the Bata team on the southeast side of the building while J'onn ran things back at the hub.
"What's up V?"
"I knew it." Kate growls from the seat beside her as twin curses drown out what was left of Susan's words in her ear. Alex was about to ask her to repeat them when she spots her.
"What….this has to be some kind of mistake." She concludes watching as her girlfriend pause at the door to the Cadmus run building to pull out her cell phone after looking around the lot as if she knew she was being watched. "No. this… I mean she can't…."
Almost as soon as Kelly's eyes land on the van the door Kelly had been about to open was pushed open by none other than Maxwell Lord himself.
Betrayal and anger twist Alex's heart whilst she watches the two embrace as if reuniting with an old dear friend right before her eyes. "What's he saying?" she demands now more grateful than ever that she had not one but two super hearing aliens in the car with her. "Guys." She growls when neither sister answers. A glance behind her shows the reason being was that neither of her sisters were still sitting behind her.
For a change, it was Linda holding back Kara when she finally spies them just barely within a reasonable cover zone to keep the pair across the road from spotting them.
"Alex I'm going to need you to trust me." Going by the tone of his voice Alex knows she wasn't going to like J'onn's next words. "You and Kara need to come back here on the double. Kate you and Beta team stay on guard until I signal you to move in."
"Absolutely not J'onn. No way."
Despite leaving her out of the list to head back to the DEO Linda speaks up as well. "Papa bear they have our Maggie. We can't just leave our dude with those animals."
"I know and we're going to get her out but please—trust me on this." J'onn pleads and Alex can tell by the wind garbling words that he's already in root to them. "We already know what Lord can do concerning kryptonite and with Cadmus backing him…"
Kelly and Max had moved away now walking down the sidewalk toward a nearby coffee shop.
"Beta team hold position Kate you too please, Lin shadow Kelly and Max don't lose them. Alex and Kara go back to the hub. Eliza and Lena will brief you both when you get back." J'onn advises "Don't argue just go." He added before either Danvers sister could form a comeback.
"Now girls." Eliza's voice scolds from the coms when neither of her daughters moved from there positions.
The three sisters pulled one another into a long hug with defeated sights none of them wanting to leave the others side at the moment.
"They messed with the wrong family."
Alex and Kara both gave watery smiles at Linda's declaration as the three sisters rocked back on their heels without letting go of one another. "Don't let Kate or Vaz take all the fun okay?" Alex warns while Linda pouts nuzzling her head against her elder sister's shoulder. "you no fun Alex."
For a second after they parted Linda almost turned around just to check Kara was flying Alex back to the DEO when her elder sister fell into step with her on her way toward the coffee shop. But choosing instead to roll with it Linda slides her hand into J'onn's as they walked letting him take the lead while she keeps an ear on the heartbeat they'd come to save.
"I'm thinking cocoa and something sweet." 'Alex' suggest as they stop at the door just to be sure than their targets were still inside. They were sitting together in the corner of the room both with steaming cups in front of them, yet both were on their phones. "Perfect." Linda agrees taking care to keep from ripping the door off its hinges in her anger as they entered the shop.