"She's beautiful, mam."
"Beautiful?"
"Yes, she hasn't reached full maturation yet. Even CK-38, though gorgeous, was only useful as an example of an adult Kryptonian. He had clearly spent prolonged time under our yellow sun, had likely been here since early childhood."
There was a pause. "She doesn't have all of her powers?"
"No. I was even able to penetrate her skin."
The second voice clicked her tongue. "Ready her for dissection then."
Kara's eyes flew open.
She was in a room. Silver. Metal. High ceilings. A lab.
"Mam," She finally saw who was speaking. A slim man in a lab coat hunched over her. His eyes were gray and his skin had the pallor of someone who had not seen the sun in far too long. ", She's awake."
"What?" A woman came into view. Older than the man, her hair was pulled back into a harsh bun. Icy eyes met Kara's. "She does have a Kryptonian metabolism then. Ice her again and then ready her for dissection."
"No!" Kara wanted to cry but her mouth was not quite working. What came out was a half-gasp half-scream as the woman turned towards the door.
Something cold slid up her arm. She glanced down and saw a tube running the length of her forearm. At its end was a bandage, like the kind Alex had used when she'd scraped her knee, holding something warm and metallic to her flesh.
Coldness sprang across her chest and her breath caught in her throat.
This was bad. This was bad. Where was Alex? She needed Alex.
Kara tried and look around the lab, but her head wouldn't turn. She could only stare up into the gray man's eyes. He watched her without a frown or a sadistic grin. He just watched.
"Dr. Luthor?" He spoke without taking his eyes off Kara.
"Hmm?" The woman was nearly at the door.
"We may be able to learn more from her alive."
"And why do you think that, doctor?"
"She's at least thirteen but has yet to develop a full set of powers. CK-38 was clearly here from a young age, but she wasn't. And yet we know that their planet was destroyed around CK-38's birth. How is she younger than he was?"
Kara glanced at Dr. Luthor. The woman was watching her, head cocked to the side. Kara's shoulders twitched as ice ran through them too.
The doctor sighed. "Perform procedure 644-A. Then we'll bring in the Vertullarian." Dr. Luthor turned once again. "And ice her again, just in case."
"Yes, mam."
Kara was about to protest when ice snuck up her sides and into her temples. She gasped in pain as the ice settled in her forehead, and then promptly passed out.
"This one appears to be human."
"Are you certain? We've been seeing more and more of those half-breeds."
Alex felt something cold and smooth travel up her arm.
She wanted to open her eyes. She really did. But just like in the library, nothing seemed to work.
Her heart should've been beating out of her chest. This was her worst nightmare. This was what she'd promised her parents she would prevent. She should have been terrified, but she couldn't even work up to scared.
She just lay there, waiting for Kara to shake her awake.
That's what Kara would do, Alex thought and tried to nod her head. When nothing happened, she gave up and let her body relax into the metallic table.
"How much ice did you give her?" The voices were growing wobblier, echoing from loud to soft and back again.
Alex would have laughed if she could. They sounded funny.
"None." The other voice laughed. Alex wished she could join him. "This is all from Twofer."
"Didn't even know he could hit 'em that hard."
The voices went back and forth for a bit, talking of ice and twos and comas. Alex really didn't care; she just wanted to sleep. It had been a long day.
But then, just as she was going to use her last remaining strength to shush the voices, they stopped.
Alex waited for them to return, but after five or twenty minutes- her sense of time had basically gone out the window- the room was still silent.
And just like that something brushed her arm. Not cold and smooth, but warm and rough. Like, what was it? A hand. A hand!
"Kid?" A new voice said, deep and sure.
Unfortunately, Alex really wasn't in the mood for conversation.
"Kid?" The voice was louder this time, more harsh.
Alex opened her mouth, waiting for words to come out.
"The guards will be here in fifteen minutes." This voice was new. Smooth, but just a touch unsure.
"She's iced pretty bad. I'm going to have to carry her out."
"But…"
"I know you haven't meditated with J'onn in a while. Just try. Hopefully you won't need to."
The other voice was silent.
The next thing Alex knew, she was moving. Strong arms wrapped around her legs and back. Her head rested against something hard. Not quite metal. A chest plate of some sort.
Alex groaned.
"Shit. Now is not the time to wake up, kid."
But Alex couldn't go back to sleep. Her ears were ringing and suddenly the world was loud. Was this how Kara felt?
Kara!
"My sister." Alex muttered, finally opening her eyes.
She found herself looking up into a large metal mask, not unlike the one the CADMUS agent had been wearing. This one though, had one large eye slit instead of goggles and was a dull metallic silver. It was a mask she'd seen before, usually spliced next to a news anchor. It was the Guardian's mask.
"Huh?" Guardian looked down but didn't stop moving.
"My sister's here too."
"The other girl in my vision." The other voice piped up and Alex turned to see a girl in a blue mask just ahead of them.
"If she's here, J'onn will get her. Right now. We have to keep moving." Guardian said.
They moved through the empty hall in silence until the girl asked.
"What's your name?"
She was about Kara's age, maybe younger. And her build was scrawny, even though her eyes were bright.
"Alex." Her voice was still weak.
"Hi, Alex. I'm Nia." The girl smiled.
Guardian coughed.
"Right." The girl crossed her arms and held her chin high. "Dreamer. You can call me Dreamer."
If Alex didn't know better, she would've thought Guardian had just snickered.
The trio made an abrupt left turn into another empty hallway.
"Where are we going?"
"We're getting you out of here." Dreamer said.
"Kara. We have to get Kara."
Dreamer frowned. "If she's here, J'onn will get her."
"We can't risk getting captured." Guardian broke in.
Alex's head lolled back against Guardian's chest plate. All of a sudden, she was tired. Way too tired. And cold.
She felt a shiver run up her spine.
"Kid?" It was Guardian again. "Open your eyes."
Alex hadn't even realized she'd closed them, but she did what he said. Her lids were heavy and the world had stopped ringing. Guardian's voice seemed to be coming from far away.
"Tired." God. She sounded like Kara.
"This is bad." Guardian said. "Ice doesn't do this. They've got to be using some alien. Something with mental powers."
He wrapped his arm tighter around her, so that his hand fell on her chest.
"Her heart is slowing."
"We have to find J'onn." Dreamer's voice was frantic.
"If she's at physical symptoms, mental blocks might not help."
"We have to try something!"
"Kara." Alex whispered, her eyes closed once more.
Alex drifted in and out of consciousness as she was hauled through the facility. She couldn't tell if they were moving left or right, fast or slow, loudly or quietly. All she knew was the world under her wasn't steady.
Visions of light blonde hair streaked with gray and a dark brown curls danced across her closed eyes. Warm hands wrapped around her body and she imagined they came from the two familiar faces.
The faces smiled at her, just like they used to. Their eyes were alight with pride. Alex tried to hug them back but found her arms immobile.
Still, Alex wouldn't be defeated. She tried and tried to hug them; it had been so long. And each time she did, their arms wrapped tighter around her.
"I love you." She muttered, knowing her mouth couldn't form the words. "I miss you."
Just as Alex felt her toe wiggle, as the slack in her jaw gave way, the faces vanished, replaced by the sight of a dark-skinned man with short-cropped hair, and Alex knew her eyes were open.
"Alex Danvers." He said. "My name is J'onn J'onzz."
Alex turned her head. She was in what appeared to be a military vehicle with a low roof and plenty of seats along its sides. She was sitting in one, J'onn in another, and she noted how Guardian and Dreamer sat away from them.
Next to J'onn though was a soft, cherubic face.
"Kara?" She breathed.
