Jynx of Thirty Nine - Two
Alex took a sip of her beer as she leaned against her sister. They were on Kara's couch, their legs covered in a soft blanket as an old episode of Criminal Minds played at a low volume on the TV. "At least we know what you'll look like in twenty-thirty. You'll barely have aged."
"Hmmm..." Kara replied absently. "It's only ten years though. There's gotta be some other reason why her Earth has more sophisticated technology than we have. I don't get it. Why did she come to our past? Why not jump to exactly the same point in time in this universe?"
"Maybe she didn't have a choice?" The director sighed. "So many unanswered questions." She bumped Kara with her shoulder then. "It's kinda weird, right?"
"The whole thing is weird. Which part in particular are you referring to?" Kara asked wryly.
Alex chuckled softly. "Knowing that, in another world, you and I are married and have kids."
The hero swallowed back the last of her wine before answering. She played with the stem of the glass, twirling it in her fingers. "It's interesting..." she said slowly. "...how one decision can drastically change the course of someone's life."
Alex eyebrow lifted in question. "Well sure... but how specifically in this case?"
Kara blushed slightly. "I had the most epic crush on you when we were kids," she said sheepishly. "Neither of us know now what might have happened if I'd acted on it."
"Why didn't you act on it?" the director asked, looking down at her beer bottle and picking at its label.
"Well. You kinda hated me," the hero replied with a laugh. "That was clue enough for me that you wouldn't ever be interested."
Alex sighed and shook her head. "I'm really sorry I made you feel that way, Kara. It's a huge regret of mine."
The hero lifted a hand and shrugged. "Water under the bridge," she said with a grin. "What's important is that we got past it."
"Yeah, but, as you said, things could have been different between us," the director replied with a shrug of her own. "I think I maybe would have been interested."
Kara pulled away slightly and turned to look at her sister's face. "Wh...what?"
It was Alex's turn to blush and she took a sip of her beer in an attempt to hide it. "You came from the stars, you had powers beyond any human's wildest dreams and you were … and are still... absolutely beautiful. I genuinely didn't know it at the time. I was confused about Vicki. But looking back... maybe… yeah."
The hero sat back again. "Wow. I had no idea." She smiled a little then. "When Jynx said she's married to her Alex, memories just started coming back to me. Daydreams that I had when we were kids about having a home of our own and a family."
The director suddenly slapped her sister's shoulder. "Please tell me you didn't use your x-ray vision to spy on me when I was in the shower!"
"Seriously, Alex?" Kara responded indignantly. "Besides, it's not like I haven't seen you naked with my normal vision!"
Alex had to give her that one. "Right, sorry. I guess I'm just a little thrown by this whole thing."
"Me too," the hero agreed. She settled back and rested her head on her sister's shoulder. "Honestly, I've always felt so close to you that I've never been really sure what that means."
The director nodded and laced her fingers with Kara's, squeezing gently. "Maybe it doesn't matter what it means. Maybe it just matters that we're exactly where we're supposed to be."
"Yeah," Kara smiled. "Maybe."
Xx
"Morning," Jynx said as she sauntered into the mess hall to get some coffee.
"Good morning," Vasquez replied with a grin. "Sleep ok?"
"Meh." The Kryptonian filled a cup and added milk and sugar. "Hard to get to sleep without the wife and then I slept too late without the kids to wake me up."
"You must miss them," Sue said with a sympathetic smile. "It's not like you can call or text."
"Well actually, I can. I have interuniversal communications built into my gauntlet. That bloke, Brainy, keeps trying to get his hands on it."
"I'm sorry to say that it's probably fairly basic tech for his twelfth-level intellect. He's from way further in the future than you are."
Jynx shrugged and leaned against the counter of the coffee bar. "Interesting. Guess I should let him have a poke around at it." She looked at the clock then. "What time does Superchick and her sister get here?"
"Director Danvers is already here. Supergirl is at her day job," Sue replied with a shrug.
"And what's her day job?" Jynx asked.
Vasquez looked around to make sure no one was within earshot. "Be careful what you say, ok? Supergirl's identity isn't known on this Earth and most of the DEO doesn't know who she is."
"Got it," the Kryptonian replied with a little salute, then pointed at her own mouth. "I'll keep it zipped."
"Good. This Earth's Kara Danvers is an award-winning reporter for CatCo Magazine here in National City. She uses her day job to change the world just as much as she uses the cape."
"Good on 'er," Jynx said, pursing her lips. "I'm impressed." She straightened then. "Alright, any chance I could get directions to Director Danvers. I'd like to chat with her." She frowned a little. "This is going to be so weird."
Sue laughed. "I think it's just as weird for her."
Xx
Alex was taking a rare opportunity to work in her lab. Since taking over as Director, her more scientific projects had been either sidelined or handed off to someone else to complete. But sometimes, she liked to just go to the lab and help out. She was studying the results of a test when she felt a presence behind her.
"Hey," she said as she turned to find Jynx leaning against the door frame. "You ok? Get some breakfast?"
"The food here isn't like at home but it'll do," the Kryptonian said with a grin. "Got a sec to chat?"
Alex pulled off her nitrile gloves and dropped them into a trash can. "Sure, I was just finished here. Walk with me?" They headed out into the corridor and Alex led them to a private meeting room. "What is it?" she asked as she closed the door and took a seat at the conference table. Jynx joined her.
"Well… something went wrong when I was transporting here. I was supposed to arrive ten years in your future, same time as my own essentially but somehow, I ended up here and I'm not fully sure why."
Alex nodded. "I see. Kara and I were speculating over that last night actually. We wondered why you'd come to ten years in the past."
"My gauntlet is not just a technical device. It's a learning computer. It can extrapolate data and make better decisions in the moment than mine would be. For some reason, it thought bringing me here was a better decision. I've been through the logs but I can't figure out why it made that decision except for one possible reason." She looked down and sighed.
Alex shook her head. "I can tell by your face that this isn't good news."
Jynx reached out and squeezed the director's hand. "Alex, the gauntlet knew I needed Kryptonians. It brought me to where there are Kryptonians… plural… right now."
"Oh my God." Alex's mind snapped right to the issue. "That means either Supergirl or Superman won't exist in the near future."
"That's my guess too," Jynx agreed. "It's also my guess that it'll be Supergirl that's gone since the gauntlet brought me here, not to that other Kryptonian bloke."
"How do you have this technology? This gauntlet," Alex asked, crossing her arms.
"Lena Luthor," Jynx replied with a smile. "She's my best friend and a tech genius. She designed and built it for me so I could get help for us. She also came up with a defense against Kryptonite."
The director nodded. "We have a Lena Luthor here too, but she and Kara aren't on the best of terms at the moment. Long story."
Jynx sniffed. "Let me guess. Pissed over being left out of the Kara-is-really-an-alien loop? Mine was too but she got over it eventually after I hounded her to take me back."
"But you were raised in London. How did you meet Lena?" Alex asked, surprised.
"Boarding school," the Kryptonian replied with a shrug. "Anyway, look, we need to get moving. We need a plan and I need to know who's going to be coming back with me."
"Are you sure that you can get us back to this universe and time if we go?"
"Yes, even if this gauntlet is destroyed, Winn or Lena can build another."
"You have a Winn too?" Alex said.
"Yeah, he's Lena's husband."
The director's eyebrows shot up. "Wow… unexpected. Ok, I'll schedule a meeting for this afternoon. We'll get everyone in here and we'll hash out a plan.
Jynx got up and saluted. "Good stuff, Director. I'll be here but, in the meantime, I need some air."
Alex smiled. "Why don't we see if Kara is free for lunch?"
Xx
Kara was sitting at a table at Noonan's waiting for her sister and new Kryptonian friend to arrive. Alex had called her to fill her in on the additional information that Jynx had provided but Kara was feeling uneasy now. To know that she could for some reason not be here in the future was disconcerting.
Moments later, Alex and Jynx arrived. The Kryptonian was dressed in jeans and a button up but her shorter hair and heavy eye makeup still made it easy to tell her apart from Kara, who stood and hugged them each in turn.
"How's your day going?" Alex asked as she dropped into the chair across from her sister. Jynx took the one beside her, unconsciously moving closer and resting her arm across the back of Alex's chair. Kara looked down and smiled to herself as her sister squirmed slightly and Jynx quickly removed her arm.
"Same old," the hero replied with a shrug. "William's being annoying and Andrea is making me write fluff pieces. But it is what it is, for now. Nia and I are helping each other cope."
"Good, Nia's here too," Jynx muttered. "Is she Dreamer?" she asked suddenly, voice louder.
Kara glanced around. "Careful," she warned. "The public doesn't know any of our secret identities here."
"Sorry," Jynx winced. "I keep forgetting."
"Yes, Dreamer is here," Kara went on with a smile. "We have Martian Manhunter, Superman, Supergirl, Brainiac 5… and now you… along with all of our support team."
"So… who's this Superman, bloke," Jynx asked.
"My cousin, Kal-El," Kara replied quietly with a glance at Alex, who had her usual 'Superman-is-a-douche' look on her face.
Jynx's eyebrows lifted. "I see," she replied. "Kal never made it to Earth in my universe. His pod was lost somewhere. I assumed the Phantom Zone like mine did. But I never saw him again after leaving Krypton."
"I'm sorry," the hero replied with a sigh. "It must be difficult, not knowing what happened to him."
"Yeah," Jynx replied with a nod. "But anyway, sounds like we have a good team here. Do you think they'll all agree to help?"
"I think a lot of them already have," Alex interjected. "And those who haven't yet, will."
Both Kryptonians nodded. "We can defeat Overgirl, especially if we have Kal as well as the two of us," Kara said. "I'll talk to him."
