As darkness settles over the center of National City a bright purple energy field appears on the DEO varanada specially reinforced for Kara's personal use. Nia and Maeve step out from the portal and jog down the steps as it disappears. The sisters walk through the building's entry hub and take a left to head towards the command center. Just as they reach the halfway point of the corridor leading to their destintion the door at the far end opens and a familiar figure with cropped red hair, wearing a black DEO command uniform steps out to meet them. Nia catches her gaze, smiles, and calls out, "Hey Alex, we got here as quick as we could. What's going on?"
Nia and Maeve both notice that Alex's pace continues to quicken as she gets closer to them and she doesn't appear to be preparing to stop. The sisters step apart to allow Alex to walk between them. As she passes she waves a hand to indicate they should follow her. Nia reads the concern on Alex's face as she rushes by them and exclaims, "Come with me!"
"Alex!" Nia blurts out as she and Maeve pivot on the spot and hustle to keep up with the eldest Danvers sister. "What's wrong?!"
"Just got a message from the Fortress," she replies with a nervous tremble in her voice. "Kelex is transmitting a message from Lena to my office. We need to hurry!"
Nia catches up with Alex, puts a hand on her shoulder, and grips it tightly. "Alex, hold on a second!"
Alex stops dead in her tracks, turns with a look of dread etched on her face, and declares, "Nia, Kara could be in trouble. We don't have…".
With a look of compassion and sympathy in her eyes Nia puts both her hands on Alex's shoulders and looks her square in the eyes. "I know yesterday freaked you out. I know how you get when she's somewhere you cannot protect her, but let's not jump to conclusions. Did Kelex say it was an emergency?"
The panic in Alex's eyes begins to wane slightly as she considers Nia's question. Under the circumstances, if something were wrong, Lena certainly would have told Kelex to tell her it was urgent. All Kelex indicated was that there was an incoming message from Lena Zor-El… "Zor-El!" Alex mutters in muted shock.
"What about Zor-El?" Maeve asks.
Alex shakes her head and gets an oddly puzzled look on her face. "Kelex said… he's transmitting a message," she stops for a moment, looks Nia in the eyes with a look of dawning realization spreading over her face, and finishes, "from Lena Zor-El!"
"No… You don't think?!?" Nia utters breathlessly as her face lights up and her eyes bludge out in wild anticipation.
Alex's face turns as red as her hair. "She better not have without Mom and me!!" She turns and once again accelerates toward her offices.
A few moments later Alex opens the door to her office and finds Kelly, Esme, and J'onn inside waiting. Kelly looks at her wife's eyes and notices the flushed look on her face. "Babe, what's wrong?"
Maeve calmly interjects, "We should probably listen to the message first before Alex answers that."
"Why?" Kelly inquiries with look of curious concern.
"Let's just say… we need to rip the bandage quickly… just in case," Nia adds mischievously.
Alex walks over to her desk, taps a message bubble on her laptop screen, and aggressively swipes it over to the large wall mounted monitor as it begins to play.
Lena's face appears on the screen. She looks calm, happy, and relaxed as she begins to speak. "Hey Alex! After what happened yesterday I wanted to make sure I had a chance to let you know that Kara's fine. She rested all last night and is back to full strength which is a good thing because we have a very busy day today." The room remains hushed as Lena explains to Alex what they have on their plate for the day, including Alura's and Kara's trip inside the stasis jar to Kandor. "Zor-El assures us that it's completely safe. Relief and medical teams have been going back-and-forth through Jor-El's portal for the past week now with no incidents. Depending on how their trip goes today we could be moving forward with the transplant and re-enlargement in the next couple of days."
"See," Nia remarks calmly. "Nothing major… she just wanted to keep you up-to-speed on what's happening."
As Lena scoots over in the frame and a familiar face pops in next to her, Alex chimes in resoundingly, "They aren't done yet… look at the gleam in my sister's eyes and that huge grin on Lena's face."
A dazzling smile that could blind the cosmos is illuminating Kara's face as she begins, "Hey, sis… considering what happened yesterday I assume you may have gotten a bit panicked when Kelex alerted you to this message coming through… so we're guessing that most, if not all, of the family is there with you."
Nia muffles a giggle and mumbles to herself, "Damn! She's got you pegged."
"I heard that!" Alex mutters in a playfully irritated tone.
Fidgeting with excitement, Kara continues, "Well, we are kind of counting on that because we want to share something exciting with all of you. We would have preferred to tell you this over a live transmission, but the next few days will be really busy and it isn't always easy to arrange these things for a time when we're all awake."
"Darling, you're starting to ramble," Lena teases her.
"I'm excited… you know I ramble when I'm excited," Kara looks at her lovingly and playfully remarks before turning back to complete her thought. "What I'm trying to say is… Lena and I have decided our lives are too crazy and unpredictable to wait for a 'perfect moment' to begin the next phase of our lives together, so… we are planning to get married as soon as this situation with Kandor is resolved."
A mile wide grin fills Alex's face. All the tension in her body begins to melt away as her wife, daughter, J'onn, Maeve, and Nia all walk over and envelope her in a massive group hug as they all let out a celebratory cheer. In the midst of there collective celebration Alex notices that the transmission isn't complete yet. "Hey! We need to rewind that a bit. They still aren't done… we've missed a bit." She taps her finger on the screen to auto rewind about 30 seconds.
Lena adds, "We want to honor both Krypton's and Earth's marriage customs, so there will be two ceremonies. The first one will be here on Argo when we're done taking care of Kandor. We want all of our immediate family to be here… including Clark, Lois, their boys, and Cat."
"Alex," Kara says sweetly, "please let Eliza know that when we see her here for our Kryptonian unity ceremony that we want to talk to her about having our wedding at her house in Midvale."
Tears begin to pool in Alex's eyes, she chokes back a lump in her throat, and she gasps as she puts a hand over her mouth. She can't even begin to imagine how excited her Mom will be about the prospect of having Kara's and Lena's wedding at the house.
"Well, that's all for now," Lena concludes. "Kara and Alura have to leave shortly for Kandor and Zor-El, Brainy, and I have a lot of preparations to complete. We'll reach back out again as soon as we know whether or not we're moving forward with the re-enlargement process so we can work out the arrangements to get everybody here afterwards. Please spread the word about the Argo trip to those that are not watching this with you. We love you all."
"Kelex, end recording, please," Lena, who is sitting on the bedroom sofa next to Kara, pleasantly requests. "Transmit that message to the Fortress of Solitude with instructions to deliver to Alex Danvers at DEO Headquarters."
"With pleasure, Lena Zor-El," the Kelex replies as it turns and floats out of the girls' bedroom.
Kara hops up exuberantly from the sofa, leans over to kiss Lena on the forehead, bounds around the side of the sofa, and walks behind the stone pillar where the bedroom closet is located to select an outift for her trip to Kandor. With a hint of unapologetic glee in her voice she declares, "Alex is probably going to freak out a bit when she gets a message from 'Lena Zor-El'!"
"Is it bad that I don't feel the least bit guilty about that?" Lena inquires with a puckish grin. "Oh, that sounds so bad… I'm sure Kelly or Nia will be able to talk her down."
After a few moments Kara makes her way back out wearing a bright yellow dress similar to the one she was wearing when they arrived a few days prior. She sits back down, takes Lena's right hand, laces their fingers, and leans in to press their lips together… losing herself for a prolonged moment in the warmth of her partner's tender affection. Breaking the kiss she leans her forehard against her fiancée's, and with a sweet smile adds, "It's okay. She knows we'd never elope, and like you said… we needed to let her know we're both okay and let them all know what we're planning. The next few days are probably going to get intense and it was important to both of us to share our happy news with them before we get too wrapped up here to do it."
Lena tilts her head back up, lifts Kara's hand up to her lips, kisses it, and nods with an adoring smile. "So true, :zhao i. Is it just me or does it feel even more amazing now that we're telling everyone?"
Kara boisterously exclaims with an glowing smile, "It feels awesome!" She slides closer to Lena and they entwine themselves in a warm, loving embrace.
Lost in the secure serenity of the moment neither of them hear the footsteps approaching the entry way to their room and are both slightly startled when they hear a familiar voice call out, "Kara, sweetheart, are you ready?"
Releasing each other a bit abruptly, they both stand up from the sofa, and turn to gaze at Alura standing at the top of the bedroom stairs. Kara looks back at Lena, smiles, leans in to give her one more quick peck on the lips, and starts making her way out of the room as she replies, "All ready!"
Lena waves goodbye to them both and conveys her lingering trepidation about their expedition by reminding them both to watch out for each other and be careful. Both ladies acknowledge her concerns with a comforting nod and promise to do as she requests as they turn to leave.
A short time later, with the warmth of the afternoon light shining down upon them, Alura and Kara emerge from the walking path leading out of the wooded area that separates the rural community from the towering, gleaming center cityscape. Just past the edge of the clearing the ladies veer slightly to the right and head towards the science academy which is a wide, circular structure, considerably shorter than most of the grandiose towers behind it, with four curved concrete pillars that jet out about fifty feet above the rootop, placed equidistance around the circumference of the building. About 100 yards from the entrance Alura reaches out and grabs her daughter's arm.
"Mom?" Kara looks down curiously at the hand and then back into her Mother's eyes.
Alura closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, exhales, opens her eyes, and looks back at her daughter. "Sorry, Kara. You'd think by now I would be getting used to these… unexpected, extraordinary situations. After finding you and getting your Father back you'd think nothing would give me pause anymore, but…".
Kara places a hand on the one her Mother is gripping her arm with. She looks her in the eyes, smiles warmly, and says, "Things like this never feel simple… that's what makes them extraordinary. Each time we find ourselves on the precipice of regaining something precious that we've thought we'd never get back it's hard not to wonder if it's too fantastic to be true. I felt that way when I found you here on Argo, I felt that way when I found Father in The Phantom Zone, and I felt that way when my heart opened up to Lena again. I remember when I was younger, hearing you and Ukr speak about your fond memories of your days spent in Kandor before you united. It was your home, Mom, for so many years and I know deep down you're hopeful that our fears are unfounded so we can bring it back."
Alura smiles sweetly at her. "Thank you, Inah." She slides her hand from Kara's arm up to her cheek and nods her head towards the building. "Come on… let's not keep Kandor waiting."
Stepping through the building's entrance and into the main foyer, Alura takes her daughter's hand and leads her up a staircase, around a corner, and down a corridor towards the academy's portal chamber. Making a right to enter into the room they find the space buzzing with activity as across space they see a small group of people patiently standing before a large, bronze archway, and at a control consol about 10 feet to their left they see the portal command team, recognizing the familiar face of Tor-Ze's niece, Ahsha, among them.
"Omega team ready for deployment!?" Ahsha shouts.
"We're ready!" an unnamed voice rings out from the group huddled before the archway.
Ahsha turns a crystal in the command console and exclaims, "Portal activation in 5, 4, 3, 2,…".
Kara grins as a low hum fills the room and the familiar purple hue of the portal energy field springs to life. Omega team picks up their gear and calmly marches through the field. After the last member of their team crosses the theshold Ahsha steps away from the command console and walks over to Kara and her Mother.
"Where's Tor?" Alura inquires curiously.
A slight hint of concern creeps into Ahsha's eyes as she replies, "He hasn't been feeling well since late yesterday. He felt it was best to remain home to rest and asked that I step in for him today."
"We're sorry to hear that," Kara remarks warmly.
"Is everything ready for us on the other side?" Alura asks.
Ahsha nods. "Yes, Governor Ke-Ro is expecting you. She should be in route to Jor-El's lab as we speak."
Alura reaches out, takes Ahsha's hand, and squeezes it. "Thank you, Ahsha."
"You're welcome, Alura," she responds encouragingly. "You have until dusk before you'll need to be back. That's when the last support team from yesterday's shift is due back. After they return we'll take the portal offline for the night. Good luck."
Alura and Kara nod appreciatively at her as they make their way across the room toward the arch and its pulsating energy field. They stop at the threshold, smile, look reassuringly into each other's eyes, and step through the portal.
As they exit the energy field and step out from under a shimmering silver archway the purple hue behind them disappears. Alura slowly makes her way across the laboratory space towards the observation deck as Kara looks around the room with a fond, childlike expression on her face. After examining a number of the tools and workstations throughout the room she turns her head and notices her Mom standing at the far railing of the observation deck looking out over the city of her youth. Kara makes her way outside, walks up next to Alura, slides her left arm between her Mom's torso and right arm, curling her own arm tightly around her Mom's, and stands next to her silently staring out over the stunning, but somewhat battered skyline of Kandor.
After a few moments, Alura exhales a deep breath, and breaks the silence. "It pains me to see the devastation that Brainiac inflicted upon this city, but also I'm so thankful that I finally get to see it again after fearing it was lost forever for so long." Kara squeezes her arm more tightly and leans her head on her shoulder. Alura turns and kisses the top of Kara's head. "This place, your uncle's lab, does hold a lot of memories for me… for our family."
"It's remarkable," Kara comments tenderly. "I have vivid memories of Uncle Jor's lab in Kryptonopolis and this lab, except for the portal arch, is almost identical to it."
Alura chuckles a bit as Kara lifts her head. "Jor had a very particular sensibility when it came to his scientific endeavors. When he was offered the opportunity to have a dedicated space here at the guild he insisted on being allowed to equip this lab exactly the same way he did his personal lab. He felt it made him more efficient because it made him feel like he never left the familiarity of home when he was here. Your aunt would get so frustrated with him sometimes because he'd get so wrapped up in his work here and be so comfortable in these surroundings that he wouldn't come home for days at a time."
Kara gets a somber look on her face as she looks at her Mom and asks, "This is where Uncle Jor first told Father about the destablization of the core, isn't it?"
Alura nods affirmatively. "This is also where your uncle first started designing the pods that took you and Kal to Earth." Just as Alura turns to open her arms to hug Kara she notices a figure out of the corner of her eye step to the threshold of the observation deck.
Standing at the opening of the outdoor deck is a short, stout dusty haired woman dressed in a dark flowing blouse, dark slacks, and dark flats. Sporting a worn, strained, exhausted smile she steps forward and says warmly, "Hello, Alura."
Alura smiles warmly in return, steps closer to greet her with a hug, and replies, "Nis, I'm so happy to see you." The two woman stand together in their embrace for a few moments as Kara looks at them with soft smile. As they break from their embrace Alura turns to look at Kara, holds her hand out to encourage her daughter to come over to them, and says, "Nis… I know it might be hard to believe, but this is…".
Nis steps closers, looks up at Kara's radiant blue eyes, and utters, "Kara! Oh, my… this is Kara!? Rao be blessed… the last time I saw you… you couldn't have been more than 2 or 3." Tears begin to roll downthe woman's cheeks as the harsh reality of all the time Brainiac has stolen from her and her people overwhelms her. Kara reaches out to put a comforting hand on her shoulder which Nis reaches up to squeeze. "You'll have to forgive me. The last several days have been unimaginably difficult trying to help my people piece their lives back together, but seeing you dear child.. this is the first time I've truly been confronted by the stark realization of just how long we've been lost."
"I'm so sorry for all the pain he caused you and the citizens of Kandor," Kara conveys compassionately. "I'm just glad my family and I were finally able to rescue you and the city from him."
Nis looks at her with a stunned expression, "You and your friends are the ones we owe a debt of gratitude to for bringing us back?"
Kara smiles brightly and nods enthusiastically. Nis wraps her arms around her tightly and pulls her down for an appreciative embrace. "Thank you, dear one."
"You're welcome," Kara mutters into Nis' shoulder before she releases her and Kara straightens up.
"Nis," Alura interjects, "I'm not sure how much Tor or any of the other Argo coucil members have told you..."
Nis raises a hand to cut her off. "Alura, Tor has explained what you, Zor-El, Kara, and her friends are trying to do to free us from this glass cage, but the council has been tight lipped about the reason for your visit."
With a slight sense of trepidation Alura replies, "Considering our friendship I feel I can be transparently honest with you."
Nis gives her a reassuring grin, takes her hand, and remarks, "We've been friends most of our lives and I would expect nothing less."
Nodding confidently Alura continues, "Well, given the circumstances surrounding Brainiac's attack..."
"You mean Ursa's and Zod's betrayal!?" Nis comments with a heightened aire of aggravation.
"Yes," Alura responds. "Zor-El and I expressed concerns to the council about the possibility of a remaining element of Zod's loyalists that could still be among your people or ours who might see the restoration of Kandor as an opportunity to seize power and take up Zod's mantle."
"I understand and share your concern," Nis informs her. "What I can tell you is this… Zod's defense force… those that didn't not join him in his quest to overthrow the Elders… turned on him and incarcerated Ursa as the battle with Brainiac began. They were all killed trying to prevent that maniac from taking Kandor. The entirety of Ursa's support staff from the Military Guild, except for one person, has been accounted for. All that survived are being questioned regarding their knowledge of Zod's plan and their loyalty to Ursa."
"Who is the one member of Ursa's staff that is unaccounted for?" Kara curisously inquires.
Alura chimes in, "That would have been Tor-Ze's sister, Anya. Tor managed to get her and her infant out of Kandor just as the attack began."
A realization registers in Kara's brain. "Ahsha's mom."
Alura confirms with a nod, "She unfortunately died in the early days after Krypton's destruction, before Argo's atmosphere stablized. Ahsha was probably 13 when she passed."
"That just leaves Ursa," Nis spits out the name virulently. "She hasn't spoken a word to anyone since the defense force arrested her."
"Can we see her?" Alura requests.
Nis nods reservedly. "Of course. Come with me."
The three women exit the tall, shining spire of the Science Guild and are greeted outside by the Governor's support team and security staff. As they walk through the disheveled streets of central Kandor they see various makeshift medical stations and supply outposts, manned by Kandorians and relief personnel from Argo helping those in dire need of assistance. They slowly plod along through the throngs of people, many of whom are simply trying to come to terms with the horrible realization that they've been displaced in time and the world they once knew is no more. Kara's hero instincts begin to kick into high gear as a an overwhelming sense of compassion builds inside her, but she can hear the voice of her cherished beloved inside her reminding her she isn't there to save the world alone… she is there to protect and help her Mother. As she centers her thoughts and focuses on the task at hand the group she is walking with turns and begins to head up a flight of stone steps leading to a heavily fortified military type structure. The three ladies walk across the open theshold leading inside as the Governor's support team and security staff remain out on the steps.
"She's right this way," Nis indicates as she continues walking through entrance plaza and waves for them to continue following her. They make a right as they pass the lobby command post and Nis removes a crystal from a pocket behind her family crest. As they approach a secure door Nis inserts the crystal in a panel on the wall, turns it, and a door lock disengages. She opens the door for Alura and Kara to step through, then follows them in, and allows the door to swing shut behind them.
Nis points down the corridor and informs them, "She is in the detention cell at the far end. Don't be too long."
Alura and Kara make their way down the corridor which is lined on both sides with unoccupied dark cells. Once they reach the end of the corridor they see a thin, well toned woman with short dark hair, wearing a black warriors tunic, identical to the garments Astra and Non once wore. As the woman in the cell looks at the distraction from her nothingness a vein bulges in her neck and darkness fills her eyes."
"Hello, Ursa," Alura greets her. Despite the rage that seems to be building inside her the woman appears to be remaining resolute in her refusal to acknowledge anyone. Her calm, stoic facade appears to be unrattled, but Kara can sense a deep rising hatred seething inside the woman.
Kara reaches to her side, takes her Mother's hand, and squeezes it. "Mom, let's go. Nis is right, she's not talking to anyone."
In that instant, Ursa quickly snaps up into a standing position, locks eyes with Kara, takes a few steps forward, and growls, "My husband will have his vengence on the House of El. Not even The Phantom Zone can contain his rage." She turns her head to look at Alura and says, "Your family will burn when he returns."
"I wouldn't count on it," Kara comments confidently. She and Alura turn and make their way back to Nis.
The deep purple hue of the portal field once again fills the archway in Jor-El's lab as Alura and Kara watch a team of Argo support personnel make their way back through. While the last member of that group crosses the barrier Alura reaches out to hug Nis and says, "Thank you, dear friend. Take care. We'll see you again soon."
Nis pats Alura's back and responds, "You take care, too. Hopefully once this is all over we can carve out sometime to really catch up." As they let go of each other Nis turns to look at Kara. "Take care of your Mother and thank you, again, for finding us."
Kara nods, gives Nis a quick hug, and she and Alura step into the portal's energy field before it disappears.
Later that evening, Ahsha steps through the entry way into the home she shares with her uncle. "Uncle Tor, I'm home," she calls out as she crosses through the common room, passes by a stair case, and rounds a corner towards a closed doorway. She turns the knob, opens the door, and steps into a bedroom where her uncle is lying in a bed looking pale and cold.
He opens his eyes, looks up at Ahsha, and weakly mutters, "How did it go?"
She glances down at him and responds, "From what Alura and Kara shared when they got back it went well. I expect we'll be moving foward with the restoration project in the next couple of days."
"Wonderful," he replies with a strained smile before a wave of abdominal pain slowly begins to grip him.
With a look a loving concern in her eyes Ahsha asks, "Have you eaten anything today? Did you finish your elixir?"
He gives her a trembling nod. "I managed to eat a little earlier before the pain increased and I did finish the elixir."
She puts a hand on his forehead, smiles, and says, "Good. You should probably drink one more before you try to settle in for the night. I'll go prepare it for you. I'll be right back." He nods at her and lays his head back down as she walks out.
In the kitchen area Ahsha opens a cabinet and pulls out a container with a golden liquid in it. She pulls a cup out of another cupboard, opens the elixir container, and pours a serving into the cup. After replacing the cap on the container and placing it back in the cabinet, she reaches into the pocket below the family crest on her tunic and pulls out a vile with a clear substance in it. She uncorks the vile, holds it up in front of her eyes with a devilishly sinister look on her face, pours it into the elixir glass, and mumbles to herself, "This should end your suffering faster than you deserve you traitor."