"How are you doing?" J'onn asked as he approached Jeremiah, who sat in the infirmary

"Honestly? I don't know. It is a lot to take in. I guess I had accepted I would never be free and now I find myself free and find out my daughters have grown into such amazing women. Ten years, I can't believe I was there for over ten years. As I said, it is a lot to take in."

"I'm sorry I gave up on you. I saw you die. I was sure you were dead. If I had thought for a second you were still alive I would have come after you."

"You couldn't have known. I was dead, what they did to me, well, I'm still not entirely sure how it worked, but you couldn't have known they could or would experiment on me like that." Jeremiah said. "And you looked after my girls."

"You should be proud of them, I know I am."

"I am, I just wish I had been there for them. Thank you, for looking after them."

"My pleasure."

"So what happens now?" Jeremiah asked.

"How do you mean?"

"I assume the DEO will be testing me and debriefing me for awhile, but then what? Who do I actually have to beg to release me?" He asked causing J'onn to laugh. "What's so funny?" Jeremiah asked confused.

"Technically you need to beg me."

"You're in charge?" Jeremiah asked sceptically.

"I am."

"But you are not actually Hank Henshaw, do people know that? I mean obviously your team does, but outside of the DEO do people know that?"

"They do."

"And they accept that?"

"They do."

"I never thought I'd see the day an alien ran the DEO." Jeremiah smiled.

"Me either. But Kara and Alex played a big part in that." J'onn said. "But in answer to your question we have to make sure you are you and that there are no unforeseen consequences of what they did to you. But once we are happy you are not a danger you can go back to Midvale."

"And then?"

"That is up to you. You've missed a lot, it'll take time to readjust. But there is no rush."

"You won't make me come back to work for the DEO?"

"I'm not Hank Henshaw." J'onn reminded him. "The choice will be yours."

"I know you have already done me one favour, but I need another." Jeremiah said.

"Sure." J'onn replied.

"If you discover while you are testing me that I am a danger to anyone, but especially my daughters, you do what it takes to keep them safe."

-00-

"Major Lane." J'onn greeted as he approached her in the control room.

"Director." She replied briefly looking up.

"Interesting reading?" J'onn guessed.

"Morbid reading." Lucy corrected. "I can't believe this was all happening. Was it as bad as it reads?"

"We only saw a small part of it before the explosion, but from what I saw, it was probably worse than what we have uncovered so far."

"I can't believe I agreed to send you there. I'm sorry."

"You were following orders." J'onn said. "You had no way of knowing what was really happening there."

"Blindly following orders is not an excuse." Lucy said shaking her head.

"I'm fairly sure it is in the army." J'onn smiled. "And believe me sometimes I would be grateful if some of the people here had your ability to follow orders."

"By some you mean Kara?"

"I mean both Kara and Alex." J'onn corrected before asking. "How are things with your father?"

"We're talking." Lucy said. "But mind control or not I am having problems trusting him."

"Don't give up on him." J'onn said. "He may hate anyone that is different and not qualify for my person of the year award but he wasn't to blame and he does love you. There are worse fathers."

"I know." Lucy said.

Seeing Lucy was still frowning J'onn asked. "Something else bothering you?"

"I'm not sure we know what did happen at Cadmus. Not entirely anyway."

"How do you mean?"

"The team only managed to extract half the data archive before the self-destruct took everything out."

"And the half we got has a lot of holes? It doesn't give us anything concrete?" J'onn guessed not having had time to review the information.

"That's just it, we have the names of some powerful people involved in this project. We have enough evidence to end their careers, perhaps even send them to jail, but torturing aliens is a legal grey area. We have details of hundreds of experiments that were carried out. But it feels like it is a little to nicely wrapped up for us. Like we were meant to find it. Maybe I'm paranoid." Lucy shrugged. "But it is possible when Lord hacked the system to retrieve the information he triggered some sort of alarm and they knew we were coming. If that is the case we are only seeing what they wanted us to see, or at least what they felt was least damaging. As I said it is probably paranoia."

"Is it paranoia if we both believe that?" J'onn asked. "We got out too easily. A place like that I would have expected more guards, more defences."

"Do you think Jeremiah Danvers is actually Jeremiah Danvers?" Lucy asked.

"His DNA is a match." J'onn said.

"Could he have been turned? He was there for a long time. Stockholm Syndrome could have set in."

"I hope not, for Alex's sake." J'onn said.

"Can you read his mind?" Lucy asked.

"I could and it would let us know for sure, but there is a risk I will cause permanent damage." J'onn said clearly not liking the option.

-00-

"You okay?" Kara asked as she entered Alex's lab.

"I'm fine. You?"

"Better than you." Kara said drawing Alex in for a hug. "I thought you'd be happy."

"I am."

"But?" Kara probed.

"But what?"

"But, you are hiding in your lab, looking more nervous than the time you borrowed Eliza's car and hit a post." Kara explained.

"What if he thinks I have let him down?"

"Who?" Kara asked confused.

"Dad."

"What are you talking about?"

"Dad and I used to be really close. I always looked up to him. I wanted to make him proud. I always hated letting him down. What if he is disappointed in what I have done, in who I have become? We both know I did not exactly cover myself in glory during college."

"You turned it around." Kara pointed out. "And you are an awesome sister and like the best DEO agent ever."

"You may be a little biased." Alex pointed out.

"Like Jeremiah won't be." Kara countered.

"What if I really am a let down?"

"You are not a let down." Kara assured her as she hugged her again. "Jeremiah is going to be so proud of you and I know she doesn't always tell you, but Eliza is too. For what's worth, so am I."

After a couple of minutes Alex pulled away from Kara and wiped a stray tear from her eye before asking.

"So now we've dealt with my neuroticism, what's bothering you?"

"Me? Nothing. I'm fine." Kara said.

"Oh no you don't. I told you what was bothering me. You owe me the truth."

"It's nothing. I'm just being stupid." Kara said.

"Kara, if it's bothering you, it's not stupid."

"It's the first time I have been back to the DEO since….well….since it happened."

"Hey," Alex said. "You are safe. I am not going to let anyone hurt you." She added as she drew Kara in for a hug, hissing slightly as she did so.

"What's wrong?" Kara asked immediately pulling away from Alex so she could properly look at her.

"It's nothing." Alex said waving off Kara's concern.

"Alex?" Kara pressed.

"My ribs are just a little sore."

"Have you seen Hamilton?"

"She's running the tests on dad."

"I'm sure she could run a couple of tests on you." Kara said before asking. "You really want to return to Midvale more damaged than you left?"

"No. But I'm okay." Alex said as Kara ignored her and lifted her shirt up.

"Alex! This is not okay." Kara said noticing the extreme bruises on Alex's torso. "When did you get even more bruised?"

"Must have been during the explosion." Alex shrugged. "But it's fine. It is just bruising."

"It doesn't look that way." Kara said using her X-ray vision on her sister. "Alex, you have another crack."

"Kara, I promise you I'm fine." Alex said, not wanting to stress Kara out any more than she already was.

"What's going on?" J'onn asked entering the lab, picking up the tail end of the conversation.

"Alex has another broken rib and won't see Hamilton." Kara said annoyed as Alex wearily cut in.

"I'm fine. The treatment won't change."

"We'll let Hamilton be the judge of that. She has finished with your father."

"And?" Both sisters asked simultaneously.

"He has lower than average muscle mass, high blood pressure and he is also deficient in several minerals and vitamins. But that will all correct itself with diet and exercise." He paused then said. "His DNA is a match against the sample on file. We also matched your DNA to his." He added looking at Alex.

"So it's really him?" Alex asked.

"It appears so." J'onn said as he tried to build up the courage to breach the topic part of him wanted to avoid. In the end Kara did it for him.

"Is there a chance he is being controlled, with the Myriad like device?"

"We can't rule it out." J'onn said sadly avoiding looking Alex in the eyes.

"Yes we can, if you read his mind." Alex pointed out.

"I can't guarantee that I would not cause permanent damage." J'onn said. "If I read his mind I may discover the truth but at the cost of his memories."

"There is another risk." Alex said. "If he was deliberately released those behind his capture would know you would not trust him without reading his mind. Could they have done something to his brain that could hurt or infect you if you attempt to read his mind?"

"It's possible." J'onn conceded. "But that is a risk I am willing to take, if and only if, you want me to find out the truth, even with the risk."

For a minute Alex stood arms crossed, chewing on her lip before she finally looked at J'onn and said.

"Do it."

"You sure?" J'onn asked.

"I am."

"Okay, but only after you have seen Hamilton." J'onn agreed.

-TBC

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing. Final chapter up in the next couple of days.