Disclaimer: I do not own Supergirl, Superman, or Valor

Story Title: The Traveler

Chapter 9

Outer Space – Sol System

A large gray starship orbited the red planet, waiting for the arrival of the Martian dignitary. The small shuttle entered the cargo bay before landing gently on the hard surface of the ship. A long ramp slid out of the shuttle, resting gently on the floor of the cargo bay before the hatch slid open, revealing the interior of the shuttle. A lone figure in a black cloak stepped down, approaching an older woman, flanked by armed guards, dressed in light gray armor holding staffs with energy weapons on the ends. The cloaked figure stopped in front of the woman, bowing graciously in honor of his visit.

"You're Excellency," a male voice stated from the hood of the cloaked figure.

"Enough with the pleasantries, Martian. What do you have for me?" the woman asked.

"I have found him, but there is one issue."

The woman glared at the man in the cloak. "Do not trifle with me shapeshifter."

The Martian nodded vigorously. "I wouldn't dream…"

"Stop groveling and get to the point."

"Yes… ahem… I found the man you seek, but he appears older than the description you gave me. He looked to be in his mid-twenties."

The woman rubbed her chin. "Never mind that, you found him, you're sure?"

"Yes, your Highness."

"Good," she said before she motioned for the guards to come forward to surround the Martian.

The Martian stepped back away from the woman. "We had a deal," he yelled before red lines morphed around him his body grew twice as tall and the monstrous form of a white Martian stood before them. "You cannot hurt me."

The woman smiled as two men stepped out from behind two large crates with metal packs on their backs and weapons attached with the hoses to the packs. "We'll see," she said before the two soldiers ignited their flamethrowers sending two streams of fire engulfing the Martian. His screams echoed across the cargo bay before the only sounds were those of the burning embers and the walking of the woman and her guards.

The woman stopped as she exited the cargo bay, the doors closing behind her. An officer approached dressed all in black. "Your Majesty, your orders?"

"Set a course for planet Earth, that was his last destination, correct?"

The man nodded. "Yes, your Majesty." The woman nodded. "What about the Martians?"

The woman looked back at the cargo bay and smiled. "Send back the shuttle with the largest incendiary bomb we have."

The man stepped back. "Such a blast would burn half the planet, my Queen."

The Queen smiled. "That's all! Get the armory to make a bigger one. We can try that one on Earth after we recover the Prince." The Queen walked away, leaving the officer dumbstruck at the cruelty of his leader.

DEO Headquarters

Kara had left the med bay soon after waking up; she avoided Mon-El, even though she stole a quick glance at the sleeping alien. She was so embarrassed; she only went to the bar to apologize to him, but then she gets drunk and then kisses him. She didn't know what she was thinking. She hadn't stayed in the DEO long enough to speak with anyone, except for Winn. He was worried about Mon-El and all she told him was that Mon-El was fine and in the med bay. She left before Winn could ask more.

Mon-El woke up an hour after Kara had left. He went to sit up but a sharp pain shot through his head, making him dizzy.

"Whoa, take it easy big guy," Winn said as he walked into the med bay. "From what I could find out from Eliza, you had a few too many at the bar. I didn't know you drank."

Mon-El sat up carefully, holding his head. "I don't, that's the problem."

Winn smiled. "So, you had a bad day then?"

"You could say that." Mon-El looked around; he remembered vaguely that Kara was at the bar with him. "Where's Kara?"

"She left about an hour ago; she was in a hurry."

Mon-El nodded. "So…"

"Young man, what were you thinking?" Eliza said as she walked into the room. Mon-El's eyes widened. A sudden shock of fear entered his mind before he shook it off. This was Eliza. There was nothing to be afraid of, right? The look on his face made Eliza rush to his side in concern. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to frighten you."

Winn looked between the two questioningly. How did she frighten Mon-El?

"Winn," Eliza said. Winn looked at her. "Can you excuse us for a few minutes?"

"Sure, no problem, I'll see you back at the apartment."

Mon-El nodded, watching Winn rush out of the med bay. He turned to Eliza curiously.

Eliza frowned, not sure how to proceed. "Do you remember much from the bar?"

"Not really, just the beginning, speaking to M'Gann and getting a drink. Kara showing up and apologized."

Eliza nodded. "How did you feel when you saw her at the bar?"

"What?"

"How did you feel when Kara showed up at the bar? When you saw her."

Mon-El's brow furrowed, it was hard to remember exactly. "I was surprised and a little scared."

"Why were you scared?"

"I didn't want her to hit me again."

Eliza frowned. "I know you can't remember your past, but do you get scared often, when people approach you."

Mon-El was getting frustrated. "What's with all the questions?" His agitation was growing.

"I have an idea that traumatic events in your past are ingrained within your psyche. That they cause certain feelings in certain situations."

"What kind of situations?"

"Like when someone yells at you. Or when someone strikes you."

"I've been hit before in training. I never felt scared then."

Eliza nodded. "The situation wasn't right, but something with your argument with Kara and when she slapped you. Those events struck a certain note within your subconscious mind."

Mon-El's eyes widened as he figured it out. His psychology class on the subconscious mind and on abuse coming to the forefront. "You think I was abused in my past?"

Eliza nodded. "The argument with Kara. When she slapped you. Even the fact that she is a woman. These factors all played into your subconscious memory of previous trauma."

Mon-El nodded, taking in all the information that Eliza was giving him. It made sense. "What can I do?"

Eliza smiled, placing her hand on his shoulder. "You recognize the feelings. You think it through. Don't allow those subconscious feelings to take over. Fight them and win. Once you do that those feelings won't be able to control you again."

Mon-El smiled as he pulled Eliza into a hug. He pulled away, his smile widening. "Thank you. Kara and Alex are lucky to have you as a mother."

Eliza returned his smile. "If you need someone to talk to I'm always here."

Mon-El nodded before walking to the door of the med bay. "I need to find Kara."

Eliza smiled knowingly. "Mon-El," she said. He turned back to look at her. "Promise me that you won't hide your feelings. If you like someone you should tell them."

Mon-El gave her a funny look before he nodded and exited the med bay.

Eliza smiled before she shook her head. "So oblivious, just like a man."

CatCo

Kara Danvers sat in her office, staring at her computer screen. Her mind preoccupied with a kiss shared with a certain alien hero in training.

"Kara," James Olson said from her office door.

Kara looked up, her brow furrowed.

"You okay?"

"Sure," she said.

James glared at her. "You don't sound or look fine to me."

"James, I'm fine, really."

He sighed. "What's going on?"

Kara's blue eyes narrowed. "It's Mon-El."

"What about him?"

"Eliza thinks he was abused as a child."

James's eyes narrowed. "What?" He clenched his fists at his sides. "How does she know?"

Kara looked sad and guilty. "I got mad at him because he wanted to give up on being a hero." Kara looked up at her friend. "He's not like you or me. He's not very confident in being a hero. Maybe I'm pushing him too hard."

"Kara, you're not pushing him. So, what does that have to do with him being abused as a child?"

Kara looked down, her guilt was still strong. "I slapped him when he said he was going to quit." She hung her head; she couldn't look at her friend. "He was so scared. I was yelling and then I hit him. James, the look in his eyes. The quiver in his voice. I don't know if I'll ever get over that."

James frowned; he hated to see Kara this way. She looked defeated. "Hey, you made a mistake. You just need to own up to it and apologize. You had no way of knowing how he would react."

Kara nodded. "You're right. I'm being silly. I did apologize to him, but now I feel terrible. Maybe… maybe he isn't ready to be a hero."

"Then give him some space, some time to sort it out."

"Excuse me," a voice said from behind James. Kara and James turned around to see Mon-El standing awkwardly in the hallway. "I hope I'm not intruding."

James smiled. "Of course not. How're you doing buddy?"

"Fine," he replied, but his eyes were locked onto Kara.

James looked between the two and smiled. "Well, I have a meeting I need to prepare for. Kara, remember what I said." She nodded. "Mon-El, good to see you. I'll make sure to come over later to the apartment. Maybe we can start up that Call of Duty marathon with Winn."

Mon-El smiled. "Yeah sure, sounds good to me."

James smiled before he turned and walked down the hall toward his office.

Mon-El stood in Kara's doorway. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I hope I'm not bothering you."

Kara forced a smile. "Of course not. What do you need?"

"Eliza explained everything to me."

Kara's eyes widened. How much did her adoptive mother tell him? Did she know about the kiss? "What?"

"She told me about her theory, that I was abused as a child, that my subconscious mind reflects that trauma in certain circumstances. Therefore, I'm not really afraid of you Kara. I just… I don't know… I'm not sure anymore."

"Not sure of what?"

"About being a hero or having these powers. I don't want to hurt anyone."

Kara stood from her chair. "Mon-El, that's why you need to train, to better control your powers. If you don't want to be a hero, I understand." She smiled, hoping he'd understand. "I'm still sorry for slapping you. I was mad and frustrated. I didn't mean to make you feel that I hated you or that you disappointed me. Your training isn't about me."

Mon-El stepped forward and hugged her. Kara stiffened at his embrace until she let out a soft sigh and hugged him back. His breath on her neck sent goosebumps up her spine, reminding her of the kiss. They pulled apart. Mon-El gave her a sheepish smile. "So, everything is back to normal?"

"Yes, back to normal," Kara replied. A part of her was a little disappointed at the word 'normal'. It didn't seem like he remembered the kiss. She felt relieved, but also sad; she didn't understand that.

DEO Headquarters

Winn sat at his desk; the control panel to the DEO orbital sensor array keeping eyes and ears out for incoming threats as well as monitoring emergency channels. He leaned back in his chair and sighed. It had been a long day.

"You seem tired Winn," Alex said as she took a seat beside him.

"Yeah, been here for twelve hours."

"You need to go home."

Winn rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, you're right about that."

Suddenly, an alarm went off on Winn's monitor. "Damn," he said.

"What is it?" Alex asked.

"A blackout just struck the west coast. Coast City and three other surrounding cities just lost power. An alert has gone out; it appears that a computer virus of some type struck the west coast power grid, sending feedback into the system knocking out the computer controls for at least four power plants."

"Any idea on the source of the virus?"

Winn punched up an analysis of the virus from the FBI. "FBI computer analysts believe that this virus is reminiscent of the Brainiac virus from a few years back."

"Brainiac," Alex said. "Superman defeated Brainiac two years ago."

Winn nodded. "It appears that he's escaped."

Alex shook her head. "There's no way he could escape. His program was locked in a feedback loop in a pod in the Fortress of Solitude."

Winn turned in his seat to stare at her. "Alex, you need to contact Superman. He needs to know."

Alex stood up before she sprinted off to find J'onn.

Another alarm sounded. Winn looked at his screen. A deep space scan had picked up an object heading to Earth. Winn punched up the data display. He pulled up the image of a huge ship, twice the size of an aircraft carrier. "Oh man, no way I'm going to get any sleep now."

AN: Stay locked on target more to come.