Chapter 2: DEO

Winn was sitting at his desk in the DEO, it had been 10 minutes since J'onn and the DEO agents had been sent out to the scene. He was supposed to be monitoring the situation from his computer screens, but all he could hear was Kara's scream. It had boiled his blood to even think about what that monster, PSI, had done to her. It was disturbing to just hear it, let alone see Kara after the attack. Winn pulled his phone out and texted James.

Winn: Hey, something happened to Kara. I'm scared that it'll be something serious. Meet at the DEO? She'll need familiar faces.

James: Is she okay?! I'm on my way.

Winn: I don't know. She'll be here soon, J'onn's got her.

James: Okay man, don't panic. I'm coming.

Winn looked up just in time to see J'onn land on the balcony, staggering just a little as he hit the floor. Winn shoved his phone into his pocket and ran towards them, along with many medical agents carrying a stretcher. As Winn got closer, he saw that Kara was shaking, her normally joy-filled eyes were overbrimming with pain and tears. The back of her head was bleeding.

"Get her to the sunlamps NOW. Agent Schott, turn the power up to maximum." J'onn ordered. The medical agents got to work, taking Kara from J'onn's arms and laying her onto a stretcher traveling towards the medical bay and sun lamps. J'onn and Winn followed silently, watching as Kara continued to shake and cry out.

"What's wrong with her?" Winn looked over to J'onn, needing an answer, any information at all as to what happened to one of his best friends.

"All we know was that she was struck with a hell of a lot of psychic energy. An incomprehensible amount. I wasn't even able to fully detect it all because there was simply so much. Whatever she saw, it's likely more than any mind should have to bare witness to."

"Is there anything we can do to help her? We can't just leave her like this!"

"All we can do is fix any physical injuries she may have, and pray that she will recover quickly."

===== 20 Minutes Later =====

Alex sprinted at full speed through the DEO towards the medical area. She had to see Kara, she had to see that she was alright. Kara had to be okay.

She turned the corner into the bay and found Kara, curled up in the fetal position, deadly still. Alex didn't know what Kara had seen, but she knew that it had to be something serious for Kara to have had such a large reaction. Alex started walking towards the sunbed, her gaze fixed on Kara's hands, which were wrapped tightly around her head. She knew she had to say something to get Kara's attention.

Kara stared at the wall, deep in thought. She had started to calm down, and was trying to keep herself together for the sake of the agents around her. But everytime she thought about Alex, about Winn and James, about Lena, all she could see was their deaths, they all died so vividly in front of her and there was nothing she could do to save them. And that was only the beginning. Maybe that's how it happened, how her parents were ripped apart, how her whole family was torn to shreds and in so much agony. What if that's how they died, what if they were angry at her allowing herself to be sent away. They could have resented her for the chance she got to live, what if… no. She couldn't think about that now. She had to hold herself together, she had to at least pretend that she was okay for the sake of her friends, family, for the people of the city and beyond. None of it was real, none of it. All of it was just made up by PSI to get into her head… right?

"Kara? It's me, Alex. Are you okay?"

Kara felt tears form in her eyes. She tried to picture Alex only for a sudden flashback to overcome her, returning to the deafening cracks of stone hitting bone, the horror in Alex's eyes as she felt her life slip away. The anger Alex felt as she realised that Supergirl wouldn't save her, that her sister had let her down.

"Kara? Please, talk to me. I want to help you."

Alex sounded much closer, a meter or so away.

I must stay strong for her, for everyone.

Kara sat up, gently pushing the sun lamps away from her, rubbed her eyes and put on her bravest brave face. She turned around and met Alex's gaze and gave a weak smile.

"Oh hey, did you catch PSI in the end? Please tell me you did and that we can get potstickers to celebrate. I'm quite hungry haha."

"Kara… don't do this."

"Do what? I'm just hungry, that was quite a fight. Plus I'm always hungry so yeah."

"Kara we can talk about it. I know you're not fine, and there's no shame in that. But please, don't bottle it up. Don't pretend to be fine, it makes everything so much harder. I'm here for you, everyone is." Alex hoped that this would get through to Kara, but if she was being honest, she didn't sound very certain even to herself. She was unsure of whether to push Kara to share, or to give her space to figure it out before opening up to the rest of them. She'd never seen Kara this distraught, this terrified or anything close to it since the first day Kara landed on Earth and was dropped off at her house. Alex had no idea what to do.

"Alex. It's okay, I'm fine. I was in shock. But now I'm not and I'm fine. The only intense emotion I'm feeling is hunger."

"That isn't an emotion Kara."

"Okay but you get my point. I'm fine." Kara stood up and walked out of the Medical bay followed closely by Alex, and turned left walking right into J'onn, Winn and James. The five of them stood in silence for a second or two, not really sure what to say. Kara, despite the series of gruesome images that popped up in her mind, was the first to break the silence.

"You guys didn't need to stick around for me. I'm okay, really." J'onn, Alex, Winn and James exchanged glances before J'onn replied.

"You will be, but it's okay if you aren't. You don't have to open up to us right away, it's alright. But know that we're here. You don't have to deal with whatever it is you saw alone."

"Got it. Though honestly I'm totally fine. I was just shocked. It's fine haha. Anyways, I'm going to head home and grab something to eat. I'm so hungry you guys have no idea." And with a smile Kara flew out of the DEO and back to her apartment, desperately trying to hold back the tears.