"Alex!"
She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision and at the same time...to force her own eyes to open and stay that way. "Kara…"
"Danvers! Answer us!"
Kara.
J'onn.
She was still in Max's arms and he was completely out. His face still looked pale and there were those plum splotches that made him look like death. Shakily, she reached out to check for a pulse. He was still alive, but she wasn't sure how Myriad would affect them...how much time they had. "Kara! J'onn!" She was certain that Supergirl and J'onn were the only ones out there, being aliens meant that they were immune to Myriad (or so they could assume).
The closet door was yanked off and J'onn was grabbing her before she could say anything about Max. She was cradled in his arms and though she had a million questions, she couldn't keep her eyes open long enough to do anything but rest in the knowledge that they'd been found...that they were safe.
"You're going to be okay."
"I don't care! You tell them that I need access to a lab!"
Alex was exhausted, but the shouting wasn't helping any. As she stirred and she realized that she'd been asleep, her entire body ached with pain. She tried to stifle a cry, but it escaped as a sob just the same.
"Alex?"
Max.
As she struggled to push her eyes open and roll on her side, she couldn't just lay around, she thought as the events of the gala came rushing back to her. His hands were on her though as she finally blinked her eyes wide and awake. "Kara," she whispered. Her sister her first concern since she'd already known what had happened to Max...and he was also right there now.
"She's safe...Myriad didn't harm her."
Small comfort.
Alex pushed herself, trying to sit up, and finally Max helped her but still held her tight. "Any deaths?"
"Not yet," he said and as Alex studied him, she realized that he didn't look any better.
Looking around, she knew where they were. The DEO. Medical quarantine. "Is it contagious?"
"They don't know," Max said. "Better not to risk it."
"But-"
"There's an entire quarantine setup outside of the facility," Max explained. "I keep telling them that I need access to a lab...that I could help…"
"Max-"
"I can help, Alex," he said and she could tell that it was more that he felt the want and need to do something. Like her, Max wasn't one to remain idle for long. They were both scientists and on top of that, Max had gone to med school. He had the background. He was right, his skills could be put to good use.
"So can I."
She thought that he'd welcome her help, but he just looked concerned.
"What?"
"I just...I thought I lost you."
"I'm a lot harder to get rid of-"
"I'm not joking."
"You don't think I'm serious?"
"Alex-"
"I'm not afraid," she whispered. Alex reached out and caressed his cheek. She squeezed her eyes shut a moment later. There was pain, but it was manageable, she just hadn't expected it. It took her a moment and then she could breathe through it, she saw the worried look on Max's face. "I'm fine…"
"Yeah, that's what I was going to say too."
Alex smirked at that. "Have you seen-"
"Only doctors since we got here," he filled her in. "I saw Kara and J'onn back at ground zero… They pulled me out after they got you. They're probably working full time to ensure that everyone has been pulled from the building and put in the quarantine site outside."
"This is going to be bigger than the gala, they have to realize that…"
She realized in that moment that Max was just staring at her and it was different. It was like when they'd been back in that DEO facility...when they'd been brainwashed to think that the world had ended-
"Max," she whispered. "We're going to be okay…"
"You shouldn't be in here."
"I shouldn't be in here? You shouldn't be in here," Kara defended. "I thought you were dead when we found you, Alex."
Alex sighed and rubbed her face for a moment and then reached out and held onto her sister's upper arms. She stared at Kara, she was tired and weary, and she knew that her sister was concerned...but she couldn't just stop. "I know," she whispered. "I thought that was it, too...but I have to do something, Kara. I can't just lay in a bed and hope that someone finds a cure… Non's not going to stop with the people he's already infected. I'm sure that we were just a test site. There's going to be more and it's going to get so much worse...there's a war coming and we're in the middle of it."
There was a long silence.
"Have you finished transporting all of the other affected guests to quarantine?" Max asked.
They were all in the lab that J'onn had connected to their quarantine room. Unlike the rest of the infected guests who were outside of the compound in high security quarantine tents, they were actually inside the DEO. Whether that was because they were the first ones pulled from the gala and there hadn't been time for prep or something else, she didn't know. All she knew was that she vaguely remembered hearing J'onn yelling at people, but she didn't remember about what.
"Yes," Kara replied. "We're keeping our eyes open for another attack-"
"Oh, it's going to come," Max said quickly. "This was just a test. It was to target the leaders. To cause a panic. To see how effective it is."
Alex knew he was right, but right now she didn't have the energy to rein him back in because in all honesty they needed to have cool heads. They needed to focus on a cure and not dwell on what they couldn't stop from inside of quarantine. "Has...whatever this is...Myriad...has it been reported outside of the gala victims?"
"No," Kara responded. "Hospitals, urgent care facilities, and the public are all on alert."
Closing her eyes, she just nodded.
"Alex?"
Her eyes snapped open again at her sister's worried tone. "I'm fine-"
"You should be resting…"
"No, no… Max and I need to be working on something," Alex said with a dismissive wave of her hand. The truth was she was absolutely exhausted. All she wanted to do was to turn off the lights, curl up, and sleep for days. It was like all the energy had just been siphoned out of her. "This Myriad thing isn't going to cure itself…"
She didn't miss the looks exchanged between her sister and Max. Kara hugged her, a little too hard, for a moment. "I won't be too far, if you need me." She glared at Max before leaving.
"See, she's starting to warm up to me," Max teased with a smile once Kara was out of their quarantined area. He was obviously trying to lighten the mood. "I mean, she could have just left me there in the closet...so, that's something, right?"
Alex allowed him a smile. "Sure."
"You're feeling the fatigue-"
"Let's just get to work, okay?" she said, trying to change the subject.
"Alex-"
And though she appreciated the soft tone he took with her, she wasn't going to have it. "If you're too tired, I understand," she said and moved towards the lab equipment. "You should get some sleep-"
Max sighed in response and she could hear him following her. "Yeah, there's no way in hell that I can sleep while-okay, tell me where you want me to start."
So, she told him exactly where she thought they needed to start. She told him where he already knew where to start because he'd already been working on it. Alex knew that he was just doing it for her. Right now, neither one of them could handle being seen as weak or remain idle. They both had to do something. It was just in their nature. Alex was just glad that there was a scientific problem for them to solve.
"It looks like it hits hard, but then it slows up."
Yeah, she was familiar with the hit hard part. The fatigue was the part that seemed to linger. Luckily Alex was used to fighting it, between her job and being a woman that was a hazard of life. "It also doesn't seem to be contagious…"
"I think that it still might be best to keep those people in quarantine...just to keep the panic down," Max said. "Imagine the mayor falling flat on his face and who knows what other symptoms will appear later...mass panic."
"Don't you think there's already panic?"
Max shrugged. "Your people are trying to minimize it."
"You have a lot of faith in them," she said as she stared at him. Alex was honestly surprised by his comment.
"I have faith in you," Max told her and was obviously trying to brush it off. "And from what I assume, you helped to train most of them...or you've worked with them all enough to know that they're good people."
"They are."
"So don't look so surprised in my faith in your people," Max said with a slight smirk. "In you."
Alex turned with her hands on her hips. She was pondering whether they should really risk it or not, leaving quarantine. Of course, they'd need approval from J'onn for it, but he'd see the evidence and there was no denying it.
"You're wondering whether or not we should actually leave here…"
Turning her head, she nodded. "It's still a risk. We don't know the full tour of symptoms. There could be other stages...we could become contagious…"
"You're right, but I'm really hoping that this Myriad nonsense isn't something that comes with pustules…"
"Yeah, I really would rather we skip anything like that…" He took her hand and she looked down at them before looking back up at him standing beside her. "We should wait it out a little longer at least…"
"We've been in here for hours...and we've been working and we're both exhausted," he pointed out. "We should sleep for a couple of hours and then get back to it. We have things running in the meantime anyways. Watching them run isn't going to speed it along."
It wasn't what Alex really wanted to do, but she knew he was right, so she gave into it and moved towards where the medical beds were. They'd be more productive when they got up if they slept anyways. Alex automatically just went back to the bed she'd originally woken up in and pulled the blanket around her as she laid on her side.
"You know, we could be good together," he whispered as he laid on his side on the other bed so that he faced her.
"Max-"
"I mean, in science… We should work together...in science related things...you know, when the world isn't ending...or when there's not some kind of alien contagion on the loose."
She smiled at that. "It's just a Monday around here," she joked.
Max shook his head. "Honestly, Alex, think of all the good we could do together at Lord Technologies…"
"That's the thing, Max," Alex told him gently. "I don't need to be in the light…"
"Alex-"
"I don't think that all of that makes you a better person, Max, unless you change yourself first," Alex reminded. "I don't need a legacy… I don't need money…"
"Everyone needs money."
"Not that kind," Alex argued. "Honestly, I just need my family and my job...that's all, Max."
"And what about me?" he whispered.
"I don't know," she replied honestly in a breath.
Max was quiet for a long moment. "If I could grant you peace of mind when it comes to us...to me...and if you could just let me inside of your heart…"
"Max-"
"I won't stop trying, Alex," he murmured gently.
Alex's eyes didn't leave his as they just lay there. It took her a long moment to process what he was saying and what that meant. All she could think was that they could both be dead tomorrow. But no matter how much Max screwed up, no matter how horrible of a person he seemed to be sometimes, Alex could see this spark of good deep down inside of him...and she liked to think that she brought that out in him. That she could make him that glimmer of goodness, if he could just learn to harness it.
"I won't stop you."
Alex didn't wake first.
But when she finally did...it felt like the world was spiraling out of control and ending. The voices were what woke her, they were trying to be quiet, but they still woke her. The conversation was not one that she knew should be heard when one was half awake.
"There's been a casualty."
"You're saying someone infected by Myriad has died?"
"Yes."
"I hope that someone documented the symptoms."
"Alex isn't the only scientist at the DEO, Lord."
"Well, no offense, but right now she's the only one that I'm focusing on saving."
It was quiet then, likely because J'onn had sensed her being awake and she had forced herself up into a sitting position. Alex wasn't surprised when Max didn't seem to care that she'd overheard that.
"Just...let me know if either of you need anything else," J'onn said and he was clearly uncomfortable being there with Lord.
Alex slipped off the bed, losing her balance for just a moment before regaining it. "J'onn, wait…" She looked between the two men and Max headed off to the lab area. The quarantine zone inside the DEO didn't give them a lot of room, certainly not much for them to have privacy, but she still wanted to talk to him.
"You okay?" J'onn asked quietly.
"Okay as much as I can be in this situation," Alex responded with a slight shrug. "But what Max said-"
"No," J'onn dismissed quickly. "I understand what he meant by it...and can I really blame him for worrying about you?"
Alex sighed and stared at him for a long moment. "Has it spread at all?"
"No, but there are others that were closer to the Myriad ground zero at the gala who look like they're barely hanging on," J'onn told her grimly. "We need something, Alex."
"Who is it?"
"That-"
"It matters…"
He looked to the side for a moment before looking back at her. "Senator Crane. The mayor. The gala organizer. They're all critical."
Senator Miranda Crane was just not a person that they could lose the trust of. They needed her so that they could keep the DEO going the way that J'onn had been running it since he'd taken over Henshaw's identity. Alex just nodded quickly and went over all of the things that she needed to do...everything she needed to try.
"Alex-"
"We're going to get ahead of this," she said, trying to be confident.
"Alex, I'm worried about you."
She stared at him for a long moment. "We're going to get ahead of it," she repeated. "I'll be fine. I'm worried about the DEO now. We need the senator. We also need to keep this thing from spreading and infecting any more people..." She fell silent for a beat. "Non is likely waiting to see if we can respond with any kind of vaccine or cure to it. See how long it takes us…"
They were both silent and then she was certain that he realized what she was about to say.
"Alex-"
"No," she whispered as she just stared at him. Alex pushed forward a sad smile. "I'm a DEO agent. I signed up for this. To put my life on the line for others. This isn't different."
"It is different."
"I'm a DEO agent. I'm working on a counter to a virus that was released by alien threats. I might be dying, J'onn, but I have time right now," she whispered. "And if things go sideways… I want you to know that I don't regret any of it… I just wish that I knew you earlier...and that Kara got to be herself earlier…" She was quiet again. "But I need you to make sure that my wishes, what's already in the system...I updated it...that that is seen to. I need you to promise me that. My mom can't have my death weighing on her, not like she held my father's for over a decade. Please, J'onn, promise me?"
"It won't come to it," he said firmly.
"Just the same…"
He gave her a nod. "I promise."
"Okay," she whispered. That was all she needed. She needed to know that he'd make sure that her letters and videos that she'd recorded would go to the right family members. She'd updated them, so it felt even more important now. "I should get back to work…"
J'onn pulled her close for a moment and pressed a kiss to her forehead before he left.
Alex watched him go and wrapped her arms around herself for a moment and just breathed. She didn't want to get negative, not right now. There was still so much to do and so much time that she felt like she still had. Bringing herself back to focus, she moved towards where Max was in the lab.
"You okay?"
She wanted to say 'no'.
"Fine."
"Alex."
"Why do you ask if you're not going to trust my answer?" Alex questioned as she raised an eyebrow.
He smiled at that. "That's fair."
"So, what do the results say?"
"Take a look…"
TBC…
