Chapter 7

"The loss of your powers is no doubt traumatic. But worry not my daughter once your kryptonian cells have absorbed enough radiation from earth's yellow sun they will return. For now, though you are as vulnerable to your environment as any normal human." The voice of Alura's AI said as Kara allowed various tests to be conducted on her.

"I can't believe it. I lost my powers." Kara said, sitting on a chair in Leo's lab.

"You probably used up your power trying to fry that android. While I didn't know you could run out of energy, I know that it took a great deal of energy to deal with both of them. Even I'm suffering some after effects. I can't stay transformed for more than 30 minutes right now. I have faith that your powers will return." Leo said, trying to reassure Kara with his words.

"But what if they never return? I could be stuck like this forever. It's been two days Leo. I still don't feel any better. In fact, I feel more miserable than ever." Kara complained.

"That might probably be what normal people call a cold. First time for everything. You can't let this keep eating away at you Kara. For now, just take it one step at a time. Take your mind of things. Focus on your work at CatCo and planning the wedding. And if it helps you feel any better, a hero isn't about powers. It's about what's in here that counts. Now let's get you back to CatCo." Leo said, gesturing to Kara's heart before taking her hand and getting her to change so he could take her back to work.

"A hero can be anyone. The firefighters, police officers and paramedics, they're all heroes. Being a hero isn't about powers. It's about giving hope. Of confronting situations that are bigger than you with a brave face and to stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves. It's about taking on impossible odds because it's the right thing to do." Kara said to herself as she saw a robbery taking place at a nearby store.

"Kara don't forget you're not bulletproof anymore. You don't have to do this. Besides, you're in no condition to help them." James said, gesturing to her broken arm.

"I will not allow myself to be a bystander James. I did it once already." Kara said, referring to the earlier incident of watching Maxwell Lord try to save a woman's father but failing to do so. She went to change into her Supergirl costume and walking towards the store where the robbery was taking place.

"That was incredible Kara. You didn't use your powers, you just talked the robber into giving up." James said as they walked back towards CatCo.

"I think I realize now what Leo meant. I was beyond scared, but I knew I had to face it. To convince them to give up. It was the right thing to do. I guess having had my powers for so long, I've never really understood what it meant to be a hero." Kara admitted as the two went into CatCo and entered the elevator, heading for their secret room.

"I might have found out a way for you to get back your powers. I was talking to Leo about if before he had something urgent to handle and he says the by his readings, your cells have actually absorbed enough radiation to give your powers however for some reason the cells are still dormant. So, we theorize that a burst of adrenaline should help you get your powers back and whoa, what the hell was that?" Winn said before they were interrupted as the whole building shook.

"Let me see if I can find out what happened." James said leaving the room.

"You said Leo had an emergency to handle. Did he say what happened?" Kara asked.

"He mentioned one of the prisoners escaping. Said that a power outage at the DEO caused it. He told me he'd tell you about it as soon as he had more info. He wasn't at the DEO when we were talking." Winn informed her just as James returned.

"There's been a gas leak in the building. There are people trapped in the floor above us. We need to go help them." James said. The three nodded and went to the elevator shaft where James used a ladder to climb up to the floor above and release the doors.

"James!" Kara and Winn shouted in fear as James slipped from the ladder falling and barely managing to grab onto an elevator cable that was straining with his weight. Kara felt something snap within her and power fill her body. She was quickly gone from her spot next to Winn, her cast laying on the ground. Supergirl arrived just in time to catch James from falling, setting him down gently next to Winn before flying off to help the city.

"When were you planning on telling us about yourself Hank? Or should I call you something else?" Leo said, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he, Alex and Hank were seated in his lab. They had just finished dealing with the escaped prisoner Jemm, Hank having revealed himself as an alien when he protected Alex from the escapee.

"I was hoping to keep it a secret. My name is J'onn J'onzz. I am the last living martian. I was hiding out in Peru as a refugee from my world where I was found by Jeremiah Danvers and the original Hank Henshaw. Jeremiah didn't agree with Henshaw who wanted me killed as I was a refugee. The two fought and ended up killing each other. I felt responsible for it and so I took Henshaw's identity, reforming the DEO into what it is today. I felt indebted to Jeremiah for his sacrifice and so learnt everything I could about the man. I eventually learnt he had two daughters and decided to look after them for him. This was what led me to eventually take Alex in." Hanks said, explaining his story.

"You could have told us all this time?" Alex asked, hurt that this had been kept secret for so long.

"I guess a part of me was afraid of what you would do when you found out. For what it's worth, I'm sorry. And you should be proud. Jeremiah Danvers died a hero." Hank said before getting up to leave the lab.

"Hank, just so you know, I need to tell Kara about this. I can't keep secrets from her." Leo admitted. Hank simply nodded and left the lab, closing the door behind him, leaving Alex and Leo inside to talk.

"I thought you had abandoned us." Cat said when Kara as Supergirl floated in front of her.

"I was going through some dark times. But you reminded me. Reminded everyone that being a hero isn't about powers or a costume you wear. It's about being a symbol of hope to bring out the best in people. For that you are a hero." Kara told her before flying off. Kara was flying back home, feeling a sense of concern as Leo told her that he had something important to tell her. She wasn't paying attention to her surroundings and was tackled to the ground by a black blur. She landed on top of a building and recovered slowly only to face her aunt.

"Kara. It has been sometime since I last saw you." Astra said, holding out a kryptonite blade that sent Kara staggering to the ground. She was held up by two of Astra's soldiers.

"How are you not affected by the kryptonite?" Kara asked as she felt her skin burn from the radiation.

"Kryptonite? Is that what you call it? It is merely a substance. As with any substance, there are ways to counteract its effects if you know how." Astra pointed out simply.

"Can't even face me in a fair fight now?" Kara growled out.

"I'm not here to fight. I would like you to join us. You see, the humans love and respect you. We can use it to bring them salvation." Astra said.

"I will never join you!" Kara shouted.

"One Hundred! Full Bullets!" A voice in the air shouted before multiple energy hawks flew towards them, aiming specifically for everyone except Kara. Leo then swooped in and took Kara out, throwing the kryptonite knife away before disappearing into the night while Astra and her soldiers were still recovering.

"Are you alright Kara? She didn't hurt you, did she?" Leo asked, fussing over Kara as they flew back to the loft.

"I'm fine now Leo. Thanks for the save. She caught me by surprise that's all. Hopefully they don't manage to retrieve it. They've somehow manage to build something to prevent them from being affected by the kryptonite. I'll recover soon." Kara admitted as Leo landed in the loft, setting Kara down on the couch before letting his armor dissipate and grabbing Kara a bottle of water.

"We need to be more careful then. They still aren't resistant to Nebula Energy so I'm still in a position to do something about it. Since we know they're active again, I think we should make sure to keep each other informed of our whereabouts so we can come help each other if need be. It'll reassure me a great deal." Leo said, taking a seat next to Kara who tucked herself into his side, nodding her head in agreement.

"Also, I have something cool to show you tomorrow at the DEO once you're done at CatCo. I've finished the new simulator facility as well as a new upgrade for the build driver." Leo informed Kara who simply hummed as she was already half asleep at Leo's side. The kryptonite poisoning having worn her out. Leo placed a soft kiss on her head before picking her up and helping her get ready for bed.

Short update this time. The next update will be on Thursday or Friday.

Down to votes again! Readers voting helps me get better ideas. I also accept suggestions around the topics below so if you have a suggestion, leave it in a review. This story is constantly evolving as I write it.

Build Genius will be the endgame form this is confirmed after the recent episode with the form in action although I will be tweaking its capabilities as more is revealed about what exactly it can do. Cross Z Magma is confirmed but how that form comes about will be vastly different to what happened in the series. (No getting hit by evolt's funky red beams) But there are still other things to vote for.

1) Evol Driver

A recent review piqued my interest on how Evol's overall theme as a truly evil rider wouldn't really fit and so if enough people vote against this, I will be doing away with Leo using the Evol Driver for a period of time and skipping straight to Genius form. My logic is that the powers of Genius form are specific to countering Evolt. While it does make sense to skip straight to his Genius Form, him wanting to use the evol driver gives a target for him to work towards throughout the show as he improves the rider system (Pushing his hazard level to 5.0 and drawing out the evol bottles from his body)

2) To move Crisis on Earth X to post Reign Arc.

I want opinions on moving the crossover event for season 3 to the end of the season. If I do move it, the plotline will be greatly different. Either way, I plan on introducing an OC villain for Leo to fight and it's position in the series will determine the tier of villain. If enough people want me to move it to the end then we'll get an Evol type villain. If it stays in the original place, I might have a Blood Stalk or a Mad Rogue as the main villain.

3) Mid Story Baby

Any opinions on Kara and Leo having a kid within the story? Somewhere in early season three? Or maybe even end of season 2? Let me know your thoughts.

Till next update!