Over the next several weeks, the team conducted stakeouts all along the National City harbor. On high alert, they'd sweep the areas, then relocate the sensors with Lena's guidance, and repeat. Some Nodei activity was picked up, but only in fleeting, isolated blips that didn't reveal anything. It was understood that the process would take time. If there was an entire commune that had managed to avoid detection for almost twenty years, finding their headquarters wouldn't be easy. Yet the DEO was feeling the pressure to get ahead of any potential attacks. Rotating between monitoring with Winn and patrolling the waterside, they took shifts at all hours of the day. Naturally Kara and Lena paired together on these stakeouts.
Tempting as it was, the two had to save their makeout sessions for their down time, which occurred less than they preferred. Instead, the long stretches of duty were spent trading stories and getting to know the alien things to which few people in their lives were privy. Growing up in an environment far from their respective homes could be painful at times and downright funny at others, they agreed. "Complicated" was used so often that they turned it into a swear jar term, jokingly calling each other out for saying it. Not that either of them needed to verbalize the concept anyway. In fact, Kara was constantly amazed by the parallel nature of their narratives.
While on assignments to the fishing docks, the blonde opened up about Kenny Li's death. The Kryptonian found herself sharing her most guarded thoughts from the tragedy with Lena. It was effortless, explaining to the Nodei how she was still torn about vowing to live a 'human' life at that age, wondering what might have happened if her abilities were fostered earlier. Lena, of course, understood.
"Ever go down the rabbit hole of the people you could've saved?" The brunette asked, causing Kara to nod emphatically. "I couldn't reveal myself, not when it could hurt those around me. Still, I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel guilty about…I don't know, corruption. Anyone wishing harm."
"Sometimes I really hated my powers," the blonde concluded.
"No doubt." Lena agreed, and the two glanced at each other. After a beat, Kara shook her head and laughed sardonically.
"Look who's talking, right? It was just so frustrating, not being able to use them. But finding out what could happen to people I love if I slipped." She grasped the brunette's hand, trying to find the words.
"I can only imagine…with Nodeisi."
Lena squeezed her palm, fixing her with a grateful, sad smile.
"Eh, 24 years asleep in the Phantom Zone doesn't sound so great either."
The Kryptonian let out a surprised laugh.
"It's not like Liza and Jeremiah - or Remy and Astrid - could prepare us for this," she pointed out. "There's no manual for raising an extraterrestrial kid."
"Although Astrid would try." Lena admitted fondly. "She's aloof, but made me feel like a Luthor. And I thought I'd finally shut the door on being a Laomedeia."
The Nodei stared out into the horizon. With a slight exhale, her nostalgic expression turned pensive.
"If you don't mind me asking," the blonde began cautiously, "what was your family like?"
Lena didn't seem to shy away from the question, likely anticipating it.
"I always heard I took after my mother. It's a complement, really, because she was kind. She was why the halfbreeds trusted us, our home was their safe haven. She was so not vindictive like my father."
"Lionel, right?"
"Yeah. He was always instigating. But never his skin in the game, just other people's. The ones who took his words to heart and risked it for him. I think he was always calculating...Scary brilliant."
"Where did Lex land on the Lillian-Lionel scale?"
The brunette contemplated the question for a while, seeming to search for them in the white caps of the harbor.
"Lex looked out for me, like a protector. He was the first one I saw after the Sao rescue, actually. I was swimming as fast as I could and suddenly he was there, helping me escape. He always was in conflict with himself, like, being a Lillian versus being a Lionel. Maybe if he survived…"
There was a pause as Lena's grip tightened on Kara's hand, steadying herself. The Kryptonian wrapped her arm around her, trying to convey that the Nodei could stop if needed, without breaking the silence. But Lena continued.
"If he were here I think he'd take after our mother. But at the time of the war he was too far in Lionel's camp."
Kara nodded, whispering her gratitude to Lena for sharing as the Nodei sank gratefully into her embrace. They sat like that for some time, the Kryptonian eventually deciding to shift the tone of the conversation.
"So how'd you get the idea for the sensors?"
"The night with the fishermen," the brunette recalled, becoming a bit more animated. "I was curious about the radar used to track fish. Knowing that these Nodeis were sprouting up everywhere, it only made sense to track halfbreeds as easily as bass."
"Right? It seems like we could finally get ahead of them."
"Exactly. Now, since they're no strangers to surveillance," Lena noted, "the sensors should pick up signals over a mile away. That includes depths."
"So did you learn these skills insanely early, or are you just brilliant?" The Kryptonian wondered in amazement.
"Remy and Astrid were great teachers." The Nodei insisted, but Kara wasn't convinced.
"I bet you were taking university classes at twelve."
Lena let out a hearty chuckle, but didn't deny the Kryptonian's claim.
"I knew it!" Kara exclaimed, poking Lena lightly in the side. Without thinking, she added, "My girlfriend's a genius."
There it was, that familiar heart-racing teenage feeling, laced with the sheer terror that accompanies vulnerability. The blonde snapped her head up. Actual teenage Kara would have started stuttering at this point, trying to backtrack or chalk her phrasing up to a mistake. But the grown-up Kyptonian opted to bite her tongue and await a reaction. Lena didn't skip a beat.
"Nope, just learned it from the 'Motherland.'" She giggled with air quotes, referring to Nodeisi. "Here's a fun fact about your girlfriend…" She twisted to face Kara while staying in her arms. They shared a giddy look.
"She's in need of a movie night. Like with potstickers, wine, and that Karate Kid flick you love."
Kara beamed. Even though their date would almost certainly be interrupted by an impromptu DEO meeting (which it was), or if there was a new discovery that would put them even more on guard (Maggie detected new activity nearly one mile below sea level during her watch), the blonde was ready to enjoy an evening with her new girlfriend.