"How are they?" Lena asked entering the conference room.
"Shaken, but okay." Alex said.
"Where are they?"
"At school, along with plenty of security. All schools in the area have increased security, just in case." Alex explained.
"So what's the plan?" Lena asked.
"Last night we managed to badly block the servers." Alex said.
"Badly?" Lena asked.
"If they know what they are doing, they will come back online today."
"Then why are Kara and MJ at school?" Lena asked confused.
"I have their phones and watches. They can't be tracked." Alex said. "We have also accessed the accounts of every DEO agent as well as LEO and stopped the sharing of family location. Instead those phones are sharing fake information, which will lead to DEO agents and J'onn, who will be pretending to be Kara, my Kara."
"So you are hoping they kidnap J'onn thinking he is your daughter?" Lena asked.
"Yes." Alex confirmed. "There's a chance they will take J'onn to someone higher up the food chain and we can start to get answers. It's risky and would be far safer with Brainy to manage the information flow, but he isn't here so we will go with what we have."
"Is there anything I can do?" Lena asked.
"We think this is going to go on awhile, so can you watch the kids tonight?" Alex asked. "I don't want them to be alone."
"They were going to be alone?"
"No, there are going to be some DEO guards. But that's not the same."
"Of course." Lena said.
"Ma'am, the servers are coming back online." Harris interrupted.
"Are we sure there is no real info on the app?" Alex asked.
"Yes ma'am." He said. "We have flooded it with fake data, including J'onn. J'onn currently has the highest point total associated with him."
"Let's hope that makes him the first target." Alex said.
"I still don't see what their end game is." Supergirl said as she paced. "I mean the original game was a distraction to split our forces right? But right now there is no other threat."
"Could it be about the returned prisoners?" Lena asked.
"What benefit would it bring?" Alex asked. "I mean they aren't released into the public yet so pose minimal danger. Plus the facility is secure and everyone is accounted for. It is possible that this round of the game is unconnected to Mongul and the invasion." Alex went on. "It could be that the original game sparked the interest of someone who has different goals. I mean targeting family, moving to kidnap. Something feels off."
"At least we know it isn't Lobo. Subtle isn't his style." Kara said.
"True. But it could still be Mongul, there are still a lot of his Lieutenants unaccounted for." Alex replied before standing. "But this conjecture is getting us nowhere. Right now we need to stop the threat."
"Ma'am." Harris said approaching the trio.
"What is it?"
"NCPD just arrested dog man."
"Dog man?" Alex asked lost.
"The guy who had a chunk of his leg bitten by the dog when he tried to kidnap your daughter."
"Can we use actual names?" Alex asked.
"Not really." He said passing them the tablet displaying the name 'Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz'.
"I'd stick with Dog man." Supergirl said not sure where to start with the pronunciation.
"Anyway, he is at the 41st if you want to talk to him." Harris said.
"I doubt he will be any more talkative than the others, but it is worth a go." Alex said.
"Want some company?" Supergirl offered before adding quietly. "Or protection for Dog Man."
"No. I need you to stay within range of the school, just in case." Alex said. "I'll see you in a bit."
-00-
"Lena what are you doing here?" The teenage Kara asked when she saw the family friend waiting outside the school.
"Taking you home."
"Has something happened?" MJ asked as Alex questioned.
"Is mom okay?"
"Everything is fine. Your mothers are just worried about you. And it has been awhile since we hung out."
"Don't you have an empire run?" MJ asked.
"I have people for that." Lena said as she unlocked the car.
"So what exactly do you do?" The teenage Alex asked climbing into the car.
"I don't think you are meant to ask that." MJ said.
-00-
"Any luck?" Supergirl asked when Alex returned.
"No. Same as the others. They are playing a game. The sick thing is they don't even know what they are playing for."
"What do you mean?"
"Apparently you only get told what the prize is when you get to level 13."
"They are trying to kill and kidnap, but they don't know why?" Supergirl asked.
"Technically they aren't killing or kidnapping." Alex said. "We are stopping them. Also some of them I don't think know it is real. Some of them are so high they think it is just VR."
"It's pretty sick." Supergirl said as Rose approached.
"Ma'am, we are starting to see movement."
"Where?"
"Nine red dots are heading for J'onn." Rose said causing Alex and Kara to move to the main console to watch it unfold.
"This reminds me of Pacman." Supergirl said watching the screen.
"Can you stop referencing antiquated computer games?" Alex asked as she watched the screen.
"What? It does look like Pacman." Supergirl said pointing as J'onn's dot became surrounded.
"Are we sure J'onn is going to be okay?" Supergirl asked feeling nervous.
"J'onn has two trackers on him. One emits an RF frequency, which if they know what they are doing they will block. The other is an ultrasonic device, which you should be able to hear. He will activate it when he arrives to where ever they take him."
"And if I can't hear it?" Supergirl asked.
"We go old school. But if J'onn gets into trouble he said he will just walk out. We are assuming no one is expecting a shape shifting Martian." Alex said as the red dots on the screen moved with J'onn's dot.
"We have a visual." Rose said showing CCTV footage of J'onn, in the teenage Kara's form, being roughly bundled into a van. Seeing it Alex stormed from the control room.
-00-
"You okay?" Supergirl asked when Alex finally emerged from the cubicle where she had been throwing up.
"No. They were targeting Kara again. That's on me." Alex said.
"No that's on them. The important thing is Kara and MJ are safe and soon the bad guys are going to be taken down." Supergirl reminded her.
"What if we hadn't found the game? What if Alex hadn't have been there? I would have lost Kara and MJ."
"You aren't losing anyone." Supergirl said hugging her sister. "Kara and MJ are safe and we are going to make sure they stay safe." She added.
"Thank you." Alex said pulling away.
"You okay?" Kara asked, her eyes burning with concern.
"I'm fine." Alex said, clearly lying.
"We are going to stop them." Kara repeated.
"I know. I need to finish some paperwork. Let me know if anything changes." Alex said leaving the bathroom.
-00-
As Supergirl watched the dot on the screen associated with J'onn, Ruby came up to stand beside her.
"How's it going?"
"They are still moving." Supergirl said. "They are going in a very circular route so it looks like they are worried about being followed."
"We have sent out plenty of visible search parties to different areas so hopefully that will make them relax." Vasquez added.
"That's good. Do you have a minute?" Ruby asked the caped hero.
"Sure. what's wrong?"
"You might want to talk to Alex."
"Why?"
"She is suiting up. Something tells me going into the field is going to not be clever. She looks really ticked."
-00-
"What are you doing?" Supergirl asked entering the armoury.
"Suiting up."
"I can see. Why?"
"We are about to trap the ring leader."
"And you are Director of the DEO. As in you do a desk job. A desk job that keeps you safe. And keeps the bad guys alive."
"As Director I get to choose what missions to go on." Alex countered.
"Isn't there a directive against that?"
"This isn't Star Trek." Alex pointed. "Even if it was, they always ignored it."
"But it is dangerous out there."
"You'll have my back." Alex pointed out.
"Of course I will." Supergirl said. "But what if you, I don't know, lose your temper. How would I explain to Kara and MJ that you are in jail?"
"I'm not going to lose it." Alex assured her.
"Your eyes say different." Supergirl argued as Harris entered the armoury.
"Ma'am, we have lost the tracker."
"Where was it last seen?" Alex asked.
"Heading to the underpass."
"Can you hear anything?" Alex asked Kara.
"No." She said after a moment.
"J'onn was only going to activate the sonic tracker after he had arrived at the HQ or if he was in danger, so let's hope it is going to plan." Alex said, feeling her stress levels rise.
"What's happening about all the other fake targets?" Supergirl asked Harris as she paced.
"We are suppressing the attacks." The agent said. "Agent Baxter is ready to be taken if needed."