"How is she?" Alex asked approaching her niece's bed a few hours later.
"The same." Kara said from where she lay next to her sleeping daughter, holding her tightly.
"Have you got any sleep?" Alex asked.
"No. And don't tell me to rest. I'm not leaving her."
"I know. But you still need to look after yourself." Alex said. "I've brought some food and drink. You need to have it."
"I'm not hungry."
"Kara, when Alex gets over this she is going to take time to fully recover. She'll need you then. So you need to keep your strength up."
"I'm scared Alex." Kara said not moving from her daughter's side.
"I know you are. But we are going to get through this."
"What if we don't? What if she dies? I can-"
"No one is dying." Alex said.
"They did on the train." Kara pointed out.
"I know. But this is different. Mom, Lena and I are doing everything we can to find a cure."
"What's the point of powers if I can't help her?" Kara asked.
"Kara, right now you are here for her. That is more important than anything and will be helping her a lot."
-00-
As Kara lay next to her daughter she became aware that the teen's breathing was getting much more laboured. Sitting up she tried to soothe her daughter hoping it would pass. But seeing the fear in her daughter's eyes as she gasped for oxygen she shouted for her sister.
"What's wrong?" The Adult Alex asked rushing into the room with Eliza and Lena.
"She's can't breathe. Help her." Kara pleaded as her daughter continued to gasp for oxygen. As she did so objects started to fly round the room.
"You need to stand back." The older Alex said as she started to examine her niece who was fighting hard for every breath.
"Alex, you need to stay calm." The adult Alex said. "I know it is scary, but I'm going to help you breathe." She said as she was hit by a flying box of gloves.
"Kara sweetie, come over here." Eliza said trying to pull her daughter away. "Let Alex work."
"What are you doing?" Kara asked noticing Alex trying to set some equipment up as objects continued to fly.
"I need to incubate." Alex said as she dodged a flying water bottle. She then glanced over at her sister. "I need you to make sure I don't get hit."
"Okay." Kara said moving over to her daughter who she tried to soothe, while using her powers to shield Alex from all the flying equipment.
Confident she wasn't going to be nudged Alex set to work inserting the tube. Before she was done there was a huge crash as all the objects dropped to the floor and the teenager went limp.
"Alex?" Kara asked panicked.
"Almost done." Alex said as she finished inserting the tube. Once finished she hooked her niece up to the ventilator and watched as her oxygen levels increased.
"What's happening?" Kara asked.
"Her lungs are failing, but the ventilator will keep her breathing." Alex explained.
"Is Ruby on a ventilator?"
"No. Her lungs are okay at the moment."
"Why is Alex getting hit harder? Is it because of the illness she had when she was younger, could it have damaged her lungs permanently? I knew I should have asked you to look into it, but I got so-"
"Kara there is no reason to believe a childhood illness is causing her problems right now." Alex cut in, still not sure what her niece had suffered from in her early childhood. "It could be she's younger or it could be the other half of her DNA is more susceptible." Alex said. "The important thing is, right now she is stable."
"But for how long?"
"Kara, we are doing everything we can." Alex assured her. "Remember Alex is a fighter, just like you."
-00-
"That's not a good expression." Ruby wheezed as Alex and Lena entered her room.
"What's wrong?" Sam asked.
"We've had to incubate Alex. Chances are we may have to do the same with you." Alex explained to Ruby. "We'll hold off for as long as we can, but be prepared." As she spoke Sam squeezed her daughter's hand tighter before asking.
"Are you sure you don't want us to get Ash?"
"I'll be better in no time." Ruby wheezed.
"You are getting closer to a cure right?" Sam asked changing her focus to Alex.
"We are doing everything we can." Alex repeated her earlier words to Kara. "As soon as we have something we'll let you know." She then turned to Ruby and added. "In the mean time if your symptoms get worse let us know."
As Lena and Alex walked out Lena asked. "How are you holding up?
"Better than Kara. I just wish we had even a small hint that we could cure this in time." She said, sounding frustrated, as they walked into the main lab area where she saw a familiar figure talking to her mother.
"Barry, what are you doing here?" Alex asked confused.
"I heard what had happened and I thought I could be a runner, you know bring samples from the DEO to here and anywhere else you need."
"Thank you." Alex said.
"How's Kara?"
"A wreck. I'm sure she would appreciate talking to someone. She's just through there."
-00-
"So that is mini Kara." Barry said walking towards his friend who was gripping her daughter's hand in a vice like grip.
"Barry?" Kara asked looking up. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought I could help. I'm good at errands and make an excellent centrifuge. And I'd like to think I'm a good friend. So how can I help?"
"Right now I want everyone focused on Alex, not me."
"I get that." Barry said sympathetically. "I've been where you are now and I know how hopeless it feels. But you have to keep believing."
"That's meant to be my speech, but I can't-" Kara started only to stop herself.
"Kara, everyone is working hard to help her." Barry said.
"I know. And I want to believe they are going to find a cure but-"
"Kara." Barry cut in. "I meant it when I said I have been where you are and I know the longer you sit here the less faith you are going to have. Do you know what we did?"
"What?" Kara asked.
"Reading old stories. Iris and I thought we were doing it for her, but I think it actually helped us a lot more. Maybe you should try it."
"I will." Kara said.
-00-
"Here." Lena said passing Kara a water bottle a few hours later. "Even if you aren't going to sleep or eat, at least drink."
"Thanks." Kara said taking the bottle. "Have you found anything?"
"Not yet, but Alex is stable." Lena said.
"I feel so helpless." Kara said.
"We're doing everything we can." Lena said, not wanting to offer hollow words.
"I know." Kara said.
"Is there anything I can get you?"
"No. Yes. Maybe. I was thinking about what Alex said earlier." Kara said. "She said Alex might be being affected faster than Ruby because of the other half of her DNA."
"It's possible." Lena agreed.
"You talked about being able to find out where Alex's father was from." Kara said.
"With the satellite?" Lena asked.
"Yes. Can you still do that?" Kara asked.
"Yes."
"Do it. Maybe it will give us something we can use to help her."
"It may find nothing." Lena said.
"But it might something, anything, that can help her."
"Okay." Lena agreed.
-00-
"Have you found anything?" Alex asked approaching her mother.
"Maybe. Have a look at this." Eliza said pointing to the screen. "It is a sample taken from the cannister that was found."
"That looks familiar." Alex said. "Wait, isn't that the Medusa virus?"
"Not quite. It is similar but different. Once I knew what I was looking for I found markers in all the blood samples, but it is a much more subtle variant. This particular variant targets victims who have mixed DNA. Mixed species specifically." She said pulling up a blood sample.
"That's good isn't it?" Alex asked. "I mean it was easy to reverse Medusa."
"Like I said this is similar but different. It may have originated from the Medusa virus but it has been altered to make it less detectable and less reversible."
"So we can't cure them?"
"I didn't say that." Eliza said. "But it will be harder than before and the fact that all the patients have mixed DNA is going to make it more challenging and any cure will potentially be dangerous. But the differences between this and last time work in our favour as it is much more slow acting this time round." She then pointed at the screen and said. "Plus we got lucky, if we can call it that, and one of the people this is affecting was arrested by the DEO a few years ago so you already had a sample of his blood. On the left is the old sample, on the right one taken a few hours ago."
"They look pretty similar." Alex said before seeing something. "Wait have the monocytes changed shape?"
"Yes, the indention is smaller. Plus the enzyme content of the cytoplasm has changed. I think this is what is being targeted, which gives a possible way of reversing it."