"Mom?" The teenage Alex asked confused when she woke up.
"Hey. How are you feeling?" Kara asked.
"Tired. What happened?"
"You were attacked. I think you managed to create a forcefield." Kara said as Alex's memories started to come back.
"I'm sorry." She said.
"For what?" Kara asked confused.
"I tried. I really did. But I couldn't. I wasn't strong enough." The teen cried.
"Alex, you did great. You protected your cousins." Kara said hugging her.
"But they got Alex."
"I am going to get your aunt back." Kara said before pulling back and looking at her daughter. "But to do that I need to know that you and your cousins are safe. So I want you three to stay with Sam for awhile."
"Why?"
"We don't know if you and your cousins are targets. If I'm keeping an eye on you three I will have less time to look for your aunt. If you stay with Sam for awhile I can search for Alex knowing you are safe. And unlike with Argo we can still talk every day."
"Okay." The teenager said still feeling responsible for her aunt being taken. The response surprising Kara who was expecting more of a fight.
"I love you." Kara said.
"Love you too."
-00-
"Hi mom." Ruby shouted when she let the teens into the house.
"Hi guys." Sam said coming into the hallway before pulling Kara and MJ in for a hug. "I'm sure she'll be okay." Releasing the two she then looked at the teenage Alex and smiled.
"Hi Alex."
"Hi." The teen said not moving from the doorway and not making eye contact with anyone.
"And you must be Diz." Sam said looking at the older boy.
"Yes." He said looking uncomfortable.
"Well I am sure you are tired after the drive, why don't you go drop your stuff off in your rooms. You two know where to go right?" Sam said looking at Kara and MJ who nodded before walking upstairs, followed silently by their cousin.
"Problem?" Sam asked Dix who remained where he was.
"Why did you say I could stay here?"
"A friend asked me to."
"Yeah, but I'm-"
"I know your history, but trust me when I say I have a past that will dwarf yours." Sam said to Diz. "I don't know how serious your relationship is with Kara but having done the whole pregnant at sixteen thing, don't try anything under this roof."
"I-" He started to protest.
"A simple agreement will be fine." Sam said.
"Yes ma'am." He replied.
"Good." Sam said before asking. "What's going on with Alex?"
"She was kidnapped." Diz said.
"I meant the one who barely said two words when she got here." Sam clarified.
"Don't know she was like that the whole journey."
-00-
"Anything?" Supergirl asked as she paced the DEO control room.
"No ma'am. Her tracker has either been removed or is shielded." Harris said. "Right now we have no idea where she is."
"We did find an abandoned van that matched the description of the one MJ and Kara saw." Vasquez said. "But it was torched. We won't get anything from it."
"So we have nothing?" Supergirl asked.
"Whoever took her needs her alive for something." Vasquez said. "So that buys us time."
"It doesn't help Alex though." Supergirl said miserably.
"Ma'am." Rose said. "Agent Kendell has arrived. He is offering to help."
"Of course he is. Perhaps I should go see A.D.A Curran. It can't be a coincidence that Alex confronted him." Supergirl said.
"Let's invite Kendell in. But we'll keep him firewalled from our investigation." Vasquez said. "Make sure he is under surveillance the whole time."
-00-
"Where's Alex?" Sam asked noticing there were fewer teens than there should be.
"Probably walking Chewie." MJ said. "Or sleeping. Using her powers still drains her."
"And Diz?"
"No idea."
"Okay. Well in that case you two are on dinner duty." Sam said. Seeing the lack of enthusiasm she added. "I know it is hard, but your mom is going to be okay." Not getting a response she added. "If you want to worry about someone, worry about the people who took her. Because I am sure she will be making their lives hell right now." She said as Diz walked into the kitchen.
"Hey Diz, you okay?" Sam asked.
He nodded before moving to Kara's side
"Kar, your cousin is having a melt down in the basement." Diz whispered to the teenage Kara.
"I'll be right back." Kara said leaving the kitchen.
-00-
"Alex?" The teenage Kara called as she entered the basement and saw her cousin sitting in the corner, her knees pulled to her chest." Chewie sitting to one side looking at her.
"I'm sorry." The youngest teenager sobbed.
"For what?" Kara asked confused as she reached her side.
"You mom got taken. It was my fault."
"It's not your fault."
"Yes it is. Both you and MJ said it was."
"You're right." Kara said sitting down next to her cousin. "We both said that. But we didn't mean it. For me I was angry at myself."
"What did you do?"
"Nothing. Again." The teenage Kara said with a bitter tone. "Like always I just sat there unable to stop someone I care about getting hurt."
"There was nothing you could do." The teenage Alex said.
"Well, I can't always use that as an excuse. You saved us." Kara reminded her.
"But your mom-"
"Your mom will find her." Kara said, trying to sound optimistic. "Come on. Sam wants us to help with dinner."
-00-
As Alex came to she found herself in darkness, the air warm, but hard to breathe, her hands and legs restrained. After a few minutes she figured out she was sat on and tied to a chair and was wearing some sort of sack over her head. As she tested the strength of what was constraining her hands someone noticed the movement and she heard a male voice say.
"Director Danvers. I was starting to wonder if they hit you too hard. Now you are awake we can start to have some fun."
"Who are you?" Alex asked, her voice muffled by the sack over her head.
"That doesn't matter. All you need to do is answer some questions and then look helpless so Supergirl flies in to rescue you." He said punching her stomach. "Your perseverance and paranoia has caused my employer several issues so we don't have to go easy on you." He added.
-00-
"Kara you have always made the tough calls. You have always put others before you. When faced with an impossible questions you make a decision to help as many people as you can. But what you should be doing is changing the question." Lena said to her friend as they sat in Lena's lab..
"What?"
"You see the world as black and white, good vs evil and you approach problems the same way. You see the problem and see very clear outcomes. But if you change the question so do those outcomes. Right now Alex and Alex need you to see the world differently so that they win and you win."
"What do you mean?" Kara asked.
"When the call comes you are going to fly over there and make a trade, even though we both know they won't hold up their end of the bargain.
"I'm not leaving Alex there."
"I know." Lena said. "But that doesn't mean you have to cope with this alone."
"I'm not sure what you are getting at."
"I have a plan. Chances are it won't work, and even if it did if we assume this is related to what has been happening to your cousin, when they have you you are in for a world of pain. But if it works, maybe you can stay in control. But it is dangerous and is going to require a lot of trust."
"I trust you." Kara said. "And a dangerous plan is better than no plan."
"Perhaps you should hear the plan first." Lena said.
-00-
"You doing okay there?" Sam asked as she walked Chewie with the teenage Alex.
"Sure."
"Really, because you seem really quiet." She pointed out still concerned by her demeanour.
"I'm fine." The teenager said.
"I know it is hard and I know you miss your mom, but I am looking forward to getting to know you a little better."
"Why? I ruin everything." The teen said.
"What are you talking about?" Sam asked.
"It doesn't matter." The teen said grateful to notice a few drops of rain. "We better go back." She said heading back to the house.
"If you do want to talk, I'm always ready to listen." Sam offered, but the words fell on deaf ears.
-00-
"I know you don't think this is a good idea." Kara said as Eliza approached. "But it is the best way to get Alex and for both of us to get back."
"I know." Eliza said. "I just wish you didn't need to."
"So do I. But I promise you I will get Alex back."
"Do you really think your idea will work?" Eliza asked looking at Lena.
"I don't know. But it is the best that we have. Lex did a lot of research into it. And I hate relying on his work to save Kara, but it is the best we have." She said reading off the results of the latest scan.
"Plus when it works we can tell him and really upset him." Kara said.
"You have enough troubles without upsetting Lex." Eliza reminded her as Kara's phone rang.
"What is it Vasquez?" Supergirl asked as she answered the call. "Where?" She asked before ending the call.
"They want a trade." She said looking at her foster mother. She then looked at Lena who looked at her computer once more and said.
"Okay. Let's do this."
-00-
"I'm here. What do you want." Supergirl said as she entered the abandoned factory. As she spoke a large TV screen on a wall came to life.
"So predictable." An avatar said from the screen.
"What do you want?" Supergirl repeated.
"The choice is simple. Submit or watch her die." The avatar said as the image changed and showed her sister, bruised and battered sitting in a chair. Her voice muffled by a gag.
"I surrender." Supergirl said as Alex protested through her gag.
"Good." The avatar said. "Take her to the facility." It added moments before four men appeared in the room.
"When she is at the facility, release the DEO director."
"But-" One of the guards with Alex started to protest.
"If we kill her Supergirl will have no reason to keep her promise." The avatar said. "Let her go. She can go in the knowledge that when I am done there will be no turning back for Supergirl."
Supergirl then felt a sharp prick in her neck and she fell down unconcious.
-00-
"I assumed you didn't believe in what you were saying and you didn't want Danvers released." Stagg said over a video link to Tycho a short while later.
"No. She still has a use. She will be Supergirl's first real test. Make sure she lives until then."
"How long will it take?"
"Not long."
"Good. Holding the DEO director is risky."
"When Supergirl kills her you will be absolved of blame." Tycho said.
"Why Supergirl? Seeing you have been experimenting with Superman, why not go for him?" Stagg pressed.
"Because Supergirl has proven herself to be stronger. I don't want to create a weapon that will be defeated. Once I have turned Supergirl into what I need her to be, then I will get Superman." Tycho explained he then sat forward and said. "I'll call you when I have finished."
-00-
"Like we thought Alex has not been released." Lena said. "Vasquez will tell us the second she is, but we are guessing they aren't planning on keeping their word."
"So what now?" Eliza asked.
"We know where Kara is, but if we go in they will probably kill Alex. The fact they are keeping Alex means they need something. If all of this os connected to the Kryptonite experiments done against Superman, my guess is they will have a test involving Alex." J'onn said.
"You mean they will try and make Kara kill Alex?" Eliza asked.
"Probably. But for that to happen Supergirl and Alex will need to be in the same place." Lena reminded her. "That is our best chance of getting them both back."
"Even when they are colocated rescue will be hard." J'onn said. "I'm going to gather some help."