"Morning guys." The adult Kara said entering her sister's kitchen with her daughter.
"Morning." Eliza smiled. "You're over early."
"Well, I may have forgotten to buy food." Kara confessed. "And someone is preaching their anti sticky bun rhetoric this morning." She said glancing at her daughter. She then looked over to her niece and asked. "How's the arm?"
"It's fine."
"And the fist?"
"What's wrong with your fist?" The older Alex asked entering the kitchen.
"Nothing." Her daughter said causing Alex to look at her sister.
"She really slugged him." The older Kara explained as Alex grabbed her daughter's hand and looked for damage.
"It's fine." The teen said. "Grant is a good teacher."
"Are you sure you are okay?" Alex asked her daughter.
"I'm fine." The teenager said as Eliza passed the older Alex some coffee. "Shouldn't you be fussing over MJ?" She added.
"I'm not fussing." Alex said taking the cup form Eliza.
"You kinda are." The older Kara said.
"I think you are the last person to comment on that." Her sister shot back as MJ entered the kitchen.
"Wow, you look like crap." His sister commented unsympathetically.
"Kara." Alex warned.
"What? He does." The teenage Alex pointed out.
"Not helpful to point it out." The older Kara said before the older Alex looked at the teenage trio and said.
"Be careful today. Any sign of trouble get help."
-00-
"What have you got?" Alex asked as she entered the control room.
"The five students all had celluar modifications that gave them powers. It was all unstable though. Two of them are now back to normal. Two of them are still suffering from severe side effects and one is in a coma." Vasquez said.
"What is the one who is back to normal saying?"
"They are pleading for another dose. Good news is he gave up the location of his stash. It will be in the lab soon." She explained as a familiar figure approached.
"Hi Lucy." Alex greeted.
"Hi Alex. I came across something I thought you might want to see. Can we talk in private?"
"Sure. This way." Alex said leading her to the briefing room.
"So I was at Dad's this weekend and I was helping him set up a new computer. And stumbled across some old disks. Disks that contained the DARPA project calls from about twenty years ago."
"Aren't they classified?"
"They were just the calls and were targeting universities and SMEs. They didn't contain who was down-selected or the project deliverables. But one of the calls was kind of interesting. It was to make our own version of Indigo. A completely autonomous AI. Which got me thinking, what if Tycho was the result of this project. The information is on this drive. It may lead to nothing but it is probably worth following through. I'll keep digging as well."
"Thanks." Alex said.
"How are you doing?" Lucy asked.
"Been better."
"And the kids?"
"Getting far too involved in this."
-00-
"You need to learn to control your emotions, to use them." J'onn said. "The best person to do that is probably your mother."
"What do you mean? She doesn't get mad, well not really."
"She does." J'onn said. "But she learnt not be afraid of her anger, but to use it."
"I don't understand." The teen said.
"Right now you are afraid that you emotions will get out of control and you will project those feelings right?" J'onn asked.
"Yes."
"So you lock them inside and force them down when you are awake and use psychic dampeners to prevent them getting out when you are asleep." J'onn went on. "But you aren't getting rid of them and one day the dam will break."
"So what do I do?"
"Learn to use them." J'onn said. "Emotions are energy. They can give you power, as long as you are in control. Your mother channels her anger and uses it to strengthen her. You could do the same."
"How?"
"I want to try something, but we probably need to go somewhere else." J'onn said. "You up for that?"
"Yes."
"Good. Then let's go." He said changing into his Martian form and flying them both to the desert.
"Where are we?" The teen asked as they landed.
"Somewhere we shouldn't draw any attention." He said looking round. "Okay, let's try this first." He said. "I want you to picture two bottles in your head."
"Okay."
"I want to now picture the first one filling up with your least favourite colour."
"Okay." The teen said with her eyes shut, wondering if J'onn had cracked.
"Before it gets to the top I want you to picture the liquid leaving the bottle and going to the other bottle."
"Okay."
"Try that a few times." J'onn said.
As Alex stood with her eyes shut following J'onn's instructions the Martian moved away and found a rock which he placed ten feet in front of the teen. He then went back to her side and asked.
"How do you feel?"
"Less crazy than you." The teen said causing J'onn to smile.
"Then let's move this to the next phase." He said as the teen opened her eyes. "You see that rock over there?"
"Yes."
"I want you this time to picture the first bottle filling up with a coloured liquid. The colour should be whatever colour you associate with anger. This time before it gets full I want you to picture that liquid anger flowing from the bottle to that rock."
"Okay." The teen said, still convinced J'onn had lost it. But obediently she did as she was told and pictured coloured liquid anger flowing from an imaginary bottle to a real rock.
Suddenly the rock exploded sending fragments everywhere.
"Did I do that?" The teen asked. "Because that isn't helping with my fear of losing control." She pointed out just before they heard clapping coming from behind them. Turning they saw a familiar and unwelcome figure.
"Hey mini Supes."
"What are you doing here?" J'onn asked stepping between Lobo and Alex.
"I was bored." He said taking out a cigar. "Having seen that display, I'm a whole lot less bored."
"What do you want?" J'onn asked.
"The normal, drink, maim, kill, drink."
"Leave my mom alone." Alex said.
"Can't do that." Lobo said.
"Why?" J'onn asked.
"If I did, how would she become my mate?"
"Gross." The teen said. "And that's not happening. She'd never do that."
"Sure she would. She'll do anything for you." Lobo pointed out.
"You should leave." J'onn said.
"Why?" Lobo asked. "I'm having fun."
"I said-" J'onn started only to be punched squarely on the jaw by Lobo. As J'onn fell to the floor Lobo stepped towards Alex. He then took the cigar out of his mouth and offered it to her.
"Leave her alone." Supergirl said landing next to them.
"Hey Supes!" Lobo grinned. He then looked at Alex and said. "Told you'd she come running to me."
"Leave Alex alone." Kara said moving to stand between Alex and Lobo.
"Why? We're friends." He said. "Besides, you should thank me."
"Why?" Supergirl asked
"I turned down a contract for you."
"What?"
"After I shared the news about mini Supes, her uncle tried to buy my services. I turned him down. If I hadn't, she'd be dead."
"Can you take Alex home?" Kara asked J'onn who was picking himself off the ground.
"No." The teen said.
"See, she likes me." Lobo grinned.
"I'm not leaving you." The teen said to her mother before asking. "He is immortal right?"
"Yes." Kara confirmed.
"But you're not?"
"No."
"Then I'm not leaving."
"Those two points aren't connected." Kara said before looking to J'onn. "Please take-"
"No." The teen said. "I'm not leaving you with him."
"Al-" Kara started only for Lobo to get bored of the exchange and cut in.
"So Supes, you ready to join me?"
"I'm not joining you."
"Even if it meant mini Supes would be safe? I've already seen how far you'd go for her, so don't lie. And deep down we both know you want to feel free. So how about it?" He said walking towards Kara only to find something blocking him. "What?" He asked suddenly finding he couldn't move anywhere.
Confused Kara and J'onn looked round and saw Alex looking at Lobo and squinting in concentration.
"What have you done?" Kara asked.
"Put a forcefield round him." Alex said frowning in concentration.
"Nice work, but you are going to have to let him go at some point." J'onn said.
"You ready to play nice?" Kara asked Lobo who was fighting against the invisible wall. The question causing Lobo to fight harder. Eventually though Alex couldn't hold the forcefield any longer. But as Alex released the forcefield Lobo continued to punch and swung so hard that without the forcefield in place his momentum caused him to fall face first on the ground as Alex collapsed from exhaustion into J'onn's arms.
"You okay?" Kara asked her daughter, who nodded as Lobo got to his feet.
"Why are you really here?" Kara asked.
"Just saying hello on my way to a new contract." He said. "Want to come with me?"
"No."
"Then I'll pick you up on my way back." He said dropping a grenade. Not wanting Alex to get hurt Kara jumped on top of it as J'onn jumped on Alex to shield her as Lobo walked off laughing.
When nothing happened Kara carefully got up, looking down at the grenade still expecting it to go off. However, as she looked she realised it was just a rock. Looking into the distance she saw Lobo disappear, while hearing him laugh.
"It's alright, it's just a rock." Kara said standing moments before Alex launched herself at her. "It's okay, he's gone." Kara said hugging her.
-00-
"You okay?" Alex asked when her sister and niece entered the apartment, where she had been waiting for their return.
"No." Kara said.
"Did he hurt you?" Alex asked frowning.
"No." Kara replied before adding. "Thanks to Alex."
"What did you do?" The older Alex asked her niece.
"Put a forcefield round him." The teen said.
"Nice." Alex smiled. "Where's Lobo now."
"Gone."
"Gone where?"
"Fulfil a contract." Kara said.
"But he said he'd be back." The teenage Alex said looking like she was about to pass out from exhaustion.
"It'll be okay." Kara said as the teenager flopped down on the couch.
"I'll let you get some sleep." The older Alex said. "Let me know if you need anything."
"Thanks." Kara smiled before watching her sister depart. As she turned to her daughter she saw a frown mixed with the weariness and said.
"We'll figure this out."
"It's not just Lobo." The teen said.
"What else?" Kara asked.
"Before Lobo got there I obliterated a rock."
"What?"
"J'onn had me channel my anger and it resulted in me obliterating a rock."
"Well do you feel better?" Kara asked.
"No, because now I'm worried I'll do it by accident. What if MJ bugs me and I literally take his head off."
"You won't."
"How do you know?"
"Heat vision." Kara said pointing to her eyes. "As scarred as the Midvale walls are, I never took out your aunt."
"But what if-"
"Alex, I know you are scared and full of doubt. But you don't need to be. I know you can control your powers."
"How?"
"Well for starters, that forcefield you put round Lobo, you couldn't have done that without control. Secondly, last I checked MJ still had his head. If you were going to take it off you would have done so already." Kara pointed out. "What you need to do is trust yourself as much as I trust you."
"Pretty sure you are biased." The teen said.
"Maybe. But I mean it, I know you can control your powers."
"What's going to happen about Lobo?"
"I don't know. I'm going to have to think outside of the box. We need something to distract him with. But that's for me to worry about. You need to get some sleep."