Waking in pain the next morning Alex tried to get her bearings before realising she was sitting on the couch, her daughter sleeping against her. Torn between waking her daughter and letting her sleep Alex was just settling on letting her sleep before several thuds sounded from the stairs moments before several doors slammed in the kitchen. All the noise waking the teenage Kara.
"Mom?" She asked looking up at her mother,
"Hey, how are you feeling?" Alex asked.
"Okay." The teen said sitting up. "What time is it?"
"Late enough for your brother to be up." Alex said.
"I should get ready for school."
"You okay going?" Alex asked.
"Prefer that to sitting round hiding." The teen said standing and walking to the door. As she got there she turned round and said. "Mom?"
"Yes?" Alex asked looking over to her.
"Thanks for last night." With that she left, leaving Alex to focus on the pain in her shoulder.
"Here." Eliza said a couple of moments later having entered the room holding an ice pack.
"Thanks. Apparently my shoulder isn't ready for a night on the couch yet." Alex said taking the bag of ice from her mother and putting it on the wounded area.
"Everything okay?"
"I don't know. She is carrying so much guilt around. I wish I could make her see it isn't her fault."
"How are you doing? The similarities between last night and the accident must be getting to you."
"They are. But they are putting a lot of effort into reminding me of the accident and placing the blame on themselves. Why would they do that?"
"To distract you from what you are doing?"
"Exactly. Or maybe I am being optimistic. Either way. If we figure out what is happening with the actual investigation, if they are linked the truth will come out."
-00-
"How's Kara?" Supergirl asked.
"Okay I think." Alex said. "Thanks for last night. I don't just mean saving her, I mean the whole clean up operation. Was Alex okay with you not being there?"
"She stayed with J'onn who from the sound of it spoilt her."
"Ma'am, you were right." Rose said approaching.
"About what?" Alex asked.
"Last night being more than attack on your daughter."
"A diversion?"
"No. A trap." Rose said.
"What?" Supergirl asked.
"Last night over thirty metas came to help. Twenty of them were injured."
"The odds were stacked against them." Alex said.
"That's not the issue. We've run blood tests on them and the twenty who were injured all show the same anomaly Diz showed after his encounter with Osmose."
"So you think the fog was there to shield Osmose from us and he used it to pick off metas?" Supergirl asked.
"It looks that way. None of the metas remember anything so we can't verify it. But it looks likely. J'onn will be over later to scan their minds."
"It was a trap." Supergirl said, her voice angry. "And we led them there."
"You didn't do anything. I asked them to help." Alex said.
"But they came because of me."
"That was their choice, they knew the danger." Alex replied. "And they are fine. But we may have just unleashed something bad."
"So what do we do?"
"The missing metas have no history of being academically gifted so it is unlikely they have figured out the science behind what they are trying to do. Which means someone else is pulling the strings. That's what we'll look for. But while we do that, go get some sleep. You look terrible."
-00-
"Ma'am, do you have a minute?" Harris asked later that day.
"Sure, what is it?"
"I thought you should see these." He said handing her a tablet. "They are photos of the scene last night."
"What am I looking for?" Alex asked.
"We found over two hundred dead spiders. Nearly fifty of them were torn to pieces."
"One of the metas went out of control?" Alex asked scanning the photos, surprised with the level of damage.
"That's what I thought. But the only person in that area was Supergirl. I'm pretty sure Supergirl did that." Before Alex could dwell on his words Vasquez walked into the office saying.
"Veronica Cale."
"Who?" Alex asked confused.
"Founder of Cale-Anderson Pharmaceuticals. Three PhDs from Harvard, a brilliant bio engineer and very manipulative. Based on her early research papers she has thought about giving people powers. Plus she is very opposed to Supergirl and metas as they have unfair advantages. She wants the world to level up."
"Why is this the first I am hearing about her?"
"She doesn't spend much time in National City. And she has never done anything wrong, well not officially. On paper she is a cleaner version of Max Lord. She has never done anything to warrant our attention. But seeing we are short of ideas she does fit the bill."
"Okay, I'll talk to Lena." Alex said. "But first I need to run some tests on Supergirl." She then turned to Harris and said. "Anything else strange comes up tell me immediately."
"Yes ma'am."
-00-
"What's happened?" Supergirl asked flying into Alex's office.
"We have a lead, but before that I want to run some tests on you."
"Do we have time?"
"For this. Yes."
"What's wrong?"
"I just want to make sure there is no Red K in you."
"You think there is?"
"You've been a little angry recently. It can't hurt to test for all forms of Kryptonite."
"Sure." Kara agreed following her sister to the infirmary.
"I'll keep the red lamp on for as little as possible." Alex said. "But I'll need it on to get a blood sample."
"I know the drill." Kara said. "Why the sudden concern?"
"You said yourself you've been angry. And you killed those spiders in kind of extreme ways." Alex said as she drew blood from her sister's arm.
"What do you mean?" Kara asked.
"You ripped those spiders to pieces." Alex said walking the blood sample over to a machine.
"No I didn't. I mean I killed them as there was no other way. But I didn't tear them to pieces. Although I can believe Edward Scissorhands did."
"Who?" Alex asked as she started to run the tests.
"The one with blades for hands, he seemed a little too excited about being there." Supergirl said as Alex's computer bleeped.
"Well?"
"You're all clear. No Kryptonite compounds at all."
"Told you." Kara said. "So what's the lead?"
"Veronica Cale."
"Who?"
"CEO of a pharmaceutical firm. Has published papers on giving people powers. I was hoping you could ask Barry if he had come across her."
"Of course."
-00-
"Hi Alex." Lena smiled when her friend entered her office. "How's Kara?"
"Okay, thanks. Well shaken, but okay enough to go to school."
"If there is anything I can do let me know."
"Thanks. And that's why I'm here, although not about Kara."
"What do you need?"
"Information about Veronica Cale."
"I know the name. Brilliant CEO, who made a fortune selling a medical tracking device to WayneTech. After that she set up Cale-Anderson Pharmaceuticals with her friend. They have been at the forefront of breakthroughs for a couple of decades. But I have never worked with her. She has refused to ever work L-Corp."
"Why?"
"She has morals. She felt Lex was reprehensible. And I can't say I disagree. Why the interest?"
"Her name has come up as someone who maybe behind the meta drugs."
"I can't see her selling drugs illegally." Lena said. "But there is no doubt she has the skills."
"Any ideas how to meet her?"
"She wouldn't meet with me, as I am a Luthor and Cat's love of Supergirl rules her out. But Sam might just be able to go to an event with her."
"I don't want to put Sam in danger."
"Sam is capable of making up her own mind. Besides J'onn can always go with her." Lena said picking up her phone.
-00-
"Hey boss, you wanted to see me." Ruby said entering Alex's office.
"Yes, take a seat."
"That sounds bad." Ruby said.
"It's not. Well I hope not." Alex said. "One of the leads we are following is a woman called Veronica Cale. Lena asked, but kind of under my direction, for your mom to go to an event where Cale will be. She'll be with J'onn and she's not doing anything other than attending. But I wanted you to know."
"That explains why she sent me a message about finally shaking off boredom." Ruby said as Wildcat walked in. "Hey Alex, can I have a wo- Sorry, am I interrupting?"
"No it's fine." Ruby said standing.
"You sure you are okay with this?" Alex asked Ruby.
"It's fine. I trust mom and you." Ruby said leaving.
"What can I do for you?" Alex asked Wildcat.
"Sorry, I can see that you are maxed, but I've got a favour to ask."
"What is it?"
"An old friend is in trouble, I need to go out of State for a while to help them."
"You need help?" Alex asked.
"With that, no. But with Diz, yes." He said. "I know he is always at your place anyway, but can you keep an eye on him?"
"Sure." Alex said. "When do you leave?"
"First thing tomorrow."
"Leave it with me." Alex said.