"You wanted to see me?" Vasquez said entering the briefing room.
"Yes. We need an independent eye on this." Alex said.
"Okay. What am I looking at?" Vasquez asked.
"This is a sample from one of the drug victims we found a couple of weeks ago. Have you ever seen this structure before?" Alex asked pointing to the display from the holocube Frax had given them.
"No. What does the database say?"
"No match." Alex said before projecting another image through the cube. "And this one?"
"Looks identical." Vasquez said.
"It is from one of the team that took the drugs in order to help against Worldkiller-1's army."
"So same drug?"
"Yes." Alex said. "Now look at this." She said projecting an image from her laptop."What about this one?"
"Isn't it identical to the others?" Vasquez asked looking from the projection to the hologram.
"It's from my mom's simulations of how Kara's cells could be modified."
"You think they stole her work?" Vasquez frowned.
"No. I think their work predated hers."
"So both the street drugs and the official drugs make use of some modified Kryptonian capsids?" Vasquez asked.
"Yes."
"And to do that they would need Kryptonian DNA?" Vasquez guessed.
"Yes. And according to Frax the Kryptonian DNA from both batches was from the same Kryptonian and of the same age. And was recent."
"So someone took Kara's blood, modified the capsids and used it to generate drugs that could create artificial metas?" Vasquez asked.
"Yes."
"But Cale hates Kryptonians so why use your DNA?" Vasquez asked Kara.
"Cale is about levelling the playing field, why would she care how?" Kara asked.
"Read these." Alex said passing her sister a tablet with several papers published by Cale over the years. As Kara quickly read them Alex said. "If she were Max, I'd agree she'd do whatever it took to level the playing field. But Cale hates Kryptonians. I don't think she would want to use them."
"So you think Tycho was behind it? As in all of it?" Kara asked.
"Maybe. But there is another possibility." Alex said.
"What?"
"What if the shapeshifter who assumed Cale's identity did the same to Tycho? And that is who you saw?" Alex said.
"It's possible, but we are no closer to finding them are we?"
"No." Alex conceded.
"What about Malaise?" Kara asked.
"Still nothing." Alex said. "But the fact he cropped up when the spiders attacked Kara's bus makes me think he is involved in the bigger picture."
"What do you think the end game is?" Kara asked.
"I don't know. Let's hope it is about the drugs." Alex said.
"On that note, I need to finish my article. I'll see you later." Kara said standing.
"Kara." Alex called after her.
"Yes?" She said turning.
"Even if Tycho is a real person, I'm going to keep you and Alex safe."
"I know." Kara said leaving.
"I have more bad news for you." Vasquez said once Kara was gone.
"What?"
"We can only identify thirty three of the bodies. The rest don't have DNA that matches anything in our system. I know Kara is hopeful at some point relatives will come forward, but I'm guessing most of those bodies will never be identified. And that is true for metas like Malaise as well, we have nothing to cross reference against. We have no way of telling if he is alive or dead."
"Until we know for sure we assume they are alive." Alex said.
-00-
"You sure about this?" Cat asked as she read Kara's article.
"Yes. But I did all the testing on an alien ship so the evidence probably couldn't be used in court." Kara said.
"Are you foreseeing a law suit?" Cat asked.
"Well I doubt Veronica Cale will appreciate the article." Kara said.
"On that note I think you should play up the part where Supergirl rescued her." Cat said.
"You want to annoy her?" Kara asked.
"While that is a benefit, the people are scared and need to see acts of goodness. Especially from Supergirl who they believed was dead. In fact, I think it is time I wrote an editorial. It has been a while. Make the changes I said and I will do the Supergirl side."
"Okay." Kara said, but as she started to stand Cat asked.
"What else is bothering you?" Sensing Kara was about to brush it off she said. "Don't even think about denying it."
"Tycho may actually be real, but because we have been convinced he is just a programme and we thought he was contained we have been ignoring him. And I can't stop thinking about what he is planning. Especially as he knows who I am and who Alex is."
"Why the sudden realisation he could be real?" Cat asked.
"I had a dream about when I was captured, the first time, and he was in it as a real person. And I know it could be a dream, but I'm sure it was actually real."
"Personally I would rather face off against a real person than a stream of ones and zeros." Cat said. "If you are right Tycho is biding his time, so he has to stay in the shadows, that will limit what he can achieve."
"There is another theory that Lobo is behind everything and seeing how he is immortal there is no way to stop him." Kara said miserably.
"Yet you have come out on top every time you have faced him." Cat said. "Kara most of what we face we can never control all we can do is what we can. If you try to control things you can't control you will drown in your own fears and failures."
"So what do I do?"
"Keep moving forward." Cat said before asking. "How's Alex?"
"Still having nightmares and flashbacks and now she is doubting her goodness. But better than she was."
"Teenagers are resilient." Cat reminded her. "But Carter mentioned he hadn't seen her at the aquarium recently. And he asked me to give you this."
-00-
"Hey you." Kara said as she walked into the apartment where her daughter was busy doing homework.
"Hi mom." She called not looking away from her books.
"Where's are your cousins?"
"MJ is at basketball practice and Kara is out with Diz."
"So it is just us tonight?"
"I guess."
"So how about you finish your homework, then we go out?"
"Out where?"
"Well I happen to have tickets for something."
"Musical?" The teen guessed.
"No."
"Magic show?"
"No."
"Food festival?"
"No." Kara said before jumping in with the answer before there could be more guesses. "There is an ASLO public event at the aquarium." Kara said. "There are talks on Cosmogenic and Anthropogenic Radionuclides and The Aquatic Eddy Covariance Technique."she added glancing at the tickets to make sure she got it right.
"How did you get tickets?"
"Cat, although technically Carter. So want to go?"
"Yes." The teenager said standing.
"What about your homework?"
"I'll do it when I get back." The teen said.
"Okay then." Kara said picking up Chewie. "Let's take this little fur ball to your aunt's and then we will go."
-00-
"Hi Kara." Carter greeted that evening.
"Hey Carter. Thank you for getting tickets."
"Of course. Where is Alex?"
"Over there, discussing something with your boss."
"She must be the only person to actively seek him out." Carter said. "She reminds me a little of the way you were with mom. And having been on the bad side of Ramsey, I have so much more respect for you now."
"Things aren't going any better?" Kara asked.
"Not really, he still believes you need to live and breathe all things aquatic to do anything useful. Whereas I just like the math behind it."
"Well all you can do is stay true to your path." Kara said.
"Is that advice from mom?"
"Maybe, could have been a fortune cookie though." Kara smiled.
"I don't know if Alex knows this, but they have lectures like this every month, I can get you added to the email list if you like?"
"That would be great. Thanks." Kara replied before noticing Alex and Ramsey were part of a group heading out of the main hall. "Should I be worried?"
"Probably not. But I should probably be in that group. I'll keep an eye on her."
-00-
"How were the lectures?" Eliza asked when the pair entered the house in search of the dog a couple of hours later.
"Really good." The teenager said as she bent down and picked up Chewie who started licking her face.
"You are so weird." MJ commented from where he was sitting still struggling with his homework.
"So you don't want help with your homework?" The teenage Alex asked.
"That's what I heard." Her aunt agreed.
"We should get back anyway." The older Kara said.
"What about my homework?" MJ asked.
"You can let them know how it goes tomorrow." His mother said causing him to start muttering just as the front door opened and the teenage Kara and Diz walked in.
"Hi guys." The older Kara smiled.
"Hi." Her niece replied. "Everything okay?"
"It's fine, we were just heading home. But your brother would probably appreciate some help." The older Kara said before guiding her daughter, who was still holding Chewie out of the door. But as soon as they were out of the house Chewie jumped from the teenager's arms ready to go for his walk.
"I am sure he is getting more demanding." The older Kara said as they followed him down the street.
"Maybe he has spent too much time with MJ." Her daughter suggested.
"Blaming your cousin? You are learning fast." Kara said wrapping an arm round her daughter's shoulder.
"Are you okay?" The teenager asked her.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"The nightmare."
"You know better than most that everyone gets nightmares." Kara reminded her. "Your job is not to worry about me. It is to have fun and worry about yourself."