"Kara! I'm so happy to see you." Alura said hugging her.
"Hi mom." Kara said into the hug before pulling away and stepping to one side so Alura could see Alex.
"Alex, you've grown." Alura said taking the teen into her arms. Once she had finally released her Kara said.
"I'm sorry, I didn't want to come after what you told me last time, but this is important."
"Kara, I never meant for you to stay away." Alura said. "You two are welcome anytime. I'll admit the same invitation may not exist to Alex, Kara and MJ, but you two are family and you are always welcome." She then turned to her granddaughter and said. "I have so many things I want to ask you, but it sounds like I need to talk to your mother. After that we shall talk." She smiled before leading the two to the house.
"Why don't you go unpack?" Kara suggested to her daughter.
"Fine." The teen said, knowing her mother didn't want to involve her in the conversation.
"What's going on?" Alura asked.
"A few months ago we discovered a chemical had been made that could hurt me and Alex, and any alien. Later we found the journal that had the recipe, it was written in Grattlok. We were so focused on the formula we didn't look properly at all the other pages in the journals. But eventually we did and there were words written in Kryptonian, only it wasn't normal Kryptonian, it matched what the Children of Juru used. We don't know much else, only that the Kryptonian text is less than five years old."
"You want to talk to Selina?" Alura asked.
"Maybe, yes, but no, I'm not sure." Kara said. "There is something else you need to know first."
"What?"
"Parts of the Medusa virus were written in Kryptonian."
"Very few people knew the details of the virus." Alura said.
"Could someone could have accessed them?" Kara asked.
"Let me talk to the council." Alura said standing. "I'll be back as soon as I can." She added leaving.
"You were listening?" Kara guessed as her daughter stepped out of the shadows.
"Yes." The teen confirmed. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Well it wasn't your problem."
"But you were stressing about it?"
"Yes, but I don't want you to stress about it." Kara said. "And I didn't want to damage your impression of Argo?"
"Why would it do that? There are bad people everywhere." The teen pointed out.
"You need to stop spending so much time with your aunt and Lena." Kara said. "You are getting way to cynical." She added standing. "How about we go for a walk?"
"Shouldn't I stay here?"
"You still worried about people seeing you as different?"
"I don't want to make things hard for Alura."
"You won't. You heard what she said, you are always welcome here." Kara said. "Come on, let's go."
00
"You know today is Saturday right?" Lena asked as she entered Alex's office.
"I do."
"Then why are you at work?"
"In case Kara needs help. Besides MJ is with Diz so there's not much else to do."
"Sometimes I pity you and your lack of life." Lena said.
"Thanks." Alex replied dryly.
"Have you heard from Kara?"
"No."
"So don't you think there is no need to be here?"
"The way our luck has been?" Alex said. "Besides I owe it to Kara."
"In what way?"
"Alex didn't want to go, because MJ had made her feel unwanted everywhere by everyone."
"Do you blame MJ for what happened?" Lena asked.
"No, he was a victim."
"Then why do you blame yourself?"
"I should have seen what was happening." Alex said before asking. "Do you think I'm sexist?"
"What?" Lena asked.
"When Kara started dating Diz, I …"
"Terrorised him?" Lena jumped in.
"Yes. But Jess, I didn't even bother meeting."
"Diz was a former gang member and you hadn't had to deal with either of the dynamic duo in a serious relationship any more. Whereas, Jess you believed was a high school student and we all told you not to run back ground checks." Lena pointed out. "And we could all understand why MJ might not want you to see Jess."
"I should have seen it." Alex said.
"Well, if you are going to sit round here moping let's at least be productive." Lena said.
"What did you have in mind?"
"Out of everything you are looking at right now, what is the most suspicious?"
"That's a long list."
"That's why I said most suspicious." Lena said. "If you want to help Kara let's follow that one thread wherever it may lead."
00
"Kara?" Alura called as she entered the house with a white haired man.
"We're here." Kara said walking over to greet them with her daughter.
"Kara, this is Kyuu-Faf, he is a member of the council."
"We met last time I was here." Kara said.
"We did." He confirmed. "But I have not met your daughter." He said turning to the teen. "Alex, welcome."
"Thanks." The teen replied.
"Come on Alex, we'll go out." Alura said leading her granddaughter out side.
"Does this mean I won't be talking to the council?" Kara asked when she was alone with Kyuu-Faf.
"We did not think it wise to grant you time in front of the council. However, I will hear you and decide what to do. The council will listen to my recommendations." He said before asking while pointing to a chair. "May I?"
"Of course." Kara said as she sat down opposite him.
"Your mother gave me the details you told her, but I need to ask, are you sure the script was of the Children of Juru? Many of the old languages are similar."
"I brought a sample with me." Kara said handing him the paper. After awhile he confirmed. "You are right, this symbol I have only ever seen used by the Children of Juru. If there are more members of the sect out there Earth could be in danger, so could we. That is why I will assist you as much as I can." He said before briefly pausing before explaining.
"There were ten people working on the Medusa virus, including your father. Of them six died during the description of Argo. Three died on Argo."
"And the tenth?" Kara asked.
"Hals-Sa. He was off-world at the time of the destruction. What happened to him, I don't know. But, although he went against the council many times your father was his mentor, I find it hard to believe he would be involved with the Children of Juru."
"Is there anyone else who may have had access to the work?"
"Your father's lab is not exactly guarded. In theory anyone on Argo could have accessed it." He warned. "However, there were many security protocols in place round the virus. If someone did access it the only direct way to Earth is via the portal and you control access from the other side."
"Yes we do, unless …"
"Problem?"
"No, I don't know." Kara said thinking.
"If you'll forgive the observation you seem both distracted and concerned."
"I'm sorry, it has been a long few months." Kara said. "What about the people who left Argo?"
"We have had no contact with them. We don't know where they went, but we can tell you when."
00
"Welcome back." Vasquez greeted.
"Thanks." Kara said. "Is Alex here?"
"Yes, she is just limping down." Vasquez said.
"Want me to drive you home?" Ruby said to the teenage Alex, sensing Kara wanted to discuss what she had found with her sister.
"Thanks." Kara said before her daughter could answer.
"But-" The teenage Alex said.
"I'll be home soon." Kara promised her.
"Fine." The teen said following Ruby out of the room.
"Let's go meet Alex half way." Vasquez said leading Kara out to the corridor.
"Any problems while I was gone?" Kara asked.
"You were only gone two nights."
"And?"
"Fair enough, but it was all fairly quiet." Vasquez said.
"Then why are you at the DEO on a Sunday?"
"To make sure Alex doesn't do anything stupid." Vasquez said as the older Alex limped into view.
"Kara." Alex smiled. "Where's Alex?"
"Ruby took her home." Kara said hugging her.
"Does that mean you found something?"
"Maybe, but before we get to that I have a question." Kara said.
"What?"
"The portal alarm, could that have been deactivated?"
"Without us knowing about it?" Alex asked.
"Yeah."
"I get notifications of every event." Alex said.
"And could fake you have got one?" Kara asked.
"I went through the emails and – I didn't go through the trash."
"We have a full back up. I'll look." Vasquez said walking off.
"Let's go to my office." Alex said leading her sister along the corridor. "So how was Argo? Any issues."
"No, I mean everyone was nice to me."
"And Alex?"
"Kept to herself more than usual."
"Sorry." Alex sighed.
"It's not your fault." Kara said as they walked into Alex's office. As they did so Kara saw the sticky buns on the desk.
"I thought you'd need some." Alex explained.
"You're the best." Kara said picking up a bun.
"So what did you learn?"
"We need a date for when that journal was written, well the Kryptonian element." Kara said. "It might help us narrow things down."
"We're working on it." Alex said.
"I know. But in the mean time I was given a name of one of the research team, the only member who wasn't on Krypton when it was destroyed."
"Any links to weird cults?"
"No, but then again they missed the whole children of Juru thing, so not sure they are the best judge."
"And the ones who left Argo?"
"According to my mother, none of them displayed any resentment to Earth. One thing I did rule out was a Kryptonian in Fort Rozz being involved. All bar three of them joined aunt Astra or General Zod. And we know what happened with them. Of the other three two died in Fort Rozz before Krypton was destroyed."
"And the final one?"
"Could barely spell his name, let alone remember a formula."
"If this lost scientist is involved, anything else we should be worried about?"
"Nothing concrete, but based on some of the comments I would guess so."
"Like what?"
"Like I said nothing concrete, but he was a loner, felt resentment towards the council."
"They why let him work on Medusa?"
"He was a genius and apparently my father was his mentor."
"What about Cyberwalk?"
"My mother had heard rumours of that type of technology, but as far as she knows no one from Krypton had ever seen one."
"Okay, well there is nothing else we can do at the moment, let's take you home." Alex said standing. "Oh, before we go, Lena and I made some modifications to you apartment."
"What?" Kara asked.
"We added some sensors to the front door, clones, malaise, weird tech, not getting in."
"Thanks." Kara smiled.