A/N: Thanks for the reviews.
Baratta jennifer - Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
"He's made his move and we missed it." Vasquez said approaching Alex several days later.
"How?"
"Elections."
"What?"
"We've been reviewing the elections."
"I thought his people only won a handful of seats." Alex said.
"That was in the midterms. The mistake we made was focusing on that, whereas we should have been focusing on prosecutors and sheriffs and local politicians. His people have won over eighty percent of those in the last few months."
"Eighty percent? How-"
"Money. They had huge financial backing."
"I meant, how did we miss it?"
"Too busy focusing on the big things." Vasquez replied. "Even if we were looking there would have been nothing we could do. There is so much money behind them, they were going to win most elections."
"What about mayors?" Alex asked.
"No at the moment mayors aren't connected. At least we can't find the connection."
"Could the elected be metas?"
"Yes. But we think they are more likely to have physic powers."
"Which are also easier to hide." Alex mused. She then looked at Vasquez. "Get me everything on his people, we need to figure out if they were born with powers or were given them."
"Will do. You might also want to see this." She said leading them to another room.
"We have taken Kara's research and expanded it. On the right is a list of the four thousand and twenty three confirmed missing metas. The far right has presumed missing metas."
"Okay." Alex said.
"We can then split by powers. And map to Indomitable and his high command. There is a pretty good mapping." Vasquez said. "And I know you don't like it and I agree it is dangerous. But planting a meta may be our best way in."
"Right now that is too risky." Alex said. "But work up plans just in case."
00
As Kara tried to write an article she was aware of a presence moments before a familiar voice said.
"Kara, hi." Barry said.
"Barry, what are you doing here?"
"I have figured it out. Well not me, we really."
"We?"
"Some of the old gang got together and we figured it out."
"Figured what out?"
"How he is doing it." Barry said. "Do you still have the other office?"
"No. Let's go to the roof."
00
"You guys ready-" The teenage Alex asked entering Mel's room only to see more of her cousin than she ever wanted. "Sorry." She said quickly shutting the door and walking down the corridor, trying to block the image from her memory.
"Hi." Martin said as he and his girlfriend approached Alex.
"Hey."
"You okay?" Martin asked.
"Yeah, just seen things I will never unsee." Alex said.
"What?" Martin asked.
"It doesn't matter. Trust me you don't want to know. But MJ and Mel are running late."
"We can wait." Martin said.
"It's fine. I need to finish an assignment. So you guys go on." Alex said not wanting to feel like an unwanted extra. "They'll see you there."
"You sure?" Martin asked.
"Yes, go. No point in you being late." Alex said.
"Okay." Martin said as he and Michelle walked off. Once they were gone Alex fired a message to Mel and MJ telling them to meet Martin at the cafe before she went to the Aquarium.
00
"Someone or several someones with Malaise like powers are spreading fear. Then others with mind controlling powers are getting them to sign up." Barry said.
"You have proof?" Alex asked.
"Yes and no." Barry said.
"So no." Alex said.
"Well, not exactly. But almost." Barry said before commenting. "You are a harder audience than Kara."
"What have you got?" Alex asked.
"We can detect the psychic energy, but we can't pinpoint the source." Barry said.
"What?" Alex asked.
"When Indomitable tried to recruit me, what he was saying really resonated. But it shouldn't and that bugged me. So that got us thinking why would it and that led us to mind control and psychic energy."
"Okay." Alex said.
"So we started monitoring interactions with Indomitable and his offices and look at this." Barry said loading a map. "Where Indomitable goes there are huge spikes of psychic energy."
"We can't arrest him on this, but it's a start." Alex said. "We need to start gathering evidence, but without him know what we are doing."
"A step ahead of you." Barry said. "We have sensors, all you need to do is tell us where to put them."
00
"Alex?" Carter called when he saw her at the Boston aquarium.
"Carter? What are you doing here?" Alex asked confused.
"Working on a data collect exercise." He said. "You here by yourself?"
"Yes."
"Then want to come see what I am working on?"
"Sure." The teen said following Carter through to the back office.
"Took you long enough." Someone called from across the room.
"Sorry." Carter called back as he led Alex through to the far side.
"No wonder Ramsey rides you so hard." The voice called. "Surely your mom didn't stand for-" The voice went on, only stopping when he saw Carter and Alex. "Sorry, didn't realise you had company."
"Stan, this is Alex, a friend from National City. Alex, this is Stan, he's helping on this project."
"Helping?" Stan asked. "More like running." He smiled. "Wait, Alex as in the one Ramsey actually, umm, tolerates?"
"That's the one." Carter said, but seeing Alex look uncomfortable he explained. "Sorry, it is so rare for Ramsey not to despise someone, you are kind of a legend."
"Have we met somewhere?" Stan asked Alex. "You look really familiar."
"I don't think so." Alex said before asking, while looking at a robot. "What are exactly you doing?"
"We are trying to track migratory habits of Goblin Sharks with this." Stan said tapping the robot. "Only we have a few issues. One being the pressure at the depths we need causing leeks, which murder the electronics and the other issue being the algorithms getting too many false positives."
"Which is apparently down to my lack of knowledge about all things aquatic." Carter said.
"Can I look at the algorithm?" Alex asked.
"Sure, but don't you have better things to do with your Friday night?" Carter asked.
"Not really."
"Then take a seat." He said loading up the source code.
"So what brings you to Boston?" Stan asked Alex as she skimmed the code.
"MIT." She said before asking. "Can I make changes?"
"Sure, it is a local copy." Carter said as Alex started to type.
"You are searching on the wrong parameters." Alex said. "I changed the order so it is on the unique attributes first. But I'm not sure the project will work as the snout of the Goblin Shark contains sensory nerves that aid it in finding food as the nerves can sense even the tiniest of electrical fields produced by food sources. So your robot is going to confuse it or make it behave strangely."
"That I can fix." Stan said.
"You can?" Carter asked.
"We have some new meta materials that act as a perfect screen."
"We bring food." A new male said entering the office with a woman, both of whom looked closer to Alex's age. On seeing Alex the male immediately stopped in his tracks.
"This is Alex." Stan said. "Alex this is Jane and my baby brother Matt. They are here to steal our ideas."
"We are not." Jane protested.
"They are beavers like you."
"Beavers?" Alex asked.
"He means we're also at MIT." Jane said. "Have me met?"
"I don't think so." Alex said.
"Good news is, unlike you two she can code." Stan said as he screwed a panel back on the robot.
"You've used her to fix your code?" Jane asked.
"She volunteered." Stan said.
"Use any more MIT labor we should get naming rights." Jane said.
"Stealing IP isn't enough for you?" Stan asked.
"We're not stealing. We are learning through experience." Jane said as the robot went back in the water.
"So you don't want me to leave my laptop unlocked so you can look at the blueprints?" Stan asked.
"Happy to look over them and make suggestions." Jane said. "Well get Matt to as he'll bring more to that party."
"You mean you don't think I'd bring charges against my baby brother?" Stan asked.
"Please stop calling me your baby brother." Matt said.
"Why, you are. You are closer in age to my kid than me." Stan said. "Plus dad drummed into me from day one that I had to look after you."
"Didn't stop you tormenting me." Matt shot back.
"Part of my brotherly duty." Stan shrugged. "Speaking of which, you should call your mom. Otherwise she'll start calling me, and who knows what I might tell her." He said as the computer started bleeping.
"You improved the lock time by over thirty seconds." Matt said looking at the screen.
"That was Alex." Carter said.
"It was?" Jane asked.
"Yes." Carter confirmed.
"I just tweaked the search parameters." Alex shrugged wondering why everyone was looking at her.
"What do you think?" Jane asked Matt.
"Don't know. She may have better things to do." Matt said.
"There is nothing better. Besides she is here on a Friday night." Jane countered.
"So are we." Matt said.
"Precisely." Jane replied. "Besides having a first year would look good. So what do you say?"
"I'm fine with it. I don't think it is me you need to persuade though." Matt said.
"Leave that to me." Jane said turning to Alex.
"You might want to run." Stan warned Alex.
"We are from the robotics club and a group of us are taking part in the NOAA underwater robotics competition." Jane said to Alex. "Want to join?"
"You don't know anything about me." Alex said.
"Well we know you can code and we need a coder. You see we had a coder. They had to drop out. For personal reasons, not because we are a bad team or anything." Jane said. "So what do you say?"
"It's kinda fun." Carter said to Alex. "Stan and I took part when we were at Cornell."
"Wait, I do know you." Jane said looking at Alex. "You came to Robosoc. So you are interested."
"She also didn't join." Matt whispered.
"Everyone makes mistakes." Jane forged on.
"Your people skills are second to none." Stan said dryly. "And as fun as it is to watch them, I need to go. I assume you have copied my files."
"I have. Thanks." Jane said before looking at Alex and asking. "You living by the main campus?"
"Yeah, Memorial Drive."
"I'll walk you back." Matt said. "If I haven't persuaded you to join by the time we get there I will never harass you again."
"Okay." Alex agreed.
"But I will." Jane said.
"I'll see you soon." Carter said. "Say hi to your mom for me." He added as they left the aquarium.
"I will." Alex smiled.
"So?" Jane asked as they walked.
"So what?" Alex asked.
"Want to join?"
"Don't you have loads of coders?"
"Yes and no. We have lots who claim they can code, but of those who can actually code no one has time." Jane said. "I'll see you both tomorrow." Jane added as she unlocked her bike and pedalled off.
"Tomorrow? I haven't actually agreed to anything-" Alex said as Jane cycled into the distance.
"She's a force of nature, but she means well." Matt smiled.
"You don't need to come back with me." Alex said.
"It's okay, I'm that way anyway." Matt said. "So how come you were at the aquarium alone tonight?"
"My cousin is dating my room mate and my best friend is dating someone as well so I felt like a fifth wheel."
"I take it you aren't dating."
"No."
"That was a quick response. Bad break up?" Matt guessed.
"More like I dated a jerk."
"Ahh, well. Sorry."
"What about you?"
"I'm a geek who spends most of my life at MIT. Which is still mainly made up of males. And I'm not gay. So the chance of me meeting any one is low."
"So you and Jane aren't dating?"
"No just friends, we grew up together." He said. "She is more like an ultra bossy older sister. But she always has my back and is really fun. As is the robotics challenge."
"Very smooth." Alex said.
"I thought so." Matt smiled.
00
"Alex, we may have a problem." Vasquez said.
"When don't we?" Alex asked looking up.
"A bigger problem than normal." Vasquez said.
"What is it?"
"We just got a message from Nia and Brainy."
"They okay?"
"Yeah, but there are a lot of rumours going round that Earth is torturing aliens."
"Who is spreading those?"
"That is what they are trying to figure out. But the problem is a few planets are wanting revenge."
"Revenge for what? We haven't done anything." Alex said before doubting herself and asking. "Have we?"
"We haven't, but maybe we haven't been looking as closely at what others are doing." Vasquez said. "We are starting to look closely."
"We have a list of planets on the warpath?" Alex asked.
"There is a list, but Brainy and Nia are pretty sure it isn't complete."
"Well let's start with it and see if we can head it off."
"And if we can't?"
"We prepare."