A/N: Thanks for the comments.
Guest - There will be some more bonding later on.
"I'm confused, is Alex grounded or not?" The adult Alex asked her sister a couple of days later.
"Why?"
"She's camped out with MJ playing video games at my place." Alex said. "Or is my house an extension of your apartment so being there still counts as being grounded?"
"I think your house counts as an extension." Kara said.
"So your punishment had zero impact on Alex's social life?" The older Alex asked.
"Technically, yes. But I think she probably isn't grounded anymore anyway."
"You think?"
"I think she talked me out of it."
"She talked you out of it?" Her sister asked.
"You were the one who taught her how to pout." Kara reminded her.
"I didn't think she use it like that. Mind you I didn't think she'd ever get grounded."
"Well you taught her too well." Kara said. "But I am pretty sure she has learned her lesson. Besides Holtz returns to school this week, and I don't want her stressing about anything else."
"What has she said about Holtz coming back?"
"That he can't hurt her while she has powers and she Lena's bracelet and if it gives her a warning she'll run."
"So she's not worried?"
"Nope. And that is what worries me. I think she is putting too much faith in her powers." Kara said before noticing the look her sister was giving her. "What?"
"You were exactly the same." Alex reminded her. "Some might say you still have too much faith in your powers to protect you." She added as her phone buzzed.
"Problem?" Kara asked.
"No. Vasquez has been digging for me and she's found something."
"Need me to come?"
"No, it's fine. Besides don't you have an article due at CatCo?"
"No. Shoot I do. I'll see you later."
-00-
"Agent Jeff Conway. Thirty eight, single. Spent three years with the MDPD before applying to the FBI. He rotated round departments for the first three years before moving to organised crime where he has been ever since. His record is unremarkable, describing him as solid would be a good description." Harris said.
"Any hint he is a meta?" Alex asked.
"No ma'am, but that isn't to say he isn't."
"Anything to suggest he is dirty?"
"Not exactly. His financials came back clean and there is nothing obvious in his records. However, widening the search his only family is a sister, who is a programmer, in Florida. She has two kids." Harris said before pausing.
"And?" Alex asked wondering why there was a pause.
"A year ago there was an accident. The family smart car crashed and the husband was killed." Vasquez said taking over. "No other cars were involved and weather conditions were good. The police felt an accident was unlikely and investigated the wife for murder, they thought she deliberately altered the car programming."
"Were charges brought against her?"
"No ma'am. The case was suddenly dropped." Harris said.
"Why?"
"Insufficient evidence is the official line, but I called a friend in MDPD and they said an order came from high up. But what if it was a trade? What if the Kai traded the sister's freedom for Conway's help?"
"It's a stretch." Alex said.
"There's another possibility." Vasquez said. "Kai could have caused the crash and they have since threatened the sister and kids."
"I have obtained the original case file if you want to look." Harris added.
-00-
"What are you looking at?" Supergirl asked entering Alex's office.
"Conway's brother in law was killed in a car crash. Harris and Vasquez think there could be a link to Kai."
"And you?"
"I don't know." Alex said. "I can't stay objective on this one. Reading the police report, it is so similar to what happened to Kelly. And I keep wondering if Kai were involved in that to. I know the timeline doesn't fit and it is probably paranoia, but – like I said I can't stay objective."
"Want me to look?" Kara offered.
"Sure." Alex said passing her the file.
"Not much in it." Kara said after a few seconds. "Is this all they had?"
"It's all we have. Whether or not part of the original file went missing I don't know."
"But you think there might be a connection to this and Kelly's accident?"
"It's hard not to. But like I said the timeline doesn't fit."
"Well the good news is we know a very good P.I.." Kara reminded her. "If there is a connection I am sure J'onn will see it. And if there isn't one at least you get some peace. Either way we will get a step closer to Kai."
-00-
"You think there is a connection?" J'onn asked as he read the files Alex had brought him
"It's hard not to think that." Alex said. "After the accident I wasn't thinking clearly and I never investigated properly. The official investigation found that the GNSS chip was at fault."
"Which was the finding of Conway's brother in law accident." J'onn said.
"It's possible that we are just uncovering a huge safety issue with smart cars." Alex said. "Either the chips are faulty or maybe they are easy to hack. If it is the latter then that means neither were accidents."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." J'onn said. "Kai's leadership and MO changed a year ago. Kelly's accident doesn't fit with that."
"I know. But I don't like coincidences."
"Didn't you tell Kara that the anklet Alex got from Argo was just a coincidence?" J'onn asked.
"Yes. But that was different. No one could know she would pick that anklet and no one even knows what the other part of her DNA is." Alex reminded him. "I know none of this makes sense, but there is something gnawing away at me telling me there is a connection. But I am hoping you will prove there isn't. Because if there is that means I am responsible."
"You don't know that." J'onn said.
"Why else would Kelly be targeted?"
"I don't know. But jumping to conclusions won't help anyone." J'onn said. "I will find out as much as I can."
"Thank you." Alex said.
"In the mean time I may have uncovered some information on Mongul's missing Lieutenants."
"You have?" Alex asked surprised.
"It's not much, but there are rumours, a lot of rumours, that some of them might be hiding at the old oil refinery. I've not checked it out so it may be dead end."
"Well that is more than we have. Thank you."
"Of course. But Alex, be careful."
"You too."
-00-
"Can you get images of the old oil refinery?" Alex asked as she came into the DEO control room.
"Yes Ma'am" Harris said. "Anything in particular to pull up?"
"At this stage everything. There are rumours Mongul's Lieutenants may be hiding out there." She said as she paced behind the young agent.
"It'll take a few minutes to pull up all the imagery." Harris said.
"Let me know when you have something, I'm going to prep Alpha and Beta teams."
"What did J'onn say about Conway?" Vasquez asked as she followed Alex out of the control room.
"He'll look into it. And warned me not to jump to conclusions."
"So you think there may be a connection with Kelly's accident?"
"Hard not to." Alex said.
"There is another possibility." Vasquez said causing Alex to stop and look at her. "Aptil will know about what happened with Kelly. He gave up Conway really quickly. What if he is trying to distract you?"
"At the moment I am not ruling anything out." Alex said. "And I want you to keep digging into Aptil. Just make sure you don't get caught. The last thing we need is James coming in and trying to shut us down for inappropriate use of government resources." She added before walking off.
-00-
"Have you found anything?" Alex asked when she returned to the control room.
"Yes and no." Harris said. "Right now the refinery is dead. No thermal traces apart from rats, of which there are a lot." He said showing an image.
"What are they all doing in there?" Alex asked as she looked at the extended red clump on the screen.
"No idea, prefer not to think about it." Harris said. "But a week ago there were a lot of warm bodies in there." He said pulling up another image. "I don't have access to any CCTV from around the same time so can't tell you if those warm bodies are alien or human. But something was definitely going on there."
"Okay, let's send in Alpha and Beta teams." Alex said.
"Want me to call Supergirl in?" Vasquez asked.
"Not yet. Let's get our people in position first, then we'll call Supergirl."
"You think she'd fly in without backup?" Vasquez asked.
"I think it is a strong possibility." Alex confirmed.
-00-
"How'd you get here so fast?" Supergirl asked Ruby as she landed in front of her an hour later.
"We didn't." Ruby said. "I mean it took the right amount of time to get here."
"But I only just got the call." Supergirl said.
"The Director was worried you'd rush in before backup arrived."
"Was she?" Supergirl asked frowning.
"But we are all here now." Ruby said.
"I'm going to look from above." Supergirl said taking off and scanning all the buildings with her x-ray vision. As she came back down she reported. "I can't see anyone moving in there. But there seems to be a lot of rats."
"Yeah, we saw that on the thermal scans." Burns said.
"Nothing looks out of place." Supergirl said.
"Okay. Pedersen, Moore, Thorpe, go with Supergirl. The rest of you spread out and go through the other buildings. Remember it could be a trap." Burns ordered.
-00-
As Supergirl's group approached the room where all the rats were Thorpe asked.
"What's that smell?"
"Rotten meat?" Ruby suggested. "Maybe that is why there are so many rats."
"Aren't they vegetarian?" Thorpe asked.
"Not in the city. They eat anything they can get their paws on." Ruby said.
"When did you become a rat expert?"
"Infestation in college." Ruby shrugged.
"I just hope they aren't mutant rats." Moore said. "Normal rats are bad enough." He pointed out as they entered the room where all the rats were. "Man I feel sick." He added when she saw hundreds of rats in the middle of the room.
Silently Supergirl flew up a few feet then used her heat vision to blast the ground in a few strategic places causing the rats to scatter. Unfortunately for the DEO agents several ran straight past them.
"I hate rats." Moore complained.
"Not as much as that guy." Ruby said pointing at what the rats had been feasting on. Lying on the ground in separate piles was the torso, head and limbs of a very dead and very chewed upon alien.
Recognising an insignia on the chewed uniform Supergirl tapped her radio and said.
"I think we have found a former Lieutenant." Supergirl said.
"Think?" Alex asked.
"He's pretty dead." Supergirl said. "And it wasn't a pleasant death. Whoever did this definitely wanted him dead. And then the rats have been feasting."
-00-
"Want to tell me what's bothering you?" Eliza asked Alex late that evening.
"What?" Alex asked looking up.
"You have been distracted all evening."
"No I haven't."
"You gave Kara permission to go to party this weekend."
"No I didn't. Did I?" Alex asked frowning.
"You did. Don't worry, it sounds like a fairly harmless party." Eliza said. "So what's wrong?"
"Something we are investigation has made me question if the accident was an accident. J'onn is looking into it. If it wasn't an accident how do I tell the kids?"
"Don't you think you are getting ahead of yourself?" Eliza asked.
"That's what J'onn said." Alex smiled.
"Maybe you are looking too hard. You are a scientist, you like answers, whereas accidents are by definition unpredictable and unpreventable. Even it really were an accident it will always be easy for you to believe something else."
"Maybe." Alex said. "I just have a bad feeling."