"Director Danvers." Aptil greeted the next morning as he was shown into her office.
"Agent Aptil."
"I spent the night with your sister."
"You might want to consider rephrasing that." Alex said.
"I met your sister last night, snooping round Sloane Syndicate."
"My sister is a reporter."
"She was a reporter." Aptil corrected.
"She still works for CatCo." Alex said. "What she investigates is up to Cat Grant, not me."
"So you weren't behind last night?"
"Do you really think I can pull weight with Cat Grant?" Alex countered.
"No. But that doesn't mean you weren't involved."
"So what were you doing at this party?" Alex asked.
"Same as your sister. Searching for information."
"How did you get in?"
"The Feds provided extra security. I volunteered."
"A little obvious wasn't it?"
"No matter what you think about me I am not an idiot." Aptil said. "By going I would draw their attention. Whilst I had their attention, it could have been possible, hypothetically speaking, for others to slip in unnoticed. Your sister also provided a good distraction. After all the misinformation we have been fed the whole night had a nice feeling of symmetry." He went on.
"Did it turn up anything useful?" Alex asked.
"Did what turn up anything useful? All I did was attend a snobby cocktail party as security." Aptil said. "But hypothetically, if people had slipped in then they should be obtaining useful information over the coming days." He added. "But seeing what happened after you rattled Sloane Syndicate's cage, I suggest you arrange for your sister's family, which includes your children to have protection."
"I will." Alex said.
"Did you sister find anything?"
"Too early to tell." Alex replied. "But she did upset Joiner."
-00-
"What are you looking at?" Alex asked as she approached Supergirl in the control room where she was looking at long range scans.
"Looking for sinister looking dots." Supergirl said.
"What?" Alex asked.
"Lobo."
"The scanners don't work that way." Alex said. "Why are you looking for Lobo?"
"I just have this feeling that something bad is going to happen."
"I think we have enough bad things on Earth, we don't have to look for extra ones." Alex said. "Especially as you upset Joiner last night."
"Did Aptil say anything?" Supergirl asked.
"He was there as a distraction and he is hoping the intel will start flowing soon. He is concerned that Sloane will come after us again."
"So the kids are back under lockdown?" Kara asked.
"Which they are going to love." Alex said miserably.
"They'll understand."
"Or not. They were already complaining about their lack of freedom. Taking it away completely won't go down well." Alex said as her phone buzzed several times.
"Problem?" Kara asked.
"They are the messages of protest." Alex said as Kara's phone buzzed. "Let me guess they told Alex?"
"Apparently so. Aren't they not meant to use their phones at school?"
"Ma'ams, our goat force has entered the cave. Like before we have lost all feeds, but Burt is hovering outside and will go in in ten minutes. We should have -" She explained only to be interrupted by Harris.
"Ma'ams there has been a huge energy surge form the cave."
"Get Alpha and Bravo teams to take up position half a mile from the cave." Alex said before looking at her sister. "You too. But you do not approach the cave."
"Okay." Supergirl said disappearing.
"Send Burt in now." Alex ordered Vasquez.
"Yes Ma'am."
"That's strange." Vasquez said as several live feeds showed on the screen.
"What?"
"The feed is working. The Faraday cage is broken."
"How?"
"Maybe the power surge knocked everything out." Vasquez said as they looked at the screen that showed a portal but no goats.
"Are we sure that is a live feed?" Alex asked. "It seems to be missing our goats."
"Feed is live and uncompromised." Harris said.
"Any hidden tunnels?" Alex asked.
"Not that we can see."
"Have Alpha team send in the drones and bomb disposal robot." Alex said. "Ensure there is no power getting to the portal. But no one is to enter that cave."
"Yes Ma'am." Vasquez said as she relayed the commands.
"I'm on site." Supergirl said over the radio. "I can't hear anything coming from the cave."
"We are still investigating, hold your position." Alex said.
"Ma'am, Valentine just came back on line." Vasquez called. "We have the footage from the last five minutes."
"Put it on the big screen." Alex ordered turning her attention to the screen. Moments later they saw the screen come to light showing the portal. After several seconds several goats came into view before there was a blinding flash. When the light had gone so had the goats."
"So we just vaporised the goats or sent them to Mongul's son?" Alex asked.
"Maybe he will see it as a sign of friendship?" Supergirl said.
"Or an act of war." Vasquez chipped in before noticing something on the screen. "Look at that." She said.
"What?" Alex asked following Vasquez's finger which pointed to images of small boxes.
"They weren't there before, or at least they were hidden."
"What do you think, pressure sensors or something to do with the Portal?" Alex asked.
"No idea. We should be able to get the bomb disposal robot to remove them though."
"I need to report to the President." Alex said before reaching for her radio.
"Supergirl, you can stand down. No one is going in the cave anytime soon. Alpha and Bravo teams secure the area. No one gets in or out."
-00-
"You think they'll show?" Supergirl asked as she and Alex approached the meeting room at CatCo at evening.
"If they weren't part of the kidnap Supergirl plan, probably." Alex said as they entered the meeting room where an alien was sitting opposite Cat.
"You are not Peter." Alex commented, seeing it was a different alien from last time.
"No. Your voice calls me Lisa." The female sounding alien replied, nodding towards Cat.
"Is Peter okay?" Supergirl asked.
"He is fine."
"Why the swap?" Alex asked.
"He sounded like he trusted you. We wanted to know for sure."
"So you are the leader?"
"No. I am the telepath."
"Shouldn't you have come last time then?" Alex asked.
"I was deemed too important to risk. Now Caturghakurgrahhuk has spoken in your favour I have come to assess you."
"Catu...Catahhgaa-" Supergirl started to ask only for Cat to jump in and say.
"Peter."
"And?" Alex asked the alien.
"And what?" The alien questioned confused.
"You said you are a telepath, I am guessing you have used the last two minutes to make an assessment."
"Technically I am an empath. I can not read you mind, just your feelings. Which are very mixed. Are all humans so conflicted?"
"Conflicted?" Supergirl said.
"She is cautious, sad, excited, controlled, angry, guilty." The alien said nodding at Alex.
"Maybe we should rename you Troi." Supergirl said.
"So what is it you want?" Alex asked.
"A home and direction."
"On Earth?" Alex asked.
"No. Somewhere that Mongul has never been. We know you don't have ships, so we can wait. But before then we need help. Food and medicine."
"I am assuming you don't want to come to one of our bases to be checked out?"
"And be locked up forever?" The alien asked, clearly not trusting Alex.
"So what are you proposing?" Alex asked.
"We have a, you call them medics, if they can spend time with your," she paused searching for the word, "kelinth."
"Doctor." Supergirl said recognising the word.
"Dooctoor." The alien repeated. "Strange word. But if they can spend time with this dooctoor they can explain our needs."
"Okay. But once we have given you food and medicine I need something off you." Alex said.
"Peter told you all we know about the portals." She said.
"This is something else. I have need of an Empath."
"You do?" Supergirl asked confused before guessing what Alex was getting at. "Oh, that's a good plan."
"Would I be in danger?" The alien asked.
"You would have guards and you can bring your own as well." Alex said.
"We will speak after medicine." The alien said before standing. "Our medics will be here tomorrow." With that she left.
"I assume you will start paying towards rent?" Cat asked earning a wry smile from Alex. "What exactly are you two hatching?"
"We are trying to find a mole. We had used a telepath, but they managed to attack her brain and until we know for sure how I can't risk another. But Troi or Lisa or whatever we are calling her, can just sit in the room and pick out who is feeling nervous and guilty."
"She won't be danger?" Cat asked.
"Apart from us no one knows she is an empath. Even if they did, from what I understand the process works differently, telepathy is an active power that leaves them vulnerable, empaths are passive. But I will check with J'onn before we do anything."
"There is a chance she will lie." Cat pointed out.
"I know." Alex said. "But doing something is better than doing nothing." She then paused and said. "I will have Dr Dansen be here from six pm tomorrow. There will also be some undercover DEO agents as well."
-00-
"Where's Alex and Kara?" The adult Kara asked when they got back to her place and just saw her son in the lounge.
"At your place. She was tired and wanted to feed Chewie. Don't worry there's a DEO guy outside your place." MJ said.
"I guess it is late." The adult Kara said.
"Is Kara there as well?" The adult Alex asked, noticing her daughter was left out MJ's explanation.
"Umm, no." MJ said.
"Kara!" Alex called upstairs. Not getting a reply she asked. "Why can't she listen to music quietly?" Before heading upstairs calling for her daughter.
"I'm going to go see Alex. I need a … um… a book." MJ said standing.
"Where is she?" Alex asked rushing down the stairs before MJ got to the front door.
"Who?" MJ asked, trying and failing to look innocent.
"Where's Kara?" His mother demanded.
"She went out."
"Out where?" Alex asked.
"I don't know."
"MJ, now is not the time."
"I really don't." He said as Alex took out her phone and calling her daughter. When she heard a noise from upstairs she ran to her daughter's room again before coming down stairs a minute later, cursing under her breath, holding a phone and tracker. "I will kill her when she gets back." Alex ranted.
"Did she take the alarm?" Kara asked.
"I think so." Alex said. "I couldn't see it up there."
"That's something. Do you want me to go out looking for her?"
"We have no idea where to start." Alex said.
"I'll go see if Alex knows anything." The adult Kara said leaving.
"You had better not be lying." Alex said to MJ when it was just them.
"I'm not."
"Why didn't you stop here?"
"Seeing you can't, how can I?" He asked.
-00-
"Hey mom." The teenage Alex said looking up from the computer.
"Hi." Kara said before asking. "Do you know where Kara is?"
"No."
"Now isn't the time to lie. There are bad people out there" Kara said.
"I'm not. I don't know, not exactly anyway."
"Alex." Kara said sternly.
"There was a party tonight. But I don't know where. Kara didn't say."
"Alex-"
"I swear." The teenager said. "Kara said it was best if we didn't know."
Before Kara could say anything a painful noise sounded in her ears. Recognising it as one of the alarms she changed into Supergirl and flew out of the window.
-00-
Seeing her niece sitting on a quiet street, under a tree, hugging her knees, as torrential rain fell she hurried over and knelt if front of her.
"Kara? Are you okay?" She asked gently.
Hearing her aunt's voice the teenager looked up and despite the rain, the older Kara could see she was crying.
"Did someone hurt you?" The older Kara asked. This time the teenager shook her head.
Pulling her niece in for a hug, she was concerned with how wet and cold the teenager was. Before she could ask anything further the teen sobbed. "I want to go home."
On hearing the words Kara immediately flew them back to her sister's house.